Downloading into Sarasota and swinging for the fences

As the Birds descend upon Sarasota and daily news leaks into the conversation, we’ll be covering the Baltimore Orioles better than ever. Luke Jones and Nestor preview the Orioles new look at spring training and talk MASN money and Bird watching as Mike Elias seeks to add pitching and Pete Alonso brings a captain ready to swing for the fence.

Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discussed the Orioles’ new look at spring training, focusing on the team’s pitching and hitting. Jones expressed concern about the bullpen, citing the loss of key relievers and the health of Tyler Wells. He highlighted the upside in the rotation, particularly Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, and Shane Baz. They also debated the impact of new acquisitions like Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward on the offense. Jones noted the Orioles’ payroll of $150 million, ranking 17th in MLB, and criticized the team’s marketing efforts. They concluded with a discussion on the value of MASN’s season pass at $99.

• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Feature and discuss the new sponsor (Dormer electrical/plumbing/HVAC) in upcoming sports coverage and segments through spring training and opening day, including wearing sponsor hat and on-air mentions
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Request and follow up with Katie Griggs / Orioles marketing to create and present a concrete community engagement and local marketing plan (aimed at increasing ticket sales and local outreach); report back to the show on any commitments or next steps

Bad Bunny and Super Bowl Discussion

• Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss their experiences with Bad Bunny’s performance at the Super Bowl.
• Luke Jones mentions he was busy with his nieces during the event and didn’t pay close attention.
• Nestor Aparicio shares his mixed feelings about the Super Bowl halftime shows, particularly disliking the weekend segment.
• Luke Jones humorously recalls his favorite halftime show, featuring WWF’s “Heat” with “Rock Wrestled Mankind.”

Luke Jones’ 12 Thoughts on Orioles Offseason

• Nestor Aparicio reads Luke Jones’ thoughts on the Orioles’ offseason, highlighting his disappointment and frustration.
• Luke Jones expresses his initial enthusiasm after the Bos trade but acknowledges the lack of significant moves since then.
• Discussion on the Orioles’ new ownership and the impact of the new management team.
• Luke Jones’ concerns about the rotation and bullpen, particularly the lack of high-impact acquisitions.

Orioles Rotation and Bullpen Analysis

• Luke Jones compares the current Orioles rotation to last year’s, noting the upside in players like Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, and Shane Baz.
• Discussion on the potential of Zach Eflin as a reliable starter if he recovers from his back issues.
• Luke Jones expresses concern about the bullpen, citing the loss of key relievers and the uncertainty around Tyler Wells’ health.
• Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones debate the overall strength of the Orioles’ pitching staff.

Orioles Offensive Improvements

• Luke Jones highlights the improvements in the Orioles’ offense with the addition of Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward.
• Discussion on the potential impact of these new acquisitions on the team’s overall performance.
• Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones debate the importance of the young players like Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman.
• Luke Jones expresses optimism about the offensive potential, despite acknowledging the need for some players to take steps forward.

Orioles’ Financial Situation and Community Engagement

• Nestor Aparicio criticizes the Orioles’ financial strategy, noting the lack of significant spending and community engagement.
• Discussion on the challenges of selling tickets and generating revenue without a high-profile player like Shohei Ohtani.
• Nestor Aparicio shares his frustrations with the team’s management and marketing efforts.
• Luke Jones acknowledges the need for better community engagement and marketing strategies.

MASN’s TV Coverage and Fan Engagement

• Luke Jones praises MASN’s decision to show 20 Orioles spring training games and the availability of a season pass for $99.
• Discussion on the importance of making games accessible to fans and the potential impact on ticket sales.
• Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones debate the effectiveness of the team’s marketing efforts and the need for better fan engagement.
• Luke Jones highlights the importance of winning games and spending money wisely to improve the team’s overall performance and fan interest.

NBC’s Role in Live Sports and Future Plans

• Luke Jones discusses NBC’s increasing role in live sports coverage, including Sunday Night Football, NBA games, and potential MLB games.
• Discussion on the impact of NBC’s strategy on the sports broadcasting landscape.
• Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones speculate on the future of live sports coverage and the potential for new broadcasting deals.
• Luke Jones highlights the importance of having a strong broadcasting partner to reach a wider audience and generate revenue.

Future of Cable and Streaming Services

• Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the future of cable and streaming services, including the potential for a la carte options.
• Discussion on the changing landscape of television subscriptions and the impact on sports fans.
• Luke Jones shares his personal experience with cutting cable and relying on streaming services for sports coverage.
• Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones debate the pros and cons of different streaming options and their impact on fan engagement.

Orioles’ Community Outreach and Marketing Efforts

• Nestor Aparicio criticizes the Orioles’ lack of community outreach and marketing efforts, particularly with local media.
• Discussion on the importance of building relationships with fans and the media to improve the team’s image and engagement.
• Luke Jones acknowledges the need for better community engagement and marketing strategies.
• Nestor Aparicio shares his personal experiences with the team’s management and the challenges of gaining access to events and players.

Final Thoughts on Orioles’ Future and Fan Engagement

• Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the overall outlook for the Orioles’ season and the importance of fan engagement.
• Discussion on the need for better marketing and community outreach to build a stronger fan base.
• Nestor Aparicio emphasizes the importance of winning games and generating excitement among fans.
• Luke Jones highlights the potential for improvement in the team’s performance and the need for continued investment in talent and infrastructure.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Orioles, spring training, pitching, bullpen, Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward, rotation, bullpen concerns, MASN, payroll, community engagement, marketing, fan support, offseason acquisitions, winning games.

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SPEAKERS

Nestor Aparicio, Luke Jones

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T, am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We are Baltimore, positive. It is a cold winter’s day here in Baltimore, Maryland, but it is, I don’t know if it’s warm and sunny in Sarasota, it wasn’t two weeks ago, but it shall be warmer and sunnier there than it is here, but we’re not that far out. On opening day, pitchers and catchers have reported new facilities down in Sarasota. Luke Jones about to join us here. Luke, just little bit of homework before we get to baseball here starting. How’d you feel about bad bunny? We didn’t talk about bad bunny. How did you feel about bad bunny?

