A Message for Pete Crow-Armstrong

Summary

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered – Episode Summary

Podcast: Dan Bernstein Unfiltered
Host(s): Dan Bernstein, Matt Abbatacola
Episode: A Message for Pete Crow-Armstrong
Date: May 19, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of Dan Bernstein Unfiltered opens with Dan Bernstein addressing recent controversies surrounding Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (PCA) and the heated exchange between PCA and a heckling fan during a game. The discussion expands from an unfiltered message to PCA about navigating stardom and scrutiny in Chicago, transitioning to wide-ranging commentary on the evolution of NBA greatness (including Victor Wembanyama), the beauty of playoff basketball, draft philosophy, and a humorous dive into some golf and soccer stories.

The tone—typical of Bernstein and Abbatacola—is blunt, layered with sarcasm, open admiration, and recognizable Chicago sports cynicism.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Message to Pete Crow-Armstrong (02:20–17:05)

Context:
Recent headlines detailed an incident in which PCA responded with profanity to a heckler (who notably planned her engagement party around taunting him).

Main Points:

• Bernstein’s Take on the Incident:

  • Not concerned with PCA’s profanity or that the heckler was a woman. Context matters: She planned her engagement party around trying to get a rise out of him.
  • "You get some leeway... the choice of words is what, in the specific insult, I just thought it wasn’t witty enough." (03:30, Dan)
  • He prefers athletes "kill them with kindness" or respond with sharper wit, but acknowledges that's not PCA’s style, which is "OK."

• The Unforgiving Reality of Sports:

  • The real, bottom-line truth: “You gotta hit. I’m not an idiot... If you hit, you can do anything you want.” (04:45, Dan)
  • Points out that stardom and permission to be a ‘villain’ or have an edge comes easily—IF the player produces on the field.

• Baseball Analysis:

  • PCA’s WAR (Wins Above Replacement) and performance metrics are dissected with specificity.
    • "Already a 1.7 fWAR player and we’re only a third of the way through the season… hard hit rate is up 15% in May.” (06:35, Dan)
  • Defensive and baserunning skills make PCA valuable even as his offense lags.
  • Historic Chicago perspective: If players like Patrick Kane maintained stardom with issues swirling, it’s largely because they produced.

• On Being a Role Model:

  • PCA is motivated by the idea that kids might emulate his behaviors, especially on social media. Bernstein and Abbatacola largely dismiss this pressure but respect PCA’s self-awareness.
  • “His main driving force… was little kids going to social media and seeing that video and hearing the things he said.” (10:11, Matt)

• On the Fan’s Behavior:

  • "Planning your engagement party around heckling someone is way crazier than a ballplayer chirping back.” (11:33, Dan)

• Memorable Quotes:

  • “If you hit, everything’s gonna be fine. All seashells and balloons.” (13:39, Dan)
  • “If you get to a WRC+ of 125... you can do the Patrick Kane stuff.” (14:40, Dan)
  • “If she wants to be an asshole, she’s an asshole.” (12:52, Matt)

Notable Timestamps:

• 02:20: Episode introduction and context
• 03:30: Commentary on the actual “insult”
• 04:45: The importance of performance and “the contract” with Chicago fandom
• 06:35 - 09:00: Deeper stat dive on PCA’s season
• 10:11: Role model discussion
• 13:39: “All seashells and balloons” moment
• 14:40: Parallels with Patrick Kane

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2. Chicago Athlete Stardom & The ‘Performance Contract’ (Throughout 02:20–18:10)

• Drawing parallels to other Chicago stars (e.g., Patrick Kane) regarding how off-field perception is largely shaped by on-field performance.
• “If you can hit, nobody cares about the noise.”

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3. NBA Evolution & Victor Wembanyama Phenomenon (18:17–38:40)

Theme:
Transitioning from baseball, the episode dives into NBA playoffs, focusing on Victor Wembanyama’s otherworldly performance and the larger context of basketball evolution.

Highlights & Key Points:

• Wembanyama’s Dominance:

  • "Victor Wembanyama is the best basketball player on the planet earth.” (21:22, Dan)
  • Revels in Wemby’s blend of size (7’4.5”) and skill, pointing out his ability to take over in a game both offensively and defensively.
  • Memorable moment: Wemby’s pull-up from 29 feet—“It wasn’t even a smart shot...But I'll be damned, when that went in...” (22:47, Dan)

• Great Game Recap:

  • Detailed breakdown of a recent double-overtime playoff thriller involving Wembanyama, Caruso, and SGA.
  • Alex Caruso’s role as a defender, taking charges, and hitting 8/14 threes was highlighted.

• The Modern NBA:

  • League has evolved dramatically since Jordan, now in a “third different NBA,” with emphasis on advanced metrics, pace, three-point shooting, and positional versatility.
  • "The ability...to understand how the game works...has so drastically altered and accelerated the evolution of the game.” (20:10, Dan)

• Coaching, Matchups & The ‘Caruso Game’:

  • Appreciating playoff basketball’s depth; praising both teams’ defense, especially Thunder and Spurs.
  • “If you want to understand basketball, watch this series, not the regular season.” (31:44, Matt)

• Fans & Viewing Advice:

  • “Don’t waste your time watching bad [teams]...watch these two teams.” (31:44–32:07, Matt)

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4. NBA Draft, Bulls Talk & Al Horford/Boozer Comp (40:23–47:00)

Focus:
Speculation on the Bulls’ upcoming draft pick, whether high-floor but not superstar ceiling players (like Cam Boozer) are worth a top-5 pick.

Key Discussion:

• Comparing Cam Boozer’s projection to Al Horford:

  • “If you’re going to pick someone in the top five, they have to be the best player on your team.” (42:02, Matt)
  • “Al Horford...at no point did anybody ever say, as long as we have him, we got a chance to win a title.” (44:13, Dan)

• Differing philosophies on team building:

  • Should the Bulls take a safe, solid player (Boozer) or swing for the fences for a franchise star?

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5. Extras: Soccer, Golf, and Pop Culture Detours (47:12–58:30)

Soccer (“World Cup”):

• Brief, unserious talk about which World Cup teams to support—“I don’t want to be too much of a front runner,” (49:00, Dan).
• Discussions about supporting Italy, Scotland, Argentina, and the US.

Golf:

• Amusing stories about pro golfers missing tee times, firing caddies, and quips about “iron covers.”
• "When Patrick Reed walks near a trap, all I picture is the Sarlacc pit from Return of the Jedi.” (56:38, Dan)

Pop Culture:

• Liam Payne (One Direction) and Wolverhampton trivia injected for comic relief.

