Baltimore Positive

It's always fun to talk baseball in October with folks who live and love the game. Former MLB outfielder Casper Wells and our trusted sponsor with The Comfort Guys, Zach Dermer join Nestor for a state of baseball and the Orioles offseason from State Fare in Catonsville on the Maryland Crab Cake Tour. We promise not to drop the ball... The post Casper Wells and Zach Dermer join Nestor for a state of baseball and Orioles offseason from State Fare first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

This recent gathering of old music tickets, artifacts and memories would not be complete without reaching to the guy Nestor met as a 14-year old camping out for concert tickets at the old Hecht's on at the Reistertown Road Plaza. Our old Live Aid and lifer pal Richard Abrahams brings the rock and roll music memory bank to State Fare in Catonsville on the Maryland Crab Tour, adding huge contributions with tales of U2, The Alarm and The Smithereens to our 28 bands of significance as we count 'em down. Oh, and that time we camped out at The Spectrum for Rush tickets in the dead of winter of 1984... The post Old concert camp out lifer pal Richard Abrahams brings the rock and roll music memory bank to Nestor first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

The Dallas Cowboys had four chances on the 1-yard line in the final minute and still lost the game. Fans of the franchise of Jerry Jones are familiar with bad beats but so are Luke Jones and Nestor, who kick up all of the issues the Baltimore Ravens will need to resolve after their miraculous win over America's Team in South America. The post Luke Jones and Nestor kick up all of the issues Ravens will need to resolve after big win over Cowboys in Rio first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

Edgewood native and now-Nashville-based actor Johnathon Schaech returns to discuss the recent success of his Amazon series "Blue Ridge" and talk Baltimore sports with Nestor as the seasons change and the wait continues for Orioles fans everywhere. The post Actor Johnathon Schaech returns to discuss success of Amazon series Blue Ridge and talk Baltimore sports first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

The run to Rio de Janeiro ended with an interesting Loop. Luke Jones and Nestor discuss all aspects of the Baltimore Ravens 34-31 win over the Dallas Cowboys on the foot of the kicker whose burden has been heavy since last season's exit miss in Pittsburgh. This time, it was 56 yards and "good" on a day when the field, the play, the tackling and the run game weren't always good enough. The guys in purple return to America from South America at 2-1. That'll work... The post Luke Jones and Nestor celebrate the Loop kick in Rio and Ravens big win over Cowboys first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

Anytime we can bring our favorite baseball folks together to discuss the state of the game in the fall as the playoffs begin and the leaves change, we're thrilled. We loved having former MLB outfielder and Towson Tigers alum Casper Wells talking seams with our longtime baseball insider Allen McCallum to debate the Orioles state of the franchise and another gloomy MLB offseason labor mess at State Fare on the Maryland Crab Cake Tour. The post Casper Wells and Allen McCallum debate Orioles and MLB offseason labor mess with Nestor at State Fare on MD Crab Cake Tour first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

This week, the Maryland Lottery drew three big winners for the VIP trip to Charlotte with the Baltimore Ravens and Seth Elkin joins Nestor to get caught up on all of the current games and the season of football and fun.This week, the Maryland Lottery drew it's three big winners for the VIP trip to Charlotte with the Baltimore Ravens and Seth Elkin joins Nestor to get caught up on all of the current games and the season of football and fun. The post Seth Elkin of Maryland Lottery gets Nestor caught up on Ravens scratchoffs winners and big prizes first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

We don’t think much about this Baltimore Orioles “program” is working as intended. After another season where most things went […] The post Luke Jones and Nestor discuss Orioles long road back to the field and contention with another Elias rebuild first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

It feels like that mesh point scramble that helped propel Lamar Jackson to being a two-time MVP candidate with his wheels has been put in the shop by new Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. Luke Jones and Nestor get ready for Ravens and Cowboys in Rio and talk about when No. 8 becomes a true second running threat in a game that feels like it'll have a lot of Derrick Henry on the turf at Maracana. The post Luke Jones and Nestor get ready for Ravens and Cowboys in Rio and talk Lamar and run game first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

We're not the only ones who loved the late, great Ernie Accorsi. His roots in Hershey and love of Baltimore sports and his journey through Art Modell's Browns in Cleveland to the Giants of New York and George Young led him to New York Post columnist Mike Vaccaro, who joins Nestor to share stories of their mutual sports passion and friendship with one of the greatest guys we ever met... The post New York Post columnist Mike Vaccaro joins Nestor to share stories of sports passion and friendship with late Ernie Accorsi first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

