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Nestor Aparicio

NFL Schedule will be released TOMORROW

Nestor Aparicio

Just got the word that the 2008 NFL schedule will be released tomorrow afternoon. Join our WNST Text Alert service here and we’ll be SURE to get the schedule to you in the palm of your hand the INSTANT that it’s available. Can’t wait to find out when the Redskins are coming to Baltimore for the first time! And when our first trip to Dallas happens… ALSO: The Ravens are holding their annual “Liars Luncheon” tomorrow. It’s always great to watch Ozzie Newsome and Eric Decosta squirm a bit with every evaluation of every player. THEY know who they want. They just don’t want US to know. Hey…whatever gets us the best players, right?  

Who is going to see the first-place O’s tonight?

Nestor Aparicio

The weather forecast appears to say “chilly” and I’m pretty sure the stadium will continue its extremely empty trend, but I’m strongly considering going to the game tonight anyway. I have invited folks down to the stadium a few times already this season with no positive result. It’s been nice spending time with Drew and my wife at the Wharf Rat and Hooters, but it hasn’t resulted in anyone else wanting to come and watch the first-place Orioles in the cold. If you want to see what the crowds REALLY looked like last week: click here. Any of the “OH Say Can You See” videos will tell you all you need to know about the Orioles and their attendance. All of my fears during Free The Birds are coming true. It’s been two years and even LESS people care about the Orioles than ever. Even when they’re in the first place! But I’m still having fun with the 2008 Orioles and I hope to take in the game tonight, if it’s not too miserable outside. Either way, you can mark Thursday night down as a night when you can join us for a ballgame as well. The pre-game bar meet

On the couch with Caps, O’s & Masters…

Nestor Aparicio

What a day to watch sports on TV! Given the crappy weather (well, at least not as good as yesterday…and I did make it to the Nats game the new D.C. ballpark, rainy blogs and videos coming soon!), it’s a fantastic day to be a couch potato – the best one I’ve had in a while. And I know many of you will write to talk about other basketball or NASCAR events the past few months, but for me it’s a “downtime” for fanaticism. The moment when the silver trophy gets raised on the first Sunday of February, it’s like sports goes off a cliff for me for a few months. I just can’t muster the same enthusiasm, but I do like March Madness and stay glued in without really having a rooting interest other than the underdogs. But today, it ratchets back up a few notches. The Orioles are not only interesting (the first time in a LONG time), they are in sole possession of first place in the AL East. They play the Rays at 1:35 today. Burres vs. Niemann (whoever he is). On a personal/media note, it’s nice to see Tom Davis and Rick Dempsey work without

wnsTV takes to you to The Masters in Augusta…

Nestor Aparicio

If you haven’t checked out wnsTV lately, it’s time that you click away and take a tour of our new platform. Just click here or on the WNSTV bar on the upper left and you can see a variety of new videos under each host and topic category. Drew Forrester spent the day on Tuesday walking all 18 holes and has a three-part walking tour under his videos. I’ve been walking Baltimore and going to Orioles games and I’ve been documenting what I’ve seen. We have tons of exclusive stuff with new Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, which is available throughout the platform with Rob Long and Bob Haynie as well. Just click away and enjoy…we make the videos for the WNST listeners to enjoy! There are more than 100 videos now available on our video platform, featuring many members of our staff and the sights and sounds of Baltimore. Hope you check out all of the stuff in our platform when you get some down time.

Thankfully, Bryant Gumbel is done!

Nestor Aparicio

For those of you who love the NFL as much as I do, here’s a happy note on a Saturday morning. Do you remember all of those painful evenings (including when the Ravens played in Cincinnati two years ago in the rain), when Bryant Gumbel gave an “amateur hour” version of how to do play-by-play on the NFL Network? His monotone, ill-conceived adventure into the NFL is thankfully DONE. Apparently, Steve Bornstein or someone at the NFL Network figured out what we knew right around the first kickoff: Gumbel sucks as an NFL play-by-play announcer. Now, coming off of a 5-11 season, it’ll be interesting to see if the Ravens even get any NFL Network games this season. The NFL schedule is coming this week. I can’t wait!    

