GGF is shuttering the Albany track and relocating all horses and resources to SoCal.
Look. I'm not trying to be insensitive to any group but we've gone from a community with equal parts everyone to a community dominated by hipsters who smell their own farts and balk at the notion of athletic competition and have philosophical debates about the reason they see a line of headlights filled with the workers who pump their gas and vacuum their hallway and wrap their burrito heading over the altomont pass every night at 7 and every morning at 5 because the only place they can afford to live is in shared housing in Modesto. Those were the types who imho used to come to Memorial, the Coliseum, GGF when they could actually afford to live here.
Big $ knows this and is imho the reason we are on the verge of being left without any semblance of professional sport or P5 athletics other than the dubs and gnats where tech bros go to flaunt their undeserved wealth and the escort on their arm and could care less about the outcome or the 7500 dollars they spent to get club level.
I always defended the bay against a lot of stuff but looking around it's pretty clear to me that the reason we're in this position is because we are no longer a community.
We're a strip mall with a mayor. Wait that's too generous. We're an endless block of luxury condos with a Starbucks and a Subway at the bottom. With an angry homeless dude at the bottom yelling at the air.

There is a huge vacuum that could be filled by Cal athletics. Hopefullly, no matter what conference situation we end up with on the next cycle, we start achieving our potential by marketing broadly to the East Bay and winning whatever conference we are in and getting in the CFP and NCAA Tournament. If we have a fan base and good teams we will be a school conferences want and will end up in a good situation on the next cycle.

There is plenty of cheap housing over … there. People pay a lot of money to live … here.

This is the way.

CNHTH said:

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GGF is shuttering the Albany track and relocating all horses and resources to SoCal.
Look. I'm not trying to be insensitive to any group but we've gone from a community with equal parts everyone to a community dominated by hipsters who smell their own farts and balk at the notion of athletic competition and have philosophical debates about the reason they see a line of headlights filled with the workers who pump their gas and vacuum their hallway and wrap their burrito heading over the altomont pass every night at 7 and every morning at 5 because the only place they can afford to live is in shared housing in Modesto. Those were the types who imho used to come to Memorial, the Coliseum, GGF when they could actually afford to live here.
Big $ knows this and is imho the reason we are on the verge of being left without any semblance of professional sport or P5 athletics other than the dubs and gnats where tech bros go to flaunt their undeserved wealth and the escort on their arm and could care less about the outcome or the 7500 dollars they spent to get club level.
I always defended the bay against a lot of stuff but looking around it's pretty clear to me that the reason we're in this position is because we are no longer a community.
We're a strip mall with a mayor. Wait that's too generous. We're an endless block of luxury condos with a Starbucks and a Subway at the bottom. With an angry homeless dude at the bottom yelling at the air.

---

Very true and disgusting. Are they really going to fill up all these apartment buildings?

CNHTH said:

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I always defended the bay against a lot of stuff but looking around it's pretty clear to me that the reason we're in this position is because we are no longer a community.

---

I'm just not seeing the closure of another horse racing track as a sign of anything. If I was going to go on a rant and list things that have gone wrong in the Bay Area, that wouldn't even make the top 1,000.

Did you say the peninsula was doomed when the Bay Meadows horse track in San Mateo closed in August 2008?

Did you say that LA was doomed when the Hollywood Park horse track closed in December 2013?

calumnus said:

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There is a huge vacuum that could be filled by Cal athletics. Hopefullly, no matter what conference situation we end up with on the next cycle, we start achieving our potential by marketing broadly to the East Bay and winning whatever conference we are in and getting in the CFP and NCAA Tournament. If we have a fan base and good teams we will be a school conferences want and will end up in a good situation on the next cycle.

---

Won"t happen with Wilcox as head coach and Knowlton as AD.

Golden One said:

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calumnus said:

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There is a huge vacuum that could be filled by Cal athletics. Hopefullly, no matter what conference situation we end up with on the next cycle, we start achieving our potential by marketing broadly to the East Bay and winning whatever conference we are in and getting in the CFP and NCAA Tournament. If we have a fan base and good teams we will be a school conferences want and will end up in a good situation on the next cycle.

---

Won"t happen with Wilcox as head coach and Knowlton as AD.

---

You got anything else to add? You're a freaking broken record.

BearSD said:

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CNHTH said:

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I always defended the bay against a lot of stuff but looking around it's pretty clear to me that the reason we're in this position is because we are no longer a community.

