Bernstein Blasts Chicago Cubs’ Weak Response to Viral Wrigley Incident

Summary

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Dan Bernstein Unfiltered

Episode: Bernstein Blasts Chicago Cubs’ Weak Response to Viral Wrigley Incident

Date: July 22, 2026
Host: Dan Bernstein
Co-Host: Matt Abbatacola ("Matty")

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Episode Overview

This episode tackles the controversial incident at Wrigley Field, where a Cubs fan struck a younger fan in the back of the head for not standing during the national anthem. Dan Bernstein and Matty break down the Cubs’ official response, criticize the organization’s handling of the situation, and explore the broader implications for fan conduct and organizational accountability. Themes of free speech, fear of backlash, hypocrisy, and the fragility of corporate "codes of conduct" are front and center, with Dan’s hallmark candor and biting sarcasm. The episode also briefly touches on Cubs broadcaster Rick Sutcliffe’s on-air comments about player rest, White Sox pitcher Noah Schultz’s struggles, and ESPN/NFL Network layoffs.

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Main Discussion: Cubs' "Embarrassing" Response to Anthem Assault

The Incident and Cubs' Statement

[02:09 – 06:40]

• Dan recounts the viral event: an older man at Wrigley hits a kid for sitting during the anthem.
• The Cubs’ official statement is dissected. Dan reads it out and immediately slams it for cowardice and hypocrisy:

  “The Cubs released a statement. This statement sucks. I don't know how many people had to craft this statement. … You tell me what's wrong with this statement.” — Dan, [03:07]

• The statement claims respect for individual rights but simultaneously encourages anthem observance and invokes a fan code of conduct that prohibits physical confrontation—then admits no real action has been taken.

Bernstein Tears Into Cubs' Logic

[06:41 – 14:00]

• Dan and Matty highlight the absurdity of a code of conduct that isn’t enforced:

  “If it is now it's okay in Wrigley Field to hit somebody because they're doing something you don't like, what this has established as precedent … you can take any law into your own hands.” — Dan, [05:01]

• Dan accuses the Cubs of making a “sliding scale” for fan behavior and undermining their entire code of conduct out of fear of bad PR or creating a martyr on the political right:

  “They just both sided a crime. … And in a lot of places, worthy of actually calling the police.” — Dan, [04:51]

• Matty chimes in with dry humor about the selective enforcement and “sliding scale” implication:

  “So you can't say that your ... fan code of conduct prohibits—”
  “No, it doesn't.”
  “…prohibits. But just not in this case because. Correct. Oh, he didn't hit him hard enough or right.” — Matty & Dan, [06:46–07:01]

Corporate Fear, Hypocrisy, and The Bigger Picture

[14:24 – 19:58]

• Dan sees the Cubs' lame response as evidence of spineless corporate management gripped by fear of “bad faith actors” and potential right-wing media backlash:

  “Out of fear that all of a sudden this guy would, would, would be sitting there on Hannity and saying, the Chicago Cubs have taken my freedoms.” — Dan, [15:35]

• Matty floats the uncomfortable suspicion that maybe the Cubs actually agree with the attacker:

  "It really bothers me with this statement because I'm having a hard time not believing that the Cubs don't side with the guy who hit the kid…” — Matty, [19:59]

• Dan invokes the true core of patriotism vs faux-nationalist posturing:

  “The relationship of my ass to a chair has absolutely nothing to do with my relationship with my country of residence. That is 100% true.” — Dan, relaying a city council anecdote, [13:15]

• Dan proposes a “sit-in” at Wrigley as a show of real American freedom, flipping the incident into a challenge to misguided authority.

Memorable Quotes and Satirical Moments

[16:52, 23:03, 25:03, 29:16]

• “The Cubs did not take a stand on the side of freedom. They made their choice.” — Dan, [18:30]
• Satirical escalation: “Can you get smacked for not standing for ‘Go, Cubs, Go’? … For wearing a Tigers jersey? … For putting ketchup on a hot dog?” — Multiple timestamps [22:53–26:13]
• Bernstein on Wrigley’s “new rules”:

  “You’ve got a free pass now at Wrigley. ... Not in this case. Because we're either too afraid or ... we agree with this guy.” — Dan, [22:41–22:57]

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Other Key Segments

Rick Sutcliffe’s Rant and Player Burnout

[33:30 – 42:05]

• Bernstein notes Rick Sutcliffe, usually “chill,” went hard on the air about Cubs phenom Pete Crow-Armstrong (PCA) needing more rest.

  “Everything Rick Sutcliffe brought up last night about PCA and usage and intensity is absolutely valid. I just wonder where it came from.” — Dan, [35:13]

• Dan and Matty discuss whether Sutcliffe’s comments might originate from behind-the-scenes whispers (players, agents, team personnel), or just his own observations.
• Theme: Modern athlete management is trickier than ever with nonstop media/fan demands.

White Sox Pitcher Noah Schultz’s Struggles

[43:36 – 46:35]

• Dan argues Schultz is not currently a major-league pitcher, pointing out grim metrics:

  “Look up the Noah Schultz baseball savant page. Woof. ... It's dark blue all the way around. Oh it is. It is bad.” — Dan, [44:13]

• Suggests sending Schultz down to the minors, adding levity about statistical color scales (“blue bad, red good”).

ESPN/NFL Network Layoffs

[50:41 – 56:55]

• Discussion around the latest round of sports media layoffs, with ESPN buying out NFL Network:

  “The way that you grow is by saying, who makes the most money? And can we fire them?... That's what a lot of American companies do, especially in late stage capitalism.” — Dan, [51:13]

• Personal disappointment over the loss of quality talent like Charles Davis and Carl Ravitch, and the callous methods of corporate layoffs.
• Matty shares personal experience with “HR Zoom call” layoffs—empathy for the laid off and critique of corporate process.

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Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “If it is now it's okay in Wrigley Field to hit somebody because they're doing something you don't like, what this has established as precedent… you can take any law into your own hands.” — Dan Bernstein [05:01]
• “I would love to have been in this meeting where they're deciding what to do and what to say and how to handle it here’s the problem with the statement: you undermined everything you said you’re doing.” — Dan Bernstein [04:00]
• “The relationship of my ass to a chair has absolutely nothing to do with my relationship with my country…” — Dan Bernstein (quoting a city councilor) [13:15]
• “If you have a code of conduct, that means it’s not up to the fans involved and it shouldn’t be.” — Dan Bernstein [10:12]
• “It just tells me that they agree with the guy.” — Matty [21:15]
• “You violated the law. That’s the thing to me, that—you violated the law. You can’t hit someone.” — Dan Bernstein [08:47]
• “Don’t talk to me about... troops and military and not supporting people. Don’t do that.” — Matty [22:24]
• “You’ve got a free pass now at Wrigley.” — Dan Bernstein [22:41]
• “That’s the difference. At least we know that. White Sox games, it’s okay to shoot somebody.” — Dan Bernstein [24:45] (sardonic, satirizing city crime tropes)

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Episode Structure & Timestamps

• [02:09–19:58] Cubs’ Anthem Incident & Organizational Response:
  Breakdown of the incident, the Cubs’ statement, and the implications for fans and freedom of speech.
• [33:30–42:05] Sutcliffe/PCA Segment:
  Player fatigue discourse and inside-baseball media analysis.
• [43:36–46:35] Noah Schultz & White Sox Pitching:
  Numbers-driven analysis and the limits of “prospect optimism.”
• [50:41–56:55] ESPN/NFL Network Layoffs:
  What massive media changings mean for fans and workers.
• [Rest of episode] Brief discussions, advertisements, promos, and closing banter.

