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Mark McCray
You know what's missing. Real Talk about what Black men go through mentally and emotionally. Man Listen Mental Health Conversations for Men of Color we're diving into the real stuff. The pressure, the struggles, the healing. No filters, just brothers sharing their truth about navigating life and finding purpose. Whether you're living it, supporting someone who is, or just want to understand, this is for you. I'm Mark McCray and I'm ready to have these conversations. Find us by searching. Man Listen Mental Wherever you get your podcast,
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Dan Bernstein
Dan Bernstein Unfiltered Unfiltered on 312Sports it's DBU on 31 2. Brought to you today by Chicago Window guys Russ Armstrong, 847-302-9171 also brought to you by Mars Men. You can check them out@ Mengotomars.com and in partnership with my bookie DBU picks coming up the end I got a red hot one for you today. I want to start with this before we get into your fabulous as always Friday feedback and our top 10 list. Did you get a chance to take a look at that what is generously referred to as a proposal that was submitted by baseball owners. Two players in these we're six months out so this is silly season in negotiations. I don't believe that this is that they had to be laughing when they put this together because you talk about a proposal from the owners. Aspects of this that are so insulting, so preposterous, so transparently player hating, so transparently baseball hating that it is I Wouldn't even let that piece of paper finish being pushed toward me before I took it and slid it perpendicular and off the table.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Is this the thing where they're trying to destroy baseball as we know it?
Dan Bernstein
This. This is the owner saying, hey, in the spirit of. Of negotiation and good faith, we're going to give you this proposal. And you know what this proposal does? It radically alters player development in a way that allows us to save a ton of money and allows us to make a lot of money without competing because we have zero value, zero esteem for the very idea of players even mattering. It is such an insult that it. And for them to do that either they're really dumb, which I don't think they are. I just think they're so in their bubble of looking at players and player development as a cost that they don't understand what they're actually presenting here. So let me explain real quick. They have proposed. These are the owners. This is Rob Manfred. This was. I can't even believe this. Okay, first of all, no more drafting high school players. No more. You can't do that. You cannot. High school players are draft ineligible. Players have to be 20 years old by September 1st of their draft year and at least two years removed from high school graduation. So even if they're qualified, even if all these teams say, I want that player because he's really good, nope, you can't draft him. There would be an international draft where you need to be 18 by September 1st of the draft year. The draft currently 20 rounds. It used to be whatever, a 60, whatever would be reduced to 12 rounds. And the bonus pool that currently stands at like 350. Some million would be down to 200 million. Now think about this. First of all, what they're saying is we're going to chop the minor leagues in half or more. They want to lop off a significant amount of affiliated baseball because they're tired of paying development costs. They don't think there's any reason for it. Whether it's independent leagues, whether it's college baseball. They even use the term strengthening college baseball, as if anyone cares. And college sports in such good shape right now, you know, that there's. There's no uncertainties in college sports. With everything happening and with the conferences and nil and all that, that. Sure, let them do the development we want. They'll develop players for free. Okay? College, that's. That's not their job. That's not college job. It's your job to develop players. So what you're going to do is make it much less expensive to sign players at that point because now players have leverage and they say, well, I could sign with you or I could go to college talking about these high school guys. And now, nope, can't do that. If we're going to absolutely decide unilaterally, you can't come here until we decide you can, and then we'll sign you for what we want because there's no other place you can go play. Nobody's going to run over and go play in Japan. We're not going to have some competing league right here. The major leagues are the major leagues and you'll get here. When we say, even if we're depriving fans of players when they're absolutely at their best and arriving on the scene, even if we think you're able to play, as we know, at younger and younger ages, that's being realized in baseball. The other aspect of this, if you're going to be older when you enter mlb. Hmm. What does that do to all your service time models? What does that do to your value when you finally become a free agent and now you're pushing 30, now you're 28. Whatever you are now, you're not going to. Now there goes all the free agent money.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
How many rounds of the draft did they say that they 12 propose. Okay, 12. Listen, I, I know it radically changes and kind of destroys baseball as we currently know it. But, but, but, however, however, Dan, I mean, when it comes to minor leagues, I mean, what percentage of players from the minor leagues make it to the show?
Dan Bernstein
None. Almost none.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
And it's less than 10. If you're a first or second round pick, your chance of making it are 60%.
American Express Announcer
Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
The truth of the minor leagues, if you're three to.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
If you're three to 12, then your chance of making it are like 40%. Yeah. The truth, if you're lower than that, the chances of making it are less than 15%.
Dan Bernstein
Correct. The truth of the minor leagues is all of the minor leagues exist to develop a handful of prospects.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Yeah. And a handful is generous.
Dan Bernstein
All of the minor leagues exist.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Yes.
Dan Bernstein
And so MLB is tired of paying those costs. They're tired of paying those costs.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
So if there's a better way to do it, I don't see why that's something that we shouldn't investigate or look at or evaluate. But I mean, this is kind of radical. But I also think something needs to happen because, I mean, you have so many players that have no chance of making it to the show well the, the team. And I understand that though having those costs to developing something that's going to
Dan Bernstein
give you zero return. The teams that are spending money on development are also doing so. This is more internationally. If you're talking about like the Dominican academies and what you're setting up in other countries, the fertile ground, what gets expensive for the teams. And see, I. To me, it all comes down to wanting to have a competitive advantage in your development and in your minor league system. You can teach the game differently in your minor league system you can. And you're also developing assets to trade. That's what's key. Aren't the ones that make the majors on your team. It's when you have all those unknowns and you can have the enticement of a team. You know, we were going to draft that guy, but they drafted him. Here's what he's hitting at high A. We're going to trade for that. It all comes down to the desire to compete. And none of the owners want to compete, want. Winning doesn't matter. And now it's. They're showing this to you. They're codifying. What this proposal is, is players don't matter. Winning doesn't matter. It's all a show. And that's what sucks is the lack of understanding. They don't even want to care about developing players because it doesn't matter to them. They don't care how good their players are. And that's when you have. You would miss out on so many great stars. And when I was just thinking about the names, the first one, I thought it was Ken Griffey Jr. And then I looked. Craig Calcatera offered Ken Griffey Jr. Bryce Harper, Juan Soto. Griffey hit 87 home runs, made three All Star games, won three Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger, memorably shared an outfield with his father and became a cultural icon before he was the age that under MLB's new proposal, he'd have realistically made the majors. Bryce Harper had an MVP award, multiple All Star appearances by that age. Juan Soto had a World Series ring and four Silver Slugger awards. He said most of the inner circle hall of Fame guys, Mantle, Aaron Maze, Williams, already in the bigs, playing like superstars well before this proposal's arbitrary draft cutoff.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
So yeah, that's a, that's a great, that's a great point.
