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Postcard from Green Bay & Lambeau Field

Nestor Aparicio

It’s early morning here in Green Bay and the snow is beginning to fall. It’s 19 degrees here in the land of the frozen tundra and we’re expected to get 1-to-2 inches of fresh snow before the indoor tailgates begin this afternoon. And, no, they will not be closing schools here in Wisconsin today or freaking out on the local news. The Ravens are in a pretty good position if they can find a way to win this football game tonight at Lambeau Field. The Steelers lost yesterday. The Jaguars won. There is still plenty of football left and for anyone who just pencils in “win” vs. Detroit, Chicago or Oakland, all you need to do is check the results every Sunday to realize there are no “easy” wins in the NFL. (Except if you’re playing Cleveland, that is, and thankfully we don’t have to see them again!) I’ll be writing from the press box at Lambeau Field tonight. We’ll have the Purple Haze chat room open, we’ll be Tweeting, Facebooking and texting you all of the info as the game unfolds. We hope you keep it tuned to WNST.net on the net tonight or join Eric Aaronson and his

First aid & Band aids don’t aid Ravens’ Festivus run

Nestor Aparicio

The nagging injuries to Joe Flacco, Ray Lewis & Haloti Ngata are doing nothing to help the Ravens’ postseason run here in December. Here’s one gloomy observation on the upcoming purple postseason hopes for January in the AFC.

Giving Thanks to Baltimore coaches everywhere

Nestor Aparicio

Nestor gives thanks to all of the Baltimore sports coaches and managers from Gene Ubriaco to Brian Billick over his 25 years as a media member. “Coaches are my favorite people” he says.

Lots of questions but not lots of answers for Ravens

Nestor Aparicio

To say that frustration has fallen across the land here in Baltimore along with an early sunset would be an understatement. Today, once again, the sun continued to set on another season of Ravens football as the Ravens dropped their fifth game of the season as the Indianapolis Colts walked across the purple bird toward the visiting locker room as the winners in their former land of Baltimore. Today, it is NOT the land of pleasant living. After a 7th-consecutive disgusting loss for a fan base who built that horseshoe for the Irsay family before having it shoved up its civic backside in March 1984, there are many questions, but few answers the Ravens can provide beyond a disappointing 5-5 record. Ed Reed and Ray Lewis didn’t even chat with the media. (Why Reed was trying to pitch the ball in that situation is just inexplicable — except that he’s been doing it for a decade, Brian Billick-be-damned!) John Harbaugh had a rather terse “no comment”-style response in regard to this action. I’m not a guy who’s ever looked for “goats” in losses. I’ve been around this game long enough to know that mistakes of the physical nature are usually

At least one Harbaugh is a rock star…

Nestor Aparicio

John Harbaugh is 5-4. His brother, former Ravens QB Jim Harbaugh, is 7-3 at Stanford and fresh off of knocking off USC and Pete Carroll last weekend. If you saw the game, you know that Harbaugh rubbed Carroll’s nose in the dirt when going for up a two-pointer while up 27 points in the 4th quarter. I ran across a great story about Jim Harbaugh’s new-found rock star status in Palo Alto on www.sportsline.com written by Dennis Dodd. A great read! I had a great time with Jim when he was with the Ravens in 1998. We did some radio shows together and he had a very quirky way about him, even then. A funny guy, we once went to see Hootie and The Blowfish together with Tony Siragusa and Michael McCrary. I wrote about it in my book, Purple Reign. It was crazy night with a lot of twists and turns but I’ll never forget Harbaugh carrying a girl who was on crutches down a flight of steep stairs trying to help her. He was really a good guy and he’s now the toast of the football world and the hottest coaching prospect in the business. Good for him!

Hey Jon Gruden: Welcome to the Baltimore manure list!

Nestor Aparicio

It didn’t take long for the manure to hit the fan in Baltimore during the Monday Night Football broadcast from Cleveland on ESPN after Jon Gruden made his comments regarding the Ravens and their “historic contributions” to the NFL’s newest drive to market hideously grotesque old AFL laundry. While swimming in the sea of obvious insensitivity and double negatives that encompass every Ravens-Browns matchup since Art Modell moved his franchise to the Charm City in 1996, Gruden uttered one of the more ignorant one-liners since Bob Trumpy wished us bad weather and cold hot dogs back in September of that fateful year: “If the Ravens wore their throwback jerseys, they’d be the Browns.” While I was awash in the WNST Purple Haze chat room as well as scanning Twitter and Facebook, I saw that the Baltimore folks were bristling in social media during the second quarter. At halftime, I chased down Ron Jaworski, who I knew pretty well from our days working together at NFL Films on Mondays a decade ago and told him to deliver a message to Gruden for me: “If the Ravens wore their throwback jerseys, they’d ACTUALLY be blue and white with a horseshoe on them!

