Hour 4: The Don Show

Summary

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Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 4: The Don Show (July 10, 2026)

Podcast: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg
Hosts: Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg, Don La Greca
Episode Focus: New York baseball’s messy 2026 summer, the aftermath of the Mets’ and Yankees’ recent pivots, controversial Stanley Cup engravings, and the ongoing emotional connection fans have with departed homegrown stars.

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Episode Overview

Hour 4 of “The Don Show” is a classic Don La Greca solo hour, featuring a heavy dose of listener calls and candid Don monologues. The central themes: complicated legacies in New York baseball (especially Mets/Yankees), the fan fallout from the departure of major stars like Pete Alonso, and a passionate discussion about which sports figures and pop-culture characters are forever linked to a single identity. The show’s tone is impassioned, fast-moving, and laced with frustration over sports management missteps.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New York Baseball Updates & Previews

• Scheduling Notes: Mets game delayed due to travel issues for the Red Sox; Yankees game vs. Nationals also delayed by weather. (01:00)
• Yankees vs. Nationals Series: Don cautions Yankees fans not to overlook the Washington Nationals:
  • “This Nationals team can hit. ...Don’t sleep on this Nationals team. Could be a very interesting weekend.” (01:15)
• Mets vs. Red Sox Outlook: A nod to the 40th Anniversary of the '86 World Series and the Mets’ current struggles.
  • “They’re not playing out the string, but I think everybody knows their situation. ...Red Sox have been hot.” (01:50)

2. Pop Culture: Iconic Characters and Typecasting

• Listener Question: Callers bring up how certain actors are forever linked to specific roles, e.g., Sean William Scott as Stifler.
  • “Stifler is going to be what he’s most remembered for...not a bad one.” (02:26)
• Bob Denver as Gilligan, Rerun from What’s Happening.
  • “Gilligan is definitely a good one.” (03:16)
  • “I can’t even think of anything else he was in—Rerun. That’s a great call.” (17:44)

3. Stanley Cup Names Controversy

• Fan Outrage Over Owner’s Kids on the Cup: Caller Alex triggers a Don rant about the Carolina Hurricanes’ owner putting his children (not contributors) on the Stanley Cup, leaving out deserving staff.
  • Don’s Rant:
    “To put your children on there when there’s guys that actually contributed to the Cup...it’s disgusting. ...The NHL certainly has to step in...It’s ridiculous.” (03:49)
    • Don also takes aim at the owner’s past moves (underpaying/losing longtime announcers) and contrasts with the Panthers’ kids, who at least had team roles.
• Listener Ed adds: The Hall of Fame/NHL has precedents for striking names from the Cup (Peter Parkinson's father). “Maybe they’ll do that to the Dundon kids.” (17:13)

4. The Mets' Pete Alonso Pivot – Fan Fallout & Franchise Philosophy

• Multiple Callers Weigh In:
  • Peanut (Palm Bay) tries to compare Pete Alonso’s Mets value to Aaron Judge’s with the Yankees (09:23):
    • Don: “Pete Alonso is not Aaron Judge... Judge when healthy is an MVP, period. Done. Better player.” (11:34)
    • “Let’s not create the false narrative that the Mets were fine and there weren’t changes to be made...Some of those guys needed to go.” (13:10)
  • Muhammad (Long Island): On Stearns’ deeper problem with fan anger after trading Alonso:
    • “What do we get? We lose our favorite Met and we suck even worse...” (18:51)
    • Don: “If [Stearns] gave him a five year contract and let’s say the Mets aren’t winning...fans would be complaining about that. If Pete aged poorly...they’d turn on that for sure.” (19:16)
• Don’s Core Insight:
  • The Mets were “gloriously inconsistent and not really as close to a championship as you think.” (13:10)
  • “I understood why Stearns pivoted, but the replacement (Polanco at 1B) was ‘awful. Disgusting. Clueless.’” (13:10, 13:40)

5. Yankees vs. Mets – Ownership, Chemistry, and Lost Opportunity

• Jack in Westchester (Yankees fan):
  • He was “jealous of the Mets” in 2024, believed better management/ownership might have pushed them over the top:
    • “Had they added some pitching to that ‘24 team ... I think that team could have gone over the edge.” (20:54)
    • Ownership told fans in 2024, “We’re putting a competitive team [on the field]. In 2025 we’re going for it.” Only major move: sign Juan Soto.
  • Don: “People are remembering that 24 team to be better than they actually were. ...They were a good team...much better than the current Mets. ...Let’s not make those teams out to be great.” (22:18)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Don on the Hurricanes’ Owner/Stanley Cup:
  “The fact that you left tangible people that helped you win the cup off the cup so that your children could be on it. It’s disgusting...I am very much happy you did that because I was disgusted by it.” (05:53)

