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.

Citrus County newspaper rubbish

So the Citrus County Commission doesn’t want to spend just south of three grand so their library patrons can read The New York Times on line. We’re okay with that as the vast majority of their library patrons won’t read it which makes it like ordering a bunch of books in Portuguese which few, if any, would read. Their problem with this financially responsible move came when they started up with the fake news clutter which lit the fuse of every liberal in Citrus County – we’re guessing there really aren’t that many. But what a brouhaha – even attracting the attention of “Florida’s Best Newspaper”. Brief sidebar – who needs The New York Times when you have the St. Pete Times? We’re guessing the library system doesn’t subscribe to The Santa Barbara News Press, arguably the most conservative daily in the county, so why New York’s “gray lady”? But the horse is out of the barn, and the Citrus Commission should probably fold its hand and move on to far more meaningful things.

Great Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

1. To our extreme embarrassment, we failed to note Veteran’s Day last week. Our sincere apologies to our fellow vets – and thanks to Perkins Pancake House, Publix and many others who showed their gratitude to vets. It was appreciated.

2. First the good news, the area is getting $1.4 billion to improve the I-4 and I-75 interchange in the years ahead. Now the bad news, the area is getting $1.4 billion to improve the I-4 and I-75 interchange. Imagine what fun that construction project is going to be.

3. “Florida’s Best Newspaper” dropped its local section last week – yet another ominous peek into its future. It is not yet on the widely publicized death watch of ten dailies which includes its tag team partner in south Florida – The Miami Herald.

4. Amidst the entire impeachment furor and everything else is the extreme oddity that Florida will have only one statewide race next year in an even numbered year and one ending in a zero to boot - doesn’t happen often.

5. You’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you were in the crowd at Al Lopez Field 56 years ago this week to hear President John F. Kennedy speak – just days before the tragedy in Dallas.

Sports, the media and other stuff:

6. There is only one legitimate response to the spying mess involving the Astros and that is to the clear the decks from the GM on down.

7. Hard to argue with the post season baseball awards although we frankly expected more voting for Anthony Rendon in the NL MVP contest. The guy had a monster year before an equally great post season.

8. As we go to press, the NHL has over twenty games under its belt – who noticed?

9. In our misspent youth, we occasioned the wrestling matches at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in Tampa, but we never saw anything like the donnybrook that broke out at the end of the Browns-Steelers game last week.

10. Idle thought: How many 32 year-old quarterbacks with a bum arm who didn’t take a knee get a special workout before NFL brass – and then openly sabotage it?

Tampa Bay football – a couple premature guesses

These two predictions are worth every dime you’re paying for it. First, the Bucs – come next September, their starting quarterback will be …. Jameis Winston. Who are the Bucs going to get who’s any better, unless by some miracle they could draft Joe Burrow from LSU and even then there’s the rookie learning curve. Trades won’t bring you anything unless you strip your roster and draft picks. As for Winston, unless we’re missing something, no team is going to be banging on his door. Across town, at USF, we have Charlie Strong. He has even a (pardon us) stronger case because he’s a proven winner with a 74-50 record at three Division I schools. He has a pretty hefty buyout and let’s face it; USF isn’t going to attract Nick Saban. Charlie Strong will be on the sideline at USF. Again, our predictions are shifting sand solid.
UP NEXT: 8 min. 36 sec.; Classic commercial turns 30; Next Plane to London

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