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Nestor Aparicio

It’s about time for Dave Trembley to go…

Nestor Aparicio

Being on the radio every day over the years I’ve had the sad fortune to listen to more than my fair share of “fire the manager/coach” calls from knee-jerk reactionaries on a mission to be a public “coach killer.” In general, it’s just not my style to call for the firing of a skipper. In fact in my 17 years on the radio – from Johnny Oates to Davey Johnson, from Phil Regan to Sam Perlozzo, from Mike Hargrove to Lee Mazzilli – I’ve never gone on the air in any fashion and said, “Fire the manager.” (Not even for Mazzilli, who was such a freaking train wreck that it was reprehensible.) But, today, I’m strongly toying with the idea that it might be getting close to the time for Dave Trembley to exit. I’ve watched the first three months of the 2009 version of the Orioles. They lack consistency in virtually every aspect of the game. They even lack consistent effort, Tuesday night’s miracle notwithstanding. They’re in dead last place and going nowhere anytime soon. They run the bases like Jeff Stone on certain nights. The mental mistakes and ill-placed errors are maddening at times. But, for me, the

Ohhhhh what a comeback: Oriole Magic percolates at The Yard after the rain…

Nestor Aparicio

It isn’t hype to say that a miracle happened at Camden Yards tonight. It isn’t hyperbole to say that this was truly the greatest comeback in Orioles history. It really was. I’m sure this morning many of you will awake to read this and say what most of the city (or the few who were watching to begin with will say): “They were losing 9-1 when the rain came. How the hell did they win that game?” Well, the box score will tell you all about the comeback — an amazing display of perserverance that saw them get five runs in the 7th inning and five more in the 8th to overcome the Red Sox in an 11-10 win before a stunned contingent of mostly Red Sox fans, who stayed to celebrate what looked to be a rout at 10:45 p.m. after a lengthy and wet rain delay that came in the fifth inning. In the 7th, Aubrey Huff, Nolan Reimold and Luke Scott heroics were all upstaged by Oscar Salazar’s big home run off of Hideki Okajima. In the 8th, it was Nick Markakis’ big two-out shot off the left field wall that highlighted a firestorm offensive display against

Farrah & Michael leave us: What a day…

Nestor Aparicio

As a child of the 1970’s and an adolescent of the 1980’s, tonight has been a somber one in my world and the world of many friends. We all grew up with a Farrah Fawcett poster and a Michael Jackson album in our collections. To think that they both died on the same day — literally bookending my show today, Farrah died at 2 p.m. and Michael died at 6 p.m. — it’s just a tad bit surreal. Farrah was the lead story on every major website in America for four hours and the news cycle and immensity of Jackson’s bizarre death flushed her out pretty quickly. Jackson was the Elvis of my lifetime. Farrah Fawcett was the Marilyn Monroe of my childhood. Sure, they were just superstar entertainers who were rich, beautiful, talented and famous — but they were pure icons of our generation. I did a three-hour “tribute” to Farrah today on AM 1570 and got lots of interesting phone calls. Surely, if you’ve put on a television since 6 p.m., you know that Jackson’s death will be mourned worldwide. He might truly be in the Top 5 of the most famous people in the world and his

Orioles get Philthy in Philly, complete sweep with 2-1 win

Nestor Aparicio

The Orioles are still in last place but completed an inspired weekend of road baseball, finishing a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies in the City of Brotherly Love. Today, it was Jeremy Guthrie’s turn to step up with a big outing and Adam Jones and Brian Roberts driving in the key late-inning runs to beat the Phils 2-1 after a huge comeback on Saturday night on the heels of a great start by Brad Bergesen. Roberts has been the difference maker the past two days, stepping up as a veteran leader for a team trying to dig out of the AL East basement. The Orioles have now won five in a row and take their final Interleague turn of the season south to South Beach and a three-game set meeting with the Marlins on Tuesday night. Complete coverage at WNST.net here…

A funny, memorable night in Philadelphia…

Nestor Aparicio

I’m just getting my sea legs under me on a Sunday afternoon from a long night of rain, baseball, cheese steaks, hideous Philadelphia sports fans and Miller Lite drinking with the Orioles and 50 awesome orange Kool Aid drinkers at Citizen’s Bank Park. We had a blast! (And that was before the fireworks from Gregg Zaun and Brian Roberts…) The video is just about done and I’ll get it up onto wnsTV so you can check out all of the mayhem. It was a funny, funny evening with lots of laughs, twists and turns and an a memorable outcome for the Birds. I had at least 500 Philadelphians “remind” me that they’re the World Champions, many on video. It was as much fun as I’ve had at a ballgame in a long time. The video will tell some of the story… Is that an orange broom in a red ballpark or are you just happy to see me?

