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Nestor Aparicio

Where are the Belmont fans?

Nestor Aparicio

Two weeks ago I had a bunch of folks implore me and write me to do a Belmont Stakes bus. It’s less than two days away and I’m having trouble filling one bus. Four years ago, we did THREE buses! The trip is priced at $115.70 and includes Corona beer, some food, a ticket to a fun day and you don’t have to pay for gas, tolls, parking, etc… We have more than 20 spots left for the big day with Big Brown. I hope some of the good horse racing fans of Baltimore join us. These trips are always a lot of fun! Click here to get aboard our fun bus.    

Why Pittsburgh sucks…

Nestor Aparicio

I wasn’t going to chime in so much tonight, in regard to my geeky love of hockey and respect for the Stanley Cup. I watch a lot of hockey, but rarely write about it. It’s my one guilty pleasure, the last one I have left as a sports fan. Tonight, the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup. They outplayed the Pittsburgh Penguins badly throughout this series. It probably should’ve been over several times two nights ago. If not for a lucky bounce and the most memorable of overtime periods, the Red Wings might’ve skated their Cup in front of Hockeytown at the Joe the other night. Instead, I’m watching them skate the Cup at the Igloo in front of the Penguins fans. I’m just guessing, but I’d say that all 16,000 of them also have a Ben Roethlisberger hat in their closets they’ll be pulling out in six weeks. And tonight, these same Pittsburgh “sports fans” – many of whom we’ve seen in living color on purple Sundays — were relatively boisterous in booing the Red Wings as they skated the Cup around the ice at the Igloo. Now the part about booing a very nervous Gary Bettman, OK

King of Baltimore brackets are here…

Nestor Aparicio

The registration and contest doesn’t begin until Monday, but here are the brackets and draws for the Toyota Live Web King of Baltimore Sports contest:   COOPER REGION Cal Ripken   Play-in Mike Flanagan   Raymond Berry Brady Anderson Jim Parker Dave McNally  Jon Ogden BILLICK REGION Ray Lewis         Play-in Gino Marchetti   Scott McGregor Eddie Murray     Jamal Lewis Lydell Mitchell    Jim Palmer WEAVER REGION Brooks Robinson Play-in Wes Unseld Chris McAlister  Mike Mussina     John Mackey Boog Powell       Lenny Moore EWBANK REGION Johnny Unitas     Play-in Ed Reed Mike Cuellar      Art Donovan Mike Stankovic     Matt Stover             Frank Robinson FINAL FOUR: Cooper Region vs. Billick Region Weaver Regions vs. Ewbank Region   Some loose criteria: 1. No two Hall of Famers will meet in the first round. 2. No two first round matchups are from the same sport (this could change with play-in candidates). 3. We attemted to mix up eras while ultimately keeping the top seeds separated by era. While arguments can (and will) be made about the equity of the brackets, we attempted to keep the King of Baltimore Sports competition as fair and interesting as possible. We hope you enjoy playing and debating the merits of the best that Baltimore’s ever had

King of Baltimore No. 1 seeds announced

Nestor Aparicio

Tonight at 7, join us at the Angle Inn on O’Donnell Street in Dundalk (right next to the Travel Plaza at I-95) for the unveiling of the Toyota Live Web King of Baltimore Sports Selection Show. Former Ravens head coach Brian Billick will join us for the festivities. Here are the No. 1 seeds, in no particular order: Ray Lewis Cal Ripken Brooks Robinson Johnny Unitas Hope we see you tonight for some ice cold Budweiser specials, some great food and the Orioles-Twins game starts at 8.  

Absurd thoughts at midnight watching hockey…

Nestor Aparicio

Only the Stanley Final going two overtimes could keep me and the entire country of Canada up half of the night. And there’s no end in sight… Zetterberg? Crosby? Malkin? Someone, anyone – SCORE, please! Hockey at this level, with this kind of passion and want is what it’s all about, being a sports fan. It’s what makes the Stanley Cup finals so special. Sure, I could fall asleep on it (and it feels like hours ago since Adam Jones hit that ball over Jacoby Ellsbury’s head), but I might miss the raising and kissing of the Cup. I don’t think I’ve missed a live Cup raising in over 20 years. (C’mon, have you missed a Super Bowl in the last 20 years? Well that’s what the Cup raising night is like for me.) Every time Detroit touches the puck it’s exciting. And Pittsburgh is playing like they mean it after squandering a 2-0 lead and then scoring late to press overtime and stave off elimination. The Penguins are more like cats than like birds. If they somehow get this series back to Pittsburgh, they should be commended. I’ve written them off three times already in this series (twice tonight

Brian Billick comes to Angle Inn in Dundalk Tuesday night for KOBS

Nestor Aparicio

The Toyota Live Web King of Baltimore Sports bracket selection drawing will be held at the legendary Angle Inn in Dundalk Tuesday at 7 p.m. We’ll have a surprise “commissioner” as former Ravens coach Brian Billick will join us at the Angle for a Budweiser and some fun Baltimore sports conversation. We’re planning on doing the brackets and then watching the Orioles-Twins game at the bar while we munch on some delicious food. We hope you can make it over to 5805 O’Donnell Street (it’s right behind the Travel Plaza and easy to find). If not, we’ll have all of the festivities up on wnsTV later in the week. BTW: My four “play-in” candidates are: 1. Mark Belanger 2. Earl Monroe 3. Bert Jones 4. Ken Singleton I was stuck on Rafael Palmeiro and Peter Boulware for Nos. 5 & 6. This contest is going to be a lot of fun and it’s already stirred up some classic debate. Make sure you vote this week (you can vote once a day this week!) and get ready for “Bracket Week” beginning next Monday, June 9th.      

