We open with this week’s dining suggestion (see back story in Jan. 1 Rants): We are ashamed to admit that often we just stop at this place for a piece of pie and nothing else – but what pie! It’s the Village Inn on Gulf to Bay and also on Walsingham Road in Largo.

Al Lang’s legacy in jeopardy

With all of St. Pete heavyweight Bill Edwards’ money behind it, the referendum to improve (or in the eye of a long time baseball fan – desecrate) Al Lang Field will probably win approval of the city’s voters on May 2. The turnout will be light which means it will be mostly pro-soccer folks at the polls. If all this comes to fruition and the Rowdies advance to the so-called major league of soccer, at least have the decency to rename the facility. Having a soccer field named after the father of spring training in the bay area, not to mention a former mayor, is a slap in the face to his legacy. A better idea would be to name the new Rays ballpark, should it remain in Pinellas, after Mayor Lang. We’re sure corporate wordsmiths could weave the Mayor’s name into whatever commercial label they come up with. But it’s sad that the best venue for baseball by far on either side of the bay will be occupied by soccer. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Rays are looking at fifth and sixth best sites for their new stadium instead of the one that would be among the best two or three not in the bay area, but in all of baseball.

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Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

1. Did the voters in central Florida not know of controversial State Attorney Aramis Ayala’s stance on the death penalty when they elected her? This is the problem with judicial races – most people either ignore them or cast an unthinking vote rather than checking with legal acquaintances that have a better feel for the candidates. Plus Ayala also benefited from another political truism: on down-ballot races, being the first name is worth from five to as much as ten percent. Regardless, if she won’t enforce Florida law – any law, she needs to go.

2. “Chuck Berry’s checking in from St. Lou, he’s going to sing Maybelline and Memphis, too” – from Jan and Dean’s They Came From all Over the World. The guy who grew up in St. Lou and found fame on Chicago’s Chess record label left us last week at age 90.

3. And a familiar face for so many springs here in Clearwater passed away last week. Dallas Green was part of the Phillies organization for over forty years as a player, World Series winning manager and an executive. There weren’t many nicer men in baseball than Dallas Green.

4. Speaking of Dallas Green, you may remember the Phillies threw a big celebration at Jack Russell Stadium the following spring after Dallas brought them their first World Championship. Master of Ceremonies for the event was Good Morning America’s David Hartman who, at age 81, remains active today doing documentary work for PBS and the History Channel.

5. Factoid: Eight of our first ten presidents did not have a middle name. Our 33^rd, Truman, had only a middle initial.

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. Tampa Bay Rants and Raves’ one and only Achmed Walled (pronounced wall-ED), predictor of the last three World Series Champs, is warming up in the pen and will present his predictions next Sunday on the eve of Opening Day.

7. Over seeded and under seeded are two terms that have become part of the NCAA basketball lexicon in recent years. And this year, the FSU Seminoles were the poster children for being over seeded.

8. And as spring training is winding down, a question. Why so few televised spring games for Florida’s MLB teams? Their northern neighbors have found the televised spring games to be a boost for regular season sales – something MLB’s two lowest drawing teams badly need.

9. The 5:05 Newsletter has been on a roll recently with gems like this: Apple passed Samsung as the top seller of phones. But to be fair, that is because, thanks to the Notepad Seven, Samsung has rebranded itself and now considers itself part of the munitions industry.

10. You’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you ate at the Dutch Pantry – where Gulf to Bay, Highland and Court Street intersect.

Trying to understand the Tampa Bay Bucs

Late last month, the Tampa Bay Bucs announced their second ticket price increase in the past two years and a hefty one at that. They are no doubt giddy over the fact they are a .500 team over that stretch. Their fans are not that giddy. Attendance fell last year and is down nearly ten percent since 2008 – the last year they were coached by Jon Gruden. The Bucs future looks promising but the problem is it doesn’t look as rosy as their division rivals – the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers both Super Bowl participants over the last two seasons. And the New Orleans Saints aren’t exactly chopped liver owning a 31-19 record against our boys over the course of the rivalry including a late season win last year that all but eliminated the Bucs playoff hopes. It’s a calculated risk by Bucs management after watching attendance slip a thousand people a game after last year’s price increase. This year’s numbers bear close watching.

SNEAK PEEK AT NEXT WEEK – WHAT ELSE? – IT’S OPENING DAY!