Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of national and local politics, sports, lifestyles and nostalgia items from a very politically incorrect viewpoint. As always, beware - some of what is printed here should not be taken literally.

Leading off: EVs going nowhere fast

It is apparent that the American consumer does not share the Biden administration’s love for electrical vehicles. Their short range, exploding batteries and high sticker prices are turning potential customers away in droves. One startup EV company has been shuttered and Ford Motor Company reports it will face a $4.5 billion loss in its EV Division this year. The company has lowered prices on its EVs by as much as 17 per cent; other companies are doing the same trying to offset sluggish sales. Right now, there are nearly 100,000 unsold EV units on dealer lots across the country. The Biden administration has targeted 2035 when the government will end purchases of gas-powered vehicles, but Biden, fortunately, will be long gone by that time and cooler heads most likely will prevail.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

$3.89 – this week’s Tampa Bay pump price as Biden and his cronies seek to make expensive, impractical EVs more palatable.

Related note: Our friend TL, who knows the auto industry, says the ultimate solution will be hybrid vehicles, not totally electric models.

Spin it any way you want, but continuing interest rate hikes do not beget a healthy economy.

Florida is getting over $3billion in the settlement over the destruction reaped by opioids. How to spend it? The best, but impractical, solution would be to make families damaged by the drugs whole. A second, more practical answer is to use the money to seek out and lift the licenses of doctors who fostered the drug crisis.

We need to find a place to put all the really rude people we meet on the highways, the supermarkets etc. Yes, we know there is Boston, New York and Philly, but they keep escaping from there.

White House news from the 5:05 Newsletter: FBI lead investigator, Stevie Wonder, confirmed that no additional cocaine was found at the White House during its investigation last month. In a related story, snow globes at the White House Gift Shop are now selling for $1000.

Seen on a t-shirt: My mind is like my web browser – 15 tabs are open, four of them are frozen and I’m not sure where the music is coming from.

Fifty years ago this week (August 11), a low budget film ($700,000) was released by a then unknown director, George Lucas. A half dozen major studios had passed on American Graffiti, which to date, has grossed over $200 million.

Sports, media and other stuff:

It’s a shame that a guy who transformed the NFL like Dan Coryell is only inducted into the sport’s hall of fame over a decade after his passing. The coach, famed for his “Air Coryell” offense, passed away in 2010.

Lizard Skins – you’ve probably not heard the term, but it’s that bright wrapping you see around major league hitter’s bats. It first started as a table top product for bike handlebars and is now used by well over half of major league hitters – a true rags to riches story.

Three pitcher’s names we enjoy hearing: MacKenzie Gore (Nationals), Easton McGee (Mariners) and Spencer Strider (Braves). Perhaps after retirement, they could form an accounting firm.

Idle thought: If you are a baby boomer and have never read Lewis Grizzard’s I Haven’t Understood Anything Since 1962, you should. If you have read it, you probably should read it again to see how far we’ve fallen as a nation.

…and another thing: MLB after the deadline

Three of baseball’s best teams got stronger last week, but by different means. The Texas Rangers picked up two stellar pitchers in Jordan Montgomery and Max Scherzer. The Astros reunited with Cy Young winner Jason Verlander. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves, with baseball’s best record, made a few minor trades but strengthened themselves by getting back injured ace Max Fried and high leverage reliever A.J. Minter with last year’s 21-game winner Kyle Wright a couple weeks away. A couple of teams, the Cubs and Angels, decided against selling based on a sudden surge – probably a mistake. Conversely, the two Ohio teams in tight pennant races pretty much sat on their hands, although the prospect the former Indians swooped up from the Rays is fascinating. When all is said and done, the team we would fear most in the playoffs would be the Houston Astros where everybody is healthy again and they picked up Verlander. But a word of caution, at the outset of the season we picked the San Diego Padres to win it all.

NEXT WEEK: USF prediction; Mike Tomlin; Babe, Elvis & Aretha

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