Hollywood Park Another Horse Racing Casualty

         It’s been a tough year for Los Angeles area landmarks.  The Santa Monica Civic is closing for good this summer.  The Gibson (formerly Universal) Amphitheater is set to be demolished at the end of the year.  Now comes the not so stunning news that Hollywood Park will hold their last horse races in December.  Its going to be razed for the dreaded “mixed use residential and commercial development.”  There’s plenty of empty homes and storefronts in Inglewood right now.  I don’t think this will help the economy in that troubled area.

         I know the sport of kings is on a death watch.  Horse racing in general is facing increased scrutiny for untimely deaths on the tracks and illegal steroids in the barns.  Owners have been desperate to have a Triple Crown winner since 1978. The gambling take has been hurt by the proliferation of nearby Indian casinos.  Even those who play the ponies regularly can do so from home with internet sites and TV broadcasts.  Attendance is down at most tracks, especially ones in areas like Inglewood, which isn’t exactly a garden spot.

         Yet Hollywood Park is still a special place, if only for its history.  Built in 1938 by a consortium of Hollywood moguls, it used to be the place to be for celebrities as well as “rail birds” who visited every day.  Citation won the Hollywood Gold Cup there in his final start in 1951.  Laffit Pincay, Bill Shoemaker and current hot-shot jockey Rafael Bejarano have all raced there.  It’s a shame it has to close.

         What’s also a shame is that horse racing as a sport has been left out of the gambling equation in general.  One of my favorite things to do in Las Vegas is place a couple of bets on the ponies and then play video poker in-between the races.  I’ve even done this at Fantasy Springs Casino in the Palm Springs area.  My favorite Indian casino also has off-track betting.  For just a few bucks I have a chance at winning some decent money between the racing and video poker.  Its an exciting way to spend a couple of hours even if I come out empty-handed.

         Despite efforts by track owners to pass some laws, slot machines and video poker are not allowed at the racetracks in California.  That’s why I expect more tracks to be shutting down.  Sure, the beautiful places like Del Mar will continue to operate, if only for their tourist appeal.  Horse racing as a way of life in general is definitely on the way out.

         The downward spiral that’s affected Hollywood Park will continue if they continue to ban other forms of gaming at the parks.

         I have to admit a certain selfish desire to keep Hollywood Park open.  Its just down the road from where I live, a straight shot drive from the beach to Inglewood and I don’t have to get on a freeway to get there.  I saw the Gin Blossoms play a free show on Memorial Day after the races and went to one of the best bachelor parties ever at Hollywood Park.  I’m on the mailing list that often sends out free admission coupons.  I usually bet $2 exacta boxes (two horses on one bet) and sometimes I’ve won major bucks.  Like all forms of gambling, if I stay within my budget, I don’t mind losing because its still a fun way to spend the day.

         Sadly, those days are about to end.  Not just for Hollywood Park but probably horse racing in general.  The solution is obvious.  Allow other forms of gambling.  I don’t think that’s going to happen.

 

   

Dodgers & NFL Do The Stadium Dance

          Here we go again. The Dodgers are getting ready to start a new season at Chavez Ravine, their home for over 50 years.  Everyone’s minds should be on baseball, but lots of people are talking about football, including building an NFL stadium next to Dodger Stadium.

We’ve been down this road before and its not an easy one to travel. In 1996, Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley met with NFL officials to discuss the possible construction of a football-only stadium on Dodger-owned property surrounding Dodger Stadium. His plan offered solutions to a number of problems faced by the NFL in locating a team in Los Angeles, following the departure of both the Rams and the Raiders.

          First, it provided for scarce, centrally-located land. Second, the proposal came attached to highly-regarded, established sports franchise management via the O'Malley involvement. Third, like Dodger Stadium, the new facility would be privately financed, and thus not entangled in lengthy municipal funding debates. Fourth, the plan called for alignment with an expansion team, meaning that no existing franchise would have to be moved.

Published reports indicated that O'Malley spent upwards of $1 million on an initial round of architectural renderings, land use studies and environmental impact research, and quickly garnered substantial support among NFL owners who would have to vote their approval. As meetings continued over the next year, O'Malley received a call from Mayor Richard Riordan, asking him to cease pursuit of the NFL franchise. The city had decided that the team should play in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, already over 70 years old, and absent any of the considerable amenities now standard in NFL stadiums.

          O'Malley reluctantly shelved his work and withdrew, noting that while he believed strongly in the viability of his proposal, "you can't fight City Hall."   His disappointment prompted him to sell the Dodgers to FOX and the team has not been to the World Series since.  Instead of having a gleaming new stadium with an NFL team, Los Angeles has neither.  All because of one phone call from a myopic mayor.

