A life in East Baltimore soccer and sports with Curley’s Barry Stitz

They shared the same Eastwood Little League diamonds as kids in the 1970s and five decades later, former Blast and Spirit star Barry Stitz of Archbishop Curley and Nestor come full circle with a lengthy conversation about Little Flower, having great parents and coaches who loved sports and how soccer has powered his Friars’ loyalty since those sandlot days at the Joseph Lee Fields.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

playing, soccer, curly, kids, coach, school, day, team, pepe, good, towson, league, neighborhood, life, hall, yankees, game, remember, stitch, baltimore

SPEAKERS

Barry Stitz, Nestor J. Aparicio

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Nestor J. Aparicio  00:00

Welcome home we are W n s t tasks Baltimore Baltimore positive we are positively impactful. I thought I I know I have more than two PacMan Yes, I have the the Gold Rush is seven doublers in the Maryland lottery, we’re pepsin Parkville. Now we’re at the corner of a Taylor Avenue render in between Loch Raven, and parent Parkway. Easy enough for my next guest to get here our friends at Liberty, pure solutions and Jiffy Lube. Putting us out on the road so I can visit with old friends and foes. I love Barry Stutz and I’ve been chasing him down for about two years, shouting you out. I’ve said bad things about you in the air trying to get you out. I said you’re ducking me Stitz you’re ducking me. Stitz but here you are. It’s so good to see you. Happy to be here. Man. I you know, first things first, curly and this background and all that. He and I played little league together against each other as rivals 1978 and 79. In the east with Little League. He was a Yankee, which makes you a bad guy right away. Tell me about your Yankees team who was the coach of that team. From from member Frank Michael. Mr. Mr. Frank, absolutely. Remember that

Barry Stitz  01:09

helped him coach as well. And you played shortstop I played shortstop did a little pitching and funny because I grew up near a little flower and I was a year too young to play for their team and they wouldn’t let you play. You were not on the neighborhood. Why did you so that’s my dad worked with Frank Michaels and

Nestor J. Aparicio  01:27

Little League in that time was it was the best little league in East ball. Absolutely. Teams in every age. It was Premier. There was a lot of people and you spent your whole life in youth sports after playing Hall of Famer, I looked you up man. I was like stare Hall of Fame or fame currently, but currently has been in the news. You got a young man playing major league baseball right now. Right?

01:50

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Tyler Locklear doing a great job was back at Curley. I’m the director of development. So main job is to raise money beyond Yeah, good. Your main job is to raise money. But on the side I would do help out do a weight training class. And he was happened to be in the weight training class and just worked his butt off in there and you knew, you know, watching the games the way that ball jumped off his bat and had a good college career as well and great to see him get an opportunity.

Nestor J. Aparicio  02:15

You are hell of an athlete as well. And you were a trihard guy. And you’re coaching soccer and it’s so many direct I’m gonna talk with Frank Michael, I had John Rollo and Mark Carroll cast come out and do the show earlier this year. And we shouted you out. We didn’t want you to read anyway because you played for the Yankees and you beat us back literally. But your pathway from Curley to being a professional athlete in your own right with the blast and a spirit you came back into my life at that period of time. But I want to bring up a name that I’m gonna let you expand upon because you knew him you loved him. I had a mutual love for him as well. One of my very first sponsors in 1992 When I started the show in 91 Kenny Albert did the show this week, he talks about going and sponsors for the Skipjacks back then I didn’t know a lot of people that in business a man McDonald kid, you know that I mean, we’ve known each other our whole lives. So 1991 I’m gonna start this radio show. And I by the way, we’re Pappus I want to hold this crabcake up because it’s so you get the crabcake I’m gonna send you over Thanks, John. Appreciate that. 9091 92 I had a I had to make a list and I’m going through this right now because I’m gonna sales period with my documentary stuff. And I had a book with everybody I knew who owned a business that I could knock on their door and I didn’t know many people. I went down to squires I went over to Norris Ford. I’m from Dundalk. I went to Dundalk places. And the one person I knew that had a business was Pepe Perella and Pepin had peppers, where I had never been because I was underage and have to go in a place like that was restaurant, but it wasn’t my side of town and go from the Hacienda over on that side of town. But Pepe it opened a place called pepperonis pizza up on Belair road right around the corner from where the McDonald’s is now Moravia, little north of Lawrenceville and he said come on in and he I’ll make his shrimp and shrimp scampi pizza was put that on special Fridays. And Pepe gave me 75 hours a weak and free pizza. And he became one of my first three sponsors ever. And he’s just one of my favorite people and I know he touched your life and you literally have jumped into his shoes right literally right I mean, and I couldn’t have you on today without at least beginning with Pep because I think Pat was just such a special guy. Perhaps one

04:33

of those guys and you don’t hear about this too often but nobody had a good word to say about him. I took over for him in 2001 will return to Carly after I was done playing soccer and you know sometimes when somebody’s you know taking over a program you know yeah, he knows he was a kid 12 years old and he couldn’t be more helpful in showing me the ropes things how how things go with high school soccer was pretty new to me and and how things worked around curly. I can remember how was even over there a couple times to watch games. I helped out a little bit with the JV prior to coming back to Korea when I was still playing a buddy of mine. He coached the JV and you show up for practice and here’s pep common and he’s got to hand it out subs to kids he’s in he’s got Oh jerseys and things. Such energy, we’re in a lot of energy and just he’s one of the most generous people I’ve ever met in terms of Unfortunately, one of the kids that had played for him curly grad had passed away and a freak accident boating accident and the school in the family wanted to raise money to start a scholarship while they had some big bowl roast over curly. And pep did everything pro bono, you know, because he also did catering on the south shore. What

Nestor J. Aparicio  05:42

did you get involve a catering with him with lunches and stuff? It was one point was he doing that? Currently he

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05:48

was he was I do remember. He had the pepperonis which was a piece of crab meat on everything. Unbelievable. That he had Pepper’s cafe right there on Blair road, a little bar, he reopened that after that. Yep. And then, you know, he got into the catering and he was doing some a lot of the Catholic schools in the area. And I think he had a couple swim clubs and things like that, but just salted the Earth man, generous, flew under the radar never wanted recognition and not going to find a better human being.

