What is Ben Johnson's Message to his 6-3 team?

Summary

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered – "What is Ben Johnson's Message to his 6-3 Team?"

Podcast: Dan Bernstein Unfiltered
Host: Dan Bernstein (with executive producer Matt Abbatacola)
Date: November 11, 2025
Episode Theme:
A deep-dive into the current state and mindset of the Chicago Bears under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, who has led the team to a surprising 6-3 record. The episode revolves around what Johnson’s message should be to maintain momentum, foster self-belief, and avoid complacency as they enter the critical stretch of the season.

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Episode Overview

Dan Bernstein and his co-host break down the high-stakes moment facing Ben Johnson and the Bears, oscillating between celebration of unexpected success and an honest assessment of the team’s lingering flaws. They analyze Johnson’s leadership style, key personnel decisions, and the challenges of maintaining focus and improvement in the midst of success. The episode also touches on NFL happenings, the brilliance of NBA phenom Victor Wembanyama, and closing thoughts on baseball, groceries, and food prices.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bears' Position in the NFC North and Johnson's Message

[01:18-08:26]

• Bears tied for first in the division: Despite a 6-3 record, questions remain about how good the team truly is. The path to the playoffs seems to require at least 10 wins, meaning the Bears must go 4-4 down the stretch.

• Ben Johnson’s challenge: Balancing excitement and momentum (“those postgame locker rooms have been a blast”) with the need for continued improvement and realism about their ceiling.

• Bernstein:

  “We all should be excited. Now are we all agreed to that? We don’t really know how good they are and they’re going to need 10 wins to be in the playoffs, right?” (02:12)

• The importance of self-belief: Confidence is intangible but crucial for a young, developing team.

• Co-host insight:

  “When you’re coming off a win, it’s a lot easier... You can go in there now and be transparent and be fully honest and it’s easier to be critical.” (08:32)

2. Ben Johnson’s Leadership Style: Honest Optimism with Demanding Standards

[04:41-12:49]

• Public vs. private persona: Johnson’s calm, even-keel demeanor in media contrasts with an “intense, hot streak” behind closed doors (insight from Patrick Finley).

• Reinforcing positives without letting up standards: Johnson’s aim is to keep the team “comfortable being uncomfortable” to foster growth and prevent complacency.

• Notable quote – Bernstein:

  “You don't want to have to get your teeth kicked in in a divisional game to have them sitting there with their heads hanging and then have them say, see, now we really got to go to work.” (07:36)

• Critical football message:

  “This is a great time for the players to be uncomfortable... Oh, you like this? You like being 6 and 3? ...Well, we gotta get a hell of a lot better.” (12:18)

3. Personnel Decisions and Locker Room Dynamics

[13:01-16:15]

• Players know who should play: The issue of “legacy reps,” specifically in relation to rookie Luther Burden and veteran Zacchaeus, and who should get snaps at wide receiver.
  • Bernstein:

    “You know what else they know? The other thing that players always know is who should be playing. They always know if somebody’s getting legacy reps.” (13:22)

• Slow-walking rookies: Multiple reasons (practice habits, assignment trust, downfield blocking, etc.) could explain why certain talents aren't seeing the field as much.
• Division stumbles: Early division losses are “embarrassing stumbles” that could haunt the Bears if not corrected.

4. The Importance of a Consistent Coaching Message

[16:23-17:02]

• Players echoing the coach: Coaches craft mantras (“Get comfortable being uncomfortable;” “Not playing best football till December”), which players repeat in the media.

• Test for a first-year head coach: Keeping the locker room both motivated and hungry.

• Bernstein’s summary of Johnson's challenge:

  “Making sure you strike the proper balance between reinforcing the positive and demanding more. Reinforce the positive, but keep the bar even higher.” (17:02)

5. Brief Bears Personnel Debates: Burden, Zacchaeus, and Menungai

[13:41-18:25]

• Discussion about Zacchaeus’ role versus rookie Luther Burden; speculation on trust, health, and effort.
• The Kyle Menungai/Swift running back situation as example of hot-hand management.

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Memorable Quotes & Segments

• On locker room celebrations vs. improvement:

  “It’s a fun place to play... All good. But you don’t want to have to get your teeth kicked in in a divisional game…”
  — Dan Bernstein (07:36)

• On Johnson’s message behind closed doors:

  “He can be Mr. Positive and exciting and reinforce the positive and also say, still not good enough.”
  — Dan Bernstein (09:12)

• On “legacy reps” and player awareness:

  “The other thing that players always know is who should be playing... If somebody’s getting legacy reps, they know.”
  — Dan Bernstein (13:22)

• On rookie QB impact:

  “I mean, I’m not happy about it, but I’m going to accept the Lions beating more than then the collapse at home against the Vikings and a rookie quarterback who... you made him the NFC player of the week…”
  — Co-host (15:31)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Chicago Bears in first place; assessing playoff potential:
  [01:18-03:07]

• Self-belief and coaching psychology:
  [03:07-05:31]

• Johnson’s dual persona (media vs. practice/locker room):
  [09:32-11:33]

• Player accountability and legacy reps (Burden vs. others):
  [13:01-16:15]

• What to watch from Ben Johnson this week:
  [16:23-17:02]

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Additional Sports Segments

NFL: Monday Night Football Madness

[20:01-30:00]

• Recap and critique of a “terrible” MNF game (Eagles-Packers) featuring questionable coaching and hilariously bad last-minute field goal attempts.
• Quote:

  “That was one of the worst kicks I think I've ever seen that wasn't blocked. It is an absolute dead pull about 4ft off the ground.”
  — Dan Bernstein (27:22)

NBA: Victor Wembanyama Hype

[37:25-42:47]

• Bernstein’s awe after seeing Wemby live:

  “He is... an alien. I don’t know what to say. I’ve seen really tall guys before... but not who can move like that ever in my life. Not even close.” (36:43)

• Ridiculous stat comparisons:

  “In his first 120 games, Steph Curry had 242 threes. Wemby has 274.”
  — Co-host (38:30)

• Bernstein’s scouting report:

  “He's very tall... and good. Is he good at basketball? Yeah, my scouting report is tall and good. Does that work?” (42:10)

MLB: Rookie of the Year, Betting Limits, and Cubs Nostalgia

[47:52-55:57]

• Rundown of NL/AL Rookie of the Year.
• Discussion of new betting restrictions due to pitch-fixing scandals.
• Kyle Hendricks’ retirement and legacy:

  “He happens to be a tremendous natural athlete... one of those guys who is good at everything. Never make a bar bet with him because you’ll lose.”
  — Dan Bernstein (54:20)

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Food and Pop Culture: Pasta Tariffs and Grocery Prices

[57:32-62:43]

• Fears of Italian pasta disappearing from shelves due to new tariffs.
• Co-host, humorously, on Italian-American men:

  “If this isn’t a direct attack on middle aged Italian American men, I don’t know what is.” (58:09)

• Both hosts lament spiking grocery prices and ponder teaching listeners how to make pasta from scratch.

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Summary — Key Takeaways

• Ben Johnson's message for the Bears: Enjoy the success so far but stay uncomfortable, stay improving, and don’t let the record mask real areas for improvement.
• Locker room authenticity: Johnson is more intense internally than his calm exterior implies; he must keep the team hungry and self-critical to avoid late-season collapse.
• Player/coach insight: Players know who should see the field; coaching decisions ripple deeply in locker room chemistry.
• NFL/NBA/MLB roundups: The hosts blend serious analysis with their trademark sarcasm and sports-insider humor, making for an unvarnished, smart, and entertaining recap of all things Chicago and beyond.

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For fans who missed the episode:
This podcast delivers the kind of insider perspective and tough-love analysis Bernstein is known for, mixing Chicago-specific passion, league-wide awareness, and just enough levity to keep things lively. Ben Johnson’s message to the Bears—and the balancing act of success and self-improvement—is the heart of the show, making this episode essential for anyone following the Bears’ 2025 journey.

Transcript

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[Dan Bernstein]

Bernstein Unfiltered Unfiltered on 312Sports Dan Bernstein Unfiltered is brought to you in partnership with my bookie. Ben Johnson's got himself a week right now and he's got himself what I think is a critical time. If you look at the standings are do my eyes deceive me? Or after last night's hideous excuse for an NFL football game, are the Chicago Bears not in first place.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Record wise? Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Technically. Okay, all right, I'll leave it there.

[Dan Bernstein]

Are the Chicago Bears. They're on the top right at the moment. If you look at it, they have.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

The same record as the Detroit Lions.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

They have. They have the best records in the NFC North.

[Dan Bernstein]

Alphabetical. What? Just look at it. Here's what Ben Johnson has to do. Those post game locker rooms have been a blast. The whole good, better, best and it don't rest and we're all good until it's great. And he now has to reinforce all the good because they should be excited. We all should be excited. Now are we all agreed to that? We don't really know how good they are and they're going to need 10 wins to be in the playoffs. Is that fair? They got to go 4 and 4 from here on out, right?

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Traditionally 10 wins get you in the playoffs. Yes, I think it happened. Was it last year or two years ago that someone finished with 10 wins and did not make the playoffs, but typically 10 wins and you're in.

[Dan Bernstein]

So you got to go four and four at a minimum.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

And even if they didn't make the playoffs, it would be a 10 win season, so you'd be obviously happy with that. The remaining games are at Minnesota, Steelers at home at Philly, at Green Bay, home against the Browns, home against the packers, at San Francisco, home against the Lions. Those are your remaining games. So if you're Ben Johnson, how do you reinforce all of the good. How do you take everything we've said the last couple days about. I don't know if they're good. You don't know if they're good. They think they're good and that matters more. That's sort of been my watchword for where we are right now. It's important that they think they're good in a football game, in the preparation, that confidence matters. I can't quantify it. I can't point to a number and say belief in oneself gives you a 27% higher likelihood of winning. I don't know.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Well, you can say that if you want.

[Dan Bernstein]

I can make stuff up.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

You can.

[Dan Bernstein]

Which apparently I did on forward progress yesterday. We'll get to that. I need to fix something that I. That I said yesterday that needs to be corrected. So we'll get to that.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Okay. I think I might have an idea what it is.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, no, it was okay. It's. It's a simple thing that we'll do that, but I need to make sure that that's done. But I don't want to make things up in this regard. I know it matters. I can't tell you exactly how, but I know it's important that the Bears think they're good and that Ben Johnson can take pride in. In winning six of the first nine. That's cool.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah, it's great.

[Dan Bernstein]

But he knows they're not good enough to win a Super bowl right now. He knows that.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Do you. Do you like the fact that he said we won't be playing our best football till December? Like to put a timeline on it or a target even?

[Dan Bernstein]

I think that was as honest as he could be from his own experience implementing his offense.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think he just knows how long. And it's funny that we pounded Luke Getzy for saying something similar about how many games it takes or something like, well, we're only in our first year or something like that. But it was said differently. And hearing it from Luke Getze is very different than hearing it from a guy who did Implement one of the best offenses in the league.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's just the source is really important and I think when Ben Johnson said it, we were all predisposed to believe him. And so far so good. And I hope he's right and I hope he means they'll be playing their best football. But that was said to us, that was for public consumption. That was forward facing. I want to know how he's sending the message in the building about where the bar is, that cleaning up the penalties was good. And then they start, they get a case of the dropsies as soon as they clean up the penalties. Figuring out some of the personnel and making some difficult decisions about guys who need to be on the field and guys who don't. And maybe you're getting to some of that nut cutting time. In a season where you've seen a lot of a large sample of everyone's performance, you've seen personnel groupings, you've seen, you've seen certain performance in certain formations at certain times of games. So you're getting a little bit more balance in the data. You have to make some of these decisions and some difficult conversations may have to be had. So what I'm wondering is how can he straddle these two messages? Hey, look at us, we're really good. And hey, look at us, we have to get a lot better. It's. You'd rather be in a situation where you're coaching from ahead and you're still harping on that. And at some point you, you've just. He's never done this before as a head coach. He's never been in this position. And I know he's surrounded. At least he has got Dennis Allen, who has been. But I don't know how much crossover there's going to be between defense and offense at this point. The defense has a lot more work to do, I think to shore itself up based on how it's made some bad quarterbacks look and some bad teams look so far. But as of right now, I think this is really the critical issue that Ben Johnson, every day he comes in now has got to be sending this message of, yeah, this is, this is fun, we're good and we're having our, our, our post game excitement and we're handing out game balls to everybody and, and it's a fun place to play. Listen to what, what C.J. gardner, Johnson is saying, how much he's enjoying and what it means to him to be part of this. All good. But you don't want to have to get your teeth kicked in in a divisional game to have them sitting there with their heads hanging and then have them say, see, now we really got to go to work. That's what I want to avoid. You want to avoid them needing to be shown by a bad day how far away they are.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Well, he has a great advantage right now, he and the coaching staff with winning football games. Being able to coach harder.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

And he's talked about that and he's mentioned that, that they can go in there now and be transparent and be fully honest and it's easier to be critical of guys and what they need to fix and get better at. When you're coming off a win, it's a lot easier.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, this is what I'd love to.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

I'd love to hear it tastes better and it goes down easier.

[Dan Bernstein]

Of course it does, but I just.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Don'T think we're going to hear that, though. He's an immensely. He's telling us all the right things as a head coach. He's saying that we're not clicking on all cylinders, that we can be better in our rhythm and our timing. We can do things better, you know, and he's even talked about in some areas we've taken two steps forward. In other areas we take three steps back.

[Dan Bernstein]

But what intrigues me is to hear how that comes out in that building. That. That is what I, what I really want to know about how he. He can be Mr. Positive and exciting and reinforce the positive and also say, still not good enough.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

When we talked to Patrick Finley, I think we got a little insight there from a guy who's around it every day. We look at Ben and from the outside, from what we get to see, it's a. A mild mannered, you know, kind of a calm, even keel guy that we can see has a hot streak to him. And what we learned in talking with Patrick was that he's more of a guy that's intense with that hot streak or that. That more intense guy that's more heated and more fired up at times or I say for. For. For most of the time when then the. The counterpart, the minor part is that calm, even keel guy.

