O’s ought to retire McNally’s No. 19

Kudos to Michael Summers for writing in his recent letter to the editor what many of us old timers have been saying for decades: Why hasn’t Dave McNally’s #19 been retired (“O’s #19 should have been retired long ago,” April 14)?

Tomoyuki Sagano is certainly worthy of wearing it, but that’s not the point. Eight times McNally started 30 or more games in an Orioles’ season and four times he won 20 or more games!

Was there pressure on the Orioles from the American League or team owners to limit Orioles’ honors for McNally because he was a part of that Curt Flood lawsuit that wiped out the reserve clause? That was 50 years ago! No Oriole should ever wear #19 again, not even Sagano!

— Jim Dempsey, Edgewood

A ‘Sopranos’ style shakedown of Harvard

It’s those shady shakedowns that make all the TV and film stories of Mafia extortion keep everyone on the edge of their seats. You don’t have to bite your nails at the movies anymore. This week, the shakedowns are in plain sight (“Harvard’s challenge to Trump administration could test limits of government power,” April 15) and the targeted victim has said “No!”

Between the White House list of conditions for protecting Harvard University’s life-saving research and for major law firms to get federal business (multiple firms have paid ransoms in the order of about $1 billion in pro bono legal service to the White House), we are witnessing the Trump administration shakedown gang do it and flaunt it every day.

— Randy Barker, Baltimore

Did the Birds clip their own wings?

To me, the Baltimore Orioles made their fall from the mighty when they did not sign the triumvirate of pitcher Corbin Burnes, catcher James McCann and outfielder Anthony Santander (“5 things we learned from Orioles GM Mike Elias’ mid-April news conference,” April 15).

Burnes is one of the top five starting pitchers in Major League Baseball. If I were David Rubenstein, I would have thrown Fort Knox his way in keeping him in Baltimore. Then there is fan-favorite Santander who said the O’s weren’t even close in contract negotiations. What?

And then there is my favorite former Oriole (and clubhouse favorite) McCann who got hit in the face with a pitched ball last season and refused to come out of the game. That’s my kind of Oriole! Sadly, I feel this is going to be an “Endless Summer” for Baltimore or, to be precise, a long, frustrating season to be a Birds’ fan.

— Patrick R. Lynch, Towson

Maglev is for dreamers, not Maryland

Maglev is indeed a dream and Gov. Wes Moore is the dreamer (“Maryland the wrong state for costly maglev,” April 16). He can’t find the money for many projects in Maryland due to the huge deficit. Whether he wants to admit it or not, he is partially responsible, and he denies the initial surplus.

The old Wendy’s slogan used to say, “Where’s the beef?” and today the slogan for any magnetic levitation train running through Maryland should have Baltimoreans yelling, “Where’s the money?” Sounds like New York would benefit more and possibly even Washington, D.C., so pass the bill to them.

Let’s be more concerned about Maryland’s problems.

— Stas Chrzanowski, Baltimore