U.S. House race has potential to be truly bizarre

Potential Democratic challengers for U.S. Rep. David Jolly’s seat next year continue a trend of astonishing choices. In the first election, we had a carpetbagger from Hillsborough County; in the second - none after the Democrats organized a circular firing squad and this time, the potential challengers include yet another carpetbagger from Hillsborough (just not as well-known as the first) and a second recently arrived candidate who is still learning where Central Avenue is. A third potential candidate who has served in public office for what? – six months has backed off from a challenge for Jolly’s seat. One can only surmise, a few folks took her behind closed doors and explained what “no chance” means. Then there’s Charlie – never run an election without him. Charlie badly needs a win as he’s oh for his last three. Stay tuned, this should be fun.

Around the bay:

1. More on District 13: the only good thing that can come out of the courts juggling the district to make it more Democrat friendly is if they steal enough votes away from gerrymandered District 14 to put Rep. Kathy Castor on the unemployment line.

2. And also related, several local political wonks express great optimism in David Jolly’s Senate run. Wish we could join them. Jolly is a little too fresh out of the box to win statewide. Would love to see him prevail – particularly for what it would mean for the Bay Area, but as a betting man, would have to put my money elsewhere.

3. As the Hillsborough Public Transportation Commission, a child of decades ago smoke-filled backrooms and greased palms, continues to try to drive away Lyft and Uber as alternative transportation services, more and more influential people are saying the PTC is what ought to go away.

4. More transportation: Allegiant Air is about to make it easier for Bay Area residents to go walking in Memphis (apologies to Marc Cohn) adding two weekly non-stops to the city. But you wonder given the strains on the aging Allegiant fleet lately, is this a good time to be expanding routes?

5. You’ve lived in Clearwater for a long time if you remember Bob Weatherly, WTAN’s morning announcer and Bomber play by play man who later became the Mayor of the “Sparkling City”.

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. Sorry to see Ohio Governor John Kasich enter the GOP presidential race so late in the game. It won’t give him enough time to raise money and to differentiate himself from the pack of 15. And that’s sad, because he’s head and shoulders above about 90 per cent of the pack.

7. Our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) cite Boy Scout leaders being brow beaten into accepting gay troop leaders, our military brass being forced to accept transgender recruits and our president pardoning over forty “non-violent” drug pushers as sure signs we are nearing utopia in our great nation. (See disclaimer above)

8. Fill in the blank: If I were king ____________. For us it would be that every potential office holder had to have made a payroll once in their life. But then if you or I were king, there would be no need for office holders.

9. The NHL is “doing the dance” with Las Vegas (as well as Quebec City) regarding an expansion franchise. This brings up two questions – will a major (sort of) sport finally locate in Sin City and can you name a dozen NHL franchises if we spot you the original six?

10. Factoid, four of the last six Managers of the Year in the National League are currently unemployed (Black, Gibson, Davey Johnson and Tracy). Conversely, only one of the last six Managers of the Year in AL has been given the gate (Rod Gardenhire).

Next on the MLB manager hit list – John Farrell?

As mentioned here a couple weeks ago (RANTS June 21) you could easily predict that Bud Black was going to be the fall guy for a badly constructed San Diego Padres team. John Farrell could easily be next on the list. Coincidentally, Farrell, like Black, is one of only three ex-pitchers managing in the majors, the other being the Red’s Bryan Price. Also coincidentally, the problem is the same with Farrell as with Black, he is shouldered with a team comprised of three or four designated hitters trying to play defense. The Sox need to dump a no longer effective David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval before they dump a manager who gave them a World Series just three years ago.

How to win the 2016 presidential election – our version

We sincerely believe that a qualified candidate of either party could win the 2016 presidential election with one simple promise. It goes “Within three years of my election, I, with the cooperation of Congress, will completely disassemble the Internal Revenue Service and replace it with a smaller agency overseeing a flat tax with virtually no deductions”. (We would allow deductions for perhaps medical expenses and charitable giving, but we’re not married to that). The IRS is so inefficient and so corrupt; there is no good solution but starting over from ground zero and eliminating the bureaucracy and tax loopholes.

Around the bay:

1. In conjunction with the lead item, our Rants and Raves focus group (made up of three old, cranky people) has decided that none of them will seek the Republican presidential nomination joining approximately nine other members of the GOP in America.

2. Tale of two counties: Hillsborough County wisely continues their moratorium on “pain management” clinics while Pinellas drops theirs. Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri says the county is “virtually pill mill free”. Sheriff, we’ll give you the name, address and phone number of a pill mill operating in downtown Clearwater any time you want.

3. You can only have the greatest respect for Circuit Judge Pat Siracusa who has recused himself from the circus that is the Curtis Reeves murder trial.

4. Only in Clearwater – garbage collection to be pared down to once a week starting the first of the year, however rates will go up a dollar a month. Can yet another water rate increase be far behind?

5. You’ve really lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember the editorials in the Clearwater Sun by “Colonel Clearwater” (Jim Beardsley) - or even if you remember the Clearwater Sun.

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. We venture a guess that Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman will zoom to the top of the New York Times bestseller list as soon as the Times vets her political leanings.

7. Thanks to Keith Olbermann for his recent interview which reminded us of a fourth pitcher who should have been included in our reflection (RANTS – May 17) on pitchers whose potentially great careers were cut short. That fourth pitcher is Houston’s J. R. Richard whose brilliant career was ended by a stroke at age 30.

8. Speaking of Keith, one shouldn’t be surprised that KO has talked his way out of yet another job. He departs ESPN at the end of this month. He’s a talented guy, but sometimes, like many of us, doesn’t know when to shut up. He’ll land somewhere else (CBS, MLB?) but there aren’t too many more bridges left unburned.

9. Memo to baseball commissioner Rob Manfred: if you are truly concerned about the younger generation’s lack of passion for the game, start the marquee games (All-Star and World Series) more than an hour before their bedtime.

10. Count us as among the approximately seven people in America who doesn’t seem to be an authority on the Confederate flag.

MLB at the half way pole – a few surprises

Okay, everybody who thought Kansas City and Minnesota would be 1-2 in the American League Central Division and Houston would be leading the West at the All-Star break raise their hands. The Yankees leading a tight Eastern Division is no surprise nor is the Rays settling back to a sub-.500 pace. The National League is running pretty much as everyone predicted with the exception of the bizarre turn of events in Miami. Getting their superstar pitcher Jose Fernandez back is offset by the injury to offensive superstar Giancarlo (wasn’t Mike easier?) Stanton. Look for them to contend in ’16 if they decide to hire a real manager.

Clearwater loses one of its greatest characters – the Can Man

Every community has its share of good old fashioned characters (a term we use only in the most positive way). In Clearwater, Largo and environs, there have been people like the long time street preacher at the west edge of Cleveland Plaza; “Skater Dude” who entertains folks at the foot of the Memorial Causeway and elsewhere; and then there was the “Can Man”. Most people didn’t know David Rulison’s real name. He was either the “Can Man” or “Capt. Can”. David was a presence at the Clearwater Marina every night for a couple decades collecting aluminum cans from the fishing fleet when they returned from their day on the gulf and recycling them. He was very proud that his recycling had bought him several trucks over the years. David also had a day job – first with Morton Plant Hospital and more recently at the Sheraton Sand Key. But every night when he finished what was usually an eight hour day, he would head to the Marina for another two or three hours. David passed away last week at age 73, and Clearwater and the environment are a little worse off with his passing.

Around the bay:

1. Item: State of Florida to receive over three billion dollars from BP – the bay area well over thirty million. Spend it wisely.

2. “Florida’s best newspaper” recently took issue with Florida DOT’s heavy handed tactics that threaten to affect an area of Tampa Heights. Yet months earlier, they were strangely silent when the same heavy handedness threatened a job-creating shopping center in Pasco County (RANTS, 11/2/14). Regardless, the bureaucrats at DOT need much better oversight.

3. We mentioned the site “You know you grew up in old Clearwater” a few weeks ago prompting a couple inquiries. You apparently have to be on Facebook to access it – the only reason we’re on Facebook. But it’s a great site full of pictures and artifacts of the city in which many of us grew up. Ninety nine per cent of the posters are folks who, probably like you, cherish the memories of our city. The other one per cent, including the “Don’t post anything that offends me” lady, you can ignore.

4. A few weeks ago (RANTS, June 7) we tipped our cap to the Clearwater Gazette for their excellent articles on Clearwater’s birthday. Another publication, we would recommend is the Clearwater Beach Neighborhood News and their multi-part History of Clearwater. It’s now in its third installment and previous installments can be picked up on line.

5. Three more things we really miss: the Clearwater Beach Hotel, Aunt Hattie’s and the Philly Hoagie Shop.

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. Doesn’t seem like it, but it was 10 years ago this month that the last Ford Thunderbird rolled off the assembly line. The T-Bird was one of America’s truly iconic cars – particularly the 1955-57 and 2002-05 two-seaters.

7. A related note “borrowed” from a recent 5:05 newsletter: “BMW’s new Deluxe 7 Series will allow drivers to simply press a button on their key fob to make the car park itself. And because it's an expensive BMW, it will park itself across two spaces”.

8. Factoid: Bobby Bonilla just received a check for $1.19 million dollars from the New York Mets and will do so through 2035. He retired in 2001. Not to be outdone, Bruce Sutter just cashed his annual $1.12 million dollar check from the Atlanta Braves and will do so through 2021. Sutter retired in 1986!

9. A couple All-Star game thoughts. MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds has it right calling for a utility player much like former Ray, Ben Zobrist, to be named to each squad. And speaking of former Rays, how can you be fourth in hitting in your league, as is Yunel Escobar, and not get an All-Star spot?

10. Fifty years ago this week, riding the top of the charts in America was a song, which legend has it, was written at the pre-cult Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater – the Stone’s (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – the biggest hit of 1965.

More I-95 sports nonsense

There is a kid named Matz who has pitched less than a half-dozen games for those darlings of I-95, the Mets. Already some commentators, with a straight face, are comparing him to Babe Ruth and the rotation he is part of to the 50’s Indians, the 70’s Athletics or the 90’s Braves. The Mets rotation, in fact, isn’t the best in baseball; isn’t the best in the National League or even the best in their division but they play in New York! The Cardinals, the A’s, the Pirates, our Rays, the Dodgers and the Cubs all have better rotations by every statistical measure but none reside along I-95. Oh, and as of this writing, the overhyped Mets are a game over .500 and have a ways to go to match up with their press clippings.

Celebrate and cherish America’s independence!

Florida politicos: in the immortal words of the Silhouettes, get a job

This is a radical idea that will never go anywhere but it’s fun to contemplate. We, the voters of Florida, say thank you for your service to our many public servants telling them they have 16 (we could live with 12) years to do whatever they want to do in the public arena. You can be a county commissioner for 16 years or perhaps a county commissioner for eight years and serve in the Florida House for eight but then, alas, you have to find a real job - a lobbyist perhaps? So many politicians, about six months into their first or second term, start looking around for their next political world to conquer. The names Rubio, Buckhorn and Putnam come to mind. Problem is the job they were elected to do gets ignored while they seek to move on up. Just for kicks, we will make an exception if some two-term Florida governor wants to seek the White House. We’ll call it the Jeb exemption. Does it put Florida at a bit of disadvantage as far as Congressional seniority is concerned? Yes, but think of some of the empty suits we’d be clearing out with our 16-year rule. And who knows, maybe some other states would follow our lead and also eliminate the career politician. Real jobs can be fun guys and gals.

Around the bay:

1. In the same vein as our lead item, we don’t agree that often with former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, but his suggestion that there be term limits on U.S. Supreme Court justices makes all too much sense. Too often, we’ve seen justices stay into senility – right Ruthie? Give them long enough terms – say twenty years and stagger the terms so some president isn’t stacking the deck. But after twenty years, go write your memoirs.

2. Not all vetoes are bad. Governor Scott’s veto of $6 million to build a new 78-foot research vessel for the Florida Institute of Oceanography makes financial sense. Vessels that size can be built for less than half the number. The institute needs to come back to the state with a proposal to build a sensible research vessel – not a $6 million dollar floating Mercedes Benz.

3. Always remember that if someone uninitiated asks you what Clearwater is famous for, you don’t have to lower your head and mumble something about a cult. Instead, stand proud and declare we are the home of the very first Hooter’s Restaurant!

4. And on the same subject, Tampa International Airport decided not to include a Bloomin’ Brands (Outback, Carrabba’s etc.) restaurant in their upcoming renovation saying the Tampa-based chain had grown so big they lost the local flavor the airport was seeking. So Carrabba’s is being replaced by a P.F. Chang’s – now there’s some local flavor!

5. Three things we really miss – Siple’s Garden Seat, Maas Brothers and the Vinyl Museum. How about you? What three local things do you really miss?

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. Should New York Governor Andrew Cuomo be doing a victory lap when two escaped convicts made over a thousand New York law enforcement officers look like the Keystone Kops and his prison system proved to be riddled with corruption and incompetence?

7. As fireworks stands sprung up all over the county, our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) remembered when fireworks were shot off only on Independence Day - not on New Year’s, Thanksgiving and Groundhog Day.

8. The site Fan Sided Daily recently did a list of the 30 greatest starting pitchers of all time. From the era when we may have actually seen the pitchers (thereby eliminating Cy Young and Walter Johnson), the top five are, in order, Ryan, Maddux, Seaver, Carlton and Spahn. Hard to argue with the list, but we might lobby for Bob Gibson or Sandy Koufax – but at the expense of which of the five?

9. After reading your HB’s (humble blogger’s) rant on the mass media from last week, my oldest friend from college days reminds me I really didn’t major in Mass Communications in college but rather pinball machines and pizza (along with him). The truth hurts.

10. Factoid: Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826. James Monroe died exactly five years later making July 4 the day when the most U.S. Presidents have died. March 8 (Fillmore and Taft) and December 26 (Ford and Truman) have also experienced multiple presidential deaths.

The made in USA top five:

This is the weekend when a lot of oldies radio stations around the country run a “made in the USA weekend” featuring America’s top groups like the Beach Boys, Four Seasons and the Supremes. Since most of those stations focus on the sixties, we thought we’d give you the Top Five made in USA songs from that decade (the top two songs from the sixties were from a British group – the Beatle’s Hey Jude and, surprisingly, a Canadian orchestra leader – Percy Faith’s beautiful Theme from a Summer Place). But the top five USA songs from the sixties will also surprise you a bit. In order they are 1. Bobby Lewis’ Tossin’ and Turnin’ 2. The Monkees’ I’m A Believer 3. Heard it Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye 4. Aquarius by the 5^th Dimension and 5. Elvis Presley’s Are You Lonesome Tonight? Now there is a list with which you could win a lot of bar bets!

I-95 sports franchises “just a bit” overrated

Contrary to what the Keith Olbermanns, Jeremy Schaaps and Tony Kornheisers of the world would have you think, I-95 is not the center of the sports universe. Some casual research will tell you that I-95 teams have a total of nine championships to their credit in the four major sports over the past ten years - in other words, nine championships over a cumulative forty professional seasons. Take away Boston and the numbers are even worse. There have been no NBA championships despite having the Knicks, Celtics, Wizards etc. shoved down our throats. Only one hockey championship – hmm, that backwater Tampa Bay has that many. Baseball and football do a little better but again one community, San Francisco, has just one fewer pennant than the I-95 core combined and the city of Pittsburgh has half as many Super Bowl wins as I-95 inclusive. Then, of course, there are Indianapolis, Green Bay, Seattle and all those other unimportant cities. The point the ESPN and other talking heads don’t get is the ’27 Yanks are dead, so is Red Auerbach and it’s rumored that Broadway Joe has retired. And there are about a couple dozen other states where they play the sport – and win.

Around the bay:

1. Lot of turmoil in Hillsborough County about privatizing misdemeanor probations – bad idea. Pinellas was just as misguided in pulling their program away from a non-profit (Salvation Army) and trying to turn it into a county profit center on the backs of people they are impoverishing. Not sure which is worst, but neither is even close to good.

2. Sometimes you wonder what the founding fathers of certain institutions would think if they saw their corporate children today. For instance, what would Walt Disney think about 2015’s Disney World? Or George Jenkins about today’s Publix? Or Henry Ford about the Focus, the Mustang and the Taurus - just wondering.

3. Item: former Tampa police chief Jane Castor has changed party affiliations from Republican to Democratic. Are we the only ones who were surprised Castor was not already a “D”?

4. Hard to realize that summer officially began last week. Seems like it started the day we filed our taxes.

5. You’ve lived in Pinellas County a long time if you remember when they actually had packing houses in Largo – giving rise to its sport team’s nickname.

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. Hmm…just checking. Last we looked, Ray’s shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera was one point below the Mendoza line while the man he replaced, Yunel Escobar, was hitting a robust .316 for the Washington Nationals.

7. Remember how old you felt when there were no longer any major league ballplayers older than you? How about when there are no major league managers older than you?

8. David Ortiz recently pulled even with Stan Musial and Willie Stargell for career home runs. Difference is “The Man” and “Pops” were complete players patrolling the field virtually every day of their career as opposed to Ortiz’ four hacks then back to the clubhouse regimen.

9. Just thinking with the auto racing season at full throttle, has there ever been a greater race car driver than A. J. Foyt?

10. San Francisco is moving towards requiring some sort of warning on all print soda ads in the city - dangers of sugar, etc. They follow New York with its try at limiting the size of a soda you could buy in Gotham. Both these cities have far, far more pressing problems to deal with than sugary drinks.

When the media was a proud profession

Your humble blogger used to be proud of the fact that he held a degree in Mass Communications. As a young man, he looked up to people like David Brinkley and Vin Scully and Earl Nightingale. Today, you wonder what happened to that once proud profession. The airwaves are jammed with Rush Limbaugh, Rachel Maddow and Al Sharpton to name only three of the worst. On the print side, you have the spin doctors of St. Pete, the Washington Post and the once proud New York Times. Then there’s the laughable “PoliticaFact”, or whatever they call it, which only proves the old adage that figures don’t lie, but liars figure. So, for the rest of my life, let me just say I majored in junk bond manipulation in college. It seems a much nobler profession.

Re-directing the downtown library – good idea, just 15 years late

Clearwater city council member Doreen DiPolito recently floated a good idea – taking the structure that houses Clearwater’s downtown library and turning it into a combination of restaurants and retail. This made sense to a few city council members 15 years ago – at least the part of not putting a public building on one of the most valuable parcels in the city, but they could not overcome a vocal minority that insisted the library remain on the bluff even though other sites made more sense. We wish her well in her apparent one council member drive to put a referendum on the ballot to make this happen. But history has proven that many Clearwater residents, at least those who vote, resist the highest and best use of valuable tracts like the library site.

Around the bay:

1. Cooler heads prevailed last week and the Clearwater city council shut down any talk of a building moratorium along US 19. Good for them, but the question remains why did the council let staff get so far out in front of this issue when there was no support for such a move among our policy makers? Behind closed doors, certain city staffers should be reminded who makes policy for the city.

2. In another city note, it appears there are some options for the city and the Clearwater Historical Society to work out a costly storm water fee issue that threatens the group’s use of South Ward Elementary as a museum. Let’s hope so, as the marriage of the society and one of the city’s revered schools makes way too much sense.

3. Eric Seidel, who did a long stint as a consumer reporter at Channel 13, has entered politics. Media personalities tend to do well in politics but usually run for governing body-type seats. Seidel has chosen a rather crowded field for Hillsborough clerk of court – quite a challenge for a political newcomer.

4. Oh, about that new Mexican restaurant opening in the Clearwater Marina in May? Not quite, but we do have new signs out warning bikers and skateboarders to stay off the marina’s sidewalks. Oh, still no replacement for the popular Marina Diner which more people want than an upscale Taco Bell.

5. (Inspired by a recent post by George Miller, the keeper of the flame for “You know you grew up in old Clearwater” – a great site). You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you ate at either of the Morrison’s Cafeteria locations in downtown Clearwater. Incredible egg custard pie!

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. Quote of the week (sort of): “The gulf between employers and the employed is constantly widening and classes are rapidly forming, one comprising the very rich and powerful, while in another are the toiling poor”. From last week’s paper - not exactly, from Democratic President Grover Cleveland’s annual message to Congress in 1888.

7. Lester Holt will become the permanent chair on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams being offered some other job at the network. With Holt in command, the network continues to lead the network news race although ABC has won a few weeks (both before and after William’s departure) in the 25-54 demographic. For NBC it was a necessary move and it is, by no means, a downgrade.

8. Factoid: Last Sunday the Pittsburgh Pirates were 6½ games out of the Central Division lead in the NL, yet they would have been in first place in every division of the American League.

9. If we were a betting person, our money would be on one or two rogue employees, not very far up the food chain, in the St. Louis Cardinal front office being responsible for the Houston hacking.

10 Our crack sports prognosticator Achmed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) hasn’t been to the payoff window too often lately – predicting no Triple Crown and a quick exit for the Lightning in the playoffs. But Achmed redeemed himself when his NBA playoff pick, the Warriors, took the checkers.

Bud Black’s firing: you could see it coming

At the first of the year (Rants, January 4), we commented on the very uncomfortable position San Diego Padre manager Bud Black was occupying. The team spent tons of money, unwisely, in the offseason bringing in three designated hitters to play a cavernous outfield in Kemp, Myers and Upton. They later added B.J. Upton who has hit .198 over the last two seasons but at least can catch the ball in the outfield along with baseball’s top reliever Craig Kimbrel – the price Atlanta had to pay to dump a terrible contract. Despite playing in a very pitcher-friendly park, they have only one starter with an ERA under four. They are, in a few words, a badly constructed team. And inevitably when that happens, it’s a good manager like Bud Black who takes the fall. Black will be back in a dugout if he so chooses. A.J. Preller, the Padres’ general manager, is enjoying a honeymoon – for now – but his maiden voyage as GM has been anything but smooth and he needs to right the ship quickly.

The city of Clearwater’s really, really bad idea

The economy is in relatively good shape, construction money is fairly easy to come by and there are willing developers out there. So what would make more sense than a building moratorium? Honest, the city of Clearwater wants to place a moratorium on construction for key parcels on U.S. 19 so they can fumble around (perhaps hire a consultant) and cobble together a new development plan for the city’s main commercial artery. U.S. 19 properties have already taken a huge hit from the ongoing overpass construction for more than a decade. The proposed moratorium would just be another nail in the coffin for several property owners along the highway. Lots of eyes will be (and should be) on city hall this week when both the council and the community development board take up this ill-advised strategy.

Around the bay:         

1. The Tampa Bay region is again pursuing a Super Bowl (2019 or 2020). We are up against some tough competition, but the area already has a plum – the 2017 national college championship game which, in many eyes, will become more prestigious than the Super Bowl as time goes on.

2. Our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) notes that Clearwater is considering an app that will allow you to load parking time on your meter with your smart phone. Before the focus group passes judgement on this, they need to know what is an app and what is a smart phone? (Margin of error – 50 percent more or less).

3. In a related note, Clearwater’s parking fees went up a year ago last month and what have we gained for these increased revenues - certainly not more beach parking.

4. A thank you again to the Gassman Law Group; this time for the “pub” on their marquee on Court Street. Our tiny blog is now nearly world famous thanks to you!

5. You’ve really lived in Pinellas County a long time if you (and probably your parents) visited Webb’s City.

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. It is way past time for major league baseball to step up and do something about the flimsy bats its players use. If the players want to put themselves in harm’s way, that’s one thing. But the incident in Boston goes beyond the pale. A good starting point would be a bigger minimum diameter for bat handles.

7. As we close in on Father’s Day, we must revisit our prediction that two perennial NL East powers (Braves and Phillies) would be out of contention by Mother’s Day. One of them is playing better than expected with the Braves actually hanging around in the Wild Card race despite a terrible bullpen. What we didn’t see coming was the total meltdown in Miami.

8. Item: NCAA drops the shot clock to 30 seconds. Why – to make it more like the NBA – which Division 1 outdraws by six million a year?

9. What History Forgot is a show that will spice up your normally dull summer viewing season on cable. Hosted by history teacher Joe Moniaci, the show makes even the most hardcore history buff say, “Wow, I didn’t know that”!

10. Factoid: the song that has had the most versions to hit the charts over the years is Unchained Melody with nine different versions topped by…no, not the Righteous Brothers but the original version by Les Baxter that was number one 60 years ago this month.

Trying to figure out the puzzle that is the Rays

Doesn’t it sometimes seem like the Ray’s management has some sort of death wish? They refuse to show up for negotiations with the city of St. Pete – who clearly hold the upper hand in the stadium stand-off. They hold back prime tickets to their games until game day like they were drawing 30,000 a game instead of a week. And they hire a manager who most recently held a position just above bat boy in the Cleveland organization. Despite all this, they are in the middle of a pennant race at the one-third mark. That, however, is more a product of perhaps the weakest division in baseball rather than organizational wisdom. Both the Yankees and Red Sox and perhaps the Orioles will re-arm before the trade deadline and leave the local nine in the rearview mirror.

Some nice tributes to Clearwater’s 100^th birthday

It was nice to see the various retrospectives on Clearwater’s 100 years over the past few weeks. We would be remiss if we didn’t single out the Clearwater Gazette which ran a great feature on the Phillie-Clearwater 70-year love story; a neat profile of the venerable Clearwater County Club by Editor Jeff Berlinicke and another on the general sports history of Clearwater with a nod to the organization that first put us on the map – the Clearwater Bombers. If we were to nitpick, it would be with the general piece on the sparkling city that appeared on the opinion page noting some of Clearwater’s not so sparkling aspects – but not one mention of the “S” word which, let’s face it, is the biggest not so sparkling faction in the city. And a paragraph praising our water recreation had no mention of the west coast’s largest fishing fleet, the incredible Pier 60 and the many inlets and bayous that yield snook, trout and silver kings. In a footnote, we were told it was written by a writer with roots in the Northeast. Unfortunately, it read like it.

Around the bay:

1. To further celebrate our anniversary, we did a re-read of Mike Sanders’ Clearwater, a pictorial history – still the defining book on our city by its unofficial city historian.

2. In a related note, Mike’s book, along with several other excellent local history books, is being featured at Clearwater’s libraries this month - give one a read.

3. Warning, you have about another week to enjoy your favorite beach restaurant or other waterside activity until the summer visitors start coming in force – not entirely a bad thing particularly for our economy.

4. Unlike the Strand at Cleveland and MLK, the old First National Bank Building at Cleveland and Osceola does have some work going on – but little progress evident. A construction expert much brighter than us says it is folly to try to retrofit a building over fifty years old. Appears he’s quite right.

5. And, you’ve really lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember the Strand site formerly was the home of Crown Motors – the area’s Chrysler-Plymouth dealer- unrelated to today’s Crown Motor Cars.

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. If not for the horse, which seems to be a sweet and gentle thoroughbred, you had to be rooting for Bob Baffert who came so close so many times before winning this year’s Triple Crown with American Pharoah.

7. It isn’t a presidential biography per se; Candice Millard’s Destiny of the Republic is quite more than just a biography of James Garfield. It deals with the life and death of our 20^th president plus a deranged assassin, an unwilling successor and the role of Alexander Graham Bell in the efforts to save Garfield’s life – just three of the subplots in this well written book.

8. Shouldn’t the Lightning chill out a bit about this prohibition of opposing team jerseys in certain arena sections and not selling tickets to “foreign” addresses? Things like this and the Ray’s cowbells really make the bay area look bush league.

9. Pinellas County’s intrepid sheriff is concerned that less than 25 per cent of barrier islands residents have taken advantage of his super terrific re-entry hang tag to be used after an evacuation. He paints a picture of people whizzing back on the island with their hang tag. Not so fast, sheriff. There’s a little fine print about having other ID (which is all you should need to get to your home). So apparently 75 percent of the affected residents figure “why bother”?

10. Issue: you have a relative in town who wants one of Frenchy’s legendary grouper sandwiches. Problem: it is Memorial Day weekend and traffic to the beach is bumper to bumper. Answer: you do an end run and go to Frenchy’s Outpost on the less-traveled Dunedin Causeway. Same good seafood – only problem, it is mostly outdoors – a little toasty for late spring and summer dining.

Pete Rose, Bobby Knight – one surprisingly in, one amazingly out

The Berlin Wall of baseball hasn’t come down yet, but there are cracks. The addition of Pete Rose to the Fox sports lineup could not have been facilitated without the tacit approval of major league baseball. It’s a coup for Fox – few men understand the intricacies of the game as well as Rose. You can only hope this is the first step to a rightful place in Cooperstown for the hit king. On the other hand, ESPN dumps the one man who probably understands basketball as well as Rose knows baseball – Bobby Knight. This while others, who sometimes don’t even know what players are on the court (see Rants and Raves March 29), live on. Hopefully some enterprising network will retain the services of basketball’s “General”.

Don’t blame Mike Cheezem for the demise of the Belleview Biltmore

We all lament the passing of the White Queen of the Gulf as the Belleview Biltmore was known. But if we are going to blame people for its demise, don’t blame developer Mike Cheezem and don’t blame the Belleair City Commission. They are not to blame. The downfall of the Belleview Biltmore began many years ago when it passed from the hands of Bernard Powell – a man who put his heart and soul into the hotel for decades. Sadly, the several owners who followed him mainly took from the hotel – cutting corners on maintenance, reducing staff and stiffing valued vendors – so much so that people the hotel depended on for goods and services would no longer deal with its owners - having been left with so many unpaid invoices. The demise of the cherished hotel did not happen overnight but rather over the last few decades at the hands of many – sad.

Around the bay:

1. Apparently the state of New York did not find former school superintendent Mary Ellen Elia’s skills as wanting as did the merry band in Hillsborough County. She was appointed Commissioner of Education for the state of New York. Good for them - and what a needless loss for the bay area.

2. Speaking of education, a generation of Clearwater High graduates were saddened to hear of the passing of Dorothy Bowes-Nee who was the smiling face at the front desk of the school for so many years. It seemed she knew every student who ever passed through CHS’s hallways – a truly sweet lady.

3. One more CHS note – congratulations to the very special gals and guys who comprised the Class of ’60 on their 55^th reunion this past weekend.

4. The city of Clearwater continues to dither with red light cameras while multiple Florida cities realize the error of their ways and dump the things. And eight states have enacted prohibitions against their use. Additionally, two states have had court decisions that could lead to a refund of all fines incurred by the cameras as well as court costs; however both are under appeal by the states and their camera vendors. But the future of the cameras does not look bright.  

5.In light of the disturbances on Clearwater Beach over Memorial Day weekend, you’ve really lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember back when the city commission debated banning “3” license plates (the then symbol for Hillsborough County) from Clearwater Beach.

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. Note to Reuben Amaro, a really nice guy. You don’t say “the fans don’t understand the game”. A lot of us do understand the game and even those who don’t would be offended by your comment.

7. We don’t expect major league umpires to look like tri-athletes but a few of them should be yanked off the field for their own good. One is Fielden Culbreth, a major league crew chief who is officially listed at 225 pounds but probably is more in the 275-300 range. You look at him and you can’t help think of John McSherry who died on Opening Day in 1996 while working a game in Cincinnati.

8. Upon polling our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three, old cranky people) about the FIFA crisis, we found they thought FIFA was (a) a girl’s grunge band; (b) an expensive perfume; (c) a poodle grooming salon. (Margin of error – this week 100 per cent).

9. Milwaukee Brewers reliever Will Smith, recently suspended for eight games for “modifying” the ball, needs to be a little less obvious about where he stashes his chemicals (on his forearm). He should take lessons from Hall of Famers Gaylord Perry and Don Sutton – the masters of the art.

10. Oddity: This summer’s general convention of the Episcopal Church will be held in Salt Lake City – the worldwide headquarters of the Mormon Church.

Actually, our valued reader had a few other ideas…

(Editor’s note: the quartet of baseball improvement ideas that ran in this space the past few weeks could feasibly be adopted - these others – not so much).

1) Bring back the bullpen car… but make it a Ferrari. 2) If a player makes an error, he is removed from the field until the next out is recorded. This will create the equivalent of a hockey power play and increase scoring. 3) I don’t believe I’m going out on a limb in saying that nobody likes the infield fly rule. 4) When the bases are empty, the batter has the option of running toward first or third base after a batted ball. If he gets on safely, first and third base then are swapped for the rest of the half-inning, meaning the base paths will operate clockwise instead of counterclockwise. 5) Don’t let pitchers shake off more than one sign. 6) Invoke the “You got us into this mess, you’ll get us out of this mess” rule — no pitching changes in the middle of an inning.

