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Nestor Aparicio

Despite gloomy forecast, Free The Birds set for tonight

Despite the gloomy forecast for rain, we’re still coming downtown tonight for another Free The Birds gathering to show our displeasure at the current state of the Orioles franchise. I could write tomes here today about all of the reasons the Orioles have been awful for 13 years but all of the folks who are already committed to coming downtown know that the owner, Peter G. Angelos remains the sole existing problem in the organization. To paraphrase: “It’s the owner, dummy…” We’ll be at Phillips Harborplace at 4 p.m. for a pre-game indoor tailgate with free crab balls, chicken tenders, munchies and $3 domestic beers all night. And if the weather holds up — the forecast is a 70% chance of rain tonight — we’ll be among the very few at Oriole Park at Camden Yards tonight to witness a franchise that is almost as dreadful as the Orioles as the Kansas City Royals bring their own brand of Triple-A baseball to Baltimore. We’ll walk up to the game and the only two missions we have tonight are simple to explain: to make our voices and message heard and to have a lot of fun. Pretty simple event. Come to

Six days from now we’ll do “Free The Birds”: Where will you be?

The time has come to be heard. Over the past four years I can’t begin to even estimate how many people have yelled a simple phrase at me on the streets of Baltimore: “FREE THE BIRDS!” It’s nice to know that a movement that I felt was rooted in peace, baseball, community and the future of downtown could take hold and that so many people thought it was a great thing and wanted to participate, even if it’s just buying a shirt and wearing it to the mall or screaming “FREE THE BIRDS” at me out their windows on city streets. Join our Facebook “Free The Birds” fan page here… Join our Facebook “I’m coming to FREE THE BIRDS 2010” event page here… But civic politics are a funny and strange business and it’s taken me into my forties to realize there are two kinds of people in the world when you’re outspoken: those for you and those against you. And most days, you feel like you only hear from those against you. Honestly, four years ago I thought this: “Who in the WORLD could possibly believe that Peter Angelos has done a good job with the Orioles since 1997?

Free The Birds event is set for May 17th…

The official “Free The Birds 2010 — The Reunion” is underway now with planning and events scheduled for Monday, May 17th. To make us aware of your attendance, please sign up for the event via Facebook and our events page here. The event will begin at 4 p.m. at Phillip’s Harborplace where we’ll have some happy hour specials and fun. Feel free to buy the cheapest tickets possible and come downtown to make your voice heard regarding the state of the Baltimore Orioles, circa 2010.

Let’s check back in on the “State of Baltimore Sports Media” with Orioles sitting at 2-14 on NFL Draft Day

So this media situation is exactly what I tried to warn everyone about back in February. I spent a week with my “State of Baltimore Sports Media” blogs attempting to take 27 years of my knowledge as a kid from Dundalk who loved sports and journalism and has spent a lifetime trying to build a better platform for integrity and honesty in an effort to enlighten folks about why we think WNST.net is a great way to communicate in 2010. The Orioles are 2-14. It’s almost unthinkable — unimaginable given the “enthusiasm” that was sold by the corporate suits over at CBS Radio and the MASN “partners” of a 13-year running sham known as Peter G. Angelos’ Orioles. Don’t worry, the rest of the local media that takes checks from King Peter and the crew aren’t off the hook here, either, for hiding the truth and burying the story about last week’s Ripken blowup. The Orioles are 2-14 and there’s not a negative word – not anywhere. There’s no call for the manager’s head. The owner – completely unaccountable and in hiding longer than the guy in the cave in the Middle East – never answers questions. The Ripken story

Hey Orioles fans: If you’re angry, sign up for Free The Birds 2010 now…

People have been asking me all week, “What’s the problem with the Orioles?” This is a recurring civic question that I’ve known the correct answer to for about a decade. It’s the only “variable” that has remained consistent in Baltimore baseball since 1993. The problem with the Orioles has been, is and will be — until he dies or sells the team – Peter G. Angelos. I didn’t need a 1-11 start and the first sniff of a simmering feud with Cal Ripken to know the gospel truth about the Orioles or any business in America in 2010. It starts at the top. If you’ve watched “Undercover Boss,” you know what I mean. I run a business. I spend all day, every day talking to fellow business owners. Peter Angelos has been very, very consistent in how he’s run not only the Orioles, but his law firm as well. He’s in charge and there’s only one name on the door. Fair enough. He owns the team. He’s allowed (and expected) to be in charge. Anyone who even implies that Andy MacPhail is “in charge” is just stupid and hasn’t been paying attention. But at some point the people who are

Cal Ripken & Ken Rosenthal vs. Peter Angelos: Who do you believe?

