MLB Needs ABS on EVERY Pitch - NOW!

Summary

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered – Episode Summary

Title: MLB Needs ABS on EVERY Pitch - NOW!
Date: April 28, 2026
Host: Dan Bernstein
Producer/Co-host: Matt Abbatacola
Podcast: Dan Bernstein Unfiltered – 312 Sports

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Episode Overview

This episode is a fiery, uncompromising argument for implementing MLB’s Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS)—i.e., “robot umpires”—on every pitch, immediately and universally. Dan Bernstein brings his signature blend of sharp wit, exasperation, and deep sports knowledge to the debate, forcefully contending that the technology is beyond ready and that resistance is rooted in outdated concerns about tradition and umpire job security. The show also strays into broader sports culture commentary, covers recent developments with the Bulls’ front office, addresses coaching hires and firings in MLB, and wraps up with memorable, darkly funny asides about antler hunting and dangerous wildlife.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Case for ABS on Every Pitch (01:34–18:15)

• Immediate, Unfiltered Take: Bernstein launches straight into his thesis: the ABS system for balls and strikes is clearly working and should be implemented on every pitch—right now. He rails against the current compromise/challenge format, arguing it’s illogical and insufficient.
• Sample Size and Eye Test: Dan notes that after about five weeks of regular season MLB games, the technology has proven reliable. There have been no egregiously wrong calls overturning “the eye test,” validating ABS over humans.
  • “It works. ABS works. Yes. And this is not just sour grapes based on last night… Now that it has been in our lives, on our televisions, it is part of the game… We trust that the ABS is correct enough that there hasn't been any egregious departure from our eye test.” (02:03)
• Limitations of Human Umpiring: Dan and Matt agree it is fundamentally unfair to ask humans to judge fast-moving pitches with the necessary accuracy.
  • “It is not possible for the human eye to keep up with something going 104 miles an hour that's moving the way it's moving and spinning the way it's spinning. It's not possible. This machine does it better.” (05:31)
• Umpire Feelings vs. Correctness: Bernstein ridicules the idea that umpire pride or job security should block progress:
  • “We can bring you a Burger King crown and put it on your head and call you king of the diamond, and you're in charge of everything. We'll even give you a ceremony… But…the robot is better at calling the strike zone than you are, and it's not your fault.” (03:42, 04:43, 09:51)
• False Notions of ‘Strategy’: Both hosts scoff at the argument that ‘strategy’ (i.e., managing challenges) justifies a hybrid system, calling it a holdover from outdated baseball philosophies.

Notable Quotes:

• Dan Bernstein (06:53): “Don't have it. I mean, have the umpires call everything or have them call nothing.”
• Dan Bernstein (07:12): “There should be no strategy built around, ‘what if a call is wrong later?’...Who benefits from calls being wrong?”
• Dan Bernstein (09:51): “There is a job for you [umpires]. You can be in charge of the game…But if this system, all we had to do, the whole point of introducing this...Once we decide yes or no, ABS works, what's the argument for not using more?”

Technology Resistance Analogies (10:37–12:32)

• Bernstein and Abbatacola riff on society’s history of resisting technology—from the telephone, to the automobile, to recorded music—to lampoon those blocking full ABS adoption.
  • “Are we good on the Internet? I don't know. Don't. It depends when you ask me.” (10:53)
  • “Microwave ovens. We're going to give everybody cancer. Remember that? ... How about vaccines? You don't want any of that because measles. Everyone loves measles.” (11:21–11:54)

The Absurdity of Limited Use (13:19–16:27)

• Restaurant and Medicine Analogies: The hosts compare limiting ABS challenges to only serving cooked chicken to the first 10 diners, or withholding new cures for arbitrary reasons.
• Clear, Universal Adoption Needed: Dan states the system works, is widely accepted by players and fans, and minor-league beta testing is over. There are no significant technical issues.
• Challenge System Is Outdated: “We've already moved past the concept of the challenge system.” (15:16)

Hostility to Slippery Slope Arguments (16:29–17:07)

• Bernstein jokes about being open to more automated officiating if it helps accuracy in other sports.

John Smoltz Reference (17:10–18:08)

• Bernstein finds himself agreeing with John Smoltz, who—despite otherwise being critical of modern baseball—has argued for going all the way with ABS.
  • “It's got me agreeing with John Smoltz.” (17:35)
  • “That's the headline. Is that if John Smoltz and I have found common ground, and that is…Just keep using this.” (18:08)
• Sarcastically, Bernstein: “If Smoltz and I agree on this, that's about all the endorsement we need!” (paraphrase, 18:08)

Addressing Critiques of “Inhumanity” (21:24–21:41)

• Bernstein dismisses reports that players or coaches object to ABS as “rigid, inhuman.” He demands specifics—there’s no valid argument against correct calls.

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Other Key Segments

The Truth About Football Player Mindset & Bears Draft Strategy (22:00–35:59)

• Ben Johnson’s Draft Profile: The Bears’ coach is quoted as wanting, “guys that if you took football away from, they really don't know what to do with themselves.” (27:57)
  • Bernstein riffs on how this borders on sociopathy, yet is openly celebrated in football culture.
  • “Their job is to run as fast as they can into something over and over again because we like it. So it's a very silly job. And to get people to care that much about a very silly job, there's probably got to be something that isn't quite right.” (29:52)
• Football as Uniquely Demanding: Bernstein suggests football uniquely requires a kind of single-minded, self-destructive personality not necessarily healthy or “well-rounded,” highlighting the brutal honesty behind “football character.” (30:36–34:00)

Bulls Executive Search Update (38:08–46:44)

• Front Office Process: Bernstein shares the Bulls have completed their first round of executive interviews and commends how little is leaking out to the public.
  • “They’re hiring someone to be in charge of the basketball side—titles are secondary.” (39:52)
• Role and Power Expectations: The position is expected to be above general manager and have final say on all basketball decisions.
• Hiring protected by a search firm, so info is limited until second-round interviews or announcements are imminent.

MLB Manager Firings: Phillies & Historical Precedent (46:44–52:05)

• Phillies Fire Rob Thompson: The conversation shifts to recent Phillies managerial changes, with context on how rare it is for a team to recover from a brutal start.
  • (49:30) The earliest MLB manager firings in history are recounted—examples include Cal Ripken Sr., Phil Garner, and others.
• Historical Parallels: Bernstein recalls the 1985 Yankees firing Yogi Berra early in the season—a move that “worked,” as they won 97 games.

