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.

Clearwater and the Phils

Only one relationship between a major league team and its spring training host city goes back further (Lakeland-Tigers) than the relationship between the Philadelphia Phillies and Clearwater. The Phils have trained here since 1948 – first at Green Field, then at Jack Russell Stadium and now at the multi-named stadium on US19. It’s still a burr in our saddle that at least some segment of that stadium is not named for Jack Russell, Sr. – Clearwater’s Mr. Baseball. But we leave that for another time. As the majority of the City Council and the Phils meet this weekend, a couple of things to remember: First, there are not a bunch of cities clamoring for a major league club to play less than 20 games a year in a multi-million dollar stadium. The Phils contract with the city runs out in 2023. Clearwater has the upper hand here for the reason above and the fact that a lot of Phils’ execs have roots here (family ties, homes etc.) that they would be hesitant to give up. Lastly, less than three years is a mighty short time to cut a deal with another city either in Florida or Arizona (where the Phils certainly don’t want to go). Another side note: Council member Kathleen Beckman is embarrassing herself with her pouty refusal to make the trip to Philly. She claims it constitutes a conflict of interest, which is ridiculous. Several council members over the years have avoided any conflict by simply paying for the trip’s expenses rather than not meet with one of the city’s important stakeholders.

Great Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

So protecting the rights of the unborn is “Un-American”. Thanks Joe, we’ll remember that.

Another “accomplishment” of the Biden administration: over the just completed Labor Day weekend, gas was up 95 cents a gallon from a year ago.

Happy Birthday to Governor Ron DeSantis, who at age 43 is the youngestGovernor in the nation.

The Biden administration has announced another $5.8 billion in student loan forgiveness. And who pays for this? Sadly for the most part, it’s responsible folks who paid off their student loans years ago.

Answer: Grover Cleveland. Question: who is the only U.S. President to serve two non-consecutive terms? Many hardcore Trump supporters think he will be the next. Others think he has the political future of Warren G. Harding.

Another insight from the semi-official 5:05 Newsletter: Sure, streaming subscriptions are just as expensive as cable, but you also get to remember 18 different passwords.

Sports, media and lighter stuff:

We all wanted him around to announce our 100^th birthday. Willard Scott, a staple on the Today show, passed away last week 13 years short of his 100^th birthday.

The top movie this month 50 years ago was the Charlton Heston thriller The Omega Man.

Two names to remember: Max Scherzer and Bob Buhl. The first name you surely know – a guy headed for the Hall of Fame – as a pitcher - as a hitter, not so good. He’s appeared at the plate 53 times this year and has yet to reach base. But he will probably fall short of fellow pitcher Bob Buhl’s mark with the 1962 Cubs and Braves. Buhl went 0-70 that season – although he did reach base a few times via bases on balls.

As we move away from hot weather in the not so distant future, this idle question: Did you ever have a summertime lemonade stand as a kid? They were always hard to pass up.

A question occurred while surveying the salad dressing in the refrigerator: Is there really a Ken’s Steak House? And the answer is yes in Framingham, MA. Like the former Farmer Boy’s in Clearwater, Ken’s has spun off their dressings – some 60 of them!

You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember the Boy Scout Hut on North Highland Avenue, just east of the Clearwater Country Club.

Florida takes a swipe at Ben and Jerry’s

Sooner or later, businesses with a far left agenda will realize their pushing liberal (or worse) causes have consequences. Ben and Jerry’s decision not to sell their product on the West Bank (TBR&R 7/25/21) has created multiple pushbacks including here in Florida. Our state’s retirement plan could drop the ice cream company’s parent Unilever from state investments and contracts. Some have termed the corporate giant’s actions Anti-Semitic. The company has throttled back a bit from its initial position due to the backlash from several quarters, modifying its first comments about not operating in war-won lands when it was pointed out that its home state of Vermont is, indeed, a “war-won land.” Governor Ron DeSantis summed up the state’s position best saying “there is nothing progressive about boycotting the only democracy in the Middle East.”

UP NEXT: More free stuff; Pancakes; Memories of the mouse

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