Andy McPhail is talking…

Nestor Aparicio

But only, of course, to the “official” outlets. Today, an interview with Andy McPhail appeared with Hal Bodley, who was a longtime USA Today reporter who now has apparently switched over to the “management” side, writing a column for mlb.com. But, when you start the season 6-1 (I’m going to pretend that yesterday didn’t happen), you get flattering pieces written about you. There’s some stuff about George Sherrill, some Trembley quotes. Nothing too special, but another example of “sleeping in” journalism. Andy McPhail has been in Baltimore for 10 months. I’ve tried to reach him through various means. I never get a return phone call. A shame… All we’ve ever tried to do at WNST is help the Orioles. I’ve got my cap on tonight! Orioles in Tampa (they can actually win!) Capitals and Flyers doing their 1980’s retro mating dance. The Blast won last night and can close out the round tomorrow night in New Jersey. I’m seriously considering doing the Nats-Braves games tomorrow at 1:05 (weather pending, of course). John Smoltz is pitching for Atlanta. I always liked Smoltz. He used to do my radio show every week when I was syndicated. Well-spoken, nice guy, knew a lot

When is the NFL schedule coming?

Nestor Aparicio

Once St. Patrick’s Day rolls around, I don’t think a day goes by when someone doesn’t ask me or email me about the NFL schedule release. If you want to be the first to get the NFL schedule, click here and join our text service now! GUARANTEED, it’ll be in your phone within 2 minutes of when we get it! It’s absolutely a “state secret” in the world of the NFL. The league guards it, protects and doesn’t leak an iota of information ANYWHERE. I’ve often wondered why, but when I see, hear and feel all of the fervor and anticipation for it, I realize that inaccurate leaks would cause a crazy effect on hotels, airlines, people’s lives, etc. Honestly, aren’t you one of those people who plans your entire LIFE around the Ravens in the fall? Weddings, holidays, weekends and “what Sunday are they home?” kinda questions all revolve around whether the team is home or away. For me, it dictates what CITY I’m going to be in and when, so it’s super intense for my calendar and I wait for it as much as anyone. My life literally revolves around it! My moles tell me the schedule is

Who is rooting for the Caps?

Nestor Aparicio

In a town that is woefully devoid of hockey love (and has chased its fair share of minor league hockey franchises away over the years), I’m once again in danger of catching Stanley Cup Fever. After loving hockey immensely during my youth and covering the Skipjacks and Capitals in a previous life in the 1980’s (I made a video on Wednesday night of my Caps love…click here to view), I have come to grips with the realities of hockey. There are two kinds of people in the world: those who love hockey and those who laugh at hockey. If you’ve ever seen the movie “Slapshot” — a cult classic for any sports fan — you know that hockey is the one sport (and pro wrestling is NOT a sport) that can laugh at itself a bit. Hockey has a sense of humor. The Canadian accents. The fights. The excitement of the score and the horn and buzzers going off. Yet when it comes to the chase for Lord Stanley’s goblet, it’s no laughing matter. Hockey fans take the Cup — the one prize in sport that never changes (there’s ONLY one Cup!) — and the chase for it during April

King Peter emerges to speak

Nestor Aparicio

It didn’t take long. Apparently, front running even needs a frontrunner now that the Orioles are going well. But, where would Peter Angelos be if the team were 1-6, not 6-1? And why does he only take questions once a year, covertly, and only offer to accept questions from “legitimate” media members like Jeff Barker of The Sun. Memo/question for Barker (and I don’t know him at all): Were you offered the chance for follow-ups, dude? Today’s interview in The Sun almost reads like a comedy. After many years of being incensed by Angelos’ comments, actions and general arrogance and indifference to what his customers want, I now must find some sheer comedy in it to make it more palatable and to not go insane. It’s almost Mr. Magoo-ish in its sheer perversity. If the city and the Inner Harbor weren’t decaying on summer nights while the team has chased away all but a handful of its true fan base, it might be a comedy. But I was there with the 2,000 people during the National Anthem on Monday afternoon (and it WASN’T that cold, and I’m a wuss!) and it wasn’t funny. And I was there with the 6,000

A great week of sports for the area

Nestor Aparicio

Let’s start with the obvious: the Orioles are off to their best start in recent memory. Pick a game, any game in the last week, and there have been reasons to cheer. Good pitching from the bullpen, adequate starts from everyone but Daniel Cabrera and timely hitting late in games. It’s hard to argue with six wins in a row, sole possession of first place and a different star every day (even if it is Aubrey Huff, who was 4-for-4 yesterday). I watched all of yesterday’s drilling of the Texas Rangers and seeing the emergence of some team chemistry and new, young stars is a great thing for the franchise. Now, if they could only figure out how to market their new young players and get some people to the ballpark to see these players. It’s also nice to be looking forward to their games every day as if they have some meaning. It’s been a long time since they’ve played games that have any significance. At least for the time being, they’re in the race. And, because I don’t really expect them to compete all summer (I’d settle for an interesting spring), I’m going to enjoy what little bit