Offbeat: Antler Collecting and Deadly Wildlife (52:05–59:33)

• Bear Attack in Poland: A woman hunting for shed antlers is killed by a bear—a dark anecdote about risk, with humor injected about the quirks of antler collecting. (52:05–54:59)
  • “When a bear lies down, it's like a mound of dark earth. … But how do you step on a grizzly bear?” (53:41)
• Debate over Antler Hunting: Matt Abbatacola questions the hobby’s value, to which Bernstein argues for the joy of peaceful forest walks. (55:06)
• Another Cautionary Tale: The hosts discuss a millionaire trophy hunter being killed by elephants, with Dan gleefully rooting for the elephants (“If elephants did it, they knew the guy.”) (55:56–57:20)
• Exclusive Local Tip: Bernstein gives listeners an unlikely antler-hunting location off I-57 near Kankakee. (57:47–58:51)

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Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• On ABS vs. Human Umpires
  • “We can bring you a Burger King crown and put it on your head and call you king of the diamond…” – Dan Bernstein (03:42)
  • “There should be no strategy built around what if a call is wrong later…Who benefits from calls being wrong?” – Dan Bernstein (07:12)
  • “This machine does it better. And we don't have to have an entire John Henry versus the drill press…Just get the damn call right. It isn't that hard.” – Dan Bernstein (05:31)
• On Football Draft Culture
  • “Guys that if you took football away from, they really don't know what to do with themselves.” – Ben Johnson/quoted by Dan Bernstein (27:57)
  • “That's what football character is—being half out of your mind.” – Dan Bernstein (34:00)
• On the Absurdity of Human Error in Officiating
  • “If John Smoltz and I have found common ground...just keep using this.” – Dan Bernstein (18:08)
  • “Why create a solution…and then limit yourself in that solution?” – Matt Abbatacola (13:19)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:34 | Bernstein’s urgent plea for ABS on all pitches | | 03:42 | Umpire pride: satirical “King of the diamond” routine | | 07:12 | Logical fallacies of calling only some pitches with ABS | | 10:37 | Technological resistance analogies | | 15:16 | Challenge system consensus: “We’re over it. It should just be instant, every pitch!” | | 17:10 | John Smoltz agrees – “That’s the headline!” | | 21:24 | “Rigid, inhuman” objection; Bernstein demands specifics | | 27:57 | Bears coach Ben Johnson quote on drafting single-minded football obsessives | | 30:36 | Bernstein’s riff on the “football industrial complex” | | 38:08 | Bulls search & front office hiring process details | | 46:44 | Phillies fire manager Rob Thompson; MLB firing history | | 52:05 | Cautionary bear story in Poland – antler hunting anecdote | | 55:56 | Millionaire hunter trampled by elephants | | 57:47 | Bernstein’s local antler shed tip (Kankakee/I-57 area) |

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Takeaways & Tone

• Fast, Funny, Irreverent: Bernstein’s stubborn candor and humor energize the episode, with satirical “dear angry umpire” and absurd analogies making the case against baseball’s half-measures.
• Clear POV: Sides decisively with technology when it improves fairness and accuracy.
• Cultural Critique: Both sports and life: mocks tradition for tradition’s sake, calls out self-serving rationales, skewers football culture’s demands for extreme dedication at great personal cost.
• Listener Value: Even non-baseball fans get a compelling breakdown of how sports change, why they resist, and what’s at stake with new tech.

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Summary:
Dan Bernstein eviscerates objections to MLB’s ABS system, insisting it is not only ready for every pitch, but far superior to human umpires—no matter whose ego gets bruised. Invoking everything from historical resistance to the microwave to dystopian analogies about half-cooked chicken in restaurants, he dismantles the notion that progress can or should wait. The episode is packed with dry wit, pointed analogies, and a sly reverence for Chicago’s sporting world, all underpinned by Bernstein’s relentless demand for common sense and fairness in sports.

Transcript

[Dan Bernstein]

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[Dan Bernstein]

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[Co-host or Guest]

Dan Bernstein unfiltered unfiltered on 312 sports

[Dan Bernstein]

this is DBU on 31 2. Brought to you in partnership with my bookie and today by Aura Frames. Call me crazy, but are we agreed that ABS is working anytime? When we go to the replay and it takes two seconds and they say there's a challenge and we go to it and like, oh, it's a strike or oh, it's a ball. Are we all agreed that it works?

[Co-host or Guest]

ABS has not been wrong once yet.

[Dan Bernstein]

Correct? It works. ABS works. Yes. And this is not just sour grapes. Based on last night, I've been meaning to mention this because I was just waiting for a reasonable sample. Now that it has been in our lives, on our televisions, it is part of the game. We're already at the end of April. We've had, what, five weeks of Major League Baseball and we all agree it's fine and it works. And we trust that the ABS is correct enough that there hasn't been any egregious departure from our eye test. It's like, wait a second, this is wildly wrong. This. This whole test is going awry and we need to rethink this. In fact, no, it's quite the opposite. And it's enough time that I'm good on the home plate umpires. I'm good with ABS calling all the balls and strikes. Why not? Give me a reason why, other than the umpires being pissy about it. Give me a reason why ABs shouldn't call all balls and strikes right now.

[Co-host or Guest]

I cannot give you one logical good reason.

[Dan Bernstein]

What are we doing? What is the point of having teams get used to a cockamamie process of, oh, now we're out of challenges. Well, now it sucks we're out of challenges. So. So what happens? What's your penalty? That human error now can contribute to winning and losing, which is dumb. If we agree, I think there's been absolutely enough to just say, okay, fine, whatever. And if you have to collectively bargain up with the umpires, figure something out, what do they want?

[Co-host or Guest]

How do.

[Dan Bernstein]

If they want to feel important, and if that's really part of it right now, it's like, well, you. You can't turn our jobs over because we need human being. Fine. You can stand there and you can be in charge of the game. We can bring you a Burger King crown and put it on your head and call you king of the diamond, and you're in charge of everything. We'll even give you a ceremony. You can throw somebody out of the game if it makes you feel tough and important. But you're. You're. This is the. The robot is better at calling the strike zone than you are, and it's not your fault. I'm talking to you. The. This, this sort of straw man, Mr. Umpire, whoever would be mad. I am. I am presenting this directly to you, the angry umpire. No, you can't take my job. We're not taking your job. Have whatever you want. You can wear a giant uniform covered in. In military medals. Whatever makes you feel big and happy.

[Co-host or Guest]

Dan, is calling balls and strikes the most important aspect of baseball?

[Dan Bernstein]

Most important aspect of baseball. Maybe you can argue, but you can

[Co-host or Guest]

argue that's possibly the most important aspect of it. Why would it right every time?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. Get it right every time. And if we agree, all we have to do is agree that this is right. And I know that they're still quibbling about, well, it's, it's measuring it here, and it reads it out of the pitcher's hand. And I don't care about the details. I. I care about so far. Is it clear that it's been right? And I think the answer is yes.

[Co-host or Guest]

Not to mention what was brought up in the Cubs broadcast last week with JD And Boog. And shambi that. And again, we need a lot more data to take a look at this as the year goes through. How umpires calls get worse after teams are out of challenges.