Somebody better spread the news that Baltimore was the epicenter of several gigantic "bring them into the city" events this year. The greatest soccer player of our lifetime. The biggest country music artist in America did two nights. So did the biggest K-Pop act in the world. And the two biggest rugby clubs in the world left behind big tourist money. Our sports business professor Marty Conway takes Nestor to school on how this incredible Charm City summer of Messi, Wallen, New Zealand and South Africa and BTS and J-Love packed 'em in. The post Marty Conway takes Nestor to school on incredible Baltimore summer of Messi, Wallen, rugby and BTS first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

We don’t know a lot of folks who actually live or spend part of the year in Brazil but our […] The post Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report tells Nestor everything he knows about Rio and Ravens as Cowboys await in Brazil first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

As the leaves change and the days shorten, there's still time to hit the links and enjoy some of the best golf of the year at any Classic 5 Golf course around the city. It's always fun to welcome Ed Miller of Pine Ridge Golf to talk fall links, getting great instruction to improve your game and trying to understand the viewing experience and international match play of the Presidents Cup at Medinah this weekend. The post Ed Miller of Pine Ridge Golf talks fall links, Presidents Cup and great weather stoking your game first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

Coming off an ugly home beat, the Baltimore Ravens will hop a plane to Rio de Janeiro and a business trip against the Dallas Cowboys in Brazil. The lights will be bright, the turf will be questionable and the men of Jesse Minter will be depleted and need to respond against the biggest football brand in the world on international television from the legendary Maracana. The post Luke Jones and Nestor discuss Ravens going to Rio and Orioles going golfing first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

There's no sugar-coating an ugly loss than ends with a 16-play drive where your defense can't get off the field and your new "defensive genius" head coach has no explanations after losing to the New Orleans Saints and a neophyte quarterback at home. Luke Jones and Nestor discuss the Ravens defense and how Tyler Shough somehow willed the Saints past a group we believed to be more formidable at all three levels. The post Luke Jones and Nestor discuss Ravens defense and Shough ability to will Saints to win first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

The reason we save money is to enjoy it and this week many Baltimore Ravens fans will be experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime (or at least until the Ravens play in Abu Dhabi or Bangkok) trip to Rio de Janeiro to see the men of Jesse Minter take on the Dallas Cowboys in an international clash at the legendary Maracana Stadium, which may or may not be a playable NFL surface. Our money dude Leonard Raskin joins Nestor to discuss exploring Brazil and staying on the safe side of the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. Oh, only one of us is going to South America this time... The post Leonard Raskin and Nestor discuss Ravens fans big trip to Rio and what to find in Brazil beyond a win over Cowboys first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

The New Orleans Saints left the Baltimore Ravens a little Shough up on a Monday morning after a weird goal […] The post Luke Jones and Nestor discuss Ravens loss to Saints and culpability for mistakes with new coaching first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

For some of us it was Judas Priest and Ted Nugent and for others it was The Cars and Depeche Mode. But the music of our lives and the stories of the bands, shows and songs add some color to our lives four decades later. Leonard Raskin joins Nestor for a 28th Anniversary retrospective at Costas Inn in Dundalk on the Maryland Crab Cake Tour for the backstage tales from the Ratt Poison Tour that went awry... The post Leonard Raskin joins Nestor for a 28th Anniversary retrospective on concerts and bands that changed our lives first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

It's always a pleasure to welcome NFL historian and lifer sports writer Howard Balzer from the desert back to get Nestor ready for another Baltimore Ravens season with a deep conversation about the changes coming to the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection system and the long road to Canton for Lamar Jackson and any of the other current players starting another long season with Super Bowl hopes and yellow jacket dreams. The post NFL historian Howard Balzer gets Nestor ready for Ravens season and changes to Pro Football Hall of Fame system first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

There's a new Powerball game with an NFL theme and John Martin of The Maryland Lottery is here to explain the X's and O's of the Sunday game plan and offers some hard facts and fun offers as the kickoff to a fun new season is underway with lots of ways to win. The post John Martin of Maryland Lottery gets Nestor ready for more football and ways to win with Powerball first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

The confident groundwork laid by the Baltimore Ravens in Indianapolis has buoyed spirits here that the home team will be a solid favorite and expected to win every week for the next month. Luke Jones and Nestor get ready for the New Orleans Saints, who are first up into the Charm City to see Lamar Jackson and the defense of Jesse Minter. The Ravens will 2-0 by 4 p.m. on Sunday, right? The post Luke Jones and Nestor get ready for Saints to march into Baltimore to face Ravens first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

