I've always been enamored with horse racing... anything with numbers has interested me. Service Electric in Wilkes-Barre started carrying the live races from Penn National sometime around 1984... I remember watching the races almost every night. Then, Service Electric started carrying Philadelphia Park races in 1987.
I was fascinated by the speed of the horse and all the odds... and at one point trying to figure out exact odds... but never realizing how much the government took out of all payouts.
Horse racing in PA was in the doldrums in the mid-to-late 90s... everybody was spending their money at tracks out of states, especially those that had slot machines, like Charles Town in West Virginia and Delaware Park.
Well, the track is a fun place to be at again... casinos have opened at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and Philadelphia Park. The new casino at Penn National opens next year. In fact, two new tracks are open, Harrah's Chester Downs and Presque Isle Downs in Erie.
I haven't been to any of the racinos (racetrack casinos) yet, but I'm willing to wait... the Pocono and Philly slot rooms are temporary, until new facilities are built for just the slot parlors. Will I still go to Atlantic City? Probably. Will I still go to Charles Town? Probably. Will I lose my shirt? Never... I never spend more than $100 at a time... at least while gas is as high as it is.
I'm heading up to Turning Stone in NY this summer, and will probably go to a few of the small tracks up there, like Batavia Downs, Tioga Downs, and Buffalo Raceway... I'd love to go to Saratoga sometime this year too... I'll keep you posted.
Talk with you at 6, buckle up.
TS
Friday, March 30, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Basketball & Closings
Hello... apologies for not keeping up. I've been kinda sleepy since getting back from basketball championships in State College.
Great weekend. I did enjoy the time that the games were in Hershey... but the old barn and the Giant Centre aren't true basketball venues, they were built for hockey. The Jordan Center gave you a true basketball feel because you knew basketball was played there. I kept stats for TV, and had fans just about breathing down my necks the whole time.
The hospitality was excellent, and the guys I worked with were their usual crazy selves. I joked that I was the only guy from Schuylkill County there all weekend. Yes, I would have liked to see one of our area teams make it. Maybe next year.
Count me in among the saddened that Cardinal Brennan is finished at year's end. When CB had those excellent football seasons, I enjoyed driving up to Fountain Springs and the Kempsey complex to watch them play. Jerry Freiler, Mike Nieddu, and Fr. Maco always made me feel at home. The cheeseburgers and fries were excellent. I remember being there for a homecoming game. If I had known that the reigning queen had no escort, I would have dressed up more and been one. Oh well...
With CB's closure and Hafey's closure, there's no more regularly scheduled Saturday varsity football games within 30 miles or so. Looks like more trips to Pen Argyl, Wilson, Pius X, and Dallas.
This makes 5 or 6 closings in this area... Bishop Hafey, Bishop O'Reilly, and Bishop Hannan are all lost in the shuffle. CB kids will spread out to Nativity, Marian, Lourdes, or go to public schools. Hafey students will either go to Marian, the new Holy Redeemer (formerly Bishop Hoban in Wilkes-Barre), or to public schools. In Scranton, Hannan and Bishop O'Hara will combine to form Holy Cross High.
I under$tand why thi$ i$ being done. The writing ha$ been on the wall for quite $ome time. I've been wondering how long CB would last with its enrollment.
For some kids, last days of school are either joyous or sad. I think there will be a little more sadness come June in Fountain Springs, at Maple Manor, and the other schools.
Talk with you at 6, buckle up.
TS
Great weekend. I did enjoy the time that the games were in Hershey... but the old barn and the Giant Centre aren't true basketball venues, they were built for hockey. The Jordan Center gave you a true basketball feel because you knew basketball was played there. I kept stats for TV, and had fans just about breathing down my necks the whole time.
The hospitality was excellent, and the guys I worked with were their usual crazy selves. I joked that I was the only guy from Schuylkill County there all weekend. Yes, I would have liked to see one of our area teams make it. Maybe next year.
