Rick Press

@TeslaBoomerPapa I wondered how long you could listen before breaking out in laughter. You held out. You’re a true professional!

Hee! Hee! Hee!: "he's rolling with the punches" Hee! Hee! Hee!

@EJXD2 @KentuckyDerby Some of the sires were legends! Alydar, Affirmed, Wild Again,… @fmkray

The 1991 @KentuckyDerby was race 8 of 10. Exacta wagering on this race.

Just had to throw in that @elonmusk dig. @espn Wish it made sense

On the road or at home, @Lions are built from the OL and DL out to the Skill positions. Thanks Amon and his band of characters. Go Lions. #OnePride.

@Johnubacon If they change QB

If UM can get a stop they have enough time and 2 time-outs, but UM has gained 9 yards this half.

@RealJamesWoods Where’s that guitar he threw in the sky,…

Prince’s guitar solo here has to be one of the greatest in rock history. I’ve watched this a hundred times and it is absolutely mind-blowing.

@NickKyrgios Your interview with Emma Navarro was great! You asked questions that dug into her mindset, strategy and stamina. No one else @espn can do what you did today.

Well, espn pay me to give my best knowledge and enthusiasm and character to the broadcasting scene. Also, I’ve beaten all the goats of the sport so I think I can add and break down the game. Also, I’m in New York, because I have brands that require me for appearances. X

@irv_babbitt Why doesn’t this outrage extend to the famous Cart Monitors in the parking lot? Let them do that job also. Why do I have to return my cart?

@Tinky47flat Thanks for the breakdown. I loved SL and ThorAnna but to see Fierceness hang on was a thrill for 3 YO going forward

‡ Travers 2024 – What did we learn? Perhaps the most important, and certainly the most oft repeated racing axiom, is that pace makes the race. And the result of yesterday's thrilling edition of the Travers Stakes illustrates why it can be so important. Had handicappers somehow magically been provided with a single data point in advance, namely that the pacesetter would record an opening half-mile split of 48.10, Sierra Leone would not have been favored, let alone at a short price. He was favored in large part because it had appeared, on paper, as though a solid, or quite possibly strong pace was likely to develop. But as all seasoned horseplayers know, it is actually not so uncommon for strange things to happen when there appears to be a lot of speed on paper. After all, jockeys, owners and trainers, all read PPs as well. At the very least, riders tend to go into such races with some concerns about possibly getting caught up too close to a fast pace. So when Batten Down, which was correctly considered by the other jockeys in the race to pose no threat to win, jumped out to set the pace, they were all content to sit patiently behind him through the early and middle stages of the race. Dornach, which arguably ran the most disappointing race of the principals, did sit in close attendance to Batten Down, but failed to advance when put under pressure on the final turn, and finished a well-beaten fourth. It is important to note that he had never displayed brilliance, nor a sharp turn of foot, as he is a galloper, or "grinder", as some like to put it. High-class, but essentially one-paced. And for those reasons, he was, and will always be vulnerable to horses with better acceleration. But that doesn't fully explain why he struggled to get past Batten Down, when he had, in his previous two races, been able to handle Mindframe, a much better and faster horse. My pre-race skepticism of Fierceness was largely based on the premise that there would be at least a solid pace. That didn't materialize, and the moderate pace helped him greatly. Consider that Fierceness himself covered the first half-mile in fractions in :24 and :48 3/5, which, for a high-class horse with a high cruising speed, is roughly equivalent to an easy half-mile breeze. So he was able to sit well within himself through a slow opening half-mile, and then produce a :47 3/5 second half-mile split, breaking the race open, before holding sway in the final quarter-mile. Those type of fractions, coupled with the fact that the two horses which he had to pass on the turn gave way readily, allowed to Fierceness to cash in on his second consecutive good, if not nearly perfect trip. Hats off to Johnny Valesquez, who rode him to perfection. Thorpedo Anna defied my expectations, as while she didn't win, she did run the best, and fastest race of her career, over a distance that was a serious question mark on pedigree. I'm delighted that she did so, as the finish was thrilling, and her performance was terrific for the game. She also seems to be a robust type, so hopefully she will maintain her form through the Breeders' Cup. Sierra Leone ran about as well as could be expected under the circumstances. In contrast to the first two finishers, he has no tactical speed, and was at the mercy of the modest pace. It's a serious limitation, and he has been a very frustrating horse for bettors, but if, by chance, there is a much stronger pace in the Breeders' Cup Classic, I would give him a very good chance to turn the tables on Fierceness. Unmatched Wisdom and Corporate Power engaged in some bumping at the start, and the former had a hind bandage unravel on the backstretch. I would expect both to be placed less ambitiously next time out. Honor Marie, an extreme one-run type, had no chance given the pace, but ran so poorly that something may have been amiss. Fierceness earned a Beyer figure of 111, narrowly faster than his romp in the Florida Derby. For some interesting perspective on speed, I consulted a DRF list of top Beyers from 1993-2018, and created a refined list for comparison (see the attached images). I included only 3yo races beyond a mile on dirt. With the exception of a few weak years (crops), Fierceness thus far stacks up as being below average, in terms of speed figures for 3yos, as in only six of the 25 years would 111 have topped the list. In most years, it would have been a relatively slow figure when compared with the fastest 3yos. To be fair, he could improve further, and record a higher figure in the Breeders' Cup, but I would suggest that it would take another beneficial set-up for that to be even plausible. What about my long-standing position that Fierceness has a serious limitation? I continue to stand by it, as the Travers was run similarly to his previous race, in that he enjoyed another stress free trip, and perfect ride. Bear in mind that his poor races have all had one thing in common: he encountered adverse conditions. That hasn't happened in either of his last two starts, and he took full advantage of the opportunities. There is a fair question of whether he might have gained (mental) maturity, and grown out of his tendency to become flustered or intimidated due to rough trips. I am skeptical that it is the case, as I literally cannot recall having seen it happen previously. That doesn't mean that it definitely has not, nor could not happen, but it would certainly be a very rare occurrence. A final note on stamina. While both Fierceness and Thorpedo Anna ran very well, I suspect that most are misinterpreting their efforts as they relate to distance capabilities. It's important to keep in mind that the modest pace helped both horses, and not only tactically. It also had the effect of making the race less taxing in terms of stamina. I would assert, and with a fair degree of confidence, that, despite the result, both are better suited to distances of a mile to 9f., and given a solid (or strong) pace, they would likely prove vulnerable over 10f. due to stamina limitations.

