Monday, August 20, 2012

Do you care about the America's Cup? Monday quick start

There's going to be a big boat race in the Summer of 2013 here. Many races in fact.

America's Cup. Can you feel the excitement?

Seriously, do you care? The local media believes you do. Businesses along the waterfront hope you do too, yet every time I hear a story about all this, it all feels a bit forced.

And lately, all I'm hearing is how the number of race teams from other countries continues to diminish. Now it's down to six. Six? (Paging Ted Turner, Courageous team captain, 1977-- We need a good injection of intrigue.)

Oh, and Larry Ellison is big on all this.

So, what do you think?

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31 comments:

  1. Rich, I will not be coming from the South Bay to see a couple of super rich bastards sail the bay!

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  2. Rich,

    Love your blog, keep up the great work. First, I'm a huge fan of the America's Cup and have been following it since the early 80's and I will be there. This is (potentially) a once-in-a-lifetime event. I know most people will care less about sailboat racing but this is one of the biggest events SF will ever see. I'm actually glad to see them pushing it.

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  3. I guess the most common reaction is: yaahhnn. Like most others I know I don't sail, I know nothing about the boats, I'm not rich, and my ego stays within bounds. I remain more interested in: Melky, WTF!

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  4. Is Mitt Romney and his boat "Raw Money" entering this thing?

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  5. I'm not rich, but a sailing is very cheap if you join a club (like OCSC which is a very low key cluband fullof great people) I will be down on Crissy on Saturday

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  6. The press keeps getting more blase' every day. Six teams? Traffic galore? Time to head the other direction, say, to Sonoma or the Gold Country.....

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  7. Isn't one of the boats named the "Rafalca"?

    No really, what a snoozefest.

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  8. @8.39 Agreed about Melky..WTF indeed. Guess the people that Comcast/the Giants/whoever paid to dress up as "Melk-men" or "Melk-maids" have to find other ways to get in to Giants' games now.

    Of course the media is playing up America's Cup as if anyone gave a rat's ass, it gives them something to talk about. And when the date approaches, there might actually be people willing to buy overpriced tickets to it.

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  9. I will IF ONLY, Raddy puts sails on his Bentley and names his carship the SS "I Love Larry"

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  10. The degree of smarts and athleticism involved in sailing an America's cup boat is intense. Most of you have no idea! It's a great event for SF and was appreciated by every other locale where it's been. I guess they didn't have as many angry white guys to piss on it.

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    1. Oh, I know there's a lot involved, I just can't get excited. It's like with modern Grand Prix racing. It doesn't do it for me anymore, though it's still got a lot of dynamic/creative folks involved. Just that it's all so über-commercialized and the tech regs are actually so confined. Anyhow, it's got interest for some, but the media is really overhyping it.

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  11. The first time I read that America's Cup would pump BILLIONS into the local economy my BS meter went off worse than a smoke detector. What a load of crap. Who in the world would venture to San Francisco to watch a bunch of rich pricks play in the water? It's not like the Blue Angels are here to do spectacular things. Hell, we couldn't even get Ellison to spring for Piers 30/32 without the City handing him carte blanche to run the waterfront any way he pleases. To hell with America's Cup

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  12. Seems like just a few weeks ago when "nobody was jazzed about the Olympics." It's a tad early to write something off as a bust a year before it happens. In the social media age, all it would take is a visit from a Kardashian or Bieber to make the America's Cup the next "big" thing. Either that or another lame "call me Maybe" rip-off from one of the teams.

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  13. It's all been "SUPER HYPED" by Gavin Newson and Larry Ellison and it is all coming more unglued every day. It was really an end run for Ellison to get a bunch of rent-free water front leases to profit from. He didn't get rich using his own money.

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  14. Ronn Owens out at KGO this week. Using up his sick / vacation time before his departure?

    Pat Thurston subbed, and did Ronn, KGO, and Sean Nix proud, must have played the Race Card 3 or 4 times.

    She also was the first to actually play the Joe Biden 'Chains' race-baiting charge between about 11:37 and 11:39 AM. I think it was because she had a problem getting callers.

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    1. She also covered the Romney "unchained" and Biden "chains" comments Saturday morning. Didn't hear today's show but Saturday's was pretty good.

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  15. Watching a bunch of sailboats being blown around the bay, is about as exciting as watching golf. BORING! I can't believe the reports that say millions of dollars will be poured into the bay area because of this race. As others have said, who cares?

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  16. Mission accomplished? Have they neutralized your commentary?
    I hope you are regrouping and will counter wisely and vigorously.

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  17. From what I have read regarding the owners of KGO, Ronn Owens last day of service will be December 31, 2012 and not a day sooner. I do not see them paying Ronn to leave early and pay someone to take his place. That would be paying twice for the same ground. Ronn; you are safe until your contract expires.

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  18. No, I don't care about the America's Cup. And I don't care about boating or boat racing. Never have. But there are a ton of people out there who are into it big time. So, more power to them. And if Larry Ellison wants to spend 1/3rd of his fortune building the most state-of-the-art sail boat to ever set sail, let him. It's his money. Big effing deal.

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  19. Yawn...Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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  20. This is a pretty big deal and it is a shame that it is not getting better publicity. It is a world class event. I sail and I am not rich. I guess the upside is I won't be fighting the crowds to watch.

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  21. Rich - your security letters/numbers is absurd and I'm sure you are losing comments. Try it yourself.

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  22. I grew up in Tiburon in a sailing family, and we were always out on the bay in our 36 foot ketch on the weekends. It was a great time, and I have fond memories of my dad behind the helm and my mom sitting next to him with a cup of coffee as the cool breezes refreshed us while we bounced off the waves between Marin and the city.

    Sailing is a somewhat exclusive sport and the America's Cup traditionally has not been a spectator sport, because in the past the course is usually set up well off of a coast, so the only people who can watch it are those who are checking out the coverage on TV, or those lucky enough to be on the media boat nearby.

    This 2013 America's Cup will be very special because the course will be easy to see from the marina, from out on the bay if you're on a boat, from the Golden Gate Bridge, from Sausalito, and from Angel Island. Plus these boats are spectacular looking and glide along the water quickly and beautifully. I think even those who are skeptical about the America's Cup will enjoy the races.

    It's too bad the sport has been characterized as a 'rich man's hobby,' as most of the sailors and skippers are not necessarily from the elite class.

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  23. The America's Cup will be as important as they (promoters) dictate to the media what it should be. And the media, most being a bunch of thoughtless lemmings (most particularly the broadcast, who base their news items on what they see in the newspaper to begin with) will be led to sea by the promoters. Why doesn't the media investigate what's going on in the real world: high unemployment, gas prices being artificially inflated, California cities having to declare bankruptcy. Those are more important than seeing a bunch of poppinjays playing in the water with their boats.

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  24. I wouldn't go if they paid me.

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  25. Well 839, you can find no jobs, gas, and we're all broke stories everywhere. Yeah, I know, everything is a conspiracy to keep us in the dark.

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