Nestor Smells Blood, Looks to Capitialize...Again

Nestor Aparicio is dusting off one of his old ideas..."Free the Birds". God help us all.

People have been asking me all week, “What’s the problem with the Orioles?” This is a recurring civic question that I’ve known the correct answer to for about a decade. It’s the only “variable” that has remained consistent in Baltimore baseball since 1993. The problem with the Orioles has been, is and will be — until he dies or sells the team – Peter G. Angelos.

Yeah, sure. Angelos is the only problem.

I didn’t need a 1-11 start and the first sniff of a simmering feud with Cal Ripken to know the gospel truth about the Orioles or any business in America in 2010. It starts at the top.

You absolutely needed this. That's why you're trolling for Free the Birds now.

In 2009, when the team got off to a good start and there was a general sense of optimism surrounding the young guys, there was no Free the Birds talk. There was no demand and no traction. Now, 2-14 has given you a little panic, a little anger and a way for you to get some attention.

I run a business. I spend all day, every day talking to fellow business owners. Peter Angelos has been very, very consistent in how he’s run not only the Orioles, but his law firm as well.

Yes. You run your businesses in similar manners.

Anyone who even implies that Andy MacPhail is “in charge” is just stupid and hasn’t been paying attention.

Wow, what a persuasive argument.

As far as I can tell, Andy MacPhail is fully in charge of baseball operations in Baltimore. Why do I say that? Because I saw how things were run before MacPhail got here.

The biggest crime Peter Angelos has committed against the Oriole fan base was to let the farm system die. Sure, it was on its way down before he got here but Angelos delivered the killing blows. (It wasn't his meddling or not putting "Baltimore" on the away jerseys or not being "sensitive to the fans".)

As soon as MacPhail took over, player development became a huge focus. I haven't seen the farm system look this good in 20 years. Brian Matusz, Matt Wieters, Nick Markakis and Brad Bergesen are already here and Josh Bell, Chris Tillman, Jake Arrieta, Zach Britton, Brandon Snyder and more are still behind them. There is hope from within for the first time in decades and MacPhail deserves some credit.

Oh wait, I'm just stupid and not paying attention.

Lots of facts backing up that assertion, Nestor. Angelos is the bogeyman.

But at some point the people who are Angelos’ customers – current, former and future (and we’re ALL customers when you consider the MASN cable television revenue he’s siphoning from every household in the state) will rise up and speak up. We did this back in 2006 and, trust me, he heard our message. We called it “Free The Birds” – and it was designed to create awareness of the plight of the downtown business district more than it was a “protest.”

Not really a protest? From a WNST press release in 2007:

Aparicio and his staff led more than 2,000 fans into and out of Oriole Park at Camden Yards last September 21st, a “Free The Birds” protest rally designed to bring to light the plight of Orioles fans everywhere...

This is a fact: the Orioles are making more money than they’ve ever made — upward of $40 million MORE in profit in 2010 — while the stadium and the city sit empty every night and the team loses 100 games per year.

Ironically, this is the kind of panic thinking that Angelos has been guilty of in the past. The team's losing? Quick, throw a bunch of money at a collection of aging mediocrities to help sell tickets!

Ironically, this is just another piece of evidence that Angelos is not meddling in what MacPhail is building.

Andy MacPhail knew this team needed to be blown up, veterans traded, payroll cut and the farm system replenished. So he did it.

There is a cost in the short term to build the team for the long term.

While the money has been flooding in on the MASN television side — money that was earmarked to be re-invested in the payroll — the team continues to pocket it, lose games and Angelos has zero accountability and takes no responsibility for the bush-league tactics of his franchise – on and off the field, year after year.

The team took on $33 million worth of talent this offseason. I don't agree with all those moves but they did spend some money. They could have (and maybe should have, in my opinion) gone cheap and left Mike Gonzalez, Garrett Atkins and Miguel Tejada alone and gone with AAA guys.

They took that MASN money and spent it. You can argue whether is was spent wisely.

So where to lay the “blame” or “accountability” for a franchise that for 13 years can’t get out of its own way? To my mind, it’s certainly not Andy MacPhail, who told me two summers: “I just do what I’m told.”

I love when professional guys make typos.

MacPhail, who I’ll write about later in the week, is a MLB-approved corporate puppet who is surrounded by co-workers dressed as media members who defend him and deflect criticism elsewhere when things go wrong on the field.

Hmmm...so why are you worried about MacPhail at all? You've already asserted that he's not in charge. If he actually WAS a "MLB-approved corporate puppet", what difference would it make? Peter Angelos is running every aspect of this show. You said so yourself.

