One Paticular Harbor

Just a few thoughts as I finish off the last of the rum.
I took my vacation a little early this year in order to beat the oil to my favorite beach. The good news is that my wife and I had a great time on white, tar ball free beaches. The bad news is, well you know the bad news.
Even though the oil has not reached my particular harbor yet, it is well on the way. There is more than enough blame to go around, so I won’t bore you with that aspect. I just need to get this off my chest and I can’t think of a better way than writing about this disaster.
This catastrophe could have been averted if the proper safeguards would have been in place before the drilling commenced. The fact of the matter is that no company should have been allowed to operate anywhere without meeting that condition.
I have read some quotes by those who say that this spill is not that big of a deal and that the ocean is so large that the amount of oil released is insignificant in comparison. That my friends, is the most ignorant thing I have heard in a long time.
I understand our country’s energy needs and that deep water drilling is one way to fulfill those needs, but it must be done reasonably and safely.
Oil continues to be pumped into the Gulf of Mexico at an alarming rate. The consensus of opinion is that it will take at least until August before the relief wells can be drilled and the oil diverted in order to stop the flow into the gulf.
Experts have stated that the clean up will take at least 2 years. My hope is that we, as Americans can do something that is rarely heard of these days. That is to come together with a common purpose to ensure such a tragedy never happens again.

Thank you!

Walk This Way

An article appeared today in the Tampa Bay Times that was about people who park in handicap spaces illegally. It specifically dealt with the fraudulent use of handicap parking permits. It seems that there has been widespread abuse of these permits at the Rays games in St. Petersburg and the police have decided to crack down on the offenders. Good for them.

This situation reminds me of my brother-in-law who is a disabled Vietnam veteran. When he was 20 years old he sustained a head wound in the service of our country. After several surgeries and months of therapy he was discharged from the Army with a large piece of his skull missing and a partially paralyzed left arm and leg.

He is now 60 years old and still refuses to park in handicap spaces even though his car has DAV plates and he is well within his rights to do so.
I have attended Rays games with him and he has never avoided those long, hot walks across the Trop’s parking lot. He would rather leave the restricted spaces to those who really need them, even though he still wears a metal brace on his left leg.

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance of those who have sacrificed for our freedom. Let us remember that there are still heroes among us who continue to sacrifice in the name of honor and integrity.

Nice Shot

Every once in a while a story comes along that restores my faith in mankind.
One such story occured recently in of all places, a college golf tournament.
Two young men from opposing schools were tied at the end of the final round and faced a playoff. The two collegiate golfers were vying for a spot in the NAIA National Championship.
The way in which this came about was that the winning team and the individual winner would be invited to compete in the nationals.
A young man by the name of Grant Whybark was a member of the winning team, so his spot in the nationals was secured. The other player was Seth Dorn, a senior from the opposing school, possibly playing in his last collegiate tournament.
What happened next was so unique in the world of sports that I felt compelled to pass this story along to my fellow sports fans.
As Grant stood over the tee of the first playoff hole, he glanced down the fairway and the proceeded to purposely drive the ball far off to the right and way out of bounds.


When he was asked why he did this he replied "We all know Seth and he's not only is a very good player, but a great person as well. He’s a senior and had never been to nationals. Somehow, it just wasn’t in my heart to try to knock him out. "It was one of those things where I couldn’t feel good taking something from him like this. My goal from the start was to get (to nationals) with my team. I had already done that."

In these days of the win at all cost attitude, it is very impressive to me to hear of a young guy that sacrificed personal glory to do something just because he felt it was the right thing to do.

Voodoo Child

The regular season hasn’t even started yet and the Rays are already doomed. I’m not talking about the injury to their best relieve pitcher J.P. Howell, although he will be sorely missed in April. It is the jinx that has been put on them by Sports Illustrated.
The publication’s prediction of a World Series appearance has cursed the team to failure as sure as Pat Burrell has been a bust.
In the past the Rays fans would have been excited for any kind of recognition for their team, but given the expectations for this year and S.I.’s track record it is about as welcome as an ABBA reunion tour.
I’ve decided something has to be done to break the curse, so if your ever in Tampa and you happen to see a middle aged man with a blue Mohawk stop and say hello to a brother.
Go Rays!

