PCA's Star Is Rising — Where Are the Sponsors?

Summary

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Dan Bernstein Unfiltered — PCA's Star Is Rising: Where Are the Sponsors?

Podcast: Dan Bernstein Unfiltered
Host: Dan Bernstein, with Matt Abbatacola
Date: July 8, 2026
Episode Theme:
A deep-dive into the business, marketing, and sponsorship landscape surrounding Cubs breakout star Pete Crow-Armstrong (PCA), tracing how his on-field performance and charisma are intersecting with brand partnerships, and what this signals for both his future and the wider world of athlete endorsements.

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1. Introduction — Setting Up the PCA Sponsorship Conversation

Main Segment Starts: [00:33]

• Dan introduces the focus: PCA's rapidly rising profile, both on the field and in the world of endorsements.
• He highlights the role of PCA’s agent, Ryan Hamill, and the unique timing of PCA’s major contract extension and endorsement deals.
• Theme: How do brands choose athletes, and how do these deals shape and reflect players’ careers—especially when the player in question is experiencing both highs and lows?

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2. Key Discussion Points and Insights

A. The Agent’s Role and “Buying Low” ([00:33]–[09:45])

• Dan recounts reading a Sporting News story from April:
  • Spotlights agent Ryan Hamill, who secured PCA’s six-year, $115 million Cubs extension and landed him with New Balance and Gatorade as sponsors—at a low moment in PCA’s career, statistically.
• Notable moment:
  • “New Balance made that commitment. They bought at the bottom.” (Dan Bernstein, [05:00])
• Reflection on the marketing impact of a company backing an athlete during struggles instead of only when they're hot.
• Discussion of PCA’s appeal: Not just his play, but as a marketing “golden goose,” especially with kids—the ultimate target demo for brands.

B. Navigating Brand Relationships — PCA’s Options and Personality ([09:45]–[15:10])

• Discussion on PCA’s current deals (New Balance, Gatorade, and a local sunflower seed brand, “Smackin’,” with a “deep-dish pizza” flavor).
• Debate over the authenticity and depth of these deals: Is PCA’s name simply being used? How involved is he in the creative process?
• Dan raises the idea that PCA, with actor parents and LA roots, could pursue entertainment, but his response to fame and brand work remains to be seen.
  • “His phone has to be blowing up, his agent has to be swamped with offers.” (Dan Bernstein, [08:35])
• The challenge: Should rising stars take every deal or curate their image carefully?

C. The Shifting Landscape of Sports Marketing ([11:44]–[23:57])

Evolution of Brand Coolness: New Balance’s Transformation ([11:44]–[15:10])

• Maddie and Dan reminisce about changing brand perceptions—from Converse and Nike to New Balance and Sketchers.
• New Balance’s baseball presence, now extending (with Shohei Ohtani, Francisco Lindor, Cal Raleigh, and PCA) to the youth market.

The Mike Trout Problem — Can MLB Market a Star? ([15:28]–[23:57])

• Comparing PCA’s marketing arc to Mike Trout’s “undersold” status despite his legendary play.
  • “Baseball… put it out there to say, well, that’s really on him. If he wants to market himself…” (Dan Bernstein, [18:08])
• The difference with PCA: larger market, more central time, and potentially more TV exposure; plus, a more outgoing style.
• “Your personality as an advertiser is as important as your personality as an athlete. And they can be different things, and one can last longer than the other.” (Dan Bernstein, [22:46])
• Consideration: Will PCA build a transcendent brand, or focus on baseball alone?

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D. Loyalty, Early Endorsements, and the “Test Case” ([23:38]–[31:55])

• Will PCA stick with New Balance long-term in appreciation of their early belief in him? Or will bigger offers eventually lure him away, as seen with other athletes?
• Discussion on precedent: Michael Jordan’s various deals (Gatorade, McDonald’s, Lipton Iced Tea), Joakim Noah with Le Coq Sportif, Tiger Woods with Nike.
• “You don’t forget somebody making that bet and that kind of commitment on you and tying their big business to you.” (Dan Bernstein, [24:12])
• The panel reflects that, ultimately, everyone has their price—but values and relationships still matter.
• Notable: New Balance invested at PCA’s nadir (batting .200, fielding questions), and now stands to benefit from his star turn.

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E. Marketing Missteps, Authenticity, and Lessons Learned ([31:56]–[32:53])

• Brief reference to PCA’s past off-field controversy (White Sox incident), and how maturity and image management are part of star evolution.
• “You could tell some fat slob who's drunk to go fuck himself. Yeah. You could get away with that.” (Maddie, [32:38])
• Balancing being true to yourself with the need to represent brands, and knowing where the line is.

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3. Memorable Quotes & Light Moments

• “This is cash in time. It is cha-ching time.” (Dan Bernstein, [05:15])
• “Kids love PCA and when kids love you, you can write your ticket, man.” (Dan Bernstein, [07:25])
• On generational shifts:
  • “For us, it was all Nike or Reebok… For us, it started with Converse.” (Maddie & Dan, [13:05])
• “Your personality as an advertiser is as important as your personality as an athlete.” (Dan Bernstein, [22:46])
• “You're not going to see anything happen again, like what happened at the White Sox game.” (Maddie, [31:41]) — on PCA growing up after his off-field incident
• “You could tell some fat slob who's drunk to go fuck himself. …You could get away with that.” (Maddie, [32:38], on where the line is for athlete outbursts)

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4. Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:33] — Deep dive on PCA’s agent and the contract/endorsement timeline
• [05:00] — New Balance’s “bet at the bottom” on PCA
• [09:46] — Sunflower seed endorsement talk
• [11:44] — Evolution of New Balance and sneaker brands in baseball
• [15:28] — MLB’s marketing problems with stars (Trout vs. PCA’s opportunity)
• [22:46] — The importance of an athlete’s “advertiser” personality
• [23:38] — Athlete/company loyalty: examples, challenges, precedents
• [31:41] — Handling controversy and image as a sponsored star

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5. Baseball/Chicago Local Flavor Interludes

• Side-notes on sunflower seed flavor innovations and beloved old sunflower seed brands ([09:55]–[11:44])
• Extended nostalgia about sneakers, sneakers’ cultural currency, and first famous athlete shoes ([13:05]–[14:09])
• Humorous take on fast food, concessions, and coffee routines for sports parents and broadcasters ([37:09]–[42:04])

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6. Honorable Mention: Chicago Sports & Fan Life Sidebars

• Statistical interlude ([48:54]–[54:56]): Chicago White Sox fans are the “drunkest” in MLB, leading in drinks per game and percentage of fans consuming 5+ drinks—a badge of honor and reflection on Sox fan culture.
• “If you see me in a concession line, get out. I am the line timing destroyer.” (Dan Bernstein, [51:18])

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7. Listener Q&A and Outro Banter ([63:00]–[69:37])

• Mad-cap breakdowns of fast food drive-thru strategy, drive-thru etiquette, and the eternal dilemma: which lane moves fastest?
• Hot takes on Culver’s: the un-melted cheese debate and custard/burger logistics.
• Promise of listener feedback and a Friday mailbag packed with burger and athlete-brand loyalty stories.

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Summary Takeaways

• PCA is at a critical inflection point as both player and brand. New Balance and Gatorade “bought low,” potentially reaping major rewards now that he’s a Cubs star and kids’ idol.
• The modern athlete must balance on-field excellence with brand-building and genuine self-expression. The PCA “test case” will be watched by teams, agents, and marketers.
• Marketing today is about narrative and personality as much as achievement—and loyalty to brands who “believe in you first” is increasingly rare.
• Curveballs and controversy will happen. How PCA (and his representatives) navigate these will shape not just endorsements but public perception.

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For Chicago sports fans, baseball industry insiders, or marketing pros, this episode offers a sharp, witty, and candid look at the business behind the game—and the business of becoming a star.