Question of the day: Wizards vs. Capitals in Baltimore

Nestor Aparicio

Obviously, we have created a nice partnership with the Washington Capitals here at WNST. They’re nice people. They really want to market Baltimore and bring their players and do events here. There’s even serious talk about a pre-season NHL game at the First Mariner Arena. And we have their coaches and players on and attempt to let people know that they have a good thing going on in D.C. with their hockey team and Baltimore is “invited.” Recently, Dave Hughes, who has a nice local media site called DCRTV, asked me two questions. 1. What is the popularity of the Caps and Wizards in Baltimore? 2. Will Balto ever get a hockey/basketball team? This is what I wrote to him: Baltimore will never get an NHL or NBA team. There are territorial rights issues that would be more complex than the Orioles/Nationals/Expos/MASN/MLB. Plus, it doesn’t have the industry or fan base to support those prices for 40 dates. Plus the Arena won’t be built of that fashion (18-22K seats)… The Caps are quickly gaining popularity in Baltimore. We do soldout bus trips to Caps games. We’ve done full bars for playoff games at Silver Spring Mining Company in Hunt Valley

Orioles continue to drag feet on signing Sarasota deal

Nestor Aparicio

While it appears to be a fait accompli that the Orioles will play their spring training games in Sarasota in three months, the Sarasota Herald Tribune reported today that the Orioles still have not officially notified the officials there in writing that they’ll actually show up in February. As I’ve written before, they’ll live to regret working with the Angelos group. Everyone always does. Here’s my favorite excerpt from yesterday’s report: “The Orioles were supposed to tell Sarasota County by Nov. 1 whether they would hold spring training at Ed Smith in 2010. That notification has not happened yet. So while the Orioles have committed to a 30-year deal in Sarasota starting in 2011, they have not yet indicated whether they will play there in the spring of 2010. Orioles spokesman Greg Bader did not immediately return a call for comment this afternoon.” But for now, we’re 72 hours away from free hot dogs and bon bons at Ed Smith Stadium on Saturday. We’ll be reporting on this as it continues. And it always does…

A Call to Harbs: Your Chance to Fix the Ravens

Luke Jones

The sheer volume of opining, panicking, and lamenting jamming the airwaves, flooding inboxes, and littering message boards since 4:30 p.m. on Sunday has been impossible to escape if you’re a Ravens fan. And it’s understandable with Sunday’s game clearly being one of the Ravens’ worst performances in recent memory. Of course, the venting is part of the cathartic process of being a fan after a loss, but it ultimately does nothing to address the problem—or problems—and leaves you feeling helpless in the Ravens’ plight with a 4-4 record and two games behind Cincinnati and Pittsburgh in the AFC North. Ultimately, “it is what it is” for us observers. In reality, the frustration and second-guessing displayed by us all is falling on deaf ears, and for the most part, that’s a good thing. Who hasn’t made a bold proclamation—or several hundred—to their buddies but later felt relief that no one was really listening? After all, I was convinced Peyton Manning would be the next Heath Shuler while Ryan Leaf would be the next John Elway, and we all know how that turned out. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMe0Rz1frdE&feature=PlayList&p=C6E7EEFE0DCA91CA&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=25[/youtube] So now that we’ve acknowledged our limitations and past gaffes in evaluating the NFL and its players, this is

Hey John: You can’t be 4-4 and seriously talk playoffs

Nestor Aparicio

Just judging from the sheer volume of social media I consumed all day yesterday, the fan base here is in “quit on the 2009 season” mode. The lofty expectations following a rookie campaign for John Harbaugh and Joe Flacco that ended in the AFC Championship Game led all of us in the Charm City to feel as though this year would somehow be better. Well, we’re halfway through the race and things haven’t gone according to the best laid plan. The Ravens have lost four of their last five, including yesterday’s turd in Cincinnati. The team, overall, just hasn’t been as good as advertised in many ways. The Bengals have now embarrassed the Ravens twice in four weeks en route to sole possession of the AFC North lead and have earned the right to crow. While yesterday’s loss certainly felt like more of a beatdown than the final score — and we’ll get to Steve Hauschka’s missed kick in a minute — the NFL only counts one thing en route to a playoff berth in the tournament: wins. And right now, at 4-4, this isn’t going to get it done. I could make excuses for all of the other three

