Earning back the trust of lost fan bases has been a theme here this week. Our old pal Chick Hernandez of USA9 returns to give Nestor some truths about the incredible transformation of the Washington NFL franchise, hailing victory once again and coming to Baltimore (and bringing fans buying high-priced tickets) for a Jayden Daniels vs. Lamar Jackson matchup that has locals ready for football.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Washington Commanders, Baltimore Ravens, Dan Snyder, new ownership, culture change, media treatment, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, fan excitement, ticket demand, sports rivalry, team success, ownership trust, sports media, game preview
SPEAKERS
Chick Hernandez, Nestor Aparicio
Nestor Aparicio 00:00
Two, welcome home. We are W, N, S T test Baltimore, Baltimore, positive. It is a Washington at Baltimore week. You know, people think we don’t get along the Baltimore Washington media contingent. I’m a former media member, according to Chad Steele and Greg Bader, but this guy still a real media member. You know him in Baltimore, from all of those years, seeing him before and after games on the hockey side, on the wizard side. Chick, Hernandez comes. Chick, I don’t get Channel Nine on my cable system up here. Man, so I, you know, I, you’ve gone away from me, from all that golf and Tiger Woods stuff, man, do
Chick Hernandez 00:38
you do you not own a phone with an app, because there’s a wsa nine app that’s right there. It’s really easy to come on, come on. Well, I
Nestor Aparicio 00:45
mean, it’s a Baltimore, Washington. This is we’re so close, but we’re so far, you know? And there really is a delineation. We’re not Fort Worth in Dallas. We’re not Minneapolis and Saint Paul. We really are like two different places. And you know, here goes your proof this week, when half the fan base is coming up here, buying $300 tickets, our fans have Lamar, and we’re like, we’re waiting for an AFC Championship game. Yeah, every week feels that way to a commander’s fan, because it’s been a while, right? Dude.
Chick Hernandez 01:12
It’s the decades of darkness, is what I call it. It’s been, you know, under Dan Snyder was just, you know, the dark curtain and the veil was there, but it’s been lifted, I can tell you right now, after covering this franchise in this area for three decades, it’s a whole different ballgame. This. The vibe is 180 from top to bottom, from the the owners Josh Harrison and rails Mark iron to to the GM, Adam Peters to the head coach, GQ, who to a man on that team right now, who I talk to on a you know, weekly basis, they just, they said that the culture that Dan Quinn has set in that locker room in that building is so different, and there’s a few holdovers from the Ron Rivera era. But, I mean, it’s just, it’s night and day, so much so that Nestor, when I used to walk in the building, it was, I get a look up and down, and then the question would be like, Can I help you? Now, when I walk in the building, it’s, Hey, Chick, how can I help you? In eye contact, yeah,
Nestor Aparicio 02:11
I know. I know that field. I’m 56, years old. I have been thrown out of both of the sports teams here. I’m the only one that’s been thrown out. I’m the only Latin that’s been thrown out. I’m the only reporter that’s been thrown out. I’m the only I know what it’s like to be treated like shit, and I’ve seen this and and I know that the former owner down in DC treated the shades were pulled down. Mike Nolan, tell me about the ice cream all over. I like I the cheerleader. I can go through all of that, right? But how do you know it’s changed because, like, the baseball team here had 10,000 empty seats for playoff game last week, and they’re saying new owner, we got great players, things have changed. I’m like, no, no, no, no, no, no. That’s not the way it works. The way it works is when the feeling changes. And look, the Washington commanders could be oh and five right now, and could still have completely created a new culture there that would be better. It smells better when the success leads to the field at form one. But there is a point where, like, I trust you implicitly. When did you know a change? When did you walk in there and stop being treated like pig vomit, a farm animal, sewer rat? You know, whatever that media thing is that all of you had good people trying to do your jobs for 25 years. You had that problem. When did it change? Day
Chick Hernandez 03:30
one. Day one, I’m telling you right now. Day one, walking in the building, I walked in and we had set up a mini partnership Channel Nine and the commanders last year, um, I literally, when they hired me, they said, instead of a term I’d never heard before, onboarding with Channel Nine, which is, I guess you have to get used to the computer system, blah, blah, blah, they said, Hey, we just signed the deal with the commanders. Can you go out? We’re going to do a weekly visit with the head coach, Dan Quinn. I was like, I got an hour.