Transcript

[Dan Bernstein]

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[Maddie]

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[Dan Bernstein]

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[Maddie]

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered

[Dan Bernstein]

Unfiltered on 312 Sports it's DBU on 31 2. It's brought to you by Chicago Window Guys, 847-302-9171. Check out the five star reviews at ChicagoNow guys.com and in partnership with my bookie, I went back and I read a SPORTING News story from April 15th because I just wanted to make sure that I had this right and I wanted to reintroduce a name that you probably don't know. And it's somebody who I think is going to be real busy or should be actually real busy in the coming days here, but it's also somebody who should be taking a bit of a victory lap at the moment. And that name, tell me if this name rings a bell for you. The name is Ryan Hamill. You know, Ryan Hamill. Is anything? No. Any guesses? No, no. And that's okay. I because I didn't know the name either. Ryan Hamill is the business agent for Pete Crow Armstrong. Oh, okay. MVP candidate and and breakout star with apparently no no ceiling in sight yet for the young popular Chicago Cup. Ryan Hamill is listed here in described by this SPORTING News story as the agent to handle PCA's business affairs. On Wednesday, April 15, it was announced that Pete Crowe Armstrong joined the endorsement group at New balance that on March 26th Ryan Hamill agreed to a six year this is the six year, $115 million contract extension as a Chicago Cub. And as this was going on he announced a deal with New balance. He was hitting.221 at the time. He had an unbased percentage the time of 264. He had one home run. And Cubs officials and an international company remained confident that after his 2025 of the 3030 and the 95 driven in the 35 stolen bases that that was enough for them to continue to bet on him because I wanted, I want you to remember what was going on at that time. We were looking at a sample of stats going from the All Star break of last year through the start of this season and looking at a large sample of what could be seen if you wanted to, if you wanted to see it that way, you could see a very ordinary baseball player if that. But both Armstrong, Pro Armstrong himself and New Balance placed a big bet on him being more what he was when he was racking up those All Star numbers. It's even in this story. It says dating back to August 2, 2025, as of that date, he compiled a.190 batting average and a.237 on base percentage. He finished last year 1 for 17. He was among the worst of all qualified batters in mlb. That was the nadir of his big league career. And his agent got him that deal and they announced that deal and New Balance committed to that deal. And it's around the time he also joined Gatorade. Those were the only two that I could find. I know there, there are some smaller deals that he has. The larger point being it is cash in time. It is Cha Ching time. This is when and you talk about the, the way a partnership is built and what it should mean for New Balance to make this commitment to him at the lowest point of his career. We didn't think about it at the time. They announced like, okay, great PCA signing with New Balance. Okay, whatever we didn't think about at the time. But they made that commitment. They bought at the bottom. That's the kind of thing where as time goes by and as bigger companies, bigger shoe and apparel companies start waving money in front of him, it'll be really interesting to see how loyal he feels to that company that made that bet on him at that time. That's pretty cool. And that is also something where you better send your agent a nice Christmas gift. I know he makes plenty of money for whatever percentages he gets, but for that agent to represent you in that deal, to say he's going to get better, he's going to return to these numbers, don't worry about the league having figured him out. Remember everything we were saying about the trials and tribulations of being a young, excitable major league player. For him now to have snapped back from that to the top of the MLB war charts and into another All Star Game. Even though he kind of got screwed with the timing of the fan voting and I, I, I, I don't we that's probably a topic for next week or for another time about how they're calculating some of this All Star stuff and what it means to, to make the All Star team. The quote via the Press release back in April was Crow Armstrong saying, working with New Balance is a big moment for me. Maybe it helped him. Maybe this puts in that kind of floor. You remember when Chris Bryant used to talk about that, that he said he used to need. He'd have days where he had crises of confidence. Chris Bryant used to say that the guy that won College Player of the Year, the Golden Spikes Award, and Minor League Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year and mvp, he would have to look at his baseball reference page. He would have to say, oh, yeah, it's pretty good. He'd have to have a teammate say, you know, you're a really good baseball player. And I don't even know what he's going through now with his horrible back injury, where he's having trouble getting out of bed and having trouble just living a normal life at this point, let alone hitting a baseball. But for. For somebody like PCA to have to have put in this kind of deal when he did, I wonder what Ryan Hamill moment. Because kids love pca and when kids love you, you can write your ticket, man. PCA is a, from, for a marketing perspective, an absolute golden goose. And I don't know what he wants and how much he wants to keep things about baseball or if he wants to do some, you know, a couple national deals, a couple local deals. I don't know how hard he wants to work at this, at this stage of his career, because everybody's different. There's some to say, hey, you know what? I know some of these things are going to come to me. Happy to put my name or my face on some things, but I'm not going to get out there and be doing, you know, monthly ads or updating a million different things or recording a bunch of different voiceovers or he's. Both his parents are actors. It's not like he's without every possible. They grew up in la. I mean, this, this dude has got the world in front of him right now. He could navigate the entertainment industry if he wanted to start showing up, if he wanted to, you know, be like Don Drysdale on the Brady Bunch. I don't even know they. Do they do stuff like that anymore. Do they have random people showing up in, in popular TV shows? And then they say, oh, wait, aren't you famous baseball player Pete Crow Armstrong? Why, yes, I am. I don't even know. I just know that he's. He, he's in a position now where his phone has to be blowing up, his agent has to be swamped with Offers from companies that want a piece of him. And this is a. This is a very interesting, interesting time under contract. Riding high. And it's going to be hard for him to say no. You were telling me, Maddie, that he's got a. A sunflower seed endorsement.

[Maddie]

Yeah. So I don't, I don't know how it works for him, but the company's. The company. Smacking.

[Dan Bernstein]

Smacking.

[Maddie]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And they have lips. Smacking.

[Maddie]

They have a ton of different flavors available and, you know, some sweet, most of them savory, and they have one with pca and it's deep dish pizza flavor. So I don't know if it's just what the collaboration is. If they just threw his name on it. He gets, you know, some dollars for it. So. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

How do they make deep dish pizza taste different from regular pizza flavor? You can't taste.

[Maddie]

You. You can't. It's, it's, it's. It definitely tastes like pizza, though. So, like, I, I gave it. I had Henry try one and he was like, oh, it's pizza flavor. So he identified it immediately.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Maddie]

But, yeah, you can't distinguish between thin crust or.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's what I'm wondering. How do you taste? Thickness.

[Maddie]

But of course, it's the Chicago thing. It's the Chicago thing. They got no deep dish pizza.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

Yeah. And I'm just, I'm. It's too bad because I'm just not a fan of that company. I do a lot of sunflower seats, unfortunately, during the baseball season. And I, I just, I eat the bigs. That's the only. That's the only brand that I buy.

[Dan Bernstein]

We were always David brand.

[Maddie]

Yeah. David was what I really. Yeah. And then I don't know when Biggs came out, but since my kids have been in travel, baseball, that's. That's all I buy. And I, I buy the. There's a Taco Bell taco flavor. That's really the only one I eat. Yeah, it's. It's. I think it's the best one.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. I just, I always liked regular and ranch.

[Maddie]

Yeah. Oh, dude. There's a.

[Dan Bernstein]

The.

[Maddie]

The collaboration between companies now and Sunflower Seeds is. It's amazing what they've done. Vlasic partners with one of the companies for dill picklers. Yes. They do a spicy dill pickle. There's an old B seasoned flavor Bigs,

[Dan Bernstein]

which is really good, actually, like crab fries.

[Maddie]

Yeah. Yeah. So there's a. There's a ton. Hot. Different hot sauces. Have collaborations.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Maddie]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

The way the world's really changed, man.

[Maddie]

It is. And I want to ask you too about New Balance. What was New Balance like to you as a kid or what was. Where did New Balance. It didn't register anywhere? No, no, same for me. It didn't.

[Dan Bernstein]

It didn't until I got older and until I had to be a little bit more mindful about my shoes because of my knees.

[Maddie]

Okay. Yeah. It's funny because I, I've owned multiple pairs now as an adult and I mean, you know, post 45, I think I've started buying New Balance and those were like my coaching shoes I would wear because they were just the most comfortable. But now the New Balance baseball shoes are really popular with kids and it's more than just Pete, Pete Carmstrong being involved. Obviously their, their biggest name is Shohei Ohtani.

[Dan Bernstein]

But those are the spikes when, when, when those are Jason's actual metal spikes that he still plays with Our New Balance for college ball or New Balance.

[Maddie]

Yeah, yeah. It's really funny. And like all the kids in my house have, have New Balance shoes for baseball. Otani Francisco Lindor is endorses Cal Rally endorses obviously now Pete Crow Armstrong. So it's really grown and it just, I mean I don't, I don't know how it became like a younger person's thing, but it wasn't something that registered for us. For us it was all Nike or Reebok. That was really. Were the two as far as like my age and my, my friend group.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, for us it was and more

[Maddie]

so Nike than Reebok.

