Chicago Bears Backfield Dream?

Summary

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered

Episode: Chicago Bears Backfield Dream?
Date: October 21, 2025
Podcast Host: Dan Bernstein
Co-Host: Matt Abbatacola
Producer Credits: (Occasional guest/producer interjections)

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Episode Overview

This episode covers a wide range of Chicago sports hot topics with Dan and Matt’s trademark blend of humor, sharp sports insight, and unfiltered conversation. Core themes include what the Bears can (and shouldn’t) learn from the Detroit Lions’ backfield, the MVP of the ALCS (spoiler: it's not a player), why the Bulls’ injuries might doom their season, college football chaos and coaching firings, Michael Jordan's odd new NBC role, and the comedic disaster that is new ICE fitness testing.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. (Bears) Backfield Lessons: Don’t Misread the Lions

(04:43–11:16)

• Lions’ Backfield Dynamics:

  • Lions went all-in with Jameer Gibbs and David Montgomery, branding them “Sonic and Knuckles”—Gibbs the speedster (Sonic), Montgomery the power back (Knuckles). But perhaps Detroit doesn’t even need to emphasize the “one-two punch” at all:
    • “That is not a one, two punch. Sorry. That. That is, that is. Jameer Gibbs is a premier running back who should touch the ball as much as he possibly physically can reasonably. And you allow David Montgomery to be a complimentary piece…” (Matt, 05:44)
  • Montgomery as backup, not a ‘co-featured’ back.
  • Statistical breakdown of attempts and yards for both backs.

• What Chicago Should—and Shouldn’t—Emulate:

  • “If you have a guy like Gibbs, you don’t need a David Montgomery. You don’t need that. Bears don’t have that. The Bears can use all the help they can get at running back. However you get those.. whoever’s best for the play, run the play.”
    (Matt, 07:24)
  • Emphasize “whoever is best gets the ball”—not rigid roles or mimicry.

• Notable Quote:

  • “My hope is that the Bears don’t learn the wrong lesson in this. The lesson isn’t have fire and ice, Sonic and knuckles and have two... If one’s better than the other, use the one that’s better more often.” (Matt, 09:57)

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2. ALCS MVP—It’s Not Who You Think

(15:01–19:14)

• Fox’s Megalodon Camera Operator Outshines the Players:

  • Matt gives his “MVP” to Jared Legrani, the Fox Sports tech director wielding the Megalodon camera—citing cinematic, live-action shots that turned even average moments into movie magic.
  • “He is a star... What Jared Legrani is doing is magnificent. Seeing George Springer walk the dugout... Legrani is walking backwards, focusing on him, turning the camera, turning his shoulders...” (Matt, 17:01)
  • Live TV “that movie directors take three days to pull off.”
  • Makes John Smoltz’s commentary bearable by sheer visual quality.

• Quick ALCS Notes:

  • Vlad Guerrero Jr. was the actual stat MVP, but the camera work stole Dan and Matt’s thunder.

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3. Baseball Nostalgia & Strategy Debates

(19:28–30:59)

• Classic Baseball Antics:

  • Revisit the famous 1978 “Reggie Jackson hip check” play via live commentary—drawing a parallel to recent league incidents and “playing the game.”
  • “Reggie’s like, ‘Oh, gee, it hit me in the hip.’” (Matt, 27:00)
  • Lamenting current strategic mistakes: “Stop with the sacrifice bunting, everybody, please. It’s bad. Do not give away outs. It’s Game 7.” (Matt, 23:18)

• World Series Preview / Ohtani vs. Ruth:

  • Dodgers vs. Blue Jays is “a lot of blue” but intriguing if the Jays can force the Dodgers’ bullpen.
  • Ohtani’s historic postseason home run feats and near-statistical parity with Babe Ruth (in the early-career sample size):
    • “Through their first 674 games... Ohtani 160 [HR], Ruth 159... through 455 innings pitched they’re nearly identical.” (Dan, 30:28, 30:51)

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4. College Football: Chaos and Coaching Carnage

(34:02–44:55)

• Topsy-Turvy Rankings & Coaching Turmoil:

  • Powerhouse programs are falling, donors are terrified, and openings exceed viable candidates.
  • “I love that these emperors have built their castles on sand... Nothing better than millionaire boosters realizing they can’t just throw money around…” (Dan, 34:54)
  • NIL and transfer portal reshuffled the deck—“actual coaching” matters again, not just recruitment.

• Mocking the Coaching Firing Emotional Theater:

  • James Franklin’s interview, played with bemusement:
    • “They gave you $50 million, go fishing.” (Matt, 39:55)
    • “They bring him on like something tragic happened... He lost a limb, right? ... You lost your job and they gave you $50 million.” (Dan & Matt, 40:11)
  • List of open jobs and the cyclic nature of buyouts and coaching searches.
  • Franklin has no hobbies; Matt’s advice is, “Go learn to paint by numbers. Build a ship in a bottle. Go volunteer at the ASPCA” (Matt, 42:50)

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5. Bulls’ Injury Woes and Michael Jordan’s NBC Role

(52:20–58:01)

• Pre-season Bulls Injury Problems:
  • Kobe White out with calf tightness, possibly to avoid the Achilles epidemic seen elsewhere. Zach Collins out 4+ weeks with a wrist fracture.
  • “Without the injuries, the Bulls might have ended up in the play-in. Also.” (Matt, 02:28)
• Michael Jordan’s Half-Hearted Broadcasting Debut:
  • NBC promoting “MJ Insights to Excellence”—taped, pre-packaged segments, not live or in-depth commentary.
  • “He just isn’t that interesting... He’ll probably record these remotely. He’d probably be on the boat while he’s recording them.” (Matt, 55:34, 57:21)

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6. ICE Recruits vs. the Fitness Test: A Comedy of Frailty

(62:13–69:47)

• ICE’s Recruitment Struggles:
  • One third of new recruits are failing reduced fitness standards: 15 push-ups, 32 sit-ups, 1.5 mile run in 14 minutes.
  • “An email... lamented, quote, a considerable amount of athletically allergic candidates, unquote, had been showing up at the academy.” (Matt, 64:18)
  • Dan and Matt riff on the image of “one massive ICE guy per Suburban, coated in Crisco and hoisted out by forklift.”

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7. Local Life, Listeners, and Snack Stories

(61:03–72:31)

• Listener Appreciation:
  • Thank you to Dr. Jordan Lauer, author of "The Two Backpacks," who sent personalized copies and reminisced about “batter beers” mixed with Fresca on dates.
• Donuts, Dogs, and Daily Life:
  • Grocery store donut finds, dog rescue stories (“ran into the room, bit me in the face, peed on me”), family memories, and late-night Dairy Queen confessions.
• Bulls & NBA Broadcasting:
  • Shoutouts to friend and broadcaster Ian Eagle (and his son Noah) with a discussion about the generational differences in play-by-play style.

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Memorable Quotes

• On Bears-Lions Backfields:
  • “Sonic’s better than Knuckles. Always has been. And you give it to the guy that’s really good more often.” (Matt, 11:16)
• On John Smoltz as Announcer:
  • “He makes things dumber. Everybody who walks by the TV gets dumber.” (Dan, 14:49)
• On Fired Coaches:
  • “They gave you $50 million. Go fishing... You lost your job and they gave you $50 million. Do you know how fast... I was fishing the next day.” (Matt, 39:55–40:15)
• On ICE Recruits:
  • “A considerable amount of athletically allergic candidates.” (Matt, 64:18; quoting ICE memo)
  • “Now it’s one giant ICE guy per Suburban—they took all the seats out, put tarps on the floor, forklift him out at Stan’s Donuts.” (Paraphrase, 68:32–69:23)
• On Michael Jordan’s New Role:
  • “He just isn’t that interesting... He’ll probably record these remotely. He’d probably be on the boat while he’s recording them.” (Matt, 55:34–57:21)

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Notable Segment Timestamps

• Bears/Lions Backfield Comparison: 04:43–11:16
• ALCS Camera MVP & Fox Cinematic Shots: 15:01–19:14
• Classic Baseball Rules and Save Logic: 23:35–30:59
• Dodgers/Blue Jays World Series, Ohtani-Ruth Comparison: 29:03–31:00
• College Football Chaos & Coaching Firing Satire: 34:02–44:55
• Pit Bull Rescue Story: 44:14–44:55
• Bulls Injury Updates & Michael Jordan’s NBC Segments: 52:20–58:01
• ICE Fitness Test Fails: 62:13–69:47

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Tone and Style

• Candid, humorous, and irreverently passionate about Chicago sports and beyond.
• Frequent friendly banter and ribbing between Dan and Matt.
• Willingness to puncture sports and news with sarcasm, running bits, and inside jokes.
• Genuine moments of insight, nostalgia, and the occasional sweet shout-out to listeners.

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For New Listeners

Whether you’re a diehard Chicago sports fan, a baseball nostalgist, or just someone who likes your takes spicy and unfiltered, this episode of Dan Bernstein Unfiltered delivers sharp, honest analysis with plenty of laughs and memorable stories. No matter your team, you’ll leave with a new appreciation for just how weird (and wonderful) the world of sports can get.

Transcript

[Dan Bernstein]

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered.

