Tampa Taxi Shots

Louis Baltz and Ken Snell of All American Gym I found this photo today of Louis Baltz and Ken Snell on a Lakeland Ledger post about the iconic gym. It really blew my mind. I began working out with weights at the All American Gym in 1980. In fact, I remember working out there the day after John Lennon was murdered (that will show you how old I am). I remember the gym well. It was a "dungeon gym." You know, the kind of place where Arnold and Franco would workout at. Even today, this style is still preferred to serious bodybuilders and power lifters. The reason is the "big five" are promoted here - the squat, the deadlift, the bench press, the military press, and the barbell row. Its as simple as that folks. If you want to get big and strong, you have to lift big and strong. Its hard to find places like this to work out at nowadays because the commercial gyms must cater to the masses and they have too many rules about deadlifting, working o...

THIS WAS POSTED IN JANUARY OF 2006 hours before the Redskin v Buccaneers wildcard playoff game: This was the scene from my taxi about 3 hours before kickoff. The traffic was already backed up past Borders Book Store. I pulled into the book store and spent about an hour browsing. I bought the soundtrack to Brokeback Mountain. It is pure Country Western without any hint of homosexuality. Willie Nelson..Emyle Harris..that sort of stuff. What I did not know was that the crowd was going to be about 10,000 Redskin Fans! What the hell is that! This is our stadium. The ones I was picking up later told me they where getting the tickets on-line! That means that our fans where giving their tickets up. What! Why our you doing this? I have always been suspicious of Redskin Fans. THIS CITY IS THE CITY OF CHAMPIONS. YOU ARE TURNING IT INTO GOOBER VILLE! You GODDAMN IDIOTS! This was an embarrassment.  I'm driving around all afternoon not picking up our people only people with PIG NOSE...

The late Tom Rhones Has anyone seen this man? His name is Pirate alias Tom (the real pirate!)Rhodes. He’s our primary second shift dispatcher at United Cab. If you have ever downed a beer at the TINY TAP in Hyde Park, you must know him. I don’t know if his nick name has anything to do with tomorrows Gasparilla festival or what. I guess I was thinking of that when I saw him. He must have been trying to get in a couple of fares at the airport before he came to work. Funny, he told me he never works the airport? I don’t work out here a lot but I do when I’m looking for a BIG SCORE! When you work the streets you can get bogged down in all the peripheral stuff that goes with it-No shows, little old ladies, now shows, grocery stores, now shows and GNOMES. That means people that “Got No Money!” But at the airport that all changes. You are either going somewhere or your not. Today the fares had places to go. The cash register kept ringing all day. My hands got dirty from counting all ...

Sampson and Allison (This is my new "Back in the Day" series from the original TAMPA TAXI SHOTS. This was from January 14, 2006!) When cab drivers are in between fares they go to what are called stands. The entire county is divided into stands for almost each neighborhood. This morning I was at the Hyde Park stand. This is located across from the Kash and Karry on Swann. Look to the east where the basketball courts are and you will probably see cabs there. If you see United #497 that is me. Come over and say hi. I have never meet anyone who has read my blog. It would be beyond cool to do so! The two drivers in the photo are from our international division. Allyson, one of our female drivers, is from England. Sampson, is from Ethiopia. These two are very good friends and drinking buddies. Note the cigarettes and coffee cups. That is almost a staple among drivers. I personally do not smoke. I do, however, consume massive amounts of coffee. That comes with the job....