Finally, the BALTIMORE Orioles…

Nestor Aparicio

My b column for tomorrow’s editions… The Orioles have – ahem – stumbled a bit recently, falling three games below .500 with yesterday’s third loss in a row to the Red Sox and into the cellar of the A.L. East but their residence in the standings was hardly the biggest story surrounding the franchise this weekend. Sometime on Saturday evening word “leaked” from The Warehouse that the franchise and its beleaguered ownership group have finally come to their senses and restored the word “Baltimore” back to its rightful place on the crest of the Orioles’ road jerseys beginning in 2009. We can only guess to the frequency of use and design of the uniforms, but we’ll pick that debate up on another day. Guessing about this is leak is the only option since no one in the organization is allowed “per M.L.B. rules” to make an official announcement regarding this momentous and positive occasion because it might disrupt jersey sales for the remainder of the season. And the Orioles never answer questions from me and revoked my media credential before last season so they’re always “unavailable” for comment. The team has apparently made the biggest ideological decision of the last

The official ‘play-in’ list for King of Baltimore sports is here…

Nestor Aparicio

As expected, the debates have been fast and furious this week regarding the “Toyota Live Web King of Baltimore Sports” contest. While the initial 28 names have been relatively easy to identify (and if you doubt Brady Anderson’s credentials it’s only because you haven’t seen his stats), here’s where the hard part comes — picking the last four “play-in” candidates to fill out our brackets for our “bracket week” starting June 9. The actual daily 1-on-1 matchups will begin on June 16. All next week the names below (and maybe more) will be available here at WNST.net for your voting pleasure. The voting will be open all week and you can potentially vote once per day for four players per day. (During the actual daily competition, you’ll only be allowed one vote per day as well! There will be no “stuffing of the ballot boxes” in this contest!) We are releasing the list today so that you can peruse the list and tell us who we’ve missed. And that’s “if” we missed anyone… If there’s enough steam for someone not on the list, he will be added. WNST has no agenda other than creating a debate and a legitimate competition

WNST King of Baltimore Sports “List of 28” announced

Nestor Aparicio

(Listed in alphabetical order): Brady Anderson Raymond Berry Mike Cuellar Art Donovan Mike Flanagan Jamal Lewis Ray Lewis John Mackey Gino Marchetti Chris McAlister Scott McGregor Dave McNally Lydell Mitchell Lenny Moore Eddie Murray Mike Mussina Jonathan Ogden Jim Palmer Jim Parker Boog Powell Ed Reed Cal Ripken Jr. Brooks Robinson Frank Robinson Mike Stankovic Matt Stover John Unitas   Wes Unseld Beginning on Monday, a list of more than 30 “play-in” candidates will be released. WNST.net users will be able to vote for four “play-in” legends from the list all next week. The top four vote-getters will fill out the remaining slots in the tournament. WNST.net will also announce the No. 1 seeds on Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. On Tuesday night, we’ll gather at the Angle Inn in Dundalk at 7 p.m. to announce the brackets/pairings. The brackets will be complete and ready for selection on the morning of June 9th. The daily 1-on-1 competitions begin on June 16th. The contest will end with the crowning of the King of Baltimore Sports on Friday, Aug. 8th with WNST’s 10th Anniversary at Sports Legends Museum.

Are the Penguins just the Steelers on skates?

Nestor Aparicio

OK, so here’s where the “fan” in me comes out. I’m sitting home tonight wearing out the batteries in my remote between the Orioles-Yankees game and the Penuins-Red Wings Stanley Cup final matchup. It’s really going to suck when hockey is through for another year. It sucks every year, but the saving grace is seeing Lord Stanley’s chalice hoisted to the heavens again. In that vein, it’s tonight that I’ve finally “picked a side” in this interesting (albeit lopsided before tonight) matchup. I’m not a Penguin hater, despite my feelings for all things Steelers and Pirates. (And if you need to ask about “why the Pirates?” you’re under the age of 35 and don’t remember Omar Moreno’s wife…or Willie Stargell…or 1971!) But tonight, seeing their sea of white — a major “WHITE OUT” by any standard set in Winnipeg — I’ve decided I should be a more hardcore Red Wings fan, especially considering it looks like the Penguins are back in this series (they’re up 2-0 as I type) and very, very chippy tonight. (By the way, the dozen or so cats who are wearing RED in a sea of unending white have some serious stones at the Igloo tonight.

