The Baltimore Orioles are on the field playing games that matter and trying to make trade deadline news off the field and magic on it. And the Baltimore Ravens have Super Bowl potential and a lot of questions about the new leadership as training camp begins in Owings Mills. Leonard Raskin and Nestor discuss the Birds of summer and fall and the takeover of our sports mind space as August heats up.
Nestor Aparicio and Leonard Raskin discussed the Orioles’ summer slump and the Ravens’ dominance in Baltimore sports. Leonard shared his recent experiences, including moving his son to St. Louis for a PhD program and attending a Ravens game. They reminisced about their past experiences with Orioles season tickets and the shift in fan interest to the Ravens. Nestor expressed frustration with the Orioles’ management and the lack of fan engagement. They also touched on personal anecdotes, including Leonard’s memorable foul ball catch and Nestor’s experiences at recent games. The conversation concluded with plans for upcoming Rush concerts and Nestor’s 28th anniversary celebration.
- [ ] Let Nestor know if Rush is playing “2112” in Philly or DC.
Outline
Orioles Summer Swoon and Ravens Takeover
- Nestor Aparicio welcomes listeners to WNST AM 1570, mentioning the upcoming football season and various events.
- Nestor thanks Leonard Raskin and sponsors for their support over the years.
- Leonard Raskin shares his enjoyment of the summer, mentioning the beautiful weather and his activities.
- Nestor and Leonard discuss their recent crab-eating experiences, including Nestor’s mother’s birthday celebration.
Crab-Eating Traditions and Public Figures
- Nestor talks about his crab-eating habits and how he only eats crabs when Leonard Raskin makes him.
- Leonard mentions his special mallet and beer bottle opener, part of the Raskin Global family tradition.
- Nestor jokes about taking public figures like politicians and business owners out for crabs.
- Leonard suggests that Nestor could have a new segment where he invites guests to eat crabs and discuss various topics.
Ravens and Orioles Fandom
- Leonard discusses his return to watching Ravens games after taking a few years off.
- Nestor and Leonard talk about their experiences with season tickets for the Ravens and Orioles.
- Leonard shares his story about catching a foul ball at an Orioles game and the reaction from other fans.
- Nestor and Leonard discuss the shift in fan interest and financial support from the Orioles to the Ravens over the years.
Personal Stories and Fan Experiences
- Leonard recounts his experiences with season tickets for the Orioles and Capitals, including attending 40 home games a year.
- Nestor shares his own experiences with attending Orioles games and the challenges of watching the team.
- Leonard talks about his interactions with fans and the importance of community in sports.
- Nestor and Leonard discuss the impact of the Orioles’ performance on fan attendance and support.
Sports Media and Fan Engagement
- Nestor talks about his recent segment with Micah Buchdahl, a long-time friend and sports enthusiast.
- Leonard and Nestor discuss the role of media in covering sports and the challenges faced by fans.
- Nestor shares his frustration with the Orioles’ management and the lack of accountability.
- Leonard emphasizes the importance of integrity and honesty in sports media.
Rush Concert and Personal Reflections
- Nestor and Leonard discuss their love for the band Rush and their upcoming concerts.
- Leonard shares his excitement about seeing Rush perform and the significance of their music.
- Nestor talks about his plans to attend Rush concerts and the importance of live music experiences.
- Leonard and Nestor reflect on the impact of aging on their favorite artists and the emotional connection to their music.
Community Involvement and Future Plans
- Nestor thanks Leonard for his continued support and involvement in the community.
- Leonard shares his plans for the upcoming year, including his son’s move to St. Louis for his PhD program.
- Nestor and Leonard discuss the importance of family and community in their lives.
- Nestor reflects on the success of his radio show and the impact it has had on the community.
Final Thoughts and Anniversary Celebration
- Nestor and Leonard discuss their upcoming anniversary and the significance of their long-standing friendship.
- Nestor shares his plans for celebrating the anniversary with his wife and friends.
- Leonard expresses his gratitude for the support and friendship over the years.
- Nestor concludes the conversation by thanking listeners and sponsors for their continued support.
Orioles summer swoon, Ravens takeover, Baltimore sports, crab cakes, season tickets, baseball attendance, fan loyalty, sports media, Rush concert, Leonard Raskin, Nestor Aparicio, sports sponsorship, baseball netting, fan engagement, sports franchises
Nestor Aparicio 0:01
Welcome home. We are WNST AM 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We are Baltimore positive, positively into football season. Yes, it’s true. Luke is out in Owings Mills. Any breaking news will happen first on the WNST Tech Service. That’s all brought to you by Cole Roofing and Gordian Energy. We’re getting a Maryland Crab Cake Tour back out on the road as well. I invited this guy, but Leonard Raskin a little busy this week with moving kids to college for doctorates and all sorts of things. I will have the Ravens scratch offs though at Costas Intimonium on Thursday. Luke’s going to stop by, Alan McCallum stopping by, Zach Dermer stopping by. We’ll have some friends, and it’s also my 28th anniversary this week. We’ve had a lot of listeners, and I want to give thanks to Leonard Raskin and all of our sponsors for supporting us through good times, bad times. It’s like a Led Zeppelin song there, and and you’re missing the Rush concert in New York this week too. So I got to throw that in. How are you doing? How are you, fans?
8
Leonard Raskin 0:59
I’m great. It’s it’s been a beautiful week. We’ve had 85 degrees, no humidity. What’s not to love? Sitting by the pool, enjoying the summertime. Some crabs, some corn on the cob.
Nestor Aparicio 1:12
I had crabs on Sunday. I went to my mom’s birthday. It was my mom’s 100 and seventh birthday. There you go. And I, you know, I have your mallet here. Some folks don’t know that if you’re in the Raskin Global family, you get the special mallet with the. This is the beer bottle opener.
Leonard Raskin 1:28
That’s right.
Nestor Aparicio 1:29
Patent pending, of course, on all of this. It’s the first time I had crabs all year.
