Chicago Cubs and White Sox Bolster Rotations at the Trade Deadline

Summary

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered — Episode Summary

Episode: Chicago Cubs and White Sox Bolster Rotations at the Trade Deadline

Date: August 3, 2026
Host: Dan Bernstein (with producer Patrick Finley as co-host)
Podcast: 312 Sports

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Overview

This episode focuses on a rare and exciting moment in Chicago baseball: both the Cubs and White Sox are legitimate playoff contenders and made significant moves at the MLB Trade Deadline to bolster their starting rotations. Dan and Patrick analyze these transactions, the expanded MLB playoff system, the broader implications for team-building, and classic Chicago sports neuroses. They also dive into colorful tangents about mascot heads, legendary bad national anthem performances, and a family review of the new Spider-Man movie. Throughout, Dan’s signature wit and directness make for an engaging, opinionated listen.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Trade Deadline: Cubs and White Sox Moves

[06:28 - 09:12]

• The Cubs added Kevin Gausman, trading away low-value prospects (notably, “a shortstop whose ceiling is likely a backup utility infielder”).

  “If that can get you whatever Kevin Gausman can do for this team … he immediately turns into a much better pitcher.” — Dan Bernstein [06:31]

• The Cubs’ bullpen still needs help, especially more left-handed depth after the emergence of Rollison and the aging Theilbar:

  “Every time he goes out there, he looks older to me … Is that a coach? Like who is that? And I was like 39. But now every time I see him I think he's like 46.” — Dan Bernstein [07:25]

• The White Sox acquired Luis Castillo.

  “Now the White Sox getting Castillo is really interesting... but the peripherals do not tell a great story… he's been bad.” — Dan Bernstein [08:28]

• The hosts discuss whether a change of scenery and the White Sox’s pitching development staff can help Castillo find old form.
• Dan praises both GMs for making aggressive, win-now moves and likens the moment to a civic party for Chicago baseball fans.

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2. Thoughts on GMs and Team-Building Philosophy

[11:44 - 20:45]

• Dan contrasts Chris Getz (White Sox GM; former player, more straightforward) with modern, Ivy League/McKinsey “consultant class” GMs and finds Getz’s old-school bluntness refreshing.

  “I guess I missed the old baseball guy in his position more than I thought I did … He doesn't get bogged down in McKinsey consultant speak. He says things and I like that.” — Dan Bernstein [12:40] “He says things. And it doesn’t really bother him. I’m going to enjoy Chris Getz, because I think he’s a vanishing breed.” — Dan Bernstein [17:37]

• Discussion of Getz candidly referencing public projection systems (Fangraphs) when explaining the Castillo deal.
• Patrick notes that the Tony La Russa hiring still “cut [Dan] to the bone” and colors his perception of White Sox recent history.

  “It just cut me to the bone … what it did to an entire era of White Sox baseball that was building to something… it threw the brakes on something I was really excited about.” — Dan Bernstein [19:07]

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3. Playoff Expansion and Its Consequences

[21:15 - 34:09]

• In-depth debate on how expanded playoffs are eroding the importance of the MLB regular season.

  “We are increasing the divide in baseball between the regular season and the playoffs … You can be the World Series champ and be far from the best team in baseball.” — Dan Bernstein [30:14]

• They note that “puncher’s chance” teams like the White Sox—prone to slugging—fit the new playoff blueprint:

  “You may know it as ball go far, team go far. You hit homers and you win a World Series.” — Dan Bernstein [31:16]

• Patrick highlights that in the expanded format, the “1 seed” rarely wins the World Series; you just need to get in.
• Dan calls on Chicago baseball fans to recalibrate expectations and appreciate the different meanings of 162-game success versus playoff triumph.

  “I'm not saying the 162 independently means less. It's just less connected to the playoff process and outcome.” — Dan Bernstein [28:40]

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4. Discussing Home/Road Splits and Recent Standings

[35:23 - 38:37]

• Red Sox’s surprising surge; their wild home/road splits (four games under .500 at home, but +13 on the road).
• Tampa’s continued home dominance.
• Anecdotes about memorable in-game moments, including a Cubs fan losing their pants chasing a foul ball at a Tampa game.

  “That’s also where we had one of the great moments of the year. That's where the Cubs were when that person lost their drawers, right?” — Dan Bernstein [37:32]

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5. Breaking Bears News: Kobe Bryant’s Injury

[39:09 - 41:20]

• Intermittent updates on Bears safety Kobe Bryant, who suffered a left knee injury at training camp. Both hosts react with anxiety and gallows humor.

  “I just think that is—I don't think I'm being too crazy here—the status of Kobe Bryant is right now the most important story in Chicago sports.” — Dan Bernstein [39:33]

• Dan jokes, “No, I want to panic now,” while Patrick attempts to keep things calm.

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6. From Anthems to Reddit and Strawberry Milk: Side Tangents

[42:00 - 49:35]

• Discussion of Motown legend Martha Reeves’ unfortunate national anthem performance at the Women’s Pro Baseball League opener in Springfield, Illinois. Both hosts find it funny, sad, and cringeworthy.

  “Every single note was wrong.” — Dan Bernstein [44:18]

• Remembering other legendary bad anthems from sporting events.
• Joking about their show’s subreddit, and Reddit threads on whether it’s normal to drink milk with dinner. (“Cold glass of strawberry Quick” nostalgia [49:35].)
• Banter about the upcoming first anniversary “First Down” party for the network.

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7. Spider-Man: Family Movie Review

[53:00 - 66:48]

• Both Dan and Patrick give detailed, spoiler-filled reactions to the new Spider-Man film, blending the enthusiasm of fans and critics.
  • Both liked the character development, particularly the emotional kitchen scene between Tom Holland and Zendaya.

    “His face changes, and he's not looking at a co-star anymore, he's looking at his wife… really super sweet.” — Patrick Finley [56:16]

  • Patrick critiques the John Bernthal “Punisher” performance for veering toward camp (“tried too hard to be funny, made me feel like I was watching a DC movie”). [58:13]
  • Dan outlines how the story is more about “the mental health of a likable young man navigating the onset of real adulthood” than punch-heavy Marvel plot mechanics.

    “The movie is about the importance of human interaction… it's really kind of a sensitive and sweet story about a young man who's got some mental health problems and needs to work his way out of them.” — Dan Bernstein [58:18]

  • Both find aspects of the film’s darker, Matrix-inspired visuals compelling, compare it to Christopher Nolan’s DC films, and express excitement for how it links to future Marvel properties.
  • Patrick notes, “If you sit through all the credits because you want to see [a post-credit scene], I'll just tell you right now, you did not have to stay.” [64:13]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Cubs and White Sox making moves:

  “It’s fun for everybody in the city to be invested in something together other than, say, the Chicago Bears.” — Dan Bernstein [03:40]

• On old-school vs. new-school general managers:

  “He doesn’t get bogged down in McKinsey consultant speak. He says things, and I like that.” — Dan Bernstein [12:40]

• Lingering pain from Tony La Russa’s hiring:

  “I’m still shaking that off… The LaRussa thing… it just cut me to the bone.” — Dan Bernstein [19:07]

• On the expanded playoffs:

  “We are increasing the divide in baseball between the regular season and the playoffs… that's what happens when you let everybody into your baseball tournament.” — Dan Bernstein [30:14]

• Home run as playoff philosophy:

  “Ball go far, team go far.” — Dan Bernstein [31:16]

• On panicking about sports injuries:

  “No, I want to panic now… you can’t stop me from panicking!” — Dan Bernstein [40:28]

• Martha Reeves’ anthem:

  “There was something off about it, that’s all I’ll say.” — Dan Bernstein [36:39]

• Spider-Man review final word:

  “If a Marvel superhero cartoon movie as the vehicle for that wonderful lesson is sort of what we get… great! Because that's what it was.” — Dan Bernstein [58:18]

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Important Timestamps

• Start — Quick overview, Cubs/White Sox playoff context [02:45]
• Cubs & White Sox Trade Deadline breakdown — [06:28-09:12]
• Chris Getz vs. modern GMs, philosophy — [11:44-20:45]
• Expanded playoffs & devaluing of regular season — [21:15-34:09]
• Red Sox home/road splits, standings — [35:23-38:37]
• Bears’ Kobe Bryant injury updates — [39:09-41:20]
• Martha Reeves' anthem, mascot heads — [42:00-49:35]
• Spider-Man family movie review — [53:00-66:48]

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Tone and Style

• Conversational, sarcastic, deeply informed, with classic Chicago sports pessimism and humor. Regular diversions into pop culture and listener community references.
• Heavy use of dry humor, self-deprecation, and rapid-fire repartee between Dan and Patrick.

