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Nestor Aparicio

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

Nestor Aparicio

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

Meeting Jon Gruden and Roger Goodell…

Nestor Aparicio

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

Aubrey Huff should TRULY apologize

Nestor Aparicio

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

Dinner with John Harbaugh in Florida…

Nestor Aparicio

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

Breakfast with John Harbaugh in Florida

Nestor Aparicio

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

First pitch for O’s & John Harbaugh

Nestor Aparicio

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

2008 Orioles: Empty seats and empty heads

Nestor Aparicio

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

Orioles home opener in danger of not selling out!

Nestor Aparicio

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

Why I still love sports: Davidson

Nestor Aparicio

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

WNST plays the Orioles credential game again…

Nestor Aparicio

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

Peter Angelos and Earl Weaver in living color

Nestor Aparicio

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

Orioles ‘Summer of Amnesty’ plans solidify…

Nestor Aparicio

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

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

Nestor Aparicio

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

John and Jim Harbaugh confused by March Madness

Nestor Aparicio

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

Who the heck is George Sherrill?

Nestor Aparicio

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

Where are they now: Larry Bigbie

Nestor Aparicio

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

The look on Coach K’s face…

Nestor Aparicio

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

Free The Birds…or SEE The Birds?

Nestor Aparicio

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

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

Nestor Aparicio

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

See and feel the UMBC excitement here on wnsTV

Nestor Aparicio

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

Coppin State gets the Cinderella slipper…

Nestor Aparicio

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

Trent Dilfer and Rick Sutcliffe

Nestor Aparicio

If Trent Dilfer has thrown his final pass in the NFL – and it’s not a stretch to think that – I just want to be among the first to wish him well in his TV land retirement. Dilfer was released by the San Francisco 49ers yesterday and head coach Mike Nolan gave him a royal sendoff with quotes befitting a king, not a “back up” quarterback. Not only will he always be the starting quarterback of the Ravens “first” Super Bowl championship team, but he was always a class act, long after his short stay in Baltimore was complete. Our staff sees him on Radio Row at every Super Bowl and he’s always upbeat, funny and self-deprecating in the face of his career, his family struggles and his relationship with his teammates and peers. In case you missed it, Dilfer joined us for several segments on Radio Row in Phoenix six weeks ago. Here are the wnsTV clips: Part 1 here Part 2 here Part 3 here Part 4 here ********** Speaking of cool guys I’ve met in sports, one of my all-time favorites is Rick Sutcliffe, who was diagnosed with color cancer recently. “Sut” was the unquestioned leader

Orioles Tragic…feel it happen!

Nestor Aparicio

So, the 2008 Orioles season is upon us, and alas, here we go again! It’s another March. And another spring training of obvious less than mediocrity. This just in: the team is REALLY going to stink this year. Again. And the team is spending yet ANOTHER spring training in that slum in Fort Lauderdale while their other minor league facility remains a distant three hour trip across Alligator Alley in Sarasota. And it’s been yet another spring training where a 22-year old pitcher loses a season to something or another having to do with his pitching arm. And now reports are that No. 1 starter, Daniel Cabrera, has decided to blame the media for the fact that he can’t throw a strike. Where have you gone Sir Sidney Ponson? It’s another March with broken promises, no hope, endless and blind hope for the few left who are still imbibing the orange Kool Aid at the hands of the misguided ownership group apparently led more these days by John Angelos than by Peter. Buy media. Control the message. Ban anyone who has a legitimate question. Get rid of Aparicio and Forrester. Make Steve Davis and Peter Schmuck’s lives miserable. Blah, blah,

