As Opening Day looms, our longtime Orioles insider Luke Jones gets Nestor pumped for Opening Day and a real Orioles season of hope and questions. First up, the new rules and new schedule format and how it might help the Birds’ chances of getting to October baseball.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
orioles, year, teams, baseball, play, talking, games, starting, people, week, red sox, chance, maryland, question, yankees, heston, spring, point, national league, roster
SPEAKERS
Luke Jones, Nestor Aparicio
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
W and S T Towson Baltimore and Baltimore positive we’re still broadcasting high quality mono sound which sounds better than stereo because I listened to the competitors last week. We don’t show like this. But we are a ham radio and it’s awesome and not everybody said a dial. I don’t even 1570 Especially for baseball season because we’re up on it. It has been a wonderful basketball tournament. So this is gonna be a baseball segment. Luke Jones joins us now we’re gonna be overcast to celebrate in the Maryland crabcake tour next week. Get back out on the road with our friends at window nation I’m going to be giving away the Maryland lottery instant lottery scratch offs at a cost this our friends are window nation also providing beautiful thing my cat was loving looking at the spring springing out the window 866 90 nation you buy two you get two free you know the deal of window nation and our friends at the Maryland lottery. John Martin is going to be with us cost this on Wednesday afternoon. Friday morning we’re at fade least that’s the day after opening day. The day that Bruce Springsteen Nils Lofgren, Roy bitten Gary W talent, all the E Street Band will be your sister Susie Tyra they’ll all be here on Friday and then the Eagles in town on Saturday and not the Philadelphia Eagles the good eagles, you know, Hotel California Don Henley, Joe Walsh, those Eagles will be in town Timothy B Schmidt singing like an angel that at the CFG Bank Arena. That’s next Friday morning at fadeless by the time we get there we’ll have a national champion might be San Diego State dude, I have no idea. I want to do baseball with you and we’ll get to opening day but I want to give just a little bit of oxygen to basketball we’re not going to do a whole segment on it. But we both spent the weekend watching basketball my wife wanted it on we wanted it on all these teams get knocked out the whole state of Texas got screw which I love. Wow, what a unique Final Four and we talked about what the transfer portal and I O would all this is going to do. It’s going to create mayhem in college basketball already has.
8
Luke Jones 01:53
Yeah, it sure feels that way. And one of the fears if you recall was if you I mean the transfer portal was one thing but a lot of the NFL talk which is still marinating right we still don’t know exactly how all that’s going to look and fit and work long term. But the fear was what the the national powerhouses would become even more powerful and completely shut out. You know, the shield out the little guy from Atlantic. San Diego State Miami. I mean look at Miami, you had Miami and Texas playing football schools right? Well, not so much this year. Anyway,
Nestor Aparicio 02:31
I texted last calls. He told them quite a legacy left down there in Miami for Jim Larranaga,
Luke Jones 02:36
great theater, great theater, and you just mentioned his name. I was talking about this with some buddies just over the last two weekends, really, I mean, Jim Lehrer niggaz. He doesn’t get to do that he deserves I mean, we all remember years ago with Mason and all of that, but to see what he’s done at a football school, right? I mean, Miami is as much as in these parts. We tear down the ACC and look, the ACC is not what it used to be. It’s not, you know, even if Maryland, we’re still in the ACC, it’s not what it used to be. But you have to get Miami credit and Larranaga doing what he’s done. They’re pretty impressive. But I mean, what a Final Four, right? I mean, I think of those four teams Yukons. The favorite probably should be if you’ve watched how they’ve played, they’ve played really good basketball. But my goodness, no, no one seeds, no two seeds. I mean, it’s it’s wild, right? And my one fear Nestor is I do fear what the TV ratings are gonna look like for the Final Four, because you know, the NCAA NCAA has been talking about it, expanding the field, expanding the number of teams, and if they don’t have a great number for the Final Four in terms of ratings, because you don’t have those big blueblood schools involved. I do fear a little bit of that being a catalyst for expanding the field because they say, Well, okay, we’re not gonna get as good ratings, we’ll just expand the field, and we’ll expand the volume of TV and the packages that we can sell and what have you. So that’s in the back of my mind. But again, in the in the short term in the in the present in the now. It’s been fun. I mean, it’s been fun. I wouldn’t say the quality of play has always been great. You know, we’ve seen some low scoring games and some games where it wasn’t impressive, but about Miami, I mean, they score into the high 80s. And, I mean, they did it they they weren’t shooting threes. I mean, they were they were very efficient from the field. And they made their free throws, and I mean, they just played fantastic basketball over the last seven, eight minutes of that game. So it’s a fun weekend. It really was certainly not a final for that. I think anyone who likes to make a wager or two, I can’t imagine too many people were picking any of these to all four of these teams, let alone if you pick maybe one or two. Good job but just unexpected right I mean, as much as I appreciate greatness and dynasties and things of that nature,
Nestor Aparicio 05:06
8I like Florida Atlantic just as good.
