Dan Zampillo - Gamut Podcast Network, Executive Producer

Summary

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered

Episode: Dan Zampillo - Gamut Podcast Network, Executive Producer

Date: February 27, 2026
Host: Dan Bernstein, with Matt Abbatacola
Guest: Dan Zampillo

---

Episode Overview

This Friday edition of Dan Bernstein Unfiltered marks a special reunion. Dan and Matt bring on longtime friend and radio colleague Dan Zampillo to announce his new role as Executive Producer of the Gamut Podcast Network (the parent network to 312 Sports). The conversation is a blend of radio nostalgia, reflections on career growth, insights on what’s ahead for the network, as well as signature banter and listener interaction. The show also features segments on Chicago sports fandom, Bears optimism, memorable live events, music and food talk, and feedback from dedicated listeners.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dan Zampillo Joins Gamut Podcast Network

Timestamp: 03:34 – 05:32

• Major Announcement: Dan Bernstein shares that former colleague Dan Zampillo is now the Executive Producer for the entire Gamut Podcast Network, not just for 312 Sports.

• Zampillo's Perspective: Zampillo jokes about joining despite knowing he’d be managing Dan and Matt again. He recounts his recruitment by John (head of Gamut) over a year and a half-long conversation.

• Reunion Feel: The announcement is met with genuine excitement and a bit of ribbing among old friends, establishing Zampillo’s credentials and history with the group.

  “I am blocking Bernstein on my phone now and I may never talk to him again.” — Dan Zampillo (04:59)

2. Radio Origins and The Terry Boers Legacy

Timestamp: 05:32 – 10:12

• Reminiscing: Matt and Dan highlight Zampillo’s tenure at The Score as executive producer, on-air host, and sports director, including his close work with the late Terry Boers.

• Personal Anecdotes: Zampillo recalls childhood memories with Terry’s family and how his mom famously ran over Terry’s mailbox, which later became a show running joke.

  "He liked the idea that he kind of had a... a tree. Right? ...about a cola and Zamp and, you know, all these other guys." — Dan Zampillo (09:39)

• Terry’s Passing: The discussion turns momentarily solemn as they express how much Terry Boers meant to their careers and how proud he’d be of this moment.

3. Zampillo’s Radio Journey & Gamut’s Vision

Timestamp: 10:12 – 13:58

• Career Arc: Zampillo describes his radio evolution: producing, hosting, moving into management ("evil corporate overlord"), even running ESPN LA and Spotify positions before this new challenge.

• Gamut Network’s Direction: Emphasis on talent, collaboration, and bringing “old school” radio passion into a modern podcast environment. Zampillo expresses optimism for 312’s and Gamut’s potential growth.

  "It starts with the talent above and beyond anything else. It’s not about us, you know, ridiculous program directors, you know, behind the scenes. It’s about the talent and what they do." — Dan Zampillo (14:13)

4. Chicago Sports as the Fan Pulse Rises

Timestamp: 11:55 – 13:58

• The Bears Are (Finally) Fun: The group expresses disbelief and cautious optimism at the state of the Bears, reflecting on past eras filled with coaching mishaps and missed opportunities.

  “I cannot, like, does not compute for me sometimes that I’m sending these text messages... about positive Bears conversation and not just... making fun of the coach." — Dan Zampillo (11:55)

• Connecting With Listeners: Zampillo looks forward to bridging "old school Scoreheads" with the podcast’s broader audience, aiming for intimacy and authenticity.

5. Listener Mailbag: Feedback Friday

Timestamp: 19:07 – 36:43

• Pop Culture Blind Spots: Discussion of the confusing Super Bowl Pokemon commercial and generational differences in celebrity recognition.
• Food Deep Dives: Emails spark debates on regional sausages (Kramarczuk’s at Twins games), underrated delis, and the “world’s best tartar sauce” (Fritz’s Big Boy, Cincinnati).
• Sports Metaphors & Analogies: Listeners weigh in on everything from Funyuns (Dan: “one bite is death”) to how spring training resembles a deceptive Atari cartridge as a kid.
• Science Minute: A physical therapist listener explains why people are taller in the morning than at night (intervertebral disc hydration).

6. Debate: Does Bears Coach Ben Johnson Really Hate the Packers?

Timestamp: 34:18 – 36:24

• Is It a Bit?: Diverging listener opinions dissect the coach’s attitude toward Green Bay. Some see it as performance art, others (including Stonecutter) love the emerging rivalry and want the edge to become real.

  "The question is not: is Ben Johnson doing a bit? He obviously is. The question is, at what point does it cease to be a bit and turn into genuine hatred that we actually should respect?” — Stonecutter email (34:18)

7. Top 10 Live Events & Concert Experiences

Timestamp: 36:44 – 74:22

• Matt's List: Includes the Cubs championship parade, Garth Brooks concerts, Michael Bublé, a Motown Christmas, Billy Joel/Elton John at Wrigley, Jeremy Roenick's final Blackhawks game, and — in a surprise twist — the Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular at Radio City as his all-time #1 live event.

• Dan's List: Focuses on musical concerts, featuring R.E.M., ACDC at Wrigley, Public Enemy in a tiny Chapel Hill club (“killed it”), The Police reunion at Wrigley, Paul Simon at the Vic, the Who at Alpine Valley (accompanied by tripping on mushrooms), and endlessly amusing concert mishaps, like Dwight Yoakam being booed off stage by Violent Femmes fans.

  “Did Dwight Yoakam open for Violent Femmes?... He got booed off. He started Guitar Cadillacs... and people were going, what the hell is this?... After three songs, they walked off and everybody was giving the finger.” — Dan Bernstein (59:46)

• Honorable Mentions: Both share memories of Ravinia picnics, radio station mini-concerts, and wry stories involving Chicago’s food scene.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I’m ready to expand your horizon. You better get ready.” — Dan Zampillo (03:51)
• “I’ve been screamed at by numerous talent. So it’s been great... when I saw you, Bernstein, I was just like, Jesus! Like the silver.” — Dan Zampillo (07:34)
• “It’s amazing how these paths diverge and converge and diverge and converge again.” — Dan Bernstein (08:17)
• “Good or bad, Dan, you make that imprint right away.” — Dan Zampillo (10:12)
• “[Terry Boers] liked the idea he kind of had a tree — like the McVay coaching tree — and you know: Abatticola and Zamp and, you know, all these other guys.” — Dan Zampillo (09:39)
• “The Bears... trending in a direction where we can just not be making fun of the coach... it’s just such a joy.” — Dan Zampillo (12:05)
• “The question is not: is Ben Johnson doing a bit? He obviously is. The question is, at what point does it cease to be a bit and turn into genuine hatred that we actually should respect?” — Listener “Stonecutter” email (34:18)
• “Number one, the best live event you’ve ever seen, I’ve ever been to, is the Christmas Spectacular by the Rockettes at Radio City.” — Matt Abbatacola (49:41)
• “My cousin texted me from the corner of Ashland and Irving Park and says, Hell’s Bells sounds great from here. True story.” — Dan Bernstein (72:15)

---

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic | |---------------|--------------------------------------------------| | 03:34 | Introduction of Dan Zampillo as Executive Producer| | 05:32 | Zampillo’s radio background and Score history | | 08:17 | Reflecting on career paths and Terry Boers’ impact| | 10:12 | Zampillo discusses Gamut’s vision and the podcast era| | 11:55 | Bears optimism, Score memories, and Chicago fandom| | 19:07 | Listener Mailbag: Feedback Friday | | 34:18 | Is Ben Johnson’s Packers “hate” real? | | 36:44 | Top 10 Live Events: Matt’s list | | 54:42 | Dan’s Concert List & Honorable Mentions | | 59:46 | Dwight Yoakam and Violent Femmes concert story | | 72:15 | AC/DC at Wrigley — Jason’s first rock concert | | 74:22 | REM at Cameron Indoor (Dan’s #1 concert) |

---

Tone, Style, & Takeaway

The episode is classic Bernstein: unfiltered, irreverent, nostalgic, and infused with Chicago sports energy. There’s warmth in the group’s camaraderie — years in radio are worn proudly, foibles and all. Listeners are treated as part of the “family,” with in-jokes and deep cuts from the city’s media past. The episode balances heartfelt moments (Terry Boers’ legacy) with sharp ribbing, fan nostalgia, and authentic celebration of good news for the show's future.

For longtime Scoreheads and new podcast listeners alike, it’s a lively, satisfying listen — a bridge between radio’s golden age and today’s growing digital world.

Transcript

[Commercial Narrator]

Say you've always wanted to see your favorite team from the best seats in the house. Here's the thing. If you invest well, you could do things like that. With Empower you can get your money working for you so you can go

[Dan Bernstein]

out and live a little.

[Commercial Narrator]

Isn't that why we work so hard to splurge at certain moments? Jet setting off to see your team play at one of the most iconic stadiums or getting your favorite player's super rare autographed one of one sports card. So use Empower to help you get good at money so you can be a little bad. Join their 19 million customers [e-mail] not an Empower client, paid or sponsored this

[Commercial Sponsor Voice]

episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Well, with a name your price tool from Progressive you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try [e-mail], progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates price and coverage match limited by state law. Not available in all states.

