Luke Jones and Nestor debate City Connect Baltimore Orioles jerseys and prep for Ravens OTAs in Owings Mills
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
baltimore, ravens, play, years, uniforms, football, city, wide receiver, lamar, jersey, justin houston, orioles, otas, franchise, greg olson, nike, running, great, baseball, offense
SPEAKERS
Luke Jones, Nestor Aparicio
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
wn st Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive reminder that the Maryland crabcake towards getting back out on the road Shannon’s pubs spirits West we’re going to be costs you’re going to be faced there’s going to be drug city, the whole schedule be up at crabcake tour at Baltimore positive and we’ll be telling you more about it here at AM 1570 Of course, brought to you by our friends at the marital lottery conjunction with our friends at window nation 866 90 nation the way you ordered those winners had a couple of friends, Bill Cole and Mike Roosevelt both got some windows from our friends at window nation. We’ll get Harley and the guys on here soon to talk up the crab cake tour the 25th anniversary of wn st and a 1570 as well as our oyster tour to celebrate that coming up in September. So I’m taking on oyster recipes. I’m taking on baseball concepts of how we replace Cedric Mullins what’s going on with pitching in the bullpen in the West Coast. I mean, grabs it costs us this weekend. But Luke still has football on the brain and look before we even get to football because I know we were going to do that. But I want to talk about the Baltimore jerseys. And as it relates to the ravens and as it relates to jerseys and as it relates to black jerseys in the black out of the ravens and the free the birds jerseys been stolen by these Nike jerseys. It’s just a Baltimore on the front. And then they go out and they play like Greg Olson did 91 Like where they need to import Chris sale in here to cut them in half ceremoniously. I don’t. I’m not a big city Kinect guy, but of all the people and I love my my pajamas. I mean, I have Dan Passerini jerseys around here. I love to talk about Astro Starburst and Tony Gwynn, but But you really are the uniform police around you. You’re the fashion tweet man out on Twitter. I got to talk uniforms and then I’ll let you talk some football. All right.
8
Luke Jones 01:53
Yeah, I’m very much the fashion police, judging by how I how I dress on a daily basis. But you know, it’s one of those things where first of all, I haven’t been a big fan of the city connects uniforms across baseball. And I think, really, you got to you have to consider the source here. It’s Nike. Look at how Nike has transformed college football uniforms. Going back to the earliest inceptions of Oregon’s uniforms and how that has spread and how that’s grown throughout college football. I do give the NFL credit they haven’t gone too crazy for the most part, despite Nike having handled their uniforms for the last decade. But long story short, I’m not a big city connect uniforms guy I think there’d been a few across baseball, where I’d say all right, that’s a decent concept. For the most part, I find it to be gaudy. I find it to be ugly. I’m very much a traditionalist when it comes to baseball uniforms. I don’t mind an alternate jersey you know, I love the Orioles orange for example. But I’m very much a home whites and road grays kind of guy. And if you know teams that have brought back their classic classic powder blue, I’m okay with that. I’m feeling that because there’s at least a history there. But as it pertains to the Oreo city connect, I do like the hat. I’ll say the hat I like you know, maybe an orange be as opposed to a white. But the uniform itself, and I’m sorry, the whole while we wanted to focus on the inside of the uniform, which just reminds me of like, Hey, I’ve got a stain on my shirt, but the inside of it’s clean. I just it’s not and let’s be clear, it’s probably they’re not really trying to sell that to me, you know, they’re not trying to sell that to you. They’re you know, younger people love the different uniforms. We’ve talked about this with Maryland football for years with all the different looks that they adopted. And oh, by the way, they’ve gone back to a classic look now, which they’re gonna start using as their permanent uniform. But I just I thought it you know, I, it’s fine. It’s not the worst city connect uniform I’ve seen but I’m with you in the sense of remembering my upbringing and Baltimore, never being on the road jersey. And just to hear so much talk about all this is our city in Baltimore. And look, it’s good. I don’t want to say that’s a bad thing. But I do find some of it to be a little disingenuous, and especially with Nike designing it and everything and it lacks