It was only a matter of time. This orange collision course of wills regarding the Orioles and Peter Angelos vs. Cal Ripken finally exploded late last night when Ken Rosenthal leaked a story on FoxSports.com that claimed via several MLB sources that Ripken and Andy MacPhail met earlier this week regarding some kind of employment/partnership within the organization. Rosenthal: “Angelos, however, nixed the idea in a separate conversation with Ripken, telling him, according to three sources, that he did not want Ripken to receive credit once the team returned to prominence.” So, what exactly transpired here this week between Ripken and the current Orioles regime? And how did Ken Rosenthal wind up back in the middle of a Baltimore baseball triangle with the owner of the team and Cal Ripken? As is always the case with Angelos, there’s a “morning after” dispute as to what happened and he has since answered with another one of his famous press releases feigning innocence and an open invitation to Ripken. Having been through the wars of Baltimore sports media since 1984, I’ve lived through the Rosenthal-Angelos wars of the 1990’s. I saw it all first hand and there was a time when I’ll

Fox&Rosenthal: Angelos turned down Ripken for job with Orioles

Not that this should come as a shock to anyone, but Fox Sports (and Baltimore resident) Ken Rosenthal is reporting that Cal Ripken approached Andy MacPhail and Peter Angelos about becoming involved with the Orioles organization only to be rebuffed. The plot thickens. I’ve been predicting this cauldron of a mess for a few years. It’s only a matter of time before this one boils over in some direction. The Orioles are 1-9. The natives are restless. The place is still clearly a mess as we continue to report. If you want the truth, you’ll keep coming to WNST.net.

So this kid wrote me a letter…

I love these kinds of letters that inspire me to blog. I’m really, really busy running the company right now and so involved in a huge expansion for WNST that I’m a little removed from day-to-day blogging here. You’re MUCH more likely to find me at a business networking event or in social media at Facebook and Twitter than in the actual blogging part of my life. But I’ll start writing more when things slow down and I can focus on my book. But I’m easy to find in the WNST Live Chat almost every night, during every game and will be again tonight during Caps-Habs or Orioles late night from Oakland. (And rest assured, Free The Birds 3 is on my mind a lot given the Orioles ineptitude this week to suck the life out of baseball one more time in Baltimore…) So today I got a “good news” baseball-oriented note from a kid on Facebook and I thought I’d just post it to see how many people would respond: Here goes… Dear Mr. Aparicio, My name is Cody Gelvar, and I am a Junior in high school at the Batlimore Polytechnic Institute (Poly for short) I am also

LIVE CHAT: Orioles try to avoid sweep vs Rays NOW!!!

All aboard Orioles fans, pessimists and optimists alike, for another adventure in Orange Crush baseball here at WNST.net. The chat room is open. I’m hosting today (almost like radio — but not quite). C’mon into our chat and say hi and don’t turn the MASN broadcast down. Instead, just turn YOUR voice, UP!

LIVE CHAT SUNDAY: Join WNST crew for Orioles & Masters talk now…

In the era of new technology, we’re taking our Sundays where you are: the internet and at home watching the game on television just like us. Today, jump into our Orange Crush and Masters Sunday chat and say hello. I’ll be hosting for much of the day but we’ve got all of our hosts watching games and having fun. We might even get some Capitals chatter going in the room as well…

Orioles circa 2010: We know they’ll lie, but will they lie down again?

I know, I’m like a freaking broken record. Every year I write about how I’ve wrongfully had my media pass revoked and every year the Orioles make up some more lies to justify all of their mean-spiritedness and lack of professionalism. It’s Opening Day, I’ve again been deemed “not a media member” but that’s just the “off the field” stuff. On the field, the word “improvement” has been thrown around all offseason in regard to the Orioles. As I’ve said many times, when you lose 98 games it’s hard NOT to improve the following season. It can’t get much worse, really. As sickening as it is that I’ve taken a myriad of phone calls, emails and correspondence wondering “if the Orioles can win 78 games” – as though this disgracefully low bar somehow passes for “improvement” – I am officially one of the optimistic orange Kool Aid drinkers circa April 5th regarding the 2010 season. It is my belief that this is the best team the Orioles have fielded this century. In 2004, the Orioles “best” performance was indeed 78 wins. Las Vegas has the 2010 Orioles over/under at 74 ½. If I were a betting man, I’d honestly take