Ravens rookies a big hit at The Barn

Nestor Aparicio

Seven of the Ravens rookies for 2009 joined the WNST crew at The Barn last night for a Miller Lite event packed with purple fans and laughs. We’ll be running the audio on AM 1570 over the next few days and the audio vault here at WNST.net and video platform of wnsTV will also have the evidence. We did brief conversations with different sets of guys, most of whom drove together from Owings Mills not knowing what to expect when I accosted them an invited them to Carney for what has become an annual event. Paul Kruger and Jason Phillips did the first segment and admitted to being “lost” from time to time in the early going back in April. Next up with was kicker Graham Gano (who admitted to being nervous because of the “public speaking” angle of live radio) and running back Cedric Peerman, who talked about Al Groh’s pro set offense at Virginia. And finally, the trio of Lardarius Webb, Jason Cook (an undrafted free agent fullback who has been very impressive in OTAs) and Davon Drew joined me to close out the evening with some laughs. Webb provided the best comedy of the evening with some

Bergesen goes distance, emerging as a true ‘Ace’ for Orioles

Nestor Aparicio

It’s still a bit too early to put Brad Bergesen on the Mike Mussina track as the franchise’s first potential “ace” in a decade but yesterday’s effort at Camden Yards has started some buzz about the lanky righthander’s recent work. The complete game, five-hit, 11-2 victory over the Braves yesterday should come as no surprise. The word on Bergesen’s command began in Florida at spring training and has become evident with his work since his call-up from Norfolk. He pitches quickly. He throws strikes. He mixes speeds. And, with much more consistency than most young pitchers of this generation, he finishes games. He’s what the throwbacks would call a “bulldog” or a “gamer.” In an era of starting pitchers who generally feel “victorious” about six decent innings of work and turning the keys over to the bullpen, Bergesen is indeed a Jim Palmer-esque throwback with his psyche and longevity. He won’t be throwing double-digit complete games every year in the bigs like ‘Cakes, but yesterday was an impressive afternoon of pitching. Bergesen, who threw 112 pitches and appeared to be laboring a bit in the 9th inning, has taken a few of his own lumps during his first six weeks

Rain drops Koji: Birds lose to Mariners 6-3

Nestor Aparicio

My new favorite Oriole, Matt Wieters, was the featured Bird tonight but didn’t play. Koji Uehara looked pretty good until the rain came. The Orioles lost again. Mired in an offensive slump, tonight’s Birds lineup was another head-scratcher with Ty Wiggington, Gregg Zaun and Robert Andino at the bottom of the order. To their credit (and perhaps Dave Trembley, who filled out the card) they combined for 3 of the Orioles’ 7 hits tonight in a 6-3 loss. Uehara gave up three runs in the sixth inning and another in the fifth, while Brian Bass pitched 1 2/3 of rocky relief. Uehara looked like he was affected by the rain and Trembley’s postgame indicated that as well. He said the hamstring wasn’t an issue. The Mariners got a big night from Russell Branyan, who hit a home run off Bass further than any ball I can remember, landing the last row of the bleachers below the scoreboard in deep, deep right centerfield. They called it 450-feet. They said it’s the sixth furthest shot in the history of Camden Yards. I don’t believe it. It looked like it was at least 475 and was just amazing. The Orioles had a semi-rally

Bird watching & no hoisting of goblet in Pittsburgh

Nestor Aparicio

10:42 p.m. — Bring on Game 7! The Pittsburgh Penguins have been plenty feisty daing back to Game 7 in Washington, D.C. in what feels like a lifetime ago. It wasn’t the most exciting first period in Stanley Cup history, but the third period tonight at The Igloo was spectacular. Action, back and forth and up and down the ice. The game almost was tied with just 13 seconds remaining on a close one. It was Stanley Cup magic. The Penguins and the city of Pittsburgh are 60 minutes away from a second civic championship in five months. Disgusting! Meanwhile, Brad Bergesen did a nice job tonight against Seattle. The Birds won 3-1. Nolan Reimold hit a big fly. Melvin Mora had one interfered with in the first inning. It was a good, necessary win for the Birds. 8:40 p.m. — I’m in the midst of a typical spring night of wearing out the “previous” on my Comcast remote as I go back and forth between the Orioles-Mariners and Red Wings-Penguins. The sky is a beautiful blood orange over downtown tonight and the Orioles game has been strange and the Red Wings look poised to hoist Lord Stanley’s chalice on

Orioles take Matt Hobgood with No. 5 overall in MLB Draft

Nestor Aparicio

The pick is in for the Orioles (and wow, is the MLB Draft weird on TV, seeing Bud Selig playing the role of commissioner!) and they’ve selected RHP Matt Hobgood, a high schooler from Norco High School in California. Hobgood’s a beast, at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds and was a helluva hitter as well. He’s been compared to a young Goose Gossage by Baseball America. He’re an excerpt from the L.A. Times: “I’m ecstatic,” Hobgood said. “I don’t know what to say. This is about all the hard work, blood, sweat and tears. I’m so happy they pulled the trigger.” Despite hitting 21 home runs, Hobgood said the Orioles have told him he was selected to become a pitcher. He has a 95-mph fastball and, all season, people didn’t know whether he’d be a pitcher or a hitter at the professional level. “Somebody has figured it out,” he said. “I’ll sneak in some batting practice.” As for how long it will take him to sign, Hobgood said, “It shouldn’t take long. I’m ready to sign.” He also won the Gatorade High School Player of The Year. This is a picture from yesterday’s ceremony. Via the power of youtube, we no longer

Wanna follow the MLB Draft?

