Holding pro sports franchises and billionaires accountable

In an extended chat with longtime WJZ sports director Mark Viviano, we discuss the role of the modern media and why the questions for the important people are so important. Especially for two kids from Baltimore and St. Louis, who had their childhood teams taken away by the NFL monsters and goblins named Irsay, Bidwill and Kroenke.

Nestor Aparicio and Mark Viviano discuss various topics, including Nestor’s excitement about an upcoming Orioles game with his nephew and niece, the high cost of attending sports events, and the impact of AI on media. They reminisce about their experiences with sports in St. Louis and Baltimore, and the changes in sports media, particularly the dismissal of Jason Lockhart and Freddy Douglas. Nestor emphasizes the importance of critical media coverage and the challenges faced by journalists in holding sports franchises accountable. They also touch on the personal significance of sports in their lives and the value of community involvement in sports.

• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Buy four Orioles game tickets for Luke and his family for the upcoming Saturday game (covering at least $40 per ticket and concessions as needed) and ensure they have seats together
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Schedule and produce a radio/show segment where Mark Viviano can ask Nestor questions (confirm date/time and format)
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Produce and air an hour-long show segment about AI (including demonstration of the AI ‘clone’ radio ad) and promote it to listeners

Nestor’s Weekend Plans and Luke’s Excitement

• Nestor Aparicio discusses his weekend plans with Luke, mentioning that Luke doesn’t usually go to New York with him.
• Nestor shares Luke’s excitement about a potential Orioles road trip in August or September, especially a big series in Boston.
• Luke is particularly excited about taking his four-year-old niece to her first Orioles game against the Athletics.
• Nestor humorously notes the Athletics’ history of moving locations, from Kansas City to Oakland and soon to Las Vegas.

Nestor’s Belt Buckle Collection

• Nestor shows Mark Viviano a 1971 St. Louis Cardinals belt buckle, explaining his interest in early 1970s Major League Baseball and NFL belt buckles.
• Mark Viviano reminisces about seeing Jim Hart play football and mentions his brother’s collection of similar belt buckles.
• Nestor and Mark discuss the history of the St. Louis Cardinals, including their long-standing baseball legacy and the team’s football team’s brief success in the 1970s.
• Nestor shares his personal connection to the Cardinals, mentioning his father’s influence on his love for sports.

St. Louis Sports Franchises and Ownership Changes

• Nestor and Mark discuss the historical significance of the St. Louis Cardinals moving to Arizona and the Rams moving to Los Angeles.
• Nestor mentions his friendship with Bernie Nicholas and their shared experiences of sports in St. Louis and Baltimore.
• Nestor reflects on the impact of Anheuser-Busch’s influence on sports franchises, including the Orioles and the Cardinals.
• Mark shares a story about Stan Kroenke’s involvement in the Rams’ move to Los Angeles and his family’s connection to the University of Missouri.

The Cost of Sports Entertainment

• Nestor and Mark discuss the high cost of attending sports events, including the Orioles game where Luke will take his family.
• Nestor expresses frustration over the high ticket prices and the additional expenses like concessions and parking.
• Mark shares his perspective on the value of the sports experience, despite the high costs, and how it can be a special occasion for families.
• Nestor and Mark agree that the cost of attending games has made it more challenging for families to enjoy live sports.

The Role of Media in Sports Coverage

• Nestor and Mark discuss the changing landscape of sports media, including the impact of social media and the decline of traditional sports journalism.
• Nestor reflects on his own career and the importance of holding sports franchises accountable through media coverage.
• Mark acknowledges the need for critical media coverage to keep sports organizations transparent and accountable.
• Nestor shares his frustration with the current state of sports media, where journalists are often sidelined or fired for asking tough questions.

The Importance of Local Sports Coverage

• Nestor emphasizes the importance of local sports coverage in keeping fans informed and engaged.
• Mark agrees, noting that local sports journalists often provide unique insights and perspectives that national media may miss.
• Nestor shares his belief that local sports coverage is essential for maintaining a strong sense of community and connection to local teams.
• Mark and Nestor discuss the challenges of covering local sports in an era where traditional media outlets are struggling to stay afloat.

The Impact of AI on Media and Creativity

• Nestor introduces the concept of using AI to create media content, including radio ads and podcast segments.
• Mark expresses concerns about the impact of AI on creativity and the potential loss of human touch in media.
• Nestor shares his positive experience with using AI to generate content, including a recent trip to Machu Picchu.
• Mark and Nestor discuss the balance between using AI for efficiency and maintaining the authenticity and creativity of human-generated content.

The Role of Sports in Personal Development

• Nestor and Mark reflect on the personal and developmental benefits of playing sports, including teamwork, discipline, and leadership.
• Nestor shares his own experiences of playing Little League baseball and football with his friends and the lasting impact of those memories.
• Mark talks about his involvement in coaching his children’s sports teams and the importance of creating positive experiences for young athletes.
• Nestor and Mark agree that sports can provide valuable life lessons and help build strong relationships and communities.

The Future of Sports Media and Journalism

• Nestor and Mark discuss the future of sports media and journalism, including the challenges and opportunities presented by new technologies and platforms.
• Nestor emphasizes the need for independent and critical media coverage to hold sports organizations accountable.
• Mark acknowledges the importance of maintaining high journalistic standards and the role of media in promoting transparency and integrity in sports.
• Nestor and Mark agree that the future of sports media will require a balance between innovation and preserving the core values of journalism.

The Importance of Community and Connection in Sports

• Nestor and Mark discuss the role of sports in fostering a sense of community and connection among fans and participants.
• Nestor shares his belief that sports can bring people together and create a shared sense of identity and purpose.
• Mark talks about the importance of local sports teams in building community and providing opportunities for people to come together and support each other.
• Nestor and Mark agree that sports can play a significant role in promoting social cohesion and fostering a sense of belonging.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

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Orioles, road trip, Nellie concerts, St. Louis Cardinals, NFL belt buckles, Jim Hart, Lou Brock, Baltimore sports, media criticism, sports ownership, fan experience, Little League, Maryland lottery.