[Matt Abaticola]

Unfiltered on 312 Sports. Welcome to Dan Bernstein Unfiltered on 312 Sports. I am the aforementioned, along with our executive producer, Matt Abaticola. Stop it. You're gonna have to stop. Otherwise we're not gonna get through this.

[Dan Bernstein]

That was something. I'll tell you what. I know I have.

[Matt Abaticola]

I haven't.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's coming out event.

[Matt Abaticola]

I don't know.

[Dan Bernstein]

I might do it soon.

[Matt Abaticola]

When they're. When we do a gag reel of some kind, when we do a blooper reel, those two starts to today's show are going to be on it, and they have to be on it back to back. And don't pretend the second one wasn't on you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, no. The Second one was 100% on me. The first one was all you. The Second one was 100% me.

[Matt Abaticola]

First one, entirely me. The second one, you. But that was like the open plate.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I'm like, where are we?

[Matt Abaticola]

Why aren't we.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh. I'm like, oh, we're not in the studio. That would be my fault.

[Matt Abaticola]

That was like a Cheech and Chong bit.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, that was good.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, no, we're not in the studio, man.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's me, Dave.

[Matt Abaticola]

Dave?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Dave's not here.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, it's me, Dave.

[Matt Abaticola]

Dave. Oh, that was fantastic. Oh, boy. Sometime we're going to show that and you're going to love us for it.

[Dan Bernstein]

That was man away.

[Matt Abaticola]

We are here to talk about a lot of things today.

[Dan Bernstein]

A couple of fucking idiots.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, my God. Right? Make sure that doesn't. That whole thing doesn't get. Get up the. Up the chain because it's off the chain, right?

[Dan Bernstein]

How things go. Take a look at these videos, guys.

[Matt Abaticola]

You want to see professionalism? Here you go. Crying.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm sweating.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Anyway.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, well, fine. We've got a lot to do today. I want to take a. What was perceived to be something the Bears could emulate from the Lions that now I don't even think the Lions should be emulating. And I think you know what I mean after last night. I want to talk about my MVP of the ALCs. Okay. My MVP of the ALCs. Like that by a mile. It's not your MVP. I don't think it's going to be the actual MVP. No. Or the consensus MVP. I've got my MVP and I don't. I don't even know the MVP's name.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right. Good tease.

[Matt Abaticola]

College football is awesome because nobody knows what the hell is going on. And There are a lot of very, very scared, very rich college football emperors and boneheaded donors and goofy alumni, and it's awesome. I love it. The Bulls have a couple of injuries that are not great. I think these injuries might result in the Bulls ending up in the play in. Without the injuries, the Bulls might have ended up in the play in. Also, there's apparently going to be some incarnation of Michael Jordan as a broadcaster on NBC, but it had kept changing, and it was very nebulous as to what his role was going to be. Not that anybody's been clamoring for him to be in this at all. And somehow they have now settled on how Michael Jordan is going to be involved in your national basketball consumption. And I'll tell you how you feel.

[Dan Bernstein]

And you're going to tell us how we feel.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yep. Okay. I'm going to tell you how to feel. Okay. And this is an easy one. And we're going to see if any of us can be physically fit enough to join a government special force.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Because we now know. Also, I'm excited for this. The standards have changed, so it might. We. This might be our chance to make a quick buck, because that's like a.

[Dan Bernstein]

$50,000 signing bonus, too.

[Matt Abaticola]

See?

[Dan Bernstein]

All right.

[Matt Abaticola]

If you. If you need a quick 50 grand, that's it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Who couldn't use 50 grand?

[Matt Abaticola]

My man, 50 grand. It may have just gotten easier for you. We have also fabulous partners and sponsors and prizes. Well, you know what? Stay tuned for that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, really?

[Matt Abaticola]

Stay tuned for that? All right, then.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm excited.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. So just put that in your back pocket. We are presented, as always, by our friends at my bookie. I should mention that. And my DBU pick, it failed. Last night. I got my one target for Isaac Taslaw.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, but he didn't get nine yards. He actually got zero yards.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's not enough yards.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's not. Not when you needed nine and a half.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, he didn't. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Zero.

[Matt Abaticola]

It was. It was infinitely fewer than he needed. He got no yard. He got as many yards as I did.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I. My. I lost my third parlay in a row. I might need to reconsider my strategy here. The Lions, they covered that. That six points pretty easily. The Texans, though, fell short even with plus three.

[Matt Abaticola]

So the Lions got a lot of mileage out of the Sonic and Knuckles bit that they were doing with Jameer Gibbs and David Montgomery. And one was Sonic because he was fast, and the other was Knuckles because he was tough and mean. And, boy, that one two punch, you Know, you know what they've got up there. They've got a one, one punch. And if they want to use the, the number two, the other or whatever that is. Because every carry that David Montgomery may get is one that Jameer Smith doesn't. And I think that's a mistake that obviously you need more than one back because you don't want to get. But holy mackerel. Running over people, away from people. He's spinning around people. He's.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's a good running back.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. And knew that or not. And you're. That. That's. That's a real team they're playing against too. And that is not a one, two punch. Sorry. That. That is, that is. Jameer Gibbs is a premier running back who should touch the ball as much as he possibly physically can reasonably. And you allow David Montgomery to be a complimentary piece whether he's a goal line or a couple series here and there. I don't want them trying to work in. Boy, we got to get Montgomery as touches. Not over that guy, you don't.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Matt Abaticola]

Not over that guy because that is a. And the way they're blocking in the interior, that's Vita Vea in there. That, that's seriously, that is an angry double size sub zero refrigerator in there that you are moving out of the way. Some of those, those double team blocks and what they're doing in their middle three and how far they've come from how they looked in the first week against the packers.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, that was bad.

[Matt Abaticola]

You know how far they've come. And he doesn't need holes that big reaching for the, for the sticks. And even when he gets hit in the backfield, stepping out of a tackle stiff, arming another guy, wiping somebody away. And I'll be damned if he gets Penny Sewell out in front of him.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, he's a, he's a special talent and hopefully the lengthier Lions fan, hopefully they do something soon. As far as winning championships with Jameer Gibbs before that time comes to a close.

[Matt Abaticola]

Don't waste this because that is, that is special. So the way I'm relating it to the Bears is as much as like, well, and I said it yesterday, talking about Kyle Manon Guy's 81 yard performance and saying, well, that's their hammer, that's their David Montgomery. If you have a guy like Gibbs, you don't need a David Montgomery. You don't need that. Bears don't have that. The Bears can use all the help they can get at running back. However you get those, those Yards, whatever plays you're going to call, whoever's best for the play, run the play. Whoever's out there. What does Eric B. Enemy always say? Get me four and a half. Yep. One way or another, find me four and a half. And that's a good running game. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

If you look at the. Excuse me. The numbers for the Lions, the God damn, I'm still lost from our opens. The Jameer Gibbs.

[Matt Abaticola]

Don't. Don't talk about the opens.

[Dan Bernstein]

Jameer Gibbs, 104 attempts, 526 yards on the season, six touchdowns. He has five explosive runs of more than 20 yards. Actually six because he has two over 40. He has a long of 78 and he has 26, 26 attempts. On first down, Montgomery. Three hundred and fifty five yards on 78 attempts. So that's how it breaks down. One hundred and four to 78 is the breakdown right now. Montgomery with four touchdowns. He has five plays over 20 yards. The Lions on their rush game. Overall, Dan as A team are third in yards in the league at 9:36. They are 13th in yards per carry at 4.5. And just a quick note looking at those numbers right now, the Bears opponent coming up this weekend, The Ravens are second in the league at 5.3 yards per carry.

[Matt Abaticola]

Did you see what Gibbs did to Winfield on that touchdown run?

[Dan Bernstein]

Not live now. He saw the highlights of it because it was going back and forth with baseball.

[Matt Abaticola]

I was too. But Antoine Winfield Jr. Who is not slow, he took an angle as Gibbs cuts through, swerves towards toward the sideline. And Winfield looked like. And he was a little late flipping his hips, but he still has the distance and the angle. And you'd think a safety be like, okay, I'm just going to beat him to this spot. Winfield ran to the spot and Gibbs was gone. Gone. And this is a guy who's been an all pro safety, Pro bowl safety. He doesn't take a lot of bad angles. And when somebody can outrun that calculation at the end of that run, boy, that is. It's the stop start. It's the power. It's everything else. Gibbs is, is really something to watch, man. And, and he was in the second, third level of the defense sometimes not getting a hand on him. So if they're going to keep doing that, good luck.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, no, for sure, for sure.

[Matt Abaticola]

My, my hope is that the Bears don't learn the wrong lesson in this. The lesson isn't have fire and ice, Sonic and knuckles and have to. You need a backup running back. You need somebody who's going to be out there. But if one's better than the other, use the one that's better more often.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, and I know that's how they, they maybe address their running back situation, but this year it's different. Should be different moving forward. And Gibbs obviously is going to get more attempts and he, and he should. And he will.

[Matt Abaticola]

Of course he should.

[Dan Bernstein]

But the Bears don't even have Dave Montgomery on their roster. They did. They don't even have a guy like that.

[Matt Abaticola]

They had the actual Dave.

