Chicago Bears - Halas had his eyes on Arlington Heights back in 1975

Summary

Forward Progress – A Chicago Bears Podcast

Episode: Halas had his eyes on Arlington Heights back in 1975
Release Date: February 11, 2026
Hosts: Dan Bernstein and Matt Abbatacola

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the ongoing saga over the Chicago Bears' stadium future, exploring the latest proposals for relocation—including a splashy new pitch from Portage, Indiana—and unearthing a little-known historical twist: that franchise patriarch George Halas nearly moved the Bears to Arlington Heights back in 1975. Dan and Matt blend sharp analysis, historical perspective, and their trademark banter to assess what’s real, what’s posturing, and what’s best for the Bears' next chapter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Portage, Indiana’s Push for the Bears

(Begins ~03:36)

• Portage, Indiana, has made an official pitch—“Halas Harbor”—offering a publicly owned, rent-free stadium at no cost to the Bears or taxpayers.
• The city is working with the Indiana legislature to fast-track a proposal, hoping to get a deal done before lawmakers’ end-of-month recess.
• Mayor Austin Banta featured prominently in the Portage effort. Gary, Indiana, is also offering three alternative sites, and even Iowa is making overtures.
• Dan: “This is what happened last time… Aurora, Naperville… It’s all half a stunt. They’re gonna go to Arlington Heights one way or another.” (05:54)

2. The Reality of Stadium Relocation Stunts

(Begins ~05:54)

• Dan and Matt are skeptical about the Indiana proposals, viewing them as political theater and leverage for negotiations in Illinois.
• Dan: “Indiana’s not going to get behind multiple proposals if they’re going to award a ton of money to the Bears. The legislature… isn’t voting on two separate proposals.” (09:41)
• Matt: “So they'll obviously end up at Arlington Heights.” (09:32)
• They reference previous “relocation stunts” like Planit Park, Aurora, and Naperville in Bears history.

3. Historical Context: Halas and Arlington Heights

(Begins ~06:32)

• Matt uncovers a 1975 New York Times blurb revealing that George Halas wanted to move the Bears to Arlington Heights after stadium capacity rules changed post-NFL/AFL merger.
• Richard J. Daley, then Chicago mayor, threatened legal action to prevent loss of the “Chicago Bears” name if they left the city—a move considered mostly bluster.
• Dan: “I didn’t know that either—that he wanted to move the team to Arlington Heights.” (07:05)
• Matt: “He wanted to build a stadium that would hold 80,000… but apparently the people in Arlington Heights didn’t want it either.” (08:45)
• The lease at Soldier Field, signed in 1978, is still in effect through 2033.

4. Bears’ Current Stadium Land in Arlington Heights

(Begins ~10:09)

• Bears purchased the Arlington Heights property three years ago for $192 million and have yet to break ground.
• Dan and Matt muse that this move may reflect Halas’s original vision, but they also question whether the organization’s foresight matches its historical good fortune.

5. NFL Draft Pick Trading Proposal

(Begins ~19:21)

• The NFL may change rules to let teams trade draft picks up to five (vs. three) years into the future.
• Dan is in favor of fewer restrictions: “Your assets are your assets. … It raises the stakes of trades.” (20:29)
• Matt raises fan anxiety about Bears management mortgaging the future: “That’s a Bears fan talking… where he’s giving away six number ones to get Max Crosby here.” (23:29)
• Both agree owners should have final say on significant trades.

6. QB Free Agency & Cap Woes

(Begins ~32:02)

• Dan and Matt run through the list of available free agent QBs (Daniel Jones, Aaron Rodgers, Malik Willis, etc.), but neither would wish them as starters.
• They discuss how the rising costs and questionable returns on contracts like Kyler Murray’s ($53M cap hit) and Tua Tagovailoa’s ($57M cap hit) put teams in a bind, reinforcing the value of rookie deals.
• “That’s why Mitchell Trubisky didn’t have his fifth year option picked up… sometimes you gotta make these calls.” —Dan (35:53)

7. Draft Outlook and Mock Drafts

(Begins ~36:55 & 37:09)

• Discussion of mock drafts: Bears possibly targeting Zion Young (Missouri), NFL.com rankings debate, and a playful aside on Diego Pavia’s absence from top QB rankings.

8. Front Office News & Compensatory Pick Disappointment

(Begins ~39:10 & 39:23)

• NFL denies the Bears compensatory picks for Ian Cunningham’s hiring, based on Matt Ryan’s titular control in Atlanta.
• The search for Cunningham’s replacement is ongoing; Matt suggests looking outside the organization for fresh ideas.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Dan on relocation stunts:
  • “It’s all half a stunt. They’re gonna go to Arlington Heights one way or another. And if they don’t, that’d be fine too… Like, 99% possibility that they end up on the land that they bought.” (05:54)
• Matt on Bears history:
  • “George Halas… was looking at the property in Arlington Heights [in 1975]… I didn’t know all the way back then that George Hallas wanted to move to Arlington Heights.” (06:48, 07:07)
• Dan on ownership & trades:
  • “All you do is make visionary executives less valuable and stupid executives less damaging. … I think you should trust your owners.” (21:49–22:00)
• On the futility of the Portage proposal:
  • “Vacationing in Portage. Pack it up, kids, we’re going to Portage… The amount of the bonds that can be issued goes up to… $800 million. So it wouldn’t even be enough money.” (17:53–18:04)
• Comic tangent:
  • Reminiscing about disastrous remote broadcasts, Blarney Island boat trips, and chicken wing theft at remotes provides color and classic banter (14:44–16:17, 29:30–30:02).

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Notable Timestamps

• Portage Indiana Proposal, Mayor Banta – 03:18–05:51
• History: Halas and Arlington Heights – 06:32–09:32
• Property taxes & financing stadium – 04:08–04:51
• NFL draft trading rule change discussion – 19:21–26:39
• QB free agent rundown & cap discussion – 32:02–36:13
• Draft and positional rankings debate – 36:55–38:02
• Bears front office update and comp picks – 39:10–39:44

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Additional Highlights and Banter

• Mocking "Halas Harbor" as a name:
  • “What, do you prefer it with two Ls though? … Hellas Harbor sounds like a golf course.” (13:38)
• Nostalgia about little league bats and gloves:
  • Long segment about rising youth sports equipment costs and bat preferences (43:38–50:13).
• NFL denying Bears comp picks:
  • “The NFL ruled that former quarterback Matt Ryan holds the Falcons primary football executive position… denying Chicago two third round picks for losing Ian Cunningham.” (39:40)

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Summary

This episode expertly combines Bears stadium news, rich historical context, and front office insight—all delivered in the hosts’ distinctively irreverent yet informed style. Dan and Matt debunk out-of-state stadium bids as negotiation theater, take listeners back 50 years to the very first Arlington Heights ambitions, and debate what the NFL’s next trades-and-picks rule could mean for teams like the Bears. Their mix of sharp analysis, anecdote, and comedic asides makes this an engaging must-listen for any NFL or Bears fan.

Transcript

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[Matt Abaticola]

I mean if you're a Bears fan.

[Dan Bernstein]

You'Re thinking forward Progress. Come on.

[Alex Barker]

10.