The Rays Last Stand

As I contemplate attending my first spring training game of the year this weekend it occurs to me how different my team may look next year. Due to a lack of revenue the Tampa Bay Rays are probably facing their last season with all star left fielder Carl Crawford and American League homerun leader Carlos Pena. (I know Teixeira had the same number, but if fat boy hadn’t of beaned him he would have hit more)
The good news is the present team has never looked better. They have signed a legitimate closer in Rafael Soriano which will solidify an already talented bullpen. The starting rotation is as tough top to bottom as they come.
The infield features three members of last years all star roster in Pena, shortstop Jason Bartlett, and Evan Longoria. It will be four if they decide to play Ben Zobrist at second base instead of right field. Add to that what many to believe is the fastest outfield in the league and you have a team that can compete for a playoff spot.
The Rays have a chance to do something special this year, but after 2010 it’s all downhill.
Starting in 2011 they will lose Crawford, Pena, and probably Soriano. In the following years they will lose other top players to big market teams who treat organizations like Tampa Bay’s like their own farm system.
I’ve decided not to worry about any of that and just try and enjoy the baseball season this year and hope the Rays can make it to the big show again, because it will be a long time before they have another team as good as the one they have now.

Class Act - SYMT

When I was introduced to the local racing scene back in the mid seventies, the Reutimann brothers were firmly established as fan favorites in the Tampa Bay area. Buzzie, Wayne, and Dale were among the most dominant drivers at both Golden Gate Speedway (the asphalt track now long gone) and East Bay Raceway, the dirt track located just south of Tampa.

It all started in the early twenties when Emil Reutimann moved his family to the small town of Zephyrhills, Florida. It was there that he started the family business of working on Model A automobiles.

Emil started out as a mechanic, but it wasn't long before he was experimenting with differrent ways to make a car go faster. Emil Jr. shared his fathers need for speed and soon they both were participating in car races with friends and neighbors in a small field just outside of town.

By the time little Emil L. (Buzzie) was born racing cars had become a part of the families life. If anyone was ever destined to become a race car driver it was Buzzie. It wasn't long after he started working on cars that he began building his own to race along side his father against all comers.

Buzzie was followed in the tradition by younger brothers Wayne and Dale. While the older brothers Buzzie and Wayne were on the road in the northeast making a name for themselves, younger brother Dale was back home racing with his dad in central Florida. In fact Dale was developing into a very talented driver and according to older brother Wayne, " if any of us would have made it he would have". That hope ended late one afternoon when Dale and his father were killed when a drunk driver crossed the center line of U S Highway 301 and crashed head on into their truck.

It is now over thirty years later and one of the family has made it to the big show. David Reutimann has taken the family tradition all the way to the top. He represents three generations of drivers who were also skilled mechanics and fabricators who built their own cars and established a reputation of being a class act.

David now drives for Michael Waltrip Motorsports and is out there on the biggest stage in American sports. Being from the same area I feel a sort of kinship to the Reutiman family. I grew up not far from Zephyrhills and traveled the short distance on Highway 301 to Golden Gate Speedway to watch Buzzie, Wayne, and Dale tear up the track and competition.

Being a part of NASCAR's top series has always been a dream shared by the Reutimann family, but to have the 00 on the side of David's car is truly the stuff of which dreams are made. You see the Reutimanns not only have a rich tradition in racing, but have been associated with the 00 since the early days back in Zephyrhills.

David now continues the proud tradition of the old 00 and of living up to the family creed of going first class all the way.

Tampa Bay Trauma

Let me start this off by congradulating Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox on the perfect game he pitched against the Rays yesterday. Tampa Bay's hitters had no answer for the crafty left hander.
It seems that the Rays are running out of answers to a lot of questions. For example, what has happened to their starting pitching. A unit that last year was among the best and now is barely keeping their collective heads above water.
Speaking of water, the old debate on which side of the bay a new stadium for the Rays should be built has flared up again. The only thing that everyone seems to agree on is that the stadium must be built. It's a tired old argument and I won't bore you with the details, suffice it to say that this might get ugly.
In the meantime Tampa Bay continues to search for some relief for their pitching problems. Roy Halladay's name has surfaced as a possible solution to the staffs lack of consistency. Halladay has a home in the area and is rumored to have expressed an interest in playing for the Rays. The major obstacle for this kind of move is of course money. The Rays don't have any.
That's where Scott Kazmir comes into the picture. Tampa Bay is looking to deal the left hander in order to free up some cash. Kazmir is a good pitcher, but he has lost some velocity after an injury last year. Odds are the Rays will have to part with a prospect or two to make any real splash deal work.
Tampa Bay needs to balance the fact that they are still very much alive in the race for the wild card spot and realizing that they need help to compete for the big prize.