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Proposing marriage, generosity and bocce
© St. Petersburg Times It's not my nature to pry, but I need to know if Silvia said yes to Rudolpho. Silvia? Rudolpho? A lot of Davis Islands residents know the two names from the huge banner hanging at the apex of W Davis Islands Boulevard on Monday. On the professionally made banner, which was brought down by the heavy rains, Rudolpho pledges his love in English and Spanish: "Only you can make me happy; I really want to see you; Come back to me; I love you forever. Will you marry me?" Despite calls to Java and Cream, Estela's, Pipo's and 220 East, efforts to locate Rudolpho or Silvia proved fruitless. We even tried sign shops and solicited the help of think tank head Neal Cosentino. Come on, Rudolpho, don't treat us like the banner and leave us hanging. Did Silvia say yes? Injuries kept Atlanta running back Warrick Dunn on the sideline of Sunday's Bucs-Falcons game, but Dunn is still playing a big role in our community. For the sixth consecutive year, the former Buc will brighten the season with his Homes For The Holiday program. Dunn will present two single mothers -- one in St. Petersburg and one in Tampa -- with the keys to their first homes. Through this endeavor, Dunn makes the down payments on new houses, then works with local businesses to fill each home with necessities. In Tampa Bay, Badcock Home Furniture and Home Depot have been instrumental in providing such household needs. Dunn's inspiration was his single mother, whose life was taken in the line of duty as a Baton Rouge police officer when he was a teen. His continued efforts in Tampa Bay should inspire us all. It would have been easy for him to forsake this community after he signed with Atlanta, but Dunn is now presenting homes in Tampa Bay, Atlanta and Baton Rouge. His ultimate goal is to get a player to sponsor his program in every NFL city. Seen on the back of a car window in Brandon: Definition of suburbia: you cut down all the trees and then name the streets after them. Bocce is a game for old men, at least that's what I always thought. So imagine my surprise when I learned 12-year-old Sam Belyea helped his Spicola Team win the Lions Club bocce ball tournament at Fran Constantino's Don Ciccio courts Saturday. Belyea teamed with Vincent Ippolito and John and Kelly Miliziano to take first place. The tournament raised more than $2,000 for the Lions to help pay for a Seeing Eye dog. And maybe Belyea can help raise awareness for a new generation of players. "It's a really cool game," said Belyea, who also plays coronet in the symphonic band at Orange Grove Middle School. If the eyes are mirrors of the soul, you could make a pretty powerful statement with the help of some NFL contact lenses. Bloomingdale Eye Care is one of several places offering the $69 lenses, which come in team colors and actually allow people to see team names and logos when they catch your gaze. Of course, you might end up with mud in your eye if you wear those contacts in a visiting stadium. Travis Turner was sentenced to life Monday for his June 2001 pistol-whipping of Ardath and Kenneth Moore, an elderly Ormond Beach couple visiting Busch Gardens. It was a sentence, bolstered by the fact that Barbara Fleischer deemed Turner a habitual offender, that shouted, "Respect your elders." Hopefully it sent a message to would-be criminals. Now that they realize we have "senior crimes" like we have "hate crimes," maybe punks will start picking on people their own age. That's all I'm saying. -- Ernest Hooper can be reached at (813) 226-3406 or hooper@sptimes.com .
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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