Nestor J. Aparicio  06:17

Well, I wanted to talk about Pepe because I mean, you have followed in his footsteps with this curly thing. I haven’t had you on the monitor. I got great pictures. I think I put you in the documentary for back in the day. Because we had pictures out of the barn and you want to travel together with the spirit and Kenny Cooper and McCoy. You know everything that went on with you as a soccer player. Give me your journey the last 20 years now we lost your dad we did about seven years. I remember when we lost your dad and I think I reached out to you at that point. I tried to reach out to you when you’re not in my phone. And I don’t see you and I’m not over curling on that a curly grad although everybody on my Facebook pages. But your name comes up all the time because there’s a curly guy manages Pappas, your mid career people everywhere. You really went back and created a life and giving back to people just like yourself and the way your father did that. Yeah,

07:08

it’s funny. It’s amazing. A quick little story how I ended up back at Curley. I was still playing the indoor soccer and I was looking to transition I was 30 years old.

Nestor J. Aparicio  07:17

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Now many years you play nine years professional 892 to

07:21

2000. And my wife was pregnant, I was looking to make that transition. And during my last season, the president of curly had called me and asked me to be on pepid said he was stepping down and asked me to be on the search committee for the new coach. I said sure, go over there like to be a part of that and currently proud. And we’re sitting down here we got about seven eight guys, all curly alums, the athletic director, and we’re going through resumes and was surprised that they weren’t more given the program. They were just come off winning a championship that year. And they were going through and actually probably the best candidate on paper was a cover hole grad. So no one’s doing that. There’s no way that’s happening. I got the wheels spinning a little bit and thought well you know if I can do something I’d love to coach over here and transition. I was college grad and

Nestor J. Aparicio  08:10

all your teammates were working for the bank, right? I mean, Ed really did that for a year. My love for Edie and a lifetime of friendship with Edie. Edie cared about the soccer players and understanding like, I can only pay you 2030 Like, you’re not gonna you’re not gonna be Adley rutschman playing soccer for the blast of the Spirit. But he tried to set all of you up to have that

08:31

position when you’re done playing so and I did that program for for a summer and just wasn’t you know, my

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Nestor J. Aparicio  08:38

banking guy. Yeah. So anyway, with theater was its

08:43

Walker and Lance Johnson. It was great with those guys good people, too, for an opportunity. So anyway, make a long story short, that worked out my first year I taught and coach it was assistant ad. And then the current position I’m in the gentleman had left. They asked me to interview it, interview for it, it would be an alarm. That’s a position that you want alumni in fundraising and raising money for the school. So I’ve been doing that for the last 23 years and coaching. salesmen fundraise. It’s you know why Curly is a great school. It’s, you know, in a day and age now where, you know, you look at all the Catholic schools around in Baltimore city that have have shut down, you know, Curley’s doing well, and all boys, we have about 530 That’s why I

Nestor J. Aparicio  09:28

didn’t go you know, my parents want me to go to curl. I’m not going to be anti curly here. I’ll give you a hard time. But my parents when I was at hollyburn, I was younger, I’d skipped a grade. My parents gave me the option, you know, like, they’re like, hey, because Dundalk was transitioning. I was supposed to go to Kenwood. Everybody in my neighborhood Colgate went to Kenwood in the 70s and they changed the zoning to go to Dundalk, then Archie bunkers Dundalk. Then that meant Turner Station, people freaked out. It’s 1981 People still freaking out on my parents said you want to go to Mount Carmel. And I’m like, just like 20 kids here and then and then like they’re like you want to go to Chrome and how we’re gonna be girls if you got a curly they’re like, well that’s what Catholic is for I’m like, nah, nah, nah, nah nah nah, not gonna lie. And now you know the only Hall of Fame I can brag I’m only one Hall of Fame dog. I hope I don’t deserve to be but I’m in the Dundalk I’ll fake that the curly things different than Dundalk, though, right? Like, I grew up with curly people in my life forever. One of my big brother’s on my block. We lost him recently. Frank, the bilious Frankie D was maybe 15 or 16 and 1970 345. I was 567 years old. I come home from school. Frankie would play basketball with me in the neighborhood. He was currently gone. So I started hearing about curly when I was five years old. Like what’s a curly? It was a funny name because currently was on three stooges. And if you know that, so when you’re five years old, currently three stages, right? By Catholic faith, I’m confirmed and baptized at Our Lady of Fatima. Everybody Fatima went to curly right. I mean, literally, it was like a feeder school at that point. So on the east side of town currently is this institution that I think a lot of other places wouldn’t still exist in the way that Seton Keo or ind, you know, these schools we’ve tassin Catholic, Cardinal Gibbons, what makes Curlee special at this point,

11:18

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I think it’s the Franciscan friars, you know, and, you know, they’re the school is an archdiocese and school, but the Franciscan friars, the staff that since it opened up in 1961 61 was the first year okay. And in those days, he probably wouldn’t first open. You might have had 30 fryers at the school, just like at the Catholic schools, you had nones, and sure and things like that, but just you know, built on the tradition of St. Francis and doing for others. And I think that that’s a charism that’s at the school, and, you know, part of our mission to build great men, you know, and that’s what this world needs. I

