Oh Boy. I dunno if any of you have read this article in today's Times. →[More:] The 'Tommy Books and Leprechaun' mentioned in the article are the same guys I talk about in this post*. The 'Neil Harrison' quoted I know as well, we call him 'The Horseplayer,' because half the time he spends what we pay him down at OTB, but he is indeed a very pleasant and likable guy. I can't recall whether the clerk tipped in the article is me (although he has tipped me before), but since the writer didn't say 'strikingly handsome clerk,' it probably isn't. The other gys are familiar to me as well, but under different nicknames that we apply to them like 'SkyPilot' and 'Appalachian Jesus.' (long story).

*apparently they came back the next day begging my boss (also mentioned in the article) to let them sell again. "We won't use spit no more. We'll use alcohol." I figure they use enough of that already.