SPEAKERS

Mark Viviano, Nestor Aparicio

Nestor Aparicio  00:00

Well, this whole thing started as I went through my litany of things this weekend with Luke. So Luke doesn’t go to New York with me. I don’t go to New York over the weekend. And I said to him, when’s the next time the Orioles are going to put us on a road trip, like in August or September, where they’re going to play a big series in Boston? You know, give us something to go and be involved and do or whatever he is. I’ve never seen him more excited. You know, he’s a bachelor at this point. He lives his brother, his sister has two daughters, two little girls, yeah. And this is the weekend, the Nellie concerts, part of this. And we talk, you know, Luke doesn’t talk much about this, but we did do 10 minutes on the air about this, because this is what a big deal it is. He’s taking his four year old niece, who’s the apple of his eye, to the Oreo game for the first time on Saturday against the athletics and she’s going to say, Uncle Luke, where the athletics play. Can’t tell you they don’t have a they don’t really have they were in Kansas City, Scarlett. They were in Oakland. Now they’re in Sacramento, but they’re not going to be there long. They’re going to be Las Vegas because they got Can you imagine your dad trying to explain that to you? By the way, I wore a gift for you today. So, you know, I collect rock and roll belt buckles, right? And I don’t see you as a rock and roll guy, but I have taken to now collecting early 1970s Major League Baseball and NFL belt buckles, and you will appreciate this because you’re older than me. I wore the old St Louis Cardinals football dude. I knew I thought you had this

Mark Viviano  01:29

one. My brother

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Nestor Aparicio  01:30

pulled this one off for you here, which I do I usually get undressed to plan a fitness in the locker room. Look at this right here. So like

Mark Viviano  01:37

original

Nestor Aparicio  01:38

1971 babe, right there. Wow. HJ orbit company. So I brought this because this guy’s from St Louis, Missouri, not to be confused with East St Louis, Illinois, which I think is where Chevy Chase made the wrong

Mark Viviano  01:51

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that’s

Nestor Aparicio  01:51

correct there. So 1971 that’s an original NFL property. This is when Roselle got the merger. He put properties together, and they needed to start making stuff, and they made all the Sears bedsheets.

Mark Viviano  02:02

Oh, yeah, pajamas,

Nestor Aparicio  02:03

right? So this is, I collect these. Now I am one New Orleans Saints, one away from having all of them, other than I have a Denver Bronco 78 but, yeah, this is sweet. So I wore this for you.

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Mark Viviano  02:17

That’s

Nestor Aparicio  02:17

figuring, like, did you go see Jim Hart playing

Mark Viviano  02:22

absolutely, yeah,

Nestor Aparicio  02:23

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doble or Dear Dorf,

Mark Viviano  02:24

the whole Yeah, they

Nestor Aparicio  02:25

were good, like Jim Bakke,

Mark Viviano  02:26

they had, what’s interesting is the cardinal baseball obviously, you know, they’ve been there 100 and plus years, and legacy, most World Series, one other than the first Cardinals

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Nestor Aparicio  02:39

game, you went through football and baseball right now. I need to

Mark Viviano  02:41

know baseball. Six years old, played the Astros on a Wednesday afternoon. My dad took just me, even though I do

Nestor Aparicio  02:47

Bush stadium,

Mark Viviano  02:48

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it was new, but it was New Bush Okay? Bush stadium, first football game I was in high school. They played the lions. So it was in the 80s. It

Nestor Aparicio  03:00

was in the 80s.

Mark Viviano  03:01

Yeah, so

Nestor Aparicio  03:01

we’re already on the like, Neil, what? Lomax?

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Mark Viviano  03:05

Yeah. Neil, Lomax, all right, very good. Steve passargic,

Nestor Aparicio  03:08

OJ Anderson, maybe,

Mark Viviano  03:09

yes. But in the 70s, because the cardinal baseball was not good. And I’ve told the story before, the team that I always would run home from school to watch the playoffs. In October. It was the Orioles,

Nestor Aparicio  03:22

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6970, 71

Mark Viviano  03:24

early 70s. I’m a kid. I’m like, you know, eight, 910, years old, like my kids, and I’m watching the or

Nestor Aparicio  03:29

you had Lou Brock, right?

Mark Viviano  03:30

Yeah, Lou Brock, Joe Torre all that. So that was cool. They weren’t that good, but the football team, which was never good. Was good then Jim Hart, Mel Gray, you mentioned Conrad Dobler, like,

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Nestor Aparicio  03:46

or

Mark Viviano  03:47

Yeah, Metcalfe, like they were good, like they made the play. I don’t think they ever won a playoff game, but they were in the playoffs. They they had some classic games. So yeah, but they you talk about Baltimore losing teams. St Louis has lost two NFL teams in my lifetime. The Cardinals moved Arizona,

Nestor Aparicio  04:05

second move. Balzer and I are friends. I’ve really haven’t had Bernie on. I mean, Bernie and I, you and Bernie telling Baltimore St Louis stories. I

Mark Viviano  04:14

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mean, like,

Nestor Aparicio  04:15

really, switch spots. Of course, I grew up with Bernie Nicholas. You know the St Louis thing for me and the Bob Costas and Joe bucks and what we went through here, one of the reasons I got my Budweiser sponsorship was Stan Charles swore that the Anheuser Busch Corporation was the reason we didn’t get the card the Charlotte and Jacksonville team right when you before you got here, he was putting brown paper bags over all Anheuser Busch products because Stan was on the radio as Coors Light sponsored, saying that the reason Baltimore got screwed was the beer, and then St Louis didn’t get the team

Mark Viviano  04:53

either, right?

