← Dan Bernstein Unfiltered
Dan Bernstein Unfiltered
Dennis Allen and defense moving forward | Friday Feedback | Bottom 10 Lions of All-Time
01:29:12
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- [00:01]
Dan Bernstein
Dan Bernstein, Unfiltered Unfiltered on 312 Sports.
- [00:09]
Matt Abaticola
In Unfiltered brought to you by Chicago Window guys and in partnership with my bookie, Dan Bernstein, Matt Abaticola with you. So as a, as a total day of football yesterday, not great. But the fact that we got to end on that note with that game and that broadcast sort of redeemed two lackluster games, in my opinion.
- [00:34]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, I agree with you completely there. The Alabama game was just, was awful. I mean, if you're an Indiana fan, you love that you say don't even.
- [00:41]
Matt Abaticola
Call it the Alabama game. That's, that's not doing it justice.
- [00:44]
Dan Bernstein
It was the Indian and then Oregon just blanks Texas tech with a 23 nothing win. Yeah, it wasn't, wasn't a whole lot there. It was kind of boring and I'm glad I forced myself to stay with it because I was, I was kind of done when Ole Miss and Georgia came on, but I was like, I gotta hopefully see a good football game. And so I'm glad I stayed with it.
- [01:02]
Matt Abaticola
It's so funny, the conversation that was in our house. I basically said, look, I'm footballed out. I've gone too far down this, into this today. I was kind of glazing over and we put a movie on and like, fine, let's check a score. And stayed with it and very, very glad I stayed with it. And I will tell you this, and we're going to talk to Matt Miller on forward progress. I first saw Trinidad Chambliss when injury forced him into action in the regular season Tulane Ole Miss game. And I thought how was this guy the backup? And I was watching him and he was obviously skilled but still trying to feel his way around a little bit at the D1 level. But I think if you missed on the Trinidad Chambliss trademark, like if you missed that stock buy, you missed it because that was it last, last night was the oh, oh, oh, oh, he's, he's this good. And that, that series of throws that he had at one point where each one was better than the next and you watched him, you know, reset his throwing platform. You watched him feathering in back shoulder balls and escaping miraculously from pressure. Just enjoy that because if, if you there, there's no more sleeping on Trinidad Shambliss.
- [02:28]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. So two things about yesterday's game, particular the Ole Miss in Georgia game. But the, I thought the officiating throughout the, the day wasn't, wasn't very good. It really was highlighted in The Ole Miss Georgia game. There was a lot of missed, missed calls there. But I will say this. The Georgia Ole Miss game was probably one of the most violent football games I've watched in a long time. And it's interesting to hear the broadcast for a college football game. How celebrated those violent collisions are when most of those would be called penalties in the NFL. The hit on the Georgia quarterback where Ole Miss player lowers his helmet right into his face mask. He stays in there, he completes the pass. That's an, that's an absolute 15 yard penalty. Absolute 15. That wasn't called. There was a blatant face mask that was missed late in the game on the Ole Miss running back. The guy had the ball, his head gets spun around like how did not one official on the field see the guy with the ball? And then the.
- [03:31]
Matt Abaticola
Literally he stopped. He stopped his feet. He shook his head around and shook the attempt and then started running again.
- [03:42]
Dan Bernstein
And no one saw the face mask. And then the. I thought the, the old miss. The penalty on 14. The passing.
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Matt Abaticola
Which one?
- [03:51]
Dan Bernstein
That brought them into the 10 yard line.
- [03:53]
Matt Abaticola
The first one because he had consecutive penalties.
- [03:56]
Dan Bernstein
Brought them down to the 20 yard line. Yeah, the first.
- [03:57]
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, I thought, I thought the second penalty saved the game. I think it did.
- [04:02]
Dan Bernstein
It did.
- [04:03]
Matt Abaticola
He had to take that penalty or that's a touchdown.
- [04:05]
Dan Bernstein
The first one. I didn't like the call because he. He turns his body, he turns his head enough and he's using the sideline as an extra defender. I just thought, I thought it was a tough call.
- [04:14]
Matt Abaticola
No, I thought he leaned into him, I thought he pushed him. It was a well done interference. It was sort of a professionally done interference, but it was interference.
- [04:23]
Dan Bernstein
I thought it was great. And I disagree with the call given the fact that there's other opportunities that were missed that were blatant and were of the 15 yard variety. It was just too bad. But the violence though, my God, some of these hits. I haven't seen a weekend of NFL that looked as violent as that Ole Miss Georgia game.
- [04:41]
Matt Abaticola
I will say though, the one that was called targeting, where there was forcible contact through and there was incidental helmet contact. I don't think that's an NFL penalty. That was the one that I saw where I said I get it by rule because of the targeting rule, that and how they establish a defenseless receiver.
- [05:07]
Dan Bernstein
That.
- [05:07]
Matt Abaticola
I saw that as a collegiate penalty. That. What it reminded me of was one of those Kyle Fuller penalties where they throw the flag because it's too awesome looking. There's like, oh, that's got to be a penalty because there's no way. And I think it might have wrongly been called an NFL penalty. But if you slow it frame by frame and did forget about how incredibly nasty it looked in real time, I think that was probably a legal pro hit.
- [05:37]
Dan Bernstein
Okay. Yeah, it was very entertaining game. Like you said, that final game made up for the entire day. There was one other play that stood out to me, the Oregon game. And again, not even a close game, but there was a defensive lineman, defensive tackle, and Purchase is his last name Oregon?
- [05:55]
Matt Abaticola
Yep.
- [05:55]
Dan Bernstein
And he gets, he gets Morton, the quarterback for Texas Tech, grabs him by the shoulders, his feet are then elevated and then he completely takes his entire body weight, lands on top of him with the official right behind him and like, and I double check to make sure that is an actual college rule where they do have the, you know, the placement of your body weight. And that actually is a call that can be made in college. I wasn't sure if it wasn't a college call, but it is, it's a college penalty and it's about the most blatant use of all. Your body weight on top of a defenseless passer. And it's not even calling. And he got hurt too. He was laying there because. Yeah, this 300 pound guy just put all of his. Literally jumped his feet in the air and then landed on top of him.
- [06:37]
Matt Abaticola
I thought he was gonna take out a giant rubber mallet and start hitting him with it.
- [06:44]
Dan Bernstein
Pulls out of his back pocket.
- [06:48]
Matt Abaticola
Like at any time, guys, you can say you're not allowed to do what that guy did.
- [06:53]
Dan Bernstein
Jesus.
- [06:54]
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, but you're right. And I thought for the most, I also thought that the broadcast last night, I thought Sean McDonough was just note perfect and he and Greg McElroy, everything about that call, with the exception of the very bizarre ending of the game where they put one second on the clock and had to get people off the field and on the field. I was done by then.
- [07:11]
Dan Bernstein
Oh yeah.
- [07:12]
Matt Abaticola
I was like, that's it, I'm going up. But it was, it was a fun.
- [07:16]
Dan Bernstein
It.
- [07:17]
Matt Abaticola
The fact that that was the third game made me feel better about the whole day.
- [07:22]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. Because it wasn't good. It wasn't good. Again, had to force myself to stay with that Ole Miss Georgia game because I was just done and I wanted to put a movie on. I wanted to find something else to watch. But I'm glad I stayed with it because it was a very, very entertaining game. So now your bracket, you're down your final four, you have Oregon taking on Indiana. So that's a five verse one. And then Ole Miss plays Miami. That's a 6:11. Ole Miss, Miami as January 8th. And then Oregon, Indiana on the 9th.
- [07:49]
Matt Abaticola
I will say, when they kept showing the Ole Miss coach, and he's not the interim coach. Right. He. They've given him the job. The guy with the. With the red sharpie behind his ear.
- [07:58]
Dan Bernstein
Yes. Yeah, right. He got the job, right?
- [08:01]
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, yeah, because he doesn't. Coach, stop showing him when the offense is on the field. It's not fair to him because they kept showing him. He's the defensive coordinator and he's still going to be the defensive coordinator, but he has nothing to do with the offense. And every time they said, here's the head coach. And he was like this.
- [08:22]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, because it's Charlie Weiss. But no.
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Matt Abaticola
Well, that's like running the offense.
- [08:27]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, running the offense. Right.
- [08:28]
Matt Abaticola
But the head coach, when the offense is on the field, his mouth is wide open. He doesn't say anything. They just kept showing him standing there staring. Yeah.
- [08:41]
Dan Bernstein
It's funny, though, because the broadcast, they kept talking about Charlie Weiss, but they're never showing Charlie Weiss. Right?
- [08:47]
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, right. But they so show the head coach when they're on defense because that's what he's actually.
- [08:51]
Dan Bernstein
That's what he's doing.
- [08:52]
Matt Abaticola
It really was not. And whatever happened at the end of the half, don't let that happen again because that's like fire. Everybody bad. That's. That. That was Eber Flucian bad.
- [09:05]
Dan Bernstein
All right, one, One quick note about the Bears before we move on. We have Friday feedback Friday, our bottom of all or bottom 10 Lions of all time. We do have DBU picks later for you in the show as well. I do want to mention one thing about Dennis Allen who met with the media yesterday. And did you. You read his comments or heard him at least? So the very first question is asked and he's like, you know, again, he's not talking about it. And I'm.
- [09:31]
Matt Abaticola
We've moved on. He's.
- [09:32]
Dan Bernstein
He's ready to move forward.
- [09:33]
Matt Abaticola
We've moved on.
- [09:33]
Dan Bernstein
What he said, Let me see if I have it here. Still. I got his. His notes.
- [09:38]
Matt Abaticola
Forget about our defense being historically awful in the last game. It's not important to us right now. That's not what you're called. That's basically what he did.
