Baseball guy and host on KMOX, Chris Rongey

Summary

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered – Special Cubs Playoff Edition

Podcast: Dan Bernstein Unfiltered
Host: Matt Abbatacola (filling in for Dan Bernstein)
Guest: Chris Rongey (KMOX St. Louis, former Chicago sports radio host)
Date: October 2, 2025

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Episode Overview

This special edition, hosted by longtime executive producer Matt Abbatacola in Dan Bernstein’s absence, reunites Matt with his old friend Chris Rongey for a lively, wide-ranging conversation. The episode blends personal banter, radio reminiscing, and plenty of in-depth baseball talk—centered on the Cubs’ playoff run, the state of the NL Central, and the dynamics shaping postseason success. There’s signature unfiltered Chicago honesty, affectionate jabs, and a genuine bond between two radio veterans as they break down what matters most to fans in October.

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Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Reconnecting: Catching Up with Chris Rongey

• Location Update: Chris now lives in St. Louis and hosts "Chris and Amy" on KMOX, embracing early mornings despite always being a night owl.
• Personal Updates: Matt shares he’s been sober for 21 months, and both reminisce about past radio days, old friends, inside jokes, and mutual acquaintances (including the elusive “Team Lodge” crowd).
• Radio Reflections: Chris jokes about being “the looks” on his show, and they rib each other about age, bad influences, and missed invitations (03:00).

Notable Quotes

• “You’re always a good, positive male role model for me. If I’d have just followed in your footsteps sooner, I’d have been sooner ahead in life.” — Matt (03:25)
• “I thought you were dead.” — Chris, joking about Matt’s radio disappearance (03:00)

2. Cubs vs. Padres Playoff Breakdown (14:20)

• Discussing the Cubs dropping Game 2 to the Padres and facing a Game 3 elimination at Wrigley.
• Key focus: Why home runs and reducing strikeouts are vital in postseason baseball.

Notable Stats/Quotes

• “When you out-homer your opponent in a playoff series, your winning percentage goes up to 80%.” — Matt (15:10)
• “You can’t strike out 24 times and expect to do very well…If you don’t put the ball in play at all, you’re going to give yourself no chance to win.” — Chris (16:00)

Segment Timestamps

• Game 2 Recap: 14:20–19:00
• Bullpen Dominance: Mason Miller’s impact for Padres (15:47)
• Cubs Struggles at the Plate: Strikeouts, lack of offensive production (16:43)

3. Playoff Strategy: The Power Game & Pitching (20:13)

• Importance of manufacturing runs early and getting production from core hitters.
• Comparative examples: The role of aces like Garrett Crochet, and how teams benefit from dominant starters or big bats.
• Trends: Low-scoring postseason games; “if you’re not going to hit long balls, you need strikeout pitchers.” (21:33)

Notable Quotes

• “These guys are paid to do it in the postseason…if your big boys aren’t producing, it’s a lot tougher to overcome that.” — Chris (19:55)
• “Without hitting the long ball, your pitcher needs to go 6+ innings with 10+ strikeouts to boost your win chances to 66%.” — Matt (21:00)

4. Around the League: Mets, Reds, NL Central (22:33)

• Mets’ payroll disaster and Pete Alonso’s likely departure.
• Reds: Young talent, but skepticism about front office commitment to spending and contending.
• Warning against using the Mets' failure as a reason for other teams to be cheap: “Six out of the top seven payrolls made the postseason.” — Chris (24:33)

Notable Moments

• Recalling the Reds’ president's infamous sentiment: “What are you going to do, go watch something else?” (24:11)
• “Don’t let [the Mets] be an excuse for not being aggressive during the offseason.” — Chris (25:44)

5. AL MVP Debate: Aaron Judge vs. Cal Raleigh (29:17)

• Both agree Judge deserves AL MVP over Raleigh despite Raleigh’s unprecedented 60 HRs as a catcher.
• Discussion on the value of “best overall player” vs. sentimental stories.

Quotes

• “I just think we’re putting too much weight behind [60 HRs].” — Chris (30:16)
• “It’s probably the best story in baseball…but he’s just not the most valuable player for his team, not in the American League.” — Matt (31:00)

6. Cardinals & NL Central Outlook (33:32)

• St. Louis introduces Heim Bloom as president of baseball operations.
• Chris breaks down questionable rotation depth, prospect struggles, and “years away” from true contention (34:10).
• Cloud over 2027 with a possible lockout and the effect on aggressive spending.
• Brewers’ sustained excellence: Repeated division wins and wildcard berths.

Quotes

• “They haven’t left off 2026 in terms of trying to be competitive, but just looking at the roster…I don’t know.” — Chris (34:11)
• “It feels to me like they’re still a couple years away…they are years away from being a World Series contender.” — Chris (35:18)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Reunion & Personal Updates: 00:54–10:06
• Reflecting on Radio, Dan Bernstein, and old friends: 10:29–13:00
• Cubs-Padres Playoff Analysis: 14:20–21:33
• NL Central, Mets, Reds: 22:33–26:00
• AL MVP Debate: 29:17–32:16
• Cardinals Future, NL Central Landscape: 33:32–38:13
• Closeout, Mutual Appreciation, Plans to Reunite: 38:24–end

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Other Memorable Moments

• Dan Bernstein’s Movie Review via Text (12:00)
  “I'm in the movie theater by myself. I'm watching the new Naked Gun movie. Do not come see this movie. It is terrible.”
• Relatable Aging & Sobriety Discussion (09:11–10:06)
  Matt marks significant life changes and sobriety: “It was actually yesterday—21 months without a drink.”