Luke Jones 05:09
Yeah, exactly. I mean, absolutely. I mean, we saw Princeton do some special things. I mean, Fairleigh Dickinson doing what they did against Purdue. I mean, it’s been a fun tournament. It really has. And I think the second weekend, did a nice job of following the first weekend. I mean, I thought the opening weekend of the tournament was so incredible in so many ways. I, I didn’t know if the second weekend would live up to that, or be able to follow that. And I thought it did. So it was a nice. It’s been a fun tournament, as you mentioned that as we now transition into baseball, starting this week, on the heels of a really fun WBC tournament. It’s definitely it’s been fun. And so you, you were watching
Nestor Aparicio 05:51
trout thing big time, like right like that, that that for any baseball fan. And I talked about attending, you know, those games 1516 years ago, whenever it was out in LA, that this is, you know that the tournament has taken a new step, when you have teammates facing each other on the final pitch the two best players in the sport. I know they didn’t draw it out that way, but it would have been great theater if they had
Luke Jones 06:17
Vince McMahon could not have booked that any better at WrestleMania. I mean, that’s how perfect that was. I mean, I mean, that sounds like a lousy sports B movie script, right? I mean for that to work out the way that it did. The number of variables involved the way that Otani was going out to the bullpen and then happened to come back because he was too often to hit, you know, that was kind of going back and forth. The last three four innings. It’s funny, Nestor, I was talking about this with just a couple other baseball fans in my life, Dream matchups, and what interleague play has done to kind of destroy that aura of Al versus NL in the All Star game every year. And in all those different dream matchups. The reality is those dream matchups don’t remain dream matchups for long anymore, right? I mean, starting this year, every team is going to play one another you’re going to play off 29 other teams, at least for one series. So chances are okay, you might have a pitcher miss a hitter for a year or two, but ultimately, they’re gonna face off and, and we’re gonna see because Otani is going to leave the angels and he’s gonna face off against Mike Trout again, at some point in a major league setting.
8Nestor Aparicio 07:24
I never got to see Schmidt and Palmer or you know, the guys that never left Leeds, that was very, that’s very old. Now that’s over with. And in every other sport, it never worked that way, right? Like you never have that problem anywhere that you know, the rams and the Ravens could get together in the regular season and the Super Bowl is something from a baseball heart. That is 30 years ago. Now interleague plays 30 years old man.