Luke Jones  00:38

I’ll be totally honest with you. I wasn’t really paying close it was on. I wasn’t really paying close attention and to it because I had my two nieces at my house for a little Super Bowl gathering, and I was playing with them. But, see,

Nestor Aparicio  00:50

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I figured your nieces would have liked the people in the trees probably, you know, in the as part of

Luke Jones  00:55

the, I mean, we were just, I think they were just playing, right? I mean,

Nestor Aparicio  00:59

and eating. Well, your youngest niece doesn’t even speak English yet, so we get we

Luke Jones  01:03

can’t, yeah, so, right, so yeah, but yeah. I mean, it was on at my house, and that’s what it was, yeah,

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Nestor Aparicio  01:09

I enjoyed it. That’s all I enjoyed, I you know? And there’s some I didn’t enjoy, like, I didn’t like that weekend thing, you know what? I mean, that wasn’t, I’ll be totally honest with you, it’s not for me, it’s most years. It’s not really for me. I mean, I’ll be totally honest, like, you know, like Katy

Luke Jones  01:23

Perry, more than I thought I would. I did Coldplay when I was I was there for that. I get up during halftime. You know what I mean? Like, you know, I’m watching the game, and then when halftime comes, which, look, I mean, halftime is for the people that aren’t as invested in the game. I mean, that’s how it’s marketed. But generally, halftime is, you know what my favorite halftime was? When WWF did halftime heat 25 years ago, on the rock wrestled mankind in an empty arena match, that that was my favorite Halftime Show, which speaks to how nerdy I am.

Nestor Aparicio  01:54

Speaking of that baseball season is upon us, I read your 12 thoughts out at Baltimore, positive and thought number one is pissed off, disappointed little Luke Jones from near Glen rock, Pennsylvania, when I saw Glen rock with Summer Bridge room, like, ain’t she a neighbor? Luke? Didn’t she go to Susquehannock? So, you know? But I think there’s the there’s this point for you, where, not only are you the journalist that is approved, you know, in our duo here to be around the players and the new coaches, but there’s also this point for you where, like you want them to win, and it’s been a long time, and for the city, for all of us, part of the angst that even these new people would have with me is been waiting a long time. I’ve been lied to a lot, and you know, like all of that, even when they’re being honest, they haven’t been good enough. And that’s me being honest. And this offseason, certainly, you know, they took a swing on Pete Alonso. They have all of this talent that we all would say, coming out of college, and they spent five really, really bad years amassing this talent. They now have a new owner. We don’t talk about Angelos anymore and, like, except if we’re trying to get a meteor crunch, we have to talk about Angeles. But to be really honest with you, like, I sense that you think they haven’t done enough, yeah.

Luke Jones  03:20

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I mean, look, let me be clear. I’m not this isn’t me giving them an F or a D minus or a D even I felt when you and I sat in the aftermath of the Bos trade, which was, what, a couple couple days before Christmas somewhere in that neighborhood, you know, we were at Planet Fitness, talking about it. And at that point in time, my level of enthusiasm, I was excited. I liked what they had done. I still like what a lot of what they’ve done, but, and I wrote this last week, probably 24 hours before frame of Valdez ultimately chose AJ hinche and the Detroit Tigers at that point in time for me. And look, it could still come right? Pitchers and catchers report February 10. We’re 10 days out from the preseason opener, you know, the grapefruit league opener. We’re still, what, six weeks out from the start of the season, seven weeks whatever it is. So there’s time that could be a trade, that could still be a signing, although there’s not a whole lot out there that’s going to move the needle at this point in time, but I felt from New Year’s on, that man, they’re on their way to having a great off season, but I’m waiting for the punctuation, whether there was going to be an exclamation point, like for Amber Valdes, or trading for Joe Ryan, or something like that, or a period, which, for me, would have been adding more to the bullpen, and they haven’t done that. So I still look at everything they’ve done, and they’ve done a lot again, it’s, you know, I’m not saying that this was a colossal failure of an offseason. It certainly would not put it anywhere like where we viewed last, last off season. I. But I look at the rotation and the bullpen combined, and I still see too much of a hoping everything goes right kind of vibe to that. You know, I’ll say this, and I’ve actually, I’m altering my tune a little bit from the last time you and I formally talked on air about this, as I’ve looked at the rotation, and I’ve looked at the bullpen. I’m more concerned about the bullpen right now. I will say this, it’s not even close right now, in terms of looking at this rotation right now, compared to the moment that Grayson Rodriguez was shut down in what March 3 last spring, whatever it was, there is so much more upside between Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers and now adding Shane Boz to that mix, those three alone give much more enticing upside that, frankly, was not there from the moment that Grayson Rodriguez was shut down last spring. At that point, you’re looking at efflin, who right now looks like it’s going to be their fifth starter if he’s ready for opening day. You were looking at whatever Sagano was going to be, whatever Charlie Morton had left, you know, Dean Kramer. You were looking at Albert Suarez, right? I mean, like you weren’t really, where was the upside coming from, whereas right now, and look, I’m not going to sit here and say and make a bold prediction that Kyle Bradish throws 190 innings that would be very bold coming off of, you know that he’s less than two years removed from Tommy John surgery. That said, if Kyle Bradish stays healthy, and I don’t know if there’s any reason to think he, you know, compared to any other pitcher at this point, I mean, he came back and was healthy at the end of the end of last year. If he’s healthy and he can throw, let’s say 150 innings. Let’s say Kyle Bradish is talent wise, might be better than anything that was out there on the free agent market in terms of pure talent now, not in terms of track record of a ranger Suarez or a framber Valdez or or Dylan

Nestor Aparicio  07:06

cease, but is, he’s a guy you would have taken a flyer on, but

Luke Jones  07:10

his talent is immense. I mean, like, like, he, he’s absolutely an ace when it comes to stuff like, like, if you can, if you can put him in bubble, the proverbial bubble wrap, and he’s healthy. He’s an ace. You know that stuff’s terrific, and Trevor Rogers doesn’t have that level of stuff. But we saw what Trevor Rogers did for four months last year. So I’m not going to discredit that. I don’t think he’s going to have a sub two era again, but I think Trevor Rogers is going to be a, has a chance to be a very legitimate top half number

Nestor Aparicio  07:40

two, she can go on them, what they’ve actually done it, and then, and then they’ve done it. Well, those are the two guys they have.

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Luke Jones  07:45

Yeah. And then Boz, I said it to you from the moment they traded for him. Shane. Boz, to me, is Grayson Rodriguez, except he’s now a year and a half removed from health woes. He’s been durable for the last year and a half, whereas Grayson Rodriguez, the angels are still going to be holding their breath to see if he’s truly healthy this spring.

Nestor Aparicio  08:05

So you see him as a big upgrade over Kramer, um,

Luke Jones  08:11

but the potential to be that Sure. I mean, you know, look, and this is where I’ll stick up for Dean Kramer a little bit here. I mean, Dean Kramer is a guy who takes the ball every five days, and he’s been a league average starter for the most part over the last three years. No, that’s not the guy you wanting. You want starting game one or Game Two, or even game three. But you know what? You need some guys like that to navigate 162, to get to game one, Game Two, game three. In October, 28 starts to a 410, era. Take That is my number four, number five starter. I mean, I just will so but, but Boz is another guy that you add in with Bradish and with Trevor Rogers, and you say, man, now again, they’ve got to do it like in, in boss’s case, it’s like, All right, time to put it all together statistically. In bradish’s case, he needs, it needs to hold up for the whole season, and his elbow not be an

Nestor Aparicio  09:02

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issue, by the way. I said, 410 era. His CRA has been 412 410, and 419 and I, you know, I haven’t looked at his bubble

Luke Jones  09:12

gum car like that’s crazy. I mean, that’s what you see. Is what he like. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not excited.