Let me tell you a story about Michael Vick…

So the circus came to town tonight. And I met Michael Vick. At least, briefly, I did. This story is gonna ramble a little – don’t they all? – but I almost skipped the Ed Block Courage Awards dinner earlier tonight. I wasn’t in the mood to go, I’ve had some long days of work lately and I just didn’t feel much like being in the room with a thousand people and dealing with angry mobs of PETA people and, quite frankly, I just wasn’t in the mood for the hassle. Earlier in the day one of my oldest friends from Dundalk, Frank Vanik, sent me a series of emails saying that he needed tickets to the Ed Block event. Honestly, I didn’t have any tickets for the event and I sent him back a series of emails all day from a variety of meetings. Frank said it was his birthday and he wanted to be at the banquet. And I felt like a tremendous heel because I really didn’t have the tickets, time or ability to help him at the last minute on a heavy workload day. And I knew my friend Sam Lamantia and his staff would be

Happy 91st Birthday to the “real” creator of WNST

Dear Pop: Happy 91st birthday!!! I know you might be used to me doing the radio show dedicated to you every year here on March 5th but this year I’m “off” the radio (the listeners call it “retirement” and I call it “sabbatical”) so I’m just gonna write you this letter and hope it gets to you. And instead of taking calls all afternoon, I’m gonna take comments from folks on this space-aged thing called the internet. (I’ll explain it to you later but there’s a lot of stuff in the world here in 2010 you wouldn’t really understand without seeing it!) A lot has changed since you left us back in July 1992 and I just thought I’d check in and update you a little with this letter – just kind of catch you up a little bit because every single day I think “What would Pop think of this crazy place now?” And I know how much you love to read, so I thought I’d put it in writing for your birthday – how much different this place is in 2010! Yes, I still write “for the paper” occasionally, but they just don’t call it a newspaper anymore.

Finale: Part 5 – What is the future of sports media in Baltimore?

“I will never, EVER “text” with you!” I screamed into my cell phone to my beloved son, Barry, during the summer of 2006 when he filled up my text inbox with messages that I had no idea how to access. “If you don’t call me on the phone, you won’t find me!” What’s that axiom? “It’s what you learn after you know everything that really counts!” Yet again, more words wasted and crow swallowed. It was just another humbling, woefully wrong prediction for my own actions and a future gone awry as I continue to grow in years and wisdom in my 40’s. If there’s one pearl of wisdom I’ve learned the hard way it’s this: the learning NEVER stops and the world never stops changing. I’ve committed myself to be a student of life and it’s what gets me out of bed and keeps me alive and vibrant during these tough times. The entrepreneur in me just got back from eight days in Fort Lauderdale at the Super Bowl watching all of the “big boys” do what they do – television, radio, newspapers, web entities, etc. It’s gone from old days of “Radio Row” to a hodgepodge of different

My last day on air at AM 1570: Goodbye to radio, hello to the brave world of the web!

As you probably know, beginning on Monday, we’re going to begin a week-long series on the state of Baltimore sports journalism. And where this is all going? And how this radio, print, television & “new media thing” really works. “A WNST Expose’ on Sports Journalism in Baltimore: Is this Medium Well Done?” will be an eye-opening look at the inner-workings of sports media here in the town that I’ve loved since 1968 told by a true insider – me! It’s more of a mini-series than a blog. It’s designed to separate facts from fiction of media past, present and future. It’s taken me about 26 years of living it and now that WNST.net is the No. 1 most-visited sports website in the region, I think it’s time that I’ve said a few things that need to be said about the state of this business and how much “times have changed.” It’ll be the true story of life in the 2010 world of Baltimore sports media that Ray Frager — a former boss and media “critic” of mine at The Baltimore Sun who publicly hated, doubted and discarded my show and my brand and my expertise, information and business for more

Traveling to Indy? Here’s Everything you need to know about parties & fun!

