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31 March 2009

Becalmed

Adrift in the horse latitudes, an albatross around my neck, I find myself lacking anything of value to contribute; not for a lack of material, just inspiration. As Coleridge wrote and Iron Maiden covered:

Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.
I am furling my sails for now, content to outlast this malaise.

Down dropt the breeze,
The sails dropt down,

'Twas sad as sad could be;
And we did speak only to break
The silence of the sea!

All in a hot and copper sky,
The bloody Sun, at noon,
Right up above the mast did stand,
No bigger than the Moon.

Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.

There are a plethora of quality blogs at the TBA homepage. Brooklyn Backstretch is a must read, whether you care about NYRA or not. HANA is making inroads in letting the industry know the bettor is a force to be reckoned with(I am late in getting this out but there will be other events. Watch this space). Railbird 2.0 is back with a vengeance and the game is better for it.

Opinions are diverse but a fundamental right. Bloggers, journalists, industry insiders and casual fans all have something to add; it just takes someone to listen, respectfully. I have not done much of that and am taking myself out of the game.

Read, read a lot, educate yourself...about anything. This game is old and will endure but it could be so much more. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

"Racing in the United States is now so big an operation that it may be endangered by its own size. It sprawls and grows bigger and bigger, and there is no possibility of intelligent centralized growth or of its lesser problems. The challenge now is to make possible, through access to information, intelligent decisions at state and local levels. With adequate knowledge at hand, we should be able to salvage the best of our traditions and discard the worst of them. The folklore of yesterday is not a sound basis for the racing of tomorrow. This is the age of automation, and the time has come for automation in racing...Why is the population of this country so fascinated by baseball? Because it knows baseball and it knows baseball because organized information is always available."
-Joe Estes speaking at the Thoroughbred Club of America, 1962

I am done for now. To those of you who stopped by on occasion, I am humbled and grateful; to those who returned, well, that's your own fault. This was never intended as a forum or much of anything really and now it will rest.

Maybe someday I will resume, on a following sea; sails reefed and on a beam reach. Until then...

But soon there breathed a wind on me,
Nor sound nor motion made :
Its path was not upon the sea,
In ripple or in shade.

It raised my hair, it fanned my cheek
Like a meadow-gale of spring--
It mingled strangely with my fears,
Yet it felt like a welcoming.

Swiftly, swiftly flew the ship,
Yet she sailed softly too :
Sweetly, sweetly blew the breeze--
On me alone it blew.

18 comments:

Teresa said...

This post alone is reason enough for you to keep writing.

I'll miss your updates, and hope that you'll come back soon.

Superfecta said...

I second that - come back soon!

John said...

Mike,

You miserable bastard, don't leave me alone to save game.

Most blogs are crap, yours is art, think about that you fucking fart.

Jessica said...

John, you're a tough comment to follow ...

Come back when you're ready, Mike. You'll be missed, we'll be waiting.

Anonymous said...

I'm so sad. You're my favorite, a deft word-spinner and all around champ at poking horse racing where it needs poking.

There isn't anybody to replace you.

SaratogaSpa said...

Tears for rememberance, and tears for joy,
Tears for somebody and this lonely boy.
Out in the madness, the all seeing eye,
Flickers above us, to light up the sky.

-From "Remember Tomorrow" by Iron Maiden

Pull the Pocket said...

Well this freaking sucks. Drop me a line about the horses at some time over at my stinky blog please.

Seriously, best luck dude. I enjoyed my time here.

sid fernando said...

excellent stuff on here, and you're writing was outstanding...will look forward to your return.

sid fernando said...

er..YOUR.......my bad

rather rapid said...

Fare thee well Wind Gatherer!

Keith - Triple Dead Heat said...

I hope you'll still be joining me and geno for a couple pints at Fort Erie this season!

Get back online soon.

Cheers

Keith

Wind Gatherer said...

Teresa-I blame you. It all went to hell when we missed the breeding session.

Superfecta-Thanks. That's the plan.

John-If you don't work for Hallmark, then you missed your calling. I'm too choked up to continue...

Jessica-Thank you kindly. Seeking the second wind.

Anon-You are too kind. Thank you.

SS-That is the only LP I never bought. My best friend in grade school would never let me borrow it either, the bastard. In high-school, I dated his sister for a while so I guess that made us even.

PTP-I find I no longer dash about for the remote, like a mad man, whenever the trotters come on. I blame you.

SF-Thank you, sir. I have learned much from your site and it is a daily read.

RR-"'...Now lat us ryde, and harkeneth what I seye.'
And with that word we riden forth our weye;
And he bigan with right a mery chere
His tale anon, and seyde in this manere."

TDH-I'll be in Buffalo the end of July. Probably stick around for opening day at Saratoga. I make it 1-9, I'll be parched. Drinks are on me. Slange Var

Thank you all for reading.

As the philosopher, Monty Python once wrote, "I'm not dead yet."

Anonymous said...

You expect me to believe that Chomsky-reading Malcer character who started writing about American racing a few months ago isn't you?

I don't think it's going to fool Waldrop and company either.

I'll grudgingly give you some props. You probably missed your calling, but as you know, they pay guys sitting in the right seat on a Lear 31 a helluva lot more than most gifted-but-as-yet-undiscovered writers out there.

Perhaps the guy in Dresden can give the rest of us some idea as to what final futile gesture might be coming from Frank's bunker.

Anonymous said...

You are really, REALLY missed. Been jonesin' for your wit. No shame in dropping one a week, or every couple. You'll still have readers. Doesn't matter what you write about, either.

How can you not leave your Derby picks, for Slew's sake!!

Anonymous said...

Ernie's right.

Anonymous said...

It also doesn't mean we can't annoy you. In fact, thanks for leaving us the chance to petition for your return.

Jim Brown
Barry Sanders

Don't be the third to go out on top.

Meanwhile, were you the dude at the wheel of the roof-skimming 747 frightening NYC a few days go?

When I decide to toss in the Telegraph (old school for Racing Form), please let me leave without this sort of irritation.

Gene Kershner said...

Hey...when did you stop blogging?

J/K...get ur arse back here soon...I haven't looked up a word in weeks.

July for a cigar and a pint...with TDH and Turk.

PS My word verification was "imalouse" wtf?

Anonymous said...

Thinkin of ya

The Bid

The Bid
Greatest horse ever to look through a bridle