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Orange fireworks: Players and Trembley flip Peter Angelos “The Bird” today in The Sun

Nestor Aparicio

I’ve been saying for years that Fort Lauderdale Stadium and the Orioles’ sub-par Florida spring training situation is by far the biggest sin of all of their many sins and finally the folks over on Calvert Street are doing some “investigative journalism” with the orange birds. The club’s No. 1 promise to the public is that it’s doing everything possible to commit all of its resources to fielding a winning team. That’s the goal in baseball: winning a championship. You always want to give your team the best chance to compete. The Angelos family hasn’t done that for the entire tenure of their ownership in regard to the significance of spring training as anything more than a line item expense. The mere fact that they’re the only organization in the sport to have “two camps” in Florida that sit three hours apart is telling enough. It’s bad business. It’s bad baseball. It’s just inexcusable, unacceptable and dumb. Fort Lauderdale Stadium is a dump. It’s a disgrace. It’s been a disgrace for the entire balance of the 15 years they’ve played there. I’ve worked many, many a morning and pulled many 12-hour days at Fort Lauderdale Stadium doing radio and covering

Piling on the Orioles with Glenn’s Vegas odds

Nestor Aparicio

I noticed Glenn Clark’s blog about the Orioles’ Las Vegas odds of winning the World Series and it’s bad enough. But then I went further into the “futures” of Las Vegas and saw some more disturbing trends. Here are the division-by-division odds. Check out how out of whack the Orioles are in their own division, which is more of a reflection of how strong the AL East is in the minds of the gamblers. Odds to win the 2009 AL East Division New York Yankees                    6/5 Boston Red Sox                        6/5 Tampa Bay Rays                       5/1 Toronto Blue Jays                      5/1 Baltimore Orioles                       35/1 Odds to win the 2009 AL Central Division Cleveland Indians                       7/5 Detroit Tigers                             5/2 Minnesota Twins                        3/1 Chicago White Sox                    6/1 Kansas City Royals                   7/1 Odds to win the 2009 AL West Division Los Angeles Angles                   2/3 Oakland Athletics                      2/1 Texas Rangers                          8/1 Seattle Mariners                        8/1 Odds to win the 2009 NL East Division New York Mets                          7/5 Philadelphia Phillies                   7/4 Atlanta Braves                           3/1 Florida Marlins                           10/1 Washington Nationals                18/1 Odds to win the 2009 NL Central Division Chicago Cubs                            1/2 St. Louis Cardinals                     3/1 Milwaukee Brewers                    9/2 Cincinnati Reds                         8/1 Houston Astros                          20/1 Pittsburgh Pirates                      20/1 Odds to

Orioles continue to lie about WNST and press credentials

Nestor Aparicio

At some point, the Orioles will “get even” with me by winning. Maybe that’s in 2011? Maybe that’ll never happen, but that’s not even the point. The point is that they really believe “Nestor and WNST are out to get us.” Nothing could be further from the truth. No, I’m simply here to be honest and to continue to tell the truth about the way the ballclub is run, the way it functions and the way it continues to be a poor community partner for the city and the fans who literally BUILT the franchise between 1954 and 1994. The gobs of empty seats and a daily series of empty phone lines anytime we attempt to discuss the Orioles, their strategies or their rationales paints the true picture of how far the franchise has fallen. The opposite of “love” isn’t hate. It’s indifference. This year the Orioles will almost certainly continue a 12-year spiral downward as a franchise. They’ve all but admitted that there will be less people in the ballpark then there have ever been. I could write for hours or days about all of the lies and cover-ups and shenanigans that the team has pulled over the last

Ravens play “Truth or Dare” with media today regarding NFL Draft

Nestor Aparicio

The Ravens call it the “Pre-Draft Media Luncheon.” I have routinely referred to it as “The Liars Luncheon.” Just after noon today, Ozzie Newsome, John Harbaugh, Joe Hortiz and Eric DeCosta will take questions and give a massive overview of the 2009 NFL Draft. It’s always a relaxed, interesting take on a variety of players and a cool assessment of the team’s needs for the last weekend of April. We’ll be chronicling the luncheon from Owings Mills and I’ll be blogging around 1 p.m. when it begins and I’ll have a full report on “Limited Access” at 2 p.m. on AM 1570 and here at WNST.net I’m sure the first question will have something to do with Darius Heyward-Bey. If you have any questions for the staff, drop a comment here and I’ll do my best to ask the brain trust.