Nestor Aparicio 04:00
What a good man he is, by the way.
Chick Hernandez 04:02
So I walked out there. I got to the to the to the we did, I think we did it in the building. And, I mean, it’s just, you just look humans are humans, and you’re going to, it’s like being on a golf course where you learn about people, you know, whether they’re good people or bad. I walked into the building, met Dan Quinn, and it was, it was pretty immediate as to what he was about. And then, you know, and through our research and his Salisbury upbringing, all that jazz, we relearned more. It’s just you, I knew it pretty quickly. Um, what it was it going to and I tell fans, was it going to equate the wins? No idea. But what I do know is that fans won’t walk away from a game going, What in the hell was that? Right? That’s what we had the last couple of years. Like, what are they doing? That’s not the case. Doesn’t matter. Win or lose. You know that they have a purpose, and they they and every move they make, especially Adam Peterson, the guys, the free free agent acquisitions, they brought in the bobby Wagners, the Frankie. Who were huge in the game last week. There’s, there’s a there’s a method to their madness. So the town is excited. As a as a media member. I say this, you know, we’re there’s no cheering in the press box. That’s the rule. I learned that as a kid at University of Maryland, when I was a stringer for wmuc radio, and I cheered for one Terrapin and the voice of God got on the jack Zane got on the PA system about 20 seconds later and said, reminder, there’s no cheering in the press box that day forward, I stopped being a fan of anybody on any team, but in our press box when Jaden Daniels makes one of those moves or makes one of those throws, there’s an audible Ooh, like
Nestor Aparicio 05:38
Lamar does that. I had a chat with Luke about that, when he broke those ankles in Cincinnati six years ago, and everybody just fell apart like an erector set, like the whole press box had a sound that I’ve never heard the press box before. Yes, it was like laughter. It was like joy, right, right?
Chick Hernandez 05:53
And that’s what’s going on right now. It’s, it’s, we’re not rooting we want the individual guys that we know to do well. We want everybody to stay healthy, all that jazz, but we don’t root for the team. But there’s, there’s this joy that’s taking place with this kid. And I say kid, he’s a man who’s working harder, if you want to put it on paper, than anybody else in that organization. He is there at four, 430 in the morning, and he did it from day one, which is the shocker for Dan Quinn, he thought, okay, the rookie is trying to impress the coaching staff. He’s there for 430 Okay, whatever. Working in the bubble with Luke McCaffrey. Okay, they had a day off secretary. Dan Quinn. Secretary called and said, so your boy is in the bubble right now. And he’s like, You’re shitting me, right? Like, no, so Jaden Daniels is putting in the work. He’s got a great mind for the game. Um, so it’s exciting times. And this is, this is one of those weeks I talked to Jaden on Sunday after the game. I said, you know, how well do you know Lamar? Because, well, we’re two Heisman Trophy winners. We’ve kept in touch. I’m looking forward to to playing. He’s never put it about be against him. And that’s both teams will, will say that and do that, because it’s not the fans will. But this is going to be one of those, Let’s Get your popcorn game to get your popcorn ready game.
