Saturday, January 31, 2026
Soccer Weekend: Saturday, January 31 (Wager No. 49)
(This feature will focus on a $1 parlay wager every Saturday and Sunday through the end of May.)
Game No. 1 (7a)
Men's Iceland League Cup (Iceland)
Vikingur Reykjavik (-1800)
Game No. 2 (12p)
Men's Serie A (Italy)
Napoli (-105)
Pick Success Rate: 58% (56/96)
Total Bankroll: $47.07 (+ 17.7%)
IPS 365: Friday, January 30 (Day No. 42)
(This is a day-to-day look at being the founder and managing partner of the Ivory Pine Syndicate, a Maine-based horse racing partnership.)
- Uploaded video footage of Tayra at Norton Farm
- Prepared partner update for Crimson Pine partners
- Prepared partner update for Tayra partners
- Studied horse anatomy
- Sent partner updates for Crimson Pine and Tayra partners
- Posted video of Tayra at Norton Farm on a social media platform
RSC 365: Friday, January 30 (Day No. 244)
(A day-to-day look at being the chairman and a co-owner of the Rosevelt Soccer Club, a soccer club based in Gorham, Maine.)
- Texted prospective club documentarian about a meeting
Friday, January 30, 2026
Bookshelf: Maine (Chapter 9)
Maine: The Pine Tree State from Prehistory to the Present (Judd, Churchill, and Eastman)
Chapter 9: Reform Movements & Party Reformation 1820-1861
Drs. Richard R. Wescott and Edward O. Shriver open this chapter by summarizing the journalist Seba Smith's observations as he toured Maine in 1825, but most of the chapter is a review of the political jockeying between members of the Democratic Republican party that led to the splintering of the party that led to the creation of the Democratic Party and Republican Party in 1828.
The middle section of the chapter focuses on various reform movements in Maine, including the pacifist movement, the temperance movement, and the abolitionist movement.
And the conclusion of the chapter once again returns to party politics, this time the reconfiguration of political parties in the U.S. and Maine caused primarily by differences of policies related to temperance and slavery.
$50 Bankroll: Friday, January 30 (Week No. 3)
(This series will feature a $40 bankroll for horse racing wagers, and a $10 bankroll for soccer wagers over a 50-week period.)
*Horse Racing*
Horse Racing Bankroll: $10.03 (-74.9%)
*Soccer*
Soccer Bankroll: $21.14 (+111.4%)
*Total*
Total Bankroll: $24.17 (-37.7%)
Project 250: Friday, January 30 (Week No. 5)
Current Weight: 280
Starting Weight: 280
Difference: - 0 (- 0.0%)
IPS 365: Thursday, January 29 (Day No. 41)
(This is a day-to-day look at being the founder and managing partner of the Ivory Pine Syndicate, a Maine-based horse racing partnership.)
- Researched airfare for Wood Memorial day at Aqueduct
- Texted with a partner about Triple Crown nominees for another partnership
- Researched Triple Crown nominees on Equibase
- Looked up training and boarding bills from December 2025
- Wrote out checks for December bills
- Visited Crimson Pine and Tayra at Norton Farm
- Dropped off checks for December bills
RSC 365: Thursday, January 29 (Day No. 243)
(A day-to-day look at being the chairman and a co-owner of the Rosevelt Soccer Club, a soccer club based in Gorham, Maine.)
- Watched Morning Kickaround podcast
- Watched Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast
- Sent team ratings to league director
- Edited coach update
- E-mailed prospective coach
- Worked on meeting agenda for upcoming directors' meeting
- Worked on club update
- Followed up with equipment vendor
- Texted with facilities manager about a rescheduled meeting
- Updated Frozen 4 v. 4 admin
- E-mailed the most recent club update to members
- E-mailed the most recent coach update to coaches
- Talked with a club director about logistics
- Talked with a director about club admin
- Talked with a director about club admin
- Talked with a director about club logistics
- Talked with a director about club admin and club logistics
- E-mailed meeting reminder to directors
- E-mailed a director about club admin
Thursday, January 29, 2026
Lists: Favorite Songs
(A series of lists of favorite things.)
