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Nestor Aparicio

Any Memories of Whiskey Joe’s in Tampa?

Nestor Aparicio

With the Ravens on the cusp of going back to a second Super Bowl (and I know there’s still 60 minutes of football this weekend in Pittsburgh), I’ve been doing my own reminscing this week about the memories of eight years ago and all of the fun we had. From Nashville to Oakland, from Tampa to the parade, the images burned in my mind will last forever. But I do have one problem: I can’t locate ANY pictures or videos from two events — Whiskey Joe’s on Jan. 28, 2001 and the parade that followed on that cold, nasty day downtown at City Hall. If anyone has a few snapshots or videos they’d like to share, I’d love to get copies sent over to me so we could post the old pictures if the Ravens do what we think they’re going to do on Sunday in Pittsburgh. No better time than now to try to find some of those pictures, right? Also, if you have any memories or stories you’d like to share about that incredible week, just post comments here and I’ll let the world see your amazing memories of Tampa and the original Festivus celebration.

Pittsburgh bus and party update

Nestor Aparicio

BUY SEATS ON THE MILLER LITE PITTSBURGH BUS TRIP HERE! We have just a handful of seats for our WNST Miller Lite Pittsburgh Bus Trip on Sunday. We are feverishly working on throwing a gigantic indoor tailgate party in downtown Pittsburgh. By early this evening, we’ll have all of the details here at WNST.net and tickets for the purple pep rally will be on sale here via pay pal. Here are all of the pertinent details for the bus trip. Trip leaves at 8 a.m. from White Marsh Park and Ride. We will make an 8:45 a.m. stop at the I-70 Park and Ride (the one OUTSIDE the beltway toward Frederick) for pickup westbound. This is a RAVENS FAN bus. Trip will drop off and depart from the Pittsburgh Hilton across the river from Heinz Field. We will depart one hour after the game from the Pittsburgh Hilton. We expect to arrive in Baltimore at 3 a.m. Monday. Trip includes ride to and from Pittsburgh, one upper deck reserved ticket and limited Miller Lite, food and drink from a WNST sponsor. If we throw a pre-game tailgate party at an event location, you will also be granted admission to the

Rex Ryan spends his off day with Jets and Rams

Nestor Aparicio

As we predicted earlier in the day, it was indeed today that Rex Ryan spent his “down time” with the N.Y. Jets and St. Louis brass in the hopes of being their next head coach. Obviously, this can be a tricky situation, coaching who are still in the hunt for this year’s Super Bowl to interview for their next job. It’s weird. Everyone who has ever gone through it has told me that. But this morning reps from both franchises flew into Baltimore and spent a few hours with Ryan. By this evening, when the game between San Diego and Pittsburgh is over, Ryan will be back on track to lead the defense to an AFC Championship Game and a chance for another Super Bowl.

Pittsburgh and San Diego travel and party plan info is here

Nestor Aparicio

While I sip on another cup of coffee this morning here in Nashville and watch the NFL action unfold, I’m busy plotting next weekend’s WNST purple pep rally and parties and exploits in Pittsburgh and San Diego. Obviously, it’s impossible to have anything set in stone when we don’t know where the game will be. Here’s all of the current information I have as of noon EST: Let’s start with Pittsburgh, since that’s the more realistic trip for everyone in Baltimore. We WILL have a Pittsburgh bus. It will probably be in the $500 range. We will leave on Sunday morning and return after the 6:30 p.m. EST game. It will keep the prices lower and there’s no real need for an overnight trip and dealing with hotels, etc. We will have some beer and food on the bus for sure. It’s a four-hour ride to Pittsburgh and we’ve done this bus trip about 10 times over the years. I am considering trying to find a central location in Pittsburgh to throw a party. Hey, we’ve done it before several times but never for the heated AFC Championship Game. Stay tuned…we’re gonna do something like we did last weekend. If

In case you weren’t in Nashville…

Nestor Aparicio

The scene today at Graham Central Station could’ve only been followed by something as amazing as today’s win over the Tennessee Titans and the dramatic fashion with which it all unfolded. Matt Stover’s kick. Joe Flacco’s pass. Todd Heap’s catch. Fabian Washington falling on the ball. Rob Bironas missing the field goal. The crowd taking over the streets of Nashville in a virtual sea of purple and marching on LP Field en masse crossing over the Cumberland River. Baltimore made a powerful impact in downtown Nashville this weekend. It was a takeover, something akin to what the Red Sox and Yankees do to Baltimore. The cops had to come out onto 2nd Avenue and break up the sea of purple. Apparently, they were stopping traffic outside of Graham Central Station and car-tipping was a fear. The only tangible difference between a Red Sox Nation holdup of our city three times a year was that once we got inside LP Field, we realized there were probably only 5,000 of us total. We took over the primary block of bars in Nashville, but the 70,000-seat stadium was plenty blue and red and at the end when Heap made that catch, it was