Luke Jones 07:50
Yeah, exactly. I mean it what 2097 was the first year so yeah, we’re coming up 26 years for that. And I mean, the other sports other than a quarterback against the quarterback. And you know, I mean, there’s the ELI against Peyton Manning. And you have that a little bit, but it’s not that direct one on one dream setting. I mean, as far as what we saw Otani against trout, as far as a one off kind of dream matchup in a baseball setting. That was as good as it gets. And I get it’s not game seven of the World Series. So I don’t want to make it out to be too much compared to what it was. That was still special. I mean, that that was cool. I mean, that was really cool. As you said Otani, who, for my money is the best player in baseball today, against Mike Trout has been the best player in baseball over the last decade. So I mean, just, it was fantastic. And it really made me think about dream matchups in the past. I mean, I’m thinking like, for the Oreos, what would have been the equivalent of that, you know, Jim Palmer never faced off against Brooks Robinson in a real meaningful game setting or Palmer against Eddie Murray. Because, you know, by the time that he had left Palmer was already, you know, on his way to the Hall of Fame Whitey Ford mantle Yeah, right, exactly. Like I started thinking about, like, what would be some of the best, you know, all time kind of settings of that. And, you know, I had someone asked me before Otani faced off against travel was the closest thing I could think of. And it wasn’t a perfect comparison. But it did make me think a little bit of Pedro Martinez in that 99 All Star game going up against McGwire and Sosa at Fenway Park, that was pretty special. And they, you know, he faced off against those guys at other points, but just the that kind of setting that kind of stage. I mean, it was cool. And it was a nice warm up for now going into opening day. Understanding that the same stakes aren’t aren’t there for every single night of 162 games scheduled but for the Orioles specifically, first time we’re talking about meaningful baseball hope, expectations, going into a season since they were kind of still holding on at the beginning of 2018. I mean, we know how disastrous that sees and turned out. There were people that were still hoping at that point in time they’d signed Alex Cobb a couple of weeks before that. But it’s been a minute. It’s been five years since we’ve been talking about the Orioles on the cusp of opening day and actually thinking got a chance to make playoffs this year. You know, there. There’s no question things have to go well, and their questions and there are things to be concerned about the health of the bullpen right now is something that you know, I look at with Dylan Tate’s out looks like Michael Gibbons probably going to start the year on the aisle with some knee soreness. But by and large, you’ve got a really interesting, young, talented team that still has some growing up to do still has some maturing to do but, boy, it’s exciting. And there are other guys on the way. I mean, there were guys who aren’t making the 26 man roster who had very compelling springs, you know, a Jordan Westberg Heston Karstadt had a monster spring, Colton Couser. Now what we’ll see what happens with DL haul as he works up, works up his innings a little bit and see where he fits over the next several weeks.
Nestor Aparicio 11:03
Well, he’s the real savior. Right? We’re all like, where’s your offseason? If deal Hall comes up July 1, and makes 18 starts and looks like a legitimate three ish era kind of pitcher than they’ve been. That is where the cavalry is, right. And we’re going to talk about John means I brought him up a couple of weeks ago as well. And we all know they could trade this. We all know they have money and blah, blah, blah, and they could do it and they have talent to make deals. If they find themselves in the race, but do hauls. You were a proponent of this of not starting the season in Baltimore, right?
Luke Jones 11:37
8Yeah, I mean, Grayson Rodriguez is the real one. And even that there has been some question. He’s kind of had a rough spring. I don’t know how much stock I put in spring stats, I really don’t other than health, other than really extreme struggles. And his last three starts at a really bad ending and each one of them and that’s cost him statistically. But whether you’re talking about Yelp or whether you’re talking about grace and Rodriguez, sure, we look at this rotation. Yes. They added Kyle Gibson. Yes. They asked. They added Cole Irvin, they those guys raise the floor, they give you innings. They’re dependable veteran starters. You know, they’ll do what the the idea is, they’ll do a better job of what Jordan Lyles did a year ago for them, which he did a pretty nice job for what they asked him to do. But in terms of upside in terms of the argument you’re making for this team to make the postseason for this team to have a puncher’s chance, if they get in the postseason? Yeah, you’re looking at Grayson Rodriguez, you’re