Next week, we will feature his ideas for improving the game of rugby (see disclaimer above).

Memorial Day - lest we forget

Don’t you wish you had a job in baseball?

It happens only in baseball. Last weekend, the Atlanta Braves swept a three-game series in Miami against the Marlins who then fired their manager Mike Redmond and replaced him with GM Dan Jennings – a move that makes the Rays hiring of a bullpen coach to manage look like a stroke of genius. So now they are paying three managers - Jennings (although he may work for the same money), Redmond and Ozzie Guillen who they fired three years ago and still has a year on his contract. Meanwhile, the Braves, just ahead of the Marlins in the standings, are still paying the bumbling outfielder formerly known as B.J. (now Melvin) Upton now with the Padres and equally inept second baseman Dan Uggla who, ironically, hit a three run homer earlier this month to cap an eight run comeback against the Braves while playing for the Nationals. Both were signed to their awful deals by former Braves GM Frank Wren who also is still on the payroll of the Atlanta ball club.

Around the bay:

1. Some weeks, it’s harder to write this 800 word opus than others. The legislature won’t be in special session for another week or so; the city of Clearwater hasn’t purchased any extravagant pieces of “art” this week and Waldo, Inglis and the others are now cities without traffic ticket quotas thanks to our Tallahassee lawmakers.

2. That being said, isn’t it fun watching the rodents of the left scurrying about trying to decide who is the GOP candidate they most need to attack – Jeb? Marco? Carson? Walker?

3. Maybe, when you would be 86 years old when you began your next term, it might be time to think about retirement and the grandkids. But Democratic Hillsborough County Clerk Pat Frank insists she will run again in 2016.

4. Don’t know about you, but there wasn’t a dry eye in your HB (Humble Blogger’s) home during last week’s send off for Gayle Sierens. What a class act.

5. You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you did a lap or two around the REM go-cart track on Coachman Road.

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. Remember when the History Channel actually showed historical programs rather than shows about pawn shops and garage sale shoppers?

7. In a related note – one show we would like to see on one of the history or “oldies” channels would be Silent Service – a classic from the mid-fifties.

8. Our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) says “right on” to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s hint that the MLB schedule might be reduced back to 154 games. They also suggest MLB return to two, eight-team leagues. (Margin of error 50 per cent or so).

9. We were in error last week in reporting that the New Yankees are baseball’s number one road draw – at least this year. A Yankee telecast of last week reported their road attendance was among the lowest in the league – because of too many away games with the Rays – nice tribute to the local nine. And thanks to the brighter sibling in the family for correcting this misconception.

10. Our crack sports prognosticator Achmed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) says American Pharaoh will tire out at Belmont – making it 37 years since a thoroughbred (Affirmed) captured the Triple Crown.

Speeding up and strengthening the game of baseball, final installment

(Editor’s note: in this series by one of our valued readers, we’ve explored a three pitcher limit per game; a home run derby to decide extra innings games and last week, a sort of flagrant foul situation involving pitchers deliberately throwing at hitters)

Baseball Standings Points

Make regular season series really count, with three-game and five-game series where teams that win the series are awarded points in the standings. This way regular season games become more meaningful with teams knowing each series something is at stake. Overall records will still count, but winning a three-game series is worth one point and a five-game series is worth two points. Most points in the standings at the end of the regular season determine division winners and wildcards.

 Bicycles – one set of laws should fit all

Recently there was quite a stir about persons of color being targeted for bicycle violations. That is as wrong as wrong can be. And it brings up another facet of bicycle law – if bikes are going to share the road with automobiles, they need to share the same responsibility as motorists i.e. stopping at stop signs, respecting yield signs and obeying red lights. Conversely to the targeting in low income areas, it seems the more expensive the bike, the more entitled bikers seem to be in regards to completely ignoring rules that others who share the road must obey. It’s long overdue for a task force throughout the bay area to crack down on bicyclists of all economic strata who consistently disobey the rules of the road.

Around the bay:

1. As you might imagine, the major league team that is the biggest draw on the road is the New York Yankees, yet the May 12^th Rays game against the Bronx Bombers drew just over 10,000 fans – 9,000 less than the next lowest attended game of that night in Cincinnati. Not good.

2. Does anything define sleaze better than the circus involving the lawyers who worked both sides of the Bubba – Todd Schnitt lawsuit?

3. The deal for Charter Communications to buy local cable provider Bright House Networks is apparently dead. Most cable experts say that is not necessarily bad news for bay area viewers.

4. Seems so long ago that the 1100 building was home to several law firms, the executive offices of a radio station and numerous social service agencies. Now, the kindest thing that could be done is to tear it down.

5. You’ve lived in the Tampa Bay area for quite a while if you remember when Gayle Sierens was a rookie sportscaster on Channel 8. Gayle concludes her distinguished career this week.

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. Mark Fydrich, Doc Gooden and Herb Score - there are three pitchers you would have loved to see have a full career to see just how good they would have been.

7. A lot of shuffling in the athletic department in Gainesville. Both of AD Jeremy Foley’s hires for the schools two biggest sports seem to be good ones. They better be or Foley will be the next guy with a ticket out of town.

8. In a related note, much was made out of new UF basketball coach Michael White’s Dunedin roots. Very little was said about his wife Kira who was an outstanding volleyball player here in Pinellas.

9. Item: The U.S. Postal Service reported a first quarter loss of $1.5 billion. They are asking Congress to allow them to stop Saturday deliveries to help stop the hemorrhaging. There are a lot of things we can do without and Saturday mail delivery is certainly one of them.

10. Our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) recently gave sabermetrics a try. It made their head ache and their vision blur. (Margin of error – 50 percent or so).

Speeding up and strengthening the game of baseball Part III

(Editor’s note: In this continuing series authored by one of our valued readers, the latest suggestion was extra innings become a home run derby – at last a valid reason for an otherwise wasted shot at the All-Star game)

Hit by Pitch Three Bases

Unwritten rule or not, throwing 90 mph retaliation pitches at hitters is ridiculous. There's nothing like a team losing their star player for a few weeks because he took one to the wrist or breaks a rib because some other player looked at him wrong. And then the hit player is given a free base, no different than a base on balls! Just like fouls and flagrant fouls in basketball, if an umpire deems that a batter was hit intentionally after being warned, the umpire can give two or three bases based on the level of harm it inflicted on the player.

Goodbye, Gayle and thanks!

 The Baltimore aftermath

Seems like a lot of “homers” say the Rays were right in not offering to switch home dates with the Baltimore Orioles in light of the civil disorder in Charm City (no, really, that’s its nickname). The often heard excuse was what happened in Baltimore was not the Rays fault – it wasn’t the Oriole’s fault either. It just seemed like the right thing to do in the interest of fair play. There’s another angle to this whole Baltimore thing and that’s Pimlico’s Preakness less than a week away. There are probably shorter odds on Rev. Al and some of his ilk showing up than there will be on American Pharaoh. Of course, we could always move the Preakness to Tampa Bay Downs.

Around the bay:

1. Still trying to differentiate itself from cab services, Lyft will be appealing a hearing officer’s findings. The first stop is the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission where Lyft stands the same chance as the proverbial snowball on a Florida sidewalk in August. (See Rants, March 8).

2. Florida’s special legislative session has been set for June 1. It was Otto von Bismarck who said “To retain respect for laws and sausages, one must not watch them in the making.” We can only assume that goes double for special sessions dealing with the state’s budget.

3. Factoid – newly appointed Tampa police chief Eric Ward is the only police chief in the bay area’s three major cities who actually lives in the city he serves.

4. Thanks to the Gassman Law Firm on Court Street in Clearwater for always bringing a smile to our face with their catchy marquee. It is truly a Sign of the Times.

5. You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember the highlight of the CHS Senior Assembly was the serenade to the class by Mr. Justice on his harmonica – priceless!

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. Our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) notes major league baseball has decreed that all entering their parks are subject to a metal detector. Our group has decided to just go to the airport instead. (Margin of error – fifty per cent or so).

7. There’s a business in Clearwater named Mensa Tax. Does this mean you have to have a 150 IQ for them to do your tax work?

8. Factoid: Powered flight (Wright Brothers, December 17, 1903) is 17 years older than commercial radio (KDKA, November 2, 1920). Interestingly, KDKA did not begin in a huge media market like New York, Chicago or L.A., but in Pittsburgh (Turtle Creek, Pa., actually) – home of its parent company – Westinghouse Electric and is still going strong at 1020 on the dial some 95 years later.

9. One of the surprises of the early baseball season is the Houston Astros. They are on a pace to make the playoffs for the first time since the days of the Killer Bs. And that would be a good thing as the casual baseball fan would get a look at Jose Altuve – one of the best kept secrets in baseball. The guy can play!

10. Our crack sports analyst Achmed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) says the over/under of Billy Donavon remaining in Oklahoma City is one year.

Speeding up and strengthening the game of baseball, Part II

(Editor’s note – a series of suggestions from a valued reader began last week with a rule allowing only three pitchers a game – a common practice through the fifties although we can hear the howl of the player’s union on that one!)

Extra Innings, Home run Derby

Nine innings is a lot of baseball. Twelve, thirteen, fourteen innings and now we're talking a Ken Burns documentary. How about after 10 innings if the game is still tied, each team selects one batter each for a 3-out homerun derby, winner take all? If it's tied we keep going and each team sends up another hitter until one team wins.

Downtown Clearwater’s fate was sealed 40 years ago

“No finer place for sure, downtown.” When Petula Clark sang that in 1964 she well could have been describing downtown Clearwater. It was thriving with movie theaters, stores like Franks, Colony Shop, J.C. Penney and dozens more. It continued to do well until the mid-1970s. Then the twin specters of malls and Scientology started it in a death spiral from which it has not recovered. The latest blow was the Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s announcement that they were not moving forward with their plans for a major, albeit financially shaky, plan to relocate downtown (more on the ramifications of that in a future Rants). Also a plan for a pedestrian mall downtown is being shot down by virtually everyone – with good reason. Probably the best two chances for revitalizing the downtown – a defeated late 90s plan by a developer to redevelop the area on his dime and then a wasted chance by the city to keep the beach route through downtown came and went. Now many of us seriously doubt we will see any sign of life in downtown during our lifetimes.

Around the bay:

1. Recent media coverage reported that an ethics charge filed against Hillsborough County Commissioner Al Higginbotham resulted in a verdict of not guilty. That’s not quite correct. The official response to the flimsy charge filed by his unsuccessful challenger, Pat Kemp, was more on the order of “get out of town”.

2. There are some government officials who were just rock solid – Pinellas County’s Fred Marquis, Clearwater’s Ream Wilson and Dunedin’s John Lawrence come to mind. We lost one of those rock solid folks last week with the passing of former Pinellas County Emergency Operations director Guy Daines at the age of 78. He was a steady hand during the many emergencies that threatened Pinellas during his nearly twenty year career with the county.

3. Nothing more soothing for your mood than after a day at work, you pick up your three items for dinner only to get in the Publix 10-item aisle behind someone who obviously missed counting class in the first grade. Come on Publix, either enforce those aisles or get rid of them.

4. Clearwater Marina Update: There is no update. The place still looks like a war zone. But some day we will have a Mexican Restaurant – yippee!

5. You’ve really lived in the bay area for a while if you remember when the land where Big Top Flea Market sits was the home to of one of the country’s best short tracks – Golden Gate Speedway.

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. By the author’s admission, it is not an objective book but 41 –the biography of George H. W. Bush written by his son, George W. Bush, is an interesting read. Lots of inside baseball on policy making and Texas politics bring a dimension no other volume on our 41^st president has done.

7. Our Rants and Raves focus group (composed of three old, cranky people) wants to know what Hillary Clinton has to say that is worth $200,000. (Margin of error – plus or minus 50 per cent).

8. His real name was Benjamin Nelson. His first chart record was a rock and roll classic – the innovative and haunting There Goes My Baby – on which he sang lead for the Drifters as well as wrote. Ben E. King passed away last week at age 76. He was a rock and roll legend.

9. We often borrow a gem from the great 5:05 Newsletter. This was from one of their most recent issues. “Pope Francis said that one of the things he misses most about ordinary life is the ability to go out and eat pizza without being recognized. I wouldn't worry. Nobody's going to believe the guy who works at the pizza place when he says, “Hey, do you know who came in today? The Pope.”

10. Best wishes to one of baseball’s true “gamers”, Kirk Gibson, as he battles Parkinson’s disease. Gibson was the NL’s 1988 MVP. He is also the only MVP in either league to never be named to an All Star team in his career – odd.

Speeding up and strengthening the game of baseball, part I:

(Editor’s note: one of our valued readers sent along some notes last week on accomplishing what Commissioner Rob Manfred is striving to do – speeding up and strengthening the game. The thoughts are too good to give short shrift and summarize, so we will feature a suggestion a week for the next several issues – and we invite your own commentaries on the national pastime as well.)

Three Pitchers per Game

Forget a bullpen full of arms and a revolving bullpen door matching up one pitcher for one batter, then another pitcher for another batter. This isn't speed dating. Instead, managers are given three pitchers per game, that's it. Use them wisely because once that third pitcher takes the mound, he's it.

Tampa Bay Bucs about to go 0 for 3

It started with the Bucs hiring a guy who may not have been the best choice to coach them out of the 28-52 hole that Raheem Morris and Greg Schiano dug. Then they hired a journeyman quarterback to facilitate the “turnaround”. Now, it appears they are about to take the third swing and a miss with a loose cannon college quarterback who doesn’t seem to be able to stay out of trouble – big trouble. We all know about Jameis Winston’s recent (and good) interviews with the Bucs and the NFL, but as wise old Ben Franklin once said “well done is better than well said.” Winston talks a good game; he’s just never shown that good game off the field. This one the Bucs must get right. We hope they do, but very much fear they won’t.

Around the bay:

1. The Saudi-9/11 connection has been refuted by everybody from the White House down through the FBI but former Senator Bob Graham keeps hammering away in what appears to be an attempt to somehow remain relevant.

2. The last time a career politician ran the Pinellas Property Appraiser’s office, it took several years of work by appraisal professional Pam Dubov and her staff to straighten things out. So who is the first individual to announce for the job Dubov will vacate next year – another career politician. Pinellas County deserves better.

3. Add New Port Richey to the growing list of central Florida cities who are dumping their red light cameras. And give them credit. They were very forthright in saying the reason they are dropping the camera is they are no longer making money for the city as opposed to other cities that ask us to drink the “safety issues” Kool Aid.

4. The proposed sale of the Tampa Tribune building in downtown Tampa should not be shocking news. Daily newspapers’ staffs (and revenues) are shrinking and they no longer need the buildings they constructed in the 70s and 80s. The St. Pete Times and other Florida dailies have also been shedding real estate in the past several years.

5. Guys, you’ve really lived in Pinellas County a while if you got your very Sunday best at Wolf Brothers or Shorts. Webb’s Men’s Wear was around too, but that’s where your Dad bought his Sunday best.

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. In a related note to our lead piece, it’s hard to believe that not so long ago the Bucs employed two of the best coaches in the NFL back to back. But it now seems so long ago.

7. Turning to the college football scene, you can probably understand a team that consistently wins nine games a year occasionally hitting up their ticket holders for more money or a bigger contribution. But USF that has won nine games in three years? This USF alum hangs his head in shame.

8. Our apologies to a good friend for failing earlier this month to recognize the national holiday he holds dearest – April 7, 1933 – the repeal of prohibition.

9. Our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three, old cranky people) opines that most folks who constantly rail for separation of church and state separated from church a long time ago. (Margin of error – 50 per cent or so).

10. Topping the charts fifty years ago this week was Herman’s Hermit’s Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter from that magical era when you didn’t have to be good, just British, to have a hit record.

A rare, good baseball book and how Clearwater dodged a bullet

It’s a good year if one or two good baseball books are published in twelve months. We’ve reviewed a few of these gems before – Behind the Mask and Where Nobody Knows Your Name. Add another to a must read list for baseball junkies – Paul Dickson’s Bill Veeck: baseball’s greatest maverick. The book examines the amazingly complex man who owned three different major league teams, one, the White Sox, twice. Dickson details Veeck’s must famous stunt, pinch hitting a midget (and the sad after story of Eddie Gaedel); his exploding scoreboard in Chicago and the infamous disco demolition. Veeck was also a pioneer in integrating baseball and a champion of civil rights in general. Finally, there is the story of how but for his failed attempt to buy a fourth team; the Phillies might have never landed in Clearwater. It’s a long read, four hundred some pages, and pretty small type but a positively captivating volume.

The barrier islands re-entry boondoggle just gets better

Twice before, we have railed against the insane idea of having to have some hang tag to prove you live on Clearwater Beach or wherever in order to re-enter after a dangerous storm. It seemed to us that a photo ID with your address, a voter’s card or any number of personal ID items would suffice, but no we are told, you must have one of these hangtags. We reluctantly caved and got one. The lack of necessity of this boondoggle is summed up by the last line on the front side. “Be prepared to show photo identification upon request.” So the purpose of this extra piece of bureaucracy is what? And displayed proudly on the back of the hangtag is the name of the genius behind this – Sheriff Bob Gualtieri. Brilliant!

Around the bay:

1. In a related note to our lead item. Many folks have inquired as to just who are the people who write the items you see here weekly. And as our lead item proves – it writes itself.

2. A lot of folks didn’t know that Florida Gator’s legend Ray Graves lived in Clearwater. The former Gator coach passed away at age 96 last week.

3. The odds of David Jolly running for the U.S. Senate and the Rays advancing to the World Series this year are virtually the same.

4. What’s up with a sudden flurry of “plumbing” problems at various Walmart stores around the country including one store in Valrico?

5. You’ve lived in Clearwater for quite a while if you remember the incredible Clearwater Bomber pitching tandem of Herb Dudley and Johnny Hunter.

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. Remember not everything here has to be probing and insightful. With baseball season underway, name the greatest player to ever wear the number 6. Our money is on either Musial or Kaline. (Sidebar to this item, you’ve been here awhile if you remember that Stan Musial and partners owned the original Hilton on south Clearwater Beach).

7. Factoid: last year, this blog along with the rest of the nation celebrated the 50^th anniversary of Beatlemania in 1964. But it was a full year before that when the first Beatle record charted on an American radio station – Please Please Me on March 8, 1963 on Chicago’s 50,000 watt radio station WLS.

8. The Atlanta Braves finally rid themselves of their second albatross contract – B. J. Upton but at great cost - giving up the best closer in baseball in Craig Kimbrel. The unwise signings of Upton and Dan Uggla are the reason Frank Wren is no longer their general manager. Ironically, the Braves are off to a surprisingly good start which means they could really miss Kimbrel if their 1991-style start continues.

9. Two things that tickled our funny bone recently. In baseball, Miami Marlin centerfielder Marcell Ozuna dives for a ball then lifts his glove up to show the catch. Problem was the ball was ten feet behind him and the batter was circling the bases. And in Zephyrhills, two gunmen try to rob a McDonald’s drive-up window. Problem: there was no cash register at that window. So they drive away in their BMW with Buc’s specialty tags. Not the best planned heist of the year.    

10. Our crack sports prognosticator, Achmed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) forecasts an NBA final of Atlanta Hawks versus the Golden State Warriors.

McDonalds and friends - stick to what you do best

A couple months ago, the Times Sean Daly wrote a piece on how McDonalds has stumbled over itself trying to not be a hamburger chain by offering salads, Starbuck-like coffee and a mind-blurring variety of chicken entrées on their menu. He was spot on. Here the KISS theory comes into play, Wendy’s has a winner in their Frosty, Checkers their Big Buford, McDonalds its Big Mac and fries and Burger King – well, we guess there is something there people like. Leave chicken to Chick-fil-A, roast beef to Arbys and subs to Subway. This goes for other industries as well. The old Florida Power Company nearly ruined themselves with their ill-fated ventures into the construction trades years ago. About the same time, a couple of local companies that knew nothing about the broadcasting business managed to bleed red with their radio station acquisitions. And the list goes on. McDonalds knows burgers; Starbucks coffee; Dunkin Donuts doughnuts. Stick with it and improve it!  

Why must politics and sports mix?

Remember the good old days when sports provided relief from the day to day grind? It was your own little fantasy world of batting averages, NCAA brackets and Hail Mary passes. Now everybody, but everybody, wants to link sports and policy making. Editorials call for the heads of city council members because they won’t cave in to the Rays; the mayor of Tampa thinks the NCAA should treat Indiana like a third world country and Keith Olbermann still pines for his old MSNBC days commenting on everything but sports. Even the normally level-headed Tom Jones has to opine on the state of affairs in Indiana. Please folks; just let us have our baseball season, our playoffs and our mock drafts. Sports is too much fun to mix with politics – which is rarely ever fun.

Around the bay:

1. David Jolly has an announced Democratic opponent for his congressional seat in 2016 – a gentleman by the name of Eric Lynn who moved into Pinellas County six months ago. But compared to Jolly’s first opponent, Alex Sink, Lynn’s six month residency seems like deep roots

2. It appears that Florida legislators are struggling to come up with an acceptable medical marijuana bill. Their failure could result in another push to make medical marijuana a constitutional amendment in 2016. It was a bad idea last year and will be no less so in 2016.

3. Bill Jonson, mentioned last week in connection with his thoughtful no vote on a $600,000 monument folly in Clearwater, has taken over as chair of the PSTA. Having a steadier hand on the throttle at the transportation authority should lead to some much needed reforms.

4. Florida Senate passes a bill that makes it illegal for law enforcement agencies to set traffic ticket quotas. Good news for Florida and visiting motorists; bad news for Waldo, Lawtey, Inglis and Brooksville among others.

5. You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember FAG night put on by the Rotary Club of Clearwater for graduating CHS seniors.

The diamond, the media and other stuff:

6. Duke University is again the NCAA national basketball champion. Tyus Jones was the most outstanding player of the tournament but the young man who won the championship game for them was known only to hardcore Duke fans – freshman Grayson Allen. He will not be quite as unknown in his sophomore year.

7. A great run by the Wisconsin Badgers, which included an upset of undefeated Kentucky in the Final Four, was diminished somewhat by the irrational pouting of their coach Bo Ryan after the championship loss to Duke.

8. The above referenced NCAA tournament bore witness to the fact that another rule violation, the Kobe Bryant-style offensive push-off, has joined the travel and double dribble as just another piece of basketball history.

9. “Breaking news” last week on ESPN, Tiger is going to play in the Masters. Yeah, and Mike Trout is going to play for the Angels, Aaron Rodgers will lead the Packers and Seth Curry will be in the NBA playoffs. Poor Tiger Woods is undoubtedly the most over covered sports figure in America.

10. Quote of the week from Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, “I don’t think social media is helpful to any human being on the planet”.

Daniel Norris - the most captivating player since Mark Fydrich

His name is Daniel Norris. If you’re not a serious baseball fan, you’ve probably never heard of him. The Blue Jays gave the hard throwing lefty a two-million bonus to sign. Has success gone to his head? Not really. During spring training, he lived in his beloved 1978 VW Bus behind a Wal-Mart. Ate his meals there, stored his surfboard in the cramped quarters and oh, by the way, is averaging over a strikeout an inning for the Blue Jays. He is not a flake or Sidd Finch – just a very well-grounded young man who is on just about everybody’s Top Ten List of prospects. Keep your eye on this Tennessee native as he begins his first full year in the major leagues as part of the Blue Jay rotation.  

The Montreal Rays? Pardon us if we’re skeptical.

So the Rays decide they don’t like sites in either Tampa or St. Pete. Where do they go? Montreal seems to be the chic relocation spot right now. How did that work out when they had a dynamite team with Dawson, Walker and a bunch of other young stars? Plus there’s that tax thing. Las Vegas? There’s a reason there are no major sports teams in that city. Perhaps the least-worst relocation spot would be Charlotte, and folks aren’t sure that region could support another pro franchise. Tampa Bay is not a great baseball market but there aren’t many better options out there, and we suspect the Rays are smart enough to realize that.

Around the bay:

1. Nothing makes your jaw tighten more than “This is the way we do it in Michigan (or one of the other 46 contiguous states)”. So how is it different when the mayor of Tampa tells the state of Indiana how to conduct their affairs? Sorry Bob, but 99.9 percent of the Hoosier state have never heard of you.

2. The announcement of Ted Cruz that he will be the first to enter the presidential race reminds us of a great Clearwater political story. Incumbent city commissioner with a legacy of anti-business votes asks one of Clearwater’s leading businessmen for his support. His to the point answer –“Yes, until anyone else runs against you”.

3. If you are a resident of one of the other 23 cities in Pinellas (other than St. Pete) be very happy you don’t have to deal with the time and money consuming Pier issue.

4. Downtown Clearwater – approximately 6:15 a.m. – northbound on Ft. Harrison. You hit the red right at Chestnut Street. Get a green just in time to come up to the red light a block away at Court Street. Get a green to turn left onto Court Street just in time for the red light at Osceola. Come on – a 12 year old could coordinate those lights better.

5. You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if the two businesses you patronized most on North Fort Harrison Ave. were Merz Record Shop and Pete’s Pizza.

The diamond, the media & other stuff:

6. Our Raves and Rants focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) notes another sure sign of the end of civilization – the sale of the maker of American icon Louisville Slugger bats to a Finnish company. Oh the humanity! (Margin of error – 50 per cent more or less).

7. In a related note, what’s next, we move the manufacture of the Corvette from Bowling Green, Kentucky to a plant in Serbia?

8. Factoid: There are two major league ball players who won two MVPs a piece and are not in the Hall of Fame – Roger Maris and Dale Murphy. There are at least a dozen guys with lesser credentials in the Hall.

9. The chances we would ever vote for her are sub-zero, but isn’t this Hilary email business much ado about nothing?

10. According to Forbes, the New York Yankees, MLB’s most valuable team, is worth 3.2 billion dollars. But that’s small potatoes compared to other industries. For example, small but fast growing Tesla Motors is worth approximately seven times what the Yankees are worth – and don’t have any headaches like A-Rod.

Clearwater says: “Well, St. Pete did it, so it must be okay.”

There are a lot of things St. Pete does that other cities should not emulate – a noisy, disruptive auto race comes to mind. But the city of Clearwater has apparently decided that it will not be outdone by St. Pete in garish signs that mark the city limits. The Clearwater city council voted to spend a mere $600,000 to erect such a monument on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. The big difference between St. Pete and Clearwater is that private funding paid for the St. Pete sign while public money will finance the Clearwater sign – no actually it’s worse – it’s money from the city’s reserves (you know, that little fund that helps deal with natural disasters or helps pay salaries in the next economic downturn). Thank you to the fiscally conservative member of this merry band, Bill Jonson - the lone “no” vote on this extravagant expenditure.

Happy Easter!

Changes ahead for Florida spring training

While our northern neighbors are saying hooray as their favorite team heads north this week for opening day, it is always a bittersweet occasion here in Florida. Elsewhere, our crack prognosticator will make his predictions but here are a few thoughts on the state of the game and the state. Florida is holding its own with exactly half the teams training here. We’re going to see some shuffling with the Astros moving to Florida’s east coast and the Braves probably moving to southwest Florida, and who knows what is going to happen with Dunedin’s long standing relationship with the Blue Jays? If there has been any progress between the city and the team, it is not readily apparent. Dunedin needs to fast track a new agreement or the Blue Jays will be just a memory five years from now.

Around the bay:

1. As we near the end of the official spring break, it is more and more apparent what Clearwater’s marina needs is not another Mexican restaurant or real estate office (yes, it really has one) but a long overdue multi-story parking garage to handle the many venues at the marina.

2. Ferry update: Last Saturday at 1 p.m., the new mainland to beach ferry unloaded 14 passengers at the marina terminus - fourteen people and four crew members (perhaps some were trainees). It will take a higher crew to passenger ratio to make the ferry work, but it’s early.             

3. So St. Pete professionals are going to get a well-deserved 2.5 percent raise. This has some union organizers all in a tizzy because it comes before a planned, but unscheduled, union election. They got the raise. Who cares how they get it? Except, the union won’t be able to get their cut of that pay increase – advantage workers.

4. It was probably the safest pick – staying inside the organization and choosing Deputy Director Thomas Jewsbury to take over for retiring Director Noah Lagos at the St. Pete-Clearwater Airport. Let’s also hope it’s the best pick. Jewsbury needs to carry on the successful programs of Lagos but at the same time bring his own stamp to the well-run Pinellas County facility.

5. You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember when the corner occupied by Sam’s Club had a Bellas Hess store then later was home to Jersey Jim Towers, Studio 19, Peaches Record Store and the Jeans Giant. By the way, there are still a few existing Peaches Record Stores – New Orleans has one.

The diamond, the media & other stuff:

6. It’s quite possible the Cubs will become the next Mets or Dodgers – spending millions with negligible results.

7. Factoid – long time MLB base stealing champ Lou Brock stole 938 bases in his storied career but never stole home. Babe Ruth, on the other hand, swiped home ten times.

8. So you took the field versus Kentucky at the beginning of the dance? How do you like your chances at this juncture?

9. In all of professional sports no team needs to catch a break more than the #44 auto racing team of Travis Kvapil. This was the car that was stolen before the NASCAR race in Atlanta and not recovered until it was too late to qualify. Last week even though the car posted faster qualifying times than other cars, they missed the race because of antiquated rules regarding “owner points’’. You can’t help but pull for this underdog of underdogs.

10. Most embarrassing NCAA tourney moment: Analyst Charles Barkley commenting on the first half play of U of Kansas freshman forward Cliff Alexander. Problem was Alexander was not in the game – having been suspended by the Jayhawks. Barkley continues to try to bluff and bluster through pre, post and halftime shows without doing his homework. It just doesn’t play well.

How we see the 2015 baseball season:

You can’t let spring training end without predictions for the upcoming season. Our crack prognosticator Achmed Walled (Pronounced wall-ED) likes the Nationals, Pirates and the Giants to win their divisions with the Dodgers and Cards joining them in the NL playoffs. In the junior circuit, he likes the Yanks in a wide-open Eastern Division along with Kansas City and the Angels. His wild card picks are the much improved White Sox and the Mariners. Teams that could surprise people are the Marlins in the NL and the Indians in the AL. Most overrated teams – the Padres and Red Sox.  

Minnie deserves to be in the Hall; Harvey too.

The recent passing of Minnie Minoso and the fact he is not in the Hall of Fame lead a lot of researchers to look at the leading players in the American League in the decade of the 50s. There is no doubt that Minoso should be in the Hall of Fame. But another name surfaces in most of the same categories of 50s players – top five in wins above replacement and slugging percentage to name a couple. The name is Harvey Kuenn, batting champ, rookie of the year, .303 career hitter. Frankly, we assumed he was there – bad assumption and just as wrong as the fact Minnie Minoso is not there. Both men have passed on and it’s a shame they did not live to see their names on a plaque. Both deserve to be there.  

Around the bay:

1. Hey, did you get your spiffy four-color postcard from the sheriff touting his latest boondoggle – a hang tag to prove what your driver’s license and a half dozen other pieces of ID can already prove - that you live on a barrier island?

2. So long to two more long-time Clearwater businesses – Diamond Cleaners, another victim of “downtown revitalization”, and the beloved Country Harvest restaurant on Missouri Avenue in what was the old Searstown - some of the best breakfasts and nicest servers in town.

3. The nonsense going on in South Pasadena is just another reason why the entire chain of gulf beaches should be consolidated as one (two at the most) government entity. Egos, of course, will never let that happen.

4. In a related note, unless you live there, do you really know where one gulf beach community ends and the next one begins? And do you really care?

5. You’ve lived in the bay area a long time if you remember its first rock and roll station – not Q105 or WLCY but Tampa’s 11-10 WALT.

The diamond, the media & other stuff:

6. A recent media rumor had Katie Couric returning to NBC. Couric, who will forever be remembered in Florida for referring to one of our sitting Supreme Court justices as “this guy”, is currently with Yahoo. Doesn’t the peacock network have enough troubles without that lightning rod?

7. We fell a little short last year in predicting that Detroit’s Nick Castellanos would be the breakout player of the year in MLB. Undaunted, we will pick another third baseman, the Cub’s Kris Bryant, as the best of the rookie crop in 2015. Our full set of predictions for the MLB season comes next week.

8. The two teams that have virtually ruled the NL East division for the past two decades, the Braves and Phils, could both be out of contention by Mother’s Day this year.

9. Comparing the last undefeated NCAA champs Indiana Hoosiers with Kentucky which has a chance to join Bobby Knight’s team, one thing stands out. It’s the composition of their starting five, Indiana started four seniors and a junior (Kent Benson). Kentucky routinely starts three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior – all of whom will be off to the NBA by next season.

