Seth Elkin of The Maryland Lottery discuss holiday promotions and football fun with Nestor, who continues to debate the scented gingerbread and peppermint scratch-offs he’s been gifting during the Maryland Crab Cake Tour this month.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
ravens, steelers, game, year, play, ticket, flacco, lottery, holidays, steelers fans, win, penguins, give, winners, good, week, jackpot, joe flacco, seth, jacksonville
SPEAKERS
Nestor J. Aparicio, Seth Elkin
Nestor J. Aparicio 00:01
Welcome back. wn s t test Baltimore and Baltimore positive we are positively taking the Maryland crabcake tour on the road. For the holidays. We’re going to be a father and daughter on Friday with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Gina shock. We’re going to talk drum and talking rock and roll. I have a special crabcake stopping by we’re going to New York Road. Just south of Timonium and the foreign daughter right out in the front dispensary in the back they have a holistic spa Wellness Center the whole deal going on, we’re gonna be there. From about one till about five on Friday. I’m going to have some Maryland lottery scratch offs to give away I have the peppermint payouts it smelled a little bit like peppermint. I think that gingerbread is just overwhelmed the whole satchel everything in there smells like a cookie so I feel like I need to stop ROFO Get me some coffee on the way over there and then our unwrap the cash as well. So we added some lucky unwrap the cash winners. I’ve been out on the road doing this thing we were Gertrude Costas we were Coco’s we’ve been all over the place. On Monday we’re gonna be wise markets and honey go. Executive Director of the marijuana lottery. John Martin is gonna join us on Monday as his Tom Kelso former Director of the Maryland stadium authority to talk money and Derek Fraser, who’s a wise manager but was a one time professional wrestler toward the world. So got great guest on Monday, happy holidays, everybody out there celebrating also our friends at Windsor nation. 866 90 nation and Jiffy Lube. MultiCare putting us out on the road. You know, I love when Seth out can pinch it’s in here. And from the mayor lottery for John. This week. John’s gonna join us next week and you know, somebody hit megamillions last week we got Powerball over a half a half a billion dollars you know, but but when the Steelers aren’t going well for you and the Ravens Do you think I’m gonna bring you on? It reads it a riot act about us being tenant three and poor Mike Thomas fine. By the way, how are you happy holidays to you?
Seth Elkin 01:54
I’m doing great. I would be doing better if the if the Steelers and the penguins were having better seasons right now but doing well and hope things are well on your end as well.
Nestor J. Aparicio 02:04
We’re gonna get to lottery I’m gonna get two winners. We’re gonna get to all the stories but I just need to ask you this because like you’re a real Steeler fan. Just as an introduction for anybody who doesn’t know you. You’re a bit of a recurring character here over the last three years you come on, and there are times you’ve come on where the Steelers have beaten the ravens and their times and there’s a lot of those and as Tom likes to bring up to me that the Steelers win some of those guys. But how did you feel about Joe Flacco? I mean, pic guy Delaware jersey, you know, one double A play like all of that. Did you have to stain for him in a way that maybe our fans might have had for Roethlisberger or Hines Ward? Where are you on the flak ometer?