Kokinis the latest former Ravens exec shown door in Cleveland

Nestor Aparicio

The names change but the team remains the same. The Cleveland Browns stink. The Cleveland Browns, after taking their second “hot shot” executive from Ozzie Newsome’s staff here in Baltimore, have once again shown another Baltimore rock star the gate, this time forcing general manager George Kokinis out the door around lunchtime today according to this WKYC report in Cleveland. Earlier this year, Browns owner Randy Lerner fired another former Ravens executive with a Super Bowl ring in Phil Savage, who is still owed four years of pay from the franchise, which lost again yesterday to fall to 1-7. Lerner has had major problems with a malcontent fanbase who have called for a protest when the team plays the Ravens on Monday Night Football two weeks from tonight. (By the way, we still have seats on our Miller Lite Roadie to that game here…) More to come for sure. But it looks like Kokinis is gone in Cleveland.

And the Orioles continue South with more “neighborly” love for Sarasota…

Nestor Aparicio

I just got pinged by a friend who tells me that WBAL slipped out a quiet report a few days ago that the Orioles have again made one of their more outlandish moves of 2009. (And that’s saying something, when you consider the kind of season they slept-walked through this summer.) Remember a few years ago, when Angelos and the boys set up camp in Farragut Square near their “Orioles Store” in downtown Washington, D.C., to feign interest in the market after holding it hostage for five years in exchange for the MASN TV rights that were supposed to buy the Orioles some semblance of respectful balance on the playing field in the AL East. That day — with a 7:05 game looming in another summer of distress — they shipped the entire roster on a bus down to a big city square and served free ice cream and hot dogs and soda to everyone in the park. We, of course, opined that the Orioles have NEVER given away free hot dogs and ice cream in Baltimore. And Angelos’ true interest in D.C. extended about as far as how much he could extort out of Bud Selig and MLB, then

Don’t ask…just click! Very, very funny…

Nestor Aparicio

I’m not one for cartoons, jokes, chain letters or general web stuff that I refer to as “spam.” (And for the 1000th time, NO, I don’t want to play Mafia Wars with you on Facebook! Stop sending me that manure!) However, I got this link forwarded to me on Facebook (thanks, Tom!) and, well, it’s pretty freaking good. It’s PG-13, don’t worry…thank me later! Just click here… Be ready to laugh…

So, do you think it’s “right” that not one Orioles player showed at Brooks’ gala?

Nestor Aparicio

UPDATE: On my way out the door last night I took a picture with Brooks Robinson, just like I did in 1973 when he signed my “Third Base Is My Home” hardback book at his store at the Hoshchild Kohn at Eastpoint Shopping Center. You’re not a true Baltimore sports lover if you haven’t met Brooks and if getting your picture taken with him isn’t still a thrill. I left with a big smile on my face last night because Brooks planted it there. So, all the real “haters” out there can pile on me for telling the truth, but I would NEVER attempt to sully anything regarding Brooks Robinson or his big night of love. But if you don’t think the owner of the current Orioles not showing up, sending a letter of goodwill or sending any of his baseball players to the event isn’t creepy/mean/peculiar/classless, then you are either a supreme excuse maker/apologist or someone with an agenda regarding Peter Angelos or a bash campaign on my free speech or well-founded opinion. Hate on me all you want, but REALLY — you think ignoring Brooks Robinson is a good move by the Orioles or Angelos at this point?

A somber locker room in Minnesota

Nestor Aparicio

All of the videos are up now here at WNST.net. I’m sure folks will be crazy in the Purple Haze in a little while as well. If you ever want to know what I’m thinking during the games, I’ve been TWEETING LIKE A RAVEN on Twitter each week during this season. It’s a LOT of fun for me to share my thoughts via the internet from my seat in the upper deck of the Metrodome surrounded by people in braids. Simply follow us on Twitter and you’ll know every stupid thought that’s on my mind. It was a tough, tough loss today. The Ravens were outplayed dramatically in the first half and the comeback should’ve been good enough to save the day. Honestly, I was filing out of the upper deck before Ray Rice caught that pass thinking the game was over. It was an amazing, memorable comeback and it leads you to believe that anything is possible with this team. The final Frank Walker penalty was so blatant that it’s not even worth discussing. And, if you have a kicker who can’t hit a 43-yarder with the game on the line on the road, you’re not good enough to