It all started with KISS Alive. And here we are five decades later telling rock and roll stories, concert tales and how the music we love still keeps us going. Former Section 513er and fellow rocker Ed Stylc drops by our 28th Anniversary music celebration for a little KISS and tell with a side of Cheap Trick and modern ways to enjoy the old concerts and the best daze of our childhood. The post Former 513er and rocker Ed Stylc drops by 28th Anniversary music celebration for a little KISS and tell first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

It's the end of a long season and the Pete Alonso performance in Queens this week was as bizarre as anything Luke Jones and Nestor have seen in Major League Baseball. This season is about to fade away but before it does, we're here to try to figure out where it goes after next weekend... The post Luke Jones and Nestor discuss Pete Alonso visit to Queens and Orioles offseason hopes for roste first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

Since he's departed his role at Baltimore County Executive and become our local representative in Congress, John Olszewski sits with us several times a year to answer questions and clarify his positions in Washington, D.C. To begin the fall on the Maryland Crab Cake Tour, Johnny O joined Nestor (and his AI clone) for a full rundown of issues from the Key Bridge to Trump, Iran to Venezuela and Capitol Hill to Sparrows Point at Costas Inn in Dundalk. The post Congressman Johnny O joins Nestor at Costas in Dundalk for a sitdown about America and Capitol Hill first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

This one started out as a legit, total Week 1 on-the-field review and our faux "Power Rankings" but inevitably led to Luke Jones and Nestor discussing the Baltimore Ravens' latest fashion "Next Flight" assemblage and a full inspection of the colors, serifs and markings of the new brand assemblage all around the NFL as we get our rosters set for a long season ahead. The post Luke Jones and Nestor go around NFL and discuss competition and Ravens new fashion first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

Nestor Aparicio wanted the best and he got the best! As a kid who worshiped all things KISS in the 1970s musical coming of age, he interviewed Paul Stanley twice as a music critic – once at The News American as a 16-year old in 1985 and again in a late-night, by-invite personal sit down with the legendary leader of the hottest band in the world at a makeup free 1990 chat on the "Hot In The Shade" tour. It was a great chat when the groupies weren't beating on Stanley's hotel room at the Dulles Hyatt. This is part of the 28th Anniversary #AlmostFamousNes series of music memories and the countdown of the bands of prominence. The post Nestor Aparicio interviews Paul Stanley of KISS on Hot In The Shade tour in 1990 first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

The stories we can tell five decades later about our lifetime passion for rock and roll and chasing great music in general. Musician Ron West of The Cultivated and The Duran Band joins Nestor for their mutual Dundalk childhood memories of camping out for concert tickets at Hecht Company from Golden Ring to Reisterstown Road Mall. Seventh row at Journey. Second row at Styx. And that time at Merriweather in the front row with Ben Orr and The Cars. And the artifacts that mark the date, place, seat and every memory that we treasure in these ticket stubs we earned the hard way! Or, the fun way... The post Musician Ron West of The Cultivated and Duran Band joins Nestor for Dundalk childhood memories of camping out for concert tickets at Hecht Company first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

With the Baltimore Orioles circling the drain the next two weeks and then watching the postseason once again from the outside, Luke Jones and Nestor begin to wave goodbye to any reality of a normal offseason in Birdland or anywhere MLB is played with the pending offseason labor war. The decisions about everything will fall to owners David Rubenstein and Michael Arougheti, who have proven hapless and feckless thus far in accountability regarding Mike Elias and the fans paying the freight. Baseball fans here are watching... The post Luke Jones and Nestor begin to wave goodbye to Orioles season and Baltimore baseball perhaps indefinitely first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

As the X's and O's and the Jimmies and Joes line up on the football field, the NASCAR folks are racing to the finish line and John Martin of The Maryland Lottery brings the spring promotion around the final turn with local folks getting a chance to win a Homestead trip to watch the cars circle the track for the championship in Florida. The post John Martin of Maryland Lottery gets Nestor ready for racing to NASCAR event in Miami first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

With the Baltimore Ravens returning to Indianapolis to start a 31st season in the Charm City, Nestor reached to longtime […] The post Longtime St. Louis sportswriter Jeff Gordon returns to Baltimore to discuss night Colts for Indy first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

So far, so good through the first 60 minutes of the Jesse Minter era, not just as the head coach but also as the defensive play caller and chief accountability officer. Luke Jones and Nestor discuss the first look of this Baltimore Ravens defense and a domination of the Colts in Indianapolis to start the season with a 41-23 win. The post Luke Jones and Nestor discuss defense of Minter and Ravens domination of Colts in Indy first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