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Tone & Language

• Playful, affectionate, direct: Plenty of inside jokes, old-school radio banter, and “Chicago honesty.”
• Insightful baseball analysis: Stats and trends delivered in common-sense, conversational style.
• No pretense, just real talk: “It all worked out for the good because eight years later, I get to launch a podcast network with Dan Bernstein.” (10:06)

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Listener Takeaway

Whether you’re a longtime 670 The Score listener, a Chicago sports devotee, or just tuning in for smart baseball chatter, this episode delivers warmth, wit, and a ton of veteran perspective. Matt and Chris’s reunion feels like a night at the sports bar—full of candor, strong opinions, and real friendship. The playoff breakdowns are direct, actionable, and, above all, true to the spirit of Chicago boys talking ball.

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For feedback, guest requests, or to weigh in with your own unfiltered takes, email:

• [e-mail]
• [e-mail]

Subscribe to Dan Bernstein Unfiltered and Forward Progress for more daily sports talk.

Transcript

[A]

Dan Bernstein unfiltered. Unfiltered on 312 Sports. Hello there, and welcome into another edition of Dan Bernstein Unfiltered. You're saying. Wait a second, you're not Dan Bernstein. And that guy there, that really handsome guy is definitely not Dan Bernstein. What in the hell is going on? Well, this is a very special baseball Cubs playoff edition of Dan Bernstein Unfiltered. And today's episode is brought to you in partnership with my bookie. You may recognize this guy as a very handsome, very handsome, very handsome.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Old White Sox baseball, pre and post show host on the score. You may know him as my dear friend as well, too. It's none other than Chris Range. Hey, Box.

[B]

What's up, big boy?

[A]

How are you, pal?

[B]

Oh, my God. I can't. I'm. I don't know what to do with myself.

[A]

Well, I'm very excited that you were.

[B]

Able to do this last time I saw you.

[A]

When was that? I don't even remember.

[B]

I know it must have been some past war. It's been a long time, dude.

[A]

It's been a very long time. Well, I mean, you're down in St. Louis now.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

You've been down there for how long?

[B]

I moved back the day after the Super bowl in 2017, so it's been a while.

[A]

It has been. Wow, I didn't realize it was that long.

[B]

It has been.

[A]

So Box is down there in St. Louis. You can hear him locally down there on KMOX. Chris and Amy.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So Amy has all the talent and you're there for the looks, I suppose. Yeah, that sounds about right.

[B]

Yeah. I can't do everything.

[A]

And you can I? You know, people can still hear you here locally on 670 as well. I catch you on there, I'll text you as well. And you. You asked me to call in, but I don't know if I can do that. Next time you do a show locally, I will call in.

[B]

Okay. You know what? I just got asked to do one tomorrow night, but I can't because I have to go to a thing. I have to go to an event tomorrow, so I can't do it, unfortunately.

[A]

Is that a date tomorrow night?

[B]

It is. No, it's not that. It's a premiere for a movie about a guy who's from St. Louis.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And William H. Macy is in it.

[A]

Oh, nice.

[B]

Yeah, he plays Jack Buck in the movie. There's. There's a movie called Soul on Fire, and it's about a kid who. He had an accident. He Had a severe burn accident and he's overcome it and he's a motivational speaker and really cool story and it's about his life and. William H. Macy plays Jack Buck.

[A]

Do you get to meet him?

[B]

I have to be. I have to be at the premiere tomorrow. Not have to. I get to. I'm excited for it.

[A]

Yeah, it sounds like it. I'm happy for you, man. It sounds like a really good time you're going to have at this movie premiere. Do you get to meet William H. Macy? Is he on your show at least? No, I don't.

[B]

I don't believe he's gonna be here. No. Oh, no.

[A]

He's not making the trip to St. Louis.

[B]

I don't think so. Nobody ever does.

[A]

Well, you've never invited me.

[B]

That includes you.

[A]

You haven't invited me.

[B]

Well, I thought you were. First of all, I thought you were dead.

[A]

Jesus.

[B]

It'S like I never see you. I never hear from you.

[A]

Well, hearing from you, that's not true.

[B]

Well, now I hear from you a little bit more often. You disappeared. You vanished for a while.

[A]

Well, I had to get away from all the bad influences in my life.

[B]

Don't say me. I'll kill you. Don't say me.

[A]

No.

[B]

Dare.

[A]

Absolutely not. No. You are always a good, positive male role model for me. If I'd have just followed in your footsteps sooner, I'd have been sooner ahead in life. So Dan Bernstein is off today for the holiday and then he's making a sojourn down to New Orleans to visit his son down in college. Which is crazy to think that he has a college age son. I don't know if you. If you've listened at all to the. To the show, but his son is like the newspaper editor, the sports editor for the Tulane newspaper, following in dad's footsteps.