Leonard Raskin 1:33
Wow! Holy cow! I sat
Nestor Aparicio 1:35
down. I even mentioned you because I’m like, I get crabs when Raskin makes me. When my friend Shannon makes me when my wife doesn’t ever make me because she’s not like that, and she always gets like into the second crab, and she always comments, and we’re watching the Orioles too, so that’s part of it. She’s like, “This is kind of gross, isn’t it? And I’m like,
Leonard Raskin 1:55
“It’s the best gross. Stop, you know, but people gross
8Nestor Aparicio 2:00
people that aren’t from around here, they just they don’t know. You know, I want to take Katie Griggs out and eat crabs with her, or Sasha Brown.
Leonard Raskin 2:09
There you go. I think the three of you. Well, you know, I’ll come.
Nestor Aparicio 2:14
You know, this is an award-winning program that you’re part on the spot. I don’t know if you know that. I’ve seen
Leonard Raskin 2:18
this. We have
Nestor Aparicio 2:19
completely everything you and I have talked about about my money and my life, we’ve reinvented me. Apparently, according to Baltimore,
Leonard Raskin 2:26
positive a reinvention. We have
Nestor Aparicio 2:28
reinvention. I’m the best reinvention in Baltimore. Hey,
8Leonard Raskin 2:31
that’s good stuff. That’s good stuff. It’s almost
Nestor Aparicio 2:34
like taking a crab mall and turn it into a. It’s like it’s like a two for one. But but you’re now a part of the award-winning, and part of that is, is that it’s said that I take public figures, politicians, business owners like yourself out for crabs, for crabs, and sit and talk. I haven’t really done that. I take people for crab cakes.
Leonard Raskin 2:54
There you go. It would be
Nestor Aparicio 2:55
very interesting to do a show over crabs because I’d have to lav mic everybody because you’re using your hands, right?
Leonard Raskin 3:02
You’d be busy,
Nestor Aparicio 3:03
but I’m thinking like maybe that’s a new segment. If I could get some sponsors for this, right? So we have to think about some of the people that give you money that want to give me money. But if we had a new thing where like I just once a week or once a month bring Katie Griggs and Sashi Brown to have crabs, like we sit and eat crabs. Hey, if
Leonard Raskin 3:22
they join you, I’ll be there.
8Nestor Aparicio 3:25
They they want your money, not my honesty. Is what that one thing already
Leonard Raskin 3:30
gets my money. The Ravens, the other one, and the other one I have not spent on yet. I was, we were this close. You quit on the Ravens,
Nestor Aparicio 3:39
by the way, I must say you you took didn’t the knee didn’t that take you out of
Leonard Raskin 3:44
yeah I took I took a few years off
Nestor Aparicio 3:46
well then don’t
Leonard Raskin 3:47
I did don’t correct me
Nestor Aparicio 3:48
I’m correcting you no
8Leonard Raskin 3:49
I did I took I took a few years off there’s no question London taking a knee in front of the Queen was unacceptable in my book wholly un-American wholly un Baltimore, wholly unacceptable, and I took a couple years off. That’s true, I did. I didn’t go to a game, but you got
Nestor Aparicio 4:09
back on.
Leonard Raskin 4:10
Well, when Lamar showed up, I figured I’d give him a new chance and see what it was going to be. That’s what I said
Nestor Aparicio 4:14
with Rubenstein. Right,
Leonard Raskin 4:16
right.
Nestor Aparicio 4:16
Like I’m going to give him a chance. He’s
Leonard Raskin 4:19
come through a little bit, he spent some money. He’s now spent five big contracts. He’s got Braddish signed for five,
8Nestor Aparicio 4:28
and you’re still not buying tickets.
Leonard Raskin 4:29
Okay, look, I was this close. Okay, this close. Saturday, Saturday was Hawaiian shirt night. And you look good in Hawaii. Yeah, you look
Nestor Aparicio 4:38
good in Hawaiian shirt and
Leonard Raskin 4:38
an Orioles Hawaiian shirt, and we spent Friday packing up a third of the house because the boy is moving to St. Louis for his PhD program. How many
Nestor Aparicio 4:50
years is this? He gonna be there?
Leonard Raskin 4:51
Five years. It’s a five-year deal.
Nestor Aparicio 4:54
Are you getting him like blue season tickets or something? Is he gonna go to Cardinals games?
8Leonard Raskin 4:58
He he has no. Well, he may go. A Cardinals game. If the O’s play St. Louis, we’re definitely there for that. That soccer team-they-they have a
Nestor Aparicio 5:05
soccer stadium right down by Union Station there in downtown. Super
Leonard Raskin 5:09
interested. I’m going to go for for Caps Blues for sure. I’m definitely going for Caps Blues.
Nestor Aparicio 5:14
Okay,
Leonard Raskin 5:14
can’t miss that. I mean, I haven’t been to that stadium, and it’s five minutes from the from the place, so why not, and and so we’re we’re ready to go. We we spent Friday the house was his stuff was being packed. Saturday was the the moving truck being packed, and started early morning, went till mid afternoon, and everybody was just tired. So we we instead of going to the O’s, we watched the O’s over crab cakes at Pappas. So you know
Nestor Aparicio 5:48
what? My wife and I on my mom’s birthday, we decided to eat our crabs at the bar at Costas and Dundalks. You can’t get much money. We did it around the Oreo game. We got there at 130, and a lady at the bar who I know, Dundalk person, who’s known me my whole life, came up to me, told me about her kids and they’re doing this and doing that and living in Texas and like all that. And she said to me, “You’re going to the Ravens games, ain’t
Leonard Raskin 6:15
you? And
8Nestor Aparicio 6:15
I’m thinking,
Leonard Raskin 6:16
“Nope,
Nestor Aparicio 6:17
you haven’t read up on me. I mean, you’ve been a little out of the loop on things, you know. You went back to get Ravens tickets, and you write a big check to them. You don’t write a check to the Orioles. The Orioles are trying to get everybody to write a check to them. Correct. This is me doing the shoot interview with you, Leonard Raskin of Raskin Global. But like, you decide in or out, and I would think some of it might be in the old days, you would get a. Did you ever have Raven? Or you were a poor kid like me. Like I never had season tickets to the Orioles. No, I
Leonard Raskin 6:48
didn’t have season tickets to the Orioles till Camden Yards opened. I got tickets when Oriole Park Camden Yards opened the first year. You
Nestor Aparicio 6:56
said the first thing you did with your money was get caps tickets. Caps season
Leonard Raskin 6:58
tickets, absolutely. First time you had money.
Nestor Aparicio 7:00
First time I had money. I got a big screen TV. I bought a big screen TV. After I bought a TV,
8Leonard Raskin 7:05
yeah, spent money on was cap season tickets, that I had for years and years and years and years, and went to games. Went to it was 40 home games. I probably went. It was 40. Yeah, 40 home games probably went to 25 to 30 a year easily, at least, and and then came you know it’s it’s k i s s i n g, first comes love, then come marriage, then comes no more capital tickets and a baby carriage. Okay, well, Kathy wasn’t a fan. I stopped going to 40. Went to 20. Boy came. Went to 10 to 20.
Nestor Aparicio 7:46
And the Capitals moved 15 miles further away.
Leonard Raskin 7:48
Then they well 15 miles and a half an hour, 40 minutes or further. Right. So made it difficult get into the city. So that stopped. And then around the same time that that was going on, the Ravens came, so your
Nestor Aparicio 8:02
money went there.
Leonard Raskin 8:02
Went said enough DC. Now we’ll go to football. Did the Ravens, but but I did have Oregon. It’s insane to me
Nestor Aparicio 8:09
how this city in our generation, people in their 50s and 60s who would support this and have supported it their whole lives. Yeah, if you look around that baseball ballpark, it’s a bunch of white people who are your age? Quite frankly, that’s who is willing to spend the money on this and buy the tickets and whatnot. It is unbelievable to me how so much of the money went to the Ravens a quarter of a century ago. Yeah, and the Orioles can’t figure it out. They just can’t. I they can’t figure it out. I
Leonard Raskin 8:36
had Oriole tickets. I had season tickets. I had great seats. I was down the third base line, about four rows deep, two sections outside of the dugout. Third base line, great seats. Caught a foul ball there and saved a woman’s face. Did that, Joey Cora, never forget it. Joey Cora, first foul ball I ever caught. I don’t. It was like I had a friend get
8Nestor Aparicio 9:02
hit in the face by Mookie Betts with a line drive at Comiskey Park. Facial recon. Yes, it was coming right
Leonard Raskin 9:10
at this. Those nets, I see them
Nestor Aparicio 9:11
when I’m there. Oh, they’re you know Curio Wendy Bronfine, whom I love. Hi, Wendy. She gives me tickets a couple times a year in their seats, and they’re on the fourth row, right behind the on deck circle. Yep. And the first thing I notice when I go into the bowl the three times a year I go to Oriole games is the net because it’s very hockey kind of always had it needed when I got hockey needed it but I I get it with baseball but I notice it when I go to a game now I’m like you don’t see it on TV as much like TV hides it pretty
Leonard Raskin 9:37
meshed but but
Nestor Aparicio 9:38
yeah but when you get there you notice and then you don’t anymore then you don’t. Then your
Leonard Raskin 9:41
eyes just adjust, and you see through. And then
Nestor Aparicio 9:43
when Joey Core hits that line drive at you, you’re at line drive. I
8Leonard Raskin 9:46
put my my left hand up, and it smacked my hand, left an impression for about four innings. Hurt my deal. But did the guy catch
Nestor Aparicio 9:54
the ball in San Francisco with the baby last week?
Leonard Raskin 9:56
Yes, unbelievable. And and you know what’s funny? I caught it, so this is 30 years ago. So I’m 30, right when I catch this ball. And this woman, sit, she was the original Karen, sitting a couple rows behind me, says, “You should give that ball to that little kid. There was a kid like sitting in front of me, who was looking at me like he, you know, was something. And I said, I’ve been coming to baseball games my whole life. I’ve never caught a foul ball. I’m keeping it. Thank you very much. Kid can catch his own ball, or his mother could go by. I don’t know where
Nestor Aparicio 10:30
I would be on that. I’ve given balls to kids. I mean, look, man, I was around. I was on the on deck circle most of the time. The balls just kind of came around. You know what I mean? The balls rolled over to me. I put one in my bag. Bill Stecka didn’t really care. I never really did that, except to get an autograph for somebody that may have wanted one. A girl I was dating, Brady Anderson, signed his jockstrap or something for me one time. That may have really happened, but it really may have really happened. I hear you. But in a general sense, I’ve been going to games my whole life. I can tell you the balls I didn’t catch at the Pittsburgh All Star Game in ’94 when the ball went, and I can tell you, and I got two balls in my life in one inning, in one at bat. They were Brady Anderson hit two foul balls into my row, which was mainly empty at Sky Dome. I I did give the balls to kids. Matter of fact, one of them that was a girl with me that worked at Hooters who was dating one of the players. I gave it to her, and the other one I gave to a kid. So I’ve caught two balls in my life, same inning, same stadium, 32 years ago.
Leonard Raskin 11:33
There you go.
Nestor Aparicio 11:34
Yeah, I didn’t really keep it. I gave. I was just saying, caught one,
Leonard Raskin 11:37
kept it, and I
8Nestor Aparicio 11:39
would if I got it now. I think I would keep the ball because I’ve never really caught a ball at a game. So,
Leonard Raskin 11:45
so check this out. I had two two sets of season tickets with my with my roommate. We shared. We did a lottery in the beginning of the season. There were three of us that shared the tickets, and you’d pick which games you wanted, which tickets for. These
Nestor Aparicio 12:02
are box seats, third base, Oriole, fourth
Leonard Raskin 12:04
row, fourth row, Oriole Park, and two tickets upstairs, right looking down on home plate, second row,
Nestor Aparicio 12:14
behind home plate,
Leonard Raskin 12:15
behind home plate, directly pub,
Nestor Aparicio 12:16
no, upstairs, yeah,
8Leonard Raskin 12:18
directly there. So we pick the games we wanted, and we we you know in the beginning of the year we did. What you’re
Nestor Aparicio 12:25
telling me is how much you loved baseball.
Leonard Raskin 12:28
Wait, wait, wait! I got this. How much you
Nestor Aparicio 12:30
love baseball?
Leonard Raskin 12:30
Absolutely. Finish the story here. 2130. I’m downstairs, fourth row, third base. Oh, when
Nestor Aparicio 12:41
Cal comes by. Yeah.
Leonard Raskin 12:42
Okay. No, 2130.
8Nestor Aparicio 12:44
Oh.
Leonard Raskin 12:45
- I’m upstairs behind home plate. Luck of the draw.
Nestor Aparicio 12:49
Okay.
Leonard Raskin 12:50
And and Kathy and I were sitting at the game. 2130. 2131. And and I have a my wedding ring has like four little diamonds in it, okay? And I am clapping during the cow thing so hard that my ring like spun and my finger was bleeding from the diamonds from the clapping. It was just unbelievable. So I was there 2130, 2131, all the great things. Here’s crazy because he thought it would come back every other year. Did not go to the All Star Game. Had tickets. Had the the Home Run Derby. Had the All Star Game tickets. All mine. Do what I want with them. Sold them. Paid for the whole season. Well, that you needed the money.
Nestor Aparicio 13:38
It was 1993. A
Leonard Raskin 13:39
broker back then.
Nestor Aparicio 13:40
Right.
8Leonard Raskin 13:41
Sold them. Paid for the whole season, and figured, ah, it’ll be an all-star game here in another 510, years, whatever. What’s it been? 3030, If it
Nestor Aparicio 13:50
comes, will it matter to you that you go?
Leonard Raskin 13:52
If it comes, I may go. I may go.
Nestor Aparicio 13:55
So I, I did a huge segment. By the way, Leonard Raskin is here at Raskin Global. He manages Money in the American Dream, you can find him at Raskin Global at summertime. You can find his kid in St. Louis. I I did an hour long segment this week with Micah Buchdahl, who is a Pikesville guy. I know him. I know you know Micah. I do. Oh well. Okay. So back
Leonard Raskin 14:14
in the day, sure. So
Nestor Aparicio 14:15
Micah with the Capitals. He worked for the. He gave my first Caps cast back in 1985 with Ed Frankovic 8045. So he did the show this week. He’s in Philadelphia. We’ve been been friends all of our lives. He’s still very close with Jeff Rimmer. Rimmer just wrote a book. Rimmer’s coming on next month. So so for the old school people listening, um, he came on this week because when I was in Philadelphia two weeks ago for Derby and All Star Game, he texts me, brought his son because we take a picture together, I’ve you know known him all our lives, and then the next night he brought his brother and his nephew, who’s studying to be a rabbi, who was my intern. Max Bookdall was my intern. There you go. I don’t like 2007, 2000, long time ago. I’ve been doing this. By the way, it’s our 28th anniversary coming up. A customer positive on Monday. I’m taking the day off seeing Getty. I’m spending my anniversary with. Lee in New York on Monday, man, and Alex Lifeson and Annika Neils. So I would say to Micah, like I said, come on for 20 minutes. We’ll talk Philly’s Orioles. He came on with me, and we took a deep, deep dive as we always do. He spends a lot of money as a fan. You know what I mean? Yeah, sure. Like he’s a lawyer in Philly. I see him at Phillies games, Eagles games, 70 Sixers games. He’s that guy that was at the Super Bowl both times. LeBron James, Sixers, like all the
Leonard Raskin 15:26
Sixers. Like
8Nestor Aparicio 15:27
he is a Baltimore guy who loved the Orioles in ’83. Went to college in Philly. Not to give the whole story, but he roomed with Charlie Eckman back. He had. He was just a great, great guest, and I love that I had him on this week and you on, and you know him and money and sports. As to where I am with going to see Getty Lee, hopefully on Saturday night if I can get a room in New York and Monday because I can play moving pictures on Saturday night. I like what I’m willing to spend my money on. Now my time is different. I build my whole life around these freaking sports franchises, and I get angry like I did at five a.m. when Luke and I got up on Monday morning talking about Rubenstein giving Elias a vote of confidence in a press conference and not knowing what he’s doing, and I’m wondering like at what point do people like you and me? My last name’s Aparicio. It was a Hall of Fame Cooperstown weekend, and I didn’t even watch. And I don’t think any of the three guys are really all that deserving that went in this weekend, and I’ve been watching baseball my whole life. And I see this stiff and Rubenstein show up, talk about vote of confidence for Elias. We think he’s doing a great job. Like, and the season ticket holders are nuts. The Birdland insiders are crazy that they’ve gotten these renewals. The team looks dead in the water, but they’re going to buy this week. There’s no question. Right? It’s screwy, Leonard. And above and beyond that, you’re a guy that’s got money you could give him. I have enough money if my wife liked it enough and acknowledged when the Red Sox are in town that she would even like to do that anymore. Right? Because she’s so disenchanted with all of it and how I’ve been treated and how our family’s been treated in my business. Like my wife doesn’t like it, so in a general, and I don’t like it. And but I’m watching every press conference, watching every game. I went to the All Star game. I was pretty much mistreated. And the fact of the matter is, during that home run derby, somebody came up to me. Ryan Ripken was giving me shit.
Leonard Raskin 17:18
He’s
Nestor Aparicio 17:19
sitting in front of me at the All Star game, he’s with this guy Rocco. I’m kidding her. I like Ryan. Happy birthday, Ryan. I like Ryan. Yeah,
Leonard Raskin 17:26
yeah, yeah. But he
Nestor Aparicio 17:27
came up and he got all. Hey, you better keep your eyes open. You might get a line drive up here. We were in the foul territory,
Leonard Raskin 17:36
right?