[Sleep Number Ad Voice]

Why choose a sleep number Smart Bed Can I make my site softer?

[Commercial Narrator]

Can I make my site firmer?

[Dan Zampillo]

Can we sleep cooler?

[Sleep Number Ad Voice]

Sleep number does that cools up to eight times faster and lets you choose your ideal comfort on either side your sleep number setting. Enjoy personalized comfort for better sleep night after night. And now during our President's day sale, take 50% off our limited edition bed plus an extra $100 off all mattresses and Saturday only at a sleep Number Store or sleepnumber.com

[Dan Bernstein]

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered Unfiltered on 312. It is a Friday DBU Dan Bernstein unfiltered on 312 Sports I'm DB that is Matt Abaticola and we are brought to you in partnership with my bookie. You know it's Friday Feedback Friday so we're going to be diving into that. I always say never miss a mailbag and we will be doing that today. And Also our top 10 list just to I I've got my top 10 concerts I ever attended. Matt's not a big concert guy expanded to live events entirety. So this is going to be fun. Really looking forward to this. But something happened yesterday in our offices. We had a high level corporate meeting here as we do every once in a while and what we have is an important personnel announcement that we thought you, yes, specifically you would find interesting and exciting because I know that we do. We were gathered on a conference call yesterday and we were sitting with some powers that be within our corporation and as you know. Yeah. As you know, we here at 312Sports are part of the Gamut Podcasting network and proud to be part of it. The Gamut Podcast Network has just hired a. An executive producer for the network not. Not just for 312 sports, but for the entire national network of podcasts. Of all the podcasts we have the narrative podcast, the true crime stuff, everything. We needed a. An experienced podcast executive to be the everyday executive producer on the network level. And I thought, okay, this will be somebody we can work with. I'm sure there's always. We can expand our horizons and you know, learn to work with different people and different experiences and different histories.

[Matt Abaticola]

And they said, and then we learned who it was.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then they said, and here it is. Here is the new executive producer of Gamut Podcast Network. Ladies and gentlemen, Dan Zampillo. Are you kidding me, dude?

[Dan Zampillo]

I'm ready to expand your horizon. You better get ready.

[Dan Bernstein]

You better. Welcome

[Dan Zampillo]

on.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh. So excited to hear about this. Tell us how this happened.

[Dan Zampillo]

Well, against my better judgment, knowing that you guys were part of the network now, I did love you. No, I've been talking to the head of John who heads Gamut for like a year and a half just orbiting him and you know, there came a point in time where I was available and he was looking for somebody and we had chatted on and on for you know, a year and a half like these things go. And then it materialized to the point where he hired me and you know, I guess it was beneficial that I had some history with the both of you since 312 or to such an important part of the. The business as a whole and somebody needs to try and manage you. John. John has officially given up by the way he got.

[Dan Bernstein]

Is that what it was like? You figure them out.

[Dan Zampillo]

I am blocking Bernstein on my phone now and I may never talk to him again. You're good luck. Godspeed. So no, so it was great. Started about a week ago and here we are. The reunion is. Is official. It's. I'm happy to be here. It's actually pretty cool to be working with you guys and everybody. Honestly, as much as you know, I will tell you otherwise probably off the off the air. I do respect and I'm thrilled to be part of it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. And we're super excited to have you as part of the gamut and now 312 sports family Z. I saw the. I saw your. Your LinkedIn profile update and I thought wait a second. He's gambit. No, that. Well, that's Good news. So very excited to see you yesterday in the meeting. So for those in our, in our community that maybe don't know Dan Zampillo. Dan worked with us at the Score, so he was actually an executive producer on air host. He produced Borz and Bernstein, he was the sports director. So he was, he was a suit at the Score as well, but had a very good and very successful on air career of his own at the Score. So we go way, way, way, way back to Dan. I know Dan. You knew Terry and his family as well outside of radio.

[Dan Zampillo]

Yeah, I did. I mean I lived like just the next street over, so my mom ran over his mailbox once, which was a very excellent and wonderful. Oh yeah, don't forget about that. Yeah. Which led to upon year of on, on the show. But yeah, unfortunately, obviously we all know Terry recently passed, which was sad, but I've been fortunate enough. I mean I saw his son like six months ago when I was in Chicago, spent a little bit of time with him, but yeah, I, I mean the memories, it's crazy. And the idea of being able to. And by the way, Matt, so sweet of you. A successful on air career at the Score. Yeah, it's like at night, buried as far as you can, you know, it's

[Dan Bernstein]

like, oh, what's, who wants the host?

[Dan Zampillo]

Saturday night at 10pm when everybody's having fun and you're young, like, oh, Z pillow. Do it. Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Hey, I, I, I had that Saturday night shift and I, I love that Saturday night shift. So it was fine. But, but at least, at least, at least you were scheduled to go on the air. You didn't do it on your own. It wasn't pirate radio, so you were. That was good. That's a plus.

[Dan Zampillo]

No, it was legitimate. I mean as much as it could be. But yeah, I don't know about successful, but I decided to become an evil corporate overlord instead of an on air host. I felt that that was just the right vibe for me is like be the guy who tells people what to do so that they can give them the finger and whatever else they happens. I mean, I've been screamed at a new by numerous talent. So it's been great, as you can tell with my, I mean you've got it too great. You guys, we've all gone gray. I mean, I don't have any hair left, but when I saw you, Bernstein, I was just like Jesus. Like the silver. Yeah, a bit of a stretch, but silver something.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, well, no, no, it'll never be Fox. It'll It'll be silver. I, I don't know if I'm gonna be a walrus or a, or maybe a sea lion or something would be probably the better analogy. But see, I had a melancholy moment actually yesterday when I got home and I texted Beth right after we got out of the meeting. I said, hey, this is really cool. This is fascinating. And it's just amazing how these paths diverge and converge and diverge and converge again. And I felt kind of sad because the first thing I wanted to do after I talked to Beth was I wanted to call Terry. And I just. Because I just how, how, how proud he'd be, you know, seeing with your experience that you've had, you've been running stations, you are running espn, la and going from market to market. Then you were with Spotify. And like, you, you could not be in a better position for this particular job at this time with everything that, that we're doing and everything we're trying to grow with gamut and certainly just still in the infancy here of 3, 1, 2. And I just, I, I know he would be really proud of you and he'd be really excited for you and excited to see the three of us here right now. And that made me a little sad that I couldn't, I couldn't share it with him.

[Dan Zampillo]

Yeah, I mean, definitely, like. I mean, Terry was always just like such, I mean, and Matt, you know, this too, like, supportive of us behind the scenes too, and really was, you know, he liked the idea that he kind of had a, A tree. Right. And you know, the, the McVeigh coaching tree kind of thing where he's like, about a cola and Zamp and you know, all these other guys. I, I think that he liked that. He smiled about that and at the time, Fishman too.

[Dan Bernstein]

That Fishman, you know. Yeah. The idea, his people running radio stations.

[Dan Zampillo]

Yeah. And just doing successful things like, you know, Jason Benetti, right. Who is like an inter. Like, you know, like all these guys, girls have done really sexual things. Now he would say he's proud and then spend the next three minutes making fun of me about everything imaginable about me, life, family and, you know, whatever. But which was. You got like 15 seconds of I'm proud of you and three minutes of oh, you're the worst, you're weird, you're a douche. Yeah, it's. But no, it's a great time. I've been very fortunate in my career to be in some really cool places. And this is another one. I mean, it's not Just smoke blowing. It's like when they signed you guys, too. And just in talking to John back in the day, it was like, that's a smart move. Like, here we go. Like, you need somebody who can kind of make that imprint right away. And good or bad, Dan, you make that imprint right away. Yeah, that's. That's how it's been since. So, you know, no, I'm. I'm kind of dig in. And I know there's a lot more coming on the 312, like, network across the board, so that's exciting. And, Matt, I know you have your own podcast, and the Bears are good, which I still cannot, like, does not compute for me sometimes that I'm sending these text messages to my friends about positive Bears conversation and not just like, you know what, you know, just. I mean, you remember, you know, I thought about yesterday. Bernstein is when Dick Jaron was the head coach, and we did the whole what's in Dick Durons headsets? And it was the Girl from Ipanema,

[Dan Bernstein]

which is still referenced. It is still referenced to this day. People hear that and they. And I've been told, people think, oh, that's the Dicta headset music.

[Dan Zampillo]

That's it. I still think of it every time, you know, or the. There's a combination of that, and it's not my show, but I'm on that show. That was just like, it, really. But it's been so fun, and it's so. It's a great time. I mean, the Bear should, I mean, hopefully continue to be good, which, you know, is obviously a Christmas miracle, and we'll take it. And I think that there isn't a more exciting time minus. I mean, there's a few franchises that need some work in the city, as you well know. But to have the Bears, you know, trending in a direction where we can just not be making fun of the coach and why he doesn't understand how to coach football, which has been like, what, the last, like, nine coaches in a row or half coaches in a row. It's just such a joy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Danny, this is really exciting news for the company, and I know that there are some among the 312 sports listenership, there are a large percentage of old school scoreheads who hear that name, see that face, and think, yeah, I just. I just. I hope they understand where you are in your career, how far you've come, and what a big deal it is really, because of your. Your executive experience, and more importantly, not what you've done, but what you can do. And your understanding of this particular business more. And I'm plan to learn from you as we go along. And because this is. I don't know anything about podcasting either. I basically know the months that we prepared and the months that we're on here. And every day I'm learning more. And I think I still feel like I'm all. Every day I'm waking up saying, what don't I know? And the answer is a profound amount about how we do this and what we do and where we're going to be. I just know how optimistic I am, and it's even more so with you as our boss or one of our bosses.

