It’s always fun having a former MLB player on the Maryland Crab Cake Tour and former Towson Tigers and big-league outfield Casper Wells returned at Greenmount Station with Zach Dermer and our 1990s WNST ballpark reporter Howard Scher to talk summer baseball and inside heat.
Nestor Aparicio hosts a baseball discussion at Green Mount Station with former big leaguer Casper Wells and Zach Dermer from Farron and Dermer. They discuss the impact of the APS system on umpiring and player performance, praising its accountability and impact on strike zones. Casper highlights the Phillies’ comeback and the importance of college baseball in player development. They also touch on the Orioles’ trade deadline strategy, potential player trades, and the benefits of playing in college for high school prospects. The conversation also includes personal anecdotes and favorite ballparks, with a focus on the unique experiences of playing in various stadiums.
- [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Send the Nabholz clip screenshot to Casper so he can review it.
- [ ] Arrange and hold a one-on-one lunch conversation with Zach to discuss the upcoming trade deadline and related topics.
Greenmount Station Introduction and Guest Introductions
- Nestor Aparicio welcomes listeners to WNST 1570 Towson, Baltimore, and introduces the Carroll County crew at Greenmount Station.
- Nestor mentions his sponsor, Zach Dermer, and jokes about forgetting his shirt and Super Soaker golf cup.
- Casper Wells, a former big league player, is introduced, and Nestor shares a story about Eddie Augustine winning the Visionary to the Year award due to his son’s leukemia diagnosis.
- Nestor talks about his wife’s family’s experience with bone marrow matching and his support for Germany.
- Nestor introduces Howard Scher, the original ballpark reporter, and mentions Luke, the current ballpark reporter, who is teaching at Loyola’s Sports Broadcasting Camp.
Baseball Insights and Personal Stories
- Nestor asks Casper Wells about his thoughts on baseball this time of year, and Casper mentions the Phillies’ impressive comeback.
- Casper gives a shout-out to Richie Palacio, a former Towson alum, and Nestor shares a story about Chris Naples, another Towson alum who played in the big leagues.
- Casper and Nestor discuss the history of Towson alums in professional baseball, including Billy Hunter.
- Nestor shares a story about Billy Hunter being on an Orioles baseball card in 1955 and the age difference between generations of baseball fans.
- Casper and Nestor discuss the impact of the APS system on baseball, comparing it to the introduction of instant replay in football.
Impact of Technology on Umpiring and Player Perspectives
- Nestor and Casper discuss the impact of the APS system on umpiring and player performance, with Casper expressing a pro-technology stance.
- Casper shares his experiences with umpires like Joe West and the challenges of hitting with pitchers controlling the strike zone.
- Nestor and Casper discuss the historical context of umpiring and the evolution of the strike zone.
- Nestor compares the APS system to other sports’ rules, such as hand checking in basketball and diving in soccer, and the importance of having clear rules in baseball.
- Casper and Nestor discuss the potential changes to the APS system for the next season, including the possibility of more time for challenges.
Player Performance and Team Dynamics
- Nestor and Casper discuss the Orioles’ performance, focusing on the team’s defense and the impact of players like Mason Miller.
- Casper praises Miller’s consistent mechanics and the potential for him to avoid injuries.
- Nestor and Casper discuss the National League Cy Young race, with Casper noting the surprising performance of Miz.
- Nestor shares his nostalgia for great players and moments in baseball history, such as Mark Fidrych and Fernando Mania.
- Casper and Nestor discuss their favorite stadiums, with Casper mentioning his first major league hit at Oakland and his fondness for Target Field in Minnesota.
Favorite Stadiums and Ballpark Experiences
- Nestor and Casper share their favorite stadiums, with Nestor mentioning his preference for Camden Yards and the unique experiences of other ballparks like Dodger Stadium and Fenway Park.
- Casper talks about the charm of playing in stadiums like Oakland and the historical significance of Dodger Stadium.
