Following Barry Trotz back to Nashville

Leonard Raskin and Nestor discuss their mutual love of former Washington Capitals – and Baltimore Skipjacks – head coach Barry Trotz and his decision to take the general manager job back with the Nashville Predators. For the love of hockey and little Terps and, of course, some Lamar Jackson thoughts.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

terps, game, raskin, playoffs, year, hockey, taxes, trots, called, day, david, orioles, stadium, predators, pay, couple, money, play, big, leonard

SPEAKERS

Leonard Raskin, Nestor Aparicio

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

Looking back at W N, S, T, Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive.com. We are fooling ourselves here in the March winds. And let’s see March Madness. Spring Training was gonna have a horse race around here in a couple of weeks as well. And of course, it’s hockey season for some of my friends. And this guy is one of them. He knows our dough around here and tries to give us advice about old taxes and saving money and the American dream and what to do with your money. Even if you have 10 cents, you’ll try to turn it into 11 and then it compounds into 12.4. And before you know it, you might have a buck and a quarter. He is Leonard Raskin. He is Rascon global, I have on his witty newsletter from time to time, and he handles money, including helping us around here from time to time to get up on tax season. But more than that, Leonard, I know a guy like you and like, Dennis is like this to my friends and stuff and the clients. You’re all like when Trotz happens with news. I get inbound from all of you. And all you want to know the same thing if I knew before you knew or like what I knew. And then I have to go back to like the Cuban food trucks his kitchen in Long Island. When he said to me, I’d love to be a general manager one day, and he’s like, I’m moving back to Nashville. My daughter’s opening a business there, you know, but And he, you know, he never said anything like, well, you know, David’s been there a long time, you know, maybe average consulting. He never did any of that. When he showed up on the podium with the other day, it’s my life or friend taking over when he’s already going to the Hall of Fame. i A final Crow and have some semblance of pride about that. And I know how much you love hockey. So I know I was on the tip of your text the other day. So welcome. I’m

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Leonard Raskin  01:43

doing great. Doing great. was interesting to see because we were we were conjecturing after he was let go as the coach, what was going to be next. And sure enough, next is general manager of the Preds. And he he loves it there so why not? They love him there. And poil I’m sure you’ve seen him. I remember so I remember and I’m sure you do too, when poil was general manager of the caps, and had had that, that cloth of beautiful gray hair. And then suddenly it turned brown.

Nestor Aparicio  02:20

You know what’s crazy? It’s the same thing I told my wife and she’ll couple and I’ll play some inside poker with you because you’d like my fun little shots and I were together for all day up in Long Island. What’s the John Mayer It was literally the last 24 hours he was the coach he didn’t know he was getting fired by the way. He really right like right I was there all day we ordered Afro Cuban for me laugh like hell, we try it. We just had fun. Your friends were in his kitchen. Yeah, you know, it’s boy, all these playing games on his video. Like, our wives didn’t really know each other. Well, I got to really know each other that day was a beautiful day. But all of these things get said and whatever. And we’re out like we’re in his trophy room. And we’re this talk telling stories and whatnot. Any there was a picture of Boyle and he’s like, the David hate you and I’m like no one who hated you. And I’m like, Dude was Robbie for Torquay. And he’s like, Oh, yay, yeah. And I said No, David always liked me. I said David was the reason that I became a predators fan. I ran into David poile covering it was about this. Super Bowl. Radio row week. Yeah. 1998. I was about to fly to Australia for a month. I was 29 years old. Yep. That Bill Walton interview that I put up was that week. Sure. That week, the predators were a brand new franchise, right? Like, you know, they were like, and I went up to Anaheim to see an Anaheim Ducks hockey game. I don’t remember who they might think playing Miami Panthers that night. Maybe. I’m up in the press box on Wednesday of Super Bowl week. I drove up San Diego up to Anaheim to see a hockey I love hockey, right? Sure. And pools there. And I’m like David, he’s like Nestor, we sat together the whole game in 1998. And I said, What are you doing now? He’s like, Oh, I’m I’m the new Nashville Predators. General Manager. I’m like about it. I don’t even know if they were called predators yet, right? Nashville hockey team. And he said, uh, Barry trots was my coach. I’m like, why? I’m gonna send you a hat and a jersey in the mail. And I told him about the scruff that I was with the caps and 10 at the time and they moved to DC they just moved to MCI like all that. So that year I want to share this picture with you right now with the world that’s watching. This is from underneath. LA Forum.