[Dan Bernstein]

219.

[Matt Abaticola]

219. Forward progress A Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 3one2 Sports.

[Dan Bernstein]

You want the latest on the Bears in the NFL? There's one place that you have to spend your time and it's right here. It is here with forward progress on 312 sports. Bernstein Abaticola. He has officially opened his Waterloo sparkling water and that has invok now officially.

[Matt Abaticola]

Are the start of the show.

[Dan Bernstein]

The start of forward progress today.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's a polar.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's what?

[Matt Abaticola]

Polar. Different brand.

[Dan Bernstein]

What? You're cheating on Guy Fieri?

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, I don't drink his. I thought he on a consistent basis. He is. He has the three specialty ones.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

He's just a regular guy now to me.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know what? I have to admit I'm a spin drift guy.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I know you've always liked spin drift. No, this is good. Polar has been good because they I buy one without flavor.

[Dan Bernstein]

Just regular water flavor.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. And I like theirs the best. But this is a BlackBerry mango.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. Interesting. Yeah, they discontinued the BlackBerry spindrift but.

[Matt Abaticola]

It also my favorite was the grapefruit.

[Dan Bernstein]

Still. Still great.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I love it. That's a good one. That's a good one.

[Dan Bernstein]

And if you are of the mind too, a little bit of vodka in there is just about what it calls for. The grapefruit one. Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, that would be good.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's just about what that thing calls for.

[Matt Abaticola]

That'd be a good mix.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right.

[Matt Abaticola]

So we talked yesterday about the stadium for the Chicago Bears. There is some progress being made and there might be a reason why to it Pritzker Said yesterday he doesn't take anything as a bluff. And you know, Gary's been pushing really hard for the Bears to move there. Well, Portage, Indiana is also in play now, Dan. They, they actually made a video pitch to the Bears. Okay. And the mayor of Portage, Indiana, Austin Banta. B O N T A And I'm reading the story from cbs. It says this is about having the same roar at a new shore.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

So apparently they've made a video pitch. They're making an official proposal today at, at noon to the Chicago Bears about moving to Portage, Indiana, where they're a disdevelopment. This area that they have planned out.

[Dan Bernstein]

They'Re calling it Hallis Harbor, Hallas Harbor.

[Matt Abaticola]

And in the story here, they have quotes from Mark Gannis, who specializes in high level sports transactions.

[Dan Bernstein]

Don't we have anybody else around here that is like Mark Gannis? I hope that he renegotiates whatever all of his contracts are with whoever pays him. Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Because to get more money.

[Dan Bernstein]

Nice guy. I've talked to him multiple times. But is he the only person who does what he does?

[Matt Abaticola]

Apparently the only one that answers the phone.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

The Bears do not have property tax certainty. They'll not be able to finance the stadium. He says lenders are not gonna give them the money, knowing their property tax bill could be astronomical from one year to the next up in Arlington Heights. So that's where the mayor of Portage, Indiana steps in and he says, continuing on to the story, we also have a partner who's able to offer a financial deal to finance the stadium so that they'll be able to utilize it rent free at no cost to taxpayers and no cost to the Bears. Portage is calling it, as I said, Hallis harbor. Even though they have two Ls here. In the story, the city recently made its pitch to video to the Bears.

[Dan Bernstein]

The L's are in Hallas and not harbor, right?

[Matt Abaticola]

Correct. Okay. H A, L, L A s. Just.

[Dan Bernstein]

Making sure it's not Halarbor or something.

[Matt Abaticola]

Indiana legislators are working on a possible offer that would pave the way for the multibillion dollar publicly owned stadium at no cost to the Bears. Indiana is moving very aggressively. The city of Gary is also offering three different proposed sites to build on. If the Bears do chills choose Illinois, Gannis says the organization would walk away from a lot of money. They'd be very loyal to their fan base, loyal to the history of the team being in Illinois. They should get a lot of credit. He says that he expects his decision to be reached within a few weeks, because the Indiana lawmakers take a break at the end of the month, and they want this deal done before the month ends.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

And reminder, too, that Kevin Warren said they want shovels in the ground before 2025 ends.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right.

[Matt Abaticola]

And Portage is saying you can get shovels in the ground and start doing this in June. Portage is Portage, Indiana.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. This is what happened.

[Matt Abaticola]

Alice Harbor.

[Dan Bernstein]

This is what happened last time. This was Planet Park. And then when they did this 30 years ago, and then it was Aurora and Naperville, and everybody had their. Now Iowa is doing something, too, to try to lure the Bears. It's all half a stunt. They're gonna go to Arlington Heights one way or another. And if they don't, that would be fine, too. I think that right now it's like 99% possibility that they end up on the land that they bought, that they own, where they can build a stadium. And although it would be. If it's a. If it is a better deal and I want to go to Indiana. Yeah, that'd be awesome.

[Matt Abaticola]

You know, and just looking through the history, I learned something just going through some of this earlier today. So 1970, the Bears were going to play in what is now Ryan Field at Northwestern. When the AFL NFL merged, there was a rule.

[Dan Bernstein]

Was it Dyke Stadium then?

[Matt Abaticola]

Dyke Stadium?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

The rule is that the stadiums needed to have a capacity of a minimum 50,000. So that was going to be out. So George Hallis, I didn't know back, way back then, was looking at the property in Arlington Heights.

[Dan Bernstein]

I didn't know that either, that he.

[Matt Abaticola]

Wanted to move the team to Arlington Heights. So I found this. This is really cool. And if you have a subscription to the New York Times, you can. You can get, like, their time machine to see old. Really, really cool. So this is from Wednesday, April 16, 1975.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

And in the sports news briefs, I.

[Dan Bernstein]

Was sitting in Mrs. Boris's class in Walden School kindergarten.

[Matt Abaticola]

I was 3, 22 years old. In the sports news briefs of this here New York Times, April 16, 1975, it says, Daley to Bears, Chicago is no suburb. And so there's a little blurb here about Richard J. Daly telling George Hallis that if you move to Arlington Heights, which he wanted to move to Arlington Heights, he saw the racecourse property, said, I want to move there. And Richard Daly said, I'll sue you for the name. You will not be called the Chicago Bears. Now, I mean, he didn't have the right to do that. You don't trademark the name Chicago. But he was ready to take legal action against George Hallas to move to Arlington Heights. To not call them the Chicago Bears. But I didn't know all the way back then that George Hallis wanted to move to Arlington Heights.

[Dan Bernstein]

I didn't either. Well, he had moved him from Decatur.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. But I didn't know that he had eyeballed Arlington Heights as a place he wanted to move the team.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's where the land was. That's where the city was growing at that. That's where people that you're talking about. 75, the exodus to the suburbs was already on you, that that was starting to be established, that you had people setting up beachheads out, out in Arlington Heights.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. He wanted to build a stadium that would hold 80,000, which would have been enough to meet the NFL's extortion today. But apparently the people in Arlington Heights didn't want it either. They didn't want the stadium out there. And then Richard Day Daly was like, well, you're not gonna be called the Chicago Bears and I'll fight you on that in court. So he ended up going, that's where he ended up going to Soldier Field and then signed like a new 20 year lease in 1978, which has continued until 2033 today. But I did not know that they wanted to move to Arlington Heights.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm not surprised at all. He was a businessman as much as he was a coach. Hallis himself always got credit. If you're going to credit the guy for building the league, creating the Bears and all. A lot of that was finding the money going where the money was.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. So we'll see what this Portage Indiana proposal is going to be here. Yeah, I think they'll, they'll obviously end up at Arlington Heights.

