Stop lowering the expectations for Caleb Williams

Summary

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Stop lowering the expectations for Caleb Williams
Podcast: Dan Bernstein Unfiltered
Hosts: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola
Date: September 17, 2025

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Overview

Dan and Matt dive into the growing trend within Chicago Bears fandom (and broader sports discourse) of lowering the bar for rookie QB Caleb Williams. They call out what they see as a troubling habit of making excuses for a player widely regarded as a “generational talent.” The episode alternates between sharp, honest analysis and playful banter, also touching on baseball (notably the Cubs’ Cade Horton), playoff races, and a cultural advertising phenomenon Dan dubs “Iraqpo’ing.”

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Main Discussion: Caleb Williams and Expectations

Challenging the Narrative

• Bernstein is alarmed at how quickly Bears fans and media have settled for mediocrity regarding Caleb Williams, despite his “generational” label and #1 overall draft status.
• He describes a creeping normalization of subpar play: “We are doing this wheel of excuses again for this guy. Stop it.” (Dan, 05:15)

The Context and the “Generational” Myth

• Bernstein reminds listeners what it felt like when the Bears secured the #1 pick, and how sky-high expectations were.
• He prompts: if you were told then that after 19 starts, Williams would look merely average, would you have accepted it?
• “This guy was supposed to be wallpaper over all the other problems.” (Dan, 04:30)

Making Excuses — What Are We Doing?

• Dan and Matt argue that legitimate problems with coaching, O-line, etc. shouldn’t change expectations for a “one of one” prospect.
• Matt: “It should look different than the way it looks now. 19 games in for a guy of his pedigree. It's just that simple.” (Matt, 06:46)
• Dan: “Rather than saying oh well, he's just sort of this empty vessel into which this new brilliant coaching staff is going to pour all this knowledge … This guy swaggered into the NFL.” (Dan, 07:27)

The Perils of Bears Fan PTSD

• They describe how years of poor QB play have warped the standards for what Bears fans expect.
• “He doesn't want us to hold him to some Bears quarterbacking standard, which is the worst quarterbacking standard of any franchise in the history of the league.” (Dan, 12:44)

A Frustrating Offense

• They break down specific issues versus Detroit, making clear that the blame isn’t solely on Williams but offense as a unit has not delivered.
• “The defense got gashed … no, it's not his fault that we're the ones lowering expectations for him.” (Dan, 10:10)

Broader NFL Comparisons

• They reference other QBs (Herbert, Mahomes, Josh Allen) whose teams trust them to run the offense unconditionally.
• “That's what a quarterback should do in the NFL. … The Mahomes and the Josh Allens … they've got to grow beyond the coach.” (Dan, 13:28)

Fixing the Culture

• Dan: “We should just all agree that lowering the standards doesn't help anybody. And maybe that's part of the problem.” (Dan, 11:18)
• Final word: Great quarterbacks “obviate all these other headwinds.” Keep your standards for Caleb Williams high.
• “If greatness is no longer here, forget it.” (Dan, 18:24)

Notable Quotes

• “He shouldn't even be the best quarterback in the league … but it should look different than the way it looks now.” (Matt, 06:45)
• “This is not to say at all that he can't still be great. … I'm waiting. Don't just start being great.” (Dan, 06:39)
• “The immense, immense amount of talent should be producing more football success at this point, after nearly 20 NFL starts.” (Dan, 11:41)

Key Segment:
00:56 – 18:29
This block offers the full Bears/Caleb Williams segment, with the tightest arguments and examples appearing from 03:00 to 08:00 and again 10:00–12:45.

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Baseball Break: Cubs Clinching, Cade Horton, Playoff Races

Cade Horton and Pitching Analysis

• Quick shoutout to Cubs’ Cade Horton: “He attacks … it's so critical for a young pitcher. He doesn't waste any pitches … I love the fact that a modern star pitching prospect can look at him and look at efficiency.” (Dan, 28:09)
• Horton’s growth and comparison to Paul Skenes.

Playoff Picture Rundown

• Matt gives current playoff races and standings for both the NL & AL, detailing clutch performances and key injuries.
• Focus on Seattle’s Cal Raleigh, his home run surge, and MVP case, as well as comparisons to Judge (33:34).
• Also discusses NL Rookie of the Year race: Matt touts Cade Horton’s second-half dominance and stats, wishing ROY voting separated pitchers and position players.
  • “He is easily the best rookie pitcher in the National League. Should get Rookie of the Year even above all the position players.” (Matt, 36:21)
• Dan stumps Matt with a stat-trivia question about pitching streaks, leading to a Bob Gibson reference. (38:05–40:09)

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Cultural Segment: “Iraqpo’ing” in Modern Advertising

What is Iraqpo’ing?

• Origin: A 2011 Geico ad had to ID NFL player Brian Orakpo by name; the hosts coined “Iraqpo’ing” for ads that must identify the celebrity spokesperson because they aren’t recognizable enough.

Why It Matters

• “When the longtime star quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys needs to be Iraqpo’d. It tells us something about where we are as a people and a culture.” (Dan, 46:13)
• Examples:
  • Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Megan Trainor (“Not this kind of trainer. And then she says, Meghan Trainor. And I needed it. I didn’t know who that was.” Dan, 47:26), Aidan Hutchinson, Mallory Swanson callouts.
• Broader point: Fame has become niche-y; even major pro athletes now often require identification. Dan: “Everything is so siloed culturally that it’s really hard to tell who’s famous and what constitutes fame.”

Notable Rant

• Dan’s favorite ad campaign is Danny DeVito for Jersey Mike’s, until they “Iraqpo” Eli Manning: “You had it perfect. We don’t need a Manning selling everything.” (Dan, 52:55)
• Both hosts riff: if you have to ID your celebrity in the spot, “that’s just bad money.” (Matt, 54:24)

Key Segment:
41:53 – 55:41
The cultural ‘Iraqpo’ing’ breakdown starts at 41:53 and peaks with the Eli Manning Jersey Mike’s section (52:55–54:24).

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Playful Banter & Personal Touches

• The hosts repeatedly trade old stories (memories of baseball parties, Good & Plenty candies, and black licorice tastes).
• Matt jokes: “I discovered Good and Plenty's in my late 40s. It was like, what have I been missing my whole life?” (Matt, 22:48)
• Dan tells Matt he’s regressing in movie trivia to the level of a first grader.