So, you’re a Ravens Maniac like us and you’re planning on coming to Indianapolis with us – hopefully on our Miller Lite Purple Playoff Roadtrip but perhaps on your own via planes, buses or automobiles — and you don’t really know the best way to go about it, book it or who to trust? This blog and this information is for Ravens fans like you. Hop aboard and learn “all things Indianapolis, Ravens roadtrip and this weekend’s playoff game” here from WNST.net, where we pride ourselves on throwing the best parties and best events for the traveling purple crowd on the road! First (as a shameless plug), our trip is on sale and our first bus is already sold out. We just put the second bus on sale. Honestly, our bus trip is designed to be the cheapest, easiest and most fun way to do the trip. You show up at 6 a.m. on Friday and almost everything is taken care of for you and you can relax and just have fun until Sunday night when we return around 9 p.m. (Go out on Facebook and ask around to the 109 people we took to New England this weekend or

Curb Your Enthusiasm: The theme of Ravens’ fanbase this week

I’m not an expert on much, but Baltimore sports and enthusiasm are two things I’ve spent my entire existence since 1972 immersed in here in the Charm City. And even though the Ravens are traveling to New England this weekend for an honest-to-God, NFL playoff game, I’m sensing this is the least-exciting postseason run in the history of Baltimore sports. I have more ways to take the temperature of the city than I care to admit. From emails and AM 1570 to thousands of people on Facebook, Twitter and in a variety of web locales — this is a tepid metropolis right now regarding the Ravens. I’m just looking for some purple string lights around the region and I’m not “feeling the love” for the 2009 Ravens. Where’s YOUR purple, Baltimore? Now before you say, “Nasty – I’m fired up for the game on Sunday, what are you talking about?” I will respond with facts (not low blows…). Fact: There are still many flights into Providence, Boston and Manchester all day on Friday and Saturday. Fact: There were still seats left on my bus a few hours ago. I reserved NINE buses for the weekend. I’m using TWO. Fact: Seats

Are you headed to New England this weekend?

It’s no secret that this is our favorite time of the year. The Ravens are in the playoffs, with the possibility of surprising the NFL and shocking the world, and we’re headed to New England this weekend for drinks, smiles, cheers and some postseason, chilly football in Foxborough. If you (or someone you know or love) is headed to the Ravens-Patriots game this weekend, please share this blog and have them join our Facebook group called “I’m going to New England this weekend.” We are finalizing all of our party plans today and will announce it all via WNST AM 1570, our Twitter feed (@WNST) and on our group Facebook page over the next few days. We still have seats left on our 2nd Miller Lite Purple Playoff bus as well. If anyone needs me directly, I can be reached here (nasty@wnst.net) or on Facebook at Nestor J. Aparicio. As our baseball owner once said: “I’m a very available individual…”

Bears are in air, headed to BWI now: FOLLOW FLIGHT HERE LIVE!!!

UPDATE 9:16 p.m. — Bears flight has departed O’Hare for BWI. Officially left at 8:16 CST/now and slated to land at 10:43 p.m. with early arrival expected. You can follow the entire flight path with this link: Chicago Bears flight to BWI! Isn’t technology cool? Isn’t the web superbadass? UPDATE 8:05 p.m. — The Bears buses just left Halas Hall en route to O’Hare Airport. Will they get out of Chicago? Will BWI be open? We’ll keep updating you as we know! UPDATE: 1:51 p.m. –I just got a confirmation that the Bears are being told they’ll depart O’Hare Airport at 8 p.m. That would have them touch down at BWI at 10:30 p.m. We’ll see if they make it. If there are any further “moves” you’ll know first if you keep checking back to WNST.net. Or follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our free, easy and awesome Text Service. 1:35 p.m. — I just got off the phone with two sources within Halas Hall. They both have confirmed that the Bears are in a bit of a “holding pattern.” One put it best: “You kinda have to go where the acts of Mother Nature take you. You have

Yikes!!! Bears are stuck in Chicago…

I just got off the phone with Bears PR director Scott Hagel who confirmed that the Chicago Bears are still in Chicago and conducting business as usual in preparation to get Baltimore for tomorrow’s 4:15 p.m. game. Here’s the link to their official website blog, which confirms that the Bears’ flight last night was canceled. “The Bears tried to beat the snow in Baltimore, but they got sacked by Mother Nature. With 10-20 inches of snow expected to fall this weekend, the team moved its flight from Saturday afternoon to Friday night. But the Bears never made it to Baltimore. They boarded their charter at O’Hare at 10:30 p.m., and then sat on the plane before the flight was canceled at 12:30 a.m. because the snowstorm had arrived earlier than expected. The Bears bused back to Halas Hall, arriving at 1:15 a.m., and will attempt to fly to Baltimore late Saturday.” WNST will update you if/when the Bears get off of the ground at O’Hare in north Chicago, where it’s not snowing. The biggest issue will clearly be whether the BWI runway stays open.