10. For the Final Four, our crack prognosticator Achmed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) likes Kentucky, Gonzaga, Wisconsin and Virginia. Of course, some of these squads may be out of the picture by the time you read this.

Apple has nothing on this Boston-based company

Much is made of the planned obsolescence promoted by the Apple brand with their new phones being spit out approximately every 12 months. But Apple is a raw rookie in the obsolescence business. The king of such machinations is a company founded by a man whose first name was King – as in King Gillette. With their Blue Blades, Fusions, Atras, Trac IIs, and various versions of Sensors, Gillette has made planned obsolescence an art form for more than 100 years. When Gillette was heavy into baseball sponsorship, it was a running joke that with each World Series came a new “must have” razor. We think they peaked with the Sensor Excel which is probably their best razor just as long as you can still get blades for it.

Clearwater Beach ferry – too late for 2015 spring break

We know it’s been tried before with little success. Proponents of the proposed ferry to Clearwater Beach point out the dynamics of beach traffic, and more importantly parking, have changed since the last attempt at such an operation in the early part of the century. This time, the focus is more on beach workers rather than strictly tourists so it might work – next year. The problem with the effort right now is it is about six weeks too late getting started. Easter comes early this year and spring breakers are already here and traffic and parking are a mess. Already, fishing boats at the Clearwater Marina have had to turn away afternoon customers because there just wasn’t any place left to park. There have been delays in the startup of the ferry which means it will take that much longer to catch on. By that time, peak season will be over and it might be hard to sustain the service through the summer and fall months. If the promoters of the ferry can hold on for this year, the ferry will be a boon for next year.

Around the bay:

1. Perhaps Tampa should join the majority of bay area cities and adopt a plurality system for their city council elections. If you think the March 3^rd turnout was light, wait until next week’s run-off. It will be extremely light but not inexpensive.

2. Few surprises in a rather thin Pinellas County election slate. As you would expect, Kenneth City managed to “out weird” the rest of the county with an Election Day display of pro-candidate pink flamingos which, in the words of an old police friend is “highly illegal”. Sad to note the election loss of Belleair commissioner Steve Fowler, a long time civic leader in both Belleair and Pinellas County in general. His level tone will be missed.

3. By a show of hands, how many of us are in the tourism business? The answer is we all are. Even if we do nothing more than smile at visitor, give directions to the Marine Aquarium or just bite your tongue when traffic comes to a dead stop.

4. In a related note, more hands in Clearwater government should go up when the above question is asked. Too many folks in the city just don’t get it.

5. You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you bought your first color TV at Gordon’s (Drew Street), Hart’s (Greenwood near CJHS) or Semlow’s (Gulf to Bay) – three of the city’s earliest TV stores.

The diamond, the media & other stuff:

6. 25 years ago this week, baseball ended a month-long lockout of its players. The labor peace would prove short-lived as just four years later, the players walked out causing the first cancellation of the World Series since 1904.

7. You may not know the name Windell Middlebrooks but you would know the face. For years, he was the face of Miller High Life beer – the plain talking delivery man who shunned the shallow for real people and real beer. He passed away last week at the young age of 36. Windell also appeared in Cougar Town, Body of Proof and Scrubs, but he won the hearts of America as the Miller High Life spokesman.

8. Food News I: Our regular item “you’ve lived in Clearwater, Pinellas, the bay area etc.” from last week (Philly Hoagie Shop) landed on Facebook and began a city-wide debate on the relative merits of hoagies. Your HB (humble blogger) only ate the Italian version which spoiled me for everything else (the food I missed most while on a “government paid vacation” in the early ‘70s) - closest thing today is probably the Italian at the Publix deli.

9. Food News II: Our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) notes that John Sylvan, the guy who invented the K-Cup, says he now regrets it because the cost of the cups has spiraled out of control. Our group says that is unless you invest in one of those “as seen on TV” devices that allows you to pre-measure regular grind, thus saving money and allowing you to use whatever is your favorite brand - which may not be packaged in K-Cups. (margin of error – 50 percent or so).

10. Food News III: Cereal sales are at a 10-year low. Think about it – when was the last time you had a bowl of cereal? Most cereals are, to paraphrase leading nutritionists, nothing but a pile of sugar to which you add milk.

Florida needs to be wary of MLB-Cuba connection

It sounds innocuous enough. In the light of a thaw in U.S. – Cuba relations, maybe we play a few spring training exhibitions down there. First, what’s a few? Second what teams? Our guess is if you were able to vote in Cuba (no, really able to vote) the overwhelming choice would be the Yankees – spring-based in Tampa. So the Yanks go south for a few games. Who goes with them - another Florida-based team? Not so fast, Speedy Gonzales. Every time a Florida-based team travels elsewhere for an exhibition, you lose room nights, dinners being served and ballpark concessions - to mention a few things. So maybe, we schedule a few Reds games down there. After all, their top farm club was based in Havana in the pre-Castro ‘50s. Point is this: a few games –okay but we “share the wealth” with Arizona-based teams like the Reds and not have Florida take all the economic hit for any Cuba-based spring training games.  

Lyft, Uber – St. Pete has it right; Tampa not so

A tale of two cities: the city of St. Petersburg recently held a workshop on how it can deal with the new transportation systems that are Lyft and Uber. They are taking the same measured approach as Orlando and other rational governmental bodies across the country. Across the bay, Tampa and Hillsborough County are going to court rather than try to reach a “good for all” agreement with the two new transportation modes. A lot of the difference has to do with the history of cabs and politicians in Hillsborough. To say that palms have been greased down through the years would be an understatement. Tammany Hall went away as should the way too cozy relationship between politicians and the transportation industry in Hillsborough County. It’s time to join the 21^st century folks.

Around the bay:

1. Now that Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s “election campaign” is over, expect him to start positioning himself for a run for governor in 2018. Fine, but mayor, please remember what we are paying you to do in the interim. We will deal more with this “next seat” phenomena in next week’s Rants.

2. Quote of the week: Marco Rubio when asked if he had a comment on Rudy Giuliani’s inflammatory remarks. “Democrats aren’t asked to answer every time Joe Biden says something embarrassing, so I don’t know why I should answer every time a Republican does”.

3. There is a Dallas-based company named Service Insurance that provides a lot of flood insurance to bay area residents. Recently they decided to slap a $250 surcharge on your premium unless you sent them proof that you live where they send the bill and from where you pay the bill. Guess they’re just hoping you won’t notice about a 50-75% increase in your premium. See our rant from last year about insurance companies, a blindfold and a cigarette.

4. In the debate over the possible relocation of the Rays, we keep hearing about the re-development potential at the current Trop site. Really – have you taken a good look at that area?

5. You’ve really lived in Clearwater a long time if you enjoyed one of the incomparable Philly Hoagies at the Philly Hoagie shop across from what was then Cleveland Plaza. And if you know prominent Clearwater attorney Charlie Robinson, ask him about his favorite Philly Hoagie story.

The diamond, the media & other stuff

6. Item: Last year the Atlanta Braves hit 123 home runs while finishing next to last in the NL in runs scored. In the off season, they traded away half of those 123 homers. Hurry in and get those season tickets Braves fans!

7. You are really a hardcore (and old) baseball fan, if you remember who Frank Leja was – or Lou Limmer. For the uninitiated, Leja and Limmer were supposed first base phenoms of the Yankees and Athletics respectively back in the 50s. Together, they got into about 200 major league baseball games and hit right at the Mendoza line for their combined careers. More importantly to children of the 50s, they showed up in every darned pack of baseball cards instead of that hoped for Mickey Mantle card.

8. So Boston’s Big Popi is going to whine and pout about the MLB edict that you stay in the batter’s box between pitches. Deal with it, Mr. Ortiz! And memo to American League pitchers: work him up and in. He has a hole in his swing the size of Arizona up there.

9. Our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) reminds us that too often the inventions we take for granted are the most important. Case in point: It’s five o’clock, pouring rain and you are about to leave the office for your car located two football fields away. Which would you rather have –an Apple 18.5 smart phone or an umbrella? (Margin of error – 50 per cent or so).

10. He’s too plain-spoken and probably not far enough to the right to get himself even nominated, but Republican Governor John Kasich of Ohio would make an excellent presidential candidate. It’s refreshing to hear a politician like him simply deal in plain, cold facts without all the political correctness and waffling you hear only too often from most politicians.

Channel 10 – grasping at straws

It’s an old, tired practice in the broadcasting industry that when you are getting your head handed to you by the competition – in this case Channels 8, 13 and Bay News 9, you need a gimmick. One of Channel 10’s is to show up on a restaurant’s doorstep, camera and microphone in hand. They then proceed to tell the dining public how they are protecting us from restaurants that store the bacon on the wrong shelf of the cooler and other unforgivable sins. It makes us want to call one of their crusading restaurant reporters and tell them we will be at their home in five minutes to inspect their kitchen.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

After the NFL having its “season in the sun” during the fall with Rice, Goodell and company, the spotlight this spring shines brightly on NASCAR. The organization has spent millions on creature comforts at aging Daytona International Speedway but fails to install basic safety devices that resulted in a serious injury to star driver Kyle Busch. Meanwhile, Kyle’s brother, Kurt, goes all Ray Rice on us and is understandably banned for the foreseeable future. But NASCAR plods along installing gimmicky things like its new qualifying procedures that resulted in several wrecked cars before a race was even run. The France family may have been the right stuff for auto racing in the sixties – not so sure about their leadership in our new century.

AROUND THE BAY:

1. Well said: “Elections matter” - MaryEllen Elia’s comment during a toast to her by Hillsborough County leaders. Let’s hope the Hillsborough County electorate doesn’t forget that during the next couple election cycles.

2. Walmart employees in the bay area and elsewhere are scheduled for a modest pay raise soon. We scoff at the low wages America’s largest private employer pays, yet we flock there for seemingly low prices. It’s the same with those of us who scream “Buy American” but wear clothes made in Sri Lanka while we drive our Toyota down the road. You can’t have it both ways.

3. Item: Publix tumbles from atop the customer satisfaction pyramid of grocery stores. Based on visits to three different stores over the past couple weeks (total of six visits), can’t say as we’re surprised. Meanwhile, persistent rumors of Kroger entering the Florida market persist.

4. Unsuccessful Attorney General candidate George Sheldon has taken a job in Illinois. So, can we now say for sure this time he is not a resident of Florida?

5. You have lived in Clearwater a long while if you remember the jazz concerts in the pre-sci-ti Fort Harrison Hotel sponsored by WAZE radio and featuring legends like Woody Herman, Stan Kenton and the Four Freshmen. Those concerts were captured on tape by WAZE’s Ron Hitchcock, and you can still find them at www. hitchcock-media.com.

THE DIAMOND, THE MEDIA AND OTHER STUFF:

6. News Flash from the Sports World: Former Ray B.J. Upton has informed everyone he wishes to be referred to as Melvin Upton, Jr. from now on. We’re sure the name change will help lift the .198 batting average he’s posted since leaving the Rays two years ago. But now he’s out for two months with a foot injury. Can you say Wally Pipp?

7. Factoid: 100 years ago, the tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

8. Another gem borrowed from the 5:05 newsletter: “Slow down Harper Lee! I’m only halfway through the first one”!

9. We criticized Bay News Nine awhile back for their scant weather coverage at the top and bottom of the hour. But we should also mention the very comfortable feeling you get when

Diane Kacmarik delivers the forecast. Most of the channel’s forecasters are good, but she is a pro who has consistently stood out during her 11 years with Bay News Nine.

10. Baseball lost one of its best last week when 32-year veteran umpire Tim McClelland retired. Best known for his role in the George Brett pine tar incident, McClelland was a steady presence on the diamond until back problems forced him to sit out last year and eventually retire. There should be a spot on the wall awaiting him in Cooperstown in the near future.

IN CLOSING:

It’s more than a year and counting and Clearwater’s Marina still looks like a war zone. With spring break here, folks will be greeted by scaffolds, stumps where palm trees used to be and even less parking than ever. Oh, did we mention no diner where visitors and residents have been able to enjoy a breakfast or burger since the 50s? This is just a mess and what do we get for our trouble? Another Mexican restaurant that will someday open; a diner moved from one end of the marina to the other that will someday open and one gift shop replacing another. And lest we forget, we lost the one unique shop in the marina – Capt. Bruce Littler’s nautical themed store and the beach’s only post office. This is progress? Hardly.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

Help us understand this. In order to re-enter our homes after a severe storm causing evacuation from the beaches, we need to obtain some sort of permit issued by the Sheriff’s office? Isn’t this why we have driver’s licenses with our current address printed on them, a voter’s registration, a current power bill or numerous other things that prove we live where we do? If you can’t produce one of those, fine; but adding yet another layer of bureaucracy is just … (pardon us while we think of a nicer way to say stupid). Granted, this will help employment keeping a trio or so of bureaucrats with a combined IQ of 150 employed handing out permits. Sheriff (and mayors), haven’t you got better things to do with your time? Folks who live on the beaches certainly do.

AROUND THE BAY:

1. Who saw that coming? Jeb Bush has emerged as the leading candidate for the Republican nomination in 2016 and “Florida’s Best Newspaper” immediately cranks up its attack campaign on arguably Florida’s best governor in the past couple decades. Some things just never change.

2. In a related note, we’re sure that the above cited publication will do an in-depth analysis of Whitewater very soon. (See disclaimer above).

3. Give the PSTA credit. They have shied away from suggesting the second most regressive tax – a five cents a gallon gas tax hike to possibly an increased property tax which perhaps we the voters can live with – as long as they clean up their house. Brad Miller, Ken Welch and their merry band have some serious work to do first.

4. A thank you to the Florida University Board of Governors for opposing handguns on our college campuses. This proposal falls into the “what can possibly go wrong” category.

5. You’ve lived in the Bay Area (or anywhere else) a long time if you remember when pizza wasn’t delivered but milk was. Thanks to the brighter sibling in our family for this one.

THE DIAMOND, THE MEDIA AND OTHER STUFF:

6. This year, hope does not spring eternal for Tampa Bay area based spring training teams. The Phillies are in a rebuild mode; Toronto plays in the toughest division in baseball and the Yankees, in that same division, need everything, repeat everything, to go right for them to reach the post season.

7. It’s been awhile since the state of Florida college basketball was so ugly. At the end of last weekend, the Gators were at 12-13 and the Seminoles at 14-12. And then there’s the USF Bull’s train wreck of 7-19 and 1-12 in their conference. Wow!

8. Item: Reports indicate a worldwide shortage of chocolate. We can live with that – just as long as the situation is remedied by the end of Lent.

9. Topping the charts fifty years ago this week was one of the all-time great ballads You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ by the Righteous Brothers.

10. Beleaguered Attorney General Eric Holder prepares to leave office saying his “single failure” was not getting additional gun legislation. Single failure? The attorney general flatters himself.

IN CLOSING:

Last week we concluded our blog with a lament of the closing of Apsco Appliances and their absorption by some faceless Hillsborough County company. We should have also noted the proposed merger of Office Depot and Staples with Staples being the surviving firm. We’re probably wrong in thinking this is all about pencils rather than our appliances, money and cars as we alluded to last week (see last week’s “In Closing”). Unlike the Famous Tate deal, the Feds will be looking at this one from an anti-trust aspect. Bet on an okay but the competition in this industry will become extremely limited. But then it’s only pencils – or is it?

TOP OF THE WEEK:

Happy Birthday Clearwater! 2015 marks the 100^th anniversary of the incorporation of our city. If you have lived here for more than half the city’s history as has your aged HB (Humble Blogger), there are a lot of memories – some of which we share each week in our blog. There has been lots of growth, lots of change – both for the good and not so good. We’d like you to use the comment button below and share with us your favorite, least favorite or most significant event(s) in Clearwater during your residency. Over the next several weeks, we will share some of yours as well as our reflections on our 100-year-old city. Thanks in advance for sharing.

AROUND THE BAY:

1. Following up on our lead item, we will lead off with our most significant and least favorite events (they are the same) in our lifetime in Clearwater. That would be the back door entrance of the Church of Scientology (under the guise of United Churches of Florida) in the mid-seventies. Anyone who argues their presence in Clearwater hasn’t adversely affected the city is kidding themselves.

2. Brooksville has moved to drop their red light camera program later this year amid a flurry of protests by merchants and civic leaders of what it’s doing to the city’s image. The red lights and Waldo, Lawtey and Inglis’ speed limit changes every 100 feet do tend to tarnish a city’s reputation.

3. Hey, remember that new Mexican restaurant that was going to open in the city marina last September? Target date is now May. Meanwhile, the marina diner that dates back to the 50s is nowhere near re-opening. More on this wonderful metamorphosis of our city marina coming next week.

4. Our Raves and Rants focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) hopes it’s not your or their fire or medical emergency the new fire station location has to respond to during the height of spring break. Margin of error: fifty percent more or less.

5. You’ve lived in Clearwater for a long time if you remember when Leslie “Buster” Narum was a three-sport star at Clearwater High – quarterback, point guard and star pitcher. Bonus points if you remember that he homered in his first MLB at bat with the Baltimore Orioles.

THE DIAMOND, THE MEDIA AND OTHER STUFF:

6. New York had Murray the K, Cousin Brucie and Dan Ingram. One the west coast, it was Robert W. Morgan, Wolfman Jack and the incomparable Gary Owens who ruled the airwaves on KFWB. Then, of course, there was Laugh-In plus the voice of a hundred other characters down through the years. Gary, who passed away last week at 80, was an American icon.

7. Don’t be so quick to write off NBC News with the six-month departure of Brian Williams. The guy filling the chair, Lester Holt, is no slouch. Nicknamed “Iron Pants” because of the many chairs he fills at NBC due to his versatility, Lester will do just fine, thank you.

8. Related Item: Rod Carter replaced as anchor on Channel 8 morning news. Big mistake, the folks who needed replacing in the morning are those three giggling idiots with their phony smiles with whom Carter was forced to work.

9. Believe it or not, you actually get a result when you Google Mel Famey. If you don’t know the saga of pitcher Mel Famey, it’s worth a look. But none of the results tell the story quite as well as local raconteur Joe Burdette.

10. At last! Pitcher and catchers report this week.

IN CLOSING:

All of us are quick to shout about receiving what we perceive as lousy service – not so quick to trumpet people who have consistently delivered good service over the years. For us, if we had to pick three organizations in the latter category right at the top would be Dick Norris Buick/GMC where we’ve bought about a dozen cars; Regions Bank – knowing full well it is chic to complain about banks but over the course of two decades (and a few name changes) they have delivered for us. A third would be Apsco Appliances which is why we were saddened to learn of their bankruptcy and subsequent buyout by Famous Tate who have no track record in Pinellas. Apsco went so above and beyond in sales and especially service, you didn’t even bother to shop anywhere else when the dishwasher or whatever needed replacing – much like Dick Norris and Regions. Time will tell if Famous Tate can fill their shoes. Forgive us if we’re skeptical.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

Memo to Bay News 9: It’s okay to give the predicted high for the next day during your top and bottom of the hour afternoon weather forecasts. This is not the Manhattan Project we’re talking about – no need to keep it a secret. That being said, Bay News 9 is becoming old, tired and predictable. We realize that a 24-hour news operation must repeat things but they need to change it up a bit with more meaningful features. Watched several similar services in various markets (all smaller) in the last few weeks and their overall look was far superior to what we get here. Another welcome change would be distancing themselves a bit from the ultra-liberal St. Pete Times. Oh, and did we mention the Soviets are probably not watching, so it’s okay to include the next day’s high temp?

AROUND THE BAY:

1. It didn’t take long for Pinellas sheriff Bob Gualtieri to moonwalk away from his support of Sen. Jeff Brandes’ medical pot bill. Funny, in doing so, he used the very phraseology that appeared here last week concerning medical pot – the devil is in the details. And again, stay tuned!

2. Weather item. The weekend of January 24-25, the west coast got blasted by rain, high winds - really nasty weather. Watching NBC News, you saw this blob of red and yellow off Tampa Bay but no mention of that. The story of course was that the weather system was headed for the I-95 corridor a few days later – oh the humanity!

3. Now the fun begins as Hillsborough County’s dysfunctional school board attempts to find a replacement for Florida’s superintendent of the year.

4. It was a relatively quiet year at Gasparilla with only about two dozen arrests reported as opposed to literally hundreds a few years back. Four of the arrests were for battery – on police officers. Dude, if you’re going to commit battery, pick your battles a little better.

5. You’ve lived in Pinellas County a long time if you remember the “name act” for the grand opening of J.M. Fields on Missouri Avenue was rock/country star Conway Twitty. For our younger readers, J. M. Fields was . . . oh forget it; we’d have to get into W.T. Grant, Woolco, JByron and a bunch of others.

THE DIAMOND, THE MEDIA AND OTHER STUFF:

6. This question isn’t original – saw it somewhere on the web. Nonetheless, your three favorite movie themes are? Put us down for The Magnificent Seven along with The Sand Pebbles (And We Were Lovers) and Hawaii (I Am Hawaii). And yours?

7. Sorry, we can’t help ourselves in following up this week’s lead article with the great George Carlin’s Cold War era bit “The Hippy Dippy Weatherman” where he pronounced “Radar is showing a band of showers, however it is also showing a fleet of Russian ICBMs heading our way, so I wouldn’t sweat the showers”. Classic!

8. Factoid: As Saturday Night Live closes in on forty years on the air, do you remember that the above quoted George Carlin was its first guest host?

9. Best college basketball game of the year had to be last week’s heavyweight battle between the Virginia Cavaliers and Duke Blue Devils. The games of the last two weeks indicate just how deep and balanced the talent is in the ACC this year. But can any of those teams beat Kentucky?

10. It took way too long, but it’s good to see Jerome “The Bus” Bettis and Tim Brown getting an invite to Canton. Tony Dungy should be there too. His time is coming.

IN CLOSING:

So is he the greatest quarterback of all time? With four Super Bowl rings and six total appearances, it’s hard to argue against Tom Brady. There are a couple pre-Super Bowl era QBs who might rate consideration – Otto Graham and Johnny Unitas both of whom seemed to win championships every year although the road to the championship didn’t involve as many grueling postseason games as this era. Then there are two other guys who have four rings should they care to wear them – Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw. For some reason Montana seems to get more credit than Bradshaw – Pittsburgh’s killer defense might have something to do with that, but then ultimately, it was New England’s defense that won the day last weekend. The debate on who’s the greatest will continue to rage but there aren’t many arguments against Brady – love him or hate him.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

So the Church of Scientology is working stealth-like behind the scenes to oppose the Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s plans for downtown Clearwater? This creates an interesting dichotomy for more than a few long time Clearwater residents who have issues with what they feel is an overly ambitious plan on the part of the CMA in that it puts them in bed with the Scientologists who, no doubt, have their own agenda for opposing the move rather than fiscal responsibility. Or, if you really want to channel Oliver Stone, you could say CMA supporters are fanning the flames of the Scientology opposition to bring less than supportive Clearwater residents into their camp. Stay tuned.

AROUND THE BAY:

1. Florida bumps the minimum wage for tipped personnel from $4.91 to $5.03 an hour – how ridiculous. And oh yes, for those of you from north of the border, it is customary to tip for good service.

2. A person close to the issue and a lot smarter than us says it could take two more years for the Belleview Biltmore’s new owners to fight off legal challenges and begin construction. Good grief!

3. One of the early tests of new county manager Mark Woodward’s career will be replacing the highly successful Noah Lagos who retires from the St. Pete-Clearwater Airport later this year. To continue the airport’s upswing of the last few years, this is a hire Woodward has to get right.

4. Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri says he will support a proposed bill (by Sen. Jeff Brandes) to legalize medical pot. The positive side is this would be a law rather than a constitutional amendment. But there is still the slippery slope of what the few law enforcement officials who have come out in support call a “tightly managed” law. The devil is in the details. Stay tuned.

5. You’ve really lived in Clearwater a long time if you went to high school (or junior high school) at the corner of Laura Street and Greenwood Avenue.

THE DIAMOND, THE MEDIA AND OTHER STUFF:

6. Remember only a few years back when the Phillies were selling out a half dozen or more spring training games each season? Bad news for Stub Hub and other scalpers, tickets will be plentiful this year – as they were last.

7. In a related note, Ruben Amaro, Jr. is a terrific young man, but he appears to be next in line to get the Frank Wren award for general managers.

8. When was the last time you remember a non-incumbent being quite the shoo-in for their party’s nomination as Hilary Clinton?

9. Coach K’s 1000^th win leads you to reflect on the best in his field. He certainly deserves a spot among the top three with the others being his mentor, Bobby Knight and the “Wizard of Westwood”, John Wooden. There is a fourth name that deserves a mention – a man who directly or indirectly influenced all three above – Clair Bee. He was a two-time national champion at tiny Long Island University as well as a football and baseball coach and athletic director in the college ranks, an innovator (zone defense and the three second rule) and later a successful author.

10. Just a thought: if it weren’t for the Lightning and UCF’s football program, there wouldn’t be a winning major sports team on the entire I-4 corridor.

IN CLOSING:

We seldom agree with Robert Trigaux of the Times. We don’t think he likes business and pretty sure he’s never been in business, but that’s for another blog. Must nod our head in agreement with his column on Hillsborough County’s Fearsome Foursome who ousted one of the best school superintendents in the nation mainly because she wouldn’t do lunch with them. These meddlers, as Trigaux suggests, have to go. Level-headed people of Hillsborough County need to mirror what voters in Clearwater did in the mid-nineties and start lining up highly qualified candidates to blow the four of them out one by one.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

There’s the old belief that just about anybody can do a better job of running a hotel, managing a big league baseball team or patterning traffic than the person currently doing it. But nowhere is this mindset more prevalent than in public (or private) education. Forget the fact that teachers, administrators and superintendents have spent years of study and work honing their skills in the area of education. Well-meaning (mostly) parents and school board members always know what course of action is better for our kids. The recent fiasco in Hillsborough County makes you wonder whether we even need school boards. Do they, indeed, do more harm than good? In Hillsborough County, the 1.1 million dollar answer is obvious.

AROUND THE BAY:

1. In a related note, the understatement of the still young year was a headline in “Florida’s Best Newspaper” – Elia drama may scare off others. Gee, do you think so?

2. The Pinellas County Commission is talking about raising the minimum wage of their employees to 12.50 an hour. As taxpayers, guess we’re okay with that. Very troubling though, is a corollary proposal to ask their vendors to establish a similar minimum. And just how many of this seven person body has ever had to make a weekly payroll?

3. Speaking of business, in the bay area DBA no longer only defines “Doing Business As”; it also will denote Doctor of Business Administration a degree program now offered by USF. There are only a dozen or so such programs in the country – another feather in the cap of the Tampa university.

4. Congratulations to Clearwater’s St. Cecelia Interparochial School on becoming the county’s and the St. Petersburg Diocese’s newest International Baccalaureate (IB) school.

5. You’ve really lived in Pinellas County a long time if you remember when there was a Publix on Main Street in downtown Dunedin.

THE DIAMOND, THE MEDIA & OTHER STUFF:

6. CNN shined in their coverage of the Paris tragedy. Fox News seemed confused most of the time and MSNBC was, well, MSNBC.

7. This item appeared in the January 4 issue of Rants and Raves: As we frequently do, we “borrow” a classic from the local 5:05 newsletter regarding the passing of the founder of Topps baseball cards: “Sy Berger, the designer of the modern baseball card, has died. He will be laid to rest in a shoe box somewhere in an attic”. More than one person has suggested to us that there should an addendum to the piece – “And after five years, your mother throws the shoe box away”.

8. It has been reported that in A-Rod’s pre-season workouts, he’s being assisted by (wait for it) . . . Barry Bonds. What could possibly go wrong with that scenario?

9. Was there anyone who might not have played for your favorite team whom you respected more than Ernie Banks? They are “playing two” in baseball heaven this week.

10. Our crack sports prognosticator, Achmed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) likes Seattle over New England in the Super Bowl.

IN CLOSING:

Over the years, old technology fades away as something newer and better comes long – think cassette tape player and IPod or mimeograph and Xerox. Now some bright guys have come up with a more efficient way to move individuals and small groups from one place to another such as Lyft and Uber. Boy, are the transportation regulatory agencies in Tampa and elsewhere upset. They claim public safety, consumer protection and all matter of things are being compromised. Is it that or certain palms which are not being greased like they have been by taxi companies over the decades in Hillsborough and other environs? If you’re betting, bet on Lyft and Uber to ultimately prevail.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

As we come upon the 42^nd anniversary of Roe versus Wade, there is still much to lament but not to despair. The Pro-Life movement continues to gain ground. But you’ve got to give the pro-abortion bunch credit for their ability to sustain their secular viewpoint and to turn a phrase. Pro-lifers are not really pro-lifers, they are anti-abortionists. Makes sense for the abortion bunch to spin it that way, because if you identify folks who believe in the sanctity of life as Pro-Life, that would make the other side anti-life - sounds messy. Likewise, a women’s right to determine what she wants to do with her own body comes off a whole lot better than a woman’s right to end the life of an unborn child. Pro-Lifers get frustrated by all the pro-abortion spin doctors. But on this anniversary, they need to take solace in who makes the final call on such matters.

AROUND THE BAY:

1. Apparently we are not the only ones wondering why the heck CENTCOM has a Twitter account. To keep in touch with Tampa’s version of the Kardashians?

2. Largo News: Commissioner Holmes, have you ever heard the expression, let sleeping dogs lie?

3. Item: Group sues to block sale of the “White Queen of the Gulf”. Are you kidding? It, like the Bush-Gore Election and the 100-Years War, is over folks.

4. AirTran flew its last flight into Tampa earlier this month. Their planes will now carry the Southwest Airlines livery – a good thing. Even with their name change years ago, AirTran was most closely associated with the tragic Everglades crash in 1996 when they were known as ValuJet – a crash that was marked by incompetence and what most airline experts called criminal negligence on the part of ValuJet officials and ground crew.

5. You’ve really lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember when they had tokens (and tolls) for the Clearwater Pass Bridge.

THE DIAMOND, THE MEDIA AND OTHER STUFF:

6. Apparently somebody or bodies told the Time’s Sue Carlton and John Romano they were funny. Their respective year-end columns proved that to not be the case.

7. Curt Shilling thinks that being a Republican kept him out of the Hall of Fame then proceeds to take off on John Smoltz’ election. Check the records, Curt, Smoltz is, like you, a registered Republican not to mention a better pitcher.

8. Yes, the Rays will miss multi-dimensional Ben Zobrist. More than they want to admit, they will also miss stylistic shortstop Yunel Escobar. The Cuban-born Escobar shows better than average range at shortstop and a reliable bat (.276 lifetime batting average versus Zobrist’s .264). He also played with a flair on a team that is often dull. He’ll be missed.

9. We have three words for the Tampa Bay Bucs – PASS, PASS and PASS. We’re not talking about their new offensive coordinator here; we’re talking what their words should be when Jameis Winston’s agent comes calling. Lovie Smith’s squad has enough issues without the drama surrounding the radioactive QB from FSU.

10. A quote from the July 6, 2014 edition of Raves and Rants regarding Denver Coach John Fox: This time next year, he well could be without one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks, and he will instantly become a 6-10 coach and then a coordinator of a 4-12 team. Maybe like Pete Carroll, with a third try, Fox will win a Super Bowl but strongly doubt it. The over/under on Fox getting a copy of the home game from the Broncos is eighteen months. Turned out it was under for the guy who can’t seem to win the big ones. Surprisingly, the Chicago Bears, who still run a single wing offense, hired him within a week.

IN CLOSING:

Some folks call them “legacy seats” – seats in political leaderships or legislative bodies that pass from parent to child – such as the Daleys in Chicago. Here in Florida, we are seeing more and more of it and not always for the better. Bill Young, II was unable to cash in on his late father’s name in November; on the other coast, State Rep Karen Castor Dentel was able to ride her mother’s name to a first term but not a second; Chris Latvala and Gwen Graham were able to parlay their last names into elective office. It remains to be seen how well young Latvala, who at least has some legislative experience working with Rep. Ed Hooper, and Graham, who pretty much has a famous last name, will do. Based on history, one would have thought Pinellas and Pasco County voters, certainly, would be aware of the need for caution when voting for the same last name - perhaps not.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

As we mentioned here several weeks back, the Hall of Fame is getting a terrific front three of a rotation this year – Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz. Johnson, a towering, glowering presence on the mound, was one of the best clutch pitchers of all time. Same for Martinez, who looks diminutive next to the Big Unit, but had one of the biggest hearts in baseball. Then there’s Smoltz who excelled both as a starter and reliever and may have been the best big game pitcher of the bunch – trailing only Andy Pettitte in post season wins. What a threesome!