Ed Block and courage still inspires us all

Nestor Aparicio

Once again, it wasn’t about the football or the fame or the money. Last night, at the 30th Annual Ed Block Courage Awards Foundation, it was about the kids and about courage. Lemme give you a little background. Ed Block was the trainer of the Colts for many years during the halcyon days of Johnny Unitas and company. He was actually a  trainer to the first astronauts. He was a small man with a heart many times oversized, who loved kids and his Colts football players. This foundation was founded in the mid-1970’s by a Towson barber named Sam Lamantia, who honored Joe Ehrmann the first year at a small banquet. For many years the event and foundation was aided by my dear late friend John Steadman, whose ties to the NFL affored Lamantia a chance to turn this event into a national event, and it has been ever since 1984 when the Colts left Baltimore. They’ve raised millions of dollars. I’ve been to 17 banquets now – many years I’ve served as the M.C. of the Sunday night dinner, or the Sunday TV auction or the Monday night sponsor function (as I was two nights ago) and I’ve even

So much for the Van Halen reunion in Baltimore…

Nestor Aparicio

As most anyone who reads this site is aware, we are a radio station and website full of sports fans with a music problem. Virtually every member of our staff has this “hobby” list: 1. Sports 1a. Music/concerts Everything else just follows… So it is with a heavy heart and a silent guitar that I bring you the news that the Van Halen show originally scheduled for last night at the First Mariner Arena and then rescheduled for April 15th is OFF again! It says they’ll be rescheduling dates, but only time will tell. I missed the original Philly and D.C. shows in the fall. I was in San Diego for the Ravens-Chargers fiasco in November and skipped the concert after the game because my wife was sick with a cold and I was sick with Purple Frustration Fever. (My pal Rob went and is STILL bragging about it. My pal Kevin is STILL telling me how great they were in Philly during the beginning of the tour. And I missed it!) The last time I saw David Lee Roth with the original band was in 1982 on the “Diver Down” tour at the Capital Centre. (I actually own a

Yankee Stadium on ice?

Nestor Aparicio

Because you KNOW I have a major soft spot for hockey, I thought I’d throw this one up for debate. The NHL is getting serious about playing a hockey game at Yankee Stadium after the pinstripers end their season there next winter. If you saw the Buffalo game on New Year’s Day and you even THINK you might like hockey, then you know how cool a hockey game in the Bronx would be. Always makes me wonder “what if” on the subject of hockey and the NHL in Baltimore. If the Clippers would have entered the NHL in the 1960’s, what would’ve happened? Could Baltimore have become a good “hockey town” like Philadephia, Pittsburgh or St. Louis, who all DID get those franchises and did a pretty fair job with those markets? Or would it have been like Cleveland, another rust belt city that hockey seemed to “skip” en its route toward “cult like” status in other places? Where are my hockey people? If I ever got rich, the first thing I’d do is bring a hockey team to Baltimore…      

12th Annual Bud Light Charity Duckpin Bowling strikes Pinland Dundalk to benefit Juvenile Diabetes

Nestor Aparicio

More than 100 folks gathered last night for WNST’s 12th Annual Bud Light Charity Duckpin Challenge at Pinland in Dundalk. Lots of strikes, spares and beer drinking and pie eating. This year, we had TWO kinds of pie: pepperoni from Squire’s and dessert from Dangerously Delicious Pies. We were also drinking Bud Lights outta these supercool “bowling shaped” beer bottles. And they were only $1.25!!! Gotta love the “rollback” Dundalk pricing on a Saturday night!!! We’ll get the “official” financial tally this week, but it was in the “$2,000 range,” all to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Below is the “evidence” of all of the fun:  

Did you miss John Harbaugh on WNST yesterday?

Nestor Aparicio

Through the eyes of WNSTV, you can now SEE John Harbaugh’s in-studio visit to WNST. There are 14 separate videos (all in order) now available in the upper left tab bar that says: WNSTV. Click, watch, enjoy… Ironically enough, it was the first-ever visit by a Baltimore Ravens head coach to our actual studios on Hart Road.      

wnsTV is ALIVE with John Harbaugh videos and info

Nestor Aparicio

WNST’s continuing coverage of the NFL Combine in Indianapolis now has the following: Six individual videos of John Harbaugh’s post-press conference chats with the national media are available: Part 1 here Part 2 here Part 3 here Part 4 here Part 5 here Part 6 here Casey Willett has also loaded the entire 30-minute press conference (this was the “official” conversation from the podium, which we are not allowed to video stream) into our audio vault. If you are a Ravens fans, this stuff is fresh, interesting and pertinent to what is happening with the team right now as they prepare for the April draft. It’s been a great weekend in Indianapolis!        

