Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Transition: It's Illinois vs. Indiana in a Bears stadium showdown for the ages

Episode Date: February 26, 2026

Leila Rahimi and Marshall Harris welcomed on Laurence Holmes and Anthony Herron for the daily transition segment.

The score. Layla Rahimi wanted to play defense one time. Marshall Harris thought it might be a good idea. Clay Harbor, you can't coach height. And those are our defensive intros for the money that will be left in the bear salary cap if they sign or trade or extend Max Crosby. They would be trading for him. This is Rahimi-Singian-Grodi.

We thank you for listening. Thanks to our producers, Ray Diaz, Tyler Bearderbaugh. Connor O'Donnell, Jacob Stutz, Max Curtis, and Cody Westerlin. Thanks to our guests, Jordan Schultz, Adam Hogue, and Jeff Buckholtz. And thanks to everybody who hung out with us and tried to make sense of a bizarre day, both in Illinois and then also in Indiana. So we continue to listen and wait and listen and wait and listen to wait. And thanks to them boys.

Anthony Herron and Lawrence Holmes joining us now. Yeah, I saw Jeff in the hallway, and I texted. you when he was on the show last week. He sounds great. He's doing a great job of reporting and it's not easy that everything that you have to keep in mind when looking at all of this stuff. So I'm glad to see some synergy

with our sister station or a sibling station, WBBM. I think it's kind of cool that getting Jeff on and having him break stuff down because these are interesting times. I was telling people, like you don't, You don't have to jump to conclusions on any of this stuff because none of it's done yet.

And the weeds can feel kind of thorny. It's a lot for people to try to consume and figure out the minutia of which state has offered what and why are we not further than we think it should be, but then the tone of someone's voice might indicate something should be done, but it's not done, and who's in the lead, and who's competing with where and when and why? Like that whole thing that happened last week with Indiana is like, yeah, Illinois has had one of those for 40 years. It's how the White Sox Park got built a long time ago. And so walking through some of that stuff can be treacherous in these Twitter and Instagram streets.

I just mute every conversation, every single one. Sporty, I think that that is a really good idea. My sweatshirt says sporty. the way that it works. Oh, okay, that was like a sporty spice? Is that like a new dick day? Layla's got a bunch of those. It doesn't one of them just say sports too?

Go sports, right? Yeah, I have another one that says go sports. I have another one that says sports. I have a pennant that says just sports. I find it to be hilarious. I think the lesson that we're learning is that word that you use minutiae, there's just way too much of that.

A lot of it, man. That's what politics is. No, but like you feel like you're way eating through it and as you wade through the minutia you realize it's getting deeper and deeper and then there's minutia everywhere. That's how they get you. Desperately to

make the sports like try to take what we do and apply it to what's happening and I'm like it's not the same. Indiana versus Illinois. A showdown for the ages. And be like well Indiana just kicked a field goal

but it's the first quarter and the trophy is an actual stadium. They Just put it on the land immediately after the game. There's a lot that has to happen, and there are a lot of people that have to weigh in. And there's environmental issues. The way I posed it earlier, because Clay Harbor was on in the morning. That's where they're thinking about putting the stadium. I've heard of it's lovely.

Clay Harbor. At Clay Harbor? Welcome to Hollis Harbor. That's so good. With him specifically, I was like, this is more your territory, not because it's sports, but because you were on an actual reality television show where they drag things out in soap opera style. And guess what?

That's what we're doing here. It's dragging things out in soap opera style. You'll find out where the next beer stadium will be. Right after that. Right after a word from our sponsor. And as someone who grew up watching soap operas at my grandmother's house, because I had no choice and she had one TV, and that's just what we did in the summertime. Did she call them her stories?

Of course. Our stories. And, you know... That's why every black person loves Victor from young and a wrestler. And he say nothing bad about Victor. Victor's still out here, Victor. I know. And he's with the people, too.

Look, look, Victor is a name for a reason because he comes out on top. That man survives. And I would tell you this. It took me to I was probably 10, 11 years old before I realized, oh, they really are dragging out when I watch on the A team for two to three weeks. Yeah? in one episode of the 18. Why can't you be a little more concise?

I think that was the second season of Landvan. Like what is the amount of time in one soap opera episode that spent not actually saying anything, just looking at each other intensely. The close up is they get ready to cut to the next scene. Chicago and Hammond are just staring at each other with their eyes kind of wiggling a little bit.