The joys of Nashville and a playoff weekend

Nestor Aparicio

So this morning I’m pretty freaking excited. I’m packing my bags on a journey that might be one of those trips I remember for the rest of my life. A true playoff vibe, in a cool city that I always love to visit, Nashville – what’s not to love? If you’re not excited about the Ravens now then what are you waiting for? This is what it’s all about. One hundred and twenty minutes from the Super Bowl. A win brings either a trip to San Diego – America’s greatest city – or Pittsburgh, where the passion and tension of Ravens vs. Steelers for all the marbles would be a meeting of the century for any Baltimorean. But as Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers once said, “There ain’t no tomorrow baby, there’s just right now!” And now is Nashville, home of beautiful Southern women, country music and a great hospitable environment for football. I don’t like country music at all but there’s always been something intriguing about Nashville. I’ve had girlfriends in Nashville. I’ve done business in Nashville. And most significantly, I have many of my best friends in town, which is how I found Limelight and Graham Central

Joe Flacco vs. Bert from Sesame Street

Nestor Aparicio

While surfing for some of the garbage being said about Steve McNair on the internet today, I tripped across a funny link comparing our civic hero Joe Flacco to Bert from Sesame Street because of the “unibrow” factor. There’s a very funny link here. And if you’re a real Sesame Street lover — for the record I was more of an Electric Company guy on PBS — you’ll dig this link to the “real” Bert. I know that Joe doesn’t like for his kid brothers and sisters to make fun of him but I have a feeling this one is going to wind up on the kitchen refrigerator in the Flacco household back in New Jersey. Hey, I didn’t create it. I just shared it! Do you find the resemblence striking? LOL…

McNair changes his mind, decides to host the WNST Pep Rally in Nashville Friday night

Nestor Aparicio

It’s been a very interesting 48 hours here at WNST.net in a lot of ways. First, we’re preparing to take the largest contingent of travelling fans we’ve had in years into one of my favorite cities, Nashville. We expect to have a blast with three completely sold out buses! And Steve McNair has told the Nashville media that he will indeed host the WNST Purple Pep Rally in downtown Nashville Friday night at Limelight. We didn’t spend a lot of time talking about it on WNST earlier Thursday — we’ve got a football game to play on Saturday that’s more important than anything else — but it was apparently a TOTAL MESS in Nashville, especially being oversensationalized by the local media and the internet has exploded with all sorts of stories, tales and fiction. Here’s a link from WMAR Channel 2 here in Baltimore tonight with more. Even Deadspin got into the act today. My side of the story hasn’t changed. WNST was going to Nashville and was going to throw a party or two for the Baltimore fans. Like we’ve always done. Like we’ve done in Pittsburgh, San Diego, Indianapolis and even Miami last weekend. We found Graham Central

Apparently, McNair will not be attending our Friday party after all

Nestor Aparicio

Our party will go on without former Ravens and Titans quarterback Steve McNair on Friday night after all. I’ve been busy planning the biggest purple party in Nashville on Friday night and getting arrangements in order for our bus trip. And I woke up this morning to a bunch of emails, blog comments and phone messages and texts regarding McNair’s appearance at our Ravens Pep Rally on Friday night. Or lack thereof… The story goes like this: I was looking for a party location. I found two: Limelight (Friday) and Graham Central Station (Saturday pre-game). The owner of Limelight is friends with McNair and his people. They absolutely agreed to do the party for charity and absolutely knew it involved Ravens fans and Baltimore. The flyers were purple. As a matter of fact, I spoke with McNair’s agent yesterday who booked McNair onto the Comcast Morning Show earlier this morning with Drew Forrester to promote the event. Apparently, once the flyer was sent out across the internet, a TV station in Nashville (WKRN) got wind of it and made a big stink on the evening news last night, basically calling McNair a “traitor” for associating with anything Baltimore this week.

Modell shamelessly ignored by football writers

Nestor Aparicio

Well, the handful of pro football “experts” are at it again, playing the role of punitive czars as the gatekeepers of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, once again ignoring a lifetime of accomplishments of Art Modell. Once again, Modell has been left off of the finalists’ list Hall of Fame ballot and I’m stunned at their ignorance of the facts and the continued slight of one of the architects of the NFL. I’m at the Caps game right now and using Drew’s computer to blog, but I’m pretty salty about the whole thing and will need more time later to collect my thoughts and write a lengthier missive. But once again, it’s the garbage of the Cleveland contingent led by Ohio’s angriest man, Tony Grossi. They all should be ashamed of themselves and they should turn in their voting cards. Art Modell belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Period.

