The Maryland Crab Cake Tour made a fun and informative stop at the new sportsbook at Hollywood Casino in Perryville. Vice President and General Manager Amy Brennan tells Nestor why she came back to Perryville after being a part of the original 2010 opening team to make it even better for local players to feel comfortable and play their favorite casino games in a friendly environment in Cecil County right next to the new Great Wolf Lodge.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
games, casino, people, hollywood casino, blackjack, play, steelers, ravens, bands, pittsburgh, win, thought, vegas, good, fun, cecil county, absolutely, give, new year’s eve, table
SPEAKERS
Nestor J. Aparicio, Amy Brennan
Nestor J. Aparicio 00:00
What about wn, st Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive or positively. We’re in a just a fantasy land for those who like to gamble those who like to play games and ask for fun. We’re up at Hollywood casino parable right up the road. I have so many scratch offs in the Maryland lottery. These are the the scented gingerbread. Oh Snap that’s winters on Thursday over gertrudes I have some peppermint payout. So brought to you by the Maryland lottery also have our friends at window nation. 866 90 nation and Jiffy Lube multicam it’s been a long time coming. I’ve done several events up here in sportsbook in Hollywood casino in Perryville. I’ve been threatening to do the show here today. We had Tom Kelso all set up for the Maryland stadium authority. He took ill we’re gonna be talking about kitties in the Chesapeake feline Association. We’re gonna start things off with the lady that runs the joint up here at me. Amy Brennan is the vice president and general manager and to get your title right. I just know us. Hey, Amy, how are you? What’s going on our thanks. Good to be back in Cecil County. What’s going on? Oh, I’m
Amy Brennan 00:57
thrilled to have you here. There’s a lot going on at Hollywood casino Perry of hell.
Nestor J. Aparicio 01:01
I can see that. And there’s been changes not just here physically in the room. I was here on my birthday. For the Ravens game. They won the game over in London against Tennessee. That was like October 15. Still some bars still stuff going on. Great, largest open up. But I think the last time I talked to you, there was a construction project in your parking lot, right? Yeah. And all of these families and people were going to be coming here and this is a sort of a unique restaurant. It’s a family friendly restaurant that’s attached to a casino sort of a boutique smallish kind of easy place to get an out of as I came in the door, there were there were a few folks coming in. She’s like, I liked it. It’s free parking and I thought you know, things people think about when you’ve done a lot of casino work all over the country. This is a pretty special little place. And I’ve appreciated the we’ve been a year now working together doing stuff get well soon. Kirk McHugh and I came up here to see your band. But you have bands, all the things you told me about a year ago that you would be doing here. You sort of installed it’s it’s been a fun place to be
02:00
yes, it is a fun place to be it is a safe place to be. Our customers love the family friendly environment that we have here. That is our advantage of being so small. Our customers are like family to us.
Nestor J. Aparicio 02:13
Well, I went to a casino. But a couple six weeks ago I was out in Vegas. Vegas is different. You smell the smoke, there’s rooms, there’s hustle bustle, this is kind of a common thing. Like when I come up here, and I just see the people parking their cars and coming in. It’s a different vibe than I was at MGM for Geddy Lee two weeks ago. That’s just a different thing. You know, I mean, this is just much more. I don’t know, a peaceful I don’t want to say like not that I want that when I go to Vegas. I guess I want all that. But if I’m coming on a Friday night to see a band, bet some games play some table games have a nice meal. That’s 20 minutes from home. This is the place to come? Oh, absolutely.
02:52
I can’t tell you the number of people and women as well as men that say I wouldn’t dream of going to any of your competitors. If I decided at 11 o’clock at night I wanted to go play but I don’t hesitate to go to Hollywood casino Perry Ville because it’s so close. It’s so safe. And that
Nestor J. Aparicio 03:10
should save a lot. And I think that there is something about all that. I mean, I was at an art museum yesterday. And I was shocked and we’re doing our event and Dan Rogers you can check that out. We’re at the PMA just had a phenomenal day. gertrudes it’s been a great week. We were Coco’s earlier in the week. I got crab cakes stacked. My wife said don’t bring crab cake. Oh, from Hollywood Casino. i We’re gonna be a feral Tuesday as well. But you know, I guess for the week and where we’ve been doing all this stuff. I I love the action when I come up here and I love the fact that you know, I know that people Yeah, I think there’s just something different. When you go anywhere to a bigger casino you see people you don’t know. You wander and see where these people come from. This is like a Harford County, Cecil County, northern Northeastern Maryland sort of a hub for this and I’ve taught I’m Christian on every week. I know you’ve cultivated some fun in here for Ravens fans, Orioles fans Terps not going so well. But we love the Terps but I think that you see familiar faces are that Penn play card that I have. It’s something that most people that come in here they frequent your place they come back again and again.
04:19
Absolutely. We are definitely a locals market and now we are certainly your reference to Great Wolf Lodge earlier we are attracting people within a three hour drive time. That is really the audience.
Nestor J. Aparicio 04:29
I don’t want to ask you about that because I haven’t been over there. And for the first time 20 minutes ago when I drove up, I saw the big tube is that like the kids that the flume right? So they put the flume out on the freeway so you can sort of it has a little amusement park feel to it. And I had a friend of mine Jason took his kids there last weekend. And I saw pictures on Facebook of it, but I don’t I don’t Is it for me you know like a little I do.
