Did you like what you saw at the MLB All Star Game in Seattle? Luke Jones and Nestor discuss all aspects of the Midsummer Classic and the realities of why the game hasn’t been back since 1993 and the realities of bringing the game back to Baltimore again this decade.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
game, years, star, uniforms, baltimore, talking, orioles, all star game, pitch, play, inning, broadcast, exhibition, seattle, baseball, players, bautista, major league baseball, city, point
SPEAKERS
Nestor Aparicio, Luke Jones
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
What about w n s? T, Towson, Baltimore. Baltimore positive it’s a post all star game celebration in the Orioles coming home here this weekend. Got this kid hitting 400 coming into town this weekend. Freddy Freeman Mookie, the Dodgers around the corner. It’s baseball pen of fever and this guy, although we converse football around here was so two or three weeks away from that at this point, I was all All Star game all Adly all athletes dad on Monday night and Tuesday night, of course, you were very, very instrumental in the outcome of the the midsummer classic in Seattle. Luke Jones joins us now he is Baltimore Luke, what are mine everybody? We’re doing the Maryland crab cake tour all summer long. It really we’re gonna kick off the second half of Coco’s on Thursday from two of the five got great guests. And Coco’s, we’re looking forward to talking to Senator Cory McCray. Also, if Dave shinning from the Washington Post, the two of my favorite people him and Mike were sick Liano gonna be coming by Marcel is gonna have crabcakes and some locals and Laura Ville, it’s all brought to you by the Maryland lottery. I’ll be giving away some Maryland lottery scratch offs. I have a whole bunch of scratch offs here. I’ll be giving these away this week at Coco’s next Thursday at the Beaumont, that on August third and August 4, we will be back in Dundalk. It cost us and drug city celebrating 25 years this guy has been here 15 of the 25 years and night we’ve watched all star games. I’ve covered all star games. I was down in Washington a couple years ago up in New York a couple times recently. Dude, I I don’t know what to say without sounding like a jerk. I don’t know what they can do. To make it better other than just make it better. I stopped with all the clowning and talking to pitchers when they’re delivering pitches. And I just It baffles me, Luke, I don’t know what else to say. Because I love the all star game. I hate I hate this. Beer league pajamas. I mean, I just everything about it. Do you accept the fact that they got really good baseball players in the game?
Luke Jones 02:02
Yeah, I’ll disagree with you about the miked up part. I think that’s a fantastic innovation. It’s getting to know players we hear all the time. I’ve heard it for a decade now. No one knows who Mike Trout is. and Major League Baseball and I get it. He’s hurt right now broken him a bone. But I totally disagree with you on that point. The uniforms are horrible. That’s it’s awful. It’s been three years now that they’ve gone to these American League National League pajamas as you describe them appropriately. So I’m with you. I think one of the more disappointing aesthetics that’s that’s missed now, or what an aesthetic that I loved for so many years was when your team was in it. You’d see those Baltimore Orioles uniforms, when they line up for introducing the reserves, introducing the starting lineup. A great example the Texas Rangers, they had what five starters in the American League starting lineup on Tuesday night. And you couldn’t really tell just by looking at them, right? You had to really look closely to see who it was. And, look, it’s Nike to Major League Baseball selling uniforms. I did see a few young younger people on Twitter actually say they liked the uniform. So it’s a reminder that that’s not for you. It’s not even for me now as I’m nearing 40 years of age. But that’s the part that does bug me. But I liked the innovation of hearing from ivaldi on the mound. Certainly one want to hear that in a game that actually matters. But hearing him actually go through his mindset a little bit pitch to pitch. I thought that was kind of cool. So I’ll disagree with you on that part. I love seeing players might
Nestor Aparicio 03:36
be seeing truces, that’s all I thought it I thought it was the as a viewer, it was a little like watching somebody go to the bathroom to say it’s a little private. And it’s a little like you’re playing. I just, I don’t know, it just cheap. And did it really. It’s an exhibition. And I guess I gotta get my head through that right, the part that it’s not even spring training, but after watching real baseball games for you know, three months, and they stop for this and they’re wearing their pajamas. It just, it’s taken on this carnival barking thing that I think is beneath the status of of the game itself. And I’m not even a traditionalist in any way, right like I mean, not in that way for sure. But looking at them out on the field, in the whites in the Grays as a reason they were the whites and the Grays they’re supposed to be beautiful their primary jerseys, you know that that’s what makes you an all star. And that goes back to probably my head of being up at the Eastwood fields that Joseph Lee fields when garden Ville would come over and little flower would come over and an all star event would look like an all star event. It had color. It had color. I’m a color guy, you know, I just just all of it. The broadcast was