Böcklin: The Isle of the Dead — Cf. Ocean Rain album cover
Good Friday now. Here’s a story.
When you go to a residential secondary school run by the Presbyterians, those austere and emotionless Scots, you are bound to run into instructors like this one…
He was a WWII Vet, true WASP. It wasn’t a Pop Quiz, oh no. It was always a JAP QUIZ. JAP. In fact, this teacher in question had a little wooden flagpole, maybe eight inches high, and whenever it was time for a JAP QUIZ, he would pull out his little flagpole and draw on a string attached to the flagpole and that would hoist up a little Imperial Japanese flag, you know, the one with the red beams waving wildly from the central red ball of symbolic sun.
And this was in the days when Lawrenceville’s all-male student-body composition was nudging toward 20 percent Asian!
After he had hoisted this little Imperial Japanese flag to the full height of this little wooden flagpole, he would raise his right hand to his forehead and make a tight-lipped salute. ‘Gentlemen, pull out a blank sheet of paper!’
So now that we have already established this Pilgrim American’s bona fides, we can now elaborate on one of his better stories, for certainly he was spending much time telling stories.
It was a Good Friday, sometime in the early-1980s. During the spring term, we were reading variously between the New Testament and A Tale of Two Cities in Second Form English class. And out came the story.
‘You know, back in the 1960s the Pope finally issued an edict that the Jews were in no way responsible for crucifying Jesus.’
He continued: ‘This brings to mind a joke. Two guys were walking down the street in New York City, two Jewish guys, and one of the Jewish guys stops the other guy and says, “Hey, did you know the Pope cleared us of killing Jesus?” And the other guy says, “No. Wow. Who do you think did it, then?” And the first guy goes, “I don’t know. Maybe the Puerto Ricans?” ’
Allah bless the Puerto Ricans. Allah bless us all.
To all the faithful, a solemn Good Friday. We don’t observe any longer, but as the boys in the Pavement band are fond of singing, ‘You can never quarantine the past.’
Free ones: Rundown…
Aqueduct 2
Gulf 8
Pay-side: Today…
Golden Gate 1
Hawthorne 4, 7
Keeneland 1, 2, 7, 8, 10
Lone Star 2, 3, 6, 7, 9
Pimlico 3, 7
Tampa 3, 5, 8
Today’s Stakes Pageantry: Uh-oh. #10 Emollient is one of ’em Triple Threat Horseys in Kee 9.
Yesterday’s Activity: As always, Welcome to The Home of The Runner-Up Finish, this time almost led by sole-touted The Camden Comet in Pim 9.
The Camden Comet, 15-1 on the morning line and 18-1 when the bell rang, was competitive on your conventional V6 Betting Line, Fair Odds of 3½-1 in a contentious probability array. As well, The Camden Comet had the second-best LifeLiner Speed Column Analysis rating.
The Camden Comet ran with honour, finishing second of seven, 2¾ behind the even-money winner. That winner was the top of the Betting Line and top of the LifeLiner Speed Column Analysis, so your saver perfecta was in play, at $40-even.
Now, it’s always good to tout two horseys in a race, match them up in a Bonkers Exacta Box and have that Box come out correctly for a good payoff. Hey, we’re human, too. We like to succeed every now and again. Kindly forgive us. On Good Friday, redemption is possible.
So it was last night in Lone Star Race 4. Granted, we do not have many complimentary things to say about Tejas (Tejas!), especially since the Pope still has not cleared the City of Dallas for killing the only Roman Catholic U.S. President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. If the Pope is not willing to grant clemency to Tejas, we will swear allegiance to that infallible disposition. Tejas!
Back to Lone Star Race 4. Top-touted Sinners Band ran second at 9-1. Bonkersmate Thezimman won at 11-1, paying $25.80 up top. The cold-puncher’s exacta paid $324.40, 11-1 over 9-1 in an 11-horse field. Winner The Zimman rallied to his complete LifeLiner array, too: 60-61-81.
As well, the third-place finisher ran to his complete array: 99-99-88, not quite staying the course, beaten a dirty neck for it all. All three trifecta finishers were LifeLiner Speed Column-approved, and the triactor returned $1,774, for $2.
Later at the Lone Star, Bonkersmate Early Hot Water, 13-1 in real life from a morning line of 8-1, ran second to the 17-10 fave. Those two were the only LifeLiner Speed Column-sanctioned runners in the 10-horse field, and the default-saver exactor was $49.80.
Finally, a King of the NetCapper Bulliesz finale, with First Bonkersmate Blue Stage winning at a bet-down $10.20.
WMF Report:
Early
Aqueduct 6f
Chas. Town 4½f, 6½f, 7f
Evangeilne 6f
Gulf 6f
Los Alamitos 4½f
PennNat 6f
Tampa 6f
Nocturnal Submission: Sifting through the wreckage…
Thank you. Best wishes. Goodbye. Take care now.
Sent you a E-mail titled>> Tomato farmer sent to prison. Tell me why someone smart enough to make the money he did, Do This???? A good friend, it bothers me,greatly.
Keeneland report for Friday>>> Did get BIG HELP on winner in first race a 20 + winners. Used the 2 and 5 in double 120 for 2. Had joanie Scott in 5th i think, the dead heat race 4horse, lucky to DH. Race 8> Really thought the Vicki Oliver horse would run well, laying perfect at top of stretch and could not run to the 98 SPEED. BOO HOO. Ninth race> no action> Ruben Sandwich , made fresh, WAY to much, had to share, no one to sell it to, didn’t even play late double, never considered ALL with 2. Josie’s horse looked a lot better than she. A REAL SPOTTED LION, dug in and beat the “screamer” behind me who had a pic-5 payer with the place horse, I think the 5. Josie paid 19 somethin to win. Fairly Positive day. 2 different worlds between first and third floors. Lots of people walkin round and round and round and round. How do they get the winners they get??? seen better SKRUTZ & did not even notice any interesting TATS. Women were someplace else today. Won’t be goin again till WED.
EVD, HOU, CT, or See if Brotha Justin and Iris can keep Ben and the Carnival at bay. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions????
The “HONEYMAN”
You know, the more we look at this, the more we view this dispassionately and objectively, the way Ayn Rosenberg would want us to look at it, A = A and all that nonsense, dollar-sign lapel pins and the like, we need to grant you & Ned Reldem, Esq., guest columnist/blogger status every now and again. You guys have good intelligence and know how the world works, unlike us. The Chef, he still has to give up his rooting interest in the Peng-a-winsz. Pyritesz OK, but Peng-a-winsz is a real dealbreaker.
We will comment on rogue tomatoe farmers if we can formulate something reasonable, and not merely a polemical rant.
Tyvm.