Feel the Oriole Magic happen circa 2008

Nestor Aparicio

It was definitely a “friends and family” gathering at Oriole Park at Camden Yards today, as about 4,000 showed up to witness what would be another fine chapter in how the 2008 season is getting off to a fun start if you love baseball. The Orioles fell behind early. Daniel Cabrera continues to be an enigma. Brian Roberts is a joy to watch play the game. The bullpen did its job once again in flawless fashion. And today’s hero was the offseason’s goat, as Aubrey Huff continued to try to “hit his way” into Baltimore’s collective heart with a solo homer in the eighth to sweep Seattle in four straight. With a stadium that was less than 10% full today, he’s got a lot more slugging to do to win back Baltimore. It’s easy to lay off of Huff when he’s doing his job. He did it today. But what he did in November still should be properly addressed by him within the community if he expects to stop getting booed at home. For me, having respect for the community is more important than him hitting late-inning home runs, but that’s just me. It was cold today, no doubt, but

Orioles should open the gates for FREE today to the entire city…FAN APPRECIATION DAY!

Nestor Aparicio

So, I’m digging baseball this year. I’ve watched parts of games or a little bit of “Baseball Tonight” more than usual this week. I tried to go to the game on Thursday, got rained on. I went to the game on Friday night, and it was so-so. The crowd was quite small (see National Anthem video here), it got a little cold for my tastes and the people around me weren’t very spirited. I did have a good time at the Wharf Rat before the game (see videos at wnsTV here). But it’s always fun when Melvin Mora goes into the hole and comes up throwing. It’s fun when home runs fly out of the park. And the sounds of a baseball game are a joy to hear. And, if the crowd’s joy level is indicated in sheer volume, the Orioles should play the crab shell game and the hot dog race between every inning and allow wagers behind specific sections to raise money for charity. But this is a “fresh” team – a group of interesting new young talent — that has been fun to watch over the first week of the season. I’m trying to figure out Lu-u-u-u-ke

Can you play hooky from work for O’s on Monday?

Nestor Aparicio

If you can, feel free to join me in the upper deck of left field tomorrow for the potential “breaking out of the brooms” at Camden Yards. Orioles Magic, feel it happen! (This is a bandwagon that has plenty of room, trust me from the looks of that empty stadium!) I could even be talked into a pre-game brew at Hooters, especially since I missed last week’s opener. I’m into some wings and beer before the game if anyone is game! Feel free to comment below if you’re interested in having some fun while the team is: A. In first place B. On a four-game winning streak C. Has the chance to sweep Seattle The matchup is Carlos Silva and Daniel Cabrera, which means PLENTY of baserunners and offense. The weather is supposed to be 51 degrees and cloudy. Bring a sweater! And besides, I’m doing the morning show for Drew on Tuesday as he visits the “Holy Land” of Augusta National on Tuesday so researching the game will be fun since I get to talk about it the next morning. (Just like old times!) Now THAT is going to be some sweet wnsTV, seeing Drew talk about the Masters

Join us at Charm City Challenge today

Nestor Aparicio

If you’re bored this afternoon and looking for some great hoops, come join the WNST crew out at the Towson Center for the Charm City Challenge. All of the details are a click away, but the action starts at 3 p.m. And if you click on the coupon above, you get a sweet deal: 4 tickets, 4 programs and 4 T-shirts for $40!!! Come see the best and brightest basketball players we have in the area and get fired up for tomorrow night’s NCAA Championship game on TV by watching some live action.  

Bedard won’t pitch vs. O’s today

Nestor Aparicio

Just when things got rolling here for baseball this week, with the Orioles out of the gate 3-1 and looking impressive, the season’s first disappointment is here: If you have tickets for the game today or were heading down to the ballpark to see Erik Bedard pitch, you’re out of luck. Bedard has been scratched for Felix Hernandez. That’s always one of the fun “special events” that you can’t pre-announce, when a traded starting pitcher makes his first appearance back at home. I remember Mike Mussina’s first start here as a Yankee. And Mike Flanagan’s first start as a Blue Jay. And Wayne Garland’s first start as a member of the Tribe. Bummer for anyone heading down today who was juiced about booing Bedard, who had a golden arm but a dour attitude about most things regarding the city and the franchise. He was, by almost every account, a turd except for the six or seven innings he took the ball for the O’s. (Of course, I’m sure the ownership here and the empty ballpark and the losing didn’t help Bedard’s opinion of being an Oriole.) As a fan, I’m happier these day pulling for Adam Jones and George Sherrill.