- [09:46]
Dan Bernstein
What is it? He says, we're moving on to Detroit, as that was after the first question. Then he says, I'll say this. I don't think I coached very well. I didn't coach well enough last week. I don't think we played well enough last week. You have to learn your lessons. You make the corrections that you need to make. Now we move forward and we're getting ready for Detroit. He goes, I appreciate all the questions about last week. No, you don't. But at the end of the day, I've been through this and I'm ready to move on. I get it. And you know, from my perspective of it, I'm, I'm very far away from it. So it's, it's annoying and then it slips out of my brain immediately. But if I'm on the beat, that, that would, I mean, this, that would really, would really piss me off. Given the, I mean, you juxtapose his demeanor and behavior in press conferences to that of the head coach who couldn't be more willing to be open and talk and honest. And we heard him with Herb Howard. He was like, yeah, you're, you're spot on. I, you know, I was wrong on that and about the, about running on the field goal drive, like to have that and then to have your defensive coordinator. I'm not gonna answer anything. We moved on. We moved on. Okay, well, maybe you moved on, but we haven't. We have a job to do. That, that would, that would really, that would really rub me the wrong way as a, as a beat reporter. Again, for my perspective, it. Whatever.
- [10:57]
Matt Abaticola
Great.
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Dan Bernstein
I would love to hear more, but I don't. So it's not the end of the day for me. But for them, it's, it's bad.
- [11:03]
Matt Abaticola
You know, where, where my belief is that the defensive coordinator, whoever isn't the head coach, whoever is on that side of the ball from the head coach, should be made available sooner than Thursday after a game. I just, I don't know who controls it or how they control it, but it's. So much time has passed that there's always a built in opportunity for that coach. You're like, well, that was a while ago. We forgot about that. And maybe you did, but that, but the fans haven't.
- [11:34]
Dan Bernstein
Right.
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Matt Abaticola
And therefore the beat media is there to get to the accountability. You know, there's no. Coaches love that word. They love the word accountability, but here's an opportunity for it every week and they go out of their way to try to avoid it sometimes. And that's not okay.
- [11:55]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, that's a, that's a good point. I don't know if teams would make that happen because obviously they're following the. These are guidelines set up by the NFL that how this, that's how this works. Where coordinator day comes several days after your game day.
- [12:08]
Matt Abaticola
Are you sure there isn't wiggle room within some very big basic. And I thought the NFL rules essentially gave some teams some latitude and said as long as there is an appearance during the week, I don't think they mandate certain days.
- [12:24]
Dan Bernstein
You may be right. I'll ask one of our beat reporter friends about that and what the regulations are. But regardless of when it is, if it's the day of the day after or three days later, answer the damn questions. It's fair.
- [12:36]
Matt Abaticola
Not just answer them, invite them.
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Dan Bernstein
Right. I mean, your defense gave up, you know, almost 900 yards of offense in two games, almost 400 yards of rushing in two games. Answer some questions.
- [12:47]
Matt Abaticola
I agree.
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Dan Bernstein
Like, I can appreciate that it's, you know, it's the fourth workday of your week. Moving on to the next team. I understand that, but you can take.
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Matt Abaticola
Dude.
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Dan Bernstein
And it's eight to 11 minutes of questions, if that, maybe even four or five minutes because all the coordinators are together. So you might get four or five minutes with Dennis Allen. You can take five minutes out of your week to answer questions about the game that happened previously and not talk about a game that hasn't happened yet. Because what are you going to do? Are you going to. Are you going to. Are you going to break down your scheme, what your plan is? Well, I'm not going to answer any questions about the Niners game, but let me tell you what we're going to do against Detroit. So we're going to set up first in this, you know, formation. We're looking. Yeah.
- [13:25]
Matt Abaticola
The question being, what do we get from you? Moving on.
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Dan Bernstein
How does that.
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Matt Abaticola
How does. Exactly.
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Dan Bernstein
Right. So.
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Matt Abaticola
So the idea of it being late in the week and the idea of you saying, we're not talking about that, we're moving on to the next thing, that only benefits you.
- [13:43]
Dan Bernstein
Right.
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Matt Abaticola
And it doesn't help the US Understand or it doesn't. And actually, that's probably giving it too much credit because I think a fully actualized coach can get a lot out of transparency and vulnerability and honesty in that moment. And it just seems. It seems a little weak. Seems weak to try to use it as an opportunity to have it shield you from accountability.
- [14:13]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah.
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Matt Abaticola
Yeah.
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Dan Bernstein
And again, the only reason it stands out so much is the fact that Ben Johnson goes the extreme other direction.
- [14:20]
Matt Abaticola
With it, because I don't think he's scared of anything.
- [14:25]
Dan Bernstein
No.
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Matt Abaticola
That's why I think it makes you look cowardly to say. I'm not answering questions about that. That's in the past. We don't talk about that anymore. Well, we do as these assembled because.
- [14:33]
Dan Bernstein
We haven't talked about it yet.
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Matt Abaticola
Yeah, this is. We're on equal footing here for this, for this next 15 minutes. And you don't get to decide that. Right. That's sort of the point. Hey, so I just want to mention December's over, January's here. We're still in the tail end of 12 Days of Christmas with my bookie. And that means there's still opportunities for these offers. Back to back sports and casino with bet and gets and free spins and profit boosts and drops for social and telegram. This entire month is absolutely full of stuff. We've still. We've got NFL with the playoffs starting. We've got the college playoffs going. College basketball really starts to hit its stride right now in NBA. These are all chances to cash. Go to my bookie. Don't wait. Start the new year by using our code, dbu. Punch it in when you register and deposit just those three letters, DBU. And then your first bet is covered up to 500. And that way if you go big and you miss on the first one, what it means is you can use the bet back bonus token and then you can run it back. You can sort of make it unhappen. Bet on anything, anywhere, anytime, only with my bookie. And know that at the conclusion of our show today, we will have our DBU picks just for you. This is what we call Friday Feedback Friday. Now that's different than feedback Friday feedback because we've made a conscious decision to know because there was some confusion about this. We don't want any confusion. We want to make sure that we know that this is Friday Feedback Friday. And it's like most weeks and I go back through what's been sent in and try to pull some of the best of the best. And I always say this, just because I haven't grabbed something that you've written doesn't mean I didn't read it. I read everything. I try to listen to all of the voice messages that you send in via the app and thank you for doing that. Didn't have one this week. Everything came in via essentially via email this week. We get an occasional reaction here or there during a Bears game, but this was. There was some really good stuff on a lot of topics. Some of it I had to to make sure because Matt there. There was a lot of reaction to what we said going into New Year's. And it was specifically the quote I want to say Brene Brown is the, the person that you quoted regarding regret. I just want to make sure I have it where he said, regret is a call to courage and a path to wisdom. Yeah.
- [17:13]
Dan Bernstein
When used constructively.
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Matt Abaticola
Okay.
- [17:16]
Dan Bernstein
Regret is a.
- [17:19]
Matt Abaticola
Call to courage.
- [17:22]
Dan Bernstein
Call to courage and a path to wisdom.
- [17:23]
Matt Abaticola
Yes.
- [17:24]
Dan Bernstein
When used constructively, regret is a call to courage and a path to wisdom.
- [17:27]
Matt Abaticola
And there were a lot of people that either didn't know about Brene Brown or looked it up and found her well reviewed and certainly popular TED Talk. Oh, it was done.
- [17:38]
Dan Bernstein
Fantastic. I mean, fantastic.
- [17:40]
Matt Abaticola
Yeah. And I did too, actually. So what's interesting, this is she's not some, some charlatan. She's an academic. Yeah. A very accomplished, degreed, well respected academic. And this is, it's a. She's a pro, as opposed to a lot of people who just say stuff. And I found a lot of what she had to say really interesting. And there was a lot of reaction that with a lot of personal stories that I'm not going to share here and people offering what some of this meant and what these podcasts have meant to them and what. Which is. It's awesome. And I just thought that some of it was so personal and it wasn't sent in saying, don't read this on the air. It's just my choice, exercising a little bit of judgment and restraint. I'm not going to put a bunch of stuff out there, but thank you for sharing that. And I just want you to know it's meaningful that all of these stories and all of these reasons and all of these connections that have been that you've been so generous in sharing, really, I don't know if my responses can convey necessarily my appreciation and our, if I may, our appreciation for a lot of these expressions. So thank you. Thank you. And I hope that these are the kinds of things that can grow the relationship that we have through these shows, through three. One, two sports and whatever that connection is and whatever the reasons for some of this. May the new year bring a lot more of this and a lot more of this courage and this wisdom that has been expressed by so many.
- [19:23]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, no, and I second all of that there. And you know, you think about it and we're not hesitant or afraid to share our thoughts, feelings, experiences on things because it is, it is very valuable and it is very freeing and open to be able to say, hey, I've done this, I've done that, and here's where I've moved from and here's where I've moved on to and here's where I'm at now. And that, that's a, it's a really freeing experience where in the past, if you're not comfortable expressing, hey, the failures in life and the difficulties you might have, that really is part of the whole process. And being able to get those out is really one of the really necessary and important, significant, immediate steps in being able to move forward from something, whether it was something you've done yourself or something that was done to you, being able to talk about it is very valuable. So, yeah, I really appreciate everyone sharing a lot of their thoughts and it really is encouraging and it makes us, makes me feel good about what we do and what we say and we'll continue that path forward as well.
- [20:25]
Matt Abaticola
Well said. Yep, it is time for Friday feedback. Friday.
- [20:30]
Dan Bernstein
Oh, that's what we're doing.
- [20:32]
Matt Abaticola
Shoot, right? No, no, no. It's, it's, it's not, it's not feedback. Friday feedback.
- [20:38]
Dan Bernstein
Friday feedback. All right.
- [20:39]
Matt Abaticola
Right. I just want to make sure it's, it's really important. Yeah.
- [20:42]
Dan Bernstein
I got to change everything. Sure.
- [20:43]
Matt Abaticola
That's. That's correct.
- [20:44]
Dan Bernstein
Why don't you start?