04:55
I think he adults can have as much you are a kid It is I think adults can have as much fun as children. I mean, there are 700 hotel rooms, there are 22 water slides. So you’re only seeing a couple outside, but it is all indoor like temperature controlled in the middle of winter, you can go on a waterslide and have a ball, a ton of water features. There’s an indoor ropes course that is more children driven, just based on the size of it. It’s a little smaller than what you might go to, but
Nestor J. Aparicio 05:26
it’s one of the Chick fil A bowl things. Is that what it is? No, no, it’s real. I don’t sit near that when I’m at swings
05:32
and walking and all sorts of things. There’s miniature golf, there’s lots of things. That’s
Nestor J. Aparicio 05:39
my game now. I mean, the whole pot pot Crusher. So this opened three months ago, maybe wasn’t.
05:46
It’s been open, I think about 120 days at this point in time, summer, July,
Nestor J. Aparicio 05:51
August, right. I think there was speculation about what is going to be and I know, it’s really important for this. I mean, it’s such a beautiful sports bar restaurant here. But it’s it is family friendly. And I always talk about it being that way. And the access point to come in. I guess what I was gonna say is I went to a casino recently, all the food was outside of the casino, where the casino is like a shakedown when you come in, right? Like there’s a little bit of and I said that about the museum and I just want to be, I thought, Why is every room do I have to buzz in? I’m like, Oh, they have Van Gogh’s here, and I’m just thinking about security and safety. It’s on everybody’s mind. But when I’ve been in casinos, especially in Vegas, it does feel a little bit more like the security is being taken very seriously. And obviously when you walk in, I don’t I don’t want to say we’re not serious about it. But there is more of a calm feel here. And I would say that out loud.
06:42
I agree. And I think our customer base also is not dangerous looking around anyway. Certainly if you walk out on the floor everyone is in general friendly here to have a good time and entertainment experience a fun place where it’s laid back, but I can also I can play slots. I can play table games, I can play poker, I can bet we are a family friendly restaurant, which is unusual in the casino industry that anyone under 21 can come in. But you can come in with an adult to our restaurant that’s why the sports betting happens outside of here and its own separate area. There’s no gaming in any area where children can be.
Nestor J. Aparicio 07:22
Well Amy Brandon’s here she she is the via was gonna say the Pooh Bah, Vice President general manager of all things up here in Hollywood casino where the sports book it’s approximately the lottery winner nation and a top Cal so for those who had wondered about him coming up, he got sick. Right before showtime. We’re gonna be promoting the Chesapeake feline Association today, which is near and dear to my heart for kiddies. They’re up here in Cecil County. Karen who runs it’s from Dundalk my neighborhood so she sent it over care today so we’re gonna have a good time. So for your your place and I know there’s been some changes. People maybe haven’t been up here in six months since great lodge open. Since even barstool open. And we’ve changed the name of the in the branding a little bit. What changes about the casino, Blackjack, Craps, all the things that you would associate but what’s unique and what’s different if you haven’t been here in a while.
08:13
So we have added a couple new table games options. So we’ve added baccarat and pi gow which were our game table games that we have not offered in the past. I didn’t know that. Yes,
Nestor J. Aparicio 08:24
hi. Gow poker Correct. Hi,
08:26
Gow poker.
Nestor J. Aparicio 08:27
I see it when I’m in Vegas and a walk by and I look at it and I’m like, stick to blackjack. You know, sometimes just learning the games can be either challenging or exhilarating. When I remember the first time I learned craps and people come in here and don’t know how to play yeah, and they want to learn how to play learning to play craps is its own. I was to keep your money in your pocket for a minute, sit outside and just figure out what’s happening with the dice. Because there’s just a lot going on. Yeah, like Bacharach, you know, I don’t I don’t know the rules of some of these games. So I would think the first thing is when you install a new game is, Hey, you want people to play they have to understand how to play
09:03
it. Absolutely. Absolutely. School here, we got to give you a little bit of advice. Now you can YouTube anything these days? Sure. And learn how to play that way as well. But yes, we can’t. So our dealers can’t necessarily tell you what to do, certainly. But we can we have supervisors that can help answer some questions and give you some basic information about the games. Well,
Nestor J. Aparicio 09:25
you know, for me to come up black checks, probably. I read in a book like 30 years ago, first of all, went to Vegas. I didn’t want to lose all the money. So I read in the book that blackjack was the best, you know, the best way to play and so I learned how to play blackjack and I think for life. And I have had horseplayers lifelong horse players admit to me they’ve been playing for 50 years and they’re behind. I don’t think I’m behind on blackjack. I think I’m behind on craps. I think blackjack I give when people came in a little while ago they walk in a casino and held the door and then they held the door for me because that was Quitman and I said to him, I hope we make lots of money and I’m thinking While promoting the casino are cheering people to win or lose, you know, I have to cheer for him to win. But I mean, when you run the place, I mean, it’s a whole different thing. I think there’s a level of enthusiasm when people are winning that even when you’re the one giving them the money, you want to see people or have a good time. And it’s a place where there is, especially on a Friday or Saturday night you come in here, whether Kirk’s bands playing or not. There’s there’s winners, there’s noise, there’s enthusiasm. And I think that that’s an energy that it’ll find in many other places outside of casino, you just have to go to Vegas to get it. Yeah, we’d have this in Perry Ville back when I was a young we
10:32
do. And by the way, we love winners, and we love celebrating our winners. We truly do. It’s exciting. It’s exhilarating. and table games, there’s a whole different feel to table games to a craps table than there is sitting at a slot machine yourself. Yes,
Nestor J. Aparicio 10:46
absolutely. But he also the person don’t roll the dice, you know? Absolutely. Well, on the dice. You gotta do it. Right. You do? Well, big winners here. And I mean, I look up right now. 36,006 92 progressive jackpots. I talk about lottery games all the time, right. And progressives and people see those and they go into rural farms are wise. And they can they can look at MD lottery and see all that for what you’re doing. And here. Is there a bell that rings once a week or somebody here wins? 2550 $100,000 and the place goes, it gets celebratory because you can win big money in these progressive games. Oh,
11:23
absolutely. You can win big money on non progressive games as well.
