Dwight Drane

I hear you....but a cavalcade of other charges may come forth with this crew. They should be playing Benny Hill music. By the way.....anyone here in a car that ran over a girl and sped off in the past 3 weeks, feel free to say so since I'm sure this is a common occurance and not a poor reflection on James Hardy or any other member of the Bills! 6% in my friend.....6% in!

I've gotten nailed for speeding 2 times, and both times I was listening to Dean Martin. F the Rat Pack! (Sorry Frank!)

Burger King is bad for your health.

"Uhh...ehmmm....Uhh....When we.....ehm..pffff....When we were younger......ehm......we....ehm...used to go.....to the Steuyvesant Hotel. Ughghghghum....and.....uhhh...and.......we would order those Southern Comfort Manhattans. So Marshawn.......eghm...Marshawn is ok in my book."

You really need to relax. I am not sure the reason you are so obsessed, but it isn't healthy. I don't care about the money...it's for charity. The person that actually had the guts to make the wager seems like the kind of guy that would at least say at this juncture, "well, it looks like you may have had a point." There is a difference between judging someone and seeing the signs of somebody that is either dumb as a doorknob or a piece of trash. It's called discernment. I think people wanted to give Hardy the benefit of the doubt because he was a Bill and I understand that. There are some things however that cannot be changed. 1) A dimwit 2) Someone with a personality disorder I played the 1-2 exacta with Hardy and seem to have hit paydirt a mere 6% into the wagering period. I never jumped down Lynch's back. He presented himself in a fairly positive manner last year, and that is why I am disappointed by this situation. I'll tell you a story. I was with a group of friends and we were drinking and hanging out on the old Knox property. The East Aurora cops showed up. First two, then four....then eight. My friends started telling them we weren't drinking, but it was obvious that 6 teenagers just don't hang out in a polo field to smell the horsesh!t. After the fourth car pulled up, I jumped in and admitted that most of us were drinking, but a few weren't so we could drive off. They were running plates, flashing through the cars looking for booze/drugs. Anyway.....I said I was sorry for the hastle, and that we left some bottles out in the field and I would clean up the mess if the officer let me. He said ok and gave me a flashlight. Of course I wasn't going to bring back the booze....this field was bigger than The Ralph so I stumbled around for a minute until the cop waived me back in. Anyway, the officers let us go and said next time, we're all getting taken in. Now this isn't as bad as a Hit+Run, but we were blasted and had 8 suburban cops on our buts, yet they had the common sense to see we didn't mean trouble. They could have gotten us for Underage drinking, illegal alcohol purchase, trespassing, DUI, etc. The fact that someone owned up to the situation helped enough for the situation to resolve at that point. I know without a doubt that they were ready for us to lie, stumble into the car, and then pull us over 30 feet later for a DUI. All Lynch had to do was be honest. If the guy was so blasted that he couldn't at least talk to the Cops in a reasonable state of mind, then he has bigger problems down the road than this. Sometimes, a stand up move can get you out of a bad situation. Much of this world is so warped when it comes to values that I guess I understand why some here don't understand that.

It sounds like management is just as much to blame. Can anyone not see a suspension of some sort coming from the NFL after all this? As much as I hate to say it, we just passed Spygate. 9 members of the organization under subpoena. I bet the Bills are glad they sold out the season last week.

It looks like the Bills' Security Staff has been giving the "Real" Police the runaround, so Clark just handed a subpoena to the Security Staff, and those in charge of the security staff to go along with the 4 players. Ralph and Brandon get one too assuming they are telling security what to do. Now we are going to have 9 members of the organization having to get their stories straight and testify in front of the Grand Jury, or else there ARE going to be obstruction charges. This was well played by the DA. Instead of having this go away with Lynch saying he was sorry and the public brushing it off as a young kid making a stupid decision, this has developed into a nightmare. I guess we know why the Bills weren't worried about drafting Hardy. Great minds think alike.

Now, in the spirit of the bet....I am clearly victorious. Three more weeks, at the scene of another crime. Since it's for charity, I'll wait for a charge to be filed in order to have a 100% lock. I just like watching all the other cockroaches scurry for the cupboards as the light of truth is shined upon the situation.

So James Hardy happened to be IN THE CAR.....could he have been driving? Dum..dum..dum..dum....dum.dum.dum! What an F'n shock......I guess I am a racist, insensitive, judgemental ahole! Hey...since it's every 3 weeks Hardy is involved in a potential crime scene....what is the guess for the weekend of June 20th? We still don't know the facts though.....except that practice is cancelled tomorrow. Who needs tickets????

