John Martin of Maryland Lottery tells Nestor our state wins if we win the billion and a half dollar Mega Millions jackpot this week.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
maryland, win, homerun, lottery, ticket, state, winner, ocean, year, corvette, pasadena, big, cleveland, week, day, love, sports, august, john, jackpot
SPEAKERS
Nestor Aparicio, John Martin
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome back. wn S T tassel. Baltimore. Baltimore positive you’re hearing the new music we have are the fresh liners. I am 24 hours away from a fresh Baltimore positive logo. It’s our 25th anniversary we are celebrating and where else would I celebrate that in Dundalk and what else would I be doing other than giving stuff away? We will have scratch offs in the Maryland lottery Kirsty Ross and John Martin and Maryland lottery. Joining us not just on Thursday from 11 to four Acosta’s but again on Friday drugs city from 11 to four as well. I have my fountain shirt on here from drugs city. We’re going to be above the fountain drink a big boy milkshakes eat some sandwiches on Friday. I have like tons of legendary people in my life people that helped us build wn st over the years. Our friends and window nation are helping us build as well. I’m one year out on having my windows as of August 8 8669, you nation, make sure you take care of them. And last but not least, let Raskin, Raskin global who has given me and I’m going to use this for the very first time on my 25th anniversary. It is the Raskin global crab claw with a very special handy dandy bottle opener on the side. John Martin joins us now from the mayor a lot of Listen, I know you’re given over a billion dollars away in Mega Millions, but I gotta say this for my 25th anniversary. I want to give you some reasons to come out to Costas and to drug city because I know you’re a baseball fan. We don’t agree on much. Can we agree? Great Sign in 1996. Can we agree on that it
John Martin 01:31
was ahead of its time but it is a wonderful sentiment.
Nestor Aparicio 01:35
So listen, I have spent the Yank signs now I do have clobber Cleveland signs I found a handful of them from 9697 Understand it I’ll have that out. We have the no way or say signs for 2006. This was a good one. This isn’t back at the defense side which we’re pretty good at 2006. We have the wacko for Flacco generation here and the see Joe throw. He won a Super Bowl I don’t know if you’re they tried to take it away from him but he really wanted we have the rate 252 legendary believing Joe signs that we handed out at one of the wn st stories of glory down in New Orleans. We have the Baltimore loves cow signs that we had in the 2007 Hall of Fame up in Cooperstown and last but not least, believe I believe and Steve and that was for steaming there back in 2006. So we have Wow many eight years some of these are longer than wn ST has been here. So come on out. How are you?
John Martin 02:30
I’m doing well. It’s like watching history. Just flash right before my eyes. I thought this was the big one. But now that is great stuff. No one else has great stuff $1.25 billion
Nestor Aparicio 02:40
wide open the cost of cells that ticket on Thursday out of the big bet be out when I’m there.
John Martin 02:46
Wow. Wow. I think I think that’d be free cribs for a billion
Nestor Aparicio 02:50
dollar Dundalk winner enough in the Patapsco side or spirits been talking dog proper, the right to
John Martin 02:57
just point someone out in the crowd. Just go ahead when we’re there. It’s point them out. And I’ll make sure that we do the Hocus and pocus. And then we all get led off to jail. Royal farms
Nestor Aparicio 03:05
the other day to buy tickets. So I did the machine for the first time it did all that. And I multiplied because I listened to you on because I didn’t want to be that that debt fool. They only won 1 million and 4 million because I didn’t buy it. Run me through how crazy this is from a lottery agency standpoint. Because this, this might be the biggest one you and I’ve had. And we’ve been doing this a couple three, four years now. Like this is we’re getting into rarefied air, right? We’re we’re we are old timer, right? We are. But
John Martin 03:37
