Vinny Testaverde comes home to Baltimore via Miami LIV with Nestor and Luke. Ah, that first game against the Oakland Raiders and that first Ravens touchdown in 1996.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
golfing, baltimore, vinny, cleveland, straight talk wireless, playing, years, football, son, picture, tampa, tweeted, game, coach, felt, touchdown, ran, alums, walks, held
Nestor Aparicio 00:00
Welcome back, WN st Towson, Baltimore and wn St. dotnet. This, this will be my favorite segment of the week. And Vinny Testaverde just walked over here. And you said one of the kindest things any guy could say to me after 25 years of doing this, you said, looking forward to doing this all day. This is the one I was looking forward to. And you but you say that to me, every every Absolutely not. I don’t remember you ever looking forward to talking to me?
Vinny Testaverde 00:31
Just being honest. Well, that’s not true. I didn’t like talking to anybody. No, it wasn’t my thing. But out of all the guys that I’ve been around you one of the nicest guys, I appreciate you Oh, now then, you know, it’s always good to see you, man. So here’s the funny thing. We’re, he and I are in the press box. I was seven, eight weeks ago, and Lamar is breaking whatever the touchdown record was. And I literally just sort of be a little flippant, I’m like, the last time I saw Vinny, I have a picture. I’ll show it to you. You’re wearing your jetski or I’m gonna like sandals, like a preseason game or walking off the field. And we’re talking to each other like, like literally like, it was like a, you know, a TV commercial. And that’s the last time I saw you, right? Or I’ve ever seen you do anything. Maybe it’s popped up on TV 10 years ago, and I’m like, Oh, if any, something must have happened to you or number one pick or whatever they will call you about. So this thing happens. And I tweeted, I wonder where Vinny Testaverde is. So we got followers and Twitter followers. Even coach pillock follows us over here. And so
Nestor Aparicio 01:28
your son got a hold of it, and it said, Your son tweeted probably golfing and he said I thought that’s pretty cool that I could shout out my window in 2019. Where is Vinny Testaverde and his son would go golfing
Vinny Testaverde 01:45
that’s a pretty darn good guess. Is that good? Yeah, yeah, I’m golfing a lot these days. What
Nestor Aparicio 01:49
are you doing, man? Give me Give me get Baltimore.
Vinny Testaverde 01:53
I’m living down in Tampa. I’m I’ve been retired since 2007. And I’ve been playing a lot of golf, raising kids doing some money dues and trying to stay stress free not working too much. Which is, you know, good thing for me. I guess you know, I’m
Nestor Aparicio 02:07
good life.
Vinny Testaverde 02:08
Yeah, it’s been good. I enjoy my life. And I don’t want to do it any different?
Nestor Aparicio 02:12
Well, for you with the Ravens. Let’s go to the beginning here. When I say to you, when you see me, and you see the Baltimore gear and all when you think of Baltimore, what do you think now?
Vinny Testaverde 02:22
You know, those are some of the best times I’ve had, you know, going from at the time, Cleveland to Baltimore, you know, starting over again in Baltimore. Just an exciting time. Some of the guys the players there, the coaches coach Marsha Broda, to some great memories. You know, guys, I still talk to you today.
Nestor Aparicio 02:38
Did it feel it felt like a siege right then? And it felt like all of you, and there were factions. And there was Cleveland and there was our and there was the media. It was, it was kind of heavy. Like you came into work. You didn’t have a logo on Yeah,
Vinny Testaverde 02:53
but you know what it does, the city supported us and we felt it and it was like, man, we are, we’re ready to go. You know, I remember the first day we went to practice and we had a walkthrough and normally walkthroughs are just that we walk through the plays, to get ready for the regular practice. So when we go full speed, we kind of have an idea of what we’re everybody’s doing, especially during that first few days when guys are unfamiliar with the plays still. That first walkthrough guys we’re running full speed and coach martyr Broto is like, we’re gonna be great because these guys don’t. They go full speed and his mind was blown. My mind was blown. My guys were gonna get hurt. We got no pads on we’re hitting each other.
Nestor Aparicio 03:30
Well, and then this kid Ray Lewis walks in and this big giant kid John Ogden walks into one of my favorite phone calls first year I knew we were in trouble with phone calls. guy calls me about eight games into the season. He nasty. I don’t know what you’re thinking moving at John Ogden attack. Well, he’s a hell of a guard. He was a hell of a guard.
