The Good Man Show

They Bleed Just Like You. Speak Your Mind While Also Bearing Down

• Joshua • Season 1 • Episode 8

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We press on approachability, respect, and the real work that earns trust, then pivot into a candid look at college sports, NIL, and why belief matters. Stories from camp, pro ball etiquette, and a charged Bears win tie the theme together: face the hard stuff head on.

• coaches as approachable mentors and how to start in-person conversations
• why face-to-face beats text for important questions
• timing and framing roster and placement talks
• respect signals across youth, college, and pro ball
• development over decals and level labels
• NIL and transfer market realities squeezing high school athletes
• practice standards, effort gaps, and holding the line
• belief, leadership, and finishing strong in pressure moments

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Cold Open And Banter

SPEAKER_02

Hey, thank you for pressing play. We really appreciate it. You didn't have to press play. You know, life is a collection of choices, and those choices make up the fabric of our beings. And so you pressing play is making up the fabric of you being a good person today. So sit back, relax, grab your dog, grab your steering wheel, grab your TV, grab your laptop, and say, hey, it is time to be a good man. Three, two, one, here we go.

SPEAKER_03

Welcome to the good man show with Bruce Soss and Lord Puck. Steelers lost. He's sad. He's been waving his uh towel. Terrible. It was his towel. He's been talking about his towel all week. And we have a record of you saying how the Texans are going to the Super Bowl, but yet he's sad.

SPEAKER_02

I was cheering for the Steelers, man. Yeah, I said the Texans are going to the Super Bowl, but that doesn't mean I can't cheer for the Steelers. Like I think everyone has two NFL teams. Everyone does. They have their AFC team, they have their NFC team. And my dad, he grew up on Terry Bradshaw. And um who's the who's the who's their running back back back? Drone Bettis, the bus? Well, no, before that. Lynn Swan. Oh. Was he a receiver or uh running back?

SPEAKER_03

I I can't answer that one.

SPEAKER_02

Anyway, and Jack Stallbrook or Worth. Anyway, anyway, he we he pushed that on me. He didn't push it on me. We watched a lot of old Terry Bradshaw clips, and you know, I like the Steelers. I like Big Ben in my time, now Le'Veon Bell. Uh, I mean, who doesn't like Antonio Brown?

SPEAKER_03

Le'Veon Bell, the Spartan, Michigan State. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You like Michigan State. Fun fact. Yeah. I don't know many of those, but I do know that one. It's like this. We were actually raised cowboy fans. You see? In the 90s. I mean, they're great, great team in the 90s, but we were definitely raised more cowboy fans by my old man. So you understand.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I I was cheering for them. I didn't, you know, I mean, they they barely escaped the jaws of death against the bum ravens last week.

SPEAKER_03

So but that was great to see the Ravens go down. You don't have to deal with Derrick Henry, which Who wanted to deal with all that?

SPEAKER_02

No one wanted to deal with all that.

SPEAKER_03

Nobody. So see you later. Rogers is gone now. That's great. Yeah, I was hoping to see that one.

SPEAKER_02

I was hoping for a script, Steeler, Bears, Super Bowl, one last dance with Aaron and the Bears.

SPEAKER_03

I don't think any Bears fan wants to see that man.

SPEAKER_02

Well, that would have been Caleb's final in the first chapter of Caleb Williams. It would have been the first devil he conquered. Fair. That's how I viewed it. Fair. Yeah. Because we conquered the ghost Sunday night, but that's for later in this episode. Saturday night. Saturday night. Yes, you were there. So you would know the night.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, I know.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, uh, but we're gonna tackle that midway later through the episode. I think we have other pressing matters on the minds.

SPEAKER_03

We do, we do. It's gonna be a good night, right? Camps were great today.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, catching camp was great. Infield was great. Um, it was fluid, fast flowing. I actually had to drive for my other job. I sprinted a half mile from because I had to park. I'm in downtown Chicago. I sprinted a half mile down to my car as I texted you as I got out of the elevator and I ran John Wick style or James Bond style through that lobby down the street. And you know, running downtown's real sketch sometimes because people might misinterpret you. It is. I got called um, I got called a gangbanger the other day by somebody. I'm sorry to hear that. Yeah, I was in my work attire too, so it wasn't my clothes.

SPEAKER_03

You're the farthest thing from that.

SPEAKER_02

Well, uh and they doubled down on it.

SPEAKER_03

Flany was actually telling me an interesting story. He he was also at the Bears game and he had to charge his Tesla because he had to it tells you if you can get home or not. And he was telling me an interesting story. He had to charge it in a uh parking garage, and apparently there was some interesting activity taking place that you know he thankfully only had a charge for five minutes and he could get out of there.

SPEAKER_02

But but he's a strong Irishman, you know. He is. I'm I've been watching the Peaky Blinders. The Peaky Blinders on Netflix. Them tough Irish lads. You don't really don't want to mess with them.

Camps Recap And City Anecdotes

Setting Up The Main Topic

SPEAKER_03

No. I'm trying to think of um oh, Mean Street Hooligans. Who are they? Have you ever seen that movie? No, that is a great movie. I've seen the watch. Mean Street Hooligans. Oh, and Ben Affleck. Ah, info ever blowing bubbles, pretty bubbles in the yeah. Great movie. Chipping up the Boston. Ah different, different, different, much different. Let's drop kick murphes. But let's get to it. All right. First topic we want to get to tonight. All right, and I think this is a good one. We had a player do this recently to you, and I think it's uh important to talk about because I I make known to our players um that all of us as coaches are very approachable. I think as a coach, you need to be approachable. Uh, one thing I hated as a player was a coach who was unapproachable. Um, we have an open door policy. So any question, anytime, anytime player needs to talk, parent needs to talk, like we make ourselves available. But I think there's a particular way about going about going about this. Um, and how you approach it, I think, is important for these kids to understand. I think too many times younger kids' generation get lost in their phones and think everything should be done via text message. Where I live in a world where I feel like more personal conversations face to face, and I called a boomer the other day. I yeah, but whatever. I don't even what's a boomer? I listen, I don't whatever my generation is of where I fell, I don't even feel like I fell that because I'm the fourth of my family, so I always feel like I fall on a top-end spectrum, but I don't even know what any of those are, so I don't pay attention to them. But to the point, I think there's a certain way that players should go about addressing or approaching coaches and how they can do it. And I think too many times kids will try to do it through text message, which then it's all meanings can get lost when you're typing texts or emails and just having more of a faced conversation, I think, is the most important thing. Or even I joke with the kids all the time about being able to pick up your phone and just actually call somebody, like having those conversations because they're gonna have to go through them as they get recruited and talk to coaches and play longer. So, how do you think if a player has a question for us, is the most appropriate way for them to go about kind of addressing something with us?

How Players Should Approach Coaches

SPEAKER_02

I would say if you have something that important on your mind, which more times than not they think it's really important. I think it's really important. If it's that important, what's stopping you from going back to our approachability? What's stopping you from going to the coach and saying, hey, coach, can we talk about this after practice for a couple minutes or before practice a couple minutes? And that's pretty much it. If it's that important, the most important things need to be done face to face. 100%.

SPEAKER_03

I think I think just to your point, I think the best time for a kid, if they do have a question for us, is to come to us. Oh, here, I don't mind a text message of, hey coach, do you think we could talk before or after practice? I don't think that is a bad message to send to one of us. If they have a question for us of, hey, coach, I was just curious, could I grab you either before or after practice? Sure, no problem. Or a kid comes up to us before practice, like you said, and is hey coach, can I get five minutes after practice? I have that happen on the regular. Um, a lot of our 17-year-olds right now have actually come up to me and asked, hey, can we talk recruiting after practice? And I mean, we finish up at 10 o'clock on a Tuesday or Thursday, and I sit in here with kids and it takes 10, 15, 20 minutes, depending on the kid. And we get to address whatever they need to kind of ask, and I give them my opinion or advice or help or whatever they need. But I think that is a great way for a kid or player uh to go about those types of questions with us.