[Dan Bernstein]

They have the actual David Montgomery. So yeah, there's, there's still some room to grow there. Now DeAndre Swift has had two unbelievable games. Hopefully that continues for Ben Johnson's offense and he can find the right hole and he can burst through those holes and gain some yards. And a little development from Manangai in, in the game last week was very good to see if he can stay in there and catch some passes and gain some yards and help unblocking. That's all you really need right now.

[Matt Abaticola]

I just, I think that the parallel or the quest to emulate that only goes so far when the Lions themselves might want to give up on, on the, the whole one, two punch. Sonic and Knuckles. Call it whatever you want, but Sonic's better than Knuckles.

[Dan Bernstein]

Always has been.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, always has been. And you give it to the guy that's really good more often. I would like to welcome a new sponsor to Dan Bernstein Unfiltered because every athlete knows the difference between good enough to sometimes win and game changing. Championship teams don't win by showing up unprepared and the same applies to your game in the bedroom. Rougiet Ready is the three in one ED treatment that actually prepares you for the moment. Rougiet is designed to prime your brain, boost blood flow and start working in as few as 15 minutes. That's not just showing up, that's winning by a huge margin. It's an ED med that primes the brain because apomorphine boosts arousal at the source. That's your brain and combines active ingredients Sildenafil for fast action, Tadalafil for the long game. It's sublingual, which means it absorbs faster, works in as few as 15 minutes. It's way faster than most pills and there's up to a 36 hour active window so it's ready when you are. And that doesn't just mean in the first quarter. So like an elite athlete, you got to dial in that pregame routine. Nutrition, mental prep, physical readiness. So visit rougiette.com r u g I e t.com and get your game plan from a licensed ED doctor. We have a promo code for you at checkout. Make sure you use the promo code DBU at checkout for, for a special offer treatment ships discreetly to your door. Time to get back in the game with Rougiette. That's rougiet.com and your code is DBU. You know the one guy in your group chat who hits a five leg parlay week one and then you got to hear about it the rest of the season. Well, why don't you make that you and then you could be the guy that bothers everybody. That'd be fun. My bookie makes it stupid easy to get in on the action. College ball, NFL survivor pools, super contest. Everything you need is right there in your hand with my bookie player props. You know I love those. All the spreads of the in game lines you could want all under one roof. And if you're new to my bookie, we have a code for you that's going to make it even more palatable to get started. Because when you use the code DBU for Dan Bernstein unfiltered, any bet you choose up to $500 is fully covered. You make your play and then if it doesn't hit, you get it right back. When you opt in using the bet back bonus token again, the code dbu, there's no better time to jump in. No better place to play football is back. So let's make some money with my bookie game. Sevens are great. It was a hell of a lot of fun watching baseball last night. And despite the fact that I had John Smoltz on and I wanted the sound on, I like sound. I don't like watching a baseball game without sound. And I can't just mute John Smoltz because. And I think even if he's like in the air in my house, he makes things dumber. Everybody who walks by the TV gets dumber. And I don't want that to happen to any of us because even, even Beth was saying so. She's like, wait, what did he say? I'm like, don't, don't, don't, don't start listening now. Did you at the end, like the, the portentousness, he goes, in these series we have things that are unforgettable and we have things that are forgettable. Right after the line out double play, it's like, well, that may have been forgettable, but there's also unforgettable like, what are you talking about? He just. But he says things with these weird pauses to make them sound like they're important and they make no sense.

[Dan Bernstein]

He should stop talking.

[Matt Abaticola]

Maybe it's as if Tim McCarver hated baseball. It's all the vapidity and the banality of Tim McCarver and the overwrought explanations of the simplest things with a complete disdain for modern baseball. That's what it is. It's a reincarnation of Tim McCarver, but you take his sort of folksy smile and turn it into embittered grumpiness about the evolution of the game, and that's what you've got. It's an affront is what it is. And you have to pair him with this other robot and that's the cast you get. However, I've got an MVP to that series. And the MVP of the ALCS is whatever brilliant artist is in charge of Fox's Megalodon field camera. I want that person's name because that person deserves all the awards. All the awards. I've never ever seen camera work with the Megalodon done like Fox has done in this particular series.

[Dan Bernstein]

The Megalodon operator, Dan is the technical director for Fox Sports. His name is Jared Legrani. Jared Legrani.

[Matt Abaticola]

Jared Legrani is the actual person holding the Megalodon.

[Dan Bernstein]

The Megalodon camera person for Fox Baseball is Jared Legrani, who is the technical director for Fox Sports. He's known for using a unique camera rig called the Megalodon which allows for cinematic live action action shots during broadcast.

[Matt Abaticola]

He is a star. He What? What? Jared LeGrandi. Thank you for finding that with Jared.

[Dan Bernstein]

You're welcome.

[Matt Abaticola]

What he that's your mvp. What Jared Legrani is doing is magnificent. When you see George Springer enter the dugout after that home run and walk the gantlet and walk that the phalanx. Jared Legrani is walking backwards, focusing on him, turning the camera, turning his shoulders. And I don't even know that that is a. How it's designed. Like a Steadicam you've seen before where there's a back harness. All you had all these Steadicam career Steadicam operators have bad backs. But this is a lighter. It almost looks like an slr. At least the early generations of the Megalodon that I've seen. It doesn't even look like a classic motion camera. But he what this guy's doing. And then I went back after the previous game when Vladito was on the field, he was literally doing a circle. Doing a 360 degree, like, duck walk around at the heroic angle, looking up and then panning into the crowd. This is stuff that a movie director will spend three whole days on trying to get a crane shot, using drones, making sure the light is just right. Making sure. And setting up tracks and dollies and timing everything up and going back and calling cut. And watching. This guy's doing it in real time, live.

[Dan Bernstein]

So he's done college football, NFL games as well. He's been instrumental in integrating innovative camera technology into live broadcasts.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, whatever they're paying him. If I'm a network, Right. Doing anything in sports, I am. I'm calling Jared LaGrande and saying whatever they're offering, I'll triple it. Because he's incredible. And it obviously takes the trust of a director and the trust of a crew to understand that value. But if you can make television, that's that good. Despite John Smoltz being one of the people involved. Jared Legrandi is so good. He makes me forget how bad John Smoltz is. That's how good he is.

[Dan Bernstein]

See? Even more reason than just to turn the volume down and just.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, but it needs it. I like the. I like volume. I'm not.

[Dan Bernstein]

And did you see the video? It's floating around online. The George Springer home run with no audio except for the crowd.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's just crowd noise. It's unbelievable. Your actual Al ALCS MVP was Vlad Guerrero Jr. Did you see his number? 385. 484. 1200 OPS.

[Matt Abaticola]

And also, Dan Wilson, you're fired.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. This is the final game. Coach.

[Matt Abaticola]

This is not May.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, this is.

[Matt Abaticola]

This is it.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is. We go home.

[Matt Abaticola]

If we lose, you got a guy who can throw 102, right? And you're waiting, thinking the save might be later.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's right in front of you.

[Dan Bernstein]

The save is right now.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's right in front of you. And you bring in Buzzardo, the Great Bizardo, who I always picture as a magician.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, my God. The nailer jumping into the throw from second base, backwards off his back and.

[Matt Abaticola]

His helmet now, is it. The fact that he turned around is proof that he was trying to get hit by the ball.

[Dan Bernstein]

He jumped in the air. I know he wasn't gonna make it.

[Matt Abaticola]

But he jumped in the air and he was twisting. Didn't want to get hit in the face. Who does? Good call.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

And I mean, that was. It was. They did it. By the way, the home plate umpire was horseshit.

[Dan Bernstein]

Like he's.

[Matt Abaticola]

He there's the strike zone was terrible.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

But they absolutely made the right call that.

[Dan Bernstein]

No 100%.

[Matt Abaticola]

Were you reminded what year was it that Reggie Jackson clicked his hip out? It was either. It was either it was it 1980?

[Dan Bernstein]

I'd have to look.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. Reggie Jackson was on first base and there was a throw where he clearly hip checked the ball. And that was my very first memory. And I remember I was up late at night, what felt like late to me as a kid watching it. And I remember that that was the first time back in the 70s or 1980 where I remembered how many camera angles and how hard they tried to use the technology at the time to see if it brushed his hip. But this was a no brainer. And I love Naylor. He's got cool shoes too. He always has cool shoes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Oh, shoes were awesome. But I love the fact so he's on first and they're actually throwing like pickoff attempts. He's the second slowest player in Major.

[Matt Abaticola]

League baseball, but he's not bad at stealing bases. But he's the.

[Dan Bernstein]

But again the second slowest player. The ground balls hit to the shortstop. He's running to second base. He's a little more than halfway and it's like, oh, shit, I'm not going to have anything to do with this. So I'm going to turn, jump and let the ball hit off my helmet. But yeah, I'm glad they came together, made the right call, called the double play. But yeah, I love him for it. I love. And seeing him at the top of the dugout as they're convening and talking about it, you know, he's winking it at. Yeah, I just, I love it. I love the style of play. My wife hates him, like seeing him.