Nestor Aparicio 17:36
Exactly where that guy in San Francisco caught the ball with his kid. Foul territory, left of the left field foul pole, foul territory, mid deck, where all the right-handed hooking home runs were missing or hitting in the press box, in the auxiliary press box. I left early. I’m not a home run derby guy, and I didn’t need a baseball, but there was a little boy in me that, to back to you that like I might get a foul ball here and it’s a bunch of media people ball game up here I’m gonna have it I don’t have anybody with a glove or those big Geico gloves that look like your shirt oh
8Leonard Raskin 18:11
my god yes you know like so
Nestor Aparicio 18:13
so my point is like the only reason I would have stuck around was to get a baseball and if I would have gotten it I’d have kept it it was going in my bag if I got the ball I was keep. If it said All Star Game two 2026 with Manford’s autograph, I’m like, yeah, I was gonna keep it, right? But nonetheless, probably would have cost me the press credentials I don’t have anyway. But Leonard, I love baseball. I get. I mean, like I spent three days of my life running around Philadelphia, and I wouldn’t give, and and I want to be really disrespectful here. So, Katie, if you hear this, and Chris the Whistler, if you don’t want to talk to me anymore because I talk dirty on the radio, here’s what my dad would say, and I this is to honor my father, and you’re gonna appreciate this. It’s way off color, and it’s way what my father totally would say. Right, my mother’s birthday was Sunday, and we had some pizza and some crabs and beer to honor her causes. My dad would say, “I wouldn’t give them the sweat off my balls.
Leonard Raskin 19:09
Yeah, I hear you. That’s what
Nestor Aparicio 19:10
my dad would say. So that’s where I am with this baseball team at this point financially, and you don’t give them money, and I’m trying to figure out.
Leonard Raskin 19:19
Look, if I’m you, I ain’t going to a game and I ain’t paying them nothing. And if somebody gave me the ticket and said, “Come with me, go, whatever, if you got in there, fine. I would make sure I ate before and drank. My lean
Nestor Aparicio 19:31
that my lean into all of it is when I take Brian Poole and John Allen and Greg Landry and Chris Pika to Oriole Games when Wendy Braun, I offered you to come. When Wendy gives me four tickets, I love you, Wendy. Carrio Wellness and Farn Dotter. When they give me their four tickets, I say yes, and then I immediately look for four people who would really love going, and I just name several of them. And when Brian Poole goes, he’s a lawyer with leg. He with childhood friends. He wants to buy me beer, right? Like he’s like, dude, you got me tickets. You took me to Fadley’s. You bought me a crab cake. You bought me my first two beers. Like, like I love, like you’re. I love you, Nestor. Let me buy you beer. I’m like, no, no, no, no, no, no. Not here. No, not even with Clancy. Like, right? No, no. I did my wife and I, and this is my inside joke. We went to the Houston Astros doubleheader game. We saw the lousy one when young gave up eight runs in the first day. We missed all the grand slams, but we went. My wife, her sugar was a mess. She’s diabetic. She needed to eat. We’re in the ballpark. We went to Heritage Barbecue. It was their day that they had the little guest stand.
Leonard Raskin 20:35
Yeah, yeah.
8Nestor Aparicio 20:36
And we spent 28 bucks on this and 15 bucks on a beer, and it was the best barbecue I’ve ever had in my life. It was delicious. The beer was great. So I I can say that we bought concessions at the ballpark, and they were great. So I just want to there you go, Katie. But nonetheless, like I I’m trying to figure out not what how I feel about them, right? What they’re doing to recruit you, who has money, who was at the Cal Ripken game? Who loves baseball? Like, what are they doing?
Leonard Raskin 21:04
Nothing. I mean, I I’ve gotten no. I’ve got a an email once a year, maybe solicitation for some tickets and you know for season tickets, and I got what else? Did I get a call? I think a guy might have called me to try to get me to to do season tickets. I was like, no, thanks, no. But what I know, and when I stopped going, so when I ditched my tickets, so we sponsor a golf tournament every year. Have for a long time. We had a golf tournament in the past. Now we sponsor one. Nestor is terrible, really terrible. As a a prize, you know when people hit closest to the pin, longest drive, all that kind of stuff. So we did the backwards.
Nestor Aparicio 21:56
This is for Mount Washington Pediatrics. Before
Leonard Raskin 21:58
this, it was just Raskin Global.
Nestor Aparicio 22:00
Okay,
Leonard Raskin 22:01
and then we we start doing Mount Washington. But as a as a prize, we would give away all kinds of great stuff, right? So we came up with one year. We told people to count how many balls they lost, and then of course we have scoring on the on the tournament. So the worst score of the tournament got four tickets to the Orioles, and the the guy or gal who lost the most golf balls got two tickets to the Orioles. They were the the booby prize back in the day after 20 long after 2130 when they that makes them a joke,
Nestor Aparicio 22:42
right?
8Leonard Raskin 22:43
Yeah, that makes them a joke. Wait, when they were terrible and I couldn’t give away my season tickets, it wasn’t a matter of reselling, it wasn’t a matter of going to the games. It was if I didn’t want to go, those tickets went in the trash, and I said, you know what, I’m not paying for these season tickets anymore. Do you
Nestor Aparicio 23:02
know how many times I heard that in 2003, 456, we just-it
Leonard Raskin 23:06
was way before that. That’s why I did Free the Birds, right? And we got rid of them. And even winning an
Nestor Aparicio 23:12
award in Baltimore Magazine, they backslapped me about Free the Birds. Free the Birds-the greatest thing I’ve ever done. It’s the 20th anniversary, and I’m telling you, like in a general, it’s right up there with the parade in New Orleans. Yes, those are one and two for me. You know, because that’s why I’m here. I am here to ask tough questions of billionaires and to hold them accountable. Because Rob Long ain’t going
Leonard Raskin 23:35
to do it. No, that’s it. Nobody is, and and sadly, last was it last season, season before? I don’t remember. There, which I think is a pretty darn good dude, play-by-play guy, made a statement that got him a vacation for a couple weeks,
Nestor Aparicio 23:53
and nobody could say a word.
