As the Orioles continue to refuse to take $600 million of your money for free to keep the franchise at Camden Yards, Nestor Aparicio and Dennis Koulatsos discuss integrity, credibility, good faith and bad ownership in local sports and its ugly history in Baltimore.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
good, nestor, people, team, running, thought, kid, night, lamar, watching, kevin, offense, john, great, hear, orioles, put, wrote, brown, win
SPEAKERS
Dennis Koulatsos, Nestor Aparicio
Dennis Koulatsos 00:02
Welcome back. My next guest is Nestor Aparicio joining us today. Always informative, always thoughtful and lots of talk about lots to unpack our condolences, of course go out to Alex Collins and his family. That’s the biggest story for us right now. We have the Michael Oher story, Kevin Brown still love to talk about their Oreos, ravens, some concerts perhaps Nestor, welcome in.
Nestor Aparicio 00:26
Well, you know what the lead story really is? The baseball team is really good. That that above and beyond anything in this city, I mean, I I’m celebrating my 25th anniversary, somewhat, I’m gonna get the new logo. Well, I just, I mean, I’m gonna be in Ocean City all week doing the Mako conference. So you’re gonna hear from Senator Cardin here. You’re gonna hear from Senator Van Hollen West more like the governor, the Comptroller, lots of people are gonna be coming on here this week. So you know, I’m gonna be doing that. But the late night focus at these games out in San Diego, Oakland this weekend. Last weekend in Seattle, amazing Saturday night when I was over at cost this on Sunday. And I mean, I was there at I met letter Rascon for crabs and like 715 The game was at four. He got there a little earlier than I thought my wife and I got there. Like in the fifth inning, we drove over missed the fourth inning got there. We were there for the last four or five minutes of the game. That is everybody’s on every pitch. Everybody in the bar black, white, young, old grand moms, everybody’s watching the game on a Sunday afternoon like it’s a playoff game. Mullins goes over the wall comes back. They give up the run, then the home run. Like the fact that the baseball team is playing baseball like this in August. That’s not doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk about the Kevin Brown mess, or that we’re not interested in the Ravens or certainly former ravens with news and tragedy and I mean Alex Collins, man like crazy. So
Dennis Koulatsos 01:56
I do have strong, strong thoughts about motorcycles and whatnot. And it’s not the the motorcyclists themselves, but it’s just people not paying attention. You just don’t have any metal around you. And it’s really not a good outcome when they get involved in accidents that usually deadly eye you can start to get me on two wheels. Not at my age, not at any age. But anyway, that aside, it’s just it’s tragic when a young man who’s a few days shy of his 29th birthday, loses his life in that fashion.
Nestor Aparicio 02:24
Well, the last interaction I had with him was you know, he did the Irish dance, and the Irish dance troupe was playing the lyric. And I had a relationship with a lyric and I was promoting their shows and I love having we’re guest on and you know, but I had an Irish dancer on for, you know, 20 minutes talking about the history of Irish dance. And at that time, it was like literally November when this thing happened. You can go check it out, because it’s up at Baltimore positive. The piece I did on the Irish dance troupe. And you know, he invited Alex Collins down to the show and Alex wanted to go and I mean, even gave me his numbers in my phone. If I looked at my phone, the last text I have with him would have been about that event. He didn’t go because it was a game weekend. And it was a Friday night. I said hey, if you want to go this guy wants to invite you down and make a stink about it. Yeah, so you know I a tragedy and the Michael or thing by the way
Dennis Koulatsos 03:22
out of left field. Does he have a book coming out? And I’m not trying to throw rocks at him or his family he came from but man oh man, how many years it’s had been I think since 2009. When the movie The Blindside came out. So it’s been a minute. Nestor.
Nestor Aparicio 03:36
Yeah. And I guess it’s out of the public eye and the the woman chewy Lian to eat right? I saw her, you know, a dozen times when Michael were played. I mean, matter of fact, I think I saw her I remember being at Michael Laura’s locker after the Super Bowl. I have a picture of me and Michael, I don’t have a lot of pictures of me with players necessarily after the game, because everybody scatters at the Superdome. We were working. We had Buster we had stuff going on. But I vividly remember seeing Lee into that night, you know, outside the locker room. And because, you know, she was she was a character from a movie, you know, play by Julia Roberts. You know, it’s like, so when you see the real person you see Mike Gloria like oh, that’s her. I think I was in an elevator once with her and maybe on the road and you know, city because I was always stayed with the team was. And, you know, I talked to her in an elevator once but like, I mean, they didn’t do the media tour here. As a matter of fact, Michael ran from that. Michael didn’t like that, you know, and Michael was a really simple guy. Really friendly. Sweet, sweet kid, really a nice kid. And I one night we were doing the show at Buffalo Wild Wings. And on a Monday night No, I suppose. And the players always came in. They’re like, I can tell you five Tyrod Taylor came in there one night. I just happen to be doing the show with Brandon Stokely and he’s like, Yeah, I’ll sit down with you guys. You know, like he was just there. To eat, because it was so close to the facility. Yeah, especially the old facility back in the day, right. And, and Michael Lord came in and he ate wings literally sat at the table watched the show. He didn’t really want to come on because he didn’t like talking about himself, you know, like he wasn’t. He was a very sort of self effacing kind of cat. And the movie sort of embarrassed him to some degree he didn’t he didn’t like the portrayal of him in the movie.
Dennis Koulatsos 05:27
Or he didn’t. But you know what, Hollywood has a way of doing that with movies, not just with Michael Oher, but I think back to movies such as Rudy right Rudy was at the Notre Dame kid. I guarantee you that that’s not exactly how the story went. Hollywood amplify stories creates other they may depict some events, but it’s not the actual events. So
Nestor Aparicio 05:46
I had Rudy on the show. I don’t know if I talked to him about that. You know, he was come by radio row good guy, really good guy usually
Dennis Koulatsos 05:52
make the hero better than what he was in real life. So I don’t know what the side story is between Michael
Nestor Aparicio 05:58
they made this relationship between this family and Michael Laura. Like, you know what it was and the brother
Dennis Koulatsos 06:05
saved him although he was a five star recruit anyway, and he was already starting in high school a tackle. He was already a rising star so interested to see how this thing’s gonna play out. But it always comes down to money, right? The root of all evil.
Nestor Aparicio 06:18
Yeah, Don’t you hate it? Isn’t that awful? Money? Family love money, right? Yeah. Where’s
Dennis Koulatsos 06:22
the love and I want us to is we’re wealthy before they ever even heard of like Laura. So they will roll off. And Michael MIT, of course, a lot of money in the NFL. So I don’t know who’s running out of what. But that’s what I suspect at the bottom of this. It’s money. Who’s running out of money. Somebody’s running out of money, either him or the two of us or both, but somebody running out of money to to make a stink out of it? 1415 years later?
