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Dan Bernstein
On July 5, the Chicago Stars return to Evanston vs Utah Royals FC. The Chicago Stars celebrating a summer of soccer on the north side and you don't want to miss it.
With an easy to get to stadium
and tickets starting at $19. Pro women's soccer has never been more accessible. Come to a match for family friendly pre match entertainment. Then cheer on us Olympians like Mallory Swanson and Alyssa Nayer playing right on the lakefront in Evanston. Summer soccer doesn't get much better than this. Get your Tickets now@chicagostars.com Tickets
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Dan Bernstein
Dan Bernstein unfiltered unfiltered on 312 sports.
I hope you're staying cool. It's hot out. It's hot. Happy Monday. Dan Bernstein unfiltered on 312 sports. And I give credit to the Bears man, because when it's time to stage a photo op and you know they, they leak it out and they get their, their preferred photographs in their apparent paper of choice. Right now I don't know how many media outlets Kevin Warren still has and his little ledger of let's see places that believe what I say and places that don't. Well I'm going to move this over here. Well let's, let's work over the Northwest Times of Indiana because Saturday night if you saw this real late, all of a sudden there's this story that pops up and it says bears confirm new potential Indiana stadium site at Hammond's Wolf Lake terminals. I thought ooh, are they finally getting down to business here as the Bears are actually is there going to be land that is somehow purchased by the state of Indiana for them, where they would actually build, build a stadium that's viable. I'm waiting. We'll look at this. And then I'm reading and I'm looking and all it is, it's pictures of what they're referring to as soil drilling equipment. Okay, I'll take you to what I don't know. I can't just look at a soil machine and know immediately whether or not it's actual soil drilling equipment. It just looks like some kind of random dystopian thing on a tank like half track. It says soil drilling equipment used to test potential construction sites was in place in Hammond near a location that could become the next Chicago Bears stadium. Okay, this is, this is your tell. Here is the Bears. They have an official spokesperson's quotes in this. They're like, oh, you better believe that soil drilling equipment. We're drilling the shit out of that soil. We're drilling so much soil, you wouldn't believe it. It's all drilling all the time. I don't think these machines are on, by the way. So a team spokesman confirmed late Saturday the machinery that was located by Times reporters. Hmm, sure. All of these heavily staffed newspapers filled with people who are constantly monitor all these sites for the potential appearance of soil drilling machines. Yep, you bet. They're paying reporters overtime at the Northwest Times of Indiana of their, their, their massive newsroom full of people making sure they've staked it out 24 7. They've got reporters there all over the Hammond area on land owned by other people, just in case they happen to see a machine that might be a soil drilling machine.
Matty
Soil drilling machines.
Dan Bernstein
And the Bears just. And, and their spokesperson late on the Saturdays is ready. No matter what they're sleeping with family. Doesn't matter. We must get to the spokesperson who immediately knows exactly what to say about their potential sites. So yes, they reached a Bears spokesperson late Saturday. Because these intrepid reporters, it's not like the Bear said, hey, there's some unidentified machines that are on the ground on this site. This is definitely not the Chicago Bears calling. You might want to go over there and check it out. We've included some pictures you can use in your story if you want. This isn't Kevin Warren.
Bye.
So the machinery that was located by Times reporters at the Wolf Lake terminals west of Interstate 90 in Hammond was testing the ground for a potential stadium site. The site is currently home to logistics, facilities, storage and other private business uses. So here's the quote from Scott Hagel. This activity is part of the normal site evaluation process as we continue to advance our stadium development project in Hammond. We have an excellent option already in place. No, you don't. And continue to assess additional parcels of land, the Wolf Lake region, to ensure we place the stadium and mixed use district in the very best location to serve all of Chicagoland. All right. Yeah, but see, this is. This is still in a swamp in Hammond built on toxic waste. Just making sure here. Identical soil drilling equipment was seen in Hammond last December near Wolf Lake park, north of Hammond's Robertsdale neighborhood. Okay.
Matty
The Bears are paying to have the machines brought out and then not do any work.
Dan Bernstein
Interesting. I think this is fascinating because all it takes again, every time they do this, all it takes a couple phone calls and a couple searches of public records and you can find out. Whoa, whoa, wait. So this, this new site is only 83 acres. That's not enough for anything. That's perfect. It's not big enough.
Matty
83.
Dan Bernstein
And more importantly, as reported immediately, like, they don't really how quickly you can debunk these photo ops. Paris Shutz, who we've of NBC 5, that there is at least. There's at least one reporter out there. I hope there are multiple reporters who are actually out there trying to find out what's really happening. So what Parish Shuts said was, according to Indiana state and federal records, this is the same reporter who told you, by the way, that nobody's pulled a permit for the state of Indiana on any of this. Nobody's requested a permit. No one's requested a permit. He said, according to Indiana state and federal records, the north part of that site is federally protected from any development. The south part is owned by the U.S. department of Defense, and in between are a bunch of private businesses, including oil tanks. So he says that the state, Indiana would be looking at a massive eminent domain cost before even putting shovels in the ground on the site that literally touches the border of the city of Chicago. Yeah, this whole thing. Oh, how are the Bears going to actually have the land? Oh, Indiana. I'll just take it. Eminent domain. Okay. Well, that costs millions, maybe hundreds of millions. Where are they going to find the money? Well, they just. Magic. They're just going to have it or they're going to tax us. Yes. Yeah, they're gonna. It's gonna cost a lot of money. There just aren't enough ways to stitch together all this land where they're actually able to build. So if they were to connect this, and this is the belief here, is that you piece the plans Together a combination of lost marsh and the Wolf Lake terminal. So that'll be enough for a stadium and a mega development. Here's the problem. You know what's in between those parcels of land? An interstate. So what are you going to do? You're going to have a Stadium and McCaskey Land and there's going to be an interstate running. He's got interstate running through his mixed use, residential, private, commercial, something district. And he thinks he's got it so good.
Matty
So it's separated by an interstate. So we, I mean, could you just do like a walk over bridge over the.