Trembley’s getting fired at some point soon – we all know that – it’s just a matter of when and what poor S.O.B. will replace him.

I'm not about to claim that Dave Trembley will remain the skipper for Baltimore until the season is over but it's been 18 days since this post was written and Trembley still has his job and the Orioles have won 6 of their last 11.

So, today, in reigniting the Free The Birds 2010 movement, we’re trying to find the other disgruntled baseball fans who still care enough about the Orioles and Baltimore to speak up and have their voices heard on the future of baseball here and in the downtown area.

That’s all “Free The Birds” was ever designed to do – create awareness that all of those empty green seats are angry “invisible” former Orioles fans who would gladly come back if the franchise and its ownership had a true commitment to winning and a partnership with the community.

No, all "Free the Birds" was ever designed to do is to create cheap publicity for your radio station and help you settle petty personal grudges. Let's not kid ourselves.

Those disgruntled fans? They're already making their voices heard...in silence. Those empty green seats that you refer to are far more persuasive than your publicity stunt will ever be. they're voting with their wallets...and money talks.

And I know what a bunch of cowards and frauds most of the politicians and “business leaders” are here in Baltimore.

I don't even understand this non sequitur. Nestor doesn't explain further...just calls them names and moves on. Inside joke between him and the "cowards"?

How in the world the Orioles could be this dreadful for this long and have NO ONE stand up and call “Bul&*%$t” on this ownership group is beyond belief?

See the above comment about the empty seats.

I LIVE HERE. I see it every single night and have for the seven years I’ve lived downtown.

Me me me me me.

My anger and disappointment of late has been directed more toward the people who defend these past 13 years of losing, somehow vilifying me and WNST for caring so much and having no idea of the harm it’s done our community – psychologically and economically, especially to the downtown area.

Nobody defends the 13 years of losing. Those are the voices in your head. This is the criticism I have for you Nestor; You can't tell the difference between 2003 and now.

By the way, are the Orioles responsible for the economic well-being of the entire downtown area? If they were winning, would downtown Baltimore be a recession free zone?

How many times will Angelos continue to lie to the community before someone realizes HE’S the problem?

I'm lost. With all the Angleos has done, what's he lying about? There is no further information.

I’ve never lost a game for the Orioles or caused them to lose. I haven’t chased away two million fans per year. I’ve simply said what’s happened is unacceptable and I’ve not been shy about using my platform to preach the truth. (Don’t expect to hear that today on the Scott Garceau Show, by the way…)

Me me me me me.

My beef and message remains consistent for Peter G. Angelos and the stewards of the Orioles: “Do right by the community, field a team we can be proud of and listen to your customers and fans. Be accountable and be community-oriented.”

I think if the team just wins, people will come back. The other stuff is extraneous.

The time has come for us to reunite as one and say “Enough is enough!”

Are you and your horde demanding that Peter Angelos sell the team or die? That is your self-described solution for the franchise.

This is a call-to-arms to all real Orioles fans who are nauseated by this consistent track of lying, losing and making obscene amounts of money off of the goodwill of the people of Baltimore and three generations of Orioles fans who are once again angry at a dismal start to the season.

I guess if you don't answer the call you're not a "real" fan. That's not too insulting.

Four years later nothing has changed about Peter Angelos and his Orioles.

So what good did the first protest do?

Given WNST's ratings, even if all their daily listeners showed up, they would only fill half the stadium.

Base Hits: 4/3/2009

Tangotiger is relying on the wisdom of crowds to create a projection system based on playing time. What's missing? Your input? To quote Tango, "Who knows more about whether a pitcher will be in the starting rotation or the bullpen: an algorithm or a true fan?...There are certain human observation elements that are critical for forecasting."

Go give him a hand; it's kind of fun.

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Two Oriole related post at The Hardball Times: Evan Brunell asked Five Questions about the 2009 Orioles and Colin Wyers tempers some of the insane projections for Oriole prospect Matt Wieters. The good news? Wieters still looks like the real deal.

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Weaver's Tantrum takes a look at Robert Andino through the eyes of Marlins fans.

Dave and I disagree about the merits of this trade...but more on this later in the post.

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FrostKing has finished up his WAR spreadsheet now that the roster is more settled. I may finish up mine over vacation...when I'm not so depressed.

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The Baltimore Sun rips the Spring Training facilities in Ft. Lauderdale and Sarasota and quotes several players.

And it's rare that I wholeheartedly agree with Nestor Aparicio but he throws his two cents in on the stadium in Ft. Lauderdale too. He's 100% correct. It's a joke. (tip of the hat to Anthony at Oriole Post for linking to Nestor's post...)

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Some things are so good and so consistent that you take them for granted. It goes without saying that I read Rock Kubatko's School of Roch blog religiously. What hasn't been said is that Kubatko's Spring Training coverage is always stellar and that he provides the better coverage of the Orioles than any other writer on the beat. And it's not even close.

Really, his posts are unmissable if you are a diehard fan.

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The Wayward Oriole is ready for the season to start.

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Just a few parting shots and predictions for the season...

I hate the Hayden Penn trade. We could have just kept Jolbert Cabrera if we needed a fourth bench player. I'd rather fail with a 24-year old pitcher than with a bunch of retreads or never-were's like Eaton, Simon and Hendrickson. So my first prediction is that Penn turns out to be way more useful to the Marlins than Robert Andino will be to Baltimore.

Alfredo Simon is out of the rotation by the end of May. He won't be with the big club by July.

Matt Wieters is here in May.

Brad Bergeson is here in July.

Brian Matusz is here is September.

The Orioles win 72 games.

Lou Montanez won't OPS better than .750 at any level...unless he goes back to Bowie.

Nick Markakis OPS's .900+

Felix Pie gets better in the second half.

Adam Jones hits 20+ home runs.

Luke Scott and Ty Wigginton provide the best Oriole platoon since...well, in a very long time.

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Ironically, I won't be posting much next week as I'll be on vacation and will have limited access to the internet during that time. Let's hope for a respectable opening series...

Nestor Goes Nutso

I have always maintained that Nestor Aparicio is a paranoid raving lunatic (or at least puts on like he is) but this little incident is beyond even what I thought he was capable of.



Now, there are two sides to every story but this doesn't look good. And some anti-Semitic comments were alleged in an earlier confrontation between these two.

This is not the first incident between Nasty Nestor and the Ticket. In 2008, at the Super Bowl coverage, Corby Davidson went to Nasty Nestor to make peace. Nestor Aparicio began swearing at Corby Davidson and accused him of having a hidden mic, to which Corby responded, “I swear to the good Lord I do not have a microphone.” Nasty Nestor then allegedly called Corby a “(Explitive)-ing Jew.”

Sounds like someone needs to go to anger management. Allegedly.

Commentary about the incident can be found here,
here and here.

Nestor Is At It Again...

The Orioles had a five game losing streak! Leap from the bandwagon, Nestor!


Orioles go from penthouse to outhouse



How original. How droll. The wit is simply amazing here. Who but a professional sportswriter would think to juxtapose "penthouse" with "outhouse"? That's where that journalism degree comes in folks. Pure genius.


Don’t look now, but the Orioles have gone from an “interesting” spring team with some exciting evenings to quickly becoming a team on a fast course to nowhere.

Let's assume that the Orioles were "falling back to Earth" as Nestor imagines. Is that a path to nowhere? Didn't we assume that rebuilding is good and that it would come with its share of growing pains? Should a few losses change that outlook?

That is, if they can't find a way to start hitting the baseball.This morning, they wake up on a 80-degree Memorial Day again mired in last place of the AL East in the midst of a five-game losing streak....And here come New York and Boston to attempt to kick them while they’re down…



Mired. An interesting choice of language there.



Mired - entangled, entrapped or hindered as if in mire



On the morning this post appeared the Orioles were "mired" in last place...in a division where being one game under .500 will land you in last place. They were a full 5.5 games out of first! How will the Orioles ever get above .500 again?!?! Oh yeah, win a couple of games. We are de-mired.



Before the inevitable (and foolish) "Nestor hates the Orioles" comments start flooding this blog,



Gee, why would anyone think that?



Right now, with seven games coming against the Red Sox and Yankees at home – where their talent will be overwhelmed every day – it’s not looking so good...



Look, outside of the fact that we don't have a true "ace" on this staff, I'll put our pitching staff up against anybody in the AL East save for Toronto. And pitching has been the great equalizer this season. Unless the pitching fails us, we will never be overmatched for a series.



The real problem is very clear to anyone who watches the team on a daily basis: the offense is atrocious and there are very few signs of it improving dramatically any time soon.

Yes, the offense is not good. But no signs of improving? Anyone who watches the game would see signs that the team is hitting the ball hard and catching some bad breaks. Or you could look here. Or here.

This is and will probably remain a poor offensive team, and any hopes that both Luke Scott and Adam Jones would be the next coming of last year’s Nick Markakis are starting to dissipate.



Nick Markakis hit .300 with 23 home runs last year. Nobody thought Scott or Jones were going to do that this year. Nobody Nestor. N-O-B-O-D-Y.



And just so we're clear here, on May 31st, 2006, (Markakis' first year in the majors) his batting line was .219/.301/.314. The Truth is batting .253/.303/.368 with almost triple the number of extra base hits (14) than Nick had (5). And Jones still has 3 games to go this month!



Sure, you’d like to think that Brian Roberts isn’t going to hit .263 this season.



He's not.



Or that Nick Markakis is better than his current .247.



He is.



But the rest of the roster – including a rapidly aging Melvin Mora and a “just glad to be here” Kevin Millar – are what they are: mediocre major league players. And don’t get me started on Aubrey Huff, who’ll make his $8 million this year while hitting his usual .250 with 20 homers.The situational (and specifically late-inning) hitting was superb during the early-season stretches where they won cardiac ballgames in the late innings. And those were on the nights when the starting pitching was outstanding and the bullpen was even better than that.



No argument with the bats in this lineup, although I would quibble about Millar being mediocre. he is better than league average. And Mora can pick 'em over at third.



Daniel Cabrera is 5-1. I have no reason to believe he’ll be 10-2 and 15-3 before it’s all over with. I’m not convinced that we’ll see the same guy every five days once this team inevitably drops well below .500 and goes through the summer doldrums that teams that hit .240 will struggle with.



Two things here: win totals are a poor evaluation of a pitcher's performance (see Guthrie and Bedard last year, far better than their win totals) and batting average is a poor indicator (by itself) of offensive prowess.



First, the offense. The team OPS is .712, 7th among the 14 AL teams. And they are swinging the bats better than the results...but if you've read this blog you know where I'm going with this and I don't feel like proving it again. Trust me, the bats will improve.



And no, Daniel Cabrera would be hard pressed to win 15. I love the guy but he's giving up too many homers to win consistently.



But note that it is "inevitable" that the team sinks far beneath .500. Only a .240 batting average as proof.



It was fun while it lasted – and maybe they’ll go 7-0 this week against the big boys and resurrect their flailing season– but it’s hard watching this team get four and five hits a game and struggle to manufacture runs, especially when Steve Trachsel takes the ball every five days and puts them in a major hole.

That's all folks! Take down the tents, the party is officially over - unless of course it's not over then feel free to stick around. Way to hedge your bets Nestor.

Steve Trachsel. One way or another, a temporary problem.

Maybe they can escape last place before the end of Memorial Day?
Or maybe I'll just want to vomit at the sea of Yankees fans I'll inevitably be forced to endure in my own ballpark for the tenth year running...



Confusing parting shot. A hint of optimism after all the downer talk. Then a reference to the Yankee fans taking over the stadium, 10 years of losing and bodily fluids being expelled. I guess some habits die harder than others for Nestor...

Base Hits: 3/25/2008

Luis Hernandez made yet another throwing error in yesterday's game giving him 5 total for the spring.

Brandon Fahey is being handed a the job as the starting shortstop on a silver platter. Much like Hernandez, there is no way that Fahey would have a chance to start for any other team in the league. But the Warehouse traded away Miguel Tejada leaving a gaping hole in this organization at short. They have yet to trade Brian Roberts for any other shortstop prospect and Fahey is latching on to the job that Hernandez is (literally) throwing away (into the dugout).

Fahey has out-hit and out-fielded Hernandez this spring. Time to cut our losses with Hernadez and patch the hole with Fahey until someone better (Blake Davis?) comes along.

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An interesting read over at The Hardball Times as Sean Smith attempts to quantify the best defensive players since 1956. Obviously, many Baltimore Orioles are at the top of this list. (Including the assertion that Mark Belanger was a better defensive shortstop than Ozzie Smith.)

Then the Orioles caused problems for his system in other ways, through something he calls "the Jim Palmer problem".

The Orioles of the late 1960s and early 1970s had incredible defensive numbers. The teams allowed far fewer hits on balls in play than an average team. If we give all this credit to Brooks Robinson, Paul Blair, Mark Belanger and Bobby Grich, then we have to take some credit away from Palmer. Could it be that it was the other way around, that Palmer’s great pitching made those fielders look better by getting batters to hit into easy outs?

Turns out that Palmer was able to induce outs from balls put in play at a rate nearly unheard of by non-knuckleball pitchers. I'll let you sift through Sean's methods but it is fascinating to me and cool to see some of your favorite players showing up on all-time great lists.

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Gibbons Headed to Minor League Camp - I got really excited when I saw this headline but it turns out that the Orioles are just sending him there to workout during his suspension. Hopefully, he'll just stay there.