King of Baltimore Sports gets underway…

Nestor Aparicio

Our summer promotion, “The Toyota Live Web King of Baltimore Sports” is now underway, as I’m sure you heard on WNST yesterday. We’ll be releasing more information daily regarding The King, which will begin in earnest on Monday and go daily through our 10th Anniversary celebration, which will be held at Sports Legends Museum on Aug. 8. We are also celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Baltimore Colts first team championship of the modern era and the 25th Anniversary of the most recent Baltimore Orioles world championship. We are planning on having a grand gala on Aug. 8th so mark your calendar. The 32-man brackets for the contest will be unveiled on Tuesday night at the Angle Inn in Dundalk. Here is your food for thought for the day: below is the list of all of the candidates we could cull for the final list of 32. So far… Tomorrow, we’ll release the 28 “first-ballot” entries. Next week, you can vote for the final four “play-in” contestants in right here at WNST.net. We figure that there have been about 5,000 different people who’ve worn the name “BALTIMORE” on the crests of their jerseys over the past 50 years in Baltimore.

Clem Florio (1930-2008)

Nestor Aparicio

I received word yesterday that Baltimore and the world lost one of its iconic lovers of horse racing and boxing on Sunday night when Clem Florio died in Hollywood, Fla. from pancreatic cancer. I wrote a tribute to Clem about 10 days ago. I actually chatted with his daughter, Clemma, on Sunday afternoon before his passing and she said that he loved the past year of his life in Florida with the warmth and even made the occasional trip to Calder during his illness, when he also suffered from dementia. There are several links on the web to Clem’s life and story, most notably pieces that Michael Olesker has written for The Examiner here and here. Vinnie Perrone also wrote a fabulous tribute here. Clem was my resident horseman and boxing afficionado during the 1990’s and he was truly one of my favorite people on earth. There was no way to spend time with Clem and not find it enjoyable. He was as engaging and kind and animated an individual as I’ve ever known. He was just great company! One friend wrote on an email thread last night: “I’m thinking of all the cliches here, but, damn, it ain’t easy

Last call for a Belmont Stakes bus!

Nestor Aparicio

I finally found an available bus for the Belmont Stakes trip next Saturday, June 7th. Here’s the deal: I only have a handful of people interested so far in doing the trip. So, I wanted to give one last chance to those folks who want to do a bus trip next weekend and see Big Brown attempt to make history at the big beautiful track in Elmont, N.Y. I’d love to do a bus, but it doesn’t make much sense to have a bus with 15 people on it. So, if you are serious about going — and it’ll be in the $100 price range for food, beer, sodas, ride, general admission ticket for the big day — please email me DIRECTLY at nasty@wnst.net I really hope we can do a bus next weekend but I just want to make sure we have enough folks to fill a bus. Thanks!    

Orioles go from penthouse to outhouse

Nestor Aparicio

Don’t look now, but the Orioles have gone from an “interesting” spring team with some exciting evenings to quickly becoming a team on a fast course to nowhere. That is, if they can’t find a way to start hitting the baseball. This morning, they wake up on a 80-degree Memorial Day again mired in last place of the AL East in the midst of a five-game losing streak. Worse than that, their weekend hiccup has allowed the Tampa Bay Ray (formerly Devils Rays) to be in FIRST PLACE in the division. The times they are ‘a changing… And here come New York and Boston to attempt to kick them while they’re down… Two weeks ago, I made a bet with Drew Forrester when the Orioles were 16-16 that the team would be hard-pressed to be 32-32 at the same juncture. Before the inevitable (and foolish) “Nestor hates the Orioles” comments start flooding this blog, remember this: they were picked by Las Vegas to win 65 games! So, knowing that, a .500 ballclub would be a reason for a parade! Right now, with seven games coming against the Red Sox and Yankees at home – where their talent will be overwhelmed

Jason Taylor ‘Dancing with the Ravens?’

Nestor Aparicio

Our competitors were on the radio all day Friday trumpeting Jason Taylor’s “purple carpet” welcome to Baltimore. (By the way, they were doing the same thing in San Diego. Taylor must have one helluva a pipeline from his agent, who is desperately trying to get him outta Miami!) Obviously, when this happens people turn to WNST to see if the rumors are true. And my phone rings off the hook anytime anyone starts a silly rumor on the internet. Such is media life in 2008… So, we do our jobs and research the stories that our competitors invent or fabricate or report. I chatted with three people “in the know” in Owings Mills and two well-connected media members from the South Florida area who gave me a litany of reasons why there’s “no way” it will happen. And several said the exact same thing to me: “NO WAY!” Here they are: 1.    The Ravens can’t afford Jason Taylor. The cap is a problem and Taylor, at this point in his career, won’t be taking less money to play football. 2.    The Ravens won’t give up a 3rd round (or better) draft pick to get him. 3.    The Ravens already have

Did Jim Palmer just call Sidney Ponson ‘Shamu’?