“Colt” Matt Stover reaches out to WNST and Ravens fans

Nestor Aparicio

Matt Stover and I have been trading texts and phone calls for months. People asked me almost daily, “What’s happening with Matt?” Today, he spent about 20 minutes with Bob Haynie and you can hear the entire episode here in the audio vault. It was a sensational interview by Haynie and I hope you check it out! For the record, Stover has become one of my favorite all-time Ravens, even though we’ve never been publicly linked because he wasn’t a frequent visitor on my show throughout the years. Even though I don’t think I’ve done five “on the record” conversations with him in nearly 15 years, No. 3 was always “go to” guy in the clubhouse literally since the nanosecond the team arrived from Cleveland in 1996. I always love to tell the story of the “altercation” we had in the Memorial Stadium locker room after the first game against Oakland. I was wearing a hardhat with the flying B logo. He chastised me. I introduced myself. We came to terms and and it’s been “all good” ever since. Stover is a rock star of a great guy. A community, family and biblical guy. Always very straightforward and honest, I

Purple Crossroads: Time for offense to check ego and give defense a lift

Luke Jones

Nearly every notable season in the brief history of the Baltimore Ravens has included a critical point that determined which path the team would travel. Of course, the Super Bowl winner of 2000 endured a five-game touchdown drought before head coach Brian Billick reinvented his coaching philosophy and turned to the “Dark Side” of winning ugly with a record-setting defense and a power running game. The 2006 Ravens posted the best regular season record in franchise history (13-3) but experienced a two-game losing streak and fired offensive coordinator Jim Fassel during the bye week before Billick’s play calling rejuvenated a team that would go on to win nine of its last 10 regular season games. And only a year ago, Baltimore’s record stood at 2-3 after being lambasted by Indianapolis, 31-3, in Week 6. Instead of folding with a three-game losing streak, the Ravens earned a big victory in Miami to spark a four-game winning streak and nine of 11 victories to close out the regular season before advancing to the conference championship game. Simply put, adversity is a part of the game—even for the greatest teams. And it’s exactly what the Ravens face after losing two straight and traveling

Bengals-Ravens Notebook: 100-yard streak snapped, Ed Reed strikes again

Luke Jones

– The Baltimore rush defense hadn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in nearly three years before the Bengals’ Cedric Benson ended the streak at 39 games on Sunday. Benson’s 28-yard touchdown run pushed him over the century mark while also giving the Bengals a 10-7 lead in the third quarter. The former Texas Longhorn rushed 27 times for 120 yards in the Bengals’ 17-14 victory over the Ravens. “It sucks,” defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said about allowing a 100-yard rusher. “We definitely try to stop the run first, and basically, we didn’t do that today. We’ve got to go back and fix it, and hopefully do better this week.” Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson was the last opponent to eclipse the 100-yard mark against the Baltimore defense before Benson on Sunday. Johnson’s 120-yard day took place in Kansas City on Dec. 10, 2006. – Ed Reed continued to cultivate a Hall of Fame resume on Sunday, picking off Carson Palmer in the second quarter and returning it 52 yards for the first score of the game. It was Reed’s sixth career interception return for a touchdown, a franchise record. It was the 45th interception of his eight-year career. His 45

Former Raven Tony Fein dead at 27

Luke Jones

Former Ravens linebacker and Iraq War veteran Tony Fein died early Tuesday morning, according to his agent. While Fein’s last impression with the Ravens was a charge of misdemeanor assault on a police officer on August 23, the news of his death is very sad to hear. Very few details about his death were available as of Tuesday night. He was the former Ole Miss teammate of Ravens rookie tackle Michael Oher and Jason Cook, another Rebel that was on the training camp roster. Cook currently serves as chaplain for the Ole Miss football team. The link to the story can be found here.

