Yeah, he’s still “Cal’s guy” but our lifer pal and one-time sports public relations executive has moved his business and life into other sectors in Maryland. John Maroon joins Nestor for a spirited holiday chat about communicating to the world an authentic local message that resonates beyond the playing field.
Nestor Aparicio and John Maroon discuss the business and personal life of Cal Ripken, including his involvement with the Baltimore Orioles and his foundation. They reminisce about past events, such as Ripken’s hand being cast in Plaster of Paris and a trip to China. Maroon highlights Ripken’s current focus on the Orioles, his foundation, and his contentment in life. They also touch on the challenges and expectations in Baltimore sports, including the need for community engagement and the impact of new ownership on fan expectations. The conversation concludes with reflections on the evolving media landscape and the importance of authentic connections.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Cal Ripken, Science Center, hand casting, Baltimore sports, Orioles ownership, IronBirds, youth baseball, Annapolis, foundation work, media relations, social media, nonprofits, hospitality, sports properties, PR agency
SPEAKERS
Sam Sessa, Nestor Aparicio, John Maroon
Nestor Aparicio 00:00
Welcome home. We are W, N, S T, am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We are Baltimore, positive. We have a crowded set full of sports and music and radio and PR people. We are here at a me cheese of Little Italy, one of my favorite places on earth. They are bringing Sam Sessa the meatballs and and the delicious garlic cheese toast. Can’t believe Jody asked me if I wanted cheese on the of course, I want garlic cheese toast. So brought to you by the Maryland lottery. Abrams scratch offs to give away. Seth Elkin is coming here. He’s bringing his trash from Pittsburgh this week for the Maryland lottery. But he’s also bringing me the magic eight ball scratch offs that I’m gonna have also Jiffy Lube, multi care, powering us up and power Luke back and forth from Owings Mills. It is a busy week for football. It is a busy week for Santa Claus. It is a busy week for eggnog drinkers and crab cake eaters. John maroon is here. I think the last time you Rome was drug city. I called you a reformed sports media executive. Does that sound right? All right? And Sam says, decided to stay longer because they I knew that they must know each other, right? And yeah, Sam’s waiting for the meatballs in the garlic cheese toast, and I’m gonna make a big stink about it when Jody brings it out here, because it’s delicious, and everybody should be ordering it. I think they should name it after me, because my favorite thing here. But you guys know each other, and everybody knows maroon Ripken. And when I told Jody ripkens guys coming, maroon likes to think of himself as more than ripkens Guys, I’ll let you do that for the next hour, because that’s not what you do. But you just what you you were, not who you are. And you said, Oh, John, yeah, hand in the thing in the Science Center. Hey, Did I ever tell you the story? And if Don Mueller here, he’d say, Stop, you’re gonna tell the story on the air. So that’s what I made you do. You didn’t even want to stay. You got kids, you got to get home to and all that. But you have it’s small to more. And I knew this was going to happen, that there would be some cross talk that you guys had crossed paths because you worked at the paper. You did everything with Cal Ripken, and there is apparently some humor in this story, from what I understand, that correct? John, yeah. I mean, well, I
John Maroon 02:06
remember, I want to hear what Sam’s remembrance of it is, because he did the story. But I remember Cal having to put his hand in goop for an extended period of what is goop? I don’t know, plaster of Paris, yeah, that okay for an extended period of time just to make sure that the mold took but, yeah, Sam, Sam did his story. So what is this? So
Sam Sessa 02:27
I just noticed it because I was going there with my son at the time. He was, you know, really small, and I was like, What is the story? I didn’t know the full back. What is the story behind Cal ripkens? So this in the kids area of the Science Center. So it’s like, I’d like a special kids area in the Science Center. Go in and there’s like a cut out of Cal, or a picture of him on the wall, and he’s got this life size arm coming out of
Nestor Aparicio 02:50
the wall. She can shake hands with cow, yeah, but okay, it’s kind of off putting,
Sam Sessa 02:55
because it’s like, oh, there’s what? Oh, hey, there’s Cal ripkens hand, right? There is this kind of like in Willy Wonka,
Nestor Aparicio 03:03
where they grabbed the hats. Remember that that thing? Very simple. Okay, so
Sam Sessa 03:07
I was like, What’s the story behind Cal ripkens metal hand in the Science Center? And then, like, all these people started chiming in, and you chimed in with the backstory, yeah. So what’s the back story?
John Maroon 03:17
Well, the back story was that they had this idea. They had this concept. Cal was at the height of being cow, right? And it was all, all things Cal Ripken. And then he was starting to do things with kids, and they, well, the milk poster wasn’t good enough. Milk poster was step one, right from that. But I remember, so it was, the story was, there was somebody associated with the Science Center. I can’t remember who it was. Met him somewhere. They shook hands. If you ever shake cows hands. You know this Nestor, like he crushes you, and he looks in the eye and, you know, it’s like, very firm. He’s a giant womb hand. And this bird of thought in this guy’s hand, like everybody should be able to do that.
Nestor Aparicio 03:52
So I want to shake cows. So
John Maroon 03:55
this idea of, like, let’s recreate his hand in the Science Center Cal thought is kind of cool. He also didn’t know what it would entail. And fast forward, and entailed half a day of life. Is
Nestor Aparicio 04:07
this 95 678, that era. I think I remember this I can because it was, like, it was comical. I mean, really was that because he, I think he talked about, I mean, I was a real media member that I remember him telling this story, of like, it wasn’t nightmarish, it was just bizarre,
John Maroon 04:25
yeah? Because he thought, you know, yeah, I’ll run in. I’ll do this. Like he thought was, like, put your hand down. Like, didn’t
Nestor Aparicio 04:30
players do something in rice back in the day. Pictures, that was the pictures. Pictures did rice, right?
John Maroon 04:35
So he puts any two and he’s like, Okay, we done, like, we’ll be back in like two hours. He’s
Nestor Aparicio 04:42
like, Oh, do I get to watch a movie?