[B]

Well, I can't. It's. It's really hard to think of Jason as anything other than a dude this big. You know, like a little guy. Right. I don't know, man. It's just. It's wild. But Bernstein has been around a long time. He's birthed a lot of children just like you. You got three. Your kids are probably have 401ks already, don't they?

[A]

No. So. Well, my dude, my daughter is with child and so I'll be a grandpa next year.

[B]

Hey, Team Lodge. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[A]

If it's a boy, he'll be. Yeah, his first birthday will be at Team Lodge for sure.

[B]

Yeah, I had a wild thing. I was at a music fest over the weekend in St. Louis. It's called Evolution Festival. And they. I was watching Public Enemy and Sublime was playing and I go up to get a beer and I order from this lady and there's a guy standing behind the bar and he's looking at me and then he goes, hey, are you. You ranging? And I'm like, yeah. And he goes, I knew it was you. And it turned out to be one of the. George, one of the guys who was always at the Lodge.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

20 years ago when we were going. And I was like, what are you doing down here? And he's a traveling bartender at Festival. So I was like, oh my God. I knew you looked familiar. And it's a team. Lodge is everywhere. It's kind of like fraternity.

[A]

Did he hook you up at all?

[B]

He did. He. You know what he did? At one point he.

[A]

That's great.

[B]

Bought me a beverage.

[A]

There you go. That's. Look at that. It's still paying dividends for you box.

[B]

It really is. The lodge is still doing it 20 years later. How.

[A]

How are things? How are things? Life good?

[B]

Everything is good, man. You know, doing the show, it's a little early in the morning for me. You know me, I'm not a. Not an early day guy.

[A]

No.

[B]

I'm more of a late afternoon, evening, late night person. And doing yes, Dusk. Doing a show at 9am is tough. Like you think I would have adjusted to it by now and being like, become an adult, but it's not working. It is just not working.

[A]

So what time are you up then? You're up early there at this station by.

[B]

Yeah, I get, I get to the station before, you know, by 8 o', clock, a little before that and then we, we get to work, man.

[A]

So how much, how much coffee are you drinking in the morning?

[B]

A couple of cups.

[A]

And you smoke. Are you still smoking heaters?

[B]

Well, that's not. I've never done that.

[A]

Oh, okay.

[B]

No, I'm not a heater guy.

[A]

Coffee and a smoke.

[B]

Just a coffee.

[A]

Get your day going.

[B]

Smokes. Just give me the spoon. We're going to do something. We're going to do something a little heavier. No, I can't. No, it's not. Coffee works perfectly fine for me. I have too much of it and then I can't go to sleep when I'm supposed to go to sleep. So then we start the cycle over the next day to make up for it. I could just get more coffee.

[A]

And how has that impacted, you know, you're going out on the town a little bit, hanging out. I'm sure St. Louis has a nice nightlife for a man like yourself.

[B]

Yeah, sure, there's a nice scene. I live in a fun neighborhood, so it's a neighborhood called Soulard. We have a. Every year.

[A]

Soulard.

[B]

Soulard. It's like. Like a. There's a. There's a heavy sort of Louisiana, New Orleans kind of influence here. So there's a really big Mardi Gras. It's like the second biggest Mardi Gras in the country, or so that's what they tell us. And it's. It's in this neighborhood. It's a. This is a fun neighborhood. Pretty eclectic. People of all kinds. And so, yeah, it's. It's good, buddy.

[A]

I wonder. I wonder how many other cities proclaim to have the second largest Mardi Gras in the country.

[B]

I think.

[A]

I bet you a lot of cities do that.

[B]

I bet they do. But honestly, I think this one is legitimately it. Seriously.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

You got to come down for it.

[A]

No, I will as soon as you invite me. I would love to come down and see you for a weekend.

[B]

Great.

[A]

I would enjoy that. So once you invite me, I'll be there.

[B]

Okay, you're invited.

[A]

Oh, is this official?

[B]

Yes, this is official invite.

[A]

All right, so tell me, what else. What else about life? So you're working early. You're still staying out late. What's. What's. What's a box doing for fun, Matt?

[B]

I don't. Come on, man. I'm not a weekday guy anymore. I have grown up a little bit.

[A]

So you're just out on the weekends?

[B]

I'll tell you what I will do. I don't like to play on weeknights, on. On school nights. I try not to. The only thing I will give myself is during the football season on Sundays. I got a group of friends in this neighborhood, and they're all, believe it or not, about my age. There are people my age who are still alive, and I'll hang out with them, and a couple of them are Bears fans. So I will give myself Sunday Bears days where we'll go to a bar, we'll watch a game, try to get done early, and then, you know, get home and be ready for Monday. So I'll give myself a Sunday where we. We go and bear down somewhere, and then we then try to be up at a good hour for work the next day.

[A]

But, I mean, if it's a noon game, that's. That's great. I mean, you know, day drinking was always the best.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I think that's the best route to go, especially at your age. And how old are you now?

[B]

I am 48.

[A]

Yeah, you're 48. I see you're still four years younger than me. You're not even in your 50s yet.

[B]

Well, I'm not going to catch up to you, pal.