Are they doing it? Or is what? Tell a novella take it to the next level. Or are they both facing the screen and what is just standing behind the other looking into the distance. It's a very dramatic music playing. Someone mentioned it inside the mob, but did you know that Iowa also tried to throw their

name into the hat? I've heard such things. I like it. I don't know that Iowa legitimately tried to throw their name in the hat. I don't know. Yeah. You know, did they ride some coattails for a headline or two? Sure.

Even if they just did it for the plot and to be funny, I'm into it. because that's hilarious to me and I'm glad somebody knew how to break it up. It's free media, right? But it's just funny. Like, if somebody did that just with the intensive, like the actual purpose of intent of being funny, I'm into it.

Like, I support you. There were also a lot of jokes about the people of Iowa not wanting the bears to come because that would be like a functioning offense and they don't really do that. I was the one who made that joke. It was me. I'm sorry, Ann. It was just too easy.

I was in a crowd where people were begging the Hawkeyes to pass the ball. No. When she said it, I was like, but aunt, and she was like, Aunt, aunt's a defensive guy. He understands. Matt Bowen's probably listening right now going, what did I do to do? And to be fair, so is Iowa State, because it was in Des Moines where this came up.

There we go. They got an offense. Yeah, Cyclones stink, all of them, every last one. I think, I mean, their head coach has got a big, you know, promotion and all. The rivalry lives? The rivalry lives. Okay. Well, always.

I'm just making sure. Yeah, man. Because y'all ain't in the same conference. So I didn't know, like, you know. Never have been. It didn't matter in the same state. You actually play each other, though, like voluntarily. Every year.

Like Texas, for example, was like, Texas A&M is going to the SEC. We'll never play each other again. Why? Why stop being babies about this? We're also in the SEC now. Even though Texas A&M ran away and was like, y'all are never going to let Texas in, right? And the SEC was like, no. Why would we do that?

Oh, my God. You bring us Texas. We don't need any other school from. Texas or near Texas. Texas, you go to the PAC 12. Don't even worry about such things. A few years later. Welcome Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC.

I will never forget to the shirts. So many shirts that said secede with like the SEC logo. And AIM thought it was real cool. Now, I will say this. I remember that. It was a huge boon for recruiting. There were some fantastic athletes that prior to the SEC getting Texas A&M, I don't know that they would have gotten.

And I say that having covered high school football there for years. But the saunter and the idea of permanence was just diluted. And I was on the field for the last game that those two played where Texas came back at Texas A&M to win the game. And A&M thought that they were going to have the last laugh because it's like, we're going to win this game, be Texas. They were going to the SDC. And we're never going to have to deal with you guys again. And the dejected Aggie Corps that I stood on the field with was quite the scene. Quite the sea.

And since I went to North Texas where we believe in nothing, we're basically the opposite of A&M where they think like this coffee cup is a tradition that has to be carried on for 50 years. I found it to be quite comical. Speaking of college athletics, congratulations to Lawrence Holmes and his deba ball. Blue demons. Yeah.

No? We're not taking a victory lap? They've won three out of four. They should have won on Saturday. And it upsets me. I was there on Saturday against Providence. They should have beaten Providence. they were on a struggle bus

when it came to hitting free throws. So yes, what I like to tell people when they ask me about how DePaul is doing, better but not good. Look at you with a standard. Yeah. I think that they're going to hit one of the things that I like, though, this year

is that they'll play postseason basketball. And right now, as it stands, they're not the curtain jerker game of the Big East tournament. They've won with seven games in the Big East this year. They have a chance to get themselves off of the first day of the Big East tournament. And if they do, I think I'm going to go.

I don't know why curtain jerker just sounded filthy when you said it. It does. It sounds so bad. Every time I'm like, yo. I read it through context. It makes me uneasy. I had never heard that term before, but I read it through context and understood. Okay.

I got you. Did you hear these two? It was probably last week or something where they were using some of their little colloquialisms being southerners on there. What was it to work? The frog appalled you. Oh. Layla.

It didn't necessarily appall me. I was just like, and no one went about the process of explaining that at all. You both just said it. I didn't think we needed to. I meant to tell you, do you, the, the spinoff from Tulsa King. Did you see what it is? Frisco King. Really?