[Dan Zampillo]

Well, I appreciate it. It's very nice of you to say. And listen, I know that, you know, I hope to bring as much insight as I can, but as I've always said from the very beginning, it starts with the talent above and beyond anything else. It's not about us, you know, ridiculous program directors, you know, behind the scenes. It's about the talent and what they do and how they execute. And you guys have started off in great fashion. And like, I just hope to, you know, hope to keep that going and just we'll keep growing it, you know, across the board. So I appreciate that. And I love the old score heads. I mean, I miss those days of being at the bar and some drunk guy comes up, can I talk to Terry? And I'm like, no, dude. And I'll talk, you know, we'll have a little chat about, can you believe what Mark Tressman did? I'm like, yeah, you can talk to me about it. And then I'll introduce you to Terry or Dick for a second. Let me go. But I love those dudes because that's the passion that we need. And this is an even more intimate environment to connect with them. Most importantly, it's so cool. It's like. And we. We do it right. They'll really feel the old school, the new school, you know, all of it. I mean, we want everybody, obviously. And then.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then.

[Dan Zampillo]

Matt, I'm one year away from being able to come on your podcast about being 50 or older. So I expected yesterday, my birthday, I expected a year and a day like a year from today. I expect that invite. I'll give you all my. All the stupid things I've done through the first 50 years. Perfect.

[Dan Bernstein]

I love it.

[Dan Zampillo]

Five hour podcast. I got it for you guys. I'm excited to work with. Thanks. Having me on and. Yeah, I can't wait. And if you don't like Any of the decisions that get made going forward now, you know who to contact to go. Why did you make Bernstein do that? And why is Matt doing this? Now just, you know, go right at me. You'll know who it is. So I know that fans love the program director, so yes, sir, I'm right here for you. All right, Z.

[Matt Abaticola]

Thanks, buddy. Thanks for taking time for us this morning and congratulations and it's great to have you here as part of the family, buddy.

[Dan Zampillo]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate. Thanks, Dan. Thanks, Matt. Looking forward.

[Matt Abaticola]

We'll talk to you soon, buddy.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right. That is Dan Zampillo, Gamut podcast network's executive producer.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, there's so, so much we could have said that we.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, we shouldn't say.

[Matt Abaticola]

So we didn't say just Zampello's names that were his on air names.

[Dan Bernstein]

From Terry alone, I guarantee you somebody's going to. And don't, don't put it in the YouTube chat if you know either one of his old nicknames. Just have a little bit of restraint, please.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, too late now.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oops.

[Matt Abaticola]

Now you've asked. Oops.

[Dan Bernstein]

There, I've done it. You know, whenever the stakes are high, my bookie is where you turn bets into bankroll. There is always a big matchup on the schedule. Everybody's watching, everybody's got to take. I've got a pick for you at the end of this program. No matter the sport, the props are just as fun as the final score. And that's why my bookie is there for you to use the prop board deep. It is fun to play. Player performances, game milestones, everything in between. This is the kind of action that keeps things interesting all game long. Maybe you like same game parlays. Maybe live betting is your thing. And sometimes if you are nimble, live betting is in an individual game, when you see a score, maybe you set up a kind of algorithm that helps you understand. Well, wait a second. That. That you might want to look at a money line over here because this score is getting weird and there's an injury here, that kind of thing, you can be good at it. And if there's ever a time to get in, it's right now because the tournament's coming up. One account, one wallet bet the spread, live bet during the action. There's a casino you can jump into for halftime or between games. Everything is at MyBookie AG and the code DBU, that's your ticket. You can get your first bet covered up to 500 bucks. And then if it doesn't hit, you have A bet back bonus token and and you can run it back. MyBookie AG the code DBU. Don't just watch the action. Make it pay with my bookie.

[Commercial Sponsor Voice]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Well, with a name your price tool from Progressive, you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try [e-mail], progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Price and coverage match, limited by state law, not available in all states. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Well, with a name your price tool from Progressive, you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try [e-mail], progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Price and coverage match, limited by state law, not available in all states.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, let's jump in to some of your correspondence and we call this Friday Feedback Friday. And you know what the topics have been all week. And I never know what is what's going to be good or bad. And again, I try to respond to everything but sometimes I just save stuff because I like it. And I talked about that. We talked about Iraq poing, which is the term that we use for a television commercial, having to take time in the spot to have somebody in the ad identify the celebrity that's been hired. And I said that there was one commercial that made me question my beliefs and the commercial was that the Super Bowl Pokemon commercial. And I didn't even recognize Lady Gaga until the third time through. The only person I recognized was Trevor Noah and there were other people in there that apparently are world famous. And I said, you know what, I threw up my hands and I said, fine, tell me who they are because I don't know. Well, there's an email from Jacob who says, guys, you've been mentioning that Pokemon commercial and the target audience that you assume. Well, I am a 34 year old. I grew up on Pokemon. I am still buying the games. I am loving the games. I only knew Lady Gaga and Trevor Noah. I could not tell you who the rest of the people were in that ad. If I am presumably the target audience and I didn't know most of the so called celebrities. I admit I'm a pop culture idiot, but I don't know how you're going to make an ad aimed at me. And I'm lost after the first eight seconds. That's Jay and Lake in the hills,

[Matt Abaticola]

I think, I think at 34, he's kind of, he's aged out of that, that target audience for that commercial, though I do think you're looking at like 20 year olds.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. You think? Yeah,

[Matt Abaticola]

I think he's too old for that audience as well too. And on that note, I got a message from our old buddy Herb Lawrence. He said, by the way, thanks for saving a rack Boeing. I can't believe Dan was about to do away with that great tradition. So another.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm not doing away with it.

[Matt Abaticola]

You tried, you tried to put it away.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't need him mad at me. I can't, I can't have, I can't have important people mad at me. That makes me mad at you.

[Matt Abaticola]

And damn it, he was. I could barely speak. I was in such shock that you wanted to do away with it. See what you're doing to our community, to our friends.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, this one, it was sent in by safety Frank.

[Matt Abaticola]

I don't know if, I don't know if he's like a crossing guard or he played in the NFL. I wasn't sure.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know. Maybe he's just very safe. Maybe he's very careful, very risk free. He said, I'm listening to you guys talk about the different bratwurst you've had at ballparks. And Matt mentioned having a really good one at the Twins game. He said, there is a very well known sausage company in Minneapolis. It's Kramarchuk's Kramarcz UK Karmarczuk Sausage Co. A Minneapolis based institution. It's the primary provider of bratwurst and sausages for the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. If you're interested, they have a market slash restaurant downtown near the university and the variety of sausages they have off the charts. If you ever go back there and it's a road trip, take a cooler, bring back some of their Hungarian sausage. That is absolutely off the hook. Have yourself a sausage fest. That's.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's what I had at Target Field. So that's the booth that was at that, the vendor. That's what I had.

[Dan Zampillo]

My.

[Matt Abaticola]

That was, it was unbelievable, dude.

[Dan Bernstein]

Kramar Chucks.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

That, that was what it was.

[Dan Bernstein]

I, I thought that that would be one of these, like, difference between recognition and recall. The definition between like if it was on a multiple choice test or a fill in the blank, you'd get it on multiple choice once you saw it.

[Commercial Sponsor Voice]

Yep.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, for sure. Because I, I wasn't going to remember the name and I, I didn't bother to look it up, but I thought maybe somebody would Email in. And Frank. Safety Frank sure did. On that note, to a food. I know several people had emailed in and mentioned about Burt's Deli, which is here in Libertyville, because they talked about a deli. Yeah, it's. It's good. I. And, you know, it's. It's very good. It's just. It's not what I think of when I think of a traditional Jewish deli. And I know that's. That's what they are. And it's kind of in a. In an odd spot in town. It's not in downtown Libertyville, but it's. It's.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

So it's down. Down Milwaukee a little bit, down towards. More towards Vernon Hills in a little strip mall. So I do forget about Bird Sally. So thanks for the reminder. And I may actually go there today and grab a sandwich after we're done.

[Dan Bernstein]

There you go.

[Dan Zampillo]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

While we're talking food, Jason said, on the heels of the discussion of regional slash local delicacies like Bourbon A Eggs or Central Indiana shrimp, it reminded me of when I was told of what was the best tartar sauce in the world. This is great. Many years ago, my best friend and I took a quick trip to Cincinnati, Ohio, to take in a few fish concerts. As we got into the cab from the airport to take us to our hotel, we got to chatting with our driver, an affable fellow who knew the area well, and he asked if we were hungry. We said yes. He mentioned he knows Chicago has great food, but he asked us if we had ever had the greatest tartar sauce in the world. Our driver didn't look like a world traveler. For all we knew, driving a cab was just to pass the time as he planned his next trip overseas to try the next potentially great tartar sauce. But we told. I love the subtle shade here. Because we told him we hadn't had the aforementioned greatest tartar sauce in the world. We asked, where could we find such sauce? He said, at the Fritz's Big Boy. My friend and I were stunned. The greatest tartar sauce in the world, not just Ohio or Kentucky, but the entire world, happened to be right down the street in Cincinnati. So of course we went, we had lunch at the Fritz's Big Boy and determined the tartar sauce was indeed good. World's best, maybe. I mean, it's fucking tartar sauce. So who's really comparing these? So if you're looking to add to your list of great regional food delicacies, please, please think of the Fritz's Big Boy tartar sauce. In Cincinnati, it might just go well with famous central Indiana shrimp.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, I love that. Then did you look it up then?