@elonmusk Glad that Captain Kirk was just in a simulation, we would never get to a reality where courts would dictate Free (sometime) Speech.

Being a free speech advocate these days is increasingly feeling like a Kobayashi Maru problem

@Sassafrass_84 Thanks Sassafrass for showing how President Trump does something personal and heartfelt. The families appreciate this small gesture. President Biden nor anyone from his cabinet would dare attend this event with the families so close.

Is it normal for a former president to lay a wreath at Arlington cemetery? I have never seen that before. I thought it was only the sitting president that does this?

@elonmusk I was with start up company Bullseye Telecom, LLC in October 2000 with two racks of telecom equipment (CoLo at L3) ready to take on Metro Detroit area in the broadband wave. Communications aside, Congratulations Elon! You’re taking on the world in thinking!

Video of the inside of Cortex today, the giant new AI training supercluster being built at Tesla HQ in Austin to solve real-world AI

@44MagnumBlue1 Thanks for everything you do RTF. It’s hard to read of so many young heroes that we lost. We have to remember. It’s the least we can do to thank these men and women whom sacrificed so much.

Many of you that have followed for a few years know that people leave personal remembrances of the Fallen on the Wall of Faces site. It’s very sad that no one who knew Michael personally left a note. Very sad. Rest in Peace, warrior. You are loved and remembered today. God bless.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Michael Linn Cooper was killed in action on August 24, 1968 in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam. Michael was 19 years old and from Chesapeake, West Virginia. E Company, 2nd Bn, 27th Marines. Remember Michael today. He is an American Hero.🇺🇸

I am willing to serve

Hey @elonmusk I bought this years ago and intended to send a letter to the first colony on Mars. Will you please guarantee that this stamp will be a Forever stamp for my grandkids to use?Of course once you get there and set up the post office,…

@AmazingPRMaven @n3sgd1959 Rest well, Chris. You did your best that you could do for us. Thanks Ami for sharing your brother’s personality. I’ll think of him when I’m having a favorite drink of his.

My brother, Chris Neiberger, would have turned 39 tomorrow. He was killed in action at age 22 in Iraq on 08/06/2007. He loved roller coasters, practical jokes, history, coffee, beer. Please join us in toasting his life tomorrow. We remember the way he lived. #honorthefallen

@MrShermichael @GunsOutTV This event should be in my community here in the Motor City

Vendors setting up early this morning at our outdoor range before guests arrive for our @GunsOutTV 2024 range day. It’s incredible how fast we’ve grown this business in just three years! We had 4,000 attendees last year, and hoping to cross 5k this year. Building a business is hard as hell, but so much fun!

@LRiddickESPN @EASPORTSCollege Louis, It’s summer! With all due respect, tell your son to put the device down and go out and play! Go PLAY!

@pavyg @RepMTG That was pure fire! You’re done!

OMG I LOVE @RepMTG Everything she says here is absolutely spot on and she absolutely destroys a UK Times journalist! 😂 This is a must watch. Main stream media are the primary cause of all the divisions and toxicity we see right now. Wake up people.