Dan Bernstein
No, you could put together a highlight reel of everything you would have missed. Everything that you.
American Express Announcer
The.
Dan Bernstein
The lack of understanding to give them the benefit of the doubt or the understanding and the gross cynicism of presenting the players with a proposal that says you don't matter. Your development isn't our business. We don't care when you reach the majors because ultimately it says winning isn't important. Winning doesn't drive us. It's all a cost. Winning, trying to be good at baseball, trying to be better than our, than our counterparts at baseball, is too expensive for us. We don't want to pay to try to be good. And that just means you don't like baseball. That's all it means. It just means you don't. You don't like what the whole point of this is the competing at the highest level is not, is not their goal, and they put it on paper. The answer is no. I'll give you the answer. The answer when that that is slid in front of me, oh, what do I have here?
Sponsor or Additional Announcer
Is this.
Dan Bernstein
That's the answer to that.
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Dan Bernstein
You know, everyone has a World cup opinion and my bookie gives you a place to put it. You got a country you're rooting for. Boy, I was, I loved watching that Mexico Korea game last night. And I want to mention that I was actually walked over to my awesome local McDonald's to get my dinner. I was in the McDonald's when Mexico scored and it was like, I don't know, I got scared. I didn't know what happened. I thought somebody was, was invading or something happened, but the, and I oh, what happened? And then one of the managers came out and said Mexico just scored. So it was, it was like an earthquake. But it was exciting. Went home, watched the rest of the game. The tournament's fun. As a new player on my bookie, use the code DBU for Dan Bernstein. Unfiltered. When you sign up, you can claim an exclusive My Bookie offer. The World cup turns every match into a conversation. My bookie lets you turn your opinion into action. So pick your team before the kickoff. Follow the match live. Stay locked in from opening whistle to final kick. We got the US and the Aussies going at it.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
That's correct.
Dan Bernstein
The World cup only comes around once every four years. Don't just watch it from the sidelines. Get in on the action at my Bookie must be 21 plus. Please gamble responsibly.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
You know, I had a very similar experience to your McDonald's experience there was that we were in. See, December of 24. We were at 11 Madison park in the middle of one of the best meals I've ever had in my life. And the entire staff just, I mean, went crazy. I mean, the place went up for grabs. And I asked the manager what had happened, and they said that they just learned that they retained their three Michelin star rating. So very similar to what you experienced. Oh, that was.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, I think you told me that before, but that's. That's really neat. That's. That's like an episode of the Bear, you know?
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Yeah, it was super cool. Yeah, it was very, very cool. And I mean, not to make light of it in your McDonald's story, but yeah. So places went crazy, and we were like, what is going on? And I thought maybe there was, like, a dinner party happening. And then I realized it was the staff, because then everyone was off the floor and they were out of sight and loud. I bet the manager came by actually to apologize. He's like, I'm really sorry for the noise. And we're like, oh, what happened? We were curious. And he's like, yeah, we just received word that we'd retainer our three Michelin star rating.
Dan Bernstein
So very, very cool. Yeah, that is very, very cool.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
The.
Dan Bernstein
The feedback that has come in on Friday. Feedback Friday has just been outstanding, and I look forward to it all throughout the week. I appreciate you taking the considerable time that it takes to put these thoughts together. I really do. I know I say this every week, but we have you. There's so many smart contributors to this. And what. What I love about Friday Feedback Friday is I can bring. And I save these. They come in throughout the week, and then I save them in a folder and I learn so much. I get so much from the interaction that I have with you. Via dan@312sports.com matt@312sports.com is it cody@312sports.com I don't know if Jason has an email set up yet. I'm not sure that'll be fun. We got him started. But it's, it's, it's always, it's, it's good in both directions and I do appreciate it, which is why I always try to try to get back to you on some of these things. So we went through all of it. Here's what we got for this week. We're going to start with Jessica and Jessica said, I enjoyed your segment about the various groups of World cup visitors experiencing American culture. As an expat, it gave me a little American nostalgia for the things only found in the US did you see the Scottish fan with a bagpipe on the Boston Cop slide? It's brilliant. However, while hearing you talk about fans guzzling ranch dressing and admiring BUC EE's, it made me chuckle because it's an important reminder of why my husb and I left the US in the first place. American culture is just that. It's a series of excesses. America has heart attack inducing food specialties, enormous gas guzzling trucks, vast open spaces, huge houses and over pruned lots, garages packed with toys and so many other things. America is one giant celebration of capitalism. What it lacks is just about everything else needed for a healthy and functioning society. Fans visiting America can dip their toes in some of that access for fun, but then they get to go back home to some type of government subsidized health care. They don't have to worry about someone shooting up their child's school or movie theater. The homes in other countries might be smaller, but this allows more people to live in a space with better access to amenities. There isn't a need for giant vehicles when it's easier to hop on public transportation or in my case in the Netherlands, a bike to get where you need to go. I think this is the sad truth about the United States. Sure, it can be a fun place to visit for a bit. It's a terrible place to live. And it isn't only true. When evil con men are in power. Democrats share a hefty portion of the blame for what the country is now and if we're honest, what it's always been beneath the star spangled veneer. And to be clear, Europe isn't perfect. We here have a lot of far right parties fighting for space in government throughout the EU and in the uk. There's plenty of racist, ignorant jerks here too, as evidenced by the rash of anti immigration protests popping up. So sorry to throw a wet blanket on a fun segment. It just makes me so angry. It doesn't have to be this way. The US can keep its giant boundaries, barbecue and vats of ranch dressing while also having sensible gun laws and universal health care. I know it isn't likely to happen. We can dream. I love listening to the shows every day. It keeps me connected to Chicago sports. Thank you Jessica. I appreciate that. And as a differing view, and I love saying this because he's a. He's a thoughtful guy. Ball Sack in Raleigh Here are the thoughts of Ball Sack I appreciate you guys opening Thursday talking about the World cup invading everyone's timelines. Because this phenomenon has been impossible to ignore, I make a fairly concerted effort to avoid doom scrolling. My algorithm is usually a carefully curated blend of bears, angst, dog videos, and enough political content to remind me that everyone's lost their minds. And yet, for the past week, my timeline has been occupied with joy. I have watched Koreans partying with Mexicans in Guadalajara like they've been cousins for generations. Germans are discovering pickup trucks and country music with the enthusiasm of toddlers encountering dinosaurs. The Tartan army of Scots appears to be conducting a scientific study to determine exactly how much beer Boston contains. Japanese tourists are eating Texas barbecue with a reverence usually reserved for religious experiences. It's been delightful. As you mentioned, even the TSA got involved, gently informing visitors that ranch dressing is in fact a liquid and therefore cannot be smuggled home in a carry on, which is honestly the most American sentence imaginable. We've spent decades exporting democracy movies and blue jeans only to discover our greatest cultural achievement was convincing the world that Mayonnaise with aspirations belongs on everything. And that's what I've enjoyed the most. For a brief moment, social media stopped screaming at me. Instead, it's become a giant international potluck where everybody's borrowing each other's traditions, embarrassing themselves in public, and having an absolutely wonderful time doing it. The U.S. men's National Team is the opposite of the U.S. world Baseball Classic team. They're fun, they're flashy, they're having a great time, and the only one time I watched, they won 4 to 1. And then I put on your show Thursday and I realized my podcast timeline has been invaded by the exact same spirit. And it was nice. Thank you, Ball Sack See, we can get. We can get both sides of that.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
What? Ball sack.