[Matt Abaticola]

On camera, he had shoes and I. And I didn't really understand what. I love his shoes my wife and daughter were talking about. They said it looked like Taylor Swift eras tour shoes with the way the this I forgot which era but they're apparently he's got 70 different pairs of cleats and 450 total pairs of shoes that he's just a shoe guy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Not necessarily a collector. He just likes to wear different shoes or he's just a shoe guy. And that was. There was a subject of conversation in my household were his shoes. And then they showed somebody else. It might have been Julio or somebody else who was wearing cool shoes. And yeah, so there was a Reggie Jackson thing of which I was reminded. But I'm sorry. Dan Wilson, the save presents itself, you don't wait for. Unless you're Ned Yost or somebody. You can't wait and say, well, we'll need our closer later because sometimes you got nothing to close. And stop with the sacrifice bunting, everybody, please. It's bad. It makes you less likely to win. All you have are outs. Do not give away outs. Stop giving away outs. It's game seven.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, so this is what you're talking about. It's World Series, Game 4. A run scores after throwing Flex off Reggie Jackson.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay, hang on, hang on, hang on. All right. Oh, you found a play by play. What year? Hang on, hang on. All right, because this, this is the first thing that came to mind when I. When I saw Naylor jump. But I'm trying to remember, how did they rule it? Did they. Do they say ultimately? Because Reggie clearly did it on purpose. And I don't remember if they allowed the run to score or not, but, boy, this is. Dan Wilson is going to have a tough time.

[Dan Bernstein]

The headline is run scores after throw deflects off Jackson. Okay, so let's see.

[Guest or Producer]

Munson at second for the Yankees. Reggie Jackson at first. He's had an RBI in every game in this series. Four games, six RBIs. Drew right, and wrestling dropped the ball. Are they going to get two there? They threw it away, but it hit Reggie. Confusion on the bases. Here comes Munson. He's going to score for the second run. There's a lot of confusion. The ball hit Russell's glove. It then hit the ground. Reggie Jackson was forced out, but then on a throw that was the second out of the inning, on the throw to first base, they are seeing the ball hit Reggie. It is a complicated play because Reggie is out, out of the play. And yet the ball might have hit him, scooted away, allowing Munson to score. That is Frank Pulley, the first base umpire in blue. He's with the National League. Joe Brinkman, the umpire from second base, he is in scarlet and Losordo wants to rule it the entire Dodger team. Here it is, Joe Russell. Now, there's the force on Jackson right there. So Jackson's out of the play. And it hits him. He's right in line. And Jackson is thoroughly confused. He's still in first base. He doesn't know what to do. Piniella is entitled to the base until a. Unless they rule interference. Now, here's the ball again. It's hit to Russell, who knocks it down. And now he steps on the back, forces Jackson. You saw the umpire motion safe. I'm sure it was on the ball. It was hit nothing else. And they've got a meeting out there. Looks like an election coming up. There's so many people between first and second. They've got a summit meeting out there's what they've got almost every Dodgers around there. And all these up by. Look at that. Everybody is reaching for the ball. And finally le into it. He let it hit him purposely.

[Dan Bernstein]

He did lean into it for sure.

[Matt Abaticola]

Sure he did. I knew that and I was nine.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is the 78 World Series.

[Guest or Producer]

How is they could rule that runner out as he intentionally looked like he got in away. He Lee was leaning. There's no doubt we'll do it again. And you make up. Your minder is really upset and you can't say that you blame him.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, so that, that's the play right there. Was that a line drive hit the Russell like how did he not catch that?

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, I think they wanted the double play. Okay, so it was Lou Pinella batting. That was. That was Lou. Yeah, yeah. Lose that game.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, he was Louie. He was running down to first base with a prickly pear margarita in his hand. He had a whole pitcher.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. Luke had hit man. But yeah, Reggie's like, oh, gee, it hit me in the hip.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, no.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yep, that's great.

[Dan Bernstein]

And yeah, he totally leans into the throw. Oh, my God. Yeah, that's great.

[Matt Abaticola]

You didn't have replay review. You just had Tommy Lasorda out there saying, what the.

[Dan Bernstein]

So you're nine year old Dan Bernstein watching the 78 World Series.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yep. And as soon as I saw Naylor jump like that, I thought, Reggie, that's funny.

[Dan Bernstein]

Good call. Good call on your part.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's good. Thank you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Seeing my guy. Timeless sword out there too. That's great.

[Matt Abaticola]

Who is batting?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, but that's. That's my guy.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, if you could ever find. You know what? We couldn't play this on the score. We can play it now. What's the Tommy Lorda taking Doug Row out of a game?

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, we can play anything you want.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, my God.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, we could also. Was it Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver? Earl Weaver. The Earl Weaver rant. We can play that too. We could play anything, dude.

[Matt Abaticola]

If you can find.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, it's found.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay. Tommy Lasorda taking Dougie out of a game. Taking Doug Rowell out. It is classic Lasorda. Absolutely. Classic Tommy Lasorda. We could do a whole show of this stuff.

[Dan Bernstein]

We can play audio. Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay. Well, I'm too excited right now because I hadn't really thought my way through this stuff yet.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay. Remember that.

[Dan Bernstein]

I will. A couple things real quick about World Series coming up. So we have Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. You have a, you have any feeling, any interest in either team, obviously you'll watch. I know that. But any rooting interest.

[Matt Abaticola]

Gonna be a lot of blue. It's a lot of. It's a very blue series is sort of what I can think. And I don't mind that. I like the color blue. I think that the Dodgers are better. But I love the fact Toronto swings, the bats. I don't mind a little bit of high scoring. And if you can, I think the early games will matter depending on how you force the Dodgers to get into their bullpen.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Because if, in fact, you start, you start punching the soft underbelly of the Dodgers, that is their bullpen. This, this could be a really good series.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's funny you say that when you look at their four starters, Snell, Yamamoto, Glass now, and Ohtani, they have through the Reds, the Phillies and the Brewers. In 64⅔ innings, they have a 1.40 ERA. Those starters, unbelievable. I'm, I'm, I'll pull for the, for the Blue Jays. Even though I'm an NL guy, I don't dislike the Dodgers. It's just, I, I like Toronto. I like the Blue Jays. When we went to their stadium and saw a game, it was just. I love the town place I would actually live if, If I was, if I was leaving where I'm at now.

[Guest or Producer]

If.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, if, if. A couple things too, about Ohtani's unbelievable night the other night.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm picturing your, your kids now, Hank ending up as a Toronto Argonaut or somewhere.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, I love that.

[Matt Abaticola]

For playing for the Gray Cup.

[Dan Bernstein]

Ohtani became the 11th player to hit three home runs in a postseason game. He was the first since Dodger Chris Taylor did it in Game 5. In 2021 NLCS, he became the second pitcher American or National League to hit three home runs in a game. The first since Jim Tobin did it in May of 1942. Became the first pitcher to lead off a game with a home run. Became the first Dodgers pitcher to hit home run in the postseason.

[Matt Abaticola]

Did you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Have you seen the comparison stats of Babe Ruth and Shohei Ohtani?

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, Tani blows him away. People don't realize it. Ruth was pretty much, he pitched for a little bit, but when he started slugging, he was done throwing.

[Dan Bernstein]

But their initial stats. Listen to this.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Through their first 674 games both of them, their first 674 games, Babe Ruth, 159 home runs. Shohei Ohtani 160. In their first 455 innings pitched. Both of them 455. Babe Ruth's record of 35 and 18. Ohtani 35 and 19. Almost identical.

[Matt Abaticola]

Wow.

[Dan Bernstein]

Through their first 455 innings pitched and their first 674 games, identical home runs and win loss records.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's pretty cool.

[Dan Bernstein]

It is pretty cool. It is pretty cool. Given the choice, I would take Ohtani over Babe Ruth. But that's just me. I don't know what you would do.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'd take Ohtani.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Absolutely. I would, without question. Although if it came to a hot dog eating contest, I would take Babe Ruth.

[Dan Bernstein]

I would take Joey Chestnut.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, I'm saying, oh, of those two.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, I thought you meant anybody in.

[Matt Abaticola]

The world of those two. And I made hot dogs the other night and they were Omaha steaks hot dog hot dogs. Like the big good ones. And I put them on the grill.

[Dan Bernstein]

So filet mignon burgers and giant beef hot dogs too are in this box.

[Matt Abaticola]

You get. They are. And I like my char dogs really well done. Like, I like to crunch through an outside layer of blackened hot dog skin characters to get to that, that, that, that briny, garlicky meat on the inside. Just my choice. You can do your Omaha Steaks dogs however you want, but what you should know is that Omaha Steaks is the official sponsor of tailgating. From legendary burgers to mouth watering steaks, those deli style franks, you will elevate your next game day. Get together with America's original butcher. I've been enjoying Omaha Steaks truly all of my life that I can remember. And right now I've got this offer for you. Because Omaha Steaks is partnering with Dan Bernstein Unfiltered. You can get $35 off@omaha steaks.com with a promo code Bernstein at checkout. Terms apply C site for details. But it's 35 bucks off with the promo code Bernstein. That way, game day, you're grilling. You just go to the freezer. You know that that big box has arrived and you go. The best part is opening it and then going through everything in inventory. These are for the upstairs freezer. These might go in the downstairs freezer. And I'm gonna hide the caramel apple tartlets and all that. Omaha Steaks, the official sponsor of tailgating. Grass fed grain finished extra aged USDA certified tender steaks, unrivaled quality and variety every bite backed by the 100% guarantee. It's a family owned company with over 100 years of expertise in the meat industry. And that feeling when you maybe get the email and it says your package has arrived and you know that when you get home there is going to be a big white styrofo box filled with awesomeness. Make game day delicious. With the official sponsor of tailgating. Visit Omaha steaks.com and get $35 off with promo code Bernstein at. Check out my last name. B E R N S T E I n. That's Omaha Steaks.com promo code Bernstein at. Checkout terms apply. See site for details. College football right now is nearly completely upside down. And I think that's cool. I think you've got Indiana at number two and Georgia Tech at number seven and your Vanderbilt Commodores at number 10.

