TOP OF THE WEEK:

As we come upon the 42^nd anniversary of Roe versus Wade, there is still much to lament but not to despair. The Pro-Life movement continues to gain ground. But you’ve got to give the pro-abortion bunch credit for their ability to sustain their secular viewpoint and to turn a phrase. Pro-lifers are not really pro-lifers, they are anti-abortionists. Makes sense for the abortion bunch to spin it that way, because if you identify folks who believe in the sanctity of life as Pro-Life, that would make the other side anti-life - sounds messy. Likewise, a women’s right to determine what she wants to do with her own body comes off a whole lot better than a woman’s right to end the life of an unborn child. Pro-Lifers get frustrated by all the pro-abortion spin doctors. But on this anniversary, they need to take solace in who makes the final call on such matters.

AROUND THE BAY:

1. Apparently we are not the only ones wondering why the heck CENTCOM has a Twitter account. To keep in touch with Tampa’s version of the Kardashians?

2. Largo News: Commissioner Holmes, have you ever heard the expression, let sleeping dogs lie?

3. Item: Group sues to block sale of the “White Queen of the Gulf”. Are you kidding? It, like the Bush-Gore Election and the 100-Years War, is over folks.

4. AirTran flew its last flight into Tampa earlier this month. Their planes will now carry the Southwest Airlines livery – a good thing. Even with their name change years ago, AirTran was most closely associated with the tragic Everglades crash in 1996 when they were known as ValuJet – a crash that was marked by incompetence and what most airline experts called criminal negligence on the part of ValuJet officials and ground crew.

5. You’ve really lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember when they had tokens (and tolls) for the Clearwater Pass Bridge.

THE DIAMOND, THE MEDIA AND OTHER STUFF:

6. Apparently somebody or bodies told the Time’s Sue Carlton and John Romano they were funny. Their respective year-end columns proved that to not be the case.

7. Curt Shilling thinks that being a Republican kept him out of the Hall of Fame then proceeds to take off on John Smoltz’ election. Check the records, Curt, Smoltz is, like you, a registered Republican not to mention a better pitcher.

8. Yes, the Rays will miss multi-dimensional Ben Zobrist. More than they want to admit, they will also miss stylistic shortstop Yunel Escobar. The Cuban-born Escobar shows better than average range at shortstop and a reliable bat (.276 lifetime batting average versus Zobrist’s .264). He also played with a flair on a team that is often dull. He’ll be missed.

9. We have three words for the Tampa Bay Bucs – PASS, PASS and PASS. We’re not talking about their new offensive coordinator here; we’re talking what their words should be when Jameis Winston’s agent comes calling. Lovie Smith’s squad has enough issues without the drama surrounding the radioactive QB from FSU.

10. A quote from the July 6, 2014 edition of Raves and Rants regarding Denver Coach John Fox: This time next year, he well could be without one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks, and he will instantly become a 6-10 coach and then a coordinator of a 4-12 team. Maybe like Pete Carroll, with a third try, Fox will win a Super Bowl but strongly doubt it. The over/under on Fox getting a copy of the home game from the Broncos is eighteen months. Turned out it was under for the guy who can’t seem to win the big ones. Surprisingly, the Chicago Bears, who still run a single wing offense, hired him within a week.

IN CLOSING:

Some folks call them “legacy seats” – seats in political leaderships or legislative bodies that pass from parent to child – such as the Daleys in Chicago. Here in Florida, we are seeing more and more of it and not always for the better. Bill Young, II was unable to cash in on his late father’s name in November; on the other coast, State Rep Karen Castor Dentel was able to ride her mother’s name to a first term but not a second; Chris Latvala and Gwen Graham were able to parlay their last names into elective office. It remains to be seen how well young Latvala, who at least has some legislative experience working with Rep. Ed Hooper, and Graham, who pretty much has a famous last name, will do. Based on history, one would have thought Pinellas and Pasco County voters, certainly, would be aware of the need for caution when voting for the same last name - perhaps not.