[Dan Bernstein]

For us it started with Converse.

[Maddie]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

That was really the first, the first brand that you were aware of at some was. Was Bird and Dr. J with. And the first pair of shoes that I owned that was attached to anybody's name at all were low cut Converse All Star Dr. J's.

[Maddie]

Really? Okay. So yeah, the first for me were Jordans. I had multiple pairs of the 84 high tops.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I remember when I got we. We were at. To this day. I remember my prized low top converse Dr. J's that I had for the 6th grade basketball team at Walden School. And then, then you started in when things got going a little bit. You know, even pre Jordan when it was Adidas Top Tens were a big shoe. Okay. And you know Adidas were huge. But then, then the moment Nike started in on stuff, it was, it was, it was over.

[Maddie]

Yeah. I'm curious to see when basketball starts up this fall and winter if there's any, any sketcher basketball shoes in the youth travel world.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, because of OG Anunoby.

[Maddie]

Yeah. And you know, the Knicks winning the championship.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, no, there will be. They, they jumped out. That's my point here with PCA is that companies don't wait. They've already. Those pitches are done. Like they've, they've got. His agent has been in these meetings. I can guarantee you his agent has, is sitting on a stack of offers like this. So it's how he decides how and when PCA at this point decides what matters. What are you going to be like? There's, there's, there's going to be fast food. There will be cars.

[Maddie]

Yeah, you know, I, I think as long as there's not fast women in cars, I think. I don't, I don't see PCA doing like, local stuff, though. Like.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, he's bigger than that.

[Maddie]

Yeah, for sure. Right. Like, he's bigger than.

[Dan Bernstein]

Although I will say for a while it was that, that immediate care, whatever it was on the buses and on. I think Javier Baez had it for a while and Chris Bryant had it and then Baez had it and then Kobe White had it and it's one of the local big urgent care facilities.

[Maddie]

Well, that was so they could all get free care. That's why.

[Dan Bernstein]

But that was. Yeah, the Cubs pitching staff should sponsor it. But that, that was Right. Or the Bears. That, that was a, a good local deals. I think Zach Levine might have had that. But you don't want to be Zach Lavine. And Zach Levine was also a New Balance guy. But that's sort of the lesson is you don't want to look like you're trying too hard to have these deals. Like, you know, Zach had that weird Mountain Dew commercial that seemed all forced and strange where it's like, oh, I'm a superstar. I got all these deals. That being smart about this is an important part to shaping your career and deciding what you do and what you won't do, what you want to put your name on and what you don't. And this is as a 24 year old, you know, for PCA to start building some of these relationships and it's. What's different in basketball perhaps is the, the internationality of it, of knowing that your sales in China and your sales elsewhere in South America and all that are going to be in absolutely enormous and important. Baseball doesn't quite have that kind of reach unless you've got, you know, special relationships sort of around the world. But PCA is one of those really interesting sort of electric telegenic young players. He plays with style and he's, he plays it with a, with a unique excitement. You can't take your eyes off him in the field or at bat. And it is a test case, I think in a lot of ways for what baseball has done with Mike Trout or not done with Mike Trout. Remember, Trout's one of the greatest players has ever lived. And at one point, pre Ohtani and pre injuries, Mike Trout was the best thing going. When he was at his peak, he was the best baseball player ever because that's. The players who are playing now are better than the players who were playing then. And when they are at their best, measurably, when Trout was peaking, he was undersold. And remember, he took the blame for that. Remember, baseball's like, well, Mike Trout, why don't people, why don't more people know of Mike Trout? Why aren't, why isn't he a bigger endorser? Why isn't he more famous? And baseball. Rob Manfred and his henchmen all put it out there to say, well, that's really on him. If he wants to market himself. It's really not baseball's fault that the best player who plays this marquee position isn't more famous or more. You don't see his likeness plastered everywhere. And now you've got another chance here. Same position, similar size market, top three market. The difference is more people can see his games because he plays in the central time zone. That's the big difference, is that you don't have somebody whose games are generally on late, late, late, late, late, which is great for Ohtani, it's great for marketing in Japan. And Ohtani is obviously has to be probably removed from some of this discussion because he's just a unicorn. He's completely different. I think the better comp to how Trout was marketed may be right here in Chicago in pca. So this is all a way of saying it's a very interesting bit of a test case here to have somebody at 24 who already has, you know, he's part of the Gatorade stable. I don't know that I've seen, Have you seen a Gatorade television ad with him?

[Maddie]

I have not.

[Dan Bernstein]

There have been some social media ads. There's some with like the, the, the multi colored sweat that runs down your face that is supposed to symbolize whatever flavor of Gatorade.

[Maddie]

But I honestly, I mean I, I don't watch much TV unless it's, I mean, it's a Cubs game and unless it's on marquee. I mean, I really don't watch a ton of. I mean, outside of sports, I don't really watch a ton of tv. So, I mean, there could be commercials running. I don't know.

[Dan Bernstein]

There could be. It's. I'm just. I am keeping a very close eye on the marketing image, the sales image that Pete Crowe Armstrong decides.

[Maddie]

You know, it's interesting. You talk about Mike Trout and how, you know, Manfred, you know, was like, well, if he wants to market himself, he has that opportunity. It's just. Is it just because we have so much access to sports all the time now, and it's so easy to get a hold of sports and watch it. It's always available. The fact that interleague play is now a regular part of the regular season. Because, remember when we were kids, like, the game of the week was like destination tv.

[Dan Bernstein]

The All Star game felt like. Felt like a unbelievably exotic novelty.

[Maddie]

Like a huge. Like a Super bowl type feeling as a kid. Yep. And twib, man, I used to. I mean, I would. I would plan my Saturdays to watch twib. Like, I. You. You hear the sound?

[Dan Bernstein]

How about that?

[Maddie]

Yeah. My God, this week in baseball was like, you did. But that's everywhere now. It's all the time. It's not. It's just not. It doesn't feel special anymore. And is that. Is that just because of the saturation of it?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, you're just old.

[Maddie]

Well, isn't it. Doesn't technology have anything to do with it?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Maddie]

Okay, so it's not just me being old. No.

[Dan Bernstein]

But it's part. It's mostly just us being old. That's what, you know, just to be hon. I mean, it's no different than people being like. Well, the Barnstormers would only come through town once every two years.

[Maddie]

I don't think it's the same thing as that. I still have my teeth. I'm not in the rocking chair. Retired.

[Dan Bernstein]

Just. No, but I'm just saying, it's like, you know, now you turn on the TV and you can watch them on the television machine. It used to be you had to wait for the Barnstorming team to come around and play the local high school. All right, so stereo octagon slideshows of the baseball players out there making contact.

[Maddie]

Excuse me while I go change my diaper. Thank you. I'll be right back.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm not. I'm not making fun of you. I'm just answering honestly because I'm. I'm right with you. That was a big deal. Vince Cully would come. That's why the Sandberg game still resonates. That's why it was important.

[Maddie]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's why it was. It was the game of the week. You had a national game. That's why I knew who all the Dodgers and Yankees were. They were on a lot.

[Maddie]

Yeah. So I guess my. My question is, if. If Trout had played in a different era and he was, like, featured in a game of the week, wouldn't that be more like, wouldn't. Wouldn't he have gotten more recognition if

[Dan Bernstein]

he had three home runs in a game of the week?

[Maddie]

Sure.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, yeah, and the news cycle allowed it two weeks, and then you forget about it. And then on Thursday, the Sports Illustrated comes out, and that weekly marking point, that was the Sports Illustrated or whatever.

[Maddie]

You know, when.

[Dan Bernstein]

When the sporting news comes and you're going through all the box scores and that's. That everything was stretched out and there were. There were abilities of. Of these different magazines to place people on the COVID that it had meaning. And was he Sportsman of the year?

[Maddie]

Yeah. Because if you had an opportunity as a kid to say, all right, this Saturday we're going to watch the game of the week, and it features this guy that's doing things only since Babe Ruth is done. It's this guy Mike Trout from the Angels, like, that would have been a bigger deal. And like you said, maybe he comes out the following Thursday and he's on the COVID of si.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. But what we've learned now is because so much more is in your control, that your personality as an advertiser is as important as your personality as an athlete. And they can be different things, and one can last longer than the other. You know, now when you think of. When you think of Peyton Manning, for example.