Second bus to Nashville is almost sold out!

Nestor Aparicio

TO BUY SEATS ON THE WNST NASHVILLE ROADTRIP CLICK HERE We’re getting all sorts of phone calls, texts and inquiries this morning regarding our Miller Lite Nashville Roadtrips on Friday. We’ve almost sold out our second bus, so HURRY if you want to go. The seats are limited and once they’re gone getting more hotel space, buses and game tickets becomes difficult. We really hope you come along for the fun and the memories! Again, here are the details for the trip: Take the ride in the comfort of a brand-new deluxe motorcoach from Gunther Charters. We will leave Baltimore (White Marsh Park and Ride) at 6 a.m. Friday, Jan. 9th and arrive in Nashville before dinner time. We are estimating a 10-to-11-hour ride. We will leave Nashville at 8 a.m. on Sunday and return to Baltimore in time for dinner. All packages include an upper deck reserved game ticket for Nashville-Baltimore next Saturday, two-nights hotel downtown within walking distance to the stadium and an admission to our Saturday pre-game purple pep rally and party. Gold Package: Two nights at the Sheraton Downtown Nashville… SINGLE: $700 DOUBLE: $625 TRIPLE: $575 QUAD: $550 Purple Package: Two nights at Days Inn at

Ravens locker room giddy for trip to Nashville

Nestor Aparicio

The kudos for the continued brilliance of Ed Reed and the poise of Joe Flacco permeated the Ravens locker room following today’s big win over the Dolphins here in Miami. Other than the defensive breakdowns on the late third-quarter drive that nearly got the Fish back into the game, it was a day of celebrations, high fives and memories of what a January run feels like. The Ravens punished the Fins in the first half and only let up long enough to wait for another turnover. No play was bigger than the botched handoff to Ted Ginn, which sealed the fate of Miami and propelled the Ravens back to a second-round playoff matchup on the Cumberland River in Nashville at 4:30 this Saturday. As you know, our buses are filling up fast. You can book you trip here. We will also be announcing a major indoor tailgate party/pep rally in downtown Nashville for Saturday morning for all visiting purple fans. To show his support for the purple contingent on the road, head coach John Harbaugh visited with the fans as he exited the field in Miami this afternoon and went out of his way to praise the road warriors, many

Miami Strategy

Nestor Aparicio

Watching the Colts and the Falcons get eliminated last night brings to focus the reality of today’s “do or die” game here in Miami against the Dolphins. It also will revisit the overtime argument about possession and coin flips and the fairness of the current NFL doctrine. Should the Colts have at least gotten ball last night? My thought is “sure”…except when it’s the Colts. Good riddance to them! The Ravens’ path to the Super Bowl got a lot easier last night when San Diego won the coin flip and went down the field and euthanized the Colts’ season. So long, Peyton! See ya in those commercials during the rest of the playoffs! It’s a beautiful morning here in Miami — it’s expected to reach 80 degrees by game time. Our party at Alabama Joe’s last night was outstanding as the bar was packed with purple with representatives from all over the state of Maryland as well as several “expatrioted” Baltimoreans living down here in the land of depressed housing and sunshine. We’ll be blogging he

The Miami Mission: Quieting the crowd won’t be a factor

Nestor Aparicio

It could’ve been a whole lot worse this weekend, being in New Jersey or Foxboro. Landing in Fort Lauderdale and having it be 75 degrees on Jan. 2nd, well, you can’t ask for much more. I spent the middle of the day yesterday in Owings Mills and the team is definitely “loose,” which is a good sign. The Ravens are the better team. They seem to know it. They seem prepared and all of the talk is about winning and taking care of business. Art Modell was hanging out for lunch with John Harbaugh and I dropped off some “INDUCT ART” signs. Harbaugh told me he’s going to put one up in his office. I told him the city needed a win. He seems confident that the Ravens can win this Sunday. The flight down wasn’t nearly as chock full of Ravens fans as a “normal” NFL road weekend. Just a handful of fans, and it appeared that many of the seats were filled with families and kids going back to school from the holidays. I’m honestly not expecting the usual “purple takeover” of South Florida. And from my many contacts with folks this week who love to travel to

Could Baltimore’s Jim Schwartz wind up as head coach in Cleveland?