you know, sometimes, you know, we tend to forget history. But I’ll let me start right where you left off. Because people did not pay attention and not heed my words. We had two winners last night of what we call tier three. Tier one is the big prize. Obviously, no one won that because it rolled up to $1.25 billion. Tier Two is when you get the five white balls, but you missed the Megaplier the Mega Ball. And that’s a million dollar plus multiplied based on the the multiplier multiplier. Last night was four. No one won that. But in Maryland, we had a bunch of tier three punch meeting two winners, one at pantry, one Food Mart in Annapolis, and the other at South River Colony, exon and they both won $10,000. Neither of them spent the extra buck to do the multiplier, and so they missed out on a $40,000 prize. So they got 10,000 They’re happy. But if they’d spent another buck, they would have had $40,000 top prize. So that’s the importance of the Megaplier. And when you look at historically where we are, you know, it wasn’t that far. Long ago, November of last year, we had a $2 billion jackpot. So yeah, the jackpot has been higher on the Powerball side. Since we’ve been speaking, but and even last year, we had a $1.5 billion $1.3 billion may Got jackpot. So yeah, we’re still we still got a little ceiling room here. And if it doesn’t get hit Friday, I don’t even know what the calculation would be for next week. But right now again, people should continue to play responsibly. It only takes one ticket to win. And and we hope you have some fun and enjoy and give you a chance to dream about what might happen. And how many crabs could you eat if you had a billion dollars
Nestor Aparicio 05:24
because I have an FCC license and I’m here to serve the people in the community, I want the community to know that if that ticket is sold in Maryland, that that means a lot to like, the state makes a lot of money if somebody wins here, as opposed to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, wherever California, wherever the winner would be, like, the state gets a huge chunk of money in absolute state gets lucky when a ticket is sold here, right, literally. Yeah,
John Martin 05:48
I mean, I don’t have the I don’t have the new calculations for the 1.25 prize. But But yesterday when I was 1.1 million, you know, obviously, if people want to spend 30 years to get their money, they can do that. Most people don’t want to do that. So the cash option has been typically about half of that. And then after taxes, you take another chunk, but the state of Maryland will probably at 1.25 Meo would stand to win somewhere in close to two $50 million of tax revenue. And yeah, that that counts that that all counts. So
Nestor Aparicio 06:23
let’s just squirt and everybody in a sports zone this weekend. You know, I hope that you know he gets he has another 50 million to spend on the people here. John Martin is the executive director of all things Mayor louder we have fun with John on a weekly basis and a John’s take a little respite. Doug’s going to be joining me might even get robbed on a There’s a rumor that Greg from Northeast might be coming out for the 25th anniversary he is he’s in the upper 1% of callers in the history of wn st and we’re rolling out history here. You guys have had your your 50th I have my 25th going on. I think every night we sort of see it and the homerun riches thing. As the baseball thing picks up we had trading deadline I’ve already shown spank the Yank Sign Out of respect to you. I don’t have the club or Cleveland signs but I’ll have those next week for you. But I would say the homerun riches thing being in front of me and in front of baseball every single night. This is as fun a promotion this year for the lottery being in front of people every day because more people are watching the baseball team every single night and every time gunner bombs won, or Anthony Santander. Tony taters is what we call around here hits one, he’s winning money for people. It’s fun.
John Martin 07:31
It’s fun, and you’re right. But but a lot of times what happens is people lose sight of what the actual homerun riches ticket is all about. It’s a fast play ticket for $5. It’s a progressive jackpot, which means every ticket if it’s not a winner to her, the jackpot contributes a couple pennies into the pot and the pot keeps growing. And last week on July 31, we had a fast play homerun riches winner of a progressive jackpot, a $5 Spend returned $82,478 as a progressive jackpot,
Nestor Aparicio 08:06
more than the 10,000 or the 40,000 that they would have had that you talked about earlier. That’s 8000 that’s, that’s a
John Martin 08:13
lot. That’s a lot. So while it was fun to do the homerun riches contest, it’s fun to get caught up in in the contestant of the game and the chance to win $50,000 When a homerun is hit, but boy $82,470 That’s nothing to sneeze at. That’s waste all that
Nestor Aparicio 08:30
going to sleep on YouTube and Vegas is what I think I would do with that.