[Dan Bernstein]

Look, they get. They're bad in general because it's impossible. It is not possible for the human eye to keep up with something going 104 miles an hour that's moving the way it's moving and spinning the way it's spinning. It's not possible. This machine does it better. And we don't have to have an entire like John Henry versus the drill press, whatever it was. This isn't some grander story about the rise of the machines. Just get the damn call right. It isn't that hard. And what is standing in the way if it is the fact that the umpires don't feel important enough? Sorry. I'm sorry. This particular job is really, really difficult. And throughout human history there have been jobs that have eventually been usurped by machines that do it better and faster, more reliably, with less a pain in the ass gain. Get that call right. And if we can do it, to have this charade of I tap my head and you touch this and then I wave at this. We look at this, do it, just get it right. Is it a ball or is it a strike? It's very simple. And then we can get on with our lives and get on with the game.

[Co-host or Guest]

Well, here's, here's the counter to that is if you're not going to do it on every single pitch, then don't do it at all.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right?

[Co-host or Guest]

Don't have it. I mean, have the umpires call everything or have them call nothing.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't need more time to know that this works.

[Co-host or Guest]

Yeah, this whole idea of, oh, they're out of challenges now and it's yes inning. Like, let's take all the other talk about what the strategy should be. It's either have it call every pitch or have it call zero pitches.

[Dan Bernstein]

There should be no strategy built around what if a call is wrong later? That's why the entire basis of the and I hate the but well strategy. It's. So that was like the. The dead enders who didn't want the DH in the National League. Strategy.

[Co-host or Guest]

Stupid.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right? And of course it was. And as I said at the time, then they're gonna go to the DH like every other damn league and everybody's gonna get over it because it's better. So I'm saying the same thing here. Just if this, if you can measure ball or strike, there is no reason then to say, well, we're, we're, we're out of the good calls. That's it. We're, we're out of the. We're out of the correct calls. Now we got to go to the stupid incorrect calls. Why? Why? Who benefits from that? Who benefits from calls being wrong? Who? Somebody. Explain this to me. What is the value in being. Say, well, that's it. You're out of challenges. You. You used your opportunities to get the call right. This entire layer is useless other than trying to appease frightened umpires.

[Co-host or Guest]

Right. It's really interesting because the ABS system is brought in because it's a really hard job to do.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's impossible.

[Co-host or Guest]

An eighth of an inch out of a strike zone, yet we're requiring the catchers or the batters or the pitchers to do the same thing.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Co-host or Guest]

They're all in motion trying to make something happen, not just standing there watching the ball being thrown.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. This is, this, this makes no sense. This, this would be like when. Pick whatever technology that some, some Luddites would rail against. Whatever the technology would be. I don't know if, like when, when, when we started having guided missile technology where people like, yeah, no, no, we can't use that. We just got to fire them off. And wherever they land, they land because that's how we always did it. And because this guy just, he just aims them and shoots him. And if, I don't know if it's guided, he's out of a job. Like, come on, this one's too easy. Get it right. And if this thing can get it right, tell me, Mr. Umpire, Mr. Made Up Umpire to whom I'm talking, what do you want? What do you need? How can you feel like you matter? You don't call balls and strikes anymore. You know, you know what you can call? You can call an out at the plate. You can call, he went around on a check swing attempt. You can call catcher's interference, you can call timeout. You can call fair or foul. There's all sorts. There is a job for you. You can be in charge of the game and we can even give you a tie. You can, you can be Mr. Important Super Game Officer Sergeant, whatever you want to be called. But there is no reason, if this system, all we had to do, the whole point of introducing this doesn't work. And once we decide yes or no, ABS works, what's the argument for not using more? Well, it hasn't been tested. I don't know. It has. It's got to get to the extreme heat of August. Seriously, what more do you need to know that we haven't already seen? That every time it's on the edge and they. Oh, here it is. And it takes two seconds.

[Co-host or Guest]

All right, Dan, there's a. A list of. Of techn. Technologies, advancements in technology where society, like, initially resisted based out of the fear of the unknown, job displacement or disruption of social norms. Here's a few. Ready? The Internet.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. Are we good on the Internet? I don't know. Don't. It depends when you ask me.

[Co-host or Guest]

Cell phones.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Co-host or Guest]

Automobiles. Critics often thought they were dangerous, noisy and inefficient compared to horses.

[Dan Bernstein]

Depends on the horses. Those must be some pretty quiet horses you got. But okay, television.

[Co-host or Guest]

TV was a dangerous distraction that would ruin eyesight, destroy family conversation, and make people passive. Microwave ovens.

[Dan Bernstein]

They might have been right about that.

[Co-host or Guest]

Well, no, but I mean, yeah, I

[Dan Bernstein]

mean, seriously, microwave ovens. We're going to give everybody cancer. Remember that? How about that? I remember, I remember being told at one of my friends houses when I was a kid that even though I was microwaving a hot dog, they said, don't get too close to the microwave.

[Co-host or Guest]

Yeah, you'll get cancer.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right.

[Co-host or Guest]

How about recorded music? People claim that recorded music would destroy the art of live performance. Could you imagine that now, not having recorded music. How about vaccines?

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, yeah. You don't want. You don't want any of that because measles. Everyone loves measles. Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest]

The telephone was rejected by firms like Western Union as having too many shortcomings.

[Dan Bernstein]

Mm.

[Co-host or Guest]

Need to mail stuff still.

[Dan Bernstein]

Like, this is. It's enough. It's enough just to have. Have the machine. Have the machines call balls and strikes. And the idea, it's a. It's. It's hilarious to think that we could be in a World Series game or any of these games. It doesn't even matter if it's playoffs or World Series. I think if you asked everybody. How are we on abs? It's good. It's fine. It's good. Okay. Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest]

Dan, it's bottom of the ninth, game seven, Blue Jays and Yankees, and there's bases loaded and there's a pitch and it's three inches outside. But the Yankees are out of challenges because they use their last one in the seventh and calls clearly a ball, a strike, and that's it, game's over.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then everybody's mad at the manager or everybody's mad and like, like, like the conversation from last night, talking about Matthew Boyd and whatever. I'm not. I'm not sour about it. Who cares? It's just a game, a single game. But it just. It does make you go down that road of, what are we doing here? What are we doing here? Why isn't it better Somebody explained to me, who benefits from any call being wrong? Who gains from that?

[Co-host or Guest]

Why? Why create a solution? Why find a solution and then limit yourself in that solution? That's like going to a restaurant, Dan, like a chicken restaurant. And only the first 10 orders, the chicken gets cooked.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, I was thinking of the day

[Co-host or Guest]

the chicken is served raw.

