Bears Stadium Dilemma

Summary

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered — "Bears Stadium Dilemma" (September 11, 2025)

Episode Overview

This episode of Dan Bernstein Unfiltered is a quintessential mix of sharp Chicago sports commentary, banter, and deep dives into the business and politics of local franchises. Bernstein and producer Matt Abbatacola focus on the perennially messy Chicago Bears stadium situation, breaking down recent developments, the team's lack of leverage, and how state politics are hamstringing the Bears’ dreams of moving to Arlington Heights. Along the way, they examine broader sports culture topics—from NBA broadcast access to the merits of relentless optimism for new Bears coach Ben Johnson.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bears Stadium Stalemate: Timeline & Political Deadlock

• Kevin Warren’s Dilemma

  • Recap of new president Kevin Warren’s claim that the Bears cannot proceed with a new Arlington Heights stadium unless the Illinois legislature passes a "megaproject bill" to secure property tax breaks.
  • Warren had said:

    "Without that legislation, we are not able to proceed forward." (09:22)

  • Bernstein and Abbatacola are incredulous that Warren made such a public, high-leverage statement without secured legislative backing.

• Governor Pritzker’s Line in the Sand

  • Pritzker publicly countered, declaring that any tax deal would require the Bears to pay off the existing $534 million debt for Soldier Field renovations—plus additional penalties.
  • Abbatacola observes:

    "He's not giving any wiggle room." (11:17)

• Who Has Leverage?

  • The Bears have already bought Arlington Heights land and designed the stadium, but have zero political leverage for a tax break.
  • Bernstein:

    "They asked [Warren] to go play poker with no cards or pants... He doesn't have any legs. Wait, if he doesn't have legs, he can't have pants, right?" (14:34)

- Key Segment: Deep Political Analysis — 09:00–16:00

2. Cultural Context & Organizational History

• The McCaskey Problem

  • The Bears’ family ownership lacks the political acumen to lobby the state themselves, perpetually deputizing executives to do their bidding.
  • Bernstein on George McCaskey:

    "They need Kevin Warren because George McCaskey won’t go ask for money." (16:42)

• Chicago Bears and Stadium Ownership

  • Abbatacola:

    "One of the biggest travesties in all of sports is that the Chicago Bears do not own their own stadium. I think it's an absolute joke." (16:46)

- Key Segment: Bears Organizational Rot — 16:00–18:00

3. Expectations for the New Bears Regime

• Low Hopes, Grumbling Fan Base

  • The hosts discuss the persistent pattern of Bears coaching hires and early fan fatalism.
  • Bernstein:

    "Why can't we say, hey, the Ben Johnson coached Bears, the prideful Bears, are coming off a loss; they're gonna be tough to beat? And then I say it, and you know what the problem is? I don't believe it." (19:09)

• Six-Game Rule

  • Satirical take on fans demanding patience ("you need six games before you judge!"), referencing last season’s 4–2 start that quickly collapsed.
  • Abbatacola:

    "I know what I saw in game one and I didn’t like what I saw, period. It’s that simple." (23:21)

- Key Segment: Bears Coaching/Expectations Rant — 19:00–23:21

4. NBA & Sports Media Accessibility

• Adam Silver’s ‘Let Them Eat Highlights’ Gaffe

  • Critique of NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who argued that fans can just watch social media highlights if they can’t afford to see full games.
  • Silver’s statement:

    "There’s an enormous amount of content out there. YouTube another example that is advertising based, that consumers can consume." (31:27)

  • Bernstein:

    "Let them eat crumbs." (32:03)

• Danger of Dumbing Down Fans

  • Extended riff about how replacing full-game access with highlight reels reduces real fan knowledge, contrasting NBA with baseball’s approach.
  • Bernstein:

    "Just don’t make fans dumber." (32:39)

- Key Segment: Adam Silver/NBA Access — 28:42–35:00

5. Cubs Wild Card Update

• Chicago Cubs Playoff Watch
  • The Cubs are leading the wild card race after a gritty 3-2 win over the Braves.
  • Bernstein:

    "Cubs extend their wild card lead to four games better than San Diego." (26:21)

- Key Segment: Cubs Update — 25:52–27:17

6. Audience Engagement & Podcast Growth

• Feedback Friday
  • Upcoming segment to read listener emails and interact with the growing audience.
  • Reminders of email addresses:

    "Matt312Sports.com, Dan312Sports.com — it’s not really hard." (25:10)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bears' Leverage:
  "They asked him to go play poker with no cards or pants." – Dan (14:34)
• On Expectations for New Coach:
  "He shouldn’t have made the mistakes he made, period." – Matt (43:33)
• On Adam Silver’s Social Media Spin:
  "Let them eat crumbs." – Dan (32:03)
• On the Bears Stadium Saga:
  "Of all the stories you could pull out in sports, the fact that the Chicago Bears do not own their own stadium is an absolute friggin joke." – Matt (16:46)
• On Political Reality:
  "It’s not that important to people in Illinois. You’re not going to make it important to them." – Dan (17:19)
• On Modern Fans:
  "Just don’t make fans dumber." – Dan (32:39)

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Humorous Interludes & Running Bits

• Bantering About Face Filters:
  Discussion about using a digital filter to appear younger on the "unfiltered" podcast, turning into a running gag about authenticity.
  (05:55–06:45, 45:46–47:04)
• Lieutenant Dan/No Legs Metaphor:
  Multiple Forrest Gump jokes about the Bears being sent into the stadium negotiations with "no legs."
• Grandma’s 'Bag of Secrets':
  Ongoing joke about an ambiguous "bag of secrets," adding to the show's irreverent tone.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Bears/Pritzker/Warren Timeline Analysis: 06:46–16:00
• History of Bears Stadium Ownership: 16:19–18:46
• Rant on Bears Coaching Expectation: 19:00–23:21
• Cubs Wild Card Update: 25:52–27:17
• NBA & Sports TV Access Discussion: 28:42–35:00
• Expectations in Sports & Film: 39:06–41:22
• Humor/Banter on Filters & Podcasting: 45:46–47:04

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Takeaways for New Listeners

• Get a comprehensive, blunt rundown of the latest—and perennially frustrating—Bears stadium drama, including the real reasons the project remains stalled.
• Understand the long-term weaknesses of Bears’ ownership and front office, and why Chicago’s NFL franchise continues to lag behind its peers in terms of facilities and political acumen.
• Hear authentic fan and analyst frustration about expectations and blind optimism for new coaches and rookies.
• Enjoy a show that isn’t afraid to lampoon sports figures—or itself—with running gags, movie analogies, and playful digressions.
• Find timely updates on Chicago sports beyond football, including insight into the Cubs’ playoff push.

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Final Notes

Bernstein and Abbatacola deliver their signature blend of comedy, candor, and insight in this essential episode for Chicago Bears fans (and haters) and anyone tracking the messy intersection of sports, politics, and fandom.

Transcript

[A]

Dan Bernstein, Unfiltered, Unfiltered on 312 Sports.

[B]

Dan Bernstein, Unfiltered is here on 312 Sports. I am the aforementioned. He is executive producer Matt Abaticola. And happy Thursday to you.

[A]

Happy Thursday.

[B]

This, by the way, I should mention at the outset, is brought to you today's episode in partnership with my bookie. And I have to apologize if I'm halting in my speech.

[A]

Did you pass gas?

[B]

No. My stomach hurts.

[A]

Oh, does it really?

[B]

My stomach.

[A]

I've heard you say that a few times now.