Vinny Testaverde 03:52
He was a hell of receiver I threw a touchdown pass through
Nestor Aparicio 03:56
in the memory of that era, and what it set up for the rest of your career because obviously your career and highs and lows and Cleveland Baltimore Tampa and you settled back in Tampa. Tampa wasn’t like the greatest place for you right now. Not
Vinny Testaverde 04:07
not from a football aspect. You know, we went through some some tough times in my first six years in the league, it was in Tampa, and we didn’t ever have a winning record, threw a lot of interceptions down there and looking forward to a change of scenery when my contract was up. And I wound up in Cleveland with Bill belcheck was there for three years. And of course, we moved to Baltimore,
Nestor Aparicio 04:27
you changed it. I mean, you see after him, Look, man, he can’t do anything wrong, right.
Vinny Testaverde 04:32
The truth is, I thought we were gonna do what he did in New England. In Cleveland. You weren’t
Nestor Aparicio 04:36
believer until we moved? I would think you it wasn’t hard for you to be a believer. You mean, you had real success? You there on the back? 94 Before the move, right,
Vinny Testaverde 04:46
well, was it I think it was 93. We go to Cleveland and Bernie co-stars to quarterback and for whatever reason I come in during that year to take over the team as a starter and we go to the playoffs and now they hadn’t been before. I have seen a long time and we felt like we were on our way and then the second year they are five and one or something like that whatever it was they announced the move and then I showed up and then we went to six and 10 and that was the end of that season and then we go to Baltimore, and I meet you and the rest is his rest is history as they say
Nestor Aparicio 05:15
your for you. When you look back at Baltimore, what the franchise has become, right? I mean, you being there when there’s Ray and John and we’re trying to figure out what color we were going to wear what our name was going to be right to what it’s become with Flacco and championships coach Bullock’s over here off the set as well, you know, John Harbaugh, and it feels like every couple of years we’re putting somebody in Canton, Ohio Suggs might get another ring. Yeah, on Sunday. It really has been something I mean, I go predate you obviously, I was on the radio when there were no Jacksonville Jaguars, or Carolina Panthers. franchises that that established themselves. Boy, the Ravens have all of this and Ozzy, right. I mean, Ozzy being put in charge at that point and people saying Ozzy he was nice player in all but you know, is he going to be a manager of people? It’s incredible. 25 years.
Vinny Testaverde 06:05
He’s done a wonderful job. Yeah, you don’t get enough credit my mind? Well,
Nestor Aparicio 06:09
I think you get you know, you’re gonna get a lot of credit for Lamar. How about Lamar ball? What do you think of that? I
Vinny Testaverde 06:14
love it. I really thought they’d be here this week. So did I yeah, I really did. They just, you know, I can’t I was watching the game on TV, the last game they played and they were saying the conditions of the you know, what the weather was? And I can only imagine because I’ve played in those types of conditions and it’s very tough from a quarterback standpoint. But I thought he did a great job. Well,
Luke Jones 06:35
did you have any idea that you still had the franchise record for touchdown passes in a season? You know, a little different style Lamar has for you. But you
Vinny Testaverde 06:43
know, at one time, somebody told me I held records in Tampa, Baltimore, and with the jets, and I don’t really follow football anymore. And I really, unless somebody tells me what my stats are, I don’t really know what they are. And then I was actually watching some NFL football and I watched the little bit of one of the shows that show all the different games and the announcer said Ah yeah, Lamar Jackson just died and he’s record and so I was like, Oh, that’s pretty cool.
Nestor Aparicio 07:11
But it’s not it hasn’t been on your mind in a while. No, it seemed like when I tweeted it out your son would think like he’s not even aware that such a thing?
Vinny Testaverde 07:20
I think more about my golf swing than I am of anything that’s going on with football anywhere where you
Nestor Aparicio 07:24
always had a golf swing right I mean now not really desire was there when you were there and he was a hell of a kitchen. Yes.
Vinny Testaverde 07:31
Brian kitchen their desire. I wasn’t really I would call myself a golfer then you know, I wasn’t serious about it. I go out to be with the guys but if I broke 90 It’d be great round hitting the senior tour now. No, no, not at all. Not at all. Yeah. Now if I if I don’t hit mid 70s I’m mad you know, I’m at the range working on my swing. Just it’s all about competition. So
Nestor Aparicio 07:52
football is gone a little bit for you. You don’t you watch the you you get you get once every couple years.
