Dan Bernstein Unfiltered – Episode Summary

Episode: Top 10 Ravens of All-Time - Chicago Bears v. Baltimore Ravens

Date: October 24, 2025
Host: Dan Bernstein (DB), with Executive Producer Matt Abbatacola (MA)

Main Theme

This episode blends irreverent Chicago sports commentary with an offbeat ranking of "Top 10 Ravens of All-Time"—riffing on the Bears’ upcoming game against the Baltimore Ravens. Dan and Matt dissect gambling scandals in sports, debate fan logic around NFL victories, and read extensive listener feedback, all before unveiling their inventive “top Ravens” lists.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sports Gambling Scandal: Industry and Ethics

• Dan opens with a rundown of the current nationwide sports gambling scandal, referencing the NBA, Chauncey Billups’ role, and Barkley vs. Kenny Smith’s heated debate:
  • Barkley: “No, this is stupid. It's stupidity. I don't want to hear anything about that… You got guys making tens of millions of dollars who are risking it all for all this stuff.” (02:12)
  • Kenny Smith: “You're making my point that people make illogical decisions because of the addiction…It is a disease and it is a sickness that really needs professional help to overcome.” (01:36)
• Matt sides with Smith, emphasizing the illness of addiction.
• Dan notes the irony and hypocrisy: almost all sports media—including their own show—are underpinned by gambling sponsorships (03:00).
  • Dan: “Everybody talking sports, wherever we are, are in large part funded by gambling. It's a fact. Running from it… is cowardly.”
• Both agree: if a player bets on the NFL (or NBA, etc.), they should be banned for life, addiction or not (04:50).
  • Dan: “They have to be banned for life. It doesn't matter why… That's the world we live in.”

2. Bears Fan Logic: "Just Win, Baby"

• Dan rails against the notion that real fans should “want to play the best”:
  • Dan: “Stop saying stupid things like I want Lamar Jackson to play. I'm a Bears fan. Shut up. Then you're a stupid Bears fan.” (09:27)
  • Fans want the best chance for victory, not moral victories.
• They point to the ’85 Bears: no one cares about the quality of QBs they faced en route to their Super Bowl win (11:52).
  • Matt: “No one ever brought up the 85 bears and said, yeah, but you know the quarterbacks they played against… No, people still live and will go to their grave [saying] the greatest team that's…ever played the NFL.” (13:45)
• Moral: fans (and teams) should prefer injured/scrub opponents to maximize wins.

3. Listener Feedback: Humor, Empathy, and Community

• Email feedback segment is both heartfelt and hilarious:
  • Serious: Several listeners thanked Dan for his strong words about the Blackhawks/Joel Quenneville sexual abuse scandal; others criticized the lack of empathy among some sports fans (21:00).
    • Matt: “If you lack [empathy]… it says a lot about your development as a person and it should be examined and looked at. Period.” (22:46)
  • Humorous: Stories about people laughing out loud (and even embarrassing themselves) at inside podcast jokes (24:22).
  • My Buddy Jingle: Multiple emails about the show’s fake “My Buddy” lyrics, leading to office mishaps and ruined childhood nostalgia (25:15–38:14).
  • Anecdotes about kids misunderstanding memes (“67 craze means hairy balls and penis” – 32:23).
• Both hosts delight in the quirky, participatory vibe of their community.