[B]

My stomach hurts because. From laughing. I was out last night. One of my best friends is in from out of town and met up with another, maybe my two other than my cousin. My two closest childhood friends, lifelong friends. And. And we hadn't been together, the three of us, in I don't know how many years. And we got a booth at Greek Islands, and we pretty much ordered everything on the menu.

[A]

Sounds about right.

[B]

And they just started bringing food, and I got a whole fish, and I didn't have a filet tableside. I'm like, just put the fish in front of me. Give me a knife and fork. You would not want to have seen this if you think me eating chicken wings is bad.

[A]

Well, did you have pants on at the table?

[B]

I did.

[A]

Okay, well, then that's a plus.

[B]

So there's. It was just. I couldn't have a bite of food without cracking up. There's fish bones and everything flying everywhere. But, oh, I got a big old sea bream grilled on that. Grilled lemon and olive oil and just salt and pepper. You don't need much more than that in life.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And. Oh, my God, I woke up in pain. It was like, you know, like when you throw up a lot and your stomach hurts. That's what you. That's how it felt. I had, like, an ache in my abs from laughing.

[A]

Yeah. They're the muscles there in your midsection that are sore from the contraction. I know, but it was your buddy Dave. Right?

[B]

Dave and Andy. And Dave.

[A]

Yeah. I hadn't heard that name in years.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Felt David said hello.

[B]

I will. I absolutely will. Tell them it's a nice treat. They've been listening, too. How they've both been listening. And they. They love.

[A]

How many people do you piss off at the restaurant? Because I can imagine how loud you guys were.

[B]

Again, I'm sorry to anybody who was around us. And they gave us, like, this awesome little booth, so we felt sort of tucked away.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But it was. It Was. It was. We were loud.

[A]

Haven't been there in a while. Greek islands always like going, why not.

[B]

Like the first course, they comes right at you. They go get all again. The scoredalia and the tarma salata and the tzatziki.

[A]

So good.

[B]

It's so good.

[A]

Yeah. My. My buddies who. Who owned a Greek restaurant right. In Libertyville, they. They closed down their. Their location. So I missed going there because I.

[B]

Love also whole fish.

[A]

Right? Oh, he did everything. They were unbelievable that that's where I first learned about the ora k salmon.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Which I'm gonna. I'm gonna get you some and send it to your house. You need. You need to. You need to try.

[B]

I mean, I actually have a freezer full of salmon because my friend's buddy got back from Alaska with all this vacuum packed, fresh caught salmon. So walking through that. But I. It's.

[A]

Oh, no, I'm gonna send you some so you can give it a try. And when I, when I was working, my Office for Access 1 was in Greektown and we were right, right, right next to Athena, so I'd go there all the time. And that was a great lunch spot because it would. It's like the whole thing opens. It's like a transformer. The restaurant, it like opens up completely. It's just great. It's a man. The food. Yeah. So good.

[B]

I know.

[A]

I love, love Greek Town.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

All right. You good? You'll get through it.

[B]

I think I am.

[A]

All right. No laughing today.

[B]

That's right. I never.

[A]

We are, damn it. Serious. It's unfiltered.

[B]

We are always that. We're so unfiltered. We're completely serious. Except for the camera on which there is a filter to make my face look younger.

[A]

I was wondering if you're going to say it or not.

[B]

Of course I'm going to say it. Why wouldn't I say it? It's like Beth bringing out of Beth busted me.

[A]

I love it.

[B]

Beth busted me. She said, let me ask you something. She goes, I was watching your show on YouTube.

[A]

She goes, you look cute. It's weird.

[B]

No, she. Right. You look palatable. I don't want to throw up.

[A]

I kind of want to do you now, but just on camera.

[B]

That's a different filter. That's the filter that makes me look like Jon Hamm or Ben Affleck. Right.

[A]

And she's like, bring your laptop to bed with you so I can look into it.

[B]

Do the filter that makes you look like Jon Hamm in the town.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Do that One this giant, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Cut. Get him a new pair of pants. Yeah, that's apparently true. From that.

[A]

Can we get that out of the scene, please?

[B]

In Mad Men with all the tight fitting suits.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

They had to like put it places and tape it in places so it could be.

[A]

Oh, my God. What was that story? I just told you a story a few weeks ago about an actor that is seen with another older actor. Oh, it was. Oh my God. It was Kevin Costner.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yellowstone.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I can't remember. The actor was. Plays his son in like the first episode and gets shots.

[B]

Yeah, he gets shot and killed and had to put his arm around him.

[A]

And Kevin Costner goes up and like cradles him, pulls him in his lap and so his head is on his. In his. In his lap.

[B]

So the guy's laying on his hog.

[A]

Laying on his. Not his motorcycle, but his hog. And the whole time he's trying to. It's like a death scene and like really emotional scene for a father holding his son and his head is on his dog and he's like.

[B]

Oh my God. Was he interviewed about this?

[A]

Yeah. You've talked about. He was. Some interview that he mentioned. Yeah. I don't know how it even came up. I just saw the clip of it. You know, like all the kids. I'm watching stuff on TikTok and in Instagram, I know reels.

[B]

That's where they get their news. That's why everybody's running around in these weighted vests that do nothing. Dude, they do nothing. My read the science, they don't do anything.

[A]

Natalie loses her mind when she. When you see people in neighborhood walking.

[B]

With them with weighted vests. Dude, now not a hockey player.

[A]

Now there's couples wearing them walking and holding hands.

[B]

Wear them so they're heavy enough that you fall down that you can't move. Right there. Like a turtle. Oh, yeah.

[A]

Stop.

[B]

With weighted vests.

[A]

She goes crazy when she sees them.

[B]

Next week when I'm doing a read for weighted vests.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Just.

[A]

We'll love them next week.

[B]

Absolutely. Just remember this, they go, hey, weighted vest International wants to be. Wants to be on your show.

[A]

I wear one every day.

[B]

I love weighted vests. I wear them everywhere.

[A]

Yeah. What's the next trend? Like a giant tree log over your.

[B]

Shoulders as you carrying kettlebells with you everywhere. Like, let's come on, right. Stop.

[A]

Stop doing it.

[B]

Please. Please stop doing it. But that's not why I called. And I didn't call. I know, I know why you did. And that is because something Was said yesterday that called a bluff, essentially.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Let me just take you through a timeline here regarding the bears. And this is a bears. This is a larger picture bears story. And I promise we're gonna get into everything there real quick. Yes.

[A]

This is a bad timeline. I'm just gonna. I'm gonna. Not even knowing it. I'm gonna say it's a bad timeline.

[B]

So I should let. Coming up on this edition of Dan Bernstein Unfiltered, we're gonna talk about what Governor Pritzker said yesterday that just brushed aside Kevin Warren and whatever he's meant to the bear, whatever he was supposed to do, has kind of already died on the vine.

[A]

Well, I know you'll talk about it, but they chopped his legs off before he had a chance to walk, I think.

[B]

So we're gonna discuss the upcoming game.

[A]

Lieutenant Diane.

[B]

And bear's expectations.

[A]

So I'm start calling him from now on as Lieutenant Diane.