Nestor Aparicio  09:19

72 innings, under 30 innings, under 71 innings, for what

Luke Jones  09:25

in today’s day and age, that that qualifies as durable? I know that. I know that’s not someone throwing 200 plus innings like we used to see, but very few guys do that in baseball anymore. So so from that standpoint, just looking at those four and then the other pivotal figure here is Zach Eflin. Look Zach Eflin pitched well for the Orioles when they acquired him at the deadline two years ago, for as much as we talk about that deadline as a whole, not working out Zach Eflin was was really good down the stretch those two months. He was their opening day starter last year. Now, by default, I understand that. So. So if, and I would assume the Orioles had a pretty good feel for the medicals when they signed him at the end of December, if he’s ready to go by opening day, or, let’s just say, by some point in April, and he’s closer to the guy he was in the previous three years than what he was last year, when I think the back was very clearly something that was bothering him. Then you could do a lot worse in Zach efland as one of your your number four starter or your number five starters. So point is, this isn’t me saying the Orioles have the best rotation in the Al East. They don’t. But there is upside there. Unlike last year, where last year, what were we talking about, do they have a high enough floor because we weren’t talking about the upside like there just was an upside without Grayson Rodriguez in the picture. But there’s upside this year. So I just gave you my case for Yes, I still would have loved them to add, you know, to sign to for Amber Valdez. You know to sign an ace, to sign a number two starter, to slot in between Bradish and Rogers. However, whatever order you wanted to do, I still would have liked to have seen that. I’m not going to shy away from that, but you can at least argue that there’s upside for for the rotation the bullpen. I like the Helsley signing. Don’t get me wrong. I i fully buy his bad month that he has had with the Mets is something that he was able to remedy. You know, he was tipping pitches, and he was better in September. And he’s got a three and a half track year track record prior to what happened to him last August. You know, last July and August to think that that was more the aberration than what he is now, because he’s not, he’s not 37 years old like Craig Kimbrel was when they signed him two years ago, or whatever kimberle’s age was at that point. So I like that. I like the fact that they brought back Kittredge. Where’s the rest of the high leverage coming from? Though that’s where I look at that, in the bullpen. I mean, right now, and this is this the first time you and I have talked Cade Stroud was a guy that I was talking about as of the guys that got a chance last year post fire sale, understanding they were still playing out the string cage, Stroud was the most interesting arm out of those guys, you know, Dietrich ends and him, and Rico Garcia, and you know, the rest of the guys that no one had heard of that were getting opportunities all of a sudden. Well, they just traded him for Blaze Alexander, who, yeah, I get it. They needed a utility infielder, and he does fit that for them, which, before you know, Jeremiah Jackson didn’t really fit the idea of a utility infielder, but Kate Stroud was a guy that I was arguing would be a sleeper in that bullpen. So, man, I look at this bullpen right now, and I just, I’m not very confident Nestor. And okay, I’ll hear Tyler wells, but Tyler Wells has to stay healthy, right? In the same way we’re talking about Bradish, right? So I’m worried about the bullpen, I really am. I that’s where I kind of look at this thing. And, you know, again, it’s not Helsley. I like the hesley signing. I like the fact they brought kittridge back, but keep in mind how much they subtracted from last year’s bullpen at the trade deadline. I mean, they traded four guys, they brought one back. And don’t get me wrong, I’ll, I’ll even cite the fact that their bullpen statistically wasn’t good even with those guys last year. So it’s not that I’m like longing for Sir Anthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto.

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Nestor Aparicio  13:28

Greg Kimball’s in camp. Am I correct with who Mets? Am I long? Am I wrong in saying that

Luke Jones  13:33

he it’s not, I thought you meant with you, he’s in a camp, yeah? Um, it’s a minor I know it’s a minor league deal.

Nestor Aparicio  13:41

I’m just saying, yeah, he’s arrived in Port St Lucie,

Luke Jones  13:45

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no, you caught me off guard asking if he was with

Nestor Aparicio  13:49

the you know, these are, this is what other teams are bringing.

Luke Jones  13:53

So other teams didn’t trade, but they did. Other teams didn’t trade away for relievers and lose Felix Batista to a rotator cuff surgery. So, so that’s where I look at this thing.

Nestor Aparicio  14:04

This worries me. By the way, Luke Jones is here. We’re talking baseball. We’re going worried

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Luke Jones  14:08

about the bullpen. You can talk me into the rotate you

Nestor Aparicio  14:11

think their pitching is thin. That’s exactly where they’ve been. And let me say this, when they thought their pitching was fatter, Corbin burns winning a lot of games couple years ago, when Cano and Batista were like a thing and like all of that was going on, they thought that their offense was the thing. Yeah, right. They thought they were going to score five or six runs a game. They thought that they that cows are was going to come on, and mayo was going to hit the ball, and Westberg was going to stay healthy, and rushman was going to be somewhere between Johnny Bench and pub Rodriguez and like, on and on and on and on, they thought holiday might, you know, season a little quicker than even he did, or he will be still kid, but on and on, they really thought they were going to hit the ball. Yeah, you. One, I are going to give them that at all until they do well,

Luke Jones  15:03

I will through looking at it through this lens, they acknowledge they needed to get better. So they went out and got pi Alonzo, and they got Taylor Ward, and their lineup does look better as a result. They still got the muscle guy from Canada. I mean, yeah, exactly. I mean, who at this point is not. He was their prize acquisition last winter. He’s only a $20 million a year guy. He’s not but he’s not an everyday player at this point. I mean, he’s going to platoon with Dylan Bieber’s I would

Nestor Aparicio  15:32

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assume I forgot he’s even on the team. So