Nestor Aparicio  04:53

Then Jacksonville got the team. I wound up getting a pub wiser sponsorship out of that, because Bud was sort of slighted in Baltimore at that time. Time other than the Orioles and all of that, but the St Louis story. Balzer was talking to me about it as it was happening with the Rams. It’s inconceivable that Stan cronky was a Missourian who took that team out of there like it’s the dirtiest of modern deals, whether people realize it or not, the St Louis, the theft of that franchise is unbelievable for having won a Super Bowl and supporting the Rams the way they did. I don’t say it’s heartbreaking, because they don’t seem like they care when I’m in a St Louis airport, which is, by the way, been totally remodeled Kansas City. By the way, they embrace the blues. They embrace, you know, the baseball cardinals, but like this is such an afterthought that I don’t know that anybody ever thinks that the Cardinals even played in St Louis, right?

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Mark Viviano  05:50

It’s a you’re going back quite a ways. They left for Arizona in 87 then they got the Rams in 98

Nestor Aparicio  05:59

No, it was before then it was 95 it was before we got turned down. Was 9594 9596 all that. That’s right, better.

Mark Viviano  06:10

But no, that was in cronky. You’re right. He had, because he was part, he’s part of the whole Walmart family, and they actually had, I went to University of Missouri. They named the arena there had his name on it, had the family name on it, and they took that off because his daughter did something. I don’t know what that was, but, yeah, it

Nestor Aparicio  06:35

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plotted that Hollywood Park. He plotted that land. He He won the vote when Spanos and Davis were getting that Carson project on, they didn’t need to move the Rams to California. And now it’s like their mother ship. They’re gonna have another Super Bowl there. And I don’t know that the RAM should have ever have left la in that. You know, when I have the Lee Steinberg on, he would tell you that we tried to save him with the Rose Bowl, and, you know, all of that stuff, and bring them back to LA from Anaheim and all that. This speaks to you playing, by the way, Mark Viviano is here. We’re playing a fitness pneumonia. This speaks to you playing games with your children and saying, none of this matters because I’m from St Louis and watch the NFL. Screw them twice. I came here. I broke the story about the and then in the end, bashati runs this thing. Like, I mean, you and I were talking before we went on the air. You were like, it feels like the Orioles aren’t really being run any better or worse than they were before, just different. And I’m like, it’s just Mr. Big with a pocket full of money, yeah. But that’s sports though today,

Mark Viviano  07:37

and then that that can be our observation and and our job to talk about. But I still want that, and know that people just want to they want to be entertained. They want a good team. They want a good time. I get that, and I’m and I’m perfectly like, I don’t have any hard feelings about anything or anyone. I just, it’s just not that important to me anymore. For instance, well, $250

Nestor Aparicio  08:01

night on Friday to take your two kids, eight and 10 who love baseball, play baseball, to go. What I’m doing with Luke buying Luke four tickets for the game for his family. Am I going to get him the $40 ticket? There are no $12 tickets right now. He’s in town. It’s getting in St Louis guy,

Mark Viviano  08:20

yeah,

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Nestor Aparicio  08:20

Nelly, right, so he’s playing. So it’s, it’s gonna be 160 bucks minimum,

Mark Viviano  08:26

yeah,

Nestor Aparicio  08:26

for Luke and his three family members to go to the game, he’s already in on the cotton candy. He’s already

Mark Viviano  08:32

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told

Nestor Aparicio  08:33

dipping dots. Oh, whatever she wants to do for her, right? Your first game that would make so it’s a $300 afternoon for Luke, if he gets a beer, if they get a hot, if they do it right,

Mark Viviano  08:44

dude, that’s

Nestor Aparicio  08:46

300 bucks on your kids. Like, there’s a lot you could do with your kids on Saturday.

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Mark Viviano  08:51

That’s true, but it is an experience. And you know, if and when they want to go, and we haven’t gone a lot, we’ve gone a few times. They bring couple buddies, baseball players. They love it. They watch it. They get the they get all the concessions. Yeah, it’s expensive, but it wasn’t

Nestor Aparicio  09:09

when your dad took you to a Cardinals game to see

Mark Viviano  09:12

it was different.

Nestor Aparicio  09:13

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See Lou Brock in 1972

Mark Viviano  09:15

wasn’t like that. You’re right. You’re right. Everything changes in that regard. Well,

Nestor Aparicio  09:19

they’re asking for premium money. As I sit here in Planet Fitness, where people come in premium money, premium price, people want the whatever the value is. And I think there really is. And this is what I felt being at the stadium last week and two weeks ago, what I felt when I was going to get on a bus and go to New York to see my baseball team playing Yankee Stadium is 12 bucks. Good value to get in the ballpark. 40 bucks. I’ll do it for Luke and his niece, but my wife and I wouldn’t go down Saturday for 40 bucks. We would say 80 bucks. We’ll go over to CASAS and get a sandwich and watch the game on TV and get an Orange Crush. You know what I mean, like and if your kids don’t love it, and this is where Luke comes in, and for your. Kids, maybe you don’t want your kids to love it. Luke wants so bad for his niece to love it. You

Mark Viviano  10:06

know, I want my kids. I want it to come naturally for them. If they do, they will. But I think that’s the fight that all of these organizations are now up against. You said it, it does cost a good amount to get yourself into that seat. And once you’re there, if you want something to eat or drink, it’s going to cost you a good or good amount and what? And Dick Cass used to say it when he was president of the ravens, we got to get people back in there, because it’s too easy to stay home and watch it. It’s just so easy when you’ve got

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Nestor Aparicio  10:35

I love baseball on TV.

Mark Viviano  10:37

When you’ve got the big TV, you’ve got your own bathroom. Let

Nestor Aparicio  10:40

Kevin Brown do The Work baby McDonald could do to work. It’s,

Mark Viviano  10:43

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it’s nice to sit and, you know, do you know no Park

Nestor Aparicio  10:47

watch, be honest. Mark Viviano, you’re not beholden. Will you be watching there’ll be there before game between now and the end of the Yankee series. People be hearing this over the weekend, early next week. How much Oreo baseball Will you watch Miami, three games? A’s three games, Yankees, at this point in your life, your kids will not make you watch. Your wife won’t make you watch in any way, right? So how much will you watch?