Nestor Aparicio 07:04
You know how much I love sports chick. I’ve been doing this my whole life. And there was a point with the Orioles where I was, like, going down there became joyless as a media member for the way I was treated. And then the football team, kind of after Flacco, you know, like, after that Super Bowl, it became I would on Wednesdays, I would go out there, and I’d say to my wife, I’m going out there, and I love the team. I have season tickets. And I’d be like, am I treated? Right? You know, I don’t like the way I’m being treated. And years later, they’ve thrown me out. They’ve moved the press box into the corner. They took their 600 million they the Kevin burn Little House press box. You’ll see when you get here. They they’ve emulated the terrible press box in Washington in the corner, where you you sit in the press box. You can’t even see the game, but not I’m not complaining as a media member, but that’s my experience as a human being. Is that feeling, and I always felt that way for all of you who covered the football team saying, Oh my God, because I wasn’t getting treated that way in Baltimore in the aughts, when Brian Billick was here and art modell was around, and like all of that, it was a I can’t wait to go out there. Rob Woodson’s going to be cool. Shannon Sharpe is going to say something interesting. Ray’s going to be interesting. Even Suggs, I mean, all of those guys had something that fans wanted. That as a media member, I liked getting out of them. I liked visiting with them. I liked Tony Sarah goose. I like those people. This modern thing is different. And now that I’ve been thrown out, my wife always says, if they let you back in, are you going to go? And I’d say, well, not, if they treat me like garbage, why would I go back? I’m 56, years old, like so for me to feel that culture change, for the commanders and to have you here saying, oh my god, it’s different. It’s different. I pray for that for the baseball team here, because I do look at it and say, How do you turn around something that has been so desecrated? And I think in your case, they changed the name of the team, they changed the markings, they changed everything about it, and they’re still in sort of a bad stadium, in a stadium nobody, nobody ever looks forward to drive. Last time I look forward to driving to land over the capital center was open, you know? And I did a big capital center retrospective this week with the guys who did the book. And it was a lot of fun, because that’s one thing we shared. We shared the capital center as Baltimoreans in Washington, we’ve never shared football. And this week, having four and one and three and two and these two incredible quarterbacks come together, this is a great game this week, chick,
Chick Hernandez 09:21
it’s a great game. And, you know, I work for the CBS affiliate, so I’m very happy that when NBC tried to take the game, CBS said, Now, you know, I think we’ll keep this we’re not flexing this one, right? Yeah, we’re not going to flex this one. It’s on on paper, and just in football parlance, it’s, it’s a great match. I hope it turns out to be as great as we think it’s going to be, we’re going to see two quarterbacks who are just different and we know about their speed and their escape ability. They’re just different cats. So it’s upon the defense to see who can can withstand the guys who you know, because you. Look Jaden Daniels has already learned. I mean, he made a play last week. He ran out of bounds, and his eyes were downfield the entire time, and he saw what the defense is doing. And on his way back to the field, he turned to the OC Cliff Kingsbury and said, call the play. They knew what they were talking through their eyes. They knew what they were talking about and he said, call the play. And as he went two steps further, he turned back and get again and said, call the play. The next play was deep, bucket throw to DMY Brown. 41 yard touchdown. Perfect play, right? That’s the way this kid works right now. And both those quarterbacks are so difficult, because when a lineman or or a linebacker thinks they have the angle they don’t. When Lamar runs, I’ll say this, when Lamar runs, he looks like he’s running fast. He just, he just, you know, he’s fast, and he’s just lightning Jaden runs, and his favorite player is Michael Vick. He almost glides. And you think that you have, or I’m saying you the DBS and defensive guys think that they have the angle, and he’s just toying with them. It’s a simple he’s just like, Yeah, we’re good. I’m not, you’re not. But he’s so calm now. And game one, it was lighter fight. He was looking to run now he’s looking to buy time make plays. I’m excited to see what this is going to be. It’s all on the defense, who, who’s gonna have the better defensive effort? And quite frankly, Washington’s defense has been porous in the first couple of games, lot better the last two games. Uh, I’m nervous to see what, what Lamar can do against that secondary
Nestor Aparicio 11:34
