Facts.

Fact #1.  "Paul Kersey" was the name of the fictional main character in the 1974 action film Death Wish. (wikipedia.org, imdb.com)

Fact #2.  Paul Kersey was the name of the original drummer of the rock band Max Webster, originating in Sarnia, Ontario. (wikipedia.org)

Fact #3.  Paul Kersey was also the name of the actor who played the role of Young David Banner in the 2003 film Hulk. (imdb.com)

Fact #4.  I have never yelled in a race call when the final time was slower than 1:49.0.

Fact #5.  When yelling on the apron, it's because I want a horse to win for the sake of liking the horse, knowing the connections, or having a bet down.

Fact #6.  I bet on harness races.

Fact #7.  From August 2004 to May 2007, I called Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania my home.

Fact #8.  While living in Pittsburgh, I was a frequent visitor to the Meadows and Mountaineer, and I also made the Thistledown/Northfield double-header on occasion.

Fact #9.  I learned to call races at the four tracks stated in #8, calling races into a tape recorder from the grandstand (Meadows and Mountaineer), the press box (Thistledown), or the apron (Northfield).  When visiting Chicago on holiday, I would typically make a stop to the roof at Hawthorne--and I still do every now and again.

Fact #10.  I am capable of spot-on impersonations of a few announcers, and passable ones of others.  I'll share them with friends just for the hell of it.

Fact #11.  The racecalling community has provided me with some of my best friends in the entire human race.

Fact #12.  No individual is perfect; every individual has strengths and weaknesses.  Racecallers are not exempt.

Fact #13.  I make it a point to learn from mistakes--my own, and those of others as well.

Fact #14.  I think it's equally important to learn from the strengths of other individuals.

Fact #15.  Learning from mistakes and other's strengths applies equally to all things outside of racecalling.

Fact #16.  Before the 2008 Chester season, I stood atop the grandstand at Dover with a tape recorder as a tightener.

Fact #17.  April 7, 2008 took place as follows.  I was at Dover Downs, watching races through binoculars.  I did have a tape recorder on my person that night, taking notes on the four Classic Series races, one of which was won (impressively, I might add) by Buck I St Pat.  Following the race, Howard Taylor invited me to join him and his party in the clubhouse for a celebratory drink.  I obliged, and the company was most enjoyable.  No screaming, no calling attention away from anything that wasn't deserving, just good racing and good company.

Fact #18.  After the Classic Series races, I had a drink at the track bar with none other than Jack Gallagher.

Fact #19.  I post on message boards.  One name per board.

Fact #20.  If I'm calling at a track where I have Internet access, I will read message boards under the one name per board stated in #19.

Fact #21.  I do not have Internet access on the roof at Chester, or on the roof at Rosecroft.

Fact #22.  Of the 80-ish racecallers in the United States currently, I am quite close with about 10, plus 3 more in Canada and another in New Zealand.  Outside of those, I am friendly acquaintances with 26 others.  I thought 27, but a certain one's "Death Wish" of sorts lowers the count to 26.

Harness Racing, Binoculars, and the Wolverine State

My apologies in advance if this turns into a rant.

Harness Racing

The Sport of standardbred racing is something that I have held very dear for the majority of my life.  When I was 7 or 8, I became fascinated with the mathematical aspects of the betting game, and I was hooked when my mom first took me to the track on my 12th birthday.  I met Dave Palone in the winner's circle after the 2nd race, and I was hooked since.  Dave Palone and I have since become friends, and I am fortunate to have my livelihood grounded in the Sport that I so love.  Simply, I love what I do, and I'm grateful to be doing it on the grand stage of harness racing.