• On Mets Fans’ Rage:
  “What do we get? We lose our favorite Met and we suck even worse than we did before Stearns put his hands on it.” (Muhammad, 18:51)

• Don on Pete Alonso vs. Aaron Judge Debate:
  “Aaron Judge is a better player than Pete Alonso. ... Both are very important to their teams. ...Let’s not create the false narrative that the Mets were fine and there weren’t changes to be made.” (11:34–13:10)

• On Giving Pete Alonso a Lengthy Extension:
  “If Pete aged poorly and the back end of that contract was bad, the fans would turn on that for sure.” (19:16)

• On Fans Chanting for Departed Players:
  “They’re chanting their names at the ballpark because they’re trying to stick it to Stearns, because the team is, you know, 12, 13 games under .500.” (19:48)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:00] – Mets/Red Sox and Yankees/Nationals game info, weekend outlook
• [02:14] – Iconic pop-culture characters: Stifler, Gilligan
• [03:49] – Stanley Cup engravings rant: Hurricanes owner under fire
• [09:23] – Hot dog debate (mustard only, never ketchup), leads to Judge vs. Alonso comparison
• [10:22] – Don thoroughly compares Judge and Alonso; “Let’s not create the false narrative…”
• [17:11] – Cooperstown precedent for striking Cup names; more TV character typecasting
• [18:51] – Muhammad's call: “We lose our favorite Met and we suck even worse...”
• [20:54] – Jack in Westchester: 2024 Mets nostalgia and what might have been
• [22:18] – Don’s closing thoughts: “Let’s not make those teams out to be great. ...Can’t defend Stearns, but let’s have perspective.”

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Additional Notes

• Listener Calls: Central to this hour; Don takes extended time with each, offering deeper explanation and often validating their frustrations.
• Show Vibe: Raw, unscripted authenticity—Don at his most passionate, sometimes exasperated, often nostalgic.
• Recurring Message: New York fans are “intelligent enough;” frustration is rational but must be met with realistic expectations of both franchises’ recent histories.

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Summary

This hour reinforces Don La Greca’s legacy as the voice of the exasperated but insightful New York sports fan. From the emotional wounds of the Mets’ post-Alonso era, the Yankees’ own struggles, and the small stuff—like proper hot dog condiments—to the bigger debates about franchise leadership, it’s an honest reflection of what it means to care about New York sports. If you want to understand the city’s baseball pulse in 2026, this is the hour you need.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[C]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[B]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.

[D]

Hey, everybody, it's the Don Show. It never ends.

[E]

Those are facts.

[B]

The Don show, starring only Don.

[C]

Good for me.

[B]

It's the Don show starting now. Tweet that. Hey, Don. Yes, we're here.

[C]

A little bit longer, Wal. The Mets game has been delayed to 750 because the red Sox got in late because of plane issues leaving Chicago last night. The Yankee game in Washington's going to start a little late as well because of the weather. Ah, baseball.

[F]

Yankees.

[C]

Got to be careful this weekend, by the way, because this Nationals team can hit. I don't know if people have been paying attention to the Washington Nationals. They really haven't been on anybody's radar in a long time, but they can hit. And the Yankees, they got Cam going tomorrow, but with Weathers and Warren pitching, this could be a very interesting test for the Yankees coming off of getting a split in Tampa. So don't sleep on this Nationals team. Could be a very interesting weekend. Of course, the Mets are, you know, listen, they. They're not playing out the string, but I think everybody knows their situation. Red Sox have been hot, so they're still, you know, alive in a very weak American League. So the game has meaning for them. But it's fireworks night. And of course, the 40th anniversary of 86 and the Red Sox in town kind of makes that a little bit interesting as well. 1-800-919-3776. Number to call. We'll take you up until 7 o' clock and then our coverage of the Mets and the Red Sox. So let's get to the busy phones. Let's talk to Kyle in New Hampshire. You're on espn.

[E]

New York.

[C]

What's up, Kyle?

[E]

Because you guys are talking about the character thing. When you see him, you recognize him, right? You didn't mention stiffing. A real shot.

[C]

Oh, Stifler from the American Pie franchise. You know what's interesting? You know what's interesting about it? It's not bad. It's a Good one, but not that I can remember the character's names. He's in Old School, which is an interesting one. He's also in Road Trip, and so he's been. He's kind of bounced around a little bit. But you're right. Stifler is going to be what he's most remembered for. Because of those. What does that end up being? Like, three movies? It's not a bad one. It really is. I think Stifler is a good one.

