ON WINNIE (1874 – 1965)

September 29, 2026

October 1, 2026

Last year, 60 years had elapsed since the passing of one who I have repeatedly described as the Man of the 20th Century. His name: Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill. Not a whimper from the media for over a year now. I shudder to think what kind of world we would be living in today had it not been for Churchill, despite the recent turmoil here at home.

Churchill should forever remind us that no matter how gloomy the present appears, there is always hope. Despite facing overwhelming odds against what appeared to be an unstoppable war machine, he never lost hope. During a 3-year period (1940-43) of utter disasters and obstacles, during the darkest hours our world has ever known – he never stopped believing, never lost faith, never gave up. And, he never lost his love for cigars and hard liquor.

But let’s go back to the beginning. Our man Churchill was the oldest son of Lord Randolph Churchill and Jennie Jerome. Why is this important? Two things: first, he was born into royalty and secondly, Jerome was an American heiress. Translated in English, this means that Winnie was half American. In his early years at the turn of the 20th century, he was captured during the Boer War. His daring escape elevated him to a national hero. He was then actively involved with the Admiralty. It was here that he floundered and was disliked by key government officials prior to the start of WWII. But the infamous Neville Chamberlain’s disastrous appeasement approach to Hitler – resulting in a laughable peace pact and a subsequent declaration of war with Germany following Hitler’s invasion of Poland – elevated Churchill to Prime Minister in May 1940. What followed were truly the dark days of WWII when our hero managed to survive what he described as “their finest hour.”

But the good Lord took a liking to our hero. There was the incessant bombing, the fear factor, the collapse of France, Hitler overrunning nearly all of Europe, and disasters on both land and sea. He blessed him and his beloved England with three major turning points in the war:

  1. The English Channel
  2. Hitler’s idiotic delayed invasion of Russia
  3. Pearl Harbor – which brought us (America) to his rescue.

The rest is history. But unfortunately, a history that many have forgotten.

I close with an edited assessment (source unknown) of Winston Churchill: “His true importance, however, rests on the fact that by sheer stubborn courage, he led the British people and with them, the democratic Western world, from the brink of total disaster to a final victory in the greatest conflict that our world has ever seen.”

I believe his “finest hour” quote was topped only by his statement, “All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.” I would humbly add “courage.” So let us hope that, at this time of troubling waters, this great man will show the way for not only all of us as individuals, but also our leaders.

Visit the author at:

www.theodorenewsletter.com

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NEXT POSTINGS

NOVEMBER 1:     On the OHI Day

DECEMBER 1:      On Hello Basketball, Goodbye Baseball

JANUARY 1:         On the Ultimate Quiz IX

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ON DOOMED TO FAILURE

September 1, 2026

September 1, 2026

“Scandal has ever been the doom of beauty”

Properties, Book I, Elegy I

“Oft expectation fails, and most oft these where most it promises”

Shakespeare, All’s Well that Ends Well

Saratoga Springs, NY. Saratoga Race Course. July 10, 2026. It’s a soccer jersey giveaway day. I’m in the grandstand betting horses. Parking $40. Admission: $10. Grandstand seat: $25. Program: $8. A fan arriving with $100 would therefore be left with $17 to wager. It is here that the New York Racing Association (NYRA) excels: gauging its patrons. No wonder the place is empty. Better than half the seats are unoccupied. The local farmers obviously have chosen to stand most of the racing card, rather than be bilked by NYRA, the organization granted a license to defraud the taxpaying public. The city of Saratoga has also joined the party. Nightly room rate: $630. Dinner: don’t ask. Drinks: even worse. I can’t wait to get away from this place. Mary, with the three teen grandkids who don’t bet, arrived just before the 5th race. Another $40. Even worse, NYRA personnel refused to give them soccer jerseys despite packing them away…for another day? Incompetence reigns. It’s not only NYRA administrators – it’s also some of the help.

NYRA’s incompetence has long been a given. But, on to more important matters. No doubt you read that NYRA and state administrators (in their infinite wisdom) decided to tear down Beautiful Belmont Park (the most beautiful racetrack in the world) and replace it with a more modern facility. Ouch! Belmont had become my home away from home. Section X on the 3rd floor (with a breathtaking panoramic view) housed my fellow patrons, including Nunzie, Otto, Joe the Cutter (he worked in the garment industry), One Punch Tony (he’d pop in on occasions, punch one straight $200 exacta ticket, and then disappear), Phil the Cabby, Marcus, Stretch, Mustache John, Danny Rat, and a host of other disreputable characters. I think I’m the only one who is still around. Certainly, BP is gone. Weekday attendance, as I had predicted in print numerous times in the past, had sunk to about 200.

