Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

First thing on our mind:

Will the last non-Scientologist vacating downtown Clearwater please bring the flag?

Leading off: A blueprint for 2025

The Wall Street Journal’s outstanding editorial columnist Kimberly Strassel authored a bestselling book last year, The Biden Malaise, a blueprint of how to pull America out of the doldrums caused by the Biden administration’s mismanagement. She marches us through common sense solutions to our weakness as perceived overseas, the border mess, energy problems, inflation, and a half dozen others. She compares Biden to Jimmy Carter and the similarities are exceptional. The solution to Jimmy Carter, in two words from Ms. Strassel, was Ronald Reagan. The Gipper is no longer with us to implement cures. Certainly no fan of Biden and very lukewarm on Trump, she would seem to have preferred Cotton, DeSantis, Haley, Pompeo or other policy wonks. Her admonition at book’s end was “Choose wisely.” A year later, it’s apparent we have not. Now, we can just pray that (1) Biden is not re-elected and (2) that Trump provides a more level-headed policy approach than his first four years. Regardless of November’s outcome, Ms. Strassel’s book is worth a read.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Last week, the bay area lost two fine men who were stalwarts in their business careers and their faith. Frank Palms was an F-100 pilot during Vietnam and had distinguished careers with GTE and Dillard’s while faithfully serving his church. Frank, a Clearwater High grad, was 80.

Rich Clemow’s family-run insurance agency was built on a foundation of integrity. The Largo native also was very active in his faith. He was 85.

Norfolk Southern agrees to a $600 million settlement in District Court in Ohio. Fine and dandy IF that cash makes everyone damaged whole and is not frittered away by a bunch of bureaucrats.

The sick number of the week: $60 million - the amount of money pro-abortion radicals plan to spend in Florida to try to convince folks that it’s okay to kill unborn children.

Related: Governor Ron DeSantis believes Florida voters will reject both the pro-abortion and legal grass initiatives in November - from his lips to God’s ears.

Biz note: Ford will lose $4.5 billion on EVs this fiscal year. That’s a lot of dough!

Factoid: There has never been a pay phone (remember them?), jukebox or any kind of vending machine in a McDonald’s. From an older, but fascinating book Grinding It Out by franchise czar Ray Kroc - more on this gem of a book in a week or two.

Speaking of the Golden Arches, can’t wait to nab America’s best doughnut (Krispy Kreme) as the two companies are joining forces.

We’ve always bragged that our alma mater, CHS, has produced two of the nation’s astronauts. But how about Bronx High School of Science that has produced nine Nobel Prize winners – the latest is Claudia Golden, winning in Economics.

This week (April 14-20) is National Volunteer Week - a thought shared with us by Paul Gregory of the Retirement Home for Horses in Alachua: “Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.”

Born 100 years ago this week (April 16) in Cleveland was 20 time Grammy winner and composer Henry Mancini (The Pink Panther, Charade, Mr. Lucky, Moon River and many more).

Sports, media and other notes:

From the 5:05 Newsletter this note: At the White House Easter Roll Hunt last month, the kids found 64,000 Easter eggs, 26 classified documents and 30 grams of cocaine.

Idle thought: the “Frozen Four” doesn’t get nearly the amount of attention it deserves. Maybe it should stage on a weekend when they’re not playing golf in Augusta.

Another black eye for the LA Dodgers: the threatening manner in which they treated the woman who caught Shohei Ohtani’s first home run ball as a Dodger.

Pitching, pitching, and pitching. Already two of our division picks have been shaken by serious arm injuries in Houston and Atlanta.

… One last thing: Saving a queen of the seas

At the extreme ends of the United States are two hallowed ocean liners. At Long Beach, CA is the Queen Mary; in the Delaware River at Philadelphia is the U.S. United States. The two ships that once plowed the Atlantic have had different fates since their retirements. The Queen Mary is a functional hotel and events venue in California while the United States sadly sits at a pier in Philadelphia. As the ship deteriorates despite the best efforts of its conservancy group, a potential savior has come forth in the presence of real estate firm RXR who would repurpose the fabled liner into a 1000 key hotel as well as a dining and event destination with a home port of, ideally, New York near the Javits Center or some other major port city on the east coast (Florida has been suggested). We hope this works out as it may be the last chance for a proud ship that, to this day, holds the Blue Riband for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic in both directions. In the words of the late Walter Cronkite, “If America’s flagship is lost; it will be a crime against history.”

UP NEXT: Baseball fairy tale; MOR TV; $50 to shop at Target?

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Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

First thing on our mind:

Congratulations to Al Capogna on being awarded the key to the city of Clearwater. Well deserved.

Leading off: Blue versus red

It is impossible not to note the reaction times of the White House to the bridge tragedy in Maryland versus the train tragedy in Ohio well over a year ago. As we write this, Joe Biden is on his way to Maryland to offer everything the folks there deservedly need. But contrast that with East Palestine, Ohio where it took Biden over a year to visit – and where some people still cannot return to their homes or jobs. The “official word” on the Ohio delay is that they did not suffer a natural disaster, thus the delay. A barge hitting a bridge is not a natural disaster either, so that doesn’t wash. It seems to have everything to do with Ohio being a red state and Maryland blue and that is just appalling.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Idle thought: We have a friend and a nephew who both have the same first name and last initial as the current occupant of the White House. We are convinced either of them would do a much better job; are certainly more cogent and, as a bonus, both have a much better sense of the bizarre than the guy currently taking up space at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

One last Clearwater city election thought. A total of well over a quarter million dollars spent by the two mayoral candidates is obscene. That much money for what is essentially a ceremonial position boggles the mind.

We sincerely hope Ronna McDaniel sues the pants off NBC after the network caved to their whiney commentators’ protests to the hiring of a conservative voice.

Biz notes: Previously thought invulnerable to layoffs, Apple cuts over 600 workers. Wal-Mart, caught with their thumb on the scale, agrees to a $45 million settlement for shorting its customers on meats and produce.

The media is telling us that inflation is cooling off. Our weekly grocery bills and prices at the pump tell a different story.

Other victims of “Bidenomics” are food pantries who are being stretched to the max by demand.

Weather alert from the 5:05 Newsletter: Meteorologists are calling for rain showers this coming weekend with a slight chance of getting crushed by falling parts from a Boeing Airliner.

Fifty years ago this week (April 8), Hank Aaron surpasses Babe Ruth’s long lasting career homerun record by hitting #715 off the Dodgers’ Al Downing at Fulton County Stadium.

Sports, media and other notes:

Sometimes bad news takes a while to reach you. Jim Alvis, a short track racing legend, passed away last October in Dunnellon. The long time resident of Pinellas County and mentor to other race car builders and drivers was 91.

Earlier this year, we noted seven communities, including Tampa Bay, considering new venues for their major sports teams. The season is not off to a good start with Kansas City voters rejecting a tax measure for a new home for the Royals. Meanwhile, the Athletics are moving 80 miles up I-80 to play the 2025-27 seasons in Sacramento. What a mess.

A partial score from an opening week game – Braves 12 Phillies 1 Home plate umpire 3. You had to be there.

We wish we could say we were surprised. In the brief time since sports betting was legalized in Florida, calls to the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling’s hotline have doubled.

Sports thought: It’s hard to imagine the Masters being anywhere but on CBS.

The Clearwater Threshers open up their home season Tues, the 9^th hosting Fort Myers, the single A farm club of the Minnesota Twins.

Topping the charts fifty years ago this week was the re-make of the B.J. Thomas hit, Hooked on a Feeling, by the Swedish group, Blue Swede.

You’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you ever enjoyed a juicy steak at Moock’s Tavern on 16^th Street North in St. Pete.

…one last thing: Remembering NPR

No, NPR isn’t gone – yet. But the days of Bob Edwards and the even-balanced Morning Edition are long since past. Now NPR is captained by a new CEO whose resume includes all sorts of incendiary remarks. Katherine Maher is quoted as calling Donald Trump “a racist” and blaming the LA lootings as “a reaction to oppression.” That should ensure balanced reporting. Meanwhile Rome is burning. NPR strengths have always been among listeners in metro areas. Over the past two years, the network’s ratings have dropped between 19 and 25 percent in the New York, Chicago, LA and Frisco markets. Listeners under the age of 40 are virtually non-existent. Observing radio from both inside and out, we can safely say if your station does not perform well, you were out on your ear. But we the taxpayers keep the cash flowing for NPR to spew its leftist agenda. Our only hope is Congress wakes up and says “no more.”

UP NEXT: The Biden Malaise; Falling branches; America’s ship

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Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

First thing on our mind:

We begin the baseball season very nervous, as the village sports idiot has picked our favorite team to win it all.

Leading off: Extremely bad optics

Last week, President Donald Trump was invited to the wake for slain New York City Police Officer Jonathon Diller, making a brief statement afterward, saying that the disrespect for law enforcement has got to stop. Across town, Joe Biden hosts Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and a bunch of woke Hollywood types at a 25 million dollar fund raiser. This encapsulates where the priorities of the two presidential candidates lie.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

We covered Clearwater’s election results last week (TBRR 3/24/24), but the result of the vote is a stronger and, we hope, more unified city council moving forward.

Back in January (TBRR 1/28/24) he highlighted the book Going Infinite. Last week, the centerpiece of that book, a Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison for misdeeds as the head of crypto company FTX. Many observers consider the sentence to be light.

Breaking Russian election news from the 5:05 Newsletter: Russian President Vladimir Putin won a 6^th term as president of Russia. Results show 88% voted for Putin, 10% voted for Putin twice, and 2% fell out of windows.

Answer: Toyota Corolla. The question: what is the largest selling auto of all time with over 60 million units sold?

Parts of the country are getting ready for next week’s solar eclipse. While Florida is not really affected, northern and southwestern states are shutting down schools and bracing for a spring break on steroids as folks flock to their communities to experience the full effect.

Stew Turley who led Eckerd Drugs for over thirty years passed away last month at age 89. Eckerd Drug, under Stew’s leadership, was a company that truly cared for its employees and its community.

This week in 1955 (April 1) WTVT, Channel 13 signs on and takes the CBS network from Channel 38. In 1994, it affiliated with the FOX network. It remains the most viewed news outlet in the bay area.

Sports, media and other notes:

Factoid: At least 17 teams opted out of the NIT including FSU. The NIT preceded the NCAA tournament by a year and, until the mid-fifties, was considered the more prestigious tourney.

Idle NCAA thought: DJ Burns, the 6-9, 275 pound behemoth from NC State reminds us of Gene, Gene, the dancing machine from the old Gong Show.

Number of the week: 54 years – that’s the number of years the beloved Bob Uecker has been behind the mike for Milwaukee Brewers. The 90-year-old legend limits himself to home radio duties nowadays.

Which team sport has the greatest diversity of winners over the past twenty years? It’s baseball with 16 different championship winners compared to 13 each in the NFL and NHL and 11 in the NBA.

Born 100 years ago this week (April 3) was Marlon Brando who received eight Academy Award nominations, winning for On the Waterfront and The Godfather.

Related to this week’s historical note, you’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you remember Channel 13 stalwarts, Roy Leep, Andy Hardy, John Wilson, Kelly Ring and the unforgettable Salty Sol Fleischman.

It’s Easter weekend and we fondly recall the Easter service final blessing of our long time pastor, Father Jacob Monteleone, to a packed house several Easters back, “Let’s do this again next weekend!”

…one last thing:Mount Rushmore II

Our Spring challenge to our TBRR Focus Group is to construct Mount Rushmore II – populating it with some of the 42 Presidents who don’t grace the original South Dakota landmark. Their replies follow:

One of our original Focus Group members opts for Presidents of their lifetime – save one, choosing FDR, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower and George W. Bush.

Our lone Dunedin member followed suit, naming three Presidents from her lifetime, JFK, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama along with FDR.

Another charter member split his ballot with two Presidents before his lifetime in Andrew Jackson and FDR along with contemporary Presidents Harry S. Truman and Ronald Reagan.

The one constant in our Focus Group’s replies is FDR, also mentioned by our northern most member, along with Ulysses S. Grant, another retired general, Dwight Eisenhower, and a popular choice among our contributors, Ronald Reagan.

Another long time member of our focus group also cast a ballot for FDR, along with our second president, John Adams, Ronald Reagan and a tie vote between Ike and JFK.

Our westernmost member gently sidesteps our revisionist activity and says she is plenty happy with the founding fathers we have already enshrined. Plus, she was busy being the center of attention in a New Orleans wedding this month!

Significantly, none of our Focus Group members mentioned either of our two most recent Presidents.

UP NEXT: Hammerin’ Hank; Changes at UT; Remembering NPR

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Happy Easter!

Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

Leading off: Goodbye and thanks, Kate

After 33 years, Kate Kelly, CEO and the force behind the Kimberly Home Pregnancy Center is retiring. Through her tireless efforts, Kimberly Home became a model for what such an organization should be. Kimberly Home goes back over forty years, but frankly, it struggled until Kate came along. In her tenure, they built a headquarters building, temporary shelters for women with troubled pregnancies and established two thriving thrift centers to help fund their good works. We were privileged to serve on her board for a few years, and watched the center grow under her direction. Our community owes Kate a debt we can never repay. She will be greatly missed.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

The city of Clearwater suffered a large loss last week with the passing of Mayme Hodges. Mayme was a retired educator, former Clearwater city commissioner and just a beautiful person. We mourn her passing.

Our boy, Joe, is finding it’s much, much harder to run a campaign when you have an actual record, rather than just a bunch of promises.

As the Biden bunch still can’t get a handle on inflation, the Fed is saying interest rate cuts are coming, just not right away. The skeptic in us says count on the third quarter, just before election time.

Oh, and look for local gas prices to drop below three dollars just about the same time.

Related: the latest blow to the EV industry is Rivian’s “pausing” of a $5 billion plant project In Georgia to conserve cash.

The hits just keep on coming – another nearly $6 billion in student loan forgiveness, compliments of we the people.

If you have any doubts about what side you should be on in the Tik Tok argument, read former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s book, Never Give an Inch, in which he details in great length what is wrong with doing business with China.

Now that it’s officially Spring, do you remember ever suffering through a colder and damper winter than this year’s? Well, maybe 1977, the year it snowed in Clearwater.

So let us understand this Wendy, the longer the line, the more we pay for a Frosty? We don’t think so.

From the 5:05 Newsletter: Taylor Swift endorsed the administration's Green New Deal today before flying across the country to get a cup of coffee. (Side note – probably with John Kerry).

Born 100 years ago this week (March 27) vocal stylist Sarah Vaughan, winner of the Grammy’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989.

Sports, media and other notes:

The enormous cheer you heard last Thursday night from 49 of our states was for relatively unknown Oakland University and their NCAA win over traditional basketball power Kentucky. Talk about a bracket buster!

Add Clemson to FSU as potential evacuees from the ACC. The Tigers have joined FSU in a suit over what the two schools claim are egregious exit fees.

MLB kicks off their season this week. Who will win? In the immortal words of former pitcher Joaquin Andujar, “You can sum up the game of baseball in one word, and that word is, 'You never know.”

Palindrome of the week: 62-26. That’s the amazing career win-loss record of Braves left-handed ace Max Fried. The good news for Fried is he is a free agent at the end of this season.

You’ve lived in the bay area (or anywhere else) a long time if you remember Clorets breath gum. A big seller in the 50s, it is now marketed primarily in Mexico, Canada, the UK and the Far East.

…one last thing: Election recap

In Clearwater‘s mayoral race, it was Bruce Rector in a landslide victory over former city council member Kathleen Beckman. Some, but certainly not all, of Rector’s over thirty point margin can be attributed to the Democratic Party’s decision not to have a primary to protect Joe Biden. But Clearwater voters overwhelmingly displayed their distrust of Beckman after several ethical missteps by the unabashed liberal Democrat. In the vacant Seat 3 race, Mike Mannino’s impressive margin matched that of the new mayor. Seat 2 now belongs to political newcomer Ryan Cotton who defeated incumbent Mark Bunker and another candidate with 42 percent of the vote. Two years from now, Cotton would have faced a runoff as Clearwater voters approved a ballot initiative requiring candidates receive a clear majority. On the surface, that seems like a good idea, but it is loaded with unintentional consequences as the electorate will discover in the years ahead.

NEXT UP: Channel 13; Mount Rushmore II; Let’s do it again!

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Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

Leading off: Path to the White House: housing

The election season is now in full swing as candidates try to convince voters they are a better fit for the White House. In the succeeding months, we’ll look at the issues leading off with America’s miserable housing situation. This is strictly a case of the haves and have-nots. For those of us lucky enough – or old enough to own our homes, the past three years have been tough, but manageable. For younger folks, with interest rates near or over seven percent and inflation-driven costs of homes, the near term chances of home ownership are slim. And the rental market currently commands average monthly rates of over $2000. Whoever lands in the White House next January must get interest rates down and severely retard inflation to provide some hope for housing for our younger generation.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Quote of the week: “There are reasonable questions about whether the DA and…SADA testified untruthfully,” – Judge Scott McAfee whose ruling amounted to a slap on the wrist for Fulton County’s two perjurers.

Re: that Haiti rescue plan, Gov. Ron. Do whatever you feel best; if you try to rescue Floridians, the liberal media will label it too risky. Forgo it, and they will jump all over you for doing nothing. Reasonable people are behind you.

From the minds that bring you the 5:05 Newsletter: It is now almost certain that our choice in November will be either Donald Trump or Joe Biden. This is the perfect time for Mel Brooks to star King George III in a new Broadway musical called "Miss Me Yet?"

If you want to see Biden out of the White House, pray that the Don and Nikki hug and make up. That would be one strong ticket.

The Robert Kennedy, Jr. effort took on an even more gimmicky feel last week when Aaron Rodgers and Jesse Ventura were mentioned as possible running mates.

Correcting an omission in our TBRR 10^th anniversary piece last week, we need to thank James Foster and Robert Brucker for their technical assistance now – and ten years ago. Their help means all we need to do is write and not worry about a bunch of stuff we don’t begin to understand.

By the way, we occasionally get questions in the comment area about our site design and operations. You can reach James at Right Click Computer Consultants.

Sign on the wall at a pub: “The Irish Way: Now, don’t be talking about yourself while you’re here. We’ll surely be doing that after you leave.”

From TBRR ten years ago and still relevant: Our focus group (which then consisted of three old, cranky people) suggested a cash register that automatically shuts off at ten items for those in Publix’ ten item aisle who cannot seem to be able to count. One stronger suggestion from the group was a trap door that opens on the 11th item.

Sports, media and other notes:

With just a few weeks left in Lent, a reporter for the always reliable Washington Post decided to rank fish sandwiches at the nation’s fast food outlets. Incredibly, the original, McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish, did not make the top five which was topped by Popeye’s sandwich. If we want to set our mouth on fire, maybe, but we’ll go with the tried and true golden arches offering.  

How many of us, then or now, knew the guy who played the lovable hood in Happy Days, Arthur Fonzarelli, was a Yale graduate? A fascinating tidbit from Henry Winkler’s current bestselling autobiography, Being Henry, The Fonz…and Beyond.

Russell Wilson makes the blog two weeks in a row! He’s scheduled to join the Steelers, a team that prides themselves in the lack of locker room drama. That could change.

Answer: Hall of Famer Eddie Matthews. Question: Who was the only player to suit up for the Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves? Bonus piece of trivia, he was on the cover of the very first Sports Illustrated.

You’ve lived in Pinellas County a long time if you ever dined at the delightful Olde Schoolhouse Restaurant on Alternate 19 in Palm Harbor.

…one last thing: the season starts, our AL picks

First, a safe prediction, despite having probably the best manager in baseball, the Texas Rangers will not repeat as World Champs. Too much had to go right last year, including talking Bruce Bochey out of retirement. This year, too much has already gone wrong. We like the Astros in the West, same great lineup and two solid closers. The AL Central is much like the NL Central, loaded with flawed teams, but somebody has to win and the least flawed are the Twins. The AL East is again a powerhouse with our Rays, the Orioles and the always dangerous Yanks. We were going to pick the high powered offense of the Yanks until Gerrit Cole went down. We instead give the nod to Orioles. We are oh so tempted to predict all three wild card teams will come from the East, but they still play too many games against each other, allowing the Rangers to join the Rays and Yankees in the playoffs. And the dark horse team to keep an eye on – the Kansas City Royals. Our NL picks were contained in last week’s (3/10/24) TBRR. Play Ball!

NEXT WEEK: Mount Rushmore II; Election recap; Thanks, Kate

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

Leading off: We never thought it would last

Ten years ago this month (3/9/14) we scribbled out ten thoughts along with some longer opening and closing remarks and called it Tampa Bay Rants & Raves. Incredibly, some 2500 people have read that initial drivel inspired by a growing displeasure with the lack of a conservative voice in our local media – kind of a very poor man’s Fox News or Daily Signal. The real impetus was the chutzpah of Hillsborough resident Alex Sink thinking she needed to ride in on her horse with carpetbags attached to save little Pinellas from itself by running for the District 13 congressional seat. Fortunately, Pinellas voters said something to the effect about the horse she rode in on. One thing led to another and here we are ten years later, still having fun doing this. So, thanks for playing along and, for many, contributing thoughts. Hope we’re here in another ten years – you too!

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Next week (March 19), the city of Clearwater elects a majority of its city council. We re-emphasize our recommendations of Bruce Rector for mayor and Ryan Cotton and Mike Mannino for the council seats. We also recommend a NO vote on moving the dates of future elections along with rejecting expensive runoff elections.

Jena Griswold is not a name that will go down in history – or maybe it will. It’s not often that a government functionary’s decision is swatted down by a 9-0 SCOTUS decision like that of the Colorado Secretary of State.

Using the great Jack Harris’ scrambled syntax; two don’t fail to miss events from last week – Biden’s State of the Union and the Oscars. Well, we did watch a bit of Biden until we became dizzy watching the pop up toy over his right shoulder jumping up every thirty seconds or so.

But we did learn, with apologies to Woodrow Wilson’s Vice-President Thomas Marshall, that what our country really needs is a fuller bag of chips.

From the 5:05 Newsletter: Apparently Hollywood has decided to combat online piracy by making movies so bad that nobody wants to watch them, even for free.

Debit cards, apps, smart phones and twitter – four things we’ve been able to do without while navigating almost eight decades.

To help out with shopping cart clutter, let’s post tall polls with blinking red lights in parking lots so confused shoppers can find the cart return aisles.

This week in 2013 (March 13): Argentinean Jorge Mario Bergoglio is installed as Pope Francis, the 266^th pope of the Catholic Church. 

Sports, media and other notes:

Some people just define their area of endeavor. Such was the case of NFL analyst Chris Mortensen, who died last week at age 72. There were few, if any, better.

Footsteps, Walking Proud and Go Away Little Girl were just a few of the hits of Steve Lawrence’s career. Lawrence, who partnered with the equally talented Eydie Gorme, died last week at age 88.

Forty years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, congratulations to Mark Bradley, who, along with the great Tom McEwen, has made sports fun and thought provoking over the years.

The Russell Wilson era is over in Denver, but the legacy of possibly the worst trade and signing in NFL history will haunt the Broncos for years.

Whatever happened to Kinko’s? The name went away in 2008 shortly after Federal Express absorbed all their stores.

…one last thing: MLB predictions – the NL

There’s nothing like the National Pastime beginning its season with a two-game set in Seoul, South Korea instead of Cincinnati as was the custom for decades. That being said, we move to our 2024 MLB predictions starting in the National League and the most fascinating division for 2024 – the Central where, truly, any one of four teams could win. We apologize to our home of birth for not including the Pirates. The other four teams all could win despite obvious flaws in each. We pick the Cubs in a tight race with the Brewers and Cards. Cincy has better bats than any of them, but no pitching, which still wins. You would be foolish to pick anybody but the Dodgers in the West – the best team money can buy. In the East, despite their early exits in the last two postseasons, the Braves are probably still the best overall team in baseball. For wild cards, the top of the list is Philadelphia followed by the Diamondbacks and, in a photo finish, the Cards. And the dark horse team to keep an eye on – the Reds, if they get some pitching.

NEXT WEEK: Olde Schoolhouse; AL predictions; Miss Me Yet?

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Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

Leading off: The Drew Street Canal

Back in the dark ages (the 1980s); a civic club (the Breakfast Sertoma Club) and WTAN Radio’s afternoon team of Ron Scott and Dennis Crandall perpetuated an urban hoax of turning western Drew Street into a canal. The germ of the idea came from the breakfast club and Scott and Crandall memorialized it in song. There was an uproar among those not in on the joke. The latest Drew Street stunt is, unfortunately, not a joke. Well-meaning folks want to narrow the already busy road down to two lanes. If you want to see what that would look like, transverse the parking lot that is Ft. Harrison Avenue in downtown Clearwater. Years ago, many of us pleaded that downgrading Ft. Harrison to two lanes would strangle the busy road. Too few listened and now we have a north-south parking lot. Drew Street could be next if our city council does not act to stop this boondoggle.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Busy week:

Breaking political news from the 5:05 Newsletter: Following President Biden’s visit to Texas last week, residents woke up the morning after to find general election ballot boxes had been placed along the southern border wall that divides parts of the U.S. from Mexico.

Republicans have to be frustrated; Trump is soundly defeating Nikki Haley in the primaries, meanwhile, national polls show a possible Trump-Biden contest a tossup while Haley trounces Biden in every poll taken.

Related: one of the exercises in our annual physical is being given three words and then asked to repeat them 5-10 minutes later. We wonder if Joe was given that test last week, and if he could get even one of the three.

With Mitch McConnell’s long overdue announcement he is stepping down as Senate minority leader, former Governor Rick Scott’s name has surfaced as a potential successor, but insiders say that won’t happen.

This weekend, we again set our clocks ahead to mark Daylight Savings Time. If you enjoy this exercise as much as we do, send your US Rep a note telling them to get off the dime and pass legislation the Senate passed some years back to make DST permanent.

Related thought: The great thing about two year terms for U.S. Representatives is that we could dump all 535 in one fell swoop – and we probably should.

Biz note: The Dow Jones Industrials rather quietly shuffled some companies last month. Jet Blue and Walgreens left the index, replaced by Amazon and Uber. The index dates back to 1896. The last of the original Dow 30, General Electric, left the index in 2018.

Number of the week: 1500. The number of drug stores closed in the past two years by CVS and Walgreens (several in the bay area) – a combination of more and more “mail away” pharmacies and competition for non-drug items from Dollar Tree and Wal-Mart.

Ten years ago this week (3/9/14) the very first issue of Tampa Bay Rants and Raves pollutes the internet.

Sports, media and other notes:

A sure sign spring break is here – it took our friend TL nearly three hours to drive the 79 miles from Venice to Clearwater a couple weekends back.

Idle thought: political cartoonist Mike Luckovich must live in some parallel universe where being out of touch with reality is the norm.

We think there is some sort of rule that any media platform, large or small, must mention this name, so here we go – Taylor Swift.

Here’s a name to keep an eye on, Hagen Smith. The U of Arkansas left hander last week struck out 17 of 18 batters he faced against #7 ranked Oregon State.

Do you remember – Tastee-Freez? The Dairy Queen-like chain was founded in 1950 in Joliet, IL and once had over 1800 stores in 33 states, including Florida. Today it has shrunk to eight stores in four states.

…one last thing: Ghosts of Honolulu

Actor Mark Harmon has spread his wings into authorship with the best seller Ghosts of Honolulu, co-written with NCIS technical advisor Leon Carroll, Jr. The book centers on the spy vs. spy days preceding December 7, 1941, plus the aftermath of the attack and war. The central character is an agent of the forerunner of the NCIS, Japanese-American Douglas Wada, who tracks wrongdoers both in Hawaii and Japan. For the World War II history buff, it’s a good read. Our only nitpick is too many characters. You almost want a scorecard as a bookmark as you fly through its some 250 pages.

NEXT: 10 misspent years; Pope Francis; NL predictions

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Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

Leading off: Buying the student loan vote

With Biden again trying to buy the election with student loan forgiveness, we repeat this note from TBRR last fall, “Regarding student loans and other matters, it seems the current occupant of the White House regards Supreme Court decisions as suggestions.” The latest version of Biden wealth transfer would cost American taxpayers $1.2 billion. It will be challenged in the courts. Meanwhile, our saintly wife wonders when she will get a refund on the repayment this young couple managed to scrape up years ago while she was still pursuing her degree and we were a lowly E-2 in the U.S. Air Force.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Way to go DNC. The Democratic National Committee celebrated Presidents’ Day by releasing a picture of living Democratic presidents – Clinton, Obama and Biden, somehow missing out on the man who had more integrity in his little finger than the other three combined – Jimmy Carter. The red-faced DNC quickly and quietly withdrew the picture.

Donald Trump may face some hurdles in his run for the White House, but none the size of those faced by Russian dissident Boris Nadezhdin who was opposing President Putin next month. Russian opposition tends to either walk away, less they have unfortunate accidents.

Speaking of the Don, it’s a bit concerning how “all in” the Fox Network, in general, and Laura Ingraham, in particular, are on the mercuric former President.

Our friend TL advises us, if we should get in a scrape with the law, to act old and diminished. This has come to be known as the Biden defense.

The city of St. Pete is making noises about taking over the franchise for providing electric power to the city from Duke Energy. Before they waste a lot of time, they need to talk to municipalities that have been down that road. It just doesn’t work from both a logistical and financial standpoint.

Factoid: Approximately 30 per cent of sales at retailers are handled at self service checkout machines. Despite the growth, many retailers are now scaling back mainly due to theft.

Only in California – beginning this year, gas-powered lawn mowers, leaf blowers and edgers will be banned in the, let us say unique, state. The ban is being tested in the courts.

Borrowed from a friend - “I was visiting my daughter when I asked if I could borrow a newspaper. ‘This is the 21st century, she replied, we don’t waste money on newspapers. Here use my iPad.’ I can tell you this … that fly never knew what hit him.”

Related from the 5:05 Newsletter: Newspapers in America should consider all using the same marketing slogan: “In Case You Missed It Online.”

Born a hundred years ago this week (Feb. 29) was Al Rosen, Cleveland Indian MVP third baseman, and later an executive with the Yankees, Astros and Giants.

Sports, media and other notes:

If you owned a Rolex watch, Gary Zumbaugh was the man you wanted to know. The personable watch expert passed away earlier this month at age 77.

TIA is recognized as one of the best, but it fails in one area – no basketball court like the one installed in Indianapolis International Airport to celebrate the NBA’s All-Star weekend. Only in hoop crazed Indiana.

Stolen from veteran Atlanta Journal Constitution columnist, Mark Bradley, “Sobering news from MLB, Commissioner Rob Manfred plans to stick around until 2029.”

Factoid: The last time Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium did not sell out; their head coach Jon Scheyer was three years old.

The latest fast food casualty in Clearwater is Aussie Grill, an offshoot of Outback, on Gulf-to-Bay Blvd., which has been shuttered after just over a year.

You’ve lived in the bay area (or anywhere else) if you remember the line “You’re soaking in it” – the punch line from the Palmolive dish detergent ads of the 70s and 80s uttered by Madge, the manicurist, played by character actress Jan Miner.

…one last thing: Never too soon for NFL odds

Andy and Patrick barely get a chance to admire their trophies and Las Vegas has new odds for Super Bowl 59. The early pick – the 49ers. Makes sense, they were this close and nobody has ever won three Super Bowls in a row. The Chiefs are number two in the odds with the Ravens, who never seem to win a big game, ranked number three followed by the Bills and Lions. Biggest surprises for us were the Bucs ranked 25 among the 32 teams and perennial contenders, the Steelers, at number 27. We think that’s where we’d put our money. Those two are not the sixth and eighth weakest teams in the league by a long shot.

NEXT WEEK: DST; Unaffordable housing; Tastee-Freez

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Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

Leading off: It’s OK to have lived here a while

Clearwater’s city election is a month away. Looking in on the candidate forums, a recurring, and tired, theme we get is “the good old boys” get elected. Most often, the good old boys are folks who didn’t blow into town a few years back, but, in some cases, grew up here, went to school here and have been active volunteers for decades. Yet some recent candidates seem to feel long time residents should have to apologize for being part of the core of the city. And, if these relative newcomers to civic life took time to look at the voting records of the “good old boys” going back the last several decades, they would find solid support for all segments of our city. But it is simply too easy to just make unsubstantiated claims that folks who have lived here a long time want anything but the best for our city.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Related, two weeks back (TBRR 2/4/24) we made a recommendation of Bruce Rector for Clearwater’s next mayor. We double down on that recommendation after his opponent was caught in some breeches of ethics. That sort of conduct has no place in our city’s mayor’s office.

Suddenly, it appears the Democratic National Convention in August could get very interesting.

It’s very difficult to say inflation has fallen when the most basic of needs, food, continues to significantly increase in cost.

Meanwhile, the nation’s interest rates remain at a 22-year high.

Nike is the latest company to announce cutbacks which entail about 1600 jobs. The company has fallen victim to sales declines attributed to, among other things, its far left agenda.

It is expected that just short of one million EV vehicles will be sold this year. Before EV nerds get too excited, they need to know that just a single vehicle alone, the gas-powered Ford F-150, sells three quarters of that total each year.

A few weeks back (TBRR 1/21/24) we highlighted a new term, coffee badging, coming into our lexicon. Another more sinister term, swatting, is being heard way too often.

You won’t see it in their mail outs or on the cable channel that features Scientology, but the “church’s” membership is plummeting. Interestingly, they bought an ad during the Super Bowl.

Monthly luncheon gathering: a group of captains of delicious industry, Milton Hershey, John Pemberton (founder of Coke) and E.F. Krause , a school teacher who turned Texas’ Brenham Creamery into the highly successful Blue Bell ice cream brand.

A crotchety contributor to this blog when asked why he emails rather than texts replies with “Let me know when texting becomes passé, and then I will consider it.”

This week in 1959 (Feb.22) the first Daytona 500 is run with Lee Petty winning in a photo finish. The inaugural race also included long time Dunedin resident Ken Marriott.

Sports, media and other notes:

Spring training games kick off this week with the home town nine hosting the Braves – two teams that should still be playing come October.

The Rays made a lot of moves in the offseason. Their best may have been the signing of former Houston reliever Phil Maton.

From the 5:05 Newsletter staff: I will tell you this for certain, the best way to witness a total collapse of human intelligence is at a 4-way stop.

Related: our neighborhood contains a 3-way stop. You would think that would be easier…..

You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember the opening of the city’s first McDonald’s on Gulf to Bay in the early 1960s - hamburgers 15 cents.

…another thing: No to Clearwater runoffs

It seems we want to continue trying to transform our city of just over 100,000 into a mini-Chicago or Philadelphia. The idea of a strong mayor was wisely swatted down a few years back. Then a Democratic PAC muddied the waters with a contribution to a candidate in the city’s non-partisan election (the candidate lost). Now we’re being asked to link our elections to federal elections and, worse, create runoffs. Like many ill-conceived initiatives, it’s based on an outlier of four years ago when five candidates sought an open seat and the winner gained election with less than 30 percent of the vote. For every one of those, there have been multiple races of three or more with clear majorities – up to as much as 65 percent. Our city’s governmental process has stood the test of time for over a century. There is no clear reason to change it now.

