In the aftermath of all of the reports regarding the Orioles lease situation with the Maryland Stadium Authority, our financial insider Leonard Raskin joins Nestor to discuss the good, bad and ugly of what Major League Baseball and sports ownership represent here and in other municipalities around America as the team makes its final trip to Oakland.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
people, game, crabs, week, lowenstein, stadium, buying, put, years, kevin, night, good, money, orioles, john miller, won, lease, watching, ravens, gave
SPEAKERS
Leonard Raskin, Nestor Aparicio
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
wn st Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive we’re positively gonna be bringing the Maryland crabcake toward the this guy’s favorite place. We’re gonna be at Pappus on the 29th. That’s all brought to you by the Maryland lottery. We’re gonna be giving these away down in Glen Burnie we’re gonna have a handle on the county executive Steuart Pittman joining us I spent Sunday evening at a true legendary place the legendary Costas in and Dundalk real crab house sounds. The sound of Cedric Mullins going over the fence the sound of Cedric Mullins hitting the home run the sounded like bomb and given up the letter Raskin joins us now from Rascon global. He bought me crabs and crab cakes and corn and crab Imperial and shrimp and spinach and oyster whales to be mussels, mussels.
8
Leonard Raskin 00:49
We were eating good. We were eating and drinking good. It was a it was a fun, fun night.
Nestor Aparicio 00:54
While you were there when the game was won. Yes, walked in right as they blew the game then you got in there and we won the game. You missed the catch. But you there’s something about the heartbeat of all of this, right? You were in Alaska for a couple of weeks this summer. But coming back to this and I see a little silver in your hair. I don’t want to date you too much. Let her ask it. But you remember at three and I remember that. But we’re with Matthew, your son the other night my son’s 40 years old and there’s no concept of the Orioles being anything other than what Kevin Brown made them to be last week. And they’re winning man and it’s memorable. I’ll always remember being a Costas with you. When the Cedric Mullins thing happened, right like mapping it in time that we share together like where you were the night Mike Devereaux, went over the wall.
Leonard Raskin 01:41
There you go. Well, the raskins are over two on the going to the ballpark. So we’ve decided to not go
Nestor Aparicio 01:48
8abstaining. Is
Leonard Raskin 01:49
that what you’re doing? Yes, we we watched Otani out pitch the o’s and crush a homerun he gave up to but he won. And then we watched the last rows which are not anymore. The last rows are now the Astros. We watched them beat us. Wednesday night. We didn’t go on Thursday. We went on Wednesday evening and got blown out. So we are over to at the yard. But we are we are positively kicking it from the home theater.
Nestor Aparicio 02:22
You and I and I put the piece up at Baltimore positive I hope you saw it. I found that 1983 Game One World Series tickets sold at $25. Back in 83. I think my dad got the $12 seats we got we I think we paid all like 15 or 18 up in Philadelphia for game four I had
Leonard Raskin 02:40
those adequate seat heroes to that. Well,
8Nestor Aparicio 02:43
you know for for anyone that wants to be a part of it and you feel a part of it when you watch the games. Yeah, I look we can go on and on about how good they are. And we did that last week. We’ll do it again. Next week. We’ll have weeks to do that. You’re you’re grown up you’re you know, you and I politically very different in regard to what you see on Fox News that you believe versus what I see what I see on CNN and I might believe that you would never believe and the way you vote in the way I vote and all this loop said to me earlier today this week about the Kevin Brown thing. He’s like everybody agrees that the play by play guy should be able to do his job right? Yeah, like, I don’t know, because when the when the Stockholm Syndrome thing as you call it a Stockholm Syndrome. When that press release did Greg Bader orchestrate and and put out with Kevin Brown’s name on it. Friday Night came out. There are a percentage of people like I said, 30% and looks like it’s not 30% I’m like, I don’t know, man. I’ve met these Orioles fans that really believe that there was nothing there and that