Sponsor or Additional Announcer
I know.
Dan Bernstein
It's this really thoughtful, nice email. Yeah.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Who's that from?
Sponsor or Additional Announcer
Oh, boss.
Dan Bernstein
You know what it reminds me of? It's like in Spinal Tap when Nigel Tufnel is playing. He said it's not a.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
It's.
Dan Bernstein
It's a Mozart piece and a Bach piece combined. It's more like a mock piece. Right. It's played in D minor, the saddest of all keys. You play it and people weep instantly. And he plays it. He goes, that's lovely. What do you call it? He goes, it's called Lick My Love Pump. Here is Derek, who says there's another layer of impact in that NBC 5 report from Paris shuts last week. If the lost marsh site in Hammond is smaller than originally envisioned and the Bears don't have enough room to build a substantial entertainment district around the stadium, we're no longer talking about aesthetics or amenities. We're talking about whether the financing model works at all. Because this is a financial exercise. There's a $1 billion bond issuance from Indiana and a $2 billion loan application for George McCaskey based on what they said at the April owners meeting. So start with the bonds. Indiana is not handing the Bears a billion dollar check. What the legislation authorizes is the issuance of up to $1 billion in bonds. Those bonds must be repaid in. Investors have to believe the underlying tax revenues or other source are sufficient to cover principal and interest. And that's where the problem emerges. The state's projected revenue streams are public. The taxes that would support the bonds are public. Even with generous assumptions, the numbers appear difficult to reconcile with a full billion dollar issuance. That's why the size of the site matters. The most plausible argument for higher tax collections was this large scale entertainment district. Restaurants, hotels, retail year round activity. A football stadium hosts a limited number of events. An entertainment district generates taxable activity.365. If that larger development footprint isn't available, the revenue projections become substantially more difficult to justify. And then the infrastructure question is important. Toll revenues expected to help support infrastructure investments. Fewer visitors, less surrounding development means fewer toll dollars. And then the $2 billion loan. If you've gone through a mortgage process, you understand how much documentation is required to finance a house. Multiply that by several orders of magnitude to apply it to an NFL stadium. Lenders don't write checks based on optimism. They want finalized plans. They want to know what secures repayment, which is why the notion that shovels are Somehow about to hit the ground becomes difficult to take seriously. The environmental testing hasn't even been permitted. The process isn't close to finish. And there's another wrinkle in Indiana. The Bears wouldn't own the stadium. The stadium authority would. So if the bears are borrowing 2 billion, what is serving as collateral? The lease? Future revenue. Would the NFL have to approve revenue streams being pledged? It's understandably more complicated than Arlington Heights and undeniably more complicated. Where the Bears own the land, they could pledge a tangible asset. If a borrower defaults, lenders prefer having something they can take possession of. Arlington Heights is cleaner from a financing standpoint. But there's one final question. Why does so much of the reporting regard Lost Marsh Golf Course proceed from the assumption that the Bears can simply acquire the property? Has anyone publicly confirmed the controlling parties are willing to sell? Has anyone established a purchase price? Has anyone demonstrated that a transaction is available? Before you can finance land, develop land, or build on land, you generally need to own it. That's from Derek.
Sponsor or Additional Announcer
No. Is that.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Is that true in every case? Do you have to own the land to develop it? I mean, is that. Is there a loophole somewhere that maybe we're not aware of?
Dan Bernstein
Can you just walk over and say, I declare this to be my land?
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
You start shovels in the ground.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, no, it's the Eddie Izzard bit.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Like, you're on the. You're on the 13th fairway, just digging it up.
Dan Bernstein
Like, excuse me, sir. We claim this land in the name of the Queen.
Shannon Maldonado
We.
Dan Bernstein
We live here. Do you have a flag?
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
It's like, sir, what are you. What are you doing? You're digging up the 13th green, right? Oh, I'm going to start building the Bears new stadium. Y. You can't do that. I'm sorry, but Kevin Warren said that, right? This is our land. You're not allowed to do that.
Dan Bernstein
This is a note from Ed. As you can see, guys, I am an Ed. I come from a family with multiple ED's.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Oh, boy.
Dan Bernstein
My grandpa was named Ed. That's why we have multiple EDs in my generation. My family's also large. My mom is the youngest of 11. Because my grandparents. My grandparents were Randy. It feels like you get a little leeway on having multiple kids in the grandkid. Great grandkid level of the family when you're naming him after the patriarch. I just want to implore people, don't name your kids Ed. It's an incredibly boring name. It's a name that should have died out in the 40s, you get called Mr. Ed a lot. And then people make horse jokes you've heard a billion times. And then you enter your name into a device and it tells you your name has to be three letters or more. So you have to figure out what the third letter is or go by Edward. And speaking of going by Edward, I have to go by Edward a lot now because when I make a reservation or give my name somewhere, there's a 50% chance the person I'm talking to thinks I said Adam or Eric. It's two letters, it's one sound. It's not that hard. Signed Ed. And I emailed him back. I just said ed Life, man. And he said, I am not getting that tattooed. I think you should. I think right across your stomach it should say ed life.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
I think you should just use 2ds. You can go edd.