Starring Samuel L. Jackson. Where is this? Now it gets real. Friscoe, Texas. It gets bleeping real. It gets bleeping. It gets bleeping. You know it's going to be bleeping.

Okay. So that's really close to Plato where all of the 90s heroin deaths happened. That might be... There you go. But that's a dramatic. They introduced Samuel Jackson's character. But they're acting like Frisco's in the middle of nowhere, and it's essentially as close as like Schaumburg.

Brisco and Schombard are basically the same concept. Schombard King. People thought Tulsa was in the middle of nowhere. That's kind of the idea. It's just places that we can make our own through storytelling. And I love that we have so many streaming services and so many. writers that they're just like, yeah, do whatever you want. This is not on broadcast television.

You can do whatever you want. Is that show set in modern times? Like, that's a present day storyline? It's the Taylor Sheridan show that still makes a little bit of sense, unlike Landman's season two, which made no sense. I have no desire to watch the rest of that show. From what all the indications are is that everyone knows that season two was bad, and they are revamping things for season three.

And it became, the funniest part was, It became like oil field product placement. And there's not enough companies that service oil fields to really need oil field product placement. It's definitely got a lot of propaganda to it. Like, who am I going to call? Schlumberjee or the other company? Well, if it wasn't for this Landman episode, I'd never know. But I hit the eject button on season two after episode one.

And I was like, that's too bad. Because I thought that season one, even though there was a lot of propaganda in it, I thought it was at least interesting. It was like all this stuff that you didn't know about the oil business. And so I guess Taylor and the boys have gotten the message. And season three is going to be a little bit more rooted in reality. I don't know what season of Yellowstone it was. But my wife watched past tense a bunch of Yellowstone.

And then one season was seemingly fantastic. And then there was like the following season. Shark jump. It went from being an action show to just being a show watching people riding circles on horses. And so she started kind of. bailing out at that point. I thought there was like drama and action and people saying filthy things to each other.

Now it's just, we're just watching people. It appropriate. It makes me recoil. I think I don't know. Well, Tanny's not even over the dump button right now. Tyler, be ready. I don't know what's going on in there. But yes, out here, curtain jerking apparently is allowed. It feels bad. I'm just going to keep

saying it until it feels natural. It's a wrestling term. When you jerk somebody's curtain? The curtain-jerker match is the match of people that you You're not interested in. Yeah, like it's the beginning of the show. Like, here's the show.

Let's jerk the curtain. And here comes two bad wrestlers that are going to wrestle. And it's not macho man. Matureman's going to be later. He's the headliner. You got to start somewhere. And that's what DePaul Games in the Big East were. Aunt, we're there.

It's 9 o'clock in the morning. It's 9 o'clock in the morning. And we're at Madison Square Garden. There's just us. There's just us. I have to tell you. They both smoking a single record because they just had their current. Just us.

I have to tell you, I kind of love the idea of going to the 9 a.m. DePaul at the Biggie's tournament game just again for the plot. I'm obsessed with Poltax games now and the concept of the morning DePaul game. I can't call it that yet. I'm not going to do what you're doing. I will say. What if Chris Holman brings you breakfast, though, to watch the 9 a.m. game.

No, because like a Bloody Mary in your sunglasses and you're just sitting there wondering what happened to your life. You got to go to Tulane to drink bloody mares at 9-A-U. And I'm sitting in the upper deck, dude. I'm sitting in the upper deck watching the game. I don't care if I'm alone for five sections. When I was doing those games, we would have breakfast with the team, usually around like 7.30 a.m. and then you head on over to Mass and Square Garden.

Now, the cool thing, like I told Spee's, because of that, because it's an empty gym, I have shot buckets at Madison Square Garden. All right. Like, that's cool. Yeah. But then you do a game and everyone in the crowd, crowd, I'm using air coach for those who can't see me, they can hear your broadcast, including the players.