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Tone and Style

• Direct. Unfiltered. Sarcastic.
  Bernstein pulls no punches—skewering the Cubs’ response, using biting analogies, and invoking both legal and moral points. The banter with Matty is sharp, sometimes irreverent, but always in service of cutting through “corporate speak” and hypocrisy.
• Memorable, biting humor (“What if you get smacked for ketchup on a hot dog…?”).
• Occasional pathos and empathy when discussing layoffs and player mental health.

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Bottom Line Takeaways

• The Cubs failed in both moral leadership and basic fan protection by refusing to enforce their own code of conduct after a physical assault over the anthem.
• The organization’s actions are rooted in fear—of backlash, of “creating a martyr” on the right, and perhaps even agreement with the aggressor.
• Code of conduct, when not enforced, is meaningless—and the precedent set is a dangerous one for all fans.
• Satirical asides drive home the slippery slope of selective enforcement (“smack for ketchup,” “shooting at Sox games”).
• Broader cultural notes: workplace layoffs, the stress of stardom, and the reality of business priorities in sports.

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A must-listen (or read) for fans frustrated with empty corporate rhetoric and weak stances from major sports teams. Bernstein’s searing authenticity and Matty’s dry asides keep the discussion honest—and outrageous—in true Chicago sports radio fashion.

Transcript

[Dan Bernstein]

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[Dan Bernstein]

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered Unfiltered on 3 1, 2.

[Commercial Announcer]

Sports

[Dan Bernstein]

DBU on 3 1, 2. We're brought to you today by Harley Davidson Woodstock. You can check them [e-mail] and by Chicago Window guys. Make sure that when you're trying to navigate your way through the crowded and messy world of these windows offers that you do the smart thing thing and the thing that's going to get you the best windows at the best price with the best process and the best person. And Russ armstrong. Call him 847-302-9171 and check out the 5 star reviews at ChicagoNowGuys.com we have a lot going on today. The Cubs dropped the ball badly. This is an embarrassing response to what happened with the national anthem incident when some old douchebag hit a kid sitting in front of him, hit him in the back of the head because he was sitting down during the anthem, which is his absolute right. And now that the video of it has come out and it's already become the yet the latest proxy pinata for things that are well above and beyond what happened. The Cubs released a statement this statement sucks. I don't know how many people had to craft this statement. Tell me, you tell me what's wrong with this statement after this. After this guy smacked a stranger in the head because he wasn't standing during the anthem. The National Anthem is is an important tradition at Chicago Cubs games, a spokesperson said. While we respect the rights of individuals to decide for themselves, comma, we encourage every fan to stand if they are able and to remove their caps while the anthem is being played. At the same time, the safety and security of our fans is our top priority. We expect all guests to treat one another with respect and to follow our fan code of conduct which prohibits physical confrontations and threatening behavior. Our security team spoke with the fan who had been struck. He indicated the matter had been resolved. He did not want to have anyone ejected from the ballpark or any further action taken, and we respected his wishes. Chicago police said no officers were called to the ballpark. Apparently both TMZ and NBC have been following up with Chicago police and there was no police report filed. This is they just both sides a crime. Now. It's not a major crime. We should stop the presses and call out SWAT teams, but it's against the law to do what that guy did and in a lot of places worthy of actually calling the police. Now here's what the Cubs have done here. Out of the apparent fear of the response, were they worried about martyring this idiot by kicking him out of the park for hitting somebody? I would love to have been in this meeting where they're deciding what to do and what to say and how to handle it here's the problem with the statement is you undermined everything you said you're doing. You say you respect the rights of individuals to decide for themselves whether or not to stand. No, you don't. No, you don't. If it is now it's okay in Wrigley Field to hit somebody because they're doing something you don't like. What this has established as precedent, what you're allowed to do now, according to the Cubs, you can take any, any law into your own hands. If somebody's standing, you taking too long to order a hot dog, you're allowed to smack them in the head. Somebody didn't wash their hands when they left the bathroom, you can walk up to them, smack him in the head. That's now allowed. They say we expect all guests to treat another with respect and to follow our fan code of conduct that prohibits physical confrontations and threatening behavior. But if you violate it, there are no consequences.

[Matty]

Correct.

[Dan Bernstein]

So that's what, that's what we know now.

[Matty]

So you can't say that your, Your. Your fan code of conduct prohibits.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, it doesn't.

[Matty]

It prohibits. But just not in this case because. Correct. Oh, he didn't hit him hard enough or right. Oh, we hit him in the back of the head.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

That's.

[Matty]

That's coming up.

[Dan Bernstein]

So now. Now you've created a sliding scale.

[Matty]

Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

Now you've created. Now it's a judgment call. So now if somebody is. Is offending you by taking too long to order something or somebody is.

[Matty]

Is.

[Dan Bernstein]

Is when you're saying down in front where you. You missed a play because somebody was standing up to let somebody come by them, and now you go down and. And you can smack them and then you can say, oh, well, you know, I didn't smack them hard. I just, I just, I like to do that. That's how I respond to things. I violently like that. That's just what I do. That is now not a violation of their fan code of conduct. Here's. Here's your new rules at Wrigley. The Cubs have chosen their new rules at Wrigley.

[Matty]

Yeah. You can't say it prohibits physical confrontation.

[Dan Bernstein]

Clearly doesn't.

[Matty]

And then do nothing about it when there is physical confrontation.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And this just shows you this is a cowardly, mealy mouthed statement.

[Matty]

Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I would have to ask somebody of what are they afraid if you kick that guy out and say, yeah, I. There's an easy way to handle. You say, sir, I, I understand that. He doesn't. He's. He. This was you guys resolved this, but it's not up to you. You're not in charge. This is a private business. This is private property. And our rules are you. You hit another fan, you're. You're out.

[Matty]

And you have to go. You have you. Yeah, you gotta go for the rest of this game.

[Dan Bernstein]

You gotta go to that, but you gotta. Yeah, it's. And I know nobody was hurt, but you gotta go today.

[Matty]

And even if they wanted to say, hey, we agree with you that someone should stand, even though we're gonna say, people have the right to choose themselves, they want to sit or stand, Even though we agree with you, you have violated our policy.