Nestor Aparicio 06:43
Well, I mean, for the football perspective for me, I mean, we’re not going to learn anything about the football team tool next month, right. Like I said that the Luke, sort of flippantly I’m sort of like, okay, this preseason game the other night, it’s like, we don’t know anything about the Todd Monken thing. All I know, are these narratives that Chad Steele and John want to get out. And it’s very, very clear that Lamar didn’t like Greg Roman. It’s very, very clear. Lamar didn’t feel heard by Greg Roman. He’s now been heard by Eric Koston Steve Ashanti with a $72 million check. Right? So he’s heard that he’s wearing all the ice now right he’s got the ice all on on the sidelines. And Evan Washburn gives him a hard time that the ice and you know he could buy and sell Evan at times now, you know, because that’s the kind of money these guys have. And thanks, change. Thanks, Jake. The the ultimate compliment to Joe Flacco I would ever pay him he is the same guy now, as he was when he had zits and showed up in that beaten up Volvo with all the black smoke coming out of the diesel when he showed up with a Jersey plates at my house back in 2008. Like the money never, you know it screw with how people dealt with him. But it never messed with how he dealt with people. And it still does it. And I text you a week
Dennis Koulatsos 08:01
ago. He back then went to work every day and what he did. So I
Nestor Aparicio 08:04
mean, I don’t know where it Lamar is with this, I would think Lamar really wants to win. You know, and Lamar has put a lot of effort into winning, and they put a lot of effort into putting weapons around him. But I want to see Lamar Jackson throw the ball 3540 times a game, and how that’s going to look because that’s what they’re gonna have to do. All we do is talk about wide receivers and tight ends and I’m like, There’s one ball. And in the previous offense, they threw it 18 to 25 times a game. And that’s how much you know, all these guys want to be targeted in one game. You know, Andrew was just thinking I was getting 12 targets catches seven, eight passes. All right, so he was 40% of the offense at the time. All right, am I still maybe I don’t get 12 And maybe I get 10 Now, you know, Odell Beckham is here making all this money. He’s not a third down wide receiver. I mean, he’s here they’re paying him. They’re paying them a lot of money. That he’s a five down wide receiver at this point. Yeah, he’s a fourth and one back shoulder wide receiver. So and then Bateman’s trying to find his way Jaguars find his way. Oh, and say flowers is he’s the prettiest girl to dance. Right? He’s the new kid, the new kid in town, so the joystick and then they’re gonna run the ball and they get cranky running back and oh, by the way, This just in. Lamar is their best running back. He’d like to be called that he’s a $72 million, right? He’s still the guy that he runs the ball 812 times again, they have a better chance of winning so i What are they gonna do? They’re all loving it. I love Lamar Lamar loves coordinator. We love, love, love the installation of the production of the productivity of the Okay, I mean, they’re gonna beat Houston. 34 to 14, right. I mean, they really like so no matter what happens, they’re gonna win this first game. I mean, I liked their schedule a lot, quite frankly, I don’t think they need to be good. Sort of right away. They need they need to roll with Cincinnati, but I think they’re better than Pittsburgh and Cleveland. I mean, I really do. I think they put together a really good team. I think it could go really well. This left guard The thing the back end of the secondary, the kicker can kick from anywhere. But what the offense is, and the efficiency of the offense and how they’re going to pass the football either gonna throw the football. You’re not going to evaluate that in October trying to do the math on what they did in September, because we’re not going to see anything for a month. So that’s why I think the baseball teams were interesting right now, not not just the fiasco with Kevin Brown, or the fiasco with the state of Maryland, or the future, the franchise or the lease. I still think I’m winning every night. It’s the most important thing that’s going on, but the football team, I mean, let’s somebody pulls a hammy, I, I and they’ve thrown me out. So I can’t even go watch the goofy practices and see them do all of this ravens production that they did in the pregame that’s just as contrived as anything on the baseball side. Like if you watch Sandusky and Woodson, I mean, it is a loving infomercial. It’s gross, it’s gross. And and they don’t even point out the most important things which are here are the deficiencies with the gear, the questions here the question they don’t want to hear, we have no questions, we’re content, there’s
Dennis Koulatsos 11:06
plenty of questions. You just list them the secondary is a huge concern for this team. So it’s a timing for the passing game. It’s gonna take a minute for those guys to get on the same page together, especially what looks to be very much a past first offense.
Nestor Aparicio 11:20
Well, it’s very clear they invested this money and Ro Quan Smith, because they nucleus cables not around they know Marlon Humphrey is a pretend leader, not a real leader. And they they they needed a leader there, right. So ro Quan Smith, gonna take over that role and be the captain of this team, the Ray Lewis the heart and soul of the team. And they love him. They love him. They love everything about him. He’s a character got mean, everything. So they have that kind of way more handled. Then even you and I acknowledge because when they brought him in last year, Lamar fell apart in the already fragile net defensive side. were horrible has his guy, McDonald, who’s, who’s, you know, he winked at him when he was 23 years old and said, You’re gonna be my guy if I’m still here. So I mean, hardball has aligned this thing. And I think the offensive side from a political standpoint, and again, Jack’s deal keeps me away from the owner. I don’t get to ask questions about any of this. So I’m stuck here guessing and but accountable, very accountable. And I think with hardball, keeping his job or his happiness, Harbaugh doesn’t know anything about offense. hardball is not an offensive coordinator. I mean, it’s clear going back to, you know, winning and losing with Jim Caldwell or cam Cameron or, I mean, he’s been through a lot of offensive coordinators, and a lot of quarterback coaches, right through through this period of time and only a handful of two quarterbacks really, I mean, in the whole time, but a lot of ideological changes that the owners pissed about this or that or whatever while changing. We’ll we’ll mix it up. I’m searching for something new. We’ll take on this running quarterback and haven’t run into linebackers if that’s what you want. But we have done we need to run the ball. We need to draft and have West. Excuse me, Willie Sneads. And, you know, we need to have Pat for cards, different kinds of football players to play this way. Now they bring Monken in and it feels like monkey to the head coach of the offense. Right. I mean, like he’s no nonsense almost reminds me Sergeant slaughter.
Dennis Koulatsos 13:27
He’s got the Gary Kubiak live. Gary Kubiak had that pedigree coming in and Joe had a phenomenal here. A Gary worked with him on his footwork demanded that Joe do certain things and, of course,
Nestor Aparicio 13:37
show respect to Gary Kubiak. Yeah, he played the league. Yeah. And Justin
Dennis Koulatsos 13:40
for set had had a career here. Gary Kubiak had that that pedigree but John Harbaugh has been that CO head coach special teams background as we all know, but he’s got a light touch on the reins on the offense and the defense but the heavy touch has always been by his coordinators.
Nestor Aparicio 13:56
Well, the heavy touch with mungkin here is going to be something that I don’t know how to identify it yet. I do see the blocking schemes completely different. Jerry Sandusky alluded to that. And, you know, anytime Jerry’s talking O line, I listen anytime rod Woodson is talking back and I listen. And you know just in the broadcast because my wife said why are you watching this garbage? I’m like, I’m kind of hearing I want to see what rod has to say. Because rod Dennis, I give praise here and you know I’m you know you always you make me gratefulness, you know, at times, but like rod Woodson is one of my favorite.
Dennis Koulatsos 14:34
You’re talking about rod I’ve had the privilege of meeting him at a Hall of Fame dinner, sat with him and brought up your name and he had nothing but praise about his relationship with you and vice versa. But he’s a salt of the earth type of guys. You mentioned many times during our show,
Nestor Aparicio 14:48
just I mean, as great a person as he was a player as a teacher. I mean, he was there the day we landed in Oakland with Nils and Jack Del Rio put me up in front of the Raiders that So, my wife’s story he was the he was the defensive backs coach that day Mike Tyson was on that staff. So in that old Oakland building at the foot of the airport in Oakland, California that day. And so Rob was on the coaching side and I’ve spent many nights with Rod Woodson sitting and talking football late into the evening and so just here spending three hours on the couch even with him with a preseason game to see what he’s seeing on the back end but the offensive line it’s changed and Pat Ricard and what are we going to do and how are we going to use our tight ends and what’s really going to be the hole for a running back and running backs you have to make decisions you mentioned Justin for set by far the best running back now. Nothing against him all Lewis right. Nothing it gets Ray Rice, who was friggin great, especially a better blocker, Ray Rice picking up blocks as to stout little pinball, keeping Joe safe from getting wiped out, like blocking as a part of the running back game and identifying holes, Justin for set for my dough, and another phenomenal human being Justin for sec, just a, you know, a credit to good people, and also shares my birthday, by the way, Justin for set, but you know, I would say from that perspective, how the hell do I know whether JK Dobbins is going to pick up a safety blitz? Like I haven’t seen it. And I haven’t seen Lamar react to it. Lamar doesn’t get blitz like that, because he gets out of the way. He embarrassed his people that do that, right. And he can throw the ball and he has wide receivers. But this isn’t going to look like pinball. This isn’t going to look like what Greg Roman had on that. Might be the old deal. Electronic football games. Yeah. Guys, that’s what the 2019 20 team sort of look like when they were morphing out of Joe Flacco and into Lamar and trying to figure out when when when Roman was the running game coordinator, whatever the hell it was back in the day, and they’re trying to get James urban to figure out what Lamar is going to be and Greg Roman to like, have a little bit of confidence from the throw the ball but to whom, at that point, right? They have weapons, they have toys, they have everything they need, but they haven’t new terminology, new blocking schemes. Like I don’t know how Ronnie Stanley’s really going to react to this and week eight, that because it’s different. And they really do the left guard is so these are all real questions for the football team.