awful. The broadcasters were awful. Just the translators were awful. from Japanese to Spanish, it just was awful. I mean, I put Major League Baseball network on it, I don’t like 530 I watched two and a half hours, I got carried away. And I was on the red carpet it like 20 minutes to eight and like, I gotta change channels. I didn’t even change channels, you know. And so I watched all of the outfits, I’ll tell you a thing that I like. And this will sound funny for me because I’m not a red carpet guy or any of that, what they’ve done what they did in Pike Place in the afternoon, we’re all the guys get dressed up and they show their their sense of fashion. And they talk to people, and they bring their wives and their kids and that’s kind of cool. I mean, you’re talking to a guy that’s been you know, 1718 all star games, and probably 15 galas. I’ve been to the Home Run Derby the workouts when it was futures game on Sunday when it was celebrity softball with meatloaf and I have Jon Stewart and Ron Howard doing bumpers for me from Veterans Stadium because they there was a celebrity softball game, like all of these different machinations that they’ve had. I mean, I’ve seen all the things they’ve they tried to make the game count at one point right and, and make it into American League nationally, game seven, game one host. I mean, they’ve done they’ve had gimmicks, they’ve had gadgets, they’ve had all of that. But there’s something that sort of makes the 1971 All Star game, the 1971 All Star game, because they just went out and played. And the American League, one of the women nationally wanted to win and they played baseball, and you can take pictures, you can dress them up, you can sell stuff you can gala out you can wear those pajamas during the home, Run Derby, do whatever you want to do. But don’t screw up, like the Tuesday night, don’t have me put it on looking forward to it. And sitting here on the radio bitching about it the next day. And we have you mentioned Batista, the game, losing a game like it doesn’t matter. None of it matters. What matters is if you put the game on do you stay with it nine innings to get to know some players and I would agree with you getting to know players is the issue. I just thought was really weird having ivaldi I thought it was weird having a right fielder in the action on three different plays where he’s trying to talk and talk to him before talk to him after we let him play. I mean, I know that.
Luke Jones 07:15
I just I disagree with that. I I’ll hear you on the pitcher. Okay, because you are talking about someone who literally has the ball on every single play in that half inning. So I’ll hear you on that. And look, I respect your opinion about it. But the innovation of hearing guys talking in the outfield hearing a Mookie Betts hearing Freddy Freeman, when they asked him about Shohei Otani, and he’s so dry, Lee said that would be tampering. That was great. It’s an exhibition you just said it. I think the root of a lot of what you’re saying here beyond the uniforms. The root of this really Nestor is we remember the all star games and what was a very different time for Major League Baseball. We are now 27 years or 26 years out from interleague play becoming a thing at that point in time there before interleague play there was such a mystique of not just seeing and I’ll just use 93 and Baltimore as an as the example of not just seeing Barry Bonds come to Camden Yards. It was well there’s a San Francisco giant playing at Camden Yards and you saw the Giants uniform. You saw LA Dodgers in Baltimore. You saw Philadelphia Phillies in Baltimore for the first time when 1983 Tony Gwynn play Hey, you know what he had three at bats at whatever he had ever had at Camden Yards. Right? Right. So there was so much of that, that just, it was so unique, there was such a novelty to seeing al vers Annelle that I mean, my goodness, Nestor at this point. Now having gone to a more balanced schedule, beginning this year, the Orioles are going to play every single team in baseball every single year now they’re going to play every national league team in Baltimore every other year now,
Nestor Aparicio 08:57
like a larger thing next week is kind of sexy to me. You know, I love the mystique of the Donald route from the dumping of other than Jana Murray winning or whatever. But you know, even seeing Freeman and Mookie, I watched the pregame show, they were great, right? They were to your point, like I got to know them a little bit better, you know, just all the way around. And I mean, Freeman’s been in the league 13 years. I mean, you know, he’s, uh, he’s Chipper Jones at this point, right? So I seen those guys play next Wednesday in an afternoon game is something that you might see me down there like I’ve been targeting that when I don’t want to go down over 203 degrees because I’m not that way. But like, if it’s the right day and the right company I asked Dennis is away next week. I was gonna go with Dennis Leonard’s back from vacation. He’s in Alaska, like I would go to see the Dodgers uniforms. I used to drive to Philadelphia to see Fernando Valens Waylon, or an oral Hershiser pitch and to see Eddie Murray play when he went there like it’s how receipt gave me my nasty Nestor name was a Dodgers Phillies game, but the only way to see the Dodgers uniforms to drive to Really, and so, you know, on the carpet with the fanatic and Pete Rose or whoever, Steve Carlton, whoever was there, I would agree with you like it. They’ve watered it down to the point where like, I used to think well what