Nestor J. Aparicio 11:26
Come on, you’re thinking I’m gonna win $100 And you might win five or 10 grand because you’re playing the right game at the right time.
11:33
Absolutely. Because everyone who’s asked me what machine should I play to win? And I would say to them always every single machine is a winner every single machine you can win it but you have to sit down at the right time and be there at the at the right place. I
Nestor J. Aparicio 11:47
never got all the chairs together. So I never played I played a little bit but I was never a machine player. I sort of fell into Blackjack, right. So when we open what I mean listen, I’ve been doing this 32 years. So I remember, slots, racetracks, casinos, the Angelo’s family rows. I mean, the legislature Miller, like all those people, Bush all the people that fought for all these years, and I thought, Man if they’re just gonna put machines in at the racetrack that’s not I was Blackjack, I still go to Vegas is what I’m thinking 25 years ago. I think once you have a game you love and you start to play it and you get a little more skilled that I’ve had a lot of friends with the poker phenomenon over the last 20 years really bear down but poker you need other players there’s other things have to be involved blackjack is also thing where the wrong person sitting at the end, they kind of blew up the whole table. So the there is a vibe about gambling in a casino that’s different than playing at home or just playing a football parlay. Right. I mean, it’s a social activity to come here and play.
12:53
Oh, absolutely. very social. And you’re right. You can get bullied off of the blackjack table if you don’t.
Nestor J. Aparicio 12:58
blackjack table is what I would say that would be my advice right? Right you met that guy or that girl we all have
13:06
but it’s also fun when you have the right people at that table it makes it all the more exciting you know as I’m sitting here
Nestor J. Aparicio 13:12
with a real gambling person and I’m not like a person that’s gambled at football law I they would have taken my press pass imagine that years ago. Now consider Christian is going to be on we’re going to make my I had really good picks the first six eight weeks. I’m in the crapper, man. I mean, I can’t I can’t, I can’t pick my nose your last four weeks. And I was like way ahead. So I know enough to know how hard football is. But when it comes to like table games and blackjack and playing games, I think about these memorable experiences I had when I was a younger guy go out to Vegas for a weekend, I wound up at tables with celebrities who Dennis svart from the Chicago Blackhawks was at a table with me once at the Rio in Vegas, we’re playing $25 hands and I ran out of money. You know, just like it was like my chips went awry. And I got dealt like eighths. And he’s like, You got to split their aces or so he’s throwing me $25 chips across the table. You know so we were laughing about it was gone. It was 25 years ago. But when you have a good time in a casino this one night I went on a roll you know yeah at the end you know you get ahead a couple grand like that vibe. The you talk about it. We always talk we don’t talk about the days we lose and I remember a couple of those too. But when you when it’s fun and it still makes you smile years later. I absolutely
14:29
it is and it’s fun working in that environment as well.
Nestor J. Aparicio 14:34
I feel bad that I still owe daddy Suvarna 50 bucks. You know, I’ve ever run into him somewhere I’m gonna put to me. Amy Brown is here. She she’s the vice president general manager of all things Hollywood Casino. We’re up aperitivo we’re in the sports book. It’s fairly family friendly. If you’ve been by the Great Wolf Lodge and seeing the What is that thing? Is it a fluke? What is that? It’s color.
14:52
It’s a waterslide it’s an indoor waterslide indoor outdoor water slash stick your
Nestor J. Aparicio 14:57
kids in at the top. They come out at the bottom. It’s perfect. Um anything come up here there’s bands and I think for this month and I just read a new ad it’s December a lot of things on New Year’s Eve and celebrating. I’ll be honest with you, I think I spent three or four new year’s Eves in Vegas. In my life and back in the day you had to fly out. If you wanted to do this on New Year’s Eve, you had to do something you had to go to Atlantic City. I’m old enough. You can make a night up here on New Year’s Eve New Year’s weekend. Come up on a Friday or Saturday night. It’s very easy but New Year’s you have a lot of things going on here. Oh, absolutely.
15:32
All day. All afternoon all evening. Up till midnight. Champagne champagne balloons.
Nestor J. Aparicio 15:39
Not too much champagne. No, we want you to bowl games on the first
15:42
Yeah, very important that we have responsible adults in this building when it comes to alcohol. right
Nestor J. Aparicio 15:48
for me, especially I would say on New Year’s Eve because I had some bad New Year’s Eve, which is why I don’t partake in such madness anymore. And bands in this room and I get well soon. Kurt McKeown if you’re after we will curse, okay. But we had Petticoat Junction, I hope we get him back up because I love that band. But you’ve had a lot of bands up here. And like wide variety. I mean, one that is classic rock and it’s popping in tribute bands, New Year’s Eve, you’re doing a YouTube and a journey tribute band. So you’re up here, bringing the 80s back, which is perfect for me in my hair, I think but but entertainment as well. And I think these are a lot of things that maybe people didn’t know about or things that you just didn’t do. And certainly during COVID Everything that people had for momentum and you were not a newish property, but as then but coming through all that where you can’t even walk into the facility to try to reopen and get it going. You’ve breathed new air into the facility here I think with bands and with giving people reasons to come up here.
