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Nestor Aparicio

Live BLOG from D.C.: It’s Billick and Baldinger together in my living room…

Nestor Aparicio

Obviously, my personal dateminder says I was supposed to be in Houston right now eating tacos, drinking margaritas and waiting for kickoff of Joe Flacco’s second NFL game. Instead, I’m in Baltimore on my couch watching two of my best media pals — Brian Billick and Brian Baldinger — call an NFL game from 37 miles away. It’s Saints at Skins. I’ll be on the couch today with a live blog while I watch the games. I figure, “How often do I actually get to DO this…sit on the couch and watch football, drink beer, eat chili and grill up sausages with peppers and onions?” I’m a blogger today…this blog will run here backtimed. 4:08 p.m. — Brees threw a pick. Campbell is taking a knee. The Redskins are 1-1. It’s Jim Zorn’s first win as a head coach. I’m onto peppers and onions and sausages. Plenty here to read (if you can get through it). But this is what I did today. It was a fun game to watch despite the ugly outcome. 3:56 – This game has been crazy. The Redskins have just driven twice (well the second one was a bomb from Campbell to Moss) to take

Ravens game officially moved to Nov. 9th in Houston

Nestor Aparicio

Finding a fair answer to Ravens-Texans scheduling wasn’t easy. As the afternoon dragged on and the NFL powers-that-be stressed out and searched for a sensible solution, it became more clear that the “fallback” plan of moving bye weeks and keeping the schedule “in tact” might be the ONLY solution. For the Ravens and Texans, it means tomorrow BECOMES the bye week. Obviously, it’s more punitive to these two teams than anyone else, having basically forfeited the chance to go rest for a few days in the middle of a grueling season. Perhaps John Harbaugh will allow the Ravens a quick escape from tonight through Wednesday morning, but it’s not the same as a bye week on Nov. 9th, that’s for sure. The Cincinnati Bengals will be the only other affected party and it will essentially move their bye week back by three weeks, moving their game from Nov. 9th back to Oct. 26 with the Texans in Houston (assuming the stadium isn’t still trashed). Marvin Lewis would probably welcome a bye in November vs. October, but he clearly has bigger fish to fry at 0-1 with the way they played last week here. And it’s not like Roger Goodell is

How will Houston Texans leave town for game at this point?

Nestor Aparicio

Like the rest of you, I’m watching in horror at what’s happening in Houston right now. On the football side, it appears that New Orleans could be the first option but even that must be a sticky proposition right now and I’ll go into that later in this blog. But before I do, I’d prefer to address the “real world” issue by saying that i was up late and into the early morning tracking this storm because I have some other vested interests. I have family in Houston. I have friends in Houston. I have some really great memories of Houston. But seeing this storm roll through has been painful. We’re all praying for them but it looks quite messy and devastating. Glass everywhere downtown, buildings just devastated. Back to Ravens football and the game: Yesterday I took a straw poll of all of the folks around WNST and none of us really believed they were going to be playing this football game on Monday night at Reliant Stadium. All you had to do was look at the storm and see its tracking and know this was a bad situation. Now word comes out of Houston that Reliant Stadium has

Another September with the disappearing orange baseball…

Nestor Aparicio

I looked through all of the WNST blogs over the past couple days and there has been a one glaring omission: the Orioles are nowhere to be found. Playing out the string for the 11th consecutive September – the franchise hasn’t hosted a meaningful game since October 1997 – the worst-run and meanest and most paranoid franchise in professional sports has now put together another pathetic crawl to the finish line with a 3-17 record since the middle of August. It’s been the quietest “slump” in the history of Baltimore baseball. No one is saying anything. No one is calling. And, apparently, no one is even watching. Every night this week, I’ve seen downtown almost completely empty while I’ve watched Fenway Park on NESN packed with fans watching the Tampa Bay Rays come to Beantown as upstart first-place winners. I’m watching baseball this week. I’m just not watching the pathetic Orioles. Maybe one day it’ll be our turn to win at baseball again in Baltimore. Maybe one day we’ll all feel like the Orioles are “our” team. But we’re getting up on the two-year anniversary of FREE THE BIRDS and the Orioles are 16 games under .500, 23 games behind

Could this week’s Ravens-Houston Texans game get moved to Baltimore?

