What makes baseball great is a September pennant race series at Camden Yards between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. This Labor Day weekend makes it a perfect time to check in with the hardest-working retired legend in New England. Sportswriter Bob Ryan of The Boston Globe and ESPN “The Sports Reporters” joins Nestor to talk about the greatest things he’s ever seen from behind a typewriter or a mobile device.
The discussion examined baseball’s changing rules and economics, the Red Sox’s prospects, memorable sporting events, and Bob’s life after full-time newspaper work.
Baseball Changes
- Bob said baseball remains unique because its situations, lack of a clock, and unpredictable endings still create special moments.
- He criticized modern pitching specialization, launch-angle priorities, and reduced connections to historical benchmarks such as 300 wins and .300 batting.
- Both supported the pitch clock and ABS challenge system, though Nestor argued that television provides a clearer understanding of balls and strikes than attending in person.
Business And Teams
- Bob expects the Red Sox to make the playoffs but does not consider them a true contender because their pitching has weakened.
- He views a potential labor stoppage as needless and hopes cooler heads resolve the salary-cap dispute.
- They contrasted the NFL’s shared-revenue model and strong ownership with baseball’s competitive concerns, emphasizing that money requires sound judgment to produce sustained success.
Career And Travel
- Bob still writes a Boston Globe column every third week and hosts two basketball podcasts, while traveling and reading during retirement.
- He recommended exploring less-touristed Greek islands rather than limiting a trip to Mykonos or Santorini.
Media And Interviews
- Nestor and Bob criticized routine locker-room and dugout interviews as largely uninformative.
- They discussed whether 24/7 sports coverage reveals more about athletes than coverage did decades ago.
Baseball Rules And Strategy
- Baseball’s enduring appeal comes from its clockless structure and unusual game situations.
- Pitcher usage, relievers, launch angle, exit velocity, and reduced historical benchmarks were debated.
- The pitch clock and ABS challenge system were viewed favorably, with questions about replay standards and the fan experience at the ballpark.
Labor And Economics
- A possible MLB work stoppage may center on the players’ resistance to a salary cap.
- Bob said salary-cap negotiations should not become a prolonged conflict and noted the NFL’s successful revenue-sharing model.
- Ownership quality and front-office judgment were identified as important alongside payroll.
Boston Sports
- Bob described the Patriots’ rise as Boston’s biggest sports story during his career.
- The Red Sox still generate strong fan interest when they provide a compelling run, but Bob does not believe the current team is a championship contender.
Memorable Events
- Bob named the Leitner game, a triple-overtime Suns game, the Tuck Rule game, the 2004 Red Sox comeback, and the 2011 Bruins–Lightning Game Seven among his defining sporting experiences.
Retirement And Travel
- Bob continues periodic writing and two podcasts focused on basketball and the Celtics.
- He recommended less-touristed Greek islands for future travel.
Nestor Aparicio 0:01
Welcome home. We are WNST AM 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We call this thing Baltimore positive. We are getting the Maryland Crab Cake Tour out on the road next Friday, back in my homeland of Dundalk, just in time for football season. We’ll be there on september 11, kind of a day we all remember. We’ll have the Ravens scratch offs with the Kiss Face Bird. Also, our friends at GBMC and Farnin and Dermer. They are the comfort guys doing all things comfortable. And I’m wearing my my orange regalia here because the Orioles are playing pennant race baseball here. Two games under 500. The Boston Red Sox are in town. I’ve already made Bob Ryan chuckle. He has been my friend for I don’t know about 35 years now, but I’ve been doing this about as long as that, and he’s always kind enough to make a little time. I don’t know why you endure me. I’m sure there’s a lot of guys that call you as Bob Ryan, the old ESPN guy, and you’re like, I don’t want to go on the air in Des Moines today. I did that ever with sports reporters, but you always take time to come on with me. And I saw you getting snippy about what I’m not allowed to be the curmudgeon in this relationship, Bob. But I feel identically to these these locker room interviews and dugout interviews. They’re the worst thing I’ve ever seen. So welcome in. There’s
Bob Ryan 1:13
waste of time. You know, people don’t want to do them, and and yeah, yeah. It’s it’s it it’s just silly. They’re pointless. They don’t. Tell me how many times anything provocative even comes out of it. But the one person that made them fun in in his own permutually way was Glenn Greg Popovich. You know everybody, but but that was we had fun laughing at that. But seriously, most of them are just ridiculous. And you know that the you know you have two questions. You know the way the format is. They ask a question, they ask you another question, and then you see it. Let them go, but it’s a waste of time, stupid.
