The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Favorites - NFL Talk with guest Danny Parkins

Episode Date: April 3, 2025

Popular media personality Danny Parkins returns to the show, joining Action Network hosts Chad Millman and Simon Hunter for a lively conversation about quarterbacks, the torpedo bat, and so much more. Parkins transitioned from a longstanding job on Chicago talk radio to co-hosting a daily long-form television talk show: Breakfast Ball on FS1. This was a huge jump in his national profile, and he discusses the reasoning behind it and how his life has changed. Plus, he gets in a fight with Simon about Jalen Hurts vs Lamar Jackson. #Volume #herdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to deep cover the family man on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Welcome to the favorites, the podcast, presented by Bet365. We are part of the Volume Podcast Network.

I am Chad Milman of the Action Network, and I'm joined as always by my co-host, my companion, my compadre, my BFF professional, better Simon Hunter. Ero, Simon. Chad, how we doing? I think you know because of where we spent the weekend that I love few things more than the city of Chicago. Oh, yeah. And today, we have a staple

of the Chicago sports scene who, like so many people from Chicago, has gone on to incredible heights, higher than the Willits Tower in his career because Chicago sports fans are so good at turning their fandom into content and turning that content into gold. He has now launched into the new,

nationally prominent role at Fox Sports. You can catch his beautiful face every morning on breakfast ball on FS1. One of the Windy City's very finest. Welcome back to the program, Danny Parkins, my brother. Guys, thank you so much for having me on. It's the Sears Tower forever. You said beautiful face, so I know you're lying, but I'm thrilled to be back. No one watches this, so it doesn't matter.

That's true. Thank you. And yeah, it is true about Chicago sports fans. They're the best and the content. If not the winning, they forgot the winning part, but the content that the teams generate is world class and the city is, of course, as well. What's going on, boys?

So we had an event, a live event with listeners. A few hundred people showed up to Joe's on weed. Oh, classic. Classic, right? Just the best. Every single person, when I would mention we're doing an event at Joe's on weed. If they have any connection to Chicago, they'd be like, just the best.

Like, they've seen a show. I got hammered with the old CFO of my company at a holiday party at Joe's on weed. That was a good time. It also is just like, the bar name lends itself to a good time. But there is really weed street, but they lean into it in every way. big bar dive bar reasonably priced drinks the ability for live entertainment yeah very very very good spot seen some seeing some good music there had some nights that you forget there it's a good time very good time Simon had a night he forgot there Simon Simon disappeared probably about two hours

before I thought he would disappear do you remember why you disappeared for a woman but I told you I'm not a huge drinking. I literally woke up, went out of clients, drank mimoses, and then we started booze and I don't even know. Not we, I should say me, like 1.30 at this party. Parting starts until 4.30. By the time I hit 8, 9 o'clock, I was like, okay, I'm about to start saying things that I can't say at a company event.

So I made the right move. I got out there at the right time. I did the I love you guys on stage, and then I just disappeared into the crowd. A little Irish exit by Simon, I respect that. It was an Irish. So on Friday night, Danny, Simon wanted to go to the white side. game.

You were the one. We told them that would be a terrible idea. I told him you might as well go to Northern Indiana on the coldest day of the year. Were we too harsh? Well, I mean, the food is great. That's what I was going to go for. Exactly. Thank you.

Yeah, the food is great. The craft beer selection is fantastic. You know, my guys out in the 108 are really cool. Sox fans are a good time. You know, Sol is a nice. I could think of worse things to do, but let's put it this way. I've got a few weekends already booked to go back to Chicago this summer, and the White Sox are not on my agenda.

So, you know, I could think of other things that I would do. But if, you know, I'm not going to yuck your yum. Some people like chocolate, some people like vanilla. There's nothing wrong with it. Fair enough. All right. Let's remind us the flowers, Chad. They're two and two.

It was 0 and 5 of the brids. They are two and two. They are pacing to not be the worst team in the history of baseball again. Yeah, no, that's good for them. As a reminder, the Favorites podcast is presented by Bet365. And new Bet365 customers get $150 in bonus bets when you bet $5. Sign up using promo code favorites, deposit $10. Place a bet for $5 to get $150 in bonus bets.

Those bonus bets can be used on spreads, total player props, futures, and more. Whatever the moment, it's never ordinary. A bet 365 must be 21 or older and present in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or 18 and older in Kentucky. Gambling problem called 1,800 gambler, or 1,800 bets off in Iowa. Terms, conditions, restrictions apply. All right, Danny. Chad.

You're a man who knows his way around the world of betting. You and I first connected, I think, seven, eight years ago now when we were talking betting on various radio shows during NFL playoffs, you immediately struck me as someone who knew the language and it was not doing this because oh, betting was the way to get famous. We had Chris Felica on the show the other day and we were talking about how things have changed and for about two or three years it was just full of

people who wanted to talk betting to get famous. You come by it naturally. Last year, last year, NFL rules changes. They moved the kickoff. Kickoff if it wasn't, if it was a touchback, went to the 30. New rule change has it is this week.

It goes to the 35, hoping to get more kickoff returns into the game. It's really, you know, it's quite a penalty there to get to the 35. I felt like going to the 30 had a huge impact on betting. Do you feel like a 35-yard line will have a huge impact on betting? Yeah. I mean, I'm in favor just from a watchability standpoint of figuring out ways to get in more returns into the game. So I think the thrust of it is good, but it was, you know, with how hot the kickers started last year in the NFL, you could get a touchback to the 30, get two or three first downs,

and then Brandon Aubrey was banging field goals through 55, 57 yards, like it was nothing. And it was, you know, like obviously that makes the totals go up. And that's a place where you can see it. You know, you could put more of a value on teams with strong kickers. I advocated for the Arena League, actually, and like the narrowing of the uprights, because that was, that was like the unintended consequence that I just didn't like about it, was that it made, it felt like it made, the goal was to make kickers less impactful to make for more returns and exciting plays on special teams, but it made them matter more because we saw more field goal attempts and we saw more long field goal attempts. And I'm just not interested in that at all,

both from a gambling perspective and a watching the game perspective. Like if I play fantasy football, I want to play in leagues that don't have kickers because it's just not a part, it's not a fun part of the game for me. So I do think that anything that, you know, is an advantage to the offense, especially with how kickers are performing nowadays, it's a thing that will get baked in to the totals probably

and it'll make the expected points in the game go up. Simon, I think this plays to our advantage. I do. I feel like, I was already leaning towards regression, meaning last year was such a heavy favorite year. We were worried that could this be a C change? I don't think so anymore. As I've been doing some off-season work, I'm starting to think more and more that this will regress back.

