Favorite Ravens find a diminished version of Chiefs but is Mahomes the purple kryptonite?

It’s another Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes billed “Game Of The Weekend” in Kansas City but with both teams at 1-2, the stakes and rewards feel different for this early season battle at Arrowhead Stadium. Blair Kerkhoff of The Kansas City Star previews another heavyweight contest and the high stakes for Andy Reid and John Harbaugh, who square off once again as Super Bowl contenders in peril.

Nestor Aparicio and Blair Kerkhoff discuss the upcoming Chiefs-Ravens game, highlighting the high stakes for both teams. Kerkhoff notes the Chiefs’ 1-2 start, attributing it to offensive injuries and a shift to a ball-control offense. He mentions key injuries to wide receivers Xavier Worthy and Rasheed Rice. Defensively, the Chiefs have been strong, led by Steve Spagnuolo. Aparicio expresses concerns about the Ravens’ 32nd-ranked defense and injuries to key players. Both agree that the game could be pivotal for the Chiefs’ playoff prospects. They also touch on the broader success of Kansas City sports over the past decade, including the Chiefs, Royals, and Mahomes’ personal life.

• [ ] Analyze the Chiefs’ defense and how they might try to contain Lamar Jackson.
• [ ] Follow up on why the Ravens are favored by 2.5 points against the Chiefs in Kansas City.
• [ ] Discuss with Steve Spagnuolo, the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator, about his game plan for defending Lamar Jackson.

Chiefs and Ravens Preview

• Nestor Aparicio introduces the show and mentions the Maryland Crab Cake Tour.
• Nestor introduces Blair Kerkhoff, who covers the Kansas City Chiefs for The Kansas City Star.
• Blair Kerkhoff discusses the Chiefs’ and Ravens’ current standings and expectations for the upcoming game.
• Blair mentions the Chiefs’ challenges with the Eagles and Chargers, and the Ravens’ unexpected loss to Buffalo.

Chiefs’ Offensive Changes

• Blair Kerkhoff explains the Chiefs’ offensive changes, noting a shift from a dynamic to a ball-control offense.
• He discusses the impact of injuries to key wide receivers, including Xavier Worthy and Rasheed Rice.
• Blair mentions the Chiefs’ efforts to regain their offensive identity from previous years.
• Nestor Aparicio and Blair discuss the role of Travis Kelce and the impact of his personal life on his performance.

Patrick Mahomes and Offensive Line Issues

• Nestor Aparicio highlights Patrick Mahomes’ current performance and the expectations for his future.
• Blair Kerkhoff discusses Mahomes’ reduced passing yards and the challenges faced by the Chiefs’ offensive line.
• Blair mentions the Chiefs’ significant investments in their offensive line and the slow progress seen so far.
• Nestor and Blair discuss the impact of these issues on the Chiefs’ overall performance and future prospects.

Ravens’ Defensive Struggles

• Nestor Aparicio expresses concerns about the Ravens’ defensive performance, particularly against the Lions.
• Blair Kerkhoff acknowledges the Ravens’ defensive struggles, noting their current ranking as the 32nd defense in the league.
• Nestor mentions the Ravens’ injuries to key players like Brent Urban and the impact on the defense.
• Blair discusses the Chiefs’ defensive strengths and their ability to match up well against the Ravens’ offense.

Chiefs’ Defensive Strategy

• Nestor Aparicio and Blair Kerkhoff discuss the Chiefs’ defensive strategy against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ offense.
• Blair mentions Steve Spagnuolo’s game planning and the Chiefs’ history of success against the Ravens.
• Blair highlights the Chiefs’ defensive players like Chris Jones and Trent McDuffie, who have been key to their success.
• Nestor and Blair discuss the importance of the Chiefs’ defense in their overall performance and future prospects.

Division Standings and Playoff Prospects

• Nestor Aparicio and Blair Kerkhoff discuss the current standings in the AFC North and West divisions.
• Blair mentions the Chiefs’ nine straight division titles and the challenges they face from other teams in the division.
• Nestor highlights the Ravens’ potential path to winning the division and avoiding tough playoff games.
• Blair discusses the Chiefs’ playoff prospects and the importance of their upcoming games against the Ravens and other division rivals.