Matt Birk is laying down charity roots in Baltimore as well as Minneapolis

Nestor Aparicio

I spent the early part of last night with Ravens center Matt Birk at Mother’s Grille in Federal Hill where he kicked off his local charity initiative, the HIKE Foundation, with a dinner and cocktail reception. Birk was extremely active (think, like Cal Ripken kinda active) in the Twin Cities while playing for more than a decade for the Vikings. A well-publicized Harvard alum, Birk has been a finalist for NFL Man of The Year and routinely won awards and accolades for his public service in Minnesota. His work in Baltimore is just beginning and we had a little fun shooting this video about what HIKE stands for and why there’s a pizza with his name on it at Mother’s. Here’s the 411 in his words: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieKSCC95Da4&feature=channel_page[/youtube]

So long, Melvin, and hold your head up

Luke Jones

As the Orioles fall toward the 100-loss mark with seemingly little resistance over the final week of the season, their elder statesman winds down his 10-year stay with an organization fixed in what feels like an endless era of losing. Melvin Mora arrived in the Charm City after being traded with three others from the New York Mets for shortstop Mike Bordick in Syd Thrift’s infamous fire sale of 2000.  The 28-year old utility player was coming to a struggling team with a future Hall of Famer (Cal Ripken) winding down his career and its best hitter (Albert Belle) only months away from retirement due to a degenerative hip condition.  The Orioles were completing their third-straight losing season in 2000. Change was needed. Mora’s addition, along with the 13 others acquired in the five summer deals, would pump youthful energy into an aging organization and eventually bring the Orioles back to where they belonged at the top of the standings, right? If only. Of course, we all know the story. Despite the quantity of players coming to the organization for veterans such as Bordick, Charles Johnson, B.J. Surhoff, and Harold Baines, Mora would be the only acquisition to contribute beyond the next couple seasons. Most would never contribute at

The indignity of 100 losses for the Orioles

Nestor Aparicio

Naturally, the Orioles theme of the offseason — after the firing of Dave Trembley at some point this Monday — will be “progress.” Isn’t that what Jim Hunter and Rick Dempsey talk about after all of these losses, night after night? Andy MacPhail (and after 2 1/2 seasons of this perpetually sinking ship that knows no depths, we might revert to Chicago’s theme of referring to him as “MacFail,” but that would be giving him too much credit) will preach youth and patience and the injuries to Brad Bergesen and Adam Jones derailing an otherwise promising campaign in 2009. Brian Matusz is Mike Mussina. Matt Wieters is Joe Mauer. Adam Jones is the next Eddie Murray. Blah, blah, blah. Look at the standings. Look at the scoreboard. Look at the 11-game losing streak that they’re adding to every night with complete disasters coming out of the bullpen on a 24-hour cycle. (Oh, that’s right, you forgot they were even playing back around the time Route 140 opened toward Westminster on July 30th!) I sat the at the bar at Piv’s Pub in Cockeysville last night in a sea of NFL watchers as the Orioles played on one little TV with

Want a better WNST purple fan experience?

Nestor Aparicio

We are two weeks into the new media revolution at WNST. For Week 1 vs. Kansas City and last weekend in San Diego, I was busy during the game actually Tweeting everything I’m thinking from the seats. It’s been a cathartic, engaging experience, summing up my thoughts as the games unfold. It’s almost like being the color commentator during the game, which at one point was something I thought I really wanted to do. Well, now, through the magic of social media and Twitter, I can. Per NFL rules, we are not allowed to give play by play on Twitter, but honestly, why would we? We’re ASSUMING you’re watching the game when we’re tweeting and giving feedback. We’re simply “joining you at the bar” and getting involved in the conversation of the game while the game is in progress. It’s really cool and revolutionary — especially for us “old guys.” So, if you’re on the couch — safe from the wet weather — and want a new experience in watching the Ravens, come watch them with us on Twitter and follow us while we chat about the game during the game. Everything we’re thinking at WNST is just a click

Billick Chaltktalk 101 at Mother’s was a blast…

Nestor Aparicio

“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, you kick whatever doors in, and say, ‘Where’s the son of a bitch?!’ If you go in any other way, you’re gonna lose.” A guy wearing this on the back of his shirt sauntered onto the second floor of Mother’s Grille last night for our Billick Chalktalk 101 series with cold Coors Light. Instead of just writing about, via the power of the internet, we can take you live to Mother’s… [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IHpU_vDth8[/youtube]

“Free The Birds” – It was 3 years ago today…

Nestor Aparicio

I was planning to do a three-year examination of the impact of Free The Birds today. I was going to hash out all of the issues – past, present and future – and reiterate my goals with our dormant movement to make the Orioles come to grips with the reality of their fledgling and all-but-evaporated fan base. Our goal has never wavered: we want the team fixed and we want not only a winning product ON the field, but an ownership group committed to the fans and the community OFF the field. But, quite frankly, in the midst of all of the excitement over the Ravens in San Diego and the sheer volume of work I do on a daily basis, I really don’t want to waste any more time with the Orioles this September. I have other more interesting things to write about with the purple birds starting the season 2-0 and doing what the baseball team can only dream about in 2009 — inspiring the sports fans in the Land of Pleasant Living to dream about a championship and a community galvanized. But, really, isn’t that the biggest problem? No one seems to give a damn about the