Nestor Aparicio 1:47
Well, I often think like if I had that gig, you and I have done this professionally forever, going up to players that miss field goals that cost them a Super Bowl, which I did in your stadium, you know, in in New England, I mean, tough circumstances, winning and losing, and emotions, and all of that. Doing it in the middle of the game, I mean, I just keep thinking, who believed this was a good idea, and have they ever talked to anybody that’s ever done it on either side to think about it being a good idea?
Bob Ryan 2:16
Some suit. That’s all I can. Some suit that never been in the locker room. I think is thinks it’s a good idea, but obviously you’re right, and you know we’ve all been there having to interview people in in tough circumstances for them, you know, and you know that’s part of our job, and and and it’s it’s not a fun part, but it’s a necessary part.
8
Nestor Aparicio 2:36
Well, are we really better informed than we used to be in any way with all this 24/7 nonsense that goes on, do we do we know more or less about Tom Brady than than we would have known about Yastremsky or Walton 50 years? Probably,
Bob Ryan 2:49
I think it’s inevitable that things will seep out. You know, I mean, personalities will emerge that that wouldn’t have emerged for us 50 years ago. You mentioned Yaz is a good example. He was very private, and and there was no there was you know you didn’t talk about anything about him other than the the day’s game, and you mentioned Brady. As time went on, we found out that Brady was losing touch with reality. I said he he was turned into Michael Jackson by the time he was out in New England, and we know how how off the rails he’s gotten in the last few years. So, but would that would we have known that 50 years ago probably not?
Nestor Aparicio 3:27
Yeah, I mean, I had Ray Lewis’s star here, and he was every bit the star that Brady was at that position for our town, and we’re a smaller town than you. But like the Brady thing is, what do you make of that, Bob? I mean, you’ve covered. I mean, Bobby Orr. I’ll go through Ustremsky and Fisk and the Legends of the Red Sox. Even Pedro and Big Poppy in the modern era. Yeah, I mean, just all of these different athletes through all of this, all the Celtics and all the Red Hour. But what do you make of Tom Brady in the modern era,
Bob Ryan 4:02
he just just tried to get weird. I mean, you know, I can’t explain exactly how, but you know, but but it was just something. He wasn’t the same guy that we started out with in 2002. We didn’t know him the first year. You know, he was just this third string quarterback. We didn’t know him the very first year, and I was there today. That the history was made when when Bledsoe got hurt and Brady took over. I covered that game and started everything. And then we were we heard that that Bill Belichick was telling people that he was about to make a change. That he liked this kid a lot, and and that he yeah well it turns out he the change was made for him, and history was made anyway. But Brady, you just you know the the personal life got a little strange at times, and he just you know he revealed this true self, which is he’s a I won’t say unhinged, but but but he’s not as stable as we thought he was.
Nestor Aparicio 5:00
Well, yeah. I mean, certainly to be the leader of the football team, it always looked like he had it together. This post-game act, I think, for a lot of guys that leave the stage, it’s-I guess-it’s why Mick Jagger’s still singing and you’re still talking about sports, and me too. Bob Ryan is here, long-time Boston. All right, so Red Sox are in. I joke pennant race, but I know how much you love baseball. You and I have talked about keeping score at games and all this neato stuff. Where are you on the game right now? I mean, I went to the All Star game for the first time in about a decade last month. It was in Philadelphia. I did it as a media member. I went up to Adley Rutschman, your guy Adley Rutschman, and I asked three questions. I got three one word answers, and I thought maybe Angelos did me a favor taking my press pass 20 years ago because I’m
Bob Ryan 5:43
not you know there day to day anymore. I haven’t been there day to day since 2011 in baseball. I retired in 2012 full time from the Boston Globe as you know and and so but until the game, the situations that make baseball I think the best game ever. I always say it’s the best game to ever spring from the mind of mortal man. The situations still exist, and and circumstances exist to produce endings that are different and and more you know just special to baseball. Unlike other sports, the fact that there’s no clock, we know that we start with that as a premise. It changes a lot. It’s over when it’s over. Yogi’s line, Yogi Berra, it will be corroded forever and ever because what he said had the truth. It’s so it ain’t over till it’s over. And and God, you know that you talked about the Kozler catch, and and other things would happen. The Pirates and Giants had an incredible game yet at night. We’ve had a couple of weird games. I went up
Nestor Aparicio 6:40
to Philadelphia last week for a concert and to see Rush, and I pulled into the parking lot, you know, and the stadium’s right next to the hockey rink, and everybody was happy. It was Philly says they scored six runs in the ninth inning. They were down four nothing to win a game, and I’m like, I don’t know that I’ve ever attended a game like that. That’s a crazy thing.