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For New Listeners

This episode offers a snapshot of Chicago sports radio at its best: direct, witty, and loaded with insight — even as it veers joyfully off-topic. You’ll learn a lot about baseball, get a couple movie recommendations, and laugh along at the city’s quirks and traumas. Even if you missed the episode, this summary will make you feel like you didn't.

Transcript

[Dan Bernstein]

There's always another game everybody thinks they have figured out. Maybe it's a pennant race, maybe it's a playoff series where everybody suddenly becomes an expert. Well, if you're gonna have an opinion, you might as well have some action behind it. That's where my bookie comes in. You've got spreads, totals, player props, live betting, and even the casino all in one account. Head to MyBookie AG, use the promo code DBU and get your first bet covered up to 500 bucks. If it doesn't hit, use that bet back bonus token and run it back. Don't just watch the action, make it pay with my bookie. The this episode is brought to you by my Bookie. For a small business owner, every day is full of surprises. Some great, some not so great, like when a client cancels their order at the last minute. But here's a surprise you will like. Progressive provides small business owners with 30 customizable coverage options to help keep their business going strong. So go ahead, surprise yourself. Get a quote in as little as 8 [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates and third party insurers. Coverage is not available in all states or for all vehicles and coverage selections Dan Bernstein unfiltered unfiltered on 312 sports it's DBU on 312 and we are brought to you by Chicago window guys. Call 847-302-9171 and check out Russ Armstrong's five star reviews at chicagowindowguys.com what a time to be alive where both Chicago teams heading toward the 5pm deadline on this Monday already making moves, already trying to fortify their rosters for a playoff push. With the Cubs firmly holding onto a playoff spot, the White Sox sitting in first place in the AL Central, we should enjoy these times where both teams are doing a little something something and trading away prospects to make themselves better. That's what baseball's supposed to be. That's the idea of the expanded playoffs. And when you're lucky enough to have two major league teams in the same city and both are doing what you want them to do, outstanding, you can, you'll be able to, you know, count on one hand how often this has happened, I'm sure. Or we'll see what the results are. I just know it's fun. It's fun for everybody in the city to be involved in something, you know, invested in something together other than say, the Chicago Bears. And there is a bit of an injury scare that we're keeping you know, one eye on here. Apparently Kobe Bryant went down with a lower leg injury. Ankle or knee was seen on a cart. Was seen emotional. Those are the latest eyewitness reports that we are getting, of course, from the very first day of padded practice. So there's all of that to discuss. But the big news today, we're having a party. 312 sports and you are having a party. And it's one year of the existence of this podcast network and this show. One year of DBU, one year of forward progress. One year from the 51 year of 312 sports. One year. Well, it's been more than one year of organizations with championships, but we are, we are celebrating. So what we're doing is three weeks from tomorrow, August 25th, Tuesday night, we're all gonna hang out for a couple hours at Double Clutch Brewing Company in Evanston on Ashland. And the place is just awesome. So we're looking forward to being there. Thanks to Chicago Window guys for sponsoring this. We're gonna have drinks and all kinds of giveaways if you need further incentive to be there. Other than just kind of wanting to come together as a 312 community, we've got a lot of tickets to give out. We've got Snoop Dogg, Weezer, Lionel Richie. A lot of 312 sports swag. We're going to be giving away Double Clutch Brewing gift cards and Cubs tickets. We are calling this first down. As in the first year down. First down. I, we had a lot of ideas on what we were going to call it. We're calling it first down. So if you want to be part of our first down party, you can get all the information on the events page on the 312Sports app and a 312-sports.com. everything is there. We are getting, trying to see, you know, you know, click that you're coming just so we can let you know and get an idea of numbers. It's not. There's no ticket involved. There's no, we're just kind of going on, on our system here. If you're going to bring a couple people, put it down on there so we know that you are going to come hang out with us. But we're very excited. I'm. We had all sorts of rejected ideas for what we were going to call it. Was it the one year in and nobody got fired for being an idiot? We're gonna call it that.

[Patrick Finley]

And I, I, that was my favorite one. That was my favorite.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, that was your.

[Patrick Finley]

Oh, and by the way, the, the, the Snoop Tickets have been claimed already.

[Dan Bernstein]

Sorry. No, they have not. And we also have more Snoop tickets that are actually. Because we actually have refreshed the rewards.

[Patrick Finley]

Yes. August.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, so we're gonna. Yeah, we got the August rewards page there. So we've got dinner for two, Italian homemade company dinner for two to big bowl dinner for two. Public inequality meets 100 gift card there and Snoop Dogg tickets at Ravinia. So you enter the promo code Camp C A M P on any reward for a chance to win. But this is really good news that the. That we are coming together, giving you an excuse to come out on a Tuesday night and just come hang with us. And we got more things that are coming that we can't talk about yet. But this is. I'm just really excited about this. It was important to me that we could put a, put a flag in the ground and, and have a little marking point. We made it a year and none of us got fired yet. So that's cool. So it's free and you can come hang out and win stuff. So it not only costs you nothing, you're probably gonna leave with something. So definitely come join us for, for the big party. But my idea for the name Party Machine and I don't know, I thought it'd be fun that we could just have Party Machine, but it's not. It is first down. So come join us to celebrate. Moving the chains. In that regard, I. As we talked about last night and this morning already and off the Ivy, the Kevin Gosman moves a good one. And if you can trade guys who really aren't gonna move in your system to anything important, this the guy, the. The shortstop. South side, south scene.

[Patrick Finley]

He is a Ty Saltine.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's a glove guy and it looks like he's a shortstop that will be a projects at best to being a major league backup. Versatile infielder because he doesn't hit. He has no pop whatsoever. I don't know if he's ever going to make the major leagues, but if he does, he's going to be as a guy with a bunch of different gloves who can play all around the infield and. And the other name that we saw is a. An overaged outfielder who probably doesn't fit in in major future plans, fine with me. And if that can get you whatever Kevin Gossman can do with for this team and have a defense behind him that's going to maximize his ability to get ground balls, have an elite defense behind him, he immediately turns into a much better pitcher. So I think that's that's great. The Cubs are not done. You better add a couple bullpen arms today. That's got to be on the table. I think having at the moment two lefties you trust and one of them you found in Rollison who just absolutely came out of nowhere as a hard throwing lefty. He's got a little Matt Thornton in him. I think so with the way he throws the ball and feelbar who's still. Every time he goes out there, he looks older to me. You know, like now I sound like, boy, it's. Is that. Is that a coach? Like who is that? And I was like 39. But now every time I see him I think he's like 46 or he just, you know, he's got the same thing going. But that, that deceptive delivery and the big looping curveball and stuff. But I won't.

[Patrick Finley]

But it, it does seem like every outing ages him a few months. Yeah, no, you're not, you're not wrong about that.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know, it just ever since you made me conscious of that and I think it was near the middle of the season when you see when you had a new rule for Cubs relief pitchers that they had to have been born after the year 2000. Is that what it was?

