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: A year-end change

Earlier this month, we had an epiphany. We hardly read any year-end retrospectives, so why do we burden our readers with one? In short, this year, we will not have one. Two items we will retain are our “Last song together” section in which we recognize difference makers in our community who passed away in 2023 and our “Five Rants, Five Raves” section where we toast/roast individuals or organizations for outstanding works or incredible stupidity. Otherwise, our year-end edition will be pretty much like 2023’s previous communiqués.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Joe Biden scolds press, tells them to start covering the economy “the right way.” We assume that means ignoring egregious interest rates, inflation and shrinking retirement accounts.

Watching the nonsense in Colorado and Maine, one wonders if some functionary in one of our more centrist states can’t formulate similar faux charges and get Biden, at least temporarily, off the ballot.

Quote of the week: from Washington Post columnist George Will, “Today, the desire of Hamas to complete the Holocaust is applauded by moral cretins in academic cocoons, too uneducated to understand the grotesque pedigree of their enthusiasm.”

Early in 2024, the Clearwater city council will be considering a $35 million renovation to its marina. There is a huge hole in the proposal – a much needed parking garage.

Sports, media and other notes:

Talk about polar opposites – at one end, there’s the playoff bound Detroit Lions and at the other end, the woeful Pistons. The Isaiah Thomas days seem centuries ago.

Burning question: Can ad icons Peyton Manning and Emmitt Smith rescue Bud Light? Stay tuned.

Remember the days of jingles like Things go better with Coke, The Pepsi Generation and See the USA in a Chevrolet? They have all given way to re-dos of hits like Take Five, Rubber Band Man and I Drove All Night along with a dozen others.

Saw an article recently about 17 great locations for sandwiches in the bay area. Frankly, we would put Publix’ deli up against any of those trendy spots.

From the folks at the 5:05 Newsletter: My Facebook goal for 2024 is that when my friends are finished reading something I posted, they can be absolutely certain that they will have learned nothing remotely useful.

Our 2023 recap of some great people we lost in the bay area follows below, but first, a tip of our cap goes to NBC News for their look back at folks on the nation’s stage like Rosalynn, Kissinger, Buffett, Bacharach, Bobby Knight, Matthew Perry and Norman Lear. The entire six minute tribute is available on line.

Our last song together

(We note the 2023 passing of people who made a difference, one way or another, in the bay area with this segment, the title inspired by the poignant Neil Sedaka song interpreted so well by the late Glenn Yarbrough.)

Long time Pinellas County Commissioner, Bruce Tyndall passed away in February at age 86. Bruce served nearly two decades on the Commission.

Also in February, Ben Griffith, a Navy veteran and retired banker, who with his wife Mary ably assisted your Humble Blogger and Saintly Wife with several real estate transactions over the years, passed away at age 88. Sadly, wife Mary passed away in July at age 87.

Tim McCarver, a presence in Clearwater for many years in his role as a Phils’ catcher and, later, a superb baseball analyst, died in February at age 81.

In your car, Dave Wills and Andy Freed were your constant companions during the Ray’s baseball season. Dave, a broadcast pro, passed away during Spring Training at age 58. He will be missed.

In the second half of the 20^th century, Clearwater’s automotive landscape was dominated by names like Andrews, Carlisle, Dimmitt, Lokey, Stone and Kenyon. Roger Kenyon, who sold thousands of Dodges through the years, died in March at age 91.

She was one-half of one of Tampa’s true power couples. Tampa native Betty Poe died in April at age 92. Husband Bill was Mayor of Tampa from 1974-79.

In April, we said a sad goodbye to our incredibly spoiled and loved cat, Doodle Bug, just weeks short of her 20th birthday. She fought diabetes and its daily shots for over half her life, with the help of a very caring “Mom” plus a wonderful vet – Dr. Jamie Todd.

Mike Pride was a classmate at Clearwater High (’64) and went on to be the city editor of The Clearwater Sun and later the award winning editor of the Concord (NH) Monitor. Our boyhood friend passed away in April at age 76.

Jack Butcher was the straight forward publisher of the bay area’s straight forward newspaper The Tampa Tribune. The veteran of nearly fifty years in the newspaper profession died in July at age 90.

(From September) We offer condolences to our friend Charlie Robinson on the passing of Louise, his wife of well over a half-century - a truly wonderful couple.

Hundreds of Clearwater residents lost a good friend with the passing of Harry Cline, a respected attorney, community leader and rabid supporter of the North Carolina Tar Heels where he attended law school. He was also an All-Conference catcher during his undergrad days at Davidson. Harry was a most likeable man who will be greatly missed.

For years, we have enjoyed breakfasts at the Largo Family Restaurant. What made it so enjoyable was being not served, but spoiled, by Kim Deister. We were sad to report Kim’s passing in September. Breakfast will never be the same.

Fred Fisher, the driving force behind the Long Center and other local philanthropic endeavors passed away in September at the age of 92.

If you got to know seasonal resident, Jimmy Stinchcomb of Sand Key, you counted yourself lucky. Jimmy, a decorated Korean War veteran, extremely successful businessman and a man who seemingly never had a bad day, passed away in his native Ohio in October at age 96.

Our condolences go to longtime area businessman and former Clearwater city commissioner Fred Thomas on the October passing of Joy, his wife of over sixty years.

In November, we sent our heartfelt prayers to the Kuhlman family, whose son Nathaniel was killed in a freak skiing accident while on his honeymoon in St. Lucia.

Father David Engbarth “retired” from the Diocese of Rockford, IL ten years ago. But he had a whole new career in the bay area serving at over a half dozen parishes, bringing his fluency in two languages and his genuine love of his fellow man to thousands of the faithful. Sadly, he died suddenly in November at age 75.

Finally, Five Rants, Five Raves

(Our year-end feature salutes five people or things for outstanding achievements and, likewise, five bozos for, well, being bozos.)

RANTS

Our nation’s universities: for ignoring, if not fostering, rampant anti-Semitism on their campuses.

Clearwater’s city council for their weak-kneed decision caving to abortion providers demands for “protection” at their clinic on S. Highland Avenue. It’s not the abortion providers who need protection.

The Pinellas County Commission for their plan to spend between $250-350 million on a Taj Mahal befitting their status – and outside the county seat, as well.

Newly elected District 13 U.S. Rep Anna Paulina Luna who got way out front in the first House Speaker voting fiasco. When you’re new to a group, you sit down, shut up and learn.

USF, for throwing multi-millions towards a stadium for a woebegone football team that has won 15 games in the last five years.

RAVES

For the Ivy League, who after nearly seventy years, continues to play college football the way it was meant to be played.

How often do you see a handicapped person in a television commercial? The answer, unless it’s the Shriners or the DAV, is never. We say thanks to Target for their recent inclusion, albeit brief, of a handicapped individual. It seems we try to put every odd life form on earth in our ads, but never someone handicapped.

To the Clearwater city council, for wisely looking inside the city for a new city manager, Jennifer Poirrier.

To our well-run Pinellas County Library System that puts thousands and thousands of books at our finger tips with just a couple of clicks on the computer.

Finally, to Jack Harris, who kept us laughing and thinking over multiple decades at WFLA Radio.

First in 2024: 10 not so credible predictions; Mega returns; Q-Tip

Happy New Year!

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