TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Take Me In To The Ball Game, Take Me In To The Crowd

ADVERTISEMENT

By STEVE OTTO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 19, 2008

It's pretty hard to look at those gorgeous illustrations of the proposed new baseball stadium in downtown St. Petersburg, with its soaring sail covering, and not think to yourself that this is where I want to be on opening day in April a few years from now.

Unfortunately, it's not always April in Florida. It's also July and August and September - those months when sticky hot afternoons are salvaged only by drenching thunder-boomers late in the afternoon. I'm not so sure I want to be sitting anywhere near those soaring sails when the lightning starts zapping around, especially if my car is half a mile away from the stadium.

I'm still not even convinced major league baseball is destined to stay around here. Last week I looked at the standings and if I didn't know better would have thought the paper was upside down. There at the top were our own Rays, while down at the bottom were the legendary and almost mythical Yankees.

Despite that, those same two teams had just completed a series in St. Pete at the Trop, where there were thousands of seats to be had. You could blame the empty seats on high gas prices or a staggering economy or global warming, but the seats were still just as empty.

A downtown St. Petersburg stadium has plenty of appeal, especially after listening to the would-be developers who all but assured it was not only practically a gift to the fans but also said that if we went along with it, St. Petersburg would be transformed into the next great city, although that title was claimed by the city across the Bay a few years ago.

Time For A Hurricane Hamburger

If you haven't battened down your hatches yet, you have less than two weeks before the start of the 2008 hurricane season. But then you must know that. We're reminding you to look for your hurricane guides and to start stocking up on all those essentials such as batteries and cans of tuna fish. By the way, you might want to ensure you have a manual can opener for those tuna fish cans.

There's no way of knowing whether a hurricane is going to blow into Tampa Bay. Your best bet is to check with me later on to see which days we plan on staying over at the beach this summer. That's usually when you can count on the winds starting to blow.

The experts are suggesting this will be an active season. The forecast for the Atlantic basin is 15 named storms. The probability of at least one Category 3 or greater hurricane landfall on the U.S. East Coast, including Florida, is 45 percent. (The average for the past hundred years is 31 percent.)

If you really want to get into the start of the season, you might head out to the 2008 Hurricane Expo at the Museum of Science & Industry on May 31. Not only will you hear and sample everything there is to know about the coming Big One, you can purchase a genuine Disaster Dog, with chips and soft drink, a Hurricane Hamburger or the ever-popular Be Prepared Pulled Pork with chips.

Scratch My Back Is Back

One of my favorite events is coming up Sunday at Skipper's Smokehouse, the 12th annual Scratch My Back concert. It's a benefit for the Humane Society and a reminder not to leave your animals in locked cars.

There are some great bands, including the Johnny G Lyon Band, Sharon and the Boys and the official band of the Steve Otto Contest - The Quivering Rhythm Hounds. The whole thing takes place in the SkipperDome, which some have compared to Carnegie Hall with dirt. And cold beer. I'll be on stage giving out raffle prizes along with "Party" Marti Ryan of Hillsborough County Animal Services.

Sharing Nightmares

After writing about what it is like to get that phone call saying your son has been in an accident, I ran some of your letters last week. They are still coming, and most make you pause for a minute. Here are a few more:

Aaron Scott from MacClenny wrote: "Every now and then, something reminds us of just how very precious it all is. I remember when I, a large, bear-sized man, sat and wept in the dark after my two-year-old son got badly choked on a piece of candy. He was none the worse for wear, but I was. What can you do in such cases ... except give thanks. No matter what your beliefs, you simply give thanks."

Lynda Caster of Zephyrhills writes, "There are many of us for whom the phone call was a nightmare which we never wake from. Almost five years ago our 27-year-old daughter died in a one-car accident. It has left such a large hole in our lives which can never be filled. We go on, but it is most difficult. So hold on to your children. Give them that extra hug. Tell them you love them because those of us who can't physically hold our children anymore would love to be in your shoes."

Iris Fleat of Tampa writes, "Having three grown-up children I could write all day. Our youngest son came home with a friend. I mean when they came home his friend knocked over our mailbox because he was completely drunk. I rushed outside, grabbed the keys and told him he was spending the night here. We were lucky."

Keyword: Otto Graphs, to read and comment on Steve Otto's blog.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT