By Barry Silverman

Of course by now you know that MASN will be broadcasting 80 Orioles and Nationals games in high definition. This is in addition to broadcasting all 322 O’s and Nationals games throughout the season including pre- and postgame shows for each game.

In only its second season in operation, MASN is doing all it can to be the maximum access channel for all things Baltimore and Washington sports. Yet there are still folks out there who will do everything they can to spread misinformation and bad publicity.

For example, there was a rumor that the MASN games in HD could only be seen on DirecTV because regional cable operators weren’t going to provide an HD channel. This is not true. All the cable operators are on board and will be providing an HD channel for MASN's 80 games in HD. Just be sure to check the listings for that channel.

Look for the O’s first game in HD March 31 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

READY FOR SOME INDOOR FOOTBALL?

The all-new Baltimore Mariners of the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) will kick off the 2008 season on the road against the Reading Express March 8. After another road game the following week against the team from Florence, S.C., the Mariners come home to the First Mariner Arena to take on the Columbus Lions March 28.

The Mariners offer an interesting take on pro football that we’re not used to seeing. Seems one of the co-owners of the league is also the owner of the Mariners. That’s like having Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti also being the commissioner of the NFL. Bet you would never hear that “NFL hates Baltimore” excuse anymore.

Plus, another co-owner of the team and league is Michael Mink, who will also be serving as the Mariners’ offensive coordinator. Talk about meddling ownership. The last owner who tried to call plays here eventually moved the team to Indianapolis. And this may be the first time that a coordinator could fire his head coach. Matt Cavanaugh, Jim Fassel, eat your hearts out.

Regardless, if you’ve got a hunger for football that needs to be fed while waiting for the NFL Draft, the Baltimore Mariners and the AIFA could be just the ticket. Sorry, no tailgating on Baltimore Street.

RIPKEN AND RALLY CAPS

A very special congratulations to local authors Jodi Cutler Del Dottore and her father Steve Cutler on receiving a hearty endorsement from Cal Ripken Jr. of their co-written book "Rally Caps."

The book, geared to children, tells the story of a child with a cochlear implant who helps a teammate overcome his fear of getting hit by a pitched ball. The story was inspired by Jodi’s son, Jordan, who has a cochlear implant and was written to show that hearing-impaired children are just like everybody else and can be heroes, too.

As Ripken said himself, “‘Rally Caps’ is a heartwarming book about perseverance and courage. Congratulations to Steve and Jodi for taking the challenges in their lives and turning it into a wonderful book that helps teach valuable lessons of acceptance and resilience to kids and adults alike.”

WASSUP, NASTY?

A month ago on WNST's Web site there appeared a blog entry from station owner Nestor Aparicio about “lies” being spread about him on the Internet. It seems Aparicio has had a long-running feud with some guys from a Dallas radio station.

At this year’s Super Bowl, the feud got a little personal and erupted into a shouting match between "Nasty," who was broadcasting live from the site, and the guy from Dallas. Right there on radio row, no less. Sources from Dallas say there was an off-air, anti-Semitic remark leveled by Aparicio, which according to his blog he vehemently decries as “absolutely false.”

Just for the record, columnist Jim Williams of the Baltimore Examiner in a 2006 article also called into question an on-air remark by Aparicio in regards to the faith of University of Maryland alumni who Aparicio implied should be more than able to attend a bowl game during the Christmas holidays. This also had a bit of an anti-Semitic ring to it.

In his blog, Aparicio has said that “legal action will be taken” and will provide “a much longer, more detailed explanation at a later date.”

For the record, no here is accusing anybody of anything, but it has been more than a month since the Super Bowl, along with two unreturned e-mails, and no “explanation” yet.

Issue 3.10: March 6, 2008