Nestor Aparicio

Well, the Baltimore conspiracy theorists are at it again around the Charm City. We got a mystery call at WNST today with a caller saying “the Ravens game is going to get moved to Baltimore this weekend if Hurricane Ike hits Texas.” So, I went into action making some calls to my league sources and investigating the possibilities. This is just a “top of mind” set of notes saying why it might — or might — not happen. First, the storm is tracking more west than northwest right this minute. Obviously, that could change. (And we’ll hope for the best for all the folks in Texas, Lousiana and Mexico. Hurricanes clearly suck. As a guy who left New Orleans literally the morning that panic broke out before Hurricane Katrina after a Ravens game three years ago, I have maximum respect for the devastation they bring and the way people’s lives are affected. I have pals who live in West Palm Beach, Fla. who literally don’t feel safe making any plans for September because they’ve seen the gas lines, property damage and general “freak out” that happens to citizens when evacuations happen.) Second, the Ravens would be the team LEAST affected

I had to laugh…

Nestor Aparicio

On my usual early morning tour of the world via my mouse, I clicked on ESPN.com this morning to see this headline: “Ravens rookie Flacco earns another start” And I thought to myself, wow, no one in the league or at ESPN must’ve seen the game on Sunday? Or, perhaps, they haven’t seen the Ravens or their quarterbacks play the past 10 years? I was thinking to myself: “Does America think Harbaugh is going to name Casey Bramlet the starter at this point?” I know, I know…it’s just a headline. But Flacco has turned this town sideways with his play on Sunday and now the expectations go through the roof. But we all wanna grab onto something with the Ravens being the “only game in town that matters.” It’s been 20 months since we’ve all had anything to be excited about with sports in Baltimore. And it ended with that thud in the Colts game and we’ve been dormant like cicadas ever since. (By the way, is it just me or have the Orioles disappeared and will be appearing next week on a milk carton?) But Flacco, that defensive play on Sunday and “Hard-Ball” have made us want to come

Joe Cool

Nestor Aparicio

I’d like to think as I approach my 40th birthday in a few weeks, I’m not as excitable as I was in my younger days. As a fan, I’ve been through all of the wins and loses, Super Bowls and World Series, thrills and disappointments. But today as the 13th season of Ravens football commences, it all came back to me, just why we all still watch the games and care so much. Today is what being a fan is all about. This is the “juice” and the beautiful reward of being a sports fan: that feeling you get when your team wins. The team has a fresh start with a fresh coach and fresh rookie quarterback, who is extremely likeable and calm amidst the storm. And I left the house this morning thinking the Ravens would have to do some special things to win, and specifically to stifle Carson Palmer, who I think is among the best in the business. The injuries have been dreadful. The play on the field has been less than inspiring. The age factor will haunt them each week of the season. And the lack of depth has felt hopeless. But instead of a loss

Hopes and fears for the 2008 Ravens

Nestor Aparicio

On every barstool and at every dinner table in Baltimore, the question comes: “How do you think the Ravens are going to do this year?” People ask me dozens of times a day everywhere I go around town. I’m not Kreskin, but the Las Vegas “over/under” line on wins is six. As in 6-10. Honestly, if you give me a dollar and make me bet on the Ravens at this point I’d take the under because I think they will need a myriad of positive developments to see 7-9. So, in the spirit of debate and with the ability to have your feedback in the comments, I will make this column a simple “point/counterpoint” in hopes and fears format. Hope: Ray Lewis can play at the same level he did last year for one more year in purple. Fear: This team might be bad enough early enough that Lewis will go back to being a complainer and a divider instead of one who unites the team. We’ll see how the “walk” year goes. Hope: Joe Flacco shows that he belongs in the NFL as a quality starting quarterback and shows the early signs you want to see from a rookie

Some WNST.net internal news updates from Nestor…

Nestor Aparicio

We announced on Wednesday night with Brian Billick that big changes are coming here at WNST.net, and the first addition is the inaugural blog of now-starting Ravens QB Joe Flacco here at WNST. Flacco will call in each Tuesday morning for a report with Drew and will blog on Fridays. So, at least from 6 a.m. til 2 p.m. it’ll be Joe Fridays every Friday on WNST. After 2 p.m., of course, it’s simply “Chicken Box Friday.” Rob Long has tenure. Joe has proven himself to be just a phenomenal guy beyond the No. 5 jersey and the soft-spoken short, blunt answers. He reminds me so much of Mike Mussina, it’s almost spooky. I just hope that he plays well and we beat some Bengals butt. ******** “Billick Live” residue and the inevitable “how did Billick become your partner” questions are coming via email. It’s been a whirlwind time in my life. I’ll write more about Brian Billick and our relationship and what we’re trying to accomplish for the city, for Living Classrooms and for the community once we start doing some stuff.  Just allow me a little time to get the website right and I’ll do a Q&A and

Brian Billick joins the WNST family as an owner and partner

Nestor Aparicio

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BRIAN BILLICK PARTNERS WITH WNST SPORTS MEDIA TO LAUNCH WNST.net, AN ONLINE SPORTS COMMUNITY TO BENEFIT THE LIVING CLASSROOMS FOUNDATION Baltimore’s WNST Sports Media announces the formation of a new media sports endeavor turning WNST-AM 1570 radio into WNST.net, a place where fans of all Baltimore sports teams will turn online for sports information, news, feedback, expert analysis, participation and social networking. Former World Champion head coach Brian Billick is a key member and contributor to the new partnership, led by company CEO Nestor Aparicio. Next week’s launch of the all-new WNST.net will transcend all other local media outlets in the marketplace as a one-stop place on the web to talk, chat, hear and see all that Baltimore sports has to offer. WNST.net will essentially be an around-the-clock sports newspaper, and a complete radio and television “on demand” home for the most robust collection of authentic and user-generated local sports content. Specializing in news and analysis of the Ravens, Orioles, Terps and other participatory local sports from recreation councils to high schools and local colleges, WNST.net seeks to be the preeminent home on the web for anything and everything pertaining to sports in Baltimore and Maryland. It