- Nestor and Casper discuss the importance of the ballpark experience for fans, comparing it to other sports venues.
- Nestor mentions the impact of the Orioles’ performance on the ballpark experience and the potential for improvements in fan engagement.
- Casper and Nestor discuss the role of college baseball in the development of professional players and the benefits of playing in college.
College Baseball and Player Development
- Casper and Nestor discuss the growing importance of college baseball in the development of professional players.
- Casper notes the increased attention on college baseball and the impact on the draft process.
- Nestor shares his experiences playing in the minor leagues and the challenges of traveling and playing in various stadiums.
- Casper talks about his experiences playing in the New York-Penn League and the Caribbean Winter League.
- Nestor and Casper discuss the benefits of playing in college, including the opportunity to get an education and earn NIL money.
Trade Deadline and Team Strategy
- Zach Dermer asks about the Orioles’ trade deadline strategy, and Nestor expresses concerns about the team’s long-term direction.
- Casper mentions the Orioles’ recent draft picks and the potential for trading one of the top catchers.
- Nestor and Casper discuss the impact of college baseball on the draft and the potential for high school players to choose college over professional baseball.
- Casper shares his experiences playing in the minor leagues and the challenges of adjusting to professional baseball.
- Nestor and Casper discuss the importance of player development and the role of college baseball in preparing players for the major leagues.
Final Thoughts and Future Plans
- Nestor and Casper discuss the future of baseball and the potential for new technologies to impact the game.
- Casper shares his thoughts on the importance of player development and the role of college baseball in preparing players for the major leagues.
- Nestor and Casper discuss the potential for changes to the APS system and the impact on umpiring and player performance.
- Zach Dermer thanks the guests and mentions his company’s services in heating and air repairs, installs, and maintenance.
- Nestor wraps up the segment, mentioning the importance of relevant topics in baseball discussions and the potential for future conversations.
Nestor Aparicio 0:01
Welcome home, we are W N S T A M 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We are Baltimore positive, positively here at Green Mount Station. If you’re watching out on the webcam, I got my own little FIFA dream team here. We have the Carroll County crew today. We’re up here in Hampstead, the beautiful Green Mount Station. I set up here because it’s, it’s.. I don’t need to put it on the Chiron, it’s here, unlike Howard, who brought all this Duck Doctor stuff, unlike my real sponsor Zach Dermer, who helps finance this operation at Foreigner Dermer, who is already chastised me because I was busy doing my laundry, I didn’t wear my shirt, Howie, I didn’t bring that big Super Soaker golf cup that you give me? I know you’re gonna wind up getting one to Casper Wells. Casper Wells is here, former big league player. I keep calling you Visionary to Year, but you weren’t. You were the runner who won.
Casper Wells 0:50
Eddie Augustine won, and rightfully so. His son had leukemia diagnosed at eight months old, and his older son was a bone marrow match that helped him so
Nestor Aparicio 1:01
all in the family, my wife, my wife’s family did was not a match, so hence Neil’s hence our support of Germany. I think I told you, my wife can go party with the German people in Foxboro on Monday, so I’m highly encouraging her to do that. I don’t know if it’s actually going to happen or not, but Howie’s my lifelong friend. If you don’t know Howard, Howard was our very first ballpark reporter, Luke, our current ballpark reporter, is teaching youngsters at the Sports Broadcasting Camp down at Loyola today. He took the assignment from me. Zach Dermer is here for Farron and Dermer. There, Comfort Guys, and Castro, I listen. This is Ensemble Baseball. Can I do, Casper, you played in the big leagues a minute or three? What’s on your mind, baseball-wise, this time of year, like, what’s caught your attention, other than maybe the Orioles trying to get back in this from the local perspective, but I mean, you watch, you see the game differently than the way we see the game, even though Howard covered it for a decade for me, and we love the game, but playing the game, what catches your eye this summer,
8
Casper Wells 1:59
you know, really, I think the Phillies kind of coming back. I played on the Phillies for a little bit, so where they started out and where they’ve been coming back is pretty impressive. Obviously, I give a shout out to Richie Palacio’s former Towson alum. I keep following him, he’s been occupying my free time. When it’s not with Heller Co, it’s or with my family, it’s kind of checking out and seeing what Richie’s doing. Did
Nestor Aparicio 2:22
I send you that Nab Hols clip? Did I text you that? I took a screenshot, but I’m gonna send it to you. Chris Naples, yeah, the other Towson guy. I was telling you guys, for one, on I’ve been going through my archives, all my FIFA stuff. I found the cover story I wrote on Chris Naples when he was an expo.
