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

First thing on our mind:

The postseason begins and for those of us Rays, Braves, Cards, Pirates etc. fans, only 135 days until pitchers and catchers report.

Leading off: Easy answer to ethical question

We’ve probably told this story before. While serving as a minor elected functionary of municipal government some three decades back, your humble blogger and a high ranking staffer became privy to some news about a local company that would greatly increase its stock value. Oh so tempting! But we wisely passed. It appears that is not the case several levels of government higher, leading to Congressional calls for its members to put their investments in blind trusts or something similar. This should be the easiest call of the decade. But will it pass or will greed win out? We hope our representatives would vote on the side of the angels on this one.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

There is free speech and then there is a comment like this from former UF Professor Emeritus Jeffrey Harrison regarding the death of Charlie Kirk. “I did not want him to die,” he wrote. “I reserve that wish for Trump.” Because he lives in America, he only lost his Professor Emeritus title.

Factoid: Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest, is a two hour flight or less away from 80% of America’s population.

Idle thought: As you are being carted to the ER in an ambulance, it’s probably too late to consider taking up a running program.

As a consequence of the Ray’s ownership changes, attorney John Morgan has pulled out of Orlando’s expansion effort – a net plus for the national pastime.

A recent article on how pet friendly St. Pete’s Eckerd College is reminds us of how our daughter’s cat, Stormy, stood watch in her and her roommates dorm window during her undergrad and graduate years at the supposedly “no pets” University of Florida.

D.C. News from the 5:05 Newsletter: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer disagreed with President Trump’s crime assessment of Washington D.C., saying he has never once felt in danger walking the ten minutes it takes to get to his car, and neither have any of his ten member secret service detail.

This week in 1931 (October 4) the first Dick Tracy comic strip appears in The Detroit Mirror. Creator Chester Gould based the character on real life prohibition agent Eliot Ness. It still appears in 50 daily newspapers.

Sports, media and other notes:

First NFL quarterback change in this new season as the 0-3 Giants bench Russell Wilson for rookie Jaxson Dart. First head coach to walk the plank? Many eyes are on Atlanta.

Three weeks and three Division I coaches terminated at Oklahoma State, UCLA and Virginia Tech respectively.

Another veteran coach, Bruce Pearl, is leaving college basketball’s ever changing landscape. Pearl racked up 694 victories at Auburn and three other schools. His son, Steven, is taking over the program.

In The Athletic 136, Miami remains #2 and FSU #4. Despite a win, USF slides three spots to #25. The Gators drop four positions to #54. UCF is finally getting some props moving up ten to #66. The bottom feeders: FIU (120) and FAU (122). Ohio State remains #1 and UMass stays at 136.

Answer: Dodger reliever Eric Gagne. Question: who was the last reliever to win the Cy Young Award? Gagne won the award 22 years ago when he pitched to a microscopic 1.20 ERA in 77 appearances. By the way, the baseball writers who give out the big awards (Cy Young, MVP, and Rookie of the Year) will be instituting a Reliever of the Year beginning in 2026.

Idle thought: some really fine restaurants we haven’t visited (and need to) since before last year’s hurricanes - The Palm Pavilion, Heilman’s, Sweet Sage, Keegan’s and E&E Steakhouse to name just a few. We scratched the Columbia off the list a few weekends back – good as ever.

A tip of the cap to Spectrum’s Music Choice channels who have added even more variety to their offerings.

Idle thought: It’s hard to believe it was ten years ago when Gayle Sierens retired from Channel 8. Still miss her.

Observed on the Internet – “Some people aren’t just missing a screw; the whole toolbox is gone.”

One last thing: And the winner is…

In our January 2025 predictions, we forecast the Dodgers would make it two championships in a row. The emergence of the Milwaukee Brewers has made us less confident. We still think the winner will come from the National League, but it will not be the Phillies who can’t seem to win except in their home ballpark (fully 8 playoff teams have a better road record). The Padres – maybe; the Cubs just don’t seem ready for prime time. The Tigers have picked the wrong time to go flat. The Yanks, Blue Jays and Bosox all seem to have at least one critical flaw. That leaves the Mariners who could surprise everyone. The Brewers seem to be the best team, although funny things happen in the postseason, but for us, Milwaukee it is.

NEXT UP: Noel & Phyllis; Pro sports scandals; Things go better…

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