Luke Jones  15:35

I’m glad you, but I’m glad you brought up the offense, because this is where I’ll go back to giving them the credit that they do deserve for their offseason. Their offense is in way better position. You can now sell me on the idea that this can be a top five offense in baseball. Now they still need to be able to like the young guys, still enough of the young guys. Still need to take steps forward. But think about it. You now have Pete Alonso and gunner Henderson, whatever the order is, whether they’re three, four, you know, Gunner could hit second, Alonso could hit fourth, whatever they decide to do with the batting order, but that one two punch, I’ll take that up against just about any in baseball. And what that does when you add Pete Alonso and to a lesser degree, but I’ll still, I’ll throw Taylor ward in there, even though I still to this day, will say I didn’t love the Grayson Rodriguez trade in terms of what they got for him, but Taylor Ward is a legitimate corner outfield bat, so those two added in now takes the pressure off of the likes of besayo and beavers and Colton kauser and even Adley rutschman. I mean, you and I were this deep into the conversation, even talking about the offense, and we haven’t met, even mentioned Adley rush three years ago. He was the guy we talked about first, right? So the point is, Jordan Westberg Jackson, holiday. Point is, you add those two guys to the mix, and really, Alonzo being the major one, it eases the pressure on everyone else. Everyone else drops down a spot in the pecking order, so to speak. So I think that’s where I am much more optimistic about the offense now that is also with an understanding that at least a portion of these guys, yes, are going to be better. That doesn’t mean it’s going to happen with every single guy, but that was also why last year’s plan was flawed, because it felt like they were counting on every single young guy to tip, to be a hit, right, to be, you know, to connect, to be better. Whereas you know that development is not linear in that way they have some outs now. I mean, right now, you know, I don’t know where Kobe Mayo fits in, you know, I certainly don’t see him and Ryan mountcastle Being on this roster. I mean, they’re not going to be I mean, that Blaze Alexander being added to the mix all but guarantees that. I don’t know how often Tyler O’Neill is going to play, you know, I think the idea is he’s probably going to become more of a part time player, probably going to DH when, beside catching and rushman is getting a day off, and you’ll see him play a little bit of right field platooning with Dylan beavers, because you can’t count on them to do much more than that, you know. You certainly can’t pencil them in to play 150 games. So I you know, but I also like the idea of Tyler O’Neill having that role. I like his chances of being more productive then as a result. Again, I don’t know all of this is projection, right? We don’t know what’s going to happen. You know, a year ago, we were lamenting the Orioles not resigning Corbin burns, and he’s in Arizona, and then two months later, he’s having Tommy John surgery, right? You don’t know what’s going to happen, but I will say this do for some good luck. Yeah, with rotchman, with cows, or with Wesley better with all of with Henderson being better with holiday moving them like that’s the way I’ve been more bullish on them, but I’m concerned about the arms. Even if you told me all these guys are bubble wrapped and they’re, you know, they don’t have enough of it, and it’s pitching. It’s just pitch, yeah, and be right. And, like I said, that’s where I still look at the pen right now. I mean, I can at least see the path for the rotation the pen. I mean, right now. So if we’re looking at their bullpen right now and again, could they trade for someone? There are still some guys out there, they could sign, you know. So that’s always, you know, as you and I are speaking in real time, however, you’ve got Helsley, you’ve got kittridge, all right, check, check, Keegan akin Oh, even checked him off. He pitched well enough last year that I’ll give you that He can pitch in the seventh inning, you know, like, I’ll hear that. But after that, Tyler wells look. I like the idea, I like the idea of Tyler wells in the bullpen, but is he going to hold up? You know, we’re talking about someone who’s had multiple injuries as an Oriole Dietrich ends. I mean, he pitched well last August and September, but there was no pressure whatsoever. I mean, that was playing out the string. Same with Rico Garcia. What are you what? Heck, are you getting out of yen your canoe at this point in time, right? I mean, I’ll point this out. Canoe has options. So he’s not a slam dunk to be on the opening day roster. You know, if he’s got to have a good spring. I mean, we’re past the point where yen, your canoe is just a lock to make the bullpen. I mean, he’s got pitch better. I mean, there’s no doubt. Where is Albert Suarez? You know, he’s on a minor league deal. I think, I think in a perfect world, they’re looking at Albert Suarez potentially as a swing guy in the bullpen for them. So, man, that’s a light group right there. I mean, it just is, you know, and you know, I mean you’re Colin Selby. I mean guys like that. I mean that that’s that doesn’t sound like a playoff bullpen to me.

Nestor Aparicio  20:40

Well, there’s always something that happens where a Cano comes or a Suarez comes true there, you know, there’s, there’s always somebody, somebody gets better. Rogers was the case last Sure, right? So there’s always this improvement that goes along with the arc of effluent. Might not get to the mound this year. Yeah, older guy. Arm this that Rodriguez was that case last year, although betting against him when we thought he was Jim Palmer, at least storm Davis, or at least rocky Coppinger,

Luke Jones  21:13

skeptical of everyone pitching right? He’s just gone. He went from there,

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Nestor Aparicio  21:17

Jim Palmer to gone. We’ll take him for a guy who might hit 40 home runs and strike out 190 times. 90 times, I and who’s going to platoon our $18 million guy we’ve already paid who can’t stay healthy. So like, I could sit here and shoot holes in all of it. The thing I can’t shoot holes in is the notion of how many top shelf blue chip prospects they have, the notion that they have a new management team, the notion that they’ve brought in a leader, that’s all that always worries me when you import leaders. But damn if you don’t have one, you better get one. Yeah, it might be Kevin Millar. It could be whoever it is. You got to get somebody. So for me, I the hardest part for me is they’re playing the Yankees and the Red Sox and the Blue Jays. The best part is they’re not playing them 14 times in each stadium 100 times a year anymore. So that’s good. You know that that’s really good. This is where that benefits them greatly when they’re not the best team, or they could still win more games than all of these teams and not be the best team. And that’s used to be really hard to do when you didn’t spend as much. I’m fine with it, but it’s also not above him, where Michael era Getty and David Rubenstein would say, We’re new guys. We’re coming in. We’re coming in with all of our chips and all of that. What’s your payroll is? I mean,

Luke Jones  22:54

it’s, I think it’s, it’s right around where it was last year, but I think it’s depending on the source that you look at. And again, I this is going to change, because I expect they’re going to at least sign another guy or two on the margin, something like that. But looking at it at Koco’s Baseball contracts, which is a baseball prospectus, own site, they currently have it at 150,000,017th in baseball. So you know which is that’s tough.