Seth Elkin 02:46
I don’t think most Steelers fans had disdain I think Steelers fans typically have disdain for any rival in the AFC north to begin with. So it doesn’t matter which uniform you’re wearing or what you play. Like if you’re playing for one of those three opponents. You’re the victim of disdain from from the Steelers and Steelers nation
Nestor J. Aparicio 03:08
almost feel that like when I’m out in the Midwest with lions and packers and Vikings and pay, you know, and I feel that to a large degree with with the commanders or whatever they call themselves this week. Losers is what I call them. A cowboys giants, you know that, that eagles that mess is always however, the winds blowing. I mean, there are great games along all that when I was a kid, it was cowboys Redskins, then it sort of became cowboys Eagles because the eagles were better than the Giants have always been good and they all ate the Giants, right? So in our division, the Browns have always stung. The Bengals have mostly stunk, but not really. I mean, Marvin got there Marvin did a lot of winning Carson Palmer did a lot of winning. Andy Dalton did a lot of winning. They were not like the Browns who didn’t do any winning, right. They had Derrick Anderson, which we you know, I mean, the only time they made the playoffs, right. So I would just say for our thing with Flacco. I’ll tell you this, and I walk the streets in this town. Some would say I know this down, but most people know this down. Joe’s really underappreciated. And he’s my all time favorite. You know, I love that he were number five, because I love Brooks and Joe Flacco. I just want to not stand up for a Steelers fan. If I met you on an airplane and we’re just BS and you’re like I’m a Steelers fan. And what do you think of the browns? What do you think of this because people are asking me about Flacco now like Billick went out on Cleveland radio this week and said that they can take him when the Super Bowl Flacco that he throws the ball well enough if they run the ball well enough if things break the right way and they play defense that Joe Flacco can win playoff
Seth Elkin 04:46
games next is he doing comedy? Now? I didn’t know he was doing comedy. I thought he was a football coach. There ain’t like hey, I’ll see. See whatever you want. He looks better. Kenny Pickett ever looked
Nestor J. Aparicio 04:54
at this? Well,
Seth Elkin 04:56
the one thing I’ll say about Flacco he’s appreciated here. Are as well as you know, as we’ve talked about over and over the lottery and the Ravens have a longtime partnership and we have a photo of Joe Flacco holding the Lombardi trophy that until fairly recently was on the wall in the lobby of our office. So every day I had to walk past that. Well, as you can imagine, you know, did not set all that well with me, but I gritted my teeth and I got through it. And the photos been relocated because we did a little bit of work in the lobby recently but downgraded
Nestor J. Aparicio 05:28
Flexi, this is what happens
Seth Elkin 05:32
up there for a long time. It’s seven years plus I had to walk past that picture every would pull the ring
Nestor J. Aparicio 05:36
out at speeches and you say, you know, you work your whole life to get this Super Bowl, and they say they can never take it away from you when you win, right? But that doesn’t stop us from trying that Belkin is here, we’re gonna get to some lottery stuff, but just on the Flacco thing. I find that to be very underappreciated. He’s in Cleveland now and played well. Two weeks in a row. He played him. I mean, he threw a pick in the first day but he’s throwing the ball well, making good decisions. I don’t know how they’re running games gonna go into Lord knows their offensive line and Joko all that. But football is fun and even where you are with the Steelers, like I can’t believe they’re calling from Mike Tomlin. I mean, like, yes, it’s a down year in Pittsburgh. But it’s so rare, right? He’s never had a losing season. Right. So like, never. So I find it fascinating to see where levels of expectations are for sports fans because I never think of Steelers fans as being crazy. Like college football fans fire the coach and all that. But but, you know, certainly the franchise’s hit some some rocks, right? I mean, you know, just in a general sense,
Seth Elkin 06:41
not having a losing season gets you to the mediocrity of of nine and eight or 10 and seven, which is you barely in contention for the playoffs or, or in the Steelers case, not winning a playoff game in six years. And if they don’t win one this year, which I frankly don’t think they’re going to, it’s going to be seven years in a row without a playoff win not show me another coach in the NFL that keeps his job after going seven straight years without winning a playoff game.
Nestor J. Aparicio 07:07
Well, John Harbaugh would be that guy, by the way. So you could go back to 2014 and do the math up. Yeah, I would, you know, sort of be that way. You know, John Harbaugh has won playoff wins since 2014. So
Seth Elkin 07:21
so it’s it’s two franchises that are very loyal to their coaches, for sure. But it’s gonna be a very interesting offseason in Pittsburgh, I, I agree with you, I don’t think he’s gonna lose his job. He’s got one more year left on his contract. And but I think that they’re going to have to make major changes. And this is a franchise that doesn’t like to make changes there. They’re reluctant, they’re going to drag their feet, they’re going to stick their toe in the water. They already did that by firing our coordinator in the middle of the season. So I don’t know where this is going to go. But I have we if we if we haven’t reached the bottom yet, the bottom is going to look pretty ugly in Pittsburgh, because it’s pretty bad there right now. And
Nestor J. Aparicio 07:57
I went to Canada last week to see Geddy Lee so you said Matt, Canada there. You know, he had mentioned that Seth Elkins here from the Maryland lottery. I’m gonna be giving these away Friday, far into summer, right side and summers. And they all smell nice. So um, I have to hold. I knew I was gonna hold one upside down. What am I doing? There you go. Now the right side up. See now we’re having fun. Seth Elkins here from the Maryland lottery. We’re doing the Maryland crab patriot. So for I would just say for the holidays and giving these things away. And football season. First things first, they do make great stocking stuffers for people that are of the tender age. And, you know, we always have to say that, but also just the holiday season for the lottery and what you do, and I get out and about and I hear the music and Mariah Carey is playing. She’s coming to town this week to CFG Bank Arena. And I see sort of the spirit around there is something when I go around when people are having crabcakes and you hand them something that has his gingerbread on it or pet I mean, these feel like the holidays, right? I mean, it feels like I want to sing Christmas carols.