AROUND THE BAY:

1. Item: State Rep. Darryl Rouson’s son gets into more than a little trouble and it gets a multi-paragraph article in “Florida’s Best Newspaper”. Granted, an alleged stolen weapon and pointing the thing at a motorist is serious but it gets a paragraph or two at best unless it’s the son of a state representative – just another reason why so many well-qualified people shy away from public office.

2. There comes a time when you put the last election cycle behind you and move forward – a lesson lost on Florida Democratic chief Allison Tant. While folks from both sides of the aisle were talking cooperation at Tuesday’s inaugural, Tant continued pouting and predicting doom for Florida during Governor Scott’s second term. Allison, time to put on the big girl pants.

3. Read an interesting letter to the editor over the holidays by a Darryl David from St. Pete. He welcomes new residents to the state with a lengthy list of all that’s wrong with Florida. Having just toured the eastern seaboard, it seems other states have a few warts – the washboards they call roads in South Carolina come to mind. But the really great thing for David and other malcontents is that I-75 and I-95 run north as well as south.

4. You have really lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember when the Clearwater Airpark opened for business 75 years ago this year (1939).

5. In a related note, we were saddened to learn recently of the passing of Rick Emshoff who had a great impact on the growth of the Airpark in the 90s.

THE DIAMOND, THE MEDIA AND OTHER STUFF:

6. Craig Biggio, the Hall’s fourth inductee this year, is a deserving candidate although many of his credentials are more longevity-related than dominating like the three pitchers. And his Gold Gloves, frankly, were more a product of the tendency to give the award to good hitters who are better than average fielders rather than .250 hitters who could really turn it at second base.

7. Our rants and raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) notes that further layoffs will probably be necessary at the IRS this year. They ask why not everyone? (Margin of error 50 per cent more or less). A reminder we make once a year to those of you who are new to Rants and Raves, the 50% percent margin of error depends on how many of the focus group remembered their meds on that particular day.

8. So Bubba the Sponge is back on the radio. For a small cult, that’s great news. For a larger segment, it’s just another thing to hate about over-the-air radio. And for the vast majority of us, a collective yawn.

9. Baltimore and Carolina enjoyed charmed lives in the last weeks of the NFL; both sneaking in on the last week of the regular season, then playing severely crippled teams in Arizona and Pittsburgh in the first round. The clock stuck midnight Saturday.

10. Factoid: gas station attendant, boxer, coal miner, drugstore clerk, mill hand and blackjack dealer. These were the professions of a guy before he combined a cigarette in one hand, a drink in the other and a really smooth voice to become Dean Martin.

IN CLOSING:

There is no middle ground with Bill O’Reilly. You either love the guy or hate him. But a commentary that concluded his initial broadcast for 2015 resounded with your HB (Humble Blogger) and perhaps it will with you. “In 2015, be honest with yourself. Step back and look at your behavior and your thought process. We rationalize our behavior, we are often in denial. Step back; be honest with yourself and your life will improve dramatically.” Well said.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

We lead with an apology for this “late edition”. Have just returned from the frozen tundra that is the Finger Lakes region of New York.

The ramifications of the cyber terrorism that hit Sony go far beyond movies not being released, executives being embarrassed and #44’s movie preferences being known to the free world. Everybody but about three people in the world know the country of origin for this cyber-attack. The question is what does the U.S. do about it? Name calling at the U.N. is not nearly strong enough. An example needs to be made here. The question is – does the administration have the backbone to do so? Stay tuned.

AROUND THE BAY:

1. Last month we pointed out that many power bills for December were lower than city of Clearwater water bills (excluding solid waste). Further investigation shows a December 2014 water bill for a 3-bedroom condo occupied by two people was $135.94 – just over double the December 2009 bill for the same two people, same property (67.71). Double the price in five years - and we complain about Duke Power?

2. Mark March 10th on your calendar. It’s the next election cycle for Pinellas County cities. Although none of the larger cities (St. Pete, Clearwater, Largo or Dunedin) have elections, there will be a few interesting cities to watch. Both Oldsmar and Safety Harbor will be electing council majorities. Also, three are up for election in Belleair and dysfunctional Kenneth City will be electing a circular firing squad of four.

3. Five people and/or things that are bay area institutions – Gayle Sierens and Jack Harris from the media; two great restaurants – the Columbia and the Beachcomber along with the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks. Others? Use the comment button below.

4. From USA Today’s whimsical 2015 “I Resolves” – I resolve to use antiperspirant instead of fans in 2015 – former Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

5. Another touch of Clearwater history: 52 years ago this month, WTAN Radio celebrates its 15^th year on the air by constructing one of the first FM stereo stations in the market – WTAN-FM. Young guy working a weekend gig at a St. Pete station decides to give this FM thing a brief try and sticks around for 20 years. Sorry, forgot the guy’s name.

THE DIAMOND, THE MEDIA AND OTHER STUFF:

6. We feel it necessary to mention this each year. The inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced a few weeks back. Again, no congratulatory calls for Paul Anka or Neil Sedaka. All these gentlemen have between them are a half dozen number one songs and 37 top 20 songs. Not to mention hits written for other artists like Sinatra, the Fifth Dimension, Captain and Tennille and oh yes, the Tonight Show Theme (Anka). Green Tree and Lou Reed are okay but can’t hold a candle to Anka and Sedaka. Without these two and a couple others, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame remains a joke.

7. Padre’s manager Bud Black has to be feeling a little pressure after the team’s front office went all in with a new outfield and other pricey additions during the off season. Problem is the new outfielders, Myer, Upton and Kemp collectively can’t catch a cold – a bad thing in the spacious Petco Field. If the Padres fail to perform, blame it on the front office not Bud Black.

8. As we frequently do, we “borrow” a classic from the local 5:05 newsletter regarding the passing of the founder of Topps baseball cards: “Sy Berger, the designer of the modern baseball card, has died. He will be laid to rest in a shoe box somewhere in an attic”.

9. Factoid: fifty-five years ago the decade of the 60s began with Marty Robbins topping the charts with El Paso – the first number one song of the decade. In December 1969, the decade drew to a close with Diana Ross and the Supremes at number one with Someday We’ll be Together Again – their last song before Ross embarked on a solo career.

10. And the all-time biggest selling single record is (by 17 million over its closest competitor)? Answer below.

IN CLOSING:

A few months back, we mentioned that both Derek Jeter’s and Paul Konerko’s numbers (2 & 14 respectively) were being retired. Konerko’s number joining Cub legend Ernie Banks’ 14; so no Chicago player would ever wear that number again. But the number most retired? It’s 20 – retired by nine of MLB’s 30 teams. Frank Robinson by both the Reds and Orioles, Arizona’s Luis Gonzalez; the Giant’s Monte Irvin; Lou Brock (Cards); Pie Traynor (Pirates); the Phil’s Michael Jack Schmidt; Don Sutton (Dodgers) and the Royal’s Frank White. Suppose you were some superstar player who wanted a number all his own to retire? The lowest number not retired by any team is 38.

Answer to #10 above – a song you no doubt listened to several times over the last month – Bing Crosby’s White Christmas. Oh, and the closest single to it in terms of sales is Elton John’s Candle in the Wind.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

What to do about downtown Clearwater? The most recent hired guns suggest creating a master plan for the downtown. That has possibilities. The master plan, Beach by Design, was an unqualified success for Clearwater Beach. There are, of course some significant differences. The beach had people coming – always has. Downtown, save for some uniformed personnel, is a ghost town. The issue at the beach was to control the growth. Downtown needs growth. And Beach by Design was fostered by a stronger leadership group than now exists both on the staff and elected sides of the city. But if done right by the right people, there could be hope for downtown Clearwater.

AROUND THE BAY:

1. It is gratifying, when ringing the bell for the Salvation Army, to hear the stories of help rendered from the persons or relatives of persons who received it. Particularly touching are the testimonies from veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the more recent wars.

2. The 2016 presidential election is almost two years away, but it’s not too soon for “Florida’s Best Newspaper” to begin its kamikaze attacks on Jeb Bush.

3. Our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) wonders why with some 50 miles of Pinellas Trail in the county, our roads have to be choked with races and/or biking events every other weekend. (Margin of error 50 per cent or so).

4. A huge tip of the cap to the police officers of New York and Tarpon Springs who showed great restraint in commenting on the murders of three of their brethren - a lesson to be learned by the pro athletes of the world.

5. You’ve lived in the Bay Area a good while if you remember when the University of Tampa used to field a football team and sent some pretty good players to the NFL like Freddie Solomon and John Matuszak.

THE DIAMOND, MEDIA AND OTHER STUFF:

6. Factoid: George Diller, the long-time voice of the NASA space program, began his illustrious career as a weekend announcer at Clearwater’s WTAN.

7. There are so many deserving broadcasters not in the baseball Hall of Fame, but it is impossible to argue with this year’s selection – the Padre’s Dick Enberg. We can just imagine him getting the call saying he was selected and replying with his signature “Oh my”!

8. The Dodgers are this decade’s New York Yankees - trying to buy and trade their way to a championship. It may work for a season but as model franchises like the Cards, the Giants and the Braves have proven over the long haul, you win consistently by building a strong farm system then adding a piece here and there.

9. The rumored move of USF to the Big 12? For so many reasons, ain’t gonna happen.

10. As we ended the year 50 years ago (1964), the top three songs in the nation were an eclectic mix of Bobby Vinton’s Mr. Lonely (3); Come See about Me by the Supremes (2); and appropriately, in a year dominated by the Beatles, I Feel Fine at the top of the charts.

IN CLOSING:

If a book store gift certificate was in your Christmas stocking and you’re a music buff, you might consider Carole King’s autobiography A Natural Woman. It’s a compelling look at a very complex, yet in some ways, simple woman. The focus is on her musical journey from a teenage writing phenom along with first husband, the late Gerry Goffin, through her incredibly successful Tapestry album to her later efforts with stalwarts like Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan and, of course, James Taylor. Wish we could have had just a little more of the early days with Goffin but there was a lot of ground, husbands (four) and music to cover in the some 450 pages. A must read if you grew up with the music of the 60s, 70s or 80s.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

As Tom Jackson, that golden-penned scribe of the Tampa Tribune, pointed out a few months back, you can be one of two things – a tweeter, blogger or whatever like us or an elected official, which we are not, although we used to play one on TV. But you can’t be both. Jackson used runaway politician Mike Fasano as an example. Same holds true for civic activist/ journalist - a role a mean-spirited, old person in Clearwater has been unsuccessfully trying to play for several decades. You just can’t have it both ways and maintain credibility as Fasano and the mean-spirited, old Clearwater person have proven time and again.

Around the Bay:

1. Apparently former St. Petersburg mayor and Times whipping boy Bill Foster is not the only person who refuses to bow at the altar of the mighty Rays. St. Petersburg City Council members wisely voted down the corporate giveaway negotiated by current mayor Rick Kriseman. Their idea of work shopping possible stadium locations is a good one. Meanwhile, there are no cities lining up at the door to offer the Rays a new home – advantage St. Pete, not the Rays.

2. In the immortal words of Lawrence Peter Berra, it isn’t over until it’s over. But for the handful of folks who still think the Belleview Biltmore can live on in its current configuration, it’s over. Demolition will begin in early spring.

3. The head of the DMV, Julie Jones, has been appointed to head up the troubled Florida Department of Corrections (DOC). That is akin to a headline announcing that Capt. Smith of the Titanic has been appointed captain of the Queen Elizabeth. Shouldn’t she get the DMV straightened out before she takes on a new challenge?

4. You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember when all directions of traffic stopped at the same time at Cleveland and Ft. Harrison so pedestrians could walk in any direction – even diagonally.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

5. Some supposed hot prospects are headed the Rays way in the recent Wil Myers trade. Two things - we’re so not sure Rene Rivera is an upgrade or even a wash for defensive minded Ryan Hanigan. Rivera has never caught 100 games in a season in his career. He is, however, three years younger (31). Second, there have been whispers that the young Myers is not the most coachable player in the game – something the Rays can do without.

6. Our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) says the latest sign of the end of civilization, as we know it, is legalized pot dealers in Colorado promoting bags of grass as stocking stuffers. What could possibly go wrong with that idea? (Margin of error 50 percent more or less).

7. The recent John Winter Memorial Teddy Bear Drive by Channel 8 reminds us how much we miss that guy - Chris Thomas too. They were two of the best.

8. In a related note, the announcement that Jennifer Leigh would step into the very large shoes of Gayle Sierens on Channel 8’s 11 p.m. newscast was no surprise. Leigh has distinguished herself anchoring Channel 8’s 7 p.m. newscast. She, like Gayle, brings just the right touch of serious professionalism along with the occasional light touch. Leigh should do well.

9. Both coordinators out the door at USF and unless things significantly improve in 2015, head football coach Willie Taggart will be receiving some lovely parting gifts this time next year.

10. Turns out the Wall Street Journal article regarding a change in direction for Budweiser advertising was misinterpreted as meaning they would scale back their use of the famous Clydesdales in their Christmas and Super Bowl campaigns. Not true – nor was the rumor that Bud’s sales dropped 50 per cent within a day of the misinterpreted article. Some things, certainly the beloved Clydesdales, are sacred.

IN CLOSING:

Okay, we’re approaching the first of the year and your annual lose weight, get in shape exercise (pun intended). Instead of trying the same old thing, do yourself a favor and make a resolution to read three books in the first quarter of the year – and, of course, follow the advice. They are local author Dr. Don Ardell’s 14 Days to a Wellness Lifestyle; William Duffy’s Sugar Blues and the product of four New Orleans authors – Sugar Busters. Read one or more of the three previously? Then add Robert Atkins’ New Diet Revolution – a somewhat controversial book but a program that works for weight loss and health improvement. All the new-fangled books on the shelves are, in one fashion or the other, copies of these four groundbreakers. Here’s to a new you in 2015!

Merry Christmas!

TOP OF THE WEEK –

COLUMNIST WANTED: “Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio”? Or more to the point where have you gone Steve Otto and Howard Troxler and people of your caliber? The Bay Area’s two major papers now have pretty tepid versions of Troxler, Otto and the folks who preceded them. A couple ex sports writers who don’t resonate like that ex sports writer turned columnist Lewis Grizzard (few ever did). You also have the clown who now shows up not only on the editorial page but in revered space in the local Times edition previously occupied by Bob Henderson and Diane Steinle. Plus the strident liberal from south Florida who never lets facts get in the way of the point he’s trying drive home. Tom Jackson, of the Tribune, is usually a hoot but all in all, “Our nation (or region) turns its lonely eyes to you” – Steve and Howard and Bob and Diane.

Around the Bay –

1. Pinellas County’s David Jolly has been appointed to the prestigious House Appropriations Committee which can only bode well for his district – and yet another reason why he was so much a better choice than Alex Sink given the Republican control of the House (and now the Senate).

2. Do you notice that during this season of relatively low energy usage that your city water bill (exclusive of solid waste) is as much or more than your power bill? The cost of water, at least in Clearwater, has gotten ridiculously high and customers don’t even have a weak-kneed PSC to address the issue.

3. Tale of Two Cities: Dunedin is struggling with where to park all the folks who come to visit their charming downtown while Clearwater continues to struggle to get anybody in their downtown.

4. Didn’t you love it when you mentioned Duke you were talking about one of the model basketball, and now, football programs in the country and not the power company that doesn’t believe in energy conservation?

5. You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember when the south end of Clearwater Beach was not a canyon surrounded by high rises but a spot for the weekend viewing of the “submarine races”.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. We’re going to channel Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and apologize for a remark we’ve made – ahead of time. We apologize to all the other morons in the world when we justifiably label Lewis a moron for his incredibly insensitive remarks regarding Brown’s quarterback Johnny Manziel.

7. FSU quarterback Jameis Winston’s “advisor” David Cornwell lists among his clients Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun and Ben Roethlisberger. Wow, with a quartet like that, how do you look yourself in the mirror?

8. Yo, Keith, holler at us when you start commenting on sports again, and we may tune back in.

9. Didn’t you think you would eventually wake up from your bad dream where the Rays would say, “We’ve make a horrible mistake. We’re going to tear this up and start our managerial search process all over.” By the way, nice job on vetting Raul Ibanez’ desire to manage.

10. It appears the Big 12 got jobbed in the first year of a committee picking four finalists for the college football championship. This is what happens when conferences have more than one strong team like the SEC and the Big 12. It’s probably safe to say there are about a half dozen teams or more that would give Alabama a better game than Ohio State will – two of them in the Big 12 and at least a couple in the SEC. But it’s hard to disagree with the committee’s one and two seeds. Oregon and the Tide will be playing for all the marbles in January.

IN CLOSING –

We very much admire Tom Jones of the Times but his statement that Joe Maddon is arguably the best manager in baseball can’t go uncontested. Maddon wasn’t even the best manager in his division - Joe Girardi, World Championship; John Farrell, World Championship; Buck Showalter has won in all three cities he’s managed. We’ll concede that Maddon is better than John Gibbons in Toronto. But the best manager in baseball, hardly - the kookiest perhaps, but not the best.

TOP OF THE WEEK –

Very good hire – that seems to be the consensus among the Gator Nation and sports observers in general on the Gator – Jim McElwain marriage. A little inexperienced – yes, but you most likely won’t find this guy available three years from now. He will have to grow into the job, but more than one analyst believes he will. Granted, Colorado State is not LSU and the Mountain West is not the SEC. But another guy came to Florida from that conference and did pretty well – gent by the name of Urban Meyer. Hey, Gators, you could be Nebraska who just fired a nine win coach so they could hire a guy who won five this year. We predict two years from now, Gator fans will be a lot happier than the Cornhusker faithful.

Around the Bay –

1. There’s a progression of bad things happening at PSTA – federal money being returned; the email fiascos and now apparent sabotage. They all add up to a hot mess and the blindingly obvious conclusion that changes need to be made at the agency.

2. The Seminole City Council is wise beyond their years. They were one of the few Pinellas governmental bodies to see through the smoke and mirrors that was Greenlight Pinellas. More recently, they are balking at a developer’s attempted shake down of several million tax dollars so said developer can build a new Seminole Mall complete with dozens if not hundreds of minimum wage jobs. That is not economic development.

3. Just a little to the north, expect good things from Woody Brown, the new Mayor of Largo. Brown is a bright, energetic guy and should do the office proud. But then over the past several years, the bar in that position has not been set too high.

4. Medical pot on the 2016 ballot? Perhaps its backers feel that they stand a better shot in a presidential year. But many folks have grown weary of the issue and then there’s the opposition from both the law enforcement and medical communities. Also, that problem with putting something in the Florida constitution that has no business being there.

5. You’ve really lived in Clearwater quite a while if you remember the Gay Way Skating Rink on South Missouri Avenue – a couple blocks south of another gone but not forgotten icon – Sunshine Mall.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. Managers in waiting tend to be high level minor league managers, third base coaches or bench coaches. Anyone of those three positions in the Rays organization would have made an excellent manager as the Rays move forward. Bullpen coaches like newly appointed manager Kevin Cash tend to be old teammates of the manager who needed a job. It could be argued that Cash was the best of the three finalists – but that’s like saying he beat out Curley and Mo.

7. The departure of highly respected, eight year veteran coach Neil Allen from the Rays minor league system is a harbinger of things to come brought on by the shabby way long-term employees Dave Martinez and, to a lesser degree, Charlie Montoyo were treated. Loyalty, the Rays must learn, is a two-way street.

8. Gary Shelton’s final column on his years writing about sports and its characters got us thinking about our three favorite Tampa Bay sports personalities over the years – for us all three of them coaches. They are Seth Greenberg, Jon Gruden and John McKay. And yours?

9. Factoid: The 1979 TV series Benson, a spin-off from Soap, had a cast member who was dumped after just four appearances. This apparent failure was a young comedian named Seinfeld. We hear he went on to bigger things.

10. Our crack sports prognosticator Achmed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) says despite their undefeated season, if FSU plays anyone tougher than Dry Gulch A&M, they will be one and done in the college football playoffs.

IN CLOSING:

It was enlightening, while horrifying, watching the coverage of Ferguson, Missouri after the grand jury decision was handed down. MSNBC spent all night spouting rhetoric while ignoring the lawlessness on the streets. Fox focused solely on the lawlessness while ignoring the judicial and social ramifications. And CNN cut a nice down the middle approach – clearly the winner of the troubled evening.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

Rick Crandall is a cool and interesting guy. He has the sort of booming voice that would allow him to play God in any movie. Rick has spent just short of a half-century in the broadcasting business working locally at legendary stations like WLCY and WFLA. As a newsman at Clearwater’s WTAN, he was one of the first reporters on the scene at the Sunshine Skyway tragedy. He also was one of the pioneers in so-called pirate radio – ships that broadcast rock and roll off the British coast back in the sixties when “needle drop” policies restricted the amount of rock and roll that could be played on the BBC. Now he is a different sort of radio pioneer with the soon to be start-up of what is known as a LPFM (low power FM radio station). Based in St. Pete and operating at 96.7 on the dial, Rick’s station will feature original local music not heard anywhere else on bay area air waves. We’ll keep you posted on the launch date.

Around the Bay –

1. Know what’s really fun and rewarding this time of year? - volunteering to ring a Salvation Army bell outside a retail location. A lot of folks think you have to be a member of the Army or one of the civic clubs like Rotary that volunteers on the weekends. But anybody can do it – and once you do it, your holiday will seem empty if you don’t repeat the process each year. Even if you don’t ring a bell, pop something in the Army’s kettle. Few organizations stretch a dollar further in their good works than the Salvation Army.

2. Is it our imagination or did the Florida “snowbirds” head south earlier this winter? The restaurants are busier than usual, same with the attractions and fishing boats.

3. It will be interesting in the year ahead to see what medical pot backers and Greenlight supporters do. The medical pot people probably have an easier hill to climb. The proposed amendment was badly crafted and probably would be acceptable to many outside the constitution and with proper and rigid safeguards. Greenlight has longer to go and a lot of rebuilding trust to do before they can advance.

4. Maybe #44 will be able to get the five million new Democratic voters he’s trying to create to the polls in future elections – something he was unable to do earlier this month.

5. You’ve lived in Clearwater awhile if you remember the days of the one dollar fish dinners at the Bay Drive Inn at the foot of Cleveland Street.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. The sixties were the time of the instrumental hit in the rock era. No other decade came close. And the biggest three instrumental hits from that decade were? (Answer below)

7. Sports factoid: Dan Rooney, the chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers, was an excellent high school quarterback - in fact second team All Pittsburgh his senior year. The first team QB that year was a guy named Unitas.

8. Decent spring schedule for the Phils this March with the Tigers, Rays (three times), Yanks (twice), Bosox and Braves among others, but alas, no night games. Blue Jays have all of the above plus three with the division champ Orioles. No night games in Dunedin either.

9. Our Rants and Raves crack sports analyst Achmed Walled (pronounced Wall-ED) says the Lightning will continue their early success through the regular season but be an early casualty in the playoffs.

10. Congratulations to John Timberlake, general manager of the Clearwater Threshers, who was named to the 2014 Class in the Florida State League Hall of Fame. John has nearly three decades in the Threshers organization and has been a contributor in so many ways to the community. Well-deserved John, and perhaps someday that aspiring nephew of yours will be in some sort of Hall of Fame like his uncle!

IN CLOSING –

We finally got around to reading Gary Shelton’s farewell column on the sports pages of the Times. The cheap shot at Jon Gruden aside (Dude, the guy gave us our only Super Bowl), it was an interesting cruise through a quarter century of Tampa Bay sports and some of its characters. Shelton never was our favorite - that spot is now a virtual tie between Tom Jones and the late Tom McEwen, but his column did call to mind the growth of pro sports in the bay area over the past 25 years.

Answer to #6 above - Wonderland by Night by Bert Kaempfert (1961); Paul Mauriat’s Love is Blue (1968) and Theme from a Summer Place by Percy Faith (1960) which was the second biggest hit of the entire 60s decade trailing only Hey Jude.

TOP OF THE WEEK

Before we get too excited about the fact that St. Pete is going to take the chains off the Tampa Bay Rays franchise and let them look elsewhere (read Tampa) for a new stadium site – some sobering thoughts. The Rays were dead last in attendance in the major leagues last year. Sure, they outdrew Cleveland by a few thousand, but the Indians played three less home games and actually outdrew the Rays on a per game basis. But the team we need to focus on finished three spots above the Rays in attendance – the Miami Marlins. The Marlins averaged less than 3,500 more fans than the Rays –in a league that traditionally outdraws the American League by five to seven million fans a year – in other words, a push. The Marlins achieved this mighty feat despite having a new, state of the art stadium and an exciting young ball club. At some point, locals and MLB are going to have to face the fact that some markets are simply lousy baseball markets, and no new baseball palace on either side of the bay is going to cure that long term.

Around the Bay –

1. Bob Blackhorn for governor in 2018? Perhaps, but you have to remember that while most folks in the bay area know and respect the mayor, the majority of voters in Palm Beach and Leon counties have never heard of the guy.

2. The city of Clearwater is toying with the idea of trying to put events into Crest Lake Park. They have some work to do. Crest Lake has become a refuge for the homeless so much so that most folks no longer walk the three-quarter mile sidewalk around the park for exercise or use the other exercise facilities in the park. This is definitely a chicken and egg situation. They have to solve the homeless chicken problem before they can have the egg - things like arts festivals and holiday events.

3. When is Pinellas County going to bite the bullet and consolidate its firefighting services?

4. Breaking news: Governor Rick Scott actually won re-election. To read “Florida’s Best Newspaper” comparing his vote totals to medical pot, Pam Bondi and the ’32 Roosevelt landslide among others, one would think not.

5. You’ve really lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember when Clearwater got its second radio station – WAZE 860 – 55 years ago this year. The station was founded by WTAN ex-patriots Chuck Adams and Gene Allen Robinson.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. Can’t see any scenario where the new “playoff committee” is going to recognize that three of the four best college football teams in the country are in the SEC. The conference will be lucky to get two teams in the final four.

7. Are we the only ones who think that NASCAR’s new playoff system is gimmicky?

8. What you do think – is a guy who appears in roughly one-fifth of his team’s games a Most Valuable Player?

9. Amid the pink slips handed out for fledgling TV series, one survivor is Madam Secretary which got the go ahead from CBS to do 22 episodes despite so-so ratings. Prediction: once the Sunday night NFL season ends, this gem will capture a more sizable audience.

10. Many disappointing seasons later, do you think the Bucs regret firing Jon Gruden? Perhaps, but it’s for sure that ESPN and football viewers in general are happy they did.

IN CLOSING –

We lead with the Rays, we close with the Rays. This is some sort of cruel joke, right? Don Wakamatsu, who was a bust with the Mariners; Kevin Cash, who is a bullpen coach (a job usually given to an old buddy of the manager) and Raul Ibanez, who was an active player two months ago. These are the finalists for the Ray’s job? Is Naimoli running the outfit again? Just because the Rays plucked long shot Joe Maddon out of the air last time and got lucky doesn’t mean lightning will strike twice. And what a slap in the face to the loyal soldier that is Dave Martinez, who incidentally has more credentials than the three finalists combined. Good grief, why didn’t they just pick a successful Little League coach? If you thought the Rays stunk this year, just wait until next season.

TOP OF THE WEEK –

The search for the Ray’s next manager should be over by now. It’s Dave Martinez in a landslide. The guy knows the players, the league and the team culture. Number three is the most important. Look at two of the three managers inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. They are there in great part because of the organizations for which they worked. Cox and Torre, while good managers, were in the right place at the right time – the salad days of the Braves and Yankees. The same can be said for Joe Maddon. His success was as much or more a product of the organization than anything he did in the dugout. Martinez can keep that wave of success going better than any other candidate. And it sure wouldn’t hurt to add Durham’s Charlie Montoyo as his bench coach – another guy who knows the Ray’s way.

Around the Bay –

1. Item: City of Clearwater contemplating spending a quarter million to mollify condo owners in Station Square because train whistles are disturbing them. Folks, the place is named Station Square – do you know how it got that name? Hint – it dates back over 100 years. This is reminiscent of the folks who buy a place near the Clearwater Airpark which has existed since 1939 and then complain about the plane noise.

2. Heard on the street regarding the Pinellas County Commission election: “They’ve replaced a whack job on one end of the political spectrum with a whack job on the other end.”

3. It was a close race, but Hillsborough County voters wisely returned Al Higginbotham to the county commission. The veteran policy maker now represents the county at large rather than his former seat comprising mostly the Plant City region of the county. Al’s life is a story of courage – told quite well in his book By Faith, I’m Still Standing.

4. Want a good example of how not to do a rehab project? Visit the Clearwater Marina. About half a dozen seemingly uncoordinated projects going on at once - for close to two months, you couldn’t even get a cup of coffee there; dirt everywhere. All of this so we could move the diner from one end of the marina to the other and replace a perfectly good gift shop with a new one? Not to mention the loss of Capt. Bruce Littler’s unique nautical themed shop and the beach’s only post office. The whole project smells.    

5. You’ve really lived in the bay area for a long time if you remember what Jay Black, Guy Bagli, Andy Hardy and Milt Spencer did for a living. They were all sportscasters on local network TV affiliates. And all pretty darn good at their trade.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. It’s not too early for the University of Florida to begin its Christmas shopping – as in shopping for a new head football coach.

7. In our lead piece, we intentionally didn’t group Tony LaRussa with his fellow inductees. He’s a special case – having won with three different organizations. He is, arguably, the best manager any of us have seen in our lifetimes.

8. Quick - the three living folks who would join you at the dinner table for a no holds barred discussion. From the music biz – Burt Bacharach; from the political arena – Dick Cheney and from sports probably the smartest man to ever toe the rubber – Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. And your dinner table?

9. Why don’t we give Two and a Half Men a decent burial…like right now?

10. Only 89 days until pitchers and catchers report, but who’s counting?

IN CLOSING-

With three losses on his political resume, have we heard the last of Charlie Crist? The smart money says no. The governor’s mansion is probably out of his reach, but you could see him targeting David Jolly in two years or making a run for the Democratic nomination for the Senate – particularly if Bill Nelson decides to retire (trading one empty suit for another). Most observers don’t see him spending the rest of his still young life working “for the people”.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

The recently concluded elections continue to show the declining influence of the print media on election outcomes. To witness: “Florida’s Best Newspaper” recommends 15^th party candidate Charlie Crist on its editorial page and every other page outside the classifieds. Fan Boy loses. Sheldon over Bondi – are you kidding? And on issues, the track record is also not so good. How did that Greenlight thing turn out? Granted, they (along with this blog) did make the right call on the odorous Amendment 2. But Gomer Pyle could have read the tea leaves on that one. In the no-brainers like Senator Jack Latvala and the state cabinet posts (other than Bondi), they really had no logical alternative. But all in all, The Times was pretty much out of step with the electorate.

Around the Bay –

1. Perhaps we are wrong to be surprised by the large margin of victory for the No Tax for Tracks movement. The Greenlight folks brought out a lot of heavy hitters but it was Joe Lunchbucket who said no to the highest sales tax in the state; the fact that the proposed tax would have the biggest effect on those who could afford it least; and, lastly after all the pre-election machinations, folks simply didn’t trust the people at the PSTA - both appointed and elected.

2. Biggest surprises in addition to margin of victory for No Tax for Tracks were the defeat of long time public servant Ed Hooper and the margin of victory for Julie Bujalski in Dunedin in what many observers thought would be a toss-up with Julie Scales. The loss of Scales and Hooper as public servants is a blow to Pinellas County.

3. Hopefully, the 2018 governor’s race will be more about who you’d like to see in the governor’s mansion rather than who you would not like to see there. Prediction: a name to be reckoned with in ’18 will be Adam Putnam.  

4. Well, another Sunday morning, another race to clog up traffic to and from Clearwater Beach. When is the city going to realize these events do nothing for the economy except louse things up on the beach?

5. You’ve lived in Clearwater for a while if you remember when the ultra-modern bowling alley opened on Northeast Coachman Road replacing the old “pin boy” operation just west of the Gulf station near Clearwater’s bay front. The opening kicked off an upsurge in bowling in upper Pinellas with Largo Lanes, Dunedin Lanes, Tarpon Lanes, Hi-Lan Lanes and Shore Lanes opening within the next decade. Sadly, of the six, only Dunedin Lanes remains today.