[Dan Bernstein]

I was thinking more along the lines of technology. Where. Well, you know, we've found this. This way to cure a disease, but we can't cure it all the time. It's only, you know, we'd love to use it. We could use it more. We just don't want to. Why don't you want to?

[Co-host or Guest]

Only the patients that get here before noon get to use it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right? Somebody explain this to me. Say, just somebody explain why you don't. Oh, no, they're onto me.

[Co-host or Guest]

Oh, it's just. It's a. A test of the fire alarm. It's a fire alarm drill.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's a fire drill.

[Co-host or Guest]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

You're good. Are you sure? Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest]

No, we had emails about it. Unless there happens to be a fire at the exact same time.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's what I mean.

[Co-host or Guest]

They're having the test.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, I think.

[Co-host or Guest]

I think you're fine, buddy. You can stay.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm good. What? Who cares if I'm dead anyway?

[Co-host or Guest]

We've done that for a year. We did that for years.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, that's fine. Yeah. It's no big deal. Deal. I'm good. But I thought they were. I thought the umpires found me and

[Co-host or Guest]

stayed home today, though.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I thought the. The umpires union was more powerful than I thought. They're coming after me. And this is one of the. This is one of the robots who's in on it.

[Co-host or Guest]

Well, it could be the comedy police, too. They're still looking for you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, well, yeah. I mean, they're. They're constantly. They're like ninjas. I always get worried that when the window washers come down, it's actually the comedy police coming in to drag us away. Because that'll happen.

[Co-host or Guest]

I mean, you. You make a great point. Like, why. Why have it at all if you're not going to use it for the entire time? It's like, all right, so you're out of challenges in the fifth inning. So now we let the human umpire and the human eyesight make bad Calls and impact this game in a negative way when we have the ability right in front of us to get it right every single time.

[Dan Bernstein]

And. And the fact is, the rollout was, you did a great job. They did a really nice job. And they told all the broadcasts how to explain it. The actual graphics that come up, I was like, okay, yeah, that's where I saw it. And even the players, like, okay, like, we're all agreed this is rare. This is rare. I have not heard one person say this. There's too many bugs in this system that this beta test. Oh, this sure shows that it isn't ready for prime time. Nothing. They've been using it in the minor leagues and they're using it in the major leagues now. We're all, you know, our attention spans are fine, and we're all baked into this idea of, well, we can look up. And here. Was that a strike? All right. The challenge. Okay, good. It happens instantly. We have. We've already moved past the concept of the challenge system. Simply tell us, is it a ball? Is it a strike? And any game that gets decided because somebody is out of challenges and an umpire and just start looking at how many calls get overturned. It's. And I want all the umpires here. It's not your fault. You're not. We're not coming after you.

[Co-host or Guest]

It's hard.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's too hard. We're asking too much of the human brain right now. And if somebody wants to make a slippery slope argument, is that where, well, you start doing this, then what happens next? I don't know, but I'd like to see. Whatever. And if you want to start beta testing other things, if there was. If there's a machine that can tell me on a given play, if. If there's holding on a play in football and you can call it, I'm willing to talk. Any technology that helps people, helps all of us call games correctly is good.

[Co-host or Guest]

Oh, man, you're going to hate this, Dan.

[Dan Bernstein]

What now? John Smoltz, now, I've already hated.

[Co-host or Guest]

He's. He's criticized the ABS because of its disruption to the flow of the game.

[Dan Bernstein]

It doesn't disrupt the flow at all.

[Co-host or Guest]

Hang on a second. Small says indicated a preference for or at least questioned why MLB does not simply move to a full computer called strike zone rather than the current challenges.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's right. John Smoltz is right there. It's got me agreeing with John Smoltz.

[Co-host or Guest]

Okay, that's it.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's over. That's it. It's over. It's over this. This has made odd bedfellows of us, John Smoltz and I, our heads on pillows together, holding hands, watching television.

[Co-host or Guest]

Yeah. It's Ellen Louise moments right here.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep. That we agree that this works. You agree?

[Co-host or Guest]

Dan Bernstein agrees with John Smoltz.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's the headline. Is that if John Smoltz and I have found common ground, and that is. Just keep using this. And I have yet to understand what the downside is to getting balls and strikes correct on every single pitch. Somebody's going to have to explain this to me again. Like. Like I'm five. Explain to me why we're not adopting all of this technology immediately. Immediately. If the commissioner. If we had a commissioner that actually cared about the game, who liked the game, and all the things you have to say before you mention the commissioner, just say, oh, yeah, okay, we're good. This works. All right. Okay, fine. This is. This is how we're doing balls and strikes now. There's too much at stake. There's just too much at stake, and it's too hard. Right. It's. It's not. It's just not possible. If these are the best in the world at this, and they're still bad. Think about that. What would we do if the best surgeons in the world were still bad surgeons? And there was a time when they were. You'd go to the medieval barber and he would put leeches on you and bleed you and hang you upside down and like, no, it's the best we got. But you still went. But now we know that this is the best we got, and they're bad, and we know better. So that's where I am on this. And I just. If there is sort of. You know, usually we joke about these topics and whatever we're talking about, there's somebody on the other side of it. There's somebody. If John Smoltz isn't even on the other side of this technology, John Smoltz, who's. Who's confused by the simplest things. I don't understand this wheel. It has no edges or corners. It won't stay in the same place when I set it down. I don't like this. It's rolling away from me. If. If he's. If he and I are in agreement on this, I think. I think we're good. I think that's it. I think we've decided. So what would prevent this? And if there is an umpire, the head of the umpires union, the. Whatever it is, the Fraternal Brotherhood of Elks, whoever it is, who is saying that this cannot happen. We cannot find. We'll agree to two. You can get two. Two times where the call's right. The rest we want wrong. Are you really saying that? Like if somebody had to stand in front of a panel of judges and explain why they didn't want this, other than like, I'm gonna lose my phony baloney job because I'm not as good as this machine. Well, that's not convincing. That's not. Okay, bye. And if. And we can maybe have a little bit like a phase out and just, you know, you can, we can keep paying you to do some things and keep you around. Like I say, we can give you a helmet or we can give you a crown on top of your helmet to make you king of baseball. Or a tiara, a sash. If you want to feel important, you're still important, Mr. Home Plate Umpire. But you don't get to impose what you think you see on everybody else. That's.

[Co-host or Guest]

The athletic has a story out that says that players and coaches disliked the rigid, inhuman nature of the abs Full ABS system.

[Dan Bernstein]

What do you mean rigid, inhuman nature?

[Co-host or Guest]

I don't know. I don't know. So I, I want to know players and which coaches wouldn't want this full time?