Redskins come to Baltimore to kickoff preseason ’09 sked

Nestor Aparicio

The Ravens just announced their preseason schedule. With the exception of the third preseason game in Charlotte, all of the exact dates are now set. It’s surprising that the Redskins are coming back to Baltimore after balking at this annual “Governor’s Cup” idea over the past decade. The NFL controls several of the games on the schedule now and have mandated that the teams play in the preseason because of the proximity and financial savings to the teams and the league. Here is the official press release: For Immediate Release RAVENS ANNOUNCE 2009 PRESEASON SCHEDULE The Baltimore Ravens announced their preseason schedule Monday afternoon, a slate that kicks off the 2009 campaign with consecutive home games against the Washington Redskins and New York Jets. The Ravens will host the Redskins at M&T Bank Stadium on Aug. 13 and then welcome the Jets on Aug. 24 for a nationally-televised contest on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. Additionally, Baltimore travels to Carolina in Week 3 of the preseason (date TBD) and closes out the preseason in Atlanta on Sept. 3. “It’s a good schedule against quality teams,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “We know our fans will like playing the Redskins because of

Breakfast with Jim Schwartz and the NFC coaches

Nestor Aparicio

The NFL Owners Meetings are about to wrap up out here in Dana Point, Calif. later this afternoon and the final day brings the opportunity to dine and schmooze and interview the NFC coaches, which of course took me to the table of new Detroit Lions coach and longtime WNST.net contributor, Jim Schwartz. As an Arbutus native and Mt. St. Joe grad, I feel I owe it to Baltimore (as well as to Schwartz’s many friends and relatives) to get as much of the video up as possible. I’m running to grab a plane but I have about an hour’s worth of great stuff — ranging from draft perspective to the 0-16 Lions to Schwartz’s view on Mark Teixeira and his new time management techniques. It might take me two days to get all of the videos up on the site but they’ll be coming soon and I’ll be releasing a few a day for the next week. I’ve literally shot 2 1/2 hours worth of notable interviews, including more stuff with Rex Ryan, Marvin Lewis, Mike Tomlin, Mike Smith and tons more footage of yesterday’s sitdown with John Harbaugh, who had his brother Jim and dad Jack here for

Exclusive John Harbaugh breakfast footage here at WNST!

Nestor Aparicio

It was an early morning here in Dana Point, Calif., but very much worth the early wakeup call. Every year at the NFL Owners Meetings all 32 NFL coaches are made available during breakfast for “sitdown” interviews and a general rap session and B.S. conversation with the media. Due to the newspaper economy being on the rapid decline, the number of pure journalists is down making access almost unprecedented. Today, it was the AFC so we’ve spent the morning with Marvin Lewis, Mike Tomlin, Rex Ryan and, of course, our own John Harbaugh. I’m working hard to platform and post the videos from the morning “rap” session and hope you enjoy all of the information, which is fresh and exclusive to WNST. There will be at least a dozen separate videos coming throughout the afternoon here in the wnsTV video vault. They’re not tightly edited and some of the questions were a little hard for our microphones to pick up, but I think you’ll enjoy having “breakfast with John Harbaugh” in a very informal, cool setting here in Southern California. I’ll be writing more in a little while…lots going on here including a fun visit with David Modell, who is

FINALLY…Baltimore gets a World Soccer match!

Nestor Aparicio

Over the past decade fans in New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. have been treated to a European “friendly” football matchup and finally Baltimore and M&T Bank Stadium will get ours: Chelsea will face A.C. Milan on July 24 in downtown of the Charm City. Here’s the press release from the Ravens, who are promoting the event. BREAKING NEWS: Chelsea vs. AC Milan to play at M&T Bank Stadium! On Friday, July 24th at 8:00 p.m, Chelsea, of the English Premier League will take on AC Milan, of Italy’s top division Serie A at M&T Bank Stadium. This match will mark the first soccer event to be played at M&T Bank Stadium. A sell out crowd is expected and as a PSL Owner, we would like to offer you the first opportunity to purchase tickets for this exciting event before tickets go on sale to the general public. General public sales begin today, Tuesday, March 24th at 12:30 p.m. Special VIP hospitality packages are also available on both an individual basis and for groups of 30. VIP package, club level and lower level midfield purchasers will get access to a private practice session on Thursday, July 23rd from 6-9 p.m