The Diamond, the Media and other Stuff –

6. Note to Cooperstown: It’s probably safe to start designing that Bochy plaque.

7. Suddenly Skip Holtz and Greg Schiano aren’t looking all that bad. Will Lovie Smith get fired after one year? Probably not, but you have to think the guy in Pittsburgh who let this awful team beat his Steelers (at home) better keep winning if he wants to be around next year.

8. There’s an old saying “Welcome to the NFL”. For Joe Maddon, it’s “Welcome to the NL”. Maddon’s interleague and post season record against NL teams is less than spectacular. Prediction: the Cubs and their bright boys in the front office will regret tossing Rick Renteria over the side of the boat and spending big bucks on a guy who has never coached or managed in the National League. For the sake of a dear 88-year-old friend who, in his lifetime, has never seen his Cubs win it all, we hope we’re wrong.

9. Pre-season college basketball poll has Kentucky listed number one. Why don’t we just put Kentucky in the NBA? Their starting five (and perhaps more) are always there a year after “enrolling” at UK.

10. Again, as in September, Bay News Nine came up short on covering local races. If you wanted to know how county and city races were going, you had much better luck with the trailers on Channels 8 and 10 than on what is supposed to be a local news channel. And what’s up with that Halloween costume one of their “expert commentators” was wearing?

IN CLOSING:

During the seemingly endless debate on legalized medical pot here in Florida, it was pointed out that no state in the South has legalized pot in any form. Is that surprising? No more surprising than the fact that only two states in the Midwest have any sort of legalized pot. It’s simply a matter of values. Legalized pot is strong in the Far West and the Northeast. Does that make one of those sections right and the other wrong? No, it simply reflects differing values in different parts of the country. Vive la difference!

Editor’s Note: Sorry we went missing for a while on the net this past week. Our IT people tell us it was due to a major internet outage. Hmm… five days before the election, conservative website cannot be accessed for over 24 hours. The Oliver Stone in us questions the outage.

TOP OF THE WEEK: (VOTE ON TUESDAY!)

Here we are – the end of Daylight Savings Time – meaning it gets dark earlier. How appropriate, because things could get a lot darker for Florida and Pinellas County if incredibly dumb things like medical pot, Greenlight (for more taxes) Pinellas and the Republican, turned Independent, turned Democrat prevail Tuesday. We predict one of the three will. We fervently pray for the good of our state and county that not all three are successful.

Around the Bay –

1. Some additional thoughts on Tuesday’s election. Our county commission will be best served with the election of Dave Eggers and Ed Hooper – both with resumes that far outstrip their opponents. Dunedin’s mayoral race looks too close to call. Dunedin probably would be okay with either Julie but likely a little more okay with Julie Scales.

2. Good friend who follows Florida politics even closer than your HB (Humble Blogger) predicts a 52.5% yes vote for medical pot – which means the measure fails to become part of the state constitution. There’s a lunch bet made quite some time ago riding on the outcome – sure hope we lose the bet.

3. Channel 8 ran a story last week with tips on how not to become a victim in answering an ad on Craig’s List. Are we slow learners? The answer is the same as how to avoid getting your hand burned when sticking it in a fire. Don’t do it!

4. Quote of the week: Kris Carson of the DOT in responding to a struggling Westport Plaza’s request to not shut down one of the entry points into the plaza in Pasco County. “We are not changing this decision.” - typical response from a bureaucrat who has no clue what it takes to make a payroll every week – certainly not further limiting access to the businesses in the plaza. Makes you wish the DOT would reduce their payroll by one.  

5. Was there ever a better milkshake than those served at Brown Brothers on Cleveland Street in downtown Clearwater?

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. Farewell and best wishes to three of our favorite Times writers/editors – Diane Steinle, Joe Childs and Jeff Klingenberg – all of whom opted for early retirement as the paper continues to downsize. We were fortunate to know Diane and Joe personally and to read Jeff’s articles and books over the years – a large loss for local readers.

7. With more of its star players spinning out of control, perhaps it’s time for FSU to do the same thing with its football program that its neighbor FAMU did with its band and shut it down until it can get things under control. And then there’s UNC….

8. Baseball fans can fill up part of their long, cold winter with John Feinstein’s Where Nobody Knows Your Name. It’s an extremely interesting look at the high minors - of guys on their way up and, more compellingly, on their way down by the man who crafted A Season on the Brink and A Good Walk Spoiled.

9. Here’s another assignment for the new MLB commissioner when he replaces Bud Light next year. Treat umpires like players – if they perform poorly, send them to the minors or release them. Guys like C.B. Bucknor, Joe West and Laz Diaz are an embarrassment to the game.

10. In a related note, first call to be overturned in the World Series by instant replay? Eric Cooper, who as we mentioned a few months back, always seems to blow one in important situations. Although watching that play about three dozen times, we’re still not sure he blew it.

IN CLOSING:

When major league baseball got down to its “final four”, three of the four managers were considered to be some of the brightest minds in the game – Bruce Bochy, Mike Matheny and Buck Showalter – and, oh yes, that bumpkin Ned Yost. Ned was criticized throughout the playoffs for his strategies despite the fact his Royals lost all of four games in the entire post season (the best record of any post season team and just one or two breaks and bad calls from winning it all). It’s a mistake to underestimate Yost who grew up in the Brewers organization as a player in the 80s then polished his coaching skills during the halcyon days of the Braves dynasty. He has a ring from their 1995 World Championship and with the concept he has developed in KC will be back in the fall classic sooner rather than later.

TOP OF THE WEEK – (Only one more week and we’ll see more of that cute girl in the A T & T ads and a whole lot less of Rick and Charlie!)

Florida Blue, the Medicare supplement arm of Blue Cross, is hitting their PPO members with a $433 increase in 2015 in addition to whatever Medicare itself tacks on for ‘15. Previously PPO members paid nothing additional to their Medicare assessment. United Healthcare’s add-on is somewhat less, but they raised the out of pocket for hospital stays a hundred bucks a day. It’s probably just a coincidence that for the first time in history, Medicare supplement clients have to pay fees on top of the Medicare assessment - and has nothing to with Obamacare being introduced last year with the assurance that “your Medicare plans will be unaffected”.

Around the Bay –

1. If you believe “Florida’s Best Newspaper” (and we seldom do), if there is ever an outbreak of Ebola in the state, it will entirely be Governor Scott’s fault. Good thing for the incumbent governor that the Sunshine State did not have any bad tropical storms or tornadoes this year which the spin doctors of St. Petersburg could blame on him.

2. In a related note to our lead item, we seldom plug a business. But in this case, we strongly believe the individual can help persons on Medicare who read this column navigate the increasingly complex system. Call a gentleman named Tim Ramik (727-417-6692). Tim knows Medicare inside and out. He is, in short, the most knowledgeable health insurance man we’ve ever met.

3. Another victim (other than low income folks’ pocketbooks) if Greenlight Pinellas passes could well be Penny for Pinellas. The infrastructure tax that has been renewed each decade by county voters, could take a hit next time if the total tax rate goes to eight cents. Tea party members and others could join forces to bring it down despite generally good stewardship over the years of Penny funds by local governments.

4. A clarification on our lead element of a few weeks back concerning four three-letter agencies that do more harm than good to our locale and our country. The local agency is called the Suncoast Safety Council not the National Safety Council. We cannot presume that NSC offices in Chicago, Atlanta or elsewhere are run as poorly as the local agency in Clearwater.

5. Belated Happy 50^th Reunion to the Largo High Class of ’64 who held their celebration on Clearwater Beach last weekend.

6. You’ve lived in Clearwater a long while if you remember when there were no auto dealerships on U.S. 19. Now only two remain west of 19 – Dayton Andrews (formerly Massey-Andrews) and the former Carlisle Lincoln-Mercury.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

7. We occasionally “borrow” a gem from that Thursday staple, the 5:05 Club Review such as the following: “Ben Bradlee, Dead at 93 - He was preceded in death by journalism”.

8. It remains to be seen how Dave Stewart will do as the general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. But one thing is for sure – there was not a more under-rated pitcher in the past fifty years of baseball than the hard throwing Stewart. That he never won a Cy Young Award is amazing.

9. Don’t you get the feeling that there might be a reprise of the Catholics versus Criminals game before the end of the college football season?

10. By the way, the cute girl in the A T & T commercials is Milana Vayntrub, an actress/ comedian born in Uzbekistan. She’s had bit roles in ER and a few other shows but really shines in the phone commercials. She’s been described as the anti-Flo. How true.

IN CLOSING:

Joe Maddon’s departure from the Rays is not the end of the world for the franchise. A good manager, yes. A great manager, no. Plus, the Rays don’t have to look far for a replacement. He’s already in the dugout – bench coach Dave Martinez. If Martinez is not their cup of tea, they still don’t have to go that far for a new manager. They could do a whole lot worse than Charlie Montoya, their longtime manager at AAA Durham. But the perfect trifecta would be any combination of Martinez, Montoya and Tim Foley as manager/bench coach/third base coach – a combo that could take the Rays to the next level.

TOP OF THE WEEK: (Two weeks to go – down the stretch will either Charlie or Rick shock us with a positive ad?)

With apologies to the late Andy Williams, it’s the second most wonderful time of the year. Our national pastime’s World Series. Three memorable World Series stick out in the mind of your HB (Humble Blogger) – all upsets and all involving New York teams: the first one we ever watched - the ’54 fall classic when the Giants shocked the Cleveland Indians in four straight. The ’54 Indians won a record 111 games behind a pitching staff that should have had Cooperstown instead of Cleveland stitched on the front of their uniforms. Four of the 1954 Cleveland staff are in the Hall of Fame. The second great World Series was in 1960 when the Yankees outscored the Pittsburgh Pirates 55-27 over the seven games but lost the series in a freakish 10-9 Game 7 – a game in which neither side recorded a strikeout. And a bright young lady from Columbus, Ohio won a quarter on her first ever sports bet. Lastly was the 1996 World Series in which the Braves lost to the Yankees after routing them two straight games at Yankee Stadium only to lose the next four straight – three at home in Atlanta. Again, this was a team with four Hall of Famers – two inducted this year (Glavine and Maddux) and two more who will be first ballot choices when eligible (Chipper Jones and John Smoltz). Big upset again this year? Let’s settle back, as Vin Scully would say, and see what the 111th edition brings us.

Around the Bay –

1. Maybe Floridians would like to see you sweat a bit, Charlie.

2. Quote of the Week: Clearwater Mayor George Cretekos on the former city employee who would not sell her property adjacent to the new fire station. “She cost us a lot of money because we had to redesign the entire station around her property”. Sorry Mayor, but your staff cost you a lot of money by not making sure they assembled everything before plowing ahead with a questionable location for a fire station. And by the way, Commissar, excuse us… Mayor, there’s a little thing called private property rights.

3. Glad we could have U.S. Rep. Cathy Castor weigh in on Greenlight Pinellas. Through an incredible feat of gerrymandering, she actually represents a few thousand Pinellas residents from her office in Hillsborough County.

4. In a related note, our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) suggests that in exchange for Pasco County passing a resolution supporting Greenlight Pinellas, our county commission ought to turn its attention to Pasco – perhaps with a resolution that it be annexed into Hernando County. (Margin of error – 50 percent or so).

5. Our Man of the Week: Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald who hands out his cellphone number to veterans he meets. So many more of our bureau and departmental heads should set such an example to their staff members.

6. How could a restaurant possibly survive with a menu of only four entrees? The Kapok Tree Inn on McMullen Booth Road did just that for decades offering shrimp, steak, ham and fried chicken to thousands of diners weekly.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

7. Our Rants and Raves sports prognosticator Achmed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) likes the Giants over the Royals in the fall classic.

8. The post season is not yet over, but watch out for dramatic changes in the National League East next year. The Marlins and Mets, with their stables of young stud pitchers, could both overtake the traditional leaders in the division – the Nats and the Braves.

9. Doesn’t the whole Jameis Winston mess seem familiar? Just substitute Auburn and Cam Newton and you have the same thing –“Let’s sweep it under the rug until we get our trophy”.

10. In the early going of the new TV season, our personal favorite is Madam Secretary. If you haven’t watched it, pick it up with the first episode. Lighter fare but promising are A to Z and Manhattan Love Story.

IN CLOSING:

Although overshadowed by Derek Jeter’s retirement, another classy career came to an end on the final day of baseball’s regular season. White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko left for a defensive replacement to a standing ovation at U.S. Cellular Park. The ovation of the fans and teammates was joined by the full dugout of the Kansas City Royals as well. Although he modeled Dodger and Red uniforms early in his career, he made his mark with Sox leading them to their first World Series victory in decades in 2005. Konerko’s number 14 will be retired by the team meaning that number 14 will never be worn again by a Chicago player on either side of the city. Ernie Bank’s number 14 was retired years ago by the Cubs.

TOP OF THE WEEK: (3 more weeks until we’ll just hear ads about meds with more dangerous side effects than what they purport to cure)

Shocked - the only word to describe our reaction to “Florida’s Best Newspaper’s” position on Florida’s Amendment Two. In case you did not feel the earth move, the most liberal newspaper south of the Washington Post, recommended a NO vote on the medical pot amendment – and for all the right seasons. In particular, the paper takes issue with the qualifications (or lack of) of caregivers who would “dispense” the pot. And they walk hand in hand with this blog (doesn’t happen often) in the conclusion that Florida’s constitution is not the place for this sort of item – much like America’s folly with the 18^th Amendment in the last century.

Around the Bay –

1. On the other hand, the Times gave a predictable okay to Greenlight Pinellas - like other supporters of the initiative glossing over the regressive nature of the extra penny sales tax. Sure, it might be a push for you and me as homeowners – less property tax - more sales tax. But what of the individuals who do not own homes; who are squeaking by on ten bucks an hour or less? Clean up the proposal and bring it back where you tax us an extra fifty bucks a year or whatever and maybe we go for it – but not on the backs of the county’s low income residents.

2. Quote of the week from Clearwater City Council member Doreen Hock-DiPolito in referring to a $100,000 piece of “art” in Clearwater’s new fire station that virtually no one will see – “For people that (sic) don’t understand art, it’s pretty exciting”. Ignoring the sentence structure, even we, of the unwashed masses, understand spending a hundred grand on something few will see makes no sense. Kudos to council members George Cretekos and Bill Jonson for voting against this folly.

3. To the surprise of nearly everyone, the weak-kneed Public Service Commission ordered Duke Power to refund $54 million for equipment never purchased but nonetheless paid for by their customers. They will start repaying it sometime next year at the rate of less than four bucks a month. We’re sure it will be okay with Duke if you withhold your utility payment until mid-2015.

4. Our Rants and Raves focus group (composed of three old, cranky people) wonders if they will live to see Osceola Avenue north of Court Street open again? Interstate highways were built faster. But then Ike was president. (Margin of error – 60 years)

5. You’ve really lived in Pinellas County a long time if you danced to people like Brian Hyland, Mitch Ryder or Gene Pitney at the WLCY Star Spectaculars at Clearwater’s bay front auditorium. You’ve lived here even longer if you remember when WTAN Radio’s studios were in that same auditorium.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. In the waning weeks of the major league baseball’s regular season, there were two 1-0 nine inning games that lasted three hours and thirty minutes. Good grief, 15 years ago Greg Maddux throws a 1-0 shutout and is on the fifth hole at the country club three hours and thirty minutes after he throws the first pitch.

7. The early exit of the Washington Nationals from the playoffs highlights something many baseball observers have known all year – their bullpen is vastly overrated.

8. Now the FCC wants to weigh in on the Washington Redskins name. The same FCC that had one of their commissioners leave for a high level Comcast job just months after approving their merger with NBC. The same FCC that has a staff full of former broadcast company attorneys and the same FCC that, like its cousin the IRS, tends to lose documents on important pending cases. Perhaps a little cleaning in their own kitchen should come before any Redskins debate.

9. We’ve made several references to Keith Olbermann’s show in this space. The show hit a new high last week as Keith flashed back to a photo of the legendary Salty Sol Fleischman on Channel 13 as an example of perhaps the only sportscaster on TV outside of Anchorman to wear a hat on TV.

10. Let’s be candid. Before we praise UF too much about their quick action on another wayward quarterback, make him a potential Heisman Trophy winner on a potential national championship team instead of a guy who isn’t even a starter, and see if the reaction by UF officials had been quite so quick.

IN CLOSING:

It’s a question of credibility. Or lack of. We mentioned “Florida’s Best Newspaper” and their positions on a couple key issues above. Though we disagree on one, we respect their opinion. But when they endorse a candidate with very limited credentials over a man who has served both the city of Clearwater and the State Legislature with distinction simply because of the letter behind their names, they go beyond the pale. To suggest that Ed Hooper is not the hands down better candidate for the Pinellas County Commission over the mayor of Largo defies logic – not to mention credibility.

TOP OF THE WEEK: (Only 4 more weeks of hearing why you should punch “none of the above”)

More than once this blog has praised Sen. Jack Latvala for his work in Tallahassee and here in Pinellas. But we couldn’t disagree more with his reasons for supporting the ill-conceived Greenlight Pinellas proposal. Latvala feels the elderly won’t be harmed by the additional sales tax the proposal levies since they “only buy drugs and food” which are non-taxable. Hogwash - ask an elderly person about their expenses. But it’s the younger, low income people who really are going to take a hit on this – the people who buy clothes, diapers and other taxable items. It is simply an extremely regressive tax. And his comment about us being a major league county – a reference we suppose to having mass transit to get to Rays games doesn’t wash. First, the PSTA was asked to run shuttles to Ray’s games at their inception and punted. And knowledgeable people would be willing to bet serious money that by the time light rail ever was a reality, the Rays will be long gone from south Pinellas and perhaps Tampa Bay.

Around the Bay –

1. Perhaps to speed up bus service, we could convert the PSTA buses into combination food truck/buses – just in case the driver gets hungry. PSTA blames the lack of breaks for their drivers on lack of financing – or perhaps is it just lousy management?

2. In a related note, after all the gaffes at PSTA over the past year, do you think CEO Brad Miller’s job security might change after the Greenlight election – especially if it fails?

3. Remember the “Your Medicare plans will be unaffected” assurance with advent of Obamacare? Not exactly! Have you looked at your Medicare changes documents? More on that next week.

4. In the grand scheme of FSU’s budget, $160,000 is not all that much. But to spend that much money on a presidential search when the fix was in from the first day? Just short of criminal.

5. As we pointed out above, we still have four weeks’ worth of annoying political ads. But it will be hard to top the Charlie Crist “flipping” ad – a classic.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. Yes, we know you are not supposed to lose your job on the playing field just because of an injury, but come on! Mike Glennon engineers a Bucs victory on the home turf of one of the toughest teams in the NFL, and Lovie Smith is non-committal on who runs the offense going forward?

7. We hit approximately .500 in our pre-season baseball predictions. We missed in predicting the Yanks would go deep into the playoffs; that the Nats would crumble (great job by Matt Williams) and Yasiel Puig would bottom out. He did but only occasionally. We had hits on the demise of the Phils and Bosox; that the Cards would return to postseason and the resurgence of the Marlins. We were a push on Tiger third baseman Nick Castellanos – nice first year but we expected even better.

8. Three little facts about the Green Bay Packers. They have sold out every game since 1960 – think about that - 54 years! They have season ticket holders in all 50 states and at least three foreign countries. Their season ticket waiting list tops 100,000. And never have they held a gun to their home city for a new stadium. Talk about a model franchise - which is totally community owned.

9. The Bucs, on the other hand, usually sell out a Green Bay game but few others. They may have season ticket holders in 50 cities but no foreign countries unless, of course, you consider Hernando County a foreign country.

10. Never get tired of that Vince Lombardi clip “What the hell’s going on out here”? There was a football coach!

IN CLOSING:

Not since Ted William’s last career swing homer has there been a more dramatic final home performance than that of Derek Jeter. It was classy of him to resist the temptation to end his career right there (and stick it to the Bosox one more time) by playing out the season at Fenway.

TOP OF THE WEEK – (With only five weeks of televised and printed lies left)

Here are 12 letters that are no longer needed or need to be severely modified – not to mention their being downright harmful to Floridians and Americans in general. The letters are EPAIRSNSCPSC. The 12 letters are four acronyms in order – the EPA which had noble beginnings but now is more of an instrument for the federal government to shake down businesses than anything else – particularly small business that don’t have the finances or time to fight back. Next you have the IRS which is just a train wreck. Someday we’ll actually get true tax reform and simplification but will it be in our lifetimes? The next, NSC – National Safety Council see the EPA above. It, too, had noble beginnings but now is just an instrument to pick the pockets of drivers who have the misfortune to get sent there by the court system. Lastly, perhaps the biggest joke of all –the PSC, Public Service Commission which is nothing but a lap dog for the utility industry. All four could go away tomorrow and America and Florida would be a better place.

Around the Bay –

1. One tends to look with cynicism at the large number of judges who once on the bench seldom have opposition for a new term. That is until you get a look at how they run their courtrooms. Such was the case recently with unopposed incumbent Jack St. Arnold who runs an efficient and extremely fair courtroom. May all our judges be so competent.

2. You’ve got to love Pasco school superintendent Kurt Browning. When he perceives a need, he dives in – sometimes getting his head handed to him as with the idea to eliminate valedictorians in favor of traditional college recognitions of excellence. More recently, he agreed with a teacher’s email that maybe they deserved a better chair for their classrooms than the $82 plastic variety and acted on it immediately.

3. The fallout from the Commissioner Curtis Holmes iPad fiasco includes a proposal that moving forward a sitting commissioner in Largo suffer the same consequences as a city employee for such an indiscretion – termination. Wow, holding a governing body to the same standards as the employees they govern – what a concept!

4. Bay area readers just learned of the passing of one of the area’s broadcast legends – Marshall Cleaver at age 91. Cleaver hosted the Open Mike talk program from 10 to midnight on WLCY radio to the dismay of the station’s teen listeners who in the sixties had nowhere else to go for rock and roll except the distant signals of WLS, WLAC or KAAY. Marshall later was one of the original anchors at Channel 10 (then WLCY-TV).

5. What does Clearwater know that St. Pete doesn’t or vice versa? St. Pete is dumping the controversial red light cameras while Clearwater is talking about adding more despite no real hard data that says they have been effective.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. Funny how the brouhaha over the Redskins’ name has faded into the background as real issues crop up in the NFL.

7. Our Raves and Rants focus group (comprised of three, old cranky people) notes that Apple has released its Apple 6 or whatever phone at the price of just $649 which is more than three times what they have paid for all the mobile phones they’ve ever owned. Granted their phones are quite deficient – all they do is allow members of the group to reach people on the phone while they are away from home. (Margin of error - $649)

8. The new TV season will be phasing in over the next few weeks. What will be this season’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine – a little heralded series that captures both the public and critics? One gem has already aired – Ken Burn’s The Roosevelt’s – An Intimate Portrait. If you missed this series, pick it up on the rebroadcasts on PBS.

9. September marks the 60^th wedding anniversary of comedic duo Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Both are among the early alumni of Second City – not to mention the parents of Ben and Amy Stiller. Serenity now!

10. The firing of Braves GM Frank Wren this past week had some definite Florida connections. Wren, a graduate of Northeast High, sealed his fate with two terrible signings involving players from Florida’s MLB teams. First, Dan Uggla acquired from the then Florida Marlins was a $60 million bust and released earlier this year. A bigger disappointment was BJ Upton, the former Tampa Bay Ray, who is still owed $45 million despite hitting .197 over his two years with the Braves while earning $30 million.

IN CLOSING:

Beware the hold harmless clause of the medical pot amendment. Legal scholars say that is an open invitation for a less than ethical medical practitioner (see pill mill operator) to legally open a medical pot stand on Clearwater Beach – something that would no doubt enhance its image as a family beach.

TOP OF THE WEEK – (Cheer up, only six more weeks of Charlie and Rick ads!)

It’s not surprising that proponents of the Greenlight Pinellas initiative don’t mention how regressive the new additional penny sales tax would be for low income families. But we’re amazed the somewhat disorganized opposition isn’t pointing that out. Perhaps they figure most low income people don’t vote and, sadly, that’s true. You would think with how many ways the PSTA and other supporters of this initiative have shot themselves in the foot, Greenlight would not have a chance of passage, but polls indicate a close vote. It’s going to take a consistent effort down the stretch to defeat this ill-conceived plan.

Around the Bay –

1. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if “Florida’s Best Newspaper” in giving their inevitable recommendation for Charlie Crist as governor (they have never in their history endorsed a Republican for Governor or President) would simply write a one sentence recommendation saying, “He’s still the same guy we refused to endorse before but now he has a “D” after his name.”

2. In a related note, our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) was asked the following question, “Which will come first - the Times endorsing a Republican gubernatorial candidate or Florida being returned to the sea due to climate change”? Their answer was the latter. (Margin of error, 50 per cent or so).

3. Isn’t it fun to watch Kenneth City’s attempts at governing? Unless, of course, you happen to live in Kenneth City.

4. Pasco County’s recent decision to raise gas taxes by five cents a gallon prompts two thoughts. First, we didn’t think anyone could come up with a more regressive tax than Greenlight, but Pasco did. Second, it recalls an interview a political candidate gave years ago where he stated he drove to Pasco County from mid-Pinellas to fill up and benefit from their then lower gas tax. Really, Mr. Candidate, did ya do the math? Fortunately, he was not elected.

5. Al Lang must be rolling over in his grave. His namesake stadium is in danger of becoming a soccer field – all to avoid a lawsuit by one of the town bullies. Oh, the humanity! To paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen, “Mayor Kriseman, you are no Al Lang.”

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. A choice morsel from a recent edition of the weekly 5:05 Club newsletter: “A 13-year-old girl became the youngest female to climb Mount Everest. She didn’t mean to, she was just texting with a friend and the next thing she knew she was at the top of Mount Everest”.

7. One veteran major league player has come up with a worthwhile solution to the problem of PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) in the game. A player caught using them not only gets the prescribed suspension but is limited to one-year contracts for the remainder of his career thus eliminating the temptation to use PEDs for that one big contract like ARod, Melky Cabrera and others.

8. After watching a few weeks of the Bucs, our sports analyst Achmed Walled’s (pronounced wall-ED) 7-9 prediction might have been incredibly generous.

9. Sadly, some things that have outlasted their usefulness should be allowed to die – as in the case of Radio Shack again teetering on the verge of bankruptcy.

10. Quote of the week: “You can’t wear a sock with the wrong logo in the NFL without the fire alarm going off in Roger Goodell’s office.” – Keith Olbermann in his relentless pursuit of NFL executive office accountability for the recent rash of thug-like actions by its players.

IN CLOSING –

We recently passed the six month mark with this weekly communique of 800 words or so and our little family of readers continues to grow. For which, we humbly say thanks for letting us share a few thoughts each week. And please use the connection below to share yours with us and the rest of the Rants and Raves community.

TOP OF THE WEEK: (Only 7 weeks of annoying political ads left!)

First we had pill mills. We got rid of them but unfortunately in Clearwater and elsewhere, a few of them have weaseled their way back. We passed some laws directed at those drug pushers with a medical license but now the unforeseen consequences have reared their ugly head. Persons with legitimate prescriptions of controlled substances have been turned into gypsies forced to go from drug store to drug store in search of their needed medications. And no, you can’t search for the drug you need on line. In fact, a pharmacist from a chain store won’t even contact another store in their chain to see if that store might have it. So you plow on to the next store – to the neglect of your job, your family and gosh knows what else. Pharmacists like to paint themselves as the white knights in all of this – horseradish! What we need and need now is a task force at a minimum on the state level (the federal level would be better) to strike a reasonable balance between folks who legitimately require certain medications and drug pushers – those with and without a medical license.

Around the Bay –

1. It’s all about glass houses. When you sling the mud in a political race, you better have a clean kitchen yourself – a lesson apparently lost on the Mayor of Largo.

2. Duke Power won’t like it, but one of the better things to come out of the 2014 legislature was a tax holiday for energy efficient appliances. The holiday is just around the corner (Sept. 19-21) – a good time to replace a couple of gas guzzlers in the kitchen or utility room.

3. Let’s try to understand this. Garnett Stokes, an educator who knows the school and is the well-respected interim president of the university doesn’t make the cut for FSU president. Meanwhile, a state legislator with no educational experience is a finalist. This whole process smells worse than a bunch of stolen Publix seafood.

4. Clearwater’s signature event, Jazz Holiday, is just over a month away. In addition to some cool music and being a place to see and be seen, the event has also produced some of the best poster artwork over the years. Some thirty years of great posters grace offices and homes around the county and beyond.

5. Our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) points out that Waldo spelled backwards is odlaw. (Margin of error – an extra d)

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. The Astros dump solid baseball man Bo Porter for basically being honest about what a lousy job the organization as a whole has done. The problem with the Astros lays one step above the dugout and hopefully ownership will deal with that in the off season.

7. While we’re on this best hits of a decade jag: are you old enough to remember the fifties? If so, here are three pieces of that decade’s classic wax as they used to say on the radio. For us, it would be the Drifter’s soulful There Goes My Baby; add in the Diamond’s rollicking Little Darlin’ and Bobby Darin’s Dream Lover. Your fifties favorites?

8. Further notes to the above three fifties hits. All topped out at number two on the national charts – all blocked from the top spot by an Elvis Presley hit. And at two minutes thirty one seconds, Darin’s was the longest of the three – at a time when any record longer than three minutes simply didn’t get played on the radio. Things changed, all three could be played with almost two minutes left over in the time it took to play 1972’s mega hit American Pie.

9. Last week, we mentioned Keith Olbermann’s show moving to the 5 p.m. time slot on ESPN 2. This puts it in direct competition with Tony Reali’s Around the Horn on ESPN. Love Reali, but are we the only ones who don’t understand the premise of this show? And how will Reali’s departure from PTI change the chemistry on that show?

10. There are only two things wrong with MLB’s reviews of calls – they take too long and they still don’t get them right. Recent Mets game saw a call at second base missed so badly even the Mets announcers, whose team benefited from the play, were astounded.

IN CLOSING:

One can’t help of thinking of NFL legend Dandy Don Meredith’s oft sung refrain in conjunction with this Roger Goodell mess, “Turn out the lights, the party’s over”.

TOP OF THE WEEK – (As this issue “goes to press”, only eight weeks of annoying political ads remain.)

A recent article by conservative columnist George Will on campus sexual harassment created a fire storm until people actually read the article in full rather than the liberal excerpts. That aside, if you never read another thing by George Will, read his book Bunts. We could devote the entire week’s blog to this book but suffice to say, we guarantee no matter how long you have been a baseball fan, player, manager, umpire or whatever, you will learn something that you did not know about our national pastime. This is not a new book. We are sometimes slow getting around to really good books, but it is must reading for the baseball fan. One only hopes that Will, who crafted another fine book – Men at Work, will gift us with another one or two baseball books of this caliber.

Around the Bay –

1. Johnny, Johnny, such a potty mouth. Is that any way to the talk to “The People”?

2. Best wishes to Phillies CEO David Montgomery who has stepped aside temporarily while he battles cancer. Clearwater has few stronger boosters than Dave who was a joy to deal with when the city was in negotiations with the Phillies on a new spring training stadium - all the best Dave.

3. The Charlie Crist – Rothstein connection should be a lesson to all politicians – be careful who you pose with. There were a couple local post-election pictures that made you cringe and ask how could an aspiring office holder be photographed with a scumbag like that?

4. Do you think the real story of why Deputy Chief Sandra Wilson is leaving the Clearwater police department will ever come out? Wilson, a contender for the job that went to Dan Slaughter, left her post last Friday. Slaughter’s reign as chief is off to a rocky start with debate over where he lives (35 miles from Clearwater) and now the resignation of the force’s top female officer.

5. People in Florida always had a different answer to “where’s Waldo”? Floridian’s answer – it’s a speed trap on U.S. 301. Now police officers from the infamous Waldo admit they were given a quota of tickets to write each day. Boy, didn’t see that one coming!

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. Quote of the Week - no, Year: “We have not yet developed a strategy”. Do you think that would be the case if the presidential election had gone the other way in 2008? We can’t quite imagine John McCain ever saying, “We have not yet developed a strategy”.

7. Our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) says Burger King’s plan to move their headquarters to Canada will not affect their choice of burger places. In their pre-announcement poll comparing Burger King, Checkers and McDonalds, Burger King finished fourth behind stay at home. (Margin of error 50 per cent or so).