[Dan Bernstein]

You violated the law. That's the thing to me, that you violated the law. You can't hit someone.

[Matty]

Right?

[Dan Bernstein]

That isn't just your code of conduct there. That. That's illegal.

[Matty]

No, you're absolutely correct. I just wanted to keep it within the scale of the walls of Wrigley. And what they're saying.

[Dan Bernstein]

They.

[Matty]

They deliberately put out this fan code of conduct, and clearly it means to them, but they.

[Dan Bernstein]

And the reason why you have to enforce it, the reason why you have it, is to allow for your ability to say, we're removing you.

[Matty]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

You can't pursue me.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Say what?

[Matty]

What do you mean I can't be kicked out?

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, yeah, my ticket says this, and this is a contract on the ticket, like all those things. Well, I'm going to. I'm going to file a nuisance lawsuit because you kick me out of the park. No, you hit a guy, right?

[Matty]

And then. Then you could take one step further and say, which is illegal, by the way.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. The Cubs could. Could press charges if they wanted. Couldn't. I don't know if they could, but they could. You could have security come in there and make that guy's life real difficult for a while, Jam him up.

[Matty]

Right? So they're. I need to read their full fan code of conduct, because apparently if the individual who is wronged decides they don't want to do anything about it, then your fan code of conduct is meaningless.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right?

[Matty]

Well, he doesn't want to press charges, so everything's fine. They resolved it over a beer. Everything's fine.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's not up. If you have a code of conduct, that means it's not up to the fans involved and it shouldn't be.

[Matty]

Correct.

[Dan Bernstein]

Hey, don't worry. I know you have a code of conduct, but we have our code of conduct, and by our code of conduct, it's fine. That's not how this works. This is the wrong precedent. This was. This was mishandled.

[Matty]

Yes, it was.

[Dan Bernstein]

This was mishandled. This person should have been ejected from the ballpark. You can do it politely. I'm not saying that you gotta. You gotta put zip ties around his

[Matty]

wrists and drag him out. Right?

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. And you know, push his head down to the back of a cruiser. I'm not saying you got to put him in a holding cell. You can very politely usher him out of the ballpark for that day.

[Matty]

And you're done for this day.

[Dan Bernstein]

Sorry. You have forfeited your right to attend this game today. And then we will consider whether or not we let you back in.

[Matty]

But the national climate caused them out of fear.

[Dan Bernstein]

Fear of shitheads to do nothing.

[Matty]

Dan. Because they don't want to be accused of not respecting the anthem or the flag or the milit or the country.

[Dan Bernstein]

It is the hiding behind the flag to do stupid mean shit has happened forever. The wrapping yourself in the army, the troops, the. All that stuff, cloaking yourself in respect for this, for the country. It is. It is the province of some of the dumbest people you're going to find. This response I absolutely loved. And this is a. From a friend of mine who's. Who has a. Whose significant other is a city council person in a major American city. An alderperson in a major American city. That's all I'm going to say. Not Chicago. Who said the following. We know another city councilor here who does not stand for the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of meetings. And I would argue that his public service as an elected official and years of work to make his city as well as America a better place is a lot more patriotic than most of the red asses that yell at him at city council meetings for not standing. He had an excellent quote in the paper along the lines of, the relationship of my ass to a chair has absolutely nothing to do with my relationship with my country of. Of residents. That is 100% true. And the problem with the Cubs pretzel logic in this statement, the number of things that they say on which they didn't act is obvious and almost satirical. Don't let managing your money be scary. Don't let it be intimidating, because it's not. I think having intelligent control of your finances and your investments is really important. And I believe Monarch can help you in doing so. Monarch is an app that functions like a financial advisor in your pocket. And as you get older and more people are relying on you to do this right. Monarch helps you do it. Helps you hit savings goals or a net worth milestone helps you realize when a large percentage of your income is going somewhere unexpected. I love the fact that Monarch lets you compare your investments to the Benchmark S&P 500. Most apps are going to tell you what you've already spent. Monarch helps you set goals and map out big purchases and see if you're actually on track before it's too late to adjust so you can write your own money story with Monarch. Use the code [e-mail] to get your first year of Monarch Core Half off at just $50. That's 50% off your first year at monarch.com with the code DBU this episode

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[Dan Bernstein]

We respect the rights of individuals to decide for themselves. You clearly don't. We clearly don't. The safety and security of our fans is our top priority. It is clearly not. We we expect all guests to treat one another with respect and to follow our fan code of conduct.

[Matty]

Well, we expect them to, but if they don't, that's okay too.

[Dan Bernstein]

Correct. What? So what happens when that expectation is dashed? What happens? Nothing. So what they have told you is all bets are off that now they're going to determine whether or not a clear violation of their fan code of conduct is a violation of the actual unwritten fan code of conduct. All the off menu code of conduct that they have. So this code, the Cubs code of conduct, has been rendered useless by this statement and by their actions. More importantly by their inaction. Out of fear. Out of fear that all of a sudden this guy would, would, would be sitting there on Hannity and saying, the Chicago Cubs have taken my freedoms. I'm trying to respect the troops and I don't care whose ass I have to kick to do it. Oh, they would have made a star out of this guy and that's what they're worried about. That's what they're worried about. Or

[Matty]

they agree with him. Not out of fear that they would have made a star out of him. Or they agree with him.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's a good point, Matty. That it's yeah, maybe the Cubs will hire this guy and they'll have roving patrols. Stand up, bitch. I can't stand up. I don't care.

[Matty]

Yeah, that's a realistic joke.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's a joke. It's an absolute joke. And see,

[Matty]

nobody.

[Dan Bernstein]

Nobody would do this, but I'd have a. I'd have a group of people and have everybody sit, see what happens. Because that just. That's just. I don't know how, how many people out there would think like I do here, but I'd be like, oh, okay, this guy's allowed to hit people. Better bring him back to the next game. He's gonna have a lot of people to hit. Stand up for your rights. Stand up for your. For your actual.

[Matty]

You want.