8Bob Ryan 6:58
Yeah, the situations still are available to make baseball special, but it’s who’s doing it and how. In other words, they’ve messed with baseball history by the way pitches are being used. For example, we’re never going to see. We’ll be lucky to see another 250, let alone 300. We’re never going to see another 300 win guy. That criteria for judging someone about the Hall of Fame is is history. It’s not happening. Okay, we’re lucky to have a 250. We’ve got a couple left, but that’s a we may that may be the new benchmark 300 for sure. It’s the 250. Anybody starting out today? Okay, baseball. Look at the 300 hitters we’ve got. Now we we went through this once before in 1968. American League had one 300 hitter Carl Yostremsky, and then so it’s been done before, but we’re in a but this whole business about how the the launch angle and the and the exit velocity and and up up and and how the you swing and what you’re going after the way base batting has been approached and then you’ve got the way pitching’s been approached with who’s pitching, you know, and and that that six innings used to be you were bred to go nine, and now you’re bred to go if you’re lucky six, and and that’s where they are. And relievers, I laugh at these relievers. They tell me that they’re overworked. They work two days in a row. Well, how many pitches did he throw? You know, you see managers take guys out. I see him. They bring a guy in the eighth inning, and he goes, he retires his side on 10 pitches. But we have to go to the closer. Why? Because the agent wants it. Frankly, you know, the the way they conduct the game is is different and not as much fun. It’s taken some of the romance out of it in terms of of the the connection with history that always made baseball something fun to talk about. Was was talking about its link, its historical link that dwarfed all the other teams, all the other sports, and still does, but to a lesser margin. By the
Nestor Aparicio 8:49
way, it was your tweet that told me that Luis Aparicio is the oldest living Hall of Famer after Willie Mays passed, and we’re going on two two and a half three years now, Louis. So the baseball history part. I’ll hear all that, Bob. I would say this to you. I haven’t had you on all year. This year specifically, and you and I went through the shifts and the the the the the payroll issue. Just all the the the greed in the game. We’ve been through all that, but they’ve moved the game back now. Pitch clock, pitchers not being specialized to come in and throw one pitch against the left-handed a player, the big poppy thing or the Barry Bonds thing we had 20 years ago. But this year, the little box, and that first week that I caught the eye of it, we talked about it a lot. The the ABS system and calling balls and strikes. I mean, Jackson Holiday on Wednesday had a bad challenge that took the challenge away from his pitcher in extra innings. Silly things that we didn’t consider even as talking points last year that are a thing now. But Bob, this is my big story. I’ve been to four Oriole games this year. My friends at Cure. Wellness, give me a couple tickets right off the on deck circle. I’ve gone out a couple afternoon games. The game is so much better on television because you can see and identify the strike zone, and I think it’s spoiled me in a way that I never could have thought I would talk to you about it in that way. To say it’s better on TV, not by a little bit, it’s almost unwatchable in person if you watch it on TV five nights a week because you can’t tell what’s a ball and a strike.
Bob Ryan 10:28
I can’t go there with you to that extent. I hadn’t even thought about it in terms of that in these these terms. You know, I except I love the new innovation. I like the I like it. I think along with the Fitch account the clock, it’s improved the game dramatically in that regard, and so I’m. But I, it’s a good point. Now you’re going to put something in my mind. I hadn’t hadn’t been there, but well,
Nestor Aparicio 10:52
but I’ve gone to the game and I’ve wondered. And you know, at these baseball stadiums, Bob, if there’s a challenge play that doesn’t favor the home team, they won’t even put it up on the scoreboard. I mean, we spent $50 million building the scoreboard, but if there’s a replay of an error or something that’s questionable for the home team, they don’t even show it. So now I’m at the game wondering what happened. You know what I mean? And I think when I’m watching Ben McDonald and Jim Palmer, which are our local flavors here, I’m I feel way more informed as a fan from balls and strikes. As it’s one more thing that the that the manager can’t get thrown out for. I think right.