And this could have been an anomaly. And I actually think this plays to our advantage because I do think there will be more returns and fewer teams who are putting themselves in a position to have to defend to offenses that are starting at the 35-yard line. And that's the biggest issue, Chad, is that I'm honestly going the other way. I think it might be more chalky. I just think they did the wrong thing. They should have pushed it back five yards.

I'm moving up another five because it's like we talked about. All right. A team gets about the 35, right? They get a first down. Let's say they pick up 12 yards. So now they're three yards away, four yards away from the 50. It's just going to, it's completely changed the game. If you have a quarterback like Jane Daniels,

like, you know, my homes, whoever, you're going to keep going for it on the fourth downs if you're at midfield because it's just worth the risk, right? And we already talked about it. These teams with these great quarterbacks, they're happy to trade fourth down failures for their team kicking threes, right? The other team gets the ball at the midfield,

they kick a field goal. That's a win for them. Like they're going to get the ball back and they might get it back again at the 35. So to me, I'm going to be really busy the next two, three days, Chad, because a lot of books have already put out their basically divisional odds.

I'm maybe taking heavy positions on favorites like the bills, the chiefs, Houston, these teams that, you know, we already think they're the best in the division. These, to me, this kickoff only helps those teams that have the great quarterbacks versus the teams that do not. Like the difference these quarterbacks now,

we've seen it now. Like we had the day after last year's season, these teams were just so willing to go for. I mean, I can't tell you how many times teams went for it, chat, on their own 40, on their own 38, when they're winning. Like, we never seen that in the history real football. We saw multiple times happen last year. It's going to be even more extreme to me.

So yeah, very, very unique time period we're living in right now, chat, because they're just doing these little rule changes, but it's becoming a big deal for someone like me and you that we love betting dogs. I fucking hate betting favorites. And we have to bet favorites. I'm telling you, we're going to have to suck it up, brother, and just bet favorites. I think that's such an old school thought, though. Like, I hate betting favorites. Why? If they win, just like you just have to know the trend, right? Like, it used to be that it was fun to bet dogs because, you know, if your premise holds, right? Like, I don't care what side I'm on as long as I think it's the winning side. Like, if the value isn't laying six because the spread should be seven and a half, I have no problem with that. Like, I, I think, like,

you know, it used to be, like, Scott Van Pelt was like, fade the public. And like, sure, that's a good idea in the aggregate. Like, bet underdogs, sure. But I think to your point, maybe that's not going to be the case for the next five years. I certainly wish that I'd had had more chalky picks in my NCAA tournament survivor pools and my brackets. You know what I mean? Like there's something to recognizing where the trend is going. It's an obvious point. I know this isn't what you're talking about, but like what's happened in college basketball right now with the NIL money being spread out amongst the Power 5 schools so the smaller schools just don't have the money to keep the players, it makes perfect sense that this would be a year where

the SEC and the Big Ten and conferences like that would dominate and advance their teams. And so I wish that I had thought of that and like taking a harder position on it. But you know, Houston's done well for me and like, you know, I'm doing okay. But it's, I am not as beholden to like the smart play is backing the underdog. I'm not sure. The smart play is to know where the trend of the sport is going. because I had a great year in the NFL last year, like 65% on the show, and people would, in my mentions, like gambling Twitter was in my mentions.

Oh, you're laying the wood on three favorites in week 14. And then I'm like, yeah, have you seen how the season's been going? And then I'd go three and oh, and then, of course, it's crickets. Like, I just, I think you've got to be nimble with that sort of thinking. And if you're right and there's edge here on favorites being undervalued again, I wouldn't hate it. I'd cash it. But that's the problem, though.

It's not, I mean, you know, Danny, it's not this easy. Like, that's, that's the sure. Like, I'm in line at the book. The guy in front of me is like, yeah, I got the Ravens this week. I got the Eagles. I got the bills and I got, you know, the Chiefs. All right, back in the day, that guy would be lucky to go to two and two. He was going four and O every other week.

Like, that does not happen on the spread. Like, usually the books catch up to those guys so they know the public's going to bet those high teams, but like the book's going to catch up to it. Neither could me and Chad, because me and Chad have made a living betting on the Panthers. We made a living, betting on the Raiders, like these teams that suck with bad quarterbacks. But like you just talked about, the game has changed so much because these teams now are just like,

fuck it. We'll go for it on fourth down on our own 40 because if we fail here, we'll stop them. They'll kick a three. We'll get it back. We'll go drive the field and get another seven. Like, it's just totally changed. I'm with you. It's just, I'm trying to catch up to it because I don't mind betting favorites.

It's just tough. Me and Chad have to give five picks every week. And the weeks we pick four favorites to one dog, me and Chad both feel sick to our stomach. Even if it does win, it just feels unnatural to us because we've both been doing this for 15 years and we're just dog better. Yeah, man. Trust me. Trust me. I feel you. But go four and one on your favorites. I don't give them one back. Historically, historically, you want to be on the same side as the sports book. That to me is where we ultimately want to end up. It's hard to be on the same side as the sports book when. the sports book doesn't want to be on the side of the favorites because that means that everybody is on the same side, right? And so how do we reconcile going into a year where we want to be

ahead of the trend also knowing that there's been one or two years in the history of sports betting against the spread where like you haven't won if you were on the same side at the sports book? I think that's the bigger sort of mind meld that we have to get into. I think that's right. I just, you know, you don't know what the trend is going to be at the beginning of the year. And trends can change and all of that. So, you know, put your numbers out. And then if you, again, if you think it should be seven and a half and it's six,

lay the six. You know, if you, if you think it should be four and a half, And it's six, take the plus six. Like, it's a, it's the simplest, I, I think that, like, going in with, like, completely overarching strategies, you know, you want to have positions, you want to have beliefs, you want to believe in teams. But you also got to just, like, watch the games and trust your eyes, like, and, like, adapt to it quickly.