John Martin 08:34
Well, you might you might hate you know, we’ve got great wonder stories at MD lottery.com Who’s happy this week who came in there there are some great stories and let me assure Stryver
Nestor Aparicio 08:43
last week we had a bus driver and that gave me some honeymooners references so I want a good story this week you
John Martin 08:49
know what there there are a couple of them and they all come into the category of feel good stories which is what at the end of the day we hope as as a lottery that people have feel good experiences when you got money away I can then I feel good. Well we have a gentleman here and was was heating some advice from his friend who said hey, when you pick a game a scratch off game, stick with it, don’t be bouncing around stick with it. And so that consistency paid off for him he’d been winning a little bit on a gold bar bingo game. But you know a couple here a couple there. Last week, let’s see where what Prince George’s County walks into TNT liquors and buoy gold bar bingo wins $50,000 Because he’s stuck with that, that plan. And he’s going to put that money away for a rainy day. Good on him. But that’s that’s a great feel good story when people
Nestor Aparicio 09:43
self buys a dinner or something. You know what I mean? Well, yeah,
John Martin 09:46
yeah. And here’s another one, I think, is again, a fun story to have. As you know, we talked very briefly about it. We’re running a scratch off ticket called Corvette cash, where there’s a $50,000 top prize, but people can enter there now on winning tickets in win up to $150,000, and we gently nudge in the direction of they could buy their own Corvette as
Nestor Aparicio 10:07
well. Absolutely. As you said, the 67 Corvette, we went through this, I went through this with Seth a couple months ago. And that’s my wife’s Corvette like so if, if I, if we hit the big one, she would get that Corvette, you know, I would probably get a little old school Beemer or Mercedes from the 70s kind of some Chevy Chase looking thing. And, but but for you know, for her, the Corvette would be the thing and so 150 would get it 50 grand, we’ll get it done, though, John, not her Corvette, and she’s,
John Martin 10:33
and the thing about and they appeal to a lot of people to do play for the second chance opportunities. So this individual takoma park man, as he’s identified, was hoping to get into the second chance drawing ends up winning the top prize 150 No, yeah, 150 $1,000 decided to come in of course, he can remain anonymous. He chose to name Elmer Fudd to be his moniker when he came in. So he walked in Vallely fairly quiet.
Nestor Aparicio 11:02
Hold on a second. You’re saying that when I when I can have like a CB handle, if I want one,
John Martin 11:07
you could, but Elmer fudge already been taken. I can pick this guy coming in with the little you know, the tartan plaid hat and the cartoon rifle looking for wabbits.
Nestor Aparicio 11:19
70s was rubberband, man, you know, when everybody played with the CV for 5979 10 years old, I wasn’t supposed to be on there. But I kept the
John Martin 11:27
best story for last year and again, all these stories and more at MIT lottery.com. Couple vacationing from the great state of Ohio more importantly from the city of Cleveland. I was gonna say Bengals or Browns I know the answer. Now it’s okay. Visiting Ocean City and it was unfortunately a rainy day or rare rainy day in Ocean City. So they decided to go into the 711 and bison scratch off tickets their big actually, there was Powerball tickets, they bought their big, big lottery players back in in Ohio and they thought well, what the heck,
Nestor Aparicio 12:02
let’s Powerball was like a billion dollars a week ago right? So
John Martin 12:04
was yet threats, right? When they when they purchased it, it was a $1.08 billion jackpot that they were they were pursuing. And we were running a promotion at that point where certain games were triggered a report a free ticket, a free pick five ticket so they get their free pick five ticket Don’t get ahead of me here. Bam. A winner on the front on the Powerball on the pick five ticket $50,000. Going back to Cleveland laughing and enjoying the ride
Nestor Aparicio 12:38
and watching the Browns for whatever. That’s what. Let me ask you a question. You’re serious Ohio guy cuz I’ve asked this to other people. As a kid, I would go to Ocean City in the 70s. And I never met anybody from Pittsburgh or Philadelphia, Philadelphia, people would use the Jersey Shore Wildwood, that sort of thing. Then all of a sudden, like whatever Ocean City did like in the 90s, they started marketing, I guess western Pennsylvania and all of a sudden Pittsburgh people just started showing up at Steelers this on Ninth Street on the boardwalk. And this is when the Ravens were born I kind of saw the people from Ohio. I mean, I’m being honest. And did you know about Ocean City, Maryland being from Ohio? Because I’ve never I don’t know where you go to lakes when you’re from the Midwest, I guess to some degree or get on a plane or go to Disney World or whatever. It is fascinating to me that like we always thought of Ocean City as ours. But people from Cleveland go to Ocean City.
John Martin 13:29
Of course they do because they’re just regular folks Nestor just like you and I they need a beach. They need a beach and of course not not to belittle the the chamber of commerce from the great state of Ohio or the city of Cleveland. But it’s difficult to market Lake Erie as the North Coast and they did and still do.
