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

Remembering when you could trust the media

If you have some age on you, you remember The Clearwater Sun, The Tampa Tribune, even the afternoon Tampa Times. You also remember when the Associated Press (and the UPI) when they were news gatherers for local Radio and TV along with the newspaper. The three respected papers are now history replaced by one of the four or five most left leaning newspapers in the country. The AP is now also a Democratic apologist witnessed by their recent recap of the first year of Biden failures, all of which they blame on others. There has to be a time when Biden is held accountable for his many missteps. Apparently, the American public is doing some accounting with Biden earning a 33 per cent approval rate in the recent Quinnipiac poll. Unfortunately, these numbers are lost on the AP or our local newspaper.

Great Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

As we begin Year Two of the Biden administration, this thought from the 5:05 Newsletter: “Can we all just agree that in the past 30 years we may have taken this “anyone-can-grow-up-to-be president” thing a bit too far?”

Point to ponder, courtesy of one of our Focus Group members: If the federal government can force you to take a vaccine, can the government force you to carry a baby with a heartbeat to term? Just asking.

Biden apparently set to fill soon to be vacated Breyer seat with a Black woman regardless of other factors - sort of a Rooney rule in reverse. Either way, we trade off a liberal for what we hope will be no worse than a liberal.

As Hillsborough County adds the 656 area code, you’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you remember when Pinellas shared the 813 area code with Hillsborough.

THIS WEEK IN 1933: WXYZ RADIO IN DETROIT AIRS THE FIRST EVER EPISODE OF “THE LONE RANGER”.

Lighter stuff:

Tough, tough loss. The now retiring Tom Brady was vintage Tom Brady in the second half. Unfortunately, he does not play in the Bucs secondary.

We’re going to miss the voice and enthusiasm of Dick Vitale for the rest of the college basketball season. Vitale is sidelined due to some serious issues with his vocal cords.

A disappointing Hall of Fame outcome with the voters giving a one-dimensional player a first ballot entry; that honor should be reserved for two dimensional players like Aaron, Clemente and Mays. Equally disappointing was the Hall’s rejection of the outspoken Curt Shilling, a victim of the era’s cancel culture. Not surprising, considering the traditional leftward bent of writers.

This week we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Laugh In co-host Dick Martin. You bet your sweet bippy!

Sports quote of the week from veteran baseball writer Jason Stark: “The players and owners are not even talking about the one issue that might matter most to fans, rules adjustments intended to improve the on-field product. Nope, sorry. It’s about money. It’s always about money. No matter how anyone frames it, no matter what anyone says.”

Sports numbers of the week: 26-3: the career record of future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger against the Cleveland Browns, the team that passed over the Ohio native in the 2004 NFL draft.

Seen on a T-shirt: “To save time, let’s assume I know everything.”

Focus Group’s dream destinations

Our first question of 2022 for our elite Focus Group was to name three things in the United States they have not seen that they would like to see. The first response from an original Focus Group member included the Northern Lights, the Grand Canyon and, not satisfied with her hundred some trips to Walt Disney World, she would like to visit the original – Disney Land. Since our second responder is married to the first, he gets a cheat on the Grand Canyon along with his trio of Pearl Harbor, the USAF boneyard in Arizona and Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose out in Oregon. One of our newer Focus Group members would like to see Niagara Falls, New England states Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire and one of America’s greatest landmarks – Mount Rushmore. Pearl Harbor was also on the list of things to see of another Focus Group member who also listed the famous Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio which has been in operation for over 150 years along with the storied Alcatraz Prison in San Francisco Bay. Mount Rushmore, the brain child of South Dakota historian Doane Robinson, also occupies the list of another of our Focus Group. He adds the Flight 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania and the Grand Canyon to his bucket list. Last but not least, our western most member wants to go further west and visit Alaska, the expanse of the Dakotas and Montana plus, like another member, view the Northern Lights – which would tie in with her Alaskan trip as Fairbanks is considered the best place in the U.S. to view the Northern Lights.

UP NEXT: Buying Boardwalk; ESPN & Baseball; Candy bars

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