Like, if you, like, if you caught on early last year with Washington, you're like, oh, yeah, this is real. Like, this isn't fluky. Like, you can, you can snipe. some opportunity in that spot. So I don't know what the story of this year will be. I doubt it will be favorites again, to your point. But there will be some team out there that covers as a favorite a bunch and there will be some team out there that covers as a dog a bunch. So like it's not, you know what I mean? It's not, you don't have to be like I am on team fade the public or I am

on team favorite or I'm on team underdog. I think that there are within the course of a of a season, a team, a stretch of time. There are just opportunities. out there. But it's obviously, listen, betting the NFL is the hardest thing to do. It's the sharpest thing in the world. So it's very, very, very difficult to just, to literally to use your phrase, make a living. Like, I don't know if you're being accurate or not. But like, you know what I mean? To actually like make a living

betting the NFL exclusively is almost impossible. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, next? We've created our own podcast. Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a...

We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was...

This is how you guys remember it going down. Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel

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Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full. year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So now you've got a big-time TV job. Correct. I do not make a living betting the NFL. That's right, because you've got a big-time TV job. You can't give that up. When you were in Chicago, doing Chicago radio, it was, to me, the most natural fit. Like a Chicago guy who loves Chicago, loves Chicago, loves Chicago sports, how do you go through the process of deciding, all right, I'm going to take my shot, I'm going to move, I'm going to take my family, we're going to leave this very comfortable life

where you can make a very good living for a very long time to go on TV and have to talk about everybody. I wasn't worried about the talking about everybody thing. I think that that's way overstated from outside of the industry. Obviously, I miss some of the subject matter of the radio show, but I didn't like some of the subject matter of the radio show, too. Like, talking about a bad baseball team in June is not fun. Like, I'd rather talk NBA playoffs, and I'd rather talk NFL transactions and, you know what I mean, that sort of thing. So, like, the subject matter, yeah, I wish I could do more bears, but I'd do. some bears. And I have other outlets for that sort of thing. That that piece of it was not even

a factor at all. I like new challenges. This was very unexpected. The TV situation, like I thought I was going to do afternoons in Chicago for forever. To your point, I was making a good living, and I would have been happy there. But there's also just, man, there's the, there's the brass tax of, I have a five-year-old and a soon-to-be-three-year-old, and I like taking nice vacations and playing golf at expensive golf courses. Like, the radio world, like all of this stuff, is changing and in many cases, shrinking. And so I had to be honest with myself of like, in five years, am I making more money and bigger, making the same amount of money and as relevant, or making less money and less relevant if I

stayed at my current spot versus going on national TV, obviously making more money, and being less relevant in one place, but more relevant in everywhere else. And it was a pretty obvious decision when you just put it through the calculus of like, my job is to provide for my family. So it was, you know, there are things that I miss about radio. I'll do hits on the score. I'm hosting my Radiothon on the score this summer. I still have great relationships with all the people there.

I filled in for Mad Dog on Mad Dog Sports Radio when we do that again this summer. So I still get to scratch the radio itch and who knows where my career goes or where the industry goes. But I mean, just on like the brass tax of the bottom line, it was. it was not a difficult decision. Do you feel like the relevance has changed? Can you, is there a tangible feeling from being on television on FS1 that you experience on a daily basis? That is, is it social media?

Is it people stopping on the street? How does it, what does it look like? Well, I mean, like, I'm so new to TV compared to radio that, like, you know, I definitely get, like, stopped on the street more in Chicago than I do in New York City, just based on, like years of time spent and like the consolidation of your audience in one place versus now it's in so many different places and so consumed on digital and all of that. But like, but Nick Wright gets stopped in a hundred countries. You know what I mean?

Like so like there's a, there's a, there's a pathway to that part. But again, I'm happy to sit at home and play golf and like that's not, that doesn't really do it for me. But like that you definitely feel, listen, radio is super personal. You're in people's cars. It's very, like, one-on-one. You know, I can talk about my kids. I can talk about embarrassing failures around the house.

Like, they know you better in radio than they will ever know you more personal level on television. And so, like, that connection is definitely something that I miss. And in radio, we had a text line. You know, so like a live interactive text chat with your audience. that is absolutely not something that exists on television. So yes, if you want to get a thought to me on my sports take on television, you've got to be watching it live and then tweet to me, and I have to check my mentions in a commercial break.

It is three and a half minutes when I'm getting ready for the next segment and I'm sitting next to Mark Schlerth and Craig Carton and I got a producer in my ear and I got makeup being touched. You know what I mean? I am not really interacting with an audience while live on television. And so you can choose how much you want to consume the feedback to TV. It's like they post clips on Instagram and Twitter and TikTok or whatever. And if I opt in to the feedback by reading the comments, then I can get some of it.

But like it's also a lot easier to remove yourself from the critique and feedback of your content on television, which is like pretty healthy honestly. So I again, to be clear, I'm talking about both sides of my mouth. Like I miss some of the relevancy and the live interaction and the live feedback of radio. It's exhilarating where it's like you're getting live feedback. Where people are making jokes participating with your topics and like participating in it and building. Like that's the beauty of radio. So that is not something that exists on television, obviously.

but it's a lot healthier to just like, here's the topic, here's the topic, prepare for the topic, do the best job you can on the topic, and then keep it moving. That is a much healthier way to interact with feedback. Because then the majority of the feedback

that you do get in real life is someone coming up to you on the street and being like, hey, what's up, man? I love the show. Love your work. Can I get a picture? As opposed to some of the crazy negative shit that you'll get on social media, which to be clear, I still get. I get a lot of it.