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Notable Quotes

• “If someone had told me the day we were celebrating the Bears getting that pick … I'm gonna take you into the future … after 19 starts … still taking steps forward and steps back … We're not supposed to be here and we shouldn't keep making up reasons why it's okay to be here. It's not.” (Dan, 07:43)
• “We should just all agree that lowering the standards doesn’t help anybody.” (Dan, 11:18)
• “When the longtime star quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys needs to be Iraqpo’d … it tells us something about where we are as a people and a culture.” (Dan, 46:13)
• “If you pay someone money, you shouldn’t have to Iraqpo them, then that’s bad money spent.” (Matt, 54:24)

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Timestamps of Most Important Segments

• 03:00 – Dan & Matt begin full-throated discussion of Caleb Williams expectations and excuses.
• 06:45 – Matt on how it should “look different, period.”
• 10:10 – Discussion of the offense’s failure not being solely on Williams.
• 13:28 – Dan on the mindset and responsibilities of franchise QBs.
• 18:00–18:29 – “If greatness is no longer here, forget it.” Dramatic capstone to the main topic.
• 28:09 – Bernstein’s pitching praise for Cade Horton.
• 33:34 – Cal Raleigh, Yankees/MVP, and playoff races discussion.
• 36:21 – Matt on NL ROY: “He is easily the best rookie pitcher in the National League.”
• 41:53 – “Iraqpo’ing” segment begins.
• 46:13 – “When the longtime star quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys needs to be Iraqpo’d …”
• 52:55–54:24 – Jersey Mike’s, Eli Manning, and the issue with IDing celebrities in ads.

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Final Thoughts

The episode drives home two central lessons:

• For Bears fans: Don’t cave to institutional malaise—demand more from a supposed superstar, just as you’d want for any elite player on another franchise.
• For pop culture: Acknowledge the fragmentation of mass culture, and laugh at the strange new markers of modern “fame” (and ad agency mistakes) along the way.

Tomorrow’s Guest: Courtney Cronin (Bears coverage)
Friday: Cowboys guest (opponent insider)

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For Further Engagement

• Bernstein asks listeners to keep emailing examples of “Iraqpo’ing” in ads.
• Closing banter rounds out the episode with trademark wit and sarcastic warmth.

Transcript

[A]

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered Unfiltered on 3 1, 2Sports.

[B]

Seen Unfiltered on 3 1,2Sports. Today's episode brought to you in partnership with my bookie. I'm Dan Bernstein. That's Matt Abaticola. And we are going to talk about the way we're talking about Caleb Williams right now because I think something weird is happening and maybe it's just my perception of. But I don't think it is. And I think we need to agree on something here. As a, as a people, as a Bears fandom, as it were, Kate Horton for the Cubs again was brilliant. And I just, I love the way he's pitching. The Cubs are on the precipice of a clinch. So by the time you're watching this, maybe you're on your way home from work and maybe that is already set. And the Cubs will have their little party and Ed Farmer will show up in his baseball pants, as is tradition. The ghost of Ed Farmer.

[A]

Okay, there we go.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, actual. I just. That's one of my favorite clinching memories. I'll always have that. It's whatever the party was, whether it was drunken Steve Trout in 84, there was Lamar Hoyt in 83 passing out with a burrito on his chest, and there was the famous vision of Ed Farmer who had donned baseball pants before heading into the White Sox locker room in Minnesota, I believe.

[A]

Yeah. I just remember you and Terry in red baseball pants at some remote.

[B]

I have them. That's not some remote. That was actually at the ballpark when Brooks Boyer got us our Jose Abreu Cuban baseball pants.

[A]

Oh, is that what it was?

[B]

I don't remember exactly. We had the Jose Abreu T shirts. We had the bright red pants.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

The red socks. And Terry ate almost an entire ice cream helmet sundae.

[A]

Oh, one of the, like full size helmets.

[B]

Yeah. Like 10 scoops of ice cream or something like that. It's like a $55 one.

[A]

Yeah. I just remember the picture and remember thinking, I've never seen two guys look more unathletic in baseball pants than. Than that photo.

[B]

We looked awesome.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

It's just the pants. Red pants make you look like that.

[A]

Yeah, no, yeah, we'll go with. We'll go with awesome for the show.

[B]

Yeah, no, I have the picture and I can tell you right now that it still looks great. Okay. After we get done talking about Kate Horton and you've got some MLB stuff also, and this is really important. Today, there is a socio cultural sports television phenomenon Even beyond sports. And it's something that we noted for the first time many years ago, probably at least 10 years ago.

[A]

@ least. Yes.

[B]

Which is what gave rise to the term and when it first occurred. The namesake of this phenomenon is a former NFL Pro bowl linebacker. And maybe you remember what I'm talking about. But because of the erosion of the American monoculture, we are seeing this particular phenomenon in epidemic numbers. And we're going to talk about that today on Dan Bernstein Unfiltered. But first we have to decide how we're talking about Caleb Williams, how we're evaluating Caleb Williams and the kinds of things that we're saying. We have to catch ourselves and remember the context here, sort of remember where we are rather than being in this game to game tunnel of outcomes, stats, results, quotes. And we're already in that season routine where we are used to hearing certain things and forgetting the larger picture. Caleb Williams has had 19 NFL starts. 19. I was dismayed after Game 2 to hear some of the comments being like, well, he was better. There's, there's. And then you see, well, statistically, last year to this year, there's, there's growth. He's getting better. He is not Kyle Orton. He's Caleb Williams. The Bears, when he was drafted, the moment that Lovey Smith's Texans won that game, the moment that the realization set in that the Bears had the number one pick and the excitement. Remember how you felt there? And if someone had told you in that moment when you knew the Bears had the number one overall pick and someone said, well, after 19 starts, he'll have a rating about 89, right in the middle of the pack. The Bears are bad, but he's not awful. How would you have felt? How would you have felt in that moment? The answer is probably not great because that's not what this was supposed to be. It's not that guy. This guy was supposed to be a wallpaper over all the other problems. Level of talent to be. No matter who's in the offensive line, no matter how many points you're giving up, you are in every game because he's the quarterback, because you have him, because of the magic that he can work on the field. And now we're okay with, well, he was better in his, in his 19th start than he was in his 18th. We are, we are doing this, this wheel of excuses again for this guy. Stop it.

[A]

Yeah, I don't, I don't like it in the fact that people are saying, well, it's only been two games and it's a new offense and it's a complicated offense and Ben Johnson is a first time head coach and you know, he's even said that they're still getting, he's getting to know the player. Caleb Williams uses that phrase. And still getting to know his teammates and still getting to know each other. Those to me are just excuses that you use for a, a prospect that you were uncertain of what he was going to become in the NFL. This he was categorized as a generational talent. The number one overall pick, the guy that makes your players better, makes everybody.

[B]

Makes your coaches better. He's supposed to make everything better. He's an NFL quarterback. He's the number one overall pick at the most important single position in all of team sports. And he was picked above everybody else. And we're still saying well okay, you know, it's not, it's not so bad. And he's, his footwork is getting better. His decision making is getting a little bit better. Sure. He threw that horrible pick and this is not to say at all that he can't still be great.

[A]

Correct.

[B]

It's just. I'm waiting. Yeah, don't just start being great.