---

I'm just not seeing the closure of another horse racing track as a sign of anything. If I was going to go on a rant and list things that have gone wrong in the Bay Area, that wouldn't even make the top 1,000.

Did you say the peninsula was doomed when the Bay Meadows horse track in San Mateo closed in August 2008?

Did you say that LA was doomed when the Hollywood Park horse track closed in December 2013?

---

I agree a horse racing track is probably not a major sign of anything. But over the last five years the East Bay has lost (1) professional football team, (1) professional baseball team, had (1) professional basketball team move across the bay, and is on the verge of the main college football team being relegated out of a power conference, in part because of lack of local support.

All that combined can't mean nothing.

BearSD said:

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CNHTH said:

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I always defended the bay against a lot of stuff but looking around it's pretty clear to me that the reason we're in this position is because we are no longer a community.

---

I'm just not seeing the closure of another horse racing track as a sign of anything. If I was going to go on a rant and list things that have gone wrong in the Bay Area, that wouldn't even make the top 1,000.

Did you say the peninsula was doomed when the Bay Meadows horse track in San Mateo closed in August 2008?

Did you say that LA was doomed when the Hollywood Park horse track closed in December 2013?

---

When I lived near Albany Hill and El Cerrito Plaza and even when I lived in Oakland, I would bike through the Golden Gate Fields area numerous times. It was always seemed so out of place. So ill-fitting. I realize it's been there a long time.

Alkiadt said:

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Golden One said:

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calumnus said:

---

There is a huge vacuum that could be filled by Cal athletics. Hopefullly, no matter what conference situation we end up with on the next cycle, we start achieving our potential by marketing broadly to the East Bay and winning whatever conference we are in and getting in the CFP and NCAA Tournament. If we have a fan base and good teams we will be a school conferences want and will end up in a good situation on the next cycle.

---

Won"t happen with Wilcox as head coach and Knowlton as AD.

---

You got anything else to add? You're a freaking broken record.

---

Sorry, but I know that the truth hurts.

I like horse racing. I've been to Golden Gate Fields, recently. There is generally a total of about 35 people there.

The market is the market.

We have a HUGE homelessness problem in the Bay Area and you think this huge tract of land coming available is a negative?

Wow, that's kinda strange. I'd look at this as a great opportunity to actually do something about the problem.

But nope, I'm not that naive! This land will be sold to the highest bidder so some massive project can get built consisting of high-end commercial space, luxury apartments, condos and homes and be sold (for cash) to the highest foreign bidders. No Bay Area blue collar kids will be buying a home here. And for sure there we be NO relocated homeless living here pursuing the American Dream.

So I guess you're right

CNHTH said:

---

GGF is shuttering the Albany track and relocating all horses and resources to SoCal.
Look. I'm not trying to be insensitive to any group but we've gone from a community with equal parts everyone to a community dominated by hipsters who smell their own farts and balk at the notion of athletic competition and have philosophical debates about the reason they see a line of headlights filled with the workers who pump their gas and vacuum their hallway and wrap their burrito heading over the altomont pass every night at 7 and every morning at 5 because the only place they can afford to live is in shared housing in Modesto. Those were the types who imho used to come to Memorial, the Coliseum, GGF when they could actually afford to live here.
Big $ knows this and is imho the reason we are on the verge of being left without any semblance of professional sport or P5 athletics other than the dubs and gnats where tech bros go to flaunt their undeserved wealth and the escort on their arm and could care less about the outcome or the 7500 dollars they spent to get club level.
I always defended the bay against a lot of stuff but looking around it's pretty clear to me that the reason we're in this position is because we are no longer a community.
We're a strip mall with a mayor. Wait that's too generous. We're an endless block of luxury condos with a Starbucks and a Subway at the bottom. With an angry homeless dude at the bottom yelling at the air.

---

Sorry to see GGF, where I mis-spent much of my youth, go away. Although I'm very far now from being a youth and haven't been there in years even though I still live in Berkeley.

In any case, I'm glad you're not trying to be insensitive to hipsters who smell their own farts.

TandemBear said:

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We have a HUGE homelessness problem in the Bay Area and you think this huge tract of land coming available is a negative?

Wow, that's kinda strange. I'd look at this as a great opportunity to actually do something about the problem.

But nope, I'm not that naive! This land will be sold to the highest bidder so some massive project can get built consisting of high-end commercial space, luxury apartments, condos and homes and be sold (for cash) to the highest foreign bidders. No Bay Area blue collar kids will be buying a home here. And for sure there we be NO relocated homeless living here pursuing the American Dream.