Leonard Raskin  04:50

Okay, here the blonde and him sit with his brown.

Nestor Aparicio  04:53

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So here’s the funny thing. I put this picture up the other day because they’re back with the predators and obviously, they would watch this Same. This is my wife. He had silver hair forever did and then he went and now he’s looked 55 For 25 years 55 When he was 35 I said 80 People think my hair is something like a superstar. But this is a beautiful hockey. Oh, the

Leonard Raskin  05:20

your hairdresser knows for sure. So I just remember him being with the caps and having that gray hair. Like you said he looked like he was 50 when he was 30. And then he turned 40 And he decided he wanted to be 20 again.

Nestor Aparicio  05:35

Period reports. Almost every game right after it was all with Alcoa team sports, like in the first period of second period every game talked to fans, can you look into the fan used

Leonard Raskin  05:48

to be able to call in you could call I called in on home team sports I called in a couple of times talking about some of the guys in the minors like when so and so coming up and he’d say, ah, you know, we’re watching a blah blah blah. I remember here’s you’ll love this one. I called in one time because I was watching I don’t even know how I had it a feed from some team out there that back in the cable days I had and they had super slomo and I called in during an intermission and asked David when the calves were going to get on home team sports super slomo because the replays were phenomenal and he told me I’ll never forget we think our technology is pretty good here we think we’re state of the art we’re doing good thing blah blah blah

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Nestor Aparicio  06:37

probably was it was probably USA during the Rangers games because they had O’s they had no

Leonard Raskin  06:42

nose man it was it was something MSG or before MSG or whatever. And, and it was something else but yeah, every every game used to be to call in and ask the GM and it was out koken and Mike force Mike Ford’s Yeah boy did he called a great game. Mike Ford’s called a great game a shot and a goal. He was the only one he was the only one that didn’t shoot and score. He was a shot in a goal shot and then they brought in Jeff Rimmer. Jeff Rimmer. Who’s now Columbus doing

Nestor Aparicio  07:16

remember son is a good friend of mine and you know in the Columbus game. You know what I saw Jeff Rimmer that night in Florida in Anaheim. I remember Jeff Rimmer saying to me, David is here. He’s the new general man. Yeah, it was like Reimer was calling the Panthers game that night. He was calling the Panthers that Yeah, right.

Leonard Raskin  07:34

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So so now you got trots, who’s gonna take over July one. David’s gonna finally retire after 100 years, looking like he’s 30. Maybe he’ll let his hair go gray again. But I saw an interview with him recently. He said, I don’t know if you saw his the press conference. They did. But he saw it.

Nestor Aparicio  07:54

Oh, yeah. I mean, he said choked up. I really did see it.

Leonard Raskin  07:59

But he says a hat trick. The hat trick. He said the love of his life living in a great place and 51 years married and living in Nashville in the dream job and David’s got a good run. He’s had a great run. He’s He’s done some great things in the sport. And now he’s got trucks taken over and go. Do you have a parade? It’ll be his parade too. There you go. There you go.

Nestor Aparicio  08:25

I mean, it will be his parade. Talked about a parade and man I’ll be at that parade. I really will be I mean, I first on the boat with that and I so hockey, I gotta get to you and I made between vacations and this and that. Yeah, you did the college hockey game out? Yes, we did. Yes, we

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Leonard Raskin  08:43

did. Hockey in Cleveland. I

Nestor Aparicio  08:45

did that lumberjacks game once true.