SPEAKER_02

One of the biggest lessons we can teach, especially this generation, going to your point about technology, the importance of staring another person in the eye and saying what you think. And I think it's a lost and people it's a lost art, and people think that it's con people think face-to-face interaction, it's already assimilated with confrontation. Sure, by the letter of the law, we are confronting each other. Secondly, we are having a discussion. Third, whether it be positive or negative, that's up to you, and that's up to I. But the problem is kids are fearful, and I'm not even it's not even limited to kids. It's patterned behavior by who they see, and I'm not even saying their parents, but everyone in the world in general, whether it be on their televisions, their um telephones, um, laptops, or their interactions in person, people are afraid of coming up to another person and just saying hi. And and and and it's and again, I I speak from personal experience. People that know me, I'm not afraid to go up to anybody. I'm not, you're not. Again, it's and then people find themselves, oh, they find themselves uncomfortable with me sometimes. If I want to get something done, in this society, it wasn't like I can't speak to it because I wasn't born before, but in today's society, you automatically kind of gain an upper hand or are on the same level with the other person if you approach them in person because they're not expecting it and they're scared of it, and then it eliminates talking behind your back, and then more times than how people are afraid. Oh, I don't I can't collect my thoughts. Well, here's the thing we've talked about this already. Stay ready, be ready for someone to confront you or approach you, especially in our line of work. You gotta be ready for a player to always jump you in some form or another coach to jump you, you know.

Fear, Face-To-Face, And Life Skills

SPEAKER_03

I so it's funny you say all I shouldn't say funny. It's it's interesting you say all those points. And here, I'm gonna share something. I actually find myself, right? Sometimes when I go into situations, I actually will absorb information and rooms. Like when I go into baseball settings, I don't really ever feel uncomfortable because I feel more confident in my position there. But I'd say this like if my wife and I go out somewhere uh or or to a party or get together and I don't know all the people, like I will always gravitate towards an individual I know. I I'm not one who really branches out to explore. Like you are definitely more a individual who will go up to somebody you don't know and say hello or or initiate a conversation. I would say this personally, like I actually shy away from that. I wish I didn't as much, but for whatever reason, my personality will gravitate towards doing that. But once I feel more comfortable in my situations and surroundings, I definitely will be more of like that outgoing individual. So I I understand kids who have that type of behavior because they probably don't know that we or I or anyone in there, a coach, probably has that because they're not in that situation. It's a completely different world for them to come to me or me to go up to them. Me going up to a 16-year-old kid who plays here or or in here, like that doesn't affect us as much. But it's also in a baseball setting, which is a different environment. So I think it's some of those kids who I know there's certain words to describe kids like introverts and all that stuff. I don't, there's kids who just their personalities do not mesh to do that. I think some parents do a very good job of pushing their kids at younger ages to try to go push past that fear and have those conversations and be willing to kind of deal with the uncomfortability, right? There's other parents I think who will come with their kids and have those conversations with us, which whatever, regardless, I don't care how it happens either way. And and everybody parents and does their things differently. I never judge people for what they do, and whatever. They're your kids, so you protect them how you feel needed. Um, but I do think it's important for kids to be able to face those fears because they all want to play at levels and you need to be able to have conversations with coaches and understand how to approach coaches and and when the right time to do it is. Um, which kind of brings me to the next point of asking certain types of questions to us. Like in one month from now or so, called a month, month and a half, like we will be releasing our rosters, which is probably one of the biggest times of years that I get approached from players. I know those conversations are coming. I know that kids are going to reach out. Um, I welcome them. Some kids will reach out to me and say, Hey, can we meet? And sometimes I don't really understand why, because I feel like they should kind of see why they're on a team and be able to understand why they're on their team. Now they will ask, like, what can I do? Some kids will come in back, hey, I know why I'm on this team. I understand that. What can I do to get better? How can I improve? Totally understand having that conversation. It's an easy one, it's a quick one. Um, but sometimes I think like you you got reach out to that's asking like about teams already. It's like, I don't know, I think there's a certain time for that. Or um, you know, during our winter, we make winter teams, right? Which have no relevance to what goes on for the spring and summer because it's all just placement of how how numbers shake out. We have 18-year-olds who do our training that push some of the kids down, that like whatever, man. I you can't make everybody happy, and sometimes kids make a certain winter team that like getting upset about that. I just that that one just I don't I don't really get. Um and and whatever. In this world, you don't always get what you want, which I kind of was talking to my mother about the other day, and I was telling her that I think that song should play more in this world to teach people that hey, listen, you don't always get what you want. Like you may want something, but I'm sorry, you don't get everything you want, and that's the world, that's the unfortunate part of this. That you have to learn to fight through those things. So I agree, I think you and I both agree that how these players approach it and how they come to us is very important for how it reflects things as well.

SPEAKER_02

The way we practice, if you do everything at practice, we're preparing you to play at the highest level, and that's pretty much it. And it really doesn't matter um what team you're on, really, if you're because if you're doing all of that and I'll back it up with some talent, you'll be where you need to be. That's the thing that again, you don't need to be worried about.

SPEAKER_03

How many kids we've had three graduating classes, right? Soon to be four. Uh Braden Mazzicano, uh, 24, was our third kid to commit in the class and was on our white team at 16 years old. Lucas Saakovich just committed to Creighton, right? Played on our white team except for the entire two entire day of his career. Two maybe three weekends his 17-year-old summer, right?

SPEAKER_02

So Jake Benavego.

SPEAKER_03

Jake, well, it and I'm just I'm saying kids who are on our white team that went off and committed to division one school. Yeah, we have kids that commit off every one of our 17-year-old teams every year. Oh, and here's but another like red team, white team, black team, it doesn't matter what color team you are on.

Roster Decisions And Tough Conversations

SPEAKER_02

And it doesn't matter what division you play at. And then that's and that's then that's the problem. Again, if you haven't looked at your television, it's gonna tie into a college football, what we're gonna talk here in a few minutes. Um, you're competing against 24, 25, and sometimes 26 grown men, year old grown men. And so, do you want the gear, do you want to be shown on ESPM plus at nine o'clock of you sitting in the back of a dimly lit dugout? Or do you actually want to play your four years? Because again, remember, it's all about the memories here, it's all about the stories.

SPEAKER_03

I 100%. So where you play may not be where you end up. Correct. Like if you go put stats on paper in college at any level, there's avenues to different areas.

SPEAKER_02

I heard some clown, I was uh doom scrolling on Instagram. This clown's like, if you're gonna go play NIA ball or D Division II baseball, you might as well just go play on a club team for Division I because Fortune 500 companies aren't gonna the degree you're getting at those schools aren't gonna translate because you can't internship or whatnot, and then don't play summer ball because you're not gonna get the job you want. Who are you to tell me what job I want?

SPEAKER_03

Sounds like an individual who didn't get what he wants, so he's going to then try to make the world seem like a different place. Don't let people like that influence you to change your mind. Chase what you want to chase, chase your dream. If your dream is to play college baseball, then go play college baseball. To your point, make your memories. There are numerous guys who played at lower levels in college that played at the highest level in baseball. Ben Zobras was an NAI baseball player, played against my brother Jake in college, all that Nazarene. Jake said his freshman year, I don't, I forget which way it was. He either only hit righty his freshman year and then only hit lefty his sophomore year, learned to switch hit in college, and then Ben Zobers had a hell of a baseball career in the big leagues.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, he transferred to Dallas Baptist his senior year, got really well. I don't have to tell you the Ben Zobers story.