chicken. And as is joining us from Washington, the capital the free world, he’s down there Channel 9w USA as a sports director. You know his work here. I’m surprised I got you off the golf course for 20 minutes here to come here, talk a little football. It’s coming. I know. Yeah, you know. I knew the bags are always in the trunk for you. Um, what do you make of the Baltimore Orioles and even the Washington Nationals at this point for baseball in the corridor here? Sort of a primary thing, those empty seats last week, I um, it angers me. It angers me as a citizen, tickets for 10 bucks. Chick, and then I went out to dinner Tuesday. I was telling Tom lavero Earlier, I went to dinner at the Beaumont, one of my sponsors, at kno pick my wife up on Tuesday night, and fans were coming in, and they were angry that they lost or whatever. What they’re really angry about is they paid $100 for tickets that wound up being 10 bucks. So 10 bucks. So this whole notion of buy season tickets and have access to playoffs like that, that’s a value that’s gone at this point. I’m trying to figure out how you pick it back up, even by watching the commanders who’ve been desecrated. How do you do this on the baseball side to make it better? How can new ownership do what you felt the first day, which is, sure things are different, and I want the baseball team to do that over the next five months here to say this isn’t Angelo’s anymore. You can trust us. You can be a part of this. I had to laugh at you when you said, Well, my television station had a deal with the commanders, and I’m thinking, in the old days, that wouldn’t even be a deal, you know? I mean, literally, you couldn’t do business with these people. I and sports is hard. It’s a hard I wouldn’t want to be the Orioles President right now running around trying to sell it. No,
Chick Hernandez 13:13
no. But like, you know, like the ownership with the the commanders, they kind of just said, you know, they took a year. Josh Harrison coming, took a year and didn’t make a move. Basically just said they watched what everybody else was doing the league. They went to stadiums, and they’re doing that thing. They said, give us a year. And as soon as the final play of the final game last last year, we knew Ron Rivera’s out, they started making changes. They took staffs and they took they did. They brought a consultant in and looked at what the business model, who’s doing, what this is? This person, productive? No, okay, let’s get them out. And that’s all that stuff for baseball. You have to just, you have to prove it. No, the ownership has to prove it. They have to show you. You can’t just go, hey, buy our tickets and show up. That’s not going to work. It hasn’t. You’ve seen it right? In a playoff game, you’ve seen it. They have to prove it, and they have to, they have to reach out to the fans, because the fans are, they’re, they’re hurt, right? You’re, you’re hurt by the product, and it was a pretty good product this year, but that there’s no trust there. There’s no trust between the fan base and the ownership the same they
Nestor Aparicio 14:21
benched their broadcaster 12 months ago. They lied to the governor. The other owner lied to the governor like I have tried to impress but, but they’re so wealthy that it’s, it just doesn’t it’s, it’s like meatballs just doesn’t matter. It feels like it doesn’t matter whether I’m a commander’s fan or an Orioles fan, they’re gonna get by or feel like they’re gonna get by because there’s just so much money falling out of the out of the football tree. The baseball tree is different. This is how we’re going to pay for gunner Henderson. The fans are going to be the ones that are going to have to come forward. And you see that in San Diego this week, where it’s vibrant, and they’ve spent money on players, and they don’t have a football team there anymore. And you know, part of that is, where does your money? Go, especially in DC, Maryland. I know you talk about Marilyn and Jack Zane, lowercase, always lowercase, um, lowercase
Chick Hernandez 15:06
for his buddy, um, capital, Jack.
Nestor Aparicio 15:11
Where was it? Oh, Joe. Joe, Joe. Y’all, we’re gonna get it. We’ll get it before we’re done. We’ll get it before we’re done, because we’re Joe Blair, Joe Blair, Joe Blair, Blair, Joe F Blair, sorry, lowercase at my bed, but Maryland’s always had that problem. You know that Saturday afternoon selling tickets in the middle of these two pro markets, Orioles nationals, swearing off for money, maybe the commanders are coming now for some of the Ravens money, because they haven’t been available to even get that money in the last 1520 years.
Chick Hernandez 15:43
Yeah. I mean, look, this is the this. This new owners. I say New. They’re now no longer new, but they have been very smart about how they’re going about things, to do their due diligence and go get Adam Peters to to turn down one coach and get Dan Quinn all of it. Mean, it’s just we’re in a honeymoon period. I’ll tell you that. I know that, but just in talking with these guys who were born and raised here, as was Dan Snyder, but they were born and raised, I’ll tell you when, when Darryl Green’s jersey was announced, he’s going to be retired. I happen to be without the draft in Detroit, and so I got wind of it, and I texted Daryl and said, Look, I need to see you. He’s like, why? I said, you know why? Because I nobody else knew the story. I said, I’m in your hotel. Come down the lobby. You came down. We used a restaurant. We sat down, and I said, Give me your thoughts on your jersey being retired. And he was like, oh, you know this. I said, Yeah, I know this, right? And he was flummoxed by how Josh Harris, Mark iron Mitch rails knew the history of the team. And I said, Daryl, they watched you as youngsters. This, this is your ownership group. They watched you. They grew up with the Burgundian gold. They grew up RFK Stadium. This is what they’re trying to get back. And he was like, Oh, he had no idea this ownership group. I keep going back to them, but they’re they’re doing the right things. And if you get owners who care about the area, care about the people, you know, I’ll put air quotes on it. It’s just a different it’s a different thing. And baseball wise, I’m not sure if that’s the case. You know, the learners have been very tight with their cash. Got a World Series out of it, and so now, what do we know? Where do they go from here?