Titans — not Ravens — will open season in Pittsburgh on Thursday night

Nestor Aparicio

Some breaking news from the NFL Owners Meetings: It will be the Tennessee Titans, not the Ravens, who will draw the short straw of opening the season on Thursday Night’s kickoff in Pittsburgh as the Steelers hoist their sixth Super Bowl banner at Heinz Field. There has been weeks of speculation that the Ravens would be the “preferred” opponent for the Steelers but the Ravens made it clear that they preferred to not play a nationally televised evening game in Pittsburgh for the fourth time in five years. My sources tell me that it was a “competitive balance” issue more than being “afraid” to go to Pittsburgh, which the Ravens will do anyway at some point this season as they do every year. The Ravens thought it was unfair that the league has continually made them sit in a hotel stewing on the road all day and then being forced into short rest the following week. The mandate from Ravens’ management was simple: we’ve gone up there enough for evening games so make them come down and play in Baltimore for a nighttime game for a change. I don’t agree with the Ravens position, but as one team official told

Live from Southern California…

Nestor Aparicio

It’s been a chilly trip all the way around. It’s cold in California this week. It was freezing at Dodger Stadium last night and Laguna Beach is no better. I’m spending the next three days here in Dana Point at the NFL Owners Meetings, chatting with coaches, executives and owners from around the league. Most of the media has commented that it’s “quiet” here this week, with no major rules changes or negotiations to be held. The only potential “landmark” concept is the notion of making the regular season a 17 or 18-game affair, with the elimination of those dreadful preseason games. It appears that changes to overtime possession aren’t coming right now. There’s too much support to keep the current (yet flawed) system. But it’s truly the calm before the potential financial storm as the NFL Players Association has named its new leader in DeMaurice Smith last week. Commisioner Roger Goodell is addressing the entire contingent this morning with a “State of The NFL” speech, which no doubt will be addressing the sagging economy and the paramount issue of a new collective bargaining agreement with the players, which could be a dog fight over the next 18 months as

Orioles pitching woes continue: Hill won’t be in rotation

Nestor Aparicio

Orioles pitching coach Rick Kranitz told the media this morning that LHP Rich Hill will not begin the season in the starting rotation due to lack of work. Hill threw 25 batting practice pitches earlier today but time is running short for the team to find five major-league worthy starters to begin the season as the Yankees come to Camden Yards in just two weeks. Read more here…

Orlando Pace coming to Baltimore?

Nestor Aparicio

Ozzie Newsome continues to recruit, court and host more veteran NFL players. The next two days figure to be busy as word leaked late tonight that veteran St. Louis Rams tackle Orlando Pace is scheduled to come to Baltimore, according to NBCSports.com. In addition, the Ravens have also cut Samari Rolle and signed Chris Carr. On Thursday, the Ravens will hold a press conference with Ray Lewis, Steve Bisciotti, John Harbaugh and Ozzie Newsome officially re-welcoming No. 52 back to the only home he’s ever known in Owings Mills. The line of questioning and what the press conference indicates will be of great interest to many Ravens fans who saw Lewis’ negotiating tactics as an embarrassment to his legendary status here in Baltimore. All the talk of the Jets and Cowboys will no doubt be revisited, even if the event does figure to have a “time limit” on it due to it being held during halftime of the Maryland Terps’ first-round game against California in Kansas City. But Ozzie Newsome, just as he said a few weeks ago, clearly isn’t done with the free agency period.

Ravens sign former Eagles tight end L. J. Smith

Nestor Aparicio

Several media outlets are reporting that the Ravens have signed veteran tight end L.J. Smith to a 1-year, $1.5 million deal to potentially join Todd Heap in the team’s corps. Read more here… This might’ve been moved forward by John Harbaugh’s years with the Eagles. Strangely enough, Harbs hasn’t attemted to raid any of the Philadelphia roster over the past 13 months.