Postcard from Green Bay & Lambeau Field

It’s early morning here in Green Bay and the snow is beginning to fall. It’s 19 degrees here in the land of the frozen tundra and we’re expected to get 1-to-2 inches of fresh snow before the indoor tailgates begin this afternoon. And, no, they will not be closing schools here in Wisconsin today or freaking out on the local news. The Ravens are in a pretty good position if they can find a way to win this football game tonight at Lambeau Field. The Steelers lost yesterday. The Jaguars won. There is still plenty of football left and for anyone who just pencils in “win” vs. Detroit, Chicago or Oakland, all you need to do is check the results every Sunday to realize there are no “easy” wins in the NFL. (Except if you’re playing Cleveland, that is, and thankfully we don’t have to see them again!) I’ll be writing from the press box at Lambeau Field tonight. We’ll have the Purple Haze chat room open, we’ll be Tweeting, Facebooking and texting you all of the info as the game unfolds. We hope you keep it tuned to WNST.net on the net tonight or join Eric Aaronson and his

First aid & Band aids don’t aid Ravens’ Festivus run

The nagging injuries to Joe Flacco, Ray Lewis & Haloti Ngata are doing nothing to help the Ravens’ postseason run here in December. Here’s one gloomy observation on the upcoming purple postseason hopes for January in the AFC.

Giving Thanks to Baltimore coaches everywhere

Nestor gives thanks to all of the Baltimore sports coaches and managers from Gene Ubriaco to Brian Billick over his 25 years as a media member. “Coaches are my favorite people” he says.

Lots of questions but not lots of answers for Ravens

To say that frustration has fallen across the land here in Baltimore along with an early sunset would be an understatement. Today, once again, the sun continued to set on another season of Ravens football as the Ravens dropped their fifth game of the season as the Indianapolis Colts walked across the purple bird toward the visiting locker room as the winners in their former land of Baltimore. Today, it is NOT the land of pleasant living. After a 7th-consecutive disgusting loss for a fan base who built that horseshoe for the Irsay family before having it shoved up its civic backside in March 1984, there are many questions, but few answers the Ravens can provide beyond a disappointing 5-5 record. Ed Reed and Ray Lewis didn’t even chat with the media. (Why Reed was trying to pitch the ball in that situation is just inexplicable — except that he’s been doing it for a decade, Brian Billick-be-damned!) John Harbaugh had a rather terse “no comment”-style response in regard to this action. I’m not a guy who’s ever looked for “goats” in losses. I’ve been around this game long enough to know that mistakes of the physical nature are usually

My life with Bruce Springsteen and Friday’s miracle show in Baltimore

Let me get this out of the way: Springsteen is the only Boss I listen to … At 8:50 this Friday evening when Bruce Springsteen breaks out his harmonica and begins to tell the Baltimore audience about his 1975 opus, “Born To Run” – the album, not the song – some musical magic will enrapture the First Mariner Arena in a way that hasn’t been seen much lately this side of Bono or Mick Jagger taking the stage that Elvis Presley and The Beatles graced in the 1960s and Led Zeppelin and The Who lit up in the 1970s. This is Springsteen’s first foray into the Baltimore Street institution since 1973, when legend has it that he apparently opened for the band Chicago. In 1977, Bruce rocked the then-shiny-new Towson Center on the “Darkness On The Edge of Town” tour. But over the last 32 years – as long as I’ve been going to concerts — Springsteen has never, ever come near playing Baltimore in any way. In his heyday, the Capital Centre hosted all of Bruce’s legendary shows and week-long runs from 1978’s success of “The River” and beyond. And then, of course, he wound up playing R.F.K. Stadium