Zach Dermer 2:36
Yes, he’s the
Nestor Aparicio 2:37
original,
Casper Wells 2:38
oh yeah,
Nestor Aparicio 2:38
Towson guy that played in the big leagues. Was this anybody before him, or am I nuts?
Casper Wells 2:42
I don’t think so. I mean, three of you, Coach Hunter, Billy Hunter, of course. Yeah, just really three of us. There’s a couple, couple of guys drafted pretty high. Billy
8Nestor Aparicio 2:52
Hunter was.. do you know who’s on an SK baseball card 1955 as an Oriole? That he was the third base coach for the 1973 when Terry Crowley, who hangs out right here at the OTB, was playing on the team, you know, man. If I would have had Crowley over here with the two, who would out have been something, right?
Casper Wells 3:08
Yeah, I mean, I found out what a big deal it was when I was there. I didn’t know when I was in, when I was in college, and you know, Mike Olive introduced me, and I had conversations with Billy when I was in college, didn’t know, but you know, post college, and obviously, like, wow, okay, yeah,
Nestor Aparicio 3:21
why often wonder young people even know who Jim Palmer is, right? Like, you know, I mean, it there really is an age difference. Billy Hunter was like a whole generation behind that kind of, sort of.
Casper Wells 3:31
No, absolutely, yeah. But I mean, you hear it, and if you don’t hear it, you hear from all the other Oriole fans that are around, so you learn real quick
Nestor Aparicio 3:39
what Italian tradition is strong, so, but the APS system is the thing for me that I mean, it kind of reminds me like when Insta replay came, once you, it’s like potato chips, once you eat one, you, they never go back in a bag, every single pitch, it’s interesting as a viewer, and even, like, example, it feels like a minute ago, but I was watching Kevin Brown call the game Tuesday night, like sixth inning of the game, the Angels guy threw a straight strike down the middle, he got called a ball, and he didn’t challenge it because he lost the challenge earlier, but it’s such a strike, and Kevin’s like, well, you know, game changers on that, and I’m thinking, in the old days there was no tap, my cat, none of that. Old days, old days was eight weeks ago. This is a brand new technology that, if can you imagine if they took it away?
Howard Scher 4:28
Oh, I mean,
Nestor Aparicio 4:29
that would be the worst, right?
8Howard Scher 4:30
I think, for one thing, the umpires have been exposed a little bit, absolutely, not how bad they really can be. I mean, I’m not saying all of them are, but how bad they can be. But there’s.. it’s a whole different strategy now into a game, and you have to plan on when you’re going to use your challenges. And last night the Orioles used them early and were stuck without them. I think it was like the fifth inning, they had a pitch or something like that, or sixth inning similar to that, and they couldn’t even challenge it.