Bob Ryan 11:29
That’s true, but but that’s been kind of true about for a long time. But this is just one more example of it. And but it is still I I welcome it. I just wish now that we’ve got the technology that we could expand it fully. We had a situation the other day in which there was a sedan Raphael approached a sinking liner, and did he or did he not catch the ball? And at that point in the game, it was a tie game, and it turns out that the ruling was that he did not, and then when they replayed it, they didn’t have enough quote unquote incontrovertible evidence to overturn it. When we saw Dan went well, he did catch the ball, and if and if the umpires had said he caught it, and and and then they had the review, it would have been upheld. But because they said he didn’t catch it, and they had the review, and it wasn’t as as conclusive. Well, I thought it was conclusive, and and the umpires or the the replay people didn’t think so. Anyway, we’ve got that technology available, but and and we should be able to use it, but properly. Anyway, but that that’s I’m off a little rant on that one. But we’re all talking about that here in Boston. But regard to the ABS, it’s it’s really good, you know. And and however. I mean, we can see either certain who’s the umpire that had eight went over eight the other day. There’s an umpire. Now I’m sure the umpires don’t like it. I
Nestor Aparicio 12:53
got rid of Angel Hernandez because I, you know, I thought initially they would get rid of umpires because of this. And after watching it the first week, I thought, no, no, no. This challenge thing is brilliant. I mean, it’s almost like watching American Idol, where you have judges to see if it’s good or bad, and then you get to see the replay. Like I’m, I’m fascinated by all of this, and I would beat up Bowie Kuhn. I certainly would beat up Bud Selig about things they got wrong during their tenure. Rob Manford for this part, good job. But I’m about to turn the worm on you here, Bob, because I know you and I have been through a few of these work stoppages back to Messer Smith, and you know I had Mark Belanger around here and the Players Association and all that. We’re about to go into another like dark off season here, right? I mean, for the whole sport, talk about this, right?
Bob Ryan 13:42
All the aficionados acting as if it’s a fait accompli that we’re going to have a stoppage. It’s all going to be about the intransigence of of the players, about a salary cap, or at least it’s predominantly about that. And and and is the salary cap necessary? I, you know, I’m kind of, I’m not phased. You know, I don’t have to live with it. I salary caps don’t bother me. To me, they make they make some sort of sense. But and also with the amount of money that we’re talking about here for the players, they’re not exactly going to starve with or without the salary cap. Let’s get that straight away now. So it’s going to be a very very needless. battle. I think that the cooler heads should prevail. But from what we’re told, when when that last out of course in the World Series, it’s going to be a while before we see baseball again. The way people things are shaping up, I hope that somebody can come in and ride the white horse and get it straightened out.
8Nestor Aparicio 14:41
You’ve covered all these sports all these years from the beginning of time when there were no salary caps. You’ve seen the NBA go out and you love the NBA. I think we both have affection for the NHL and saw them shut that down. I got Kenny Albert on this week to talk about the year that they didn’t play hockey. This baseball thing, man. I went on the air in 1991. I’ve been in the media since ’85. My father canceled the sporting news in the summer of 1981 because he was pissed at baseball. There were no more box scores in the sporting news, Bob. So you’ll appreciate that. But you know, I was on the air in 93, 94 when Angelos came in here and took the players’ side, and Cal Ripken and called Bud Seelig a used car salesman, and just all the wacky stuff that happened here the last time around when we did not have a World Series when Camden Yards was brand new and was counting on such things. I just um, I’ve been through these wars long enough, and I am of the mindset where you are, where you know I’m not some socialist about all this. And Art Modell would always say we’re a bunch of hardcore conservative Republicans who are going to vote socialist in the NFL by splitting our money so Green Bay has a chance, and of course there’s going to be a Cincinnati or an Al Davis that are going to try to fleece money within the framework of that partnership. But I would subscribe that over the 35 years I’ve been doing this on the radio, talking to fans here in a in a baseball football city, the fact that baseball doesn’t have a salary cap and that hockey down in D.C. or basketball and the Wizards are a whole other thing, but that salary cap hasn’t made football the biggest sport going because they do all have the same amount of money, same amount of draft picks, same amount of same amount of everything, even though Jerry Jones is going to have a bigger hot tub and you know build the Jerry world down there. But in a general sense, you don’t feel like your team can’t compete. Baseball’s had a huge problem with that all of our lifetime, Bob.