Dan Bernstein
A flyover over the Internet or tunnel? Just like walk over it? Oh, just, just everybody's got to kind of like look and dodge. No, you be. Build a, you build a ramp so
Matty
they can walk over. You're walking over the, the highway, the interstate.
Dan Bernstein
Climb up and you come down. So you're at the Bears game. It's like, hey, let's go to McCaskey land. All right.
Matty
Well, we gotta walk across the highway. Yes.
Dan Bernstein
And go over that thing. Walk across the highway. Just. You do it on your own. I think it's just.
Matty
Or you do like a Frogger option.
Dan Bernstein
Mad dash.
That's what I mean. I just think you should just go and if you get hit by a, by a semi, it happens. Your next ticket's free, right? Yeah, you get a free hot dog or something if you get smashed to death by a semi. But I think this is what we're, what we're looking at here is the bears say, hey, there's some soil drilling equipment. Go check that out. Our spokesperson is going to stay up. Is this Saturday night.
Matty
Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
But our spokesperson just coincidentally, our spokesperson is going to be able to get back to you on your magic drilling machines that aren't really doing much. You don't own the land. There is land that you own, by the way. And now there's all kinds of increasing talk about the problems that the bears are having with money. And this all comes down to. This whole thing comes down to a lack of money and everything they're going through right now. This, that it may just be. And one of the outcomes being discussed here may just be they're going to find a place to put the stadium. They'll put the stadium there and then the next owners will figure out McCaskey land because you're, you're not going to be able to do it. You don't have the money. You don't have the land. You don't have the money. So we shall see. But this is. I always want to keep you up to date on the latest as Kevin, Kevin Warren is letting them.
Matty
They don't have the money to build a stadium. They don't have the money to even contribute towards building.
Dan Bernstein
They might, they might be able to get the stadium built on the, on the cheap. That's the other point that I learned is that no matter where they build, it's going to be the same cheap ass stadium. That they haven't commissioned firms to do different designs based on the land. It just like they know they hired. There were a couple firms that were bidding for it and they got the one cookie cutter design and that's just going to be stuck wherever they go.
The building.
Forget everything else that the building is what it is. And they're ideally, when you build something, it's sort of like what we hear coaches talk about. Well, let me know who my. I'll tell you my style of play once I know who my players are. And that's what a good coach does. Usually when you're constructing a football stadium, you figure out where it's going to be and then you build something architecturally that looks like it fits. That brings out the best of the site and the land. That's what architecture is. That's what mindful architecture is. But in the bear's case, like, okay, we've got this LEGO stadium and wherever we can find the land, you know, you own some land, it's land that you own. You put it there. Oh, no, no, no. We're forging ahead with putting it in the toxic swamp because we like our toxic swamp plan. Do you have the land?
Sponsor Representative
No.
Dan Bernstein
Does the state have the land? No. We have two parcels of land and we don't own either of them and we're not allowed to build on many parts of them. And it's probably not livable and, and healthy, but. And there's an interstate in the middle, but everything's fine. That's where we're going into the refineries and into the toxic swamp built on human waste. And that's going to be the legacy of the McCaskey family and some other bears. Owner then can put a bunch of fast food restaurants or whatever they want around it. But every time they do this, all you got to do is look at what the law says you can do, where you're able to build and once we look at regulatory records, what has to be disinfected, where there are wetlands, where there are federally protected areas, and you can all map it out where
Matty
the Department of Defense owns the land. Yeah, but.
Dan Bernstein
And Paris shuts, does this. He just goes in, you know, Google maps and circles things. It's just like somebody showing me a fishing spot. Hey, go here. Wind's blowing this way. It's like, you can't build here. Can't build here. They don't own it.
Matty
I wonder in 2034, when the Bears are opening their 63rd season at Soldier Field, I wonder who the quarterback will be.
Dan Bernstein
I don't know. Somebody named Caleb. Somebody named Caleb. If we're done with Jalen's, it'll be somebody, whatever the next sports name is. But, man, come on, like, what are you doing? I want to mention that DBU is brought to you in partnership with my bookie and today by the Chicago window guy, Russ Armstrong at chicagowindowguys.com 847-302-9171 and by the Chicago Stars, making this a soccer filled summer in Evanston. Come to a match for family friendly pro sports on the lakefront. Get tickets@chicagostars.com tickets and it's. I, I just, I love the fact that of course, they just, just coincidentally in a Saturday evening when you had your spokesman available to comment and you were able to say, hey, Northwest Times of Indiana, you gotta do a report on these machines that happen to be out there. Okay, and, and what? And what? Who's supposed to act on this? Who's supposed to do anything? Is. Is all. All of a sudden that everybody else, everybody that you. You screwed over with all of the, the promises of good faith work toward everything that was building in the legislature at the last spring session, and it ended up exploding in your face like a comic cigar. And now, now it's, it's. You're still playing these games like, oh, boy. Oh, no. We better snap into action because they're sure serious about Indiana. Oh, now we're under a lot of pressure. We better convene a special session. Come on, man. Come on, man. It rolls on and. But it's the incredulous reporting too, where you still. We still have people locally like, well, there's. There was this spotted there and the Bears. Do your damn jobs. Do your damn. At least we got one person doing the work here. Find out what's real, find out what's not. That's your job. So just. It really isn't all that hard to do. You make a couple phone calls and then you can also find out who is on that land that's out there. Oh, quick update. Also, I, I'VE been following the ticket sales for Talking Football with Kevin Warren. If you weren't with us on Friday, I think this is really important that July 16, on Thursday, Kevin Warren is going to be speaking at the Gorton center in Lake Forest. It's an unforgettable night, they say. And he's, he's. Stop laughing there, Matty. Stop it. This is the. Come on. This is the August Chicago Bears organization that we're talking about. And you can discover how the Bears are evolving on and off the field. The changing landscape of the NFL. You can hear Kevin Warren discuss the business of professional football and the role sports play in shaping culture, community and leadership in Chicago and beyond. So I went to see. So purchase. I'm going to purchase tickets here. Therehere we go. July 16, 1 hour, 30 minutes, the John and Nancy Hughes Theater. Let's click on tickets and let's see. The whole front row is taken, but that is all for the special. No, no. Okay, so that area is blocked off and then we've got in row C, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Tickets sold. 9, 10, 11, 12, 14. We're up a ticket. We were at 13 and now we're up. Well, row Q blocked off as well. So again, you a student, $26.25 with fees, non student, anybody in the public, $51.45. You want to show up and hear Kevin Warren talk to you about all those things and maybe you can ask him questions about what's going on. So that's our latest episode of the Chicago Bears stadium soap opera as they try in vain to convince people that they are moving forward with their plans. Okay, all right. They still don't have enough money to do anything. All they can do is sell a controlling interest in the franchise. When all is said and done and that that might be, what ends up here is they plop down a run of the mill outdated stadium and say, that's it. We've accomplished it. We have found the swamp and we've put our place up here. Okay, now what?