Nestor Aparicio

If you listened to today’s edition of Limited Access, you now know about Ben Hyman, a local product and son of longtime sportswriter Mark Hyman, who is doing all things MLB Draft tonight at his website www.withthefirstpick.net. Hyman will be live blogging (on caffeine no doubt) for the next three days as the MLB Draft unfolds. So, in the world of overkill with NFL and NBA Draft coverage, Hyman is going where few have dared to travel: the world of figuring out the very inexact science of drafting MLB players. Follow his live blog and have some fun with the draft. Who knows? Maybe the next Matt Wieters is coming tonight…

Orioles: Shut out, swept & headed home on 5-game losing streak

Nestor Aparicio

Bad pitching has become a hallmark of the 2009 Orioles but this weekend’s bizarre meltdown in Oakland has solidified the basement in the AL East for the Orioles who have a lot of problems coming back to face the Mariners here at Camden Yards on Tuesday. Today, Rich Hill didn’t make it out of the first inning, walking four and hitting another Athletic en route to a three-run first inning that held up for the duration in a 3-0 loss to complete the sweep at the hands of the A’s. Strangely enough, the A’s only had two hits yet still manhandled the Orioles despite amazing relief pitching from Brian Bass, Matt Albers and Jim Johnson who were nearly perfect. The Orioles are now 24-33 and deeper in the basement than they’ve been in a while at 9.5 games back. Some lowlights: The Orioles offense managed just five hits off of Vin Mazzaro today. They scored just five runs in Oakland and surrendered 18 runs on the weekend. Matt Wieters (0-for-4 today), who created mass hysteria and a one-weekend run on the orange box office last weekend, is now officially “slumping” in his big-league debut. He’s 4-for-28 and hitting .143. Adam

Birds and turds and Sunday musing…

Nestor Aparicio

Where are my U.S. Soccer fans? Who was watching the game last night? If you’re among the many who would say, “What, there was a soccer game last night?” it’s time to awaken to World Cup season. Yep, Uncle Sam’s boys played last night in apparent silence across America for the sports team that represents us to the World on the grandest stage every four years. And last night’s was a qualifier, no less. On American soil, in Chicago at Soldier Field. And, in embarrassing fashion, the stadium looked more like Red Sox fans at Camden Yards as most of Honduras found its way to the Windy City. They announced the crowd at 55,000-plus and it easily topped 35,000 Hondurans in the house on a gorgeous night there. The U.S. got behind early (again) but found a way to escape with a 2-1 victory all but guaranteeing their safe passage to South Africa next June for the World Cup. Drew Forrester (who has forgotten more about soccer than I’ll ever know) has a full account of the game here… As many of you know, I’m a bit of a dweeb for World Cup soccer and I attended the Germany “Copa

Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy: Birds give finale away in 3-2 loss to Seattle

Nestor Aparicio

While we’re all drinking the orange Kool Aid these days in hopes of “better days ahead,” it’s losses like last night’s in Seattle that keep anyone who appreciates good baseball scratching our heads in disgust. After a series of boneheaded baserunning blunders and mental mistakes, the Orioles finally succumbed to the Mariners in a 3-2 loss at Safeco Field when Adrian Beltre hit a seeing-eye single past Cesar Izturis off Jim Johnson in the 9th inning to win the game. Aubrey Huff – allegedly a veteran – not only got picked off of third base by Mariners catcher Rob Johnson in the sixth inning to kill a rally but was also caught stealing in the ninth to thwart any chance of a go-ahead run. To his credit, Huff faced the music afterward, telling The Sun: “There’s no reason to get picked off right there. That’s just a stupid rookie mistake by a veteran guy. It can’t happen. There’s no reason for me to be off the base that much. If Wieters gets a hit, I’m scoring anyway. It was really, really stupid.” At least he’s showing some accountability for his losing behavior. Perhaps sometime soon someone will ask Dave Trembley

Brady Anderson weighs in on Angelos’ reputation

Nestor Aparicio

It’s been a little while since I’ve spoken with Brady Anderson but the last time we chatted we had a very spirited debate regarding Peter Angelos’ contributions to Baltimore sports. Today, Anderson wrote an op-ed piece for The Baltimore Sun. Clearly, a lot has changed since Brady Anderson rolled his roller blades through the droves of people who gathered at the Inner Harbor every day for Orioles games back in the halcyon days of Camden Yards and competitive baseball. And let’s be honest: Angelos trumped his own general manager 10 years ago when he gave Anderson a $30 million contract. Brady has millions and millions of reasons to be loyal to Angelos. But, nontheless, it’s an interesting read.