We knew the Baltimore Ravens had some great football players and other veterans of repute but until we see it on the field, we can't evaluate the differences between this year and last year. Luke Jones and Nestor give praise to new head coach Jesse Minter and the entire operation of the men of purple after a thorough 41-23 beating of the Colts in Indianapolis to start a season with the promise that comes with Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers touching the ball. The post Luke Jones and Nestor give praise to Minter and entire operation on Ravens thorough beat down of Colts in Indy to start season first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

It's Super Bowl or bust for the Baltimore Ravens. We all know that but there's been a lot of change to navigate and Sunday is just start of a long journey for the men of Jesse Minter. Luke Jones and Nestor get ready for Indianapolis and beyond as another purple season with Festivus on the brain arrives just in time for the leaves to change and the kids to go back to school. The post Luke Jones and Nestor get ready for Indianapolis and another Ravens season with Super Bowl hopes first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

As the baseball season winds down and the Orioles continue to flop at the bottom end of a weak AL Wild Card chase, Luke Jones and Nestor discuss all of the pending baseball issues in Birdland and question why in the world Mike Elias would be allowed to continue to run the operation. The post Luke Jones and Nestor discuss pending baseball issues for Orioles now that season sinks first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

Guitarist Mark Bryan and childhood friend Steve Lipton rock Nestor through the Hootie and The Blowfish story and their original Montgomery County high school band The Screaming Trojans, who are playing a fun reunion gig at The Starboard in Dewey Beach on September 24th before the big Oceans Calling show in Ocean City, Maryland the next night. Two kids had a band once... The post Mark Bryan and childhood friend Steve Lipton rock Nestor through the Hootie and The Blowfish story first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

Oh, we always have fun with those guys in Indianapolis! It's been 42 years since the people of Indiana pilfered the Colts away in the middle of the night. But the ESPN Indy guys still ask about the legend of Beanie Bob (via Ricig) and Nestor still reminds them that there have been two Ravens parades in Baltimore. But does the next one down Pratt Street begin with Lamar Jackson heading to the friendly heart of the Midwest to start the season? He offers a full preview of what he thinks of the new Jesse Minter operation here to the good people of Indy. The post Nestor does Indianapolis radio and previews Ravens at Colts with ESPN Indy crew first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

The Ravens are a favorite on the road to start the season in Indianapolis and there's no finer voice from the friendly heart of the Midwest than longtime columnist and Colts insider Bob Kravitz, who joins Nestor for a primer on Colts past, present and future as Baltimore at Irsay doesn't mean what it used to anymore. The post Bob Kravitz joins Nestor from Indianapolis for a primer on Colts past, present and future as Ravens start season with huge promise first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

As the Ravens return to Indianapolis and begin their 31st season in Baltimore with a roadtrip to an old nemesis on and off the field, longtime Indy sportswriter Mike Chappell gives Nestor a Hall of Fame primer on the modern Colts, owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon and how Daniel Jones will be counted on again to lift a mediocre franchise out of its malaise since Peyton Manning departed. The post Indianapolis sportswriter Mike Chappell gives Nestor a Hall of Fame primer on Colts hosting Ravens first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

This lengthy preview of the Ravens season opener in Indianapolis is chock full of the mystery that always comes with a September kickoff game. How much can we possibly know with so much change? But, as Luke Jones and Nestor get ready for the new look of Jesse Minter and the offense of Declan Doyle against the Colts, we all know it's about Lamar Jackson and the quest for a Super Bowl that will define another NFL season in Baltimore. The post Luke Jones and Nestor get ready for new Ravens look of Minter and Lamar offense as Colts await in in Indy to start campaign first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

Sure, Luke Jones talked about the lousy baseball over the weekend and the four-game sweep by the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards. But Nestor lost his mind in this one about the lack of respect this new ownership group had regarding "honoring" the surviving members of legendary 1966 Orioles World Series on their 60th anniversary. Imagine a guy named "Aparicio" living in Baltimore losing his freaking mind over the indignity of the whole shoddy performance? When is this nightmare season over? The post Luke Jones and Nestor pick up the pieces of the sorry state of Baltimore Orioles baseball after lost weekend at Camden Yards first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

With plenty of games in progress, we know that the NFL is kicking off this week and John Martin of The Maryland Lottery is here to give Nestor the Xs and Os of a new Powerball game kickoff just in time for the season. Plus, plenty of big winners all over the state this week as the Maryland State Fair concludes. The post John Martin of Maryland Lottery gives Nestor the Xs and Os of new NFL Powerball game kickoff first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