It's funny how on the Sabres board I was a Bills appologist! I think at the first game of the season, John Gurtler (if he still has a job) should do a poll of the fans over the loudspeaker. 1) "Everyone here who thinks the Bills were a bunch of F@#kups this offseason...MAKE SOME NOISE!" 2) "EVeryone who thinks the Po-Po are a bunch of doughnut eating hosers that get their Jollies out of framing public figures, MAKE SOME NOISE!" 3) "Everyone that would put the Bike Path Rapist at WR if he could catch 80 for 1200...MAKE SOME NOISE!" 4) "Party at my house after the game!"

Stroud Fowler The new LB from Iowa St

You guys are pretty funny. Bluefire happens to miss the "OR" in the original wager, and since when am I crusading to string up Marshawn? I'm disappointed in Marshawn because he seemed a cool cucumber that wouldn't let this "little misunderstanding" get to the point of a law enforcement showdown which it now seems to be. It's his car, and if he came clean, there wouldn't be a problem. Each passing day is going to make a suspension more likely. He won't only owe the girl hit $500,000 but he'll owe the NFL that too. Add another $40,000 for the lawyer.....and now nobody is going to let him drink for free. That's another $65 a weekend. I don't expect Hardy to be in the car since the team went to Ohio the next morning. If he happens to be in the car, and does not talk to police, and has to be handed a subpoena to testify......I think in the spirit of the wager, that would be a win, but if he isn't charged with purgery or accessory, then I can see why it isn't a win. The only name I have heard thrown around is Stroud, but who knows. For purposes of this thread, Hardy in the car proves my point. I expect much bigger out of James however. Especially in the new environment that seems to be fostering down at the Ralph.

I think you missed the call for....OBJECTIVE!

I'll be rooting for him as well....I am more disappointed than anything. He seemed to be an easy going guy that was above the level of McGahee on and off the field, but he may just be Willis V2.0

I need a ruling ahead of time.... The Bills' rookies were visiting the Hall of Fame on Saturday, the day after the Hit+Run, so I don't expect Hardy to be involved. HOWEVER......there were 4 other Bills involved and there is a good chance they will be handed a subpoena. Does not talking to the police and being forced to testify because Hardy was at the scene of the crime constitute a winning wager? If Hardy is charged, it's cut and dry....but I would like an objective opinion.

The jig is up now. You know the authorities are PO'd when they leak every little thing the family has done since coming here. On a side note, how much tail do you expect to get when you are too cheap to buy drinks in Buffalo?

We need to make a move because Hardy isn't really a "non-head case", and Marshawn might be on the pine for September. Josh Reed is going to be the leading receiver on this team unless we get another threat in to open Evans up. I do agree that Schouman might be a wildcard, but just the fact they cut him last year scares me. Heck, I thought Brad Cieslak was a solid passcatcher.

It's a whole new ballgame now. Police are talking about all the "high character" little goodies our favorite RB has been up to since coming to Buffalo. There is going to be an arrest, and if someone with the Bills Brass doesn't get these guys to talk, Clark is going to put on a show that the commisioner won't be able to turn his back on. Instead of fessing up, paying a few bucks to the girl and getting 6 months probation....we are looking at almost a certain NFL suspension and a PR disaster. There are 4 other Bills involved at this point and they are talking about bringing them in front of the Grand Jury to get them on the spot. No more bluffing, cops are at the stadium. What a F'n nightmare. This really is a bad Chapelle Show skit.

Funny you should say that....although tomorrow probably isn't D-Day, the government came in at the beginning of the year and wiped out ALL #10 cans from the 3 major producers that put them out of stock until July at the best. That stuff stays air tight for 7-10 years. You can still find MRE's and freeze dry packets, but not the good stuff in bulk. Just an FYI for those keeping an eye on Bush/Cheney and the Middle East.