Sam Sessa 04:46
It’s like the wax hands at the Renaissance fest, except longer,
Nestor Aparicio 04:49
yeah, it’s really like a hole. It’s like this part down, yeah, it goes up to the elbow. It’s wild. So for cow is still there. So I want you to be, you can be the cow guy, because you are the cow guy. But. You did all of these things. I walked on the Great Wall of China. Yes, I have a picture of me and Cal Ripken, yes, my wife and Kelly and John on the Great Wall of China, right? So we went to so that’s a hell of a cow story. My other cow story. Oh,
John Maroon 05:16
wait, I got a bad part of that, Ryan, I’m not right. Nestor interviewed Cal Ripken, oversight, you’re playing like oversight, beer
Nestor Aparicio 05:24
oversight. That’s true. That’s I was gonna say that too, but you remind me of Rick mace. Did you work with
John Maroon 05:32
a lot like Rick was the other reporter on the trip. It was me. So there was one reporter to Rick. And then how many media outlets are gonna send somebody to China, right, sure, and, but we’ve never talked about this story thing. This was like, we’re going, I’m like, All right, it was the State Department was sending Cali. We went to we Goodwill Ambassador Japan. We went China with Nicaragua. Nice, Nicaragua. We went to Prague. So very blessed to be on those trips. And Nestor, he’s like, I’m gonna go to John. I’m like, All right, so he came, and it was the first
Nestor Aparicio 06:03
days where we had cameras. I had, I was one of the few people that were the camera that Mason carrying a video camera. He was still a writer. We didn’t back back there, right? This is oh seven. This was October of, oh seven. You’re better than me on that. Okay, I take your word. It was October of, oh seven. Um, because it was the year McNair fell apart. McNair was really good the first year, yeah, I watched the game in Tokyo where they lost 38 to nothing to the Steelers that was on that trip with you. So I remember that. But we did this great wall of china thing with cow. We played Quick Ball at an orphanage, which was primary. We all were bawling. I have video of all the code. You can go to YouTube and watch any of this that you will, and it’s all up there. I videoed it all on a little Canon camera, and this is the kind of the cool media part of it is, or not cool, quite frankly, given who’s taken over the country in a couple weeks, went to China with them, met call it Dulles. We flew on the same plane. Maroon comes back halfway through the flight, we’re over the North Pole. And you can see we’re literally over the North Pole, and maroon comes back and grabs me and mace we were sitting together. And coach, he’s like, Hey, cows awake, if you guys want to come up and do the interview with him. So mace and I interview Cal over the North Pole, yeah, like, literally over Siberia. And I have the video of all So of all these videos, and I get to China, and I’m like, I got shit, so gonna kick the sun’s ass. I got stuff nobody’s gonna have. I get there, YouTube, China, China, yeah. Oh, nothing worked. Nothing worked. Any illegal I couldn’t get any of the videos up, so I had all of this gold, this interview with Cal, I know all this stuff to put out at W nst.net, and you couldn’t put it up till I got to Japan.
John Maroon 07:54
Remember renegade had a crew.
Nestor Aparicio 08:00
People, man, we it was a great great
John Maroon 08:04
ended up pulling the documentary together called shortstop goes to China. Just a kind of a cool trip.
Nestor Aparicio 08:09
All of that being said, that is really you did unique stuff like that with Cal Plaster of Paris. Really weird thing. I see guys like you and the Chad steals of the world have any wrangle players to get slimed now and like, just stuff that is corporate and is wherever. Give me a couple of cow stories, people asking that. You just had to say, Cal, a doing that, and then some other weird things that Cal, what are the rejects? Well, right? If you did this thing, and it’s funny, I’m sure Cal got asked to do now, sure kids.
John Maroon 08:45
One thing that someday pursued Cal for years and years and years was dancing with the stars. Oh, every year this woman, I think her name is Dina, she would call me every year, and every year I’m like, Dina, you know, let me I was always nice. Let me check and cows, same stuff, he says to me and tell us just, like, I’m not doing that. Like, I’m like, Okay, go back. And she wants to try next year. So finally, at like, year five, I’m like, Dina, he doesn’t want you to know this will never, ever happen. Like, you can, you can do anything to him. You could torture him. He will never be on dancing at the start. I just don’t want you wasting your time anymore. So that was one that didn’t happen. Well,
Nestor Aparicio 09:21
that’s just being honest. I prefer that. Yeah, I know is always appreciated. Well, especially if you just, that’s not a, that’s not a don’t want to that’s just, I’m not dude’s not doing Yeah? I mean, Jacoby Jones could do it, you know what? I mean, Heinz word could do it, right? Stacy, Stacy Kebler did it absolutely. But so, I mean, I think of you as cows. Are you still cows? Guy? You are. So if anybody wants cow doing this
John Maroon 09:46
morning, okay, yeah, bunch of stuff that comes in. I don’t know. I don’t
Nestor Aparicio 09:49
I mean, you and I do business, and I see you, and you come out. But like, what? What’s Cal up to give me
John Maroon 09:55
a call? Yeah, sure. Like, what? The cool thing about Cal is, in a really good place, he’s so how? Happy as a clam. He and his wife live in Annapolis, and, you know, have the whole boat. They’re all in on Annapolis, all that stuff and loving life. And so as you guys know, he sold his youth baseball company Ripken base. Boy sold that to unrivaled and and then they just sold the iron birds to the guy that owns the base, likes Greg Baroni. So really, he’s focusing on is working out with the o’s and his foundation, that operates nationally, does amazing things for underserved communities all across stem centers, building parks so real. Those are his focuses. Happy as can be. So that’s, that’s what Cal but, you know, I’m still, you know, people come to me with different things and request for his time and whatnot. And he and I analyzed it, along with his administrator or his executive assistant, Joan, and we just kind of come to answer on both. And I’m that conduit still, and I will be until you know one of us is gone. Well, until the
Nestor Aparicio 10:49
meatballs come for Sam, I’ll stay on Cal with you, because it’s not like he’s not relevant. He’s behind home plate. He’s in the commercials with Rubenstein. I met Rubenstein about six weeks ago. I don’t know what the perception on the perception on the street is that Cal has an office and he’s running the team, or that Rubenstein has an office and he’s running the team, because the commercials took some tongue in cheek and mostly, yeah, and obviously you want to get past Peter and say there’s a new sheriff in town. The team’s really good, right? There’s all of that going on. Cal’s entry into this, clearly, it’s a credibility play for David Rubenstein in regard, I mean, I had lunch last week at Gertrude Kirk. Smoke was there. So they’re not really different than what Peter did when you were running the team, which is Pam Shriver and Jim McKay and Steve chappy and different people. Cal’s involvement, what is it just for public record? Because I people ask me, and I don’t know, I said, You said he’s behind home, plays in the seats. He’s always in his boys doing medias. And I like Ryan a lot, but I don’t I think there was a perception cows out scouting talent, and I don’t think that’s true. No, I mean,
John Maroon 11:54
he’s not. And, you know, right now, I think Cal took the first year in this ownership group, was just absorbing it, soaking it in. You know, he was held at arm’s length for two decades for reasons no one really understands, right? And that’s passed. And David, welcome, move, open arms, and he just enjoyed it. You saw, you guys saw, if you turn on TV, is that every with almost every home game was crazy. And he’s formed a great relationship with David and Mike araghetti, and he and Mike Elias get along really, really well, and exchanges ideas and that sort of thing. But he’s very respectful. You guys know Cal enough, though he’s very respectful. Michael eyes knows what he’s doing. He doesn’t need Cal Ripken.