looking at the L haul. You know, Grayson is widely regarded as the best heard the second best pitching prospect in baseball Hall. There’s there’s a little more question with him. I do wonder if long term, maybe he settles into becoming your closer, but you’re certainly not making that decision. Now, to the point or the question you just posed to me, I was fully on board with the idea of, if he’s not in your opening day rotation, send them back to Norfolk, and have this guy continue to build and develop as a starter because he’s not a finished product. I mean, he’s, he has unbelievable talent. But the walk rate has been something that’s dogged him over the course of his career, in addition to some injuries, as we know. So I love the idea of sending him to Norfolk, let him build up. And I’m not even sure it’s, you mentioned July 1. And I know you’re just saying that, you know, just as an example, but it could be it could be made may 10. It could be May 15. If DL Hall goes to Norfolk and builds up and looks, looks good, and he’s throwing strikes and dominating. So this is really a case where you look at their 26 man roster that set this week, it’s going to change. And we know it always changes because of injuries, or because of guys being ineffective. I think the difference now is you look at their 26 man roster, going into Fenway on Thursday, and opening day and all that there is a very real chance, if not a very real likelihood, you know, strong likelihood that this roster will change. And it’ll be because guys at triple A are forcing their way into Baltimore, forcing their way into the majors. And that’s one thing to talk about rushman a year ago, and we knew what was going on there. The pandemic slowed him down. They were you know, they were doing the service time thing, you know, and he got hurt. I mean, he got hurt last spring it was really more of that than the injury even because he had a finishing second Rookie of the Year and they lost that, you know, that manipulation anyway, but it’s different when you’re talking about a Jordan Westberg who kind of outplayed Adam Frazier during the spring, you know, Frazier is making 8 million bucks. So he’s going to be there. They’re starting second baseman, and we’ll see how it plays out. And certainly there are traits that he has that they value, but you have a Jordan Wellsburg you have a joey Ortiz at shortstop who some people feel might have a glove as good if not better than Jorge Mateo and they think he might be able to hit at the major league level. Based on what he did last year, so you have him you have coltan cows or you have Heston curse that we already mentioned haul. I mean, it’s you have a list of guys that this year and next year, and I haven’t even mentioned a Jackson Holliday, who? Certainly not this year, but who knows if he’s the Phenom that the Orioles think he can be. He could be in the majors at some point next year. So the point is, you have this roster as it as it currently is constructed. That has upside. I mean, starting with Adley, rutschman, and Gunnar Anderson, but you’ve got other guys on the way and the veterans and incumbents, the message is very clear, you better perform because they’re going to be guys that are that are on the column that are going to be here before you know it. So that’s where you look at. I don’t know when Austin Hays for example, and talked about him a lot last year, had a great first half struggled in the second half had the wrist and struggled numbers were not very good. He had a strong spring. But the point is for someone like him, okay, he’s been around a few years, but Colton Couser might be ready sooner rather than later, no Heston curse dad will see on him. But that could be late at some point later this season. The point is, there’s a lot of competition. And this is not a case where any of these guys are on scholarship anymore, meaning the incumbents that have been around for a few years. So that’s exciting. And as you alluded to, when you have that kind of depth, you can make trades, you have competition that you can optimize your lineup. So you know, it really is a case of what this roster looks like on Thursday. It always changes because of attrition, right. But I think we very well could see changes as the year goes on. Because the Orioles feel that there’s someone at triple A, that’s better, that’s ready to take a job. So I find that to be very exciting in a big picture sense not just for 2023. But what things look like for the next three, four or five years. Well, we
Nestor Aparicio 16:58