[Dan Bernstein]

But what I.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

So I think. I think like, you know, public facing, he seems like a really mild mannered, calm guy, but that's not really who he is. He's more the intense guy on the.

[Dan Bernstein]

Other side of it. My curiosity extends to where the rubber meets the road there. I'd love to watch him coach. I would love to see if there is a concentration drop in practice, you know, does he stop the practice? Like, this is the shit we gotta stop. Run it again.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

See, on the outset, I would say probably not, but I think what we're hearing from people that are there all the time is that that's what it's like. You know, it's interesting. Natalie sent me a video the other day, and I was going through one of the. I don't know if his Instagram maybe, but it was the Saints game, the interception, and the entire sideline is jumping up and down, screaming, yelling, Ben Johnson didn't even move.

[Dan Bernstein]

Didn't.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Zero reaction to things. That, to me, says a lot about the kind of guy that he is.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because you hope he's immediately calculating what's next.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yes. Yeah. He's not reacting at that moment. It's just, all right, we got to turn over. What do we do now? Like, he's watching the play come to an end to see what happens. Where do we go next? He's always, like, two or three steps ahead.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, I think especially an offensive coach's job and a play caller's job in that situation is determine where's the ball, where are we? What's the score, how much time?

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And therefore, where am I on my card?

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah. And so it's.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's not.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

It's not a. It's not a negative thing. It's not a criticism for not reacting. I know we've seen him react to things before. We see him in the locker room after a game where he's a psycho, which is great, but it just. I think there's. There's a lot to learn about him as a head coach, and, I mean, and he's learning that himself and the bits and pieces that we get to see. So I think his default thing is intense and loud, where what we get to see as a fan base or in the media is this kind of calm, even keel guy.

[Dan Bernstein]

I get back to what he said about get comfortable being uncomfortable. This is a great time for the players to be uncomfortable. So this is a critical time for them to be uncomfortable in a way. So. Oh, you like this? You like being 6 and 3? This is all fun and games, isn't it? It is great. Our post game, we're jumping up and down. We're handing out game balls. We're celebrating. We're going out to our fancy dinners. Everybody's excited to see us saying good things. You like this? Well, we got to get a hell of a lot better.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah. I also think, though, too, that these guys are all Professional athletes. And they know also.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know they feel.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

I think they know. And I'm sure they're feeling themselves and they should. They're six and three.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. There's a lot of rookies that are mattering, though.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

I mean, I mean, they had. They, you know, there was guys that were here last year, Dan, then they finished five, five wins. They were five and 12. They're six and three right now. So I'm glad they're feeling. They should feel themselves. That's a, It's a big accomplishment to get to six wins out of the first nine in the NFL. But they know.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know what else they know they.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Have to get better.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know what else they know, though? They. The other thing that players always know is who should be playing. They always know if somebody's getting legacy reps.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

So are you. Are you specifically talking. I think it's the second or third time today so far. Are you talking about Zacchaeus? Is that where the main focus is?

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm talking about getting burdened on the field.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

And whether or not that's Zacchaeus or DJ Moore right now, you figure out whatever you want to figure out.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Well, I, and I know DJ Moore is not completely healthy and we've questioned his effort at times and the coaches question his body language. But if you're asking me to take one of those two guys off the field, I'm taking Zakias off the field because DJ Moore does more and provides more in Ben Johnson's scheme than Zacchaeus does. And even, even looking at Zacchaeus, he's. He's a, He's a guy in the wide receiver room. He's not, he's not a starter.

[Dan Bernstein]

If Luther Burden as a second round.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

And that has nothing to do with. With yesterday's game and many. I'm not, I'm not talking about yesterday's game as a, as an indication to say it just he. He's been that guy since he was brought into this team.

[Dan Bernstein]

And there could be all kinds of reasons why they're slow walking Luther Burden and there's all kinds of legitimate reasons.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

He may not be practicing hard enough. He may not be picking up enough stuff. We don't know what it is.

[Dan Bernstein]

It might be a route. Tre. They don't trust him in a critical situation with doing something off script. It might be have to do with scramble rules. It might have to do with downfield blocking because we've seen him at the goal line and we've seen him do it. We don't Know in practice what assignments aren't getting executed properly. But I do think that players know and the time comes against these better teams. Now you started. 02 in the division. Yeah. Like you, you put it on yourself in the division because of that. Those stumbles, embarrassing stumbles like that. Those were embarrassing.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah, they were.

[Dan Bernstein]

The way you pissed away the first one and the way you got your, your, your dick kicked in, in the second one.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah. And that, that happens in the blob season of the NFL. That's fine. I, I get it. I mean, I'm not happy about it, but I'm going to accept the Lions beating more than then the collapse at home against the Vikings and a rookie quarterback who clearly now even with some injuries and dealing with some injuries is showing that he, he may not be ready to be a starter in the NFL. And that's the game you lost. You made him the NFC player of the week. That's the one that's going to stick in my brain and I, and I hope as a division game and a conference game that that does not come back to haunt them in some, in some way.

[Dan Bernstein]

I just think this is a time to circle on the calendar. The response in this game for this stretch, whatever mantra we start to hear, players will, will repeat what the coach says.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Oh yeah, they all say it, we've heard it. And it's mostly Caleb because we hear from him the most. But the things that, that Caleb is repeating and saying over and over again, those come from Ben Johnson.

[Dan Bernstein]

Have your antenna up this week is all I'm saying. Just be perceptive about what the message is this week and, or ask the coach directly when they convene tomorrow. What are you telling them? How are you telling them that? How are you approaching practice? And they'll say, well, every game, you know, we treat everything the same, blah, blah, blah. But you don't. We know that's not true. My curiosity is just what are we going to see now? This is a test for a first year head coach in the NFL. These are, this is heady stuff to know how to navigate these waters.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

So what's the challenge to Ben Johnson right now as head coach?

[Dan Bernstein]

First year head coach, as I'll reiterate, making sure you strike the proper balance between reinforcing the positive and demanding more. Reinforce the positive, but keep the bar even higher. Make sure that the quality of play, the record is great. The quality of play can get significantly better. I would love the challenge.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

I would love to know what, and I don't know if they if he was asked in a group setting, he's not going to answer it if. Because this, the very specific question is what. What does the key is do that Luther Burden is not doing right now? That's the question. Or what does Luther Bernie want to answer or ask in a positive way? What does Luther Burden need to do to get more. More snaps to become a starter in your offense? And I'd be curious to hear how he answers that.

[Dan Bernstein]

And also has to do with Kyle Menungai and Swift about did with all. Do you remember what this city was doing about Kyle Menungai against the Bengals? Oh, my God. And now he went back to his regular 38% of the snaps. Yeah. Is that so was. Was that game a total one off against a terrible run defense?

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Well, you know, because in that game Swift wanted to play and he would have gone out there and they. And they were like, no, we're good. We don't. We don't need you out there right now. Get another bit of rest.