That phone call essentially ruined two franchises: the future NFL team in L.A. and the Dodgers. 

(Top) The "ravine" right of the scoreboard behind Dodger Stadium, (below) the view looking down at the imaginary football field

Over a decade later Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) came up with Farmers Field, a proposed football stadium in Downtown Los Angeles intended to attract an NFL team to the city.  They sought approval to begin construction of Farmers Field in 2013 for a 2016 completion which was in the process of being finalized at the time that AEG's president Tim Leiweke announced his resignation.  That’s right.  The guy behind the corporation with the best chance of bringing pro football back surprised everyone by abandoning the ship!  Once again the future of the NFL in L.A. is cloudy at best. 

Yet its quite clear if one goes to Dodger Stadium and sits in the upper deck behind home plate.  From there you can see a small valley (or ravine) in the hills behind left field.

Upon closer inspection this ravine surrounds lot 15, used for over-flow parking at sold-out games.  Standing in the middle of the lot and looking up at the sloped hillsides its easy to imagine a football field surrounded by roaring fans.  Its such a perfect fit that hardly any earth would have to be moved to make it happen.  It could have happened fifteen years ago and the NFL could be playing there right now.

The Dodgers were bought by Guggenheim Partners who have a ton of money to spend and are interested in building a football stadium.  Let's just hope they screen their phone calls. 

View from the "field" looking north and then south toward Dodger Stadium

 

   

This One's Not Going To The Dogs

       The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is coming up and I can never figure out why its covered in the sports pages of America. If you can't beat 'em, then join 'em.  Or in my case, infiltrate.

            If you are reading this you probably own a dog. Everyone around me owns a dog. 99.5% of the world population either owns or wants to own a dog. Guess who’s part of the other .5%? Me. One of the few people out of billions who’ve been kept awake countless nights by endless barking. The only guy who has been nipped at while minding his own business, the only person who ever stepped in dog poop.

            They say dogs provide unconditional love. The only person I expect that from is my mom.  Otherwise I think love, like anything else worthwhile, needs to be earned. I know I’ll never get a cat to love me.  The best I can hope for is to earn their tolerance and maybe a brief minute to pet them.  Five minutes on my lap.  Those are special times.  Knowing anyone, person or pet, was waiting for me at the door everyday  slobbering and panting would just get tiresome after awhile.

            They say there are no bad dogs, only bad owners.   Didn’t they see “Cujo?”  Seriously, dog owners do come up with some lame excuses.  “He only barks at people, that’s what dogs do.  Guard the house.”  Fine, except when you’re throwing a Christmas bash and the dog barks at every single partier who approaches the front door.  Such a nice greeting when you’re visiting someone and you’re treated like a midnight burglar. How about putting the dog in a back room? Or using a muzzle or bark collar?

            Bark collars.  Controversial devices.  Here’s a wacky idea.  If you buy a pet and you need an electronic device to keep them quiet by causing them pain you may not want that pet.  Just a thought.

            “He only barks at other dogs” is my all-time favorite.  So what?  The only thing your neighbor hears is a dog barking during prime time walking hours.

Which apparently begin at 6am in my neighborhood.  Rain or shine, cold or hot,

dog walkers are out there.  I only wish my post man was so dedicated.

            Which brings up professional “dog-walkers.” I know times are hard and if someone wants to spend all day picking up lots of dog poop that’s their prerogative.  “It’s the equivalent of a working mother having day-care,” is what they tell me.  Except the baby is a human being, not an animal.  Hopefully the mom would rather be with her children than having to grind out a paycheck.

Most of the time the mother has no choice.  Dog owners have a choice.  Don’t own one until you have the time to take care of it.

            That’s what my parents taught me. I wanted a puppy and they said you have to take care of it.  The puppy required lots of attention.  Seemed like lots of work just for a few licks on the face.  I realized I’d rather pay attention to girls who smelled like strawberries and guys who taught me how to play guitar.  So my parents gave the dog to one of their friends.  I was relieved and I learned an important lesson.  Its not a sin to admit you made a mistake.

            Yet its against the law to walk your dog without a leash.  If that law was enforced and people were thrown in jail then I would live in an empty neighborhood.  I’m pretty sure these are the same ones who use a cell phone while driving, everyone above the law like Steven Seagal.  I was feeling more like Woody Allen the other day  when an unleashed dog herded my soccer ball into the duck pond.  When I looked for the owner she was leaning against a signpost reading “all dogs must be leashed.”  I could not ask for a better way to end this story.  I only wish I’d made it up.