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Dan Bernstein
Dan Bernstein Unfiltered Unfiltered on 312 Sports.
Matt Abaticola
Presented in partnership with my bookie, I'm Dan Bernstein, that is Matt Abaticola and we've got a lot to do here on this Monday. Obviously we're going to talk about the Bears 2614 victory over the visiting and hapless Saints. But the Bears helped make them they added haplessness to their already existing baseline level of haplessness. We will also discuss what I think can easily be argued is the greatest individual single game performance in the history of US Team sports. Team sports anywhere. And that was what Shohei Ohtani did over the weekend. Just jaw dropping. Also, Joel Quenville's re return to the United center had some things that were being said that continue to make me angry and I will explain why. Also a brazen heist at the most august art museum in the world. It proves correct a theory from one of my former producers and we have DBU picks on this Monday. I hope everybody had a terrific weekend. I know that yesterday's big Bears game was the outcome was exactly what you want and the way they got there might not have been. But you know what, that's a good thing. If we're already in a place where we can have a Bears win that is somewhat less than satisfying, that's not so bad. I think that the the perspective on that say yeah, they won but well, okay, well think about where you were. That's four in a row. That is four wins in a row despite an 0 and 2 start. And it is looking like it's going to be more of a challenge than maybe first thought in the upcoming game this weekend at Baltimore noon on Sunday. This is going to one of the better broadcasting crews with ian Eagle and J.J. watt on the call for CBS. Bears are already a six and a half point underdog because apparently both Lamar Jackson and Roquan Smith are coming back. So this will be, this will be a chance for them to figure out we don't know how good the Bears are. I don't know. Let me say I no Royal, we here. I don't know how good the Bears are. I'm liking some things. I'm seeing. I'm not liking other things. But it is a sign of a well coached football team when they can score 26 points again. They're scoring and they're scoring. They're able to do it when their quarterback was bad. They they won a game relatively easily. Remember, they were up 20 to nothing before things started to NFL on you, because that's how. That's just seemingly how these NFL games are designed to go, regardless. But they were up 20 to nothing and beating the bejesus out of a team that you should, with their quarterback being bad, but you run it until you stop it. And the defense had a hell of a day. Dennis Allen had a great day, mixed some things up, showed some different things. So all in all, in this league, every next week, all you can do is win. And then if they can somehow take this step back from Caleb Williams and the communication problems and the timing problems and the rhythm problems and fix that, or as they say, clean that up and clean up the penalties, you can start to see it a little bit. You can start to see. And it's okay to begin and maintain higher expectations. And this is a process, learning to have higher expectations. I like where it's going, though. I like the fact. And this is going to be, I think, a theme of the week. They're four and two. They've climbed out of the cellar in the NFC North. That isn't taking the north and never giving it back, but at least there's an inkling of some future success in their current success. And both are. Are intoxicating in a way. Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
What we do know about The Bears at 4 and 2, Dan, is that they are not winning because of Caleb Williams, but they're also not losing because of Caleb Williams. Now, that's not ideal. It's not what you want from a number one overall pick, but it is what it is right now, and there is a lot of work to be done. I don't know if we'll see the consistency that Ben Johnson expects and wants from his quarterback in this season. I just don't know if we will. We're starting to see a shift in the running game and consistency there. He talked about the old line needing time together and the reps in training camp and through these early portions of this season. I doubted that as a, as a fan. I was like, I don't get it. These are professional guys. These are guys that have done this for years. Why can't it happen sooner? Ben Johnson was right. I was wrong. We're starting to see that, that shift there. We're not getting the kind of play from the receiving core that we want to see, but that is because of the inconsistent play of the quarterback. The defense is getting healthier. Dennis Allen has coached them really well. He's scheming really well, particularly in this game against the Saints, a team that he knows really well.
Matt Abaticola
And wanted to beat.
Dan Bernstein
And wanted to beat very badly.
Matt Abaticola
That was if you saw when he.
Dan Bernstein
Was awarded the game ball, he was very excited.
Matt Abaticola
Excited. He was, yes. That's a guy who was real happ. No matter what he was saying and putting everything as properly and carefully as. And diplomatically as he could. That was a very satisfying win for him. No, for sure.
Dan Bernstein
And things are. Are getting better in certain aspects of. Of this football team.
Matt Abaticola
Is there good getting better? Is there better getting best.
Dan Bernstein
But, you know, the thing about it is the quarterback play has been inconsistent. Not. Not where it needs to be. But what I can say for sure that I know about this team is that it is the Ben Johnson factor, period. He is one hell of a football coach and he is coaching these guys in a way and scheming and game planning and has put a staff around him and is allowing them to do their jobs, whether it's the offensive line coach or Dennis Allen and the defensive side of the football, the specialty skill coaches as well. He's assembled a really good staff. We talked about a lot, but he's allowing them to do their jobs, which is really seeing an impact in every area on this team, with the exception again of the quarterback who's not been very efficient or consistent as we need through six games.
Matt Abaticola
And we're obviously going to get into this on forward progress today as we're going to sort of diving deep in everything that's going on. But it's clear that Ben Johnson sees the same games that we see. He. And everything's got an answer to it. You can ask him a question and get an answer. And when I noticed that the Bears won the toss and decided to receive, I rolled my eyes like God, why is he being eberfluous on this? And he explained it and he said it had to do with being able to control the direction they were going on a day when the wind mattered. Yeah, all right.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, absolutely.
Matt Abaticola
All right. Asked and answered. And there was a plan. It was something that was thought through. This is what we're going to do, and this is why we're going to do it. I appreciate that sometimes in the. In the gestalt of quarterbacking and this idea that all of these categories we look at and everything that we add up, all. Everything we try to quantify, sometimes it's. It's hard to do. And I always say that I have a difficult time sometimes operating in the spaces that lack a little bit of definition. It's. It's not my strongest suit, but what I can Tell you if. If you catch my drift, there is a rhythm problem to the quarterbacking. There's a rhythm pr. I should say a rhythm problem to the passing game. And the rhythm doesn't necessarily come in the operation of getting the play. And that's been better that if you notice when they break the huddle, run or pass, they've got time. They've got time to. For Caleb to signal for a motion to get a coverage indicator. And that's all you need. You get. Get out of the huddle and get to the line and get set with enough chance to do your best work. But there's still a rhythm issue, a timing and rhythm issue throughout the entire play that's bothering me. And this goes from the snap. Fix that shit. That's gotta stop. Whatever's going on with Dahlman and get the ball, take the ball, give the ball to the quarterback and start the damn play. Fix that. And fix the errant shotgun snaps. To fix it, that must stop. Then you have the issue of timing of some of the throwing windows. And man, that first interception. Go back and look. I know that they wanted to talk about him staring down the receiver, which he did in my estimation. There's no question that Williams dropped back and was watching, watching, watching, watching the entire time that that was intended to Roma Dunes A Quincy Riley breaks on the ball. It's a third and 17. However, if he threw it when he hitched, that ball's there. And it's not your typical hole shot, as they say, where you're trying to lob it there into that area before the safety is able to get there to help the cor. That had to be on a line and he. He hitched. He had it something in Caleb Williams targeting system he didn't trust. When you watch that play again, it was. It was just a split second late out of his hand. It's little things like that that need to be fixed. And whether that is trust, when. When you've got tone, when you've got green, throw it and he didn't. And then he threw it. Even the scrambling was a beat late or off or different. I don't mind scrambling, but know the purpose of the scrat. And if that is, we. We need to do a dive into their scramble rules because is he getting late to the look? Because there are times where either you got six yards in front of you, take it, you got five yards, you might have more. Maybe you juke a guy and you got 14 yards, but he's still spinning again, reversing Again, looking again, figure the timing of that out where it is. You're going to give them a reasonable chance to break a play out of, you know, out of your playground, half rules, whatever it is. But then stop screwing around, get some yards and, and get to the next play. Give your coach a chance. That's where I want it to be in Ben Johnson's hands. And when Caleb starts doing that and says, I can do it, I can do it, I can do it. You don't have to there. If Matt Eberfloos is standing there, yeah, I'd rather trust Caleb to make a play in that situation. But we're actually at a point now where I trust Ben Johnson live to fight another day. And I'm not necessarily even saying throw it away, scramble, dive, get a couple yards and then let Ben Johnson look at his car with down and distance and time.
