Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

I stopped at a gas station on the way home tonight and I was thirsty, so I went inside to grab something to drink. There I found a canned beverage comprised of half iced tea and half lemonade named after Arnold Palmer. I don’t know a whole lot about Mr. Palmer… I mean aside from the obvious facts that everyone knows; that he was one of America’s greatest astronauts, became president of the United States and invented the umbrella.

But when it comes to personal info, well, I guess I’m just not up to par. Because I had no idea that he enjoyed this concoction so much that they named it after him. Just like how they name sandwiches after celebrities in New York delis. I can only imagine that’s gotta be just a massive ego trip. The closest I’ve ever come to having a sandwich named after me is when they write my name on the bag when I call in for take-out. Of course, I can’t complain. I’ve never done anything worthy of having any foodstuffs named after me. By which I mean I’ve never done anything. At all.

However, here in Tampa Bay, we’re fortunate to have a resident who has several things named after him: Football Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon. At one time or another, Mr. Selmon has had a barbecue sauce, a chain of restaurants and a major expressway named in his honor. He’s as famous for conducting himself with grace, class and dignity as he is for anything he accomplished during his storied athletic career. I don’t know how he does it because I’m telling you right now, I couldn’t do it without being downright insufferable. Why, if I were in Lee Roy Selmon’s position…

• During commencement speech at Jefferson High School: “Congratulations, graduating class of 2007! This is a tremendous accomplishment in your young lives and deserves a celebration. Grab mom, dad, grandma and grampa and let’s all go over to Me and have a big, family-style feast! My portions are generous and sharing is encouraged. Bring your diplomas…and your appetites!”
• Approaching a group of shoppers talking amongst themselves at Brandon Town Center Mall: “Say folks, were you just debating what the best, quickest way to get from here to Gandy Boulevard is? That’s easy! Just hop on The Me and you’ll be there in no time! There’s a nominal fee, but I’m well worth it!”
• Climbing over someone’s backyard fence in Carrollwood: “Mmm-mm, that smells really good! But you know what would take those ribs up to Hall of Fame-level delicious? Spread some Me Sauce on them! Go ahead, don’t be stingy with my smooth, smokey goodness. And next time, marinate that meat in Me overnight for even more of a kick!”

Yeah, all things considered, I think the people in charge of naming stuff after people probably have it right.

(Cross posted at Ridiculously inconsistent trickle of consciousness)

We started the roll call of Floridians who died in Iraq on May 1, 2007, May Day. I was irritated because I had just learned a couple more local guys had died the previous day. I found out just how many Americans paid the price and figured one of our soldiers died every eleven hours or so.

Using that rate, I decided to name each of the Floridians who paid that ultimate price. I quickly realized that the effort would end near the 4th of July, but did not even consider that Memorial Day and Flag Day would also be included in the series, but here we are.

Just wanna stop here and make a clarification. Shortly after I began the effort, an anonymous reader suggested my motives were untrue:

It would be nice if this roll call had more of a feeling of an reverent “thank you” than a trite political middle finger… Nah. That would require an admission that someone volunteered to sacrifice their life so you could have the freedom to backhandedly mock their deaths.

As I responded to that reader, The roll call is not meant as a “thank you” or a “middle finger.” And I certainly don’t intend to mock anyone. I simply got tired of reading about the deaths in the news, and hearing very little public reaction or any realization that these were actual REAL people. It seems we have become numb to the news. I just want to point out that these great heroes were regular folks, many of them played high school football, some were practical jokers, and they had all sorts of passions. Just like you. People who lived here because they like the beach, or the low taxes, or because it’s where they were born. Just like you.

Anyway, I’m not sure that point is getting across.

So far, we have mentioned 92 dead soldiers, heroes, Floridians. There were 63 listed by Memorial Day, and almost another 30 thus far in June. As I mentioned in when I began, if the rate had held up, another 92 Americans would have been killed since May 1 of this year. But we have already lost another 162 soldiers, meaning the rate of American deaths have gone up almost double over the past month and a half.

Over the course of the series, we expected five more Floridians would be killed between May 1 and July 4, and with a bit over 2 weeks still to go, we have already had six more pay that toll, including Joshua Brown from Tampa. So for those of you who think this roll call has gone on too long already, will unfortunately have to bear with it a bit longer than originally intended.

And happy Flag Day.