Rich Hill looked like McNally or McGregor; Birds win 1-0 in Seattle

Nestor Aparicio

12:26 a.m. — George Sherrill threw three straight balls to start the ninth inning but did his best Don Stanhouse escape, ultimately shutting the door on the middle of the Seattle order as the Birds defeated the Mariners 1-0 in a hastily played, well-pitched “old time” ball game. Rich Hill was extraordinary, going seven innings and allowing just two hits while retiring the final 14 Mariners in order before exiting to perfect relief from Jim Johnson and Sherrill. It’s a good homecoming for Adam Jones, who scored the lone run of the game. 1-0 games don’t happen too often. Savor them! It was a great night to stay up late watching baseball. 12:18 a.m. — Rick Dempsey: “You never would’ve thought that the Orioles could get pitching this good!” An odd thing to say, but Dempsey is great for these one liners. And for the record, about two weeks ago I would’ve agreed with him. This team is finding energy from the young pitchers. That much is obvious! 12:14 a.m. –We’ve come a long way from the days of waiting for The Baltimore Sun and the little black boxes on the front page, haven’t we? Jim Johnson has pitched a

Matt Messiah has arrived…now will the wins follow?

Nestor Aparicio

It was a fun weekend to be a real Orioles fan. The kind where the joy of baseball, if it’s ever mattered in your life at any point, comes back in a rush. Sure, all of the steroids and losing and empty nights at Camden Yards have taken their toll over the past 12 years, but the Orioles finally can say they are in the business of “selling hope.” You know why? Because, this time, the fans actually believe in Matt Wieters and what the Orioles are selling. How do I know? Because they announced the three-game crowd this weekend at 108,000 people and for once it didn’t look like they were padding their numbers. The Orioles are selling hope. The Orioles are selling youth. The best minds in baseball say they’re on the right path. The fans are buying the hype and – for the first time – the tickets to the games. People dropped everything and ran to the ballpark this weekend to see the orange Messiah in person. Yes, it was a fun weekend despite the gruesome pair of losses on Saturday and Sunday (not to mention any flaming criticism of manager Dave Trembley, who befuddles many

Somewhere over the Warehouse…and the rainbow!

Nestor Aparicio

Matt Wieters gets tested on the first play of the game. He goes 0-fer at the plate. Brad Bergesen goes eight strong innings. Luke Scott jacks two home runs onto the flag court and drives in five runs. The stadium is packed with orange hopefuls, young and old, and the weather even held off as the Orioles beat the Tigers 7-2 in one of the more “Magical” nights in the history of Camden Yards. Dave Trembley said it perfectly: “Good for our team. Good for our fans. Good for our city.” That about sums it up. And truly is a blog where a picture is worth a thousand words: The Orioles beat up on Dontrelle Willis and have now won five in a row. Brad Bergesen and Luke Scott both got the Adam Jones’ “shaving cream pie in the face” treatment with a frightened Amber Theoharis. Oh, and as Matt Wieters came to bat in the third inning, I snapped this photo above from my seats in Sect. 86 in left field. I also threw together this video: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj7N-xn14R4&feature=channel_page[/youtube]

“Welcome Matt” Party is at The Nest at 5 p.m. (I scored a pair!)

Nestor Aparicio

With gallons of orange kool aid in both hands (not to mention ice cold Bud Light) we will be holding a “Welcome Matt Wieters To Baltimore” celebration (and coronation) at The Nest on Pratt Street at 5 p.m. Friday. Please tell your friends on Facebook, Twitter, etc. to drop by and raise a civic toast for Messiah Matt at 6 p.m. at the main bar! It’ll be a Kodak moment! A generous listener “donated” a pair of seats and off to Birdland we go looking for a “defining moment” and Matt Wieters’ first big-league at bat. If he’s THIS special, I want to say “I was there” like every other fan who has been loving the Orioles since 1973 or beyond. I will be on the air from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and we’ll be running the Coors Light King of Baltimore Sportstalk finale from Padonia Station from 4 til 6. Thyrl Nelson will be in at his usual time with the Mobtown Sports Beat. Special thanks to the mystery guy for the tickets. (I hope they’re upstairs with all of the rowdy kids!) Special thanks to The Nest for hosting a party on short notice. Come early, say

Wieters fever: Will he be the savior that this franchise needs?