Nestor Aparicio 12:29
Cal is not calling him and say, This is what I think. Right? Yeah,
John Maroon 12:33
no, but, but on the occasions when Mike or somebody on his team ask, how, what do you think, he gleefully gives his opinion. He’s got all this experience in baseball, but Mike, Michael eyes is a great baseball executive who knows what he’s doing, and he’s cows feeling this way as he I think I personally this is John talking, not Cal, but I think as a couple years pass and he gets more and more comfortable and gets to know people more, I think he’ll say, Well, I’d like to maybe have an opinion more on this, so get a little more involved in this aspect of the club. Aspect of the club and whatnot baseball business, whatever it might be. But I think he’s we really wants to like, be respectful and feel it out. He’s anyone who knows him knows he’s the most contemplative, thoughtful guy. He does not a knee jerk guy on anything, let alone something as big as this. But he’s loving it. He’s grateful to David Mike for bringing him into the group, and he’s having the time of his life. If he
Nestor Aparicio 13:25
were here and I could ask him a couple questions, I would ask him about running the business of the iron birds in baseball and whether that appealed to him, right? You know what I mean? He’s your baseball player. You didn’t even run a popsicle stand. He was pretty focused on baseball, and then it was like I was at a green spring with you years ago, and it’s like he’s retiring, and how long is Peter going to live? There’s a good there wasn’t even a team in Washington. I remember poking him about the Montreal Expos in that conversation we had. They still existed at that time, when he went into was voted into the Hall of Fame. Oh, 2345, was approached by the Nationals too. When the other people, I think I think I remember that. So all of that being said, he had a baseball business, and one that cost a lot of money into a kind of different business at minor league as well as the Ripken baseball brand for kids, the Babe Ruth kind of part of thing would he, you know, he’s been involved in business forever, and doesn’t need to be at this point. And I see his wife and I know it and the but, like all that, I’m like, at some point just, just go have fun. And I was in the ship has passed. But I’m sure he had a lot of thoughts in the arts 20 years ago about when, when, when, if, if, if, and now it happens. I I would think I’m getting older too, and saying, How involved do you want to be? I think you nailed, you really nailed it, right? It’s a full time gig. It’s beyond the full time gig. He’s in a great place in his life. He’s happy as he’s ever been, but he’s also, you know, at a different place. Like, if this had happened, like right after he retired, he’d want to be involved in baseball operations and baseball decisions and all that kind of stuff, you know? But now the team’s in a good place. Likes a smart guy. He’s at a different place, so, you know, we’ll see how things evolve over the years ahead. But he’s just, he’s so happy, so content and thrilled just to be we welcome back to the stadium. Walking underneath. Everybody’s thrilled to see him there. The fans are thrilled to see him there. And if that brings some value to the club of his just his presence, what makes him feel good to be there too, right? Cow belongs at the ballpark. Like, you
John Maroon 15:26
know, you guys know this. His family was the Orioles, right? His old man is the Oriole. Way. His brother was a Oriole for years. As he’s like, this is the team that mattered to him. So when he was being courted, from time down with other teams. He’s, there’s always that piece. It’s like, I’m an Oriole, right? And I want to be an Oriole. That’s me and and now he
Nestor Aparicio 15:47
is there. Is John Marot, Sam’s hanging out. Did your meatballs combo? They did the meatballs. Came go eat. Do you have anything you want to say to John pace, it’s been, it’s been like a dead him. A good seat at first Thursday, so you didn’t have to stand in line. You want to come to the
John Maroon 16:04
show? Let me know. Thank you. I really appreciate that. That’s very kind, but really good seeing you. It’s been a long time. You too, glad you’re doing well, Sam. Sam
Nestor Aparicio 16:11
says is here. John maroon is here. I’ll just keep you. We almost had a pot that. Then we’ll stay in the segment. There. You dropped it. This is what they do at TMD. Drop the mic. There we go. How is life? What? What are? What’s going I get emails from your people, yeah, one of the big things bothering you with, no, not at all. But, I mean, the Senior PGA things on minds eye. And I remember seeing you up at caves couple years ago when the PGA came in, and it felt like, well, the seniors are coming in, but that’s three, four years, yeah, here we go. Right. I mean, was it 22 that the?