But you have to, if you get it, you're seeking it out. And so then it's like, well, you can't let it bother you. I seeked it out. If I didn't want it, I could just ignore it. So I hope that answered your question. But it's very different. Yeah, well, it's fascinating. And you're right about the radio stuff.

There is an intimacy there. Oh, it's the best. You're going for so much longer. You've got to fill so much time. Your tone is different. it's not as performative as television. Yeah, there's something. Not as performative, I think,

is like a negative connotation. There's definitely performance to television, no doubt. I would say that there's a performance to good radio also. But it's just, you've got four hours a day, five days a week, local radio especially, bears, cubs, bulls, white socks. issues that affect Chicago

are your main subject matters. But some days it's like, all right, it's May 19th. The Cubs are two games over 500. The White Sox are nine games under. The Bears haven't done anything. The Bulls and the Blackhawks are eliminated. And it's like, let's tell a story about parenting.

You know what I mean? And just try to be funny and relatable. Or let's talk to your producer about his new girlfriend or the way to make a perfect steak and how he taught me how to use a cast iron and then I washed it with soap and he took the cast iron that he gave me back because I had, you know,

desecrated the art of the cast iron or how I had my nanny pushed my car out of the snow because she was stronger than me. Like, you know what I mean? Like, I can't get these stories off on TV. And so that, it's the, it's the personal nature of talking about your brother with brain cancer,

talking about your new child, talking about the stupid argument you got in with your wife. All of that is super relevant on radio and in some ways in podcasting. And there's just no lane for it when we're talking about where Aaron Rogers' next team is going to be. And I do miss that. I do miss that, to be clear, but I don't miss it enough to be like, like, I took the wrong job. You know what I mean? It's I'm fine.

I'm fine with it. That is something that is different. Do you have an opinion on where Aaron Rogers should go? At this point, it's basically the Steelers are nothing. Yeah, I mean, I said the Steelers at the, you know, with like a week to go in the regular season. Because my whole thing on Rogers was he just dominates the news cycle so much that it's exhausting talking about him if he's on a bad team. And apparently it's impossible for the Steelers to be bad. They can't win in the playoffs, but at least they will play games that are on Monday night, Sunday night, Thursday night, and they will win more than 50% of them because Mike Tomlin's never had a losing year.

And so at least you can justify talking about Aaron Rogers and Mike Tomlin. It will be interesting. The Jets stopped being interesting in week four. And so the Steelers, okay, we'll get two games against Burrow, we'll get two games against Lamar. He'll go to Chicago to play the Bears. The Packers will go to Pittsburgh. like Aaron Rogers and the Steelers will be worth our collective attention and oxygen if he's in Pittsburgh. And it was, I mean, it was just such a waste of time with all the amount of time we spent talking about the guy with the injured season and the five wins last year that I kind of grew to resent it.

So Pittsburgh is where I want him to go because I know as long as he's playing, we're going to be talking about him. have you come to a consensus on the Chicago Bears winning the offseason and what that means? For the third straight year, by the way. Please don't understand the, you know, they talked about the Chiefs not being able to three-peat. There's an active three-peat. There is. It's pretty impressive, actually. Thank you.

When we were in Chicago, you know, so many Bears fans. And every single conversation I had was. we won the offseason. And I'm like, you know what? We won the off season when two years ago, I bet him at 50 to 1 to win the Super Bowl. It got down to 20 to 1. I'm like, I am so ahead of the market. This is our year.

DJ Moore is the exact solution for Justin Fields. Didn't happen. Last year, I didn't get ahead of it. I did not bet the Bears over eight and a half wins. I was never disappointed because I had very low expectations. This year, I'm trying really hard. I am like really trying to be the smart, thoughtful Bears fan who doesn't get ahead and believes that all of a sudden we fixed everything

because we spent money on a coach. What kind of way is that to live? You know, it's health. Listen, for gambling purposes, that's totally fine. And this is a gambling podcast. So fading bears optimism. is a very profitable strategy historically. So from that standpoint, I want to be very clear.

I support fading bears optimism. Feel free to take your unders. But like, man, life is too short to not believe that the next solution could be the one. That's dumb. Like, I wanted the bears to draft a Sean Watson. They drafted Mitch Trubisky. We ended up both being wrong.

They should have taken Patrick Mahomes. Yes. Then I wanted them to trade up for Justin Fields. I supported that trade. I threw a QB1 party celebrating the arrival of the Bears having a franchise quarterback after he had 175 rushing yards against the Dolphins. That was a very exciting game. In hindsight, I should have been a little bit more measured

because it was a rushing performance than a passing performance. But if you then be like, well, I can't fall for Caleb Williams because of Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields. It's like, well, that's boring. That's, then you're defeated. Then you may as well go be a, you know, go, go, go be a Lions fan. Go, go be a commanders fan. Like, that's, that's dumb.

So from the gambling standpoint, I'm here for the cynicism. Like, I hear my guy Big Cat being like, oh, I'm not six out of ten excitement. I'm not going above six out of ten excitement. I'm like, why? Like, that's part of the fun of fandom. Colin was, you know, fan is short for Fanatic. Like, it's, you got to, you got to fall for it. If you don't fall for it, you honestly shouldn't watch sports.

You should just stop watching sports. Here's what I think we have going for us. I think the fact that ownership, and this is terrible to say, but the fact that Virginia McCasky passed away, I think changes some of the, feelings around the team and how this team is managed and who knows what happens next,

don't give me that face because that has been the McCaskey family's ownership at this team has been a challenge since 1985. Sure. The Bengals were the bungles and then they got Joe Burrow.

Like they didn't become, the ownership didn't become good. They just got Joe Burrow. That's it. It's all that happened. They got Joe Burrow. The Chiefs didn't win a single game, one regular season game with a quarterback that they drafted. From Todd Blackledge to Patrick Mahomes.

That was the, like, now they won, you know, Trent Green, Joe Montana, Alan F. But like, things change. Things change. And so I think, listen, I think that Kevin Warren and the business side paying Ben Johnson a bunch of money, is obviously a departure from their history with coaches. I think that's totally fair. But Matt Nagy was a hot coaching candidate. They hired him.

