It was the 20th anniversary of the release of the movie Rounders last week… Complete with a column from the Ringer and a Re-watchable’s podcast from Bill Simmons.

The ‘capper is a huge fan of the movie, as well as of theme  song i’m a big star now (checking it up)… So much that it’s on the playlist when I psych myself up for the races.

But in the ringer’s written piece, there was a great quote from Ed Norton, which reminded me of a column I’ve been thinking about it all summer.

I’m wondering if the advent of nationwide sports gambling, plus widespread casinos, plus sports books and race books in apps on your phone isn’t taking some of the old-school fun out of it all.

You see, an older friend of mine passed away in May. He liked the horses, in fact told me many stories about hot-walking for his uncle the trainer on the New England circuit years ago.

His favorite story was about a horse, named Hip Flip, and how much the horse liked the mud. He told me on several occasions about how he and other teachers he worked with, or family and friends would see that it was raining and pile in the car to drive to the Great Barrington Fairgrounds or to Lincoln Park in Rhode Island to bet the horse.

You see, in life, sometimes the journey is the thing.

When I first got into the racing game, I was living in Vermont.   There was no parimutual wagering to be had at that point as Green Mountain had burned down a few years before. I cut my teeth at Saratoga, and honestly the first time I was dragged there by friends, more because they wanted to use my Ford Explorer for the weekend to pack the family into, then anything else.   One weekend at the track turned into multiple weekends at the track, and the rest as they say, is history.

After that introduction, a coworker and I would occasionally leave our office doors and lights on, as we leave for “lunch” hop the ferry to Plattsburgh to play a handful of races at the OTB, before returning late on the workday.   No one was any the wiser.

(Here’s the thing, if you have to take the car, and a boat, to get your bets down, you’re committed).

After leaving Vermont I landed in New York City, where some friends had a near weekly house poker game.  That game was better than average, as there were a couple of lawyers as well a couple of us working stiffs.  There would be a few thousand dollars in the room, and occasionally someone had to make a trip to the ATM.   It occurred to me that it wasn’t out of the question that the door might get rushed.  A couple of us occasionally dabbled in poker clubs in New York.

If you’ve ever bet with the bookie, you understand the experience as well.  There is a thrill of victory in getting paid, and there’s a certain thrill in going to pay as well.

It’s the thrill of the chase, and of living on the edge just a bit, that breaks the monotony of a 9-to-5, when you never quite know what might happen next. The sneaking around, and being in a quiet fraternity, albeit a widespread one, of punters, that explained why that guy was pulling so hard for the Lions on thanksgiving day.    (I mean really, have you ever met a Lions fan !?)

Fantasy baseball and football were interesting to play for a while. But you quickly learn, there’s nothing quite as uninteresting as someone else’s fantasy football team.   I’m hoping that sports wagering doesn’t become the equivalent – In that the new frontier will make the bad beat story, and who ya got – become the guy at the party who wants to tell you about the kicker he drafted in the 8th round, when you’d really rather be talking the girl with the tattoo who’s had a drink too many.

I do fear in this digital age, the thrill of the journey may be waning.   There’s something about going to the track, the anticipation of the drive, the conversation with friends along the way. There’s something about going to OTB, you’ll never know who you might be sitting next to, and The characters you meet and see, are right out of a modern day Damon Runyon script, and add to the color richness of life.

Every Racetrack in America has that one Horseplayer you can hear rooting above all others. A friend of mine sent me this entertaining video from @losalracing today. THIS is truly what playing the horses is all about, and why I love that it’s a pari-mutuel game. Watch & Enjoy ! pic.twitter.com/7KFdm0qYJh

— Todd Schrupp (@ToddTVG) January 12, 2018

As we begin this journey into the new age of sports wagering apps and online casinos let’s all remember to enjoy the journey, and embrace the thrill of the chase.

I have a nice room with a big screen, comfortable couches, wireless access and can play anything anywhere in the world.    And it’s great to have that ability – but sometimes, you gotta go to the track, pass the money through the window and pound a winner.

You see, when Ray passed away this spring, we had a group that got together for the wake.   It was on a Sunday afternoon, so as per usual I scanned the entries that day for anything I was interested in.

Just one thing caught my eye, that Jersey Joe Bravo was coming in on Sunday to ride just one horse.   Figured that one must be pretty live, if he’d leave his family at the beach to take the ride.  I took a ride too, and put my money on him.  It wasn’t till we were at the bar after the wake that I looked at the damn app on my phone to see how he’d done. He won, of course, and it at that point I realized that the horse was an homage as well – The horse’s name was Dr. Hipp.

Enjoy the journey my friends.