[Dan Bernstein]

Of course, this is not a serious proposal. Well, how many is Indiana going to get? Indiana's not going to get behind multiple proposals if they're going to award a ton of money to the Bears. The legislature, they're not going to vote on two separate proposals in the Indiana legislature. This is just a guy glomming on because he wants to hear his name.

[Matt Abaticola]

Mayor Austin Banta.

[Dan Bernstein]

There, done. He's good. That's it. That's all this is.

[Matt Abaticola]

So. And I didn't, I had forgotten that it was three years ago that they, they won the bid on that property. So it's been three years and nothing's.

[Dan Bernstein]

Happened other than them paying taxes on it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, three years. Three years of almost 200 million. I think 192 million. They bought the property for. They Buy the property. So maybe this is Virginia going back and saying, hey, this is where dad wanted to move the bears in the first place.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, they all had to be. They had their arms twisted by people to do this in the first place. There's any kind of decision like this, the way that board was operating then I don't know who had to walk in. Ted Phillips or whoever it was say, hey, we gotta buy this land. We're not gonna get a chance like this again. I don't know if they went back and said, pap wanted to do this back in the day, and that's why we have to do it. I think, like, look, we're not going to have an opportunity like this if we ever want to build our version of Sofi or whatever we're going to do or do what the Cubs are doing. You can call it whatever you want. We got to go get this now.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, I would. I would bet that George Hallis's desire to move There, you know, 50 years.

[Dan Bernstein]

Ago, you think it had something to do with it? I sure do.

[Matt Abaticola]

Do you think they had enough foresight to be like, yeah, we should move here and build our. Our Sofi? I don't. I don't. I don't trust that organization enough to have that kind of thought.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know.

[Matt Abaticola]

It was like, oh, my God. Someone probably read in the paper that the property's for sale.

[Dan Bernstein]

They're like, shit, wait a second here.

[Matt Abaticola]

Didn't. Didn't Papa want to move there? I think. Let's go ask. Let's go ask Mom.

[Dan Bernstein]

Could be. I don't put anything past Grandpa want to move there?

[Matt Abaticola]

He did.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, he certainly did.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, we should.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, it's. It's. We should look into it. It's for sale. Oh, it is. Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Go buy it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Maybe.

[Matt Abaticola]

That wouldn't surprise me at all. So they buy the property, then they bring the guy in to build it. So he's no leverage whatsoever when he walks into the building. Had no idea what he was getting into, and wasn't even the guy that got the one built in Minnesota done. He was the front man. He wasn't the guy behind the scenes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, they tried to do all that. Remember, he brought in his. His preacher to bless everything, and he had the horns and the wagons and the confetti and all that. And then everybody was just kind of like.

[Matt Abaticola]

And someone was like, hey, this isn't Minneapolis.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, knock that off.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, sorry.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's enough of that. Not gonna work. That ain't working.

[Matt Abaticola]

So, yeah, they're supposed to have their proposal done today in a half hour. So we'll, you know, we'll circle back on this tomorrow and see what that's like.

[Dan Bernstein]

What? The next one is Alice Harbor. Which other town in Indiana is coming out and offering the mayor some Seymour, Indiana.

[Matt Abaticola]

Indianapolis. We could share a stadium.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, it's gonna be Rensselaer. Or it's gonna be where their old training camp was. Cause, you know, it's right near Rensselaer. Indiana Beach.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, yeah, that's great.

[Dan Bernstein]

Our buddy Stink Finger the Crow is going to be there. That's right.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then there was. Apparently, Iowa is in play. Now Iowa wants part of this pod.

[Dan Bernstein]

Like I say, it's all. These are all stunts. That's what that is. The mayor wants his name mentioned.

[Matt Abaticola]

The mayor of Mayor Austin Banta.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right, go get it. Go get it done.

[Matt Abaticola]

Good luck to the people of Portage.

[Dan Bernstein]

They're going to be in Arlington Heights. They'll figure out their fair share of taxes.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, I'm not so convinced of that yet.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, no. I'm putting Soldier Field back in play.

[Dan Bernstein]

Nope.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Nope. Nope.

[Matt Abaticola]

But, I mean, I don't want to. I don't want a Super bowl here anyway, so.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't even like the name Hallis Harbor.

[Matt Abaticola]

What, do you prefer it with two Ls, though?

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know that all this Harbor? No, it's Hallis Harbor. It could be Clay's brother. Yeah, like, Hellas harbor sounds like another golf course.

[Matt Abaticola]

But harbor sounds nice, though. It sounds like a really nice place you want to visit. Like, a harbor. Like, ooh.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. I would wonder if I could fish there.

[Matt Abaticola]

Or you could, like, leave on a nice cruise there from.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't want to take a cruise. I'll throw up.

[Matt Abaticola]

You wouldn't. You wouldn't throw up on a cruise.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, I would.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, Maddie, you wouldn't. You don't even know you're moving on a cruise. Maddie, you wouldn't throw on. Now, that little. That little boat that we took out to Blarney island when you almost died, that was. Remember that?

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, that was just remote. That was just the wind. That was all right.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, you were green. I thought you were gonna pass out. That was terrible.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, was that. Was that the one where it was, like, moving up and down before we left?

[Matt Abaticola]

It was very, very choppy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, but that's a shallow lake. That doesn't chop. Doesn't bother me. Swells bother me.

[Matt Abaticola]

You were green. I thought you were gonna pass out.

[Dan Bernstein]

Was I drinking that day?

[Matt Abaticola]

Not before we got there.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I don't think I was even there. It was too weird.

[Matt Abaticola]

What do you mean? You don't think you were there?

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I was there. I know, but I wasn't. I don't think I was enjoying.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, you didn't enjoy anything of it. You were miserable.

[Dan Bernstein]

Terrifying. Well, we kept going off the air, remember? It was a Marty shot. We had to use an actual like old fashioned Marty shot. Like a microwave.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

To get on the air. It'll be fine. It'll be fine. It'll be fine. We have. Engineering has it figured out. They had nothing figured out.

[Matt Abaticola]

You were really pleasant to work with.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, that was. That place is another planet, like, really.

[Matt Abaticola]

Enjoyable to work with. That was a great day.

[Dan Bernstein]

You heard. You were having fun.

[Matt Abaticola]

I had fun. You, on the other hand.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, we kept going off the damn air.

[Matt Abaticola]

And the problem.

[Dan Bernstein]

They didn't even put engine. We didn't have a producer or an engineer.

[Matt Abaticola]

And the problem was what?

[Dan Bernstein]

That we were off the air.

[Matt Abaticola]

And the problem is what?

[Dan Bernstein]

That we're doing a radio show. So let's be on the air.

[Matt Abaticola]

And so what?

[Dan Bernstein]

Now I'm getting mad all over again.

[Matt Abaticola]

How does it impact your day?

[Dan Bernstein]

Because I'm supposed to be on the air.