Nestor Aparicio

As the coaching “hiring” season heats up over the coming weeks, the candidates are lining up in Cleveland, Detroit, Denver and with the N.Y. Jets and that’s only “so far.” Who knows what’s going to happen in St. Louis, Dallas, Tampa Bay and a few other places? And then there’s Oakland — the Siberia of NFL coaching. Our very own WNST.net Friday companion Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans and Arbutus native, is next up in two places — Cleveland and Detroit — while Rex Ryan is slated to speak with the N.Y. Jets, St. Louis Rams and Detroit at some point over the next few weeks. Schwartz was in Cleveland for a few years in the mid-90’s and was part of the Berea Brigade, when the fans boycotted the facility after Art Modell made the announcement that the Ravens were coming to Baltimore. He spent three years as Marvin Lewis’ assistant here and left for Tennessee when Brian Billick was hired in 1999. He’s been the defensive coordinator for the Titans for eight seasons now and has interviewed in four organizations (San Francisco, Atlanta, Miami and Washington) for head coaching jobs. He is expected to leave Tennessee

While you guys are all watching this amazing Wrigley Field NHL game…

Nestor Aparicio

Don’t forget that we have our “WNST Puck Bus” revved up for Tuesday night for the Philadelphia Flyers game against the Caps in D.C. I love hockey! Just watching this “old-time” matchup is getting me fired up for Tuesday night! (Even though my purple goggles are in overdrive!) Still gonna be hard to top last year’s “Winter Classic” but this is close! Hope you join us on one of our three Puck Buses. Here’s a video of the last one. They’re always a major blast! To see more info or to get on the bus this Tuesday (we have a few seats left!) click here.

WNST sets a “pre-game” pep rally & party for South Florida on Saturday

Nestor Aparicio

TO BUY SEATS ON THE WNST NASHVILLE ROADTRIP CLICK HERE Hopefully by now you’ve heard about our infamous Super Bowl party at Whiskey’s Joe oh those many years ago before Super Bowl XXXV, so it’s with great pleasure that we announce the official WNST “Pre-Game Purple Pep Rally” in South Florida. We will be hanging on Saturday from 4:30 through the evening to watch the two NFL games at Joe’s distant cousin — ALABAMA JOE’S in Lake Worth, Fla. — on Lantana Road. It’s between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale just north of Boca Raton. It’s less than a mile from I-95. There are so many connections here that we almost HAD to have a little South Florida celebration. The place is a bit of a Shrine to the Crimson Tide, but its slogan is: “If sports were a religion…this place would be a church!” Now, how can you not want to hang at a place like that, right? It’s has some other Baltimore connections as well as the “Tide” lineage of Ozzie Newsome, Phil Savage, Le’Ron McClain, etc. all the way down the line. Directions to Alabama Joe’s are here. There’s also a menu full of really good-looking

Rex Ryan receives permission to interview with N.Y. Jets

Nestor Aparicio

‘Tis the season to gain head coaching employment in the NFL and with the 11-5 regular season finish and the Ravens headed back to the playoffs in Miami this weekend, it’s not a shocker that defensive coordinator has received permission to interview for the head coaching position with the New York Jets. As first reported by the AP, Ryan is expected to interview for the job in New York at some point in the near future. Earlier this week, NFL.com’s Adam Schefter reported that Ryan would be a lead candidate in St. Louis, once the Rams fire interim head coach Jim Haslett who replaced Scott Linehan in midseason. Ryan, along with tight ends coach Wade Harmon, were original hires of Brian Billick when he took over the head coaching job in January 1999. It’s very unusual to allow an existing assistant to interview during the week of a game but perhaps Ryan will have time to interview after the Ravens victory in Miami on Sunday. Many times “deals” are cut to wait for specific coordinators, as was the case when the Ravens waited three weeks to interview Brian Billick after his Vikings lost in the NFC Championship Game. Last year

Join me for the Smurf Turf at DellaRoses

Nestor Aparicio

Well, it’s not the Orange Bowl for sure, but the Maryland Terps will finish their season in Boise today on the blue turf of the Humanitarian Bowl against Nevada. If that doesn’t exactly motivate you, perhaps the $3 Miller Lites will? The game starts at 4:30. We’ll be at DellaRoses in White Marsh. C’mon out and say hello and we’ll talk some Ravens playoffs and toast a helluva season. Oh, and we can root for the Terps as well. Any excuse to go to DellaRoses sounds good to me!