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As if any of us cared, Nestor Aparicio has decided he's going back to Camden Yards.

I want to make this clear: the Orioles are as shameful and as pathetic as they’ve ever been in virtually every department (from marketing to media relations to dealing with their employees to dealing with the business community and people in general) – it’s actually getting WORSE, not better -- but I’m going back to the games anyway.

Isn't this the guy who didn't know who George Sherrill was a couple of days ago? I wonder if old Nestor would be reversing course if Free The Birds II has gone well and gotten him some of his much craved publicity?

My detractors and those on Mr. Angelos’ extended payroll called me a charlatan and said it was a “publicity stunt.”

Well count me as one of those who consider you a charlatan. Actually, I called you a carnival barker. Somehow my check from Peter Angelos for writing this little blog has been lost in the mail.

Nestor is and remains a blowhard with paranoid delusions worthy of Richard Nixon. And he's an assclown.

Nestor Takes Aim At Our Ace

Nestor Aparicio has a blog. Perhaps you've seen it.



From Nestor Aparicio's blog entry 8/18:



Your Orioles Cy Young candidate at work ...



Erik Bedard has made few friends within the local media, which has now led to a new "national" perspective on his churlish behavior en route to a possible Cy Young Award this fall.



You know that little saying about not learning history and being doomed to repeat it? May I invoke the name of Eddie Murray here? Nestor is not alone in criticizing Bedard's lack of grace with the media but I think everyone needs to remember one name: Eddie Murray.



Yes, it's a joy watching him pitch, but



Allow me to use the wayback machine here. "Yes it's a joy watching Eddie switch hit with power not witnessed since the days of Mickey Mantle but..."



apparently he has become a real pain in the ass to deal with for everyone.



"...apparently Eddie is a real pain in the ass so lets ship him to L.A. for Juan Bell, Brian Holton and Ken Howell." My God, people! Am I the only one who sees the parallels here? (Now Nestor has me raving like a lunatic...)



In this story on ESPN.com, the cat is out of the bag on his asinine behavior toward the media, fans and the like.



First, the story primarily focuses on Erik Bedard's breakout season. Second, there is not one mention of him being rude to the fans. Not one. In my lone interaction with Bedard, he was nothing if not polite even if he wasn't particularly chatty. So rudeness to the media automatically means he is antagonistic to the Baltimore Oriole fans? According to Nestor, yes.



But of course, when your owner is an ass, insulting the fans again and again and encourages his employees to do the same...I suppose your star Cy Young candidate can treat people like garbage as well.



Not people Nestor, just the media! I keed, I keed...



Bedard is a Cy Young candidate, but I don't see the stands filling up on nights when he pitches.



To their detriment. Fans don't know what they're missing. The team is losing so I blame no one for staying away but it's one of the finest performances by an Oriole pitcher in the history of the franchise. No, really.



Funny, too, is that when I PREVIOUSLY had a press pass --



Hoo boy, here we go again. He's kind of like a crazy but harmless uncle...



-- one of the 18 years when I had a pass before Peter Angelos went Fidel Castro on me -- Bedard was always pretty cool to me. Seemed like a quiet guy, but he was certainly NOT impolite in any way. I always got along fine with him.



So...you never had an issue with him when you were part of the media but because you hear he's difficult you write this little hatchet piece about how rude he is?



Gee, I can't imagine why Bedard would be distrustful of the media. They're so evenhanded and logical...



Guess I'm not missing much there these days ...Just what I need -- one MORE person in the organization treating me like crap and making up lies about me!



OK, Crazy Uncle Nestor needs to take his medicine now kids. Good night!



Nestor just implied that a man who has been criticized for not being talkative would make up lies about him. Why? To amuse himself? It wouldn't be to spread to the media now would it? This is forgetting the fact that Bedard would have no motive to make up lies about Nestor Aparicio. Oh wait, I missed this quote in the ESPN article: "Nestor Aparicio likes to dress up goats in women's clothing," remarked Bedard, "Why would I want to grant him an interview?"



Lies! Damn lies!



(In case there are some of you who don't get jokes, Bedard did not say anything of the sort...see the irony?)



Think about this kids. Nestor now is so paranoid (with delusions of grandeur) that he believes the ace pitcher of the Baltimore Orioles is out to get him. Really, take a few minutes and ponder what that means...



The biggest joke is on the Orioles, themselves. They think winning is ALL that matters. And here they have the best pitcher in baseball and NO ONE in town really cares enough to spend a few bucks and come downtown to watch him work.



