Tarnished Star

The 82nd Major League Baseball All Star game has come and gone, with out much interest it would seem.  T.V. ratings were down 19% from last year and some are even calling for the end of this summer classic.  Players bolted at an alarming rate, and the "buzz" that once drove argument and excitement is no more.  This amid a game that actually means something now, like home field advantage in the World Series.  What's wrong?

Some blame inter league play, some player's salaries, and some say baseball is simply in decline.  I remember in years past the anticipation of being able to see a galaxy of baseball stars, all gathered in one location, ready to do battle, and uphold the honor of which ever league, National or American, that you happened to root for.  They never seemed to disappoint.  What changed?

For one thing the way we watch T.V. has changed.  Multiple channels of diverse interests has given Americans an endless choice.  I don't think America has turned against baseball I think it's just to easy to push a button and see what's happening up or down the spectrum.  It's summer, people are more mobile now then they ever were in the past.  Most people are under the threat of constant distraction.  Players as well as fans fall victim to the same temptations.  It is a long season and maybe they need a vacation like everyone else.  Where do we go from here?

I don't have the answer.  There are many suggestions out there but it will take someone with more insight then me to find a fix for a declining American Classic.  I continue to watch with mild interest to see how my hometown boys will do,  but never with the fervor that once existed.  Whatever happens with the MLB All Star game, count me as one who misses a time in the past, when I looked forward to a summer evening of pure escapism.  Maybe I am just distracted too.

Bluegrass Pauper

Horse racing has long been known as the "Sport of Kings", primarily because the great races have been contested by owners that are among the wealthiest people in the world.  People who spend millions on horse flesh and expect millions in return for their investments.  However, at most racetracks the "under cards" are cheaper horses owned and trained by people that are no where near being captains of industry, or kings.

Horse racing is a dying sport!  The racetracks care little about the cheap horses or the small horsemen, who dwell just as hard trying to grind out a living in a sport they love but seldom loves them back.  Casino gambling seems to be the only pursuit of racetracks these days, in fact, racing appears to be a nuisance.  Purses for cheap races continue to decline so that most of the money can be diverted to a chosen few that can compete in the bigger races. 

I have owned, trained, and bred thoroughbred racehorses for many years, not to win classic races, but to compete in a sport that is just as much a part of my heritage as the connections that run in the Kentucky Derby.  A bale of hay or straw costs no more for a million dollar horse then it does for a five thousand dollar claimer.  Yet we, the small horsemen, are sacrificed to insure that the racetracks can put on a great show for the public, whom they hope will soon become customers in their casino.

The racetracks may need the small horsemen some day, especially if casino gambling doesn't realize their dreams of riches.  They may find that one day they might need a race filled to complete their "under card", so  they can brag about the quality of choices the bettors have, but you will never catch them increasing purses to attract us.  Horse racing is still the Sport of Kings" only because it has serfs who are willing to do the heavy lifting,  in a sport that apparently has forgotten, or doesn't care, that most of the players are turning into paupers.