16:44
Absolutely. We have DJs we have bands on the weekends to create even an additional vibe on top of the winning vibe that we have here. We’re going to do battle with the bands again, which was an amazing event that we had over the course of multiple weekends. And crowned the winner that then came back several weekends after that. So lots going on I think battle
Nestor J. Aparicio 17:06
the bands, I think up in smoke, you know in the battle the band at the end of that one, but it’s not like that up here at all. We’re not able casino we’re given away. scratch offs. I’ve given a couple of winners away. I had a $20 winner at gertrudes on Thursday. We did have a $50 winner last week as well. We were cocoas earlier this week, we had all kinds of great conversation with Pappas last week with John Eisenberg. Make sure you’re checking all that stuff out and make sure you get up here to Hollywood casino and support our friends up here in Perry Ville right over the bridge easy. And I would say this. He probably this time of year got a 5050 chance of seeing a bald eagle just going across. Just you see him coming to work. I bet all the time I do. My wife worked. My wife’s a project for engineering, Verizon, and the one day a month that they dragged her to work. She had to go to Bel Air what was yesterday and she came home last night. She’s like, we took the back road. There were five bald eagles out and and I’m thinking man, this water up here. The last time I came up, I came through Conowingo up on one and I took the little back road across the water up here. And I saw just I got as close to a bald eagle as I’ve ever been in my life. That’s pretty amazing. Yeah. And I think people don’t realize that this whole area up here is beautiful birdwatching place beautiful place to fish, all that stuff. And then you get Kids Next Door. You send the Kids Next Door you come over here and have some fun or you bring the kids over here and hang out. What about a family friendly sports book and sports restaurant? That feels really unique to me? Oh,
18:36
it is absolutely unique. absolutely unique. In general casinos are somewhere for anyone who’s 21 and over. But knowing that next door was opening and they wanted to maybe every once in a while leave and come on over here whose
Nestor J. Aparicio 18:49
governmental maybe you see some county maybe was part of your zoning. I didn’t know this is your decision to say this part of it. You can bring kids in and get French sociological,
18:59
non designated casino floor. Yes. anywhere on the casino floor. We cannot have children’s
Nestor J. Aparicio 19:04
you can’t gamble from here in that way. No, there’s no blackjack in this. No
19:09
Blackjack, no slot machines, nothing inside this restaurant and one entrance in and out for those that are under 21. You can’t walk through the casino to get
Nestor J. Aparicio 19:18
we’re getting to a whole new place now because I’m telling stories. But two weeks ago had some buddies went to Vegas. I was in Vegas a month ago. And I went to YouTube at the sphere, right? But two weeks ago, somebody came back from Vegas. I think they were maybe going out for football game or something like that. And a guy said to me, yeah, I’m sitting in the pool playing blackjack in a bar and there’s television and I’m thinking is that a dream or is that puts this stuff who puts these ideas together? But I mean, I would think you could play blackjack almost anywhere but not in here. Not in here. Not in here. Right? I was making sure all right anything else that I miss anything with you because you’re busy so we can we got things going on. We got big football weekend. And I would also say for sports wagering and I talked to John Martin a lot about this. Please be responsible when you’re doing all this football stuff we got going on. I think we I take it for granted because I’ve been in here a dozen times I come by once a month that I can go over here and place a bet we can all place a bet on our phone, right? I mean, sports wagering this time, two, three years ago, not a thing. Right, right at all in this state. And I come so far with John Morris, I just see you sweating bullets, trying to get it legal. Then having everybody beaten up about mobile, they’re trying to get mobile and then try and get licensees and then this work. And then who’s going to Penn Penn is going to be get licensed and and all of that went down, man, this was you’d been here a couple years. And I know you’ve worked in other states and other jurisdictions where they’re trying to do this, and it’s always government, right? It’s always trying to what’s happened in Maryland? This is kind of amazing, because this place has been here a while. And I think maybe the visionaries who built the thought, one day, you’ll be able to come in here and bet on a Ravens game, right? That wasn’t the way this place was for a long, long time.
21:00
Now, so a lot of people don’t know this, Nestor. But I was part of the opening team of this property when it opened. When was that? 2010?