Just like the WNST logo: purple and orange together in one parking lot

Nestor Aparicio

Just got a press release regarding NFL Draft Day activities in downtown Baltimore. Looks like the Ravens continue to “cozy up” to the Orioles, who are in woeful need of some purple to fill up those empty green seats in April. Your Baltimore Orioles — finally reaching out to the community in the most obvious ways that have been ignored for 13 years. Ravens and Orioles Team Up for Double-Header Baltimore’s two biggest sports franchises have teamed up to offer fans a unique double-header. The Baltimore Ravens and the Baltimore Orioles have packaged together the Ravens’ Spring Football Festival with an Orioles’ home game against the Texas Rangers to offer fans two great events for one ticket. On Saturday, April 25, the Ravens will hold their 12th annual Spring Football Festival, presented by Verizon Wireless, at M&T Bank Stadium from 3-7 p.m. The family-friendly event consists of various elements in which fans can participate, including interactive on-field activities, a locker room tour, player autograph sessions, Poe’s Mascot Game and watching the 2009 NFL Draft live on SmartVision and TVs throughout the stadium. Immediately following the football festivities, the Orioles will host the Texas Rangers at Oriole Park for a 7:05

Steve Bisciotti’s Thursday dilemma: Ray or Gary?

Nestor Aparicio

I sorta knew that Bob Haynie’s “schlep rock” (or whatever the hell he calls it) would be at work on the Maryland Terps this weekend when the Baltimore Ravens called a 4 p.m. Thursday press conference in Owings Mills to march Ray Lewis out to the local firing squad for questions about loyalty, community, commitment, Hall of Fame inevitability and his future plans as a “Baltimorean” among other inquires. But now word broke around 11 p.m. last night that the Maryland Terps will be in the second half of their game against the California Golden Bears in Kansas City at that hour on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. So, that begs the question, where will Steve Bisciotti be at 4 p.m. on Thursday? Hmmmm… Bisciotti broke his long silence on the Gary Williams/friendship/support/vote of confidence front last week, getting front page love in The Sun with “I love Gary” quotes and basically stating that the reason he’s a Maryland financial backer during these tough economic times is because Gary Williams is the coach. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I gotta think Bisciotti’s never, ever missed a March Madness postseason game? He’s the biggest Terp fan

Brian Roberts feels at “home” in Team USA Jersey

Nestor Aparicio

I’m following up on all of the residue of the NCAA March Madness draw and filling out my own brackets and doodling this evening and my TV is tuned to the USA-Netherlands elimination game in Miami. In the same awkward ballpark that I watched the Ravens beat the Dolphins in the wild card round about 10 weeks ago, there are about 5,000 people — and I might be accused of kindness with that estimate — watching as the Orioles’ own Brian Roberts has been an 11th hour “call up” due to the Dustin Pedroia injury. It’s, of course, a preview of the kinds of crowds he’ll see at Camden Yards next month here in Baltimore. Lots of empty seats must help his game as he got a helluva good look at the ball in Miami. BRob — always the pro — singled to right field in his first at bat and went on to go 3-for-3 with a pair of walks in five trips to the plate in Team USA’s 9-3 win over the Dutch. Roberts also looks spiffy in his USA duds. The World Baseball Classic interests me more than it did last time because I’m actually planning on

Baltimore still has three chances to dance in NCAA bracket madness

Nestor Aparicio

Clearly, it has not been a banner year on the local men’s basketball circuit. Maryland has been a choppy, up-and-down ride for three months. UMBC, Towson, Loyola and Coppin have all been disappointing during the regular season, to say the least. And Morgan State, again the best team in their conference, has been the most consistent squad since November, even managing to slay the giants from College Park along the way. But, in the world of March Madness and conference tournaments, it’s these last-gasp few days of “Tournament Week” that decide the true “success” of a men’s basketball teams’ season. Towson and Coppin went on little runs but came up short. The Terps have won a pair of games in the last 48 hours to now have a legitimate hope that they’ll be dancing on Thursday or Friday. With just more than 24 hours remaining before the NCAA committee fills out the only brackets that matter, our state and region still has three chances to “dance.” UMBC starts things at 11 a.m. this morning with a tall task of going to a nutty gym in Binghamton, N.Y. to slay the No. 1 team in America East on ESPN2. As you

Torry Holt released by Rams: Are Ravens interested?

Nestor Aparicio

We’ve been waiting several weeks and with all of the talk of Torry Holt’s imminent departure from the St. Louis Rams, it’s now a reality. Holt was released this afternoon and the Ravens now have the opportunity to pounce if they are indeed interested. We’ll see what happens over the weekend with Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens’ glaring need at the wide receiver position.