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• "If you hit, everything in your life is going to be awesome. All seashells and balloons.” (13:39, Dan)
• "If you get to 120 [WRC+], it’s yaha time.” (18:10, Dan)
• "Victor Wembanyama is the best basketball player on planet Earth. And I’m sorry, it’s not close.” (21:30, Dan & Matt concurrence)
• “If you didn’t watch this game, just watch the fourth quarter and the overtimes...so much fun to watch.” (23:29–23:42, Matt)
• "If you’re a Bulls fan, watching these teams play is like you’re not even in the same league.” (47:52, Matt)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Topic | Timestamp | |---------|-------|-----------| | Addressing Pete Crow-Armstrong | The incident, response, baseball context | 02:20–17:05 | | Cubs, WAR, offensive/defensive value | Deep stat breakdown on PCA | 06:35–17:05 | | Role models & fan engagement | Kids, social media, athlete conduct | 10:11–13:39 | | NBA evolution / Wembanyama segment | Playoffs, evolution, player analysis | 18:17–38:40 | | Caruso’s Defense & “The Caruso Game” | Matchups, strategy, memorable plays | 23:14–29:22 | | Bulls, draft philosophy, Boozer/Horford | Roster building, philosophical debate | 40:23–47:00 | | Golf, soccer, pop culture | Light-hearted stories, trivia | 47:12–58:30 |

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Sectioned Recap for the Uninitiated

For Cubs Fans or Baseball Junkies:

• PCA has the skill and upside to be a franchise centerpiece, but how he handles pressure and keeps hitting will define his journey. The city will embrace his flamboyance if he performs; otherwise, the leash is short.

For NBA Fans:

• Wembanyama is the most dynamic talent the NBA has seen in decades, already changing the game at 22. Watch Spurs-Thunder for pure, high-level basketball and coaching chess matches.
• Alex Caruso’s playoff heroics highlighted; use of advanced stats and strategy for matchups under pressure.

For Bulls Optimists:

• Real talk: The current Bulls (and many East teams) aren’t in the same stratosphere as the new Western powerhouses. Roster construction needs bolder vision, not just safe picks.

For Sports Comedy & Human Moments:

• Bernstein and Abbatacola’s banter about golf oddities, World Cup rooting interests, and even pop music inject humor and personality into the episode.

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In Summary:
This "Message for Pete Crow-Armstrong" episode captures a distinctly Chicago-flavored, no-nonsense approach to sports. The hosts serve up sharp analysis, memorable analogies, and plenty of personality—covering not just the latest Cubs controversy, but also why Wembanyama is a generational NBA star, how fans should watch sports, and what the Bulls’ draft future could look like. If you want filtered honesty, biting wit, and a genuine fan’s perspective, this is vintage DBU.

Transcript

[A]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered Unfiltered on 312Sports it

[A]

is DBU on 312 brought to you in partnership with with my bookie. A lot of attention is being paid to a Chicago athlete who really enjoys a lot of attention and seems to function well generally with a lot of attention when it is being paid to him. So today I thought I would just address the opening of this show directly to Pete Crowe Armstrong, because there are some long held baseball truths here. This is not in large part to chastise the young man for responding with the vulgarities. Oh, no, the vulgarities. Won't someone think of the children? This point was made earlier today by Matt Abaticola and Cody Delmendo, also on off the Ivy. But the point is, look, he said he regrets his choice of words. He. He didn't apologize. And I'm glad he didn't. I think it matters. And Pete, well done. I have to remember we're doing this in the second person. Young man. I'm not worried about the profanity and I'm not really worried about that woman. Because the moment you really understand the context where she planned her engagement party around the opportunity to heckle you, you get some leeway. I think you got a lot of latitude in your response. But probably the choice of words is what in the specific insult? I just thought it wasn't witty enough. I think it's one thing if you just kind of smile and wink and say, hey, thanks for coming. You having a good day out there? You can really kill them with kindness if you want. But that's not your style. That's not how you roll. And that's okay. Here's the difference. You gotta hit. You gotta hit. And I know this. I'm dealing with realpolitik here. I'm just gonna give you the truth. I'm gonna give you the truth. And I think so far you've done a lot of things right. And you can have this town like, you can be a star. Star here, people, you're not a talk show host. So your goal isn't to have your strong thoughts, polarize an audience and have people say, I can't stand that person. So why do you listen? I don't know, but I do. Why do you watch Pete Crow? I'm sorry. If you hate him, I just can't take my eyes off him. Oop. I said that. That's all the truth of it. There's a lot of psychology going on in this whole thing. People love you and people hate you. And if you want to handle that, if that's the contract you're signing here with the city, with the fandom, with your role in baseball, Cool. But a couple things, be real about it. Establish kind of who you are. Look, you're 24 years old. You're figuring out who you are. But if you want to be a little bit of a villain, if you. If you want to be edgy, if you Want to be. Be cool in that way. Okay. But just be ready to take some of the heat even during a game and maybe just arm yourself with a. With a wink and a smile or some. Or either kill him with kindness or a little bit of wit. I'm not mad. I'm really not. I just thought that was. That was you being, you know, in the moment. And if she came there to do it and she has to, she can't just say, what did he say to a woman? Come on, man. So I'm with you on that, but you gotta hit because that saves everything. Nothing matters if you hit. And I know the truth of your baseball value. I'm not an idiot. I can look and I can see you're already a 1.7 F war player. We're not even a third of the way through the season. 30%. I think we are as of today. So you're five and a half win player and that is even be underwater under a 100 WRC plus now. May, you've been better. I like what you're doing in May. Line drive percentage up by over 5% and it's coming at the expense of the ground ball percentage. That's really good. That's a good trend. Hard hit rate in May, way up. Up 15%. Soft contact's the same, but hard hit rate is taking that from medium contact. So what's happening in May is you're hitting the ball harder and hitting it in the air. If you just keep that profile for the rest of the season, you'll be above a 100 WRC plus and be a positive offensive player. So keep doing that. That's a good sign amid all of this. It's a good sign. But if you hit, you'll be able to do anything you want. And we can learn that lesson by looking at a lot of Chicago athletes here from all different eras. But if Patrick Kane can do what he did, I know it's different being on being a hockey player supposed to being the center fielder of Chicago Cubs. I know that's inherently different. But if you're talking about Patrick Kane's reputation as the incorrigible, the party animal before it was obviously sullied by some ugly things that happened. Regardless of the way it all ended up. We know what happened, what was alleged to have happened, whisper campaigns, et cetera. There was a lot of gross stuff going on and that's not happening. So you don't even have that whole issue. But if you want to be that guy and have some of the Stuff. And people like, yeah, you know what? That's just who he is. That's just Pete being Pete. No one's going to say that about you if you don't hit, but if you do, if you do, you're going to. It's just. That's just the way sports works. And I'm pleased that there was an expression of regret, but not necessarily an apology. It's okay, but you don't want too many of these days.

[B]

No, you don't want to have to say things that you have to walk back the next day.

[A]

You don't want too many of these. You just want to be careful with some of those. Make it worth it. If you're. If you're really something, if it's something under your control, that is easily avoidable, and that's probably what, you know, veterans or Craig Counsel might be saying here. It's like, look, there's going to be some things. There's going to be some time. Pick your spots.

[B]

Yeah. And I get it. There were fans when he was in the batters or on deck circle that were saying vulgar, inappropriate things. People were talking about his mom. And he's a fiery guy to begin with, so that would fire me up as well, too. I liked that he had a moment to reflect and regretted the words that he said. He regrets the choice of words. I like that. I like that he said it was. I'm sure his mom talked to him because he said the women in his life probably didn't want to hear that. Maybe his girlfriend did as well, too. Great. I appreciate that. But his main.

[A]

And again, it shouldn't be about gender.

[B]

No, it's. It's. And it's not about gender, but it shouldn't be.