Morning After: Undefeated Ravens now will play role of favorite in AFC

Nestor Aparicio

It’s hard to write these old-man “analysis” columns for the “morning newspaper” after I’ve been talking and Twittering and Facebooking and basically “analyzing” the game from every perspective imaginable literally every moment of the game. (If you’re not following us on your mobile device during the game on Sunday, you’re missing the best “team” analysis of the games as the situations happen. God, I love the internet in 2009!) But before I spend all day Monday flying back from San Diego and inevitably talking to more Ravens fans about the game on the airplane, I suppose I must sum it all by saying this: Sunday’s win has solidified Baltimore’s role as a leader of the AFC pack for a Super Bowl championship this year. I haven’t looked, but I guarantee you that the Ravens will be No. 1 on many “power ranking” or “Fine Fifteens” all across the internet today and all week. Sure, the Ravens 31-26 win at Qualcomm Stadium exposed some of the deficiencies of the team in the secondary, but it also showed the resiliency of the unit and their ability to make a play 3,000 miles from home with the game on the line and the

Day Two postcard from San Diego: Tilted Kilt awash in purple

Nestor Aparicio

We came. We saw. We ate wings. We drank beer. And we saw a lot of very, very disappointed USC fans, who were partying with us at the Tilted Kilt in the Gaslamp District of San Diego. In celebration of the purple on the West Coast, we present some of the faces in the purple crowd at the party today:

A postcard from San Diego: touring the most beautiful city in the world

Nestor Aparicio

So, I’m really, really trying hard for these posts to not be “rubbing it in,” but this really is a great, great place. I flew out last night on a very delayed flight with a plane full of purple maniacs who are all here to watch the Ravens win and enjoy all of the excesses that Southern California affords human beings. So far today, I’ve eaten breakfast at the best restaurant I’ve found on the planet (and I’ve done a lot of searching) — it’s a place called the Hash House A Go Go. If you ever come to San Diego, check this place out: Also, my pal needed to run out to the Chargers complex so I shot a little vlog postcard for you here: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqGOUIsmZgE&feature=channel_page[/youtube] And, of course, we returned downtown and visited Petco Park. Here’s a little synopsis of what I’m seeing here in this land of paradise: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV-3FptkLns&feature=channel_page[/youtube] The Purple Pep Rally and party is at the Tilted Kilt tomorrow. It starts at 9 a.m. Just like all football games should. Man, the West Coast is great. All of the details are here for the big party…

WNST announces major roadtrip San Diego party for Saturday

Nestor Aparicio

People have been emailing from all over the country asking where our party will be in San Diego on Saturday. (Yes, WNST.net has users from the purple kingdom outside of the 695 ring!) After much negotiation, we’ve decided on ONE central place in Gaslamp District to gather and it will be Tilted Kilt in the San Diego East Village (Downtown right next to Petco Park). VERY easy to find! THIS IS A FREE PARTY!!!!! The party starts at 9AM Saturday morning for a special purple brunch to start the day of college football, West Coast-style with morning action from the East Coast…continuing into the night with the UFC Fights in the bar later that evening (7 p.m. start). The bar is open until 2 a.m.! This is a sample of wait staff at the Tilted Kilt, which is an Irish-themed, Hooters-style sports bar that Glenn Clark says is “fabulous.” I’ll take Glenn’s word for it. Address: 310 10th Ave. San Diego, CA, 92101 (619) 814-KILT website: http://tiltedkilt.com/california/san_diego/index.html Here is the lineup of specials for the day: Beers are $4, Bloody Marys with a fix it yourself bar, $5.50 20oz Miller Lite and Coors Light drafts, bucket of 5 domestic beers

In case you were wondering how empty Camden Yards was last night

Nestor Aparicio

I didn’t go to the Orioles game last night and apparently neither did you. I did watch most of the game, including the Orioles rally from being down 5-0 early to win the game against Tampa 10-5. Jason Berken survived the early battering to work into the 7th inning and earn a rare victory. Brian Roberts and Matt Wieters both broke out the big sticks and each had three hits. The boxscore is here… The stadium was dreadfully empty — maybe the worst crowd in the history of Oriole Park at Camden Yards — and of course the Orioles lied about the attendance again, calling the crowd 11,575. There weren’t 11,000 eyeballs in the stadium last night and they advertised throughout the game on MASN for more of the mysterious $1 tickets for tonight and tomorrow night but were very carefully not show any foul balls. Here’s a picture of Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata throwing out the first pitch. Note the nice shade of forest green in the background in center field. This was a stadium that all WNST followers were “uninvited” to attend. Just pathetic… But this is what happens when the ownership of the team can pocket