[B]

Lieutenant Diane. You got magic legs. No, no, they're titanium. Thank you. We'll also look at the Cubs and what's going on there. And also Adam Silver. Adam Silver, who broke into his best Marie Antoinette yesterday, deserves a little bit of a call out as well. So I want to take you back to what Kevin Warren said. And this was in the first week of August. So this is about a month ago when this is before the letter that was sent to Bear season ticket holders about the fact essentially admitting that, yeah, all that land they bought in Arlington Heights is going to be the place where they're going to build their stadium. Yeah, I was shocked when I heard that writing. Who. Who would possibly have thought that that was the case? And back in August, Warren said, the stadium design is complete. They're ready to move forward. But what has to happen. And this is from bears.com the one hurdle that remains is the project being dependent on the Illinois state legislature passing a megaproject bill that would allow the team to negotiate property tax assessments with local governments. And this is so they could believe they have cost control over what they're going to owe Arlington Heights and the other communities in which the Bears are going to own property and operate their business. Quote, the plan still is to proceed forward this year and hopefully receive a positive vote in the fall veto session from the Illinois state government to allow us to proceed forward with our project.

[A]

That's Lieutenant Dan.

[B]

This is Kevin Warren. It is very, very important that it passes because without that legislation, we are not able to proceed forward.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

End quote.

[A]

All right.

[B]

I would read that again without that Legislation, we are not able to proceed forward.

[A]

So that means they won't be able to move to Arlington Heights without it.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

Okay. That's what he's saying.

[B]

Correct. They can't build their stadium in Arlington Heights unless they get this legislation. Well, I thought at the time he must know they have the votes because nobody would say that. And none of his close advisors would tell him to say that. And he's got a lot of advisors and millions of dollars worth of vice presidents and senior vice presidents that he's hired in this effort. Unless you vote counted in the legislature, you don't really come out and say that. So what happened? Well, this is Pritzker. Yesterday, Governor Pritzker said the Bears need to do something before they get that property tax certainty and they get that break from the legislature. We need the Bears to pay off what's owed on the existing stadium. That's going to be a really important feature of whatever happens now. That is the loan that covered the spaceship, the UFO.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

The 2003 renovations. Not the UFO that absorbed the Hellfire missile and kept on flying. Right. No, this thing would not. So that money isn't paid off. You know the balance on that loan, 83 million 534 million.

[A]

Whoa, that's higher than I thought.

[B]

534 million is the remainder of that loan. That's the balance. And the governor said that when it comes to the Bears, quote, if they want a bill or some other help, we're gonna make that a prerequisite. I don't think there's any gray area here.

[A]

No, I don't. He's not giving any wiggle room.

[B]

The governor said he hasn't talked to the Bears in a few weeks. So why would Kevin Warren say, we need that legislation or we cannot move forward? I mean, you're not able to proceed forward.

[A]

I like your thought that he had the votes and he knew the count.

[B]

You have to.

[A]

And maybe this is, you know, maybe this is the governor feeling himself because he's. He's been feeling himself lately. Maybe just stepping up, being like, yeah, guess what, guess what, guess what. Lieutenant Dan, I need $534 million.

[B]

But anything happens, it's more than that, because that is not even the penalty that they're going to owe. There is also, on top of that, the Bears would have to pay a penalty. So we know.

[A]

Is it 15 yards?

[B]

Well, in 2021, the Tribune estimated this at 55. Excuse me. $84 million in 2021.

[A]

Just a minute over.

[B]

And then. So trying to do some back of the envelope math. That was. That would have been in 2021. That was to break ground in 2026. So we move everything up a little bit. I think it's probably around 50 million. Whenever their timetable is now. And the further you push it down, the less it's going to be.

[A]

Yeah. Now, that phrase, the back of the envelope math, do you often carry envelopes? Because I like, I'm wondering, like, how that phrase. Do you have envelopes on you at all times in case you have math you need to do?

[B]

Can I be honest?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

It's back of Sudoku math. So here's my scratch paper.

[A]

Oh, Jesus. Is that Grant? What's up, Grandpa Font?

[B]

It's how it prints. Oh, what, this? Printed normal.

[A]

Whatever, gramps. Are you chilly, too? You need your shawl, Grandma.

[B]

My lap blanket.

[A]

You have your bag of secrets.

[B]

That's not secrets. It's something else in that bag.

[A]

But, Graham, they're not secrets. And you keep throwing them at people. Ow.

[B]

600 million. That was the number that I circled. Okay, that's probably. We're looking at it right now. He's telling them, you. Kevin Warren said, we need this legislation. We can't proceed forward. And the governor says no legislation and give us all this money. And that's it.

[A]

It seems fair.

[B]

Now what?

[A]

It seems right.

[B]

So what is Kevin Warren gonna do? Well, that's it.

[A]

You don't.

[B]

You don't get your jobs because they keep saying he's going to create all these jobs. It's a jobs bill. And how dare the state legislature prevent them from giving.

[A]

Right. It's going to create infrastructure and jobs, and it's going to. It's going to change the north. Was it Northwest Illinois corridor.

[B]

We. Economic impact and all that, which is always, always, always, always vastly overstated.

[A]

But again, remember the timeline, because this is. This is your organization, the Chicago bears, valued at 8.2 billion, by the way, just recently by Forbes. They buy the property, they own the property, then they hire a guy to build a stadium on the property, and he has zero leverage to do any negotiating in the state.

[B]

I don't know what they told Warren when they hired him, but they asked him to go play poker with no cards or pants. I think he's allowed to wear pants now. He doesn't have any legs. Wait, if he doesn't have legs, he can't have pants, right? Well, no, keep the metaphor.

[A]

Lieutenant Dan still had pants on.

[B]

Well, after. After he got magic legs.

[A]

No, even, like in the wheelchair, he still had pants. On.

[B]

Oh, that's true.

[A]

Remember on the boat, he was walking around with his dong hanging out because he didn't have legs.

[B]

We don't know what else was missing. We don't know. Because he was still partying with the hookers after the legs were gone. Right.

[A]

Yeah. It didn't work. That was the problem.

[B]

Right. And he got all angry at her and then kicked her to the curb.

[A]

Yeah, right.

[B]

Yeah. That was icky.

[A]

You smell like cigarettes.

[B]

Yes, that. You smell like cigarettes. You smell like Hush Puppies.

[A]

Must be from Italy.

[B]

So for him to slam the door like that. Where does Warren retreat to? Like, after saying what he said?

[A]

Cincinnati.

[B]

After saying what he said that we cannot move forward. You can and you will.

[A]

Oh, I know where he retreats back to that area where they're going to build the White Sox stadium or the Fire or whatever that. The 77 or 78th or.

[B]

Well, that's where Joe Mansueto is going to build the Chicago Fire.

[A]

The Fire is building a stadium there now, apparently. Okay, but the Sox aren't anymore.

[B]

Correct. But at least. At least Reinsdorf himself went to Pritzker and sat down with him. That's sort of the difference here, is that if you're gonna ask for the money, say what you want about Jerry. At least he. He's the guy asking for it. Where the Bears always have first. You know, Michael was dealing with daly, and Michael McCaskey was too weird. And basically Daley said, I'm not dealing with this weirdo.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So they. They deputized Ted Phillips to be the honorary McCaskey because Phillips at least wasn't too weird for Daley.

[A]

Great guy, by the way, Ted Phillips.

[B]

Oh, agreed. Agreed.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Really, really good. Always was. And I haven't talked to him forever, but, yeah, good guy. And they figured out whatever this was with this loan, and Phillips got that done.

[A]

Well, here's.

[B]

They need Kevin Warren Because George McCaskey won't go ask for money.