Mark Viviano  11:16

Good question. I’ll probably sneak a peek at a score on my phone, and if it’s close in the seventh inning, I’ll turn it on

Nestor Aparicio  11:25

like an NBA game.

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Mark Viviano  11:26

Seriously, seriously, I would if I see that it’s eight to nothing. Either way, I’m I don’t need to watch that. I like a close game of anything. But no, it’s and if my, if Michael, my son, if he says dead, can we watch the game, of course,

Nestor Aparicio  11:41

right?

Mark Viviano  11:42

We’ll sit there, and I’ll sit there, and he’ll, he’ll ask a lot of questions, and I love talking baseball, and I’ll, you know, it’s an opportunity, Michael, watch how the catcher blocks this ball. Just watch, but

Nestor Aparicio  11:51

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you’re not grabbing it by his ear and say,

Mark Viviano  11:53

Get in here. No, not at all. I

Nestor Aparicio  11:56

didn’t have to do that with me.

Mark Viviano  11:58

No, we liked it with

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Nestor Aparicio  11:59

my dad. It was more like I discovered hockey and made him drag my ass down to an empty Arena in 1975 to see the clappers. He didn’t want to do it, but he did it for a son. And I, well, you know, my dad lost his son in 1969 I was a bit of a replacement child. I had no idea why I got everything I wanted

Mark Viviano  12:17

when

Nestor Aparicio  12:17

I was a kid, right?

Mark Viviano  12:19

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Well, good, though, didn’t it? But

Nestor Aparicio  12:20

my dad, like my pop, going to Oreo games was any night I really wanted to go, I could pour on the weepy eyes or whatever, and he’d be like, All right, and I never knew what his energy level was. You know what? I mean, probably

Mark Viviano  12:36

worked all

Nestor Aparicio  12:37

day at the point man in the heat, right in the summer, but he would come home and my mom would have dinner on the table four o’clock. He’s like, you want to go to the game tonight? All right, get your stuff, get your club. We’ll go to the game. And we would get on the bus go through Highland 10. This is 7879 8081 and then by 8283 I discovered girls and my buddies. So we had that. I had that period with my pop, and then, you know, later I take my pop to a game as we got a little older, or whatever. But the days that he and I getting the GNA Coney Island hot dog in Highland town was a very finite

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Mark Viviano  13:13

period.

Nestor Aparicio  13:14

He’s out in route seven in White Marsh. Go see him, and he’s, oh, my God,

Mark Viviano  13:18

is wheeling out there. When I got married, my wife had a house on fagley Street, and we used to walk over to to

Nestor Aparicio  13:26

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the right. Well, Viv is here. I’m making him tell Old St Louis Cardinal stories. Do you have any over for the sports fans out there love you who want VIV the sports guy? Do you have anything on the orders of ravens that you would say that if I’m not pressing you on, you know, bringing clayus Campbell back, whatever you’re I know you want them to win, and you’re removed from it right now, but it’s, it’s so hard to win. You know, we had two parades with the Ravens.

Mark Viviano  13:53

Yeah,

Nestor Aparicio  13:53

Orioles are 43 years into this. I don’t know if it’s ever gonna happen for your kids or for Scarlett. You know,

Mark Viviano  13:59

don’t know. Don’t know if it’s going to I’ll tell you this because I was embedded and had to live it for as long as I did and loved it. And I have no no misgivings, no regrets, and nobody wants to hear that, dude, you were a sportscaster. What could you I don’t I hate when sportscasters complain about the work. No, it’s great. It’s all good. So the only sports media I was still doing after retirement was Tom Davis’s touchdown

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Nestor Aparicio  14:28

that pizza wise, right,

Mark Viviano  14:30

right? But I finally had to tell Tom Tom, I can’t do it anymore.

Nestor Aparicio  14:36

I

Mark Viviano  14:38

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I don’t want to have to stay in touch. I don’t want to have to read, you know, the articles, to be informed enough to sit here, to feel confident, enough to have an opinion. It’s just, I just don’t want to I’m not a fraud. I’m not going to do

Nestor Aparicio  14:53

that. Brian Billick went through that with a period when he went from being a broadcaster to my grandkids are here now.

Mark Viviano  15:00

Mean,

Nestor Aparicio  15:00

right at the time, he stopped hearing from me every two weeks, right? And there is a there’s seasons in life. I mean, Joe irman had that book many years ago. And like, I’m 57 and I’m in a different season with Baltimore positive and seeing Sandusky and Marty and all of you, all of my friends, Cunningham, all of you, move to a different place. I just want all of you to have this awesome

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Mark Viviano  15:23

if you

Nestor Aparicio  15:23

want to golf, freaking golf, if you want to raise your kids, raise your kids. You know, my case would be traveling, seeing Machu Picchu, which I did, like, that’s what I like to do. You know, my kid creates grandkids. I’m gonna have to call a lot of you Uncle Luke and figure it out, you know, but I don’t have that pulling me. But I just It overjoys me to see people find this next plateau and this thing that isn’t breaking the story or the competition of what we felt in media forever, that there can be like, Oh, this is just fun to take my kid to a ball game. Or if your kids into something else you get into that, something else,

Mark Viviano  16:02

right? Well, what you’re doing now, and you said it earlier, you love doing this. You love the people you love, the connections. You love the you know, meeting people out you do your shows out people, the guy they

Nestor Aparicio  16:14

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can I love that. You listen to it, man, yeah, what I mean like, your

Mark Viviano  16:18

perspective is like, none other like, and that’s, I do like that. And you, you’re a curious person. You ask, you ask good questions about people and their lives. And that’s we’re all people. In the end, it’s not who’s a star and you know, who needs what? It’s like. We’re all people, and people all have interesting everybody’s got a story. I’ve always said that you could walk down any street, stop any person, and just start asking questions.