[Dan Bernstein]

Let's go.

[Matt Abaticola]

You've also had all kinds of firings everywhere. And you know, openings. There may be more openings than there are viable candidates. Penn State, Florida, ucla, Arkansas. Those are all open and potentially Auburn, Florida State, lsu. And you see what's going on in Wisconsin now that apparently they're actually kind of open about like, well, we'd love to fire this guy, but we don't have enough money for the buyout. Hey, come on. And maybe if you come to a game, it's like the White Sox own them. Maybe if you come to a game and then we'll have enough money and then we'll be able to be competitive so you can buy out this guy that you hate. And this is because of everything that we know that's going on in football with nil and the transfer portal. I love that these emperors have built their castles on sand. You think of Ozymandias, the vast and trunkless legs of stone. Look on my works, ye mighty in despair. I can't wait till Dabo Sweeney gets fired and when James Franklin goes and all these guys get their $50 million buyouts or whatever it is. And all these, these boosters. I got all the money. I can do whatever you want. They don't want to keep spending all this money at the higher right. It's not about these guys who want to run some. They call these ministries, these emperors. Tactics, Right? Tactics. It's tacticians. It's actual coaches. It's not all of these motivators, recruiters, motivational speakers. These, these demagogues. You need football coaches now. You need guys who can take yours and beat his and then take his and then beat your. The old Bum Phillips statement. So I love the redefinition and the reshuffling of college football and the even playing field that it is, that actual coaching matters more than branding, than saying, well, we're going to recruit 80, 90 guys, we can keep them all here. Well, they're going to leave because they don't want to sit on the bench and you're, you're second string guy and all these freshmen, they're going to leave. They don't want to play for you. And when I heard the drooling, you played this for me. I like, I've never seen college game day. I don't watch it. It's never been a part of my life. I like watching the games. I don't need all the foo fora and hoopla and hullabaloo. Yeah, not the Tulane hullabaloo. I need that, of course. But my God, like this, a coach gets fired and it's, it's like, like, like a head of state has been toppled in a coup.

[Dan Bernstein]

So I enjoy college game day. It's completely, it's a new iteration of it with Pat McAfee. I mean it's early in the morning. You know, it's my. Get, get some coffee. I have the living room to myself. Kids are sleeping, wife and dogs are still, are still out sleeping.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, your, your dog's keeping a comfy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Schedule that, oh, they do, they, they, they sleep late. But it's, you know, it's good, it's good I get to watch a little college game day. But Pat McAfee, man, I feel like I need to stay up all night, be at a club with like pounding music, one drink after another. Maybe, maybe some drugs as well. That's old Maddie to be able to, I sit through it and watch it. I knew that Maddie, I mean within minutes he's with a chair, he's getting the crowd going. And I'm sure the college kids love it, but it is, it's completely off the rails, like from the start with him. And I, I get it. If a lot of people like him, he's entertaining. He certainly attracts a crowd and is controversial and is entertaining. But man, it's, it's something bizarre to behold.

[Matt Abaticola]

You're in charge, but I'll let you handle that.

[Dan Bernstein]

This, this was the, the opening when they bring James Franklin on. He was on college game day this past weekend and this, this was it, man. Like the way you described it at one point. I was hoping someone was going to reach over and like dry off Nick Saban's Chin, as you've gone through the.

[Matt Abaticola]

Last few days, how did you become aware at first and find out the news that Penn State wanted to move on and part ways with you?

[James Franklin]

Yeah, well, we were a practice Sunday team coach, and we have a team.

[Dan Bernstein]

Meeting at 1:45, about 1:30.

[James Franklin]

The AD walked in and said, we're going to make a change. I'm sorry. Was in shock, obviously. Really took the next 15 minutes to let my kids know so they wouldn't find out on the Internet, and then walked down and had a super emotional meeting with the team to tell them I was leaving.

[Dan Bernstein]

It really?

[James Franklin]

That was it? It was that quick? Obviously pretty much in shock as that was going on.

[Matt Abaticola]

I mean, given all of the things that you accomplished there and the number of games that you won, how fairly do you feel you were treated by making this decision?

[James Franklin]

Well, fair is not for me to decide. Right. That's for other people to decide. A decision that was made that was hard for me to comprehend at the time. But what I want to do is I want to focus on all the unbelievable moments. I had a great run there. 12 years. Penn State was good to me and my family. Most importantly, it's about the players. I'm a players coach. I always have been. So that. That's the hardest part, is walking away from all those young men in that locker room, the recruits that were committed to us. A lot of tough conversations.

[Dan Bernstein]

I won't do any more of it for you.

[Matt Abaticola]

What the hell, man? They gave you how many? 50 million?

[Dan Bernstein]

50 or 60? Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

50 or 60 million dollars. And I'll let people decide if it's fair or not. Wait, I just decided it's fair. You have to decide if it's fair.

[Dan Bernstein]

The.

[Matt Abaticola]

They give you $50 million. Go fishing.

[Dan Bernstein]

The narrative and the emotion, the environment they create for this interview.

[Matt Abaticola]

They came in and they told me they were making it. Yeah, you got. You got fired, and now you're a.

[Dan Bernstein]

College football head coach and you got fired and they bring him on this thing like something happened to him. Like, it's unbelievable.

[Matt Abaticola]

He lost a limb, right?

[Dan Bernstein]

Or he lost a child or something tragic.

[Matt Abaticola]

You lost your job and they gave you $50 million. Do you know how fast, like, look, buddy, I got fired. I was fishing the next day. Like, immediately go fishing. I'm telling you, the best thing you can do. It's so good for you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Somebody walked in, was like, hey, Matt, you got to go, but here's 50 million.

[Matt Abaticola]

Not even.

[Dan Bernstein]

I would hug. Thank you. Take care.

[Matt Abaticola]

Not even.

[Dan Bernstein]

Good luck.

[Matt Abaticola]

Whatever. It is. What can you do? You got fired. You know, go get a sandwich and go fishing. So sit next to. What are you, some kind of martyr?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, that's how it seems like. Do you think it was fair you lost a fucking Northwestern? Well, this is ucla. You lost to Oregon.

[Matt Abaticola]

If I may, this was like John Smoltz last night.

[Dan Bernstein]

And you're 4 and 21 against top.

[Matt Abaticola]

10 teams criticizing Dan Wilson. People are going to say, fair or unfair? You should have brought it. Fair. Take a stand. Fair. Unfair.

[Dan Bernstein]

Pick one.

[Matt Abaticola]

Is it fair? Is it unfair? Should he brought in his clothes?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Do you agree with it or disagree with it?

[Matt Abaticola]

My God.

[Dan Bernstein]

But have an opinion.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'll let other people say if it's fair or unfair. Okay. Wait, you want me to say it? Fair.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right.

[Matt Abaticola]

Done. Easy.

[Dan Bernstein]

You mentioned some of the schools that have coaching vacancies. There's a really good tracker that you can get online at espn. Florida, Penn State, Oregon State, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, ucla, Virginia Tech, Stanford, Colorado State, uab, Kent State are just some openings right now. I didn't know Trent Dilfer was at uab.

[Matt Abaticola]

I thought he left.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, he got fired.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, but I didn't know that he was at uab.

[Matt Abaticola]

Was that fair or unfair?

[Dan Bernstein]

You know, that's not for me to decide. I'll let you decide if it's fair or unfair.

[Matt Abaticola]

Look, that's part of what you.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's what happens when you have a contract.

[Matt Abaticola]

You don't even.

[Dan Bernstein]

You get money when you leave. And not just college football. That's jobs elsewhere, too.

[Matt Abaticola]

You don't even need to own a boat or a broat or a Broat. I have five of Broats. You just have to have a friend who has a boat or call a guide service because they. They have the boat, they have the gear. You just call them, say, hey, do you know this lake? I know like, the back of my head.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know what?

[Matt Abaticola]

Put me on fish. Let's go.

[Dan Bernstein]

To be fair, if you heard more, that interview, which I won't make you listen to. James Franklin doesn't have any hobbies. He specifically said he doesn't fish and he doesn't golf. So he doesn't have any hobbies to go and do now that he doesn't.

[Matt Abaticola]

Have a bank your wiener somewhere. I know technically that's not a hobby.

[Dan Bernstein]

Probably at home. I would hope. Like, I wouldn't do that publicly because.

[Matt Abaticola]

He wants a job, but go home and do that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, like spanking his wiener in public would be a bad idea.