[Dan Bernstein]

Exactly. I, you have to articulate that, put a name on that. Don't just say players and coaches. And I, I guarantee there, there isn't a player out there that used the words rigid and inhuman. Not one. So to tell me exactly who said what. Why don't you like it? Why shouldn't make. Make an argument why the calls shouldn't be right right now? Every single call, right? That's it. Period. You know, whenever the stakes are high, my bookie is where you turn bets into bankroll. There's always a big matchup on the schedule. Everybody's watching, everybody's got to take. Here's another reason why the call should be right. And no matter the sport, the props can be as much fun as the final score. And that's why I use my bookie. And I gave you a prop yesterday and it didn't hit because I had the big Jokic game. I didn't know it was just going to be a stat stuffing triple double that wouldn't include the 30 points. But that's all right. I'll come back and get them. The my bookie prop board is deep and fun to play. Player performances, game milestones, everything in between. This is the kind of action that keeps things interesting all game long. So it doesn't even matter if the score is lopsided, because you're still in it. So get in. If you haven't yet, go to my bookie ag. It's one account, one wallet, and you can bet the spread. You can live bet during the action. Maybe you like parlays, maybe you just like money lines. Or you can jump into the casino. And there's all kinds of casino games. If half time between games, all of it is in one place at MyBookie AG. Plus, you have our code, DBU. And that code gets you your first bet covered up to 500 bucks. If it doesn't hit, you can use your bet back bonus token and run it back. And then you're not just watching the action, you're making it pay. DBU is the code that gets your bet covered up to 500 bucks. So register and deposit at MyBookie AG. And then you are making it pay with my bookie. Ben Johnson said the quiet part out loud when talking about draft picks and because of, you know, the. What's always going on in the NFL and some of the other things that we're. We're talking about, particularly on, on forward progress and that. That's not one you want to miss today. Well, it's never one you want to miss really, but particularly today. If, if I know what I think is coming today. I love this quote from Ben Johnson regarding what all of the Bears draft picks have in common and what the vision is. And as I explained before when I was talking to the people who know about how the Bears set their board, that Ryan Poles does that and the personnel side, they do that. But when they've, they. Everything is run by the coaches and anybody that coaches who doesn't fit the coach's vision, they. They strip out of the board. So everything is. Ends up where they want it. So look, this is how good we think everybody is. And then the coaches are like, yeah, he's. But he doesn't fit. No, no, no, no. And they go through all that and they work together and they listen to each other and they come up with what they know is their targeted board that is, that is aligned with what their coaches want. That's how it should be. And Ben Johnson is extremely extreme, influential and extremely powerful when it comes to how the Bears select. I have no problem with that. So Johnson was asked about his specific vision when it comes to the kind of players they want. And here's the quote. And I read this from Bears Wire, which is part of USA Today. I love Bears Wire because no story is too small for them to give 800 words. Nothing, no transaction. Like, they're like the city news desk. Seriously, like, they're, they're, these are like the, like covering, you know, school board meetings and zoning hearings that I would, I would love to double the staff of Bears Wire to just have people doing all of this, like hardcore work on the tiniest things. So here's the quote he says, I think Jeff King hit it a couple days ago. And that's really, that we're looking for high level competitors. Here's the quote. Guys that if you took football away from, they really don't know what to do with themselves. I'm going to read that again. Guys that if you took football away from, they really don't know what to do with themselves. It's a huge part. They eat it, they sleep it, they breathe it. And I think we're able to identify those types of guys. When you have guys like that, they usually find a way to come out on top. And this is what makes football, football. Because obviously other businesses, other lines of professional work want you to be talented and dedicated and professional and good at your job. But it's only in football that they can take something that clearly is on the edges of sociopathy and make it sound like an attribute. Because they remember how football people talk too. And what coaches love to say about priorities. Think about it. I don't care what level of football you're talking about here, but coaches love to say family first, family first. And some coaches will say family first, faith second, football third. That's how we talk about it here. And we've got an acronym for that and it's family football, faith and, or family faith, Football or faith. We forget it's all apps. It might be Friday Feedback Friday, now that I think about it, because everything starts with an F and it doesn't matter as long as football, football, football. That's what it really is. Guys that if you took football away from, they don't know what to do with themselves. Yes. You're describing somebody who isn't probably all that quite right. And, and they're being honest. I think Ben Johnson's being completely honest. It's a very specific kind of sociopath that you want, but you want somebody that maybe isn't in the way they're describing, that isn't necessarily properly socialized, that you, you want, you want somebody who

[Co-host or Guest]

is

[Dan Bernstein]

maybe a little too interested in football.

[Co-host or Guest]

It's not, it's not very healthy.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's not, it's not a Healthy game. And this is part of it. That think about what they do for a living. They destroy their brains to amuse us. That's their job. Their job is to run as fast as they can into something over and over and over again because we like it. So it's a very silly job. And to get people to care that much about a very silly job, there's probably gotta be something that isn't. That isn't quite right. And you have to identify those people at the very highest level of running into things. If you take out the word football and just call it running into stuff. And if guys that. If you took running into stuff away from them, they don't know what to do with themselves. No, I'm just. Just this is. Try this thought experiment with me. Like, I get that if you are addicted to smashing into things and running as fast as you can and smashing into things, and that's your job, and you're choosing people who are coming to your business to be better at running into things than another business's. People who run into things. That. That's what you're looking for because you don't want to be like, hey, what do you do for a living? I run as fast as I can into stuff. You must love it. No, I hate it. I hate it. It's awful. Like, that person eventually would look for a reason to stop, right? You would think, you'd think that like. Or maybe Drew Dahlman woke up one day and he's just like, what am I doing? Have fun at work, dad, what do you do at work? Well, I. I go as fast as I can and I run into things and then angry men punch me in the head. Okay. Really?

[Co-host or Guest]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Bye. I'll be home from work. So.

[Co-host or Guest]

But if you take that away from these guys, they don't know.

[Dan Bernstein]