[Dan Bernstein]

I did. I did, and I looked it up, and I screenshot it and I said J and back. A note from Fritz's Big Boy. And on their splash page. It's tradition you love favorites you crave. Since 1947. And their lead is known for Big Boy burgers featuring Fritz's famous tartar sauce.

[Matt Abaticola]

There you go. So they actually advertise their tartar sauce.

[Dan Bernstein]

My guess is we'd probably call it a burger sauce now. Like, most places have kind of a. Yeah. Some kind of mayo, mustard, ketchup, you know, amalgam burger sauce.

[Matt Abaticola]

Or maybe it really is a traditional tartar sauce and they just put it on their burgers.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, but I'm. And they have hand breaded onion rings, crinkle cut fries, soups, desserts.

[Matt Abaticola]

That logo. Am I making up a place called Mark's Big Boy?

[Dan Bernstein]

Bob's.

[Matt Abaticola]

Bob's Big Boy. Okay. How am I thinking of that? Where was that at?

[Dan Bernstein]

Why am I thinking all over here?

[Matt Abaticola]

I saw that picture of what you posted, and that the. The logo, the dude, I thought it was Mark's Big Boy. Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know in Chicago there was Bob's Big Boy. That was. I think it was out of California. And it's similar. I don't know if it was the same. It was the little kid with the cowlick of hair. And there was a. You know, like in Austin Powers, they had the Big Boy thing at the end. And I know there was one in right near Deerbrook Mall. There was one right at the corner of Lake Cook and Waukegan at the southwest corner there. That was the only one I knew. But yeah, there is. There. There. It might be multiple things, like, you know, like, you go to New York and it's, you know, everything is Ray's Famous Pizzeria or Ray's Original Famous Pizzeria. I don't know if there is now an official ownership of a Big Boy or there's multiple big boys.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. So you're. Yeah, you're. This is Bob's. Where's my.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, it still exists. Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I just won't look. These are like frozen patties.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know if I want that, but.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, see, here we go. See, I knew I was.

[Dan Bernstein]

There's a Marks.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, there's a Marks Big Boy, too.

[Dan Bernstein]

Wow. There is. You're right. All right, well, look at this.

[Dan Zampillo]

We're all.

[Dan Bernstein]

We're all winners.

[Matt Abaticola]

We're all right. But no one. No one else has the greatest tartar sauce in the world other than frishes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I don't think you want to challenge them on it because it seems like they take it really seriously. Yeah, I probably wouldn't mess with them

[Matt Abaticola]

all right in their advertising.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I'm glad we got to the bottom of that. That was. That was nice. Jeff says, this is my first fff. Good luck with my first fff. He said, dan, I met you a long time ago at Fox Valley Ice arena when you were waiting for Jason to play. He said, we talked. I told you I loved your suit. I don't know about this guy. He said, you couldn't have been a nicer dude. I remember you telling me, can you imagine how crazy AAA hockey is? Four months later, all three of my kids made a team. He said, we learned your instinct. Who was correct as my wife and I say, we hate money, apparently. Good luck to you, because now your description of spring training baseball. Remember I said spring training baseball is like, I couldn't quite nail it down. If something you get excited to eat, and after two bites, it's it. You're just over it completely. And we had one person suggest Funyuns. And you're a big Funyuns fan. I am not.

[Matt Abaticola]

Love Funyuns.

[Dan Bernstein]

See? Well, for me, one bite is death. I'm. That's. No, thank you. Like. Like one bite. Sometimes something's one bite. Fine. Second bite, meth. Third bite. You want to tumbleweed yourself out of the car. He says, spring training baseball excitement is buying an Atari 2600 cartridge based on the art on the package. So you're disappointed that that picture of baseball was actually three guys made out of square blocks that moved at the same direction at the same time, throwing a squ. At a rectangle bat and hitting the ball directly over the pitching rubber for a home run. Anywhere else, who knows?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, that's a. That's a good analogy. That's very good.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's pretty good. That's pretty good. Yeah. Funyuns. Not for me, because Funyuns. I don't get any real joy.

[Matt Abaticola]

I love Funyuns. Hank has eaten. I've seen him take down a bag of the hot. They have, like, hot Funyuns now, which I'm like, takis. He loves Takis. Dude that age, like, loves them.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know what it is at that age. That was like, the absolute Taki Peak boys and the purple bag of Takis. Yep. That's. Yeah.

[Dan Zampillo]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

That the.

[Matt Abaticola]

The world tried them I don't get it, but it's like, whatever, it's fine.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, they're fine. Alex in Grand Rapids says, I was listening to your segment about MLB players being measured for the ABS strike zone. I am a practicing physical therapist and you wondered why or how we shrink throughout the day? Here is the answer. All of our intervertebral discs in our spine have fluid in them. As we move throughout the day, the force of gravity slowly forces some of the fluid out of the discs and we will lose millimeters to even centimeters of height due to this effect. At night, when we're lying down and sleeping, gravity isn't compressing us. The fluid pushed out of the discs throughout the day gets reabsorbed by the discs. So when we get up in the morning, we will be a few millimeters or centimeters taller than when we went to sleep.

[Matt Abaticola]

Thank you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Science Science. Oh, speaking of that. Speaking of that, good job. The 312 sports app prizes right now we know we do this by month, so when we convene on Monday, we're going to be reloading all this. So if you have not gotten in your shots at the the gift certificates that we have right now at the 312 sports app, first of all, get the app. Get the app in the Apple App Store and Google Play. Then register your account and what's remaining for February. Perry's Steakhouse an award winning upscale dining destination renowned for its rare and well done experience. Big star. You know big star. Popular honky tonk style taqueria in Wicker park and Wrigleyville. Bourbon beer, authentic Mexican street food. STK Steakhouse offers a high energy vibe dining experience, blending a modern chic steakhouse with a lively lounge atmosphere and tickets to see Thomas Dolby in concert April 20 at House of Blues. You can win any of these by entering the promo code. Thanks. But for Thomas Dolby, you can also enter Science. I made sure of that. And this is so everything is going to reload with new cool stuff for the next month. So Perry's Big Star STK and Thomas Dolby. The keywords are thanks and for Thomas Dolby Science. So get after it. Get on it. SV says first time caller, longtime listener. My thoughts on the discussion about Ben Johnson's hatred for the Packers. He says, I don't think it's a bit at all. I'm surprised that you guys have not considered the following comparison. Ben is an extreme competitor, which makes him a certifiable crazy person. Just like another great Chicagoan, Michael Jordan. I'm sure we all remember MJ's famously petty hall of Fame speech where he recounted numerous slights that drove him throughout his career, manufactured or otherwise. I think Ben Johnson's channeling Jordan, creating the motivation to be good, better, best, and the packers are the easy and obvious choice against whom he can focus all that energy.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I still think it's a bit.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, I was going to ask sort of where you come down on that, because we do have. And I wanted to, to finish with a dissenting opinion on that topic because there was a lot on that topic and it's from Stonecutter, who we know has, has, has deep and complex thoughts about things. He says the question is not, is Ben Johnson doing a bit? He obviously is. The question is, at what point does it cease to be a bit and turn into genuine hatred that we actually should respect? Inshallah, the Bears will rattle off 10 in a row against Green Bay. But eventually the professional football team from Brown County, Wisconsin is going to beat the Bears. And while Matt LaFleur may take the high road, the players certainly won't. Let's see the seesaws a bit. And each successive game turns the heat up a little. It won't take long before it's not a bit anymore. Frankly, this is the most fun, fun I've ever had as a Bears fan. I want every team to hate us. I want our coach taunting the entire league on the way to winning the Super Bowl. We Bears fans have been subjected to 40 years of bullshit, boring, listless football punctuated by brief spasms of success. Ben Johnson has 20% of the playoff victories in the post Ditka era. And still the franchise continues to embarrass us with a stadium fiasco, a crumble of swag, Mr. McCaskey, a thimble full of aura. Can you fire Kevin Warren the day before JB signs the stadium Bill?

[Matt Abaticola]

No.

[Dan Bernstein]

Ben had better hate these guys or at least keep pretending real hard. I, we, you guys, all of us, we've earned this. Bathe in it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Very good. Did you see that Matt LaFleur, his overall, like, head coaching grade dropped.

[Dan Bernstein]

It did, yes. We're going to get to that.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

I was saving that for forward progress. Okay. But yes, I was, I was definitely going to get to that. Thanks for all your Friday feedback. Friday feedback, yeah, always good.

