Man - He completely butchered the race calls today. ESPN.com has all the race replays online tonight and I just went back and listened. He didn\'t even call Street Sense in the Juvey until he was 7 lengths in front at the 1/8th pole.
Tom Durkin is sorely missed
Agreed, if a blind man were listening, he would of been badly mislead in a couple of races.
I love Denman, but have to agree this wasn\'t his best day. His call in the Juvenile when he didn\'t mention Street Sense until he was already 5 in front was particularly bad. Durkin is really good, but I\'ve heard him call races poorly too. It happens to the best. I will say that some of his calls were quite good, to say he butchered the entire day is just not true.
Trevor is a very good race caller. I have listened to him for years @ SA. I think the crowd got to him today I think he washed out in the Paddock. Just not himself and I will line this one out and bet he does much better next time.
Trevor\'s worst moment may have been that I do not think he
ever mentioned that Pine Island had fallen during the race.
The challenge for both Denman and Durkin is that they are not
used to calling races with full fields.
Denman is no Durkin for sure. The TV coverage of the actual races on ESPN was awful with them switching to overhead shots and back. Between the video and Denman it stunk! No wonder why most of my horses were up the track.
Mike
I\'m not happy with the ESPN contract restrictions and it\'s impact on \"the biggest day of racing\" and getting racing into the general public eye. Locked out of radio broadcast, locked out of commonly available TV stations in Canada, locked out of simulcast on the betting sites, locked out of general public access.
The full fields AND the horses all wearing the same color saddle cloths! Whats up with that?
Trevor Denman makes listening to a Grade I race like Listening to 5K claimers.
He does not belong in American Racing.
Ronwar,Yea, trying to find your horse on the track video was even worst than usual with the same color saddlecloths and the full fields.....the newbies had to be really frustrated.
Bring on the chicklets!!!!
Asfufh
I Luv Trevor.
Best racecaller in the USA!!
Admittedly, in the Juvie, I looked at my pal while pointing at SS on our clubhouse TV...\"That\'s us isn\'t it??\"
I did that because Trevor called some horse coming wide. Of course, I was following SS the entire race and saw him \'scraping the paint\' .....and eventually steamrolling the field.
Think he called Invasor and BD perfectly in the Classic. Mentioned Bernadini struggling (which he appeared to be on the backside)----I think TD calls it \'being ridden along\'.
He consistently sees more of the racetrack than any other caller. Sees horses moving early, sees them looking for room, sees the pace implictions \"they couldn\'t be going any faster\", sees horses \"on a loose rein\", sees horses forced wide, and calls the race as such.
More guys (including Durkin and Dave Johnson) have copied parts of TD\'s act than any other announcer I have heard (don\'t they all call the horse by silks and cap---\'that\'s so and so in the white silks with the red cap\")....and I have heard plenty. Now Dave Johnson is a racecall that I could use my earmuffs for...lol.
Bob
Denham had a mistake or two but did very well overall.
I came very close to putting up a post last week titled, \"Don\'t get too Clever Trever\" but figured as good as he is he sure as hell doesn\'t need me telling him how to do his job. But these big days and big fields are tough. These guys are calling names they normally don\'t call on their circuit and there are things going on all over the place where they can\'t see everything.
Considering how unpredictable these finishes are I thought it was a good idea to not start calling horses \"moving like a winner\" at the three eigthes like you might be able to do on wednesday card.
Denman didn\'t. The year Alysheba won the Derby Dave Johnson ran thru the entire field then as he went back to the frontrunners as they were about to turn for home. Paused for what seemed like an enternity as he tried to gather himself or regroup or whatever. He seemed confused. Last year in ARC the racecaller called Hurricane Run in last then annnounced he won the ARC.