[A]

Here's one. There's two things here that are really important for me when it comes to this story. Number one, one of the biggest travesties in all the sports is that the Chicago Bears do not own their own stadium. I think it's an absolute joke. Of all the stories you could pull out in sports, the fact that the Chicago Bears do not own their own stadium is an absolute frigging joke. The second thing is this, that Kevin Warren needs to realize that as important as it is to him about the Bears new stadium, it's not that important to the People in Illinois, the leadership in Illinois. It's not. It's not.

[B]

And you're not going to make it important to them.

[A]

It's never going to be important for them.

[B]

And you don't make it any more important by getting your ass kicked in a fourth quarter on Monday.

[A]

Correct.

[B]

When people are. Start having.

[A]

Hey, you relax, mister. It's only one game. There's plenty of time. You're jumping to conclusions.

[B]

Are you making fun of what I was saying yesterday? No, I'm making fun of me for being the voice of.

[A]

No, but I'm irritated.

[B]

I get. I get the sense that this. That you're subtweeting me.

[A]

I'm irritated.

[B]

Okay. Are you. Are we doing that here? Are we doing that in Forward. Progress forward.

[A]

Progress forward. Because. And wait, I'm still unfiltered there also. Right.

[B]

I'm unfiltered.

[A]

Okay. I think you're filtered, so I can't swear. It's gonna be harder.

[B]

Oh, I didn't even finish the story about being filtered.

[A]

Oh, yeah, that's right.

[B]

See, Bring it back around. It's the long walk that. So Beth. So Beth is watching, and she's like, are you. Do you have a filter on your face? And I said, yeah, I just click the box that says improve skin appearance. She goes, yeah, it's obvious. She said, it hides all of your lines very well.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And I said, are you complimenting me? She said, no, I'm just.

[A]

She said it was backhanded.

[B]

Yeah, but. So I said, so you think I look good on the thing? She's like, yeah, it looks good. You look a lot younger.

[A]

So she didn't say, you look good. She said, it looks good.

[B]

It looks good. I think she was complimenting me on my judgment to have the. At least make the decision to do it.

[A]

Well, you're welcome.

[B]

And then she, of course, pointed out the irony of. Of the fact that there's an actual filter on my face on a show referred to as unfiltered.

[A]

Unfiltered.

[B]

Right. She's like, it's an essential lie.

[A]

It is. Well, yeah, the whole thing's a lie.

[B]

Yeah. But I'm being transparent about it, even if the camera itself isn't completely right.

[A]

Well, you're being unfiltered.

[B]

Right. So that cancels that part out.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

It makes up for that. The Bears are meeting the Lions in Detroit, and I'm hearing the fatalism setting it already and the Lions coming off a loss. My first thought was, the Lions are just going to boat race. The Bears because they're way better and coming off a loss. So the Bears in the defeatist land that we live. Why. Why can't we say, hey, the Ben Johnson coached Bears, the prideful Bears are coming off a loss. They're going to be tough to beat. And then I say it. And then you know what the problem is? I don't believe it. I don't believe myself when I say it.

[A]

Yeah, I don't either.

[B]

Right. Because it's unreasonable to think that the Lions aren't going to be motivated with actual goals this year. A divisional game for them when they're trying to win the Super Bowl.

[A]

Yeah, one thing that. And we'll get deeper into it. On forward progress, our Chicago Bears podcast, which will drop later today after dbu.

[B]

The.

[A]

The whole idea that, hey, just be, be patient, you know, you really need like four to six games to figure out what this is. It's a new regime and, oh, you know, preseason isn't what it used to be. And training camp and, you know, preseason stuff isn't what it used to be. These guys need time to come together and develop and see live action. Even though, again, he sat out of one preseason game deliberately, the first one, which apparently might have been a good one to play because the Dolphins look like they're, they're horseshit. So here's the, here's the thing on it. You remember what the Bears were last year after six games?

[B]

Four and two.

[A]

They were four and two. And I believe Caleb Williams was the quarterback. Okay. What, what did you, what did you feel after 4 and 2 last season?

[B]

Not great.

[A]

Not great. Right. But yet a six game window which apparently is a time frame that you can then use to. Because one game is not enough to judge a team or a player or a coach. Apparently that's what I'm learning because you have to have really low expectations and be really stupid in order to, to.

[B]

To evaluate, you know, and not trust your eyes.

[A]

Not trust your eyes, you know. Oh yeah. The guy wasn't open. He ran the wrong route. It wasn't Caleb's fault. It was the star wide receiver on your team who, whose, you know, salary cap it is the second largest on your team this year. It was his fault. He ran the wrong way.

[B]

You talk about the Kurt Warner observations.

[A]

Don'T mind the fact that the goddamn ball landed out of bounds. He ran the wrong route.

[B]

He had to adjust the past mid.

[A]

Throw because it ruined up his footwork, because he turned over the wrong shoulder. It wasn't his fault that his footwork's bad and was bad multiple times. It's not his fault that he had the worst off target rate in Week 1 of the NFL.

[B]

It only took us one game for a guy in his second year. But all these excuses, like I understand some of the. J.J. mcCarthy, he'd never played a down of NFL football before.

[A]

Never. Right. And it showed in the first half, but then they completely fixed it because of coaching in the second half. But here's, here's the point. You had six games last year because one game is not enough to see with your eyes. You need six to be able to see six games. Last year they were four and two and all it took was one play, one collapse that derailed an entire season. A miracle play in the fourth quarter of game seven and your entire structure crumbled for what? A ten game losing streak.

[B]

And everybody called it at the time. Everybody said, you know, that's the kind of play that is symbolic of complete dysfunction and also the kind of play that can linger into the remainder of a season and I'll be damned if it didn't happen.

[A]

So don't tell me that I can't watch one game and have higher expectations for Caleb, for Ben Johnson than you did and be criticized for it. Because I saw six games last year and they weren't a 4 and 2 team. They weren't. He wasn't a 4 and 2 quarterback. Their record reflected something they weren't. Now this record can reflect something they're not. This year they can go 03 and still not be that bad of a team. But I know what I saw in game one and I didn't like what I saw, period. It's that simple.

[B]

You know that one guy in your group chat who hits a five leg parlay week one and then doesn't shut up about it the rest of the season? You got to hear it over and over and over again. Wouldn't it be nice if you were that guy? Well, you can be now with my bookie because they make it so easy to get in on all the action with NFL, with college ball with their super contest and survivor pools. It's everything you need. Player, props, spreads in game lines, all you can want. It's all under one roof. My last pick didn't come in for you. I'm gonna have another one tomorrow. But I thought I had it in the first quarter with that DeAndre Swift.

[A]

Yeah, I thought it was right there. If you had 11 or 12 in.

[B]

The first two, 12 in the first two plays, I'll hook you up tomorrow. Don't worry. If you're new to my bookie, use our code DBU and any bet you choose up to $500 is fully covered. DBU for Dan Bernstein unfiltered. Make your play. If it doesn't hit, you'll 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. Football is back. So make some money with my bookie. I mentioned tomorrow. It's also feedback Friday tomorrow. We really enjoy doing it the first time.

[A]

Oh, and there's more feedback now.

[B]

Exactly. Here's the good news.

[A]

I know you love this.

[B]

I put this out on socials. You want to email us and there are some people that rather than just put a little social media note or DM together, some people like to sit in their thoughts a bit and let them marinate. Email us at either show. You can email us at the network address is what it is. It's Matt. He's Matt. Matt312Sports.com Dan312Sports.com it's not really hard. That's really easy.

[A]

So the network is 312Sports and it's our first names.

[B]

That's it.

[A]

He's Dan and I'm Matt.

[B]

And thanks for and oh, we've gotten.