[Matt Abaticola]

Do appreciate it. So now it's our top 10 list for our Friday and today's top 10 list. We had a little, little conversation about it and we were going to do just top 10 concerts. We've been To. But we kind of. I made it a little bit of a broader path again to widen that out. So. Top 10 live events. Top 10 live events that could include concerts.

[Dan Bernstein]

For my exercise, I. I wanted to limit this because I've been to enough. I'm not a huge concert guy, but I've actually been to more than I thought.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay, so yours is just concerts I have mostly. So my top 10 is actually 70% concerts. So I have seven concerts. And then I have other live events that I've been to and then some honorable mentions. So I'll start with those real quick and get through those quickly. A couple of these have a sports flavor to them, like the. The Cubs championship celebration that. That day downtown. I'll remember that forever. But really, the main reason why I remember it because we were working that day as well. Getting off the train, walking towards the building to go to work. That day. I saw Graham Elliott, celebrity chef, walking down the street in a group headed towards Grant park to enjoy the celebration. I stopped. I said, hello, introduced myself. He was familiar with the score. We chatted for a few minutes, told him I was a fan of his work, and that was it. But had a really nice chat with him. That he was pleasant and he was open to a conversation, was really enjoyable.

[Dan Bernstein]

Cool.

[Matt Abaticola]

So meeting Graham Elliott, that's why that stands out. The 2010 Blackhawks parade, where I got to ride in the parade itself and had McNeil hang up on me, which was fun. I'll never, ever forget that. A couple other honorable mentions were some musicals that I've seen with Natalie. We saw west side Story at the Marriott Theater, Lincolnshire, which is a just a great, very intimate, small venue to see things.

[Dan Bernstein]

Is that still in the round?

[Matt Abaticola]

It is. It's. It's great. Yeah. Great production, and it's just really, really enjoyable. And we love it because it's super close down. At the Nederlander Theater downtown, we saw the Devil Wears Prada musical, which was. Which was great. And always remember that. And last honorable mention. This was actually June 11, 2016. She performed at the Blue Cross Blue Shield performance studio for us 99. And it was country singer Kelsey Ballerini before she really blew up and got big. I was walking down the hallway and walked past her and said, oh, that's Kelsey Ballerini. So I said, hey, how are you? She said, hello back. I said, my daughter is a huge fan. She said, oh, that's great. What's her name? I said, abigail. She said, give me your phone. Took my phone out, and she made a Selfie video saying hello to Abigail and said that wish she'd be able to meet her and thanks for listening to her music. So that was that. So she then went and snuck into the performance studio and watched her perform. But that was really cool memory and really cool of her to do that. So that's an honorable mention as well. So here's my top 10. And the top 10 for me starts September of 2010. Also with a musical at the bank of America Theater where I saw Rock of Ages. I don't know if you saw it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

I don't know if you saw that.

[Dan Bernstein]

I didn't. But it's always one of those like, okay, I bet this is fun.

[Matt Abaticola]

It was, it was a ton of fun. You know, all the 80s, you know, rock music, fun story to it. Now unfortunately, a couple years later, it got completely ruined when they did the, the Rock of Ages movie. Oh, you remember when they did that with Tom Cruise?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

So anyway, but number 10 is the Rock of Ages, number 9. This goes back to June 28, 1983, my first concert ever. My friend Chad York and I were dropped off at Poplar Creek alone at 10 years old, and we saw Herbie Hancock. It was the Future Shock album, the famous song Rocket.

[Dan Zampillo]

Yeah, yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

So it was, you know, a blend of jazz and like funk and it

[Dan Bernstein]

was just, it was seminal. That's a really like Rocket for you. Talk to hip hop heads and about what that meant and the mainstream success with scratching and sampling and what that meant. Yeah, that's a seminal song.

[Matt Abaticola]

So that was my first concert ever. Herbie Hancock at poplar creek. That's 1983. And number nine, number eight on the list. This is a good, good concert. July 28th of 2007, the flip flop Summer tour. And that featured Kenny Chesney. Also had Pat Green, Brooks and Dunn, Sugarland, Sarah Evans. But Kenny Chesney stands out to me because he performed in, and I'm not exaggerating, I think three hours he went non stop. And his, his stage was real big and real elaborate. And on one side of the stage he had a ramp that went up and then there was like a wall in the back of the stage ramp and down on the other side of the, of the, of the stage. He would go off stage for just a matter of seconds to change sleeveless T shirts because I would imagine he was sweating through them profusely. So he would go off the stage, you know, go behind stage and within seconds come back out in a different colored sleeveless T shirt. But didn't stop for almost three hours, and it was just really, really cool. And that stood out to me. I'm a fan of Kenny Chesney.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm not.

[Matt Abaticola]

You know, he probably isn't my. I'm not going to say he's one of my favorite country guys, but really enjoyable show. And just that's what stood out to me, is the fact that he just performed like a maniac for three hours. Oh, and that was at Soldier Field, by the way. And we talked about concerts at Soldier Field. I'd forgotten I'd actually seen that one there. Number seven. This is November 9, 2016, the Stars and Stripes concert at Chicago Theater put on by US 99 and CBS radio. Why it stands out for me, I went with Paul Agassi. That's not why it stands out.

[Dan Bernstein]

Why does he have his rollerblades on?

[Matt Abaticola]

He did not have his rollerblades on or his bike pants. But we got backstage credentialed and went back and met the dudes from Rascal Flats and the lead singer, Gary Laveau. I talked to him for probably a half hour and couldn't have been a nicer guy and took a bunch of pictures. Yeah, it was really, really neat. So that's why it stands out. It was just a really cool experience to go backstage and see the guys from Rascal Flats and talk with Gary for quite some time. So that was number seven, number six on my top ten live events. This was one that. And a few of these are. Including the number one, which probably will surprise you. A few of these events were initiated by. By Natalie, and probably not something I would have picked to go see, but having gone and seen, you know, to see them with her, which was, you know, why I want to do it. Want to spend time with her and hang out, and she wants to do it, I want to support that. But absolutely loved these events, this being the first on the list. Number six. December 14, 2021, at the Rialto Square Theater in Joliet. A Motown Christmas featuring former members of the Temptations, the Miracles, and the Contours.

[Dan Bernstein]

Let's go.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay, dude.

[Dan Bernstein]

Now, first of all, the fact that she would say, like, yeah, we're going. We're going to this. I got you a thing at. Get in the car.

[Matt Abaticola]

She loves Motown. I mean, she loves Motown. When we went to Detroit, and the fact that we couldn't get into Motown because the museum was close, I mean, dude, she was beyond the moon, excited to see Motown. So to go see a Motown Christmas, I was like, yeah, this is gonna be cool. You know, I know the music, so have actual former members of these groups. The Temptations, the Miracles, the Contours. I love Christmas music, but, dude, I. And so I'm wearing. I'm wearing a suit. She's wearing a dress. Like a glittery dress. We got really dressed up. We had a nice dinner beforehand at a supper club. And we go. And majority of the audience, probably 95% of the audience was like 75 and older black men and women. Dude, it was awesome. Awesome. And so at one point, Natalie, I don't know if she went to the bathroom or she went to grab. Grab a couple drinks, but I was left alone and was ruthlessly hit on by a group of older black women.

[Dan Bernstein]

Aunties.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, dude. Like, it was.

[Dan Bernstein]

You got the aunties all aflutter.

[Matt Abaticola]

So when she came back, I'm like, you can't leave again. And she's like, why? And I'm like, I was just like ruthlessly being hit on by the.

[Dan Bernstein]

These women that were like, what were they saying?

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, about how good I looked. And it was like.

[Dan Zampillo]

It was.

[Matt Abaticola]

Dude, it was like. It was great. But I was so embarrassed at the same time, but had so much fun with it. And again. And then the music was just insane. It was so enjoyable. So that's great. It was just a great night. So that's number six, Motown Christmas, number five. And this would have been higher on the list, except something happened. So. September 2014, Garth Brooks Allstate Arena. So if I were to say who's my favorite country artist of all, it would be Garth Brooks. He's the reason I started listening to country music. 1991, driving. I was in high school and I flipped the stations and I heard a Garth Brooks song. And I'm like, who is this guy? This is a good song. It was US 99. And they're like, oh, it's Garth Brooks no Offenses album. So 1991, I did what an 18 year old does. You go to the mall, you go to Tower Records, you buy the cd, love the whole cd. Started to buy all the Garth Brooks. And then that's when I was like, listen, the country and nothing but country because of Garth Brooks now, why it's only number five on my list. I went to this concert, my buddy Mark. The next day I text Mark and I said, hey, great time, great hanging out. He was like, yeah, it was awesome. I go, I'm a little bit disappointed that Garth didn't sing Friends Low places like his anthem.

[Dan Bernstein]

Even I know that one, right Mark

[Matt Abaticola]

replies with a video text message back

[Dan Bernstein]

of him playing it.

[Matt Abaticola]

A selfie video of Mark and I singing Friends in Low Places with Garth Brooks in the background. Now, important to say that we did have a driver for that night. I don't remember Garth Brooks singing Friends in Low Places because of too many Captain and Cokes at the concert.