Kansas City’s Sports Success

• Nestor Aparicio and Blair Kerkhoff reflect on the success of Kansas City sports teams over the past 10 to 15 years.
• Blair mentions the Royals’ World Series win in 2015 and the Chiefs’ success under Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.
• Nestor discusses the impact of these successes on Kansas City’s sports culture and community.
• Blair compares the current success of Kansas City sports to previous eras and highlights the unique opportunities for fans.

Personal Reflections and Future Plans

• Nestor Aparicio and Blair Kerkhoff share personal reflections on their experiences covering sports in Baltimore and Kansas City.
• Blair mentions his long-term coverage of the Chiefs and his appreciation for Baltimore’s sports culture.
• Nestor discusses his collection of belt buckles and his fond memories of visiting Kansas City.
• Blair and Nestor look forward to future meetings and the potential for the Chiefs and Ravens to meet again in the playoffs.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Chiefs, Ravens, Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, offense, defense, injuries, playoffs, Kansas City, Baltimore, football, Super Bowl, NFL, barbecue, crab cakes.

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SPEAKERS

Blair Kerkhoff, Nestor Aparicio

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

Welcome home. We are W, N, S T, am 1570 tassel, Baltimore. We are Baltimore positive getting the Maryland crab cake tour out on the road. I don’t know if it’ll include barbecue or not. We’ll find out after Sunday afternoons, tussle off the Raven scratch off to give away once we get out to Costas and Timonium, as well as back down to fade leaves at Lexington market, and that is coming soon, as is playoff baseball next week. All of that happening. Luke is in Owings Mills getting ready for short week. The nom de Mattei news is not great on this end, and certainly the competition is stiff. Someone’s going to be one and three on Sunday night. Hope it’s not you. Blair kirkoff covers all things chiefs and a little bit of royals and a little bit of Kansas City and all of that stuff the Kansas City Star, and it gives me good barbecue recommendations when I come in from time to time, he’s done this for a number of years. You know, you’ve had only a couple more weeks of work in January than we have here in recent years. But it certainly feels like a great divide from what the Chiefs have accomplished to what the ravens are trying to accomplish. And both of these teams at one and two, it’s kind of startling right now, Blair, it

Blair Kerkhoff  01:12

is, on the face of it, it is, you looked at the schedules before the season and thought, but at least from a chief’s perspective, that it was possible to get out of the gates kind of slowly. I thought they would have, you know, they’re going to be challenged with the Eagles in week two. I thought they’d get by the chargers in week one. So they’re really just a game behind where I thought they’d be right now and and really, I mean, for the ravens, nobody would have expected, or nobody would be shocked by losing the buffalo in week one, and it was last weekend, or, I guess the Monday night game, little bit of an eye opener, the way that that one ended the fourth quarter. But yeah, listen, I think for teams that are two, teams that are one and two, the season isn’t over for the loser of Sunday’s game, I think I have enough faith in the in the pedigree of both of these franchises that they will find what it takes to rally from, you know, from a loss on Sunday.

Nestor Aparicio  02:11

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Well, I think part of it’s a narrative of last year where the chiefs were the best team, but still not perceived very good, and perceived as flawed, and in the end, didn’t get the ring, but came as close as you you know you want to have an opportunity to get the ring. Where are they now, and where are they 234, years after what was perceived to be the best operation around there?

Blair Kerkhoff  02:36

That’s a good question. They aren’t offensively. They aren’t what they were in, sort of the the heyday, if you will, of the offense mahomes, second, third, fourth seasons, as they were building toward their first Super Bowl. And then a year or two after that, they’re not the same. Offensively. Their defense has been better. The Steve spagnolo led defenses has been as good these last couple of seasons as it’s been in any stretch under Andy Reid. But you know, things have changed offensively. For the for the chiefs, they’re not dynamic. They they’ve been more the last few years, they’ve been more of a ball control, milk the clock kind of team. They’re not dynamic, and you’re not going to, you know, you they just haven’t been like a downfield, you know, throwing team. They’re trying to change that. This year, the results are mixed so far. They’re trying to change that, but this year, in particular, injuries at wide receiver have played a role in their identity. You know the fact that Xavier worthy, who as a rookie last year ended up being the team’s best wide receiver, went out on the third play of the opening game when he collided with Travis Kelsey out with a shoulder injury. We do expect him back on Sunday for the ravens, but he won’t be 100% and of course, their their top wide receiver, Rashi rice sitting at the first six games of the season with a suspension for violating the NFL conduct policy. So chiefs have not been at full strength offensively. They weren’t last year. They were down Rasheed rice for most of the season. So injuries have played a part. They’re trying to regain their offensive identity what they had 345, years ago, but results haven’t been there as of yet.