Leonard Raskin 03:44
Well, like I would just say, I would wonder if there’s nothing there. Why he was not there. It’s pretty simple. To me. This is the first season of unbelievably good baseball, that we are in a everyday pennant race. There isn’t a day that goes by that. Admittedly, members of the team aren’t looking at what Tampa Bay did or what Tampa Bay is doing while they’re winning or losing and gaining ground and losing ground every day is epic. And yet the supposedly lead broadcaster is off. And I can’t imagine for what reason he could possibly be off and not operating unless it was a long in advance planned vacation that they let him take in the middle of the season. stunningly. Well feels like he’s been on one of those for a week or two. Right. Right. Ballmer got sick Yeah, yeah. So but they have a reason there’s something going on there that we know about supposedly right you don’t think they said anything? They’re sick. There’s there’s there’s COVID in the air something happen But, but I can tell you march of 2000, February, March of 2000, when COVID was raging, and the market was down 40%, as measured by the s&p 500. I was on the phone with clients constantly for days, and doing webinars about PPP and, and eidl, and the SBA and what this means and what to do with your money. And, and we were right there at the forefront of it. Because, you know, in my world, what I do for people is, is help them get fired up about their money and their American dream and grow their wealth, you know, this. And most of the time, I will say most of the time, I don’t want to say we coast. But with our existing clients. We’re in management mode, because not a lot changes in their lives. And we’re not traders. So we’re not in the market trading stocks and bonds and things. So things are just good. And then a march 20 event, or an O 90809 event comes in and we’re like the firemen man, we jump in at that moment. And we are working hard to calm people to help people to make sure they’re aware of what’s going on when things look to bleakest. That’s when our clients need us the most. So we’re in the game full time. So here’s the Orioles having the greatest season in 40 years maybe who knows. And
Nestor Aparicio 06:29
maybe the greatest season I’ve ever witnessed. I mean 79 And I yeah, like 79 was very much like this where like, they were just winning games out of the rectum every night hitting Grand Slams lay. And every night there was a difference. Be Lowenstein it was Kiko Garcia it’s funny you bring up Lowenstein dude, he was the original. I wrote about this in the Peter Principle. You go read a chapter three, chapter four. He was the original guy. That Angelo’s hated Angelo’s hated John Lowenstein. On the air. He made John Lowe and Stein’s life miserable. John Lowenstein went out to Las Vegas and 30 years later, other than him sending me some love sometimes on Facebook. I appeared, I went to Nietzsche by car you Yeah, guy? Right? Absolutely. rather low love sushi at a time in my life, right and eat raw fish because it was 9093 94 was rather low was west coast. Tina was up. So I would go over to Nietzsche bicon. I’d be sitting there at the teppanyaki and Lowenstein would be sitting at the bar having lunch, he would get like a little bento lunch or some sushi. And because he was going into the ballpark, this is 9293 when he was still there. Yeah, he knew who I was because I had a press pass or whatever. And I was always in there working. I was always selling during the day, and I did the radio in the afternoon. This is early part of my career. But I love Nietzsche by pi. And brother lo you that’s how I knew him. I knew him right. And like I was, I was there the night he sat up on the stretcher. I was I was at the I know the vantage point in left field where I was sitting when he sat
Leonard Raskin 08:04
8seven. Remember, I was behind the dugout that night. It was a birthday present, that I was taken to that game and I was behind the dugout with relatives watching it when he sat up that was
Nestor Aparicio 08:18
Do you remember where you were when Cedric Mullins hit that home run against the mariners?
