A weekly airing of national and local politics, sports, lifestyles and historical notes from a very politically incorrect viewpoint, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves has been published since 2014. As always, beware - some of what is printed here should not be taken literally

First thing on our mind:

Jets’ cornerback stabbed at 2 a.m., proving the truism that nothing good happens after midnight.

Leading off: Advice from a pro, shop your insurance

A takeaway from a business meeting a few weeks back that included some insurance experts, “shop your insurance.” The insurance folks in attendance said rates are coming down in both homeowners and auto. A lot had to do with Florida’s quiet hurricane season, but other economic factors are playing a role. To their advice we add a caveat from an old friend, a career insurance man, “the sole measure of an insurance company is how they pay claims.” We found that to be true during two separate weather events. In the most recent, we lost a car, and based on the way our claim was handled, we will never leave that insurance company no matter what the rate. By the way, that insurance company was GEICO and, like most insurance companies, their rate went down with our latest renewal.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

This week’s surprise: Outspoken U.S. Rep Marjorie Taylor Green (R, GA), announces she is stepping away from Congress in January. Her decision culminates a bitter feud between her and Donald Trump.

There is low and then there’s lowest. South Florida U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has been indicted for stealing federal disaster relief funds and diverting them to her 2021 campaign account. But don’t be surprised if she’s re-elected next year unless she’s behind bars. Her district has a reputation of electing crooks to office.

With the demise of the penny, our rhetorical question about what to put in the slot of our penny loafers was answered by the always ahead of the curve 5:05 editorial department – a bitcoin!

A corollary to our piece last week on “new products” over the last 50 years; here are some products and things that have pretty much left us – 8 tracks, the Avon Lady, TV rabbit ears, carbon paper and the milkman.

In the words of our beloved sister, “Remember when milk was delivered and pizza wasn’t?”

Speaking of remembering: how about penny candy, the penny postcard and a penny for your thoughts? Now, they are all things of the past.

And speaking of delivering: Kroger has announced it is shutting down its grocery delivery service in Florida come January. We always wondered how you could pull that off without an infrastructure of stores.

Founded in 1969, Wendy’s is one of the “youngest” burger chains with over 7000 locations worldwide. But approximately 250 of those stores are scheduled to close within the next several months. U.S. sales at Wendy’s are down almost 5%.

Soft drink news: Coca Cola is bringing back Mr. Pibb, a poor man’s Dr. Pepper, after a quarter century. Florida will be one of the first markets to see the relaunch. Tab drinkers keep hoping their old favorite won’t be far behind. It was discontinued five years ago.

Holiday note from the 5:05 Newsletter: I went out early this morning and shot a turkey for our Thanksgiving dinner. It scared the hell out of the other customers at Publix, but I figured why freeze my butt off in the woods searching for a turkey when I already know where they are?

We were guilty of a major omission from last month in failing to recognize the 100^th anniversary of the birth of the king of late night TV – Johnny Carson. Johnny was born October 23, 1925 in Corning, Iowa.

Sports and random notes:

Topping the charts this week (and the next) in 1978 was Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand’s duet You Don’t Bring Me Flowers skillfully mixed by Clearwater’s Ron Hitchcock.

It seems as though USF head football coach Alex Golesh’s name is on the speed dial of every Athletic Director who is going to be looking for a new head coach. Possible landing spots include Arkansas, Auburn or Oklahoma State. We don’t see any of those as a step forward in his career.

Related idle question: Is the Florida head coach job that desirable anymore?

Tracking The Athletic 136, Ohio State stays on top and 0-10 UMass still anchors the poll. Our Florida teams: Miami jumps up one to #8; USF slides to #29 and no chance for a playoff bid; FSU is up to #52; the 3-7 Gators are #65; UCF is #85; FIU has an outside shot at a bowl game, but still is in triple digits at #107 and FAU is #113.

Last week’s item on another “A” date reminded us of the very nice restaurants of the past in downtown, Aunt Hattie’s, Maas Brother’s Suncoast Restaurant, Jimmy Hall’s and, just beyond downtown, the incomparable Siple’s.

You’ve lived in the bay area (or anywhere else) if you remember reaching out to far flung relatives and friends during the holidays by telephone – and calling after six to save on long distance charges.

One last thing: An even hotter hot stove league?

Some baseball insiders are telling us this off season might be even hotter than ever with big market teams throwing megabucks at free agents. Their reasoning is pretty solid. With a new player-owner agreement coming at the end of 2026, a salary cap is almost a certainty – as is a work stoppage. The big spenders, Mets, Dodgers, Yanks, Phils and Blue Jays, will be hoping whatever they spend this year, will be grandfathered in on the new player agreement. So, it’s one last chance to empty the wallet before some fiscal responsibility comes to the big leagues – the only major sport without a salary cap.

NEXT WEEK: Last Train Home; Glen Oaks; Sea World

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Happy Thanksgiving!