[Dan Bernstein]

So, yeah, I've got a story like this coming up for my number five.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, so. So that was my number five. Probably would have been higher, except I don't remember all of it, which is unfortunate. Number four for me. Top ten live events. September 2, 2022, the higher tour. Michael Buble at All State arena again. Another. Another Natalie event. I like Michael Buble, but probably wouldn't have gone to see him at a concert. Ended up having an amazing time and we were like third row and he had the stage that walked out from the, you know, long walk away from the proscenium. And so we were right next to it, dude. And we were. He was like six feet away from us singing and it was, he was, he's quite the entertainer as an amazing voice. Just a really, really great time and just another great memory with my wife. So that's number four, Michael Belay the Higher Tour at Allstate Arena. Number three. I do venture back into the sports realm, but not for the game itself. And this is why it's memorable. May 14, 1996. It was Jeremy Roenick's final game as a Chicago Blackhawk. Came as a 6 to 5 overtime loss to Colorado in the playoffs. My brother Dan and I, we actually ponied up at the time again. 1996. 100 each. Dan to sit on the glass. That's all it was. And Roenick, after the game was over, came back out onto the ice by himself and skated the perimeter of the ice several times as no one left the building to cheer and to remember Jeremy Roenick. So I'll never forget that, having that memory with my brother. But seeing Roenick his last game, he was my favorite Blackhawk of all time. So that live event right there, again, not for the game itself, but the memory of Jeremy Roenick. So May 14, 1996. Number two is a concert at Wrigley Field we've talked about on this show. July 16, 2009. Billy Joel and Elton John at Wrigley.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, Beth was there. She. That's one of her all time favorites.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, dude, it's. It's just my favorite concert. It was just insane to see two legends perform and to perform each other's music and to perform together and perform individually. But the fact, and here's why I loved it the Most and even 2009, I wasn't that old. I got to sit the entire concert.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Matt Abaticola]

Which was like a huge win. It's like, yeah, you get to sit the entire time. So it was great. So number two, Billy Joel, Elton John and number one, this might, might surprise you. And again, this is not something I would have ever picked to do, but it's something my wife wanted to do. And this is December 8th of 2024. We're in New York City. It was always a dream of hers to see this show. I didn't realize the impact it would have on me and how much I thought thoroughly enjoyed it and was entertained and loved it and would do it again and again and again. The Christmas Spectacular show at Radio City by the Rockettes. Dude, listeners maybe think our community may hear this and think, I would never go see that. Why would you want. I'm telling you one, number one, the

[Dan Bernstein]

best live event you've ever seen, I've

[Matt Abaticola]

ever been to is the Christmas Spectacular by the Rockettes at Radio City in New York City. Dude, it was, it was unbelievable. The amount of talent and athleticism that the Rockettes display during this show is wild. I. Dude, I again encouraged and excited to go spend that time with my wife to fulfill that memory of hers, lifelong memory of seeing it. I didn't realize that I'd be so impacted and moved by it and love it so much and was so thoroughly entertained. I was blown away. So number one for me, all time live event, the Christmas Spectacular by the Rockettes at Radio City.

[Dan Bernstein]

I went to college with a couple of Rockettes actually. No way.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

They're identical twins, Kathleen and Kimberly Corp. I think was their last name. C O R P. That's cool. And they were brilliant, but also into dancing. And they both for a while, I think they're probably lawyers or doctors, but they for a while were Rockettes.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, dude, that's really, really cool. And again. And you know, guys might be listening going, well that's. That sounds lame or I would never want to do that. I'm telling you, dude, if you were to sit and see that and watch how they perform in this nonstop show of costume changes and set changes, it's just, it's unbelievable. And then the whole atmosphere itself inside the theater, I mean it's Christmas time in New York and everyone's dressed up and they, the singing is just unreal. And again, the Rockettes are just, they're absolute superstars.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's so cool. I wouldn't. Million years.

[Matt Abaticola]

Never a million years. Would you guess that?

[Dan Zampillo]

Right?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, but I.

[Dan Bernstein]

But I love the fact that you had these experiences because of your wife just saying, hey, I want to do this. You're coming with me. You're experiencing this with me. And saying yes and just saying, go ahead. Like, the. The last time Beth invited me to a concert, I said, no, what was it? Springsteen. Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, she loves Springsteen.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, she likes him. But she felt it was her duty as a Jersey girl.

[Matt Abaticola]

As a Jersey girl.

[Dan Bernstein]

She's like, I have to. She said, I'm from Matawan, New Jersey, and he's coming to Wrigley. Whatever was. I gotta go see him. And so she did. I'm like, take a.

[Matt Abaticola]

Did she like it? Did she have a. Yeah. Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

So, of course I want to, you know, do things that, you know, my wife wants to do. She does things that I want to do and supports that and. Yeah. And to have it just to be something where I want to spend time with her and support her in what she wants to enjoy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Matt Abaticola]

To love it myself was just great. So that Motown Christmas, the Rockettes. And I know, you know, because I think our only experience with the Rockettes as dudes is generally you see them on tv, do a thing, and they do the line kicks, and it's like, ah, you know, whatever. There's so much more to it. That's what's amazing about it. And again, the athleticism and their athletic ability is just. It's. It's on full display, and it's really, really cool.

[Dan Bernstein]

When you are in the market for windows, you got to call Russ Armstrong and don't screw around with anything else, because I know you're tempted. I know you hear these other offers. I. Well, is Russ going to do buy one, get one, or is he gonna do get one, you know, buy two, get three, 50% off and all that. Don't worry about it. He's gonna match any price, and you don't have to deal with all of those silly, gimmicky. Come ons. You just call Russ at 847-302-9171. And then you've got the Chicago window guys. And then you can. You. You know that whatever those other deals are, he's going to match the best price. He is going to make the windows at his factory in Chicago. He's not going to sell you stuff you don't want or you don't need. He's just going to Explain everything to you. Say, here's what windows cost and if you have somebody out there and they offer some ridiculous price, if he can match it, he's going to match it because he promises to do that. Call him. And when you're getting quotes, ask those other sales reps who's installing your windows and they're not going to know. They won't be able to answer. Russ will be able to tell you by name who's installing your windows because his crews work for him. There's not third party labor, nobody subcontracted, who's just there that day is wandering around your house. Everybody works for Russ and like I say, makes things all locally here in Chicago. He's done my entire house and I've recommended him to friends and family and coworkers. And everybody loves the, the, the product and they love the attention that Russ will give you. He's got all the five star reviews you want to [e-mail] but call him right now. 847-302-9171. And if you, if you really enjoyed watching curling at the Winter Olympics, talk to him about curling. Just, just, you know, just bring it up casually. Just talk to him about that. So give, give him a ring.

[Commercial Sponsor Voice]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Well, with the name your price tool from Progressive, you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law. Not available in all states.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right. I did just concerts because when you. And I don't know if do come if I didn't include comedians. So I would put that in my. This is just music. Sure. So I'd put in my honorable mentions. I've seen Eddie Izzard three times. Eddie or Susie? He goes by both. He said either is fine. And I've seen him on stage doing the full comedy act twice. And the third time we saw him was when he did Hamlet solo at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater right down here, which is mind blowing. Absolutely mind blowing. It completely changes the way you think about Hamlet to see him do every single part of Hamlet. So that's one of my honorable mentions there. Also, I put most of the Ravinia stuff in honorable mention because when you're out on the lawn.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, yeah. I didn't even think of Ravinia.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, yeah. When you're out on the lawn and you're having your, you know, cold salmon or whatever you're having and your. You don't really get into the music. So technically, yes, I've seen whatever it's been Lyle Lovett or beck with the CSO. I've seen the CSO multiple times in the 1812 Overture with the Cannons and I've seen them doing Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream. All great.

[Matt Abaticola]

You're right. Yeah. If you're in the lawn, it's more. It's the music's the back, the backdrop and it's just the. It's the atmosphere of being with friends

[Dan Bernstein]

or family, talking to people.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, for sure.

[Dan Bernstein]

And you're. And you know, always a great experience though. Yeah, it's gorgeous and it's. But it's not. You're not there to really be of the music. So I should, I should bring cold

[Matt Abaticola]

salmon next time because I always bring live salmon and it's just. It's so difficult to nail it down. Yeah, it's. Anyway, it's a good idea though.

[Dan Bernstein]

Cold.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm writing that down.

[Dan Zampillo]

Cold.

[Dan Bernstein]

Such a jerk. You're such a jerk.

[Matt Abaticola]

Why am I a jerk? I'm just saying that was a good.

[Dan Bernstein]

Whatever. I'm not saying you bring like a hot plate or you know, you bring

[Matt Abaticola]

a generator and a hot plate.

[Dan Bernstein]

You never know one of those like what are the. The Coleman stove like Wade Fishes has where he. Whatever.

[Matt Abaticola]

They could do that.

[Dan Bernstein]

I also as honorable mention, all of the awesome four or five song concerts they would have in the other tower over here at the performance stage was great because I loved it. But I don't count that as a full concert experience. But just off the top of my head, Spoon Black Pumas, Pete Yorn, Father John, Misty, Lucas Nelson and Billy Idol.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh yeah, that's cool.

