A weekly look at the Tampa Bay area and national politics from a conservative viewpoint – plus a helping of sports and lifestyle items. Warning: not everything printed here should be taken at face value!

Another hit for Tyndall AFB

Your humble blogger’s first permanent station in the Air Force was Tyndall AFB in Panama City. We weren’t there long because we had this little dispute going on in Southeast Asia. But we were there long enough to realize how vital the air base was to Panama City. Here, we have MacDill but we also have several universities, numerous corporate headquarters and three professional sports teams. Panama City’s second largest enterprise was probably Tommy Thomas Chevrolet. Adding insult to injury, the ravaged base was hit by a tornado last week. There are significant strategic aspects to Tyndall, but even more importantly the some 40,000 people in Panama City (which doesn’t include the military population)  depend on the base and its spinoffs for their livelihoods. Florida and the federal government need to get it back on line as quickly as possible.

Great Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

1. The incredibly distressing admissions blunder by USF points out again why the university needs to be under one umbrella. The Tampa campus has safeguards against such missteps – the St. Pete campus obviously not.

2. Tip a stewardess? The average flight attendant (to be politically correct) makes just south of fifty grand a year.

3. Don’t you wish Pelosi and Trump would grow up?

4. Kamala Harris announces she is running for President in 2020. And 97% of Americans say “Who?”

5. In a related note, this report from the 5:05 Newsletter: The DNC said it has narrowed down its potential 2020 presidential field to pretty much every Democratic politician ever, all of whom believe Trump will be vulnerable in 2020, as confidently predicted by the many DNC expert political observers who also confidently predicted Hillary Clinton's presidency.

Sports, the media and other stuff:

6. Two thoughts from the NFC Championship game. It is inexcusable for such an important game to be decided by a blunder by the officiating team – a team that should never officiate another playoff game. And Alvin Kamara is the most underrated player in the NFL.

7. Little to argue about with this year’s Hall of Fame inductees. Both “Mo” Rivera and “Moose” Mussina were on our ballot. We conceded that Edgar Martinez would make it, although we don’t feel one-dimensional players belong in the Hall. As for Roy Halladay, he would have been on our ballot next year, just didn’t have him as a first ballot guy like Rivera this year and Jeter next.

8. You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember when the Phils trained not at Spectrum Field or Jack Russell Stadium but Green Field across Greenwood Avenue (now MLK) from Jack Russell.

9. This week marks the 100^th anniversary of the birth of pioneering major leaguer Jackie Robinson.

10. Put a sawbuck on the Patriots for us this coming weekend.

A good baseball book to get you to P & Cs

It’s still another few weeks until pitchers and catchers report. What’s a fan to do? A good baseball book will get you through at least part of the barren weeks ahead. Try The Baseball Codes by Jason Turbow. It deals with knowing when and when not to steal (usually a five run lead); not bunting for the first hit of the game; when a hitter deserves a plunking and just general respect for the game. And how the consummate pro, Brooks Robinson, was fined by the Oriole’s Kangaroo Court for winning the MVP of the 1970 World Series – the charge showboating. It’s a solid book on the many nuances of the National Pastime.

Up Next: Waiting ‘til after 6; “Characters”; Trying to fix stupid

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