Nestor Aparicio  04:33

Well, part of that’s mismatches, right? They had to rekill they had Kelsey in his prime, different kind of running game than maybe they do with Pacheco at this point, but you say no identity at this point, where’s Kelsey in all of this? Because he feels to be a guy that could still be unleashed, or maybe over the ill or, I don’t know how the Taylor Swift thing plays out in your community, versus how it plays. Stays out everywhere else, but it does feel like this larger than life, you know, fantasy, Joe, DiMaggio, Marilyn Monroe, kind of thing, a story line that’s larger than football, but also comes down to three hours on Sunday to say, Are you the player you once were?

Blair Kerkhoff  05:16

You know, I think just based on his age, he was not going to be the player he was. You know, he’s 35 he’s not going to be the player he was at 2728 but he’s only a couple of years removed from being an All Pro, and he has flashed this year. He had a nice touchdown reception in the opening game. He was off to a really good start in against the Eagles, and little dust up with with Andy Reid on the sideline in in the in the previous game, though the game on Sunday night against the Giants. So it’s funny, he’s been like this throughout his career, but now, when there are dust ups on the sideline, or when he has a gaff during the game, it’s, now, there’s a, well, you know, it’s obviously, he’s, you know, be he’s got Taylor Swift, he’s got a different life. He’s just, you know, a different kind of player. He’s really the same guy. And I listen, I think he’s entirely capable of an 80 to 90 reception season. He’s probably not 1000 yard guy. The offense doesn’t allow that. One of the, you know, one of the problems for Kelsey, and as I mentioned earlier, the wide receivers have been sort of in a state of flux that’s affected him, because now teams can can focus on him in a way that they couldn’t when you had Tyree kill or when you had Rasheed rice in his prom, you know, when he was on the field. So listen, the Kelsey thing and the Kelsey Taylor Swift thing was a Kansas City was all in on it from the beginning, and now it’s from a Kansas City perspective. I think it’s just let those two alone. We’re not going to bother them. Let Kelsey be Kelsey on the field and and let the rest of the world have the curiosity of you know, of America’s power couple now?

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Nestor Aparicio  07:12

Well, it’s also Patrick mahomes in his prime right now, right? Like these should be the next five years should be every bit as great as the last five years, I don’t know that we expected that out of Lamar, because we were expecting the wheels to be part of his game, not necessarily the arm, and just the fact that he’s become a better passer, the fact that the numbers and the touchdowns represent all of that for Lamar. But with Patrick mahomes, with the pelts on the wall, it feels to me like he’s at that point in his career where he’s going to be judged more harshly based on what’s around him, based on his cap number, based on diminishing assets like Travis Kelsey, not to mention the offensive line, which it feels like anytime I’ve talked about the chiefs in the last three, four years, it’s been about their offensive line And whether that’s going to power them.