Ravens turned to familiar friend when they needed it

Luke Jones

Over 71,000 fans were amazed with the new Ferrari in the neighborhood on Sunday, and nobody could blame them. Joe Flacco was throwing passes all over the field, and the Ravens’ traditional run-first offense that so many expect—and often complain about—had suddenly transformed into a 171-yard aerial assault in one half of football. Undoubtedly, it was exciting to watch the second-year quarterback show off the laser arm like Brady or Manning does every Sunday. But then it happened. An ill-advised pass by the second-year quarterback was intercepted by linebacker Derrick Johnson and returned all the way to the Ravens’ 6, setting up the go-ahead touchdown early in the third quarter. Suddenly, the exciting vibes from that shiny new sports car had vanished, and the Ravens trailed the inferior (or thought to be, anyway) Kansas City Chiefs. What the heck was going on, and how would Cam Cameron, Flacco, and the offense respond? Would we see panic or the continuation of the throw-first offense used in the first half? The answer was simple. It was time to call upon that old friend that led them to an improbable 11-5 season a year ago. It lacked the bells and whistles of the

‘Twas The Night before the Ravens opener…

Nestor Aparicio

It kinda reminds me of Christmas Eve with anticipation. We’ve been waiting…and waiting…and waiting…and finally, football season is really here in Baltimore. Wash away those ghosts of Troy Polamalu – the ones from the AFC Championship Game in January not the one from Thursday night – and let us begin a season anew. First up, it’s the woeful Kansas City Chiefs. The general vibe around town all week has been one of supreme confidence. Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Ed Reed began their Wednesday press conference with dancing. John Harbaugh has sounded confident. Joe Flacco seems like a veteran all of a sudden. I’ve quizzed several Kansas City media members and I had a chance to watch parts of two of their preseason games (both without Matt Cassel). No one is brimming with confidence in the land of the red Chiefs and no one really expects them to win tomorrow. The Vegas line started at 10 ½ and has now moved to 13 points. Even if Matt Cassel plays on Sunday – and that seems to be a sure bet given their backup options with Tyler Thigpen and Brodie Croyle – the Chiefs are a team of nobodys and “who

CMac is selling crib in 90210 & getting back in NFL next week

Nestor Aparicio

Here’s the direct quote from Chris McAlister in today’s Los Angeles Times: “I will be back in full force on Sept. 15. I can’t say what team yet, but I will be playing again.” His crib is on the market for $7.8 million in Beverly Hills. I’m wondering where CMac will end up or if this is a smokescreen? Either way…just passing it along!

Nestor’s quick NFL preview

Nestor Aparicio

I’m so immersed in getting stuff done with the website and company that I realized we’re four hours away from the start of the season and I haven’t even made any bold predictions or written anything nasty about the Steelers. Well, here goes: AFC winners: NE, BAL, IND, SD AFC Wild cards: PIT & HOU NFC winners: PHI, CHI, ATL, ARI NFC Wild cards: GB, NO Super Bowl: Ravens over Bears (OK. So you thought I was going to pick against the Ravens? No way…) See you at Donna’s Tavern in Dundalk tonight for a cold beer to start the season.

Our pledge: we’ll continue to try to “help” the Orioles

Nestor Aparicio

So since Greg Bader and the Orioles’ last remaining flunkies and apologists have again begun to spread “anti-WNST” venom in the web community with lies and false allegations about my integrity or intentions, I suppose it’s my turn to “react” and spew venom. Sorry, I’m not going to get caught up in it and, honestly, I have no time for negativity and nastiness. The Steelers are playing tonight and we’ve got two events – Donna’s in Dundalk and the Twestival at Ramshead. The Ravens are playing on Sunday. I’m honestly feeling really good about WNST and Baltimore and the changing weather. I’m in a good mood. I’m not going to allow the Orioles and their shallow souls and mean-spiritedness to wreck Opening Week of the NFL season. The blog that Drew put a lot of effort and words into properly tells the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. As has been our stated mission from inception: we wanted to help the Orioles. We wanted to extend an olive branch. We wanted to take them up on THEIR offer to come to the ballpark for $1. We wanted to show our sincerity by donating to Nick Markakis’ Foundation.