Nestor J. Aparicio  11:52

know a lot of great people who want to curl. I don’t tell them that publicly other than stitch. I would say this, I been in your school. We should go to the dances, you know, back in the 80s. You know, and that’s where the Catholic High girls would come is back in the early 80s. Because all my buddies went to Robert to Bill used to mean lots and lots of the stove a family a lot of Colgate people went to Curley and the daughters went to Catholic or Mount Carmel one or the other but they weren’t going to Dundalk or Kenwood right. So many families in the neighborhood the when I had only been in the school. Well, maybe five dances is a kid. And then I went over for basketball game when Tamir Goodman played. I mean the gym was bad. I got turned away so much for a Sunday afternoon. It was a Sunday. I was listing ad. I mentioned three suits. I was like curly, I was like press press let me in you know, but it was it was crazy in there. And we lost coach pop to right. Yes. Now you know, I love his daughter. I’ve known her her whole life and coach Popeye. This goes back to me being the the the high school writer at the paper at 692. That’s how I knew Pepe. I didn’t bring that up. I knew Pepe because of the rivalry with Calvert Hall, and Bill up there. And karpowicz And you were such rivals, and I covered the with your graduate 87 So I didn’t cover you I cover maybe 8990 91 You were gone. Your Towson at the top is where you were. You’re a little younger than me, but you were Towson. I covered that’s why I called Pepe because I didn’t know anybody that own businesses. But Pepe was the guy that owned the business who coached coach sports. And so I was in that I covered some games outside but I had been in your school once for a basketball game in the gym at the turn of the century. Whenever Tamir played five times in the 1980s chasing girls that dances with bands gaz was playing guys played his Appaloosa Appaloosa guys that said they played everyone did Appaloosa guys didn’t play your dance? You didn’t have a dance. I think there were 10 bands called that. making that up. But it’s true. guys played her her prom too. I went into school. I don’t know if you were there. mckinty was there that day? I think you were there that day. I had a salesman who was an alum that took me over to your school for a day or something. And I went into the school and this is my honest opinion says in the last decade, this has happened. I had never walked in I was there during school during like a Wednesday in class. I think I met with some people in your office about business or advertising currently. And I walked through and I’d never been in there and literally I walked through I’m like, this is kind of nice, you know, like I literally I never knew was in the building. It’s a big brick building, you know, on the corner and used to go over to the whole joint doughnuts around the corner from there, you know? And I never been in and I thought this is nice. And I thought to myself and this is my kids 39 He ain’t gonna curly. Maybe his kids will. I don’t know. But I thought I’d send my kid here. I mean, I literally from my heart I walked in there. I didn’t know how nice it was. I don’t know what I expected. But I, I I’ll say this to Loyola College was another place I had never walked around. And when I walked around the inside I’m like Mrs. Nice. I should have gone here instead of you being what is the currently experience now for people What are you selling kids on? And parents and the affordability playing soccer playing sports? The school still do well, right. This

15:26

school is doing well steady enrollment and made. So we just got off of a $7 million capital campaign where we air conditioned to whole building, which is obviously

Nestor J. Aparicio  15:35

I must have been there on a day when it wasn’t hot, you know?

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15:38

But, you know, it’s a solid school and I guess, you know, you got great role models, their teachers you talked a little bit about Pepperl you know, when you think of Dan popera coach Patria I don’t know if you remember Coach, he was able to football coach didn’t know some characters and the school again, it’s about giving kids an opportunity to not just get a great education but to have a great four year experience and I saw with my own sons two of them have already graduated my youngest is a rising junior and Mr. Barr I’m telling you being a young parent today we dropped off my middle son to BWI Airport. He’s going to Air Force Academy gonna play hockey they got their six week basic

Nestor J. Aparicio  16:18

theater hack hockey kids did

16:22

a little bit different my oldest son Ben, right he’s playing for FC Cincinnati to right now which is kind of like Norfolk for sure where else the second team why obviously first son you know your coach and everything and whatever. I think my middle son didn’t want any parts of dad coaching. Soccer, soccer. So let’s hockey I mean, think about when we were growing up hockey Where’s hockey in Baltimore? You know, at that time, maybe at Mount Pleasant or somewhere else? Well, why

Nestor J. Aparicio  16:50

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don’t we go to Patterson Patterson Park and begin pickup game and the bubble but ice hockey was not available to toss his kids. It really wasn’t. So

17:00

you know, that’s when he started and he did all the sports but he loved for hockey. I love it. It’s a great for me. It’s a great kind of reprieve from soccer, soccer, soccer all the time. And you’re

Nestor J. Aparicio  17:09

an Oreo guy, though. Big time, right

17:11

time Oreo.

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Nestor J. Aparicio  17:12

I knew he was a baseball player. And then you came along later in life as the soccer star. Like your name started showing up in the sun. And 86 When I worked there, and I’m like, it can only be one Berry, Stitz curly, Towson. There’s got to be this and then you wind up playing soccer. You’re a different kind of kid like me. Where you played soccer. You play baseball. I don’t know if you played football or basketball but what roles you played. But But soccer became your thing. I guess 12 1314 When I really you soccer exclusive,

17:44

but when right after my freshman year for played JV baseball my freshman year and basically what determined it you could get away I was a late bloomer physically. So as a freshman, I was five foot nothing going into curling and soccer is again a sport where it doesn’t hurt to be big, but you know, you can figure it out with baseball. You know, it’s just a little bit and have that strength or you move up to the dam