Count me in among the saddened that Cardinal Brennan is finished at year's end. When CB had those excellent football seasons, I enjoyed driving up to Fountain Springs and the Kempsey complex to watch them play. Jerry Freiler, Mike Nieddu, and Fr. Maco always made me feel at home. The cheeseburgers and fries were excellent. I remember being there for a homecoming game. If I had known that the reigning queen had no escort, I would have dressed up more and been one. Oh well...
With CB's closure and Hafey's closure, there's no more regularly scheduled Saturday varsity football games within 30 miles or so. Looks like more trips to Pen Argyl, Wilson, Pius X, and Dallas.
This makes 5 or 6 closings in this area... Bishop Hafey, Bishop O'Reilly, and Bishop Hannan are all lost in the shuffle. CB kids will spread out to Nativity, Marian, Lourdes, or go to public schools. Hafey students will either go to Marian, the new Holy Redeemer (formerly Bishop Hoban in Wilkes-Barre), or to public schools. In Scranton, Hannan and Bishop O'Hara will combine to form Holy Cross High.
I under$tand why thi$ i$ being done. The writing ha$ been on the wall for quite $ome time. I've been wondering how long CB would last with its enrollment.
For some kids, last days of school are either joyous or sad. I think there will be a little more sadness come June in Fountain Springs, at Maple Manor, and the other schools.
Talk with you at 6, buckle up.
TS
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Food. Yummy. Now, leave me alone.
Website of the day: http://health.msn.com/centers/depression/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100149886
What an interesting article... never realized a large order of fries had a negative mental effect on our bodies.
Talk with you at 6, buckle up.
TS
What an interesting article... never realized a large order of fries had a negative mental effect on our bodies.
Talk with you at 6, buckle up.
TS
Monday, March 19, 2007
Two thumbs up...
...to the Pottsville Streets Department. The roads were passable by Saturday morning at 6:30. Thank you to those ladies and gentlemen.
It was fun filling in on Saturday morning... granted it was a weather-filled show, but it was still fun.
Another kudo to Penndot for having the majot routes cleared by Saturday afternoon. I had to be in Lancaster County most of this weekend... and the only bad spots were where drifting was unavoidable.
Talk with you at 6:00. Buckle up.
TS
It was fun filling in on Saturday morning... granted it was a weather-filled show, but it was still fun.
Another kudo to Penndot for having the majot routes cleared by Saturday afternoon. I had to be in Lancaster County most of this weekend... and the only bad spots were where drifting was unavoidable.
Talk with you at 6:00. Buckle up.
TS
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Great, just great...
...more snow is coming. I thought it was gonna be 61 today. Now, 3 to 7 inches of snow is expected. Well, I guess Mother Nature is being nice to you college basketball bracketologists, by giving you an excuse to stay home tomorrow.
The way we played the tournament here is that 16 of us picked 4 teams out of a bag. How the heck do I end up getting both Texas A&M and Texas A&M Corpus Christi? Interesting. One of my 4 teams will probably be the first to be eliminated... Davidson. They play Maryland in the first game at 12:20. In all the brackets I filled out, I have Maryland winning that game.
Website of the day: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2007-03-13-tournament_N.htm with matchups, times, and announcer teams. Excellent broadcast teams.
Buckle up. Talk with you tonight.
TS
The way we played the tournament here is that 16 of us picked 4 teams out of a bag. How the heck do I end up getting both Texas A&M and Texas A&M Corpus Christi? Interesting. One of my 4 teams will probably be the first to be eliminated... Davidson. They play Maryland in the first game at 12:20. In all the brackets I filled out, I have Maryland winning that game.
Website of the day: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2007-03-13-tournament_N.htm with matchups, times, and announcer teams. Excellent broadcast teams.
Buckle up. Talk with you tonight.
TS
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Stop and chew the food...
...don't I mean stop and smell the roses? Kinda.
We've all been in a rush sometimes to hurry up, eat, and get to work or whatever's next on the mile-long to-do list. Yet, even when we're in no hurry, we end up chewing so fast because that's what we're used to.
Well, our bodies have different ways of telling us, "Whoa, Betsy!" I had one of those moments... I swallowed a nice chunk of chicken sandwich, then it kinda go stuck in my esophagus. I wasn't choking, because it was below my windpipe. But for about 2 1/2 agonizing minutes, it didn't wanna go anywhere. Burping didn't do anything... finally made my way to the rest room to place myself as horizontal as possible.