Charter trip to Miami update

Nestor Aparicio

My inbox and phone and text are flooding with people inquiring about the possibility of a group trip to Miami for the Ravens game this Sunday at 1 p.m. Here’s all the information I have at this point: First — there IS no trip yet. I’m working feverishly on the financial reality of this. Getting a chartered jet for a few hundred people ain’t easy and it ain’t cheap. There are no “$99 each way” kinda charters. If this trip happens — and it’s still an ‘if’ at this point — it will be at least a $600 per person trip (my first quotes on flights alone were in the $600 each range), depending on a lot of factors including a hotel night, various airport fees, potential ground transportation and game tickets. It could be as much as $800-$1000 per person if we do an overnight on Saturday. (Some of the charters are much cheaper if you leave at 3 a.m. or some odd hour but they’re unavailable with bowl football taking a bunch of planes.) I’m not trying to turn this into a “Priceline” issue. I’m just being clear on the reality of getting a chartered jet on four

Bisciotti and Harbaugh walk ‘arm in arm’ into 2009 Festivus

Nestor Aparicio

What a difference 52 weeks makes. It will be a year ago this Wednesday — on New Year’s Eve — when Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti walked into Brian Billick’s office and abruptly fired the head coach who led his franchise to its only Super Bowl win. It was the biggest story in the city for weeks, and many folks were surprised and many questions were asked. For me, it wasn’t so much the actual firing of Billick as much as the “I changed my mind” reasoning so closely removed from a 13-3 season and the fact that Ozzie Newsome was clearly kept out of the decision. At the time I was a loud critic of the move, especially considering that Bisciotti didn’t have a clear vision of where the franchise was headed or who he wanted to hire as a head coach. The thinking was this: Who is Bisciotti going to hire who is better than Billick? Three weeks later, after getting turned down by Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and eliminating defensive coordinator Rex Ryan from contention, Bisciotti turned to a “low mileage” young special teams coordinator whose QB brother was far better known not only in Baltimore but

Ravens will play in Miami at 1 p.m. on Sunday

Nestor Aparicio

Here’s the skinny on the Ravens 2009 Postseason Festivus schedule: The Ravens drew the 1 p.m. game on Sunday in Miami. If they beat the Dolphins they would return to Nashville to play the Tennessee Titans in the early game on Saturday, Jan. 10th at 4:30 p.m. As for next weekend, San Diego will host the Indianapolis Colts at 8 p.m. on Saturday night. The NFC schedule is set: Atlanta travels to Arizona at 4:30 on Saturday and Philadelphia will play the Vikings in Minnesota at 4:30 on Sunday. WNST is attempting to organize a last-minute purple charter flight to Miami, but we will not have more information until midday on Monday. The individual flights to South Florida are jam-packed for the holiday weekend. We are not optimistic or pessimistic, but will attempt to make it work if at all possible. We realize that everyone’s wallet is a little light these days and this trip would be a $600 to $800 trip. (Chartering planes ain’t cheap!) Feel free to drop me a note if you have interest in traveling to Miami next weekend for the Ravens’ first-round playoff game. If the price makes sense, we’ll do it. There are two

What a great day to be an NFL fan

Nestor Aparicio

If you’re looking for the “juice” in being a sports fan – the payoff, if you will – today is that day. All of the affection, all of the combine coverage, draft coverage, training camp coverage, PSLs, tailgating and Sundays spent at the game or in front of the TV comes down to one day. Today. It all either pays off – or crushes us – later today. And, wow, what a great schedule of games and interesting side stories in so many places. Can the Detroit Lions stave off the eternal damnation of 0-16 by beating the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field? (Kinda reminds me of the Week 16 “Kenneth Sims Bowl” in late 1981 between the Colts and the Patriots. We kindly called it the “Stupor Bowl.” And the Colts STILL drafted two stiffs in Johnnie Cooks and Art Schlichter in the worst draft class in NFL history!) Will the New York Giants lay down for the Minnesota Vikings or will the Bears be able to win in Houston and sneak in? Will Carolina be able to go into the Superdome and bring back an NFC South title? Or will Atlanta win an unlikely division title by

WNST Purple roadtrip in the works…

Nestor Aparicio

At the risk of jinxing our victory efforts tomorrow, I’ve been fielding an array of emails, Facebook IMs and texts regarding the Ravens playoff possibilities and whether WNST will be putting together roadies to Miami, New England or New York. Obviously, a Ravens victory (or a Pats loss) is imperative in any of this but since it appears we’re all planning ahead…just in case, right? LOL… The biggest issue in planning any of this stuff is three fold: 1.    We don’t know if they’re going to win so we can’t hold much of anything. 2.    We don’t know what day or time they’ll play. 3.    We don’t know what city they’ll play in. And, again, they have to WIN first… Here is what we know: If the Dolphins win, we will NOT be planning a WNST “Miller Lite Purple Roadie” group trip but we will be planning some kind of pep rally in South Florida at a location TBD. The flights in an out of South Florida (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach) are all pretty much sold out. Without chartering a plane (which is not surprisingly extremely cost-prohibitive) getting any significant group of people into South Florida (save for