They don't know what to do with themselves because they're part of the system. They've been institutionalized. They don't know any better. They don't know that there is anything else. But when. When you. When that coach stands up there and says, well, it really is about family first and no, it's not. It's. It never has been. They don't mean that. This is what they mean. Ben Johnson is a truth teller. And this is one of the most truthful statements about football you're ever going to hear. We are looking for guys that, if you took this away from them, they don't know what to do with themselves. They've been in this, the football industrial complex for so Long that if we just said, well, that's it, now go do something else with your life. When do I eat? What do I do? Where are my clothes? Where are my pants? Where do I live? And he's not that wrong. I just don't know if there's any other business where an important businesses, whatever it may be. If you get something like an air traffic controller, you want that person to be healthy and well rounded and want that person to sleep well, or somebody doing micro neurosurgery, do you want that person to not know what to do with himself if that was taken away from that person? No. You want somebody who probably has, I don't know, a healthy life full of all kinds of wisdom and perspective that informs what they do. Not this job. Not this job. If you're making your money telling these people what to do, you don't want them to start questioning. Wait a second. That. That's. He's. He's asking me to run down the field and smash my head. And it's like. It's that, that, that old joke, the old joke about, about the kamikaze pilots from World War II. Like if. Where the. The head of the. The Air Force is talking to the kamikaze pilots. And he was just saying, like, all right, here's what I need you do once you load up the plane with all these explosives and you're just going to fly that thing right into the deck of an aircraft carrier and you get one guy in the back room going, yeah, excuse me. Are you out of your mind? You know, like, think about what you're asking these guys to do. And if you took football away, they wouldn't know what to do with themselves. I just remember this, that's all. Remember this quote when, when coaches talk about priorities. Or was it Mark Trestman that talked about growing the man? Well, we want it. We want to grow the men. We want to have this. They're not growing the man. They're smashing things. They're running around as fast as they can and smashing people. You're not growing the man. You're beating the man to bits. You're pulverizing the man. You're not growing them. You're turning these men into broken, stooped sh. Shells of human beings after 15 different surgeries and creating all kinds of brain trauma. That's what we're doing here. And you need people who only want to do that. That's what you're saying, who are completely dedicated to destroying themselves all the time. And you're not wrong I'm not saying that at this point. This is the, this is so truthful. And coaches a lot of times won't say, well, we, we really believe in well rounded people of good character. They start talking to me, you know what football character is? Football character is being half out of your mind. Really, really good football character. It's different from other sports. It's just not the same. And the fact that you can admit it and, and say, this is what our draft class have in common. Oh, they actually, they couldn't live without football. We look for people who, without football would not be functional human beings out in the world. That's what we're looking for. Okay. All right, go get them. And thanks, Ben Johnson, for giving us a glimpse into the truth right there. And it doesn't make me like football any less. This is what we need. Look how fast they're moving. Look how big they are. Of course there's something wrong with them. What normal person would decide that they want to do this? So yes, we need them and keep producing them because otherwise, what are we going to do on Sundays? Talk to our families. Come on, I've seen your family. You don't want to talk to them. Trust me. You want to sit in front of that TV and you want to get whatever kind of cheese fries you want and you want these giant people smashing into each other because if they stop doing it, they wouldn't be able to live normal lives in polite society. Book a loved by guest property with VRBO and you get a top rated vacation rental that's loved for all the right reasons. Ugh, I love my VRBO for the location. Good reason. Oh, and for the pool. Cause pools are cool.

[Co-host or Guest]

I feel the love book of verbo

[Dan Bernstein]

that's loved by guests.

[Co-host or Guest]

If you know you've erbo.

[Dan Bernstein]

Mother's Day is coming up. You know that. And you need to find something other than what you've been doing in the past. And I have the thing for you. See the smiling faces, See happy people? It's aura frames. And aura frames will make you look that happy, exactly that happy. Because you, your mom, your wife, your partner can open a box and have a digital frame loaded with photos that show who they really are and show their personality. You don't need all these little posed things where a professional is moving over and grabbing everybody's collar and arranging somebody's tie and fixing their hair. You know the moments, you know the pictures. So put them on an aura frame and you can preload photos before it ships. You can keep Adding from anywhere, anytime. You can add as many as you want. Personalize the whole thing in the gift box that comes included with your Aura Frame. This was the number one app in the App Store on Christmas Day in 2025, and it's been named number one by Wirecutter. So you can save on the gifts moms love right now by visiting auraframes.com a u r a frames.com and when you use the promo code DBU, this is a limited time, but just because you're listening, you can get $25 off their best selling Carver matte frame. The code D, that's a U R A frames.com promo code DBU. Just those three letters. You can support the show by mentioning us at checkout, but just do something a little different. You don't need the flowers or the pajamas or whatever it may be. Aura frames.com promo code. And I've got one, and I think I'm gonna get another one for me with just fish pictures. That's all it's gonna be.

[Co-host or Guest]

We talked about that.

[Dan Bernstein]

You should do that. Yeah, I think I really should. And I got another one yesterday. Oh, did I bag a big, big fat smallmouth yesterday? I think pre spawn full of eggs had to be four and a half pounds minimum. I mean, big, beautiful. At a new spot, too.

[Co-host or Guest]

Nice. Yeah, we love our Aura Frame. We. We flip it around for the seasons or whatever's going on.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Co-host or Guest]

There's all baseball pictures of kids going on and from all the previous years.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And if you want. And if you, if, if you enjoy embarrassing your kid, you could also get one and program it just. And it takes two seconds on your phone to reprogram it. You can set it right in his room, Paul. All sorts of fun stuff on it. So these are fun things. So Aura frames.com promo code DBU. Do that. Enjoy it. And I think you will. So here's the latest on the Bulls. As I understand it, the first round of interviews is done that the Bears. Actually, the preliminary. Excuse me, Bulls. The preliminary round is done. And I will say they're doing a better job than I thought to this point of keeping it relatively quiet. That we're not hearing a lot sort of leaking from this. That it is the. As described to me, the initial interviews are complete. And then I was asking about titles. And basically the response is, it doesn't matter, because I'm wondering, are you hiring a gm? Bulls? Are you hiring a new executive vice president of basketball operations? Are you hiring a president?

[Co-host or Guest]

Are you.

[Dan Bernstein]

