Wednesday, October 29, 2014
@thenyra RACE 1 PICK 5
Race 1 aqueduct
Pick5 pictured below two same tickets except single 6 in race 5 on one the other 2-4-6.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
The Can-Do Kid: Becky Hammon's Incredible Journey from Rapid City to the NBA
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The Can-Do Kid: Becky Hammon's Incredible Journey from Rapid City to the NBA
Bleacher Report
Howard
Beck
Oct 27, 2014
166
Comments
RAPID CITY, S.D. — The nurse shark is a generally docile creature, spanning up to nine feet and 300 pounds and armed with a vise-like jaw lined with thousands of serrated teeth. Left alone, it is harmless to humans.
But Becky Hammon wanted a closer look.
So as she snorkeled near the family boat in the Florida Keys on a spring day in 2012, Hammon shouted a request to her father: Throw the chum this way.
With chunks of fish parts and blood soon bobbing around her, Hammon got the close encounter she wanted, and then some. A five-foot nurse shark surged toward her, and then again, turned away only when Hammon poked it on the nose with her spear gun.
"With food in the water," Hammon explains, "their personalities are being changed and altered. They're in hunting mode."
"So," Hammon says, "I got out."
But she got her fish story first.
There is very little in this world, on land or water, that intimidates the 37-year-old Hammon, a self-described "adrenaline junkie." She has been chased by a barracuda and frolicked with manatees. She has hunted wild game. She plans to skydive some day—not because she's fearless, but because, "I'm one of those people...I have to do it to beat my fear."
It takes a thrill-seeking soul to swim with sharks. And it takes a certain audacity to shatter a barrier, even the ones you never planned to shatter.
Becky Hammon will make history this week, as the first woman to open the NBA season as a full-time assistant coach, as a member of the San Antonio Spurs staff. To other women in the sport, she is an inspiration. To young girls, a role model. To some fans, a curiosity. To historians, a footnote.
All Hammon wanted to do was to teach the game she's loved since she was a toddler, bouncing a Spalding around her parents' home in Rapid City, South Dakota. Her first coaching opportunity could have come in the WNBA, where Hammon ranked among the top 15 players in league history. It could have come in the NCAA ranks or overseas, where Hammon spent much of her professional career.
But Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, a man with five championship rings and an impeccable record as a coaching mentor, simply called first. Hammon accepted the job this summer.
In Hammon, Popovich saw a fellow gym rat and an ideal pupil—passionate for the game, studious, intellectually curious and hard-working. Her profile matched those of every Popovich disciple of the last 20 years, a group that includes four current NBA head coaches: Philadelphia's Brett Brown, Atlanta's Mike Budenholzer, New Orleans' Monty Williams and Orlando's Jacque Vaughn.
The only differences between those coaches and Hammon are an extra X chromosome and a ponytail.
Born To Coach
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"When you've been around it, you know who can coach and who can't coach," Popovich said. "Becky is one of those people. She's a Steve Kerr. She's a Doc Rivers. She's those kind of people. They have a feel for the game that they want to continue to participate in."
Popovich and Hammon had bonded on a transatlantic flight back from the London Olympics in 2012 and developed a formal mentor-pupil relationship last season, when Hammon served as a coaching intern while recovering from knee surgery. Her coaching instincts came through in staff meetings and film sessions.
By the time Hammon announced her retirement from the WNBA, the transition from San Antonio Stars guard to San Antonio Spurs assistant coach seemed natural to anyone within the franchise's walls.
Popovich, the ultimate no-nonsense coach, did not set out to make a statement, only to bolster his staff.
"Honestly, I didn't realize it was gonna be this big of a deal," he said. "People kind of went crazy, like we've saved the world from fascism or something," he added, chuckling. "It was much more important to reward her—for who she is, what she's done and what I believe she can do, than worry about the reaction of people."
In so many ways, Hammon's transition to coaching is a natural progression. She played the game at an elite level. At every stage, she was lauded for her leadership and her acumen. As an All-Star point guard, Hammon had an innate feel for the game, for the angles and timing and nuances that lesser players could not see.
Those who know Hammon best say she is just as suited for the role of pioneer, even if she never set out to be one. Indeed, so much in her biography pointed in this direction, save for one detail: No one ever picked Becky Hammon first in anything.
Small Town Roots
Photo by Kristina Barker
Bev and Marty Hammon, Becky's parents, in front of their Rapid City home.
Rapid City is the second-largest city in South Dakota, with a population of about 70,000, although it feels much smaller. Its historic downtown spans just 10 blocks and is dwarfed by the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. Badlands National Park lies to the east, Mt. Rushmore to the south.
It's the kind of place where everyone seems to know each other, or at least knows your uncle, your sister or the guy who fixed your transmission last week.
Given its size and remote location, Rapid City has produced a striking number of professional athletes: Adam Vinatieri, Mark Ellis, Eric Piatkowski and Hammon, who graduated from Stevens High School in 1995 as the all-time leader in scoring, assists and steals.
The Hammon homestead sits on 3.5 acres in the Black Hills National Forest, 12 miles southwest of downtown. Their property borders the U.S. Forest Service property, which became a playground for Becky and her two older siblings, Matt and Gina.
It's not unusual to see deer wandering through the property and, occasionally, a mountain lion.
Growing up, the Hammons spent their leisure time fishing, hunting, riding three-wheelers in the woods and wakeboarding on Lake Angostura.
They also played a lot of basketball, on a broad, concrete slab in front of the house. The rim was mounted on the overhang of a wooden deck above. Long rebounds and loose balls would skip down a long hill into the woods. So it was best not to miss often.
"I didn't have any neighbors," Becky Hammon said. "And if you missed, the ball went and rolled for 30 yards."
Marty Hammon, Becky's father, who has coached basketball for three decades, likes to joke that she "came out of the womb loving basketball." It is only a slight exaggeration.
Becky Hammon had a basketball in her hands by the time she was a toddler. She learned to dribble around the time she began to walk. By age five, she was dribbling with both hands.
"I have pictures of myself, like two and three years old, and I had a basketball, full size," Becky Hammon said. "I never remember a time in my life where I didn't have a basketball. That's the honest-to-God truth."
A Basketball Prodigy
Photo by Kristina Barker
The problem with growing up as a basketball-loving girl in Rapid City is that, really, there just weren't that many other basketball-loving girls in Rapid City. If Hammon was going to play with any regularity, she would have to play with the boys. This proved to be a good thing.
Marty Hammon has two clear passions: basketball and his family. It is easy to see the intersection of the two, particularly in Becky and her older brother Matt, who both inherited their father's hoop addiction.
Marty was a regular in the local recreation leagues, and the Hammon kids were always in tow. At halftime, two-year-old Becky and four-year-old Matt would charge onto the court and hurl shots at the rim.
That the rim was 10 feet high, and Becky was maybe 3 feet tall, did not deter her. As she grew, and the rim inched slightly closer, her fixation only got stronger.
Ron Riherd was a regular in the city league games, a friend of Marty's and, as it happens, the girls' coach at Stevens High School. He got his first look at his future star point guard during one of those city-league games.
While the men played, little Becky—then in second or third grade—was off to the side, shooting finger-roll layups over the pull-up bars.
Riherd smiled.
"She was committed to being better, from that age on," he said. "She could handle the ball. She would shoot and shoot and shoot and shoot."
Becky's entry into competitive basketball came in a coed YMCA league at around age eight. The teams were populated almost entirely by boys. But Becky's skills were so beyond her peers' that her parents moved her up two age groups. League officials bristled. Then they saw her play.
"When I was better than all the boys, even a grade, two grades ahead of me, they were like, 'Oh yeah, she can stay,'" Becky said. "'She can even bring up the ball.'"
By fifth grade, she was seeking out pickup games and finding only boys on the court. She simply shrugged and joined the fray.
"I was like, 'This is fun, and I like doing it and I didn't really care,'" she said, pausing, then chuckling. "Probably similar now."
A Ball-Handling Wizard
From the time she became a high school star, and all through her years at Colorado State and in the WNBA, Becky Hammon has been known for her mastery with the ball—not only her deft passing but her dazzling, how-did-she-do-that scoop shots and impossible spins off the backboard.
No one taught Becky Hammon this ball wizardry. This was creativity born of necessity.
As a kid, Becky Hammon was not just the only girl on the court but the shortest player in the game. The only way to get a shot up was to duck under and around taller defenders, then fling the ball through whatever gap she could find.
"A couple of pump fakes and throw it with some twist on the board," Marty Hammon said. "That just comes from playing with boys. We always had to find a way of getting that shot off. Where for anybody else that was crap, for her, that was necessary. That was part of her game."
Eventually, Becky's main competition became her brother Matt and his friends, playing two-on-two games on the cement slab outside the house or three-on-three games at a local playground. She was, of course, much smaller than all of them. But the boys offered no leniency, no clear paths to the basket and no easy shots.
Photo by Kristina Barker
Bev Hammon
"I mean, it was intense," her mother, Bev Hammon, said. "They did not want her scoring."
There was never much doubt about Becky's competitive instincts. Those, too, seemed to be part of the family DNA. The Hammons competed at everything—board games, word games, bow-and-arrow shooting, soccer matches in the basement. When there wasn't an actual game to play, they made one up: Who can eat all his or her vegetables first?
"Our family never loses very well," Matt said. "Everything was a contest."
On colder days, the Hammons played indoors on a Nerf hoop mounted on a door. Dad played on his knees.
Becky was in grade school, about 10 years old, when she rose up one day and dunked over half-sized Marty.
"Dad, Dad, when do you think I'll be able to stuff on a big hoop?"
"Beck, you're never going to be able. You've got to learn to play on the ground."
"Really, Dad, you don't think I'm ever going to be able to dunk?"
"No, Beck, you're never going to be able to dunk."
For the longest time, Bev Hammon wondered if her youngest daughter would ever reach 5'0".
"She was little for a long time," she said.
At Home in Woods or Water
Photo by Kristina Barker
Replace the basketball with a 7-by-57 rifle or a shotgun, and the appraisals remain the same. Becky Hammon is, according to her brother Matt, “a natural shooter,” whether firing at clay pigeons, sharp-tailed grouse or pheasant.
Becky received her first shotgun at 14, as a gift from her grandfather. She shot her first deer maybe a year later. It was also the last.
“She felt guilty,” Matt said. “Here’s this beautiful deer laying there. 'And I shot it.' She actually had some tears.”
Becky still shoots pheasant and other small birds. She still joins the family on their big-game hunts, but this is one area where she prefers to play spectator.
The ocean is another matter. When the Hammons take their annual vacation in the Florida Keys, Becky is the one in the water, scanning for nurse sharks, bull sharks and lemon sharks. An avid fisherman, she wants to land a hammerhead some day. And she wants to get in a shark cage and hang out with the great whites.
“Becky loves those big sharks,” her father said. “And they’re never big enough for her.”
Photo by Kristina Barker
A Basketball Revelation
When did Becky Hammon realize she was special? That her basketball instincts were just a little more finely honed than everyone else's? That the game simply meant more to her than other girls and boys?
It wasn't during those tagalong trips to Dad's city-league games, and it wasn't even when she started outplaying the boys. No, the realization came early in high school, when she started attending basketball camps.
An average day at camp might run from 9 in morning to 10 at night, by which time the rest of the girls "would be so sick and tired of basketball," Hammon said. "And I'd go right back to the gym."
"So I knew I was wired a little bit differently then," she said. "So I was constantly learning, because I was constantly putting myself in situations where I could learn."
It was no different at home. When it snowed, Becky and Matt simply shoveled off the cement slab. When the days grew shorter in the winter, they flipped on the outdoor floodlights and kept the games going, sometimes until 11 p.m.
When your home is on the edge of a national park, there are no neighbors to disturb with your late-night dribbling.
Friends will tell you that Becky Hammon was an ace softball player and volleyballer, but basketball was always primary.
"I didn't need anybody else," she said. "I had a ball, and I had my hoop, and I didn't have to have somebody to go play catch with or throw me pitches. I grew up in the woods, I didn't have neighbors. So it was a sport that you could get really good at by yourself."
When there was no one to play against, Becky practiced her jump shot and her twisting layups for hours at a time. Occasionally, the sound of the ball hitting the concrete stopped and was replaced by the sound of a basketball striking the side of the house. Becky was practicing passes off the wall.
"She was," her father said, "a basketball nerd."
A Fit for the Spurs
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Gregg Popovich has employed a dozen assistant coaches in his two decades with the Spurs. Their personalities and backgrounds varied. But in each of them, Popovich saw certain essential traits—first and foremost, he says, "a natural proclivity to coach."
"When you've been around it, you know who can coach and who can't coach," Popovich said.
Popovich wants assistants with a strong work ethic, "a desire to get better, a desire to grow." He wants people "who have gotten over themselves"—meaning, they understand it's about the team, not the individual.
But he also wants them to speak up.
Contrary to his gruff public persona and his Air Force Academy credentials, Popovich is not an autocrat on the bench. He seeks out coaches with strong ideas and strong voices, who will challenge him and keep the creative sparks flying, whether in the video room or in a fourth-quarter timeout.
"She jumped right in," assistant coach Ime Udoka said of Hammon.
Other traits Popovich looks for in a prospective coach: "Are they comfortable in their own skin? Can they admit fault? Can they admit a mistake? Can they communicate? All those things you think about before you hire somebody, because the worst thing is a coach that can't admit that he or she was wrong, and it's their way or the highway. Or can't participate or give the players ownership in what's going on on the court. That's not going to work in the NBA. It's got to be a participatory sort of thing."
There is one other requirement, and it is the only one that Popovich calls mandatory.
"Sense of humor," he said. "No sense of humor, no job."
To make it as a Spurs coach, you have to be able to take some ribbing—and to dish it out.
"For lack of a better word, they are all ball-busters, for sure," Hammon says, smiling. "They love to have a good time. They love to work. But I think in the midst of working, you can't get too crazy serious. So they crack on each other, and they crack on me, which makes me feel right at home."
Early in training camp, Hammon and another staffer were trading barbs about their favorite NFL teams, the Denver Broncos (Hammon's team) and the Dallas Cowboys (the staffer's).
"Oh, you like the Cowgirls?" Hammon shot back.
"That's her, right there," assistant coach Ime Udoka said, chuckling. "I'm like, 'Isn't that [sexist]?' She says, 'I can say it.' Guys will joke, and she gives it right back."
And whenever possible, Hammon likes to buck the Spurs' black-white-silver color scheme and dress a bit more colorfully, which also draws a bit of ribbing around the gym.
On this particular day, the team is off, and Hammon is in teal sweatpants and teal shoes with pink swooshes.
"Today, I'm straying and wore my own funky stuff," she said.
A Star in High School
Photo by Kristina Barker
Becky Hammon's trophy case in the Stevens High gym.
There was little doubt, by the time Becky Hammon reached high school, that she was destined for great things. She seized the starting point guard job as a sophomore, and by the time she graduated in 1995, she owned every significant record in the Stevens High record books. The only missing piece was a state championship.
Despite her superior skills, Hammon never looked to dominate the game or the ball.
"She was such an unselfish player, almost to a fault," said Amber Zimiga Hammon, a teammate in high school who is now married to Becky's brother Matt. "If you were open, you were going to get the ball. At some point it was like, she needed to shoot more. We would get down. And then she'd take over."
On the long rides to tournaments, Hammon kept her team entertained with mix tapes, featuring heavy doses of Boyz II Men and New Kids on the Block. In the parking lot, she led them in impromptu dance-offs. At home, she entertained friends with her karaoke renditions of Tina Turner’s “Private Dancer” and New Kids on the Block’s “Hangin’ Tough.”
“Any time she had a chance to get people dancing or singing, she would,” Amber Hammon said. “Good singer, good dancer.”
Hammon’s high school career ended in the state semifinals, where she scored 29 of her team’s 34 points (or 36, depending on who's telling the story). With seconds left to play, and Stevens leading by a point, Hammon was fouled and sent to the line for a one-and-one. Riherd wanted to call a timeout, to let his players know they still had two fouls to give.
"No," said Hammon, a 90 percent foul shooter, "I want to shoot the free throws."
Hammon missed the first attempt, and the opposing team took the rebound, raced up court and scored on an awkward shot at the buzzer.
"I know to this day, she thinks she lost the game," Riherd said, "but guess what? We'd have never been in that situation if she hadn't scored all those points."
Overlooked as a College Recruit
Photo by Kristina Barker
Ron Riherd in the Stevens High gym.
Riherd, who began coaching high school girls in 1975, called Hammon, "by far the best player I've ever coached." Yet because of Rapid City's relatively remote location, few college scouts and coaches saw her play. The major Division I programs never came calling.
Those who did scout Hammon generally came away with the same impression: too short, too slow. She topped out at 5'6".