Nestor Aparicio

We fully expect that Camden Yards will be packed tomorrow night for the debut of Matt Wieters. It’s a Friday night, the forecast is good and this is probably the most unique evening of baseball in Baltimore since “Fan Appreciation Night” back in May 1988, when the team was greeted with unconditional love after an 0-21 start. Clearly, the Orioles marketing folks have finally put the “WNST Cap” on and used an evening to create an “event.” They were already guaranteed about 30,000 on a $6 student/fireworks night. And after a couple of years of press, accolades and hype, the can’t-miss-kid is coming to town. They could’ve made his debut tonight, but they’ve chosen a night when they were already en route to a full house. This alone, is a departure from some of their foolish decisions related to getting people interested in the team. Here’s where you can make all of the jokes about how few people still DO go to Orioles games. Yesterday, the Orioles battled back from an 8-3 deficit to win a game in dramatic, 11th-inning style with a walk-off home run by young Nolan Reimold and there weren’t 5,000 people in the stadium to witness

Luke Jones is crowned the Coors Light King of Baltimore Sportstalk winner

Nestor Aparicio

Luke Jones was crowned the Coors Light King of Baltimore Sportstalk tonight, beating six other finalists with great interviewing style, a vast knowledge of the local sports scene and impeccable blogs over the past eight weeks of the competition. Marco Romanell finished second in the judges’ voting, followed by Lawson Lambert and Todd Salkowski. Jerry Reinhardt, Tom Clayton and Chris Stoner were also great competitors over the past two months of competitive blogging and sports media. Jones is headed to Bermuda via the Port of Baltimore courtesy of Royal Caribbean and The Cruise Lady of Canton. We had a packed house of supporters — many of them related to Marco Romanell — who were feisty, rowdy and very supportive of their loved ones and friends. It was truly a great night for WNST.net, as Brian Billick and John Buren joined Drew Forrester, Bob Haynie, Glenn Clark and myself in the judicial process. We’ll be hearing and reading more from all seven of the contestants as they were all outstanding and energetic about the process of learning the craft of Baltimore sports journalism in the new media era. Nice people. Big sports fans. Lots of talent. We might make this an

What does Wieters’ promotion mean to you as a Baltimore Orioles fan?

Nestor Aparicio

Needless to say, there will be a virtual overkill of speculation about Matt Wieters today at WNST.net and AM 1570. Here’s your chance to write what’s on YOUR mind about his pending promotion on Friday. Comments welcomed below. Is it good? Is it bad? Are you going to the game? Are you excited? Will Friday be a historic day in the history of the Orioles moving forward? Tell us how you feel… Even good “one liners” are welcomed…

So just who the heck is Jason Berken?

Nestor Aparicio

With Memorial Day in the rear view mirror and the squad on a mini-streak of daylight (they’ve won 3 of 4), the Orioles will welcome young RHP Jason Berken to the hill tonight to take on the fading Toronto Blue Jays. Starting in Aberdeen during the summer of 2006, Berken’s trip becomes complete tonight as a big leaguer. How long will he stay? How will he pitch? Who the heck is Jason Berken? All fair questions for the novice Orioles fan who doesn’t spend late nights up studying the team’s minor-league depth chart. Berken is a former 6th-round Draft pick out of Clemson who spent most of the spring at the team’s slummy complex in Sarasota, Fla. He went 12-4 for Bowie last season and started there again this year, but he moved up to Triple-A Norfolk when Bergesen joined the big league rotation. And once he arrived in Norfolk, Berken went 2-0 with a 1.05 ERA putting himself in position to be promoted tonight. It’s also his turn in the rotation and his night to pitch. So, we’ll have to wait on Jake Arrieta, Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz not to mention David Hernandez, who could be taking Koji

A weekend of MASN and Baltimore and Washington and “Battle of Basement”

Nestor Aparicio

Well, if they weren’t going to get the sweep at least they lost in dramatic fashion. Jamie Walker gave up a prodigious grand slam to Adam Dunn in the 7th inning and the Nats beat the O’s 8-5 to avert a sweep in D.C. Brad Bergesen pitched well enough. The Orioles battled and the game was pretty nip and tuck through the middle innings with lead changes, big hits and competitiveness. But it all unraveled in the 7th for the O’s bullpen after Bergesen hit the shower. I’ve spent all three days pretty much glued to the TV watching this series. I was just as amazed by all of the empty seats as I was the full ones. It looks like they sold a lot of tickets and many didn’t come. It was just weird looking at it for 30 innings over the last 45 hours. I’ve been wanting to write a blog all weekend but I thought I’d just do a “summary” here today about what I’m thinking as I watch all of this pretty-much lousy baseball. I’m also a little overwhelmed with MASN’s hodgepodge display of Nats and O’s as “friendly rivals” and how chummy the “Battle of

Proof: Pittsburgh really does suck more than Baltimore

Nestor Aparicio

I’m doing my usual Memorial Day “chill” downtown in the world’s most beautiful city — that’s Baltimore, folks — and scanning the web and tripped across an ESPN.com piece about the Pittsburgh Pirates and their ineptitude. I intuitively knew they they haven’t played playoff baseball in the Steel City since Barry Bonds in 1992. I honestly don’t think about the Pirates too much and it’s the lone “new” ballpark that I’ve never entered. (Although I am a big fan of Primanti Sandwiches! The only saving grace — besides leaving of course — that Pittsburgh has, in my humble opinion.) The Pirates have had 17 consecutive seasons of losing. As long as Camden Yards has existed, they’ve stunk. Almost just like us, with the Angelos Orioles. But there is a considerable difference. Or a whole volume of them, really. The Orioles HAD it all — a huge market, suites, fans, corporate sponsors, the best legacy in baseball and heroes — and blew it. The Pirates were on the verge of potentially “breaking through” but the market limitations and the general dirge of Three Rivers Stadium (by FAR, the worst stadium I ever saw a baseball game in because the seats were