You hiring a Basketball czar, whatever you want to call it. And the answer I got is, Bernstein, stop worrying about it. Because essentially what they said, they said, don't. Don't get in some little semantic vortex here. And I said, but that's what I do. You can't tell me not to do that because then you're taking away half of what I do. They're like, no, they're hiring someone who's going to be in charge of the basketball side. The Bulls have usually used these VP titles rather than declaring. You're declaring a new side to the business or changing around the umbrellas that the. The direct instructions I got was don't, don't Bernstein the title stuff. We're going to be hiring a somebody who's in charge of the basketball side. And I'll conditionally, I'm saying, okay, but the one thing we've known about the Bulls is, is there's always people floating around. Like there's John Paxton again. Where did he come from? Oh, he's been over here the whole time and he's senior special advisor floating around back there. And Doug Collins was listed as a special advisor of things. So this, this person, whoever it may be, is going to have final say on every basketball decision. And I imagine then they will get on to hiring a coach, et cetera. But that's kind of where we are and what I was told about how that's going at the moment because there's a search firm involved and this was smart to do this. When you hire a search firm, it does change what teams can reasonably disclose or not. And it does allow them that layer of public protection to say, yeah, this is handling. This is being handled by a search firm that we're not commenting on anything that we've our relationship. And if they're. Obviously, if there's a lawyer who works for the search firm, you can probably claim that some of this stuff is, is. Is confidential or protected or privileged. So that's. That's where it stands. I don't. The names that you've heard have not been refuted. We know that Austin Brown, apparently, according to Shams Charania, Austin Brown is the co chair of CAA Hoops has said that he's no longer interested in pursuing the position. And then when it. And the reason why I ask about titles is because of all the games that get played. And this is back to like the Bears and Ian Cunningham and what constitutes a promotion, that if you know you're talking to somebody who is nominally another team's general manager. And that the actual job has to be bigger than what that person is doing right now. And I think that's understood. So I think when you do hear that there is somebody who is the, the general manager of another team who is interviewing for this job and has been allowed permission to interview for this job, that is an indication that this is something bigger than, than they're interviewing for the, whoever the person above them at their current job would be the level of what we're talking about here with the Bulls. So onward we go. And as, as we, I imagine that we're not going to get further than seven to 10 days would be my best estimation for when we're really going to start hearing movement in this. Whether it's a short list of three coming back for the second round and, or deciding on somebody naming that person and getting everybody set for, for these various workouts, the private workouts that are now going to start, you're going to have the pre draft gathering where you. That, that's where a lot of information gets exchanged. That's where a lot of schmoozing is done. And there are, there's a lot of, there's, there's. You lay the groundwork for other potential deals just by talking to people and, and finding out what's happening and getting your people out in the field. So I would, I would say that for them to be moving with some alacrity here would be certainly suggested. So consider it suggested. That's where we stand with the Bulls. The NBA playoffs. Speaking of which, easy money at my bookie if you stop overthinking it. You don't need a crazy parlay. You don't need spreadsheets. You just need a team that you trust. It better not be the Pistons. Ouch. That's why playoff basketball hits so well. At my bookie. The board is clean. And if you want to keep it simple, you can back the Thunder, back the Celtics, back those crazy magic ride the teams built to win. Let the playoffs do the rest. If you're new to my bookie, if you've never made a deposit, right now there's even less reason to sit this one out. Because of our code DBU. Any bet you choose up to $500 becomes fully covered when you use that code. Go to MyBookie AG, register deposit, include the code DBU and then you can make your play. And if it doesn't hit up to 500 bucks, you get it right back when you opt in using the bet back bonus token. So pick your squad and take the shot. Don't just watch the playoffs, cash in on them. Only at my bookie. Yeah, these are despondent times for Pistons Fans. That's an 81 matchup. And imagine they're gonna get knocked out. Magic are taking it to him and they look like they got their soul snatched. Yep, they really do. I don't know what happened to Jalen Duran. What happened? This guy was an all star, high impact, physical, tough player. And he's just a cipher. He's an absolute shell of himself. And sometimes you can be strategized to a point where teams put you in uncomfortable positions because that's what basketball strategy is and you figure it out in the playoffs. But respond, at least go hard. At least go hard. And it looks like Cade Cunningham is, is. I don't know if it's physically late in games, if he's just beat, because I don't. He didn't seem out of shape to me. But I don't like the slumped shoulders. I don't like what I'm seeing on that sideline right now. And boy, this is the former bull watch is almost, it's almost cliched right now, but did you think Wendell Carter Jr. Would be throwing himself around like this on a playoff series? And they don't even really know what they're doing. I mean, the Magic are kind of a delicious mess in a lot of ways, the way they play. But they're, they found something here.

[Co-host or Guest]

So they're up three, three games to one right now and looking to close that series out in their next game. Also, some, a little bit of a breaking news, Dan. In Major League Baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies have fired Rob Thompson.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest]

After that 9 and 19 start. We talked about them yesterday on off the IV, our daily Cubs podcast.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Co-host or Guest]

If the Phillies were to bounce back and make a playoff a play appearance this year, they'd be the fifth team in Major League Baseball history to do it with a 10 game losing streak during the regular season. We also mentioned the Mets playing poorly in the NL east with a 12

[Dan Bernstein]

game losing streak already this year.

[Co-host or Guest]

They would be the first team ever to bounce back and make the playoffs with a 12 game losing streak during the regular season.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is Alex Cora, right?

[Co-host or Guest]

I would think so. Yeah, I would. I mean, yeah, absolutely. I mean, how could you not.

[Dan Bernstein]

I would think you're hiring Alex Carr right here. I mean, they're not hiring David Ross. Like, this is you. You don't do this without saying, well, now we're going to start a search. And now. Right.

[Co-host or Guest]

I Mean, Alex Core gets fired by the Red Sox. Yeah, I think incorrectly. And then, yeah, he's sitting out there and you're looking at 9, 9 and 19 start for this team that was supposed to win the NL East.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Co-host or Guest]

Or at least certainly compete with the Braves for it. Not what they're doing anything right now. So.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest]

So that was.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest]

Something that was expected to come.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I'd have to look at the, the track record of firing managers this early. Correct me, I'm trying to remember in 1985, which was a surprisingly good season for the Sox. That was Ozzy Guillen's rookie year. And it was also the year, I think, that Carlton Fisk bounced back from all the stupid Hawk Harrelson stuff when they put him in left field. And I think that might have been Fisk's 37 home run year. That was the year Bob James was saving games for him. And in April, I believe April or early May, the White Sox swept a series against the Yankees in New York and the Yankees fired Yogi Berra. And that might have been one of the times they brought back Billy Martin again. And I'm pretty sure that they ended up winning like 90 some games or something like that. That. That's one of the few times. And, and if I remember it for that reason, it's probably an exception. It. And I could be wrong, I could be completely pulling this out of my arse. But I, I believe it was that year in 85 that the Yankees did this. And it, and it did actually help. It did actually matter.

[Co-host or Guest]

Look at it. So Rob Thompson, fired after 28 games, some of the earliest firings ever in MLB history. Cal Ripken, senior, 1988 with the Orioles, fired at an.06.

[Dan Bernstein]

I was gonna say that was there, there was a, A big long. No, that wasn't the long losing strength streak. That was just 0 and 6. Okay, 6.

[Co-host or Guest]

Phil Garner, the Tigers O2, was fired after an 0 and 6 start. Preston Gomez, the Padres, 1972, was fired 11 games into the season. Larry Rothschild, Tampa bay Devil Rays, 2001, fired 14 games into the season.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, so, yeah, I don't want to, I don't want to grab steam this thing if I'm wrong about 85. But I'm pretty sure that that was the year that it mattered. And there were, there were a couple times where some of those silly Yankees moves ended up mattering and allowed us to think all sorts of weird things about what managerial firings do. And however you want to break down the math, if the Best manager in the world means you're two and a half games better. And the worst manager in the world means you're two and a half games worse. If you think that, that two and a half games is going to make that big a difference, go ahead and do it. Doesn't matter to me.

[Co-host or Guest]

April 28, 1985. The New York Yankees fire Yogi Berra after a 6 and 10 start. It was on this day replacing him with Billy Martin. Owner George Steinbrenner had promised Beara his job was safe. He sent GM Clyde King to deliver the firing causing a 14 year rift between Yogi and the organization.