Ray Lewis’ deal is reported as a 7-year deal

Nestor Aparicio

Obviously with all NFL contracts, the only truth lies in the actual bonus money. But reports abound that Ray Lewis’ deal, which was signed yesterday, was actually listed as a 7-year deal with $15.5 million of guaranteed money. The Ravens have said that Lewis will be back in Baltimore sometime late next week for a formal press conference to announce that he’s planning to spend the rest of his career as a Raven. The questions at that press conference should be notable. WNST will cover the event.

Ravens tell Matt Stover he’s no longer in their 2009 plans

Nestor Aparicio

Earlier in the day, Ravens officials said they were still essentially “on the fence” regarding Matt Stover’s future with the team. This afternoon, Matt Stover made it official telling the world that the Ravens have informed him that he’s no longer in their plans. Stover, the last of the “original” Ravens to come off the boat from Cleveland when Art Modell and the Browns made the move east, has made his last appearance in purple. It was clear that the franchise always valued his reliability and professionalism but his leg strength — specifically on kickoffs — was always an issue. He wasn’t going to kick the 56-yarder to win the game, but he wasn’t going to miss the 45-yarder to win the game. One of the classiest Ravens there will ever be, Stover hasn’t ruled out going elsewhere to prolong his 17-year NFL career. At the age of 41, he’s still a solid choice for many teams. Apparently, the Ravens will rely on second-year Steve Hauschka who handled most kickoffs last season. Speculation that Matt Stover could end up with the Jets apparently ended yesterday when Jay Feely signed with Rex Ryan.

Caps and Brashear represent NHL in downtown Baltimore

Nestor Aparicio

For the first time in as long as I can remember — and as you know, I have a pretty long memory — the Washington Capitals did a Baltimore event last night downtown at the ESPN Zone. Left wing Donald Brashear came to the Inner Harbor for a one-hour autograph and photo event and wound up having to stay for 90 minutes because the crowd and line were so overwhelming. My guess is that more than 400 people came by to greet Brashear and talk about “rocking the red.” As a lifer hockey fan, it was a pretty cool and unique event. Even in the days of Mike Gartner and Rod Langway, the Caps never, ever did events in Baltimore. Geez, their affiliate was here for four years and they barely made a sound inside the beltway here even when the NHL team played 35 minutes away at the Capital Centre. We’ve been without hockey here for almost 15 years now — since Mike Caggiano and the Bandits pulled the plug — and as the only remaining media entity that still cares about and supports the puck it was a pleasure to have WNST involved. We’ll be doing at least

Ray Lewis and Matt Birk both in the Ravens’ fold

Nestor Aparicio

In the span of 20 minutes, we got two well-sourced confirmations that both of Ozzie Newsome’s shopping sprees today have come full circle. Both Matt Birk and Ray Lewis have agreed to terms with the Ravens in the 4 p.m. hour today. Word is that both Lewis and Birk received a 3-year deals. Lewis was reported at $22 million and Birk at $9 million, with $6 guaranteed. WNST will continue to talk about these huge signings all of Thursday on AM 1570 and comments here are welcomed. I will also be hosting my annual “Pop’s Birthday Celebration” with four hours of tributes to dads everywhere. For Immediate Release RAVENS AGREE TO TERMS WITH LEWIS, BIRK The Baltimore Ravens reached agreements in principle with two Pro Bowl players Wednesday afternoon. LB Ray Lewis will remain a Raven. “We have agreed in principle on a multi-year contract that will allow Ray to finish his career as a Baltimore Raven,” general manager/executive vice president Ozzie Newsome announced. “From beginning to end as a Raven… Wow! To be with the same team with the same fans for an entire career, that doesn’t happen in the NFL,” Lewis said. “The bottom line for me is

Today’s Ravens guest: center Matt Birk of Vikings

Nestor Aparicio

According to the Minneapolis media machine, highly intelligent center Matt Birk — he graduated from Harvard — is here in Baltimore talking shop with the Ravens brass today. Hopefully, he’s smart enough to sign here and make our offensive line better. FYI: per Pro Football Talk, Birk is represented by Joe Flacco’s agent, Joe Linta. Incidentally, I met Linta in Tampa at the Super Bowl. He’s a good dude…

Good news about the Orioles!