Nestor Aparicio  23:21

Sleb, when a buck 50s at 17th, yeah, oh yeah, we mentioned the NFL salary cap. We used to think of the $200 million a difference, dude, you and I consider him boojah. All day long about the Costa and Lamar Jackson and Mike Florio and who might do what, and lamar’s mother and Fernando Mendoza and the Raiders. And we could play all of those games, but we’re spending the same amount of money as the Bengals and the Raiders, whether you like them or you don’t like them or Hey, and also the same amount of money as the New York Giants and the LA Rams and all these teams that would have Cowboys would have huge benefits, given their markets and hardball, going and running off with the Giants the way Lane Kiffin ran off with LSU because Ole Miss won’t have enough money. Baseball still talk about it in those terms, in the way that like 150 millions not enough. It’s 17th not enough. It’s bottom half not enough. It’s also top half of the division they’re in. And I don’t know, I don’t know what to make of that, other than, I don’t think they’ve sold a lot of tickets this offseason because of Pete Alonso. I don’t know that a lot of people knew Peter Lonzo was outside of the baseball circle of baseball people who already would or wouldn’t be in. I don’t think there’s been a big Shohei Ohtani, kind of over the top show of business and or local support for them, I could be wrong. I don’t think I am. I’m on the streets every day. I know what they’re trying to charge for this and that. And Birdland memberships also now pissed off people were last year. How pissed off they were. Katie Griggs in a general sense, and I’m not. Getting any further along with how I’ve been treated by them in the last, oh, I don’t know, month or so since I shook their hands and said, Please, let me come back and let me be mini member, like I’m not doing all of that. You know, I’m a grown ass man. I’m almost 60 years old. I’ve watched this for all of my life. They’re not the best team, they’re not the 17th best team, but like this, also isn’t some we’re in it for the city, and we love Baltimore, and we’re doing this and building that, and we’re living here, and Rubenstein spotted around town five times a week because he took a penthouse down at Harbor court or took my old place just to show up and be here. They’re not even going to face on any of that. So I don’t know where the revenue is coming from. My point being like, as it ties, and that’s a whole other issue. But it is spring training, and people are looking for the games. Hey, the good news is, like, you can actually watch some games next week, right? Like they they’ve made it so many games on you. The Angelos family’s not running March anymore, which was always like, Holy hell. They’re not even putting their game. I don’t even know who these players are. They just gave court, they just signed Corbin burns, and are not even putting them on TV. For me, like, at least we’re gonna see Pete Alonso bad a few times in the next couple of weeks. And I don’t think that that’s any big Come on, but I do think at least we’re not in the dark for the first time in 25 years during spring training, which is just insane. But I don’t know what that means for them selling tickets or making opening day. I don’t know, but they’re, to me, they’re they’re queue in the community is no bigger or better on March 28 or April 10, or any better than the preaknesses. And I ain’t saying nothing in May that they’re stopping traffic, that they did anything this offseason to stop traffic. That’s all I’m going to say. Peter Lonzo, a lot of money. I’ll hear you all day. I don’t think it rang the bell. I think it’ll ring the standings. I think the win games because of it.

Luke Jones  26:56

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That’s cool. I just, I’m not sure what you’re I mean, you gave me one player, Shohei Ohtani. I mean, I don’t know who’s the list. Like, who was that player this offseason? No, if you’re gonna tell me, people will know. Peter lonz, they surely don’t know

Nestor Aparicio  27:09

has their winter carnival. So, you know, I mean, like, the the things that they tried to do, and that they organically tried to do, which things like giving me a press pass, they could just do that right away, and that would make me happier, make me feel like that. There something’s changed. I haven’t. They spent some money this off season. You don’t believe in their pitching. I don’t believe in their upper management at this point, you know, or like, a real level of commitment that it’s going to take here locally to get the revenue where it’s going to need to be for us to say they’re spending more. So I do think it’s hand in hand. I’m not just being a dick. I mean, the money is indicative of what they can or cannot do here, and that’s indicative of how they’re going to run their operation and who they’re going to be nice to, you know, how they’re going to sell tickets, how they’re going to market the team. And it feels to me like all this came out of some trade school it’s not, I don’t feel any authenticity in what they’ve done. That’s all I’m saying, and that’s the thing that I think they need more than anything. And I would tell Katie Griggs that I just did, I just said it on the radio so and on the internet and anywhere else that they want to hear it, that they need to do something to create some spirit and enthusiasm here, above and beyond. I don’t even know what that is, but for the off season, they want a press conference or two, and everybody’s still going to be talking about Lamar, I guess soon.

Luke Jones  28:32

I mean, I when you when you say you don’t even know what it is, it’s tough for me to argue then, I mean, I’ll say this, they spent 72 million more last off season than they did the year before, and they completely cratered. So that, right there speaks to it’s not just spending money. It’s just, it’s not you. You have to spend it. Well, yes, you need to spend money. And we can certainly argue, I’m not going to argue against the correlation between the ability to have a higher payroll and the ability to win for the long haul. There’s, there’s no disputing that.

Nestor Aparicio  29:02

But, and they suck money, like, this week, they opened Sarasota in a new way. So that’s, they’re doing baseball things, you know? I mean, like, that’s fine. I think you’re behind five years ago, two years ago, Peter’s hadn’t even been dead two years dude. You know what I mean? So, like, it’s, it’s come a long way. It’s become normalized to some degree, right? I mean,

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Luke Jones  29:26

yeah, and that’s where, you know, I’ll push back a little bit. I think you’re under selling Pete Alonso a little bit. But that said, No, I’m not going to say, I mean, for me,

Nestor Aparicio  29:35

he takes the town by storm by June, then great.

Luke Jones  29:39

But my point with that is, I don’t know who those players are. I think that’s a I think that’s a much shorter list than anyone realizes. In basic Otani couldn’t sell tickets in LA anyway. So, I mean, you have Otani. I mean you could say Aaron judge. I mean Aaron judge plays in the Bronx anyway.

Nestor Aparicio  29:56

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Here’s the deal here. Like, don’t tell anybody this. This is just Mar. Kidding. Okay, they could sell them as a big deal here. You know what I’m saying, in the in the way that anybody would market anything, they could sell them as a big deal here and this town, we don’t get out much, and we’re just Oreo people, and we like the Orioles, and we want to be in with the Orioles, and they could have put Peter Lonzo on my show with you and me as an example. You know what I mean? There are things that they could do that they don’t do. They let you know, and they don’t let me in. Why? Because Peter Angelos wanted it that way. What the that got to do with whether I’m a media member, when you’re a media member, and we’re like shit that didn’t make any sense before still doesn’t make any sense, and I feel that way about how they market. I’ve been out with Katie Griggs twice. I’ve shaken hands with these people. I see what their marketing thing is, and more than that, Luke, honestly, I talk to people every day of my life. I was in a local crab house every day last week for eight hours a day talking to people, fans, black people, white people, rich people, poor people, East people, West people, football people, basketball people, lacrosse people, all of that. They need these people to be back into the Orioles like and not opening day or the day like 365 and they haven’t been able to do that yet, and I hope that Peter Lonzo is a way to do that. I hope winning is a way to do that. I hope that recruiting the community is a way to do that. But I’ve given them a chance with me, and they can’t even pick up the phone and i i cost nothing. I’m free, and all they got to do is be nice, because I like them and I want to like and I’m telling you, I’m not vibing out that people are rolling out their credit card for them, which is really what they need, and that’s going to be the only thing that makes it sustainable to get another Pete Alonso or to keep Henderson, even if they win and they don’t become the Royals, right, or they win For a minute and give it all away, and this guy sells to the next guy, and they have their fun look if they have their fun and have one parade here, we’re good for life. And if that’s this year, I’ll be the first guy there in October, whether they let me in as a media member or not. But I’m also going to sit here and say the realities of what they’re up against and thinking an all star game is going to fix them. And that’s what Katie keeps saying, the All Star game’s going to like, I