8. Speaking of food, add another reason not to attend Rays games (along with lousy stadium, lousy team and cow bells). Through no fault of their own, they are embroiled in the Centerplate fiasco. The vendor for their yummy ballpark food has one of their high ranking execs involved in an animal cruelty case that is leading to calls for boycotts of all Centerplate venues across the sports landscape.

9. Isn’t it great to wake up each morning and know you are not the CEO of Centerplate, or Burger King or Duke Power?

10. Last week’s “All Time Top Three” list of songs got us thinking about various decades of songs - like the eighties. Favorite songs of the eighties from your HB (humble blogger) would include an eclectic threesome of Jump by Van Halen; Kokomo by the Beach Boys and (damn, these are hard choices) Rita Coolidge’s All Time High edging out Don McLean’s Castles in the Air. And your hot eighties hits?

10.5 (this week only) Bubba the Love Sponge leaves 102.5 FM. For all but his cult followers, who cares?

IN CLOSING:

Several months back, we praised Keith Olbermann’s latest foray into cable television and suggested the show would be better served with a shorter format and a better time slot. Wish granted – Olbermann debuts Monday the 8^th at 5 p.m. on ESPN 2. This ends the frustration of folks with normal sleeping habits who would tape the show only to find out it had been pre-empted by some late running sports event. If you’ve not seen the new incarnation of Olbermann, it’s worth a look.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

There were few surprises in last week’s local primaries. As expected, retiring State Rep. Ed Hooper easily defeated incumbent County Commissioner Norm Roche in the Republican primary. Dave Eggers emerged out of a crowded field to take the Republican nomination for retiring County Commissioner Susan Latvala’s seat. The two Latvala’s who were running, Susan’s former husband Jack and his son, Chris, both cruised and will most likely be a father-son combo in the Florida legislature come November. And now it’s official – we can get ready for potentially the nastiest governor’s race in recent history between two candidates both with tons of baggage.

Around the Bay –

1. Recent study shows corruption more likely in state capitols far away from the geographic center of the state. Same study shows the geographic center of our state and, presumably the best place for the capitol, would be Brooksville. We’ll take the corruption, thanks.

2. The appointment of a new baseball commissioner is good news for Ray’s fans. Probably the last thing Rob Manfred wants on his resume is that he oversaw the relocation of a franchise during his first years in office.

3. Quote of the week: Howard Simon, head of the Florida ACLU, “These (decisions on medical pot) are medical decisions to be made by doctors about what is best for their patients; it is not a role for politicians”. Perhaps Mr. Simon missed the pronouncement by the Florida Medical Association that they oppose the medical pot amendment.

4. A few weeks back, we gave Duke Power a pass on some of the blunders made by their predecessor, Progress Energy - big mistake on our part. Duke manages to arouse the public by extending their meter reading periods resulting in higher bills – during the height of the summer heat! It’s a minor irritation for many of us but a major problem for lower income families and individuals. Just who is this company’s PR advisor?

5. The hands down winner of Pinellas County Grinch of the Year is the guy in Dunedin (we purposely don’t use his name to avoid him being exposed to even more ridicule) who has filed about a half-dozen complaints about a kid’s lemonade stand – a stand the rest of the neighborhood embraces. File this one under “intelligently choose your battles.” By the way, the attendant publicity spiked the kid’s sales so the Grinch had to put up with even more traffic at the stand.

The Diamond, the Media sand Other Stuff –

6. Beloved former Bucs coach Tony Dungy says he will no longer use the team name Redskins on his broadcasts. The same Dungy who said a few weeks ago he would not want a gay football player on a team he coached. A little bit of hypocrisy, Tony?

7. Breaking news: possible terrorist threat averted at recent Ray’s game when Swiss Army knives are confiscated from two men ages 68 and 80. Come on Rays, use some common sense.

8. This item was in agate type in sports sections a week or so back. It should have generated front page headlines. Dick Bavetta is retiring as an NBA official – here’s where it gets significant – after 39 years at age 74. Bavetta refereed 2635 games – never missing a game. Imagine running up and down the court at age 74 while so many of us moan and groan about spending a half-hour at the gym. A resident of Ocala, Bavetta should be a model for us all.

9. Our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) wants to know what constitutes going too slow in the left lane – five miles over the speed limit, or 10, or 20? (Margin of error 11.5 miles per hour).

10. While the local network stations ran their regular programming, Bay News Nine had a chance to distinguish themselves during last week’s primary and failed miserably. Instead of reporting on local races, they dithered around breaking down county voting trends in two very lopsided gubernatorial races while not even running trailers on important county and judicial races.

IN CLOSING:

A few years back, people were disappointed when State Senator Jack Latvala chose not to run for an open Congressional seat and we wound up with very week representation on Capitol Hill. But by continuing as a State Senator, Latvala has done more good for this area than virtually any other politician. His recent face-off with Duke Power over extended meter reading periods (see 4 above) is the latest case of a man who truly looks out for his constituents.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

“Florida’s Best Newspaper”, the Times, is usually about as subtle as a rattlesnake. This makes it all the more interesting trying to divine their motive for the hatchet job they did on Charlie Crist a couple Sundays ago. Were they trying to get ultra-liberal Nan Rich the Democratic nomination? No newspaper has that much juice. Seeking to advance the candidacy of Rick Scott? Surely you jest – the Times has a blind hatred of the man. The piece was something you would think they would publish about Scott - not his for sure challenger. Something’s up. Stay tuned.

Around the Bay –

1. State Rep. and County Commission hopeful Ed Hooper has the right idea regarding Greenlight Pinellas. Instead of passing a regressive sales tax that hits low income people the hardest, use Penny for Pinellas dollars for any expansion of our mass transit system.

2. The PSTA has done themselves no favors with their back and forth on records request issues – or their shucking and jiving on the issue of spending Homeland Security dollars to promote the ill-conceived Greenlight issue. Would you buy a used bus from these people?

3. We understand Circuit Judge Daniel B. Merritt’s frustration with folks who don’t show up for jury duty. But the judge went beyond the pale with his showboating with the American flag. While we’re on the subject, why do some folks get called every 18 months to two years and others never? We suggest a very complex system like starting at the beginning of the alphabet and running through “Z”. It can’t be that tough to more equitably distribute the duties.

4. Quote of the Week: from Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri after the third inmate suicide at the country jail in four months, “(it) doesn’t mean…that we’re doing anything wrong”. Double talk sheriff - you have a dirty house and you need to clean it up.

5. Add former Governor Jeb Bush to the growing ranks of leaders from government, the medical profession and law enforcement who have turned thumbs down on the medical pot initiative in Florida.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. Recent newspaper piece on certain celebrities and not so celebrities on their Top 10 records of all time got us thinking – thinking California Girls by the Beach Boys; Elton John’s Crocodile Rock and Spanky and Our Gang’s I’d Like to Get to Know You. And your three all-time favorite 45s are?

7. Speaking of good old time rock and roll, you long time bay area residents complete the following radio jingle without looking below. “WLCY One ______ (shortened version of their frequency).

8. It’s amusing how dismissive so many people are of Buck Showalter. The latest is Fangraphs which says the Orioles success is an anomaly. Unless we read the standings wrong, the Orioles are 19 games above .500 despite no Dodger or Oakland-like pitching staff or Angel-like lineup. They just play solid fundamental ball under a manager who has won everywhere he’s managed. Maybe he wouldn’t win where so many baseball analysts live – a fantasy world.

9. The anybody but Bud crowd have their man in new MLB Commissioner-elect Rob Manfred. Some detractors say he is a clone of Selig. Perhaps, but he is not a former club owner like Bud Lite. There is no question that the Brewers (Selig’s former team) got a few breaks during his tenure – most notably being selected to move from the AL to the always larger drawing NL. This year alone, the NL has outdrawn the AL by five million people with about 30 games remaining.

10. Oh, new commissioner Rob – about that All-Star game and DH. Fix it!

IN CLOSING:

Usually when either Tony Kornheiser or Michael Wilbon are absent from Pardon the Interruption, the chemistry of America’s best sports talk show gets all messed up. But ESPN may have stumbled on something recently when both hosts were gone and Dan LeBatard and Jason Whitlock filled in admirably. Individually, they’ve been no great shakes on the show but together they blended perfectly and you hardly missed Tony and Michael.

(Answer to number 7 above, it was “WLCY One thirty eight” – shortened version of this classic radio station’s 1380 frequency – now occupied by Radio Disney. Oh, the Humanity!

POST SCRIPT:

Don’t forget to vote Tuesday!

TOP OF THE WEEK:

The recent promotion of Major Dan Slaughter to replace Tony Holloway as Clearwater police chief generally seems like a good move. It didn’t come with the hoopla that Holloway’s hiring brought to the city but that’s okay. Slaughter’s hiring did raise a point that has been debated over the years in Clearwater and elsewhere – his residency. Slaughter lives in Trinity – a good 35 miles from Clearwater. Many folks in Clearwater think that high ranking officials like the city manager and the city attorney, to name a couple, should live in the city – and they do. They also ask, “Shouldn’t the police chief also have some skin in the game - or at least live in the same county as the city he or she serves”? We vote yes.

Around the Bay –

1. Incredible failure last weekend by Verizon that left hundreds of 911 callers with busy signals. In this age of back-ups and double back-ups, this is inexcusable.

2. While on the subject of Verizon, something not nearly as important but every bit as frustrating – why can’t they standardize calls from Pinellas to Hillsborough? Some you must dial 1, others – no. Are callers supposed to guess which is which?

3. If we’re spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the U.S. 19 overpasses, why do you still wait two or three minutes for the light to cycle at Ulmerton and 19?

4. With just over a week to go before the seven-person Republican primary to fill County Commissioner Susan Latvala’s seat, it looks like Dunedin Mayor Dave Eggers is the leader heading into the stretch.

5. In reference to our Top of the Week concerning the new police chief, you’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember when the chief’s name was Willis Booth – and the fire chief Peter Treola.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. Which is the bigger lie –“I’ll respect you in the morning”, or “Please hold, your call is important to us?” Our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) says the latter by a landslide. Margin of error – 50 per cent or so.

7. In the 21^st century, if ever there was a model for planned obsolescence, it’s Apple with a new device coming out what – every 90 days? And even if you like the older technology, it usually breaks within a year. And you thought it was a great idea to get a law or medical degree!

8. Think of things that were here a quarter century ago and now gone forever (i.e. the Pontiac and VHS). Think ahead twenty five years about things that now exist and will be gone then. Two candidates – AM radio and the daily newspaper.

9. Observation from a recent visit to the Florida Keys – spectacular landscape, interesting things to do but boy they sure could use some restaurants on the caliber of what we have here in Pinellas County.

10. Our crack sports analyst Achmed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) forecasts a 7-9 season for our local professional football squad.

IN CLOSING:

With full credit to the 1970’s rock band Orleans:

You're still the one

That makes me laugh

Still the one

That's my better half

We're still having fun

And you're still the one

You're still the one

That makes me strong

Still the one

I want to take along

We're still having fun

And you're still the one (yes you are)

Happy 45^th anniversary TC!

TOP OF THE WEEK:

The broadcasting industry in general and the Atlanta Braves nation in particular suffered a huge loss last week with the passing of Pete Van Wieren, the mild mannered “professor” of the great Ernie Johnson, Skip Caray and Van Wieren broadcast team that formed in the seventies. All three are in the Braves Hall of Fame. All three should be in Cooperstown as we alluded to a few weeks back on this blog. Your HB (Humble Blogger) and his family were privileged to meet Pete at a social function in Atlanta about ten years ago. He treated us like old friends – commenting on the then new ball park in Clearwater and expressing bewilderment that his Braves were still the team of choice of our family despite the emergence of the Rays. Pete and his colleagues were the overriding factor in our family remaining Braves fans to this day. Baseball heaven now has one of its finest broadcast teams back intact.

Around the Bay –

1. If you really like to play longshots, put some money on one of the three Democrats who will contest the District 67 house seat now held by Ed Hooper who is termed out. The winner of this month’s primary will most likely go against Republican Chris Latvala, son of well-connected state senator Jack Latvala.

2. As was suggested by this blog a few months ago, the best replacement for departed County Administrator Bob LaSala is the guy sitting in the office right now – Mark Woodard. Still, it’s a shame that Florida’s Sunshine Law prevents a lot of good candidates from applying for this and other jobs. The Sunshine Law is good – to a point. Two areas that ought to be exempt (and are in many other states) are top level job applicants and real estate transactions where government’s negotiating power is severely hampered by the Sunshine Law.

3. So what’s the big deal about cabbies here in Florida wearing shorts? Some hotel maven thinks it’s unprofessional. What’s he want - tux and tails? It’s ninety some degrees every day in Florida this time of year. Maybe the cabbies could take a lesson from the Jolly Trolley operators who look appropriately tropical in their garb which includes shorts.

4. Further to the item above. In just what large city are these pristine cabs said hotel guy speaks of? None we’ve ever visited.

5. With the general election for our Circuit Court judges and school board just a few weeks away, take a moment to chat with attorneys and educators you respect to find out about those races where you might not be familiar with the candidates.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. Remember when ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball was “must see” TV? Not so much since the network unwisely jettisoned Jon Miller – one of the best broadcast guys in the game. Now we get desperation moves like last week’s planting of the broadcasters on Fenway’s green monster. Just give us solid broadcasters like Jon Miller – not gimmicks.

7. Speaking of ESPN, their bad seed, Stephen A. Smith, has put his foot in his mouth again and has been suspended. When is the network just going to dump that guy who brings nothing to the table but a loud mouth?

8. Just a guess but it appears the major tennis federations are quietly tightening the screws on juicers in that sport – both male and female.

9. Do corporations not learn from history? Coca Cola, those fine folks who gave you “new Coke” some thirty years ago, recently changed the formulation of its Vitaminwater with a sweetener that leaves a metallic aftertaste. What could possibly go wrong? It took about two months of outrage from customers to return to the old formula.

10. Just think, perhaps we could have “new Twinkies”, “new Hershey Bar” or, God forbid, “new Girl Scout Thin Mints”. Some things, while not all that good for us, are best left alone.

IN CLOSING:

My, that’s quite a hornet’s nest Pasco education chief Curt Browning stirred up over dropping the valedictorian and salutatorian honors at county high schools. The Latin descriptions colleges use seem to work pretty well. The one on your HB’s (humble blogger’s) diploma was a rather lengthy Latin phrase which roughly translated into “We need the space, so we’re giving him this piece of paper.”

One of the best things to happen to Pinellas County in the last couple decades was when a retired Clearwater firefighter decided he wanted to seek a city commission seat. His name was Ed Hooper. Many viewed Hooper warily assuming he would be a voice for the firefighters union and little else. If that was what they expected, they were disappointed. Hooper was a mild-mannered voice of reason on a city commission that turned Clearwater around from what were some very dark days. He then set his sights on Tallahassee where he has been a strong, but not loud, voice for public safety, human rights and, appropriately so, his home district. Now termed out by Florida’s archaic legislative rules, he could easily retire but instead will seek a seat on the County Commission. This is good news for our county where he would again fill a seat where the occupant has lost his way. Pinellas County needs more Ed Hoopers.

Around the Bay –

1. So why don’t we just have the CEOs of the major power companies in Florida comprise the Public Service Commission? The outcomes for the public couldn’t be any worse. The PSC is broken and needs to be put out of its misery.

2. What a mess we have in the congressional districts in Florida. There is no good solution but in all due respect to Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis, the most pragmatic is to hold the elections as scheduled in ’14 and then get it right in time for 2016. The redrawing ordered by Judge Lewis promises to be a mess which will be challenged in the courts.

3. Item: Last week Audi experimented with a driverless car on the Lee Roy Selmon. Actually, if you remember, Audi experimented with driverless cars back in the 80’s when their 4000 and 5000 series cars would suddenly go into reverse without warning – or any assistance from a driver.

4. Governor wannabe Charlie Crist’s latest commercial shows him strolling down the halls of his alma mater, St. Pete High. Got us to wondering who has had the nobler career Crist or a career educator who graduated from St. Pete High about the same time - easy call. Oh, by the way, Crist’s use of the school for a commercial violated county guidelines for such commercialization.

5. Speaking of Charlie, his current employer, John Morgan, also has a new commercial recalling the days when there were no cell phones or internet. There were also no John Morgan commercials then – a better time.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. Wow, next year’s Hall of Fame ballot contains an impressive front end of a rotation – Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz. Hard to see any of those three not being first ballot. Only hitter of consequence up for the first time is Gary Sheffield. His dismal post season performances might doom his candidacy.

7. Time for us to take our mid-season mulligans. Picked the Cards and Yanks to be the last two teams standing – before Molina’s injury and the decimation of the Yank’s rotation. Have to go with the A’s and the Giants to reprise their ’88 World Series – hopefully sans earthquake this time.

8. SiriusXM has stubbed their toe again. A few months ago, they pulled all the DJs off the popular 50’s on 5 channel turning it into a boring jukebox. Now, they have shanghaied one of only three classical channels they offered (XM Pops) and made it an on line only channel. And they wonder why they are losing listenership to Pandora and other such services.

9. It’s probably a 50-50 proposition if Clearwater spring training attendees will see Ryan Howard manning first base for the Phils next spring.

10. Quote of the week: “You lose James Shields. You lose Carl Crawford. You lose B.J. Upton. A lot of good guys.” – Rays Manager Joe Maddon. Don’t know about Shields and Crawford, but if the Rays want Upton back, the Atlanta Braves will have the MLB strikeout leader on the first plane south.

IN CLOSING:

It’s only fair since we lead off with a short profile on one of the Pinellas County’s outstanding politicians that we conclude with a similar piece on one of Hillsborough’s. There are some politicians who defy the stereotype of egotistic, pandering and sometimes crooked idiots. One who certainly breaks that mold is County Commissioner Al Higginbotham of Hillsborough County. Al was quietly a very powerful force in bringing Bollywood to Tampa and Hillsborough County. He has been a measured voice on the Hillsborough County Commission for years. Florida could use another couple hundred just like him.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

Through a circuitous (to be charitable) process, St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman reached out to the largest community to his north to snare his new police chief – Clearwater’s Tony Holloway. After a $15,000 half-year search failed to please the city’s big spending mayor, he dumped all four finalists and went to Holloway who agreed to take on what could be a thankless job. Holloway took an already good police department in Clearwater, crafted by Sid Klein, and made a few needed improvements. His tenure was not without hiccups – mainly to due to some loose supervision on lower levels and the few rogue cops that every department of any size is saddled with. Clearwater says initially it will look internally. There is an opportunity for City Manager Bill Horne to again break new ground as he did hiring Holloway as the city’s first minority chief. One of the top candidates is deputy chief Sandra Wilson who could join a growing number of female top cops in the region.

Around the Bay –

1. Quote of the week: “I am the vessel” – perennial candidate for some office, Charlie Crist. Thanks for teeing it up Charlie. What vessel – the Titanic? The Costa Concordia? Or more appropriately one of the Q Ships of World War II which would run up whatever flag was appropriate during times of hostilities.

2. With all the changes at the Clearwater Municipal Marina, some folks are worried that the next step might be privatization of the nearly 70-year-old facility. Rest assured that would require a city-wide referendum, and we don’t think the city electorate is that stupid. Still the current changes at the facility are troublesome.

3. Speaking of the marina, there are very few of the old guard around anymore – the veteran skippers who were there almost from the beginning of the marina. Guys like Captains John Topicz, Bill Burk and Wayne Markham are still around on a daily basis. But you don’t see enough of Captains Maxie Foster, Sandy Haggert, Tom Hylton and Dave Spaulding anymore. All seven of those guys are a walking history of Clearwater’s outstanding fishing industry.

4. Despite some incredible challenges, Dunedin Elementary goes from F to C and the principal is demoted. Imagine if this had happened in the financial sector. Said principal would have been named President for Life and given a seven figure bonus.

5. If you’ve lived in Clearwater for a while, you probably know the name Howard Groth. Howard was an indefatigable advocate for affordable housing – serving on the Clearwater Housing Authority for well over a decade. Howard passed away earlier this month at age 98. His efforts on behalf of affordable housing live on.

The Diamond, Media and Other Stuff –

6. This is truly a great time for baseball wonks. The last few days before the trading deadline – the time when teams can trade players without getting waivers. Like the last few days before Christmas when you wonder what you will find in your stocking.

7. One of the funniest thoughts prior to today’s (July 27) Hall of Fame Induction was to have a veteran umpire do the introduction for Bobby Cox and then run the all-time ejections leader before he could give his speech.

8. CBS will allow their football announcers to decide individually whether they want to use the word Redskins in reference to Washington’s football squad. My, isn’t that special. Guess we should allow MLB, ESPN and other baseball announcers to decide if they want to call Atlanta’s team the Braves or Cleveland’s team the Indians. And then there’s the Golden State Warriors. Come on folks, there are much more important things in this world.

9. Our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) determines that what those “Important Privacy Notice” documents you receive from everybody and his brother mean is that you have no privacy. (Margin of Error – plus or minus 50 per cent).

10. A lot of baseball this week. Probably should say something about the World Cup – glad it’s over.

IN CLOSING:

A follow up to our rant of a few weeks ago about why major league players (especially pitchers) can’t bunt: Remember when you played little league or whatever, the best athlete on your team was almost always the pitcher? What happens between then and the majors? On a random date a few weeks ago here were the batting averages of the starting pitchers in the four National League games played that night (we did not use interleague games as AL pitchers are even more dreadful) - .143, .000, .042, .167, .000 (in 12 starts), .113 (actually the averages of the Mets and Braves starters added together) and .226 – Clayton Kershaw can not only pitch but he hits pretty well. Think back to Dick Hall of the Pirates who not only pitched but played a little third base; Don Drysdale often pinch hit; George Brett’s brother, Ken, tore the cover off the ball as did Mike Hampton; and then there was that stocky left hander the Red Sox had – fellow named Ruth. One fears that with this scary decline in hitting by pitchers, the National League will someday throw in the towel and become a beer league complete with the DH like the junior circuit.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

Most governmental bodies in our region try to “buy local” and it makes sense. Granted, we can’t afford to pay five thousand dollars apiece more for a vehicle by going local but a per cent or two extra on all but the biggest ticket items will be more than made up by the local jobs it creates or retains. Often it’s hard for local companies to compete with volume buys where several agencies combine their purchase to get an even better price on a common item - but particularly on unique items, it just makes sense to “buy local.” The one thing we absolutely need to avoid is what happened about ten years ago when a newly elected official made the outrageous statement, “I’ll buy everything on the internet, it’s cheaper” - this without even bothering to get bids from local companies. Amazingly, that individual still is in office.

Around the Bay –

1. We mentioned the great new look for Largo High last week. Two other schools of the same vintage are beginning to look awfully tired – Clearwater High and Northeast. When and if they are replaced, it looks like the school board has found an excellent prototype to follow.

2. A few facts the folks at Greenlight Pinellas fail to mention in their $800,000 taxpayer funded advertising blitz: if passed the measure will give Pinellas County the highest sales tax rate in the state; and the folks who will be most harmed by this new regressive tax would be the very people in the income brackets that ride the buses.

3. In a related note, congratulations to the City Council of Seminole for not following the lemmings over the cliff and voting not to support the ill-advised Greenlight initiative.

4. “Helpful tip” from Bay News 9 last week - leave your purse or cell phone in the back seat of your car so you won’t forget your child or grandchild is back there. Thanks guys. I’ve forgotten my cell phone dozens of times, but damned if I ever forgot my granddaughter was in the back seat.

5. In Pinellas County’s District 4 County Commission race, seven Republican candidates are vying for the opportunity to take on an unopposed Democrat in the November general election. My, that could get messy.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. Our Man of the Week is Michael Dean of UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music. Among many other accomplishments, Dean trains people how to sing (and sing well) the National Anthem. Dozens of celebrities have used him to try to bring grace and dignity to that revered piece of music. In fact, wouldn’t it be nice to have major events require a piece of paper from Mr. Dean asserting that such and such celebrity can actually sing the piece?

7. Item: about a month ago, the Washington Post asked 10 writers to nominate something we as a people would be better off without. Only a couple made sense – like status updates on Facebook or whatever, a few were just stupid – like abolishing the U.S. Air Force, AP classes and President’s Day. Remember these were all writers. We imagine if you ask ten moderately intelligent people who were not writers what we could easily do without, at least one would name the Washington Post.

8. You had to wonder how things were at the Vatican last week when Pope Francis’ Argentina team played Pope Emeritus Benedict’s German team for the World Cup. Word is the current pope is a much bigger sports fan than his predecessor.

9. Our Rants and Raves focus group (comprised of three old, cranky people) doesn’t think the carnival the MLB All Star game has become is what Chicago sportswriter Arch Ward had in mind when he fostered its birth some eighty years ago. Margin of error: plus or minus fifty percent.

10. A couple All-Star notes: Hopefully with the exit of Bud “Light” Selig, we’ll also see the end of the ridiculous idea of having the outcome determine home field advantage in the World Series, particularly if you put any stock in Adam Wainwright’s suggestion that he grooved a couple pitches to Derek Jeter who scored the first run of the game (Early Wynn would have buzzed Jeter). Lastly, great idea by Michael Wilbon of PTI that there be a 3-4 minute remembrance every year of former All-Stars we lost the previous 12 months like Gwynn, Kiner, Fregosi and Zim to name just four.

IN CLOSING:

The recent tragic accident that killed a retired Clearwater police officer at the intersection of Gulf-to-Bay and Belcher brings two issues into focus. This very intersection was one targeted with the cash cow red light cameras to improve safety. When will our cities admit it’s simply about the money? Now a study is proposed to find out how to cure this dangerous intersection – apparently the red light cameras are not the answer (duh!). Secondly, the driver accused in the tragedy was carrying pot – the same thing we are asking our Florida voters to approve this fall. Aren’t our roads dangerous enough without a bunch of “certified patients” out there driving and smoking dope?

TOP OF THE WEEK:

This week a very short story about four guys who grew up on Marymont Park in east Clearwater. Depending on the season, they played basketball, touch football, baseball and volleyball. They went on to be a doctor, a career educator, a business owner and a manager of a high profile Clearwater business who also served as a city commissioner. Today kids, unlike these now 60-somethings, can’t even get into the park. It’s locked tight. The city of Clearwater and its recreation department have lost their way. Parks like Marymont and others are now open to whoever can write a check and no one else – certainly not a kid who just wants to shoot some hoops rather have his nose in a computer – or worse.

Around the Bay –

1. More than a few Oliver Stones in Dunedin are comparing the Tai Chi Society’s purchase of the Fenway Hotel to a similar purchase in Clearwater back about 38 years ago. A bit of a stretch – isn’t it?

2. Is Tarpon Springs about to become the next Kenneth City? All the nonsense over what was a credible plan to improve their aging waterfront has cost them a whole department. Who’s minding the store there?

3. Our Top of the Week can have just as easily included the city of Clearwater’s library system which is falling all over itself – where to put the Countryside and East Libraries plus some new technology that few clients and not all of their staff seem to understand. Who’s minding that store?

4. IRS Update: local conservative Republican gets dreaded letter from IRS – turns out it says we owe you a lot, and we can’t pay you right now. Same conservative Republican gets another IRS letter – turns out the august organization lost all the corporate extension requests said Republican’s hired accounting firm sent them. This is a firm with a thirty year plus history - not some storefront numbers house but you get the idea that the IRS should be operating from a storefront given their current level of competence. Who’s minding that store?

5. Anybody who believes that an agreement between the county and PSTA not to levy property taxes for transportation would mean that the PSTA could not come crawling back for more money is naïve and/or has never attended a governmental meeting or sat on the dais of such a meeting where an agency hasn’t come back saying “we really thought we could do this without your help.” In our lifetimes, we will see PSTA come back and ask for the property tax to be reinstituted whether the ill-conceived Greenlight Pinellas initiative is passed or not.

The Diamond, Media and Other Stuff –

6. A hearty farewell to Steve Otto whose last regular column appears in the Tampa Tribune today (July 13). Otto is arguably the last of the local columnists whose work you read first when you picked up the paper off the porch – along with Howard Troxler, Bob Henderson, and for people as old as your HB (Humble Blogger), – Dick Bothwell and Chuck Albury. One nice thing has happened recently - the reappearance of Diane Steinle on a regular basis in the local section of the Friday Times. Diane, like the others, has her foot and heart planted firmly in her community.

7. No matter how long you watch baseball, you always see something new. Newest for us was Phil’s broadcaster Tom McCarty catching a home run off the bat of the Braves’ Freddie Freeman. In a gimmick, McCarty and his colleagues were broadcasting from the stands in center field and McCarty made the catch with absolutely no effort. We’ve seen a lot of broadcasters catch foul balls but never a home run.

8. Factoid – In 1950, Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra batted 656 times, hit 28 homers and drove in 124 runs while striking out 12 times. In the 10-game period June 27 – July 6, three members of the Atlanta Braves (Chris Johnson, B.J. and Justin Upton) each struck out 12 times or more.

9. In a recent survey of baseball insiders, voted the most overrated manager in major league baseball was – (the envelope please) - Joe Madden. Not sure we disagree.

10. Our Rants and Raves focus group (made up of three old, cranky people) points out that Germany again defeated France – this time in soccer in Brazil where, alas, the United States had already gone home and could not bail out France once again.

IN CLOSING:

Nobody’s perfect - even Hall of Famers. All three managers entering the baseball Hall this month were fired at least once – one three times. Joe Torre was given a pink slip by the New York Mets, St. Louis Cards and the Atlanta Braves. Bobby Cox also was canned by the Braves who were smart enough to hire him back several years later. And Tony LaRussa was fired by the Chicago White Sox. Perhaps there should be an asterisk by LaRussa’s firing as he was fired by that mental giant Hawk Harrelson who inexplicably was the general manager of the White Sox at the time.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

There was a name omitted in last week’s Top of the Week when we mentioned some legends who have left us in recent weeks. That name was Gerry Goffin. Goffin along with his former wife, Carole King, created magic in the 1960s with “Go Away Little Girl”, “Hey Girl” and dozens more including perhaps their best effort, the moving “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”. The two worked in the iconic Brill Building in New York City along with a few other names who have penned a tune or two – Sedaka, Bacharach and Diamond – to mention three. The book that details the building and era Always Magic in the Air by Ken Emerson is one of the best two or three books about that time and its music.

Around the Bay –

1. Charlie Crist talks of going to Cuba. Why - to open a branch office of Morgan and Morgan?

2. The city of Clearwater spends $125K for a downtown study whose results tell them what a dozen moderately intelligent residents could have told them for free. This blog, crafted by not even moderately intelligent people, has aired two of the issues over the past month. The study will join dozens of others on a shelf at City Hall.

3. Ed Armstrong, one of the most successful land use attorneys in the Bay area, was recently appointed to the board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFMD). This sent the environmentalists howling. Thing is the guy probably knows more about water management issues than 80 percent of the people already on that board.

4. Another less illustrious attorney recently charged with moral turpitude was otherwise portrayed as a white knight who defends homeowner and condo associations against all sorts of miscreants. That same branch of the law also protects inept and sometimes law breaking association officers against the homeowners they supposedly serve not to mention the state of Florida.

5. Our Rants and Raves focus group (which is comprised of three old, cranky people) reminds us that the holiday we celebrated this weekend is Independence Day – not the 4^th of July lest we forget.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. The National League East is the weakest division in baseball this year. And every year, they have the weakest telecast teams. Miami’s Waltz and Hutton along with Washington’s Carpenter and Santangelo are two sets of whiny homers. The Mets have Ron Darling, need we say more? In the last fifteen years Philadelphia has gone from having the elite broadcast team in the game with Ashburn, Kalas and Wheeler to something very mediocre. Atlanta has one of the game’s better analysts in Joe Simpson but he is saddled with Chip Caray who is one of those guys in the business solely because of his last name (see also Buck and Schaap).

7. In a related note, why can’t broadcast “teams” be inducted into the broadcaster’s wing at the Hall of Fame? Granted Harry Kalas is already there but the team he worked with in the 70s and 80s should be there as well – Ashburn, Wheeler and Andy Musser. Same goes for Atlanta’s team of the 80’s and 90’s Ernie Johnson, Pete Van Weiren and Skip Caray.

8. Worst umpires in baseball? Last year’s polling had the trio of Angel Hernandez, C. B. Bucknor and “Country Joe” West at the top or bottom depending on how you look at it. What? No Laz Diaz or Bob “Balk A Day” Davidson?