ESPN reports Flacco is having a very Merry Christmas

Nestor Aparicio

ESPN just posted a news story stating that Joe Flacco has earned over $3 million in incentives via his play this season as a rookie with huge hurdles and rewards in his contract. You had to know that as a first-round pick Flacco and his family would be financially secure but no one could have predicted this kind of success so early. They also reported that he’ll earn $20,000 for each victory in the postseason. Whatever the Ravens are paying him this season, they have gotten a bargain for all of the excitement Joe has provided Baltimore. Calm, cool, collected…modest…that’s our Joe!

A holiday message to Peter Angelos and the Orioles

Nestor Aparicio

The Baltimore Orioles can try to silence their critics today and attempt to ban the free speech of all of their many disgruntled customers and fans from posting angry diatribes on message boards like WNST on the internet, but there’s no getting around it if you’re Peter Angelos today. If you are from Baltimore and love Baltimore sports and you are celebrating any religious holiday from Christmas to Hanukkah to Kwanza to Festivus over the next 48 hours and anywhere from Highlandtown to Hong Kong, inevitably amongst so many family and friends with food and drink and cheer, you’ll be talking about two things: 1.    How much the Orioles suck and once again what a disgrace it is to be an Orioles fan (and/or a MLB fan in general) after this whole Mark Teixeira fiasco And … 2.    How much fun the Ravens have given us this year and whether they can win this Sunday against Jacksonville and whether they’ll go far into the playoffs and give us the thrill of a Super Bowl again Clear advantage: Ravens “WNST” has no control over any of your holiday conversations. There is no “WNST stance” at your dinner table. There are just

Teixeira goes to the Big Apple, signs with Yankees

Nestor Aparicio

In a move that was only rumored by our Drew Forrester last week, the New York Yankees became the “final” bidder for the services of Mt. St. Joe grad Mark Teixeira, inking the first baseman to an 8-year, $170 million contract today to open the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Stories will abound and there will be plenty of hand-wringing at The Warehouse through the holidays, but once again Peter Angelos and the Orioles have been left at the alter as a bridesmaid to an AL East foe. A sad day for Baltimore. Another sad commentary about the pathetic state of the Orioles and their ability to compete at any level for top-notch talent. Another huge payday for a Scott Boras client. We’ll have plenty to say and plenty of chances to write and talk more about it. But prepare to see the Tex jerseys and the pinstripes. Ho, ho, ho…another Christmas with coal and switches and empty promises for anyone who loves the Orioles. Feel free to comment below…

I’m dreaming of Tex Christmas…ESPN says signing is imminent

Nestor Aparicio

But where? Where will Mark Teixeira sign today (if indeed, today is the day). Again, this has been the most following story since Palcyznski… ESPN’s Buster Olney says today is the day. Apparently the Orioles are still dangling seven years and $140 million. The Nationals are probably dangling more but it ain’t Ballmer, hon. And the Red Sox are definitely the “snake in the grass.” And Olney says the Yankees might also be quietly in the mix. Who knows where Scott Boras will take the Mt. St. Joe slugger? Will Tex be home for Christmas? Sign up for the WNST text service now, and you’ll be the first to know…GUARANTEED!

Purple Palace finalists named later today

Nestor Aparicio

We are finalizing our internal tally and trying to find three finalists in the “Miller Lite Purple Palace” contest. We will be contacting the finalists by the end of the day and shooting wnsTV videos this weekend for next week’s online voting, which will be done by YOU, the WNST and purple palace fans. Stay tuned for more later in the day. Meanwhile, click here and take a look at the purple wonderland in our community. Some of these videos and pics were amazing!

Getting a grip on the Festivus activities

Nestor Aparicio

So, it looks like we’re getting into the playoffs. Well at least we can talk that way for a few more days and as a 10-point favorite against Jacksonville this weekend (and please note the gametime change to 4:15 p.m., which means the coldest possibilities for us) the Ravens should win. Heck, if they don’t win they don’t deserve to be in the playoffs, really. So, assuming that the Ravens are going to win this week and advance to the playoffs I started putting together playoff possibilities onto a cocktail napkin on Sunday and this is what I came up with…and I can’t imagine the NFL scheduling gods could have cooked this weekend up with a whole lot more drama than what they have – several cool matchups and playoff spots on the line in both conferences. Indianapolis can now pack their bags for Denver or San Diego. But that Sunday night game is gonna be a good one. You gotta think that the Chargers have all of the momentum and the home field. What a story that would be, digging out from 4-8 to make the playoffs. Kinda unheard of… Clearly, Nasvhille and Pittsburgh are just sitting tight, taking

