Gov. Martin O’Malley autographs supporter’s baseball during his last reelection campaign. Will the Maryland governor be Hillary Clinton’s VP running mate in 2016? (VoB file photo/Alan Z. Forman)

RUNNING  WITH HILLARY
COULD BE A GIANT LEAP
TOWARD WHITE HOUSE

This and other musings for this week’s ‘Inside Pitch’
 
By David Maril
 
While wondering if Gov. Martin O’Malley already has staffers working on his acceptance speech as Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential running-mate for 2016, it’s interesting to note the following:

It’s ironic that Clinton, who O’Malley supported over Barack Obama in the primaries for the 2008 election, is the biggest obstacle he will likely face for his upcoming run at the presidency.

Going into 2008, O’Malley, who is one of the most successful and calculating politicians in Maryland history, probably made a decision that he could gain more for his long-term presidential aspirations by backing Hillary over Obama. She went in slightly favored, she could serve her two terms and be out of the way, and he would have the gratitude and support of the powerful Clinton organization. He never dreamed Obama would win and he’d be dealing with Hillary in his path, two elections later.

No matter how many campaign speeches O’Malley makes around the country, or appearances on Sunday morning TV, Clinton, if she chooses to run, remains virtually impossible for him to defeat.

Even if the governor sets a record for most appearances on network-news talk shows the next few years, the former secretary of state, who turns 66 in October, is still a much bigger name on the national campaign trail. She is about to publish her fifth book and has an experienced, well-organized campaign staff.

Not to mention a husband who is arguably the most astute political strategist of our time.

Serving as her vice president, however, for a term or two, could work to O’Malley’s advantage. At age 50, he has plenty of time to reach the White House, and it wouldn’t hurt him to become the first Maryland governor to serve as vice president since Spiro Agnew.

He has, after all, been running for president since first becoming mayor of Baltimore in 1999.

With this in mind, O’Malley has to be careful to not step over the line with too tenacious a campaign against Clinton if she chooses to run in 2016. But he also has to be ready to pursue the nomination tenaciously if she decides against running.

When it comes to getting his liberal agenda passed in Maryland, building the foundation for his long-standing political ambitions at the national level, O’Malley is hotter than Orioles’ first baseman Chris Davis at the plate.

The first bill signed by O’Malley when the state’s General Assembly adjourned last week was for legislation authorizing development of an offshore wind industry near Ocean City, Md.

The State Legislature just rubber-stamped all his pet initiatives, including offshore wind energy, repeal of the death penalty, and gun control. His executive prowess in Annapolis should stand him in good stead in Washington.

You have to wonder though if he’s permanently lost the national soccer vote by his puzzling decision to come to the aid of baseball at Towson University while not taking direct action to rescue soccer.

HE WILL RUN BUT WILL HAVE TO SETTLE FOR VP

Despite what he told the editors of the Baltimore Sun last week about his plan to use the second half of this year “to consider whether to run for the White House,” it’s obvious he will run but will probably have to settle for the VP slot.

On other issues . . .

You would be a millionaire if given a dollar every time Obama and the Democrats use the term “balanced approach” when talking about fixing the national deficit. Or when Republicans recite: “Washington has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.”

While military hawks, like John McCain and Lindsey Graham, will be up in arms if Obama encourages talks with Iran and North Korea, the President would be wise to follow John F. Kennedy’s policy: “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”

When it comes to politicians, never say never: Voters either have short memories or are very forgiving. Most politicians are survivors.

For this reason, don’t be too quick to rule out a political comeback by former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon. Having finished her probation — for stealing gift cards from the poor — that drove her from office, Dixon is increasing her appearances at public events. She has told Voice of Baltimore, and others, on more than one occasion she intends to run again.

LATEST EXAMPLE OF POLITICAL REDEMPTION

If you are still skeptical of Dixon’s comeback possibilities, consider former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, the latest example of political redemption. Last week, he won the GOP nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives seat he held three times.

Four years ago Sanford’s career was virtually written off when, as governor, he was forced to acknowledge an extramarital affair outside the country. Now he is engaged to the woman who caused his wife to leave him and Sanford is running for office again.

There are two major surprises in the wake of the basketball mess at Rutgers University that forced the dismissal of coach Mike Rice, who was fired for his abusive treatment of players.

One is the lack of reaction by the players over his brutal, unacceptable behavior. Even more puzzling is the fact that Rutgers hired an athletic director who had no experience in coaching or sports administrative duties. Tim Pernetti, Rice’s boss, was a TV guy, obviously brought in to elevate the university’s profile and increase the television revenue.

He certainly contributed to getting Rutgers in the news.

Gus Triandos is one of only two MLB players to catch a no-hit game in both the Ameri- can and National Leagues. He died March 28 at his home in San Jose, Calif. at age 82.

When former Orioles’ catcher Gus Triandos died last month, not enough attention was focused on the fact he‘s one of only two players to catch no-hitters in both major leagues. Jeff Torberg is the only other catcher to achieve this feat.

Triandos managed to snare enough of Hoyt Wilhelm’s fluttering, unpredictable knuckleballs in 1958 for his first no-hit game and then was on the receiving end of Jim Bunning’s perfect game for the National League Phillies over the Mets in 1964.

Triandos was big enough (6-3, 205 lbs.) so that the jumbo knuckleball-catcher’s glove, designed by then-Orioles’ manager Paul Richards, didn’t appear as gigantic as it did when catcher Hobie Landrith (5-10, 170 lbs.) was chasing wild pitches to the backstop for the Birds in 1962-63.

Why do so many local television executives force their news anchors to dress up like cheerleaders and act as if they’re paid shills for the professional sports teams when they’re opening a season or in post-season action? Do newscasters need to wear Orioles hats or orange jerseys? It makes the TV journalists look silly and hurts their credibility.

WBAL-RADIO’S WALL-TO-WALL BASEBALL

You won’t find a more informative baseball post-game show than 1090-AM WBAL-Radio’s Wall-to-Wall baseball, following every Orioles’ game, with Tom Davis and former O’s pitcher Dave Johnson. Davis speaks with impressive historical perspective about the team and Johnson is candid, interesting and concise.

The recent PBS American Masters special on novelist Philip Roth, titled “Philip Roth: Unmasked” could have been more appropriately named “Philip Roth: Masked.” Parts were interesting but it was lacking in depth.

The acclaimed novelist first gained attention in 1959 with the novella Goodbye, Columbus, followed by the controversial Portnoy’s Complaint a decade later. In 1997 he won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel, American Pastoral.
 
davidmaril@hermanmaril.com
 
READ DAVID MARIL’S FIRST AND SECOND ‘INSIDE PITCH’ COLUMNS — click here and here.