[A]

It should be further along. 19 games in and I don't care who the coaches are, I don't care who your offensive line is. Yes, that makes a difference. I get it. I'm not stupid to think that does don't have an impact on how he performs. But if you're the generational talent, the one of ones and you're 19 games in, it should look different, period. That's all I'm saying is that it should look different. I'm not saying he should be the MVP of this league this year. Those weren't the expectations. He shouldn't even be the best quarterback in the league. I'm not saying that those are the expectations, but it should look different than the way it looks now. 19 games in for a guy of his pedigree, it's just that simple.

[B]

It's also more of a two way street too that rather than saying oh well, he's just sort of this empty vessel into which this new brilliant coaching staff is going to pour all this knowledge and they'll change his footwork and they'll fix this. This guy swaggered into the NFL.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Remember that. This guy came in, managed to the point where maybe he doesn't want to play for the Bears or maybe he's going to try to game the system to play for somebody else so he can maximize everything. He's got this this multimillion dollar college player coming in here, have him say, hey, Ben, here's what I want to run. And here's him. We're going to run it. Here's a little bit of what I need to see in practice to maximize what I'm doing. This is where I want these guys lined up on this play. And we're treating him very, very differently. And over time, it's happened. We sort of boiled this frog and we didn't feel it happening. But where we are now, I can't stress enough if someone had told me the day we were celebrating the Bears getting that pick and we're like, holy shit, they're getting Caleb Williams. And all of a sudden, I don't know, it just happened. And they said, well, what's going to eventually happen? Well, I'm going to take you into the future. The ghost of Bears future is going to take you away and show you that after 19 starts, an absolutely moribund team is going to have him still playing, still taking steps forward and steps back, having a stretch of good play that's been mitigated by head scratching, mistake, bad decision, taking too many sacks, etc. We're not supposed to be here and we shouldn't keep making up reasons why it's okay to be here. It's not.

[A]

And listen, and this is not all based on a win loss record. It's not. You know that they're. They're 5 and 14 in his 19 starts and they're 0 and 2 to start his second season. This is not based on a win loss record. They could still be 02 and he could be having a much better season than he's been having. They basically split the time of possession with the Detroit Lions last Sunday, and The Lions scored 52 points. You could score more than 21.

[B]

Right? See that? Which is why I don't look at time of possession, because the Lions only possess the ball until they put it in the end zone.

[A]

Yeah. No, no, it didn't take them very long. No, but. But I'm not saying. But the point of that was it wasn't like it was. The Bears had the ball for 12 minutes. You had the ball for 30 minutes. That's a lot of opportunity to score more. You can score more than 21 points and still lose that game because your defense is terrible. Those are two separate things. Yeah, I'd rather not win in the game. I'm not mad that they lost. Like, I'm not mad at Caleb that they lost. The defense got gashed was terrible.

[B]

No, I'm mad at us. I mean, it's not really Caleb, it's not his fault that we're the ones lowering expectations for him. That we as a fandom are just. It's been a constant stream of disappointments. And with every time you think, now it's starting, now it's catching fire, now it's coming, another great opening drive and everything is on time. And then you get a penalty and things get set back and then things. You're fighting against the sticks and you're fighting against members of sticks, which you don't want to do because Dennis DeYoung will beat your ass. Throw dildos at your head too.

[A]

With Grandma.

[B]

Yes, he and grandma both reaching into the bag and firing a match.

[A]

But that's just the thing though. Then people are to say, oh, well, you know, it's not just on Caleb. No, it's, it's not. The offensive line has been terrible, the penalties have been terrible. That you look at the head coach, that stuff should be cleaned up, should be better. Like I expected the play to be their play to be clean, to be clean and to be as most effective as this team could be right now with Ben Johnson. So my expectations were just too high for this guy. As a first time head coach.

[B]

I think we should just all agree that lowering the standards doesn't help anybody. And maybe that's part of the problem.

[A]

Yeah, he's not a game manager. He's not supposed to be a guy that you win on defense and rushing the football and he just doesn't, you know, create turnovers. That's not Caleb Williams.

[B]

It's, it's the, it's the Kyle Orton trap where here was a guy who, a guy, the quarterback gets hurt and your, your rookie has to start and man, what an adorable story. And they give him a couple of plays, he's got a run and they win games and they win games and they win games. And then afterwards you're thinking, oh, he's, he's probably good. No, he was never good. And then I understood some of the excuse making there because people wanted him to be good. This is not that. This is a completely different species of quarterback, prospect and talent. The immense, immense amount of talent should be producing more football success. At this point, after nearly 20 NFL starts and we're still talking like he's either a rookie or applying the, some undrafted free agent rubric to, to him, the, Everything was set higher. He said it higher, his dad set it higher. From the moment the guy was playing competitive Football. Now he's here in the NFL. He doesn't want us to lower expectations.

[A]

Right.

[B]

He doesn't want us to hold him to some Bears quarterbacking standard, which is. Which is the worst quarterbacking standard of any franchise in the history of the league. What? Why are we doing that?

[A]

Yeah, no, you're exactly right. And I just. It's. It's been so frustrating just to see that after 19 starts, we're still like, all these. Not even the 19 starts. It's the two. The two starts this season that we're creating all these excuses. And we can look at his numbers from last year and say, well, comparatively speaking, to the rest of Bears history, he did really good numbers for a rookie season. Great. But look at those numbers in the modern NFL. Yeah, they're great for the Bears organization, but it's just, yeah, he had a decent year, but he was the number one pick.

[B]

It's about watching. It's still about watching other games. And everybody here. And I know that you listening to the show, you watch other NFL games and you see other systems and other teams and other quarterbacks just doing more things that help their team win. I was watching Justin Herbert the other day closely, and what they ask him to do, what Jim Harbaugh is. Has no problem at any point, any score, any situation, anytime, putting the game in his hands and saying, run, run the offense. Give yourself some options, but we trust you to do it. And that's. That's what a quarterback should do in the NFL. That's what. That's what your job is. That's what that level of trust is going to be. With everything that Ben Johnson says, what the quarterback has to see it through my eyes, that that's got to be the extension of the coach on the field. Fine. And then you also have to trust the player. The guys like the. The Mahomes and the Josh Allens and these guys who are able to see things and do things that the coach couldn't see on his best day, they've got to grow beyond the coach that ideally, the coach just gives the. Puts the framework in and says, here's what I trust you to do. You make the right decisions, you see what you have to see. And then I want. I want the coach on the sideline, you know, flipping up his little mouthpiece and going, hey, I didn't. I didn't see that. Good job, man.

[A]

You know, and we've talked a lot about the two opening drives where the Bears have scored touchdowns now, something they were unable to do all of last year and how they're scripted. And if we're so successful in the scripted plays, why can't it be more productive beyond that? Well, go back and revisit in your brain that opening drive against the Minnesota Vikings. Yes, it was scripted. Did it go as planned, though? It did not. Because there was a lot of pressure and there was a lot of breakdown in the offensive line where he created. Yes, the plays were scripted, but he created and generated positive plays by moving his feet, by looking downfield, by throwing the ball downfield and creating by running. So, yes, it was scripted, but yet he created out of that chaos. So if he has that ability, that's what I want to see more often. Now, I can't expect that every drive, but he has that in him to be that guy that makes everything around him better, regardless of what happens around him, he has that success within him. So why can't we see that more often? Why does it break down?