John Maroon 16:41
Well, we had the BMW championship in 20 is that two
Nestor Aparicio 16:45
or three? No, one or two? One. Okay, so this one’s next year. Yeah, right, yeah. And so
John Maroon 16:51
the BMW Championship, which is the in the FedEx Cup playoffs, with the PGA Tours coming back to caves Valley, that’s August. And then the Senior PGA Championship, it, which is a major on the senior tours, going to congressional that’s in May. So we got two PGA tour events that we’re working on this year. What’s happening to cage a regular tour? Stop, you big tour. Stop, playoff, FedEx Cup, playoff. Stop, BMW Championship, which was named the tournament of the year last year when it was in Denver, it was named tournament of the year by the PGA Tour. So we got a lot to live up to. We gotta, we gotta step it Well,
Nestor Aparicio 17:23
I mean, I think I’ve talked to you about this, maybe not at length, but I spent a day out there. It was in the middle of my crab cake towards it was hot as hell. Was the last, the last that was their Sunday. I didn’t stay for the play. I spent the morning, and I, you know, I left it after lunch, and I spent three or four hours out on the course, hilly, but just transformative. What? And I’ve been to caves. I’ve been fortunate enough to be invited for lunch, whatever. I’m not a golfer, everybody knows that, but I’ve been on that that property six, eight times over 30 years, by invitation for lunches and whatnot, to go up there and see the public there and see the way they did it. I don’t know how much you’re gonna change this time around, but it really feels like you nailed it pretty good the first time around. Tell
John Maroon 18:07
you what the Western Golf Association runs that event, along with the people at caves Valley, they did an amazing job. I think it showed Baltimore really well as a feather in the cap for our community, we’ve never had anything like that packed it was so cool. And it’s gonna be like that again. Then caves put a bunch of money into the course to make it lower, more challenging for the pros and the little you know, just improvements all around. Where would caves find the money? I’m just kidding, yes. So I think it’s gonna be really, really cool look. Nestor. If I could work on golf all the time, I would. It’s great passion of mine, but, but great. Why is that? What do you love? Back off. I don’t know. I just love because
Nestor Aparicio 18:40
you worked in the NBA, you worked in football, you worked for the Redskins, you worked for the Orioles. You worked in everything but hockey, right? Yeah. Did you work colleges, too? I did not. Never worked in a college, okay, but like, but I think of you like the golf thing feels like it does feel to me like you like that because it’s not team Ori. I mean, you were in better spirits that day, because you your team won’t go winter. When you’re into sports, it’s a little more stressful. It
John Maroon 19:04
is, you know, it’s funny, you said it is stressful. And I tell you the NFL, which you’ve been around a lot more than I have, but the NFL, me and MLB, working in both of those, the stresses on the NFL losses because they’re so significant one or two weeks, well, they last a whole week, and they last all week, and then you lose three in a rounds, like your season baseball, you lose three. Like, yeah, we got to get that together. Get on the plane. We’ll go to Detroit. We’ll fix things. Right, exactly right. So it was just a different mindset. I found there was an intensity to the NFL that was like, Oh my God. And when I was at the Redskins for that one year, that was first year Snyder on the team, that’s a whole nother thing. But the team was good. They won the NFC East, but it was still stressful as hell and but a lot of fun. Were you
Nestor Aparicio 19:45
there for the Mike Nolan ice cream dumping? Oh, see, I didn’t. I did not know you were there for the backstory on that I love Mike Nolan. Well, I mean, who didn’t love Mike Nolan? Well, Dan Snyder. Well, who loved Dan Snyder? I don’t know the. Even the people that took us paycheck. John maroon is here we are at me. She’s a little it’s all brought to you by our Ravens. Raven scratches. This is the last this is the end for me, and it’s got second chances. I’m gonna have the magic eight ball. Seth Elkins, gonna be here. They sent him to me this week special, because he’s one of Yin’s in that from Danton up there. And it’s a Pittsburgh weekend for your mojo of sports, your jersey guy, right? You’ve transplanted here 3030,
John Maroon 20:28
years ago. It’s only been 3030, on next year, okay? 30
Nestor Aparicio 20:31
years ago, the transformation of Baltimore’s a sports community. Your role as a sports executive, that’s a Cal executive. So you’re always in sports and baseball, as well as the other things that golf, the other things you’ve been involved in. The Mojo here was 600 million for the baseball team, for the football team, new owner, one of the great athletes in our culture, playing on the football team right now in Lamar Jackson, like sort of transcendent player. I don’t say these are the good times. We had an AFC Championship game and the team won 101 games, made the playoffs two years in a row. I’m looking up here. It’s 99 days the opening day. I have all my old Baltimore Colts memorabilia. I’ve been going through whatever. There weren’t times like this where the baseball team feels like in the next five years, if Cal and David don’t screw it up, yes, that they’ll have opportunities to be really competitive. And obviously the football team, that’s a different vibe on the street here than when you arrived and there was no football team. And really, you know, I mean, about Peter, than you are, even though you work for him, like I can, it was what it was, and it wasn’t very good, and it wasn’t hopeful. Certainly wasn’t hopeful at Christmas time, the way it is now. I’ll
John Maroon 21:43
tell you this. I think just focusing on the football alone, but right now is a great time to be a Baltimore sports fan. I think you could focus on oils. Didn’t win the game. The Ravens lost at home. If we could focus on like, holy crap, we were both in the postseason. Both dominant teams
Nestor Aparicio 21:57
and exciting seasons
John Maroon 22:00
are exciting season. I gotta look at the season holistically. Once again, the postseason, anything can happen. But I always say this, and I say this with great admiration and respect. Ravens fans are incredibly spoiled fan base. They’re in the players virtue every single year. And I say this because I grew up as, wait for it, a New York Jets fan, and that’s the worst organization in football right now, and they’re my team, because I was born that way, and that’s it. And I love the Ravens. They are my team when they’re not. Are
Nestor Aparicio 22:26
you watching them when they’re two and 11, the Jets? Or you?