waited a long, long time for them to have a pipeline of baseball players sure to be on the front end of this funnel of prosperity. And so let’s talk about the sport itself. Luke Jones is here he found the Baltimore loop. While we’re getting to the baseball today we get opening day will remind everybody we’re going to be a Costas on Wednesday during the Maryland crabcake tour next week on the fifth and then on the seventh we’re going to be fadeless we are going to be around celebrating the start of baseball celebrating opening day celebrating this beautiful new arena that we’re gonna have it’s gonna have Bryan Adams and any a baker and all sorts of rock stars and people come into town and it’s gonna be fun. So fun summer ahead, a baseball summer ahead. And this is one of the heartbeat changes look at like downtown on Sunday, I was over at the Chaucer ran into Jimmy Smith, by the way says hello. He’s here and my hair. It’s competition. And right now I’m winning but and he admitted as much. But I did see Jimmy Smith out the other day. Being downtown. Sun’s out, drove into the city went down Central Avenue and went down. Like seeing new things seeing that the weather’s changing, seeing that this baseball teams are you’re into it. The baseball people are into it. They’ve been trying to sell some tickets here and again, social media and doing you know DoorDash like coming April would be 10 box or whatever bison tickets for the A’s series two weeks from now. I’ve seen this stuff. I don’t think anybody’s buying any tickets. I think they have some billboards up. I think they they’ve done a terrible. I mean, it’s still Lamar Lamar, Lamar, Lamar. And when it was it was Maryland two weeks ago, right? So I don’t know, when they become part of the DNA and we start playing every night we get into this part of them having a chance, better chance. Not the shift, not the pitch clock because that affects everybody. But this scheduling thing is fascinating to me. Because for so many years and I go back 20 years with this before you were part of my life, you’ve been here almost 15 years now. Right. I made the case that when the Nationals came that the Orioles would have been better served to go to the National League and play ball with the Braves in the match. Obviously from a competitive standpoint at that time, given the disparity in the salary tax and like all of that luxury tax and all that nonsense two decades ago, I thought they moved to the National League they they would have seen the Expos at the time or the Nationals at the time and that would have been its own rivalry right? The the imbalance schedule you’re playing everybody your own division 14 1618 times a year whatever it is, see the Yankees and the Red Sox for 20 years at a time when the Orioles were poppers and poorly run and like all and hide all the masks and money. They’re all living on the nest and money in the Yes, money and like all of that. This notion that if this sticks, and they never go back to divisional play, and I don’t know why they would other than we want to be closer to Boston and New York and keep teams geographically closer, so they travel less and that’s a union issue. That’s an issue, because this schedule is going to be screwy. We’re gonna feel it see it or like, Oh, we don’t play the Yankees anymore. We’re gonna play the red so we’re the Blue Jays work Where the rays, we used to like seeing them and then they kicked our ass for 20 years because they’re better than us and it did better than us. So they became a every team in the division has been a problem when your owners are a schmuck. No offense to Peter schmuck. I would just say this year is different, because they have commensurate talent with everyone else. And I hear the Red Sox are in the dumper and other teams have maybe not competed in the way the spirit of spending, spending spending, everybody’s pulling back and letting players go other places, there was a better chance over the next five years of making the playoffs being a wildcard being a dominant team. All of that, because of the schedule, they’re gonna play more bad teams and they’ve ever played, and they’re not a bad team anymore. That alone might be worth eight or 10 wins a year, dude.
Luke Jones 20:50
Yeah, I mean, I think you look at the schedule. I mean, you’re still gonna play your division plenty. But it’s 13 games, as opposed to what 19 or 18 or 19, whatever. Whatever it was, I mean, you have to Home Series Two away series. It used to be three of each. So I think the breakdown is everyone else in the Al you’ll play but six times or seven times? I think it is and, and the big difference. And I think this is where I do like it from an a big picture sense, not just for the Orioles, but for baseball in general is because we’ve ripped off the band aid of interleague play a long time ago, right. I’ve always fancied myself as a little more of a purist than most people my age who liked baseball. But I was certainly someone that at the time interleague play was interesting. I think it kind of it kind of ran its course, as far as a novelty. But now when you talk about an understanding, it’s not, it’s not going away. Right? The NFL has the DH now, and we don’t like all the different things that we talked about and debated for years. Now, it’s not going back to the way it was in 1995. But I think it is fun to know that you’re going to play every team every year from a scheduling standpoint, from an interest standpoint, some of the best players in the National League, you know, that conceivably