Matty
I don't know.
Dan Bernstein
We're selling the team. Well done. Well handled. Outstanding.
On July 5, the Chicago Stars returned to Evanston vs Utah Royals FC. The Chicago Stars celebrating a summer of soccer on the north side and you don't want to miss it.
With an easy to get to stadium
and tickets starting at $19, pro women's soccer has never been more accessible. Come to a match for family friendly pre match entertainment. Then cheer on us Olympians like, like Mallory Swanson and Alyssa Nayer. Playing right on the lakefront in Evanston. Summer soccer doesn't get much better than this. Get your Tickets now@chicagostars.com Tickets
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Dan Bernstein
We are heading into The Round of 32 World cup matches over the next few days. I was watching last night, I saw the the very exciting Canada South Africa game. Canada found a national hero as the ball finds the back of the net and they win their first ever knockout game to head to the final 16. So now we've got the Netherlands and Morocco, the USA and Bosnia, Belgium, Senegal throw out the records when Belgium and Senegal meet. Now you can spend all these this time breaking down your tactics and your lineups or you can get in on this. It's a simple question. Will the McDonald's Golden Arches show up on the broadcast? It's an actual bet at my bookie right now. No injury reports, no pretending to watch qualifying matches from their six confederations. Just one of the biggest sporting events in the world and you can be there with my bookie. The promo code is DBU to claim your deposit bonus and get up to 500 in protection on your first bet at my bookie. And once you see it on screen, the bet's gone. That is only @MyBookie is something that is it's been top of mind for me and every time I think to myself and I say this is something I want to talk about on the show and then I think it through and I say do you really want to talk about this? Because it could be a complete nightmare. And I think that's what I want to discuss. I'm just going to let you in fully, completely about the thoughts that I have every single time in, in the summer when we, when the NFL has gone dormant or mostly dormant, there's always something fun for us. There's always fun bears, things happening in the world. But the WNBA is, you know, rolling through its season and with it the stories about their stars and all the drama that happens in every time I think about mentioning Something I decide not to. And the reason is because it's an. It's just a complete pain in my ass considering everything that goes with talking anything wnba, that ideally it's good basketball and competitive basketball. And yet the, the strangeness with which this league has acted makes it almost impossible to have a normal conversation about this league right now, just about the basketball. And I'm not going to pretend that I watch WNBA games. I did at the outset when Caitlin Clark was starting because it was interesting and she was different and fun to watch and. But it is whatever word you want to use. Impossible, frustrating, exhausting, headache inducing because the. There's nobody who runs that league who has taken control of a message, of a vision, of anything that can extract it from being a reductive culture war pinata with everything, everything around Caitlin Clark and anybody else you want to drag into it. It's so heavy. And there's some things that clearly just are wrong and clearly don't make sense. The biggest star in your league shouldn't be punched in the throat and have then take three days to have people say, is this, is this okay? Is this supposed to be happening? Should this person be suspended? I don't know what's going on with the officiating. I don't know what's happening with whatever arm of the league is in charge of discipline or whoever made up the. Their mind that they were going to do a, they were going to sell a $30 poster of 30 years of the WNBA celebrating the biggest stars in league history. And by far the highest Q rating star of your league ever by a mile, ever is not even on the poster. I don't, I don't get it. And any explanation of why that is leaves me with way more questions. And then I stop caring. Because after a while, like, well, there's there was this and there was a history with this. And then these people say this and there's bad faith actors who are using her as a Trojan horse for this argument and that argument. And at that point I've walked away from the conversation because I don't give a shit. And if you want to have a league that seems to mean so many different things to so many different people and is allowing itself to be buffeted by these winds beyond its control, figure out what you want to be and tell the world what you are, what you stand for. And I get it that there, there are some huge WNBA fans to whom this all means a lot, whether it's individual teams or what the league has stood for over 30 years. And it's just. I keep getting back to this. It's just too bad. Maybe in another time, in another climate, with less divisive leadership, we can have things that people are allowed to enjoy on their own terms. And if you can, if you can find that place. And I know there's some serious things here. I'm not trying to make light of this, and I'm not trying to be glib about it. I'm trying to just let you know how I feel as an outsider, kind of a fringe fan. Not really. I don't claim to be a fan, but I also understand the importance. I understand the importance culturally of something that has been a black queer space and that has been a comfortable place for some people to feel accepted, to feel needed, to feel a part of something. Ideally, that's what sports should do. It should allow people to have these, at times, tribalistic attachments that make us feel certain things and connect us to certain things, and they shouldn't be the sole backbone of one's identity. But I think properly understood and properly compartmentalized and in proper context, sports can be good things and make people feel better and bring people together and be good for families and all that. And I think that the WNBA has been that for a lot of people. But, man, it takes such work intellectually to sort of find those spaces now, because in the discourse, I. I just. I don't get it. I don't think you can run a league by holding your finger to the wind and saying, well, what do people think about this? What do people think about this? Are they mad? What do. What do the worst people on earth think about this? What do. What do shitheads think? Well, we. We got to do this. Why? Because that's what shitheads think. Why do you care what bad people think? Why do you care what bad faith actors think? You have to say, these people aren't really all that important. And we're not going to allow our league, our competitors, our professionals, we're not going to allow them to be used like this parasitically as a host organism for some awful parasites that all only want to divide, that only want to argue, that only want to make points that have nothing to do with basketball. It's exhausting and it's nearly. It makes it nearly impossible to discuss. And look, you'll see it. You'll probably see it in the YouTube comments. Just the fact that I brought it up anyway. And you get all the same reductive farmed bots that come out and people that you can't distinguish from all the farmed bots that are everywhere now, all the astroturf reactions