Re: Pissed at Crist (586 Views)
Posted by:
BitPlayer (IP Logged)
Date: November 17, 2005 12:00PM
RB –
I didn't read the field size piece you're talking about. (I won't pay for the "Subscriber Only " material online. It's not worth the money to me. I can understand why they charge for the handicapping pieces, but I've never understood why they do so with the editorial pieces. Don't they want them read as widely as possible?)
That said, I'm a big fan of Crist's writing. Way back when, I used to borrow the Sports section of the NY Times from someone down the hall to see if Crist had written an article that day. I can tell from the titles of some of his editorial pieces that he doesn't duck the political issues. He has certainly had a lot to say about NYRA.
With respect to field size, it may apparent to you and me that the industry should be pushing large fields, but the problem remains. The tracks keep offering large purses for short fields. The Woodward and Goodwood are two recent examples. On the flip side, I know that jockeys have been resistant to increasing field size too much, and I can understand their position, especially with cheap horses that are more prone to break down mid-race. The bottom line is that if the industry doesn't take steps to become viable in its own right, as opposed to relying on slots money, it won't last long.
On the $1 Pick-6, the big appeal of that bet (especially for tracks) is the possibility of a carryover. Reducing the minimum bet would allow people to play more combinations, and reduce the chance of a carryover.