[Dan Bernstein]

And Wilson of Hart. But yeah, Billy Idol was great. When he wasn't singing, he was just telling stories, just hanging out. He was hilarious and he. And he's a like just seeing a real rock star and what the power of an actual rock star standing right in front of you with 30 people there. That's pretty special. But I didn't count those. I gave a little bit of honorable mention for like weird groups of people, strange concerts or things you just wouldn't see anymore that you knew were kind of odd at the time or special. So one of those I have was the comedy Cameron indoor Stadium. Young MC opened for UB40. Oh, that was a very strange concert that you went from my best friend Harry has a brother Larry. And then it's Red.

[Dan Zampillo]

Red wine.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep. So I didn't. I just put that out there because that was just weird. That's one where, like, with every year that goes by, I don't know if it actually happened or not. But if you get on setlist.com you can determine indeed it happened. Okay. Setlist.com is necessary, depending on how much you imbibe at concerts. Because then it's like, did they really cover that song or did I dream that? And then you can go back and say, they did. They did cover that song. Also, I got two other honorable mentions. Steve Miller band at Poplar Creek and Shabba Ranks at the Vic in 1991. Because that was during the heyday of the dancehall reggae resurgence. I was really into it. And a lot of these concerts get extra credit for being the thing I was most into at the time. And just at the moment, feeling like it was the peak of my existence. Got it. Just understand, like, I'm so into this. I got to see the show and going to it and understanding that feeling. Number 10. I will never forget May 16, 1986, the Aragon Ballroom. Back when that was a sketchy, sketchy area. Yeah. And I remember this for a lot of reasons. It was the Violent Femmes. The opener was Dwight Yocum.

[Dan Zampillo]

Wow.

[Dan Bernstein]

So. And if you're. Yeah. And it was bad. So it was the old. I mean, the old. I don't. I haven't been to the air Ballroom since, I don't think.

[Matt Abaticola]

But they did Dwight Yocum open for Violent Femme?

[Dan Bernstein]

Don't know. They booed him off the stage.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, no, he got.

[Dan Bernstein]

He got booed off. He started guitar Cadillacs. He'll billy music. And people were going, what the hell is this? They were throwing beer at them. Like they would serve beer in these big plastic buckets.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And people are like throwing stuff at them. And after three songs, they walked off and everybody was given the finger. The guitarist is giving the finger to everybody. Dwight Yoakum flipped everybody off. Three songs they left.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, I'd blame his manager on that one.

[Dan Bernstein]

That was bad. Yeah. That's why I remember it. I was like, oh, my God, this is wild. And then the Violin Femmes did a show, and my cousin had parked his car underneath the L track somewhere. He found some spots that wasn't a spot. And we go to his car, and as we walk to his car, there are three skinheads sitting on his car. Like, full blown actual skinheads with the Doc Martens. And. And we're like. And I said. I said, adam, what Are we gonna do how we. They're sitting on your car. We thought we were gonna die and we, like, walked over there and they were like, oh, I'm sorry, is this your car? Oh, sorry. We were just. We were just sitting in here. They're really apologetic.

[Matt Abaticola]

Wow.

[Dan Zampillo]

All right.

[Matt Abaticola]

So that's unexpected. Lots of unexpected things that happen, like.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, they've really, really courteous skinheads.

[Matt Abaticola]

When was that concert?

[Dan Bernstein]

I think it was may. What's he. May 16th of 86.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay. Yeah. Because his debut album, Guitars and Cadillacs, which could recall by you there that. That came out in March of 86. So that's a. Like, I'm, you know, my brand new debut album. I'm gonna do a live show in

[Dan Bernstein]

Chicago opening for the Violin Femmes. Yeah, that's number 10. Number nine. You're going to roll your eyes at this, but this was January 21st of 2001.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

House of Blues, it had recently opened and the Dandy Warhols opened for Smash Mouth.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh.

[Dan Bernstein]

And it was a great show. It was a great show. The Danny Warhol's, who. They still have songs that sound awesome. And if you want to go back and listen to the album that has bohemian like you on, it holds up. It's still. It's still terrific. And the Danny Warhol's were great. And then Smash. I know they. The lead singer went crazy and died and everything. Don't.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's on stage.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, not that night. But yeah, he completely lost his mind and went absolutely bananas. So it's a. But Smash Houses, they were. They were good. He walks out and I remember because the sound system at House of Blues when it opened was phenomenal. It still is, but that was. That was like the highest tech. Newest stuff when it opened and the sound was incredible. And they. They come out and the lead singer walks out with an open bottle of Jaeger and he takes a big swig out of it as the band starts playing. I think they did. I don't know if it was actually. I can check to see exactly what they did, but I'm not going to. I don't know if it was. It was one of their hits, like Walking on the sun or something. And he takes a huge swig out of the bottle of Jaeger, hands the bottle down into the. Into the audience, and he goes, pass this around. It makes the music sound better. And the reason why Smash Mouth was good, they did Van Halen covers, they did Running with the Devil, and they did a version of Ain't Talking About Love. That blew the roof off. Their Ain't Talking About Love was fantastic. It was the best song they did all night and it was great. So that was number nine. Number eight was May of 2011, Paul Simon the Vic. And it was Paul Simon with the ten musicians, two guitar techs, the. The quality of the talent. They had instruments you'd never heard of and never seen. It was like a bass saxophone. Because they did stuff from every album, his entire collection, old Simon and Garfunkel stuff, Rhythm of the Saints stuff, Graceland. And they needed all of this stuff, all the people that could do, like, the Ladysmith Black Mambazo voicing for the African choruses, all the stuff that he stole and culturally appropriate from elsewhere. And it was him still in good voice at his age. I think he was 70, but still sounding like himself and still a pliant guitarist. And it was just an amazing show that they finished. Their encore was Here Comes the Sun. And in a really memorable way. It was a great vibe and just a really, really good night. On a beautiful night in Chicago. Paul Simon at the vic is number eight. Number seven, September of 1990, the Greensboro Coliseum. Eric B. And Rakim, followed by Ice Cube and Yo Yo.

[Dan Zampillo]

Wow.

[Dan Bernstein]

It was supposed to be also the Doc who was on the bill, but the Doc was a late scratch, and I don't know if that timed up with one of the accidents that he had, but we drove from school down to Greensboro. Eric B. And Rakim were good. Ice Cube was great. I bet that was the America's Most Wanted album. It was after his break from NWA and he and yo yo knew how to work that. They owned that crowd. And it was. It was a very, very interesting cross section of people that were there in the. In the Coliseum that night. But that was. That was a heck of a show. Number six, July 5, 2007. The police at Wrigley. It was my first Wrigley Field concert. And they had. This was the reunion tour. And we didn't know. Nobody really knew. What. Do they still have it? You know, andy Summers is 100 years old and the drummer and Stuart Copeland. Sting hate each other or they hate working with each other. So people were wondering how it was all going to go down. And it was great. It was great. Even if Sting couldn't hit some of the high falsetto notes on Roxanne and they had to tune it down an octave, perhaps that's a lot to ask. It was a great show. And, and, and it was. You know, we had the Bud Light tickets at Wrigley Field and like, all the beer we could drink in a bathroom right there. And things. Things were really good. Number five, July 21, 1989. The who at Alpine Valley. And I would. That was my biggest. My first favorite rock band growing up. The first time I really started getting into rock and roll. There wasn't like, pop music of the time when I was. When I sort of had a band and I owned every album and I bought books about them and I wanted to know everything about them. And I would watch the VHS movies and I just. That was the first band about. That I was just crazy about was the who. And Alpine Valley was. The whole experience was quite something. We got there early and we pregamed a lot and we kept pregaming and I kind of had to settle things down. And then right around the middle. No, right around the start of the first set. I'm not gonna indict the person with me, but I had a lot of mushrooms and was absolutely tripping balls. So I don't know what was like, hallucinated and what was real and what I was just like kind of taking. It was a long show. I did go back and look at the set list, and it was. It was long and I knew it was. But it was. It was amazing. Absolutely amazing. If you look at the. The second set that they did, Magic Bus, Baba O'Reilly, My Generation, A Little Is Enough, 5, 15, Love, Rain or Me Sister Disco Rough Boys Joined Together. You better.

[Commercial Sponsor Voice]

You bet.

[Dan Bernstein]

Behind Blue Eyes, they closed with Won't Get Fooled Again. The encore was Eminence Front, the COVID of the Leave song Hey Joe. And then they. They finished. The 33rd song of the night was Twist and Shout, which is an interesting thing to close on.

[Matt Abaticola]

So would it have been more memorable without all the mushrooms?

[Dan Bernstein]

Don't know. You don't know.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. So going. So it's funny. Our number five is both impacted by things we consumed. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

But it wasn't a problem with the memory. It was a problem of, like, what was real and what wasn't.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, that's.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's interesting. Yeah. So. Yeah. Reason 732, why I don't drink.

[Dan Bernstein]

So just forgetting this.

