We are a weekly compilation of local and national notes along with a smattering of sports, history and the oft-borrowed piece of wisdom from the 5:05 Newsletter – all from a politically incorrect slant.

First thing on our mind:

Now that the World Cup is over, may we please have Channel 13 back?

Leading off: Private versus public

The recent scrum between the Pinellas County athletic director and St. Pete Catholic has resurfaced some old as the hills issues. The Pinellas athletic director claims St. Pete Catholic is recruiting and pretends that doesn’t go on in public schools. It was happening back in the sixties when this old goat was in high school. We had a friend who transferred from our school (CHS) to Dunedin High to “take a Shakespeare course.” It had nothing to do with Dunedin’s baseball prowess and the fact he was perhaps the best pitcher in the county. And the our local bi-weekly makes the lame contention that 500,000 students who attend private schools in Florida receive state money, conveniently forgetting that the parents of those students pay taxes that make up that “state money.” Further, should those parents suddenly decide to pull all their kids out of private schools and put them in public schools, the education system in Florida would collapse on itself day one. Cooler heads need to take over this issue and bring it to an equitable and quick resolution.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Fred Thomas, who grew a one warehouse operation into Pinch-a-Penny, the nation’s largest franchised pool supply and service chain, died last week at age 89. In addition to his business, he was very active in his community including a stint on the Clearwater City Commission in the 1990s.

Lindsey Graham was one of Donald Trump’s staunchest supporters and practically a nightly guest on FOX News. The South Carolina Senator passed away last week at age 71.

The recent congressional testimony of SCOTUS justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan make it crystal clear that more resources need to be directed to protecting members of our judiciary from crackpots who disagree with their decisions.

It appears the city of Clearwater has come to its senses and will pursue a new 30-year utility agreement with Duke Energy. One would hope St. Petersburg would follow in those tracks.

So much for a previously healthy salad.

We’re holding our breath as Congress, for about the 58^th time, considers making Daylight Savings Time permanent.

They make late afternoon errands trickier and the commute home from work tougher, but we welcome those recent afternoon showers – the “5 o’clock express” as they are often known.

Locales all over the country are reporting they did not get the anticipated economic bump from the World Cup.

Borrowed from the editor of the 5:05 Newsletter, and another really humorous guy: Nothing spoils a good story like the arrival of an eye witness - Mark Twain

This week in 1933 (July 22) Famous aviator Wiley Post becomes the first person to fly solo around the world. It took him just shy of eight days.

Sports and random notes:

Someone we’d like to meet: Splash, the Martin County Sheriff Department’s forensic otter.

Busch Garden’s Kumba roller coaster retires next month (Aug. 2) after a 33-year run.

Gosh, we missed the Espys – for the tenth year in a row.

Seen on a T-shirt: 6+4+3=2. It helps to be a baseball fan.

Despite leading their division, the Rays are third from last in home attendance above only Miami and the Athletics. Even more curious, they are dead last in road attendance.

Remember the name Victor Mederos and it could win you a bar bet someday. Last week, he became the first full time major league pitcher to get a hit since the universal DH rule began in 2022. And he knocked in two runs to boot in his first plate appearance since high school.

Topping the charts fifty years ago this week was the Starland Vocal Band’s Afternoon Delight. Side note: The Starland Vocal Band was fronted by singers/songwriters Bill and Taffy Danoff, the couple who also composed the song that was the rage of the U.S. soccer team and their fans – Take Me Home Country Roads.

One last thing: The Book of Sheen

A few weeks back, we mentioned to a young acquaintance we were reading Charlie Sheen’s 2025 autobiography, The Book of Sheen. She asked us if he were still alive, to which we replied, “With his lifestyle, he shouldn’t be.” But Sheen is still kicking at age 60 and chose last year to author The Book of Sheen. As a fan of his roles in Major League and Two and a Half Men, we gave it a read. Warning, you have to decipher all the Hollywood-ese to understand where he’s coming from, and we often couldn’t. The telling of his role in Platoon ran as long as the film’s script while short shrift was given to his other works. If you’re really into this guy, read it; if not, enjoy the reruns of Two and a Half Men - the first eight seasons only. It wasn’t the same after they justifiably fired him.

Next Week: Diesel fuel; Trade deadline; James Burrows

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