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.

Gasoline prices – don’t liberals get it?

Good old Joe, the friend of the downtrodden, or is he? Joe and his merry band don’t seem to get it that rising gas prices have a greater effect on the folks he allegedly is trying to help than any other class of people. The idle rich treat gas prices as pocket change. We in the middle class whine a bit, but maybe forego a couple Starbuck visits a month. For the folks near the poverty line, it becomes a contest between a few gallons of three dollar gas, food, insurance or the rent. Food is becoming no bargain either, but those prices are hidden on the shelves of grocery stores and not displayed with large signs on the highway. Yet, nobody in the Biden White House seems to care that gas is up nearly 35 per cent in the few short weeks Joltin’ Joe and crew have been in office. We have no doubt the Obama $3.50 a gallon prices are just around the corner further strangling low wage earners unless somebody in the Biden administration wakes up.

Great Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

1. Breaking news from the White House – Biden picks Harris to deal with border crisis. In a related note, Bucs pick Hillsborough JV coach to manage their defense.

2. A reason to smile even if you’re already feeling the oppression of the government by executive order regime – you will not wake up in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, LA, DC or Seattle tomorrow morning.

3. Yes, we know they are suing or threatening to sue everybody in sight, but if you were a state or local official responsible for buying new voting equipment, would you buy from Dominion Voting Systems? "The lady doth protest too much, me thinks."

4. Hunter Biden’s “memoir” is due out next month. Kind of doubt we’ll read it. We are more looking forward to Bill Stevenson’s book which has been inexplicably delayed.

5. USPS searching for a word that rhymes with mail that describes a creature slower than a snail.

Sports, media and other stuff:

6. From the latest edition of the 5:05 Newsletter: Biden stumbles going up steps to Air Force One; Harris briefly sworn in between fifth & sixth step.

7. Major League Baseball kicks off this week with all 30 teams playing on April 1. In the past, opening day was reserved for the games of its oldest team – the Cincinnati Reds. Another tradition that has bitten the dust – but we do have the runner on second in extra innings!

8. Incredible stat: three of this week’s Opening Day starters are from the same high school. The school is LA’s Harvard-Westlake and the starters are the Card’s Jack Flaherty, the Braves’ Max Fried and the White Sox’ Lucas Giolito. And yes, they all pitched there at the same time. We went to a fairly large high school and can only think of two pitchers who even made it to the major leagues.

9. 36 years ago this week in their April 1^st issue, Sports Illustrated ran a feature article on pitching phenom Sidd Finch and his 150 mph fastball.

10. In this last week of Lent, we offer a final fasting suggestion from Pope Francis – “Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.”

The top vocal groups of the 50s

At the end of each month this year, we are focusing on the top recording artists who made those records we bought as teens and young adults. This month, we focus on the top recording groups of the 50s. Topping the list on the strength of number one hits like Twilight Time, The Great Pretender and My Prayer were the Platters. They were followed in order by The McGuire Sisters, Bill Haley and the Comets (Rock Around the Clock), The Four Lads, The Everly Brothers, Four Aces, The Diamonds ( Little Darlin’) Ames Brothers, Fontaine Sisters and the Chordettes (Mr. Sandman). Like the male and female singers featured in our end of month “1950s countdowns” in January and February, there is a mix of pop and rock and roll in the top ten.

NEXT WEEK: Achmed predicts; Economic indicator; Biden in ’24!

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