Category: Uncategorized

* Among the presumed Heisman Trophy contenders for next season: the University of Washington’s Michael Penix, an alumnus of Tampa Bay Tech.

* Why did Tom Brady unretire for the 2022 season? First, because he is Tom Brady. A GOAT can make that call and get GOAT money for an otherwise QB-challenged team. Second, he had won a Super Bowl here and came close enough the following season. Maybe there was more magic, even with all the roster chaos. Third, it’s never easy to leave center stage. Sure, he has his well-known brand, his lucrative investments, a rich broadcast-analyst contract awaiting, an ongoing podcast and an “80 for Brady” movie that has even enthralled Jane Fonda.

But life is different when you no longer have the ultimate center-stage forum for your talent. It can never be the same. Even iconic quarterbacks who no longer had their prime-time games–think Johnny Unitas and Joe Namath–couldn’t resist one final year, however humbling and embarassing.

But this we do know: Brady can still play—even at a position that increasingly focuses on mobility, hardly Brady’s strength. But he can only be Brady if he’s surrounded by enough talent to have a shot at next year’s Super Bowl. The Bucs, with their roster-and-draft tumult, are not that team.

* There are injuries, retirements, free-agent exits and draft decisions. It’s NFL parity. Don’t just cite the Bucs. Just ask the defending Super Bowl champion (5-12) LA Rams. BTW, for all the disappointments—and staff firings—the Bucs remain the only team in the NFC to reach the playoffs in each of the past three seasons.

* Mike Pence, like so many self-serving pols, has a book out that keeps his name in the news before 2024. It’s an autobiography entitled, unsurprisingly, “So Help Me God.” Word is the title is actually a shortened version of the overly candid original: “So, Help Me God: I Want To Make Up For Having Enabled the Anti-Christ.”

* “If Donald Trump had been born black, he would have been Don King.”–Rev. Al Sharpton.

* “History isn’t kind to the man who holds Mussolini’s jacket.” That was Ted Cruz explaining why he didn’t endorse Trump at the 2016 GOP Convention.

* Trumpism without Trump: Ron DeSantis.

* Trump was known among his own staff as the “Leaker-in-Chief.”

* When Speaker of the House balloting embarrassingly goes into double digits, anything can happen—including the nomination of Donald Trump as Speaker by Florida’s reprehensible Rep. Matt Gaetz. a Trump acolyte.

* Speaking of the GOP outHouse fiasco, Speaker Kevin McCarthy will look at expunging Trump impeachments. Eventually we’ll see more signs of McCarthy concessions over his Speaker status. One thing that won’t change: a twice-impeached president is part of the historical record.

* Once in office, “Trump became the worst version of himself.”–Former Trump fixer Michael Cohen.

* If Roy Cohn were still alive, Trump has told insiders, he would still be president. Not all presidents evolve in office.

* Back in the day, Ronald Reagan rejected the backing of the John Birch Society in his first gubernatorial campaign. As noted, that was then.

* Calling black Republicans “props” is demeaning. It’s also true—as long as the GOP remains the party of george LINCOLN rockwell.

* “At our best, the American promise wins out. … But I don’t need to tell you that we’re not always at our best. We’re fallible. We fail and fall.”--President Joe Biden during a Sunday morning sermon at MLK’s Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

* “Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.”–Albert Camus.

* “Think in slogans and speak in bullets.”–How George Orwell characterized Nazi leaders.

* “Every war ends in a diplomatic way. Every war ends as a result of the actions taken on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.”–Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

* “More immigration is in our national interest. … We are suffering from a severe labor shortage.”–Mona Charen, The Bulwark.

* “We do not trust Mr. McCarthy with power.”–Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz.

* “No matter what the polls say now, DeSantis or any other GOP aspirant who enters the race against Trump will have a tough time. Hitting below the belt is what Trump does best. He is not bound by rules or decency.”–David Corn, Mother Jones.

* “Act with urgency to pay our bills on time and not cause additional chaos.”–What U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, called on Republicans to do.

* “(Former Brazilian President Jair) Bolsonaro should not be given refuge in Florida.”–U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.

* “There are really no Democrats in Florida who have money or are motivated.”–Attorney John Morgan.

* “I never intended to run for mayor.”–Tampa City Councilman Bill Carlson.

* “This is the new crown jewel of that athletics district—that ultimately is going to have an even newer and bigger crown jewel soon.”–USF Board of Trustees Chairman Will Weatherford, at the formal opening of the $22 million Porter Family Indoor Performance Facility. The ultimate “crown jewel” would be an on-campus football stadium.

TV or not TV?