Nestor Aparicio

A friend of mine sent along a note about an “out of town” friend who had a good experience with the Orioles. Here it is…from Kristie from Nebraska, who I’m sure has never heard of me, but her annoying friend has been pestering me about this kind act from the Orioles and accusing me of “covering up” their good deeds. Nothing could be further from the truth. We need more “good deeds” from the Orioles. “Hello there! Please bear with me! I am a friend of a friend. Within the last year and a half, my 9yr. old daughter was diagnosed with a debilitating disease leaving her suffering with chronic pain on a daily basis. Making it difficult to enjoy life. For this reason, we sought help in Baltimore at John’s Hopkin’s with the encouragement of our neurologist there.  Needless to say we spent several months in Baltimore, and what may very well have been a totally bad experience, actually turned into a rather pleasant one in several different ways! Met several new friends..One in which, who introduced us to “The Ulimate Oriole’s Experience!”  Not only were we in “awe” of the beautiful stadium, but, also by all of the

Reminder: Tribute to Dads everywhere is two days away

Nestor Aparicio

As many of you know who have followed me and/or WNST through the years, March 5th is my Pop’s birthday. He was born in 1919, so this Thursday he would’ve been 90. As a tribute to him — and Dads everywhere — we have made a 17-year tradition of dedicating our March 5 shows to my father and your father as well. Just wanted to give everyone a head’s up because it’s the most asked-about day of the year. I’m in the process of recapaturing and platforming on WNST.net the text from my 2006 pre-Free The Birds 19-chapter book on why WNST exists, why I love sports and all that my Pop taught me about the world through sports and baseball. If you remember the book or any of the shows I’ve done in honor of my Pop, I hope you tune in on Thursday and share a story or two. I think my Pop would be proud that we stood up and did the right thing in regard to the baseball team almost 2 1/2 years ago and the book and that entire event was because of my Pop and his dedication to the Orioles and to Baltimore sports

Oh, the weather outside is frightful…

Nestor Aparicio

Just five weeks from today, the Yankees fans will descend on downtown and the bunting will be out and the Orioles will celebrate Opening Day. Today, however, I’m sitting here having my first cup of coffee of the week, watching an absolutely stunning beautiful snow event, listening to Drew and Glenn talk about the Terps and Ray Lewis and watching all of the local TV talking heads continue a sick, little Baltimore tradition: “It’s snowing! STOP EVERYTHING!” And if Don and Marty are going to freak out over schools being closed and no one is going to work, then the least I can do is blog and tell you that I’M GOING TO WORK! And I hope you tune me in at 2 p.m.! And today is the first snowstorm day when our website is a destination or a way to reach the radio at home because I have a feeling rush hour traffic will be limited. Especially when for 40 years every time it’s ever snowed in Baltimore, all of the TV stations freeze and they tell everyone to basically “take the day off.” I don’t know how it works in your office, but most people are happy to

Jason Brown will be a big loss in the middle for the Ravens

Nestor Aparicio

The economic reality of the NFL comes to us every March when players we like, players we know are quality performers and citizens, wind up in different jerseys due solely to the salary cap and the league’s ability and desire to disperse its talent equality. (Or at least that’s the goal!) So, late last night (you might’ve received the WNST Text just before 11 p.m.), the Ravens lost another one of their “good” guys in center Jason Brown, who just got overwhelmed with an enormous offer by the St. Louis Rams. Brown, like his wealthy counterpart free agent Bart Scott, was one of the standup guys in the locker room, a movie buff in his spare time and a joy to be around and chat with. He always kept a photo of a brother he lost to the war in the Middle East in his locker. The Ravens will hope that Chris Chester continues his emergence as a starter on the offensive line and would also consider Marshal Yanda in the mix in the middle. No doubt they’ll use a draft pick or two on the O line. It sure doesn’t help with stability — and let’s be honest, the

A trip to the mall and Bart Scott was sold on the Jets

Nestor Aparicio

There will be no statues built for Bart Scott or streets named after him in Baltimore. But he was a really cool, good Raven during the time he spent here. Scott was underappreciated on draft day, worked his way through development, special teams and finally onto the roster for good and now has gotten a bigger contract than his Hall of Fame counterpart Ray Lewis, who was left at the alter by Rex Ryan yesterday when the big contracts were being handed out. Apparently, Rex Ryan, Mike Pettine and Bart Scott all went out for a trip to the local mall near the Jets facility while the agents and financial folks were working out the terms. As a fan, it might not sound like a big deal. But those are three, special dudes there who will no longer be working every day to make the Ravens better in Owings Mills. It’s hard to replace good people… Scott was a kid from Detroit who always had to work a little harder and a little smarter to make his way. He was polite, sharp, loquacious and charming. He was frequently spotted at the team facility in the offseason pushing his kids through

Has Ray Lewis vs. Ravens turned ugly already this morning?