Kari Gallegos-Doering, then an assistant coach at Colorado State, saw something else. She first noticed Hammon at a spring showcase of high school all-stars. Scouts had come to see more highly rated guards, but Gallegos-Doering noticed how Hammon kept finding teammates in just the right spots, that no one could take the ball from her, and—despite her lack of speed—no defender could keep her in front of her.
"Becky had mojo," Gallegos-Doering said. "She's just got this something special that you don't see [often]. You just don't see a little white guard play like this."
(This would become a theme in Hammon’s pro career. Her New York Liberty teammates would later dub her “White Chocolate.”)
The next time Gallegos-Doering saw Hammon, at a national basketball camp, she was among 24 high school prospects playing pickup games.
"She made them look silly," Gallegos-Doering said. "She just could do things and go around people and make passes. I remember a player running down the floor shaking her head. She had just been duped. That was Becky."
That duped girl turned out to be Dominique Canty, who came out of Chicago as a Street and Smith All-American and earned a scholarship at Alabama.
"Here's a nobody making these players look bad," Gallegos-Doering said. "Everybody's sitting in that gym, and saw her do what she did and they missed on her...because of her color, because of her size, because yeah, she comes from South Dakota and she's not a big name, not from a big AAU team. They missed on her."
Hammon put Colorado State on the college basketball map, leading the team to a 33-3 record in 1998-99 and a trip to the Sweet 16. She finished her career as the school's all-time leader in scoring, assists and three-pointers, and she surpassed Keith Van Horn as the leading scorer, male or female, in Western Athletic Conference history.
And still, she was regarded as too short, too slow. No WNBA team drafted Hammon in 1999. She was signed by the New York Liberty as training camp fodder. And despite becoming a three-time All-Star in New York, the team traded her to San Antonio in 2007.
Instant NBA Credibility
There's an expression common on blacktops across the country: Game recognizes game. Translated: Great players respect other great players. On the court, talent is the coin of the realm.
Hammon walked onto the Spurs' practice court with instant credibility, as one of the greatest players in WNBA history, with the stats and accolades to match: seven All-Star appearances, seventh all-time in scoring, fourth all-time in assists, second all-time in three-pointers.
She dominated the intangibles, too. In annual surveys of WNBA general managers, Hammon was always among the leaders in categories like best leader and best basketball IQ, as well as "making teammates better," "hungriest to win a championship" and "taking the shot with the game on the line."
Anyone who's ever watched Hammon play appreciates her poise, her court vision and her commanding presence. And NBA players watch more WNBA games than the average male fan. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are among Hammon's most ardent fans.
After 16 years in the pros, first with the New York Liberty, then the San Antonio Stars, Hammon's bona fides are well established.
"She impressed me," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "Because of her size. She wasn't the fastest. You could tell she could find a way to become important. Even if she wasn't shooting great one day, but she was smart, one step ahead. The type of player that usually becomes coaches."
In fact, if playing the game means anything, Hammon is more qualified than most of her male peers. NBA benches are filled with career assistants who never played in the NBA and many who played sparingly, as role guys.
Among the NBA's 30 head coaches, 16 never played in the league—a group that includes Popovich, as well as the coach he faced in the Finals last June, Miami's Erik Spoelstra.
"It's a little tougher for us to earn that credibility," Popovich said of the non-players. "I think the people who have played and have had success deserve to have that immediate, almost conditional credibility. And it's theirs to either squander or let it grow."
Hired for Basketball Reasons
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By every measure—experience, diligence, demeanor—Hammon seems perfectly suited for this moment, this role, this challenge. And if there were an ideal place for it to happen, it's San Antonio.
There is no more stable or respected franchise than the Spurs, no coach with more gravitas than Popovich and no roster more capable of embracing the moment than this one. The Spurs are a mature, veteran group, with strong leaders in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Ginobili. There isn't a knucklehead in the bunch.
Parker was already firmly in Hammon's corner. The two San Antonio point guards became friends over the last several years. There seems to be little concern that Hammon can thrive in a male-dominated work place.
"Not concerned at all," Ginobili said. "I really can't tell about other places in the league. But in here, no."
This is a franchise that covets diversity, whose roster reads like a United Nations subcommittee, with players from Australia, Italy, France, Argentina, Brazil, Canada and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Popovich's staff now includes the Italian-born Ettore Messina, an international coaching legend who is making his own NBA debut.
If anyone was going to hire the first female coach, it was going to be Popovich, perhaps the most progressive-minded soul in the coaching ranks. And if anyone could make this historic move and declare, with absolute sincerity, that history was the last thing on his mind, it is Popovich.
Fans viewed the Hammon hiring as either groundbreaking or a gimmick. To Popovich, it was just about adding another smart coach.
"We thought about it, and we didn't care," Popovich said of the response. "I'm not going to do something that's going to hurt my franchise just to have a gimmick. I think that we've built up enough credibility with the way we do things that people would understand that this was for real and that she had gravitas."
Her Olympic Snub
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Becky Hammon leads the Russian team onto the floor at the 2008 Olympics.
Growing up in the 1980s and early '90s, Becky Hammon idolized Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan and dreamed of playing in the NBA. Until around age 10, when her father bluntly advised her, “No matter how good you become and no matter how hard you work at it, you’ll never play in the NBA.”
The WNBA did not yet exist. So young Becky set her sights on the Olympics, dreaming of a day on the medal stand, “The Star Spangled Banner” playing. That dream was dashed by more powerful forces.
In 2007, Becky Hammon was a certified WNBA star, with a killer jumper, superior court vision and the respect of the entire league. She finished second in the MVP voting that season to Lauren Jackson of the Seattle Storm.
Jackson is Australian. You could make the case that Hammon, then, was America's best female basketball player at the time.
Yet for reasons that were never fully explained, the U.S. women's national team declined to include Hammon among the 23 players invited to try out for the 2008 Olympic team.
Friends and family suspected favoritism—that the national coaches selected guards from their own teams, leaving Hammon out in the cold.
"They never answered a phone call from her agents, or anything," Bev Hammon said. "She was devastated."
"She...was...devastated."
Shut out by her own country, Hammon accepted an invitation to play for the Russian team, a natural move since she was already playing in the Russian league, for CSKA Moscow, during the WNBA offseason.
Jessica Hill/Associated Press
Anne Donovan
The backlash was swift and fierce, with the harshest words coming from Anne Donovan, the American team's head coach.
"If you play in this country and you grow up in the heartland, and you put on a Russian uniform, you are not a patriotic person," Donovan said in 2008.
Donovan would later back away from that statement and also disputed reports that she and her staff shut out Hammon during the selection process.
The words stung Hammon but not as deeply as the initial snub. Joining the Russian team meant keeping her Olympic dreams alive. Hammon shot poorly in a semifinal loss to the U.S., but she led Russia to a bronze medal, scoring 22 points in a victory over China. After all of the controversy and the resentment, it was one of her proudest moments.
On a side table in the Hammon living room rest two mementos: a candle holder bearing the 2008 Beijing Games insignia and a music box designed in the shape of an onion-domed Russian cathedral.
"It turned into such a great thing," her father said. "She said, 'I wouldn't a change a thing now.'"
In nearly two decades of competitive basketball in the public spotlight, this chapter is the only hint of controversy associated with Becky Hammon.
Just one clarification, this one from Mom: "She's very patriotic."
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Becky Hammon poses with the bronze medal earned with her Russian teammates.
An NBA Pioneer
Societal barriers are rarely broken by a single event, a single impact, a single person. It takes repeated blows, stretched across decades, before the cracks give way and the walls collapse.
There have been other women and other firsts. And the impacts are not always enduring.
In 1990, Bernadette Mattox became the first female assistant in a Division I men's program, on Rick Pitino's Kentucky staff. Just two other women have done so since then.
In 1997, the NBA hired its first two female referees, Dee Kantner and Violet Palmer. Kantner was fired in 2002, and the NBA is just now introducing another female official, Lauren Holtkamp, who was recently promoted from the D-League. Palmer is starting her 18th season.
In 2002, Lisa Boyer served as a part-time, volunteer assistant on John Lucas' staff with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In 2009, Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman was hired to coach the Texas Legends in the D-League, making her the first woman to lead a men's professional team.
Now comes Hammon, with a full-time gig, a two-year contract and the support of the NBA's most revered coach. Every landmark matters. This one feels weightier.
Twitter lit up the day Hammon was hired, with everyone from Billie Jean King to Hope Solo to Chelsea Clinton to Nancy Pelosi and the White House offering praise and congratulations.
Actress Elizabeth Banks gave Hammon a shout-out on Twitter and again in a YouTube video titled, "Should Girls Play Basketball?"
"That's right, she's going to be coaching dudes," Banks says in the clip, "because she's that badass. Way to go, Becky. Way to follow your dreams."
Lieberman—whose trail blazing began in 1980, when she played on the Lakers' summer-league team and later in the United States Basketball League—reached out to Hammon personally.
"She has broken a tremendous barrier," Lieberman said, "and I don't think it should be lost."
Asked if she offered any advice or cautionary tales, Lieberman said, "I have no horror stories; I only have gratitude."
Noah Graham/Getty Images
Violet Palmer and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich
Palmer also said her gender has not been an issue with players or coaches, although there have been at least two instances when team broadcasters have made sexist remarks about her on air.
"At this point, it's not about gender," Palmer said. "They [coaches and players] more so respect the work."
Referring to Hammon, Palmer said, "I don't think it's going to be difficult, in the sense that she's a woman coming into a male-dominated sport to coach. Her reputation, her work ethic and her ability to do the job I think will speak for itself, period."
A generation of young women are poised to follow in Hammon’s footsteps.
Natalie Nakase, a video coordinator for the Los Angeles Clippers, helped coach their summer league. Jenny Boucek, a coach with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, was a guest at the Dallas Mavericks' training camp this month.
Before too long, there could be three or four women on NBA benches.
Thirty-four years after rushing the gender barricades, Lieberman finds herself still trying to break though and looking to Hammon as her spirit guide.
"I'm happy to be a trail blazer,” Lieberman said. “But I'm ready to get an opportunity to coach in the NBA. Instead of people thanking me, I need to thank Becky."
How She Got Here
At a glance, the journey looks so logical and linear. Young girl discovers the sport she loves, devotes her life to the game and rises steadily through the ranks. High school starter. All-State selection. College star. Scoring champion. Olympic medalist. Professional. All-Star. Coaching prospect.
The outline is deceptive, omitting all of the painful details—the scouts who told Becky Hammon she was too short and too slow, the college coaches who ignored her, the WNBA executives who declined to draft her, the Olympic coaches who snubbed her.
Validation only came to Hammon when she demanded it. She has spent more time ramming into locked doors than walking through open passages, arriving at this moment after a thousand unforeseeable and sometimes-fortuitous twists.
Had she never joined the Russian Olympic team, Hammon would have never been on that transatlantic flight next to Popovich in 2012, discussing basketball philosophy. Had she never torn her ACL, she might never have spent a season as an unpaid intern with the Spurs' staff. Had the Liberty never traded her to San Antonio, she might never have connected with the Spurs, period.
In so many ways, Becky Hammon is the perfect individual at the perfect time to make history. In so many ways, she is the unlikeliest candidate.
On the day Popovich called with the job offer, Hammon could hardly contain her emotions.
"She actually had tears in her eyes," Bev Hammon said. "She says, 'Mom, they picked me. Nobody has ever picked me. They picked me.'"
Howard Beck covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @HowardBeck.
The Can-Do Kid: Becky Hammon's Incredible Journey from Rapid City to the NBA
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Oct 27, 2014
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RAPID CITY, S.D. — The nurse shark is a generally docile creature, spanning up to nine feet and 300 pounds and armed with a vise-like jaw lined with thousands of serrated teeth. Left alone, it is harmless to humans.
But Becky Hammon wanted a closer look.
So as she snorkeled near the family boat in the Florida Keys on a spring day in 2012, Hammon shouted a request to her father: Throw the chum this way.
With chunks of fish parts and blood soon bobbing around her, Hammon got the close encounter she wanted, and then some. A five-foot nurse shark surged toward her, and then again, turned away only when Hammon poked it on the nose with her spear gun.
"With food in the water," Hammon explains, "their personalities are being changed and altered. They're in hunting mode."
"So," Hammon says, "I got out."
But she got her fish story first.
There is very little in this world, on land or water, that intimidates the 37-year-old Hammon, a self-described "adrenaline junkie." She has been chased by a barracuda and frolicked with manatees. She has hunted wild game. She plans to skydive some day—not because she's fearless, but because, "I'm one of those people...I have to do it to beat my fear."
It takes a thrill-seeking soul to swim with sharks. And it takes a certain audacity to shatter a barrier, even the ones you never planned to shatter.
Becky Hammon will make history this week, as the first woman to open the NBA season as a full-time assistant coach, as a member of the San Antonio Spurs staff. To other women in the sport, she is an inspiration. To young girls, a role model. To some fans, a curiosity. To historians, a footnote.
All Hammon wanted to do was to teach the game she's loved since she was a toddler, bouncing a Spalding around her parents' home in Rapid City, South Dakota. Her first coaching opportunity could have come in the WNBA, where Hammon ranked among the top 15 players in league history. It could have come in the NCAA ranks or overseas, where Hammon spent much of her professional career.
But Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, a man with five championship rings and an impeccable record as a coaching mentor, simply called first. Hammon accepted the job this summer.
In Hammon, Popovich saw a fellow gym rat and an ideal pupil—passionate for the game, studious, intellectually curious and hard-working. Her profile matched those of every Popovich disciple of the last 20 years, a group that includes four current NBA head coaches: Philadelphia's Brett Brown, Atlanta's Mike Budenholzer, New Orleans' Monty Williams and Orlando's Jacque Vaughn.
The only differences between those coaches and Hammon are an extra X chromosome and a ponytail.
Born To Coach
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"When you've been around it, you know who can coach and who can't coach," Popovich said. "Becky is one of those people. She's a Steve Kerr. She's a Doc Rivers. She's those kind of people. They have a feel for the game that they want to continue to participate in."
Popovich and Hammon had bonded on a transatlantic flight back from the London Olympics in 2012 and developed a formal mentor-pupil relationship last season, when Hammon served as a coaching intern while recovering from knee surgery. Her coaching instincts came through in staff meetings and film sessions.
By the time Hammon announced her retirement from the WNBA, the transition from San Antonio Stars guard to San Antonio Spurs assistant coach seemed natural to anyone within the franchise's walls.
Popovich, the ultimate no-nonsense coach, did not set out to make a statement, only to bolster his staff.
"Honestly, I didn't realize it was gonna be this big of a deal," he said. "People kind of went crazy, like we've saved the world from fascism or something," he added, chuckling. "It was much more important to reward her—for who she is, what she's done and what I believe she can do, than worry about the reaction of people."
In so many ways, Hammon's transition to coaching is a natural progression. She played the game at an elite level. At every stage, she was lauded for her leadership and her acumen. As an All-Star point guard, Hammon had an innate feel for the game, for the angles and timing and nuances that lesser players could not see.
Those who know Hammon best say she is just as suited for the role of pioneer, even if she never set out to be one. Indeed, so much in her biography pointed in this direction, save for one detail: No one ever picked Becky Hammon first in anything.
Small Town Roots
Photo by Kristina Barker
Bev and Marty Hammon, Becky's parents, in front of their Rapid City home.
Rapid City is the second-largest city in South Dakota, with a population of about 70,000, although it feels much smaller. Its historic downtown spans just 10 blocks and is dwarfed by the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. Badlands National Park lies to the east, Mt. Rushmore to the south.
It's the kind of place where everyone seems to know each other, or at least knows your uncle, your sister or the guy who fixed your transmission last week.
Given its size and remote location, Rapid City has produced a striking number of professional athletes: Adam Vinatieri, Mark Ellis, Eric Piatkowski and Hammon, who graduated from Stevens High School in 1995 as the all-time leader in scoring, assists and steals.
The Hammon homestead sits on 3.5 acres in the Black Hills National Forest, 12 miles southwest of downtown. Their property borders the U.S. Forest Service property, which became a playground for Becky and her two older siblings, Matt and Gina.
It's not unusual to see deer wandering through the property and, occasionally, a mountain lion.
Growing up, the Hammons spent their leisure time fishing, hunting, riding three-wheelers in the woods and wakeboarding on Lake Angostura.
They also played a lot of basketball, on a broad, concrete slab in front of the house. The rim was mounted on the overhang of a wooden deck above. Long rebounds and loose balls would skip down a long hill into the woods. So it was best not to miss often.
"I didn't have any neighbors," Becky Hammon said. "And if you missed, the ball went and rolled for 30 yards."
Marty Hammon, Becky's father, who has coached basketball for three decades, likes to joke that she "came out of the womb loving basketball." It is only a slight exaggeration.