Dennis Koulatsos 17:32
No, no question about it zone blocking scheme installed. And I think Ronnie Stanley, him being a dancing bear having great feet. I think he lucked out from the system very, very well. But I got into discussion with several fans on Twitter. The other day, I don’t see a role for Patrick card in this offense. I just don’t I think if he’s on the field, it signals it’s going to be a run play. He doesn’t offer any explosiveness of any matter of any type in the passing game. I saw this kid Vocollect from Nebraska getting down field. And I think he deserved the reference roster spot over Pat Ricard. And people are saying, well, what are they going to do on third and short? Well, you can bring in one of those 10 or 11 offensive linemen stick them at fullback and have JK Dobbins Gus Edwards run behind him, but I just don’t see a role for Pat Ricard in this offense.
Nestor Aparicio 18:19
Well, I mean, I love the fact that they have all these abled body, you know, capable players, you know, even the veteran players on the right side of the offensive line. You know, I don’t have any question about them picking this up. I have a question about the orchestra being run for the first time in September because we’re just not going to see it out on the field. And Dobbins is now just sort of getting his hamstrings, you know, back into order. And they’ll be running him around a little bit. And I would think they’ll send his ass out onto the field and make him play.
Dennis Koulatsos 18:51
I don’t know about that. I don’t think I don’t think he plays in the preseason. I think it’s part of his deal. I can’t imagine him getting hurt against the commander’s two years ago. I can’t imagine JK Dobbins playing in the meaningless preseason game.
Nestor Aparicio 19:03
Well, somebody’s got to play.
Dennis Koulatsos 19:05
There’ll be other it’ll be Mitchell the Mitchell kid Anthony son, he’ll be out there and and Justice Hill will be out there maybe Gus bus but I don’t think you’ll see JK and preseason. It’s only two games left to go. You’ll see him on opening day. That’s when you’ll see JK Dobbins
Nestor Aparicio 19:21
sits and listen and this is I’m gonna I’m gonna rip off the band aid here because I know you want to talk about Kevin Brown and it’s your show, and I’m the guest on the show here. At least for the time being because I’m usually the host around here. But you know, I’m watching the Ravens game the other night and it’s preseason and you know even your buddy your seafood buddy over and Dundalk you know text out that give your tickets away PSA your tickets are worthless for the preseason given to a kid right? So things on TV and and you know I’m watching it and I’m thinking myself, Jerry Sandusky in his soul knows this is the biggest rip off of all time. All right. Preseason football is the biggest ripoff. Stedman was writing about that in the 70s pissing off our say, right, like literally
Dennis Koulatsos 20:06
I gave we have 10 tickets. I gave them all away. We sent some kids to the stadium so they can enjoy him. It’s amazing,
Nestor Aparicio 20:13
you know, the sham of Chad Steele telling my community I’m not a legitimate reporter and then calling the NFL. I mean, we’re in a world now where this Angeles thing that happened last week. I No offense, right. I mean, you’re on Coons, Cruz Baltimore, Ford, and like Mr. Coons and your family, like, you could not conduct business in this fashion.
Dennis Koulatsos 20:39
could not wait, what not what not, nevermind, not
Nestor Aparicio 20:41
because it would not be a part of your code. It would not be a DNA. It’s not honest. They’re dishonest. It’s it’s dishonesty in regard to lots and lots of things that has that has gone unchecked because of the title on their card. I mean, Dan Snyder’s out, you know, chasing cheerleaders around, right, like, and they it took them years to get rid of him. And they had an investigation and the investigator gave an oral report instead of a written report, because they can get away with it. And, you know, so the fact that I’m sitting here watching this stuff on the outside, I never lose sight of that. And I’m getting old enough to just understand the inherent dishonesty. I mean, the Kevin Brown thing on Friday, that Greg Bader would praise himself in the press release that he writes that they put out for this kid who’s clearly, you know, I mean, he’s taken on this op characteristic, he’s a hell of a broadcaster. But like, he is in no position to stand up for himself. He’s got a pregnant wife, he lives in Baltimore, he’s got a house here. He’s got a future, he needs to be employed by other billionaires in the future. And this, the, the dishonesty of it is so brazen, that I could never and to your point, I would never, and if I would, you wouldn’t do business with me. You could, but you wouldn’t, right. It’s
22:03
not your deal. I
Nestor Aparicio 22:03
I couldn’t.
Dennis Koulatsos 22:05
And I thought about the state when he put out it did and it was, the statement he put out felt very much like it was written at gunpoint, like this, this
Nestor Aparicio 22:15
lady was Weiss, you know?
Dennis Koulatsos 22:17
Right, right. Right, what’s what’s the safe word for you?
Nestor Aparicio 22:21
Now she becomes a punch line, right? Like this poor kids just trying to do his job. Now. He’s the punch line. Because we’re laughing at him with him. But how can we be laughing with him? Because this is clearly not much different than the Redskins cheerleaders, or me fighting with Chad’s deal for my career after 30 years when all of you know what I do. And they’re issuing the press release saying there’s nothing to see here. nesters just too lazy to come and cover the team. Like that’s their press release when the truth and the truth is coming. But this is how they treat anyone who speaks anything. That’s not what Greg beta and John Angelo’s thing and the money last week, you and I haven’t even gotten together since the story broke. And I knew about this on Wednesday, that what John was really seeking. Not was is there’s no leak.
Dennis Koulatsos 23:13
You mentioned it. Yeah, you did.
Nestor Aparicio 23:15
I mentioned it to you before it became public. Last I said he wants $300 million more. He wants 50% More than Bushati got and the whole parking lot to take that away from the shoddy to exit the parody clause.
Dennis Koulatsos 23:27
That’s not gonna happen. Clearly, it’s not gonna happen.
Nestor Aparicio 23:30
Obviously.
23:31
There’s no sign off on that.
Nestor Aparicio 23:34
Well, this was his father’s negotiating technique. I want Mars and Venus. Well, we can’t even get to the moon. Like so like, how am I gonna give you that? And we I can’t give you that you want to build a skyscraper over the Howard Street Tunnel? It can’t be done structurally? Well, I don’t care that it can’t be done. I you know, I fart rainbows and unicorns, and that’s what I want. And it’s like, but I mean, the people that have dealt with John Angeles, and I’ve, I’ve talked to five of them. And Dennis, I’m going to make this week. I’m going to be with nothing but everybody who runs the state, and how hard it is. How hard would it be for the Tourism Committee to get $600 million from the legislature? How hard would it be for Mr. Coons to get $600 million from the legislature to build a bigger lot to take over to just eminent domain security squared decide that that’s that’s, that’s your dealership now. And you’re gonna give me 600 million to build my dealership. It’s insane. I mean, it’s it’s Republicans should be mad independents should be mad. Democrats were trying to fix schools and police and like the harbor, like all of that, and this guy hasn’t had a clue about anything. He’s leading all these people around like he’s done something. And they’re all like, Alright, dude, what’s your plan and you spend 10 minutes with him? And you know, he’s full of manure that he doesn’t really, he doesn’t have architect’s plans and he’s just Got demands, like a petulant child, because he has the franchise. And meanwhile, Rob Manfred like Dude, you’re not moving the franchise. And John’s probably thinking, well, you’re about to let Oakland move. Let me bring my lawyers. Let me get out Davis’s descendants, and we’ll see what I can and can’t do. Because you’re not going to tell me what I can do with my franchise. And if I want to fart rainbows and build a glass bridge over the 395 Spaghetti warehouse, I’ll do that. And if you don’t, I’m not letting you my baseball team will play in your stadium. Well, the other piece of this I don’t know what the leverage is. That is the leverage doesn’t make sense that any one sane other than he wants what he wants and he’s gonna take his toys and go home and oh, by the way, the team’s winning and don’t ask me any questions and everybody I employees muted and listen to the games. We’re in first place and we’re just great. We’re gonna win win win win win and sell tickets tickets tickets in playoffs and World Series. Put out a lease man, you know, so even though I want to make the lead the baseball team and Grayson Rodriguez, like they have a lease. It’s insane.