I'm guilty of letting my eyes become bigger than my stomach... maybe this explains why I've gained a little weight lately. I remember my Mom always commenting on me not cutting up my food well enough. I'm still guilty today.
Raise your hand if you eat in the car, regardless of where you are. I have the grease marks on my seat to prove my guilt. The worst was spilling a large vanilla shake in my first car. I'm curious to see what previous meals I will discover the next time I vacuum my car.
Basketball tonight at 7:00, talk with you at 6:00. Buckle up, and don't trust the five-second rule in your car.
TS
We've all been in a rush sometimes to hurry up, eat, and get to work or whatever's next on the mile-long to-do list. Yet, even when we're in no hurry, we end up chewing so fast because that's what we're used to.
Well, our bodies have different ways of telling us, "Whoa, Betsy!" I had one of those moments... I swallowed a nice chunk of chicken sandwich, then it kinda go stuck in my esophagus. I wasn't choking, because it was below my windpipe. But for about 2 1/2 agonizing minutes, it didn't wanna go anywhere. Burping didn't do anything... finally made my way to the rest room to place myself as horizontal as possible.
I'm guilty of letting my eyes become bigger than my stomach... maybe this explains why I've gained a little weight lately. I remember my Mom always commenting on me not cutting up my food well enough. I'm still guilty today.
Raise your hand if you eat in the car, regardless of where you are. I have the grease marks on my seat to prove my guilt. The worst was spilling a large vanilla shake in my first car. I'm curious to see what previous meals I will discover the next time I vacuum my car.
Basketball tonight at 7:00, talk with you at 6:00. Buckle up, and don't trust the five-second rule in your car.
TS
Monday, March 12, 2007
I understand...
...that this blog is being used for educational purposes. Hi, Mr. Elias.
I bowled my 4th 299 last week... solid 10 pin. All I wanted was the 11th strike... whatever I got on the 12th shot was gravy, as long as I didn't throw in the gutter.
March Madness is in full swing on the high school level... good luck to our three local girls teams still alive.
I just finished filling out my college brackets on ESPN. They let you fill out five different brackets. Just in case, I have five different winners. My craziest pick... Texas A&M Corpus Christi wins in the first round. I'll work on the women's brackets tomorrow. Are there bracket contests for the NIT & WNIT?
Talk with you at 6:00. Buckle up.
TS
I bowled my 4th 299 last week... solid 10 pin. All I wanted was the 11th strike... whatever I got on the 12th shot was gravy, as long as I didn't throw in the gutter.
March Madness is in full swing on the high school level... good luck to our three local girls teams still alive.
I just finished filling out my college brackets on ESPN. They let you fill out five different brackets. Just in case, I have five different winners. My craziest pick... Texas A&M Corpus Christi wins in the first round. I'll work on the women's brackets tomorrow. Are there bracket contests for the NIT & WNIT?
Talk with you at 6:00. Buckle up.
TS
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Sleep
What a great conversation starter...
You never hear anyone say, "I get too much sleep." It's always not enough.
I have friends who can sleep for 12 hours with no problem... I'm lucky if I get 8 hours in a row, and that's even after my surgery to fix my deviated septum and remove half my uvula.
It's strange how I feel sleepy, take a nap, then stay up twice as long that night.
...and then the stuff I dream about... yikes.
Last night, I had a dream about the finish of a horse race, and that a cat was the winning jockey of the race, where all the horses were falling in the stretch run. Weird.
When this happens, I usually check out www.dreammoods.com for some answers, which are usually correct.
Hopefully, you aren't having problems with the snow, especially with no possibility of ice buildup. Talk with tonight at 6. Buckle up.
TS
You never hear anyone say, "I get too much sleep." It's always not enough.
I have friends who can sleep for 12 hours with no problem... I'm lucky if I get 8 hours in a row, and that's even after my surgery to fix my deviated septum and remove half my uvula.
It's strange how I feel sleepy, take a nap, then stay up twice as long that night.