[Maddie]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And Peyton Manning, hall of Fame quarterback, great quarterback, multiple super bowl winner, but now you think of pitch man. Joe Namath became much more well known as a pitch man than he did as. And he was a bad quarterback who had awful numbers, but he was a big star and he won the super bowl and all that.

[Maddie]

But it's more than pitch man, though, for Peyton. Peyton Manning is. He's a celebrity and a personality. More so than just a pitch man.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. And I don't know if PCA wants to be that. See, that's what I would love to know. Has anybody actually asked him, what do you want to be as your career blossoms? Because he can do anything he wants.

[Maddie]

Yeah, I just.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's not lacking for confidence. He's not lacking for intelligence.

[Maddie]

No.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's certainly good looking enough. And his parents are both professional actors.

[Maddie]

He's good looking enough.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's a man. The rules are different for men. A man, man could look like a troglodyte. It doesn't matter, you know, and I

[Maddie]

can't, I can't remember if we, if we talked about this and off the IV this morning, if it was between shows. It had all these blurs. I just, I don't think he wants that.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's what. I don't know. That's why I'm at, like, this is cash in time. This is make the deals time. This is get on, get on this train. It's never going to be less expensive to begin a business relationship with Pete Crowe Armstrong that it is right now. Like, that's what I'm saying. Like, that's why I made the point about New Balance, that New Balance came to him when he's batting.200. Batting.200. And they, they did this deal when there were all kinds of doubts among Cub fans, people in Chicago saying, I don't know if this guy's gonna ever be anything. Well, that was a nice half a year that he had. That was fun. Remember when Pete Crowe Armstrong was good and, and at that point, New Balance, like, here you go, sign here. We want you. You don't forget stuff like that. You don't forget somebody making that bet and that kind of commitment on you and, and, and tying their big business to you. Then.

[Maddie]

Yeah. Again, my, my, this is my own gut feeling. My, my own personal opinion on it is that I don't. I would never see him away from New Balance because to me, he, he seems like the guy that. Hey, you. You took the shot.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Maddie]

You were my partner, and you're my partner through my baseball career, however long that that is. And not only that, Dan, to put on top of it, you have a great first half of last year. You have a bad second half. You start off slowly.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And then that's when they committed.

[Maddie]

But no, hang on. Then the defensive stuff started to slip a little bit, too. And you thought, what, what's going on? Like, he's, he's losing balls.

[Dan Bernstein]

Are you talking about the one, the White Sox woman? Yeah, Yeah.

[Maddie]

I mean, but like, the defensive question started coming through like.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

Remember? It was like, oh, I think Pete needs to sit down for a few days.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. What's, what's his deal?

[Maddie]

And I know some of the dumb, you know, takes on sports talk radio were, you know, he should he should. He should be benched and someone starts over him.

[Dan Bernstein]

Not.

[Maddie]

Not just a day off. They should bench him. Like, that's a dumb idea, you know?

[Dan Bernstein]

But remember, that was there, too, if you want.

[Maddie]

Yep. That was there, too. That the defensive question started to pop up.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Maddie]

And then the resilience and the rebound to where he is now. Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm trying. What other examples are there? Is there an example of an athlete having a commitment early from a company and sticking with that company? Is it? I know Michael Jordan well. Yes and no.

[Maddie]

Yes and no.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because when. When I enter. When I first interviewed Michael Jordan when I was in high school. Oh, he was. He was. He wasn't drinking Gatorade. He was drinking only whiskey. Lipton lemon sweetened iced tea.

[Maddie]

Ooh.

[Dan Bernstein]

Which is now brisk, I believe.

[Maddie]

Correct.

[Dan Bernstein]

Like Lipton brisk, but it used to just be Lipton iced tea.

[Maddie]

Lots of sugar in that sweet stuff.

[Dan Bernstein]

And that's all he was drinking. That. That was like. It was like can after can after can. And he was Filming a. The McDonald's All American Commercial in our high school gym. He was filming that commercial with McDonald's and Marcus Liberty and some other.

[Maddie]

How did you get to interview him as a high school student?

[Dan Bernstein]

I walked. I. I skipped class. I told the teacher, hey, I'm copy editor of the yearbook. And I. I knew that there was a Jordan thing going on there.

[Maddie]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I. I did the thing where you just walk in and pretend you're supposed to be there. And I told my teachers. Yeah. That the advisor for the yearbook said I could do this. It was.

[Maddie]

Did you get a question in. Were you like Dan Bernstein? I got a yearbook.

[Dan Bernstein]

I got a half an hour alone with him. Oh, wow. I just asked. I just went over and I've never.

[Maddie]

You've never told me that before.

[Dan Bernstein]

Really? It's. It. I could. I could show you the story from the yearbook.

[Maddie]

Oh, no, I'm good. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know.

[Maddie]

But I. And I.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I. But I. I just got to hang out with Michael Jordan in. What was it? 86. Right. And it was so cool. He was great.

[Maddie]

And

[Dan Bernstein]

I. I watched an actual commercial get filmed and directed. It's unbelievably tedious.

[Maddie]

Was that your junior year?

[Dan Bernstein]

Senior year? It was early in the. Early in my senior year.

[Maddie]

Okay, so then you graduated in 87.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, it was 86 into 87.

[Maddie]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

And it was. It was pretty awesome watching that. That mj.

[Maddie]

But.

[Dan Bernstein]

But I. But I was thinking, like, every time I would see him with a Gatorade I'm like, that's not what you actually drink.

[Maddie]

All right, so the question. Another.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, another guy gets early Joaquim Noah with La Coke Sportif. Because that was his father's company. Yep, his father. So I know that Noah had those weird shoes that people said screwed up his, his plantar fascia. I would imagine. OJ Anunoby is sketchers now, right?

[Maddie]

Yeah. So another guy. But that's gotten in before.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, did anybody have like a weird relationship saying, no matter what, no matter what happens, no matter how big I get, I'm sticking with this company forever?

[Maddie]

Well, what level of success do you consider Peter Armstrong? Because he's a one time all star that gets a deal.

[Dan Bernstein]

He was. Yeah.

[Maddie]

Now he's a. But he was a one time all star when he got.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's already an all star.

[Maddie]

Yeah. I mean, but is that, is that, is that like, if that's not a huge. Okay, so is that still, I don't know, level of success to say they got in early on it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, yeah. One, there's a lot of one time all Stars. Brian lahair was an all star. He didn't sign. You know, there's a lot of one time nobody remembers who actually makes all star teams.

[Maddie]

I'm gonna pour a little out for Brian lahair.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I know you do.

[Maddie]

Every day.

[Dan Bernstein]

You should. But, but, but those things to me are really cool. When somebody says, hey, look, there's always a number. There's always the, the, the, the Saudi sovereign fund. It can always come to you and add a comma and three zeros and, and blow up all of these old relationships. We know there's always a number.

[Maddie]

Well, when did, when did Tiger get endorsements? When did his start?

[Dan Bernstein]

Probably when he was 6, because he was already famous as, as a, as a youth player. I don't know. And it's funny because his company made bad equipment and a bad golf ball. The only thing that Nike still makes are clothes. Yeah, they got out of the business entirely.

[Maddie]

I didn't mind their golf balls. I never.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, the golf balls.

[Maddie]

I never swung any of their clubs. I didn't mind. I never swung any of the clubs. And that was most of the, most of the clothes I ever had were, were Nike golf clothes.

[Dan Bernstein]

But yeah, I mean, the clothes have been fine, but they're, they're.

[Maddie]

I never, I haven't bought any of this. Of his current stuff. What is it? Red Sunday or Tiger Sunday or Tiger Red Sunday or.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know. But I just, I. To put a bow on this. And maybe. Maybe some. Just to go back and watch. I will be very interested to see what companies right now are committing to PCA also, because you have the wild card of him being. You know, he might say something, he might do something. He might. You know, the honeymoon might wear off. He does like to go out every once in a while. You know, he's not. He's not caner.

[Maddie]

No, he's not caner. He's not going to fall asleep on a pool table.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. He's not going to. At some point, we could do a whole show of kaner stories.

[Maddie]

We could. Oh, I also think that you're not going to see anything happen again, like what happened at the White Sox game.

[Dan Bernstein]

Like, he flew too close to the sun on that one.