- "Lose Yourself," Eminem
- "Three Little Birds," Bob Marley & The Wailers
- "Take Me Home, Country Roads," John Denver
- "The Ecstasy of Gold," Ennio Morricone
- "God's Whisper," Raury
- "Morning Has Broken," Cat Stevens
- "Home," Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
- "Old Man," Neil Young
- "Everloving," Moby
- "Hallelujah," Jeff Buckley
- "Perfect Day," Lou Reed
- "Salve Regina," Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of Saint-Maurice & Saint-Maur
- "Seven Nation Army," The White Stripes
- "The House of the Rising Son," The Animals
- "Resurgam," Alias
- "Starry Eyed," Ellie Goulding
- "The Beautiful People," Marilyn Manson
- "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," Hank Williams
- "Fanfare for the Common Man," Aaron Copland
- "Calgary," Bon Iver
- "Iguazu," Gustavo Santaolalla
- "Solitude," Billie Holiday
- "Starman," David Bowie
- "Tombstone Every Mile," Dick Curless
- "Dreams," Fleetwood Mac
- "New York, New York," Frank Sinatra
- "Hold On," Alabama Shakes
- "Love Story," Andy Williams
- "Orawa,"Wojciech Kilar
- "Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries," Rudy Vallee
IPS 365: Wednesday, January 28 (Day No. 40)
(This is a day-to-day look at being the founder and managing partner of the Ivory Pine Syndicate, a Maine-based horse racing partnership.)
- Listened to Jason Beem Horse Racing Podcast
RSC 365: Wednesday, January 28 (Day No. 242)
(A day-to-day look at being the chairman and a co-owner of the Rosevelt Soccer Club, a soccer club based in Gorham, Maine.)
- Reposted U.S. Open Cup schedule on club's social media platforms
- Listened to USL Show podcast
- Worked on most recent coach update
- Ordered pinnies from local vendor
- Watched soccer
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Headlines: U.S. Open Cup First Round Matchups Announced
The 111th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup will kickoff in a month and a half with 32 games across three days. Beginning on March 17, 32 Open Division amateur teams, ranging from national champions to Cinderellas in waiting, will take on lower division professional teams. The March Madness begins with 10 games on Tuesday, March 17 to kick off the 2026 US Open Cup. That will be followed by 15 games on Wednesday, March 18 before concluding with seven games on Thursday, March 19. This is the third year in a row that every First Round match in the Open Cup be amateur versus professional.
Bookshelf: Thirty Tons a Day (Chapter 4)
Thirty Tons a Day: The Rough-Riding Education of a Neophyte Racetrack Operator (Bill Veeck and Ed Linn)
Chapter 4: But Is It Promotable?
Veeck opens this chapter by breaking down the $7.50 "profit" the track expected to make on every $100 in handle after the 85/15 split with takeout and the 50/50 split of that 15% with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts:
- $3.49 (purses)
- $2.68 (payroll)
- $1.33 (tote services)
And then he summarizes the promotions and adjustments management team made to attract fans to the track and make the on-track experience more enjoyable for attendees:
- Speeches to 400 different groups
- Punctual, 27-minute intervals between races
- Potted petunias to the first 5,000 women to attend the races on Mother's Day
- "What's Your Beef?" raffle for customer feedback that included the giveaway of a bull and two calves for the winner, and a McDonald's gift certificate to all who contributed more than 4,000 notes with feedback
- Lucky Chair Days that featured giveaways, including a thousand hot dogs, a thousand buns, and a thousand Cokes
- Joe Fan Handicap race contest that resulted in the no-expense giveaway of a race horse named Buck's Delight to a fan
And finally he closes this chapter with this excerpt:
Is racing promotable, though? I can't approve it by the record, but having spent two years laboring in those vineyards I know absolutely that it is. I don't think it is; I know it is. Call it a basic feel of the mood that had been developing, or call it the gift of prophecy[.]
It's certainly a refreshing perspective from a racetrack owner, since there's very little evidence that it's the belief at most of the tracks our pacers have competed at.
IPS 365: Tuesday, January 27 (Day No. 39)
(This is a day-to-day look at being the founder and managing partner of the Ivory Pine Syndicate, a Maine-based horse racing partnership.)
- Didn't do any work related to Ivory Pine Syndicate
RSC 365: Tuesday, January 27 (Day No. 241)
(A day-to-day look at being the chairman and a co-owner of the Rosevelt Soccer Club, a soccer club based in Gorham, Maine.)
- Reposted league announcement for the framework of Pro/Rel in the U.S.
- Updated Frozen 4 v. 4 admin
- Texted facility manager about Frozen 4 v. 4 admin
- Updated our FAQ form for apparel
- Talked with director about ordering process
- E-mailed apparel-specific update to members
- Texted with directors about apparel orders
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Headlines: USL Announces Framework for Pro/Rel
The United Soccer League will announce Tuesday that its new first-division professional league will be named USL Premier, completing the top of its three-tier pyramid. The plan is for the USL to launch the single-table national league in 2028, with the plan to grow the league eventually to 20 teams. It is likely that USL Premier will launch with 12 or 14 teams. The launch of the new first-division league will coincide with the introduction of promotion and relegation.