Nestor J. Aparicio 21:08
All right. So that’s good to know. 2010. So we’ve been here 13 years. Okay, so in 2010 slots only? No, that’s what I’m saying. So in 2010, you guys open this place up here. And I’m not I’m not I’m not a by hand. I’m a blackjack, or you know, I’m the action, the table games and all that there was a point where like, you had to fight for every inch to get this place to where it is like salutely Everybody had to fight we were the
21:32
first to open so we, you know, we were the guinea pigs, so to speak, in terms of what does the licensing process look like? What does How do you build a casino and open a casino and manage it in Maryland and we were the only ones for a while and part of helping create the rules and the internal controls behind it. And then table games came in I had left the property at that point in time but table games became legal at some point poker came in sports betting was here when I got here, but the certainly the onset of the year when you left it was Yeah, right. And then online sports betting has really has also changed things. There’s a lot of people that just never walked into a casino to bet before and now with online sports betting a lot of people are learning about sports betting and betting from home and you know, betting from anywhere. Well, I would just
Nestor J. Aparicio 22:21
say on the betting thing. I do think it’s dangerous. Please be responsible. I’ve talked about this a lot of ways I’ve been on here 32 years and and I care about degenerate gamblers in my neighborhood and people run in numbers and bookmaker salads and like all the history of all of that stuff and now we’re at a point where almost everybody’s doing it legally the state every time I have John Martin on once a month, we’re funding an education program with it. That’s a little different than my dad bringing back the pool cards. You know from the point 1978 or two in the block pools you know, we’re we would always get some crappy five and, you know, nine number where I couldn’t hit anything before they even had safeties or rouges back in the day, but but I would say from the sports wagering perspective of all of this and being able to play first of all, it’s hard to do. I’m gonna have Christian on here. It’s it’s not a way of life. It’s not a living, you know, I mean, I and I know a lot about football, it’s hard to pick football games, harder to parlay and like all of that stuff. But But I think for what it’s done to open the thing up the baseball things which are interesting to me, because all of my 32 years I made picks for the first 15 years on the air better than lately. And you know, we all like to have fun with it on Friday, I would get my USA Today out every Friday, nasty, nasty in the 1990s and have little helmets and just pick my games. Raz myself, we used to have a fax machine at the radio station. And 9790 we did pick skin pick them. And we gave like, you know, $100 gift card to restaurant or whatever. And our fax machine. We had an intern we would get a 900 faxes when people picking we’d have to grade them by hand. Wow, this is before fantasy, any of that stuff. So I mean picking football games is my dad brought pool cards home with college games on it back in 1970. A dad what’s rice? You know, like, I know, I didn’t know any of this stuff. I think in the modern era baseball coming on, I thought I don’t know anybody that bet on baseball. Even the people I put on the air and hired who had nicknames for themselves as gamblers. They were football people, or maybe horse racing people and, and baseball. I’m an old guy and I’m a baseball family. Right? I don’t know how to bet on babies when they would say this pitcher seven and a half tonight or I didn’t even understand it. Baseball gambling now thinks a different thing when Ben McDonald’s talking about it. And it’s bet that bet in the games and Big Papi. He’s got o’s and but more than that, I know my son’s involved people I know. And you know what their thing is? I like Ryan mountcastle I’m gonna think he’s gonna hit a home run tonight. I’ll put $5 on it. He’s eight the one or 10 And if he hits a home run or 150 bucks I don’t watch the game and right I’m seeing a lot of that with baseball. And I’m a sports fan. I’m a baseball, somewhat say an expert used to be. And I’ve never known anybody to play. I think people are finding different ways to get action in a fun, responsible there. We spent a million dollars on whether Ryan mountcastle home runs tonight. But I think if you’re watching the Orioles and we do home run riches and I had Barbara on from the lottery who won the $50,000 when Ryan mountcastle with the home run a hedge her and her husband Bob I was great stuff last week go check that out of Baltimore positive makes me smile, having fun doing $50,000 In Home Run watching a bunch of television. That’s kind of fun. Yeah. But baseball wagering and I just think sports wagering has changed a lot to even horse racing, wagering?
25:44
Oh, absolutely. And I think to your point about the $5 bet that can get you $50 and changes the way you watch TV, I think it’s similar to if you’re on if you have a fantasy football league, right? You watch football very differently because you’re watching your players and it brings a different level of excitement. And it’s not just the ravens, or in my case, the CEO, there’s
Nestor J. Aparicio 26:04
a rumor that Mr. Jackson’s quarterback, is that true? No. No. Well, Kenny Pickett your quarterback you’re not winning a lot.
26:11
He’s my backup.
Nestor J. Aparicio 26:12
Who’s your who’s your starter?
26:13
I’m not gonna say I’m just gonna say he’s big. Baby. He’s big points hurt
Nestor J. Aparicio 26:19
she got hurt sweetie got who’s your quarterback? And I’m telling you, if I guess you have to tell me it’s not Joe burrow. I know that. It’s not Kenny Pickett I know that we some Kenny Pickett your back I wonder how do you start them?
26:32
By week on the bye week.