Live from Iraq…it’s Brian Billick!

Nestor Aparicio

I’ve known for a few weeks that Brian Billick would be taking off after Valentine’s Day for a USO tour of Iraq with national broadcaster Ron Barr and some old friends from the West Coast. Last Monday, I received an email from one of my oldest friends, a guy named Dave Causey who I played Pop Warner football with in 1978 in Dundalk. Causey is my only “friend” in Iraq, serving our country, so I think about him a lot. Causey dropped me an email telling me that Brian Billick showed up on his base last week, and that his troops were tickled to spend some quality time with the deposed head coach of the Ravens. I told him to send along some pics and stories. This morning, I woke up in Indianapolis and I received this dispatch from one of his fellow soldiers: Nestor, My name is Major Pat Young, and I am serving with a childhood friend of yours–Dave Causey–here in Iraq. He told me that you were interested in our interaction with Brian over here in Iraq, and he asked me to write you a short note about my experience. Here goes…. When Ron Barr brought his

John Harbaugh meets the national media in Indy…

Nestor Aparicio

John Harbaugh met the national media in Indianapolis this afternoon and was peppered with questions regarding the following topics: These are running notes, NOT direct quotes… On Quarterback Needs to be strengthed. Going to use every resource. We have pretty good quarterbacks on our roster. Incumbent: McNair. On Combine: At other combines I was doing special teams and defensive scouting. I could move through the lobby quicker. It’s been fun. Guys I’ve known for years have been happy for me, happy that I got this job. They gave me key words of wisdom and warnings. On Special teams leading to the head coaching job: That was one of the cases we made (that being a special teams coach qualified Harbaugh…this brought a laugh). Being a special teams coordinator, one of the few guys who stands in front of the whole team every day. There are a lot of ways to be a head coach in this league. On preparing for strategy of the game: Being with Andy Reid and involved in those decisions in the past will help him moving forward. On New staff: The draft has been good team building for staff. They’ve been running intereference for me in

Live from Indianapolis…

Nestor Aparicio

There’s not much to say about the weather in Indy (cold, snowy) or the town itself (drab), but here inside the Convention Center and adjacent Hoosier Dome, all of the future stars of the NFL are prancing through and being judged on every aspect of their career, physicality and future. Instead of thinking too much — we’ve been here virtually every second since yesterday morning, I just thought I’d send back some notes. So far: There was a Jamal Lewis sighting yesterday, as the Browns and Phil Savage re-introduced Lewis back to Cleveland for four more years. Virtually every coach in the league is here and very available as they walk the convention floor. We’ve done some sitdowns with Ken Whisenhunt, Marvin Lewis, Mike Smith and Jack Del Rio. John Harbaugh will be speaking to the media at 4:30 today. (Fun story of the day: I saw Mike Tomlin greet Harbaugh with a “good luck and congrats” handshake at a hotel yesterday afternoon. I made sure Harbaugh knew that Tomlin didn’t really mean it!) We have approached a pair of Maryland Terps hopefuls, Dre Moore and Erin Henderson, and did sitdowns with them as well for both our audio vault

I love Indianapolis!!!

Nestor Aparicio

Well, not really…but it’s where you have to go if you want to find all of the NFL’s top prospects this weekend. The annual combine is underway under the big top that Bob Irsay built in the city that anyone born before 1970 loves to hate here in Baltimore. This is my second NFL combine (I went last year for the first time) and Casey Willett and I will be doing it up right: full interviews with scouts, coaches, agent, players and front office personnel from teams all around the league for AM 1570 and wnsTV. Unlike the Super Bowl, which is more schmooze-oriented for the week, the NFL Combine is serious business for every breathing person in the league. It’s literally a convention of hardcore football for a few days, where football and strategy and times and weights and fundamentals are all that’s on anyone’s minds. No parties, no MTV, no rock stars… The bad news: you always have to go to Indy to do it. It’s a city that’s connected via heated walkways, it has a vast convention center and dome and it’s centrally located. The worse part: the city is really one giant mall and EVERYWHERE I