[Matt Abaticola]

And those are out of your control. Out of your control.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think new me, the old me, would handle that much better.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, new. New you. We would. We'd be eating more.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, probably. We would have started eating and fishing.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, definitely fish.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's what I would. Are we off the air? All right. I'm going to just throw a line in the water.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because it's shallow right out there in the middle of lakes. Only like six feet deep.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, anyway, Hallis harbor might be the new home of the Chicago Bears in Portage, Indiana.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, it's. You think the Bears are going to move to Portage, Indiana?

[Matt Abaticola]

They're going to become the Portage Bears.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

And this one was too hot.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. Cold. Have fun.

[Matt Abaticola]

This one was just right.

[Dan Bernstein]

There will be more of these. There will be more random suburbs like Steve and Midlothian. I want the Bears to come. I got financing. All set. They don't have to pay anything.

[Matt Abaticola]

You know when. When Pritzker met yesterday with the media and talked about the Star Bonds and somebody asked about the Cardinals. Like, would you be interested in bringing the Cardinals to Illinois? Because apparently there's an issue with Bush Stadium and renovations.

[Dan Bernstein]

I thought you meant the Arizona Cardinals.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, no, no. They were baseball team.

[Dan Bernstein]

Chicago Cardinals.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes, they were.

[Dan Bernstein]

And what do you say?

[Matt Abaticola]

He's Always loved to always, always interested in having new businesses come to Illinois.

[Dan Bernstein]

Good answer.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. I don't.

[Dan Bernstein]

You wouldn't? No.

[Matt Abaticola]

Even though it's a different part of the country and you're still Southern Illinois.

[Dan Bernstein]

And you still don't want Jim Edmonds to be on the Cubs.

[Matt Abaticola]

No. Because he's a prick.

[Dan Bernstein]

This guy sucks. I don't want him on the Cubs. I don't want to root for him.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay. Oh, you know what? Too, since I brought that up, our guy, Glenn.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Matt Abaticola]

He sent in an email.

[Dan Bernstein]

What now?

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, no, no. About the star bonds. He had some information for us.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, yes. He knows such things. This is his specialty.

[Matt Abaticola]

He had the misfortune recently of going through and reading about the Star bonds legislation. Currently, the law limits the amount star bonds that can be issued for a project in a star bond district to the lesser of 50% of the total project cost and 75 million. However, the project is located in a NOVA district. New opportunities for vacation and adventure, which, you know, I think Portage would be. That's gotta.

[Dan Bernstein]

Vacationing and Portage.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's gotta be a nova.

[Dan Bernstein]

Pack it up, kids. We're going to portage.

[Matt Abaticola]

The amount of the bonds that can be issued goes up to lesser of 50% of project cost or 800 million. So it wouldn't even be enough money.

[Dan Bernstein]

No.

[Matt Abaticola]

So not only. Not only is it not allowed for sports teams. Now what? That would have to be amended. Then the amount available. Amended as well, too.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, I'm glad we know that it's.

[Matt Abaticola]

Just never going to happen. And it's going to be soldier field.

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[Dan Bernstein]

Now here's something that 2034. Here's something that might happen and I've been thinking about how I feel about this and I guess I'm. I'm of two minds. And I'll explain how there could be a potential rules change for 2026. The rules change that is not necessarily about the on field product. Whether they revisit the tush push or the president gets his way and they're going to take that kickoff rule back. They're not going to. There is apparently an effort to increase the window in which teams are allowed to trade draft picks. Meaning at the moment NFL teams can move selections three drafts into the future. Adam Schefter says there's going to be a push to increase the window from three years to five years to increase the limit for trading draft picks. So five years into the future rather than three years.

[Matt Abaticola]

So I get your player, then give you three first round picks. I can now go out as far as five years?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Now I will say this. I am in favor of limitless opportunities to do that. I believe your assets are your assets. And what creating this window does of any kind is artificially protecting teams from themselves. It puts a restrictor plate in for a team I'm going to win. Now, the idea of mortgaging the future.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'll give you the next 10 first round picks.

[Dan Bernstein]

It keeps you from mortgaging your future.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Which means it cuts both ways. It protects you from having really dumb executives and making terrible decisions. And in some ways it may protect the fans from stupidity, but it also denies fans the value of having someone who's the opposite, who is a visionary, a seer, who has foresight. It raises the stakes is what it does. A change like this raises the stakes of trades. And if you're stuck with an idiot or somebody under pressure, win now, win now, win now. We're going to trade away all our draft picks and then that team screwed for longer.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. You trade away your next six first round picks.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I am, I tend to think that that should be okay. That if you're putting in regulation to lower the stakes of trades or all you do is you make visionary executives less valuable and you make stupid executives less damaging. So I get it. But I think that you should trust your owners and I know you really can't. But at least you should show that you trust your owners enough to hire the right people to make these good decisions.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. But they won't. And this is obviously happening because people want it to. Like this isn't like the NFL saying, hey, here's an idea owners mold us over. They've come to the NFL and said, hey, we want. So that's, that's, it's made the deals.

[Dan Bernstein]

A lot less complicated than NBA deals.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's front office people, presidents and GMs going to their owners saying, hey, we, we need a longer window and a larger window to be able to make some of these deals happen.

[Dan Bernstein]

And they have the valuations on all.

[Matt Abaticola]

Of it, which I'm not.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's super easy to put that into a spreadsheet and just have, well, a first round pick three years from now is worth a second round pick now or a second, however you value it. And if you gotta go five years into the future, say, here's what that's going to be worth. Here's what the dollars would be worth if we factor in inflation like that. Those are not difficult calculations for these accounting departments.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. But I just, I would want, I would want to be able to trust the ownership to hire the right guys to not make dumb decisions where that's.

[Dan Bernstein]

A Bears fan talking away.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right, where he's giving away six number ones to get Max Crosby here.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's a Bears fan talking. Now if you're, if you're a fan of an organization that has a better reputation for such things, like hell yeah, I'll trust my guy to win a poker game where it's a little higher entry fee and that's all they're saying is the stakes of the poker game go up and I mean, if your guy's the idiot at the table, you're screwed.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right? Whatever. I mean, if they make that decision, great. I'm just a fan, I'm still going to watch, I mean, not going to not watch the game because I don't like a rule they made.

[Dan Bernstein]

Rule change might be up to the owners. And owner could say, even if they say all bets are off, do whatever you want, trade whatever you're asking.

[Matt Abaticola]

Or the owner could say, you're not trading more than three days in advance.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's an owner's job.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's my rule.

[Dan Bernstein]

An owner can say, the NFL might let you do this. I don't, I don't.

[Matt Abaticola]

And I would if I was an owner, but then I also wouldn't.

[Dan Bernstein]

Depends on the deal.

[Matt Abaticola]

Be concerned about hiring an idiot though, either.

[Dan Bernstein]

You never know.

[Matt Abaticola]

Could you imagine being a GM who gets a job after some guy like ruined the organization and you don't have any first round picks in the next five years because some idiot made a deal three years ago and gave away Eight first round picks.

[Dan Bernstein]

Half of the guys in every hiring sequence are idiots.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, yeah. That's why they get fired with it.

