SIM RACING FORM

Feature Article


An Interview with Mikehusker

By- Roys Mansur

Mikealwayspromotingnebraskafootballhusker is the man in the chair today. Mike has been around the game for about a year and has had an above average ability of being able to choose some nice horses. Of course like the rest of us he has some bad ones also, but I put him up this week, as he has two entries in the Breeder's Bowl races, with More Build and Every That Tempest. He was too new to the game to get to the BB last year, but he did have a horse, Stupid Kingdom, that ran in the Triple Jewel. That makes Mike one of the very few gamers to run in all the top races offered by the Sim within a year's time. Mike seems to know his way around most sport venues, from horseracing to basketball. Aside from his sometimes gruff exterior, or his humor that I must admit often goes over my head, Mike is not only intelligent but can be a very charming guy. Come along and let's get to know Mike a little better.

SRF: Well, Mike, it is your turn. Lets start with your name and age.
MIKE: My name is Mike Mays and I am 41.

SRF: And where do you live, in case someone lives in Antarctica or some where and hasn't heard?
MIKE: Omaha, Nebraska

SRF: Are you married and do you have children. If so names and ages?
MIKE: 3 kids - 19, 17, and 13

SRF: You kind of avoided the big question there. What do you do for a living?
MIKE: Some people claim I don't work at all. I'm in the insurance and financial planning business.

SRF: I am sure no pun was intended, do you have any other interests and/or hobbies?
MIKE: My other interests and hobbies are practicing with and watching my kids play their individual sports. Unfortunately I don't have rocket scientists for kids so athletics are the thing. The oldest plays fastpitch in college - middle is both ball and hoops (which she hopes will get her into college) and the boy does it all. My other interests are sports with a ball, horses, playing golf, reading, politics, working with the youth, high school sports, AND Nebraska football.

SRF: You seem to be really involved in sports. Did you play?
MIKE: I played hoops in college in Nebraska. Later I coached in large high school for 8 years, both basketball and football. I also refereed hoops on high school and then later on a college level. I still coach hoops but now only with individuals on a one on one basis.

SRF: Since this is a racing game, how did you get into horseracing?
MIKE: How I got in to racing? Best friend and I found a form one day and decided to find out what it was about, took 2 years to learn how to read it, began to sneak into Aksarben at age 16, first bet at age 17 and the rest is agony. I hit a 73 dollar horse in the first year and that was really the downfall. I have loved reading the history of racing, but no harness or jumping stuff, and no running backwards either. Backwards over hedges going too far for too little - what a disaster!

SRF: How did you find Simsports?
MIKE: I found Simsports through this interviewer and some other chronics in the daily racing form chat room. I have been playing since November of 98. I really, really, really like this game. I don't know how Mike (and the other powers that be) do it, and I really don't want to know. Computer games come and go. This just gets better and better. The people of the game are very, shall we say, diverse. Everyone has been helpful and surprisingly without much ego. I tired of the whining about things on the message board, because after all - this thing is Free and about as realistic as real racing, believe me! I practically get my fix without having to go simulcasting.

SRF: Do you or would you like to own a real racehorse sometime?
MIKE: I don't own a horse by myself, friends and family do though. I would love to be an owner someday and get to make all those bad decisions and blame the trainer. How much fun would that be?

SRF: You seem pretty knowledgeable about horses - did you ever have one as a kid?
MIKE: I grew up with horses. I had a pure bred Appy when I was 10. I got to help break the stinking mean thing.

SRF: How many stables do you have? Will you tell us the names?
MIKE: I have 5 stables and one inherited stable. Giantputz, giantputz2, buglunch (and there is a prize for the person who can tell me in what context the name buglunch was taken from), mikeomaha, 007 and the dreaded Mikehusker stable.

SRF: How well do you do with them? Do you consider yourself a good trainer?
MIKE: I do well with a couple of them but they all have something good about them. I wish I were more patient and realistic with my poor horseys. They hate me. Like a friend of mine said when I asked him one day what kind of basketball player he was in High school, and he answered, "Poor at best" that is myself as a trainer.

SRF: Do you have any nice sim horses?
MIKE: I am blessed with some good sim horses. Stupid Kingdom, Mark the Mint, and a couple of good twos, More Build and Every That Tempest.

SRF: You are one of the few players that have two Breeder's Bowl hopefuls. Can you tell us any more about them? How did you pick them and are either of them "sharp?"
MIKE: Neither horse is sharp, but the filly, Every That Tempest was last week. I don't think the colt, More Build, can get the distance but I am taking a shot and I think the filly can win. As far as picking them I like Cure The Blues and I like Blushing Groom also.

SRF: Any final comments on the Breeder's Bowl?
MIKE: Here's my comment. Hail Mary full of grace, help me win this stock car race.

SRF: Have you met any of the other gamers? There are certainly some from the area.
MIKE: I haven't met any other gamers yet...maybe some day if I can learn to keep my mouth shut about politics around the different parts of the country. I would hate to meet these great people and then open my yapper.

SRF: Would you go to a Sim reunion if you were able?
MIKE: I would try to make a reunion, work and kid schedules dictate a lot.

SRF: We are around 3500 stables now - what do you think of that?
MIKE: The more the merrier - keeps the old-timers on their toes.

SRF: What do you think of the future of this game is?
MIKE: I hope Mike doesn't tire of the work load of this game and junk it, and I hope Mike doesn't get married cause the game will disappear for obvious reasons. I don't think he can make it much better than it is and if people think so and want more - then I say, " Go buy a stinking real nag somewhere!"