[B]

And they're probably telling him not to because they want to make the plays from the pocket, they want to work their offense and they only want him out of there and doing that stuff if the need arises. And that's a bad sign, perhaps when the need arises. It's how you marry the two of them. And that's that. That's all coaching is, is trying to figure out how to use the talent when the talent isn't a in case of emergency, use talent where nobody's blocking for me, I've got to get out and do something. And he throws that. That perfect strike to. To a dunes a just an unbelievable play. How do you build that into the planned offense is the question.

[A]

But you. But that's hard. That's hard to do because that comes out of chaos and dysfunction and a breakdown of the system. And when that happens, you can't limit him. You can't say, hey, it may, but I need you to stay in there. But if it's not there, don't do it. Like, what's more important? Is the success of your system more important than positive yards and winning football games? What. What's more important to you as a coach?

[B]

Well, the most important thing to me right now is that we agree to maintain a high standard, superstar standards for Caleb Williams at this position. That is the one that can make everything better. However, it's fixed the focus and I know the defense just sucks ass right now and so many things are going wrong, but it still doesn't obscure the fact that if the quarterback is great, everything can be fine and Caleb Williams was brought here to be great regardless of anybody else, anywhere else on the roster. If indeed he fulfills his promise that got us so excited, he can obviate all of these other headwinds. And if that is understood and that's the standard and that can be done, things can still be okay. I'm gonna end this on an optimistic note that if it's understood that that's still in there and it's agreed that we haven't taken the ceiling down because we can't do that if we've already done that, then the whole thing shot.

[A]

It'S off the rails completely.

[B]

The whole thing shot. If you already. If we. If greatness is no longer here, forget it.

[A]

Yeah, Dan. And if you're. If your defense is bad, that doesn't mean your offense has to be as well. And I know that they, they go hand in hand, they impact each other. I get that. But if your defense is getting off the field quickly because they're giving up point after point after point after point, it's more opportunities. Which is why I was pissed he was pulled out of the game on Sunday. Those that was over seven minutes of opportunity to run your offense with your number one quarterback. He wasn't in danger there of being hurt. It wasn't like he had 12 sacks at that point. He wasn't being clobbered and killed and destroyed. Like give him that opportunity to play more. Even if your defense is bad, your offense can still play good football.

[B]

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[A]

Oh, there's already a heated debate.

[B]

Oh, I know, I know. Yeah, we were getting into it off the air. I don't know if that's going to make it to the air, but you're wrong about that. You're 100% wrong.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

No better time to jump in. No better place to play. Football's back. Let's make some money with my bookie. Also, thanks to everybody who was giving us some feedback yesterday, saying that I sounded weird. I do sound weird, because I'm still sick. That's why. So I'm better. And I'm probably gonna come in tomorrow. But it's not my microphone. It's my head.

[A]

It is. Yeah. You're very blowy.

[B]

Yeah, I'll be fine. This is the tail end of it. I'm getting out. I may just. I'm going to work out super hard today and try to just sweat everything out and.

[A]

Yeah, there's a lot coming out, too. It's.

[B]

I know. I'll be all right. But thanks for the concern. For everybody saying, hey, I think something's wrong with Bernstein's mic. No, something's wrong with Bernstein.

[A]

Yes. Period. Which is generally the something else is wrong with Bernstein.

[B]

Right. Add it to the list.

[A]

All right. Hey, I have to mention this quick before we move on, because it's. I've been staring at it since yesterday and it was mentioned in an email. Your box of Good and Plenty. Yeah, I just. I mean, about it. Nothing. It's just. I need to go out and buy a box now. And there was an emailer that said, how are a commenter on YouTube that said how much they love Good and Plenty as well. I just. It's. It's like strategically placed that. It's just. It's in my. It's in my. My eyesight the entire time we talk.

[B]

I absolutely just love the hell out of Some Good and Plenty.

[A]

Oh, they're so good.

[B]

It's so good.

[A]

One of the best.

[B]

Yep. The story in. In my family goes to when I was 2 or 3, in our old old house on Warrington and Deerfield, my mom had bought Halloween candy and she was storing it in the. In the garage. And apparently I figured out. I don't remember this, but as the story goes, I figured out how to get. How to open the garage door. Like reach up, open the garage door and go in there. And I found the Halloween candy. And apparently I ate all or Most of the Good and Plenty nice as a toddler.

[A]

So I didn't like black licorice flavor growing up. It wasn't until I was an adult that the flavor didn't bother me. My dad always. Yeah. And, you know, I liked. As an Italian man, I liked sambuca, but you put the coffee beans in it, it kind of mellows out the flavor a bit. You get to smell the aroma of the coffee.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So it's not as strong. But it was being around my Greek friends. Not Rusty from Stickney, but my boys at chrisoulas and the ouzo. So Uzo. We got into the Uzo, and then I was like, all right, this is actually really, really good. I enjoy it now. And that got me on to black licorice. And then I discovered Good and Plenty's in my. In my late 40s. It was like, what have I been missing my whole life?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because I was the kid that would buy the Chuckles and I'd get rid of the black licorice one because it was like. Yeah, I know. I didn't like it. I didn't. I wasn't a fan of the flavor. But now. Yeah, now it's good stuff.

[B]

Yeah. I thought there was something. Some people say that there's, like, a genetic thing, like with cilantro that some.

[A]

Oh, yeah. It tastes like soap to some people.

[B]

Yeah. There's some people that just. That can't enjoy it or just don't like it or it tastes. But there is. I've talked about it before, the black licorice stuff. And I want to say. Oh, what was the guy? Terry.

[A]

The Terry Bors?

[B]

No, he's the writer over at wbbm. He showed up one day and brought me a. Like, a sampler platter of all of these exotic black licorice. Because he's also a huge fan. Okay. And there's a candy store somewhere on the. On in, like, Lakeview that has a black licorice bar of some kind. And you can just take little bits of things of these Dutch salted black licorice unsweetened. There's almost like. They're like the Sen. Sen kind of stuff. It almost tastes like. Like tar.

[A]

It was good.

[B]

Yeah. Like, really intense.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

The European salted gun, if you want to challenge yourself. Like, the ultimate hardcore black licorice stuff. And then I was where people say, hey, don't you can get a heart arrhythmia from too much of it. That there's a chemical in there. And especially in those. The non. Like, Mainstream candy versions that can. If you have too much of it, you can have a heart attack. Oh, death by black.

[A]

Probably a bad thing then.

[B]

Right? But it's so good, though.

[A]

Yeah, you know, it is good. And so now I'm. That's. That's one of my. On my list for today for Wednesday is to get a box of Good and plenty. Yep.

[B]

You should do that.