Leonard Raskin  08:48

It was it was the Ohio State Buckeyes against that team up north. The Wolverines in an outdoor game was called the face off on the lake. It was at the brown stadium. So what was cool about the brown stadium I’m sure you’ve been there plenty. But what was cool about that was seeing Ozzy up in the Ring of Honor. So that was that was fun. That stadium made all that I can tell you that I’m surprised for as new as it is. And it ain’t all that but the boy was there. The reason we went the boy was there in the band doing script Ohio on ice, which you can see at the Ohio State Athletic band page and it is amazing. So they marched a.in The eye on the ice, the ice and Rose and then they formed the O H i O dot the eye and play on the ice. It is phenomenal. It’s really fun. You’re proud pop in Yeah, that’s right. That’s right. And so we went to the game and the band. The Ohio State bed was sitting in the Dogpound the only place in the stadium that has bleachers and not seats. So they’re sitting in the bleachers. It was about 30 degrees wind whipping off the off the

Nestor Aparicio  10:02

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78 and sunny and Federer. Oh

Leonard Raskin  10:04

man, no, it was it was chilly. It was beautiful was a great game. They won four to two. We had a great time saw the boy for about 20 minutes before he got on the bus to go back to school. Then the wife and I hung out in Cleveland for a weekend. And we did a nice brunch. And then we went to the Christmas story house, did you we did the only problem. It’s crazy. It’s it was closed for maintenance. But closed for maintenance. We drove in. Supposed to open at 11 We drove in. We get there cars are piling in the parking lot. And it’s all closed. You’ll shoot your eye out. People are taking pictures outside but you can’t get in no museum, no gift shop. It’s all closed. It’s really crazy. They closed the whole complex down. I found that amazing that that place is right in the middle of a little neighborhood

Nestor Aparicio  10:53

neighborhood. Yes, right by Jerry Rice. I was

Leonard Raskin  10:57

there’s that little house. Little House and so we hung out. Then we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Did a day at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which was a blast

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Nestor Aparicio  11:06

now Rock and Roll Hall of Fame better than advertised worse.

Leonard Raskin  11:11

Better, better. Absolutely never been there. Three hours of a day a little over three hours. Fantastic time I have a Beatles big Beatles exhibition going on let it be where they’re showing the rooftop concert. And the the acoustics the sound the everything about the place was above, above what was expected beyond what was expected. It was I’ve been

Nestor Aparicio  11:35

there into the theater twice recently the one time I walked in there, the Springsteen, Madison Square Garden Show some 99 I was at one of those shows was up. And the other time I went in there it was the stones coke out of their mind in 73. You know where they’re playing five times too fast and picks all over to play, you know, like it was, but every time you go do something else. Linda Ronstadt or something. That’s right, Raskin is here, he was there and click, so you can click on the thumbs up.

Leonard Raskin  12:06

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I thought it was a great time took a picture outside of the stadium with Jim Brown, you know, me and Jim hanging out on the statute or the statue area. But it was a good weekend. It was good weekend in and out, had a nice time. A lot of fun, came home back to work. And then all of a sudden my capitals are selling off. They’re selling parts in one direction or another where they gotta sell parts. Look, they told a veteran that on his quest to Gretzky’s record that they wouldn’t blow up the team and rebuild, but that they would do what they needed to do, but they wouldn’t blow it up. So they didn’t have a chance while he was hitting record. And I don’t think they have they’ve gotten rid of some, some free agents that they would have gotten nothing for that we’re not going to resign. They weren’t going to resign. I mean, they got some good draft picks back. They got a couple of players back and all in all, you can’t ask for more than that. You get back some players, you get back some draft picks. You can bring some good people in, though they’ll bring in the people to to at least be contenders but this year unfortunately, they got a big uphill battle with that 20 games to go if they’re going to make the playoffs. I don’t think they’re going to make the playoffs this year can be the first time in a long time that that might happen. But we’ll see. Well, we’ll wait.