[Dan Bernstein]

You want to actually take a stand? You want to actually do something that shows the rights of Americans and why this country is great? You really want to do that? You. What. You really want to display at Wrigley Field? If you really want to show why you should be the most proud of this country. If you wanted to. If you wanted to make that statement in response to this, what you could do is have a larger group of people not stand and say the most patriotic thing you can do in this country is show that you don't have to go along with what is expected, what leaders tell you to do. There is no mandatory standing, no mandatory show of nationalism. That's what's great about the country. And you could show that easily at Wrigley Field. There you go. I'm not getting up. Bring, bring. Bring that guy over, have him hit me in the head. I'm still not moving. You could do that if you wanted. I'm not saying I. But if you wanted to protest this, if you wanted to show the Cubs, this is. What is important to us, is our. The actual freedom. Everybody talks about the flag on the flag, the troops, the flag, the army, the troops, the flag, the country, the flag, the troops. How about the freedom? It's about the freedom. It's about the freedom. It's about the freedom. The flag is a representation. It's a piece of fabric. The freedom is what matters. And the Cubs did not take a stand on the side of freedom. They made their choice. It's pretty simple. It just takes maybe thinking about it for a second here and think it through. But that's how fearful the Cubs were of what the bad faith response would have been. When you're afraid of shitheads. When you're afraid of bad faith response. That says a lot about you. It has said a lot about corporations and about the fear of. Oh, you can't. You can't say anything. Don't say anything about Charlie Kirk because awful people will come and make things up, and then. Oh, it is. The cowardice out there is absolutely endless. But the big problem when you do this and when you, when you do things out of cowardice, you end up with a toothless fan. Code of conduct. What are you going to do now? What are you going to do now when. When somebody hits somebody because they put ketchup on a hot dog. We don't do that. I didn't hit him hard. I just. I just smacked him. We didn't. I don't like seeing ketchup on a hot dog. I'm, I'm. I, I, That's. You can't do that here. That's. Everybody says you're not allowed. I saw that guy. He got a hot dog, he put ketchup on it, so I, I smacked him in the head.

[Matty]

Yeah. Dan, it just, it really. It bothers me with the statement because I'm have. I'm having a hard time not believing that the Cubs don't side with the guy who hit the kid because you, you can't, you can't tell me that your, Your code of conduct prohibits physical confrontation and then do absolutely nothing about it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. That's cut and dried that. You, you hit another fan, you're out.

[Matty]

Yeah, that just, that's.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't care why. I don't care what the aftermath was. I don't care how sorry you are if you, if you hit a fan. You and you. Again, you don't have to have, have the, you know, have him dragooned out of there.

[Matty]

Correct. You just, you walk him out. Yeah. Even if you want to say, hey, listen, we'll. We'll let you come back to another game. Well, like, you know, we get in the moment. You made a mistake. We'll let you come back to another game. Here's a. Here's a ticket for another game. We'll do that for you.

[Dan Bernstein]

But today you're late.

[Matty]

Now you can't stay because you violated our code of conduct. Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

You're having a bad day, and sorry, you're out.

[Matty]

I mean, it's. It is. It is cut and dry. It is black and white. Physical confrontation is prohibited. But they said, nope, not in this case, because both sides worked it out over a beer and everything's fine. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Nope. That's not how this works.

[Matty]

So it just.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's not how a code of conduct works.

[Matty]

It just, it just tells me that they agree with the guy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I can't presume that.

[Matty]

I know. I know you can't. It's unfair. It's unfair for me to do that,

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

but that's where my.

[Matty]

My. My brain goes.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I. I don't think it's necessarily unfair because of how weasel this is. This is so. It is such a weaselly statement. It's oily. Everything about this is just kind of like. Oh, really? Like, we respect the rights of our fans. We have a code of conduct. Not really. We respect their wishes.

[Matty]

No, like, it's like, you can sit if you want, but you shouldn't. That's what I want them to say. And if you don't stand, you might get hit, and we might not do anything about the guy who hit you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matty]

And listen, my family. My grandfather was in the Navy. My parents were both in the army. My brother enlisted, and he was in the Air Force. He jumped with the 82nd and 101st army, even though he was Air Force guy. He brought in, you know, air support. That's what his. He was one of the first of his jobs to have that. My nephew went to West Point, was in Afghanistan. So, like, don't talk to me about, you know, troops and military and not supporting people.

[Dan Bernstein]

Don't.

[Matty]

Don't do that. Nothing. This is. This is a very, very, very clear case that not only was it illegal, but come on, Cubs. He violated your code of conduct. You did nothing about it.

[Dan Bernstein]

They don't have one.

[Matty]

They don't. They can say they do, but they don't.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, they don't have one now. They don't have one. We expect all guests to treat one another with respect and to follow our fan code of conduct, which prohibits physical confrontations. No, it doesn't. Not anymore. Not anymore. You've got a free pass now at Wrigley.

[Matty]

Not in this case. Because we're either too afraid or too. To stand up for what we say or we agree with this guy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep. The Cubs are going to decide what rises to the level of their fan code of conduct or not. So I guess feel free to test it out is what it sounds like. If somebody cheering for the other team, can you smack them? If you got Tiger fans there making noise, hey, I don't like. This is Wrigley Field. You're cheering for the other team. Smack. Is that okay? We don't know now. Now we don't know now. We don't know if that's okay or not. Ketchup on a hot dog. Smack.

[Matty]

I wish I wouldn't laugh because I don't want to laugh during this, but people get so upset over ketchup. On a hot dog.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know, the. How about the old guy at the urinal? And it's. Speaking as an old guy. Sometimes it takes us a while.

[Matty]

Oh, it's gonna take too long. So I can smack you in the

[Dan Bernstein]

back of the head. Look, hey, man, I. Sometimes we old people and, you know, especially, you know, at the end, you got to figure out because you don't want to leave with a big stain in the front of your pants, so. And now I'm worried somebody hit me. I'm taking too long. It's a smack in the back of the head. Hurry up, old man.

[Matty]

Do they still have troughs there? I don't. I. I can't. I don't know if they still have troughs.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm going in a couple of weeks.

[Matty]

Well, fire. Investigate all the bathrooms for me and see if anyone slaps you in.

[Dan Bernstein]

See, the good news is I'm going to the Sox game Friday, and I don't have to worry about it. I think that the White Sox might actually enforce a fan code of conduct. I don't think you might be allowed to shoot people, but I don't think you're allowed to hit people in the head. Jesus Christ. That's the difference. At least we know that. White Sox games, it's okay to shoot somebody.

[Matty]

It's funny, I had the same thought in my head, and I'm like, I probably shouldn't say that, though. And then immediately after I thought that, you said it, so I'm like, well, perfect. I was gonna say, you know what, you might shot, but no one's gonna smack you in the back of the head.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right?

[Matty]

That's.

[Dan Bernstein]

That. That's the difference.

[Matty]

Thank you for saying it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Socks games, you can shoot somebody, and Cubs games, you can hit somebody in the head because they're not standing up during a song. What other songs I. You're supposed to stand up for at white size games is. Is like thunderstruck considered an anthem? He's not standing up for thunderstruck.

[Matty]

What if you don't stand for the fly, the W song at the end,

[Dan Bernstein]

if you're still sitting, you don't stand for go, Cubs, go.

[Matty]

Can you get smacked then in the head?

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm sure. What about the sponsored hooray for veterans?

[Matty]

Or what about, like, there's a race

[Dan Bernstein]

for veterans brought to you by.

[Matty]

Let's say if. If I go tonight to the game, Dan and I see someone wearing a Tigers jersey.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's what I mean.