Nestor Aparicio 04:26
authenticity in every way possible. Other than then bringing a Baltimore poet in to make up some ish that nobody that’s been paying attention would ever believe her. I mean, David vilified me and our radio station for a decade over the premise that we would even consider that Baltimore should be anywhere near the name of the franchise. They didn’t even answer the phones there. Rex Barney answered the phone when he was dead for you. yours and it said you’ve reached the Orioles. Like, like literally so I, you know, come on man, you know Come on man, you know, so I’ll hear all but it is what it is and it’s either good looking or it’s not people like it or not and then they either play well in them or they don’t people take on their stupid suspicions that they then push on to me as you know like I make fun of the stuff and people take it seriously that’s how rock people are in our heads about whether black jersey had said Baltimore large swoosh would have any correlation to how race and Rodriguez pitched or even Greg Olson all these years later probably could laugh about it and and hopefully he does. And I love otter but and that was a 66 Oriole journey like you know like so going back and seeing throwback jerseys is the greatest thing ever. I don’t ever mind a throwback jersey, but the futuristic. We already have a futuristic team that was called the Marlins. They they play in their pajamas for 30 years. And they’ve just changed pajamas in the middle of the night while and names of the franchisor all of that and location for their circus that you witnessed a few years ago down there. Like don’t be circus franchise and if you’re going to be circus franchise, at least be like the Astros or the Padres and make it good. Yeah,
Luke Jones 06:20
I mean, again, this is not something to lose sleep over. This is so far down on the list of things that you know that I’ve ever taken issue with. So I don’t really care at the end of the day. I don’t but but I am glad that you brought up the turn back the clock in 1991 I was there I was seven years old I went with my dad. I believe my grandfather my cousin Kyle who listened sometimes if he’s listening What’s up Kyle up? I maybe maybe not if I’m not sure.
Nestor Aparicio 06:54
8However I want you to post that I want to give it to otter
Luke Jones 06:58
I’ll see if I can find it. But I think I remember that game so vividly because you know first of all, Mike Devereaux made a phenomenal catch a high over the centerfield wall I mean, everyone remembers the catchy made the following year on the Joe Carter ball and left center I mean, which is one of the great catches in Camden Yards history. The catchy made in 91 wearing that classic 66 uniform was outstanding. But it’s so funny that you brought that up because I was thinking the same thing on Friday night as Grayson Rodriguez is getting knocked around and ugly and gives up the Grand Slam and everything and I’m just thinking, boy, is he going to do what Greg Olson did which was throw his entire uniform, including his spikes in the trash after the game. So ate it. It’s an alternate uniform, you know, they’re not gonna wear it every single game. It’s it’s fine. But the hoopla around it and all the while designing the inside of the jury. Like that’s that was the part that was a little too little too artsy. For me. I guess it’s a baseball uniform at the end of the day. What does the outside of it look like? I mean, that’s really what it comes down to but and you
Nestor Aparicio 08:06
franchise that for 30 years refused to acknowledge the city you played in, even after we built the franchise. So like, Come on, man. You know, I can continue to go back to that when you’re pedaling me sure scar Bosh, you know, and on the backside of what I’ve lived in what I know to be true, not. And I can tell the kids about it factually, because I don’t lie to the kids about how it really has gone down around here. And the desperation. It feels really desperate to me that you have to hug and love the hometown that you played in for 60 years. Because you haven’t done it enough. Yeah,
Luke Jones 08:42
I mean, and again, I don’t I don’t think it’s desperation as much as if they’re selling jerseys, right? It’s a Nike city connect marketing thing that is everyone in baseball is doing it. Every team is going to have them. Most of the teams have them at this point. They were kind of on lower on the list as far as getting one it’s fine. The thing that that? I mean, I love the Baltimore road Jersey like they’re I love the Baltimore script. So just to see plain block letters Baltimore.
8Nestor Aparicio 09:13
That’s right, exactly. It’s like a cover song of a really good have a great song that just doesn’t need to be covered.