Dan Bernstein
I think they're trying to coach that scrambling running downfield out of him. That's what I'm hearing. That's what I'm seeing. They don't want him running downfield. They want explosive plays, those 20 plus yard plays by throwing the football. And they want him to get better at scrambling out of danger. Now they talk about a lot about it and they're calling them the secondary plays. Just keep your ears open for secondary place. Caleb says it, Ben says it.
Matt Abaticola
Yep.
Dan Bernstein
And they don't want him scrambling and running downfield. They want him throwing the ball. The Bears last year, do you know how many explosive plays they had through the passing game last year?
Matt Abaticola
How many plays of 20 yards or more last year passing through the passing game? 15, 20.
Dan Bernstein
Do you know how many they have this year through six games? 12, 21. They want that. Ben Johnson wants that. The Lions had 60 last year. That's what Ben Johnson wants. He doesn't want. Oh, they're on pace for that kind of number. They don't want him running the football downfield. They want him to throw the football. And I think they're working on it so much. I think there's so much in his head, Dan. He's becoming less accurate on the run. He's talked about it. He struggled yesterday. He missed five or six on the run.
Matt Abaticola
You've been on set for a little while.
Dan Bernstein
Yes, because it's gone downhill. It's getting worse. He's becoming less efficient on the run. I think they're coaching that out of him. They want him to throw the ball downfield. They want him to get the ball into his playmakers. Now here's where the issue is. And I love the analogy of the Top Gun aviator. You get your signal.
Matt Abaticola
It doesn't have to be Top Gun. It could be an actual aviator.
Dan Bernstein
No, it's always going to be Top Gun.
Matt Abaticola
It doesn't have to be.
Dan Bernstein
But it doesn't have to be realized that.
Matt Abaticola
That is. There are. Top Gun's real. You realize.
Dan Bernstein
No shit, it's real.
Matt Abaticola
Okay, Just so you know that there are. There is an actual. Yes, I know. You know, naval airmen, there's Air Force. That idea of I've got tone targeting system.
Dan Bernstein
But why not attribute it to Top Gun from the start?
Matt Abaticola
Okay, Just.
Dan Bernstein
Why not? It's all road American film ever made.
Matt Abaticola
Okay.
Dan Bernstein
Okay. So I like that analogy. And he. He's just not. He's not pulling the trigger quick enough. And it was exemplified in the dump off to Swift on. I was like third. It might have been third or fourth down. And it was a really. He. He spun a few times and then dumped it off to.
Matt Abaticola
That's the one where people hanging on him.
Dan Bernstein
Yes. As he was being brought to the ground. And swift scrap. Swift, Swift runs and gets the first down out of it. If you watch that play again, he looked. Guy there, guy there, guy there just doesn't pull the trigger. But the plays are there for him to make, and he just doesn't pull the trigger on it. But he's athletic enough and he's talented enough with his feet to make that play happen where most guys in the league wouldn't make that play happen yesterday.
Matt Abaticola
Let's attribute some of these issues then, optimistically, to growing pains. This is what coaching looks like, perhaps. I agree that if we attribute this step backward as him acclimating and him assimilating new and real coaching for the first time into a much more complex and competent and successful offense, you can't argue with some of these results. Yes, this is one of the most successful Bears offenses we've ever seen.
Dan Bernstein
They're the only team in the NFL to score 21 points or more in every game, period. That's a fact.
Matt Abaticola
This is. We're not used to this.
Dan Bernstein
No.
Matt Abaticola
We ask that Bears games don't look like Bears games. This is what this is for, what we've been pining. It's not perfect. It's far from perfect. But this is what the. I guess the process looks like. The game to game and week to week, we're watching this all happening. And if, in fact, this is my point yesterday, that if in fact you're coaching out of wins, that's a great place to be. They're four and two that you're co. You're saying, yeah, we won and we beat a lesser team at home that we were expected to beat and we didn't. It wasn't pretty. Here's how to make it pretty and here's how we can go on the road and it's got to look better this week. I don't care what that Ravens record has been and apparently the odds makers don't care either.
Dan Bernstein
No guys coming back for sure.
Matt Abaticola
If you want to play the disrespect card, it's bad as the Ravens defense has been, go ahead and play that card if you're Ben Johnson, but it's going to have to be better.
Dan Bernstein
And I think when talking about it and about the run game and we're starting to see the fruits of their labor and the effort and the scheming that they have that's coming together and this is through a whole training camp and taking reps, through training camps and through four games. We saw the impact last week against the Commanders and now this week against the Saints. Again, it's starting to come together. Those are, those are guys that are getting the fits and the schemes and their combinations in place and executing what Ben Johnson wants to see. With the run game. With Caleb Williams, the learning curve is going to be a lot, a lot. There's a longer, longer curve to it. And this is exactly what you're saying. It's that process of being coached and developing into an NFL quarterback. Here's the problem. The problem is that Caleb Williams was a number one overall pick, which elevates expectations to an all time high. You couple that with the fact that, that he is a very confident young man walking into the NFL with a Heisman Trophy and confidence behind him saying I deserve this, this and this because I am Caleb Williams. That hasn't matched up to performance on the field yet. He's learning and he's being knocked down mentally. He's being knocked down from a confidence standpoint to be built back up to be an NFL quarterback. He can get there under Ben Johnson. We're seeing this process play out, which is why I said earlier, I don't think we're going to see that get there this season. They're going to win games not because of Caleb Williams. Maybe he'll have a game or two, but he's definitely going to have drives here and there. But we're going to see that develop and play out through this 18 game schedule where other aspects of the Ben Johnson factor are already taking place.
Matt Abaticola
And the fact that this very confident young man came in with all of the hoopla that he did and all the optimism and excitement and was handed over to a bunch of clowns. Clowns, yes, complete clowns.
Dan Bernstein
Coaching this team that is Ron Ryan polls 100% period.