Dennis Koulatsos 26:04
It is insane. And that should be the story. The story should be Grayson Rodriguez, the team how well they’re doing. But the stories are, what if it’s not the lack of a lease? It’s a Kevin Brown situation. So this thing keeps compounding and that’s what happens when you have awful and poor leadership at the top.
Nestor Aparicio 26:20
Well, the biggest concern of the fan base should be that Mike Elias can get a different gig and that his contracts up and that there’s no checks junk could write to him. You don’t I mean, that he could walk away after? I don’t know if he had a five year deal. I mean, it’s all you Miss
Dennis Koulatsos 26:39
Rabbit and let me ask your question. Well, why why would Mike allies take the job Nestor? I mean, I know he had the thing with
Nestor Aparicio 26:44
because he could start from scratch. I you know what? That is awesome that you asked me that because I interacted with Mike Elias one time publicly. Four months ago, I went to the CEO club, a luncheon with Leonard Raskin. I know a lot of people there. I mean, it was a small, very intimate 60 or 70 people. It was really small. It was up at hay fields in Hunt Valley. It was the second week of the season, maybe April. I mean, the team was clearly pretty good. But it you know, there was a lot of questions about May and and stout and was the big fans were men and Adam Ranger Team and that they didn’t get a picture. You know, in the offseason, still a lot of that second week of the season, even though they were winning. And I got to ask a question and TJ Brightman is their Beta wasn’t there. It TJ may hate me more than the beta. But I was sitting two feet away. I mean, Mike Elias could fit in, I could fist bump from me. I sat at the table, I sat at his back. I gave him a copy of Purple Rain one and two and said, Hey, I hope maybe one day you’ll bring a championship. Here’s two stories with a happy ending, right? But on that day, he got up and did a song and dance with Doug and Doug Strauss does a great job with CO club a ballroom it’s um, it’s a great organization. It’s something you would really enjoy, you know, on a monthly basis, but especially when they bring sports people in, I attended Ted leonsis Did one. They were doing them downtown where I lived in the harbor court like 1012 years ago, and Ted leonsis came in and did one one day there was a bigger crowd at that one. But Leonard was at that one as well. I remember seeing Leonard before he was a sponsored a friend and my financial advisor. But I got to ask one question, and everybody in the room who knew me, and there were, I knew personally 20 of the 60 or 70 people there. And there were a couple 40 people there that way older in their 80s. I mean, there’s an old a little bit older crowd, and it was all older people. I mean, there weren’t a whole lot of young people there. And so it was old schoolers. And I got to ask a question. And everybody was like, oh, no, they gave Nestor the mic to ask. I mean, like, literally, there was a little bit of a hole. What is he came up with a room. What is he gonna say? What is he gonna ask Mike about something that’s gonna piss off John, right. You’re, you know, this is my one chance to punch. Right? Like literally. And I asked him that question. I literally said to him, when you took this job, what, you know, what, what, what about it has led you to believe then and now that you could get this done? And I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear him say it because he was he was way more transparent than I thought he would be. He was he was really I was really impressed by him. Dennis. You know, I mean, fully impressed by him. And but it was the blank. It was the blank. Page. It was the I know we’re gonna stink for a couple years. I am distinct and we’re gonna get good players. We’re gonna get Colton Couser we’re gonna get Jackson Holliday. We’ve already got
Dennis Koulatsos 29:55
but he never talked about the end game though. He talked about the blank page but To me, everybody should have an exit plan if they don’t have an exit plan and that’s Shame on them, but to me, okay, you’re coming to a franchise that had been poorly run for a long, long time was stingy ownership.
Nestor Aparicio 30:11
Well, the other guy didn’t survive it. John Veblen, the guy that they hired to be the business guy to he didn’t let I mean, nobody met him. Like, and there is no TJ is doing that job. Now, there is no Joe Foss. There is no dick cast, there is no Dennis Culatta there’s no grown up there, like that from the industry right outside the industry in in the way that they went and got a baseball genius from another, another company and brought him in, right.
Dennis Koulatsos 30:38
So the question is, again, you take this job, you know, you’ll be able to get the farm system going and whatnot and blah, blah, blah. But then, then what happens when you can assign these players? What happens at that point? Do you move on? Is that your exit plan?
Nestor Aparicio 30:52
This is where I am and if I had a drink with Mike Elias and I did write to him last week, because I sent him what I wrote about John, I’m not hiding. You know, I’m a journalist. I don’t, I’m straight up I walked so you’re
Dennis Koulatsos 31:05
also self employed. So you don’t have you don’t have to filter you don’t have you’re not but I walked by your boss. You don’t I
Nestor Aparicio 31:10
mean, like I don’t write about John Harbaugh or say about John Harbaugh. I’ll text the John Harbaugh. You know me first. And everything that happened with chats the last year. And I’m going to make this clear to everyone soon. I wrote to Steve shouty, I wrote to all of these people. I’m, I’m not in hiding. I’m literally I’m not hiding in Nashville or hiding on my boat in the Bahamas and putting some, you know, well paid executive to keep people away from me. That’s not That’s not what I do. But for me with where they are as a franchise and where the where the future may lie for them. It’s all in Mike Elias, being empowered to continue to do his job well. And the one thing Mike Elias is not done. And if I got to sit with him now I’d say you have never had to go down the hall and ask him for money ever. Because from the beginning, you sat in the room and said, Brady’s gone, your brother, I’m not listening to anybody. I’m running the baseball or I’m not coming, and if the minute it gets sour, I’m gonna leave. I’m gonna go I’m gonna go. The Wait, you can’t win the way MacPhail watch Flanagan kill himself and had to get out of here. And the way that Frank Wren thought you were the devil’s advocate and the way that Pat Gillick quietly left and went and won a handful of rings. So Lucchino. So to Charles Stein, they all left. And Mike Elias is like, dude, I’m 38 years old, or whatever the hell he was, when he took the gig. He’s like, I’m, I’m gonna be doing this while you’re not going to crush me. So, from the beginning, John’s gotten out of the way. And I think John who loved to think he was a rotisserie baseball player back in the 90s. As I pointed out my letter because I was around the team then in the signings of Sid Fernandez and Chris Saibot. And other players, even trades he got involved in being a baseball expert, as that his father. I don’t think John’s there anymore. But John thinks he’s a business expert, right? Like John will tell you, he’s the president of mass. And he invented maths and he, that it’s turned out 8 million $8 billion. And by black, my team’s worth 2 billion. And I’ve taken over my family’s estate on the grown up, and I make country music artists and like, I’m sure John feels that way about himself because I’ve seen the press conferences.
Dennis Koulatsos 33:36
But But you haven’t seen the books?
