Reading Between The Lines

I have been thinking about the phrase reading between the lines lately, for a number of reasons. First, last week I had to put out an e-mail to my soccer families discussing changes in our program and several commented that it was hard to "read between the lines," as to what I was saying. I thought I was being honest, when in reality I was creating more questions than I was answering.

And, today, fellow blogger Andrew Cohen announced that his First Over blog at www.harnessracing.com was "going on hiatus." His blog is one of the best in the business-- no anonymous responses, for one thing. Plus Cohen, a horse owner, happens to be a legal affairs correspondent for CBS News, so he has instant credibility. He was never afraid to take on unpopular subjects, but always did it fairly and he moderated his blog with humor and class. But when you read the way he signed off today, you start to try to read between the lines. Did the plug get pulled or is Horseman and Fair World really making changes that will allow Andrew to come back? Here is what I do know. Somebody-- maybe Standardbred Canada, which has a pretty good stable of bloggers including the venerable Dean Hoffman-- should scoop Cohen up.

Blogging is not easy-- especially if it is not a full time job. I have averaged only one every four days since we started this blog and that has hurt its credibility. I will try to do better in the future.

But, back to reading between the lines, if you listen to my televised harness picks sometimes, you should be able to read between the lines. I am not going to come on the air and knock a horseman-- I have tons of respect for all of the guys in Ohio, racing for peanuts-- but a major barn change needs to be addressed, albeit in a fair manner.

You can also read between the lines when I say a field of nw $600 last 5 is "very well-matched," or "highly contentious," I am not lying, but I am not exactly telling the truth. When I refer to a maiden who is 0 for 42 career as "due to break through," you can read between the lines. And no, there are not really any horses who leave the gate slower than I do. But you get the point.

Talk to you soon.