Once again in objective response will disagree. This isn\'t like comparing hypothetical matchups of Secretariat to Smarty Jones or Bernardini. Those races can never happen, but we can make a factual determination regarding the ability of Denman. He is clearly the worst major circuit race caller in the history of the sport. I\'d rather listen to Phil Georgeff, Vic Staufer or any number of other race callers noted for errors. At least with those other callers you can understand what they are saying and they don\'t add commentary about how a horse is moving which 90% of the time is inaccurate. With his miserable history what makes anyone believe Denman can pick out the way a horse is moving unless its under a snug hold on the grass? The horses he apprises the crowd to look out for habitually finish up the track and the horses that he says are not moving well are habitually winners or right there at the wire. He also calls horses by their saddle colors because ladies and gentleman thats how he identifies them. He doesn\'t have a clue as to the running style of how a particular horse moves, pace preference or probable positioning. Anytime when a horse bet to favoritism is not within two lengths of the lead he is \"not moving well\". Anytime a horse habitually makes middle moves before flattening, Denman calls him as a horse to watch when its making that middle move just before flattening again. But the worst is he makes all this commentary in that God Forsaken nasal twang of the commonwealth and whether its Australian or South African is irrelevant. Its objectionable to the ear. Its a disgrace to American racing and I for one will not tolerate it. I will not bet California in part because of him and if I do the sound is muted. Trevor the Twang lost audio for the breeders cup when the horses were loaded.
I urge all patriotic American handicappers to join me in boycotting that joke and if you can\'t see the truth don\'t despair because you are not alone. George Bush doesn\'t have a clue either.
Silver Charm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Denham had a mistake or two but did very well
> overall.
>
> I came very close to putting up a post last week
> titled, \"Don\'t get too Clever Trever\" but figured
> as good as he is he sure as hell doesn\'t need me
> telling him how to do his job. But these big days
> and big fields are tough. These guys are calling
> names they normally don\'t call on their circuit
> and there are things going on all over the place
> where they can\'t see everything.
>
> Considering how unpredictable these finishes are I
> thought it was a good idea to not start calling
> horses \"moving like a winner\" at the three eigthes
> like you might be able to do on wednesday card.
>
> Denman didn\'t. The year Alysheba won the Derby
> Dave Johnson ran thru the entire field then as he
> went back to the frontrunners as they were about
> to turn for home. Paused for what seemed like an
> enternity as he tried to gather himself or regroup
> or whatever. He seemed confused. Last year in ARC
> the racecaller called Hurricane Run in last then
> annnounced he won the ARC.
>
>
You are an absolute idiot. He is widely regarded as one of the finest race callers in the world. Criticism from you,as you so gladly criricize everything, means so very little.
He went through the entire field, identifying horses by both silks and caps so that fans could better follow their horse. He made a few errors, but if you don\'t think Durkin or any other race caller you like hasn\'t made any mistakes in big races then you are delusional. So you don\'t like his \"twang\"......its called an accent you dope.
This board has an East Coast slant, which is fine. TG is based out of NY with a large number of customers from the east. Some of you obviously lust for Durkin\'s voice. Thats fine, he does a great job. But get off your high horse with your pathetically lame Denman criticism. To say he makes a BC race sound like a claimer is the height of stupidity. Just go away Clown.
broker...
Dave Johnson was doing thi in the early 70\'s. I doubt he copied Trevor Deadman.
NC Tony
Yes Mystiques Approval vs Miesques Approval for one.
NC Tony
I\'m a huge Trevor fan.
And I can honestly say this was the worst I\'ve ever heard him. It sounded like nerves to me, and then the negative energy fed off itself. Certainly not what I expected from arguably the best announcer in America.
But he did rally and he called the Classic very well.
Dave Johnson\'s West Virginia Derby call remains BY FAR the worst call of the year.
\"Dave Johnson was doing thi in the early 70\'s\"
NCT,
With all respect, DJ has called races much much later than the 1970\"s.
He definitely picked up TD\'s habit of calling horses by cap and silk color.
TD does that very smoothly day to day. DJ\'s calls were more methodical. Not as natural as his \"Down the Stretch they come...\"
As Cervantes wrote (or maybe the soundtrack says in Man of La Manch) \"To each his Ducinea....that he alone may find....a racecaller with a voice pure who isn\'t blind....\"
I primarily play West Coast tracks from an East Coast location. I hear him almost every day during the meets he racecalls. He is fine by me.
Clown, you are hilarious.