Nestor Aparicio 17:35
I’m watching their best player play for the Phillies, right? You know what I mean? Like watching Machado play for the padres, it’s like, all right, if we’re watching gunner Henderson play for another team five years from now, where are we? What have we done here? And especially if they’re pointing us and saying, Well, you get to fill up the stands. We we’re small market. We’re small market. And that’s easy to do in baseball, football, you’re not small market when you’re playing the cowboys and the Giants and eagles. And you know, for the fans that did stick it out with Snyder, it was brutal. Watching Eagles fans take over the stadium, watching the Giants, watching the place be empty, watching all like I dealt with that from my Fandom of the baseball team here, but it was two decades. Feels like it’s been gone for so long that how it’s a Barry Manilow song, you know, up down. How do I get that feeling again? Trying to get the feeling to get Barry Manilow you really want, I went there. Chick Hernandez is here. How’s your golf game? Most importantly,
Chick Hernandez 18:26
pretty good. We’re at a three handicap right now, and I will be heading to the course your way to play a little place called BCC. Whoa.
Nestor Aparicio 18:36
Coming up here, coming north. Are you? How is? How is the DC sports scene in regard to wizards and caps going over to Virginia Ted doing all that? It’s been a tumultuous time for Washington sports, right? That in the aftermath of parade for capitals, no parade for the nationals and covid and all that. But there’s been a lot of change in what you cover down there.
Chick Hernandez 18:59
Yeah, no question. And teleance has just got his, you know, his empire, the monumental Sports Network, so wizards and capitals on his network could kind of change things a little bit, and until they start winning. You know, it’s just, obviously we pay attention to him, we do the highlights. And we talked to the team I was with Ovi a couple weeks ago, sat down with him, great to see him. And, you know, we both looked at each other and said, we’ve been doing this for a long time. It’s kind of cool. Um, but yeah, the the landscape has changed. And I’ll tell you this, we went to back to the commanders fans for a second. I mean, in Cincinnati, at Arizona, both those away games, I’ve never seen it before, huge contingent of commanders fans at the away games, and in this home game last week, it’s, you know, it’s for years. It was like the other team brought all their fans, not the case. So the landscape has changed for the commanders, and it’s kind of just been very steady. I think fans are happy that the wizards and capitals didn’t move to Virginia. I think they’re, for the most part, kind of happy that was blocked. And we’ll see what happens with the. Whatever the new digs at some point will be, because, you know, Ted’s got something on his mind to get that done. One
Nestor Aparicio 20:06
of the amazing things this week, chick is I monitor prices of tickets, because that’s the real stock market. There have been raving games the last couple years that have been five and 10 bucks to get in. They beg us to buy tickets. They threw me out of my seats. My four seats up at 513, and they beg people to buy the tickets. They actually have commercials. TV commercials, buy ravens tickets like that never existed here, forever and ever and ever in the PSL sports suckers licenses that we sold people 30 years ago. Right as we sit here midweek before the game, it is a $300 get in for commanders ravens here, the demand through the roof. And here’s the deal. The deal is it’s ravens tickets trying to scalp former Redskins tickets, right? Like it’s your fans that are keeping this. Your fans are the ones that are going to pay, trust me, the Ravens fans aren’t paying $300 zj, danger. They just don’t. And as much as I hated the Redskins and the concept of the Redskins and Jack can’t cook for 13 years, and the games being beamed in and mark ripping. And I always like Daryl greens, a nice man, so I’ll be nice to him, but the rest of it, you know, I’m talking to me just the Baltimore Washington thing, right? I’m bred into that. I don’t even have it anymore. I don’t What about Jaden? What about Washington? Angers me anymore. About their baseball this used to feel rivalry ish from a but now it’s like, oh, we’re DMV. We’re all in it together. I don’t feel that way, but certainly your fans paying $300 for a regular season ticket in Baltimore, there hasn’t been a regular season $300 ticket here. Maybe ever. I don’t ever remember seeing a game a week, three days before where tickets are, 300 bucks, they get in, and that’s the excitement of your fan base.