That should be a question we all ask ourselves–especially when it involves the “news” and all of its exigent priorities. “If it bleeds, it leads” is more than a cliché. Alas, it’s still, especially in an era of continuous news cycles and problematic profits, a motivational force–even more so with cell-phone footage access. Then, of course, there is the self-serving, party-over-country, typically disingenuous performance art known as politics. Mollify the masses. Get that ego elected. Take advantage of the outsized exposure.

Some of us seem inured or cynical to what keeps unfolding. Others appear to embody partisan animus.

The rest of us—for the sake of mental health and meaningful democracy—need to monitor our exposure to TV news coverage and commentary. It can have a visceral impact on our well being.

As a result—whether it’s Joy Reid or joyless Laura Ingraham—I’m not watching. Reliable reading will carry the day with the purpose of being informed—not inflamed.

* When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to a joint session of Congress to make the case for continued help against Russian invaders it didn’t include State of the Union optics. Standing applause (except for Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert) was not a partisan political optic. And the two figures framed behind Zelenskyy? Two women, VP Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, were making history while Zelenskyy was making his case.

* “There is such a wide range between your actual age and how you perform and function and show up in the world.”–That was U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, and, yes, the context was an octogenarian president.

* President Biden is a devoted viewer of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and CNN’s “Don Lemon Tonight.”

* “Arizonans don’t like taxes, and we don’t really like government. We love our country. And we love our military. And that’s about where it ends.”–Former Democrat and now Independent Sen. Krysten Sinema of Arizona.

* While Dems continue to ponder their leadership bench, one Congressional name seems assured of continued attention and ascendance. New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is often referenced as the “Speaker-in-waiting.”

* Voting actually has a lot in common with driving. If you want to go backward, choose “R.” If you want to go forward, choose “D.”

* Christmas, family and politics. We know all too well that’s an awkward mix, especially during the uber divisive Trump era. Not a good sign if during Christmas-present unwrappings, it’s apparent someone has received a “Don’t Fauci My Florida” koozi.

* What do you call an obstinate kid who refuses to believe in Santa Claus? A rebel without a Claus.

* If you’re fat—but identify as skinny—are you trans-slender?

* Common sense is like deodorant. The people who need it most never use it.

* Being a parent doesn’t make one a de facto expert on anything including, ironically, child-raising and age-and-gender-appropriate books.

* Since when did “patriot” become a synonym for punk?

*Your chances of winning the Lottery are roughly the same whether you play or not.

The number of guns confiscated by the TSA has surpassed 6,000 for 2022. That’s another sobering reminder–in addition to having more guns than people and no serious restrictions on assault weapons–that America’s gun culture helps, so to speak, define “who we are.”

* Fox was less sycophantic about Trump’s 2020 loss than Trump expected. Especially after he learned that the network was planning to air a documentary after Trump’s defeat—hosted by anchor Bret Baier, on how the incumbent had actually lost. So Trump began attacking Fox—and the network saw its audience numbers drop. Many of Trump’s fans flocked to the far-right channels Newsmax TV and One America News. By the spring, however, Fox was back in play as Trump’s media minion with torrents of anti-Biden programming.

* At least 67 journalists and media staff have been killed in 2022. “The surge in the killings of journalists and other media workers is a grave cause of concern and yet another wake-up call for governments.”–International Federation of Journalists General Secretary Anthony Bellanger.

* The Sunshine State’s population grew 1.9 percent over the last year. That led the country in growth rate. The actual numbers: from 21.8 million to 22.2 million.

* “It has been half a century since singer and pageant-winner Anita Bryant became the face of discrimination in Florida. Decades later, Bryant’s legacy is back on steroids in the Sunshine State.”–Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel.

* “MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!” That’s how Trump teased his latest iteration of self-serving faux news. But, no, Kid Rock hasn’t agreed to run on his 2024 ticket. Trump was announcing $99 “limited edition (trading) cards featur(ing) amazing ART of my Life & Career.”

* “Truth Social” post: “A Massive Fraud” (‘stolen’ election) of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.” Yeah, just when you think you’d heard it all, Trump constitutionally doubled down.

* Upon reflection, that downward Trump Tower escalator ride of Donald and Melania Trump still looks like a metaphor for where America could still be headed.

* “He’s an authoritarian. I don’t believe the Republican Party believes in democracy.”–Bob Rae, Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations.

* “The less you remember, the better.”–Legal advice given to former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson before her House Jan. 6 committee testimony.

* “There are no permanent allies with this guy (Trump).”–Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

* “Gilded Elba”: Trump’s updated Mar-a-Lago Club.

* For those wondering what it will realistically take for Trump to leave the presidential comeback center stage, the answer is still the same. He goes away when he no longer has a following. And said followers need Trump the way the Rev. Jim Jones’ disciples needed their Kool Aid conductor.