[Patrick Finley]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

In the year 2000 or after was what you. It was, it was a small thing you wanted. Yeah. Rather than have guys who were born during the Eisenhower administration. But you know, if you can throw the ball over the plate. It was just sort of an all hands on deck kind of thing. Now the white side's getting Castillo is really interesting that if this becomes just hope that the. The shock to the system of a scenery change makes him a better pitcher and or you get Brian Bannister and his people to get some eyes on him and see what he's doing and what he's not doing. But the peripherals do not tell a great story because obviously the era is bad. He's been bad.

[Patrick Finley]

He.

[Dan Bernstein]

He was. He's a what, a three time all star who used to be good, who is now not good. And whether or not they think there's something in there that they see, it's certainly worth it. And it is true. Everything Chris get said about the addition of Castillo making them more likely to make the playoffs. One of the things I enjoy most about sports is that every week presents a different puzzle. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone thinks they found an edge. Sometimes they're right. More often sports remind us they're unpredictable. And that's part of the fun. Whether It's a marquee football game, a heated divisional rivalry, baseball stretch run, or a big fight card. My bookie gives you plenty of ways to get involved beyond just picking a winner. The prop board's loaded with player performances, game milestones, all kinds of in game opportunities that keep things interesting from the opening whistle to the final out. And it's all in one place, one account, one wallet. Bet the spread, jump into the live markets while the game's unfolding, or head over to the casino between games or at halftime. If you've been thinking about trying it, now's a great time. Go to my bookie AG use the promo code DBU and get your first bet covered up to 500 bucks. If it doesn't hit, use your bet back bonus token and run it back. Don't just watch the action, make it pay with my bookie. You know, I think it's really important to be smart about managing your finances, and that's why I believe Monarch is the app that can help you in doing so. Monarch's like having a financial advisor in your pocket. It's a personal finance app and it tracks everything that can help you take care of your financial picture, accounts, investments, saving goals and spending. Most apps only tell you what you've already spent. Monarch helps set goals, map out big purchases, and see if you're actually on track before it's too late to adjust. There's an AI weekly recap. It flags spending spikes, net worth, shifts and upcoming expenses. And you can ask the AI assistant anything about your finances. How much did I spend on travel last summer? Can I afford this vacation without touching my savings? Write your own money story with Monarch. Use the code [e-mail] to get your first year of Monarch Core Half off at just 50 bucks. That's 50% off your first year at monarch.com with the code DBU. Every day as a small business owner feels like solving a puzzle. One moment you're cruising along and the next there's a shipping snag that has you scrambling. But here's a surprise you will like with Progressive Small business owners save 13% on their commercial auto insurance when they pay in full. So go ahead, surprise yourself. Get a quote in as little as 8 [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates discounts not available in all states or situations now. What I love about it what I love is Getz is not, you know, he's not the best talker. He says things that are just kind of wrong sometimes or he misspeaks sometimes. But I guess I missed the old baseball guy in his position more than I thought I did because with the rise of the non players in those roles, with the rise of these Ivy league lawyers and MBAs and McKinsey trained consultant class and efficiency and all that and I've generally liked it. They look like the people I went to college with and they look like the friends I grew up with. And it makes it easy for me to sort of appreciate that class of guys, you know, the Epstein's and Hoyers and Friedman's of Iam Blooms and all these guys. They're clearly a type that's familiar to me. And yet I realized when I hear Getz that the vanishing species of former major league player. Now granted Getz is is educated like the guy's got a degree from University of Michigan, but he's still baseball. He's still closer to old fashioned steak dinner boom, Jim Hendry's barrel kind of GM. And he doesn't get bogged down in McKinsey consultant speak. He says things and I like that because on Sunday when Getz was talking about how they make these decisions, check this out and tell me that you don't also appreciate this. These are his words. The fun part about this part of the season, when you're looking at acquisitions, you can plug it into a projection system and playoff probabilities. And as you're inputting different possibilities and potential acquisitions out there and understanding what the acquisition cost is going to be, our odds he means after the Castillo deal took a meaningful jump and he was using fan graphs. So we've we have this same godlike power at our fingertips here. Just go to fangraphs.com and you can see it. And he's and Getz said Castillo will provide innings for a team that needs help. Going into Sunday's game, the White Sox ranked last among AL teams in starting pitching innings with 479 and 2/3. This is from John Greenberg's column in the Athletic. And Getz said we're going toward uncharted territory for a lot of these young arms and to be able to provide Luis Castillo's innings and ability to our group. That's why our probability took such a large jump in addition to our 2027 playoff probability. I like that. And then get said I think there's going to be opportunity to perhaps tweak an arsenal or some of the delivery. And he pointed it to Brian Banister, director of pitching Brian Bannister and pitching coach Zach Bove's success With recent pitching additions like Jordan Hicks. Yeah, Jordan Hicks they've used as an opener. He's throwing like, 103, man. And they got rid of Sir Anthony Dominguez, who I was making me crazy watching him. He's like, he was on the list. He was on the list of people who just make me throw things when I'm watching him. The old Tyler Chatwood list. And it's a bad list to be on. And I was almost doing it when I was at the Sox game the other night when he was a big part of them giving up the eight runs in the inning to the Astros. But I think so far, so good for the Sox. And it's what. I just. I love the fact that it's okay for. For gets to. To say stuff like this. You don't have to couch everything in cloak and dagger secrecy. You don't have to say, well, we have our own proprietary system. So that was always the Theo Epstein thing, was, well, we have our own systems that can do some of this stuff. But he's just mentioning fan graphs. Okay, great. It's not. It really isn't that hard. And that doesn't necessarily bother me. I don't need him to say, well, I know more, and we know more than everybody. He's like, look, this is a decent projection system, and if these numbers went up, that probably means it's a good deal based on the cost.

[Patrick Finley]

Now, wait a second. Wait. If the numbers went up, it's probably a good deal.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, yeah. Because if he's got years on the deal. Right. So they're going into another year.

[Patrick Finley]

But if the numbers get better by adding this guy. Guy. I don't think it's probably a good deal. Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, but it's just probabilities. Yeah, I mean, the probabilities can still be wrong.

[Patrick Finley]

No, I mean, yeah, he could go out there and, you know, the bed.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, right. There could be something they don't know about him, that he shows up. He's like, oh, yeah, right. A lion bit my arm off. Well, that didn't show up in the fan graph projections. Oh, you got. Yeah, you got to go to lion. Bitmyarmoff.com to get their projections or just go. Completely different system. But I just. I don't know. It's just kind of refreshing. It just. He's.

[Patrick Finley]

He is.

[Dan Bernstein]

He says things and doesn't. Really. Doesn't bother him. So I'm gonna. I'm gonna enjoy Chris Getz, because I think. I just think he's. It's a vanishing Breed. I think the idea of a former player and I, I don't, I'm not backing off. Anything I said about him when he got the job, I thought he was underqualified for the job. He hadn't really done anything to earn it. But who knows? I didn't really appreciate how refreshed I would be from hearing somebody who doesn't sound like everybody else. Remember when he took the job, he said, I don't like our team. He did something about it shouldn't have. Yeah, right. I didn't like the team either. Nobody did. But my problem with not liking the team had more to do still with the lingering bad feelings over the Tony La Russa move that I still haven't gotten over. That was just it. I, I, I don't get it. It hurt. I'm still, I'm still, still shaking that off and trying to. Even with all the fun stuff that's going on, I have to admit, I'm still shaking that off and I'm still. That's too bad, man.

[Patrick Finley]

I mean, like, yeah, like let's, let's, let's throw that away because I know your team is two or three games.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know, I know it's place.

