Two big nationally televised prime time games ahead for the Ravens and a chance to earn the No. 1 seed and bye in the AFC. Luke Jones and Nestor get you ready for the Jaguars and discuss the coldest beer and the tastiest hot dogs “inside the perimeter” of the Ravens’ $480 million renovation plans using our money for more of their profit.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
ravens, years, game, week, stadium, play, team, jacksonville, point, people, lamar, tickets, miami, baltimore, eggnog, sunday night, quarterback, road, joined, beer
SPEAKERS
Nestor J. Aparicio, Luke Jones
Nestor J. Aparicio 00:01
Get back W NST chassis Baltimore at Baltimore positive we are positively into a weekend of glorious football. San is coming next week as well and now we’re doing the Maryland crabcake tour put that out on the road. I’ll have to peppermint payouts I will have the OH SNAP gingerbreads I believe and have the unscented unwrap the cash tickets when we we make it out. This week we’re going to be at far and daughter I wearing the I’m a blunt shirt. I’m a blood person shirt today. We’re going to be a curio wellness and foreign daughter on Friday from about 130 to five we have a special crabcake I’m going to keep it a surprise till we get there. It is not a surprise to Jeannie shock from the Go Go’s will be joining us as well as drew Westervelt who makes a product called hex that I use on all my smarmy Planet Fitness and hot yoga gear. And we’re also going to be joined by Michael Brown find and Gina shock of the Go Go’s on Friday Monday we moved the show to wise markets and Ani go to be up there with Derek Fraser, former Maryland stadium authority chairman Tom kelsa will be joining us finally after his illness to talk a dump all things stadiums for dummies and all the movement or lack thereof in regards to the least situation. And John Martin, Executive Director of the Maryland lottery also brought to you by our friends at whether they should as well as our friends at Jiffy Lube. MultiCare we got football this weekend the speaking of the fair lottery the the Ravens winners for the trip are headed to Jacksonville this week on the team plane. I look I told them a Seth elkem when he did the show this week, I said you know it’s fun going on the way down. It’s like you know Seinfeld like more of anything more of everything. Loses Sunday night football game and fly back at two o’clock in the morning. Things change. Certainly with San Francisco waiting on Christmas Day Miami and questions there for Tyreke hill but questions for a lot of teams about injuries, right like the Ravens had their own thing this week with Kyle Hamilton and Mark Andrews and the rest of them. They’re not coming back. But Trevor Lawrence was sort of on the Schneid. We got Miami with Tyreke Hill, big big doings when star players might or might not be available this time of year. The
Luke Jones 02:04
Ravens know that better than anyone with Lamar Jackson the last two years. I mean, we’re in mid December and Lamar Jackson is healthy and upright, which was not the case last year was not the case two years ago and that right there before we talked about anything else that this football team has going for it right now. You lead with that. So we saw Justin Herbert go on IR although the Chargers weren’t going anywhere anyway. But it just speaks to what kind of year it’s been around the league. I mean, take a look at the AFC North right now. Joe Flacco trying to help the brands to a playoff spot who would have guessed that even a month ago, let alone talking about them beating the team that the ravens are playing on Sunday night this past Sunday in the Jacksonville Jaguars who have much to play for a few weeks ago they beat the Houston Texans it looked like maybe that was the moment where the Jags kind of take off, you know, they’ve they’ve been solid throughout the year, but not to the same degree as Miami but still that team where you’re waiting to see okay, where’s that signature when where’s that moment where they’re really going to take off and prove themselves and goodbye. This is a team that made the playoffs last year. This is a team that competed in Kansas City. And they haven’t really taken that next step that you would have thought and certainly we talked about the Trevor Lawrence injury here that looked like it was going to be way worse than it was he did play last week but threw three interceptions and their defense that through the first two months of the season was looking like one of the better ones in the NFL. It’s really fallen off here over the last six weeks or so. So it’s still a team that’s leading the AFC South. It’s still a team that has much to play for but you have the Ravens coming in who right now in mid December, and we know the Super Bowl is not played right now. But it’s the best team in the AFC I don’t think it gets terribly close right now as it looks. Right now. The ravens are the top team in the AFC they’re the number one seed right now. Jacksonville. This is one, you know, having talked to some people down there. They’re really, really needing this one I think not just in terms of the standings and playoff positioning, but I think for under the hood, I think they need this one from a mental standpoint from a psychological standpoint. So it’s gonna be interesting to see what Jacksonville team shows up. And for the ravens, Hey, I just gave them some praises, but they have to keep winning. Right I mean, they stood they have work to do to continue to be in the number one spot and secure home field and the first round byes so plenty on the line here but I think for the Ravens another great opportunity to continue to maintain control atop the AFC
Nestor J. Aparicio 04:41
as one of our visiting listeners John Keller, one of my my high school friends will be in town this weekend to two witnesses, the holidays and ravens because he wrote to me on Monday so yes, in talking about col Hamilton, I said, I don’t know what he’s gonna be hurt. Well, he’s not gonna be I think when we spoke all day on Monday week kinda believed he would not play this week. And at the very least, and we’re concerned that it may be worse than that. He’s a big deal and their defense and their and certainly against a good quarterback, they haven’t played enough good quarterbacks this year, he’s gonna be a big deal in that. They may have really escaped some pretty serious with him because he’s kind of an unreplaceable part of that defense.