John Maroon 22:30
I watched it Sunday. You know, I fell for the Giants
Nestor Aparicio 22:33
fans and went to the Ravens game. Because I’m like, I’ve been up there in that environment. The Jets always suck. Giants fans wearing bags and stuff. I’m like, No, dude, you got a pretty good run. Said spider Lockhart, you guys have been okay. Did they kept showing that Yale Bowl year and all that. I mean, Phil Sims got there after the Hostetler, not Hostetler, the char chick incident. After that, they got stable, and Lawrence Taylor showed up to Super Bowls with Phil. Your life would have been a hell of a lot better if you parents would have made you a Giants fan
John Maroon 23:06
to pick. Yes, oh my god. Why
Nestor Aparicio 23:07
did you become a Jets fan? Yeah,
John Maroon 23:11
it’s crazy. But going back to the ravens, I think they’re, you know, a team that’s in the postseason virtually every year, and now we’re getting that kind of feeling that we expect out of the Orioles too, and that’s such a good feeling. What a what a blessing for us, our city, for our fan base. It’s amazing. Well,
Nestor Aparicio 23:28
for me, there’s hope, right? I mean, with the baseball team, and this is where you Cal, I met David Rubinstein. I don’t think he’s gonna live here. I think Cal is gonna live on my TV screen during the season. So, I mean, but that’s the presence, is the present, right? I mean, like, really, like being present. We noticed when Cal wasn’t there. We noticed when ownership wasn’t around. Like, you know, so, but all that being said, there’s a level now for me, in the communities I walk, it is saying, all right, I don’t have any patience for you, Cal or David, it’s been 30 years like I don’t have patience. This off season has been about where is the change for Katie Griggs, for the organization, for the payroll, for front facing. And this is what you do from PR, from the front, you don’t work for the team. You work with CASS You don’t speak for the team. And I you, and I’ve gotten sideways behind closed doors about like they should hire you. They need a guy. They need somebody from Baltimore. They need a ball. They’re not going about it that way. And it’s December. Give me some vibe out for things you’re seeing that you feel like they’re doing well, and other things that. And I’ve met Katie Griggs or not, but okay, that’s unfortunate, but if she calls you and you should what this is a great thing to say to you. What would you say to Katie Greg’s and pretend cows, not listening now, just you and me, man, we’re having a beer with Maroon, like your thing, you know? Well,
John Maroon 24:50
first I would tell her, welcome to the City. You know? I mean, I think the one thing I learned when I first came here is that you have to earn your stripes in Baltimore. It’s they’re not given to you. Um. And you got to prove yourself a little bit. You got to earn your way with
Nestor Aparicio 25:03
what does that mean, though? What she would then say, I’m from Raleigh. I worked in soccer. I worked for them. What does that tell me what that means you’re going to earn your struggle. To me,
John Maroon 25:12
you got to prove that you’re that you love Baltimore, that you care about Baltimore, that you want to be part of the community, that you can eat a crab with the best of them. I think those are the things that really matter. Like when I moved here, I didn’t feel, and I don’t I’m not judging. I didn’t feel, but wasn’t immediate. Like, come here. New guy was like, All right, let’s see your guy from Cleveland, guy from Jersey.
Nestor Aparicio 25:31
Did you think you’re staying here 30 years and making a life? No, no, you’re gonna be the Yankees. PR, Director one. They’re like, You know
John Maroon 25:37
what? I didn’t know what the future held, but I certainly thought, I’d be here, but I didn’t. It was my third job out of college, and I thought Oreos PR Job was a great job, great job. And I was the under 30 when I got the head job. So I was 29 which is pretty cool,
Nestor Aparicio 25:52
really. Yeah, yeah, I still think if he was young, you must have really been young. I mean, I was really I was young too. I mean, I was 26 back then, you always felt a little older than me, maybe because you had a job that had a title, and like all of that, that you felt like you were half a generation, that you were listening to Zeppelin on LP, as opposed to see but, but I guess that time and space in the years start to crunch, to say 29 year old, PR, Director, that’s not It’s a young person’s game, dude. I mean flying around doing all that like I dreamed of being a baseball beat writer. You can pay me a half million dollars a year right now and say you’re on the beat. Chris Corman’s coming. I’m sure he’ll have that kind of money for me. And you’re on the beat, and I’d be like, Oh, dude, that’s a dude, dude, like February, spring training throughout long, long it is
John Maroon 26:42
the best job. From going back to the PR director is the best job in the world for a young person. And I remember around so I was here. I got the job. Was 29 probably went to the red scenes. I was like, 35 PR, whatever. But I at 35 I was kind of like, I don’t want him. I can be on once a week’s a good schedule for football, right? It was great, right? It was, I remember when I interviewed for the job, putting the Snyder factor aside, is excited. I always loved the NFL. It was cool, historic franchise. And I remember he
Nestor Aparicio 27:13
was working for Peter. I’m just saying I just thrown that in that’s just throwing that in for you.
John Maroon 27:17
And really cool side note, I got a call from a guy, Harvey green. It was the Yankees PR guy that he went to the dolphins, and he said, John, take it. It’s like semi retirement compared to baseball, you know, because it’s, yeah, once a week hard. Was a great guy too. He’s a great guy. And so I fortunately got the job, and I really enjoyed it. If it wasn’t for the ownership, I would, I would have probably tried to stay in the NFL a long time. Everyone was very welcoming. I enjoyed it. I love working with the athletes. I love being a part of the team. Who’s quarterback. Brad Johnson, oh, okay, great dude. Yeah. I mean, they were, they were loaded, they were good team. They’re both champion. Brad Johnson, yes. He went left Tampa, won the ring. Yeah. So great guy. John maruza, can we talk about Brad Johnson? His wife is named Nikki. Nikki. She played volleyball at like, South Florida. She was, she was jaw droppingly Beautiful and so friendly too. I remember she’d walk in the office and Drew Johnson, who worked with me at the red teams. He’s now with Phelps. Public, sure. So DJ and I was just oh my god, Nikki’s here. We get all happy. She was so sweet and absolutely stunning. And
Nestor Aparicio 28:18
you were one year with Redskins? Yeah, one year, one and done down there. And it’s funny, every loud and
John Maroon 28:23
park after my last day on the job was the day of the draft. We drafted Chris Samuels and levar Arrington, one and two, and then hopped on Snyder’s plane from New York, flew down here, went to the stadium. There’s a big fan thing. It was really cool. LeVar and Chris were very excited. It was great. And I was out. I think everybody thought I was fired, because that’s what Dan did. He fired people. I said, No, I left. But I’m sure I would have been fired. I just, I beat him to the you were in the process of getting fired, but, yeah, that’s right, it was coming
Nestor Aparicio 28:53
a mutual parting of the way, as the PR would say, John maroon is here. We have not had a mutual parting of the way. So you so for what you did. People know of you sports account and all that, I happen to know that, like you’ve created this whole industry of PR and and media, and one of our partners with we work when we do golf, you do do all, yeah. I mean, have Tom on all the time, and have all, you know, all the, all the folks that the run go through them all here now, right? Hollywood casino at Perryville. Well, I watched Lamar lose to the Giants up there last year, so I don’t hold that against them. But you work in governmental spaces. You work in local spaces, business openings, events. You do you you were a reformed sports exactly, what is the maroon, I say agency, or what do you call it? At this point, it’s the agency still,
John Maroon 29:48
yeah, it’s an agency, okay? It’s a public relations firm. And thanks for asking. So we we work, really, there’s kind of three buckets in which we work. It’s earned media, which is media relations, talking to folks like yourself. So it’s social media. We run social platforms. We create content and do strategy for clients on their social and it’s paid when they have a budget. How do we help them deploy it to get the most out of it? So we do that, and then really we the three vectors in which most of our clients live are nonprofits, hospitality and sports property. So sports is largely outside of the Ripken thing. It’s the Maryland Sports Commission. It’s commission with Terry has a sign, is a great client. They’re doing great things for our state. And then it’s a lot of events that come into town. Nonprofits. I mean, we’re talking Maryland Food Bank, Cal Ripken, senior Foundation, National Law Enforcement Officers, Memorial, Marine Corps, Scholarship Foundation, some really great well, the food bank.
