"If something is going to affect your life, it's best to know as much as you can about it." - Donald Trump
"Always Open"
The Betting Public
by William Belkner                   
Make it Black & White - Eliminate the Gray
1/28/09

    Video technology has left the official's decisions less
    controversial and much more accurate in all sports, or
    almost all.

    Many professional sport official's make calls on what they
    see. The world we live in today leaves very little room for
    error with a "judgement" call. For example, if a foul is
    made, a face mask grab, or the player steps out of bounds,
    its only a matter of the officials or video cameras "seeing
    the offense", and not "how they saw it". Consistency with
    officiating is a must in today's wide world of sports -
    including harness racing.

    The betting public make their bets expecting nothing less
    than fair play. Whether a $100 bet has been made or
    you're a $2 bettor, it's the job of the officials to take care of
    the betting public.

    If you could create a new rule in harness racing, or change
    one, to make it more black & white, what would it be? Send
    your suggested rule or change HERE, and it will be posted
    in the next column of "The Betting Public". Add the city and
    state of which you're from, as your name will not be used
    --- only the city and state.