Waiting place

Item: The Baltimore Sun reports (here) that Magna Entertainment is seeking a January auction to rid themselves of their Maryland racing assets.

Item: The Washington Examiner (here) informs us that the city of Baltimore has argued, in a court filing, that Magna’s proposed bidding process is plainly uncompetitive because it grants Magna what the city calls “unlimited discretion” to allow or disqualify bidders for any reason — or no reason — at all.

Item: The heretofore unknown-to-me publication Standardbred Canada (here) headlines their report on a panel at the International Simulcast Conference thusly: “Panel On Change: Horse Racing is Doomed.”

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln…

Some years ago, in Oh, the Places You’ll Go, the late, lamented Dr. Seuss called it the waiting place:

Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Which leads me to think, with apologies to the good Doctor…

Lament for Horse Racing, or Green Eggs and Reduced Takeout

I am Sam

Sam I am

Do you like change and growth?

I do not like them

Sam I am,

Change and growth –

Like eggs and ham –

I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Would you try them for the sport?

Would you try them with a snort?

I would not try them for the sport,

Nor with a snort.

I will not try them, Sam you sloth,

I do not like change and growth.

Would you try them for the bettor?

You could write it in a letter!

I would not, could not for the bettor,

Will not, shall not by a letter.

I will not, cannot for the sport,

Or with a snort,

Or with an ale,

Or by the mail.

I do not like change and growth,

I’ll swear that as an oath.

Would you try them for the horsemen?

Could you try them with a Norseman?

I would not try them for the horseman,

I could not try them with a Norseman.

No trainer, so striking,

Nor anachronistic Viking

Can make me try them,

Sam I am.

I do not like growth and change,

For they are new and they are strange.

Change and growth,

Growth and change,

Try them now!

Sing them strange!

You will like them, you will see,

As you love a won Pick-Three!

I will try them, if I must,

And you will see….

Hey, wait a minute – these are pretty good!

I will try them, growth and change,

I will try them though they seem strange,

I will try them, Sam I am,

You need not go

On the lam.

I will try them for a bettor,

And via letter,

And for the sport,

And with a snort,

And for the horsemen,

And with a Norseman (hey, Leif!)

I see now,

Life’s a race,

And I must not stay

In this waiting place.

So thank you, thank you,

Sam I am,

But… eww… keep the green eggs and ham.