It’s a Tempo AND Taco Tuesday, what could be better y’all?

1. Not All Heroes Wear Capes: We mentioned in the last thing yesterday that the powers-that-be at Lee County Schools, the SGFOA (South Gulf Florida Officials Association) and the FHSAA reached the agreement they were seeking in order for the games to be played as scheduled. So how did it happen? Well, first, we’ve got to give a major tip of the hat to Adam Regan and the rest of the folks at the Fort Myers News-Press for staying all over this situation as it developed over multiple weeks. Second, this could be a glimpse into the future as a solution to cash-strapped districts all over the state trying to make a dollar out of fifteen cents. It could also be spawning the new platform for using the Texas model and going to ISD’s (Independent School Districts) and really using the community to support the schools. Whatever the case may be, check out the way the problem was eventually solved. Some of the content may surprise you, and in not-so-good ways. https://www.news-press.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2019/08/19/storm-smart-ceo-brian-rist-raises-money-lee-county-football-refs/2033539001/
2. Time To Turn It Around: Whether you live in the community of Tarpon Springs or not, this should be disturbing at-best, and catastrophic at the worst. Something like this happening as The TBT’s Bob Putnam writes about in this article would be an utter disaster for a community that is literally internationally known. The symbolism attached to it does not bode well for communities, not just the schools, that are simply in a constant state of flux. They are not mutually exclusive. The one thing that perhaps provides a glimmer of hope here is that their Outdoor Performance Ensemble (don’t you dare call them a marching band) is one of the premier groups in the entire country. Forget about the state. There could be a simple shift in the focus from sports and recreation to arts and music. If the community kind finds the right balance, then maybe we can get beyond this potential doom-and-gloom situation. Of course, we could talk more about how ISD’s would help this situation too, but alas…Read more here—>http://www.tampabay.com/sports/high-schools/2019/08/20/turmoil-turnover-take-a-toll-on-tarpon-springs-rich-football-tradition/
3. From the “water is wet” Department: The AP sent out an article about why football in general–but really all sports in general–is dominated by the southern states. Now, we here in the south like to think that the AP is not exactly breaking the news when it comes to the reasons why we do things on a sporting level so much better. The real novelty here is that is in fact a novelty to some folks as to why we are successful south of the Mason-Dixon Line. It’s tough to look beyond the bubble sometimes when the said bubble is so awesome to look at. Read more here—> https://www.apnews.com/e7b5a23b76cb4083a286f563439de8ee
4. There’s A Storm A’Brewin: NO NO NO we have not seen the National Hurricane Center’s 12-day forecast or anything of the sort. We are talking about some big-boy games on the schedule coming this Friday. While some may look better on the screen and in print, they ALL nonetheless deliver some of the name-brand power we want to see within the region. Some of those examples are obviously Plant-Armwood, but we’ve got Tampa Bay Tech-Chamberlain, Lakeland-Manatee, East Lake-Nature Coast Tech, Zephyrhills-Wiregrass Ranch, Venice-IMG National, Sarasota Riverview-Naples, Palmetto-Pinellas Park, Braden River-Largo, Lake Gibson-Hernando and on and on and on to keep us chomping at the bit until Friday. A heartfelt thank you to the coaches and their staffs for putting together some of the best schedules we’ve seen in decades. Time to start posting up HSFB fans!
5. Hillsborough County has found its Identity: We’d be remiss if we did not wait for a second longer to recognize the newest member to the HSFB Family here in the Bay Area. The Identity Tampa Bay has arrived and just in time for the season with cameras located at EVERY public school in the county. We’d like to tell you more, but we’d rather you check out this new site for yourselves since it’s inherently ALL ABOUT YOU and the lifestyle that we cherish so near and dear to hearts here in the Bay. In addition to the video and streaming content, there’s a special treat coming for their readers as well. For more on their plans if you haven’t seen them, read more here—>https://www.theidentitytb.com/article/idtb-hcps-nfhsnetwork-high-school-sports