Dan Bernstein
Well, there are some of those, aren't
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
there really a guy named Ed with 2Ds?
Dan Bernstein
I think so. I hope not. I think so.
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Dan Bernstein
There's a note here from Strangles the clown who refers to himself as. Remember we thought it was the Strangles Consortium. He says the Strangles Coalition. I'm pretty sure it was consortium because coalition is. It connotes working together and peace building
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
and I think that's what it was an email, right? That's exactly what it was.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, I think coalition. I said Consortium because I think Strangles is more. You know, I always thought it was more than one person because no single person could. Could listen this much and produce this
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
much whatever he wants it to be. It can be.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, or cabal. Maybe I need something more sinister.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
I think it's because Strangles is evil.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, totally. You know that. You know, he's got designs on world domination. So it's either cabal or consortium or something that's that. That comes off more sinister.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Well, I mean, worst case, he's got bodies in the crawl space.
Dan Bernstein
So no doubt he said. My good sirs, on the Wednesday edition of dbu, you discussed waking up every morning flabbergasted that Kevin Warren is still employed by the Chicago Bears. I too am equally perplexed by this. And now two additional questions are creeping up in my consciousness daily. One, how does Dan Bernstein not weigh 600 pounds? Two, will I ever see Caleb Williams wear a Chicago Bears home jersey in a new stadium? The five year anniversary of the Arlington Heights real estate purchase is yet another grim reminder of the galling ineptitude of the entire stadium saga. Now, I don't care if the Bears play in Arlington Heights or the South Works Quantum Campus or the giant pile of Hammond Human Boo. But each year that passes is another season we'll not get to see Caleb Williams direct the high powered Ben Johnson offense in a climate controlled, perfectly surfaced modern NFL stadium. Short of contracting out the wee Hammers. Nice. I fear this stadium will never be completed in a timely manner. Perhaps Mat Strodamus is correct. Caleb Williams will take all of his snaps as a Chicago Baron Soldier Field and there are worse outcomes in life like bungee list jumping in Brazil, parasailing into a wood chipper or drinking Verner's ginger ale. But it would be nice to watch Caleb Williams play home games in a professionally suitable stadium. Well, he could.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
It just may not be for the Bears.
Dan Bernstein
He's probably thinking that too. At some point. I would think Jake in DeKalb has bears thoughts it would seem there have emerged a vocal contingent of Bears fans who have had just about enough of Kevin Warren and the McCaskey misadventures panhandling around the Great Lakes for a new stadium. Thank you very much. Now, normally I don't concern myself with what most of my fellow Bear fans are thinking or God forbid saying we're as reliably stupid and reactive as any other cross section of this nose diving empire. But the sentiment seems to be that the ongoing coverage has become boring or frustrating or negative or some combination of all three and people just want it to be over with or for the very least to see the focus shifted back to a Bears narrative that's actually fun. Well, counterpoint, this is fun. How can you not be entertained by this? I'll grant there's some residual humiliation to swallow if you're somehow associated with the organization or you're the type of fan who takes a franchise as their identity and more is the pity. But free yourself from the burden of dignity and you may find yourself consuming a fantastic slapstick comedy that also merits some appreciation for its complexity and wit. Look, our collective existential experience has become a daily fire hose of idiocy. The institutions of this country have been hijacked by a confederation of cretins and nitwits with no idea how to wield their power and even less concerned for the consequences. Liberal democracy is being strip mined. Global stability is wavering. There's a genuine danger to be concerned with in many communities all around the world, but not at Halas Hall. Because in this ongoing fiasco, this serialized farce, we follow along at a safe distance as we witness hapless old money kooks flop and flail around while their inoculation to base reality strains heroically, and they're forced to reckon with a con man, a fabled political machine, the apex predator sociopaths, villains and mountebanks which orbit their league, none of which is within the scope of their abilities to successfully wrangle, and all of whom will take their turn pummeling them upside the head with a rubber chicken. It is remixed remastered Vaudeville this is a 21st century perversion of a Marx Brothers act, and it's free even at the less charitable end of the entertainment spectrum. A relevant analogy might be a TikTok compilation of dogs acting like people or toddlers mimicking adults. To wit, the Bears have observed their ostensible peers pick up the phone and end up with a stadium like they were ordering it out of a Sears catalog time and time again. So the Bears have imitated the behavior, repeated the steps as they understand them to the extent they understand them at all. And now they're caked and rouge, staggering around the kitchen in mom's high heels and purse and wondering with some disappointment how come the grownups are laughing. You can wish this to be over and done with if you want, I guess, if you hate fun and joy. But in a society that's been spanked pantsless by millionaires, billionaires and now trillionaires, the stakes of this charade are inconsequential relative to the relentless hail of boys blows that makes up our contemporary American lives. It doesn't matter. So to fellow Bears fans, this burlesque doesn't deserve your ire. It doesn't deserve your scorn. It's a gift. It is a delightful absurdity. Try to enjoy it. Thank you for your attention to this matter. That's perfect. Although were it not Jake from DeKalb, I would have thought that that could have been written by Bill in Capitol Hill.
Sponsor or Additional Announcer
Mm.
Dan Bernstein
I really do.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Or the President.