NEXT UP: Self checkout; Palmolive; NFL odds

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Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

Leading off: Biden’s border mess

We’re growing increasingly weary with the machinations on Capitol Hill regarding our nation’s southern border. Tying the crisis to this war or that war doesn’t serve our nation’s interests. Had the current occupant of the White House not gone all crazy with his pen upon arrival (on this and a dozen other issues), we wouldn’t be in crisis mode on our southern flank. During the Biden era, five million illegal immigrants remain in the U.S. That’s two million more than the entire Tampa Bay metro population. The previous administration had the situation well in hand (the lowest illegal counts in nearly a half century) until Biden started signing a bunch of border-related changes without thinking. Now it most likely will be up to the next administration to untangle the border mess at the cost of time and money that should be devoted to solving some other smoldering issues that Biden will leave behind.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Related legal news from the 5:05 Newsletter: The Justice Department has sued Texas over its new law outlawing illegal immigration, alleging that it is against the law to pass a law requiring enforcement of the law.

This Friday is National Caregiver’s Day. In our bloated list of this day or this month, this Friday should be at the top of the list. In the words of inspirational writer Edward Grinnan, “These dedicated professionals, often overworked and underpaid, deserve our applause, our gratitude, and our prayers.” Well said.

Our friend TL reminds us the last time the U.S. was debt free was during Andy Jackson’s presidency in 1835. We need him back. Today, under Biden, the debt is $34 trillion – up one trillion in the last three months.

The EV industry is taking another hit as the resale value of the vehicles is plummeting. A further dip is expected this year as the biggest crop of EVs ever comes off lease and will flood used car lots, making them, in dealer parlance “risk inventory” – a term usually attached to vehicles that will not sell in 90 days.

St. Pete’s fire chief, James Large, retires next month after nearly 50 years of service to the city – the last 18 as chief. So what does our left wing bi-weekly lead with – the fact that he was accused of maintaining a hostile workplace – a bogus charge refuted in a nanosecond by Mayor Ken Welch? Geez.

This week in 1955 (Feb. 14): WFLA, Channel 8, signs on as an NBC affiliate. It is the only bay area station to retain its original network affiliation. Its first telecast was the Gasparilla Parade. Channel 8 was originally owned by the Tampa Tribune which also owned WFLA AM-FM radio.

Sports, media and other notes:

As we get ready for the weekend’s Daytona 500, this factoid, three NASCAR Hall of Famers who never won the Daytona 500 in their storied careers: Mark Martin,Tony Stewart and Rusty Wallace.

Ah, not so fast there Oakland A’s. There is a huge pushback in Arizona over the public dollars being spent on a proposed stadium. Oakland’s mayor wants to broker a sale to ownership that would buy into that city’s stadium proposal. Stay tuned.

As pitchers and catchers report, the first MLB power rankings are out with the hometown team ranked seventh. Not surprisingly, the Atlanta Braves are ranked #1, just ahead of the free spending Dodgers.

With the NFL coaching carousel spinning to a close, a full one-quarter of the league’s teams will line up with a new coach this fall.

NFL note: We sure enjoy Jim Nantz and Tony Romo. The CBS duo might just be the best in the league.

Related to our historical note above, you’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you remember Gayle Sierens, Bill Henry, Bob Hite, Guy Bagli, John Winter, Chris Thomas and the many other distinguished alums of Channel 8.

…one last thing: Clearwater council seats

Clearwater will be electing two council members along with a mayor (see TBRR 2/4) next month. They will join holdover council members David Allbritton and Lina Teixeria. The race features one incumbent, Mark Bunker. In Clearwater, incumbency usually means re-election with some notable exceptions – and this should be one of those. Bunker, unfortunately, is a one-trick pony thumping the Anti-Scientology drum. That might get him re-elected, but both Ryan Cotton and Michael Mastruserio bring more rounded resumes to the table. With Clearwater badly needing some youth for future roles, we go with the 35-year-old fire captain Cotton, remembering the last time we elected a fire official (Ed Hooper) how well that worked out not only for Clearwater, but the state of Florida. The second race for an open seat is clearer cut. Michael Mannino’s experience as a business owner greatly overshadows the resumes of free-lance journalist Jared Leone and a 22-year-old city employee Javante Scott. Cotton and Mannino should pair well with the incumbents to form a solid city council.

NEXT UP: Modifying the DH; Runoff elections; Four way stops

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Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

Leading off: Rector for Mayor

Over the past three decades, Clearwater has had a string of mayors, with differing styles to be sure, but generally good leadership skills in Rita Garvey, Brian Aungst, Frank Hibbard and George Cretekos. In next month’s mayoral election, the choice is tough. First term council member Kathleen Beckman is opposed by civic volunteer, but political newcomer Bruce Rector. The supposed non-partisan race is offset by the fact that Beckman is a liberal Democrat and Rector a staunch Republican. You’d like to have a more seasoned Rector or a less divisive voice than Beckman has exhibited in her time on the council, but voters must play the hand they are dealt. Remembering that others, including Aungst, have stepped into the center chair without previous political experience, we recommend the more even-toned Rector as Clearwater’s next mayor. By the way, if you received a letter recently from former mayor Hibbard, take time to read it. It outlines in more detail than space here allows why Rector is the better alternative.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Idle thought: we’re quite sure Nikki Haley would lap the field against Biden and company. Not so sure about Trump doing the same.

Meanwhile, Biden is awakening to the fact that he better do something about the nation’s southern border if he wants to continue his part time job in Washington. Might be a little too late, Joe.

A sign of the times – the LA Times is laying off nearly a quarter of their newsroom. It continues personnel cutting trends at predominately liberal news operations across the country.

A sign of the other times - the bay area’s shrinking bi-weekly has abandoned its Tampa office for smaller quarters away from downtown.

Meanwhile, CNN is in its third reorganization in the past 18 months. The prognosis for the ailing media platform is not bright.

Reverse angle parking, where you must back into a spot, is coming to parts, but not all, of downtown Clearwater. In the words of a great American, “what can possibly go wrong?”

Kim Jong Un is rattling his sword towards South Korea – and the United States. One wonders how previous Presidents would have reacted to this – say Andrew Jackson?

We’ve watched President Trump’s remark, “I’ll be a dictator for one day” twisted around by left wingers to something like “I’ll be a dictator from day one.” So, how would that be any different than the last three years?

Cutting corners is how most airline experts describe Boeing’s troubled 737MAX fleet. Rather than craft a new single aisle, short haul airplane, Boeing tried to build on a 1967 design leading to most of its troubles.

Palm Harbor’s Jimy Williams passed away at age 80 last week. Manager of three major league teams during his career, he also managed to find time to touch the lives of hundreds of youth baseball players in our area.

This week in 1940 (Feb. 10) the Glenn Miller classic “In the Mood” hits number one on the charts.

Sports, media and other notes:

From the 5:05 Newsletter: I seem to have purchased a lot of alcohol lately. I hope I am not becoming a shopaholic.

When the chips are down, give us Patrick Mahomes under center.

Having Andy Reid on the sideline doesn’t hurt either.

You may not recognize the name Dr. James Andrews, but his surgical skills extended the careers of more major league pitchers and other athletes than any other individual. The renowned doctor has decided to retire at age 81.

Post Hall of Fame balloting nuggets: the first unanimous selection was Mariano Rivera. The highest percentage on the first balloting in 1936 was Ty Cobb at 98.2 percent. That now ranks 7^th all time. Babe Ruth at 95.1 percent doesn’t make the top 10 – ridiculous.

Factoid: 1948 saw the first drive thru at In-N-Out Burger in California. Today, two-thirds of fast food revenue is generated through a drive thru lane.

One last thing: The MLB off-season-winner

If you mean who spent the most money, the clear winner was the Los Angeles Dodgers. But as Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick reminds us, LA has added a DH plus a pitcher who has never thrown a big league inning to a roster his team dispatched in three games during last year’s playoffs. Last year’s big spenders, the Mets and Padres were missing from the postseason. But with spring training about to begin, major league GM’s jobs are just partially done. In the next six weeks, they separate the wheat from the chaff and, more importantly, (see Texas Rangers, 2023) make trading deadline moves to strengthen their team for the post season.

NEXT WEEK: Channel 8; Caregivers; Clearwater council race

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Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

Leading off: Trying to understand FTX

As a baseball nerd, we first saw the three letters FTX on the uniforms of major league umpires. We checked it out – one of the crypto currency houses and recalled the words of our wise investment advisor “there are two types of crypto traders, those who are broke and those who will be.” Michael Lewis’ recent book Going Infinite bears that out as he tracks the rise and tumultuous fall of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and his associated companies. Was SBF a misguided altruist or just another Bernie Madoff? Lewis cuts Bankman-Fried some slack perhaps because of their shared leftist viewpoints. The jurors in his first fraud trial were not as forgiving, finding him guilty on five charges that could mean over 100 years in prison upon sentencing in March.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

In the next two weeks (Feb. 4 and 11), we will be highlighting the races for mayor and city council in Clearwater along with our recommendations.

Come on President Trump, you’ve all but clinched the nomination, show a little class.

And congratulations President Trump, your New Hampshire win and virtual clinching of the nomination made Page 8 of the local left wing bi-weekly.

After a deflating presidential bid, Gov. Ron DeSantis should take heart. He’s in the middle of a very successful run as governor and he is still a young man with a lot of opportunities ahead.

But on the other hand, what is the faltering St. Pete Times going to do with the cached attack articles planned for the next ten months?

Don’t know how else to say it – Mitch McConnell is a blundering idiot who needs to be put out to pasture, preferably in the pasture next to Joe Biden.

Something we recently read in a liberal newspaper verbatim: “Special counsel Jack Smith and Fulton DA Fani Willis have a common goal: to prosecute election interference.” Perhaps if that is repeated a few thousand times, someone with an IQ of over 80 will believe it.

Another victim of high interest rates: auto sales which experts predict to be flat in 2024 after somewhat of an upswing in 2023.

Yet another example of our “thriving” economy, after last week’s death knoll for Sports Illustrated comes with news of layoffs and store closings for Macy’s.

January, a good time to be indoors with a good book or have lunch with three of your favorite fiction authors: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Arthur Hailey.

“Borrowed” from a friend, One minute you are young and the next minute you are predicting the weather with your bad knee.

This week in 1928 (Jan. 31) 3M scotch tape is first marketed.

Sports, media and other notes:

5:05 Sports Note: Earlier this month, white smoke was seen emanating from the Cracker Barrel in Tuscaloosa signifying that Alabama has selected a new football coach.

We know there are only 32 head coaching positions in the NFL, but we wish Bucs’ offensive coordinator Dave Canales had held out for something better than the hot mess that is the Carolina Panthers.

Related: former Bucs’ coach Raheem Morris gets the Falcons’ job. With a 21-38 combined record here and previously as an interim in Atlanta; this is probably his last shot as a head coach.

It’s about time - for Todd Helton to be voted into the Hall of Fame. Hitting instructors have their left handed students view videos of that swing. As for Adrian Beltre, first year, we can abide with that, but Joe Mauer, good but not a first year inductee (see Berra, Yogi and Campanella, Roy, neither first rounders). A final swing and miss for Tampa’s Gary Sheffield whose post season struggles probably doomed his chances.

A tip of our cap goes to Nick Dunlap, a University of Alabama sophomore, the first amateur golfer to win a PGA event in a third of a century. Buoyed by his success, he will now turn pro.

TikTok: If you’ve lived in Clearwater a long time, you remember the lounge, spelled a little differently, where at any given time, you could find about a quarter of The Clearwater Sun’s staff.

One last thing: Your Sunday comfort zone

Nothing was more relaxing than sharing a Sunday morning cup of coffee with Charles Osgood who died last week at age 91. He anchored CBS Sunday Morning for over twenty years with a laid back style that made you feel he was sitting across your living room. And while other TV journalists distained radio once they “made it” on TV, The Osgood File on CBS Radio continued even after he left Sunday Morning. That portion of your week was never the same when he (and his predecessor Charles Kuralt) left the living room. Osgood was one of the truly great journalists of the 20^th century.

NEXT WEEK: In the Mood; First drive-thru; Mayor’s election

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Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

Leading off: Discouraging good office seekers

If you live in the bay area, chances are your community may have lost a lawmaker due to new laws that require local elected officials to file detailed financial statements. As one former office holder put it: for an often thankless job, overly intrusive financial questions are a big ask. Previously, large (over $10,000) assets and liabilities were all required along with the sources of your income. We need incentives to attract good public officials not roadblocks for jobs that are, for the most part, thankless, virtually volunteer positions.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Item: John Kerry to step down as Biden’s energy czar. That should lessen our nation’s carbon footprint by 5-10 percent.

It was fun watching liberal outlets, particularly the local bi-weekly, moonwalk after DeSantis finished ahead of Haley in Iowa.

Related, the GOP can take comfort that every poll in America shows either DeSantis or Haley beating Biden in the unlikely event Trump would step aside.

Further related: an ad hoc gathering of a TBRR focus group subcommittee answered this question: who will be the Presidential contenders in November? Of the four, two said Biden-Trump. Another is not so sure about Biden and the fourth not so sure about Trump – or Biden.

Lots of election stuff this week: Newsweek last week took a stab at four potential Trump running mates. Conspicuously absent from the list was Nikki Haley.

Amazon just purchased 450 acres in Covington, Ga. The price was $36 million. Can you imagine what that much acreage would cost anywhere remotely near the bay area?

“Genuine” was the word of 2023. One phrase to keep an eye on in ’24 is “coffee badging.” That’s where employees, who are being called back to the office after a few years at home, protest the move by showing up long enough for a cup of coffee and to swipe their badge, then go home to do their day’s work.

This week in 1968 (Jan. 22):Sock it to me! Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In debuts on NBC.

Sports, media and other notes:

It appears the end is very near for Sports Illustrated, a staple of sports journalism for 70 years. The magazine, now a monthly, has laid off the majority of its staff in the past few weeks.

Jaw dropping: watching local and national sports writers, who can’t balance their checkbooks, try to explain the complex financial issues surrounding Diamond Sports Group. Diamond carries the Lightning and Rays games among a couple dozen others. The bottom line is this; you’ll get the Lightning and Rays this season. Where and the cost remains to be seen.

Factoid: Less than five percent of “journalists” at major dailies, network and cable news outlets are registered Republicans – a fact that should shock no one.

Answer: 70. The question – how many colors of bricks do Lego currently produce? The company, founded in 1949, has had as many as 110 colors in its palette over the years.

From the 5:05 Newsletter: Has anyone else noted that it seems we can no longer engage in any kind of economic transaction, including with armed robbers, ATMs or vending machines, without being asked if we wish to leave a tip? More on this below.

One last thing: What’s up with tipping?

You’re in a restaurant and the electronic bill arrives and you’re suddenly confronted with a decision on a tip instead of your usual just rounding up from 20 percent. Or worse, some kid has just drawn you a coffee at a fast food counter and the bill asks if you want to tip for filling up a cup? You’ll even see a tip prompt on the receipts of some convenience stores. And how do you tip – cash or on the card? For years, cash was preferred because a lot of restaurants took a cut (illegally) of the tip because they had to pay a small percentage of the tip in credit card service fees. That practice has all but vanished. Some establishments automatically add 20 per cent to the tab – which sometimes can lead to double tipping, others will not allow you to tip off a gift card. And what if the service (any service) is provided by the owner? Folks like Emily Post of a gentler time said no tip. Now, in establishments like hair salons and the like, a tip for the owner is expected. The whole system has gotten a little out of hand, BUT if you don’t feel like tipping a server at a restaurant at least something, eat at home.

NEXT UP: TikTok; The Fonz; FTX

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Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

Leading off: Taxing EV owners

The proposed Florida Senate Bill 28 makes almost too much sense. The legislation, crafted by Sen. Ed Hooper of Clearwater, calls for an annual registration fee of $200 for electric vehicles to offset lost gas tax revenues. The average driver pays just about that amount each year in gas taxes. Naysayers call the bill double taxation, saying fees are charged on electric recharging. True, but that money does not go to Florida’s critical transportation needs. In terms of needed capacity, a car is a car; in fact, EVs tend to be heavier putting more stress on transportation infrastructure. Sen. Hooper’s bill levels the playing field of who pays for the roads they use.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

The bombshell dropped in Atlanta regarding Trump’s DA antagonist Fani Willis and her prosecutor/boyfriend Nathan Wade didn’t surprise a lot of insiders.

What’s up? According to the most recent consumer surveys, the biggest price jumps in staples include bacon, butter, coffee, cookies and rice (a 15-year high).

What’s down? The average retirement account value – approximately 11 percent since Biden took office – even with 2023’s fourth quarter surge.

Hey, cut Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin some slack. It wasn’t like Pearl Harbor happened during his recent hospitalization.

With much ado, the White House has announced a program focused on states to help curb gun violence. It’s not the states, but the liberal run cities (Chicago, Philly, even Tampa) that need attention.

Idle thought: It seems many of our current doctors are nothing more than legal drug peddlers.

The Rays’ proposed new stadium is just one of eleven new stadiums/major upgrades announced in 2023 by cities with pro franchises.

Number of the week: $816 billion, the value of goods returned by shoppers in 2022. When the 2023 numbers are in, retailers expect the total to be even higher.

He was another one of those people who never seemed to have a bad day. Col. Tom Jones, a fourth generation Salvationist, long time presence in the Clearwater Salvation Army and devoted Florida Gator, passed away last week at age 86.

We also note the passing of Frank Dame, who did so much to expand the Clearwater Marine Science Center while serving as its CEO. Frank was 76.

Born 100 years ago this week (Jan. 19) was Nicholas Colasanto, the beloved “coach” from Cheers.

Sports, media and other notes:

Talk about a double-barreled surprise. Nick Saban retires from the Tide and Pete Carroll is bumped upstairs at Seattle. That’s a total of 561 wins between the two legendary coaches.

Related: the Tide moved quickly to fill their need, hiring Washington’s Kalen DeBoer. Given his track record, the hire makes sense. On the other hand, the New England Patriots promotion of an assistant on their 4-13 team (Jerod Mayo) doesn’t.

It won’t be long – the Rays open their Spring Training schedule hosting the Braves in just over a month.

Quite a few locals have been calling for rebranding of the Rays like the St. Pete Rays in concurrence with a new stadium. They had a great and historic name at the very beginning which, mysteriously, they didn’t use – the St. Pete Saints – a name that dates back to 1908. Think of the merchandise sales alone.

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.

Internet rumination from the 5:05 Newsletter: Being popular on the Internet is like sitting at the cool table in a mental hospital.

Good news, bad news. Coming next month will be a new CBS series featuring the quirky character Elsbeth (Carrie Preston) from The Good Wife and The Good Fight. The bad news – the much anticipated rework of Matlock with Kathy Bates has been pushed back to the 2025 season due to the writer’s strike.

You’ve lived in Pinellas County a long time if you remember that Largo’s Ace Hardware Store was once the home of Largo Lanes.

One last thing: This year’s HOF ballot

The baseball writers will announce their selections for this year’s Hall of Fame class in a couple weeks. These are the guys who should get the nod, Colorado’s sweet swinging Todd Helton; the best left handed reliever in the game’s history, Billy Wagner who primarily toiled for Houston and the man even Willie Mays says is the best fielding center fielder ever, Andrew Jones who patrolled the outfield mainly for Atlanta. There is a trio of deserving players on the ballot for the first time, Adrian Beltre, Twins’ catcher Joe Mauer and Phils’ second baseman Chase Utley. But in our eyes, to get in on the first ballot, you have to have a resume like Clemente, Maddux or Mays.

NEXT UP: Laugh-In; Coffee badging; Closing bank branches

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Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

Leading off: 10 not so credible 2024 predictions

1. This pains us, but Joe Biden will, very likely through devious means (see #5 below), keep the lease on the White House. Sincerely hope we’re wrong.

2. Because of #1, there will be little or no improvement in the nation’s border crisis.

3. Also because of #1, inflation in America will continue unabated.

4. Interest rates will remain at their high 2023 levels, but perhaps drop very slightly sometime after the first quarter.

5. The Supreme Court will overturn election intrusions in both Colorado and Maine. The only question is will the verdict be 9-0? It should be.

6. The gradual, but increasing withdrawal from China by high tech firms will further accelerate in 2024.

7. This is only a 50-50 shot, but FSU will negotiate an exit from the ACC and head where?

8. It is probably bowl or bust for Billy Napier’s career (11-14 so far) at UF in 2024. We predict bust (tough as nails schedule).

9. The Los Angeles Dodgers, with their other worldly payroll, will not win the World Series. In our annual MLB predictions in March, we’ll tell you who will.

10. Finally, Joe Biden will have at least one airplane boarding stairs incident before Election Day.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Welcome to Florida, Sean.

Quote of the week: The Harvard Corporation, the university's 11-member governing body, said in an email to the community that its members had accepted Claudine Gay's resignation "with sorrow." The sorrow is in that they did a lousy job of vetting a university presidential candidate.

We warned that once Ron DeSantis stepped on the national stage, the attack pieces in the local left-wing bi-weekly would accelerate. But after reading the over the top garbage last week, you would think that rather than the thriving state of Florida, he was the governor of California.

Well, Shenna Bellows has had her fifteen minutes of fame. Wonder how long it will take before everyone forgets her? In case you already have, she’s the idiot Secretary of State in Maine who tried to take the state’s primary into her own hands.

Is Ohio still part of the United States? Laissez-faire abortion laws, “gender affirming care” for minors and transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports – the last two due to a veto of common sense legislation by their supposed GOP governor, who hopefully will be looking for work soon.

Political thought from our friend TL: All politicians should wear uniforms. You know, like NASCAR drivers, so we could identify their corporate sponsors.

The ever growing Publix chain is completing its first store in Kentucky which will open this week in Louisville. The grocer is now in eight Southeastern states.

This week in 1971 (Jan. 12) the comedy classic “All in the Family” debuts on CBS.

Sports, media and other notes:

Related to our historical note above – Tom Bosley, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney and Jack Warden were all considered for the role of Archie Bunker in All in the Family. It was actually offered to Rooney, who turned it down.

The rumble you hear is George Blanda, Sonny Jurgensen and Bobby Layne rolling over in their graves as virtually all of playoff-bound quarterbacks sit out the NFL season’s final game.

Number of the week: As the college football season comes to a close, just short of 2800 players have entered the transfer portal. We don’t know what we’re watching, but it isn’t college football anymore.

33 games into the season, four NBA franchises (Detroit, Portland, San Antonio and Washington) had not yet notched 10 wins.

A ubiquitous item around the home recently celebrated its 100^th year in use – the Q-tip.

Post holiday tip from the 5:05 Newsletter: It’s time to throw out the Eggnog when it begins to look like your Chia Pet.

… One last thing: A few resolutions

The holidays were busy, but a few of our esteemed Focus Group weighed in on their singular resolution for 2024.

Leading off, one of our group, who works too hard, resolved to take better care of themselves.

From our western most (NOLA) contributor: to find balance between soaking in the moment and documenting events - i.e., taking a couple of pictures but then putting the phone away to really experience things!

Another of our group put it simply: My resolution is to attempt to be more mindful.

Another of our number, smug in the fact they already dropped nearly 10 pounds in the last two months of the year, instead went for a vow to do a better job in communicating with old friends, classmates and extended family in 2024.

Thanks to our group for some solid thoughts.

NEXT UP: Disillusioned; Elsbeth; Hall of Fame ballot

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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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Leading off: Are we better off? For some, yes.

On the eve of the holidays, we saw a poll that asked a familiar question, “Are you financially better off than you were a year ago?” Just shy of half (49 %) said no. But that means over half disagree despite our current administration’s economic incompetence. For the most part, the majority have reduced their debt, been smarter about non-essential items (cable, cell phones, dining to name a few) and just searched for better deals on things – like insurance, cars and investments. It’s not easy, takes a little time, but actually can be fun. During the coming year, we’ll try to offer up some strategies our research turned up and pass them along.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Here’s a start on our economic strategies as promised above. Never let an increase in your cable or streaming bill go by without calling the provider and cancelling. Somehow, they always come up with a “better plan.”

The problem for Democrats with their long shot attempt to get Trump off the ballot is that would leave either DeSantis or Haley as the GOP candidate who both outpoll Biden by a mile.

Just in time for the holidays, Florida gas prices bump up to over three dollars a gallon.

While Florida residents need high cost insurance to protect them from storm losses, Duke Power has the Public Service Commission that, under current agreements, allow them to collect storm losses from their customers. This is wrong and needs to be changed.

A counterpoint to our rant last week about offshore customer service – a few weeks ago we had the most delightful service from a young lady with USAA in Stuart, FL who guided us through a minor problem and concluded the call with “Thanks for your service.” That’s customer service!

One of the highlights of Friday’s Gasparilla Bowl was a chance to view Georgia Tech’s iconic Ramblin’ Wreck, a pristine 1930 Ford Model A that has been a part of the Tech football program for over sixty years.

This week in 1904 (December 27) the stage play "Peter Pan" by J. M. Barrie premieres at the Duke of York Theatre in London. And 13 years ago, the apple of our eye, granddaughter Emma Kathleen, is born.

Sports, media and other notes:

Christmas note from the ed: A few weeks back, we wrote about the five biggest selling Christmas records of all time. There were two other rather successful songs that never made it to a playlist of the radio stations we programmed – Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer and Santa Baby. We figure if some day we are not judged worthy of the pearly gates, our dark corner will feature a continuous tape loop of the two above mentioned songs.

With thanks to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the gigantic sum being paid to Shohei Ohtani is larger than the total projected 2024 payrolls of eight major league teams. 

Question posed recently to approximately 100 NFL players, “Other than your current coach, what NFL coach would you want to play for?” The overwhelming choice was the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin; second was Andy Reid.

A final Christmas thought from the 5:05 Newsletter: “I told Santa Claus that for Christmas I just want to be Happy. Now I’m living in a cottage with six dwarves and working in a mine.”

…and another thing: This year’s predictions

In our first edition each year of TBR&R, we make ten shaky predictions for the year ahead. In our next to last edition of the year, we present our report card (this year in baseball parlance).

Our hits (and there were few): Ron DeSantis did, indeed, announce for the Presidency; most folks’ retirement accounts were up very slightly; our safest prediction was that your gym would be less crowded in a month, a total of three hits.

Swings and misses (the majority): Dems did not talk Biden out of running again; we have no settlement in the Ukraine, instead another war; Michael Kelly did not get canned as USF’s Athletic Director; the Rays did not miss the playoffs; the Padres didn’t make the playoffs, much less win the World Series; the most shocking miss was our prediction that Charlie Crist would run for something next year. So far, no announcements from the perennial candidate, six whiffs.

Still to be determined, our prediction that the Bucs would miss the playoffs. In the NFC South, who knows? So we finish 3-6-1, a good baseball batting average, but a lousy football record. We’ll try to do better with our ’24 predictions in two weeks.  

NEXT WEEK: Our annual “Year in Review”

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Merry Christmas!

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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: Something fishy about Florida

If you’ve lived in the bay area any length of time, you know one of the top tourist activities in our area is fishing. Folks will drop a line from one of our piers, a charter boat or one of a half dozen or so party boats. But what you might not know is how much fish is caught commercially for both our regional supermarkets, restaurants or for shipping across the nation. The unofficial “headquarters” for our commercial fleets are Madeira Beach and Tarpon Springs. Another phase of the fishing industry even lesser known is the enormous amount of aquarium fish bred locally and sent all over the country. Close to half of all the aquarium fish in the country come from Florida – particularly Hillsborough and Dade County. Fishing is a huge, but often overlooked, industry in Florida and the bay area.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Please excuse us if this week’s edition is reaching you late; we have been tending to our Netflix and SiriusXM accounts which have expired – approximately 20 times each over the past month.

Not so idle thought: if it was your kid or our kid and not Joe Biden’s kid, he would have been in jail a long time ago.

A few weeks of lower gas prices did not make for an economic turnaround. Record high interest rates remain, Hasbro is the latest company to lay off over a thousand employees and food prices continue to move upward.

In keeping with 2023’s “word of the year,” this is the genuine Tampa Bay Rants and Raves – accept no substitutions.

Something we don’t take for granted so much this time of year – the U.S. Postal Service.

Idle thought: An underrated gem in the bay area is the terrific Largo Central Park.

Five years ago in TBR&R (12/23/18) Best wishes to Channel 8’s Mark Douglas who retires after some forty years in “the biz”. If you were a bad guy, you didn’t want to see him at your front door. Otherwise, you knew you would get a fair interview.

Sports, media and other notes:

From the folks at the 5:05 Newsletter: Outdoor Christmas lights are being strung all around town. Clearwater is like communities everywhere, we too have many homeowners who cross the fine line, in terms of illumination, between “tasteful holiday yard display” and “municipal airport.” I particularly hate the flashing red and blue outdoor lights that always cause me to brake hard thinking the cops are chasing me.

A nit-pick about the holidays – receiving a greeting card from acquaintances with the same personal touch as a card from your insurance agent – pre-printed labels everywhere, not even a “how are you?” And then there are those page long single-spaced “holiday letters” detailing every ache, pain and trip outside the city limits in the preceding 12 months.

Very telling – the Washington Capitals’ and Wizards’ planned move to Virginia – just another sign of an even further deteriorating D.C.

We should know better, but we’ll take USF and the points in Thursday’s bowl game.

If you like NFL parity, this is your year. Going into this weekend, 30 teams (out of 32) are still in contention for the playoffs.

Baseball factoid: When a player reaches eight years of major league service, he receives a gold card which grants him free admission into any major league park for life. Told ya you should have practiced harder.

Not quite the same, but your humble blogger received a “gold card” for serving over five years on the PSTA board of directors. Free bus rides for life – not yet used.

…and one last thing: “Bob” in the Philippines

Yes, we know Cyber Monday set sales records but… if there is a problem with a locally purchased item, you can retrace your steps to a local store and speak with a human being. All too often, if an on-line item is broken in shipping, is the wrong item or size, the push button maze begins. Ever noticed that all of the options offered are not why you called? Finally, you’re connected to a human being, more often than not it’s “Bob” in the Philippines for whom English, at best, is a second language. The reason of course, is in the 1000 some call centers in the Philippines, the average worker makes two dollars an hour and that is the level of service you get. For your reference, a few U.S, companies that rely heavily on offshore CSRs are Aetna, Amazon, Citibank, Fanatics, Nike, Target.com, Verizon and Visa. Visit them at your own risk.

UP NEXT: Peter Pan; Santa Baby and that other song; Being Happy

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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: The Pinellas transit board

Along party lines, the Pinellas County legislative delegation has voted to forward legislation to Tallahassee to lessen the size of the PSTA board from 15 to 11 members with four of those being Pinellas County Commission members. In addition, the two citizens who have been a critical part of the board (usually bus riders themselves) would be appointed by either the President of the Florida Senate or the Speaker of the House, who know as much about Pinellas County transportation as we know about Plant City strawberry farming. Even Sen. Ed Hooper, of the prevailing side, a guy who thinks before following the party line, says he doesn’t like PSTA appointments from afar. The move in the words of more than one critic is a solution in search of a problem. And having served on the PSTA board for over five years, we concur – don’t fix what isn’t broken.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Florida State goes down in history as the first undefeated Power 5 champion in the CFP era to not make the playoffs which is beyond ridiculous. Head Coach Mike Norvell said it best: “I am disgusted and infuriated with the committee’s decision today to have what was earned on the field taken away because a small group of people decided they knew better than the results of the games.”

The “Green Conference” in Dubai presented a logistics problem – where to park all those private jets.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman is censured by his fellow congressmen for pulling a fire alarm while the house was in session. He can take comfort that, being a liberal, the story was buried inside the area’s liberal bi-weekly rather than garnering front page World War II headlines had he been a conservative.

Two linked headlines: Hard Rock launches in person sports gambling. Carolina Jaguars employee embezzles $22million due to what his attorney says is “a serious gambling addiction.”

This past week, Publix debuted their Christmas commercial – one of their best. For our household, it wouldn’t be Christmas without at least one revisit to their memorable first holiday commercial, “Last Train Home” from 1989, still available on YouTube.

Taylor Swift is Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year.” She joins other female people of the year, Wallis Simpson (the first), and most recently Kamala Harris and Greta Thunberg – not the most illustrious list. There have been multiple “People of the Year” recognitions, but only one three-time honoree – FDR.

Five years ago in TBR&R (12/16/18) Sad to see the former Country Harvest Restaurant razed. The Missouri Avenue institution was where you ate well and made new friends both with fellow diners and staff. It was a Sunday after church tradition for so many families.

Sports, media and other notes:

Ohtani signs with Dodgers for $700 million while it’s revealed he might not even be able to begin the season as a DH, much less pitch. If we’re one of the other 29 teams, we’re feeling really smart right now.

Gerry Fraley, who began his career at The Clearwater Sun, will enter the writer’s wing of the Hall of Fame during the induction weekend next July. Fraley, who died at age 64 in 2019, spent nearly two decades at The Dallas Morning News.

Congratulations to another, most deserving Hall of Famer - Jim Leyland.

Christmas note from the 5:05 Newsletter: Due to the extreme coal shortage, Santa will be giving out Justin Bieber CDs to all the bad kids this year.

This year, there was a chance that a tight end might win the Heisman for the first time in almost 75 years (Leon Hart, Notre Dame 1949) but that was dashed with an injury to Georgia’s outstanding Brock Bowers.

Baseball payroll data: $78 million was the Ray’s payroll this year. $70 million is what the Mets will pay players in 2024 who are no longer on their team.

$46,730 – that is the cost this year of the gifts in The 12 Days of Christmas. That’s up $1200 from last year – less than the overall inflation rate.

…and another thing: Treasured toys

Last month, the Toys Hall of Fame announced four inductees for 2023 bringing to 71 the number of items in the prestigious hall located in Rochester, NY. We say items because not all the inductees are strictly toys – like one of this year’s honorees – the baseball card. The hall has also honored the stick, a box and sand among others. In addition to the baseball card, 2023 saw the inclusion of the 1960’s NERF toys, 1957’s Fisher-Price Corn Popper which had nothing to do with popcorn, if you remember. Last, but certainly not least in this year’s group, was our daughter’s favorite Christmas present – the Cabbage Patch Doll which was launched in 1979, but became extremely difficult to obtain in the craze of 1983. To this day, we are indebted to our friend, Jim Stewart, for somehow finding one for under our six-year old’s tree.

NEXT WEEK: Gold card; Fishy business; Is this the airport?

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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: Repurposing empty office space

American employers with expensive leases are asking their employees to come back to the office. The pushback has been considerable. Employees found they could be as productive or more productive at home – without the necessity of a 30-60 minute commute. Employers must ask themselves if they want to lose top employees by asking them to come back to the 9-5. Meanwhile over a third of the nation’s office space remains empty. Now, the empty buildings are finding new tenants – colleges. In Fairfield CT, a major GE facility is now occupied by Sacred Heart University; in Louisville, Humana donated a no longer used building to the city’s university and George Washington University paid less than a tenth of appraised value for a former World Bank building. The one down side – university buildings come off the tax rolls, but municipal officials say that is more than offset by added commerce the repurposed buildings bring.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

America lost two giants this past week, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger passed away at age 100. Sandra Day O’Connor was the Supreme Court’s first female jurist. Ms. O’Connor died at age 93. Both left indelible marks on our nation.

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 last week at age 76.

The Florida Supreme Court’s ruling on the so-called Marsy’s Law was disappointing. Crime victims and law enforcement personnel should have their privacy respected. About the only segment opposed to this common sense law is the media.

Quote of the week: "Giving up on the unborn is not an option, It's politically dumb and morally repugnant. Instead, we need to understand why we lost this battle so we can win the war." Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance after Ohio (not German) voters approved a laissez-faire abortion measure.

Latest polls show Trump up by seven points over Biden. Now, the folks in Philly, Chicago and D.C. know how many votes they have to somehow create.

Hyundai workers are a step ahead of their brethren in Detroit with a 25% wage increase over the next four years – without having to kick in excessive union dues.

Factoid: Howard Hughes’ flying boat the “Spruce Goose” which made its one and only flight 76 years ago this fall was not made of spruce. It was mainly birch.