John Fox had won a Super Bowl and was relatively expensive for the time. They had hired him. Like, they haven't gotten it right at coach and quarterback my entire life. That's impossible. Now, you can say, well, the common thread there, dummy is the McCaskey family. And I'm with you on that, like, to a certain. extent. But I just think that like if Caleb Williams is awesome and Ben Johnson is awesome,

Virginia McCasky could have lived to be 140 and the bears would have been awesome. Well, you know, I really do think that like you have to get your quarterback and your coach and then everything else you can kind of figure out. And I'm cautiously optimistic that they have their quarterback and coach. But again, I've felt that way before. cautiously optimistic? I love the Matt Nagy hire. Cautiously optimistic or rabidly over the top having a good time, optimistic.

Okay, so here's the other part about it. Now, like I, there are some people in our line of work. We'll say my line of work. The opinion space. More local. And we're professional capital J journalist over here. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

You know, you're handicappers. You got Simon saying that he's made a living about the Carolina Panthers. Not positive, that's exactly true. But we'll see. But we'll see. Some people are not willing to make a prediction on the front end and be wrong. They're like, well, I'll just kind of play it down the middle. And there are literally hosts that I have worked with in Chicago that I don't make predictions.

I don't pick games. It's like, man, I am totally comfortably being wrong because I've gambled my whole life. Like, I know that you can be great at this and be wrong four out of ten times. So Ryan Poles has done a lot of the things that I said I wanted him to do on like the front end. You know, I wanted them to draft Caleb Williams. I wanted them to draft Roma Dunzee. I said they should have taken Jalen Carter instead of Darnell Wright. I wanted them to take George Pickens instead of Jaquan Brisker.

I wanted them to hire Ben Johnson. So, like, you know, a couple of picks he didn't do, but the big ones he did. So, like, I feel like they're doing this the right way. They upgraded their offensive line significantly in the offseason. Caleb Williams got sacked 62 times last year. And he was actually pretty good. Like, if you look at, I did it on the show, if you do quarterbacks who have been sacked 60 or more times,

like those seasons, and then you look at their touchdown, interception ratio, and, like, passer rating, his is the best by far. Now, it's not good players. It's David Carr. Randall Cunningham was awesome, but his season where he got sacked 60 times wasn't. and a couple of other guys who had disaster seasons. I think for the fact that that happened to him as a rookie,

they fired his head coach, they fired his play caller, they lost 10 straight games, including in some just ridiculous fashion like that Hail Mary. And he's still at the end of it, started 17 games, showed toughness, showed poise, showed improvement, and only threw six picks. I think he's a stud, man.

I really do. and Ben Johnson was the best coach they could have hired. So I'm as optimistic as I am allowed to be. I'm not picking them to win the Super Bowl. But in terms of the long-term outlook of the Bears, I think they're clearly still a buy. I think that their next five years are going to be very good and they're going to win a lot of games.

Well, now I'm turning it up to 11. I was saying, like, what other than the uniform is cursed and it just never works out? And so I should just be cynical because that's my nature. Like, what about the bears do we not like? I feel like that's enough. See, I disagree. I feel like a generation of fame.

That would have you losing money every day on the 2016 Cubs. I love the 2016 Cubs. That is a moment. Why? They had never won before. They were cursed. Yeah. And then they got over it.

So you're saying that the Bears will get over this. I'm saying I'm going to. In 2016, my enthusiasm for the Cubs built over the course of a season. My enthusiasm for the Bears will build over the course of the season. But yours, okay, see, this is, again, where we disagree. Coming off of the 2015 Cubs, they won 97 games. They were a good team. Yeah.

So I, no, the Bears, you say they were not a good team. The Bears have things going for them. Let me give you some context. And I know Simon wants to jump in here because he wants to hear about something other than the bears. But let me give you context right now. Like what? You just you just you just talked about your beautiful family and wanting to provide for your family. Let me give you a scene. Okay. It's 2003. My first son is three months old. I'm living in Manhattan, midtown on the east side, on 57th Street between Lex and Third. My wife is sleeping. It's 11 o'clock at night. I've got my

son sleeping on my chest and Bartman happens. Like, I've got the scars over a lifetime where I will not be enthusiastic until it's time to be enthusiastic. Listen, I was in high school. I almost cried. Okay. Like, I understand. I was way too old to be crying or a verge of tears over a sporting event. But my point is, is if you have given up hope, then just trade stocks and go to the theater. Like there's no reason to care about sports if you've given up hope. It's unscripted. We don't know what's going to happen. And I don't believe in magic or curses or goblins.

So I don't believe that just like inherently the bears are cursed because they haven't won a Super Bowl in my lifetime. I've seen too many other teams, including the Cubs, overcome it. So, and change reputations alone. Now, listen, would this be a lot easier to say if Caleb Williams just had the season that Jaden Daniels had? yes, it would. Yes, it would. But that's why you need people like me on that wall to be optimistic in the face of overwhelming negativity and pessimism from cynics like Chad Millman.

Yeah. When I think about optimism, I'm thinking about Danny Park. It's the first thing I that's right. That's right. No, I'm not a cold-hearted, sarcastic son of a bitch. I'm a, I'm a cockyed optimist. By the way, give it time. You're a TV star. You're living. You're not living in the Midwest anymore. Give it time. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news.

What's the news, name? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts.

We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And, well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes.

I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you

funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert It's Michael and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jen Chinchin win.

I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now and I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Simon, Eagles win Super Bowls all the time. Well, just to even piggyback off that real quick, Chad. Like I always wonder people on TV, like all day I think about football, honestly. Even at night, I'm thinking of football.

Someone like you, are you always thinking about hot takes? Or do you just say shit on TV? And then later someone's like, oh, that was a hot take. You were really thinking about it. You just said it and happened. Do you pre-plan that stuff? Because sometimes, I mean, I've seen it. You come across my timeline just because I'm an Eagles fan.