Luke Jones 09:20
Yeah, exactly. Because their uniforms other than the O’s cap that I just am not a fan of. I love their uniforms. I think they have great looks. I mean, the home lights the road grades I liked I loved the orange jersey with the white panel cap on Saturdays. I think that’s a fantastic look, as alternate uniforms go across baseball. I like the black jersey. Like I said, I just don’t like those cap. So it’s whatever. Again, we’ve we’ve already spent too much. But I’m in agreement with you on your sentiment about Baltimore on the road jersey for so long. So hearing that now it’s just like well, I would have liked hearing that in the 80s and 90s. But let me give
Nestor Aparicio 09:58
him a little kick in the groin. As you know, Mr. I’m going to have a press conference on Martin Luther King Day to protect myself Angelo’s and then lie to everyone about opening the books, all of which is that’s not Peter. That’s not a that’s not the Peter principles. That’s the here in the now that’s the guy running the place and to pander to the African American community in a city where that’s been going on for a century when, I mean, I look at the crowds, the crowds are the crowds are Caucasian, that to this appeals to and to play that. I just, I just, I don’t have any time for it. I mean, if you would like for African American citizens to support the team play the game, introduced them to the sport at something other than I clicked on Friday to go down there to see Rodriguez pitch, and it was gonna cost me $1.65 bucks to walk in for the two of us and I just said, I mean, $10 tickets, whatever. $5 bargain night, you got a lot of empty seats. You’ve roped off the whole upper deck for nothing in particular in the roof. You know, we want to reach to people to have them come to the game. Don’t do it with $160 jersey that has piping underneath of it that has some hidden meaning that has nothing to do with the way you’ve conducted yourself. Football, Luke Jones is here he’s in Baltimore, Luke. You know, you can send all the fan mail to me nasty wn s t.net. NASA Baltimore. positive.com I’m good with all of that. Because I’ve lived through all of that chapter four Peter principals comes out this week and by the way, teams playing great baseball football for you OTAs Lamar in I mean, it’s a Lamar watch now right like you guys all gather out there. They don’t allow me to ask questions a Lamar. You know, Lamar zone Lamar time now, right? Like, that’s where we are, like, if we weren’t there when he wasn’t taking, you know, vaccines a couple of years ago, or when the knees it is a Lamar franchise now all of everything’s going to go through him mungkin hardball like he he is in command in a big, big, different kind of way. Now, I I felt that at the press conference, like the the air is out of the tire from a pressure standpoint, but now they gotta go like Play and win do things that they still have never done, quite frankly. And it’s a real worktime out there. Right? Like, they’re having a good time and everybody’s happy. But it’s a time to like, really install relationship. Right?
Luke Jones 12:35
8Yeah, it is. And really, the focus is no longer on the business side, obviously, because he signed and he’s under contract for five years, you know, his status is not even in question for at least a few of those years in terms of, you know, the finances and all that. So he’s there. So the focus returns to the field. And this is a Ravens team that has a great deal of potential, you look at the upside on the offensive side of the football and throw in the ball and upgrades a wide receiver and it’s all sitting there, but you put in the work. So it’s great to see Lamar at OTAs last week, and he confirmed you know what his intentions are to be there for the rest of OTAs, which is what you expect out of your franchise quarterback who is no longer in question in terms of his long term status or any business concerns or anything like that, as he was dealing with last year, as we talked about at ad nauseam. So it’s time to focus on football. There’s nothing that terribly pressing going on in late May and early June, but you are laying the foundation. So it was good to see him out there. He walked back his 6000 yard comment a touch which that was a tongue in cheek thing anyway, that I think way too many people got too fired up about one way or the other. But he acknowledged Hey, yeah, I mean, the expectation is, he’s he’s going to be throwing the football more than he has in the past, the expectation is he’s going to run the ball less than he has in the past. You know, that doesn’t mean that they’re the most past happy team in the league. I don’t think they’re gonna be anywhere close to that. But I think you’re gonna see a much more balanced offense. And they invested at the wide receiver position to do that. So we’re gonna see how it plays out. I don’t think we’re going to get any earth shattering type observations this time of year, as I wrote in my latest 12 ravens thoughts at Baltimore. positive.com OTAs. It’s not terribly competitive. The young guys, they’re competing, right? I mean, they’re trying to guys that are on the bubble, and guys that are undrafted, they’re doing everything they can, but the older guys, they’re out there putting in their work, but they’re also taking care of each other. You hear coaches say multiple times during these practices take care of each other. So that’s where I caution. Observations are fun. I do them just like anyone else that’s out there. But I remind everyone that there’s not a whole lot going on right now. That is extraordinary. They consequential other than, and we talked about this a little bit, but you and I were talking about Cedric Mullins, you know, to on the heels of his injury, other than an injury this time of year. So that’s