Nestor J. Aparicio 26:34
Taking me 26 minutes and 36 seconds to out you as a Steelers fan. I came up here for for the Ravens game at 930 in the morning. And we’re the only game playing says ravens here here here. I mean everywhere around me if you look behind me there are six giant TVs here there’s TVs all over this place. I were up here Hollywood casino and Berryville and I came in it’s ravens ravens ravens ravens there was somebody with eagles over there we don’t mind them and the burgundy and gold I don’t want you know that’s where whatever they want we don’t mind them. But then you come in here and all this Hines Ward Roethlisberger it was a Palmolive shirt I got Paula molecules so
27:16
to our outside wire out my hair out
Nestor J. Aparicio 27:21
why Polamalu? What was it about him that you love? He’s a very nice man but
27:25
he is a very nice man. He gave back a lot to the community. He was just how he was perceived through the media was just a wonderful person and a very talented like Franco, like Franco. Okay,
Nestor J. Aparicio 27:37
so I have interviewed almost everyone you could name who is a Steeler Mike Tomlin and I text each other. We’re friends, right? So we used to being until Chad Steele got involved. That’s another story altogether. But I think when Mike Tomlin goes and coaches the next thing after y’all throw them out, I’ll be friends with Mike Tomlin again at some point when he leaves Pittsburgh. So in all the years with the Steelers, I give you all my Steeler memories. I was at the game when the plane went into the upper deck in 76, the playoff game in Memorial Stadium, so my dad took me to that game. We lost 44 to 14 That day, you can Google that I don’t need to look it up. I remember. I was set to go to the post game with my dad with the Colts with the Raiders. But the second to last Colts game I ever went to was Steeler game. And the Steelers came to beat the Colts likes 40 to 40 It’s not terrible. The last game of memorial was was the Oilers Earl Campbell played that game. I was at that game 2083. And then we got these 12 years where we don’t have a team and I was an Oilers fan. Always. Dan Passerini love blue. I’ve hated the Steelers. Probably since the Immaculate Reception. I’ve probably written for the Raiders that day when I was three, four whatever it was. So the Steelers were always the team you had to hate in the 70s because they beat the Colts. They beat the Oilers and then in the 80s mark Malone and things got a little quiet after a little while Bradshaw aged. I have never met talk to Ben in a room spoken to Bill Cowher to this in my life. I watched them on TV and I think he’s really good. Like that’s the show I watch on Sundays. I’ve never had cower on. I did an event with Terry Bradshaw like 20 years ago in Baltimore. And he was great. He’s on the show with me. But like all these Steeler legends, rocky Bleier, who’s a Vietnam veteran would come by every year. Rocky Bleier has been on the show 25 years in a row radio row. Hines Ward were common in shadow box with me, the Steelers players. I mean, even lately, Kevin Green has been on the show the steel rod Woodson Rob Woodson is my favorite football player ever. And he stealer so like I’m not as hateful as maybe made out to be. But there is some that you would look so much better in purple. No, it would look into your eyes. I mean, every you know everything about you would look better. There’s just something about pretty girls in Steelers game. You’re, I’ve known a few, but I’m like, what do you do? What do you wear that it’s black and gold? It’s ugly. I
30:07
was born and raised outside of Pittsburgh. Where were you born? Greensburg, Pennsylvania? Who
Nestor J. Aparicio 30:12
that is who you Yes. All right. So good. Do tell how far from Pittsburgh it’s about 35 miles east of Pittsburgh, who’s famous to played football from your town. Who’s the Aliquippa from your town? Who’s the Joe Nemeth from your town? I don’t think they don’t have one. I thought every town out there had a now see Marvin Lewis is from Fort fort cherry. Is that right? Cherry for cherry and he’s in downtown cherry. Cherry for Yeah, I got a real Pittsburgher here. Right. So Mike Dicus from aliquip All right. I’ve had him on he’s so I’ve had all these, Johnny you was from? What’s the name of the place? It’s north of it’s toward Youngstown. Oh, God, I forgot Johnny use hometown. They’re going to shoot me in Baltimore. What am I going to do? Joe Nemeth? Nemeth was from Beaver Falls. Thank you. Beaver Falls Thank you. I knew that I got help here. Good people in Cecil County helping me I’m not even on the internet. Did it desperate anything I beat you up about your Steelers nonsense right? In a year when they’re not. They feel when they when they find ways to win titles Helvetica scrappy,
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everyone from that area scrappy.
Nestor J. Aparicio 31:17
Including you including me Greensburg. No I know when I see it up on the interstate. Oh, that’s Amy’s town there.
31:24
Exactly. I mean, you’re when you’re born into it.
Nestor J. Aparicio 31:27
I lost a lot of weekends in western Pennsylvania over 30 years with the Ravens believing I know my way through Somerset. I know my way, you know, past Johnstown. Yes. I would always say back in the 90s. Because I would take phone calls from people. And you never know where somebody’s from it. And the minute they would open their mouth. And it sounded like Bill Cowher. I’d say hints come down and get a job. You know, that’s pretty good, right? Yes, that was pretty good. I was working. So the other day, I have one Terrible Towel in my house. True. It’s pink. And I got it. The Ravens played up there. And Hines Ward was wearing pink socks and they gave it out or whatever. And it went up in my bag. So I have one terrible too and I use it and when I clean things with it, I make sure the really grimy stuff. So I had this terrible towel. I can’t even believe I fold it when I do laundry and I saw it the other day and I knew I was coming to see you. So I folded it the other day and I thought to myself I looked at it says Myron Kobs Terrible Towel. My recoups names real small on it. And I never had my ring cope on the radio before because he was just not a very nice person to people from Baltimore, because he’s from down there and Yen’s enough. Is that pretty good? That was pretty good. I’ve been working on that for 35 years. Mine’s been dead a long time, but I never met Myron cope. But one time I was in the press box up there at Three Rivers Stadium, and he was just as far away and I can almost see the expectoration coming out of his lips as he was calling the Steelers game. Was that
33:00
pretty good? Yes. And super animated just like that. Why sat
Nestor J. Aparicio 33:04
like 15 feet away from and he’s just little man. And I was like, God didn’t get your towel down here a little bit. You know,
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that’s who he was.
Nestor J. Aparicio 33:15
When when Tomlin picked us up at the airport. In 15. We did that give us a bit tour. We did 30 baseball stadiums for 30 days. My wife and I we like day four. We went to Pittsburgh. And we flew up there he picked us up the airport said where do you want to go? Sell do anything you want to do? My wife’s like, I want to go up and down that incline thing. He’s like, Man, I haven’t done that since I was like 12 years old. He said I did that when I was a little boy. I played a tournament in Pittsburgh. He said I had been to coach 15 I haven’t done that. So we got on the incline. It was one fan on there with us. Recognize nobody pays for an incline. We’re like as many peoples are already here. And so we did that. But then he said to me, I’m gonna take you someplace good. I said all right, take me wherever you gonna take me see true me in the downtown Pittsburgh, there’s like this alley, and this overpass and there’s a giant wall and along the wall. It’s a mural of every Pittsburgh legend painted on the wall is Bradshaw Clemente you know, everybody’s on there except Dr. J. He was deficient a Pittsburgh. So all this murals there so I took a picture of that and I’m thinking man, Pittsburgh, like rich tradition. You shouldn’t become a Ravens fan. But you should. You should deal with us is what you should do. Absolutely. Got to where your call if I lived in Pittsburgh, where ravens collars you know, that’s who I am.