So I guess you're right

---

You would turn all that land into a massive homeless shelter that is guaranteed to be a blight and fail? I don't think that helps the east bay.

cnhth, ur a very interesting guy & r probably a lotta fun to do the hang with on gamedays

You think the biggest problem in Oakland is hipsters? I'm curious if you know who has run the city of Oakland for decades?

Purchase the land for student housing & medical center

We need more pickle ball!

JB was a Chieftain said:

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Purchase the land for student housing & medical center

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Highest and best use? I don't think so.

The City needs dough. How it would be spent is up to the voters. Might be wasted anyway.

Return the manufactured land to its original use. A hill was mostly bulldozed to create a weapons depot for WWII. Before that, it was a sandy beach covered in human waste from untreated sewage dumped into the bay.

Ah, the good old days.

Not sure how you can take the closure of a racetrack that almost nobody goes to and then make some broad statements about the Bay Area in general. Bay Area residents seem to have no problem supporting "competition" (local sports team) when they're winning and/or putting an interesting product on the field.

Typical myopic view of the problems and solution.

Did you see the term "homeless shelter" anywhere in my post? Didn't think so. You need to open your eyes and understand the problems at hand.

westcoast101 said:

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Not sure how you can take the closure of a racetrack that almost nobody goes to and then make some broad statements about the Bay Area in general. Bay Area residents seem to have no problem supporting "competition" (local sports team) when they're winning and/or putting an interesting product on the field.

---

Yes they do. The bay area (where I live) is a terrible sports town, and it irritates me when people claim it is. Or claim it is with a qualifier like when they are good.

golden sloth said:

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westcoast101 said:

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Not sure how you can take the closure of a racetrack that almost nobody goes to and then make some broad statements about the Bay Area in general. Bay Area residents seem to have no problem supporting "competition" (local sports team) when they're winning and/or putting an interesting product on the field.

---

Yes they do. The bay area (where I live) is a terrible sports town, and it irritates me when people claim it is. Or claim it is with a qualifier like when they are good.

---

Hey, great point, I mean look at the Warriors, 49ers, and Giants, all barely surviving.

maxer said:

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golden sloth said:

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westcoast101 said:

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Not sure how you can take the closure of a racetrack that almost nobody goes to and then make some broad statements about the Bay Area in general. Bay Area residents seem to have no problem supporting "competition" (local sports team) when they're winning and/or putting an interesting product on the field.

---

Yes they do. The bay area (where I live) is a terrible sports town, and it irritates me when people claim it is. Or claim it is with a qualifier like when they are good.

---

Hey, great point, I mean look at the Warriors, 49ers, and Giants, all barely surviving.

---

The giants attendance is in the middle of the pack, which given the media market is underperforming.

The warriors, coming off a championship, averaged middle of the pack, between such big market goliaths as the Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic.

golden sloth said:

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maxer said:

---

golden sloth said:

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westcoast101 said:

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Not sure how you can take the closure of a racetrack that almost nobody goes to and then make some broad statements about the Bay Area in general. Bay Area residents seem to have no problem supporting "competition" (local sports team) when they're winning and/or putting an interesting product on the field.

---

Yes they do. The bay area (where I live) is a terrible sports town, and it irritates me when people claim it is. Or claim it is with a qualifier like when they are good.

---

Hey, great point, I mean look at the Warriors, 49ers, and Giants, all barely surviving.

---

The giants attendance is in the middle of the pack, which given the media market is underperforming.

The warriors, coming off a championship, averaged middle of the pack, between such big market goliaths as the Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic.

---

That's the most disingenuous argument I've ever heard, since if you look at it for one second, it becomes clear that it's almost entirely about arena size, and in fact the Warriors sell out just about every game.

https://www.espn.com/nba/attendance

maxer said:

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I like horse racing. I've been to Golden Gate Fields, recently. There is generally a total of about 35 people there.

The market is the market.

---

For decades, unless you wanted to go on a road trip to a casino state, horse racing, including thoroughbreds, quarter horses, and trotters (and dog racing, where it was legal) was the only legal way to gamble. Now you can gamble on your phone, and casinos are everywhere. The real estate has become too valuable. We're going to reach a point when there might be 10 tracks operating in this country, and then that will raise the question of whether there will be enough critical mass for horse breeding. I think it all goes away in the next 20 years.