[A]

Well, you're never going to catch up, but I mean, like, you're still a young man. You still have got a lot of left in you. You should be going out during the week.

[B]

No, I can't do the weekdays.

[A]

It's difficult, you know. Box. I, I, it's been, it was actually yesterday, 21 months without a drink.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Good for you, pal.

[A]

Yeah. So Natalie and I, we decided to go alcohol free in our life and we did it. So December 31, 2023, we had see, my daughter and son in law were home. The four of us hung out for New Year's Eve and that was the last time I had a drink. I woke up January 1st and said, you know what? I think I'm done drinking.

[B]

You are. I'm gonna tell you something about you. You're a guy of decisions and then the, then immediately executing the decision. There's no mulling period. There's no, like, here's what I'm thinking. I think that in a week I might do this. It's kind of like how you quit. You quit the score. You just walked in and go, you know what? I'm done today. I'm finished. You go, what, what do you mean you're done? Like, I'm done. This is it. Last day be. I'll be out of here in two hours and you'll never see me again.

[A]

That was pretty much it. You know, it's funny you bring that up because, you know, half of me regrets that and the other half doesn't. So, I mean, it was, it was satisfying to a certain degree. But then looking back, I wish I'd done it differently. But it, you know, it, you know, at this point, it is what it is. And it all, it all worked out for the good because eight years later, you know, I get to launch a podcast network with Dan Bernstein.

[B]

Good for you, man. I'm, I listen to you guys as often as I get a chance and I love it. I love hearing the two. And I texted you this the other day. It's really nice to hear. It's, it's a, it's very familiar and comforting to hear the two of you guys talk in sports. Just missing Terry.

[A]

Yeah, I know. Did you listen to the episode we had Uncle Terry.

[B]

I didn't know. I had a few people actually text me about it and say, oh, you should go back and listen to that one. And I haven't gotten a chance. I just, I keep. Because the, the, the bear season is going on now. I'm just trying to get as much fresh content as possible. So I haven't really gone back and listened to old stuff yet.

[A]

But I will, and I will tell you this, several people have reached out, emailed the show and because you can email myself OR Dan Matt at 312sports.com [e-mail] and asking for you to be on the show. And I will tell you Dan was excited and disappointed to not be be here today to have this conversation with you. So we'll have to circle back and have you on the show again.

[B]

I, Dan texted me when the new Naked Gun movie came out, which he.

[A]

Hated, by the way.

[B]

So that's what it was. I was, I was. It was a Saturday or Sunday or something, and I had walked down the street to get coffee. I'm coming back to my place and I get a text from Dan Bernstein. I went on, Dan, I hadn't heard from Dan in a minute. And he said, I'm in the movie theater by myself. I'm watching the new Naked Gun movie. Do not come see this movie. It is terrible. That was it. That was the whole text.

[A]

That was it. And when was the last time you heard from before that?

[B]

I don't know. Yeah, one time he just out of nowhere texted and said, I love you and that was it. And I go, oh, I love you too, pal.

[A]

He was, I think I got one of those too.

[B]

Yeah, he was. Feels one night, which I understand that. I get that way too.

[A]

Yeah, I never get those texts from you. Did you, did you see the movie? Did you see Naked Gun, the new Naked Gun?

[B]

No, you know what? I haven't. And partly on Dan's recommendation, I don't think I was going to go to it. I think it's going to be one of those, if it ever ends up on HBO or something, I'll put it on. But yeah, I just.

[A]

It'll be a stay at home and cuddle night. Yeah, I got you.

[B]

I'm not going to get out there on purpose.

[A]

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[B]

Still.

[A]

Well, no, not. Not in years, but I mean, when I did. All right, so the cubs, Cubs are tied 11 with the Padres. They dropped a game yesterday. Game two, they lost three to zero. We had a, you know, Andrew Kittred starts show to Imanaga, comes in, and the Padres take the early lead in the first inning. They get to the first two batters on against Kittredge, they get battered. They get the runners moved around on a. On a high pitched stolen base. There's a sacrifice fly. So they manufactured a run and I figured they'd be aggressive down one game. And then later on in the game, you see the. The two run homer puts them up three nothing. And the Cubs bats just couldn't get anything going. Dan and I talked at length about the importance of out homering your opponent in the playoffs. I don't know if you knew the stat. But when you out homer your opponent in a playoff series, your winning percentage goes up to 80%. So the Padres did that out homer the Cubs. The Cubs out homer them the first game. So now here we are later today facing a Game 3 elimination at Wrigley Field for the Cubs or the Padres. But this, this bullpen, man, it was funny the, the broadcast, it was Kevin Brown. I think he asked, do you think the Padres set a record Yesterday in game two with the most number of 100 mile an hour pitches? Yeah, it's unbelievable what they do.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Absolutely incredible.

[B]

They had no chance against Mason Miller yesterday, you know.

[A]

No, he was, he was, he was awesome.