Seth Elkin 08:55
We have a lot of fun with the holiday tickets. I love that Oh, snap ticket. That’s that was a really well done design. And of course, the fact that it smells like gingerbread is even better. So it smells strongly
Nestor J. Aparicio 09:04
like gingerbread. Like it you know, it’s a no difference of Yes. What was the not smellivision whatever John Waters had in order Rama. Rama was what it was.
Seth Elkin 09:18
But glad you mentioned the gifting responsibly. That’s something we always remind people of all the time, but especially at this time of year when as you say people are given lottery tickets as a gift. Make sure you please don’t give them to anybody under the age of 18. We don’t we don’t sell or market our tickets to anyone who’s not 18 And they’re they’re a great gifts but grip gifts for the adults on your list.
Nestor J. Aparicio 09:38
Well, you know, for me what these jackpots and I didn’t even talk to John the last couple of weeks, but the jackpots got a little crazy. They were both getting up on a half billion, making millions gets hit. Talking to Powerball a little bit over a half a billion at this point. And moving into the holidays here. I’ve been hearing more about that as well. And these things accelerate pretty quickly. And I don’t know if it’s different when one gets so small It stays kind of smaller. Like you’re there. You’re like, oh, 500 million. I’m into that, that that is a little lopsided right now. And I think that that probably makes the bigger pocket bigger if it doesn’t get hit tonight. Yeah,
Seth Elkin 10:10
I think people get interested in the game that’s that’s much larger, you’re not going to see mega million cells doing all that well right at the moment, because as you say, it just got hit last week. But it’s exciting. Everybody has a good time when the jackpot gets this high. And this is this is that point. It’s at $500 million. As we speak, and, and rising and it takes on a life of its own, everybody starts to get excited about it. And you know, this time of year, too, it’s fun for people to dream about that. And maybe maybe somebody’s holiday wishes come true with a big jackpot here before the end of the year.
Nestor J. Aparicio 10:43
Why don’t you guys do things during holidays. And if I didn’t have this relationship, and I didn’t yell about it, and my wife didn’t have the app, and but my wife tends to be a jackpot player. Right? So like, that’s more her thing. I give these out all the time. And sometimes I don’t. I told John list we get into how the games work. People say how do I play the game. And I’m like, the best way to do it is scan and the lottery get the app, make sure you’re I said there’s always second chances. So I try to educate people. But the one thing I didn’t really realize is how creative y’all are. And you do this even like with racetracks during May, when the races are going on that it’s seasonal, you did a special thing for Halloween, Halloween, and you have fun, thanks, winning Thanksgiving. But the Christmas thing is something like that you do a whole lot of bonus things we pick three, pick four that you know regular players know about. But maybe other folks don’t know what’s going on with fast play pick three, pick four, pick five.
Seth Elkin 11:37
Yeah, we’ve got two promotions going on right now that, you know, on the surface are aimed at some of our regular players, the pick three, pick four, pick five daily number players, and our Keno players who are really passionate about these, these are people who play on a regular basis, they’ve got their favorite numbers that they like to play. And so these these promotions are certainly a benefit to them. But for people who may not ordinarily get into those games, it’s an extra little incentive to play. So the lead it’s no promotion is applies to pick three, pick four and pick five through the end of December. On any pick three, pick four, pick five ticket you buy at random, you may also win a $2 or $5 cash voucher, or a free $5 fast play game. And if you do win one of those vouchers or a fast play game, you’ll get a message on the top of your pick three pick four pick five ticket that you bought, saying hey, you’ve won a voucher or you’ve won a fast play ticket. And then that voucher ticket will print out from the terminal or the vending machine immediately after the ticket that you bought. So it’s a little way of saying thanks to our regular players and, and maybe getting some people into those daily number games that don’t typically play.