[A]

Emails already so thank you.

[B]

And I can't respond to everyone. I do try. I can't respond to every note in everyone or people asking for jobs.

[A]

I can respond. I haven't. I'm sorry.

[B]

Okay. I have tried.

[A]

You've tried. I know you're a nicer guy than I am.

[B]

No, it's not.

[A]

Oh, you are. You're a nicer guy than I am.

[B]

I'm trying to be a clean desk. I like a clean inbox clean desk. I like to move things along. I don't like to have stuff hanging over my so I've been trying to do more of that. Do we have a quick check on where the Cubs are after last night's 32 victory with a sterling effort from their bullpen?

[A]

We do. You know, it's one of my favorite parts of the show is our Cubs wild card check here. The Cubs are off today, Dan. They did have that three two win over Chris Sale and the Braves. Sale went five. He struck out nine. Did allow those three Cubs runs though. On seven hits. Nico led off three for five last night. Carson Kelly added another solo home run. Turner Suzuki had the other RBIs. Jameson Tyon, making his first start in a while, went four and a third two earned run Six hits. Bullpen did some work. One hit, though, and four and two thirds.

[B]

Kittridge looks like he's the new closer.

[A]

Earned his third save on the season last night. So the Mets and Padres both lost. So the Cubs extend their wild card lead to four games better than San Diego. New York falls back seven games now, Dan. And they're just two games ahead of the Giants and the Reds in the wild card race, which doesn't mean that they're guaranteed to go here to Giants and Reds playing good baseball right now. Mets play one more at Philly today, and the Padres host the Rockies tonight. So they can each gain a half a game on that four and seven game lead the Cubs have right now. But it looks to be more. More firm that Cubs in the. In the third. Well, the first wild card spot, the fourth seed for the National League playoffs.

[B]

It's a matter of who they're going to play. And you are. You were tracking between Padres and Dodgers.

[A]

Yeah. So now with. With the Padres losing, the Dodgers have now extended their. Their lead in the division. So it looks like as of right now, it's. It's Cubs hosting San Diego and the Mets going to the Dodgers. Yeah. One other note in baseball, too. Roll this. Chapman. His streak ends at 17 appearances. That's the third longest MLB history as far as appearances are concerned. The last hit he gave up was July 23rd. They lost to the A's 4 to 3.

[B]

So take advantage of your feedback Friday modalities to send stuff in on anything that we've been discussing. People have had suggestions. People have had say, hey, do this with your video feed and send this out. And I want notification for this and that, which is great because this is all new to me. This is the whole podcasting thing. And I keep saying this. It's only been two weeks. It's the beginning of the beginning of this. I don't know. What? I don't know.

[A]

Yeah, I'd say we're doing pretty good, though, Dan. We've only gotten yelled at one time, and that was a really mild yelling.

[B]

Which one?

[A]

Today you were scolded a tiny bit. Yeah. Dad came in and slapped your hand.

[B]

Oh, because of Grandma's bag of dildos?

[A]

No secrets.

[B]

Well, now it's grandma's bag of secrets. But it wasn't more about. It was more about the SEO.

[A]

Yeah, I know.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

No, no, we weren't. We weren't yelled at.

[B]

No, we just.

[A]

We just. We just don't know. We don't know.

[B]

Right.

[A]

We're learning. We're like Ben Johnson learning coaching a football team.

[B]

Learning on the job.

[A]

Learning on the job. So, you know, give us some grace and some patience in our learning curve. Thank you.

[B]

Adam Silver stepped in it yesterday.

[A]

Sliver.

[B]

Adam Silver absolutely stepped in it yesterday.

[A]

The poo poos.

[B]

And we know that the cost of watching an NBA game is going up commensurately with the cost of attending an NBA game.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which can often be like the cost.

[A]

To watch on tv.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

Just because of where everything is going. And even though he did say that there are more games on free TV than ever.

[A]

Yeah. Aren't they on regular TV still?

[B]

They can be, but they say that people have TV antennas. How many people actually watch TV through an antenna?

[A]

I couldn't tell you. I don't know. Like, do you still have a dish?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

There's a dish on my house that was there when we moved in.

[B]

I haven't taken it down yet. I still have DirecTV and I still have.

[A]

And I don't have an antenna, so.

[B]

And I actually. Do we have one in the attic that we just sort of put in there, I guess because we could.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

We can't.

[A]

Remember, why keep grandma in the attic with her bag. Yes. She can't. She can't hit us from.

[B]

Lean down and chuck them from there.

[A]

Oh, no, that thing's locked.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

She can't get out. No, we don't have an antenna. We just whatever we can stream. And then I have, you know, cable, Regular, regular cable.

[B]

Right. But very few people actually have an antenna. Even. Even if that is where sort of like what we went through here. I still can't find NBA games with csa. Yeah, but you don't want to find NBA games.

[A]

Oh, that's right. That's the difference. Yeah. It's not looking. I just don't.

[B]

Yes. So it was Rachel Nichols of Fox Sports that asked the question of him yesterday when he was answering questions. She's on Fox about the Kawhi Leonard thing.

[A]

She's been on Fox for a while now.

[B]

I think so.

[A]

Well, she was always. She was on ESPN for a long time, wasn't she?

[B]

Right.

[A]

Yeah. Right or no?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Oh, I didn't know she was on Fox.

[B]

I didn't know that she was Mike Nichols daughter in law.

[A]

No.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

All right. You need to bring us every day a surprise in the daughter category, because yesterday it was White House press secretary.

[B]

Yes. Susie Wiles is Pat Summerall's daughter.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And then today, Rachel Nichols, daughter in law of Mike Nichols, famed director and. And Comedian Mike Nichols.

[A]

Interesting. So get one for tomorrow.

[B]

Oh, geez.

[A]

Now those are the expectations, Dan.

[B]

I'll work on it. Here's.

[A]

But hey, they can't be too high, though. I don't want the expectations.

[B]

Those bears. Expectations lower them up.

[A]

Gotta be too low.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, Caleb's so cute. He'll be fine, really.

[A]

Give Ben Johnson time. Jesus.

[B]

Okay, well, I do, but how much.

[A]

Is he making again? What is it, like 13 million a year?

[B]

Something like that?

[A]

Something like that, yeah. Sorry I keep interrupting your story, Rachel. Adam Sliver, you're on Adam Sliver.

[B]

She asked the question. He said, there's a huge amount of our content that people can essentially consume for free. I mean, this is very much a highlights based Sport. So Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, you name it, any service. The New York Times for that matter. To the extent that your content is not behind a paid firewall, there's an enormous amount of content out there. YouTube Another example that is advertising based, that consumers can consume. Wow. Wow. Let them eat crumbs.

[A]

So is he eventually gonna stop televising all the games and just put the highlights on social media? Either way, they can come up with their own social media app.

[B]

Well, see, my biggest problem is not necessarily with the Marie Antoinette aspect of this. It's like, oh, the peasants can have our crumbs. The peasants, they can just watch highlights. The problem that I have is that when you say that, when you talk about. I know from a business perspective, from a consumption and content perspective, and the way they're selling and marketing, it's a highlights based sport.

[A]

Well, it's the way they play the damn game.