Becky Hammon had a basketball in her hands by the time she was a toddler. She learned to dribble around the time she began to walk. By age five, she was dribbling with both hands.
"I have pictures of myself, like two and three years old, and I had a basketball, full size," Becky Hammon said. "I never remember a time in my life where I didn't have a basketball. That's the honest-to-God truth."
A Basketball Prodigy
Photo by Kristina Barker
The problem with growing up as a basketball-loving girl in Rapid City is that, really, there just weren't that many other basketball-loving girls in Rapid City. If Hammon was going to play with any regularity, she would have to play with the boys. This proved to be a good thing.
Marty Hammon has two clear passions: basketball and his family. It is easy to see the intersection of the two, particularly in Becky and her older brother Matt, who both inherited their father's hoop addiction.
Marty was a regular in the local recreation leagues, and the Hammon kids were always in tow. At halftime, two-year-old Becky and four-year-old Matt would charge onto the court and hurl shots at the rim.
That the rim was 10 feet high, and Becky was maybe 3 feet tall, did not deter her. As she grew, and the rim inched slightly closer, her fixation only got stronger.
Ron Riherd was a regular in the city league games, a friend of Marty's and, as it happens, the girls' coach at Stevens High School. He got his first look at his future star point guard during one of those city-league games.
While the men played, little Becky—then in second or third grade—was off to the side, shooting finger-roll layups over the pull-up bars.
Riherd smiled.
"She was committed to being better, from that age on," he said. "She could handle the ball. She would shoot and shoot and shoot and shoot."
Becky's entry into competitive basketball came in a coed YMCA league at around age eight. The teams were populated almost entirely by boys. But Becky's skills were so beyond her peers' that her parents moved her up two age groups. League officials bristled. Then they saw her play.
"When I was better than all the boys, even a grade, two grades ahead of me, they were like, 'Oh yeah, she can stay,'" Becky said. "'She can even bring up the ball.'"
By fifth grade, she was seeking out pickup games and finding only boys on the court. She simply shrugged and joined the fray.
"I was like, 'This is fun, and I like doing it and I didn't really care,'" she said, pausing, then chuckling. "Probably similar now."
A Ball-Handling Wizard
From the time she became a high school star, and all through her years at Colorado State and in the WNBA, Becky Hammon has been known for her mastery with the ball—not only her deft passing but her dazzling, how-did-she-do-that scoop shots and impossible spins off the backboard.
No one taught Becky Hammon this ball wizardry. This was creativity born of necessity.
As a kid, Becky Hammon was not just the only girl on the court but the shortest player in the game. The only way to get a shot up was to duck under and around taller defenders, then fling the ball through whatever gap she could find.
"A couple of pump fakes and throw it with some twist on the board," Marty Hammon said. "That just comes from playing with boys. We always had to find a way of getting that shot off. Where for anybody else that was crap, for her, that was necessary. That was part of her game."
Eventually, Becky's main competition became her brother Matt and his friends, playing two-on-two games on the cement slab outside the house or three-on-three games at a local playground. She was, of course, much smaller than all of them. But the boys offered no leniency, no clear paths to the basket and no easy shots.
Photo by Kristina Barker
Bev Hammon
"I mean, it was intense," her mother, Bev Hammon, said. "They did not want her scoring."
There was never much doubt about Becky's competitive instincts. Those, too, seemed to be part of the family DNA. The Hammons competed at everything—board games, word games, bow-and-arrow shooting, soccer matches in the basement. When there wasn't an actual game to play, they made one up: Who can eat all his or her vegetables first?
"Our family never loses very well," Matt said. "Everything was a contest."
On colder days, the Hammons played indoors on a Nerf hoop mounted on a door. Dad played on his knees.
Becky was in grade school, about 10 years old, when she rose up one day and dunked over half-sized Marty.
"Dad, Dad, when do you think I'll be able to stuff on a big hoop?"
"Beck, you're never going to be able. You've got to learn to play on the ground."
"Really, Dad, you don't think I'm ever going to be able to dunk?"
"No, Beck, you're never going to be able to dunk."
For the longest time, Bev Hammon wondered if her youngest daughter would ever reach 5'0".
"She was little for a long time," she said.
At Home in Woods or Water
Photo by Kristina Barker
Replace the basketball with a 7-by-57 rifle or a shotgun, and the appraisals remain the same. Becky Hammon is, according to her brother Matt, “a natural shooter,” whether firing at clay pigeons, sharp-tailed grouse or pheasant.
Becky received her first shotgun at 14, as a gift from her grandfather. She shot her first deer maybe a year later. It was also the last.
“She felt guilty,” Matt said. “Here’s this beautiful deer laying there. 'And I shot it.' She actually had some tears.”
Becky still shoots pheasant and other small birds. She still joins the family on their big-game hunts, but this is one area where she prefers to play spectator.
The ocean is another matter. When the Hammons take their annual vacation in the Florida Keys, Becky is the one in the water, scanning for nurse sharks, bull sharks and lemon sharks. An avid fisherman, she wants to land a hammerhead some day. And she wants to get in a shark cage and hang out with the great whites.
“Becky loves those big sharks,” her father said. “And they’re never big enough for her.”
Photo by Kristina Barker
A Basketball Revelation
When did Becky Hammon realize she was special? That her basketball instincts were just a little more finely honed than everyone else's? That the game simply meant more to her than other girls and boys?
It wasn't during those tagalong trips to Dad's city-league games, and it wasn't even when she started outplaying the boys. No, the realization came early in high school, when she started attending basketball camps.
An average day at camp might run from 9 in morning to 10 at night, by which time the rest of the girls "would be so sick and tired of basketball," Hammon said. "And I'd go right back to the gym."
"So I knew I was wired a little bit differently then," she said. "So I was constantly learning, because I was constantly putting myself in situations where I could learn."
It was no different at home. When it snowed, Becky and Matt simply shoveled off the cement slab. When the days grew shorter in the winter, they flipped on the outdoor floodlights and kept the games going, sometimes until 11 p.m.
When your home is on the edge of a national park, there are no neighbors to disturb with your late-night dribbling.
Friends will tell you that Becky Hammon was an ace softball player and volleyballer, but basketball was always primary.
"I didn't need anybody else," she said. "I had a ball, and I had my hoop, and I didn't have to have somebody to go play catch with or throw me pitches. I grew up in the woods, I didn't have neighbors. So it was a sport that you could get really good at by yourself."
When there was no one to play against, Becky practiced her jump shot and her twisting layups for hours at a time. Occasionally, the sound of the ball hitting the concrete stopped and was replaced by the sound of a basketball striking the side of the house. Becky was practicing passes off the wall.
"She was," her father said, "a basketball nerd."
A Fit for the Spurs
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Gregg Popovich has employed a dozen assistant coaches in his two decades with the Spurs. Their personalities and backgrounds varied. But in each of them, Popovich saw certain essential traits—first and foremost, he says, "a natural proclivity to coach."
"When you've been around it, you know who can coach and who can't coach," Popovich said.
Popovich wants assistants with a strong work ethic, "a desire to get better, a desire to grow." He wants people "who have gotten over themselves"—meaning, they understand it's about the team, not the individual.
But he also wants them to speak up.
Contrary to his gruff public persona and his Air Force Academy credentials, Popovich is not an autocrat on the bench. He seeks out coaches with strong ideas and strong voices, who will challenge him and keep the creative sparks flying, whether in the video room or in a fourth-quarter timeout.
"She jumped right in," assistant coach Ime Udoka said of Hammon.
Other traits Popovich looks for in a prospective coach: "Are they comfortable in their own skin? Can they admit fault? Can they admit a mistake? Can they communicate? All those things you think about before you hire somebody, because the worst thing is a coach that can't admit that he or she was wrong, and it's their way or the highway. Or can't participate or give the players ownership in what's going on on the court. That's not going to work in the NBA. It's got to be a participatory sort of thing."
There is one other requirement, and it is the only one that Popovich calls mandatory.
"Sense of humor," he said. "No sense of humor, no job."
To make it as a Spurs coach, you have to be able to take some ribbing—and to dish it out.
"For lack of a better word, they are all ball-busters, for sure," Hammon says, smiling. "They love to have a good time. They love to work. But I think in the midst of working, you can't get too crazy serious. So they crack on each other, and they crack on me, which makes me feel right at home."
Early in training camp, Hammon and another staffer were trading barbs about their favorite NFL teams, the Denver Broncos (Hammon's team) and the Dallas Cowboys (the staffer's).
"Oh, you like the Cowgirls?" Hammon shot back.
"That's her, right there," assistant coach Ime Udoka said, chuckling. "I'm like, 'Isn't that [sexist]?' She says, 'I can say it.' Guys will joke, and she gives it right back."
And whenever possible, Hammon likes to buck the Spurs' black-white-silver color scheme and dress a bit more colorfully, which also draws a bit of ribbing around the gym.
On this particular day, the team is off, and Hammon is in teal sweatpants and teal shoes with pink swooshes.
"Today, I'm straying and wore my own funky stuff," she said.
A Star in High School
Photo by Kristina Barker
Becky Hammon's trophy case in the Stevens High gym.
There was little doubt, by the time Becky Hammon reached high school, that she was destined for great things. She seized the starting point guard job as a sophomore, and by the time she graduated in 1995, she owned every significant record in the Stevens High record books. The only missing piece was a state championship.
Despite her superior skills, Hammon never looked to dominate the game or the ball.
"She was such an unselfish player, almost to a fault," said Amber Zimiga Hammon, a teammate in high school who is now married to Becky's brother Matt. "If you were open, you were going to get the ball. At some point it was like, she needed to shoot more. We would get down. And then she'd take over."
On the long rides to tournaments, Hammon kept her team entertained with mix tapes, featuring heavy doses of Boyz II Men and New Kids on the Block. In the parking lot, she led them in impromptu dance-offs. At home, she entertained friends with her karaoke renditions of Tina Turner’s “Private Dancer” and New Kids on the Block’s “Hangin’ Tough.”
“Any time she had a chance to get people dancing or singing, she would,” Amber Hammon said. “Good singer, good dancer.”
Hammon’s high school career ended in the state semifinals, where she scored 29 of her team’s 34 points (or 36, depending on who's telling the story). With seconds left to play, and Stevens leading by a point, Hammon was fouled and sent to the line for a one-and-one. Riherd wanted to call a timeout, to let his players know they still had two fouls to give.
"No," said Hammon, a 90 percent foul shooter, "I want to shoot the free throws."
Hammon missed the first attempt, and the opposing team took the rebound, raced up court and scored on an awkward shot at the buzzer.
"I know to this day, she thinks she lost the game," Riherd said, "but guess what? We'd have never been in that situation if she hadn't scored all those points."
Overlooked as a College Recruit
Photo by Kristina Barker
Ron Riherd in the Stevens High gym.
Riherd, who began coaching high school girls in 1975, called Hammon, "by far the best player I've ever coached." Yet because of Rapid City's relatively remote location, few college scouts and coaches saw her play. The major Division I programs never came calling.
Those who did scout Hammon generally came away with the same impression: too short, too slow. She topped out at 5'6".
Kari Gallegos-Doering, then an assistant coach at Colorado State, saw something else. She first noticed Hammon at a spring showcase of high school all-stars. Scouts had come to see more highly rated guards, but Gallegos-Doering noticed how Hammon kept finding teammates in just the right spots, that no one could take the ball from her, and—despite her lack of speed—no defender could keep her in front of her.
"Becky had mojo," Gallegos-Doering said. "She's just got this something special that you don't see [often]. You just don't see a little white guard play like this."
(This would become a theme in Hammon’s pro career. Her New York Liberty teammates would later dub her “White Chocolate.”)
The next time Gallegos-Doering saw Hammon, at a national basketball camp, she was among 24 high school prospects playing pickup games.
"She made them look silly," Gallegos-Doering said. "She just could do things and go around people and make passes. I remember a player running down the floor shaking her head. She had just been duped. That was Becky."
That duped girl turned out to be Dominique Canty, who came out of Chicago as a Street and Smith All-American and earned a scholarship at Alabama.
"Here's a nobody making these players look bad," Gallegos-Doering said. "Everybody's sitting in that gym, and saw her do what she did and they missed on her...because of her color, because of her size, because yeah, she comes from South Dakota and she's not a big name, not from a big AAU team. They missed on her."
Hammon put Colorado State on the college basketball map, leading the team to a 33-3 record in 1998-99 and a trip to the Sweet 16. She finished her career as the school's all-time leader in scoring, assists and three-pointers, and she surpassed Keith Van Horn as the leading scorer, male or female, in Western Athletic Conference history.
And still, she was regarded as too short, too slow. No WNBA team drafted Hammon in 1999. She was signed by the New York Liberty as training camp fodder. And despite becoming a three-time All-Star in New York, the team traded her to San Antonio in 2007.
Instant NBA Credibility
There's an expression common on blacktops across the country: Game recognizes game. Translated: Great players respect other great players. On the court, talent is the coin of the realm.
Hammon walked onto the Spurs' practice court with instant credibility, as one of the greatest players in WNBA history, with the stats and accolades to match: seven All-Star appearances, seventh all-time in scoring, fourth all-time in assists, second all-time in three-pointers.
She dominated the intangibles, too. In annual surveys of WNBA general managers, Hammon was always among the leaders in categories like best leader and best basketball IQ, as well as "making teammates better," "hungriest to win a championship" and "taking the shot with the game on the line."
Anyone who's ever watched Hammon play appreciates her poise, her court vision and her commanding presence. And NBA players watch more WNBA games than the average male fan. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are among Hammon's most ardent fans.
After 16 years in the pros, first with the New York Liberty, then the San Antonio Stars, Hammon's bona fides are well established.
"She impressed me," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "Because of her size. She wasn't the fastest. You could tell she could find a way to become important. Even if she wasn't shooting great one day, but she was smart, one step ahead. The type of player that usually becomes coaches."
In fact, if playing the game means anything, Hammon is more qualified than most of her male peers. NBA benches are filled with career assistants who never played in the NBA and many who played sparingly, as role guys.
Among the NBA's 30 head coaches, 16 never played in the league—a group that includes Popovich, as well as the coach he faced in the Finals last June, Miami's Erik Spoelstra.
"It's a little tougher for us to earn that credibility," Popovich said of the non-players. "I think the people who have played and have had success deserve to have that immediate, almost conditional credibility. And it's theirs to either squander or let it grow."
Hired for Basketball Reasons
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By every measure—experience, diligence, demeanor—Hammon seems perfectly suited for this moment, this role, this challenge. And if there were an ideal place for it to happen, it's San Antonio.
There is no more stable or respected franchise than the Spurs, no coach with more gravitas than Popovich and no roster more capable of embracing the moment than this one. The Spurs are a mature, veteran group, with strong leaders in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Ginobili. There isn't a knucklehead in the bunch.
Parker was already firmly in Hammon's corner. The two San Antonio point guards became friends over the last several years. There seems to be little concern that Hammon can thrive in a male-dominated work place.
"Not concerned at all," Ginobili said. "I really can't tell about other places in the league. But in here, no."
This is a franchise that covets diversity, whose roster reads like a United Nations subcommittee, with players from Australia, Italy, France, Argentina, Brazil, Canada and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Popovich's staff now includes the Italian-born Ettore Messina, an international coaching legend who is making his own NBA debut.
If anyone was going to hire the first female coach, it was going to be Popovich, perhaps the most progressive-minded soul in the coaching ranks. And if anyone could make this historic move and declare, with absolute sincerity, that history was the last thing on his mind, it is Popovich.
Fans viewed the Hammon hiring as either groundbreaking or a gimmick. To Popovich, it was just about adding another smart coach.
"We thought about it, and we didn't care," Popovich said of the response. "I'm not going to do something that's going to hurt my franchise just to have a gimmick. I think that we've built up enough credibility with the way we do things that people would understand that this was for real and that she had gravitas."
Her Olympic Snub
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Becky Hammon leads the Russian team onto the floor at the 2008 Olympics.
Growing up in the 1980s and early '90s, Becky Hammon idolized Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan and dreamed of playing in the NBA. Until around age 10, when her father bluntly advised her, “No matter how good you become and no matter how hard you work at it, you’ll never play in the NBA.”
The WNBA did not yet exist. So young Becky set her sights on the Olympics, dreaming of a day on the medal stand, “The Star Spangled Banner” playing. That dream was dashed by more powerful forces.
In 2007, Becky Hammon was a certified WNBA star, with a killer jumper, superior court vision and the respect of the entire league. She finished second in the MVP voting that season to Lauren Jackson of the Seattle Storm.
Jackson is Australian. You could make the case that Hammon, then, was America's best female basketball player at the time.
Yet for reasons that were never fully explained, the U.S. women's national team declined to include Hammon among the 23 players invited to try out for the 2008 Olympic team.