Luke Jones 05:21
He really is. And I even wrote this a couple weeks ago before he got hurt that other than ro Quan Smith, I think you could make a strong argument that Kyle Hamilton might be the second best player on this defense. And even if you want to rank, you know, I mean, certainly there’s other candidates just a matter BK comes to mind immediately. Jadeveon Clowney has been that good for them rushing off the edge. But Hamilton’s versatility to your point. The fact that you have a guy who can play deep and coverage has played so much at the nickel. I mean, the nickel has been his best spot two years into his career. And I don’t mean that, that he can’t play further away from the line of scrimmage. But he’s just so dynamic. I mean, tackles for loss. He said, it’s kind of an arbitrary record. But Ed Reed had the franchise record for tackles for a loss for defensive back which you think DBS I mean, they’re not playing towards the line of scrimmage. But he broke that record last week. And I think we saw firsthand when you saw the splits in terms of what the yards per play and explosive plays allowed without him on the field this past week, compared to when he was on the field against the Rams. It was striking. So the good news, it’s a minor MCL sprain he practiced on Wednesday. Now, I’ll say this, he was limited, I did not see him going into team work as they assured the media off the field for the viewing portion of practices, as it concluded, but the fact that he was even on the field on Wednesday, I was surprised by that I thought based on what we had heard, based on how it looked on Sunday, based on how John Harbaugh talked about it on Monday, I thought maybe it was a 10% chance that he might play against Jacksonville. But the fact that he was on the field at the beginning of the practice week, albeit limited, certainly gives him a much better chance of being out there on Sunday night. And to your point. You look at Jacksonville right now, obviously, they’re missing Christian Kirk, who’s their big, big time producer at slot receiver. He’s on IR right now. So they don’t have that devastating option at tight end. I mean, they have an Ingram’s solid. But you think about San Francisco the following week, George Kittel, and what that offense can do, I think the Ravens certainly want Hamilton out there for San Francisco, but the fact that he’s already practicing, you’re not going to dismiss them for Sunday night. But he’s so important. You do want to err on the side of caution, in fact, even talk to him on Wednesday after practice, and he wanted to go back in again, before the medical staff said, Hey, let’s shut it down. We don’t think we don’t think you’re too hurt. But let’s not. Let’s not push the envelope. You know, let’s not push it too much here with your knee. And where’s Allen Iverson would say I think practice. Right, right. But I think for him and I even I talked to him for a moment after the scrum at his locker broke up. Interestingly enough, the one game he missed last year was was against Jacksonville. I pointed that out to him. And he said, Yeah, believe me. I know my teammates are saying that I’m trying to duck Trevor Lawrence, which was funny to hear him say that, but it’s a tough kid. I mean, during the bye week, Chris Hewitt, their secondary coach made the comment said don’t let the baby face for you. And it’s a good looking guy, right? He said, they’ll try to rip your face off. And they all of his teammates talk about how easygoing he is off the field and how mild mannered he is off the field. But he’s got an intensity to him that is underrated. That you don’t normally think about with defensive backs, but he certainly has that. And he plays with that. So great news that, that he avoided a much more serious injury, but we’ll see about Sunday night, but certainly he’s in play for Sunday night, which two days ago, if you had asked me that I would not have anticipated that being the case. So it speaks again to Yeah, we can talk about Dobbins at the beginning of the year, we could talk about Marlon Humphrey on and off the field. Marcus Williams on and off the field. Mark Andrews, we’ll see if he’s back at some point in January. I mean, they haven’t rolled that out. But only Ronnie
Nestor J. Aparicio 09:20
Stanley. I don’t think he said him.
Luke Jones 09:24
Well, sure. But yeah, it’s just kind of running through the guys that have missed extensive time. You know, Stanley hasn’t missed a ton of time. He just hasn’t been as good. Perfect. You know, that’s just been the reality for him. But point is, they’ve been much more fortunate from an injury health standpoint than the last couple years. There’s no question about that. And again, looks like the Ravens really dodged a bullet with the Kayo Hamilton injury. Yeah,
Nestor J. Aparicio 09:50
these two weeks on the road. And I’m really intrigued by all this, and I think I mentioned this on Monday, but I want to mention it again, because you and I don’t usually get to get Other later on in the week and sort of preview the games that’s been you with Dennis for the most part this season. I think with them, this part of the schedule that and I had. I had Seth Alcon on this week for the Maryland lottery. He’s a Steelers fan. And I was wondering whether that game is going to have meaning for the Ravens or not, you know, like, right this minute you’re like, they’re the one they’re the best or the best of the best. When you’re the best you go on the road and play to really two playoff teams. I mean, not not good two playoff teams there, Jacksonville and San Francisco are gonna play playoff games. They both think they’re gonna host playoff games, by the way. So they’re, they’re that good. They’re not seven and six, good. They’re, they’re better than that. And in Jacksonville’s case, Houston, Indianapolis who’s coming to catching up, you know, like, you start to think like, they have to win the division, they’re gonna be in the playoffs, they might be the team, the Ravens see here, four or five weeks from now. And you start to measure this thing and see how good they are attending three. And I think you and I went through this at the beginning on Monday morning saying, we haven’t had a lot of tenant threes around here. Like they’ve you know, this, they’re really good. They’re much better than they’ve been, Lamar is better than he’s been. And I think to myself, well, if they’re better, they never win these games loop. Am I in 28 years, they’ve never gone on the road December and won a game against the first place AFC team and the number one seed in the NFC on Christmas night. And if they pull this off, and they win both of these games in their 12, three, on December 26, then they probably are in a position where beat Miami and you take two weeks off if you want to you don’t have to play Pittsburgh. But I would think to myself, if they got to play Pittsburgh, and it means something at this point, Pittsburgh will make them pay for it. You know, there’ll be in the fourth quarter of an eye gouge game at the end of the end of the end where the browns and Bengals are playing each other simultaneously. Because that’s the way the scheduling will work on that day. As far as you’re starting to think about, we’re getting close to the end here. The last quartile is Coach pillock would say, and three of the four teams are very, very good. And the Ravens have a very, very good skill record. And they’re padded to some degree, they can lose two or three of these. But if they don’t, then they really do ascend into that area where we talk about the oh six team or the 19 team. We’re saying this is the best regular season team ever. And you don’t get too many Christmases with that opportunity. And especially with the health. But you’re also looking down the gauntlet of three playoff games to on the road to begin with, they will really be tested here by New Year’s Day to say, are they 10? And 611? And five? Or are they gangbusters? Because they certainly feel to be and as we talk about them, and I thought about this when I was putting my royal farms coffee and looking I’m gonna be talking to how good they are right now. I wonder if two weeks from now we’re still going to be speaking of them in those same terms, because they have a royal opportunity here on national TV on the road, to really put the purple flag down and say, We’re the best team where yeah, come come get us in January. Well, we’re gonna rest. We’re the best team, they’ll have that they’ll be able to prove it to everybody the next two weeks.