Nestor Aparicio 30:38
I mean, I did the company Super Bowl last year. We’re gonna do that again this year, in February, moving it around. The
John Maroon 30:43
Food Bank is a blessing to a state. It’s the most well run nonprofit I could think of, and they are feeding people across our state.
Nestor Aparicio 30:51
It’s so fundamental, it’s fundamental. And you know, I did the cup of Super Bowl last year. Carmen came out and did an hour with me. Unlike the third or fourth day. I was a couple days into it. I was getting like, tired, get a little punch drunk, doing eight hours a day live radio, which I’m not gonna do marathon crap, too old for now. I’m gonna do it. We’re gonna do charities. I’m not doing it on a clock, live radio. I’m just not. My wife said, I lose my mind. I Carmen out and just talking about this time of year, it’s holidays, and lights are up. You know, it smells like mistletoe in here. Everybody wants to give a coat. They want to give give. They want to do something. All the athletes are out doing stuff, giving the kids and toys, toys, all that. And then in January, she kind of goes away and all these food pantries in the coldest, darkest period. That’s why Carmen said to me and the folks at the food bank, they’re like, nobody does anything for us in February. Anything for us in February. I’m like, Well, let me get behind that, because that’s when the pantries get empty. Yes, and God, we have a snow storm for 10 days. You wonder where you’re gonna eat. We get a foot of snow, two feet of snow, everything shuts down. I talked about it because, you know, I think about this too much. I mean, you’ve known me 30 years, but when I got to thinking about like a cause for a couple Super Bowl and what’s going on with me doing real Super Bowls and Chad and all the crap? I thought to myself, what? What’s a cause I can get behind that would be universal, that wouldn’t involve money or give me money, or any of that. Although you can donate to the food bank, they’ll take your money. But my dad grew up Scranton, Pennsylvania, 1929 he was 10 years old. He would always, and my dad’s been dead 35 years, I don’t think about my dad’s words, and it doesn’t come to me his little sayings or stuff he said, or his dumb jokes, or any of that stuff, even though I praise him every year on March 5 its birthday. But he would always say to me, when I was a boy, because he he stood in suplex, he would always, never voted for a Republican because of Herbert Hoover chicken, in every pot. My dad would say, you know, like, whatever, right? So he would rub my belly and say, you got $1 in your pocket. Put some food in your belly. Put some food in your belly. And I hadn’t thought of that in 30 years, until this couple Super Bowl thing happened, and I called the food bank, and on the first day, I saw someone with a came to pick the stuff up at down at fade Lee’s, and they did the show with me. And I just remembered that moment. I hadn’t thought of that in 30 years, and I thought, well, there it is. There’s a re you know, you don’t know why you it’s the evidence that, like the psychology couch, you don’t know exactly why, but your why comes to you sometimes, but the food bank thing. So when these folks, when you got out of sports, and you’re like, I’m ripkins guy, but I was a sports guy, but I’m gonna change that brand, and we’re gonna do more sports like golf and other things, the nonprofit hospitals, the other your entree into that world for PR, that’s a, I mean, you made a hell of a brand move, you know?
John Maroon 33:37
Yeah, thanks. It was gradual. I wish I could tell you some great plan. I mean, when I opened the agency in 2006 I thought it’d be a sport. You thought it was a sport? I knew, right? Cal and I had the who would hire me to do anything else? Right? Yeah, sure. And so slowly, because of said, oh, shoot, if we’re going to do this right, we need to get other kinds of businesses, other kinds of clients, and couple people took a risk on us. I remember the American Cancer Society, Maryland chapter was the first one to really go, yeah, we’ll give you a shot sports guy. And they just kind of like, took off from there and then leaked into hospitality with, you know, we’re lucky, the casinos, hotels and restaurants and stuff. So, no, it’s been great, but it was certainly a it was an evolution, and it was a gradual one.