[Matt Abaticola]

I didn't say in public.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, I know, but somewhere. You said somewhere. Just make sure it's in the home. Home.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Home is good.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's a good spot to do that.

[Matt Abaticola]

Something. Learn how to paint by numbers. Build a ship in a bottle. Go volunteer at the aspca.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't.

[Matt Abaticola]

Whatever.

[Dan Bernstein]

Is that the dog place that makes really sad commercials? Is that the aspca?

[Matt Abaticola]

I think so. Yeah. I'm. I. You know what. And call me an asshole, but.

[Dan Bernstein]

Asshole.

[Matt Abaticola]

Thank you. I have. I have a tough time in. In today's world, with all the inhumanity to actual human beings, to care about a dog. Save her $19 a month. Yeah. To take care of a. Like, I love dogs, but we have people in cages. Why don't we. Why don't we take care of them first?

[Dan Bernstein]

It's a good start.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. Why don't we look at. I don't. I'm sorry. Sorry.

[Dan Bernstein]

That.

[Matt Abaticola]

If. That just shows the limits of the extent of my heart right now. I love dogs, like, anybody. And my feed, by the way, now is all Pitbull videos. Not the singer.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Like, actual pit bulls.

[Dan Bernstein]

Mine's all Pitbull, the singer.

[Matt Abaticola]

I watched two of these because. I don't know. I love pit bulls.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I love Pitbull.

[Matt Abaticola]

And Beth is trying to make me get one.

[Dan Bernstein]

I've tried to get Pitbull. He won't come over.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, she's trying to actually make me get a dog, and she keeps dropping hints about getting a dog, and she really wants a dog, and I love dogs, but I don't want to own one.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Matt Abaticola]

And if I get one, it would be a rescue pit bull.

[Dan Bernstein]

I would get a rescue pit bull. I love pit bulls.

[Matt Abaticola]

We went and looked at one last year, and it bit my face and peed on me. No, wait, that was Beth. No, it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, boy.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, it ran into the room. This. This cute little dog ran into the room, jumped on me, bit me in the face, and then started peeing all over my shoes. Bear dog. Three. One, two, three.

[Guest or Producer]

Yay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Good cheer, guys.

[Dan Bernstein]

Wow.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yay.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, well, that's interesting. So you didn't take it home because I thought you'd like that again. No, as long as you promise me you'll do that over and over. Rover, you're coming home with me.

[Matt Abaticola]

I like this dog. No, I didn't. No, it was just a little much, and it kind of like.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, that sounds like a little bit much.

[Matt Abaticola]

It was a little much, but I. I. Part of me does want one. And she keeps trying to, like, drop hints and no, you know what Beth can do?

[Dan Bernstein]

She can go get a dog and just bring it home.

[Matt Abaticola]

We know she knows. Come on. That wouldn't be nice.

[Dan Bernstein]

Why a power. Yeah. You would take care of a dog at your house. I mean, what would that do to Maggie though?

[Matt Abaticola]

Maggie's coming tonight.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. What would that do to Maggie if.

[Matt Abaticola]

You had a dog? We wouldn't be. Maggie cannot be around other dogs.

[Dan Bernstein]

So she can't be around other dogs. Or the maid.

[Matt Abaticola]

Correct. Or some people. She doesn't like Beth's dad, he can't come over when Maggie's there. We don't know why. Maybe she doesn't like people from the Bronx or something Is like giant Yankee fans dad.

[Dan Bernstein]

But I love Beth's dad. So if you want to have Maggie over while your father in law is there, he can come by my place.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay. Have him hang out over there.

[Dan Bernstein]

I would love to hang out with your father in law.

[Matt Abaticola]

He's. He's fun. It's. He's great to watch a Giants game or a Yankees game with guys get Yankee stories you wouldn't believe. When they used to let him in. There was a security guard at Yankee Stadium and he went to school in the Bronx or grade school. They'd walk home and they knew a security guard who would ask him, did you do your homework? And if it was after the fifth inning, he'd say, gee, would sure be a shame if I turned my head and didn't see and let him through. Yep, yep. And he'd always Mickey Mantle and oh, that's awesome. Yeah. Like in the heyday of those Yankees when he met Moose Scowrin at a White Sox game, he was starstruck.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, really?

[Matt Abaticola]

Like he was like, oh my God, that's Moose Scout. Like he telling you, starstruck.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, Moose was like. He was a good dude too.

[Matt Abaticola]

The best.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. You know the stories. And even if I. Even if he'd told the story before, it didn't matter.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, you. You'd listen a thousand times if you needed to.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. And the fact that he and Rangy were friends even just sort of made it cute. I always thought it would be a great road trip.

[Dan Bernstein]

Movie or roommates.

[Matt Abaticola]

No road trip. And I don't know what the MacGuffin would be. Why Moose Scowron and Chris Ronge somehow had to get from New York to la. But we'd come up with some plot device.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I would just say maybe a road trip from Chicago to the hall of Fame.

[Matt Abaticola]

Whatever it is. Maybe that maybe there's all sorts of obstacles and odd things that happen. And they get in a bar fight somewhere, but it ultimately ends with them realizing that the real boys kicking the shit out of Ronnie. The real journey was. Was about their relationship and their understanding of themselves.

[Dan Bernstein]

Have you watched the the Netflix documentary special with Will Ferrell takes the road trip with the former SNL writer.

[Matt Abaticola]

No.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, trans. And I mean, they became dear friends at snl.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, it sounds great.

[Dan Bernstein]

Starts a transition and so Will Ferrell takes a road trip with him, with her. And it's unbelievable. It's a great story. You should totally watch it. You would absolutely adore it.

[Matt Abaticola]

I bet I would like it. I mean, everybody says that Will Ferrell is actually a pretty interesting dude outside of all the silliness, but that is. Is it real or is it a bit.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, it's real.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, it's 100% real.

[Matt Abaticola]

What's it called?

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm looking up right now. You talk.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'll check it out and I'll talk. Because I can tell you about Protein Bar and Kitchen. You know, sometimes you get, I like to call it that in between feeling of I could eat, but I'm not sure and I don't know exactly what I want. And the great thing about Protein Bar and Kitchen is everything is a good option. And you never have that sort of in between. If you are pre workout, if you're post workout, if you want a big filling breakfast, if you want dinner, everything you want. Craveable, satisfying flavors with supercharged ingredients. Healthy swaps. Every entree, every protein shake, 15 or more grams of protein all day. Power is there for you at Protein Bar and Kitchen. And it's all over Chicago. Fifteen locations, the majority are in the Chicagoland area. There's one in Northbrook, there's one in Oakbrook. And this fall, they've got a special autumnal menu for you that includes their Boo Berry Halloween shake, their Smashing Pumpkin shake, their miso salmon bowl. On the fall menu. And even better, you can get 50% off protein bar and Kitchen. Make sure you get the PBK app. I've got it. You've got it.

[Dan Bernstein]

You've got to use it. Got to use it.

[Matt Abaticola]

As a DBU listener, you can get 50% off your next visit. On orders for the max value of $25, you open the app and then in the bottom, you hit more. Enter promo code. And the promo code is DBU50. DBU50. Just those five characters, DBU50. And you can get 50% off. So there you go.

[Dan Bernstein]

And they have to. Yeah, you have to get the app lots of rewards. The more you use it, the more you get. I mean, it's seriously, they just, they piled up. They piled up on my, on my app for me, whether you want to.

[Matt Abaticola]

Like double up protein.

[Dan Bernstein]

They have the five dollar thirsty Thursdays for, for blended drinks. I am stopping on the way home before I go to the train to get a couple bowls for dinner tonight. I'm going to get Nat the Mediterranean bowl again. She loved that. And I'm going to do a chicken Caesar salad. I have a taste for one.

[Matt Abaticola]

Is that enough for dinner or do you want to get.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, it's enough because then I'll have ice cream later.

[Matt Abaticola]

Because they can do extra meat.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, no, they can do extra stuff in it and I have that. It's actually one of the rewards of my ab. You can do double the protein and something like that. So no, I'll do the regular and then I'll still have room for ice cream later. I doordashed Dairy Queen last night at about nine.

[Matt Abaticola]

Let's go. So good.

[Dan Bernstein]

Really a blizzard.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I did, I did Keebler Fudge Stripes. And again, no, not fudge sticks.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, oh, that's right, you did fudge sticks.

[Matt Abaticola]

Beth ate the rest of the fudge sticks. She's gonna kill me today if I listen to this. I don't know. She's. She's.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, yeah, I mean, you had her.

[Matt Abaticola]

Doing things to you and eating all the cookies. Yeah, she's gonna be cookies. Gonna be very, very mad. But no, I had fudge. The classic fudge stripes. I had that and a bowl of Lucky Charms.

[Dan Bernstein]

That documentary is called Will and Harper. So it's about writer Andrew Steele that Will met his first day in SNL in 1995.

[Matt Abaticola]

Cool.

