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.

Ron for President?

For many of you, the primaries in Florida will be over by the time you read this and we’ll opine on them next week. This week, we look at the growing phenomenon that is the DeSantis for President movement. The three-term U.S. Representative and current Governor actually leads most “if not Trump” polls. And, of more importance, he captured our prestigious TBRR Focus Group poll a few months back (see disclaimer above). His first priority, of course, is to beat his Democratic challenger in November. If he accomplishes that, the Ron for President chatter should increase in volume. He represents an alternative for the “anybody but Trump” wing of the Republican Party. But will he run? We say probably yes as the window for him won’t ever be larger. And telling is DeSantis’ continuing to dodge questions about supporting Trump in 2024. Can he beat Trump if the Donald runs? The answer to that one is a bit dicey, but we have a year or so for things to sort themselves out for Governor Ron.

Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

Another misstep for Clearwater city manager Jon Jennings in attempting to walk back a long standing agreement between the city and the PSTA to build a much needed new transportation hub at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Court Street. The city council unanimously overruled Jennings with Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard saying communications between Jennings and the council, “sucked.”

It appears that the answer to Florida’s teacher shortage lies in the middle of the country where the contract between the teachers union and the Minneapolis school district specifies that White teachers will be laid off before teachers of color, regardless of their seniority. Hey teachers, while Minneapolis might have a surplus, we have plenty of openings and the climate, in all ways, is a heck of a lot better!

Idle question: does anybody look good in this Mar-a-Lago mess?

Related note: we’re not sure there will be the “massive backlash” in the mid-terms over the FBI raid that Trump predicts, but it still doesn’t look good for Democrats (or as we and others predicted, Liz Cheney) seeking or defending seats in Congress.

Military news from the 5:05 Newsletter: China launched a new aircraft carrier last month. It is the first to be designed and built entirely by the Chinese. The flight deck includes two Panda Express restaurants, two dry cleaners, a massage parlor and a Nike shoe factory.

This week in 1904 (August 23) the automobile tire chain is patented. Sales have been sparse in the bay area over the years.

Sports, media and other stuff:

We wish belated Happy 95^th birthdays to former First Lady Rosalynn Carter (August 18) and to one of the neatest people we know, our friend Jimmy Stinchcomb (August 15).

So what’s up with all the Tom Brady drama?

The Florida Gators kick off their season in a of couple weeks. Then comes basketball in a season of big changes for UF with new head coaches Billy Napier and Todd Golden taking over the school’s two biggest athletic programs.

We never hear him because he doesn’t travel to Florida, but Phils’ PA announcer Dan Baker has worked for the club for 50 years, and it’s estimated he has announced the name of 20 percent of all players in history. By the way, the local Phils’ PA announcer is Don Guckian who just hung up the mic after 31 years dating back to Jack Russell Stadium.

We hate to see a good baseball man like Chris Woodward dismissed from the Texas Rangers – another case of the manager taking the fall for front office missteps. But there was sweet justice two days later when their head of baseball ops, Jon Daniels, also walked the plank.

The Atlanta Braves may not repeat as World Champs this year, but you have to like their chances in the years ahead. They just locked up super rookie Michael Harris II for eight years. He joins first baseman Matt Olson, second baseman Ozzie Albies, third baseman Austin Riley and right fielder Ronald Acuna, Jr. as stars under contract for five years or more.

Idle thought: Remember the show The Six Million Dollar Man? Nowadays, that’s the price of a utility infielder.

You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you ever ate at the lunch counter in Woolworth’s on Cleveland Street.

The chronicler of American history

One of those moments of absolute bliss we recall was sitting in the glassed-in lobby of a hotel in Alaska with a hot chocolate, an incredible view of Mt. McKinley outside and an excellent book in our hands. The book, our companion on the Alaska trip, was David McCullough’s John Adams. It was just the kind of book you wanted by your side on such a journey, but then McCullough wrote no other kind of book from his biographies of Adams, TR and Harry Truman to landmark events like the building of the Panama Canal and the Brooklyn Bridge. McCullough, who died last week at age of 89, was a master story teller of the American experience.

NEXT UP: Primary results; MLB Update; Lunch for three

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