Bob
Enough already with Trevor.
I\'d rather talk about:
Lanfranco Dettori-- the only rider to win the BC Turf 3 times (Mick Kinane and
Jose Santos have each won 2). How great would it be to see this fella ride a
winter month in Florida or California? (Don\'t know if he could make lower US
weights).
Todd Pletcher--how does his 0/17 compare to Zito not hitting the board with any
one of his 5 Derby starters in \'05?
The 07 Breeders Cup-- 354 days to go. Should be a fascinating Cup logistically
in that there are very few quality hotels in the area of Monmouth Park. I predict
that the 07 Cup at Monmouth, if it draws 50,000 fans, will be followed by one of
the greatest traffic jams in the history of the Garden State.
The 08 Breeders Cup-- According to BloodHorse, Churchill is already being given
consideration to host the 08 Cup, I guess based on good attendance and handle
figures from the 06 edition. This means the track maintenance guys have two
years to figure out how to maintain a track without a pronounced bias.
Polytrack--the Sunday NY Post ran a picture of Javier Castellano covering up on
the track and Pine Island cartwheeling after her catastrophic breakdown; in the
picture, you can unfortunately see the extent of the damage to her shredded
ankle. If it is proven that Polytrack will eliminate or greatly reduce injuries
such as this, INSTALL IT NOW, EVERYWHERE, old curmudgeons like me be damned.
Keeneland apparently had a record meet, handle- wise, proving that horseplayers
as well as horsemen are embracing the synthetic surface
Denman & Durkin suffer from the same disease: Race Caller Delusions of Grandeur Syndrome. Common among race caller megalomaniacs, it makes them \"script\" their race calls days or weeks ahead of the actual running of the race itself. Race Caller Delusions of Grandeur Syndrome is more than reliance on a bank of commonly used phrases - it rests on the idea that the race caller is THE most important thing about any horse race. Who knew John Gaines had it in mind to create the Breeders Cup primarily as a showcase for egomaniacal race callers???
\"D & D\" are profoundly aware of the air time big races & their endless replays get. So they decide in advance how THEY think THEY should sound, so viewers will talk about nothing but THE RACE CALL. The reason Chic Anderson\'s call of the 1973 Belomont Stakes stands out is because it WASN\'T scripted. It was organic. He was as awestruck as everbody watching it and that\'s what came through in his call that day. These two \"best announcers\" (and that\'s really debateable) want the recognition of a call like Anderson\'s but miss the point on why it was great.
Denman screwed up because the races weren\'t run according to the script he laid out in his head weeks beforehand. And he came off looking like a hack becasue of it. Durkin has suffered form this too, many times. I\'ve actually heard that Durkin literally writes down the phrase he\'s going to say at a given point in a prticular race (exactly like a hackneyed playwright trying to \"direct his play from the page\"), regardless of whether it\'s appropriate. He & Denman never want us to forget: the horse race is really all about their race calls (i.e., them).
Millennium-
Great call on the pre-scripted stuff. I have noticed that too, and it is lame.
Some of these announcers clearly rehearse what they\'re goign to say when Horse X wins the race.
Millennium3 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Denman screwed up because the races weren\'t run
> according to the script he laid out in his head
> weeks beforehand. And he came off looking like a
> hack becasue of it.
Good point. Maybe this explains why he wasn\'t focused on the golden rail where a few of these explosive winners that he missed were buried.
New to this forum. So hello all.
Trevor is way too predictable. Same lines all the time and he missed quite a bit.
I will admit I enjoy his race calls, but not on the biggest days of the year. Thankfully we still get Tom D for the Triple Crown.
Couldn\'t this be confused by good preparation on their part as well?
Denman is normally ok. I think he was very nervous and it showed. Give him a mulligan.
Would have loved to hear Durkin\'s call of the Classic.....and there goes BERNARDINI with a powerful 5 wide move on the outside...and BERNARDINI has taken the lead...BROTHER DEREK battles on at the rail...PREMIUM TAP (Denman never mentioned him) in with a chance....and here comes INVASOR gobbling up ground with powerful strides...BERNARDINI, Javier Castellano pleading for more......INVASOR, a powerful surge and... INVASOR wins it under a masterful ride by Fernando Jara, BERNARDINI, gallant in defeat, was second, and PREMIUM TAP was 3rd.
