Earlier this year, Paul Roberts and Isabelle Taylor published Racecourse Architecture, highlighting the world’s most beautiful and luxurious racecourses, among them Happy Valley in Hong Kong, Ascot in England, and Meydan in Dubai. In the book and in Roberts’ presentations on the subject, he suggests that as pressure for gambling dollars become more intense, the quality…
During his playing days, it was hard to find someone with an unkind thing to say about Marty Biron. His quick sense of humor and affable naure made him a favorite with both fans and teammates, and his retirement announcement earlier this month elicited kudos from fans, and predictions from hockey professionals, including Toronto Sun…
Is the suburbification of Brooklyn now complete? The once-gritty borough has survived an influx of big box stores and national chains and SUV-stroller-wielding parents, but on Wednesday, Bruce Ratner, Charles Wang, and Gary Bettman may have put an end to whatever urban cred Brooklyn might have had left, when they announced that the New York…
Around this time 18 years ago, I developed some chronic stomach troubles. I had no appetite, and when I did eat, I felt ill. I felt queasy almost all the time. I was sure that I was developing some serious gastrointestinal ailment, and, to be honest, I was a little worried. Fortunately, the distress was…
During the last week of April in 1994, turf writers were looking ahead to the Kentucky Derby while hockey writers were following the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. On the April 16, the Wood Memorial had been won by the Steven Young-trained Irgun; he beat Go for Gin by a length and a…
Today, we celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday. We don’t know for sure when he was born, but he was baptized on April 26, 1564, and today is the day widely acknowledged as his birthday. Yesterday was closing day at Aqueduct, a sodden, sloppy, chilly day far more redolent of winter than of spring. And the day before…
Hockey season is about a month old now, and there’s been nary a syllable written in this space about the Rangers. I’ve gone to fewer games than usual, and after a torrid beginning, the Rangers have settled comfortably into their usual mediocrity. Sean Avery won again the other day—not the one who wears the blue…
“I’d rather have this than a Rangers’ win.” So said Rick Schosberg following Giant Moon’s win in the Grade III Excelsior on April 4th at Aqueduct. And shortly after Giant Moon finished last in his turf début at Belmont and the Rangers had blown a 3-1 series lead over the Washington Capitals to lose in…
Photo credit: AP/Julie Jacobson, from ESPN.comOn Saturday afternoon, my racing friend Jenny Kellner of NYRA and On The Lead wrote to me: Now, THAT was the most exciting two minutes in sports! She obviously wasn’t talking about the Derby; she was talking about the final minutes of Game 2, Rangers/Caps. I, unfortunately, couldn’t really relate…
Photo credit: New York Rangers We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for our occasional dose of hockey, specifically the retiring of Adam Graves’ #9 last night at the Garden. Gravy, as he was known to his teammates and the Garden faithful, wore Rangers blue for ten years, coming to New York during the 1991 –…
Brooklyn Backstretch 