As always, we begin our blog with a dining tip (see back story – Jan. 1 Rants). It’s tiny and you may have to wait but it’s good – the Tin Can Restaurant on Myrtle Avenue just south of Cleveland Street. Great steak and eggs! Open for breakfast and lunch.

Duke Energy not so bad when compared to others

Okay, Duke Energy is coming off a good fiscal quarter – good but not outlandish. All we know is they provide dependable service and send us emails frequently about how to spend less with them. Compare this if you will with Spectrum and their smoke and mirrors game with “promotional rates” while raising fees with impunity. Then there’s Apple, the king of planned obsolescence to go along with some other policies that border on theft. Then there’s Wells Fargo – a company so “special” they have earned an entire segment in next week’s blog. Suffice to say they have serious issues. Next to this trio, Duke doesn’t look so bad.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

1. Breaking news: East Druid Road between Belcher and Hercules is now open. As a reminder, when construction began Obama was still President, spring training was months away and the majority of us were a year younger.

2. Also “breaking” – you can now get an Uber or Lyft ride at TIA. Most third world airports have offered this for the past five years.

3. Remember that Texas Instruments calculator you bought for $100? You can now buy one of equal capabilities at Dollar Tree.

4. Idle thought: we have the feeling a lot of people now wish they had pulled the lever for John Kasich.

5. You’ve lived on Clearwater a long time if you enjoyed one of the incredible milk shakes at the Bresler’s Ice Cream Parlor on Gulf to Bay just east of Clearwater High. Still the best shakes we’ve ever had. The last Bresler’s closed its doors ten years ago.

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. He was recognized as one of the three greatest coaches in Notre Dame history, but his winning record at moribund Northwestern may be even more impressive. Football legend Ara Parseghian passed way last week at age 94.

7. Best song you never heard and never charted – Your Baby Doesn’t Love You Anymore by mid-sixties group Ruby and the Romantics – nicely covered by the Carpenters in the 70s. You can hear Ruby’s version (and the Carpenters’) on You Tube.

8. The Atlanta Braves have indicated that Manager Brain Snitker will return next season. But they need to revisit two of their offseason coaching hires – pitching coach Chuck Hernandez – the Braves are in the bottom third in major league pitching and supposed fielding guru Ron Washington – the Braves defense is also in the bottom third.

9. Our peerless baseball prognosticator, Achmed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) hates the Dodgers, but the Bums are an odds-on favorite to win it all this year. Will he risk his perfect World Series record by picking against the hated Dodgers? Like the song says “See you in September”.

10. Of note: the two teams with the most walk-off wins this season also have two of the three worst records in the majors – The Oakland As and the Philadelphia Phillies.

The MLB trade deadline – what we liked, what we didn’t

First, the local nine stirred up some dust with about four deals, none of which materially improved the team – adding yet another one-dimensional left handed bat and three middling relievers. No playoff there. The clear winners were the Dodgers adding Yu Dervish and two strong lefties for their ‘pen; the Yankees adding both a front end and a back of the rotation pitcher and two bullpen stalwarts. A close second was the Red Sox adding Addison Reed to team with the major’s best closer Craig Kimbrel for their eighth and ninth innings. The one move we don’t understand is the Rockies’ acquisition of backstop Jonathon Lucroy whose career appears to be on the downside.

SNEAK PEEK AT NEXT WEEK – WELLS FARGO – HOW DO THEY STAY IN BUSINESS?