to everything. And I don't know, I know it's wrong that the, the most culturally important, a watershed player in your league is. You know what you're doing when you leave her off. Come on. Like there isn't somebody who runs that league who, before that poster got published and made, there had to be a high level decision to leave her off. It's not an accident, but they won't let you in anywhere. You've got individual teams that are just overwhelmed from a PR perspective. You have all the mishigas going on with the, with the sky here and the owner that was scamming one of the other owners and now that's in court and everything that they've done, all the lying about when their practice facility is going to be ready and all the misinformation there that, that's, that's angered folks and this poor Indiana Fever team that has no idea how to, how to run anything around Caitlin Clark that is just so out of their league and so overwhelmed that they, they can't make a right decision when it comes to what they say about their player and how that's handled. This league needs a summit meeting. This league needs their leadership to sit down. You need leadership of the old school that appears bitter and you know, remembers like I spent 10 years playing in Russia and playing in wherever it was around the world to try to make my money. And you've got the built on the labor of black women who haven't made as much money. And look, let's talk about it. Are you, are you mad at Caitlin Clark? Are you mad at her fans? Who are you? What's, where's the anger? Why are people punching her in the throat? And I know she plays hard and she plays tough and on the edge of dirty too, but that's part of basketball. Is this physical basketball? Are you selling physical basketball? Are you selling the rivalries or are you not? Are you, are you manufacturing these things? People have to talk to each other and figure how do you take care of your fans? How do you take care of people who, who need this space for whom it's really important and affirming to, to who they are and what they care about and keep that. It's that that stuff matters to people. It really does not all the culture war stuff where it is, it's social media driven and it's, it's bad faith. How do you separate the good faith from the Bad faith. How do you separate your league, run your league? What's the vision for it? You got individual teams saying certain things, you got players saying certain things, and you have everybody filling in the gaps here because of a vacuum in the leadership. That's all I know. There's, there's that over the summer and as they get toward their playoffs and as we. If you say, well, why aren't you talking this. Because it's impossible. It's impossible. You can't, there's just, there's no, there's no real great way to do it. That's all. I just, I've been wanting to say that for a while. I needed to. And, and there I, I do think there, there's so many important things of that league and there is a, the, the, the people who do care about the league, really care about it. And business wise, with a lot of help and a lot of, of subsidization from the NBA, they've built this into something. Some teams stronger than others, some franchises better than others, obviously, but they've, they've got something here. I just wish they would find a way to try to make it matter for better and not for worse, and not allow their league to be used in ways that. Beyond their control. That is more divisive than it is unifying, and it makes it an unpleasant experience when it shouldn't be. For some of us on the outside, somebody who could be a casual fan, somebody be like, okay, I really like watching Caitlin Clark play. But now she. You won't even acknowledge the fact. The league. I can't get over that. The league. It's one thing to not put her on the Olympic team. That's not your call. That's USA Basketball, but for the league itself, here's a poster that represents the 30 years of our existence and not have the breakthrough player, the one who's forcing you to move games into football arenas, to move games in NBA arenas, like to actually affect the business of your league, that you can't sell enough tickets because you have to keep printing more and creating more seats because so many people want to come out and see it. You won't put her likeness on a poster.
Sponsor Representative
Why?
Dan Bernstein
Why not? Why not? Why didn't you. I want to ask somebody that. Why is she not on there? Got to earn her stripes, really? Well, then why is that? Who says that? According to whom? Who represents that?
Commercial Announcer
Who.
Dan Bernstein
Who's. What, What. What forces? There's so much unsaid stuff where if you wade in from the outside, be like, hey, what's going on here? And then people start yelling and you're like, okay, I'm out.
Matty
Forget it.
Dan Bernstein
Forget I asked. Forget I asked. Because that I. I don't want any of this. And it shouldn't be that way. If you need windows, you know who to call. Russ Armstrong. He's ready to make sure that all that cool air stays in your home. He can help keep it there. Because chances are your windows are older and the technology with windows gets better all the time. And you think, oh, I didn't know they made that much of a difference. I didn't either. Truth be told, I did not either until we really completed what we've been doing with Chicago Window Guys. They came out, did another tranche of windows, the same good low emissivity windows. And even, you know, Russ is like, hey, the spacer in the window really matters. See your old windows here, how rusted that is? Well, then the seal is going to blow. And it's not. It's basically like having no window because it's not doing its job. And he said, in these new good windows, the spacer contracts and expands so it doesn't rust. And that way the windows always operating at max efficiency, more than I've ever known about windows. All I know is the air conditioning doesn't turn on as often when it's hot, and the heat doesn't turn on as often when it's cold. That's because the windows are doing their job. So wait till you see the difference that makes in. In the numbers every month. You know what I'm talking about? So call Russ, here's some numbers, 847302, 9171. And check out his five star reviews at Chicago Window Guys. When you're getting quotes from other places, go ahead and get quotes. Rust understands how this works. But ask those other places after they're teasing you with other buy one, get one, freeze, and all the silly stuff, ask them who's installing the windows. They won't know. It's nice to have peace of mind when you know Russ's crew is out there doing it and they want to just make sure that everything is clean, everything is done correctly. And Russ is texting you to make sure. Are they there? Are they there? They'll be there in 10 minutes. Is everything clean? Are they done? You want that kind of attention? Call Russ. 847-302-9171. Check out the 5 star reviews at ChicagoNowBeyond.com man, it is so much fun to be in a city with a couple of decent baseball teams. I forgot really what it was like. And it's been a while since, like, I've been sort of steeped in. In hardcore socks ness and I. I got a reminder of it yesterday. Jason and I went. We had the. The annual golf outing for his high school baseball program. Jones College Prep does their. Their little fundraiser every year for the program. And we. We had a really good day. Love.
Matty
We.