[B]

But you're gonna make people dumber. And this hits at something that's really important to me about the difference between watching games and watching highlights. You're not going to really know anything from watching highlights. You'll be able to say, hey, Anthony Edwards can really dunk, boy. He can really can. You see? You see some of that boy? You see Wemby boy. Wemby's really tall. And for a tall guy, he can really dribble. You see him go end to end. You see Giannis take that thing. But you got to watch the games. You have to watch enough of games. Even if it's a condensed game sometimes that's mostly highlights. That's a little better. But. And I know you can't watch every game. I know we're pressed for time, but you're. And I always say the rule is just don't make fans dumber. And this will not help people know what's going on in basketball. This is. This is why people will overrate Josh Giddey. He's got unbelievable highlights, yes, but he does not have that valuable a game.

[A]

See, but herein lies the problem, Dan, because that's. That's your approach you take, and most of society doesn't want that. And I. I appreciate the point of wanting people to be smarter in the games they consume, while people just want to consume and not think and escape everyday life.

[B]

You know, here's what's funny. And that.

[A]

That's the problem. And it's also goes back to looking at press conferences where, I know you joked about it yesterday, where you get made fun of for, you know, words being important. But words are important. Yep, they're important. Every second of every day, every interaction you have. I see my boss in the hallway. He could say, hey, good morning, man. I could say, oh, fuck off. Words are important.

[B]

Don't say that to him.

[A]

I'm not.

[B]

And the nicest people I've ever met.

[A]

In real life, I would never say that. Yeah, I love him. That's why it's important to. To look at and examine and hear what's being said. Because you catch a guy like Ben Johnson again, I'm going to cut him all the slack in the world because it's only his first time. What can I expect of him?

[B]

All roads lead back to this for you.

[A]

Well, Dan, I'm pissed off about it. It's like, oh, no, no one got hurt. We're good. I haven't seen the injury report. Oh, no, I talked to him on text. He's fine. Which is it? Dude, like, those things are important. It shows a matter of control. That's. That's where it is for me. It shows that you're in control. And at 13 goddamn million dollars a year, you need to be in control of everything. Because you sound like Matt Eberfluss and you sound like Matt Nagy and you sound like Mark Tressman, and you sound like all the shit I've had to sit through as a Bears fan and watch. Those were my expectations. Don't be bad. I'm sorry.

[B]

I was just getting out of your way there. I know, because we have a whole Bears podcast coming up and we're going to hear from Keith.

[A]

Oh, it's only one game. Relax, all right?

[B]

No, I don't want to relax. I had high expectations for him, and.

[A]

Well, they're too damn high.

[B]

And lower them. And for what was it $100 million spent on the interior of the offensive.

[A]

Line, it was terrible. And you can't evaluate what you saw until you watch six games, Dan. So stop it.

[B]

Oh, really?

[A]

Yes. So moving forward, no commentary on the games, on forward progress until game seven.

[B]

I would also like it. As much as I compliment the Bears beat, I would like a lot more direct questioning of this guy rather than can you talk about or characterize or what do you see in common? What, when, where, why? How? A lot of.

[A]

Why?

[B]

Why did this? Why did you do this? Why?

[A]

Why? Why? Why? Why? Sorry, I derailed you on Adam Sliver and Marie Antoinette.

[B]

No, it's just the problem that I have is that one, he's going to make people dumber. And you look at the example of baseball and yeah, baseball is pricing out a lot of people too, when it comes to attendance and viewership. See, that is a highlight sport. There may be four high leverage moments in a game. And baseball, because it's an individual sport and not a team sport, you can identify moments in a baseball game and provide statistical context. There aren't all of these people moving around in space. There aren't amoebas out there in Brownian motion that you're tracking all the time. That this is. Baseball's different. And baseball understood. We gotta shorten our games. We gotta do that. We gotta shorten our games.

[A]

I like the stuff they've done because you can. Games are great.

[B]

You can watch a game.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And see stuff and get all that content.

[A]

But I also didn't care if the games were three and a half hours. If I wanted to watch a game, I'm gonna watch a game.

[B]

That's. Cause you're an older.

[A]

I am an old.

[B]

Yeah, well, technically you're not quite yet, like, you're still in the demo, but it is, it's. I didn't like that from Adam Silver. I always thought he had a really good understanding of the pulse of much of his fan base. But say, hey, yeah, we'll give you dribs and drabs and the breadcrumbs. These little highlights that come by, you'll see the highlights enough to buy stuff.

[A]

All right, there's two things here. Number one, I'm going to disagree with you about baseball being priced out. And even with basketball, too, there's second secondary markets out there that you. You could find true affordable for you. You really can.

[B]

My son goes to pelicans games for $3. Dude.

[A]

Yeah, they're out there.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And here's the issue. It's about convenience for you as a person. That's what people don't want. People don't want to be inconvenienced of getting down to a game at Wrigley. And they say, oh, it's, it's too expensive to go. You could find tickets for 20 bucks. Yeah, you could take the train down there. You might have to take a Metra and then the DL. But who want, no one wants to do that for a game. The ticket prices are out there. They are, they're 100% out there. On the secondary market, you can find affordable ticket prices. I don't make a ton of, a ton of money. I can find ticket prices. I've taken my kids to games outside of the state of Illinois. I can find ticket prices in secondary markets that are affordable. You can do that. It's, it's not impossible to do. The other thing is, and I get this because you and I are very different in the way we watch movies, and I think people consume sports differently.

[B]

You only watch highlights of movies.

[A]

I, I just watch trailers, and then I say, oh, three slices of pie. I don't know. No, like, it's funny. You and I can watch the same movie, and our reactions to it are very different. Like, I go to a movie because I want to escape and I want to be entertained and I want to get transformed to whatever that movie setting is, and I want to be a part of it and just drift away, eat some popcorn and say, yeah, I was really entertained. Or, yeah, I was. I was so. So. Or I wasn't at all. Where you come back and you're like, oh, the cinematography and this and that. It's like, yeah, goddamn, he's right. But I just, I don't view it that way. It's a different lens.

[B]

Well, I, I have a higher expectation from filmmakers where if you really want to transport me, don't make me think about all those other things.

[A]

Okay? So that's the word of the day. Expectations, kids. Expectations is the word of the day.

[B]

I'm writing that down.

[A]

So your expectations for filmmakers are higher. Okay. And we're going to get more to that in Bears and football expectations.

[B]

Mr. As long as the expectations are set beforehand. I was mentioning yesterday, for example, remember the movie I mentioned yesterday, sinners? Evil Dead 2.

[A]

Evil Dead 2.

[B]

Evil Dead 2 is the.

[A]

Oh, yeah, the guy with the chainsaw.

[B]

It is. And I was watching it again, and it cost $6 to make. The special effects are literally like the director and his buddy and his brother. Remember Flash Gordon in rubber masks? You know, but it's but it's so good. You know what you're getting into.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you let yourself. It works.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It's good for what it is. I'm not comparing it to a half a billion dollar budget.

[A]

Yeah. I'm not.

[B]

But it's relative to expectations and the actual quality of the film when all was. Is good.

[A]

Yeah. No, and I appreciate that about you in the way that you consume a film. And I've gone into it thinking, all right, how would Dan, look at this? And then I get. It's too much. And I'm just like. Like half the movie's over and I'm just like, zoned out. Being entertained.

[B]

That's great. And. And being able to.

[A]

But those are my expectations.

[B]

Being able to set your selector switch on that is. Is a skill. Yeah, it really is. It's a skill to know what you're getting into and know the rubric for your judgment. But sometimes you sit there and like Chekhov's rule ruins movies and books for me now. Okay, And Chekhov. Zurl. Anton Chekhov, the Russian playwright who was.

[A]

Quoted as saying, oh, not the chess player.

[B]

There's no reason. There's no reason to mention the shotgun over the fireplace if it's not going to be fired by the end of the story.