[G]

All right.

[F]

Thanks, guys. All right.

[C]

Thanks a lot, Kyle. Alex is in Limbrook. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, Alex?

[E]

Hi, Don. A quick thing. Bob Denver, Everyone will call him Gilligan.

[C]

Yes, of course. Somebody. Somebody did bring that up the other day. Bob Denver. Gilligan is definitely a good one.

[F]

Okay.

[E]

And the last thing is, I understand life's short.

[F]

I don't want to get too upset,

[E]

but I like your feedback on the owner putting his children on the standing Cub. I understand the head coach, the assistant coaches, the trainer, even you guys, they

[F]

want Devils in the Cub, and they want to put you and the other

[E]

announcers on the Cub. Fine. But where's the commissioner? Where's the other owner saying, you're not putting your kids on the Stanley Cup?

[C]

It is such a great point, Alex. I wanted to bring it up a little bit earlier in the show. Dunn is somebody I'm not a fan of to begin with. He's the one that let go of John Forsland, who'd been their television announcer since Hartford. And of course, Chuck Caton, salt of the earth. He had been there since they were in the Hartford days. Let them go for just a pittance, considering how much money you spend on the franchise. The same owner. That's going the cheap way with the Portland Trailblazers, too. In the NBA, there's rules. Like you have to have played a certain amount of games in the regular season. You have had to appear in the playoffs to get your name on the Cup. Their head trainer, who had been there since the Heart for days, not on the Cup. And he puts his kids. And there's something very interesting about the. The Hurricane fan base. They were very defensive, like so. On social media, he got ripped, and rightly so. The Hurricane fans all respond, well, the Florida put his kids on. Yeah. Cause his kids had roles on the team. Like the owner of the Panthers. Kids were on the board, like, is there older? So I'm not. I'm not saying that's right either. But to put your children on there when there's guys that actually contributed to the Cup. The trainer. There's a player that's not on there that helped you win the cup and there's no room for them. The NHL certainly has to step in. There's nothing you can do about it now. It's already engraved, but you got to put a stop to that. It's ridiculous. I don't mind if there's room for everybody. But the fact that you left tangible people that helped you win the cup off the cup so that your children could be on it. It's disgusting. Now, I don't want to hate the Carolina Hurricanes because I respect the organization. I think I love Rod Brindemore should be in the hall of Fame, but their owner. I was irritated. What happened with Chuck and John? They offered insulting contracts. They had to leave. Didn't even have the guts to just fire him. Had to give them insulting contracts. So they had to walk away. Chuck ended up retiring the guy.

[H]

He.

[C]

He's probably in the hall of Fame, for God's sakes. Luckily, John was able to hook on with Seattle. He does games on nationally for tnt. So that bothered me right there. And that's been something I've been picking at the Carolina Hurricane scab forever on that one and this one. Just another example that it's just not a fan of it. But you definitely touched a nerve with that one and I'm glad you called. Alex, I wanted to bring it up, just didn't know where to bring it up. But I am very much happy that you did that because I was disgusted by it.

[I]

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[C]

Let's go to Peanut in Palm Bay. You're on ESPN New York. Where, where is Palm Bay, Peanut?

[F]

Hey, Palm Bay is in central Florida, just south of Canaveral. Cocoa.

[C]

Cool. What do you got today?

[F]

Okay, so at first I was gonna try and mess with you about how Aaron Judge means as much as P. Alonzo meant to the Mets, but I want to get away from that.

[C]

Okay, good.

[F]

All right, you go, you go out. You get the hot dog from a place you put. You putting ketchup on that thing?

[C]

No, never. Only mustard. I don't, I don't know why people

[F]

want to thank you. Gross. Thank you. And then, and then what mustard are we going? Spicy mustard.

[C]

I do like spicy mustard, but really, any mustard? I wouldn't put honey mustard. That seems odd.

[F]

No, honey mustard's a no. That's a no. That's a chicken tender thing.

[C]

But get. But go. Go. The Alonzo Judge. I'm. I'm fun with that. I can have some fun with that.

[F]

Go ahead. I mean, there's a balance to that. Like, how much does Alonzo not being to the Mets mean to Judge being to the Yankees with what we got going on now this year?

[C]

Oh, but, but here, here's the thing that I would say, peanut. They had Pete Alonso and they won 83 games. They had Peter Lonzo.

[F]

Yeah, but we let.