Nestor Aparicio  13:18

You know what? The Orioles are going to be good in April. So you’re not going to have to worry you go.

Leonard Raskin  13:22

What do you do in the past? In the past, I’ve done the doubleheader. I’ve done Orioles opening day followed by caps playoffs. That’s great doubleheader great doubleheader

Nestor Aparicio  13:33

to have those problems with a relevant baseball team. That’s right. Um, I just want to say this to you because we talked about trots and capitals, and now we’re five years later, we’re break breaking up the band and like it didn’t happen again. And I think for any fan, you could look at this and say, I’m the owner just really cheap scale his way with trots and through all of it, that they had great leadership and that that’s important. The ravens are about to go through this thing with Lamar now, right? I just want to bring the Orioles into this for a minute. Yeah. And I had a conversation this week about and looks at something and I’m gonna hold them so accountable for this. Because he said this, and he said this because he’s a fan. He loves it. He’s tired of bad baseball, better baseball last year. Right? He said, and I thought this is like the most damning thing ever. And I brought this up with Dennis or illumi. He said just in passing, they could have done more. They should have done more in the offseason. Now, forget that they’re a baseball team. Forget that. It’s Angelo’s my maths and whatever. But in any walk of life, for any of your clients, for anybody in your family for any expectation you have no matter what hotel you stay in sandwich you buy car you buy service you get. I would hate to have anyone say about Leonard Rascon. If I were Raskin global, he could have done more. He should have done more. Yeah, if I if I’m saying that about you, or you’re saying that about me or my clients say that about me or my wife or my family Earlier, he could have done more should have done.

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Leonard Raskin  15:04

What is he thinking they should have done,

Nestor Aparicio  15:06

spent some money gone and gotten some pliers, you know what I mean? Like maybe

Leonard Raskin  15:10

they’re, they’ve made their they’ve made their case as to what they were gonna do. They did what they said they were gonna do. The rebuild is common. He’s now saying the rebuilds over, it’s time to win. And I think you hold them account in September.

Nestor Aparicio  15:28

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I said to Luke, my answer to him was if they trade for two real players on the train that way, yeah, if that’s their plan, is to expand a couple of these baseball prospect, you know, to someone else to get the right pitcher and take on a finish next year finish they do that I’m good. I’ll go with that. If this

Leonard Raskin  15:52

team, if this team goes from from Wednesday been to this year playoffs, then I think you hold him to account at the end of the year. Now if they stink, and they don’t have the season that everybody hopes they have, including obviously them. If that doesn’t materialize, then I’m with him. Then I say okay, they could have done more. But But if their build plan and their young pitchers and their bullpen and their young players and their prospects and who they got, which are not a list, but maybe a list, you know, a couple guys, and they they have a run at the playoffs and they make it that will be a huge turnaround from a team that hadn’t been 500 forever. That

Nestor Aparicio  16:39

year, when they have expectations. We’re all saying they better make the playoffs. Well, that’s my point season, but they better make the

Leonard Raskin  16:46

play. That’s my point. So so they’ve been under 500, forever, last year above 500. Right. And so now we’re gonna go from success was being 500. To successes, you got to make the playoffs. And I’ll hold them to account in October if they don’t, or if they come up, you know, a game or too short. Okay, but, but this is not the year to talk about rebuilding, they’re not they’re saying this is the year we’re going for it. If they pick up that piece or two at the end, they jumped into the playoffs. If I can go to a playoff game in October, I’ll consider that they did enough. And if they win the World Series, well, you know, you should go right now. And this is not financial advice. But right now might be the time to put 10 bucks on a winner the World Series what’s

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Nestor Aparicio  17:36

readily if you don’t think of Costa Rica, right? Tells me in America the lottery. So

