Nobody asked me, but -
. . . Kudos, plaudits and whatever is the equivalent of the civilian Medal of Honor goes to Mary Brogan, as far as this corner is concerned. Mary has long been a mainstay of this very newspaper and struggled through a draining and horrible illness with her husband, Leo. He has passed, probably mercifully, and Mary will always be remembered for her steady and calm demeanor in a situation that would strain the hardiest of souls.
. . . One hedonist of our acquaintance says that the trouble with instant gratification is that it takes too long.
. . . As a young stripling coming up, this agent toiled on the links carrying golf bags (yes, two at a time - a double - when the occasion called for it) but never dreamed of taking up such laborious work as a career. What a mistake. Tiger Woods has earned more than $7.5 million already this year. As the ever sharp Tom Fahy points out, Woods's caddy gets 10 percent; that is, more than $750,000 pocketed.
. . . Our well informed and humorous friend notes - "Singer Michael Jackson has announced that he wants Mark Foley's seat in Congress. Jackson said that he now sees Congress as "My kind of place."
. . . With nuclear proliferation now figuring to run wild with all the little troublemakers eventually possessing "The Bomb," is there any doubt that humankind will destroy itself?
. . . Ann Coulter is not and has never been married. One can understand why.
. . . If nothing else, our vaunted leaders in Congress have the boldness of a second-story man (that's a burglar, folks) - take Bob Ney of Ohio, for example. Convicted of corruption and headed for a jail in a month or two, at last look he was still maintaining his office and operating on Capitol Hill. Neat, hey?
. . . It appears that the idea of an "Internal Auditor" in Largo - a job that will check on all city operations - may be a done deal. Commission members have wisely come to the conclusion that it is an excellent idea. When it is implemented, it will upset a couple applecarts we know of.
. . . Speaking of the Largo City Commission, watch Commissioner Gigi Arntzen. A newcomer just elected in March, she is smart and quick and keeps an eye on TCB (taking care of business). Another commissioner who could grow into a leadership role is veteran member Gay Gentry.
. . . Some folks wondering why the mayor of Indian Rocks Beach is playing footsie and not being decisive about IRB's city manager, who has been seeking another job since before he officially became IRB's CM. We think we have a pretty good idea, but deponent sayeth naught.
. . . While the Big Paper seems to ignore much of the news emanating from Largo (except for pushing the quiet agenda generated by the administration), it never fails to try to tear down upstanding members of the community, citizens whose giving is quiet but profound. Shame.
. . . The bad football officiating continues. Florida got a very bad call last year that cost a victory against Tennessee. Ditto this year against Auburn. The atrociously bad call cost Florida a possible victory because it totally changed the complexion of the game.
. . . Amusing football sidelight - that bugle call you hear so often is not "Charge" or the like. It is "chow call."
. . . Life is full of amusing footnotes. One local scribe, saying farewell in the Little Tabloid that struggles on, had encomiums for one and all from here to the horizon - except for her predecessor who put her where she was and ain't gonna be no more.