SPEAKER_03

You know what I'm saying? Like that guy probably was told how many times he can't do this and you're not going to be this. And all he did was keep working. And sure, that's one case that worked out that the guy got to play professional baseball. But the kids who go to college and play baseball for four years and maybe don't go to play Pro Bow, I guarantee when they're 35 years old, they'll remember those things forever and will be able to tell their kids one day, if they have them, about their playing time and what they did. Look at all our coaches inside this dome.

SPEAKER_02

To your point, you and me, two different playing backgrounds, are here talking about the same thing. We're going on friends for now six, what six years. Um, like it again, the game, the game's still the game, and it brings everyone together in what avenue you play the game one time, you can relate to a guy that's played it a thousand years or however you however long you've played. But the key is it's still the game. And if you continue to be a student of the game and love the game and want to give back to the game, and if you care, you can keep passing it on. And again, it you can't whoever starts talking in absolutes, for example, the ones I just said, you know, if you did this and you did this, you're not gonna be this, you're not gonna you run for the hills. And use it to fuel the fire. You run for the bloody hills. And again, the thing is going back to another thing we just talked about in terms of approaching people, it stems from fear. Again, like what you bleed the same blood like me. I'm I you you what your hall um your hall of fame, this hall of Fame that. Oh, you played 10 years in the big leagues. Okay. You go to the bathroom just like me. You eat the same food just like me. Oh, and guess what? We're sitting in here in the same seats.

SPEAKER_03

To that point, I think my favorite players I've ever met in my life. Most relatable. Guys, guys who I'm just saying, guys who played at the highest level that you have the utmost respect for because of what they did and what they stand for, that live by that model where they don't look down on you, they look at you as equals. I think I have even more respect, and they earn more respect from people because they treat you. I always say it, they they remember where they came from.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_03

And I remember when I was playing, and I used to talk about this with my mother all the time. Like, you know, I make it like nothing's gonna change. Like my life isn't changing. Sure, I would make more money, and anybody who makes it to the big leagues makes more money. And if you play long enough, like you're gonna make a lot of money. But like I never felt like as an individual, like I ever changed, and I still don't feel like it. I was just joking with somebody leaving uh infield today. Like, I'm out there, my son won this glove at this tournament last year, and he's been begging me to break it in. Not my favorite glove, not my favorite colors, but trying to be the nice dad and live by my you know New Year's resolution. My kids actually told me Sunday, they're like, Dad, you've been really, really nice today. And we went out to dinner, and then you know, we got I let them get ice cream at the dinner, and they were like, Dad, you've been so nice today. I was like, Can't wait to tell Josh, been living up to my New Year's resolution, but um I lost my train of thought because you make me talking about that.

SPEAKER_02

Relatable dudes. It's it's so important. Again, it's knowing that you're I'm not better than you, you're not better than me. And again, we all we all were birthed into this world, and the dust will return.

Levels, Labels, And College Pathways

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, just remember where you came from. Like I that I think that's what I was saying. I was talking to my mom, and I used to, we always used to say, like, I remember where I came from. I came from not a lot, man, and and I was like I said, I was breaking up my dad's glove or my kid's glove, and I was talking to this dad, and he's joking with me, and he's like, What about the other glove he has? I was like, Yeah, it's great, still in good shape, had it for about a year and a half now. He's like, Well, when are you getting him a new one? I was like, I don't know. I like when the thing rips, like breaks. That's how we were raised, though. Like, use it until it breaks. Like, you don't need a new glove every year when you're a kid. Even when I played, and I'll I'll bring Bob in here at some point. I remember my first year in Pro Bowl, like deep into it. I was like, I don't know, 70% through the season. And Bob calls me and he goes, Hey, what's up? I was like, nothing, what's going on? We're just kind of BSing for a little bit, and he's like, Hey, do you need anything? I was like, like what? He's like, gear, like you need any like new shirts, shoes? Like, he's like, You're my only client who doesn't ever call me asking for stuff. And I'm like, No, I mean, my spikes are still in good shape. I still got wood bats, I like glove. I mean, I only need one glove. Like, what else would I need? He's like, I don't know, guys go through like two, three pairs of cleats a year because they like to have new spikes. Like, some guys have multiple gloves. Like, you don't ever need anything. Um, he's like, you might be my easiest client. I was like, I don't like that that's how I was raised, man. Like, use your stuff. I still joke about it with my car. My car's got like 160,000 miles on it, and it's not in the best shape, but I will run that car until it doesn't work anymore. Jake is no different.

SPEAKER_02

We yeah, we were talking about tires. I need new tires. If you're a tire guy out there, you told people weeks ago to get the I know, but then you know the holidays came up, a couple unexpected bills came up, and then you know, some other things came up. Tires are the worst, man. You walk in that place. Give me a break. It's twelve hundred dollars. I know, okay, and it's not an easy, I'm just spitting out twelve hundred dollars. All right, I hear you. So tires, yeah. No, he he and I were talking about it. I was like, Jake, when do you replace your tires? Because I'm at 70,000 on the Broncos, so those things have been going for 70,000. And he's like, man, man, I wear, I drive those things till they wear out.

SPEAKER_03

But this is how we were raised. That's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_02

And I go, what do you mean? He's like, man, you're gonna fall off. And I'm like, oh, okay, thank you for the advice. But you know, 6570. I was like, all right, thank you. All right, fair, fair, fair. Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03

So, but no, I think that is all good information for these kids is ways to come approach coaches, talk to us, uh, when, where, how. Uh, it's important for you guys to not be afraid to come ask us questions, but avoid the text message trying to get an answer, like or email, or email, like call, text, and ask for a time to meet. Like those.

SPEAKER_02

Call or text us, set up a meeting in person or a phone call, and that's your best bet. And that, hey, and that will be your my our greatest advice for you through life. You do that, people respect you more. Um, everyone will like you.

SPEAKER_03

I I I agree. So, listen, we're not gonna talk shirts tonight, but I had a lovely conversation with uh an individual who reached out the other day, big fan of the show. She she reaches out to both of us and always tells us how she loves the show, has given recommendations, and she texted me the other day and she said, When's the hats coming? And I said, It's funny you text me that because yesterday I was actually thinking how I wanted to get a good man hat. So I made a call. I got some samples inside the office. Oh, I saw those. I think I made a decision. Yeah. I think we're getting a mock-up drawn right now that we should get this week. And I think we're gonna get some good man hats. Wow. Right in time for season, some good trucker hats. Get your good man hat. Hey, represent the shirts have been looking great out there, the kids are loving them. I I gotta say, we need to add the apparel. So the next item coming is we're gonna look to get some good man hats. So be on the lookout. We're not spitting out prices yet. We'll let you know. I gotta work out all the fine details, but don't worry, they'll be ready, they'll be in the shop, they'll be in the office. Come get your good man hat when we get them in.

SPEAKER_01

Oh yeah, brother.