Friends and family suspected favoritism—that the national coaches selected guards from their own teams, leaving Hammon out in the cold.
"They never answered a phone call from her agents, or anything," Bev Hammon said. "She was devastated."
"She...was...devastated."
Shut out by her own country, Hammon accepted an invitation to play for the Russian team, a natural move since she was already playing in the Russian league, for CSKA Moscow, during the WNBA offseason.
Jessica Hill/Associated Press
Anne Donovan
The backlash was swift and fierce, with the harshest words coming from Anne Donovan, the American team's head coach.
"If you play in this country and you grow up in the heartland, and you put on a Russian uniform, you are not a patriotic person," Donovan said in 2008.
Donovan would later back away from that statement and also disputed reports that she and her staff shut out Hammon during the selection process.
The words stung Hammon but not as deeply as the initial snub. Joining the Russian team meant keeping her Olympic dreams alive. Hammon shot poorly in a semifinal loss to the U.S., but she led Russia to a bronze medal, scoring 22 points in a victory over China. After all of the controversy and the resentment, it was one of her proudest moments.
On a side table in the Hammon living room rest two mementos: a candle holder bearing the 2008 Beijing Games insignia and a music box designed in the shape of an onion-domed Russian cathedral.
"It turned into such a great thing," her father said. "She said, 'I wouldn't a change a thing now.'"
In nearly two decades of competitive basketball in the public spotlight, this chapter is the only hint of controversy associated with Becky Hammon.
Just one clarification, this one from Mom: "She's very patriotic."
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Becky Hammon poses with the bronze medal earned with her Russian teammates.
An NBA Pioneer
Societal barriers are rarely broken by a single event, a single impact, a single person. It takes repeated blows, stretched across decades, before the cracks give way and the walls collapse.
There have been other women and other firsts. And the impacts are not always enduring.
In 1990, Bernadette Mattox became the first female assistant in a Division I men's program, on Rick Pitino's Kentucky staff. Just two other women have done so since then.
In 1997, the NBA hired its first two female referees, Dee Kantner and Violet Palmer. Kantner was fired in 2002, and the NBA is just now introducing another female official, Lauren Holtkamp, who was recently promoted from the D-League. Palmer is starting her 18th season.
In 2002, Lisa Boyer served as a part-time, volunteer assistant on John Lucas' staff with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In 2009, Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman was hired to coach the Texas Legends in the D-League, making her the first woman to lead a men's professional team.
Now comes Hammon, with a full-time gig, a two-year contract and the support of the NBA's most revered coach. Every landmark matters. This one feels weightier.
Twitter lit up the day Hammon was hired, with everyone from Billie Jean King to Hope Solo to Chelsea Clinton to Nancy Pelosi and the White House offering praise and congratulations.
Actress Elizabeth Banks gave Hammon a shout-out on Twitter and again in a YouTube video titled, "Should Girls Play Basketball?"
"That's right, she's going to be coaching dudes," Banks says in the clip, "because she's that badass. Way to go, Becky. Way to follow your dreams."
Lieberman—whose trail blazing began in 1980, when she played on the Lakers' summer-league team and later in the United States Basketball League—reached out to Hammon personally.
"She has broken a tremendous barrier," Lieberman said, "and I don't think it should be lost."
Asked if she offered any advice or cautionary tales, Lieberman said, "I have no horror stories; I only have gratitude."
Noah Graham/Getty Images
Violet Palmer and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich
Palmer also said her gender has not been an issue with players or coaches, although there have been at least two instances when team broadcasters have made sexist remarks about her on air.
"At this point, it's not about gender," Palmer said. "They [coaches and players] more so respect the work."
Referring to Hammon, Palmer said, "I don't think it's going to be difficult, in the sense that she's a woman coming into a male-dominated sport to coach. Her reputation, her work ethic and her ability to do the job I think will speak for itself, period."
A generation of young women are poised to follow in Hammon’s footsteps.
Natalie Nakase, a video coordinator for the Los Angeles Clippers, helped coach their summer league. Jenny Boucek, a coach with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, was a guest at the Dallas Mavericks' training camp this month.
Before too long, there could be three or four women on NBA benches.
Thirty-four years after rushing the gender barricades, Lieberman finds herself still trying to break though and looking to Hammon as her spirit guide.
"I'm happy to be a trail blazer,” Lieberman said. “But I'm ready to get an opportunity to coach in the NBA. Instead of people thanking me, I need to thank Becky."
How She Got Here
At a glance, the journey looks so logical and linear. Young girl discovers the sport she loves, devotes her life to the game and rises steadily through the ranks. High school starter. All-State selection. College star. Scoring champion. Olympic medalist. Professional. All-Star. Coaching prospect.
The outline is deceptive, omitting all of the painful details—the scouts who told Becky Hammon she was too short and too slow, the college coaches who ignored her, the WNBA executives who declined to draft her, the Olympic coaches who snubbed her.
Validation only came to Hammon when she demanded it. She has spent more time ramming into locked doors than walking through open passages, arriving at this moment after a thousand unforeseeable and sometimes-fortuitous twists.
Had she never joined the Russian Olympic team, Hammon would have never been on that transatlantic flight next to Popovich in 2012, discussing basketball philosophy. Had she never torn her ACL, she might never have spent a season as an unpaid intern with the Spurs' staff. Had the Liberty never traded her to San Antonio, she might never have connected with the Spurs, period.
In so many ways, Becky Hammon is the perfect individual at the perfect time to make history. In so many ways, she is the unlikeliest candidate.
On the day Popovich called with the job offer, Hammon could hardly contain her emotions.
"She actually had tears in her eyes," Bev Hammon said. "She says, 'Mom, they picked me. Nobody has ever picked me. They picked me.'"
Howard Beck covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @HowardBeck.
posted from Bloggeroid
Lady and The Track » Halloween Happenings at Breeders’ Cup 2014; Fashion & Events Lady and The Track » / by Lizzy Park /
Halloween Happenings at Breeders’ Cup 2014; Fashion & Events Lady and The Track »
/ by Lizzy Park / 14 hours ago
Halloween Happenings at Breeders’ Cup 2014: The Breeders’ Cup is one of the biggest events in all of horse racing stateside. The 2014 Breeders’ Cup World Championships spans two days from Friday October 31st to Saturday November 1st. Of course the racing will be the main event but that does not mean that Santa Anita Park does not have plenty of other things to offer. There are a few events that span both days, but since Friday is Halloween Santa Anita Park will help you celebrate in style! Day 1 of the Breeders’ Cup World Championship begins on Halloween. Try incorporating Halloween fashion into your flawless race day look with a fancy black fascinator. Photo: Breeders’ Cup Photo © Santa Anita Park will be hosting A Halloween Happening on Friday, October 31, 2014. It will be held Infield at 285 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia, CA on the park grounds. It will take place from 12:00 PM-5:00 PM. This is for elementary school age kids and their families. Just come to the Infield Entrance, Gate 6, on Colorado Place. The event is free for children under 14 and it is only $5 per adult. Residents of the city of Arcadia get free admission with a valid ID. Attendees will get to trick or treat with local businesses. There will also be a petting zoo, along with carnival rides, pumpkin painting, pony rides, music and themed performances, photo booths, a dunk tank, and bounce houses. Attendees are also encouraged to wear costumes and can enter for a chance to win Breeders’ Cup Best Dressed. Try a fit & flare dress with fun skeleton print that is race day appropriate and cute for Halloween. An intense black lace dress would be the perfect piece to pair with a Halloween inspired fascinator supplied by Fashion at the Races for Friday’s Breeders’ Cup races. Halloween Happening at Santa Anita Park is open to the public and it will be a great way to enjoy the Breeders’ Cup Championship but not have to miss out on any Halloween fun! For additional information on Infield activities at Breeders’ Cup visit BreedersCup.com. Breeders’ Cup Day 1 Fashion Picks: Related 2014 Breeders’ Cup News: A Beginner’s Guide to Breeders’ Cup Ten Close Calls in Breeders’ Cup History A look back at Goldikova Top Ten Breeders’ Cup Races Everyone Should See Top Five Breeders’ Cup Horses for Beginners Top Ten Major Upsets in Breeders’ Cup History Breeders’ Cup Contenders: Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies: Danette Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf: Isabella Sings Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Carpe Diem Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Angela Renee Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Mr. Z Breeders’ Cup Classic Cigar Street Breeders’ Cup Mile Seek Again Breeders’ Cup Turf Hardest Core Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Lawn Ranger Breeders’ Cup 2014 Bobby’s Kitten Breeders’ Cup Travel/Fashion Tips: Where to Stay Top Two Breeders’ Cup fashion Trends Christine A. Moore; A Must for Breeders’ Cup Top 5 Cheap Eats near Santa Anita Top 5 Things To Do at Santa Anita Park Take a Celebrity Selfie at Breeders’ Cup Halloween Happenings at Breeders’ Cup The post Halloween Happenings at Breeders’ Cup 2014; Fashion & Events appeared first on Lady and The Track. Google+ Visit website
Monday, October 27, 2014
The Works: Extra! Breeders' Cup Edition (Saturday):
The Works: Extra! Breeders' Cup Edition (Saturday): http://youtu.be/H-SYvY9Jhm0 
The Fear of Fear. I’m not sure when Americans got scared...
I’m not sure when Americans got scared. Maybe the indigenous tribes of the plains spent evenings huddled in their teepees telling stories of twisted night creatures, maybe the nomads who trekked across that bridge from Russia to Alaska were running away from something. Whatever the case, by the time the white people showed up from across the sea and started putting women on trial for witchcraft and convincing themselves the natives were conspiring with Satan, fear was firmly established as the ruler of the continent and it hasn’t left since. The national anthem, like most of what you learn in elementary school, is mostly lies—forget the brave and the free, we’re the land of the terrorized, the home of the perpetually panicked.
That’s a sweeping, simplistic generalization, but it’s hard to find another explanation for what New Jersey and New York governors Chris Christie and Andrew Cuomo did over the weekend in response to New York City’s first Ebola case. First they announced that health-care workers returning from the West African countries affected by the deadly disease would be placed in quarantine for 21 days, a policy they implemented apparently without consulting the White House. The first person to be affected by this was nurse Kaci Hickox, who was detained on Friday after landing in New Jersey and described her confusing, bizarre experience dealing with the authorities in an account for the Dallas Morning News:
I am scared about how health care workers will be treated at airports when they declare that they have been fighting Ebola in West Africa. I am scared that, like me, they will arrive and see a frenzy of disorganization, fear and, most frightening, quarantine.
[…]
I sat alone in the isolation tent and thought of many colleagues who will return home to America and face the same ordeal. Will they be made to feel like criminals and prisoners?
By Sunday night, after suffering slings and arrows of deserved criticism, Cuomo and Christie were backtracking as only experienced politicians can. The New York governor said that medical workers like Hickox would be allowed to quarantine themselves in their homes and would be compensated by the government for any income they lost as a result of three weeks of house arrest, while also praising people who volunteered to help the sick and needy in West Africa for their “valor” and “compassion.”
Ebola isn’t contagious unless the sufferer is exhibiting symptoms; there have only been four cases of the disease on US soil. (A five-year-old boy whose family just returned from Guinea is now being tested in New York.) Mandatory quarantines aren’t backed up by science, the head of the Washington, DC, Department of Health told the Washington Post. President Obama has also urged people to stop panicking and pressured states to stop implementing forced quarantines, but that hasn’t stopped Connecticut, Illinois, and Florida from following New York and New Jersey’s lead on isolating medical workers, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff are recommending a quarantine of all troops who return from affected West African countries. No Pentagon personnel are going to be treating anyone with Ebola, and medical experts aren’t endorsing that policy, but those kinds of details don’t matter—fear is in charge now, and fear gets what it wants.
If Ebola didn’t exist, of course, Americans would find something else to churn them into a panic. That’s not a charitable view, but what else can you conclude about a country where there’s a perpetual ammo shortage fueled by rumors the government is buying bullets en masse? Where politicians routinely drum up fear about fundamentalists half a world away as if they were about to conquer Europe? Where the government has instituted invasive and annoying airport security measures just to reassure skittish travelers? Where that same government routinely gathers up as much information as it possibly can about everyone and won’t reveal what or why it’s doing that unless details about its intelligence gathering are leaked to the press? Where people are avoiding getting their kids vaccinated because they don't trust science? Where not too long ago protesters around the country demonstrated against the mere existence of mosques?
Some fear is reasonable, of course, even healthy. If you share a bowling alley with someone who has Ebola, for instance, you might be excused for feeling a little skeeved, however irrational that is. At various times and places throughout history, it was completely understandable to feel like your existence was hanging on by a not particularly robust thread—think of people in African nations beset by random violence and civil wars, or bygone Polynesian chiefdoms where death was only a club-wielding raiding party away, or plague-era European towns where they wheeled corpses down the feces- and rat-strewn streets. But the West in general and America in particular are almost comically safe. The US is separated from its enemies by oceans and has the firepower to blow away any foe that could conceivably threaten it. Crime rates have been falling for a generation, there’s no imminent threat of revolution or coup, and you can count on mail to be delivered and stores to be stocked with a bounty of food and products unparalleled in human history.
There are things to worry about—climate change, say, or the continued widening of the wealth gap turning some neighborhoods permanently into slums—and we do worry about them, but we also worry about scenarios straight out of speculative fiction. A recent survey found that significant proportions of Americans were concerned about not just the rising oceans but economic collapse, mass civil unrest, a deadly epidemic, another world war, the planet running out of oil, even the biblical apocalypse. Basically, mention a potential crisis, no matter how remote, and Americans will titter in fear.
In most cases, worrying over something that is not likely to happen and that you can’t control anyway is merely counterproductive and a waste of time, but occasionally fear can lead to disasters. On a macro level, there was the invasion of Iraq, a war based on misplaced fears of Saddam Hussein’s terrible weapons; on a micro level you have Rwanda elementary school kids being kept out of class and Senegalese middle schoolers reportedly being beaten and called “Ebola.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s line about the only thing we have to fear being fear itself can sound like a platitude meant to soothe a jumpy stock market or a Zen-ish koan, depending on your mood. Or you can just take it as the truth—fear makes us do stupid things, and sometimes the authorities, acting on fear, spread yet more fear among the public and create a perpetual cycle of rage and panic.
This phenomenon isn’t new, nor is it particularly particular to America. But it’s hard not to get frustrated at the way politicians nurture fear by calling for draconian travel bans from West Africa, or the way cable news caters to the fearful with scary-looking poll questions. Our leaders and media institutions—the people who are supposed to be grown ups, in other words—are too often eager to indulge terror, to tell people that they should be afraid, that the basest parts of their animal brains surging with flight-or-fight neurotransmitters have the right idea.
There’s no policy prescription for making people less afraid, no War on Scardey Cats the government could realistically pursue. Short of putting a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy–esque “Don’t Panic” on every book cover and making it mandatory for newscasts to show calming images of people going about their business and basically being OK there’s not much to be done about our predilection toward fear. The only thing we can do is to make concerted efforts to individually and collectively calm the fuck down. No terror-fueled tweets about breaking news stories that only serve to spread misinformation. No demands for elected officials to “do something” about every microcrisis that crops up. We should be aware of our tendency to conjure up witches, evil plots, and superpowered terrorists, and squash these things when they appear in our minds.
We should know to be skeptical of headlines about “panics” and “epidemics,” and not be so easily manipulated into imagining worst-case scenarios. We should remind ourselves that the people who spread fear are either stupid, or they have some ulterior motive for doing so—and it’s them, not their bogeymen, that we should be worried about.
Follow Harry Cheadle on Twitter.
A depiction of a draft riot in New York City during the Civil War.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
BREEDERS CUP - Recap of Weekend Workouts
Breeders' Cup
OCTOBER 31 & NOVEMBER 1, 2014
LOS ANGELES, CA
American Pharoah Sharpest on Busy Day
By Mike Welsch
ARCADIA, Calif. – Every trainer has his or her own style when it comes to preparing horses for major races, as was evident throughout Sunday’s training session, with an array of different workout styles on display among the two dozen or so Breeders’ Cup contenders to turn in their final major preps at Santa Anita.
As was the case the previous morning, the main track was fast and watered only during the third renovation break. The turf course is very firm, to the point that one could hear the horses hitting the ground as they approached the finish line four stories up on the press-box level. The weather was picture-perfect again, with the temperature at dawn about 10 degrees cooler than the previous morning.
Some of the daily chaos after the second break was alleviated Sunday with training restricted to Breeders’ Cup horses only for a 15-minute span after the tractors left the course – mirroring a policy implemented for Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks runners during training hours at Churchill Downs several years ago.