Luke Jones  32:28

mean, it’ll be nice, but no, it’s not going to be the end all be all. I Anyone who thinks otherwise. I mean, you know, okay, but they’ve got to win and they’ve got to spend money to make money. I will continue to say that, like, you know, it’s the chicken or the egg thing, right? I mean, and they got to be smart, yeah, about how to deal with, and I will say they deal with with the people

Nestor Aparicio  32:49

that they want to support, the team they need to be smart. And I haven’t been so far the Rubenstein bobblehead. And, I mean, if Eric Eddie’s going to run the thing and be in front of it. Get him in front of it, but all of my accounts on him, including me shaking his hand, is he’s not going to show well. He shows well in a one minute Instagram clip buying beer for people. Why isn’t he out in front of it like that? That’s today. It’s February today, like every day, every day, the way Larry liquino was. And you’ll say, Well, that was 40 years ago. Well, that’s when they were a big deal. That’s when they sold 3 million 3 million tickets, and they had DC and rest in Virginia and AOL and all of that money, and no funneling up here, you know? I mean, they don’t need to have that again, but they need to have everybody here engaged. And I don’t sense that, although I did have a couple of oral hats last week, Dave Brailsford, Mike was sickly on your people came on to my set wearing Oriole gear. Oh, white men, I mean, and that’s where they are, but, like, that’s where they are. And I’d like them to be more than that. That’s all, that’s all,

Luke Jones  33:52

then, you know, we’re gonna see. And you’d like

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Nestor Aparicio  33:55

them to buy more relief pitching so that we get more interested.

Luke Jones  33:57

And I win. I mean, I just everything you mentioned, like I’m not in disagreement with it, but people aren’t going to care if they don’t win. I mean, that’s just reality. That’s reality. Look at Maryland right now, like Maryland basketball, that’s the first time you and I have even brought them up. They are awful. They are horrendous to watch. And look, I’m not sitting here with any unrealistic expectation of what Buzz Williams was going to do in year one, but they are quite possibly the worst, worst year in school history, team in power five conference. Yeah, like, that’s unbelievable. But the other part that I think has frustrated a lot, and this is where there’s a parallel here is, I think there has been a very much a sense of frustration from the die hards of how little effort Buzz Williams, the perception, let’s say, and I and let me be clear, I’m this is what I’m reading on social media. I don’t cover Maryland. I haven’t covered Maryland closely in a very long.

Nestor Aparicio  35:00

Time full disclosure, it’s because they mistreated us, and we just said screw but even said it’s too hard with them. I mean, literally, I’ll say that I own the business. I mean I’m I loved Mary and

Luke Jones  35:13

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I don’t. I’m not making it. I’m not trying to make it about me, though. I’m trying to just look at it.

Nestor Aparicio  35:16

But it’s not about it is about you and me, because we don’t go and neither does anybody else,

Luke Jones  35:21

but the I think the point that has been frustrating for a lot of die hards who face it, were bracing for this to be a difficult year. There weren’t a lot of people expecting this to be an NCAA tournament season for Maryland, when Willard leaves after the sweet 16 and you’ve got to turn over the entire roster and like, you know

Nestor Aparicio  35:41

that that Willard mouthing off last week, yes. I mean, whatever, low rent,

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Luke Jones  35:45

yeah, but, but the point is, the expectations are low. But I think where a lot of people are frustrated is the perception has been that Buzz Williams has not done anything to truly assimilate into the local community and buy into the tradition of Maryland and to recruit former players to be involved. You know what I mean, like the idea of that you’re invested in Maryland, and it’s not just, well, the latest stop on the Buzz Williams coaching tour, and I think that’s where the frustration has been, but that’s the same idea sport at this point. But that’s the same idea that we’re talking about with the Orioles here in terms of, what are you doing to recruit people now this is where, having said all that, because it just came out yesterday, this is where I will actually give them some compliments on the TV side. One they have they are scheduled to show 20 games on massen, which is very much in line with what you see from normal, normal teams. You know, when it comes to that, I mean, most what you see with most teams for spring training, and there are a couple exceptions, but for the most part, what you see is teams generally televise all their home games because they have a setup in place to televise all their home games and then the road games. It’s a little more hodgepodge, like, sometimes you’ll like, for example, like the Orioles might, might get the beat the permission to use nesson’s Feed when the Orioles go to Fenway South right, and show it on but generally, what you see in the Phillies have done this in recent years and other big market teams, generally, they show the home games during spring training. So they’ve done that, and there are a few road games as well. Good. Then the other thing that came out, which I like seeing this is Monday, they amass and announce their season pass, which is available for the entire you get the entire season, including the 20 Spring Games. And you can get that for 9999 for the entire season, 100 bucks to watch, see.

Nestor Aparicio  37:45

Now, that’s price for your mother. Yeah, that’s your mother would say 100 bucks. I like the Orioles, my $17 a month. I love, you know, yeah? Like, like, Okay, that’s a fair price, yeah? So, so I’ll give that the first word I’ve gotten at that because, because, again, they’ve taken me off all of their marketing so I don’t get their market. They had it on their social network like I don’t get emails anymore, so I just didn’t see it. So if you would have asked me what a fair price is for the season, I probably would have said a buck and a half. I probably would have said they were trying to get 289 though, you know what I mean, because that’s what they do when, when you have a jacket that’s worth 50 bucks, and they charge 300 like that’s been the part of having the logo on it has been this, we’re MLB, here’s our middle finger, and get your credit card out. And so 100 bucks for the year. You know that? The good news is that’s it most expensive. It’s going to be because they’ll sell it in July for 39 you know what? I mean? Yeah, we had all year long.

Luke Jones  38:44

You look at it through the like, their normal monthly price, because a lot of people will do that to like, last year. You know? Well, first of all, last year is a bad example, because they didn’t launch it until what, late April, or whatever. It was not easy, yeah, like, but last year the price was, the price point was 1999 a month. Now, keep in mind, I think they probably had to be have some awareness here to say, well, last year, it was 1999 a month, and you could get the Orioles and the NATs games. Well, now it’s just the Orioles games, because the NATs are, you know, that’s her, Oh, they’re broke. They’re brokered through nats TV, MLB, you know, like they’re one of those.

Nestor Aparicio  39:17

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And there goes 40 more million than Andrews, for sure, feeling for the other team. But they got to figure out how to make now,

Luke Jones  39:22

but, but you look at it through the lens of if you if you just played the paid the 1999 so you have March, basically a month of spring training, and then you have a six month season, that’s seven months that you pay for. That’s 140 bucks.