was it? If it was more like the NBA, or the NHL where Gretzky comes in every year, and you get one chance or one chance to Kareem and magic if they come into the capital center the nationals are 38 miles away all the seeds were coming in for 18 years. Do you want to see any of them the Phillies are right up there. And they come here now. So I would agree with you that Mystique, and what they tried to build they broke a long time ago. And now they’re just trying to like have an exhibition where I don’t mean to be crass where they sell stuff. I don’t know like that’s, that’s it, they’re great they gather everybody and they make money and they go off their caps and but at least make the game good. That’s all that only if I’m gonna put the game on make the game could make the broadcast good. I just didn’t think it was very good and and I’m not a guy. I’m the guy that said the maths and stuff has gotten better. Some days some days. But when it’s bad, it’s bad. Me Palmer’s great right now. Palmer MacDonald right now whenever they’re on their wacky they’re weird. Palmer’s cranky. Palmer is like, I It’s he’s unleashed. So like watching every night. It’s a little Charles Barkley, it’s a little. You never know what he’s reached. People listen to this show. They don’t know what I’m gonna say next. Right. So there’s a little bit of that. I just thought the good. It just was all can and bad. And I thought if they’re getting into a board room today, all right. And I’m being honest with you, if they, if they care. If Robin, Robin ever makes a lot of money, if they care, they’ll do it. Any event does. They’ll have a they’ll have a review. And they’ll get together in New York. So what went good, what went bad? What went right, what went wrong? And I’ll tell you what, if they think this is good. I don’t know what to say. And we might get the game soon. Right? I mean, this might be part of John, John’s gonna get federal funds now. And he’s got lobbyists lobbying the federal government. You know, a guy that’s never built a lemonade stand, we’re going to turn the city over to and make him a visionary now. But part of that vision would be the game could be here three years now easily. I mean, it’s time. And if there’s a new owner, old owner, additions to the stadium, we get Camden Ville built it like we’re gonna get the game again. And we’re gonna get it. I mean, we’re gonna get it. Hopefully, I’ll be alive and you’ll still be less than 50. But we’re gonna get the game.
Luke Jones 12:35
Yeah, I think there’s no question about that. I still think so much of what you just talked about, still comes back to the aesthetic of the uniforms on Twitter and just looking around on social media, Twitter, Facebook threads. I saw many more mention of complaining about the uniforms than anything else. I think everything else you mentioned. It’s an exhibition Look, everything you could say about what we saw on Tuesday night, and even in the derby on Monday night, which by the way, those uniforms, those hats that they wore for the Home Run Derby night, way better. No, it wasn’t a little star hat. It had a little star next to the cartoon bird. But it was an acceptable look right it still looked like an Orioles cap. Whereas what we saw on Tuesday night made all the teams look generic that you had to look closely to even see who it was if you were just getting the centerfield camera angle. But everything you mentioned as far as the exhibition, the side show the hoopla all that is the same thing you’d say about the NBA All Star game, the same thing you say about the
Nestor Aparicio 13:38
witch I don’t watch anymore. Right? Like, I don’t watch either one of them anymore at all.
Luke Jones 13:45
Right, right. So and that’s, that’s part of it. And again, baseball, the mystique that they once had pre 1997 And of course that Mystique lingered for a time. You know, we all remember back to this time it counts. And they did home field advantage for the World Series, which I didn’t like mind you,
Nestor Aparicio 14:02
I didn’t talk about talk about something or game as being something I was there for that game legendary, the Milwaukee game I was there for that, that mess when they couldn’t figure out the ending. I mean, they’ve they’ve had a little legacy. And I don’t even just mean Ray Fauci or the Parker throw but like in the modern era, since they’ve done all of this to mishmash it. They’ve had moments the 99 All Star game is still the one everybody talks about. I mean, half the guys on the team talked about it as a kid seeing Pedro right, like, do you have that moment? The only way you have that moment is to make the game not a joke. Pedro wasn’t talking to Joe Buck when he’s out there trying to strike guys out. Like I just, that’s just that’s fundamental to me. I mean, it’s it’s fundamental. I mean, it’s fundamental. I want to pitch about to you because I pitched last week to Roosevelt about and he didn’t see it. And you don’t you know, you didn’t see it either. You’re in Wildwood, and you can’t get mastered on your friggin app. You want watch the game sometimes only half the time do you watch the game on TV kinda reminds me people asked me if I saw the broadcast on the Ravens. I was at every game for 27 years. I never ever watched the television. But have you seen the John mean spitting seafood? Seafood? What am I saying sunflower seeds spitting incidents in the dugout Have you seen that? That trick? Yeah. Yeah. I’m so annoyed by that because like John means is on which in Palmer for right now.
Luke Jones 15:29
You gotta lighten up, man.