SPEAKER_03

So, Smarks North Baseball, we finally got some Warriors back in. We finally got the Warriors back practicing this week. Tuesday, catchers, Hunter Lackafer, 2028, St. Vitor High School. Watch out for this kid this year. He is looking very good. His throws on Sunday. I actually joked to him. I was like, Hunter, I don't even think you're gonna hit a pitcher this year. He did hit one. Oh, I know. I was at that game. We smoked him. Okay. Then we get to Thursday, got 27, Evan McCargo, Nazareth High School, or Nazareth Academy. My apologies. Hardworking kid, tough nosed baseball player. Love this kid, plays anywhere in the infield, always in the dome, getting better. Get to Sunday, excited about this kid. 2029, Max Farecki at Lionestownship High School. He's been playing as you know what off, been swinging it, getting physical, looks good, playing tough. And then you got 27, Rylan Contreras, prospect high school, big game-winning hit with a big crowd watching on Sunday. Smokes a line drive, does everything. Coaches love him. I I've watched a kid get on a mound late in games and just compete. He's not really a pitcher, but he'll get on a mound to eat up innings. He's just a tough, hard-nosed kid. Plays outfield. Uh uh.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

They need to be better.

SPEAKER_03

They need to be better, the man.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, you know, we're we're hitting the peak. You know, we we gotta keep being our better, better best. You know what I'm saying?

Respect, Humility, And Remembering Roots

SPEAKER_03

I I I do. You know, and and if if you remember Sunday morning, right, coming off a high on Saturday night, get here Sunday morning, didn't get to bed till late, still, still answer the bell in the morning, get here, get practice going, great warm-up, get the conditioning, and kids want to kind of half-ass it.

SPEAKER_02

Hey, hey, hey, if I can't, hey, hey, I'm just telling you right now, I might cancel this practice. What? I might cancel this. Okay, okay, all right. Let me let me just head on over. Hey, hey, I need you to fill in on the MPF. Oh, okay, why?

SPEAKER_03

I don't know. Oh, okay, all right. You had to fill in because we had a guy bounce out last minute. He was at a wedding. Oh, really? Yeah, text me late night. Can't make it in tomorrow at a wedding. Love's great, right? Hey, man.

SPEAKER_02

What's the song they play at weddings?

SPEAKER_03

Jump up and shout.

SPEAKER_02

Jump up and shout. I thought it was Wang Chunk. Everybody Wang Chung tonight. Everybody Wang Chunk tonight.

SPEAKER_03

Haven't you ever seen wedding crashers? Yes. What song was in every wedding?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_03

Shout!

SPEAKER_02

Shout! Shout out. Yeah. We weren't doing that during conditioning, opening up. No one was shot one and putting their hands up in the air. It was like, what did they say? If they go low, you go to hell, and we went to hell.

SPEAKER_03

Well, conditioning went from, or sorry, agility work for the morning went from just 10 yard sprints to acceleration, deep acceleration. Hey, hey! Which was the 10! The 10! It was supposed to be easy, and they couldn't grab the concept, and then kids didn't want to run hard, so we just said, fine, I'd just run down and back until it's 10 minutes, and you guys can just get some hard conditioning. And then I tried to explain to them that I feel bad for the 50% of kids, or I said 10%, but it's probably more 50% of kids who are actually working hard and doing it right. And then the 50% of kids who are not doing it right are doing it lazily. Like, and then I explained it this way: I said, if this was a team and I have 80% of my guys playing hard and 20% of them not, those 20% are going to cause us to lose baseball games.

SPEAKER_02

What about the pirates that rowed the boats? Row! Roll! And then three rowers don't row, and then we're and then we're gonna have to play a shark. Walk the blank, matey. I used to be Redbeard, and the Redbeard would see Bluebeard, and then the pirates would get upon the ship and say, draw, and then I drew my sword, and then they say, What do you get there, Matey? And I say, I brought a knife to a gun fight, and then bow. But this all started from Bluebeard wouldn't have gotten on our ship if our guys were rowing. Bluebeard got on, I died. And RIP to Redbeard.

SPEAKER_03

So we're trying to eliminate that.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_03

So we're trying to get the kids if they're gonna get on the ship to understand that they better pull their weight. Skull! Because if I got nine, if I got nine dudes on the field playing the game the right way, we got a shot. Not saying we're gonna win, but I'll take those nine dudes playing the right way.

SPEAKER_02

You you gonna let Bluebeard win? No. Redbeard always wins.

SPEAKER_03

Ever go to medieval times?

SPEAKER_01

No.

SPEAKER_03

We gotta go.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. How about Bluebeard?

SPEAKER_03

Bluebeard there. We don't root for the red knight.

unknown

Oh.

Work Ethic, Gear, And Using What You Have

SPEAKER_03

Red Knight's going down. Down, down, down. Ever seen cable guy?

SPEAKER_02

Larry?

SPEAKER_03

What? Jim Carrey didn't. Larry the cable guy.

SPEAKER_02

Oh.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, but to your point, practice toss, it's it's a willingness to push. Right? Like you said. Push pull. Push-pull. Willingness to push. And here's the other thing we get all the time. Ah, it's an early practice. You say it all the time. Go to college. When are you gonna practice? In the morning. Morning. Right. When you were in college, how many times did you guys practice early?

SPEAKER_01

50%.

SPEAKER_03

Like what time?

SPEAKER_02

Usually 6 a.m.

SPEAKER_03

That's what I'm saying. I remember starting practices at six in the morning.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, Saturdays were at eight. I remember I had one at five.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, sometimes you'd have them during the week at six before classes.

SPEAKER_02

Finals. I remember one we had. I I I messed up. I I didn't well, I was I didn't mess up because I was studying. I was being a thinker, so I wasn't a stinker. All right. So I was thinking Apollo Creed in Rocky 2. Yeah. Hey kids, hey, hey kids.

SPEAKER_03

When he trains them.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Uh no, no, he was yelling this out to the kids. He was yelling out to the news. He's like, kids, kids, kids, kids. Don't be a boxer. Don't be a boxer. Be a thinker, not a stinker. All right.

SPEAKER_03

So no and he trained him in four. My apologies.

SPEAKER_02

R.I.P. Yeah. I had in four. The Russian got him. I must break you in. If he dies, he dies. He dies. Well, anyway, I was studying. You see when kids tell me, Coach, I can't make it because I'm studying tonight. I was studying tonight, and I was studying until one in the morning. Then we had practice. I had I drank, I messed up. I drank this monster recovery. And um, I have, if people don't know, you now know more about me. My back in the day, I didn't drink a lot of caffeine. So I was very sensitive to caffeine. And so when that went through my veins, my heart started speeding up at a very fast level. And guess what? We jacked up early on in the practice. So the first half of the practice, we were just running. Not good. Not a good time for me to start running in a gym that wasn't well ventilated. I nearly passed out. I thought I was gonna have a heart attack. I they had to take me out of practice because my heart was going about 180 beats, 100 200 beats per minute. And I just I had to sit. It was bad. How do you know how high it was? I had my watch.

SPEAKER_03

Why'd you have a watch on at practice?

SPEAKER_02

Because I tracked my heart, man. It was underneath the long sleeves.

SPEAKER_03

For the kids who just heard that, you take your Apple watch off when you come to practice.

SPEAKER_02

Hey, I needed it.

SPEAKER_03

You didn't need it. Well, and I think now that you tell me that, I think you deserved everything you got. I'm so happy I didn't grow up in the era of having Apple watches in that when I Well, you know, kids wear them all now during practice now. Guys play with watches on because that's how they call pitches in. Which that could be a whole nother conversation that I could address. That the whole uh never letting a kid behind the plate call a game and the lack of uh uh baseball knowledge that kid is losing.

