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: If you only read one book…

We normally put any book recommendations “below the fold,” but if you only read one book this year, make it The Puppeteers by former U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz. The best seller is, frankly, a scary book, but full of frightening information you need to know. Chaffetz takes us on a tour of bureaucracies whose unelected leaders are making way too many decisions involving our everyday lives from schools to energy to the interest rates we pay. Chaffetz also details how many agencies are playing big brother against the average citizen, particularly those with conservative leanings, rather than spending more time on real problems like the drugs flowing across our border, human trafficking and illegal immigration. Most importantly, he offers some remedies to stifle further abuses by the Biden administration.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Related to our lead article, a thought from the 5:05 Newsletter: If I was running for president I would have a hat that said, ‘Make Orwell Fiction Again.’

It’s show time in Atlanta as publicity seeking Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis indicts Donald Trump and half of America. We voted for the guy in 2020, but somehow escaped indictment by the daughter of a former Black Panther. Sources on both sides of the political spectrum say she’s fighting an uphill battle, or as former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi says “in way over her head.” But think of the notoriety!

Oh, and the date Ms Fani suggests for the commencement of the trial is March 4 – one day before the Super Tuesday primaries – a rare coincidence we’re sure.

$100,000 is the estimate of the merchandise taken by about 30 thugs at an LA Nordstrom’s. The city’s liberal mayor, Karen Bass, called the incident “absolutely unacceptable.” Nordstrom’s was already in the process of removing its presence from LA as well as San Francisco.

Congratulations to Pennsylvania’s Stephanie Urchick who next year will be the first woman from the United States to be President of Rotary International – a service organization spanning some 200 countries. This prestigious post was held by Clearwater’s Herb Brown in 1995.

Idle thought: We wonder how many people who live out of state know that our state’s biggest city is Jacksonville, not Miami, Tampa or Orlando. Likewise, Virginia’s largest city isn’t Richmond, but Virginia Beach and in Missouri, it’s not St. Louis, but Kansas City.

Related note: why can’t out of town sports people say the name of our baseball team correctly? It’s Tampa Bay, not Tampa.

Seen on a t-shirt: My favorite childhood memory is my back not hurting.

This week in 1901 (August 22), the Cadillac Motor Company is founded. Exactly one year later, Teddy Roosevelt becomes the first President to ride in an automobile.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Things that make sports fun – last week’s unlikely wins by NASCAR’s Michael McDowell (second ever) and the PGA’s Lucas Glover (the tour’s first over age 40 winner in five years).

The way things are going; the SEC may reach out to the UK and add Oxford to the conference.

Some numbers this week, starting with 8 of 17. Superb analyst Will Leitch concedes playoff spots to the Rays, Orioles, Dodgers and Braves leaving 17 teams to scramble for 8 playoff spots. It should be a fun six weeks.

Eight – the number of qualifying MLB batters who are hitting .300 or better. That is the lowest number since 1968 when only six hitters reached the .300 mark and baseball responded by lowering the pitching mound.

You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember when the city’s refuse dump was on the site of what is now the Joe DiMaggio complex on Drew Street.

…and another thing: the Babe with today’s rules

Imagine, if you will, Babe Ruth playing under today’s rules, where he, like Shohei Ohtani, could pitch every fifth day and simply take four or five swings the other days. It is incalculable the numbers he would have run up. His last year as a full time pitcher, he went 24-13 with 35 complete games and a 2.01 ERA. He also hit .325 that year in over 100 plate appearances. Without having to trod the outfield 5-6 days a week, we imagine his home run numbers would be higher than Hank Aaron’s 755 (but then Hank’s would be higher if he could have been a DH a few times a week). But it’s the pitching numbers that would have been changed exponentially. As it was, the Babe won 94 games with 17 shutouts and a ridiculous 107 complete games. The Babe was the most transformational player in the game’s history, but with today’s rules, one could only guess at the heights he would have reached.

UP NEXT: Economic victory lap; FSU to the SEC? 3 for the Dawgs?

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