[Dan Bernstein]

The NFL keeps, they keep doing this and then they keep chasing the flavor of the month. How often do we talk about that? It's happening already. Get me a defensive expert like, like that guy Mike McDonald. No matter what. They learn wrong lessons.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

No matter what.

[Matt Abaticola]

And maybe he'll be a great Coach. But Mike LaFleur, because he's Matt LaFleur's brother. Look at the success he's had. Yeah. Of sneaking into the playoffs and losing. So good luck with that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

But. Yeah, I mean, whatever. I just, I think if, if I was an owner, I would probably put. I would probably have internal limitations on it.

[Dan Bernstein]

I would just say if there is something that certain things rise to the level of consulting me as an owner. Most things don't.

[Matt Abaticola]

If I owned a team, this would be the one.

[Dan Bernstein]

If I own a team, I don't want to.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't, I don't want to get.

[Matt Abaticola]

Involved in data, but I, I would say if you're trading away first round picks, because I, I value first round picks. If you're doing anything with first round picks, that needs to come through.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. There's a certain threshold of things where I want to, I want to have outside of that say, on that, that's all you.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's why you're here. Yep. If I think you're being a fucking idiot, then you can just pack your.

[Dan Bernstein]

Bag and go, I agree with you on, on that. Yeah. Saying, no, no, no. We're not mortgaging the rest of this generation for this guy or for these guys.

[Matt Abaticola]

But I guess if you're going three to five, I mean, yeah, there'll be a team that'll say, yeah, I'll give you five first round picks.

[Dan Bernstein]

Of course they will.

[Matt Abaticola]

You have my next five.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Matt Abaticola]

Because I think I can win this year with that and get my contract extension. Right. And my. That edge rusher who tears his knee up in week eight and we lose the season. Yep. And kiss those five first round picks goodbye.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Interesting.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think it puts more pressure on if they do this and they relax the rule. It's just going to put more pressure on the teams themselves to know to be able to gauge the given risk of a given deal.

[Matt Abaticola]

You got to relax the rules, the rule changes. A couple notes on Super Bowl 60.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

The. So Super Bowl 60 was the most watched show ever on NBC, but it didn't, it didn't break records. It Fell short of last year's Super Bowl, Eagles and Chiefs, which going into it was certainly a better matchup. And who was the halftime show last year? Was that Kendrick Lamar? Was that last season?

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't even remember that.

[Matt Abaticola]

Last year, I think. I think that's what it was.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Remember my kids enjoying it quite a bit, so. Fell short of the. Of the record for the most watched super bowl, but the most watched show on NBC. And I saw a note today that Seattle public schools are not allowing the kids to miss school for the parade, which is today as an excused absence. So if you miss, you're absent.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right. You're just say you're sick.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right? Yeah. Just have your parents lie for you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right, Right. Signed Epstein's mother. Right.

[Matt Abaticola]

But don't you think Epstein. No, that other guy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. God, you can't even make jokes.

[Matt Abaticola]

No. You can't make.

[Dan Bernstein]

Poor Theo. I feel bad for Theo.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Like, it's. It's just. It's bad for all Epstein's.

[Matt Abaticola]

Did you see that? What. What's his first name? Lutnick.

[Dan Bernstein]

Howard Lutnick.

[Matt Abaticola]

Howard Lutnick. He said. He said that he's. He's been going through the millions of documents looking for his. Looking for his name, just like everybody else.

[Dan Bernstein]

I must have missed that memo.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I know. I started going through him last night. There's a lot. I haven't seen mine or your name yet.

[Dan Bernstein]

Meanwhile, ask. You want to really look at Howard Lutnick and know about him?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

His company was in the Twin Towers. Look at how what he did and what he didn't do for employees and families of his companies in the. His company in the World Trade Center.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, look.

[Dan Bernstein]

Look that up. You want to see a real piece of that?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, we'll take a look at that.

[Dan Bernstein]

A real, real bad guy.

[Matt Abaticola]

So I think Seattle should have, you know, let kids out of school today. Early start later. I mean, do something. Come on. Or am I being.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't mean. Stupid eye. They relatively recently won a Super Bowl.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, but still, right?

[Dan Bernstein]

It's not like it's the first.

[Matt Abaticola]

I mean, that was a really significant win over Drake May. And didn't Campbell feel like it?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I don't know.

[Matt Abaticola]

Go to school, get an education. Damn it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Although that last Seattle parade was great.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because that, if I remember, it was Marshawn Lynch. He grabbed a bottle like a. Just opened bottle of fireball out of a fan's hand and he drank out of it, held it up and like, toasted the fan and kept the bottle.

[Matt Abaticola]

Just stole it.

[Dan Bernstein]

That stole it, bro. You can't. I guess you're king of the city. You're entitled to just anything. Like my thing at remotes. Remember that I could take a chicken wing off your plate.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

That was sort of the prima nocta.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. That and then. But drinking out of someone's straw. That I did not do a bit too far.

[Dan Bernstein]

Did not do that. But I was a bit. I always. I'd go over and I'd sort of look over somebody's shoulder. We'd be at a Buffalo Wild Wings or something or what, doing the show, and my hand would just come over, like, right past your ear, and I'd grab one of your chicken wings.

[Matt Abaticola]

You had that right.

[Dan Bernstein]

Declared that to be true.

[Matt Abaticola]

If you came to this remote, I get to steal one of your chicken wings.

[Dan Bernstein]

Except the day at. I forgot what it was when I forgot we were at outside of Wrigley on Sheffield, just south of Addison. It was a Starbucks there. It was like a Harry Carey tried to. Nothing has survived in that. The big. Like, there's a theater marquee on the outside. You know what I'm talking about?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. Yep, yep, yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

I forgot what it was when we were there and they had just had, like. It was the whole ghost pepper craze.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And it was real. Like, before they nerfed ghost pepper.

[Matt Abaticola]

It was hot.

[Dan Bernstein]

It was like, chemical hot. Like. Like weapons grade. And a guy's like, I can eat anything. I'm gonna have the ghost pepper wings. And we made a big deal out of it. Like, oh, look at the guy. He's gonna eat the ghost pepper wings. Watch him. And he. Or do you remember what happened?

[Matt Abaticola]

He ordered them.

[Dan Bernstein]

When they came out of the kitchen.

[Matt Abaticola]

It was the fumes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Everybody in the room was like, whoa. It was brutal.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. There was no shot that I would put that anywhere near my face. It was.

[Dan Bernstein]

The entire room noticed. When they came out of the kitchen, he had two bites of one wing. You remember this guy died. Big, tough dude. And he's like, I can eat anything. And he ate two bites. And then he started kind of trembling. And Terry and I are just laughing at him. And Terry's going. And the guy's like, I don't feel good. I have to go home.

[Matt Abaticola]

That was not good, man.

[Dan Bernstein]

He left.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. That's when it was a real deal. That was.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Not smart.

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, when I even said. When they sat him down, I said, dude, don't do it, please.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right? Because when the dish comes out of the Kitchen. And the room reacts.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Not like, good way, like, oh, my God. What was.

[Dan Bernstein]

The room reacted as if something has been set off in here. People want us out of here. It was. And I remember saying, like, don't, dude, please.