SPEAKER_02

You want to talk about college sports being like that now, too? And how the development of the NFL sucks because you got these NFL quarterbacks because nothing they they they can't we got this guy, this hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoosier being the best option in the draft. This guy, I didn't hear anything about this guy until this year because oh wait, he's playing on a team filled with 30-year-olds and they're beating beating the tar out of the poor 19-year-olds, and everyone's like, oh, what a great college story! This is no great college story. This is free agency with no guardrails, and I'm Kurt Signity. Google me. Oh, Google me. Man, if I was walking in with the checkbook that guy was walking in with, I'd sign everybody too, and I hope I'd be winning. And oh, I'm gonna keep this tough guy look like, oh man, I'm so tough. We just beat these guys. Ryan Day is the same. Oh, Ohio State has a big checkbook, 100%. The pageantry and what made college football great was that these guys, these little-known guys, go through the system, eventually had their time. They signed when they're a freshman, they moved on, they eventually got their time, and everything was great in the world. Now, plug play, plug, play, plug play. Are you how do you have even any loyalty to any school when you've been at three or four other schools, and then you're just getting plugged in for a year, and then you're gonna move on to the next one. Oh, we won. You didn't win. It was a gang of mercenaries that won, and then they're just gonna move on to the next one. That's college sports, and this is what we're we're gonna, and then we have a guy with a dog. A guy with a stupid how I get you have a golden retriever, dude. I 100% get it. It's showing up on my screen here, my screen here, and then we got this guy who thinks he's the Pope. Yeah, that's me in college sports, man.

Accountability At Practice

SPEAKER_03

For for my family listening on on my in-law side of this, if any of you are, I I disagree wholeheartedly with this guy. Go Hoosiers, go IU. Love my IU. My father-in-law is going to the game with my mother-in-law. They got tickets. I'm excited for them. Indiana people have been waiting for this for a very long time. Ride the wave, man. Go get them. I I all in on the Hoosiers. And to your point, dude, Miami's no different. So anybody, if you're if you were to sit here and tell me you're gonna root for Miami, I'm not rooting for anybody. I'm not gonna watch the game. You know why?

SPEAKER_02

So who are you rooting for? Nobody. Because I don't care. College sports. We're cheering about minor league football here. Even below that. It's like XFL football, just put on jerseys of universities now. That's what this is. They have stupid rules. You have one foot in, it's considered a catch. What the hell's that? Again, we have Mendoza. No, no shame the Mendoza beating. How old is this guy? 24?

SPEAKER_03

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02

He's an old dude. And hey, hey, hey, hey guys, I'm Mendoza. I'm great, man. Look at me. I play with, I don't even know if he plays with Legos, but that's the whole stigma he's giving me. And then we're celebrating this.

SPEAKER_03

Man, he's a happy-go-lucky guy who's riding a wave and he's leading the charge and he's doing what a quarterback does. Give a like take it, get off of him, man. I'm not all the guys that I hear you compliment and talk about, like this is the one you're gonna start to put your foot in the ground?

SPEAKER_02

I'm just saying this college football. Okay, let me ask you something. Let me ask you something.

SPEAKER_03

When Saban was doing all this stuff in Alabama, were you against Saban? I've never been a big college football guy. Oh, I'm just saying, did you have the same feeling against Saban? You we all knew he was cheating.

SPEAKER_02

Paying people. He was just why? Oh, why all of a sudden did this guy jump ship? All of a sudden, this guy jumped ship because all of a sudden it was a level playing field. And you're like, that should be celebrated.

SPEAKER_03

I think he walked out of Alabama right at the right time. Yeah, because it was all done. He had no upper hand. I think a lot of Jalen Milrow? I think a lot of those coaches left because they didn't want to deal with some of the personalities that these kids have. Because of the system, it's terrible. Well, who's created the system then? Who you point blame at for creating him. I'm not. Him.

SPEAKER_02

No, because wrong. Someone wrong. Someone needed to balance the levers. Him being ahead of the curve.

Early Mornings, Standards, And Discipline

SPEAKER_03

Answer it honestly. The NCAA opened the floodgates for all the nonsense. So it was either adjust to it, bounce out, or be a peasant to it. The NCAA is what opened the floodgates right after COVID with all the nonsense. The NIL, you want to start paying these dudes and what they are paying them, you have opened the floodgates. You also gave all these kids six years of eligibility because at one point kids were freshmen, that didn't count. And then the next year it didn't count. So why do you think there's 25 year old kids still in college? Because of who? The NCAA who opened the floodgates. So here you are bashing these coaches who are adapting to the system of what they've created. It's not like this dude created that system. The NCAA did. Dudes who don't care about anything but what? The dollar sign that comes in, and more and more. And then they want to sit there and say, it's about the kids. It's about the kids. It's about nothing of what they've done is about the kids. And you know who's paid the biggest consequences of all the NCAA decisions? Is kids in college. Or I'm sorry, kids in high school. Kids in high school are the kids who pay the most consequence of all the actions they've created. But yet they want to say they make all these decisions about the kids. It's about the kids. No, you've made decisions to open floodgates, allow kids to transfer, allow the NIL and all this money to flow in and flow in and flow in and flow in because all you guys want is more money. It became about the money. That's the problem. There's no teams anymore. To your point, it's mercenaries. Watch a college basketball game, watch a college football game. Heck, they're letting NBA players come back. Once baseball starts, watch baseball. So-and-so transfers from U of I, so-and-so transferred from Illinois State, so-and-so transferred from Dallas Baptist, so-and-so transferred from Notre Dame. So every kid who they talk about transferred from somewhere and then transferred from somewhere. So as a coach, I actually give the IU coach credit because it actually seems like he might be one of the first guys to try to build a culture. I was actually rooting somewhat for Ole Miss because all their coaches bounced out on them. And those dudes had players bounce out on them. And they made a push and they almost had Miami. It'd have been cool to see Ole Miss actually make a run and win it with all that nonsense. Because that would have shown character out of those kids more than anything.

SPEAKER_02

I agree. That Lane Kiffin guy.

SPEAKER_03

But it's interesting to hear you go stealing tantrum.

SPEAKER_02

Stealing uh goes a guy who goes to a grocery store stealing the baskets. That tells you all you need to know about that guy.

SPEAKER_03

It's mind-blowing, man.

SPEAKER_02

Lane Kiffen.

SPEAKER_03

Here we go. Here we go.

SPEAKER_02

Kiffin. Oh man. And then Kirby Smart. You know, it's this. Yeah, that's what I think in college football. All right. College basketball is a travesty now, too. They can't make free throws. Um, they dribble around for 30 seconds, and then um they're bringing guys back from the NBA. Yeah. All right. And then college baseball, really no complaints about college baseball.

SPEAKER_03

Nah, it's the lowest of the market because they don't bring in any money compared. I mean, there's only certain programs or SEC teams that bring in enough money to make it relevant to some of their schools. Like you go to most Division I schools and they you go to a game and there's a hundred people there and they're all family.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

So that that's why baseball will always stay in that realm because of that. Then the transfer on baseball is less, but yes, football rosters are significantly bigger, but those kids are all on full scholarships. Baseball players do not all have full scholarships except for certain teams.

SPEAKER_02

This guy's going into the stands with his wife and two kids. Who? I saw this in the college basketball game recently. There he is with his beautiful wife and beautiful two children. The man has a whole family. And then speaking of college football, too, I know a kicker that was married and had a kid already. I'm like, what are you people doing? And then that guy, what's his face? Um, you played for the Utes. Cam rising. That guy was in college, I think, for eight years. And then that shambless guy was trying to get a sixth year.

SPEAKER_03

Like, come on, look at the Carson Beck, the Miami quarterback.

SPEAKER_02

That guy's 27 or 26.

SPEAKER_03

I think he's 24. Still, what are you doing, dude? He he's been playing since the COVID days.

SPEAKER_02

That far long ago.