34:28
Yeah. And everywhere. I’ve
Nestor J. Aparicio 34:29
lived what’s your favorite Steelers moment? Because you I mean, you’re old enough that you’ve seen championships? I have seen championships. It’s been a while it’s looked at it. I looked at it. Yes. Okay,
34:39
more championships than you’ve seen. And with your team all I remember I was
Nestor J. Aparicio 34:42
in Dallas when Tom was trying to win the second time. And it was snowing on a Friday morning. It was a press conference is back when I was in the media. One of the 32 years I was really in the media. And there was there were there was nobody there because it’s icestorm and Dallas. I was there so that Friday morning. He’s on stage with MacArthur was a McCarthy was the McCarthy was the Packers coach, right? They beat him in that game in Dallas. And they had the trophy and they did a press conference. And there’s like, I swear to you 15 media members in a 500 seat Hall at the media center, and Tom saw me right away and I might ask a question because there’s nobody there to ask questions. It was at seven in the morning on Friday Superbowl weekend, and I went up I said, Hey, man, I shook his hand I said good luck. He’s like you don’t mean that? I said no, I don’t I don’t you know, I don’t mean that. I was that that that wasn’t that wasn’t a good that wasn’t a good one for you. That was a bit of memory. Yeah. Were you I was ample when they want.
35:39
Now, I’ve only been to one Super Bowl was a bucket list item and that’s the one that
Nestor J. Aparicio 35:43
I did give you one of the seats on the roof. That didn’t work. No,
35:47
but I will tell you the Green Bay fans were very gracious I mean, I was decked out head to toe and steel Polamalu jersey. I don’t remember if I had that. I don’t think I had the jersey at that point in time but I mean, I had a purse that said Steelers and a hat and earrings and shoes and she’s not wearing
Nestor J. Aparicio 36:03
it right now, don’t she? She would look better. Better Brad’s collars at this point. I would say Steelers scholars
36:08
nobody likes the
Nestor J. Aparicio 36:12
day the Steelers won a Super last time they won and the tippy toe. I’ve had Santonio Holmes on since then to have them on with Andrew salmon. That was the segment where Zimmern said to me solely one way to make the crabcake I had four different ways yesterday. So but Santonio Holmes caught that pass. That was the the Springsteen did halftime so that was I mean, the big man was there. My wife and I went down to the front because we were at that game in Tampa. That was only the second best thing and we won the Super Bowl Tampa so that that when I’m in Tampa and I think of that state and that was that was a night there January 28 2001. But in oh nine the Super Bowl was there. And the halftime show was was Bruce and I was blown away like we went down into the seats into the $40,000.50 yard lines. I was shocked how many people didn’t stay in their seats at halftime on the watch Bruce, I was 20 feet from rooms because people get out of their seats. I couldn’t believe it. I can say that. That
37:06
was one of the things I was so curious about before going to the Super Bowl like how do they get all of that out of the field and all of the first oh my gosh, and I so you it was a black eyed peas. Ah and usher came out. I watched the field and I never saw a show go up. I have no idea how he got up to come back down. For that halftime show.
Nestor J. Aparicio 37:29
I’m still trying to figure out how kiss got out of the ceiling the other night and CFG banchory Especially with theory. M Brannon is the vice president General Manager all things Hollywood casino in Berryville. We’re up here in Cecil County. We’re right next to great Lodge, come on up, say hello. Be a part of it. It’s fun up here. It’s easy to get to the pen playground somebody to pin play card because I have it in my pocket. I’m gonna hold mine up. And you can tell folks about this. Because when they do come up, I mean, it’s incredible. It’s got my name on it. It’s got value, right?
37:56
It so there it is. It’s a loyalty card. No different from Royal farms, no different from Weis grocery store no different from frequent flyer app here about a way to so the more that you play with your card, the better your offers and rewards aren’t you get invited to participate at different events and promotions based on property. So we reward our loyal players based on their play. So we love our guests to play with their card and
Nestor J. Aparicio 38:22
miss anything because you brought notes. I didn’t let you use any of them. I’ve been way too interesting to use your notes. It’s way too much fun beating up about the Steelers in a word about the notes.