[Patrick Finley]

I mean, yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

But the, the LaRussa thing is. It just cut me to the bone. I, I was so, I, I'm not over it. I'm not over the, the selfishness and this. The just, just that's what it did to the fans. What it said to the fans.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I'm sure, I mean, really hurt and, and getting that that's been my big battle is really that, that and, and, and Triffin and yeah that that

[Patrick Finley]

makes sense about LaRussa. But I, and only because, I mean a great majority of people thought what the are you doing?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, it was, no, it was, it was a complete, like you, you weren't,

[Patrick Finley]

you know, on an island there with that, with that. I know about it.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know. It was just. Majority of people it's been harder for me to get over because that, that was some things it takes time to realize how much they meant to you and what it did and what your feelings are and being honest about your own feelings. And I'm just sharing with you that two things that I, that I haven't realized. One was how deeply the La Russa hiring and what that did to an entire era of White Sox baseball that was building to something different both on the field, off the field, culturally, what they were doing and how it threw the brakes on something that I thought was I was really excited about the White Sox in a lot of ways, in ways that I hadn't been for the first time in a long time. And to do what they did was unconscionable to me. And it took me a while to realize how much that hurt. And I'm getting over it. I'm working on it and I'm getting over it. But the TV broadcast will. I assume that they know that that has to be fixed. But the other thing too was I didn't realize how refreshed I would be. By the way, Chris Goetz kind of goes about his job and there's a little bit of kind of a, I don't know a Jimmy Stewart, Mr. Smith goes to Washington kind of thing.

[Patrick Finley]

You know, like.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, shucks. I, I don't know. Other people do it but you know, golly gee, I just, I, you know fan graph says this would make us a better. Give us better playoff chances. So geez, I'm going to do it. You know there's a, there's a little bit of kind of wide eyed innocent who doesn't know any better or any worse than to say what he says and why not. It's cool that I don't think there's any guile. I don't think he's doing a bit. I don't think he's, he's sort of you know, creating a character out of this. This is if he's going to make moves and say why he made the moves and explain look yeah. That everything that can, that we can look at that says we're better. Look, take a look at this. All right, fine. Go get him. And he certainly has gotten out from under a terrible managerial hiring that wasn't his call. And, and, and moving on along. The socks are fun. And another relentless weekend that when they slug you can't do much because it doesn't matter who it is. And my, my, my bet on Munay pretty good and I still like he's. He's better than just a basic sort of Russell Branyan Jack Cust three true outcome type player. Mark Reynolds one of the. I mean he is basically that but what I see when I saw that opposite field home run I started that that that's a little more advanced. That isn't just selling out to take your biggest possible swing every time he does swing hard. But that says something to me when you're able to stay closed and stay on a pitch and drive it in that direction. Also for all the things major league baseball does wrong the, the deadline they've turned into a thing. They really have. They have made this weekend into something where it's easy to downplay and say, well, you know, we get to the end of July, the start of August, and it's easy to say it's 162 teams are going to nip around the edges here and there. They're going to tinker with the back end of their roster. But this definitely becomes an attractant overall for baseball chatter and trends and attention. And when we're going live on, off the Ivy like we were last night, I think Cody is looking at making sure he's going to be available as the deadline approaches, that we've got something bubbling on the stove that, that is keeping track of everything that's going on. For you, the Cubs fan out there, that the, this is a, this is successful on baseball's part to expand the playoffs the way that they did. The worry that I have is the Skubal deal and immediately, immediately how everybody knew that the Dodgers would become this and we all sort of understood, here we go and here go Major League Baseball. Could not wait, couldn't wait to start telling you see, need a salary cap, salary cap. Got to have a salary cap. No, you don't. You have to have better baseball business. And to artificially lock in all of these profits for the owners isn't going to make it better, it's going to make it worse. And, oh, well, you'll have a floor. Yeah, you're going to have a floor. But once you have a payroll band which is in. Joe Sheehan has been right in talking about it as a payroll band and both he and Matthew Trueblood, who I think are probably two of the best, those two in Craig Calcatera. If I, if you have three of those and you're following those three, you're going to be a pretty smart baseball fan along with all your, your regulars at the various sites, Jay Jaffe, etc. That their, their belief that expanded playoffs are going to end up in a team like the Tigers going, yeah, well, the American League sucks and we might have made the playoffs, but we know we're not all that good, so we're not going to do it. I get it, but it's not the spirit of competition and it's not what you should want. You should want. The idea of expanding the playoffs isn't to let you say, yeah, well, we make the playoffs, but the idea of expanding is to say, we get in, we got a chance. We get in and we got Tariq Scubal like all you need, if you have two top starters, you can win any playoff series there is. Hell, any team can win any playoff series there is even without two top starters because baseball has a very high variance. And I do think what is what we what we're watching happen in real time with a move like that at this deadline and with the moves unmade at this deadline with the fact that Scuba went where he went and a lot of teams are just keeping their prospect powder dry right now. What we're doing and I and I don't want to lose sight of this because it's important, we are increasing the divide in baseball between the regular season and the playoffs. We are making the regular season mean less relative to the playoffs. If you're a baseball fan in Chicago, you know this season isn't one in April, May or even June. It's one in the grind. Every series matters. Every block bullpen decision gets second guessed. 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It's just less connected to the playoff process and outcome. The 162, the six months of baseball, much like your your Premier League, they determined the best team and we'll see if the Dodgers end up being the best team. They may be, but that's what the 162 does. The playoffs determine the winner of the World Series. And with playoff expansion, with what we're seeing and now that we're seeing another year of data of reaction, now we've got how many hours until these. Seven hours? Six.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Until the deadline. So things can change and we can. We'll be able to reassess a little bit of going for it, not going forward of what's, what is good enough in a given year and what the idea of the playoffs means to different organizations. We've got time that that could change right now. But what it's looking like to me is especially in the American League, there is an understanding that being in first place or having a playoff spot in this American League doesn't mean you're necessarily good. And that's true. But it you can still win the World Series. So it's just a matter of the proper assessment of both things. And the more I've been thinking about the White Sox too. To be fair, they really in a lot of ways look like the ultimate puncher's chance team because of how they play. The fact that they can pretty much slug up and down and beat you with slugging. That's the recipe that we always talk about for winning playoff baseball. You may know it as ball go far, team go far. You hit homers and you win a World Series. And it's not necessarily about getting hot. You need to hit home runs and you need to strike out the opponent. You need to limit balls in play. So three true outcomes is a way to win the World Series. I know it's a slim chance, but the White Sox do they have earned your attention. If they're able to get in and slug, they could do something. And there aren't a lot of people that you're going to sneak mistake pitches past in this lineup now you've got a lot of people who are untested who are going to face much greater scrutiny. And as the competition, the quality of competition, the quality of pitchers when you're facing high leverage all the time and top starters all the time, they will have found holes in these swings and it can get very frustrating once you get playoff level attention right there. But I do think that overall this is a work in progress. Our appreciation for the meaning of the 162 and our appreciation for then saying World Series champion. You can be the World Series champion and be far from the best team in baseball. You have to be good enough. But oh, we are, we are seeing a, an increasing bifurcation of those two baseball concepts. And that is, that's what happens when you let everybody into your baseball tournament. I, I don't use the term watered down because I think it's on us. I think we need to adjust our appreciation of what the 162 says and, and have an appreciation for what is done over the 162 and say, well, it's all about rings, rings, rings, rings, rings. Yeah, it is once the playoffs start. But those, those sections of, of the season simply determine different things. And I think being aware of that is okay. And I've evolved in that regard too. It's, you know, it's a failure if you don't. And it is. It's still. I mean, I understand what I meant by saying that, that only one team has a successful season and I do think it is about winning championships. But it is really hard to build a team for the 162 and build a team to win a title. The cool thing is now we see that turn and which teams are serious about that today.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah, I think what the White Sox need to focus on here is I don't know if they're gonna, if they're gonna catch Tampa. I think they're five or six games behind Tampa, but they, they gotta stay and fight for that two spot to get, to get that first round. To not have to play in the wild card round would be, would be, I think significant for, for the White Sox, obviously playing one less series. Having one less serious chance to get knocked out is crucially important for everybody. But I think for the White Sox it would be very important to get that, that two seed. If they don't catch Tampa Bay to be the one seed. And we've seen with the expansion of the playoffs too, Dan, I think one time in this few years it's been. You've had the one seed play a one seed in the World Series, and maybe only. I think, I think a one seed is obviously one seed is one at only one time. So the opportunities are there regardless of how you feel about the wild card or six teams getting in from each league. But hey, you just have to be a top six team in your league to get a chance to win a World Series.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right? Right. And if you think it, if you are a fan of the whole season, end of the 162, you're probably old. It probably matters more to you than ultimately the parades and the rings and everything else and the celebrations. So I'm not judging. I just think that, that it's on us to remain cognizant and aware. If I say mindful, my daughter will hit me. So I. But mindful of the fact that these are different things that we're talking about in that regard. But. And I also, let me, while we're talking a little extra baseball here, let me give credit to the Red Sox for when they went all in on their, their homemade Wally head, the mascot head there. They do it every single time they hit a home run because it's. And the full thing because they kept doing it last night when they were beating that poor bastard into submission. And I'm trying to figure out who's talking during the broadcast. I, I like the other group much, much better this one because I don't need Clayton Kershaw in my life. I, I don't. I don't need him at all. So. No, thank you.