Nestor J. Aparicio  18:05

wasn’t a SOCCER GUY though, right? He

18:07

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was all baseball. Yeah, I

Nestor J. Aparicio  18:08

mean, I knew your dad and like, that’s my dad was not a SOCCER GUY be like the blast. But we didn’t play the game. Like the game of soccer in my neighborhood. You had to be from the city or from Highland town. Be around Pete Kurinji been around those guys to play. There was no soccer or lacrosse in my neighborhood. My neighborhood was a baseball neighborhood. Everybody played baseball. And that’s why a guy your age you and me playing literally baseball together that you want on a soccer track. That’s that’s just as

18:38

well you remember I grew up near a little flower herring run park there so Heron Park was it was a hotbed for sports in general, right. You had a million baseball fields, a million lot of girls playing softball there to Tim Whitman in that area. Chris reef, he just had a ton of talent that grew up playing again, you had to Allentown and, and little flyer and back in those days you didn’t have club sports, right? You played for your school, even if you’re a public school kid, you still played for the Catholics, you

Nestor J. Aparicio  19:02

know, and also 8283 84 You’re at a point where the Colts left right, you’re a little younger than you know. And and the soccer thing was at its heyday, right? Wanting to play for the blast was something you could as a 15 year old, meet Kenny Cooper. See that other Tim Whitman other local guys, man, Joanie, there were other young people here playing that sport that there was a point for you that all your friends could gather and come down to the arena and watch you play and they did. I mean, you had a lot of friends and family at the game and that was the beauty of what made the blast and spirits so endearing. I

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think we’ve had over the years from the beginning until even now, it always has that that local flavor community

Nestor J. Aparicio  19:48

community feel why didn’t go to curly, you know, I want to Dundalk and you and I would have probably if my

19:54

dad went to done on my mom and dad had gone to well, they’re good people.

Nestor J. Aparicio  19:57

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They’re good. He turned out that’s why he turned down so Hey, Barry stitches here I am again, you’re not the athletic director at curl you are the director of advancement, Director of advancement and soccer coach and soccer. And you don’t teach I don’t teach you did teach for a while

20:11

I taught a weight training class for five or six years. Actually, since I stopped five years ago, I’m getting a little bit rounder, but I’m

Nestor J. Aparicio  20:19

gonna get your crab cake here. Papist that’ll help on it. We’re all brought to you by the Maryland lottery. I want to give some love out. I gotta give some gold rush seven doublers away here. It’s taken me years to get sticks out here to do the program. You and I were younger over at the bar. And I have these great pictures you and I together. And I think Chris fichero was in the picture with you there. That part of your life. And that that point were watching Mike Stankiewicz be this incredible player than him being your coach watching Kenny Cooper be this legendary guy. And I still think at that time the plane took off. We got stuck at the US Air and Kenny was beaten on the counter. Watch. We represent the city we represent the people of Baltimore. How could you do this dos? Yeah, it’s pretty good. It’s pretty good. So the notion that soccer in this town and moving it out the Towson we’re soccer because, and I saw PT Kurinji last weekend. He was about to come out last week. Pete, I’m looking for you, Peter, come on. He’s doing Soccer Camps this summer. I talked to him a little bit about this and where soccer was. And he would always say to me, you’re always supporting soccer, nasty, you always support soccer. And I’m thinking there was a lot of soccer talk on WBA. And no offense to Patty or anything like soccer was one of those things that was a little engine that tried harder. And for a guy like you to be into soccer in a neighborhood where there were some soccer players looking up to the blast and then being here probably help you it’s a blast never came. There might not have been a soccer for a lot of people here right? I mean, a little high

21:56

school would have been the end of it for a lot of guys, you know, and or even, you know, to have the opportunity moving to college. Unfortunately, tassin doesn’t have a team anymore. But you know what Pete’s done at UMBC. Again, build teams around a lot of local guys Franco Chesky, longtime Palsson short, so, you know, that wasn’t in which you’d mentioned will earlier and University of Baltimore, you know, go back champion 34 rivalry, and I think it’s good for the sport. Well,

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Nestor J. Aparicio  22:24

I would also think for you with the players that played Stankiewicz Kenny Cooper, those guys come along, and then you played for almost a decade with rusty Trump is thinking all the names Dougie, nearly relationships all these years later, that I know Ed tries to bring some people together and there’s Hall of Fame and all that stuff. You indeed are I think of you as Frick and Frack Are you still close? We very much I figured you you know, like all these things when you guys were best friends 30 years ago, but 30 years ago, I’m not best friends with the same people. I was best friends with 30 years ago, but your soccer community and what held that thing together. And those people. I relish those times. I love broadcasting your games with Ted Patterson and Gary Stein and all the games and going on the road with you guys. It was the one sort of official broadcasting thing I ever did. And it’s Kenny Beaton on that table than a PWI and saying, We represent the community we represent the people of Baltimore. He he believed that that was in his soul in a way that I don’t see that with the Orioles in array you know, like it this is a place to Lamar works. It’s not a place Lamar wants to be right if he wanted to be here. And I think it was different for all of you. And I’ll bring drew into this and everybody that got involved with camps that taught you how to be good people working at the bank, everything about soccer, locally, different than Ronaldinho or Messi or name. Like it was all about humility and community. And it probably built you to be able to do this this thing with kids over curse a

24:02

loli. I mean, you know, all the guys I played with were grounded and believe me, somebody, Mike Stankiewicz, I’d be down at IRENA. There was 11,000 people there and you’d see Mike Stankiewicz and he was a world class player at that time all star and all sudden, I’m playing with him and coaching. He was taught and he was hard as nails but he you know, really hard as nails. European,

Nestor J. Aparicio  24:22

tough in a way that just and I saw that when he coached the team and Kenny left I’m like, wow, this is a serious MFR, he came from a war torn country. I love Mali you know what I mean? But to have idols that then become your coach very quickly for a young guy that I knew you were 1314 would have been a big deal for me to be running around playing for Kenny Cooper was a big deal for me to be broadcasting to be honest with you all those years later because I took the blast seriously, and, and the community part of it, I think is what made it maybe the last thing that’s ever going to be like literally the last thing that’s like We’re

25:00

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at birthday parties we were at fairs the heritage fair. I’ll

Nestor J. Aparicio  25:03

be there this weekend in the beer garden.