Bob Ryan 16:33
Yeah, well, it’s always well. You go back to the the beginning of the Yankee dynasty in 1923 when they won their first pennant, first World Series, they won a pennant in 22, and and yeah, they they dominated. But part of it, I’ve always felt that it’s a bit money is overrated in that you need both money and judgment. Money alone doesn’t do it, and and that’s why when Andrew Friedman went to the Dodgers, I said, “Oh boy, this is going to be something because now the smartest guy in baseball is going to have all the money he needs. You know, and and and we’ve seen what happens. The Dodgers have had a good run, but it’s not the kind of run the Yankees had, or the or that the even you know the the big red machine or anything. But it it’s a nice run. No, this whole money thing. But people, the average fan eyes glaze over when they talk about this money. The the amounts that we’re talking about are so enormous and so unimaginably enormous, particularly compared to what they once were when when we grew up. When I grew up, you know, when when when the average salary was $6,000, and you know, literally, folks, and I mean, the the minimum was yeah. Oh, come on, we’ve we’ve gone to a point where the give us a break, folks, as fans that that this money battles are are are are a bit obnoxious, frankly. So I don’t know. It’s just we mentioned the NFL. The funny thing about the NFL is that it’s the greatest form of beneficial socialism in our society. I mean, they they have split that money. You go all again. Thank the Giants and and and Tim Mira Mara, excuse me, going way back when. But the the way that they went about their television process helped accelerate the success of this sport, and no, the NFL did it. They they they married you know capitalism and socialism as well as any entity has in America, frankly. And what can I say? But the the baseball, I just I just I’m not put off by a salary cap. I, I, it’s not in boo hoo. You know, it’s a matter of how many a couple a lesser zero on the end of the paycheck. That’s all. Come on. Ryan
Nestor Aparicio 18:52
is here. He is the longtime insider at the Boston Globe. All right. So taking that a step further, I’m reading Ken Bellson’s book right now from the New York Times on the NFL and the business of the NFL, and really Bob Kraft’s role within the framework of the modern era. And I know Bob a little bit. I mean, I used to be on the radio station in Boston that Bob was competing with EEI and the Globe because you’re such a big sports town and a four-sport town. There’s no question when I’m up there at Old Schaefer Sullivan Stadium, eating subs. The toilets don’t work. It looks like a high school bleacher place where I was up there watching Steeler playoff games in the fog 30 years ago. And Bob Kraft comes in and builds that mall and builds the parking lot. I remember bumping into him when the stadium was new and saying, “I just paid $250 to park my bus here with my fans. What are you doing, Kraft? And he went. He got. He came to me in the press box and politically said to me, “I had to borrow a lot of money. And he went it, but he answered me. I go up to David Rubenstein now, or Michael Araghetti. Bashadi’s on a yacht. Bashadi used to be a regular. You know, call me Steve. I’m from Glen Burnie. Now Steve is from the Bahamas in Florida and is on his yacht because Steve’s franchise is worth $10 billion. So that’s my Bashati impersonation. But nonetheless, these are not like even Bob Kraft was a dude 25 years ago. You can walk up to, but when you talk about good ownership, great ownership, elite ownership for what that franchise has done and the amount of money that team was going to Harford at one point. It might have been coming to Baltimore at one point, like, and you’ve witnessed it become the big banana in your market because the sport has been well managed, despite CTE and all the rest of it, gambling and all the rest of it, but the NFL has won because Bob Kraft and people like him and Jerry got on the boat and figured out how to make it fly. Right?
Bob Ryan 20:53
No, no, he’s he’s no doubt he’s done a had been an influential person not just locally but in inter but nationally, and you can even say internationally now that the the we we have an international games in proliferation, and the idea that he’s not in the Hall of Fame or that there’s an issue that he about him being in Hall of Fame is a joke, you know. Frankly, as in terms of his own personal demeanor, I can’t vouch for anything. I haven’t talked to people about whether their personal interactions are any different. I had some personal interaction with him years ago that was very beneficial and very very positive, and I haven’t had any in years now. But but he was a you know very much a local guy who you know Brookline Mass and and he understood the city and understood the region. I mean, you’re right. They almost went to yeah. There was there was threatening to go to Hartford. They were before that. They were threatening to go to St. Louis when Robert when James Bush Orthwine on the team, and we were worried that he was going to move the team to St. Louis. Oh, this franchise had had a rocky history. You know, they remember they were founded by Chuck Sullivan. I mean, by Billy Sullivan, who had no money, it was it was the original $25,000. I think he paid to get into the AFL in 1960 was borrowed for the most part, and I mean it was it was amazing. Aaron Modell
Nestor Aparicio 22:15
would say the same thing. That’s how he bought the Browns on borrowed money, and just that you could do that then. Now we get these billionaires coming in. And Bob, I would just say this to you about Bob Kraft. He came along right around the time that Angelos came along here. Angelos had 3.6 million people, two cities in the stadium, and he destroyed it. He’s, I mean, the remnants of what’s left of the Red Sox coming in here in a mostly empty stadium, and they’re honoring Eddie Murray this weekend. By the way, yeah, yeah, yes. The 30th anniversary is 500 home run that he came back here and hit after racism and everything else chased him out of here in 1988. But not, but, but I would say this: bad ownership and good ownership. It is, and the Red Sox have been well stewarded during this time. I had Janet Marie Smith on a couple of weeks ago, but you mentioned Theo Epstein. He had money. Then he went to Chicago. He had money. Theo didn’t want to run the Kansas City Royals or the Pittsburgh Pirates. You know what I mean? So in football, you don’t say that I won’t take the Arizona Cardinals job or I won’t take this job because I won’t. I, I mean, Steve Bashati once said to me in one of its moments of weakness, “I don’t want to own a baseball team. You can’t compete. The Yankees would always spend five times the amount of money. So he didn’t want to own a baseball team because he felt like it wasn’t fair.