Adam Jones wins one: Orioles outlast Nats 4-2 in 12 innings

Nestor Aparicio

Somewhere, there’s a Bob Hope like joke here somewhere. Ya know, “What the only thing worse than watching two last place teams play for nine innings?” Of course, deadpanned: “Watching them play for 12 innings.” But that’s what I did tonight as the Orioles and Nationals pitching staffs combined to duel well into the night in a 2-2 deadlock until Adam Jones hit a two-run double, improbably scoring pitcher Danys Baez who also vultured the victory in Washington D.C. Nolan Reimold got the “Battle of The Beltway” started with a homer in the first inning off of rookie starter Jordan Zimmerman but that was all of the offense the O’s could manage before the 12th inning. O’s starter Rich Hill was decent, going 5 2/3 innings and allowing just three hits although he walked four Nats as well. Manager Dave Trembley used four members of the bullpen — Matt Albers, Jim Johnson, Baez and George Sherrill — so there will be an extra tax for the extra baseball tonight.

Yankees blow out Orioles for second straight night

Nestor Aparicio

Trying to find good news about the Orioles these days is hard. Other than the fact that Adam Jones is in the lineup and the call-up of Matt Wieters is “imminent” in the minds of some, watching this team night after night is an invitation to frustration. Last night, No. 1 starter Jeremy Guthrie gave up three homers in a row in the second inning to Nick Swisher, Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera but the team battled back to within 5-3 by the fifth inning. Guthrie turned the game over to Danys Baez in the 8th inning and all hell broke loose again as the Yankees batted around after Mark Texieira made the first out of the inning on a strikeout. All told, Baez and Jamie Walker allowed six “icing” runs and the Orioles lost 11-4 to the Yankees in The Bronx. The Yankees go for the three-game sweep tonight, sending Joba Chamberlain (2-1, 3.76) to the mound against Adam Eaton (2-4, 7.93), who has been so bad that tonight could very well be his swan song as an Orioles starter. A few notes: * Adam Jones added two more hits last night, including a homer in the 5th inning,

Yankee Stadium trip: I now know what a $9 beer tastes like

Nestor Aparicio

The Miller Lite was ice cold. Our Gunther charter got us to The Bronx plenty early yesterday. And the “new” Yankee Stadium was big, bold and pricey as promised. We were having a blast last night amidst a sea of pinstripers right up until the time Chris Ray came into the game. And, of course, it’s hard to win when you only get three hits over nine innings. Orioles starting pitcher Brad Bergesen kept the Birds in the game for six innings, pitching some inspired baseball after allowing ARod a first-inning home run. But Ray’s seventh inning implosion and the dominance of C.C. Sabathia, who allowed just three hits in seven innings, led to a blowout 9-1 Yankees win in Gotham City. The video from the trip is coming to wnsTV and the many observations about the stadium will be discussed on “Limited Access” at 2 p.m. today. All in all, a beautiful, antiseptic environment for baseball in New York is kinda weird but the fans there certainly seem galvanized to support the club and spend the money to come to the new palace. Did I mention that a beer cost me $9? There was palpable energy in the seats

An improving bullpen is a good sign for O’s

Nestor Aparicio

As an Orioles fan who hasn’t seen the franchise play a meaningful game in 12 years, living with the adage “one day at a time” has become a house rule. And for today, the bullpen and a quality start last night by Rich Hill gives a few causes for hope. Hill threw 88 pitches, left the game in the sixth inning with a one-run lead and Danys Baez, Jim Johnson and George Sherrill took care of business, allowing just one Kansas City runner on base over the remainder of the game. Of course, the Royals of 2009 won’t be confused with the 1929 Yankees, either. But a 3-2 win in Kansas City is acceptable and the Birds will send Koji Uehara to the hill today against Luke Hochevar. Be prepared for fireworks: Hochevar (6-14, 5.64 lifetime ERA) gave up eight hits and seven runs in two innings during his 2009 debut last Tuesday against Oakland. And that’s only after Sidney Ponson stunk so bad they promoted this stiff from Omaha. The Orioles go for another series win today. Only the delayed freight train of Zach Greinke could slow them down on Friday night. The new ballpark design in Kansas City

Green spaces & happy faces: Here’s what was truly missing from Preakness 2009

Nestor Aparicio

As you probably already know, the infield was virtually empty today at Pimlico for Preakness 134. It made me sick to see the event virtually disappear, but it also galvanized me enough to believe that perhaps now that the drunk idiots are gone, perhaps the event can be revived over the next generation as a proud, local, celebration of spring and horse racing and our community — an event people with families want to attend again for the rest of their lives. If you went to the race today you know what I’m talking about. It was actually a GREAT event. The weather was decent for most of the day before the rains came around 6 p.m. The beer was cold and priced fairly. The food was diverse and easy to order. There was PLENTY of “open space” as well to lay in the sun, have a picnic, relax, bet the races. And I’ll bet it’s almost universal: the people who went today had a blast! Like all of the smiling people I saw singing along to ZZ Top classics, I had a great day today at Old Hilltop. I saw friends on the infield. I saw friends in the