[Matt Abaticola]

Bad idea.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. He said, no, no, no. I got this.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, you got it, man.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, you. You. You got it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Hey, I was looking at some free agents throughout the NFL here. This.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, we're on to free agents already?

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, I'm looking at some different things, but. No, I want to go over first. I looked at the free agent QBs, not that we need one, but I want to throw some names at you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Tell Case Keenum.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, no, no, no. This is not to replace Case Keenum.

[Dan Bernstein]

Or what about our guy, Tyson Bagen?

[Matt Abaticola]

Tyson, though the Beijing seed, is still alive and well in Chicago.

[Dan Bernstein]

He's under contract.

[Matt Abaticola]

These are. These are QBs that are free agents. And I just want to see if there's. If there's one here that you would want on your team.

[Dan Bernstein]

On my theoretical team or on the Bears?

[Matt Abaticola]

On your theoretical team.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

You're the owner of a team.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm the owner of a team. And I can decide. I want. I can decide whatever role.

[Matt Abaticola]

So I come to you as the general manager and I give you this list of names.

[Dan Bernstein]

Just say, what do you think?

[Matt Abaticola]

Daniel Jones, Aaron Rodgers, Malik Willis, Carson Wentz, Joe Flacco, Trey Lance, Marcus Mariota, Mitch Trubisky, Zach Wilson, Tyrod Taylor. These are free agent quarterbacks.

[Dan Bernstein]

As a starter. As a starter. I mean, Daniel Jones is pretty good. Last year.

[Matt Abaticola]

He was pretty good last year.

[Dan Bernstein]

And what was his injury? Was that Achilles?

[Matt Abaticola]

I believe it.

[Dan Bernstein]

No. No, it doesn't sound right.

[Matt Abaticola]

He did not have an Achilles. Was it a knee? Do you have a knee?

[Dan Bernstein]

Because I wonder if he's going to get his speed back.

[Matt Abaticola]

Just a knee.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know. They're beginning, so the Colts say they might franchise tag him.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay, what did he have?

[Dan Bernstein]

And it doesn't say. I gotta. I gotta hold on. Daniel.

[Matt Abaticola]

Search Daniel Jones.

[Dan Bernstein]

I got it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Are you on the right?

[Dan Bernstein]

Google Daniel Jones injury.

[Matt Abaticola]

Don't go to racist Google.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's not racist Google. Okay. Yeah. Torn Achilles.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Is that right?

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay, so he's not franchise tagged. He's available. Who do you take off that list?

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't want any of them.

[Matt Abaticola]

Any of them, Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, I mean, would you want.

[Matt Abaticola]

If Kirk Cousins is released by the Falcons, would you want Kirk Cousins?

[Dan Bernstein]

No, he can't move.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

He cannot move. You can't protect. Well, Enough to protect him. Like there were. There were so many plays where somebody was breathing on me. Threw it away like he. He cannot move.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, boy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Who else did I write down? Who was after Flacco and before Mariota?

[Matt Abaticola]

Trey Lance.

[Dan Bernstein]

Trey Lance. Not Trevor Lawrence. Okay. I couldn't read my writing.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, he's not a free agent.

[Dan Bernstein]

I couldn't read my writing. Trey Lance. Okay. No, I don't.

[Matt Abaticola]

So not one person at list starter.

[Dan Bernstein]

No.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I agree. Yeah. So no. 1, Kirk Cousins. He's probably going to get released by the Falcons. And then I want to look at Kyler Murray and two attack Viola. Do you know what they're. You probably don't know. Look at their contracts. Kyler Murray's cap hit this year, it's like 30 million, 53 million. You know this cap hit is next year.

[Dan Bernstein]

What?

[Matt Abaticola]

44 million, 97 million. Wow. Tua. His cap hit this year. You have any idea? 57 million. Next year it's 53 million.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I've got the. I'm not interested. 20, 28, both of those guys.

[Matt Abaticola]

His cap hit is $66 million.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, if you. If you can get out from under Deshaun Watson's deal or Russell Wilson's, you can get out from under any of these.

[Matt Abaticola]

57, 53 and 66 million the next three years.

[Dan Bernstein]

Make a mistake at that position and.

[Matt Abaticola]

Kyler is 53 and 44.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's why Mitchell Trubisky didn't have his fifth year option picked up. You know, that's sometimes. Sometimes you got to make these calls and you got to know it. Either you got it or you don't.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's just crazy.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, wait till you see how much of the cap is eaten up by Caleb Williams. Oh, I know, dude, that's good problem to have.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's why. Keep all the draft picks you got, man.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Matt Abaticola]

Keep them all. Yeah. You're going to have to find what.

[Dan Bernstein]

You did this year and keep going to have. Developing, keep developing every year. Because once you pay him, your world changes dramatically. Your entire world changes. This is all free money right now. This is when you can build up around him. Even as close as they are to being up against the cap. Even with the machinations you got to go through to convert dollars into bonuses, to find all this money and rob Peter to pay Paul whatever metaphor you want. Kick the can down the road, all those things.

[Matt Abaticola]

Keep those draft picks, man.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

And just put it on repeat what you did this year and get guys that impact.

[Dan Bernstein]

Being good at drafting.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yep. All right. Speaking of drafting too. Yesterday I looked at Chad Ruder's three round, his mock draft field. Yates put out his. His first round draft. Mock draft.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

And at 25, he has the Bears taking just like our guy, Matt Miller, Zion Young out of Missouri.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then also looking at Jordan Reed on NFL.com he has Zion Young listed as the 8th best edge rusher in the draft. And going where he didn't put a thing out.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

He just, he ranked the players by position and had him as the 8th best edge rusher. What I was disappointed about though, in looking at his quarterbacks, he ranked the top five quarterbacks.

[Dan Bernstein]

And where's Diego Pavia?

[Matt Abaticola]

He didn't have Pavia. That's where I said he's missing a guy here.

[Dan Bernstein]

Not in the top five.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, he had Mendoza.

[Dan Bernstein]

Maybe couldn't see him.

[Matt Abaticola]

Simpson, he was standing there in line. He just missed him.

[Dan Bernstein]

Just missed him.

[Matt Abaticola]

Mendoza, Simpson, the kid from Ole Miss.

[Dan Bernstein]

Chambliss.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, Chambliss. And then he had Nussmeier and then back Beck is 5. Beck 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

[Dan Bernstein]

Don't you want a quarterback who can throw?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. And interesting to looking at field Yates, he has the Steelers at 21 taking Ty Simpson.

[Dan Bernstein]

I like his release. I love the way the ball leaves his hand.

[Matt Abaticola]

Very accurate. And get the ball down field.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I'm not 100% on Mendoza.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. And every, every mock draft so far has him going one.

[Dan Bernstein]

I know.

[Matt Abaticola]

To the Raiders.

[Dan Bernstein]

I get it. Yeah, I get it. Speaking of the Raiders, their former offensive coordinator, we should mention, Luke Getze.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Has resigned with the packers as their quarterbacks coach.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, he's been with the Packers. When he left the Raiders, he went back to the packers as like a senior offensive consultant.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

So he's been there since he left.

[Dan Bernstein]

The Raiders fringes and they just gave.