Blair Kerkhoff  08:01

Yeah, look mahomes, he’s his numbers are down. Then what they have been. He’s it for three games this year. He said, I don’t know, 220 yards, 220 passing yards a game. He has, he still owns the NFL record as 200 and I think 290 yards per game over his career. So that’s he established the bar at the highest level. It’s tough to live up to that, especially with wide receiver issues. Kelsey aging a little bit. You mentioned the offensive line, absolutely, that’s a conversation point here, especially with what the Chiefs have invested their offensive line. They have the game’s Highest Paid center, highest paid right guard. They got a $20 million tackle. They have a first round draft pick at left tackle, so a second round picket right at right guard. So they’ve invested heavily in the offensive line. The expectation is for this offensive line to be performing at a level higher than what it’s performed this year. The Chiefs think it’s going to come together, but it’s coming together slowly for them and and fans being fans or asking, when, when is this going to when’s it going to pay off? When is this large investment going to pay off for the chiefs. They also went out their biggest one of their biggest free agent signings in the off season was a guy named Jalen Moore, who was a backup to Trent Williams with the 40 Niners. So they’ve got a tackle, swing tackle, sitting on the bench that they can’t wait to see, plugged into right tackle here, Juwan Taylor leads the NFL in penalties. He’s a source of frustration for chiefs fans so issues on the offensive line, however, they’ve done a pretty decent job of protecting mahomes So far this year, and that’s sort of job number one for this line.

Nestor Aparicio  09:54

Blair kirkoff has covered the Kansas City Chiefs for how many years you’ve covered a chiefs since they stopped? You covered what Schottenheimer was there, right?

Blair Kerkhoff  10:02

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Well, I’ve been, I’ve been in Kansas City for 38 years, and yeah, and so, but full time on the Chiefs is since 2015 I can remember that first year I covered a game in Baltimore that was a downtime for the Ravens. That sort of the post Super Bowl victory years for the ravens and and I remember my first time in that stadium in Baltimore. I was just over. Well, just fantastic, one of my favorite stadiums in the NFL. Always love coming to Baltimore. Love talking to you, Nestor. It’s always great catching up with you.

Nestor Aparicio  10:37

Well, I appreciate that, man. I like getting out there and eating your barbecue better than you like eating our crab cakes here, but we can, you know, we could swap them out. But I tell you what, when these teams get together, it feels like a little bit of Superman thing going on, that that mahomes, mahomes, gets into the into the phone booth, and makes the magic happen. And at some point, and Lamar has gotten the better up once, right? But for the most part, this has been like lamar’s lesson from the beginning, from the first year, where mahomes is doing the Jedi passing and all that, and then Lamar is winning MVPs are getting cheated out of them, while mahomes is holding trophies, or at least losing Super Bowl Sunday, it has been a different pathway for both of them, and I go back to Andy and John and their relationship, and certainly Harbaugh and spagnolo and their relationship, and what kind of players you bring into this. And I would have told you a month ago, ravens are loaded. They got the best play. Got all of this. Now as I get up on the game, I see how they’ve looked without Ricard and how they’ve looked without likely, and where Andrews is and where this offensive line is for Lamar and Derek Henry, with the fumbles, and then defensively for the ravens, I must say, 32nd defensively for the Ravens this March, 27 year of owning the radio station. I’ve been doing this since the Ravens got here. I don’t remember a week where we’re talking about 32nd the defense. And worse than that, non they made a BK with a neck issue that has people really concerned here about long term situation, not just whether he’s going to play this week or next week. What the mystery is around his neck injury, and he’s so fundamental for this, and I think we saw it last week. Kyle Hamilton struggled. Roquan Smith struggled. They all struggled because the front seven for the Ravens right now decimated. They didn’t even have a practice squad to put out on Wednesday, all of their starters couldn’t get to practice 48 hours after the Monday night game. Very, very problematic against the chiefs and going into Kansas City, and they were two and a half point favorite. We haven’t figured that out how the ravens are a favorite out in Kansas City.