25:05

We were everywhere at schools we were playing the soccer volleyball against the PTA. You name it, we were there. And you know what in that day and where soccer was then you gotta remember to mLs, which is now the big didn’t exist didn’t exist came around and I think 1995 So I was three or four years into it

Nestor J. Aparicio  25:22

and you were dreamed of trying to get a gig in that league right? Probably would have been paid a little more time. Absolutely. But outdoor you were an outdoor player,

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but once you’re playing you know you almost get stereotyped a little bit we had a lot of guys in our league would we play the indoor and then they would go absolutely outdoor that’s what you had to do to make the stage make a living. And then when MLS came around, it was one or the other now you could still play outdoor in the in the short summer months but it was a little bit of a lesser league but guys made a good living and you remember you know certainly when I played it one day heyday of the league, right? Sure, but it was still when it was the only really around the best players were all playing and you come back guys like Bronco Skoda aircraft mucin tattoo draw jungle young you know all those guys and you know, again, they were on the latter stages of their career but I mean to play against those guys tattoo you know, when

Nestor J. Aparicio  26:12

Julie V shows up on my timeline I know living right when Kai hosk TV shows up in my sector

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yes early

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years but you mentioned like Christopher Caro, you know he was a perfect here’s a guy I don’t know how old he was intubated probably in his late 30s When I’m you know, 21 years old plan and the way he carried himself he taught you how to be a professional maybe we weren’t getting paid like a professional baseball player or football player and things like that. But you’re not in college anymore. You’re on college anymore and you get to have quick funny story One of the funny stories if if I played baseball or in the NFL I’d have a top selling you know top seller and a buck well you know, right Mars on story so we’re playing in can’t do it Jeff after you go to Ken it

Nestor J. Aparicio  26:54

was a bubble. It was it was a bubble rink. That was all glass it was glad that was Dayton Dayton that

27:01

was Dayton. Okay, this is Ken so you might not have the pleasure we’d go there a couple times go

Nestor J. Aparicio  27:06

ahead go ahead anyway

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we go down we always go on a Sunday night the town was it’s from what I know Canton you know it’s pretty much people were there during the week work and but nobody is there on a weekend so anyway, we’re playing in Canton and Chris was always you know, he chose colorful you know, he dressed well you know, I wouldn’t make enough money to dress that well. And he would dress well and he again carried himself like a professional so we play the game and after the game you know shower and get dressed and you would always have a locker room attendant that would lock it up give you the key right and you go on in halftime on lock the door and after game well, he’s getting all dressed all you know he has one of them. Steven Seagal leather jacket. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, it’s gone. Right? So he’s beside a member This is my jacket. So Drew was there he gets a general manager the guys that apologize and up and down. We’ll find it we’ll have him prime mistake. So my real mistake right so so but we’ll find it and we’ll send it to you right so few weeks go by Christmas check my jacket we haven’t been we’re gonna send you a check for how much it goes probably $800 Jack at a time right. We’re gonna send you a check. If you would know jack right. We ended up going back to Canton right? We go on we were on the field pack

Nestor J. Aparicio  28:18

so so net, didn’t he? He did before.

28:23

He right. Yeah. So anyway, we’re warming up on the field right into goalkeepers go down in and go when they’re doing their thing warming up. We’re running across field kicking balls. I look. We’re gonna go Chris is catching balls. And he’s throwing them and kicking them and all that. Well behind him hanging up on the net. On a hanger is his suit jacket. He’s got it hanging up in the field. He wouldn’t put it in the locker room. There, gentlemen, what’s he doing with Ltd? He can’t do that. He’s making us look bad when he had to check after the game.

Nestor J. Aparicio  28:56

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Chris McKerrow. I gotta get Chris on the program.

28:59

He’s awesome.

Nestor J. Aparicio  29:01

Can we help curly? What? What’s the speech in regard to raising money or getting a young man of the seventh eighth grade? We got people out there with parents. What’s the elevator speech to a partner’s

29:11

advertisement is is look around and ask people you know, you see clearly grads are out there doing a lot of good things. And it’s a great school. It’s you know, it’s an investment parents make, you know, in terms of tuition, but our kids are going on to do great things. And you know what, they’re better prepared for life. And I think as a parent, that’s what you’re looking for. You know, so again, if you have a fifth sixth seventh grade boy, and you’re you’re looking a little bit towards future you know, come over to school come to come to a soccer game, watch the side dream. See our fans are in the stand and the students and then you come over for an open house and and you see what it’s like I don’t

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Nestor J. Aparicio  29:48

want anybody think I’m being soft on curly consensus here. But I’ll say this and everybody knows Calvert Hall. You know, my son went to Perry Hall. He went to the hall, Perry Hall, not Calvert Hall. So The Cavanaugh thing and the Loyola thing because they cancel each other out and we always have me MC their charity basketball game at Christmas time. And then there’s the Mount St. Joe types. We’ll have one of those here earlier Patty was here. I don’t claim any of you I mean literally any any of these schools but I do feel a kinship with curly because I almost went is my side of town. All my buddies went there. So if currently is playing Calvert Hall as an example, I’m nondenominational but I want you to win. And I mean, like I don’t say never want Calvert Hall to win, but the Calvert Hall, it’s a pain in the ass, the alumni, whatever the alums are the biggest pain to me. They’re the ones that don’t want to win. So cow Hall loyal I’ll start with YouTube because you beat each other up you fight all the time. I’m the you know, I get my rocks on not liking Patapsco that’s what I get as a Dundalk guy. But currently I’m nondenominational I root for you guys. You like The Little Engine That Could to me, you know,

