This week’s dining tip (see back story in Jan. 1 TBRR): your HB (Humble Blogger) loves pancakes. Robbie’s Pancake House spoiled us with their proprietary recipe. A couple places we’ve mentioned this year have good ones – Olga’s and Largo Family Restaurant. But the best we’ve had since Robbie’s closed are at two chains - IHOP and Perkins Pancake Houses.

The St. Pete Mayor’s race

Gosh, we feel sorry for the voters in St. Petersburg. Their choices in next week’s mayoral race are almost as bad as last year’s “who do we mistrust least – Clinton or Trump?” On one hand, you have a free spending liberal who added layers upon layers of high-priced staff when ascending to the throne. Despite all these geniuses, St. Pete’s crime rate is up; they are about to lose the Rays and let’s not even get started on their sewage issues. It would seem like an easy choice until you consider former mayor Rick “My Way or the Highway” Baker who is right 100 percent of the time – just ask him. He simply doesn’t play well with others and his vow not to recuse himself in city negotiations with his employer, Bill Edwards, is ludicrous. It’s close, but better the devil you’ve got than the one you had before.

Tampa bay, politics and stuff:

1. What is it about south Florida that produces legislators like Debbie Wasserman Schultz, State Rep. Daisy Baez who doesn’t want to live with the people she represents and that circus act Frederica Wilson? Surely they can do better.

2. Pearl Harbor Day – December 7. That is the date one Publix official has given your humble blogger as the targeted date of opening for the rebuilt Publix on Island Estates. Other employees say January.

3. Idle thought: a look at Hillsborough County’s school board and their minions would make a great reality show.

4. Rock and roll lost a great one last week – Antoine “Fats” Domino passed away at age 89. As we mentioned a couple weeks back (TBRR Oct. 15), the Fatman charted 68 singles in his incredible career.

5. From the 5:05 Newsletter, the publication that never gets defensive but often offensive, this gem: I wonder how many people who want to obliterate all traces of the Confederacy drive Volkswagens?

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. Takeaways from Bucs’ week 6A: It was a bookie’s dream – a push. No payouts just collect the vigorish, but then how much action is there on two teams with a combined 5-5 record going in? With the loss, barring some upsets one way or another, the Bucs project out to a ten loss season.

7. Houston’s win over the Yankees in the ALCS was eerily reminiscent of the Twins’ win in the 1991 World Series where the home team in a dome won only their home games. 1991 revealed some hanky-panky by Twin’s stadium officials. We hope a quarter century later, MLB has a better handle on such shenanigans.

8. Among the luminaries at Game 1 of the World Series joining Scully, Lasorda, Koufax and Torre was Lady Gaga. We’d be willing to bet some very serious money that she can’t name two Dodgers or even one Astro.

9. College notes: Mark the day after Thanksgiving on your calendar. It’s probably the most meaningful game in the history of both USF and UCF as the two teams, both unbeaten at press time, play in Orlando. And, if we remember right, the loser of the Penn State – Ohio State game gets into the college playoffs. Somehow or other, Penn State, one of the four best teams in the country, will get hosed again.

10. You’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you dined at the Robbie’s Pancake House mentioned in this week’s dining tip – Gulf to Bay in Clearwater, Madeira Beach and on US 19 in Holiday. You can still buy the batter fixings at Williams Sonoma – none better!

Three playoff managers gone

We’re not quite sure this has ever happened before, three guys who guide their teams to the MLB playoffs are let go. Maybe you can understand Dusty Baker who has fallen short of a title in three different cities – each time with superior talent and while burning out a pitching staff. Perhaps even John Farrell who was tied to some extracurricular activity that may have been embarrassing to the Bosox. But the guy has a ring! Then there is the move that makes no sense at all – Joe Girardi. Joe has averaged 20 games above .500 per season for the ten years he managed the Yanks – and has a ring. The sad thing is the manager’s job with his hometown Cubs was his for the asking a few years back but he elected to stay on with the Yanks - no good deed shall go unpunished. Unless Tony LaRussa wants to come out of retirement at age 73, there is no one on this planet who has done a better job of managing the past ten years than Girardi. If he wants to continue to manage, the line forms at the right. And Brian Cashman, the Yank’s GM, hasn’t called us yet, but the best replacement for a guy who shouldn’t have been replaced is right in his dugout – bench coach Rob Thompson.

SNEAK PEEK AT NEXT WEEK: PUERTO RICO, COKE & THE HALL