Potpourri For A Lazy Monday Afternoon In Mid-August

On the National scene, Russia continues to expand the war with Georgia, which should come as a surprise to nobody. They saw an opening and they took it. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin did not fool anyone when he stepped out of the role of President and into the role of Prime Minister – he is the guy in control and he wants nothing more than to regain the territory the Soviet Union lost when Georgia declared its independence many years ago. According to some news reports US aircraft have started to fly some of Georgia’s 2,000 troops that have been serving in Iraq (on our side) back home to help fight for their own country. With the United States bogged down in two wars, and continuing to make veiled threats against Iran, this is just what the doctor ordered…

On the weather front (no pun intended) a noted hurricane researcher has revised his Atlantic forecast upward and now calls for a total of nine hurricanes this season - an increase of one. Former Colorado State University climatologist William Gray says five of the hurricanes will be major (personally I have always believed they are only “major” when they hit your house). The new predictions are based upon current conditions in the Atlantic Ocean like higher than normal water temperatures and the fact a weather condition known as the Azores High is predicted to produce weak trade winds this year. Finally, a weak La Nina is predicted for the Pacific. When we get all of these conditions during mid-August through September and into October, the sheer that literally takes off the storm tops as they move through the Atlantic toward the US mainland which prevents storms from going from small tropical storms to huge hurricanes is simply not present. Thus, the increase in stronger storms prediction. So what does this mean to the average American? Nothing. Most folks in this country still believe the majority of hurricanes hit Florida every year, which simply is not true. Having said that, it seems since the time I had an on-demand “whole house” generator and state of the art garage door and made-to-order window protection panels installed (the pins upon which to place them are installed, the panels are stored in the garage) the odds of getting any type of damage to the West Central coast of Florida diminished in direct proportion to the cost of what I spent for the added protection. Nothing written here is meant to demean the official US weather forecast for the coming season as I believe there will be heightened activity. I would advise the folks living along the Mid-Atlantic seaboard and along the Gulf coast including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and even in the Florida panhandle as well as the folks in Southeast Florida to keep a mindful eye on what may be coming this summer…

But local sports would be on anyone lips who has followed the trials and tribulations of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (our professional football team for those who don’t follow professional sports), the Tampa Bay Lightening (our professional ice hockey team for those who don’t…you know, the same folks) and the Tampa Bay Rays (our professional baseball team formally called the Devil Rays). Most folks have heard something about the fact the Buccaneers were the worst professional football team for so long that when the head coach back during the years before the team ever won a game after playing more than two years was asked about his team’s execution after one particular poorly played match. Well, he just said he “was in favor of it”. How fitting. After all the years the Bucs were the laughing stock of professional football, they made it to and won a Super Bowl in 2000. And, last year, being the ONLY pro football team in the history of the game that had NEVER, EVER run back a kickoff for a touchdown, did it, breaking the last major curse over the team. Our hockey fans suffered too but the team did win the coveted Stanley Cup just a couple of years ago. What is going on now matters greatly. The Tampa Bay Rays just won their 71st game this year, matching the best record of TOTAL wins in any previous season. Folks, they are in their 11th year. This is only mid-August with about 91 games to go. This is the third Tampa Bay area major sports franchise on their way from going to worst to first, at least potentially. And, if that were not enough for the local faithful, the Bucs played their first pre-season game against Miami over the weekend and did something nobody associated with the team can remember. The Bucs committed no penalties and did not give up the ball (no turnovers) during the game, wining with worthy performances by four, count them, four BACK UP quarter backs in the game. Starter Jeff Garcia did not even travel to Miami due to a sore calf muscle. So, what is the importance of all this unusual good sports news coming out of Tampa Bay? Of no particular importance at all unless you follow sports closely and, in particular are a Tampa Bay sports fan, which I am (when the teams are winning). Whoa, only when they are winning? Hey, I never said I was not a hypocrite when it comes to these schizophrenic teams here. But we are having fun now. Which why this story made it into my Monday Potpourri for a lazy Monday afternoon blog….