This week in 1933 (Dec. 5), a day celebrated annually by the 5:05 Newsletter, the 21^st Amendment is passed ending Prohibition. 

Sports, media and other notes: 

Bowl news – 41 is about 20 too many postseason bowls when you have to fill in with Minnesota (5-7), USF (5-6 against Division one teams) and a bunch of mediocre 6-6 teams.

This week is like Christmas Eve for baseball fans – the winter meetings where a lot of deals are consummated with presents fans would like to see under their tree like Snell, Ohtani, Bellinger and Soto.

If you’re an NFL coach, the owner you don’t want to work for is David Tepper who has fired three head coaches in mid-season since he bought the Carolina Panthers five years ago.

It’s freedom week. Starting Friday, your television viewing will no longer be adulterated by annoying Medicare commercials.

Seen on a McDonald’s marquee, “McRib is back.” But in 2022’s farewell tour, they promised it would be gone forever.

Holiday thought from the 5:05 Newsletter: What is it about Christmas tree lights? Apparently they are only manufactured in Third World nations that just recently found out about electricity, so if one light goes out they all do. And, for our convenience, they have been pre-snarled at the factory to resemble a Reggae musician’s hairdo.

…and another thing: Christmas hits

Of the Top 30 best-selling single records of all time, five are Christmas tunes starting with the biggest selling record of all – Bing Crosby’s White Christmas with over 50 million copies sold – 17 million more than the next biggest hit. Also on that Top 30 list are Bing’s Silent Night (30 million); next is Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You (16 million); then comes Gene Autry’s Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer (12.5 million); the fifth song in the Top 30 all time is Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? (11.5 million). By the way, the biggest selling non-Christmas song is Elton John’s tribute to Princess Diana – Candle in the Wind ’97. It has sold 33 million copies.

UP NEXT: Treasured toys; Coal shortage; Mets vs. Rays payrolls

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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: The DOE’s latest target

You think it’s fiction but…Biden’s wackadoo Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s newest target is ceiling fans. She’d like them to be more “energy efficient.” There is a reason they are in darned near every home in Florida; they move the air cutting down on the need for so much air conditioning. They define energy efficiency. With the air moving, you can set your a/c 3-4 degrees higher. But that’s not good enough for Ms. Granholm. She’s advocating fans that would save the consumer $39 over the life of the fan, but would cost the industry close to $90 million a year in additional manufacturing costs – and guess who pays that? Additionally, small business advocates say the changes would put a lot of smaller manufacturers out of business – something that is always lost on the elitists in D.C. One last thought, wouldn’t you like to take a peek at the thermostats in Ms. Granholm’s residence?

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Rosalynn Carter, who died last week at age 96, never seemed to forget her humble beginnings, always looking after those less fortunate.

If you look into the details of Pinellas County’s move to relocate its headquarters, you just shake your head in wonderment.

Related – supposedly the new location would be the county’s population center. Does this mean we should move the state capital to Orlando?

Sweet justice: the ultra-liberal Nike chain’s LA store is hit by a flash mob with the theft of close to $15,000 in merchandise.

An encouraging sign is Columbia Sportswear’s goal of moving more and more of its manufacturing out of Asia and into the Western Hemisphere. They are joining an assortment of U.S. companies looking at Mexico, Guatemala and elsewhere.

A snapshot of the November housing market – inventory is up but so are prices – up four and one half percent from a year ago.

It’s property tax season and with your bill, you got a very thinly veiled campaign flyer from Charles Thomas, our tax collector, who coincidently is up for election next year. And yes, you paid for the flyer.

Three popular places that seem to want to have nothing to do with Clearwater – Cracker Barrel, which several years ago abandoned its “interstates only” approach; Zaxby’s, close in Largo, but still a bit of a hike; the unique grocery store, Trader Joe’s; with an honorable mention to America’s best doughnut place – Krispy Kreme, which once had a location at Gulf-to-Bay and Duncan Ave.  

This week in 1934 (Nov. 29) the first nationwide broadcast of an NFL game as the Bears beat the Lions 19-16.

Sports, media and other notes:

A belated Happy 100^th Birthday (11/22) to Clearwater’s Herb Brown, whose illustrious life includes serving as President of Rotary International in 1995 and being the CEO of the Checkers Restaurant chain. His motto for his year as Rotary President was Act with Integrity, Serve with Love, Work for Peace – good words to have as our mantra.

Somebody has to win the NFC South – right?

Not only were Ronald Acuna, Jr. and Shohei Ohtani the first dual unanimous MVP winners in history, but five years earlier they were ranked the number 1 and 2 prospects in baseball by MLB Pipeline.

From award winning sports columnist Mark Bradley: “The two great truths in sports, seasons never get shorter and playoffs only get bigger. Some network will always pay for live content.” His interpretation of why colleges are expanding football playoffs to a ridiculous 12 teams.

Topping the charts this week in 1960 was the shortest #1 record of all time – Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs’ Stay at 1:40. The song would revisit the Top 20 in 1964 recorded by the Four Seasons who stretched it out to 1:52.

Holiday movie note from the 5:05 Newsletter: Hollywood announced that it is working on a remake of “It’s A Wonderful Life” for modern audiences. In the new version of the film, George Bailey’s guardian angel explains to him that since he is a straight white male, he should probably just go ahead and jump off the bridge into the river.

…and one last thing: 80 years ago in Tehran

Eighty years ago this week, the so-called Tehran Conference ended. It marked the first ever meeting of the three leaders of the Allied nations strategizing to bring an end to World War II. The interaction of three distinct leaders, Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin is captured in Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch’s book The Nazi Conspiracy. Their tale showcases the personalities of each leader along with a still debated sidebar – an alleged plot by Nazi Germany to assassinate the three while the conference is going on. This stratagem, along with all the subplots of the conference itself, makes for an extremely interesting and fast paced read.

Next Up: Offices to colleges; Christmas hits; Christmas lights

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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: Time to thin the herd

As we pen this, it’s less than four months until Super Tuesday (March 5), the day that will no doubt determine the candidates for the Presidency in November. Every credible poll you look at says Biden is extremely vulnerable. But the Republicans continue to dither over candidates, most of whom can’t beat either Biden or Trump. The last couple months have revealed a candidate who most likely can – if the three and four per centers get out of her way – Nikki Haley. More and more potential voters realize her prowess in running a governmental unit as well as her grasp of international affairs. As a side benefit, her nomination might awake Democrats to the fact that they are promoting a ticket, which in George Will’s words, “features someone no longer fit for the presidency with someone who never will be fit.” Perhaps Haley’s candidacy would result in a more palatable Democratic ticket. Everybody wins.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Related to our lead article, our friend TL says if Trump gets the GOP nomination instead of Nikki Haley, he should persuade her to join the ticket. That way, we would not live in extreme fear every day that something might happen to the President like we have in the past three years.

The answer: Mr. Hager’s 5^th period Algebra II class at Clearwater High. The news was delivered by our ’64 classmate Ellen Moore (now Martin). Every baby boomer remembers where they were sixty years ago this Wednesday, November 22, 1963.

A big win for U.S. industry as Emirates puts a hold on a major Airbus purchase of new aircraft because of engine concerns. The airline and a smaller affiliated firm pivoted to Boeing with a $63 billion purchase of its 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliners.

Number of the week: 29%. That’s the drop in Bud Light sales last month as compared to a year ago.

This week in 1916 (11/20), the Titanic’s star-crossed sister ship, Britannic, sinks in the Aegean Sea after hitting a mine during World War I. Thirty people die.

Sports, media and other notes:

Three straight wins over Top 25 teams. Any doubt about college’s #1 team?

Forgive Atlanta baseball fans if they feel like Charlie Brown about to kick the football being held by Lucy. They were just awarded the 2025 All Star game which they had been awarded in 2021only to have it jerked away by Biden stooge Rob Manfred.

Told ya – you should have stayed at FSU, Jimbo. And the idle chatter about the ‘Noles Mike Norvell following the same career path is just that – idle chatter.

Factoid: In addition to Sundays, Chick-fil-A will be closed this Thursday (Thanksgiving). It is the largest privately owned restaurant chain in America.

An early jump on your holiday shopping from the 5:05 Newsletter: If you are looking for a Christmas gift for that Biden fan in your life, you can’t go wrong with the Joe Biden Pocket Translator.

…and another thing: The season of giving

With Thanksgiving upon us, we posed this question to our TBR&R Focus Group. You have won $1million with the proviso you must give it away. You may give it all to one organization or split it up. What would you do?

Our first member went for thirds with equal amounts going to three local organizations - the small school where their daughter teaches, along with a third to Clearwater’s Kimberly Home Pregnancy Center and a third to the Morton Plant Hospital Foundation.

Another long time member of our focus group also went local: 3/4 to the local Salvation Army earmarked for the youth music program which provides instruments and music instruction to children in our community. The remaining 1/4 to the Community Dental Clinic which provides free dental care to uninsured adults.

Batting third, an original group member would benefit the school her granddaughter attends. She too would split her largesse in three with money going to the terrific Retirement Home for Horses in Alachua and the additional third to her church.

Another group member would also benefit his church, plus his alma mater, Southern Nazarene University and an outstanding local charity, the Rotary Club of Clearwater Charities.

So many great charities were mentioned by our group. Our Dunedin member also gave in thirds to The Salvation Army, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Our western-most member would benefit the National MS Society that does research and benefits people living with MS. She also mentioned two local charities in her adopted New Orleans – Voulez Krewe which marches Abba style in the Mardi Gras parade and does philanthropic work; plus Glass Half Full, a group that recycles glass and processes it into sand for coastal restoration and disaster relief projects. That sounds like something we need here on the west coast.

Finally, from our northern most contributor: I would give it to a local annual fund raiser called "Tyrtle Beach." (As everyone heads south to Myrtle Beach for Spring break, a well-known local person raises funds to jump into a still frigid local algae-laden, turtle-infested, lake/pond Salubria) The funds are disseminated to local youth programs and organizations without a penny of remuneration to those in charge of the program.

Thanks to all of our members for their thoughtful answers. This may have been the most gratifying article we’ve ever published!

UP NEXT: Tehran 1943; Missing three; Bears and Lions

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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: Tucker – 5 things we didn’t know

Although we watched him frequently over the years, we must admit there was a lot we didn’t know about former Fox superstar Tucker Carlson – until we read Chadwick Moore’s 2023 best seller Tucker. First, he once had a show on PBS. You could have told us he once wrote for Pravda or the St. Pete Times and we would not have been any less surprised. Speaking of writing, his Dad, Dick Carlson, was an award winning TV journalist in southern California. And speaking of TV, Tucker and his wife don’t own one. Tucker is a college dropout as is Susie, his wife of 32 years. They both dropped out in their senior years and got married – seemed to have worked out. He was a one and done contestant on Dancing with the Stars in 2006. We said five things we didn’t know – actually there were probably five times five, including his admiration for Rachel Maddow, another writing for Pravda moment. Tucker is a fascinating read, well worth your time.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

We send our heartfelt prayers to the Kuhlman family whose son Nathaniel was killed in a freak skiing accident on his honeymoon in St. Lucia.

Related to our lead article - Tucker Carlson remains on the payroll of Fox as it becomes more and more apparent that removing him from the air was a condition when Fox settled with the litigious Dominion voting machine company.

Good start to moving the county government headquarters out of Clearwater – paying 20% more than what appraisal experts say the land is worth and three times what it sold for seven years ago - your tax dollars in action.

Borrowed from Bob Batlan, our friend of over seventy years, “One day I would like to turn on the news and hear, there is peace on Earth.”

Economist Steve Moore compares EVs to the Edsel, Ford’s 1950s “car of the future.” In both cases, Moore says, “nobody bothered to ask consumers whether they wanted the car.”

Is your body clock screwed up again? Thank your U.S. Representative.

Word is that MLB is all behind the Rays’ new stadium plan. Fact is Rob Manfred and his merry crew are anxious to put the Oakland and Tampa Bay mess behind them, so they can move on to expansion. MLB would approve a Quonset hut for the Rays if it would hasten expansion.

The head of Century 21’s mortgage division says if you have a mortgage in the 3-4 area, embrace it. Mike Miedler says the seven percent plus mortgage is going to be around for awhile.

Born 100 years ago this week (11/18) was America’s first man in space, Alan Shepard.

Sports, media and other notes:

The great debate this time of year is white bread or cornbread stuffing? Mom did the former, but we up and married a Southern girl and that was that. And please, don’t even talk about putting seafood in stuffing.

Let us understand this: Georgia beats the 12^th ranked team in the country and remains #2 in the playoff rankings behind an Ohio State team whose most recent victory came against a team ranked forty-something.

We absolutely don’t understand the NCAA (and we’re not alone). Some arcane rule prohibits James Madison University from bowl consideration despite a 9-0 record. So instead of seeing a 9 win (or better) team in a major bowl, we’ll see some 6-6 stiffs rather than a really solid program.

No respect – despite winning the World Series, the Rangers are only fourth ranked by Vegas to win the 2024 Fall Classic behind the Braves, Dodgers and Astros. Side bar – of the five teams yet to cash in November, our Rays are ranked most likely to win it all.

As we enter the holiday season, shopping news from the 5:05 Newsletter: Starting next month, Wal-Mart will require customers to unload arriving semi-trucks and restock the shelves before selecting items they want to purchase. They can then proceed to the self-checkout station.

You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you ever filled up at one of its many Gulf stations. A buyout moved Gulf out of Florida in the early ‘80s, while you can still find the orange and blue disc in some northern states and the UK.

One last thing: A trial we wanted to see

Major League baseball was being sued by two former minor league teams, one each in New York and Connecticut over their loss of affiliation with MLB in 2021. It was part of a move by the majors to drop their affiliates from 160 to 120, in effect robbing 40 smaller communities of organized ball. All but two went pretty much quietly into the night but Albany’s Tri-City Valley Cats and the Norwich Sea Unicorns sued MLB for over $30 million. Some observers said this could have ended up at The Supreme Court and, more importantly, impact the major’s long standing anti-trust exemption. But MLB settled just before the trial date, no doubt for a lot of cash, so it could continue making even more money outside the monopoly rules that govern other businesses.

UP NEXT: Giving from the heart; Lego; Thinning the herd

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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: The General

When they decide to create a Mount Rushmore of the greatest college basketball coaches, one of the first images on that mountain will be Indiana great Bobby Knight, a four-time NCAA champ – one as a player at Ohio State and three as a coach of the Indiana Hoosiers. The General, as he was known, passed away last week at age 83. He also coached at Army, where he mentored another great coach, Mike Krzyzewski. Knight was an acquired taste; the only thing that mattered to him was results - the last undefeated season, an incredibly high graduation rate no doubt due in part to his experiences as both a soldier and coach at West Point. To his true believers, he could do no wrong as witnessed by Indiana University president Myles Brand being burned in effigy when he fired the ultra successful (and volatile) coach. After a short stint at Texas Tech, Bobby Knight went on to be an outstanding commentator at ESPN. The man left an indelible mark on college basketball.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

A Vietnam-era veteran’s thought: The most joyous words they ever uttered came upon exiting a military transport at Travis Air Force Base and arriving at the Delta counter at San Francisco Airport, “Tampa, one-way.”

We always try to use this week to say thanks to organizations in our community who do nice things for vets this week – and year round like those much appreciated vet’s parking spaces at Lowe’s.

Our friend TL points out that just 66 years after the Wright brother’s first flight, man landed on the moon. Some of our Moms and Dads experienced both. Amazing!

Unions have reached agreement with automakers’ big three. Now, the next question: will the average American still be able to afford a car?

Just 15 years ago was the Madoff scandal and we were told never again. Now, con artist Sam Bankman-Fried is scheduled to spend many, many years in Club Fed. But the regulators – they just roll along. It’s probably time for their incompetence or worse to earn them a suite next door to Bankman-Fried.

In the 1970s and 80s if a new strip center went up in the bay area, the chances were better than even it was built by one of Mel Sembler’s companies. The former ambassador to Australia and Italy and GOP stalwart died last week at age 93.

This week in 1969 (Nov. 10): Sesame Street premiers on PBS.

Sports, media and other notes:

A dozen toys are on the finalist list for induction into the Toys Hall of Fame this year. The honorees will be announced later this week and we’ll do our annual feature on the Hall in early December.

November lunch date: – It’s the 103rd anniversary of broadcast news (KDKA in Pittsburgh) and three current and former local anchors, we‘d like to join us at lunch: Bob Hite, Gayle Sierens and Russell Rhodes.

Topping the charts fifty years ago this week was Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight and the Pips.

Idle thought: Have you noticed the lack of customer traffic in the candy aisles of major grocery stores? The spiraling cost of sugar has a lot to do with it.

Answer: Luis Arraez. The question: who was the most overlooked player in the 2023 MLB season? The Miami second baseman became the first player in history to win the batting championship in the AL and NL in consecutive years.

A coda to our Bobby Knight story, one of the clauses he insisted on having in his contract was that he would make no more than any professor on the Indiana campus. Run that one by today’s college coaches.

…one last thing: Now the free agent fun begins

With the World Series ending (congrats to the Rangers), the baseball world turns to free agency, one free agent in particular. Sure, some outstanding players like Aaron Nola, Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, Craig Kimbrel and Jordan Montgomery are out there. But the glaring spotlight will be on Shohei Ohtani, the unique pitcher/DH. First here are some teams who will not seriously pursue him or he will reject – the former being the Braves and Astros (neither are really big spenders and with their rosters, they don’t need to be); also the Yanks, Mets and Angels have the wherewithal, but neither of the trio is poised to win – a high priority with Ohtani. If we had to list a top three, remembering he probably prefers the west coast, we’d pick the Dodgers, Mariners and the Padres in that order. Two teams on the fringes to keep an eye on – the Giants and the Rangers. We’ll be watching.

UP NEXT: Tucker Carlson; Gulf Oil; Stuffing

Thank you to all our vets

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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: But do they pay your claims?

Years ago, we had a very wise friend, Preston Packard. Preston spent years in the insurance business and offered this advice which we have never forgotten, “The sole measure of an insurance company is how they pay their claims.” Preston’s words came back to us these past weeks as we have been subjected to endless slick, and not so slick ads, for Medicare. Many come from some companies whom we have never heard of (and one which we wish we had never heard of). They promise the world, but do they pay your claims in a straightforward way – or do you have to be wrung through the wringer to get paid – or worse, not paid? Our late friend’s advice would be if you have a company that’s paid your claims (Medicare or any type claim), stick with it, don’t change plans for nickels – it’s the dollars that count.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Pro-life advocates won a major victory in the Georgia courts last week and next week need to head off a treacherous Ohio ballot initiative that would make unborn children the victims of abortionists up to the minute they are born. Yes, we said Ohio, not Germany.

Are we the only one who gets more nervous the more we hear about the Rays’ stadium proposal?

“Smokin’ hot” is how Toyota’s head of American sales describes the market for hybrid vehicles. Sales trends seem to indicate that Toyota’s hesitance to enter the EV market was well played.

Is there any more useless organization than the UN? Other, of course, than the US House of Representatives.

Idle thought: As Biden and company tout our nation’s economy, you have to wonder when was the last time they bought groceries, filled up their tank or paid an insurance premium.

Second idle thought (had a lot of time on our hands this week): The only thing more embarrassing than Joe Biden is his press secretary.

Waffle House employees are seeking raises to $25 per hour. Does that mean the level of service will jump by that much?

It’s just 68 days until you can buy Girl Scout cookies. The bad news: inflation has caught up with the girls in green and the cost of a box is now up to six bucks.

Seen on a bumper sticker, “I am everything liberals hate.”

This week in 1987 (Nov. 4) The NBA comes to Florida with the announcement of franchises for Miami in 1988 and Orlando in 1989. Two years to the day, the Magic play their home opener.

Sports, media and other notes:

The readers of one major daily newspaper already have their choice winning the World Series. As the playoffs dwindled down to a final four, they were polled as to their choice to win the series, the Astros, Diamondbacks, Phils or Rangers. But the editors slipped in one more option – “anybody but the Phillies.” It won overwhelmingly.

Sidebar: Entering the World Series, this year’s playoff home team is 14-22.

Was there ever an uglier football game than last week’s Bucs-Falcon’s contest? It should be forever branded as the Inept Bowl. Thursday’s game wasn’t much prettier.

NFL News from the 5:05 Newsletter: Super Bowl LVIII To Be Played At Intermission of Taylor Swift Concert.

Tops at the box office fifty years ago this month – Paper Moon with Ryan and Tatum O’Neal with Tatum becoming the youngest actress to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Finally, we still think Halloween should be on the last Friday of October, so our kids don’t show up at school the next day, dead tired or all sugared up.

…and another thing: a conference to admire

While football conferences from coast to coast play musical chairs, there is one conference that has remained stable for nearly 70 years – the Ivy League. The same eight schools, from Brown to Yale, who formed the conference in 1956, continue to play each year and play every conference member along with three non-conference games, usually against other schools with high academic standards like Colgate, Holy Cross and Rhode Island. There are no athletic scholarships and virtually all the players are four-year athletes. In other words, the way college football was supposed to be played. There was talk of another very academically-oriented school joining them – Stanford which was cast adrift by the implosion of the Pac 10, but that would have stressed the compact travel model of the Ivy League. So it will be the original eight again playing Chip Hilton-style football. It makes us want to watch a game or two this season.

NEXT WEEK: Free agents; Tampa, one way; An amazing 66 years

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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: fix, don’t toss that cell phone

We seldom agree with anything California politicians do, but even a blind squirrel will sometimes stumble across an acorn. Their Senate bill which would grant greater access to consumers of parts for repairing their electronics makes way too much sense. It’s called Right to Repair legislation and would save tons of dollars, not to mention freeing our landfills of toxic waste. The so-called Right to Repair legislation would give the consumer and the repair person a break. Even some of the high tech companies are endorsing the plan. The Right to Repair movement goes beyond cell phones and other high tech gear to include autos, appliances and agricultural equipment. The latter proposed legislation was turned down by our own legislature last year. One has to wonder why. It’s way past the time to turn around our throwaway society.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Related to our lead piece; look hard enough and you can find folks to repair your goods. To the amusement of all our friends, we still use an iPod. It took awhile, but we found a great company in New York (Repair Sharks) that made our iPod Classic as good as new for a reasonable price.

Travel news from the 5:05 Newsletter: Disneyland and six Disney Worlds worldwide drew record attendance this year. Only Eagle Pass, Texas attracted more visitors.

Freedom of speech is one thing, but why do our media outlets, even the so-called conservative ones, give the subversives known as the squad, a public platform for their anti-Semitic vitriol?

Turns out the newly appointed U.S. Senator from California actually lives in Maryland. But fear not, the pro-abortion whacko will re-register in California before she assumes office. Alex Sink rides again (see TBR&R 3/9/14).

Random thought: Our Saintly Wife claims we are losing our filters. We checked the a/c, car and water treatment systems. All seems well.

This week in 1972 (Oct. 26) the first instant camera, the Polaroid SX-70, is introduced by Edwin Land at an event in Miami.

Sports, media and other notes:

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

She was the attractive blonde in the T-Bird in American Graffiti and later the ditzy roommate in Three’s Company. Suzanne Somers died last week just short of her 77^th birthday.

Danger Alert! We are entering “Halloween Fifteen” timeframe. That, of course, is the 60 day period between Halloween and New Years where you can put on 15 pounds faster than that rabbit used to go at Derby Lane.

Every year the NFL ticks off millions of fans with their nonsensical rule that at a certain time, networks must cut away from a game that is going down to the final drive. It needs to be changed.

Answer: Seattle Mariners. The question: which is the only one of the 30 current teams to never appear in the World Series?

This season will make it only six out of 29 times in the wild card era that the team with the best record in baseball wins the World Series. Three of the four teams with a first round bye (Atlanta, Baltimore and LA) went out in the first series they played.

You’ve lived in Clearwater a really long time if you remember the biggest local news of 1939. It was the opening of the Clearwater Airpark - still going strong 84 years later and still the highest elevation airport in the Tampa Bay area.

…and another thing: Buy the A’s, buy the Rays

Currently, the three most financially troubled baseball franchises are the Miami Marlins, Oakland A’s and our Rays. The trio finishes in the bottom three in attendance each year. In Oakland, there has been a movement for a cooperative to buy the team – similar to the way individuals own the wildly successful Green Bay Packers. Sadly, the idea came too late to Oakland, which is all but packed for Las Vegas. Currently, baseball fans have only one opportunity to own part of their favorite team – the publicly traded Atlanta Braves – our daughter owns a very small slice. The Braves, though, are still controlled by Liberty Media who owns the lion’s share of the team’s stock. An attempt was made last year for a cooperative to buy the Denver Broncos, but the “owner’s club” made it difficult and the effort was fruitless. Optimists for fan-owned franchises (they are very common in Europe) see the first step as a cooperative being significant minority owners and moving up from there. It could only be a positive move for teams struggling for fan buy-in.

UP NEXT: Gambling problems; Gold cards; Football the right way

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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: St. Pete exposed

You need to get away from the local spin doctors to get a real grip on the folly that is relocating the Rays’ new stadium across the street from the Trop. The attendance at the recent wild card playoffs was a national embarrassment. The national sports platform, The Athletic, perhaps put it best, “Their quixotic effort to turn St. Petersburg into a baseball town was exposed on national television as cameras panned over the half-empty stadium. Part of the vision for a new Rays’ stadium is a Battery-like experience that has been incredibly successful for the Atlanta Braves. The only problem (and a very large one) is south St. Pete is not Cobb County, Georgia.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Peel away all the fancy rhetoric and Israel is a nation that simply wants to be left alone. But, as many have learned, if you don’t, you pay the price.

Meanwhile, it is sickening to see the examples of anti-Semitism on campuses like George Washington, Harvard and, even more revolting by members of the U.S. House.

An AP poll says over two-thirds of Americans believe that Joe Biden did something either unethical or illegal in his involvement with his son’s business dealings. Shocking, absolutely shocking.

By month’s end, Target will close nine stores in California, New York, Oregon and Washington State. The reason for the closures: unsustainable shrinkage (as in thefts). Losses from theft are nearing two percent of sales.

Speaking of California, based on her opening remarks, “Senator Laphonza” should add a great deal of decorum to our Senate.

Okay, here’s our assignment for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, John Kerry, Chuck Schumer and Jerome Powell. Move to a town of 100,000 or less; operate a small business in that community for at least six months; then return to D.C. and report to the American public on your experience.

Politics 101 from the 5:05 Newsletter: The White House claims “80 is the new 40.” I don’t know about running for president, but that certainly explains Bidenomics.

This week in 1931 (Oct. 18), cue the Nelson Riddle theme music. Al Capone is convicted of income tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in prison. He would serve seven.

Sports, media and other notes:

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

Our prayers are with Mary Lou Retton, the 16-year-old who captured our hearts at the Los Angeles Olympics. Retton, now 55, is battling a rare form of pneumonia.

Factoid: Nevada and Sam Houston are the only winless Division I football teams going into this weekend’s action.

It normally would be a month or two before we started paying attention to Duke. But, have you seen their football team?

Barry Melrose, who is stepping away from ESPN for health reasons, did the most to help know-nothings like us understand the game of hockey. He tried, he really tried.

Idle thought: Shouldn’t the World Series be over before we crank up the NHL and the never-ending NBA seasons?

We know that part of the 2023 World Series will be played in Texas and probably will continue so now that arguably the best manager in baseball (no, not Dusty Baker) resides there. Bruce Bochy wins wherever he goes.

Speaking of managers, now that he’s retired, reserve some wall space for a Terry Francona plaque at Cooperstown.

Flat out fact: the best green beans in the free world are served up at Cracker Barrel. We don’t think they’re all that healthy, but they sure are good.

You’ve lived in the bay area a long time if one of your stops on the way home Friday nights was at Blockbusters.

…and another thing: Local music history

A few weeks back (TBR&R 9/23/23), we mentioned discovering The Impacs’ local hit Lost Love on iTunes. Another recent discovery is the Rockers’ terrific bay area hit Would I Still Be Loving You. On iTunes, they are identified as The Tides because when the record was released by nation-wide label Warrick Records, there was already a group known as the Rockers performing in another part of the country, so “The Tides” went on the label. The song went to number one on the local stations’ charts but mysteriously did not crack the Billboard Hot 100.

NEXT WEEK: Polaroid; The Airpark; Halloween Fifteen

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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: Finding a mayor for Clearwater

Clearwater has an election next spring. Voters will elect a council majority – two council members and a mayor. The mayor’s job, while largely ceremonial as compared to St. Pete or Tampa, does give the city a “face.” The sitting mayor resigned earlier this year and a former mayor has the interim job. He says he will not run. Two potential candidates have surfaced, both with less than sterling credentials. One has never held public office in Clearwater. The other, while a sitting council member, has been a divisive force in her short tenure on the dais. Who else, you may ask. There are a few qualified “old hands” out there, but they are either too old or have had quite enough of politics in their life. Perhaps, an outstanding candidate will surface. But the deadline for qualifying is just five weeks away. Time draws short.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Have you ever been less proud of your government than you are at this stage of your life?

Regarding student loans and other matters, it seems the current occupant of the White House regards Supreme Court decisions as suggestions.

A recent survey says that more than a few college faculty members are at least considering leaving Florida for other, more liberal, states. Is that necessarily a bad thing? It might help to better balance our state’s faculties that are wildly left of center.

With Election Day a year and a month away, oddsmakers are clinging to their prediction of a Biden-Trump rematch with Trump gaining a narrow victory. If Trump is removed on a technicality, then Vegas likes DeSantis. That would be fun to watch given the local bi-weekly’s blind hatred for our Governor.

Need a side hustle? UPS plans to hire 100,000 people to handle the holiday rush this season.

There are few things less distasteful than a non-routine trip to the dentist, but a recent tooth extraction by Dunedin’s Dr. Michael Yuan couldn’t have been more pleasant.

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 last week at age 96.

This week in 1963 (Oct. 10): the second of the 27 James Bond films, From Russia with Love, debuts. It and its’ follow-up, Goldfinger were two of the five highest grossing films of 1964.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Related to our historical note above: in no particular order, the five best songs from Bond movies, Nobody Does It Better (from The Spy Who Loved Me) – Carly Simon; All Time High (Octopussy) – Rita Coolidge; Goldfinger – Shirley Bassey; From Russia with Love – Matt Monro and For Your Eyes Only – Sheena Easton.

Most people felt the Eastern Divisions of the major leagues were the strongest, but only the Phillies survived the first playoff round with the Rays, Blue Jays and Marlins making early exits. On to Round Two.

The 5:05 Newsletter reports on a collectable sale: Elvis’ Smith & Wesson sold at auction for $200,000. The next day a bill for 60% arrived from the estate of Colonel Tom Parker.

Related note: One of Bill O’Reilly’s “killing” series, Killing the Legends, reveals just how badly the scheming Tom Parker damaged Elvis’ career.

If you’re really old (and we are) it’s nice to see the Detroit Lions being a competitive football team again. It’s been a long time since Bobby Layne, Hopalong Cassidy, Leon Hart and Joe Schmidt.

Last, but not least, Happy 40^th Anniversary to the Clearwater born and bred Hooters restaurant chain.

…and another thing: How not to win a pennant

First a number: $202 million, which was this year’s payroll for the Los Angeles Angels. The payroll was the seventh largest in baseball, exceeded by four NL teams (Dodgers, Mets, Padres and Phillies) and two AL teams (Blue Jays and Yanks). All those teams were in the playoffs last year. The last time the Angels finished above .500 was in 2015. The last time they made the playoffs was 2014 – the longest drought in the majors. In a recent ESPN ranking of the top 100 players, the Angels’ Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani were the top two. No other Angel cracked the list. By comparison, both the Astros and Braves had eight in the top 100 and the Blue Jays and Mets, seven each along with the Padres and Phils (all 2022 playoff teams) with six apiece. In simple terms, the Angels are top heavy with payroll and are begging for a rebuild, as painful as it would be to rid themselves of MLB’s top two players. The Angels parted ways with manager Phil Nevin at the end of the season, a victim, like his Mets counterpart Buck Showalter, of a poorly constructed roster. If the Angels want to stop losing, as a great American is fond of saying, the problem is obvious.

NEXT UP: Local bands; Blockbuster; Get a job

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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: Auto industry being squeezed

It’s always been hard to feel sorry for GM or Ford or whatever they call Chrysler these days. While your humble blogger has blindly bought American (mostly GM) over the years, we’ve never purchased out of pity. But the whole auto industry has changed over the last several decades, as well illustrated in Kenneth Whyte’s 2021 book The Sack of Detroit. Its unions are now making unreasonable demands, but not as unreasonable as the Biden administration’s demands that they build electric vehicles which very few people want. Meanwhile, other manufacturers in right to work states or overseas are not burdened by these issues. The upshot may be something that makes Obama’s early 21^st century auto bailout look tame.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Just once, we would like to see our government shut down “all but essential services,” for a length of time so we could see just how much government we could do without.

It starts this week. One media source is calling it the big payback as the “tax holiday” is over for people with outstanding student loans, unless Biden comes up with another scheme to buy their votes.

Senate reinstates its dress code. To the “distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania,” if you can’t abide by those rules, perhaps we can find someone else.

Hang on to your hat when you get your auto insurance renewal. Rates are up as high as 30 to 45 percent.

Idle recollection: Our late father was a pretty savvy investor, but his one big swing and miss was when an acquaintance tried unsuccessfully to interest him in investing in a small chain he was building. The acquaintance’s name was Jack Eckerd. Oh, while we’re at it – Happy Birthday Dad and thanks for all the love and wisdom.

News of the Big Apple from the 5:05 Newsletter: Mayor Eric Adams said that just because New York City declared itself to be a sanctuary city, he has no idea where people got the idea they could actually come there and find sanctuary. At publishing time, Mayor Adams is vowing to build a wall around New York City and force Texas to pay for it.

This week in 1961 (10/3) The Dick Van Dyke Show premiers on CBS.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Brooks Robinson was the best fielding third baseman in the history of the game and the heart and soul of the great Oriole teams of the late sixties and early seventies. The Hall of Famer passed away last week at age 86.

October lunch date: As we head to the playoffs three baseball players we would love to have lunch with: our three boyhood heroes, Yogi Berra, Roberto Clemente and Herb Score.

Fire off the rockets! USF beats its first Division I opponent in over a year!

Notre Dame and Ohio State gave us a good game last weekend, but they also showed why neither should be ranked among the top ten programs in the country.

This summer (TBR&R 6/11), we forecast interesting times for the Denver Broncos, but short of the hot mess the team has become. Surely, after a 70-20 embarrassment, the only way is up – right? Denver vs. the Bears, somebody has to win that game - right?

Born 100 years ago this week (10/4) was Academy Award winning actor Charlton Heston. The actor won the award for his role in Ben-Hur. He also starred in epic films like The Ten Commandments, The Greatest Show on Earth and The Greatest Story Ever Told.

You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if your elementary school supply store sold Blue Horse three-ring filler paper. Blue Horse hung around until the early seventies.

…and another thing: the best time of year

For this old slap, it’s a tossup between the first pitch of spring and this week’s first pitch of the playoffs. The two playoff teams nobody wants to face are probably the Braves and the Astros with the Dodgers and Phils close behind. Next, a truism, the best team hardly ever wins the World Series. In the 28 years of wild card play, only six times has the team with the best regular season record won the World Series. Last year, the Dodgers had the best record in baseball, but were upset by the San Diego Padres who finished 22 games behind them in the regular season. It truly is a whole new season. It doesn’t even come down to who is the hottest team at the end of regular play. Last year, it was the Braves and they were dumped by the Phils who were 4-6 in their last ten games of the season. So you figure it out. We’re going to go with the team that has arguably the best three starters going into the playoffs – the Milwaukee Brewers, assuming they can generate any sort of offense. By the way, as we write this, just 135 days until pitchers and catchers report.