Throwback Toronto jerseys rule the night

Nestor Aparicio

So, I made it to the Orioles game tonight. Good pitching, great defense (especially the play Mora made early) and some timely hitting added up to a 7-4 win at Camden Yards. If Steve Trachsel can do that every five days and if Mora, Henandez and Millar can hit the ball like that with some consistency, they’ll beat the Las Vegas “over” of 65 wins. I’ll have the videos up from tonight soon enough. It’s absolutely laughable (if not absurd) that they announced the crowd at 14,429 when there were clearly about 7,000 fans inside the ballpark. I have a video of the National Anthem that will tell you all you need to know. There appeared to be about 4,000 in the bowl for the anthem. The George Strait concert at First Mariner Arena outdrew the Orioles by a lot, especially after seeing the crowd inside the Wharf Rat before the game. I got home and flipped on the television to my MLB package on Comcast and watched the Red Sox-Blue Jays game from Toronto, where it was the home opener and the Skydome was jumping and the World Champs were getting beaten again. As much as I HATED (and

Makeup: Let’s go to the O’s game tonight!

Nestor Aparicio

Even though it’s kinda cold now, our Weather Bug tells me that it’s going to be in the low 60’s by gametime tonight. Seattle is in town. Their only trip of the season. So, at the urging of my son Barry and my wife, I’m game to try it again tonight. (Besides, it’s a college night so there’ll be lots of drinking, girls, atmosphere, noise, etc.) Just the way I like it. I’ll be at the Wharf Rat around 5:30. Anybody wanna come down and go to the ballgame? Plenty of good seats available. And they’re cheaper with a college ID. I got carded twice last weekend in Florida. Who knows, maybe I can sneak in? Who wants to “See The Birds” with us? Belly up to the bar! P.S. Student tickets are only $6 and it’s “beanie hat” night. I’d want one if it had the “proper” logo on it, but it’s that stupid Orioles script logo. Put the cartoon bird on it and I’d wear it…I’m sticking to my Jim Fuller visor!  

Humorous summary of Thursday’s ‘See The Birds’ Orioles promotion downtown at Wharf Rat

Nestor Aparicio

Looked out window at 4:55 and it was dry. Walked out the door at 5:06 and it was raining. Arrived at Wharf Rat at 5:12 p.m. soaking wet in my Ravens Super Bowl XXXV raincoat. There were 14 people in the bar when I arrived and two of them were wearing the blue “B” Boston Red Sox hats. They were in separate groups. There was one guy at the bar wearing a black Orioles cap with the constipated current bird. I was rocking my old-school “cartoon bird” visor. A couple was wrapping up a meal and going to the ballgame. They were UMBC students who were quite proud of Jay Greene and running into him in class on campus. Nice young couple, clearly sports fans. At approximately 5:26 p.m., Drew Forrester walked in. He would be the only other one to identify himself as someone interested in going to the game. Drew and I engaged in a short banter with Todd the bartender at the Wharf Rat. Nice guy, served cold beer (I had a frosty Mic Ultra…even though I really dig the new Miller Wheat beer…they didn’t have any of the Handcrafted Collection there…out of respect to all of

Last call for O’s fans tonight….

Nestor Aparicio

Just one final reminder to join us at the Wharf Rat in a few hours… Nothing special, nothing fancy…just a cold baseball game between two bad teams on cheap downtown tonight. Obviously, this is NOT a big “sell” these days. But I’ve decided I’m going to be part of the solution, not the problem. Either way, spend $10 tonight, bundle up and come have some fun with us. The Orioles can break .500 tonight!!!!

Plenty of good seats left for tonight’s O’s game

Nestor Aparicio

So, instead of bitching about the empty seats in the upper deck (again, all of them deserved), tonight I will fill at least a few of them as we take folks back to Oriole Park. The party starts around 5ish at the Wharf Rat. Come down, have a beer, have a sandwich, dress warm and let’s go to the ballpark on the cheap. Hey, they’re playing .500 ball so far this season! We’ll sit in the upper deck left field and try to have some fun. Free peanuts for anyone who wants to lead the first O-R-I-O-L-E-S cheer… And you can let Aubrey Huff know what YOU think personally — cheer or jeer! I’ll have my ear muffs… Remember (and this is our theme for the entire season): YOU make the “magic” happen!      

