Tampa Bay Raves and Rants is a weekly airing of national and local politics, sports, lifestyles and nostalgia items from a very politically incorrect viewpoint. As always, beware - much of what is printed here should not be taken literally.

Biden missing a chance to make a difference

We have to admit we are already tired of hearing Joltin’ Joe say help is on the way. If Joe truly wants to do something positive for his country, he will get on the phone to Schumer, Pelosi and McConnell and tell them to forget about the pointless impeachment of Donald Trump. It is taking up time and effort better directed at easing some of the country’s ills. Further, many constitutional scholars say it is meaningless now that President Trump has left office. Biden can sit back with his clueless grin and say there is nothing he can do. Nonsense, three polite, but firm, calls can get this done and then he and Congress can get “help on the way” if that’s his genuine intent and not just a bunch of rhetoric.

Great Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

1. While Joltin’ Joe is signing executive orders as fast as his aged hands permit, one that needs to go to the head of the line is requiring proof of residency to get a COVID-19 shot that channels Florida’s. Americans don’t mind standing in line behind the endangered elderly, first responders and school teachers, but they should not wait a nanosecond for folks who slip across state or national borders. Get busy, Joe!

2. Related to our lead article: the new head of the Small Business Administration is Isabel Guzman, who has spent the last fifteen years running a small business. No, you would think that. She has actually spent the last decade and a half at the public trough. Nice pick, Joe. Now about your Transportation Secretary who was mayor of a town smaller than Clearwater. It’s about qualifications sir.

3. To name the Pinellas County Courthouse after long time prosecutor Bernie McCabe seems like a good idea. To name it jointly after McCabe and trailblazing Pinellas County Public Defender Robert Jagger who passed away last year seems an even better idea.

4. Idle thought – there should be some sort of requirement that computer nerds while designing websites we need to navigate have a real person looking over their shoulder saying, “not everybody out there is a computer nerd.”

5. He touched thousands of lives in both Pinellas and Hillsborough counties with his spirituality and Scottish brogue and humor. Father Eric Hunter who first came to Clearwater’s Light of Christ Church from his native Scotland and went on to be a guiding light in four other parishes for nearly fifty years, passed away earlier this month at age 76. His last pastorate was at St. Brenden’s Catholic Church on Island Estates.

Sports, media and other stuff:

6. We guess we would be more upset about Google and some others removing Parler – if we knew what Parler was.

7. They may have a billionaire owner with lots of money to throw around, but the Mets are still the Mets firing their GM after 37 days on the job for very inappropriate images sent to a female reporter five years ago. This comes after firing their manager before he managed a game last year. Good job of vetting, guys.

8. The answers – Elvis Presley, Elton John and Michael Jackson. The question: who were the top selling male artists of the 50s, 60s (both Elvis), 70s (Elton) and the 80s (Michael)?

9. Born 100 years ago this week was one of America’s sweethearts, Donna Reed, the co-star of It’s A Wonderful Life and star of her own sitcom that ran eight seasons and made teenage stars out of Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen.

10. You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you indulged in an adult beverage at the Gas Buggy Lounge in the pre-Scientology Fort Harrison Hotel.

Baseball loses two more greats

Mention the number 755 to a baseball fan and the immediate response is Hank Aaron, the beloved Milwaukee/Atlanta slugger who passed away last week at age 86. The first number was, of course, 715 – the number where he passed another baseball immortal and home run hitter Babe Ruth. It was tougher for Hank than the Babe who set the major league career record when he hit his 125^th home run. And then there were the racial issues – threats, slurs and things the Babe did not experience. You tend to forget that this great player played an integral front office role in turning the hapless Braves into the winningest NL franchise over the past thirty years. He was one of the ten greatest players of all time. Earlier in the week, baseball experienced a second significant loss with the passing of 75-year-old Hall of Famer Don Sutton. As brilliant as he was on the mound (324 wins), his star shined just as bright in the broadcast booth. Sutton never missed a start in his MLB career and he trails only Nolan Ryan and Cy Young in the number of major league starts. It’s amazing that Sutton is considered the Dodger’s third best pitcher all time, but when the other two are named Koufax and Drysdale – third isn’t all that shabby.

NEXT UP: Energy crisis coming; Tampa Bay’s bands; 50’s Best

Again, we thank James Foster of Right Click Computer Consultants in Clearwater for dealing with our log-in problems of a couple weeks ago. James and his company are simply the best.

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