Leonard Raskin 08:22
That was awesome. Yeah. Kevin Brown, not to be confused with the ex Oriole pitcher Kevin Brown was was calling the game. And and so two weeks before or however long it was. I don’t think he had a planned vacation. And I find it hard to believe that everything is just hunky. Well, I guess it’s got to be hunky dory. You know. I’m asking you there’s a statement
Nestor Aparicio 08:47
out there. Listen, you’re not you’re a big sports fan. Got into the weeds on all of these issues. But last week, and listen, you’re talking to a guy here that I’m not reading the papers. I have sources right, right every you know this everybody’s preached to me in the last week about team Angelo’s and team John, everybody except Mike Elias on the baseball side. But I’ve reached all of them as a reporter in the same way that I’m reaching the Ravens people about my own ouster and doing journalism. And I want to know what you believe you write like you and I ate crabs together for three hours on Sunday night after the game was over. And I purposely did not engage you were with your son we’re talking to vacation. My wife’s there your we didn’t do any of this. I said save this for the radio. But yeah, what do you as one of the more astute, intelligent people I know who certainly disagrees with me politically, and I don’t think you’re off your rocker. I just think we disagree. But I think with this situation with the stadium with the lease with a rich kid who’s on third base and thinks he in a triple. You’ve seen all of this as a grown up for 30 years. You’ve seen all the bad baseball, you were here for free the bird you’re here for John Lowenstein. You’re here for John Miller. What you’re you’re smarter. than you’ve ever been, we all would like to think that what do you what do you make of the last week if Chris Leonard had you and I had crabs in April, I would have said to you, John Angelo says F stop, but they’ll figure this lease thing out like whatever. Like, I don’t think he was really as nuts as his father. It’s very, very
8Leonard Raskin 10:17
pulling that card out. But I go to the quote by Voltaire. Okay, if you want to know who controls you, look at who you are not allowed to criticize. So, here’s, here’s Kevin Brown, sadly, I think, who made a statement that was, in my opinion, innocuous was it nothing burger. It was nothing. He didn’t say the team stinks. He didn’t say they stunk for so long, that it’s no
Nestor Aparicio 10:48
he was written stuff that the team produced produced for stats in the stat pack that that is a game. Yes. Correct. And,
Leonard Raskin 10:57
and it said, they’ve won more in Tampa this year than they had in the last two, right? Because they had lost so many games in Tampa to the raise. That is such a nonsense, nothing burger, like you said, created by their stats team statistic. That, indeed, that got him shut down by his boss. And now he’s coming out saying no, that’s not why I was off the air. Or what happened was a misunderstanding. And we’re all good. Well, you know, I think I think integrity is a hard thing. And in this world we live in today, leaders got leaked leadership. I think people are craving leadership and craving honesty. I mean, there is no more. There hardly are any more honest. Brokers anymore. I think it’s sad. I’ll give you a couple for instance, you know, and I, I don’t say this to be to be mean or or off putting to anybody. But when a potential woman, woman, Supreme Court Justice can’t say what a woman is, when women are being defeated in sports, by men, who are now women, swimming in women’s swimming and running in women’s track, and, and the, the world, the country has spent years Title Nine, making sure women had a place in women’s sports. And now men are beating women. In women’s sports. There are no more absolutes, like what is a man? What is a woman X Y chromosome don’t count. And then you got the baseball in the middle of the season. Like I said, this guy can’t say that. He was shafted. And I guess, well, what can he say? I mean, he could say anything, right? He could say whatever he wants to say if his truth, if his integrity is they sat me down because of this statement that they put together. And I uttered, from what I saw, from what I saw for two weeks. I think it was out two weeks right. Now, look, it’s been more than that. Okay. 23rd. Yes. Okay. From what I saw during that period of time, when it hit the fan. He could get a job in broadcasting. He’s done well enough. He’s young. He’s done well enough that he could have told them. If this is the way you’re gonna play me. Goodbye. You know, play me out. I’m doing I’m
Nestor Aparicio 13:50
8not 33 with a pregnant wife and a house. Get it?