WNST and Brian Billick will make a major announcement Wednesday night

Nestor Aparicio

The press release was sent out today: WNST AND COACH BRIAN BILLICK TO MAKE MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING SPORTS MEDIA FUTURE IN BALTIMORE WNST and former Ravens’ head coach Brian Billick will hold a joint press conference to make a major announcement on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at DellaRose’s Tavern at Canton Crossing (1501 S. Clinton Street) in the 1St Mariner Bank tower. Coach Billick, who led the Ravens to their first world championship in Super Bowl XXXV, will discuss his future plans in Baltimore at Wednesday’s press conference preceding the inaugural edition of his monthly WNST show, “Billick Live.” “Billick Live” will take place on the first Wednesday of each month throughout the NFL season at different locations around Baltimore, starting with DellaRose’s. It will be broadcast on WNST-AM 1570 and replayed on-demand at WNST.net. Coach Billick, who left the Ravens after the 2007 season, will be doing color commentary for FOX-TV’s slate of NFL games this fall, beginning with this Sunday’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers-New Orleans Saints game in the Louisiana Superdome. WNST-AM 1570, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2008, is a local sports radio community and online brand, led by 17-year Baltimore radio veteran and Dundalk

Bouman in and Harrington leaves for BWI???

Nestor Aparicio

As the quarterback turns… Despite Chris Mortenson of ESPN reporting that Joey Harrington signed with the Ravens yesterday, our sources tell us that Harrington left Owings Mills today without officially becoming a Raven. Or did he? Is he flying away to go elsewhere or to get his bags and come back to Baltimore? We’re now hearing that Todd Bouman has become the frontrunner to be the No. 3 QB here… We dunno…but we’ll find out soon! They have to practice tomorrow, right?

Joe Flacco joins WNST as a blogger and weekly Tuesday guest

Nestor Aparicio

Even though we didn’t know he’d be the starting quarterback this Sunday, we’ve known for quite some time that Ravens rookie quarterback Joe Flacco would be in our starting lineup at WNST. Beginning this morning at 8:30 a.m., Flacco will appear each Tuesday morning on the Comcast Morning Show with Drew Forrester. His segment will appear live on WNST-AM 1570 and be heard again in our audio vault on demand. He will also write a blog each Friday, one we’re dubbing “Joe Fridays.” We might even be texting out his three keys to the game on Fridays as well. The best part about this arrangement? We won’t have to guess what he’s thinking about all of this rookie stuff, being the starting quarterback (or even the backup) or how he’s handling Baltimore’s expectations. Now, we can just ask him and give it to you in his words. I’ve had the good fortune to get to know Joe and his family over the past few months and I really hope he has the kind of success that we want him to have in Baltimore. He’s a nice, polite, quiet kid who seems like being an athlete and an NFL quarterback comes

Flacco named starter for Sunday; Harrington rumored to be signed

Nestor Aparicio

The quarterback carousel and Labor Day news continues as John Harbaugh has named Joe Flacco the starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against Cinncinnati. Earlier in the day, the “who’s the backup?” story unfolded. The Ravens brought three QBs into Owings Mills today — Chris Simms, Todd Bouman and Joey Harrington and in the end have selected Harrington. Chris Mortenson of ESPN reported first (meaning the agent leaked it to him)… It’s been a wild and wacky weekend in Owings Mills as the Ravens try to rearrange the proverbial chairs on the deck and hope the ship doesn’t sink. Any NFL team that begins practice with a rookie as a No. 1 QB and two other guys who have never attended a practice and are ready to suit up for a game in six days is probably in trouble. Gonna be an interesting week…

UPDATE: Simms in Baltimore, Pittman waived

Nestor Aparicio

Updated at 2:27 p.m. Orioles broadcaster and Mr. Angelos employee, Jim Hunter, apparently boarded an airplane with former Bucs quarterback Chris Simms in Tampa this morning bound for BWI. MASN is reporting that Simms is heading to Owings Mills for a job interview. Meanwhile, the Ravens PR has released this: The Baltimore Ravens have waived the following player (injured): David Pittman (CB, 5-11, 185, 3rd-year, Northwestern State) Baltimore has also signed the following players to its practice squad: Nate Lawrie (TE, 6-6, 255, 4th-year, Yale) Marcus Mason (RB, 5-9, 215, 1st-year, Youngstown State) Bryan Mattison (DE, 6-3, 272, Rookie, Iowa) Matt Willis (WR, 5-11, 190, 2nd-year, UCLA) Not a surprise to see Simms in town given the Ravens’ frustrating quarterback depth situation. At best they only have two live arms for practice on Wednesday as they prep for the Bengals: Joe Flacco (who they don’t want to start but it appears that’s the way it’s going to be) and Casey Bramlet, who looked better coming off a plane 15 hours before gametime than most QBs have looked here over the last decade. Troy Smith’s illness remains a mystery (and the Ravens and NFL don’t ever discuss personal illnesses with media