Nestor Aparicio 4:54
What’s your ethos on it as a player, like in the batter’s box, looking back on all the bats you. Had how many times you’d screwed yourself and screwed your team? What are you laughing at? Oh,
Casper Wells 5:04
I’ll be tapped my helmet quite a bit when Joe West will be on home plate when I was on the bat. I’ll tell you that. Okay, sontric, I’m very pro, and I’m coming from the offensive side, right, where I want more accountability for umpires, and it does help the hitters out because it’s, it’s more offensive, you know, geared towards more offensive, you know, offensively, just because it’s tough to just hit in general with pitchers, you know, kind of controlling, and you give them a little bit off the plate, then it’s that much, that much more they get, and then it’s like, okay, now the plates extended out, but he got it right, yeah, I mean, you know, and then when you’re a rookie, you know, which I was, I felt like I was a rookie for most of my career, even though it was, I felt like I was rookie for more than one year of my career, right. So, so umpires would give pitchers a little bit off the plate and in regardless of where you are. So, I think it’s just, it’s just a little more accountability, and it’s like, look, it’s a strike, it’s a strike, it’s not not playing favoritism with whoever’s on the mound, you know, because he sent you a Christmas card, you know, and Justin Verna is out of mountain, been playing, have been pitching forever, still pitching, and it’s like we’re going to give this guy whatever, you know, it’s kind of evens it a little more, because you know, pitchers always have that advantage, especially since they’re throwing well over 100 now, majority of them, so I think it just kind of levels the playing field a little bit,
Howard Scher 6:16
it does, and I think it’s actually exposed some pitchers, the guys that used to nibble a lot, and maybe took that extra inch on the outside corner. I like the
Nestor Aparicio 6:25
absoluteness of it. Yeah, I mean, I like, look, I like a good debate where there’s.. we just came off an election yesterday, we can discuss things rationally. There doesn’t have to be going to be black and white, but I feel like the strike zone was along with hand checking in the NBA, and diving in soccer, as I’ve watched five minutes or so, I didn’t want.. I finally put it on last night. First thing I see, ah, broke my leg, you back up, and I’m thinking to myself, all right, in baseball, there’s, you know, there was some acting like you guys want to fight when you really didn’t want to fight on a bean ball or whatever. There’s a little bit of a dance about it, but the strike zone was the ultimate dance, based on he’s still pissed at Joe West, right? Right, I mean the Angel Hernandez thing, when, like, for every era, well, right there you go, but it’s a strike zone. It’s like in tennis, the ball’s in or it’s out, right? Basketball, the ball either goes in the basket or it doesn’t, like they’re these absolutes, but like I always found hand checking in basketball, like what is a foul, and movement in basketball to be so game changing, but the strike zone in baseball, nothing affects any sport more than the strike zone in baseball.
Howard Scher 7:34
So, this is the thing, is Palmer brought it up last night, and I don’t know if anybody listened to the game or watched the game, but he, he, you know, the strike zone changes for every hitter, because you know, shoulders to the knees are measured, and all that stuff. And he said he thinks that, like, most guys walk to the plate and really don’t know what the strike zone is, because they’re used to it being kind of straight down the middle, and sort of last year, maybe it was, you know, your stomach to your knees, if you were six feet four or something like that, versus a guy coming up who’s 511 so, but psychologically,
Nestor Aparicio 8:07
you can’t get screwed anymore. Joe West can’t really screw you with a bad call, and you, you’re, and the umpire can’t systemically screw you, because your last name’s not Gwen or Ripken, right, or Mantle, or, or what, you know, whatever the name of the day would be, bonds, whatever it is, to say that it’s made it more equitable again. And I go back to this, I mean, you were a player, and this is really hard for you, Luke, and I get into it’s a television show for me, and it literally, it’s a television show for most people to watch it every night. Yeah, I don’t go to every game, I watch it on TV, and as a television show, it now has had what I’ll give a damn about dancing with the stars, but the judges, the judges were, you know, the judge of the strike zone is the, is especially in Latin Ball, and we talked about this last time you were on, it’s part of the dance of why fans whistle or cheer or all that, watching it on TV, and seeing the strike zone, and having it be absolute. It, it is more like a tennis match. It is more like it’s better. It’s, it was better the first weekend. I had you on early, I had you on early in the year. You and I have been talking for months. Luke just walked in. We talk every day. I can you imagine if they took it away on the fourth of July, all-star break. We changed the rules. Players don’t like it, umpires don’t like, we get rid of it. It would be a setback for baseball, that would be unlike anything other than the shift, maybe. Right, that’s right. Well, that, so I guess
8Howard Scher 9:35
the follow question to this is, you know, they’re going to make changes going into next season with it, what are those changes going to be?