8Nestor Aparicio 33:39
Yeah, right. That was the open invitation. I would say this for Elias. And this would be my question. Where’s the level of confidence that when it comes time to do that, that he’s not going to be the one embarrassed like Kevin Brown? Right? You know, I mean, like, if they’re willing to emasculate Kevin Brown and put him back on the on the broadcast, and they’ve been doing this, even in the aftermath of the Mike Flynn, like in the aftermath of all the off I mean, me. I mean, I can’t say I was suicidal about them, but I was despondent, being thrown out 17 years ago, when this is what I’ve committed to do with my life and feeling 17 years later, like, doesn’t matter whether your name is John Miller, John Lowenstein, doesn’t matter Cal Ripken Brooks Robinson, they’ve been sideways with with everybody because they don’t care about people. And they and they don’t even care about their own reputation to put out that trash on Friday night that that’s still where they are right now. That’s where it is right now. And I said to my wife, you know what, I almost went back this year gave him some money. I’m excited. You’re giving them money. You’re excited you have I almost sort of forgot about it a little bit. The winning can deodorize all of this until it doesn’t and last week was a bad week for them and what’s going on with the state and I’m down to Mako it’s bad for them. And Kevin Brown and they think it’s good to issue that press release. Instead of doing what my buddy Greg Abel, who’s a PR guy writes this. It was 14 unicorns quite frankly, Greg because they’re not you No, they’re not going to do anything sane. But PR people saying this is what they need to do to fix this. And they’re incapable they’re in Friday night and the Kevin Brown thing, and they’re incapable. And Mike Elias is in the middle of this, and he took this because it was blank, a blank sheet in the same way that Frank rent took this thinking he had some elixir that Pat Gillick didn’t have, in the same way that Mike Hargrove took the gig after Ray Miller and Davey Johnson couldn’t stand it in the same way that buck came in. And the first day, by the way, did you see the butcher Walter’s wife wrote about me?
Dennis Koulatsos 35:33
I saw it. I saw the Facebook post. I’m not on Facebook, but I saw on social media. Yeah, you know what, I didn’t brought that up. They were told that you were your bad guy to stay away from you. That’s what they were told
Nestor Aparicio 35:47
everybody their wives, they were telling players.
Dennis Koulatsos 35:51
Look your public enemy number one for this theme, your
Nestor Aparicio 35:54
why? I love them too much.
Dennis Koulatsos 35:57
Because Because in their opinion, you try to force them to move the team with free the birds.
Nestor Aparicio 36:04
I tried to get them to change their behavior. I failed.
Dennis Koulatsos 36:07
That’s not that’s not that’s not failed dramatically. That’s not how they
Nestor Aparicio 36:11
took it. Listen, I told this to Luke, Luke. And I did a shoot interview and we got sideways. So you can go listen to that, too. We so and so. I told him this. And the second time I’ve said this, and I don’t think I’ve said this on the air much at all and 17 years. I went back recently 25th anniversary and I found the book I wrote for my father. That summer. I was inspired. I got married, they didn’t pay the bill. I couldn’t believe they were just they just awful people, you know. And at that time was shot he was taking me backstage with Jim Irsay trying to get the Colts records back to Baltimore. So I’ll write about that soon, too. Then I sat out on a deck for 90 minutes with cigars. I was the one not smoking the cigars with Jim are saints the shotty at the Biltmore in that era. So between four and six, when the bird incident happened, they didn’t pay the bill like all of that stuff. That happened back then. That summer I wrote 19 chapters about why I love the Orioles why I was doing free the birds why it was important to the community. What it meant to me to have this view of the city every minute of my life looking out the window and filling my father’s spirit talking to me about the Orioles and my family’s name talking to me about the Orioles and my place owning a sports radio station. And at that time haven’t been on the air 15 years that I wanted it to be better. I wanted it to be literally what it was last night where I was up all night cheering for them watching them with a friend up at the Hollywood casino watching Grayson Rodriguez do watching home run seeing San Diego seen Orioles fans in San Diego, my timeline all of that I want I want it full. I want it vibrant. It was never that I lived downtown for 20 years, I lost a quarter million dollars in my investment. Because it was so awful. Now they’ll blame that on crime. And but, you know, they played a baseball game with tanks were circling the stadium to become world. I mean, they made that decision instead of playing that game somewhere else. So they’ve done a lot of awful you know, like terrible things. But in oh six when I did free the birds, the shirts, the signs, the teeth like all of that. I really thought and this is how stupid I was okay, and maybe it speaks to the spirit of my heart. I really thought he would have an Ebenezer Scrooge moment. I really thought I could have Dennis I swear to God, I was not doing it to be mean. Go back and watch it. Word I said anywhere. Any word I wrote any of that even as I was angry you like all of that. All of it was designed to have him view it and say I’m hurting people.
Dennis Koulatsos 38:43
I don’t want to not a shot not a shot though you and I talked about that back when I was six. I would advise against you doing that because knowing the animal known how he and the family would take it because they took it as a very personal attack.
Nestor Aparicio 38:56
You know what I took as a personal attack, their horrible ownership and their their malfeasance and their lies. I took that as a personal attack as a media member every time I took a notebook somewhere and they lied and forced me to do the Kevin Brown Dance in order to have access and be there. And if I didn’t lie for them, they were going to treat me like garbage at every turn and tell people I’m a bad guy. I took that as I took offense to that I took offense to having to go on the air every day and defend the indefensible. The the things that were happening to John Miller, the things that were happening to the team signing Albert Bell the way I was treated just as a human being who loved the team, who supported the team who built an entity to love the team support, create passion around the team sponsor me for 20 years they they never understood the community enough and sat down with people like me long enough to understand that it was born out of love not at a hate and And it’s born and it was born out of. And I stand really proud of this right now, because it seems fixed on the field right now. This is the this is how good it should I should be in cost this on a Sunday night, the last 20 years and having cheering the way they’ve had in St. Louis and Boston and normal places where they’ve had normal ownership, you know, but this
Dennis Koulatsos 40:19
is ownership, Nesta that doesn’t want the media. To tell the truth. This is ownership that wants the media branch to be part of the PR branch that wants you guys us guys to call balls and strikes. They don’t want us to call him as we see him. Just like John Miller, just like Kevin Brown, and you can’t have it whether you’re the Ravens or the Orioles, you can’t expect the media to enhance your PR department. You expect the media to be fair balanced to call them as they see him. If you think you expect the media to say you stink,
Nestor Aparicio 40:50
I wouldn’t expect anybody to listen to this show. If I went more in Orangeburg, no offense to rob longer, Jason lock and four, but like, don’t pitch to me, that you now are true voice. You’re not. You’re You’re Kevin Brown, you just thought you’re part of their PR machine is what you are. And that’s why they employ you because you’re on the air over the fan now. And you’re neutered, and they know you’re neutered. And WB Al was so neutered. They never covered the story last week, and they put his voice on the airwaves. And I told the story. Like it’s just the broadcast can’t be good. And I you know, Melanie Newman, I said she’s not very, they don’t give her a chance to be good. She might be great. If she could take the mic, and save the personality and call the game and have fun and not be fearing every things being judged that she may be reprimanded, or any of them that goes for all of them. I mean, it’s a blanket statement as a guy who employed half of the people I’m talking about and gave them a chance in life. So like, I never did that. And I would never do that. Would I go down and save, you’re screwed. It’s out of $30,000. And it’s affecting how I help you feed your family. And here’s the truth. They all knew that when I did free the birds, they they were all in the basement for a meeting every week when the boys didn’t pay their bill. And then set the bird to assault me thinking it’s funny. Like, I don’t know what to say Mike Flanagan didn’t think it was funny. I promise you that. Because he like Flanagan of all the people. He was the guy who came to me took me for crab cake at Michael’s Cafe up antimonium The night before he took the job. And he said I’m gonna fix this with you in the family. They’re not bad people. You know, they’re just misunderstood. Dentists 20 years later, he’s dead. They’re bad people. And I on Friday night. They just put another steak into the we haven’t changed a bit at all.