[A]

Has nothing to do with it.

[B]

The. The main driving force for him was little kids going to social media and seeing that video and hearing the things he said, that that was his main driving force, which is what he's talked about about throwing bats or throwing helmets. He doesn't want kids to do that because he told a story of a kid in Little League that did it. He got talked to, and the dad was like, why'd you do that? He's like, why? I see Pico Armstrong do that, too. Whatever. If that's even made up.

[A]

You all right? I learned it by watching you.

[B]

Right? Yeah. That, you know, that's why I started smoking heaters, because of my dad, you know, you know, straight vodka. But anyway, that's not a different show. So that's. His driving force is Little kids. And I can appreciate that. I appreciate that he's self aware to realize that little kids look up to him. And I've had this argument for years.

[A]

I don't think those little kids are seeking out that audio necessarily.

[B]

No, they're not. But if that's his about high school kids, too late. Right. But if that's his thought process, I can appreciate that. I also don't think that professional athletes, it automatically makes you a role model. I think you can choose to use that platform. But again, that's another discussion for another time. But I'm glad he didn't apologize. Is the bottom line.

[A]

Like, I am too.

[B]

Like, he didn't say I'm sorry for that fan. He didn't do that. He didn't fake it and he didn't need to.

[A]

No.

[B]

And he doesn't deserve an apology.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Period.

[A]

Right. It is crazier. His reaction is far less crazy than planning your engagement party. Your engagement, your commitment to another human being for the rest of your life, whatever your solemn and sacred vows are. Even if it's completely a religious, if it's just a legal commitment, it's still a massive commitment.

[B]

And you saw in the video, put his hand and it was like, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

[A]

Good luck.

[B]

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Yeah, that's enough. And then apparently after he heard what Pete said back then they all got on board with it. But he was initially saying, hey, relax. That's what the arm gesture shows me. It's like, come on, you don't need to do this. But if that was your goal, your goal to celebrate your engagement to the love of your life was to heckle Pete Gro Armstrong.

[A]

And then that, that's why it pissed me off to hear so many of the response, like, you don't say that. A woman say that to a woman who just planned her engagement party around ruining your day. Right. Or making you miserable. What are you talking about? Hide behind gender on this one. Yeah, please just take that out of it completely. We're so far past that.

[B]

That whole thing is like, if somebody

[A]

wants to be an asshole, somebody's an asshole.

[B]

Like, all right, she gets engaged and like her and her girlfriends or mom are like, hey, what should we do for the engagement party? Like, hey, we can, we can talk to, you know, hey, we know Tom over at the club there, and he can set us up.

[A]

We can go to summer house Santa Monica. How about this restaurant that we French 75. We've been going to this restaurant, whatever

[B]

it is, for years. We can we can rent a party room there or we can do. No, no, no, no. Oh, no, no. I have an idea already. Oh, what is it? I want to go to the rate Cub socks and I want to heckle Peter Armstrong.

[A]

Aw. Your mother did the same thing. Oh, so many years ago. Your mother did that with Jim Edmonds. That's so cute.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And your great grandma. That's a family tradition. Yeah.

[B]

Your great grandma waited for Jackie Robinson to come to town.

[A]

Yeah. I had a little different thought. And you know what? If Jackie Robinson. I think he would have a little different response perhaps, actually, but that is. Kid, you gotta hit, you gotta hit, you gotta hit. Everything's gonna be fine. If you hit, everything in your life is going to be awesome. All seashells and balloons. You could probably do the Patrick Kane stuff at that point. If you have a WRC plus of 125, which is probably a pretty high number. If you could get to 125, I'll give you indulgences from the church. You can do the. What did Cain do? He went to Madison and got really drunk and was stumbling around and it was wearing a shirt that says two fives make a ten. You could do that and wear like the giveaway sunglasses with the neon pink arms on the side and a Hawaiian shirt. You could do that. Whatever.

[B]

You.

[A]

Or shirtless, you get that WRC plus to 125. I know this sounds cynical, but, you know, we'll. We'll let you demand the Stanley cup be brought to you at the bar so you can walk around on the bar and. And then say that certain girls can have to be a certain level of hot to be allowed to drink from your cup. I might just be making that up. I'm not making that up. You. You can. I'll let you go do that.

[B]

Just looking at position players and war, and this is on fan graphs, first of all, colson Montgomery is 10, so congrats to that.

[A]

I keep telling all this Murakami stuff. Your own shortstop is one of the best players in that crap league right now.

[B]

He's one of the best players in the game.

[A]

He's a really, really good baseball player. And everybody's talking about Murakami position players.

[B]

He's 10th in war, Pete Crow, Armstrong Dan is 28th among position players in war, and he's not even hitting.

[A]

He can't hit.

[B]

Oh, boy.

[A]

Yeah. But again, and we're getting to a large sample size. If we look in the second half of last year, first half of this year, so all this energy. We're not talking about a bad week. I want that to be really clear. We're talking about a guy who. Approaching a reasonable sample after his first blush with success.

[B]

You're talking about Montgomery.

[A]

I'm talking about Armstrong. Armstrong. Well, both really. No, no, Montgomery's good player.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Good baseball player. That, that's. I'm. I'm good there. I know that now, but I don't know if Pete arm. Pete Crow. Armstrong can hit. I don't know yet, man, because second half of last year, first half of this year, you're going in different directions between the two. Those two players. I. But now I don't want this to devolve into a comp between the two. No, no, no, let's.

[B]

We're done. I. I'm sorry I even brought it up. It jumped out at me.

[A]

When I looked at the list, I was surprised by seeing that saying, pete, Pete, a lot of people love you. And if you don't mind being hated, that's okay too. Everything is going to work out if you hit, so figure out the hitting thing. The rest of the stuff is going to take care of itself. Okay. All good. All right, good. Make your bed. Make sure you're staying hydrated. Don't do anything stupid.

[B]

Dude, this. This is insane. So on fangraphs, his offensive rating, the. What is it here?

[A]

It's offensive runs above average, batting and base running combined.

[B]

Above average. He is a negative 0.2.

[A]

Defense is like a 19 or something. Right.

[B]

Defense, fielding and positional adjustment combined. Above average. Let's. On fan grabs, it's a. He's a 10.7.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Which is the second highest.

[A]

And base running, he's up there too.

[B]

Yeah. He's the second highest defense on this list of the top 30. Only behind Bobby Witt Jr. Who plays shortstop.

[A]

Yes. Yeah. And there are positional adjustments, but center field and shortstop, you are. That it is adding to.

[B]

Not even close, dude. Yeah.

[A]

Your value matters more when you play important and you're great at defense, at important defensive positions.

[B]

If he can just hit a little bit, just.

[A]

You get to 100, maybe I'll even lower it. I'll say one. If you can get to 120, if you could be 20% better than average, you. We're going to give you Patrick Kane behavior indulgences.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Okay. 120 then it's yaha time.

[B]

All right. You got it, kid.