SPEAKER_03

It's only 20. I mean, you think about it, this start of the season was 2025. So if he got into college in 2019, sadly, his 2020 year didn't count. His 2021 year didn't count. So he's 22, 23, 24, 25. He'd be a fifth-year senior technically. But if two years were stripped of him, even though they played one and a half of it, like that's why all that nonsense is. It's taking time to get those kids out. But then it's like you get these kids who go to a school and then don't feel like they got a fair shake, and then they don't get a year of LGBT back, and then they go to lawyers, and then people come complaining, and I didn't get what I wanted, then I want this, so I get one more year. And now we gotta reinvent the wheel and be like, well, maybe, maybe everybody should get another year. Maybe, maybe we should give them all five years of eligibility. But then if a kid redshirts for a year and then medical red shirts for another year, then you can be in college for seven years. I'm sorry, last time I checked, if you go to college for seven years, you should be a doctor by that point. Yes?

SPEAKER_02

Doctor and foolery.

SPEAKER_03

You should be a doctor?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

If you want to be a tomfoolery doctor, sure. But you should be a doctor after seven years of college. Most of these kids are barely walking out with a bachelor's degree in seven years.

SPEAKER_01

Mama, mama, what do you major in, son? I majored in tomfoolery.

SPEAKER_03

Really, boy. On to the next thing. It's time for a kabrew.

SPEAKER_02

Brought to you by Newman's Corner Pub. Newman's Corner Pub, out in the western suburbs in Hampshire, Illinois. Now, Hampshire, Illinois is home for Newman's Corner Pub, and there you find the great majestic Jeff Naraki. Tell him we sent you for your gambling, food, and drinking needs in a nice, comfortable, hospitable setting. Newman's Corner pub. Tell him we sent you. Maybe they'll give you a free burger. I had three burgers yesterday.

SPEAKER_03

Go there on Sunday. Watch if you're out in the Western suburbs out near Hampshire, go to Newman Corner pub for the for the Bears game.

SPEAKER_02

Do we have a time yet?

SPEAKER_03

I think we're gonna get the 5 30 game.

SPEAKER_02

I think if the Steelers would have won, they would have put them on prime time. But the Texans winning, I think they send them at the time.

College Sports, NIL, And Transfers

SPEAKER_03

I don't I don't think they were giving the Pats back-to-back Sunday night games. And if it's gonna be in New England and Chicago, I think they're gonna put the the East Coast earlier and the central one later. But on to the cup of brew. Okay. Got a good one today. Gonna talk about uh uh coaching. We're gonna talk about what you call coaches, right? Kind of piggybacking off of kids approaching coaches and asking questions to get together or have conversations. But we think it's important for kids to understand how you talk to coaches and whether you call them by name, whether you call them coach, right? And for those of you who don't know this, all right, I'm going to share a kind of amusing story in my playing days that as you move up the ladder, right, and you get higher in this game, coaches don't really like to be called coach anymore, right? Still in college, like you would call your coach, coach, whatever, or just call him coach, or you know, it depends on how they like to be addressed, but you still have that kind of coach mentality. In high school, youth baseball, like you definitely should be calling your coach, coach Josh, or coach Dan, or coach Jake, right? I think as a senior in high school, I don't mind if kids here call me Dan or Brue. I've kind of gotten past that because they're going off to college and now you're gonna have a new coach. Some of them still come in and call me coach. Hey coach, how are you? And I still have a lot of respect for those kids. I think when they get to that college age, I've kind of conceded that. But while you're still in high school, I do think it's important for you to call us coach. But when you get into professional baseball, if you do get there, coaches don't really like to be called coach anymore. You really become first name base with them, or if they've been there long enough and they've earned the respect, you call them skip. So one of my favorite managers, by the way, the head coach is also called a manager in Pro Bowl. He's not called a head coach, he's a manager. So my one of my favorite managers I played for, Tony Franklin, T Frank, love the guy, old as could be, had some squeaky hips, man. He had hip surgeries. He'd be running to third base and hear him, weep, weep. I love to banter with him. I used to yell at him from across the field, Skip, Skip, you left your WD-40 in here, man. Come and get it. Shut up, bro. Shut up. So one day, late in 2010, we're making a late push to make the playoffs, and or shouldn't say make the playoffs, but end in one or two seed, which was important because you get home field advantage. And, you know, September would hit, and sometimes they'd send guys up uh just to fill in or replace, or you know, a young guy who just got drafted just to give them the experience of being at a higher level, let them see what it's like. So we had this kid, outfielder, second round pick, get sent up to uh Trenton, double-A for the Yankees that year. And uh, you know, being an outfielder, I was I was an outfielder, so I tried to, you know, be a nicer teammate, welcome them into the clubhouse, kind of showed them ropes a little bit. So we're sitting in the dugout before early work, and you know, it's me, uh Justin Snyder, Austin Crumb, two dudes that I I loved playing with, some funny guys from California. Uh, and we're sitting in the dugout just messing with T Frank and just give him a hard time. And Snyder used to give him the business on the regular, like it to the point that was like, I don't know, man, that's a little bit much. And he's sitting there, and this young kid walks in the dugout, puts his bat in the rack, and he goes, Hey coach. And the three heads just we just turned. And he asked him a question, and then Skip looks at us and he goes, Don't you dare. I was like, What? He's like, Don't you dare, you leave him alone. I was like, I'm just sitting there biting my tongue, and he's like, Don't. He's a young kid, don't you dare! And I looked at the kid, I said, Hey buddy, don't ever call a manager and Pro Bowl coach ever again. Like, this dude has been here way longer and has earned the respect to be called Skip, like, treat him that way. And it was just amusing because it was like such a young, innocent kid that just didn't grab that concept, that he was so naive to it, that I think a lot of times these kids walk around, they're naive to what they're supposed to be doing or how they're supposed to act. Because I do think as a coach, like when you reach certain levels, you reach respect, right? And I think these kids have to understand that like there's a pecking order and total and pull to this stuff, and showing coaches respect is very important. So make sure when you play this game that you respect your coaches, that you understand how to address the coaches, that if you do make it into professional baseball and you have a coach who's been there for I don't know, it seemed like he'd been there for 40 years.

SPEAKER_02

Longer than you've been alive.

SPEAKER_03

Correct. Like treat the man with some respect. I mean, I'll still I'll still text T Frank on uh uh occasions. Uh my second year back in double A with him, so I was in there in 10, and then I was back there in 2012 with him to start the year. I actually printed out a caution sign that had an old man with a cane and it said geezer crossing.

SPEAKER_00

Wow.

SPEAKER_03

And I taped it to his office.

SPEAKER_00

Wow.

SPEAKER_03

Because if you wanted to walk past his office, that was to the training room and to the clubhouse, so he'd come, he'd come out and I'd throw my arms out and I'd stop everybody. Hold up! Skip's coming across. Shut up, just shut up, make it full of this guy's hips. I'm not making it was all good fun, man. If you have respect for your coaches and your coaches have respect for you, there's good banter, man, and it's all fun. I used to go golfing with them on off days. And jokingly, when I played golf with him, I wouldn't even bring out my driver because I'd hit my three iron farther than a driver, and I'd just laugh at him be like, I'd beat you again. Not when it rained, right? Oh, we I played golf with him one time. We were out playing, we were like 13 holes in, and it started pouring rain. And this guy pulls out a rain jacket, water gloves, an umbrella, and I'm just standing there like I'm looking around, he's like, You didn't plan for this? I was like, Are we really playing in this? He goes, Yeah, gotta finish 18. I'm saying it's a hazard. It wasn't lightning, it was just rain. So it was just like lightning, you know. I don't think the hard stuff will come down for quite a while. Tough when that lightning, that'd be a tough way to go. Caddyshack. So make sure you address your coaches the right way. That's the moral of a cup of brew. Cheers up. And now it's fun time. You know who we're talking. We're talking the bears.