Leonard Raskin 13:55
Pressure pressures, different pressures, different stress. But if he said play me out, maybe he doesn’t know what his talent looks like. But I saw the what’s his name? Sterling? Yankees? Yes. John Miller, obviously from the Giants, national broadcasters across the spectrum, saying this was abhorrent. Saying this Oh Michaels has been absolutely enough people that this kid would have found work. He’s famous now. Right? I mean, I’m just saying, Yeah, but he, if he just stood up and said, I’ve been screwed by this team and this owner because they gave me data to read and then when I read it, they can’t me because
Nestor Aparicio 14:44
well, I mean, that’s what John Miller came into my studio in 1996 and said it’s gonna tell you his brother low. Last time I saw Brother low. He was disgruntled and leaving, and I had a final bento box with Brother low 30 years ago. had at that point it wasn’t like, my career was different. This is 1994 95. I didn’t have a radio station. There were no ravens then it’s before the Ravens. Yep. And he was written about in the sun. And he made and I wrote about this in the Peter principles. You go read the Peter principles, I pulled it. It’s like a term paper. The Peter Prince was Peter principles, not my opinion. It’s really a third person. This is what was reported. This is what Peter Angelos did in that era, and the John Lowenstein thing was ugly. The John Miller thing was uglier. But they were just sort of forced out. They weren’t muted. You know, Pete Peter just said, I don’t like you out. Not. John. You can’t wear flip flops in Hawaiian shirts anymore. Right? It was just You’re out. I’ll get my I’ll get people to walk my way. March you know, March mime. And you know, Fred, man for in Jim Hunter were the guys that did that job. Peter was three drinks in with me out at the barn talking about free speech. Tell him I get is. But keep your opinions to your we want you to give a recitation of the ballgame. You can go listen to it, and you hear it in his words. John’s too much of a coward to even have his words, right. Like his words are Greg Vader’s words in that press release on Friday night. And it’s like blink once, blink twice. Kevin Right. And we all all people see that. I would hope that 99% of my audience and I don’t get any emails this week telling me how Kevin Browns that this is because I think I’ve chased that audience. I think if you are on the fantasy land train, where you think these are honorable people, they’re not. Now what to do about it. When they don’t sign a lease. They’re not returning governor, they’re mad people. million dollars telling. I mean, the penalty clause, can you imagine if you represent steep Ashati and this guy now is out trying to take away your parking lot?
Leonard Raskin 16:57
Yeah, what the heck is that about? I mean, this is crazy. I was talking to the family on the way home from crabs Sunday night. And, and I said, we were talking about it. And I said, you know, it’s nuts. That first of all, it was we talked about it months ago, very simple to me in business and math. That steepish shotty had no issues signing Lamarr when we we the taxpayers gave him $600 million to do it. And so at the same time, we we gave the Angelo’s family $600 million to do their thing. And they’re the beautiful stadium that lies behind you $600 million to billionaires is kind of stunning to me. But I tell people all the time, government and the rich are in bed together, I don’t care what party you vote for. In my, my belief, capitalism is the way that we prosper. It’s the way that we pull the country out of misery. The world has been pulled up by capitalism, I won’t buy anybody’s belief that socialism or communism is a better way to go, there’s no way you’re going to tell me that the central planning of the elite knows better than the masses of what’s good for them. And yet, we’re moving in that direction, more and more and more, the elites and the government are tied together so tight, and the money is flowing from one to the other in the wrong direction. And so we the taxpayers pay, and the government turns around, and hands out $600 million to this guy. How many leaves shoddy to this my point? How much is the lease? My son? You know, Matthew said to me, Well, who owns the stadium? I said, the state owns the stadium. The stadium authority owns the stadium. Well, how much is the lease? I didn’t have an answer for that. Do you know that answer? Roughly?
8Nestor Aparicio 19:06
It’s competitive in the way that it’s an unbelievably good deal. If dollar per year was in the early days. It’s not that sweetheart anymore. Right. But here’s was for art in the beginning. That’s right. But
Leonard Raskin 19:18
But my point is this. If if Angelos is holding out to sign the lease, and we just gave him $600 million is the lease term $600 million.