[A]

I'm going to do that. So. Thank you. Hey, did you. I don't know if you noticed my shirt. Yeah, it's kind of hard to tell because it's the small. The small logos.

[B]

Yike. There's no way I can.

[A]

Yeah, okay. Yeah, up close you'd see it. It's all Vanderbilt stuff. It's my new Vandy polo that Natalie got me.

[B]

Just because of Diego Pavia.

[A]

Just because of Diego Pavia. Let's go three and. Oh, baby, my doors. Let's go.

[B]

Right. She could probably actually have Diego Pavia come over and sit next to you at this point.

[A]

Oh, he'll be on the show. Don't worry.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

We're talking. That's happening. I mean, we are the unofficial official show of Vanderbilt football and Tulane Greenway football.

[B]

Oh, great. I love it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

By the way, is this a good time? Should we mention our guest tomorrow?

[A]

Yeah, sure. Why not?

[B]

Go ahead.

[A]

Want me to do it? Okay. Yeah, no. So here's what we're going to do moving forward because as you know, again, we're evolving the show week by week. And so my goal for our show is on Thursdays to have a Bears centered guest and on Fridays to have a guest from the opposing team to kind of get an inside look or behind enemy lines. So tomorrow I'm really excited to have. Courtney Cronin is going to join us here on Forward Progress. So very excited to have that. And then, yeah, we'll have a Cowboys guest on Friday. And then still looking to do so, we had Jack Silverstein on a couple Wednesdays ago, so would like to maybe get a guest on DBU on Wednesdays as we're progressing and evolving and developing the show as it goes.

[B]

One thing about doing the show from here is I can look up and I can see some windows here that were installed by Russ Armstrong and Chicago Window guys. He came out to the house, I needed windows, and he had these brochures and he said, what kind of windows do you want? Special low emissivity double pane windows that are going to save you all kinds of money on your heating and cooling. Said, yeah, sure, those windows are great. Can I see through them? Are they glass? Do I have to know anything about them? He's like, no, no, don't worry about it. He said, let me go make the windows as. What do you mean make the windows? He said, well, I custom make all the windows and he makes them locally here in Chicago. Chicago Window Guys will do all of that for you as well. Russ will come to your house and his people will install the windows. No subcontracted labor. So the same people that put these in are going to put yours in. He's got a price match guarantee. So when you hear all this stuff from all these giant window companies about buy one, get one free, you're 50% off. Don't worry about it. He's got the best product, the best price guaranteed, and he'll tell you why those deals aren't what they say they are. Call Russ 847-302-9171. His 5 star reviews are all available for you to review at Chicago Window Guys. It's 847-302-9171 chicagowindow guys.com.

[A]

I'Ll be calling Russ. So thank you for that number. I jotted it down. That, that little bit of information that we needed that's back in the studio there. We only had six. We only had six things. We didn't have seven. Yeah. So.

[B]

All right. Are you sure? All right. Okay. Well, I trust them. I trust our folks back there because I'm very. It's really important for me to present what we are.

[A]

Well, I had, I had. I had them send a picture to. Take a picture and send it to me so I could see it. Yeah.

[B]

Then I've got all six. Yeah, you're right.

[A]

No, you remembered it. That was very. I'm very impressed. Even. Even with, with your Bernstein brain. Yeah.

[B]

Whatever's going on.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Kate Horton was great again last night. And here's the thing about Horton is as the Cubs are getting ready to clinch, at some point, he attacks. He. And it's, it's so critical for a young pitcher who is not going to get 100 pitches or 90 pitches or whatever. They've decided that limit is every single day. He doesn't waste any pitches. I love how he stands there and picks out what he wants to do and attacks. He doesn't nibble. And you can do that when you have stuff at his age for him to be learning that. And it's especially seeing him up against Paul Skeens yesterday who just. He didn't. He didn't. He didn't have it. I thought he was going to be out early and maybe had Willie Castro gotten a hit. It did seem the way people were stirring at that point, that they might have chased Skeens early and it's fine they left him in. They got the win. And Skeens, what Is he like 180 innings at this point? Yeah, which is why you can't even compare these guys for, for Cy Young or anything like that. But Horton is clearly, clearly a potential star when he can trust a four seam fastball the way he does and just throw it by people. And his ability to challenge guys right now and say you're just not going to get a good look at this or you're going to, you're going to be over swinging on the breaking ball because you can't identify things soon enough. I love it and I love the fact that a modern star pitching prospect can look at him and look at efficiency and look at how to not waste competitive opportunities with every pitch. He trusts his stuff. They trust that he trusts his stuff.

[A]

Yeah. So the Cubs get that win last night 4 to 1. Cade goes five innings, six strikeouts. His ERA on the season is 2.66. And as you mentioned, the Cubs can clinch today with a win. So one more win. Magic number of one for the Cubs. Matthew Boyd takes on Johan Aviedo. It is an early game for the Cubs out in Pittsburgh in September. Aviedo, three earned runs, 10 and 2/3 inning pitched for the month. Want to take a quick look at the National League and American League, Dan? Because I'm getting very excited about playoff baseball. I cannot wait. I am so excited for it to start. And here's how things look right now in the National League. The Phillies and the brewers are the only two teams to have clinched a playoff berth at this point. The Phillies have clinched their division. Milwaukee with a playoff berth. The Dodgers on top of the NL west by two games over San Diego. The Cubs that we mentioned can clinch and a playoff berth with a win this afternoon. The Padres, they lead the Mets by four games in the five seed. They play again later tonight. The Mets in the sixth spot in the NL playoffs. They lead Arizona by a game and a half. Who leads the Reds by a game and a half. So there's still some possible movement at the bottom of the NL playoff picture. In the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays on top of the AL east by five games over the Yankees. Tigers lead the Guardians by five and a half and the Mariners lead Houston by half a game.

[B]

Yeah, you saw there were Some. There were some notable injuries. I just want to add that.

[A]

Yeah, go ahead. Yeah, absolutely.

[B]

Bo Bichette is hurt and they're hoping to have him back in time for the playoffs. And Jordan Alvarez sprained his ankle like slipped on home plate and they're concerned about. That's apparently a serious ankle injury for him.

[A]

Okay. Houston has a half a game lead over Boston. Boston is in that six spot in the AL playoffs right now. Two and a half up on Cleveland. Cleveland is one game better than Texas. So not all decided there with about 11 games to go. So lots of movement possibly at the bottom of both the AL and the nl. Two things I want to look at real quick. Did you see the Seattle and Kansas City game last night? Any highlights of it or the box score at least?

[B]

Yeah, I saw the Cal Raleigh has tied or broken the franchise home run record set by Ken Griffey Jr. Yeah.