Baseball attendance draws 20,000 per game. Tickets for pro basketball (the Knicks!*?!) and hockey are untouchable. College basketball fills up. College and pro football fill up. Soccer has suddenly come alive. But these incompetents at NYRA were having trouble drawing flies despite being bailed out early on by OTB, then casinos, and more recently limited partnerships. Attracting women has also failed miserably. None of these worked. So, what’s their solution? Scam our equally incompetent elected state officials into building a new Belmont that is more beautiful, more posh and, of course, more expensive. No, helliciously expensive! So come September 18, the new Belmont will open with great fanfare and within a year, business will be back to normal with significantly less than 500 patrons at the track. Total insanity, but that is what happens when you are dealing with NYRA and elected state officials. Virtually every individual I know who is close to this industry simply can’t figure out how these incompetent people ever got to run NYRA. The demise of this sport can be directly attributed to not only the raw incompetence discussed above but also economics. The “takeout,” i.e., the amount removed for taxes, administrative and operating costs and purses from the money wagered by the bettor is approximately 20%. This is essentially the same “takeout” (let us call it a charge) since the sport has been in existence. Now this may have been acceptable 50 or 100 years ago when horse race betting had no competition. However, compare this to other present-day betting/investing options.

  1. The commission on the charge on straight sports betting is approximately 5%.
  2. A prudent gambler at the dice tables can wager with an approximate charge of 0.5%.
  3. A prudent gambler can wager at the blackjack table with a charge approaching 0%.
  4. A stock market investor can purchase/wager $500,000 worth of issues for $8, for a takeout charge of 0.0016%.

The computer/technological revolution has changed the game for all bettors/investors. Imagine the imposition of a 20% charge on each stock market investment and a reasonably intelligent individual (not from NYRA) will arrive at some very simple conclusions regarding the merits of parimutuel betting. It is basically that simple. The game has run its course, and without change, it will die.

Only a change in the “takeout” will bail this industry out. But, don’t bet on it. No matter how you cut the cake, I can say with near certainty that the thoroughbred racing industry will have difficulty surviving for another decade. Why? Five reasons.

  1. With a takeout of 20% intelligent bettors simply will not get involved with betting horses. As for me, it is in my blood. It has been a part of my life for nearly ¾ of a century. Not so much with those who came after me. Unfortunately, the industry has not moved swiftly or intelligently since earlier times to correct this exploitation and address competition.
  2. One of the major concerns of capitalism is GREED. And boy, this industry oozes GREED. Why the $50,000 to $100,000 races and yet charge the patron a $10 entrance fee, a $40 parking fee, $25 for a grandstand seat, etc., etc.? As noted above, gouging the patron has become a way of life.
  3. The thoroughbred industry is subsidized by the taxpayer, particularly here in NYS. They are selling horses at some of these auctions for amounts approaching $5,000,000! Why do they need subsidizing?? One of these days, we will get an honest politician elected who will put a stop to this gouging of the taxpayers.
  4. Dog racing has been barred. They are completely out of business. Why? What basis? Look it up. The same reasons for closing down shops for dogs also apply to horses. In case you haven’t noticed, the thoroughbred industry is now spending a fortune informing an uninformed public how much they really care about these animals. It’s laughable. I believe every breeder should be assessed a “tax” for every foal to insure humane treatment later in a race horse’s career.
  5. Last but not least is INCOMPETENCE. You want an example? Look no further than our own NYRA that is anything but the non-profit organization they profess it to be. The incompetents that man NYRA have yet to figure out how to attract new customers to the industry. (I predicted this in several articles a half a century ago. And, I also provided invited testimony on parimutuel wagering to a Presidential Crime Commission hearing in 1977.)

The signs are all there. More recently, and as expected, attendance at the recent Saratoga meet nosedived. It really nosedived! Here’s more on NYRA incompetence. NYRA had difficulty in showcasing its product (the races) –Saratoga Live–on TV. The program was repeatedly (even on weekends) blocked out, to be replaced by a speedway race from some unknown city, or some unheard of golf tournament, or a teenage girls intramural volleyball game from Saudi Arabia. Obviously, NYRA has been unable to attract viewers. To further compound problems, the races are often tape-delayed which creates immense problems for the betting public, something that NYRA is clueless about. Could there be more? Of course. Even the news media can’t get Saratoga Live programming time correct. Want more? Look for a massive betting scandal in the near future. I kid you not; it really is that bad. I’ll revisit this next Fall (if I’m still around) with a follow-up analysis.

Can the industry survive? I’ll provide my four-point program at a later date.

Maybe intelligent, responsible individuals will come along and save the day. But, once again, I wouldn’t bet on it.

Visit the author at:

www.theodorenewsletter.com

and / or

Basketball Coaching 101 on Facebook

NEXT POSTINGS

OCTOBER 1:         On Winnie

NOVEMBER 1:     On the OHI Day

DECEMBER 1:      On Goodbye Baseball, Hello Basketball

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