[A]

Yeah, you can. You can run down the street shirtless with a bottle of fireball in each hand. We could do Edward 40 hands with you with Fireball if you want Fireball. You know, every sports fan has an angle. Every sports fan has a team that you trust or a favorite that you want to fade. Or maybe the player you think is due. I thought he was due. You can feel it coming. And that's where my bookie comes in. My bookie gives you a place to turn your opinions into action. Maybe you are watching basketball playoffs. You're feeling the momentum shift of an NHL game as the game goes by. Or you're just getting ready for the World cup this summer. The promo code dbu, when you sign up, allows you to claim name an exclusive offer. Just because you're listening, just because you heard me say use those three letters, DBU. When you go to MyBookie AG and you register and you deposit, put in that code and then you back a team before the game, you follow it all live. Make the moments that you already care about feel bigger. That's the reason to check out my bookie. You're already watching. You already have thoughts. Now you can act on it. You can play it, bet anything, anytime, anywhere. With my bookie. Must be 21. Please gamble responsibly. I find when I talk basketball and NBA ball with people, there's a. There are still people who say, oh, I don't watch the game. And ever since Jordan retired, I don't. Okay, that was 25 years ago. 30 years ago, right? What is it, 1998? Yeah, it's almost 30 years ago. And we're in our third, really, overall, our third different NBA, the third different type of evolution of the pro game that we're in, certainly since Jordan retired. And it's really what is Most amazing about LeBron James is he has been great in three different NBAs. No one's ever done that before. The league has never evolved this quickly. The ability with metrics and cameras to understand how the game works, to know who should be where and when, has so drastically altered and accelerated the evolution of the game that I think it's going to change even faster as we go. The ability to play in different environments. This is the third sort of larger secular environment that we've had. And the best player on the planet is obvious. You can give SGA as many MVPs as you want. You can feel free to define value however you want. Victor Wembanyama is the best basketball player on the planet Earth.

[B]

And I'm sorry, but it's not close.

[A]

Of course not.

[B]

It's not even close.

[A]

You're not Paying attention. There's a lot of other great basketball players. Great basketball. ShakeLaxander is a two time MV. Once you are a two time MVP, you are in a. You're winning one MVP, other than Derrick Rose puts you in the hall of Fame, he'll be the only MVP he's not in the hall of Fame. And we knew that at the time and called it at the. We said that right immediately after the injury when that was happening. And that was a similar situation the year that Derrick Rose won MVP and then got eaten alive by the best player on the planet. Who at that point, anybody who has ever watched a basketball game knew why the Heat won that playoff series 4 to 1 is because they had the best player of all time.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Stan Wemby.

[B]

Stan Wemby.

[A]

But you saw it last night. And if you, if you're trying to talk yourself into the fact that you didn't, you know you're lying to yourself. That man is 8ft tall. That man pulled up from 29ft with 19 on the shot clock. It wasn't even really a smart shot.

[B]

It wasn't. It was a terrible shot.

[A]

But I'll be damned. I. When, when that went in. And then my thought was they have to win this game so that shot gets remembered. Because if they didn't win that game, it's the Alex Caruso game.

[B]

Yeah. Cause that tied it. That tied it there. And I mean, you know, the Thunder had an opportunity to expand that a bit and he pulls up from about 28 or 29ft with. And listen, go ahead, go ahead. Do your.

[A]

No, go ahead.

[B]

Okay. The Thunder looking back on this game, they're going to be so pissed because they wasted the Alex Caruso game.

[A]

They lost the crazy Caruso game.

[B]

He was unbelievable.

[A]

The from.

[B]

I mean, if you didn't watch this game, if you just watch the fourth quarter and the overtimes, you would have been in for such a treat and you would have enjoyed every second of it. He was, he. He was guarding Victor Wembanyama and he didn't score for like a five minute stretch. Alex Caruso gartered. He guarded Wembley.

[A]

Dan, let me add a couple of things here.

[B]

But that's true though.

[A]

It is true. It wasn't just his defense. They did a. I thought Mark Dagno did a masterful job moving, forcing Wembanyama through the decisions he had to make into uncomfortable geometric spots.

[B]

He did. But he could overcome that though. That's the thing. He just give me a five minute stretch that he guarded him and he didn't score, and it was unbelievable.

[A]

And then at the end.

[B]

And then he scored when they had

[A]

to enter the ball to him.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And Caruso is six, five and a half. And this guy is seven, four and a half. He's a foot taller and has unbelievable hands. And is strong.

[B]

Yeah, he is.

[A]

And has a motor. He plays so hard. Wemby is a ruthless competitor, that guy. And you. And you saw it last week with the elbow, and you saw the teams, like, he plays with an edge, that this guy is an alien when it comes to talent.

[B]

Yes, he is.

[A]

And. And he's using every bit of it. He is not lollygagging out there. Even though he moves languidly, He's. He is at full bore out there.

[B]

He is easily the best player in the league. Watching that game last night, I'm watching this team play defense, first of all. And I was like, oh, my God, they could win the next five championships in a row.

[A]

Well, either one of these teams can. And then they've got all the draft picks.

[B]

And let's. I mean, and I don't. I also don't. I want to. I don't want to not mention the. The Caruso took that charge, and he flopped on it beautifully.

[A]

Well, and it was. That's the thing when you're that size, to lower your shoulder. Like, it's for. For one person. It just for him to actually be able. The whole point, he had the lower, like, right. That Wemby had to. To, like, beep, beep, beep, and, like, take time to move that thing down. So it was so obvious he was going into his chest at that point that Cruz was like, all right, here we go.

[B]

I mean, it was one of the most fun playoff games I've ever watched.

[A]

Great game.

[B]

And Caruso guarding him for that stretch where he didn't score. And then Crusoe was still scoring. Like, it'd be like. Like, all right, here's your assignment. Stop him for the next five minutes. Any other human being would be like, all right, I can do that, and that's all I'm going to do. But he was passing, he was stealing, he was scoring. It was so much fun to watch.

[A]

And why was he scoring?

[B]

Well, because they were shutting down sga.

[A]

I mean, he weren't guarding him.

[B]

Wasn't. Yeah, he wasn't doing. He was able to do anything.

[A]

How many threes do you think Alex Caruso attempted in the game? If you want to look at a. If you can read a box score.

[B]

You know, I didn't look at the box score.

[A]

Look at how you're playing a defense.

[B]

I didn't look. Let me get a dozen.

[A]

14.

[B]

Okay. He took 14. Okay.

[A]

And I will tell you this. Every other.

[B]

Those were open.

[A]

Every other game, if you. If this is your strategy. He hit 8 of 14. Yes. If. If they couldn't win that game, they're

[B]

not going to win anything.

[A]

That tells me the strategy was correct. Leave Alex Caruso open.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, well, because you have to stop sga. Yep.

[A]

That.

[B]

That's the guy. You can't have go off. You can let Alex Caruso do his thing. He's a lunatic. He's an absolute lunatic. And it was so much fun to watch, but they could win the next five. So here's. Here's Wemby, too. Seven, four and a half. 243, 245 maybe. Yeah, that's what they listed him at. And you're like, all right, he looks really skinny. And then you see. Then you see holmgren. Holmgren, who's 71 and like 213. It's like, ooh, no, that's. That's like sickly skinny.

[A]

71 2, 13 and can't hang. No, like, that's. He's not strong enough. They're 12 in the draft. The other thing is being strong enough. Wemby doesn't like him.

[B]

Oh, and they showed. They showed footage back to was that high school days he played or whatever it was.