Nestor Aparicio 15:31
I just guys play. Yeah, but the games going on. And you got five guys spitting sunflower seeds in the corner dugout, butter maker wouldn’t have my dad wouldn’t have that at the east with little league. So like, interview the player and do it professionally and have the play. This is the only time I get three minutes, eight minutes, 12 minutes if it’s a double inning and he stays and he’s on the DL or the IL sorry. I don’t know I just these moments where we get to know the players a little bit because I don’t have a press pass anymore. You know, I take it kind of seriously and I kind of like to hear what they have to say. And not with pies in their face. Not with Melanie Newman asking how did it feel after the game like I’m talking about like if they’re gonna mic guys in the dugout during the game. Don’t turn it into a charade. I mean, if you’re gonna go through all this trouble the mic these guys put something on the broadcast. That’s of quality. That’s what I’m here. I’m, I’m the audience. Make it good. Just make it I gave you five hours of my night Tuesday night. Just make it good. That’s and that’s where I am with the broadcast. Part of not going to games. If your whole goal is to get me to buy a hat buy tickets, hang out go spend 17 bucks on the beer get an autograph hero worship these guys like all of that that makes the broadcast just make it good for baseball fan. Make it good. That’s all and I’m I don’t want to be cranky about it because I want to
Luke Jones 17:05
I think making a player’s as good.
Nestor Aparicio 17:09
I think just in left field in the middle of the game, I just I’m I don’t we don’t get anything of quality out of that for me. If all the thing like him talking to his pitches, he played clearly put as much thought into the broadcast, because he only knew he was going to be out there three, four or five batteries however long it is he didn’t embarrass himself. And I’m thinking to myself, What if they might dim and he and he’s actually Hammacher? You know?
Luke Jones 17:36
That’s, but that would be kind of what makes it fun though. Right? I mean, if that happens, I don’t know. I just I think you’re I respect your opinion, but on that I actually enjoy. They’ve done I don’t I mean, I don’t know. I mean, it’s it’s a baseball game. It’s an exhibition. I saw some amazing defensive plays in the game. You know, I saw your keynote pitcher, really impressive inning, despite defense not helping them out and him having to basically get four outs if not five, if you want to kind of look at that inning, I saw Felix Batista have a rough time he was nervous. I mean, if it’s still baseball, I mean, look, the uniforms are the one thing I will say i i 1,000% agree with you on and I could have done without having to hear from David Ortiz in the studio guys during the game that that’s I agree too much of that. But if I’m going to hear from other people, like I said, let me hear from a player. Let me hear from it was cool hearing Freddie Freeman, talk to Randy arozarena at first base and say, Dude, you just took away and now now you’re getting a hit. I like that. Now, I don’t want to see that in the regular season. I sure as heck don’t want to see that in the postseason. But for that environment. I’m cool with it. And I still think so much of this, the perception comes back to the pajama uniforms because they’ve actually miked players up for six or seven years now. And I don’t remember you being nearly this critical about the All Star Game Over the last 567 years and that’s not to say that it’s been great every year, but we’ve had some cool things you know, we’ve Otani you know, pitching and hitting and, and some some, you know, the game that I covered in 2017. Seeing all the international league players and all the flags pregame and all of that. What was it? I think it was was it Nelson Cruz took a selfie with the umpire at home plate back in 2017. These are harmless things and I again, I get it. We all want to think back to all the classic moments. We’re just not going to get that Mystique anymore. We’ll get them. We can get a moment in time. You can. I mean, the fact that we saw the hometown kid have a chance to hit a walk off in the bottom of the ninth inning. You know, Julio Rodriguez, it didn’t work out and he walked but beyond that. Yeah, it is going to be a bit of a sideshow in an exhibition and there’s going to be so many different bells and whistles and Anyone that’s in Major League Baseball or Nike are telling you? Well, we had a bunch of 18 and 19 and 22 year olds say how much they liked the all star Jersey, and they’re gonna go buy it on our websites. So it, it comes back to what we always talk about with the streaming, you know, and all the issues with RS NS and making the game faster. And we’ve seen that happen this year successfully with the pitch clock and what have you. But this all goes back to trying to cast as wide a net as possible. Baseball says, even if you’re not watching all star games as regularly as closely as you used to, they’ve said, we have you already we’ve had you for decades. The NFL says the same thing with all the changes they make year after year after year that and they’re just they’re trying to attract different people and they’re trying to do different things. And look, some of those things have been good. And I agree with you. Some of those things are awful. Again, those uniforms are terrible. And it just it angers me, I wanted to see for Orioles uniforms, not for Orioles uniforms looking like Seattle Mariners alternate jerseys. But again, if they’re going to have more teenagers and more 20 Somethings go buy all star jerseys that way baseball tell you it was worth it, even if I think there should be some element of keeping certain things sacred and and that even goes back to your point. You know, I even though I disagree with that one specifically, of making up players during a game now they’re trying to do different things to garner some attention and create some more