Nestor J. Aparicio 12:45
See, the man who saved my wife’s life and my wife share this love of penguins and penguins are really cool little creatures. And you know at one point I thought I wanted to go to Antarctica and then it gets to be 40 degrees here and I’m like maybe I don’t need to go where it’s cold. And apparently the penguins don’t smell well. My buddy ball deep fried Baldinger has been to the NRA he’s like doesn’t smell well nasty gun smell good. You don’t want to go down there. But the penguins look cute but you know I’m just letting you know the real ones probably don’t smell too good. But they have them they have world class West African penguins over at the Maryland Zoo. It’s my favorite but I see the penguin here penguin bonus on the snowflake cache and I’m thinking Listen, I don’t want the smell ones to be penguin next year. But and you tell Ross to and I’m gonna talk to development team since I’m now you know, I know the Executive Director of the Maryland lottery that we need to penguins on on some holiday tickets next year right that’s it. I know I could do that with snowflake but I need some penguins to giveaway for scratch off next holiday
Seth Elkin 13:39
we do want to you mentioned that because I had I had some there last year’s holiday tickets we had a ticket called Chilean last year I remember that that I actually have for whatever reason I happen to have sample Chilean tickets sitting over here from last year was penguin says Q peg which one there that caught maybe that’s the reason I have it you know Pittsburgh Penguins Chilean penguins.
Nestor J. Aparicio 14:01
Oh that up again.
Seth Elkin 14:02
I’ve got that here. There you go. These are from last year so you can’t play these anymore. But I happen to have these sitting here. Just maybe subliminally we’re on the same wavelength here. They’re there you’re chillin penguins.
Nestor J. Aparicio 14:14
So alright, so while we’re on a scratch off thing I want to bring it back to football because this is the weekend that the big winner is going to Jacksonville Lord knows Utena three team Trevor Lawrence will campaigner. You know we Luke’s got full coverage out in Owings Mills obviously if anything happens news wise injury wise with Carl Hamilton. You’ll get it first on the wn St. tech service. It’s brought to you by our friends at coons Baltimore Ford and Dennis will be here on Thursday and Sunday as well. You know I this Jacksonville trip and they ride on the plane. It’s a lot more fun when you’re when hooked the weather. I mean it’s supposed to be wet crazy like all of that going on the Ravens scratch offs and how long you have on them. I have a handful of them left and I’ve been given away more holiday late Li, is it six months on scratch offs? I mean, the ones you have you’re like, these are no good dumb. But if somebody gets one of these now and let’s say it’s a stocking stuffer, and they find it in April, like I just what are the terms on these days?
Seth Elkin 15:14
The the scratch off tickets have to be redeemed within 182 days of the last date to claim so
Nestor J. Aparicio 15:21
shall we say six months? That’s like that. That’s pretty much standard six months, if you have a billion dollar ticket, it’s six months.