WORK OF THE DAY
American Pharoah (five furlongs in 1:00.18) – The Juvenile favorite looked every bit the part this morning, just cruising through an easy five-furlong drill with his overmatched workmate. A bit keen to begin, American Pharaoh quickly came to hand and maintained about a half-length advantage working inside his partner through splits of 24.44 seconds and 36.14 for three-eighths before exerting his dominance and drawing well clear while remaining under wraps through a 24.08-second final quarter-mile. He then continued out with great energy into the turn, galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.82.
Untapable (four furlongs in 50.73 seconds) – The likely Distaff favorite has looked terrific all week and was on top of her game again this morning. Untapable was full of herself and a real handful once turning down the backstretch to begin a patented Steve Asmussen half-mile maintenance breeze five days out from the race. But regular exercise rider Carlos Rosas was able to get her to level off into a nice, relaxed stride upon leaving the pole. Untapable went evenly thereafter, completing her final quarter in 25.51 without exerting any effort whatsoever before galloping out five-eighths in 1:04.80.
Bayern (six furlongs in 1:11.64) – Like his mate American Pharoah, the speedy Bayern ultimately proved too much for his overmatched mate (American Pride), working six furlongs from the 5 1/2-furlong pole immediately after the second break. With Martin Garcia aboard, Bayern broke 2 1/2 lengths behind his target, edged alongside his partner while still restrained midway around the bend, then pulled about five to six lengths clear through a 24.01-second final quarter-mile while never asked to extend himself. Garcia gave the Haskell winner a little nudge into the clubhouse turn, and his mount responded with a solid gallop-out around the bend, completing seven-eighths in 1:25.40.
Majestic Harbor (four furlongs in 48.76) – In sharp contrast to fellow Classic contender Bayern, Majestic Harbor was in total maintenance mode, turning in an even half-mile in 24.41, 48.76, going easily throughout with Tyler Baze up, before galloping out five-eighths in 1:01.94.
Angela Renee (four furlongs in 51.32) – Breezing just before dawn, this was little more than an easy maintenance half-mile for the Juvenile Fillies hopeful outside Saint Dermot, a 3-year-old from the barn of trainer Michael McCarthy. With Rafael Bejarano in the saddle, the team just walked through a 26.64 opening quarter before picking up the pace a bit down the lane, although Angela Renee appeared to be under slight urging to finish on even terms with her well-held mate. The duo then galloped out extremely well, covering another eighth into the turn in 12.09 before pulling up six furlongs in 1:16.
Lucky Player (four furlongs in 50.73) – Another Asmussen maintenance half-mile in 50.53, went easily throughout with Rosas aboard, for the Juvenile.
Fast Anna (five furlongs in 56.98) – I’ve seen Fast Anna put her ample speed on display on many occasions dating back to last winter at Gulfstream Park, and he did it again this morning, even with jockey Gary Stevens seemingly having him well under control throughout. Working in blinkers, Fast Anna blasted away from the five-eighths pole and never stopped, posting splits of 10.98, 22.13, and 33.06 for his opening three-eighths, with enough left in the tank to complete a final quarter in 23.92 without any encouragement from his Hall of Fame pilot. Fast Anna was given a bit of encouragement shortly after the wire, galloping out six furlongs in 1:10.06. Although Stevens was aboard for his last two works, it is John Velazquez who’ll have the mount on Fast Anna in the Sprint.
Living the Life (five furlongs in 1:01.28) – Broke off a couple of lengths behind her workmate at the half-mile pole, drafted right in behind her target into and through early stretch, taking plenty of dirt, then eased out to pull three lengths clear at the wire in 49.11. She then accelerated once given some encouragement into the turn, completing her work at the seven-furlong pole with a strong final eighth before continuing out six furlongs around the bend in a solid 1:13.80.
Sweet Swap (five furlongs in 1:00.99) – Turf horse working on the dirt, and it showed as he flashed good early speed, getting to the top of the stretch in 35.35, before really falling apart late, tiring badly to the line while a bit noisy at the end of an unappealing drill after the second break.
Tapiture (four furlongs in 50.72) – Another Asmussen maintenance half but a strong one, as he walked away from the pole in 14.22, then came home in 36.50 while doing it all on his own under Rosas. Eased up five furlongs in 1:04.12, and like all his Breeders’ Cup-bound stablemates, appears to be coming into the big event in good form.
Seeking the Sheriff (four furlongs in 47.37 from the gate) – Broke alertly inside his stablemate, quickly opened a two-length advantage, then went easily throughout, completing his final quarter in 23.22 before pulling up a length in front of his well-held partner, concluding the easy gate move at the quarter pole.
TURF WORKS
Miss Serendipity (six furlongs in 1:12.01) – The first of the grass workers to go, she broke off at the six-furlong pole, went easily through a 48.57 opening half, switched leads a bit late but responded very nicely when asked from the eighth pole home, covering her final quarter in 23.50 with a solid gallop-out into the turn.
Rusty Slipper (five furlongs in 1:02.44) – She broke off a half-length behind and outside her workmate, was well held through a 38.47 three-eighths to the top of the stretch while on even terms exiting the turn, then shaded 24 for her final quarter while never asked, finishing about a head better than her slightly urged partner before galloping out very willingly around the bend. A more impressive move than the final time might indicate.
Toms Tribute (five furlongs in 1:00.87) – Had his favorite rider, Mike Smith, up, went easily to the top of the stretch in 36.94, was nudged several times to finish from the three-sixteenth pole home and on the gallop-out, responding willingly to the wire and into the bend.
Reneesgotzip (four furlongs in 48.72) – Was never asked for her best during a very easy 48.72 half-mile maintenance breeze, striding out nicely over her favorite course while completing a final quarter in 23.85, although she shut down a little sooner than expected on the gallop-out.
Papacoolpapacool (five furlongs in 1:00.80, according to track clockers) – Relaxed nicely to the top of the stretch under Joe Talamo, then quickened some on cue when nudged slightly once settling into the lane.
Silentio (five furlongs in 1:01.03) – Sharp work featured an extremely strong gallop-out in arguably the best of the grass moves this morning. Cruised early under Smith to the top of the stretch in 37.26, had plenty left down the lane while doing it all on his own and looked especially sharp continuing out into the turn.
Rainha Da Bateria (quarter-mile in 24.80) – The final worker of the long morning, this was little more than an easy blowout on grass. After galloping once around, she lengthened her stride once settling into the second turn, shading 25 seconds down the lane while under wraps with a good gallop-out around the clubhouse bend.
BREEDERS CUP 2014 SANTA ANITA
OCTOBER 31 & NOVEMBER 1, 2014
LOS ANGELES, CA
Bayern, Others Work at Santa Anita Park
One day after nearly two dozen Breeders' Cup World Championships pre-entrants worked at Santa Anita Park, the Oct. 26 work tab was much smaller, with a handful of horses going through their final preps.
Among the most prominent workers was Kaleem Shah's Bayern, who worked five furlongs in 1:00 in preparation for the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I). The 3-year-old colt by Offlee Wild trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert galloped out six furlongs in 1:12 3/5. Bayern is coming off a 5 3/4-length triumph in the Sept. 20 Pennsylvania Derby (gr. II) at Parx Racing that improved his record to 5-1-1 in nine starts and increased his bankroll to $1,639,600.
Fast Anna lived up to his name as the Medaglia d'Oro colt worked five furlongs in :57, fastest time of the day at the distance. The 3-year-old will be making his fifth career start in the Expressbet Sprint (gr. I).
Oct. 26 main track works over a fast track were:
—American Pharoah (Sentient Jet Juvenile), 5 furlongs, 1:00
—Angela Renee (14 Hands Winery Juvenile Fillies), 4 furlongs, :51 1/5
—Bayern (Classic), 5 furlongs, 1:00
—Fast Anna (Expressbet Sprint), 5 furlongs, :57
—Little Alexis (DraftKings Filly & Mare Sprint), 4 furlongs, :45 2/5
—Lucky Player (Sentient Jet Juvenile), 4 furlongs, :50 2/5
—Majestic Harbor (Classic), 4 furlongs, :48 3/5
—Sweet Swap (Turf Sprint), 6 furlongs, 1:12 4/5
—Tapiture (Dirt Mile). 4 furlongs, :50 2/5
—Untapable (Longines Distaff), 4 furlongs, :50 3/5
Oct. 26 turf works over firm course were:
—Flying Tapit (Juvenile Fillies Turf), 3 furlongs, :35 3/5
—Rainha Da Bateria, Juvenile Fillies Turf, 3 furlongs, :38 2/5
—Reneesgotzip (Sprint, Turf Sprint), 4 furlongs, :48 2/5
—Rusty Slipper (Filly & Mare Turf), 5 furlongs, 1:02 2/5
—Silentio (Mile, Turf Sprint), 5 furlongs, 1:00 4/5
—Tom's Tribute (Mile), 5 furlongs, 1:00 4/5
—Miss Serendipity (Filly & Mare Turf), 6 furlongs, 1:12
© 2013 Breeders' Cup | 877-936-7183
Sunday, October 26, 2014
CLEVELAND BROWNS Pro Bowl TE Cameron Suffers Concussion vs. OAK
CLEVELAND BROWNS 9
OAKLAND RAIDERS. 6
3RDQT.=
CLEVELAND BROWNS
Pro Bowl TE Cameron Suffers Concussion vs. OAK
@santaanitapark. PICK 6 CARRYOVER
Pick 6 carryover
1-2-3-5-7-10-11/
2-3-5-6/
7-9-10/
3-8-10/
2-3-4-5-8-9/
2 (single )
Ticket 2
1-2-3-5-7-10-11/
2-3-5-6/
7-9-10/
3-8-10/
2-3-4-5-8-9/
1-2-8-10.
GOOD LUCK ALL.
@BMDSports Record since 10/9/14
@BMDSports
Upcoming Picks.
10/26 4:05PM Columbus Blue Jackets vs Los Angeles Kings
5.00 Units: [4] Los Angeles Kings -169
10/26 4:05PM Philadelphia Eagles vs Arizona Cardinals
5.00 Units: [269] Philadelphia Eagles -105
10/26 4:25PM Indianapolis Colts vs Pittsburgh Steelers
5.00 Units: [271] Indianapolis Colts -3 -110
10/26 4:25PM Indianapolis Colts vs Pittsburgh Steelers
5.00 Units: OVER 48 -108
10/26 4:25PM Oakland Raiders vs Cleveland Browns
5.00 Units: [274] Cleveland Browns -6.5 -105
10/26 4:25PM Oakland Raiders vs Cleveland Browns
5.00 Units: UNDER 44 -102
10/26 8:05PM Kansas City Royals (J. Shields) vs San Francisco Giants (M. Bumgarner)
5.00 Units: [909] Kansas City Royals +153
10/26 8:30PM Green Bay Packers vs New Orleans Saints
5.00 Units: [275] Green Bay Packers +1 +100
10/26 8:30PM Green Bay Packers vs New Orleans Saints
5.00 Units: [275] Green Bay Packers +108
10/26 8:30PM Green Bay Packers vs New Orleans Saints
5.00 Units: OVER 55.5 -103
Upcoming Picks.
10/26 4:05PM Columbus Blue Jackets vs Los Angeles Kings
5.00 Units: [4] Los Angeles Kings -169
10/26 4:05PM Philadelphia Eagles vs Arizona Cardinals
5.00 Units: [269] Philadelphia Eagles -105
10/26 4:25PM Indianapolis Colts vs Pittsburgh Steelers
5.00 Units: [271] Indianapolis Colts -3 -110
10/26 4:25PM Indianapolis Colts vs Pittsburgh Steelers
5.00 Units: OVER 48 -108
10/26 4:25PM Oakland Raiders vs Cleveland Browns
5.00 Units: [274] Cleveland Browns -6.5 -105
10/26 4:25PM Oakland Raiders vs Cleveland Browns
5.00 Units: UNDER 44 -102
10/26 8:05PM Kansas City Royals (J. Shields) vs San Francisco Giants (M. Bumgarner)
5.00 Units: [909] Kansas City Royals +153
10/26 8:30PM Green Bay Packers vs New Orleans Saints
5.00 Units: [275] Green Bay Packers +1 +100
10/26 8:30PM Green Bay Packers vs New Orleans Saints
5.00 Units: [275] Green Bay Packers +108
10/26 8:30PM Green Bay Packers vs New Orleans Saints
5.00 Units: OVER 55.5 -103
posted from Bloggeroid
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Stallion Feature: Malibu Moon Highly
Stallion Feature: Malibu Moon Highly Exceeding Expectation
Lady and The Track » / by Casey Laughter /
Stallion Feature; Malibu Moon Highly Exceeding Expectation: Often times, the racing world will see horses of great achievement retire to stud. The racing world has seen the great either live up to their legacy, or flop horribly. However, what about those who don’t ever achieve greatness on the track, but instead, in the breeding shed? The racing world has seen horses such as Elusive Quality, who was mainly an allowance runner, but has become a high dollar stallion in the hands of Darley. Managed correctly, he produced hero Smarty Jones. The racing world normally values the high dollar earners over the allowance horses. One horse, only racing twice as a two-year-old, has produced a champion, 31 graded stakes winners, with two coming this year. Malibu Moon was injured as a two-year-old and retired to stud. Throughout his life, he has produced 14 crops, 12 of which are of racing age. He is likely most known for his Kentucky Derby winner, Orb. Malibu Moon has come from the minors to the majors of thoroughbred breeding rather quickly.
Malibu Moon is an amazing stallion with hardly a race record. Not all stallions need to be champions on the track to be champions in the breeding shed.
Photo: Adam Coglianese/NYRA
With not much of a race record to reflect on, Malibu Moon only raced twice. He broke his maiden in his second start at Hollywood Park. He was the full package, or so it appears. By champion A.P. Indy, Malibu Moon was out of the Mr. Prospector mare Macoumba. A.P. Indy had exhibited that he needed a mare with some speed to her, as A.P. Indy was a glorified distance runner. Malibu Moon seemed to be what the mix was supposed to produce. He had to speed and stamina. However, his race career was not in the cards, and when he was injured, he retired to stud in Maryland at Country Life Farm for a fee of only $3,000.
The interesting part, later discovered, about Malibu Moon, is that he is bred on the exacta same cross as Congrats, Flatter, and Mineshaft. Each of these stallions, including Malibu Moon, is out of a Mr. Prospector mare.
While standing in Maryland, Malibu Moon sired four crops, which included champion juvenile Declan’s Moon. This was cause enough to spark interests in Malibu Moon as a Kentucky sire. In 2004, Malibu Moon was moved to Castleton Lyons, but then was again moved in 2008 to Spendthrift Farms, his original owners and breeder. His original advertised fee for his first year in Kentucky was $10,000, but was quickly increased to $12,500, then $17,500, to $25,000. By 2013, Malibu Moon was standing for $70,000. The fee seemed justified, due to Malibu Moon’s presence among the top 10 sires for the prior three years.
Malibu Moon may be known to the general public as the one who gave the racing world Orb, Malibu Moon has proven to be a sire of exceptional racemares. He has sired mares like Life at Ten, Devil May Care, Ask the Moon, Eden’s Moon, Malibu Mint, Malibu Prayer, and Funny Moon. The only grade one winning son of Malibu Moon since Declan’s Moon was Orb.
Malibu Moon has proven he can sire exceptional racehorses with ability to be versatile. He is the sire of Classic winner Orb, but also the sire of 6F juvenile winner Grand Full Moon, who recently won the Shakopee Juvenile at Canterbury Park. His 2014 stud fee was an advertised $95,000, and is likely to remain unchanged for 2015. Malibu Moon is an amazing stallion with hardly a race record. Not all stallions need to be champions on the track to be champions in the breeding shed.
The post Stallion Feature: Malibu Moon Highly Exceeding Expectation appeared first on Lady and The Track.
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Lady and The Track » / by Casey Laughter /
Stallion Feature; Malibu Moon Highly Exceeding Expectation: Often times, the racing world will see horses of great achievement retire to stud. The racing world has seen the great either live up to their legacy, or flop horribly. However, what about those who don’t ever achieve greatness on the track, but instead, in the breeding shed? The racing world has seen horses such as Elusive Quality, who was mainly an allowance runner, but has become a high dollar stallion in the hands of Darley. Managed correctly, he produced hero Smarty Jones. The racing world normally values the high dollar earners over the allowance horses. One horse, only racing twice as a two-year-old, has produced a champion, 31 graded stakes winners, with two coming this year. Malibu Moon was injured as a two-year-old and retired to stud. Throughout his life, he has produced 14 crops, 12 of which are of racing age. He is likely most known for his Kentucky Derby winner, Orb. Malibu Moon has come from the minors to the majors of thoroughbred breeding rather quickly.
Malibu Moon is an amazing stallion with hardly a race record. Not all stallions need to be champions on the track to be champions in the breeding shed.
