Happy Monday everyone.
There's quite a bit of twitter chatter about Saratoga this past weekend; about both its meagre attendance numbers, and its stout YoY handle for the Belmont (at Saratoga, which isn't usually at Saratoga) racing festival.
I, like everyone, loved the Saratoga meet of years past. Six days a week, very, very good horses, riders and trainers plying their trade, even on a Wednesday; and strong attendance numbers, with happy racegoers wanting to be a part of the spectacle.
I also, like most of you, enjoyed Sunday afternoon football, the specialness of Thanksgiving Day football games; Wild card weekend over my Christmas holidays, ending the season before January 15th.
I enjoyed the pennant run; a sport where for a bazillion years 162 games were enough to decide who the four best teams were. And baseball ending before my birthday each year, so much so, that I could go outside and practice my Kent Tekulve throwing motion in my backyard in the tundra during the playoffs; where remarkably there was no snow on the ground yet.
I enjoyed the NHL playoffs where the Stanley Cup Final ended while there was still ice on the lakes, Saturday at 8PM puck drops were the staple; March Madness when I actually knew what time the games were going to be played and what network they were on.
Watered down Saratoga is, as they say, just the way it is. It's just how things are done.
Saratoga is not about the past, the tradition, the fans, the horses, the events or making it special. It's CAW and handle per entry; it's CAC and ROE and P and L and all the other neat acronyms they teach us in business school. And it's just catching up to everyone else.
Have a great Monday everyone.
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