Matt Abaticola
And they're very lucky that they got themselves in a position for us to think that maybe Johnson can rescue Caleb from what that was and reclaim him.
Dan Bernstein
And again and you've talked about it that yeah the one extra year of eber flu brought us Ben Johnson but and I know it's impossible to go.
Matt Abaticola
Back and it's one of these monkeys paw rewrite history.
Dan Bernstein
Sure. Could they have gone after Ben Johnson harder if that was the guy they identified? Could they have gone after him harder two years ago instead of waiting for this year and giving him eber flus for one more year? I don't know.
Matt Abaticola
Going to have full in depth Bears coverage as always today on forward Progress here on 312 Sports and a lot of sound football sound as we do so do not miss that. And if you're waiting for Sunday to start betting every week 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. Rougiette Ready is the three in one ED treatment that actually prepares you for the moment. Rougiette is designed to prime your brain, boost blood flow and start working in as few as 15 minutes. That's not just showing up, it'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 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're missing half the fun and half the money. College football is red hot. This has been a wild year because of all these transfers. And at some point this week, I think we're going to discuss that. I think the. What we said about James Franklin and what I'm absolutely just loving about Dabo Sweeney right now is watching these. These demagogues lose to.
Dan Bernstein
Did you watch. Did you watch James Franklin? Did you catch him on college game day?
Matt Abaticola
I didn't. How was he? Am I right in my prediction that he's going to be really good at it?
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, but he wants coaching. I mean, he wants a job and he's. He's going to get a job soon, but go ahead.
Matt Abaticola
Well, because I don't think there's enough candidates for the openings right now, but anyway, upsets, blowouts, wild covers all over college football. My bookie lets you hit it all. Game lines, player props, and more. Everything you need before the pros even kick off. When Sunday rolls around, then you're already up, because my book, he's got it all under one roof. You can win big on NFL super contest and survivor pools, but, man, there's all sorts of opportunities in a wild college schedule every week. If you're new to my bookie, we have a promo code for you. DBU. Any bet you choose, then up to $500 with that code is fully covered. You make your play. If it doesn't hit, you get it back when you opt in using the bet back bonus token. So you go to my bookie, you use the code dbu, you make your deposit, and then you're off and running and everything is right at your fingertips. My bookie is where betters win together. Because bragging is good, but cashing in is better. Good, better, best. Never let it rest until your good gets better and your better gets best. And I hope the Bears have something in there that good, better, best. Never let it rest until your bad gets good, your good gets better, and your better gets best. Because they're not acknowledging that there's bad that has to get good. There's a lot of bad that's presuming everything is good.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, he doesn't want to talk about the bad. He just wants to talk about the good and the better and the best.
Matt Abaticola
Right? Bad, good, better, best. Never let any of it rest. See, it doesn't work. So your bad gets good, your good gets better, and you're better gets best. I think you got to be honest, if there's some bad that's got to get good before you can get down to the next stuff, you know who may be the best baseball player of all time?
Dan Bernstein
Babe Ruth. No. Mike Trout.
Matt Abaticola
No.
Dan Bernstein
Albert Pools.
Matt Abaticola
No, no. He's playing right now. Oh.
Dan Bernstein
The catcher from the Mariners Cal Rally.
Matt Abaticola
He is good. I love watching him. And he's. He. He looks like a beer. League softball duty. That looks like Clue Haywood in Major League. Man, he's something. But no, this. This Ohtani guy. Yeah. Holy mackerel. So he pitched six innings. He struck out 10. He gave up two hits.
Dan Bernstein
This is good, right?
Matt Abaticola
Zero earned runs. Now, this is in a clincher to sweep out the Milwaukee brewers to go to the World Series. If he had only done that. If he had only had a 10 strikeout game and six innings, a shutout ball. That's already spectacular. The other Shohei Ohtani, the designated hitter, he had three home runs and three walks. One of the home runs went out.
Dan Bernstein
Of Dodger Stadium is the longest ever in playoff history.
Matt Abaticola
It went out of Dodger at night. Like, usually the ball only really travels during the day. He hit it out of Dodger Stadium.
Dan Bernstein
So I haven't.
Matt Abaticola
It's like if Reggie Jackson. And this is going back to when I was a child and watching Reggie Jackson hit three home runs.
Dan Bernstein
Was that 70? 78, right? Yeah.
Matt Abaticola
The third one off of a knuckleball pitcher that he hit into the batter's.
Dan Bernstein
Eye at Yankee Stadium when he heard him, too.
Matt Abaticola
And I thought it was the. I'd never seen anything like it in my life. And it would be as if Reggie Jackson, in that game, also threw six shutout innings and struck out 10. Like, what are we even doing? What. It's. You can talk about Wilt Chamberlain's hundred point game against the sort of apocryphal notions of where in Hershey he was and against whom he was playing and what was recorded and what wasn't and what was the quality of competition. And I'm not alleging any conspiracy. I know it's real. I know it happened. But I'm wondering if 50 years from now, somebody's going to look back and say, boy, this Ohtani, they're probably playing against lackluster competition, because there's no way anybody could do something like that. The ones that have been offered for the other greatest postseason performance, Don Larson's perfect game, Sandy Koufax with his shutout in 65. Bob Gibson, the shutout with 17Ks. Then you start talking about regular season. Rick Wise hitting two home runs in a no hitter.
Dan Bernstein
Those, those first three you mentioned the pitching performances. Those were not. Those were in championship series. But not game clinching. Correct? Not, not to diminish at all.
Matt Abaticola
Don Larson's was a game five. Koufax was game seven.
Dan Bernstein
Koufax was game seven. Okay.
Matt Abaticola
And the Gibson 17 strikeout shutout was game one of the world Series. But if, what was it? Fernando Tatis hitting grand slams from both sides of the plate in the same game. Yeah, you had. And then how about this game? Let's compare it with this game. This is a regular season game where this guy went 6 for 6, 3 homers, 2 doubles, 2 steals, 4 runs scored and 10 RBI. Okay, that was also Shohei Ohtani. So how about it? How about it? That was last year when he became the first 50, 50 player in MLB history and 51, 51 in the same game. That was also Ohtani. That he did. And since RBI became official in 1920, he was the only MLB player to have a game with 10 plus RBI, six plus hits, five or more extra base hits, three or more, two home runs, and two or more stolen bases. And only one player did it over the course of an entire career.
Dan Bernstein
Wow.
Matt Abaticola
Same game or not, Shohei Ohtani did all of that today. That was his previous best individual game. Right. This blows that out of the water.
Dan Bernstein
So that has to be the best individual performance from a baseball player ever. And you can't, you can't argue it, I'm saying.
Matt Abaticola
But maybe any sport, it would be like in hockey if a goaltender scored six goals or something.
Dan Bernstein
It's interesting because I was, I was trying to think of individual performances. And again, you have to take the stage of which the game is set and it's to get into the World Series. Okay, there was one, there was one game I thought of and it was 1988 and it was Marlon Mew. It was a regular season game in December. He scored, he scored a goal every way possible in one game. So he had an even strength goal, a power play goal, a shorthanded goal, a penalty shot, and an empty netter all in one game. But that's just. I mean, that's pretty fucking, Pretty fucking cool. Yeah, but that's just, that's just a regular season game in December. It's not getting anywhere. But like, that was one thing that came to my mind. Trying to think of individual performances. This is easily the greatest individual performance in baseball. Without a doubt.