Leonard Raskin  17:40

what’s the what’s the odds today? What’s the odds today on the Ravens making the World Series? I’m sorry? Yeah, right. Thank you. Making the world series you can put 10 bucks on that and see how it comes out in October? Well, Leonard, you

Nestor Aparicio  17:54

mentioned raised expectations. Nobody’s expectation to get higher than the Terps all of a sudden, right. They’ve won some games. I mean, look the Orioles as a sports guy and life or sports guy here 31 years 25 years with a sports radio station. Man the Orioles and the Terps in recent years, right. Have become nobody talks to me. I don’t talk to that. Now. The Orioles bring it back last year. And then six months later here are the Terps on the precipice of okay. They make they’re gonna make the tournament. Can they went on the road? Okay, that Jim’s is always you know,

Leonard Raskin  18:30

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it’s crazy, isn’t it? The basket the same place isn’t at the same height? Isn’t it the same range not to 19 year old young men historically over the last that is? That is a very weird conundrum to me. That that you play at a different gym and you play differently in a different gym. It’s it’s a very strange, it’s not like baseball, where the dimensions of the stadium are different. Football homerun Road, man. It’s 100 yard field by what 35 Is that when

Nestor Aparicio  19:03

you see this, you see that you see that basket differently? There’s that? I don’t know.

Leonard Raskin  19:09

I don’t understand that was that

Nestor Aparicio  19:10

Curry’s got something going on with his eyes that you know, in regard to focus and depth perception. That’s just different than other people. I mean, really, I mean, but

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Leonard Raskin  19:19

but I don’t get a it’s got a gift. Hey, it’s Terps. Ohio State this week. Terps. Ohio State. Ohio State basketball. No good. They’ve been talking about uh, well, you know, college rebuild, right. There’s very scary. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, they had a good year, the last couple years. They lost all their players. They have one Junior four freshmen and they’re starting five and freshmen and sophomores football players that out loud now for reds. Right? Because they are because they are. So so next year. I think it’ll be really good. But Maryland plays at Ohio State this week. It’ll be interesting to see because Ohio State’s like one in 14

Nestor Aparicio  20:01

The problem was shots at the Schottenstein Center when I saw Jimmy Buffett.

Leonard Raskin  20:04

There you go. There you go. You did shots just fine. So now he’s gonna

Nestor Aparicio  20:09

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be down. That was the problem.

Leonard Raskin  20:13

The Terps went on the road. That’s what it comes down to. Because clearly they can win a College Park. They went undefeated against the big 10 At home. Well, you

Nestor Aparicio  20:21

mentioned leadership. That’s right. Like this guy has been a complete. It’s been a heart transplant for the franchise. Kevin Willis.

Leonard Raskin  20:28

Yeah, yeah. And it’s been a surprise to the fans, because I don’t think the fans liked the pic before the season. And somehow fair weather Terps have all

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Nestor Aparicio  20:38

their terpenes they hate everything. I just been doing this a long time.

Leonard Raskin  20:41

Like, if a Gary at a Terps AD carry. I mean,

Nestor Aparicio  20:45

you know, come on, right. Carrie hated them sometimes. Right? Like, right.

Leonard Raskin  20:50

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But this guy was this guy big. They were down on this guy. Until now. He’s undefeated big 10 home season. And he is King for life at College Park.

Nestor Aparicio  21:00

Well let her raskins King at Rascon global you can find him at Ross global.com Managing money. Alright, so it’s March 1. And yes, my taxes aren’t done, as you will know, when it comes to this time of the year, should I be panicked? Or should I file extension? What’s the deal with extended? Like, did just get people a little focus? Because it’s what you do? I mean, yeah, but but like, my first thought as a human right now is, hey, my taxes aren’t on

Leonard Raskin  21:25

April 15, I’ll be here before you know it. It’ll be here quickly. So the bottom line is, here’s what you must know. You you must file either your tax return, or your automatic stay of execution, which is called an extension order before April the 15th. So if you file either the second part of this, which people miss sometimes is you must pay your taxes. So any taxes that you owe, have to be paid with the return or with the filing of the extension. When you do that, with the extension, what you’re saying to the IRS is I’m not ready to give you the details. But here’s the money. And as long as they’ve got the money, you can hold off on the details for six months. So it’s all good. But if you don’t pay the taxes, bad day, penalties, interest compounding continuously, just become an unbelievably obscene number. So you file the return, you file the is

Nestor Aparicio  22:28

it good that the government’s mean in that way?

