NSAA Newsletter
ATTENDANCE EXPLODES, RACING RETREATS
(November 2018)

Say what?? We were expecting 13 junketeers but got 20, and in the process established a new record for the November Del Mar Junket and weenie roast. Yes, it was a big crowd that rolled down the I-5 to the 5th fall junket under clear skies and mild temperatures on the long weekend of November 16-17-18. To get to this 20 number we took 14 hard core, legacy guys and added 6 Fall Junket virgins, namely Tiffany, Bux, Rudy, Faith, Willum and Tom Malinoski.

The less than luxurous DMM rooms seem to be lacking any upgrades from last year.


And not surprisingly, the new additions blended in like Clamato-Chelada in a Bud Lite. The chilly surf and sand were pretty much avoided, so the track, the BBQ, the poker game and some great jib-fests dominated proceedings.

But all was not peachy keen as I heard discussion on switching the junket back to the summer next year. That would put the beach and the Copa back into action, and probably get us some better horse racing to boot. But as all astute junketeers know, there are plusses and minus to this idea, so this remains an open question with plenty of time to hash it out over the long off season.

Billy D was seldom seen at the Del Mar Motel this year, skipping the poker game on Friday night.


One of the reasons why some want to switch back is based on what we all witnessed at the oval this year, namely a drop off in NSAA punters. Nobody made all 26 races with only the Boomer and Commish making 24. All others made less with some a lot less. Billy D, Roger and Mason skipped the entire Sunday card; Neil made 3 on Friday, none on Saturday (due to SC-UCLA game on the tube) and 4 on Sunday before heading home early. Dave, Tif, Rudy and Bux missed most of the Friday card with late arrivals while Waz, Faith and Willum saw only the Saturday card. Greg, Milt, Bruce and Jimmy Bond never got over there at all.

This is not hard to understand given what passes for a racing program at DMR Fall these days. Horsemen appear to be shunning the meeting in order to rest their livestock and/or avoid the high cost of shipping down from Santa Anita or from having to secure accommodations in a very high rent district. As a result, the racing suffers from short fields, with a lot of maidens and Cal bred non-winners of two on the card. Then toss in the racing secretary writing mostly sprints, 18 of 26. What you get are many races where you can’t find a horse you really like but instead go with the one of least perceived drawbacks. Not a good way to play the ponies, hence, with the exception of Rudy S, all NSAAers got spanked---again. This year-after-year pummeling doesn’t help with enthusiasm and now it looks like even the hard core are starting to back off. Official track attendance numbers for FRI thru SUN were 2741, 6325 and 5301 respectively. Not exactly killing it, Mr Harper.

A massive number of surfers showed up just south of the motel grounds every morning.


Right column please ---->

THE GOINGS ON: Meanwhile, let’s review some of the haps over at the beach. THE BBQs: Bruce stepped up his game this year after a slip-up last year (9:30pm start of the Saturday BBQ) and produced 2 magnificent cook-outs, both starting as soon as the punters got back from the track. Not only did he fire everything to perfection (burgers, dogs, steaks, chops and potatoes) but also single-handedly fronted all the food money and provided everything else from his large collection of silverware, utensils, tables, chairs, etc. Then he set everything up, endured the tedious money collection, and finally cleaned it all up afterwards. As he slurred out late at the Saturday Q, “I don’t want to pat myself on the back, but if Im not here, you guys starve.” Well, that’s true, and we DO want to pat him on the back. Great job, Bruce and we all appreciate it.


Boomer and Joey handicap while Bruce tries to sneak a glimpse of their powerhouse selections.


THE POKER: Six guys (Dave, Bruce, Joey, Neil, Chuck and Bux) got into a poker game on Friday night in Dave’s room which lasted til around mid-night. This was the first time in several years that the game had materialized. On the money front, all agreed some guys lost a little, some won a little but there were no dramatic changes in anyone’s bankroll. There were tales of hilarity too, when Bruce, who had been under a hard drive from a vodka binge all day, kept dropping his cards on the floor then had to crawl under the table to pick ‘em up. Eventually, because of this, the blue and red decks got co-mingled and a fifth ace showed up on the river card in one of the hands. “What the heck have we got here?” questioned Junior. A bombed poker player that’s what.

Breakfast at Mr. Tees, more gravy if you please. Many of the world's problems are solved here over breakfast by the NSAA braintrust.


THE CAMEOS: Jimmy Bond, due to some worsening health problems, had to skip the sleep-over portion of the program, but managed to attend the handicapping sessions on the patio on all 3 mornings for a couple of hours each. Then, on Friday morning, out of the blue, Tom Malinoski showed up in the parking lot asking “Where the hell is Boothe and Stancato?” Tom was heavily faced-bandaged from an argument with his dermatologist and it took a minute to recognize him. After all, we hadn’t seen him since a summer cameo back in 2003. He looks in fine fettle and it was good to see the boy.

THE JIB FACTOR: As per normal, all the usual stories from yesteryear were dragged out again for the re-enjoyment of most on hand at the late BBQ. This is something old farts love to do, and we have proven not to be exempt. But one new item hit the airwaves and that was the recent passing of Ron Humiston, an NSAAer from way back in the high school days. Here is his impressive obit from Chesterfield, Missouri:
Humiston Obit

Somehow “Shoe-mo” escaped the clutches of the NSAA (be there every Monday and Wednesday night in Glendale for the next 55 years) and instead created an impressive career for himself back in the midwest. Nothing works out 100% perfect however. It sounds like while we were happily playing over-the-line on the Glendale College upper in 1969, Ron was in the Marine Corp. getting himself wounded in Viet Nam.

One last personal note, I got to meet Faith B finally after she helped me for a decade after my softball retirement by sending pictures and missives of weekly happenings on the ball field which I used to update the website. She also contributed mightily to the infamous Stat-gate investigation with copious spreadsheets which exposed the illicit manipulation of slugging numbers back in 2010.

So it is on to 2019, steady as she goes.


THE CAST OF CHARACTERS