It is certainly not a brand of baseball that is attractive or of high quality but "pennant race" MLB action is unfolding at Camden Yards as the Cleveland Guardians come to town with October on the brain. Our Cuyahoga insider Munch Bishop pitches in from Ohio as the sub-.500 Baltimore Orioles circle the drain and limp toward the finish line in a less-than-optimal baseball season in Birdland. The post Munch Bishop pitches in from Cleveland as Orioles and Guardians play mediocre Wild Card baseball first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

The brainchild of the original "Bands For Brains" fundraiser for the Brain Injury Association of Maryland returns to help promote this great night of local music for a great cause. Let Riley Granek tell you the tale of her mother's tragic injury inspiring her to want to bring folks together to help other victims and other families in need after a trauma. The post Riley Granek returns for another Bands With Brains fundraiser for BIAMD on September 26th and brain injury victims first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

Our favorite rock star Rik Emmett returns to tell Nestor what he's learned about life during this second act and leg of his band's reunion, and how his beautifully inspirational words and their meaning flows along for a lifetime. Along with Gil Moore and a trio of incredible musicians, Triumph returns to Baltimore for the first time in four decades on November 21st. The simple truth lies waiting here for everyone to share... The post Rik Emmett tells Nestor what he's learned about life in this Triumph of a comeback reunion tour first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

It's been a year since Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman has joined us and Nestor has been piling up the "unclaimed funds" as she brings the receipts on Maryland money, tax information and distributing all of this "lost and found" money to people like me and you. And the Maryland Tax Connect launches this week and as a taxpayer, this is a modernization that her first campaign promised in Annapolis. The post Comptroller Brooke Lierman gives Nestor the receipts on Maryland money, tax information and distributing unclaimed funds first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

Our Smalltimore roots seemingly never cease to end as two longtime WNST and Baltimore Positive supporters reunite at The Fishmonger's Daughter in Catonsville as Dennis Koulatsos and Damye Hahn tell old Lexington Market tales from Faidley's and the wisdom of a father to another father's son about being prompt and keeping your word. The post Dennis Koulatsos and Damye Hahn tell old Lexington Market tales at Fishmongers Daughter in Catonsville first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

It's going to be quite a trip ahead for Leonard Raskin and many Baltimore Ravens fans who are not only getting their passports stamped in Brazil this month, but also better have their visa! And their credit card and security for their phones. Nestor, who did the Copacabana, Ipanema and Corcovado run in 2006 with the Rolling Stones in the biggest concert in the history of the planet, asks our resident financial expert what he's hoping to find in Rio de Janeiro – other than Dallas Cowboys fans. The post Leonard Raskin joins Nestor to discuss travel to Brazil with Ravens and why we go places with our money first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

The losses are mounting and Luke Jones and Nestor discuss another Orioles loss to the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards as Labor Day weekend heats up and the Birds don't look up to the challenge of a pennant race. The post Luke Jones and Nestor discuss another Orioles loss to Red Sox at Camden Yards first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

Max Weiss and Ron Cassie of Baltimore Magazine return to the Maryland Crab Cake Tour at Koco's Pub with a long-form chat about the reinvention of "Nasty Nestor" as well as their "magazine" brand and their annual selection, soiree and salute to the "Best of Baltimore" businesses, ideas and what makes the Charm City go and evolve. The post Ron Cassie and Max Weiss of Baltimore Magazine discuss ‘Best Of' and Nestor claiming “Reinvention” first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

What makes baseball great is a September pennant race series at Camden Yards between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. This Labor Day weekend makes it a perfect time to check in with the hardest-working retired legend in New England. Sportswriter Bob Ryan of The Boston Globe and ESPN "The Sports Reporters" joins Nestor to talk about the greatest things he's ever seen from behind a typewriter or a mobile device. The post Bob Ryan of The Boston Globe doesn't believe in Red Sox but happy to share baseball beliefs with Nestor during pennant race first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.

The big war in Major League Baseball is a percolating and longtime baseball insider and writer Dave Sheinin has seen it all before. In his new role with NOTUS in Washington, D.C., the longtime Post sportswriter gives Nestor and Ricig a primer on life after newspapers and the handbook for the battle ahead between owners and players at Koco's Pub on the Maryland Crab Cake Tour. Billionaires vs. millionaires. We've seen this before... The post Dave Sheinin and Ricig join Nestor at Koco's to discuss Baltimore sports and baseball chaos first appeared on Baltimore Positive WNST.