Dan Bernstein
Yes, that too. This is from our buddy John in Berlin. Always nice to hear from. I'm sure you've gotten quite a bit of feedback, guys, about your handling of the Giants pitchers this week, so you got a lot to go through. I want to share a few thoughts. My assumption would be the feedback has been from both sides, as it seems to be the way things are these days in the world. I'm not trying to find a comfortable middle, but my sentiments could bring a third way of thinking without placating or trying to appease anybody. As a faithful Christian, that has been a part of many different expressions of the church and various theological traditions over the years I've been around have been exposed to pretty much the entire gamut of thought on LGBTQ issues, and I've heard so many of the arguments and apologetics on all the sides, as well as watched leaders try to figure out how to handle it and what to do when it comes to church membership, staffing, public stances. At the end of the day, I always thought there's something amiss in the discourse. It's at the root of the actions of the Giants players. You see, the issue with the pride stuff has much more to do with a perceived culture war than it has to actually do with Christianity. My assumption is the players think they're taking a bold stance, standing up against the worldly agenda, pushing an evil and sinful way of living onto our country. But this presupposes some things that make the whole thing misguided instead of what could be. One, they think God needs them to be defenders of morality in the world and use their platform as brave agents to stop the evil hegemony of the gay liberal agenda. And I think God does use us to be agents in this world, but not as PR agents, agents of good and agents of love. Two, they think they're making a difference in the world and helping people find God. Really, they're making it challenging. Taking broad public stances makes the lives of Christians like me trying to do good in the world, build community and stand for peace and reconciliation in urban centers far more difficult. Because the actions like those of these players, the assumptions and prejudices I face as a Christian increase. Their actions, make my efforts and standing in society diminish in value. Because of their positions, it's assumed that I too am a bigot, and it detracts from the actual good I might achieve. And finally, they think it's important to take a stand and draw a line in the sand on the matter. But making big symbolic proclamations about ways of living was not the way of Jesus. The only people to whom he made broad stroke statements like that were the Pharisees, the religious zealots of the time. Everyone else he got down close and dealt with individually. The literal line in the sand that Jesus drew was the one that caused the Pharisees to drop their stones and walk away from the woman caught in adultery. See, they don't see it though. The pitcher's cause is really the ultimate backfire. The very thing they think they're accomplishing by their self perceived courageous action is actually detracting from the very thing that they hope people will find by that action. Foolishly, they think they'll help people find a God of love by protesting an effort that strives to demonstrate a symbol of, of acceptance. If they are who they say they are, at best, they should get down on the mound dirt and consider the suffering of many who have struggled. At worst, they should drop their Sharpies and go away. Thanks, John.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Yeah, that was a, that was a great email and it's one of my favorite stories there that he talked about the woman caught in adultery. That's in John 8. And yeah, Jesus kneels down and he starts drawing in the, in the dirt. And we don't know what he, what he wrote or what he was doing. And by the time he stood back up, all the Pharisees, the leaders that had brought her to be judged, they had all disappeared, had all left one by one, starting with the older guys or the younger guys. And they all walked away. And you know, Jesus looked at her and said, well, where are your judgers? Where did, where the guys go? And she's like, well, they all, they all left. And he goes, well, then neither do I judge you. And I just think, I mean, those few words that he spoke are some of the most powerful that you'll read in the New Testament. If you want to be a Bible person, you want to read the Bible. Neither do I judge you. And the only person who probably could judge her was right there in front of her and said, neither do I judge you. And if you want to say you're a Christian and live like Jesus, who do you think you are to judge other people?
Dan Bernstein
Brendan Mowbringwood says, as a longtime now former practicing Christian who was quite devout and active for many years in both the Catholic and Episcopal churches, to the point where I considered seminary twice. And as a bisexual man who has had gay relationships, I want to talk about how the Giants mealy mouth non apology actually made the whole Pride night situation worse. The Bible's not a weapon, and to use it as such, as the Giants players did on Pride nights. Disgusting. But so too is the disingenuous statement the Giants put out afterwards. You know who really needed to hear that you support the LGBTQ community? Giants PR and management Sam Henches. When it became clear that he was going to pull this stunt, if you really stood with the queer community as an ally, you would have pulled him from the lineup. It's not a matter of free speech. Hentius works for a private business. If the Giants were really as pro LGBTQ as they claim, henches would have been benched. Now I get there's a lot that goes into these decisions, and one of the things the Giants may have been afraid of is that some of the people who agree with this shit are utterly unhinged and have in the past done terrible things. But it's disingenuous at best for the Giants to act like they had no control.
Talkspace Announcer
They did.
Dan Bernstein
They chose not to do anything. That's a choice, too. They chose to back the rights of a loud, proud homophobe. That is their right as a private business. But San Francisco's queer sports fans aren't stupid. They know what's up, and so do mainstream Christians, who are much more queer friendly than their evangelical counterparts. The point is, it's bad to use the Bible as a weapon, but I kind of think it's worse to claim to side with one community while directly supporting someone who's dedicated to their extermination. So also let me once again credit Maddie for being absolutely right about the perversion of faith that is homophobia. Thank you, Brendan. That is a different perspective and I'm glad we got it from you. Much appreciated. I want to finish up with Patrick in Yorkville who had a thought about the that Luther Burden video that we watched and that's kind of still been in my head just how how striking the response to the idea of Caleb Williams was with these kids. He said having a 10 year old boy absolutely rocks when it comes to sports fandom, especially when that fandom is built around the Caleb Williams led Bears. I get totally get why those boys from the Luther Burden FaceTime video were acting the way they were. I'm in my mid-30s and growing up as a Bears fan has almost always sucked. My favorite Bears memories aren't even football moments. They're listening to you and Uncle Terry clown the organization when they'd roll out some boob to explain why they were being stupid again, that was the bar. So my son started really paying attention in 2024, watching with me, me building a genuine fandom. He felt the excitement around Caleb being the number one pick and the optimism that came with it. Then came Maddie Berflus and we know how that went. I'll never forget watching the Commander's Hail Mary game with my wife, my son, his best friend and his parents and all seeing all of our hearts get ripped out by bad Bears football. His for the very first time. Then everything changed. 2025 under Ben Johnson, the late season breakout of Caleb Loveland, Luther, the Black Friday win in Philly that started making you believe. We watched the first packers game with that same family and seeing the joy on those boys faces were the highest point of my Bears fandom since Devin Hester took the opening kickoff to the house. And then a few weeks later, the second packers come back in the playoffs. That ridiculous pass to Cole Comet. Three of the best moments of the post Super Bowl Bears era with my son in the span of a few weeks. I get why those boys needed to see Caleb, even with Luther standing right there. Think about the arc these kids have lived. Their fandom woke up the moment Caleb went number one, got immediately tested at one of the most absurd seasons in recent Bears history, and then they were collectively rewarded with some of the most electric moments the franchise has produced in decades. That's a perfect origin story. The suffering made the payoff real and now they have a guy that they can call theirs for the next decade. Caleb Williams gave those kids their first real holy crap sports moment during the holidays. Watching with family and friends, that's everything. And for me, sharing those moments with my son unlocked a level of enjoyment that I didn't know sports could still give me. And the best part? I'm as confident as I've ever been this crew is going to keep delivering instead of kicking us on the collective nuts. Yar thanks Patrick. Well done as always. Well done. I always I would like to end on a happy and optimistic note. Much appreciated.
