The following tweet by Ed DeRosa, Director of Marketing for Bloodstock Research, caught my eye recently. He tweeted:
Who is the greatest handicapper of all time?
Beyer
Crist
Pittsburgh Phil
Ragozin
He asked people to vote and over 600 respondents had made their choice. My reaction? First of all, it’s interesting that DeRosa chose Ragozin as a possibility and not our own boy, Jerry Brown. Overall though, the posed question is absurd. Any person voting is, of course, voting on notoriety and hearsay. In the words of former football coach Jim Mora: “You think you know, but you DON’T know…â€
I used to bet at the track or simulcast restaurants with a gang of friends almost all the time. Those people may have sensed when I had a bad day and lost my shirt. But they also knew when I won three shirts or more. Possible clue: I’d pay for dinner and lap dances afterwards. Nowadays, I bet almost $1 million per year, almost all of it via online channels. Pretty much alone. In my own cyberspace world. Who knows whether I’m a genius or a dummy? No one! No one but me, that is.
The four possibilities DeRosa sights have certain reputations for sure. But the only way to answer DeRosa’s question is to consider the yearly betting printouts from online betting accounts. And that right there eliminates Pittsburgh Phil and Ragozin.