Photo: Adam Coglianese/NYRA
With not much of a race record to reflect on, Malibu Moon only raced twice. He broke his maiden in his second start at Hollywood Park. He was the full package, or so it appears. By champion A.P. Indy, Malibu Moon was out of the Mr. Prospector mare Macoumba. A.P. Indy had exhibited that he needed a mare with some speed to her, as A.P. Indy was a glorified distance runner. Malibu Moon seemed to be what the mix was supposed to produce. He had to speed and stamina. However, his race career was not in the cards, and when he was injured, he retired to stud in Maryland at Country Life Farm for a fee of only $3,000.
The interesting part, later discovered, about Malibu Moon, is that he is bred on the exacta same cross as Congrats, Flatter, and Mineshaft. Each of these stallions, including Malibu Moon, is out of a Mr. Prospector mare.
While standing in Maryland, Malibu Moon sired four crops, which included champion juvenile Declan’s Moon. This was cause enough to spark interests in Malibu Moon as a Kentucky sire. In 2004, Malibu Moon was moved to Castleton Lyons, but then was again moved in 2008 to Spendthrift Farms, his original owners and breeder. His original advertised fee for his first year in Kentucky was $10,000, but was quickly increased to $12,500, then $17,500, to $25,000. By 2013, Malibu Moon was standing for $70,000. The fee seemed justified, due to Malibu Moon’s presence among the top 10 sires for the prior three years.
Malibu Moon may be known to the general public as the one who gave the racing world Orb, Malibu Moon has proven to be a sire of exceptional racemares. He has sired mares like Life at Ten, Devil May Care, Ask the Moon, Eden’s Moon, Malibu Mint, Malibu Prayer, and Funny Moon. The only grade one winning son of Malibu Moon since Declan’s Moon was Orb.
Malibu Moon has proven he can sire exceptional racehorses with ability to be versatile. He is the sire of Classic winner Orb, but also the sire of 6F juvenile winner Grand Full Moon, who recently won the Shakopee Juvenile at Canterbury Park. His 2014 stud fee was an advertised $95,000, and is likely to remain unchanged for 2015. Malibu Moon is an amazing stallion with hardly a race record. Not all stallions need to be champions on the track to be champions in the breeding shed.
The post Stallion Feature: Malibu Moon Highly Exceeding Expectation appeared first on Lady and The Track.
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Wednesday, October 22, 2014
BREEDERS' CUP RACE ORDER, POST TIME AND WAGERING MENU ANNOUNCED FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS OCT. 31-NOV. 1
BREEDERS' CUP
OCTOBER 31 & NOVEMBER 1, 2014
LOS ANGELES, CA
BREEDERS' CUP RACE ORDER, POST TIME AND WAGERING MENU ANNOUNCED FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS OCT. 31-NOV. 1
ARCADIA, Calif. (October 22, 2014) - The Breeders' Cup announced today the order of races, wagering menu and post times for the 31st Breeders' Cup World Championships, to be held on Friday, October 31 and Saturday, November 1 at Santa Anita Park. There will be a total of 10 races (four Breeders' Cup races) on the Championship Friday program and 12 races on Championship Saturday (9 Breeders' Cup races). Championship Friday begins at 11:25 a.m. Pacific Time with five undercard races. Champion Saturday first post is 10:15 a.m. PT and also begins with three undercards races.
The Official race order of the undercard races for both days of the World Championships will be finalized on Monday, October 28 after entries have been taken. All Times Pacific.
The first Championships race on Breeders’ Cup Friday will be the $1,000,000 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (2:25 p.m.); followed by the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (3:05 p.m.); the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (3:50 p.m.); and the $2 million Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (4:35 p.m.). There will be an Ultra Pick Six starting with the Twilight Derby (race 4) and concluding with the Distaff (race 9). The Las Vegas Marathon Stakes follows the Distaff at 5:10 p.m.
On Championship Saturday, first post time is 10:15 a.m., starting with the Juvenile Turf Sprint Stakes, the Golden State Juvenile Stakes and the Ken Maddy Stakes. The order of the Breeders’ Cup Saturday races is as follows: $2 million 14 Hands Winery Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (12:05 p.m.); $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (12:43 p.m.); $1 million DraftKings Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (1:21 p.m.); $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (2:05 p.m.); $2 million Sentient Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (2:45 p.m.), $3 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (3:23 p.m.); $1.5 million Xpressbet Breeders' Cup Sprint (4:02); $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile (4:45 p.m.) and the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic (5:35 p.m.). There will be an Ultra Pick Six with a guaranteed gross pool of $2.5 million beginning with the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (race 7) and concluding with the Breeders’ Cup Classic (race 12).
This year's wagering menu on the 13 Breeders' Cup races features an abundance of wagering opportunities including two Ultra Pick Sixes, a low takeout fifty cent Pick 5, 10-cent Superfectas, 50-cent Trifectas, Pick 3’s , Pick 4’s and Pick 5’s, a Breeders' Cup Distaff/Classic daily double and two Super High 5 wagers.
"The Breeders’ Cup offers the best betting value of the year for horseplayers around the globe,” said Ken Kirchner, President of FalKirk International and the manager of the Breeders' Cup wagering and simulcasting operations for the last 19 years. “With outstanding fields of Grade 1 competitors and low priced betting options like fifty cent trifectas and Pick 3s, Pick 4 and Pick 5s, the Championships yield some of the highest pari-mutuel payouts of the year. The outstanding full fields will ensure that this year’s event will live up to its moniker or ‘the best bet in sports’ ”
Each Breeders' Cup World Championships race will feature a maximum of 14 horses and wagering interests with the exception of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, which is limited to 12 starters. In addition to the standard Win, Place and Show betting, there will be Exacta and Trifecta wagering on every race and rolling Pick 3 wagers beginning with the first race and continuing through all races on both Championship Friday and Championship Saturday. Among the featured wagers this year are:
Breeders’ Cup Pick 5’s with a fifty-cent minimum bet value and a 14% takeout. The wager will be offered on the first five races each day and will give players a chance to cash a large bet for a small investment. The wager may carryover from Friday to Saturday and also from Saturday to Sunday. Last year’s Saturday Pick 5 handled $6,438,510 and paid $23,665 for a fifty cent wager.
Friday's Ultra Pick 6 will have a guaranteed gross pool of $750,000 and Saturday's Ultra Pick 6 will feature a $2.5 million guaranteed gross pool. If no one hits the Friday Ultra Pick 6, the pool will carry over into Saturday's Ultra Pick 6. The wager may also carryover from Saturday’s program into Sunday. In such case, the Pick 6 would be a mandatory payout on Santa Anita’s closing day program on Sunday, November 2nd. Last year, Friday’s Pick 6 paid $106,839 for a $2 wager. Saturday’s Pick 6 paid $47,516.
Breeders’ Cup race days continues to offer some of racing’s highest payouts. Trifecta and Sueprfectas continue to pay huge dividends. Last year saw $1 trifectas pay $3,710, $2,810 and $2,619. Superfecta payouts were $27,889, $17,140 and $14,718 for a $1 bet.
A Special Daily Double wager linking the Breeders' Cup Distaff (race 9) on Friday to the Breeders' Cup Classic (race 12) on Saturday will again be offered.
Other Wagering Highlights this year are: The Pick 4, with a 50-cent minimum, continues to be a fan favorite bet at the Breeders' Cup. Friday's late Pick 4 (races 6-9) will have a guaranteed pool of $1,500,000. On Saturday, there will be two guaranteed Pick 4s. The early all Championships Pick 4 (races 4-7) will have a $1,500,000 guaranteed gross pool and the late all Championships Pick 4 (races 9-12) will have a $3,000,000 million gross pool. The Friday Pick 4 last year paid $29,725 for a fifty cent wager.
Here will again be a Super High Five wager on both the Breeders' Cup Distaff and the Breeders' Cup Classic. Bettors are required to select the first five finishing places on one ticket. If no one hits the Super High Five on Friday the pool will carry over to Saturday's and if no one hit’s the Saturday High Five, it will carry into Sunday. The bet minimum for this wager is fifty cents.
2014 BREEDERS’ CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS POST TIME AND WAGERING SCHEDULE
All Times Pacific
●(Breeders’ Cup races in bold)
Friday, October 31
1. Allowance 11:25 am WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD Pick 5
2. Allowance 12:00 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD
3. GS Juv. Fillies Stakes 12:35 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD Pick 4
4. Twilight Derby 1:10 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD Pick 6
5. Damascus Stakes 1:45 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD
6. $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. I) 2:25 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD PICK 4
7. $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I) 3:05 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD Pick 4
8. $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. I) 3:50 p.m. WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3
9. $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (gr. I) 4:35 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER Special DD Sup Hi 5
10. $200,000 Las Vegas Marathon Stakes (GII) 5:10 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER
Saturday , November 19th
1. Juvenile Turf Sprint 10:15 am WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD PICK 5
2. Golden State Juvenile 10:50 am WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD
3. Ken Maddy Stakes 11:25 am WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD
Opening Ceremonies
4. $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) 12:04 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD PICK 4
5. $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. I) 12:43 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD
6. $1 million DraftKings Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (gr. I) 1:21 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD
7. $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (gr. I) 2:05 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD PICK 6
8. $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) 2:44 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD
9. $3 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (gr. I) 3:23 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD PICK 4
10. $1.5 million Xpressbet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I) 4:02 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER PICK 3 DD
11. $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. I) 4:45 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER DD
12. $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) 5:35 pm WPS EX TRI SUPER Sup Hi 5
BOLD are Breeders’ Cup World Championships races
Friday’s Pick 5, Super Hi 5 and Pick 6 may carryover to Saturday. Each wager may also carryover to Sunday November 2nd.
Special Classic Daily Double on Friday race 9 and Saturday race 12, Distaff and Classic.
BET MINIMUMS
$2.00 - WIN, PLACE, SHOW, DAILY DOUBLE, PICK 6,
$1.00 - EXACTA, CLASSIC DAILY DOUBLE,
$.50 - TRIFECTA, PICK 3, PICK 4, PICK 5, SUPER HI 5
$.10 - SUPERFECTA
Guaranteed Pools
Friday:
Pick 5: $500,000 (races 1-5)
Pick 6: $750,000 (races 4-9)
Pick 4: $1,500,000 (races 6-9)
Saturday:
Pick 5: $750,000 (races 1-5)
Pick 4 $1,500,000 (races 4-7)
Pick 6: $2,500,000 (races 7-12)
Pick 4: $3,000,000 (races 9-12)
Monday, October 20, 2014
ABR HORSE RACING TIP OF THE WEEK: SECOND EFFORT
TIP OF THE WEEK: SECOND EFFORT
10.19. 2014
AMERICAS BEST RACING
Even the racetrack has its share of one-hit wonders.
It’s not all that unusual for a horse to turn in a sharp effort in its debut then disappointment in his next few trips to the racetrack.
There are a litany of reasons why that can happen, yet there’s a much more manageable collection of signs that a horse can duplicate or improve off a promising debut.
Sky Hero certainly looked like a horse with a future in his Sept. 6 debut at Churchill Downs. Trained by Mark Casse, he was sent off as the 2-1 favorite in a field of nine. Tracking in fifth in the early stages of the six-furlong maiden special weight affair, he was moved to the outside on the turn but had to steady to avoid running up on the heels of the horses in front of him. He ran well after regaining his stride but could do no better than finish fourth, just 1 ¾ lengths behind the winner.
That effort alone stamped Sky Hero as a horse watch in his second start, but what added to the excitement over his next try were his workouts after the loss. The first was an easy 49 2/5 four-furlong breeze on Sept. 21, but that was followed by two sharp blowouts at longer distances.
The first was a 1:00 2/5 five-furlong breeze on Sept. 27 that was topped on Oct. 4 by a one-minute flat move at the same distance, which was the best of 43 works on that day at the distance.
Clearly Sky Hero was not knocked out by his first race, and his subsequent sharp works indicated he might be poised for an even better try in his return to the races.
On Oct. 12 at Keeneland that notion was put to the test as Sky Hero was entered at a slightly longer seven-furlong distance, once again versus MSW company.
Those who were encouraged by Sky Hero’s works got the same 2-1 price in his second start, only this time they collected $6.20 when he pulled away to a 3 ¼-length triumph.
THE LESSON: A promising debut can take on even more of a glow with a sharp workout before a horse’s next start.
10.19. 2014
AMERICAS BEST RACING
Even the racetrack has its share of one-hit wonders.
It’s not all that unusual for a horse to turn in a sharp effort in its debut then disappointment in his next few trips to the racetrack.
There are a litany of reasons why that can happen, yet there’s a much more manageable collection of signs that a horse can duplicate or improve off a promising debut.
Sky Hero certainly looked like a horse with a future in his Sept. 6 debut at Churchill Downs. Trained by Mark Casse, he was sent off as the 2-1 favorite in a field of nine. Tracking in fifth in the early stages of the six-furlong maiden special weight affair, he was moved to the outside on the turn but had to steady to avoid running up on the heels of the horses in front of him. He ran well after regaining his stride but could do no better than finish fourth, just 1 ¾ lengths behind the winner.
That effort alone stamped Sky Hero as a horse watch in his second start, but what added to the excitement over his next try were his workouts after the loss. The first was an easy 49 2/5 four-furlong breeze on Sept. 21, but that was followed by two sharp blowouts at longer distances.
The first was a 1:00 2/5 five-furlong breeze on Sept. 27 that was topped on Oct. 4 by a one-minute flat move at the same distance, which was the best of 43 works on that day at the distance.
Clearly Sky Hero was not knocked out by his first race, and his subsequent sharp works indicated he might be poised for an even better try in his return to the races.
On Oct. 12 at Keeneland that notion was put to the test as Sky Hero was entered at a slightly longer seven-furlong distance, once again versus MSW company.
Those who were encouraged by Sky Hero’s works got the same 2-1 price in his second start, only this time they collected $6.20 when he pulled away to a 3 ¼-length triumph.
THE LESSON: A promising debut can take on even more of a glow with a sharp workout before a horse’s next start.
posted from Bloggeroid
Sunday, October 19, 2014
The Changing Relationship Between Mainstream Media and Touts February 18th, 2014 | By WagerMinds
The Changing Relationship Between Mainstream Media and Touts
February 18th, 2014 | By WagerMinds
In 1991, Rick Reilly wrote an outstanding article in Sports Illustrated that exposed a number of pick-sellers as scammers. In the article, titled “1-900-Ripoff,” Reilly captured the tout industry with the opening sentence of the second paragraph:
In a world of cheats, cons, grifters, swindlers, carnival barkers and people you would not want to change your fifty, the brotherhood of so-called sports advisers is a gutter unto itself.
In 1987, the Los Angeles Times published an article that exposed the countless scam tactics used by tout services like Mike Warren and Larry Dukehart and Danny Sheridan.
Fast forward to 2014.
Just before the Super Bowl, the New York Times Magazine published a lengthy article on sports betting in Las Vegas which glorified “professional gambler” and tout Vegas Runner. A day later, The New Yorker ran an article highlighting the alleged handicapping prowess of tout Marc Lawrence. Meanwhile, ESPN Insider publishes content from touts like Teddy Covers and Grantland features articles by RJ Bell, the CEO of one of the country’s largest pick-selling operations. When he was at CNBC, Darren Rovell uncritically published an article reciting the claims of tout Adam Meyer that he generates over $40M in revenue per year selling picks.
Oh, and CNBC is running an entire series of “reality television” shows that celebrate a convicted telemarketing felon turned handicapper (Darin Notaro, aka Steve Stevens) who uses old-fashioned boiler room tactics to sell sports picks.
It sure seems as if there has been a marked change in how mainstream media covers touts.
Why is that?
Well, there are probably a few dynamics in play.
First, mainstream media companies have a greater need for more content than they had in the past. The need for more content, inevitably, leads to a lowering of standards for content. And, next thing you know, ESPN Insider, which requires a paid subscription, is publishing articles by Teddy Covers. We’ve covered this dynamic before when examining why ESPN is like CNBC.
Another related factor: there is more interest in sports betting. The discussion of point spreads and betting has gone fully mainstream. ESPN shows each game’s point spread on it’s ticker. Every major media company’s app also lists point spreads for football and basketball games. If you ask Siri the spread for a game, she can get it for you.
As the interest in sports betting has grown, the demand for content has grown. And with a greater demand for content, mainstream media outlets have turned to people in the sports betting industry who seem to have knowledge of sports betting. Unfortunately, in many cases, the people mainstream media turned to are touts who are more than happy to share their expertise to increase their exposure and help build their bona fides which, in turn, helps them sell more picks to unsuspecting customers.
But beyond the increased need for content generally, and the increased need for sports betting content specifically, there’s likely another factor influencing how the mainstream media covers touts.
Tout tactics have changed.