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Dan Bernstein
As you're walking around this weekend, as you're doing work, maybe you're cutting the grass, maybe you're weeding, maybe you're gardening. Maybe you're touching up a little bit of paint. Look at the windows and realize it's time. It is time to do this. It is time to get the new windows that you have needed. Maybe it's just they're drying out around the edges. Everything's getting a little bit drafty. You got some blown seals in there. They're sticking when they slide. That means they're not doing their Job. That means you are paying to cool the outside of your house all summer instead of the inside. So call Russ Armstrong. Call Chicago Window Guys. I know you're inundated with windows advertising, but he's got a price match guarantee and he can explain why these buy one, get one free sales gimmicks or buy two get one are just loss leaders. To get you in the door to be upsold. He's going to offer you the best product and the best price guaranteed. And then his people are going to install it. He's going to make the windows for you at his factory. He's in charge of everything. Go ahead and get quotes. Ask those sales reps who's installing your windows and they'll be, I don't know.
Talkspace User/Testimonial
I don't know.
Dan Bernstein
Because they don't know because they're using subcontracted labor. Russ doesn't just call them, get the windows you need. Make it easier and less expensive. 847-302-9171. And check out his five star reviews@chicagowindowguys.com so you didn't believe me that I was gonna do this, but I've decided to do it. I've got my top 10 list here now. So we had our little text conversation and I thought I was just joking and then I realized I wasn't because we know that the. With the hiring of Thiago Splitter, the Bulls. Now according to all of these mainstream reports, the Bulls have the two tallest coaches in NBA history in Bill Cartwright. And so. Oh, I just gave it away. Damn it, I gave it away. We know tiago splitter is 611. Same height, I think is Kevin McHale when he was a head coach. But this, this is what I decided to do. I know, but this was a tough one. But what I have put together here, right here, the top 10 Bulls coaches by height. Okay. Okay.
Sponsor or Additional Announcer
Yep.
Dan Bernstein
I'm not saying this was difficult, but I have for you the top 10 Bulls coaches by their. Whatever I could find is their officially listed height. And there's. I want to do a couple of honorable mentions here. First of all, there were no interim coaches. I did not include the other. Jim Boylan. B, O, I, L, A, N. God, that's gotta suck to have the same name. I didn't include Larry Costello or the great Phil Johnson. Pete Myers, Scotty Robinson. Sorry, your interim. I'm not gonna. And also Rod Thorne who was interim in 1982 for 30 games. We'll see. Terry. Honorable mention to the shortest Bulls coach of all Time. Can you name him? Can you name. Who do you think is the shortest Bulls coach ever?
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
No clue.
Dan Bernstein
Dick Mata.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Dick mata.
Dan Bernstein
Dick Mata five seven.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Wow. Really?
Dan Bernstein
Dick Mata coached the team from 1969 to 1976. Yes. Dick Mata at five seven. The only other Bulls coaches under six feet would be Stan Albeck in his one year in 1986. Stan all back at five hundred eleven. And Billy Donovan was officially listed at five hundred and eleven. Coach the Bulls for six years. Had a hell of a run. So Those are under 6ft. All time bulls head coaches we also had who didn't make the list. Ed Badger is six feet tall. Ed Badger coached the team in 1977 and 1978. And Scott Skiles, listed at Basketball Reference at 6:1, had a five year run from 0:4 to 0:8. And that leaves us with the following. Tied for tenth on our list at six foot two. The head coach in 1983. Not, not. Certainly not. Terry's best friend, Paul Westhead. Paul Wested, who portrayed by Jason Siegel in the HBO show Winning Time. And Paul west had ahead of his time as a coach, as you know, famous. He was an English professor who found his way into coaching and he was smart enough to understand, you know, if we just increase the number of possessions, we're going to score a lot more points. And if everybody runs the floor and everybody spreads out, eventually with three point shot they realized that they could, they could change the math a little bit. Paul Westhead deserves some credit for figuring this out. When he was considered wacky and kooky and there was, you know, Mike d' Antoni and some of these guys, he's there on the, the Pioneers list for this style of play that we see. Also six two, Tom Thibodeau. Not much I need to say there. You know, he'll. I hope he gets a job somewhere doing something coaching defense somewhere. But I don't know. I don't know if anybody wants to hire old Tom, especially after his Knicks fired him and then they win the championship as soon as he's gone. Also 6 2. Makes my skin crawl to say Jim Boylan, he was the head coach 2019 and 2020. He's a complete idiot and a bad guy and at least he's still fired. At least you can wake up every day knowing Jim Boylan is no longer the coach of the Bulls. Number nine all by himself is 6 foot 4 inch Vinnie Del Negro. He was 82 and 82. That's great. I mean, yeah, he actually coached 12 playoff games. He was four and eight in playoff games. I never thought he was very good at the job. And we know how it ended with John Paxton pulling on his tie because he was playing Joaquim Noah too many minutes. Too many minutes. Because Joaquim Noah had a restriction because of his plantar fasciitis that may or may not have been caused by his exotic French Le Cox sportif brand basketball shoes. That actually happened. We then have. Oh, I'm sorry, I missed one there. I don't know why I missed. Kevin Lockery. Kevin Lockery, six foot three. Hey, how you doing, man? Hey, how are you? Kevin Lockery, 84 and 85. I don't think Jordan was a big fan. So Vinnie Del Negro. And then, then we have at six foot five. I did not remember this correctly for Tim Floyd is apparently 6 5. I didn't think of him as 65 to the point where I thought that was wrong. And I think my memory might be because I went back and then I looked at pictures of him standing next to various players and looked up the heights of those players and I think it's probably right. I think I just remembered it wrong. Tim Floyd, 6 foot 5.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Yeah, I didn't think he was. He was that tall.
Dan Bernstein
I didn't either. It still could be wrong. But that's where. That's where his height kept coming up. And his wonderful record of 49 and 190, That's a winning percentage of 205. That's a no good. Also six foot five. We'll say Fred. Fred Hoiberg. Fred Hoiberg stands six five.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Where did you look up Tim Floyd's height?
Dan Bernstein
I looked up on the multiple Google machines. I looked up on regular Google. There's wrong Google, racist Google, whatever.
Sponsor or Additional Announcer
That's.
Dan Bernstein
What did you find?
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Well, just the first Google search I did said former NCAA NBA coach Tim Floyd is listed at 6 foot 0 inches.
Dan Bernstein
That's what I thought.
Talkspace User/Testimonial
Yeah.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
I thought he was 6 foot. I didn't think it was 6. He's not 6 5.