every other year, they’ll be coming to Baltimore. Right. So so you’ll have some more of that. But I think it’ll it made sense when you expanded. It was one thing, one thing to talk about having one wildcard team when we when we started talking about interleague play. But this idea now that you have three wildcards and knowing even looking at how the Orioles were in it at the end of last year, and talking about Seattle, and all the different teams that were battling it out, you know that they were battling, it only makes more sense to have a little bit more of a balanced schedule. Yeah, you should always play your division rivals more. But that didn’t have to be as drastic as it was. And that’s where I’m hoping what we’re seeing with the new balance schedule will remain that way. I don’t want I don’t want it to ever get to a point where we just get rid of the divisions, you know, some people would propose that are making it all geographic or whatever. And, you know, I still like the tradition of the Al east, for example. But if you’re going to have three wildcards and you’re going to make it where, you know, teams from the east, or the central or the West are competing for a playoff spot, if they’re not winning the division, then it should be a little more balanced. So we’ll see how it plays out ultimately. But yeah, it’s not quite as, especially for a team like the Orioles who are they’re not there yet. They’re ascending. I think we have a chance to be a playoff team this year. I certainly wouldn’t be shocked if they make it. But I also don’t think they’re going to win 100 games, you know, I don’t think they’re at the pinnacle just yet, as it relates to this process, but certainly will help if you’re not having to play the Yankees 19 times or Tampa or Toronto, you know, three teams that I think are still all going to be very, very tough, you know, Red Sox, I kind of feel that the Red Sox and the Orioles are kind of you know, if you look at the division, you look at the projections, you look at division, previews and all those different things kind of feels like they’re two ships that are passing in the night going in opposite directions. I feel like the Orioles are going in the right direction and the Red Sox I mean, just look at all the attrition of guys. Mookie Betts and Xander Bogart. And what happened like they’re the Red Sox and they lost all their guys. Other than Devers, I guess, and
Nestor Aparicio 24:19
they don’t have Mike Elias. Either, right. I mean, there’s
8Luke Jones 24:25
all right, right, and no question. So so that’s where you look at this thing. And so but you still have the Yankees, you still do have the rays, you still have Toronto who has a ton of talent. So it’s not gonna be easy, but it is much more reasonable to look at it on paper and say, All right, 13 times 13 games against each of those teams. That that’s, that feels a little more reasonable. But on the flip side, and I don’t want to sell the Orioles too short here. All of those teams are looking at the Orioles way differently than they did two years ago, three years ago, four years ago where you’re saying, Oh are we gonna go? We’re gonna go 15 and three this year. or is it going to be 14 and four? I mean, that’s that’s how it had been. So you know, so that’s when your games
Nestor Aparicio 25:06
against the pirates and you get games against the Diamondbacks. And you get you get these national league games that are that are replacing Yankees res Jays and even Red Sox because the Red Sox have traditionally been good. I don’t know how long they’ll be down. But I think when you start to replace those games over 25 games, you start to think, oh, maybe we go 17 and eight in those games instead of 10. And 14. Yeah,
Luke Jones 25:31
but you can also say, but the Yankees are also playing the Orioles less than playing those teams more. So. I mean, at all? I think it’d be good. Again, what impact will it have? It’s kind of it’s difficult to quantify that because you’re saying it’s more fair,
Nestor Aparicio 25:45
8you just fair. It’s not fair. It’s never been fair. I’ve been on the air 31 years, they screwed it up. The Original Sin is they all have a different amount of money. And they’re all trying to figure out how to keep the Yankees in the pirates and the Royals in the in the same league. And they’ve never really done a great job of doing that. But part of that is when we talk about the Yankees and the Red Sox. They don’t get Adly rushman. They don’t get Heston curse that they don’t get those players, they have to think to buy those players they have to buy to share later on and give him $35 million a year in order to have him. So yeah, maybe Adley rutschman will be red soccer Yankee or Dodger at some point. But they’re gonna have to pay a lot of money to do that, where the Orioles get him in his prime at this point. And that’s the balance for the league. And then you have to take advantage of that, which is why DL haul needs to be up, which is why Grayson Rodriguez needs to be in is and not a might be right.