Good Luck,
Joe B.
perfect durkin call right there
Performing on a \"world wide stage\" is no easy task no matter who or how good you are.
As my teacher the late, great James F. Burke used to say: \"People don\'t come to hear you perform. They come to hear you screw up\". All this Trevor bashing is just sour grapes on the part of those who wish they had his talent, job and income.
So, now, what did you think of The All-Star Buglers?
In general, I agree with you and I love Trevor Denman. People do like to shoot down others because they are jealous. That being said, it is hard for me to believe what a bad day Trevor had. One thing I wonder is about the location of the race callers booth at Churchill and how that might have thrown Trevor off. Makes you appreciate Tom Durkin as he called races from many different racetracks and his calls blew Trevor off the map. Hopefully, this will end the criticism of Durkin whose stock had to rise after Saturday. E
Well, if we aren\'t going to talk sheet handicappin\', I guess this is as good a thread as any.
I\'ve come to a revelation reading this thread.
1. I\'d rather have Tom Durkin call the big ones. \"And Arazi runs right by them\" has to be ranked number two after \"Secretariat is moving like a tremendous machine\" when it comes to memorable, unscripted, heart felf,awe inspired (not awe inspiring) race calls. Durkin was a theater major; he knows how to rise to the occasion, even if the ocassion doesn\'t necessarily always merit it.
2. Day to day, Trevor is the best. When its a relatively short field, and he knows the horses, his comments about a horse being \"live\" or \"dead\" as the race unfolds are usually \"spot on.\"
In any event, Trevor stumbled Saturday. It was a rather surreal experience to be watching Pine Island stumble, then go to ground just as she fell out of the ESPN pan shot. I thought I was imagining it when I didn\'t hear Trevor say anything. And, needless to say, he completely missed Calvin Bo-RAIL on Street Sense. Any midwestern player knows that any horse moving on the rail probably belongs to Calvin. (Rockomundo in the Arky Derby, anyone?)
I started the post because Trevor:
1. Blew the call on the Juvey and blew it bad
2. Called Miesque\'s Approval \"Mystique\'s Approval\"
3. He completely missed Pine Island falling. Unforgiveable! What about the poor bettors (and there were thousands) that plunged on her?
Trevor wasn\'t the only one who had a miserable day. Julien Leparoux stunk it up bad. Asi Siempre was much the best in the Distaff and never once got a chance to run and damn near killed Baletto down the stretch.
Leparoux needs to log a few more years, I mean nights, at Turfway before he shows up at the BC again...He sucks
C\'mon fellas, Luke Kruytbosch was born to be a racecaller. He puts all of the rest of them in the corner. The fact that they would import someone when the best was already at hand only shows that they don\'t know what they\'re doing.
UB-
I think she ASI SIEMPRE \"might\" have had a chance if she got through the first time, but not the second time.
However, the kid doesn\'t suck. He may have blown the move in that race, but I\'d take that kid over JJ Castelano any day.
NC Tony
Trevor\'s problem is that he looks at the tote board and calls the race according to who the public is betting. If Street Sense was 3-5, there\'s no way he misses him come up the rail. You know he was focusing on Circular Quay because his first few words were \'circular quay takes a bump\' so you know his eyes were trained on the public\'s choice.
I think another problem with assigning Trevor to do this day was that they didn\'t go thru the original process of selecting the announcer like they originally did. When Durkin was selected, someone who was head of the BC listened to every announcer call anonymously on tape and durkin won hands down. Trevor Denman was selected on reputation, and not what he\'s done for horseracing lately.
The powers that be haven\'t been listening to his daily racecalls because he\'s been brutally bad at Del Mar this summer and even at Fairplex. Too many mistakes, calling wrong horses names and just being very slow to identify runners who were moving best of all. ESPN or whoever elected him to be the announcer, didn\'t listen to his recent calls...they just knew he was Trevor Denman, the legendary announcer from Southern California.