Blair Kerkhoff  12:46

You know, that’s a good point. I think I’m going to double check this. I meant to look at this today. I think this is the, this will be the largest margin of a spread as an underdog that the Chiefs have been under. Patrick mahomes, they they were not favored against the EA they they were one point dog against the Eagles in week two. And before then, it had been like at Buffalo last year. They were one point underdog one and a half. And then before that, they’d been favored every game for the previous two or three years. So to be a two and a half point dog, that was the that was the line before the Monday night game. I thought it would move. I thought money would move after the lions had one, but it hasn’t. It stayed at two and a half. So I’m really curious about that and why it stayed. But you know that that’s interesting with what you say about the Ravens. Listen, I look at that. They played the bills in Buffalo. The Lions are obviously a very talented team offensively. I was so impressed with what Detroit did with their two long drives, 90 yard plus drives on on Monday night. I’m totally impressed with the lions, but, but, yeah, I wonder. I wonder about that too. And Lamar going down seven times in that game. I The Derrick Henry fumbles. That’s, listen, that’s an aberration. He will absolutely take care of that. He’s such a pro. So I wouldn’t, I know that’s the type of thing that you know that gets fans angry. But he, I don’t expect any of that to happen in Kansas City. I think, I think he’ll have, he’ll have a big game. He always seems to come up big against the chiefs, going back to his Titans years. So, no, I, I, I think Baltimore should be favored in this game, based on what we have seen three through three games of both teams, the chiefs have put together one good half in three games. That was a second half on Sunday night against the Giants team that’s probably going to finish last in the NFC East. So I’m not convinced about the chiefs. Yet. They’ve got pieces, and when you have mahomes, you always have faith. But this is a team that that still needs some time to get its act together, having said that in 20. 2021 they started one and two and then three and four ended up 12 and 520. 15, the first year I covered them full time, they started one and four finished 11 and five and went to the playoffs. Andy Reed is a hell of a coach, and I think that he will find a way to get this thing on the right track. I’m not sure it starts Sunday with the ravens, but I do think that eventually the chiefs will get there. This will be a playoff team. I think both of these teams will bend up in the playoffs.

Nestor Aparicio  15:32

His player, Kirk, off. He covers all things for Kansas City Star and all things Kansas City Chiefs. And we’re getting ready for a huge football game defensively. Spagnolo preparing for Lamar Jackson, for this offense, as you pointed out, preparing for Derek Henry, tackling all of that. Where is the chief’s defense in all of this? Because so much focus on the homes, so much focus on that side, obviously, Travis Kelsey and all of that. But defensively, that’s where Lamar gets his kryptonite. That’s, you know, at the end of the day, the chiefs have matched up defensively much better against this offense than almost anybody else over the last seven, eight years.

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Blair Kerkhoff  16:12

Yeah, I think, I think spagnolo is, is a wizard, and it will game plan. Look last week against the Giants. Here’s, here’s Russell Wilson, who’s who throws for 450 yards against the Cowboys in week two and against the chiefs, he is so bad he’s at 160 yards. He was so bad that they’re going to bench him this week. He’s Jackson darts, going to be the Giants quarterback. So Spags just took him out of the game, and that’s what he can do. Now, listen, Lamar. We’re going to talk to Spags about this today, and Spags will have the nicest things in the world to say about Lamar Jackson, and he’ll be right. I mean, he is, he is an unbelievable talent and is deserving of his MVPs. He is the, you know, he he’s had moments against the chiefs that that I can still remember, like, how did this guy do it? The Chiefs, like most teams, will have a spy on them. I think it’ll be linebacker Leo Chanel. He’s done it before, but, but I’ve also seen Lamar Jackson juke Leo Chanel out of his, you know, jock strap a couple of times. So problems

Nestor Aparicio  17:18

you could stop him. 48 out of 51 plays, it’s the three That’s right, that break you,

Blair Kerkhoff  17:23

yeah, exactly, absolutely, and, and yet, Spags has had his, he’s had his moments against the Ravens. He’s done a pretty done what was the AFC title game a couple of years ago. That was a kind of a master class in defense. So, yeah, that’s where the Chiefs kind of quietly, you know, the chiefs national identities about Patrick mahomes, Travis Kelsey, it’s, you know, people think about, remember the tyre kill years. But the real identity this team the last few years has been defense, and Chris Jones, Trent McDuffie in the backfield, Nick Bolton, the linebacker, that’s where they have won games and you mentioned last year, this was not a great chiefs. Team ended up with a great record. They were 15 and two in the regular season. They won an NFL record number of one score games. But they were able to stay in all these games because of their defense and and I expect as they start, as they begin to figure things out in the passing game and and get their wide receiver straightened out, it’s going to continue to have to be the defense leading this team over the next few