SPEAKER_02

I think we have a top three quarterback in the NFL. Wow. I'm just gonna say that right now. I think we have a top three coach in the NFL. Can't disagree with you on that either. So imagine when both of those two things come together.

SPEAKER_03

Alright, I'm gonna I'm gonna let you, I'm gonna I'm gonna say it to you.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Okay?

SPEAKER_02

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03

I'm gonna swallow my pride. Okay? I'm gonna swallow my pride. I'm a man who can admit when I am wrong. Caleb Williams, I still think has a lot to prove. But Caleb Williams has earned my respect. I watched it firsthand. I saw him make some tough throws in tough situations. I still think he makes young decisions that has to get better. I think Ben Johnson is helping him learn to do that. I think he finally has a coach who has truly gotten him to be the player that he has capabilities of being. But that man can make throws that not many can. And he proved it this weekend. And he's proved it all year. And he does, as much as it drives me nuts that I still think he misses passes he should, but Rodgers misses passes he should. Stafford, I mean, the the greats missed passes. They do not make every pass. Nobody can say they do. And when they were younger, they missed them more than than they did later in their career. He doesn't turn the ball over much. He he knows how to get out of pocket and scramble and and throw on the run or take the ball. Um I do think he he could at times buy into taking a hit once in a while. I think, especially in the city of Chicago, like people would would appreciate the toughness. But Cush, I know you're listening. I know you're gonna be excited when you hear it. I still like Ty, I still love Tyson Bajan. I will never lose my love for that man. I still truly believe that he could be a very good quarterback in this league. I love that he's our backup because I think he's a good person in that quarterback room. I'm not going out and buying a Caleb Williams jersey, but I am happy that he's our quarterback.

SPEAKER_02

I like that. You know, I'd argue last year, if that clown wasn't the head coach, we would have made the playoffs last year, too. Maybe. No, because the But who would have been? Is that the first time you've seen Caleb in person?

SPEAKER_03

No, I saw him play last year in person.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_03

Last year But it was late in the year against the Lions, and the Lions were absolutely steamrolling people, and we were on the outs at that point.

SPEAKER_02

Last year, we were still in the hunt. We played Green Bay at home. We were down in the same situation. He brought us back. He brought us back to the point where Cairo Santos just needed to kick one through the uprights. He couldn't. And but the throws I saw there in person that day, I'm like, oh, whoa. That four the fourth and eight throw he made. People say it's scripted. I was talking to a guy about this stage, like, what do you think? The NFL is scripted. I go, how do you script that?

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What To Call Coaches And Why It Matters

SPEAKER_03

Well, you can't script that. Even the throw he made to uh DJ Moore earlier in the drive where he was scrambling to his right and threw it. I was sitting in the north end zone, so they were coming at us the whole way. That pass, he he sh, I mean, literally diced right through two guys and put it right on the money on the run, hitting DJ Moore and Shride, and he dropped it. But that throw, I mean it it was impressive. I the offense we've created, and the offense the Bears have right now is young. I'll say it again. Coelhin Loveland is a beast, dude. He is an animal, his route running is ridiculous. He creates space, his hands are the best, one of the best in the game. He's big, he's physical, he can he can run block like him and Cole Comet just they compliment. Col Komet out of him. No, no, that game. You need another tight end who Col Komet will get his 10 to 25 a game. Col Comet helps us on the block, on the run game. You have to keep him. Plus, he's a he's a Chicago kid, like Chicago guy, fighter. He's he's a he's a good cultured guy, man. Like you don't lose guys like that because I think he's good for Colson Loveland, who's in the league as a rookie, and he's helping elevate his game. Right? I just no need to get out of here. That billions cat.

SPEAKER_02

Well, got hurt. Yeah, and all of a sudden, I'm with my brother. And well, this is when TJ Edwards got hurt, and uh, my brother Caleb, big bear fan, um he turns to me, he goes, You know what, Josh? I think when DeMarco Jackson comes in, this might actually help us stop the run. So it's a it's a kind of uh uh a blessing in disguise. But to talk about that game and the the fallout the atmosphere. Well, the fallout that's come from that handshake and him saying F you to the Packers literally in the post-game speech, people coming down on him. We as well, I don't think anyone in Chicago is coming down on him, but the outside people, but again we in sports and sports fans, we want rivalries, we want teams to hate each other, not like each other, then they give it to us, and then all of a sudden this guy's the bad guy. This guy, you can actually see as Bear fans, we want to beat Green Bay. You can lose every other game in the in the season, but as long as we beat Green Bay, we're perfectly fine.

SPEAKER_03

Beat him and knocked him out of the playoffs in home, something we don't ever do. Who cares? If we have to play the villain, great. And cool play the villain, love to. Sometimes the villain's the best character.

SPEAKER_02

So, but I'm telling you, them clowns are so arrogant all the time to bears still suck. Bears still suck what? All right, we, we, you know, it took Ryan Poles and all his open. Press conference, we're going to take back the North. Yeah, it took a while. You know, Ben Johnson fell in his lap, uh, Caleb Williams fell on his lap, but who cares? That all happened. We have the North now. We sent them packing. I'm watching, I sure you saw the same compilation video of those streamers reacting for 10 to 15 minutes and as the game continues to transpire. People, I don't know why anyone was surprised on what was going on. We've done that time and time again. We did it to them a few weeks ago. Like I said, Al Michael's called the miracle on ice. And I put on my Instagram earlier that morning, because Caleb and I were talking about it. He's like, what's that speech? Herb Brooks gave it to the boys. Their time is done. Our time is now. And I thought about Al Michaels calling that game. I'm like, who's calling tonight's game? Al Michaels. Al Michaels called the miracle on ice, and Al Michael's gonna call the second greatest game in American sports history tonight. We came back, they scored 21, and then we scored 215 in the fourth quarter. And again, that kicker, bum. You know, I thought our kicker was gonna get us. Their kicker got him. And you can send them packing. Their time is done. Keep Matt LaFleur. I hope they keep Matt LaFleur because then we're gonna keep. I mean, you have a coach that says, I stayed in the division so I can beat Matt LaFleur twice a year. It's over. Good, better, best. Yeah, I'll keep saying it until we die, all right? And then we're gonna go get beat the Rams, and then we're gonna go beat the Niners, and then we're gonna meet whoever comes in the Super Bowl, all right? Yeah, we did it.

SPEAKER_03

So, as you know, I went down. Got there for the tailgate.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

Pro Ball Etiquette And The Skip

SPEAKER_03

The tailgating area and and the whole atmosphere there, you could just feel it, right? Now, go into the game. Place was electric. Start off. We get our three to start. Would have been nice to put on seven, but it's like, great, you got your points. When the Packers charged down that field to start that game and charged 90 yards right down our throat, you could feel the sense of the stadium kind of going. And then we didn't score, and we went forward, went forward on like fourth and eight on our own, fourth and four on our own 30. And we got it the first time, but we didn't get points. I believe he threw a pick that that that drive, right? And they came down and was like, bam, right in our throat again. And I was like, oh boy, and you could feel it. And when we went in that half and and McManus missed the field goal, it was like alright, sign of hope. Maybe it has to be a crazy second half, but like you went in feeling like okay, and then that second half, like you could feel the tide of that stadium. And when it got to the fourth quarter, the rumble you could feel in there, like leaving the stadium, walking to our car, people were walking behind us, and the one guy looks at Ethan and Vinny and goes, If you two kids don't appreciate your dads and thank them for a very long time, you are some ungrateful kids. The fact that they brought you two to this game shows shows you guys how much they care about you. And I actually looked at the guy, I was like, I appreciate that because that's a true statement, right? That was a memory of a lifetime, it was a game of a lifetime, it was awesome, but it's not over. Like you could not. We gotta finish the documentary. You it's not over, man. I was that the the the the people there, the belief, and you've been saying it all year, believe, believe, believe. It's never over. How many times have has the statistics or the analytics said that the Bears are a 75% of the year? 5% chance to win, 8% chance to win. It ain't over until that clock strikes zero.