As far as people being jealous, stop it now..no one is jealous of his income or status.....people are simply being critical of amateur mistakes made by a veteran announcer who should be able to do better.
I disagree. As a professional observer and a professional musician, part of my territory is accepting the fact that there is an \"a hole\" in every crowd who is just so miserable (because he did not follow directions properly as a child and thus does not have the \"dream job\" they always wanted) that they will rant and rave about someone else\'s imperfection. And so he/she vents. But the bottom line is this: point 1 finger at someone else and there are 3 more pointing right back at you. If you can do better, then audition for the job. Most of you don\'t give a crap if there was an announcer or a bugler. What matters most to you is the posting of the numbers and the payoffs. So just Shut the F up, will ya?
MO
When you suck playing music, does the crowd boo or just not clap in appreciation? Well we all should have Booed his race calls on Saturday. As A paying customer it\'s my right to boo. He sucked Saturday. Lets call it like we see it. Lets be real. I think Imallin is perfectly within his rights to voice his opionion, as are you. Sorry the rest of the majority in this case isn\'t seeing it your way this time.
Does it mean Trevor always sucks? No. he just stunk up the place on racings biggest exposure day. We wanted the best from all concerned including the Horses, Jockey\'s, trainers, Gate Handlers, and race announcers, Sorry to expect too much from the best of the best. I should also add we should expect the bet from the track super too....
I\'m not jealous of Trevor or his money. God Bless his.
NC Tony
You are all over reacting. He didn\'t suck all day. He missed Street Sense coming up the rail, and he called Miesque \"mystique\". The non-call of the breakdown has been explained already. What else did he \"suck\" at other than those 2 instances??
All you Denman bashers can get back to washing Durkin\'s car. Get over it already.
NoCarolinaTony Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> MO
>
> When you suck playing music, does the crowd boo or
> just not clap in appreciation? YOU ARE ASSUMING TOO MUCH> WE NAIL ALL OUR PERFORMANCES.RACING CROWDS\' APPLAUSE OR LACK OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR PERFORMANCES MEANS LITTLE TO US. IF I HAVE A BAD DAY AS A SOLO BUGLER, I DON\'T GET BOOED. (WELL I DID ONCE - AT AQUEDUCT in 1987) Well we all should
> have Booed his race calls on Saturday. As A paying
> customer it\'s my right to boo. He sucked Saturday.
> Lets call it like we see it. Lets be real. I think
> Imallin is perfectly within his rights to voice
> his opionion, as are you.AGREED Sorry the rest of the
> majority in this case isn\'t seeing it your way
> this time.
>
> Does it mean Trevor always sucks? No. he just
> stunk up the place on racings biggest exposure
> day.HE\'LL REGROUP AND NAIL IT NEXT YEAR. We wanted the best from all concerned
> including the Horses, Jockey\'s, trainers, Gate
> Handlers, and race announcers,HOW ABOUT THE BUGLERS? WE NAILED OURS! Sorry to expect too
> much from the best of the best. I should also add
> we should expect the bet from the track super
> too....
>
> I\'m not jealous of Trevor or his money. God Bless
> his. GOD BLESS YOU.
>
> NC Tony
>
>
>
>
Here\'s a related news flash:
Vic Stauffer out.
http://www.drf.com/news/article/80335.html
Trevor is one of the all time greats! Even the great ones have a bad day now and then. Listen to some of his calls on big races run at Santa Anita and you\'ll see what I mean.
Notified by e-mail?? A typicaly classy Magna move.
Too bad because I think Vic does an outstanding job.
What happened to the guy that called Calder at Calder a few years ago. He was always good at his race calls and had a pleasant voice. He was the announcer before the current announcer.
He might be good for Gulfstream.
I agree about Vic. Vic does a good job and he is a devout TG sheet reader. His guest appearences on TVG are great. He always gives out live runners from his TG analysis...
I think John Dooley would be a good choice for next year\'s Breeder\'s Cup
That was Phil Saltzman, who recently retired. He still does Ocala. His schtick was \"Stump the announcer\", where the bugler would play a song and Phil would try to guess the name of the song.