Matt Abaticola
I mean, you can go to Gail Sayers, the six touchdown game.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah.
Matt Abaticola
Or you can go to. Was it Ernie Nevers? You can look up the Ernie Nevers game, I believe, when you. When. When players, you know, went both ways and played multiple positions. To me, it's the fact that you. It's really hard to find a comp for being a brilliant pitcher and a historic slugger. That's why I said it's like a. It's like if Mario Lemieux had that game and also spent the third period in the net and blocked every shot.
Dan Bernstein
Right.
Matt Abaticola
And had made every save. Like that's. That's what that is.
Dan Bernstein
Well, but here's the thing though. There aren't any other sports where you can. Well, let me take that back. Basketball, you play offense and defense.
Matt Abaticola
I mean, had Wilt Chamberlain's team won the game 100 to nothing and he.
Dan Bernstein
Scored every point and blocked every shot. Right.
Matt Abaticola
That's like some of these women's basketball games where they have somebody that does that in high school. Did you see the Division 3 running back this week that ran for 522 yards?
Dan Bernstein
Christ, no.
Matt Abaticola
Yes, he ran for 522 yards. Oh, boy, that's a nice game.
Dan Bernstein
Fernie never scored 40 points in a game. Is that the game we're talking about?
Matt Abaticola
I remember it from football. Players do amazing things. And he was kicking also holds NFL.
Dan Bernstein
Record for points scored in the game.
Matt Abaticola
40. Yeah, but some of it was kicking.
Dan Bernstein
Okay.
Matt Abaticola
That he was running and he was throwing and he was texting and sexting and kicking.
Dan Bernstein
You would need an NFL player to be a running back, to score three touchdowns, to play defense and intercept three picks and run one back. I mean, it just.
Matt Abaticola
It's the stuff that Travis Hunter was doing in college last year, but to the end degree.
Dan Bernstein
Right. But the possibility of it is. Isn't there outside of baseball? So. Yes, I'm. Yeah, I mean, it's. You know, you could think through it and research some more, but.
Matt Abaticola
Or like in the Olympics. I mean, we know that something. You know, I've heard there's tales of amazing athletic feats. I always heard the story in the Nebraska state track and field championships when. Cause my father was in the same high school class with Gale Sayers. And famously, Gale Sayers was entered multiply in the track and field championships. And he was like your father. Well, no, but they were stood next to each other in the yearbook because my dad was state runner up in doubles tennis.
Dan Bernstein
Did your dad Elbow his way in next to Gayle.
Matt Abaticola
I don't know how he got there.
Dan Bernstein
Let me get in there.
Matt Abaticola
He stood in there. But they're, they're, they're, they're next to each other in the, in the Letterman photo.
Dan Bernstein
Nice.
Matt Abaticola
So they, I guess Sayers had. It was like the 4 by 100 relay. The. So he won all of these. And then their long jumper got hurt. And back then there was a rule that you could have anybody else substitute who was already there in an event.
Dan Bernstein
And he won.
Matt Abaticola
And Gail had not done the long jump.
Dan Bernstein
Okay. And tell me he won it.
Matt Abaticola
And he said, well, I'll try it.
Dan Bernstein
Oh, boy.
Matt Abaticola
So as the story goes, Gail Sayers, on the first time ever doing the long jump in the state finals. He set the state freshman. He was a freshman. Set the state freshman record for long jump. And he said, oh, I'm sorry, coach, I went off on the wrong foot.
Dan Bernstein
Oh, wow.
Matt Abaticola
And then in the next one, he set the national record.
Dan Bernstein
You know, he was the greatest running back ever in the NFL. You just ask him.
Matt Abaticola
Well, you can't now.
Dan Bernstein
Well, now you can't. I mean, if you could.
Matt Abaticola
He was pretty good, you know, he was really fucking good. He was pretty good.
Dan Bernstein
But the, but the thing with, like, the track and field stuff, you don't, like if there was someone on the track trying to trip you. Okay. Can make those arguments like it's, you know, it's your individual performance. Yeah. You're competing against other guys in other lanes, but there's no one out there throwing a ball at you or trying to hit you. Like, he's, he's going against guys trying to strike him out.
Matt Abaticola
At a level in an era of pitching dominance. But he's one of the pitchers who's also dominant, right.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. It's. It's got to be the greatest individual performance ever of all sports. It has to be.
Matt Abaticola
And even if, like we say, sometimes comparison is the thief of joy, that ranking things makes it less fun and. But I like this.
Dan Bernstein
Makes it more fun.
Matt Abaticola
I think the idea. Look, if we're talking about these other games, if we're talking about the Sean Green game, we're talking about Kerry Woods 20 strikeout game. And it's. Okay. It's just ungodly what he's doing.
Dan Bernstein
Comparison is the thief of joy. Only for your own life. When you compare yourself to others, that's where it's. Yeah. It's not. Not in doing stupid sports talk.
Matt Abaticola
Oh, okay. I've never quite heard it put that way. Thank you for sure. You just made that very clear.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah.
Matt Abaticola
Thank you.
Dan Bernstein
You're welcome. My.