[A]

Whatever they are off the court, maybe. They're fine on the court. Wemby doesn't like him. And there was one, the dunk that he had with the. And one where he pulled it up, and then he purposely gave Holmgren time to come over into him, and he waited to get the contact before flushing it on him. He could have just gone up and done that. Which is sort of like what they do against Wemby. When you watch when they will set. They love the left side because SGA is really, really good at driving the 45 degree angle on the left side. So good.

[B]

And then he goes up with his right hand.

[A]

Yeah. It's like he's.

[B]

He disappears.

[A]

Yeah, that's his go to. He gets under.

[B]

It's really special.

[A]

He's able to really kind of flip that thing up quick.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And. And he got Wemby a couple times. But the thing is, you. He. Wemby was able to kind of wait for Holmgren to come over. Holmgren can't do that. Yeah, he can't. He's just not Strong enough. He's not stout enough, but that's as close to a freak between Giannis and Holmgren when you start talking about these guys, like, what the hell is Carl Anthony Towns if the Knicks win the JV side.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What are you going to do? Maybe Cleveland's got a chance because they're big. You know, Jared Allen is strongest on tough.

[B]

Yes. Yeah.

[A]

But he's going to foul him out.

[B]

Yeah. And that's the thing, too, about Wembley.

[A]

Mobley sometimes doesn't really want to have run the motor that high.

[B]

I think Wemby ended up with four fouls, but he didn't get his first one so late in the fourth quarter.

[A]

And the block shot at the end, that looked like a dad playing water basketball with his kids in the pool,

[B]

where he doesn't jump.

[A]

He pinned it.

[B]

There was. There was one. There was one play. He drove from the top of the key and he. And he dunked. And Natalie and I are watching the game, and she was like, he took five steps, and I'm like, hang on. And so there's the replay, and it's two steps, and he's like, I'm just going to drop it over your head here. Sorry, sorry, Sorry, son. It's just. He's something, man. And I'm watching and just thinking, yeah, they. They could win the next five in a row. He's 20. He's 22.

[A]

He's 22.

[B]

It's disgusting.

[A]

Still learning the game, too.

[B]

It's really gross. Yeah.

[A]

And a more than willing passer, the way they space everybody out. And the other thing, because Wemby so good, you don't realize it's Steven Castle. Stefan Castle would be a star on some teams. And Dylan. Dylan Harper's a rookie.

[B]

Yeah. And he's only going to get better. And he's. When you can play defense like they play where. Where Wemby can just float and kind of like he just. He owns the key. He just owns it. And then Harper is like a free safety. I mean, he must have picked off three or four there in midair.

[A]

And. Oh, no, I. I gambled in a passing lane and I missed it. And now they've got.

[B]

Oh, there's Wemby's there. Yeah.

[A]

Oh, Wemby just made him turn the other direction and go away. Or Wemby just looks out of the corner of his eye to the weak side and puts up an arm and changes the thought process of everything that's going on over there.

[B]

So, listen, I'm going to. I'm Going to tell you this. And I, and I've said this before on our, on our podcasts. I was a huge Michael Jordan guy. I was never a Bulls, like a diehard Bulls fan. I was a diehard Michael Jordan fan. And you know the Derrick Rose era in time that team. Yeah. I got into it that was fun to watch. But I haven't, I haven't since. I don't want to spend time watching that. Yeah, if the Cubs were shitty, I wouldn't spend time watching the Cubs. I don't want to waste my time watching.

[A]

That's one of the most important things you can learn as a sports fan.

[B]

Yes, I learned that. Don't waste your time.

[A]

Yeah. Watching bad isn't worth it.

[B]

It's not worth it. Yeah, it's not worth it. Give, Give yourself the opportunity to watch a game from this series. At least if you're not a huge. And I'm not a huge NBA fan. I enjoyed every second of just watching these two teams play. Just watch the. Don't watch. Don't watch NBA. Watch these two teams.

[A]

They're great coaches.

[B]

Watch the series.

[A]

And they're, they're. When you heard Reggie Miller, who I think generally does a pretty good job.

[B]

He irritated me once last night. But he definitely does a really good job.

[A]

He's got strong opinions.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But I really think that when, when Reggie Miller's got thoughts on stuff he. And he's fair and pretty measured and he's also really self deprecating that he's.

[B]

Oh, he's very good.

[A]

He's the opposite of like John Smoltz in that way. The total opposite where he knows how good these players are now.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And he, and he will laugh anytime. It's like, well, that's a flop there. And he would say like, well, when I tried to flop I would always make sure my hands were going because that always looked like I. The guy.

[B]

He's really. It's a really good broadcast.

[A]

He's really honest about that.

[B]

Marbury is really good. Is that was it? I know who is in.

[A]

Crawford.

[B]

Oh, Crawford.

[A]

Jesus.

[B]

Yeah. Jamal Crawford. He's. He's really good.

[A]

Yeah, he is.

[B]

And then Etrico's obviously great.

[A]

The best.

[B]

It's really, it's a really good.

[A]

Listen to it and they're, they do a really nice job. But when Reggie Miller is, is kind of. You can tell he's looking at his partner's like, are you seeing what I'm seeing? Like, is this.

[B]

He says that.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Is this real? Like, are we what are we watching here? We've never seen anything like this.

[B]

Give yourself a chance. Never seen like, watch, watch a game from this series. So it's so entertaining.

[A]

It's two good coaches and there are all kinds of smaller matchups going on. Do you go double big? When do you go small? How are you. When. When there was foul trouble, who's getting what minutes and when? These are both really good coaches. Some beautifully designed plays. I mean, some gorgeous stuff. And the great thing about a playoff series is and, and this is why NBA ball is so different. You. You can't do what NFL coaches do and finish. I got to look at the film. I got it. I don't know until we go back and look at the film. You don't need damn game film to watch an NBA game. You really don't. Unless you're talking about who touched the ball at the very end. But when you see the plays that they're running and the matchups that they're getting and why they're getting it, and then you follow that through game two, game three, game four. And see, this is our. This is. We got this option. We got this. Now we're out of options. Or we're going to show them this. We're going to do more of that. There. There isn't a whole lot if you're going to lose the Caruso game. And this first salvo from Mitch Johnson was just that. All right, if you're going to play Alex Caruso all these minutes, he's going to have to beat us with his three point shooting. And he couldn't.

[B]

Yeah, he was 8 for 14 last night.

[A]

He was 8 for 14.

[B]

Yeah, he was everywhere. So, I mean, it was just so

[A]

obviously next game you start in that I don't think there's a reason to negotiate against yourself as a coach. I don't think you respond to something until you have to. That's always my rule in the NBA is run it until they stop it. And when they stop it, you'll learn. And then it's still there. But you might have to change an angle. You might have to set it up a couple times. You might have to change your personnel a little bit. Run it until they stop it. And that's why the chess match that goes on in these games with the best players in the world is so fascinating.

[B]

Yeah, they. They kept sga. Pretty quiet till the fourth quarter. I mean, he, he ended up. He ended up getting some. At the end.

[A]

I think there were some tired legs out there and he, he Was. I thought he was taking advantage of some finally tired legs. Yeah, because he's.