Vinny Testaverde 07:57
Yeah, I do watch some NFL stuff. But you know, my son’s playing he’s, he’s out of college. He’s going to be up in the CFL. This coming year, hopefully. And so I’ve been involved that way with him.
Nestor Aparicio 08:08
Well, you’re here for straight talk wireless. I’m gonna give you an opportunity to talk about all the things that’s going on here because communications everywhere here, right, like we’re now I’m not just a radio station, and we’re in video. All right, I’m gonna show you some cool pictures. You and me back in 96 that I kind of picture you me and Ray in hard hats.
Vinny Testaverde 08:24
Oh, yeah. I didn’t have a gray hair on my head then. No, no.
Nestor Aparicio 08:29
It turned out all right. It’s like you’re taking care of okay.
Vinny Testaverde 08:30
Yeah. One of the other things I like to do is, you know, do a little working out every morning. You look like you’re like you could still throw it a little bit. Yeah, honestly, I can’t I throw lefty when I have a catcher. My son you couldn’t hold the Clipboard is number three. Get another ring. Come on. Listen, I get sore from holding a clipboard right now. There’s no way I
Nestor Aparicio 08:50
mess up your golf swing. I can’t do anything. Mr. Swing to work on us on the straight talk your straight talk.
Vinny Testaverde 08:56
So first of all, I just want to say you know, it’s great to be back where I played my college football. You know, the city has meant so much to me and my career and it’s great to be back to you. Yeah,
Nestor Aparicio 09:04
I got invited to a you party tonight. Fox Sports party. Yeah, it’s the ready for this. It’s the RE union like that.
Vinny Testaverde 09:11
Like yeah, so straight talk wireless is a prepaid no contract wireless brand. And you know, last year in the Superbowl more than the fans were streaming the game, the event on more than seven and a half million devices and that was up 20% from 2018 and we hope to get more fans doing that this year. And to get your straight talk wireless information go to straight talk.com
Nestor Aparicio 09:34
Easy enough and can I like find you once every 10 years and like catch up with you? You know,
Vinny Testaverde 09:39
you know I’m not on social media. I know you’re not there’s a guy that’s out there and I try and get him down all the time. He pretends to be used to be me Yeah. And I got family mad at me because I don’t respond to their whatever it is that you do on social media and I try and tell them it’s not me. But they know it’s not you. They should know
Nestor Aparicio 09:58
if somebody was pretending to be me On Twitter, I’d say what happens if the fact that you showed up here somebody,
Vinny Testaverde 10:04
if somebody’s talking to them on social media during the day, they know it can’t be me because I’m on the golf course.
Nestor Aparicio 10:09
With your son pointed that out. I’m telling you, it’s really cool that in 2020, I could just shout out where’s Vinnie and within an hour golfing and I’m like, alive and well tanned and physically fit. Well, I’m glad life’s worked out for you, man. You’re always one of the nice people. And people would always say to me, man, why doesn’t Vinnie come out and do the show? I’m like, I think fit. He’s introverted. I mean, you know, he just like wanted to play football. And that was I don’t get out much. You did not get out much in an era where I think with the ravens, They wanted everybody to get out. I have this picture of you and me, and you’re so much awkwardly taller than me. And I’m holding the microphone up here for you back in 1996. So there were good times. And I look back at all of that with this incredible romance because I’m looking over his shoulder at the Super Bowl program where we won and another Super Bowl program we want and we have all of these memories. But that first day where Bob Trumpy and Bob Costas are pooping on us and and you’re out there playing the raiders and we had something that was taken away from us, man. It’s It’s special. It’s special when Ray and and John go in the Hall of Fame. In Baltimore, you know that? Yeah, it was awesome. Baltimore pride Vinny Testaverde, our first captain, who knew it’s pretty cool. This is exciting. We’ll be back when we’re in the middle of week. How’s it gonna get any better than this? I mean, he’s gonna go over.
Luke Jones 11:29
I just had a flashback to the first touchdown. You scored the great rushing quarterback.
Vinny Testaverde 11:35
Yeah, that’s right. That’s right. Yeah, I got all of about 10 yards rushing. I do not have the football. No, I have a picture of the run.
Nestor Aparicio 11:44
Did you have a helmet uh
Vinny Testaverde 11:46
I have a helmet the original beat Be sure Yeah.