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[Dan Bernstein]

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[Dan Bernstein]

14 teams have already hung 40 or more on the board this year. Overs are printing in my bookie is where you can cash in on every single one, whatever you like. The game lines, the player props the same game parlays. However you're riding, my bookie has it. And right now you've got this opportunity with our special code. It's dbu. That's the code for Dan Bernstein. Unfiltered. You can unlock a special promotion at MyBookie AG. Use that code, DBU, when you sign up, when you deposit to receive a bonus bet credit. However you're doing it, you might be building your bankroll or you're looking to hit the lotto with Moneybag. Check that out. You can bet on anything, anytime, anywhere with my bookie. What the hell happened in Monday Night Football last night? What was that?

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

It was tough to watch. It was real tough to watch. I think it was like punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, fumble punt. I mean, it was a terrible game to watch.

[Dan Bernstein]

What?

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

And then, then you. You Text me, you're late. Like, how did. And so I missed like the last minute and a half because I was trying to.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's the.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Get Frank inside. And we were trying to. Not Frankenstein, but Frank inside because he. Yeah, I got. I got Joe Flack on the backyard.

[Dan Bernstein]

Joe, come on in. I don't wanna like out here whitling on the porch.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Oh, boy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Trying to get Frank inside.

[Dan Bernstein]

The last. The last minute of that game was some of the dumbest sports I've ever seen.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah. Watching the replay of that was. What the hell is going on?

[Dan Bernstein]

I had no.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

And these are two of the better coaches in the league.

[Dan Bernstein]

It wasn't just the coaches. The referees had a terrible game too.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

It was cold.

[Dan Bernstein]

It wasn't the cold. Everything was just weird and bad and stupid. The end of that. It was one of the dumbest ends to a game. It's strange game the whole night. And if my notes are correct here, if I have this right, the Eagles are up 10 to 7 and there were some terrific plays. It got exciting late. And then I got my saquon barkley 41 yard scamper right that I thought that we would get my. The 16 and a half receiving yards over. Came in, destroyed that on one big play.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

My Eagles plus one came through.

[Dan Bernstein]

C. See DBU picks brought to you my bookie. By my bookie. There you go. 4th and 6. There's 27 seconds or 30 seconds left when they snap the ball. For some reason, Nick Sirianni and the Eagles decide to go for it from like the 35 of the 40 yard.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

It was 4th and 6, right?

[Dan Bernstein]

It was 4th and 6.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

So let's throw it 40 yards downfield.

[Dan Bernstein]

So they throw a no chance pass into double coverage down the left side of the field. That's easily knocked away.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

So incomplete stops the clock and your opponent has zero timeouts.

[Dan Bernstein]

Turnover on downs. The opponent has zero timeouts, but you're giving the opponent field position.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

I like it. All right, good. Good call.

[Dan Bernstein]

They're on there. They're on their own 35 instead of whatever you could have done to run a play that might have used a little more clock and. Or try to punt the ball straight up in the air, have them fair catch it at the 11.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

So now they need what, 35 yards or so?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, 30 maybe, depending. Remember their kickers hurt.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

All right, so maybe 40 yards. Maybe you need 40 yards.

[Dan Bernstein]

McManus had a strained quad, generally has a big leg, but had been. It had a strained quad. It's a windy, cold night, so Somehow they go for it, and everybody's wondering, what? What? Why did you do that? So here comes Green Bay, here comes Jordan Love, who at some points in the evening couldn't hit a bull in the ass with a banjo. Doug Buffon. So they start out Norm Van Leer with an incompletion where he had Christian Watson. All he had to do is throw him open a little bit more. He had Watson crossing right to left diagonally down the field, but he threw it toward the middle of the field, which brought him back toward the safety, rather than taking him naturally away from the safety with plenty of room before the sideline to make a catch in field goal range. So that was unfortunate.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

All right, missed pass.

[Dan Bernstein]

Then he throws a completion to Melton at the Philadelphia 46 with 18 seconds left. 18 on the clock. At that point, throws the completion of Melton. They run up and they spike it. So they spike it. With five seconds left, they're at the Philadelphia 46, where it gets good. So now you've got a decision to make. This is the year of long field goals. Every kicker, except for the Bears kicker, can make one of these mega field goals. Because we now have to, really. Cause the balls are soccer balls. So this is 64 yards, a 64 yard kick. So they bring McManus out. Philadelphia's got one last timeout. And this is when it got weird as you're watching on tv, because they call the timeout and they don't wait until like, right when the ball is snapped. There's a reasonable amount of time. And right after the timeout is called and everybody's kind of standing up, they snap it anyway and McManus boots it. Clock has stopped. There's. It's no play.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

But the best part was, though, in the actual. On the broadcast, we didn't see it. They're showing the sideline.

[Dan Bernstein]

Correct.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

You're not seeing this happen.

[Dan Bernstein]

What you see is Jalen hurts, stop and look up, you see Nick Sirianni. Their eyes go up because the ball.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Was kicked and Sirianni's got his arms out. And then I think it's Barkley that's calling for a flag.

[Dan Bernstein]

Correct. It's Saquon Barkley. Like, you can't do that. You're not allowed to get a free kick like that. A range finder and the referee, I think it was a Cleet Blakeman, I think, who didn't. You're supposed to. The referee supposed to go over and stop that and stand there, be like, no, no, no, no, no.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

And he's one of the better referees in the league, I guess. He's got a great name.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I think that's who it was. So it might not have been because. Find out who the ref was. Do me for. Just check who the ref was last night. I want to make sure I get this right, because I don't think it was. It was some other doofus. So they. They kick the ball. It's way short. So it's like, all right, the guy's got a sore quad. It's short anyway, you're going to need a Hail Mary. But there's five seconds left. So they send Jordan Love out. And I'm looking at where the green line is for the ideal field goal placement. And you get off coverage in case there's a Hail Mary. So what they do, Jordan Love fades back. They look for a one on one on the near sideline, but they swarm it and he ends up throwing it way over the guy's head. So the attempt was get an extra five, get an extra six, get it a little bit closer to give it a shot because they saw the range finder.

[Announcer]

That was short.

[Dan Bernstein]

They saw the kick fall short.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Steve Ludman.

[Dan Bernstein]

Steve Ludman. All right. Yeah. Okay. Well, Steve, get your shit together. So they. He throws it away. Now there's two seconds left and they bring the kicker out again. They already saw the 64 yard attempt fall way short. So after Love overthrows the sideline to get him closer, when they knew they had to get him closer, instead of throwing a Hail Mary for some reason, the kicker comes out again. Well, that won't be short. This one won't be short.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah, and he probably would have that maybe 60, maybe 59 yards on that first one.

[Dan Bernstein]

With a sore leg.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah, with a sore leg and the.

[Dan Bernstein]

Wind and the cold.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

So now he comes out again. There's two seconds left.

[Dan Bernstein]

Comes out again, there's two seconds left. And he proceeds to attempt the worst kick I think I've ever seen that wasn't blocked. It is an absolute dead pull about 4ft off the ground.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

I mean, that. That is. That's like a seven iron off the. I don't know. You're a. It's like this, the 17th hole. You're tired. It's like 100 degrees out.

[Dan Bernstein]

You've lost three sleeves of balls.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

You're playing like shit.