[B]

But they, they ran. They ran doubles at him. I mean, it was really good coaching. And who's that? Who's the assistant coach for the spurs that runs their defense? Because they highlighted him a few different times. And they.

[A]

That the guy the Bulls are hiring.

[B]

And they, and they said that, you know, he'll be a head coach sooner because of his defense. I go and I. My first thought was all is getting is Wemby going with him. Because I mean, I would stick around for that as long as possible. I know you want to elevate your own career and become a head coach, but man, this is. This is something that's just disgusting to watch. The only complaint.

[A]

Are you talking about Sean Sweeney?

[B]

Yes, Sean Sweeney.

[A]

Well, that's. That's one of the big names on the Bulls list.

[B]

Okay, well, if he gets Wemmy to come with him, I'm all for that. Yeah, that'd be great. That's gonna be a good defense. My only, My only complaint about the. And I listen, I know people will complain about the NBA. Oh, they take too many threes. Yeah, I get it. They shoot a ton of threes.

[A]

It's worth more.

[B]

It's worth more points. I get all that. What I, I love if your offense sets up a guy to shoot a three. What irritates me and it always has is the dribble down and the pull up three, like immediately. That always irritates me.

[A]

Unless you got a two for one.

[B]

Right. Unless there's. Unless it's. It's strategic and like there was an opportunity last night for the Thunder to extend their lead and they had a. They had a. Like they had three on two and the guy pulls up for a three and it's just like that kind of stuff. It's like, hey, drive in. Create some space. There was another opportunity that SGA had with Caruso on a two on one and he kept it, didn't give it up. It's like, dude, come on. Like, think about the game situation where you're at. But it was. I'm telling you, if you're not an NBA person, watch a game of this series, just watch one. It was. It was so. I haven't enjoyed watching an NBA game like I did last night in a very long time.

[A]

Yeah, it was a. Well, that produced. Well played.

[B]

That, dude is something when.

[A]

And this is really important when someone that talented also plays that hard is when you know it's special. And that's why. And any great athlete you can name, with a couple of exceptions out there, that there were some great, great athletes who kind of knew when to float and when to run out of bounds in a football game or they're there. But Wemby is not that.

[B]

He's not that. And he'll learn.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

He'll continue to learn and grow and. I don't know.

[A]

He's a good guy, too.

[B]

I don't, I don't know. It seems like it. The time we've talked about him on the, on the podcast. I don't know what his body frame, what he'll. He'll add and be able to hold, but he'll develop. And he's only 22. He's going to get stronger and add more, add more weight. Yeah.

[A]

Look at what happened with his buddy Rudy Gobert. Remember what he looked like when he started?

[B]

Oh, was he. He was like a, he was like a rail.

[A]

What does he look like now? Yeah. You know.

[B]

Yeah. So he'll, he'll add some beef to it too as well and just get

[A]

better, which is hands. You can put. You can throw the ball anywhere near him and he stabs it.

[B]

He's. Man, he's something to watch.

[A]

He's like a mantis. Yeah. Like, you know, pulling a meal out of the air.

[B]

Yeah. There was a point in the game I wanted to do like a hand check on all the Thunder players because I thought they had like frying pan hands. I mean.

[A]

No.

[B]

But there's loose balls floating around. Yeah.

[A]

I will say though, they're the Oklahoma City deflection numbers have to be through the roof. They are busy with their hands.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And they're foully like in the, in the regular season, a lot of that stuff would be fouls and just, you know, it's a Wednesday night and you're not even really paying attention. But they, they rake at everything. You can't, you cannot take a dribble without a hand coming over to help from the weak side without somebody stepping up there. There's. And they're. And they're up in the lanes there. There's a. Nothing's ever clean. Every pass is challenged.

[B]

I know anybody can beat anybody in a seven game series, but if I'm the Cavs or the Knicks and I'm watching that game last night, I'm like, fuck.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Seriously, anybody in the East. Yes.

[A]

Like that. You're that particular matchup. Spurs. Thunder is going to be the thing.

[B]

Right. Like if I'm a, an NBA coaching prospect and someone from the west calls me and it's not one of those two teams. I'm not interested. Be like, is there anything open in

[A]

the East I could get? Think how close they were to getting Cooper flag. Like, I mean, come on. There is. And the other thing is Oklahoma City still has everybody's draft pick.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Like Oklahoma City. This isn't a finished.

[B]

Right. They're not done. Neither team.

[A]

And they don't take three years to develop a guy. Yeah, it's that system. They're like a baseball team. They just, they stockpile talent and then they get them ready. And when they're ready, they play

[B]

something.

[A]

Yep, it is. And it was. It's a whole hell of a lot of fun. I'll also say I've been looking at some of the mock drafts now and trying to settle into where the Bulls are. And I, it looks like Memphis is probably going to be the fit for Boozer, which would leave Caleb Wilson there for the Bulls, which is my favorite scenario. And man, there's. I don't know how much clearer I can be about Boozer. I don't think he's bad. Why do you hate. It's happening again. Yeah, I can. I'm going to say it a million times. I know. He's good. He is good. Boozer is good. He's going to be good. He's going to be really good. He might be better than really good. I just don't ever know if he's going to be great. Great. And what I was thinking of, because there's this comp and Jason bounced this off me. He said, what if he's Al Horford? What if you are drafting somebody and you. Not a three. Here's the thing though. When you look at Al Horford's career and you look at how damn great Al Horford was for a long time. This is, you know, borderline hall of Fame where he's a five time All Star. He's got a ring. He was, you know, got votes for defensive Player of the Year, all NBA team, third team. He was second in the voting for Rookie of the Year. But the compilation of his total stats doesn't. At no point did you ever say he was one of the greatest players in the league.

[B]

No. And if I'm taking someone in the top five, they have to be the best player on my championship teammate. He's, you know, he's a very good player and he's really good numbers. But numbers are better than I remembered them being.

[A]

But if you. But, but again, see, that's why I looked at the comp here and it's not a bad comp. And the players most similar to Al Horford are Mutombo, Sigma, Laimbeer, Divach. Like I don't even need first names here. Parish, Unselled, Morning, Lanier, Gasol, Chandler is in there. Like I don't even need first names.

[B]

Yeah. So that's a, that's a, that's a very good player.

[A]

But at no point you're like well knowing saying because he's on your team, you have a chance to win a championship. No, no. At no point does somebody say, well, if we have Al Horford, as long as he's here, we got a chance to win title.

[B]

Right.

[A]

No one's ever said that.

[B]

He, he's a, he's a very good compliment.

[A]

A great, complimentary.

[B]

Yes. No, he, he, he is, he is, but I'm not, I'm not. Sorry, I'm not drafting Al Horford number three overall, I'm not.

[A]

And you can and I'm. And maybe you feel that I'm wrong on this.

[B]

No, see, I'm going to go. I mean I've gone harder on, on Cam Boozer than you have. I, I wouldn't, I wouldn't take him in the top five. I wouldn't take him in the top 10.

[A]

I think that's a little much.

[B]

Well, but I wouldn't, I just, I wouldn't because I, if I'm taking the top 10, I need the guy to be a guy that's going to compete for MVPs. That is easily going to be the best player on my championship team. He's not going to be.