Meeting Jon Gruden and Roger Goodell…

Nestor Aparicio

PALM BEACH, Fla. – I’ll be flying outta here in about two hours, but it was an amazing three days here in South Florida hanging out with the entire NFL community of owners, general managers, coaches, media and families. Believe it or not, I also did a lot of work here, all evidenced on wnsTV. I met a lot of new people and had some really entertaining and informative interaction with all of them. Like I said, lots of really nice people in the NFL. Just a fact! The interview from yesterday with John Harbaugh is our first “wnsTV exclusive.” So, Jamison Hensley of The Sun got the “exclusive” Q&A with Steve Bisciotti and I got the full-length version of the John Harbaugh sitdown over breakfast on video with the AFC coaches on Tuesday. It kinda sucked because I never moved from Harbaugh’s table and I really would’ve loved to have gone to visit with Jack Del Rio, Marvin Lewis and some others. But I did nab Steelers coach Mike Tomlin on the way out the door, and he was a super guy (won’t make me hate the black and gold less, I assure you). He said to me on

Aubrey Huff should TRULY apologize

Nestor Aparicio

OK, so I had ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with it on Monday afternoon, that noise emanating from the bowl of Camden Yards.   I was a thousand miles away, sitting in a holding tank for the media at The Breakers watching the Florida Marlins and New York Mets here in Palm Beach, Fla. when Aubrey Huff came trotting down the orange carpet to a cascade of well-deserved “boos.”   (For the record, I have not commented on Aubrey Huff or written about him, really, since November when I made a bet with Drew Forrester that he wouldn’t make it to Opening Day as an Oriole. Obviously, I think it’s a disgrace that the team “allowed” him to remain an Oriole. But I digress…)   And all of the subsequent “boos” with every at bat on Monday made my heart fill with that “where have you gone Reggie Jackson?” kinda feeling. That feeling that there might STILL be a heartbeat left and a modicum of pride left in being a “Baltimore” sports fan, even after Alan Wiggins and John Elway are long gone.   Good for you Baltimore!   Maybe we true Orioles fans – old and new — ALL DO

Dinner with John Harbaugh in Florida…

Nestor Aparicio

Actually, it just took most of the day to get our wnsTV videos up, but they’re now a click away. The NFL Owners Meetings are really a lot of fun for me, seeing and connecting with so many of the coaches and owners and front office personnel on so many of the teams. Between the Super Bowl and Combine and Owners Meetings, you really get a feel for the quality people the NFL has working for them. The success of the league leaves many clues, and the first is the plethora of good, smart people. And the families? It’s amazing to see so many of the coaches with their wives, children and in good spirits as they convene, chat, interact and inevitably smile. They ALL realize they have a good thing going with this “No. 1 sports league in America” thing. Business is good in the NFL, but as Roger Goodell said yesterday in his press conference,  the league is not immune from the economic hardships and the sluggish economy in general. Last night my wife and I went for a sunset stroll and saw Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin playing football with his two school-aged boys on a clearing.

Breakfast with John Harbaugh in Florida

Nestor Aparicio

You had to get out of bed early this morning to catch up with John Harbaugh and the rest of the AFC coaches here at the legendary Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla., but a few of us braved the 7 a.m. kickoff and spent an hour talking football with the Ravens new head coach. Aaron Wilson, myself and Jamison Hensley of The Sun were the main panel on the orange juice circuit and a full account of the breakfast will be available on wnsTV by the end of the day. (If the IT phone lines here at the hotel matched the pricetag of most things here, they’d be up by 10 a.m.). Here’s Part 1 of the breakfast conversation (there will be at least a dozen “episodes” and it will take me part of the day to get them into the wnsTV video vault). Lots of fun conversation and a few drop-ins by Pittsburgh and Cleveland reporters Ed Bouchette and Tony Grossi. John Clayton of ESPN also fired away. I’ll have a lot more to write about the meetings, parties, work and play here in Palm Beach later in the day. But for now, just know that John Harbaugh

First pitch for O’s & John Harbaugh

Nestor Aparicio

A few notes from Palm Beach and the NFL Owners Meetings: 1. Ravens coach John Harbaugh will toe the rubber at Oriole Park at Camden Yards as he throws out the first pitch for the O’s-Yankees game on Sunday, April 20th. (I didn’t warn him to expect to be booed by the 35,000-plus Yankees fans that will be there to witness it in three weeks). 2. The Ravens have been awarded four compensatory picks in the April 26-27 Draft. The Ravens get picks number 99, 133, 206 & 240 (a 3rd, 4th, 6th & a 7th). 3. No word yet on the preseason schedule for the Ravens. We’ll keep you in the loop. The league is expected to announce its full 2008 sometime in the next 10 days. 4. Jamison Hensley of The Sun is doing an exclusive interview with Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti for a future edition. We’ll keep our eyes out for it. 5. The Breakers is the most expensive place I’ve ever been in the United States (and I’ve been to some pricey places). It’s beautiful, but I think the $14 turkey sandwich at the coffee shop is a little ridiculous. 6. I miss Opening Day and the Orioles. As mean