Phil\'s replacement was Bobby Neuman. I have worked with both: Bobby at the Downs at Albuquerque and at Thistledown. Phil at Ocala. Both good guys and good race callers.
Odds on though that Durkin already has the Gulfstream gig lined up. (Worked with Tom for many years at NYRA at BC)
I think some of you guys are missing a key point. It wasn\'t that Denman made a ton of mistakes. Granted the few errors he made were so big and at such crucial points in the race, that he does deserve criticism. However, I think Denman\'s style is not the right fit for the big races (Breeders Cup, KY Derby, etc.). He has very little range, and his voice and tone just do not have enough punch and excitement which give rise to the great big race calls. Denman is very astute at seeing the \"whole\" race, and does have some creative phrases that make him unique, but its not what you say sometimes, it\'s how you say it. And Denman\'s \"How\" is just very bland in my opinion. Listen to the call of the Sprint again. His voice never changed tone at one point in the race. At the top of the stretch with Thor\'s Echo taking the lead in the biggest sprint race of the year, his voice sounded exactly the same as when the gates opened. A blind man listening to that call would never know that the horses were only a few hundred yards from home by listening to Denman.
I love listening to race calls. I tape so many races and enjoy hearing those great calls down the lane of the big races. As I said, Denman is a very observant and intelligent race caller on the SoCal circuit. He is very smooth and steady. All that is great for day to day racing, but for the friggin\' Breeders Cup, that just doesn\'t cut it. If it\'s an exciting, goose-bump enducing race call that you want, he is not the guy. Denman has been around a while. There is a reason that Durkin was doing the big races for years and not Denman. It\'s not Trevor\'s fault that ESPN couldn\'t have Durkin do the Cup.
The style that people critcize Durkin for day to day in New York, is the exact same thing that makes him great on the big days.
What I wouldn\'t give to have heard Durkin\'s Classic call.... \"They hit the top of the stretch and with a Championship on the line, Bernardini trying to gut it out for another furlong......\"
-Bull
This is a facinating discussion for a guy like me, who takes great pride in performing on a world stage. (See Late Night with David Letterman, August 2003)
It is hard to argue (actually pointless) about a certain announcers (trumpet player\'s?) style. Many of the points made here I agree with. Day to day race calling vs. \"The Big Day\" points are well taken.
However, what most of you don\'t get is that performing on a stage, a world stage no less, is often a terrifying experience to even the most seasoned professional. And for exactly the criticism you put forth here. The performer is under an enormous amount of pressure to be PERFECT!!!! And yet, there is not a perfect man or woman to be found anywhere on earth.
As a public speaker myself, I would never consider taking on the enormous responsibility of \"track announcer\". (I have been asked to audition.) It is not an easy gig.
Dollar for dollar, bugling is a much more desireable gig for me.
In closing I will reiterate what a great trumpet player/teacher told me recently after I asked if \"so and so\" was really the greatest trumpet player ever:
\"What flavor of ice cream do you like?\"
Ain\'t that America in 2006.
This is supposed to be the best of the best, and we all want to be softy feely with this. That\'s fine. This is all wimpy....to me anyway.
Horses falling,never being mentioned even after the race, Not seeing horses come down the rail, mispronunciations are all acceptable for the greatest day in racing.
My question to youwould be would this have been an interview for the job, and you were the boss making the hire, would you hire someone who made that many mistakes in an audition?
NC Tony
Do you think the TVG gig (not a magna corp) has anything to do with it?
His style is not exactly my favorite. Hope he finds a good gig. Hey Maybe the Aqueduct Inner meet?
NC Tony
Phil Saltzman (spelling?) Retired. He had some health issues and was getting on in years as wel.
NC Tony
Possibly. I can tell you about a personal experience where he insulted me on TVG, or maybe his ego was just so big the Magna decided he wasn\'t worth the bucks.
However,in his defense, he did give my band a good intro at the Florida Derby and a good send off and his race calls are quite accurrate. So what it all boils down to is - personal taste.
NoCarolinaTony Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ain\'t that America in 2006.