Ravens continue to tweak roster today…

Nestor Aparicio

It’s never a shocker to see even more moves in the ensuing hours after the initial cutdowns, so today the Ravens continued to make moves. Not a shocker that Casey Bramlet is back on the practice squad. Here’s the whole list of today’s transactions: The Baltimore Ravens made a number of moves on their roster today. The Ravens claimed and added the following players:   Lamar Divens (DT, 6-3, 333, Rookie, Tennessee State) – Claimed from the San Diego Chargers. Steven Hauschka (K, 6-2, 185, Rookie, North Carolina State) – Claimed from the Minnesota Vikings. The Ravens also signed the following players to their practice squad:   Casey Bramlet (QB, 6-4, 220, 2nd-year, Wyoming) Justin Harper (WR, 6-3, 215, Rookie, Virginia Tech) Joe Reitz (T, 6-7, 270, Rookie, Western Michigan) Ernie Wheelwright (WR, 6-5, 220, Rookie, Minnesota)     The Ravens have also waived:  J’Vonne Parker (DT, 6-4, 325, 2nd-year, Rutgers)  

Ravens make hard cuts, including Gary Stills

Nestor Aparicio

Although most of these guys looked to be automatic, it’s always a little shocking seeing veterans and former contributors getting cut on the last day. Here is the list from Owings Mills: Adam Bergen (TE, 6-4, 267, 3rd-year, Lehigh) Casey Bramlet (QB, 6-4, 220, 2nd-year, Wyoming) Darrell Campbell (DL, 6-4, 295, 1st-year, Notre Dame) Patrick Carter (WR, 6-3, 195, Rookie, Louisville) Adrien Clarke (G, 6-5, 330, 4th-year, Ohio State) Amon Gordon (DT, 6-2, 305, 4th-year, Stanford) Justin Harper (WR, 6-3, 215, Rookie, Virginia Tech) Alex Haynes (RB, 5-10, 225, 2nd-year, Central Florida) Keith Heinrich (TE, 6-6, 255, 5th-year, Sam Houston State) Adam Kraus (G, 6-6, 295, Rookie, Michigan) Robert McCune (LB, 6-0, 245, 2nd-year, Louisville) Allen Patrick (RB, 6-1, 200, Rookie, Oklahoma) Ronnie Prude (CB, 5-11, 180, 3rd-year, LSU) Joe Reitz (T, 6-7, 270, Rookie, Western Michigan) Chad Slaughter (6-8, 340, 5th-year Alcorn State) Gary Stills (LB, 6-2, 250, 10th-year, West Virginia) Ernie Wheelwright (WR, 6-5, 220, Rookie, Minnesota) Lorenzo Williams (DL, 6-0, 310, Rookie, Missouri) Matt Willis (WR, 5-11, 190, 2nd-year, UCLA)   The Ravens have also placed the following players on Injured Reserve:   David Pittman (CB, 5-11, 185, 3rd-year, Northwestern State) Cory Ross (RB, 5-6, 205, 3rd-year,

Brent Harris and Brad Jackson come to WNST on Mondays!

Nestor Aparicio

After 12 seasons of hosting the Bud Light Monday Night Live Show, I am passing the torch to my friends Brent Harris and Brad Jackson, who will bring the third year of the Purple & Black Attack to WNST on Monday nights. The show will be held at High Topps Restaraunt and Bar on York Road in Timonium every Monday night from 6 to 8 p.m. and will be sponsored by Bud Light. Brent, a Loch Raven guy and Comcast Sports Net staple, and Brad, who will be sporting his Super Bowl 35 ring, get the best Ravens guests in the business and we’re delighted to partner with them for the season. We’ll also feature reruns of their shows a few times later in the week and have featurettes in wnsTV as well. They might even blog and call in once in a while. So many changes coming at WNST and many more to be announced next week. By all means, keep your Monday nights free (as many of you have since the early years at The Barn) and come on out and support the Ravens, WNST and Brent and Brad.  

