Surprised Beyer on Wolfson didn't get any comment

[Boscar Obarra]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/23/AR2009022302714.html?sub=AR


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[HP]

I read it without registering.  Good stuff in there.  Thanks for posting.

[magicnight]

When I read this (in the Form, which, amazingly, listed Affirmed as winning the \'77 triple crown) my opinion was \"this sounds like a column written grudgingly to fend off a possible libel suit\". Perhaps not, but this is an odd piece, mixing skeptical admiration with casual, coded kneecapping. The final point - in today\'s game, all moveups are suspect - is, however, a good one.

[HP]

I thought it was good because Wolfson...answered the questions.  I guess we can add shoes to the old \"hay, oats and water.\"  You can be skeptical but he did give answers on specific horses.

I also liked how he compared himself to Allen Jerkens.  In Brooklyn he would probably get the nickname Modest Martin.

[magicnight]

I agree, HP, and it\'s not inconsistent with my thoughts. If I was Wolfson and it really was the shoes, I\'d threaten a lawsuit myself.

Reminds me of the great Cary Grant courtroom line from a few years back (when he was suing Chevy Chase for calling him a \"homo\" on the Carson show).

Lawyer: \"How did you feel when you heard Mr Chase call you a homo?\"

Grant: \"I felt like suing.\"

[Silver Charm]

I will take what was written and said at face value and go from there.

The bottom line is horse racing is in the \"Steroid Era in Baseball\" mode

Everyone is guilty until proven innocent.

Therefore the clean guys need to engineer some change along with those other advocates like Jerry Brown and Barry Irwin.

[Silver Charm]

HP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> I also liked how he compared himself to Allen
> Jerkens.  In Brooklyn he would probably get the
> nickname Modest Martin.

No they would give him the nickname Mars Blackman

[HP]

This actually makes me think of something...what horse racing needs is...it\'s own...Jose Canseco.  A guy who will come forward and spill the beans.  They should really retire Canseco\'s uni number for every team...just like Jackie Robinson\'s 42.  How AMAZING is it that EVERYTHING Canseco said has turned out to be true!  And now the guy has to do these stupid boxing exhibitions to make money.  

All of the journalists were SO into the Sosa/McGwire home run derby crap and SO against Canseco.  I really think the JOURNALISTS should be taken to task as much as the players and owners.  They played a very substantial negative role in the whole development of things.  Of course it\'s also possible that things developed the way they did because everybody could agree on ONE THING - that they just HATED Barry Bonds.  

But where is horse racing\'s Canseco?  That\'s what is really missing here...

[magicnight]

Problem is, Canseco only sang once that became his most profitable avenue. Even with an assfull of steroids, a 40-year-old baseball player is pretty much washed up. Not the same for a thoroughbred trainer.

[HP]

Well...plenty of guys work for thoroughbred trainers.  You would think there would be one disgruntled guy who knew enough to make waves.  As it stands, as a group, these trainers are more impenetrable than the Mafia!

[JimP]

I don\'t understand the praise for Canseco that I keep seeing in print. The guy wrote the book for only one reason - he needed the money because he was broke. In the book he did two things: 1. He exposed some of the other steroid users in baseball. 2. He advocated for the continued use of steroids by athletes including young kids. The guy will never get any praise from me. If PEDs are ever eliminated from all sports (or any sport for that matter), I will celebrate. As of now, there isn\'t a sport where that can be celebrated because it hasn\'t happened. Horse racing is no different from the other sports in that respect. The abusers have just moved to new PEDs that aren\'t detectable. But if we ever do eliminate them, Canseco will get no credit from me because of his position supporting the use of PEDs, both legal and illegal ones.

[HP]

Hi Jim,

I\'m not in love with everything Canseco said either...but I recall quite a few people initially questioning his assertions.  I agree with you wholeheartedly in terms of his...advocacy of PEDs.  However, he performed a HUGE service in blowing the lid off of this whole thing.  Sometimes you have a wade through some crap to get to the good stuff.  

To extend the analogy, just imagine if someone in horse racing said \"I endorse the use of PEDs\" and then went on to name names, including vets, owners, trainers and other parties who were involved.  That information would have quite a bit of value, whether you agreed with the endorsement of PEDs or not...

By definition, people that are CLEAN are not going to have this essential info.  

HP

[Boscar Obarra]

I made that point recently in another post. Very odd no one has spilled the beans.

HP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This actually makes me think of something...what
> horse racing needs is...it\'s own...Jose Canseco.
> A guy who will come forward and spill the beans.
> They should really retire Canseco\'s uni number for
> every team...just like Jackie Robinson\'s 42.  How
> AMAZING is it that EVERYTHING Canseco said has
> turned out to be true!  And now the guy has to do
> these stupid boxing exhibitions to make money.  
>
> All of the journalists were SO into the
> Sosa/McGwire home run derby crap and SO against
> Canseco.  I really think the JOURNALISTS should be
> taken to task as much as the players and owners.
> They played a very substantial negative role in
> the whole development of things.  Of course it\'s
> also possible that things developed the way they
> did because everybody could agree on ONE THING -
> that they just HATED Barry Bonds.  
>
> But where is horse racing\'s Canseco?  That\'s what
> is really missing here...

[JimP]

Maybe there is no money in spilling the beans in horse racing like there was for Canseco in baseball.

[richiebee]

...maybe people HAVE come forward, but the powers that be in Racing chose
not to act on the information, at least publicly...