where you want guys to put in the work, but also take care of each other. So it’s fun to see this offense look different. I certainly expect more three wide receiver sets than we saw under Greg Roman, I expect more spread, I expect them to try to use the width of the football field and and try to lighten up the the opposing defenses box and trying to run the ball and things of that nature. So I think that’s going to look different. But at the same time, as I’ve said, from the moment that we started talking about Todd Monken, as an offensive coordinator, candidate for the Ravens way back in January and February, go look at his GA offenses, they ran the ball, and they feature tight ends prominently. So those Greg Roman principles, while I think they won’t be emphasized quite as dramatically, they’re not going away, either. So that’s where you let this thing evolve. They’re figuring out now, what are you going to do? Well, what are you going to do not quite as well? What do we need to work on? What do we need to augment? What do we maybe need to eliminate between now and the start of the season, that’s what you do with an offense, especially when you’re installing something that’s new. And Todd Monken right now, is learning not just the players learning his system, he’s learning everything he can about Lamar Jackson, and his O line and his running backs and his wide receivers and tight ends. And he’s trying to have all that kind of mesh with what his basic offensive system is, which, to his credit, has been very flexible. And he’s been, you know, his system has been quite malleable, going from place to place to really say, Hey, this is what we have in terms of personnel, this is what we do best and go in somewhere else. Well, this is a little bit different than where I was before. This is how we’re going to adjust. So I think that’s why he was appealing to John Harbaugh and the organization and we’re gonna see how it plays out. And one thing that really strikes me in the earliest impressions, because formations things of that nature, there’s it’s still very much up in the air, what it’s actually going to look like come the fall. But more vocal than Greg Roman, more hands on and Greg Roman, and you get the sense that I’m not I don’t say this is a knock to Greg Roman, just an observation on Todd Monken, you get the sense that he’s kind of a no nonsense guy that, you know, whether it’s quarterback running back, offensive lineman wide receiver tight end, if something’s not being done the way he wants it to be done. He’s gonna tell that individual and not that he’s going to be some over the top taskmaster, but he’s going to be someone who won’t sugarcoat things, which I think would be interesting, just given the dynamic of where this offense was the last couple of years and kind of really plateauing the way that it had, and starting to backslide the way that it did the last couple of years. So interested to see how that continues to evolve and play out. But in the meantime, it’s football and shells in shorts. And, you know, that’s, that’s fine this time of year. But that’s where, again, the observations are fun, but don’t take anything to the bank don’t, you know, good or bad. There’s only so much to glean from this time of year. And as long as we understand that, it’s great to be out there for OTAs. And talking a little bit of football, as I saw on Monday, we reached the point where we’re 100 days away from the start of the regular season. So I’m not wishing the summer away, especially with it with the Orioles doing what they’re doing right now. But just a reminder that it’ll be here before we know it, that’s for sure.
Nestor Aparicio 18:33
Well, certainly the heartbeat of baseball, which I’ve noticed the last two weeks here on the show and all over Baltimore positive.com that the football part of this happens when the Andre Hopkins winds up out on the street and everybody’s counting the Ravens cap money. And uh, you and I are probably saying, Well what about that Justin Houston piece, or that glazed Campbell piece or that Marcus Peters piece? Or that that veteran piece that this team has had that it has none of the above? At this point? And they have an adoptee oh boy, and, you know, draft picks, and you know, where they’re going to be on the back end of their defense? And you’d say, well, they got op J they flowers? I mean, how, how rich? Do you need to make a wide receiver room in a room where you and I’ve debated at length over the last five years how much they should or shouldn’t be passing the football, but it doesn’t get by the internet does it?
Luke Jones 19:29
It doesn’t. And look, I will not rule anything out because I would have taught if you had told me two months ago that the Ravens would be signing Odell Beckham to a $15 million contract I’d say you’re crazy. So that’s not what you really acknowledging that and what what you would typically expect from them in the past? I don’t know I wouldn’t expect it. I think you’d look at where they are right now. I mean, I don’t think they have the best wide receiver group in the NFL or a top five or even probably at Top 10 But it is much, much better and in much better shape and much more potential than it’s had in a long time. And what more can you ask when you consider where they have been the last couple years in that regard, but you just said it you know whether it’s bringing back a Justin Houston whether it’s adding Marcus Peters back to the mix, which I don’t know if it’ll happen, but I still think they need to add another defensive back, you know, a veteran to the mix to to fortify their depth a little bit. So they have needs their look. If DeAndre Hopkins really badly wants to be a raven, and is willing to sacrifice a little bit financially in order to make that happen. Am I going to be