Tampa Bay Rants and Raves (TBRR) is a weekly chronicle of politics, sports, lifestyle and historical notes from a politically incorrect viewpoint. Some of this content should not be taken literally.

First thing on our mind:

Our thoughts and prayers are with our troops in the Middle East.

Leading off: Our Last Song Together

He was a classically trained pianist. At age 16, he was a founding member of the rock group The Tokens. A year later, he was playing the xylophone solo on The Willows’ classic hit Church Bells May Ring. By age 19, he had his first Billboard hit The Diary. It would be only the first of 30 solo chart records including three that peaked at #1. His tours sold out. Then there were the hit songs written for Abba, The Captain and Tennille, Cher, The Fifth Dimension, Connie Francis, Andy Williams and the title of this piece for Glenn Yarbrough and the Limeliters, a somewhat biographical ballad. Neil Sedaka died last week at age 86. The bitter irony of all this is what his fans feared – that this incredibly skilled musician would die before being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – something that should have happened 25 years ago - shame on the pinheads that run that joint.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Respected commercial real estate executive Mark Klein passed away last week. Mark and his partner, Buz Heuchan had operated Klein and Heuchan for over forty years. Mark was 90.

We send condolences to former Governor Charlie Crist on the passing of his mother, Virginia, at age 91.

Add Florida Tax Watch to the growing number of organizations and individual experts who proclaim the folly of Clearwater and St. Petersburg trying to replace Duke Energy with a municipally operated utility.

Scholars are becoming more and more concerned with the amount of anti-semitism creeping into Wikipedia. The site is good for a quick look up, but everything but pop culture there should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Clearwater Beach ranked #2 beach in the U.S. Honeymoon Island is #10.

Idle question: Why do we send our payments for the Pinellas County Tax Collector to Orlando?

The rebuilt Publix on Missouri Avenue opens this week. The chain also announced it is knocking down and rebuilding a store each in St. Pete and Largo. All three stores were originally Albertson’s. Even though the stores contained Publix markings, they still felt like an Albertson’s.

As we mentioned last week, it’s Girl Scout Cookie season. While buying our truckload for family and friends, our Saintly Wife learned that many locations now take credit cards. Your Humble Blogger amidst Thin Mints with a credit card is a very dangerous thing.

This week in 1965 (March 2), one of the most popular musical films of the century, The Sound of Music, debuts and later wins the Academy Award as best film of the year.

Sports and random notes:

From the creative genius of the 5:05 Newsletter: I bought a “Senior’s” GPS today. Not only does it tell me how to get to my destination it tells me why I wanted to go there.

The Rays’ broadcasts are moving to 95.7 on the FM dial this year to give fans a stronger signal. This takes us back to 1963 when we helped put that station on the air and 13 years later, clearing palmettos to build a taller tower and stronger transmitter in an undeveloped part of Largo. Great times!

Good news for the bay area. The century-old Tampa Theater is getting a $30 million facelift. The work is being done by the well-regarded Clearwater firm, Creative Contractors.

In a recent poll of both fans and those who cover the sport, the Lightning’s Benchmark Arena ranked third among the 32 hockey venues. Number one was Canadiens’ Bell Centre. The Florida Panthers’ Amerant Arena ranked 16^th. Last on the list was the Ottawa Senators’ Canadian Tire Centre.

We were afraid it would happen and it has. The New York Times left wing agenda is slowly creeping into its subsidiary The Athletic. So much for the independence of what was a respected voice in the world of sports.

You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember when it was called The Jack Tar Fort Harrison Hotel.

One last thing: The demon that is James Uthmeier

It’s great to wake up each day and not be Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. From the number and scope of attack articles in what passes for our local newspaper, you would think our Attorney General beats his wife, kicks his dog and has the legal ethics of Fani Willis, none of which is even remotely true. But, consider the source.

NEXT UP: 12 Wasted Years; Mr. Phelps; Ironic

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