[Dan Bernstein]

Mosquitoes.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

And your arms are like, I don't want to do this anymore. And your brain is already fried.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah. And you just. You completely just you. Right. Or you're.

[Dan Bernstein]

You're literally looking at the pro shop and the bar.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

If you're on a hill, you're. You're coming in.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

You just like, all you do is finish this round.

[Dan Bernstein]

Just, you're, you're looking. You're actually looking at a patio where people are there holding drinks. Yeah.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

And I go, and that's your tee shot.

[Dan Bernstein]

And. Or it's your approach.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

That was awful. That was one of the. That was one of the worst kicks.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's no chance in hell. I don't know what he was trying to do. And then the game is over and everybody's running on the field and Troy Aikman's like, yeah, nobody likes this outcome. He said something to the. Yeah, the Eagles won. But serious. Got a lot to answer for with that. That fourth down decision.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah, that, that was. Yeah, I. So I wasn't too upset that I missed that. After we watched it here in the studio this morning and I show Matt.

[Dan Bernstein]

LaFleur after the game and he says, you know, there's no moral victories, but our played really hard. I was kind of like, well, what did I want?

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

What's going on with them? Because that's, you know, I mean, he's the offensive guy.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

And Jordan Love doesn't look like the guy that's going to replace Aaron Rodgers. I mean, he doesn't look the same as he did a couple seasons ago.

[Dan Bernstein]

Even if you had to ask me right now, who would I rather have with the game on the line in this division. But.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Oh, dude, it's not even. It's just based right now on his history and what he's done. But Jared Goff is clearly the best quarterback in this division.

[Dan Bernstein]

No doubt.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Caleb Williams is number two without a question. And the other two guys are not even close. Their offense looks like garbage. And I know they've had some injuries and they're dealing with things on the offensive line, but still, you're. You're the offensive guru. You're the guy and you're the replacement for Aaron Rodgers. He does not look even close to the same. And I get it.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's the blocking.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

They've had injuries.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, they're having trouble running the ball.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

But he doesn't even. He's not even throwing the ball that well.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm saying they're the balance. Isn't there the interior of the line? They're having blocking issues.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah, I know, I know. They have O line problems.

[Dan Bernstein]

When they had Aaron Rodgers and you had O line, probably. They always had O line problems and injuries. Even when Rogers was there, but he was able to elevate everybody around him. We're not seeing that. At least we certainly didn't see it last night with Jordan Love, so definitely keep an eye.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah, but they're, I mean, their defense, they're a top five defense. We talked about them after the first week of the season when they beat the Lions, and I said, watch out with their defense. They're. They're going to be a top five defense, which they are. But their offense is not helping their defense at all. I think that Browns game, I think they scored seven. Then they lose last week to the Panthers. They lose this game, they score seven. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

So it was. I'm glad I sat through it because I raced home from the Bulls game because I went to the Bulls game. Talk about them in just a second. The. Because I'm like, look, I got to watch this football game and then I'm watching this thing. Oh, geez, it's close. It was three nothing, I think, when I turned it on. And then there were a couple of big plays. But it was very, very strange ending to that game. Inexplicable ending to that game.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah, they lose to the Browns 13 to 10.

[Dan Bernstein]

They.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

That's, you know, they tied. The Cowboys scored 80 points total in that game. Then they beat the Bengals. Yeah, they lose the Panthers 16, 13. Then last night, 10, 7. I mean, their defense is getting, getting stuff done. They're just not scoring any points.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know, this time of year we are treating ourselves to a lot of stuff. This is when, and it starts with Halloween every year into Thanksgiving, into the winter holidays that you go to work and there's always stuff there. There's candy and there's cakes and there's donuts and there's holiday things and they're sitting in the kitchen next to the coffee machine and you're getting gifts and stuff and there's always stuff in the kitchen counter at home. One thing you can do to make yourself feel better about everything this time of year and maybe allow yourself a little opportunity for some splurges when you want is be healthier in your routine. That rather than going and paying 10 bucks for essentially a milkshake in a red cup, go to protein bar and kitchen. Protein bar and kitchen allows not only all kinds of healthy swaps, but especially when you're on the go and you're craving stuff and you need something that is satisfying but also healthy and full of protein and doesn't weigh you down, where you get all the flavor, all the satisfaction all the enjoyment, but you don't get the same kind of guilt and the same kind of like, oh, boy, I can't believe it. We got this giant dinner coming up. Protein bar and kitchen lets you have everything just because of what their mission is. It's craveable and satisfying flavors, but their menu has supercharged ingredients and healthy swaps. Every entree, every protein shake has at least 15 grams of protein. So it's all day power. Whether it's your breakfast items with the scramble bowls or their burritos, the acai bowls power oatmeal, your lunch options with wraps and burritos and salads, and then dinner, there's all kinds of stuff for whatever you're craving. The Mexicali bowl, the steak and sole, which is a spicy Korean steak bowl. Everything is available to you, maybe pre workout or post workout, for your protein reuptake. Protein bar and Kitchen. There's 15 locations in Chicago. Most are in the entire Chicagoland area, including Northbrook. Including Oakbrook. So download the app for the special deal. And I've had people tell me they've done this and they just can't believe how awesome it is to walk in and be like, oh, that's all I got everything I wanted and 50% off. Yeah. With the code DBU50. DBU50 in the app for protein bar and kitchen. So just open the app, you go to the main navigation at the bottom, hit more, it'll say enter promo code, and you enter DBU50. It's not applicable on delivery or catering orders and not applicable to PBK airport locations. But see, my mouth is watering too, because the Caesar salad is fantastic. I know. My daughter loves the PB&J shake with organic peanut butter, blueberry, strawberry, organic agave, vanilla whey protein, and almond milk. 21 grams of protein. So protein bar and kitchen. Get the app, download it. It takes two seconds. You get all kinds of rewards in the app. The PBK app, you can become a free PBK fan favorite, and you start getting all kinds of rewards. But the code is DBU5.0. I went to see Wemby last night, went to United center, and that is a. That's an alien. I. He is. I don't know what to say. I've seen really tall guys before. I've seen seven foot five guys. I've seen seven foot four guys, but not who can move like that ever in my life. Not even close. And I remember Ralph Sampson when he was young, in his prime. Rookie of the year, Ralph Sampson. This is a level beyond that. I mean, that's the closest thing I remember seeing with somebody bigger than everybody. And also could put the ball on the floor and could pass and shoot. But, oh my God, this is, this is unfair. Wemby's unfair. And the Bulls played well. Josh Giddey didn't play last night. He's still coming back from being a meme where DeAndre Hunter made him into a meme. He literally, you hear the term, broke his ankles. He, he made Josh Giddey sprain his own ankle. He put a move on and it's so bad. It got all around the league. It was the reaction to, it was Thomas Bryant's reaction that I called out. Not great. But without giddy, without shot creation, they did their best. Man, those scrappy, adorable little Bulls, they hung in there. They hung in there for a long time. But this is three games now where against the Bucks, Bulls were up big, hanging in there. They're scrapping, they're out there by gum, they're showing gumption. And then Giannis is like, yeah, you can't guard me. And I'm going to take ball every time and I'm going to go to the basket and I'm going to dunk it and there's nothing you can do. And then the same thing happened in Cleveland. The scrappy Bulls were getting after it and they're sharing the ball and they're moving the ball and they're popping it around and they're drawing fouls. And then Donovan Mitchell's like, yeah, I'm just going to take a step back and you can't do anything about this. I'm going to keep hitting these shots because I'm an all NBA level player like Giannis is, and that's what this league is. Same thing last night. Bulls have that lead and they have that lead. Look at the win expectancy chart for this one. You want to see something? And they're, they're winning and they're winning and they're winning. And then when Miami's like, okay, time.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

To go to work.

