Resolutions II

Last week’s “New Year’s Resolutions for Other People” item referenced those who unilaterally extend fireworks season beyond New Year’s Eve. No need to revisit the obvious rationales.

In a similarly improbable vein, we now call upon the television networks to also resolve to do something contrary to their nature when the subject is sports, especially football. When a play is over please refrain — with exceptions, of course — from lingering on individual players as a matter of course.

It’s now way beyond “reaction shots.”

What you typically get — whether the player made a play or was merely in the stadium at the time — is some over-the-top, juvenile demonstration of look-at-me boorishness. Please do not enable and reward such asinine histrionics. It’s not football; it’s football as cheap lounge act.

In fact, if you don’t show such shots, you would remove much of the incentive to behave this way. Instead you’ll be left to chronicle legitimate enthusiasm.

What a concept.

Tampa Bay The Ultimate Outback Bowl Winner

Most of us, especially hard-core fans, can probably agree on this: There are — at 32 — too many bowl games. Annually, there are about a half dozen teams that literally have to win their bowl game in order to avoid a losing season. A reward for not being that bad.

But as we also know, bowl games are about something else. Always have been. They are, at their core, chambers of commerce showpieces and come-hither visitor ads garbed in gridiron pageantry. They are uniquely positioned as catalysts for sponsors and charities. They engage a community. They’re fun.

And they are economic boosters.

As opposed to some of the fuzzy math that typically surrounds sports events and economic impact, bowl games generally have a more credible case. Out-of-town college football fans, singularly passionate, largely middle-aged sorts who treat bowl games as loyalty rewards, are manna for the hospitality industry. Especially over the holidays when business travel is non-existent.

And while no one can quantify national network publicity for a venue, few would doubt there’s value in a post-card backdrop to a nationally televised event.

Tampa’s Outback Bowl is among the classier bowls, as we were just reminded, even though this year’s game fell shy of a sellout at 60,000 attendees. It showcases the Tampa Bay region on ESPN on New Year’s Day to a national audience. It also generates out-of-town news copy in the week leading up to the game.

The invited teams – from the Big Ten and Southeastern Conferences – invariably “travel well.” Last week it was Wisconsin and Tennessee. The ratings are usually good; economic impact easily into the eight figures.

And regardless of the participants and whatever the football subplots, Tampa Bay wins.

(Bay)Walk The Walk

Ybor, we understand.

Too much wet-zoning, too many teens, too many places that have too many good reasons to pat down for weapons. That’s why there are curfews, code crackdowns and an obvious uniformed police presence. It’s what you do, and you don’t let up — because Ybor’s that important.

But even still, if you don’t go near certain establishments at certain wee hours, you’re almost certain not to have a problem.

But downtown St. Petersburg? BayWalk? Christmas evening?

For the second time in less than three years, BayWalk, centerpiece for downtown St. Pete’s well-documented renaissance, has been raked by out-of-control crowds. The latest incident included gunfire. Pepper at BayWalk is to be ground, not sprayed.

It’s obvious what’s at stake: downtown’s continued revival.

Suggestions: For openers, don’t treat these disturbing incidents as if they are mere by-products of “bored teenagers” and “troublemakers.” This is no time for Crowd Control 101, “Best Practices” guidelines, criminal euphemisms or oxymoronic appeals to parental supervision. We’re talking about serious curfews seriously enforced by highly visible, uniformed police officers. That’s because we’re also talking punks and thugs.

Second, think twice about downtown events that attract precisely those that are the problem. Or is that still not clear enough?

Lay Off Minority Rhetoric

We’re now a couple of weeks removed from that rhetorical shootout at City Council over city jobs proposed for elimination as part of City Hall budget cuts. Still time for serious reflection.

Mayor Pam Iorio had proposed that as many as 88 jobs could be jettisoned in janitorial and security services alone. The plan is for such jobs to be privatized.

It’s certainly a subject for debate. The employees who hold these jobs – and the families affected — deserve no less. To privatize or not to privatize? And if so, where is it most applicable? And have attrition and re-hiring scenarios been sufficiently scrutinized?

Not relevant, however, was the recent undue focus on the racial and ethnic composition of those in the affected areas. According to analysis by City Council Finance Chairman John Dingfelder, an inordinate number of impacted employees are black or Hispanic.

Not to be insensitive, but – so? Would this have been an issue if a bunch of Euro-Americans were being laid off? Would the compassion for those who would lose health-care benefits be as palpable? Would grandstanding have been part of the fact-finding?

The point is this. There are legitimate reasons to at least challenge the city’s budget-cut priorities. As there are reasons to label City Hall communications-challenged.

But don’t make this a minority issue. That’s the wrong bottom line. As wrong as “No justice, no peace.”

Florida’s Cuban Politics

Word is that Democrats will seriously challenge U.S. Representatives Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart of South Florida this November. This is significant because the Congressionally entrenched, Cuban-American brothers are the consummate hard liners when it comes to supporting the failed, counter-productive Cuban embargo.

The two Democrats are Raul Martinez, the ex-mayor of Hialeah and Joe Garcia, the former executive director of the Cuban American National Foundation. Martinez would run against LD-B in District 21 and Garcia against MD-B in District 25.