[Patrick Finley]

I mean, how about those, I mean, those Red Sox, I mean, 60 and 619 games.

[Dan Bernstein]

Unbelievable. Unbelievable.

[Patrick Finley]

They are solidly in the, the number two spot wild card. And so you're going to have Tampa, the Yankees and the Red Sox coming out of the division. Would have never thought that two months

[Dan Bernstein]

ago you couldn't have dead. I don't think there's water. I don't think there's any way a reasonable person could have thought that. And then they just went completely ape. And do you think that their homemade wally head looks more like Pepe the Frog?

[Patrick Finley]

It certainly doesn't look like Wally. Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

Like, did it start as a Pepe the Frog head that they made? And I don't even know. I can't keep track of the semiotics of, of Pepe the Frog, what it means and has it been reclaimed. And I know the guy that created it doesn't like the fact that it was grabbed by online Nazis and then turned into a symbol. And I. I don't know where any of that stands right now, and. But I know that they say that it's their mascot, Wally, who's named after the. The wall. The Green Monster, and he's Wally the Monster or whatever. So they have a green head. That they may. But it's. There's something off about it. That's all I'll say.

[Patrick Finley]

You know what's crazy about the Red Sox also? They're. They're four games under.500 at home this year, and they're 13 games over on the road.

[Dan Bernstein]

Wow.

[Patrick Finley]

Yes, wow. About all you can say to that is wow.

[Dan Bernstein]

And what are the Rays? What's their home road split? Can you check that for me? Because.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

What the. The best thing that will ever happen is when whoever gets to push the button on the demolition of that ballpark is. Is lucky.

[Patrick Finley]

Well, they're. No, dude, they are. Okay? I'll tell you right now, because they. They have used best, though.

[Dan Bernstein]

They always are. They're always tough to beat.

[Patrick Finley]

They are 41 and 18 at home, which is the best home record in baseball. Yeah, but.

[Dan Bernstein]

And they do that almost every year. And for the Sox to go down there and take a series in that dump.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah. And they're 24 and 28 on the road.

[Dan Bernstein]

And that's also, I think, where we had one of the great moments of the year. That's where the Cubs were when that person lost their drawers, Right?

[Patrick Finley]

Yes. The moonshot.

[Dan Bernstein]

We had the great. Everybody okay down there? JD Yelling. That was the foul ball. Where that person, who I think we found out they thought was a man, and they found out after that it was not. We had a person lose their pants completely while chasing after a foul ball in the empty seats. And one of the moments of the year, as far as I'm concerned.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

The reaction.

[Patrick Finley]

White Sox are six games under on the road. The Rays are four games under. And then who's it. Texas. Who's leading that? Oh, Houston's leading that division now.

[Dan Bernstein]

Jesus.

[Patrick Finley]

They're a game over on the road. The only. The only Division leader, it's over.500 on the road. There are two over at home and one over on the road, but, yeah, Tampa Bay, to answer your question, 41

[Dan Bernstein]

and 18 at home. Well. And, hey, the Sox just took a couple, and they should be absolutely proud of it. Are we getting any updates on what happened to Kobe Bryant, by the way? Because I'm sweating bullets here about that one, I gotta be honest.

[Patrick Finley]

So Patrick Finley, he did put out that it it, it is a knee, a left knee, a left knee. And that's, that's all they're saying. Practice ended about. When the practice end. What time is it? Practice ended about 15 minutes ago. Yeah. Just, just waiting for anything further on Kobe Bryant.

[Dan Bernstein]

I see Brad Biggs just mentioned that safety Kobe Bryant and cornerback Terrell Smith both left practice early with training staff.

[Patrick Finley]

And also just to reiterate too, from earlier that he was driven off on a cart. But because of the location of the field to the facility, that's, that's generally the practice, regardless of the significance of the injury. Because it's so far out.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I just think that is, I don't think I'm being too crazy here. The status of Kobe Bryant is right now the most important story in Chicago sports.

[Patrick Finley]

That is correct. Outside of any significant trades that happened before 5 o'. Clock. But it is the most important thing because he, he has been the most important defensive player so far.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is their first day in pads. Yes, this is their first day in pads. So of course, of course, the, like, best case scenario, it's a sprain and they get him back after four games to start the season. Like, I. If you're talking about a knee, it's one thing. If it's a low ankle sprain, you know, a high ankle sprain, you're talking six weeks, seven weeks. But if you're talking a knee ligament and now he's going to go for him. This is.

[Patrick Finley]

Well, let's just, let's, let's just, let's wait for more information before we start

[Dan Bernstein]

saying, no, I want to panic now.

[Patrick Finley]

I don't want to panic yet.

[Dan Bernstein]

You can't stop me from panicking.

[Patrick Finley]

There's a, I mean, there's a story that we'll talk about on DBU or on forward progress about former Bears. Cj, gj.

[Dan Bernstein]

I saw that, too.

[Patrick Finley]

I thought he was done with an Achilles injury, but he just has a lower calf strain. So let's just, let's wait and see what, what they say before we panic. You can panic. No, let's not panic publicly. Just panic internally right now.

[Dan Bernstein]

So. But I share every thought. I can't have it. I can't have it.

[Patrick Finley]

Zip it. Zip it right now.

[Dan Bernstein]

But you got about the air.

[Patrick Finley]

Panic internally. Talk about other things.

[Dan Bernstein]

Always panicking internally.

[Patrick Finley]

Remember that email you sent me years and years ago that just said, start worrying?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I never, I never rescinded that.

[Patrick Finley]

I said, about what?

[Dan Bernstein]

Everything.

[Patrick Finley]

You're like, everything.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, just worry about everything.

[Patrick Finley]

Because I think that was One of. One of my jokes about you at the roast, I said, dan sent me an email once and said, start worrying.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think it was better than my cousin's performance at the roast. Oh, God, they were terrible. Yeah, I know.

[Patrick Finley]

Boy, oh, boy, were they bad.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, you know, they've.

[Patrick Finley]

They've. I think they do other things. Yeah. They really try to entertain people.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. He's gonna leave that to us.

[Patrick Finley]

He certainly picked the right path.

[Dan Bernstein]

Can. Can. We don't love them, though.

[Patrick Finley]

Hey. Still love you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, we love the blacks.