Seth Elkin 15:28
Yep. It’s 182 days, to be to be exact. To be precise, the legal the legal ease, the Attorney General’s office will be happy we we made sure that was clear 100. So on on any draw game ticket or fast play ticket, it’s under all game tickets, it’s 182 days from the date that you won the winning drawing on a fast play ticket, it’s 182 days from the date that the ticket was sold. What on scratch off tickets, it’s always going to vary, because we set last dates to claim kind of on a rolling basis. So the best place to
Nestor J. Aparicio 15:58
refer to seasonal tickets in general. Yeah, okay. And we
Seth Elkin 16:02
they don’t We don’t we don’t preset a last date to claim at the time that the ticket is launched, what we do is evaluate it as it’s going evaluate how the sales are going. And when we get to a point that we’re ready to start closing the sales of the game, we announce the last date to claim with 182 days notice. So if we made that decision about a ticket today, we would publish that date on our website, and you’d have 182 days from today. So the
Nestor J. Aparicio 16:28
Christmas ones, you’ll do that sometime probably in January,
Seth Elkin 16:32
probably a little bit later than that because holiday tickets usually are designed to kind of be on sale through the winter time period. But definitely watch the scratch off page of empty watery.com Because that’s where we have all the listings of the current tickets and any ticket that has the last claim date you’re gonna find that date listed there with the ticket listing and all the other information about it so it’ll be published there as soon as it’s available and you got 182 days from that date to claim
Nestor J. Aparicio 16:59
set they’ll get us here you know I always say we have John most of the time and John’s gonna join us and wise on Monday we’re doing the crab cake tour wise markets up in honey go I will have all of these for real. You could smell them. You could scratch them come on out to wise markets where they they also sell them and they sell ham and eggnog and all the things that I had sauerkraut and kielbasa from, I am going to go nuts. Well, I’m going to go through and pull all of my favorite items out, and I’m gonna hold them I’m gonna hold the sauerkraut in the kielbasa, but I’m also going to be giving away scratch off John’s gonna be with us. I’ll just say this. You come on, like every now and again, Doug comes on. We had a beautiful Barbara, the winner from our homerun riches last month. So we mix the segment’s up, but when I have you want, I asked you level of nerdy questions that are unbelievable. And you just know the answers man like so I love that. It’s always fun to have Seth on. Do you have any answers for the ravens and the Steelers? And you know what, let’s get back to sports for a minute here and Flacco and where we are here. I mean, the Ravens might be the best team. I mean, they really might be I mean, it may be hard for you to admit that but I’m just like, I almost it’s at a pinch me level when but they have the hardest schedule. Right? So you’re looking at this primetime. Your national TV what happened to Miami the other day we got Miami then we have the Steelers and Lord knows folks better than bouncing the Ravens from a one C to a four or something like that, you know,
Seth Elkin 18:27
still got to play the Niners too, right?
Nestor J. Aparicio 18:29
Oh, Christmas night.
Seth Elkin 18:29
Yeah. So yeah, tough, tough. Scott. You know what? It’s hard to know now. It’s it’s how you’re playing in January. It’s how you’re playing when you get to January that matters. The
Nestor J. Aparicio 18:40
ravens are 14 and three they are playing great football like that’s all I’m saying. Like we’re looking at these four games and saying it’s the NFL to them on the road. Jacksonville maybe in the rain, national TV all the thing no mark Andrews Hamilton served Stanley either stinks was playing to half the time. But I’ll tell you this for for the ravens and from our perspective, the Steelers have been on top at various points and most years, the Patriots Steelers, the Colts when Peyton Manning was there. The Ravens have never I mean only in 2006 and 19 and all of our existence, have we looked up at the holidays, and not kind of sort of been a wildcard because of the Steelers because of the bangles or at least while we’re gonna win the division maybe but we have to win games and the Ravens have never been able to rest starters and chill out and have a BA I mean and then when we did we got our butts kicked both times both times we’ve had this really nice. Well they had another alibi with Flacco one of the years they played Houston 10 years ago, but but not this is not an annual thing to be 10 and three year and I know everybody thinks well the Ravens they always winning stuff. We never play home playoff games and we never win them when we do and so in the history of the franchise I packed a lot of buses and a lot of beer and a lot of getting Somerset and Breezewood and up I 95 all of that. This is a different feeling for for Baltimore, I think right now and for for Ravens fans. Yeah,
Seth Elkin 20:07
well, it’s, it’s gonna be a fun opportunity here just this week, as you mentioned, with the away trip, we’ve got two of our winners, Dale Robinson from win oak. And William Jennings from Baltimore, who the two of them and their guests are going to be on their way to Jacksonville, this weekend to go to go see the game. And who knows how that was going to turn out. And I didn’t I didn’t expect Trevor Lawrence to be able to play but he did. So yeah, who knows who knows how that’ll go that those
Nestor J. Aparicio 20:36
20s Expecting Kyle Hamilton to play, maybe
Seth Elkin 20:38
you will, those strips in Jacksonville, boy, they can go either way. But I think our winners and their guests are gonna have a lot of fun down there, it’s always a fun opportunity for us to be able to send our winners on the on the team plane and have an opportunity to go with the Ravens when they go on a road. Hey,
Nestor J. Aparicio 20:53
if you give it away anything down on the field this year in the you know, in the in the gate, because you guys run out during the time out there, and we’re doing things on the field, like, give me give me the lowdown on the seas, because that’s always focus a crowd gets into
Seth Elkin 21:06
the past for cash. Second Chance is part of that second chance contest, and everybody has a lot of fun with that. And the crowd gets into that when people get the opportunity to do
Nestor J. Aparicio 21:15
that. So Doug calls you and says, Hey, you want to throw a football like literally that’s what happens.