[Matt Abaticola]

Him the title and then he got the title. Yeah. So. Yeah, he went back to Green Bay after. After the Vegas thing.

[Dan Bernstein]

It was a good job for him.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, no, it's perfect. I'm happy for him. Good. Dude, speaking of the draft, I want to also just make a reminder for you that the packers don't have a first round pick this year. Just throw that out there, in case you forgot.

[Dan Bernstein]

Thanks for letting me know. That's too bad for them.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. Also too, the NFL has denied the Chicago Bears the compensation picks for the hiring of Ian Cunningham.

[Dan Bernstein]

At least you threw the red flag.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

At least you went back like, hey, did you see what Matt Ryan said about who's in charge? And the NFL looked at it, they said, yeah, we did. And no.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. The NFL ruled that former quarterback Matt Ryan holds the Falcons primary football executive position.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right.

[Matt Abaticola]

Denying Chicago two third round picks for losing. Ian Cunningham.

[Dan Bernstein]

And who's replacing Ian Cunningham?

[Matt Abaticola]

I haven't seen that yet.

[Dan Bernstein]

I would not mind Ryan polls if they go outside bringing Ryan. Ryan Pace.

[Matt Abaticola]

Bring in Ryan Pace.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, no, I wouldn't mind if they go outside the organization, especially after they have promoted from internally to find their next offensive coordinator, which is press Taylor for more options. Oprah Taylor, Paramas upsiones. He's. I don't exactly know what that job entails. My guess is that Jeff King is probably going to be promoted into the job, but I never mind. Bring in. In somebody with a little. Little fresh perspective, a little fresh air, and give them some other ideas.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, hopefully Kevin Ryan or Kevin Ryan. Kevin Warren can make that. That decision. No. Yeah, he has to be a part of it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Why?

[Matt Abaticola]

Because he's president of football operations.

[Dan Bernstein]

So he's the number one football deciding football guy.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, he's like, I got to hold off on that stadium. We got to find the assistant GM first.

[Dan Bernstein]

I just wonder what they're looking for and that'll tell us how important it may be.

[Matt Abaticola]

But yeah, it could be looking for love, Dan.

[Dan Bernstein]

Are they looking in the right places?

[Matt Abaticola]

They could be in the wrong places, which is why they haven't found them yet.

[Dan Bernstein]

You already got mad at me for singing once. I'm not gonna do this.

[Matt Abaticola]

I didn't get mad at you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, you kind of gave me the.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, I just. I just. I just said, is it gonna be one of. One of these mornings?

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, because I came in, I was singing.

[Matt Abaticola]

You were singing.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because Zoe didn't want me to sing.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then when she's like, ugh, are.

[Matt Abaticola]

You singing right Then it makes you sing more. She hasn't learned yet.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then I. What did I sing? I went right up to her and I went. She had her earbuds in and I pulled the earbud out of her ear.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, I bet that was. Went over well.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep. She's eating her breath. I pulled the earbud. I went sing. Sing a song she hasn't learned. Stop it.

[Matt Abaticola]

She hasn't learned from watching her mother yet.

[Dan Bernstein]

Sing out loud.

[Matt Abaticola]

To just ignore you and it goes away.

[Dan Bernstein]

And then. No, because she knew if you tell me not to, it's going to get worse.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. That's why I just ignore you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Or compliment you on it.

[Dan Bernstein]

And also because we had Maggie the dog I was doing all of my Maggie dog songs where everything. I just make them up immediately. And then they said. Then they left the room and they said, we're leave you here with Maggie. And then Maggie left the room because she didn't like the songs either.

[Matt Abaticola]

I bet she can't wait to move.

[Dan Bernstein]

Who? Maggie or Beth or Zoe?

[Matt Abaticola]

Zoe. Oh, we all Zoe. I was thinking. Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I'm sure she.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. Beth wanted to move. I'm sure she could. I don't think she's waiting for anything.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think she's just planning her escape.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm sure she's able to do it if she wanted to.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think she probably could.

[Matt Abaticola]

She could. Zoe, on the other hand, though, I'm sure she's counting down the days.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I know. But I'll make her life miserable until then because it's fun for me.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, it's your job.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm gonna run out of opportunities to entertain myself at everyone else's expense.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then this weekend, we're actually. We're.

[Dan Bernstein]

We're.

[Matt Abaticola]

Natalie is hosting Abigail's baby shower.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh. Oh, yeah. Wow.

[Matt Abaticola]

I mean, we're almost there. It's.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's right. Your team is, what, a month? Little.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, a little over a month. Yeah. So. And the end of next month, I'll be grandpa on the show.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's so exciting. Yes, that's. So then. Then I'll. I'll be able to know from you if everything my parents have said is true.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes, I'll be able to tell you.

[Dan Bernstein]

For sure if they said it is the best reward you get for having lived long enough is a grandbaby. Yep.

[Matt Abaticola]

And they're having a boy. It's very American of them.

[Dan Bernstein]

They're not having a trad wife that's a boy. Okay. All right. Well, then you can get him a big, heavy baseball bat. He won't be able to swing.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, get him like a. I don't know, maybe like a 31 drop five, maybe.

[Dan Bernstein]

There you go. Yeah, real bat.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, get after it, kid.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, real man. Doesn't go all the way up to the drop. That's allowed by the league. No, you don't want one of those trampolining aluminum bats. No, you want a big old telephone pole. You're swinging up there. Show them what's what. I'll never forget when they switched to, they had one tournament, those big barrel bats.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And we couldn't hit. We couldn't. For some reason, we could not hit for. And they're like, look, go back to your regular bats.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, dude, the worst one. And we clobbered it. Might have been 8U. Or was it 9U? We got signed up for a wood tournament. Bat or wood bat?

[Dan Bernstein]

Wood bat tournament.

[Matt Abaticola]

Awful, awful. I mean from all the teams, not just our kids. Like there might have been six hits the entire tournament.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, baseball changes when you get that wood bat. That's the great thing about Wells.

[Matt Abaticola]

There might have been two, like hit like out of the infield.

[Dan Bernstein]

It was just.

[Matt Abaticola]

It was brutal.

[Dan Bernstein]

Wells park uses the second oldest league, House league, all wood. And then what they do is your fundraiser is you partner with one of these bat companies and you do it as a fundraiser where you, you can, you know, help us buy our bats.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Kind of thing. And then when you buy your bats.

[Matt Abaticola]

So Wells park house league is all wood.

[Dan Bernstein]

No one level is majors before the eldest league. Yeah, it's that. That league is all wood bats.

[Matt Abaticola]

What is that? What is that? Like sixth grade majors within like sixth grade?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I'm trying to remember. It's sixth and seventh and eighth maybe.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think that's what it is. Like seventh and eighth grade. It's on a smaller field. Yeah, that's at the corner Woodbat only at Lincoln and Sunnyside. That the one across from the library right there. That field is wood bat. And we had to go buy two of them. Then they have got to buy the lizard skins and then you got to put the lizard skin on the bat. But the bats are really cool. These were birch. That they did. And you order them and they put your name on there and you get the colors you want and it helps them pay for Cooperstown or whatever it is.

[Matt Abaticola]

We didn't allow the bat wraps the lizard skins. We took pocket knives and we throw tracks into the bottom so that there was a splintered.