Like, so, you know, it is a big step. Hey, man, I was an accident. I didn't need to do it. Exactly. I've been in many a gym where that's happened. I know you have. It's disconcerting. You're talking and then you realize, oh, hey, it's not just.

the people who are at home who can hear me. The people behind me, maybe down the row from me, can hear me. The guy who's shooting the technical free throw can hear me describing it. Dude, my buddy and I, like,

because when I was working in Austin, as I mentioned, we had to film all the games. Like, we couldn't just get highlights off of whatever sports network. So they sent us to Baylor to, like, shoot the Texas and Baylor game. And I'm sitting there on the baseline

with the camera on my shoulder. And we just, you know, our buddies, we'd all sit them down in between plays and be chatting. Pat Riley was sitting behind us, scouting Dexter Pittman. And the whole time we're freaking out because Pat Riley's just hanging out in the media room at Baylor. I'm like, what other- That's crazy? I'm like, one of the coolest men alive is just hanging out at Baylor. I was like the whole time, I'm just like, so they kept cutting to Pat Riley and what, like,

my former colleagues were like texting going, stop talking to Cliff. You're like, we see you goofing off every time they cut to Pat Riley. I was like, there's not a play going on. That's why they cut to him. I don't have to film the rest of it. You're allowed. How was Pat Riley dressed? With like a very nice like polo and it was like pressed of course and like slacks that were

perfectly tailored and they were pants. They were slacks. You know what I'm saying? Full on like Wall Street slick back here. I mean, just the coolest. Did you see the statue and now he's like you guys need to wear suits again? It's like sure, yeah, probably. But nobody can rock it like you, Pat.

You were getting the premium suits. And I do feel like because Coach Holt is like he's, like he's. has moved all the way to quarter zip and like joggers and I'm like okay that's what I'm wearing to the game so all right

but I do wonder if there are any coaches that are like maybe we should start going backwards on that I feel like at Ohio State I think Holt was like a sweater vest guy if I'm not mistaken while he was there good luck usually like some slacks with it or whatever he wasn't full on casual no well he's

he's doing it like he's got the shoes But I get it. If you're a basketball coach and you're running up and down the floor, yelling at your players, you want to be comfortable. So why not do that? And we know like Fred Hoyberg does it because he can't have anything around his neck. Or a cell phone near his face. Or a cell phone near his face or any of that stuff. Very clear about that.

He made it super clear. Did you see the reflexes of like the karate chop? Yes. And hit that cell phone out of his face. Because he could die. Yes. So I get it. And he has always read it.

with the, what was the kill bill move with the death punch thing? The five point finger something. Yeah, we can't confirm if that person survived. We just know their cell phone wasn't in the way. High maze, five point palm, something. Palm of death. Palm pilot? No, get the Palm pilot out of his face, though.

Get the palm pilot out of that man's face. I will say the rise of athletic. The rise of athletic has just really, change the way we think of clothing in general because everybody's expensive. I don't know if it looks a lot better but it's more expensive. It's way more expensive. Suits is a form of

intimidation. Well that's what McRohnen's doing. Well then we're not doing that. Are you sure that's intimidation or is it over compensation? It could be either one. How tall is Mick Cronin? He's not even close to as tall as I am.

He's giving me like Big Napoleon vibes. Big Napoleon Vives. I think you were correct on that. He's at it again. My brother went to UCLA and man, I just, I can't be, this is disrespectful. If you were the basketball coach at UCLA and you look at like the lineage of the job of basketball coach at UCLA, and here's Mick Cronin.

Acting like a twerp. Are you saying one of these things is not like the other? I'm hoping that one of those things won't be like the other after they don't make the tournament, although them beating the Illini last week. I'm about to say, I think they might make the tournament. A lot of the bracketologists

have them in at the moment. They got to sustain it though and that's been a problem for them this year. But as of right now, they would make the field after that went over the Illinae. Micking them boys. Not that Lawrence has a running interest

in all this, but them boys ain't supposed to be here. I'll hate him forever. That's a good promo. He's on a very short list of people that I'm like, I just don't, I don't mess with that guy at all. And he's not like AJ or something where you'd want him on your team.

No, I would not want him. Even though I, he is an excellent coach. He is, as far as like the X's and O's of basketball go, I just don't know why anyone would send their kid to be coached by him. And specifically, especially defensive basketballs where he really specializes. And that's been part of him, you know, how much we want to talk to you, say like basketball. But that's been part of the brewing struggle. season is that he's still trying to coach a bunch of offensive players we brought in via

the transfer portal as like defensive stalwarts and that hasn't worked so he's got guards like Donovan Dent and Sky Moore who now he just said like all right running guns sky more that's what they're best at and not that sky more the one that we all thought man he might turn into something yeah yes Lawrence I really want to cast you by the way in a in a sitcom not a sitcom like an action like a dukes of hazard style with the narration but also a little meatier, curfier enthusiasm in that type of world, because I think you would function at a high level there.