- [20:45]
Matt Abaticola
Because I'm going to start. This is from, this is from Glenn, and Glenn said it's a week late, but screw it, I got to get this out of my system. I've been reflecting on your discussion of Nate Hobbs's statement in the aftermath of the Packers 22:16 overtime loss to the Bears that the packers defeat was the will of God. Specifically, I've been trying to wrap my head around the theological implications of whether a Bears victory was preordained prior to kickoff or Matt, as you intriguingly suggested, the Supreme Being made a judgment during the course of the game influenced by the collective weight of the prayers of viewers and fans of each team. To me, the idea that the outcome of the game might be divinely ordained before it began is too terrible to contemplate due to the moral dilemma it places on the players. Imagine the conflict of a member of the packers feeling that the Bears have recovered an onside kick down a touchdown late in the fourth, tied the game in spectacular over off balance fourth down throw by Caleb Williams to a backup receiver and then blunted the packers last chance to win the game in regulation via the suddenly effective pass rush of Montez Sweatt. So, with the intent of the Almighty so apparent, what is a devout packers player supposed to do? Do you continue to try to win the game well, that'd be blasphemous. But to stop trying, or worse, actively aid the Bears would seriously undermine the concept of faith. No, I refuse to believe a loving deity would impose this kind of painful conundrum on any man, even a Green Bay Packer. Conversely, the possibilities implicit in divine decisions made as a game progresses present opportunities for both enlightenment and entertainment. This idea makes real the belief of many watching an NFL game that somehow the outcome of the contest can be influenced by their viewing behavior, no matter how remote from the field of play it may be. Instead of clinging to pagan superstitions, fans can achieve true spiritual and sports enlightenment by rooting through prayer. Further, the NFL can take advantage of this knowledge to enhance its own product online after each play. In addition to calculating win expectancy, they can provide this new analytical tool of divine intervention expectancy. It's computed through analysis of historical miracles recognized by the church or described in the sacred texts of other faiths, in combination with a real analysis of frequency and fervor of prayers offered. Miracles might not occur when predicted, but it's only an expectancy calculation. And hey, the Lord works in mysterious ways. Thank you. Yeah, no, that was a that was a huge deal when Nate Hobbs said, because I we've asked for it our entire lives. I have that. If you're going to thank a higher power for your successes, blame it for your failures. And dammit, he did it. He absolutely did it. And I'm happy that he did. Here is a note from Tom and Tom was responding to our discussion about Caleb Williams and 4,000 passing yards. He said, I agree with you so violently on this, but my takeaway is different. 4000 is a totally arbitrary figure. So I heard recently the Philadelphia Eagles just accomplished this feat. They've done it only once in their history, and nobody bats an eye at how little that is. But my takeaway is that I absolutely want Caleb to get it Sunday. My reason is I want this narrative to die and never come back. And we can say it's a matter of when and not if. But I think of it differently because injury can derail this ambition in any singular season. Think of it like this. It's no different than any other arbitrary yet common yardstick, say, visiting all 50 states. Admittedly, I'd like to visit all 50 states. It's a benchmark of activity. It's entirely superficial. When you visit a state, you're often visiting only a tiny speck of land within that state, and there's no determinant of quality of that visit. But the benchmark says you've traveled one, a lot and two, to diversified places. The 4,000 passing yard metric can be viewed in the same way as a very flawed measurement of offensive success in a single season. Okay. I guess in that respect it's kind of like pitching wins, right?
- [25:26]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, pretty much. Pretty much. So if we have a 17 game schedule now, what should the new benchmark be? We call it like 4250.
- [25:35]
Matt Abaticola
Let's wait. Let's wait. I don't think we need to jump and decide that now. I think we need to Look, Caleb gets 4,000 right. And then reverse engineer it to make the Bears look better because they've needed so much help over all that time.
- [25:50]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. By the way, he's not getting 4,000 this season. So that'll have to wait till next year. So if you hate hearing about it, it'll still come up next season because it's not happening this year. He's not getting 270 on Sunday.
- [26:01]
Matt Abaticola
Why not?
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Dan Bernstein
Well, there's two factors. Number one, I think the game plan. Three, the game plan, the weather and then his time of play. I don't think it will be the whole, the whole game.
- [26:12]
Matt Abaticola
Okay, now you've. I think you've left out one variable.
- [26:16]
Dan Bernstein
What's that?
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Matt Abaticola
And that is the score. If in fact the Bears are down in the third and the middle of the field is wide open, he could rack up a lot of garbage late yards.
- [26:30]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, but they're not going to be down in this game.
- [26:32]
Matt Abaticola
Well, that's what I'm asking, like if, if there's a possibility depending on what's going on in the Eagles game. And I know that they're going to be tunnel visioned and they say they are, but I just. Sometimes the passing yard thing that you just get a lot of garbage check down tight end and running back passing yards over the, the end of the game. That will pad a lot of those stats. Just something to think about. That's the. And I'm sure you have. I'm not, I'm not saying.
- [27:00]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, no, you're not. No, you're not wrong on it. But I just, I just don't see him getting, getting 270this weekend, so.
- [27:05]
Matt Abaticola
Okay, well, fair enough. Maybe, maybe that's coming up in DBU picks.
- [27:08]
Dan Bernstein
I don't know.
- [27:09]
Matt Abaticola
Foreshadowing. Could be. Adam sends a note and he says that heated rivalry is a solid show. He said it's important to have a now mainstream show portraying a same sex relationship as a legitimate love story deserving of the same emotional depth and narrative weight as heterosexual romances. It may feel uncomfortable now. And he adds, parenthetically, I'd be lying if I said it doesn't make me uncomfortable, but it normalizes the presence of the relationship in spaces. Professional sports where they've historically been marginalized. Or invisible. Hockey especially. Absolutely. Fair point. You're gonna love this one. This is what I didn't expect. Matt Abaticola does not have a one man Crusade against Larry McCarron. This was written by Stonecutter.
- [28:07]
Dan Bernstein
Just wait.
- [28:07]
Matt Abaticola
I don't know if you saw this one. I didn't. I don't think you did, because this came to my personal email. Stonecutter.
- [28:15]
Dan Bernstein
Of course I didn't see it.
- [28:17]
Matt Abaticola
I just didn't know where I. If I shared it. If Larry McCarron has a million haters, I am one of them. If Larry McCarron has 10 haters, I am one of them. If Larry McCarron has only one hater, then that is I. If Larry McCarron has no haters, that means I am no longer on earth. If the world is for Larry McCarron, then I am against the world. That's just the intro. Okay, stop screaming over Wayne Larravi's call, you absolute clown. You grunting moron. I know he's a former NFL player. The odds that he has some sort of brain damage might be high, but I have zero idea what is happening on some plays because he's yelling and I can't tell if it's positive or negative. For the Packers, I've taken to listening to the road radio call every game. And since I can pause both XM and YouTube TV, syncing the audio and video is possible regardless of which stream is ahead. And it's great. I love Wayne laravy Still, but McCarron is so bad. I usually opt for the Westwood One call if Bears packers is in prime time.
- [29:50]
Dan Bernstein
Is he a Packers fan?
- [29:52]
Matt Abaticola
No.
- [29:52]
Dan Bernstein
Okay. He just. He just does it for Bears packers game.
- [29:55]
Matt Abaticola
No, Stone Cutter does not like the home radio call.
- [29:59]
Dan Bernstein
Oh, okay.
- [30:00]
Matt Abaticola
Okay. Never been a big fan. I cut out from that email. I. I cut out an absolutely scathing attack on our hometown broadcasters. He's never been a fan.
- [30:13]
Dan Bernstein
Okay. Stone Cutter, longtime guy. One of. One of. One of our favorites. So thanks for sending it in because I am not a hater of Larry McCarron. I just.
- [30:23]
Matt Abaticola
Oh, here it is.
- [30:24]
Dan Bernstein
Yep. I'm not.
- [30:27]
Matt Abaticola
Okay, all right. Okay.
- [30:28]
Dan Bernstein
Sure.
- [30:30]
Matt Abaticola
This is John.
- [30:31]
Dan Bernstein
Oh, by the way too. I looked up real quick. Caleb has gone over to 74 times this year. Okay, four games. I'm at a 16.
- [30:41]
Matt Abaticola
So good. This is Professor John from Minneapolis who says I think I get to be grumpy when the quarterback drafted one of one last year now sits solidly in the bottom half of passers in the NFL. The last game made me do the unthinkable and concede that Chris Collinsworth has a point about Caleb Williams. Mysterious missed relatively easy passes. A person drafted to be an elite passer should not be making these mistakes. Yes, there have been some drops by receivers, but on the other hand, this offensive line might be great. And despite that, Caleb Williams the passer remains a work in progress even with my lockdown vote for the NFL coach of the Year guiding him. Ben Johnson deserves coach of the year precisely because Caleb Williams is statistically so far below Drake. Maybe drafted, we all recall third the same year as Caleb went number one compared to Johnson, Mike Vrabel has had a relatively easy at least as far as quarterback coaching is concerned. And to be clear, I wouldn't trade for Drake May today, in part because I enjoy Caleb's cockiness, I enjoy Caleb's quirkiness. And in part because Drake May has all the personality of a pontoon boat captain in a cut down Coors T shirt. Do you know Drake May's nickname? It's Drake May. As in. As in Drake Drake May May. Thanks, but I'll pass. And so it's clear, Will May. He'll probably be NFL MVP on the strength of his passing. And I now wonder whether Caleb Williams will ever receive that honor. I expect to happily root for Caleb Williams for the next decade. I just need him to be a better passer. Preferably yesterday, but I'll take tomorrow. Yours in critical Caleb fandom, Professor John from Minneapolis.
- [32:58]
Dan Bernstein
Well said, well said. And it's something that we've been saying all season long and you know, we've made it very clear we're not expecting perfection. We're not expecting every pass. But when he has a clean pocket and a firm foundation and an open receiver, you should be expected to hit those passes more than miss.
