TOP OF THE WEEK:

The answer to the Tampa Bay Rays attendance problems is as simple as it is complex. Move to the National League. Why? The bay area is loaded with retirees from the mid-west - folks who were Cards, Cubs, Pirates and Reds fans.  Add a healthy mix of Phils fans who moved here after being spring training visitors for years and a very significant amount of Braves fans from when the Braves were the only team in the south and you have some strong draws. And the Giants and Dodgers draw everywhere. You’re trading these for only two American League teams that are strong draws – the Yanks and Bosox. There was a time early on when it was proposed that the Rays and their expansion teammates, the Diamondbacks swap leagues but one can only guess someone in Arizona said not “no” but “hell no”. The most likely league swapping partner with the Rays is the Miami Marlins whose demographics lean far more to the east than Tampa Bay. Not easy to get done but very much worth the exploration.

THIS WEEK’S TEN:

1. Now that we have the beach to ourselves for a few weeks until school lets out, time to relax with a pizza at Post Corner or a drink and a sunset at Palm Pavilion.

2. You’ve really lived in Pinellas County a while if you ever “talked to this old boy” – Howard “The Trader” Ewing at his auction house at the corner of Gulf to Bay and Duncan in Clearwater – long before Art Capogna built his super restaurant across the street.

3. Is anyone surprised that Tampa Bay is number two in pedestrian/bicyclist fatalities across the nation - too much of an attitude “I know you’re in the crosswalk, but I have a big truck/SUV/bus.”  You might expect such stupidity from bad drivers, but we observe way too much of this from PSTA and Jolly Trolley drivers as well.

4. So Tony LaRussa is now the Man in Charge with the Arizona Diamondbacks – not bad for a local boy who was a career .199 hitter with no round trippers in his career. But the guy also has a law degree and is as smart a man who ever donned a baseball uniform.

5. Recent poll said 31 per cent of people living in Florida would like to live elsewhere. Let’s see, there’s I-75 on this coast and I-95 to the east. Safe travel!

6. Factoid: Of the 10 highest paid athletes in 2013, none were from MLB or the NHL. There were five from the NFL (all quarterbacks); three from pro soccer; one each from the NBA and boxing – Floyd Mayweather, Jr. who topped the poll at just over 73 million based on two fights in ’13. The professional team with the highest payroll was the LA Dodgers. How’s that working out for Magic and the boys?

7. Why can’t major league baseball players, especially pitchers, bunt? In a tough, complex sport, it is one of the simplest things to do, yet guys who are called on to perform this task most often look like T-Ball players. This isn’t a beer league where you come out and play after eight to ten hours at the office. This is your only job. Take some pride and learn how to do one of the game’s most fundamental tasks.

8. Think back to the sixties and what was playing on the radio. What were your favorites? Put us down for the Beach Boys’ California Girls, Tommy James’ Crystal Blue Persuasion and Johnny Rivers’ Poor Side of Town. And your best from the sixties?

9. Our Rants and Raves focus group (which consists of three old, cranky people) says the end of civilized America came with the invention of the cell phone and punks starting to wear their baseball caps backward. Margin of error: 50 percent or so.

10. A Pasco County School for sale on Craig’s List? Falls into the category of “wish I had thought of that when I was a high school senior.” Also makes you wonder who’s minding the store at Craig’s List.

IN CLOSING:

In the nearly three month existence of Rants and Raves, we have been remiss in not giving a shout out to the two guys who made this thing happen – James Foster and Robert Brucker. We’ve known James for years and his skill at making things happen or fixing things that do happen on the technical side of a computer is exceptional. His patience with the old fogey who creates most of this blog is amazing. We met Robert through James and his work in listening to what we wanted creatively and matching that to a tee still leaves us in awe. They are two very bright young men and if you ever need help with computer problems, a website or related issues, you can reach them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  And no, they didn’t ask us to write this – in fact we’ve probably embarrassed them.