I've seen your jail on a hurt stakes. We don't need to get into that. There's enough enough time here to get into it. But do you pre-plan that? We got plenty of time, buddy. Let's get into it. Would you trade Jalen Hertz for Josh Allen? Would I trade Jalen Hertz for Josh Allen?

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, then we're fine. Then we're on the same argument. Okay. And your Eagle fan brethren who said that that was ridiculous can, you know. We're defensive right now about Jalen.

You know how it is. Yeah, I know. But like, people have gone insane. You guys have gone insane. No, we've gone insane because. That was apparently a polarizing thing to say that the Eagles would trade Jailen Hertz for Josh Allen. That was offensive to Eagles fans.

Most Eagles fans get upset about people still think Justin Herbert. They would take him over Jalen Hertz. Here's a question for you. What's the point? If your goal is just to make the playoffs and then lose because your quarterback throws four interceptions that's just dog shit like Herbert. That was a bad point. That was a bad game.

It's definitely tough to make that argument after that playoff game. but I am genuinely curious. You brought up Jalen Hurts. I'm genuinely curious. If you thought, if you switched them and you put Jalen Hertz on the Chargers, do you think they're in that playoff game? Yeah, with that coaching staff and that defense, yeah. And you think the Eagles do not win the Super Bowl?

No, because he just, he's not that guy. Like, as much as I love to think, yes, the Eagles were an incredibly complete team. Yeah, like, that's what I don't understand. Eagles fans, like, I feel like when you say that, you're actually like undercutting how good your team is. And like, you guys don't even realize it. Like, you see it as defense of your quarterback. And I actually take it as an insult to Howie Roseman and Jordan Maillata and Landon Dickerson and J. And Jalen Carter and Cooper Dugin and Quinn Mitchell and Sequin Barclay and DeVante Smith and A.J. Brown.

And like on and on and on down the line. Like, it's not an insult to say that your quarterback. is a tough gamer who doesn't lose you guys games and plays his best in the biggest games, but that 15 guys would win a Super Bowl on that team because that's how good your team is. That's not an insult to Jalen Hertz. It's not by disagree with it just because every year the best team usually doesn't win in football. And it's because it's tight. The playoffs, I mean, we've all played sports.

We know how it is. Everyone gets tight and it's really mental when you get to that point because the level, everyone's playing it so high. Like, listen, we love Jared golf on this show. That guy had a great team in Detroit. On paper, just as good as this Eagles team. I mean, you could say, well, his defense had a ton of injuries. Okay, this guy threw three interceptors

and a pick six against that Washington defense. A defense alerts lit up. So what happened to Mahomes in the Super Bowl? Did he just like mentally wilt? He did in some ways. Like, if you go back and watch it. Well, right, okay, fine. But it's not because he's not mentally strong enough to win, right?

Uh, no, no, like in his career, no, he's always over- His team wasn't good enough. Yeah, but that was just like his ship, his ship was taking on so much water. It didn't matter how much he was throwing out. It was like he couldn't stop it, right? That was just never ending amount of a leak. But I just think the Hertz thing like we talked about as an Eagles fan, I think that's why we get so defensive.

It's like people think it's just because of the team and it's like, no, he makes these big-time throws and these big-time moments that I would say 90% of the quarterbacks playing in the league right now cannot make. And I've never made. So that's why, like, you know, I have fun with it. I have never made. Okay. Yeah.

Like, people want to push back on it. Like, like, the, the fans I hear the most from just because how big our show is, are Cowboys fans. And I have fun with it because it is fun. Like, I love how passionate Cowboy fans are. Because they're just like Eagles. We're fucking crazy about our teams. And I joke with them all the time.

Dak, go through his career. He's had some incredibly talented teams down in Dallas. The man has won two playoff games in his career. Why? Because he's not mentally right for the playoffs. It's just that it's that big of a difference that something small goes wrong for certain quarterbacks and they can't recover from where Jalen Hurd's in my lifetime, as an Eagles fan, it's crazy to say he's the best quarterback we've ever had, man.

And that's why I think Eagles fans are so defensive because we've just had shit our whole life at the quarterback position. Except for Nick Foles. Nick Foles, yeah, but even you would joke like Nick Foles. No, I mean, he's got to be just like the mentally-talking. guy ever, right? Because he won a Super Bowl? I believe he is. He's one of two quarterbacks in NFL history that beat Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. Right. So, okay. Right. But so, okay. But so again, you're not taking any credit for the Eagles organization in that spot. Of course, I am.

I say how he's the greatest GM a million times over. Okay. But that's why like, like you guys are talking about your head coach. I've been dead wrong. I'm over two on Eagles head coaches that have one Super Bowls. I did not like the Doug Peterson hire. I didn't like Syriani both one ring. So it's like I do think coaching is important, but like you're we're talking about here. It's it's top down right. It starts to the GM, starts to the ownership of team building, the right quarterback, the right to coach. So that's just you know the push against the the Eagles is that you know, they're the best thing that any they could put a trash can back there and they would have won the Super Bowl. It's just I think as an Eagles fan, we just

think it's all insane because it's like a straw man. No one has you think too You said that? You would come to the Philadelphia and won a Super Bowl with this past team this past year. Who said that? That's what people are saying. That's what I mean. Who? Who?

Nick Wright. He did not say that. But he didn't, he had Jailen Hertz outside his top 15 and he had two in his top 15. So that's, that's what I mean. It's like, it's. I don't know. Nick's gambling in Vegas right now. But like, I did not have two.

Go check out his, him talking in August last year. He was not a fan of Jalen Hertz. Okay. Okay. First of all, God, Eagles fans are so sensitive. I thought you guys were tough. I thought Eagles fans were tough. We're not sensitive.