Let's walk through this.



They think winning is ALL that matters.



They're right. They haven't done that in 9 years so they are really bad at it but WINNING IS ALL THAT MATTERS! You couldn't even get Free The Birds 2 off the ground when the O's had a winning month! If this team started to compete, all would be forgiven by the casual (and 99% of the hardcore) fans.



And here they have the best pitcher in baseball and NO ONE in town really cares enough to spend a few bucks and come downtown to watch him work.



Because...(bangs head on desk)...this is a losing team! They've lost for going on ten years now. You have stated this yourself ad nauseum. If this team was winning Bedard's season would be of more interest. Because they lose, it isn't. Thank you and good night!



And everybody leave Erik Bedard alone. I'll take a surly Cy Young candidate over a cheerful 4-15 hurler anyday.

Tributes to a Legend

Wild Bill Hagy has passed on yesterday at the age of 68. The guys at Roar From 34 have a tribute to their namesake.

I typically don't have many nice things to say about Nestor Aparicio but he writes a nice tribute to Wild Bill in his blog.

James Baker wrote a nice tribute to Hagy over at Oriole Magic.

Anthony at Oriole Post has a remembrance along with a photo and video of Wild Bill.

Rick Dempsey remembers Wild Bill along with some classic Wild Bill Hagy video.
(edit: My original link didn't work. Try the link now and scroll down to the video clip...)

Here's the story from the Sun. The team also planned a moment of silence before Monday night's game and a video tribute to Bill. I assume those gestures will occur tomorrow due to the rainout.

I won't get too much into Will Bill Hagy, others have done it better than I could have. But his passing does bring to mind the differences between Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards. Memorial Stadium had a much more working class feel to it, grittier, rougher and more down to earth. As fine a stadium as Camden Yards is, when it opened it immediately had a much more corporate, much more yuppie feel to it. In the early nineties it was actually difficult to get tickets (hard to imagine now, but true) but I always wondered how many people were buying up the seats because it was the hot ticket in town and how many were the diehard Oriole fans. That's why I used to see a lot of games against the Milwaukee Brewers - I couldn't get tickets to the premier matchups. Wild Bill Hagy was a link back to the days of Memorial Stadium, Natty Bo, and cartoon Orioles on the caps.

The Return of Nestor

Nestor quit blogging there for awhile and even on the odd occasion when he did, the frothing, mindless spewing seemed to have been tabled. I would love to think I had just a little bit to do with that (hell, somebody is reading this) but I figure he just ran out of bile. No spewing from Nestor in his blog post last week concerning "Free The Birds 2" but a couple inconsistencies I would like to highlight:


Dear BALTIMORE Orioles fan:


The time for FREE THE BIRDS 2 has come…


Today, I am reaching out to you to see if you’re still interested in another massive event…If YOU are in, I'M IN! If not, we'll move on...


I have gone on record before saying that the declining attendence figures, half-empty stadiums and general disinterest of the fan base does far more to force Peter Angelos' hand than any staged protest (especially one where people put money in the owner's pockets in the process). The cynic in me also finds it to be a bit of publicity stunt for WNST and a cheap way to get national press. But fine, I'll take it on the face that Nestor wants the team to improve just like the rest of us. This is not what is bothering me today...


Sure, they’ve won a few games over the last month and the new manager seems to be an improvement, but has there been ANY signal that this franchise and this ownership group has “changed its stripes” in regard to how it treats the fans and the city of Baltimore?


Yeah, they've won a few. 15 in July. Winning at a .600 clip. Baltimore hasn't had a month like that since April of 2005. The franchise owes this to the fans; to field a winner. This last month has been a "signal" that maybe they are trying to do the right thing by fans. Just win baby.


We want our memories back and we want our good times at Orioles games back.


Ah, memories. Trading Eddie Murray away for peanuts. Trading Mickey Tettleton away for Jeff Robinson. Trading away Curt Schilling, Pete Harnisch and Steve Finley for Glen Davis. Starting seasons 0-21. Man, those were good times.


This franchise has not been a consistent contender for 24 years. The glory days were from 1964-1983; 20 years of contention. The most we have seen in the last 24 years is fleeting flashes of hope. I'm not pining for the old days, I'm hoping for something new now.


We do not want to stage an “empty” walkout, like those poor people in Pittsburgh.


OK, this is the part I don't understand. You would think Nestor would feel some comraderie with the Pittsburgh fans and cheer their efforts. Instead, he derides them (and this isn't the first time). Why is it empty? According to reports (AP, Pittsburgh Post Gazette) out of Pittsburgh, they had around 1000 people involved in the walkout. According to reports (AP, MLB) out of Baltimore, there were about 1000 people involved in Free The Birds last year. They were very similar in scope and focus. C'mon Nestor, share the love!