- [33:16]
Matt Abaticola
That's.
- [33:17]
Dan Bernstein
It's just that simple. It's really not hard.
- [33:19]
Matt Abaticola
That's why I love this. I thought he did a really good job of sort of inoculating against the hater criticism and then just saying, look this, it doesn't sound. When it's phrased that way, it doesn't sound like too much to ask. Right?
- [33:37]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, that was good. Good email.
- [33:40]
Matt Abaticola
The always intelligent Spencer has sent this in talking about when, whether or not one should celebrate a divisional championship.
- [33:50]
Dan Bernstein
Okay.
- [33:51]
Matt Abaticola
And what, what it means and what I love about how he handled this in a way where he really knows his audience. I think in this space he said, I believe the division title is a milestone worthy of, of celebration. Winning one is special, whether it's the first in seven years or seventh and seven years. Not only does it mark the accomplishment of a stated goal and guarantees your ticket to the playoffs, it allows us to rework the math based on who wins the Super Bowl. As a fellow nerd, you'll appreciate this analogy in looking at this century's playoff seeding and outcomes. The winner of the super bowl can be simulated by the roll of a 12 sided die. Ooh, see, now we're in Dungeons and Dragons.
- [34:41]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah.
- [34:42]
Matt Abaticola
Let's go D and D. 12 sided die. The number one seed from both conferences each represent two faces on the die. Four in total. The other six division winners each have one face. The remaining two are shared by the six wild card teams. If the 12 sided die hits one of those, then you roll a six sided die where each wildcard team has a face. You can summarize that from a Bears perspective by saying the odds of the Bears winning the super bowl increased by A factor of two. A 1 in 24 to 1 in 12 when they went from mere wildcard to a division winner. That's essentially a playoff win. So yeah, let's feel good about winning the division. I will of course need to rework the math again if Montez Sweatt acquires the use of magic missile within the next 10 days. That is from Spencer.
- [35:37]
Dan Bernstein
Hey, there's one I want to share from you because I know you're a fan of the movie the Martian.
- [35:42]
Matt Abaticola
Yeah. Okay. Who isn't?
- [35:43]
Dan Bernstein
So we were talking about movies yesterday and Project Hail Mary, the one where Ryan Gosling wakes up in space. He's a scientist, has amnesia.
- [35:52]
Matt Abaticola
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
- [35:53]
Dan Bernstein
Tasked with saving the world from a extinction level situation. So Project Hail Mary is based on a book written by Andrew Weir, who wrote the Martian. It's a great book if you like science fiction. Highly recommend. Have high hopes for the movie that's from Rich in Gray's Lake. I knew you liked the Martian. Saw that email come through and thought that might spur your interest a little in the movie Project Hail Mary. Yeah.
- [36:16]
Matt Abaticola
Although it couldn't be Matt Damon again, but so much of the Martian was made just because it's Matt Damon.
- [36:24]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. You know, I watched the Martian again a few weeks ago. I just. I it and I was just sitting around looking for something and I got back into it and I've seen it a couple times before that. It's such such a good movie, man. It's such a just a fantastic movie. And I wasn't aware that the Martian was or Project Hail Mary was a book written by the same dude wrote the Martian. So thanks for the email. I was looking forward to seeing the movie anyways. I saw the trailer. I like Ryan Gosling, but yeah, this this cements it even further.
- [36:50]
Matt Abaticola
Absolutely.
- [36:51]
Dan Bernstein
So thanks Rich.
- [36:53]
Matt Abaticola
I have a couple more here before we dive into our list of of Lions. This first one is from Evan in Worcester, Massachusetts, who says thanks guys for the discussion of heated rivalry Tuesday, and I can't wait for your reactions when you finally sit down to watch it. Dan, I'm glad Beth has given you some pretext. Yeah, let the record show I'm two episodes in. I may watch the remainders. I will watch the remainders before Monday show so it's like there's only four left, he said. Unlike your family, I have no particular connection to hockey, but I am a proud, gay, avid sports fan who consumed that show with pure wonderment. Yes, it's undeniably cool to simply see queer Romance represented on tv, but the reason the show sticks with me is because I think it could truly break the dam that keeps gay athletes in the closet. If you can forgive the mixed metaphors. Former New York Rangers winger Sean Avery Avery shared a similar sentiment with Rolling Stone, saying the show's success quote, should open the door for the first gay NHL player. If there is one. End quote. Putting aside Avery's naivete, it is a statistical and biological fact that some number of the 800 active NHL players are gay. I so hope he's right. At age 35, I've grown up to see openly gay people like me in virtually every space in society. Shit, even our ghoulish treasury secretary is out and proud. In this administration, pro sports really feels like the final frontier. And while we must recognize trailblazers like Michael Sam, Jason Collins and Carl Nassib, the fact remains that we've not seen an openly gay star athlete. No household names yet Heated rivalry imagines a world where this could happen. Here's hoping the show's booming popularity just might be the impetus some emerging athletes need to choose a life of authenticity over one of fear, he says. I'm loving the pod. It's been an amazing way to stay connected to my hometown ever since my husband dragged me to the Boston area. Happy New Year. Bear down. Thank you, Evan. And lastly, as a segue to our next segment, this. This blew my mind because sometimes something comes in that comes from a place of such righteousness that you just have to let it eat, as this one does. He said. May I add and submit to what I presume is a forthcoming list of the worst Lions of all time? He sent. This was on Tuesday. This was sent in. Did you see this, by the way?
- [39:54]
Dan Bernstein
I didn't. I didn't.
- [39:55]
Matt Abaticola
Okay, okay.
- [39:56]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. Anything about upcoming segments, I just. I don't read.
- [39:59]
Matt Abaticola
Okay, good.
- [40:00]
Dan Bernstein
Because.
- [40:00]
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, okay, now, this is not. This is not on my list, but I'm just going to let this stand before we go into the next half of today's show. Okay? My submission is the Lion King, the movie from 1994. Okay, both of you well meaning dinguses cited this animated film or its characters in your initial Lions top 10 lists. But someone needs to educate or rectify this scenario immediately. The short version, Disney's famous mid-90s animated film copied or downright plagiarized numerous concepts, tropes, scenes and characters from the original work of legendary Japanese comics artist and animator Osamu Tezuka. Specifically, his work Jungle Emperor, which appeared as a comic series, 20 plus chapters, 530 pages, 1950 to 1954. It was an animated series, 52 episodes from 1965 to 1966. It was a feature film in 1966. There are indeed differences between Tezuka's comic anime version of a lion character. Leo, who became Kimba in the west, who roamed the continent of Africa making friends, solving problems, working collaboratively to solve civilizational problems of camaraderie with humans. Jungle Emperor focuses almost exclusively on social equality. Idealism meets the rigors of worldly responsibility. The protagonist contends with the consequences. The Lion King, a musical, is about social hierarchy as an imitation of human civilization. Self confidence is given maturity largely presumed until it's taken away. But the similarities. I will summarize the personalities and roles of the core cast. Lion protagonists with noble fathers and childhood sweethearts. Wise baboon advisors, comically pompous bird friends, humorous companions, evil cowardly hyenas. All the same, the noble lion lineage, the childhood sweetheart. They're common tropes. But here, story beat for story beat. Wise Lion King is killed. Young prince driven from his home. Nen must reconcile emotional connection, find love, defeat the older villain to reclaim his throne. Same story Anti Carnivore pro herbivore theme Stolen Specific scenes in which herbivores teach the hero character to become an herbivore. Stolen. A stampede is the main event in the hero's life. Stolen. As is the imagery of the feature character clinging to a tree to avoid the wildebeest or antelopes. The opening scene, the Pan over the Land panoramic shot. The king posing majestically on a cliff. Stolen. The hero character protesting to the wise baboon that he cannot take up his new responsibilities, gets a pep talk. Stolen. The famous scene the young hero sees his parentage in the sky. Stolen. Stolen. Stolen. Mufasa tells Simba, look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us. Yeah, I bet they do. Because in Jungle Emperor, Leo sees his mother's image and his father's image and the father's silhouette superimposed over the moon. Disney for years has pleaded argumentum ad ignorantium. But it's bullshit. Disney executives claim they never heard of Tezuka's work. Bullshit. You're telling me the largest animation company on the planet that takes pride in its global connections was completely unaware of the commercial and legal success of one of Japan's most recognizable media characters and a property that had aired globally, including syndication on NBC affiliates in the 60s and 70s? Disney claimed it was unfamiliar with Jungle Emperor's footprint. Bullshit. Japan's one of Disney's largest markets outside the U.S. in 1996, Disney controlled 65% of the Japanese market for children's video cassettes. And you're telling me that any executive either associated with, located in or visiting Japan wasn't familiar with a nationally recognizable cartoon character created by Japan's most lauded comics artist and animator? Bullshit. Osamu Tezuka is called the God of manga for a reason. And Leo is just a comic book. He's an emblem of national pride in Japanese creative circles. The director lived and worked in Tokyo for two whole years, prying to prior to taking his job at Disney. And he picked up on nothing. Bullshit. Interviews and comments outside of Disney's official channels have been honest but remain circumspect. Animators have said they knew about Jungle Emperor. They brought it up at studio meetings, but were met with blank stares. How do we interpret this? True ignorance? People unaware of the information they were fed. Corporate ignorance. People who wield outsized company authority to strong arm the competition. Oh, by the way, an article published on the Hollywood Reporter of November of 1991 says the lion King was originally titled King of the Jungle. Oops. More recently, Disney, owing to its immense size, has treated this issue as a legal one to be dismissed, rather than one of ethics, politeness or professional courtesy. Nobody denies the success of Lion King and the creative characteristics. But one should call into question how contaminated the studio's claims are of originality. A few jobs back, I worked as a writer, interviewer and news editor covering animation and children's media for a decade. But I'll defer to the fans, scholars and translators I've met or have witnessed, combing through the literature, documenting the timestamps and authoring meaningful observations. The worst lion of all time, the Lion King. Screw you, Disney.