dismissive of adding another great pass catcher to the mix? No, not completely. Do I think when you look at if you would add him in addition, tobacco and ze flowers, and oh, yeah, you still have Rashad Bateman. So I haven’t even mentioned Oh, you haven’t all pro tight end and Mark Andrews and oh, what about JK Dobbins who wasn’t happy with getting not getting the ball enough last year? That’s what I do look at this thing and say, probably not the, you know, the Ravens probably not the most logical place for him to land. But who knows. And I’ll go back to something that you mentioned a few minutes ago with Lamar Jackson and, you know, everything kind of gravitating to him at this point when you’re making 52 million a year. I mean, that’s that’s kind of how it works. Right. And, you know, we heard the rumblings and what Michael Lombardi reporting long before, I guess before Beckham even signed to right around that time, that Lamar had requested both Odell Beckham and DeAndre Hopkins and Lamar said he asked about that, you know, whether he demanded it or not, I guess his semantics and interpretation and all that. So, you know, you never say never, especially in an offseason, where I’ve been quite surprised to see how things play out the way they have. But at the same time, I think you do look at fortifying a couple areas on the defensive side of the ball, or, Hey, let’s also throw out the possibility of Ben Cleveland or any of the incumbents, the internal candidates for that left guard spot. You know, is there a move to be made that you could add to starting left guard between now and the start of the season? So, you know, it’s not just about wide receiver at the same time? You know, if DeAndre Hopkins is interested in being a raven, at the very least, you’re going to have a conversation at the very least, I think that much is clear. But does does go back to what you just said. And Todd Monken even acknowledges recently that at the end of the day, there is only one football and I think going from one extreme to the other would be, let’s just say quite interesting to see how that would play out if you
Nestor Aparicio 22:37
tend to spend this money on the defense though, right? Correct.
8Luke Jones 22:41
I would think so. I think you know, and obviously, there are always ways to create a cap space, but I think to me, you look at edge you know, whether it’s Justin Houston or someone similar to him that’s still out there. I think he looked there and I think you look at defensive back now. I would say more corner but I think the way that Mike McDonald really likes his defense with the nickel, I think they like using three safeties. And I think that gives them an opportunity to move Hamilton down to play the slot again or you could put Brandon Stevens there however you want to do it. So you know whether it’s a corner or whether it’s another safety that you would kind of say okay, this will be our third safety you know, and kind of use us are some package it that way I’m inclined to think that there’s still another move if not to to be made on the defensive side of the
Nestor Aparicio 23:30
grid in the secondary they’re never done never they never never should
Luke Jones 23:33
be. You can never have enough there there are few ways other than your franchise quarterback going down and that’s our that’s the the no duck captain obvious statement. There are a few ways to sink a contenders championship hopes, then a couple of ill timed injuries in the secondary
Nestor Aparicio 23:50
8got fired over a kind of sorta, you know, the whole like, at the end just you know, when your back end leaks. It’s over. And I mean, with Humphries injury two years ago, and Pete I mean, like we saw it,
Luke Jones 24:03
sort of see doesn’t 14 Yeah. 2014 I mean, they had they had two different two touchdown leads in New England and they their defense. They couldn’t stop Tom Brady and that patriots passing game they just couldn’t. So yeah, you need need the horses in the secondary and I think the Ravens got that good shape. But could it be better between now and the start of the season? I think there’s another move to to potentially be made there. Come August and September.
Nestor Aparicio 24:30
All right. Well, look, we’ll be monitoring it all while eating hot dogs and staying up late with the Orioles this weekend as the birds traveled to San Francisco. That should be true. Looking for some some crabs that cost this over the weekend. I have not had my first crab but I’ve had a lot of crab cakes. Mariela crab cake tours back out on the road. We’re coming to spirits West. We are coming to Shannon’s over in Halo four. I know we’re right, Bachman said when you get out to the southwest side of town so it’s all a curse. We’re friends at the Maryland lottery. We’re giving away these instant lottery scratch Dusties felt like a really lucky batch. If there was such a thing we were up at the local and fallston last week had a great chat with fancy Clancy Haskell. I actually picked up a fancy Clancy, drug City at the liquor store. Didn’t bring the Orioles Good luck over the weekend but it will in the future. I feel like whenever I drink that fancy Clancy it’s going to it’s going to special is going to happen. J LNB. Telling stories of me running in my underwear through the streets all of it brought to you by our friends at window nation. 866 90 nation taken us out on the road. We’re going to be a Pappas. We’re going to be a costus We’re going to be a drug City and we’re also going to be down at cost this to start the beginning of the 25th anniversary. That’s on August 3 August 4 in Dundalk. We have a whole summer ahead loose got a whole summer ahead of baseball, and a little bit of football as well. I am Nestor we are wn st I am 1570 Towson Baltimore and we never stop talking Baltimore positive