Seth Elkin 21:20
It’s one of the Second Chance prizes that you can win in the in the Ravens contest. And actually, there still should be some opportunity to win there. Because if the Ravens do get a home playoff game, we we should be able to extend that and have passed for cash winners for the playoffs which we at the moment we don’t have those winners because we we don’t we don’t know at the beginning of the season, whether they’re going to get a playoff game at home or not. But if they do, we’ll be we’ll be down there and you’ll have the chance to cheer on a couple more of our winners at halftime to to have a chance to win some cash. So that’s a lot of fun. And again, one of those things that people can choose in the Ravens Second Chance Contest, which I think makes it kind of cool that there are a lot of different prizes there’s this away trip there’s the past for cash their cash prize, think about it
Nestor J. Aparicio 22:03
it’s like being one of those really nice events where they have jars and that you sell tickets, right so if you want to win the basketball cheer you put your ticket in that basket if you want to win a trip to Ocean City, if you’re at the bowl roast, right and you’re giving something away, this is what you guys do. So if the winners the jacks were they literally put their their their tickets into the I want to go on the road trip and they got pulled correct pick the one
Seth Elkin 22:29
that you want to be a part of and that makes it a lot of fun for everybody.
Nestor J. Aparicio 22:32
I got to ask you that because I meander in this thing you know Seth Elkins here from the Maryland lottery set in Australia and lots of things. We’re going to be giving away a scratch offs at far and I will make sure I hold them all up straight. And these are the sideways. We’re going to be foreign to her on Friday, which he is shocked from the Go Go’s we’re going to be wise markets and honey go on Monday with a lot of folks and then we’re gonna be fadeless closing down the market on the 27th That’s August 28 27th. Wednesday the 27th in that morning, we have some great guests right after Christmas. So we’re gonna be giving away all these things. So I thought about this if you win the past for cash, and then like okay, I’m gonna be I’m gonna have the Rams game right so you go out you practice like my wife when she threat the first pitch back on as you practice. And then you see the weather and you’re like oh, you know you guys get to go through the same thing that Lamar goes through. I mean, there were conditions right out there on Sunday and it was like four seasons it rained and it didn’t rain that it was windy than it was and then it was monsoon II that it wasn’t like to throw or do you not where you’re going you don’t want man I would rather because I’ve done this I would rather be on the team plane like Jerry and Elaine you know more of anything more of everything you know for the flight down to Jacksonville it’s always fun on the way down I will say this for the winter William and the other winter for window if they lose pick the train oh it’s a bad it’s a bad plane ride home if you lose, you know, so let’s not lose to Jacksonville. Seth Alcon is here. He knows a lot about losing and winning. He’s a Steelers fan and pirates fan and I’m an Orioles fan and I lied about losing and i Hey, we got closer to here.
Seth Elkin 24:07
I did. Yeah, that’s a pretty good sign up for up for a one year deal. Right? You got to replace the mountain for a year so you could do worse than that. Listen
Nestor J. Aparicio 24:16
to me on Baltimore positive if there’s progress if there’s legitimate progress on thumbs up with it, I I’m good. No Batista got to have a closer if that’s what Mike Elias thinks we bought a $13 million closer How am I going to argue? He stinks and the Phillies in like whatever. But like they’re trying right? I mean, they’ve they’ve seen a problem and feel like they’ve put a lot of resources 30 million resources and those solutions that as a fan, I love that. You’re
Seth Elkin 24:44
trying which is one one step better than I can say about the pirates who never try this time of year. I think Marco Gonzalez I think was if I’m remembering the name right the pitcher from from Seattle, another reclamation project. That’s
Nestor J. Aparicio 24:58
what the pirates doing. Hey, I mean you have any You think good to say no not good.
