Hillsborough commission has all the makings for one big mess

Polygraph results, refusals to resign and a lawyer representing a lawyer.

If my 8-year-old mopped the floor with syrup, flour, olives and grape juice, she couldn't create a bigger mess than what currently exists in Hills­borough County government.

And cleaning it up will require more than paper towels or a demand for resignations. The commissioners need savvy diplomacy and shrewd decisions, or risk paying hefty severance packages and creating more muck. …

Maybe constantly droning about Marco Rubio's spa expenses will help Gov. Charlie Crist make up ground in polls, but if it does, it says more about the voters' lack of sophistication than it does about Rubio. I would rather hear about his record, but there isn't much to hear. …

Former Times columnist Mary Jo Melone and co-author Art Keeble hold a signing for their new book, Baseball Was My Life: Stories from West Tampa, at the West Tampa Sandwich Shop Saturday at 3 p.m.

Melone said the book chronicles how baseball served as top entertainment for West Tampa back in the 1960s, and added it's as much about the community's history as it is about the sport. I'm sure it'll be a fun read. …

Seen on a bumper sticker: Toenails Are For Sissies. …

The Humane Society of Tampa Bay officially renames its pet food bank Casper's Cupboard today after a white boxer who became emaciated after owners intentionally neglected him. Now he's recovered and his former owners will be sentenced Friday. …

Readers have established Houdini as an early favorite for the monkey that continues to elude officials in Pinellas County. Also receiving votes: Opie and Monty.

That's all I'm saying.