Re: Idle Chatter

229
My college roommate for my sophomore and junior years was probably one of the top three friends of my life. As I've mentioned before, we could go months or a couple of years and still finish the sentence each of us had last spoken.

He died at age 47.

He fell in love with the girl of his life when he was in high school, and she pretty much lived with us in college.


I could get him to go out "on the prowl" with me in bars around Akron in college.


He was a catch for women, but when we went out he never sought to "close the deal."

He told me later on that for him just "the chase" was fun.


Today, I understood.

I had two girls in two different bars tell me, "oh, TFISC/now Cali, I do believe you have gotten me drunk."


Guilty as charged.


I didn't close either deal.

Erica or Kendra.


I certainly could have.

My wife lights up my life.


(my college roommate hated that song)

Re: Idle Chatter

231
I purchased the saddle cloth below on a whim on eBay about two years ago.


With Distinction was out of Secretariat, Alydar, and Northern Dancer.

He ran on Kentucky Derby Day on an undercard race called "The Churchill Downs Handicap."

He finished 2nd, on the day that Barbaro later won The Kentucky Derby.


With Distinction
has gone on to be a prolific sire.


My Derby hunch bet includes Decisive Moment, currently at 46-1 on the advanced wagering.

A son of With Distinction.


If Midnight Interlude and Decisive Moment finish in the top three, I'll be a happy man.

I'm a very good gambler, but on Derby Day handicapping is futile. The five and fifteen are my "lottery ticket" bets.

Re: Idle Chatter

233
Tribe Fan in SC/Cali wrote:

I had two girls in two different bars tell me, "oh, TFISC/now Cali, I do believe you have gotten me drunk."


Guilty as charged.


I didn't close either deal.

Erica or Kendra.
You need to start frequenting bars that don't have so many hookers hanging around!

Re: Idle Chatter

238
Kentucky Derby's are always special.

I've mentioned many times I wager on The Derby differently than I do any other race of the year. I tend to "nibble" and pick my spots for my other horse racing wagers. Derby Day I swing for the fences and the big exotic scores.

Of course reflecting, I think the last Derby ticket I cashed was on Genuine Risk.

In 1980.

I might have to re-evaluate my Derby strategy.

:-)

(Genuine Risk is on the wall behind me)

Re: Idle Chatter

239
Oh, and JR those Derby wins from deep in the field are more common than you would think.

In 1986 Willie Shoemaker was dead last on Ferdinand on the first turn. He picked off the field one horse at a time and then split horses at the top of the stretch to dive down to the rail and go on to win the race. I love the replay of that race because the track announcer never mentioned Ferdinand once in his call....until he got the lead. And Shoe got the Derby win at age 54, and the trainer, US Marine vet Charlie Whittingham was in his mid-70's


And you likely remember Calvin Borel's ride on Mine that Bird in the slop a couple years. ago. Mine that Bird was so far back of the rest of the horses in the back stretch that he wasn't even in the TV picture.

I have every Derby recorded going back to Ferdinand in 1986.....and I watch them often!

Re: Idle Chatter

240
I'm off to a wine tasting, and then back here for NASCAR under the lights at Darlington and The Tribe in the OC.

The dog is going nuts because I have chicken smoking with mesquite over a low fire on the grill.

We got our first batch of Vidalia onions out here this week so I have a couple of those on the grill, too.