I used to go to Fort Erie as a teenager and bet and drink. I was a big kid, so nobody knew I was too young. If I hit a really good trifecta, I would have to get someone else to cash it for me. I've been to Santa Anita and I hope to go for the Breeders Cup this year. We've never run a horse ourselves out west, but we do have horses end up out there after selling them or having them claimed. Out your way the only one running now is Your My Boy Blue. He won at Golden Gate Fields a week or so ago. He never panned out to be as good as I figured, but he's still winning races at a lower level. The horse industry is getting pinched now like almost any other industry though. Inflation in feeding them, shipping them , people betting less. I'm in a big pinch because the financial part of my job is pretty much frozen due to the pending bank disaster, so the horses have been the main source of income for a while now. That makes it tough because the secondary market isn't strong either. We own a beautiful filly that is a half sister to Hemmingway's Key, a horse that came in 3rd in the Preakness a few years ago. I bought her at auction for $30K last year. A few months later someone offered $40K before she even ran a race in order to breed her. In October, the offer was $30K. In January, $16K. Now if we want to cut our losses and sell her, we could only get $10K without really shopping her. The asset plunge is happening to more than just houses! Like Cincy said, slot machines were thought to be the next big thing, but as more people are introduced to more levels of gambling, they start to educate themselves and learn they probably aren't going to beat the machine over the long haul. Unless a track can compete with Vegas type payouts at 92-98%, people are going to get sick of losing their quarters pretty fast. Down in Florida, Gulfstream Park actually loses money by running a casino and did so from almost day one. I'm not sure where to get new funds for racing other than for everyone involved in the sport to be a positive ambassador. It's easy for a younger person with a modest upbringing in Buffalo to do so than many involved in the sport that think they are brilliant because they can spend more money than anyone else. The greatest thing about the sport is that I can pick out a horse for $20,000 and then have that horse beat the horses of Kings and Millionaires that payed $750,000 or bred a $5 million horse. They call it "The Great Equalizer". If anything relevant pops up over time I'll try and share. If I end up in Saratoga the same time others are there, it would be fun to hook up in the morning for training or for a beer at the races.

Good deal! Depending how long I am there, I'll try hooking up with some of the Bills fans. It seems as if a few Saratoga threads always break out. Last year we went the entire summer without running one horse at Saratoga because everyone in NY was in some form of recovery or training and nobody was running. This year looks much better, and there is a good chance we can have anywhere from 4-6 horses run. I enjoy talking about the track because it seems too many people get scared off by it. The more they understand, the more of a chance they will go and have a good time. The best part about it is that every day is different and you are always learning something new about a specific horse of yours or just in general. Even the best at this only win 25% of the time. I think if there was some way to convey the personalities of some of these horses that the people around them every day get to see, the sport would be much more popular. Unlike football, when a horse comes back from a race and just made everybody millions of dollars, thousands of dollars, or no dollars, all the good hearted ones want is a scratch, or a peppermint, or to play around for a few minutes. It's really like sending your family pet out there, and he tries to make you some money. Many people just see an animal as an animal, but my best asset has been picking horses for their intelligence and personality. A smart horse knows what you want it to do, and figures everything out much quicker. You sort of end up with an unsaid understanding of each other. It's a wierd phenomenon, but anyone that has been around horses in general can tell you about that bond if they pick up on it. Now enough of me glamorizing this....time to figure out how the hell to pay this month's feed bill!

We run in New York....Belmont/Aqueduct/Saratoga and down in South Florida Calder/Gulfstream. There is a pretty good fight going on in Florida now between the owner of Calder which is Churchill Downs, and the Horsemen themselves. The track is trying to give a tiny share of internet wagering compared to a regular share of $$ wagered at the track or at a simulcast. It's real hardball now and they cut purses 30-60% on the horsemen to try and get them to cave. We moved all the good horses to New York and only the clunkers are in Florida for now. We have shipped horses to Kentucky, Delaware, Illinois, Texas, Ontario, but only for small stints. It's a good excuse to go see part of the country though. The best thing I could suggest for anyone local would be to go to Saratoga in the middle of summer. You can find a decent priced hotel in Albany which is 30 minutes away, or stay in town if you don't mind giving away the wallet. You can go to the track in the morning and have breakfast as you watch them train. As for the actual races, you can get dressed in a suit and go buy some seats in the clubhouse, or you can come in a t-shirt and bring your own tailgate/picnic inside and set up a post near a TV and watch all the people and horses go by. Or anything in-between. Saratoga is the reason most people run horses. Everyone tries to bring their best horses there and have a good ol' time. A lot of horsepeople wake up at 4am to get to the track and stay until 7pm after the last race is done and the horses are cooled down. I've never been to Del Mar, but something tells me SD has. That looks to be an even more laid back Saratoga. I'll let people know when we run a little guy I bought as a baby for real cheap. When we brought him back to the farm, he tried to mount every other horse in the pasture. He has a decent pedigree, but is small. I named him Beast Mode. I doubt he'll be a world beater, but when he is ready to run, you can plunk a few bucks on him if he's training well. I hate giving tips otherwise because I've learned that the more you think you know what is going to happen, the more you get burned. We've run in some big races that I let family or friends know is on TV, then when we come in 4th or 7th, I get to hear how much $ they lost. Now I don't tell anyone a thing!