Nestor Aparicio  18:34

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weeks. Mark Kirk office here from Kansas City. He has good barbecue. We have good crab cakes. We’re certainly going to have good football in the late window on Sunday afternoon, Luke will have full coverage. Any breaking news happens first on the W, N, S, T, tech service that is all brought to you by coal roofing and Gordian energy. Hey, man, I guess we’ll probably get together in January. The one thing that I said to Luke earlier this week was that the strangest thing for where the Chiefs sit and where the Chargers are in the division, and where the Bengals have evaporated in our division, and the Browns can’t, and the Steelers probably won’t, is that it feels like no matter the outcome, the Ravens probably are going to be a division winner on this side. And if the Ravens can bury the Chiefs at one and three, it really means the Chiefs probably we’re going to have a hard time winning the division in that way. This thing wouldn’t have to go to Kansas City again. And I think in Baltimore we have this weird thing of, how do we eliminate going to Buffalo? Well, you beat them week one, and you hold the three touchdown leads instead of pissing it away. And how do you avoid Kansas City? Well, you know, beat them, or get somebody else to beat him, or get him out of the way. But this really, from, from the Baltimore perspective, year after year, is, how do you find a pathway in January to not have to go into Kansas City and Seema homes, not have to go into Buffalo and see Josh Allen and early on being one in. Three on Monday morning for the Ravens would be devastating in that way.

Blair Kerkhoff  20:04

Yeah, you’re right, and I like your breakdown of the North too. I agree with you that it’s just, you know, we’re talking about Russell Wilson a while ago. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up in Cincinnati the way it’s going. It’s going there. Cleveland can’t get out of its way with that group, still with a great defense, and the Steelers just, you know, pencil them in for nine and 810, and seven. And, you know, I know they play the Ravens tough always, but I think they’re limited as well. Aaron Rodgers is different. You know, a different component to the steel was this year. We’ll see what happens there. The chiefs in the West have dominated this division. They won nine straight. Is it nine or 10? It’s nine straight division titles, and one of the reasons is because they have always had the advantage at coach and quarterback over all the other teams in the AFC West. I don’t think they have if they have that advantage now, it’s not as big as it used to be with Harbaugh and and Justin Herbert in in LA and then with Sean Payton and Bo Nix in Denver and even Pete Carroll in you know, with the Raiders, the coaching in this division has gotten so good, the quarterback plays improved so much that the Chiefs can’t count on going six and oh five and one in the division every year, which has always been their big advantage when it comes to building the record you need to play home games in the playoffs. So, yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised now to see the Chargers go ahead and win the West, keep that advantage over the chiefs and have the Chiefs if they make the playoffs, have to have to start and stay on the road. Of course, a couple of years ago, that didn’t they went to Buffalo and to Baltimore and won the only two road games playoff games in mahomes career. Where were those wins that year? So they’ve done it before. But yeah, it just looks like, especially if the Chiefs lose on Sunday, path becomes that much more difficult. Schedule eases up for them in the second half of the season, they get to play the chargers in arrowhead, but, but yeah, it’s it’s a different narrative in the division this year for the Chiefs with with the coach and quarterback situation

Nestor Aparicio  22:08

and the charges remain to be seen. You know what? I mean, they haven’t proven anything right. And we thought the left tackle was going to put them down and out in the beginning of the year. But Blair karkoff is here in Kansas City. You know, one of my favorite trips ever is to come to Kansas City. I’ve been all over the country for all of these things, for all of these years, any trip to Kansas City, whether it’s baseball or football, I’ve enjoyed. And I had Jeff Montgomery on this week, and I brought him on to this talk about HB and our old friendship from 30 years ago when I took my Getty Lee and singing the national anthem at the All Star game here in 1993 but um, in your town, there’s been quite a blessing over the last 15 years that the Royals had their minute, and then the mahomes thing and the Kelsey and even the Taylor Swift thing. I don’t say it’s put kansas city on the map or on the sports map. It was always something with George Brett back in the day, and even Joe Montana and all of that that went on. But this has been a nice 1015, year run for your Burg in a sports capacity, right?

