She's a Handicapper now..and I'm saying "Champagne, Anyone?"

She's a Handicapper now..and I'm saying "Champagne, Anyone?"

Saturday, May 30, 2015

The end of Mad Men


The good TV shows...they eventually end. Some hit the rerun circuits. I still delight in watch old Seinfeld shows...the genius of Larry David and the wacky, unpredictable plots the cast would get involved in each week. Did I have a favorite Seinfeld actor? It probably would fall on Kramer. In real life, Michael Richards turned out to be a jerk...but on Seinfeld he was classic.

I know guys like Kramer. That's the beauty of it.

I remember when the sci-fi Lost In Space got cancelled when I was a boy. I was heartbroken. The robot, Dr. Smith...Will and Bloop the Chimp. Judy Robinson and the crush I had on her.

Throughout the years, other great show have come and gone. Star Trek, M*A*S*H. Laugh In and The Carol Burnett Show. The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and Dick Clark's American Bandstand. Name your own...I could fill up a few more paragraphs with shows I liked that demised.

Now, MAD MEN is gone and I am sad that it is. It was an era that my Dad was a part of. I wasn't old enough to understand the things going on back in the show's time line for the most part...but I remember watching the astronaunts landing on the moon with my parents in our big Admiral TV in the den.

I remember when JFK was assassinated. I was in the second grade and they dismissed us from school early. I walked to school in those days and when I walked into the house, my mom was sitting in front of the TV crying. Another good Catholic boy gone.

I worked for a few years with a guy who was a part of that crazy, corporate world of the 60's. The three-martini lunches...drinking in the office and taking a nap on the couch, smoking everywhere and office flings and romances...he had been a part of them all as a advertising executive in Chicago. Divorced twice, three kids, pack of smokes a day and drove a Mustang convertible. A friendly, opinionated and brash loser...who ended up getting fired from his job for copulating with an account manager's wife in his office and getting "walked in" on. I have no idea what happened to him after that.

Mad Men was a look at the age of innocence. Before wifi, smartphones, laptops, self pump gas stations and the WNBA. I remember the classic commercial "I'd like to teach the world to sing." and thought it was stupid. I was a teenage and full of hormonal rage. Frank Zappa, Alice Cooper and the Grateful Dead were cool. The Monkees, Carpenters and John Denver were not.

There will be other shows I'm sure I'll follow in the future. I still have The Walking Dead, The Good Wife and all 40 NCIS's to fall back on.

I will miss Mad Men. I thought about the characters that were on the show and tried to figure out which once I might have most resembled in that era. I came up with Pete...the wide-eyed kid with a impeccable background who finally grew up at the end of the series. Who knows? It was a different time.

And, I wish that Don Draper had just walked down the Big Sur beach, into the water, and just disappeared into the surf and ocean.

paulie

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Simple pays off



Sometimes simple is best. When looking at the Preakness, I liked two horses. American Pharoah and Dortmund. How best to use them was the question.

I was getting killed on the races leading up to the Preakness. Available cash dwindling...I chose a simple strategy. Take the two horses I liked, put them on top up an exacta and trifecta and put everything else below them. With the rapidly declining weather conditions, it seems logical.

A $1 exacta wheel with American Pharoah and Dortmund on top and everyone else below cost me $14. It returned $62. A $1 trifecta with American Pharoah and Dortmund on top and all underneath in second and third was a bit pricier at $98. It brought back $492 though...and saved the day.

American Pharoah is a beast. Dortmund appeared to hate the surface, especially after the rain.

The Belmont should be interesting and we, once again, see if a horse can capture the elusive third jewel in the Triple Crown.  

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Derby Picks --




RECAP:

We had a couple of scratches that we weren't able to pull out of our selections for you. Granny's Kitten in the 6th race, Stephanie's Kitten in the 10th race and International Star in the Kentucky Derby. We didn't have a lot of luck early...with just two exactas after the 10th race. The Derby did us well, though...our exacta, trifecta and Pick 3's hit. It was a nice boost that put us $60 ahead for the day and we'll take it...after our rough start. 