[A]

So here's what happened last night. 12 to 5, the Mariners get the win. It's their 10th in a row, I believe. I was looking at the box score because, yeah, the Cal Rally story is what's. What's going to pop up here. But looking at the box score, Dominic Canzoni, he's outfielder. He was dh. Been playing limited playing time for the Mariners. Called up in the season. He was five for five last night, Dan with four runs, four RBIs and he hit three home runs. And he wasn't the story of the game. He's only had 214 at bats on the year, but he's hitting.304, 363 on base with an.854 OPS, 10 home runs, 28 RBIs and limited play, but five for five last night, three home runs. Cal Rally was three for five with three RBIs, two home runs. So what he did with his two home runs last night, 55 and 56. He passed Mickey Mantle for most home runs for switch hitters. And then he tied Griffey Jr. For the most home runs by a Mariner with his 56. So he's on pace for 60. Aaron Judge has 62, which is the most by an AL hitter. So that that's in target with 11 games to go. Rally with 130, 137 hits, 118 RBIs, 56 home runs, a.951 OPS. On pace for 60 home runs. Clearly is the AL MVP. I mean, his team's. His team's on top of the division by five games. Clearly he's the MVP of the al.

[B]

It's an Interesting case pitting him against Judge just because Judge is a Yankee. And with all of that and the fact that the whole west coast, we don't get to see the games, etc. But I agree with you. I think objectively he is. And I'm gonna see if this is a major test of the east coast bias when it comes to so many of these things, because there's, you know, Aaron Judge, they're shaking hands with the president. And Aaron Judge does lead in wins above replacement. He's an 8.8 F war. Cal Raleigh is at 8.4. Both remarkable seasons.

[A]

Yes. Unbelievable. And to. If. If he were to win it at an 8.4 F war, like, you couldn't be mad about that. Oh, Aaron Judge, he. He was leading the league in F. It's 8.8 against 8.4. It's not like there's a disparity of three or four, you know, wins above replacement. It's there. They're right there, neck and neck. He may not win because of that New York bias like you talked about, the fact that he is a Yankee, but, I mean, he's having an MVP season. And for me, it's really more important how your play impacts your team season. And his team, again, is on top of the AL west by, I'm sorry I said five, by half a game over Houston. So they're. And I'm not sure what they were picked to do before the season started. Did anyone have the Mariners winning that division? I mean, Cal Raleigh coming out of this season with the numbers he's put up, no one saw that. For me, he's the MVP in the al, and that's the way it should go. I want to take a quick look, Dan, at the National League Rookie of the Year, which I believe should go to Kate Horton. He's. He's. He's in the conversation, though, with two other players. Drake Baldwin, the catcher for The Braves, he's hitting 3.364 at bat, 16 home runs, an average of.266 and.771 OPS.

[B]

They.

[A]

They look at, you know, how the season ended and how you impact your team's play. His last 30 games, he's had three home runs, a.224 batting average,620 OPS. Also in the conversation, left fielder for the Brewers, Isaac Collins.356 at bats, nine home runs, a.270 average, a.789 OPS.80 his last 30, a.689 OPS, two home runs, 216 average. Kate Horton, though, on the year 11 and 4 record, he started 21 games, 115 innings pitched, and a WHIP of 1.10 in his second half, which to me is huge.11 games started, 8 and 1 record, an ERA of 0.93 a batting average of balls in play.195, 0.79, 0.789 WHIP. And he is in the second half. 3.47 strikeouts to every walk. I mean, it's just a dominant second half for a team that is fourth in the wild card going to the playoffs. He's been the best pitcher in the second half for the team. I don't like that the Rookie of the Year category includes position players and pitchers. I think they should look at that differently. He is easily the best rookie pitcher in the National League. Should get Rookie of the Year even above all the position players.

[B]

Let me conclude this with a little piece of trivia that uses the old stats rather than new stats, but it's fun. So I'll make an exception in this case for the use of wins, which I usually don't like for pitchers, but it's too much fun. This came from a tweet from something called Opta Stats. Okay. Kate Hortons. 8 and 1 over his last 11 starts, he's allowed just 6 total runs over that span. In the modern era, the only other MLB pitcher to have eight plus wins and six or fewer runs allowed over an 11 start span in a single season was Jake Arietta. No. Ooh, you can ask Scherzer, you. Nope. You can ask yes and no questions and. Okay, I will. We'll see if we can get you there. The only other MLB pitcher, eight or more wins and six or fewer total runs allowed over an 11 start span in one year.

[A]

All right. Yes or no? Quite. Was he a man?

[B]

Yes. Okay.

[A]

All right, so that eliminates a lot. Okay.

[B]

Are you gonna do a bit or are we gonna do this? Why?

[A]

What do you mean?

[B]

Just. Just tell me if you're gonna do a bit or if you're. If you're just trying to make me mad. Are you?

[A]

I was just trying to make you mad. I'm sorry.

[B]

Okay, so. But do you want me to just tell you then?

[A]

Just tell me.

[B]

Seriously.

[A]

Why do you gotta be three weeks in? You're just like now. It's okay. All right, you got me. Sorry.

[B]

Well, no, because it's.

[A]

Because my next question was, did he have two arms or one?

[B]

So, okay, see, this is the kind of thing I used to do with Jason when he. Or 7 or 8. And I did what we did with all sports just to. I would never give an answer to this until he did the work to do the differential diagnosis to figure out who it was, because that's how you made him smarter at sports.

[A]

So you realize I don't have the maturity level that Jason had at 6, 7, and 8.

[B]

So are you gonna throw a tantrum?

[A]

No, I'm not gonna throw a tantrum, but I'm gonna ask dumb questions to make the audience laugh. But go ahead and tell me who it was.

[B]

Well, maybe I'll give you.

[A]

I gave you two guesses. I gave you what I thought were two really good guesses.

[B]

All right, how about this? It happened in a season so dominated by pitching that they changed the rules of baseball.

[A]

Was he in Atlanta? Brave?

[B]

No. What was the famous year where pitching was so dominant it caused them to lower the mound?

[A]

1903.

[B]

1968.

[A]

Oh, okay. Sounds close.

[B]

It was the midst of one of the greatest single pitching seasons any individual has ever had. It was. It was 1968. Bob Gibson.

[A]

Oh, Bob Gibson. 68. Okay.

[B]

Yes. Kate Horton is doing something that hasn't been done since 1968. Bob Gibson.

[A]

Okay. No, that's. That's amazing. No, that's. But I just. You said. When you said modern era of baseball. I don't consider 1968 modern era of baseball.

[B]

Well, it's anything. The 1800s were the ancient era of baseball. The pre modern era.

[A]

Okay, that's fine. We can agree to disagree.

[B]

There's no agreeing or disagreeing. There's a definition of it, but no.

[A]

I disagree that it's modern era of baseball.

[B]

But that's what it's called. If you go to fan graphs. Everything since, what, 1910.

[A]

Yeah, but that's.

[B]

What do you want the guys using the cylindrical bat with their hands separated?

[A]

Yeah, I just don't think that's a modern era. Like, 1968 is not the modern era of baseball.

[B]

All right, fine.

[A]

Yeah, let's just.

[B]

Let's just debating the modern era of baseball with you.