We just remember the haters. You're so sensitive. You're talking about last August. You just won the Super Bowl. Since August, he's, he's won, since August, he's won 14. He's won 18 football games, including Super Bowl MVP. A lot has changed since August. Although that said, if that said, I would, look, I'm not a huge,

Jalen Hertz fan. I think he's amazing, but like he's not a guy. He's out of his top 10 heading into the season, just so we're all the same day. What I right now, what I right now have Jalen Hertz as a guy as a better, I don't want to have the ball if I have bet against his team as a top five. Would I rather have Jalen Hertz over Matthew Stafford if I've bet against Matthew

Stafford? Like both you guys would have Jane Daniels. Both of you guys would have Jane Daniels over Hertz, correct? Yes. Okay. Jane and Daniels is one year younger than Hertz. And he's played in the NFL for one year. Hertz has played for five years.

Yeah. And that's my issue is. People think Jane Daniels is a better quarterback now than Hertz because of one good year. Rather than a guy who's played for five years, when there's two Super Bowls. It's a team sport, dude. It's a team sport. It is, but the quarterback is the position. They were the second worst team in the NFL.

most. Would you say? You say it's a team sport, but we all agree the quarterback is the most important position. Yeah, of course. Okay. So, but, okay, in basketball, you're one of five on the court, and you play for 40 of 48 minutes. So one in basketball has a huge impact. Obviously, one in football has a huge impact, but it's not, like that slice of the pie is smaller, even, even, you know, even if it's the biggest slice of the pie, but it's smaller. Because coaching matters more, because it's 11 on 11, because you're on the field for, you don't play offense and defense, right? Like a quarterback is the biggest slice of the football impact pie,

but it is smaller than Joker to the Nuggets, right? To Janus, to the Bucks, to LeBron, to the Lakers, right? We all understand that. So having the best offensive line, the best, I mean, they were number one in some defensive categories last year, but we'll say a top five defense. Is that fair for the Eagles last year? Yeah, top five defense.

Yeah. Top five defense, best offensive line, best running back, top three wide receiver duo, top five wide receiver duo. Like, top five weapons, top one offensive line, top five defense. That's not what Jaden Daniels had. Okay. go that way, then what about Lamar last year? Lamar had the number one team in my model,

and everyone's a model that's a professional better. He lost at home to the Chiefs. Couldn't score more than 17 points at home. I mean, that's my thing. We all agree. Lamar's a better quarterback. We were just talking about Jane and Daniels v. Jalen Hertz.

And now you want to talk about Lamar. We can talk about Lamar. Because you just talked about how much of a team sport it was. And my whole pushback to you was, Lamar had a better team on paper in that Eagles team last year, brother. Like anyone he talked to as a model, That team from two years ago, at home, Ravens team that lost to the chiefs who were a four seed that were bad.

That was not a good team that won that Super Bowl against that 49ers team, right? Lamar laid an egg. And you could say, well, okay, we'll put that on Lamar. But Lamar had a better team the Eagles, and he laid an egg at home against that Chief's team. You're saying the Ravens team of two years ago was better than the Eagles team of last year, is your point? If you ask a professional better that models it out, yeah, they're great at high. Okay, I just want to be sure I'm understanding. You're talking about two years ago Ravens team and last year's Eagles team

and then doing two years ago Lamar Jackson against last year Jalen Hertz. No. That's what you're asking? Because that's not exactly apples to apples. And so like, and again, using one data point. It is. You just said the best team. Right.

Okay, the best team doesn't always win. But one data point of single elimination. Like, that's why that's why extrapolating out and being like he wilted in this playoff game. it still is just one game. Again, difference with basketball. The most important game. Yes, the most important game.

Yeah. That's what I think people in media, I feel like you guys are missing the point here where it's like Lamar, no one's doubting Lamar is a better quarterback than Jalen Hertz. Right? Me and Chad,

we'll do our top 10. We'll have Lamar above him. But my whole issue is, like, Hertz doesn't give the credit for what he does is in the playoffs, he makes it all work. He doesn't wilt, he doesn't throw a ball as a guy's feet.

I just got, like, honestly, like, so is saying, Jalen Hertz is the seventh best quarterback in football after being the Super Bowl MVP? Is that disrespectful? It depends. You have above him. Like if you had Stafford above him, I have no issue with that. If you have Justin Herbert above him, I have an issue with that. Mahomes, Alan, Lamar, Burrow, Stafford. Like, yeah, I would, I would say that Jade and Daniels is better. Again, isolating performance. I mean, because like, we have one, we have one year, and he won, one, what, three playoff game or two, two playoff games?

Sure. In one year with a, with a worst team. But like, so like, he, he was mentally tough enough to not wilt in the first two games, but then he was mentally weak in the NFC championship game. Like, I just don't do my analysis off of like one game like that. Like, Jalen Hurts is a gamer. But you, that's my issue is you are doing it off one game. He was the Super Bowl MVP that changes things.

But that's what I'm saying is you're giving him his flowers now because of one game. that you're missing the whole point. No, no, he was also awesome in the first Super Bowl. Yes. The first thing I said about Jalen Hertz was he's a gamer. He plays his best in the biggest games. That was the first thing I said about him. But you just said, you still would say Lamar is better than him,

who doesn't play his best in the biggest games. Right, because we're saying that because of the body of work, because of the sample. What? I said, yeah, for regular season, we're saying we knew our top. Who's the better quarterback? Yeah. The position, Lamar Jackson is the better quarterback. Of course.

He's a two-time MVP. But he wilts in the biggest games, the most important games. So that's the tough part. He's like, I wouldn't, I'd rather have Hertz than I would Lamar. No, you wouldn't. I would. No, you wouldn't. No, you wouldn't.

You guys don't know about winning. You're talking to a winner here. You wouldn't. I would. Because I've seen the moments, man. Like, again, I've made a ton of money fading Lamar in the playoffs. And every year I got to hear from Ravens fans saying, you're gonna get caught.

We're different this year. The team is different. Oh, we got Derek Henry. It's different. It's never different. It's always been the same. And that someday he'll break through, right? Peyton Man eventually broke through.