30:56

you know, we didn’t get angry, but all the schools are good. Right. And the thing you talk about that over elevator pitch thing that separates us. We’re 530 540 boys. Right. So that’s half the size of a Calvert Hall. I

Nestor J. Aparicio  31:08

didn’t know that. Okay, right. So we’re the little engine that I have that right, you are a smaller so

31:12

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we’re that smaller school, but we’re still big enough to offer all the the AP classes and compete athletically obviously with AP class. For the smart kid, okay. Advanced Placement, advanced placement. Yeah, see, we

Nestor J. Aparicio  31:25

call that gate back in gifted and talented. Yeah, not that I was one of them. But yeah, we gifted talented, advanced placement. Yep.

31:32

So we have, you know, again, our kids are going to the top schools, just like the kids are at those other schools.

Nestor J. Aparicio  31:36

How’s your soccer team?

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We’re very good. We’re very good. I mean, we’re consistent you know, we were always there in the mix it you know, it’s tough when you’re, you’re gonna get schools like McDonough and lo and Cameron hall that are, are bigger in size and have more more kids coming in and we’re in a city, which, unfortunately, sometimes isn’t the you know, people right away here. Hey, they’re in a city, you know that. It’s not, I don’t know what we’re five minutes off in 95. And that’s one of our strengths as well. We’re drawing from all over the place where Anna Rondo County. Oh, really? Okay. I’m coming from Towson.

Nestor J. Aparicio  32:10

I always tell the story my parents tried to sell me to McDonough one time I’m like you didn’t McDonald’s over there. And gundogs over here and I ain’t doing that every day. 695 It was five minutes to that for the curly in the Mount Carmel thing happened for me, but I soccer itself and I guess I got to this 20 minutes ago and I stopped on it. Your dad was a baseball guy. You fell in love with soccer. Your dad had to drag out the soccer fields. There were some places to do it in the neighborhood and be a part of that. The modern soccer thing as well as the modern lacrosse baseball this year round. Pitchers kids blowing their arms out getting Tommy John soccer. I know there was concerned about head trauma and hitting the ball in practice and why would you want that kind of head trauma. Soccer from a youth standpoint, when you’re seeing kids now they’re coming through your program. These are soccer only kids, right? We’re in a different world, where when you get a good player, star player that may go play for Anthony over at UMBC or guy like yourself or like theater, right? of that caliber. That’s a kid that’s been playing soccer exclusively from the time they’re probably seven or eight years old. Right? I mean, and that was not berry that was not Nestor that was not Dede or that would not none of us did that. We were three sport. And it’s like the level of commitment on an eight 910 11 year old kid to say I love soccer so much. You’re gonna live it 12 months a year. I I don’t know. I wouldn’t want that for my grandkid. I wouldn’t want that. It’s a different world we’re in now with I think also Title Nine and scholarships as well. Right? Yeah,

33:40

I mean, the reality I don’t like it. I grew up again, playing all the sports. But the reality of it is if you have, you know, kid a plan a sport year round, and Kid B’s playing it three or four months out of the year, you know, it’s hard day’s gonna make the varsity right. You know, it’s having said that, you know, I think the kid should play multiple sports, you just got to realize you can’t play all the sports at the highest level. And for a really good athlete, that’s hard to say, right? Well, you can eat and play soccer, and you can play club and play year round. But I’m also going to play basketball or baseball, but I’m going to play it at the in house level, right? Because you know, what, if there’s a conflict, I can miss that in house basketball game without the whole team and all the parents being mad because I’m not there, you know, and it really stinks. It stinks. The kids have to make that decision. I think, you know, there’s kids still doing multi sports, but I think you start getting that at high school age, and everybody’s looking for the college scholarships and things like that, that, you know, they’re they’re, they’re being forced to pick you know, so well I

Nestor J. Aparicio  34:39

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don’t see the innocence is lost on it. You know what I mean? Because we all had a good time playing but it didn’t feel like a vocation when I was playing you in Little League and Eastwood, you know, it didn’t feel like when we lost we were gonna go into the batting cage and work 10 months to come back and beat you next year when you’re 11 and the soccer thing to me, specifically with clubs and travel and things that we’ve been saving Have we traveled from little flour? We traveled from eastwood or whatever to Dundalk was a long ride for 20 minutes. Yeah. And now we got a weekend tournament Norfolk, let’s put the family and let’s spend $500 in a hotel and like, it’s a different level of commitment that my father wouldn’t recognize. It’s

35:15

crazy. It is it is crazy and you know people are doing as long as you have people doing it and it’s that fear of missing out I tell you what the with the biggest thing that happens in reality, I was playing soccer in Iran, except it wasn’t always organized. Right. In the summer, you talked about my neighbor, we played up a place called Emily playground. Right, right, a basketball court without any hoops on it. And we were up there every day in the summer. So these kids now technically, their technical abilities much higher. I’m speaking for soccer sure is much higher than when I had it right. They have the ball to fly more often, right? But the only time a lot of these kids are playing and again, maybe parents aren’t comfortable with their kid leaving the house nine o’clock in the morning and coming back at six o’clock at night, right? They’re

Nestor J. Aparicio  35:54

not playing pickup at the park. That’s what that’s all organized, what you’re saying we had

35:58

a neighborhood of where you grew up and where I grew up, where they weren’t all a athletes, but everybody played sports, right? And the

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Nestor J. Aparicio  36:05

big kids would beat the kid little kids up teaching would be better. They were out there playing

36:10

during the summer. We were playing basketball for a week and then we burn out of that now we’re playing soccer for now we’re going out there and play.