Getting off the couch and seeing local sports in person

Nestor Aparicio

It’s easy to sit around and complain now that the “meat” of the sports season is over. When the NFL leaves my life, there’s this giant vacuum and emptiness that fills me, especially on the weekends. And the wait until September feels like forever right around now. While in my youth, I previously occupied my nights with the NHL, NBA and college basketball. Over the past decade, however, my focus seems to fall apart right after the Lombardi Trophy is presented and the NFL stars head to Hawaii for the most meaningless game of the year. During the 1990’s, when I first started doing radio, the shift was seamless. You got two weeks of downtime after the Super Bowl and it was time to hit Fort Lauderdale and get ready for another season of Orioles baseball at Camden Yards. Watching starting pitchers run wind sprints in the outfield in the 5th inning of grapefruit games was somehow appealing to me, just because the “hope” for baseball and an exciting season was just days away. But the Orioles don’t give us the warm fuzzies these days, even when pitchers and catchers have reported and exhibition games are a week away. They’re

A belated Valentine’s Day experience…

Nestor Aparicio

This is not a sports blog. Well, it kinda is at the end. But, yesterday was Valentine’s Day and if you haven’t purchased a Spa Treatment by Debbie (or flowers, or chocolate or been to Victoria’s Secret or all of the above), you’re probably already in some big trouble on the homefront. (If Momma’s not happy, NO ONE’s happy…) Last night, I used a great tip from our community blogger, Anne Boone-Simanski, and took my wife to the National Aquarium for their Valentine’s Night event, featuring “Love at Sea.” In general, my wife likes fish and dolphins and sea creatures, so it was more about her than me, but I dig the Aquarium, too. I saw pregnant male sea horses, cool rays and sharks, and the chocolate and unlimited wine kept my attention when the fish weren’t. The dolphins and the Australian exhibit weren’t open (I haven’t see the Aussie part yet, so I was bummed!), but there was plenty to see. As I walked through, I got to thinking that The National Aquarium is really a civic treasure for Baltimore. I remember when it opened with Mayor Schaefer and the duck and wet suit. But it’s still pretty spectacular

Is Brian Roberts next?

Nestor Aparicio

I have remained silent through most of the Erik Bedard fiasco and the Orioles continued fumbling of the offseason. What difference does it make what I think anyway, right? These 10 players they’ve acquired for Miguel Tejada and Bedard will either sink or sail on their own over the next three years. (My only personal observation: Andy McPhail is doing the best he can with what he’s got. And he’s inherited an organization in chaos, really.) At some point, I’ll chime in with what I really think — it’s a LONG season, there will be plenty of time and space for my thoughts — but for now I just read what my colleagues are saying and writing. This morning, SI.com’s Jon Heyman, an old friend of mine from The Sporting News days, checked in with some interesting observations regarding the Orioles. Heyman also had some choice thoughts on the reign of King Peter. Click here to read Heyman’s column on the future of Brian Roberts as an Oriole. Sometimes, I don’t need to bother writing stuff. Plenty of people are out there writing the truth about the Orioles. But most of the time, given the local “restrictions,” you don’t read

I still LOVE the good ole hockey game…

Nestor Aparicio

It’s been a few years since I’ve taken in a Washington Capitals game. Like, so long, I honestly don’t remember the last game I went to. It was probably in 2003 or 2004, and it was a midweek showdown with the Nashville Predators. Before I start, let me warn you today. This one might be long and ramble a little. The last two times I started rambling about how much I love sports, and why I love sports, it turned into a pair of books. This won’t be a book, but I could literally sit here all night writing about hockey and how much I love hockey. And about how much joy and fun I’ve had being a hockey fan. Every once in a while, it slips out – my passion for the game. Like on New Year’s day, when our pals Hockey Meg and Kenny Ballgame spent the day on our couch watching Sidney Crosby and the driving snow at Rich Stadium in Buffalo and witnessing the best side of hockey come out for all to see (even if most people were half hungover and lying on their couches). Hockey is a game for everyone and I truly love