Nestor Aparicio 21:34
buzz. Well, and the other thing about miking players up is only half of them speak English, you know so so like on the broadcast here, it’d be different if you’re miking up a Latin player for Latin broadcasts right out of left field or whatever, they’re gonna speak Spanish. But in here, it’s got to be English. So there’s only certain guys that you can mic up. So that start with that. I would say this on. And this is just on my own behalf being a Baltimore guy and whatever. We’re gonna get the game here again, and I kept thinking about that, like when I’m watching it, it’s the 30th anniversary, by the way, today’s the 30th anniversary of when I met Geddy Lee and the buffet at the All Star Gala, before we sang, which was the greatest version of Canada ever, by the way. But, you know, I go back to 30 years ago when this happened here and I know you said you didn’t come down to Fan Fest and stuff. And I wouldn’t even tell you look so much fun stories because in 1993 I went to the fan fest with Mark Messina, and there were pitching batting cages, where it was the first time I’d ever seen anything like this. They had a video where Greg Maddux would come out of the whole or Randy Johnson will come out of the hole or Mike Mussina maybe was Clemens. They had five or six pitchers that were firing down on you if you got in the cage at Fan Fest. And you know of course I picked Messina and got a single offer. I’m sad to tell them in locker rooms. When we say throw in 65 You know, so I think about the Fan Fest and I spent a lot of money at the Fan Fest. I bought an Indian’s warm up because I love the movie major league. I bought a Phillies warm up because they had just rolled out their old 50s P and it gotten rid of sort of the bubble P I bought I bought an Orioles warm up I mean I bought a bunch of stuff. I remember the card show I had by the way free plug for Robbie’s first base at Robbie Jr. on this week. The Babe Ruth museum on Saturday has the card show. So I brought out my you know Heartland statue for Robbie and he’ll be down there Danny black bunch folks down at the Babe Ruth museum this weekend. Go down Saturday support them if you love cards if you love collectibles, but the fan fest had a collectible show. It had legends and Hadley you know autographs all of that kind of stuff. And I’m thinking to myself, all right. Our city’s broken, right. Hence Baltimore positive. You know, our ownerships been broken for so long. I mean, Angelo’s his lawsuit is now 1718 years into this that’s really been at the at the core, people go on the internet, and they’re just, I mean, to your point, everybody has a toe in the water about what they know about the Orioles or whatever. And they’re like, why don’t we have the all star game? And I’m like, clearly don’t listen to this program. Right. And we’ve been talking about uniforms here, about getting Baltimore on the road jerseys. We’re not I’m doing the 25 greatest moments and wn St. History, us fighting for Baltimore on the road jerseys is in the top five. And we was a campaign here long before free the parks. It was a campaign here to get Baltimore back on the road jersey. So to act like uniforms matter, or don’t they matter a lot. I remember everyone I’ve ever bought ever, you know, they matter to me when I bought a damn Passerini jersey on the internet on eBay. 10 weeks ago. They market this stuff in front of us. You’re wearing an old school Baltimore hat. There’s a movie by the way, coming out. The league is out this week, all about the history of the Negro Baseball leagues. I had a great, great guest by remotely on this week talking about that film. So go check that out. It was on its screen. During the week it’s it’s it’s a real baseball time right now. And we’re in a pennant race right now. But look, to digress. We’re gonna get an all star game here, at some point again, hopefully knock on wood. It’s been 30 years today, since we’ve had it. So it’s our turn. And we were mentioned, right? It’s Toronto, Atlanta. I mean, Atlanta is gonna get the first one because like, they’re Atlanta and they have their their ish together. We do not have our issues together here. I mean, not from an ownership. Lord knows what major league baseball thinks of John Angeles, and whether they’re really going to allow him. I mean, he thinks he’s keeping the team. He thinks he’s getting federal money. He thinks he’s going to build a little landlord the hell it’s gonna go, where they’re going to take the the Depository away. I mean, just move that out. You know, like, I don’t know where he’s going to build his castle, that’s already been here for 30 years that they’ve screwed up. But at some point, we’re gonna get an all star game. And to your point, do you want to wearing orange and black pajamas in the game? What is the city going to look like? What is the gala going to look like in front of the Pendry are in front of the new harbor when it’s finished, or in front of whatever, I’m whatever canyonville They’re going to build. Because the one thing I noticed about watching the game on Tuesday, and and again, I was at the last Seattle All Star game 22 years ago, I was there were Sporting News Radio, share those pictures, adult social. And