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Leonard Raskin  22:31

No, I think the government’s horrible in every way. I don’t think they should

Nestor Aparicio  22:36

when it comes time to collect and you don’t pay your fair share? Well, I’m all free.

Leonard Raskin  22:41

Well, your fair share is all relative, right? I’m all for you paying what you owe. I’m also all for finding every way possible to avoid the taxes. Look, my opinion about income tax goes like this. And it’s contrary to most everybody out there that that I’ve ever talked to, but here’s my opinion on the for what it’s worth department. Nobody, nobody should pay taxes on their income for working. No one, you’re trading your labor, for cash. And that trade is a straight up, no gain trade, I work, you pay, you pay, I work. If I don’t get paid, I’m a slave. So paying me is not a game. For me. It’s retransfer of your money for my work. Therefore, it should not be taxable. To me taxes should be assessed on gains, where there was no effort put forth on my part, I have no problem. Taxing capital gains. That’s where taxes should be taxes should be levied on goods and services. Taxes should be levied on gains, not worked for wages or a trade. So I shouldn’t pay any income tax on my wages at all. Just think of how much more money would be in the system, how much bigger the economy would be, how much more welfare society would have. If the government didn’t take it all.

Nestor Aparicio  24:04

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Just raise the tolls, what are they gonna have to

Leonard Raskin  24:07

know that’s okay, I have the choice of how to drive. I can drive on a toll road or I can drive on the road without the toes

Nestor Aparicio  24:13

a million ways to

Leonard Raskin  24:16

do it. And I’m all for all of those were choices involved. I can buy a bigger house a smaller house, I don’t have the choice to not work your point. Right. My point is I work for a wage that pays my life. And that’s a trade of labor for value. And I shouldn’t be here this

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Nestor Aparicio  24:32

in your TED Talk. Linda Raskin, I listen to this, you know, when you go on an independent concept or republican concept, or just

Leonard Raskin  24:39

to me, it’s just a real concept. It’s what the country was founded on. There wasn’t an income tax till 1913. And so you know, prior to that, we didn’t have it. When it started. It was 7%.

Nestor Aparicio  24:50

So Woodrow Wilson, Coolidge, shoop is everybody off with that one Wilson that was worth going

Leonard Raskin  24:55

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to war right. Woodrow Wilson, loser. No, it was just loser. Here was to deal 7% You had to make over $500,000 a year in 1913. Taxes. That’s exactly right. Yeah, it was the rich paying something that was levied on their income. And the government said we will never raise the rate. They haven’t stopped lying since 1913.

Nestor Aparicio  25:24

Let Raskin shoot it straight are asking. Matt are asking global.com offer thoughts on hockey, basketball? Did I miss any sports?

Leonard Raskin  25:33

We’re good. We got hockey. We got hoops. We got Orioles. We didn’t talk to Lamar. What’s up with Lamar? Is he signing or is he not signing? Are they franchise tagging him? What’s going on? Let’s go. Let’s just get some movement. I just want something other than all the talking heads, including you and me and whatever. Talking about it. I want some news to mention him. You did know I said what’s the news? I want some news already. Let’s go. He’s tweeting. Did you see he’s tweeting crazy things?

Nestor Aparicio  26:01

Of course he is. He is later Raskin. I am Nestor. We are wn SDA and 1570 We’ll talk about those next week. Up never stop talking Baltimore positive.com. Stay with us.