Nestor Aparicio  16:44

Dan Rogers always

Mark Viviano  16:47

says, but you do that in this format here. And I

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Nestor Aparicio  16:51

told April, I bring people on that I like that. Want to be on the show that has something that might be of interest to the people I’ve collected through all these years, and people

Mark Viviano  17:01

love to hear people’s stories. And here’s the thing, you love doing it. So I wouldn’t tell you that you should stop doing it if it’s something you love. You know, another name that came up earlier that I think about is Dr libo. Dr libo could retire five years ago. He loves what he does. I’ve asked him about it. He goes, I just love this too much. He’s a teacher.

Nestor Aparicio  17:27

Fix my wife’s face last week and made her feel like

Mark Viviano  17:29

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he’s awesome, like so but he loves it. Why would you why would you tell anyone to walk away from something that it’s not like? He loves serving people. He loves being that guy. Yes, he’s a he’s He’s a trained and it’s in, it’s a business, but that’s his passion. So unless or until something of greater importance comes, keep doing what you do, I’ll know when

Nestor Aparicio  17:55

I hear it. Well, Baltimore positive was of greater importance than fighting with Peter angelos, right? And when you were last with me, with the last press passes we’ll ever have, although I do have a press pass for the Preakness next week, I’m still accredited there. When we were up at the top of Arlington, and you said, F those people about the Orioles, Luke tells me all the time. He’s like, dude, if they gave you a press pass, you would come in and you would be wildly offended by how the thing that offended me the most about Chad steel, and I would say this to Him, and I said, is how he spoke to us. All right, you guys, let’s go. And I’m like, they don’t speak to me like that. At Planet Fitness, they don’t speak to me like that. It cost us. They don’t speak to me like that. When I’m out on the street, it’s sort of like this. You’re just lucky to be here and breathe the air so, so lucky that I’m locked out. It tells me how special they think their air is, and that if I ever breathe their air, I would choke on it. So and I I’m not offended by that anymore. I sort of laugh at it to some degree to say I did 27 Super Bowls. I’ve covered sports for 42 years. If I’m not good enough to walk into your facility and talk to Jesse Minter and get to know him as a human being, then it tells me that it’s not where I’m supposed to be. Remember, Ray Lewis, you say it’s not for you, it’s for you. It’s not meant for you. It’s not for you, you know, and I’m like, it’s not for me anymore. But this is

Mark Viviano  19:23

well, and

Nestor Aparicio  19:24

I

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Mark Viviano  19:24

think I told you in one of our earlier sit downs in the past couple years that I agree with Luke Nestor, you’re a fighter. You’re the guy that has a perspective on things that doesn’t need for you to be behind the purple rope. You’re the guy who can stand out and just be the Dundalk guy with the fight in you. I know you want

Nestor Aparicio  19:47

see. This is the media thing where when you say something on Sunday, you’re there on Monday to show your face. That’s an old school you and I would never have any respect, right for Jim. Rome who would go and scream, but was never in the locker room, right? You and I would say that, like, Preston’s gonna poop on the ravens, you better show up, right? That was part. So I’m not that guy. You’re not that guy that’s, that’s the part of the media thing, and I’m not a screamer on the radio that is a bartender that’s not present and not accountable, right for the things I have said,

Mark Viviano  20:24

but, but you’re right, and I and I appreciate that ethic. But here’s the other

Nestor Aparicio  20:29

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first thought.

Mark Viviano  20:30

Here’s the other thing, most guys are the guy you described, who does don’t show up all those guys on ESPN,

Nestor Aparicio  20:39

they’re not a freaking blogger, dude, all the

Mark Viviano  20:42

screamers,

8

Nestor Aparicio  20:42

I’m not a podcast screen,

Mark Viviano  20:44

all the screamers, all, most, a lot of the guys that do national radio, they’re never in a locker room.

Nestor Aparicio  20:51

I know that because I was one of them for a while sporting news, right?

Mark Viviano  20:54

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So it’s there

Nestor Aparicio  20:56

is a point that you get a badge, no better than the internet badge in the basement, being a basement blogger to be screaming fire the coach, or I’m mad at Sashi brown or Katie, how you selling your tickets, or whatever, there is a point of professionalism that I’ve seen, how they’ve treated you and Jerry and Luke and Jerry Coleman and every whomever that all I’ve ever asked for was that if I’m not going to be afforded that, I’m not going to be silent about it, but I’m also, I know where I am and I’m where I’m supposed to be, right? That’s how I feel about and you’re where you you’re supposed to be. That’s always this afternoon. That’s always, if your heart was into being into the Orioles right now, you would be in front of the TV at six o’clock every night watching Rob and Melanie the way I am, because I do love talking baseball. I mean, I even said something to Luke this morning. I said to Luke, I ganged up on him today because I’ve been trying to be better on the radio, because some of you need me to do that, to listen. And I lasted. I was watching the game, and I’m thinking this is a good question for Luke. Would you trade Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby for Trevor Rogers all over again. I thought that’s a good sports radio bent. And Luke’s like, I love a good baseball conversation. I’m like, Yeah, that’s why we still love doing this. Because I do love a good baseball conversation.

Mark Viviano  22:10

Can I ask you a Can I ask you what could be a controversial media question? And I’m not sure you would be prepared for a comfortable answering. Maybe you’ve talked about it.

Nestor Aparicio  22:19

You know, at any point we can do the show where you get to ask me questions. I’d love that. I want to ask you the friar.

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Mark Viviano  22:24

I want to ask you just this one.

Nestor Aparicio  22:26

It’s a gotcha question.

Mark Viviano  22:27

No, no, it’s not. It’s not a gotcha and I’m wondering maybe

Nestor Aparicio  22:30

8

to pretend I’m Jim Harbaugh waiting for the gotcha question.

Mark Viviano  22:32

Maybe you’ve already talked about this.

Nestor Aparicio  22:34

Maybe,

Mark Viviano  22:35

what did you think of 1057? Firing Jason lock and fora,

8

Nestor Aparicio  22:39

wow. I have talked about this, okay, little bit, but not with you, which means more to me. You would ask me that, did you see my April Fool’s joke about lock and forum?

Mark Viviano  22:49

I didn’t,

Nestor Aparicio  22:52

so

Mark Viviano  22:52

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that you were gonna hire him or something.