It’s worth keeping an eye on. Nothing major will change nationally until it happens in South Florida. Obviously changing Cuban-policy attitudes have yet to be reflected at the ballot box.

Dems Need Clark

If the Democratic presidential nominee is Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama or John Edwards, the vice-presidential running mate ought to be Wesley Clark. Arguably, the former general would give the ticket its best chance of blunting the GOP’s national-security trump card.

Clark formerly commanded NATO; he was a Rhodes scholar; and he’s more than credible as a presidential successor. He even looks the part.

And it’s not as if there is no precedent for the vice presidential candidate being older and more experienced in matters of foreign policy and national defense than the presidential nominee.

Charlie Wilson’s Irony

There are a lot of reasons to see “Charlie Wilson’s War,” the movie with a pocketful of Golden Globe nominations. But the performance of Philip Seymour Hoffman may be the best. His portrayal of a cynically pugnacious CIA operative was amazing. And this, mind you, is the same actor who won an Oscar last year for his portrayal of Truman Capote. How’s that for range?

One caveat: “Charlie Wilson’s War” is top heavy with geo-political irony. It hangs over much of the movie like celluloid black crepe. Once the Mujahadeen had demoralized the Soviets and chased them out of Afghanistan with U.S.-supplied arms, they didn’t exactly beat them into ploughshares – as we well know.

Service Gapsters

It’s said that if you’re over 50, you’ve probably experienced this: You’re at a checkout counter waiting to pay and the 20-something clerk is seemingly oblivious to you while chatting on a cell phone. And seemingly annoyed that you are annoyed.

Well, they have a term for it: “Service gap.”

They also have a rationale for it: It’s not that such employees are lazy or rude or nasty. It’s just that the “millennial generation’s” definition of customer service is different from that of baby boomers. And that’s because their shopping experiences are much more impersonal, often done via the Internet or by phone. Etc.

Is that a crock or what?

It may be called “service gap,” but it’s also called not doing your job, something that any generation should be able to relate to.

Tampa’s Job Reductions: Lay Off Minority Rhetoric

Whenever an employer – whether government or private sector – cuts a budget, it’s no secret what such a process is shorthand for: people losing jobs.

The city of Tampa is no exception. When Mayor Pam Iorio announced that more than $3 million would be sliced from the City Hall budget, it also meant that as many as 88 jobs could be jettisoned in janitorial and security services.

In this case, the city says it will show savings from privatizing such services. While bottom line prudence is always expected, nobody is celebrating the loss of jobs and the people who hold them.

While a budget – and the priorities and judgment calls of those who oversee it – is always fair game, recent criticism of the privatizing plans took a decidedly misguided turn. It focused unduly on the racial and ethnic composition of those in the affected areas. According to an analysis by City Council Finance Chairman John Dingfelder, an inordinate number of impacted employees are black or Hispanic.

Not to be insensitive, but – so? Would this have been an issue if a bunch of Euro-Americans were being laid off? Would the compassion for those who would lose health-care benefits be as palpable? Would grandstanding have been in evidence?

The point is this: It’s pertinent to make the case, for example, that privatizing isn’t the way to go. Or that these are the wrong departments to privatize. Or that attrition and re-hiring scenarios haven’t been sufficiently scrutinized. Or that City Hall continues to be communication-challenged.

And it’s laudatory, if unrealistic, to raise the specter of across-the-board salary cuts for everyone – although every job isn’t equally important.

But don’t make this a minority issue. That’s the wrong bottom line. As wrong as “No justice, no peace.”

Hosting A Political Fundraiser? Here’s Some Advice

Part of the landscape of every presidential political season is high-profile fundraising. Often the hosts are familiar. Around here, they have names like Scarritt and Lykes. And then there are those who are curious about getting involved. A few pointers.

*Hosts lend their credibility as well as their digs. No scandals and a big veranda.

*Hosts cannot be network challenged.

*Campaigns spring for security. The Secret Service is not typically assigned until a candidate becomes a nominee.

*Campaigns meet with city officials and fire marshals to pre-empt issues.

*Campaigns will take care of valet parking.*Hosts must actually dial down. Hold the caviar and champagne. Go with moderately priced wine, not liquor. And get as many in-kind donations as possible, including catered fare, musicians and bartenders.

“The biggest challenge (for prospective hosts) is that these are people who are used to entertaining, and they want to treat royally any guest in their house,” says Tampa’s Frank Sanchez, a key Barack Obama advisor and Tampa Bay organizer. “But you have to tell them not to spend a lot of money. ‘Don’t go overboard.'”

A host can spend up to $2,000 – a donation in kind – points out Sanchez. “Over that, the campaign has to pick it up. We would rather tap the coffers for TV time.”

Norma Gene Lykes, whose Obama fundraiser brought in nearly $250,000 back in April, has no regrets – and some salient advice.

“If you really believe in somebody, do it – and do get some help,” advises Lykes. “Go to the grass roots office. It has a ripple effect.

“We were very pleased with how it turned out,” she recalls. “Very diverse; not just the traditional high rollers.”

Lykes also was pleased that the experience at her Bayshore Boulevard home didn’t leave her feeling as if she had been in royal company.

“There’s all this excitement and attention to detail, but at the end of the day it was just like having a wonderful house guest. Obama’s a very nice man. Incredibly likeable.”