Nestor Aparicio 9:42
Get more, the
Howard Scher 9:43
amount, is it going to be more, is it going to be more time? Because sometimes you watch the catcher look at the pitcher and kind of wait to see if they should challenge it, and then the three seconds are up. I mean, it’s really fast.
Nestor Aparicio 9:55
What do you think?
Casper Wells 9:57
I’m not sure, because this is all new to me. Me, so I’m just, I’m just like, it’s
Nestor Aparicio 10:02
so much fun to talk about it, because it affects every pitch, every decision, pitcher, hitter, catcher, at any minute, they can f their team, or they can get that strike back, or get that ball back, or you know, early in the game, does it mean a lot? Well, depends situationally, as Luke would always say the leverage, you know, got guys on, we got guys off. Is it going to cost me a strikeout? Is it going to get me a strikeout? Is it going to get me a walk? Is it gonna get me a head in the counter, but and all of that is nuanced and balanced in three seconds. So it’s they just made the sport a lot more exciting for an old fart like me. With a, I like it. We get to how lousy the baseball team’s been, or how underachieving, or how late it is up at night or the strike, we pay all of that, we will, and we don’t, might not even have an all-star, but I mean, in a general sense, when I talk baseball, especially with the ballplayer, by the way, Casper Wells is here, Zach Dermer is here, Luke’s your talent off from those kids, kids wear you out, look at him, he needs a beer, we got beer here, and Howard share from the Duck Doctors, but would you, what second story behind ABS this year? We’re not hitting a lot of home. Well, the story for me with is watching is D, how bad defense is, just in a general, my team watching one
Howard Scher 11:14
team regularly, that’s defense is very good. I think the story is like Misorovsky, whatever, that’s pretty amazing. I mean,
8Casper Wells 11:22
Mason Miller, too.
Howard Scher 11:23
Yeah, Mason Miller, right? I mean, when we were growing up, Nolan Ryan was like a god because he hit 100 miles an hour. Now everybody hits 100 miles an hour, right? Yeah, and
Nestor Aparicio 11:34
that’s why he’s selling insurance. It’s tough to hit a baseball, man. I mean, it just
Casper Wells 11:43
is. Yeah,
Howard Scher 11:44
yeah, there’s no question. So, I think that’s a huge story. You got a guy who’s.. what was the statistic I saw the other day, and Luke probably knows it, but it was like Major League Baseball might have had 40 some pitches over 101 miles an hour this season, and he had like 35 of them, or some crazy number like that, like,
Casper Wells 12:03
yeah, I think the one thing that’s consistent with him, though, is mechanics. So, I think he’s, and I say this with, you know, knocking on wood here, for his, for his, for his sake, right? Yeah, scriptures, I don’t really care, but no, but I say that because I, he’s similar to, like, Justin Ruler, in a sense, he has that very clean delivery, that’s, you could tell, even though he’s throwing that, it’s just easy 100 you know, miles an hour, and I feel like he’s gonna be less prone to injury moving forward for his sake, compared to some other guys, where there’s, you could see a lot of torque, even with side pictures with her arms, you can see how much that’s like Tommy John waiting to happen, you know. So, I think for his benefit, he’s doing it the right way, and you know, mechanically doing it the right way as well. So, I think it’s going to be throwing 100 for a long time. I would say, you know,
Howard Scher 12:50
it was also funny this morning, I saw, sorry, they.. I think it was MLB posted like their National League Cy Young as of now, and you know, if you would have asked anybody going into the season, who was going to win the National League, Cy Young, everybody would have said Paul Skeens,
8Casper Wells 13:03
yeah, he’s
Howard Scher 13:04
third, you know, at this moment, and a lot of it has to do with Miz, just because he’s been so incredible, but well,
Nestor Aparicio 13:12
great stories are part of the game, I mean, going back to my childhood with Mark Fit Rich, or what if Fernando Mania, anything that becomes that is why we go to the game, so I mean, Shohei Ohtani, you know, just in a general sense, over the weekend, watching the Dodgers, and I, I said, and you played in all the city, do you agree Anaheim’s worst stadium, or did you hate Tampa Stadium, like, like you played them all, right? I mean,
Casper Wells 13:34
Tampa was just interested, it was just bad for the whole interest, it’s just Tampa, just they need to revamp like Tampa have some kind of outdoor venue, I don’t know why they have that big indoor dome.
