GOLDEN GATE
Today's Racing Digest
THE OSTERMAN FILES
GOING OVER THE EDGE
He’s taken us to the precipice often in the past but, this time Vic Stauffer went right over the edge.
His call for Thursday’s Hollywood Prevue Stakes was the last straw, not to mention a flagrant violation of the neutrality code
and professional ethics that announcers from coast to coast have lived up to for nearly a century. It went something like, “and Galex
has pulled up. It doesn’t look good for Galex. Darn it”. Darn it? Who is Stauffer, Beaver Cleaver? It probably could have been
worse. He could have said “Rats”, ala Charlie Brown.
Whatever perpetuated Stauffer’s reaction (genuine concern for the horse, sympathy for the connections, sorrow for those who
took 3/1 on Galex or just downright pandering), it was truly a travesty in the annals of announcing. There is no need for commentary
of this sort during the call of a race. Leave the diagnosis of the injury to the professionals, leave potential personal feelings to the
individual. Stay out of it, please. I have never heard any other race caller feel the need to add their two cents to an already bad
situation. However, if someone opts to thrust their opinion on an unsuspecting public, you’d think they could come up with something
better than “darn it”.
Personally, after the Prevue, I took an oath to never listen to another call from the guy. When I’m in control, the TV is now
on “mute” for every Hollywood Park event and it’s turned out to be a very relaxing and enjoyable experience. When races are not
interrupted by someone trying to be “the show”, serious handicappers are able to follow the action as it unfolds rather than rely on
tedious tidbits from a seemingly rabid announcer.
Calling races should be an exercise in journalism where the “who, what, where and when” is reported and not embellished.
Just call the race accurately, that’s all that is being asked.
Some, however, have the skills to do more. Take Michael Wrona, for instance. This fella is an absolute joy and anyone
wishing to compare Wrona with Stauffer only needs to look away from a race and just listen to the call. With Wrona, you know
where every horse is at every point and he rarely, if ever, loses his place or his pace. Stauffer, on the other hand, is always rumbling,
stumbling and bumbling trying to keep up. At crunch time, Wrona doesn’t raise his voice but simply increases the cadence as the
horses near the wire. Stauffer always sounds like he’s risking an aneurysm in the final furlong as his voice soars mega-decibels.
Wrona calls the tight photos with incredible accuracy and rarely with disclaimers. When he doesn’t take a stand (“oh, they’re out of
stride on the line”), there’s a good chance it’s a dead-heat. Stauffer tries to call all the tight ones but there’s always an “I think” or
something else to cover his behind. Still, he blows some outright. And, of course, Wrona is clever and, sometimes, laugh-out-loud
funny. You never hear the same call from him twice, it’s always fresh and suitable for the horses involved. Stauffer attempts to hide
his lack of originality by just screaming at the top of his lungs, no matter what the situation.
Wrona is always reporting while adding informative details about a horse’s history and style or regarding the connections
recent success, or lack thereof. Stauffer generally refers to riders by their first names or nicknames (“traveling well for Chantal”, or
“Go Go” has so-and-so well placed). Wrona uses the last name and, as any journalism school graduate knows, that’s the way you’re
supposed to do it. It’s as if Stauffer wants everybody to know he’s on a first name basis with the riders, even if “the Dominican
Dandy” did fire him as his agent a few years ago. It’s as if he wants everybody to understand he’s the smartest guy in the room just
because he’s the one bellowing into a microphone. The only knock ever heard on Wrona is his insistence on calling the finish of
every horse in the field which tends to tick off some not interested in being told that their best bet of the day straggled home sixth.
However, that’s a “flaw”, if it is one, we can all live with.
No, there is no comparison between Wrona and Stauffer. One is great and the other is, well, pretty-darn bad.
California’s other three announcers all tower over Stauffer as well. Trevor Denman may have lost a few steps over the
decades but he remains a comfort to us all, even if his catch phrases are beginning to wear a little thin. Frank Mirahmadi, the new
voice of Oaklawn Park, is relegated to county-fair duties during the summer locally but he’s accurate, understands his craft and can be
quite entertaining while picking his spots for the occasional impression. Eddie Burgart, of course, is an icon at Los Alamitos. Nobody
calls a Quarterhorse race like he does.
To be fair, there are some folks out there who actually like Stauffer’s erratic, over-the-top style. I just don’t happen to be
one of them. Darn it!!!!!!
Editor’s note: My now 19-year-old was watching tapes of the week’s races from Hollywood Park with me years ago. He must have
been about