Leonard Raskin 23:55
No, and McDonald couldn’t say anything. Jim
8Nestor Aparicio 23:57
Palmer couldn’t say anything about it. Nothing. He was. You see, you have tune everyone’s integrity. He took vacation
Leonard Raskin 24:02
for a couple. Well, that’s Greg
Nestor Aparicio 24:03
Bader running a baseball team and a television network that they couldn’t even get the game on television a month ago. They couldn’t get their game on television.
Leonard Raskin 24:14
I get it. I get it. I told
Nestor Aparicio 24:16
Ken Rosenthal that he couldn’t believe it. I saw him at the All Star Game.
Leonard Raskin 24:19
So it was it was just time to get rid of the tickets back then. So we did
Nestor Aparicio 24:23
the 20 years ago, over 20 years ago,
8Leonard Raskin 24:25
over 20 years ago. So so we had Ravens now, and and the thing about the O’s is, as I said, we both know I can get tickets to any game. Just walk up and buy them the night of the game. There’s tickets.
Nestor Aparicio 24:39
This woman that stopped me at Costas. By the way, Leonard Raskin, Sierra Raskin, go. This woman has stopped me at Costas. I’ve known her most of my life, and we were just like talking. How’s your money? You know, my wife’s at the other end of the bar, and people always, “How’s she really doing? Yeah, because that’s like literally right. And I try to convince her that that happens, and she’s not even. She’s so healthy and doing well. Living her best life and hanging out with her sister and traveling to Italy and going to Maine and
Leonard Raskin 25:04
doing life.
Nestor Aparicio 25:05
Her dad’s 80 and healthy and like her mom’s in Florida. Like she’s so the update is she’s great, but it’s so funny. They watch her eating a dozen crabs at the other end of the bar. She looks like Popeye now because she’s been in the gym. She’s at Planet Fitness at six in the morning. She’s got guns back. You know what I mean. She said she said to me the other day, “Do you know how much I weigh? And I guess like three pounds too much. And she’s like, “No, no, no.
Leonard Raskin 25:26
Smack you down.
Nestor Aparicio 25:27
I’m back down. I’m back down to marriage weight. I’m like, “Okay, good. You know, I, you know,
Leonard Raskin 25:31
right.
8Nestor Aparicio 25:32
So nonetheless, she asked me about my wife, right. And then she says, “You go into the Ravens games and like, nah. She’s like, “You go to the Orioles games, right? I’m like, man, you’re really late to the price. Like, well, I’m thinking, like, you’re like, you’re a quarter century behind on me going to Orioles games. Right. Once they, I sold them tickets and they they screwed me on a $30,000 deal. That Craig Bader was in the middle of that as well. So the John Angelos, all of them, 2005, 2004. It got me sideways with Mike Flanagan to the day he died. So for me, I said to her the nicest thing I could say about baseball, and this is the God’s honest truth: if Katie Griggs were sitting here, or if Don Rovac were sitting here and saying, “How much do we have to pay you to start saying nice things about our team? Right. A, I’m not for sale, and they know that. Sure know. So how about you to start doing the right thing?
Leonard Raskin 26:23
Yeah.
Nestor Aparicio 26:24
First thing is leave my press pass behind home plate and let me ask questions of this manager who’s in over his head. This general manager who’s been in last place the last two years. These freak owners who come in and out and pretend to know anything about baseball and don’t on and on and on and on and on and on and on. So I could I could do that. Yeah. But here is the God’s honest truth, Leonard, and I don’t talk much to Luke about this, and my wife definitely knows it to be true.
Leonard Raskin 26:46
Sure,
Nestor Aparicio 26:47
we watch the Orioles on a big screen TV from 12 feet away. Yep, I love hearing Ben McDonald and Jim Palmer so much that sometimes I have to judge my wife or hit the the pause and rewind because Ben McDonald said the I’m going to interrupt my story because Ben had a great point. I want to throw it out.
Leonard Raskin 27:05
Yeah,
Nestor Aparicio 27:06
there was a point in the game where Albie let a double play ball go under his legs on Sunday. Yeah, yeah, it would have ended the game, right? Absolutely, a flip to second and a good double play term would have ended the game.
8Leonard Raskin 27:18
Yep,
Nestor Aparicio 27:18
right. Fox to Aparicio to Kozinski, it’s over, right? That Dower to Belanger to Murray, it’s it’s over, right? So ball goes between his legs, and Ben McDonald went into why he’s so great at what he does. Yep. He said, “If you if if your head comes up,
Leonard Raskin 27:40
your glove, your arms
Nestor Aparicio 27:41
going, your your glove’s going to come up too. Yep. And I thought about that, and I thought, man, I haven’t heard that since my father told me that, Mister Butch in 1978, when I was in little league, it’s the last time I took baseball training. Other than like that is not something that Johnny Oates ever had to say to Bill Ripken or Cal Ripken in my presence and a big league, like literally, I never heard big leaguers talk like little leaguers. But that is a little league when you’re a little boy, and you got to stay down on the ball because if your head comes up, your arms are coming with it because your arms are attached to your head, right? So Ben taught me that on a replay, and I brisked through it and I rewound it. And Jen’s like, “You rewound it too far. I’m like, “No, no, no! I’m about to teach you baseball here. My wife likes that, but doesn’t like it. I’m like, “Hold on! He just said something I’m going to talk about on the radio, which is why I want to listen to the proper,
Leonard Raskin 28:36
right, right,
Nestor Aparicio 28:37
so I can echo the beautiful things they say, but also tell the stories about how awful it is, right? Like in a general sense, the notion that all of these years later, the free the birds, and you know all that all that bakes into this is that I love it. I try to sell it, and I would try to tell you to go to it. But as I’m sitting in Costas with a dozen crowds, with with no no no no no, the television has made the box
Leonard Raskin 29:07
sure.