Binoculars

I know in the English tradition and at some Canadian tracks, the commentators do not watch the race through binoculars as much as in the Australian and American traditions of racecalling.  If that works for you, I won't complain.  Ken at the OJC and Gary at Flamboro are the best two examples I can come up with for staying clear, concise and correct  without using binoculars.  They simply don't need them, and it works for them.  This said, it puzzles me to no end to see racecallers not use binoculars when they are constantly stalling to identify a horse on the far turn of a dimly-lit 5/8-mile track with relatively poor camera quality.  Calling solely off the monitor limits one's perspective of the race far too severely, in my opinion, and stalling to identify a horse not only cuts back on being clear and concise, but also compromises the chances of being correct.

The Wolverine State

It's been a while since I've been in Michigan--the 2007 Croswell Fair, to be exact was my last visit.  I have to thank a few individuals along the way in Michigan for their help, including (but definitely not limited to):  

- Bill Rayle.  A true journalist and student of the game, Bill prepared me for the politics and what-not that's inherent in the Sport, let alone anything.  He taught me how to chart, and I am fortunate to call him a friend.

- Brett Boyd.  Brett's passion for the Sport goes unmatched in the Midwest.  He owns, trains, breeds, announces, and truly serves as an ambassador for harness racing.  In the summer of 2006, we called at Croswell and Holland together, and his demands as a trainer that year opened up Vassar for me to call.  Brett's done a great job promoting harness racing in Michigan, and the full grandstands at Jackson alone attest to that.  Again, a true friend.

- Gary Rankin, Sue Whitney, and Earl Welling.  The three racing secretaries at the fairs I called were all very hospitable and welcoming to me and my old 2003 Cavalier.

For the most part, Michigan is home to great people, and to everyone whom I encountered in my time in the Wolverine State, be you friend, foe, or after-the-fact back-stabber, I thank you.

I've been remiss in writing on this blog thing-y . . .

. . . so naturally there's been a lot going on since All-Star Announcers' Day.  But right now, I really don't want to talk about racecalling, although I'll be making one last cameo appearance at Beulah Park on December 6.  I'm grateful to Bill for the opportunity to call Thoroughbreds a few days this year.  It's definitely a challenge, and I enjoy it greatly.

Anyway, about a month ago, I rated a mile in 2'30" perfectly aboard Cam's First Day.  Anyone who's seen this horse race knows he has a ton of gate speed, and he can be kind of tough to calm down once he gets going.  That said, my goal with the training mile was to end with a flourish after an easy front half.  We came home in 33", pretty fast keeping in mind I was in a jog cart on a flat half-mile track.  I realise I've still got a ways to go, but I feel I've come a long way.

I miss composing, and I miss playing good music.  I've done some sketches this fall, but haven't had the time to really flesh anything out.  Four weeks until the offseason, and I'll have plenty of time to write.  Hopefully two or three full charts this winter isn't too ambitious of a goal.

Four days till Kira!!!

All-Star Announcers' Day

Although Sam McKee, Ken Warkentin, Scott Ehrlich, Frank Salive, and Ken Middleton aren't able to make it for this year's All-Star Announcers' Day, I'd say we've assembled quite a solid lineup.  No doubt it will be fun.  Paul, if you want to call the opener, be my guest.

Between the wheels . . .

Today--like most Tuesdays--I found myself on the track instead of in the announcer's booth (although for the quintet of non-wagering events, I ended up occupying my cosy sixth-storey office).  Before the first qualifier, as I was going out to train a two-year-old filly who had never been at Chester before (she ended up schooling in 1:59-ish), I'm following George Teague onto the track.  He looks back at me and says, "Announcer by day, horseman by day."  Shortly after, I went a 2:30 mile--and it felt pretty comfortable at that clip (back half in about 1:10).  Then, while I'm warming up another horse for a later race, a driver with whom I'm not particularly close drives up alongside with his horse and says to me "You do a helluva job up there."

Despite the comments made by people outside the industry, hearing the horsemen themselves say what they did on their own accord and initiative far outweighs any negative.  Life truly is good.

And I get to see a very special someone this weekend in Chicago! :)

A racecallers' homecoming . . .