- [45:52]
Dan Bernstein
Wow. Now he lays out a really good argument there in that email. Very lengthy, detailed description. I'm just going to toss it up as a coincidence.
- [46:01]
Matt Abaticola
I just. I don't see.
- [46:03]
Dan Bernstein
I think he's going a little extreme there. I just, Just. Just a coincidence, right?
- [46:07]
Matt Abaticola
Parallel evolution, maybe?
- [46:09]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah.
- [46:10]
Matt Abaticola
Even.
- [46:10]
Dan Bernstein
Even though that Japanese one called Way earlier. What was the Japanese one called?
- [46:15]
Matt Abaticola
I gotta go back. I've already. I'm onto my next screen already.
- [46:19]
Dan Bernstein
Oh, my God.
- [46:19]
Matt Abaticola
That was so funny, though.
- [46:20]
Dan Bernstein
The Emperor. What is it?
- [46:22]
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, Jungle Emperor. Jungle Emperor.
- [46:24]
Dan Bernstein
Lion King. Yeah. Come on. Just. It's just a coincidence.
- [46:27]
Matt Abaticola
The scenes.
- [46:28]
Dan Bernstein
Come on. I mean, how many rom coms can you find where those scenes exist? You know, guys, feel down is he gets a pep talk from his buddy, you know, or older guy, mentor, family friend. It happens in everything. Young guy finds a sweetheart, falls in love, you know, doesn't want to take over the family business, but ends up doing it at the end of the rom com. Come on.
- [46:48]
Matt Abaticola
I started.
- [46:48]
Dan Bernstein
I think it's a coincidence.
- [46:49]
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, I knew when I got into that one, I'm like, oh, boy, this is somebody real mad. That's big mad on that one. And I'm angry. Wow.
- [47:02]
Dan Bernstein
I don't feel so good.
- [47:03]
Matt Abaticola
Exactly. If you're in the market for Windows, call Russ Armstrong. He's the owner of Chicago Window Guys. And once you're in business with Russ, you feel like you've got a friend in the business, because you do. Because it's all Russ's people that work for Chicago Window Guys. He doesn't use subcontracted labor. He's got his people do the measuring, his people do the installations. And you don't have to worry about price because he's got a price match guarantee. When you hear about all of these, whoa. I get these offers for buy one, get one free or one 10% off or two for one. He's going to explain what things really cost, what the values really are, what the difference in good windows and bad windows, and then he's going to give you the best possible price on these new windows. So call him 847-302-9171. He's got five star reviews at ChicagoNowBeyond.com and I know you're going to get quotes, which is cool. So when you get quotes, ask those other places who's installing my windows and they won't be able to answer because they don't know because they're going to pick up people that they're going to use for that day. You never know who's in and around your space. But with Russ, you do. And that peace of mind is great. And that's why I've recommended him to friends and family and coworkers. 847-302-9171 in Chicago window guys.com all right.
- [48:28]
Dan Bernstein
So it's time for our bottom 10 Lions of all time, week two. Yeah, we did our top 10 Lions. Neither one of us included anything with Lion King because we've known about that sham for years. So bottom 10 lions. I have the committee's list and I'll, I'll start for you here, Dan.
- [48:45]
Matt Abaticola
Okay. Because I know they were. They've been busy. I know the committee has been. They did. The committee does a lot of drinking during the holidays.
- [48:52]
Dan Bernstein
They do.
- [48:53]
Matt Abaticola
I know they do. It just, it's their thing. They get together, they party really hard. So I just want to. But I know they've done the work.
- [49:01]
Dan Bernstein
They have. All right, so starting off at number 10, we don't have any honorable mentions. We just have 10 names here. Eric Ebron. You remember Eric Ebron, tight end for the Lions? Yeah. So.
- [49:11]
Matt Abaticola
Yeah. North Carolina.
- [49:12]
Dan Bernstein
Correct. He was selected 10th overall in 2014, signed to a four year fully guaranteed contract of 12 and a half million. He finished his time in Detroit with 186 receptions, 11 touchdowns. Okay, well, that doesn't sound awful and not a whole lot of money. But why when you look any like Lions fan websites and comment boards, why Eric Ebron is so hated among Lions fans?
- [49:37]
Matt Abaticola
Yeah. What do you do?
- [49:39]
Dan Bernstein
The problem was when he was drafted in 2014, 10th overall, the guy drafted 13th is the guy that Lions fans wanted and that was Aaron Donald. And so he'll always be that guy that wasn't that, that was taken over. Aaron Donald.
- [49:57]
Matt Abaticola
Yeah.
- [49:58]
Dan Bernstein
So it just, you know, he had a fine career with the lions. He played four years at 11 touchdowns. He contributed, had some yards. But it's just the fact that he was taken and Aaron Donald wasn't just makes him hated Detroit Lion. All right, number nine is Matt Patricia. He came in as the head coach off the Belichick tree, as a favored disciple of Grandpa Bill. He was fired after 11 games in his third season, compiling a record of 13, 29 and 1. He makes the list because he was hated by everyone in the building. Yes. In the organization that came across. Matt Patricia hated Matt Patricia. So much so that when he left, there was so much shade thrown by every player on the team. And remember, he's also the clown that lectured the reporter during a press conference.
- [50:53]
Matt Abaticola
For slouching in his chair. Yes.
- [50:55]
Dan Bernstein
Told him to have some respect for himself and sit up, ask me a professional question. That guy. So number nine on the list is Matt Patricia. Number eight is Cam Sutton. Considered to be the Lions worst free agent transaction. In 2023, Sutton was signed to a three year, $33 million contract. Again, not long, not a ton of money for NFL, but this was the first multi year deal handed out by the Lions GM outside of the organization. He started every game for the Lions, recording 65 tackles and an interception during that 23 season where they went to the conference game. During the following off season, he was released after accusations of domestic abuse. He was picked up by Pittsburgh, played after serving a league mandated eight game suspension in 2024. So he is. He's viewed as one of the worst, if not the worst free agent transaction ever in Lions history. Which is interesting.
- [51:52]
Matt Abaticola
Okay. That's quite a history.
- [51:54]
Dan Bernstein
Yes, it is. All right. Number seven, this is a little bit of a lengthier one. And this one gets a little darker too. This is Reggie Rogers.
- [52:03]
Matt Abaticola
Okay.
- [52:04]
Dan Bernstein
If you ever heard the name, go ahead.
- [52:06]
Matt Abaticola
Can I just be transparent here?
- [52:07]
Dan Bernstein
Yes.
- [52:08]
Matt Abaticola
And you know that I don't mind working on the dark side of stuff.
- [52:11]
Dan Bernstein
Because you got pretty dark with the Niners.
- [52:13]
Matt Abaticola
I. So yeah. With the packers as well.
- [52:19]
Dan Bernstein
Yes.
- [52:20]
Matt Abaticola
So I. But I couldn't make the Reggie Rogers thing fun or funny. There's nothing I could do there. It just. It kept going.
- [52:28]
Dan Bernstein
I was just like, ugh, ew.
- [52:30]
Matt Abaticola
Okay. I just. I just. I just felt bad.
- [52:32]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, you should feel bad. So. Rogers was chosen seventh overall in the 1987 NFL Draft by the Lions. However, he only played six games of his rookie season due to a slew of emotional problems, even spending time in counseling center, which is which guy? Hey, we, you know, we support that. His second season in 1988 ended after only five games when his car struck another vehicle and killed three teenagers early on a Thursday morning. He was later found to have a blood alcohol content of 0.15, the legal limit in Michigan being 10. The Lions waived him in July of 89. Not because of the felony charges, but because he broke his neck in the collision. In 1990, he was convicted of vehicular homicide. Spent 13 months in prison. After prison, Dan, do you think he played football more?
- [53:18]
Matt Abaticola
Of course.
- [53:18]
Dan Bernstein
He sure did.
- [53:19]
Matt Abaticola
Of course he did. He played for society.
- [53:22]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, and for Tampa Bay. But he was out of the league after the 92 season. He also played in the CFL. On the November 26, 2008, Rogers was involved in a hit and run collision in Washington that resulted in his arrest and a charge of dui. It was not his first arrest for DUI in the state of Washington. Not his second, not his third. Wasn't his fourth. It was his fifth, actually.
- [53:43]
Matt Abaticola
Okay, I thought there were six.
- [53:45]
Dan Bernstein
There was six total, but it was his fifth in the state of Washington. Yes.
- [53:48]
Matt Abaticola
Oh, I see. It was a different state.
- [53:50]
Dan Bernstein
Yes. Dating back to his college days at UW Rodgers. Now, this is where, you know, it takes a tragic turn for himself. He died at the age of 49 in his home. Why? Alcohol and cocaine.
- [54:04]
Matt Abaticola
Mm.
- [54:05]
Dan Bernstein
So there's Reggie Rogers, number seven.
- [54:07]
Matt Abaticola
Like I say, when I passed on it, I'm glad you were. You're willing to take the baton there and finish out the lap for us.
- [54:15]
Dan Bernstein
Trying to make it fun or anything. It's just. Hey, all right, bottom Lions here. All right, number six is Charles Rogers. If you know him, he's a wide receiver from Michigan State. He was selected second overall in 2003. He was out of the league after three seasons. His first season ended with a broken clavicle suffered in practice, I think it was. Who was the Lions defensive back Dre Bly. Tray Bly. Dre Bly, Right. So in practice, he hit him and broke his clavicle. So that's the end of his first season. His second season ended with another broken clavicle against the beloved Bear. His third season ended with a suspension due to violating the league's drug policy for the third time. So he ended up owing the Lions Dan $10 million of the 14.2 million he'd received in bonuses. So this also takes a bad turn for Charles Rogers. He passed away at the age of 39 due to liver failure while battling cancer. So that's Charles Rogers, number six on the list. All right, the top five here.