8Nestor Aparicio 29:09
You go to the game, you don’t get the box. You don’t
Leonard Raskin 29:11
see it.
Nestor Aparicio 29:12
So even in the fourth row, I’m in a phenomenal seat. I’m not drinking Brian Poole’s free beer. I’m using Wendy Braunfine’s unusable free tickets that would have gone in the trash for a doubleheader against the Masters, and I’m watching the game, and I’m 10 feet from the strike zone.
Leonard Raskin 29:27
Yep, the
Nestor Aparicio 29:27
game is so much better on television this year. And I said this to the to my friend in Dundalk who asked about going to the games. I’m like, you know, I I’ve been to three games. I went to three games. Yeah, I went to three games this year. I went to opening day and I’ve sat in the in the the um. I sat. I went to Arizona and I went to Houston afternoon games when Wendy gave me tickets from Curio. So I’ve been to three games. Yep. And in all three of those games, and keep in mind, like opening day, the box wasn’t even. It’s the first year the box has been a thing.
Leonard Raskin 29:56
That’s right.
Nestor Aparicio 29:57
So like, and in the first week of doing the show. No, I know you and I. We talked about the box.
8Leonard Raskin 30:02
Yes, yes, man. The
Nestor Aparicio 30:03
box on TV is the number one reason to not go to the game if you really want to watch the game. And on, and I’ve said that to Luke too. Now Luke gets the box because he’s in the press box where they have TVs. But if you’re in the stands, whatever the umpire says it is, and whatever the tap on the helmet is, and whatever the the video guy wants to show me on the $600 million school board, like it is a better fan. I love the team. I care about winning and losing, and whether it was a strike or like I’m really watching the game, not socializing, not drinking, not chasing girls, not chasing my kid, not just out there for the sunshine or the bobblehead or the t shirt. Like you almost went on Saturday, but like really watching that, you would have gotten the T-shirt on Saturday, but you wouldn’t see. You see the game better on TV. And I think if Rob Manford were in front of me, and I will, I I have Buster only coming on this week. I have Tim Kirchen coming on this week. I have Janet Marie Smith coming on this week. I have Evan Drelick coming on this week. I have Allen coming on this week. I have Joel Poyley coming on this week, and I have Marty. They’re all baseballs. I mean, literally, I’m doing all baseball this week. Yes, in every one of those segments, I’m going to talk about that because I don’t think there’s you and I mentioned the netting. Yeah, like that you get there and we’re like, oh, there’s a net. Okay, it doesn’t really for a minute or two. It may stop you.
Leonard Raskin 31:16
Yep.
Nestor Aparicio 31:16
But the game on TV, they they’ve superseded even football to me, and football. I’m a football in person guy because I like to see the lines open up. That I tried to explain that to to Chad Steele about how my seat was the best seat in the stadium because I could actually see the game because Marvin Lewis told me to get that seat 30 years ago because it’s where. So like I really did like my seat at the Ravens games was the best seat in the stadium by far. First row upper deck, seeing all the whole. I saw every play happen. Plays that were going to fail. I saw all of it, and I can’t see that on TV. I don’t think the games now. If you give me an all 22 or an end zone look and just leave it alone, and I can have that internet look from my seat, I would prop, but I like replay. I like all of that. But baseball, Leonard, Leonard, I’m telling you, man. Like even don’t tell anybody. I left the All Star game early on that Tuesday night because I I came home on the subway and I watched the late innings in my hotel room. Yep. And other than the players talking to the pit, like it was really goofy. Sure. I’m glad I had the experiencing of watching it on TV because had I watched it at the stadium, everybody at home had a completely different experience with talking to the pitchers and the batters. Absolutely, game they’ve made the game better on TV.
Leonard Raskin 32:34
Wild, yeah, and and if you have good announcers, also, I think as you said, Ben is Ben is outstanding. Hear Palmer say, “Strike out, pop out, do not hit into a double play. How many times does he get? You know, you get it. You just you just get it. That’s that’s fundamentals, and and guys can’t bunt. Why can’t guys bunt anymore? It’s it’s so necessary. And how do you get the bases loaded and nobody out and not score a run? All these things-it’s-it’s great to listen to. How do you run out of guys on your
Nestor Aparicio 33:09
bench and you’re at the end of the game and you’re the manager?
Leonard Raskin 33:12
Well, you don’t have a catcher. That’s the problem right now. We’re down two all-star catchers, and and that’s a problem. And
8Nestor Aparicio 33:20
they’re they’re gonna deal from the bottom of the deck to try to make the team better next Monday, right? Like literally, I would
Leonard Raskin 33:25
assume, I would assume because they
Nestor Aparicio 33:27
kind of have to because they’re still trying to get you and even me to buy tickets, even though they don’t realize it. They’ve done everything they could possibly do to offend me for no good reason. For I don’t know what their benefit is. I don’t know what Katie Griggs is getting out of being a jerk to me, or Mark Fine, like it’s it’s it’s baffling to me. Stupid, and I’m never going to stop talking about it until I’m dead.
Leonard Raskin 33:49
Yeah, well, even though I’ve reinvented
Nestor Aparicio 33:51
myself,
Leonard Raskin 33:51
as you said, they if they don’t want to answer a hard question, they don’t want that question, and so for them, it’s a way to avoid it. You can’t be
Nestor Aparicio 34:00
partly accountable. You don’t have integrity sometimes.
8Leonard Raskin 34:02
Well, right. Yeah, you got to have it all the time. I agree, 100%
Nestor Aparicio 34:06
Leonard Raskin is here. He does that. Tell me what you’re doing managing money. Give me some summer tips and whatnot. I mean, I’ll tell you this. I I had a whole bunch of hotel rooms for the Getty Lee thing in New York this week. I just decided I’m picking the set list. I’m I’m trying to get up there for Saturday, no matter what it costs. And it’s Sunday. I’m or Monday. I’m going to the fourth show, so like I’m I’m hitting a couple of rush shows this week. But I have backed off. You know, we didn’t go see Bon Jovi because it was going to make me cry. We didn’t go to the World Cup thing up there because we just. How about he?