Thoughts before Ravens-Falcons tonight

Nestor Aparicio

Walking around the Ravens building on Tuesday you couldn’t help but feel sorry for John Harbaugh and the crew over there. I love the Ravens. I want them to win 19 games this year. Search the land and I doubt you’ll find a bigger purple supporter than me. Honestly, our business and my life runs much more smoothly when the Ravens win. But facts are facts, and this looks to be a painful campaign if the early going is any indication. The situation is pretty dire on the quarterback front unless Joe Flacco is a miracle worker and becomes an instant star in the NFL. And with the current tackle situation, Todd Heap’s iffy status and the WR crew in flux, it doesn’t appear to be likely even if Flacco does show all of the signs of a potential franchise quarterback. Maybe Troy Smith can run around enough and work some magic in the early going. It now appears that Kyle Boller will not be a factor anytime soon. And it’s just a roster-wide, franchise-wide issue on the eve of the season opening next Sunday against the Bengals. The injuries and the age and the abilities and the depth aren’t

Ravens appear to be caught by the throat

Nestor Aparicio

Every minute that it gets closer to Thursday night’s game time, we get closer to the reality of quarterback Troy Smith being unable to play once again due to his lingering illness. Oh, the Baltimore rumor mill is hard at work. They’ve been flying in. It’s pretty clear that Smith is really sick. We’ve heard that it’s his tonsils. We’ve heard (but have not reported) hospital rumors, visits and tonsilectomies. You name it, and our phone is ringing with a story about Smith. We know that it’s at the very least a pretty severe case of strep throat and it’s kept Smith away from the team since Saturday’s preseason game in St. Louis, which became even more interesting once the team announced that Kyle Boller had a mysterious shoulder issue as well. But here’s the truth: the Ravens needed Smith – or Boller — to play last week and they’d prefer that one of them would be playing on Thursday night against the Falcons. They have a season that’s gonna start in 12 days with or without an experienced or healthy quarterback. Welcome to the NFL hot seat, John Harbaugh! These are the situations that don’t come with a textbook

Good news for Week 1 vs. Bengals…

Nestor Aparicio

As we all sit around the Charm City feeling sorry for ourselves and wondering if the Ravens can actually win the six games Vegas has assigned them for the 2008 season, I stumbled across the game story for the Bengals latest preseason action and was heartened that they might actually stink worse than we do. Carson Palmer got his nose bloodied. The Bengals didn’t score. And, of course, the Northern Kentucky and Southern Ohio faithful gave the “Who Deys” the Bronx cheers over the weekend in the Queen City. Here’s a link from ESPN… I’m not asking for miracles this season, but starting the season 1-0 is the best place to start!  

Ravens lose 24-10 in St. Louis (Live Blog/Notes)

Nestor Aparicio

I’m going to write an in-game blog tonight. Any comments will be posted with thoughts from the game… By now, you know that Joe Flacco will get the start in lieu of Troy Smith, who has a viral illness. It’s already more interesting than most preseason games. A memorable night either way, really… 8:11 p.m. — St. Louis is moving the ball down the Ravens’ throats and Frank Walker looked like he might’ve gotten away with one on the play with Drew Bennett. Of course, with this crappy signal I’m getting it’s hard to tell. (It’s kinda like Gerry Sandusky is calling the game through an old Jack In The Box drive through where every other word is audible!) 8:21 p.m. — Nice job by Ray Lewis and the Ravens’ defense on the 3rd and long in getting Marc Bulger to the ground. Holding them to three on that long drive was a win. It’s 3-0 Rams and Joe Flacco overthrew his first pass of the evening. I’m still going to buy stock in Flacco and hope for the best. But tonight is HUGE, when you consider that he has a chance to “wow” everyone with a strong effort. It’s

Ravens go to St. Louis with more questions than answers

Nestor Aparicio

The biggest question around town these past few weeks of training camp has been, “Who will be the starting quarterback for the Ravens this season?” And that’s really just shorthand for this: “Is there any hope that one guy will step up and the team isn’t going to stink this year?” I’d like to believe that one will affect the other but I think the most important question for the team’s competitive prospects might be about who will be on the offensive line giving Troy Smith or Kyle Boller or even Joe Flacco proper protection? And who will be running the ball if Willis McGahee can’t start the engine at running back? And will the old Todd Heap suddenly appear and catch 60 balls this year, giving opposing defenses mismatches in the secondary on virtually every play? And on the defense’s age, injuries and depth have suddenly popped up in Ray Lewis’ contract “walk” year. Will we even see the actual starters all on the field at once? So many questions and so few answers thus far in the preseason. The Ravens play their third preseason game tomorrow night against the woebegone St. Louis Rams in the Gateway City and

Here’s a(nother) stupid question…

Nestor Aparicio

The Orioles are celebrating their 50th million fan tonight. I just passed Oriole Park and if ANY of the first 3,500 fans entering the ballpark are Orioles fans, I didn’t see them. The city is an overwhelming sea of Red today. It’s honestly the worst I’ve ever seen it. The restaurants are hopping. The Duck Boats are doing holiday business. The bars are swelled with Red shirts and big tips and drunk people with funny accents (and those aren’t the ones like me from Dundalk). I’m sure three hours from now the Orioles will annoint some “lucky O’s fan.” The truth: there’s honestly a 1 in 100 chance of the first couple thousand people tonight being a real Orioles fan. Isn’t that just sad? It makes me wanna puke! And worse? Tonight is also Luke Scott T-shirt night. So, rest assured  about 8,000 of the first 10,000 T-shirts that are given out will be to people looking to replace their Manny Ramirez gear in the closet. It’s nights like tonight when it feels disgraceful to be an Orioles fan. Still stuck in last place and playing out the string in the 11th consecutive meaningless season, they will have their 50th

Phelps’ swim at M&T Bank Stadium last was spectacular!