Dennis Koulatsos 42:45
ownerships job is to remove obstacles for their employees, right not to put obstacles in the way. So whether it’s the least the Kevin Brown situation, this isn’t going to an organization that continuously put obstacles in the way of the people versus removing them, which is why they have turnover, which is why they don’t have longtime employees, which is why they’re always in a state of flux. And which is why they’re always distracting from what’s going on in the field. Whether it’s good or bad, and it’s been bad for such a long time. Nobody cared. Now that it’s good people actually care.
Nestor Aparicio 43:17
What a week for a turd, though, right? They had the Eddie Murray Knight, they’re in first place. They’re not kind of sort of good. They’re fantastic and very good. They are they are credible in every way every day. This kid watchman hasn’t been swept in a baseball series since 2000. And that’s
Dennis Koulatsos 43:36
insane.
Nestor Aparicio 43:38
I mean, like there’s the hashtag DNA there that says pile diver to me about some of these kids and even even the Hearns and these imports and this Fuji guy that wets himself every third outing and you know, bulk ball six ball seven ball nine. Oh, like, thing. It’s fun talking about this. It’s fun being up late. It’s fun. You’re you’re, you know, on half a vacation halfway around the world. And you and I are you’re still Luke’s pissed that Sunday, he couldn’t get the game on the Roku. I mean, they don’t have their act together. And and you and the audience needs somebody like me, because you’re not going to hear that on WB Al. You’re not going to hear that at WJC. You’re not going to hear that anywhere. Where are they in any way? Do any business with the Orioles? Because everyone that does business with the Orioles? Is Kevin Brown? Yeah, you’re not Kevin Brown.
Dennis Koulatsos 44:32
Yeah, that’s true. Yeah, absolutely. You can speak your mind I can speak my mind and you don’t censor me. We don’t censor each other we can. When I
Nestor Aparicio 44:43
disagree with you. It’s legitimate for our audience. And because it’s legitimate. I mean, like it I don’t, I’m not gonna hate you’re not gonna hate me if we disagree. You know, I
Dennis Koulatsos 44:51
love Baltimore. We love our teams. We’re passionate about our team, and we’re going to speak our mind, Kevin Brown said was the truth he would speak In the truth, he was actually putting a positive spin on it. And he still gets centered he still gets neutered,
Nestor Aparicio 45:05
which, which when that happens when the kid comes home and he’s beaten by the dad, because like, and he doesn’t even know why. Because then I know you lose all faith in the relationship for the next broadcaster that comes in. That needs to be credible. Man when you take away a broadcasters credibility, I told you the art modell story, it’s true I in my soul, I feel it every day when art modell told me it you know, always be fast. You’re not criticizing me, they’ll never believe a word you say. That’s true.
Dennis Koulatsos 45:43
That’s very true. That’s a true statement never spoken an art. modell was one of economy with a class sack, not a great businessman at Cleveland, which is why get himself in trouble. But gratefully, the franchise came to Baltimore and things were never the same after that for the better. But I read the thing a long time ago that it took a while for me to understand Nestor. And it went something like this when your best employees become silent. It’s a bad sign for the company. And I’ve lived through it. And not only are the best employees becoming silent, they’re being silenced. It’s one thing if you’re the individual, something happens and you disengage from your organization. It’s hold Koch totally different dynamic, when he organization centers you and I don’t know how you can be a part of that team. And I get it, people have bills to pay. You got kidding away, et cetera. And sometimes you gotta buy the health of your lip. But it’s just an awful look. And it does take away from a great product on the field.
Nestor Aparicio 46:38
Well, we’re watching the games and you know, I’m into it. It’s fun again. I’ve been online looking for an orange Aparicio. 11 throwback jersey. I got gifted that Jim Palmer I was wearing it that day with you over Constance. I’ve worn it. I went back to Costas the other day doesn’t fit me. But I like it. Tell me. Tell me. It’s gonna be my jersey this year. It’s gonna be my 2023. You know, let’s get Jim Palmer. Well,
Dennis Koulatsos 47:04
tell me about classes. Tell me about the crowd. And Mullins made that catch when he hit the homerun. The crowd had a pop. while they’re waiting to crab and crab cakes. The crowd hadn’t be going wild at the restaurant.
Nestor Aparicio 47:14
Well, the the craziest thing is my wife and I got there like fifth sixth inning. And you know, we’re I got some fried shrimp. Delicious. You know, substitute. My wife had a beer. And we’re waiting on letter Raskin and let him was picking up his buddy at the airport. So I didn’t know exactly when he’s coming. And he said he’s on his way. And the Mullins thing happened. And the Baumann thing happened and let her walked in. I’m like, dude, you’ve just missed the craziest 15 minutes. Everything I was listed in the car is unbelievable. I said, this place went crazy. I mean, when Mullins went over, fell down, and like signaled that he had it. And I was everybody just went up like he won the World Series. And I’m thinking, Man, the hair on the back of my neck stood up because it was like, I haven’t been in a bar for baseball when this has happened, since I was probably too young to be in a bar. You know, I mean, Hooters, 96 or whatever. You know what I mean? Like it was a long time ago. And so yeah, there was that moment and then Lennar was waiting, Christine was actually there and the bar was crowded. I mean, seven o’clock on a Sunday night are busy, crabs are slinging people staying out of the way. And letter came in with his party. And that’s when the home run that near home run, right? He hit the foul ball, right? We’re all like, ah, and everybody’s hanging on it. And then he hits the bomb. And the placement is crazy again. So there it was. There was a lightness in the it felt like Christmas. Oh, that’s
Dennis Koulatsos 48:40
great. I can’t remember ever screaming at the TV set during a baseball game, do it all the time with football. But it was one of the Astros games, when I believe Matteo missed the five ball that off the wall, right the wall. I screamed at the TV, I can’t tell you the last time I streamed as a TV set over a baseball game that tells you everything you can know about me and my passion for this team, and how much I love them.
Nestor Aparicio 49:04
You know what, and if I own the baseball team, the fact that you have that in your soul, it would be such a gift to me that I would want to honor that. You know what I mean? Like, and it’s this, nothing good people do. This wouldn’t be hard. And and, again,
Dennis Koulatsos 49:19
to make investors come can make you engage, right? Just like you have the fan just like any organizations engaged someplace in the middle and disengaged, right. So it’s
Nestor Aparicio 49:27
about that this kid is doing things that he that he should have learned from his father and and never do. Like, especially after John Miller. Tread lightly on the kid call in the game and be kind to him and support him. Don’t don’t treat him like that. Don’t treat him like that. I’m offended on his behalf and I’m going to be angry for him. And this, Rob Manfred needs to get involved right at some point here. We don’t know where dad I mean, they’re not John’s opportunity call Calls from from the governor or the commissioner. I like John’s John’s on great. But you know why? Because the seasons. I don’t want to have any distractions tennis,
Dennis Koulatsos 50:10
right. I’d love to have had a deal done by the all star break that didn’t happen.
Nestor Aparicio 50:15
You can’t have any distractions now but when he SPN comes in, he’ll be up there next to Michael is pounding on his phone.
Dennis Koulatsos 50:21
And speaking of ESPN, the best thing you did was talk to Felix Batista at Bethel wire. I mean, come on, I talked about some bush league reporting. I mean, have some class by yourself, ESPN, that should have pissed off if I’m the owner of the Orioles. That would have pissed me off a bit of time more than what Kevin Brown said which would have not even registered on my radar. But ESPN comes to town on a Sunday night game that we have minutes on the air on Sunday night, how many years? And they’re going to sit and talk to a guy who doesn’t speak English and translate to him? Has he seen The Wire? What does that matter? You tell me that I’d be pissed off at ESPN if I was the Orioles ownership, wouldn’t you?