Angels the latest to pull rug on Boras and Teixeira

Nestor Aparicio

Who knows whether it’s posturing or business or an actual decision, but Arte Moreno and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have apparently pulled their eight-year offer to Mark Teixeira. The beat goes on and we’re now 72 hours out on Christmas and it doesn’t feel like Tex is getting any closer to making a decision and the Orioles are the only team that hasn’t said or done anything this week. As usual, because the communication from The Warehouse is still done by carrier pidgeon while the rest of the world is texting and using Facebook and the internet to get business done. I’ve been writing about it for two weeks and it gets more fascinating every day with the gamesmanship being displayed on all sides, allowing the fans into their dirty little world of $100 milion poker. Watching a bunch of rich, morally bankrupt guys try to bamboozle each other. It’s a whole “game within the game.” We’re not done with this by a long shot it seems, the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes. I’m gonna need more butter for my popcorn…

Check out the cool purple videos with your football today

Nestor Aparicio

Like the rest of you, I’m monitoring all of the Sunday NFL action today, albeit running through an airport or two en route back to Baltimore from frigid Dallas. When we arrived here on Friday, it was 78 degrees. This morning it was 19 degrees. Right now, it’s about 34 degrees. It’s amazing what a “pep in your step” we all get when the Ravens win a game like that. From what I’m hearing and feeling at home – via WNST.net and Facebook – I get the vibe that the city is jacked up for the holidays and next Sunday’s game against Jacksonville. (My wife is talking about busting out the purple rope lights!) I spent most of the morning watching the “Miller Lite Purple Palace entries.” It’s AMAZING some of the stuff we’ve gotten for entries. Click here if you want to see all of the contestants. Feel free to comment here as well. We’ll have our three finalists selected (the WNST staff is feeding back) tomorrow morning. Usually, on a Sunday like this we’d all have to be watching some of these snowy games with a rooting interest, cheerinf madly for a team that would help the Ravens’

Ravens beat Dallas 33-24, throw a purple party in Dallas

Nestor Aparicio

It’s become a joke amongst the local media, calling the Ravens “mighty men.” It’s John Harbaugh’s favorite “term of endearment” and corny catch phrase for his team. Tonight in Dallas, they were indeed mighty men, dropping the vaunted Cowboys like a bad habit at home on their special night and the hyper-emotional closing of Texas Stadium. The Ravens were impressive in dispatching the local stars, 33-24 to urinate on the biggest party in the biggest state in the swan song of the state’s greatest icon on a brutally cold evening. Tonight, the real “stars” were wearing the purple helmets with the B’s. Strangely enough, it was punter Sam Koch who not only did his thing booting the ball effectively all night (including a 61-yarder) but it was the trick draw play on a field goal fake that stole the show and changed the momentum of the game. Really, who in the world was expecting that? A brass balls move if there ever was one by Harbaugh and the crew. If this team makes noise in January, they’ll look back on this bounce back from that Pittsburgh fiasco and see the huge emotional breakthroughs. They finally beat a quality opponent on

Christmas deadline for Teixeira? Not really…

Nestor Aparicio

Want the craziest true story I’ve heard in Dallas in my first 24 hours? Apparently, I missed running into Mark Teixeira and Scott Boras in the lobby of the Ravens team hotel here in “Big D” by 15 hours. As much as we’re following this Teixeira situation at WNST as a major Baltimore news story – it has been the most followed, camped-out  Baltimore media popcorn trail since Jayne Miller chased Jobie Palczynski through my old Dundalk stomping grounds of Berkshire (the neighborhood I played little league, in no less) back in 2000 – I never though I’d almost cross paths with the pair of them at their “Texas” hideaway when I boarded the plane. (I’m even getting people angered by giving them what I feel are “breaking news” stories on the Teixeira trail. Hey folks, news is news and we’re doing our best to be honorable as well. But who knows where the honor is amongst these baseball people who all lie as their lips move in these negotiations that involve crazy millions of dollars.) Here’s the worst part: I’m a lifelong reporter and journalist and had I bumped into “Tex” I don’t know if I would’ve even recognized

