Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Rays Fans Betrayed by Mayor Castor


Hockey is a big deal in Tampa Bay. The Lightning are quite possibly the second most popular team in Tampa Bay behind the Bucs. And during the NHL playoffs, and especially the Stanley Cup Finals, no other sport in Tampa Bay matters. It is deservedly the Bolts time in the spotlight.

This Stanley Cup quest unfortunately comes with the baggage of pitting Tampa Bay versus Montreal, the city Rays owner Stu Sternberg has courted and threatened to move the Rays to. The jokes and jabs on twitter from Montreal fans and ignorant media have been annoying, albeit tolerable. The Rays ownership put us in this mess, so we have to live with it for as long as Sternberg continues with his shenanigans.

However, we should not have elected officials in the Tampa Bay area jesting, joking, or joshing about losing our baseball team. And that is exactly what Tampa Mayor Jane Castor did in a tweet video before Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals.


To quote Castor:

"Alright, I had a great conversation with the Mayor of Montreal. Told her we could discuss sharing a baseball team, but we are not sharing the Stanley Cup! Go Bolts!"

Why would Mayor Castor even joke about this? Apparently she has no finger on the pulse of baseball fans in Tampa Bay. While she has thrown out the first pitch at Rays games, she has also thrown out the first pitch at Yankees spring training games. So baseball loyalty doesn't matter to her. Having a team in Tampa, whether it be the Rays, the Yankees, or both, is transactional to her. There is no emotional attachment to any of them. As long as she gets fans' votes.

The problem with Jane Castor undermining Mayor Kriseman in St Pete and throwing Tampa area Rays fans under the bus is that she has has nothing to lose by supporting the Sister City plan. If she gains 40 games and the Rays in Tampa, she wins. If the Rays stay in St Pete, she has no gain and no loss. If the Rays go to Montreal, she still has the Yankees.

Fortunately, Mayor Castor's tweet was not well received by Rays fans on twitter. As of 1am, July 1st, there was not one positive comment associated with her tweet and over 40 tweets from Tampa Bay sports fans objecting to it. Although twitter is far from public opinion, when the ratio is that bad, it is clear Mayor Castor struck a nerve.

Thursday, June 24, 2021

Curveball at the Crossroads is at Mojo Books and Records


Distribution is a huge part of book selling. I am trying to get my book in as many places as possible, of course this includes as many small and independent book stores as possible. So therefore, I am happy to announce:

Signed copies of Curveball at the Crossroads are now available at Tampa's Mojo Books and Music in the local authors section!

Mojo Books and Music is located at 2540 E Fowler Ave, University Center Shopping Plaza, Tampa, FL 33612-6271.



Thursday, June 17, 2021

Talking with the St Pete Sports Connection at Fergs Sports Bar and Grill

The St Pete Sports Connection is a weekly sports radio show on Radio St Pete 96.7 FM hosted by longtime sports radio host Mike Rickord. Mike has been kind enough to have me on his show a few times over the last few months. Mike is awesome to talk with and it is a lot of fun. We talk sports - mostly baseball - and he gives me the opportunity to pitch my novel, Curveball at the Crossroads.

Last week I was on Mike's show for approximately 30 minutes. Also on the show was a representative from Coppertail Brewing in Tampa, FL, which happens to be one of, if not my number one favorite brewery in the Tampa area.

In this show, I talk about Rays attendance, the stadium issue, as well as the 2021 baseball season. I should be back on the St Pete Sports Connection again soon!