Matt Abaticola
My new windows are coming soon. My new windows are coming soon. And I'm very excited because the cold weather's here. And boy, we had a nice. We had a cozy Sunday, didn't we? Because it's raining out and football is on, and it was kind of gray when you wake up. And I wake up and I get a text that Beth and Zoe went out to get pumpkin bread. Cause they had a craving for coffee and pumpkin bread. So they came home and it was just one of these sort of autumnal days. And then I'm thinking, it's gonna get cold. Boy, do I need new windows. Ah, I got em. I have em. And they're coming from Chicago Window gu. They should be coming to you too, because all you got to do is pick up the phone and call Russ. Russ Armstrong. And I mean it. It's not like some call center. Russ will talk to you, Russell. Come to your house. And he's a lovely man, too. And you know, he maybe somebody. You might not even want him to leave. You might just want Russ to hang out and you go, you get him a cup of coffee, you sit and you talk about sports and things. Russ is the owner of Chicago Window Guys. He doesn't use subcontracted labor. His crew works for him. He knows everybody in and around your house. He'll match any price. So don't worry about that. Just have him out to the house. Let him do an estimate. Let him tell you about the windows that he's gonna custom make at his factories here in Chicago. But make sure you call 847-302-9171 and check out his 5 star reviews at ChicagoNowBeyond.com I've recommended him to friends, to coworkers, to neighbors. Everybody loves the windows that Russ puts in your house. 847-302-9171 chicagowindowguys.com you mentioned hockey. And I was just looking at some of the headlines today and I got angry again reading some of this stuff and some of the way that we continue to cover whatever this iteration of Joel Quennville is because. And this is not the fault of the way it's being reported because I know, because he has been reinstated in the NHL because he is, by all accounts, he's been contrite enough about his misdeeds that he's been allowed to do what he does as a hockey coach. And he's now coaching the Anaheim Ducks. And they were back in Chicago. But the reporting is properly saying that the Blackhawks and Joel Quennville have moved on from each other. That's the headline in the Sun Times. They've moved on. All right, well, how am I supposed to feel about that is what I'm thinking. And the answer is a little gross that, oh, this is the headline. Well, there's no celebration of his return. He's already been back and I don't even remember. Did they do anything when he came back with the Panthers, they said the Hawks were absolved of any obligation to recognize him Sunday. What obligation? It's so convenient to forget how ugly this was. And I'm still not over it. What we know happened with the Blackhawks and their first Stanley cup championship, and I'm not going to recap everything, but you know that there was a massive organizational cover up. One of their coaches, Brad Aldrich, was sexually assaulting players in their organization, including Kyle beach, who had the courage to put his name on some of this. And it was revealed in various meetings that as the Blackhawks were trying to win that first Stanley cup, that Stan Bowman told investigators that Quennville shook his head and said it was hard for the team to get where they were. They couldn't deal with, with this issue. Now, that was May 23rd of 2010 in that front office meeting where all the important people in the Blackhawks organization were told what Brad Aldrich was doing and sexually assaulting Kyle beach and others. And then team counselor Jim Gary said during the meeting Quenville appeared angry, was concerned about upsetting team chemistry. Now Quinville's tried to say the right things and tried to learn about what he did wrong. Said he's had healthy conversations with Kyle Beach. I'm looking at this from the, from the Sun Times reporting. And he said, well, things we learned, I could have been more forceful asking more questions. I could have gotten more involved in the details of what happened. Well, what happened after the fact was because people didn't ask questions and because people and Everybody involved, John McDonough on down and all the other names that have and Stan Bowman and those that have been pushed out of their jobs and out of the industry for their lack of desire to do the right thing and throw a sexual assailant, throw a predator a monster in jail because it would dare upset their opportunity to win a Stanley cup, that it has obscured the fact that the Blackhawks continued to give Brad Aldrich positive internal performance reviews and say nice things about him. And that through the hockey grapevine, Brad Aldrich Was able to get more jobs, plural, more jobs. Brad Aldrich after this, after he resigned his position with Chicago because of Quenville and everybody else there, continuing to, in official internal reports, say good things about the work that he was being done and for there to be general consensus outwardly that everything was fine. Brad Aldrich worked for USA Hockey. Brad Aldrich worked for the University of Notre Dame. Brad Aldrich worked for Miami University in Ohio. This was after his behavior was well known with the Blackhawks. He then returned to Michigan. Michigan. He's from Michigan in Houghton or Huffton county, which is part of a ingrained hockey family there. His father, Mike Aldrich, who's been the equipment manager of the San Jose Sharks, his uncle was an assistant hockey coach there. So Aldrich is part of hockey royalty in this Michigan town. And he assaulted at least one more that we know. High school kid. This is all after the fact. After the fact. And this was because of what was described as favorable information from coaches at Notre Dame. And all this starts with the Blackhawks. Had the Blackhawks said, if they called 91 1, that's all you gotta do, call 91 1, this guy should have been behind bars.
Dan Bernstein
Well, if his behavior, and without knowing any of this, didn't start with the Blackhawks, it started well before that. So there were. There were other. Other teams, other organizations that had. This had to have happened.
Matt Abaticola
But he later pled guilty to assaulting one of the high school hockey players he had volunteered to coach. I want to know when you say moved on, and this is. This is all I ask. How about the victim? How about the victim's plural? Do they get to move on and play hockey? Drop the puck. Okay. Sing the songs. Point of the flag was still there. And drop the puck. Well, I haven't. This was so awful. All in the name of winning a Stanley Cup. And he literally. Brad Aldridge brought the cup to his hometown. He brought. He was allowed to bring the Blackhawk Stanley cup back to this hometown. He was wrapped in all of this Blackhawks glory. And the Blackhawks let him do it. It was with their blessing. Internal reports, everything else that allowed him to get these jobs. Instead of saying, hey, you know, this guy's dangerous. This is a predator, and he did it. They only caught him this one other time. I'll bet there's more victims. Did they get to move on for sure? Do they just get to move on? Is that it? Is that all just collateral damage for winning a Stanley Cup? I want to get back to watching the Blackhawks. I really Do I think there's some. There's some better people now that Rocky Wirtz is dead because he didn't acquit himself properly either. He was. He was an embarrassment, too, so. But now that he's gone, I like to think that Danny Wirtz and Jamie Faulkner are trying to do some of the right things in a lot of ways. It's real damn hard for me. It is real hard for me to care about Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard and anything else that's going on, whether or not they're. They're playing well or not. It's really hard because this still burns. This still. This still hurts. This was so bad that it's. It has really made it difficult. And. Go ahead. I'm not. I'm not telling you that. Not to enjoy your Blackhawks and sing your songs. And a lot of that is just never gonna be the same in any way. And it's still taken me time to get back to it.
Dan Bernstein
Well, I just, you know, going through this article, it's. It's really embarrassing. Joel Quinville says I could have been more forceful, asked more questions, gotten more involved in the details of what happened. How about you just listen? Like, that's not hard. A guy in your organization told you that he was sexually assaulted. You didn't have to ask more questions. You didn't have to.
Matt Abaticola
It's not just he didn't ask. But see, but that. All that too obscures it. It wasn't just a crime of omission. He was part of the CO Mission.
Dan Bernstein
Yes.
Matt Abaticola
We can't deal with this now. It's going to be a distraction. It lets him off the hook by saying, oh, I just didn't ask questions. I didn't know. It was worse than that. He held so much sway in this organization that when this coach says they're waiting to understand in that meeting, they're waiting to know what he's. Had he said something, it wouldn't have gone down like this. He could have said, this is more important than hockey. He could have said that. And he didn't. And it wasn't just a lack of asking questions. He made it clear that this is going to be a distraction. He was angry that it was even brought up. He was angry that he was in that meeting.
Dan Bernstein
This is what Stan Bowman said. He told investigators during this whole. This whole process that Quenville was. And this is their paraphrasing or was dismissive of allegations, saying the team needed to focus on winning.
Matt Abaticola
Yep. Yep. That's Not a lack of asking questions.
Dan Bernstein
Correct. That's brushing it under. Under the rug.
Matt Abaticola
Actively. Actively saying, deciding you're not interested.
Dan Bernstein
But you were also the general manager of the fucking team.
Matt Abaticola
And the president of the team.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, I get where you're coming from. I understand how you feel about it, because I still feel the same way. And going back to watching college football this weekend and seeing my Vanderbilt Commodores beat LSU and just seeing Chip Kelly on the screen, I can't help but think back to Declan. I can't remember his name now, God damn it, but the young video recorder at Notre Dame that died videotaping the practice. And he even said when he was going up on that lift to record, you know, that day during practice.
Matt Abaticola
That.
Dan Bernstein
He felt like he made a comment.