Dan Bernstein
We. They basically give us the entirety of Lincoln Oaks Golf Club in Crete, and we have the place for the. For the whole afternoon and play the scramble and give out all the little awards and stuff. But, boy, you can tell the people who are following the Sox game and following the Cubs game and some of the reactions, and then, you know, we all get back there, boy. And I said, hey, oh, my God, Jordan Wicks just got him. He just induced a double play. The Cubs won. Guys, like, don't ruin my day. A socks fan who doesn't. Like. Like, usually you don't hear it reciprocated like that, but there's some hardcore folks here. They're. They're in the excitement. This is because this is Southside. This is Southside, and a lot of, like, Old south side, there were. There's some serious, like, Bridgeport vibes.
Matty
And
Dan Bernstein
there is. There's so much excitement over the Sox. And especially I was talking with baseball people there because it's all. It's all baseball folks that I'm around. And the guy we're talking about last week, Sammy Antonac, a lot of fans, a lot of big fans, I just was. Was interested in following and, you know, it just the rule, you know, careful in this city, we're getting. We're getting down to those TV questions in bars. And, you know, I don't hang out in bars like I used to when I was younger, but this is what I'm wondering. And I just want to keep an eye on this, because I was thinking about it. If you are somebody who's out a lot, how they manage. Is it like the TV with the sound or the TV that doesn't have the sound? Is it a. And I'm not talking in Wrigleyville or at, you know, Halstead and 35th, but in the in betweens. Know your. Know your clientele, know your crowd, and people like, okay, well, we got the Sox game over there. We got the Cubs game over here. That's fun for Chicago. And it's been a while. It's a cool thing. Not just when the two teams meet, but when. When you Care about both of the scores. And White Sox has got to hang in there, keep doing what they're doing. I hope they've got enough pitching that this thing's going to hold up. But they've.
Commercial Announcer
They.
Dan Bernstein
Especially at home. And now they're hitting the road, too. They've been a very different team on the road, but that. I got to get to a Sox game soon. That's what it comes down to. I got to get to a game because the. The. The energy there, the vibe in that park seems like it's just. Just about the. Just about right. And there are. I'm losing my. My favorite Sox games or, you know, empty stadiums and no lines in the bathroom to myself and all the food to myself and wandering around, and those are some of my best memories. But this is a little different. And now. Now, if you have any White Sox friends that are daring to complain or even get close to complaining about what a ticket costs, I've had. I've had a couple moments where people are on their phone, like.
Matty
Like, what are you doing?
Dan Bernstein
I'm in StubHub looking for. They're looking for socks. Like, that one's $47 now. That was. That was six bucks. They were losing 100 games. Don't you dare. Don't you dare complain that tickets to go see your favorite team cost more because they're shockingly good, because their. Their rebuild has accelerated way faster. Faster than you thought.
Matty
And.
Dan Bernstein
And that they thought. And now they're calling people up, and there's always somebody there you want to see, and there's always somebody new and different, and they're playing an exciting brand of baseball, especially at home. They're never out of any game, and you'd be like, oh, jeez, look, I'm paying for tickets now. Yeah. Yeah. That's what happens. And know it is. That's awesome. And you should absolutely celebrate that. You should. Now, if you do want an inexpensive ticket for a terrific day of sports in a fabulous new stadium, what you should do is check out Chicago stars. Chicago Stars FC plays at Martin Stadium in Evanston, and on July 5, they are returning there to take on Utah Royals FC. The Chicago Stars are celebrating a summer of soccer on the north side. You don't want to miss it. That stadium is easy to get to because you can use cta, Metro, bike, car, whatever you want. Right on the shores of Lake Michigan. Tickets start at $19. It is professional women's soccer the most accessible that it's ever been. Here you can come to a match they have family friendly pre match entertainment and all kinds of stuff that's going on. A kid's zone, yard games, the mini pitch. Young kids, young soccer players seeing their role models up close. Big names, U.S. olympians, Mallory Swanson, Alyssa Nayer playing right on the lakefront in Evanston. Summer soccer doesn't get better than this. So get tickets now, especially for that July 5th game at Chicago stars.com/tickets with the American Express Platinum card, you can access over $3,500 in annual value with benefits and eligible purchases across travel, entertainment and more. There's nothing like Platinum. Learn more@americanexpress.com Explore Platinum Enrollment Requirements monthly and other limits in TERMS OF HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY Mel Brooks. So by my math, the, the, his famous character, the 2,000 year old man, he is, he's 1 20th of the way there. He has to live 19 more centuries before he actually becomes 2,000 years old. Like that fabulous character. And when I say I was raised on some of that stuff, I, I'm close to actually meaning that literally like that. Those albums have been a part of my life. They've been on that same rack since before I was born.
Sponsor Representative
And
Dan Bernstein
to see him still not just in good spirits, but a fully sound mind. If you saw the documentary that was lovingly done by Judd Apatow, but unsparingly, unflinchingly, I think it was both and we discussed it here in this space. But I found the documentary to be fascinating. I did read his memoir all about Me and I actually went back to it last night. It was so I could because to celebrate his birthday or several of the movie channels have been running various Mel Brooks marathons and at just the right time last night I made like 3 pounds of chicken wings and, and my, my awesome like double baked smashed potatoes thing and I set everything up and I was watching soccer and then the soccer game ended on flip flip, flip flip boom. Just at the start of Young Frankenstein. So I'm, I'm in heaven. I oh, I also have a ranch dressing update. Quick aside, Wishbone has come out with a new ranch called Buttermilk Ranch. And you think, well, isn't all ranch Buttermilk Ranch? Well, Wishbone has is now it's a, it's a sub version of their regular ranch where they've doubled the buttermilk. I'm out. I like their regular ranch better. This one is not quite creamy enough. A little too acidic, believe it or not, a little too much buttermilk. I was very excited for it. It was a big Deal for me to change my routine. Even Beth said something because she saw I was getting my chicken wing mise en place together for the process of making my wings. And she said, that's not your regular ranch. And I said, that's very observant of you. You are right. I said, now, let me tell you exactly what my thought process here about this ranch. And she said, you know, no, I'm going to go upstairs. She. She was not interested. I had a whole explanation for the risk I was taking in trying a new ranch dressing. And she's like, yeah, I'm not. Not really all that interested right now.