Zach Dermer 13:44
Yeah, so I
Casper Wells 13:45
would say that’s probably the worst professional stadium played
Nestor Aparicio 13:49
in Oakland. Right,
8Casper Wells 13:50
I did have my first major league hit there, so very fond of that. There’s a lot of fall ground, it’s interesting baseball stadium, there’s a lot of empty space and NFT seats for time when we’re playing athletics, but I mean it’s, it’s still, I like playing there, and I was on the athletics for a quick, for a week’s time. Dodger Stadium, Dodger Stadium’s cool, played there. Yep.
Nestor Aparicio 14:11
What’s your favorite,
Casper Wells 14:12
favorite stadium?
Nestor Aparicio 14:13
Yeah, to walk, not to hit in, but like that, not as a statistical thing, but like as a like if you could take these knuckleheads to a stadium and say, man, I want to take you, I think, Target Field. I like Minnesota. I mean, I went to a mall. If I were my wife, didn’t go to that. When I said, well, you know, she would say, well, Seattle or Minnesota, I’d say Minnesota. She said Minnesota or Pittsburgh, I’d say, well, Pittsburgh. You know, I mean, I can compare them like that, because I’ve been to all of them.
Casper Wells 14:38
Pittsburgh’s beautiful. I was there in the inaugural year, actually had my first home run the inaugural year up at Target Field in Minnesota. So very fond of that place. I feel it’s cool because it’s right in the city. It’s just, it’s just, it was clean, it’s nice. Yeah, it was pretty cold when we were there, but it’s a nice field, you know. I don’t be a homer, but I love. End in yards, like I always.. it’s a great ballpark as a viewer, as a player, offensively. Well, you
Nestor Aparicio 15:06
feel like you’re going somewhere when you go there. There’s just a lot of things going on. You got kids, you’re getting a little bigger. Luke was with a bunch of kids today, he’s got nieces. If you lived in Columbia or Laurel, and I’m picking those specifically to say it’s 20 miles that way, 20 miles, whatever, 20 minutes, half an hour, whatever the drive is, and you’d say I’m going to have an experience for baseball teams, don’t matter, visiting team doesn’t matter, the bobble head doesn’t matter, the uniforms, loyalties, Cal Ripken, Strasburg, none of that matters, just the experience of going to a ball game, you would take Camden Yards 99 out of 100 out of 100 over going to a Nats game. Now, the Phillies, there’s an argument the Phillies have a vibe that you know you could make, you could say well, the experience that’s fun at the Philly Phillies game, then, but Camden Yards is a sexy, so you can make all of those cases. I think there’s some places you can’t make a case for, because they’re too cookie cutter. I think when I wax on about Dodger Stadium, for me, like Luke, and I have a thing sponsored by Farn and Dermer, by the way, there’s a rumor that Luke’s very generous boss friend and partner and co-host, we go to Fenway Park, and because he’s going to cover a game there, he’s been to Fenway, but hasn’t covered a game there backstage, and I’m like, oh, family’s family, and I’ve been there a million times, but like, if you’ve never been to Fenway Park, it’s got to be in a top five, a place you would go or want to go. I don’t love it, it’s not code, it’s, you know, I’ve been there a million times, I don’t need to go back, but every time I go to Dodger Stadium, it still feels special to me, and it feels like maybe it’s the weather, it’s so nice, and it’s like all of that. Maybe it’s the West Coast, or the uniforms, or the fact that they’re good, or the fact that the stadium hasn’t fundamentally.. it looks the same as it did on Post Guard 1966 You know, because Janna Marie’s that good, and there they have all that money. Fenway’s still like a thing, you know? If it’s Fenway or Camden Yards, I can make a case, and then I take the kids to Fenway. If it was a 20 minute drive, either, right? Correct, I would say that, right? Not
Howard Scher 17:05
in that state. Well, that’s
8Nestor Aparicio 17:06
why I can’t fall in on Camden Yards, because I can pick three or four places that I’d say, in my heart of hearts, I pick Camden Yards over Wrigley. I don’t like Wrigley, I never liked Wrigley, so that’s just the me thing.