[Maddie]

Yeah. I don't. I think he. I think he learned, and I. I think he genuinely felt bad about what he did and what he said. And I think he realizes you're probably right. Yeah. I don't. I don't think you'll see anything close to that ever again.

[Dan Bernstein]

You're probably right. But that's okay. That's. That's growing up and learning. I don't want him. I don't want him to be some sort of sanitized version of himself, though.

[Maddie]

Be you, but I think you also. He's choosing to put himself in a place of responsibility as well. Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think there's. There. I think it's a pretty easy delineation between remaining yourself and avoiding telling a woman to suck your dick.

[Maddie]

Yes. Right. Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

There's probably plenty of room in there. Establish a positive, natural identity of yourself, and you're not necessarily turned into a corporate automaton simply by avoiding that behavior.

[Maddie]

You could tell some fat slob who's drunk to go fuck himself. Yeah. You could get away with that. Yes. Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

You could probably do that.

[Maddie]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

But you're right.

[Maddie]

I just.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think that we're. We're not exactly dealing with. With splitting tiny hairs here.

[Maddie]

Yeah. Right, right, Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

We are in the business of the World cup right now. This is the stuff that matters is getting serious. We're down to the good teams. The bad teams are out, but somehow some of us are still celebrating the soccer butt fumble. Every time they show that goal for the rest of my life, I am going to absolutely crack up. Watching him kick the ground and that poor defenseman go, hey, I'm standing in between the ball and the goal. What do I do? This.

[Maddie]

Wait.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, it went in the goal. Next time, note to self, do something different. So whoever you're watching, you can spend hours breaking down all the tactics and breaking down the lineups. Or here's a question. It's simpler for you. And my bookie asks this question. Will both teams score? And the reason that question is there for you is because that's a bet available at my bookie right now. There's no injury reports needed. You don't have to pretend that you watch all these different qualifying matches from the different confederations. This is just one of the biggest sporting events in the world. And you can be there with my bookie. But make sure that you have our promo code DBU for Dan Bernstein, unfiltered, that lets you claim your deposit bonus and get up to 500 in protection on your first bet at my bookie. The code DBU at MyBookie AG. And that's the kind of thing that you can do, maybe. And if you want to do all the other stuff and make complicated bets involving your knowledge and that you can do all that, my bookie has everything for you. But if you just want to bet, if both teams will score, and then you're like, okay, this is fun, I'm in. I got some skin in the game. You can do it only at my bookie. A couple notes from a baseball last night, first in that Cubs game. Every time. Now, I don't. I don't know why. Maybe it's absence making the heart grow fonder. When, When JD has been away, his replacements have been. Have been fine. But, God, I'm. I've. I'm on like a Jim Deshay's appreciation kick, where the, the close he rewards you for, the closer attention that you pay. And it's hard sometimes in baseball because baseball's on and we're slicing onions and we're sauteing them and we're doing other things and we're, you know, saying, oh, yeah, did you empty the dishwasher or did you. Did you make coffee for tomorrow? And all this stuff. So you don't always get to sit and lock into a baseball game. But, God, his little asides, his little observations. Just the funniest things, man. And I thought when. So they, they cut to the Orioles bullpen last night. Did you see this? I think it was the third inning.

[Maddie]

No, because again, I was in the car and then on a walk. So a lot of. A lot of radio time.

[Dan Bernstein]

So they, they cut it, cut to the bullpen, and they show that it's there, that it's. That Boz is going to be out there for A while his pitch counts low. There's not a lot of activity going on. And there's one guy who's kind of doing some half stretching. And JD Says, okay, it's calisthenics time there. And then I think it was actually Andrew Kittridge. Oh, there's the former Cub. How's he doing? And he had a. A thera gun. Okay. In his hand. And he's using it on his groin.

[Maddie]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

And he's, like, working it. He's got the thing kind of grinding away. And there's a pause and just goes like, careful. He just says, like, careful over there. And then he says, that's a good time to check the old equipment. Make sure you're. Make sure that protective cup still works because. Have you ever used a theragun?

[Maddie]

Yes. Yeah, we. Yeah, we use it a lot, actually. Really? Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

You don't.

[Maddie]

I don't. I don't. I've never done it in my groin.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. You know, like. No, I'm not that. I'm just saying, like, ow. It's like. It's like a little kid punching you. Or it's like a. Like a weak person punching you repeatedly.

[Maddie]

Yeah. Yeah. I wouldn't. I wouldn't advise putting it in your pants. No, you could, I guess, but. Ow.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And the second. Nobody wears cups. I don't even think catchers half the time wear cups anymore. Nobody does. And don't tell young players that, because I'm sure your travel team still mandates them.

[Maddie]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

You have to, especially for catchers.

[Maddie]

But most of these guys don't question for you. You said something a minute ago. That's what caught my attention. You were mentioning the different tasks that you do around the house while maybe the games on in the background.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Maddie]

And one of them was. Did you make the coffee for tomorrow?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Maddie]

So I'm curious to know what is this process that you have to make coffee? Because I can just put like a little pod in my Keurig and it comes out right away. What do you do to make.

[Dan Bernstein]

You really want to know this?

[Maddie]

Well, you're making coffee a day ahead of time. I mean, that's.

[Dan Bernstein]

We have three coffee makers in our house. Okay. We have the Keurig, which is. Which we got as a promotional endorsement thing at. At the score. At one point, every on air person got like this big Keurig with the water reservoir in it. Sure.

[Maddie]

Okay. They all do. Yep. It.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, this was a. It wasn't like a single cup. This is like. And it's got A. It's got a LED screen on there. Yeah. There's pictures of coffee.

[Maddie]

We have one of those. It does iced coffee as well, too.

[Dan Bernstein]

Ours does not, but whatever. So it's this old Keurig. Beth has an espresso.

[Maddie]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's hers. I don't really know how to work it.

[Maddie]

And that has the little tiny pods. Right, and they're small.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. That's all hers. I have a Mr. Coffee.

[Maddie]

And there's actually an espresso machine in our kitchen there at. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And a Keurigan in our kitchen here at work.

[Maddie]

I thought the Keurig was gone. Is the Keurig back?

[Dan Bernstein]

I didn't think it went anywhere.

[Maddie]

Yeah, I think it did because I brought in some of my own pods because I. There's certain kinds I like. And then the. The day I brought him in, I went to make one that was gone.

[Dan Bernstein]

So I think it's there.

[Maddie]

Someone's hiding it from me.

[Dan Bernstein]

So. So we have. Yeah. So she's got the Nespresso machine.

[Maddie]

Okay. Yes, go on.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I have. I have a literal Mr. Coffee.

[Maddie]

Okay, so. So when you. When you say make coffee for tomorrow, I mean grounds.

[Dan Bernstein]

A 12 cup drip coffee maker.

[Maddie]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

I pour it in, I put the coffee in. I set it to 6:20am you set a timer. Okay.

[Maddie]

So you're putting the grounds in with the filter and then the timer. Okay, that's what you mean.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. Make the coffee for tomorrow.

[Maddie]

I get you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep. And. And I'll. I'll. If I don't finish that pot, I'll drink it. Next couple of days, I just. I leave it there. I'll drink day old, two day old coffee.

[Maddie]

Oh, really?

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, yeah.

[Maddie]

You heat it up then? Or do you just.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, no. Just drink room temperature. Yep.

[Maddie]

Okay. I. Yeah, that's what I was imagining. You did just get. You know.

[Dan Bernstein]

You're judging me right now.

[Maddie]

I'm not.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, you are. Yeah, you are. Yeah, you are. No, I know that tone of voice. Don't lie.

[Maddie]

Don't lie.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, you are. You're like. Okay, that's what I thought. That's why.

[Maddie]

No, I wanted to make sure you didn't, like, you don't have like a donkey and you take a donkey into some mountain tops and then you pull your own beans.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

And then you bring them back down. The beans.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know me well over your shoulder. Have I ever. If I ever been a coffee elitist of any kind, I may be.

[Maddie]

That's what I was asking for.

[Dan Bernstein]

Come on, man. Come on, man. Come on now. Come on now. No, no, no.

[Maddie]

I buy.

[Dan Bernstein]

I buy. Kroger brand coffee is a. Basically a drug delivery system. And. And I'm drinking more of it just because the coffee here is actually better than the stuff I make at home.

[Maddie]

So you could buy better coffee at home?

[Dan Bernstein]

Have you looked at what coffee costs lately?