Luke Jones 13:11
Yeah, I mean, we talked about it during the bye week, looking at the final third of the schedule. And we said that if they were going to be the number one seed, they certainly were going to earn it because of the schedule that they do have. So I think for me, and you mentioned what happens if you know the worst would happen in your tenant six go in. And they haven’t been that all year, right? I mean, they’ve won seven of eight, they haven’t lost back to back games. I mean that that would be so out of character for this team. That’s how good they’ve been from start to finish. I mean, even early in the year when okay, I get it. They lost to Indianapolis, they lost to Pittsburgh. But this is a team that has been very consistent. This is a team that’s been good on the road. And they might not have to play on the road. But as a result of being so good on the road in the regular season. I mean that that can be your reward for being a good road team. But But you’re right, I mean that they have quite a challenge here over these next three weeks. But they have a heck of an opportunity here where they’ve given themselves some cushion. I mean, you’re one up on Miami. You’re too up on Kansas City in Jacksonville. So they’re too up on the Browns for the division leads. So they’ve given themselves a little bit of cushion here, but everything about their performance. I’m not concerned about this team losing three in a row. Does that mean I’m guaranteeing that they’re gonna win these last four games? No, of course not. It’s a challenging schedule. But guess what? Jacksonville knows they have a heck of a challenge on Sunday night. San Francisco who has looked like the best team in the NFL over the last month. They’re looking at their schedule and saying Baltimore’s our biggest test left and everyone’s gonna say that might be a Super Bowl preview. And certainly Miami who hasn’t been anyone this year. I mean, look at the dolphins strength the victories last in the AFC yet we’ve talked about the ravens and at times, maybe not having the toughest schedule in terms of quarterbacks they’ve faced Miami hasn’t been anyone to build it I mean, they beaten up on patsies. I mean, that’s kind of how it’s been for them. So they’re looking at that game as far and they’re probably praying that one Tyree kills healthy and other guys that have been banged up for them as healthy. But they’re hoping that the weather isn’t too harsh on New Year’s Eve, knowing what kind of style the dolphins want to play with. So, I mean, yeah, the Ravens have a challenging schedule here. But they’re incredibly challenging for everyone that’s going to play them. I mean, that’s just where it is right now. So like I said, for Jacksonville, there’s a heck of a lot of urgency here. Because when they beat Houston on the road a couple weeks back, I think there was a thought for them. And I know talking to some Jacksonville media types, that that was the moment they’re going to take off. And think about it, they had the Bengals without Joe burrow, and then the Browns with without Deshaun Watson. And they lost those two games, they kind of failed their honorary AFC North membership test. So that puts them in a position where the FBI is an uphill climb at best for them at this point in time. And now they’re facing the ravens and they want to make sure they hold on to the division because you know, the Colts and the Texans are both seven and six right on their heels. So they have a lot to play for. But these last couple of weeks, they’ve lost a lot of traction in terms of really staking their claim as maybe one of the one or two or best, you know, one or two best teams in the AFC. So it’s a lot on the line for them. But at the same time, the Ravens so much to play for to your point, I don’t think it’s a driving force to clinch the number one seed before we gate team. But you want to put as much separation as you can between yourself and the rest of the field to try to get that number one seed to have that first round by and for this team. You know guys like Lamar, guys like Marlon Humphrey, you know, those guys who were here in 2019 knew that they were part of a 14 and two team that completely ran away with it. And we saw what happened in January. So there is, I think, a little bit of a redemption tour in the back of their mind that, hey, take care of business in this last quarter of the of the schedule, it’s going to keep them it’s going to leave them very battle tested one way or the other. Right. So take advantage and then they come out of it. And if they’re the number one seed take, they’re gonna feel really confident about their ability to take care of business this time around because of how challenging this last quarter the schedule really
Nestor J. Aparicio 17:26
is. You and I got into it with Lamar this week a little bit. And you know, from the beginning, you’ve been more phrasing of Lamar and the statistics and all of that. I have been more like he runs into linebackers. That was always my line isn’t one in the linebackers. But he looks different this year. And I pointed that out. I pointed out we pointed that out of the length on on Monday. Thoughts about Lamar in at this point. And thanks he still has to prove because as I pointed out, when I wrote about him on you this week, still hasn’t won a game in January. You can’t do one one game a day. We can’t do that until January so we can’t hold them responsible for that. The inaccuracy of long balls. Sailing balls happens to lots of quarterbacks. But this is the time of the year when you’re in a tight game. You have to hit Odell Beckham the one time you get him open deep. He did that against the Rams the other day made big plays when breakdowns happened. He read them Lamar and his health and where they are and the bright lights for Lamar, especially the next few weeks. And the year holidays around