Nestor Aparicio

Being a sports fan in Baltimore, you must admit that Saturday night was truly one for the ages. Mixing Baltimore’s two greatest passions in one night – the first home Ravens’ game of the Harbaugh/Flacco era with a post-game Michael Phelps water celebration on the giant screens – and you have a night that will never be replicated. Here is the video from Saturday night that I shot to capture the memories on wnsTV. For 13 summers we’ve suffered these miserably, boring and forgettable NFL preseason games and finally a swimmer from Towson shows up from halfway around the globe to make one special. I’ve been saying for years that the NFL should consider booking some post-game concerts of value, which would at least keep people in the stadium long enough to see a Hootie and The Blowfish or a Boston/Styx doublebill or a “Legends of Hip Hop” or Peter Frampton (all shows that have been in the city over the past seven days). I figure the concessions they’re losing the second half alone would create a windfall and having people stay in general and not seeing a sea of empty seats would be a good idea for the league.

How many will stay tonight to watch Michael Phelps swim?

Nestor Aparicio

I was having this argument with Glenn Clark yesterday when we drove up to Aberdeen to play in the Ripken Little League “Quickball” Media Challenge: “How many people are really watching Michael Phelps every night?” The TV people at NBC will tell you that they’re getting a 50 share, which is about half of the known universe. I don’t work in an office so I can’t account for the “water cooler” talk aspect of this year’s Olympics. I know the media has covered these Games and particularly the Phelps story with tremendous vigor, as they should. Phelps has a chance to do something tonight that has never been done before. And on the world’s stage of the Olympics, it’s an amazing thing. So yesterday, along come the Ravens (Phelps’ true first love from what we can tell) doing the right thing and trying to encourage we fools who are stuck with these all-but-worthless preseason tickets vs. Minnesota tonight to stay and watch Phelps swim after the game as a community. Pretty cool concept, I thought, when I heard it yesterday afternoon. C’mon, if the last swim were actually being held tonight at M&T Bank Stadium, would you want to pay

A long lost blog with tidbits…

Nestor Aparicio

I’ve been so super busy with business-related endeavors the past few weeks (New York trip, 10th Anniversary, basic getting ready for football stuff) that my blogs have been rare. Trust me, I have a LOT on my mind. Just haven’t had time to sit down and collect all of my thoughts and present them in a proper blog. Some snippets: Much to say about the Ravens camp coming later in the week. I’m also hosting Drew’s show on Thursday and Friday as well as appearing in studio on Tuesday to pick the winner of the Toyota Live Web King of Baltimore Sports bracket contest. Believe it or not, I also met and spoke with Andy McPhail on Friday at the Orioles Hall of Fame luncheon. I’ll keep that conversation private for the time being but let’s just say he was a gentleman and quite honest. The entire afternoon was quite bizarre (and thoroughly enjoyable)  to be honest with you. In the meantime, I continue to write twice a week for b. Here’s my Monday column…   As more of a traditional sports fan, I’m not usually one to be sucked in by the Olympics but the beginning of these Games

A Special 10th Anniversary ‘Thanks’ to all…

Nestor Aparicio

  I heard it said again and again on Friday night at our 10th Anniversary Party: “This museum is GREAT!” Sure, more than 800 of us got together and had a blast at the Sports Legends Museum in honor of our 10th Anniversary at WNST. But I think the real winners were the folks who came and connected with the history of local sports in this amazing venue for the first time along with toasting the genesis of what is a bright future at WNST.net. I sincerely appreciate all of the people who contributed mightily to the celebration. Our staff was 100% participatory and the many listeners, bloggers, readers, fans, hosts, celebs and the sponsors and business that support our company were all out in full force. I don’t even want to begin to drop names because I’m afraid I’d leave someone out. Feel free to start your own thread below with “name dropping” and I’ll get back to editing the videos from the evening and get them on the site as soon as possible. A special thanks to Mike Gibbons and everyone from his staff at Sports Legends. They were just an awesome group to work with they haven’t

Did you make it to our 10th Anniversary Party?

