Established in 2014 and published weekly, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of national and local politics, sports, lifestyles and historical notes from a very politically incorrect viewpoint. As always, beware - some of what is printed here should not be taken literally.

First thing on our mind:

Cause for celebration. Capogna’s officially re-opened last Wednesday.

Leading off: Necessary job cuts

Much has been made of job cuts in the federal government. One large target is the Center for Disease Control – and with good reason. The CDC significantly ramped up during COVID, rightfully so. But COVID is behind us and the nearly 1000 job cuts make sense. No job lasts forever. There are now fewer darkroom techs, linotype operators and service station attendants as technology marches forward. Who knows what jobs won’t exist in another decade or two? Some guesses are telemarketers, watch and clock repair people and legal secretaries. Right now, post COVID, we just don’t need 13,000 people milling around the CDC anymore.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

Related to our opener: Don, take whatever you and Elon save and apply it to the national debt. Forget about Bidenesque checks to citizens. We’d rather our children, grandchildren and their children not be saddled with so much debt.

A much better Tuesday night – being treated to one of our favorite homemade meals and watching a taped baseball game instead of long winded speeches followed by watching MSNBC and Fox duke it out.

Did you know you could take your tax refund in Series I savings bonds? Neither did we. The option was dropped by the IRS at the beginning of the year.

Related: those cuts at the IRS have really harmed the agency. We got our refund back in exactly one week.

CHS grad and former astronaut Nicole Stott will have her image placed on the moon along with that of Charlie Duke, who walked on the moon in 1972. It’s all part of a Lodestar mission that launched late last month.

This week, we say goodbye to Grace, the smiling face we have so enjoyed while checking out at our neighborhood Publix. After many years, she is retiring to Tennessee.

Jo Ann Tilley, a Pinellas County native and long time teacher at both Clearwater and Countryside High Schools, passed away last week at age 92.

And we lost a friend of over thirty years with the passing of Steve Guss. Among his many talents, he was an incredible photographer. We give our condolences to his wife, Susan.

This week in 1954, (March 13) Braves outfielder Bobby Thomson breaks his ankle and is replaced by rookie Henry Aaron. The rest, as they say, is history.

Sports, media and other notes:

Lenten message from the editorial offices of the 5:05 Newsletter: I have for the past many years always given up my New Year’s Resolutions for Lent. This year I have decided to give up self-control entirely. 

The nation’s largest liner, the S.S. United States is now in Mobile, Alabama after an 1800 mile tow from the dock in Philadelphia. After about six months of prep, it will become the world’s largest artificial reef off the Florida panhandle.

Song of the week: Send In The Clowns.

Pawn Stars is on “hiatus” after some 700 episodes on the History Channel. Frankly, we didn’t know it was still on the air. The History Channel has pretty much lost its way over the years with very little history.

Factoid: For the first time in the NBA, three point shots are accounting for more scoring than two-pointers.

Our favorite baseball number of the season involves Reds’ second year man Rece Hinds. Like most second year players, he was allowed to cast off his rookie number 77. He did it with a flourish. He is now Rece Hinds 57.

You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember when the NE corner of Cleveland Street and Myrtle Avenue was occupied by Chick Smith Ford.

One last thing: Some half-million words later

This edition comes along exactly 11 years after the first (3/9/14) version of Tampa Bay Rants and Raves. It’s been fun and even after 11 years, we never run out of things to write, thanks to our politicians, sports figures and various odd ducks. We like to think of ourselves as an antidote (a headache tablet if you will) to the migraines caused by Rachel Maddow, The St. Pete Times, Elizabeth Warren and other various and sundry pains in the neck and elsewhere. At the 11 year mark, we continue to thank you for playing along.

UP NEXT: El Camino; NL projections; Who shot JR?

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