At least one Harbaugh is a rock star…

John Harbaugh is 5-4. His brother, former Ravens QB Jim Harbaugh, is 7-3 at Stanford and fresh off of knocking off USC and Pete Carroll last weekend. If you saw the game, you know that Harbaugh rubbed Carroll’s nose in the dirt when going for up a two-pointer while up 27 points in the 4th quarter. I ran across a great story about Jim Harbaugh’s new-found rock star status in Palo Alto on www.sportsline.com written by Dennis Dodd. A great read! I had a great time with Jim when he was with the Ravens in 1998. We did some radio shows together and he had a very quirky way about him, even then. A funny guy, we once went to see Hootie and The Blowfish together with Tony Siragusa and Michael McCrary. I wrote about it in my book, Purple Reign. It was crazy night with a lot of twists and turns but I’ll never forget Harbaugh carrying a girl who was on crutches down a flight of steep stairs trying to help her. He was really a good guy and he’s now the toast of the football world and the hottest coaching prospect in the business. Good for him!

Hey Jon Gruden: Welcome to the Baltimore manure list!

It didn’t take long for the manure to hit the fan in Baltimore during the Monday Night Football broadcast from Cleveland on ESPN after Jon Gruden made his comments regarding the Ravens and their “historic contributions” to the NFL’s newest drive to market hideously grotesque old AFL laundry. While swimming in the sea of obvious insensitivity and double negatives that encompass every Ravens-Browns matchup since Art Modell moved his franchise to the Charm City in 1996, Gruden uttered one of the more ignorant one-liners since Bob Trumpy wished us bad weather and cold hot dogs back in September of that fateful year: “If the Ravens wore their throwback jerseys, they’d be the Browns.” While I was awash in the WNST Purple Haze chat room as well as scanning Twitter and Facebook, I saw that the Baltimore folks were bristling in social media during the second quarter. At halftime, I chased down Ron Jaworski, who I knew pretty well from our days working together at NFL Films on Mondays a decade ago and told him to deliver a message to Gruden for me: “If the Ravens wore their throwback jerseys, they’d ACTUALLY be blue and white with a horseshoe on them!

Question of the day: Wizards vs. Capitals in Baltimore

Obviously, we have created a nice partnership with the Washington Capitals here at WNST. They’re nice people. They really want to market Baltimore and bring their players and do events here. There’s even serious talk about a pre-season NHL game at the First Mariner Arena. And we have their coaches and players on and attempt to let people know that they have a good thing going on in D.C. with their hockey team and Baltimore is “invited.” Recently, Dave Hughes, who has a nice local media site called DCRTV, asked me two questions. 1. What is the popularity of the Caps and Wizards in Baltimore? 2. Will Balto ever get a hockey/basketball team? This is what I wrote to him: Baltimore will never get an NHL or NBA team. There are territorial rights issues that would be more complex than the Orioles/Nationals/Expos/MASN/MLB. Plus, it doesn’t have the industry or fan base to support those prices for 40 dates. Plus the Arena won’t be built of that fashion (18-22K seats)… The Caps are quickly gaining popularity in Baltimore. We do soldout bus trips to Caps games. We’ve done full bars for playoff games at Silver Spring Mining Company in Hunt Valley

Orioles continue to drag feet on signing Sarasota deal

While it appears to be a fait accompli that the Orioles will play their spring training games in Sarasota in three months, the Sarasota Herald Tribune reported today that the Orioles still have not officially notified the officials there in writing that they’ll actually show up in February. As I’ve written before, they’ll live to regret working with the Angelos group. Everyone always does. Here’s my favorite excerpt from yesterday’s report: “The Orioles were supposed to tell Sarasota County by Nov. 1 whether they would hold spring training at Ed Smith in 2010. That notification has not happened yet. So while the Orioles have committed to a 30-year deal in Sarasota starting in 2011, they have not yet indicated whether they will play there in the spring of 2010. Orioles spokesman Greg Bader did not immediately return a call for comment this afternoon.” But for now, we’re 72 hours away from free hot dogs and bon bons at Ed Smith Stadium on Saturday. We’ll be reporting on this as it continues. And it always does…

Hey John: You can’t be 4-4 and seriously talk playoffs

Just judging from the sheer volume of social media I consumed all day yesterday, the fan base here is in “quit on the 2009 season” mode. The lofty expectations following a rookie campaign for John Harbaugh and Joe Flacco that ended in the AFC Championship Game led all of us in the Charm City to feel as though this year would somehow be better. Well, we’re halfway through the race and things haven’t gone according to the best laid plan. The Ravens have lost four of their last five, including yesterday’s turd in Cincinnati. The team, overall, just hasn’t been as good as advertised in many ways. The Bengals have now embarrassed the Ravens twice in four weeks en route to sole possession of the AFC North lead and have earned the right to crow. While yesterday’s loss certainly felt like more of a beatdown than the final score — and we’ll get to Steve Hauschka’s missed kick in a minute — the NFL only counts one thing en route to a playoff berth in the tournament: wins. And right now, at 4-4, this isn’t going to get it done. I could make excuses for all of the other three