Today took me to The Meadows for a United States Harness Writers' Association meeting, and as a result, a view of the work-in-progress that is their new grandstand.  The last I had been there, the old grandstand was still intact, I had yet to be at Chester, and I was still toting a tape recorder and Crayola markers in the grandstand's top row.

Before the meeting, Roger Huston pulled me aside and asked me if I wanted to call a couple races on today's card.  And even though the old grandstand has been replaced by a construction site for the new plant, and horsemen were the only people in attendance live, it was an absolute thrill and honour to call a pair of races at my old home track.  It truly was good to be home, even just for the day.

Super Stakes Sunday

The big day is behind us, and it went rather well.  That is, until the 12th race.  In our Open Pace, there was a massive pile-up with four drivers down.  Thankfully, nothing life threatening.  Two drivers walked off and two were taken to hospital.  As of this writing, one has been discharged and will be back on the track Wednesday.  To the other driver, speedy recovery.

Sigh . . .

Why is it that certain people insist on making verbal attacks when they know full well I'm perfectly capable of proving them wrong on every point they bring up?  I'm fed up with some people (PK, this means you!).

That said, the past three weeks have been outstanding.  I was in Wisconsin visiting Kira for my July vacation, and she's been here on the East Coast with me for two weeks, and we've had a great time.  I love her. :)

They'rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre offan'running.

I can't remember the first time I heard Luke Kruytbosch, but I've always regarded him as one hell of a racecaller.  When I was at Churchill for Giacomo's Derby, it was Luke's voice I strained to hear among the 140,000 in attendance.  And when I first learned how to call thoroughbred races, Luke gladly offered his input on how I could improve.  I didn't know him too well, but he was a great guy.

I'm at a loss for words.  Life truly is precious, and tomorrow's not a guarantee for any of us.  Farewell, my friend.

Punctuation

Commas are followed by one space, and while a period can be followed by one or two, I always use two.  Funny how I'm posting about punctuation on my blog.  Time for bed.

Weekend in Goshen

A friend of mine suggested I start blogging, and I've taken it to be a good suggestion, so here goes.

First off, about me:  My name is James, I'm 22, and I'm the racecaller at a harness track near Philadelphia.  I finished a degree in music composition from Duquesne University last December, and I now reside in northern Delaware.  I'll talk about my endeavours in life--as a racecaller, a composer, and maybe the occasional philosophical rant.  Apparently, that's what these blog thingies are for ;)

This year I decided to spend Fourth of July weekend in the Cradle of the Trotter, Goshen, NY.  In addition to visiting the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame, I called a few races at the Historic Track Grand Circuit Meet.  Simply put, I had an absolute blast and would recommend Grand Circuit Week at Goshen to ANYONE.

I left Friday morning just after 8, giving me plenty of time to make 1 p.m. post.  That is, until, my right front tire blew out little more than three miles into the journey.  Needless to say, I was set back a couple hours, but thanks to National Tire and Battery being open on a national holiday, I was on the road in time to make the last four races at Goshen on Friday, of which I called the last three.  I called a couple this afternoon too, including a race with Dave Little from the New York Daily News.  Kind of like at All-Star Announcer's Day last year, except Dave did play-by-play and I did colour.

About Goshen itself, it's a quaint little town about 45 minutes from New York City and an hour from the Meadowlands.  The track is located right in the middle of town, with a wooden grandstand that seats about 1800, I'd say.  The judges stand and commentary box are located in the infield, making the sight lines at the head of the stretch a bit difficult.  A couple trees on the backstretch didn't help, either, but it was no worse than calling at Suffolk last fall.  The racing was competitive and of good quality, but the best part was by far the crowd.  The 1800-seat grandstand was beyond capacity both days, with the outside fence lined three-deep on both ends of the grandstand.  With no betting at Goshen, they're truly there for the love of the sport, and the atmosphere is easily unrivalled.  I'll definitely be going back next year.

Tomorrow, it's back to reality (but I'm not complaining one bit).  Life truly is good.