Nestor Aparicio 50:59
Well, and that would be something to spout off about us versus them. Right? Like there is no us. Team John. You know what I mean? I’m not on Team Angeles. You know, you’re dividing your own fan base. And that’s been going on? You know, since they squirted me in my life 20 years ago, you know what I mean? Like they they it’s awesome them for them and us is only
Dennis Koulatsos 51:21
if it’s negative one of those feelings. Have you had a crabcakes on place? Right. Have you been a harborplace about the aquarium? Have you been to a football game? Right. Have you been to the zoo? Right, what have you done here in Boston? What do you like about Baltimore? Don’t give him some BS about the wire. I mean, I started watching the wire. I couldn’t watch it. It became unwatchable for me. I couldn’t
Nestor Aparicio 51:40
finish the scene. I admitted to David’s time and I’ve never watched it and finish this. I watched it it was freaky. You’ve never seen The Wire I’m like a lot. But like I live downtown I didn’t I didn’t want to have that association. So and I think you know part of it though. Dennis Hold on a second. I’m gonna push back on you push back hard on you actually on
Dennis Koulatsos 51:58
this one. Bring it down. Segment It’s okay.
Nestor Aparicio 52:01
No, no, no, no, no. They’re the ones that play the Omar whistle for him.
52:04
Yeah, yeah, no,
Nestor Aparicio 52:06
8I okay. Yeah, the Ravens no more whistle we’re tough. We’re badass. I will slit throat we got to go on bad luck. Yeah, I don’t know. No, no, no, no, no, no, I don’t even know who the hell Omar is. But I know he
Dennis Koulatsos 52:21
is. I’ve watched like I said I watched the first preseason he’s a character in the show but still hates the city in a negative light amount I’m not about that I know
Nestor Aparicio 52:28
enough celebrating our to know that Omar is not should not be on our public relations
Dennis Koulatsos 52:33
for he’s not he’s not give us a true Baltimore hero that stands out
Nestor Aparicio 52:37
talk about so. So I would say to you if they’re gonna if the Omar whistle is going to be the thing coming in. I think it’s fair game to ask him if he’s seen The Wire.
Dennis Koulatsos 52:46
But but but that’s but you but you’re mixing that with football and baseball, the baseball team and never played the Omar whistle. Have they? That’s the Ravens thing,
Nestor Aparicio 52:53
though. They they? The Orioles have been illness? You know,
Dennis Koulatsos 52:58
that’s news to me. I did not know that. Yeah, the Orioles. I mean, once shame on them to just like shame on the Ravens for door find something like that. Yeah, well, yeah. Yeah, that PR move right there. So if that’s what they did, then that they? Again, that says a lot to why would you want to do that?
Nestor Aparicio 53:15
Well, that’s tough. That makes us tough. No, it doesn’t. It makes us it makes us stupid.
Dennis Koulatsos 53:22
Pick out 100 great things about Baltimore. That’s not one of them. That doesn’t even that’s a negative thing about Baltimore. Well, hey, man, we’re Baltimore positive, right? We’re Baltimore positive talking about the positive stuff. You know,
Nestor Aparicio 53:33
what’s interesting, this weekend, the Baltimore positive part goes to Oakland this weekend. And you’re gonna see this empty Stadium, the shell of like, like, we live through that here. I mean, our stadium has been empty for a long time, right? And we don’t have a lease, and they don’t have a lease. And that’ll be stored this weekend. For those paying attention. I mean, that that’ll percolate back up. But what percolates back up as they come back from this road trip, Bob, you know, 72 from the West Coast, and they get back home next week. And where are the fans people coming out? You know, think for me, Dennis with the team. And, you know, tip the cap on this part. I live two blocks away if they weren’t jerks, right, if they weren’t doing all this Kevin Brown banning people like me, if they if they were a normal team, and they were offering the $60 Aug package, you know, come to all the games and walk around and buy our beer. Basically a standing room only hanging out at the bar kind of deal. Like that’s kind of an amazing thing. If you really want to go you know, I mean I’d love me a $200 Merriweather ask for the month of August right to go to 10 shows and hang out and you know, have a good time on a summer night be engaged in it. There’s more value in the Oriole games now than there’s ever been right and go into an Oreo game now. It’s got it has some value and they’re charging 20 bucks for this trying to get 10 bucks stolen that when the weeknights and they’re going to use the kids going back to school as the reason there’s nobody there and I’ll hear all that but This is the time when they start to gauge at 637 o’clock. I mean kids can go and that little kids, but like, this is a month and a half where John is, you know, putting his finger into the turkey and saying, Well, is there any money here? I mean, we’re winning. Why aren’t you guys coming back? Well, I’m not coming back because you’re a jerk. And I’m not giving you my money. But people should I hope people come back. I mean, it started to swell a little bit. But I mean, the Houston series was a lot of us. You know, it wasn’t a lot of
Dennis Koulatsos 55:31
Houston fans for sure. Yeah. Great series. By the way. I love the vibe. I mean, you got a really, really good team defending World Champs doesn’t get much better than that. And competitive games. Game less even even a three run lead heading to the ninth is in dispute, right, which
Nestor Aparicio 55:45
I call them like I see him right. And you know, baseball been better, better good to me. And I’m Venezuelan and all that stuff. So there’s a whole part of my Venezuelan DNA that would defend anything or anybody Venezuelan wholesale to be cheated. And he had a wire and they all cheaters once a cheater, always a cheater for all of them. And so when he comes in, I root against him.
Dennis Koulatsos 56:10
I mean, the hell of a ballplayer I mean, the guy can hit the ball, he’s a player, he’s a baller. Not really well, but but got a great swing about him.
Nestor Aparicio 56:16
And by the way, Tom Brady was a cheater too, so just want to make sure like when I’m thinking of cheaters that you know, haven’t been labeled Tom Brady.
Dennis Koulatsos 56:23
Hey, if you got a minute, you said something on a previous show production meeting about Guns and Roses didn’t have a good experience at the show. What what happened?
Nestor Aparicio 56:32
Well, listen, you know, I I’m open hearted. I’m open minded. I was a music critic, you know, I pan David Bowie in the 80s. Right. I mean, I you know, honestly make mistakes. But I’ve erred and judgment, you know, or as far as he would say, I was wrong, you know, sometimes, but in the modern era, I don’t get forced to go to the shows Nobody’s holding the gun or rows in my head. A lot of times it’s about price, right. So the tickets were 4050 bucks. I love love, love, love, love the pretenders. So like love, love, love the pretenders? I almost didn’t meet my wife. The night that my friends in New Hampshire that introduced me to my wife. Say come up on this Friday night go to this hockey game. I’m like, I’ll come up but I’m gonna go down to Boston and see the pretenders they’re playing the Orpheum that night you say no, no, no, you gotta go this hockey game. I know this girl. I’m like, Yeah, but I want to go see the pretenders. You know, like I came so close to go to see the pretender. So that show was about the weather being great. We hadn’t been the Hershey. I love going up the shows in Hershey. Man your family’s good parking. You know, a little it’s bucolic. It’s an hour and a half away. It’s nice. I’m way rather go there than down to the whatever they’re calling the Jiffy Lube the data at the edge of you know, Virginia Manassas, I don’t want to go there. Or even going to Philly. I’d rather got the Hershey. So Guns and Roses. I saw videos they played in Philly. They played DC two summers ago, they were great. actually went out and did shows with AC DC years ago when Brian Johnson lost his hearing. So I I didn’t expect it to be bad. But I had a couple of friends text me say I’m going to see the show in Pittsburgh next week. I’m here and it’s not good. And I’m like, well, it’s 40 bucks. And I want to see the pretenders and I love the love guns and roses. I actually had lunch long liquid lunch with slash at Mickey Mantle’s had on the show fun. Me Mickey me slash and Denny Nagel. The morning after Danny Nagel pitched game four of the World Series at Shea Stadium. The day that Danny Nagel won game five that night, he didn’t pitch but we were sitting at Mickey Mantle to slash walked in and did the show that afternoon had lunch at our booth. So I love guns and roses. It just wasn’t a good like, I mean, and I don’t mean to actual actual can’t sing. I don’t think he can hear himself. Wow. I think no, no, I think it sounded like the singer was tone deaf. And it wasn’t a monitor issue or whatever. It just, it wasn’t very good. The band was great. Like a freight train. The Pretenders were. Let me Cristian, 71 years old. She sings like she, I mean, she’s great. They were great. So and I’ve seen a lot of great shows this year. I still see Oh, great. So great. I went back four more times. Bryan Adams was great. So I’ve seen great stuff this summer. This wasn’t great. You know, and it’s a shame. It wasn’t great, because the opening act was great. But no. So I give it a chance. And I’m not mean, it’s just you’re asking people to pay a lot of money to seats up front of $300 more. I’m not expecting you to be at your best when you’re 60 years old. I’m just expecting it to be pass not fail. That’s all this past. I mean, we it doesn’t need to be the greatest night of my life. I only paid 45 bucks. There were a lot of kids there and families it was it was it was beautiful. I feel like it’s a beautiful rock and roll night. It just wasn’t. I gave it 90 minutes then it’s I wasn’t I didn’t. I didn’t walk out. I just didn’t really want to hear him. Not sinks reach on my mouth.