[B]

Well, I mean, maybe the one good thing about it is he, I doubt he's available for game three. I mean the amount he pitched, I would hope. I mean, who knows. But what I do know is you can't strike out 24 times and expect to do over the course of two days and, and do very well. They got the game one, which, you know, they sort of got away with one there. But that's the playoffs that will happen. But you can't, you can't play with that too much. You can't play that high strikeout, total thing too much on offense or you're going to have trouble. And that's the thing. It's not. It is about the power. If you hit, if you hit for power, if you hit home runs, you're going to score runs in chunks and you're going to give yourself a better chance to win. But if you don't put the ball in play at all, you're going to give yourself no chance to win. So you know, for the Cubs, hopefully they, they find it and, and figure, I mean, no, this is really, this is an elementary idea, but they are going to have to start making some contact and, and hopefully that happens for them today. I don't know, man. It's a, I kind of thought the series would be over after winning game one. And the numbers for the game one winner in a wild card are extraordinary. Right. I mean if you win game one, it's like something like 75% of the time or better. You end up winning the series. I think they are going to anyway. But it can't be a 12, 13 strikeout game again. You do not want to fool around with that.

[A]

Yeah. Yesterday in Game 2, the Cubs did have 11 strikeouts. And just going down and looking at the box score, Michael Bush over three. Nico Horner was one for four. His first at bat Ian Hap over four, Tucker one for four, had a hit late in the game. I think maybe he was the leadoff in the ninth or one out in the ninth and he had his only hit, Suzuki with a double in the game. Carson Kelly 0 for 2, Pete Crow 0 for 3, Swanson 1 for 3, Matt Shaw 0 for 2. Yeah, it's just, yeah, they made zero. Like didn't get enough contact, didn't get enough runners on base. And you know it's, it's not a big surprise. I mean you had Dylan Cecil Amount who's had his ups and downs during the regular season. I think he had a below.500 record. He was even ERA over 4, if I'm remembering correctly, was having a hard time placing his fastball most of the season. So we're going to look at a lot of, a lot of balls with movement yesterday off Dylan Cease. And what did he end up, what did he end up going yesterday? He had three and two thirds. And then they go to the bullpen and again and you know it was nerve wracking going into game one with the Padres bullpen. But the Cubs were able to get ahead early or not. Not early was the fourth inning, fifth inning, those back to back home runs and then they were able to really outlast the Padres because the Padres had opportunities in game one with runners on third and less than two outs and just couldn't produce. And even in the first, the first inning, yesterday's game they had, after the sacrifice fly, runner advances the third and so you have a runner third with two outs and still couldn't get them in. But in the end it didn't matter. The two run homer was just too much for the Cubs to overcome.

[B]

It just can't play around with falling behind. I know it's, it's difficult to come back any time of year, but especially with this team with the Padres, their bullpen, the way they're utilizing the bullpen, you don't want to give them a lead. So the, the best thing that you can do is score early in game three. That's, that's the Cubs best opportunity. And I don't know how you do it. You're, you're, you're going to have to hope that your best players, you know your heart of the order. You're going to have to get more from Tucker, from Saya. You'll have to get more from the, the three, four and five guys. That's what they're paid to do. You know, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis, they're coming through. That's, that's what they are paid to do. Dylan Cease came through. If you look at Garrett Crochet with Boston is seven and two thirds in game one for them. That's what he is paid to do. You know, these, these guys are paid to do it in the postseason. More than just the regular season. It's the playoffs, you know, so when your big boys aren't producing in the playoffs, it is a whole lot tougher to overcome that. I mean, you can get by for a game or two, but in a short series you don't have the luxury of time.

[A]

Yeah. And then.

[B]

So that means everybody's going to have to just do it and like game three. That's it. This is your last opportunity.

[A]

Yeah. All bets are off for game three later today. And it's a, it's a do or die for both teams. Whoever survives. You get an off day and then you're right in Milwaukee on Saturday starting the divisional series and looking back on Game 12 of Detroit and Cleveland. You know, if you're, if you're not going to hit the long ball, you've got to have a pitcher that can go. And what school had 14 strikeouts in Game 1 against Cleveland? And we saw if you're not going to hit the long ball that your pitcher, when your pitcher, starting pitcher, goes like six innings and strikes out 10 or more, your chances of winning increase and go up to 66%. So without hitting the long ball, because we saw that you brought up Garrett Crochet. The Yankees had a home run. It was their only run. It was Anthony Volpe hits a home run. But you had, I think got at least 11 strikeouts from Crochet in that, in that first game for, for the Red Sox. Yeah, and that's, that's what, that's what will happen. But yeah, getting, getting to the Padres early today is going to be the key for the Cubs. You can't have a first couple innings where you're just not making any, any production at all on, on the basis for, for, for the Cubs, you know.

[B]

And you said the thing about power and hitting home runs and the teams that do it have a much greater chance to win. They are a little rarer in the playoffs. But some of the biggest plays that happen in postseason baseball end up being home runs. And they were fairly low scoring games. You know, the first four division games, fairly low, low scoring like a couple of 31 games. You had a 21 game Dodgers and Reds, I want to say, scored 15 runs. So that was a little more typical, you know, regular season baseball, but if you can. And the wind was coming in today at Wrigley Field. Right. Or yesterday. So I know it's a little bit more difficult to get the ball in the air and make something happen, but they're going to have to, they're going to have to exhibit a little bit of power for them. Like I said, hopefully it's scoring early because that's the, that's their best opportunity. You just don't want to give the ball to the Padres bullpen late with the lead. You'll have a really tough time coming back.