[A]

And he's going to be a very

[B]

good player that can help you win games. He's not going to be the reason why you win a championship.

[A]

I'm still bothered by that bad turnover at the end of the game. Not his brothers, not his brother's.

[B]

His.

[A]

When he threw it off his foot. I was bugged by that. And that's also why I didn't want John Shire on the, on the Bulls short list of any coaches here. But you're right that it does make me wonder now if Ryan Sweeney has this or is it, is it Ryan Sweeney? What the hell is it?

[B]

No, that's the baseball player, Chris Scott.

[A]

Sean, Sean Sweeney. Sean Sweeney has this defensive reputation. How much of this you can. I could, I think I could plan a really good defense if Victor Wemanyama was my center.

[B]

Al Horford, who's a five time all star.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Second in Rookie of the Year. Yes. Defensive Player of the Year.

[A]

Voting several times.

[B]

Yes. Three times.

[A]

Yeah, but he. But at no point did anybody say, as long as we have him, we got a chance to win a title.

[B]

Very, very good player. I think that's. And that's, That's a. That's a good comp. I'm not, I'm not picking that guy. Three, though.

[A]

Okay. Somebody would. And here, here's why. Let me, Let me argue the opposite here. Just while we're doing this, let me just argue this. This is year one. They may be really. Maybe the plan is to be really bad next year. I know they've rejiggered all the tanks.

[B]

We talk about the Bulls.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And maybe that's their plan. And maybe if you say, hey, we don't have to get the best player on our championship team this year, we can get somebody who's going to be a really big part of it, we'll find. We'll. We'll develop or we'll find. There are other ways that maybe, Maybe we're not going to take a big swing. And the other argument is that the other argument is if Bryson Graham is like, hey, man, I'd rather lock in a piece where I'm not going to. We're not going to purport. We're not going to publicly say that this is the centerpiece of our champion. We're just going to draft the best player for us, and he's the best player, and if he becomes Al Horford, we're going to be really happy we drafted him.

[B]

Yeah. No, you're not. You're not wrong.

[A]

And then we'll find that other guy's coming.

[B]

But, you know, I get what you're saying, and that's, that's, that's reasonable.

[A]

There's no win now mandate.

[B]

No, there isn't. But even if you're going to be bad next year, if that's the plan and you have a guy that's available to you at four that you think could be the centerpiece of a championship team, and to not take him would be criminal.

[A]

That's right. But I don't know that they think the alternative is that right?

[B]

Yeah, we just don't know what they're thinking. Right, right.

[A]

And then whatever they tell us afterward is what they're going to tell us based on what happened, not what they were thinking beforehand.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

So it's hard to ever know.

[B]

Yeah, you're right.

[A]

And there's a lot you don't know. That's what Makes drafting fun. That's right.

[B]

And Dan, you're right. I mean, they could take cam boozer at 4 and they don't draft the best guy on their championship team for two years even.

[A]

That's what I mean.

[B]

I mean, that guy might not be here for three years. They're not.

[A]

They have no hurry. They didn't hire a coach yet.

[B]

It could be a guy that they don't even draft. You just don't know. Yeah, that's hard.

[A]

Yeah, it's hard because then you say, well, how often are now with the new system, are you going to be even be in the top four?

[B]

Right. How.

[A]

When do you get these chances in this great draft? If you're not going to do it now, then when? And these are all legit questions.

[B]

Yeah. Fuck, I don't want that job. Yeah, that's good luck. Bryson.

[A]

I would like to work for Michael Reinsdorf. Yeah, I really would.

[B]

If like a personal bartender in their suite, I could take that job.

[A]

I would like to work for him. And I, I think they've sort of found their way around to doing this the right way, even though it's been kind of bumpy in getting there. But I just the. To see what. When you watch these really good NBA teams, the end game rim protection. Protect the rim that. The.

[B]

Oh, that block that Holmgren had.

[A]

End game rim protection. Both. Both teams understanding at all costs you can do something to keep the ball from going in the basket.

[B]

Well, that was also what was sad too about watching last night's game and, you know, picking an NBA team to support, obviously would be the Bulls. And having watched enough Bulls games this year and then watching those two teams last night, it's like you're not even in the same league.

[A]

You're not playing the same ball.

[B]

Like, I mean, like watch, watch tonight. Watch the Knicks and Cavs. The Bulls aren't even in the same league. Yeah, but this doesn't look.

[A]

They go look like last night.

[B]

It doesn't. But, but I. In the. Even to compete in the east, they're not even close. We're not even talking NBA championship.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Talking about just competing in the east. They're not even close.

[A]

You know, everyone has a World cup opinion and my bookie gives you a place to put it. I haven't formulated a World cup opinion yet. Maybe I should have it. Is the US in it this year?

[B]

I have Scoozy.

[A]

Is he okay? Well, they're good. Is the US In IT?

[B]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, they are. They're hosting too.

[A]

I know. They're hosting. I just know. Okay. They're in it.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

All right, so I got to pick somebody else. So I don't know. I don't want to pick a. I don't want to be too much of a front runner. We'll. We'll have this as an open item of my World cup team.

[B]

Well, I have three teams I support.

[A]

Well, you probably have a front runner, like Brazil or something.

[B]

Oh, yeah, because I love him. I'm a messy guy.

[A]

I know.

[B]

You know, Argentina. So Messi.

[A]

I was gonna say. That's not Brazil.

[B]

Messi. Argentina, Scoozy, and then the usa. In that order.

[A]

Okay, well, I'm going to find a squad that I like, that. I don't know. Maybe there's. I'll find a reason. I'll find a person.

[B]

I'll find you one.

[A]

I'll find a story that's going to be a project here. Is to get me my World cup team. Okay? Can we do that?

[B]

I'm going to find you one.

[A]

Well, no, I'm not going to let you just pick it. We're going to talk it through. I got it. Is it Ghana?

[B]

No, it's Germany.

[A]

I can't do that. Oh, okay. Forget it.

[B]

Then. Ecuador,

[A]

Egypt, Little history there.

[B]

Okay. Oh, Uzbekistan.

[A]

I'm down.

[B]

Okay,

[A]

so, yeah, I'm going to find a team. And then. And then I can formulate my prop bets for you. And that's. That's what makes the tournament so fun.

[B]

Waiting for those.

[A]

Hey, I've been hitting my NBA ones, man.

[B]

You hit it last night.

[A]

Both came in last night. I got my Julian Campani. TIA Two blocks, and I got my three. Devin Vassella. It's like, he gets that three, he's got to take a bunch. Yeah, but he'll get you those three.

[B]

Yep. I lost. I lost the first leg of my. My parlay.

[A]

I'm so sorry, but the World cup turns every match into a conversation. My bookie lets you turn the opinion into action. Here's your promo code, dbu. So when you sign up, you'll get an exclusive offer from my bookie with the code dbu. You can back your side before kickoff. Recite your back. Follow the match live. Stay locked in from the opening whistle to the final kick. It's the World Cup. It is only around once every four years. Don't just watch it from the sidelines. Get in on the action. And my Bookie must be 21 plus. Please gamble responsibly.

[B]

All right. We got a problem, Dan.

[A]

What's my problem?

[B]

It's not your problem. It's really my problem. But it's our problem.

[A]

What's that?