[A]

Let's just agree to disagree. Let's move on.

[B]

No, I don't. There is no agreeing or disagreeing. We know what the modern era.

[A]

No, but we're agreeing to disagree, so let's just do that.

[B]

If you're waiting for Sunday to start betting, you're missing half the fun and half the money. College football is already cooking upsets, blowouts, wild covers. I have that in my bed, and my bookie lets you hit it all. Game lines, player, props, more everything you need. Before the pros even kick off. So when Sunday's here, that means you're already up because you'll won so much on Saturday, and my bookie's got it all under one roof. You win big on the NFL super contest and survivor pools, for example. And if you're new to my bookie, there's a code, dbu, those three letters for Dan Bernstein, unfiltered. And any bet you choose up to 500 is fully covered. Make your play. If it doesn't hit, you get it right back. When you opt in using the bet back bonus token. It's my bookie where betters win together. Because bragging's good, but cashing in is better.

[A]

Now, are you okay? You good?

[B]

I am. I'm a little stuffy, but okay.

[A]

Hey, that. That commercial, by the way, that we're gonna get into here. 2011.

[B]

Wow. It's been so long.

[A]

Yeah, it's been. Yeah. 14 years that we've been talking about this.

[B]

Okay. So you may know what we're talking about. And this is a phenomenon when you watch a game. And it's not just a game. Maybe you're watching an awards show, but it is all across television. Your YouTube, pre roll ads, wherever you see video ads for large, expensive or large products with expensive ad campaigns. I want to talk about a cultural phenomenon that says something about where we are right now. And it's called Iraqpoing in 20. What did you say? 2011.

[A]

2011. Yeah. And this is a term that we developed.

[B]

We created this.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

In 2011, there was a Geico ad, and it was the Geico Caveman in the locker room of the Washington football team. And the Geico caveman walks up to a large man and says, you're Pro bowl linebacker or all pro linebacker Brian Arakpo. And after that, they talked about car insurance.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

But the point being, how wisely have you spent your endorsement talent fee money when significant time in your ad is taken up by identifying the celebrity, when the celebrity must be identified. So anybody who would buy this product would know who it is that is was referred to as a rack. Poe, your Pro bowl linebacker, Brian Arakpo. Why? Yes, I am. Why did you have to say that? Because there was a time back in my day when you would see somebody on your screen, a quote unquote famous person, whether it was an athlete or an actor, Everyone knew who that famous person was for the most part. And that person didn't necessarily have to be identified. Now what happened was Miller Lite stood that on its Ear a little bit because they had all of these D level and C level celebrities and. And that was their bit and that's why it was funny. But for the most part, if you saw Joe Namath selling you brute aftershave, they didn't have to say, wait a second, you're Joe Namath, right? Cause everyone knew because everybody knew who people were because we had a shared culture, right?

[A]

And what advertising agencies have learned is that having celebrities in commercials, obviously it goes a long way for selling the product that they've done. They've done studies on audiences watching commercials with celebrities and then watching the same commercial without a celebrity. And even the person's pupils dilate differently when there's a celebrity on the screen as opposed to a non famous person and what their eyes are attracted to and what they go to. But we always said when that commercial came out was like, how successful is this campaign if you have to identify the celebrity, how smart is it to spend the money on someone that you have to identify?

[B]

Or we thought at the time, did they spend the money? And then they focus grouped it and they came in. I was like, who's that? And then they had to reshoot it, correct?

[A]

Yeah, that's right. That was the other other they had to re edit.

[B]

They said, oh, we thought more people knew who he was. There's no excuse now, right? But here's what's happening. We have an epidemic of Iraq polling. It's everywhere now. Everywhere. And I know that this is an incomplete list and we've defined this in multiple ways, but it really hit home when this football season started. And I don't even remember what they're selling, but when Dak Prescott shows up at a guy's house for like a barbecue or something, right? And he's wearing a cowboy colors shirt, he's wearing a blue and silver shirt. And here's the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. And in the commercial, an actor has to say, you're Dak Prescott. And I thought, wow, like that is when the. When the longtime star quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys needs to be iraqpo'd. It tells us something about where we are as a people and a culture. But he's not the only one.

[A]

So wait, is that the. I think it's a. Is it a yogurt commercial?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

Is it Dan and yogurt? Because it says this is his 11th endorsement deal. Paid about $3 million this year. So. Yeah, but I know I can't remember what the product is. And that was one of the Questions about what advertising agencies went through. Like, does having the celebrity there take your gaze off the product, off the idea of what's happening, and just on that celebrity, and you don't even know what it is. And that can sometimes be the case. But when the count. When the. The starting quarterback of America's team has to be a rack pod.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

What's going on?

[B]

Well, let me give you other examples.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

There's the State Farm ad. You don't have to tell me. That's Patrick Mahomes.

[A]

Correct.

[B]

Meghan Trainer has to announce her own name. Not this kind of trainer. And then she says, Meghan Trainor. And I needed it. I didn't know who that was.

[A]

I did.

[B]

I know the song. Yeah, yeah. Every knows the song. But for her to have to.

[A]

You're.

[B]

You're paying out the nose for this celebrity fabulousness. And she has to identify herself. Hi, I'm. I'm Meghan Trainor. Okay, got it. Good. You made a trainer joke because her name is Meghan Trainor. Also, I think it's also State Farm, the one with the captain and this captain with where Aiden Hutchinson. They have to put his name up graphically. And I texted you and I said, if the name has to be put up in graphics, does that count as a rack bowing?

[A]

It does.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

100%.

[B]

So add Aiden Hutchinson to the list. There's also the commercial where Mallory Swanson is there on her back porch sipping coffee. And the commercial begins when your star soccer player, Mallory Swanson, you. So it's in the second person, but in the start of the ad, they say, this is Mallory Swanson, famous soccer player, a blatant Iraq poing. A brutal Iraq poing, if you will.

[A]

Yeah. I would love to know, Dan, from someone in advertising, what impact that that has when you have to identify the celebrity.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Like. Like, if you. As compared to not identifying the celebrity. Like, how does that work as far as increasing revenue for this particular product?

[B]

Or do they want you to say, who is the person in the ad? And I've had to do that. I don't know who everybody is. Hell, I'm glad that I watched Happy Gilmore 2 with Jason because he's like, oh, that's a YouTuber. That's a podcaster. That's a YouTuber. It's a podcaster. Which is ironic considering that now we're YouTubers and podcasters, but everything is so siloed culturally that it's really hard to tell who's famous and what constitutes fame. That. That, that really, to Me is the issue is not just how to sell a product. It. It's what constitutes actionable, meaningful fame in a way that says, oh, like, if I walked down the street and that, and Meghan Trainor walked by me, I. I wouldn't. I wouldn't think anything of it. I wouldn't say, oh, my gosh, that's a famous person. And the way that this works now, there's only a handful, like when Jennifer Garner, when Samuel L. Jackson, when Charles Barkley, Kevin Hart, LeBron James, Shaquille O'.