Bob Ryan 23:27
No, you know we’ve had historically smaller markets succeed in the NFL, no doubt. And you know, of course, the ultimate example was Green Bay. But yeah, no, it’s been a very well run. It’s it’s been a very well run. You know, you go back. I think you can start. You want to see where do we start turning it around to something really significant? There was Zeller era, no doubt. You know, but you know, I’m not going to dispute that. It’s it’s it’s a place where you can you you can make money and on a smaller market, anyway. But I’m you know I’m not I don’t have a heartfelt interest you know in in their problems or football you know is not my number one. It’s it’s in my you have to deal with it. That’s where it’s more business for me. Well, the Red
Nestor Aparicio 24:19
Sox is your passion, right? I mean,
8Bob Ryan 24:21
baseball and basketball are my-they’re my heart, and and and football is is you know interesting business, and more more or less. Can the Red
Nestor Aparicio 24:32
Sox still run the city when they win 14 games in R? When they catch fire in June, that that’s still a place where it it comes back. Because I mean, I’ve talked to you and Shaughnessy and others in recent years-they become like number three around there, right?
Bob Ryan 24:44
They-they that month of July galvanized people, and they started. They weren’t selling out; they were doing well. So all of a sudden, it sell out every night. People that reacted to this very much so. Yeah, absolutely. So it just shows you that the spark is still there. You give people enough reason, you know. Yeah, the spark is still there. It’s it. But you know, there’s no question that the I always say the number one story in my entire tenure living in Boston and working in Boston, starting in 1968 when I was a summer intern at the Boston Globe. The number one story is the rise of the Patriots, and they because they went from a laughing stock at times, truly a complete laughing stock franchise, to become the gold standard for you know period of time in the 21st century. The Red Sox winning those four championships did not overshadow, you know the just by the way speaks to, and I I talked about this a lot. I don’t want to hear from any Boston fan complaining about anything about anything for maybe another 10 years, because we’re the winners of the prize for the first quarter of the 21st century for the most fortunate sports fan base. Won all four sports. We’re the first one to win all four. Won all four in seven-year period at one point from 2004 Red Sox to 2011 Bruins. We we we’ve got the most championships because I do not allow Los Angeles to count Anaheim. Anybody lives out in California knows damn right well that’s a separate municipality. So don’t be counting the Angels in that 0-2, and don’t be counting the the the hockey team. I’m sorry. Don’t be counting them, but you can count your LA teams. We have the most championships in 21st century. We got no reason for anybody to complain here.
Nestor Aparicio 26:32
Red Sox, you believe in them?
Bob Ryan 26:34
No, I think define that with with the goal with they’re going to make the playoffs. Obviously, you know because the mathematics say that, but it it it was a wonderful run. It was historic. They had the greatest July in their history. We all know that. But ultimately, you know, they’re they’re they’re they’re vulnerable. The pitching, which has carried them, had carried them at the point, is is really swinging some leaks right now. They’re going to make the playoffs, and they’re gonna, but they’re not. They’re not a contender. Let’s get that straight. So if that’s the, if that’s what you mean, no, I don’t believe in them. But are they fun and competitive? And and it’s been has it been a really crazy run for two months? And and did that keep your interest up? Yes, but no, they’re not a contender. No,
Nestor Aparicio 27:18
they’re gonna hang the bunting in Fenway next month. So Bob, a friend of mine asked me last month how many concerts I’ve been to, or my favorite concert. And even though I’m a sports guy and I’ve been to 1000s of sporting events, I’ve been to 1000s of concerts. So, I’m putting this music thing together for my 35th anniversary about my favorite concert. So, when I have someone like you on a young old timer, I got to ask you on the sports side, what’s the greatest thing you ever saw where you sat somewhere at a game? Now I’ve been to 27 Super Bowls sitting next to you at most of them. You know I’ve been to those championship games and crazy things. That’s just on the football side, baseball side. I’ve been to like 55 World Series games. I’ve attended. What’s the number one thing for you, or do you ever get asked that?