Nestor Aparicio

I’m in a baseball-kinda mood tonight and whenever Gary Thorne and Jim Palmer are calling a game in HD from Yankee Stadium, where else would you wanna be? It’s been about four years since I’ve been to Yankee Stadium and I’m kinda yearning to go to one last game there before they move into that Roman Coliseum looking place across the street next year. Right now, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be in October. HA! So, first I get that crazy double play catch that Nick Markakis from the wall. That was a phenomenal play and seeing Johnny Damon get doubled off was also pretty sweet for my wife, who still is kinda salty about him going from Boston to New York. It was a “high-five” moment. Now, Jim Palmer (who is quickly becoming my all-time favorite color announcer) and Gary Thorne are having an honest debate about why baseball moves so slow and how MLB is trying to speed up the games. Palmer always loves sharing his encyclopedia-like knowledge of baseball’s past, of course. (I’ve always loved hearing Palmer’s stories and I’ve been lucky enough to hear them in the press room and in hotels over the

Moose splattered in the headlights!

Nestor Aparicio

There were two groups of folks watching Mike Mussina get ripped by the Orioles last night at Yankee Stadium. It was as thorough of a first-inning ass-kicking as you could imagine. If you tuned into the game 30 minutes in, you’d have seen Mussina getting booed mercilessly as he left the hill, Brian Roberts who had batted for the second time in the inning standing on third base after a triple and the score 7-0 in favor of the guys with “Orioles” on the crests of their jerseys. (Wouldn’t BALTIMORE look better at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx?) A Derek Jeter error set up the whole big inning and rally with a brain fart by Robinson Cano, who was napping on a simple fielder’s choice that would’ve ended the inning by him simply covering the bag. The Montoursville morning line: 2/3 IP, 5 H, 7R, 1ER, 2W 1K It was the worst start of Mussina’s career. Those in the “I hate Mike Mussina” club, which is a perfectly acceptable position for any Baltimorean, had to feel like they got their money’s worth from their monthly MASN bill last night. “Hating” on Mussina is understandable and easily justified to many Orioles

American Idol…who won?

Nestor Aparicio

So like many of you (I’m sure, even if you DON’T admit it), I tuned out the Orioles game around 8:15 and flipped on “American Idol.” I’ll have a lengthy blog in the morning on “My life with the Mussinas.” I’m basically gonna write all of the bizarre thoughts that went through my mind during what was definitely the bizarre evening of his career. Moose and I were close at one time, and I have some fun stories and insights. His brother, Mark (one of my favorite people on earth), might even check in here on WNST.net in the morning as well. But for now, I’ve just concluded watching “American Idol” and I can’t help thinking that the Utah kid, David Archuleta, is going to steal this competition. Kinda sad if that happens, in my opinion. I thought David Cook won, and won by a large margin. (Especially that second “Rick Springfield-esque” song on the backside of the U2 tune, which he could’ve had the crowd singing for an hour if he wanted to). I thought the best two people made it to the final, but I couldn’t help think of Anson Williams singing “Put Your Head on My Shoulder”

Papa Bob gets evicted on Friday, still needs a home!!! HELP IF YOU CAN!!!

Nestor Aparicio

Bob From Parkville still needs help… About a month ago, I gave a shout in my blog regarding “Papa” Bob from Parkville, and his plight. Two months ago he lost is wife. And this Friday, he’ll be losing his home. And he has nowhere to go. I received many emails with many numbers and leads for housing for Bob. Bob has been as diligent as he can to follow up on all of the leads and he told me he “checks the newspapers every day.” When I left him a month ago, he had a stack of papers and a lot of leads, but so far he has not found a home. Catholic Charities, which was his best lead, doesn’t have any openings. Bob said he might be waiting 18 months to get placed by them. He’s got everything packed up in three boxes (a TV, that kind of stuff). He’s got nowhere to go. He could even put his stuff in storage. But he needs a home. I’m reaching out to the WNST community to see if we can get him some help before the end of the week. My original post is below… Anyone who has ever listened

Buses, Belmont and Baltimore pride…

Nestor Aparicio

I’ve been getting peppered with emails regarding a few things: 1. A Belmont Stakes bus trip. I’m currently working on obtaining a bus for June 7th to go to New York. If anyone HAS a bus company that has a bus, please email me at nasty@wnst.net. Buses are TOUGH for a Saturday in June at this late date… 2. A “Baltimore Pride” bus trip to Washington, D.C. on Sunday, June 29th to see the Orioles play the Nationals. We’ll all wear our BALTIMORE swag and  see a new ballpark an hour away. 3. Ravens roadtrips (not necessarily a bus, but we will offer a bustrip to the N.Y. Giants game at the Meadowlands  on Nov. 16th. 4. A D.C. United bus for later in the season. TBA. Instead of commenting below, please email me DIRECTLY (nasty@wnst.net) with a subject line of what trip you’d be interested in attending. Gas prices have driven up the price of obtaining buses, but we hope to keep these trips reasonable, affordable as (as always!!!) FUN. Just shoot me an email and I’ll keep an interest list for each trip. We’re hoping that the June 29th game against the Nats could be more like a