Purple Kickoff: What a difference a year makes…but not so fast

Luke Jones

Some label it parity while others believe it’s mediocrity, or even just plain luck, but it’s clear to see why many claim the NFL actually stands for “Not For Long.” How else do you explain the Miami Dolphins—owner of a 1-15 record in 2007—winning the AFC East in 2008? Or on the flip side, is it just a coincidence that every Super Bowl loser this decade—except for the 2006 Seattle Seahawks—has failed to even make the playoffs the following season? With few exceptions, the NFL is a league of transient success and reversible frustration. It was only a year ago that a certain NFL team entered Week 1 with a rookie third-string quarterback—pressed into action due to injury—and a new head coach that had never even held a coordinator position (offensive or defensive) at the professional level.  On top of that, the team’s best player was unsure if he’d be able to play due to a debilitating injury, and the offense was in need of not one, but two, reliable offensive tackles. It looked as though a 7-9 season would be grounds for a city-wide celebration with the number of questions surrounding the organization. Fast-forward a year and that same

Sadly, Orioles force cancellation of “See The Birds”

Nestor Aparicio

UPDATED 10:43 p.m.: After we had already elected to cancel the “See The Birds” event next week, WNST just received an official “cease and desist” letter from some attorney at MLB telling us that we’re not allowed to help the Orioles fill a few thousand of their 40,000 empty seats next Tuesday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. So much for gratitude or fan friendliness. I guess they don’t want to see real Orioles fans in their upper deck. Well, they are who we thought they were. Their shady business practices are on full display this morning. Sadly, the WNST effort to bring 1,000 people to the Orioles-Rays game for next Tuesday night has been thwarted by the team, who refused to sell our group their heavily advertised $1 tickets (which, as we pointed out last Friday, don’t really exist). We will be refunding more than $1,000 collected today to the many who wanted to come to the game with a fun group and donate to Nick Markakis’ Foundation. I’ll be writing more about this sad turn of events later (or maybe not — I’m a little wrung out with these clowns), but many had been inquiring and trying to

Hope you come and “See The Birds” with us next Tuesday for $2

Nestor Aparicio

The Orioles $1 ticket promotion gave us a great idea over the weekend. You can read or view my lousy experience from Friday here but this isn’t about crushing the Orioles for yet another foray into dubious marketing. This is about doing the “right” thing and if they’re going to offer tickets for a dollar I’m happy to give them a dollar and go to the ballpark. We’ve all been Orioles fans all of our lives. We all want the team to get better and the city to get stronger because of it. That’s been my personal mission ever since “Free The Birds” began three years ago in the midst of their ninth consecutive season of losing. Now, at the end of their 12th consecutive summer of meaningless baseball, this “See The Birds” campaign is our pledge that we ALL want the Orioles to return to relevancy and bring joy to the people of Baltimore with a product that makes us proud. Last week, they offered $1 tickets and blanketed their “bought off” media market with their offer – ostensibly to try to get that LAST remaining naysayer or guy with his kid who wants to “See The Birds” one

Over 400 tickets already sold for “See The Birds” next Tuesday

Nestor Aparicio

In the first two hours of our “See The Birds” promotion for next Tuesday night, we’ve already sold over 400 tickets. Special thanks to Wayne Schoff (Roofing Unlimited), Steve Pavlovsky (Chick Fil A-White Marsh), Gene Myers (Corona), Rob Santoni (Santoni’s Markets) and all of the others who have purchased large blocks of seats. We hope you purchase a few and c’mon down to the ballpark next Tuesday!

First aid & Band aids don’t aid Ravens’ Festivus run

Nestor Aparicio

The nagging injuries to Joe Flacco, Ray Lewis & Haloti Ngata are doing nothing to help the Ravens’ postseason run here in December. Here’s one gloomy observation on the upcoming purple postseason hopes for January in the AFC.

Giving Thanks to Baltimore coaches everywhere

Nestor Aparicio

Nestor gives thanks to all of the Baltimore sports coaches and managers from Gene Ubriaco to Brian Billick over his 25 years as a media member. “Coaches are my favorite people” he says.

Nestor’s quick NFL preview

Nestor Aparicio

I’m so immersed in getting stuff done with the website and company that I realized we’re four hours away from

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