[Matty]

Can I smack them in the head? Apparently, because I don't like the fact that they're wearing a Tigers jersey. Or there's that random guy that always shows up at every game in every stadium across the country that's wearing the jersey of a team that's not playing in that stadium that day. So if there's a guy there wearing a Phillies jersey, can I. Can I punch him in the stomach because I don't like his jersey?

[Dan Bernstein]

I can't answer only the Cubs or

[Matty]

is that too much? Is can I smack him in the head only?

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know. What if we go by the precedent that they've set is you are apparently allowed to smack someone in the back of the head for behaving in a way that you yourself personally don't like. So if that is, you're maybe smack

[Matty]

for not drinking enough beer or maybe

[Dan Bernstein]

drinking too much beer, walking too slowly to your seat. Get out of my way.

[Matty]

Only eating one hot dog.

[Commercial Announcer]

Is that.

[Matty]

Is that worthy of being smacked in the head like you should have two? Or.

[Dan Bernstein]

Or maybe not understanding the rules of. I got. I got it. What if there's a routine fly ball to center field and you jump out of your seat thinking it's a home run? That's worth a smack in the head?

[Matty]

Smack them.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, absolutely. I think it's smack in the head.

[Matty]

What if. What if there's, like, a fly ball towards the left field wall and as a fan of the front row, you interfere with Ian half from catching it. Can you get smacked in the head?

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, that's. See, that's the kind of theoretical, just, you know, pie in the sky. That would never happen.

[Matty]

Okay. Sorry. I didn't.

[Dan Bernstein]

Come on.

[Matty]

I'm sorry. To go to fantasy land, right?

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm like, you're just. You're just making stuff up on it, you know? So let's not get crazy here. Let's not be ridiculous.

[Matty]

My bad.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, yeah, you're bad on that one. It's July. It's time to ride Smoke. Repeat right away on any qualifying new Harley Davidson motorcycle from Woodstock Harley Davidson. And you will take home a free Traeger smoker, a new bike for the open road, and a new smoker for the backyard. That is one incredible summer. But do not wait. This offer is only available through July 31, and it's while supplies last. So stop by Woodstock Harley Davidson today before this deal goes up in Smoke. Offer valid through July 31, 2026. One Traeger smoker with qualifying new motorcycle purchase. No substitutions or cash value. See dealer for complete details or Visit [e-mail] you know, I think it's really important to be smart about managing your finances. And that's why I believe Monarch is the app that can help you in doing so. Monarch's like having a financial advisor in your pocket. It's a personal finance app and it tracks everything that can help you take care of your financial picture, accounts, investments, saving goals and spending. Most apps only tell you what you've already spent. Monarch helps set goals, map out big purchases, and see if you're actually on track before it's too late to adjust. There's an AI weekly recap. It flags spending spikes, net worth shifts, and upcoming exposure expenses. And you can ask the AI assistant anything about your finances. How much did I spend on travel last summer? Can I afford this vacation without touching my savings? Write your own money story with Monarch. Use the code [e-mail] to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just 50 bucks. That's 50 off your first year at monarch.com with the code DBU. In the middle of the blowout last night, there was a rant by Rick Sutcliffe. And it's rare to hear him on the muscle. And sometimes you kind of have to make sure because his delivery is just kind of so chill and laid back and like upbeat San Diego, that when he goes hard on something, it takes a little time to realize, oh, Rick Sutcliffe is going hard on this. And it was that PCA needs a break. Guy spent like half an inning talking about how PCA is not saying no to people. And this, it was really interesting because this was regarding off field and on field rest and say like, the guy's not Superman. He needs a break sometimes. And he, he was conflating media responsibilities, marketing responsibilities, and playing baseball. There was a lot in there and Boot gave him a lot of room. If you're listening real carefully, last night just gave, he just kept going and going and going like, you know, we're done. Get somebody else. Let somebody. Everybody wants a piece of pca and he's great with kids and he does, he never says no to anybody, but he's, he needs a rest. He needs a break. You know, so I heard it. I'm like, okay, I mean, good. Do your job, man. That, that's your job. Have strong thoughts. And then I thought a lot of times, and I don't know that it's definitely in this case, but a lot of times when that happens, he's hearing that, that, that, that's somebody's mentioning to him, hey, man, PCA could use a rest. You know, mentally, he's kind of fried. Or physically, you know, he's dealing with some stuff where people don't even know he's dealing with. He didn't even talk about it. He throws his body around out there. Everything is redlined. And he's young, and you feel like, oh, this is. This is boundless energy. You can do that. To some extent, I think Rick Sutcliffe is right. However, what's important to me is the genesis of those comments. Who planted those seeds? There are several. There's a spectrum of possibilities here. One is unlikely. The PCA went directly to him. So, hey, I couldn't do this with Shades. But now that you're sitting here, man, could you. Could you make a public plea that they give me some rest? Because no one's listening to me here. Like, I don't think that happened because I've. I've been on both sides of this as a play by play announcer, as a. As a color commentator, as, like, I've. As a reporter. I've had players come to me and say, dude, can you can, like, put it out there that. So I'm not making this up. This stuff does happen. Also, the possibility is, you know, an agent, a friend, a teammate can say, hey, he's tired. Guy doesn't say no to anybody. Every kid wants a piece of him. Everybody leaves the park, he gets his coffee all day. He's being nice to everybody, never says no. And sometimes for young stars and young superstars, national superstars, that is something that does take time to learn. And sometimes you need the team to look out and say, hey, we're not going to the media relations department ever. Like, PCA, PCA, PCA. And I said, you know what PCA's got. He's got to get treatment today. And sometimes you have people that look out for you, so, you know, he's got family in town or he's. He's got. He's got to film a commercial today, and you got. People are going to help you out, just give you a break mentally. And maybe that's something that he's wanted that he hasn't felt comfortable bringing up. It's very possible. And maybe Occam's Razor suggests this is just a thought that Sutcliffe had, and he just indulged something he's been thinking about for a while. He spent a lot of time on it. So there's no real conclusion for me here other than to understand that athletes have a finite amount of energy mentally and physically. I understand that somebody who automatically makes your team that much more likely to win every time they take the field should be on the field, should be a regular. Cal Ripken played every game. I know that. But there are players who just don't throw their bodies around and rev their engine as hot as PCA revs his. It may just be that some guys have a Mike Trout career. Mike Trout's one of the greatest team sport athletes ever. He's approaching 90 wins above replacement. And he's been a shell of himself for years because of injuries. Because eventually the human body just can't keep up. It can't do what it's what it's supposed to do when you've asked it to do all these things. Even the people who are. Who are blessed beyond belief genetically and mentally, and not just blessed, but trained and worked and produced to make themselves into these athletic producers that they are. But it's finite. At some point it ends. And the idea of budgeting one's energy and intensity is valid. Everything Rick Sutcliffe brought up last night about PCA and usage and intensity is absolutely valid. I just wonder where it came from. So it's something to keep an eye on.

[Matty]

I might.