Casper Wells 17:15
Yeah, I mean, you got the Green Monster too, it’s pretty cool. Kids are like Green Monster, yeah. Well,
Nestor Aparicio 17:20
I’m appreciated the foreign and Dermer for trying to send Luke and I to Ball. We don’t get to have any fun. I mean, I’m gonna break, get you back to your air conditioner. Tell me what you do, besides give your seat to Luke, because you know you got to get back today. I mean, at some point it’s gonna be 90 degrees and people are gonna call you
Zach Dermer 17:36
eventually. It will be. We do heating and air repairs, installs, maintenance. Also, we were kind of alongside with Howard, a little bit, you know, he’s the duck cleaning man, duck doctor, I know. Yes, you finally got me
Nestor Aparicio 17:47
sponsor, thanks. Yeah, he’s a good guy too, yeah. All these years, I know your crab cake or something, you know, yeah,
Zach Dermer 17:53
indoor air quality, he may, he got even for that Cancun trip, there you go, Cancun
Nestor Aparicio 17:58
trip, man,
8Zach Dermer 17:59
yeah, talk a little bit of baseball, but you know, not as knowledgeable as these.
Nestor Aparicio 18:03
Well, I like when the Orioles are relevant, so we don’t have to talk about the Cancun trip, or you know, FIFA, or Stanley Cup, or just stuff that’s relevant, you know? Right? I mean, I’m gonna get Luke in here, we’re gonna talk some baseball. You got anything for Casper? You guys, you know, we’re.. it’s a small world. The minute we all meet each other, like, I know him, I know hell, or I know Coach, I know, sure.
Casper Wells 18:21
We’re grab lunch. We’ll chat. Yeah, we’ll chat one on one sometime. Yeah, I do want to know
Zach Dermer 18:24
just overall trade deadline, obviously approaching. Yeah, that’s for all you guys. What do you think the O’s are going to do? Can they be partial sellers, partial buyers? I mean, they’re worried about who
Nestor Aparicio 18:34
to cook is. I’m worried about a lot. To me, I wouldn’t have Elias making his decisions if he’s not your long-term guy, they’re new owners. There’s a lot of money involved, a lot of Ruchman Henderson value involved. It’s, it really is a crucial time for the organization, I think.
Casper Wells 18:51
Yeah, well, they got, they drafted two catchers right in the top, the first two rounds last year, or first, first round, two first round catchers. I mean, they have guys coming up as well. I feel like one of them’s gone,
Zach Dermer 19:01
yeah, one of them, I think they traded, but yeah, I think it’s part of the boss trade. I feel like you guys are coming up a
8Casper Wells 19:08
lot quicker, and you know, and to bring it to the college, I mean, college is really helping major league baseball because of a lot of people, just the eyes that are on college baseball. I think a lot of the draft is shifting towards drafting college guys with having less of the farm system in place, so guys closer to
Nestor Aparicio 19:24
the basketball football system than it did before, and it really, Robin Ventura was the number one pick. It was like he would come up, but that influx of names that we saw on TV last week with Ben McDonald and the College World Series, that translating to names in the real world series, in the next three to five years, you can’t
Casper Wells 19:43
discount these kids that are in high school that get to go to college for oodles of NIL money, right? I mean, it’s baseball, so you’re not making the money like football and basketball, those players are, but at the same time, if you can go to college, get some money for it, and you know, and get an education paid for. I mean, it’s like, why would you, why would you sign out of high school to go play pro ball, right? Because you can get an education paid for, you get some extra cash. You say it wasn’t fun playing in the
Nestor Aparicio 20:08
high A league and riding busses the way I did out of Vegas. I went through high desert,
Casper Wells 20:12
yeah.
