MARC train with bi-levels on the Penn Line at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.

An objective, rational evaluation
is  needed  to  find  the  answer

MLK JR’S ‘I HAVE A DREAM’
 
By David Maril
 
While wondering why it has taken so long for Maryland to expand MARC service between Baltimore and Washington to weekends, it’s interesting to note the following:

  Reasonably priced train service from Baltimore to the nation’s capital on weekends should become a popular way to travel.

Working commuters utilize the service heavily during the week and there’s no reason why families, tourists and leisure travelers going back and forth between the two cities shouldn’t enjoy the convenience on weekends.

Who wouldn’t want to avoid trying to navigate Washington’s maze of one-way and detour-dominated streets? Amtrak, a decent solution for longer rail trips to New York or Philadelphia, is way too pricey to entice local Washington-Baltimore passengers. MARC is a terrific short-travel option.

  Here’s hoping Baltimore or the State of Maryland creates an objective outside investigative committee to fairly evaluate how much revenue, after expenses, the Grand Prix of Baltimore actually brings to the city.

A comprehensive impact study is needed to measure what the overall effect is on hotels, restaurants and all the other related businesses in the downtown and Inner Harbor areas. There’s way too much hype and rhetoric on both sides.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has invested a lot of her political support in the project and is too big an advocate to objectively determine its value.

GRAND PRIX… OR GRAND PAIN?

Opponents — and there are plenty around who view the yearly event as Baltimore’s Grand Pain — feel it has a negative impact on business during its weekend. There are plenty of people who avoid going downtown because of the road closures and traffic issues.

For once and all it would be helpful to see a responsible evaluation of the event so a fair decision can be made on whether it should be continued. And if worthwhile keeping, what it needs to be done to make it even better.

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. addresses an anti-Vietnam War rally in Minnesota in 1967.

  Anyone notice the one aspect of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s great legacy that was ignored when the last three Democratic presidents — Obama, Clinton and Carter — honored him at the Lincoln Memorial, the sight of his 1963 “I have a Dream” speech?

There wasn’t a single mention of how King was an adamant antiwar figure and extremely critical of what was going on in Vietnam and the buildup of our country’s military complex.

One of King’s more forceful quotes on the subject is, “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”

  Barack Obama, of course, has other things on his mind than cutting military expenses. He’s been busy reworking Teddy Roosevelt’s policy of “Speak softly and carry a big stick” to “Stomp loudly and carry a toothpick.”

BOXING HIMSELF INTO A CORNER

The President is intent on trying to save face for boxing himself into a corner with his earlier bold threats of what would happen if Syria used chemical weapons.

It’s ironic that Obama is using Congress, which he’s found extremely hostile throughout his presidency, to shield him against the criticism that will echo through the country if the Syrian mission accomplishes nothing and ends up having a negative effect.

There are several aspects that make his proposal to punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a tough sell to a war weary and skeptical American public. Most troubling are reports of a growing number of atrocities committed on the rebels’ side and the realization that some of them are allied with al-Qaeda.

Critics of the Obama proposal for us to strike Syria question why we are getting involved in another country’s civil war that has questionable things going on with both sides. Many Americans wonder, if this is such a clear case of ethics and justice, why are we leading this effort on our own and not assisted by a large coalition of other influential nations?

Some question if it’s realistic to expect any type of positive impact with just one strike. There’s much concern we could end up making an already unstable part of the world even worse.

‘BOOTS ON THE GROUND’ IN SYRIA

  One certainty: if either Sen. Lindsay Graham or John McCain were president, we’d already have “boots on the ground” in Syria, Egypt and several other countries.

These guys have obsolete views of the United States riding in on white horses, coming to the rescue in every trouble spot around the world. It’s all done in the name of our national security and they are masters of oversimplifying every international conflict.

David Frost, left, with Richard Nixon in 1977. Frost died last Saturday night at age 74.

  On a different subject, the death last week of David Frost is a reminder of how getting one quote in an interview can make a career.

Frost, who was the British version of Larry King, was more an entertainer than a journalist. However, his 1977 interview with former President Richard Nixon, getting him to admit he had let the American public down, elevated Frost’s reputation and made him seem far more than just a talk-show host.

  If the Orioles fall short of reaching the playoffs this season, it will be because of their offense. With a record-setting defense and a lineup that is leading the majors in home runs, this team is a real enigma.

Some will blame the pitching. But in truth, it really hasn’t been that bad and the starters have put the team in a position to win an impressive number of times. The team’s biggest downfall is how ineffective its lineup has been in tight, low-scoring games when the home run bats are silenced.

Despite the impressive power outbursts in many games, the 2013 Orioles are one of the worst groups of situational hitters in the history of baseball. The number of runners left on base, especially the last few months of the season, has been staggering.

The worst part, however, is an inability to drive in runners from third base with less than two outs. When situations call for a sacrifice fly or hitting to the right side with the infield back, the Orioles too often are unable to adjust and leave key runners stranded. This is a big reason the team has lost so many one-run games.

THE ONLY WAY THE ORIOLES SCORE

Too often the only way the Orioles score is if someone hits the ball out of the park. That’s great when it works but you can’t depend on home runs all the time. In low-scoring, well-pitched games, which are what you often face in the post-season, runs sometimes need to be “manufactured.”

It’s fine for sluggers in the middle of the lineup, like Chris Davis, to focus on power. The team, however, also has players who have the ability to use their speed and adjust what they need to do in specific situations. Sometimes you get the feeling that everyone in the lineup expects to hit home runs the way Davis and Adam Jones do.

It’s common around the Land Of Pleasant Living to recall Earl Weaver’s success winning with good pitching and three-run homers. But during that era, he also had players like Frank Robinson, one of the most dangerous hitters in Oriole history, occasionally giving up an at-bat to advance or drive in a runner in a tight game. A more situational approach to hitting when necessary in close games has been lacking and it’s hurt the team’s prospects.
 
davidmaril@hermanmaril.com
 
“Inside Pitch” is a weekly opinion column written for Voice of Baltimore by David Maril.
 
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