all I saw was Seattle loop, you know, and I went to the gala in Seattle 21 years ago, and I guess you were a kid, right? You’re in college or whatever at the time. And what I remember about that Seattle All Star game, not just broadcasting out it was really hot. I was with Ken Rosenthal, we were melting all the pictures you can and all the hall of famers and Tony Gwynn. And like all the work I did, and I still think I have the tapes of all of that and could run it. But you know what I remember the most at the gala. The gala was at this airport hangar on the other end of Seattle, not where the stadiums are up, up the way. And I remember each row looking like a movie star. Each row was such a rockstar. He had just arrived on the scene he had his hair was perfect. His suit was perfect. His sunglasses were perfect. Everything was perfect. And every time they showed the sky shot from Seattle, I thought to myself they’ve really showed Seattle off and the Pike Place Market and look I don’t need any more Big Papi with the hose with the gambling I like him. He was always good to me was great to my wife. But as a as a broadcaster. He’s awful. A rod. Okay, whatever. I just, I I don’t like the broadcasts and maybe I miss Joe buff. May I miss Chris Berman? I just I miss something that is good to me. I like Smoltz like small it’s a lot. There’s not enough Smoltz when it’s a circus and it was a circus today, but they put the city on display. Look, you know, Seattle was on display Seattle, things were on display. Coffee was on display. stadia like all of that, I want that for us. So mixed all of this pitching for 30 minutes about how bad it will and I thought it was awful. I mean, and I I reserve the right to say something’s off and when it’s friggin awful, because there’s plenty of things in life that are great, but and they earn all the money. They spend it all the pomp and circumstance around an all star game. I’m glad I didn’t fly 3000 miles because it felt some nonviolent, it was really quiet during the game. third inning, I text my wife and I text you I’m like, this kind of sucks. I’ve been waiting all day for this, and sucks. And so I’ve been waiting 30 years for the all star game to come back to Baltimore. And I don’t know whether John’s gonna be the captain of this. And maybe five years from now we’re feeding him and he’s fix the franchise. And we’ve had three parades and guys are signed and the franchise is healed. And we stolen every national fan back. And they have a television network where you can actually get the games in Pennsylvania. And like they did fix it. And maybe we fix the city to around it. It doesn’t feel to me like John Angeles is going to be the visionary fixing Baltimore living in Nashville with his boots. And it feels and I’ve been very loud about if you want to fix it, put some feet on the street and put some skin in the game and fix it. Come and fix it. But to get an all star game here and these conditions where we don’t have a lease, there’s a lease and I’m talking about an all star game. Right. Johnson vision in the All Star game in Nashville with Tim McGraw. You know, so I just keep thinking about us and the game and the city and 30 years and I’ve been wistful this week in my 25th anniversary looking through the pictures somebody asked me for my pictures from 2131 Somebody asked me my pictures from the 93 All Star game, look at and have a camera that day. 93 All Star game. I was everywhere in everything I talked to Ken Griffey, when he walked in, I hung out at his locker and it was one of the greatest guys ever. Tony Gwynn, Jeff Montgomery and I talked about it a couple of weeks ago because he knew Geddy Lee so like I remember the everything about the 93 all stricken but I don’t have a lot of pictures. You know And I want, I want that for our city. I want to get in the batting cage and hit off of Grayson Rodriguez as a 16 year old, you know, and I don’t know how close we are, but I just, I wonder the value of it that, you know, I think it would be a big deal here for sure at the all that, but But would it be great? Because the 93 All Star game was great here.
Luke Jones 30:18
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think that’s fair. And certainly when you talk about a lot of the off field work that still needs to be done, you know, beginning with the lease, which I and I saw our pal Chris pike even mentioned that on Twitter makes it difficult to believe that what 25 I guess is, you know, 2025 is still up for grabs. Probably going to be a few years after that. But it’s gonna come here, and it’s gonna be a matter of how great it can be. And I think it still can, you know, a beautiful
Nestor Aparicio 30:50
ride but not getting the Super Bowl. I mean, we might get an AFC Championship Game one day and they’re trying to move back, like literally, right? Like, they’re big. So I’m just saying like, if we’re in this game to give the Angelo’s family another billion dollars, and turn the city over to them for maybe a chance for postseason base. But I’m thinking like, that’s why that Keith Urban night and and of all the goofy things that we pissed away a chance to celebrate one more time having a championship, I just keep thinking, like, Springsteen has come in Billy Joel has come and Steven, like we have these nights. But the all star game would be like, name anything the city’s gonna get that’s gonna be bigger than that. And I start to think, is it big? Is it even big anymore? Can it be big? Or is it just a little regional party for two days? And that’s what it is because it felt like so much more than that. 30 years ago? Yeah.
