The familiar Provident Savings Bank’s former headquarters at Howard and Saratoga Streets. More than half a century ago, when Howard Street was a thriving retail hub and Baltimore’s department store business was booming, the now long-shuttered Hutzler’s, which is located next-door to the former bank, wanted to tear down the iconic Provident building to expand its down- town store. Provident refused to sell however, and so Hutzler’s accomplished its expansion by building around and behind the bank, as can be seen in this recent photo. Except for the bank, all the buildings shown are Hutzler’s.

MERGERS AND AUTOMATION
HAVE CHANGED THE WAY
THE BANKS DO BUSINESS

Familiar branch managers and tellers
have all but disappeared from sight
 
By David Maril
 
A merger announcement in the Baltimore Sun, about Howard Bank purchasing Patapsco Bank caught my eye the other day. The story said the deal putting two banks together I have never heard of, would create one of the largest locally owned banks in the region.

This started me thinking about how much the banking industry has changed in the last several decades. So many familiar banks in regions have been bought up, absorbed by larger national establishments, and the names have disappeared forever.

A few old Baltimore names that come to mind include Equitable Trust, Maryland National Bank, Savings Bank of Baltimore, Mercantile Safe Deposit & Trust Co. and Baltimore Federal Savings & Loan.

Other, smaller, local institutions from bygone days that were once household words also include Loyola Federal Savings & Loan, Metropolitan Savings Bank, Colonial Savings Bank and Eutaw Savings Bank.

You used to be able to walk into your local branch and deal with the same teller or manager for years. They would know you by name and remember how many kids you had and what you did for a living.

Today, some branch managers seem to transfer around from state to state before they can even buy local license plates for their cars. Tellers have all but disappeared and you are encouraged to make transactions at ATM machines or on Internet websites.

It’s easier to be picked to participate in a network reality TV show than gain access to the local phone number of a neighborhood bank office.

After a while, the big national banks don’t seem so enormous any more.

It took years, but I have finally given in and no longer remain adamant about dealing with a small, local bank. You rationalize about the convenience of banking at the same institution in practically every state and not having to pay ATM fees when you use a money card.

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MLB locations for Florida’s spring training “Grapefruit League.”

…AND A BIG MONEY-MAKER
FOR THE MLB TEAM OWNERS

KASICH COULD GIVE CLINTON
A RUN FOR HER MONEY IN ’16,
BUT WILL THE GOP PICK HIM?
 
By David Maril
 
While wondering how long it will be before Major League Baseball teams begin selling tickets for spring training workouts, to get a jump on producing revenue before the exhibition game season begins, it’s interesting to note the following:

  Baseball critics and bashers alike continually predict gloom and doom for the sport. They jump all over low World Series television ratings and find fault with the slow pace of the game.

The reality, however, shows just the opposite for the game’s popularity. More people are watching baseball, with every regular season and post-season game televised locally and nationally; and, most significantly, ticket prices keep increasing.

I think the late Bill Veeck — Hall of Fame innovator, team owner and sports promoter —put it best when he said baseball has to be the greatest game because it has survived all the incompetent people who run it.

The biggest sign though that the summer game has a stronger hold on this nation than any other sport, is the preseason.

No other professional sport in America draws the type of preseason attention and interest as baseball’s spring training.

OK, football preseason games do well. But that’s because most NFL exhibition games are part of regular-season ticket packages. Like it or not, home fans have to buy most of these tickets.

Sure, the weather has a lot to do with baseball’s spring training popularity; people are sick of snow, sleet and cold, freezing weather. Spring training games in Florida and Arizona offer a nice break from winter doldrums.

Who would question the wisdom of a trip to watch preseason games, wrapped around a vacation? But that’s part of baseball’s “hope springs eternal” appeal: starting a new, lengthy season, where games are played every day, watching games outdoors in pleasant environmental conditions.

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Enduring yet today, The Three Stooges’ 20-minute slapstick films were famous for fingers in the eye, nose and ear.  From left: Brothers Moe and Curly Howard, and Cousin Larry Fine.

THE COMEDY TRIO OF BYGONE DAYS
SURVIVES IN A MODERN WORLD
OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
BY MOCKING THE FRAUDS
AND PHONIES OF TODAY

The antics of the three Howard Brothers
and goofy Cousin Larry seem tame
compared to new millennium
TV violence and poor taste
 
By David Maril
 
It’s galling to some and a mystery to others as to why Three Stooges movies survive on television in these sophisticated times.

It is easy to rationalize “Twilight Zone” marathons on science fiction networks and daily appearances on classic oldies stations as being reflective, examining our values.

But what social value is offered in Three Stooges movies? And why does the popularity of this slapstick group remain so high?