>
> This is supposed to be the best of the best, and
> we all want to be softy feely with this. That\'s
> fine. This is all wimpy....to me anyway.
>
> Horses falling,never being mentioned even after
> the race, Not seeing horses come down the rail,
> mispronunciations are all acceptable for the
> greatest day in racing. OK. LET\'S SAY YOU ARE THE ANNOUNCER IN THIS SITUATION.
WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE? MAKE PEOPLE PUKE WITH A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INJURY, OR FOCUS ON THE HORSES RUNNING FOR THE TRIFECTA? REMEMBER, YOU HAVE A SPLIT SECOND TO MAKE THAT DECISCION, WHILE 75,000 LIVE PATRONS ARE COUNTING ON YOU.
>
> My question to youwould be would this have been an
> interview for the job, and you were the boss
> making the hire, would you hire someone who made
> that many mistakes in an audition?
GREAT QUESTION, NCT. IF I WERE THE CZAR OF RACING I WOULD MAKE EVERYONE FROM THE HOTWALKER TO THE PRESIDENT AUDITION FOR ME. AND GUESS WHAT? I\'D HAVE A HARD TIME HIRING MOST OF THEM. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THEY ARE ALL HUMAN, AND THUS PRONE TO ERROR - REGULARLY. THIS IS WHY A LOT OF PEOPLE, BTW, HAVE A HARD TIME DEALING WITH ME. BECAUSE I AM NO BETTER THAN ANYONE, AND NO BODY IS BETTER THAN ME, AND I MAKE THAT CLEAR WHEN I MEET SOMEONE FOR THE FIRST TIME. I DON\'T CALL MY BOSS MISTER, I CALL HIM BY HIS FIRST NAME.>
>
> NC Tony
>
>
>
>
NCT,
An interview also includes a resume, and Denman\'s is impressive. He was hired based on his resume, not on an audition. His audition includes 1000\'s of race calls already on tape.
I would hate to think that anyone would fire an obviously qualified employee based on a bad day. You would run through a lot of excellent people with that attitude. I wouldn\'t call that wimpy, I would call that being smart.
Also, enough with the non-call of Pine Island. As previously mentioned many times, he had just completed calling the ENTIRE field and focused back on the horses at the front of the pack. Pine Island fell just after he went back to calling the horses in front. Yes, at some point he should have noticed this. But if he never gives her a call, whats the difference?? Whether she broke down or didn\'t fire, she had no impact on the race.
I enjoy a great race call as much as the next fan. Maybe Denman doesn\'t have the dramatic flair of Durkin, but his calls on a daily basis inspire and excite as much as anyone\'s. I have watched many BC races over and over because of Durkin\'s great calls. I have also done the same with a lot of Denman\'s. But lets stop with the slobbering over Durkin. He can be as biased as they come. Witness the 1989 Classic between the great Sunday Silence and Easy Goer. Sunday Silence had that horse measured the entire trip, yet Durkin breathlessly called Easy Goer\'s stretch run by ending with Sunday Silence \"holds on\". As if the only reason poor Easy Goer lost was because he ran out of ground, not becasue he lost to a better horse. Pathetic, where was the professionalism in that?? Even on the gallop out he was still bemoaning the fact Easy Goer lost, maybe because he just tore up his tickets for the 3rd time in 4 races between those two.
Before you blast Denman, be a little bit more even handed in your criticisms.
MO Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> NoCarolinaTony Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Ain\'t that America in 2006.
> >
> > This is supposed to be the best of the best,
> and
> > we all want to be softy feely with this.
> That\'s
> > fine. This is all wimpy....to me anyway.
> >
> > Horses falling,never being mentioned even
> after
> > the race, Not seeing horses come down the
> rail,
> > mispronunciations are all acceptable for the
> > greatest day in racing. OK. LET\'S SAY YOU ARE
> THE ANNOUNCER IN THIS SITUATION.
> WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE? MAKE PEOPLE PUKE WITH A
> GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INJURY, OR FOCUS ON THE
> HORSES RUNNING FOR THE TRIFECTA? REMEMBER, YOU
> HAVE A SPLIT SECOND TO MAKE THAT DECISCION, WHILE
> 75,000 LIVE PATRONS ARE COUNTING ON YOU.