We had more than 2,000 people last September – anything less would be an embarrassment, so why bother?


See above. You didn't have that many people...


This is NOT a publicity “stunt” in ANY WAY!


Hmmm. OK. Don't you get suspicious of posts with big capital letters? Why is he protesting so vehemently?


If enough people are truly interested, we will organize it. If not, we’ll anxiously await the start of the Ravens season.


You can wait for the Ravens, Nestor. I'll be over here watching the O's take a shot at their first winning season in 9 years.

Nestor and Angelos: Like Looking in the Mirror

Something Nestor said yesterday morning on WNST got me thinking about how he fired Terry and Jeremy this past fall and comments about how the O's treated Sam Perlozzo.



First, Nestor's comments from earlier this week:



...this is just three hours after they had him walking around town this morning looking and sounding like a fool, a dead man walking who was still under the belief that he wasn't getting fired as far as he knew!



That was the wrong thing to do in Nestor's opinion. This was how Nestor treated his former morning team:



Terry Ford and Jeremy Conn much to their surprise were fired. Somewhere just before 9AM the entire morning crew was asked to leave the building and not long after their return, the profiles and email addresses of Ford and Conn were wiped from WNST’s database and website and severance checks awaited them. Only Drew Forrester was left standing.



Hmmm. Guess these guys have more in common than we ever knew...
(photo from WNST.net...)

Nestor Aparicio: Raving Lunatic

Sit back and enjoy more from the frothing carnival barker:

Because I believe in presenting BOTH sides of the story...

Good one.

Only time will tell...but the track record of "momentous" days like today where Peter Schmuck believes whatever the Orioles tell him and writes fluffy, flowery pieces of wishful fiction...are too many to name.

This is a common Nestor tactic. Anyone who works for The Baltimore Sun or WHFS is automatically discredited, they are brainwashed lapdogs, pawns of the evil Angelos Empire. WNST is the only true source for O's information. Remember the away jersey story? Complete truth, that one. No axes to grind here, no sir.

Blah, blah, blah...every time there's a "new" addition people like Schmuck are out selling the discounted orange Kool-Aid!

See? Jim Jones reference with that one. Classic.

I'm trying to figure out what makes Andy McPhail more important or significant than Jon Miller, Pat Gillick, Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripken or anyone ELSE who won't work for Peter Angelos?

Let me help you "figure" this out because three out of four of these are easy.

Andy McPhail is more important than:

Jon Miller because: Jon Miller did not pick players or coaches. He talked about the game while people played and did it very well but his Vin Scully impression never once created a run for the Baltimore Orioles nor prevented the opposing team from scoring one. Nor did his witty repartee ever lure a free agent or select good players in the draft. That was easy. What's next?

Brooks Robinson because: Brooks was a Hall of Fame baseball player but is now, like, 137 years old. I don't think he can hold down third base for us anymore. And since he has repeatedly stated that he does not want to be a coach or manager, I would say that he can't help the team by playing, hiring good players or coaching them to wins. Next!

Cal Ripken because: Cal wants to own the team. He does not want to coach. He does not want to pick players. He does not want to play again. He wants to run the whole show. So until Angelos decides to sell the team, Cal cannot help us. But McPhail may be able to. Wow. Easy stuff. Next!

Pat Gillick because: Pat Gillick was a really bad GM. Wow, that was easier than I thought. Look here at the 1998 draft. Brutally bad. it took him 10-15 years to build a winner in Toronto. Then he screwed up Baltimore, went on the decimate the Mariners and is now mismanaging the Phillies.

There you go Nestor. Please continue in clarity.

If you ask me, all Peter has done today is found a new lap dog, another "unemployed" baseball executive who wanted a job and has "delusions of grandeur."

He won't back up his assertions here but he has managed to discredit a man who has been on the job two days as a "lapdog". (He just loves that word...) If John McGraw returned form the dead and agreed to manage the Orioles, Nestor would dismiss him as a lapdog. If Sparky Anderson returned (he's still alive) and agreed to manage the Orioles, Nestor would dismiss him as a lapdog. If Jesus Christ returned from the grave and agreed to manage the Orioles, Nestor would dismiss him as a lapdog.

(And as long as I'm defecating on Schmuck, how many times is HE going to buy their rubbish before he starts feeling foolish himself? I know I stopped buying it right around 1998, because I SAW what was going on around the franchise from the inside!)