Luke Jones 31:44
And, again, so much of that Mystique has just kind of gone away over time, because of interleague play and all of that, but I’ll throw this out there. I mean, the NFL Draft? What I mean, the NFL Draft, from here,
Nestor Aparicio 31:59
shoddy fighting for that Sashi. Brown. I mean, like, I don’t, I don’t get to ask them questions, because the chat still, right. So like, there is no I mean, with Dick, for 15 years, I’d rub up with Dick and tickets and not not coming here, just not where we’re focused. We can we can’t win, we wouldn’t put a bid. They want to go to Chicago, they want to go to Denver, they want to go there. They want to go to these other places. We’re just not going to win that. At some point. They’re gonna go to Green Bay, right? I mean, you’re there. There’s a whole bunch of places in line in front of us to get that event. No Star game. Maybe there are maybe there aren’t. But it’s our turn. But our ownership is so effed up. And then the ownerships gonna say, well, the city’s effed up. And it’s hard to argue that point, right? So that that would be a little bit of the rub. When people and everybody’s asking me, Luke, I mean, literally, they’re saying, when when do we get it? And this is the conversation you and I are gonna have about it? And the answer is, I don’t know. But we have to have a lease first. And then when we get it, is it going to sock? Are people in Cincinnati going to be watching and saying the uniforms? What are they doing wearing orange and black? It’s awful. The broadcasts are awful, you know, the starting pitchers lat? So we can’t make them up? You know, I mean, like, I don’t, I all of it is, is I just want it to be better. And I want us to get it and don’t want baseball to be better. And that’s part of my whole rub of how they I got thrown out, I got thrown out because I wanted it to I got thrown out no six saying, you know, if you don’t fix it, we might never get an all star game again. You know, I mean, that was the kind of thing I was saying, you know, six when I did free the birds.
Luke Jones 33:36
Right, right. Yeah. And so much of what you just said, I mean, I think the event is great for the city that it’s in at that point in time. But quick, real quick. Where was the All Star Game four years ago? Or last year or the right? Yeah, I mean, and again, so much of that just comes back to it’s not what it was 40 years ago in that way. And that’s not to say it can’t be good not to say it still couldn’t be a home run for the city for those three days or four days or five days, you know, when you consider how it stretched out. But, you know, I think as we all get older we realize certain things aren’t what they were and but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t still value to it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love to cover an all star game in Baltimore doesn’t mean that I don’t have optimism that that’s going to happen it is going to happen it’s just gonna be a matter of when it’s going to happen at this point in time. So
Nestor Aparicio 34:29
just one second here just cut you off in the middle of this because you said we’ll get it one day we’ll get it the biggest thing that the Orioles would obtain in getting it would be selling tickets for the two or three years leading up to it. You know, get get your orange carpet and you’ll you’ll get an all star game ticket. You’ll right so like that is really at the crux of the business side of it that this helps them sell sky boxes to businesses to all of that to shine that up to say 2020 Say It’s home of a major league, you know, like they love doing that. And that’s the real business value for the Orioles. Just to see, you know, and that’s where they make their money.
Luke Jones 35:09
Sure. So that’s where it really just comes back to. Yes, it’s a nationally televised event. Yes, you have the Home Run Derby. Yes, you have the futures game, which was on Saturday in Seattle. But it still comes down to the event itself. That’s, you know, that’s a boon for Seattle, or that’s a boon for wherever it is any given year. But, you know, it really just comes back to put on a good event, get a bunch of people downtown, fill up the ballpark a couple of different nights. You know, we didn’t even mention it. My, my favorite Oriole moment of All Star Weekend was Adley rutschman, flex where he gets, he gets bonus time. And he just says, Oh, I’ll get right handed down. He starts hitting bombs from the right side. That was great. So I guess for me, and look, I know you and I have disagreed on certain elements of the broadcast and everything. And look, I hear what you’re saying. And I agree with you. Me, I don’t know if I’ve agreed with you on something more than talking about the awful All Star uniforms. But for me, it’s like, okay, there’s all these different bells and whistles and I get it some of it’s annoying. And a lot of it’s not really geared towards you, the uniforms aren’t geared towards us any more miking up players isn’t geared towards someone like you, who just wants to watch the game and kind of the purity of it. But I still look for those little moments here and there. And there were some of those. And that was cool. I mean, it’s still wonderful story. We haven’t talked about it nearly enough, yet. You’re gonna know what he’s mean, this guy was not in the major leagues on April 7, and he was pitching in the All Star game. This is one of the guys they were complaining about the Jorge Lopez trade at the deadline last year, this is one of the guys they got in that deal. So, you know, you just look for those little moments here and there that are still there, if you look closely enough, but I agree with you. Yeah. Do I wish the all star game was what it was 40 years ago? Absolutely. Is it going to be that way? Again, it’s just not. It’s just not, you know, the days of the AFL and the NFL. I mean, so much of this was the the American League I guys didn’t like the National League guys. I mean, they really didn’t like each other, they really wanted to beat one another. And so much of that is and I’m not even saying that as a knock on today’s player, because we talked about this in every sport, you know, the money, the the nature of the business, where guys are constantly changing teams, you’re just not going to have that same kind of intensity as Al versus nl. So I don’t know how you create that. And I certainly don’t didn’t like the home field advantage for the World Series being up for grabs. I’m glad that that’s no longer a thing because boy, you want to talk about mocking something. It’s it’s a last place teams of closer having an impact on which team is going to have homefield advantage in the World Series. But, you know, it kind of is what it is. And I think you go in understanding that no, this isn’t going to be what it was in 1993. But it’s still no force, Seattle this week. Still a great few days. Whenever Baltimore does get it again. It’ll be a great few days. And yeah, I’m with you. There’s work to be done until that happens. But some of the things we complain about, man, I don’t think there’s going away
Nestor Aparicio 38:20
I didn’t mind that the game counted and that the American League would get game one I didn’t to some degree like that, I guess. And at that point stopped then it doesn’t become a clown fest. You know what I mean? Like I don’t like it being a clown fest I like that’s so last day for you because we will wrap this because we’re going to the Marlins are coming to town this kids come in, the Dodgers are coming in we got Murray it’s just a World Series contender this year. They This is no joke. This is for real. They have real trading. They have all of that. You worried about Batista on the back end of what happened? You said he looked nervous. He looked nervous.