Quote, Unquote: Scott Cousineau
"He's not among the worst of the worst, he's really among the best of the best."
- Saco minister Scott Cousineau describing one of his congregants Makenga, an Angolan asylum seeker who's been living in the U.S. for 8 years and was recently detained by ICE after visiting his newborn child in the hospital.
IPS 365: Monday, January 26 (Day No. 38)
(This is a day-to-day look at being the founder and managing partner of the Ivory Pine Syndicate, a Maine-based horse racing partnership.)
- Handicapped and watched races at Turf Paradise
- Handicapped and watched races at Woodbine Mohawk Park
RSC 365: Monday, January 26 (Day No. 240)
(A day-to-day look at being the chairman and a co-owner of the Rosevelt Soccer Club, a soccer club based in Gorham, Maine.)
- Reviewed weather forecasts
- Texted with facilities manager about status of facility due to weather
- E-mailed members with cancelation message
- Posted cancelation messages on social media platforms
- Met with directors to discuss apparel rollout
Monday, January 26, 2026
Bookshelf: The National Team (Chapter 3)
The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer (Caitlin Murray)
Chapter 3: "Screw You, We'll Show You Differently"
Murray examines the marketing efforts leading up to the 1999 Women's World Cup, and makes the case that widespread skepticism for a successful event existed only months before the landmark competition took place.
IPS 365: Sunday, January 25 (Day No. 37)
(This is a day-to-day look at being the founder and managing partner of the Ivory Pine Syndicate, a Maine-based horse racing partnership.)
- Handicapped and watched races at Fair Grounds, Gulfstream Park, and Tampa Bay Downs
RSC 365: Sunday, January 25 (Day No. 239)
(A day-to-day look at being the chairman and a co-owner of the Rosevelt Soccer Club, a soccer club based in Gorham, Maine.)
- Surveyed weather forecasts
- Texted with facilities manager about status of programming
- E-mailed cancelation message to members
- Posted cancelation message
- Talked with a director about team rosters
Sunday, January 25, 2026
Soccer Weekend: Sunday, January 25 (Day No. 48)
(This feature will focus on a $1 parlay wager every Saturday and Sunday through the end of May.)
Game No. 1 (10a)
Men's Premiership (Scotland)
Hearts (+210)
Game No. 2 (2:45p)
Men's Serie A (Italy)
AS Roma (+170)
Pick Success Rate: 60% (56/94)
Total Bankroll: $48.07 (+ 20.2%)
IPS 365: Saturday, January 24 (Day No. 36)
(This is a day-to-day look at being the founder and managing partner of the Ivory Pine Syndicate, a Maine-based horse racing partnership.)
- Handicapped races at Gulfstream Park
- Watched races at Gulfstream Park
- Handicapped and watched races at Woodbine Mohawk Park
RSC 365: Saturday, January 24 (Day No. 238)
(A day-to-day look at being the chairman and a co-owner of the Rosevelt Soccer Club, a soccer club based in Gorham, Maine.)
- Handicapped soccer games
- Prepared donations to a mutual aid group
- Dropped off groceries with a mutual aid group
- Prepared for viewing party at Junction Bowl
- Talked with a director about club admin
- Hosted viewing party at Junction Bowl
Saturday, January 24, 2026
Soccer Weekend: Saturday, January 24 (Day No. 47)
(This feature will focus on a $1 parlay wager every Saturday and Sunday through the end of May.)
Game No. 1 (10a)
Men's Championship (England)
Birmingham City FC (-120)
Game No. 2 (10:30a)
Men's Eredivisie (Netherlands)
Ajax (-330)
Pick Success Rate: 60% (55/92)
Total Bankroll: $49.07 (+ 22.7%)
IPS 365: Friday, January 23 (Day No. 35)
(This is a day-to-day look at being the founder and managing partner of the Ivory Pine Syndicate, a Maine-based horse racing partnership.)
- Didn't do work related to Ivory Pine Syndicate
RSC 365: Friday, January 23 (Day No. 237)
(A day-to-day look at being the chairman and a co-owner of the Rosevelt Soccer Club, a soccer club based in Gorham, Maine.)
- Texted with a facilities manager about Frozen 4 v. 4 admin
- Worked on club-wide update
- Texted with a facilities manager about contact information for state association directors
- E-mailed a league director about 23U programming
- Talked with directors about an apparel update
- Distributed new equipment to coaches
- Sent club-wide update
- Texted with a facilities manager about Frozen 4 v. 4 admin
- Talked with a club director about a variety of topics
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