Nestor Aparicio

Adam Schefter of NFL.com just posted a bombshell on the Ravens and Ray Lewis on the league’s official website. Schefter, quoting ties close to Lewis, says that Lewis is miffed beyond repair at the offer from the Ravens and the negotiating and that Lewis will not be coming back to Baltimore. Essentially, Schefter says that Ray Lewis will sign anywhere BUT Baltimore. Or potentially retire (which we find VERY hard to believe). I’ve been saying for years – YES, YEARS – that when it was time to end his playing days in Baltimore that I would be shocked if it ended with peace, harmony and that long-awaited “statue” of Ray Lewis wearing his No. 52 at M&T Bank Stadium. It’s fairy tale stuff and gives us the warm fuzzies but it’s always been a longshot given the economic climate for a 34-year old linebacker whose legend will now outweigh his future contributions. My views are well founded and well researched after 13 years of following Lewis’ career here and his business dealings. Ray’s play on the field has been superhuman. His “off the field” decisions have always been a bit suspect and flawed. I have simply called Ray Lewis “mercurial.”

Let the NFL Free Agency games begin!

Nestor Aparicio

This morning if you awoke to read any website with NFL-related headlines, it appears that the world is upside down and the apocolypse is near. Albert Haynesworth found a cash-rich suitor in Daniel Snyder down in D.C. (yes, he’s at it again!) Linebacker Bart Scott is off to see Rex Ryan and potentially get overwhelmed with a generous offer by the New York Jets. Peter King of SI.com is reporting that No. 57 will get $8 million per year in a deal that could be five or six years in length. Jason Brown and his agent released the “news” that the Ravens aren’t interested in him anymore, when the truth is that they were never “not interested” in the free agent center/guard. In fact, they made him a multi-million dollar offer. Brown will apparently be in St. Louis today. It all makes good radio and good web rumorama. But the truth is that this free agent game hasn’t changed so much over the years. It’s just that the Ravens and several of their key players are involved in the fray in a major way this weekend and this year. Let’s be honest: today is the first day that Ozzie Newsome

Another bad news day for Orioles as Alomar & Tejada are front and center

Nestor Aparicio

There’s no doubt that “Roberto Alomar” and “AIDS” will be among the most googled phrases on the internet today, as these outlandish and crazy rumors start flying now that the N.Y. Post has outed a story of an ex-lover who has made allegations galore about the former Oriole All Star and potential future Hall of Famer, Roberto Alomar. Among them, the $15 million suit by his ex-girlfriend Ilya Dall alleges that Alomar had AIDS and had unprotected sex with her after being raped by two Mexican men. (Like I said, it’s a racy one!) There are links everywhere and no doubt this will be a bloggers’ paradise today on the world wide web. While you are reading about Alomar on the New York Post, be sure to click on the insert piece about Darryl Strawberry’s sex life, circa 1986 and a preview of his upcoming book, “Straw: Finding My Way.” Here’s a sample paragraph: Strawberry writes the goal on the road was to “tear up your best bars and nightclubs and take your finest women . . . The only hard part for us was choosing which hottie to take back to your hotel room. Lots of times you .