Back on Gayle Sierens Day, Jeff (not the Salad one) asked when he was gonna get a day of his own. Good news, Jeff! The Tampa Tribune says Today Could Be Your Day!

WHEREAS, since being elected in 2003, Pam Iorio has issued more than 655 proclamations and special recognitions as mayor of Tampa.

WHEREAS, that equals a proclamation every 2.2 days of her tenure, including an annual high of 192 in 2005 and more than one a day in May 2004.

Sticks of Fire alluded to this a couple months ago, when we suggested that Angel Perez get her own day. You may remember Angel - she is the exotic dancer who save a little boy from getting mauled by dogs.

I checked the extensive list of proclamations, and there is still no official Angel Perez Day, so I asked Mayor Pam via the City’s customer service center.

I’m sure we’ll get a response.

Only in Tampa.

Pit bulls and strippers don’t typically go together. But here in Tampa, we got plenty of both, so it’s inevitable that they will cross paths now and again. Chalk one up for the go go girls.

An exotic dancer saved a boy from getting mauled by four pit bulls.

Nine year old Dontae Vincent was being attacked by the pack of dogs. Angel Perez jumped out of her car and attacked those animals with mace. Angel, a real angel, told Tampa Bay’s 10 that she had to do it:

“If that was my baby out there I would want them (strangers) to stop. No one was doing anything for that little boy.”

We here in the Sticks think that Angel is a hero, and a wonderful example of selflessness that is sorely lacking in these parts. Furthermore, Angel’s actions are so much more important than, say, kicking a field goal. Based on that, we think that Mayor Pam Iorio ought to honor Angel Perez with an official day of her own.

Update 3:36pm:  Yeah, us and everyone else.

I’m sure you have heard about Wesley Autrey. He is the guy who jumped onto the NYC subway tracks to save someone from being crushed by the train. All of New York City is in love with Autrey, and rightly so. He is being called the subway savior, hero of Harlem, and subway superman. There are already suggestions to name a school after him. Without question, Wesley Autrey is a great man and a true hero. It’s an incredible story.

Why on earth would the man risk his life to save a stranger? Maybe because Autrey hails from the the Sunshine State:

Born in Florida, he attributed his urge to help others to his “Southern upbringing.”

 

Wow.  Way to go, Wes!  Words cannot describe how impressed we all are with you.

25 years ago…

November 11, 1981 – A plaque honoring Marine 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez, Tampa’s first winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor, is unveiled during a Veteran’s Day ceremony in downtown Tampa. The plaque, located at the corner of Florida Avenue and Madison Street, cites the heroic actions that Lopez performed on September 15, 1950 during the Inchon invasion of Korea. Wounded as he attempted to hurl a grenade into an enemy pillbox, Lopez fell on top of his live grenade to save the lives of his fellow soldiers.

Editor’s note:  The plaque, pictured here, has since been moved to its current location at the corner of Morgan and Madison.

Courtesy of the Tampa Bay History Center.

TBO.com: Officer James Wilkinson was wounded about 1:30 a.m. on May 26 during a traffic stop on North 43rd Street when the motorist, Tomas Montesdeoca, fired at him with a .357 Magnum, police said. The bullet penetrated Wilkinson’s ballistic vest.

Twenty year old Brittany Boone was driving past the traffic stop, saw the shooting, called 911 and stayed with Wilkinson until help arrived.

75 years ago…

June 21, 1931 – Tampa’s own Al Lopez, dubbed “Ybor Al” by the Tampa Tribune, has a banner day for the Brooklyn Robins during his team’s game against the Chicago Cubs. The Hall of Fame catcher drove in the winning run with a walk off single in the bottom of the ninth. The game lasted almost three hours – an eternity in the pre-television days of major league baseball.

Courtesy of the Tampa Bay History Center.

from a 100 Black Men of Tampa Bay, Inc. press release:

The 100 Black Men of Tampa Bay, Inc. will host the 2nd Annual Juneteenth Celebration at the Westin Harbour Island Hotel (formerly the Wyndham) on Sunday, June 18th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

This year the The 100 will honor local men by establishing the “Father of the Year” award, which will be awarded to the late Mr. Herbert Carrington, Sr., 1899-2006.  Mr. Carrington died in April at the age of 107 and left a legacy that deserves to be honored. Mr. Carrington endured the many struggles and impacted the progression of the Black communities and leaders in Tampa Bay. His family and close friends will be in attendance to receive the award.