Bob Ryan 27:59
I get asked that, and I generally say I got to compartmentalize. I got to go by sport. I can’t pick one thing above all. We want to go by sport. We want to go sport. College basketball, Duke Kentucky, the the Leitner game, the the the great at the
8Nestor Aparicio 28:15
Spectrum, correct?
Bob Ryan 28:16
Yeah, the greatest college basket game I ever seen. And that
Nestor Aparicio 28:19
was a 16 game, right?
Bob Ryan 28:21
That that would, yeah, yeah, oh yeah, that was right. But that’s the best game that I of them all that I that I said, and I’ve been to 207 venues to see college basketball. Which, thank you. Good
Nestor Aparicio 28:34
answer. No, no, good answer. That you have a night that I remember where I was when that happened. I mean, I remember exactly where I was the minute that that shot happened.
Bob Ryan 28:43
Saturday afternoon. Okay, college basketball. There it is. NBA still, believe it or not, 50 years later, the triple overtime game with Phoenix. The the emotion that night, the extraordinary crazy things that happened. The the has not been surpassed by anything I’ve seen. Second place would be about 10 Larry Bird games. Okay, you know, you know, Larry Bird himself was worth a category. Okay, football, the Tuck rule game, the snow, the venatory kick in the snow, the whole thing, and of course that launched the dynasty. We know that, and if it weren’t for the Tuck rule, which was a right call of a bad rule, which they got rid of, you know, and you know that Al Davis went to his grave saying it was a fumble. Well, it was a fumble, but it wasn’t a fumble. In common sense, it was a fumble. Were you
Nestor Aparicio 29:32
there the night that the vacuum cleaner came in and made the way for the kicker against the Dolphins, or no? You wanted that one.
8Bob Ryan 29:37
Oh yeah, I was there that day.
Nestor Aparicio 29:41
Well, I think of other snow games at Foxborough. It’s a pretty good
Bob Ryan 29:44
one. Heated weird, you know, vile dolphins at the time, and yeah, that was that was so funny. Name is John Smith, by the way.
Nestor Aparicio 29:52
All right, baseball. What do you got?
Bob Ryan 29:54
Baseball, the combination of games four and five and oh four. Starting with the ninth inning of Game Four, remember the Red Sox got were beaten 19 to eight in Game Three, and I remember walking out of there with the doom and gloom, and I wrote a column, and one of the issues leading into those playoffs was if they were to win, oh, they’ve got to play the Yankees. Is it okay if we just beat the Yankees and and don’t win the World Series. You got to beat the Yankees because the you know what happened in ’03 had that heartbreak loss, the Aaron Boone home run, etc. etc. So there we are losing. It’s Game 4/9, inning down a run. Rivera at his prime is on the mound, and and
Nestor Aparicio 30:38
that game’s at Fenway, right? You’re at Fenway because I went to Game Seven when Damon hit the home run. I was at Yankee Stadium. Why not? Yeah.
Bob Ryan 30:45
First of all, the walk to Millar. Here comes Dave Roberts, who import brought on the roster and and at the trading deadline for one reason, to steal a base like this. And he, everyone in the world knows he’s he’s going to steal a base, and he draws two throws over from Rivera, and he takes off, and and Posada makes a good throw, and Jeter was a master of that swipe tank, and it was close. He was safe, but you could see Joe West could have blown that call. Any umpire could have blown that call. It was that close, but he got it right. There’s no question. All right, so now and then Miller gets a single, and they win it on a on a poppy base hit in the in the you know 12th inning. Okay, that and then we come back on the same calendar day. That game ended after midnight, and we started at 5p.m. for for game game five, and game five was was all kinds of craziness, and they finally win it in the 14th inning on a home run, and after Tim Wakefield had had was replaced instead of his regular catcher, Bevertek was catching, and he couldn’t catch the knuckle ball, and there were two pass balls to put the winning run on third. But he strikes out Ruben Sierra to get out of that inning, and they win the game. The two together were my baseball, you know, thing. Okay, and then in hockey, the the game seven in 19 2011, the Bruins played the Tampa Bay Lightning, one nothing game. Okay, they’ve been one nothing games, no penalties, 60 minutes of no penalties, and G Boucher, the coach of the Lightning, said it was like 60 minutes of overtime, and that’s what it felt like. I never seen a hockey game. Who has? No, not not many people have been filled with to see a hockey game in the NFL. NFL played HL at that level, no penalties. So there’s my there’s my quartet of memor memorable things. Bob,
8Nestor Aparicio 32:39
when people ask me about the greatest baseball game I attended, and I’ve been to 1000s of baseball games. I tell them it was Game Five of a playoff in ’03. I believe it was ’03. It was the crotch chop game with Tahada. It was Zito and Pedro Twilight in Oakland. Were you at that game? It was like a two to one game. This was the game where Damon was taking off on the stretcher. Were you at that game? I
Bob Ryan 33:07
was. I was, and you’re right. That was that
Nestor Aparicio 33:10
was one of the greatest baseball games I ever attended. My wife and I just happened to be out on the West Coast. She’s a Red Sox fan, and we flew. There was nobody there. There was 20,000 people. We sat five rows off the off the third base line at that game, and I remember. I mean, I’ve been a million games as a medium. I bought tickets for that game. I just sat there. That was a memorable, memorable game, and I thought you might have been at that
Bob Ryan 33:33
one. Interesting one. Yeah, no question, no question about it. I covered a World Series game that 1514 game in in in 93
Nestor Aparicio 33:42
in Philly, I was at that game too.