[Dan Bernstein]

I might follow up the kind of thing where if I were a reporter, I'm not saying I'm going to use it. I'm not saying it is. It's something that automatically is worth a story or a column or. But if you have access. Hey, Pete, Rick Sutler said this stuff last night. Did you know about this or does. And then. Is he right? Maybe it's just on background. Maybe you just want to know. Maybe it just informs your reporting a little bit better. But that, that is. That's one. If I were on the beat every day, I would absolutely underline that for a double back for a follow up. And keep that in mind because we are at the point of the season where you know and this team should know about injuries. Really.

[Matty]

I.

[Dan Bernstein]

Of all teams to not be aware, which. Which leads me to believe that they. They probably are. I think the Cubs were one of the first teams to wear the aura rings because I remember Ian Hap, some of the guys on the Compound podcast were complaining about their biometric data being monitored all the time. Everybody felt like Big Brother was watching when they had to. At some point they were like turning in whatever it was, arresting heart rate and their calories and all that. And that can be invasive. And I do think that there's going to. I don't know if there are rules in the collective bargaining agreement about what personal biometric data and the biometric telemetry can be collected or used or. Because that's. That. That gets kind of scary when you think about it. Remember in. Remember in Apollo 13? Yeah.

[Matty]

Well, they rip it off. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Remember that. That moment where Jim Lovell, like, he's like, you know what? It's enough already. And. And what is. You know, Ed Harris's character. I forgot his name. Gary something. He says, we're having a little bit of a medical mutiny up there.

[Matty]

Yeah. And.

[Dan Bernstein]

And. But that was. They just kind of felt like, I don't. I don't need to have every heartbeat monitored by somebody at this point.

[Matty]

Yeah, I get what you're saying, Oliver. I think it's. It's interesting how you process through it. Yeah. Yeah. But I. I kind of. I. I lean towards Sutcliffe being such a big fan, and I think he's clearly a huge fan of pca.

[Dan Bernstein]

Huge fan of everything.

[Matty]

But I. Yeah, but, I mean, he's

[Dan Bernstein]

hooray for everything, but.

[Matty]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, he's horrific.

[Matty]

And I just think he. He looks back at his own playing. Playing time and the, you know, late 70s and the 80s, and it's just, you know, it's very different from what he sees now because he. He's around these guys a lot. He clearly talks about being in spring training in Arizona all the time, like, watching everything. So he sees what they go through now and how different it was with technology and social media and so much access and worldwide coverage of it now. And, I mean, this is the coverage nationally, and this was a guy who was on the Cubs, and he was on, you know, wgn, so he gets it a little bit more. But, like, the coverage now is so different, and everything is so different about the game. I just lean towards. He's doing this on his own that, you know, how can the guy not be? And. But maybe he's not. And I think it's interesting how you have that perspective on it.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's my first thought afterward. My. Because I listened to it, and then my first thought was, okay, that. That's been there a while.

[Matty]

Who told him this? Yeah, yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Like, like, like, where did. Who got his ear at some point?

[Matty]

And.

[Dan Bernstein]

And sometimes it's not nefarious.

[Matty]

Correct.

[Dan Bernstein]

What. What? Very often, the way this works, from my experience, the pregame dinner, when they've gone through their.

[Matty]

The.

[Dan Bernstein]

The broadcast, has gone through their checks, they probably recorded their. Their pregame stuff already. You know, they. They take out Their ifb, they flip it over their back and then they go back and then they, and they, they see what is in the cafeteria and they sit down for a little pregame dinner, and you sit at a four top with a couple of people and you're talking and maybe, maybe you're sitting with somebody who's like, who says, you know, it could be somebody from the other team who asked, wait, do they play him every game where they're, they're, they're really using him, aren't they? You know, and sometimes you just get it. And in a blowout, you weren't, you weren't, you weren't, you weren't gonna say it otherwise.

[Matty]

I know, but if it's someone from the other team asking do they play him every day, I would say you're probably too stupid to be a part of this other organization.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know what I mean?

[Matty]

I know.

[Dan Bernstein]

I love that. Because you never know who you're gonna sit with. You never know who's gonna sit down next to you. This. Pete.

[Matty]

Pete. Pete Crowell Armstrong.

[Dan Bernstein]

Does he play all the time?

[Matty]

Is he a regular guy in their lineup? Or is he. Or is he just against us this weekend?

[Dan Bernstein]

But you know what I mean, somebody said they're using this guy a lot. They're using this guy a lot. Or, or it's, or, or you're sitting with his agent sometimes.

[Matty]

Did he. Did he. Because I didn't hear the full. I was in and out while watching the entire game. I was in and out of listening to it. Did he talk about the media obligations?

[Commercial Announcer]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Did he specifically say that? That's where he started.

[Matty]

Okay.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

He did. Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

He started by talking about him saying no, like saying kids. And it's like, Pete, Pete is just. He doesn't say no to anybody. His instinct is take care of everybody. And he even said, like, sometimes the, the team for the, like these media, so they have to say, hey, we're done, or he's not coming out today, man. Talk to somebody else. And then it went into, like, rest and playing time and, and all of it. And so that's why he kind of got rolling a little bit. And I was just curious. So I'm just keeping an eye on it. Just something I've circled. And it should be something for any young player more so that you start looking at minutes load in basketball or the. How many times somebody's carrying the ball in football. Baseball can sneak up on you. Baseball's a grind. Baseball's relentless. And your social battery, your, your, the, your, your Media bad. Not everybody likes to be in front of the camera even. They're good at it. And it sometimes it takes more from some people. The trappings of super stardom. And you do need breaks and you need help and you need people to manage your mental health in baseball. So I do think it's important. I'm not. I'm not trying to make light of it at all. And I do think that PCA has agency here. He can decide, I can do this, I can do that, and I have to learn how to do this. And I'm going to be a superstar. There are. I'm going to be pulled in a lot of different directions. Part of that is learning how to say no to certain people and understanding what the impacts are for you politically. You know, small p. Just how that appears because. Because, you know, one like you say, Frank Thomas used to talk about this. You sign autographs for 199 people and when you finally cut it off, it's that. That 200th person, he wouldn't sign for me. And very often that person is an adult autograph seeker who. And those people should all be rounded up and beaten sadistically. They should be just put in a burlap sack and hit with a. It's just the adult autograph seekers are the worst. Just horrible, horrible vermin, as Terry used to call them. The. And people have to learn a lot of this stuff.

[Matty]

So the adult autograph seeker that walks up with 25 photos and said they're all for his kids, you don't believe vermin.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. Human vermin. Adult autograph seekers.

[Matty]

The word.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I. George Brett. You ever seen the video of him at the airport where it's like the same guy that always comes up to me ask him different things?

[Matty]

He.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, he actually signed. But he's muttering. He's like, God damn it. I'm trying to. If. If you come up to me one more time.

[Matty]

Well, you know what he should have done is you should have brought him to a Cubs game. Then he could have slapped him.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Then he could have smacked or take him to a socks game and shoot him. What?

