Saratoga thoughts

Here's what I'm thinking:

• The new toteboard at Saratoga is terrific.  It's so easy to read with it's vividness and bright colors.  Heck I don't even need my glasses there, well not as much anyway.
• I realize he doesn't have that many mounts and doesn't race every day, but it's still wierd to see Calvin Borel with only 3 wins.  He will be in the Hall of Fame sooner rather than later. I love his charismatic personality too - we both blew stop signs on our bicycles a week or two ago and almost crashed into each other.  Just as I was about to get mad, despite our shared fault, I realized who it was and was immediately star struck and blurted out "Hey Calvin!"  He replied "Hey man how's it going?" and we both went on our merry ways.  That's my brush with greatness, at the intersection of Phila and Court streets.
• Speaking of running into celebrities, I presumed in my previous "Saratoga Thoughts" post that Kevin Dillon and Kevin Connolly, stars in the HBO hit series Entourage and partners in Siro's new ownership group, never made it here to Saratoga.  I was incorrect, and my friends did see the two actors at the Lincoln Street landmark the first Saturday of track season.  It was kind of funny because my friend saw them going through the dining area, which was populated with older folks, and it seemed to him that he was the only one that recognized them.  On a related note, I wrote about Siro's bands earlier this week and I mentioned Commander Cody, but I forgot to include a picture I had from his gig there last year, so I'll post it below. There, now your day is complete.

 

• I understand and support the thoroughbred racing industry's adaptations to modern economic times, and I commend NYRA for actively engaging new partnerships and alliances.  With all that being said, I still cringe everytime I hear "Dunkin Donut Mondays".
• I think it's so sad when I see people searching through the garbage looking for winning tickets at the track.  I'm not talking about a ticket that they accidentally discarded, mind you (believe you me* I've been there), but I'm talking about people just searching and hoping someone made a mistake and accidentally threw a winner out.  I just don't know what to think when I see that.
• Did you know the Daily Gazette has two blogs dedicated to Saratoga?  I didn't know that, even though they've apparently been going since last year.  You can link "The Wire" here, and "Around Saratoga" here.  The Gazette's staff obviously doesn't have the blogging experience as their competition at the T-U or even the Saratogian, and The Gazette blogs lack appeal, but perhaps they will learn and grow.  On a related note, I think The Gazette's Saratoga reporter Tatiana Zarnowski is a very good journalist and if there's one reason to read The Gazette it's because of her.
• Everytime I see those white dogs (are they huskies?) in the pickup truck I get a smile on my face. We saw them on Broadway last Saturday night. 
• My fiance and I went to the Philadelphia Orchestra at SPAC last night and we really enjoyed spreading our blanket out on the lawn and enjoying the great performance.  I like how they dumb it down for clods like me and played a few songs made popular by Gloria Estefan, Diana Ross, and George Thorogood.  OK, it was "Wicked Divas" night and there was no Thorogood, but even though it would have been totally misplaced, that would have been really cool.  My poor fiance, a cultured woman who's a romantic at heart and loves the opera and Broadway, was so captivated by the songs from Carmen, Phantom of the Opera, and Wicked.  Meanwhile I'm reaching into the cooler thinking "Me likes fried chicken".  She's a beautiful woman, and deserves so much better.  Have a great weekend everybody.

*RIP Billy Preston

Comments

[judi0044]

They are Samoyed dogs - we used to have one and I'm sure this is the fellow my husband knows. He lost one in a tragic accident and then got a replacement. Haven't seen him around our haunts for awhile. They can be stubborn and are susceptible to diabetes - that's what caused us to lose ours at ten years. Didn't like the summers but loved the snow and what beautiful coats they have.

[judi0044]

I take it back. My husband said when Pogo died the man got a replacement which is not a Sammy. It's a shepard or a mix. I didn't think it had the coat but wasn't sure. The original two were Samoyed.

[Dan De Federicis]

Hi Judi thanks for commenting and clarifying that.

[christina]

I feel awful for those poor dogs. If you watched them careen around the back of the pickup bed on the northway with nothing to protect them, you might not have such a smile on your face. I think this guy is a giant jerk, I have also seen his (almost always unattended) dogs jump off the truck bed on broadway and attack someone's dog on a leash. Not sure why no one has done anything about it yet, I have made complaints myself but I guess something awful has to happen. :(
sorry for the rant, but I thought you might want to know. they are beautiful dogs and deserve better than this.

[Dan De Federicis]

Hmmmm thanks for the alternative viewpoint. If the dogs did attack another dog, then the owner certainly should have been cited.

[Nancy]

As you now know, they are Samoyeds. Technically, the name is pronounced "Sam-yeds". They are beautful dogs but can be difficult. Like Huskies and Malamutes, they are pack dogs and protective. They originated in Russia, and the Eskimos/Inuits depended greatly upon them for their own existnce. Man and animal in a perfect symbiotic relationship. They were well treated and regarded. I had a Samoyed that was a breed rescue. The people that had him abused him. So much abuse is also due to ignorance.

[Nancy]

Another dog safety issue is driving and allowing your dog to stick his head out of the window. They can be blinded by something hitting them in the eye. If you swerve or break, they can be thrown in/out of your vehicle or have their windpipes crushed. They can also step on the window lever and choke themselves. People who drive with their dogs in their laps also run the risk of crushing their dog. Invest in a safety harness and buckle them up, just like you do like a child.