[B]

Scoozy's not in it.

[A]

Italy's out.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Now they got better things to do.

[B]

All right, I guess I'm gonna. I'll go to my second choice of Scotland.

[A]

Scotland.

[B]

Yeah. Yes.

[A]

I just love the fact that it is the same as England, but it's not the same as England. Yeah. When it doesn't Wales have their own team?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah, that's pretty.

[B]

But they're not in, though.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

Scotland is, though.

[A]

And England. And England believes the rightful place of the World cup is there in England. And they say it's coming home. I wanted to talk about this briefly yesterday, but I'm gonna mention about the golf over the weekend.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

First of all, you saw that the South African golfer Garrick Higo missed his tee time. And it was early. It was 7:18 Eastern. And that was Saturday. And he arrived one minute late. He was penalized two shots and he had a 67 on the day that became a 69.

[B]

Oh, that's a big difference.

[A]

He's fired as caddy. So Garrick Higo fired Austin Gogart.

[B]

I love those.

[A]

Austin Gogart.

[B]

Oh, the gogurt.

[A]

Oh, the gogurts.

[B]

Yeah, those are good.

[A]

Maybe. It's probably Gougere. G A U G E R C. I prefer gogurt. Austin Gauger. So instead of that, he will use Nick Cavendish Pell at the Byron Nelson Cup.

[B]

So why did he fire him?

[A]

Higo said after the round that Gougere was screaming at him to get in the tee box. The PGA of America said the 27 year old was practicing in the putting green but was not within the area defined as the starting point of his tee time. The rules state a golfer must be on the tee box and ready to play at the assigned time. If you know me, you know I'm very casual and laid back. He goes, said, I don't know. I don't want to be there 10 minutes early. Five minutes is fine. I thought I had time. I was obviously too casual. Yeah. So I don't know why that if he was. If the. If the caddy was doing his job and yelling at you.

[B]

Yeah. Why'd you fire him?

[A]

And you shot well enough. I don't know what else is going on here, but something else is happening. Also, there's a video that is circulating of PGA champion Aaron Rye as a youth golfer. And it was a story on the local news, I think, from Wolverhampton. Is that where he's from in England, I believe he's from Wolverhampton. And it was just a very simple, easily identifiable local news piece about the young kid who is playing golf. It's like an old Tiger woods piece that you used to see. And there are shots of him when he's 3 and 4 and he kept winning these little toddler tournaments and it's really cool. And they show this young kid, Aaron Rye, and they what do you want to be when you grow up? And he's there with his golf hat and his golf stuff all around him. And he said, a racing driver.

[B]

It is Wolverhampton.

[A]

Wolverhampton. But yet his response to that, the question, what do you want to be when you grow up thinking you're gonna be like, I want to win the PGA Championship? No, he said a racing driver. But he was out there with his golfing driver. It's just an amazing story. He uses a driver from however many years ago. It's like a 2019 driver where usually, you know, all of these equipment companies want you to use the latest, the latest, the latest, the latest so they can sell it. And if you're using something that's seven years old, it's not necessarily good for business. And it comes very, very close to telling the awful truth about golf equipment and saying you don't always need to upgrade. He also that Aaron Rye has iron covers. Have you ever been mashed up in a foursome with somebody who has iron covers? Head covers?

[B]

Yeah, no, I know. Which I can't recall anyone ever using head covers now.

[A]

And you see it, you know, for the irons. Who is this loser? Yeah, like it's, it's, it's like the guys in hockey that have the individual stick bags, there's just, it's, they call them dusters. It's just, there's something dusty about it. However, his story is they didn't have the money that others have when getting into golf. They were a middle class family. And when he got golf equipment, he had to take good care of it. He didn't have the same opportunities at major college programs or major amateur sponsorship programs or these pipeline programs where you know that your equipment is always going to be taken care of. He didn't have that. That was his equipment and he had to make sure the grooves were, lasted longer. And he took good care of it. And it's a lovely lesson for him. And he doesn't hit the ball that far. Running in a 68 foot putt every now and then helps.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But ball striking strategy, it was just a really, really cool story. So I was. I was happy to see that, and I'm happy that Bryson Dechambeau is continuing to be miserable. And I'm. Anything. Any. I mean, it's for Patrick Reed, you know, for me, it's a great tournament. If Patrick Reed, anytime he goes into a sand trap, it becomes the Sarlacc pit.

[B]

I kept seeing the. I kept seeing his name at the top. I would check the leaderboard, my phone. I kept his name up top. And I was like, oh, Bernstein's gonna be pissed.

[A]

Yeah, Well, I just. I want. When he. When he walks near a trap, all I picture is the Sarlacc pit from. From Return of the Jedi, Boba Fett, where that was the end of Boba Fett. And that was really stupid, because people didn't realize what a great character it was. And now you have this entire other series based around the Mandalorian.

[B]

Could have been Boba Fett.

[A]

Could have been Boba Fett, man. But you killed him off for no good reason. And that's what I want to happen in the trap when Patrick Reed is there. So basically, it's anybody but swallow him or the ball. Everything.

[B]

Oh, okay.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Him. Everything. And then nobody bats an eye. That's just over. And they say, well, that's. The bunkers here are notoriously difficult. And that's what you'll hear. Trevor Immelman will just say, yes. Sometimes the Sarlacc will come out and grab a bunch.

[B]

Maybe Liv Golf can have a tournament

[A]

on that planet every once in a while. The Sarlacc will eat a competitor, and they'll be digested slowly over the course of a thousand years. And then let's go to Dottie. I've got Martin Keimer here, and he's looking. This is an 8 iron from 174.

[B]

No, let's send it back to the tree. And Pat.

[A]

Oh, Pat's long gone.

[B]

Bottles of Crown Royal.

[A]

Nope, nope. Nobody quite is following in those footsteps.

[B]

Wolverhampton, also the home of Liam Payne. I don't know if you know that name. From the group One Direction. You know One Direction? You've heard of that group? Well, yeah, that is a direction. It's not the group One Direction.

[A]

That's south.

[B]

Yeah. Liam Payne tragically died very young, the age of 31.

[A]

I did not.

[B]

Yeah. So also. So the hometown of Liam Payne as well.

[A]

Thank you for that.

[B]

Yes. You know, a little pop culture trivia for you, Dan. Okay, so now when it comes up on a crossword puzzle, you'll know usually

[A]

in sync is in crossword puzzles. A lot. Not one Direction.

[B]

One direction will be Liam Payne will be.

[A]

They do like he's going to come up to you. The N, S, Y and C. It's going to come get you.

[B]

Liam Payne, you're going to get Liam

[A]

Payne's going to get you.

[B]

Now you know.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And knowing is half the battle.

[A]

The more I know that's going to do it today for Dan Bernstein unfiltered. And we have been brought to you in partnership with my booking Dan Bernstein unfiltered. Unfiltered on 312 sports. Everybody talked about it since I first moved to Oregon. The big one. The earthquake that trashed the whole west coast. Total destruction. Officially calling it the largest natural disaster in American history. I just didn't know what would help me next. So I took it all. Even the gun. It was time cello see why American Afterlife is the number one fiction and drama podcast in America. Presented by pair of thieves. Listen on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite shows available now.