Guaranteed Hot Tip for the Week of May 15 - No, it's not Monday's City Commission meeting. Throughout the week the Florida High School Athletic Association will be holding it's all-class state baseball tournament at Ed Smith Stadium over on 12th Street. With all the attention being paid in the mass media to the Barry Bonds/Babe Ruth/"Should There be an Asterisk" conversation, the state tournament offers sports fans in Sarasota the opportunity to watch a lot of kids who have worked very hard all year compete for state championships, and it's an event certain to become a real milestone in their lives. It's all of the fun, drama and intensity of baseball at its best with none of the sideshow. If you missed it last year, don't make the same mistake again. Of course two local teams (Sarasota High and Sarasota Christian) will be representing Sarasota County, which is another great reason to go.

Head on out to the ball park, the event runs all of next week, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. So certain, in fact, that if you go and you're not happy that you did just stop by City Hall, show me your ticket stub, and I'll give you your money back myself. So play ball! And good luck Sailors and Blazers!

Alpha Company Visits Sarasota - Many of you have probably seen local media accounts of city employees preparing CARE packages to send to American soldiers deployed in the Middle East, something that people all over Sarasota contributed to. The folks who organize that work call themselves "ACES", for Association of City Employees for Service. In cooperation with a national organization called Americans Serving Americans, ACES has adopted in each of the past two years an American combat unit, last year a unit serving in Iraq, Charlie Company of the 1st Army Infantry, and this year Alpha Company of the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, recently returned from Afghanistan and previously deployed in Iraq.

Last week four very impressive young men came to Sarasota to express their appreciation for the support the community had given them during their deployment. In a presentation in the City Commission chambers last Friday they provided a slide and video snapshot of their time in Afghanistan, and heard the appreciation of many who had gathered to honor their service, including a specially-seated group of city employees who are also veterans. The pride those in attendance felt in those men was such that you could almost reach out and touch it, as was the appreciation the troops expressed for the support they had been given. I attend a lot of ceremonies and events, and this one was truly special.

A thanks is owed to all of the people of Sarasota who continue to contribute to this effort. A special thanks to the employees who make up ACES for their amazing dedication to the cause of supporting our troops, and for their tireless efforts to organize last week's visit by Alpha Company. Finally, a special thank you to the men of Alpha Company (I'm not being chauvinistic, this is an all-male combat unit) not only for your service but also for taking the time to visit Sarasota, we hope you enjoyed your stay. I don't know any of your parents, but I think I'm on safe ground to say that they must be very, very proud.