Nestor J. Aparicio  36:17

Bass what do we want to play? today? We’re gonna play basketball, football or baseball. And hey, today we’re gonna play tag or today we’re just gonna go play Pac Man at the mall. We’re gonna go rollerskating or whatever. Like, it feels like a full time job for a lot of kids to be on the pitcher curly as a 16 year old. It feels like you got to start that at eight. It really is a full time combat not in and we’re just gonna play September October November go out there freeze a little bit is that it’s it’s more intense. And I I find that to be kind of sad from an experiential standpoint. Absolutely.

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And but you know, it’s no different from baseball, right? Fall baseball, about her to fall baseball back when I played you know, you played soccer for those four months. Right. And then you probably did an indoor session as the blasts came into town. Right. A lot of kids were playing basketball and then you played baseball in the spring. And now lacrosse obviously is, is growing, but that’s what it was. If you ask anybody in our neighborhood, we played all three of those sports. Last

Nestor J. Aparicio  37:09

thing I want to leave you this because I’m looking over your shoulder. And I’ve seen Denmark and Serbia and Denmark and Serbia and they get to get a baseball game on from yesterday here but I got soccer. Soccer is on one to four of the six TVs in my space here, right? That was not the case when little berry states and little Nestor Aparicio were in Eastwood little league when I was at the paper, and you were Akerley when I was at the other paper, and you were at Towson when I’m in the broadcast booth and you’re on the field. Soccer was always an outlier, right? And I And that’s the thing. And when I get with old folks like you or Pete Kurinji, they say to me, next year, the guy has always been taught 32 years on radio, always talk soccer. I never played soccer. I admit that. My father, it just wasn’t in my neighborhood. Soccer is ubiquitous now, dude, like, there was no chance in the world that in 1998 99 when you and I were sitting at the barn, that there would be a soccer game on in Parkville on a television of any kind of any it was not available in any way. And now we have COPPA on euro on, on every television and here we had us plan the other night, right? Like soccer is in is in the culture now. Whether it’s messy and kids wearing jerseys or wearing Neymar jerseys or whatever it would be. Soccer has. Its arrived in a way for a guy like you that spent your life and Pete older than you trying to dig it out. We won a championship at UB soccer. What’s soccer? I don’t know it. I didn’t I wasn’t paying attention that Pele played here once. That was what soccer was 50 years ago. Now it’s, I mean, I was at Cooper’s pub the other day, let’s launch it and talk about EPO and 10 o’clock on eight o’clock on Saturday mornings and people in the in US football teams playing football games in England on soccer pitches, which I’ve witnessed with my own eyes. I’m not saying you couldn’t have convinced me of that in 1995 when you when you were playing from the spirit in the blast, but it must be heartening that your thing came along soccer has arrived for especially for girls.

39:13

And the reality of it is in those times when we’re saying it’s not you know, very popular here. It’s not on TV. Well everywhere else around the world. It was well we knew that and then they finally you know hit here and you know what? Oh, she needs a soccer ball. It’s a beautiful game. It was you need to soccer ball to play right? You don’t need even goals. You can set up goals but you don’t need a lacrosse stick or a hockey stick or a baseball bat. Oh, she needs a soccer ball. And you know anybody can play it and what

Nestor J. Aparicio  39:40

did you love about it? What drew you to it? Because you’re watching your dad’s thing might have been your best friend’s thing. I mean, it was your thing. Soccer right?

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39:49

Yeah, you know, I just think that you know, you’re not you know, at any minute the ball can be at your foot and you can make a difference in the game right? You know, in baseball, you might have to wait to the balls it to you or you get up And if I had to make a difference here, you know, it grabs your attention more did Yeah. And, you know, again, I was blessed to have a neighborhood where, you know, we had a good soccer team. You mentioned Jason either I his dad coached me. 10 years old. You know, we had a lot of kids in the neighborhood that loves soccer. So that was something we always did. And

Nestor J. Aparicio  40:17

that’s my boy, worst eater. How’s he doing?

40:19

You know what he’s doing great. He should have come back down. For some for our curly golf tournament. He sees he’s on the verge of having having to get a knee replacement. He put it off a year, he got one Plaza, playing

Nestor J. Aparicio  40:30

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on that on that carpet down at the arena.

40:34

You know what, knock on wood. I had one surgery about 10 years ago from meniscus. And other than that, I’m doing good.

Nestor J. Aparicio  40:40

Well, the good news is and this is me picking on him you weren’t that fast. You didn’t have to run fast and

40:45

hurt yourself. And guess what? My feet have been fast. That’s right, that stitch, lack of speed gene passed down from my dad DNA. So me, my kids as well. They’re slow. They’re slow to

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Nestor J. Aparicio  40:57

use a professional is Barry stitch. You are the director of giving me the advancement advancement of the

41:03

director, advanced director advancement. I used to be director of fundraising, I would never get that title. And every 10 or 15 years, he gets something fancier. So

Nestor J. Aparicio  41:14

I would say Barry Stitz soccer man and still, much to my chagrin, the champion of the 1978 Little League as the Yankees. I’m still pissed that Richie was just gonna say, Richie path. I’ve never met Richie path. I don’t want to know Richie, Pat, can you get him on the show? I want him to come and tell the story. The left I wonder if he remembers. He remembers he remembers Oh, he played minor league, but he had bigger strikeouts and striking

41:40

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numbers. Those were the good old days. I know the few minutes old story to tell the story. So the story is I know the field right there. I mean, I remember right by Patterson right where the parking lot is. You were on the third base match your team. We were on the first base bench. It’s what