Nestor Aparicio 13:50
Coast or something put a name on it, you know?
John Martin 13:51
So I guess they’re going for the geography right yet East Coast west coast. So let’s make this the North Coast. And if you’re if you’re trying to do that with Erie, Pennsylvania and Buffalo, New York, you really have a marketing challenge. So yeah, I think people are aware of it and I personally never aspired as a youngster to go to Ocean City
Nestor Aparicio 14:13
went down there for senior week we were kids or parents took us down there jolly Rogers and dry like I love Ocean City. And I think everybody should love Ocean City and I have a great time when but I often think like it Why didn’t weren’t there more people from Ohio and sometimes you’d see on the license plates on the way down there whatnot but but ocean cities for everybody, but what makes our state grades we are America in miniature. I went through this with you last week about how great our state is.
John Martin 14:39
Yes. It’s kind of like what we think of talking about Cedar Point before so Cedar Point is a destination of amusement park. It was a variation on a theme but but but nothing quite compares to Ocean City. nothing quite compares to winning $50,000 On a rainy day. Yeah, here’s something
Nestor Aparicio 14:57
they’ll be coming back now they got lucky there. Next year every vacation will be in Ocean City. So once the book is over up there,
John Martin 15:03
book it, book it. Here’s something else you can book it. Last one. I’m sorry, I said the last one was the last one I like. That’s right. Just the last one. We had a remember earlier I started out by saying we had to tear three winners of the tent. That’s enough right for that. Well, here’s a group that did pay play the the the Megaplier. It was a pooled group of Southern Maryland educators who bought their Powerball ticket, put their monies together. They purchased them both in Virginia and Maryland. They apparently do this when the jackpots rise. Great story again. By the way, if they’re
Nestor Aparicio 15:40
educators, can I just stop and say they’re underpaid, underappreciated, and overwork their educators. So I just want to throw that in because I love
John Martin 15:49
good because I think we’re going to address two of the three right now. Okay, because they’re their ticket Powerball ticket was a tier three winner, which means you get for the five white balls and you get the Megaplier ball. And that’s a $10,000 win. And then it must have been a five times multiplier because they went $50,000. Nice to be split among 11 of them. And again, anonymous remember the Elmer Fudd reference before actually, they chose their group name to be called one otter ball short, one ball one ball short. Had I been in the room at the time? I would have counseled them to pick a different name.
Nestor Aparicio 16:30
I would have said Professor cool. I
John Martin 16:32
was thinking teacher Yeah, cool teachers, you know. Yeah. Because my juvenile mind goes in a whole nother direction. When when you pick a name like that? Well, I would go with Mr. Kotter,
Nestor Aparicio 16:42
or you go Welcome back. Welcome back, wherever you go. Absolutely.
John Martin 16:45
Welcome back.
Nestor Aparicio 16:46
Well, you know, we’ve learned that you put the extra dollar down if you want to win. And we got more things happen in the state fair. I know you have big, big doings going on with the State Fair. And again, I told you this last week, it felt like John, why are we talking about the state fair, it’s it’s all the way down at the end of the summer, and we’re in August, it’s like a couple of weeks away now.
John Martin 17:07
It is, it’s right there. And leading up to it. We have a number of other events. But let’s talk briefly about the state fair. And then we’ll talk about other events where you can find us between now and then we always have a great presence that we enjoy partnering with, with the folks at the State Fair and of course, as you’re well aware, and and your fans are as well, the format’s changed a little bit three consecutive weekends now, starting the weekend before Labor Day, Labor Day weekend, the weekend after Labor Day. And we’ll have a presence each and every one of those weekends. But the big enchilada for us is that Friday, September 8, when we award some lucky potential winner, the chance to pick a prize from 100,000 up to $5 million. If they’re lucky enough, they’ll be playing a game there live in front of their family and friends. At the State Fair. We’ve got eight of the 10 finalists already selected, actually tonight. We’ll pick the next two. So we’ll have our 10 finalists tomorrow morning. We’ll start
Nestor Aparicio 18:01
milking cow or anything at the State Fair right now. Well,
John Martin 18:04
you know if we need a tiebreaker, all right. I’m not I’m not sure what options we have. But if we need a tiebreaker somewhere, tell old bossy to get ready in the bullpen that we would
Nestor Aparicio 18:16
have one dog in my life and my wife beats me up about this all the time. At some point, if I have a corndog it’s going to be at the state fair. I looked at him last year we went to see sticks at the State Fair last year. Like that the Ravens open the season played flak and we went out there beautiful night love the fair. It’s near Timonium, it’s great, easy Park and easy and great guy. But I walked past that corndog and I wanted it you know so I mean, the fair the games the rights and giving money away, you can’t beat it. You know
John Martin 18:43
what? corndogs have never been appealing to me. And maybe because I come from a different place and time when remember that in the mall. There was the corn dog on a stick.