Nestor Aparicio 11:50
You know with with David Modell would say the disputed markings. Yeah, I
Vinny Testaverde 11:54
have a jersey hanging in my house. I have some memorabilia. Yeah, well, great pictures of me with some of my teammates back then
Nestor Aparicio 12:01
on that day, all we had he’s wearing his Raskind global Blue Coat blue. You know that day there was Johnny, you and Tom Maddie and are Donovan and Lattimore and all those guys and 25 years later, the one thing that I’ve told people really took me in the last four months with Coach Bullock’s in the in the background here he’s our partner wn St. He was put into the Ring of Honor back in September, we got our ass kicked by the Browns was a bad football day. But that weekend, more alums came back than I had ever seen. Right. So alums from the first Super Bowl team, the second Super Bowl team that I could sit here 25 years later and say to you, it’s pretty it was a first and second Super Bowl team. But all the other guys in between came to honor coach and there was a room and I went out to Ruth’s Chris with a dozen alums of different eras. And the alums now know each other. And I ran into Kyle bowler in Hawaii by act happenstance. And he missed out on I see, there’s really something about being a raven alum now that you should come back. I mean, you you should come back one weekend and burn has asked me you should Yeah, a couple. A couple because if you come back there’s some 696 and 97 that come back that it’s it’s special. Well, you’re
Vinny Testaverde 13:12
kind of talking me into it as we’re talking here. So we will let you to reconsider.
Nestor Aparicio 13:18
Came out and you were a legend in the game and held the shield up play. That’s pretty cool. That would be nice. That would bring that would bring for me full circle. I’ll be sure to call him and when Matt Stover finds out you stop by today. Yeah, he’s gonna be Matt and I are we have lunch once in a while now we’re good friends. Good people. Matt. Matt. Also spokesperson for Liberty pure. We don’t drink the Florida Water. I mean, fun. How do you drink water and Florida’s got all that? in it? Man.
Vinny Testaverde 13:42
I strictly bought a lot of bottled water man. It’s
Nestor Aparicio 13:45
like Liberty pure here. Big thanks to us. I want to give a shout out to Matt. I’m just trying to think of all the other teammates of yours from that era, who I ran into Steve Everett at Cleveland. He doesn’t claim Baltimore. He claims brands. You know that? I’m sure he does. And I’m trying to think Ernest Byner was on the show.
Vinny Testaverde 14:01
Spiner ran into old teammate of mine a minute ago Leroy Horde is out here. I didn’t see anywhere. Yeah. You know, Eric Green. Brian kitchen. Somebody’s got to take the golf ball. Yeah, Kitchen
Nestor Aparicio 14:13
Kitchen. Yeah, yes, I got him. Let’s see who else was your era? Why Eric desires gotta be golfing and key while there’s no doubt about that, right. I’m sure
Vinny Testaverde 14:23
he probably cost more. Yeah, I know me but it’s gonna be hard to do. How much you call? Yeah, I’m out there almost every day. So
Nestor Aparicio 14:31
what would make a day that you don’t go?
Vinny Testaverde 14:35
Rain? I can’t even say rain will give you something that I really
Nestor Aparicio 14:40
have a bat I ask people to like love golf that much that they want to spend six days a week doing you
Vinny Testaverde 14:45
know the game. Thing about golf is that it’s challenging and every not only every day, but every hole is a challenge. And it’s not. Even though you’re betting maybe playing against another guy. It’s not always against him. It’s against the golf course to conditions The where the pin is set up with yourself. Yeah, like real life yeah and then and then it becomes a head game you know you get your own way sometimes just like in everything else in life but it’s a challenge and it’s competitive and that’s what
Nestor Aparicio 15:11
competitive football you can take with you. Yeah a little bit
Vinny Testaverde 15:14
without without without, without having to wake up in the morning feeling all right, so
Nestor Aparicio 15:19
I’m sure you don’t miss that. You look like you escaped in pretty good shape doing okay, don’t worry about Vinny Testaverde. He’s okay. Even though he’s not on Twitter. Hey, man, appreciate it. Thanks. Years later, come back to Baltimore man. Yeah, appreciate it. More we got to get you back. All of it’s in the bio tweeted out commenting about 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world. Rascon global our friends at Liberty pure and our friends at Royal farms said that it’s down here. I gotta show Vinny small pictures. We are wn St. dotnet am 1570 Until you in st Towson Baltimore. We never stop talking Baltimore sports from Miami and the you