In the ’80s and ’90′s, touts invented larger-than-life personalities, like professional wrestlers, and they’d sell picks mostly via heavy-handed telemarketing. They’d buy radio and television time, they’d yell about locks of the century, they’d encourage viewers to call toll-free numbers to get a free pick, and then they’d upsell. Once they got your phone number, they’d call you over and over and over again until you bought some kind of package. And then they’d call you more. The fraud was so blatant that it begged for ridicule and investigation.
Now, touts are subtler. They still use fake names, of course, but they don’t scream and yell. And, for the most part, they don’t badger potential customers with non-stop telephone calls. Instead, many try to portray themselves as advanced analysts by regurgitating nonsensical trends. It’s a kinder, gentler tout world than it used to be. And, as a result, the mainstream media is both more comfortable turning to them for content and less inclined to investigate their business practices.
But this changed dynamic between the mainstream media and touts doesn’t change the inescapable conclusion: if someone is selling picks, the likelihood that they are a long-term winner is ~0%. So whether it’s Stu Feiner selling you a pick by taking his shirt off and screaming at you or Vegas Runner updating you on “true steam” moves, buying picks from these sorts of touts is a losing proposition.
1-900-RIPOFFS The ads for call-in services that offer sure-thing betting advice on the big games couldn't be more tempting. Our own hot tip: Don't touch that phone by RICK REILLY
1-900-RIPOFFS The ads for call-in services that offer sure-thing betting advice on the big games couldn't be more tempting. Our own hot tip: Don't touch that phone
by RICK REILLY
© 2014 Time Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The Vault
Originally Posted: November 18, 1991
More
MEET JACK PRICE. HE'S HERE TO BURY YOUR BOOKMAKER. HE ONCE
promised to blow his brains out if the football predictions he gave
out to customers of his gambling-advice phone line were wrong. They
were, but he and his brains are still with us. Meet Ron Bash, a.k.a.
the Coach. He is here to pound your bookie. His ads say he took his
team to the Final Four. Did he mention that the Final Four he took
them to was in Division III? Meet Kevin Duffy. He once bragged in a
New York Daily News ad, ''I'm coming off a great weekend & as usual,
all my customers crushed ((their)) bookmakers.'' Too bad the ad was
delivered to the News's offices before any of the games were played.
In a world of cheats, cons, grifters, swindlers, carnival barkers
and people you would not want to change your fifty, the brotherhood
of so-called sports advisers is a gutter unto itself. Consider the
service that told its clients that because of a late change in the
weather, they should bet the Kansas City Chiefs that day. Only
problem -- as Phil Mushnick pointed out in his New York Post column
-- was that the Chiefs were playing in Seattle, indoors. Or consider
Final Score Sports, a nationally advertised service that once picked
the Cleveland Browns to beat the Cincinnati Bengals on a Monday
night. Unfortunately, the game was the Denver Broncos at the Buffalo
Bills. Then there was the guy whose ad listed his brilliant 10-year
record for Monday Night Football. Oddly, he had been in business for
only five.
This is an industry in which duplicity is the leading economic
indicator. It is also a business in which profits can be enormous --
some services are believed by at least one close observer of the
industry to make as much as $1 million annually. Last year the
people at the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs looked
into the advertising practices of the sports-adviser business and
came away with their hair on end. ''These have been among the most
egregious, outrageous claims we've ever encountered,'' says a
department attorney, Fred Cantor.
The idea of sports advisers seems square enough. For a fee of
about $300 a month, you call a guy who's really in the know about
sports -- particularly football -- on his 800 number, and he tells
you whom to bet on and how much to wager. Or you ring his 900 line,
and for about $10 to $50 per call, he'll give you -- most often in a
recorded announcement -- the one or two games that weekend on which
he thinks you can make a score. The average gambler could use a leg
up, right?
Not this kind. SI took a two-month test drive through the world of
sports- advisory services and found misleading ads,
bait-and-switches, repeated claims of fixes coming down,
misrepresentation of records, unforgivably high- pressured sales
techniques, phone harassment, phone threats, phony guarantees, mail
fraud, wire fraud and some perfectly dreadful manners. Even the
pictures lied. One man was shown in ads to be both Mountain Man Obie
(''the legend who broke the bank at Tiajuana ((sic))'') and Mike
Zimbo (''the most feared name in Vegas''). Two years ago the Lombardi
Sports Wire, a handicapping service based in Oceanside, N.Y., sent
out different letters to two groups of its customers. One group was
urged to take Pitt over Notre Dame in a ''blowout,'' and the other
was urged to take Notre Dame over Pitt in a ''blow out.'' Apparently
Lombardi felt strongly both ways.
Splitting games 50-50 like that -- known in the biz as
''double-siding'' -- is the oldest trick in the handicapper's very
thick book. That way he knows he has at least some happy customers
coming back. The second-oldest trick is to have one of your services
try to sign up customers who haven't been doing well with another of
your services. Why not, when the same guy owns both?
Then there was the salesman trying to hawk the Professor's Picks
who told us, ''We'll have a Play of the Year for you every three or
four weeks.'' Oops!
These touts, who are largely unregulated, try to come off as near
clairvoyants who routinely hit 75% to 90% of the games on their
lists. But the honest handicappers who allow themselves to be
monitored independently are lucky to break 52.38%, which, with a
bookie's 10% commission on losses, is the break-even point for the
gamblers. The touts call themselves Bobby Cash, Edmund Slick, the
Swami, Dr. Bob, Action Man, Bill (Get) Wells and Bob Winsmore. Very
few names, as you may have gathered, are real. The services claim to
have the latest in computer and satellite technology, as well as
inside info from a sprawling network of scouts, trainers (Jeff Allen
Sports claimed to have ''200 trainers on our payroll''), reporters,
traveling secretaries, coaches and even athletes. In reality, what
they usually have are six salesmen in a 10 X 12 office working banks
of phones while the boss sits with the Gold Sheet on his lap, a hole
in his shoe and a wild guess on his mind. Most advisers have no
computer, no satellite, no sources and no more of a clue about whom
to pick in tonight's game than your uncle Wolfgang.
''I remember once a guy needed a bailout game real bad,'' says a
former salesman for a major tout operating out of New York City. ''He
was buried, so he wanted to put two or three dimes (($2,000 or
$3,000)) down on something good. I said I had a lock for him. I put
him on hold, and I went into my boss's office and I said, 'Who do you
want to pick, the Jets or Minnesota?' And he said, 'Take Minnesota.
My mom likes purple.' So I gave this poor sucker Minnesota based on
some lady's favorite color. He lost.''
Ripoffs Rule the Roost, Exhibit A: the Professor's
seven-days-a-week 900 Econ-O-Phone. For only $2 for the first minute
and $1 for every minute after that, the Professor (Ed Horowitz, a
49-year-old former cocaine addict who claims he taught a course in
taxation one year, part-time, at the New York City campus of Pace
University) promises to give his ''essential'' selections. We tried
it. For the first seven minutes, we heard a tape of the Professor --
who babbled like a man at a podium looking for his notes -- plugging
his other phone lines and dispersing bits of gambling theory that
never quite went anywhere. Finally, he came to the pick we'd paid
for. Guess what it was -- the New York Jets vs. Chicago Bears game
from two nights before. He urged us to take the high side of the
over-under (38); the total score of the game was 32 (Chicago won
19-13). It is not a good sign when you are picking games two days
late and still screwing them up.
SI: I have a complaint.
Professor's operator: So call the complaint department.
SI: I called the Econ-O-Phone. It gave me the Jets and the Bears.
Operator: So, who'd he give you?
SI: It doesn't matter. The game was played Monday. Today is
Wednesday.
Operator: Oh. Has this ever happened to you before?
SI: No, this was the first time I ever used it.
Operator: What game did you want?
SI: I don't know. Just seeing what he said about baseball.
Operator: We're concentrating on football now. Call back tomorrow
night.
SI: But the ad says the deal operates seven days a week.
Operator: How much do you think you spent?
SI: Eight dollars.
Operator: You'll live.
Click.
Maybe the Professor has been distracted lately. On April 11, he
was arrested in New York City on charges of possessing gambling
records, a felony. The Professor plea-bargained down to a $5,000 fine
and a misdemeanor conviction. Police who raided his Queens office at
the time of his arrest did not mention finding a complaint
department.
Ripoffs Rule the Roost, Exhibit B: The Source, a sports-adviser
service in Farmingdale, N.Y., owned by Stu Feiner, who also owns a
few 900 call-in lines. Exhibit C is Feiner's brother-in-law, the
aforementioned Kevin Duffy, perhaps the nation's most prominent
adviser, who became famous for running ads that said, ''I will go 7-0
for you today, absolutely free.'' Too bad ''absolutely free'' meant
you first had to sign up for a month's service at $350. Then, if
Duffy didn't go 7-0 in the first week, you got the next month free.
Duffy, who operates out of Massapequa, Long Island, also claimed to
be no worse than 75% right, ever. Yet when his picks were audited by
the Sports Monitor of Oklahoma City, one of the rare legitimate
monitors (among the dozens of such outfits that purport to keep tabs
on the performance of tout services), he never fared better than
58.8% in any regular football season between 1985 and '88, and he
sank as low as 39.7% for his college picks in '87. Eventually the
Sports Monitor refused to monitor Duffy because of his ''deceptive ad
practices.''
Feiner agreed to be monitored by SI for four weeks in September.
To his credit, he unfailingly gave us his choices. To his discredit,
Feiner went 19-32, a 37% win rate, and lost us an imaginary $6,210
based on $100 per unit (box, left). During that same period, we were
anonymously calling Feiner's 800 number, where, curiously, he claimed
to be cleaning up. On Sept. 23, for instance, after Feiner had gone
3-11 for the week on his picks for SI, bringing his record for us
to 11-25, one of his shills, Kenny Leeds, said in response to our
anonymous call, ''This week I ((meaning the company)) went 3-0, the
week before, I was 3-1.'' On Oct. 3, after Feiner had gone 7-7 for
the weekend, we again called anonymously and got another Feiner
salesman, Larry Marco. ''This past weekend, we swept the board,''
Marco said. Then Leeds called back. ''This kid Feiner is making
betting history,'' he said. Yeah, so did Art Schlichter.
Feiner was fined $13,000 in February 1990 by the New York City
Department of Consumer Affairs for false and misleading advertising,
yet he sent out a promotional brochure last month that reported a
''1991 documented record college and pro: 9-3.'' Knowing Feiner's
record as we did, we asked him how he could say this. ''That's what I
had the first week,'' he said, ''before you started documenting me.''
Fine. That would've been the weekend of Aug. 31- Sept. 2. The
booklet, however, was dated Sept. 19-Oct. 7, 1991.
During one of our anonymous calls, Leeds told us he had ''strong
information'' on a game he wanted us to buy, so strong it was a dead
mortal lock, so strong that he was putting $2,000 of his own money on
the game. We were dubious.
Leeds: You don't believe me? I'll fly you out here ((from
Colorado)).
SI: Fly me out there?
Leeds: I'll fly you to -- -- Long Island, and I'll have you take a
ride with me!
SI: Why?
Leeds: To see how I pick it ((his winnings)) up and where I pick
it up from.
SI: Can you fly me out this week?
Leeds: What I'm saying is . . . I'm using -- that's a little bit
of a mild exaggeration. Don't get me wrong, but I've met a lot of my
clients. I've met Dan Marino.
SI: You know Dan Marino?
Leeds: Well, I stood next to him at the Super Bowl, and my friend
took my picture with him.
Other than suffering the repercussions of having your home
telephone number sold to dozens of other advisers, other than sitting
through the constant pitches to pay for ''special information games''
or ''steam plays of the year,'' other than getting con calls from the
very same service claiming to be another service that heard you were
looking for somebody new, you'll find dealing with 800 phone services
is a real treat. True, Mike Warren, a nationally marketed Baltimore
handicapper (whose real name is Mike Lasky), went 12-4 over the four
weeks we purchased his picks, but before he would give . us even one
game, his salesmen bugged us to buy into bigger packages. One day it
was the ''once in a lifetime pick-six extravaganza.''
SI: You mean none of our games is in your top six?
Warren salesman: No, you're getting about the eighth-best pick.
SI: How fair is that?
Salesman: You get what you pay for.
Feiner says that if somebody calls his 800 number and doesn't sign
up, ''We'll call him every day for a couple months, because
eventually they'll change their minds.''
At least with a 900 number you don't have to leave your home
number and be subjected to callbacks from hard-selling touts. But
since setting up a 900 service takes only a couple of thousand
dollars, tops, and requires almost no overhead, and since no license
or education is required, and since almost nobody's cracking down on
misleading ads, just about anybody can get into the business. ''I
look at the papers and tout sheets,'' says Jimmy (the Greek) Snyder.
''Every son of a bitch and his brother is in there. I don't want to
be one of them.'' Of course, the Greek was one until last year, when
Warren, who paid Snyder to use his name and picks, chose not to pick
up his option. Snyder is now threatening to sue Warren over the terms
of termination of the contract. Warren calls Snyder ''the most
unprofessional guy I ever worked with.''
That's funny. Some people say the same thing about Warren. Two
former Warren employees told SI that during their tenure with him
they received ''hundreds'' of letters from customers complaining of
unauthorized charges of $50 and $75 made by Warren's company on their
credit cards in late 1987 and early '88. Such phony charges can be
challenged by a simple phone call to the credit-card company, but
gamblers are reluctant to draw attention to their gambling
activities. Besides, said one of the ex-employees, ''Warren probably
figured that gamblers wouldn't notice an extra charge.'' Both sources
say they confronted Warren about the charges and were threatened by
him. Both then quit. Warren wholly denies their claims. ''There's
never been a complaint about that by a customer,'' Warren says.
''Mike Warren is a pathetic handicapper and a tremendous con
artist,'' says Feiner. Says Warren, ''Stu Feiner? He's got a big
mouth, always talking big. He knows this hoodlum and that hoodlum --
gonna break my legs. You know what? He can't break an egg. I gave him
my address. He's so short, the only thing he can reach is my legs.''
If you think guys like Feiner and Warren will make you wish you
had never installed your phone, Atlanta's John L. Edens, alias Johnny
DeMarco, the Babe Ruth of 900 sales pitchers, will make you wish
Alexander Graham Bell had never been born. According to published ads
and taped phone calls, Edens:
-- Got on his 800 line and told listeners to call his 900 line for
$25, ''and if the game loses, there'll be no charge.'' That, of
course, is a lie. Once a call is made on a 900 line, the charge is
automatic.
-- Told customers of one of his phone services that his special
guest-selector that day was ''a former six-time NBA basketball
All-Star who wishes to remain anonymous due to security matters.''
The anonymous ''All-Star'' then got on the line and offered his
inside information on ''three big plays, tonight.''
-- Told his customers on another occasion, ''Sporting Illustrated
magazine calls the Handicapping Hotline the Number One value in
sports.'' Remarkably, there is no Sporting Illustrated.
-- Wrote in a print ad, which appeared in the schedule of games he
sent out to customers in early 1991, that his service was rated ''the
very best available by the Interstate Sports Commission, the nation's
only legitimate monitoring service.'' The ad failed to mention that
the ISC is owned by a company with which, DeMarco acknowledges, he is
''affiliated.''
-- Got on his 800 line in March 1989 and said he had spoken with
then N.C. State coach Jim Valvano and had ''key'' information on the
Final Four. Valvano says he has never spoken to DeMarco.
Luckily for all of us, DeMarco/Edens has good intentions.
''O.K.,'' he says, ''so you go berserk on your ads -- and some of
those ads are a little ridiculous -- but if you can get people under
your belt, you can help them more than you hurt them. Most gamblers
are losers. You slow the guy down so he's only betting a couple of
games, not the whole board.'' Hey, if this guy made a hole in one,
he'd probably write down a zero.
Still, sports touts are an incredibly gracious and generous group.
Just about every weekend they hear about fixes that are going down
and are more than willing to share this precious information with you
-- for a small charge. Salesmen for now-defunct Metro Sports, a New
York-based service, actually had a fix written into a typed script
that salesmen would use on the phone. It read: ''I'm glad I got ahold
of you in time! We are releasing our biggest information game of the
-- -- (month/season) going off -- -- (day of | week). . . . Now, --
-- (name), listen carefully. Our inside sources have tipped us off to
this game. We know exactly what's going to happen. We know the
winner. (Lower voice) It's the kind of game I can't even talk about
over the phone -- you follow me, right? (Response) O.K. Good. . . .
All you gotta do is cover me with $ -- -- . How do you do it, Visa or
MasterCard?''
The fix scam is essential to a tout's repertoire. ''You'd lower
your voice way down,'' says one employee who worked for Duffy for
four years, ''and you'd say, 'Is this line clean? No taps on it,
right? O.K. Listen, we've got information on this game. You know what
I'm saying? The winner of this game was already decided in a hotel
room.''