2008 Orioles: Empty seats and empty heads

Nestor Aparicio

So, now they’ve gone over the line once again – mainly because they’re so ill-informed that they don’t even know where the lines between professionalism, accountability and the media are — and their big man in charge “privately” berated Drew Forrester and told him to “pass the message on” to me that I won’t be invited back into their ballpark for the second consecutive year. But now that they’ve called us, berated us, insulted us and pulled my media pass yet again (while I sit in a room with 32 NFL owners over the next 48 hours in Florida), they now don’t want us to write about it or be quoted “on the record” about their mean-spiritedness, vindictiveness and unprofessionalism. They’ve essentially said to me (via Drew, because they aren’t professional enough to even speak with me): “We don’t like you and you aren’t welcome here. Go find another line of work instead of the one you chose 24 years ago. We’ve decided that you’re not allowed to write about baseball anymore or love baseball anymore or be invited to baseball and the Orioles.” They’ve essentially told me that I’m not allowed to do my job anymore. With a swath

Orioles home opener in danger of not selling out!

Nestor Aparicio

Well, perhaps I was wrong about going to the NFL Owners Meetings and sitting out Opening Day. I thought it might be a tough ticket with all of the youngsters the Orioles have tried pushing during the offseason. Geez, I figure if you’re ever gonna give them a chance and come back to the ballpark, it’s gonna be Opening Day. I hope you all have a GREAT time at Hooters at the Inner Harbor on Monday. I know Ray Bachman and Bob Haynie are REALLY juiced about hanging, drinking Bud Lights and going to Opening Day. Honestly, I wish I were going to the game, but the NFL Owners Meetings has made me feel welcome in the past and I’m going south to learn what’s up with my favorite league, the NFL. I figure I have all year to do Orioles games but Opening Day is always special. I’ll be blogging from Palm Beach, Fla. for the next four days. But, I’ll be back on Thursday to host a group of true Orioles fans who want to go to the game and have a good time. I was just curious to see their promotions for the year and how much

Why I still love sports: Davidson

Nestor Aparicio

So it’s an otherwise boring Friday night of basketball at my place. After all of this madness today with the Orioles (as you might imagine, I’ve got MUCH better things to do then to fight with them at this point), my wife looked at me at 9 o’clock and said: “Hey we’re missing the basketball games!” So, we turned on the games and up pops this Davidson team. This is a story so delicious that even when it’s easy to find things to hate about sports, you still hang onto sports to see stories like Davidson. Or George Mason. Or back in my day, it was Chaminade (but that wasn’t a tourney game). My wife asked me about Davidson. I told her the few things I knew. Small school. Lefty Driesell was there a zillion years ago. Southern school. I told her it would be like Towson or UMBC or Loyola going to the Elite Eight. I think that’s a fair statement in most ways. (And doesn’t it make a Jimmy Patsos or Randy Monroe or Pat Kennedy dream a little, seeing Bob McKillup tonight?) Seeing that coach walk the sidelines with dignity after 19 years. That Stephen Curry kid

WNST plays the Orioles credential game again…

Nestor Aparicio

Another season of baseball, another year when we at WNST want to pay attention to the Orioles, cover the Orioles and follow the Orioles. Every person on my staff has loved the Orioles for most of our lifetimes. It’s why we do this for a living! WNST has offered to go to Florida for a month and do live shows all day with their players. We’ve been denied access. We’ve offered to have their players, managers, coaches and staff on the air to promote their team and help them sell their empty seats. We’ve been ignored. We ran a two-week ad FOR FREE, trying to help them sell tickets, and we’ve been vilified for it. We’ve OPENLY encouraged folks to go back downtown, go to the ballgames to support the city and we will honor our own word by following through on this for as long as we can take the inevitable losing this season. Now we’ve filled out credential applications for the season and for Opening Day, and as of 10 a.m. on the Friday before the first game we have no idea who has a pass, who’s been denied a pass or who might or might not need

Peter Angelos and Earl Weaver in living color

Nestor Aparicio

Because I’m an internet goober, I surf a lot. I have all of my own litle favorites on the web, and I suppose I should start making some recommendations. Isn’t that what a good blogger does anyway, someone saying: “Hey…take a look at THIS!” Like a good friend would…but without the email spam! Anyway, here are a few for today… One WNST staffer (a tall one) recommended this video to me. If you have any doubts about whether Peter Angelos “saved baseball for Baltimore,” this IBEW infomercial will confirm it for you. It’s a very interesting video, almost MASN worthy! You can draw your own political conclusions from this powerful portrait of Angelos, champion of the people. It’s its OWN commentary so it deserves no rebuttal from me. It’s literally a 10-minute informercial, almost late night television worthy. And I bet you’ve never seen it! I’m wondering who wrote the script and how long it took for Angelos to approve it. When Angelos wants to answer some serious questions, we at WNST are available to ask them. And we’ll do it for free! He won’t even have to pay us! Ay, yi, yi… And with Opening Day only four days