Matt Abaticola
In passing that he felt like Declan Sullivan.
Dan Bernstein
Declan Sullivan. Thank you. That he was. He was going to die that day. And videotaping a college football practice was more important. And I can't help but think about that every time I see Chip Kelly. And to see him on the screen lose to Vanderbilt is just. It's an extra, extra happy feeling, because I just don't think that guy should continue coaching college football. I just don't.
Matt Abaticola
When you have a. Well, that was also Jack Swarbrick. And when he said it was unremarkable. Boy, I've got to put myself back in that headspace to remember all that and just what people said about how that went down and what other coaches would do. Brady. And I hope you mean Brian. You said Chip Kelly. Brian Kelly is the one you're talking about, right?
Dan Bernstein
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. My bad, my bad, my bad.
Matt Abaticola
I want to make sure it's Brian Kelly. My bad. Sorry. Thank you. A lot of that was obscured with the way Brian Kelly acted in his. The whole MA Family thing, which is sort of the cute aspect of him leaving the. And taking that job and pretending he was all Southern, and it did. I understand that there's certain things that stick with you in those ways, and I'm glad that does, because I would say that that kind of lapsed with me a little bit, that there's always that sort of burn. I know I don't like this guy. And it kind of gets lost in the sideline tantrums and the way he's lied about his ambitions and getting mad at players for leaving when he was leaving. So.
Dan Bernstein
Good.
Matt Abaticola
I'm glad. I'm glad you still feel that way about Brian Kelly.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. And huge apologies to Chip Kelly, the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders. My Bad buddy. Sorry about that. Yeah. Brian Kelly. And seeing Brian Kelly on the screen, you know, at lsu, that's just the first thing I thought of. Like, I'll never not think of that situation and how we talked about it and the feelings that it invoked during that. That time, that the fact that he moved on to have more jobs and continued working at, like, he. You know, like, the whole thing of college football, like, we're building these men and building the men for the future, and, yeah, we want to win football games, but it's really important about building the man and the character of a young student athlete. That's bullshit. Yeah. Like, so then Declan Sullivan's life just didn't mean as much as a college athlete. Is that all it is? You know, that's just. It's terrible. And. And it just. It breaks my heart because the fact that. The fact he made a joke about it in, like, he was. He was afraid.
Matt Abaticola
He sent a text that says, I'm going to die up here today.
Dan Bernstein
I'm going to die up here today. And he was still. And still, with those reservations, was still sent up there to record a fucking college football practice.
Matt Abaticola
Jack Swarbrick said it was. That the wins were unremarkable. Yeah, it's another name we see all the time, still is Jack Swarber. Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
But it's winning. Winning is the most important thing when it comes to athletics. And that's. That's really. That's really what it boils down to. And whether it's at the professional level or the college level, that's all it boils down to, is winning. And winning can cover up a lot of. A lot of decisions to allow crime.
Matt Abaticola
To continue moving forward. And I think that's why when I saw the headlines about Joel Quinville, all I could think about was specifically, was that kid in Michigan and. Or those kids in Michigan, did they get to move on? Does he. Does he have the lug. The privilege. Does he have the privilege that they have of saying, we've moved on?
Dan Bernstein
Right.
Matt Abaticola
And who else get to move on?
Dan Bernstein
Who else has not come forward yet? Who else did he. That he. Impact.
Matt Abaticola
We know how this works because it.
Dan Bernstein
Didn'T start with the Blackhawks.
Matt Abaticola
Right. And it's. It's for this, you know, we can start on the whole Penn State thing. Sure. And. And you know that I spent a ton of my. Ton of my professional life dealing with a lot of that.
Dan Bernstein
But thank you for the correction on Brian Kelly. Sorry, Chip.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, it's all right. Bears on three. One Two, three. So the Jay Zawaski rule proved true.
Dan Bernstein
Order a second burger.
Matt Abaticola
Ow. What? Oh, no, that's Rick Camp. My bad. The Jay Zawaski rule is this. I love.
Dan Bernstein
I'm a fan.
Matt Abaticola
The great Jay Zawaski has long said, if you have one of those yellow neon vests and a clipboard. Oh, you can do anything in with impunity. You can go anywhere, you can do anything. You can get anywhere, regardless of the security level around. Anything with. Even if they're scanning your retina. No matter the level of security. If you just. If you're a white person, especially wire rimmed glasses, salt and pepper hair, maybe a hard hat, but not necessarily on. Maybe the hard hat cradled under your arm clipboard and one of those neon vests, you can get anywhere. And when you look at the details of this unbelievably daring heist of crown jewels from the Louvre, it is in there in the details. They were wearing neon yellow construction vests. And if you haven't seen this, this was Sunday. They believe the entire heist took approximately four minutes. These thieves in a basket lift like a cherry picker. They drove it up to the outside of the Louvre. And if you. The Louvre is. There are a lot of windows in this old building and it is right on the street up against the Seine.
Dan Bernstein
Wasn't that an old TV show on pbs?
Matt Abaticola
This old building.
Dan Bernstein
A lot of windows in this old building.
Matt Abaticola
Well, Russ Armstrong is going to. That's the thing, the Louvre. Call Ross Armstrong. Seriously, get him out there to save your precious jewels and send him out.
Dan Bernstein
To the jewels too.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, send him over by the jewels.
Dan Bernstein
The one in Wayne.
Matt Abaticola
The one out in Wayne, and have him get on the horse and ride it away. So they drove right up to one of the windows. They went up, they pushed the window open, they went in, they carved a hole in the glass, this old Napoleonic glass. And they took out some serious, serious stuff. A sapphire diadem necklace. A single earring from a matching set linked to 19th century French queens Marie Amelie and Hortense. An emerald necklace and earrings from the matching set of Empress Marie Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte's second wife. A reliquary brooch, Empress Eugenie's diadem and her large corsage bow brooch. A prized 19th century imperial ensemble being described as a major robbery of inestimable historical value. And it was that easy. Middle of the day, right up. Went in through the window, took it. Apparently it did trigger an alarm. Security did come by, but they scared them off with their construction Tools, apparently. And they fled on motorbikes, and they were gone with the jewelry. So I was thinking, first of all, they have to have a buyer. You don't do this on spec. You don't. You don't do this and say, oh, you got him. Now what? It'd be like a Coen Brothers movie. Yeah, well, we gotta sell these. Hey, what you got there? Oh, I don't know. Just some jewels.
Dan Bernstein
And if it was a Coen brothers movie, it would start Mark Wahlberg, because I think everything he's done recently is about him stealing things.
Matt Abaticola
Stealing things.
Dan Bernstein
Like all the shows.
Matt Abaticola
I know.
Dan Bernstein
Netflix.
Matt Abaticola
I am cooperating with the interview. I'll do a lot check right now. So obviously they've got a plan here. And according to an expert.
Dan Bernstein
Could be you, could be me.
Matt Abaticola
The kingdom of could be you. It says it's unlikely these jewels will ever be seen again. Professional crews often break down and recut large, recognizable stones to evade detection, effectively erasing their provenance.
Dan Bernstein
That's what I. I would do.
