Nobody asked me, but Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s questioning of Kash Patel was an exposé in real time. It evoked Joe “Have You No Sense of Decency?” Welch’s takedown of Joe McCarthy at a Senate hearing 72 years ago this spring. Patel’s responses to Van Hollen’s questions revealed the FBI director’s obnoxious contempt of Congress, his evasiveness and the unstable personality depicted in recent press reports. When Van Hollen asked if he understood that lying to Congress was a criminal offense, Patel shuffled papers and refused to answer. “I find that extremely troubling,” Van Hollen said, dismissing him with a cold, hard punch: “You are a disgrace, Mr. Director.”
Even better: Van Hollen challenged Patel to take the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test to determine if his drinking habits, described in reporting by The Atlantic, were unhealthy. Patel said he’d take the test if Van Hollen did. Van Hollen followed up quickly, posting his test in social media and daring Patel to post his. People who say Democrats aren’t doing enough to counter all the Trump administration chaos, corruption and incompetence are not paying attention.
Preakness tip, free to a good home: Take the 7-6 exacta. That’s The Hell We Did (No. 7) and Chip Honcho (No.6) to finish first-second. Box the bet and you win if the finish is 7-6 or 6-7.
Nobody asked me, but the way the Orioles have been playing, Tupac Bobblehead Night will probably stand as the highlight of the season.
And yet, despite a losing record and the worst pitching rotation in the American league, the Birds are in third place in baseball’s toughest division, contenders for a wild card slot. They are among the best of the thus-far mediocre. So, let not your heart be troubled.
Not yet anyway.
If you want to see Baltimore Orioles, the ornithological kind, May is a good month to have a look, and here are two recommended locations for Oriole watching: Druid Hill Park in the city and Cromwell Valley Park in the county.
Nobody asked me, but if Democratic voters want to finally unseat Rep. Andy Harris, they’d better start talking to some of the 123,000-plus independent voters in Maryland’s 1st congressional district. Harris, a far-right Republican, is seeking a ninth term after once claiming he would only serve six. He is closely aligned with Donald Trump. Trump’s approval rating among independents has fallen significantly. Though 1st District Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 50,000, the Indies could be the X factor in the midterm election. Add some Republicans who have fallen off the Trump wagon — Eastern Shore farmers maybe, people who saw their health insurance premiums soar, Bay Bridge commuters stung by high prices at the pump — and unseating a long-time incumbent should not be considered impossible.
Nobody asked me, but the Washington National Opera’s production of “West Side Story,” at the Lyric Baltimore, was superb in every way — voices, choreography, fantastic sets and stage mechanics. It was great to see the old opera house utilized to full theatrical potential, as it was in the days of the Baltimore Opera Co.
Ticket sales for West Side Story could have been better, but I would say pas mal for an early-May run announced only in February, after the WNO departed the Kennedy Center. Said Francesca Zambello, the company’s artistic director: “This was a short timeline to sell as many tickets as we had hoped. If we return in the future, we will be able to announce much sooner and hope to attract more of our Baltimore friends.”
Repeating my suggestion for a future WNO production: “Silent Night,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera about the 1914 Christmas Eve trench truce in World War I, composed by Peabody Institute professor Kevin Puts. Seeing it on stage at the Lyric would be epic.
Nobody asked me, but being a pedestrian in Baltimore is tough enough without trying to eat your lunch while crossing the street. I saw a guy poking his plastic fork in an open food container — his head down, chewing vigorously — while crossing Roland Avenue during the morning rush. That struck me as unwise. As Sgt. Phil Esterhaus used to say at roll call: “Let’s be careful out there.”
Nobody asked me, but, if you haven’t been south of the Inner Harbor in a while, a trip to Baltimore Peninsula and the Middle Branch of the Patapsco will probably shock you. The amount of new construction — from offices and townhomes in what used to be called Port Covington to new homes on the Westport rim of the Middle Branch, near the Light Rail line — is impressive, to say the least. And the wetlands rebuild underway on the river, along Hanover Street and behind Medstar Harbor Hospital, is equally impressive.
Fourth of July tip: Consider a trip across the Hanover Street Bridge to the annual Cherry Hill Arts & Music Waterfront Festival. There’s a shuttle from Harbor Hospital to Middle Branch Park. The festival lasts several hours and concludes with fireworks.
Also exciting on the south side: New paddler amenities, including an Inner Harbor launch and kayak rental stations, on Baltimore’s Blueway water trail, a project of the Waterfront Partnership.
Nobody asked me, but having the general manager or some other staffer walk out on stage to make announcements and plead for donations just before a play or musical breaks the mood of the moment, the anticipation of the live performance. There must be a better way.
A suggestion for the world-weary: Get thee on May 22 to the main hall of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathedral Street, for a noon “Made-In-Maryland” concert by the Mount Vernon Virtuosi, under the baton of Amit Peled. One of the great public spaces on the East Coast, young people making great music, and it’s free.
Dan Rodricks’ column appears weekly in the Fishbowl. He can be reached at djrodricks@gmail.com or via danrodricks.com