Baltimore comes alive on a sports weekend…

Nestor Aparicio

Big Brown rolls to a huge victory setting up a potential Triple Crown coronation at the Belmont in three weeks… The Orioles win yet another game, holding on in the end for a 6-5 victory over the dreaded Washington Nationals… I spent the day watching WBAL TV’s relatively lame Preakness coverage (obviously, I wasn’t watching the hockey game since it was non-existent in my living room), interleague baseball and then decided to go the Orioles game. Or, at least I WANTED to go to the Orioles game. We watched the Preakness at the Inner Harbor and rolled (literally) up to Orioles Park at Camden Yards. We arrived at The Warehouse right around 7:05 p.m. We expected a “little line,” especially on a nice weather night and a kid’s club night. We were NOT prepared for the mayhem we encountered. There were THOUSANDS of people who couldn’t get into the ballpark. I could tell you about it but you might not believe it. So instead, you can click on wnsTV and see it for yourself in “The Orioles Bandwagon in Living Color.” Build it and they will come… (Amazing what happens when you actually market your product and win a few

MASN — as in Mister Angelos & Sons Network

Nestor Aparicio

There’s some talk around town that I’m going “soft” on the Orioles. Yeah, I’ve written some “positive” Orioles stories this week – most notably in B today – because they’ve earned it by putting together an honest effort. Someone over there at The Warehouse has decided to either read this website, or else they just simply decided to start using their heads for something other than a hat rack. I’ve been saying for years that their manager should be out speaking to community groups. Their players should be doing it, too. Their players should be signing autographs at malls on weekends. Their players should also be participating in promotions to sell tickets. Their players should also be participating on radio, TV, community events all over Baltimore to win back this city. But as long as John Angelos and Greg Bader want to continue this crazy policy of  “get even with the media who screw us” they’ll get what they get. And so far that’s an empty stadium and mixed feelings about the team, even when they’ve enjoyed a strange “Oriole Magic” kinda start to the season. Kevin Millar has unwittingly led a promotional push probably because he thinks it sucks

Clem Florio and the day before Preakness

Nestor Aparicio

It’s a rough day for me today. While out at the Alibi Breakfast at Pimlico yesterday, my old pal Ted Patterson told me he saw a piece in The Examiner written by Michael Olesker about one of my favorite people not only in horse racing, but a true mentor to me, Clem Florio. According to the story, Florio, 78, is in a hospice in Florida and not doing so well. He told Olesker, “I need a win real bad.” Maybe some of you remember Clem’s work at The News American or with The Washington Post. Or maybe you remember his gentle laugh and his great voice on my show. The first decade that I did my radio show, The Budweiser Sports Forum, every Friday evening before the Preakness I was joined by Clem Florio. It started 16 years ago today. Clem would usually drive over to the studio, but he sometimes just did it on the phone (it was afterall, Black Eyed Susan Day) and it was always a show I loved doing. Anytime I got to spend time with Clem was always a joy. He was truly one of my favorite people to be around. The first time I

If you’re not having fun yet…

Nestor Aparicio

Wednesday was a very memorable afternoon. I went to the game with Bob Haynie, Drew Forrester and some other great friends and one of them just happened to have seats in the front row behind the third base dugout. (If I write his name, I’m sure the Orioles will look to have his season tickets revoked). Great seats, amazing weather, good friends, plenty of laughs to fill a dozen games and another amazing “Why Not-ish” comeback led by a Jay Payton grand slam en route to a 6-3 a victory to sweep the Boston Red Sox (OK, so it was only two games) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. What else could any Orioles fan want in the month of May other than to have a chance, right? It’s been ELEVEN YEARS!!! I just got done watching Casey’s posted video of Kevin Millar and several of the good-natured Orioles doing a 30-year “send up” of “Orioles Magic” and I gotta tell you it’s the best thing that this organization has done in a decade. Imagine that? A player on the team actually doing what this lousy, miserable ownership has found to be impossible: Millar is RECRUITING the community! Tonight, on

For the love of baseball, hockey and Bobby Valentine…

Nestor Aparicio

I had a chance to go to the Orioles game tonight. I WANTED to go to the Orioles game tonight. But these are the toughest nights of the year. Hockey vs. baseball… As many of you know, I have some hockey friends and they wanted to watch the Flyers-Penguins game. (OK, truth be told, Hockey Meg and Kenny Ballgame talked me out of the Orioles game and saved me from donating $8 to Peter Angelos!) I am going to make a donation on Wednesday with Bob Haynie, Drew Forrester and Phil Stern (UMBC Women’s Hoops coach). I’m calling a 12:30 cocktail summit at Regi’s. All are welcome to adjourn at the main bar on Light Street. We will hit the upper left field reserves right around game time. So, instead of hitting The Yard tonight, I watched two periods of what must be a frustrating time for anyone wearing an orange Filthy jersey. I’ve hated the Flyers most of my adult life. But I’m kinda pulling for them to win because Terry Murray (a really good guy) would get his name on the Stanley Cup and I love Terry Murray! The Flyers stunk late in the game, apparently. But I

