We had an excellent time Tuesday night at Buffalo Wild Wings in White Marsh for our annual WNST.net coat drive. Thanks to all of you who came out with coats, jackets, hats, gloves, blankets, scarves and more. The end of the night tally was excellent…

Thanks also to those of you have brought coats out to one of our “Thursday Night Live” shows with Dennis Pitta the last couple of weeks, and thanks to those of you who have stopped by The Zone Superstore studios in Towson this week with your coats as well.

We’re coming down to the nitty gritty as far as collecting coats goes this year. We’ll be making our annual donation on behalf of the WNST.net community to Helping Up Mission Tuesday.

But we’ve got one more big to-do left to get you to step up and bring us some coats!

I want to introduce you to my new friend Zack Merrick. He’s the good looking guy sitting between Dennis Pitta and I at McFaul’s IronHorse Tavern last Thursday…

Zack is a Towson High School graduate, big fan of the Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles and has a neat job touring the world as part of a little band called “All Time Low”. Here the boys are playing “For Baltimore” recently at the MLB Fan Cave in New York…

They look like they’re having fun. They’re also a REALLY big deal. If you’re saying to yourself “I’m not sure I’m familiar with All Time Low”, you might want to ask your kids. They have about a half a million Twitter followers and you couldn’t have sold an internal organ to get a ticket to one of their two recent Charm City shows.

Like I said, big deal.

So with everybody kinda bummed about the Ravens’ recent slide, Zack and I decided it would be a good idea to throw a Purple Friday Pep Rally Friday on “The Reality Check”. He’s going to join me in studio from 3-6pm, he’ll be taking over as GM of my team during “Your Picks Are Nasty”, we’ll be chatting with Ravens TE Ed Dickson and we MIGHT even bring back “The Airing of the Grievances” this week to celebrate Festivus.

But the much more important part is the part where Zack has offered to help to raise coats.

Zack has offered to sign autographs/pose for pictures with anyone who brings in ten or more coats (and other warm gear) to the Zone Superstore Studios Friday afternoon between 3 and 6pm. THIS WOULD MAKE A GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT FOR SOMEONE YOU KNOW-YOU JUST DON’T REALIZE THAT AT THE MOMENT.

It’s as simple as that. You get ten coats. Raid your closet. Raid your kids’ closets. Raid your neighbors’ closets. Raid the thrift store down the street. Wherever they are, get the coats together.

Once you do, e-mail me (glenn@wnst.net) to let me know when you’re coming. THEN, head to 1550 Hart Rd. here in Towson Friday afternoon to meet Zack.

And if for some reason meeting Zack Merrick isn’t really your thing, I have tickets for the Coppin State-Towson game next Wednesday at Towson Center AND I still have a few copies of “The Bourne Legacy” on Blu-Ray as well.

Anything I’m forgetting? Let me know.

See you Friday afternoon. Go Ravens!

-G

Cam Cameron is out. Jim Caldwell is in. Steve Bisciotti is involved. John Harbaugh is testy.

Mark Reynolds is gone. Peter Angelos is cheap.

There’s a lot going on, but not everything is changing.

It’s been an active few days here in Charm City, as you could tell on-air Monday on AM1570 WNST.net. We’re going to be even more active in the community over the next few days, and we need you to be a part of it.

On December 18, we’ll be making our annual donation to the Helping Up Mission downtown. If you’re not familiar with the work of the Mission, I encourage you to head to their website. I’m always overwhelmed by the work that group is doing every year when we get down there. The Helping Up Mission welcomes men who are absolutely broken-due to poverty, homelessness, addiction, etc. and works to get them back on their feet and return them to the community. They also work as an overnight shelter to keep people off the street at night.

This is the third straight year we’re collecting coats here at WNST. Our friends at Enoch Office Equipment partner with us annually, as they allow people to drop off coats at their office and then help us transport them downtown. Here’s a picture they posted on their Facebook page last year of just a few of the coats and one of the men from the Mission…

We’re up against it a bit this year, as we need to make the donation ONE WEEK FROM TODAY (Tuesday, December 18) and we’ve been off to a bit of a slow start because there’s just been so much going on. We NEED to step it up.

We need you to bring us your coats. We also need your jackets, sweaters, sweatshirts, hats, gloves, mittens, scarves and any other warm clothes you can gather up. We need your old clothes and your new clothes. We need your clothes that don’t fit. We need your clothes with the one button missing. We need men’s clothes, but we also need clothes for women, kids and even babies. You have to keep in mind that many of these mean have children and families and will not be able to give gifts without donations.

We need to lift up those less fortunate this holiday season. We need to help keep our community warm as the temperatures eventually stay below 40 for a few months. Keep in mind-winter doesn’t even officially start for more than a week.

So we’re gathering together Tuesday night to celebrate and raise coats. Our annual coat drive hits Buffalo Wild Wings in White Marsh (at the White Marsh Mall). Drew Forrester will be over there at 6pm, Ryan Chell and I will head that way as soon as “The Reality Check” goes off the air. We’ll be collecting coats, talking sports, eating asian zing wings (or maybe even other types of wings), drinking beer and just hanging out. No radio show, no silly events, just the opportunity to hang out with fellow members of the WNST.net community and do some good this holiday season.

To further entice you to hang out with us Tuesday night, it’s $.50 traditional wing night at B-Dubs and anyone who brings at least one coat will receive a $5 gift card. Since Mr. Radcliffe did a hell of a job teaching me math at Perry Hall High School, I can tell you with assurance that means a single coat will get you ten free wings. I’m absolutely certain I’ll be taking advantage of this.

It’s going to be a great night and I can’t wait to see everybody out there. I REALLY hope you’ll be bringing out coats. John Harbaugh said Monday “my charge…is to maximize the opportunities for our team to win.” Our charge as members of the WNST.net community is to lift up those in need. This is a simple opportunity to do just that and have a great time hanging out with other Baltimore sports fans.

You all did an amazing job coming through for the community during our annual canned food drive…

…we need you to come through similarly in the next week with warm clothes.

If for some reason you can’t make it Tuesday night, there are some more options for donating coats this week. Nestor Aparicio will be back at the White Marsh Mall Wednesday night for Santa Spirit Night and would gladly take your donation then. We’ll be at Greenmount Station in Hampstead with Dennis Pitta Thursday night for “Thursday Night Live” presented by Freedmont Mortgage at 7pm. The Weekend Warriors will be at Top Hat Cue Club on Satyr Hill Rd. Saturday from 12-3pm and would also be happy to accept donations. You can also stop by any day Monday-Friday 6am-6pm (until next Tuesday at 10am) at the Zone Superstore Studios at 1550 Hart Rd. in Towson with your donation.

But we REALLY hope to see you Tuesday night at BWW White Marsh.

Let’s celebrate community service at least HALF as much as we celebrated a coach getting fired Monday.

Please?

-G