Although SI paid $275 to sign up anonymously with Linemasters,
whose figurehead is the Coach, Ron Bash, we found out very quickly
that the $275 didn't cover every game the Coach had ''information''
on. The day after we signed up, our so-called personal
representative, Mike Vela, called to say Linemasters had paid
$300,000 for information from ''people like you read about. . . .
This game is a lock. An absolute lock.'' Vela said he was putting the
Coach himself on the line.
Bash: Look, this is not a game that might win. This is a game that
should win. This is a game that is going to win. I know something,
between you and me, that I shouldn't know. I don't even like to say
over the phone what I know. Even the alums of this school are going
to be pounding the other side.
SI: I don't know.
Bash: Look, you're crazy if you don't bet five dimes (($5,000)) on
this game. It's like stepping over an envelope full of money with
your name on it. Send us a nickel (($500)). I have people putting 20,
30 dimes for this game. Milton Berle put six dimes on this game. Hey,
you don't get many of these games in life.''
SI: You had one of these last week.
After we didn't buy in, Linemasters didn't like us as much. Vela
would make us call at least twice to get our picks, sometimes three
times. One day he made us hold for 10 minutes. We finally hung up. We
called back and left a message. No callback. Called again. Held 10
more minutes. Hung up. Called again.
Vela: Hello.
SI: Geez, it's not easy getting ahold of you.
Vela: Excuse me? I called you, and your line was busy. I don't
have time to call busy numbers.
SI: Hey, I don't have time to sit on hold for 20 minutes either.
Vela: Call back with a better attitude.
Click.
We called back. Our collar was starting to shrink.
Vela: Hello.
SI: Hey, let's get one thing straight. You work for me. I paid you.
Vela: Excuse me?
SI: I paid you.
Vela: Call me with a better attitude.
SI: No, don't hang up. Just give me the picks.
Click.
We called back again.
Vela: Hello.
SI: Just give me my picks.
Vela: Maybe if you get lucky today, you'll fall and you'll trip,
hit your head and open your -- -- eyes and realize someone's trying
to help you. You're too -- -- stupid to realize that now.
SI: Thanks a lot.
Vela: Take Syracuse, plus nine. Somebody's got to make you see
reality. So maybe I got to abuse you a little to make you open your
eyes.
SI: I don't need abuse.
Vela: Call me back at 6:30.
Click.
Linemasters went a respectable 11-8 (58%) on pro and college
football for us and threw in all the abuse at no additional charge.
Not that the abuse we got from Linemasters was at all uncommon.
Abusing customers is SOP among sports advisers. ''Gamblers are
desperate people,'' says Arnie Wexler, executive director of the
Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey.
In investigating Feiner's tactics, an inspector for the Consumer
Affairs Department called one of Feiner's 800 numbers to take him up
on an offer of a free line on a game during the '89 football season.
The investigator spoke with a man known as Sonny Greco, also known as
Phil Bonvino, a salesman for Stu Mitchell's Locker Room Report, still
another service owned by Feiner. After a breathless, oath-laden,
pause-free speech, Greco went for the close. His pace was furious.
The detective, posing as a customer named Stan, balked. Greco
screamed louder.
Stan: I'm being bombarded here. Lemme think on it. I got a lot of
guarantees here.
Sonny: I'm not interested in anybody else you're calling, Stan!
The difference here is this, O.K? We own this game tonight on
over-under! We own this information. Now go get your credit card, and
let's start making money! You don't need to deal with anybody but me!
Stan: Wait. . . .
Sonny: I own this game in over-under! I have the winner! Tonight!
Now what's your credit-card number?
Stan: O.K., lemme get back to you.
Sonny: Stan, you're not going to call me back! You know it as well
as I do, and if you think I'm going to let you off the phone with
that -- -- , you're crazy! O.K.? I've got the winner tonight! I own
this game in over-under, and I'm going to own your bookmaker's ass!
So get your credit card out and let's get going!
Stan: Lemme tell you what we're gonna do. I'm gonna think about it.
Sonny (louder still): Stan, there's nothing to think about!
Click.
Greco is ruthless, loud and scary. No wonder Feiner has given him
his own sports service -- Phil Bonvino's Locker Room Report.
Says a former phone tout for a large Long Island service, ''There
were plenty of times when we'd tell a guy, 'Look, if you don't come
across, I'm gonna tell your wife you're gambling again.' Or we'd tell
high school kids that we were going to tell their parents.'' Says the
ex-salesman for Kevin Duffy, ''We'd call up anybody, even guys we
knew were going to Gamblers Anonymous. We'd stay on them.''
Question: How do sports advisers get away with it? Better
question: Who are customers supposed to complain to? Gamblers don't
want to turn anybody in because most of them are breaking the law
themselves. As a result, the touts go unpoliced.
That may explain what happened in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Fla. A
tout service working under the names Seasons Edge and W.D.L. ((We
Don't Lose)) Sports, among others, would promise to repay gamblers
any losses they had with their bookies as a result of bad advice. But
according to a grand jury indictment handed down in Atlanta, when the
gamblers would call for their refunds, the story would change; the
salesman would say, ''Oh, you just had the partial subscription
package. If you just send me the difference between your package and
the full-season price, we'll send you out a check.'' Some customers
would actually do that, and the check wouldn't come. Then the touts
would say something like, ''Oh, we know we owe you $7,000, but we can
only make the check out in increments of $5,000. Just send us another
$3,000 and we'll send you the $10,000.'' Big surprise: The $10,000
would never come. One man lost $30,000 on the con.
Soon clients got a clue and stopped paying. That's when the people
from the Seasons Edge group ''got heavy-handed,'' says Robert
Schroeder of the office of the U.S. Attorney in Atlanta. ''They'd
threaten to kill members of the family, burn down their homes.'' One
victim was told if he didn't send more money, he'd be ''chopped up
into little tiny pieces with a chain saw.'' Gamblers were bilked out
of $413,000 before a victim's parents finally called the FBI when
their son, a college student, lost his tuition money and resorted to
using his father's credit card to try to obtain his ''refund.''
Schroeder nailed conspiracy, wire fraud and extortion convictions on
12 people. They got the full package -- sentences ranging up to 87
months in jail.
There are honest sports services. There are honest out-call
masseuses, too. The trick is finding one. Some handicappers have
their picks documented by monitoring services that appear to be
reliable. Unfortunately, some say, most monitors are as crooked as
the touts. Ed Horowitz, the Professor, says he won't use monitors.
''I got calls from two monitors who both said the same thing,''
Horowitz says. ''They said I could pay, like, $250 to turn in my
games Friday, or $1,250 to turn 'em in Monday.''
Even more convenient is having your own monitor. Enter Mason King.
The ad in the Dec. 7, 1990, edition of The National for Mason King
Sports of Catonsville, Md., said you could get picks ''from The King
himself.'' Low on willpower, we called the King and left our number
(standard procedure in the 800-line tout business). The King himself
called us back. He boasted that his winning percentage was about 70%.
SI: Could you document that?
King: Sure. Call the Maryland Association of Handicappers. They
document me. I think I'm about 33-16, I'm not exactly sure. I only
give them my best play of the week.
King gave the number for the Maryland Association of Handicappers.
We called the number and a voice answered.
Them: Hello?
SI: Hello, who's this?
Them: Who's this?
SI: Well, we were just trying to get ahold of the Maryland
Association of Handicappers.
Them: Oh, uh, yeah, you got 'em.
SI: Do you document a Mason King Sports?
Them: Uh, oh, yeah. Mason King. He's one of the good ones. We've
been doing him about two years now. Last year he was 35-16. The year
before, he was 29-20. They're pretty decent.
That sounded a little fishy, so two weeks later we tried again.
The same voice answered.
Them: Hello?
SI: Is Mason King in?
Them: Who's calling?
SI: Rick.
Them: Hi, how you been? Long time since I talked to you. What
number did you call?
SI: 301-521-6242.
Them: Yeah, that's a good one.
SI: This is weird, because Mason King said this number was the
Maryland Association of Handicappers. But it isn't.
Them: No. It's a strange number. Very strange Mason gave you this
number.
SI: When I called this number last time, you said you were the
Maryland Association of Handicappers.
Them: Yeah, they use this number, sure.
SI: You mean they document you out of there?
Them: No, but when they're not in, it automatically forwards to my
office.
SI: But you're not in business together, are you?
Them: Oh, no, it's just like, uh, an answering service for me, and
for them . . . it's a call-forwarding thing. When the office here at
Mason King's is closed, it's forwarded to them.
Now that's convenient. Not only is the fox watching the henhouse,
but the fox answers the hens' phone.
Then there's the Football Betting Guide. This 34-page booklet,
which sells for $4, promises to uncover con artists and
ne'er-do-wells in the business. The cover, for instance, reads,
EXPOSED! SPORTS SERVICE SCAMS! Inside, nearly every sports adviser is
denounced as a fraud and a thief. Luckily, at the end, the book lists
the top 10 services in the country, ones you can count on, ones that
the book promises have no connection to the authors or the
publishers. So who do you think owns the top two services listed?
Right. People connected to the book.
According to Jack Stewart of Las Vegas, owner of Sports Watch (a
well- regarded monitor), Greg Silveira, a San Diego-based phone tout,
told him that he wrote the Betting Guide. Silveira also told SI that
he thought publishing the book would be a good way to drum up
business, especially since it listed his own two services, Blazer
Sports and Spot Play, as the best. ''Look, the sports handicapping
industry needs to be cleaned up,'' said Silveira (who claims his real
name is Gordie Deangelo but who also goes by Gordon Michaels). ''And
if it's worth cleaning up, it's worth cleaning up at a profit.''
But two weeks after saying that, Silveira took back most of what
he had said, conceding that he had a direct interest in Blazer Sports
but insisting that he had no involvement in Spot Play or the Football
Betting Guide. That seemed odd, because when SI checked on Oct. 16,
the 800 numbers for Blazer and Spot Play were both listed under one
address in San Diego and under the name Greg Silveira. One
handicapper ripped by the Football Betting Guide, Mike Lett, was so
irate at his review that he threatened to ''go to the FBI.'' To calm
him down, the Betting Guide agreed to run public-apology ads in
betting newspapers for the rest of the 1991 football season. Whom
did Lett deal with at the Betting Guide? ''Greg Silveira,'' Lett told
SI. This tout business has the craziest coincidences.
One of the craziest is that many of the monitoring services are
owned by the very people they're supposedly monitoring. Not
surprisingly, independent monitors don't get much business. One is
the Handicappers' Report Card of Park Forest, Ill. In the last four
years the Report Card documented the best legitimate adviser as Randy
Radtke Sports, of West Brooklyn, Ill., at 57.7%. Radtke also had the
best single football season in the Report Card's history -- 66.2%,
including bowls and playoffs, in 1990-91. Somehow he has done it
without threatening, abusing or lying to his customers. ''I don't
want to milk customers out of everything they're worth and go on to
the next batch,'' says Radtke, 37. ''I'm friends with every customer
I have.''
A guy like Radtke would make millions if touts were regulated, but
there are those who think the whole business should be eradicated,
not controlled. Why does somebody living in Iowa City need advice on
a bet when betting isn't legal anywhere within five tanks of gas?
''How many people get off the phone with these guys and hop on a
plane to Vegas?'' says Wexler, of the Council on Compulsive Gambling.
Licensing would make touts legitimate, but do they really deserve
legitimacy?
''You'd be talking with grown men who were crying on the phone,''
says one former tout. ''Guys who were losing everything but still
betting. And I'd lie awake in the middle of the night hoping the guy
would win. So I'd call the sports phone and get a late West Coast
game at 4 a.m. and go, 'Damn, he lost again.' ''
''It was like feeding drugs to an addict,'' says the ex-salesman
for Duffy. ''We'd try to take whoever we got and make them bet more.
We'd take college kids who were betting $25 and say, 'Hey, you got to
bet $500 on this game. If you don't bet a nickel, I'm not gonna give
it to you.' If they won, they got a taste for big money. If they
lost, they were desperate to get out ((of the hole)), and so they
start chasing. . . . How can anyone who works for Kevin and Stu have
a conscience? Basically, I was just hurting people.''
And that, unfortunately, is the only absolute lock we found.
BOX: Luckily We Had Help. . . .
Below are the football picks of The Source for the four weeks
during which Stu Feiner agreed to have his service monitored by SI.
(The points a bettor would give or take in betting on the team
selected are in parentheses.) The size of each wager, in units of
$100, is as recommended by The Source. Note: No bets were actually
placed by SI.
Sept. 7 Games: College
Iowa (-16) over Hawaii, bet two units: WIN $200
Texas (-10) over Miss. St., three: LOSE $330
UCLA (-5) over BYU, one: LOSE $110
CUMULATIVE BANKROLL: -$240
SEASON RECORD: 1-2, 33%
Sept. 8 Games: Pro
Falcons (-1) over Vikings, five: LOSE $550
Bengals (-2 1/2) over Oilers, five: LOSE $550
Chiefs (-6) over Saints, three: LOSE $330
Bills (-7) over Steelers, three: WIN $300
Giants (-7) over Rams, three: LOSE $330
Raiders (-4) over Broncos, three: LOSE $330
BANKROLL: -$2,030
RECORD: 2-7, 22%
Sept. 9 Game: Pro
Cowboys (2 1/2) over Redskins, five: WIN $500
The over (40) on above game, three: WIN $300
BANKROLL: -$1,230
RECORD: 4-7, 36%
Sept. 12 Game: College
Houston (8) over Miami, five: LOSE $550
BANKROLL: -$1,780
RECORD: 4-8, 33%
Sept. 14 Games: College
Michigan (-3 1/2) over Notre Dame, five: WIN $500
Tennessee (-7) over UCLA, five: WIN $500
Penn State (-7) over USC, five: LOSE $550
S. Carolina (-4) over W.Va., three: LOSE $330
Air Force (-4) over Utah, three: LOSE $330
Alabama (7 1/2) over Florida, three: LOSE $330
BANKROLL: -$2,320
RECORD: 6-12, 33%
Sept. 15 Games: Pro
Vikings (3) over 49ers, five: WIN $500
Bears (1 1/2) over Giants, five: WIN $500
Rams (3) over Saints, three: LOSE $330
BANKROLL: -$1,650
RECORD: 8-13, 38%
Sept. 16 Game: Pro
Chiefs (4 1/2) over Oilers, five: LOSE $550
BANKROLL: -$2,200
RECORD: 8-14, 36%
Sept. 21 Games: College
Indiana (-11) over Kentucky, five: LOSE $550
Florida (-8) over Syracuse, five: LOSE $550
Houston (-9) over Illinois, five: LOSE $550
Texas (-3) over Auburn, five: LOSE $550
Washington (1) over Nebraska, five: WIN $500
California (-3) over Arizona, five: LOSE $550
BANKROLL: -$4,450
RECORD: 9-19, 32%
Sept. 22 Games: Pro
Bengals (4) over Redskins, five: LOSE $550
Vikings (3) over Saints, five: LOSE $550
Colts (1) over Lions, five: LOSE $550
Bucs (8) over Bills, five: WIN $500
Rams (7 1/2) over 49ers, five: LOSE $550
Chiefs (-7 1/2) over Seahawks, five: LOSE $550
Broncos (-8) over Chargers, five: PUSH
BANKROLL: -$6,700
RECORD: 10-24, 29%
Sept. 23 Game: Pro
Jets (8) over Bears, five: WIN $500
The over (36) in above game, three: LOSE $330
BANKROLL: -$6,530
RECORD: 11-25, 31%
Sept. 26 Game: College
UCLA (-7 1/2) over San Diego St., five: WIN $500
BANKROLL: -$6,030
RECORD: 12-25, 32%
Sept. 28 Games: College
BYU (-9) over Air Force, five: WIN $500
Tennessee (-6) over Auburn, five: WIN $500
UNC (8 1/2) over N.C. State, four: LOSE $440
S. Carolina (-1) over E. Carolina, four: LOSE $440
Clemson (-9) over Georgia Tech, four: LOSE $440
Duke (7) over Virginia, three: LOSE $330
Florida State (-2) over Michigan, three: WIN $300
USC (pick 'em) over Oregon, three: WIN $300
BANKROLL: -$6,080
RECORD: 16-29, 36%
Sept. 29 Games: Pro
Bills (-8) over Bears, five: WIN $500
Giants (-3) over Cowboys, five: LOSE $550
Jets (3) over Dolphins, five: WIN $500
Vikings (-5) over Broncos, five: LOSE $550
Bucs (6) over Lions, three: LOSE $330
Raiders (3) over 49ers, three: WIN $300
FINAL BANKROLL: -$6,210
FINAL RECORD: 19-32, 37%
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