Matty
You didn't think she would be interested, did you?
Dan Bernstein
But I got to tell somebody, okay? So I'm telling you, that's. Well, save it. Yeah, save it for that.
That's what I said.
So you know what? Damn it, honey, you may not want to listen to it, but I'm going to explain. So all I will say is it might be a taste for you. Might be worth trying. My. My particular review of Wishbone Double Buttermilk is not for me. So I'm. I'm still open, of course, to trying new things.
Matty
How about make your own sometime for me?
Dan Bernstein
I know you keep saying, one time.
Matty
Just try it one time.
Dan Bernstein
It's not hard. I know it's not. I just haven't in the past. It's intimate, a little intimidating to me.
Matty
It's really. It's really not, buddy.
Dan Bernstein
It's super easy. With your.
Matty
With your cooking skill, you can. You could whip it up pretty quickly.
Dan Bernstein
I got a better idea. What's that? You make something for me. Done.
Commercial Announcer
All right.
Matty
I will do that for you. That's fine.
Dan Bernstein
I will do that. See, that's. That's what I like better. And maybe because there's already Matt's Cookies, right?
Matty
Yep.
Dan Bernstein
Famous local Matt's Cookies. Maybe. Maybe we could do Matt's Ranch or Matty's Ranch or something.
Matty
I'll bring you. I'll bring a jar of ranch.
Dan Bernstein
That's all I need. I just. And I'll. And we'll give that a shot, and we'll see. So I'm making the wings. I sit down. Young Frankenstein is on, and I. And I'm watching it, and because I've read so much about it, that I always see a lot of these Mel Brooks, old Mel Brook movies through new eyes, because everything I learned. But then I just. I wanted to confirm, too, because, you know, when Cloris Leachman shows up and they say frau Blucher, it that's her name, Frau Blucher. And then the horses go. And the. What had been said for a long time was that they do that because buchher is the German word for glue. It's not true. And Mel Brooks has addressed that before. The horse is whinny only because she's intimidating and evil, menacing and sinister. That's what it's supposed to be. It's like she's so. There's something so scary about her that even the horses know. That's the bit. And apparently there was a Prussian general whose last name was Blucher that Mel Brooks just found funny. And that's all. I know everybody wants another explanation of that, but that's that. That's all. I do love the fact though that that movie was filmed using in large part the same sets and some of the same props that James Whale used to film the original Frankenstein that they, they, they found some of the same actually. That's, that's why it is so note perfect as a send up of the original Frankenstein. And I didn't understand it until I watched the original Frankenstein when I was in eighth grade and I'd already seen Young Frankenstein, I don't know, four or five times at that point. And it's an important movie to me because that. The re release of that in C74, when I was, I want to say I was 10, maybe 11 when the re release came out in theaters. Maybe 10, I think it was 10, that, that's when I knew I was straight. Was that the, the Terry Gar. When Inga shows up, Would you like a roll in the hay? Roll, roll, roll in the hay. And something was interesting to me in a way it hadn't been interesting to me before. And I thought, oh, oh, oh, okay. So that, that's what, that's that movie. And Terry Garr in that movie will always have a very special place. So that was, it was. Happy birthday, mel brooks. Happy 100. What a. What a wonderful, wonderful human being. And if you've seen the documentary, it's a little sad to live that long. It's a little sad. A lot of his people in his life have died, you know. Yeah, you start to outlive everybody. But the one thing about him is he hasn't stopped making new friends and he hasn't, he just never stopped at his. You learn about also what he did in World War II, what he did fighting and what his job was in France trying to undo booby traps and landmines and how he, while he would walk around singing Silly songs the whole time while he was defusing booby traps. And. And it's. It's pretty incredible. Pretty amazing stuff. And just a really, really significant, important American who has turned 100. And while we're discussing important Americans and important things, I didn't really follow. What are we calling it? The 250th great America. The American. Great American State Fair.
Matty
Yeah, that sounds. That sounds correct.
Dan Bernstein
The Great American.
Matty
Great American State Fair. Yep.
Dan Bernstein
In Washington on. On the Mall. Now, there's one video I saw that had a. It showed a band, and the band was playing their all American music and a woman is singing and they're jamming and they're showing the stage and it looks big. And then on the video that I saw, the camera slowly zooms in on the reflective sunglasses being worn by either the guitarist or the bass player.
Matty
Oh, yeah, I saw this video.
Commercial Announcer
Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
And that reflection did not lie. They were playing in front of nobody. Because no one's there. Nobody seems to be there. I saw that Fox News put a big desk there. Here we are live at the Great American State Fair, and no one's there. But somebody's there. Somebody showed up. There is a guy who showed up dressed as Uncle Sam. He's got the big stovepipe American flag hat on. He's got American flag bib, overalls with a big old eagle on it. And apparently his name is Manny. His actual name is John Ratcitelli or Ractelli. So G I A n John Ractelli. He's there dressed as Uncle Sam. And he was arrested, charged with lewd, indecent, or obscene acts after three separate witnesses told police they observed what appeared to be a sexual act while watching a troop of female circus performers. So he showed up. At least he knew what he wanted. And so Manny is how he's known. He's an influencer. I don't know what he influences. Maybe now other people in jail. But his recent live stream was cut off when police officers were approaching him. And everybody on various social media want him freed, believing he's being detained wrongfully, that he's not guilty. Apparently the witness said that the man was vaping and filming the female performers and placing his hand inside his pants with what witnesses believed was a sexual act in front of the Cirque Mechanics acrobatic show. Another told police they returned for the second show. I saw him with his hand in his pants, likely doing what we all thought he was doing. So I guess this is what this is all about. The Great American State Fair. You show up in a funny costume and yank your crank, I guess. Okay, I. I didn't know that that was the plan, but there. You can read the whole police report. The. The performers themselves said something. A third witness said they were approached by a female member of the acrobat team who noticed an older white male that was making her uncomfortable and making other female performers uncomfortable. They noticed him making lewd gestures in his pants. So this is. The Daily Beast has reached out to John Recatelli for comment, and D.C. activist Breon Chapman, who goes by the moniker Anarchy Princess, posted that the man was wearing an Uncle Sam costume. Supporters have rallied behind the man. How does somebody like this have supporters?