[Dan Bernstein]

And there's nothing they can do now.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

This is insane about, about Wemby and his first 120 games.

[Dan Bernstein]

He has.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

There's comparison here from four of the greatest players ever in the game. 2738 points in his first 120 games compared to LeBron's 2680. Okay, so almost 100 points more. Karl Malone had 1091 rebounds. Wemby has 1301 blocks. Hakeem Elijah one has 337. In his first 120, Wemby has 448. Now this is the one that's the stupidest thing of them all. In his first 120 games, Steph Curry had 242 threes. Wemby has 274. That is ridiculous. More points than LeBron, more blocks than Akeem, more rebounds than Carl Malone, and more threes.

[Dan Bernstein]

And Steph Curry, you're leaving out a huge data point. He's 21. Look at the ages.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

But he's 75. He's 7 5.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's a guard.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

I mean, that's insane.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, he's 21.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Ridiculous.

[Dan Bernstein]

In 38, 36 minutes last night, just 30. Barely played the first half 36 minutes. He had 38 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, a steal and five blocks and made six of his nine threes.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

I mean those comparisons there alone are just, it's, it's ridiculous. But you know, the 96 bulls would kill him.

[Dan Bernstein]

Uh huh.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

He has more threes than Steph Curry in his first 120 games and it's like 30 more.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know who else played great for them last night? Luke Cornett. Former Bull Luke Cornett. He's, he's gotten much bigger, much stronger. He's £275.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Does it help having Wemby on your team?

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, the, what they did, some of the stuff that they drew up, that Mitch Johnson drew up was really interesting. Where they use the attention paid to Wemby to free up Cornette for lobs. They ran a couple of circle routes actually, where Wemby comes cutting through looking for a lob and everybody sees him, goes chasing after him, and then they allow Cornet to trail behind. There was some very clever double big stuff. And it's one of the main reasons I wanted to go to the game was first of all just to kind of be in their locker room, talk to some people, talk to Billy before the game and obviously just be around and see how they're prepping. But to, to, to, to look at, at how, how they're using Wembanyama differently.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

What your notes, man.

[Dan Bernstein]

What?

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

I just like how small you write everything. Like your Bears notes, your Beautiful mind stuff.

[Dan Bernstein]

What this, this stuff on the back of my, my, my weirdo puzzles. But, but yeah, I just, I like seeing. Okay, where's Wemby? How are they using him? Because they will put him at the elbow. They will have him walk the ball up. They will. There were a couple where they start him in the corner and they'll set a screen and he comes whistling out of the corner. What he is really playing, like, of all the comps that you just made, he is, in a lot of ways, mega Durant because of his shooting ability, because you can't. You can't block it. But like, instead of a Kareem Skyhook, this guy just shooting jumpers, he's putting on the floor, he's jab stepping the moves. What he's able to do late. Did you see what he did to Vuch on one of those threes where he had faked him and Vucc had to go stumbling backwards because he's giving him feet, and then he just raises up on him. He's mega Durant with a better handle and the ability to defensively alter shots, block shots. If you added up the number of shots the Bulls didn't take, let alone the five blocks, and I think he had more, but let alone those five blocks, the number of times a guy got right to the basket and generally would have gone up with it, it was just like, oh, no, no, no, no. I'm. I'm going over here with it. He should win defensive player of the year every year. Every year he's in the league, he should win defensive player of the year, period. Paragraph. He just.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

All right, so you saw him in person. You saw him play in person. Your conclusion is he's a good player.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's very tall.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Okay, he's tall.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

And he's good. Is he good at basketball?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, my scouting report is tall and good. Does that work?

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah, he's. He's. Where is he at?

[Dan Bernstein]

In.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

He's number one in blocks per game. He is three in rebounds. He's 12th in points.

[Dan Bernstein]

He should be defensive player of the year every single year. And even in switches and latent games. Boy, not having giddy when they were switching everything because they got some similarly sized guys out there, they were switching every screen, and the Bulls couldn't get anything downhill.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Can you recall currently the most important player on his team, Josh Giddey, getting hurt on a play like that?

[Dan Bernstein]

No one's ever gotten hurt. No one has ever been so abused by a move that they sprained their own ankle that I can remember. He's an all time meme. And then Billy Donovan was like, I haven't seen the memes. So I don't know. I didn't really see it. I haven't seen them. I just. I. Billy was being so careful. It's like, I know he was hurt. I was just concerned about that he was. He was hurt. So I haven't seen. And then. And I think it was Cowley, who's like, we're just. We're just excited. You know what a meme is? Good. Yeah. Like, Billy, you know what a meme is? He's like, well, people have told me, I know I'll rely on you to show me. And he stops because I don't want to see him.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

So was he. Was he. Did he give us a trustman? He's like, I saw the meme, but I didn't see the meme. But I'm not even sure what a meme is.

[Dan Bernstein]

It wasn't that.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

No one showed me the meme.

[Dan Bernstein]

It wasn't that fumbling. He was trying.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Posted the meme, but I didn't see the meme.

[Dan Bernstein]

He made it very clear. He made it very clear that he knew people were joking about it. He knew it had gotten around the league, that TV had spent time with it. He knew it, but he didn't want to give it oxygen. So he tried to make. I haven't. I haven't seen the social media.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

I don't even have a phone. I. I have never even used the Internet. I didn't know.

[Dan Bernstein]

They're like, well, well, well, so. And he was like, oh, Billy. Mentioning memes and.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

So what's it. How long is he out?

[Dan Bernstein]

It's game to game.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

It seemed like. But they really missed him.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

That sucks. That really so bad.

[Dan Bernstein]

It was so bad. We're going to talk about all the bull stuff and really get into it on organizations win championships a little bit later on today. Can't wait to do that with my idiot son.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Oh, boy. Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

As long as his. His brain works.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

I hope. I hope we can. I'm going to ask him permission. Should I ask him permission or should I just talk about it later?

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

I don't think you need to ask permission.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm his dad. Right.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

It's fair game.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I'm going to.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Because he's okay. So it's.

[Dan Bernstein]

As far as we know. I'm going to roast.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Well, that's.