Nestor Aparicio 19:30
Oh, no, the the 600 million is earmarked to improve. Right. Like, but all that does is improve his pocketbook. Exactly. So and I think
Leonard Raskin 19:42
8money is fungible. So it goes in his pocket. It’s like Social Security. You don’t pay it any darn Social Security fund. It’s taxes. It’s the greatest Ponzi scheme in the history of the world. You pay into Social Security. The government takes that money spends it on a war, then they give you back Your Social Security when you’re ready to claim, there’s no social security at the government. So there’s no stadium Improvement Fund at the Angelo’s house. 600 million goes from the taxpayer to the rich man’s pocket. He put it in his pocket, it might come over time, but so does the lottery. Okay, so he puts that in his pocket. Now he’s complaining about a lease that over the term of the lease is not going to cost him $600 million. So he’s basically living there, rent, free, rent free, and he won’t sign a rent free agreement. I don’t know how long what’s the term we’re looking for? 10 years, 30 years? What is it 15 Is what you sow. So if somebody came to me and said, We’ll buy your house from you, and give you Oh, I don’t know, 50 times its value in a check today. And then you get to live there for the next 15 years. For 10% of the value each year. I take that deal every day twice on Sunday. This is ridiculous. This is nonsense. So this is this is the taxpayer once more getting fleeced, and why the governor doesn’t get down there and say, Hey, this is ridiculous sign this piece of paper. Let’s stop the shenanigans. You got your 600
Nestor Aparicio 21:22
He’s not getting a better deal, right? They they appropriations you know Bushati he wants the parking lot he wants to ridiculous the way the parking lot from all accounts is worthless because the tunnel the house three tunnels built underneath of it. So therefore you can’t build Scott You can’t build up and you can’t build out because create anything, you can’t create any and then if you build something where we parking, right?
Leonard Raskin 21:49
Right, we’re building a garage that you’re going to charge $50 to get into Come on. Fifth nonsense, be more than that. Whatever. It’s nonsense. It’s ridiculous.
Nestor Aparicio 21:58
Well, and then you have to ask us like what how is this benefiting our community and that’s the major point we were sitting across. That’s why we want to raskins our guests you’re asking global to see what it can do. What sports can do when it’s best that our in bringing people together black people, white people, male, female, young, old, ever. All the above and
8Leonard Raskin 22:23
grant Republican
Nestor Aparicio 22:25
everybody or people everybody in the room was shearling for Cedric Morris hitting the home run on Sunday. And that cash that’s been missing right? Don’t have that the Ravens don’t really have that because the Ravens we all gather in that way right? Like we you know where you’re going to spend every Sunday whether it’s at a game in your man cave, wherever if you go to sports bar, you get some semblance of that experience gathered with people, but to just randomly be out having crabs in the games on and to feel everyone nobody was there to watch the game. Know what they once they got there and watch it. Buddy was doing right? It’s old school,
Leonard Raskin 23:03
screaming screaming when Cedric hit the boy
Nestor Aparicio 23:08
8five and stranger. Wayne wins first he
Leonard Raskin 23:12
hits the ball foul. And the place is like, ah, everybody’s just devastated. Because that’s the ball game right there. Ah. And then was it two pitches later? He just Bombs away and after after what he did the night before. Still in third and scoring the winning run at one nothing. I mean, what a weekend series in Seattle. They’re playing good ball. And and
Nestor Aparicio 23:40
you’re saying you played all week or? No? Absolutely. It makes it?
Leonard Raskin 23:44
Absolutely. Well, I’ll do my best on was it? Was it Saturday night? No Friday night. Friday night was the blowout? Yeah. Friday night at the fifth inning. I went to bed, watched it in bed and fell asleep with it on I didn’t think we were coming back.
8Nestor Aparicio 23:59
Saturday night was really rough for me because there’s no offense. It was like getting late and like, but
Leonard Raskin 24:04
I was watching Saturday night one nothing. I was not turning that. I’m gonna
Nestor Aparicio 24:07
get a nappy nap and I’m okay all winter long, including an Oakland this weekend.
Leonard Raskin 24:12
8Let her ask the fathers. Are we out playing the father’s were hot race. You got the pottery? Father’s dryers? Absolutely. Absolutely. So there was a game out there. You’ve been to San Diego. I’ve been there not for a game when I was there that was offseason. God stadium did not get to see a game at the stadium.