Matty
Yeah, why? Do you want to. Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
It appears to be. Attempt to destroy his reputation. His reputation as what? A guy who dresses an Uncle Sam as Uncle Sam and doesn't masturbate in public? Yeah. Was that his bit? Well, wait a second. My reputation is I dress as Uncle Sam and I don't masturbate in public. You're ruining my reputation. What?
Matty
Okay, you see the. The picture that Caroline Levitt posted?
Dan Bernstein
I didn't. Is she. Is she with Manny?
Matty
Well, no, she's. No, she's not. She's with her. Her child, but posted the picture of it, and it's a, you know, nice picture of mom and child, but everyone notices in the background, it's completely empty. I mean, there's. There's literally no one there.
Dan Bernstein
Right. Except Manny.
Matty
Yeah, Manny and the acrobats that somehow got forced perform.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, the acrobats are performing, and Manny's performing on himself dressed as Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam wants you to play with my wiener. I say we send him to Mike Vrabel's wiener counselor. That's what I think. I think if you found a good counselor, they can handle all of it. Well, he's handling it too much, but that's about perfect. So we finally found somebody who was there. He was there, but he couldn't really understand how to properly enjoy himself while there. And then he needed to be forcibly removed by police and possibly thrown in jail, which is fine. So I just. I just. Just a note. I just wanted to note that.
Matty
I mean, he can do that in jail all he wants.
Dan Bernstein
I don't think so. Sure you can. Well, I mean, is he sharing a cell with somebody? Well, I don't know.
Matty
But even if you were, couldn't you just.
Dan Bernstein
I guess, if you want to.
Sponsor Representative
I don't.
Dan Bernstein
I don't think you can dress like Uncle Sam in jail.
Matty
Probably not. No.
Dan Bernstein
I Don't think so, but that's. That's quite. What are you gonna do today, honey? You're going to work? Yep, I am. Your Uncle Sam costume is over here. What are you gonna do today? Oh, let's see. It's Wednesday. I think that's when I go to Washington and I walk around in public and touch myself. Okay, have a good day. I made a lunch for you, see, at 6.
Matty
Yeah. I wonder if the masturbating Uncle Sam has one of the new. One of the new passports as well.
Dan Bernstein
What is
Matty
says welcome, be good, but be good.
Dan Bernstein
That's not what passports are.
Matty
No, he doesn't quite get how they
Dan Bernstein
work, which is passports are. Passports aren't used to welcome non citizens. They're given to your own citizens so they can go to other countries.
Matty
Right.
Dan Bernstein
It's not welcome, not welcoming anybody. When you get. You're already here. That's how you get the passport.
Matty
He just doesn't quite get it how they work. And yet there's no one there that can say, hey, this isn't how this works.
Dan Bernstein
But it's okay. Maybe the masturbating Uncle Sam could tell him yes.
Matty
Hey, that would be a new Halloween costume.
Dan Bernstein
It might be a new cabinet position. It could be both. I don't know. Hey, we've got all kinds of great soccer going on. The round of 32 is on. Netherlands, Morocco, Belgium, Senegal, USA, Bosnia. You got ideas, you got feelings, you got hunches. Well, my bookie is the place where you can bet it or you can really keep it simple and answer this question and bet this at my bookie right now. Will the McDonald's Golden Arches show up on the broadcast? That's it. Yes. No, once you see it on the screen, the bet's gone. But that's the bet. And you can bet that if you want, you don't have to really go into injury reports or expected goals or scouting. It's one of the biggest sporting events in the world. You can be there with my bookie with that bet or anything else you want. Use the promo code DBU right now to claim your deposit bonus and get up to $500 in protection on your first bet at MyBookie. Remember, once you see that on screen, the bet is gone. So you gotta get in before that register deposit. Use the code DBU for Dan Bernstein, Unfiltered only at my bookie. And that gets us to DBU picks. And DBU picks are brought to you by my bookie. I have a couple, actually, today I'm going to do a couple for you. I'm going to take the Netherlands in the previously mentioned Netherlands Morocco game and they're giving half a goal, so that's sort of how they do this. So I'm going to take the Netherlands over Morocco and, and I'm getting almost three to one, so I'm going to take this at plus 270. The Cubs. Alex Bregman to homer tonight Monday night against the Padres. A windblown Wrigley Field. I've got Alex Bregman for a home run tonight. And those are my, my bookie DBU picks.
Matty
I'm very excited about that. I hope, I hope that does come through. I hope. Alex Bregman, I know it's a home run. It'll be his first home run since June 11th. I have five MLB games for you tonight. We're going to put all these together.
Dan Bernstein
What?
Matty
Yes.
Dan Bernstein
That's a lot of games that. The payout's got to be enormous on this.
Matty
It will be. Yes. The White Sox, we're taking the White Sox at Baltimore. White Sox plus one and a half. The Red Sox minus one and a half versus Washington. The Cubs minus one and a half versus San Diego. The Marlins minus one and a half at Colorado and the Dodgers minus one
Dan Bernstein
and a half at the A's. Okay. Wow.
That's a lot.
Well, I guess, you know, you got, you got Sean Burke going for the Sox. Okay,
Matty
there.
Dan Bernstein
That, that's a lot of games. What is, what's that gonna pay if you hit?
Matty
It's like five figures.
Dan Bernstein
That'd be good.
That's a lot of figures. That's.
Matty
It is a lot of figures to have more figures than at the, what is it, the Great American Masturbating Festival?
Dan Bernstein
What is it? The Great American Masturbation State Fair.
Matty
Fair. Okay, that's right. My bad.
Dan Bernstein
That's what it is.
Matty
It's great. It's American.