38:30
So just a couple of notes. So you had asked me originally at the very beginning of this what’s new and we did and I talked about baccarat and Pai Gow as new offerings on the floor. We also move the floor around you told me you were doing that that’s what oh, yeah, we had all the table games in the back. And as we mentioned, there’s such an energy and excitement around table games. We wanted that to be more centrally located. So we put it right in front of the sports book so can make a bed so I can hear it. You can eat absolutely come back at cetera, et cetera. So we’ve moved the floor around we created a second pits and when when he added additional games, but we’ve also changed out and added a lot of slot machines so we’ve replaced slot machines on the floor we have some of the latest and greatest ascension buffalo striker blazing triple sevens ultimate Firelink cash. So we’ve also put progressives I forgot to mention on on some of our table games, so you can make a side bed be part of the progressives and win an even bigger prize. If you want to go check playing blackjack. Blackjack, you can do that. Yeah,
Nestor J. Aparicio 39:34
you can I say anybody that’s involved in gambling or gaming and I talked to and this is where I’ll promote the lottery, right? So I have all these games and these fun games I got unwrapped the cash I got sniffers, I can I’m not allowed to call them that. Sent it tickets. The gingerbread really does smell a gingerbread bag, the peppermint in the bag. It smells like but not individually peppermint. So I don’t know how to play all of these all and sometimes they give them out and people can look refuse with empty lottery to scan the thing, and you get the winner. But like I sometimes with when I hit the thing, I don’t know whether I win or not? Well, because
40:09
on some games, there’s 250 ways to win. But there is a little help button on every single slot machine and it will show you all the different lines and how they’re created. And
Nestor J. Aparicio 40:20
this is, here’s a help, but I’m glad to have you on because you’re answering all the dumb guy questions. Because you know, when I go in, and I’m like, hey, you know, what would it take? Because he used to be cherries, right? Yes, bar or seven or sevens? Right. I mean, you can go either way. Yeah, stars different. But now I come in. And then you know, this started at the turn of the century, right? Like, we’re, I would go in and say it’s a Willy Wonka machine. It’s a wheel of fortune machine. It’s a Corvette machine. You know, I mean, all the branding that happens around every kind of game. But there’s so much effort, I guess what I would talk to John about so much efforts put into making these engaging fun, how do you play but sometimes it can be a little. How do I play? There’s so much thought put a put into it. It’s like teaching somebody baseball at this point, my God, like I didn’t how to do it. But if I just sit there and teach her how to do it, like, what’s the base? What’s a ball? What’s an owl? And I think with games, sometimes it gets a little esoteric, and it becomes like, Alright, I know how to play blackjack. Add the progressive to that. And I don’t have to worry about any of that. Yeah, Blackjack is hard enough for me.
41:21
And it’s evolving. I mean, the world evolves and continues to change and morph and offer different things for different people. So
Nestor J. Aparicio 41:26
hit 17 or not, what do you do?
41:29
Depends on that depends on whether the dealer whether the dealer does or not.
Nestor J. Aparicio 41:34
Talk to experts, you get answers. All right. Best advice. Come on up, stop up. Say hello. Christian is going to be here making our picks. His picks have been better than mine lately, even though he picks the Patriots. You pick the Steelers you win a lot because they’re scrappy. Absolute Ravens have been putting some word on some teams here, you know, because they beaten some teams they get in a lot of a lot of points. So second half, they’re gonna be playing a tough schedule. So we’re gonna be talking to football looks at noise mills. I’m up here in Hollywood casino in Perryville. Come on out participate be part of the fun New Year’s Eve gotta journey band got a YouTube and all the information up on our website. Krishna are talking about it each and every week. Tom Kelso was slated to be here from Maryland stadium authority, former chairman. He’s going to join us next week. I hope it’s state fair. We’re going to stay fair next week. We’re going to be foreign data and curio wellness on the 15th I think Gina shock Rock Roll Hall of Famer is gonna be joining us later on in the month as well. We’re going to be wise markets and honey go celebrating the crabcake tour and the holidays and eating well. And then we’re going to end the year at fade Lee’s in Lexington where you Pittsburghers you don’t have anything like Lexington market? Anything like crabcakes either, although, you know the Primanti said they put french fries on the sandwiches. It’s it’s good
42:41
sandwiches, we put french fries on salads too.
Nestor J. Aparicio 42:48
All right, it’s time for you to go. Your busy lady I can let you get back to work. Vice President general manager for all things Hollywood casino Berryville Amy Brandon’s our friend, we’re going to have a Christian org coming by to bake our picks I am as of my last last night, I put all this effort into this we’re 13 weeks into this. I’m one game over 500 I one point I was 24 over 500 You know what a good person would do in a casino walk out at that point where you’re 25 off. But the football picks have been interesting this year because I said discretion. I wouldn’t pick every game. And I wouldn’t pick every game at the same level. So next year when I do this, I’m going to set aside like a real budget. And we’re going to have $5 games $10 games 25 games, and I’m gonna like try to really be aggressive next year with the games I like because I have to put the games I don’t like who am I picking one all the quarterbacks are hurt. That was the Cardinals
43:40
called responsible gaming where you set a budget and you stick to it and that’s our perfect customer.
Nestor J. Aparicio 43:46
All right, you have to do that for me next year because i i The more I think about this, I don’t want to pick every game but I feel like on the radio I have to pick every game, but I want to put some weight on it. It’s exciting. You could pick every Sunday for me at four o’clock on Sunday when I’m like two and five and like I’m praying that the lions cover you know, stressful we’re all casino at Perryville I’m gonna take the stress off here Thank God they have a beverage show station hear everything you could want great sandwiches great sounds we have a crab cake here now which I’m Yes, I didn’t get the crab cake with you. We’re going to do that later on. Okay, all right. All right. We have a crab cake who wrote the sports book our family friendly come on up say hello to our friends in Hollywood casino I’m gonna step out take a break. So I brought to you by the Maryland lottery our friends at window nation I’m getting put on the front floppy at 866 90 nation you buy two you get two free 0% financing for five years and Jiffy Lube. MultiCare my little orange light goes on get my oil change. You should do the same thing. We’re back for more up here in Hollywood casino in Perry Ville. She’s gonna go and get Kenny Pickett ready for action on Sunday. Stay with us.