eggnog is our Christmas night, the whole world’s gonna watch that football game. These are the next two games for me that put them in a position to be in that driver’s seat. They’re all talking by weekend. And number one, this is where he has to play his best football for you know, this is turning the lights on and a $55 million a year quarterback to say, all right, he’s gonna have to win more. He’s got to get on the phone booth and win some of these games. And he’s gonna have to be the best player on the field. In some of these games. I’m I’m fascinated because I think he’s more prepared to be that than he’s ever been, where it was run right run left, make a miss you, you know sleight of hand all of that. That’s, that’s that’s a part of his game, and they can play that game if they’re down 10 points, and maybe it works, but I don’t them down 10 points much and what one of these games are gonna get behind, and they’re gonna have to play a little differently. I just think this is a beautiful test for Lamar, especially for the detractors of Lamar. And I don’t think I’m a detractor. I think I’ve been a realist about it. But even the people that hate him are going to have to, you know, fess up if they’re 14 Three, and he’s going into these games and coming out with 300 yard passing games, clean sheets, nice victories, taking good care of the football, the things that he’s done. The reason they’re 10 Three, quite frankly, for the most part. Yeah,
Luke Jones 19:58
I mean, I mean, first of All all they’ve done is win in the regular season with him as quarterback and okay, I get it. He hasn’t won in January. But guess what John John Harbaugh hasn’t won anything in January and a longtime Mark Andrews hasn’t won anything in January. Marlin Humphrey yet it is a collective effort. But it is funny how. And that’s why they make the big bucks. It’s attached to the quarterback when you come up short, even though there are lots of things that they came up short in doing back in 19, against the Titans and against buffalo the following year. And obviously Lamar hasn’t been on the field the last couple years. So but you’re right. I mean, it’s it’s a great test for him. It’s a great test for this entire football team. Anything he’s going to do over the next four weeks? Certainly, you can think about it through the backdrop of the MVP conversation, because, you know, I think Dak Prescott is probably leading that right now. Brock Purdy is right there. But there’s no one running away with it. So people have continued to mention that Lamar Jackson, because hey, the ravens are the best player on the best team in the AFC. I mean, that’s that’s kind of how this works. Specifically talking about the quarterback position. But yeah, I don’t think Lamar needs to go out there and, and throw four touchdowns for the ravens to be Jacksonville, but they need their quarterback playing at a very high level over these last four games that are going to mean so much to them, in terms of trying to secure the number one see trying to secure first time by making sure that nothing happens in terms of the AFC north, at the very least. So it’s a great opportunity for him. And you know, I think you mentioned he’s better equipped to mean, what quarterback unless we’re talking about someone who is fighting off Father Time, you know, in the way that you talked about Tom Brady at age 43. What quarterback isn’t going to be better equipped, the more experience he has, I’ll go back to the postgame quote that Odell Beckham had experiences the best teacher. And I think that’s the case for Lamar. I think that’s the case for this entire era of this ravens roster. Going back to 2018. These guys have had a lot of regular season success. And they’ve had a lot of postseason disappointment. I mean, that’s kind of been the story. So none of these games are going to change the latter part until you actually get to the postseason. But you go on the road, and you can beat Jacksonville, especially if you can go on the road and beat San Francisco who, who, like I said, probably gets the nod, at least over the last month looking like the best team in the NFL. You go home and you take take care of business against Miami. Or if you at least win two of those three games, let’s say and then you take care of business against Pittsburgh and week 18. And who knows what the Steelers are going to look like at that point. I mean, they they look like they’re not just circling the drain, they’re going down the drain the last couple of weeks. I mean, it’s how bad it’s been in Pittsburgh. But you do that and you’re in position. Number one seed. Hey, it’s go time. Now you’re back where you were four years ago? You know, we talked about it at that point in time when they lost to Tennessee. There was such a sentiment at that point that I understood because fans are all trying to make themselves feel better, because it was that disappointing. I mean, it was as disappointing as going back to losing the Indy back in the Oh, six postseason. That’s how stunning and disappointing and crushing that was. But everyone said at the time, what? Well, they were ahead of schedule, they’ll be back. This is a young team. And we’ve seen how the last four years have played out COVID No one could have met, possibly envision that happening. And the impact that had across the league injuries. Now. The contract situation with Lamar, I mean, all the different things you can talk about, they have such a great chance here to be back right in the same spot. They were four years ago, being the number one seed having to buy, and I get it. The buy is not a requisite for winning the Super Bowl, but it eliminates a game that you have to win. You know,
Nestor J. Aparicio 23:44
I mean, it’s just trying to eliminate the Steelers game. Literally, I’m trying to eliminate all right now that they’re they’re playing two weeks off.
