Paulick's Broken Promise

(originally posted on FinalHalfAFurlong.blogspot.com)

I respect Ray Paulick; I really do. His insider knowledge and understanding of the sport from both a business and spectator aspect is almost unmatched in any field, let alone thoroughbred racing.

But that alone does not exempt him from criticism.

Over the past few weeks, Paulick has engaged in an ESPN-about-Brett-Favre-like rant over the special session of the Kentucky legislature called by governor Steve Beshear.

And Paulick has featured everything.

Since the Belmont Stakes weekend ended 15 days ago, Paulick has written four editorials on the subject, posted another by Murray D. West that was sent directly to Paulick, and submitted two open letters to the legislature.

As if that were not enough, Paulick also spent Monday “live blogging” from the meeting of the Kentucky Senate’s Appropriations and Revenue Committee.

If that doesn't have “Brett Favre” written all over it, you tell me what does.

To go with all these editorials from Paulick's pen (or, dare I say keypad?), he has posted at least five articles pertaining to the vote nearly every day.

Now please, don't get me wrong. I want the bill to pass as much as the next fan of racing. Sure, the actual horsemen and horsewomen may want it to pass a little more than I do—they have incentive—but that is trivial. I want the bill to pass.

Or, now that it is dead, I wanted it to pass.

But, at the same time, I want the fair, open-minded, well-rounded journalism I have come to expect off of Ray Paulick's keypad.

For just over one year, and it is funny that his one-year anniversary running the Paulick Report should coincide with this mess, Paulick has provided insight into everything.

From his own words, he “Broke [his] share of stories over the past year: Curlin going to Lane’s End for stud duty; the Ernie Paragallo horse abuse case in New York; the efforts of “old guard” Breeders' Cup board members to keep NetJets chairman and longtime horse owner and breeder Richard Santulli, along with Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm owner John Sikura, off the organization’s operating board; layoffs at Churchill Downs and Blood-Horse magazine, along with the elimination of several turf writers at big city daily newspapers; Halsey Minor’s efforts to buy Hialeah from John Brunetti, and Minor’s attempt to purchase many of the Magna tracks out of bankruptcy; and the Thoroughbred Owners of California’s decision to bid for Santa Anita from the same bankruptcy proceedings.”

That's not too shabby for 12 months work.

Each story dug deeper and deeper into the industry's make-up and rattled us.

Ernie Paragallo made us want to vomit; the dropping of horse racing coverage at the Washington Post made us want to cry; Magna's bankruptcy ended three years of investor manipulation and fraudulent, selfish actions by Frank Stronach and made us smile a bitter smile.

Paulick's way with words made us want to read more, to dig deeper. He was a know-it-all, which in investigative journalism, is not a bad thing. And gosh-darnit, some of his articles on Magna were the best things this side of Gary Smith.

But now? Now, I don't know what to think.

For half a month, Ray Paulick has been publishing one-sided, biased, redundant dribble, begging his readers to contact various state representatives, in order to get the state of Kentucky to allow slot machines, or VLT's, at race tracks.

And for half a month, Paulick has made almost no reference to counter-arguments.

Basically none, whatsoever.

No mention that slot machines are arguably the most addicting and brainless form of gambling there is.

No mention of the people who become so focused on the machine that they don't realize that they've just spent $10,000 in the matter of an hour.

No mention of the rationale behind the bus-full of people who traveled half way across the state from Middlesboro to Frankfort to stand outside the capitol and protest.

No mention of basically any thought that could possibly detract from the desire to pass the slot legislation.

Well, I take that back.

Paulick does mentionthe counter-arguments, sort of, in his “live blogging” of the hearings, and I italicize mention for a reason.

While discussing the testimony from David Edmunds of the Family Foundation, Paulick issues nasty, snide remarks, some of which even fall in poor taste. The worst almost shows Paulick as endorsing suicide.

Paulick blogs, “[Edmunds's] biggest concern seems to be an increase in the suicide rate if VLTs are allowed (oh, wait, they already allowed, just not in Kentucky). That’s the last straw: Edmunds tells us that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. No, Mr. Edmunds, you are the definition of insanity.”

Ray Paulick, 12 months after starting the Paulick Report with the intent “to offer independent coverage of an industry that, for the most part, has been given a free pass from the press,” has himself become a part of that media, expecting a free pass from everyone who reads him and shrugging off and ignoring those who are opposed.

When he started the site, Paulick wanted to “be the first and last stop for anyone seeking up-to-date information regarding the Thoroughbred industry;” he wanted the Paulick Report to “relevant, intuitive and independent...to revolutionize the news coverage of the Thoroughbred industry with quality reporting of the large reservoir of uncovered news.”

But this story is not uncovered and, live-blogging aside, not revolutionizing the media of this industry. Add in Paulick's unbashful bias, it's not even quality.

I respect Ray Paulick—I respect Ray Paulick a lot. I really do.

I respect his website and his insight into the sport from every conceivable angle.

But at the same time, I cannot help but be eternally disappointed when Paulick calls someone “insane” because that person is concerned about suicide rates, especially when the tone is as arrogant as Paulick's was at the time.

Ray—can I call you just Ray?—I love your site; it is one of the best things in our industry. Please don't become corrupted.

You've done a great thing bringing the world of horse racing, or rather, the continent of thoroughbred racing, all to one page. You have made horse racing just as accessible as anything else, made it one click of the mouse away.

Don't slip into mindless, juvenile name-calling. Don't sound and be unprofessional.

I've done it before and I've paid mightily for it. It's really not worth it.

Ray—or Mr. Paulick if you don't want me calling you Ray—stick to your guns, offer the “relevant, intuitive and independent...news coverage of the Thoroughbred industry with quality reporting," the same quality reporting that you promised 53 weeks ago and delivered for 51 weeks.

Then, and only then, will you have the website you set out to create.