Nestor J. Aparicio  41:55

happened was seventh end game sixth inning game probably. We’re little, we’re 11 years old. The Yankees were a really good team. And you have really good players. And you had a pitcher named Richie path who pitched in the Brewers organization later curly guy, right rich path right, left handed and he threw like, smoke man, it was like, it was like hitting off Kofax when your

42:16

left hand always happened, it didn’t always know where it was going. So that put a little more until

Nestor J. Aparicio  42:21

that’s why I was walked that day. And I got called on the third strike outside and low. I remember. So we won. So it was like two halves. It was like 10 games in the first half 10 games and the second half. Exactly the 16th League. We played the angels, the Indians, the Orioles that you know other teams in the league. And we were I think nine in one in the first half and you were eight and two and we beat you or something. So we won the first so we were in the World Series, right? Second half columns. We were eight and one you were eight and one or whatever. We’re really the other team stunk, indeed awful. So we were in the last inning of the biggest game that you’re in Mr. Bush. I told Mark this and I told John this, like Mr. Bush would be like, no getting in the pool today. We got a game today on the wiffle ball. I don’t want you wearing yourselves out. We got championship game today. And Mr. Bush man, he would get us all in. And he literally he literally would have to Mr. Bush would look at us and he’d say alright guys see Yankees over there. They put their pants on the same way you do. That’s what he said. He said they put their pants on the same way you do. We’re gonna go out there today and we’re gonna get so Mr. Bush gets all fired up. Mark fires five innings of ball he’s out. You know, no good. So whoever else we had pitching I don’t know. I’m trying to think who else pitch for us but Amani Otis probably pitch playing guitar somewhere around the corner for you as well. And the bases were loaded. PAF still pitching his 120 innings in throwing pitches in 130. Oh, his arm out. The bases were loaded and I was up. And the season was on the line in that if I took a walk or somehow scored the run, you lose. We won both halves. And we win the World Series. Right. All I had to do was get on there not make it out. It’s two outs. Bases Loaded. I’m a little nervous. I’m stepping out of the box and being a little bit of a jerk. Free to I took

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44:32

on it originally three, you know, and he come back and threw two strikes. Maybe he did I think it

Nestor J. Aparicio  44:36

was I had to battle my shoulder. I wasn’t swinging on business alone. He’d

44:40

strike out 15 Guys again, but walk 10 So so

Nestor J. Aparicio  44:43

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I’m in there and the ball was low and outside and the umpire rung me up. And then the worst thing possible happened. I had to go pitch because we were like at a pitchers were out of innings or whatever it was, you know? So like, No, I had to go pitch and win. Lost, you know, I mean whatever it now I don’t think I pitch I don’t we lost that game. And then we played you win the World Series and lost. And I’m still talking about it 46 years later because like the convergence of you and me and the fact that how much different my life would have been if that just was a call ball. I wouldn’t have a story to tell and you’re

45:20

still saying that was a ball? Well, you remember, it wasn’t the umpires were parents and coaches from other teams that would volunteer their time they didn’t have to pay to fight Michael

Nestor J. Aparicio  45:29

was crooked. We all know what Butch told us. And he paid I’m making this up but we had a man we had fun little league was was fun and we had great great times on his side and two kids from two different year in the city. I was in a county I’m Dundalk you’re currently your little flower you know like but it brought people together and there was all star games on those fields there. How

45:49

about the truck that sat on a hill? That after the game you got one you got a snowball and a hot dog if you want if you lost you just got to soda 50

Nestor J. Aparicio  45:56

cents. Yeah, well, if we won Mr. Butch box, no. to $7 later I got Chuck can I get marshmallow on that Mr. Bush? You know so, man our childhood was great. Love you man. Love you appreciate you. Very stitch joining us here all great men. All berries, Berry states. Berry trots. My son berry all the berries out there in the world doing good things. Good luck to you, Chris. Thanks for coming over, man. You’re welcome. I’ve been chewing on you on the air. I mean, like he’s stalking me. He’s stalking me. And people didn’t think I knew you. So now they know what to do next. All right theatres and then we’re gonna find for Carol Do you want to put the headset down? We’d love to try. You’re gonna go Eckman and drop the mic on. Do all that bearish stitch over to curling. We’re here at Pappas. We’re Parkville I dragged him out of the city, all the way out here to Parkville we’re at Taylor Avenue. Pappas has locations all over the place. They’re in Cockeysville. They’re up in Bel Air. They’re down in Glen Burnie the original is here in Parkville. It’s all brought to you by the Maryland lottery gold rush in sevens. doublers. Were given these way one for you. Good luck for you on that you’re 21 right now. Check it out. Jeanne brought some crab cakes by here. I have one more guest coming up. We’re going to talk about a project up in Timonium, a light rail project it’s got some controversy involved and some people I’m trying to shed some light on so little soccer we had John paddy by we had a Steve Elia come by crabcake tour is going on hiatus for a week or two through the Fourth of July. We will not be fading these on Friday. But we would encourage you to stop down before the ballpark get crabcakes trips out see the brand new beautiful Lexington market. We’ll be back there on the 12th Because we’re waiting for the Yankees. You start your Yankee hat from with the y with the y on it. Yeah, well we couldn’t do real hats because we weren’t licensed right? We buy Oriole hat was orange with an O didn’t even have a bee on it like the like the city connect jerseys Alright we’re back for more for Parkville my dear friend Barry stitch hanging out here and being a current you was in the curly fight song or you don’t want to do that. If I could sing I would all right i you could sing here on Monday nights they have karaoke or Parkville well Pappas back for more from Parkville right after this. Stay with us. We are wn St. am 1570, Towson Baltimore and we never stop talking Baltimore positive