[A]

Oh, so that kind of stuff ruins.

[B]

You when all, like, early in the movie, like, it was like, here's an example.

[A]

Or there's a. There's a shot panning the kitchen and it freezes on the butcher block of knives. And yet a knife is never used. That bothers you?

[B]

Well, it also bothers me because I know it's going to be. Or the. The meat thermometer. So she drops the meat thermometer and they say, oh, why did they have to show her put the meat thermometer there? Because it's going to end up in somebody's neck or in.

[A]

That's a good death.

[B]

What was on the other night, Lethal Weapon 2.

[A]

Where. Okay, that's with the. Kruger in.

[B]

Correct. Yes, Kruger in Diplomatic Immunity, where he has been invoked.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And Patsy. And a young Patsy Kensett that no one had ever seen before.

[A]

Not Patsy Cline.

[B]

Different. But in that movie where Murtaugh is. They're having the work done in his house. They're putting on, like, the garage.

[A]

No, the nail gun.

[B]

But do you remember when his. But like the Irish guy, he calls him, like, o' Flaherty or whatever, and he said, what's this? It's a nail gun. Ka Chung. And it's making this ridiculously loud, explosive noise.

[A]

So then you knew at that point.

[B]

Someone would just show it. But then he's like, hey, what is this thing that you have? Why? It is a nail gun.

[A]

You have to introduce the character.

[B]

Dan, can you show me how this nail gun works? And so as a kid, big deal. And I see it now. I'm like, are you kidding me? Are you seriously kidding me with that?

[A]

See, that's what's funny.

[B]

When I was a kid, I didn't notice how over the top it was that he was going to have to kill a South African through the plastic with that nail gun.

[A]

See now? Yeah, you see that and get irritated. I see it and go, yeah, I'd like to pull that trigger on that thing. That's cool.

[B]

It looks like a funny.

[A]

And watching a movie. So. Okay, maybe I just need to be an idiot watching Bears games and I'd be happy.

[B]

Don't be. We'd all be happy if we were idiots watching Bears games. Some of us are. I think. Isn't that a sufficient condition for being an idiot? Is that I'm taking time out of my life to watch a Bears game.

[A]

Well, watch it now. It's only been a game. Pump your brakes. Relax. Well, stop evaluating what you see until you've watched six of them.

[B]

Well, that we saw. So much went wrong in that game that I don't think that anybody has to apologize for freaking out over what happened on Monday night. I don't. I don't think you need to apologize.

[A]

I don't either. It's. We'll get into it more on forward progress. It's his second season. This is the hottest coaching commodity on the market. He shouldn't have made the mistakes that he made, period. Your tummy all right?

[B]

No, I'm telling you, I haven't. I have a laughing.

[A]

You have a tummy ache?

[B]

Okay, I have a laughing injury there.

[A]

You're not cold, though, right? You're not cold.

[B]

And I'm Okay.

[A]

I'm just checking.

[B]

You're the old guy.

[A]

I'm gonna bring the.

[B]

I sit down and watch entire baseball games, and I keep score on a special chalkboard, and then I save all of them in a pile, and for every game, I get a new chalkboard.

[A]

You know, I have my. I have my scorebook from the 2016 season.

[B]

That's actually kind of cool. Yeah, I admit that. That's. That's. That's actually kind of a cool thing. I like that. Hey, feedback. Friday is going to be tomorrow because it's one of these weeks where we got to figure out what day it is. Because it's.

[A]

It's Thursday.

[B]

It's Thursday. Feedback Friday is tomorrow. Now, that means we have the wherewithal to go through the YouTube comments and some. Which. Some of which are absolutely hysterical, I have to say. The live post game on forward progress and the comments that you were putting up, everybody was awesome.

[A]

Yeah, it was fun.

[B]

It was awesome. And then people get into sub conversations and the comments and all that. But Feedback Friday's gonna be tomorrow. And thanks for all the notes so far. Thanks for everybody who's had lots of things to say about how much they're enjoying what we do. Really, it is appreciated as much as I complain about what social media has done and how much I love being off social media because of how toxic is nice to hear, to have actual discourse with actual people about things.

[A]

Yeah. And speaking of social media, I mean, we have social media set up for 3, 1, 2, and for DBU. And so we'll, you know, you can go to TikTok and find us and Instagram and find the shows and the network. It's all there for you. And we'll. We'll start getting a little more. More active on. On things with social media.

[B]

Yes. That's all we're. We're firming that up.

[A]

Yeah. Go to. Go to our YouTube. Make sure you're subs to forward progress. Make sure you subscribe to Dan Bernstein unfiltered, although he's filtered.

[B]

Technically. This is filtered. Should I turn it off for a second and see what it looks like?

[A]

No, don't. Don't do that to the people.

[B]

Hold on. Let me just do it.

[A]

Actually, if you turn it off, you look like Jon Hamm. Well, is donk.

[B]

That's it. Hold on. I took it off. Okay, enhanced skin appearance is off. See, you have the stubble.

[A]

Oh, wait, put it back on again. Go, go off the scene. That's you.

[B]

That. That's me.

[A]

That's you. Unfiltered, right?

[B]

Because this is unfiltered.

[A]

Let's see you filtered.

[B]

This is. You want to see Dan Bernstein filtered? Hold on. It takes me a while to click.

[A]

I think it changes. Like, you look brighter.

[B]

I think smarter.

[A]

Oh, wow. Oh, wow. See, you are sexy, right? Yeah.

[B]

And I know it.

[A]

I see what Beth is saying. I see it now. I see what she saw in.

[B]

You see 30 years ago, 26 years ago. Right. That's why I was fat, too.

[A]

Yeah, you were fat.

[B]

And that's the funniest thing.

[A]

Oh, my God. And your hair was really dark.

[B]

Black. Yeah. And you were fat and I was black. That was the other thing people don't realize. When she married me, I was fat and black.

[A]

Yeah. That's why she married you.

[B]

Yep. I haven't aged well, obviously.

[A]

No. God. Yeah. You weren't. Were you fat? You were puffier.

[B]

Pre knee injury. Pre knee injury, I had, like, big, fat face.

[A]

So how did you lose weight with a knee injury?

[B]

Because he scared it off of me.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

Where? After he did the surgery, he said, look, you're gonna need a knee replacement at some point unless you lose weight 24 years ago. And said, yeah. He said, keep weight off. Make sure you keep the big muscles in your calf and your quads strong.

[A]

You probably, instead of. You could have just gone with Ozempic instead of knee surgery to lose weight. I think there's easier ways to do it. Dan, you had knee surgery just to lose weight.

[B]

It was unorthodox, but he said, you're going to. You're going to. I took out a lot of cartilage, and you're going to be able to keep your knee longer if you keep the weight off.

[A]

All right?

[B]

Okay. Just say I'm fat. Doc, are you saying I'm fat? Just say I'm fat.

[A]

My doctor called me fat a couple of years ago.

[B]

Your doctor also said I was fat.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

By the way, lose some weight. Bernstein's fat.

[A]

Yeah. I was like, whoa, okay. What Sideswipe there.

[B]

How do you know? Why is he. Is he catching straight?

[A]

Yeah. So, yeah, no, she told me I was fat a few years ago. Well, now I'm less fat.

[B]

Well, you know, when was the Rodney Dangerfield joke where he goes in, the doctor says, you got six months to live. He says, I want a second opinion. He goes, okay, you're also ugly.