95bears said:

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TandemBear said:

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We have a HUGE homelessness problem in the Bay Area and you think this huge tract of land coming available is a negative?

Wow, that's kinda strange. I'd look at this as a great opportunity to actually do something about the problem.

But nope, I'm not that naive! This land will be sold to the highest bidder so some massive project can get built consisting of high-end commercial space, luxury apartments, condos and homes and be sold (for cash) to the highest foreign bidders. No Bay Area blue collar kids will be buying a home here. And for sure there we be NO relocated homeless living here pursuing the American Dream.

So I guess you're right

---

You would turn all that land into a massive homeless shelter that is guaranteed to be a blight and fail? I don't think that helps the east bay.

---

There's a massive housing shortage, forcing people who are poor people (those making under $60,000) onto the street. Why not redevelop that area for more housing or something? It doesn't have to be a homeless shelter.

Ah good times at GGF. Usually Cities exact an affordable housing requirement of some kind as a condition of approving developments on public lands. We'll see what happens.

Years ago I took my then young son to GGF for a little play on the ponies. I also used it as an object lesson to discuss gambling addiction. I explained that almost everybody loses and if they won the racetrack would immediately have to go out of business--that they make money because most people lose their money there. I asked him to look around and ask himself if the people looked like they made money out of their gambling--he agreed they did not look like that. I talked about addiction in general--drugs, drinking, eating, and gambling--and how many can enjoy the activity in moderation without becoming addicted but for some it ruins their life. He claimed to understand it all.

I told him he could bet on three races, which he did, losing all three. He then commenced to beg over and over for just one more chance. He claimed he "kneeeeeew he could win the next one if just given the chance!" LOL I still kid him about it decades later.

golden sloth said:

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maxer said:

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golden sloth said:

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westcoast101 said:

---

Not sure how you can take the closure of a racetrack that almost nobody goes to and then make some broad statements about the Bay Area in general. Bay Area residents seem to have no problem supporting "competition" (local sports team) when they're winning and/or putting an interesting product on the field.

---

Yes they do. The bay area (where I live) is a terrible sports town, and it irritates me when people claim it is. Or claim it is with a qualifier like when they are good.

---

Hey, great point, I mean look at the Warriors, 49ers, and Giants, all barely surviving.

---

The giants attendance is in the middle of the pack, which given the media market is underperforming.

The warriors, coming off a championship, averaged middle of the pack, between such big market goliaths as the Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic.

---

This "argument" is so dumb that it's hardly worthy of a reply. As an SF resident that attends many local sporting events each year (including a Giants game a few days ago), you clearly don't have a clue if you think there's some sort of lack of interest in attending sporting events here.

westcoast101 said:

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golden sloth said:

---

maxer said:

---

golden sloth said:

---

westcoast101 said:

---

Not sure how you can take the closure of a racetrack that almost nobody goes to and then make some broad statements about the Bay Area in general. Bay Area residents seem to have no problem supporting "competition" (local sports team) when they're winning and/or putting an interesting product on the field.

---

Yes they do. The bay area (where I live) is a terrible sports town, and it irritates me when people claim it is. Or claim it is with a qualifier like when they are good.

---

Hey, great point, I mean look at the Warriors, 49ers, and Giants, all barely surviving.

---

The giants attendance is in the middle of the pack, which given the media market is underperforming.

The warriors, coming off a championship, averaged middle of the pack, between such big market goliaths as the Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic.

---

This "argument" is so dumb that it's hardly worthy of a reply. As an SF resident that attends many local sporting events each year (including a Giants game a few days ago), you clearly don't have a clue if you think there's some sort of lack of interest in attending sporting events here.

---

Also if you want to go by metrics that actually matter, the warriors are #1 in revenue in the NBA and it isn't close:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/193704/revenue-of-national-basketball-association-teams-in-2010/

Giants are #8 in MLB:

https://www.totalsportal.com/list/mlb-teams-with-highest-revenue/

westcoast101 said:

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golden sloth said:

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maxer said:

---

golden sloth said:

---

westcoast101 said:

---

Not sure how you can take the closure of a racetrack that almost nobody goes to and then make some broad statements about the Bay Area in general. Bay Area residents seem to have no problem supporting "competition" (local sports team) when they're winning and/or putting an interesting product on the field.

---

Yes they do. The bay area (where I live) is a terrible sports town, and it irritates me when people claim it is. Or claim it is with a qualifier like when they are good.