Luke Jones 23:50
Yeah, exactly. Well, and that’ll be another debate. If we’re talking about them clinching in week 17. And not having anything to play for week 18. It’ll be interesting to see how they approach that compared to how they approached it back four years ago, and all that, you know, the rest, the rust verse, rest debate and all that, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. But if they’re in that position, and they put themselves in that position to have that opportunity. If they can do that, then you have liked to think not just Lamar, but all these guys, coaching staff included, that they will handle this better, and they will be in a position to take advantage and make a deep run and have a chance to go to a Super Bowl because look at the rest of the AFC right now. Again, I mentioned Miami hasn’t been any one of note all year, Kansas City. I mean, this past week kind of felt like and I’m going to use a pro wrestling term for you Nestor and you’ll appreciate this. This moment with the Chiefs complaining about Tony being offside and all the wining and homes throwing a fit and Andy Reed whining after the game. That kind of felt like the Chiefs he’ll turn to me in terms of I think back to the Patriots back in. Oh 10203 They were still kind of Bella check was never really likable. But Brady was back then. Right. I
Nestor J. Aparicio 25:04
mean, even when the Tucker game happened Brady was a babyface and the raiders were the that’s what I’m saying. Right? Yeah, yeah, right. Well, they
Luke Jones 25:11
were the babyface. Through that, you know, people were happy that they want because the Rams had already won, right? So, but this moment this past week kind of felt like the Chiefs he’ll turn in that way, because they came across as such babies about that. I mean, it was the right call, it was an obvious call. But the point is, the chiefs are struggling. And we’ll see where they are in a month. And I’m not counting counting them out. Let’s be clear about that. I’ve been the guy saying, Kansas City is still the team to beat and in the ceremonial sense in the practical sense, as far as the experience they have. Yeah, I’m not missing them whatsoever. But you look at all these other teams in the AFC, they all have flaws. And I’d say they all have flaws that are more concerning than the Ravens flaw right now, quite frankly. Yeah. You could talk about the Ravens postseason experience. You could say the same exact thing about every other team in the conference other than the chiefs. You know, Buffalo. Are they even gonna get in? Yeah. Okay, Buffalo Swan a little bit more than the Ravens in January, but they have to get in and it’s gonna be tough for them to get in, even if I think they’re still really good and dangerous if they do. So. All these teams are dealing with something. So you look at the Ravens right now. And you just say, Okay, I get it, losing Mark Andrews, that stinks. And we’ll see if, you know, we’ll see if they can he can come back for the AFC Championship Game and know JK Dobbins, I get it. And they’ve had some other guys injured here and there, but they’re mostly intact as a football team. And their MVP caliber quarterback is healthy, which a lot of teams in the conference cannot say right now. And you know, they’re, they’re ascending. I mean, they’ve won seven of their last eight. It’s tough to, okay, I get it, they want an overtime against the Rams, it wasn’t their most dominant performance of the year, especially defensively, you know, where they had their issues for once. But we I just don’t know how you can’t look at this team right now compared to the rest of the NFL, and not feel really, really good about where they are. And, hey, they’ve got to go out and win. You know, they stubbed their toe on Sunday night and we’re having a different conversation next week as they’re getting ready for the 40 Niners on Christmas night but I think there’s every reason to be really excited and really optimistic about where this football team is going but they’ve got to go out and handle their business and that begins on Sunday night. Like I said, I think of against the very desperate Jacksonville team to right the last couple of weeks and make sure that they secure their division title and their opportunity to get into the playoffs.
Nestor J. Aparicio 27:38
Jacksonville Jaguars. We’re heading down there Luke is going to be heading out to Owings Mills next week for a summer holiday eggnog cheers the Ravens do two in a row on the row two and row on national television. And you know Happy Holidays everybody. We’re gonna do two in a row for the Maryland crabcake tomorrow Friday. We’re gonna be doing it for the very first time and at dispatch are gonna be foreign data. We’re gonna have a delicious crab cake that I’ve been waiting to have. The guy that owns this joint has been hitting me for years saying I got to before I had a crab cake tour. He’s I got the best crab cake. So Friday we’re going to have crab cake and foreign daughter also going to be joined by Drew Westervelt from X makes a detergent local local company getting all the stinkiness out of all of my sweaty gear from Planet Fitness and from my hot yoga classes, as well as Jeanne shock rock’n’roll hero from Dundalk and rock’n’roll Hall of Famer from the Go Go’s, she’s going to join us on Friday for her annual holiday eggnog turn. We’re going to talk some drumming and some rock and roll that’s going to be a foreign daughter. I’ll be giving away the Ravens scratch off the peppermint payouts the OH SNAP gingerbreads that smell like gingerbread. Sometimes foreign daughter smells a little different in there. I’ll bring in the the OH SNAP stents in there and we have the unscented unwrap the cash tickets as well our friends when donation 866 90 nation reminding you buy to get through free 0% financing through the holidays. It feels on that draft coming in at Snow earlier in the week. You need new windows. It certainly saved me a lot of money on my my gas electric bill. The last year and a half I I need to work on some door so I’m going to call 866 90 nation I went to Asia talks and doors for 2024 also our friends at Jiffy Lube multi care always take care of you my little light came on the other day it’s oil time again. I gotta get my oil changed. I’m going to Jiffy Lube, Jiffy Lube, multi care. So make sure you’re doing that Monday, Monday Monday. We’re going to be back at wise markets. We’re going to be up at honey go. Eggnog ham kielbasa sauerkraut, apple pie, cinnamon ice cream, maybe some green bean casserole trying to make if I left anything else out. We’re gonna have lots of all sorts of snacks and goodies, all sorts of bonbons. Christmas goodies. We’re going to be at the wise at hunico. We’re going to be joined. And I’m about to get into this just for a minute with Luke, the Maryland stadium authority former chairman Tom Kelso. We saw the current chairman who was too detained to come on the show and answer any questions but was on stage giving the Baltimore Ravens are giving Sashi Brown who took my press credential $480 million I think was the number to feel premium premium premium premium and the perimeter perimeter perimeter we all know the beer is colder and the hotdogs just taste better inside the perimeter and I can’t wait for them to have a perimeter so they can sell the PSL that they took for me that they’re trying to get rid of. And the $3 tickets the other day look, the stadium thing I want to talk to you about it for just a minute because I want to talk to Tom Council on Monday why as markets we’re also gonna have Derek Fraser on you mentioned wrestling, Derek Fraser has been all over the world as a wrestler so we’re gonna have him on as well. And John Martin’s gonna come out in tuck a Maryland lottery scratch offs in the big holiday weekend, stocking stuffers and stockings hung by the chimney with care and all that. All I want for Christmas is a new baseball owner, Luke, I don’t think we’re getting a new baseball owner right now. I think the information that leaked last week may have been targeted and useful for a certain hockey and basketball owner that’s been trying to move his team across the river into Virginia. Ted leonsis was in the news there, there is more Bucha going on here, all the way around from the timing of the Ravens press conference to stick it to the Orioles to the Orioles being completely out to lunch to both of these teams being very good. Can you imagine if the ravens are three and 10 and talking about their premium hotdogs and the Orioles are losing 110 games and talking about turning down $600 million to basically fix the place up the way the Ravens just showed it off with Gensler over the week. We’re at a really interesting time, you’re more than a fan. You’re an educated journalist, you don’t have the same interest in gold plated black wing clubs that the government is going to buy for the ravens to charge more money, which is essentially what’s happening. All of it is incredibly gross as a taxpayer. And as somebody that cheered for this and routed for this and, you know, put on to get the first stadium built and put on to get the second stadium built. And I’ve been at this level light. These teams are despicable. They’re run by despicable humans. And if you watch these press conferences and the lack of gratitude during the holiday season for getting 500 I mean everybody on the stage is making their money off the public Teddy at this point, when you’re getting $500 million from the state Brad Downes that is your salary, you know, Sashi Brown, that’s where your $2.3 million a year to be the president of this club. That’s where all of this is coming from. It’s coming from us from taxpayers and from $20 beers and $14 specialty hotdogs with some crappy crab dip on it, you know, so I just I keep looking at this. And I love sports. I built my life around sports. I cheer for the stadium. But this is a scam. I mean, this is an unbelievable scam and 55 years of age that I’m watching and one that the baseball owner is not even willing to accept and put his Tickets on sale for next year. Well, we sit here and talk about relief pitching and when we signed Gunnar Henderson I mean, I feel such instability with Major League Baseball and and the the franchise itself, that there’s no cohesion going on here. And everybody’s afraid of John Angelo’s, I’ve learned that but me but me, everybody’s afraid to John Angelo’s put me.