Bitter doesn’t equal better…

Nestor Aparicio

I saw a really great story tonight on the web about baseball, the people who love baseball and a smallish town in Colorado. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick brought this story to life and if you haven’t read it, you should. So, what are you waiting for? Sometimes the best part of the connection of being on the web is when people recommend great stories to each other like a referral service. This is a sad story that is working toward a happier ending. (BTW: Kudos to the Hagerstown Suns for their involvement!) Sometimes all of the hate and mean-spiritedness I see in the “real” world and especially on the web make me think there aren’t guys like Rai Henniger. Then, lo and behold, a good man with a sad story and a hard road and a bad hand come along with a really positive attitude. “You can get better or you can be bitter, but you can’t be both.” Words to live by… I hope I get to meet and chat with Henniger someday. We both already have something in common: we love baseball! Anybody feel like going to the O’s-Sox game on Tuesday night? We’ve already got a posse for

Random thoughts on the Orioles…

Nestor Aparicio

First, Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers and moms out there… My Mom will be 89 on July 26th so I’m always grateful for another May Sunday with her. And yes, she spent the day watching the Orioles game, same as I did. By the way, it’s nice to see MLB get into the spirit of things and doing the “pink bat” thing on Mother’s Day. It was also a nice touch seeing the MASN crew work to get “shout outs” from all of the players to their moms and the mothers of their children today. Mark Viviano is working hard for Mr. Angelos’ money today from Kansas City, which is still my favorite AL ballpark. (I didn’t know he worked for MASN?). Good to see this Orioles Reach program actually reaching out with Chick-Fil-A appearances for Daniel Cabrera and Sports Boosters speeches by Dave Trembley this week. It’s almost as though the team has started taking WNST’s advice regarding how to treat the fans. Now if only they had some people watching or coming to the games… A few random thoughts from watching the game today: In the second inning, Buck Martinez actually started a praising rant

Meet the new boss…

Nestor Aparicio

Yesterday John Harbaugh made the first of many decisions that Brian Billick would have never made. On a dreary, 52-degree May afternoon in the driving rain, Harbaugh took his team out onto the main backfield at the Bellagio and welcomed the veteran players to the “new” Baltimore Ravens and the rookies to “Camp Harbaugh.” You can gripe or choose to commend Billick’s sensibilities as an NFL head coach, but his reigning philosophy was to never put the players at risk of getting injured in May. If Billick were the coach, they would’ve been in the bubble yesterday. And, certainly, you can take Harbaugh’s stance  on Friday that “it’s football” – a little rain never hurt anyone. And you wouldn’t be wrong either way. It’s not about a right way or a wrong way, it’s just a “different” way. But if there were any remaining doubts, the Ravens’ players found out yesterday (if they didn’t already know it), there’s a new sheriff in town and things will be done a different way under Harbaugh. Honestly, I expected to hear more players bitching about the conditions of their first team mini-camp practice yesterday, but at least on the face of it they

Who is this 6-foot-9 mystery man named Daniel Cabrera?

Nestor Aparicio

Another quality start, another victory and another opportunity to flip flop on Daniel Cabrera for any of us confused by this six-game run of prosperity. Last night he took the mound in Kansas City, threw strikes and left with a three-hit complete game in a 4-1 win over the Royals. Will the real Daniel Cabrera please stand up? Or IS this the real Cabrera? Has Rick Kranitz reached him a way that Leo Mazzone and those before him could not? Is this an aberration, this 3-1 record and Jim Palmer impersonation? Since the Orioles went into the tank over the past two weeks, it seems as though the enthusiasm for the team has waned a bit as well. They’re under .500. It’s hard to stay awake late every night watching sleepy games from the West Coast, especially from Oakland where the game feels like a “friends and family” gathering reminiscent of the Camden Yards endeavors of April. But Cabrera’s effort last night must be recognized. Here’s the line: 9IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 1W, 7K Manager Dave Trembley called it “his best effort.” Certainly, Peter Schmuck will be printing a retraction, no? I probably stand in that group that will never

Mark Teixeira and green and tomatoes

Nestor Aparicio

I’ve been down from blogging a bit lately (a lot of internal work and I had a death in the family last week). But today, I’m selling a bunch of advertising (by the way, if you own a business and want to be part of a cool promotion we’re doing next month, email me: nasty@wnst.net). And I’ve been doing some web reading this afternoon (reminds me of watching Phil Jackman cutting up newspapers in the press box of the Capital Centre in 1988…he was a MAJOR clipper of stories from New York papers!)… God, I love the internet…so much more efficient is life with the click! One story I just saw on SI.com written by Jon Heyman about Mark Teixeira that grabbed my interest. There’s a lot of opining I could do and add to it, but it stands on its own as a thought-provoking idea. If somehow, someway and with a BUNCH of money (think 10-20% MORE than the Yankees, Mets or Mariners will give him) they could grab him, it would be the biggest of big coups for the team. The Orioles clearly need to do SOMETHING with the $50 million-plus a year they’re siphoning from the fans