UP NEXT: Bond, James Bond; Finding a mayor; Brain drain?

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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: What the Rays haven’t learned in three decades

The lesson is simple, you can’t easily get there from here –whether here is Tampa, our major population center, Upper Pinellas or Pasco. Yet this past week, the Rays announced they will build a new stadium at the site of the failed stadium. The original location was the result of some political scheming that would make a Chicago politician blush. In over three decades since the Trop went up, it has gotten only harder to get to south St. Pete. And just like in 1998, we don’t see mass transit stepping up to make the commute easier. We would also quibble with another fixed dome as opposed to retractable domes seen in virtually all locales with weather issues, but the overriding problem is, in the words of Albert Einstein: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

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 are sad to report Kim’s passing last weekend. Breakfast will never be the same.

Keep an eye on Hyundai’s rapid expansion in America – particularly the South. The automaker (Hyundai, Genesis and Kia) is not unionized. That, naturally, does not sit well with the auto unions.

Factoid: Over 60% of mortgages in America are under 4%. With the current rate pushing 7.25%, you can understand why the mortgage biz is stagnant.

The IRS says it wants to become paperless by 2025. More than a few Americans would like to see the nation become IRS-less by 2025. The agency has become more and more a political tool over the years.

Retail fact shared by our friend TL, Wrigley’s gum was the first product to have a bar code.

Idle question(s): Why can’t one of the mustard companies come up with a container that spreads the product evenly on your hotdog? And what ever happened to the old fashioned French’s mustard jar?

This week in 1941(September 27) Ted Williams ends the baseball season with a .406 batting average, the last player to hit over.400 in a full season.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Durham Town, The Last Farewell and New World in the Morning were just three of the smooth offerings of Roger Whittaker. The Kenyan native with a rich voice died last week at age 87.

Random thought: We don’t think America needs two NFL games on Monday night.

Surely, there are better football teams in the country than Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes, but none more exciting.

Most coaches will tell you there is no such thing as a “moral victory,” but USF’s 17-3 loss to the Crimson Tide comes close – or is Alabama really that bad? The Bulls go to single digits – ranked #96 up from 112 of the 133 Division I teams.

With the season winding down, we can expect changes in the Yankees’, Padres’ and perhaps Giants and Mets’ dugouts for 2024. And we are to believe there won’t be one in St. Louis – amazing.

Saw a headline on MLB.com a few weeks back. It read “Every MLB stadium ranked from worst to first.” Didn’t need to read any further to learn which was worst. Top two? They were Fenway and Wrigley, both, frankly, overrated, ask any ballplayer.

September 25 is One Hit Wonder Day and we celebrate by going back to the 50s and Gogi Grant (The Wayward Wind) and The Elegants (Little Star). In the 1960s, we had Little Eva (The Locomotion, written by the couple she babysat for – Carole King and Gerry Goffin) plus Lorne Green (yes, that Lorne Green) with Ringo. And the 70s gave us The Starland Vocal Band (Afternoon Delight) and Debby Boone (You Light up My Life). Debby’s dad, Pat, was a bit more successful with 60 chart hits including six number ones.

Related note from the 5:05 Newsletter: I wonder if the guy who coined the term “One Hit Wonder” ever came up with any other phrases?

Speaking of one-hit wonders, you’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you remember Pat Scot and the Impacs. Their local hit Lost Love can now be found on iTunes if you want to relive some of your youth.

…and another thing: Attack on a Florida institution

The little high school journalism dropout who writes a column in our local left wing bi-weekly decided to attack Publix recently. For long time Floridians, which she obviously isn’t, that is tantamount to attacking the American flag. A suggestion to our fledgling scribe – if you don’t like Publix, there are, and will be even more, German-based Aldi stores in which to shop. Just bring your quarters for the shopping carts; money for bags and while you’re there, buy a lot of soap and disinfectant.

NEXT UP: Rob & Laura; The playoffs; Car insurance rates skyrocket

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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: Keeping Clearwater the county seat

The mostly liberal side of the Pinellas County Commission wants to move the seat of Pinellas County government out of Clearwater – and at an outrageous price. Democrats Charlie Justice and Janet Long are leading the charge to move the county governmental center to mid-Pinellas. Notably, neither Justice nor Long live in Clearwater, with Long ironically, characterizing renovating the existing facility as “putting diamonds on a pig.” Here’s the problem with relocating the government center – the thing liberals frequently ignore - cost. Estimates for renovating the existing structure run around $150 million, not exactly pocket change. But that number is a mere pittance compared to estimates of between $250-350 million for a new facility. The problems the county commissioners seem to have with renovation is that the current buildings are “functionally obsolete” – read that to mean not the Taj Mahal their egos feel they deserve at the expense of other, more needed, projects that would benefit all of the citizenry. For once, just once, it would be nice to see our government officials live within their means.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Hundreds of Clearwater residents lost a good friend last week 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. A most likeable man who will be greatly missed.

The preponderance of U.S. economists are saying the nation’s automakers simply cannot afford the raises striking unions are seeking.

A rave goes to Utah Senator Mitt Romney, who will not seek re-election saying at age 76, “It’s time for a new generation.” Are you listening Joe and Don?

Quote of the week: from a protester at a pro-life function earlier this year. To quote: “I’m a woman. I was born with rights that will never be taken away.” She failed to add “because of a mother and father who chose not to abort me.” The Florida Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments on a Florida pro-life law.

Former Orlando-area State Attorney Monique Worrell is asking the Florida Supreme Court to re-instate her. With her track record of not prosecuting bad guys who turn around to do worse things, we wish her luck.

Seen on a T-shirt: PLUTO 1930-2006.

And from the 5:05 Newsletter: A team of astronomers are lobbying for Pluto to be reclassified as a planet; and given full voting rights in the league of planets.

This week (Sept.21) in 1776, soldier and patriot Nathan Hale is arrested by the British.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Hats off to retired Yankee ace David Wells who showed up at the Old-Timers day with white tape over the Nike swoosh on his uniform, saying he didn’t wish to publicize the woke sneaker company.

Not waiting for the end of the season, the Boston Red Sox fired off the first cannon shot discharging former Rays’ front office guy Chaim Bloom, their GM. Heading the Bosox might seem like a great gig, but they seem to toss their GMs every four years.

Idle thought: We miss the college scoreboard shows that were on virtually every major radio station here in the bay area on Saturday afternoons in the fall.

Fifty years ago, WTCG Channel 17, a station with incredibly low ratings signed a deal to broadcast the moribund Atlanta Braves’ games. A couple years later, the station’s owner, Ted Turner buys the Braves, changes the call letters of his station to WTBS and begins sending the games all over the country. The station and the ball team have never looked back.

You’ve lived in Clearwater (or Largo) a long time if you remember the years in the 1950s when the fierceness of competition caused cancellation of an annual Clearwater-Largo football game.

…and another thing: spitting contest is over

It took a marquee match-up between the Aaron Rodgers New York Jets and perennial NFL power Buffalo Bills to finally get an agreement between the Disney-owned channels (particularly ESPN) and Spectrum’s parent Charter Communications. You can’t replay a showcase football matchup (between two teams in Spectrum markets) and the millions of dollars in revenues it generates. So who won the showdown? We really don’t know or care. We only know who lost – Spectrum viewers, particularly University of Florida football fans who had a no notice shutdown of their team’s opening game a couple of Thursdays ago and customers who watched other Disney products such as National Geographic. The two companies greed being unabated, those channels were yanked and now require an extra fee which will quickly wipe out the $15 refund Spectrum is reportedly offering for the break in service.

NEXT WEEK: Mustard questions; Buy a team; One hit wonders

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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: Clearwater’s voting system

There is an ill-advised move among the Clearwater City Council to adjust the city’s voting system which seems to have worked for over 100 years. Among the suggested changes - run-offs if no candidate achieves a majority. That pre-supposes a three person race which is the exception rather than the rule in Clearwater. Another suggestion that has been swatted down for years is voting districts. That’s fine in a city of half a million, not so in a city of under 120,000 and where a one third voter turnout is extraordinary. Do the math; you can end up with well less than 5000 people electing someone to the council. While another suggestion to move the city’s elections to sync with federal elections/primaries, increasing turnout, has some merit, the offset is the race can become partisan and Clearwater’s non-partisan system, again, seems to have worked well for over a century. There is simply no reason to change the city’s voting system and should some ill-constructed measure come to the voters next year, the resounding answer should be NO.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Margaritaville, Fins, Changes in Latitudes, Come Monday, Duke’s on Sunday – thanks, Jimmy.

DeSantis Watch: When our governor announced a run for President, we suggested you put a dollar or five of a vacation fund in a sock drawer for every time he was subject to an attack article in the area’s left wing bi-weekly. With last Sunday’s front page alone totaling two of the three articles, you’re well on your way to Europe.

Nancy Pelosi says the Jan. 6, 2021 incident at the Capitol gives her reason to want to stay in Congress. The 83-year-old would see the sun rising in the East as a sign we still need her services.

Idle thought: watching the coverage of Hurricane Idalia a few weeks back, many mentions were made of Dixie County, making us wonder how that county has escaped the speech police.

A fervent wish from the 5:05 Newsletter: I really wish Joe Biden would stop riding his bicycle. That $29 helmet is the only thing between the American people and Kamala.

This week in 1928 (9/15) Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin.

Sports, media and other stuff:

College football conferences are holding their breath over the proliferation of sports gambling and the possible, or likely, impact on players in the major conferences. Already, Iowa State’s leading rusher and other players from Iowa have been charged with making hundreds of illegal wagers.

When you’re a USF alum, you don’t watch the AP Top 25, but The Athletic’s ranking of all 133 Division I teams. The Bulls dropped from 111 to 114, but should gain some ground against FAMU – but then comes the Crimson Tide.

As the NFL season kicks off, the Bucs face some severe challenges, but when you consider that 8-9 won the NFL South last year, anything can happen.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen will step away from the network next year after over three decades of football analysis. His presence will be missed – assuming we are able to actually watch ESPN by then.

Heading down the stretch, the only sure things are the Braves and Dodgers and even they are battling for full home field advantage. The rest is a baseball fan’s dream.

Idle question: Were there any better athletes with the same name than Robin Roberts (basketball) and Robin Roberts (baseball)? Both went on to secondary careers, the female Robert Roberts with ESPN and ABC and the Phillies’ ace as the head baseball coach at USF.

You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember when Earle Brown opened the first VW dealership in the city at the corner of Drew Street and Anna Avenue.

…and another thing: You gotta see this!

For September, we asked our esteemed TBR&R Focus Group to name a national attraction or tourist site every American should see at least once.

Our leadoff hitter replied with Denali National Park with its gorgeous scenery, animals everywhere and fresh air.

Our second reply took us literally to the other end of the country – Key West with its super laid back atmosphere plus historic sites like the Little White House and Ernest Hemingway’s home.

Next we go to D.C. and environs where our Focus Group member recommends the unforgettable Vietnam Memorial as well as Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Another of our contributors also offers up a pair of “must sees” – the Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore.

Our western most member chose the National Mall which attracts close to 25 million visitors a year.

And then there’s the happiest place on earth just 90 miles away. The youngster who was born the year your humble blogger graduated from college casts a vote for the Magic Kingdom and its companion parks. Hard to disagree.

Our northernmost focus group member places a vote for the Grand Canyon and, possessing a, shall we say, unique sense of humor, places a second vote for the world’s largest ball of twine. While there are conflicting claims on this, the generally accepted biggest twine ball is in Cawker City, KS.

As always, thanks to our respondents for their answers.

NEXT UP: Pure college football; Oh, Pluto; Clearwater vs. Largo

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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: Waiting for Biden

Incredibly, six months after the train derailment, people in East Palestine, Ohio still can’t return to their contaminated homes, or their jobs, and their savings have shriveled down to nothing. Joe Biden said he would visit the site. Isn’t six months a little long to wait? Is this the price Ohio residents have to pay for voting for Donald Trump in 2020 –and 2016? If only the train had derailed in Delaware, or any blue state – or the Ukraine. Perhaps East Palestine isn’t as showy as Hawaii, but these people need help – now.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

As you wake up and anticipate your day at work, be happy you’re not a customer service rep at Spectrum - more on that below.

Hurricane thoughts: We guess it’s okay for politicians to use the occasion of a storm for free air time, but at least have your facts straight. Tampa’s mayor was gabbing about how the storm would drain the bay, only to be immediately refuted by meteorologist Josh Linker who correctly told of a storm surge in the bays.

Disney is getting clobbered in this Biden economy. It’s trading in the eighties after being as high as $111 earlier in the year. At the end of 2020, it was trading at $177- more on the mouse below.

One of our readers whose choo-choo pretty much runs in circles asks if we could just put both Biden and Trump in jail and start fresh. Not sure we disagree.

Political news from the 5:05 Newsletter: Governors Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis have reportedly reached an impasse in their Fox News debate planned for November. The impasse is said to be due to one of the debate questions which is “Why are there no U-Haul trucks available in California?”

There’s some good news on the local front. TRIM notices are out and while there are property tax increases, they are relatively modest.

Several of the major wireless companies are taking a red ink bath as their customers no longer mindlessly flock to cellular stores for every minor upgrade in so-called smart phones.

Luncheon date: Now as we’re back in school, three teachers we’d love to reunite with at lunch – Helen Richardson of Haverling (Bath, NY) Elementary, Joseph Maier of Clearwater Junior High and Roger VanGorder of Clearwater High – three terrific educators.

Our condolences to our friend Charlie Robinson on the passing of Louise, his wife of well over a half-century. A truly wonderful couple.

This week in 1963 (Sept. 7) American Bandstand leaves its home city of Philadelphia and becomes a weekly show aired from LA.

Sports, media and other stuff:

My, didn’t ESPN/Disney and Spectrum make tons of friends with Gator fans with their petty standoff taking away the Gator-Utah game last Thursday? With Spectrum, this comes on the heels of price increases of 15% and more. Incredibly, when a Spectrum customer called Friday morning, they were told customer service was not available until the Tuesday after Labor Day. Nice work.

Sadly, we have most likely seen the last of the ultra-talented Wander Franco in a Rays’ uniform.

Here’s something to watch. Never in the history of baseball have any two NY teams (Dodgers, Giants, Mets or Yankees) finished in last place. There’s a very real possibility that could happen this year.

The Athletic ranks all 131 Division I football teams and their first rankings are out with FSU at #8; Florida (40); UCF (42); Miami a disappointing 60; Florida Atlantic (79); South Florida (111 which is actually up almost 20 points from their 2022 finish); and Florida International at 126. UMass anchors the poll – pretty much where they finished last year.

You’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you remember when virtually every new shopping center had a Publix on one end and an Eckerd Drugs on the other.

…and another thing: CCR, # 2 with a bullet

Fifty-five years ago this week, a band from California with a name that suggested they should have been from here, Creedence Clearwater Revival, issued their first record, a remake of a 1957 Dale Hawkins tune – Suzie Q. It went all the way to #11 on the charts. But that was nothing compared to their run from 1969 to ‘71 when they had eight top ten tunes, but amazingly no number ones. They did have five number twos. Here they are, along with the song that kept them from that coveted number one record – Proud Mary (Everyday People – Sly and the Family Stone); Bad Moon Rising (Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet – Henry Mancini); Green River (Sugar, Sugar – the Archies – no, really); Travelin’ Band (Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon and Garfunkel) and Looking Out My Back Door (Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Diana Ross). CCR also had seven two-sided hits – an amazing career.

NEXT UP: You gotta see this; DOE’s latest target; Robin Roberts

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Leading off: Why the economic victory lap?

Ah, not so fast with that economic victory lap Joe. Maybe you only read the Washington Post and the funnies, but the inflation rate is the highest it’s been in four decades and Jerome Powell says don’t expect an end to the stifling interest rates any time soon. Meanwhile, Wall Street observers last week termed the first two-thirds of August “messy.” Simultaneously, the housing market is down, stressed by the high cost of mortgages. Is this an indication of an economy on the right track?

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Related note from the 5:05 Newsletter: White House press secretary Karine Jean- Pierre praised the overwhelming success of "Bidenomics," saying that it has been so successful the average American now has twice as many jobs as they had two years ago.

Clueless defined: comparing the tragedies in Hawaii to a kitchen fire.

$200,000 bail – do the folks in Atlanta view Donald Trump as a flight risk?

Related: We’re more than a little disappointed in our favorite newspaper, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, for portraying the legal carnival in their home town with World War II type headlines.

There are times when just plain common sense has to prevail. Common sense says putting two massive towers on a narrow strip of land between Prelude 80 and The Oaks of Clearwater is ludicrous.

Another long time Florida staple is going away as German-owned Aldi buys out Winn-Dixie. Aldi says some Winn-Dixies will remain. No word yet from the low-end chain if you’ll need quarters for carts or need to buy or bring your own shopping bags.

Side note: a tip of our cap to Publix for more publicly stating their policy against anything but legitimate service dogs in their stores.

The next significant shortage is sugar. Health experts would say this is not a problem, but tell that to kids and parents who will feel the impact of the shortage at Halloween and Christmas. Import tariffs have a lot to do with the shortfall.

Sometimes it is better to trust the numbers from an unbiased source, such as U-Haul’s report that their largest amount of out of state moves in the country originate in San Francisco.

This week (August 30) one storied baseball career begins as Ty Cobb debuts for the Tigers (1905). Sixty years later celebrated baseball player and manager Casey Stengel announces his retirement.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Jerry Moss, who teamed with Herb Alpert to form A&M Records giving birth to hit singles and albums by Bacharach, the Carpenters, Frampton, Carole King, and, of course Alpert himself died last week at age 88.

It’s hard to imagine that the guy who pitched the third version of the Washington Nationals to their only World Championship just four years ago is retiring. Stephen Strasburg was the MVP of the 2019 series, but the 34-year-old has only appeared in eight games since due to an assortment of injuries.

August Luncheon: As we prepare to head down the stretch in baseball, we would like to dine with Peter Gammons, Tim Kurkjian and Ken Rosenthal, the best three baseball writers on the planet.

Idle thought: isn’t it just a matter of time until FSU joins the SEC?

Sometimes one of our readers mind’s veers sharply off the road such as: “We should level all the condos on the south end of Clearwater Beach and turn it back into the submarine race viewing area it was in the 50s and 60s.”

And a sports note related to our closing item from the mighty 5:05: The dramatic realignment of college football conferences has caused the need for many conferences to change their season schedules. This year’s kickoff game will feature Ohio State versus Columbia School of Broadcasting.

…and another thing: Kickoff!

College football season is underway although most of the early games feature Top Ten teams against very weak programs (see above). Georgia is the AP’s number one, trying to do something that hasn’t been done in almost 90 years – win three national championships in a row. Significantly, Alabama is ranked number four. The last time the Tide was ranked outside the pre-season top three was 14 years ago, and they won the national championship. Michigan and Ohio State are sandwiched between the two SEC powers – not sure why as the Big 10 or, whatever it’s called these days, seldom wins anything of consequence. FSU is the only Florida team in the Top 25 – ranked 8^th, just ahead of Clemson, the only other ACC team in the top ten teams. But we predict Florida will at least visit the Top 25 before the season concludes. Stay tuned.

NEXT UP: CCR; Publix & Eckerd’s; Waiting for Biden

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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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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: Powering our future

You probably didn’t notice it, but one state to our north, the first nuclear power plant in three decades fired up and is providing power to half a million homes – including some in north Florida. The Georgia Power plant is one of two that will be fully on line by late this year or next spring. No other such plants are on the drawing board in the nation but supporters and critics alike will be watching closely to see if the Georgia plants might be a renaissance for nuclear and an alternative to unproven, pie in the sky alternatives like wind and solar (see Texas). Stay tuned.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

The Department of Justice has appointed Delaware’s David Weiss as Special Counsel in the Hunter Biden case – a spectacularly poor choice. Weiss is the same person who attempted to create a sweetheart plea bargain for young Biden that was swatted down by a U.S. District Judge.

Florida’s troubled 9^th Judicial Circuit will have their third State Attorney in a little over three years. Governor DeSantis removed Monique Worrell after she failed to prosecute numerous cases including an individual arrested for several gun crimes who later murdered his pregnant girlfriend.

A recent headline in a far left newspaper read “An abortion ban made them teen parents.” Ah, if you attended biology class, that’s not exactly how it works.

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 last month at age 90.

Just as it’s heartening to see various groups make sure students have the proper gear to head back to school, it’s disheartening to see teachers shelling out for their classroom needs. Perhaps our teachers unions could spend a little less on lobbying and political contributions and a little more taking care of their members’ needs.

Just asking, would you go to Wawa solely for food? Neither would we.

From the, shall we say, special mind of the 5:05 Newsletter editor: I have to believe that behind every warning label there is an awesome back story.

Three icons died this week – on August 16 to be exact – Babe Ruth (1948), Elvis (1977), and Aretha Franklin (2018); also on that date in 1969 there was Woodstock and on that same day an otherwise very bright girl married your Humble Blogger – in Clearwater, not Woodstock.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Number of the Week: 54 – the astounding number of U.S. born players who played for other teams in the recent Women’s World Cup.

Michael Lorenzen basked in the glow of Philly fan cheers during his no-hitter last week. Give it time Michael, after one or two bad starts the jackals will turn on you.

If you follow the World Series and elections, you would appreciate the sweet irony of the Houston Astros visiting the White House last week.

Hard to believe the young kid who was once our next door neighbor during Spring Training is retiring, but former Phils’ ace Cole Hamels called it quits last week at age 39.

With NFL season just a few weeks away, people forget that the guy in Pittsburgh who is beginning his 17^th season (and has never had a losing year), Mike Tomlin, broke into pro coaching with our Bucs.

We’ll take the under on a 3-win season for USF football - more on USF below.

Remember when the Pac 12 was one of America’s premier conferences? It’s now down to four teams and counting.

…and another thing: You knew this was coming

We read, with great amusement, a few weeks ago an article about why our alma mater, the University of South Florida, is the dregs of college football. It is simply that they have not yet spent multiple millions of dollars on an on-campus stadium while being forced to play in a stadium that somehow is good enough for a two-time Super Bowl championship team. It was nothing to do with their knee-jerk firing of the best football coach they ever had with 11 winning seasons in his 13 years at the helm. In the following 13 seasons, USF has had five winning years plus the last three where they’ve won four games total. It has nothing to do with weak leadership in the athletic department or lousy recruiting. No, it all boils down to not having a multi-million dollar on-campus stadium they can’t afford. Whatinsanity.

UP NEXT: The Babe, what if? Cadillac; Puppeteers

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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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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: Who are Americans voting for?

The numbers are puzzling. A recent NBC poll says 70 percent of voters don’t want Biden to run again. And it’s thumbs down for his presumed opponent from 60 percent of the electorate. Yet, Democrats, with their heads firmly buried in the sand, are discouraging any opposition for Biden in the primaries. Meanwhile, Trump’s closest opponent, our current Governor, only attracts about 21 percent of Republican voters. There’s a message there somewhere, but damned if we can figure it out. The Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan suggests perhaps a third party effort, but whom? Third parties only make elections murkier; they never win. Perhaps next year’s primaries might clarify things. We certainly hope so.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Our Speaker of the House needs to forget about impeaching Biden – just get the GOP geared up to dump the bum next fall.

Related: as Biden stumbles towards the 2024 election, you gotta believe he’d rather be related to Billy Carter than Hunter Biden.

One of the six or fewer liberals who read this blog forwarded us a piece from some left of center organization that complains some political rallies are doubling as religious revivals. Hmm, maybe there should be more of those.

$3.69 – the bay area price for gas this weekend – up 34 cents this month and only 10 cents lower than normally much higher priced diesel. As a public service, we remind you that in the first week of January 2021 – our area price was $2.14. Are we having fun yet?

Pinellas County’s proposal to vacate its Court Street headquarters is fraught with problems – financial and otherwise. They should tread very cautiously.

Breaking news for a breathless world: Twitter is now known as X.

The 5:05 Newsletter reports: There are six parking places for every person in the United States. Most of them are in Wyoming.

25 years ago this month, a Tampa landmark, the Jai Alai Fronton on South Dale Mabry, closed after 46 years of operation.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Veteran Cubs’ announcer Pat Hughes is the well-qualified recipient of this year’s Ford Frick Award for broadcast excellence. So when are the folks in Cooperstown going to get around to this Staats fellow down here in Tampa Bay (after his stops with the Astros, Cubs and Yanks)?

Number of the week: 3 – the total number of major league regulars who have more walks than strikeouts – Juan Soto of the Padres, Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez and the Dodger’s Will Smith.

Random thought for a long, hot summer: You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream and that’s almost the same thing.

Factoid: Unchained Melody is the song title with the most charted versions (nine) including the original by Les Baxter (#1) and the popular 60s version by the Righteous Brothers which peaked at #4. Three different titles have reached the charts eight times – Little Drummer Boy, Mack the Knife and Stand By Me.

You’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you ever filled up at a Sinclair station, famous for their dinosaur logo. A series of mergers and acquisitions moved Sinclair out of Florida by the late seventies and early eighties.

…and another thing: more of Manfred

Rob Manfred has been reconfirmed as the commissioner of baseball for another five years and that is very unfortunate. The guy is tone deaf to the people who pay his salary – it’s not the owners, it’s the fans. The owners are only a conduit through which his salary flows. He has presided over an extremely costly work stoppage in 2022 with our state and Arizona being the biggest victims. He’s also allowed Oakland to swing in the wind while scheming to get the franchise to the home of his gambling buddies in Las Vegas. And we are just now starting to recover from his theft of the All-Star game from Atlanta in 2021. Here’s a radical, yet sane idea, like the All-Star teams, let the fans vote for the commissioner because, again, we pay his salary. And here’s a starting list of three guys who, unlike some second rate lawyer, know and truly care for the game, Cal Ripkin, Jr., Tim Kurkjian and, our personal choice, former player and Atlanta broadcaster, Joe Simpson. We’re sure you can come up with dozens more qualified than Biden stooge Rob Manfred.

UP NEXT: American Graffiti; Lizard skins; If you build it…

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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: Customer service?

You’ve moved or changed banks. You contact Spectrum, no problem. Duke Power, the same thing. Pinellas Elections office - check. Same for your credit cards, insurance company and various other companies you do business with. But then you call the City of Clearwater Utilities Department and then comes the derailment. No, you can’t do this on the phone; on line is a maze of unnecessary hoops. If you can do this simply and easily with a dozen other organizations, why is our city’s utility department so blasted difficult – and why has it been this way for years, if not decades? With a new City Manager on board and a new commission (sorry, we date ourselves) council majority coming next spring, it is way past time to shake things up in this city department and truly restore customer service.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Yet another infuriating thing about Joe Biden’s circumventing the Supreme Court on student loan giveaways is that the forgiveness is not taxable – another blow to honest, taxpaying Americans.

Related: we often quote unique T-shirts we spot. Here’s one we haven’t seen, but hope to: We paid off our student loan, why can’t you?

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. Thanks, Target.

$261 – the average annual amount spent on gambling by an adult U.S. citizen. We would have guessed more than that. Perhaps we run with the wrong crowd.

News of the Northern Hemisphere from the 5:05 Newsletter: A recent report shows that many people are concerned about the drugs, violence and a new dictatorship south of the border. These people are called Canadians.

On this week in 1949 (July 27) the first jet airliner, The De Havilland Comet, debuted. 114 were built with the last Comet retired in 1997.

Sports, media and other stuff:

He was an American treasure for seven decades. Tony Bennett, who left his heart in San Francisco, died last week at age 96. Ironically, the song most associated with the veteran crooner was not among his half-dozen biggest hits.

We and, we’re sure numerous MLB GMs, chuckle at all the blather about trading for Shohei Ohtani and capturing the World Series. Granted, he is a unique player, but not a difference maker – the Angels have never made the playoffs in his six years in LA.

If you fancy yourself a baseball savant, you’ll want to try the popular new internet game, Immaculate Grid. This 50 year plus baseball fan has been humbled by the nine square game that appears daily on the internet.

This week (July 25) marks the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Estelle Getty, the beloved Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls.

One of our readers whose trolley sometimes runs off the tracks asks, “Which occurs more often, a new moon or a new James Patterson novel?” The heralded author is quite prolific.

…and another thing: Where we’d like to live

This month, we challenged our TBR&R focus group to pick a city or town, outside of their own, where they would like to live.

One of our group begged off from this question. Don’t blame her. She was born in Clearwater and has been spoiled since birth!

Another member emphasized Clearwater is still, by far, his first choice, but would enjoy the somewhat slower paced lifestyle of the tiny village he grew up in – Bath, NY in the Empire State’s southern tier.

Batting third, a focus group member also would opt for a small town she grew up in – the Smoky Mountains’ Franklin, NC; listing small town, beautiful scenery, change of seasons, and very friendly people as her reasons why.

A country flavor also appeals to another of our august group who answers with Mayberry, “Who wouldn’t want Aunt Bea, as a neighbor?” The fictional town was loosely based on Andy Griffith’s home town of Mt. Airy, NC.

Yet another of our group responds there is no place like home (Dunedin), but if were forced to answer, her choice would be the beauty of Positano, Italy on the Amalfi coast.

And from another group member:” Being a, ‘bloom where you're planted’ type of guy, I've never given much thought to this question before. Upon reflection, my first instinct was to go with the Biltmore Estate.  Beautiful place and grounds with great views and an indoor bowling alley.  But then I thought, ‘Too many houseguests!’  More pragmatically, I think suburban Tennessee for its natural beauty, conservative values and cost of living.”

Finally, our NOLA group member has a broad perspective – somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains, hard to argue with that beautiful part of the country.

Next up: Jai Lai; More of Manfred; It’s Jacksonville, not Miami

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Sorry, time does not permit replies to comments.

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: $39 billion gift to deadbeats

As we feared, Jukin’ Joe, our man in the White House, found a way to circumvent the highest court in the land with a back door $39 billion giveaway to people with student debts. It’s the latest in his continuing strategy to buy votes (see Covid giveaways). Republicans are looking for legal remedies. The only other remedy for this is for people who paid off their student loans as they agreed and those who never took out such a loan to rise up in mass next fall. We need to tell Biden and his fellow Democrats to keep their hands out of our pockets. Biden in announcing the giveaway said, “I will stop at nothing to find other ways to deliver relief to hard-working middle-class families." What he has done is just the opposite – placing yet more burden on hard working taxpayers, not to mention people on fixed incomes.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Watching Joe Biden’s machinations to circumvent everybody on the student loan issue and others, one can only surmise that he was absent during the civics lecture on the three branches of government and the part where America is no longer governed by a monarch.

Sheriff Gualtieri, we don’t expect you to run your jail like a country club, but far too many prisoners are dying in your facility.

Number of the week: 500,000 – that’s the number of residents who have fled California in the past two years.

Costco is the latest organization to crack down on so-called membership sharing, saying more and more people are using someone else’s card at the self checkouts. It might have something to do with Costco cheaping out on real checkout people.

Related: The most common message you hear when calling for any kind of help (AC, cleaning, repairs) is “we’re short on help.” Second most: “we don’t have the parts.”

Revisited a breakfast-lunch restaurant in Tarpon for the first time in a while last week. At checkout was one of those tip options which now start at 22 percent on top of a rather heavy tab to begin with. But not as bad as an LA restaurant that adds a 4 percent surcharge to cover servers’ health insurance.

This week (July 17) in 1954, construction begins on Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Sometimes our readers’ minds go into a very different gear, such as this thought, “I’d like to have been the woman on the moon, who said ‘welcome’ to Neil and Buzz when they landed this week back in ’69.

And from the 5:05 Newsletter: 50 years and people still don’t know who Neil Armstrong is, or the type of trumpet he played.

Idle thought: is there anything more disgusting than the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest?

The timing couldn’t have been worse for Northwestern to have to fire their head football coach. Most experts say to look for an interim to get a tryout this season and then the academics first school will look for a guy at a similar institution.

Even after a century and a quarter of baseball, there is always something new, such as the Chicago Cubs’ first ever win at Yankee Stadium last week.

A writer for the Tampa Bay Times seemed to wonder why Atlanta Braves fans packed the Trop last week. Here’s her answer: for thirty years before the birth of the Rays, the Braves were the only team in the South and they have a massive amount of fans in central Florida.

More Rays: The schedule maker wasn’t particularly kind to the Rays for 2024, opening at home against the tough Blue Jays and Rangers as opposed to this year’s openers with Detroit, Oakland and Washington. Their road trips include NL powers Atlanta, LA and Philadelphia.

…and another thing: All Star omissions

The All-Star game has come and gone. As always, there are contentious arguments about players who are left off the team. But virtually every year, two positions are totally ignored – a middle reliever and a utility player. This year’s poster children would be the Brave’s Jesse Chavez whose ERA is a miniscule 1.55 and pitches in every situation including “opener.” He’s a 39-year-old 42^nd rounder who is a consummate pro and should have been in Seattle, injury or not. You can say the same for the Boston Red Sox’ Kiki Hernandez. Depending on the day, you’ll see him at second base, shortstop or the corner outfield. His offensive numbers aren’t Aaron Judge-like, but his versatility makes him invaluable to a ball club and those skills like Chavez’ should be recognized annually at the All-Star game.

NEXT WEEK: First jetliner; Yogi & Phil; Alternate location

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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: Interest rates crippling business

They span the alphabet from Apple to Verizon – companies that are pulling back in many areas because of suffocating interest rates. The pain is being felt in terms of reduced hiring, lower dividend rates to investors and the delay of purchasing needed equipment and technology. The cause is the ridiculous 22 percent increase in interest costs to US businesses in the first quarter of this year and the projections of second quarter costs aren’t very rosy as well. The Biden administration’s inability to control inflation except through enormous interest hikes will continue to trickle down to the consumer as business does what it has to do – that is reduce debt at the cost of lower employment and higher prices.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

And the hits just keep on coming – in addition to the dreary news above, retailers are predicting a drop in apparel and footwear sales in the next several quarters, which will depress holiday sales.

Just after our deadline for last week, we saw this headline in a left wing publication “What’s next for those who owe on student loans?” Ah, how about paying them?

Supreme Court poll: Americans are nearly split in support of the free speech ruling, with 43% agreeing that businesses should not be forced to provide services that conflict with their faith, while a close 42% disapprove of the decision. We suspect faith is the key word here.

Cocaine found in the White House over the 4^th of July weekend. No word as to whether Hunter was visiting.

We must humbly tip our cap to the marketing geniuses at Ben and Jerry’s and Bud Light (once the world’s most popular beer, now no longer in top ten).

Our friend TL asks that when Biden gets all the electric cars he wants on the roads, what will happen to our nation’s critical gas tax collections.

Related: There is more and more pushback across the nation against the Biden policy of trying to shove EVs down our throats with one EV company going under.

International/sports news from the 5:05 Newsletter: Russian cancelled coup to be made up as part of a doubleheader later this summer.

This week in 1960 (July 11) Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is published.

Sports, media and other stuff:

The matchup of the year – the Rays and the Braves and Tampa Bay fans can’t see the first game (a sellout) unless they shell out for Apple TV. Only one of the three games features Dwayne Staats. Baseball’s greed continues to magnify.

A dust up occurred last week between Britney Spears and the security team for the NBA’s #1 draft choice, Victor Wembanyama. It occurred in a casino - probably not the best place for either of them to be.

Another sign of a university going in the wrong direction: USF is closing its public golf course after over fifty years of existence. But the millions keep flowing to its one-win football team.