Luke Jones 33:25
I mean, it’s what the term like corporate welfare for private profit. I mean, it’s kinda what we’re seeing in Miniloc. That’s not unique to the state of Maryland, it’s the NFL. Look at some of the stadiums that are being replaced at this point in time. These are contemporary in terms of when they were built. I mean, the Titans are gonna build a new stadium. I mean, you think back to whatever they’re calling it these days. And I always, I still think Adelphia Coliseum, because that’s what it was when the ravens and Titans rivalry was at its peak. But you look at stadia in the NFL, it’s, you used to think in terms of at least 30 or 40 years, and now it’s becoming more like barely over 2020 or 25. It’s what we’re seeing and look, yeah, this is yeah, this is not a discussion that can be had in a few minutes to really do it justice. And I would be lying to you if I could say I was as well versed as I really needed to be but you know, this public funding state funding that goes to stadia around the country. Unfortunately, it’s the cost of doing business because if you don’t do it, the fear is all it takes is one other market to do it. And then well, you have what is happening, you know, what’s happened in the NFL a number of times over the last 25 years, including Cleveland coming to Baltimore, you know, over a quarter century ago,
Nestor J. Aparicio 34:45
but let’s just take the next three weeks, Jacksonville slum of a stadium, they’re going to they’re going to leave that market they they are between them and the chargers, they are primed, and they’re never going to fix it. They’re never going to fit See, I mean, Jacksonville is what it is. It’s been there 30 years. I mean, that’s a pole tag label production there, you know, and so they’re never gonna fix that. And then next week, we have San Francisco that’s not even San Francisco. It’s in Santa Clara. If you’ve been to that stadium, it’s the strangest thing. It’s in the middle of a pasture next to a light rail stop in the middle of Silicon Valley, literally in the middle of nowhere. It’s like it was it’s kind of like an industrial park with a stadium in it. And a stadium is not very good. It’s not very nice. It’s got all suites on one side and a bowl of something else. On the other side. It’s 45 miles from San Francisco. It’s just very weird. But it got done. And the league’s happy. The league has two teams in LA. And they just gave another Super Bowl to La paid for yesterday, right? So this West Coast thing that they’ve done, and then Miami, you go down there, it looks like it’s you feel like you’re in Europe, it’s a European style Stadium, where they spent a boatload a buttload of money, turning that from Joe Robbie, where they played lousy Marlins baseball games into something that, you know, looks like a place that Messi will play. You know, I mean, like, it has a different, it’s still crappy. I mean, the Miami stadium is awful. I mean, the Miami Gardens where the dolphins play, it’s not much but we see these other stadiums, we go into stadiums pretty much unchanged over 30 years, really, I mean, television sets and an escalator but they you know, it’s the same same experience. And that’s not going to change either. All they’re basically taken $500 million to do is to build an indoor sports bar, so that you stop tailgating and go in and get your beer inside the perimeter where it’s always colder, dude, I’m never gonna let that go. I don’t even know who that smarmy prick was appointed. I really don’t. But when I heard, I was like, I had my coffee. I’m like, the heat to say that to Baltimore people, some bureaucrat brick that’s making a couple 100 million, a couple 100 grand a year off of this money off of, he’s gonna drink it out of this $480 million of our money and sit there and talk to me about selling me better hotdogs and colder beer. I mean, to read the room, you prick, you’re gonna read the room. And then they call the media, and they’re sashing up their wave. And after throwing me out after 30 years and empty seats all through the press conference. I mean, there’s nobody there to ask the question. It. And that’s the way they want it. That’s the way they like it, where they’re all, you know, the beers
Luke Jones 37:31
colder for them, because they’re going to make more money that way. I mean, look, I mean, I said this to you, when we talked about this just a couple of days ago. I mean, look, this is not anything that was shocking or surprising. We knew this was coming. I mean that there was $600 million earmarked for both the ravens and then the orange and the Orioles whenever they sign a lease. You
Nestor J. Aparicio 37:50
know what it was like when I looked at it? It looks just like Green Bay. Like and you know what I mean? Like up in Green Bay? Yeah. And atrium to Christmas treats. Well, it’s cold as hell and Green Bay. Right, right. So they built it to get people inside to be warm. Literally, just it’s, it’s almost like a ski lodge. You mean literally when you’re there. It’s almost ski lodge in Green Bay. It looked just like Green Bay. To me. It just looked like they took the Green Bay bar and atrium and there. It’s gonna be beautiful. I mean, and it’s beautiful and Green Bay. Yeah. So when I looked at the plans, that’s if anybody’s seen Green Bay or been there. It’s the closest I happened to all the stadiums. So have you most of them that you’ve been to at least you know, you’ve been to more than three quarters of them. This is that that design for me? So I recognized it.