[Maddie]

No, because I. I buy one. I buy one kind. I buy. I buy Green Mountain pods for my Keurig, and they're not that expensive.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, yeah, they are. It's not that bad.

[Maddie]

Yeah, it is. I used to buy the Kroger brand decaf, and those are super cheap. You get like a dozen for like five bucks.

[Dan Bernstein]

I buy the. The Jewel, Signature Select, Kona, where it's like this 66 of them for 20 bucks or whatever it is. Okay, yeah, so whatever that is. And. And then Zoe says, dad, you like bad coffee. I like good coffee.

[Maddie]

Like. All right, well, who. Who drinks those?

[Dan Bernstein]

The Keurig pies, then Zoe and I pretty much. If I forget to make the coffee or on a weekend or something, sometimes I'll come down. If it's the middle of the day and I feel like having another cup, I'll just. Sure. It's just convenient that way. That's why I don't have to make the whole thing, you know? Or if we have people over and people want something after dinner, it's.

[Maddie]

Yeah, you're not. You're not making a whole pot of coffee. I get you. Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Are we good?

[Maddie]

Interesting. Yeah, we weren't bad. I was just curious what the process was. I didn't know if you roasted your own beans. And you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, I've got. I've got more baseball notes here. And you've. You have derailed my baseball notes. We have the tech to get food delivered in 15 minutes, but we all have horror stories about buying tickets. The GameTime app gives fans the advantage. Get amazing tickets in just a few taps. Fees are included. So what you see is what you pay. And the game time guarantee means authentic tickets at the best price every time. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets to concerts, sports, comedy, and more with GameTime. Download the GameTime app and create an account for $20 off your first purchase terms apply. Well, let me first say that when you need Windows, and you probably do need Windows, go to Russ Armstrong. Go to Chicago Window. Guys, do what I did, because I had no idea. I'll be just completely honest. I had no idea the difference that good windows make over the builder's basic windows that have been in the house. And it wasn't until we put in windows from Chicago window guys that I realized how much money I was throwing away. Basically heating and cooling the area outside my house instead of inside my house. Not to mention easy, clean and how they lift and how you do all that stuff. So just get the windows already. Call Russ at 847-302-9171 and have him come out to the house. Have him explain why all this other stuff you hear about these teaser deals, buy one, get one free windows, limited time, all that. It's silly there. It's he's going to explain why those gimmicks aren't what they say they are and don't add up the same way. They're just good windows do. So he'll do that. He'll match any price that you get from any other jamoke that you have out there. And it's his people that do the installation. So there's no subcontracted labor. He's not picking up a crew that day of randos unvetted to be in and around your home. They're all people who have worked for him who he knows. These are this is his crew. So you have that peace of mind as well. It's just a better way to get the best windows. His he owns the factory, the factories here in Chicago. He also has a lifetime guarantee on all parts and labor. So if your kid throws a ball through your window in the front of the house, he's going to replace it for free. But this is the kind of stuff you get from Russ and Chicago window guys you're not going to get elsewhere. So just call them. 847-302-9171. Check out his five star reviews at ChicagoNowGuys.com Taylor McGregor when she wasn't wearing her catcher's helmet last night in the sort of scary little camera well where she has to set up her staging area she said she was exposed to, you know, right handed pull hitter kind of smashing something in there. So apparently Carson Kelly gave her a catcher's helmet to wear to keep safe. She did. This is the first time I've always wondered when we see Craig counsel look to his his coach on the phone talking to the guys in the booth that are looking for the replay possibility the guy on the phone, it's not thumbs up or thumbs down. It's five. Five means challenge the calls definitely wrong. It will be overturned in our favor. That's an automatic for him to go like this because he's either gonna the umpire sees him and council Will either say, put your headset on or no, no, don't worry about it. And then he makes a face and then he says something to somebody. So if the person on the phone with, with the, the observers gives him a five, that's like, oh yeah, immediately throw the flag, overturn it. If the guy throws a one, that means don't, don't challenge. Because the call was, whatever it was, it's, it's, it's not going to be changed in our favor then. So it's one in five. Then it's either three up or three down. Three up means up to you. We've got a decent shot at it being overturned, but it's not a done deal. Three down means up to you. If, like, if it's ninth inning and it's a run, take the flyer anyway. But that's the information he has is you can challenge. You're probably not going to win the challenge. Three up is you can challenge and you're probably going to win the challenge Again, five, you're definitely going to win. One, you're definitely not. So she explains it. Okay, great. Sends it back to the booth. And Both Boog and J.D. you're like, what happened to 2 and 4? It's because he's right. Like if you're across the stadium and like looking through binoculars, I can't tell what he's into. What if by land or two if by sea, like, he's standing right in front of you. Two is not hard to differentiate from four. Four is not hard to differentiate from five. Is there a baseball reason for this? Why it's I, I get it, it's one through five, but it could just be two is, yeah, you're probably not gonna win a challenge. Four. Yeah, it's a B level chance. Abcde. I don't know, but I don't know why they do three up, three down. It's just something we learned last night and I'm glad we learned and I thought that was kind of cool. We also learned something about, about your Chicago White Sox. And this came to us from the Action Network. Their research analyst Ben Mandelowitz. And this has to do with alcohol consumption at MLB games. How much do MLB fans eat or drink? There was a survey that was provided nearly 3,500 US MLB fans. So it's pretty decent sample here. This isn't just 500 or 100. 3500 fans answered this particular survey. So there were different ways of ranking consumption at games. But congratulations are due to our Chicago White Sox and you, the Chicago White Sox fan. Well done. The Chicago White Sox fandom is the drunkest in all of Major League Baseball.

[Maddie]

Wow.

[Dan Bernstein]

And here are the metrics. It's impressive. The White Sox fans average 2.5 drinks per game. As a whole, MLB, the average is about 1.9. The Minnesota Twins are the lowest at 1.1. The White Sox are the tied for the highest with the nationals at 2.5. But what separates them are the actual hardcore drunks. Nearly 20% of White Sox fans have five or more drinks at a game. 18.5% of White Sox fans drink five or more. That is expensive. That's kind of a flex, I think.

[Maddie]

Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

I can afford five drinks in a game. Like that's. You got to have some serious ass disposable income there. 18.5% of Sox fans average five or more drinks at a game. Aren't there.

[Maddie]

Aren't there beer specials at the race?

[Dan Bernstein]

Sure, sure. But the. The lowest number, just to show you the range there. The next closest, the nationals are at 16%. So the white Sox run away with the. With the binge title there last, the Cincinnati reds. Fewer than 1% of their fans drink five or more. Fewer than 1%. So the socks are at 18.5%.

[Maddie]

To Tuesday home games, $5 beers. So if you're doing. If you're doing five at 25 bucks, that's a. That's a pretty good deal at a major league ballpark.

[Dan Bernstein]

If, if you're finding the deals, that's great. But I don't know if there was a time perhaps, when White Sox fans would drink through their sorrows because the baseball was so bad. But you don't have to do that now. They're also eating a lot when it comes to the calories that are consumed. So it is. It is a crazy amount of hypothetical. They do hypothetical pounds gained. They do calorie totals. They're looking at everything between drinks and hot dogs and all that. But, man, it may just be that the White Sox do a great job of concession sales. If they're moving through lines faster or they've trained the employees to move through lines and show all of us. Idiot. Tap your card here. You want to leave a tip. Because they do guide you. They really do help you. Because there are people like, I've never been on planet Earth before. It's like, you know, sometimes you get like, you're in line at the DMV and, you know, so I don't know how to pay for anything. Does my phone pay for this? Stuff my kids said. I hold the phone up here. And then you know you've chosen the wrong line because I'm in it. If you see me, if you see me at a baseball game at a concession stand and you're in the same line as I am, get out. I am the. I am the line timing destroyer. The cooler I can make. My presence in a concession line will automatically make it the slowest there. No matter what. I will have somebody walk up there and order something that's not on the menu. I'll have someone using like underwear labels for identification. Like my name's right here. I'm old enough to. It's. It's I somebody trying to pay with a live goat, bartering beads or seashells in exchange or something like. Just stay out of any line I'm in. Trust me. But congrats White Sox fans. You're doing yourselves proud.

[Maddie]

Well, this just looked it up here. Prices at Wrigley for a 16 ounce can. It says 15 bucks. Well, the Cubs are up there too, so 15 bucks. But I mean if you could get a five dollar draft.