Bob Ryan 33:43
Team 14, I was fun. Toronto and and the Phillies. Now baseball, but but I just got to go with that. Yeah, the the historical impact and the you know the idea with the Yankees of those two games, it was incredible. You know how many many hours of baseball and less than 24? So that was it. But but then I can go. You know, Larry Bird games. He’s a whole he’s a whole category. Well, you
Nestor Aparicio 34:10
write a book on that. Bob Ryan is here for the Boston Globe. Always generous with his time. Are you like really retired? I mean, what do you and your wife like? What do you what do you do for fun when you’re not like writing a bet switch? Because when I think of you, I just think like you live at ESPN and you come out on the Sports Reporters every Sunday morning and like you did that most of my life. But like, what what does retirement mean for an old sports retirement?
8Bob Ryan 34:29
Kind of calm and we we’ve traveled. You know, we we always were travelers and and that’s out there. And I’m I’m I’m reading my my butt off right now and you know um so I’m alternating fact and fiction. I had gotten away from fiction, and and I was only reading nonfiction, and I I’m now alternating. So that that’s a big deal, you know. And I’m still I have two sources, you know, reasons why I have to keep up with sports. One is I still write a column every third week. When I first retired, it was every it was like 30 days times a year, and then my sports editor retired, and they knew they cut me back from every other week, and now I have a cut back to every third week. But I do still write, and I have my our own podcast. I do two podcasts. One is a three man job with Jeff Goodman, who’s who’s got his fingers in more basketball players than anybody I know. And Gary Tangway, who was a wonderful friend and local sports host, and then Gary and I do one where we basically focus specifically on the Celtics. The other one is a general basketball one, which can include NBA and college, because Jeff is conversant in both, and I’m still always going to be a college basketball fan. Although we don’t want to talk about the state of college sports today, we don’t have enough time. No,
Nestor Aparicio 35:47
no, no. We’re gonna last thing for you. Parting shot. Parting shot, because I that’s I’m I’m stealing that from from Dick. Parting shot. Where’s the one place in the world that maybe I haven’t been that I should go?
Bob Ryan 35:58
Week Islands. If when I talk, think about what I call tropical vacation. You know, the Caribbean, Hawaii, you know, Jersey Shore, whatever. No, the Greek islands are fabulous, and and so and there’s so many to pick from. You you can barely go wrong. It’s it’s one that that’s my that’s my recommendation. Well, I
Nestor Aparicio 36:21
got a lot of Greek friends. They’ll tell me Mykonos or you know. So I I’m I’m all in. Bob Ryan is here. I hope all your travels are good.
Bob Ryan 36:30
Don’t just sell for Mykonos or or or Santorini. Those were because you’re going to be elbow to elbow with a lot of tourists. Okay, you want to find some other Cithos, Ciros. There’s countless choices. You want to go see Santorini, just to ride in, because the caldera coming in is spectacular. But but you’re going to find out it’s it’s a tourist trappy town. But and but there’s plenty of others that are more secluded and and are beautiful and fun and and Greek islands.
Nestor Aparicio 37:00
You know, all my sponsors are Greek, Koco’s and Costas and all that, so they’re going to be very pleased that you picked the Greek islands and not Tahiti or some place I would have told you to go, like Morea. Bob Ryan is here. The Red Sox are in town. It’s a pennant race, whether it feels like one or not. I am Nestor. We are WNST AM 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We never stop talking travel tips with Bob Ryan. We’re Baltimore Positive. Stay with us.
