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!

The cashless Trop (what could possibly go wrong?)

The Tampa Bay Rays have announced that Tropicana Field will be “cashless” beginning this season. It starts when you hit the parking lot where instead of handing the attendant a ten or whatever it costs to park, you now must fork over a credit card. Can’t see how that will speed things up but when you’re only averaging 14,000 a game there aren’t that many cars. Inside no cash, that will be fun watching the vendors who are used to an $8.00 beer and “keep the change”. Baseball fans are an older crowd – particularly in Tampa Bay and a lot of them still carry cash and prefer to do so. If you don’t have a credit or debit card, you can buy cards in particular amounts. If you don’t use it all and don’t come back, the Rays are going to love you. But we really can’t wait for the night where a power outage or electrical storm renders the card taking devices useless. That will provide high entertainment. 

Great Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

1. Breaking news – after 23 years, the 5:05 Newsletter published its final regular edition last Thursday. What are we, Jack Harris and others going to use for material in the future?

2. Other than the sobering news above (never thought we’d see sober and 5:05 in the same space), this is the greatest week of the year. The reason, of course, is pitchers and catchers report this week!

3. Another new Apple product, another major problem. Wow, who saw that coming?

4. There is a proposal in the Democratic-controlled House to make Election Day a federal holiday. The idea sounds great except to those who have to absorb another paid holiday without offsetting revenues. This is typical of a body of people who have not had to make many payrolls over the years.

5. The 5:05 Newsletter is tracking the actions of the Dem’s new superstar: U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is calling for a 70% income tax and compared herself to Abraham Lincoln. An old tape came up of her dancing on a bar table in college. A lot of table dancers compare themselves to Lincoln with all the five-dollar bills that get stuffed in their pants.

Sports, the media and other stuff:

6. This week marks the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Tennessee Ernie Ford, bless his pea picking heart.

7. Would the Saints have given the Pats a better game? Yes, and the reason in two words – Drew Brees.

8. We are, by no stretch, Patriots fans, but name us one coach in history better than Bill Belichick.

9. You might want to check out the website K Zone. It’s been running a fascinating series on how major league teams got their names.

10. Related to our first item, while pitchers and catchers go at it, our baseball soothsayer and former ticket taker at St. Pete’s Beaux Arts Theater, Achmed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) is preparing his can’t miss baseball predictions for the end of March.

Ode to Frank Robby

It’s difficult to label a Hall of Famer underrated, but too many take the incredible career of Frank Robinson for granted. Judged as “an old 30” by the Reds’ front office, he was traded in 1966 to the Orioles where he promptly won the MVP – the only player to ever win the MVP in both leagues. He was also the World Series MVP that season. Later, he became the first Black manager in the majors with the Cleveland Indians. He was a first ballot Hall of Famer and his number 20 uniform number has been retired by three organizations – the Reds, Orioles and Indians. There was little else for Frank Robinson to accomplish.

Up next: Tampa’s mayoral race; 100 years in business; Girl Scout cookies;

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