Luke Jones 38:40
Yeah, and to your point, I mean, it’d be nice but you know, the point I made to you and I said this more speaking as someone who had season tickets years and years ago and went to games years and years ago was a phantom go I go and cover games now. So I haven’t been
Nestor J. Aparicio 38:53
good thing. You stopped buying the tickets. Because if you didn’t buy the tickets jammed with throw, yeah, I got thrown out because I bought the tickets. I had the I had the audacity to buy my ticket that that was the that was the first warning shot that I was getting thrown out. How dare you buy tickets and sit in your seats where you see the game better? Like they’ll buy tickets, whatever,
Luke Jones 39:10
but the point the point I was trying to make though is for someone who enjoys the let me say traditional way of going to a football game which is you have your tickets but your tailgate. Yeah, right. Whether whether it’s in the lot or you go to a local establishment right i mean that’s kind of that’s the thing you do you know, you go to one of the one of the bars and fed Hill walk across bridge go to the game you know a lot of people do that or you tailgate in your parking spot for most of what they were selling as far as the renovations you know that felt much more upper class right you know, if you have more and more disposable income which God bless if you do I’m not judging that but what they were selling and what their branding this you know, these renovations and upgrades for it felt like those four folks who aren’t, aren’t on the same kind of budget, right? You know, they don’t, they’re
Nestor J. Aparicio 40:04
gonna fix your experience and make your experience more premium. Now they’re not just gonna separate you from your wallet, it this isn’t about making the experience of the game better for you. This is about trying to find ways to say to make your $18 Beer $25.
Luke Jones 40:19
And the reality is the NFL did not get to this point in time where it is right now which is head and shoulders above the rest of major American professional sports by thinking about the common fan they they’ve done the opposite. I mean, heck, we’re, we’re now flexing Thursday night and Monday night games. I mean, we’ve gotten to it even though we’re not seeing it yet. They have the ability to do that now. So you know that
Nestor J. Aparicio 40:42
for those who care about their own players, why do they care about the fan? Sure.
Luke Jones 40:45
Yeah. It’s all about making money and look I mean, that’s again, that’s not a rate a unique to the Ravens. That’s that’s how it works around the league. And
Nestor J. Aparicio 40:52
but but that being said, I’ll push back on this in saying tickets for $3 on Sunday, and 30,000 people chose to not use their tickets to see a 10 and three team play. It wasn’t 38 and rainy Dude, it was 60 in rain, it was.
Luke Jones 41:08
Yes. And I will fully acknowledge the forecast ended up being a nice break. But the forecast was lousy. I mean, it was supposed to be pouring rain the entire day. I get it 38 Compared to 60. You’re right. At the same time, let’s not act like on paper that forecast looked like that was going to be any kind of my point
Nestor J. Aparicio 41:27
is the game lasts for hours. It’s always on a Sunday. People go to church people get there the people tailgate, want to tailgate, the people that want to pay premium prices, and B premium premium premium and have the better Orthology and the cooler beer. They’re already doing it. Where are they finding these people? Yeah, where? Where’s chat steel and Brad Downes going and finding the $25 Beer holder and finding more people to sit in the silver seats that they can’t find anyway and find the more people to insult like car dealers that you and I know who had sky boxes and then were chased out of their sky boxes quietly. So like I just they’re looking for a crowd that does not exist in Baltimore. I have served this marketplace for 39 years. Chad steals not from your which is one of the reasons he threw me out because he doesn’t know any better. And all of the people one of the problems and Ravens have and I haven’t said this enough out loud. And if I had time with Steve shotty and I wrote, you know, I can write him a letter anytime. Maybe I’ll write him another letter. Right. Acosta still has one common. He’s got a steamer coming for me my friend in the holiday season, Eric Costa, but one of the problems they have out there is you have too many smarmy out of town pricks working there and not enough local people. Yeah, they all of these guys will say why premium this and hotdogs and beer and I’m thinking who is your customer who’s buying this? You’ve already got all of that. You got a club. You got purple lights, you got plenty more on the wall. You got bonbons. You got chocolate dipped strawberries, you got all of that. You got a 10 three football team. You got all you got everything. And the tickets were three bucks because it rained a little and it was 60 degrees. Who is this? Who’s filling this place? And giving you $23 for a beer and $12 for a lousy hotdog on a Sunday at 1130 in the morning? Who is it? Who is it? I’ve been watching this league for 30 years. I’ve gone all around the league cold weather warm weather indoor outdoor, good teams, bad teams, crappy owners, good owners, nice stadiums. Oakland, you know, I’ve been everywhere. Who are where are these people were in Ruxton were in where are they getting these people that are going to be a part of the gold club premium. I mean, everybody talks about trying to find rich people to give them money, premium seats at the CFG Bank Arena. And that’s you know, that’s a factor of John Mayer and kiss wanting premium prices right I mean, literally right. The artists makes all the money in that much like Lamar Jackson’s making all the money on the field right. I am just blown away that they I agree great product, great league. We all love it. We all love it. We all love it. Nobody’s going and that’s not this week last week. Last year, I go back to Joe Flacco getting his bell rung by KIKO Alonso five, six years ago when I see him after playing and thinking there was nobody there that night. And then there was COVID. And most of the time, there’s lots of empty seats most of the time except when the lions come to town or a team that buys 10 or 12,000 of the tickets. There are lots of empty seats and tickets are readily available for $10 $20 on game day, it’s very rarely there’s one game a couple weeks ago with the price held up