As for the race...International Star had what it took in that long Churchill stretch. We were hoping Dortmund's late kick would be a bit stronger...but third place is not bad and we'll hope he returns to vye for the Preakness.



HAPPY DERBY TO YOU! 

We had a so-so OAKS Day Friday on the picks. Out of the six Stakes races we selected...I had three exactas and two trifectas. No Pick 3's or 4's unfortunately. I ended up with a profit of $62.  

Sonja went win, place and show on our top four selections in each race and a  profit of $6.

Fortunately, we hit huge on the first race of the day. I liked Big Red Seven (reminded me of Chris Redman) and put him in the exacta. He won and paid $54 to win..so we got well early. The exacta was around $250 for a $2 wager. 

Today's Derby Day Stakes Races are listed below. For entertainment purposes only. of course. Good luck and HAPPY DERBY DAY! 

Race 5 - Pat Day Mile Stakes

2- Gimme Da Lute
6- Competitive Edge
5- Lord Nelson
3- The Truth or Else

Race 6 - American Turf Stakes

1- Luck of the Kitten
4- Royal Son
6- A Lot
3- Granny's Kitten

Race 7 - Humana Distaff

8- Judy The Beauty
3- Dame Dorothy
2- Thank You Mary Lou
1- Sweet Reason

Race 8 - Churchill Downs Mile Turf

8- Sandiva
5- Coffee Clique
13- Kiss Moon
12- Kitty Wine

Race 9 - Churchill Downs Stakes

2- Bayern
4- Private Zone
5- Pants On Fire
1- C. Zee

Race 10 - Woodford Reserve Turf Classic

8- Stephanie's Kitten
10- Chocolate Ride
9- Seek Again
1- Optimizer

Race 11 - The Kentucky Derby

8- Dortmund
18- American Pharoah
2- Carpe Diem
12- International Star

GOOD LUCK! 

paulieandsonja
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Friday, May 1, 2015

Kentucky Oaks Picks


KENTUCKY OAKS PICKS

We had an OK 'Thurby' Day in our Thursday Selections. We decided to just play a $1 exacta on our top four picks for the 11 races we handicapped. We hit seven exactas, lost four. The prices weren't anything to brag about at Churchill yesterday...we ended up a $5 winner on the day. That profit equates to a down payment on one beer at Churchill...the Budweiser's were $6 per 16 oz bottle. 

We were getting Gold Room prices...a little cheaper.  

I suppose that's not bad...to bet all the races and still come out ahead...but we look to do better today. We'll mix in a few Pick 3's and Pick 4's and hope to show a big profit. We're headed to the debauchery and craziness that is The Infield today. Full speed ahead, boys! The lovely and talented Ms. Sonja joins me today and she and I had a lively discussion about a few of the picks below

Here are our six stakes races selections. Good Luck and these are for entertainment purposes only, of course. 

The Edgewood - Race 6

1- Quality Rocks
4- My Year Is A Day
8- Sweet Swinging
6- Feathered

La Troienne - Race 7

5- Sheer Drama
2- My Miss Sophia
3- Sweet Whisky
8- Molly Morgan

Alysheba - Race 8

7- Honor Code
2- Protonico
8- Call Me George
6- Midnight Cello

CARDINAL COUPLE CONTRIBUTOR JENNY IS A PART OWNER OF THE #6 HORSE IN RACE NINE BELOW
FOREST ELF WILL HAVE HIS WORK CUT OUT FOR HIM BUT WE WISH HIM LUCK! Turf Sprint - Race 9

12- Undrafted
3-  Heital
11- Something Extra
8- Good Deed

Eight Belles - Race 10

1- Callback
12- Taylor S
8- Enchanting Lady
2- Promise Me

Kentucky Oaks - Race 11

5- Condo Commando
7- Lovely Maria
8- I'm A Chatterbox
12- Stellar Wind

Good luck and we'll have our Derby Picks for you tomorrow morning. Happy Oaks Day! 

paulie and sonja
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