Matt Abaticola
They do not know how many people were involved, whether they had inside assistance. Good luck with this one. And here's the thing. Part of the problem is chronic understaffing and overcrowding at the Louvre. That because of Instagram and mass tourism and the number of people who want to take photos in front of the Mona Lisa or Winged Victory or any of the other priceless pieces of art there, and world famous pieces of art, that they're swamped. A lot of these museums are getting swamped because of this mass Instagram tourism. I feel I'm lucky enough to have been to the Louvre twice and never felt crazy crowded. Although it did. It really did sort of bother me intellectually, the number of people looking at these great works of art through their phones. It's right in front of you. Look at it. Your eyes are right here. Look at the art. Look at. So you're taking a picture now, and you can put it on Instagram or send it to all your friends. You're standing from the Mona Lisa. Look. Look at it.
Dan Bernstein
But it's not about seeing the art. It's about the fact that you were there where the art is.
Matt Abaticola
This is not Pokemon Go.
Dan Bernstein
I know, but that's. That's what this is.
Matt Abaticola
Not Pokemon.
Dan Bernstein
But the culture is created now, though, Dan. It's not about seeing those things.
Matt Abaticola
Look at that. Look at the art.
Dan Bernstein
It's about. I've been there.
Matt Abaticola
Walk down the street and go. The Musee de l' Orangerie and sit in that room with the Monet, Water lilies. Just sit with these massive curved walls of paintings right down the street. And you don't have to take a picture. Sit and look. You could sit there for. I sat here half an hour in front of one of these. It's staggering. It's staggering to use your eyes. Look at the painting.
Dan Bernstein
Well, you're old though, pal. It's a different generation now.
Matt Abaticola
But that's what art is.
Dan Bernstein
But that's what the culture has done.
Matt Abaticola
Look at it. But. But they did it. I just want. And I texted Jay, you say congratulations. I texted Jay, well, that's here.
Dan Bernstein
Maybe he was involved.
Matt Abaticola
This is what I texted Jay Zawaski. I said, did you see that the Louvre robbers were wearing neon construction vests? If they had clipboards. Jay, I'm reporting you to Interpol. And he said, my theory isn't a theory. It is a scientific fact. And I said, apparently I'm leaving it at that. Cause my phone will be confiscated. Certainly as they track down international criminal data.
Dan Bernstein
You don't need Interpol and the Federal Comedy looking for you.
Matt Abaticola
No. And seriously, what a cover the I'm Fat podcast is. The I'm Fat pod is a perfect cover for being. It's a front for an international jewel thief ring.
Dan Bernstein
So do you remember and onion ring, the. The Cubs win the World Series 2016. Do you remember where we did a show from to celebrate that on the day of the. The parade and all that. All that stuff.
Matt Abaticola
Harry. No, Harry Carey's with us with the White Sox. Yeah. Yeah. It was right in front of the bean.
Dan Bernstein
Yes, right in front of the bean. And you remember how crowded it was?
Matt Abaticola
I do.
Dan Bernstein
The police, everything. So I had to go back and forth multiple times from our on site location back up to Prudential to our office.
Matt Abaticola
Okay, so here's what I. We keep forgetting stuff.
Dan Bernstein
Yes. And I had to go get reads. There was different things that was happening. So I'm running back and forth multiple times and it was really. It took me a long time to get through. The first time I had a north face vest in the office. I still have it today. I actually wore it today. It's gray on the outside. The inside lining is bright orange. Like construction color orange.
Matt Abaticola
Not like hunting color orange.
Dan Bernstein
No, like construction color orange. I flipped it inside out, zipped it from the inside. So I had a bright orange vest on. I took my Cubs badge and my White Sox badge that I had in my locker and I put them over like they were thing. And I grabbed a stack of papers and crumpled them Up. And I. I ran through, like, the police barricade, and the crowds, like, people, like, parted for me because I'm like, running. Excuse me. Excuse me. In a hurry. Badges. Badges flopping around, bright orange vest. And I got in and out within. Within minutes this time, because the first time it took about 25 minutes to get back up here. And then I was able to do that and just cut. And no, police didn't even stop because I had a bright orange vest on a white guy, papers crumpled up in my hands, and badges flopping back and forth. That was a 2011 Cubs ID badge and whatever year. The one I had for Comiskey. But that's all it was. And no one even questioned me about it. Now, had I known that, I could have gone to the Louvre that day and stolen some jewels from Napoleon.
Matt Abaticola
Or you could have gone to the jewels and stolen some chicken or a horse.
Dan Bernstein
Well, you don't need to steal it. You just go to Mariano's and get it. Clearance day. Cheap meat. Hey, man.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, don't.
Dan Bernstein
I'm in now.
Matt Abaticola
Are you?
Dan Bernstein
I'm in.
Matt Abaticola
It's a great feeling, right? You find a comer. I'm in.
Dan Bernstein
You know, I went to Aldi the other day and I bought. It's like. It was like. Was it 4, 12, 13, 15 chicken thighs was $9, dude.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah. Outstanding work.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, thank you.
Matt Abaticola
That's great.
Dan Bernstein
Thank you.
Matt Abaticola
You know the one guy in your group chat that hits a five leg parlay week one and won't shut up about it the rest of the season. And of course, you know, well, it could be you. Speaking of, could be you. You hit the five leg parlay with my bookie. It's ridiculously easy to get in on the action with my bookie. College ball, NFL super contest, survivor pools. All the spreads, all the player props in game lines, everything you want. It's all under one roof. And don't forget our code for Dan Bernstein. Unfiltered dbu. If you're new to my bookie, use that code. Any bet you choose up to $500 is fully covered. Make your play. If it doesn't hit, you get it right back. Opt in using the bet back bonus token. We got DBU picks coming up in just a second. Mine last night. Yesterday, half and half. No better time to jump in. No better place to play. Football is back, so go in, make your deposit, start betting, set up your account. Does not take long at all. So you can make some money with. With my bookie. Thanks to everybody who said hi or Everybody I saw on Saturday at the Lakeview no Kings protest, Beth and I went out there. I didn't really understand her signs. Apparently there's some inside Taylor Swift lyric jokes. It was great to see at least our event that I attended in Lakeview. We didn't go all the way downtown, but the one at the corner Broadway and Melrose for the hour that we were there from one to two was peaceful and energetic and an inspiring mix of generations. It was great to see grandparents with grandkids. It was great to see a lot of people understanding what it's like to be a part of something. And I was talking to my friends in my White Sox group chat and was really proud to see how every single person in our White Sox group chat went to a protest. And we were sharing pictures from Boston, from New York, from multiple places here in Chicago, from Greenwich, Connecticut. And it wasn't any kind of plan thing. It just so happened that everybody had gone out there and thinking about what it was and what it meant and how it felt to be around like minded people. I actually, I read a tweet that I first thought was a little harsh and then I realized I agreed. And this is from somebody named Jonathan M. Katz, a writer. And I'll leave it at this. And the tweet just said this not a shitpost. No Kings is feel good performative activism for comfortable, mostly upper and upper middle class white folks. Read that again. No Kings is feel good performative activism for comfortable, mostly upper and upper middle class white folks. I agree with that. I think in large part that's exactly what it was. This is me talking, Dan Bernstein. I think that's right. And I also think this part of the tweet is right. That's good. Actually. Millions of people in the streets protesting a fascist regime is good. It is good for the normie baseline to be massive displays of public dissension. I like that. I think both things can be true. It can be feel good performative activism for the privileged who aren't ever going to be swept away from our jobs and have our friends and well, maybe not friends, but family rounded up and thrown into vans and sent away to a prison in El Salvador. It's from a place of privilege. But when the normie baseline is a massive display of public dissent and protesting injustice, that's good. And to see like minded, to get out of the online bubble a little bit and to go hang with like minded people in those numbers, in those massive, massive, massive numbers was empowering. So good job, good job to Everybody involved. And I would look forward to the next one.