[Matty]

Nothing.

[Dan Bernstein]

Speaking of the White Sox, this is just one fan's opinion here, but I'm done with Noah Schultz for a while. I. Hey, he could still be great. But for the moment now, this is not this season turned on you now it matters. You can't keep trotting him out there. That's enough. It's time to go away somewhere lower for a while. This is not helping his look up the Noah Schultz baseball savant page.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Woof.

[Dan Bernstein]

Dude. Dude. Pitching run value 6. It's not good. Expected ERA 4. That's percentile in the in baseball.

[Matty]

Oh, is it really?

[Dan Bernstein]

It's dark blue all the way around. Oh it is. It is bad.

[Matty]

Yeah. Even if you don't know all the different stats and the advanced go the colors. If you see a lot of blue. Blue bad, red good.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, red good, blue bad. And when you see the expected slugging against is 471. That's. That's bottom 8% of MLB expected weighted on base. This is how hard the ball is being hit. Bottom 4% of MLB expected weighted on base on contact. Bottom 9%. Expected ERA is 605. Bottom 4% of MLB. This at the moment not a major league pitcher. Local kid, first round pick. He could still. The guy could still go to the hall of Fame. But this team is actually trying to do stuff right now. This is not a developmental season right now. It changed. So let him, let him go down and work and find a replacement level pitcher.

[Matty]

Yeah, because I mean what kind of lucky streak would that be to have every call up be successful and yeah, major league level. I mean you're going to have somebody not.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is found money. You are, you are. This is house money you're playing with. Out of nowhere you got Tristan Peters. You found this guy. Who the Tristan Peters. There's no answer that all of a sudden he showed up and he's an all star.

[Matty]

He's a Savannah Banana. Right? That's that guy.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Savannah Bananas and all star. You get in Sam Antonacci. Come on. That's. That is you. You call him up and he ends up being a tough nut. And, and okay, so you're not, you're just not gonna hit on everybody. It's okay.

[Matty]

And it's okay. And, and maybe it's just not this year for him.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's okay. Exactly. Exactly.

[Matty]

That's what I'm saying.

[Dan Bernstein]

He could still forcing it all the Randy Johnson cops, everything we talked about for this team. They don't need this. They don't need this. One glance at these numbers and these percent and where this guy ranks. Not ready yet. Then I looked on fan graphs and I lowered the threshold for. He's pitched 56 innings. So I load so any. All 50 innings plus he's like in the, in the, in the bottom handful of all pitchers in baseball. This is not a major leaguer right now, let alone a starter on a first place team. You don't have to do this. So don't. Chicago Window guys is going to save your life because you're worried about your windows and you're worried about, oh, no, I've got to enter into this whole world that I don't know anything about and I'm going to get taken for a ride by these window companies that are making all these offers and I don't know what I'm doing. Easy, easy, easy. Call Russ Armstrong. And Russ is not going to take up a full day of your time with some PowerPoint presentation about Windows. You go ahead and get quotes. But I wouldn't, I would just call Russ because he is going to let you know how he'll make the best custom made windows for your home at the best price. And his installers that work for him are going to do all the installation. I've had two full experiences doing windows in my home with Russ. The whole thing, the bring them out, the look around. He points to things, he writes things down. He points to things, he writes things down. And he never says, well, now I got to go back to my bosses and we'll come up with a number. He's like, oh, okay, this should cost. This, this guy's good. What do you say that. Okay, great. When can you start? Oh, well, I got to make the windows. And I said, what do you mean to make the windows? Because he owns the factory, it's here in Chicago. He'll make the windows and then he installs them. And that way you're not dealing with what you see in a lot of the advertising. It's a marketing company that then hooks you up with a window company or it's some company that then finds somebody local. You don't know where the windows are actually coming from. You don't know what all these guarantees are. It's so easy with Russ. If you want to get quotes, go ahead. He'll match or beat any price. And then you're not falling for all of these grocery store gimmicks that have no place with windows. Just call him 847-302-9171 and check out his five star reviews at Chicago Window. Guys, I saw that ESPN went through another round of layoffs and I was disappointed to see some of the names there when we knew that ESPN was buying NFL Network. I love how when it comes time to actually lay people off, they'll then say, well, these layoffs are due to the fact that we, we happen to buy NFL Network, which is presuming everybody is so dumb. Anytime there is an acquisition the reason for the acquisition is for the purpose of laying people off. That's why you buy them. Then you have all these redundant pieces and you say, oh, well, we can do the same thing and we don't need to employ everybody that they're employing, especially a publicly traded company that constantly has to show growth and constantly has to show a plan for growth. The way that you grow is by saying, who makes the most money? And can we fire them? That's what a lot of American companies do, especially in late stage capitalism. Who makes the most money? Can we fire them? But ESPN isn't doing that because they have a guy who makes $60 million. He doesn't always have to wear a shirt to work, but you can. That, that's how it adds up. If you have a guy who's making 60 million, say, well, this, that's the mod. The business model now is we're gonna have a couple people who make all the money and everybody else is interchangeable.

[Matty]

Yeah, because doesn't, oh boy, who, who am I missing? Stephen A. Smith. Doesn't he make a ton? Didn't he just get new paper? Or am I wrong?

[Dan Bernstein]

Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith are the talent at ESPN and everything else orbits around them. And there's no reason to really pay anybody else. And when they bought NFL Network, it was with, with the idea that, oh, this will allow us to fire a lot of people because that's, that's just how it works. That's when corporations are looking for acquisitions. It's not to add cost, it's to cut cost. So Ryan Clark was fired, Tom Pelissero was fired because they, they already have Adam Schefter, Stefania Bell. Stefania Bell, who was an injury expert. David Lloyd, I'm not sure that is. We know Cam Newton is, you know, Bart Scott is. And I am. The only one that. About which I'm really unhappy is Charles Davis, because he's fantastic. And the only one I could say right now that I will miss is Charles Davis, because I always looked forward to when he was doing a game. I have every time we had him on as a guest. The guy's just delightful. His combination of knowledge, general intelligence, and upbeat demeanor. And from everything I've heard off the air, away from the cameras, he's, he's as great or even better than he is on the air. So I look forward to wherever he's gonna go next. He, he the only name in here. Somebody said, you know what? Wherever that person goes, I'm gonna follow that person I'm gonna, I, I, because I care what that person has to say about stuff is Charles Davis. And I just think he's, he's awesome at his job. He also is a guy who makes you smarter and not dumber when you. He's not a meatball. He doesn't, he doesn't play into all the, the pandering and the stupid. So I will, he will be missed. But what sucks is if you're Carl Ravitch because the headline on this is NFL Network, ESPN redundancies result in layoffs. Okay, I get that.

[Matty]

I didn't know he does football.

