WASHINGTON – Rep. Steny Hoyer may have to watch his cholesterol: After collecting ribs from a Kansas congressman, he got steaks Wednesday from an Indiana colleague, spoils from the University of Maryland’s NCAA wins over schools from those states.
Hoyer, D-Mechanicsville, collected his steaks from Rep. Baron Hill, D- Ind., at a sunny victory celebration in front of the Capitol.
“As a University of Maryland alumnus, there are many reasons that I am really excited about the Terps championship victory,” Hoyer said. “But winning delicious Hoosier steaks from my good friend Baron is certainly at the top of the heap.”
Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., had already mailed ribs to Hoyer’s Greenbelt office to pay off the Kansas Jayhawks semifinal loss to the Terrapins. Had Hoyer lost either of the two bets he would have provided two pounds of Maryland crab to the victor.
Hill provided five steaks Wednesday, but said Hoyer could only eat one. The rest will have to wait until Maryland wins five national championships, like the Indiana Hoosiers, he joked.
“I had to swallow hard on Monday night,” Hill said. “But having said that, Indiana did lose to a great team. If I had to lose to anyone, I’d rather lose to Maryland and Steny Hoyer.”
Hoyer is just one of the many Maryland politicians lining up to congratulate the NCAA men’s basketball champions since April 1, when the team won its first-ever national championship.
The Terps visited the Maryland State House last week and they scheduled to visit Baltimore’s City Hall Thursday for an event with Mayor Martin O’Malley. Next week, Maryland’s congressional delegation will host the team on Capitol Hill and there has been talk of the team going to the White House as well, a university official said, but that date has not been confirmed.
The Terps could receive their warmest welcome on the Hill, where Maryland Democratic Sens. Paul Sarbanes and Barbara Mikulski introduced a resolution applauding the team’s efforts. The Senate unanimously passed the resolution Tuesday.
“The resolution applauds the Maryland Terrapins for their commitment to high standards of character, perseverance and teamwork — traits that are deserving of the title of national champions,” Sarbanes said.
Like Hoyer, Mikulski also had a bet on the game with an Indiana colleague. Sen. Evan Bayh, a Democrat and an Indiana University alumnus, put up a copy of the basketball movie “Hoosiers” and a “ample” supply of Indiana popcorn to Mikulski’s wager of Maryland crab cakes.
The House is considering a resolution from the state’s delegation praising the Terps.
And Gov. Parris Glendening got into the act by declaring last week “Terrapin Basketball NCAA Victory Week.” In a statement on the declaration, he said the team and coach Gary Williams “deserve an entire week of celebration to honor their team spirit and dedication.”