Editor’s Note: Sorry we went missing for a while on the net this past week. Our IT people tell us it was due to a major internet outage. Hmm… five days before the election, conservative website cannot be accessed for over 24 hours. The Oliver Stone in us questions the outage.

TOP OF THE WEEK: (VOTE ON TUESDAY!)

Here we are – the end of Daylight Savings Time – meaning it gets dark earlier. How appropriate, because things could get a lot darker for Florida and Pinellas County if incredibly dumb things like medical pot, Greenlight (for more taxes) Pinellas and the Republican, turned Independent, turned Democrat prevail Tuesday. We predict one of the three will. We fervently pray for the good of our state and county that not all three are successful.

Around the Bay –

1. Some additional thoughts on Tuesday’s election. Our county commission will be best served with the election of Dave Eggers and Ed Hooper – both with resumes that far outstrip their opponents. Dunedin’s mayoral race looks too close to call. Dunedin probably would be okay with either Julie but likely a little more okay with Julie Scales.

2. Good friend who follows Florida politics even closer than your HB (Humble Blogger) predicts a 52.5% yes vote for medical pot – which means the measure fails to become part of the state constitution. There’s a lunch bet made quite some time ago riding on the outcome – sure hope we lose the bet.

3. Channel 8 ran a story last week with tips on how not to become a victim in answering an ad on Craig’s List. Are we slow learners? The answer is the same as how to avoid getting your hand burned when sticking it in a fire. Don’t do it!

4. Quote of the week: Kris Carson of the DOT in responding to a struggling Westport Plaza’s request to not shut down one of the entry points into the plaza in Pasco County. “We are not changing this decision.” - typical response from a bureaucrat who has no clue what it takes to make a payroll every week – certainly not further limiting access to the businesses in the plaza. Makes you wish the DOT would reduce their payroll by one.  

5. Was there ever a better milkshake than those served at Brown Brothers on Cleveland Street in downtown Clearwater?

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. Farewell and best wishes to three of our favorite Times writers/editors – Diane Steinle, Joe Childs and Jeff Klingenberg – all of whom opted for early retirement as the paper continues to downsize. We were fortunate to know Diane and Joe personally and to read Jeff’s articles and books over the years – a large loss for local readers.

7. With more of its star players spinning out of control, perhaps it’s time for FSU to do the same thing with its football program that its neighbor FAMU did with its band and shut it down until it can get things under control. And then there’s UNC….

8. Baseball fans can fill up part of their long, cold winter with John Feinstein’s Where Nobody Knows Your Name. It’s an extremely interesting look at the high minors - of guys on their way up and, more compellingly, on their way down by the man who crafted A Season on the Brink and A Good Walk Spoiled.

9. Here’s another assignment for the new MLB commissioner when he replaces Bud Light next year. Treat umpires like players – if they perform poorly, send them to the minors or release them. Guys like C.B. Bucknor, Joe West and Laz Diaz are an embarrassment to the game.

10. In a related note, first call to be overturned in the World Series by instant replay? Eric Cooper, who as we mentioned a few months back, always seems to blow one in important situations. Although watching that play about three dozen times, we’re still not sure he blew it.

IN CLOSING:

When major league baseball got down to its “final four”, three of the four managers were considered to be some of the brightest minds in the game – Bruce Bochy, Mike Matheny and Buck Showalter – and, oh yes, that bumpkin Ned Yost. Ned was criticized throughout the playoffs for his strategies despite the fact his Royals lost all of four games in the entire post season (the best record of any post season team and just one or two breaks and bad calls from winning it all). It’s a mistake to underestimate Yost who grew up in the Brewers organization as a player in the 80s then polished his coaching skills during the halcyon days of the Braves dynasty. He has a ring from their 1995 World Championship and with the concept he has developed in KC will be back in the fall classic sooner rather than later.