Nestor Aparicio 18:51
I never. I’ve never had a corn dog in my life. I don’t I’m not bragging about it. Just it’s never there’s always been like a slice of pizza or a pretzel or something else that I would get. You know,
John Martin 19:01
yeah, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and alienate the corndog aficionados and say you’re not missing much by not having a corndog
Nestor Aparicio 19:08
had a great corndog you
John Martin 19:10
know what I mean? Like, I don’t think it goes south. But I’ll tell you where you can find us between now and then will be August 4 at Camden Park Oriole Park at Camden Yards rather, and we were the opponent that day, your New York Mets or whatever’s left of whatever’s left off Moscow. I don’t know that that should be interesting. Get a scorecard and prospects. Get a scorecard for that game. Because you may not know who’s on first, hey, hey,
Nestor Aparicio 19:38
as long as bucks in the dugout, it’s gonna be it’s gonna be an occasion around here.
John Martin 19:42
We’ve talked about that. That’s going to be interesting. So August 12. The next weekend, we will be at the Ravens Eagles or eagles. I guess probably the better way to say that ravens eagles on August 12. And we will be there in spirit and in person. So that’s another fun event. Hey, Sanders
Nestor Aparicio 20:01
Eagles fans will be there too, I
John Martin 20:03
guess. Oh, well, I suppose. Something that I saw on our calendar and I’m not familiar with it. I don’t know if you are, but I know how many years they’ve done this. On August 13, which is a Sunday that afternoon. We will be in Pasadena at Kurt’s beach for the made in Maryland festival. Are you familiar with this?
Nestor Aparicio 20:24
I’ve heard of this. Yes. It’s it’s it’s a group of people a companies that make things in Maryland, right.
John Martin 20:31
There you go. There’s that you broke the code. There. There it goes. Exactly what it is, you know, but you can have local wines, craft brews. Live music, Maryland wares, things are made manufac my wife likes stuff like
Nestor Aparicio 20:45
that. Hold on. It’s a 13th. I’m free that day and the Orioles are in Seattle playing late. That sounds like where’s that?
John Martin 20:53
Pasadena at Kurt’s Beach. I’m not familiar with Curt speech, but I will be so yeah, you know, hit you up the wagon. We’d love to love to see all of our fans, both of them. Sure.
Nestor Aparicio 21:05
I don’t get down to the Drina enough and I got a lot of listeners friends. I mean, Pasadena, sort of the Dundalk, Emanuel County. I mean, I’m being honest. I mean, it’s got to get there. It’s some people would say Glen. Burnie. No, no, no, I think I identify more with Pasadena being Dundalk. You know? Wow.
John Martin 21:23
That’s I’ve never heard of putting that in that term. And I don’t know,
Nestor Aparicio 21:27
take that the wrong way. But that’s okay. I know I’m meant it as a complete compliment. You know, I’m sure you did. I mean, we always love ever met from Pasadena.
John Martin 21:36
Don’t we always mean things as compliments? I think for the most part.
Nestor Aparicio 21:41
I’m not Minnesota Nice. I’m California, or whatever that song is. He is John Martin. He’s executive director of all things Maryland lottery and gaming. You know, I have a game with you yet. And we are. We’re playing a lot of play responsible ads this week, as part of what we do a great Kirk Van Zandt and the Maryland lottery. I talk about it all the time. And you know, I’m a little flippant about it, John, in my own way with baseball, you know, that about me that baseball was never a gambling sport in that way. Now, it’s Big Papi. He’s got a hose every night. Dangerous, you know, and I think for all of us, we want people to have a good time. It’s legal now, as are other things that we’ll be talking about around here as well, that we should, you know, we’re all grown ups here. You know, you’re 21 you can buy booze doesn’t mean you should do it all day, every day. Obviously, same thing with this new thing where mobile devices during games can become harmful and dangerous. And I know you’re on the front end of educating people about, hey, play responsibly, have limits have a plan. And that’s the important part.