[Dan Bernstein]

I can't wait, I guess. Yeah.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

It's very loose. Loosely saying, he's okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. I'm okay getting him my kid.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

I had mentioned earlier about this time of year and all the food that's around. You know what's great this time of year? When you get the big styrofoam box that shows up on your porch. It's the greatest gift of all time. It's Omaha Steaks. And you can give this gift to yourself. Or if you're looking for a great way to get some of your holiday shopping done with a few clicks and a big discount. Omaha Steaks. Delivering the world's best steak experience can make a perfect holiday gift. And if you're having people over, if you want to serve the good stuff and you want to take care of everything in one spot. Omaha Steaks. Because right now it's the sizzle all the way sale. That means 50% off site wide@omaha steaks.com and just because you are listening to Dan Bernstein unfiltered, you get an extra $35 off with the promo code Bernstein. Just my last name. B E R N S T E I N. Bernstein. You know me like that. That you can get $35 off on top of 50% off site wide@omaha steaks.com it's been great. I still have a freezer full in the basement from the last box that I got. Knowing that I've got boneless pork chops, there's boneless chicken breasts, there are filet mignons that I have down there. The apple tartlets, the caramel apple, gone. Because I destroy those the moment that I see them. The cool thing for holiday ordering, if you place Your order by 5:00, clock Chicago time, it'll ship same day. So end of business Chicago time. 5:00, clock Chicago time is same day shipping. So it's a great time to save. You know that every steak is perfectly aged to maximize tenderness. Hand cut by master butchers. Grass fed grain finished beef. So you get the best of both worlds. More marbling for exceptional flavor. Flavor. It's Omaha Steaks, America's original butcher since 1917. So save big on gourmet gifts and more holiday favorites with omaha steaks. Visit OmahaSteaks.com for 50% off site wide during the sizzle all the way sale. And for that extra $35 off, use the promo code Bernstein at checkout. Terms apply. See site for details. That's Omaha Steaks and the code is my last name. Bernstein.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

All right, well, we added a new player to the team. I thought we had a political guest coming on next. When I saw that earlier on the board, I was like, roy Vote?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Who's Roy votes? I didn't know who Roy Vote was. I'm like, if you want to get into it, we get into it. I guess Roy vote midterms just happened. We could, we could talk with Roy Vote about about some things.

[Dan Bernstein]

The in the rookie of the year voting.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

All right, that, that makes more sense.

[Dan Bernstein]

Uh huh. O Drake Baldwin is the NL Rookie of the Year, finishing just ahead of Cubs pitcher Kate Horton, who got nine first place votes. And for the American League, Mr. Kurtz, he won. Nick Kurtz of the athletics, the unanimous AL selection and absolutely no surprise. He only played 117 games and he had 36 home runs. That's a 50 homer pace. And he also, when you're saying, oh yeah, he played in that minor league park, he hit fantastic away from the park as well. So congratulations to Nick Kurtz. Congratulations Drake Baldwin. And but Kate Horton, I think next year he should aim a little bit higher and find himself in some Cy Young thoughts. If he keeps this up, if he starts off with on this trajectory, a lot of good things are coming his way.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah, for sure.

[Dan Bernstein]

Loved how aggressive he was. There's some more news regarding pitching and this shouldn't surprise anybody that in the wake of the indictments of Emmanuel Clase and of Luis Ortiz, MLB and the major US Sportsbooks have quickly convened a summit and have reached an agreement to establish a nationwide $200 betting limit on bets on individual pitches. And bets on individual pitches will not be included in parlays.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

All right, so immediate reaction to it. But let me like, like why, why go 90% of the way, just get rid of the whole thing? Why put a cap on it?

[Dan Bernstein]

Maybe, I don't know.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

I mean, if you're, if you're really concerned about it, you want to do something, just say, all right, we're not going to bet on individual pitches.

[Dan Bernstein]

Then maybe they don't want the slope that slippery. Okay. Maybe they don't say, well, maybe we shouldn't be doing this at all. Is this right? Is this good? That maybe they don't want to confront some of the more difficult questions involved in some of this. But this is the first attempt. Yeah. To try to limit some of this stuff and not include them in parlays. I was wondering that too, about betting on specific pitches.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah, like, come on, like there, there's enough to bet on. You don't need to bet on a specific pitch.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's. I agree. There are also a couple other notes regarding where that story is going. So Luis Ortiz had his arraignment and he was granted his release on a half a million dollar bond, which is obviously conditional that he doesn't leave the US Northeast. I don't know if they put a monitor on him or whatever they did. Meanwhile, Manuel Classe is believed to be outside of the US And Nobody knows exactly what his status is. I don't know we're ever going to see Emmanuel Classe again.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Probably not. If he's. If he truly is outside of the US probably never see or be heard from again.

[Dan Bernstein]

He'S gonna have to find a way to make a new life for himself. Oh, I'm sure he could find, but that. I don't know that you're going to count on ever seeing Emmanuel Class A again. I know he's never going to play baseball again, but I don't. I don't know what he's got here. Does he have his family here? Is his house here? Does he. But there's obviously ways to.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Well, if there is, better pack it up and find him. Complicated life. But he's not coming back.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't. I would not expect him to voluntarily return to these shore anytime soon. Another baseball note, and that is Kyle Hendricks has announced that he's retiring an incredibly meaningful Chicago Cub because of what he meant during an era that had something that happened that had never happened in our in most lifetimes with the Cubs winning the World Series and him being an enormous part of it. He finishes with 12 seasons pitched and he had 11 of those as a Cub. He was 105 and 91 with a 3.79 ERA, 1373 strikeouts, 407 walks in 307 games. In 2016 he led the National League and earned run average. He was third in Cy Young voting. He got some Cy Young votes in 2020 as well as I'm looking at his Baseball reference page and he just had a very nice career. He even got some far down ballot MVP votes in that amazing year of 2016 when he was brilliant. He also relied on one of the greatest defenses in the history of Major League baseball in the 2016 Cubs. But he did lead baseball with a 2.13 ERA and he had a one loss record of 16 and eight. He also led the league in ERA plus at 196. So he was nearly twice as good as the average starting pitcher in that run environment. If you want his comps who are the most ever similar pitchers, this is sort of a way of defining how good he was with context from 10 to 1. Michael Walker, Moose Haas, Alex Fernandez, Rick Reed, Jose Barrios, Nathan Iovaldi, Marcus Stroman, Aaron Nola, Jordan Zimmerman and Ben Sheets. Those are your comps to Kyle Hendricks and with an economics degree from Dartmouth. The world is his oyster.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

The world is his oyster. Dan I was just about to say that as a Cubs Fan. I can ask this question. How many Cub fans do you think knew that he made 31 starts this past baseball season for the Angels?

[Dan Bernstein]

I think a decent amount. Okay. Yeah, he was out there pitching. You saw his name and box scores.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Less than half.

[Dan Bernstein]

And for his career, $86,391,500.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

So he's out looking for a job today.