The chase for Gavin Floyd’s no hitter…

Nestor Aparicio

As I watch Gavin Floyd sit alone in the corner of the dugout awaiting the final three outs of a potential no hitter, I start to “geez” about watching no hitters. It is the Holy Grail, the last badge of legitimacy, luck, courage and honor in being a baseball fan. It’s a random occurrence and you can NEVER predict when or where it’s going to happen. Tonight, I watched a little of the Red Sox win over Detroit, a game where Tim Wakefield’s knuckler was working. Detroit, already hurting in a bad way, managed just three hits tonight. But I was all ready for some Orioles baseball tonight (if they lose tonight they might fall below .500 for good this year, who knows?).  At 9:55 p.m., I accidentally turned to ESPN and lo behold: Floyd is working a no no! I do not know Gavin Floyd. I met him once and chatted with him in the locker room of the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park (same place where the game is being held tonight). It was at the 2003 All Star Weekend “Futures” game. Seemed like a nice Baltimore kid. We knew some of the same people. I knew

A weekend of sports…

Nestor Aparicio

For anyone wondering if John Harbaugh has the ear and the participation of his new team, his actions over the weekend proved his head and his heart are aligned. While most of us were asleep on Saturday morning, Harbaugh covertly gathered virtually every member of the organization – players, coaches and front office staff — onto four buses and trudged them down to the Inner Harbor at daybreak to run a 5K race to benefit amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Running the race, inspired by former Ravens linebacker O.J. Brigance’s courageous battle against the disease, was a last-minute surprise for all but the participation was amazing. Many brought spouses and kids to run the race. See the videos at WNST.net.   Have the Ravens ever drafted a guy with more intrigue than Joe Flacco? Everyone wants to know more about the Div. 1-AA quarterback and whether he’s the savior of our purple Sundays. In the past nine days I’ve also had dozens of people mention their Blue Hen pride. Who knew there were so many Delaware grads around Baltimore? The Orioles snuck into and out of town so quickly this week that, once again, no one seemed to notice. Three games

Kentucky Derby picks…

Nestor Aparicio

I’ve been away for a couple of days and haven’t had a chance to write about the Kentucky Derby. So, an hour before the race, I needed to vent as a I sit here watching a flawless looking day at Churchill Downs. I’ve been to 7 Kentucky Derbies and it’s by FAR my favorite sports event to attend. If you’ve never been, you should go. It’s accessible, fun and fits almost any travel budget (you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get in…). The television coverage (as usual) has been sensational. I’m insanely jealous right now because I wish I were there today. Did I mention how much I love the Kentucky Derby? Here are my usual bad picks: Exacta box: Adriano & Z Fortune. I’d also box and a trifecta of Adriano, Z Fortune, Eight Belles and Big Brown. I think it’ll be VERY hard for Big Brown to win outta the 20 hole. It hasn’t been done in 75 years. Back to the great Tom Hammond…  

An Average Joe?

Nestor Aparicio

Many of you know it (and some of you don’t), but I’m the new sports columnist for the daily paper aimed at the younger set, B. I write a short column for them every Monday and Friday. The newspaper is free. It’s kinda ubiquitous around town the last two weeks. It’s orange. There are signs everywhere. And they called me a few months ago and asked me to write for them and I said “yes.” The column is called, appropriately I think, Be More. As a kid all I EVER wanted to be was the lead columnist of The Sun. Instead, I’m the lead columnist for “a Baltimore Sun publication.” Who knew that when I left 16 years ago, they’d somehow invite me back? So, why not? It’s been fun so far and their audience of folks younger than me is a whole new world for me. Here’s a little preview of what’ll be in their editions tomorrow: So the draft is over, and if you’re a Ravens fan like me, the weekend all comes down to one thing: Can Joe Flacco be a franchise quarterback for the next decade for the purple birds? Will there be a parade and

Wanna know more about the Ravens’ draft picks?

Nestor Aparicio

The day started early for the Ravens, with the selection of Miami ILB Tavares Gooden with pick No. 71. Click here for more on Gooden… Click here for video of Gooden at work with the ‘Canes… This pick will clearly address a coming need, with Bart Scott entering a contract year and the coming sunset of Ray Lewis’ career. (Of course, you can fill in the blanks here with your own conjecture about Lewis’ coming contract demands for an extension in the October of his career.) At at any rate, the Ravens clearly found great value in ANOTHER undersized University of Miami linebacker. ******* The Ravens just selected safety Tom Zbikowski from Notre Dame with pick No. 86. Click here for info on Zbikowski… Zbikowski has a history of boxing. YES…BOXING! Here are some links… Zbikowski boxing photo gallery here… The video of Zbikowski’s bout with Robert Bell is here… And when ESPN showed highlights, one of them was of Zbikowski making plays against Navy right on the field at M&T Bank Stadium. And like any good young man these days, Zbikowski also has a myspace page here… Zbikowski is known as a hard hitter, good tackler but did a

Blast win MISL Championship again!!!

Nestor Aparicio

It was quiet and not without television difficulties, but the Baltimore Blast won their fourth MISL championship in six years last night in Milwaukee. Read Patrick Johnson’s account of the evening here. Denison Cabral scored three goals and the Blast battled back from a 6-2 early deficit against La Ra Za at the crazy neutral site game in Wisconsin. Carlos Garcia also had a pair of goals and Sagu made 14 saves to preserve the Blast’s victory.  