Dan Bernstein
And you go out there and you touch yourself inappropriately and you get arrested. Should be fun. Those are the DBU picks presented by my bookie. Lock in your picks now with my bookie. Bet on anything, anywhere, anytime. That will do it for Dan Bernstein. Unfiltered on this Monday, brought to you in partnership with my bookie and also by Chicago Window Guys, 847-302-9171. And by the Chicago Stars, making this a soccer filled summer in Evanston. Come to a match for family friendly pro sports on the lakefront. Get tickets@chicagostars.com tickets.
Dan Bernstein, unfiltered. Unfiltered on 312 Sports
On July 5,
the Chicago Stars return to Evanston vs Utah Royals FC the Chicago Stars celebrating a summer of soccer on the north
side and you don't want to miss it. With an easy to get to stadium
and tickets starting at $19, pro women's soccer has never been more accessible. Come to a match for family friendly pre match action entertainment, then cheer on US Olympians like Mallory Swanson and Alyssa Nayer playing right on the lakefront in Evanston. Summer soccer doesn't get much better than this. Get your tickets now@chicagostars.com tickets.
Dan Bernstein Unfiltered – Episode Summary
Chicago Bears Play More Games / WNBA Leaves Caitlin Clark Out
Air date: June 29, 2026
Host: Dan Bernstein w/ Matt Abbatacola (“Matty”)
Overview
This episode of "Dan Bernstein Unfiltered" delivers a deep-dive into the latest saga of the Chicago Bears’ stadium search—including their heavily publicized, possibly performative “soil drilling” in Indiana—and a candid, frustrated discussion about the state of the WNBA in the Caitlin Clark era. Dan and Matty also riff on the revitalized Chicago baseball scene, Mel Brooks’ 100th birthday, and the absurdity of an almost-empty “Great American State Fair” headlined for the wrong reasons.
[01:37–06:43] Dan opens with skepticism about the Bears' apparent attempts to generate news about a new Indiana stadium site at Hammond's Wolf Lake terminals—mainly by orchestrating staged photo ops of “soils drilling” equipment. He questions the authenticity of claims that reporters “happened” to find this equipment.
“All it is, it’s pictures of what they are referring to as soil drilling equipment. Okay, I'll take you to what I don’t know. I can’t just look at a soil machine and know immediately whether or not it’s actual soil drilling equipment... It just looks like some kind of random dystopian thing on a tank-like half track.” (Dan, 02:45)
The Bears’ official spokesperson is always ready, late-night on a Saturday, to give quotes on supposed machinery found by “intrepid” local reporters.
“We’re drilling the shit out of that soil. We’re drilling so much soil, you wouldn’t believe it. It’s all drilling all the time.” (Dan, 04:17)
Dan is highly skeptical, suggesting these late-night “finds” are coordinated leaks:
“This isn’t Kevin Warren… Oh, you might want to go check it out. We’ve included some pictures you can use if you want.” (05:03)
The supposed new Indiana site is only 83 acres—far too small for a full stadium and “McCaskeyLand” (the Bears’ much-ballyhooed mixed-use complex).
Paris Shutz of NBC 5 investigated:
Quote:
“So, you’d have a stadium—and McCaskey Land—and there’s gonna be an interstate running through this… you’re walking over the highway, dodging semis. You do it on your own.” (Dan & Matty, 09:31–10:03)
[10:31–13:01] — The stadium plans are stalling not because of public controversy, but because of money:
The Bears are financially stretched; rumors swirl about selling a controlling interest.
Any stadium will be “a cheap-ass, cookie-cutter design,” the same place wherever land can be found.
Quote:
“No matter where they build, it's going to be the same cheap-ass stadium... they’ve got this LEGO stadium and wherever we can find the land, you know, you own some land, it’s land that you own. You put it there. Oh, no, no, no. We’re forging ahead with putting it in the toxic swamp because we like our toxic swamp plan.” (Dan, 12:05)
Ultimately, Dan repeats:
“You don’t have the money. You don’t have the land. You don’t have the money.” (Dan, 10:31)
“You're still playing these games... convene a special session? Come on, man.” (Dan, 16:15)
Dan admits he’s exhausted by the discourse around Caitlin Clark, saying every attempt to talk WNBA devolves into a “reductive culture war piñata.”
The league lacks vision, direction, or a coherent public relations response.
Quote:
“There’s nobody who runs that league who has taken control of a message, of a vision, of anything that can extract it from being a reductive culture war piñata with everything, everything around Caitlin Clark… It's so heavy.” (Dan, 21:08)
Specific complaints include:
“At that point, I’ve walked away from the conversation because I don’t give a shit.” (Dan, 22:25)
The league is “buffeted by winds beyond its control,” failing to clarify its identity or stand up to divisive culture war actors.
Dan outlines the legacy of the WNBA as a safe “black queer space,” but laments how discourse now overwhelms the basketball story.
He yearns for leadership to have grown-up, frank conversations—are you mad at Clark, her fans, at what? Why is her status so fraught?
The league’s silence or confusion is alienating to the casual or potential new fan.
Quote:
“If you want to have a league that means so many different things to so many different people and is allowing itself to be buffeted by these winds beyond its control, figure out what you want to be and tell the world what you are, what you stand for.” (Dan, 22:06)
On Clark’s exclusion from the poster:
“You know what you’re doing when you leave her off. Come on. There had to be a high-level decision to leave her off. It’s not an accident.” (Dan, 32:20)
Dan and Matty rejoice in both Chicago baseball teams being relevant and exciting, a rare treat; the city is “fun” when both Cubs and White Sox have something to play for.
White Sox tickets are now pricey and Dan scolds fans for complaining—success means higher demand.
Quote:
“Don’t you dare complain that tickets to go see your favorite team cost more because they’re shockingly good, because their rebuild has accelerated way faster than you thought.” (Dan, 40:35)
Dan roasts the under-attended “Great American State Fair” in Washington, D.C.:
They lampoon the absurdity of his “supporters”:
“His reputation as what? A guy who dresses as Uncle Sam… and doesn’t masturbate in public?” (Dan, 55:14)
Jokes build about what really defines “The Great American Masturbation State Fair.”
For newcomers: This episode is peak “DBU”—lively, irreverent, sharp; a must-listen for Chicago sports fans and anyone who loves a blend of sports talk, media critique, and cultural absurdity.