Number of the week: 1000 – that’s the number of different batters Zack Greinke has struck out in his major league career. He joins four other pretty fair country pitchers in Nolan Ryan, Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens who have equaled that amount.

Factoid: Antarctica is the only continent where you cannot find at least one of the 260 species of owls in the world.

…and another thing: Farewell to a friend

As middle school friends, we rotated “home games” of the 1960 World Series with lunch prepared by our Mom when our Pirates were the home team while his Mom prepared lunch on the days his Yanks hosted. Many still say it was the greatest World Series ever. In high school, he edited the Clearlight newspaper and we were his sports editor. After high school, Mike Pride pursued the printed word, while we opted for the spoken word. He went on to be the city editor of the Clearwater Sun and later the award winning editor of the Concord (NH) Monitor as well as a jurist for the Pulitzer Prizes. The two of us saw each other infrequently over the years – his Dad’s funeral, a few spring training baseball games, but we closely followed Mike’s work. We were unaware of his passing until a week ago and had even published an article based on one of his columns in our April 23 blog – ironically a day before his passing. A dear friend who we will miss.

NEXT UP: Hello Buzz & Neil; Disneyland; Customer service?

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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: GOP – Egos or the White House?

On this most important week in our nation’s history, here’s an open letter to Donald, Ron, Mike, Nikki, Rick, Chris and the rest. In 2024, it is urgently important to put aside your egos and unite to recapture the White House. Sure, we must let the primaries play out, but when you draw two or three percent of the votes in the first couple, it’s time to step aside and get behind someone who can win in November. As a sidebar, we don’t believe that person is Donald Trump, but that’s just us. If the Don prevails, we and others must swallow hard and get behind him and the “we” particularly applies to the names listed above. The bottom line is our nation simply cannot withstand another four years of dithering and incompetence.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Welcome to a real, not made-up, American holiday.

Based on last week’s SCOTUS decisions, it’s not a great week to be a liberal.

On the other hand, with the high court knocking down a $400 billion student loan giveaway, it’s a good week to be a U.S. taxpayer.

Biden quickly announces he will attempt another avenue to subvert the will of the people and the Supreme Court on student loans.

“Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought." - Pope John Paul II

It’s Independence Day week and three patriots we’d like to dine with: George Washington, George Patton and Dick Cheney.

Charitable giving was down 3.5 percent last year. Two of the leading factors were inflation and the Biden Administration’s axing of a small tax deduction formerly allowed for charitable giving.

Dumb and dumber – after a tidal wave of backlash this spring, Bud Light goes ahead with sponsorship of a gay pride parade in Toronto featuring naked male paraders.

From the retail news section of the 5:05 Newsletter:  I just saw the new glassed-in shelves at CVS to prevent theft. The toothpaste aisle has more protection than our Southern border.

This week in 1957 (July 6) a guy named John (Lennon) meets a fellow named Paul (McCartney) and eventually joins Paul’s group, the Quarrymen. Further success would follow.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Something to brag about: MSNBC outdrew Fox News – for all of one week. Although as some liberal outlets crowed, MSNBC maintained their lead in ages 25-54 left handed plumbers and Bud Light drinkers for a second straight week.

Another blow to a print giant as National Geographic has laid off its entire writing staff and will depend on contract journalists for its content in the future.

Ryan Seacrest announced as the new host of Wheel of Fortune after next season. The quick announcement avoids the torturous process Jeopardy fans endured in finding a replacement for Alex Trebek.

We noted a well-preserved Olds 442 on the road a while back. Our friend TL, the auto expert, says the 442 stands for 4-speed transmission, 4-barrel carburetor and dual (2) exhaust. Sharp car!

Factoid: In the wake of the Yankees’ Domingo Germán’s perfect game last week, seven of the 24 perfectos have been thrown by Hall of Famers. They are Jim Bunning, Roy Halladay, Catfish Hunter, Randy Johnson, Addie Joss, Sandy Koufax and the man most associated with pitching excellence – Cy Young.

July 7-9 – dates to circle on your calendar when baseball’s best, the Rays and Braves, face off at the Trop.

…and another thing: about those predictions

In our January 1, 2023 edition of TBR&R, we made ten predictions; here’s a midyear recap. We said Ron DeSantis would run for President; that your IRA would be slightly improved and your gym less crowded – 3 correct. We also predicted Democrats would talk Biden out of running in ’24 – wrong; the Rays would miss the playoffs – extremely unlikely – 2 incorrect. Five remain in the we’ll see category – a settlement in the Ukraine (looking unlikely, but still hopeful); the Bucs would not make the playoffs (too soon to tell); that Charlie Crist would announce for something (not yet); Mike Kelly wouldn’t last out the year as USF’s AD (things are so crazy at that school, he could be the president of USF by year’s end); lastly, we predicted a World Series win for the San Diego Padres (could we take a mulligan, and suggest either the Braves or Rays?) So far, we’re batting a shaky .600. That number is likely to tumble when we revisit this at year’s end.

NEXT UP: Harper Lee; Crippling interest rates; Farewell to a friend

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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: Selective memory

As we change the name of things or tear them down because of this or that grievance (most recently Fort Bragg), we point to the great state of New York which has streets and parks named after William Tryon, their treasonous governor during the Revolutionary War. His misdeeds are well chronicled in Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch’s The First Conspiracy. It seems our memories are very selective as to what stays – Tryon who ineluctably tried to destroy our nation or Gen. Braxton Bragg, who distinguished himself in the Mexican War and the Seminole Wars, but made the mistake of accepting a commission in the Confederate Army.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

It was an awful Father’s Day weekend with shootings everywhere – if you define everywhere as cities being run by liberal mayors.

Answer: Hawaii and Utah. The question: what two U.S. states prohibit any form of gambling?

Good things to have: a good IT person, a good attorney, a good Realtor, a good accountant and, most of all, a good spouse.

One of the largest recent retail growth spurts is in the sales of flip phones. Take that Joe and Tom!

For our June luncheon, three captains of industry we would like to break bread with – George Westinghouse, Jack Eckerd and Lee Iacocca.

This week in 1944 (June 27) Cherbourg, France is liberated by the Allies.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Folks who are only casual golf fans have to admit that, before last weekend, they thought Wyndham Clark was a hotel chain.

Four – the number of the first five draftees in last week’s NBA draft who did not come from a college program. Analysts say this won’t be the last time.

The 5:05 Newsletter weighs in on the latest Biden-like Dodger moment. In the interest of equal time, next week the Los Angeles Dodgers will outrage Episcopalians by serving red wine with fish.

It’s Bobby Bonilla Week – the week (July 1, specifically) the Mets send a $1 million check to the former infielder/outfielder who last laced them up in 1999. The final payment on his contract is due in 2035 – only the Mets!

It’s also Rookie of the Year Week for the Rays on their western swing. In Seattle, they will see last year’s AL winner Julio Rodriguez, then this year’s likely NL ROY, the Diamondback’s star outfielder Corbin Carroll.

Pat Sajak will retire from Wheel of Fortune after next season. A few early names are being tossed around – Ryan Seacrest, perhaps a little over exposed, and Whoopi Goldberg. Should she get the gig, the next sound you would hear would be tens of thousands of remotes going “click.”

You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember watching one of artist Roger Bansemer’s hot air balloons soaring above the city in the 70s and 80s.

…and another thing: baseball at mid-season

First, it just doesn’t get any better than this. Last Saturday, 8-year minor leaguer Zack Remillard gets his first major league action. After a walk, his next at bat produces his first major league hit; the next drives in the tying run and his third hit drives in the winning run for the White Sox. Talk about a dream day! Yes, it is statistically possible to win a division with a losing record – see the American League Central. Meanwhile, you would need a three-sided coin to flip for MLB’s most disappointing team (all in the NL) among the Cards, Mets or Padres with honorable mention to Cleveland and the Phils. Could the Rays sweep the Cy Young and MVP awards? With Shane McClanahan and Randy Arozarena, it’s entirely possible. In the National League, Ronald Acuna, Jr. has been the MVP from the first pitch. On the pitching side, right now it’s a two-way battle between Cubs teammates Marcus Stroman and Justin Steele. Raise your hand if you had the young, surging Cincinnati Reds battling for a playoff spot. If the season ended right now, eight of the 12 teams in the playoffs weren’t there last year - more next month.

UP NEXT: Egos or the White House; John & Paul; Those predictions

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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 dangerous Florida amendment

Just a few weeks ago, (TBR&R 5/22/23) we ranted about political action committees that hide under innocent sounding names. The latest threat to Floridian’s safety is the seemingly innocuous Smart and Safe political committee. They are advocating something that is neither smart nor safe – the legalization of recreational marijuana in the state through a constitutional amendment, hoping they can get enough potheads to vote for the measure. Luckily, the state, under the leadership of Attorney General Ashley Moody, is fighting the measure in the courts this summer. We’ll keep you advised.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

A suggestion from writers Angela and Dennis Buttimer: “The next time you go to a restaurant or public place, observe the engagement people have with their phones versus each other.”

Related thought: We really need to take more timeouts from our phones and other electronics and more “time-ins” with the people in our lives.

Educational note from the 5:05 Newsletter: The National Education Association is reporting that history test scores are at their lowest point in US history since Thomas Jefferson wrote the Magna Carta in 1933.

Seriously, it’s embarrassing to watch quiz shows where contestants don’t know the difference between Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt or Lord Nelson and Ricky Nelson. Yet these people vote.

A member of our outstanding focus group reports what may be the most offensive thing he has ever heard on TV - “We need to help our audience understand…”

Curious: The nation’s number six non-fiction bestseller is Jason Chaffetz’s The Puppeteers, a look behind the scenes at who pulls the strings in the Biden White House. It is not available in the Pinellas Library System. You can, however, avail yourself of any of the three dozen copies of the number eight book – Michele Obama’s The Light We Carry.

This week in 1948 (June 24) Republicans nominate New York Governor Thomas Dewey to run against Harry Truman. Despite that famous headline, Governor Dewey did not win.

Sports, media and other stuff:

A brief retrospective at the end of last Friday’s evening news on NBC gave a very clear picture of how far the network has fallen since the days of Huntley, Brinkley and Chancellor.

For what it’s worth, our All-Star ballot is Atlanta/Toronto heavy with three players from each. The Angels got two votes with the rest spread among the other 27 teams.

Homer alert: Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani (the two Angels votes from above) visit Coors Field this weekend. That should be fun to watch.

Number of the week: 13 – the number of Stanley Cups won by the Montreal Canadians – two more than the Toronto Maple Leafs. The most by an American team is six by the Detroit Red Wings.

So now the NFL is going to allow in-stadium sports books. Isn’t that swell? Fortunately, the NFL is still subject to pesky state laws which mean 15 teams, including all those in Florida, will not take part.

Idle thought: shouldn’t there be truth in advertising by aging rock bands requiring them to say: “this is our 6^th Farewell Tour, more to come?”

You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you ever dined at the Steak and Ale Restaurant on US 19 just south of Gulf to Bay Blvd. The last Steak and Ale closed 14 years ago, but there are whispers of a revival by its now parent company Bennigans.

…and another thing: electric car, maybe not

First, the advice of every expert in the auto business, don’t buy any car right now unless you need it. The average price of a new car is now well north of $40,000 (the price of the very nice four-bedroom, two bath home we bought when we began a family – but that’s dating us). Used car prices, while easing, are still at record highs. As for electric cars, the infrastructure to support them just isn’t there and even hybrids have a severe disadvantage – that being when you have to lay out a minimum of a thousand dollars for a replacement battery. Some luxury models’ battery replacement costs can reach over $20,000. Those numbers will buy you a lot of gasoline even at today’s Biden prices. The average range of an EV is equal to a half tank of gas, so forget about traveling up to Grandma’s in Virginia without a hunt for several charging stations. And one last thought from auto experts, if you lease your current vehicle look at buying and keeping it or flipping it at the end of the lease. Vehicles leased a few years back have purchase options on average of $8000 less than the current selling price of the same year model.

NEXT WEEK: Selective memory; MLB at midpoint; Cherbourg

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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: Weaponizing the DOJ

Are you old enough to remember the bad old days of the Nixon administration? There was at least one thing good that came out of those days – an independent Justice Department with a spine. Dozens of people resigned rather than cave to Nixon’s demands regarding his criminal activity. Now the DOJ has been turned into a weapon to be used against Joe Biden’s presumed strongest opponent in 2024. Legal experts are justifiably calling the indictments weak, but they are nonetheless time consuming and expensive diversions which shout “banana republic.” Biden had better hope he garners an unlikely win in 2024, lest he fall victim to the same kangaroo court in 2025.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Joe Biden quote: “Silence is complicity.” We couldn’t agree more. That’s what happened in the 2022 midterms and what we cannot allow to happen again in 2024.

Insider information on Bud Light – so strong has been the push back that the local distributor gave each of their outside sales people a $500 bonus for the all the guff they have had to take.

One of the first things this blog addressed in its launch in March of 2014 was the restoration of Tampa’s fabled Jackson House. Over nine years later, the project is still stalled – inexcusable.

Hats off to the Clearwater Threshers for canceling their fireworks display last week after receiving word of a pair of eaglets nesting close by who could have been harmed by the display.

Seen on the T-Shirt of a random wife (may have been ours) “Raising my husband is exhausting.”

Just in time for the summer travel season from the 5:05 Newsletter: I changed my GPS voice to “Male.” Now it says, “It’s around here somewhere, just keep driving.”

This week in 1963 (June 15) Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto becomes the first ever Japanese language song to top the Billboard charts.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Media news: Chuck Todd to leave Meet the Press, but probably leaves it too tarnished for Kristen Welker or anyone else to resuscitate the once proud show.

The departure of Chris Licht as head of CNN reminds you of how far the cable service has strayed from Ted Turner’s original concept of Cable News Network.

Factoid: you’ve no doubt used it, but you didn’t know what it was called. It’s the Brannock Device invented in 1927 in Syracuse, NY by Charles Brannock - the device used by shoe stores to measure the length and width of your foot. About the only person who knows the actual name of the device is our longtime friend and retired shoe store mogul, Jim Stewart.

Famed running back Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch was born 100 years ago this week (June 17, 1923).

If the season ended now, the Dodgers and, yes, the Pirates and Marlins would be the NL wild card teams.

The relocation proposal for the A’s to move to Nevada is getting very messy.

The baseball world lost Roger Craig last week. The Durham, NC native touched the game with his arm, his managing skills and teaching perhaps the most devastating pitch in baseball – the forkball.

…and another thing: Denver omelet

The NFL season is a ways off, but the team to keep your eye on is Denver – if you like weird stuff. They are coming off a 5-12 season. Their new defensive coach is their former head coach. Russell Wilson, their QB who cost them numerous future draft picks, has his own cadre of coaches/aides and the new head coach is Sean Peyton who Wilson campaigned for in Seattle when he tried to get Head Coach Pete Carroll fired - weird enough for you?

UP NEXT: Homer alert; Lord Nelson & Ricky; Farewell tours

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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: Trying to understand Democrats

It appears Democrats are A-OK with no substantial party opposition in the 2024 Presidential Primary – or no debates even if there were credible challengers. Condensed down, this means Democrats are comfortable with a mentally-diminished octogenarian being their standard bearer in next year’s election. Further, if the inevitable happens and Biden is not able to perform his duties, they are comfortable with a narcissistic lightweight at the head of our government. If these possibilities don’t run shivers down your spine, it might be time for a check-up.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Do you understand the debt bill? Neither do we. Does anyone in Congress?

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor finally gets her head on straight, and reaches within the department to pick a new police chief. She could have avoided a year’s worth of embarrassments had she done this a year ago.

Joe Biden, speaking at a Memorial Day commemoration, urged people to look for ways to honor servicemen. The first thing that popped into our mind was to elect one.

The DeSantis campaign has kicked off and so has the local counterfactual crusade.

Political commentary from the 5:05 Newsletter: Judging from the things he has done lately, I can’t help but wonder if President Biden’s reelection campaign is being run by the marketing team at Budweiser.

Kohl’s, Target and Anheuser-Busch just don’t seem to get it.

Related: from the Belleair Road sign guy: “Real Men Drink Budweiser.”

One last item from the “beer wars,” as people continue to pull away from Bud Light, their chief competitors, Coors and Miller, are having trouble keeping up with demand as the peak beer season is upon us.

NAACP and LGBTQ activists have issued a “travel advisory” to try to keep visitors from our state. With some of the best beaches in the world, an entertainment mecca in central Florida and the Panhandle’s and Keys’ relaxed lifestyle and great fishing, get back to us with how that works out.

Wendy’s is rolling out AI chat boxes to place your order. In the words of a Great American, “what can possibly go wrong?”

As our friends at the 5:05 Newsletter proclaim: “This stuff writes itself.”

Seen on a T-Shirt: “The best things about the good old days were I was good and I wasn’t old.”

This week in 1941 (June 7), Eddie Arcaro wins the first of his two Triple Crowns guiding Whirlaway to victory in the Belmont Stakes.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Pinellas residents are busting their buttons over Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School student Dev Shah – the winner of the 2023 National Spelling Bee.

The latest shortage – peaches, as an unusually warm winter followed by a devastating spring cold snap played hob with the Georgia peach crop. The Peach State is the third largest producer in the nation and second only to South Carolina in the Southeast.

Bally Sports is circling the drain, but Rays’ fans will not be left out in the cold as MLB has pledged to step in if the ship sinks. That’s already been the case in San Diego and fans didn’t miss a beat.

Top Five records versus winning teams – no surprise, the Rays at 22-14 are best, followed by Texas, Baltimore, Arizona and Atlanta – a couple surprises there.

The SEC will continue with an 8-game schedule, meaning more games against Ball State, UMass – or USF, as opposed to Auburn, Florida or Georgia.

Idle question: Will we ever get a Zaxby’s in Clearwater? And a second query from our Saintly Wife: why did they drop their delicious milkshakes?

You’ve lived in Pinellas County a long time if you ever bowled at Tarpon, Clearwater Ten Pin or Shore Lanes.

…and another thing: The Pinellas library system

Few things work as well as the Pinellas County Library System. Love to comb the shelves for a great mystery or biography? There are 16 library systems in the county (not counting many with numerous branches - Clearwater has five) to browse. But best of all, you can search the thousands and thousands of offerings from your computer screen and order it online to be delivered to your nearest branch – and they will let you know when it’s ready for pick-up. The East Clearwater Library, affiliated with St. Pete College, really takes the cake with a drive up window to get your books – not to mention thousands and thousands of audio books and music CDs. For the reader, it’s an ice cream soda with a cherry on top!

NEXT WEEK: Crazy Legs; Exhausting experience; The Angels

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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 holiday from the serious stuff

On Memorial Day Weekend, we reflect on the many sacrifices our service people have made so we can relax this weekend. In that spirit, we offer up lighter stuff starting with baseball at the two month mark and concluding below with a summer music playlist.

Some two month (50 games) baseball snippets, there are several teams (principally the Dodgers) weak at shortstop. Look for teams to make calls to the White Sox about Tim Anderson or the Braves about one of their three upper caliber shortstops. Speaking of the White Sox, we can safely say the problem last year wasn’t Tony LaRussa. The American League East has as many plus .500 teams as the entire National League. MVPs at the two month mark – it’s hard to back off from our Month One picks Ronald Acuna, Jr. and Randy Arozarena, although Wander Franco is starting to gain consideration which could lead to a split vote later in the year allowing someone not on the Rays to sneak in. Cy Young – you can’t overlook Mitch Keller of the Pirates, who’s enjoying a renaissance along with the entire team. In the American League, it’s neck and neck between last month’s nominee Gerrit Cole and the Ray’s Shane McClanahan. In both leagues, teams are starting to look over their shoulders at the two New York teams, who are starting to roll. Next update: June 25.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

A belated Happy 50^th Anniversary to the best pizza restaurant in town – Capogna’s, founded in April 1973 by Art Capogna; today the tradition is carried on by Al, Stephanie and crew.

The good news: Gas Buddy, the organization that tracks gas prices, swung and missed on their Memorial Day prediction of $4.00 a gallon. As we “go to press,” Florida’s gas prices are averaging $3.39 – about 60 cents below a year ago, but $1.70 more than three years ago.

Faced with possible Congressional action, Ford Motor Company ends their quest to do away with AM radios in their cars which they claimed were falling into disuse. No word yet on the continuation of another seldom-used auto item – the turn signal.

For a very enlightening three minutes, Google woman posing as a cat.

Monthly luncheon date: It’s Indy 500 week and three auto racing legends we’d like to dine with: A.J. Foyt, Tony Stewart and the late great car builder Smokey Yunick.

Seen on a T-Shirt: If I woke up in the morning and nothing hurt, I would think I was dead.

Topping the charts 25 years ago this week was the mega hit The Boy is Mine by Brandy & Monica. It would stay there 13 weeks. Fifty years ago, number one was The Candy Man by Sammy Davis, Jr.

Sports, media and other stuff:

The Florida-Georgia game will remain in Jacksonville at least through 2025. Then it will probably be home and home for two years while the Gator Bowl is renovated. It’s a big payday for both schools with a minimum of $1.5 million each plus other incentives including a piece of the alcohol sales, which has to be huge.

USF plows ahead committing to borrow $200 million for a new stadium. The money will be paid back from revenues gained by a football team that is 8-37 over the past four years. To again quote a Great American, “what could possibly go wrong?”

We rack our brain to think of a better running back than Jim Brown and we can’t. The Browns’ legend died last week at age 87.

TV sports note from the 5:05 Newsletter: 3-D TVs these days are SO realistic. Last night I went to sleep watching a New York Knicks game and when I woke up my wallet was gone.

What kind of odds could you have gotten at the beginning of the NBA season on a Miami Heat – Denver Nuggets final?

Numbers of the week: 45 years and 5000 episodes – the amount of time (and shows) Deidre Hall has portrayed Marlena Evans on the popular soap Days of Our Lives.

During a recent five game stretch, if you were a Yankee fan, you had to have four subscriptions to watch the five games. As we opined earlier this year, baseball is going to kill the golden goose.

You’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you ever enjoyed a sundae or a shake at the lively Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour in St. Pete’s Tyrone Square Mall. The last Farrell’s closed four years ago.

…and another thing: Summer playlist

This weekend marks the unofficial start of summer and with it, our annual suggestions of five songs for your summer playlist starting with the not so well known, but solid Endless Summer by the Arbors, followed by the Happenings’ 1966 hit See You in September, add in two terrific Carolina beach songs, Dink Perry’s Friends and O.C. Smith’s Doin’ the Shag and what would a summer be like without a Beach Boys song - how about their breakout song – Surfin’ USA? Happy summer!

NEXT UP: 60s bowling lanes; Our superb library system; Free agents

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Thank you to our fellow Americans who gave their all.

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.

(Apologies for the tardiness of this week’s edition. Our ancient PC is on a respirator and a new one is on the way thanks to Jamie Steffens at Ray’s Connecting Point.)

Leading off: here’s an idea for an amendment

Here’s an idea that been swirling around our mostly vacant head for some time – an amendment to the Florida constitution that requires political action committees to spell out in their name what their purpose is. We suggest Committee to Eradicate Freedom of Speech or Coalition to Murder Unborn Children. The second would be a proper name for the scary group “Floridians Protecting Freedom,” which wants to circumvent Florida and U.S. law and amend Florida’s constitution to allow wholesale abortions. It seems anytime, groups want to mask a hidden agenda; they throw Freedom into their title. Freedom for whom? In this case, certainly mot unborn children.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Summer school plans from the 5:05 Newsletter: A group of Generation Z college freshman said that they are planning on spending this summer in Miami explaining the advantages of Socialism to people who escaped Cuba on a raft.

Quote of the week: “This is a public health crisis,” said U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., who has introduced a bill to ban sports gambling ads, comparing them to once upon-a-time ubiquitous tobacco spots. “What we’ve done is simply displace Joe Camel with this activity.” Not so sure we disagree.

Legal news: Charges dropped against former Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum. In a related note, Madoff heirs ask for new trial.

Some of today’s drugs: Farxiga, Leqvio, and Myrbetriq. It makes you think the drug companies haul out the old Scrabble game and try to see how many points they can generate with their drug names, much the same as some parents do with kid’s names in the 21^st century.

This week in 1963 (5/23) NBC purchases the 1963 AFL championship game TV rights for $926,000. By comparison, a single ad in this year’s Super Bowl was $6.5 million.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Although they are not saying why, Chick-fil-A is closing their first store in Atlanta’s Greenbriar Mall. The store opened in 1967. The iconic chain continues to add stores each year and currently has just short of 3000 free standing and mall locations.

Born 100 years ago this week (May 27) was former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger.

Sports number of the week- 30 years ago. The last time a Canadian team (Montreal) won the Stanley Cup. All Canadian teams have been eliminated this year.

Answer: The Chicago Blackhawks. The question: who was the last pro sport team to put their home games on TV? It happened in 2008.

Idle thoughts from a baseball geek: We wonder when they will start to list pitch violations in box scores. And while we know we can get them 24/7, we miss the batting averages in the Sunday papers.

Polar opposites: last week, the Rays lost their 10^th game of the season while the lifeless Oakland A’s won their 10^th game of the season.

Speaking of which, give it to Athletics’ fans for their creativity. Outside the park, they fashioned a tomato throw featuring pictures of team owner John Fisher, club president Dave Kaval and the Darth Vader of professional sports – Rob Manfred.

Seen on a t-shirt: I told my wife she should embrace her mistakes – she hugged me.

You’re older than dirt if you still refer to a frozen dinner as a TV Dinner – the brand name of early Swanson dinners in the aluminum tray.

…and another thing: MLB and Orlando

A follow up to our two weeks ago (TBR&R 5/7/223) comment on MLB and Orlando; coincidently, a group headed by former Orlando Magic Senior VP Pat Williams has renewed their efforts to bring baseball to Orlando. Needless to say, it has the backing of all the power brokers and the media in central Florida. The group had taken a break during the Covid epidemic, but now is full throttle pushing to bring a relocating or expansion team to the busy area. An interesting statistic presented by the group – if one out of every 200 Orlando area summer tourists attended a MLB game, the team would draw two million before a single local went through the turnstiles. That is a number not matched by either the Rays or Marlins in the last 25 years. Food for thought.

NEXT WEEK: Farrell’s; Two month MLB update; Summer playlist

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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: say goodbye to these five

Our friend TL recently provided us with a list of things that will not last our lifetime. Here are the top five: 1. The Post Office (They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably no way to sustain it long term); 2. The Check (Plastic cards and online transactions will lead to the eventual demise of the check); 3. The Newspaper (The younger generation simply doesn't read the newspaper); 4. The Book (This one we question, but we see a shift from buying books to increased use of the library); 5. Landlines (Most people keep them simply because they've always had one. But you are paying double charges for that extra service).

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Related to our lead item, courtesy of the 5:05 Newsletter: Say what you want, but landline phones have never been destroyed in the washing machine.

By the way, our TBR&R researchers discovered that rice actually helps with a wet cellphone after they figured out it didn’t mean rest, ice, compression and elevation.

One has to be worried about the U.S. economy when the nation’s debt is 18 per cent higher than the gross domestic product.

Congratulations on your 800+ credit score. This entitles you to pay more for your next mortgage, subsidizing someone who had not been as diligent with their credit and will pay less for their next mortgage. But the federal government assures us, this is not a subsidy for people with bad credit or a tax on creditworthy folks. Sure.

This week in 1875 (5/17) Aristides, with Oliver Lewis up, wins the first Kentucky Derby.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Denny Crum, a UCLA basketball assistant who became a legend at Louisville, died last week at age 86. Crum could have had the UCLA job when Coach John Wooden retired, but chose to stay at Louisville for 30 years and two national championships.

He was one of the few to win both a Cy Young Award and be an MVP. Vida Blue passed away last week at age 73.

Hard to believe, but Wilt Chamberlain played his last NBA game 50 years ago this month.

The wheels are coming off in St. Louis where the Cardinals, with the worst record in the National League, have moved Willson Contreras, the catcher they’re paying $82 million over five years, to designated hitter – hardly a roster spot that commands an average of over $16 million a year.

Related to our Focus Group question below, a line from 82-year-old Mike Love who still tours, fronting the Beach Boys, “If we knew we’d be doing this for so many years, we would have recorded more slow ballads.”

…and another thing: the concert of a lifetime

Our latest assignment for the TBR&R Focus Group was to design their “Concert of a Lifetime” where they have the best seats in the house to hear their favorite male vocalist, female vocalist and group. Their selection could come from living artists or Rock and Roll Heaven (with thanks to the Righteous Brothers).

Our leadoff hitter went for an ultra-talented singer/songwriter who began his career with the Chad Mitchell Trio – John Denver. Their choice for the female member of the concert was Canadian songstress Anne Murray. Finally, they opted for the musical act they saw in concert more than any other – The Beach Boys.

The rich voice of Tony Bennett leads off another group member’s concert list. Her choice for a female vocalist is the incredibly talented singer/songwriter Carole King. For a group, being a child of the 60s, she opted for biggest act of that decade – the Beatles.

Another of our august group is a devotee of Southern Gospel music and would enjoy hearing tenor David Phelps, New Orleans’ Lauren Daigle and the world famous Bill Gaither Ensemble (of which David Phelps was once a member).

Elvis headlines another Focus Group member’s “dream concert” along with female Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Tina Turner. For the group to round out the concert, she picks one of the greats of the late 50s and early 60s – The Kingston Trio.

One of our charter members came up with an assemblage of Roy Orbison and, cheating a bit on the female side, Karen Carpenter, who was technically part of a duo. Picking a group, they shuffled through names like The Union Gap, The Fifth Dimension, Spanky and Our Gang and a half-dozen others, finally going with their beach roots for The Beach Boys.

Our northernmost group member, an accomplished musician, cast his ballot for the Rocket Man, Elton John, followed by the sublime voice of Karen Carpenter and concluding the concert would be the biggest rock act of the 20^th century – the Beatles.

And our youngest Focus Group member’s male headliner began his career earlier than anybody on the list – Louis Prima. Carole King would be her choice for the female attraction followed by the legendary 70s and 80s band – Fleetwood Mac.

A neat set of concerts!

UP NEXT: TV dinners; How not to win a pennant; Summer school

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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: Taking back the White House

The conservative president who takes over from Biden in 2025, be it Trump, DeSantis or anyone else, faces the monumental task of undoing a lot of bad things. To accomplish that, they and their team, must be ready, from Day 1, to disable several layers of bureaucracy that will resist them at every turn. And to do that, the team must be a group of skilled policymakers, not newbies for whom this is their first rodeo. To have your own team is great, but it needs to be heavily salted with strong players from previous administrations ready to disassemble the IRS; trim the Justice Department down to its rotten core and, work with us here, create an anti-bureaucracy department of government with but one purpose - to untangle the web that exists in the federal government (read fire a lot of people) after too many years of liberal occupation. That’s no easy task, but an essential one for our government and our country.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Related number: 86 – think about it.

An idle thought: Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchison might make a fine President, if anybody outside Arkansas knew him. His first name sounds so presidential.

Auto industry note: Ford to phase out AM radios in most of its 2024 vehicles, citing lack of use. Turn signals, we presume, will be next.

We were reading a piece about a talented baker/artist in New Hampshire who creatively decorated the outside of his doughnut/muffin store. Next was the line, “then the town zoning board got involved.” We didn’t need to read any further.

It just seems that a company, be it a bank, insurance company or any service industry would be a lot more successful if they had an actual human being answering their phone.

Seen on a T-Shirt, “No, I Can’t Do Snapshot or Tic Tok, But I Can Write In Cursive, Do Math Without A Calculator And Tell Time On A Clock With Hands.”

This week in 1998 (May 14) –We marked two iconic events - the final episode of the uber comedy hit Seinfeld and the passing of The Chairman of the Board – Frank Sinatra at age 82.

Sports, media and other stuff:

It’s Derby Day and a Coronation on the same weekend – what a bonanza for purveyors of outlandish hats.

Just thinking…the same reason a tiny media market like Las Vegas can support two (and soon to be three) pro franchises is the same reason that the attendance challenged Marlins or Rays should relocate to Orlando. It’s called mega-tourism.

Medical news from the 5:05 Newsletter: The American Medical Association has officially added “The View” to its pain scale to help patients better understand what is meant by the term “worst pain possible.”

The Kingston Quartet would be a more appropriate title for the Kingston Trio. Besides Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds and Bob Shane, there was Frank Werber. Werber never played a note, but his business acumen as an equal partner made the trio the musical giants they were. From a fascinating book Greenback Dollar: the incredible rise of the Kingston Trio by William Bush.

Number of the week: 40. The number of starting quarterbacks the Cleveland Browns have employed during the Favre/Rodgers era at Green Bay.

This Thursday (May 11) is National Eat Whatever You Want Day. Coincidently, it is also National Hostess Cupcake Day.

You’ve lived in Clearwater a really long time if you remember the phrase “Talk to this old boy.” That was the phrase associated with the famous auctioneer Howard the Trader.

Finally, thanks to Jamie Steffens of Ray’s Connecting Point for again repairing our aged PC so we could publish this drivel. No thanks to Duke Power, who blew three nearby transformers within twelve hours necessitating the repair.

…and another thing: More pettiness

How petty can an organization get? New Era, who makes hats, whined to Major League Baseball about the Atlanta Braves’ home run celebration where the home run hitter dons a ridiculously oversized cap in the dugout after circling the bases. New Era, who is the “official” MLB hat company, apparently thought this might damage their sales of size 79 ¾” hats. And, of course, MLB’s village idiot Rob Manfred acquiesced. Goody, another company for rational people to boycott.

NEXT UP: Concert of a lifetime; First Derby; Mike Love

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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: Surprised, yet not surprised

Cable network’s Black Monday last week caught many viewers and media observers by surprise. Yet, upon reflection, you can understand the moves. The firing of NBC head Jeff Shell was the least shocking after his affair with a co-worker. The only surprise was the time between the admission by Shell and the firing. Sinking revenues also played a part. CNN’s far left commentator Don Lemon wrote his ticket out with some ridiculous comments about women and age some months back. Again, sinking ratings also played a role. High flying Fox commentator Tucker Carlson may have been the sacrificial lamb for the network’s caving on the Dominion Voting Machine suit. It certainly wasn’t ratings as Carlson lapped the field in nighttime viewership, although some of his more recent rantings made even some of his hardcore conservative viewers blush.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Remember when potential candidates just made a live announcement of their intentions? Of course with Biden, taping allowed him to eliminate the inevitable half dozen gaffes.

Scarier yet is the announcement that “Comma-lah” will again be his running mate. When the actuary tables catch up with Biden, having that doofus at the head of our government is cause for even the most fervent Democrat to say, “No thanks.”

How much longer can our governor deny he’s running for the presidency when you receive a plea for “a $47 donation for our 47^th President” in the mail?

The Federal Reserve can’t seem to grasp why the country is moving headlong into a recession while they continue to raise interest rates. We think it may have to do with potential homebuyers not being able to get reasonable mortgage rates, businesses not able to get lines of credit for expansion and the continued effect on securities markets. Just a guess.

News item: GM has a goal of selling only electric cars by 2035. Many folks have a goal of buying a horse and buggy that year.

Shortages: you know those small packages of Kleenex that get stuffed in a purse or a glove compartment? Try finding them nowadays.

We know they are supposed to be experts, but forgive us if we look at seasonal hurricane predictions from Colorado State University with a jaundiced eye.

A gas and go mix-up from the 5:05 Newsletter: I went to the gas station and asked for transmission fluid and they gave me a Bud Light.