- [55:18]
Matt Abaticola
No crossovers yet. Okay.
- [55:21]
Dan Bernstein
Number five is a combo deal of Andre Ware and Wayne Fonts. Andre Ware, the first Black QB to ever win the Heisman, was drafted seventh overall by the Lions in 1990. Fonts selected where against the Advice of the director of scouting who then resigned the very next day.
- [55:39]
Matt Abaticola
That's how you do it. I mean, you know, we always talk about it. We always say that that dude did it.
- [55:45]
Dan Bernstein
Yes. You shouldn't take this guy. I'm taking this guy. I'm telling you, don't take this guy. I'm taking this guy. Well, I'm select this guy.
- [55:51]
Matt Abaticola
Guess what?
- [55:51]
Dan Bernstein
I quit.
- [55:54]
Matt Abaticola
This guy. I quit.
- [55:55]
Dan Bernstein
And he quit. So Fonts continued to start the often injured Rodney Peet. So when Andre Ware gets there, it's the quarterback room is Eric Kramer. Rodney Pete. Andre Ware. So he continues to start Rodney Pete who's often injured. He would then play Eric Kramer over Andre Warehouse. Ware did play 14 games for the Lions, starting six of those games in three seasons. He was then released. He was signed by Minnesota. Released before the season started. He joined the Raiders before being cut. He was never active in a game. In 95 he was picked up by Jacksonville and they also waved him before the season began. So that's Andre Ware, drafted seventh overall by the Lions in 1990. Number four is a name familiar to us Bears fans. His name is Aaron Gibson. Coming out of college, he was projected to be a starting right tackle on the O line and to stay there for the next decade plus. He was selected 27th overall by the Lions in 1999 after battling shoulder injuries. In two seasons for the Lions with 15 starts, he was cut and picked up by Dallas. He eventually landed on the Bears roster after Mark Colombo went down for the season. Gibson had his most productive season in the NFL for the Bears where in 2003 started all 16 games. He was eventually waived though in 2004. So Aaron Gibson, another draft bust.
- [57:10]
Matt Abaticola
Aaron Gibson and was. I know he's had some issues as well with, with some things outside of the game, but famously was. He's the one we were talking about where his, his wife made lasagna and he said he, he was a 400 pound guy and he said his. That's the guy who said his pig out food, his danger food was an entire catering pan of lasagna, a hotel pan that he would eat by himself. And I think he'd eat the pan actually not just colesaga.
- [57:43]
Dan Bernstein
It was an edible pan.
- [57:44]
Matt Abaticola
He'd take bites out of the pan.
- [57:46]
Dan Bernstein
She'd make a pan out of noodles. All right, so number three is another combo deal of Chris Claiborne and Marty Mooringweg. 2002 game at Soldier Field tied at 17 going into overtime. Lions win the coin toss to which Claiborne shouts will defend the north end zone. Bears get the ball on a third and eight play where the Bears were flagged for holding. Morning Wegg takes the penalty. So it's third and 18. Jim Miller gets 15 yards on the pass to Marty Booker. Then on fourth and three, Des White gets a reception for five yards to keep the drive alive. The Bears run the ball three times before Paul Edinger kicks the game winner from 40 yards out. Bears win 20 to 17 in overtime. Lions win the coin toss in overtime and never touch the ball. Now the Bears won an eight game losing streak going into that game. Five weeks earlier, these two teams met and went to overtime where the Lions won the coin toss, took the ball and scored a field goal to win 23 20. So Chris Clayborne and Marty Morningweg.
- [58:53]
Matt Abaticola
Wait, Marty Morningweg fired at the end of the year? Yes. In large part because of that.
- [58:58]
Dan Bernstein
Yes.
- [58:59]
Matt Abaticola
It was all. It wasn't second guessed. It was all immediately in real time. The broadcasters were all, what is he doing? What's going on? What the hell is going on out there? That was my number five, Marty Morningweg.
- [59:13]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. And I just love the fact that just five weeks earlier they went to overtime in Detroit. They won the toss, took the ball, and then five weeks later they win the toss and give the ball. And Morning Wag stated after the game it was because of the wind.
- [59:25]
Matt Abaticola
Yes. Yes.
- [59:27]
Dan Bernstein
We wanted to go with the wind. Yep.
- [59:29]
Matt Abaticola
Well, you can. You just lose. That's all right. We had the wind.
- [59:34]
Dan Bernstein
All right. Number two, don't want the wind. Number two on the bottom 10, Lions, Oregon quarterback, third overall pick in 2002. Joey Harrington. My guy started 55 games for the Lions over four seasons. He was 18 of 30, 18 and 37, completing 54% of his passes with 60 touchdowns, 62 interceptions and a rating of 68.1. Now, of course, the big deal was he came out of his senior year in Oregon. He was Named the PAC 10 Offensive Player of the Year, taken third overall. Considered to be a significant bust at the quarterback position for your Detroit Lions. That's number two. And number one doesn't go to a player for the Lions, but it goes to the general manager of the Lions from 2001 to 2008. Number one Lion, Matt Millen. His teams went 31 and 97, which included the Owen 16 season of 2008. So Matt Millen tops the list of the bottom 10 Lions of all time.
- [60:28]
Matt Abaticola
Matt Millen was my number eight. Okay, so here is my list.
- [60:33]
Dan Bernstein
Two crossovers, two, only two a coach and a GM.
- [60:37]
Matt Abaticola
My list of the bottom 10 or dubious Lions, not limited to Detroit Lions, but mostly Detroit lions. Okay, number 10 on my list is Leona Helmsley. Leona, of course, the name meaning lioness, not her real name. Leona Roberts Helmsley was born Lena Mindy Rosenthal. So the fact that she changed her name to Leona to appear more stronger and more authoritative is part of it, but just a walking human piece of garbage. And as you know, she was in federal prison for income tax evasion. And during the trial, a former housekeeper testified that she had heard Leona Helmsley say, we don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes. Which is fine, but go ahead and go to prison. And when she died in 2007 at the age of 87, there weren't a lot of people who were all that unhappy about it. So number 10, Leona Helmsley, number nine, and I do this with some love here, number nine is Eric Hipple. And if you're a Bears fan of a certain age, you kind of go, aw, Eric Hipple. And he wasn't an awful quarterback. I mean, his career numbers were bad. He played for The Lions for 10 years. In 1986, he even led the NFL in completion percentage. He finished with 55 touchdowns and 70 picks over 10,000 yards passing, but a career rating of 68.7. And the. I should also mention too, that after football, he's done some good things with his life. He has dealt. And in his family, he has dealt with depression and other mental illness. He's written a book about it, he speaks about it. Now he's an outreach coordinator of the Depression center of the University of Michigan. He's been involved in documentary film. So he's, he's done a lot since his career, but I put him on this list because he was the representative. If you had to pick a pinata for the 85 Bears and for their pass rush and even the 86 Bears, it was this man, Eric Hippel, was so badly beaten up by the Chicago Bears defense on a regular basis that when you look at the arc of his career, I don't think it's too much to say that the Bears shortened his career or maybe contributed to any of the, any of the components of what happened to him later in life that could be possibly physical because they, they just beat the poor piss out of this guy to the point where you, like, at some point after Wilbur Marshall hit him again, you thought he was gonna burst open and a bunch of fun sized Twizzlers was Just gonna shoot out. And everybody would be scrambling around trying to pick up all the candy. So there were some amazing hits. His teammate Joe Ferguson also had a famous one where he was knocked out cold before he even hit the ground. Literally.
- [64:09]
Dan Bernstein
You can look it up.
- [64:11]
Matt Abaticola
But the memories of Eric Hippel, what he endured. For our entertainment, I decided to place him at number nine. Number eight was indeed Matt Millen, for all the reasons that you brought up. And he is linked inextricably to number seven on my list, and that is Dan Orlovsky, who's a really good broadcaster. I like his work, I like his energy. I think he's really good at his job. And he was a really. He was a decent backup quarterback for a while, but the reason he's on the list is obvious because he had the one play that was considered emblematic, the signature, the nadir of the Millen era, And that was October 12th of 2008. It was a 12 to 10 loss against the Vikings in which Dan Orlovsky completed 12 of his 21 passes for 150 yards. And he lines up early in the first quarter. They line up in shotgun, and he inadvertently is, the way it's described in Wikipedia, ran out of the back of his own end zone for a safety. And you got to see the play.
- [65:21]
Dan Bernstein
I remember it.
- [65:22]
Matt Abaticola
Yeah, you know it, but. And it turned out to be the margin of victory because they lost 12 to 10. And he said, when they started blowing the whistle, I was like, did we false start? Were they off sides? And I looked and I was just like, well, you're an idiot. And it was actually the closest the Lions would come to a win in their historic 016 season. So the closest that team came to a win was a 12 to 10 loss where the margin of victory was their own quarterback not knowing that he walked out of the back of his own end zone. Yeah, that's why Dan Orlovsky is number seven. Number six is Dave Thompson. I thought, who's that? Why is Dave Thompson a dubious Lion? And the answer is this. I take you back to the 1974 draft. The Lions get a call from the Saints, and the Saints say, listen, we're going to give you our first round pick for Dave Thompson. And Dave Thompson was a backup interior lineman for the Lions. So the Lions are looking at each other like, yeah, you're going to trade the 8th overall pick for a backup center. So they said, sure. So they, they traded him. And the Lions were getting ready to make their first round pick with their 13th pick because they had used the eighth pick. And what they didn't realize that they had agreed to send their pick and Thompson in exchange for the eighth pick. So they didn't have the pick they thought they had because they misheard something or misunderstood something. So the Saints had their pick. They didn't know they traded their own first round pick.
- [67:16]
Dan Bernstein
Do you know who the Saints took with that pick?