[A]

All right. A couple things just around baseball. Looking back at the regular season, since we haven't talked in a long time, the, the Mets, the Mets being on the outside of the playoffs with, with that, with that payroll. And then Pete Alonso, he's, you know, he's not coming back. He's going to go into free agency. I'm not sure what kind of big contract he might get or what interest from what teams. I think it's what, he's 31 or 32, but he can still hit the ball. And, you know, he's. Defensively, he's not what you maybe want at first base, but the guy can still put the bat on the ball. But just that, that Mets thing, man, that's, that's got to be real rough.

[B]

Well, the Mets falling apart is why the Reds are in the playoffs, because they don't, they're not getting in with, without the Mets. Absolute disaster.

[A]

Well, and the Cubs get losing for, I mean, the Reds.

[B]

Right, right, right. Yeah. So, yeah, the Cubs had that little thing at the end of the year, but it's, you know, the Reds might be moving in the right direction. I think they are. I doubt how much they're going to as far as future worrying about other teams in the division in that sort of context, I don't know that you got to worry much about Cincinnati. At least that's my read on it, because they do have good young talent, but I don't have a lot of confidence from their perspective. They're going to do a whole lot to supplement that talent. I just don't. I don't think when free agency rolls around, they're going to start buying players. I don't, I don't think they'll do it. They might, they might prove me wrong on that. And then we'll come back here in a few months and you'll say, see, I told you, Ron. They're going to look what they're doing. They're putting together a juggernaut over there. I just. I don't think that's going to happen. But so from their perspective, good young team, kind of like Pittsburgh was 15 or so years ago, they just didn't supplement the talent. Remember what their team president said? Wasn't it two years ago? It was something to the effect of, yeah, people were complaining about how the Reds operate. And he said, basically, what are you gonna do? Go watch something else? You know, you're like, you have a captive. He didn't say exactly those words, but it was something like that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And, I mean, that's just a real insult to people. The Mets, though, here's. Here's what's interesting. And one of the things I hate that ends up happening when a team like the Mets fails is all the people, whether it's ownership groups around baseball or even the fan bases around baseball, when they say stuff like, see, The Mets spent $350 million on payroll and they didn't win. That's not the way you do it. This should not be. This should not be an excuse to not spend money. Just because the Mets have spent poorly and maybe mismanaged is not evidence that you don't do it. And that's what bothers me about the Mets case, is that people are going to look at it and going to use it as an example. However, I would counter with the top seven teams that are in payroll. Top seven teams in payroll. Six of them are in the postseason right now. So there's your counter argument. Yes, spending does work sometimes. There's a case like the Mets, where they spend a lot and spend poorly and. And guys don't live up to their contracts. Don't let that be an excuse for not being aggressive during the off season when it's time to buy free agents.

[A]

Hey, for the last several weeks, Dan and I have been telling you guys about protein bar and kitchen. I did something different today, and I'm going to throw this at you to keep in mind, instead of going to one of those fancy coffee places and getting a really expensive drink that has lots of calories and is really high in sugar, maybe it's kind of chocolatey. Skip that. Go to protein bar and kitchen and try what I had today. It's the perk Shake. Perk P E R K. It's one of their protein shakes. It's got coco malt espresso, whey protein, chocolate, whey protein, and almond milk. And it was absolutely delicious. So I've been starting My day off every day now at Protein Bar and Kitchen for one of their protein shakes. I've been doing the PB and J which has been a fan favorite for a long time. Yesterday or two days ago I had the Wrigley Peeled which is chocolate and banana and that was in honor of my Cubs. Cubs going to the playoffs. Oh so good dude. But the Perk shake is great and I loved it today. I think that's going to be my new fan favorite going forward every morning, you know. Protein Bar and Kitchen's menu is designed for all day power, complete with protein packed breakfast items like scrambled bowls, burritos, acai bowls, power oatmeal, yogurt, parfaits and more. A few days ago I had the Mexicali burrito for breakfast and it was delicious. The great thing about it is you can have every meal there, really if you want to, you can have breakfast, you can have lunch, you can have dinner. And I'm not kidding, Natalie and I, we drove out to the Northbrook location two nights ago and we had dinner there. I am eating Protein Bar and Kitchen a lot. I really am. And I'm telling you, you should give it a try. Now the app at Protein Bar and Kitchen, which I love because I do my scan and pay right there for my app. It's designed to reward their super fans with every visit. So downloading the app is very simple and it's free in the Apple Store or Google Play. New app users, they receive 10 points for every dollar spent. A free PBK fan favorite after their first visit. There's ongoing promotions, exclusive benefits like their weekly Thirsty Thursday which features a signature shake or smoothie for just five bucks. You can order ahead really easy. You can pick up. There's delivery plus delivery tracking in the app. You can also customize on the app so users can build their own bowls and salads. There's one I want to tell you about too that I'm going to try maybe this weekend I get out there. It's called Smashing Pumpkin and it's one of their new protein shakes for the fall. It's got pumpkin, apples, maple syrup, almonds, vanilla whey protein, cinnamon and oat milk. If that doesn't sound delicious to you, then your taste buds are off. So go visit our friends and at Protein Bar and Kitchen there's locations all over Chicago and the suburbs. You're going to love it. If you haven't done it yet, give it a try. What a great way to start your day with a very healthy protein shake. And one of the slogans they have that I really love. Zero bad choices. So you can eat there all day long. Go check them out. Protein bar and kitchen. Looking at Seattle, too. Box. I want to ask you about Cal Rowley and Aaron Judge. I've gone both ways on the mvp. I think Aaron Judge is going to win it. And I think that the rally story is actually, you know, it's a. It's a great story. 60 home runs. The first catch would ever do it. I think one of seven players to ever hit 60 home runs. But Judge, Judge, his. His offensive numbers outside of the home run, it's just. He's a much better, more productive player for his team than Cal is. What's your thoughts on the. On the MVP race?