[Patrick Finley]

We do love the blacks.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep. Did you see? I'm just asking. I. I know you did. Martha Reeves, the legendary Motown singer of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, sang the national anthem in Springfield, Illinois, for the first game for the women's professional baseball league.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah. And I'm. I'm half glad, half mad that you brought it to my attention. Why?

[Dan Bernstein]

Why. Why the second half there?

[Patrick Finley]

Because it's so bad.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know.

[Patrick Finley]

I'm leaning towards the, like, more glad part. I mean, it's just. I mean, I love Motown, and she. I mean, she's a legend. She's a rock and roll hall of fame singer. I mean, I think Rolling Stone had her in, like, the top 200 list of singers of all time. And it just. It was. It made me sad a little bit, and it made me mad that I watched it because you pointed it out.

[Dan Bernstein]

Mm.

[Patrick Finley]

It's not good. Who.

[Dan Bernstein]

Who was the woman that sang the terrible anthem at the bowling tournament? I think it was another octogenarian legend.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah. Who was that?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, see if you can find it, because that was. Because I. All I could think of when I heard this and I watched Martha, and it made me. The whole thing made me happy and sad for a couple of reasons. First, it's. First, it's hilarious, first of all, because it's completely off, and there were two other ladies who were singing, and then Martha started singing, and Martha's singing a different song that is a different pitch for every note and loud. And she's selling it, and. And every single note was wrong.

[Patrick Finley]

Oh, Dan, if you Google this, it's. It's already be. It's already considered one of the. Some people online are saying it's the worst anthem ever. It's.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's. It's bad. And so then it. Then it kind of got. It kind of got sad because the. The other two women who were singing were like, oh, there's nothing we can do here. We're just gonna let her roll.

[Patrick Finley]

They stopped singing.

[Dan Bernstein]

They stopped. They stopped Singing and just sort of let Martha all. You go, go get it.

[Patrick Finley]

She did a lot there. She actually, she got ahead of them at some points.

[Dan Bernstein]

She was behind and then fell behind.

[Patrick Finley]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

And.

[Patrick Finley]

And the. It.

[Dan Bernstein]

Not a single note was delivered properly. No, it's not good. The. So my. I kept thinking. So then I wanted it to stop and I felt bad for her. And apparently her people released a statement saying it was. It was bad because it was windy and she couldn't hear herself because it was windy.

[Patrick Finley]

Well, she lucked out for that man

[Dan Bernstein]

and that she also. There was some issues with the sound or she didn't have a monitor and I couldn't. Well, then don't take the field or. If you can't hear after. After the sound check. That's why they do the sound check. If you can't hear yourself, don't sing, because those other women could hear themselves and they were fine.

[Patrick Finley]

I'm. I'm gonna bet there was no sound check.

[Dan Bernstein]

I. I don't know if there's a sound check.

[Patrick Finley]

That was the sound check. I'm. I'm. I'm coming down and saying, hey, we have. We're having an issue with our. Our system here. We're not gonna. We're not.

[Dan Bernstein]

How do you not vet that? Like, did anybody hear her sing it and say, hey, can she still sing? Did anybody vet that? And he's like, okay, let's. Let's make sure that Martha, the Hall of Famer from Martha and the Vandellas. Is she a Hall of Famer? I don't know, but I know it's a.

[Patrick Finley]

She is a Hall of Famer. She is a Hall of Famer.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Patrick Finley]

I just. I wonder if at that point, does. Does someone like that get the benefit of the doubt?

[Dan Bernstein]

Right? Do they say, I'm not. I don't have to audition for you. I'm 85. I'm too old to audition. You've heard me sing. Hire me or don't hire me. I can knock out an anthem in my sleep. Youngin. Yeah, maybe she said that and then we got that. But the other reason I was happy and sad.

[Patrick Finley]

Well, the sad part here for me, Terry.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Like, I start laughing just thinking about what Terry would be doing the first time here if we played it for him on the air, which you can do on. On terrestrial radio. And because, you know, I just kept. Oh, Martha. Oh, oh, oh, Martha, Martha. I gotta do something about. Oh, better shut it down there, old Martha. Oh, they brought the. They brought the cart for Kobe Bryant. They gotta Bring it out for Martha. Somebody fetch the cart. You know, it's just.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah. He would have had a field day. Oh, my God.

[Dan Bernstein]

It would have been the entire show. It would have been the entire show of just, you know, bringing up the sound of her screaming into the Martha check. Let's check it on Martha. Oh, God, Martha. She's.

[Patrick Finley]

Yes. Yeah, we would have. You. And I would have tortured Terry with it for the entire show.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep, yep.

[Patrick Finley]

I would have made you go to a phone line and just brought the pot up and had Martha singing.

[Dan Bernstein]

And let's see, let's get a. Martha is calling from Richton Park. Just had around the line.

[Patrick Finley]

So go ahead and give. Give yourself an opportunity to listen.

[Dan Bernstein]

Just all. All we can do. Just. Just listen to it. Think about Terry. Listen.

[Patrick Finley]

It's really the only way to get through it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Listen to it. Well, yeah, that's good advice for anything. Think about how would Terry react.

[Patrick Finley]

And then.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then pour one out for. Pour out a Little Jack and Diet for T diddly. Because that one. Yeah, but what. What was. Who was singing? It was. It was some legend.

[Patrick Finley]

I couldn't find it.

[Dan Bernstein]

It wasn't Mavis Staples, but it was somebody. It was. It was an absolute soul legend that was singing at a bowling alley. This is going to kill me. Someone will know. Trust me. Someone like Schmutzy will know it or something like that. One of the Die Hards will absolutely know. Strangles will know. Or some member of the Strangles consortium. You better be at the party, by the way. This is the new thing. If you're an actual og, we have to introduce you to the masses. We have to display everybody here. If you are a Friday feedback Friday regular. If you are just somebody who dances around or is in the comments of the things and people know who you are or whatever. There's like a subreddit, I guess, for the show. So come on out, talk more hockey. I know it's what I'm gonna get.

[Patrick Finley]

Funny. The. I forgot to bring this up. I'm glad you brought up Reddit, because I, I do, I do check the. The Reddit conversation. Oh, you do? They had one. It was a couple weeks ago when I. When I was talking about having milk with dinner and drinking milk.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. Yeah, I did.

[Patrick Finley]

It makes me nauseous. People drink milk like with like spaghetti and there was a whole Reddit conversation and thread about drinking milk with your meals. It was really funny.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, that's what red is for.

[Patrick Finley]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's a perfect place to do it. I. You Know what I had the other night? A big cold glass of strawberry quick.

[Patrick Finley]

Oh, that sounds good.

[Dan Bernstein]

Or did you milk? I just. I. Okay. Big pink glass of strawberry milk.

[Patrick Finley]

Why do you have quick in the house?

[Dan Bernstein]

Because it's awesome.

[Patrick Finley]

Okay. Well, I don't know if that's a regular. We.

[Dan Bernstein]

I forgot we had it. I had the kid. You know what? I had it years ago. It's been. It was. I bought a giant one and it had been sitting there because for Jason, with hockey practice, you know, we always wanted to uptake, you know, the chocolate milk or jar. But you want. You want the. A little bit of carb and a lot of the protein and the whole thing. And. And it was just there. I'm like, you know, that sounds awesome. And it's what I had a. I

[Patrick Finley]

love strawberry quick as a kid.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, yeah. So good. So it's. And it's easy and it's inexpensive and it's right there. So I do that.

[Patrick Finley]

Next time when you make pasta, have a big glass of strawberry.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, not with my.