Dan Bernstein
Okay, good. I didn't think so either. Yeah, I'm okay. I appreciate that. Being debunked because that will. That moves him down the list. He's dropping like a. Yes. So Tim Floyd is now the same height as Ed Badger, as was his goal in life, I believe that's all. He said that when he was very, very young. He said he just wanted to be as tall as Ed Badger, which I think is a. Is a. Is a beautiful sentiment and a glorious, honorable goal. Next on our list, the head coach from 1987 to 1989 when he was shockingly fired in the middle of the summer. Doug Collins at six foot six.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Really?
Dan Bernstein
Doug Collins, six six, is the fifth tallest Bulls head coach. Congratulations to you. Number four, Phil Jackson. Bill Jackson at six eight, in nine seasons with the Bulls, he had a record of five hundred and forty five and one hundred and ninety three. That's a winning percentage of.738. It's not bad. In nine years, he coached 152 playoff games and he had a record of 111 and 41. An identical 73% win percentage in the playoffs. Pretty impressive.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Yeah. So I thought Doug Collins was shorter and I thought Phil Jackson was taller. I didn't realize Doug Collins was six six.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah, yeah, that. That I knew because he played.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
And very successfully.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Yeah, I thought Phil was taller than 6 8.
Dan Bernstein
Okay, so Phil at 68 is number four. Number three, Johnny Red Kerr, 6, 9, 0 9.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Okay.
Dan Bernstein
Yep, he was. Johnny Red Kerr was 6 9. And he was. And all the members of his family also buried on Thursday. I. I don't know why you're burying everybody, but apparently you have to.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
That's how you do it. That's how you do it, man.
Dan Bernstein
Save a little money. You're going to go sometime. You might as well go now.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Get in, everybody.
Dan Bernstein
Everybody get in. You got the back ho standing by. Just cover everybody with dirt. You move on with your lives. Everybody go get some sandwich. It's perfect. So Johnny Kerr, number three. Number two, Thiago Splitter, at 6 foot 11, joins Kevin McHale as unofficially the second tallest NBA coach in history. And that leaves a top all.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
I wonder who that could be.
GoFundMe Announcer
Who is he?
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
I. I know.
Dan Bernstein
I. You know, and I know that we've really built up all of the anticipation and all of the drama, all the suspense, but yes, it's Bill Cartwright at 7:1. Nice guy. Bad coach.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Bad coach.
Dan Bernstein
Bad coach. Three years, had a record of 51 and 100 for a winning percentage of.338. But a really, really nice guy. And my memories of him as a Bulls assistant being available and helpful and always there to answer a question. And I was.
Shannon Maldonado
You.
Dan Bernstein
You know me, I was never shy about saying, can you explain something to me? Or I would hand him my notebook and I say, why, if this guy is over here, do they have to set a screen to move him over here? And he said, that's because you wrote it down wrong.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
That's the easiest answer there. Because you're an idiot. Right?
Dan Bernstein
That's Essentially, he's like. So I. I said, what do you mean? He goes, give me a pen. And he said, you put this screen at an angle. He said, it isn't. If that screen can't be at an angle, that's got to come up here because that is going to change the distance that when this guy has to go across over here, he now doesn't have to turn all the way around. So it matters the way you write these things down. Basically, it was like my parents telling me, I know you know the answer, but you got it wrong.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Why?
Dan Bernstein
Because you were hurrying, right? Yes, that's why. And I know that you know, and I know you're very confident, but you can't. You don't make mistakes because of carelessness. That's what it felt like to me. So thanks to Bill Cartwright for being that guy and reinforcing. I guarantee you there have been pairs of me who would be nodding along and saying, yes, a little bit of pain. Check your work, Danny. Check your work. Because those are avoidable mistakes, and you don't want that to happen. So, yeah, thanks for that. We here at 312Sports and at Dan Bernstein Unfiltered would like to welcome a new partner of ours, a new sponsor. And, you know, we spend a lot of time talking about performance because sports is performance and business is performance. And life, in a lot of ways, is performance. And one of the realities that we don't talk about a lot is that as men get older, that equation changes. And this isn't to be sort of doom and gloom. It's just the truth of things. And the same way athletes eventually learn that they can't rely solely on their talent, there comes a point where you start paying attention to recovery and consistency and energy and focus. And these are the things that allow you to show up every day and be your best. Because here's the thing. Everybody notices when there's a big change on the scoreboard or something happens on the field, and nobody notices the little factors behind it until they start adding up there. And one of those factors for men is obviously testosterone, and you hear about it a lot. And something else is called SH bg And that's a protein that binds to the testosterone that is there in the body. And that's resources, basically, that exist, but they're not available when you need them. And that's part of what makes Mars Men so interesting. Because Mars Men is designed to support healthy testosterone levels using ingredients including. Gotta make sure I get these right. Including Tongkat Ali Shilajit Vitamin D, zinc, boron and others. It's made in the usa, third party tested and designed to support energy, focus, stamina and overall vitality without using synthetic hormones or injections. If you are naturally skeptical of products in this category, I get it because you should be. And it's worth noting that Mars men offers a 90 day money back guarantee so you can determine for yourself. And for a limited time, just because you're listening, you get 50% off for life plus free shipping, 50% off for life plus free Shipping and three free gifts at men go to mars.com that is men go to mars.com for 50% off and three free gifts. When you check out and after the purchase there's going to be a question going to ask where you heard about them. So you can say DBU on 312 sports and tell them that we sent you when you check this out. So it is MengotoMars.com we have Cubs today, we have White Sox tonight, we have World cup today. And do you have Father's Day plans? By the way, meant to ask you, are you a baseball? Stupid question. Yeah, stupid question. And the tournament, how far flung is this week's tournament?
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
No, we're not far at all. So Jackie's in Wheeling and the Hanks in Pleasant Prairie, so they're both very manageable.
Dan Bernstein
I only know Pleasant Prairie for hockey.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Yeah, I do know nice big sports complex with indoor basketball courts and multiple, multiple turf fields and dirt fields as well.
Dan Bernstein
Okay, well that Culver's has got to be a zoo on some of these days.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
I just know I've been at Culver's lots of times.
Dan Bernstein
I've been to that a million times.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
It's right before you get back on the highway and you're going through Culver's drive through and you're doing the weight and then you get your food and then you're back on the highway.
Dan Bernstein
Yep. And then the kid's asleep and then the kid eats. Eats the double butter burger and fries and then has. And whatever is left of the melted custard.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Custard.
Talkspace User/Testimonial
And then.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Yeah, well they start with the custard because it melts.