[B]

Yeah, I'm right there with you. And I think the people arguing for Cal, Raleigh. And I get it, because there's a sexiness and a novelty still to hitting a bunch of home runs in the middle of a season. Right. There's still something sexy about 60 home runs. So, you know, I mean, it's. It's easy to go that route, but I. I don't know. To me, this is pretty simple. He's a great story, and it's awesome that he's a catcher doing all of this, but I don't know that we are grading them on a curve because of the position he plays, because you don't get that kind of offense out of a catcher anymore. Never gotten 60 home runs out of a catcher, of course, but I think we're giving that statistical category a little too much weight up against everything Judge has done. As you mentioned, he's leading in, like, five or six major offensive categories. Raleigh is leading in that one. Right, in home runs, which is.

[A]

Yeah. And judge had, what, 53. It's not like he had, you know, 20 home runs.

[B]

Right, right, right. A guy hit over 50. So I don't know that. I just think we're putting too much weight behind it. And the people who are arguing in favor of Raleigh being the mvp, at least this is just in my experience. I don't know how you've seen it, but in my experience, it's like, obviously, he's the most valuable player. Like, obviously. Is it. I mean, is it really that obvious? I don't think it is. I think it's more clearly the other guy. Just because of all the statistical categories that he leads in.

[A]

It's. It's. It's probably the best story of baseball. I mean, with the Mariners. Yeah. With the Mariners winning their Division and getting, you know, a buy in the wild card round, waiting for someone to come through for the divisional series. He's, you know, the first catcher to ever hit 60. It's a really great story. It's a fun story. He seems like a really likable guy. You know, he had the fun All Star game, you know, a week as well. But he's just, he's just not the most valuable player for his team. Not in the American League.

[B]

No, he's not. And maybe what they should have done, and I kind of wish they would change it, but they won't because of tradition. But it should just be instead of most valuable player, it should just be player of the year or offensive player of the year. Whatever you want to do. Right?

[A]

How about feel good, story of the year, feel well.

[B]

Okay. So yeah, fine. There should be. Oh, here comes Cal Raleigh. The. The fg. He's the F G Y. No, I just. This isn't that difficult to me. I think Aaron Judge is the guy. I love the story of Cal Raleigh. I think it is great. I love that guys are still hitting 60 home runs in a season every now and then. Judge has done that by the way too. But this is. He's not the MVP because of it. You can make an argument that they are not in the postseason without him and therefore he is the most valuable relative to his team. Fine, I'll buy that. But I really don't think that's the spirit of the award.

[A]

Yeah, I totally agree with you. And one last thing that we'll get into before I let you go box. But you know that one guy in the group chat who hit a five leg parlay week one and wouldn't shut up about it the rest of the season? Yeah, that could be you. My bookie makes it stupid easy to get in on the action. College ball, NFL super contest and survivor pools. All the spreads, player props and in game lines you could want all under one roof. Just go to my bookie, register your account, get your first deposit going. And if you're new to my bookie, use our code DBU and any bet you choose up to $500 is fully covered. Make your play. If it doesn't hit, you get it right back when you opt in using your bet back bonus token. No better time to jump in. No better place to play. If you haven't done it yet, do it now before the weekend hits you. Get in on some college football action. The NFL stuff on Sundays, Monday Night Football just get your first bets going, but register Your account now at my bookie and get your first deposit going. Football's back, so let's make some money together with my bookie. All right. Box. Tell me about the St. Louis Cardinals. It brings joy to my heart to have them not in the playoffs, so I'm sorry to say that to you. Yeah, that's okay.

[B]

I'm fine.

[A]

What's the outlook for the Cardinals moving forward?