[Dan Bernstein]

He gets an email years and years later. This is like 2020, 2021 from Andrew letting know, Will, that he's. And they became dear friends and he's transitioning to become Harper Steel. And so Will wants to go on this trip with him, on this journey with her. I'm sorry. And because it's really, it's really touching, Dan. And Harper says at one point, I love this country, but I don't think the country likes me right now. And it's really touching and it's very emotional as you go through. And they're on this long, long, you know, cross country road trip and they stop off at some of Harper's favorite spots, like, like a dirt. A dirt track where they have like motocross and like, you know, cars and it's like a place like that, wouldn't you think? Wouldn't accept a trans person. They stop at, you know, a little dive bars along the way and, and you know, it's Will Ferrell and some people recognize him, some people don't. And he's like telling them, hey, this is my friend Harper. And it's just, it's really, really touching and moving.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's great.

[Dan Bernstein]

Won a Peabody Award. So I would, I would definitely watch it if I were you.

[Matt Abaticola]

I. That sounds awesome.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Thank you for the wreck.

[Dan Bernstein]

You are welcome.

[Matt Abaticola]

The Bulls are going to be starting soon and by the way, if you're a big Bulls fan, make sure that you don't miss organizations, win championships. We're going to be recording it later today. Episode 115, episode 2 on 312 sports is going to be out later this evening as my partner's navigating some wisdom tooth problems but says he's able to talk. So if he sounds drunk, it's his wisdom teeth or he's actually drunk, which is certainly possible. But the Bulls have injury problems already. They thought Kobe White was going to be ready for the season and he's not. He's got calf tightness and would bug me from reading in the reporting. And I was going to kind of presume this, but Julia Poe in the Tribune did say the Bulls are approaching his discomfort and tightness with wariness due to the risk of a worse injury in the Achilles tendon. And oh no, especially what's been going on in the Eastern Conference. Yeah, that it is the, it's been running rampant and the. I hope that they don't really see anything that would portend that. So be super careful. And as that is happening, Zach Collins has a non displaced fracture in his left wrist when he ran into Julius Randall in the T Wolves exhibition game. So he's out a month. He's going to miss at least 16 games and after four weeks he's going to be evaluated to be potentially cleared to return.

[Dan Bernstein]

Did he have surgery or no? Yep, he did a surgery. Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I thought I saw that surgery for a non displaced left wrist fracture. And that means Jalen Smith goes back behind Vuch as the backup center. So we'll keep an eye on that and we're going to get into all of the bull stuff and more NBA stuff because the NBA it's tonight, right? Are we, are we getting the NBA back?

[Dan Bernstein]

I believe so.

[Matt Abaticola]

This evening.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's definitely this week.

[Matt Abaticola]

I think. I think it's tonight. And we also Have a new NBA broadcaster, but it's not exactly what we thought it was going to be. So awful. Announcing says that all of this stuff about Michael Jordan coming back is now finally taking shape. And I don't know if you saw it during Sunday Night Football when NBC promoted tonight's season opener. So they showed Mike Tirico talking to Michael Jordan and that was sort of the first time we've seen. They said Jordan was going to be a special contributor to NBC's coverage. Now first of all, who asked for this?

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, so let me, let me make sure I have the timeline correct. This is NBC getting the NBA back for the first time in a while. Correct. Some multi.

[Matt Abaticola]

10 year, 11 year bringing back round ball rock.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

So, yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

So trying to bring back some of the finer years of their NBA broadcasting. Who was a major part of that was Michael Jordan. As a player.

[Matt Abaticola]

As a player.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. I don't know who wanted it. I love Michael Jordan. I'll listen to things he has to say, but I just don't think he has enough to say to add anything to an NBA broadcast.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. He's, he's, he just isn't that interesting.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, I just, I just don't think he wants to go out and say things though.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. Because he's a gazillionaire and he's a brand and when you're a brand, anything you say could be in danger of hurting your brand. So he's going to be what they're calling a special contributor. And he is gonna be airing in segments called MJ Insights to Excellence that are going to air throughout the season. MJ Insights to Excellence.

[Dan Bernstein]

So these are tape segments that will air pregame and halftime shows. That's it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

So nothing. Nothing live.

[Matt Abaticola]

What it apparently is, is and you know this from having worked in the actual corporate world and you know the meme about this meeting could have been an email. That's what this is to me. This is, these are, these sound like taped meetings that should have been emails where whatever he's going to say, just send me an email with the bullet points and I can just delete it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I just don't know because it's not going to be anything game specific. Then if it's a taped thing, I mean all you can do is like talk about leading up to it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Or it just says taped segments during the season to provide analysis that will air during pregame shows or halftime shows. He doesn't want to be bothered. Michael is either golfing or out on his bill fishing his competitive Bill fishing boat. Because that's. That whatever he's doing is not going to be sitting at a game watching the game, telling you what's happening at the game. He's, he wants to, he'll probably record these remotely. He'd probably be on the boat while he's recording them.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know what.

[Matt Abaticola]

Somebody's battling a blue marlin behind him while he's giving his insight to excellence.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. But he owns, he also owns a race car team.

[Matt Abaticola]

I don't know what, motorcycles too.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know he owns something. My, my daughter and son in law were at some event and he was there. His team was there. So I don't know what, what level it is or what it is, but he, he does that as well. And he's really passionate about that too. Like he goes to a lot of those events.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's like, like why? Unless they're like, you know what he's getting paid.

[Matt Abaticola]

No. For his insights to action.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I just like, it must be something ridiculous. Like he must be hurting. Right. Is Jumpman not selling anymore?

[Matt Abaticola]

He and James Franklin, the two of them need to, need to figure out how they're going to rub two dimes together. How is it possibly going to happen after the injustice perpetrated on James Franklin? Here you go. There's $50 million. Go cry to Nick Saban.

[Dan Bernstein]

Speaking of NBA broadcasters, there's a hello for you from our guy, Ian Eagle I talked with yesterday. He's doing the Bears game this weekend. Was hoping to get him to come on, on, on a show this week. He's unable because of NBA duties.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, I understand.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. So he's doing nets, hornets.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, he does the. All nets. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And so we're there. They're in there. I think they're in, they're in Charlotte.

[Matt Abaticola]

I think. It's not, it's not, not the most fun trip. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Traveling there. Yeah. You got to watch out for those hurricanes. Right. Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

I also, I love, I love comparing and I told Iron this that I just, I think it's funnier that his son is a more serious play by play guy than he is. Like, he's sillier than Noah is. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

We chatted briefly about, about that as well too. You know, I was super happy for him. And at first I saw Noah, I didn't know that his son was even doing stuff. And I saw him, you know, I don't know how long ago this, this was. And I was like, oh my God, is that, is that Iron's kid? I Was really, really so happy for him on that. And then he's doing Boston Knicks this week too. And then he has NFL duties, so. But he does say hello. So hopefully one day I can get on like Michael Jordan's level of analysis and broadcasting.

[Matt Abaticola]

So we're and competitive bill fishing T's.

[Dan Bernstein]

And freeze for him.

[Matt Abaticola]

So yeah, that's the other thoughts and prayers. Someday the, the, the eagle, the. The boat will be out there taking on Michael Jordan's team and there'll be reeling in the big ones and the years and stowing away the time.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh boy, man, you and the songs today. So thoughts and prayers today for Ian, for James Franklin, for Michael and his financial struggles.

[Matt Abaticola]

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[Dan Bernstein]

Hey, I want to pass along a quick thank you to one of our listeners. Dr. Jordan Lauer sent us a couple books that he authored called the Two Backpacks. I'm gonna take a look at that since I'm on the verge of raging raising and raging teenage boys. So excited to get into the book. Thanks for sending that and the very kind words. It was, yeah, really, really, really nice what he. What he had to say.

[Matt Abaticola]

Really nice personalization.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And he mentioned when he first started dating his wife that he. They were on a date and he was making what he called a batter beers because it was something I talked about mixing the Sam Adams cold snap, one of their winter lagers and Fresca. I don't remember how that came about, but he was doing it and they were drinking it on one of their first dates together. Mentioned that in the nice note that he sent. So. Thank you.

[Matt Abaticola]

Remember that?

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, yeah. I. Once I read it, I. It came. It came all back to me. I remember when I discovered the cold snaps. But thank you for sending this and the kind words. Really, really sweet.

[Matt Abaticola]

Appreciate it. I want to see if you are fit to join the proudest American force right now.

[Dan Bernstein]

Are you saying me like you, me, or them? Because I am.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay. Well, apparently, this is according to an article that just came out in the Atlantic. Apparently the plan to double the size of the ICE workforce has met a. Like the number or their weight, the actual number. The workforce, not the size of the.

[Dan Bernstein]

Size of the workers.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, that's no problem.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, because if you get bigger than that, you might not be able to move.

[Matt Abaticola]

They could do that right away.

[Dan Bernstein]

You'd have to do one guy per Suburban.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's not just the giant National Guardsmen that they showed you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Take all the seats out and you'd put one guy in one suburban, one ice guy.

[Matt Abaticola]

Just sort of roll out of the back of the Suburban. Go get him, Mike. Oh. Oh, boy. Yes, they've met a foe more powerful than any activist group, and it is decimating new recruits. At the agency's training academy in Georgia, it is the ICE personal fitness test. More than one third have failed so far. Four officials have told the Atlantic, impeding the agency's plan to hire, train and deploy 10,000 deportation officers by January. This is what they've. This is the test they've failed.