---

Hey, great point, I mean look at the Warriors, 49ers, and Giants, all barely surviving.

---

The giants attendance is in the middle of the pack, which given the media market is underperforming.

The warriors, coming off a championship, averaged middle of the pack, between such big market goliaths as the Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic.

---

This "argument" is so dumb that it's hardly worthy of a reply. As an SF resident that attends many local sporting events each year (including a Giants game a few days ago), you clearly don't have a clue if you think there's some sort of lack of interest in attending sporting events here.

---

I too have gone to many local sporting events every year, and I'm always unimpressed by the turn out and the fans.

They show up late, take a selfie or two, have a hot dog and fries, and leave early. Not impressed.

golden sloth said:

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westcoast101 said:

---

golden sloth said:

---

maxer said:

---

golden sloth said:

---

westcoast101 said:

---

Not sure how you can take the closure of a racetrack that almost nobody goes to and then make some broad statements about the Bay Area in general. Bay Area residents seem to have no problem supporting "competition" (local sports team) when they're winning and/or putting an interesting product on the field.

---

Yes they do. The bay area (where I live) is a terrible sports town, and it irritates me when people claim it is. Or claim it is with a qualifier like when they are good.

---

Hey, great point, I mean look at the Warriors, 49ers, and Giants, all barely surviving.

---

The giants attendance is in the middle of the pack, which given the media market is underperforming.

The warriors, coming off a championship, averaged middle of the pack, between such big market goliaths as the Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic.

---

This "argument" is so dumb that it's hardly worthy of a reply. As an SF resident that attends many local sporting events each year (including a Giants game a few days ago), you clearly don't have a clue if you think there's some sort of lack of interest in attending sporting events here.

---

I too have gone to many local sporting events every year, and I'm always unimpressed by the turn out and the fans.

They show up late, take a selfie or two, have a hot dog and fries, and leave early. Not impressed.

---

To be fair, I don't just think that's a Bay Area thing. Especially for what sports tickets cost now, I'm always surprised - but people stay for half of a game and leave.

okaydo said:

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95bears said:

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TandemBear said:

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We have a HUGE homelessness problem in the Bay Area and you think this huge tract of land coming available is a negative?

Wow, that's kinda strange. I'd look at this as a great opportunity to actually do something about the problem.

But nope, I'm not that naive! This land will be sold to the highest bidder so some massive project can get built consisting of high-end commercial space, luxury apartments, condos and homes and be sold (for cash) to the highest foreign bidders. No Bay Area blue collar kids will be buying a home here. And for sure there we be NO relocated homeless living here pursuing the American Dream.

So I guess you're right

---

You would turn all that land into a massive homeless shelter that is guaranteed to be a blight and fail? I don't think that helps the east bay.

---

There's a massive housing shortage, forcing people who are poor people (those making under $60,000) onto the street. Why not redevelop that area for more housing or something? It doesn't have to be a homeless shelter.

---

Most homeless people suffer from addiction, alcoholism or mental illness, or a combo of those things.

BigDaddy said:

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okaydo said:

---

95bears said:

---

TandemBear said:

---

We have a HUGE homelessness problem in the Bay Area and you think this huge tract of land coming available is a negative?

Wow, that's kinda strange. I'd look at this as a great opportunity to actually do something about the problem.

But nope, I'm not that naive! This land will be sold to the highest bidder so some massive project can get built consisting of high-end commercial space, luxury apartments, condos and homes and be sold (for cash) to the highest foreign bidders. No Bay Area blue collar kids will be buying a home here. And for sure there we be NO relocated homeless living here pursuing the American Dream.

So I guess you're right

---

You would turn all that land into a massive homeless shelter that is guaranteed to be a blight and fail? I don't think that helps the east bay.

---

There's a massive housing shortage, forcing people who are poor people (those making under $60,000) onto the street. Why not redevelop that area for more housing or something? It doesn't have to be a homeless shelter.

---

Most homeless people suffer from addiction, alcoholism or mental illness, or a combo of those things.

---

Not sure about "most" but many lost a job and became unhoused first, and then developed or exacerbated their chemical addictions and mental health issues living on the streets. When you are jobless and unhoused you have a lot to worry about, a lot that might upset you and have a lot of time on your hands with no TV or devices to divert your attention. Staying with your stuff and drinking or getting high is both self-medicating and a way to pass the time.

I agree with your main point, which is it is very difficult to rehouse people who have been homeless for a long time. Just building affordable homes does not get them in them.