Saturday, April 27, 2024

Purple Reign

Purple Reign 1: Chapter 15 “Festivus Maximus”

The news reports came fast and furious on the Monday before the Super Bowl. Just a day into the biggest week of my life, and the reporters couldn’t wait to track me down with the latest news. One of the Ravens’ team buses, leaving a downtown pep rally for BWI Airport and a charter flight to Tampa, had been involved in an accident, hitting a police cruiser.

Purple Reign 1: Chapter 14 “Painting The Black Hole Purple”

The minute Tony Siragusa landed on Rich Gannon, it was all over for the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Championship Game. Let @NestorAparicio take you back to The Black Hole and experience the day the Ravens went to their first Super Bowl.

The ghosts of Memorial Stadium and the legend of Tony Siragusa

Before Ray Lewis entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton in 2018, Tony Siragusa took Nestor into the last century and what powered the greatest defense in the history of the game – even back in the days of Ted Marchibroda and 33rd Street.

During Hard Knocks, when The Goose told us about his summer with a ring and a Super Bowl trophy

During the 2001 Westminster training camp of the inaugural HBO season of "Hard Knocks," Tony Siragusa and Nestor made some space at the Best Western and talked about what happens after you win the Super Bowl. We will miss The Goose.

Purple Reign 1: Chapter 13 “Anthony Who? – The Music City Mugging”

“When you go into the lion’s den, you don’t tippy-toe in. You carry a spear! You go in screaming like a banshee and say, Where is the son of a bitch?” The legend and #PurpleReign lore of #RavensFlock win in Nashville and Ray Lewis > Eddie George. @NestorAparicio presents his 2001 SB35 epic tale.

Talking about Goose, 33rd Street and the old days with Super Bowl XXXV champ Kim Herring

The death of Tony Siragusa has us discussing every aspect of the Purple Reign magic surrounding Super Bowl XXXV and the greatest defense in the history of the game. Safety Kim Herring was drafted into a Baltimore Ravens uniform in 1997 and knew nothing about the franchise. Let him tell you about "the man of the people" – The Goose.

Purple Reign 1: Chapter 12 “A Festivus For the Rest of us”

The loss of John Steadman. The epic appearance at The Barn with Trent Dilfer. And the win over the Denver Broncos that took the upstart Baltimore Ravens to Nashville seeking revenge.

Purple Reign 1: Chapter 11 “Nevermore (To Lose) – The Miracle Begins”

“Next time we play the Tennessee Titans, we’ll kick their ass.” Sam Adams at The Barn in Oct. 2000 to @NestorAparicio during Ravens Super Bowl XXXV run. And then January happened! Remember the Titans? We do... #RavensFlock

Purple Reign 1: Chapter 10 “Moving To The Dark Side”

Two things were pretty obvious to everyone who watched the 2000 Baltimore Ravens during the first half of the season. When they passed the ball, they made mistakes and were ineffective. But each time they tried to run the football with any consistency, they succeeded.

Purple Reign 1: Chapter 9 “‘O’ as in Offensive – The Dust Bowl Comes East”

The Ravens came to Miami on Sept. 17, 2000, for the first time in their five-year existence and the fans from Baltimore were out in force. It was the first time a Baltimore football franchise had played in South Florida since Dan Marino’s rookie season. A lot had changed from that day in 1983.
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Latest News

Weird April for Holliday winds down with Orioles sending him back to minors

BALTIMORE -- Regardless of your feelings on the Orioles' handling of top prospect Jackson Holliday, there's a good chance you've felt right and wrong...

What is Oakland losing with the Athletics?

Author Jason Turbow gives Nestor an Oakland Athletics history lesson and discusses everything that went wrong over 50 years dating back to Charlie Finley and a book he wrote on the 1970s World Series champions draped in thrift and constant acrimony.

Ravens tab cornerback Nate Wiggins as best cross section of talent, need in first round

"Just getting a corner at this point like Nate is probably the best way we could have started this weekend."

Ravens address secondary with Wiggins as we await offensive line help

Late in the night the Baltimore Ravens were quite excited about drafting Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins with the 30th pick and now Luke Jones and Nestor await how general manager Eric DeCosta will address the offensive line and other needs this weekend via what has already been a wild NFL Draft.

Fielding a field of crowded outfielders as Kjerstad arrives for Orioles

Luke Jones and Nestor discuss the Orioles returning from Anaheim to see the A's and Yankees at Camden Yards with the Heston Kjerstad promotion and the curious Rashod Bateman deal with the Ravens before NFL Draft. A big week of sports ahead in Baltimore.

A sportswriting legend talks about her roots in Oriole Magic and what went wrong in Oakland

Recovering sportswriter Susan Fornoff comes home to Baltimore to talk Oriole Magic, Athletics history and why it matters to fans in Oakland and beyond. And Nestor finally gets to tell some old newspaper tales of her legend and lore at The News American in the 1980s before that creep Dave Kingman showed who the real rats of Major League Baseball were to baseball beat writers.

Ravens excited to land “best cover corner in the draft” in Clemson’s Wiggins

General manager Eric DeCosta said he didn't expect Nate Wiggins to be available at the end of the first round.

First-round cornerback Nate Wiggins says pre-draft visit with Ravens “felt like it was home”

The Clemson product is the first cornerback selected by Baltimore in the first round since Marlon Humphrey in 2017.
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