[C]

And they were the worst game baseball the first half of 24. Like, listen, Pete Alonzo is not Aaron Judge. I know he broke the rookie record for home runs, and I wish Alonzo was still here. Okay, but let's not create some sort of false narrative that because the pivot was so bad by Stearns, that there wasn't a reason to pivot in the first place. There was. This team was given ample time to go out and win, and they didn't. So obviously the pivot to Polanco was awful. And four different guys playing first base, and it was. It was a terrible change. But let's not make it seem like this team was rattling off championship.

[F]

The Polanco pivot is bad. Yes, the Polanco pivot is bad in itself, but Judge also had to rely upon the great pitching that he has to rely upon. And now that he's gone, Yankees have that and it's gotten hurt. And where has it gotten them? Nowhere. No, they've been just as bad as the Mets the past.

[C]

No, you're not. You're not wrong about that. And Pinot, thank you for the phone call. Interesting stuff. Aaron Judge is a better player than Pete Alonso. He hit for a higher average. He was a better defender, he hit more home runs, he drove in more RBIs. Now, Alonzo was important to the Mets. I'm not saying that he wasn't, but they didn't win with him. They never were consistent with him. I would not have moved away from him, but I understood. What Stearns was saying is that we've had this team together, all Those wins in 22, only to fall apart against at the end of the season. Hand the Braves the division, didn't get knocked out by the Padres, don't make the playoffs the following year, have an awful start in 24, got hot in 24, made a run to the league championship series, and then followed it up with 83 wins. And by the way, let's not forget in a walk year, Pete at the home run against Devin Williams, one of the biggest home runs in Med history. But he didn't have a great year. Judge when healthy is an mvp, period. Done better player. So Alonzo means a lot to the Mets, but I'm sorry, Judge means way more. And so the caller that earlier we laughed at made fun of when he said that Alonzo meant more to the Mets than Judge to the Yankees was laughable. Both are very important to their teams. We're seeing that. But let, let's not create the false narrative that the, the Mets were fine and there weren't changes to be made. Some of those guys needed to go and some of those guys did not deserve long term contracts. But the reason why Stearns doesn't get the benefit of the doubt is, is because the pivot was ridiculously bad. Awful, disgusting, clueless. But it doesn't mean that it didn't at least deserve to maybe make changes. That Met team as a whole was given chances to do it and they didn't and they took a step backwards. And if they, and if he left it alone. See, this is the $64,000 question. Let's say Stearns left it alone, brought all those guys back. Where are the Mets? They're certainly not this bad. But are they good? Are they, are they competing with the Braves for the division? Are they a wild card team? Or are they just an average baseball team that has the potential to get odd but also have the potential to completely bottom out? Because that's what the Mets were as a whole. As good as they were in 2H24. They were that bad in 1H24. Gloriously inconsistent and not really as close to a championship as you think. They wouldn't be this bad, but we'd be sitting here in July going, what's wrong with the Mets? Why are they only average? Why aren't they better? So let's not make that. They didn't break. Stearns didn't break up the 86 Mets. Let's not get it wrong, let's not get it sideways.

[H]

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[B]

thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[C]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[B]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

[C]

I'm humbled by the reaction. Tons of phone calls to get to before we get out of Dodge at 701-800-919-3776 we'll take take him in order Ed in New Jersey. You're on ESPN New York. What's up Ed?

[E]

Hey Don, how you doing?

[C]

Good man.

[E]

Well, I was going to mention the hurricane thing with the cup too, but you know there's Been instances where they strict they take out the people's names like Peter Parkinson's father. His name is on the cup. But the I don't know if it was the hall of Fame or the NHL. He has a his names is stricken and with all X's. So they could be doing that to the dungeon kids. And I got one more TV character. How about Rerun from what's Happening?

[C]

Oh, that's a good. I can't even think of anything else. He was in Rerun. That's a great call, Ed. Thank you for the call. That's a good one from what's happened in Rerun. Outstanding. I don't even. I don't think he's still with us however. But still that's a very good one. Let's go to Muhammad on Long Island. You're on ESPN New York.

[F]

What's going on?

[E]

Don, thanks for taking my call, man. Two quick points. Well, first, first off, a couple quick points. First off, we can't take drop Madness off that. That has since its inception with the Peds. Me Ds.

[F]

Come on.

[E]

I can't even think about it without dying laughing man.

[F]

That's first off.

[E]

Secondly, secondly, very quickly you put on a master class with the fraud fraud Fraud alert Fridays at the at the beach Bass. I was at the crib dying laughing,

[F]

watching that on YouTube.

[C]

Thanks, man.

[E]

All right. So, so into the now into the Mets. I think I believe if Stearns hadn't got rid of Pete Alonzo and maybe Nemo, but mainly Pete Alonzo, who is our guy. Our homegrown Met. Our favorite Met. The who the fans showed up and booed when they were hinting at not signing him back.