[Dan Bernstein]

Cubs fans are six than average drinks and 11.4% drink five plus. But that's not the socks, man.

[Maddie]

No, it's good stuff. I think that that Tuesday home deal has got to impact that. That a little bit. I would think.

[Dan Bernstein]

Now I always half of White Sox fans pre game. So they're also counting the. The tailgating or the pre gaming that White Sox fans do. And when. When you walk from the red line to the rate. There are a lot of people, a lot of independent proprietors selling you fireball shots. You know, they buy those tubs of the. Of the. The shots and all that. So God knows what people are walking in with what they have stuffed up their crack to go in there and. And. And drink.

[Maddie]

As long as it's not crack, I'm.

[Dan Bernstein]

Who knows.

[Maddie]

Look, it's.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's the White Sox people smuggle in guns in their belly fat or. Or did. That was debunked. That didn't happen. Did we ever find out?

[Maddie]

I don't.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I don't remember this. I don't think we did.

[Maddie]

I don't.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't think they ever bothered to find out, you know, how somebody got shot, whether the shot came from outside or inside the house. But I. The.

[Maddie]

The.

[Dan Bernstein]

The. The pre gaming power of Sox fans. Very, very strong. So. Congratulations. I. I think I, I had no idea. I don't know how much is just 108ers or. Look and Even like this is with Shane Reardon not drinking anymore. Think about that. What that did to damage all these numbers. Like this is without Shane. So everything is skewed. It took it all. If you. You just. Just removing him from all of this takes everything out of it too. I don't know.

[Maddie]

Yeah. When it would have gone, it would have been like near 25.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh. Oh. Could you have imagined it would be ridiculous? So I don't think I would be able to get to my basketball store. I guess I'm gonna have to save it. That's okay.

[Maddie]

That's fine. Because I have something for you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Maddie]

This is just a quick note. So we have to get the calendars out and plan something. The Mariano is up in gurney right near me here. So this is a little less than 10 minutes away from my house.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Maddie]

Is closing permanently. Closing on July 17th.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. So this is where I have this crisis. This happened to me. Did I tell you this story? I know where you're going with it. Can I just. Do you remember Treasure Island? Yes. Okay.

[Maddie]

On Clark, right?

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, there was. There's one. There was one here in Streeterville. There was one in Old Town. There was one off of Clybourne. It was really Chicago's first kind of high end grocery. I remember they had like the cool salad bar with the other stuff on it and hot bar. We're like, oh, wow, look at this. What is this grocery store doing? And it was kind of a big deal. And Treasure island, time passed it by and it never really upgraded what it was. And it. And it went out of business. And the going out of business sale for the one on Clark. Clark and Broadway. No, it was Broadway. Is Broadway.

[Maddie]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Excuse me. It was on Broadway. And I was so excited because, you know, I love a good deal. Yeah.

[Maddie]

Oh, we know.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I went there and I'm like, oh, my God, they're giving over. This is unbelievable. I can get this. I can get this and this. And I. And I filled up a couple of hand baskets. This is at a great price here. And on my way out and I saw the lines and I felt so awful because of the number of people in there because of need and who clearly were simply there because they were hungry, large families or. And I just looked at him like, what am I doing? Like, I don't. And I set everything down. I put everything back. Every single thing. I picked off the shelves. Oh, no, I kept one thing. What did I keep? There was a bottle of wine. That was.

[Maddie]

It was.

[Dan Bernstein]

It was at the time, it was like a $25 bottle of wine for five bucks.

[Maddie]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I, this, this I'll buy. But all the food you put back, I put back. I, I was so, so. And I know. So we're gonna. You want to go and do a going out of business spree, don't you? Yes.

[Maddie]

Why not?

[Dan Bernstein]

Because that's why not. I can't do it in good conscience.

[Maddie]

Well, I don't, I don't understand that because grocery prices are really high. Last I checked. You're not, you're not a millionaire. You're not just overflowing with, with cash falling.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, but I'm not hungry. I'm privileged enough to not have to worry about hunger. I'm not, I'm not feeding a large family. I'm not, I don't have refugees. I mean, sponsored living in my home.

[Maddie]

I get what you're saying, but I don't, I don't. I mean, I, I understand what you're saying, but I also think, I mean, you still buy groceries, you spend the money that you earn on groceries. Doesn't mean you can't take advantage of a company closing a location to get some things, maybe cheaper that you would buy anyways.

[Dan Bernstein]

But there are other.

[Maddie]

At that particular grocery store, that's the store you shop at.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know, but when I go in, in the discount meat bin or the, the day old bread.

[Maddie]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

There's, you know, that's always there. It isn't like this one time thing. It's, it's always a thing that there, it's a, it, it regenerates. There's always yesterday's stuff. And I know that all the food gets thrown out and I hate that when I go see like the hot bar and they have to get rid of everything, all that fried chicken and all of the, the, the baked chicken and the sausages and the mashed potatoes and, and everything's just thrown away. That kills me to watch that happen. But I don't know, I just, it's going to, it would be hard. Ever since that experience at Treasure Island, I have looked at those, those going out of business, food sales a little differently. If it's a shoe store, I think where people are going in trying to buy fancy shoes or trying to get some deal on, on fancy clothing or something. Like if a Lululemon is going out of business, I'm not going to go feel bad.

[Maddie]

Yeah, yeah, I, I get it. Okay. Yeah, that's. And we'll just, we'll scratch that idea.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I don't.

[Maddie]

Oh, no, I'm still gonna go, but. Yeah, I'm not gonna.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Maddie]

You know. Yeah. I mean, I didn't think you could Bernstein that, but you certainly, certainly did, so.

[Dan Bernstein]

Wow. I'm just sharing a personal experience.

[Maddie]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's all. And I'll just.

[Maddie]

I'll just delete this section of the show.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, don't. Is this. Is this one of the. Was this one of the Marianas that had the smokehouse in it? Because they've gotten rid of all those. I don't know. What. What happened to those. What happened to those awesome spare ribs they used to make there?

[Maddie]

Yeah, I. Yeah, I. I don't know. I don't know if this one ever did. I couldn't tell you.

[Dan Bernstein]

The one in Wheaton had, like, the full smokehouse. There's. There was another one I did random things I stopped into because of hockey or baseball trips, and I would go into the big ones, the big Marianos that have the.

[Maddie]

Yeah, there was a big one. I can't remember where it was. I was at.

[Dan Bernstein]

The one in Lincolnwood is.

[Maddie]

Maybe Naperville, had one that had, like a. A raw bar and you could sit down and get a glass of wine and have oysters.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep. That's like. The one at New City is like that.

[Maddie]

My Marianas used to have a piano player, but now that's. That's been gone for a while.

[Dan Bernstein]

They've got a lively Thursday night jazz scene at the one here at Lakeshore East. There's always a jazz combo there.

[Maddie]

All right, so we won't. We won't do that.

[Dan Bernstein]

I feel like I should apologize.

[Maddie]

No, no, you're fine. No, I'm the one that should apologize for wanting to take advantage of. Have lower grocery prices. But that's.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I. I generally do, but I'm still scarred by. I was like, hey, look at me.

[Maddie]

Look at this.

[Dan Bernstein]

All these values, like, oh, boy. I'm sure sticking it to the man. And then there's, like, hungry children there, and I'm just like, I think I'm gonna put all this back now.

[Maddie]

Didn't see that coming. So.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Maddie]

All right then.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, sorry, I just.

[Maddie]

It's all good. Oh,

[Dan Bernstein]

all right. If you need a little bit of extra money, you know, you can do. You can win it.

[Maddie]

You should have told those people in line about my bookie.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, you wouldn't buy yourself some food. Yeah, well, now the different line. I should have told the people in line at the concession stand about it. Then they would have left, and then I could have actually gotten my hot Dog. Without missing an entire inning.

[Maddie]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

You see me in a concession line. Leave. Get out of that line, get out. Maybe go to a different concession stand entirely, because I'm going to. My presence there is going to make you miss time, I'm telling you. But we know what you can bet on right now. Whether or not both teams in one of these soccer games are going to score. It's really just that simple. Will it be a shutout? Will it not be a shutout? Will it be a clean sheet? Will one team have nil, or will one team have more than nil? That's a bet available for you on my bookie. Then there's no real scouting work that you have to do. I mean, you can if you want. You can watch a lot of film and you can go back and look at qualifying matches from the various confederations, or you can just be there with my bookie with that bet. Whatever you like to do. Use the promo code dbu and use it right now to claim your deposit bonus and get up to 500 in protection on your first bet at my bookie. The code dbu, when you register, when you deposit, that'll get you a bonus and up to $500 in protection only at my bookie. And that is. Dan. Hang on, hang on.