Nestor Aparicio  22:54

Yeah, it sold really well, like it was the only time my life I’ve ever done an April Fool’s joke, and I’ve never tried to do one, because I never thought it would connect this. I thought of this on Machu Picchu. I’m not kidding you. I had two hours on Machu Picchu where I went from the top to the coffee shop to then go in. And I was at the coffee shop. The

Mark Viviano  23:14

coffee’s good there.

Nestor Aparicio  23:15

Oh man, no coffee like Columbia and the mountains of the Andes. Oh my god, if you can’t get a cappuccino, there best cup of coffee your life in Bogota. Take your life in your own hands, going there. But, but nonetheless, I did this. So I thought like of this lock and four thing, and this is, and I haven’t written the follow up, but I’ve talked about it. The reason this is so important is because they’ve thrown me and lock and for out we’re the last two throw Preston in there, Pete Gilbert, you could say, but not really trained by the people I was trained by in the 80s in the newspaper industry. We’re the last ones that were trained by Jack Gibbons and John Steadman and Bernie Nicholas’s training and Ken Rosenthal’s training to be the one at the press conference says, F you. You’re not throwing me out. I’m gonna ask you about Justin Tucker. I’m gonna ask you about Max Crosby. I’m gonna ask you the question that you don’t want asked that Chad’s gonna call me later and try to intimidate me, because that’s the modern way. Kevin Byrne never called no one has ever called me and tried to intimidate me about a question in a press box until about 10 years ago. This is a modern thing where you get chastised for the questions you ask lock and four has been thrown out. I’ve been thrown out the lock and four thing to me, new program director over there, whatever their ratings, whatever their money, whatever their backstory, whatever Jason’s employee backstory is, we need Jason lock and for and Nestor Aparicio, and, quite frankly, Mark Viviano and Vito stolino and every other reporter asking questions of these. Franchises as the Justin Tucker stories become real as David Rubenstein sat with Jeffrey Epstein. That’s a fact, and that’s real that Eric Eddie is running the Orioles right now, and nobody knows anything about him, and he’s running the team right now. And Katie Griggs picks her preferred conversations. Chad steel and Sasha brown pick their preferred conversations. It is, I don’t want to say it’s as dangerous as Trump picking Newsmax in his press conferences and throwing the Associated Press out, but from a journalism standpoint, the fans get less information the less of us trained people that are in there to hold them accountable. That’s all I’m saying. I won’t

8

Mark Viviano  25:44

put myself in that conversation, but certainly you and Jason as guys who aren’t you guys would go after those who you felt needed to be pushed. Coleman will do it to a degree. Coleman will ask some hard questions, but Jason, what he brought to the radio on a daily basis, which I will say there were times I was like, Dude, that’s a little too personal. But in the overall to have that voice on the air that held those who had promised certain things or saw things wrongly and called them out. I that that’s needed. And it it struck me that

Nestor Aparicio  26:27

this is a last place baseball team that has had new ownership, where the owner has made a bobble head of himself. They’ve since the last time I saw you, they finished in last place. They’ve lost a half a million fans. Stadiums empty again, Nelly, they’re making Tupac bobbleheads like, I don’t want to say they’re wayward, but they’re not found. If they’re not lost, they’re certainly not found, yeah, and part of that is having people hold them to a higher standard than they would hold themselves,

Mark Viviano  26:56

right? And I think that is a you kind of mentioned it. I think it is a loss for sports fans in the city that that question or that criticism isn’t present, and it

Nestor Aparicio  27:14

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might never be present again.

Mark Viviano  27:15

I know, and again I will say, because I have shared this, they

Nestor Aparicio  27:20

took $1.2 billion of public money.

Mark Viviano  27:22

Yeah,

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Nestor Aparicio  27:23

right. I’m just saying, like, this isn’t we’re a private business that Steve says we’re private. They’ve ripped two press boxes out in the last five years and move things around to make more money to serve more Lamar Jackson’s and Adley, Richmond and gunner Anderson. That’s great, but it’s still going to come down to come down to your boys wanting to go to the game, and scarlet want to go to the game, and you and Uncle Luke picking up the task. Somebody’s got to pay for it. Mark, I mean, that’s where I was on it. And with that comes when you’re making a million dollars a year running a baseball team or football team. You’re not fair game for unfair criticism. You’re fair game to be invited to fail these and sit next to me for an hour a year and tell me what you’re trying to build for the world. That’s what I’m

Mark Viviano  28:09

saying. Trust me, I want for the for the people of this city and for those organizations, actually, I want them to do well. I want people to be happy. But we have to have criticism we have to be we have to accept the fact that not everything is perfect, that there are difficulties that we have to be responsive to. I would say this,

Nestor Aparicio  28:33

you guys made the block before getting fired. I have no doubt, no doubt in the world that Greg Bader, Jennifer grand all, Katie Griggs, Mark fine, Chad steel, Sashi Brown, or some representatives of Rubenstein era, Getty and bashati, whether they know about it or not, whether they even know Jason lock and four is have called 105 sevens management to get that, to get lock and for to either Shut up or be so. I guarantee you. Guarantee you that that has happened. And Jack Gibbon would would tell you that Angelos would call down to him to fire Eisenberg and Rosenthal 30 years ago, and Mike Litwin.

Mark Viviano  29:16

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But you didn’t do it.

Nestor Aparicio  29:17

You didn’t do it.

Mark Viviano  29:18

You stayed with what you knew was the job that had to be done, and

Nestor Aparicio  29:23

that’s not the way the world

8

Mark Viviano  29:24

works. I know it’s different. It’s that’s why you’re raising two beautiful kids in this Vernal Park Little League. It’s just different. And I that came up because I just I hadn’t heard what you had said about it. But it still bothers me that it happened. It just does. It

Nestor Aparicio  29:41

bothers the hell out of me.