Orioles ‘Summer of Amnesty’ plans solidify…

Nestor Aparicio

Initial word out of The Warehouse is that ticket czar Matt Dryer is secretly plotting an early retirement from the “surplus revenue” we’ll be adding to the coffers of Orioles/Angelos Inc. during “The Summer of Amnesty.” The last thing in the world I care to do is to make money for those mean-spirited ingrates at The Warehouse, believe me. But they ALL know that if we start showing people a good time at Orioles games this summer, word might get out. Imagine if “fun” would catch on at Camden Yards? Who knew? I can hear them now… “Maybe that ***hole from Dundalk was sincere? What if all he REALLY wanted to do all along was HELP us, NOT put us out of business? What if he really LOVES the Orioles and THAT was what Free The Birds was all about?” And, of course, many of you cynics out there will say that I’m only doing this to take an extra few dozen people to games every night all summer and raise hell in the upper deck about how bad the team is going to be this season. (Not true, but I can’t be sure of what Aubrey Huff’s at-bats are

I’m going back to see the Orioles…who is with me?

Nestor Aparicio

As Charley Eckman would’ve said, it’s a very simple game. I made a decision recently (and I might live to regret it) but I’m going back to Oriole Park at Camden Yards again this season and I want to encourage you to come with me. I will not relent or recant anything I’ve said or done. It’s all the truth and I stand behind everything I’ve ever written here or said in regard to the current state of the Orioles, Peter Angelos and the civic disgrace that the franchise has become. I want to make this clear: the Orioles are as shameful and as pathetic as they’ve ever been in virtually every department (from marketing to media relations to dealing with their employees to dealing with the business community and people in general) – it’s actually getting WORSE, not better — but I’m going back to the games anyway. And I want you to come and sit with me in the “cheap seats.” I want you to buy a $9 ticket (or less on several promotional nights) and come to an “old school Baltimore baseball celebration” in an otherwise empty upper deck. Pick a night, ANY night, and we’ll join

John and Jim Harbaugh confused by March Madness

Nestor Aparicio

A strange day for the Harbaugh family, no doubt. I’ve been sitting around for the third consecutive day watching hoops, eating food and getting butt sores, and it struck me that this Stanford-Marquette game is a strange matchup. Marquette’s coach, Tom Crean, is married to John Harbaugh’s sister Joani. Jim Harbaugh is Stanford’s football coach. John Harbaugh is probably watching the game on TV here in Baltimore somewhere. It’s like “All in The Family” tonight. I’m betting that the Harbaugh’s are waving the Marquette towels this evening. Just a guess… P.S. Duke’s ouster wrecked my pool. P.S.S. I’m happy that my pool is wrecked.

Who the heck is George Sherrill?

Nestor Aparicio

That’s exactly what I was wondering when I heard the announcement the other day that George Sherrill will be the Orioles closer this season. I heard this on WNST a few days ago, read about it online and then began to investigate. If I’m expected to cheer for the Orioles this summer (and I’m GOING to cheer FOR them this year in spite of their dreadful ownership), I suppose I need to figure out who some of these new “budding stars” are. This morning I found an outstanding piece by former Baltimore Sun baseball man Richard Justice, who launched this piece on Sherrill this morning, which told me a LOT about the next 9th inning man for the Birds. I had no idea he was 31 and has gone through such hardship. As Justice writes: “He has four career saves, doesn’t throw very hard and is about to celebrate his 31st birthday.” If you think that makes his story odd, you haven’t heard anything… Makes it easier for me to root for him in 10 days…    

Where are they now: Larry Bigbie

Nestor Aparicio

Let me be the first to say that I really like Larry Bigbie. Good guy, easy smile, loved Baltimore, routinely went to Ravens games (he even stole a purple headband from me once because he wanted to sport colors and stay warm at the game) and he actually LIVED HERE in the winters. For a while, it seemed like I ran into him at dinner once a week in Canton and downtown. Obviously, we all kinda knew there were some “allegations” regarding steroids that would come his way. His close friendship with David Segui would also indict him. But this morning over coffee and the remnants of my shredded NCAA pools, I ran across a front page piece on yahoo sports about his “exile” to Japanese baseball and his side of the story as the Mitchell Report turned his name up to be the biggest “rat” on the ship. With Bobby Valentine speaking out on the plight of Japanese baseball and the Red Sox being in Tokyo this week, it’s kind of cool to see what Bigbie’s side of the story is now that he has been blackballed in America by his role in the Mitchell Report. If times were