[Dan Bernstein]

See that. That's a thing. It's been. And it's like, oh yeah, we also fired our longtime. One of our top baseball guys. What? Like that, that's clearly something they've been wanting to do for a while, which obviously is he makes too much money. That's how it works anytime. The first thing you should look at always, regardless of the reasons why unless somebody like shot up a liquor store or something like, unless there's like super egregious multi state spree that it's the reason why a publicly traded corporation will get rid of somebody otherwise valuable is because of money. And in this case, when I see. Oh, so the football.

[Matty]

Redundant.

[Dan Bernstein]

Zero. Let's put Carl Ravitch in this round to see if anybody notices because this is. The guy's been there for 30 years doing major league play by play and handling almost all your like baseball responsibilities. Just, you know, doesn't say a lot of stuff that's memorable. Just a very workmanlike professional for all those years and he is rewarded by being lumped in with all these other firings.

[Matty]

Yeah. I was surprised about Ravage and Tom Pelissero and I agree with you wholeheartedly on Charles Davis. Just one of the, One of the nicer guys.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. You dealt with him. Yeah.

[Matty]

Yes. Absolutely. Just one of the nicer guys you'll meet in this, in this industry. So that was, that was disappointing about him on a personal level. Those other two guys just kind of surprised me a bit because of the quality of work and the length of time.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Yeah.

[Matty]

Which I mean, knowing how, how layoffs work and riffs work, I, I get why those two are gone. I get it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Mm. It's just, it's a, it's part of this industry. It's part of every industry and it, it sucks. It's just, it's too bad. But I know that there are the. Charles Davis will absolutely find himself employed many of These people, I have no doubt, will find themselves in play.

[Matty]

And the other was, I thought was, was bothersome but not, not a surprise was how a couple these people heard like you mentioned,

[Dan Bernstein]

yeah, Ryan Clark was Ryan Clark while he was working, right.

[Matty]

During a commercial, during a break, and then was told that he's gone and then wasn't there for the last 10 minutes of the, of the program. Apparently that, that, that's, that's not, that's not. Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's bad. That's bad.

[Matty]

But I've heard even worse stories from other, other corporations, non public type things where like a mass email is sent out. Hey, you know, your jobs no longer exist. Take care. You know, the, the companies that do it really well are the companies that sit down face to face. And, and I, I did that for a bit with previous, previous employer with at Keystone Partners. We, we handled reductions in force for our clients. And so we had, we had trained staff, Dan, that, that was their only job was to sit down and talk with people and walk them through the process of being. Having their job eliminated, which is a horrible thing to experience and go through. But to do it in this regard was just, it's pathetic, man. Like, you're, you know, the worldwide leader in sports, but you don't give a. About how your people are treated.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I got, I got a nice little zoom call.

[Matty]

Those are always fun. Yes. I had, I had a call with my CEO and then, you know, it's like, it's on the calendar. You're like, oh, the CEO. Which was, it wasn't crazy because we were a smaller company. And so get on the call. And then all of a sudden I see HR is there too, on the zoom. And I'm like, that's interesting. I didn't know why, why is, why is HR part of this call?

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, that's, that, that's the tell. That's when you get the email that says, hey, Zoom Call, just checking in. Okay. Zoom call, just checking in. I'd like to introduce you for Gerden Blanston from Human Resources.

[Matty]

Oh, so I'm here, Dan, because today is your last day with the company.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, okay.

[Matty]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

I see where this is going.

[Matty]

Interesting.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, all right then, so then I'll

[Matty]

see you guys tomorrow at work. No, no, no, no, no. Today's your last day with the company. Oh, yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Here's a box. And bring everything, put everything in it. And you're going to be ushered out. Although by the Cubs code of conduct, you still, you would have been retained

[Matty]

and slapped in the Head. Yeah, right.

[Dan Bernstein]

And repeatedly slapped in the head and then taken to the south side and shot. It's your fault.

[Matty]

Why is it my fault?

[Dan Bernstein]

Because it is.

[Matty]

How is it my fault?

[Dan Bernstein]

Because I'm blaming you. Because I'm trying to. Because now I'm just trying to entertain you. Stop. Stop it. A quick reminder. Our rewards page is open and we've got, what, eight days left to get your. Get your keyword in on our rewards page at the 312 sports app. So get. If you don't have the app yet, what's wrong with you? Apple App Store, Google Play absolutely. Streamlines all of your 312 sports programming consumption. So in the app you go to the rewards and then you put in the promo code Summer on any reward. So when you put that promo code in, you can win $100 gift certificate to Lil Bob Ariba, which is the little sister of Cafe Baba Riva. You know that $100 gift certificate to Wildfire, a four pack of tickets to the Bristol Renaissance Fair. And the big prize here. Enter the promo code Summer to see ACDC in concert September 4th at Notre Dame Stadium. ACDC in concert. It's highway to Hell performed under Touchdown Jesus. I think that is what. If you can get that picture, that. That's the one. That is. That is. That is Jesus like this. As, as they perform highway to Hell, everybody's wearing the light up devil horns. I also saw the first video that ACDC put out on socials about the upcoming tour. Did you hear what Angus Young said?

[Matty]

I did not.

[Dan Bernstein]

These guys are the best. They're just the best. And Brian Johnson in that thick Geordie accent, he's. He's from Newcastle, so he's got that super thick northern England accent. And they bleep it out. But Angus, they said, are you excited about this? You have the big tour coming up. And Angus says, I just hope I don't trip over my own dick. Oh boy.

[Matty]

That's not what I was expecting.

[Dan Bernstein]

But okay, look, I saw them at Wrigley in 2015 and they were lights out. They were phenomenal.

[Matty]

They were.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I know it's a long time ago, they were a lot younger. Angus still, I think he was only 60 then and he's, you know, 72. Whatever he's now.

[Matty]

But.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh my God, I'm just, I. I just, I'm hoping I don't trip over my own dick. But yeah, that is the. The promo code is summer at the 312Sports app. 312Sports.com also get your get your swag going. Go to the pro shop. Same thing in the app. And a312Sports.com all your 312Sports gear, all your hats and sweatshirts, you know, hoodies things. And there's DBU stuff as well. And if I see around, if I'm, if I'm out in the wild and I see you wearing this, I'm, I, I, I'm not gonna hit you in the head, but I'm, it may technically be a violation of the code of conduct if I give you an unwanted hug. That might even be worse. They might actually flay me alive right there. They're taking me down to their, the, the secret room at Wrigley.

[Matty]

They're gonna take you down to Paradise City.

[Dan Bernstein]

Grass is green. Yes, absolutely. I'm like the out of you terribly worried about that. But that is today's Dan Bernstein unfiltered, and we thank you for being a part of it. We have been brought to you today by Chicago window guys, Russ Armstrong, 847-302-9171 chicagowindowguys.com and by Harley Davidson, Woodstock online at woodstockhd.com Dan Bernstein, Unfiltered. Unfiltered on 31 2, sports. Thanks for listening to today's episode, brought to you by my bookie.

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