The first time David Longinotti walked into Oaklawn Park he fell in love with the sport of thoroughbred racing.
The Hot Springs native was almost destined to work there. After college he worked at the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record as a sportswriter and helped cover Oaklawn Park. He jumped at the chance to switch to media relations for several tracks around the country.
Later, he spent 10 years as a senior account executive at CJRW, and Oaklawn was one of his accounts -- probably his favorite.
In 2006, Longinotti joined Oaklawn as director of racing. His contacts and relationships in the world of thoroughbred racing run deep from coast to coast.
He had a lot to do with Bob Baffert sending American Pharoah to Oaklawn for his prep races in 2015 prior to capturing the Triple Crown.
On Monday, Oaklawn announced Longinotti would move into the position of director of Oaklawn Anywhere, the track's in-state advanced deposit wagering service. That was developed in 2014 and is the fastest growing segment of Oaklawn's racing.
It has generated nearly $4 million for purses.
Perhaps it isn't a coincidence that Longinotti is making the move to Oaklawn Anywhere, not in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to allow all sorts of wagering nationwide.
If Oaklawn follows the apparent suit of the casinos in Tunica and pursues becoming a venue for wagering on other sports, Longinotti would be the right guy to figure out the way to do it. Mostly likely his plan will include helping the sport of racing.
If not, he is still the right guy for a venture that started small and immediately grew large as people from Arkansas can watch and wager on races all over the country through Oaklawn Anywhere. They even offer a bonus for signing up, but you do have to wager a certain amount in a two-week period.
As an offensive guard in college and the NFL, Leotis Harris did not know fear. The bigger they were, the harder they fell.
When the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville took on No. 2-ranked Oklahoma in the 1978 Orange Bowl with three of its starters suspended, Harris was not afraid as part of the offensive line that opened huge holes for Roland Sales, who set a then-Orange Bowl record of 205 yards rushing in the Razorbacks' 31-6 victory.
For six years -- most of them as a starter -- for the Green Bay Packers, Harris was never afraid.
If he's afraid today, he's not showing it as he faces his greatest challenge.
The former Razorback All-American must have a kidney transplant, and several of his former teammates such as Muskie Harris and Ron Calcagni are having a fundraiser to help him.
On June 19-20, there will be live music and much fun as dozens of former Razorbacks get together at Cajun's Wharf in Little Rock to help Harris with the expenses for the much needed surgery.
The cover charge is just $15, and all proceeds go toward the cost of the procedure. First Security Bank has set up an account to handle the money and take donations.
The prediction is the Cavaliers win tonight as the NBA championship moves to Cleveland. After a sensational opening game with a ton of drama on Thursday, Golden State quietly dominated the second game Sunday to lead the series 2-0.
But with the game in Cleveland look for a swing of emotion, although it isn't likely to last beyond one game. LeBron James is great, but he's just not three or four times greater than the Warriors, who have several great players.
Sports on 06/06/2018