The look on Coach K’s face…

Nestor Aparicio

I have no idea how this is going to turn out, but right now the Dukies are losing by a point with less than two minutes left. I just want to document this moment in time and the look on Coach K’s face of disgust and contempt. They might lose. They might not. But this is a great moment right now, watching Duke squirm against a 15 seed in Washington, D.C. as the building erupts like it must’ve the night Buster Douglas caught Mike Tyson. So far so good… But this could go either way… I always seem to remember where I am and what I’m doing every year when Duke gets eliminated. For the record, I picked Duke to win it all in my pool at 11:45 today here at WNST.net. Even after three years off of the radio, my picks STILL blow!    

Free The Birds…or SEE The Birds?

Nestor Aparicio

Baseball season is here again. Just ten days from now, the Orioles will be coming back to Baltimore for what promises to be another ho-hum yawner of a season, where we’re all taking bets around the office about whether or not they can escape triple-digit losses in 2008. And it sucks. It really, really does. It sucks for my spirit. It sucks for my morale. It eats at my soul. The team stinks. The ownership stinks. The morale stinks. The media coverage is 100% bought off (that’s just the truth and it’s indisputable). The stands are empty virtually every night. The TV broadcasts look like a sports version of the set of Captain Chesapeake, circa 1978. (I’m waiting for Moandie the Sea Monster or Bruce The Bird to pop up on Rick Dempsey’s sleeve!) In six different stretches this summer for days at a time, the Red Sox and Yankees fans will once again take over the city like moths drawn to the lights of Camden Yards. The local bars and restaurants, struggling to make a go of it, will welcome the red B’s and pinstripes with open arms and good service. And the team hasn’t played a meaningful game

Seeing UMBC’s ‘Jay Greene’ on St. Patty’s Day

Nestor Aparicio

Over my 24 years in sports media I’ve experienced a bunch of cool sports memories but yesterday I did something that was a first for me: I went to UMBC’s Commons building and sat with the Retrievers — coaches, players, administration and supporters — and watched the CBS Selection Show awaiting word on where the Dawgs would be going. For years, I’ve seen the TV clips of teams waiting like expectant parents at the birth of a child. In Catonsville yesterday, it was a little tense, a little intriguing and very exciting. The place went bonkers when the announcement came of their seeding and Friday matchup in Raleigh with Georgetown. Drew and I managed to corral point guard Jay Greene (by far one of my favorite players to watch) and chat with him about the upcoming matchup against the Hoyas. Click here to see our wnsTV chat with Jay Greene. Don’t forget to clear your calendar this Friday for our big Absolut Madness party all day at Looney’s Pub in Bel Air. Hope to see you there!

See and feel the UMBC excitement here on wnsTV

Nestor Aparicio

In case you missed all of the excitement yesterday at RAC Arena, wnsTV captured the afternoon from beginning to end — all in just six minutes! We broke the day into two short videos. Click here for Part 1 when UMBC went on a first half run… Click here to see Part 2, the second half celebration and postgame mayhem! Hope you enjoy the videos…

Coppin State gets the Cinderella slipper…

Nestor Aparicio

In a game that was hard to pick a side on, Coppin State just outlasted Morgan State to make Baltimore’s second NCAA Tournament entry of the day with 62-60 win in Raleigh to seal the MEAC Championship. Tack on Mt. St. Mary’s, and that makes three representatives from the state of Maryland to root this week once the Madness begins. Major congrats to Fang Mitchell and his squad for getting back to the dance, where they brought the city so much excitement back in 1997. He’s also overcome some major tough times at Coppin, so it’s extra special. No doubt a bummer for Todd Bozeman and the Golden Bears of Morgan State. I attended the UMBC game earlier in the day and actually spent this evening at the Charm City Roller Derby at the Fifth Regiment Army (a wnsTV presentation is forthcoming). But what a day for Baltimore basketball, and what an AMAZING crowd at RAC Arena in Catonsville today! It was a privilege to have attended a game with that much emotion, noise and fun. The UMBC community should be super proud of that event today. You had to be there! So, for a day, it’s Randy Monroe and

Andy McPhail is talking…

Nestor Aparicio

But only, of course, to the “official” outlets. Today, an interview with Andy McPhail appeared with Hal Bodley, who was

King Peter emerges to speak

Nestor Aparicio

It didn’t take long. Apparently, front running even needs a frontrunner now that the Orioles are going well. But, where

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