[Maddie]

Don't end it yet. I got a question for you. Yes, question. Because of your concession stand dilemma.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Maddie]

All right. You're going to a McDonald's drive thru. And most McDonald's now have two separate

[Dan Bernstein]

ordering areas and a waiting area. If they say you got to pull up and we'll bring your food out to you like a cold.

[Maddie]

Yes. Oh, yeah. No, all the time now. All right, so you pull up to the drive through. There's a car in each ordering area. You're the only car behind them. Do you pick one to get behind or do you. Do you hang back to see who moves first?

[Dan Bernstein]

I will if there's nobody behind me.

[Maddie]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'll wait.

[Maddie]

Okay. What if someone. What if someone comes up behind you and those two cars are still ordering?

[Dan Bernstein]

I.

[Maddie]

And you haven't. You haven't. You haven't selected an area to go to yet. There's still space between you and those two cars. Do you then pull up and make a decision?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Do you still wait generally? I'll make a call and I'm. I'm a coin flip on getting that one right or wrong. Yeah.

[Maddie]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I was just curious if it's a minivan. If it's like, clearly full of kids leaving one thing about, about that McDonald's near me is there is a lot of sports kids there because, because IK gymnastics is back there. There is McFethridge, hockey is right there. There's the Kerrywood field is there and the Chicago Fire pitch is there. So if I think that that's a minivan full of carpool kids, I'll, I mean that's, that's my call. You know the scene in up in the Air, the George Clooney Anna Kendrick movie.

[Maddie]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

With the, with Danny McBride where he's racking up all the frequent flyer miles and he's at the, at the very beginning. He's talking about how to pick the line.

[Maddie]

Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

Like those are business travelers. They'll get through faster. There's kids there, they have a stroller. I, I, I will try to diagnose those things at a, at a, at my McDonald's drive thru.

[Maddie]

Right. That's fair because I, so I make a game out of it and I choose immediately. Even there's no one behind me. So if, like, if the one area opens up, then I just consider myself

[Dan Bernstein]

screwed for that order.

[Maddie]

And I still wait behind the car, still ordering.

[Dan Bernstein]

You don't back up and try to.

[Maddie]

I don't back up and move over. No, I just say, all right, so I make a call and then, but what I do, which probably most people don't because I'm not level headed, I get angry then at the person who finishes ordering first and then drives away and then I won behind the other. They beat you? Well, yeah, it's just I get mad at them for ordering so fast.

[Dan Bernstein]

They beat you? Yeah.

[Maddie]

Like I'll give them a dirty look or maybe say something where only I can hear it in my car about me choosing you choosing poorly.

[Dan Bernstein]

Do they like point at you and nod? Like slowly roll down the window, be like, huh, huh, huh. Should have picked my lane double now. Right. So, yeah.

[Maddie]

All right. I was curious to know. I wanted to see if you could burn scene that made me feel bad again somehow. So.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, no, no, no. I, I admire the commitment there. I also know with, with Culver's, they're just going to give me a number and I'm, it doesn't matter Culver's, because

[Maddie]

Culver's makes it fresh to order. So you have to wait. You're going to wait no matter what you order.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. But I'm, I'm prepared for that. And then if, then a nice smiling person comes out and knocks on my window and hands me my food.

[Maddie]

So what's Frustrating. I've had this happen at Culver's where I'm like, maybe the fourth or fifth car waiting for the food, and somehow my order might just be with one kid, and it's one hamburger and a fry. It comes out before the car's in front of me, and I can't fit through the lane to drive away.

[Dan Bernstein]

Eat.

[Maddie]

So you have to sit and wait. Eat.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, no, that's. That's. That's the food gods telling you it's

[Maddie]

time to dig in there, Just start eating. Oh, yeah. Jackie normally does. He'll. Yeah, you get car.

[Dan Bernstein]

Hank waits to get home the first bite of a double butter burger.

[Maddie]

Okay. But here's. Okay. All right. This is interesting you bring up, because I have one complaint with Culver's.

[Dan Bernstein]

I do, too. Okay, go ahead. I'll give you. You give yours, I'll give mine.

[Maddie]

They don't melt their cheese on the burgers, and it really bothers me. I. I don't. I don't like. I. If I get a cheeseburger, the cheese needs to be melted. I expect that sometimes McDonald's. But from Culver's, I expect the cheese to be melted.

[Dan Bernstein]

I've never had that problem.

[Maddie]

I've had it more times. More times than not. It's not melted on the one on.

[Dan Bernstein]

I've never had the one on Irving Park Road here. I've never had that problem.

[Maddie]

Really.

[Dan Bernstein]

And. But what I will say is this. A. A custard trip is a separate trip from a burger and fries trip.

[Maddie]

Correct.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't. When I order, I don't say, okay, I want to get a custard for after, and I'm going to eat. No, that. That's a completely different experience.

[Maddie]

Oh, so you're saying that you'll make two transactions?

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I'm saying I won't. If I'm there to eat my meal, I don't get custard because the idea of the entropy. Custard. Entropy. The idea of. Of the. Of the custard melting.

[Maddie]

Yes. Watery.

[Dan Bernstein]

Sure takes away from my food experience because I'm worried I'm not eating the food fast enough to enjoy the custard enough. And I'm not one of these crazy people that, like, does the Wendy's thing of dipping the fries in the Frosty or the custard. It just. I. If I'm getting custard, I. Going there to get custard, and if I'm eating a meal, I'm going there to eat the meal.

[Maddie]

Right. But. But, you know, you don't eat there. So you can't eat your meal there and then get the customer.

[Dan Bernstein]

If I eat there, if it's a rare occasion, I will do a separate transaction.

[Maddie]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Maddie]

So you could just do what my kids do because they always get custard with their meal.

[Dan Bernstein]

So does Jason.

[Maddie]

They eat the custard first.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's what Jason does. I can't do that.

[Maddie]

That's what kids do. Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, he did the same thing. He's like, oh, I'm eat this. And then, and then it's fine because the, you know, the, the burger's still hot. Right. And I actually, I don't, I don't mind a burger halfway between hot hot and a little down to summer room temperature. I don't, I don't, I don't mind that because there's, there's, there's something to that.

[Maddie]

But I want the cheese melted. The cheese needs to be melted. And more times than not, it's not melted. And that's. That bothers me.

[Dan Bernstein]

I agree. I'm glad we're dealing with the important subjects here today. No, I am. These are, these are significant things. These are going to cause all kinds of responses. I promise you. When we get to Friday Feedback Friday, this is going to generate. I'm going to look at emails later this afternoon and there's going to be 15 of them all just about this.

[Maddie]

Yeah. I'm going to say there'll be people letting us know about athletes that got deals early on. There'll be other burger stories and custard things. And we might even get some responses about your decision at Treasure island not to take advantage of the cheap food.

[Dan Bernstein]

Bernstein's lying virtue signaling. That's all liberal cuck. The bots will be out in full. I told you, I was there. And the bob's lying. I was there. I saw he was taking food from the homeless people and the hungry people and he was screaming at them. Actually, he cut the line and he took everything and I went outside and he hit him over the head and he took all their food, knocked a hold this kid over, and he was screaming about communism.

[Maddie]

That's what we. So in our radio days together, it was the Bobs. And here in our podcast Times, it's the bots.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep. The AIs have taken over. Maybe somebody should make an AI Bob. Then you can really accomplish both things. There should be farms in St. Petersburg coming up with these perfect, divisive AI Bobs.

[Maddie]

It's 10:32 right now. Okay, you just asked for an AI Bob. I'm going to give. See, we post this at 11. I'm going to give strangles till 11:30 before we see an AI Bob from Strangles in our email.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'll take the under. Okay. All right, that's done. And so is this edition of Dan Bernstein Unfiltered that's been brought to you in partnership with my bookie, Dan Bernstein.

[Maddie]

Unfiltered.

[Dan Bernstein]

Unfiltered.

[Maddie]

On three.

[Dan Bernstein]

One, two, sports.