Nestor Aparicio  39:36

They should be running ads on my radio station and having me have their mark fine should be sitting on the show. Don rovac should be having crab cakes with me to tell our extended audience of over 7 million people on Facebook alone the last six months about these offers that I’m not even aware of. Dude, you know, because they haven’t even tried to sell it to me and I woke up at six in the morning to go shake their hands. Personally at an event, invite them onto my media company to I don’t know, I wouldn’t even say, fix things. How about meet them? You know what? I mean, like, I have no angst for these people, other than the fact that I’ve been mistreated, and that’s pissing me off. So I don’t mind saying it. But all that being said, it’s priced right? My wife would buy for 90. Well, maybe not. She didn’t like the Orioles that much, but like she might, you know what? I mean, she’s like in the Olympics a lot this week. She likes baseball. Her last name is Aparicio so maybe 100 bucks. People gotta want it, but if you want it,

Luke Jones  40:39

it’s 100 bucks. I mean, think about it. I mean, that’s, it’s not 162 because inevitably, there’s a few Apple games. And Sunday, no, so I don’t get them. No, no. I mean that, but

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Nestor Aparicio  40:50

that get them 100 bucks, and then, like, Friday night, I gotta go figure something else. Oh, that’s, hey, I’m not being a jerk. I’m being let me get the pencil out. So, like, if I I’m being honest, like, Apple, you got to have that. What else do we have to have? I don’t know.

Luke Jones  41:09

Think just that. Well, NBC, peacock now has the Sunday night and early Sunday but some

Nestor Aparicio  41:14

of those quit on them, right? ESPN, no more. Joe Morgan,

Luke Jones  41:18

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ESPN, still not Sunday night. Sunday night will now be on NBC, NBC or Peacock, depending on the time.

Nestor Aparicio  41:24

NBC, meaning like, like the Olympics, like, like channel 11. Like, okay, so

Luke Jones  41:30

NBC now, I mean, this is where NBC has made a power play for live sports. You know, I’m getting into a little bit of sports business here. So they have Sunday Night Football. They have now, they now transition into Sunday night basketball on NBC. They also Rico doing that too. Yeah, he’ll be involved in that. Yeah, oh yeah, yeah. Tariko does everything, right, yeah. He was anchoring Olympic coverage post game. Sunday night crazy. Mike, forever. You know what I do, too? And I will say this, and this is where he deserves his flowers. He’s been very good for a very long time, but I don’t know if it’s just recently, but he has grad in recent years. He has graduated into when you hear him calling a game, you know, it’s a big deal in the same way that when I was a kid, when some are all in Madden, were calling the game, it was a really big deal when Al Michaels was calling the game. Is a really big deal tariko The last couple years, you know, and it might have just been that he’s also not over the top. He’s not like me. He doesn’t piss people. I mean, nobody hates Mike Tariq or the way they learned. I hate Joe Buck for some I think he does a great job. And what’s funny, I hated Koco’s Right? I mean, you know, like, and part of that’s the politics and this and that. But, like, I liked all of these guys because I know how hard it is to do and I know them all, and I’ve had them all on, and certain fans hate every announcer, you know I mean. But I mean to Rico hasn’t moved to that level, yes. I mean, I think he does a great job. And the thing that man, he did, I know you’re not a big NBA fan, but when, because NBC has NBA coverage for the first time in what, to two decades, I bet something, something, maybe 15 years, something like that, anyway. But he did their opening night game on NBC. It was a Tuesday night, so this was, like back in right around Halloween, whatever that was. It was the first time he had called an NBA game for a national broadcast in quite a while. I think he had done a tune up with

Nestor Aparicio  43:22

some random do a lot of college basketball, he did

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Luke Jones  43:26

everything once upon a time, but it was amazing, though, to hear him call the NBA for the first time on a national scale in a long time, you would have thought he was calling games never stopped. I mean, that’s how smooth and fluid and just knowledgeable, and how much he prepares. But the interesting thing I mentioned NBC now doing baseball too. He I heard him doing this was a Super Bowl interview that he that he gave, he made mention that he’s never called baseball before, but he’s a really big baseball fan. I guarantee you at some point, whether it’s this year or next, we’re going to hear Mike tarico Calling Major League Baseball too weird.

Nestor Aparicio  44:06

Like a big wrestling fan you are, but they think if he was baseball and football, but you’re like, like, nerd when it comes to pro wrestling. And like, I hung out with Adam Schefter and his brother 12 years ago when my wife, 11 years ago, my wife was sick. We we had a whole night with the Mets Mark fine of the Baltimore Orioles was with us that night. Adam Schefter loves the NBA. Like you would not know that. Now you would know that because he’s been doing it for a period, but like, he even said to me that night, it was his dream to work in the NBA. And I’m like, Dude, you’re the biggest guy in football, like, but you know, it is amazing what you don’t know what you don’t know. John Harbaugh’s wife was a huge Detroit Tigers fan. You wouldn’t know it, but she loved baseball, and you’d know it if you saw her Tigers games and she dragged John to games, but, like, it’s a little weird mixing. I don’t think of Mike Tirico in baseball. Like, if I ran into him, had a meal with him, I wouldn’t think to talk to. Baseball with him, because I don’t associate him with that, right?

Luke Jones  45:02

Yeah, yeah, so but, but from what I understand, he’s a big baseball fan too, so you would way rather have dinner with somebody talk wrestling than you would rather talk football or baseball, right? Probably, yeah, you don’t get to talk wrestling professionally, though, right? Yeah, yeah. We could just get you on a serious podcast

Nestor Aparicio  45:19

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once a week and let your thing fly.

Luke Jones  45:21

Oh, I would have all kinds of opinions. Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know if anyone would like them, but, yeah, but

Nestor Aparicio  45:28

get a sponsor for Luke. Any wrestling sponsor, I’ll do a wrestling say no, Luke, let him run wild.

Luke Jones  45:33

It’s just like anything else. There are so many wrestling podcasts out there. I don’t know how I would distinguish myself in any way. You know what I mean, like? Because, I’m not, I don’t have a level of expertise that’s unique.