Dan Bernstein
All right, we have DBU picks.
Matt Abaticola
And I am going to the well again.
Dan Bernstein
Oh, boy. What are you doing?
Matt Abaticola
I'm going to the well.
Dan Bernstein
All right.
Matt Abaticola
It didn't work last time.
Dan Bernstein
Okay.
Matt Abaticola
But I'm doing it again tonight. Well, and I'm doing it. And I want to say I did get the Spencer Rattler. I got half of the parlay correct. I didn't get the rushing guards, but I got the under 21 and a half completions because the weather was ended up better than I thought. But you know the name of the Lions player, I just like to say.
Dan Bernstein
Yep. Anal zone.
Matt Abaticola
No, highway to the anal zone. Alex Anzalone. I only read that as anal zone. No, it's. It is rookie wide receiver.
Dan Bernstein
Oh, yeah.
Matt Abaticola
Isaac to slaw.
Dan Bernstein
He.
Matt Abaticola
If he gets more than 9.5 receiving yards, that's the over. That's one catch. I'm going over. I am saying tonight against the Buccaneers, Isaac, Tess Law will have a catch. He will have over nine and a half yards or knowing my luck, he'll have a catch for 8 yards. But I think you're going to look at his. His sneaky athleticism because he's white. They're going to find him. He's going to get loose against the zone or his man is going to fall down. And somehow that one catch for over 9.5 yards will be made by Lions receiver Isaac Taslaw.
Dan Bernstein
And I had to give me that look. I don't have any look. I love it. It's just. It's only something only you can do. Only I can't. Yeah, I can't.
Matt Abaticola
I can't do that.
Dan Bernstein
I gave you a couple parlays for the weekend and neither one of them hit. And it's really disappointing because I. I bet with my heart on one of them, which is stupid. And then the other one. The Raiders just fucking suck.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, they're bad.
Dan Bernstein
So I gave you the. The Chiefs minus 12 and a half and the over 45 and a half, which didn't happen because the Chiefs won 31 to 0. The Raiders couldn't score anything. But the Chiefs did cover that easy. And then I also gave you Vandy - two and a half and they won out right over LSU.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, you messed up on what I was watching pretty closely.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. And I said two lane minus ten over army. And it just. It didn't. They won, but they didn't cover the 10 I took.
Matt Abaticola
And it was tight late.
Dan Bernstein
Like that was a late touchdown. We Were losing and I was, like, tight at 17.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
I was really pissed. But I did that for you. And that was wrong. I shouldn't do that. But I was wrong. But I'm going to get back on track, and I'm not going to bet with my heart this time, because that's what I was about to do do. So I'm going to look at both games tonight and give you a parlay. I'm going to take Detroit -6 at home against Tampa because of the injuries that Tampa's facing.
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, the wide receivers are all hurt, Right.
Dan Bernstein
Wide receivers are all hurt. Bucky Irving's out. Yeah. So there's a lot of offensive players. Yeah.
Matt Abaticola
But their. Their backup running back is good. Okay.
Dan Bernstein
But, yeah, there's a lot of injuries. A lot of injuries. So we're going to go Detroit at home, minus six.
Matt Abaticola
He's good.
Dan Bernstein
And then we're also going to go with. We're taking the Texans plus three at Seattle.
Matt Abaticola
Rashad White, by the way, I like him. Okay. Okay. All right.
Dan Bernstein
Texas plus three at Seattle. Detroit minus six, hosting Tampa Bay. Give us your pick one more time, please.
Matt Abaticola
My pick is Isaac Tesla over 9.5 receiving yards tonight. 9.5. Not 95. 9.5.
Dan Bernstein
You know, he's in a finish with one catch and nine yards.
Matt Abaticola
That's what I said. Okay. But he's still. Isaac says Hall.
Dan Bernstein
Yes, he is.
Matt Abaticola
I knew if I said it enough, I'd get the laugh.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, you got it.
Matt Abaticola
That is Dan Bernstein, unfiltered, presented in partnership with my bookie. Obviously, you don't want to miss forward progress today either. The 4 and 2 Bears now tied for second in the. They're in third.
Dan Bernstein
They're in third.
Matt Abaticola
They's in third.
Dan Bernstein
Because if the Lions lose tonight, the Bears will jump into second place.
Matt Abaticola
How about that? Good. Better bet. Good. Better bet. Never let it rest. Never let it rest. Good gets better. You better get better. And your bad gets good. Bye.
Dan Bernstein
Dan Bernstein, unfiltered.
Matt Abaticola
Unfiltered on 312 sports.
In this candid, energetic episode, Dan Bernstein and Matt Abbatacola break down the Chicago Bears' 26-14 victory over the New Orleans Saints, analyze the current state and future prospects of the franchise, and hotly debate the performance of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. The discussion expands into broader territory, including a passionate appraisal of Shohei Ohtani’s historic MLB playoff performance, reflections on the painful legacy of the Blackhawks' abuse scandal and its aftermath, and a wild Paris art heist that proves a cherished "clipboard theory." The episode blends sharp sports analysis with unflinching honesty, humor, and a distinctly Chicago sensibility.
Timestamps: 00:08–18:57
Timestamps: 23:14–33:35
Timestamps: 39:09–50:39
Timestamps: 51:06–57:53
Timestamps: 62:45–65:11
Timestamps: 65:11–69:26
On Expectations and Coaching
"This is what the process looks like… If in fact you're coaching out of wins, that's a great place to be." (Matt, 15:17)
On Ohtani’s Feat
"That has to be the best individual performance from a baseball player ever. And you can't, you can't argue it..." (Dan, 28:02)
On Sporting Culture & Abuse “It's so convenient to forget how ugly this was. And I'm still not over it. What we know happened with the Blackhawks… it was so bad that it has really made it difficult.” (Dan, 41:13)
On the Paris Heist & Security
"If you have one of those yellow neon vests and a clipboard, you can do anything…You can get anywhere, regardless of the security level." (Matt, 51:17)
This episode is quintessential "Dan Bernstein Unfiltered": a mix of rigorous analysis, punchy debate, cultural commentary, and the kind of irreverent, insightful sidebars that make Chicago sports talk legendary. Whether you care about the Bears’ QB struggles or the ethics of sports leadership, you’ll come away informed, provoked, and entertained.