I’m betting on Papa Clem again…

Nestor Aparicio

For all of the reasons that I mentioned two weeks ago when the horses turned for home at Churchill Downs, I’m betting on Papa Clem again today. And, just because Clem Florio loved women as much as I do, I’m doing an exacta box with Rachel Alexandra as well. I might even throw Pioneer Of The Nile into a triple box and see if I can make some real money today at Pimlico. Weather looks more than dreary so far, but I’m headed over to the infield shortly to see what’s different about the first Preakness where underage kids aren’t holding 10 cases of beer on a beat-up 8-foot table waiting to go inside to run across urinals and have people throw objects at them. It might actually be fun this year. At least, I’m thinking this will be a great day! Stacey Keibler, Charm City Devils, Buckcherry (who I dig, but I’ve never seen) and ZZ Top should make the day a great one. Happy Preakness to all of you who still care about stuff like civic pride and sentimentality. Go Papa Clem!

Coors Light King of Baltimore Sportstalk semifinals airs at 4 p.m. today

Nestor Aparicio

We’re down to the final seven contestants in the Coors Light King of Baltimore Sportstalk competition after Wednesday night’s live semifinals at Donna’s Tavern in Dundalk. Today on Limited Access, we’ll play the five-minute auditions from the 11 semifinalists on AM 1570 beginning just after 4 p.m. and we’ll have all of the videos up in the wnsTV vault by day’s end as well. We have a great show today with our WNST.net horse racing analyst Gary Quill sitting in from 2 til 4 and we’ll have visits from Daily Racing Form’s Marty McGee as well as our very own Stacey Keibler, who is the head honcho celebrity at this year’s Preakness. Now, if we could get the fog to clear…

Seven contestants move on in Coors Light King Of Baltimore Sportstalk contest

Nestor Aparicio

After an evening of fun interviews, cold beer and bad hockey and baseball in Dundalk last night at Donna’s Tavern, the Coors Light King of Baltimore Sportstalk has produced seven finalists for the two-month blogging and sports radio competition. The seven contestants moving forward are: Todd Salkowski, Jerry Reinhardt, Luke Jones, Christopher Stoner, Tom Clayton, Lawson Lambert and Marco Romanell. Each of last night’s contestants were given a special “Baltimore Sports Quiz,” which was produced by a WNST interior panel of hosts. We’ll post the actual questions from the quiz on a later blog but the questions were universally deemed “hard” by most of the contestants. Of course, my answer to that was simple: “The JOB is hard!” And it is… Special thanks to our local “mystery” celebrities last night: legendary sportswriter Phil Jackman and former MLB rock star Bill Ripken came to Donna’s Tavern last night and participated and laughed with many WNST listeners and friends and families of the contestants. The format was simple: we drew random names of hosts and then a random interview from a rotation of Jackman, Ripken, Drew Forrester, Bob Haynie and myself. The questions and interview segments were part comedy, part history and

Take the ultimate Baltimore Sportstalk quiz now!

Nestor Aparicio

There are many, many “pre-requisites” for being able to successfully be a Baltimore sports media member (in my humble opinion) circa 2009. Many, many times over the last 17 years I’ve railed against and “outed” various phonies, Johnny-come-latelys and “faux” sports media members in our marketplace. These are the same people who call me the “amateur” when they can’t even grasp basic sports history in the marketplace and aren’t prepared or qualified to take a simple phone call about anything that happened before 2006. As a kid growing up in Dundalk and reading the paper, listening to the radio and watching the 6 o’clock news, I always thought that anyone who worked in the local sports media MUST know more than me about sports. How could they NOT, I thought? “Isn’t that their JOB?” I thought as a young person in the early 1980’s. Well, it didn’t take long as a 15-year old at The News American and then later The Evening Sun and The Sun to realize that knowing anything about sports was secondary to politics, race, gender, education and a whole bunch of other nasty and patently unfair “real world” issues that superceded actual knowledge, dedication and ability.