Much to my surprise, I turned on the IFC Network the other day and saw the morning lineup was crammed with the short movies of Larry, Moe and Curly. Was it that long ago that the former Independent Film Channel focused on new, innovative and out of the mainstream creative film productions?

This dedication to airing Three Stooges (1930-75) movies has been going on for decades.

When I lived in the Boston area, TV38 (WSBK) was not only home to the Red Sox and Bruins, it was also recognized as the flagship station for the Stooges. Every time TV38 would temporarily remove the Stooges from the regularly scheduled lineup, the station’s public affairs program, “Ask The Manager,” would be flooded with questions from callers demanding to know when the slapstick comedy team would return.

Personally, I prefer Laurel & Hardy, The Marx Brothers and W.C. Fields because the humor is more subtle and has greater depth. However, as time marches on, my respect for the Stooges has grown.

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Guy Fieri’s Baltimore Kitchen + Bar is a featured eatery at the new Horseshoe Casino adjacent to Ravens Sta- dium on Russell Street.  The place needs pepper mills.

SUNDAY AT RUSSELL ST. DEN OF INIQUITY
NEXT TO RAVENS/M&T BANK STADIUM;
LUNCH AT GUY FIERI’S KITCHEN + BAR

Depriving Md. children of school funds
as coupons and Groupons rule roost
in era of modern ‘No-Armed Bandits’

A DAY AT THE HORSESHOE YIELDS DIVIDENDS
 
By L. Jonathan Hirsch
 
It’s the day after Valentine’s Day and I have no plans.

My neighbor and buddy Al emails that he has a coupon for a free $10 in slots play at the new Horse- shoe Casino in downtown Baltimore and that we can get an additional $20 to gamble simply by signing our lives away.

I’ve never been to the Horseshoe before or even gambled much. Nor have I been willing to succumb to the reality that life in the new millennium seems to be dictated by coupons and Groupons.

I’m sure if there had been Groupons for a free child 10 years ago, I’d be a parent today.

Al also indicated in his email that he had a coupon for 25 percent off at a choice of restaurants in the Horseshoe — one of which is Guy Fieri’s Baltimore Kitchen + Bar.

Guy is the host of “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” on the Food Network — food porn, if there is such a thing. I am a big fan of the Guy, who loves everything and everyone, the self-styled “Mayor of Flavortown.”

I was pretty sure that Guy was not going to be in the back of the restaurant whipping up my order, buying me a beer, or waiting on the table next to us, but I thought surely he would have provided his specially trained agents to do his good works.

Nonetheless I’m always up for lunch and hanging at a casino on a lazy Sunday afternoon between holidays. The Presidents’ Day sales shifted into full swing early Monday.

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“CBS Evening News” Anchorman Scott Pelley attempts to convey a “team” feeling by delivering and directing the weekday nightly news… standing literally on his feet.

AS NBC PULLS PLUG ON BRIAN WILLIAMS,
CBS PULLS THE CHAIR ON RIVAL PELLEY

THERE’S NO LIMIT TO THE
EXPLOITATION OF THE KIDS
IN LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
BY CONTROLLING ADULTS
 
By David Maril
 
While wondering if someone at CBS has stolen Scott Pelley’s chair behind the anchor desk, it’s interesting to note the following:

  For over a week, Pelley has been delivering and directing the “Evening News” on his feet, wandering around the set as he reads stories and introduces reports from correspondents.

The thinking, according to a CBS online behind-the-scenes report, is to convey a “team” feeling, drawing in more images from different parts of the newsroom.

The effect, however, is more a distraction than adding anything positive to the broadcast. It is a bit unsettling seeing a news anchor constantly moving around as if unable to sit still.

When you watch a prime-time news broadcast providing coverage of the day’s events, you expect a sense of poise, focus and concentration on story content. Instead, you have Pelley looking as if he arrived late and either didn’t have a chance to sit down or someone else grabbed his seat.

You might even wonder if he injured his back, perhaps shoveling snow, and is unable to sit.

Perhaps CBS, sometimes alternately praised and criticized for being too traditional, stressing substance over style, is attempting to modernize its look to keep up with the showbiz on other networks and cable.

What’s next? Perhaps Pelley will add some tap-dancing between stories. Networks will try anything to keep the short-attention spans of TV viewers occupied.

  NBC deserves praise for putting its first-place evening news ratings lead in jeopardy by suspending anchor-entertainer-host Brian Williams for six months.

Williams came under fire because of his continual distortion of facts relating to his personal on-the-scene reporting from Iraq in 2003. He had been fabricating the notion that a helicopter he was flying in had been hit by heavy grenade fire, when in fact it was nowhere near the helicopter that was actually struck.

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