[A]

Wait, didn't he also say that he takes his wife out to dinner, but she keeps finding her way home?

[B]

Oh, yeah, that's the. My doctor said to run five miles a day for a week. I said, Doc, I'm 35 miles from home. What? Come on, go back and watch some of these. Yeah, go back and watch him on Carson when he had his fastball.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, it's great. He's great. The other thing, too, that I've been rabbit holing. If we're talking every once in a while, I'll just tell you things that I like and things I don't like. I've been rabbit holing. And this is what the YouTube algorithm can be great for, what it feeds you. If you go to like, new to you?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I'm getting, like, a drum teacher watches Neil Peart and tries to explain how he does some of this stuff. The drummer for Tool, Danny Carey.

[A]

Tool's a band.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And there's a song, and I don't really know from Tool other than what I saw the video I saw on Beavis and Butthead years ago. But I've been watching their drummer, who's now I think is like his mid-60s, but there's a song that they have called. So he listens and watches entire baseball games and keeps score while drumming with you. But he. There's a song of theirs called Numa P N E U M A.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And there's a drum cam on him. It's. It's insane. Like, it's superhuman. Where he's doing these bizarre time signatures like a hummingbird. Well, no, it's not necessarily the speed. It's that one hand is drumming in a different time signature completely than the other hand is while both feet. It's.

[A]

That's remarkable.

[B]

It is. And I don't really musically get it, but watching people who do explain it and react to it, that's found its way. But that's not what I'm thinking.

[A]

I don't think you can learn that. I think that either you have that or you don't.

[B]

I don't know. Well, there's one drum teacher can learn it.

[A]

I don't know. Maybe. Yeah.

[B]

Well, this drum teacher.

[A]

You're a drum teacher. Email Dan.

[B]

No, I don't.

[A]

Drum312sports.com and let him know.

[B]

I don't drum. But I'm also. The algorithm is feeding me Norm MacDonald appearances.

[A]

Oh, God, he's the best.

[B]

Norm MacDonald appearances on Conan and elsewhere. Years and years and years ago.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And people forgot. Like, we've seen all the Norm MacDonald famous jokes and, you know, the highlights.

[A]

Like the one about Germany.

[B]

All of them.

[A]

Well, that's so good.

[B]

But like the. I mean, the one about his Uncle Terry.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And the moth joke and all the famous ones. But a lot of his appearances on Conan didn't go well. And they were. There was friction between them. And he would go off of the sheet that Conan had for the setups. So Conan would be doing the setups and Norm would do something else. He's like, I don't even know if this is funny. And he would start and he's like, well, it wasn't. And then Conan would get mad.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

And it's great. The risks that he would take. The Balls as a comedian to put himself out there and just do stuff.

[A]

Cause he didn't care.

[B]

Did not care.

[A]

Yeah. That's the whole point of it. Yeah. He didn't care.

[B]

He didn't care.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And he would just entertain himself.

[A]

That's the best way to do it.

[B]

Yeah. And I forgot. Like, I remember watching these, but I didn't real. I probably flipped away or. This isn't funny. But understanding now what he was doing and how he was sort of clowning the entire process. Not just the process, but the mechanism, the whole milieu. He was kind of doing a meta bit. It was. It's just brilliant. It's just brilliant. And my wife says, go to sleep. Stop laughing. You're keeping me up. And I see laughing or snoring. Pick one Mil.

[A]

You.

[B]

Yeah. All right. You look it up.

[A]

I am.

[B]

And I'll say, tomorrow is feedback Friday. And if you want all things.

[A]

God, your vocabulary is just impressive.

[B]

If you want all things granular bears and everything that we're going to get to. Caleb Williams Sound. Make sure you do not miss forward progress. You know that my bookie is your place for everything that you need. And you think, yeah, well, I do it every Sunday. I go on Sunday. I go, no, no, no, no. Don't wait for Sunday, because then you've already missed a day and you've missed half your money. College football is going upsets, blowouts, wild covers. My bookie lets you hit it all with game lines and player props, Everything you need before the pros kick off. So when Sunday's there, you're already up. It's my bookie. They have it all under one roof. Win big on the NFL super contest and Survivor pools. And if you're new to my bookie, you know the code by now. It's DBU. That's the promo code. Dan Bernstein, unfiltered DBU. And any bet you choose up to 500 bucks is fully covered. You make your play. If it doesn't hit, you get it right back when you opt in using your bet back bonus token. It's my bookie. Where betters win together. Bragging's good. Cashing in is better. I didn't compliment you on your hat.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

I like the blue.

[A]

Yeah. The Father's Day. Father's Day hat.

[B]

I did not know that they had a special Father's Day hat. That's a really cool.

[A]

Yeah. And that's. You said that, and I asked you, have you ever watched a baseball game?

[B]

I watched many baseball games. Yeah.

[A]

They do the Pink ones for Mother's Day. That's why they wear pink bats and wristbands and accessories.

[B]

But that's a really good.

[A]

Accessories.

[B]

Under the brim is the same color as the sea.

[A]

Yeah. You see it there?

[B]

And let me guess.

[A]

That is Chicago Cubs.

[B]

50 bucks.

[A]

I don't remember.

[B]

Probably like those. A real. That's a real new era.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah, the real new era.

[B]

Fitting. Aren't they like 50 bucks?

[A]

Maybe. Maybe more. Maybe 50. 50 sounds right.

[B]

You go to Lids with a Z?

[A]

No, I do all of my sports apparel shopping on Fanatics.

[B]

You don't go to Lids with a Z.

[A]

No, I go to Fanatics.

[B]

Okay. Because you know what the Z does?

[A]

It makes it cooler.

[B]

That sticks it to the man.

[A]

Yeah. And fanatics is spelled with an S. But I love it though.

[B]

Right? But if they spelled it with a Z, oh, I'd be too cool for me. Oh, then that. Are you kidding?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Then that's really counterculture.

[A]

Then.

[B]

Then you're really going against the grain and proving that you don't listen to the mainstream because you use a Z.

[A]

Instead of an S. Yeah, I buy all the boys jerseys on Fanatics.

[B]

Also with a Z. Yeah.

[A]

Well, boy. Yeah, my boys. Not even my kids. I just know boys in the neighborhood. Yeah. What's up, boys? Yeah, here's your jerseys. And I throw them out like I have a big, big jersey. Shooting cannon. Gun. Fire him right at their face. My tummy hurts. Yeah, like, keep shooting you in the tummy. Yeah.

[B]

Then grandma comes down from the attic and starts whipping dildos.

[A]

Oh, God. So. But you know what I love about Fanatics is you can get. This is what I love. When a guy gets traded in the NFL or signs with a new team, you go and find his old jersey and it's like $11.

[B]

That's what Jason does.

[A]

See, Jason's a smart kid.

[B]

That's what he does. He fights. He tracks Javante Green around.

[A]

That's great.

[B]

And the moment Javante Green goes somewhere, he gets his old jersey.

[A]

It's cheap.

[B]

Indeed. Well, hey, it's his money. Go ahead, do it.

[A]

You know, I. Speaking of my bookie, my ticket I'm looking at here.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Plus five and a half for my. My Vandy Commodores and the overs 48. I'm very excited about their game. All right, well, our pick South Carolina game.

[B]

DBU picks brought to you by my book. You will come your way tomorrow. Thank you for tuning in to Dan Bernstein. Unfiltered, brought to you in partnership with. With my bookie.

[A]

Dan Bernstein. Unfiltered.

[B]

Unfiltered. On three.

[A]

One two, sports.