This week in 1878 (May 4), Thomas Edison debuts the phonograph.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Thousands of people were introduced to calypso music with songs like The Banana Boat Song and Jamaica Farewell by Harry Belafonte. The famed actor/singer passed away last week at age 96.

He was a two-sport star at Duke University and a NL MVP with his 1960 World Series Champs, Pittsburgh Pirates. After baseball, he became the long time voice of the Pitt Panthers basketball team. Dick Groat passed away last week at age 92.

Related to our lead item, don’t fear for Fox News. They have survived the departures of Megyn Kelly and Bill O’Reilly; they will overcome the departure of Tucker Carlson.

Just speculating – Tucker to Newsmax? That would be a shot in the arm for the number two conservative network.

What’s the hottest selling beer in the country right now? It’s Ultra-Right Beer, being brewed in Gwinnett County, Georgia with $1 million in sales the first 12 days on the market - part of the Bud Light backlash.

Deion Sanders’ coaching career is off to a great start in Colorado as the university sold out its spring game for the first time ever despite freezing weather and three inches of snow overnight.

One of our dozen or so readers reminds us you’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember The Gulf to Bay Drive-In. Bonus points if you remember the night it burned down (but was rebuilt).

…and another thing: MLB after the first month

Snippets after approximately 30 games in: The most pleasant surprises are the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Baltimore Orioles (with the best record in the NL and second best in the AL respectively); toughest division – the AL East with all five teams over .500 at this writing; biggest disappointments – the St. Louis Cards and Oakland A’s. Their managers probably are the leading candidates for pink slips although the A’s Mark Kotsay is managing under the worst of conditions. First month MVPs – Ronald Acuna, Jr. and Randy Arozarena; Cy Youngs - Gerrit Cole and Arizona’s Zac Gallen. And we’re sticking with our 1/1/23 prediction of the San Diego Padres winning the World Series. Next update at the end of May.

UP NEXT: Asa Hutchinson; Kingston Trio; Untangling the web

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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: Keep New Hampshire first

Like sports teams, politicians like to play “home games.” That has much to do with Joe Biden’s attempt to move New Hampshire out of its long held position as our nation’s first primary. Biden would have South Carolina lead off. Makes sense, in 2020, Biden ran fifth out of eight candidates in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary. It was South Carolina that took his campaign off the respirator. The rest is regrettable history. Some things should be sacred – even in politics and Iowa’s misunderstood caucus and New Hampshire’s primary should be two of them. By the way, there is an interesting piece on the New Hampshire primary (Say It Ain’t So, Joe) by former Clearwater Sun city editor and Concord Monitor editor Mike Pride. Google Mike’s name and you’ll find it.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Numbers of the week: 3 out of 4 as in Americans who do not wish to see Biden run for re-election. Poll conducted by AP, which is, to be charitable, a bit left of center.

Teens riot in Chicago streets last weekend. Spring training for the ’24 Democratic convention?

Somewhat related and borrowed from a friend: “Remember: when something goes wrong in the circus, they send in the clowns to distract the audience. Well something has gone very wrong with this circus, and the clowns are everywhere.”

Clearwater’s Dan Slaughter is turning in his chief’s badge and becoming an assistant city manager overseeing, among other departments, the marina and solid waste – two departments that have suffered from lack of oversight for the past several years.

Many observers were surprised when Clearwater voters approved a massive, out of character development project for the bluff overlooking Clearwater Bay. Now, the developers are beginning to backpedal on the promises they made to city officials. This could get ugly.

Here’s a fun exercise. As Governor DeSantis becomes more and more a serious candidate for the Presidency, count the number of attack articles each day by The Tampa Bay Times – and put a dollar in a sock drawer for each one. By next summer, you will have a fully funded vacation.

Post tax season reflection from the 5:05 Newsletter: “I am so glad I learned about parallelograms in high school math class instead of how to do my taxes. It comes in so handy during parallelogram season.”

Seen on a bumper sticker: Don’t New York My Florida. Perhaps that should read Don’t Eastern New York My Florida. Like Pennsylvania, its neighbor to the south, there is a huge difference between the eastern and western parts of New York.

Forty five years ago this week, (April 25): Everybody’s favorite mascot, the Phillie Phanatic, makes his first appearance at Veteran’s Stadium in Philadelphia and ever since has been a spring treat in Clearwater.

Sports, media and other stuff:

NPR is quitting Twitter after being labeled as government-funded media. The left of center network says Twitter “is taking actions that undermine our credibility.” In reality, NPR is doing a good job of that without Twitter’s help.  

A thought from our friend TL: “It’s weird being the same age as old people.”

Most of us don’t own one or can’t afford one, but a cool feature of the Porsche SUV is an analog clock.

Some observers have former Gator QB, Anthony Richardson, going as high as #4 in this week’s NFL draft.

Number of the week: 38 – the most times slugging catcher Yogi Berra ever struck out in any of the 17 years he played in the majors. The fewest? In both 1947 and 1950, he struck out 12 times over a combined 890 at bats.

…and another thing: Oakland, the first domino

It appears to be a fait accompli that the Athletics will be playing in Las Vegas by 2027 – or sooner. Coincidently, that’s the same year the Rays’ contract with the Trop ends. Oakland should have never been in the San Francisco Bay area - a market too small to support two baseball teams. The Athletics, again last year, had the lowest attendance in baseball. The next two lowest are the Marlins and Rays. The Athletics and Marlins you can understand, as both are sub .500 baseball teams. The Rays are a consistent playoff team, yet averaged just 13,000 fans last year. By comparison, the next two lowest drawing playoff teams were Cleveland and the Phillies with 17,000 and 28,000 respectively. Despite some of the local spin, it’s not a sure thing that the Rays won’t join the Athletics in a 2027 move.

NEXT UP: Denver omelet; Bye to phones & others; “47 for 47”

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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: Thank you, Ashley Moody

Pro-life advocates do not want their tax dollars supporting an organization that promotes abortions. Recently, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a motion to reinstate a law that prohibits state funding of Planned Parenthood, a longtime advocate of abortions. The law prohibiting state funding of abortions was overturned in 2016 on the basis that abortion was a constitutional right. Last year’s Supreme Court ruling eliminates that argument. While pro-abortion supporters say cutting off funding to such groups will endanger Floridians’ health – particularly that of low income residents, they fail to point out that services like pregnancy and newborn screenings and the like are available through numerous agencies that do not have the same political agenda as Planned Parenthood and abortion clinics. A giant Rave to AG Moody.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Political news: Democrats to hold 2024 Convention in Chicago. Gee, we wonder if that will be as cool as the ’68 funfest. Our guess is yes.

Our recently concluded legislature passed some meaningful tort reform measures. But an analysis says they did not go far enough to eliminate frivolous and predatory lawsuits.

Biden pushes for trans-athletes to compete in all girls’ sports events. Should we expect anything less?

A spin-off of the protracted study involving the Trop is yet another study of Albert Whitted Airport. Just how many times do St. Pete residents have to firmly tell elected officials they wish the airport to remain an airport?

Wisdom from the 5:05 Newsletter: Give a man a gun and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank and he can rob everybody.

Sadly, the same holds true for most insurance companies.

We recently received an email survey from the Tampa Bay Times asking why we are no longer a subscriber. Do these people not read their own paper?

Idle thought: do you ever look at TV commercials, and ask yourself, what’s wrong with this picture? Try it for a week.

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

This week in 1982, (April 18) Sally Ride is named the first female US astronaut.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Before the Frozen Four, all we knew about Quinnipiac was they produced a lot of political surveys during election season.

So what does the guy generally recognized as the best player in baseball do in his spare time? The Angels’ Mike Trout is building a golf course in New Jersey – designed by Tiger Woods.

Rays’ numbers to watch: 23/23. In twenty three of their next games, they play only six against teams that had a winning record last year. In the following twenty three, all their games feature an opponent with a winning 2022 record.

Add Salt Lake City to the areas putting together an ownership group for a potential expansion or relocation of a major league baseball franchise.

It says something about the political bent of the folks who hand out Emmys when Bryant Gumbel is chosen for a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Top rated TV shows 25 years ago this week were, in order, ER, Friends, Frasier, Veronica’s Closet and Jesse, a short-lived show that pretty much rode the coattails of Friends which preceded it.

Recalling last week’s recollection of Clearwater’s first Steak and Shake, you’ve also lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember Frisch’s Big Boy a few blocks west of CHS on Gulf-to-Bay.

Last week, we said a sad goodbye to our incredibly spoiled and loved cat, Doodle Bug, just weeks short of her 20^th 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.

…and another thing: New schedule, more travel

Our Tampa Bay Rays will spend over 5000 more miles in air travel over last year due to MLB’s new schedule where every team plays each other every year. The increased mileage doesn’t seem quite so bad when you compare it to the 11,000 additional miles the Giants will travel in 2023. It’s a well-established fact that west coast teams travel more than eastern teams who are grouped closer together. The Oakland A’s will take the prize this year with a total of 51,500 miles in the air before the final pitch and that assumes no additional trips to make up games that get rained out during the season. Fans are going to be happy to see more of the Judges, Trouts, Verlanders and Freemans of the world. A possible downside, - there will never be another World Series involving two teams that had not played each other during the season – unlike the 1957 World Series where Hank’s Braves and Mickey’s Yanks had never played each other in history.

UP NEXT: Phillie Phanatic; TL on aging; A fully funded vacation

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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: Remembering energy independence

If you read any out of town papers or perhaps watch the news, you know that we’re in for another hit in the wallet at the gas pump. The reason? OPEC nations, and Russia, are cutting back on production. About three years ago, the American reaction would have been so what? But then, the new and hopefully short term, occupant of the White House started shutting down pipelines, cutting crude production and waxing poetic about electric cars. The response to the OPEC action from White House spokesman John Kirby was, “We don’t think that production cuts are advisable at this moment given market uncertainty and we made that clear.” Wow, that should stem the tide of rising prices. Sad as it seems, we probably will have to wait until early 2025 before the U.S. again adopts a sane energy policy.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Related item: Gas Buddy, one of the nation’s leading trackers of fuel costs, predicts $4.00 a gallon by Memorial Day.

A setback for girls’ sports occurred last week when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to overturn a West Virginia appeals court allowing a 12-year-old transgender boy to run in girl’s events. Fortunately, most legal rulings have gone the other way and not forced our daughters and granddaughters to compete against males.

St. Pete’s city council comes to their senses and stops short of spending public dollars on abortion-related activities.

Biden’s flunkies blame the Trump administration for the Afghanistan debacle – which occurred on Biden’s watch. In the words of former U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, “You know, part of being president of the United States is accepting responsibility for the decisions you make, and understanding where the buck stops and, unfortunately, I don't think Joe Biden understands that."

Random thought: with the Dominion voting machine company suing Fox News for slander; in the unlikely event Dominion prevails, a go-fund me campaign would raise the $1.6 billion payout in a few months, if not days.

More inflation: Two northern states and California are pushing a $20 an hour minimum wage to “help fight inflation.” Are we missing something here?

It was 50 years ago this week that first cellphone call was made. And no, Joe and Tom, I do not own that original model. It’s the 2.0 update.

As the filing deadline approaches, this report from the Editor-in-Chief of the 5:05 Newsletter: I just did my income taxes. I still owe Ukraine $3,500.

This week in 1969 (April 14): The first regular-season MLB game is played outside the United States; Montreal Expos beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-7 at Parc Jarry, Montreal.

Sports, media and other stuff:

53 years, that’s how long “Mr. Baseball” Bob Uecker has been calling games for his hometown Milwaukee Brewers. They broke the mold.

Let’s not get too excited about the Rays’ fast start. Their first two series were against the Tigers and Nats, who, along with Oakland, are probably the three weakest teams in baseball.

You’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you ever dined at the exceptional Careless Navigator Restaurant on Treasure Island.

As we complete the Lenten season, this thought from Pope Francis, “Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.”

…and another thing: equity in NASCAR

The next sport where labor unrest is going to rear its ugly head is not baseball, football or basketball, but NASCAR. Unlike the other sports, the racing competition is, and has been, under the thumb of the France family since 1957. The third and fourth generations now control the sport – a sport where attempted unionization has been quashed in 1961 and again in 1969. NASCAR’s nearly $1 billion a year TV contract is up next year and drivers and team owners feel the time is right to renegotiate a deal that gives a paltry 25 percent to the team owners, crew and drivers while NASCAR scoops up 75 percent. The drivers feel networks are not going to be willing to lay money on the table if there is a chance of a work stoppage. Just like the major sports, where the split is roughly 50-50, no one comes to see the France family or the track owners. It’s high time for a more equitable split for the drivers who literally put their lives on the line three dozen weekends a year.

UP NEXT: Ashley Moody; Sally Ride; Frisch’s

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We wish you a blessed Easter

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: Singing the City Hall Blues

Well, Clearwater has lost one of its best mayors ever in part because we, the voters, have elected a bunch of people who don’t realize $90 million is a lot of money – especially when you don’t have it. And the tragedy is we shouldn’t have to spend it. A brief history lesson: in the mid-1990s, a forward thinking commission (which it was called back then) bought the Sun Trust building at the southeast corner of Cleveland and Garden. The plan was to finance the purchase through rents of the parts of the building not being used for City Hall and other departments. As the city’s space needs increased, they would simply not renew leases of needed space. A year later, a new majority of the commission sold the building at about a million dollar loss. The voters were in an uproar and the three member majority behind that insane plan was swept from office. About five years later, a new majority negotiated a deal with an east Florida developer that would have given the city both a new City Hall and downtown library on the developer’s dime in exchange for the same development plan we are now seeing for the bluff. A misinformation campaign run by some of the same yahoos who elected the gang of three who were thrown out managed to defeat the development plan by a small margin. And children, here we are – minus a good mayor, minus the money to pay for a new City Hall and, once again, in need of a broom to sweep out the less than business-savvy folks we have at City Hall.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Frank Hibbard’s temporary replacement - could have done worse, could have done better. The real test is for us Clearwater voters next March. Thus far, the pickings are slim.

Financial news from the 5:05 Newsletter: In order to avoid a financial panic, President Biden issued an executive order this week ordering American banks to stop collapsing.

Check out the second installment of the best of the 5:05 printed earlier this week. Just hit the “Previous Weeks” button above.

Ten years: the over/under on how much longer the struggling Tampa Bay Times will last. We’ll take the under.

Spotted on a T-Shirt: “I don’t like to brag about expensive trips, but I did just return from the gas station.”

This week in 1963 (April 7): Jack Nicklaus wins the first of a record six Masters at Augusta.

Sports, media and other stuff:

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 last week at age 91.

Large layoffs at NPR as contributors vote with their wallets in response to the public network’s expanding left of center programming. Nearly ten per cent of the NPR staff has been pared.

Even though your favorite team didn’t make it past the round of 32, you have to admit the recently completed NCAA Men’s tournament was one of the best ever. The odds of the four teams that made the Final Four actually getting there were 1 in 125,000.

Recent headline: “New USF coach has a wish list.” We’re guessing it’s to win more than two games for the first time in five years.

We know last week’s baseball predictions were mostly “chalk,” but with good reason. Beyond about six or eight clubs, there is little parity in baseball right now. But if we had to include a bracket buster, it would be the Orioles.

The adjustments in baseball are not confined to the field. The broadcast booth will also see changes - principally less from the “on field” reporter. We’re not sure that’s a bad thing.

You’ve lived here a long time if you remember the original Clearwater Steak and Shake at the northwest corner of Gulf-to-Bay and Duncan. In those days, it was more of a drive-in.

…and another thing: a morning radio icon

First a pox on WFLA radio for their dismissal of Jack Harris. His ratings at the station over the years brought more dollars through the door at 970 than any of the pinheads in their front office. His love bug adventures, the annual Leon (Noel spelled backwards) festivities and incredible skits were legendary. In a Dark Age years ago, we were happy if our morning show had half of Jack’s ratings. It meant we were doing very well. He transitioned seamlessly from disk jockey (your jocular cracker jack jock) to the leading talk/news show in the bay area. While most of his radio contemporaries are retired, Jack never lost his edge or the insane hours guys who hit the airwaves at five or six o’clock keep. We will miss him – but there will still be those hearing aid ads! All the best, Jack!

NEXT UP: Equity in NASCAR; Careless Navigator; Foreign play

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(For this week’s regular TBR&R, just hit the “Previous Weeks” button).

Over the years, we have liberally “borrowed” material from the 5:05 Newsletter. A percentage of that material is actually factual. As we approach April Fools’ Day, we do a second installment (the first can be found in April 2022) of some of the best of this bay area institution covering the years 2019 and 2020. Enjoy!

From March 10, 2019: Seattle became the first major U.S. city to completely ban plastic straws and utensils in all restaurants. San Francisco, sensing a threat to its status as the leader in Progressivism, responded by banning food and beverages in all restaurants.

From May 19, 2019: New York News: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez celebrated Amazon abandoning its plans for a New York headquarters that would have generated 25,000 jobs. Ocasio-Cortez said she is working to lure a Barnes and Noble to New York to fill the void.

From Feb. 16, 2020: (The newsletter took a break after some 20 years of publishing): France News: President Macron announced that France would not participate with the United States if it goes to war with Iran. A war without France's help would be like... well, World War II.

From April 19, 2020: Entertainment News: The Rolling Stones announced they will be doing another world tour this year. World tours used to be easier for them in their younger days because the continents were much closer together.

From May 3, 2020: As we labor through coronavirus, another lighter note from the 5:05 Newsletter: "I've washed my hands so many times that I can read the answers to a math test I took in 1966."

From May 17, 2020: The COVID crisis provided a lot of fodder for the 5:05 like this: Do you realize that 100 years ago, in 1920, the U.S. outlawed alcohol and now liquor stores have been ruled an essential service. We've come a long way!

From June 14, 2020: California News: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ordered store owners not to resist rioters and looters and, instead, "show them love and humility." Minutes later he was named the defense minister of France.

From July 26, 2020: If the CDC said that staying inside and never leaving your house for 14 days would save the college football season, the entire South would be locked up in their homes right now.

From August 9, 2020: One big difference between the U.S. and North Korea is that North Korea forces its people to listen to endless propaganda; while in the U.S., we pay a monthly cable bill to listen to it.

From September 6, 2020: “Chicago to limit looters to 25 per store.”  

From September 13, 2020: The Democratic Party election strategy is phenomenal. When I awoke after anesthesia from dental surgery this week, I had an "I Voted" sticker on my shirt.

From October 4, 2020: I asked Alexa what I should pack for my upcoming trip to Chicago and she said "heat."

From October 11, 2020: “Every single frozen corpse on Mt. Everest was once a highly motivated person. Stay lazy, my friends”.  

From November 8, 2020 – and perhaps the most insightful of all the comments that have appeared in TBR&R: "In my lifetime, we have gone from Dwight Eisenhower to Donald Trump, and we have gone from John F. Kennedy to Joe Biden. If this is evolution, I believe that in a few more years, we will be voting for plants."

NEXT YEAR: The best of 2021 and 2022.

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 vote of thanks to Frank Hibbard

The timing was lousy. The city of Clearwater will be scrambling around for a replacement for Mayor Frank Hibbard, who suddenly resigned last week. We wished he could have stuck around until next March, but he had been telling confidants for over a year, this term was it. So let’s call the abrupt resignation a slight blemish on an otherwise stellar resume. Clearwater has been blessed with good mayors for the last three decades – people with differing styles, but, for the most part, good. Hibbard, in our eyes, tops the list. He brought some deep Clearwater roots along with a business-like manner to the center chair. Clearwater faces a serious challenge in replacing him. The guy loves his city and it showed.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Council member David Allbritton had it right – Frank Hibbard’s replacement should not be a newbie. If we may add, it should also not be someone who will seek the post in next year’s election. We’ll see how it plays out.

St. Pete’s City Council is learning the hard way that pushing a far left agenda (publicly aiding abortions) is risky when a great deal of your funding comes from a conservative state legislature.

Joe Biden’s response to concerns about his age and a possible second term, “Watch me.” Sadly, we have.

From the best news outlet in the bay area, the 5:05 Newsletter: Former President Donald Trump said that he expects to be arrested any day now. If he is arrested, he could be the first man in history to go to jail and get a better haircut.

Number of the week: 50 percent. That’s the office occupancy rate in the top 10 metro areas in the county as more and more employees continue to work remotely. In 2020, occupancy rate was just shy of 100 percent.

Honest, this was noted on a For Sale sign in front of a home in Pinellas County: “Two dozen eggs with purchase.”

March lunch date: Opening Day and three baseball guys we’d like to hang out with – SF Giants broadcaster Jon Miller who seems to know a lot about everything and has those classic “Safe!” and “Adios pelota!” calls. Mark Lemke, the overachieving Atlanta Brave of the 90s – the best second baseman to never win a Gold Glove and Oakland A’s first baseman Jesus Aguilar who just plays the game with such joy.

50 years ago this week (3/29): former FSU star and Boston Celtic center, Dave Cowens is selected as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. 

Sports, media and other stuff:

The gritty play of Willis Reed in the 1970 Knicks-Lakers playoff was legendary. The basketball great died last week at age 80.

Sports Item: transgender athletes are banned from international track and field events. In a related note, the Tampa Bay Times blames the move on Governor DeSantis.

The crushing season-long loss of bullpen ace Edwin Diaz will make MLB teams think much harder about allowing their stars to play in the World Baseball Classic next time around.

You’ve lived in Clearwater (or anywhere else) a long time if you remember Clifford Irving’s fake biography of Howard Hughes which unraveled 50 years ago. Irving would spend 17 months in jail charged with fraud. 

…and another thing: our MLB predictions

Opening Day is at hand and our TBR&R prediction squad has some sure fire (?) insights into the upcoming season. Our predictions follow: Starting with the AL East, can anything more happen to the Yankees? Despite all the injuries, we still like them by a sliver over the Blue Jays. The main reason? We think they will find a way to put the Pirates’ Brian Reynolds in their outfield before the season is over. The AL Central is a tough call. Cleveland led a charmed life last year and failed to significantly upgrade their weak catching. The Twins, who had everything go wrong last year, get the nod here. The West should be much more competitive this year, and we anticipate a letdown in Houston and give the call to Seattle. The National League East is a killing ground with arguably three of the best five teams in baseball. The Mets aged rotation along with bullpen issues and the doubt surrounding the Phils’Bryce Harper should spell good things for the Braves and a sixth straight division championship, despite their frankly odd solution to replacing shortstop Dansby Swanson. In the NL Central, it’s 2-1-2. Two who can win (Brewers and Cards); one who has an outside shot (Cubs) and two with no chance (Reds and Pirates). We’ll pick the Brewers. Out west, the Dodgers have not seemed so vulnerable in many years, and we think this is San Diego’s year. Wild card invitations to the dance for the Jays, Rays and Astros, while the big two in the NL East (Mets and Phils) along with LA get to the playoffs. As always, we’ll update as the season goes along.

UP NEXT: The City Hall Blues; The Golden Bear; MLB flying more

Oh, check back mid-week for a “special edition”

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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: The banking scramble

Leading bank analysts are telling us the failures of the Silicon Valley Bank in California and Signature in New York do not mark a return to the bad old days of the Obama administration when literally dozens of banks were failing each year – 51 in 2012 alone. The Trump administration’s initiatives stopped the bleeding with just eight bank failures in the last three years of his term. And these are only the first pair in the two years of Biden’s reign. The experts say it won’t be the last, but it won’t be the mess that it was during the Obama years, as both bank failures were rather unique situations as compared to your corner bank. But not all is rosy in the mainstream banking industry and banks here and elsewhere going to great lengths to lure new customers. Locally, both Wells Fargo and Chase are offering handsome bonuses to those willing to move their checking accounts from other banks who are sitting on their hands thinking long term customers will put up with being ignored – or worse.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

We think we need to say this at least once a year so you know where we’re coming from: Get off my lawn!

Andrew Gillum, the former Mayor of Tallahassee and gubernatorial candidate, goes on trial next month on charges of lying to the FBI and wire fraud. No word yet on whether he will be endorsed by the Tampa Bay Times.

Political questions: Can Trump get the GOP nomination? Can Biden win the Democratic nod? If so, who prevails? All the answers are pretty scary.

Biden wants to put a tax on the “rich” ($400,000 or more annual income) to “strengthen Medicare.” If only, we believed that money will end up in the Medicare coffers.

Military news from the 5:05 Newsletter: German tanks arrived in Ukraine last week to fight the Russians. To get there, they went through Poland just for old times’ sake.

Idle thought: soon we will witness the demise of the paper statement. Already, many companies charge for the document – often in the form of “a discount” if you choose not to get a statement – bad news for us old timers who like a piece of paper to study. Good news for companies who would rather we not.

This week in 1975 (March 22) Walt Disney World Shopping Village, now known as Disney Springs, opens.

Sports, media and other stuff:

As we’re into March Madness, it’s hard to believe we’ve been without the charismatic Jim Valvano for thirty years.

It is never easy to follow a coaching legend – just ask Phil Bengtson who followed Vince Lombardi at Green Bay. But Jon Scheyer is off to a good start at Duke winning the ACC basketball tournament from the four seed.

If we were a Mets fan, we’d be awfully worried about our starting rotation whose average age is just under 36 years of age. And this week, their bullpen lost the best reliever in baseball.

By the way, our bold 2023 baseball predictions are coming next week.

Related to our concluding piece, you’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if two of your favorite food places were Pete’s Pizza on North Fort Harrison Avenue and the Philly Hoagie Shop across from Cleveland Plaza.

…and another thing: Focus Group and food

This time around, we asked our esteemed Focus Group to focus on food – specifically “If we were limited to just three foods (excluding beverages) and health issues were not a factor, what would you choose?

Our leadoff hitter opted for medium rare prime rib, chef salad and Italian subs – not just any subs, but the ones crafted in Publix’ deli.

Like our leadoff hitter, our second responder was also quite specific with a hamburger, not just any hamburger but one from Five Guys, in addition to chewy chocolate chip cookies and fried shrimp.

Batting number three, one of our charter members went for three all-American favorites – pizza, salad, followed, of course, by ice cream, again not just any ice cream, but Blue Bell’s Great Divide.

Our northern-most group member thinks the question was too easy firing back his answer of pizza, cheeseburgers and peanut butter cups.

Our newest Focus Group member would exist on sandwiches, pie and, reflecting her youth, sushi. There are no wrong answers, we guess.

One of our long time members comes incredibly close to our leadoff hitter’s response with prime rib, the Columbia’s 1905 salad and Publix Key Lime pie.

Finally, another long time group member goes with some basics – chicken, potatoes and raspberries. And perhaps some wine and vodka to spice things up!

NEXT UP: Dave Cowens; “Watch me;” Play Ball!

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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 lesson in Florida history

This lesson is aimed primarily at a wing nut in Polk County, whom we venture to guess, doesn’t read our blog. This parent wants to change the name of Spessard L. Holland Elementary in Bartow, Holland’s hometown, charging he was a segregationist. This was the man who introduced the bill that became the 24^th Amendment eliminating the various roadblocks to voting like poll taxes that were aimed primarily at voters of color. Spessard Holland was the first Florida native to become Governor; he served in the U.S. Senate for 25 years and was a decorated veteran of World War I. Did he have flaws? Don’t we all? Drill down deep enough and you would have to erase names like Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln off schools. This Polk County parent is about as far off-base as you can possibly be.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

A Rave goes to the Clearwater city council for appointing interim city manager Jennifer Poirrier to the permanent post. She brings excellent qualifications to the post and will not have to be taught where Highland Avenue is as would an outsider.

A not so rosy review for the council’s weak-kneed decision cave to abortion providers demands for “protection” at their clinic on S. Highland Avenue. It’s not the abortion providers who need protection.

If you notice the taxes you pay are higher this year or your refund lower, part of the issue is the Biden IRS has taken away the deduction for charitable contributions for folks who take the standard deduction. They don’t want to credit us for contributing to those right wing religious organizations like your place of worship, the Salvation Army, Boy’s Town etc.

Seeing a picture last week of students protesting student loans at our alma mater made us wonder, “Shouldn’t you be in a classroom somewhere?”

Factoid: In 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower left office at age 70 – the oldest President in U.S. history – a tidbit from retired Secret Service Agent Clint Hill’s very readable book, Five Presidents. Now two guys want to be President into their mid eighties.

Our friend TL wonders just how many car washes there are in Pinellas County. Don’t know, but with pollen season, they sure are busy!

This month’s luncheon: – It’s St. Patrick’s week and what better time to dine with some famous Irish people starting with the country’s first female President, Mary Robinson, the terrific Irish actress Maureen O’Hara and, of course, St. Patrick himself!

This week in 1903: (3/14/03): The first national bird reservation established in Sebastian, Florida.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Lots of milestones occurred last week, one sad, one bittersweet and one not so bad.

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

We are reminded that the last time Syracuse did not have a head basketball coach named Jim Boeheim, Gerald Ford was President. The hoops legend is second all-time in wins. Oh, remind us to tell you a funny story about Coach Boeheim and our sweet niece sometime.

Congratulations to one of our all-time favorite sports columnists, Mark Bradley, who just marked (no pun intended) 40 years at The Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Football note from the 5:05 Newsletter (pat pending): Due to dismal television ratings, the NFL announced it will add a swimsuit, evening gown and congeniality competition to next year’s Pro Bowl.

The pat pending on the above 5:05 piece reminds us our name is copyrighted (see below). We thought it was unique when we dreamed it up, but there are half a dozen more. We don’t enforce the copyright; we just don’t understand why anybody else would want to be associated with this drivel.

In response to the permanence of the “ghost runner rule,” one fan suggests just loading the bases in the 10^th and moving the count to 3-2. Makes as much sense.

…and another thing: trying to understand USF

There was no presentation, no debate or discussion, just a slam dunk vote to allocate $22 million to a stadium design phase for a USF football team that has won eight games over the last four years, and, despite Florida’s great autumn weather and a state of the art NFL stadium, ranked 70^th in the country in attendance. It is just bewildering that the university, now on its sixth head coach since 2016, continues to throw good money after bad. A university that announced it could no longer afford a College of Education a few years back (until a revolt by the Tampa Bay community), really needs to get its headlights on as to what the priorities of a publicly funded university should be.

UP NEXT: Geriatric rotation; Focus group & food; Pete’s Pizza

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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: The 5:05 on DST

As we once again needlessly adjust our clocks next week, this op-ed piece from the 5:05 Newsletter: The Senate passed a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent, meaning Americans would no longer have to adjust to a time change twice a year for no apparent reason. The bill was referred to the House Languishing Committee, thereby guarding against the danger that Congress might actually accomplish something.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Contrast, if you will, Governor DeSantis’ around the clock vigil during Hurricane Ian with California Governor Gavin Newsom leaving his state for “personal travel” during devastating snow storms last week.

A Rave goes to Pasco County whose education officials are considering limiting student’s use of cellphones to emergencies only during the school day. Isn’t this why we started using the things to begin with?

Was anybody surprised that Chicago’s self-indulgent mayor, Lori Lightfoot’s quest for a second term was denied by Chicago voters?

We couldn’t help but laugh last week at Times Editor Mark Katches’ front page piece on their elimination of Dilbert. To quote: “…there’s no place in the pages of the Times for people who behave or think like (creator Scott Adams) does.” Just as there is no place in the homes of Christian families for people who act or think like the Times does.

Financial organizations are hoping we won’t notice that interest rates on lines of credit are going through the roof while returns on savings accounts, CDs and the like are glued to the basement floor.

Another thought from the 5:05 Newsletter: Navy Jet Shoots down Mexican Spy Balloon – candy spatters all over El Paso.

He was, by far, the best second banana of the 20^th Century. Ed McMahon was born 100 years ago this week (3/6).

This week in 1955 (March 10) the Philadelphia Phillies played their first game in Jack Russell Stadium, named for the Clearwater businessman, city commissioner and former major league pitcher who led the push for a first class stadium for the Phils who had trained in Clearwater since 1947.

Sports, media and other stuff:

So your tech-savvy nephew and niece visit you and suddenly you learn about Airbnb, Open Table and Travelocity – and how far out of touch from the world you are.

Tops at the box office fifty years ago this week and for a total of 11 weeks was The Poseidon Adventure starring Shelley Winters and Gene Hackman. The film featured the Academy Award winning song The Morning After which later became a #1 hit for Maureen McGovern.

Imagine if you will: bottom of the ninth, score tied, bases loaded, 3-2 count – and the umpire rings up the batter who is in the box for not “focusing on the pitcher.” It can happen – and did the first full day of spring training games. Now imagine that happening in the 7^th game of the World Series. Baseball needs to get its act together real soon.

The airlines are going to be happy this summer with baseball’s new schedule causing teams to fly as many as 11,000 additional miles during the season. More on that next week.

March Madness News: We’re currently at 68 teams and there’s talk of adding more. Why? The answer of course is TV revenue, forgetting the fact that these kids are supposed to be in the classroom occasionally.

Factoid: An amazing 82 of the top 100 viewed TV shows from last year were NFL games.

More than you want to know about TBR&R

As we celebrate our 9^th birthday, as always, thanks to Alex Sink for being the inspiration for this - see our first (3/9/14) issue, we think of an early Seinfeld episode where Jerry mentions that Elaine’s father is the author Alton Benes. A woman learning that said, “I always thought he deserved a wider audience,” to which Elaine replies, “I’m not sure he wants one.” Such is the case with TBR&R. We want no liberals; we will tolerate people who don’t understand the subtleties of baseball and if you didn’t know a lot of useless facts about music from the fifties through the seventies, you can sure find it here among the 8-900 words we dish out weekly. We know quite a few of our readers and wish we knew more because they obviously have a similar mindset to our right of center thinking. And yes, we have a token liberal friend (hello, Don) who occasionally reads it – who knows why? In any case, we thank you for hanging in there as we continue to explore why in the world either Biden or Trump think they should be President again; why nobody can make French Fries as well as McDonalds, or ice cream as well as Blue Bell and why Johnny can’t read along with why he has to read sex education and propaganda stuff in first grade?

UP NEXT: Rays flying more; New Hampshire; Being green

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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: Times hits a new low

A couple of Sundays back, “Florida’s Best Newspaper,” as it likes to call itself, printed a front page, and here we search for a word or phrase – story would be incorrect since that might imply some semblance of truth; pack of lies might be a little too strong, since there were a few elements of truth in the piece, although not many. Let’s settle for a lot of innuendo. The subject was the weekly gathering of pro-life advocates at an abortion clinic on Clearwater’s Highland Avenue. If you go by this gathering, which we do virtually every Saturday, you would not recognize the scenario the paper painted. It is a peaceful and prayerful gathering of people who recognize abortion is murder and do their best to prevent such carnage. The article goes on to describe scattered incidents where there have been violence at such facilities – none whatsoever in Clearwater. And the paper’s push for “protection” by the city of Clearwater for this slaughterhouse should fall on deaf ears. This painting with a broad brush fails to include any of the acts of savagery performed all over the country at pregnancy resource centers and houses of worship whose congregants tend to be pro-life. The distortion of facts by this left wing agenda promoter represents a new low, even for them.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

From the 5:05 Newsletter: If East Palestine, Ohio wants to get Federal aid quickly, it should vote to annex itself into Ukraine. In two days the place will be the cleanest city in America.

Very much related: the headline on the 22nd of February reads “EPA to take charge of Ohio derailment,” – eighteen days after the toxic chemicals were spilled.

FBI offering to look into Clearwater’s recycling gaffes? We’d like to think our tax dollars were being spent more wisely.

Moderate Republicans’ concern: With many qualified candidates likely to enter the Presidential sweepstakes (like DeSantis, Haley, etal), could Trump squeeze in and capture the nomination?