Mark Viviano  29:42

Bothers me that that worked that way, because it was clear that there were conversations had with the hierarchies of the organizations, and shortly thereafter, he was let go. Now I’m not saying there weren’t times he didn’t step over the line, but Doggone it. Take. Hear of that in house. Say, Jason, come on back it off a little bit. Let’s not make it personal. Now, go ahead and do what you do. Now you don’t have anyone there who will do what he did. There’s

Nestor Aparicio  30:12

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nobody there with the basis of knowledge to be able to do that. No offense to Bob Haney, who, you know, I put Bob Haney on the radio, but it’s very sensitive topic for me in regard to when I see Rob long on the pregame show and know what that represents for what he can and cannot say true on the radio or on the air, and the Kevin Brown shelling three years ago at the hands of Bader me, I had Jim Palmer come up to me at a funeral last year and tell me, literally, he’s not allowed in the locker room either. And he offered that to me that he was escorted out of the locker room and told he couldn’t be in the locker room. So what Jim Palmer is telling me that I realized, Viv, I got no shot, right? You know what I mean? Like, it shouldn’t be that way, but that’s the way it is,

Mark Viviano  31:02

and things are different, like

Nestor Aparicio  31:03

and there is no one to call them out, and if you are, you will be fired at corporate radio station if you are the one to call them out. So that’s what makes what I do here, I think, even more important and even more important than people like you, who know better stand up at least for five minutes a year and say Nestor is not the evil guy here. Everyone should be able to ask them questions, because they’re the Orioles and the Ravens, and they should hold themselves to that standard that they’ve lowered the bar. And you’ve seen it happen, and I’ve seen

Mark Viviano  31:32

and I’ll say this, you know, after you weren’t part of the press corps, there were a number of times that Jerry Coleman would ask questions that any number of people in the media would think, Oh my god, I can’t believe he asked that question. I’m glad he asked that question. And they would all use the answer. In other words, then

8

Nestor Aparicio  31:53

they start putting Jerry 13th in the order to ask questions, because they start handing out numbers of when I mean, it’s absurd. It’s where I get unacceptable

Mark Viviano  32:04

from our perspective. It is from their perspective. If they can do it, they’re going to do it and that, hey, you go for what did you remind I’m going

Nestor Aparicio  32:13

to call it what it is unprofessional, what

Mark Viviano  32:15

8

art modell used to tell us, criticize me.

Nestor Aparicio  32:19

Oh, my God, you and I talked about this the last

Mark Viviano  32:21

time criticized me. I can

Nestor Aparicio  32:23

let you get back. You got kids. You got to pick on those here. It’s all brought to you by the Maryland lottery. I’m gonna get Yeah, we need to do the horses, because your kids love horses, right? So Maryland treasures, don’t give them to your kids.

8

Mark Viviano  32:34

I could scratch it, and if

Nestor Aparicio  32:36

there’s a one, don’t scratch it. What your kids can look over your shoulder, but don’t let them

Mark Viviano  32:43

do

Nestor Aparicio  32:43

8

cigarettes or something like you can’t touch it, okay, like a gun,

Mark Viviano  32:46

right?

Nestor Aparicio  32:46

It’s you got to be of the legal age.

Mark Viviano  32:49

Gotta

8

Nestor Aparicio  32:50

give you ID on that. I got to get you out of here. Mark Viviano is here before he gets me throwing years

Mark Viviano  32:56

of age or older,

Nestor Aparicio  32:58

10 plus eight is 18, but don’t give him

Mark Viviano  33:00

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to your I won’t thank you for that. I could have been thrown in jail.

Nestor Aparicio  33:04

Coach Finn is

Mark Viviano  33:05

here. You

Nestor Aparicio  33:05

don’t know that story.

8

Mark Viviano  33:07

What’s it

Nestor Aparicio  33:07

every year at Christmas time, John Martin comes on the show with me, and he tell he sasses people. And the reason for this is my derelict sister in law, when she was eight years old, her my in laws gave their children my wife, when they were little girls in New Hampshire, lottery tickets. And Jessica, my sister in law, won 100 bucks. She was eight years old. Jem was like 11, and they went and cashed it, and they never told their parents. Now, don’t do that. You’re not allowed to do that. As I said, you’re telling

Mark Viviano  33:44

thank you for that

Nestor Aparicio  33:45

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sponsor story. Thank

Mark Viviano  33:46

you to the lottery for the for the gift.

Nestor Aparicio  33:49

Thank you for always being kind to me. Always be professional to me. My wife would tell you in the deepest, darkest recesses that she would tell you the difference in my life at this point between me loving you and having you in my life or wanting you in my life was when I got thrown out of the media being in a position of power or voice to just simply say, that’s wrong. I don’t need you to get rid of your PSLs. I don’t need you to denounce the ravens, but you were one of the very few people, very few people that have come to me over the years and said that’s just wrong, like it’s just out loud, you’re willing to say that, and not everybody was willing to do that, because, you know it was wrong. Having me blackballed was wrong. It’s just not it wasn’t right. And I’m very, very grateful of your friendship platform to at least say we shouldn’t be throwing anybody, not even Jerry Coleman, out of press boxes.

Mark Viviano  34:46

We just shouldn’t. We

8

Nestor Aparicio  34:47

shouldn’t.

Mark Viviano  34:47

Let’s just, let’s get along here. Times change. Things change. I get it. Keep up the good fight. Nothing

Nestor Aparicio  34:56

helps my life and my Mojo and the mojo of this city. You. More than when the sports teams win. Yep, you know that, yep. So we root for that. I love Viv. He’s got to get down a little league. Yep,

Mark Viviano  35:07

8

got little league set time. How

Nestor Aparicio  35:10

many times a week you do little

Mark Viviano  35:11

league? It’s like two practices and sometimes two games. Well, I

Nestor Aparicio  35:15

hope you get good weather. All right,

8

Mark Viviano  35:17

yeah, we got, we got as we, as you and I speak. We have practice tonight.

Nestor Aparicio  35:21

I love the bad news. Bears are still one of my favorite I

Mark Viviano  35:24

love throwing batting practice. I could throw 500 pitches in batting practice.