[Patrick Finley]

No, it's a dessert.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, it is. It's a. Trust me, I know it's a dessert. Russ Armstrong makes windows. Like when he makes windows, he just sells them. No, he makes them. He's got the factory. He custom makes the windows for you here in Chicago. That's what the business of Chicago window guys is, where whatever kind of windows you want and there's all different kinds that he's able to make. He can show you the brochures, he can show you the mock ups. He can show you all sorts of fabulous pictures of the actual windows that he's put in and all the cool stuff that he's done with windows and doors. But you can see for yourself when you talk to Russ. And if you need windows, don't deal with all of the pain in the butt out there. That is the commercials and the gimmicks and sorting through. Well, you said buy one, get one free. Well, what counts for that and what counts for two for the price of one or whatever it is? Don't deal with gimmicks. Just get the best product at the best price and deal with the owner. 847302, 9171. Check out his five star [e-mail] he doesn't use subcontracted labor for installation. If somebody has to come over and measure something, it's someone who Russ knows, who works directly for him. There is a lifetime guarantee on parts and labor, a price match guarantee. So you don't have to worry about any of these gimmicks from these marketing companies that are posing as window companies. Make it easy on yourself. Do what I did. I've got a house full of Chicago window guys. Windows. And I recommend him to everybody. I'm recommending him to you. Call 847-302-9171.

[Patrick Finley]

Did you see any of the. The videos over the weekend? The fake videos? The AI videos of Travis Kelsey at practice?

[Dan Bernstein]

No.

[Patrick Finley]

Chief's practice? No. Where he looked like he was about £350 off.

[Dan Bernstein]

They're. They're fake videos, though.

[Patrick Finley]

Yes. They're not real. I just saw a video, a picture of him from practice and he looks like himself. But I was like, oh my God, he's huge. He's huge. And I'm like, that can't. It can't be real. And it's turned out they weren't real. Okay. There was several of them and they were very funny.

[Dan Bernstein]

Who just. It was just somebody decided that this was the meme. This was the bit.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah. Because, you know, married life is, you know. Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's old and fat. He probably has like a leaf blower in one hand.

[Patrick Finley]

That was really good.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's in his. Well, does. He already has. His brother has the beer, right? Garage beer.

[Patrick Finley]

Yes, Correct.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. Yeah. So there's got a head start of it. I've never. I don't know any reviews of it, but I presume it's good enough. It looks like it was.

[Patrick Finley]

Sure, it's fine.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm sure it's probably.

[Patrick Finley]

It does the job.

[Dan Bernstein]

Comes out of the same vat probably as some other beer whose name we know. Just like most of the generic products in your grocery store. I saw Spider man over the weekend.

[Patrick Finley]

Yes, me too.

[Dan Bernstein]

Saw Spider man in. On the regular movie screen. Not imax or not 3D or whatever. It was just the. The regular. First of all, the theater on Saturday was packed.

[Patrick Finley]

We saw it yesterday afternoon. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And the rain on Saturday. And I thought this is just like a little anecdotal thing. Like, oh, a big day for movies in Chicago. That's the biggest opening weekend ever. Spider man beat Avengers Endgame. Like, that's the all time biggest grossing opening weekend. It's a phenomenon. And I'm going to let you give your opinion on the movie before I give you mine, because we neither one of us knows the other's review yet. We saved it.

[Patrick Finley]

Wow. 927 million worldwide.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Patrick Finley]

355 million domestically. 927 worldwide. Holy shit. I didn't Know.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. I'm telling you, it was crazy.

[Patrick Finley]

Highest domestic opening ever.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Patrick Finley]

Wow. Yeah. There was one empty seat in our theater. We saw it yesterday in Vernon Hills, a 12:30 show. And the one empty seat in the theater was next to me. It was a gift from God.

[Dan Bernstein]

We had two empty seats.

[Patrick Finley]

Well, yours was somewhat planned, though.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Well, Beth got all excited. We were all excited. She's like, family movie day. We're all going to see Spider Man. I got four kids. This is when we're leaving. We're all going to see Spider Man. She planned.

[Patrick Finley]

It was her planning.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well. And she. No, it was. She'd get really mad at you if you. If you.

[Patrick Finley]

But.

[Dan Bernstein]

But it was just an excite. I. Her heart was in the right place and I agreed with her. I'm like, kids, this is going to be fun. And Zoe and Jason both said, it's gonna rain in this before we go see that movie. And we're like, okay, all right. Not into the whole, yay, family movie thing.

[Patrick Finley]

See, that's funny because I actually, I took my 12 and 13 year old and asked them, hey, before I buy tickets, are you guys down with seeing Spider Man?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. That's different than 24 and 21.

[Patrick Finley]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

24 and 21 gave us the, like, no, no. We have other things we'd like to do. You two have a. You two have a date. Go ahead, enjoy.

[Patrick Finley]

I. I received a yes. Immediate yes. And then the, the second one said, does the other one want to go? Does Hank want to go? Yes, he does. All right, I'll go.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, that's what a little brother does. Yeah. What'd you think?

[Patrick Finley]

So I. Okay. I thought it was. I thought it was great. I was thoroughly entertained. I thought there was. It was really well written. There was really good development of the relationships of the characters, even though you know them really well. It was. There was touching moments to it. There was. There's two things that really stood out to me. I thought the. There was. There was one scene specifically between Tom Holland and Zendaya. Or Zendaya.

[Dan Bernstein]

Zendaya.

[Patrick Finley]

Zendaya. Yeah. There's. There's one scene where he kind of breaks a little bit and he's not talking to a co star actor anymore. He's talking to his wife, which. So it's where they're. They're having the, the dialogue in Punisher's Kitchen.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, that's one of the best scenes in the movie.

[Patrick Finley]

Yes. And she asks him about having a Mrs. Spider Man, a Mrs. Spidey. And dude, if you watch his face as the scene goes through. He changes. His face changes. And he's not looking at a co star actor anymore. He's looking at his wife and talking to his wife. I thought it was really super sweet. I thought it was really good. I loved it. The thing that. There's one thing that bothered me about. About the film, and it was. And I love John Bernthal. I love him. I love his Punisher. I've watched the stuff on Disney.

[Dan Bernstein]

The Punisher portrayal is a little over the top and it looks like he's. He's definitely enjoying the accent.

[Patrick Finley]

Yes. So that. My only thing about it is Marvel and the Marvel movies are organically funny. And comedy flows throughout the Marvel movies and the comics.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Patrick Finley]

With the exception of one in. It's the Thor and the Love and Love and Thunder, whatever that one was. I have. I haven't even been able to sit through and watch the whole thing yet. It's just. It's not very good this with. With the Punisher and the Spider man dialogue. At times it was. It was too much and they tried too hard to be funny. And it made me feel like I was watching a DC movie because DC movies try really hard to be funny and they're not where Marvel. It's really organic and natural and just kind of flows through it. So there was a few things. Even though I love Bernthal, I love the addition of Punisher in the movie. I think it's great. Again, I love all the stuff on Disney that I watched. The movie that they just released about Punisher is great. He's great in it. It's just they try too hard because it's not the same character that I've seen on Disney plus that I saw in the theater yesterday.

[Dan Bernstein]

I thought it was time well spent at the theater.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah, I loved it.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think.