the Detroit game and held up and was one other game I don’t remember what game it was where tickets kind of like were 75 bucks were like a regular price. I’m, and they’re talking premium premium premium, and I don’t, if I’m in there, and they wouldn’t want me in there because they don’t want anybody. If I’m in there, I’d be honest, sit in the boardroom and say, Hey, I’m gonna build all this shit who’s who, who’s common. You better start marketing. You better get Chad steel out of yours thrown out media members and intimidating everybody else that’s left, you better start marketing your team to people who have this money that are going to come give it to you but to find those people, because it’s not the people I see at the games. It’s not young people that want to pay 25 young people get up there go to curio get a gummy and not and drink water the rest of the day. I remember we should sneak stuff in you can’t do that anymore. But like, nobody’s going into that stadium with a $200 budget to buy concessions on a Sunday. It’s not who their fans are. And I don’t that’s the part that’s weird. But I was talking to a friend of mine the other day like real estate game $500 million dollars, they need to do something with it. They can’t buy fans with it. So they’re gonna buy gold, they’re gonna buy bars, your bar taps, I don’t know, bricks, bathrooms that flush I I’m just wondering, none of that has anything to do with the football I know. And you know, and their fan base knows they’re there in fantasy land, dreaming up this businessman who’s going to come down and unload his wallet at nine o’clock in the morning, by standing in some bar on a 60 degree rainy day, instead of selling his tickets for three bucks and staying at home and watching it on the online and in the in the comfort of their home, where the beer isn’t as cold and the hotdogs couldn’t possibly be as good. But they’ll be outside the perimeter. I mean, I see all of this, and I see no marketing. But I go back to John angelos, you want billions of dollars to build something What are you gonna build the same thing the ravens are building that nobody’s going to come to
Luke Jones 46:53
I mean, I don’t have anything to add other than, you know, I’ll think back to what my experience was as a early to mid 20, something that tailgate, go in, I would buy typically one beer inside. And then, you know, I mean, you have to work the next day, you had to get home. Like there’s all of that. So there was the tailgate experience in the morning, which I did not have a $200 budget to go inside the perimeter of a hypothetical perimeter that will now exist around the stadium to do those kinds of things. But, you know, beer was cheaper. And by the way, wasn’t just hot dogs. Some of our tailgates we had all kinds of different stuff. We had themes every week. I mean, there was always that kind of thing. So yeah, yeah, the idea of clubs and not and put new, you know, new coats of paint, look, I mean, there’s gonna be plenty of upgrades and things like that of a stadium that’s just 25 years old, and needs those upgrades to your point, flushing toilets. And, you know, they’re going to expand the concourse in the upper deck, which is a good thing. For those sitting up there who, the concourse has always been really narrow in the upper deck, so there’s some of that. But yeah, all the new clubs in all that, I mean, that’s, that’s not appealing to a large portion of your fan base. And, you know, but like I said, same thing can be said, with what the Titans are going to build. And when the command Washington commanders, whenever they get, you know, whenever they build their new stadium, it’s gonna be st Same deal there. I mean, it’s, we’ll see how it plays out. But there wasn’t a whole lot from that. And again, I’m not even, you know, you’ve been much more critical of it than I have. I look at it. And just, you know, it’s unfortunately, the cost of doing business around the NFL. I mean, that’s how this works. But there was very little about that, that was terribly intriguing to me and say, Wow, that that sounds like something that I’d really be excited about as a fan. It’s just the truth. I mean, I want to watch the game. I want to be comfortable while I watch the game, but I don’t want to be price gouged. And so much of what that was just sounded like opportunities to charge me and I don’t mean me specifically, but as just as a fan. Just sounds like many more opportunities for you to charge me much more money than you already have in the past.
Nestor J. Aparicio 49:08
Yeah. Yeah. And we will talk more about that Tom Kelso will be joining us on Monday. And wise markets in honey go former Maryland stadium authority chairman who actually approved that money and was part of the legislature part of all of that to get that money for the Ravens. Matter of fact, Sashi Brown went down with his pen and signed the money away and Chad Steele pulled them away from the reporters down in Annapolis nine months ago to talk about it at all. And now they’re they’re ready to talk about the money they have because they’re ready to talk about how cold their beer is going to be and how much better the hot dogs are going to be inside the perimeter. So I’ll be on the outside of the perimeter watching. Sunday Night Football and the the Ravens down to Jacksonville and then off to San Francisco a lot. It’s wall to wall football all weekend long. This weekend and of course next weekend for the holiday. Look we monitoring all of it. We’re going to be watching the Orioles watching the stadium deal, playing some crabcake tour stuff and trying to talk that gratitude for the holidays I had to call on. I am certainly I gathered all of our friends and loved ones for the Dan Rodricks event last week. So we’ve already had a nice little holiday got some eggnog so I went to Royal farms and I got the clover land eggnog late at night because I was out of milk and I had to make a run against fried chicken as well. So big appreciation for that a friend of coal roofing as well. Bill coals taking a a mulligan this week, but he’s gonna come back for the holidays next week. I am Nestor. We are wn st am 1570, Towson Baltimore. And join the games here this weekend. And stay with us. We’re gonna be out on social media. Luke will be on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, all those places will have some great insights as the games go on. And we’ll be here to recap it on Monday we are wn st am 1570, Towson Baltimore. And we never stop talking Baltimore positive