[B]

Okay. Well, as you know, this week they introduced their new president of baseball operations, Heim Bloom, who was last with Boston, and he's pretty much most well known around the league for. For the Mookie Bets trade, which I think he's been. I think he's gotten a raw deal on that one because he was sort of told to trade Mookie Bets by ownership, and when ownership tells you you got to trade a guy, you got to trade a guy. So I don't know that he would have done that otherwise, but he has taken all the heat for that. He was with Tampa before.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

All indications are he's pretty good at his job and maybe just got that. That raw deal in Boston. I don't know how quickly they're going to be good, though. They have not left 2026 off the table in terms of trying to be competitive. They feel like they still can, or at least they are saying that they still can, but just looking at the roster, man, I don't know. I don't know how they put together a rotation for next year that's all that good. This last one wasn't very good. And. And they're probably going to lose Sonny Gray, Miles Michaelis isn't going to be around. They got a guy named Michael McGreevey who's pretty young and inexperienced, and he had a nice introduction, but I don't. I don't know what he is long term. So just starting there, starting with the rotation, I think they're going to have a little bit of trouble there, maybe a lot of trouble in 2026, putting a team together. They got all these young players, like their top prospect from a couple of years ago, Jordan Walker, who just did not really make a whole lot of progress in his development this year. So he's a question mark, even though he's still young. Nolan Gorman, their third baseman, they were trying to give every day playing time, too, but they couldn't trade Arenado in the off season, last off season, so they were stuck with him. He had to play third. Gorman didn't really get a ton of starting time until Arenado got injured and he didn't do a whole lot with that. There were flashes, you know, Sometimes he looked pretty good, sometimes he didn't. So I don't know. I feel like they have a. They do have some good young talent, but it just. It feels to me like they're still a couple of years away, at least. And maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they end up being competitive in the division. I wouldn't count on the Mets being awful next year. So getting in as a wild card is going to be tougher. The Mets open the door for a lot of teams this year. I don't think that happens next year. So as far as the Cardinals being a true legitimate contender, they are years away from being a World Series contender, and I think they're probably still a year or two away from being a division contender. And 2027 complicates it, because if there's a lockout, oh, yeah.

[A]

Even worse.

[B]

I don't know how aggressive they are next year or this off season. Right?

[A]

Yeah. I mean, I don't even know how aggressive the Cubs would be because they're already planning for that kind of a lockout situation, how that impacts the money that they spend in free agency, which is awful. Even though they claim to break even inside the walls of Wrigley Field, they just break even. They're not even making a profit inside Wrigley Field, but they just happen to have a lot of money outside Wrigley that they don't want to put back into the team.

[B]

But it's madness.

[A]

It's. It is madness. And as far as the NL Central is concerned. The what? The Brewers. Their third consecutive playoff appearance there. Or. No, their third. Their third consecutive division win division. And then they were, the last two years, this year, last year, were the first team to earn a playoff berth. So they're not. Yeah, they're. They're not giving up that division anytime soon.

[B]

I don't know, dude.

[A]

Here's the thing, man, which is crazy.

[B]

I Honestly, back in May or early June, I was like, okay, brewers are done. Forget about this team. Don't worry about them. That's there. That. That whole thing is over. And I keep saying, it's like. It's like the same thing I did with Tom Brady, like, the last four years of his career. I kept saying, okay, that's it.

[A]

He's done.

[B]

That's it, Tom. Oh, what's this? Another Super Bowl?

[A]

This Tampa thing is not going to work.

[B]

Yeah, it's not going to work. He's toast. Oh, Super Bowl. Great. I mean, that's what the brewers are. I mean, they're not going to win the whole thing, but they're going to keep getting in and winning the division. It's just. It's wild to me what they keep doing. The Cubs, if they really want to be aggressive, just a little bit more aggressive, that's. That division is theirs for as long as they want it. It should be the next several years.

[A]

It should be. And they certainly have the resources to do it.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

We'll see what they do. We'll see what they do. Box. This has been just a total blast. I really appreciate you taking the time to join me here while Dan's away, so it's great seeing you. Great catching up with you, man.

[B]

I love you, pal.

[A]

I love you, too, buddy.

[B]

Let's. Let's do this again. Maybe sometime I'll hang out with the two of you.

[A]

No, we will. Well, we'll circle back. I know, like I said, Dan was disappointed when I told him that we were doing this for. For today's show, but we'll circle back, we'll have you on again so the three of us can hang out and hope. And then I'm gonna plan a trip to St. Louis. I'm gonna come down and see you.

[B]

Awesome.

[A]

Maybe you have a couch I can sleep on.

[B]

Of course.

[A]

Okay. Is it clean?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. Might as well make sure.

[B]

I don't.

[A]

I don't know. I don't know how you live. Yeah, it's right there.

[B]

Come on over, pal.

[A]

All right. Box. Hey, it's good talking to you, pal.

[B]

Love you, buddy.

[A]

All right, we'll talk to you soon. See you, pal. All right, Chris. Rangy. Well, that was great. Hey, a reminder to you, start your day tomorrow or even, like, before the Cubs game this afternoon, go to protein bar and kitchen, grab yourself a protein shake to kind of, you know, calm your nerves a little bit, get you all settled and ready for the Cubs and Padres game three. So do that, please. Hey, so this has been another edition of Dan Bernstein Unfiltered. Appreciate you checking us out. Hey, if you haven't subscribed yet on our YouTube channel, do that. Do it for DBU. Do it also for forward progress, our Bears podcast. You can email the show anytime, Dan, at 312sports.com mat.com and also want to tell you that this portion of Dan Bernstein Unfiltered was brought to you by our friends at my bookie. We will talk to you tomorrow right here on Dan Bernstein Unfiltered. Dan Bernstein Unfiltered. Unfiltered. On three. One, two. Sports.