- [67:19]
Matt Abaticola
The Saints took Ohio State linebacker Frank Middleton. Okay. Both players out of football by their fifth year. All right. So I did not know that happened. Where they're like, wait, you're first round pick for our backup center. Sure. And they didn't realize that when the paperwork was submitted, they apparently had agreed to send their first round pick as well.
- [67:39]
Dan Bernstein
You said that was 94?
- [67:40]
Matt Abaticola
74.
- [67:41]
Dan Bernstein
74. 74.
- [67:42]
Matt Abaticola
That's 74. That's. That's Dave Thompson, number six. Number five was Marty Morningweg, number four, worst lion of all time, Drooper from Banana Splits. And you say, well, wait, wait, I remember Banana Splits. And I'm sure you do, right?
- [68:09]
Dan Bernstein
I don't remember Banana Splits.
- [68:10]
Matt Abaticola
You don't remember Banana Splits? Banana Splits was a Hanna Barbera, late 60s sort of weird psychedelic production that showed some different cartoons and things and had a framing device that was four mascot guy, four guys in costumes or people in costumes playing characters.
- [68:34]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, this is creepy looking shit right here.
- [68:37]
Matt Abaticola
Banana Splits. Yeah, because it was, it was after. It was the whole Sid and Marty Croft era when you were talking about the, you know, puffin stuff and all that.
- [68:46]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, this is before I was born, pal.
- [68:47]
Matt Abaticola
So this is. Yeah, but it, but it, but it played in the 70s. It played in the 70s. And actually season one was directed by Richard Donner. I learned a lot about this. But nobody cared about the actual Banana Splits in their costumes. And it was like Fleegle and Bingo. Nobody cared. And they drove these. They drove around amusement parks in like ATVs and golf carts and stuff and nothing really happened. And nobody gave a damn because all you wanted to do was for them to get to the shows and the cartoons that were made as part of Banana Splits, which was the serial live action Danger island that actually had Jan Michael Vincent in him. Then there were Animated Series, there was Arabian Nights, There was Three Musketeers. And then later on there was Gulliver's Adventures that became part of it. I don't know if you remember Gulliver's adventures.
- [69:37]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, I do.
- [69:39]
Matt Abaticola
So there was also the New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. There was some Adam Ant and Secret Squirrel in there. That because they used it as a vehicle for other Hanna Barbera stuff. So all we really cared about were the cartoons and the shows, the linking devices, and particularly Drooper the Lion just kind of sucked. But I did find a really interesting bit of trivia in here because of the voices, the actual voice actor involved. There were several known names in there that maybe we've talked about before. Paul Winchell and Dawes Butler and Don Messick, who was the voice of Scooby Doo. And the voice of Drooper was Alan Melvin. And you say, who's Alan Melvin? If you saw him, you'd say, where do I know Alan John Melvin? Well, you know him because he played Sam the Butcher on the Brady Bunch.
- [70:38]
Dan Bernstein
He sure did.
- [70:41]
Matt Abaticola
One of the Great Beastie. One of the Great Beastie Boys lyrics of all time. I'm like, sam the Butcher bringing Alice the meat. And he's also. He's also. Alan Melvin is also Al the Plumber from the Liquid Plumber commercials. No draining, no spooning in. Just pour it in and it works right through water right to the clog. That's great. So I share that with you. Drooper the Lion.
- [71:13]
Dan Bernstein
Were you familiar with the Banana Splits movie that came out in 2019?
- [71:17]
Matt Abaticola
No.
- [71:18]
Dan Bernstein
So some. It's a. It's a comedy horror film. And some director, you know, based on the Hanna Barbera, you know, cartoon thing from the late 60s, turned it into the. The Four Animatronic Killer thing. So kind of like the Five Nights at Freddy type thing. Yeah.
- [71:37]
Matt Abaticola
All right.
- [71:39]
Dan Bernstein
Not that long ago. I never heard of it.
- [71:41]
Matt Abaticola
That might redeem Drooper, because I just thought it was a lame lion and nobody cared what these guys in the costumes did. Just get on with it and get to the next level.
- [71:51]
Dan Bernstein
Well, they look like murderers, that's for sure.
- [71:52]
Matt Abaticola
Number four is Drooper. Number three is the Penn State Nittany Lion.
- [72:00]
Dan Bernstein
Good one.
- [72:01]
Matt Abaticola
And that is just because of what it has come to represent in the aftermath of the. Even this far removed from what Joe Paterno allowed to happen, what Joe Paterno and the Penn State football program facilitated. All of the unspeakable horrors that were perpetrated on that campus, protected by, aided by, facilitated by Penn State football and how to this day, some of whatever evil is that runs in deep channels underneath Happy Valley still exists. And we continue to see that it's still there. If you are a fan of Stephen King, as I am, you know about these ideas. Whether it is the Micmac burial ground in Pet Cemetery, whether it is in the sewers of Derry in Maine or any of these other places. Happy Valley is as close to a place like that as exists in real life. There is something deep and dark and. Historically anciently evil that runs under that place. And the Nittany lion remains representative of that. So therefore, as far as worst lions, the Nittany lion from Penn State is number three. Number two, Joe Cullen. Come on down. Joe Cullen. You know that name?
- [73:49]
Dan Bernstein
I don't.
- [73:50]
Matt Abaticola
Well, you should. When Joe Cullen was the Detroit Lions D line coach in 2006, you'll remember, he got hungry so he went to Wendy's. He drove to Wendy's.
- [74:07]
Dan Bernstein
Oh, wasn't he like, okay, I remember this guy.
- [74:09]
Matt Abaticola
Joe Cullen, the defensive line coach of the Lions, went to the Wendy's drive thru. The problem was he was completely naked.
- [74:19]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah.
- [74:23]
Matt Abaticola
So that, that's just, that's forever. And I think who's the quarterback? It might have been Scott Mitchell. Who didn't he go to a Halloween, a team Halloween party dressed as Joe Cullen? Like he was holding a Wendy's bag and he was, he had no pants on or something like that, which makes it an all timer. But yeah, he blamed, he blamed everything on alcohol and he's apparently reformed and he doesn't do that anymore. But as you know, those of us know, you make mistakes, they're remembered forever. So Joe, we haven't forgotten in 2006 that you decided to get naked and go get yourself a baconator. Well, they didn't have baconators then. Whatever. A bacon naked.
- [75:11]
Dan Bernstein
Whatever it was, it was 2007 and Jon Kitna when dressed as Joe Collins.
- [75:17]
Matt Abaticola
It was John Kitna.
- [75:19]
Dan Bernstein
Yes.
- [75:21]
Matt Abaticola
Dressed as his assistant coach.
- [75:24]
Dan Bernstein
Had a nude like shirt and shorts on with a Wendy's bag. Yes.
- [75:28]
Matt Abaticola
Okay, thank you. It was Jon Kitner.
- [75:32]
Dan Bernstein
Oh, a wig, a lion's visor, and then the nude looking short and shirts. Yeah, that's funny.
- [75:38]
Matt Abaticola
And number one, the number one dubious lion of all time and one of my favorite names in the history of football, Jim Bob Cooter.
- [75:48]
Dan Bernstein
Oh God.
- [75:50]
Matt Abaticola
Do you remember this one?
- [75:51]
Dan Bernstein
I do, I do. I remember Jim Bob Cooter.
- [75:53]
Matt Abaticola
Jim Bob Cooter, one of Terry's favorites, became offensive coordinator of the Lions in, at the, on Halloween of 2015. And this was a piece at Pro football Talk that Mike Florio wrote at the time. And when he got that job, people thought, well, wait, hold on. Jim Bob Cooter, wasn't there a little problem in the past? And I, I will give everybody, including Joe Cullen, I, I, I'll give some grace for people who say, yeah, that was my worst moment, and I'm. I'm moving beyond it and growing from it, the problem I have is that Jim Bob Cooter tried to bury it. And Jim Bob Cooter called in some favors in Knoxville, Tennessee, because the records of his arrest for an incident can no longer be found. Somehow, the records of this incident disappeared. Jim Bob Cooter. There was a booking photo that remains somewhere from 2009. Jim Bob Cooter was arrested in 2009, charged with aggravated burglary after a woman claimed he, quote, climbed through an apartment window, stripped down to his underwear and got into bed with her, unquote. And there was. There's no question as to whether or not this actually happened, just that the records disappeared. He did not know the woman. He entered an apartment, stripped down to his underpants, and got into bed with a woman that he didn't know, and then went out of his way to try to destroy the records and cover his tracks, to try to make it unhappen. And for that reason, former Detroit Lions coordinator Jim Bob Cooter is my number one dubious lion.
- [77:52]
Dan Bernstein
I mean, he could have been like other guys and has gone in shit in her laundry basket.
- [77:56]
Matt Abaticola
I mean, that's Najay Davenport. That he'd be a packer. That would make him a packer. But no, these are the Lions. And that is. That is my list. Congratulations to Jim Bob Cooter. We're going to get to DBU picks in just a second. So before I do that, I want to let you know that you've got all kinds of opportunities. Right now with my bookie, we're just finishing up the 12 days of Christmas. So enjoy the offers that you're getting back to back across casino and sports, free spins, surprise drops on Social and Telegram. Profit boosts bet. And guess December's absolutely full. NFL Bulls, college hoops, NBA. These are all chances for you to cash in. So go to my booking, use the code. It's DBU for Dan Bernstein. Unfiltered. That's what we're doing right now. You get your first bet covered, up to 500 bucks. That way, you swing and you miss on the first. No worries. You got a bet back, bonus token, and then you can run it back. So bet on anything, anywhere, anytime. DBU is your code. Use it when you register. Make your deposit. Dbu. And you can do this only with my bookie. Now we have DBU picks. DBU picks are brought to you. Buy my bookie. Bet on anything, anywhere, anytime, Matt, about a cola, what you got?