Dan Bernstein
So and then. And then it's like hello.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Hello. Yep.
Dan Bernstein
Absolutely.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Yeah. So not bad. But we have a pool play tomorrow and then we have bracket play on Sunday and then we also have Libertyville days going on. So the carnival's in town and the parade on Saturday. So it's busy, busy, busy weekend.
Dan Bernstein
Carney is coming. Unbelievable.
Mark McCray
Yes.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Yes.
Dan Bernstein
And you should go win Things that don't really have any value, but they become more important than they should after.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Yeah, the boys went last night for a little bit, and then Jackson came home with a giant inflatable pink bat.
Dan Bernstein
Yeah. Score.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Yeah. Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
Jason's not gonna be able to bring his home from Sweden. Like, the third day.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Like a giant ball or something.
Dan Bernstein
Massive basketball with a face and feet. He is nicknamed it JD Swish. And I don't think JD Swish is coming home because I don't know how he can get it on the plane.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
No, like I told you, he should leave it at a friend's house.
Dan Bernstein
He's gonna leave it somewhere. You know, everyone has a World cup opinion. Mine is, I like watching until a mundo. I. I have come to enjoy these personalities. And, you know, my bookie gives you a place to put that opinion. Maybe it's a country you're rooting for. Maybe it's a favorite you think is overrated. Or you got that one friend who swears he knows ball because they watched three highlights and bought a jersey. Well, that's what makes the tournament fun. So you can use the promo code DBU as a new player. Get in, sign up, register, make your deposit, and then you can claim an exclusive my bookie offer. The World cup turns every match into a conversation, and my bookie lets you turn that opinion into action. So back your side before the kickoff. Follow the match live. Stay locked in from opening whistle to final kick. The World cup only comes around once every four years, so don't just watch it from the sidelines. Get in on the action. It's my bookie. Must be 21 plus. Please gamble responsibly.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
I have a Cubs lineup for you if you want it.
Dan Bernstein
I do.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
It is Pete Crowe, Armstrong in center, Bregman at third, Bush at first. Suzuki is the dh. Hap is batting fifth in left field. Shaw is batting six and playing right field. Horner at seven at second base. Kelly's your catcher and Swanson is your shortstop.
Dan Bernstein
That's your A lineup right now.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
That is the A lineup.
American Express Announcer
Yes.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
That's what we talked about off the Ivy.
Dan Bernstein
It is.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
Those nine guys are your guys that need to produce.
Dan Bernstein
It is time for DBU picks that are presented by my bookie. And my DBU pick is looking at tonight's White Sox game against Terry Scubal and the Detroit Tigers. And I'm going to actually make a White Sox play here. I like plus odds. I know this is counterintuitive, but I'm going to take the White Sox to score at least one and a half runs in the first five innings. So the over is 1.5 in the first five. So I think the White Sox can get my two runs in their first 15 outs. That's my bet.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
I have a parlay of five baseball teams. The other day on Monday, we went 4, 0. So here's the five for today. Play these together. Cubs, White Sox over the Tigers, the Yankees over the Reds, the Cardinals over the Royals, and the Pirates over the Rockies. So we're playing all together, the Cubs, the White Sox, the Yankees, the Cardinals, and the Pirates.
Dan Bernstein
So you also took the socks. Okay, now I'm a little worried that there's too much White Sox optimism going into this game, because that's, you know, how I feel. But those have been the DBU picks. Lock in your picks now with my bookie. Bet on anything, anywhere, anytime. Have a happy Father's Day. If you are a father. If you have a father, if you plan on being a father, if you're
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
a priest, you're gonna try this weekend to be a father.
Sponsor or Additional Announcer
Yeah.
Dan Bernstein
People call you Father, whatever it is, enjoy Sunday. Don't explode your grill and blow up your head. And have a. Have a safe and happy Father's Day weekend. This is DBU on three. One, two. And we have been brought to you. I gotta make sure that I have everybody here, that we got everybody.
Co-host or Guest (possibly Terry)
We do the whole group in the room.
Dan Bernstein
We have Mars Men at Mars Men.
Sponsor or Additional Announcer
Yes.
Dan Bernstein
Welcome. MengotoMars.com we have Chicago Window Guys, 847-302-9171 in ChicagoDoctorDowGuys.com and in partnership with my bookie, Dan Bernstein. Unfiltered. Unfiltered on three.
Gametime App Announcer
One, two. Sports.
American Express Announcer
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Episode Title: Do MLB Owners Even Like Baseball Anymore?
Date: June 19, 2026
Host: Dan Bernstein
Co-host/Guest: (Possibly Terry)
Podcast: 312 Sports
This episode centers on a controversial, sweeping proposal by MLB owners to reform player development and the league’s draft process. Dan Bernstein delivers an impassioned indictment of MLB ownership, questioning whether they even value the sport itself. The show also includes sharp listener feedback on American culture, Bears stadium financing, MLB's Pride Night controversies, and, as always, trademark Bernstein banter and a comedic “Top Ten Bulls Coaches by Height” segment.
[01:35–12:13]
Notable Quotes:
Insight: Bernstein argues these changes would rob fans of generational stars' early careers (Griffey Jr., Bryce Harper, Juan Soto) and would extend the time to free agency, leaving players older and less valuable when they reach it.
[07:23–08:43]
Notable Quote:
[15:44–21:51]
[22:03–37:27]
Notable Quote:
[37:27–43:42]
Notable Quote:
[44:18–47:31]
Notable Quote:
[50:34–60:15]
| Segment | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------------|-----------------| | MLB Owners’ Proposal & Rant | 01:35 – 12:13 | | Listener Feedback: World Cup & US Culture | 15:44 – 21:51 | | Bears Stadium Fiasco | 22:03 – 37:27 | | Giants Pride Night Backlash | 37:27 – 43:42 | | Bears fandom/Caleb Williams Youth Impact | 44:18 – 47:31 | | Bulls Coaches By Height (Comedic Ranking) | 50:34 – 60:15 | | Cubs Lineup/Weekend Plans/Locks & Picks | 67:49 – End |
This episode stands out for Dan Bernstein’s eviscerating attack on MLB ownership for prioritizing cost-cutting over the spirit of competition and player development, posing the pointed question: Do these owners even like baseball anymore? Layered throughout are clever listener contributions and spirited sports banter, balancing hard-edged criticism with wit and community engagement. Fans of baseball labor debates and classic Chicago sports irreverence will find this episode especially rewarding.