No BUT SINCE THE HORSE WAS THE SECOND BETTING CHOICE and I was at Churchill you had people all around asking 1) Where is Pine Island? What happened to her? I bet on her ...That should have been either during and for sure after the race. We didn\'t have access to the TV nor did the TV ever show it in the replay. So we had to speculate. Great job.
> >
> > My question to youwould be would this have
> been an
> > interview for the job, and you were the boss
> > making the hire, would you hire someone who
> made
> > that many mistakes in an audition?
>
> GREAT QUESTION, NCT. IF I WERE THE CZAR OF RACING
> I WOULD MAKE EVERYONE FROM THE HOTWALKER TO THE
> PRESIDENT AUDITION FOR ME. AND GUESS WHAT? I\'D
> HAVE A HARD TIME HIRING MOST OF THEM. BUT THE
> BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THEY ARE ALL HUMAN, AND THUS
> PRONE TO ERROR - REGULARLY. THIS IS WHY A LOT OF
> PEOPLE, BTW, HAVE A HARD TIME DEALING WITH ME.
> BECAUSE I AM NO BETTER THAN ANYONE, AND NO BODY IS
> BETTER THAN ME, AND I MAKE THAT CLEAR WHEN I MEET
> SOMEONE FOR THE FIRST TIME. I DON\'T CALL MY BOSS
> MISTER, I CALL HIM BY HIS FIRST NAME.>
> >
> > NC Tony
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
OK NCT,
I Understand your point about Pine being 2nd choice getting no call:
However, YOU are an astute handicapper and viewer of races. YOU saw the horse go down. Do YOU really NEED a track announcer?
I\'m gonna PM you with an eye opener.
I\'d be perplexed because the resume\' and the audition tape are not consistent not aligned.
You just don\'t get it.
I\'m at the track (Churchill on BC Day) and not watching on TV. I had some exacta\'s and tri\'s bet that included Pine Island. Never got a replay, never got a mention on the public address system. We did here that Fleet Indian pulled up on the turn... so we all had was a guess at what had happened to her. We heard the crowd gasp, but had no idea why.
No we don\'t want a gory description of the injury, just a position statement of fact is what was needed. Even after the race was over would have sufficed.
All I can say is this is supposed to be the Best of the best. I understand you are a compassionate person or persons in this case and you tolerate human error. Kudo\'s to you.
I have compassion for him. Really felt bad for him, sincerely was expecting much more. Was hard to witness blunder after blunder race after race. Kind of bad for such an experienced pro with an outstanding resume\' as you say. He sounded like the way Willie Mays looked when he played center field for the NY Mets in 1973 past his prime.
You love Denman as a race caller. I get it.
NC Tony
What\'s that mean?
NC Tony
Forgive me, but I don\'t understand your question. What\'s what mean?
I\'m gonna PM you with an eye opener.
I was asking for clarification to this statement?
Not sure of what you meant but I get it now.....
NC Tony
Cool. I think we are done now, Jerry.:)
How about Denmans call in the Sprint of \"Attila\'s Storm running a big one here today\" at the 1/16th pole. He was tiring and it was clear that Thors Echo was going to win.He finished 5th. If you had money on Attila and the track announcer is telling you that your horse is running a big one, wouldn\'t you expect to be in the exacta?? I knew it was a bad call the moment I heard it.
NCT,
I\'ll just let this go. Blunder after blunder, race after race is not accurate. If stating those non-facts allows you to continue hoisting the Durkin flag, then good for you.
I do get it. You like Durkin better. Just don\'t give me this best of the best crap. Durkin aint perfect either.
He didn\'t know who it was that fell. He wouldn\'t miscall it, so he said nothing
The black racing silks of Phipps are too distinct to not know. I think MO summed it up best,Denman was kinda awestruck by the event and was too nervous to do his usual good job.I found that surprising since he has called so many big events in Cal.
Just because I\'m a New Yorker, I have no prejudice when I say that I still think that Durkin is #1.
Mike