Tampa Bay’s winner and loser of the week

Winner: Rachel Balkovec. She became the first woman hired to manage an affiliated professional baseball team when the New York Yankees selected her to lead the Class A Tampa Tarpons.

The Yankees hired her in 2019 as a minor-league hitting instructor. She was also the first woman to hold that full-time position.

Loser: Pinellas pedestrians and bicyclists. It’s dangerous out there. The Tampa Bay Times reported that 85 people died while walking or biking in 2021 compared to 49 the year before.
During the last four years, a combined average of 51 pedestrians and bicyclists die each year in Pinellas.

– Joe Henderson, The Tampa Bay 100