Chick Hernandez 21:46
They’re starving. They’re starving. They’ve been starving for 20 years. The last time they put some hardware in the building was 1992 for heaven’s sake. Again, in 2012 Robert Griffin, a third yay. We knew he was, I knew he was a track star in a football uniform. Jaden Daniels, football star in a football uniform. They’re starving for success. They’re starving for something to hang their hat on, and they have it now. They have it matter what happens in this season? They’re four and one atop the NFC East the way that things are going, barring a catastrophic injury. What just happened to Washington quarterbacks here? It’s that they’re so geeked up, and rightly so. They have a product they can be proud of. They have a team that is really good and in the community to do a tremendous job on Tuesdays, and guys are getting out. Terry McLaurin is unbelievable.
Nestor Aparicio 22:36
I was going to ask you about him. He’s the guy that has waited for this, right? Like yeah, feel the best for him, right? He’s a good dude. He’s, he’s
Chick Hernandez 22:43
caught touchdowns from nine different quarterbacks. This is year six for him, and he’s, he’s played with, I can’t even know that the number is in the 20s, as far as different quarterbacks he’s played with in this organization. So, yes, excited for him. He’s one of those guys who’s been steady, and now he’s got a quarterback last week, right? A broken play, second play, third play of the game. Broken play. Terry goes 66 yards. I mean, it’s yes, so they’re starving. Of course they’re going to pay. It’s a 40 minute, 40 minute trip. Of course they’re going to pay. It’s like driving to Landover for him. You know, for a lot of these fans, that’s they’re they’re starving to see their team play. This is another, another opportunity for them to see their team play in person. A lot of a lot of fans don’t have tickets to what is it now, Northwest stadium, so then you get a chance to go down to a better stadium and watch their team. Chick,
Nestor Aparicio 23:34
I know you’re going to be up here on Sunday, Baltimore versus Washington. Chick, Hernandez, my longtime friend, golfing, doing things at Channel Nine and make a little time for us. And hey, Baltimore, Walsh, I said to my wife, we don’t get together enough. I did a whole segment on the Capitol Center last week about sharing that and those memories. But I’ve been a CAPS fan my whole life, right? So, you know, it’s the anti DC thing. It really is only 30 minutes apart, and this is a week where we’re like, why don’t these teams get together a little more often, you know, every four years, but it’s good bragging rights, and certainly the best version of the commanders we’ve seen here in two decades.
Chick Hernandez 24:09
Right? No doubt, no doubt. This is a this is all you get asked for. And the networks are asking for it. Fan base is asking for it. Media is asking for it. So let’s as as Ben Quinn would say, let’s get it on.
Nestor Aparicio 24:22
If you shoot a 66 today, it’s because I kept you focused. Remember that
Chick Hernandez 24:27
I’m chasing I’m chasing that score. Check Hernandez,
Nestor Aparicio 24:29
the man, the myth, the legend, you know through Comcast SportsNet and our our old cable television. Here you can find them on channel nine, which is available on the App, and get my my best as well. Another Baltimore and Brent and anybody else down there tell Dan Quinn I love him, even though he’s wearing the wrong colors. Chick Hernandez is here. We’re going to have full coverage of the game all week. We’re also going to have this capital center retrospective that I did two weeks ago with our friends at the Maryland lottery. We’re going to be celebrating my birthday and Luke’s birthday on Friday. We’re going to. Get pizza. John’s eating Hawaiian pizza with delicious pepperoni. I’m gonna get some crinkle cut fries and some gravy. I’m gonna get Luca beer for his birthday as well. Happy birthday to us. Lena Raskin is gonna be joining us on Friday as well. Will be a pizza Johnson Essex, all of it. Brought to you by friends at Jiffy Lube. Multi care, our friends at Liberty, pure solutions, keeping our water crystal clear. One 800 clean water in our well water and our oyster tours well brought to you by curio wellness and far and daughter I am Nestor. It is Washington at Baltimore. It’s a big week around here. We are wnsta in 1570 Towson, Baltimore, and we never stop talking Baltimore positive.