[Dan Bernstein]

Cut them off.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, we told the kids, hey, man up.

[Dan Bernstein]

They love those lizard skins.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, they do.

[Dan Bernstein]

It just adds $25 or $30 to anything you buy.

[Matt Abaticola]

Like the number I've changed on all the bats in the house. And it's like, what's wrong with this grip? Oh, it's bad now because like, I've gone over.

[Dan Bernstein]

It happened.

[Matt Abaticola]

I went over 6.

[Dan Bernstein]

This bat doesn't have any more hits left. This, this bat, it's lost its, its, its juice or whatever it is. Like, no, it hasn't. I said, I'm going to buy you a used bat right now.

[Matt Abaticola]

And.

[Dan Bernstein]

And a better hitter would be fine.

[Matt Abaticola]

I had one of. One of Jackie's coaches. I didn't coach his team. One of his Bat is out. I think your bat is dead. It's a dead bat, by the way it sounded after the ball hit on it. So then he was convinced that his bat was dead and he wasn't getting another hit on it again.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's what happened. I kept chasing, like, a $300 bat, and I said, you're sure this is. Oh, yeah, this is the one. Oh, yeah, this thing's sweet. Can't wait. It's like. Yeah, I think it's dead.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yep. Dead.

[Dan Bernstein]

What do you mean it's dead? What do you mean?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I just. I just bought one for. It was 400.

[Dan Bernstein]

And what was the one that they were using? What was the name of it?

[Matt Abaticola]

The. I don't remember what brand and I icon is one we just bought. No, Jackie wants one.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, this. I forgot what it was called. And he. So it was a summer league game, and the friend had the bat, and I was an idiot, and he said something like, hey, dad, if I. If I get a. An extra base hit with this, will you get me one of these bats? And it was this huge pitcher who was throwing whatever he was throwing. Like, you get a hit off this guy? Yeah, I'll get you one of those bats.

[Matt Abaticola]

So he got a hit.

[Dan Bernstein]

Ripped a fucking triple. He's standing on third pointing at me. God damn it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Remember the Easton Black Magic?

[Dan Bernstein]

That was. That what I used? Yeah, that's what I used.

[Matt Abaticola]

I think that's. That was, like, the coolest.

[Dan Bernstein]

Loved that. And I didn't own it. It was Tim Dallas's bat. And he's like, that's too big for you. That's too big for you. And I choked up on it. And. Oh, I love that bat.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, dude, I couldn't feel it if you.

[Dan Bernstein]

If you squared one up. Just pure. Pure barrel.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

It was just like you. There was no feeling at all. The ball just exploded.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. When I was a kid, there was, like, two bats on the team.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then I think there was. There was probably five helmets available because you shared it.

[Dan Bernstein]

And now everybody has.

[Matt Abaticola]

Everybody has a helmet. Everybody has at least two bats.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Matt Abaticola]

One of Hank's buddies, he's got, like. His buddies got like, 18 bats. And depending on the day, the weather, the tournament.

[Dan Bernstein]

Victus. That was the name of it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, yeah, it's a popular one.

[Dan Bernstein]

Victus. God, they're so expensive.

[Matt Abaticola]

Have you seen the one? Now that looks like a pencil.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's a Victus.

[Matt Abaticola]

Looks like a number two pencil. Is that Victus?

[Dan Bernstein]

That's Victus. Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's not the one he wanted, though.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, that didn't exist. And I don't know why anybody want that either.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, they're all over now. Oh. You know, another thing is the kids do is I've spent. Natalie and I have spent hundreds of dollars on electrical tape because then they make their own. They buy like one of the yellow wiffle ball bats.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right.

[Matt Abaticola]

And they recreate like the cool new bat now, like. Like that pencil bat. And that's what they use.

[Dan Bernstein]

Multi colored electrical tape. Yeah, but that changes the weight of the bat.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, yeah, it makes it better.

[Dan Bernstein]

It can. Yeah. All right.

[Matt Abaticola]

But it's wiffle ball. They don't care about the weight of the bat.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, we used the electrical tape on the wiffle ball.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, yeah. To make it heavier?

[Dan Bernstein]

No, to make sure it didn't shatter. Oh, because the wiffle balls would break in half.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, now you just buy a dozen at a time.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, we didn't do that. We had like three. And you had to. You had to put black electrical tape on. It also helped you pick up the spin when you had that. When you knew where the black tape was, it was easier to see. Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

So bats are now like 400 bucks.

[Dan Bernstein]

We're buying. I can't even imagine. I can't even imagine what hockey equipment costs right now.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, Jackie won a tournament last year as team or it was two years ago. And they all got. As part of the winning, they got, I think a ring and they all got the Wilson. A2000 gloves.

[Dan Bernstein]

What?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. As for winning the tournament.

[Dan Bernstein]

No.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

That'S 200 bucks at least for. I mean, a 3,000, I think is like 300 bucks now. Right. What tournament was this? How much did it cost? Was the entry fee. The entry fee had to be out the ass.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, it was a Wilson, a 2000 and the entire team got one.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's incredible.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, it was really cool.

[Dan Bernstein]

Wow.

[Matt Abaticola]

Wow.

[Dan Bernstein]

You're playing in some.

[Matt Abaticola]

And he's. He still won't use it, even though I spent time and effort in breaking it in. And it's just. It's not as broken in as his, as his glove. I'm like, why aren't you using that Wilson yet? He's like, it's just not. I go, well, like play catch with it.

[Dan Bernstein]

I used to make warm up with it. I used to make extra money doing that for friends.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, really?

[Dan Bernstein]

Teammates breaking in gloves and.

[Matt Abaticola]

And you would charge your friends money to bring beer.

[Dan Bernstein]

Six pack of beer or something like that. Like somebody.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, you meant when you're older. I thought you meant, like, as a kid?

[Dan Bernstein]

No, no. Like when. Like, during college.

[Matt Abaticola]

Nine years old.

[Dan Bernstein]

I also had. I had a repair kit. Like, I was actually not bad at. I could fix. If, like, the webbing popped. I could. I could fix stuff like that. I just like doing that stuff.

[Matt Abaticola]

Is that why you made the team?

[Dan Bernstein]

Probably.

[Matt Abaticola]

Like, we need Bernstein around to fix our broken gloves.

[Dan Bernstein]

Hey, man, whatever it took, get that jersey. Whatever it took, whatever they said, man, I would have done it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, boy.

[Dan Bernstein]

All right. Oh, yeah. We're so ostensibly talking Bears in NFL, right?

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, are we recording?

[Dan Bernstein]

Are we still recording? Oh, shoot. No, it's all right. It's fine.

[Matt Abaticola]

Sorry.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's all right. Sorry. If you're. If you're. If you were walking your dog and you're now just, like, standing in your front porch, would you stop already?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. Well, I'm sure there'll be one comment from Boomer. Stick to football.

[Dan Bernstein]

Just popping into the comments in there. Say nice things about things that are going on and enjoy the flag.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

Talk more hockey. Stick to sports on this, which is called Forward Progress, a Chicago Bears an NFL podcast. On three one two sports. Forward progress is stopped.

[Matt Abaticola]

Forward Progress, a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 Sports.