...and then the stuff I dream about... yikes.
Last night, I had a dream about the finish of a horse race, and that a cat was the winning jockey of the race, where all the horses were falling in the stretch run. Weird.
When this happens, I usually check out www.dreammoods.com for some answers, which are usually correct.
Hopefully, you aren't having problems with the snow, especially with no possibility of ice buildup. Talk with tonight at 6. Buckle up.
TS
Monday, March 5, 2007
Free Hooters!
I knew that would get your attention...
I picked the right time to go to my first Hershey Bears game. My friends and I waited for our one other friend... by the time we made it to our parking spot and into the arena, the first period was halfway over. No problem, no score.
Hershey played Binghamton in front of me and 9,530 of my closest friends, which explains the usual traffic problems trying to get in and out. Binghamton scored the first goal... almost utter silence in the building.
It took me a while to get used to where I was sitting, considering every other time I was at the Giant Centre, it was for basketball. Section 126 is to the right of the press box, the north end of the stands.
Hershey scored two goals in the first period, and the crowd got into it fast. Down in the corner near where I sat, a scuffle ensued. You know how fans bang on the glass when there's a fight nearby... well, a fan held a little girl up so she could pound on the glass. Our whole side of the arena laughed.
During each intermission, junior hockey teams took to the ice. It was fun watching the little lads score goals. Two more goals in the second period made it 4-1.
The only disappointment was that none of the souvenir stands had any clothing in size 2XL... oh well.
Hershey dominated the game. The only thing my buddy Dave and I wanted was Hershey to score two more goals... the Bears have a deal where if they score at least six goals in a game, fans get free wings at the local Hooters.
Score! 5-1... then the fun began... fight at center ice. Just about everyone involved. Then the Binghamton goalie skates across the rink to pick a fight with the Hershey goalie. I could see the reaction of the Hershey goalie as if he were to say, "What the hell is this guy thinking?" They battled to a draw, and the Binghamton goalie got ejected with a game misconduct.
New goalie. Fresh meat. GOAL! Free Hooters! Wings, that is.
Yet another goal made it 7-1. What a great game. Traffic wasn't as bad on the way as I thought it would be. Overall, we all had a great time.
Website of the day: www.hersheybears.com
Talk with you at 6:00. Buckle up.
TS
I picked the right time to go to my first Hershey Bears game. My friends and I waited for our one other friend... by the time we made it to our parking spot and into the arena, the first period was halfway over. No problem, no score.
Hershey played Binghamton in front of me and 9,530 of my closest friends, which explains the usual traffic problems trying to get in and out. Binghamton scored the first goal... almost utter silence in the building.
It took me a while to get used to where I was sitting, considering every other time I was at the Giant Centre, it was for basketball. Section 126 is to the right of the press box, the north end of the stands.
Hershey scored two goals in the first period, and the crowd got into it fast. Down in the corner near where I sat, a scuffle ensued. You know how fans bang on the glass when there's a fight nearby... well, a fan held a little girl up so she could pound on the glass. Our whole side of the arena laughed.
During each intermission, junior hockey teams took to the ice. It was fun watching the little lads score goals. Two more goals in the second period made it 4-1.
The only disappointment was that none of the souvenir stands had any clothing in size 2XL... oh well.
Hershey dominated the game. The only thing my buddy Dave and I wanted was Hershey to score two more goals... the Bears have a deal where if they score at least six goals in a game, fans get free wings at the local Hooters.
Score! 5-1... then the fun began... fight at center ice. Just about everyone involved. Then the Binghamton goalie skates across the rink to pick a fight with the Hershey goalie. I could see the reaction of the Hershey goalie as if he were to say, "What the hell is this guy thinking?" They battled to a draw, and the Binghamton goalie got ejected with a game misconduct.
New goalie. Fresh meat. GOAL! Free Hooters! Wings, that is.
Yet another goal made it 7-1. What a great game. Traffic wasn't as bad on the way as I thought it would be. Overall, we all had a great time.
Website of the day: www.hersheybears.com
Talk with you at 6:00. Buckle up.
TS
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