Luke Jones 38:55
I’m not worried one one iota. I mean, I said it on Twitter. I’d much rather that happened in the All Star game than that happened and even a regular season game that counts. You know the splitty through did unfortunately reminded me a little bit of the split that he threw to Aaron judge at Yankee Stadium earlier this year, but he’s gonna be fine. You had a rough outing it happens someone in the All Star game is going to have to be the losing pitcher someone’s gonna have to strike out with the bases loaded I mean, that’s
Nestor Aparicio 39:20
badly hammock her and Fred Lane can live happily ever after you know, then I think Felix Batista Can Can Can you know it’s a long flight home 3000 miles when you were the goat so and not the good go back? The old school goat.
Luke Jones 39:35
Right? And I’ll say this much because I even saw this on Twitter, some someone tweeted to me because I made mention a Batista. I’d rather had happened there and the individual said, Well, I wish he hadn’t gotten in the game rather than that happening. I say look, anytime you’re talking about a first time all star get that guy in the game because you never know if he’s going to get back and look, Felix Batista might be five more all star games over the next seven years. I mean, they He’s that specialist guy strikes out two batters in inning. 18 batters per nine innings. He strikes out. It’s crazy. But yeah, he had a rough night. No worry about that. But I think for me, and last through all the bells and whistles, and the annoyances, and everything that that you and I talked about over the last 25 minutes, there were several mentions pregame, MLB Network shows, and during the telecast of the Baltimore Orioles and where they stand right now and how far they’ve come over the last couple years, and so much of it’s centered around Adley rutschman. We know it’s more than that. But that for me, as someone who has sat through very specifically the last five years, but knowing where the franchise has been for 40 years now really, that’s what was so gratifying about the Telecaster about these last few days to see Adley rutschman In the Home Run Derby to see Austin Hays in the starting lineup to see to your to late inning relievers, pitch for the American League and worked out great for Cano not so much for Batista. Oh, well, that’s really what I’ll take away from this. This was truly a sign of the Baltimore Orioles are absolutely irrelevant. They are a very good baseball team. They are a team at this point. And I wrote this my latest 12 Orioles thoughts at Baltimore positive.com It’s go time, expectations are higher now. It will be an absolute disappointment if this team doesn’t make the postseason. I mean, that’s where they are. They’re 19 games over 500 at the break. So it’s go time and to your point the Marlins come into town, the Dodgers come into town, two good clubs from the NFL. There’s a lot to be excited about. So as much as I hate the uniforms at the All Star game and some of the other things I yeah, I could do without a little bit of that. Although I like I said I like certain elements of it. Much more excited about getting back to the start of the second half. And what is going to be really really fun. Three months of the Oreos and hopefully a little longer than three months if things fall their way.
Nestor Aparicio 41:56
30 years ago this morning, Luke this city woke up pissed off at Seto gas. I mean, I sold shirts, they let you know, and who knows that Mussina wasn’t going to come into game and give a five runs. You know, I mean, he 30 years ago, I don’t know. But I have such great stories about all of that because Mike and I were so close and we wouldn’t had a beer after the game. You know, like so I know. I knew the truth about Elrod saying you got to get your work and get out here and get your work and so when the game is over, you don’t have to go underneath and do it. So So anyway, but think about that now. Yeah, I know you were young man back then. But 30 years ago, let me see didn’t get into the game but couldn’t pitch so he should have pitched no question about it. Say that on the radio. I know. He should have pitched yet. Dwayne Ward, Tom Hankey. I’m Nestor we are wn sta and 5070, Towson Baltimore. We never forget. We never forget to remember. Baltimore positive stay with us.