It's fun when things are going well, but stressful when things are slow. You watched on Saturday what the slightest difference in a horse can do to it's performance at times. I don't train hands on. My job is more like Tom Modrak/Jim Overdorff/Perry Fewell all rolled into one. The main owner is pretty hands off and lets everyone do their job. I'll work with the trainers on a consistant basis for a gameplan and brainstorming, but I leave the micro aspects for them to decide. You would be amazed how similar the sport is to football with athleticism, injury, draft/auctions, etc. They are expensive. A regular old horse can be kept at your home for $2,500 a year or so. An average racehorse costs about $20-$40,000 to train depending on the state and trainer. A good horse like Big Brown probably costs close to $100,000 to train because he'll get pampered with massage therapists, airplanes, night watchman, preventitive medication, etc. I laugh when PETA comes out and chirps, because if you come around a barn at 9 AM or so and see all the horses in various modes of being taken care of, a human would wish they had it so good. Come around at 1 PM and you'll see most horses taking a nap after a full meal with fans on them in the summer or a blanket on in the winter. They usually have an open source of food to munch on when in full training and I try to keep some toys nearby to prevent boredom when most of the humans leave. Sure there are some idiots that don't take care of their horses as well, but if they were in a different business, they wouldn't treat their employees well either. If you ever see silks that look like the Bills throwback jerseys, that is me. I asked the Bills for permission, but they never responded to me. I changed up the Buffalo a little bit so they can't get PO'd. You'll see those down in Florida mainly. In New York you are forced to wear the silks of the majority owner, so that usually isn't me!

Good post. The steroids are used to build, support and heal as a horse grows and matures. The same things are used by bodybuilders. Now, some of these actually have direct medical benefit. Clenbuterol can be used in human stacking, and horses too, but it actually helps horses in breathing while training. Most of the steroids are banned for racing as it is. They are out of the horses system in 3-5 days after use. You have to be careful because you are allowed to train on these medications, but can't use them for the race. If you make an honest mistake and give a theraputic dose close to a race, you are still in trouble. The steroid thing is just being thrown around in the media because most of these guys follow the sport 3 days a year and need to write about something. I warned Stojan about the foot the day he registered the domain, figuring he wouldn't make it to the Belmont. Their goal in January was to make it to the Derby then retire him. He did so well they went to the Preakness. Then they were almost obligated to run him in the Belmont if he wasn't at risk.

Eh, not what I see. The horse broke and bolted straight outside, took himself out again through the lane the first time (and only), and looked to blow the turn. Desormeaux snatched him up well before the turn and didn't look to take him outside to me. He looked to his right 3 times in anticipation of the horse blowing the turn it looked like. Whatever the real reason, the horse was going to finish last. He went 6 furlongs in 1:13 and then started to shut down. He went the first 6 furlongs in Florida in 1:10. Could all involved be talking 100% honestly, I guess so. All I know is we have a horse with the same exact problem and he did the same thing against a group of good horses. Same guy making the shoes, same vet. He came in 20 lengths behind when his foot went bad on him, then came back to run 3rd and 2nd in two races that he came back to run when his foot was "right". He was going to run Saturday in an earlier race, but he worked out last weekend and the foot was pinching him again. We could have had him raring to go, but the risk of him running the way Big Brown did wasn't worth it. It will be interesting to see what happens now. They say nothing is wrong, but if they keep walking him around the barn all week and don't gallop him on the track, there is a good chance he is going to retire. What they'll probably say is "He had a little bit of something get into that quarter crack and he finally popped an abscess on us. The foot wasn't throwing any heat, but it worked itself out after the race." In reality, they should stop on him after a race like that. He's worth too much, and I find it hard to believe he'll run in the Travers, but who knows. If they can salvage the foot without stopping altogether, it would be nice to see him face Curlin in the Breeders Cup. If he would have won the Triple Crown they could stand him for $125,000 per shot in the breeding shed, and he still may top 6 figures anyway. If he retires now, he's probably closer to the $75,000 range. On a side note, steroids had nothing to do with it. Those used are usually to help train and recover. By the time the horse races, the drugs have already done their job. It is a problem that drugs are so commonplace these days, but just like football players these horses are adding more and more weight and muscle with the help of technology and training techniques, but their skeletons and ligaments for the most part have stayed the same size. Look at all the injury problems in the NFL, or with baseball pitching. I will be the first to admit though that I wish drugs weren't as involved, and the industry is starting to police itself better lately.