[F]

Right.

[E]

I don't think he'd be getting as much flack as he's getting. Right. I think had he sign signed Alonzo back and most of the core players, then the fans would be turning their rage towards the players. We'd say, hey, Alonzo got to be better. We'd say Soto's got to be better. Whoever down. Whoever's at fault there. Right. So I think that's, that's where most of the fans rage is coming from. Because what do we get? We lose our favorite Met and we suck even worse than we did before Stern put his hands on it.

[C]

You're not wrong. But here's the thing that you're leaving out. What if he gave him a five year contract and let's say the Mets aren't winning and Pete's having a nice year. I think they're the fans wouldn't be as mad. You're right. And thank you for the phone call. But they'd be maybe like really five years for Pete and is he really that good? Like, the fans met? Fans are intelligent enough, New York sports fans are intelligent enough that they'd be like five years. And if he wasn't tearing the COVID off the ball and the mets were like playing.500 baseball, they'd be aggravated. I think they'd be less mad. But if he gave him a five year deal, I think the fans would be complaining about that. And if Pete aged poorly and the back end of that contract was bad, the fans would turn on that for sure. Now, if they won, that's a completely different story. But I think they're reacting to the losing as much as they're reacting to the loss of those players. Okay, listen, McNeil was a nice player. Nimmo was a nice player, but they're chanting their names at the ballpark because they're trying to stick it to Stearns, because the team is, you know, 12, 13 games under.500. That's, that's the reason for all the vitriol. Let's go to Jack and Westchester. You're on. Don Hanna, Rosenberg. What's up, man?

[E]

Hey, it's a pleasure talking to you. First time speaking with you. So if you could just let me get this off my chest. I've been busting the gut to say this. I'm a Yankee fan, but in 2024, I was actually a jealous Yankee fan of the Mets.

[F]

Why?

[E]

Because I found myself listening to the games more, watching what was going on. And I just think as an owner and general manager, when you have something special in the works, you have to have your finger on the pulse of that and do something about it. So had they added some pitching to that 24 team, which, by the way, nobody talks about this, I hate to say it, including yourself. That team was only supposed to be competitive. The owner said that himself. So did the general manager. We're putting a competitive team on the, you know, out there on the field. In 2024, in 2025, we're going to go for it. Well, they didn't really go for it in 2025 because all they did was sign Juan Soto, basically. So they brought back the Same team in 2024 that was only supposed to be competitive. Add Juan Soto. But the thing about that 2024 team was the players quit hitting the clutch. They had a certain chemistry. There was a little magic to that team, and they broke it up and to get rid of one of the most iconic Mets players and I'm a Yankee fan who had one of the most iconic home runs in their history was just, you know, I could understand as a fan you're distraught. How could you do that? So I think it was ridiculous. If they added a couple of pieces, the 20, 24 team, I think that team could have gone over the edge. And then last year also.

[C]

But, but here's the, here's the thing. And we're up against it. Sorry, sorry Jack. That we're up against it is that, you know, Sanga got hurt but I think he, he wanted to part with alonzo after the 24 season because he didn't want to give a big time contract. But I think Cohen got involved to get the home run off of Devin Williams. They gave him a make good one year contract and the team won 83 games. You say that there was something special happening in 24. I say they just got hot and that's kind of what that Met team was about. They never put full 162 game seasons together. They'd be good to start, then fall apart. They'd be awful to start, then they get hot. But you. I don't think something special was happening. And they were given another chance the next year and they won 83 games amidst the playoffs and were brutal again in the second half of the season. The same old same old. I agree with you about the pitching but at the same time he doesn't believe in giving long term contracts to pitchers because they always get hurt. And then Sanka got hurt and they and that. And he hasn't been the same. He's been awful. He was supposed to be their ace. So I don't 100% disagree with you but I think people are remembering that 24 team to be better than they actually were. They were a good team and certainly much better than what we're seeing the Mets now. Again, I can't defend Stearns on the pivot. It was awful. But let's not make those teams out to be great. Yankee met baseball is coming up next. How much? And then we'll be back with you on Monday with Alan and Peter. I'm going to be on vacation so I'm going to enjoy the All Star break from afar. This is the first time in the 25 years I've been working at this radio station. I'm actually be off during the All Star Han Solo Monday. By the way, Han's going to be by himself on Monday. You got to listen to that Mets baseball now on ESPN New York.

[B]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, but I just want to know. It's good. Here my more of Don Allen and Peter Weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.

[A]

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[I]

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