9. Wake us when all the falderal over the LeBron James free agency is over.

10. As the NFL pre-season approaches (wasn’t the Super Bowl three weeks ago?), a lot of folks are still shocked by how one-sided the event was. But no one should have been surprised by the way Denver’s John Fox was out coached. The bigger surprise was his recent contract extension. This time next year, he well could be without one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks, and he will instantly become a 6-10 coach and then a coordinator of a 4-12 team. Maybe like Pete Carroll, with a third try, Fox will win a Super Bowl but strongly doubt it. The over/under on Fox getting a copy of the home game from the Broncos is eighteen months.

IN CLOSING:

Recently some Ray’s fan was banned from games for the rest of the year for “improper cowbell etiquette.” This leads us to try to recall how many cowbells rang out when Bobby Thomson hit the shot heard round the world or when Maz shocked the Yankees in the 1960 World Series or when Nolan Ryan notched his seventh no-hitter at age 44 in 1991. The answer is the same for all three and thousands of other memorable baseball events – none. Cowbells are best reserved for little Johnny’s first hit in T-Ball not for a strikeout at a major league game. Tampa Bay will never be recognized as a legitimate major league venue until they do away with those bush league noise makers.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

Is it just our imagination or do we tend to lose legendary folks in clusters? Just over the last month, we’ve lost a football icon – Chuck Noll; two baseball legends – Don Zimmer and Tony Gwynn and the king of the countdown – Kasey Casem. We’re no doubt overlooking others. It is probably an element of aging when so many people who were part of your growing up years depart. Granted Noll, Casem and Zim were all in their eighties – good full lives, but Tony at 54 – way too soon for one of baseball’s purest hitters of all time.

THIS WEEK’S TEN:

Around the Bay –

1. Not a particularly good week for the left. Obama gets his hand slapped by the Supreme Court over his cavalier method of appointments and in Massachusetts a freedom of speech win for the pro-life movement.

2. Already there are rumors of at least one political hack seeking the seat Pam Dubov will vacate in the Property Appraisers Office come 2016. We’re hoping that someone with better qualifications than our family cat will surface between now and then.

3. You never like to see uncontested races for political office as they tend to allow mediocre candidates to sneak in and then become mediocre incumbents in the next election cycle. Such is not the case in Dunedin where, despite uncontested races, three solid candidates in Deborah Kynes, Bruce Livingston and John Tornga will take office. Only Kynes has held elective office previously, but the two gentlemen know their community well and will do Dunedin proud.

4. The Mayor’s race in Dunedin will be contested between current city commissioners Julie Bujalski and Julie Scales. So at least we know the next mayor will be named Julie. The nod should go to Scales who has a greater breadth of knowledge concerning her community and its issues.

5. Inquiring Rants/Raves readers ask why our focus group (which consists of three old, cranky people) always shows a margin of error of 50%. It depends on how many of the three have taken their meds on that particular day.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. Factoid: Baseball player standing 5 feet 10 inches tall, playing weight 170 pounds - a banjo hitting second baseman? Nope, that was the playing weight and height of Willie Mays - one of the greatest sluggers of all time. Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron weren’t much bigger.

7. Congratulations to friends of your HB (Humble Blogger) on the birth of their son this past week. He joins his two-year-old sister Addison as part of their growing family. Addison was named after part of the iconic intersection (W. Addison and N. Clark Streets) where Wrigley Field sits. Regretfully, the young man was not named Clark – the other part of the famed intersection. Good name – worked well for a guy with the last name of Kent.

8. Are there really people who keep track of whom Tom Cruise, Katy Perry or Pedro Godoy are married to this week? Wasn’t it easier to try to recall who Jimmy Stewart, Bob Newhart or Eli Wallach were currently married to? The answer was always the same - the woman they married over a half a century ago.

9. The Atlanta Braves post season hopes were shaky enough with four front line pitchers on the DL, but with Craig Kimbrel no longer quite being “Mr. Automatic”, the Braves are looking for extra bullpen help.

10. Doesn’t a little part of all of us want to see Johnny Football return the Browns to the status they held in the fifties and early sixties – the days of Jim Brown, Otto Graham and Lou Groza? Well maybe not, if you’re a Bengals or Raven’s fan.

IN CLOSING:

The smile on our face this week is because your HB (Humble Blogger) no longer has to share the love of his life with several hundred kids, parents and assorted educators. She retires this week after 30 plus years as a teacher and administrator – the majority of those years at one of the county’s (and country’s) best schools where she worked with some incredible educators. I know she is proud of her role and her influence on thousands of young people who still stop her in the mall or the grocery store for a hug. Her family is even prouder.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

Pinellas County has an average group of constitutional officers – ranging everywhere from quite good to barely adequate, but the superstar of our elected constitutional officers over the past half-dozen years has clearly been Property Appraiser Pam Dubov. Her announcement that she will leave office after this term was a body blow to Pinellas County. Pam is truly a hero - having taken an office that was riddled with corruption and turning it into a model of efficiency and, for the taxpayer, fair play. One cannot possibly argue with her motivation to leave office but that does not make the loss of a truly excellent public servant any easier to swallow. We wish her only the best.  

HIS WEEK’S TEN:

Around the Bay -

1 Perhaps you’ve heard this before but it bears repeating – “Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.”

2. The mid-term elections in our country will probably be determined by which party can “outdumb” the other. District 13 here in Florida and the Cantor fiasco in Virginia would indicate it is currently a dead heat.

3. It might not have been everybody In Dunedin’s first choice, but the Tai Chi Society’s purchase of the venerable Fenway Hotel will at least breathe new life into the picturesque property.

4. Like Roger Maris’ 61st home run in New York or Hank Aaron’s 715th in Atlanta, everyone in Clearwater “was there” the night the old Gulf to Bay Drive-In Theater burnt down 49 years ago.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

5. It will be an interesting off season in the NBA as the Heat try to buy their way to another championship or two.

6. Arguably the five greatest disc jockeys of the rock and roll era were Dick Clark, Casey Kasem, Alan Freed (who coined the term rock and roll), Wolfman Jack and Cousin Brucie Morrow. With the passing of the revered Casey, only Cousin Brucie remains of those five pillars of rock and roll radio and television. Brucie is still going strong hosting a series of rock and roll concert shows on the east coast and a weekly show on Sirius XM.

7. Looking at recent MLB standings versus payroll, the Oakland A’s project to average $838,000 per win this season. Their fellow major leaguers down the coast, the Dodgers, will average 2.8 million dollars per win, and unlike the A’s, are on track to miss the playoffs. For comparison sake, our local baseball club is projected to average 1.28 million per win and will certainly have free time come October.

8. Many of you who receive this “masterwork” each week also receive the 5:05 Club Newsletter. For those of you who may have missed this gem from a couple weeks ago, we repeat it here: “Columnist Maureen Dowd said she ‘curled up in a hallucinatory state’ after eating a pot laced cookie. Which, coincidentally, is what most people do after reading Maureen Dowd’s columns.”

9. It was fifty years ago this month that the Chicago Cubs made their infamous Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio trade. Each fan can think of one huge clinker of a trade his team made over the years: the Reds Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas trade; the Pirates Bert Blyleven for the “Tijuana Brass” exchange; the Braves entire farm system for Mark Teixeira. And your club’s worst trade of all time was?

10. Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon have recently inked long term contracts to continue on PTI – the best sports commentary show on the air. Just wish the two would focus a little more on sports and less on their occasional drifts into “I’m not a sociologist, but I play one on TV.”

IN CLOSING:

Drawing on personal experience - if the rather elegant and somewhat pricey venue where your HB (Humble Blogger) held the wedding receptions for his two children had asked for a guest list (as opposed to count), the reply would be something about where the sun doesn’t shine. The recent flap over whether a prominent defense attorney and longtime Clearwater resident could attend one of his closest friend’s daughter’s wedding is ridiculous and like many other blunders will do only very “positive” things for Scientology’s standing in the community.  

TOP OF THE WEEK:

In a bit of a departure this week, about half of our weekly blog will deal with a single subject – a new city hall for Clearwater that will be needed if the Clearwater Marine Aquarium is successful in their very ambitious plan to move the aquarium downtown. This is one item the city needs to get right and past history indicates that isn’t a slam dunk. Back in the middle nineties, a sitting council made a wise decision to buy the glass tower at the corner of Garden and Cleveland and gradually move all city hall functions there while having a revenue stream from existing tenants. It made so much sense that a new incoming majority voted to sell the thing – at a loss while incurring a damage suit from surrounding businesses – a stroke of genius that ended up costing taxpayers well over a million dollars. A few suggestions on how to avoid similar and other follies below:

THIS WEEK’S TEN:                         

Around the Bay –

1. Don’t cheap out. About the time of the Garden Avenue fiasco, it became apparent that the city desperately needed a place to house its police department and, separately, its key departments. They tried to do it on the cheap (see million dollar loss above) and the result were two very non-descript buildings loaded with problems that took even more money to fix. It needs to be a signature building – something we can be proud of. This isn’t a garbage truck we’re buying; it’s a building that will outlast a lot of Clearwater’s citizens.

2. Location, location, location. Subtitle: avoid the library debacle. Don’t put the new City Hall on the most valuable piece of land the city owns or can buy like we did with the downtown library. Rather put it on a tract of land where you want to drive traffic. But do keep it downtown – Countryside might offer some attractive sites, but there is too much linkage between city and county government and much of county government is downtown.

3. Make it traditional rather than glitzy. No doubt the current city hall was very avant garde when it was built in the 1960s. But now it looks odd much like our downtown library. The cantilever design of the current city hall works so well that you can place a marble in the center of a room and watch it roll to the corner due to gradual sagging of the cantilever design over the years.

4. Hire a local architect to design it – someone who has a feel for significant local buildings not some currently chic guy or gal from New York City – another mistake with the downtown library.

5. Lastly, get citizen input as to design, location and size (perhaps it’s time to consolidate more city services into one building as would have been the case with the Garden Avenue purchase). But for better or worse in the end, there are five people who need to say “this is our choice.”

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff –

6. Our fearless sports prognosticator Achmed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) reminds folks that he was right in predicting that California Chrome would not win the Triple Crown. Big whoop, you could have predicted that for the past 36 years and been right every time – kind of like predicting the Cubs won’t win the World Series.

7. In a related note, California Chrome’s owner Steve Coburn couldn’t be more off base with his assertion that horses should have to run all three legs of the Triple Crown. These aren’t stock car races we’re talking about but a contest between living beings that are subject to injury and fatigue. More than once a Kentucky Derby winning owner has pulled their horse from further competition due to health concerns.

8. You’ve really lived in Clearwater a long time if you remember the Drew Street Canal.

9. Factoid: Tony LaRussa’s induction into the Hall of Fame next month will make it five for five among major league managers who held a law degree – all five in the Hall.

10. Our Raves and Rants focus group (which consists of three old, cranky people) was split three ways on the question of who would win the World Cup. Their answers: Brazil, Iceland and “what’s the World Cup”?

IN CLOSING:

A blog commenter from last week points out that the most recognizable restaurant name on Clearwater Beach was literally caught with its hand in the cookie jar regarding how it compensates or under-compensates its wait staff. There are few harder working members of our labor force than waiters and servers. To take money out of their pockets is inexcusable – just as inexcusable is cheaping out on the tip when you dine out. If you can’t afford to leave your server a fair tip, perhaps you should stay home. And if restaurateurs feel they cannot afford to fairly compensate their employees, maybe they should look closely at their business values.

A post script to this week’s “In Closing”: We erred several weeks ago in saying that the current minimum wage for servers is $2.13. That was based on some old data. It’s now slightly double that but still unconscionable.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

Dwyer, Sierens and Wilson! Every once in a while the media makes the news instead of reporting it and that was certainly the case over the past ten days. Three stalwarts of bay area TV news have announced they are retiring. Anne Dwyer has been a steady performer on Channel 13 for the better part of thirty years. Gayle Sierens came straight out of FSU’s Mass Comm program to Channel 8 first as a sports reporter and then a much respected anchor. If you’ve lived here a long time, you might remember John Wilson as an anchor at WTSP Channel 10, but Channel 13 is where they will retire his jersey. Nearly a century of bay area news expertise leaving the airwaves - they will not be easily replaced.

THIS WEEK’S TEN:

Around the Bay –

1. All the smear tactics the Democrats used against David Jolly aside, has any one organization done more to make him look good than the stumbling, bumbling Democratic Party?

2. In a related note, that loose cannon rolling around the political decks (Beverly Young) has got to make both parties do a great deal of squirming.

3. “Florida’s best newspaper” screams “Oh the humanity” about Governor Scott’s light hacking of the state budget. Pure politics, they say. Of course it is – as it has been with every Republican, Democratic or Whig Party governor we’ve had since the beginning of time or at least since 1845 when we became the great state of Florida. As we were reminded in the District 13 race, what is okay for donkeys is usually not acceptable for elephants.

4. A new seemingly chic phrase is “hot mess”. This seems to define what’s happening in downtown Clearwater with the parking garage/hotel/Scientology trilogy. Again, what could possibly go wrong with these machinations?

5. You’ve really lived in Clearwater for a long time if you remember the Rainbow, Miss Buckeye and Sea Fever party fishing boats – and Capt. Nick Lopez’ legendary Flo-Jo charter boat.

The Diamond, the Media and Other Stuff -

6. With the baseball Hall of Fame inductions a little over a month away, it needs to be noted that a considerable void in the shrine is the omission of coaches. Managers, yes – three this year alone with Cox, LaRussa and Torre all being inducted; but there needs to be a wing or something similar for outstanding coaches. Here are six who should be first ballot – Don Baylor, Dave Duncan, Walt Hriniak, Charlie Lau, Leo Mazzone and Johnny Sain.

7. Item: The LA Clippers sell for 2 billion dollars. Not bad for a franchise that has had exactly nine winning seasons in their 44-year existence. Imagine what a good team would bring.

8. Somewhat lost in all the hoopla of Dwyer, Sierens and Wilson retiring was the announcement that another extremely talented newsperson is also leaving the airwaves. Yolanda Fernandez has announced she’s leaving Channel 8 to become the public spokesperson for the St. Pete police department. Like Gayle Sierens, Yolanda is another local girl who came back to the community to contribute both on the air and off - another large loss.

9. Speaking of losses, baseball is very much diminished this year with the loss of two beloved “lifers”, - first, Jim Fregosi who died this spring and now Don Zimmer – a baseball icon if ever there was one.

10. The Tampa Bay area will be the home of the 2022 SEC men’s basketball tournament – an Atlanta fixture for many years. Our sports prognosticator Achmed Walled (pronounced wall-ED), citing the fluidity of conference members year to year, predicts that Harvard, Northwestern and Southern Cal could all be in the SEC by then. 

IN CLOSING:

Your HB (Humble Blogger) has been privileged to meet all four of the news people mentioned above at one time or another. Can’t say I’m on a first name basis with any of them, but one incident involving Gayle Sierens sticks in my memory. Years ago, playing in a charity basketball game between two media teams, your HB grabs a rebound, sees a teammate streaking down court and starts to throw a baseball-type pass which hits Gayle square in the face. Fortunately, her pretty face was not damaged, and she could not have been more gracious about the incident- a classy, and despite my errant pass, still pretty lady.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

A relatively new item the past few years in local (and national) newspapers is the “fact checker”, “political fact” or whatever. Reading these things makes you wonder who checks the “checkers”. While we assume the facts they dispense are somewhat correct, often there is a “however” that doesn’t seem to make it into print. Case in point is a recent “political fact” column on Medicare Advantage programs which states “So far, Obamacare hasn’t harmed Medicare Advantage. Coverage has stayed relatively the same.” This is simply not true. Take the case of one healthy Advantage enrollee. This year alone, their lone prescription drug now costs $120 a year more. They have lost nearly all dental and vision coverage, a cost thus far this year of nearly $250. Virtually all advantage plans have dropped the so-called silver sneakers fitness coverage – a cost of $360 a year. Not even counting the nickel and diming of increased co-pays, this healthy enrollee is out over $700 and we’re just over a third of the way through the year. Heaven help someone not so healthy. These political fact folk’s pants may not be on fire, but they are smoldering.

THIS WEEK’S TEN:

Around the Bay -

1. With all the increases in the cost of beach parking by the city of Clearwater, something that flew under the radar screen of most media is the impact it has on our handicapped citizens. Most if not all handicapped spots on the beach were free - as it should be. Now they are being asked to pay as much as seven dollars for a spot that was free a month ago. Hope some handicapped person takes the city to court over this latest show of avarice - and hope they win.

2. The folks who run the Island Way Grill, Rhumba and other Pinellas restaurants say their new Mexican-themed restaurant atop the Clearwater Marina will be open in September which prompted more than one wag to ask “of what year?”

3. In a related note, we sure miss Capt. Bruce Littler’s nautical themed shop on the first floor of the marina. It and the nice gift shop at the western end of the marina were both victims of “progress” at the city owned facility.

4. You’ve really lived in Clearwater for a while if you remember Scotty’s Swing Shift on WTAN Radio.

5. It appears a misguided bunch in Tarpon Springs are hell bent to not have a picturesque boardwalk along the bayou - keeping Dodecanese Boulevard a canyon of tourist shops. This story, however, may not be over.

The Diamond, Media and Other Stuff -

6. If you have an open mind and want to learn more about the umpiring craft along with baseball’s darker side, grab a copy of umpire Dave Pallone’s Behind the Mask. It’s not a new book but very topical given the recent uproar over NFL draftee Michael Sams.

7. The Tampa Bay Rays often remind you of the Atlanta Braves of the 90s – excellent starting pitching, spotty offense and a so-so bullpen. Like the 90s Braves, they have one of the best records of the decade but little to show for it.

8. Major league statistics indicate a batter drawing a lead-off walk scores just under 40 per cent of the time. What they mean is your team scores just under 40 per cent of the time. The opposing team, it seems, scores about 95 cent of the time.

9. The only song recorded by two different artists to hit number one on the charts was? Answer below.

10. Our crack sports prognosticator Mohamed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) is on assignment but his cousin Achmed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) is filling in.  Achmed predicts that those hoping for a Triple Crown will be disappointed when this week’s Belmont Stakes is run.  

IN CLOSING:

A few weeks ago we did a piece on some Pinellas County businesses that have been here for more than a half-century. Last week, a principal of one of those long-time businesses, Ron Day, retired. Ron succeeded his father and store founder, Herb Day, as the head of Day’s Furniture and continued his father’s tradition of excellent products and service. Now, Ron’s son, Mark, takes over – and the good news is Mark has two sons hopefully waiting in the wings at this Clearwater institution.

Answer to number 9 above. The Loco-Motion was the only song to hit number one by two different artists – the original by Little Eva (Carole King’s babysitter for her daughter) and the remake by Grand Funk Railroad. 

TOP OF THE WEEK:

The answer to the Tampa Bay Rays attendance problems is as simple as it is complex. Move to the National League. Why? The bay area is loaded with retirees from the mid-west - folks who were Cards, Cubs, Pirates and Reds fans.  Add a healthy mix of Phils fans who moved here after being spring training visitors for years and a very significant amount of Braves fans from when the Braves were the only team in the south and you have some strong draws. And the Giants and Dodgers draw everywhere. You’re trading these for only two American League teams that are strong draws – the Yanks and Bosox. There was a time early on when it was proposed that the Rays and their expansion teammates, the Diamondbacks swap leagues but one can only guess someone in Arizona said not “no” but “hell no”. The most likely league swapping partner with the Rays is the Miami Marlins whose demographics lean far more to the east than Tampa Bay. Not easy to get done but very much worth the exploration.

THIS WEEK’S TEN:

1. Now that we have the beach to ourselves for a few weeks until school lets out, time to relax with a pizza at Post Corner or a drink and a sunset at Palm Pavilion.

2. You’ve really lived in Pinellas County a while if you ever “talked to this old boy” – Howard “The Trader” Ewing at his auction house at the corner of Gulf to Bay and Duncan in Clearwater – long before Art Capogna built his super restaurant across the street.

3. Is anyone surprised that Tampa Bay is number two in pedestrian/bicyclist fatalities across the nation - too much of an attitude “I know you’re in the crosswalk, but I have a big truck/SUV/bus.”  You might expect such stupidity from bad drivers, but we observe way too much of this from PSTA and Jolly Trolley drivers as well.

4. So Tony LaRussa is now the Man in Charge with the Arizona Diamondbacks – not bad for a local boy who was a career .199 hitter with no round trippers in his career. But the guy also has a law degree and is as smart a man who ever donned a baseball uniform.

5. Recent poll said 31 per cent of people living in Florida would like to live elsewhere. Let’s see, there’s I-75 on this coast and I-95 to the east. Safe travel!

6. Factoid: Of the 10 highest paid athletes in 2013, none were from MLB or the NHL. There were five from the NFL (all quarterbacks); three from pro soccer; one each from the NBA and boxing – Floyd Mayweather, Jr. who topped the poll at just over 73 million based on two fights in ’13. The professional team with the highest payroll was the LA Dodgers. How’s that working out for Magic and the boys?

7. Why can’t major league baseball players, especially pitchers, bunt? In a tough, complex sport, it is one of the simplest things to do, yet guys who are called on to perform this task most often look like T-Ball players. This isn’t a beer league where you come out and play after eight to ten hours at the office. This is your only job. Take some pride and learn how to do one of the game’s most fundamental tasks.

8. Think back to the sixties and what was playing on the radio. What were your favorites? Put us down for the Beach Boys’ California Girls, Tommy James’ Crystal Blue Persuasion and Johnny Rivers’ Poor Side of Town. And your best from the sixties?

9. Our Rants and Raves focus group (which consists of three old, cranky people) says the end of civilized America came with the invention of the cell phone and punks starting to wear their baseball caps backward. Margin of error: 50 percent or so.

10. A Pasco County School for sale on Craig’s List? Falls into the category of “wish I had thought of that when I was a high school senior.” Also makes you wonder who’s minding the store at Craig’s List.

IN CLOSING:

In the nearly three month existence of Rants and Raves, we have been remiss in not giving a shout out to the two guys who made this thing happen – James Foster and Robert Brucker. We’ve known James for years and his skill at making things happen or fixing things that do happen on the technical side of a computer is exceptional. His patience with the old fogey who creates most of this blog is amazing. We met Robert through James and his work in listening to what we wanted creatively and matching that to a tee still leaves us in awe. They are two very bright young men and if you ever need help with computer problems, a website or related issues, you can reach them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  And no, they didn’t ask us to write this – in fact we’ve probably embarrassed them.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

We begin this week with a quote from esteemed political observer and professor emeritus from USF Daryl Paulsen: “Just when you think things can’t get any more bizarre for the Democrats, they get more bizarre.” Professor Paulsen was referring, of course, to how well the Democratic Party has handled the District 13 Congressional race which, for the first time in decades, was wide open. In the special election, they import a carpetbagger from Thonotosassa which ticks off a bunch of Pinellas voters, and they lose by less than two per cent. When a longtime community activist steps forward to challenge David Jolly in the fall, they tell him “stay away.” So they wind up with yet another candidate who doesn’t even live in Pinellas County; can’t legally run as a Democrat; has a suspect degree and no one knows the guy. Oh, and then he drops out after qualifying is over. In a word, “Brilliant!”    

THIS WEEK’S TEN:

1. Second quote of the week: From Democratic U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller concerning his opposite number from Florida – Bill Nelson, “I was afraid he was going to run for governor.” So were we, Senator, so were we.

2. You’ve really lived in Pinellas County a long time if you remember when Publix was closed on Sundays and gave S & H Green Stamps.

3. Factoid: only one pop/rock artist has ever had a number one song as both an instrumentalist and a vocalist. Give it some thought before you scroll down to the bottom of the blog for the answer.

4. Number of the week – 368. That’s how many times the Houston Astros have employed an infield shift through mid-May leading the majors. AL leader is the New York Yankees. The infield shift has probably been the biggest impact on baseball since the mound was lowered in 1969 or the “let’s keep one-dimensional players in the game” rule also known as the DH in 1973.

5. Nice of FSU’s wayward quarterback’s father to assume part of the blame for his son’s aberrant behavior. Let’s see, the university has had the kid for about a year. You Dad, have had him for, we assume, eighteen years. And this is FSU’s fault? Wouldn’t it be nice if we all could send our kids off to college with a 24-hour nanny like Antonor Winston suggests his son needs?

6. Our Rants and Raves focus group (which consists of three old, cranky people) says the best pies by far on the west coast of Florida are at Village Inn. And, if you are truly fortunate, you’ll eat at the Gulf to Bay location in Clearwater and be served by a dynamo named Sarena. Margin of error this week – zero per cent!

7. Add the term “quick question” to actually, no question about it and absolutely that are used entirely too often and quite often incorrectly.

8. Kudos to Governor Rick Scott for vetoing the legislation increasing the speed limit to 75 miles an hour on certain Florida highways. Apparently our legislators have not observed how well our Florida (and out of state) drivers do at 70. Thank goodness the governor has.

9. The folks in the Tampa Bay Rays front office have to be congratulating themselves for not re-signing B.J. Upton last year. After a year plus of his five year-75 million dollar contract with the Atlanta Braves, Upton is still below the Mendoza line (.191 as of May 14).

10. With the city of Clearwater pouring millions of dollars (some would say unwisely) into downtown Clearwater, why do they continue to ignore the multi-story eyesore at the corner of Cleveland and MLK? A “prospective” buyer is on the horizon but if this one falls through like the others, surely the city has the power to tear down the eyesore and bill the current owners.

IN CLOSING:

In doing some research for last week’s items regarding Clearwater and Largo High Schools, we stumbled across an old high school annual from the sixties. Most interesting were the businesses that advertised in them – some still around like WTAN Radio, the Palm Pavilion, Jersey Jim Towers, Peltz Shoes, Publix, Douglas Manufacturing, Sweats Flower Shop and Trickels Jewelers. And from the do you remember file – Maas Brothers, the Sandy Book Store, Siple’s Garden Seat, Chic-Inn, the Clearwater Sun, Merz Record Shop, Frank’s Department Store and the Kapok Tree Inn. Much has changed in the past fifty years – not always for the best. 

The artist referred to in #3 above is Herb Alpert who scored a vocal hit with “This Guy’s in Love with You” and actually had two instrumentals that topped the charts – “A Taste of Honey” and “Rise”.          

TOP OF THE WEEK:

 Florida’s top law enforcement officials are urging the state not to return to the good old really bad days of pill mills. And our state sheriffs, including Pinellas County’s Bob Gualtieri, say that based on other state’s experiences, that’s exactly what lies ahead for our state if the initiative on medical pot passes this fall. Gualtieri cites Oregon where just nine doctors “certified” 28,000 patients as needing medical pot. Conservative estimates place those nine physician’s take on those certifications at more than five and a half million dollars. And you thought peddling pills was big biz! Just as we have put a bunch of these pill mills out of business in the last few years (although sadly, a couple have managed to reopen their doors in the last month or two) now we are on the brink of creating a whole new growth industry for unscrupulous physicians in our state.

 THIS WEEK’S TEN:

 1. Have a happy 50^th reunion this weekend CHS Class of ’64. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

2. 1964 gave birth to both a phenomena and an icon – Beatlemania and the classic Ford Mustang.

3. One more reunion item – perhaps the biggest draw of all high school reunions is hoping to find that the guy/girl who dumped you in high school is now bald/fat or both.

4. In a related note, Largo High is hosting a “Final Homecoming” for alumni Monday and Tuesday evenings this week at the school which will be torn down this summer to make way for a new facility. No truth to the rumor that the above mentioned CHS Class of ’64 will assist with the decorations as they did 50 years ago during football season.

5. Our Rants and Raves focus group (which consists of three old, cranky people) suggests a cash register that automatically shuts off at ten items for those in Publix’ ten item aisle who cannot seem to be able to count. One stronger suggestion from the group is a trap door that opens on the 11th item. Margin of error: 50 per cent or so.

6.  Clearwater city manager Bill Horne says he has no immediate plans to retire. Horne has helmed the city since 2000 which makes him Clearwater’s longest serving city manager since when – the beginning of time?

7. A recent poll of major league players says the most overrated players in the game are Bryce Harper, Yasiel Puig and ARod. Wait; can you be overrated if you’re not even playing? So we’ll subtract ARod and add Troy Tulowitzki – decent when he’s on the field but very fragile, having missed 210 games over the past four seasons.

8. Factoid: Clearwater Lake is not in Clearwater but just outside Umatilla in east central Florida.

9. If you’re a personnel guy in the Houston Texans’ front office you better pray nightly that Johnny Manziel turns out to be no better than an average NFL quarterback and that Jadeveon Clowney doesn’t revert to his lackadaisical college ways.

10. You’ve lived in Pinellas County quite a while if you remember when an “A” date was a first run blockbuster movie at St. Pete’s Center Theater followed by a late night snack at Wolfie’s.

IN CLOSING:

Couldn’t the people who designed the Obamacare website have gotten some “real” people to look over their shoulder and say “this might work for a techie but how about the guy/gal who make their living in some other field?” You often wonder what in the world folks are thinking when they design sites that are used by you and me – Joe/Jane Average. Another case in point is renewing your auto tag in Pinellas County. Used to be a fairly simple on line process but now you need to enter your life history including (love this one) the last five digits in your Social Security number to get a new yellow sticker for your car. Governor Scott is pushing to lower the renewal fee twenty five bucks. They ought to give us an additional twenty five to enter all the unnecessary junk Pinellas County asks for.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

Florida’s top law enforcement officials are urging the state not to return to the good old really bad days of pill mills. And our state sheriffs, including Pinellas County’s Bob Gualtieri, say that based on other state’s experiences, that’s exactly what lies ahead for our state if the initiative on medical pot passes this fall. Gualtieri cites Oregon where just nine doctors “certified” 28,000 patients as needing medical pot. Conservative estimates place those nine physician’s take on those certifications at more than five and a half million dollars. And you thought peddling pills was big biz! Just as we have put a bunch of these pill mills out of business in the last few years (although sadly, a couple have managed to reopen their doors in the last month or two) now we are on the brink of creating a whole new growth industry for unscrupulous physicians in our state.

THIS WEEK’S TEN:

1. Have a happy 50^th reunion this weekend CHS Class of ’64. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

2. 1964 gave birth to both a phenomena and an icon – Beatlemania and the classic Ford Mustang.

3. One more reunion item – perhaps the biggest draw of all high school reunions is hoping to find that the guy/girl who dumped you in high school is now bald/fat or both.

4. In a related note, Largo High is hosting a “Final Homecoming” for alumni Monday and Tuesday evenings this week at the school which will be torn down this summer to make way for a new facility. No truth to the rumor that the above mentioned CHS Class of ’64 will assist with the decorations as they did 50 years ago during football season.

5. Our Rants and Raves focus group (which consists of three old, cranky people) suggests a cash register that automatically shuts off at ten items for those in Publix’ ten item aisle who cannot seem to be able to count. One stronger suggestion from the group is a trap door that opens on the 11th item. Margin of error: 50 per cent or so.

6.  Clearwater city manager Bill Horne says he has no immediate plans to retire. Horne has helmed the city since 2000 which makes him Clearwater’s longest serving city manager since when – the beginning of time?

7. A recent poll of major league players says the most overrated players in the game are Bryce Harper, Yasiel Puig and ARod. Wait; can you be overrated if you’re not even playing? So we’ll subtract ARod and add Troy Tulowitzki – decent when he’s on the field but very fragile, having missed 210 games over the past four seasons.

8. Factoid: Clearwater Lake is not in Clearwater but just outside Umatilla in east central Florida.

9. If you’re a personnel guy in the Houston Texans’ front office you better pray nightly that Johnny Manziel turns out to be no better than an average NFL quarterback and that Jadeveon Clowney doesn’t revert to his lackadaisical college ways.

10. You’ve lived in Pinellas County quite a while if you remember when an “A” date was a first run blockbuster movie at St. Pete’s Center Theater followed by a late night snack at Wolfie’s.

IN CLOSING:

TOP OF THE WEEK:

Behold the all-inclusive Democratic Party. The Rev. Manuel Sykes is told he need not apply to run for the District 13 Congressional seat against Rep. David Jolly this fall. Among Sykes’ shortcomings according to party bigwigs, he is a political novice - as were Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama at one time, if memory serves. But our favorite complaint from the Demos is that Sykes doesn’t live in the District. Good grief, the last candidate the Democrats came up with didn’t even live in the same county. It was fun to watch the backpedaling this week of various Democrats including former candidate Alex Sink. They went from encouraging the right Reverend to run to “I barely know the man.” Stay tuned, this can only become more fun as we enter the summer months. 

THIS WEEK’S TEN:

1. The gubernatorial candidate from the Weathervane Party (as in which way is the wind blowing today?) Charlie Crist says he is pro-life “by my definition”.  My, isn’t that comforting to today’s unborn children?