I love the NFL Draft

Nestor Aparicio

Unpredictability. Differing opinions. Mel Kiper’s hair. Cold beer and great food at Looney’s North in Bel Air. Another first-round quarterback. Trades up and back, all over the place, and in the strangest circumstances and situations. Even drunk Jets fans screaming at the television cameras all day. Saturday had it all! And, with the 10-minute first-round clock this year, it all happened kinda lightning fast (especially from a process that sometimes felt glacial in its pace in the past). And the seven-minute second round picks almost made the entire process (and I’m not crazy about this 3 p.m. start) feel a little like “speed dating.” If you want to see how we spent our day, just click on wnsTV for videos from Looney’s Pub in Bel Air, where there was electricity in the air. Alas, you know the story. The Ravens traded from No. 8 to No. 26 and then back to No. 18, where Delaware’s QB Joe Flacco was their man. Sure, they would’ve LOVED to have had Matt Ryan, but Mike Smith and the Atlanta Falcons had other plans. For the Ravens, the questions now begin. And like every other draft, it will take years to evaluate yesterday’s flurry

Now HERE’S an owner with class & dignity…

Nestor Aparicio

A sad story that I saw on the web, but I thought I’d pass it along. John McConnell — the name might not really mean anything to you which is EXACTLY why I’m passing this story along — died today in Columbus, Ohio. For those of you who know about my passion for hockey, here’s another example of some of the cool people who fall in love with and get involved with hockey. Just read the story…and see what kind of legacy “Mr. Mac” (incidentally, that’s what the entire neighborhood called my Pop) left that city. A very powerful story, I think… I never met him, never knew him or even read his story before five minutes ago (although I know Doug MacLean who worked for him until last year). He sounds like he was a cool, old dude. I wish I had met him and chatted with him while he was still here.    

Orioles Magic grows; NFL Draft looms…

Nestor Aparicio

While most of us are fast asleep in the middle of the night, the Orioles continue to win on the West Coast. Look at those AL East standings this morning, and you can still play fantasy games about what would happen if the team could go 13-9 over the NEXT 22 games. And then again. And so on… That’s nearly a .600 clip, and that would make for quite the interesting summer here in Baltimore. (I’m still not convinced that if they win people will really pay money to come back to Camden Yards, but that’s for another day…) And they’re really not finding easy ways to victory. Last night, after a poor outing and questions about Adam Loewen’s health, it took a five-run comeback and an 8th inning homer by Brian Roberts to lead them to a late-night win. On Wednesday night, they got one of those rare efforts from Daniel Cabrera (eight innings, five hits , five strikeouts and ZERO walks) that leads them to believe he could be a Cy Young candidate. Sure, it’s early, but over the first month of the season, the young Orioles have proven to be quite resilient and exceedingly fun to watch

‘Rocking The Red’ leaves me feeling blue…

Nestor Aparicio

The ending could’ve been a whole lot better, especially for what an amazing and memorable event it was. And for a little while, I felt like I was in the twilight zone and it was 1987 all over again. I was sitting on the roof of a Game 7 Capitals home game, and five feet to my right was Phil Jackman, the same guy I sat with 21 years ago when a Game 7 overtime went on all night. This time – mercifully but not benevolently – it ended quickly and abruptly with Joffrey Lupul’s goal at 6:06 of the first overtime, squashing the Caps’ series comeback from 3-1 and their season. The initial penalty call on Tom Poti was questionable to begin with, and what a way to have a season end on a cheap call like that? But, honestly, that’s been the story of the Capitals’ existence since 1974. Good enough – in the minds of their fans — but never left standing at the end of the dance. This team truly wasn’t good enough to win a Stanley Cup as assembled, but they were certainly good enough to win last night’s game. And the referees, as Poti

Why Pittsburgh sucks…

Nestor Aparicio

I wasn’t going to chime in so much tonight, in regard to my geeky love of hockey and respect for

Clem Florio (1930-2008)

Nestor Aparicio

I received word yesterday that Baltimore and the world lost one of its iconic lovers of horse racing and boxing

American Idol…who won?

Nestor Aparicio

So like many of you (I’m sure, even if you DON’T admit it), I tuned out the Orioles game around

Meet the new boss…

Nestor Aparicio

Yesterday John Harbaugh made the first of many decisions that Brian Billick would have never made. On a dreary, 52-degree

A weekend of sports…

Nestor Aparicio

For anyone wondering if John Harbaugh has the ear and the participation of his new team, his actions over the

Kentucky Derby picks…

Nestor Aparicio

I’ve been away for a couple of days and haven’t had a chance to write about the Kentucky Derby. So,

An Average Joe?

Nestor Aparicio

Many of you know it (and some of you don’t), but I’m the new sports columnist for the daily paper

I love the NFL Draft

Nestor Aparicio

Unpredictability. Differing opinions. Mel Kiper’s hair. Cold beer and great food at Looney’s North in Bel Air. Another first-round quarterback.

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