Nestor Aparicio  35:27

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I had Bonnie Bernstein on this week. She’s doing a new show on ABC, and she’s bringing on all women who are now business leaders, C level women, and some of them have no association to sport or sports, or have played sports like she was a gymnast, famously, but all of these women, what they have in common is they played sports as girls, and they’re coming on her show to talk about the impact of that, and it got me all teary eyed about playing Little League Baseball with John Rollo, and 50 years later, right? We were on a team. We’re on two teams here. We played football and baseball together. We were on teams together. And there’s something about that bond that never changes, that when you plan a little league team, Coach Mark will forever be a part of their life, the way John rolla’s Dad was a part of my life, the way my dad was a part of his life, because my dad and his dad coach together. Well.

Mark Viviano  36:16

As a coach, I try to keep it positive. Be more positive, more positive.

Nestor Aparicio  36:20

Mark Viviano, here, we’re playing a fitness is all brought to by the Maryland lottery. Farnham, Dermer Zach’s coming. My AI guru, you an AI yet? You figured this out? Yet?

Mark Viviano  36:29

No, I’m scared of it gonna change your life, dude, I’m gonna change your life. Writer, write your own words. You have great words. Don’t let anybody write your words.

8

Nestor Aparicio  36:41

My clone is funnier than me. No, and it pisses me off.

Mark Viviano  36:46

Don’t do

Nestor Aparicio  36:47

it. Clone doesn’t make typos.

Mark Viviano  36:49

8

Tell me you won’t do it.

Nestor Aparicio  36:51

I’m already doing it, and I’m about to do an hour long segment telling you how it’s gonna change your life.

Mark Viviano  36:58

I don’t want to change my life when it comes to creative ability, creative energy, keep it. Don’t farm it out. Keep it.

Nestor Aparicio  37:06

Where do you hear my how my clone does these radio ads? I’m gonna play it for him, next

8

Mark Viviano  37:11

to each her own. Do you want

Nestor Aparicio  37:12

to hear my clone? No radio ad.

Mark Viviano  37:14

No.

Nestor Aparicio  37:14

8

You’re never gonna know the difference

Mark Viviano  37:16

to each our own.

Nestor Aparicio  37:17

I don’t think I’ve played this on the air yet. Hold on. Bring this over. I want you to hear it. And I think that Dennis, you’ve already heard this, right? You’ve heard this before. That’s that. He’s my he does all my AI for me. So hold on. I sent this over to Bill Cole this cold roofing. I want to turn this up. And I’m literally you tell me if this is real or if it’s Nestor X, remember, that’s pretty good, right? You like that? Nestor X, you like that?

Mark Viviano  37:43

Hold

8

Nestor Aparicio  37:44

on. Here we go. Let’s I’m gonna, I’m gonna turn it up now. You tell me ready if your roof made it through winter, don’t celebrate yet. Check it. Coal Roofing has been doing that for Baltimore for over 100 years. A smart move now. We’ll always save you later. Cole roofing, don’t wait for a problem and make sure you subscribe to the wnst tech service brought to you by Cole roofing and Gordian energy. What do you think?

Mark Viviano  38:14

Viv

Nestor Aparicio  38:16

you’ve heard a lot of ads on wnst.

Mark Viviano  38:19

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I don’t want to be in a position where I have to guess. I just want to know what you

Nestor Aparicio  38:25

I want. Ah, that is laughing at you over I don’t

Mark Viviano  38:28

want to be I don’t want to be that guy.

Nestor Aparicio  38:30

Hey, the real Nestor.

8

Mark Viviano  38:33

Dude,

Nestor Aparicio  38:34

fake nasty Nestor,

Mark Viviano  38:36

our spirit, our mind. That’s dude clone

Nestor Aparicio  38:40

8

yourself right now. 13 wants you back tonight. We’ll pop the script in, and Mark will sit there and read the scores, and you can be down to a little league and they’d still be paying you that they were saying you over there.

Mark Viviano  38:52

I’m glad, I’m glad Dennis is making a living at this. I’m glad that you’re making use of this. I just I’m gonna

Nestor Aparicio  39:00

take more money to buy more St Louis Cardinals

Mark Viviano  39:02

belt at some at some point, we’re all going to regret it. That’s all I’m going to say. That’s all I’m going to say. You

8

Nestor Aparicio  39:08

know what? I didn’t regret it when I was on Machu Picchu with my arms spread like this, and I realized it was because of my clone and my and my clones ability to discern that at 57 I was healthy enough to be at 11,000 feet of altitude. Well,

Mark Viviano  39:24

you can figure that out by yourself.

Nestor Aparicio  39:26

It gave me every benefit. Open your mind. You’re a creative guy. Viviano, come on. But

Mark Viviano  39:34

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I don’t want to farm out my creativity. I don’t want to farm on my

Nestor Aparicio  39:38

own, in your own, your your as my eighth grade English teacher told me you’re plagiarizing yourself. And I’m like, Yeah, you say, when Planet Fitness went out in a they have other locations. There’s two. Nestor, did you hear the one? This is the one.

Mark Viviano  39:55

Dude, have you ever been in a driverless. Car,

Nestor Aparicio  40:00

yes,

8

Mark Viviano  40:01

are you okay

Nestor Aparicio  40:01

with it? Was fantastic. It was great. I didn’t I like driving. How much I liked it? I did it again later in the day, and I did it again the next morning.

Mark Viviano  40:09

I like driving. I like thinking. I like writing. I like I

Nestor Aparicio  40:14

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like that the computer was doing it thinking, and not some drunk Uber driver.

Mark Viviano  40:17

Okay, that’s fine.

Nestor Aparicio  40:19

Mark Viviana is getting to his kids. I gotta, I gotta get to Dennis fitness. I have my funny hat. We’re gonna talk AI. I want to educate. Well, viva. Listen to the next segment. He can be educated there. So I brought you by the Maryland lottery. GBMC. Back for more. Planet Fitness. We’re in to manium, across from the spa. Stay with us. More.