SARATOGA REPORT

Column Like I See ’em – Commentary from Saratoga Report Founder and Publisher Dan De Federicis

Hello everyone, thanks for reading Saratoga Report and this commentary.  When I blogged at Funsaratoga.com from 2006-2013, I enjoyed sharing random thoughts about Saratoga Springs, the horse racing world, and whatever else I found relevant to Saratoga Springs.  I will do the same on this site, with this inaugural post of “Column Like I See ’em”.  Here we go:

  • Last week’s initial snowfall may be the latest in this region in over a century, but the white stuff’s arrival, with additional snow and cold air this week, was still a jolt to the senses.  I don’t care what the calendar says or what the tilt of the earth is – winter is here.
  • At the beginning of the month we elected a new mayor, a new city council and two county supervisors.  The campaigns, many with three or more candidates, were hard fought and in some cases ugly.  They’re over, thankfully, and I am hoping this new city council puts our beloved city on a positive path forward.  Even though our politics are different, I respect Mayor-elect Ron Kim and believe he is capable and has the city’s best interests at heart, so I am optimistic.
  • Yes I am optimistic, but the elephant in the room is the racial tension in the Spa City, highlighted by the fallout from the injury and ultimate death of Daryll Mount in 2013/2014.  With an ongoing lawsuit, requests to the District Attorney’s office to convene a grand jury investigation and demands for justice from advocates, expect to hear Darryl Mount’s name a lot in 2022.
  • Back to the ugly campaigns, particularly the Commissioner of Accounts one that ultimately resulted in the arrest of candidate Samantha Guerra, I hope that issue is put to bed soon.  I’m not picking sides here but I don’t want to see the case or the story linger; we have more important issues to spend our energy on.
  • I sure miss the morning newspaper.  You know, the one made from a wood pulp -product that was delivered to a plastic box in front of your house? Digital is efficient but so unsatisfying (says the founder/publisher of an all-digital aggregator).  Sure, the Saratogian and some other area dailies still offer delivery of an actual newspaper, but the quality and/or content of Saratoga-focused stories just isn’t there.  I’m not paying for day-old Troy news.
  • Continuing on the local newspaper scene, did you read the commentary by the T-U’s Chris Churchill about Alden Global Capital’s attempted takeover of Lee Enterprises, owner of my hometown The Buffalo News and the (Glens Falls) Post-Star, just a few miles up the Northway?  Alden Global Capital is the hedge fund that bought and then strip-mined the Saratogian and Troy Record, selling the real estate, gutting staff, and producing a daily newspaper that has virtually no local news of substance (highlighting a nail salon opening in Malta on the front page doesn’t quite count as local news of substance).  Churchill noted that calling Alden Global Capital a leech, other bloodsucker or vulture didn’t do the destructive company justice, before he finally settled on calling it a boa constrictor “….a snake that gains strength by feasting on the living before heading off in search of its next kill”.  I concur.  Lee Enterprises is combating this takeover attempt, but how long can they hold out, and subsequently, how long before the Post-Star’s prospective new owners merge it with the Saratogian?  Ugh.
  • I see NYRA is pushing Saratoga Race Course 2022 ticket packages as a holiday sale.  That’s good to see its marketing more on its game, which is a change from the lack of sophistication/Mom and Pop 1960s era marketing they did as recently as a decade ago.  One void that continues to stand out is their promotional gift items are still from 2021.  C’mon NYRA, it’s almost 2022 and I don’t want to buy a 2021 Travers golf shirt.   In comparison, I can buy my choice of 2022 Kentucky Derby items as a gift for someone, but nothing from the upcoming Belmont Stakes or Saratoga Race Course.  How many hundreds of thousands of dollars is NYRA losing in potential sales?

That’s it for today folks. Stay warm!