Seth Elkin 25:03
The penguins are would not make the playoffs if the playoffs started today the penguins just came off a month long span where they they failed to score on the powerplay. They finally ended that nonsense this week. 37 consecutive power plays without a goal by the pen was with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and Eric Carlson on the powerplay. How, tell me how that happens. Oh, Angel
Nestor J. Aparicio 25:24
is how that happens. I mean, they could bring them you back at some point, you know, I mean, Ovechkin. I, you know, I don’t know what’s going on there. My boy trots is running the predators. I’m just trying to get through football season. Seth. I’m just trying to, I’m trying to get there. I’m trying to figure out the Terps. And, you know, college, but we got bowls. I mean, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. I think. As
Seth Elkin 25:44
bad as things have been for the Steelers and the penguins. I’m this far away from saying I’m looking forward to the pirates going to spring training, which is a really big statement to make. Nobody looks forward to the pirate season in Pittsburgh. So
Nestor J. Aparicio 25:56
can I tell you I bumped into Dr. J. When I was in Vegas? He said yes. Yeah. And like the only thing I would have mentioned, I would have been magnanimous about how kind he was to me when I was a kid. I would have said thank you for that. But I also would have said I love the fish and save Pittsburgh, you know, so the Pittsburgh Pisces in a mythical land. Maybe they’re competitive this year. I’m just trying to find I’m trying to find a solution. I’m not gonna talk Clemente. I’ll even let you beat me up bet 79 right now because football teams 10 and three. Do your first best Bert Blyleven. And just the boom on me about Grant Jackson, he can’t to call it. Family do so. I
Seth Elkin 26:33
don’t even have to go that far back. I can I can lower the boom by saying that one of those three losses the Ravens suffered was against the Steelers. So it is it is what it is rent rent. You know what we’re in the lottery business random is what we do random means any result is possible at any time. And that proves it. Okay,
Nestor J. Aparicio 26:50
so I’ll just leave you with this. Because I don’t know if I’m gonna see you again between now and you know, when we play the Steelers, I would not be shocked at all Mark my words. Bookmark this, as they say on the interweb. It’ll be the fourth quarter, it’ll be Steelers Ravens. And there will be something at stake that will be dramatic for the Ravens one way or another because the league works this way, right? Like the ravens are going to lose two out of the next three are like something crazy is going to happen. That’s going to make it competitive and not make it. The ravens are resting Lamar. They don’t need to win. They have a game and a half lead. They’re the one seed there’s a buy, right? Like literally the Ravens can play their way into making the game irrelevant. Like my belief is if the Ravens win the next three, they won’t have to play the Steelers, right? Like it’ll just be it’ll be a B game. I have a feeling it’s not going to play out that way. As we sit here with tremendous prosperity for the Ravens right now to say all they have to do is win. Yeah, I’ll have to do is go to Jacksonville and win with our lottery winners. And then they’ll have to do is go out to San Francisco on Christmas night and win. And then all they have to do is come home and beat Miami and slow that train down and hope that Tyree killed. And when right like all of that has to happen. And I don’t think it’s going to work that way. And I’ll tell you this, if they have to beat the Steelers in the last game, it’s always fourth quarter 1917 soupy weather and and you live for that we all live for that. I don’t want the game to be meaningless. I want the Steelers to have a chance to bloody our nose in the final game. That’s what makes it fun.
Seth Elkin 28:28
I hope it turns out that way, because it ends up. You’re a nervous wreck. Why? What’s going on? I don’t know if you react to it that way. But that’s what I do. But But boy, when once it’s over and you sit back from it, and say wow, that was that was fun. That’s why you’re a sports fan is to be in a situation like that. In the last game of the season against the division rival. That’s what you want. That’s what you want it to be.