ZZ Top and Buckcherry will play the Preakness Infield

Nestor Aparicio

Just got back from the Maryland Jockey Club and the two biggest pieces of news: 1. You’ll have to pay for beer and alcohol in the infield & 2. ZZ Top & Buckcherry will be playing concerts in the infield. There was also a big announcement about a Pro Beach Volleyball pit there that the local folks from Corrigan Sports will coordinate. So, bikinis, rock and roll and alcohol will still be involved with the Preakness and Pimlico. We’ll talk about it on the show all afternoon. Here is the press release from Mike Gathagan at Maryland Jockey Club. PREAKNESS INFIELDFEST TO ROCK PIMLICO MAY 16 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAMERS ZZ TOP AND GRAMMY-NOMINATED BUCKCHERRY HEADLINE INFIELD CONCERT ON PREAKNESS DAY BALTIMORE, 02-05-09—The Maryland Jockey Club today announced at a news conference in the Terrace Dining Room at Pimlico Race Course that it is redefining the Infield experience on Preakness day, May 16, 2009. Preakness InfieldFEST will feature a concert with three rock performances, including Rock and Roll Hall of Famers ZZ Top and Grammy-nominated Buckcherry, along with a pro volleyball tournament and an interactive section prior to the running of the $1 million Preakness® Stakes (Grade I).

Pimlico set to make big announcement regarding Preakness infield

Nestor Aparicio

Drew and I will be heading over to Pimlico at 11 a.m. for their “big” announcement regarding some changes to the infield on Preakness Day. I haven’t been alerted to all of the details, but apparently some big concerts and “changes” are blowing into Old Hilltop on the third Saturday of May. Incidentally, why today for a press conference? Well, it’s exactly 100 days until Preakness Saturday. Which means it’s also 86 days until the Kentucky Derby, my favorite sports event of the year. We’ll have wnsTV on the scene. I’m on the air at 2 p.m. with John Rallo and UFC and we’ll catch you up on the latest with Preakness doings…

Maybe Barack has brought sanity to the Warehouse

Nestor Aparicio

A new president…a new show…could it be a “new” Orioles organization? For the first time in three years I attended an Orioles press event without being thrown out! Now, I don’t want to jump to conclusions and think that they might actually be “opening up the gates,” but I did make it into the Warehouse for a full hour of today’s Nick Markakis press conference and even got to ask a question without being escorted out by the orange police. Hey, it’s a start? I didn’t start the war or continue it. I just report on what I see and what I’m told and what I think. So far, so good. I’m gonna credit this “thaw” to President Obama. Markakis has grown his hair a bit and was his usual mellow self, very appreciative, quiet and honest in his assessment of the Orioles and their future. Andy McPhail gushed about Markakis’ future here in Baltimore and accurately said this was “the most important priority of the offseason.” I’ll write more later…back on the air at 2 p.m.

“The lack of organization. The lack of discipline. The lack of overall professionalism. I was shocked, and I couldn’t believe it.”

Nestor Aparicio

These are the words of Leo Mazzone, regarding his two-year prison sentence in Baltimore. Lemme start this blog by saying that I know Leo Mazzone and I got to know him a bit back when he was the Braves pitching coach and I was a baseball zealot in the 1990’s. I always traveled to do my show and because the Braves were always good, I was almost always around the Braves. And the Braves were loaded with Maryland talent — at one point having Arundel’s Denny Neagle and fellow Dundalkian Mike Bielecki on the same staff in the World Series. I’m still quite friendly with those guys and they had the kind of dispositions that made them just like me — they were pretty normal, regular Baltimore boys. John Scheurholz, another Baltimorean who got away, was always around and was fun to trade Baltimore stories with. And Mazzone was a Marylander and a huge football fan as well as the mentor to Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Greg Maddux. Mazzone was the EXACT guy inside the game that the Orioles love to say they still appeal to with their “brand.” He loved the old Orioles Way and is one of

Who wants to go to Pittsburgh on “the cheap”?

Nestor Aparicio

It’s been one of the wackiest weeks of my sports life to say the least. This has been the most improbable, unexpected turn of events I can ever remember in sports. Other than the 1989 Orioles (a team that never even played a playoff game), this 2008-09 Ravens team will go down in the annals of local fandom as one of the greatest ever, no matter how this plays out on Sunday. (That said, I think the Ravens are going to win on Sunday. I really do!) Every person I know here in Baltimore thinks that they’re going to the game in Tampa. And I’ve seen $200 tickets sitting online for this Sunday’s game for 24 hours and no one from Baltimore is buying the tickets. I’m absolutely shocked, to be honest with you that the prices have dropped but even more shocked that there aren’t a line of a thousand buyers at $200 per ticket. As a matter of fact, I’m stuck with a handful of tickets (and I’ve taken calls from a few others who have far more than I have) for the game and no one wants to buy them here in Baltimore. And these must be

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

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