Oh, thanks. It beats all you ever song. Whatever you want me to do, I can be the Oms Budsman. That would be great. You can't do with an honest by the actual name. You'd just be the Oms Budsman. Yeah, I'll be the narrator.

You know that they did. Is this like the accountant? Yes. I heard that was a decent movie. It is. The accountant. The sequel was a great movie. Yeah.

I like the first one. The account, too, with a job. John Bernthal as the brother really, really good. It got an Anthony Heron seal of a parole. Yeah, it did. It did. Yo, Aunt doesn't like just any movie. He certainly does not. And he doesn't like actors at all.

No. Surly about movies in my old age. I know I have. But the accountant, too, is actually again, I enjoyed the first one. The sequel was even better. I agree with. The brother was more involved. I have not seen it. So it balanced out with a different energy. It gave a little, it gave more

light moments to it and it kind of ramped up the action a little bit more. Have any of you all seen his and hers with Tessa Thompson and John Bernthall? Yeah. All right, because you know, like... Oh, that's a series. It's like a six six-part series. I've seen part of the first episode. There was a couple of moments

that got away from a little bit, but I enjoy it. I like both of them. I'll watch her do anything. I watch both of them. Yeah, he's a pretty, like, he's A, a good actor, and then B, like, they're attracted men. They had some... He's kind of hunky Tommy Lee Jones. He's got one year. He's got one speed. He's got one

speed, but he's good at it. I'm okay with that. Yeah, like on the bear, he's a great actor on that too. Tommy Lee Jones is always Tommy Lee Jones. No, no. I know you like him, but you, with that preface, like, you know what you're getting. Like my boy, Jason Statham.

You know exactly what you're getting. You know exactly what you're getting. I think Tommy Lee Jones is a quality act. I don't know Jason Stapen can act, but yes, he's the same guy in every movie. Beekeeper was awesome. Beekaper was a man. Felisher Ash!

I enjoyed Beekper. I enjoy beekeeper. That doesn't mean, I enjoy all of Keanu Reeves's movies. That doesn't mean he's a quality actor. How dare you? All of this is more productive than the stadium today. Oh, yeah. Always, always be my maybe.

Come on. Keanu is, where he's playing outside. He basically gets to stand there while everybody else does the entertaining around him. I can't diss on him anymore. He's not carrying those scenes. But he's a wonderful human. It appears.

So I just, I can't hit on Keanu. Brad Pitt seems to be wonderful human as well. It's just like when, when Adam Hogue didn't know the definition of breadcrumbing. And then after the segment, and I was like, Hogue would never.

See? I'm still waiting for a little. Wait a minute. We didn't know about curtain jerking. See? You just wanted to say curtain jerking. I mean, she gave me a reason to. It's true.

Here's what we've got planned for the show today. State House. Chris Emma is going to join us in 5 o'clock today. We're going to talk with him about what's going on. Tom Frinelli, we're going to start a new segment today called While You Were Winning. So a lot of people, while the Bears were winning, weren't paying attention to anything else. That's fair.

So what we're going to do is... Drink some water. Feed yourselves. Feed your pets. No. Water your plants. In the weeks to come, we're going to invite some of our friends on that cover college football

for them to be like, hey, you know what? I also have paid attention to the bears, and here are some players or some trends that you should think about. By the way, Aunt is going to be one of the guests for this segment, but he's here today. Breaking news on 1043, the score. Look at you.

being all a radio professional. I almost messed it up. That's the first time I've said it out loud. I almost messed it up. I say the score. Just say the score. Okay. That's all you have to do.

We got options. Yeah. And leave all the dumb stuff to me. Carmen Vitale is going to join us. We'll find out what she learned from the combine. But we're going to start off talking about Caleb. And Ryan Poles had some things to say. Todd McShay.

So we'll break down some of that stuff and we'll talk about it in the context of bigger Caleb conversations. That is next after tannies open, which you know is must-list and stuff here on the score. And Lawrence, this segment is sponsored by Grand Appliance. Shop Grant Appliance for expert advice, fast delivery and everyday low pricing on innovative appliances. Like Samsung's all-in-one washer, dryer combo that washes and dries a large load in a single drum. Learn more at granappliance.com or your local showroom. Great read.