Kokinis the latest former Ravens exec shown door in Cleveland

The names change but the team remains the same. The Cleveland Browns stink. The Cleveland Browns, after taking their second “hot shot” executive from Ozzie Newsome’s staff here in Baltimore, have once again shown another Baltimore rock star the gate, this time forcing general manager George Kokinis out the door around lunchtime today according to this WKYC report in Cleveland. Earlier this year, Browns owner Randy Lerner fired another former Ravens executive with a Super Bowl ring in Phil Savage, who is still owed four years of pay from the franchise, which lost again yesterday to fall to 1-7. Lerner has had major problems with a malcontent fanbase who have called for a protest when the team plays the Ravens on Monday Night Football two weeks from tonight. (By the way, we still have seats on our Miller Lite Roadie to that game here…) More to come for sure. But it looks like Kokinis is gone in Cleveland.

And the Orioles continue South with more “neighborly” love for Sarasota…

I just got pinged by a friend who tells me that WBAL slipped out a quiet report a few days ago that the Orioles have again made one of their more outlandish moves of 2009. (And that’s saying something, when you consider the kind of season they slept-walked through this summer.) Remember a few years ago, when Angelos and the boys set up camp in Farragut Square near their “Orioles Store” in downtown Washington, D.C., to feign interest in the market after holding it hostage for five years in exchange for the MASN TV rights that were supposed to buy the Orioles some semblance of respectful balance on the playing field in the AL East. That day — with a 7:05 game looming in another summer of distress — they shipped the entire roster on a bus down to a big city square and served free ice cream and hot dogs and soda to everyone in the park. We, of course, opined that the Orioles have NEVER given away free hot dogs and ice cream in Baltimore. And Angelos’ true interest in D.C. extended about as far as how much he could extort out of Bud Selig and MLB, then

Don’t ask…just click! Very, very funny…

I’m not one for cartoons, jokes, chain letters or general web stuff that I refer to as “spam.” (And for the 1000th time, NO, I don’t want to play Mafia Wars with you on Facebook! Stop sending me that manure!) However, I got this link forwarded to me on Facebook (thanks, Tom!) and, well, it’s pretty freaking good. It’s PG-13, don’t worry…thank me later! Just click here… Be ready to laugh…

Sex and the World Series

Just when you thought you heard every story, here comes one that’s fascinating. A Philadelphia woman put an ad on “Craiglist” under: Tickets Wanted. She said in the ad she was willing to “get creative.” She made an appointment with a sting officer and got arrested. The charge: “soliciting prostitution.” She says she never offered sex for the tickets. Here’s a link to a video interview with her. Crazy story. And one that there are clearly two very different sides. Baseball makes people crazy, huh? Of course, here in Baltimore nothing like this would ever happen. Because we’ll never see the World Series again.

So, do you think it’s “right” that not one Orioles player showed at Brooks’ gala?

UPDATE: On my way out the door last night I took a picture with Brooks Robinson, just like I did in 1973 when he signed my “Third Base Is My Home” hardback book at his store at the Hoshchild Kohn at Eastpoint Shopping Center. You’re not a true Baltimore sports lover if you haven’t met Brooks and if getting your picture taken with him isn’t still a thrill. I left with a big smile on my face last night because Brooks planted it there. So, all the real “haters” out there can pile on me for telling the truth, but I would NEVER attempt to sully anything regarding Brooks Robinson or his big night of love. But if you don’t think the owner of the current Orioles not showing up, sending a letter of goodwill or sending any of his baseball players to the event isn’t creepy/mean/peculiar/classless, then you are either a supreme excuse maker/apologist or someone with an agenda regarding Peter Angelos or a bash campaign on my free speech or well-founded opinion. Hate on me all you want, but REALLY — you think ignoring Brooks Robinson is a good move by the Orioles or Angelos at this point?