[Dan Bernstein]

And let me also say this. What a lovely guy. Just a. Just a really normal, nice guy who happened to be good at throwing a baseball. This is not somebody who ever seemed to define himself by being a major league ball player as. As nondescript, otherwise as a human being you would ever know or see. He happens to be a tremendous natural athlete. And I've been told by friends of his, he's the guy that you always find out after the fact, is good at everything. That if you say, hey, are you good at darts? I don't know. Are you good at pool? I don't know. Are you good at golf? I play a little bit. Are you good at alligator wrestling? I don't know. Maybe. I've done that every once in a while. He's one of those guys who is good at everything. Never make a bar bet with him because you'll lose. But just a. Just a great dude and wish him nothing but the best. My guess is that he's probably not going to follow the Mark Pryor path and end up as a grizzled old pitching coach somewhere. I don't know what else he's going to do. I know it's going to involve a lot of golf. His father's a. Was a club.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Probably just seems that he'll just. He'll just go off and enjoy the rest of his life and he'll. He'll forever live in the legacy of the Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, but not in his mind. No.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

But for the fans, for us.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. Yep. But that's. He meant a lot to a lot of people. His performances meant a lot to a lot of people. And you. He's. He just. He's had a hell of a career. He did it. You talk about doing the most with your athletic gifts and watching what is going on in Major League Baseball with everybody throwing 100 miles an hour and he was sitting there at 89. 88. 89. Occasionally hitting 90. Just a remarkable career for where that guy came from, for what scouts thought of him from the beginning. Wish him nothing but the best. Kyle Hendricks retired. And now, lastly, we've got an issue. I don't know how to tell you this, Maddie? We were talking about food. We were talking about our dinners from last night. By the way, new record for me. I got really hungry for Popeyes on the way back from the Bulls game.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Two whole birds.

[Dan Bernstein]

One no whole bird.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

One whole bird.

[Dan Bernstein]

I did the eight piece family meal deal. So it was. I ate eight pieces of regular mild chicken and an entire large mashed potatoes. I did not eat the biscuits.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Did you have dessert?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

What did you have for dessert?

[Dan Bernstein]

I had a quarter of a Mariano's cherry pie and two Hostess cupcakes. Wow.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

It's impressive.

[Dan Bernstein]

I was hungry.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah, I was hungry, clearly, but.

[Dan Bernstein]

And you had red beans and rice and dewy sausage.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah, it was good stuff.

[Dan Bernstein]

Sounded great. But here's the deal. This is originally reported by the Wall Street Journal. Several imported pasta brands could vanish from American grocery shelves if the proposed tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump take effect. According to multiple media outlets, the US government's proposed 107% total tariff on imported Italian pasta could lead to dramatic shifts in American consumer prices and potentially leave storage shelves devoid of some of the most iconic brands.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

So if this isn't a direct attack on middle aged Italian American men, I don't know what is. Damn. I mean, we're. We're. We're a group that is overlooked, ignored. We're not seen, we're not heard.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is just why. Why it got to be Italian. How about any of us who. Who enjoy a lot of pasta because.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Middle aged white Italian American men are.

[Dan Bernstein]

One of the most just discriminated against?

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yes. Yeah, it's hard to even talk about.

[Dan Bernstein]

If these, if these tariffs go into effect is scheduled In January of 2026, this could mean substantially higher prices or disappearance of imported Italian pasta altogether. USA's Chief Commercial Officer of US Chiefs of Rumo, Jim Donnelly.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Oh, I thought you said all together. Sorry, my bad.

[Dan Bernstein]

Entirely different kind of flying altogether.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

It's an entirely different kind of flying.

[Dan Bernstein]

So the company would refuse to pass the full costs on to consumers, warning a price jump from 399 to 799 per package if forced. However, the 13 Italian brands listed in US Commerce Department records and cited include the following. Okay. La Molisana, Pasta, Garofalo, Rumo, Agritalia, Aldino, Antique, Tradizioni di Gragano, Grupo Milo, Pastaficio, Artesiano, Artisiano, Giuseppe Cocho. Oh, Giuseppe, Pastaficio, Chiavena, Pastaficio, Ligori, Pastaficio, Scamborough, and Past Visio, Tama and Barilla. Noting US Produced Barilla will be less affected. I don't know what's us produced and what's Italian produced. I noticed Dicco is not on here. Here's my concern.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

I'm gonna guess the, the buddy in the, the blue box is us. That's what my guess would be.

[Dan Bernstein]

Red box is the bronze cut Italian.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah. The stuff that's in like packaging, not in a box is probably Italian, I would guess.

[Dan Bernstein]

And the red box is designed to compete with Deco that is all Italian made. And probably the best grocery store brand.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah. I bought a box of Deco last week. Used rigatoni with sausage.

[Dan Bernstein]

I still have some of the Giada brand leftovers that she sent me.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

So here's what we'll do. If this goes into effect and if it impacts you, I'll just. We'll do a DBU live pasta pasta making. Yeah. And we'll show you how to do it. You can make your own.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know how to do it.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

No, but I'm talking about our listeners, not you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, the, the issue that I have is the brands that I like that I buy. The Mariano's house brand is an imported Italian pasta and it's great. And it's a bronze cut Italian import.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Is it the signature? What are they, what do they call it?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, signature. Well, there's, there's. And even the jewel private selection is also. It's probably one of those.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is what's bugging me is that's been my go to is whatever that Mariano's signature is, is great and inexpensive and imported Italian.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Because it's in a package. Right. Not a box.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. It's in a plastic package they have. And I love the tritole, I love the cavatappe. They do a thick spaghetti that I love, linguine fettuccine. But that is my default brand. And I promise you that it's one of these brands that is then used as the house brand. So I'm. I don't like this one bit. I don't like it one bit.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Well, add that to the list and.

[Dan Bernstein]

I, and I'm told I'm being gaslit, that grocery prices are fine. They're not going up at all. As the person who does the shopping, I can tell you it's insane what things cost right now.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

The, the, the egg, the brand that I buy of eggs are, I think if they're 12.99 a dozen.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, you don't buy regular eggs like store brand eggs? No, you buy like super eggs.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Yeah, it's like I think heritage Farms.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, okay. Yeah.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

All right. Well, yeah, it's like. It's like 13 bucks.

[Dan Bernstein]

Wow. Check out Mr. Fancy Pants over there. Mr. Mr. Twelve Dollar Eggs. All right, well, well, well. Whatever. All right. No whatever. Fix this. Fix this. Somehow, I guarantee you a group of eight idiot asshole democrats has found a way to cave on this too. You should all be primaried.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Well, that's right. We're gonna. We're gonna do a pasta class. Pasta making class. Show you how to do it super easy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Dick Durbin, not invited. Chuck Schumer, not invited. Angus King, not invited.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

No.

[Dan Bernstein]

Gene Shaheen, not invited. You also be. You also be shot into the son.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Thanks for finishing that sentence.

[Dan Bernstein]

Appreciate it. 14 teams have hung 40 or more on the board this year. Overs are printing in my bookie. You leave the music? I love it. Is where you should be cashing in on everyone. Game lines, player props, same game parlays, whatever you're writing. My bookie has it. New players can use our code DBU to get started with the bet back bonus. Your first bet, up to $500 is fully covered. If it misses, the bet back token keeps you in the game so you can reload and fire another shot. See? But you need the code. The code is dbu. Whether you're building your bankroll or looking to hit the lotto with Moneybag, you can bet on anything, anytime, anywhere with my bookie. And that is Dan Bernstein. Unfiltered. Presented by my bookie.

[Co-host/Guest Analyst]

Dan Bernstein. Unfiltered.

[Dan Bernstein]

Unfiltered. On three. One, two.

[Announcer]

Sports.