SPEAKER_02

This is why we play the game minutes. This is why we play the game. Again, you hear these people rather have the Rams, rather have the Hawks. You got you guys gotta forget all that. Again, going back to how we started this. They bleed just like me. They are human beings just like our bears are human beings. Now we can have a bad day, they can have a bad day, but we gotta go on this field and we gotta see who's gonna be who, man. And again, what I really appreciated about him, him being Caleb Williams, that was the most animated. I've seen him all year. Obviously, you're at the game, you can't see that, but on television, this guy's getting mad, and he's screaming and he's yelling, and I'm like, I didn't think this cat had it in him. And then he continues to go and go and scream it, and like all of a sudden, then all like you said, the tide starts to turn. And again, I'm not surprised because again, I've seen it so many times with that team. And again, if you what you're looking at, you got to be a fan sometimes. And yeah, it gets frustrating sometimes, but again, throw all those numbers out the window. We we landed on the moon. That's great. We landed on the moon. The moon. So if someone landed on the moon, anything can happen. And oh, it's not sustainable. We've done this 75% of the year. Oh, we need to start better. What are you talking about, man? We got to start better. There's another back half of the game that that's why they give us 60 minutes.

SPEAKER_03

I agree, but it would be nice. If you think about baseball, okay, put it in baseball terms. Sometimes if you get to bad starts and you keep doing it, it's hard to come back. It is hard to come back. Now, have we done it numerous times this year? 100%. But there are times where you do it in the hole too much and you don't come back. And yes, I do agree with that point that it would be nice to do it. But hey, if you are playing and them dudes believe, that is all that matters. Right? Feast off it, believe in it. Trust it. We talked about it last week. The feeling of just you control the game and you control what you're doing, and that feeling of free. Those dudes don't care what that scores, they play with the belief that they can win no matter what. The coach has them believe in it, their leader has them believe in it, and let them ride it and keep riding it. Because I think I don't, like you said, sure, if you gave me the pick, would you rather play Eagles or Rams? Like, yeah, sure. I would rather probably play the Eagles because I think our matchup of what they do plays in our favor of our defense right now. But whatever, man. There's also the point that Stafford's not a good cold weather player. Uh, sure, he's come to Chicago before because he played in Detroit, but I've watched Matthew Stafford go have games where he's thrown five picks, right? So I've watched Puka Nakua get hurt in the first play of the game because the guy likes to get hurt. Like I've watched Devontae Adams pull a hamstring right away. Those options of their best players and West Weapons, sure. Do they match in our favor? No, but who cares? They got to deal with our offense too, which I don't believe their defense is what their defense of old used to be of what made them so great. So I trust our team. Let's go to work. 60 minutes lineup. We got the guys we want in place. We got the guy at the helm. We got the belief. They got to come into our house. Let's go do it and whoop whoever we got to whoop. And you know what? When the Niners win the next week, it's gonna be great because then they got to come to us again, and then we're gonna whoop them, and we're going to their place then the next week. Sorry, two weeks.

Bears Belief And Caleb Williams

SPEAKER_02

Two weeks. Again. Bear down. Bear down. Now remember this. Many, many years ago, this was a regular season game. We had a big lead with I think the Mitch playing Aaron Rodgers. We had a big lead going in the half. Aaron Rodgers was hurt, comes out, and it makes you think, man, this is scripted. Take the Superman pick. Yeah. We have that guy. Again, and it's something, it's a we have imposter syndrome right now. A lot of Bear fans have imposter syndrome right now. But I'm here to tell you, I'm looking at you right now. This is not a dream. This is gonna be real for the next 10 to 15 years. And you got to embrace being that team. You are the boogeyman now. You are the man in the dark that people are afraid. They put up the signal now, they see a big bear, and it's coming to town. And now you're that team. You are no longer the other end of that, and now you must embrace it. Rams! Yeah, bat all the way over as a big bear descends upon Soldier Field. Last thing I'm gonna leave you with. Caleb and I are outside looking up, a snow comes in an hour before the game. Just random snow. That snowstorm was wild. Caleb looks up and goes, I think the spirit of Papa Bear Hallis has just descended upon us with Mongo McMichael and Walter Payton and every other bear that RIP has passed on before. And I have goosebumps talking about it. And yeah, I'm only 27 years old. I didn't see all those bears, but the majority of my Bears fandom has been riddled by bad and heartbreak. I remember the Kyle, uh not the Kyle Orton game, um, the Tim Tebow game when Matt Prater launched an NFL record halfway across the stadium. I cried after that game in Denver. Lovey Smith game. We made the playoffs that year, but that was still a sad game. And it's been sad. People have told me, why'd you keep being a fan? They're gonna keep no! Because we believe. We believe, and we're gonna keep on believing, and we just need to do it three more times. Finish the documentary.

SPEAKER_03

It was cool to see Urlacher and Devin Hester though.

SPEAKER_02

Urlacher.

SPEAKER_03

I love Devin Hester, man. I don't know. See what Grady Jarrett said? Brian Urlacher is one of my favorite bears of all time. Devin Hester was electric with a football in his hands, man. That guy was an electric football player. They changed the game because of him. They did. They changed the kickoff rules because of him. He used to take punts and he'd run backwards 15 yards and then all of a sudden be like, see ya. Ah man, he took that opening kickoff in the Super Bowl to the house. And then it was Peyton Manning.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, okay, nope, that will not be mentioned anymore. All right.

SPEAKER_03

We have the belief then. We didn't have the quarterback. Our other quarterback should have been playing that game and we would have won that game. Kyle Orton would have won us a Super Bowl. Caleb Williams is gonna win us a Super Bowl. And I'm gonna lose ten bucks to one of our kids who I told Caleb Williams would never make a Super Bowl. And I made that bet with the kid with the hope that I'd be paying him 10 bucks. But I know you've been waiting for it all year. I wanted to admit my wrong to you and tell you the man has won me over. Good. Because it takes a lot for our quarterbacks to win me over because we've ran through so many. I hope we have one for the next 20 years. It'd be nice to finally be on the other side of us having a quarterback who is going to be a guy because we have waited a long time for it and we deserve it. I don't know if we got time, but we don't have time today. Next week we're gonna get into another top. We're gonna start talking some cubs in socks because spring training's coming. Cubs made a big move. I don't want to talk about it because I'm getting too stirred up and I'm in a good mood, so I don't want to end my night in a bad, bad mood talking Cubs with another guy over here, but we'll get to those points. We thank you all for listening, man. Hey, prediction bears by what? Five. Bears by five, yes. Someone get me some tickets. Get Lord Puck some tickets. I was gonna go to the DM. I can't go to the game. Daughters got three basketball games. Got a big turning this Sunday. Someone give me some tickets. Get Lord Puck some tickets. Ashley. Somebody get Lord Puck some tickets. Yes. Okay? Lord Puck ending grace. Bear down. Good night. Good night.