[Dan Bernstein]

And didn't, didn't it work like quote unquote work like I thought. They went on to to win over 90 games that Billy Martin, who was

[Co-host or Guest]

hired on April 28, 1985 was later fired himself on October 28, 1985 to be replaced by Lupinella.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, so I had. Part of. It was on this day that Yogi Berra was indeed fired because I think the final straw was, was a, it was a Harold Baines, another Harold Baines game winning hit. And it's like, well, we lost to the White Sox again. Everybody's gotta go. Get out of here. Everybody.

[Co-host or Guest]

Let's see, let me hang on, let me see what the Yankees did for you here. 1985, they finished.

[Dan Bernstein]

Come on.

[Co-host or Guest]

Why isn't that coming up for me?

[Dan Bernstein]

I, I don't know. I don't know why it's not coming up for you.

[Co-host or Guest]

97 and 64.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, it did work.

[Co-host or Guest]

So they went, they started 6 and 10, fired Yogi Berra and finished 97 and 64. And then Billy Martin fires himself because they finished two games behind Toronto.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, all right, well I was mostly right on that. I'll give myself credit for that one. I was, I had it. I was. All right, not bad. I noted this story today as well and this is just a cautionary story that I read to you. This is from the BBC. A 58 year old woman has been killed by a bear in a remote mountainous area in Poland. The woman and her 27 year old son were walking separately in a forest near the town of Plona in the southeastern Bishaji region. I don't know. B, I, E, S, Z, C, Z, A, D, Y. Bishti. A firefighter at the scene told the local news channel that according to the woman's son, he was on the phone with her when he heard her scream. Bear, Bear. And the phone went dead. I think, I think mom went dead too. Because the firefighter said the woman had lacerated and extensive head injuries. They have now urged people in the area to refrain from entering the forest. And as it, as it was explained, she stepped on it. Said when a bear lies down. According to her second son, when a bear lies down, it's like a mound of dark earth. This is a brown bear. And aren't brown bears like 1500 pounds? How big are they? I mean, like, I understand a small animal might look like a mound of dark earth that you could step, how do you step on a grizzly bear?

[Co-host or Guest]

Full grown brown bear weighing between 180 to 600 kilograms. 400 to 1300 pounds.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, 400 to 1300 pounds. Still big enough that it's unlikely to actually step on one, thinking it's a mound of dirt. I'm not blaming the victim here before. I, I, I don't, I don't know. But when in doubt, don't, don't step on it because it might be a bear, I guess. But that would be the advice for today, if that's simple. Just don't, don't step on a grizzly bear because it's probably going to be bad. And why were they out walking around in the forest? They were looking for shed antlers. They were in the woods collecting antlers during the stag shedding season. I know people who do this.

[Co-host or Guest]

Do you really?

[Dan Bernstein]

I do. I know, I know people who do this who actually like to look for sheds. Not like, you know, like, like equipment sheds in the backyard. You can go see those anywhere.

[Co-host or Guest]

But this is, I have a suggestion for those people. What new hobby?

[Dan Bernstein]

You don't like the hobby? I don't think so.

[Co-host or Guest]

I don't think that sounds like a good use of your time.

[Dan Bernstein]

Some people just love it. They love the, and I get it. I like the walking in the woods and it's peaceful. And unlike fishing or hunting, you're not, you're not hurting another animal to entertain yourself. And there are some people who might object to that, that these are, you're, like, you're not. See, what I would object to is if you run up to the animal and pull the antlers off. Don't do that. They don't like that. That now that, that's a different hobby. If you're like staring down a caribou or a moose and like, I don't, I think they got to be on the ground for you to be able to take them.

[Co-host or Guest]

Did you hear about, did you hear about the story about the, the millionaire big game hunter recently that Died another one.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, I always root for that. Yeah, that's great.

[Co-host or Guest]

Ernie docio, a 75 year old vineyard owner, was hunting an antelope species in Africa when an incident occurred. He was, he was crushed and stepped on and killed by a group of elephants.

[Dan Bernstein]

Good. Oh, I love that. Yeah. I'm always rooting for the elephant when and if elephants did it, they knew the guy. Elephants would, they didn't forget him. No, no, I'm serious. If elephants did it, they knew the guy. They didn't. That wasn't just a rando thing. They were waiting for him because that elephants are, they're, they, they've got long memories. Like, so if they, if they want to target a guy, it was like, just like that Indian wedding. Remember, there was the elephant that came in and waited and waited and waited until this woman was finally vulnerable enough. And then it went in and started killing everybody and killed her family and, and wrecked the room and went out of there. And I think, and I think like ate all their food and drank all their wine and left just the Pinot Noir though, right? Like, because it knew, it's like, it was, it knew the year. It like it, it only wanted the 97s. And you don't, you don't mess with elephants because they, they're, they're, they'll, they'll exact vengeance upon the. So. But yeah, I don't, I'm surprised you have a problem with somebody wandering in the forest looking for shed antlers. I think that's okay.

[Co-host or Guest]

Have a problem with it. I would just get up a new hobby thinking that if, if there's, there's a lot of animals out there shedding their antlers, there probably would be a lot of predators out there trying to find these animals. And I would, would think walking in the woods looking for these shedded antlers might be a little dangerous time.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know what I'm told is a great spot for antler shed hunting and I don't know, online.

[Co-host or Guest]

Online.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know if I'm speaking out of turn here.

[Co-host or Guest]

Okay, okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, but I'm serious. This is, See, this is the kind of tip that you get on Dan Bernstein unfiltered that you didn't expect.

[Co-host or Guest]

Where at where, where's a good spot for this?

[Dan Bernstein]

Take 57 south toward Bourbon a right and that's what exit 309 is. What armor Road there, where we used to go to, you know, to get off by the, the Holiday Inn Express there and the Coyote Canyon or whatever it was. So keep going, keep going. Past the Kankakee exits. And then when it turns toward the southwest, I think there's the little airport there. And by. There's. There's a Walmart, and there is the Kankakee Ice arena there. So all that area back in there, there's a lot of forested area, and I think there's a. There's like an airstrip or something that is a huge. A very popular spot around there to find shed antlers. So there you have it. And if that's something you like doing, don't step on a grizzly bear.

[Co-host or Guest]

Watch out for the bears. Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Because it's, it's. It's just not advisable. If you say, oh, there's a little. I'm gonna climb up in that mound of earth. Oh, it bit my head off. How was your day? Bad. Well, you know, it just. It could have been better, except my head got bitten off. So. That would be your advice for the day. I'm going to leave you with that. That will conclude today's Dan Bernstein Unfiltered. It has been brought to you in partnership with my bookie and today also by Aura Frames. A U R A Frames promo code dbu. What? Dan Bernstein, Unfiltered. Unfiltered.

[Co-host or Guest]

On three. One, two. Sports.