The passing of baseball lifer Don Zimmer last night at the age of 83 is being mourned not only in Tampa Bay, but in Boston, New York City and Chicago, where he also managed or coached in his long and enduring career in baseball. "Popeye" was involved in the game for more than 60 years. He played with Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers in the ’50s and survived two beanball incidents around the same time.
It wasn't always a pretty career. His record as a manager was average — some good years along with a lot of bad ones. But I'll always respect him for telling George Steinbrenner to stuff it in 2003, which led to his employment with the Rays the following year.
The fans here always showed him the love, because of his years in the game and just that lovable mug. He'll be missed.
In other news… Yesterday the Hillsborough County Commissioners absolutely trashed Rick Homans, the head of the Tampa/Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation. At times the attacks seemed a bit gratutious, and just plain wrong. Commissioner Kevin Beckner blasted Homans for failing to ask a County Commissioner to join Mayor Buckhorn and the EDC when they travel overseas to recruit businesses, when in fact he has.
Tonight the NBA Finals tip off in San Antonio, where most experts believe the Spurs have a decent chance of knocking off the world-champion Miami Heat, trying to win their third straight championship. The Spurs do have home court advantage and the hunger of coming up just short in last season's memorable seven-game series. But how can you bet against LeBron James? No team has won three straight NBA championships since Michael Jordan's 1996-1998 reign. Of course, Jordan the Bull also won three straight from ’91-’93, before he quit the game (under still mysterious circumstances).
Meanwhile…. CL attended a debate at the Tiger Bay Club in St. Petersburg on Wednesday featuring a speaker for and a speaker against Amendment 2, the medical marijuana initiative on the ballot this November in Florida. But it was Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri who made the headlines.
Governor Rick Scott has had his own tarnished history when it comes to health care, but he's been all over President Obama when it comes to the scandal over waiting lists in the VA system. Yesterday he joined several other GOP governors in calling on the president to get his act together with respect to healthcare for vets.
And Adrian Wyllie, the Florida Libertarian party candidate for governor, got his first day in court yesterday. Unlike most conventional candidates, Wyllie very much wanted to be arrested (for driving without a license) so he can challenge the state's REAL ID law.
The Mitch Perry Report is taking the day off tomorrow. See you Monday morning!
This article appears in May 29 – Jun 4, 2014.