Nestor Aparicio 34:19
Well, I mean, you’re busy every day doing stuff. I wanted to bring the golf up. What else are you work? Plug away on current event. We did cow, we did ancient history. We’ve done holidays. We haven’t had a meatball yet here. I mean, she’s but what? What’s what gets you up every day? Because it’s not just Cal or just the golf, it’s always you’re finding new things. You hit me about them all the time. Yeah, and
John Maroon 34:39
I love it. It’s fun. And thanks, Nestor. I think, you know, I got 15 people at the company, and we all, there’s 15 of us now, and we’re all, no, we’re making so many emails. That’s right. They’re all, they all, they only doing. Nestor, yeah, um, no, but, but, you know, it’s a great, great group. They’re really passionate about what they do. And I think what we’ve done really well is we’ve kind of evolved with the. With the industry, right? So we were on the first PR firms, I think, to bring a videographer in house. We got really into understanding social and taking a deep dive on that. Now we’re getting really into the AI universe, which is freaky deaky, and so I think just staying ahead of the curb, not putting the emphasis on me, because there’s younger people that understand that stuff a lot better than I do. I’m the old fart. You’re the front. I’m the front. That’s right. But there’s a lot of really, really smart, engaging, creative people in our place that keep make sure we’re staying on top of it for our clients and but you know, this the one thing you understand. I’ve always admired you as a business owner, a hustler, and somebody goes out and finds a business, it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s not for everybody. You got to go every single day, and you got to find business. And that’s I love it, or you don’t. You’re made for. You’re not. You are made for. I
Nestor Aparicio 35:47
had a three decade sponsor, wow. Cancel on me this week, and I got a two sentence email. I’m in the fetal position. No, no. It was a shrinking client. You know, three years I got a three sentence email after being a spokesperson for the brand for 28 years and changing hands whatever, didn’t even get a meeting, didn’t get a pitch, didn’t and I’m thinking to myself, we’re just in a different place in space, when Chad Steele says you’re a media member and you’re not, and we didn’t even cover the Giants game the other day because Luke had a religious object. Luke is a deacon at his church. He had a family issue. He Yeah, these Deacon Jones calling that. He loves that. So, so we didn’t, and it looks 16 point whatever it was, a blowout or whatever. But from the sports media standpoint, and I had Mark Hyman on, and he and I went nose to nose two weeks ago about I had a 16 year old girl reached me a couple weeks ago and say, I love sports. I want to be sports broadcaster. Dad’s a fan. He said, can you talk to my granddaughter? It was granddaughter. You talk my granddaughter. I’m like, she don’t want to talk to I’m too disgruntled, like and I don’t have anything to offer. That’s hopeful to say that if you go get a media journalism degree at Maryland, that there’s going to be a a job. And I’ll talk to Chris Corbin about that when he gets here as well, harder than ever man and and the fact that I stand here and do this, and this is a big list of local sponsor that sent me a dear John. It was Nestor. And I’m thinking to myself, all these years into this, you’re like, you’re like, I stand in admiration your business. Nobody knows like, what goes in to keeping a sponsor for 30 years and the importance of it. And I’m really getting to the point gonna develop an app for Baltimore positive and I have, I have a vertical on QR codes and different things that I’m gonna be doing next year, because I’ve just decided don’t tell anybody. Nobody listens to the show anyway. Yeah, the sports thing. I’m 56 now, and other than collecting old trinkets that mean something to me, like today, I almost spent $12 buying a Jets Baltimore Colts ticket stub from the first game I went. It wasn’t a stub. It’s a whole ticket, unused ticket. Jets colts, 1973 is the first game I went. Oh my gosh. So yeah, Stan white sack Joe. Name is separated shoulder. Stan loves telling me that when he sees me and I’m thinking like, I’ve been sports all of this time, and I try to think of what sports gives to me at this point, maybe I’ve just wrung out what my 27 Super Bowls, my 50 World Series games, my 200,000 hours of taking phone calls and hiring people like, there just comes a point where it’s like I shook David Rubenstein’s hand. He didn’t care about me. You just didn’t care about me. You know what I mean, like at all. And I’m just sort of like, I the thing that I do that’s most important is this business connecting Baltimore to Baltimore. That’s really always been the heart of what I did. Well, it’s bringing Baltimore people to Hooters 30 years ago is no different than bringing Baltimore people to meet you today. Great. You know,
John Maroon 39:05
it’s critically important. And look, the world changes. And going back to like your the three sentence email you got from the sponsor, somebody’s
Nestor Aparicio 39:12
never met me, somebody’s never taken a meeting that’s running a company that I’ve been involved with didn’t even take a zoom for 20 minutes and then fire me. It’s really,
John Maroon 39:20
it’s bizarre. I think just some people don’t know how to handle the better you handle the most difficult situations, the better you’re gonna look, the better you’re gonna feel. Like, instead of doing that, yeah, they might feel easier at the time. Like, I don’t want to hear this guy and what talk to on a tick channel here, send this email. It reflects poorly on you, on your organization, and if you just sat down to Nestor, I’m really sorry. I hope you we cut the budget, right? Okay, you know, it still stinks. Maybe we could figure out a way to save some of maybe next year, not something lie to me,
Nestor Aparicio 39:52
but, yeah, but look me in the eye, right? And that’s, that’s Baltimore, that’s Baltimore, that’s Baltimore. Look me in the eye. Is Baltimore. You know, I love. And, you know, I got sideways to Billy Ripken 30 years ago. He still takes my call. Sometimes he does. How does Cal field watch his brother on TV? I must be right. I mean,
John Maroon 40:09
he loves it. Billy’s in his element. Well, Billy is in his element. And if anybody watches that man, will be network. He’s very good, but he’s also the guy. He is the guy that like. Doesn’t like analytics at all. He wrote a whole book about it. He likes the old school scouts and all that, cows a little more like mixed right? Sees the value of all the modern day analytics, but also sees the value of this. And so they’ve
Nestor Aparicio 40:31
always been more analytical than Billy. We know this, correct? We know you analytical guy I’ve ever met. Well, then why can he not like analytics? Then? Well,
John Maroon 40:40
he does like it, but he likes a balance. Well, Ali’s is just straight like no analytic. I
Nestor Aparicio 40:45