2.  Factoid: only one set of siblings have ever both won an Academy Award for best leading actor or actress. Can you name them? Answer at the bottom of the blog.

3. In all the bizarre happenings surrounding the Donald Sterling situation, perhaps the most bizarre is the NAACP announcing they were cancelling their scheduled May “lifetime achievement award” ceremony for Sterling. Lifetime achievement award? That would be akin to the NRA making President Obama their Man of the Year.

4. Our resident sports guru Mohammed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) wonders if you remember when they used to call a traveling violation in the NBA – or the NCAA for that matter.

5. Doesn’t just a small part of you want to walk into Publix this week and stroll out with thirty bucks worth of seafood and see what would happen to you?

6. Love it when a guy or gal wins a multi-candidate political race with 42 per cent of the vote then trumpets “the people have spoken” or something equally self-serving. Yes, the people have spoken and 58 per cent of them don’t want you holding office. Much more appreciate the approach of David Jolly who personally reached out to a voter who pointed out that Jolly won with less than a majority.

7. Read a unique piece recently regarding Consumer Reports rankings of hospitals. Some small hospital in Maine topped the list. Consumer Reports, Reader’s Digest and People Magazine rankings aside, we’ll take our chances (and we have) with Morton Plant Hospital. A city the size of Clearwater is lucky to have a medical facility of that caliber.

8. A sure sign of getting old is when the music you rocked out to on WLCY, WALT or Q105 is now playing exclusively on WDUV – The Dove.

9. Give a little man/woman a job with the slightest hint of authority and they often become Nazis. A few examples – ticket takers at entertainment venues, crosswalk guards and the ultimate job sure to turn a nobody into a Nazi – a condo or HOA board.

10. Doesn’t it seem a certain baseball manager is getting a bit full of himself? Not content to manage his own sub .500 team, he recently took exception with how the Baltimore Orioles run their organization. Here’s a tip, put a couple World Series trophies on the mantel before you start knocking an organization that has more than a few championship flags flying in their park.       

IN CLOSING:

We assume new USF AD Mark Harlan comes to the bay area with his eyes wide open. This is not Duke or Ohio State he’s taking over; it is USF with its own personality and problems. The school has not had a decent program in either of the two major sports since people named Greenberg and Leavitt were on the sidelines. One issue Harlan will find at USF that he did not face at UCLA is the lack of tradition. For a great number of USF grads, there were no football and basketball programs when they attended the school; so for baby boomers and beyond there was never the “must go” game on Saturday afternoon or night – same with basketball. The double dribble on the basketball hire aside, Harlan seems like a bright guy, but he has a very large mountain to climb.

From above: Olivia de Havilland (twice, The Heiress and To Each His Own) and sister Joan Fontaine (de Havilland) for Alfred Hitchcock’s Suspicion.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

We begin with a tale of three households: Household One occupied by a really famous Tampa couple (see face value disclaimer above) who do not pay their mortgage for three years and somehow talk their bank into refinancing the debt. Household Two has same approximate debt to value ratio as #1, has never missed a payment and gets an average of six letters a month asking them to refinance with no closing costs. Household Three also has never missed a mortgage payment but has a kid in college and really could use some relief from the amount they lay out each month. Approximately same value ratio as Numbers One and Two and their bank won’t budge on a refinance. Some nonsense about ratio of what they make to what they pay for housing. Hey, they have been making the payments every month for years – doesn’t it make sense they could handle a lesser monthly payment brought on by a refinance? Oh, the bank did have one suggestion – start missing some payments and maybe they would consider it. You get the feeling that if you peek around the curtain at this bank you would behold the Mighty Oz back there with his smoke and mirrors.

THIS WEEK’S TEN:

1. Item: Tampa city council votes to allow sale of beer, wine and liquor at Westshore Plaza AMC Theaters. Do the esteemed council members not follow current events? Again to quoting a great American, “What could possibly go wrong?”

2. Is it any surprise that the first real MLB replay controversy involved a blown call by ump Eric Cooper? Cooper is not the worst umpire in the game (certainly not the best) but he has a proclivity for blowing calls in high profile situations. By the way, we wish a complete recovery to Tim McClelland out for the year with a back injury. McClelland gets a lot of flak for his deliberate manner calling balls and strikes but the fact remains he is one of the three or four best umps in the game.

3. As we close in on Derby Day, our crack sports prognosticator Mohammed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) reminds us all “A slow horse eats just as much as a fast horse.”

4. What isn’t fun this time of year is getting a letter from the IRS when you are a conservative Republican. Fortunately for the person in question, the gist of the letter was you’re getting a rather large refund, and we can’t pay you right away – honest!

5. Rev. Manuel Sykes has announced his candidacy for the District 13 Congressional seat this fall.  While Sykes is a political novice, he brings one thing to the table that the last Democratic candidate lacked; he’s been a resident of Pinellas County for more than six weeks.

6. The best candidate to replace former county administrator Bob LaSala might be right under the noses of the Pinellas County Commission – Assistant County Administrator Mark Woodard. Woodard is a bright young guy with a strong financial background and obviously knows his way around Pinellas County and its players. But the county will no doubt launch a national search – it’s what every governmental unit larger than Nokomis does - with mixed results.

7. Talk about short sighted. Major insurance companies that write Medicare supplements are cheaping out and dropping silver sneakers coverage for their clients. This is the same thing that Florida Blue, United Healthcare and others touted – that including these gym memberships would make for healthier clients and reduce debilitating conditions (not to mention fewer claims).

8. In a related note, aren’t there times when you want to take virtually every major insurance company CEO and give them a blindfold and a cigarette?

9. Thumbs down to SiriusXM for dumping all the DJs on the 50’s (actually fifties and early sixties) Channel. What the snotty nosed kids running the network don’t realize is how much guys like Chicago’s Dick Biondi, Atlanta’s Skinny Bobby Harper, Detroit’s Scott Regan or Tampa Bay’s Rock Robbins (the last two were actually the same guy) were part of what made fifties and early sixties radio so magic. Major mistake pulling pros like Pat St. John and Norn N. Nite off the channel and turning it into a bland jukebox.

10. Great timing by the city of Clearwater, planning the Iron Girl race and its attendant traffic screw ups on Palm Sunday. What’s the matter - weren’t Easter and Christmas available dates?

IN CLOSING:

Since Tony LaRussa traded in his uniform a couple years back, the brightest mind now occupying a dugout is in Baltimore – Buck Showalter. Like LaRussa, he sometimes rubs people the wrong way, but his baseball wisdom is unmatched. Also like LaRussa, he has built winners in more than one market. Two young Turks who may grow into the next Showalter or LaRussa are the Card’s Mike Matheny and Detroit’s Brad Ausmus – although it’s going to take both a few years to fill the large shoes that previously occupied their dugouts – LaRussa and Jim Leyland.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

First, a blessed Easter to all.

The five year reign of county administrator Bob LaSala has ended. For many, this comes as no surprise. Quite a few Pinellas residents remember that LaSala, hired by the county in 2009, had been passed over as a candidate for the job of Clearwater city manager just a few years earlier – mainly for some of the same reasons surfacing now – abrasive, dictatorial and not a forward thinker. This led many to question why a guy who was deemed lacking for managing a city of 110,000 was qualified to run a county of well over 900,000? The kicker was a member of the county commission who voted to hire LaSala in 2009 was a part of the Clearwater city commission that found him wanting a few years earlier – and then voted to fire him last week. Go figure. 

THIS WEEK’S TEN:

1. Ok Clearwater, go ahead and charge up to three dollars an hour for beach parking but in exchange, get rid of about three quarters of those weekend races that do little or nothing for the beach economy but make it impossible to get to the beach, its attractions and its three dollar an hour parking.

2. So long Alex, it’s been good to know ya. Drop in again sometime.

3. It has been a couple years since they closed their doors, but we still miss Butler’s in St. Pete and their great eastern Carolina BBQ. It was a St. Pete treasure.

4. Speaking of St. Pete treasures, for the book collector or vinyl collector, it doesn’t get much better anywhere in the country than the city’s Haslams and Bananas.

5. A Rants and Raves trio – three sports announcers who make you hit the mute button. Ours in alphabetical order are Troy Aikman (NFL); Ron Darling (MLB) and Len Elmore (NCAA basketball). The White Sox’ Ken Harrelson is not mentioned here as he owns a lifetime achievement award in this category. And the three that make you reach for the earplugs?

6.  Our rants and raves focus group (which consists of three old, cranky people) says the best book of the 20th century was Lewis Grizzard’s “I Haven’t Understood Anything Since 1962” – and they haven’t. Margin of error: 50 per cent or so.

7.  Jabari Parker is leaving Duke for the NBA. A great many Duke fans are not shedding tears over his decision. As for the teammates he leaves behind, they may actually get to touch the basketball next season.

8. Add Hess to Target and others who have to rebuild trust with their customers after they were hit for the second time in the bay area by so-called skimmers that steal credit card information at the pump.

9. It is often said that sports teams play up or down to those around them. That happens in other walks of life as well. Channel 8’s Rod Carter was a solid newsman in his first stint at WFLA-TV. Since returning and being surrounded by those characters on the morning news show, Rod has lost a step or two.

10. When posed with the question “Hero or zero” in relation to Johnny Football’s NFL prospects, our crack sports prognosticator Mohammed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) firmly says “hero.” Although much depends on what team drafts Manziel.

.

IN CLOSING:

To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, here we go again. “Florida’s best newspaper” scalds Rick Scott for dumping a state funded plane and using a plane on his own dime. All he did was save the state a bunch of money. Seem to remember another former gubernatorial candidate used a state plane for part of her vacation. Same source gives Scott heat because he’s only been a resident of the state for a little over a decade. That same source chose to look the other way on the recent District 13 candidate who moved to Pinellas County about two weeks after Bill Young’s funeral.

WEEK OF APRIL 13, 2014TOP OF THE WEEK:

It is so refreshing to have Keith Olbermann back on the sports scene. His presence on Sports Center and later on “the deuce” (ESPN 2) was huge. Unfortunately, he came off as an overbearing bully when he switched to news/commentary. A few suggested refinements in his new ESPN show – not that he asked us. First dump the highlights – you can get them anywhere, and they detract from his natural ability as a sports commentator. Getting rid of the highlights would let you pull the show back to a more manageable thirty minutes. Lastly, put it at a reasonable hour – replacing some of the junk shows ESPN has in the late afternoon/early evening slots. The show was superb in that format and time slot during the Australian Open.

THIS WEEK’S TEN:

1. Quote of the week: “The people who are asking me to resign are not my employer” – former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Sorry Madam Secretary, when you work for the federal government, you work for all of us. One tires of arrogant public servants at all levels who think they need not answer to the unwashed masses. 

2. Our crack sports prediction guru, Mohamed Walled (pronounced wall-ED) says the Miami Heat will tumble in the NBA playoffs which conclude when – about a week before Thanksgiving?

3. Love the word factoid. It was coined by Norman Mailer but probably most popularized by CNN. This week’s factoid – a Rants and Raves Trio - the highest earning dead people in the world. They are #3 – Peanuts creator Charles Schulz – maybe a little bit of a surprise; #2 the king of rock and roll Elvis Presley – absolutely no surprise and #1 – Michael Jackson which makes you wonder why?

4. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held its induction this week. Notable inductees included Nirvana, Hall and Oates, KISS and Linda Ronstadt. But can someone please explain why a guy who recorded 21 Top 40 hits on his own and wrote hit songs for the Carpenters, Frank Sinatra, Dinah Washington plus multiple hits for Connie Francis, the 5^th Dimension and the Captain and Tennille isn’t in the hall? The guy’s name is Neil Sedaka and every time we mention this the standard reply is something like “you’re kidding”! Sadly, we’re not. By the way, there is a petition on line to correct this injustice.

5. Sports fans often complain that almost all pro sports managerial/coaching vacancies are filled by good old boys – no offense Lovie. The same seems to hold true in politics. Every suddenly vacant seat on a governmental commission/council usually gets filled by a veteran seat warmer instead of some up and comer who is going to be there sooner or later anyway. Why not sooner?

6. The above mentioned Keith Olbermann has a pet phrase (Hello! The world’s out here!), which you want to shout at all the cell phoning and texting bozos on our region’s streets and highways - and amazingly in the aisles of our grocery stores.

7. Say what you want about the St. Pete Times – one of their strongest moves in the last few years was moving John Romano out of sports and into a slot as a decent general topic columnist. But the real plus was the ascendency of Tom Jones to full-fledged sports columnist. The guy is strong.

8. Our Rants and Raves focus group (which consists of three old, cranky people) tips their cap to the Clearwater Public Library system and their new check out system. Projection is that by this time next year the other 90 per cent of their customers and other half of the library staff will figure out how the damn thing works. Newer ain’t always better. Margin of error: 50 per cent or so.

9. More than one person has told us they too have had this dream: you can’t remember where one of your college classes meet, and you end up failing the course and not graduating. Could this be what happened to USF’s erstwhile basketball coach?

10. Not a resident but visit there a lot and the idea for upgrading Tarpon Spring’s waterfront sounds terrific. As it is now, you walk down a cavern that is Dodecanese Boulevard and are shut off from the very picturesque bayou behind the shops. A boardwalk right along the bayou would be fabulous. Forward thinkers in Tarpon Springs need to make it happen despite the naysayers.

IN CLOSING:

Thanks to Governor Rick Scott, State Senator Jack Latvala and others for closely watching over Florida’s spring training interests. Florida has lost an alarming amount of teams to Arizona over the past decade. In fact, had it not been for Sen. Latvala, Clearwater’s Bright House Field might not have been built and Dunedin most likely would have said goodbye to the Toronto Blue Jays years ago. Now there is a real possibility that at least one team might be persuaded to return to Florida from Arizona where we understand the beach is not all that great.

And just a post script to the above: classy move by the Phillies to have Alan Bomstein throw out the first pitch on the final Sunday of the spring season. Alan, the owner of Creative Contractors, had more to do with getting the Phils a new stadium and keeping them and the dollars they generate here than anybody outside of government or even inside for that matter.

TOP OF THE WEEK:

 But first a “headnote” – we apologize for the tardiness of getting the blog posted last week. We know all ten of our readers wait breathlessly for it to appear each Sunday. It would not have happened if your HB (Humble Blogger) weren’t so technologically challenged. Thanks to a really terrific IT person who backs us up – like all the time! Now, on with the show.

This fall voters will decide whether to tax themselves another penny on the dollar to pave the way for light rail in the county. Greenlight Pinellas is a noble idea but fraught with problems. Principal among the problems is the new tax would replace a current levy on real property in the county. So instead of we homeowners continuing to pay for transit upgrades, the burden would fall on many, many people who don’t own property and can ill afford to pay even more for their kid’s shoes, diapers and school supplies. The other question in this house of cards is how long before our transit officials come back to us and say “Hey, just kidding about dropping that levy on your property!” Granted some of this tax burden (potentially the highest sales tax in the state) would be shared by tourists who already pay outrageous bed taxes in our county, but the biggest burden of this regressive tax will fall on those who can least afford it.

THIS WEEK’S TEN:

 1. With Susan Latvala leaving her post on the County Commission and, parenthetically, abandoning her party in the recent District 13 race, it’s easier to count the number of folks not running for her seat than those who are.

2. Latvala’s departure from the county commission is creating a ripple effect especially in Dunedin where the chairs in the commission chamber will get shuffled with Mayor Dave Eggers leaving to run for the Latvala seat. But Dunedin will not suffer a leadership void. Already long time commissioner and Pinellas Community Foundation head Julie Scales has announced for mayor. Former commissioner Deborah Kynes and businessman and civic leader Bruce Livingston will seek commission seats. This trio brings a world of experience to the fore and Dunedin should not miss a beat.

3. Our Raves and Rants focus group (which consists of three, old cranky people) remind the world that their yellow legal pads have never frozen or crashed. Margin of error: 50 percent or so.

4. With a shadow of a tear, we said goodbye to the cast of “How I Met Your Mother” last Monday. Frankly, they had me at the title back in 2005. One of the unique aspects of the show’s long run was that it was initially dismissed by most critics – critics who, in large measure, warmed to it over the years. Not on the level of a Seinfeld but not far behind either. Although as far as classic character names are concerned, the Slutty Pumpkin was right up there with the Soup Nazi.

5. Another TV note. MLB’s Extra Innings package is usually free for the first week or so of the MLB season to entice you to buy the season package at about $200. The opening day Brewers-Braves game was nothing but a broken up satellite signal for nine innings making the announcers sound like the late Foster Brooks – and viewers happy they weren’t actually paying for that garbage.

6. Good move by Marquette hiring long time Duke assistant Steve Wojciechowski. There have been other stabs taken at getting Wojo away from Duke, but Coach K’s recent announcement that he planned to stay on at Duke for another five years might have made Wojo more amenable to an offer. Prediction: he will be back on Duke’s sideline in the future.

7. Honest, this happened less than two weeks before the District 13 general election. Your HB (humble blogger) gets a robocall one evening asking him to push buttons indicating his choice in the long before held Republican primary. Hope whoever funded that fiasco got their money back.

8. Few things make us do a slow burn more than seeing a bunch of kids whip into a beach handicapped parking space; hang grandma’s handicap tag on the mirror then grab their chairs and towels and run for the beach. If caught, there should be a very special fine/punishment for such punks.

9. We would be remiss not to recognize the passing of a true American patriot late last month. Former U.S. Senator and Rear Admiral Jeremiah Denton was a POW for over seven years during the Vietnam War but never gave any quarter to his enemy even when severely beaten for his famous blinked TORTURE message during a staged interview by the North Vietnamese.

10. We hear many heartfelt stories of families whose members need medical pot to ease pain. We’ve heard very little from heartbroken families whose members are now drug addicts who started on that road with pot.

IN CLOSING:

 An addendum to our Top of The Week: State Senator Jeff Brandes is taking the PSTA to task for its funding of an “educational” campaign on Greenlight Pinellas. So far, some $800,000 of taxpayer money has been spent on this “educational” campaign – including signage on PSTA buses. Funny, when opponents of the initiative wanted to spend non-taxpayer dollars for similar signage, they were rebuked by the PSTA – something about PSTA’s signage being educational but the opponents not being educational? The spending of taxpayer dollars on campaigns like this one and Clearwater’s Marine Aquarium is simply not right. A great many taxpayers disagree with these initiatives and for good reason; why should their dollars be spent to promote what they consider to be economic follies?  

TOP OF THE WEEK:

As we say goodbye to Spring Training (only 323 days until pitchers and catchers report) we focus on the situation in Dunedin. Keeping the Blue Jays in Dunedin doesn’t just affect that quaint little village but all the communities around it. Cities like Clearwater and Tarpon Springs, not to mention unincorporated areas like Palm Harbor, have a big stake keeping the Jays. It won’t be easy. Dunedin has probably the worst spring training stadium in Florida. An even bigger issue is the distance between training facilities and the stadium. Virtually all spring training complexes are like Clearwater with its Carpenter Complex right next door to Bright House Stadium. The problem in Dunedin is there just isn’t space for such a complex currently. Right now if you were handicapping, it’s probably less than 50 per cent that the Jays stay here beyond their current contract. And if that happens, it will have a major economic impact on all of Pinellas County. The answer may lie in a parcel outside of Dunedin proper. Let’s hope the Jays stay somewhere in Pinellas County.

THIS WEEK’S TEN:

1. Animals and those who love them lost a great friend earlier this month with the passing of Peter Gregory who with wife, Mary, ran Mill Creek Farm - a retirement home for some 125 horses in Alachua, Florida. We could write a novel about what this wonderful couple has done for equines. But simply Google Mill Creek Farm and see for yourself. Or better yet, plan a Saturday outing to visit the farm. It and its residents will capture your heart.

2. With the baseball season underway, it just won’t be the same for Phillies fans without Chris Wheeler behind the mike. The guy has lived and breathed Phillies baseball for well over forty years - bad decision by Comcast.

3. Here’s an idea to help keep the cost of new cars down. Go back to the early fifties when directional signals were an optional item on cars. Heaven knows with texting, cell phoning, eye lining and eating breakfast, the directional signal gets used less than the spare tire these days.

4. The Washington Redskins name is as good as dead. And watch out Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves; you’re next in line.

5. We’re holding our breath that there may actually be a deal for the old Fenway Hotel in Dunedin. In a related note, it like every other hotel in Pinellas built in 1920 or before supposedly hosted Babe Ruth. The North has all those inns where the Father of our Country allegedly slept. We in Pinellas have all the hotels where the Bambino frolicked.

6. Didn’t say everything here would be relevant or insightful. Recent discussions among fellow idiots yielded this – all-time best TV cops? Your HB’s (humble blogger) top three – Telly Savalas’ Kojak; Peter Falk’s Colombo and Robert Stack’s Eliot Ness. And yours?

7. File away these numbers for future reference. The study commissioned by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium says a downtown facility will draw 1.2 million visitors a year (after an initial year of 1.4 million). Further, its annual cash flow will be $6,000,000 - Clearwater’s next cash cow.

8. One of the best kept restaurant secrets in these parts is Sweet Sage on North Redington Beach – a truly unique breakfast and lunch spot. And your favorite such restaurant is?

9. His music was legendary. His personal life was most often a train wreck. The insights into the music industry are superb. “Anyone Who Had a Heart” by Burt Bacharach is well worth a read.

10. Let’s try to understand this. Our region has worked so hard to rid itself of pill mills and the drug peddlers with medical licenses who operate them. But now we want to trust some of those same people to “certify” their patients need medical pot. In the words of a great American, “What could possibly go wrong?”

IN CLOSING:

Had the Braves and Yankees in the World Series until forty percent of the Braves young stud rotation became patients of Dr. James Andrews. The Bravos will still be in the hunt but we like Yanks and flip a coin between the Giants and Cards – and heads, it’s the Cards. Surprises of the year – the Miami Marlins will not finish last in their division - the Phillies could. Surprise player of the year could be Tiger third baseman Nick Castellanos. Look for fall-offs in Boston and the nation’s capital. Biggest individual bust could easily be last year’s media darling – the Dodger’s Yasiel Puig. 

TOP OF THE WEEK:
 
Congratulations to recently elected Clearwater city councilmen Bill Jonson and Hoyt Hamilton. Hamilton returns to the council after a stint in Georgia. He overcame a first-ever (for Clearwater’s non-partisan elections) four figure donation from a political party to his opponent to win convincingly. Couldn’t the Democrats have just imported someone from Lutz to run against him? Jonson held back an extremely strong challenge from Clearwater native David Allbritton winning by a mere one percent. Allbritton took on arguably the strongest of the sitting members of the council and performed well. One would hope this is not the last we will have heard from him.
 
THIS WEEK’S TEN:
 
1. Part of the closeness of the Jonson/Allbritton race has to do with a perception of Jonson as anti-development/redevelopment. It is a label that has saddled the city of Clearwater as a whole for more than a decade since it severely scaled back its forward thinking economic development team crafted by then city commissioners and now State Rep. Ed Hooper and now County Commissioner Karen Seel along with others.
 
2. A Person of Note: Professor Robert Mikos of Vanderbilt’s Law School. In a recent article concerning legalizing medical pot in Florida, Mikos made this statement, “In the legally relevant sense, it’s (a physician certifying a person for pot use) no different than a doctor recommending jogging every day.” Really professor, you actually believe that?
 
3. Every time a scary line drive injury befalls a pitcher like Aroldis Chapman, people hark back 57 years to Herb Score. Sadly, very few people under sixty know who Herb Score was. In short, the Indian’s lefthander was on the way to the Hall of Fame with a 36-19 record his first two seasons, a Rookie of the Year. After his debilitating injury in his third major league season, he became an inspiration to others in and out of sports battling adversity – not to mention a revered baseball broadcaster in Cleveland. There were few classier people in baseball than Herbert Jude Score who passed away in 2008.
 
4. The chorus continues “Save the Belleview Biltmore.” The solution is easy. Get out your checkbook or find someone who is willing to get out theirs to save the Queen. So far, no bona fide group has come forward – and for good reason.
 
5. Breaking news – Tarpon Springs police determine that no laws were violated in “Golfgate”. But some poor guy leaves his job at the city golf course because of all the headaches this tempest in a teapot created. It reminds us of the infamous “Largo 8” – a group of trailer park penny ante poker players who were busted by the Largo police department back in the early eighties. Their plight was immortalized in song by WTAN Radio’s afternoon team of Dennis Crandall and Ron Scott. Gosh folks, don’t you have more pressing matters?
 
6. Next time you complain about the traffic backup to Clearwater Beach this time of year, please remember those folks are helping pay your salary no matter what line of work you’re in.
 
7. The sitcom based on the book was a dud, but the book itself, based on twitter (whatever the hell that is) is hilarious. Pick up a copy of Justin Halpern’s “Sh*t My Dad Says”. Unless you grew up in a monastery, you will see your Dad, Grandpa, Father-in-law or quite likely yourself in this 160-page easy read.
 
8. Veteran righthander Livan Hernandez officially announced his retirement from baseball last week. He had not pitched since 2012, and his career had not been quite the same since the retirement of umpire Eric Gregg.
 
9. Analysts will go on for weeks pontificating on what sank Sink. Most are overthinking this thing. Sink lost by less than four thousand votes. Based on conversations, it’s very possible that more than four thousand people simply resented an outsider who had never lived in Pinellas County marching in here with some twisted sense of entitlement.
 
10. City councils/commissions are welcoming new members and saying goodbye to old ones this month. One departing individual is no doubt breathing a sigh of relief that they completed their term without a clear conflict of interest on their part surfacing while they held office. It would take a judge and jury to decide whether the law was violated but the spirit of the law certainly was.
 
IN CLOSING:
 
March and April are arguably the two best fishing months of the year on the west coast. With some changes this year that have done away with closed seasons, it’s even better. Right now, any charter boat can keep red grouper and members of a select group of head boats (Clearwater’s Double Eagle and Queen Fleet and Tarpon’s Gulf Star) can catch and keep red and gag grouper as well as red snapper year round. And now the kings are here in force. Enjoy!

TOP OF THE WEEK:
 
To the surprise of many, Republican David Jolly defeated two political opponents; a cable news channel and a newspaper to capture the 13th Congressional District that covers the majority of Pinellas County. As a long time Bill Young aide, Jolly will hit the ground running in Washington. Alas, due to timing, the Dunedin native will also have to crank up a re-election effort right away. It will be interesting to see how the Democratic Party will respond during the regular election. Perhaps this time they could import someone from Miami or Jacksonville.
 
THIS WEEK’S TEN:
 
1. With the Clearwater municipal election over, one would only hope that former commissioner/council member John Doran would run again next time around. The body is not the same without his presence.
 
2. March Madness – one of the most fascinating aspects of this year’s NCAA tournament is to see if Wichita State can run the table. More than a few expert observers believe they can. (None of those, however, received their higher education in Gainesville, Florida).
 
3. Our Rants and Raves focus group (which consists of three old, cranky people) declares the two most over-rated coffees to be Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts in that order. All three samplers are akin to Frasier’s dad from the sitcom (John Mahoney) – they just like plain old Joe. (Margin of error: 50 percent or so).
 
4. Not sure (and don’t care) what the TV critics are saying about the current television season but there have been a few pleasant surprises particularly in the area of sitcoms. Topping the list is a show that was a well-kept secret at the first of the season – Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
 
5. It’s been a couple months now and we didn’t realize just how much we would miss Robyn Blumner in the St. Pete Times (see disclaimer above about all things here being taken at face value).
 
6. Springtime – a time for “Skater Dude” sightings. The Dude, for short, named by your Humble Blogger’s sister (the brighter child in the family) many years ago can often be sighted at the foot of the eastbound bridge from Clearwater Beach. He’s been doing his magic on skates for more than a decade in these parts and is awesome to watch!
 
7. For a good time, oh pardon us, for a good laugh, Google Miss Lube Rack 1955. If only she had stayed with the cheesecake.
 
8. So now, the city of Clearwater wants to push the restart button with Scientology. Pardon us, but haven’t we seen that movie before? And was the ending ever different?
 
9. What could have been a very divisive situation in NASCAR concerning the use of the legendary Dale Earnhardt’s #3 was handled with class by the Richard Childress organization. For those of you not as old as dirt, the man who drove the #3 car right before Earnhardt was Richard Childress himself. If NASCAR is not going to retire numbers like 3 and 43, they should remain in the hands of the Childress and Petty families.
 
10. Hasn’t been a stellar year for regional law enforcement agencies. Lakeland police chief – out. Plant City police chief given the boot. Add to that a local sheriff who fancies himself a TV personality and another who calls to mind Barney Fife (but not as much as his predecessor). This group doesn’t exactly remind you of the Untouchables.
 
 
IN CLOSING:

Fox has hit a home run pairing up John Smoltz and Matt Vasgersian as their #2 baseball team behind Joe Buck and his two new colleagues. It could be argued that Number 2 might be better than Number 1. Smoltz has learned his craft well since leaving the mound and Vasgersian probably knows more baseball than any broadcaster this side of Vin Scully. Matt just doesn't have as famous a last name as Buck. Tim McCarver was polarizing - you either hated him or loved him. But the fact remains the guy knew the game inside and out. His loss will be obvious. Tom Verducci is a good studio man - not sure how he'll fare in the booth. And Harold Reynolds has lost a step since leaving ESPN.

TOP OF THE WEEK:
 
Welcome all six readers to the initial edition of Tampa Bay Rants and Raves. Someday, an archived copy of this might be as valuable as the initial copy of Sports Illustrated with a youthful Eddie Matthews on the cover. Unlikely, but possible!
 
We naturally launch our maiden voyage with a political note on the eve of an important election in Pinellas County. It was barely a century ago that Pinellas (then West Hillsborough) County fought long and hard to de-annex itself from Hillsborough County. Apparently, we have not come all that far when the Democratic Party cannot find a suitable candidate for District 13’s congressional seat among the several hundred thousand people within our county boundaries but must import someone from Thonotosassa who couldn’t find Ulmerton Road without her GPS.
 
THIS WEEK’S TEN:
 
1. Don’t have the money for either project, but would sure try to save Tampa’s Jackson House rather than the Belleview Biltmore despite the number of memorable events your HB (humble blogger) attended there over a half century.
 
2. Hey St. Pete, how’s that new mayor working out? Have we figured out how we’re going to pay his gang of eight over the years?
 
3. Before the next Winter Olympics come up, could someone from Clearwater contact Michael Wilbon of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption and tell him how to correctly pronounce the city’s sister city – Nagano?
 
4. The city of Hampton, Florida is on the brink of dissolution by the state. That’s what happens when three-quarters of a city’s revenues come from traffic tickets. Now on to Waldo, Lawtey, Inglis and Brooksville – all of whom seem to spend more time on speeding tickets and red light violations than actually running a city.
 
5. At Phillies spring games, there is a huge void this season – the seat in the scout’s section that was always occupied by Braves vice-president and former MLB manager Jim Fregosi. Most fans know of his numerous accomplishments on the field. Not as many know how much Jim gave to this community. Kudos to the Phillies for a moving tribute to Jim prior to the March 5 Braves game.
 
6. Regarding the recent tragedy on I-275 that killed five people, does anyone else wonder why some bozo is videoing the errant driver on their smart phone rather than dialing 911? It might not have made a difference but certainly shows where we have come as a people. Not pretty.
 
7. NASCAR note: You may not like the way he said it, but Richard Petty is right about Danica Patrick. We normally admire Tony Stewart, but his suggestion that there be a match race between the King and darling Danica makes as much sense as a home run hitting contest between Brian McCann and Yogi Berra.
 
8. Catholic’s lament: Why must Lent and the sale of Girl Scout cookies coincide?
 
9. Tarpon Springs Police are cracking down on golfers who might occasionally make a side bet during their weekly golf league. In an apparently unrelated note, a substantial reward has been offered in two of the several unsolved murders in the city.
 
10. Don’t you think the $2.13 an hour for tipped servers could be bumped up a bit without causing the ruination of the Florida restaurant industry?
 
IN CLOSING:
 
The city of Clearwater has its first real political race in a decade with David Allbritton facing incumbent Bill Jonson. Both bring strong credentials to the table. It’s a shame both can’t win or that Allbritton hadn’t jumped into the political arena a few years earlier when the city was getting mediocre council members because of only token or no opposition.
 
We sincerely welcome your comments on this soon to be world famous blog. Just hit add comment below. Till next week….   

A weekly look at Tampa Bay area and national politics from a conservative viewpoint – plus a helping of sports and lifestyle items. Warning: not everything printed here should be taken at face value!