Do you know who defecates on other people? Babies, the mentally deficient and the insane. Nestor qualifies as at least two out of three so I'll allow the foul comment. Continue.

I HOPE McPhail is not a flunky, but the evidence on Day One is pretty damning! I ain't holding my breath, if you know what I mean!

Scan the post all ye sane and reasoning people. There is not one bit of evidence presented. It's all in his head. Obviously, he forgot to write the evidence part. But it's damning. Really, really damning. If you know what I mean.

Who knows? Maybe if I "suck up" to Andy McPhail, I'll get my press pass back so I can do my job...LOL!!! Especially, since now it's Mr. McPhail's decision, since he's "running the organization."

Nestor, I supported you in your quest for press credentials even though I knew you were an assclown but it's time to let it go and live in the now. Now take your medicine.

P.S. Today he writes an open letter to McPhail (the man he referred to as a lapdog in yesterday's rant) and whines about his press pass again. He requests that it be ready by Tuesday of next week and that if it's not, he'll "just assume that you're the latest liar to take Peter's money." Hey, that's logical. Or maybe he has more important things to do like hiring a manager and assessing the farm system. Or maybe he just realizes you're an assclown. Why does McPhail get so much shrapnel? He just got here on Tuesday...

More Nestor Today...

From Nestor's latest blog entry:

"The list is too long, but start with Doug Melvin and Jon Miller and move forward...pick ANYONE who has worked in this organization."

Really, Nestor. Stop the Doug Melvin rap. See my post two entries down. Melvin sucked here, sucked in Texas. He is poor at his job. There are far better examples to use...

"We at WNST deal with former players ALL THE TIME, who come to town and tell our reporters what a nightmare it was to play here and work for Mr. Angelos. Casey has former players come up to him at literally EVERY homestand, talking to him about what a mess this place was and how happy they were to leave Baltimore!"

Name one. I dare you. Name just one player who said these things and I will take these claims as credible. Otherwise, they are fabrications, like 'NST's "Jerseygate" stories. Unfounded.

Nestor also goes on a long rant about how people should not be motivated by money and if Joe Girardi can only be lured here by $2 million a year then he is not the right man for the job.

But Nestor, if this is such a bad job, why would anyone of quality come here without being well compensated? You can't have it both ways.

Fire Nestor Aparicio

From Nestor's blog today:

"I'll say this: God bless ANYONE who is coming into this situation...and really expecting to be able to make a difference!"

Wow. How hopeful you are Nestor.

"All McPhail or Trembley or Girardi need to do is pick up the phone and call any one of a HUNDRED people who have tried to make this franchise and situation better -- good men like Doug Melvin, Pat Gillick, Frank Wren, Jim Beattie, Ray Miller, Mike Hargrove, or Sam Perlozzo who ALL had a press conference like the one that is currently under way in The Warehouse only to be shown during the "tough times" just who is running the show, but also who has ZERO accountability for the many, many embarrassments and failures.

ALL of them had success in other places, but couldn't figure out a way to make it work here because of the man who owns the company and rules with an iron fist."

All of them had success in other places? Let's see:

Doug Melvin: Traded away Eddie Murray for nothing. Glenn Davis deal? Yeah, his hands were on that one too. Don't remember the O's soaring during that time. In Texas, he signed A-Rod to big bucks but also Chan Ho Park. He traded away Ryan Dempster, Dean Palmer (for Tom Goodwin) and Kevin Brown (for Tim Crabtree). He did nothing but make the O's and Texas worse while at the helm.

Pat Gillick: Had some of the worst drafts in the last 20 years for the O's. I have detailed this before.

Frank Wren: No argument.

Jim Beattie: General manager of the Expos...during their suckdom and decline of the late 90's. Awesome success story.

Ray Miller: Failed in Baltimore, failed in Minnesota. A fine pitching coach (maybe), lousy manager everywhere.

Mike Hargrove: Was successful with several future Hall of Famers on his team in the mid-90's. (Players in the mid-90's: Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Orel Hershhiser, Eddie Murray, Albert Belle, Carlos Baerga, Omar Vizquel, Kenny Lofton, Charle Nagy, Dennis Martinez, Jeromy Burnitz, Brian Giles, Jeff Kent, Sandy Alomar, Tony Fernandez, Matt Williams, David Justice, Bartolo Colon, Richie Sexson, Dwight Gooden. I could have managed that team to the World Series) He was mediocre in Baltimore and mediocre in Seattle...with mediocre talent.

Yeah, Angelos really held these guys back.

Angelos may be a coward (Nestor's words) but Nestor is an assclown.