would say to you that you still have the best part of sports. You have Cal. So that’s the memory and what things that used to be. I’m waiting for some, and I don’t want to be in a GET OFF MY long guy, but I’m waiting for some of the current things to be as good as it used to be. And, and that’s not me being a prick. That’s me saying going to a Ravens game in seats that I was thrown out of that now cost three times as much, and there’s 20,000 Eagles fans around that didn’t happen for 20 there’s a picture of Ray Lewis over here kneeling on Ben Roethlisberger stall, you know, like with the steam coming out and all that. Like, if that happened in Pittsburgh, it was all Pittsburgh people. If that happened in Baltimore, it’s all Baltimore it’s all Baltimore people. This the gambling, the lack of local focus, the fact that chat steel would throw me out of all people after 40 years, like just the fact that they don’t care as much to be local, that they think of themselves as more of international brands, and they’re not on the streets. And I would say, into the cow. I said that David Rubenstein, there’s 10,000 empty seats at the playoff game. That’s trauma that would never happen in 96 or 97 on your watch. And if it happened 9596
John Maroon 41:53
97 you could knock it into Oriole Park. Here’s where I’ll get a
Nestor Aparicio 41:56
little sideways with you on this. Because if you’re working there right now, and you’re the PR guy, or if it’s Jane Graham, whoever it is is running it, that’s gonna hurt you, dude. It hurt me watching on TV 10,000 empty seats at a playoff game when you work there. It might, it would have been inconceivable, let alone
John Maroon 42:16
I remember being so ripped shit when we played the Yankees in like, 9697 if there were 500 Yankee fans, too
Nestor Aparicio 42:24
many I was four to 99 I would be like, well, this is why, I mean my ravens tickets. And Chad Steele doesn’t know this, but he didn’t care to know. But the reason I had all the seats in 513 that I could, first off, I sold 1200 PSLs, so we had 1311, and 13 was my section. 12 and 14 were full of our fans. In the day, there’s already art. The preseason games were full. And at the preseason game, every seat in our section was taken by the PSL older but the seats in the front, the first three rows, handicap and and because of the charter in the 90s, with PSLs, 1% of the stadium had to be earmarked to not be PSL. Then it would have been 100,000 PSLs for 65,000 seats, right? So there were 650 or whatever that number is, and those seats were not available because they were handicapped. And what would happen is, the first two years, all Steelers fans, all Browns fans, one thing, and they were all getting thrown. People throwing at their heads in the row one, two and three. So the reason I’m in row one for 20 years is Baker and Roy came to me and they’re like, Dude fights in your section. Just take the tickets and sell them to people that are wearing purple, right? So my role for anybody and my wife’s family will tell you 2003 I married into a Patriots family, and they came here and played, and I said to my father in law and my sister in law, you can sit in our seats, but you ain’t wearing the Tom Brady jurors now, like you’re not not in my seat, you’re not doing that that’s in my soul. So to see 10,000 empty seats at a playoff game, and I’m one of them, I could have bought a ticket for 10 bucks. I was free that day. I’m watching on TV because I’m banned, and it pisses me off, and they don’t deserve my money. So a lot
John Maroon 44:19
of challenge in sports right now, right? And I’m saying it’s here for sure. And I think,
Nestor Aparicio 44:24
well, the media parts the biggest challenge, like this week, trying to find Netflix, Apple TV, just to watch the games they have over, speculated on what we’re willing to baseball doing that forever. What time’s the game tomorrow? I don’t know. We’ll let you know tonight,
John Maroon 44:38
like, literally, right? So I think there’s all that stuff is just kind of a conflict, and then people just having more diverse interests than we were kids. You know, when we were kids, it was, watch the baseball game, watch the football and now there’s 8 million other things to do. There’s other ways to entertain yourself. So look, I think, I think all sports, and then you look at colleges. Right with the N i L and culture, the transit
Nestor Aparicio 45:02
the N i l thing that’s a whole the transfer portal. It’s made me lose interest in it. It’s hard as a fan. It’s just made me care less. And I this is where, if I have any message for Katie Griggs or for Cal or for make us all care more. Yeah, it’s been 30 years where it hasn’t been great. Well, like I’m not here to piss on Peter, like he’s gone. We can all agree it could be better. We can all agree somebody’s gonna have to sit in those 10,000 empty seats at the playoff game next year. Let’s figure out who they are, and let’s figure out a higher price point where people feel more value. Well look and they feel like I’m gonna abandon my children and my job to go to a baseball playoff game because it matters that much. Matter that much to my dad?
John Maroon 45:43
No, I agree. Look, I mean, here’s the other thing too. When you have guy like Rubenstein’s Baltimore guy, obviously deep pockets with a great ownership group, and you got a legend like Cal Ripken back in the fold, there’s, it’s, it’s very heartwarming, but it also raises the bar of expectation. People
Nestor Aparicio 46:00
expect something different this off season that they haven’t had, and they haven’t gotten it
John Maroon 46:05
yet. And in the end, say, I would even say in the years ahead, I think there’s just, I think there’s an expectation you start to see a little bit now there’s movement on improvements to the ballpark, which I think are much needed. It’s a great park, but it’s outdated in a lot of ways, right? And so I just think there is that that just comes with the territory. Okay, that’s
Nestor Aparicio 46:24
any business. The previous owners let it go. That translates when you sell something. But you know, you’re with Cal and cows involved in this. And for that there, it brings credibility right from the beginning, but it also brings expectations Absolutely. So we’re in agreement on that? I agree, yeah, 100% John maroon is here. He’s running things around the city. You can find him out on the internet anywhere. Is it? P, is it maroon eight, I want to say marine agency still call that Maroon. Pr.com, room. Pr.com, so it’s okay, because agency sounds so well. PR, I don’t want to offend Bob Leffler, because I love him, but it sounds like it’s from the 1970s when you’re saying an agency we’re in pr.com baby, the only agency that buys advertising for w, N, S T, because agencies were always my crypto more. We’re got more of that team. I got meatballs here. We’re at a me cheese. We’re doing the first ever, your pioneer, first ever crab cake tour without a crap. There’s no crab cake here, but there is a Pawnee Rotunda here. There’s delicious meatballs. Sam sestor was here a little earlier. We had Marty Conway here for an hour talking about the sports business of business. John maroon is here to the theme going on in the baseball bar, the baseball stuff. Allen McCallum is gonna be here later. We’re gonna have some surprises as well. Chris Corman from the Baltimore banner will be here, formerly the Baltimore Sun. And I keep saying to Chris, when this thing falls apart, I’m gonna need a gig, you know. So I’m trying to be nice to corn, yeah? So good nonetheless. Around here long Yeah, he and I gotta piss on each other about pay walls. I am Nestor. We are W N, S T we’re at a me cheese of Little Italy. It’s all brought to you by the Maryland lottery. In conjunction with our friends at Jiffy Lube multi care, I’m feeling so satiated visiting with friends for the holidays, it feels so Burl Ives to me. You know, I feel like I need a red nose. I.