Orioles finally give the call to Nolan Reimold

Nestor Aparicio

Outfield prospect Nolan Reimold will finally be joining the Orioles in Kansas City today as the team will recall him and send pitcher Bob McCrory back to Norfolk after a rough outing last night against the Rays in a 8-6 loss. Reimold’s numbers at AAA have been staggering. He’s hitting .394 with 9 home runs, 11 doubles and 27 RBI in just 109 at bats and 31 games. The Orioles brass has been adament that Reimold would only be recalled when he could play every day in the big leagues. With the injuries and various ailments to Luke Scott, Felix Fie and now Adam Jones this week, this call-up isn’t as much a “reward” as it is a necessity for the organization who have played the last two games short on the bench. Here is Reimold’s year in stats…

Triple losses: First the Caps, then the Orioles, then Danny Gokey

Nestor Aparicio

Despite the fun we had in Dundalk last night with an evening of 12 semifinal auditions at Donna’s Tavern, it was an ugly night for local sports. The Capitals fell behind early and had one of the most disappointing Game 7 efforts in recent memory. The Orioles got clubbed by the Rays while Adam Jones left the game early with a hamstring pull. And, adding insult to the injury that effectively ended my hockey season, my favorite American Idol contestant Danny Gokey got bounced by the American public in a shocking turn of events. (Somehow, I think Kris Allen got through just because he looks like Brian Roberts!) The Capitals played the entire postseason from behind and last night it finally caught up with them. Simeon Varlamov’s magic ended quite early last night and Bruce Boudreau and the troops must be devastated – if not embarrassed – by that performance in a Game 7 last night. It’s always hard getting eliminated, but not showing up prepared to compete in a game like last night is unacceptable. The home-ice advantage was nullified pretty early last night in D.C. and it will be a tough offseason after losing a game in that

Share the Game 7 madness with us tonight in Dundalk!

Nestor Aparicio

Tonight in Washington D.C., a place where five years ago hockey was a rumor or perhaps a myth, the Capitals will host the Penguins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ second round. I don’t need to tell you that it will be one of the best sporting events of this (or any) year. I can all but guarantee it. Honestly, tell me another sport — other than an NFL playoff game, but even those are influenced by injuries, weather, weird bounces, blowouts, etc. — where you know you’ll be getting what you’re paying for tonight. It’s 3-3. The teams clearly don’t like each other. The penalties have been lopsided in the Penguins direction. The “one name” stars are all out — my man Jim Williams of The Examiner wrote about the incredible worldwide audience for this game — Ovechkin and Federov, Sidney and Malkin. Who’ll win? The pesky Capitals who have been outplayed dramatically but have been incredibly resiliant and realiably cardiac over the past three weeks certainly have a shot. They are the NHL team with nine lives at this point. A home crowd of 20,000 red maniacs, taunting Sidney Crosby and Segei Gonchar not to mention

Hendrickson stinks but bullpen holds up, Birds beat Rays 7-5

Nestor Aparicio

Betting the “over” in last night’s game certainly looked like a sure thing over the first three innings but once starters Andy Sonnanstine and Mark Hendrickson left the game the real pitching took over and the Orioles held on to beat Tampa Bay 7-5 last night at Camden Yards. All of the scoring took place before the 4th inning and both bullpens were taxed in the interim, with Brian Bass emerging as the biggest star on the hill, working four scoreless innings after Adam Jones hit homers in the first and second innings of the game. So much for starting pitching: Sonnanstine gave up nine hits and seven earned runs in two innings and Hendrickson’s evening was just as ugly as he allowed six hits and five earned runs in two innings. Felix Pie left the game with an undisclosed stomach ailment and was actually transported to the hospital. Without Luke Scott tonight, they O’s may play with just two bench players. Could a call-up be looming? The Orioles go for yet another “mini” sweep tonight as they send Brad Bergesen (1-0, 4.98) to the hill against Tampa’s Jeff Niemann (2-3, 5.65).

Sports Illustrated calls Angelos “worst owner in MLB”

Nestor Aparicio

Well, at least SOMEONE agrees with me. I’ve written tomes, if not The Illyiad, on the ownership debacle that has purged most of the fans of the Orioles from Oriole Park at Camden Yards over the last 15 years. Now, SI.com and Sports Illustrated have concurred. P.S. The article also calls Steve Bisciotti the No. 5 “best owner” in the NFL. Here is the piece from SI.com…posted earlier today.

Preakness on my mind…

Nestor Aparicio

I’m up early this morning and reading online about the Preakness and where it stands in the realm of the sports world circa 2009. I’ve been googling videos, watching drunken fights, potty races, some bare breasts and (oh yeah) horse racing and a history and legacy that defines sports in Baltimore and Maryland over the last century. This week I could most certainly write my annual “Can The Preakness Be Saved?” blog/column and now that I’m back on the radio maybe it’s time to have a spirited debate about the Preakness and its merits on AM 1570. Does it matter? Do you like the changes to infield? Are you going this week? When’s the last time you went? (Or, when is the last time you went to any track, period?) Why don’t you go? Do you know how to read the Racing Form? If you do go, why do you go? I’m actually going to the race on Saturday and have been asked to participate on one of the stages and interview some of the stars of the event. I’m excited and honored. I love the Preakness but I also readily and sadly admit its incredible decline from once reverent

Wanna follow the MLB Draft?

Nestor Aparicio

If you listened to today’s edition of Limited Access, you now know about Ben Hyman, a local product and son

Preakness on my mind…

Nestor Aparicio

I’m up early this morning and reading online about the Preakness and where it stands in the realm of the

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