Blair Kerkhoff  23:05

I’m glad you recognize that I was telling this to sell. I went spoke to a group recently and and I said something very similar, that this last 10 to 15 years in Kansas City is the golden era for sport, pro sports here, you know, since, since the Royals won the championship in 15 the World Series, that was the first of four parades in Kansas City. And only Boston has had more parades in that time. And Boston has four pro sports teams. Kansas City just has the two, if you not including Major League Soccer. So I think that’s, you know, yeah, there, there. There have been some some down years for the Royals in between the the the World Series team of 15 and the playoff team of last year, but the Chiefs have filled in nicely. And it, you know, compared to previous eras in Kansas City sports history, last 10 to 15 have just been remarkable. And what a great time to be a sports fan in this in this area, this community. And reminds me a little bit. Listen, I grew up in the East. I remember being a fan of Baltimore teams in the late 60s into the 70s, colts and Orioles. So yeah, I this. What’s happening in Kansas City is, you know, I have to remind people find a way to appreciate it, because this doesn’t always happen. Well, we had

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Nestor Aparicio  24:33

the Baltimore Colts 50th reunion of the 75 team with Burt Jones and Lydell here two years ago. You know, the Ravens have celebrated their 30 years two weeks ago with John Ogden and ray coming out with our trophies and all that. And I think it can city, but you give me that two sport thing, I had to run to my wall because I’m a collector of belt buckles. Started with all my rock and roll belt buckles back in the 70s, but I found this gem, and when I found it, I just had to buy it. It’s a. Kansas City, Omaha kings belt buckle from 1969 it’s in making this is beautiful, and I had completely forgotten. And by the way, you guys almost stole the penguins at one point, right in the NHL, right like, so Kansas City’s had its dalliances, much like, you know, we had the Baltimore bullets. Don’t tell anybody we had the clippers, and we thought that that was going to become the Philadelphia Flyers, but it never was. We never got to three or four. We subtracted here and never added in. Kansas City is one of those strange places that I never think of you for NBA or NHL. And when I come out there and I see that beautiful Sprint Center, I used to come out to Kemper Arena all the time. It just never happened for Kansas City that way, right? Yeah, it’s

Blair Kerkhoff  25:44

funny. That’s Pittsburgh actually used Kansas City, dalliance with Kansas City to get their new arena built and so, and that’s what happens in the in the pro sports.

Nestor Aparicio  25:55

Some people in Cleveland call us the browns, right? I mean, some people right,

Blair Kerkhoff  25:59

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right. Hey, for two years, Kansas City had a team in all four pro sports. They had the Kansas City Scouts of the NHL and the kings, along with the Royals and the chiefs. So Kemper Arena was built to attract an NHL team, and it got one that is now the team that the New Jersey Devils are the the original Kansas City scouts. I don’t think NHL is coming back here anytime soon. The big thing Kansas City wants now is WNBA. They’re hot for mahomes wants to lead a leadership group to purchase a WNBA team or get an expansion team. We’ll see if that happens

Nestor Aparicio  26:34

to Taylor Swift. There you go. You got an MBA? Oh, my God, that would pack them in there where kirkoff hopes for another beat to come along. But just as good as this beat has been over the last 10 years, winning championships with the Chiefs the Royals have been pretty good too. And I had Jeff Montgomery on this week talking about arms and pitching and wearing kiss makeup back in the days of Mark gubaza and Camden Yards back before they moved the wall in and out and in and out and all that stuff. Enjoy the football this week. Blair, I always love our chats, barbecue on me, crab cakes on you at some point. And you know, if we do this thing right, we’ll see you guys again in January, I guess on both sides,

Blair Kerkhoff  27:10

right? Love to see you guys in January. That’d be a lot of fun. Well, I love your little

Nestor Aparicio  27:14

airport out there on the Missouri side, and I know the difference in the Missouri and the Kansas City side, and I’ve even had the fried chicken and the pork chops at Stroud, so I know what’s up. Blair kirkoff joins us from Kansas City. Star out in Kansas City, Missouri. We need more games against the Chiefs around here. We got plenty of excitement on Sunday, getting to Maryland. Crab cake Tour presented by the Maryland lottery out on the road next week. We got you covered. I’m Nestor. We are W, N, S, D, am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We never stop talking Baltimore positive. I.