Ray Lewis speaks out…

Nestor Aparicio

Pro Bowl week is upon us, which means most of the NFL’s biggest stars are gathered in one hotel in Honolulu and NFL Network has access to them all. Last night was Ray Lewis’ turn to join Rich Eisen and Marshall Faulk on the set with the breeze and the palm trees. Looking quite relaxed, Lewis chatted about the Indy-Baltimore rivalry with Faulk, as well as his brother’s draft prospects and his penchant for being an advisor to many NFL stars like Braylon Edwards, Chad Johnson about “how to be a man.” He discussed the departure of Brian Billick and the arrival of John Harbaugh, but only briefly.   Faulk asked him straight up: “Would you play somewhere else?” Lewis’ answer: “The business creates that. if you do go somewhere else, you go have a great career somewhere else. I believe your legacy is not upheld through a city. I believe it’s the way you play the game no matter what color jersey you have. “I’m a Raven for life — purple and black is what I do. The business side of it? If it takes off, it takes off.” He said he tells other players to work hard and

If you missed WNST today…

Nestor Aparicio

It’s only 3 p.m., but so far today our guest list: Terrell Davis Kelly Johnson Brian Baldinger Joe Theismann Kurt Warner David Dusek (PGA writer for SI.com) Robert Parsons (Baltimorean and founder of godaddy.com) Candice of WWE fame Jared (of Subway fame) Frank Caliendo (doing Madden AND George Bush!) Bill Romanowski Bob Baffert Jay Glazer of Fox Sports Barry Sanders Peter King of SI.com NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry Archie Manning Coming up: Todd MacFarlane Jim Mora Kellen Winslow Chad Johnson And, finally, Rod Woodson (and he’s always GREAT!)    

A note from a ‘guardian angel’

Nestor Aparicio

Everyone in their life has a mentor or a “guardian angel” who calls when they think you’re doing the wrong stuff or saying the wrong stuff. If you don’t, you should! So, yesterday my “surrogate Uncle” called me to blather on about Steve Bisciotti, Dick Cass, Ozzie Newsome, Brian Billick and John Harbaugh. He said I’ve been unfair. I argued, in a spirited fashion, that I can justify my opinions with facts. And that, yes, I really am concerned about the direction the Ravens are going with their new management structure. So, I advised him to do what anyone and everyone who disagrees with is free to do: write it on WNST.net! I’m not saying I’m “right.” I’m simpling saying they are making many recent choices that are not in line with what has been — for the most part — a winning formula. And some of it has appeared to be less than polite, in many cases, and downright embarrassing in the case of Jason Garrett. I think Ozzie Newsome should be making football decisions. He did NOT play a role in firing Brian Billick. And from there, every brick in the building changes dramatically and I think it’s

Yankee Stadium on ice?

Nestor Aparicio

Because you KNOW I have a major soft spot for hockey, I thought I’d throw this one up for debate.

Live from Indianapolis…

Nestor Aparicio

There’s not much to say about the weather in Indy (cold, snowy) or the town itself (drab), but here inside

I love Indianapolis!!!

Nestor Aparicio

Well, not really…but it’s where you have to go if you want to find all of the NFL’s top prospects

Is Brian Roberts next?

Nestor Aparicio

I have remained silent through most of the Erik Bedard fiasco and the Orioles continued fumbling of the offseason. What

Ray Lewis speaks out…

Nestor Aparicio

Pro Bowl week is upon us, which means most of the NFL’s biggest stars are gathered in one hotel in

If you missed WNST today…

Nestor Aparicio

It’s only 3 p.m., but so far today our guest list: Terrell Davis Kelly Johnson Brian Baldinger Joe Theismann Kurt

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