Nestor Aparicio

I just left the Orioles Hall of Fame luncheon. I’ll have a full report on that later in the weekend when I fully digest all of my emotions from it. I’m leaving for the party now. I really appreciate the many people who’ve sent over well wishes for all of us at WNST for making it through 10 years against all odds. So, I thought I’d give any of you the chance to say anything you want to say publicly here on this thread. For better or worse, fire away… (P.S. I also watched the Ravens game last night and I’ll post my thoughts on that before next Saturday’s game…) Have a great weekend…    

Wanna go to Beijing, China with me?

Nestor Aparicio

Untitled Document On the eve of the Beijing Olympics, I can’t help but trip over all of the mass media coverage from China and remember the sights and sounds of what I saw last October when I accompanied Cal Ripken to the Far East. I could write for days about all of the unique sights and sounds of Beijing and the Chinese culture. It was a trip of a lifetime for me and I’m so glad I captured virtually every inch of it on video. Right now, those videos are too long for my current wnsTV platform here, but I thought I’d provide you links. There are 10 videos (all between 7 and 10 minutes) in the platforn on YOU TUBE. And you can just type in CHINA and WNST into the search bar and you’ll find them quite easily. I’m very proud of these videos and they capture all sorts of weird, peculiar things from baseball to the Great Wall to the houtongs of Beijing to the religious temples to the strange hawkers around Tiananmen Square selling Mao watches for $3. The Forbidden City was unforgettable and the luge at the end of the Great Wall video is something

It’s down to Unitas vs. Ripken in KOBS

Nestor Aparicio

So much for upsets. Jim Palmer had Cal Ripken on the ropes, but in the end No. 8 pulled out the seimfinal victory on Friday in our Toyota Live Web King of Baltimore Sports contest. In our other semifinal, poor Brooks Robinson got clobbered by No. 19. So there will be a week of live voting this week to decide the King winner: Johnny Unitas or Cal Ripken. Voting will close at midday on Friday and we will announce WNST’s King of Baltimore Sports at 5 p.m. on Friday on WNST-AM 1570. It will also occur during our 10th Anniversary show and party at Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards (our party is from 4 p.m. til 8 p.m.). If you are interested in attending our party on Friday, we do have a limited amount of tickets available. Simply email rsvp@wnst.net now for a chance to win free tickets for Friday. As for actual blog content, here’s my b column for today: I promise to address the entire “arena issue” in a future column after I chat with everyone involved and figure out what the real “goals” are here for the project. I’m a lifer Baltimoron and as much as

Jim Palmer and Cal Ripken are neck and neck…

Nestor Aparicio

We’re down to the final hours of voting in the Final Four of the Toyota Live Web King of Baltimore Sports competition. With just hours remaining, Jim Palmer and Cal Ripken are taking it down to the wire while Johnny Unitas has opened up a sizable lead on Brooks Robinson. We’ll be crowning the King of Baltimore Sports next week at our 10th Anniversary Party at Sports Legends Museum. I’m doing invitations today and if you’re interested in coming to the party as my guest, please drop me a note at  nasty@wnst.net. I’d love to meet the regular readers of my blog here on WNST.net. I’ve been super busy working behind the scenes with our company and haven’t been blogging so much lately and I apologize. We’re also gearing up for the Ravens season and have many surprises and cool things happening at WNST for our favorite time of the year: NFL season. I do write on Mondays and Fridays for b. Here’s my column from today’s editions… Well, at least the Orioles were honest for a change. In the days and hours leading up to yesterday’s 4 p.m. deadline, general manager Andy McPhail said things were quiet on the

WNST’s biggest roadie ever is today to The Bronx

Nestor Aparicio

It’s bright and early and we’re off to have an amazing day as we take five busloads (that’s 285 people) to Yankee Stadium today to potentially see the Orioles sweep the Yanks in the Bronx. Forecast: 84 and sunny! We’re loaded up 35 cases of Miller Chill and Miller Lite. We’ve got juice and water and soda chilled as well. Captain Harvey’s has thrown some snacks on the buses. And we have a peppering of tickets in virtually every section in the stadium. It’ll be a sea of orange! I’ll be shooting a ton of wnsTV footage from trip. We literally turned away a few hundred people who wanted to go but we couldn’t arrange any more tickets at the original price. Next year, we’ll be doing even more Orioles roadies because they’ve been immensely popular this year. I think the D.C. weekend journey will be a major annual event! Look for us on TV today! We’ll be the ones yelling for Dennis Sarfate!

IMPORTANT: King of Baltimore Sports voting update!!!

Nestor Aparicio

Well, we’re getting to the end of the Toyota Live Web King of Baltimore Sports competition and it’s been heated during this round because what we have left are the four legitimate “kings” of this city’s rich sports heritage. We’ve learned lots of thing doing this “first-ever” competition of its kind online. 1.    People try to cheat. 2.    People with an agenda and some extra time on their hands will attempt to rig the contest. 3.    Computer hacking is always a possibility. 4.    People HATE registering for websites to vote in contests (even if there’s a lot of money and prizes at stake!) THEY HATE IT but there’s no other way we can give you a prize if you don’t give us your address! 5.    This was all just a ploy by we “locals and great unwashed” at WNST to actually get people to take stock of how many awesome athletes Baltimore has had since 1958 when the Colts made Baltimore a city that was known for its sports teams and legendary competitors. The truth: we love all of these guys as much as you do. And the real truth: there are no winners and losers, just great memories and

And down goes the Sunday streak!