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Nestor Aparicio  45:43

Listen to me. Somebody’s going to listen to you and say, you know that Luke Jones, he does football and baseball because he does radio these smooth with his delivery. Should hear that wrestling podcast Luke’s working on. Luke Jones is here. We’re talking baseball, believe it or not, in the home a child, childhood home of Hulk Hogan will go to Tampa this week, maybe,

Luke Jones  46:03

yeah, but, but so, you know, we went off on the tangent about NBC and everything. But so the mass and brought, just to put a bow on that whole part of it. I mean, was 155 games are probably on mass. And then there might be seven games that are but split between Peacock, Apple TV and and then the other couple, one stray ones would be Fox games that are on over the air, right? Like you’d watch on Fox 45 there’ll be a couple Saturday game of the weeks, which you know, you get over the air. So, so, you know, but, but, so it’s not the full 162 slate, but it’s 20 Spring Games and 150 whatever it is, right? I mean, for 99 bucks, you know that’s, that’s pretty good deal. And I guess, from their school of thought, if you’re not sold on that, then they’re hoping that, hey, they’ll be good and not be in last place in May, like they were last the

Nestor Aparicio  46:55

orals were the only thing I watched. And my wife with this freaking Olympics going on right now, and the F and NFL like, like, all things being equal, if my life were just flat, I would give them 100 bucks for the baseball thing and not have cable television and court cut right like, so court cuts $2,400 if all you really care about is the Orioles and peacock and ESPN or Disney or this or that. You know, maybe it is getting to be a little bit more reasonable in that way, because that really is the decision for people your age and younger, by far, because nobody has cable television except me, and because my wife’s a Verizon employee, we have Verizon this and that, and we have all we’re all verizoned up. But like I would, I don’t have to give them 100 bucks, but I would. So there you go. There’s your free commercial mark. Fine, there.

Luke Jones  47:48

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Yes, no, it’s so funny. You mentioned, and this will be my last point, because you but, you know, this is something I’ve been interested in. I’ve cut, got rid of satellite, you know, cable, satellite, whatever.

Nestor Aparicio  47:58

Little over a year ago, board cutters, I think of you, but

Luke Jones  48:01

it is funny how my mentality has changed so much on do I need that right now or not? ESPN is a major right now for me. Do I need ESPN right now football season’s over. You know they’re only going to have, I think it’s a Wednesday night baseball game now and but that’s going to be impeding.

Nestor Aparicio  48:26

Look at Stephen A Smith on the internet, if that’s what you want. Or the guy with the wife beater that

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Luke Jones  48:33

Pat McAfee is free on YouTube, like his show’s on YouTube every day. So like Stephen A Smith, my question would be, do I really want that.

Nestor Aparicio  48:41

My point is, I can’t remember the last time I put ESPN, and when I did was probably

Luke Jones  48:45

to watch my point. That’s my point. So what’s interesting? Because when you don’t have these long term, you know, it used to be, you’d sign up with your cable or satellite, you’d have a two year contract, right? You don’t have

Nestor Aparicio  48:56

8

to get ESPN. You’re you know. So here I watch college basketball anymore. You know what would ensure me not watching it, not having ESPN anymore here. So here’s the thing,

Luke Jones  49:05

and I’ll give you an example of where I am right now. With this like real time, I have Hulu live right now as which basically is something that very closely replicates cable YouTube. TV is the same way, very closely replica. It has like 100 channels. However, football’s over now, so I’m not really watching like NFL live on ESPN on a daily basis anymore, like I would would have been now, you don’t get massing with Hulu, right? No, no, that’s not educating me, because I don’t know. And the Terps, which I still will at least check in on I’m not necessarily watching every game at this point, because they’re I mean, it’s awful. However, go, go look at the Terps schedule. They were on ESPN, I think twice early in the season, all their games are on big 10 Network, Fs, one or CBS. I mean. It’s just big. 10s TV deals are basically that. So to watch the Terps, I don’t need ESPN. So I get to this point in the year, I’m looking at it right now I’m probably going to be looking at a TV package that does not have ESPN, because I don’t really need it right now. I’ll get those channels. And you know what I need, because March is coming, I will need TNT, TBS and true TV, because those are three of the four channels for the NCAA tournament, which I’ll still watch that even though I’m not huge in the college basketball just non Terps. So but now you know what you could do just go to cost this or

Nestor Aparicio  50:37

go to a sports bar. Again. I’m just saying that in my mind, it’s an option. I gotta give them the money, or I’d rather give it to some

Luke Jones  50:43

people do that, yeah, like, like, for example, if the I just mentioned the Terps how they’re not they haven’t been on ESPN, I don’t think they’ve had a game televised on ESPN since December. So the point would be, let’s say they had one stray game that was on ESPN. Probably go over to my brother in law’s house and watch it. If, like, if the Terps were any

8

Nestor Aparicio  51:01

good, we are getting there, right. But that’s nobody wants to waste money on any of this.

Luke Jones  51:06

That’s the whole point. Now, you’re in a position now where there’s so much flexibility that heck, Nestor, you can buy ESPN a la carte. A La Carte now ESPN Unlimited is 30 bucks a month. You get ESPN, you get ESPN. Two. You get ESPN. You you get ESPN news, you get SEC Network. You get what’s the ACC network? You get anything that’s on ABC on ESPN,

Nestor Aparicio  51:30

30 bucks a month. A lot of money. Dude, it is. Well, here, here’s the

Luke Jones  51:33

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thing that I don’t like. You need that package to watch WWE pay per views now, because WWE is now on ESPN. So they’re going to get you, they get you in some way or some shape or form. But the point is, I am now at a point in my life where, come July, I might be what you just you just proposed the idea that you might just have mass in and you would get rid of everything else. Come July, when I’m on vacation and gone for half the month. I might just because I have an antenna that I can get all I get all the Baltimore channels, and I get half the PA channels on my antenna. I’m I’m blessed to have that, but I might actually trim down to literally having mass in and then just over the air free TV for the month of July. That that would have been crazy to think that a couple years it all television subscription. It really is. I mean, it really is. I mean, whereas, like, Come football season, people beef up because they want all their they want all the channels to watch the NFL and college football. So it really is fascinating. And that’s where NBC, I think, has been smart, that they’re trying to they’re all in on live sports year round now. I mean, they’ve got Sunday night something all year long now, so it’ll be interesting one, how profitable that ends up being. But anyone will tell you, in this day and age, basically, think there’s two things that actually apply, as appointment TV, sports and your any shows that have live voting, you know, like American Idol, like dancing with the stoves, types of things where you can, like, there’s an interactive piece to that. Otherwise, everyone’s watching stuff on demand now, so you don’t really need live TV anymore. It’s crazy. I mean it they

Nestor Aparicio  53:13

listen to us on demand that they do. Thank you very much, everybody that’s listening. Also, we have a new sponsor here in I got to put the hat on here and get it squared up, because I told him where the funny hat far in a dormer, electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, contractors and more. Luke’s got it on his chest. They’re sponsoring all of our sports coverage. They do h back. It’s that time of the year. Lord knows if anything went wrong with your HVAC the last month, you would know what they are, the comfort guys. We’re going to be talking about them and with them as we get through the winter here, and as we get to mass, and as we get the subscriptions, and as we get up on opening day, Luke is an approved Major League Baseball media member. I still stand on the outside just watching the World Baseball Classic in my Venezuela jersey. Me about Puerto Rico too. I like bad bunny the other day. He’s Luke. I’m Nestor. The Orioles still need more pitching. I’m more optimistic than he is. We are W, N, S T, am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We never stop talking baseball in baseball and Baltimore, positive. Stay with us.