[A]

Neal.

[B]

There are some people who. It's just obvious. You know what really got me was the car commercial. And thankfully, they said, hey, Parker Posey. Like, oh. Because it took me a while, and I'm looking at. Wait, is that. I was kind of glancing. Oh, was that Elizabeth Banks? No, it's not Elizabeth Banks. Who is that? Who is that? Is that Chelsea Handler? No. Oh, And. And they said. Because I did, you know, I was at the other side of the room.

[A]

Yeah. And they said.

[B]

And at first I thought Elizabeth.

[A]

Or. Or I think. I think they said Parker. I think they just said Parker.

[B]

They say Parker. But I needed that because I. I. When I turned my head, I first thought I was running through all these days. I. Like, I was. That's not Elizabeth Banks. It's not Chelsea Handler. Oh, it's Parker Posey. And then I forgot what they were selling me again.

[A]

It's a. Isn't it a car? Is it a car?

[B]

It's a car for a car.

[A]

Okay. Yeah.

[B]

She's like the mom in the car.

[A]

See, but here's the thing, though. Like. Like you said that if you have to look it up, maybe they want you to look it up. But how effective is that for you to go out and get that product if you have to look it up?

[B]

Maybe it's more time spent remembering the commercial, or maybe they're having us. I don't know. I always think that there's some. Some reverse psychology involved where they've done the math or they've done the work to figure it out. I don't know. But. So here's the thing. Keep a list. Help us out here with Iraq poing, because I just want to keep a running list of this particular cultural phenomenon. Let me. Let me give you the. The worst, most egregious example. I saved it for last, okay? Because when this was going on, I brought this up with Beth, and she and I were talking about it, and I said that there's one product right now that has the Absolute perfect spokesperson. I just ideal spokesperson. And it was so funny that I. And trust me, I did say this several weeks ago before this new campaign started. And I said that Danny DeVito for Jersey Mike's was everything you want in a modern celebrity spokesperson, immediately identifiable and connected to the product. He's from New Jersey. He went to the original Jersey Mike's as a young man or as an old man. He's like 100 years old. So he sounds like a Jersey Mike sandwich. He. If a Jersey Mike sandwich could talk, it would sound like Danny DeVito. And you buy it. He's also. He's a really good actor. He's funny, he's. All the campaigns have done the self deprecating stuff. It just, it's, it's, it's wheelhouse perfect. No notes. And then what do they do? They bring a fucking Manning in there for no apparent reason because there's some rule that says there's got to be a Manning selling you something.

[A]

And they.

[B]

Iraq poem, Eli Manning. Then you've got Danny DeVito saying, it's Eli Manning. Why are you bothering? You had it perfect. We don't need a Manning selling everything.

[A]

Yeah. I think, first of all, I love how excited that you're getting about this, but like, it's Eli Manning. Like you, like, he's. He has a very recognizable face. Like you, you know who Eli. It's very, it's very distinguished. Like you know who that is. And then again, you have Danny DeVito saying, oh, it's Eli Manning. He's sitting at the conference table.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I think they're at the board meeting or something, but something's broken. Hey, let me ask you this. And maybe I'm just making this up my head because of this conversation. Now Danny DeVito is in a. There's a different Jersey Mike's commercial where he's fishing. He's in the middle of the room fishing or something in a display, it looks like. They don't. Danny DeVito. Danny DeVito. Do they?

[B]

You mean they don't.

[A]

Yes. A rack Poe. Him. Yeah, sorry.

[B]

I.

[A]

And I have to look it up after we're done. I need to pull it up online and watch it. I might just be making that up in my head. Or they could have actually a rack pod. Danny DeVito. So let me, let me. I'll check when we're done.

[B]

Your beloved comic actor, Danny DeVito.

[A]

Why is Danny DeVito fishing? Maybe I'm making that up, but I don't know why. I have my brain. Yeah.

[B]

It could be but it just so.

[A]

It really bothers me though. It's like, like from a logical standpoint and reason, like, I develop, I live in logic and reason. And if you, if you pay someone money you shouldn't have to Iraqpo them, then that's bad money spent.

[B]

I tend to think that way as well, that you, that like, like those.

[A]

Weird commercials that they do Johnny Depp does for the cologne he sells. Have you seen those? They're like, really weird. He's like in the middle of a desert with like around him and he's like playing, playing guitar. Like, like, you know it's Johnny Depp. And like, they don't have to put a sign up that this is actor Johnny Depp. Like, you know, it's Johnny Depp. Jon Hamm does a commercial. You know it's Jon Hand. You know, it's like you don't, you don't have to. And even go back to in the 80s when you had. God. Who was the model? Cindy Crawford. Cindy Crawford was, I think was Diet Pepsi maybe. Like, she opens a diet. And like they don't say, oh, are you world famous Cindy Crawford, model Cindy Crawford drinking a Diet Pepsi. You knew it was Cindy Crawford. Like, I just, I don't get it. Like, why are you. To me, it just seems like bad money. Not gas money, but bad money.

[B]

No, if you're paying, if you're paying people from gas money all that much, then you've made a horrible decision.

[A]

Or if you have Sidney Crawford on gas money, I might watch. I'm here every year.

[B]

Brian Erlacher.

[A]

You know Danny DeVito's been married to Rhea Perlman since 1982.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah, that's great. Long time.

[B]

Yeah. All right, well, so keep an eye open for.

[A]

Yeah, keep a running list. Email Dan, Dany12sports.com Looking for a rack pod. Celebrities, drum teachers and musicians. [e-mail] and what?

[B]

And South Sudanese basketball trivia.

[A]

Yes. And why Dan hates LU all day.

[B]

Why you hate LU all day. Oh, speaking of which, by the way, the number of people after our movie discussion yesterday.

[A]

Oh, yeah, I got. I know, I know.

[B]

Everybody said that you were turning into Bob.

[A]

It's fine. I, I know. I, I couldn't have been worse in that segment. Whatever. It's fine. I don't.

[B]

There was a horse, I don't know. And then the barn burned down.

[A]

I don't know. Well, you know what? Maybe let me know what we're doing in that segment. I would have been a little better prepared.

[B]

Jerk. No, not. But how hard is it? Robert, movies.

[A]

Shut up.

[B]

I didn't know. Let me know what we're doing. I really gotta remember. I never heard of this Robert Redford guy. Hey, you're Robert Redford. Make me cough.

[A]

It hurts. Yes, I walked away.

[B]

Jerk. All right, well, that's gonna do it for.

[A]

Yeah, I do. I give it four slices of pie.

[B]

Yeah. That is it for today's episode of Dan Bernstein Unfiltered. Thank you for tuning in. It's been brought to you in partnership with my bookie Courtney Cronin is going to join us to talk Bears tomorrow.

[A]

He's Dan Bernstein, and I'm Matt from Niles. Dan Bernstein unfiltered. Unfiltered on 312 sports.