[Patrick Finley]

Don't get me wrong, I loved it.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think, bottom line, I enjoyed it. And I found most of the action to be typically sort of forgettable Marvel stuff because as you know, in one of these movies, it's chase the thing that the plot is usually chase the thing. Whether it's a tesseract or one of the Infinity Stones or the glove with all the Infinity Stones, whatever the football is, whatever the MacGuffin is, chase the thing. Chase the person who has the thing. So you get a little bit of that. And the movie isn't really about that. The movie is about the mental health of a likable young man who is navigating the onset of real adulthood. And it's about the importance of human interaction in one's life, of turn your computer off, get off your phone, spend time with people because it's good for you. And when you don't do that, things get out of whack in the way you see the world, the way you think about the world. And I just thought that was the story of the movie with a lot of explosions and webs and things happening. But if a Marvel superhero cartoon movie as the vehicle for that wonderful lesson is sort of what we get and where we are, and that brings that lesson to the masses. Great, Great. Cause that's what it was. That's really, it's really kind of a sensitive and sweet story about a young man who's got some mental health problems and needs to work his way out of them for the good of all. And layered over that is a Marvel movie. They've chased the thing and beat the bad guys and I like the way they handled it. There is a lot of Matrix homage in this too. A lot. From the specific ability of the villain that mirrors that of Agent Smith in the Matrix to inhabit one person and a next person and a next person and jump into anyone and sort of take them over. There was also a lot of the similar choreography in some of the fight scenes, especially with the ninja group, the hand. And then even near the end of the movie there, there are a couple of still shots. One that happens to be in a blown out lab of, of a black man strapped to an office chair looking at a blue. Looking through a blown out window. That is almost an identical shot to Laurence Fishburne sitting next to Agent Smith in the Matrix. So just I'm interested why they, they used a lot of that stuff. It's also a darker, grimier color palette. I was gonna compare it to D.C. in that regard because that's something that isn't bad about some of the DC movies is the dark dystopia that we generally, the Marvel movies have a lighter color palette with more primary colors. And this wasn't. It was a little dingier and a little grungier and I thought it worked. Yeah, no, that.

[Patrick Finley]

It does compare to D.C. pretty well. And I think, I mean, that was best accomplished in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy and kind of. What else? Oh, the, the latest Batman with Robert Pattinson, which was. Was good, but that was, that was almost too dark, you know, and not, not from like a tone or a context standing, but from the actual visual of it. It was almost too dark at times. I also loved that Liza Cologne Zayas. She's from the Bear. She plays the. The police officer.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, okay.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah. I, I love. I didn't know that she was in it and I had such a significant role in. In the movie and I loved it because I just. I love her in the Bear and

[Dan Bernstein]

it's just Bernthal and the Bear too.

[Patrick Finley]

Oh, yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah. But. But yeah, he. You haven't seen any of the seasons of the Bear?

[Dan Bernstein]

I've tried to watch a couple episodes. It spikes my anxiety something fierce.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

So it's been. The show is basically an anxiety show.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah, there's. There's one scene particular you wouldn't be able to get through a holiday dinner scene.

[Dan Bernstein]

Holiday dinner where somebody tweets something stupid and gets fired.

[Patrick Finley]

Oh, God, no. Okay. No, no. Okay. I just thought. Why.

[Dan Bernstein]

It was specific or. Does a guy lose a fish?

[Patrick Finley]

No, there's a full out family fisticuffs over. Over the. Yeah, the. The Feast of the Seven Fishes. It's. It's. Yeah, but yeah, no, he. Yeah, he is in it. He plays the older brother of the. Of the Hands, the handsome guy who stars in it.

[Dan Bernstein]

What's his name? Jeremy Allen White.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah, so he plays his older brother. So he's not. Anyway, I won't spoil it for you in case you ever do decide to watch a good show, which I'm sure you don't ever plan to, but I'm glad that she was in it because

[Dan Bernstein]

I really love her as stray. I don't watch a lot of shows. Big deal.

[Patrick Finley]

You don't watch anything I recommend. That's why it was.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, that's not true.

[Patrick Finley]

I don't watch. That certainly wasn't a stray. That was. That was a straight.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, that was direct.

[Patrick Finley]

I was coming right up right at you. So.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah. But I love that she was in it because I love her in the Bear and it was cool that she played a part in it and a big part too, so. And it also sets up really well for Avenger Doomsday if you like the whole multiverse thing and what you lead into and who the villain in this ones was who ends up not being a villain really. But so. And she ends up being X Men. So. Yeah, it's cool. I'm really excited. And she. She was from Stranger Things. Who plays Jean Grey. Yes, she's from Stranger Things, which is also cool to see.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, that's Sophie Sink.

[Patrick Finley]

Oh, is that her name? I don't even know.

[Dan Bernstein]

Is that her name? Yeah, I think so. But it was a. I. I thought it's it's well done. And if you're a Marvel mark and you have to see it, that's great.

[Patrick Finley]

Oh, I will tell you this too. If you are a Marvel guy, that or gal. And you sit through all the credits because you want to see, I'll just tell you right now, you did not have to stay for the post credit scene. I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna. Don't waste your time. Just get up and leave when the movie's over if you haven't seen it. Yeah, we don't need to stay for the, for the scene.

[Dan Bernstein]

We always stay for the cookie.

[Patrick Finley]

I, I did too. And the boys were getting mad and I'm like, fellas, it's at the very end this year. It's not in the middle. We gotta, we gotta wait. And it just, it wasn't. You don't have to do it. Just get up and get yourself out.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, and we, we went out. We actually went out the up the, the down exit. I can't tell you the last time there were so many people leaving the theater that there was a bottleneck at the exit. Like this was.

[Patrick Finley]

Oh, seriously?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, like it was. The theater was packed. That never happens at the Regal north on. And they had Spider man, like four screens. You know what I'm talking about? The big one, it's right off the Kennedy on Western there. That's our, our like closest theater. If it's a boutique thing, I like to go to the Logan or the Davis.

[Patrick Finley]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

I like to go to Neigh.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah, but a big one. You gotta go theaters.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. One of these big things, you gotta. And it's so close and so easy. And I know where the secret parking spaces are where other people don't know the secret parking spaces are. So I have to pay the $4.

[Patrick Finley]

So I'll also say too, the guy who plays Scorpion in this movie, his name is Michael Mando. He was in a movie that just came out. It's one of the new Kevin Hart Netflix films. You know, obviously, I think he signed a big deal with Netflix because he has a lot of movies coming out. He plays a character in the most recent Kevin Hart film on Netflix called 72 Hours. And I put it on earlier the other day over the. I think it was Saturday morning, just kind of with my coffee and we know. Mindless. Something to stare at, thinking I wouldn't watch the whole thing. It was, it was actually really entertaining and a very pretty, funny movie. And Michael Mando plays a character in it. And so it was Good. It was cool to see him. Then the very next day star in. In Brand New Day. Had no idea.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, wow.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's funny.

[Patrick Finley]

So I, I'd recommend 72 hours. If you got some time to kill. Don't make it a priority, but put it on.

[Dan Bernstein]

And by the way, it's. Sadie Sink is her name. It is. Sadie Sink plays Jean Gray.

[Patrick Finley]

She was great.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I. Did Scarlett Johansson just stop playing Black Widow. She died. What? Oh, that. But then how was Black Widow back?

[Patrick Finley]

Because there's. There's more than she's. It's. It's. That is. She wasn't just a blood. She was a black widow.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, okay, so she actually died when they were. When they. She had to be sacrificed with Hawkeye to get the stone.

[Patrick Finley]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

From Red Skull.

[Patrick Finley]

From the red Grim Reaper.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Yes. So that. So that character died. But. But Black Widow.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah. There's more than one Black Widow.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. Like, more than. Okay. All right. I, I can't keep track of the various universes and that's. That's always. It's kind of bothered me that it takes the stakes down when all of a sudden they can just snap their fingers or spin the wheel and people are, Are undead and unalived and there they are. And it's so. But okay. Just making sure that it's the same character, though. But it's not the same character.

[Patrick Finley]

Yeah. So there's multiple Black Widows in Marvel, including Natasha Romanoff, Yelena Belova.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's who Florence Pugh was.

[Patrick Finley]

So it's different.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. All right, just checking. Yes, thank you for letting me know. And again, make sure you register for the party come out. That was the big news today, that we're. We're having a party on the 25th and absolutely can't wait for it. And we thank Chicago Window guys for sponsoring the party and sponsoring this show. So you need windows. Here's the number. 847-302-9171. And check out the five star reviews at ChicagoNowDownGuys.com. thanks for listening to today's episode, brought to you by my bookie.