[Matt Abaticola]

Not good.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Yeah. But that was. That was a thing is what. That was the number four concert on my list. And one that I didn't. I didn't expect it to be sort of as moving as it was, and that was Peter Gabriel on December 5, 1986 at the Rosemont Horizon. And that was with the opener Yusu Endure and this was for the SO album. But he had all kinds of other songs on there. Some of the older stuff of Shock the Monkey and I have the Touch, San Jacinto and Salisbury Hill. And he finished with Biko. It was an avant garde, artistically presented, technologically savvy concert in a way that was very ahead of its time. So that was incredibly memorable and special to me. Number three, November 4, 1989. We got a call the day before that. Hey, there's a. There's a. There's an unlisted pop up concert that's going on tomorrow in Chapel Hill. This place, Cat's Cradle is a basement. It's like maybe 300 people. It's literally a basement of this big. I don't even know what the other building is on top, like a community center or something. But Cat's Cradle is a venue underground, right off of Franklin street in Chapel Hill. And it was public enemy in 1989. Nice. We had to go get these little wristbands because there weren't actual hard tickets and because it was just like word of mouth. They were doing it as some sort of late ad warm up show. They were two hours late. And the poor guy, I'll never forget his name, his name was Kassimo, who they sent out to open and he had two songs and then ran out of material and they asked him to keep stretching and he had no game. And it was, it was say, say hey. We're like, I get this guy off of there. Two hours later we were gonna leave because nobody knew if they were showing up. And they showed up and they killed it.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's great.

[Dan Bernstein]

Absolutely killed it. So Public Enemy at Cat's Cradle was number three. Number two, back to Wrigley Field, September 15, 2015, ACDC. And to have an 11 year old Jason Bernstein there with Beth and me. Zoe didn't want to go. And that was Jason's first like real rock concert. And I jammed. We got these. I got globs of the silicone earplugs and like shoved it in both of his ears and he kept trying to peel it out and he was loving it and the whole thing and wearing the light up devil horns and just. That was the first time I got to experience a rock concert with wife and son. Amazing seats. Close enough to the stage for full blown AC dc. Loud as shit. And during the middle of Hell's Bells, my cousin texts me from the corner of the Ashland and Irving park and says, hell's Bell sounds great from here. True story. And number one, best concert I have ever seen. October 3rd of 1987. REM at Cameron Indoor Stadium on the Document Tour. Absolutely ridiculous. And the fact that was also free because if you just had your student id, there were no tickets, there were no reserved seats. They give you time. I. I walked out of my dorm and I walked into the concert and I was in the seventh row and it was just like. You get that that can't be possible. Well, it was. We just walked in and sat down and there we were. And the opener was 10,000 Maniacs.

[Matt Abaticola]

Nice.

[Dan Bernstein]

And Natalie Merchant starts singing during the. That first part and he walks out. Michael Stipe walks out and they do a duet together. That was sensational. I had to go back and this is one where I'm like, did they really cover what I thought they covered? And yeah, they obviously were there to really push Document. So a lot of stuff from Document. But then, you know, there was. There were other things that they did were on there. They did Driver eight and. And Superman. Pretty Persuasion. Begin to Begin was the last song before the encore. Their encore included covers of Strange by Wire, Midnight Blue by Lou Graham, Heartbreak Beat by the Psychedelic Furs. I Still haven't Found what I'm looking for by U2, Peace Train by Cat better too. Peace Train by Cat Stevens. And REM did bad by Michael Jackson.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, wow. How was that?

[Dan Bernstein]

It was R.E.M. doing Michael Jackson. Then it was then Disturbance at the Heron House and Fall On Me. The second encore was the Trogs with A Girl like you. Then Don't Go Back to Rockville. Then the television song See no Evil. And then the 30th song of the night was the One I Love. And the according to Set List, the song that. For which Michael Stipe joined Natalie Merchant was a campfire song by 10,000 Maniacs. I'm just noticing that there. But that, that was the best concert I've ever seen.

[Dan Zampillo]

Cool.

[Matt Abaticola]

Very cool.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, Good stuff.

[Dan Zampillo]

Very good.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm still a little concerned about Dwight Yoakum opening for Violent Femmes.

[Dan Bernstein]

It Happened Aragon. That's it. Somebody made a very bad decision.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's a bad call.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And Dwight Yocum is a really well respected artist, isn't he?

[Matt Abaticola]

Very much so, yes. An actor too now.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, yes. Serious dude marches around the corner. College basketball is heating up. Get in on the action with my bookie. Do not wait. Now is the time. Conference race is tightening bubble Teams fighting for their lives. All these games matter. Every possession feels bigger. We got a big weekend of conference ball this weekend too. It's when things start to get really fun. It's not just about picking the winners because the prop boards loaded. Player points, team totals, futures tournament odds. There's value in there. Pay attention. Go in there, find that value. But you gotta jump in now. By registering and depositing at MyBookie AG with the code DBU. One account, one wallet, the spread, the second half, live betting hit the casino between games, everything. MyBookie AG with the code DBU because that gives you your bet back. Bonus token up to 500 bucks. That means your first bet's covered. If it doesn't hit, slap that token down there and run it back. So don't just watch the madness build. Make it pay. With my bookie. That leads us to DBU picks presented by my bookie. That man is so hot you could fry an egg on his forehead. Because he picks winners.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, you broke into the comedian for a little bit there. Which one can fry egg on his forehead?

[Dan Bernstein]

I was, Yeah, I was doing Mitch Hedberg and elevator can. An escalator can never break. It only can become stairs.

[Matt Abaticola]

Which is true. Yeah. So for my last 24 NBA and NCAA games, I'm 18, 5 and 1. Even though the app would have said that was a win, I'm going to that push. I'm going to call it a tie. So 18, five and one. I know it's eventually going to come back to earth for me. But we'll, we'll write it out. I have three games tonight in the NBA. This one particular team eventually is going to. To get me. But I'm going to take Boston tonight at home giving 18 and hosting the Brooklyn Nets. Now I know eventually it's, it's going to. It's going to haunt me. But the Nets have been double digit losers for multiple games in a row. For me, we're going to go with it one more time and see if Boston can win by 18. So Boston -18 hosting the nets these next two games. I think my teams may lose, but they're going to keep it close. So we're going to take Memphis at Dallas. Memphis getting four and a half. So we'll go Memphis plus four and a half at Dallas and then probably the best night of. The best game of the night is Cleveland at Detroit.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, but hardens out, right?

[Matt Abaticola]

No, I, last I saw. I just checked before we started. He was, he was in these. In the lineup.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. Okay. I know he was. He had a. A thumb or a wrist. What was it? Something.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I'm not sure what he had but yeah, he was. It said it was a lineup, so I'll double check it again when we're done. But I am going with Cleveland taking the six points. I think it'll be a close game. Both these games I think will be close. Will take the points. Cleveland getting six at Detroit, Memphis plus four and a half at Dallas, and Boston laying 18 hosting the Nets.

[Dan Bernstein]

I saw on my bookie that Cade Cunningham of those Pistons is 8 to 1 to win NBA MVP. And I think I want a chunk of that in my portfolio. Not necessarily because I think it's assured, but you need 65 games to qualify. And I'll grant you Cade Cunningham is third on the list right now behind wherever you slot. Shea Gilgis, Alexander and Nicola Jokic. SGA has played in 49 games with 22 left. Nicole Jokic has played in 43 games with 22 left. SGA didn't play last night because he had her two nights ago because of what is said to be an abdominal injury. And even though he's supposed to come back, that's the kind of thing that can be re. Injured and something you do not want to screw around with as far as the best player on the team that is defending a championship.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then Yokik, he has to play the next 22.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, he. There's 22 left. And he. Yeah, well, let me see how many. No, no, no, no, no. Yeah, he's at 43, so he needs. He needs. He pretty much has to play from here on out.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And he's. His wrist and hand. He said to be playing through some sort of nebulous wrist or hand injury. And it's. They may want to say we're not screwing around with this. Sit down, big fella. So for that reason, Primarily, I like 8 to 1. That's worth it for a flyer on Cade Cunningham to win NBA mvp.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. Cause I think the odds are that they're not going to qualify at 65 games. Neither one of those guys will.

[Dan Bernstein]

So.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, I like.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's smart. That's really. Because then that's really good. So. Yeah, I just thought that if. If you just want to have something on there, I'm not saying your house, but just something to. To have a little shot in that market. A little.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. I'm gonna put something there. I'm gonna play that. I like that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, well, those. Those are the DBU picks. Lock your picks in now with my bookie bet on anything, anytime, anywhere. And that is today's Dan Bernstein unfiltered. We thank Gamut podcast network executive producer Dan Zampillo. God, that's weird to say. It's a lot to say. But he joined us today for his official unveiling for his coming out party.

[Matt Abaticola]

And of course, we thank all of you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Absolutely. And it's for Friday Feedback Friday. And and again, even the ones I didn't use, I tried to get. I, I read them all and sometimes my plan deviates depending on where the conversation goes and all that. But I do save them in a special folder and I appreciate them and everything gets proper consideration. So as always, it is appreciated. Make sure you listen to forward progress. Today we get into all of the Bears stuff that's going on at the combine and we've got the player survey that wasn't supposed to get out, that got out, that is going to keep getting out each year. They do it regardless and I don't know if the owners realize that. So we'll discuss all of it. But have a wonderful weekend and then we will be right back at things on Monday. Here this has been Dan Bernstein, Unfiltered, brought to you by our friends at Chicago window. Guys, that is Russ Armstrong, ChicagoNowinDowGuys.com 847-302-9171 and in partnership with my bookie, Dan Bernstein, unfiltered unfiltered. On 312 Sports.