4. Top 10 Ravens of All Time: Creative Spin

• Instead of limiting the list to Baltimore Ravens athletes, the show’s “committee” interpreted “Raven” in all possible ways—historical, mythical, pop culture, and more (41:59+).
• Highlights from the Committee’s List (41:59–54:18):
  • Honorable Mentions include Elsa Raven (actress), Jimmy the Raven (Hollywood animal actor), The Ravens (R&B group), The Three Eyed Raven (Game of Thrones), Cameron Crowe and Raven-Symoné.
  • Top Picks include The Disney Raven (Snow White), Grip (Charles Dickens’ pet), Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” Scott Levy (wrestler Raven), Norwegian myth ravens Hugin and Munin, Ravenclaw (Harry Potter), The Birds (movie), Simpsons Treehouse of Horror “The Raven,” and Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft (Tony the Tiger voice, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”).
• Dan’s List Deviates Wildly:
  • Jimmy the Raven is Dan's #1. He shares details about this real bird who starred in 1,000+ films and impressed celebrities like Jimmy Stewart (64:29).
  • Other creative entries: Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs rookie), Crows candy, Tower of London ravens, the symbolic raven from Omen II, retired adult actress Raven.
  • Offers a “DBU prize pack” to any listener who names a child “Gwern” (after Bran the Blessed’s son, a mythic raven reference).
  • Meta-commentary about the joy of riffing on a silly premise, play-arguing over mythical vs. pop culture vs. athlete choices.

5. DBU Picks: Betting Advice

• Matt’s college football picks (Vanderbilt -2.5 vs Missouri; Old Dominion -14 vs Appalachian State) (69:09).
• Dan’s NFL prop parlay: Mark Andrews (Baltimore TE) over 3.5 receptions and 35.5 yards vs. Bears, citing matchup logic and the narrative of “trade rumors” leading to a big game (69:57).
  • Dan: “When you're thinking the guy’s old and done… that's when you remember him having a really good game…” (71:09)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On gambling hypocrisy:
  “It is underpinning the entire industry… Running from it and failing to acknowledge that openly is cowardly.” — Dan (03:00)
• On sports talk morality:
  “I think we are all aware enough intellectually to understand where we are, what's going on, and deal with it as like adults who are capable of thinking about multiple things at the same time.” — Dan (05:37)
• On Bears fandom:
  “What you want every week is for the team that you care about to have the absolute best chance to win…” — Dan (09:27) “If I have a choice, I'm always going to choose the starter to be hurt and never play… at every position. Especially quarterback.” — Matt (16:33)
• On ‘My Buddy’ segment fallout:
  “Thanks for ruining my childhood for me.” — Listener’s son, after dad played podcast alternate lyrics (37:34)
• On lack of empathy from sports fans:
  “To lack the ability to show empathy to another person is… really sad. And I would suggest if you feel that way… take a look at yourself seriously.” — Matt (22:14)
• On eccentricity of the “Ravens” list:
  “Jimmy the Raven is my overall number one… He could perform any task possible for an eight-year-old child.” — Dan (43:21, 64:29) “We’ll give you a special prize pack if you can have a child and name it Gwern…” — Dan (58:27)

Timestamps

• 00:00–06:12: Intro, sports gambling scandal, Barkley vs. Smith argument
• 09:20–16:38: Bears fan logic—rooting against the best, why ugly wins are fine
• 19:09–41:59: Friday Feedback—serious (Quenneville/abuse), then comedic stories and in-jokes
• 41:59–67:36: Top 10 Ravens of All Time—committee and Dan’s lists with pop culture deep dives
• 69:09–73:11: DBU betting picks, logic for weekend sports bets, banter about historic Ravens
• 73:12–End: Wrap-up, next week’s topic preview (“Top 10 Bengals of All Time”)

Tone & Language

• Unfiltered, irreverent, Chicago-centric, self-deprecating humor
• Mix of sports expertise and playful nonsense
• Genuine empathy (esp. around scandal/abuse), balanced by relentless comedic riffs

For New Listeners

If you haven’t listened, this episode is a perfect sampler: deep Chicago sports takes, sharply observed sports culture, gleeful banter, wild topic pivots, and a palpable sense of community between the hosts and their listeners. The “Top 10 Ravens” segment demonstrates the show’s refusal to take itself too seriously, while the feedback and gambling discussions ground it in sports radio tradition—albeit with a much sharper edge.

Next episode: Top 10 Bengals of All Time—expect more creative list-making, sports talk, and robust listener feedback!