Nestor Aparicio

For tomorrow’s editions of b: Just when you started to believe that the Orioles had a full-fledged Sunday “jinx” on their hands, they battled back against the best team in baseball for a 5-2 win to avert a sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels and to break the wretched streak of 15 consecutive Sundays of losses.   It’s been a hard fall into the cellar of the A.L. East for the Birds. Bad pitching, bad news on Adam Loewen, mounting losses and a veritable “bum of night” on the hill when Jeremy Guthrie isn’t getting the ball. Even Brian Roberts had fallen into a 0-for-10 slump before taking a breather yesterday in the day game after a night.   With the inevitable fall in interest comes the rising purple tide of Westminster and the beckoning call of NFL season pulling us away from Camden Yards. Be honest: the Ravens starting quarterback battle and John Harbaugh’s first camp is imminently more sexy and interesting than whether or not the Orioles can actually finish in fourth place.   I’m seeing many orange ticket listings around town and people dumping tickets for what remains of the Orioles’ 11th consecutive season

Playing hooky on a beautiful day…

Nestor Aparicio

Is it just me or do you feel like saying: “Screw it, I’m going to the ballpark today!” I swear to God I’m looking out the window right now thinking it’s a PERFECT day to go Ferris Bueller and put this damned laptop down and go to the game! (Or games after last night’s weather?) Voting for this Cal Ripken-Jon Ogden thing today has me really perplexed for many reasons. First, I know them both extremely well “off the field” and I like them both immensely. I have an amazing amount of respect for what a pretty cool guy Cal is once the “milk and hot dogs and Apple pie” stuff disappears. The  “real” Cal is a pretty good guy and a lot more loose and fun than his public image. And Ogden is a guy who I’ve always had a lot of fun with as well. So, on a personal level, it’s a draw: there are no losers here. But on the field I think Ogden is tremendously underrated and the casual Baltimore sports fan will only begin to appreciate his greatness and dominance AFTER Sept. 7th. His legend will grow because we’ll never see another one like him.

Dreaming big in Westminster

Nestor Aparicio

Today is a day for dreaming, the first day of Ravens training camp and the start of what is the annual highlight of being a Baltimore’s sports fan: NFL season.   Even though Las Vegas oddsmakers have put the Ravens “over-under” number at six wins, it’s perfectly normal and accepted to believe that new coach John Harbaugh has a miracle season in store for us this year and another Super Bowl trophy is waiting in Tampa for us in February.   If you can’t dream a little today, why bother being a fan, right? Today is a day to be a fan with blind faith because as we’ve seen in previous seasons, anything can happen in the NFL. But what miracles would be necessary to paint Baltimore purple in late December?   The myriad of problems last season led to an abysmal 5-11 campaign and the subsequent firing of Brian Billick. But today is a day for purple skies, blind faith and devotion to the laundry. It’s also the team’s first day of practice ever without Jon Ogden and the first in nearly a decade without Billick and Mike Flynn.   If you believe that the Ravens are a playoff

KOBS Final Four voting: Lenny vs. Brooks

Nestor Aparicio

Ouch… Here’s where the Toyota Live Web King of Baltimore Sports gets down to the nitty gritty. Sure, there have been many walkovers during the early rounds but now the decisions are getting sticky. Today’s matchup: Lenny Moore vs. Brooks Robinson. As we get closer to the crowning at WNST’s 10th Anniversary celebration on Aug. 8 at Sports Legends Museum, it’s not going to get easier. Ray Lewis vs. Jim Palmer Cal Ripken vs. Jon Ogden Johnny Unitas vs. Frank Robinson They’re all great. They’re all great discussions. And that’s why we did the contest. So, today it’s two guys who were absolute contemporaries during my Pop’s era and two guys who have given back as much to this city as anyone you’d care to mention during our lifetime. And they’re two of the finest people I’ve met during my quarter of a century in sports media in Baltimore. Choose wisely…    

I had to laugh…

Nestor Aparicio

On my usual early morning tour of the world via my mouse, I clicked on ESPN.com this morning to see

Joe Cool

Nestor Aparicio

I’d like to think as I approach my 40th birthday in a few weeks, I’m not as excitable as I

A long lost blog with tidbits…

Nestor Aparicio

I’ve been so super busy with business-related endeavors the past few weeks (New York trip, 10th Anniversary, basic getting ready

And down goes the Sunday streak!

Nestor Aparicio

For tomorrow’s editions of b: Just when you started to believe that the Orioles had a full-fledged Sunday “jinx” on

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