John Martin 22:47
Every time we launch a new sports book, it gives us an opportunity to do that and re educate the population. We have 2110 retail 11 Mobile sport books at the beginning of August, by the end of August, I fully expect we’ll have for more to more retail, and to more mobile. So
Nestor Aparicio 23:04
remount station next week.
John Martin 23:07
Oh, you have not done that yet. So
Nestor Aparicio 23:09
I should do that, because they’re one of these partners that we’re talking about here. So actually, Kristin and Dave will be on next week. We are agreements they should take in the Maryland crabcake tours. So we just announced this. On Wednesday, the ninth will be there two to five, we got some great guests. We’re doing some stuff in North Carolina and a big community turn. But nonetheless, that’s one of the places we’re talking about here, right? places that have been waiting to get to mobile waiting in line. And everybody’s geared in on football season. Right?
John Martin 23:37
Right and that and that’s why we’re seeing a little bit of activity here between now and the beginning of September. So we’ll have four more sports books into the marketplace, we’ll have then 25 Hopefully, by the time the NFL season kicks off college football season kicks off, and then there may still be some stragglers through the rest of the calendar year.
Nestor Aparicio 23:55
So many of these are places like remount that they’re maybe not here in Carroll County, but throughout the state there are places trying to get compliant, right? Is that what we call it?
John Martin 24:05
Yes. Yeah, absolutely. They’re still either maybe physically making changes to their, their, their location, to build it out, so that it has all the things that are required, it may be getting the right partners to do the sports book. So for for a variety of reasons. So we’re coming up on the first full year, right before Thanksgiving. If you remember, it was Wednesday before Thanksgiving, when mobile sports betting launch, we’re not even one year into it. But, you know, when we do launch and that one year anniversary, we’ll have hopefully somewhere between 25 and 30 sports books, and we still have others in the pipeline. And at this point, boy, the market shares are getting sliced real thin. I don’t know the long term prospects, but we’ll continue to be out there with our responsible gaming messaging. Because it is an important part of what we do and want to make sure that people understand responsibilities and What it means in terms of playing games and having some fun, but but being responsible?
Nestor Aparicio 25:05
Absolutely. We hope people come down to cost let’s have some fun. We hope people are playing and having fun with $1.2 billion in and don’t forget to play the extra buck because I did that last week as well on behalf of my wife around here John Martin He’s the Executive Director of all things Maryland lottery gaming, he comes on has some fun, you’re not gonna like me when I bring the I have a club or Cleveland sign I’m gonna I’m gonna gift it to you. I don’t have many of them left there from 1996 But we do have a handful of all of this left copies of Purple Rain one and Purple Rain too. We’ll be giving those away at cost. This is part of the Maryland crab cake tour and the kickoff of our 25th anniversary. We’re drunk city on Friday from 11 for the found we’ll be up at Greenmount station. Next week. We are at Pappas in Glen Burnie with an Rhonda county executive Stuart Pittman. That is on Tuesday, the 29th of August we’re going to Hollywood in Perry Ville, the Hollywood casino Barstool Sports restaurant on the 31st to kick off football season and we are a fade lease and I’ve already got a bunch of guests for that that’s already in football season September 15. So the Maryland crab cake tour is rolling on where this jackpot is rolling on homerun riches is rolling on the 50th anniversary of the Maryland lottery. I’m gonna drop the gavel John, did I cover everything here today?
John Martin 26:18
We stand adjourned Nestor
Nestor Aparicio 26:18
All right, John Martin, Executive Director of all things Maryland lottery and gaming. I will have my Raskin global little crab claw and mallet out with me at cost. This will be the big crabs are friends with window nation, reminding you 866 90 nation I love my Windows one year anniversaries this week of having them especially on these hot days when they go up. They go down they don’t break. They’re awesome. Cat likes looking at the screen. It’s all good. I will see everyone in Dundalk this week. Play responsibly. I’m Nestor. We are wn st am 1570, Towson, Baltimore. We never stop talking Baltimore positive and $1 billion