Nestor Aparicio 20:13
I literally, I was, I was on a bus in the morning from Vegas to see the Rush show, and I’m coming through in the desert, and I’m like, high desert, didn’t Rick Dempsey play in high, like I had to look on the map, and I was born, the stadium’s right over there, and I’m thinking, oh man, all you guys have played ball, you went, whether it was Schenectady or whether it’s Fresno, whatever, like skipping that, if Gunner Henderson could have just played two years at a college and gotten some money, and then been been major league ready at that point, it might have been more fun for him than playing in Salisbury, whatever, or or Aberdeen, right? Like, literally, there’s still
Casper Wells 20:48
some, there’s still some places I came through One Ana in the Tigers, so that’s like close to the Hall of Fame, close to where I grew up in upstate New York, so
8Howard Scher 20:55
that’s kind of nice, that City of the Hills, yeah, I mean,
Nestor Aparicio 20:58
there was nothing wrong with it, New York, Penn
Casper Wells 21:00
League was great, you know, all those places in New York Penn League, it was fun. Brooklyn Cyclone’s down there, Staten Island
Nestor Aparicio 21:05
Cotter, any of that kind of cool stuff.
Casper Wells 21:07
No, I was gonna go play into Cape for the Chatham team, but then I got drafted my junior year. I was gonna go play there for the Adobe
Nestor Aparicio 21:13
sounds so sexy. It’s like being an REM before they broke, like living in the back of the van. I don’t know, you know what I mean. Sounds like something you make a good movie about, but in reality, living with some family playing by, I don’t know, maybe I think
Howard Scher 21:27
20 years ago was a much bigger deal than it is now. I mean, again, money, did you play the Caribbean?
8Casper Wells 21:33
Did I play like the trouble?
Nestor Aparicio 21:34
Yeah, winter ball,
Casper Wells 21:37
yeah, played in Venezuela and San Domingo. Yeah, I played for Escojedo, and I played for Caracas. Yeah, so see,
Zach Dermer 21:44
see.
Nestor Aparicio 21:45
All right, we’ll take a break. Get out of here, go do your HVAC thing. 410 36777 Comfort guys, Zach’s here. Crab cake, he had his broiled. I had mine fried. My friends at GBMC, GBMC sponsor, they’re not like you. They all looked at, they’re trying to keep me alive over there. You know what I mean.
Howard Scher 22:01
So, that’s why you got fried food.
Nestor Aparicio 22:04
It was five ounce, it wasn’t a big fry. Okay, I’m just saying, I got the steamed broccoli. It’s like my mother, this guy, he cares about me, you know.
8Howard Scher 22:12
If your doctor’s watching, your doctor needs to know.
Nestor Aparicio 22:16
The duck doctor, that’s my buddy Howard Casper’s gonna stay, Luke’s gonna come. He has no idea why, and Zach’s gonna leave, and he knows exactly why. And dessert for the partying shot. We’re Cream Act Station. It’s all brought to you by the Maryland Lottery. Our friends at GBMC and the aforementioned Comfort Guys at Farnham and Dartmouth. Back for more on the Maryland Crab Cake Tour. And crab cakes are so good here today. I’m gonna have to, I’m gonna get a broil one just to mellow it all out, even it all out. Back from Oregon, Carroll County, Hempstead. Stay with