A somber locker room in Minnesota

All of the videos are up now here at WNST.net. I’m sure folks will be crazy in the Purple Haze in a little while as well. If you ever want to know what I’m thinking during the games, I’ve been TWEETING LIKE A RAVEN on Twitter each week during this season. It’s a LOT of fun for me to share my thoughts via the internet from my seat in the upper deck of the Metrodome surrounded by people in braids. Simply follow us on Twitter and you’ll know every stupid thought that’s on my mind. It was a tough, tough loss today. The Ravens were outplayed dramatically in the first half and the comeback should’ve been good enough to save the day. Honestly, I was filing out of the upper deck before Ray Rice caught that pass thinking the game was over. It was an amazing, memorable comeback and it leads you to believe that anything is possible with this team. The final Frank Walker penalty was so blatant that it’s not even worth discussing. And, if you have a kicker who can’t hit a 43-yarder with the game on the line on the road, you’re not good enough to

“Colt” Matt Stover reaches out to WNST and Ravens fans

Matt Stover and I have been trading texts and phone calls for months. People asked me almost daily, “What’s happening with Matt?” Today, he spent about 20 minutes with Bob Haynie and you can hear the entire episode here in the audio vault. It was a sensational interview by Haynie and I hope you check it out! For the record, Stover has become one of my favorite all-time Ravens, even though we’ve never been publicly linked because he wasn’t a frequent visitor on my show throughout the years. Even though I don’t think I’ve done five “on the record” conversations with him in nearly 15 years, No. 3 was always “go to” guy in the clubhouse literally since the nanosecond the team arrived from Cleveland in 1996. I always love to tell the story of the “altercation” we had in the Memorial Stadium locker room after the first game against Oakland. I was wearing a hardhat with the flying B logo. He chastised me. I introduced myself. We came to terms and and it’s been “all good” ever since. Stover is a rock star of a great guy. A community, family and biblical guy. Always very straightforward and honest, I

Wrestling manager & legend Capt. Lou Albano dead at 76

It’s a little hard to write about death on my 41st birthday and I haven’t been blogging much lately because I’ve been in overwhelm running WNST, but the death of wrestling manager Capt. Lou Albano is certainly one more passing of an era of my childhood. I spent many, many Saturday afternoons watching the “guiding light” — as he used to refer to himself, but Capt. Lou Albano lived an interesting life in the spotlight of wrestling and entertainment. The news was first reported by MTV about an hour ago. Here’s the wiki on Albano: Louis Vincent Albano (July 29, 1933 – October 14, 2009[2]), better known by his ring name Captain Lou Albano, was an American professional wrestler, manager and actor. With an over-the-top personality and a penchant for boisterous declarations, Albano was the epitome of the antagonistic manager that raised the ire of wrestlers and incited the anger of spectators. Throughout his forty-two-year career, Albano guided 15 different tag teams and 4 singles competitors to championship gold. A unique showman, with an elongated beard, rubber band facial piercings, and loud outfits, he was the forefather of the 1980s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection. Collaborating with Cyndi Lauper, Albano helped

Matt Birk is laying down charity roots in Baltimore as well as Minneapolis

I spent the early part of last night with Ravens center Matt Birk at Mother’s Grille in Federal Hill where he kicked off his local charity initiative, the HIKE Foundation, with a dinner and cocktail reception. Birk was extremely active (think, like Cal Ripken kinda active) in the Twin Cities while playing for more than a decade for the Vikings. A well-publicized Harvard alum, Birk has been a finalist for NFL Man of The Year and routinely won awards and accolades for his public service in Minnesota. His work in Baltimore is just beginning and we had a little fun shooting this video about what HIKE stands for and why there’s a pizza with his name on it at Mother’s. Here’s the 411 in his words: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieKSCC95Da4&feature=channel_page[/youtube]

First aid & Band aids don’t aid Ravens’ Festivus run

The nagging injuries to Joe Flacco, Ray Lewis & Haloti Ngata are doing nothing to help the Ravens’ postseason run here in December. Here’s one gloomy observation on the upcoming purple postseason hopes for January in the AFC.

Giving Thanks to Baltimore coaches everywhere

Nestor gives thanks to all of the Baltimore sports coaches and managers from Gene Ubriaco to Brian Billick over his 25 years as a media member. “Coaches are my favorite people” he says.

Sex and the World Series

Just when you thought you heard every story, here comes one that’s fascinating. A Philadelphia woman put an ad on

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