- [79:17]
Dan Bernstein
All right. I have three games for this weekend and I'm, you know, one of these is with my heart. But these, all three teams are favorites in this games, in these games. So we're going to start with the Bears and Lions at Soldier Field minus threes. We're taking the Bears minus three. The Rams hosting Arizona at minus seven and a half. I think the Rams are going to have a bounce back game from that very disappointing game that Matthew Stafford had against the Falcons. So Rams minus seven and a half. And because I don't want Aaron Rodgers in the playoffs, we're taking The Baltimore Ravens -3 1/2 at Pittsburgh. So on the road it can be a tough one, but I still think the Ravens are a better team. So we're going to go Ravens minus three and a half. So just to recap that. Bears minus three, Rams minus seven and a half. Ravens minus three and a half.
- [80:08]
Matt Abaticola
Okay, I am, I don't know if this is heart or head or I'm just pulling this out of my ass and it might be really stupid.
- [80:18]
Dan Bernstein
But.
- [80:20]
Matt Abaticola
Nicola Vuchevic, who I don't think is very good, is remaining an outsized presence in what the Bulls do because of injuries to Josh Giddey and Kobe White. And with Trae Young taking over as the Bulls primary point guard, they're changing their strategy a little bit to a little bit more old school point guard based stuff. And it's for that reason that I think tonight against his former team Orlando, I'm going to double up on some Nikola Vucevic props. I'm going to take Vuch over 20 points and over 8 rebounds tonight I'm going to take 21 and 9 and that means probably Stacy King will be very happy because he, he loves contested two point shots. He, he loves the to throw it down to a below the rim big who has a giant man between him and the basketball. And it's only the attempt is only worth two. But I know it's going to make some people very, very, very happy to see that the Bulls are limited in their offensive options, missing arguably their two best creators on offense. And therefore I've got vuch for over 20 points and over eight rebounds. Perhaps against my better judgment. And those are DBU picks. Lock in your picks now with my bookie bet on anything, anywhere, anytime.
- [81:53]
Dan Bernstein
Hey, one last game. I want to mention I've been failing to do this for the last couple weeks, but Illinois State plays Montana State today or. No, not today. It is on Monday. They Play Monday in the FCS championship game.
- [82:10]
Matt Abaticola
Brock Spack.
- [82:12]
Dan Bernstein
So I wanted to mention this game that Illinois State played against North Dakota State, and this was going back a few weeks. I'm not sure if you saw this game, but the, The Redbirds, my. That's where my daughter went to school, got her undergrad at Illinois State. They won this game 29 to 28. And it would have been North Dakota State's, like, first loss and probably the first loss, like, in a long time. Okay, so big win. But the quarterback, Tommy Rittenhouse for Illinois State had five interceptions in the game.
- [82:47]
Matt Abaticola
Okay.
- [82:48]
Dan Bernstein
And I just, I remember seeing the box score and the highlights of it. I'm like, all right, so how much did they lose by? Like, what did they lose by? If he threw five interceptions, the starting quarterback, he also threw three touchdowns, though. So he had a very, very impactful game in his throwing. Eight of the eight of the balls went for either an interception or a touchdown. Of his 52 attempts, they won 29 to 28. But, you know, I hadn't. I hadn't looked do any research on it because I kept forgetting to look at it. But I wanted to see if a team ever had a quarterback throw five interceptions and win a game against an undefeated team, too.
- [83:25]
Matt Abaticola
But the last time, I remember five picks, wasn't it Cutler on the Thursday night in San Francisco? Didn't he have five, including, like three in the end zone?
- [83:36]
Dan Bernstein
I think he did. I think you're right. That wasn't a, like a lot of sack game though, was it too.
- [83:40]
Matt Abaticola
No, no, that was the. That was the Giants game.
- [83:43]
Dan Bernstein
The Giants that got right.
- [83:45]
Matt Abaticola
I think it was Cutler. I think it was in San Francisco through five picks and they lost.
- [83:51]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. No, so this is a win, a 29 to 28 win with the quarterback throwing five picks. So congratulations and good luck to the Illinois State Redbirds on Monday. But yeah, I had, man. I. Yeah, when I first saw that, I was like, all right, what was the final score? They must have got rolled. I mean, five picks and they end up winning by a point. So congratulations to that. And here's the Cutlery game making here.
- [84:11]
Matt Abaticola
To mention Cutler through five picks, 10 to 6, lost to the Niners November 12, 2009. All the picks came in Niners territory, including the final play. Oh, man, they only lost 10 to six and he threw five picks in that game. Yeah. And I also have one last thing, too. Tonight or last night marked milestones for me. It was the last piece of garage cake.
- [84:37]
Dan Bernstein
Oh, it's all gone.
- [84:38]
Matt Abaticola
Now, I. So I just want the record to show that we had 10 people that consumed half of Jason's birthday cake on Christmas. Ten people consumed half, and then you.
- [84:52]
Dan Bernstein
Ate the other half in eight days.
- [84:56]
Matt Abaticola
Six. Right. Seven.
- [84:59]
Dan Bernstein
Seven days. Okay.
- [85:00]
Matt Abaticola
I ate the other half. It was in the garage, and it stayed. Because of the weather. It stayed in the garage and it was perfectly cool. And then it. It almost. It didn't freeze completely. It was like a semifreddo consistency where I'd be able to slice through it. And I say it broke the cake server plastic thing. So I had to go out there with a knife and I would. I would sneak out to the garage. It's not an attached garage. So I have to walk out of the house and open the garage door and go in and get my cake and come back. And I've been doing that for a week.
- [85:31]
Dan Bernstein
Okay, so I was gonna ask you. You were slicing. You were taking a slice on a plate, then going back inside or. I don't know if you just brought a fork out there and we're just eating.
- [85:39]
Matt Abaticola
No, I brought. I brought a chef's knife. I must have looked like a crazed killer walking out of my house at night in my slippers, sometimes my underpants, with a chef's knife, into the garage, cutting the slice of cake onto a paper plate, walking back, then having to lock the door, tuck the knife under my arm, lock the door, take the cake, open the screen door, open the back door, close everything up, walk back upstairs under the coffee table and eat the cake. I have done this for a week.
- [86:11]
Dan Bernstein
Well, congratulations that you finished it.
- [86:13]
Matt Abaticola
And Bittersweet Bakery. Like I said, the cake was, like, $140. I was not going to throw out that cake. It was on principle. So last night was the last piece.
- [86:27]
Dan Bernstein
Very nice.
- [86:27]
Matt Abaticola
Thank you. I'm actually very. I'm very proud of myself. I got the most out of that cake.
- [86:32]
Dan Bernstein
You know, on New Year's Eve, I took the boys out to dinner. They wanted to go to a place here in town called Batayo Italian Restaurant, right in Libertyville. And Tom Quaranta, the. The owner, great guy. And then Kyle, who's been working there forever. So we go in, we get our table, and they come by and say hello. Talk to Tom. He's an apple, absolute sweetheart of a guy, listening to both podcasts every day.
- [86:53]
Matt Abaticola
Oh, cool.
- [86:54]
Dan Bernstein
Oh, yeah. Just absolutely love it. Huge, huge fans from the Score. And then love, love the podcast and just listen every day. They don't miss an episode of DBU or Ford Progress. So thanks for listening, guys. It's really appreciative. Even though Kyle's a 49ers fan, we still. We still like him.
- [87:10]
Matt Abaticola
Hook us up with some gnocchi.
- [87:12]
Dan Bernstein
Oh, dude. They make all the pastas in house.
- [87:14]
Matt Abaticola
It's just.
- [87:14]
Dan Bernstein
It's so good. And the last few times I've gone, I get. They do their homemade ravioli. I get meat ravioli, and they do it in a tomato cream sauce. And then they do it al forno, though, so they. It's like. It's like a. It's almost like a ravioli. A ravioli lasagna. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [87:32]
Matt Abaticola
Like a tziti. Oh, bethcod.
- [87:34]
Dan Bernstein
It comes out.
- [87:34]
Matt Abaticola
If they do a cheese ravioli.
- [87:37]
Dan Bernstein
Normally on the menu, it's a cheese ravioli al forno, but I prefer the meat.
- [87:41]
Matt Abaticola
Meat.
- [87:41]
Dan Bernstein
And so they do it, and it comes out in, like, a little individual, like. Like, cast iron, like, dish. It's super hot. It's on a plate. Oh, dude. It, like. It. It. It satisfies the ravioli desire and the lasagna desire at the same time. It's so good.
- [87:57]
Matt Abaticola
Do they do. I bet. If that's good. I bet their eggplant parm is fantastic too.
- [88:01]
Dan Bernstein
You know, I've never. I've never had. I'm sure it is. I just. Everything I've eaten there is great. I love getting the carpaccio and then hanging. Hank loves the. The calamari. He goes crazy for the calamari and loves every. Every bit of it, by the way. Jack won't touch it. Yeah.
- [88:16]
Matt Abaticola
Happy birthday.
- [88:17]
Dan Bernstein
Oh.
- [88:18]
Matt Abaticola
To Hank. Yeah.
- [88:19]
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, yeah. He turned 13 on yesterday.
- [88:22]
Matt Abaticola
Yep.
- [88:23]
Dan Bernstein
Unbelievable.
- [88:24]
Matt Abaticola
Yep. Happy birthday.
- [88:25]
Dan Bernstein
You got a teenage boy now. Now we have two teenagers in the house. Yeah. So my. My oldest stepson turned 13 August 31st, and then so Hank's January 1st, so 13, 13, 11 and a half, and then almost 10, because Lucas is 10 on January 11th.
- [88:44]
Matt Abaticola
Big bank coming up. Nick is 13. All right, that will do it. For today's Dan Bernstein Unfiltered, brought to you by our guy, Russ Armstrong and the Chicago window guys. Make sure that you give Russ a call when you need windows at 847-302-9171. And in partnership with my bookie, Dan Bernstein, Unfiltered. Unfiltered on three.
- [89:09]
Dan Bernstein
One, two, Sports.