Strange, nostalgic day to be in Dallas

Nestor Aparicio

It’s a crazy day to be in Dallas. They’re shutting their stadium tonight amidst a potential season-wrecker if Joe Flacco, Ray Lewis and the Ravens come in a steal a victory. It’s the Ravens’ first-ever trip into Dallas, the final city they’ve never played in over the 13-year history of the franchise (not counting the Minnesota preseason game two years ago). And the civic pressure is on here in “Big D.” You can almost feel the anticipation for this game if you just drive around town and hear people talking. If the 2008 Dallas Cowboys lose their final game in Texas Stadium to get essentially bumped from a playoff spot, they’ll be all-time chumps. Especially on the backend of Tony Romo’s January meltdowns and T.O.’s loudmouthed nonsense. This game is significant here — the lead story on every TV channel and the headline of every newspaper. A big giant “love in” is scheduled for the pre-game and the in-game. The pageantry they’re putting on – and you do know that EVERYTHING is bigger in Texas – will rival what we did for the Orioles in Baltimore on 33rd Street back in 1991. If you really want to vomit and hate

Blowing up another ghost of Bob Irsay

Nestor Aparicio

We all know that Tiger Bob Irsay left us many years ago, but alas the final “icon” of the mayflower vans and the Indianapolis Colts is about to leave us as well. This morning, they’re blowing up the Hoosier Dome, the house that Bob built in Indianapolis. (I know, I know…”You should get over it!”) Maybe this is one more step in the healing process that never seems to heal. Keep an eye out on the web for the implosion videos…

If you’re heading to Dallas this weekend…

Nestor Aparicio

Getting lots of Ravens emails this week from folks heading to “The Big D” for this weekend’s game. My pal Bobby Nyk is throwing a purple party on Saturday for any traveling Ravens fans who might wanna drop by for a pre-game pep rally. Here are the details: “Meet Ravens fans in a safe pregame “tailgate” at the All Star Sports Bar in the Sheraton Grand Hotel DFW (the closest hotel to the stadium) before the last game to be played in Texas Stadium. Food and festivities begin at noon on Saturday with shuttles to and from the stadium.  TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE TO THE GAME from the Sheraton with a super package.  JOIN Bobby Nyk (Señor Sportsmanship) for his 157th consecutive game, and meet lots of great people.” It’s the Ravens first-ever trip into Dallas and they’re closing down the stadium this Saturday night on national TV. Should be a good time. I’ve also got my travel group from Towson Travel coming along. FYI: If the Ravens go on the road the weekend of Jan. 3-4 for a playoff game, WNST will be doing a roadtrip to New York, New England or Miami…send me an email if you want

WNST Puck Bus makes a perfect holiday gift!

Nestor Aparicio

Just a reminder that for our Baltimore puck heads that the WNST Baltimore Puck Buses for 2009 are now ON SALE! We’re doing three trips down to D.C. to see the Capitals: Jan. 6 vs. Philadelphia Feb. 18 vs. Montreal March 6 vs. Carolina All trips are $60 each and a “three pack” is $150. It includes game ticket, bus ride, limited beer, sodas and snacks plus Caps trivia and stupid movies like “Slapshot” and “Youngblood” as well as some Canadian classics. Our buses leave from White Marsh and pick up in Catonsville en route to the Verizon Center. It makes a pretty cool holiday gift for someone in your life who loves hockey and won’t say “What The Puck?” if this makes its way under the holiday tree. All of the details are here and you can paypal your order now and you’re all signed up! Hope we get to see you on our trips. Click here if you want to check out a video of the fun from last time when the Caps won a thriller:

Who has the best Miller Lite Purple Palace?

Nestor Aparicio

OK, we’re down to the nitty gritty in the “Miller Lite Purple Palace” contest. You can click here to see all of the palaces we’ve collected so far and the entries have been AWESOME! You could spend an hour here on WNST.net just looking at all of the cool submissions! This weekend, we’re going to sift through all of the entries – and YES, you still have four days to get your entries in to us – and we’re going to select a “Final Three.” I’m going to be dropping by these folks’ places next week to shoot some holiday videos inside their palaces and making three “finalist” videos, which we’ll screen on wnsTV. Then, it’s all up to the votes… We’ll have a winner in two weeks and those folks will be showered with WNST love – a visit from the WNST staff for some playoff football, a trip to Green Bay next year to see the purple take on Wisconsin’s cheeseheads and an autographed Kelly Gregg jersey to add to their purple palace. Go look at the purple Festivus magic on the entry page and get those final entries in before Sunday! Feel free to drop some comments

Miami Strategy

Nestor Aparicio

Watching the Colts and the Falcons get eliminated last night brings to focus the reality of today’s “do or die”

Charter trip to Miami update

Nestor Aparicio

My inbox and phone and text are flooding with people inquiring about the possibility of a group trip to Miami

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