Crist responds in regards to "Takeout-Gate"

[chickenhead]

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

Thus, the examination of Hayward's actual words and my look at intent

WE CAN APPEAL TO THE STATE RACING AND WAGERING BOARD AND MAKE A CHANGE EVERY QUARTER.

WHAT THE LAW DID IS IT MOVED THE TAKE OUT OF THE RANGE. THEY SET A LAW THAT SUNSETTED, THAT TOOK IT OUTSIDE THE STATUTE.

WHEN THAT WENT AWAY..WE DID NOT FEEL POLITICALLY WAS THE RIGHT TIME TO GO TO THE STATE AND SAY WE WANT TO REDUCE THE TAKEOUTS, BUT WE SHOULD HAVE.

[PaceAdvantage]

Do you feel somehow I've missed something, thus your appeal to ALL CAPS?

I assure you, I haven't missed a thing.

[chickenhead]

Charlie was talking in all caps, its a direct quote from him in the report...I'm not going to re-type the entire damn thing in lowercase

[v j stauffer]

Where is and or what was done with the extra money?

[Cardus]

Originally Posted by cj

Seriously, if you think that guy is grossly incompetent because of this, you really don't know what you are talking about. Of course he deserves some blame, nobody is denying this, himself included. However, he is being made a scapegoat for a situation that many should have prevented and for a situation that is being overblown for political purposes.

Yes, he f***ed up, but I really believe we are much better off with Hayward in the sport than we are without him. I guess time will tell.

I agree.

[FenceBored]

Originally Posted by Dahoss9698

To be fair, what was posted omits a pretty significant part of the email. Not sure why this was done other than to deceive, but I think it is fair to post what the ... omitted.

From http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/a...n-overcharges/

Since we are showing substantial losses in 2010 and 2011 and we have been smacked around by Cuomo (and he could check the SRWB from approving), we decided to wait. Also, the regional OTBs who collectively lost money in 2010 will scream like stuck pigs and that would provoke Skelos who is very tight with the guys who run Nassau OTB to introduce anti-NYRA legislation for the benefit of the OTBs. Finally, we are quietly working on a plan to open 10 or so restaurant/bars in the city and we did not want the politicos to block this effort. We have some internal debates on how much to lower each pool and how we would present this to our simo customers, the consumers and the politicos.


The situation is a bit different than is being presented in the post you responded to.

Um, not really. The Cuomo bit is nonsensical paranoid smoke, so it only makes sense to ignore it.

[FenceBored]

Originally Posted by affirmedny

“Later on August 1, 2011 Hayward responded to Crist: “This gentlemen is correct. [emphasis added] Off the record, we have been working on this for some time. We originally had thought that we would announce this for Saratoga but political forces intervened."


am I the only one who read this sentence? If you did, how can you possibly blame Hayward unless you know who the political forces were and how they intervened? Why is this sentence omitted from the article that Bigmack posted?

"We only follow the law when it's in our interests to do so" is your idea of a good defense?

[FenceBored]

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

So it is your contention then that Hayward's own words (written in what he thought was a private email, thus he had no reason to "fake it") do not go a long way towards shedding light on the thought process and belief system that was in place that led to the decision to not pursue the takeout drop immediately (because they were under the mistaken impression that they had an OPTION)?

That's an odd way to treat evidence like that...

A racetrack exec would never ever try to spin a journalist, oh no.

[Dahoss9698]

Originally Posted by FenceBored

Um, not really. The Cuomo bit is nonsensical paranoid smoke, so it only makes sense to ignore it.

If you understood politics in NY, you wouldn't think it was paranoid at all.

Then again, I'm pretty sure if I said the sky is blue you would try and argue (lamely) against that as well.

So predictable.

[Dahoss9698]

Originally Posted by v j stauffer

Where is and or what was done with the extra money?

They decided to give it to Wrona for what you tried to do to him earlier this year. Seems fair to me.

[FenceBored]

Originally Posted by Dahoss9698

If you understood politics in NY, you wouldn't think it was paranoid at all.

Then again, I'm pretty sure if I said the sky is blue you would try and argue (lamely) against that as well.

So predictable.

'Just because someone is out to get you doesn't mean you're not paranoid,' to turn the phrase.

[FenceBored]

Originally Posted by Dahoss9698

They decided to give it to Wrona for what you tried to do to him earlier this year. Seems fair to me.

So predictable, and off topic too (which was also predictable).

[usedtolovetvg]

Originally Posted by v j stauffer

Where is and or what was done with the extra money?

Hey v.j., I asked that question before and it somehow has been glossed over. If there is going to be any criminal charges, just what was done with the money that has not been accounted for could be key.

[cj]

Pretty sure it has been addressed before. They gave back what they could to anybody that could be identified as being underpaid, and they cut takeout to 24%, 1% lower than the 25% it was before the new provision. I'm not sure what else they could do.

[Indulto]

Originally Posted by FenceBored

A racetrack exec would never ever try to spin a journalist, oh no.

The relationship in question was not one of journalist-racetrack exec, but rather one of close friends, and I believe the email exchange reflected that. I doubt Hayward would have responded as he did otherwise.

Crist can be expected to continue entertaining DRF readers with his perceptiveness and writing talent. I suspect his image as horseplayer advocate and industry leader has taken a hit, but probably not an irreversible one.

Hayward's situation is different, and perhaps poetic since, rightly or wrongly, the position reportedly became his after he challenged the motives and objectives of Tim Smith who was then being considered for that job by the board of directors.