As usual, we begin with this week’s dining tip (see back story in Jan. 1 RANTS). The Largo Family Restaurant on Missouri Avenue is the consummate family restaurant. All three meals are covered (breakfast all day) along with a wait staff that is more like family – very good and very reasonably priced.

The long overdue shakeup at the Clearwater Marina

Within the last two months, the Number 1 and 2 men at the Clearwater Marina, Bill Morris and Gordy Wills, have been cashiered by the city – a move long overdue. The marina has been troubled with human resources complaints, favoritism and what has to be one of the greatest deals ever cut by the city – if you happen to be the proprietor of the Salt Cracker and Marina Cantina Restaurants in the marina. The marina has moved heaven and earth to accommodate a newcomer to the marina, Bay Star Restaurants, often at the expense of other marina businesses - many a half century or more old. A highly placed city official puts the blame for the marina malaise at the feet of recently departed Assistant City Manager Rod Irwin citing his lack of oversight at the facility.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

1. It was a classic Ted Baxter line from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. “It all started at a 5000-watt radio station. That’s exactly where founder Bud Paxton started Home Shopping Network which sold last week for $2.1 billion.

2. Memo to the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County. Please, with a capital P, come to some sort of compromise on the century old Confederate monument in Tampa and then get on with the matters of city and county.

3. Skimmers at gas stations are causing more and more trouble. An easy fix to the threat is to buy gas cards and use them rather than your credit or debit card – particularly on the weeks when Publix offers a $50 card for $40 with a $50 grocery purchase – a savings of 20 per cent and a whole lot more security.

4. From TBRR one year ago this week: “It is quite likely the next President will appoint as many as four Supreme Court Justices”. One down, now we’ll see how many more selections President Trump will get.

5. On our last ride down Cleveland Street in downtown Clearwater, we stopped counting empty storefronts at two dozen.

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. “Country Joe” West recently umpired his 5000^th major league game. That’s a lot of missed calls for a guy constantly ranked as one of the four or five worst umpires in baseball. That aside, it is unspeakable to toss a ball at an umpire who has his back turned to the crowd. The person responsible for the incident in Milwaukee should never be allowed in a major league ball park again.

7. Proof you can live to be 100 and each season you will see something on the diamond you’ve not seen before. Last week in Oakland, a fan caught three foul balls in one game including two on consecutive pitches!

8. A few weeks back (RANTS – May 28) we mentioned that James Brown was the number five artist of the rock era despite never having a number one record. Here are five other artists who, despite great careers, never had a number one record – Creedence Clearwater Revival (but five #2s), Tom Jones, The Kinks and two rock and roll pioneers – Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard.

9. From the one and only 5:05 Newsletter: FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller Adds Hillary Clinton to Legal Team.

10 Related to Item 1 above, you’ve lived in Pinellas a long time if you remember the station where Bud Paxton started it all was WDCL, 1470. The station, founded in 1956, took those call letters to represent Dunedin-Clearwater-Largo.

The refreshing attitude of Freddie Freeman

A quick back story: Atlanta star first baseman Freddie Freeman gets injured in May and is out for two months. The Braves, desperate for a replacement, trade for Matt Adams of the Cardinals. Adams, given a chance to play regularly, turns into Fred McGriff, just pounding the ball. When Freeman returns, there is no place to put Adams and his big bat. No problem, says Freeman, I’ll relearn third base, the position he played in high school. It mirrors a similar sacrifice made by a former face of the Atlanta franchise, Chipper Jones, when he volunteered to play left field so the Braves could add Vinny Castilla’s bat at third base. How refreshing the attitude of these two guys, who are close friends, when compared to so many spoiled brats who play pro sports. We hope Freeman will flourish at the hot corner.

SNEAK PEEK AT NEXT WEEK – THE FIGHT OVER SCHOOL FUNDING