Nestor Aparicio 24:30
If I would have known how good they were probably to go on after these couple of days but I’m gonna be down Ocean City this week. I’m gonna have senators and not not the Washington Senators, the Maryland senators. I’m gonna have Governor Westmore hanging out. We’re gonna be down for Mako this week talking to folks. I’ll be running for president so I’ll try to have a crab cake with him. Ben Cardin is committed on the program as as Chris Van Hollen on Friday, as well as animal county executive Steuart Pittman is going to join us at Pappas on the 29th as part of the Maryland crab Quick Tour and our 25th celebration. I’ll be giving away the mail a lot of dispatch officer friends when donation 866 90 nation you buy to get to free. I’ll be telling you more about all of that letter. It’s already about, like this time a year. It’s hot out. People kids are going back to school. Is there any advice you have for you’re always telling people to get their act together. So whenever a bad August is a good month to get your act together to write
Leonard Raskin 25:22
every month is a good month to get your act together. What I would tell people this week is petition your state legislators. Because for some reason, unbeknownst to me, we have tax free week. This week, you can buy under $100 worth of clothes. Do
Nestor Aparicio 25:37
you think you love it? But you hate it?
8Leonard Raskin 25:39
No, I love it.
Nestor Aparicio 25:40
I know. You hate that we don’t have it.
Leonard Raskin 25:42
No, we do we have tax free week, we should be tax free month, we should have tax free year, we should have tax free forever. It’s if it’s good for the merchants and the Citizens for a week. It’s good forever. Let’s let’s get these politicians to recognize what’s going on at Delaware and why people drive across the state line to shop and then come back. And let’s get it here. And let’s get rid of the sales tax which takes takes takes and as your Democrat friend would say it’s a regressive tax wealthy people can afford the sales tax poor people get hurt by the sales tax. Let’s get rid of it.
Nestor Aparicio 26:21
8Can I ask you a question? Because you are invested in Delaware? Correct? You own a place in bestseller? You are three miles from Maryland.
Leonard Raskin 26:30
Yeah, give or take right?
Nestor Aparicio 26:31
Maybe six? Okay. Yeah. Was there any point where you considered buying in Montego Bay or buying and once money or buying in ocean pilot? So so how long ago did you buy it? Show me how smart you are with well over 13 years. Okay, so what would have what would it cost me this that taxes 13 years in
Leonard Raskin 26:51
property taxes, an enormous difference. We have lots of clients and friends that have places in Ocean City and surrounds the property taxes on similar like property to almost 10x five, eight to 10x for property tax alone to have a place and
8Nestor Aparicio 27:10
nobody’s got a $50,000 place down there everything there’s three four or 500 grand Dickie so then you start to So what So extrapolate that for me over 12 years for you if your property taxes you pay more for your place, which is 50 grand more than barrel or no no,
Leonard Raskin 27:26
no less less. property was less property taxes there’s nobody wanted to be in Delaware because it wasn’t sexy then furnishing it was less buying property by buying furniture in the like in Delaware where there’s no sales tax on it less. Put all that money away. You got your trips back and forth to the beach many many a time to Bureau thing.
Nestor Aparicio 27:48
That’s why I listened to you letter Raskin, Raskin global DACA I listened to you when you said let’s get another dozen crabs, and I’m like, Dude, I can’t eat anymore. Oh, my wife puts one in front of me. And it was like a rap song. I’m like, he finished. Ah, that’s bull. I was like I’m finished. And she grabs like what I did when I was 10 years old. She picks every piece of meat out and she pulls it up and then has like this big sad cake. Yeah, yeah. Little crab pile feast. It’s funny, funny pictures or letter. Thank you for buying us there. Thanks for supporting causes, too. I know you fall in love with family over there absolutely cost us without falling in love with the family over there. Right? That’s right. Well, that’s what keeps us all together. The ties that bind all week letters up late watching the Oreos Luke’s up late watching Oreos. I’m up late watching the Orioles. We’re all getting ready for more fake football but that doesn’t matter. And we’re all getting ready for the season, which is still a month away. I am writing some some tea. I think I’m right there. Kevin Brown a letter a little dear Kevin Brown letter. That goes I’m learning things this week where I cannot make that my new format seem to have gone well. Last week on with your John Angelo’s letter. I am Nestor. We are wn st am 1570, Towson, Baltimore. I’ll be in Ocean City this week. But don’t think that I’m like sunning myself. I’ll be down there working hard and partly working on this