Nestor J. Aparicio 28:49
The arc of all of my career as a like a fan as a kid to a journalist is an older kid, you know, in my teens where I sat in press boxes, and I was typing on deadline, what’s happening instead of cheering you know what I mean? And then the Ravens game and I fell in love with being a fan again, like sitting in the stands. And I did all that. Then I had that taken away and now I’m back. Now I sit here and as a journalist and John Eisenberg, I’ve had all these journalists on recently authors and stuff, they would always say I root for the story. Right? So like, you know what I mean, they care for the story. I want something good to write about something good to talk about. I find the journey part of this. I’ve won two Super Bowls. I’ve been in the middle I got a Super Bowl ring. I’ve written books. I know I’ve I’ve been there for winners. I’ve been there for losers. For me. It’s Lamar is first time on the boat. It’s seeing hardball rah rah rah in the locker room. It’s seeing Joe Flacco take that football with his teammates in Cleveland. He’s been there two weeks and says, I’m just happy that you have me here. You know, and you guys have earned the right to play these games. Like that’s the past. That’s what I love about it as as someone who Chronicles it, but I don’t get nervous anymore. You know? I mean like not even I get nervous a little bit for them but not for me. I don’t feel it in my stomach. I feel it more in my concentration level. Yeah More my bear down on what pitch the pitchers throwing what plate? This is. It’s third Nate. It’s fourth and five with the game on the line. Who’s lining up? I’m way more into the moment of what’s happening than the emotion of it anymore, but I’ve been there. I mean, my wife has video of me. slobbering after paint man he came in here to beat the ravens and Oh, six like I was blubbering after the game. So I’ve had those moments but I I’m much more calm now some like calm like the ocean or calm like the lake right? When they say that’s calm. I’m Steelers fans and we’re fire Mike Tomlin
Seth Elkin 30:51
your people it’s it’s been a rough year in Pittsburgh. That’s that’s off go
Nestor J. Aparicio 30:57
get go drink some icy light and have some pierogies and get Yen’s together for the holidays and and and you know be good a good times you know toast Franco you know what I mean? You want a lot of championships dude. And at some point I mean look at what the Orioles and you know of my you know, I got a long history with the Orioles here. i It breaks my heart that the baseball teams this time of year, right Shohei Ohtani seven, there’s haves and have nots. And college football’s turned into that. I think that’s the one reason for people still love football and hockey. And you know, like fair fights, right? Where everybody has same amount of money. And I think that’s what makes the Steelers and ravens four weeks out. Mark my words. Tell John to take the week off. I want you on that week. Because I’m I just have a feeling that the Steelers will be able to damage the Ravens again in some way. I you know what I mean? And it’s all further notice. I believe that
Seth Elkin 31:50
you’re looking at it from the outside. I’ve been watching this team all season. I think they’re going they’re trending the wrong direction. They’re not trending in a direction that’s going to lead them to be competitive in that game. That’s my prediction that
Nestor J. Aparicio 32:03
Thomas had some stuff up there right the one with the wide receivers just in general. For me Antonio Brown, this kid’s taking place so I just it’s tough gig that’s all I’m gonna say hey, yeah, I got some an easy gig. Here’s what you do you come out for the Maryland crab cake tour. And I hand you you know, I’ve been giving people their choice. I’m like, do you want the the smelly ginger bread Oh snaps for a buck. Do you want the unwrapping the Christmas cash top prize? $5,000 Or do you want the why? Why did the ginger breads overwhelm the peppermints I gotta separate the peppermint payouts we add these we’re going to be at foreign daughter on Friday with Gina shock of the Go Go’s also some other great guests stopped by we have a mystery crabcakes I’m not going to give away my mystery crab cake until Friday. But I have a mystery crab cake on Friday. Monday we’re gonna be wise marks no mystery about their crab cake. They had their little crab cakes with a little shrimp thing and little stuffed thing but I’m gonna go nuts on holiday shopping and wise rewards points and and also the machines in the front that sell these things and wise markets because John Martin from the the Maryland lottery, our executive director of all things so lottery game you gotta be joining us at wise markets and honey go on Monday, as well as Derek Fraser, a longtime professional wrestler locally who’s wise markets manager who says we don’t do things in the holidays, we’re gonna have eggnog over there might get some apple cider and, and warm that up as well. I hope it’s cold and awful outside because it’s Christmas and that’s the way it should be. We’re also going to be at fade Lee’s on the 27th after Christmas. So happy holidays, everybody. Happy holidays to you, Seth and you know I’ll be watching the Steelers this week and next week and Lord knows they start playing the games Thursday. They’ll stop till Monday night during this time of year to play all day Saturday, all day Christmas Eve all day Christmas Day. So I’m going to get the Steelers in and good luck to the Steelers I should say I appreciate it and Happy Holidays to you as well. As Mike Tomlin once said, You don’t mean that. I am Nestor. We are wn st am 5070, Towson Baltimore. We never stop talking Baltimore. Positive Stay with us.