What group of idiots chose this Emily Kohrs to be the “foreperson” of the show trial in Atlanta over the 2020 election? Her 15 minutes of fame has compromised the entire procedure.

We go into next month’s Tampa city election with a mayor whose first term has been riddled with controversy and missteps virtually unopposed - puzzling.

Luncheon date: In response to our luncheon date with three of our teen heartthrobs last week, our SW (Saintly Wife) counters with Elvis, Paul Newman and Robert Redford.

This week in 1903 (Feb. 28) Barney Dreyfuss & James Potter buy the Philadelphia Phillies for $170,000. Today, the franchise is valued at $2.3billion.

Sports, media and other stuff:

The very best comment we’ve seen on Facebook in a long time, “You call it eating five boxes of Girl Scout Cookies alone; I call it supporting young female entrepreneurs.”

Top rated TV shows 50 years ago this week were, in order, All in the Family, The Waltons, Sanford & Son, M*A*S*H and Hawaii Five-Oh.

Major League Baseball has announced the ghost runner rule will become permanent except of course in post season where the games really mean something. An announcement regarding participation trophies is expected soon.

In addition to the World of Coca-Cola and Underground Atlanta, another Atlanta “must-visit” was the CNN Tower which housed the network and other fascinating places. Now, CNN has announced it is gradually pulling out of the tower with its landmark CNN sign at the top.

…and another thing: AT&T controversy

We recently dumped AT&T as our mobile phone provider. It really had nothing to do with the controversy regarding their DirecTV affiliate dropping the second most popular conservative network in the country – Newsmax. That unfortunate move by DirecTV has driven down their stock by 7 percent or about $10 billion as thousands have cancelled their DirecTV and AT&T accounts. We took on AT&T approximately five years ago and from day one experienced the company’s lack of integrity with dishonored quotes, “let’s see if we can get away with it” billings, and welching on purchased phone insurance. We finally had enough and ate a contested hundred dollars, just to get away from these, here we hesitate; what is a kinder word for thieves? As for DirecTV, we’ve never had the pleasure, but those we know who have, ran away as soon as possible. Not an organization you would recommend to anyone you didn’t intensely dislike.

NEXT UP: Jack Russell; TBR&R’s 9^th; 5:05 on DST

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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: So long Amazon Smile

Launched in 2013, the Amazon Smile program had a good run until the cancel culture got the on-line giant’s attention. Seems some way left of center groups, primarily the Southern Poverty Law Center, had issues with Amazon donating to some Christian non-profits even though the recipients are chosen by Amazon’s customers. Amazon says they will replace Smile with other initiatives saying, “with so many eligible organizations—more than 1 million globally—our ability to have an impact was often spread too thin.” That depends on your perspective. The small non-profit we designated, which deals with care for animals, gets about $1000 per quarter from the program. To them, that’s a lot of money. If you had a favorite charity you supported through Amazon Smile, you might join us with a resolve to eliminate two or three discretionary purchases a year from Amazon and send those funds to your favorite charity.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Related to our lead article, let us at least thank Amazon for their well-intended 10-year program until the cancel culture muddied things up. Also, there is a superb article by columnist and TV commentator Salena Zito that delves further into how Amazon’s decision adversely affects local communities.

The Biden administration claims all three Chinese flying objects shot down in the last month, “served commercial purposes and were not used for spying.” Pardon us Joe if we don’t believe you.

Florida’s Democratic Party got its nose thoroughly bloodied in last year’s mid-terms. Now, Nikki Fried wants to head the party and lead them to the promised land. Yeah, that should work.

That’s one down several to go, left wing Senator Diane Feinstein has announced she will not seek re-election in 2024 when she would be 91 years old. There are several other geriatrics in Congress who need to make the same decision.

If you read the distortion of facts regarding an abortion clinic in our local newspaper on last Sunday’s front page, you understand why the left-wing mouthpiece is circling the drain - much more on this next week.

Breaking news: Biden skips traditional Super Bowl interview, opts for slow pitch softball game.

This month’s luncheon date: February is the month of love – and infatuation. Three teen heartthrobs with whom we would like to dine, with our wife’s permission of course: Eleanor Donohue, Shelley Fabares and Katherine Ross.

Economic News from the 5:05 Newsletter: I got the feeling inflation was getting out of hand today at the 99 Dollar Store.

This week in 1959 (Feb. 22), the first ever Daytona 500 is run. Lee Petty is declared the winner in a controversial finish. Among the contestants is future Dunedin resident and builder, Ken Marriott.

Sports, media and other stuff:

After an endless day of pre-game shows, the Super Bowl is scheduled for 6:30. Actual kickoff 6:44. Just saying.

With spring training games about to begin this week, there will be ten new permanent major league umps with an equal amount stepping down after careers of 20 years or more including stalwarts like Tim Welke, Greg Gibson, Tom Hallion plus the immortal Sam Holbrook who gave us the never to be forgotten outfield fly rule.

Music trivia: Dionne Warwick was known as the vehicle for Burt Bacharach-Hal David songs, charting over 20 songs in the 1960s. But her biggest song of that decade was written by pianist Andre Previn – Valley of the Dolls.

Bally, the network that carries the Rays and Marlins games plus 12 other MLB teams plus the Lightning, is on the edge of Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Will it affect viewers short term (this season)? No, but most likely in the future.

You’ve lived in the bay area (or anywhere else) for a long time if the now average new car price, $49,500, was what you paid for your first 3-4 bedroom home.

…and another thing: baseball’s best analyst

It was spring 1981 and with veteran news director and talk show host Dennis Crandall, we were slated for a two-hour show with recently retired Phillie catcher and rookie baseball analyst Tim McCarver. We went into the interview thinking “another ex-jock who will phone it in from the broadcast booth.” Left the interview in awe. Never had we encountered someone so well prepared. And that was Tim McCarver for the next 32 years as a baseball analyst with the Phils, Mets and Cards as well as part of the high profile team with Jack Buck on CBS. He later teamed with Buck’s son on Fox who, frankly, McCarver carried. With Tim’s passing at age 81, baseball has lost a gem.

NEXT UP: Times hits new low; Sale of the Phils; AT&T

021923

Sorry time does not permit replies to comments.

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: He created the sixties soundtrack

From Alpert to Warwick and in all between, the sixties were full of the music of the great Burt Bacharach. He famously teamed with Hal David for many of his compositions as well as Neil Diamond, Elvis Costello and his former wife, Carole Bayer Sager. Besides Herb, Neil, Elvis C, and Dionne, literally hundreds of artists benefited from his sophisticated, often jazz influenced, melodies. Other than possibly Lennon-McCartney, no one influenced the sound of the sixties more than Bacharach. He even reached out to Broadway with Promises, Promises, giving us the title song plus I’ll Never Fall in Love Again and Knowing When to Leave. A few years later, Hollywood called and he gave us Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Burt, who died last week at 94, was a national treasure we will not soon see again.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

We’re shedding tears for the demolition of two 100-year-old buildings in Tampa, one of which housed The Tampa Tribune. And in Atlanta, the Margaret Mitchell home, dating back to 1899, will now be dwarfed by a 30-story commercial building.

Biden visits Tampa last week to “set the stage for his re-election.” Joe, have you looked at the polling numbers? There are not enough phony ballots in the entire free world to get you a second term.

State of the Union – same old, same old – Democrats nodding their heads like lemmings and the Republicans disagreeing vocally with virtually everything. The new Speaker of the House showed a lot more class than his predecessor by not tearing up the copy of Biden’s address.

If we had to bet money on who would be America’s first female President, our money would be on Nikki Haley or the GOP’s rising star, Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Factoid: The U.S. President with the highest IQ, despite what Barack Obama will tell you, was John Adams (173), just slightly higher than Thomas Jefferson. The lowest IQ belonged to Ulysses S. Grant. But at 120, he still ranked among the 90^th percentile of Americans.

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

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 last week at age 88.

This week marks the 100^th anniversary of the birth of a true space pioneer – Chuck Yeager.

This week in 1950 (Feb. 16) the longest-running network prime-time game show, "What's My Line" begins on CBS hosted by John Charles Daly.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Holiday preview from the 5:05 Newsletter: If the economy stays the same, we will be dying and hiding potatoes for Easter this year.

Oh, did we miss the Pro Bowl? Darn, that makes 15 years in a row.

Three times – the number of times when Duke and North Carolina have met in this century with neither team being ranked in the Top 25.

Major league baseball writer Keith Law ranks the Ray’s farm system 5^th among the 30 teams. We think he may be a little low in his ranking. First is LA and last is Detroit.

Sports oddity: although the Yankees are considered the cream of the American League, in the last two decades the Astros, Bosox, Rangers, Rays, Royals and the Tigers have won more American League pennants than the Bronx Bombers.

America lost a couple of familiar faces last week – Charles Kimbrough, anchor Jim Dial on Murphy Brown, and Melinda Dillon, the long suffering wife/mother in the beloved Christmas Story. Kimbrough was 86 and Ms. Dillon 83.

…and another thing: The rites of Spring

It’s no more days until pitchers and catchers report! The National League champion Phillies open up camp this week in Clearwater as do their neighbors, the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin. Both teams have made significant improvements to their rosters in post season, but then so have all their rivals in the Eastern Divisions of their respective leagues. The spring schedules are appetizing with the Phils hosting perennial powers like the Yanks, Braves and the Rays. The Blue Jays will also see the same trio in their park plus the two upper Pinellas teams square off against each other a total of eight times – four in each park. By the way, our “can’t miss” 2023 predictions will publish next month.

NEXT UP: Daytona 500; New Hampshire; No, Joe taxes ARE up

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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: Only baby steps for St. Pete

The announcement has been made – a developer has been chosen for the area surrounding the Trop in St. Pete. That is, by far, the easiest part of a complex equation. Let us tackle just three of the wild cards involved. (1) The team – the Rays, while successful in the standings, are a cellar dweller in attendance, always ranking among the bottom three teams in the MLB. The advent of a balanced schedule may help some with NL heavyweights like the Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers and Phillies coming to town. (2) The big gamble – that surrounding a new park with hotels, eateries and shops will work. All eyes are on Cobb County, Ga. and the Braves with the area surrounding the ballpark, The Battery, spinning off millions. But, it’s not as easy as it looks. (3) And the biggest problem since the opening pitch in 1998 – location. The Trop is located at the bottom of a funnel known as Pinellas County – a horrendous location motivated by political machinations in the 1980s and acerbated by no public transportation to the stadium. Those are three big problems that must be solved if the Rays are going to remain viable in the bay area.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Thanks for the memories, Tom.

Yeah, that’s just what I want to do this weekend, go watch a film with Hanoi Jane and her fellow travelers.

Quote of the week: Biden Vows We 'Have Your Back' on Student Debt Relief. Whose back? It’s certainly not responsible Americans.

One has to wonder about the future of Newsmax given their last place among cable news operations and the recent thuggery of AT&T owned DirecTV who arbitrarily dropped them from their platform.

Asking for a friend, how many pizza joints do you suppose there are in Pinellas County?

Observation from the ever vigilant 5:05 Newsletter: Lately, United States classified documents keep showing up like mail-in ballots.

This week in 1963, (Feb. 11) Julia Child’s The French Chef premieres on WGBH-TV in Boston - one of the first cooking shows in the U.S.

Sports, media and other stuff:

The NFL cannot be proud of the spectacle in Philadelphia last weekend.

Okay, we’re now a believer. We’ll take the Eagles in the Heinz Super Bowl and give the points.

Florida and Arizona State are unlikely to meet over the next few years – except for a possible bowl matchup and that’s a good thing for QB Jaden Rashada who couldn’t resist a couple cheap shots before leaving UF.

“When your morning involves police custody, you've more than likely made a poor choice.” – Sports columnist Mark Bradley on Georgia QB Stetson Bennett’s alcohol-related arrest.                                  

Number of the week: 46 years. That’s the number of years a broadcaster named Caray has called an Atlanta Braves game. The legacy ends with Chip, son of the legendary Skip Caray, moving to the Cardinals where his even more famous grandfather, Harry, began his broadcast career in 1945.

A name to remember - Victor Wembanyama, who will be the 1^st pick in June’s NBA draft. The 7’3” power forward is not a college kid, but a pro in France’s version of the NBA.

An interesting show hosted by Dave Hoeffel on Sirius Radio a few weeks back cataloged the top 50 artists of the 1960s. The top five are the Beatles and Elvis, of course, followed by Ray Charles, Brenda Lee and the Supremes.

You’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you remember Fast Eddie’s Restaurant in Tarpon Springs known for their “warm beer and lousy food”.

And another thing: Happy Birthday to WTAN

The diploma says we got a Bachelor of Arts degree from USF in Mass Communications, but our real education came at a radio station on Clearwater’s bayfront. The instructors were radio pros like Scott Dilworth, Harry Lytle and Frank Reid. This year, the station celebrates its 75^th birthday. A lot has happened in those 75 years: the birth of one of the bay area’s first FM stereo stations; a ton of Clearwater Bomber championships broadcast and a narrow focus on Upper Pinellas as opposed to so-called regional stations. A lot of call letters have come and gone (think WDCL, WTSP, WAZE, WALT and WLCY); but Clearwater’s first station continues, and we wish them well for the next 75 years.

NEXT UP: Smartest President; Amazon Smile; Rites of Spring

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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: The bridge to nowhere

Many communities and states have them – bridges built with no sound purpose in mind. Later this summer Clearwater will join that list when an $8 million pedestrian walkover is completed arching across U.S. 19 from Harn Blvd. to, well, nowhere. There’s really no destination on the east side which contains several apartment and condo complexes. Few of the residents of these fairly upscale neighborhoods seem happy about the additional people the walkover will bring to the edge of their communities. Meanwhile, just to the south of the project is a real problem that has been begging for answers for years – the very dangerous and heavily traveled Belleair Road. So far, despite the death of a school bus student just last year, people in that neighborhood are getting little more than lip service, but to their north, they will have a pretty bridge.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Here we go again – gas pushing towards four dollars a gallon. That $2.14 when Trump left office doesn’t look so bad, does it?

If we really had a crystal ball, we would have predicted rising gas prices in our 10 predictions segment (TBR&R 1/1/23). We thought they would stabilize, but never underestimate the Biden energy strategy.

Great to have you visit Florida last week, Kamala. Come again when you have something rational to say.

The judge said our Governor had the right to fire pro-abortionist Andrew Warren. Now our local paper needs to let go.

Even the giants are not recession proof with Google cutting 12,000 jobs and Amazon 18,000 along with axing their popular Amazon Smile program that aided thousands of purchaser’s favorite charities.

Monthly lunch date: We continue our luncheon series with three really interesting people we actually have had lunch with: wellness guru and author Don Ardell, the great baseball ump Frank Pulli and radio talk show legend, Bruce Williams. We also dined with Jimmy Carter, but that was with about 300 of our closest friends and guys who kept talking into their lapels.

From the pretty much authentic 5:05 Newsletter: Did it ever cross your mind that if you pay $4.75 for a 16 oz. coffee at Starbucks that is $30 per gallon?

This week in 1887 (Feb. 2) the first Groundhog Day is celebrated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Asking for a friend, when was the last time the Men’s Top 25 basketball poll did not include Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State or North Carolina?

It wasn’t post season college basketball without the voice of Billy Packer. The superb analyst passed away last week at age 82.

Reports out of Baltimore say the Ravens’ uber quarterback Lamar Jackson could be headed to a NFC South team with Carolina and Atlanta being mentioned. But why not Tampa Bay if Tom Brady doesn’t return? That and a new offensive coordinator might be just be what the Bucs need.

Having trouble figuring this out: a guy with a .316 batting average with 369 homers and 1406 RBIs (Todd Helton) falls short in the Hall of Fame vote while a guy with a .281 batting average, 316 homers and 1287 RRIs (Scott Rolen) makes it. No knock on Rolen (we had him on our unofficial ballot), but Helton’s numbers are clearly superior.elton’s numers H

John Lithgow as Frasier? He was the first choice for the role, but turned it down. From an excellent “inside baseball” book Directed by James Burrows written by the director of Cheers, Two and a Half Men, Frasier, Taxi, Friends and many more.

Idle question: if you’ve lived in Clearwater a long time, how old is the home in which you grew up? For us, it’s 64 years old – built for our folks by well-known builder Glenn Finkenbinder in 1959. We were so impressed by the workmanship; we bought one of his homes 17 years later. Mr. Finkenbinder passed away at age 96 four years ago.

…and another thing: Focus Group addendum

A regular reader and Great American weighed in on our Focus Group question of last week (a question you would ask of an historical figure). Our reader is not a member of our Focus Group, but contributes in so many ways to this blog. He is also a Civil War historian. Here’s his reply: I think I would ask Robert E. Lee, if given a second chance, would he have fought as much of an offensive war as he did or would it have been better to fight exclusively a defensive war and try to wear down the Union’s will to fight. Lee never lost a battle where he held the defensive position until Petersburg in 1865 (which technically was a 292-day siege and not a battle). In other words, “Win by not losing.”

NEXT UP: Fast Eddie; The French Chef; The fall of the AP

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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: what about renters, condo dwellers?

You see the ads – just plug into the wall then plug into the car – slick as a whistle. This, we are told, is the future of the automobile. But wait, what about the over 25 percent of Americans who live in apartments or condos? There’s no easy plug in for them, unless they have a really, really long extension cord with the proper plugs. For them, it will be a trip to the local gas station, assuming it has the proper facility. And the cost – to be determined, but it won’t be cheap. Just one of many things for electric car proponents to figure out, not to mention many states’ already stretched out electric grids. Bottom line – the gasoline engine won’t be leaving us anytime soon.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Speaking of renters, the demand for apartments continues to increase while the demand for office space is tanking. It appears the bay area may well channel other metro areas in converting empty office space into apartments.

Idle thought: Rather than a nationwide search, perhaps the city of Clearwater should seek someone local who knows the evil empire, the city’s culture and its major players as their next city manager. A couple of good names come to mind.

Factoid: it costs 8.5% more to dine out than it did a year ago. But the cost of preparing meals at home is up even more.

Answer: Herbert Hoover and Harry Truman. Question: Who were the first two Presidents to come from west of the Mississippi?

Quote from someone I admire greatly: “Computers are great – when they work.”

The 5:05 Newsletter reports that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez doesn’t know what all the fuss is over the House speaker position, saying, “Why do we need a house speaker when we already have headphones?”

This week in 1916 (Jan.2 3-24): In Browning, Montana, the temperature drops from +44 to -56 in a 24 hour period. Now that’s a cold front!

Sports, media and other stuff:

Turn, Turn, Turn, Mr. Tambourine Man and Suite Judy Blue Eyes were just a trio of songs gifted us by David Crosby who passed away last week at age 81.

Music trivia: Crocker Bank in San Francisco gave us the best song ever credited to a bank. It was their commercial We’ve Only Just Begun which was written by award winning songwriter Paul Williams. Richard Carpenter heard the commercial on the radio and the rest is history – one of Rolling Stone’s 500 best songs of all time. The bank merged with Wells Fargo in 1986, but not before giving us a great song!

Idle question: So what happened to all that Sierra Mist that vanished from the shelves when Pepsi’s new lemon-lime Starry debuted? Will it become a collector’s item or be stored in the same warehouse with New Coke?

Younger baseball fans probably don’t know that there were two guys named Frank Thomas who could really crank the ball. In addition to the Big Hurt, there was the Pittsburgh Pirate Frank Thomas who launched 286 homers with his hometown team and a few other clubs. The big slugger died last week at age 93.

From Jimmy Buffett: “go fast enough to get there, but slow enough to see.”

How to throw some set-in-their-ways people into a complete tail spin: close their regular breakfast place for two days for a family wedding.

…and another thing: your question please

This month’s Focus Group assignment was: Assuming an honest answer, if you could go back in time and ask any famous person one question, whom would you question and what would you ask? Leading the pack are two separate queries of Dan or D.B. Cooper. One of our charter members asks: Did you survive the jump from the plane? If so, did you enjoy spending any of that money? Our newest Focus Group member puts it this way - I would like to ask D.B. Cooper, the unidentified man who hijacked a flight in 1971 and got away with $200k in ransom money, what his real identity is. I’d also really like to know how he got away with it, because it’s a fascinating story. Another charter member chose one of their heroines, Amelia Earhart, and the question was simply, “what happened?” Our next member’s inquiry would be of Lee Harvey Oswald or the CIA or perhaps the Mafia – who was involved in the JFK assassination? (Love the way that question is phrased). One of the sports fans in the group asks if Babe Ruth, in the 1932 World Series, really told Cubs’ pitcher Charlie Root the next pitch is leaving the ballpark. From our former western-most member (new kid on the block lives in NOLA) for Rev. Billy Graham – will our pets meet us in Heaven? Good questions all.

UP NEXT: Bridge to nowhere; $30 a gallon; John Lithgow

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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: 75 or 80? – Either one

We and our friend TL have a minor disagreement. We side with former U.S. Rep Gary Franks’ position that all federal offices, including Supreme Court justices have a mandatory retirement age of 80. TL thinks it should be 75. We could be persuaded either way, but just as the U.S Constitution mandates a minimum age for certain office holders, it should also lay out a mandatory retirement age – just like virtually all segments of our nation’s commerce. Much as we don’t want to fly the friendly skies with an 80-year-old pilot; the same should apply to our decision makers. There comes a time to step aside. We all witnessed Justice Ginsberg, virtually on life support, making critical decisions for our nation. We’re watching the daily mental lapses of our 80-year-old president. If Biden, Trump, McConnell Pelosi and company aren’t willing to retire voluntarily, a Constitution amendment as proposed by Rep. Franks needs to come into play. Yes, it will take a while to do it, and yes, the above mentioned group will fight it with all their waning strength, but it is something the nation needs to do, sooner rather than later.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

A couple of notes on the Biden classified documents. The story appeared on Page 5 of the local paper as opposed to the Pearl Harbor headline Trump’s similar indiscretions generated. In the article, written by a Washington Post writer was a subhead “How do the Biden and Trump cases differ?” followed by a few hundred words of spin doctoring when the simple answer is: they don’t.

Well, Matt Gaetz had his day in the limelight during the torturous House Speaker votes. Now, we wonder if he will even survive his Republican primary in 2024.

Tax season is upon us and we repeat this sound advice from CPA Rick Commons – the IRS never initiates contact via email. So avoid anything that appears to come from the IRS unless you have an ongoing dialogue with them. And if you do, may God have mercy on your soul.

Reflecting on a recent 5:05 Newsletter on the inevitable fall of CTX plus what’s happening to your retirement plan under Biden; it seems the safest spot for your money is under your mattress.

Say goodbye to Sierra Mist and hello to Pepsi’s new citrus drink – Starry. Think of how much Pepsi paid a bunch of people to come up with that name as they continue to try to surpass Coca-Cola’s Sprite.

On this date in 1929 (January 18) legendary gossip columnist Walter Winchell makes his radio debut on WABC radio in New York.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Sports commentary from the 5:05 Newsletter: Congratulations to the Georgia Bulldogs for winning the 2022 Championship of Professional College Football and especially to their coach George Santos.

Related - Stetson Bennett doesn’t win Heisman Trophies, just national championships.

Also related, don’t want to hang around our friend Joe B. right now. His school finished number one in the country while our alma mater was 127^th out of 131 Division 1 schools.

Born 100 years ago this week (Jan. 19) was the long suffering Edith Bunker on All in the Family – Jean Stapleton.

The great Bob Newhart, early in his sitcom career, was instructed to not stutter so much as it was making a scene run too long. Newhart deadpanned, “That stutter bought me a home in Beverly Hills.”

Lovie Smith fired by the Houston Texans after one season. Honestly, we didn’t know (or forgot) that the well-traveled Lovie was their head coach.

Put us down for the Bills over the 49ers in the Super Bowl.

You’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you remember WQXM signing on in 1967 as the region’s classical music station. It later morphed into 98 Rock and the bay area hasn’t enjoyed on air classical music for over five years since WUSF dropped it.

…and another thing: Hall of Fame ballot

Seems our baseball Hall of Fame ballot got lost in the mail again this year. But here are our votes, all returnees to the ballot – post season star Andy Pettitte (will be the first inductee with four t’s in his last name); baseball’s all-time best left handed reliever, Billy Wagner; sweet swinging Todd Helton; consistent, but not spectacular Scott Rolen; the guy who ranks 1-2 with Mays as the best center fielder of all time – Andruw Jones and, knowing it’s a lost cause because of domestic issues, a guy who like Jones, ranks 1-2 at his position – Omar Vizquel. The newbies on the ballot are a somewhat weak crop. If we had to vote for one, it would be another stellar reliever, six time All-Star Francisco (K-Rod) Rodriguez. But we’ll hold that vote for next year.

NEXT UP: Empty offices; Best bank ad ever; Focus Group

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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: Doctor, Doctor give me the news

First an apology to the late Robert Palmer for the theft of the catch line of his ’79 hit Bad Case of Loving You. First, have you seen your primary care physician lately? If not, you need to do so – not just for peace of mind regarding your health, but to stay on the books. More and more doctors, particularly primary care docs are dumping patients they haven’t seen in a few years. And if you get dumped, it’s not easy to find a new (and good) doctor – the same if you’d like to dump your current doctor. Make sure you have a new home before cutting ties with the old doctor, no matter how bad you feel they are. Better the devil you know. And keep an eye on your health insurance carrier. Many change their list of network providers at the drop of a hat – (thanks United Healthcare) making you scramble for someone new you want to trust with your health. More than ever, be vigilant with your healthcare.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Everything is relative. Our local paper makes the over sale of a few tickets to Governor DeSantis’ inaugural front page news, while the guy they endorsed against him four years ago goes on trial for wire fraud in a couple of months.

After ridding themselves of the train wreck that was City Manager Jon Jennings, perhaps the Clearwater city council should seek someone more in the mold of the late Bill Horne who successfully helmed the city for two decades.

Two significant losses occurred on the national and world front last week. Barbara Walters broke several glass ceilings in the television industry. She was 93. And Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who led the Catholic Church in the early part of this century, died at age 95.

To blatantly plagiarize humorist Will Rogers, we do not belong to an organized political party, we are a Republican. The hot mess over the House speakership was an embarrassment – and we’re not real proud of our newly elected Pinellas U.S. Rep either.

Thought of the week from renowned Wall Street Journal editorialist Peggy Noonan on the possibility of a Biden-Trump rematch in 2024: “There’s so much hunger to turn the page, begin a new era. Could we?”

Biden announces “it is his intention to visit the southern border.” Now Joe, you understand we are talking about the southern border of the United States, not the Virgin Islands?

Related from the 5:05 Newsletter: I think we should replace the Border Patrol with doctor’s receptionists.... Let’s see how many illegal aliens get past them!

This week in1976 (January 11) Dorothy Hamill wins her third consecutive national figure skating championship.

Sports, media and other stuff:

This Monday, it’s Georgia versus TCU. That is going to have to be a heck of a game to top last weekend’s college semi-finals.

Ohio State may be the best three-quarters team in football. They are unquestionably the worst fourth quarter team.

New York baseball numbers - $8.7 million – the price the Steinbrenner family paid for the Yankees. $360 million – the anticipated payroll for the New York Mets in the 2023 season. $39.95 – the price of a hotdog at Citi Field this season.

Patience pays off. In its first season on the air, the NBC comedy Cheers ranked 77^th out of 77 shows on network TV. It soon would be the top comedy on TV and the anchor of NBC’s Must See TV on Thursdays – from a fascinating book Top of the Rock by Warren Littlefield, the NBC President of Entertainment during those halcyon days.

Music Trivia: Tom and Jerry; Kane and Garr – two nom de plumes used by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel before they hit it big in 1965. They had one minor hit Hey Little Schoolgirl (as Tom & Jerry) in 1957, but their career really took off in ’65 with The Sound of Silence.

You’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you remember when our regular “regional” NFL game each Sunday was the Washington Redskins with the immortal Joe “Scooter” Scudero among others.

And another thing: keep the radio playing

First, an admission it’s been quite a while since we turned on the AM radio in the car. We’re ashamed to admit it as AM radio (along with FM) put supper on the table for a couple of decades. While we seldom listen, we still have the choice, particularly when hearing the news and weather is vital, but some carmakers want to take that choice away from us. It’s mostly the European manufacturers who claim that the new electric cars cause interference with AM radios. Closer to the truth is that AM radio has fallen out of favor in Europe – home of BMW and Volvo - two of the lines dropping AM. American manufacturers claim no such interference (AM is still a viable media platform in the U.S.) Already legislators are preparing bills that would require AM radios be in cars sold in America. More to come on this – stay tuned (pun intended).

UP NEXT: $tutter; HOF ballot; 75 or 80?

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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: 10 not so credible 2023 predictions 

1. Ron DeSantis will announce he will seek the 2024 Presidential nomination.

2. Democrats will gently talk Biden out of another run. This may be wishful thinking on our part.

3. There will be some sort of settlement in the Ukraine this year.

4. Your retirement account will rebound, but not by much.

5. Charlie Crist will announce his intention to run against U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna in 2024 before they have time to change the nameplate on the office in the nation’s capital.

6. Michael Kelly will not be USF’s AD by year’s end.

7. The Rays will fall just short of the 2023 playoffs.

8. Same for the Bucs, but by a larger margin.

9. The San Diego Padres will win this year’s World Series.

10. Your gym will be less crowded in about three weeks.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

We had to make a last minute change in one of the our predictions with the Clearwater city council usurping our prediction that city manager Jon Jennings wouldn’t make it through 2023.

While thousands of Americans are still searching for their bags, take comfort in that not a single bag of Joe Biden was lost on his Virgin Islands trip or of that of his Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg while he was relaxing in Portugal.

Presented without comment: VP Kamala Harris is griping that the media is not highlighting the "strength of my leadership."

Stock market ends the year at about the same range as 2008 – those wonderful Madoff years.

While we are freed from political, Medicare, and Christmas sale ads, along comes Weight Watchers, Planet Fitness and Peloton.

At the Jan. 6^th anniversary, this commentary from the 5:05 Newsletter: “The difference between a cow and the January 6th riot at the US Capitol is you can only milk a cow 3 times a day.”

This week in 1938 (Jan. 3) The March of Dimes is established to help fight polio.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Kathy Whitworth, the winningest golfer in the history of the LPGA died Christmas Eve at age 83. She won 88 tournaments in her storied career.

Even folks who did not follow soccer at all knew the name Pelé. The legend from Brazil passed way last week at age 82.

Two sets of numbers 26-71-3 and 74-25-1. Those numbers represent the Pittsburgh Steelers record in the 100 games before Franco Harris joined the team and the 100 games after he became a Steeler. The Hall of Famer tragically died last week just a couple days before the Steelers retired his number.

Number of the Week: Five – that’s the number of post season bowls older than the Gator Bowl, first played on January 1, 1946. The older bowls are the oldest, the Rose Bowl, plus the Sun, Sugar, Orange and Cotton Bowls.

In light of the recent discarding of decades old names like the Cleveland Indians, Washington Redskins and, locally, Chamberlain Chiefs ; we’ve decided we find the Boston Red Sox name offensive and offer up the Liptons, Tetleys or Bigelows as alternatives.

The Christmas tree is barely down and the oddsmakers have the Dodgers, Astros and the Braves as the three favorites to win the World Series – the teams who have won the last three, not nearly as bold a prediction as ours above.

... and another thing: ten must do’s

To save you the effort of reading this throughout the year, we thought, we’d address all of these in week one:

1. Paul Anka and Neil Sedaka need to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

2. There should absolutely be no forgiveness of legitimate student loans – failing that, every student who ever paid off their student loans should get a full refund.

3. Baseball needs to get rid of their amateurish “ghost runner” rule for extra innings. It smacks of T-Ball.

4. While we’re at it, like Jackie Robinson’s number, Latino pioneer Roberto Clemente’s #21 should be retired league wide.

5. USF needs to stop spending money, better spent elsewhere, on a stadium for a team that has won 11 games in the past four years.

6. The U.S. House needs to wake up to the will of the people and establish year-round DST.

7. Biden and Trump need to gracefully step out of the way and let someone under age 80 govern the nation.

8. When is the 5:05 Newsletter going to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize?

9. Legislation should be passed to make it much more painful to violate our nation’s no-call lists.

10. There should be a sunset law that requires all those questionable federal holidays to be justified every ten years.

UP NEXT: Tom & Jerry; Cheers; Keeping the AM dial

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This week our annual year in review, over three times the content at the same low price.

(Before starting, we offer apologies for the lack of an edition of TBR&R last week. Despite having all the shots and a lot of caution, the COVID bug finally got us requiring isolation in a room with no outside connectivity. A few gems from last week’s planned edition are included in this edition).

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff highlights:

(From January) Quote of the Week: “(Clearwater City Manager Jon) Jennings said he brings the advantage of a fresh face without the historical baggage that exists between the city and Scientology.” That is either the height of naiveté or hubris – neither of which bodes well for Clearwater.

We see the wondrous ads from the local gambling casino showing all those winners. The ads never mention breadwinners trying to explain to their families why they are being evicted, having their power turned off or no gas for the car because of that wonderful casino.

(From February) Surely the irony is not lost on the American public: our fearless leader vowing the crucial Nord Stream 2 Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline would be blocked if Russia “further invades” Ukraine. Meanwhile 11,000 Americans lost their jobs when Biden shut down the Keystone Pipeline, and they hadn’t invaded anything.

Is Vladimir Putin any less a war criminal than Tojo, Goring and the rest?

(From March) We have never owned a firearm in our life, but now we feel it necessary to protect ourselves from popcorn throwers. You’ve got to wonder about the state of mind of a guy like Curtis Reeves who feels it necessary to carry a firearm into a movie theater. What an outrageous miscarriage of justice.

(During March’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings) Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh probably thought he was watching a slow pitch softball game last week as compared to the thuggery he experienced three years ago.

(From April) Unlike the presidential race, it’s getting harder and harder to keep this guy and his daily gaffes in the basement and out of sight.

As we close within weeks of April 18, this nugget from the U.S. Tax Code: “If you steal property, you must report its fair market value in your income in the year you steal it unless you return it to its rightful owner in the same year.” So those of you who looted a Target or other store in 2021, it’s time to pay up.

(From May): Quote of the week, if not the year: No hard-working American without a college degree should have to pay for others' student loans Period - Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. We would only add to Governor Haley’s comment – nor should responsible students who repaid their loans.

Our quote of the week comes from the 5:05 Newsletter: “You can’t control the drilling, shipping, storing, refining, buying, selling, trading and taxing of oil and then say you don’t control oil prices.”

(From May) The City of Clearwater is contemplating selling an asset (its natural gas utility) that adds $3 million annually to its coffers – an action that would put at least 60 people out of work. We don’t see many positives in that scenario. (Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed).

(July) The irony was not lost on us when Biden trashed the SCOTUS decision on Roe v Wade and then headed off to Germany – a country that has shared his outlook on the sanctity of life for nearly a century.

Senator Elizabeth Warren says that Joe Biden’s $300 billion student loan giveaway is “very popular”. Yes, very popular with deadbeats – not so much with responsible Americans.

(During Hurricane Ian) Somewhat frustrating (and downright scary) were FEMA chief Deanne Criswell’s comments that there has not been a serious storm on the Florida west coast in a hundred years. We would invite this New Yorker to review the results of Charlie, Jeanne and 2017’s Irma.

Gerry Callahan, host of "The Gerry Callahan Show," on the priorities of the Biden administration, "Every time I look [at] my disappearing 401K, I think, damn, we really have to do something about the name of the frigging baseball team in Atlanta.”

Idle question: who do you believe more –the 5:05 Newsletter or the Tampa Bay Times? Easy answer – the 5:05 only makes up about 50-60 percent of their stuff.