He got over that hump that is Tom Brady. Like, I'm sure Josh Allen will go over the hump. That is Patrick Mahomes. It's just, as an Eagles fans, I think that's what we're so annoyed about is just, the hurt disrespect was just so insane coming into the season because he had one down year where all these other guys can have just a bunch of nothing years like okay good regular season playoffs time come and they falter so that that was just my biggest issue danny i think yeah sorry i don't know very sensitive here's what i'm

hoping for but i love it that's why i love the jail and hurts the big because it's it's funny because i can see it from both sides here's what i would like danny for you and i yeah i would like for you and i to have the opportunity to be as sensitive and defensive about caleb williams after he's won two Super Bowls as Eagles fans can be about Jalen Hertz. And over the next- Let's do you think the NFL is going to have to change to counterbalance Caleb Williams's greatness, like banning the tush-push. That's right. I can't even imagine right now because I can't even wrap my head around the idea of the bears

being good enough to need rules changes. I bet you that you're only going to be allowed to throw from inside the hash marks after Taylor Williams this year. You can only throw it inside the hash marks in with your opposite hand. Yeah, that's right. And also your helmet has to be on backwards. Yeah, in Chicago. You can only do that at home.

Yeah. I think that's what's coming. I think that's what's coming. But Sam, to answer your point, your question, yeah, I think about what I'm going to say on TV before I say it. That's how that whole deal is. You know it's going to be a hot topic, though. Like, you know it's a hot take. No, man.

I think what you just said is a hot take. You said that you would rather have Jalen Hertz than Lamar Jackson. That's a hot take. Welcome to television. Thank you. You know what I mean? People say hot take is a pejorative, but you really believe it, right? I really believe in that sense that I have the data to back it up for sure.

Well, do you see me going on TV without data and facts behind me? Not you, but we know a lot of people do. No, not, definitely not you. I'm just curious. But like, I just, I think that, but by the way, there's plenty of data that can show that Lamar Jackson is better than Jalen Hertz. You can manipulate data to make any case that you want. Again, if you want to dominate the regular season, dominate it.

Okay, fine. But again, that's the, again, I can show you plenty of data that says Lamar's better than Jalen Hertz. And you can show me playoff data that says that Jalen is better than Lamar. And then I would come at you. argue sample size and then you would come at me and argue your model for overall team support. And like that's the beauty of sports, man. Like it's a, like you can have that eye.

That's the beauty of doing it on television. You can have that argument and that debate nonstop for just about every team in every single sport like we've just been having. Like there are data points that can be used to support your argument no matter what your argument is the fun part is when you truly go all in and believe it, have to defend it, and then have to live with it over the course of an entire season. No doubt. Like, and I love planning my flag and taking a position and it's what makes it fun.

And by the way, I have no problems saying I was wrong. I obviously was wrong about the Eagles. You know what I mean? Like, I obviously was wrong. And then I just say I was wrong. It's not, it doesn't, it doesn't bother me at all. Like the losing bets bothers me. Like, you know what I mean?

Like being wrong about an opinion, it doesn't mean I don't believe it. It doesn't mean it's fake. And by the way, I have a researcher dedicated to propping up my takes with data and with facts and with information. Like, it's an amazing amount of resources that we have at our disposal. But yeah, some people just don't have an ability to admit that they're wrong. and I think that that's like just a bad character trait

and by the way I genuinely feel like being a gambler helps you admit you're wrong because I was going to ask you that before we get out of here which is wrong which is harder being wrong

for betting and having to defend it versus being wrong for an opinion and knowing that you've got to come back with another opinion the next day I'm often I'm often betting based on my opinion, and so that you are very interconnected.

But again, I don't really look at either as being hard. It's just the job. Simon, what were you on picking NFL this year? Like personal or on the show? Whichever you'd care to share. I'd have to go back and look, but personally, probably right around 50. 50%. Like it wasn't a good year, it wasn't a bad year. But luckily, like Chad knows, I gave out the Chiefs and Eagle Super Bowl matchup. So it's like I made six

figures on Super Bowl future. So it's like my life, I can't complain. I can't complain. Great. Great. You crushed it. Yeah. That's awesome. But 50-50 on like picks. It was tough. How many shows did you miss? Zero. Right. So one has no bearing. with the other. Like, it's part of it. You talk about the wins. You talk about the losses. You talk about the correct predictions. You talk about the wrong predictions. And you still do content and you still show up because you're a professional. Now, you know what I mean? Like, so like, and by the way, that's sick that you made six figures on that. That's awesome. It was funny. You know what I mean? It's fun. It's not. Text me that on the side next time.

I got you. Chad, listen, thank God, because I was almost going to lose my shit on Chad. But thank God, Chad made the bet too. Yeah, that's excellent. But yeah, it's the type of thing where it's like I just, I don't, I'm not betting more than I can afford to lose, so the losses don't like really hurt you in that sense. And then the day, the thing that pays the mortgage is the takes and the TV show. And so just show up, win or lose right or wrong, you know, like just be a, be a professional about it. So like neither one really bothers me. I'll be honest with you. Danny Parkins, breakfast ball. We're glad you showed up for us. I'll be it a little late. Right on time.

Dude, you showed up. I apologize to that. And I have no idea if this is what you guys wanted to talk about if you guys wanted to do like NL Central Futures. But I hope this is what you and your audience wanted. I really want to go deep on the new bats and see how you felt about those. But we'll do it. You know what?

We'll do it next time. What amazing branding. Yeah. It's just that the word torpedo is fun to say. It's great. It's phenomenal branding. And there was actually a great story in the Wall Street Journal today about the physicist who created the bats and he gave up his career in physics to go into

coaching and created these bats and it is it's brilliant kudos to the wall street journal for yeah but if they were if they were if the guy's last name was was was Mitchell and it was just like the Mitchell bat no one would talk about it not as good but it's the torpedo bat yeah oh it's the torpedo bat. Yeah. It's fantastic. It's incredible. I love it.

Like I decided that next year it's going to be bazook bets because bazook is just fun to say. And also then there's a great tie-in for bubble gum and it takes us back to our nostalgic youth of loving 1970s baseball. That's what I'm saying. As a reminder of the favorites podcast was presented by Bet365 and new Bet365 customers get $150 and bonus pets when you bet $5. Sign up using promo code favorites, deposit $10, places a bet for $5 to get $150 and

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