[Dan Bernstein]

Before you read the hang. I'm. Without even knowing any of the information behind it, I'm going to say it's not the actual test. It's the quality of the individual showing up for the test.

[Matt Abaticola]

Just wait.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

To pass the ICE physical fitness test, be awake. Recruits must do. Okay, how many push ups do you think?

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm going to say 10.

[Matt Abaticola]

15. 15.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

You have to do 15 push ups. How many sit ups?

[Dan Bernstein]

20.

[Matt Abaticola]

32 sit ups.

[Dan Bernstein]

32 sit ups.

[Matt Abaticola]

And this is the best. You have to run a mile and a half in 14 minutes. Ooh, okay. You could come close to walking a mile and a half.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Matt Abaticola]

In 14 minutes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I could do a mile and a half in 14 minutes. In a good pace.

[Matt Abaticola]

One career ice official said. It's pathetic. Said before now, a typical class of 40 recruits had a couple of candidates fail because the screening process was more rigorous. The academy standards have already been eased to boost recruitment. The new parameters, quote, should be the minimum for any officer. He and others, none of whom was authorized to speak with reporters, said the agency's veterans are concerned about the quality of new recruits being fast tracked onto the street to meet hiring goals. An email from ICE headquarters to the agency's top officials October 5th lamented, quote, a considerable amount of athletically allergic candidates, unquote, had been showing up at the academy. They had misrepresented their physical condition on application forms. So the email directed leaders at ice's field offices to conduct preliminary fitness exams with new recruits before sending them to the academy, according to Ralph Ferguson. Thanks for putting your name on this, Ralph. An operations official at ICE headquarters saying, we all know the self certification method has failed the department. Department of Homeland security spokesman Tricia McLaughlin told the Anakin a statement that the 1/3 failure reflected a subset of candidates in initial basic academy classes, not all new hires. They've also recently slashed the amount of time that new ICE recruits spend at the federal Law Enforcement Training Academy from four months to eight weeks. The 1.5 mile run in particular has toppled more trainees than any other requirement, which is not arbitrary.

[Dan Bernstein]

Wait, you missed one here, pal. So it's 32 sit ups in a minute or less, 22 push ups in one minute or less.

[Matt Abaticola]

This is what this is 15.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. Then this also says you have to sprint 220 yards in 47.73 seconds or less.

[Matt Abaticola]

That might be the old one. Okay. This is the new one that I think they have. They have taken it down to 15 pushups, 32 sit ups a mile and a half and 14 minutes. Wow, 15 pushups.

[Dan Bernstein]

And there used to be age requirements. You could have be older than 18 and you had to be under 40, which they've dropped the the cap. Now you can be over 40 and.

[Matt Abaticola]

You could be under 12.

[Dan Bernstein]

I didn't realize the budget too. The budget more than doubled.

[Matt Abaticola]

What do you think that bill. What do you think the big beautiful bill was?

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, yeah, I didn't know that it went from 35 billion under Yosef to 75 billion under Yonald.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's the big beautiful bill was to put them everywhere. But you can't have them if they're all big tubs of goo.

[Dan Bernstein]

Now I read something today that Illinois put into law or some protection around courthouses that people couldn't be arrested or pulled out like going into a courthouse or coming out of a courthouse. There's a restraining order placed on ICE agents and.

[Matt Abaticola]

And.

[Dan Bernstein]

And receiving medical attention as well. And if an ICE agent arrests someone near or in or around a courthouse, then deputies could step in and arrest the ICE agents.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I mean, it's fucked up, man. I know. They hit o' Hare with the. The rideshare drivers in the lot where the rideshare drivers wait and stage. Oh, yeah, they went in there.

[Dan Bernstein]

The cell phone lot.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, not the regular cell phone. And by the way, people are always lined up on 190 rather than going to the cell phone lot. Yes, just go to the damn cell phone. It's so easy. It's so convenient. It's not hard. You can get right on.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, it's not difficult.

[Matt Abaticola]

Don't sit there. On. On the shoulder on one night before by the river road entrance and exit. That. It's just terrible. Stop doing that.

[Dan Bernstein]

So I saw my first ICE agents yesterday. Yeah, they were in black Suburbans and there was three of them in a.

[Matt Abaticola]

Row like you say. Now it's one giant.

[Dan Bernstein]

One guy per Suburban. Well, there's a driver and then a guy in the bed. They took all the seats out. So the third row is gone as well. It's just an open area. They have to cover cargo area to.

[Matt Abaticola]

Cover him with Crisco to shoot him out.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, there's a tarp on the. On the floor itself. Yeah. And then they have a big lift that like a forklift gets them out of the vehicle. So. But they were. They were flying down Washington and the three of them in a row and they would turn their sirens on, their lights on, to be able to get through red lights for no particular reason. Just to. Just to get up, so. Well, I don't. I think there was a.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's an old fashioned Chicago thing. Yeah, I know, but people have lights.

[Dan Bernstein]

But three Suburbans in a row.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then spent a lot of time in Bridgeport. You see that every once in a while this was.

[Dan Bernstein]

But they stopped outside of Stan's Donuts. It was. That's where they ended up. That was their destination. I thought that was.

[Matt Abaticola]

Some things at Stan's are good.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I love Stan's Donuts.

[Matt Abaticola]

I just.

[Dan Bernstein]

You don't need to go through red lights to get.

[Matt Abaticola]

Although at Mariano's. My Mariano's, at the end of the day, they'll have a box of four leftover Stan's donuts for $2.99. And you got to go through them all. I found one.

[Dan Bernstein]

What is that again? You got to go through Them all right. How'd that look?

[Matt Abaticola]

I found four apple fritters.

[Dan Bernstein]

Did you really?

[Matt Abaticola]

And I went crazy in the Mariano's. I bet you did.

[Dan Bernstein]

I held ice.

[Matt Abaticola]

I held it up over my head and like. What? I said, look, four apple fritters. Like. Okay, you're a crazy person.

[Dan Bernstein]

Do you have the whole stands, like section now? There's like a whole new store of stands. So you have that because we had a small display.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, but those are too expensive. I'm not gonna go buy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, no, now, now there's the whole stands thing. You can get sandwich. There's like breakfast sandwiches.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, I haven't seen that.

[Dan Bernstein]

All the donuts.

[Matt Abaticola]

But I like regular grocery store donuts. Sometimes I don't fancy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I get those. I get the Mariano's bakery donuts regular.

[Matt Abaticola]

They're fine.

[Dan Bernstein]

Although they're the. The box that they. They put together for you. Like, half of them won't get eaten.

[Matt Abaticola]

I know.

[Dan Bernstein]

Like, I just. I need all strawberry or chocolate. Vanilla.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's why I was celebrating.

[Dan Bernstein]

A dozen of those.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, that's why I was celebrating because sometimes. And I do it at Juul too, when they'll. At the end of the day, they'll set up their own selection. Sometimes they nail it.

[Dan Bernstein]

So are you going to grocery stores like 10 minutes before they close on purpose?

[Matt Abaticola]

No, but that's just often when I get there. But it's gonna change now.

[Dan Bernstein]

It doesn't make sense because if you go at like 9. Cause you eat dinner at midnight.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, I don't eat that late anymore.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, that's right. You told me that you changed.

[Matt Abaticola]

I've been better.

[Dan Bernstein]

Changed your ways.

[Matt Abaticola]

I've been better.

[Dan Bernstein]

What time do you eat dinner now?

[Matt Abaticola]

Probably about 8:30.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, that's fine.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's actually early in it.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm going to bed earlier and I'm getting up earlier. It's good. See? It's okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, you're being healthier.

[Matt Abaticola]

Trying like that for you. Trying.

[Guest or Producer]

Yay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Why do I love the yay? I don't.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because it doesn't sound like a bunch of football players. It sounds like a kid's birthday party.

[Matt Abaticola]

One, two, three. Good cheer, everybody.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, I'll isolate just the cheer for you.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because it doesn't sound like an NFL locker room.

[Matt Abaticola]

I know. It sounds like. You're right. It Sounds like a 6 year old's party at like, pump it up.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And he like, blew out the birthday candles and all the workers and parents y.

[Guest or Producer]

Good job.

[Dan Bernstein]

Job, Johnny.

[Matt Abaticola]

Good job. Tremaine. Edmonds. Right. I don't know. It just sounds fun. That's going to do it for Dan Bernstein. Unfiltered. Thank you for being a part of it. Don't forget, for progress is going to be bears, Bears, Bears, Bears, bears, Spam, Spam, Spam, baked beans, Spam and egg. And then later, bulls, because our second 31 2, sports episode of organizations Win Championships is going to come your way. I need to stop talking for a moment.

[Dan Bernstein]

So take a break.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm going to do that. Well, we don't break anymore. Take a break.

[Dan Bernstein]

You mean from talking in between shows?

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, in between shows. So you can do all the things that we can put the show up and then do the other show. Okay, let's do that.

[Dan Bernstein]

I like it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Good plan.

[Guest or Producer]

Do it better.

[Matt Abaticola]

Good. Better. Never let it rest. Never let it rest. You're good. It gets better. You better get better. You better get better. Dan Bernstein.

[Dan Bernstein]

Unfiltered.

[Matt Abaticola]

Unfiltered.

[Dan Bernstein]

On 312 Sports.