(October) Honest, he asked this – Charlie Crist asked Ron DeSantis if he was elected, would he (DeSantis) serve a full four year term as Governor? This comes from an office-hopping politician, who recently resigned from the US House to focus on the governor’s race leaving District 13 with no representation.

Thought from a retired teacher: If I had to do it over again, I would staple Burger King applications to failed tests.

Best post-election quote, “look at the scoreboard” – Governor Ron DeSantis.

(November) Jack Smith, part of the Obama Justice Department that was probably the most corrupt in the last half-century, picked to lead the Trump probe. Gee, that should guarantee a fair outcome.

And the best of the bunch: The key to the 2024 election is going to be convincing Biden and Trump that their time has passed. That probably won’t be easy, but it certainly will be the best for our nation.

Sports, media and other stuff highlights:

(From January) Something that warms our heart: Stetson Bennett IV, currently the most famous college football player on the planet, communicates with a flip phone.

From the 5:05 Newsletter: “To all New Yorkers now moving to Florida - remember you are refugees not missionaries.”

(From February) The first week of Spring Training games have been canceled and folks who use the $10 an hour jobs during spring to supplement their income are out of luck as the players and owners decide whether a first year player should make $570,000 or $650,000 a year.

(From April) Idle thought: we all gripe about the traffic this time of year in Florida. But when you have the days we’ve had recently, who can blame half of America for wanting to be in Clearwater, FL?

(Also in April) Bruce Arians to be inducted in the Bucs’ Ring of Honor – pending a review of every email he sent since age 12.

(From June) We laugh at the hubris of our local left leaning newspaper. They are asking readers for donations so they can continue their efforts against unborn children; serve as an apologist for the hot mess we have in the White House and support anything woke.

We’re glad Tampa’s New Year’s bowl has picked up a new sponsor but you have to admit ReliaQuest Bowl doesn’t have quite the cache of Outback Bowl.

Mid-year economic news from the 5:05 Newsletter: A quart of milk, a dozen eggs, two pounds of ground beef and a gallon of chocolate ice cream costs more now than they did when you started reading this sentence.

(From the August trading deadline) In case you missed the return for Juan Soto, a member of our Focus Group supplies a partial list: the Padres’ farm system, the San Diego Chicken, Tijuana, La Jolla Beach, Sea World, the San Diego Zoo and an aircraft carrier to be named later.

(From August) Vin Scully was the voice and spirit of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. More so, he was the voice and spirit of baseball. The sport’s greatest broadcaster, who invited us to “pull up a chair”, died last week at age 94.

For those of you who always thought a free education, room and board were a fair trade for three years of football, welcome to the new reality of free agent college football players.

We’re sorry to see Don Mattingly relinquish his post with the Miami Marlins – simply a great baseball man as a player and manager.

(From September) Wish we had thought of this years ago – an app on your kid’s phone (which most likely you’re paying for) that locks their phone if they don’t return a call from you within an hour.

From the 5:05 Newsletter: One of the best things about baseball’s World Series is that there are no halftime shows.

Won’t it be nice to have a 3-game loser crowned national football champion? The new 12-game playoff mess allows for that to happen. And why not have the playoff games played in established bowls rather than granting home field advantages?

Holiday word of advice: it’s probably best not to sing Oh Christmas Tree around our friend TL.  

$45,523 – something we’ve tracked since our misspent days in radio. That’s the cost of the 12 Days of Christmas this year – up about 10% from 2021. That’s one time through the song – not all the repeats which takes it to just shy of $200,000.

Christmas item from the 5:05 Newsletter: The Clearwater Walmart announced it will be closed on Christmas Day so both cashiers can be home with their families.            

Fifty years ago, topping the Billboard year end chart for the third week in a row was Billy Paul’s soulful Me and Mrs. Jones followed by Gilbert O’Sullivan’s Clair and Al Green’s You Ought to be with Me. At number 4 and about to jump to number 1 was Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain.

Our last song together

(Our 2022 look back at the passing of some people who made a difference. The title of this segment was inspired by the poignant Neil Sedaka song captured so well by the late Glenn Yarbrough).

Was there ever a more admired woman in the world than Queen Elizabeth II? With a tear, we said goodbye in September to the woman who ruled Great Britain most of every living persons’ life.

Fifty years ago this week, while on a humanitarian mission to earthquake stricken Nicaragua, baseball great Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash just a few months after his last major league at bat and 3000^th hit.

(From January) Our condolences to the Crown family on the passing of Bill Crown, who headed the family’s long standing accounting practice. Bill, a community leader and a member of the Morton Plant Tree House, had just turned 80.

(Also in January) For almost half a century, he was the go to guy when your vacuum cleaner went kaput. Clearwater High grad George Valone passed away at age 77.

He captained the Fort Harrison Hotel until it was purchased by the evil empire, and then spent three decades at the stately Clearwater Beach Hotel. Wally Lee passed away in February at age 89.

(From March) For the second time this year, our community has lost a longtime accountant and civic leader. Mike Bollenback, of Bollenback and Forret, was extremely charitable with his time and treasure to several non-profits in our community.

(April) In terms of USF men’s basketball coaches, there have been Lee Rose, Seth Greenberg then everybody else. Rose, who guided the Bulls to their first post season tournaments, died at age 85.

Our community suffered another loss in April with the passing of attorney, civic leader and former Mr. Clearwater, Jerry Figurski. Jerry, who served as President of UPARC and active in numerous other civic efforts, was 77.

One of the most colorful people in the history of Clearwater’s waterfront passed away in April. Capt. George “Maxie” Foster first captained popular party boats like the Dixie Queen and Miss Buckeye III and later owned the Gulfstream charter boats. He was 85.

Former Clearwater Sun sports writer and later a Georgia weekly publisher, Tom Manter passed away in late May. Tom, a CHS graduate and all around good guy, was 75.

Lee Thomas was part of the Clearwater scene for nearly a decade as the well-respected General Manager of the Philadelphia Phils – this following a successful career as a left handed power hitter in the majors. Lee passed away in late Augustat age 87.

If you had an unsolvable problem with your boat’s diesel engine, the man you called was John Brock, a magician with diesels. The longtime Clearwater resident passed away in September at his adoptive Andrews, NC. John was 80.

Sabine “Beanie” Korosy, the beloved matriarch of The Sandy Book Store passed away in October at the amazing age of 103.

In our life’s journey, we have met few men nicer or kinder than Dillard Nash who passed away in late October at age 90. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the Nash family.

Pinellas County suffered a loss in November with the passing of community activist Sallie Parks. Sallie served as a Pinellas County Commissioner and was very active in the arts community and one of the early stalwarts of Leadership Pinellas.

This month we were saddened by the passing of a good friend and a very familiar voice – Don Guckian. For years, Don was the PA voice of the Phillies and Threshers at both Jack Russell Stadium and BayCare Field as well as a devoted Rotarian and just a man it was a pleasure to know.

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:

The Biden administration – our space is limited, so fill in as many blanks as you wish starting in reverse alphabetical order with the Ukraine.

American voters (Floridians not included) who, despite suffering incredible financial hardships, did not respond at the polls to dissemble our elitist Washington gang.

Clearwater City Manager Jon Jennings for attempting to kill the City Gas Department that spins off over $3 million a year (overturned); for trying to walk back a long standing agreement with the PSTA for a new transit center (again, overturned). Jennings has yet to learn he does not set policy, but carries it out.

Mayor Jane Castor for her incredibly flawed selection process for a new police chief, leading to a major embarrassment for the city.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, other than Biden, it’s hard to find a longer list of reasons, but here are three: the lockout which cost Floridians millions, T-Ball rules (see runner on second) and the yearly playing games with the dynamics of the baseball itself.

RAVES:

Was there a bigger hero on the world stage this year than Volodymyr Zelenskyy?

Governor Ron DeSantis for his steady leadership during Hurricane Ian in September.

Jon Cooper’s Lightning for three years of great hockey experiences.

We thank Tom Brady for making the Bucs relevant for a third season.

A fifth (and lifetime) Rave for the 5:05 Newsletter which provides a great deal of material and inspiration for this weekly effort.

NEXT UP: (1/1/23) 10 shaky predictions; 10 Must-Dos

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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: Flawed process bites city of Tampa

Ten months ago, the majority of Tampa residents were up in arms after Mayor Jane Castor bypassed the city’s Deputy Chief, and much more qualified, Butch Delgado and chose an old crony who, to be charitable, had a checkered past with the Department. Last week, that decision came back to bite the mayor and the city when, again, Chief Mary O’Connor violated the city’s Standard of Conduct by trying to talk a deputy sheriff out of a citation for an unlicensed vehicle. What compounded the issue was this was a Pinellas County deputy sheriff outside a community where the chief lived – in violation of the city charter requiring the police chief to live within the city of Tampa. Now Lady Jane promises a costly and time-consuming national search for a chief. The whole fiasco is a major embarrassment to the bay area’s largest city and could have been avoided the first time around.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Britany Griner is free. Unfortunately, former Marine Paul Whelan was not part of a swap for an incredibly evil Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. We would only ask that perhaps in exchange for her freedom, she will stand for our National Anthem before basketball games – something she refused to do before experiencing life in Russia.

At last, the airwaves are free of misleading political and Medicare ads.

Breaking holiday news from the 5:05 Newsletter: Model railroad strike averted in time for Christmas – Lionel avoids layoffs.

This holiday mail item: not only is it dangerous to send cash through the mail, but checks as well. In the past year plus, $500,000 worth of checks have been stolen from one metro Atlanta post office. The checks are then “washed” with the pay to and amount lines forged.

Holiday word of advice: it’s probably best not to sing Oh Christmas Tree around our friend TL.                                                       

30 year-old Disney attraction Splash Mountain falls victim to political correctness, closing early next year. That’s why folks flock to Disney parks – for political correctness.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Sadly, the site You Know You Grew Up in old Clearwater Florida has fallen victim to speech Nazis over the past several years – with things like a Robby’s Pancake charity breakfast and a memorial concert for the venerable Wallace Gause being flagged as commercial. We wonder if the site’s “moderators” even grew up in old Clearwater and ate at Robby’s or were taught by Wallace Gause.

So long to HLN – formerly known as Headline News. It was a marvel in its infancy – a place you could turn to 24/7 for news and sports updates. Then its parent CNN went all left wing and HLN went on a slow track to oblivion.

A case could have been made for Alabama getting the number four seed in the college football playoffs. Although the Tide had two losses, they were by a total of four points – both on the road. Number four seed and one loss Ohio State got waxed by three touchdowns at home.

One team with a losing record (Rice) and 19 schools with mediocre 6-6 records (including UF) will be playing in bowl games – hardly marks of excellence.

Bowl Games: Two of the three Florida bowl teams are favored in their games – UCF by 1.5 over Duke in the Military Bowl; FSU by 8 over Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl; the Gators are 9 point underdogs to Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl. And in our favorite bowl – the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, it’s San Jose State favored by 3.5 over Eastern Michigan.

Baseball factoid: Until his selection last week, former Ray Fred McGriff had the most home runs of any retired, non-PED player not in the Hall. Congrats to the Crime Dog.

This week marks the 100^th anniversary of the birth of game show legend Bob Barker (12/12).

…and another thing: from our Focus Group

In honor of adding another, younger voice to our TBR&R Focus Group, we asked our wizened assemblage to name the best new material object of the past quarter century. First, let us start with the Neanderthal of our group, who named the iPod – a gift from his daughter some twenty years ago. He is now on his fifth or sixth outmoded unit which contains over 6500 songs. Others opted for the Smartphone, with one contributor also mentioning GPS and Google. Another similar vote described Smartphone as “an entire office desktop in your pocket.” Our newest member also went with the Smartphone, which is about the same age as her, saying, “I can’t imagine life now without the ability to look up any bit of information within seconds.” Ah, youth. One of our pragmatists voted for the Fit Bit noting how many former sedentary acquaintances got off the couch once they had one. Finally, a vote for fiber optics and all the revolutionary advances it has brought to the medical and telecommunications areas. Next time – some questions for historical figures.

UP NEXT: Christmas hits; 12 Days of Christmas; 2022 Predictions

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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: USF should channel U of Tampa

We know this is a radical suggestion, but it makes sense. Before spending multiple millions of dollars on what is a national joke, perhaps the University of South Florida should channel its cross town neighbor, the University of Tampa and simply drop its football program, and concentrate on becoming an elite learning and research institution. USF’s football program is currently the 129^th ranked Division 1 School out of 131 – thank goodness for Akron and UMass. This would not be like UF or FSU dropping their long standing programs as a great percentage of USF grads never experienced a football program during their tenure (the school was founded in 1956 and the football program did not begin until over four decades later). With eight victories over the past four years, that’s not even close to a good return on your dollars – dollars that could be spent on turning out engineers, medical professionals and top flight educators.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

We are saddened by the passing of a good friend and a very familiar voice – Don Guckian. For years, Don was the PA announcer for the Phillies and Threshers at both Jack Russell Stadium and BayCare Field as well a devoted Rotarian and just a man it was a pleasure to know.

At this time of year, among the things we say thanks for is the GOP capturing the House of Representatives forestalling a Democratic threat to codify infanticide in America.

As America was threatened by a rail strike, you found yourself asking, “Where is Harry Truman when you need him?”

Jane, how ya feeling about that police chief pick?

Idle question: What percentage of your mail are things you would open each day? That is not credit card applications from cards you already have, Medicare solicitations or organizations asking for donations? Many days the answer is zero.

Coming to a theater near you – a blank screen as industry experts say as many as 5000 of the U.S. and Canada’s 40,000 screens could shut down in the next six-twelve months.

Lunch date: Our tribute to Charles Schulz a couple of weeks back gives us this December luncheon date with three fascinating cartoonists beginning of course with the brilliant Peanuts creator - along with Chester Gould of Dick Tracy fame and our own local cartoonist extraordinaire Blondie’s Dean Young.

This week in 1906 (December 10) Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Related to this week’s historical note above, we’re shocked that the editorial staff of the 5:05 Newsletter has not yet been so honored. The Nobel committee has done a lot worse.

And speaking of Tampa Bay’s premier periodical, this tidbit: The first member of Generation Z, 25-year-old Maxwell Frost, has been elected to Congress. Frost said he will work remotely from his parent’s basement in Florida.

Sports item: Atlanta to host the first field of 12 college football championship after the 2024 season – unless, of course, Joe Biden or Rob Manfred gets involved.

At least two college football teams with losing records will play in postseason bowls. That tells us one thing – at 41, there are too many bowl games.

Do you get the feeling that TCU might get hosed in the championship playoff selections? Hoping not, but Alabama and Ohio State are lurking out there with no more games to play (or lose).

Two names prominent in this year’s college coaching carousel are Fritz-Freeze. Sounds like a soft serve ice cream operation.

“It all started at a 5000 watt radio station.” This week marks the 100^th anniversary of the birth of comedic actor Ted Knight.

Seen on a bumper sticker: “I hope something good happens to you today.” Nice thought.

Christmas Factoid: Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century bishop, was known as a secret gift-giver, stuffing coins into the shoes of poor people who placed their shoes at their doorsteps. That tradition reconfigured itself into our Christmas stockings.

…and another thing: Toy Hall of Fame

This year the Toy Hall of Fame added three toys to their honor roll – the top, Masters of the Universe and Lite-Brite. Over the past two years (TBR&R 12/20/20 and 12/19/21) we have profiled the first 17 toys inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame – 10 in 1998 and 7 in 1999. In the years 2000-02, another nine toys were so honored. Let’s see how many of these were under your Christmas tree long ago. In 2000, the Hall honored the Bicycle, Jacks, Jump Rope, Mr. Potato Head and the Slinky – it really helped if you lived in a two-story house for the Slinky. Just two toys made the cut in 2001 – Silly Putty and Tonka Trucks. Another two entered the Hall in 2002 – two classics – the Jigsaw Puzzle and Raggedy Ann. Hope you found some of those treasures under your tree over the years. By the way, the Toy Hall of Fame is located in Rochester, NY and is on our bucket list for our next trip to the Empire State.

COMING UP: Focus Group; Christmas Lights; Bob Barker

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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: time for a clean slate

Thanksgiving is behind us, Christmas is just around the corner and then New Years and resolutions. America’s two major political parties should have an overriding resolution – fresh, competent faces for the top of the 2024 ballot. Republicans, on the whole, are fed up with the unparalleled ego of Donald Trump while Democrats blush every time Joe Biden opens his mouth. Neither of these men is qualified to lead our nation into the mid-decade. The Republicans have the advantage with Florida’s superstar Ron DeSantis plus others. The Democratic bench is quite a bit thinner. The key is going to be convincing Biden and Trump that their time has passed. That probably won’t be easy, but it certainly will be the best for our nation.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Pinellas County suffered a loss earlier this month with the passing of community activist Sallie Parks. Sallie served as a Pinellas County Commissioner and was very active in the arts community and one of the early stalwarts of Leadership Pinellas.

We tip our cap to Maurice Upton of Dunedin who risked his life in a vain attempt to rescue his 82-year-old neighbor in an apartment fire last week.

And we know he doesn’t want us to say it, but Mom and I are proud as can be of our son who saved a young boy from drowning last week when he slipped between a dock and his parent’s boat at a Madeira Beach marina - proud of you, son.

A 19-year-old high on marijuana kills two people in a Palm Harbor crash, yet we keep hearing calls to legalize the drug.

Sure, they will continue to bash him, but Donald Trump’s jumping into the 2024 race will take CNN, MSNBC, ABC and CBS off their respirators – not to mention the struggling Tampa Bay Times.

From the Wall Street Journal on Biden’s attempt to pardon student loans: "the largest presidential abuse of power in decades."

Number of the Week:92 years ago (1930) – the last time either party had such a narrow margin in the U.S. House.

With real estate prices being what they are, this conversation is not out of line: Prospective Buyer, “What can I find in the ¾ million range?” Realtor: “You’re living in it.”

Breaking economic news from the 5:05 Newsletter: Crypto Exchange company FTX filed for bankruptcy causing a panic in the digital currency world. Investors are said to be moving any money they have left into safer, more reliable Powerball tickets.

This week in 1922 (November 28) Captain Cyril Turner (RAF) gives the first skywriting exhibition in New York City. Turner spelled out, "Hello USA Call Vanderbilt 7200." 47,000 called.

Sports, media and other stuff:

A Rave to the nation’s cartoonists for their tributes to “Sparky” Shultz on the date of his 100^th birthday.

It’s the holiday season, shopping, decorating and what rest time she finds, our Saintly Wife is glued to the Hallmark Channel.

They didn’t ask us, but of the eight candidates in the contemporary MLB Hall of Fame balloting, four should make it – Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Dale Murphy and Curt Shilling. The announcement is next Sunday (12/4).

Sports oddity: the biggest, baddest free agent of the 2022 offseason, Aaron Judge was the 30th pick in the 2013 MLB draft. The first pick, Mark Appel, finally made it to the bigs this year. The pick right in front of Judge, Jason Hursh, made a total of 11 appearances in the majors for the Braves.

South Carolina and Vandy each fined six figures after their fans went on the field after signature victories. What the NCAA needs is a picture of Larry David in each stadium with the words Curb Your Enthusiasm.

We’ve always kind of liked Lane Kiffin, so we hope the rumors of his entering the gates of Hell at Auburn are untrue. (Late update – he signed an extension with Ole Miss).

Not satisfied with trying to water down the NCAA basketball playoffs (68 teams now qualify), there is now a move to expand the college football championship to 12 teams by 2025 with the season ending, we presume, in the middle of spring training.

Factoid: Every odd number has an e in its spelling.

You’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you’ve seen houses torn down that you watched being built in your younger years.

…and another thing: new rules, new value

Baseball’s general managers met in Vegas a couple of weeks ago and one of the topics was how they will re-evaluate players based on new rules regarding defensive shifts, base size and pitcher’s clocks. For example with more ground to cover, Gold Glove free agent Dansby Swanson is going to become even more valuable; guys with speed will have a bigger impact with the bigger bases and limits on pick-off attempts. The pitch clock will affect guys like Shohei Ohtani, who takes a lifetime between pitches and the Met’s Mark Canha who could have time for cocktails before stepping back in the batter’s box. These slow pokes will be charged a ball (for pitchers) and a strike (for hitters) if they don’t speed up their games. It should be an interesting (and quicker) season.

NEXT UP: Dark theaters; Great toys; USF football?

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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: time for a national voting protocol

Let’s face it; Americans are more than a little skeptical of the voting process across our nation. The sketchy operations in Arizona and Nevada are just the latest in dubious election outcomes – Catherine Cortez Masto’s “miraculous” come from behind victory in the Nevada Senate race being foremost. Then there’s Georgia’s and Alaska’s convoluted voting systems and states’ counting machines “running out of ink”. The answer to all these problems is not a month or a year away, but it sure would enhance our confidence in the 2024 outcomes if we had one unified protocol across our 50 states – and Florida’s system might just be one of the models to follow.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Surprise, surprise Donald Trump announces 2024 run. Both Don and Joe seem to be having trouble reading the tea leaves.

Jack Smith, part of the Obama Justice Department that was probably the most corrupt in the last half-century, picked to lead the Trump probe. Gee, that should guarantee a fair outcome.

Factoid: Financial organization Bloomberg News reports now is the worst time to buy a home since 1978 – the Carter days - the chief culprit – out of control interest rates.

Best election season quote, “look at the scoreboard” – Governor Ron DeSantis.

Lunch date: now that the mid-term primaries’ smoke has cleared, three politicians we’d enjoy dining with: Tom Cotton, Lindsey Graham and Nikki Haley.

Thought from a retired teacher: If I had to do it over again, I would staple Burger King applications to failed tests.

Whoopi has left Twitter. We guess we would get excited about that if we knew exactly what Twitter was or cared about anything Whoopi has to say.

Related - there is some benefit to being technologically challenged – like not getting all riled up about these Twitter controversies.

This week in 1936 (Nov. 23) the first issue of Life Magazine is published.

Sports, media and other stuff:

From the 5:05 Newsletter: In 1962 a new Thanksgiving tradition evolved. President John F. Kennedy summoned two turkeys to the White House pardoning one of the turkeys with the words, “Keep him going”. That tradition remains today with the pardoned turkey then being appointed to a high-level post in the Justice Department and later becoming a cable television political pundit.

From our Curmudgeon Dept. – Patience is an overrated virtue.

As you get ready for the traditional NFL Thanksgiving games, reserve a spot on your calendar for a Black Friday game debuting next year on Amazon Prime. Teams are yet to be determined.

Top five destinations this busy travel week – New York City, Seattle, Orlando, Boston and Atlanta – and for your Humble Blogger and Saintly Wife – Dunedin, Florida.

Factoid: If the NCAA football playoffs were expanded to 12 teams this season, five of the teams would come from the SEC.

Despite being 900 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, the University of Missouri is in the Eastern Division of the SEC – another school that obviously doesn’t offer a major in Geography.

This was not the year to win a lot of MLB games. One hundred game winners, the Braves, Dodgers and Mets all made quick exits. Houston, at 106, needed a giant horseshoe in their pocket to escape a similar fate.

Speaking of the Astros, we have to guess qualified candidates are not lining up to be their GM after James Click was cashiered after building a World Series winner.

Only 97 days until pitchers and catchers report.

A friend reminds us that you have lived in the bay area (or anywhere else) a long time if you remember your mother curing any cut, no matter how severe, with Mercurochrome – and how you would hide the cut to avoid having that stuff applied!

…and another thing: a tribute to “Sparky”

Charles “Sparky” Schulz would have been 100 this Saturday. Today, more than twenty years after his passing, we still open the pages every day for his unique view of human life – the daring World War I pilot, the annual place kick joke and the June tribute to D-Day from this decorated World War II veteran. It just seems fitting that the Peanuts strip did not survive him as we’re not sure anybody could have had the same slant on life as did Schulz. But the Classic Peanuts reminds us of the simple brilliance of this man. And if you have never sampled either David Michaelis’ biography Schulz and Peanuts or Good Grief by Rheta Grimsley Johnson, they are worth a visit. A couple of very personal reembraces remain with us as well as this telling thought from America’s cartoonist, “If I were given the opportunity to present a gift to the next generation, it would be the ability for each individual to learn to laugh at himself.”

NEXT UP: Clean slate; Skywriting; Faster baseball

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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: mixed results in mid-terms

In Florida, particularly the bay area, it was a rout. Double digit wins for Republicans at the top of the ballot and big wins for Congressional candidates – except for Kathy Castor’s gerrymandered District 14 where our family cat could win if she were a Democrat.

Nationwide, a different and disappointing story as the predicted sweep of both houses of Congress did not materialize. We’re not sure how the economy could further worsen to get voters more motivated. Apparently free loans trumps things like the sanctity of life. It could be a very grim couple years.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Ron DeSantis decisively wins the Florida Governor’s race. The win comes despite the best efforts of Florida’s liberal media who now should resign themselves to another term of DeSantis leading a state that, due to his leadership, is in better shape than 90 percent of the other states in our union.

Clearwater’s massive re-do of its bayfront wins by a surprising 2-1 margin.

Just wondering: why don’t we get an “I Voted” sticker with our absentee ballots?

Our friend TL and the gang volunteered our services to help count votes in Nevada. All it would cost is comped rooms, breakfast buffets and $500 in chips. We have not yet heard back.

Florida’s gas tax holiday month was a bust as virtually all of the savings were erased by an OPEC decision to cut oil production – another gift to us from the Biden administration and their incomprehensible energy policies.

From the 5:05 Newsletter: Today’s inflation fighting tip: Bring up politics at the Thanksgiving table and save hundreds of dollars on Christmas gifts.

Related question: who do you believe more –the 5:05 Newsletter or the Tampa Bay Times? Easy answer – the 5:05 only makes up about 50-60 percent of their stuff.

This week in 1959 (Nov. 16) Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music debuts on Broadway. It would run for 1443 performances.

Sports, media and other stuff:

As predicted here in January, Jeff Scott let go by USF. That was no surprise. What was a surprise was the extension he was granted earlier this year. USF’s AD Michael Kelly might also want to avoid any long term leases.

Local football pundits are incredibly naïve with their advice for USF to hire an up and comer and keep him here. USF ain’t Alabama folks. Anybody who is successful at USF (and that’s a stretch) won’t be here after one good season.

Asking for a friend: when was the last time TCU was in the Top 10 of college football teams? Remember Jim Swink?

Related to our Rant last week over USF dropping their radio station’s (WUSF-FM) jazz programming; we tip our cap to WMNF-FM for at least adding some jazz programming. The problem is WMNF is overly diversified and you’ll have to wade through polka, barbershop and Turkish music to find some minimal jazz programming.

A Happy 90^th Birthday this week to one of the 60s’ most popular artists – Petula Clark; gosh does that make us feel old!

Just thinking: two of the very best ‘50s songs not to reach #1 were The Diamonds’ Little Darlin’ and The Drifters’ There Goes My Baby – both stalled at #2 behind Elvis Presley songs.

Dusty Baker is invited back for 2023 as the manager of the Houston Astros. We presume the dugout guy who wakes him up during games will also be extended. And, incredibly former Ray’s front office guy James Clack who built the team is given the boot. Weird franchise.

Having moved Ji-Man Choi to the Pirates, the Rays can now seek the legit first baseman they have been lacking for the last several years. Josh Bell, perhaps?

Forty years ago, the last Checker taxi cab rolled off the assembly line. They were mostly powered by Chevrolet engines and were virtually indestructible – a good thing as the majority of them patrolled New York City streets. Today, they are a collector’s item.

…and another thing: covering the Series

Okay the 2022 MLB playoffs are over and congratulations to the Astros. Knowing that MLB heeds our every word, we respectfully ask them to give us better coverage of the playoffs. Instead of announcers who have maybe seen your favorite team 3-4 times during the season, why not have ESPN, Fox or whomever employ the regular season announcers for the participating teams? ESPN’s Karl Ravech who is the lead announcer on the network’s duller than dull broadcast team pathetically tried to make a case that guys working off Cliff Notes are better than folks who work a 162-game schedule. Who would you rather see – a guy who broadcasts games once a week or, say Dwayne Staats if you’re a Rays fan. He would have shared duties with Cleveland’s lead announcer Tom Hamilton – both these guys have over two decades covering their respective teams and would be an upgrade over any other combination in the booth. And while we’re on the subject, ESPN should look at some of the regional networks’ (like the Ray’s Bally) graphics which are much more fan friendly.

UP NEXT: Anniversary of an icon; Time debuts; Channeling UT

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Sorry, time does not permit replies to comments

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.

Another year of voter suppression

Before taking the headline seriously, please refer to our disclaimer above. A few weeks ago, our mid-term ballot arrived in the mail. We scanned the directions (haven’t changed much); voted for the candidates we were already sure about and then researched those we did not know and the various amendment issues; marked in a black ballpoint pen and viola, finis! Oh, we did sign the envelope and checked off the keep voting by mail box and finally the difficult process of adding the last four of our Social Security number and our date of birth and mailed it – for free. All through the process, we wondered how could we possibly make this any easier and by what stretch could anyone in their right mind call this voter suppression?

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Verbatim from a Charlie Crist mailer one week before the election: “Paying off your own college debt isn’t fair.” That tells you all you need to know about Charlie Crist.

After endorsing many candidates with very weak resumes, the Tampa Bay Half Truth prints unendorsed candidates responses three days before Election Day – classy.

They are watching – one of the most closely watched Congressional races in the nation was our own 13^th District. In the last polling just before Election Day, the GOP’s Anna Paulina Luna had a razor thin lead over the Democrat Eric Lynn.

Military news from the 5:05 Newsletter: The Pentagon announced it will rename nine military bases that were named for confederate soldiers. The new names will be chosen from a list of celebrated antiwar activists, i.e. Fort Fonda.

We like to give a Rave to Lowes around this time of year (Veteran’s Day) for their up close parking spots for Vets – some of us who don’t get around as well as we used to.

In our life’s journey, we have met few men nicer or kinder than Dillard Nash who passed away last week at age 91. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the Nash family.

Five Years Ago in TBR&R (Nov.11, 2017) In the aftermath of the St. Pete Mayoral election: The irony is not lost on us. What passes for a newspaper in our area endorsed a Republican for the first time in a millennium, while the reactionaries here at TBR&R gave a nod, albeit tepid, to Democratic Mayor Kriseman.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Might we want to re-think those college football ratings?

Ray Guy was the first punter to ever be drafted in the NFL’s first round. The Hall of Famer who spent his entire 14-year career with the Raiders died last week at age 72.

The NBA’s spoiled brat, Kyrie Irving, finally apologized for a post linking a film with anti-Semitic themes. The apology came only after he was suspended for a minimum of five games – that’s seven figures - which gets the attention of even a pampered millionaire.  

Now on the clock: The NBA’s Sacramento Kings. With MLB’s Seattle Mariners ending a 20-year-playoff drought, the Kings are next – 16 years and counting.

Correction: the mud used to treat major league baseballs comes from the Delaware not the Mississippi River. We misquoted our friend TL by about half a continent.

McDonalds’ McRib sandwich beginning a “farewell tour” – and not a decade too soon.

Can we all admit we greatly underrated Bruce Arians’ contributions on the Bucs sideline?

Answer: Fighting Camels. The question: what is the name of Campbell University’s athletic teams? Campbell, located in Buies Creek, NC often serves as a tune up for elite Tar Heel state basketball schools like UNC, Duke and North Carolina State.

A Rave goes to Hall of Famer Rod Carew for taking on baseball ayatollah Rob Manfred over the cheapening of the game of baseball i.e. infield shifts, ghost runners and the limitations on relief pitchers. It’s nice to know baseball’s elite agree with the everyday fan.

Dave Berry’s take on golf: “Although golf was originally restricted to wealthy, overweight Protestants, today it’s open to anybody who owns hideous clothing.”

Bumper sticker seen on the back of an SUV: I Used To Be Cool.

…and another thing: a USF grad’s lament

Our football team is beyond lousy; the university tried to shut down its College of Education which supplies more teachers to the bay area than all other schools combined; now the school’s radio station (WUSF-FM) is trying to kill off Jazz Night which dates back to 1966. Our family takes the last two personally – our Saintly Wife has both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education from USF. And your humble blogger was there for the birth of Jazz Night in ’66 mostly as a hanger-on with George Geiger and Mike Smith, providing news updates throughout the night and weighing in occasionally on the music. The bay area’s only commercial jazz station WSRZ went off the air several years ago, leaving only WUSF for jazz. (WUSF had already dumped all their classical music programming for canned stuff some years back). Please join in online to protest another left turn away from local programming to more Washington-based blather.

Thanks to our vets

NEXT UP: Checker Cab; Pet turns 90; Better playoff coverage

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Sorry, time does not permit replies to comments

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.

Midterms will bring little change to Florida

There are indications of a significant shift in the balance of power in midterms across the United States with voters fed up with the negative changes they have experienced under a Democratic regime. A change in the House is almost certain and Republicans are cautiously optimistic about the Senate. Statewide, traditional national Democratic dollars have dried up as the party has pretty much given up on Florida. There should be little change with Ron DeSantis (11%), Marco Rubio, Ashley Moody and Jimmy Patronis having comfortable leads in the polls. Additionally, it will be refreshing to once again have an individual actually involved in agriculture (Wilton Simpson) as Ag Secretary after the queen of marijuana stepped aside for her ill-fated run for governor. Pinellas’ District 13 Congressional seat is up for grabs with Charlie Crist deserting the seat for yet another try at Tallahassee. Neither District 13 candidate creates a great deal of enthusiasm among voters – same for several of the State House seats. And for Clearwater voters, there is a significant down ballot item that would bring massive changes to the city’s bayfront. Supporters can only hope they have done a good enough job of selling the project as most down ballot items get a no vote if the electorate is not sure of what they are voting for.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Election commentary from the 5:05 Newsletter: National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Russia has promised not to interfere with U.S. elections this fall. In a related story Lucy has promised to hold the football steady for Charlie Brown.

Honest, he asked this – Charlie Crist asked Ron DeSantis if he were elected, would he (DeSantis) serve a full four year term as Governor? This comes from an office-hopping politician, who recently resigned from the US House to focus on the governor’s race leaving District 13 with no representation.

Don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour this coming weekend and to pen a nice note to your Congressman telling them to get this time thing fixed or to start looking for a job in two years. Oh wait, if you live in District 13, you don’t have aCongressman (see above).

We don’t make up this stuff – a mom and her dreadlock kid are challenging a JROTC policy concerning hair length. Folks, this is a quasi-military organization, not a basketball team. Good luck with those locks in basic training.

The world is passing us by. We have a 4x6 index card lined down the middle with two dozen user names and passwords for various stuff. After entering all this and our DOB; we are then asked if we want to receive a text (what’s a text?) or a call with a six digit authenticator code. Good grief!

This week in 1948 (November 2) – Stop the presses; Dewey does not defeat Truman for the Presidency.

Sports, media and other stuff:

Great Balls of Fire – legendary rocker Jerry Lee Lewis passes away at age 87.

Bucs drop home game to the Ravens plus two in a row to teams with a combined 4-10 record. The Belleair Road sign guy is not happy.

The Astros are the favorite in the World Series, but we can’t help but remember how a lineup similar to Phillies (the Braves) demolished the Houston pitching staff last year. Stay tuned.

It says something about the legitimacy of the so-called ghost runner that the rule is dropped in every phase of post season baseball.

With NCAA basketball about to tip off this week, there is talk of expanding the post season beyond the current 68 teams. Why?

Factoid: only Charlotte and Akron have worse records (1-7) than USF among the 131 Division 1 football teams.

Before TV personalities say something stupid on the air, they need to remember we all have a remote right by our side and approximately 2000 channels to choose from.