Luke Jones 26:36
Yeah, I mean, ultimately, I mean, where they are right now. Yeah, they need their young guys to hit the you know, they need their young guys to be as advertised and you know that they’re not all going to work out. It’s like I said, I still wonder if DL Hall long term settles into becoming the new Zack Britton so to speak, you know, not not the same kind of pitcher, but starter who is optimal in the bullpen. But you’re not going to do that right now. But yeah, I mean, you look at these young guys, you look at their payroll right now. Look, we’ve talked about this. Was it a great offseason, though it was and they could have absolutely should have done more than they did. But that said, that doesn’t mean that I think what they have is not intriguing, is not really interesting is not very, very talented, as far as their roster goes. But you are counting on a lot of young guys, and we’ll see how it ultimately plays out. And I think, you know, it’s it’s an exciting time. And you may, you may mentioned this in passing and look, is the ballpark going to be filled in April. Now, it rarely is anyway, you know, even even during the buckshaw water era, it wasn’t filled in April. But I do think for the first time in a long time, the general hope that they have, but also and look, the NFL is king, let’s be clear about this. It’s King in every market that has the NFL, even if you have a baseball team, that’s good. I mean, that’s just the way it is. But I do think this is a golden opportunity for the Orioles. From an interest standpoint, from a passion standpoint. When you consider where the ravens are right now with Lamar Jackson, this is a very frustrated fan base, very frustrated, and you have a lot of unsettled feelings about where are they going? Where are they going with Lamar, if Lamar is not going to be their long term quarterback? What are they doing? So there is a sense for the Orioles to capture some of that attention. Now. It’s temporary in the sense that once the Ravens kickoff in September, people will be all in because at the NFL, but there is a chance here for the Orioles to capture a little more attention, a little more of that energy, a little more juice. And if they get off to a good start, I think that would go a long way to doing some of that now, from a business standpoint, they’ve got to have the right deals and all those different things, ticket offers and things of that nature to really take advantage of that renewed interest. But I think this is an exciting time for the Orioles. And with the Ravens being in such such an uncertain period of time right now. It’s a chance for them to put a little bit of a dent into that. And to you know, you can support both teams, you can be excited about both teams, you can watch both teams, you know, they’re different sports. But there is very much a sense of people that I think are just so fatigued over the Lamar Jackson saga that if the Orioles can get off to a good start, and they’re 13 and seven, three weeks, three and a half weeks into the season, I think people are going to be I think people are going to be excited and I think you’ll slowly but surely see a little bit more of that out at the ballpark. So you know, it’s not something that happens overnight. But I think it is a great opportunity for the Orioles where they are being so young, having the talent that they have knowing that there’s more on the way knowing that you have a deep form system, hoping at the very least and again, I’m not holding my breath until I see it but hoping that more money will be spent at some point in time. I’m to augment and supplement what they have, but they have a lot going for them right now. You know, even with their issues, even with ownership and long term lease question and all that they still have a lot going for them on the field right now. And that’s something that we could not say for a long time. So, you know, from that standpoint, head to Fenway and see what happens this weekend, and then they’ll they’ll be back next week and we’ll see how this 2023 season begins.
Nestor Aparicio 30:28
What Jones is here he will be there at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and we can all beat the Red Sox up a little bit over the weekend here. Before we get back to downtown on the sixth on the fifth. We’re going to be a Costas in the afternoon celebrating 50 years of the Maryland lottery. By giving away these the scratch offs, our friends at window nation will be there and might even have the the floppy hat on 8669. You nation. If you’re in the market for Windows, make sure you take care of that right now you buy two you get two free 0% financing. I had a long chat with Dennis closers last week about 0% financing and what that represents. That is on the fifth sixth is opening day. I’ll be downtown for that. And then on the seventh back downtown in the morning and fade Lee’s to get ready for Bruce Springsteen and the eagles were doing the Maryland crabcakes we’re bringing it out on the road. We have new dates going to be a captain Larry’s downtown and Federal Hill later on in April, our friends at Pappus our newest sponsor, our annual sponsor, we’re gonna be up in Bel Air bringing the show up the Harford County. Everybody up there as excited about having Pappas crabcakes in Harford County so we’ll be excited about that too. Gonna be a big, big April around here, so basketball to baseball, and the Lamar Athan, we are wn st am 1570, Towson Baltimore and we never stop talking. Baltimore positive