Dennis Koulatsos 59:57
Like Well, we have the patients And the Four Tops later on in the year looking for that concert just next to you all can’t wait for that concert and sock hair top the other night of 58 years old put on a great 90 minute show maybe maybe an hour and 45 I had a Google his net worth. And I was amazed because what he’s worth because he’d been 17 years now. Got a residency at the luxury hotel in Vegas. What would you what would you guess care tops net worth is top of your head
Nestor Aparicio 1:00:32
250 million
Dennis Koulatsos 1:00:35
70 million which is like that’s a lot of money man. I thought it was a $10 million range but my goodness gracious for community I
Nestor Aparicio 1:00:42
figured you might have had a $10 million a year residency there you know like whatever they’re paying
Dennis Koulatsos 1:00:46
net worth 70 So well maybe that’s what he gets gets paid but his net worth is 70 million and again he put on a fantastic show he’s our age and the problem with everything else great crowd very entertaining. Highly recommended if anybody is out in Vegas anytime soon.
Nestor Aparicio 1:01:01
Alright, so like I gotta leave you with this because I was going to put this in the middle of the segment we started talking about art modell because art you know was friends with all the old entertainers and whatnot. I want to leave you with my favorite off color. Art modell joke all right old time 1960s joke. So our anytime you would see art and this is true. Michelle modell and I are like life we’re friends. And anytime I want to make her laugh, I send her a text. Ready? She makes me laugh said because I’ve said it before, but it made me blush. anytime you’d see art privately, you know? Hey, art how you feel it? He’d say? I feel like an 18 year old. Were you gonna find one at this hour?
1:01:47
No, he was out and man and
Nestor Aparicio 1:01:48
he’s my Vegas joke for you. There’s so so anytime I text with Michelle Madol like I feel like an 18 year old.
Dennis Koulatsos 1:01:56
We’re kind of found in Vegas. You could find him at any hour. You choose. I’m sure about that. And even older that your tastes but he definitely belongs in the Hall of Fame Nesta. I think that’s one of the biggest misses in my lifetime as well. Never trying
Nestor Aparicio 1:02:11
to get Ozzy in twice, right. I think Ozzy would say why don’t you put art in
Dennis Koulatsos 1:02:15
art in art? Art belongs in the Hall of Fame. And they got to make that right. But before I never gonna make that right. Yeah, well, they should. Well, we’re not going to Cleveland a goofball. When he passes on. It goes to wherever has maker.
Nestor Aparicio 1:02:28
That’s not I don’t think that’s even it. I think
Dennis Koulatsos 1:02:32
he drives it. He drives at the
Nestor Aparicio 1:02:34
grocery I know I don’t speak to grocery I think maybe personal grocery me just because of the art modell thing and he
Dennis Koulatsos 1:02:40
knows it should be he shouldn’t be an idiot. Something like go.
Nestor Aparicio 1:02:44
Again, you accuse me that the Angelus family took what I did. Personally, I took their lives personally. So the same thing with Tony Grossie. Like it’s like I you know, you mess with me you mess with the village right? You know, it’s kind of like sort of that that’s a mess, but but
Dennis Koulatsos 1:02:59
we’ll get the horn. Nestor. I appreciate your time and your passion, great stories. And I look forward to our next segment we’ll have we’ll have more to talk about ravens Orioles. And hopefully it’ll be doing some good things on the field.
Nestor Aparicio 1:03:11
Oh, my stories are true. That’s what makes them so much fun. Hey, the truth
Dennis Koulatsos 1:03:14
never changes. Man. That’s not what I’ve been selling true for 36 years. It’s the easiest thing. Easiest thing to tell us the truth. It’s just that not many people can handle it. That’s the flip side of that.
Nestor Aparicio 1:03:24
Danis at this point. The truth is the baseball team is good. They’re gonna play playoff games here in October. They’re gonna play big games next month. Because that buys a big deal, right like winning the division three game lead to game lead for game lead, like, you know, that’s going to be and we’re going to have the reason I did for you the birds, you know, we’re going to have a legitimate baseball chance. We’re going to have knights we’re gonna have Cedric Mullins catches. We’re going to have Mike Baumann blown stays, we’re gonna have Felix Batista given up grand slams, we’re going to have Ryan O’Hearn hit grand slams, we’re gonna like Santander, we’re gonna we’re gonna have heroes and the heroes of Birdland. So, you know, the next six weeks interesting, the football team is gonna fly in and play a handful of games between now and whenever the playoffs are around, and then they’re gonna ramp up and B, seven into eight and three in your mind and in my mind to, quite frankly, I think they’re gonna be okay. I think they’re, I don’t know, they’re gonna win the Superbowl, but I think they’re going to be okay. They have a shot. And they are fascinating as we brought up earlier in the segment, in regard to what they’re going to be so Dennis 25th anniversary at NSD. And I’m working harder than ever. I have no vacations. I have nothing in my mind’s eye other than having sports be relevant here. It’s why I built the place 25 years ago, and quite frankly, there have been far, far too many spells where that things have been bad in the case of Ray Rice or, you know, jurisprudence, crazy stuff. Mike Flanagan off the field things that were awful, but there hasn’t been enough of this Baseball games every night that matter a football team that matters on the field. Even don’t forget off the field important the lease and the future, the front all of that as a backdrop, sports has never been more interesting, more relevant, and I have never been more seasoned to report on it. So that that’s where I am the next couple of months are about sports around here. And politics and how it plays I’m going to be at Maker this week, but and the crabcake tour in the NFL like all of that, but my focus is on their plan, meaningful baseball games and meaningful football games, and fans think we can win at both of them. And we can and for that I’m grateful man, like I’ve waited a long time to just be able to stick to sports a little bit and which we’re gonna do around here, you know? Well,
Dennis Koulatsos 1:05:46
I’m very grateful for you Nestor had someone asked me about you the other day and I said, Listen, the the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to sports, he has a scary photographic memory. He can tell you dates and times about any sporting event. You can you can bring up to him. So all the respect goes out to you. And I appreciate what you bring to the table every single day.
Nestor Aparicio 1:06:06
One of my dream guests on my bucket list of Reebok men were producing me would be to get Marilu Henner on so she and I can compare dates.
Dennis Koulatsos 1:06:13
There you go. There you go. Sounds like a date there. And there he goes. Nestor J Aparicio here on 15 7am Baltimore positive W NSC. Well, we never stopped talking sports. We’ll take a quick break and come back right after this.