Leonard Raskin 34:32
He couldn’t finish the show.
Nestor Aparicio 34:34
Yeah, man. Like
Leonard Raskin 34:36
I’m. And what’s up, dude from Train? Train. He’s like in the stands. In the not in the stands in the crowd
Nestor Aparicio 34:42
every night. He’s had celebrities. He’s put pictures up every night.
Leonard Raskin 34:46
He comes up on stage and and ends the show singing.
8Nestor Aparicio 34:49
Yeah, I mean that’s
Leonard Raskin 34:51
that’s magnificent. But it’s sad that John couldn’t couldn’t rock it.
Nestor Aparicio 34:55
I thought my mom’s birthday was Sunday night and he was playing the last show that night. Yeah, and I didn’t want, and the ticket prices went crazy, and I thought he can’t even sing. And one of my dearest, dearest friends that I’ve accumulated in life, she loves Bon Jovi. I’ve been to Bon Jovi shows with her. She’s a girlfriend from 30 years ago, and wife, kids, the whole deal. Yeah, yeah. She took her daughters to Madison Square Garden to see the last show. She she knows John’s people. She got hooked up. She got tickets for the last night on purpose. She’s like, “You’ll be warmed up. It’ll be good. It’ll be the last show in New York before he goes to London. Stringsteen showed up, and she sent me a video as it happened on Sunday night, and she sent me one of my favorite songs in these arms. He played it, yeah. And she sent me a minute and a half of it. And Jen came in, and we were watching it. And I almost wanted to cry. I’m like, I wouldn’t want to pay $300 to see it. It’s just this is. I don’t want to say it’s like watching avetchkin at the end because he’s better than that. At the end, you know that sure, yeah, yeah. And the same thing with Verland or any Willie Mays at the end or whatever.
Leonard Raskin 36:00
Right.
Nestor Aparicio 36:00
This has just been a tragedy. Yeah. I mean, I love John Bonjovi. You do too. We all do, right?
Leonard Raskin 36:05
He’s got throat stuff, and he’s lucky he’s even singing at all.
Nestor Aparicio 36:08
Yeah. So I. So
8Leonard Raskin 36:10
he’s trying to wrap it out, and God bless, man. And Springsteen
Nestor Aparicio 36:13
got up, and they did Promised Land, and you know, so they did a little thing. And so let’s
Leonard Raskin 36:17
hope Getty keeps going through DC.
Nestor Aparicio 36:21
At least through DC.
Leonard Raskin 36:22
At least through DC. I got to see him. All right. So look,
Nestor Aparicio 36:25
let’s you and me make a little little side bet here. I know you’re not a betting guy, but first off, are Rush going to play the Sphere next summer?
Leonard Raskin 36:32
Oh, that would be awesome. Okay. I haven’t been to the Sphere, but I would go for that.
8Nestor Aparicio 36:36
This is where I’m leading you. So I’m thinking right here there will be at some point,
Leonard Raskin 36:41
yes,
Nestor Aparicio 36:41
in the near to in the distant early warning,
Leonard Raskin 36:44
yes,
Nestor Aparicio 36:45
that and it won’t be a far cry. A residency that there will be a caravan to get some rush songs in here. Yeah, that the spirit of radio and our free will will lead us to Las Vegas to the vital signs of a sphere show.
Leonard Raskin 36:59
I will do it if they’re if they’re there, you and me, I’m I’m I’m in.
Nestor Aparicio 37:03
You’re missing them this week, but you’re doing DC. You’re not doing Philly at the end of the month.
8Leonard Raskin 37:07
Not at the moment.
Nestor Aparicio 37:08
I’m I miss missing on Tuesday night at 740 when they hit the stage and I’m not at the Garden. I’ll be a little upset that I’m on the yoga mat that
Leonard Raskin 37:16
they’re playing 2112. If they’re playing that, find out where
Nestor Aparicio 37:22
Leonard. Leonard. Leonard, go Thursday night.
Leonard Raskin 37:25
This go Thursday
Nestor Aparicio 37:27
night. What night did you have tickets for this?
Leonard Raskin 37:29
Thursday, dude. I’m in St. Louis. I can’t. Dude, I don’t
8Nestor Aparicio 37:32
want to break the news to you.
Leonard Raskin 37:33
I know. Is that when they’re move your kid
Nestor Aparicio 37:34
in Friday?
Leonard Raskin 37:35
Is that when they’re doing it? Move your kid in Friday Tuesday.
Nestor Aparicio 37:38
I’m trying to get up there Saturday night because moving pictures.
Leonard Raskin 37:42
I hear you.
Nestor Aparicio 37:43
You know, so gotta see
8Leonard Raskin 37:44
- I haven’t
Nestor Aparicio 37:45
seen Witch Hunt yet, and I haven’t seen you know the camera. If you find out they’re doing 2112 in Philly or DC,
Leonard Raskin 37:52
ah, let me know.
Nestor Aparicio 37:54
Yeah, I haven’t studied that. Google has a country place that no one knows about. Lena Raskin is here. There, by the way, if you go Thursday, they’re not playing Red Bart Cheddow. I know the set list, so I don’t want to tell Scott Norton too much. But there we go. Rush is in the midst, and Leonard Raskin will not be there, but I will be before the week is over. It is our 28th anniversary. Leonard, thanks for your sponsorship, your friendship over all of these years, all that you do in the community, all the good stuff we’re doing around here. We’re going to celebrate 28 years on Monday. You might hear some wacky stuff this week about some throwback stuff from our 25th anniversary, our 20th, or our 15th, or our 10th, or our fifth. I mean, who knows? When you start to celebrate this many anniversaries, what the hell? I’ll be like Ferris Bueller. I’m taking Monday off, even though I’m a working man. We are WNST AM 1570 Taos. Some would say I got to get closer to the heart. It is.
