In which we dabble in various arcana debatia

Saturday Bronx Science held a memorial for Richard Sodikow. It was very well attended, and all sorts of people shared memories from various perspectives—alums, family, colleagues. It was a good send-off, for a man who would have enjoyed a good send-off. Most people spoke with warmth and humor, and there was no question that many, many lives had been not simply touched but changed thanks to Soddie and the team that he built and supported for many years. The program lasted for a long time, but although my butt got a little worn out from sitting on those hard wooden Brx Sci auditorium seats, my mind seldom wandered. Strong praise indeed for all the speakers.

Then I went home and watched California Chrome not win the Triple Crown. Of all the horses coming close since Affirmed (although, as I’ve always said, I found Alydar even more impressive, because it takes heart to never give up and win every time but it takes heart and something else to lose every time and still never give up), this was the first one I was seriously rooting for. I didn’t bet anything (I lost all my discretionary gambling money betting the farm last year on Fred Robertson’s guaranteed Preakness pick), but that never matters for followers of the Sport of Kings. It’s all about the beauty of the thing.

Meanwhile the crowned heads of the NDCA, or as many as could get to it, were huddled down in Miami trying to rewrite the bylaws for the modern age. I would have loved to have been there, but alas, DJs and money are somewhat restrictive: there’s only so much of either to go around. There has been a steady flow of emails, though, and I’ve been trying to pitch in as much as possible. I wish I could iron out some of the website issues on my own—some of the data is well-buried beyond my reach and the listserver is temporarily moribund—but I trust CP will shortly pull us out of that. Meanwhile, don’t get me started on MJP, but of course, they did. Ugh. I know I can’t win, but I keep butting my head against it. It’s the first thing I want to talk about when I get the new podcast/broadcast off the ground, although the board may want to start elsewhere. We’ll see.

Next up, I need to read the latest Pup invite, and see that we’re all on the same page, and then I’ll look at the actual setup in tabroom.

September is almost here!