Hour 1: Yankees Deadline Plans

Summary

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Don, Hahn & Rosenberg

Episode: Hour 1 – Yankees Deadline Plans
Date: July 28, 2026
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Source: ESPN New York

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Overview

This episode dives deep into the New York Yankees’ trade deadline options as they battle through significant injuries but continue to hold a strong position in the American League. Don, Hahn, and Rosenberg debate whether the Yankees should make big trades or simply appreciate the resilience of their current roster, while also touching on New York City storm woes, misadventures on New Jersey Transit, and some humorous sports commentary.

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Key Topics and Discussion Breakdown

1. Extreme Weather and Infrastructure in NYC/NNJ

• Don recounts flooding and infrastructure issues: Don describes the severe storms flooding areas of Hawthorne, NJ (Don’s hometown), highlighting how infrastructure from 150 years ago can’t handle today's weather (01:08).
• Conversation on how frequently these events now occur, compared to rare childhood memories.
  • Quote: "Things that seemed to happen once or twice a decade or seem to be happening once or twice a week. It's kind of crazy." – Don Hahn (01:00–02:48)

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2. Yankees’ Trade Deadline: Should They Make a Splash?

• The hosts outline the Yankees' lineup issues: injuries to Judge, Bellinger, and others, and a roster struggling offensively.
• There’s debate around whether the Yankees should trade prospects for impactful veterans, particularly for a bullpen arm like Mason Miller.
  • Quote: "There was not one person in the lineup that is batting anywhere close to .300. … Not the lineup that I think a lot of Yankee fans expect." – Don Hahn (03:53)
• Don’s take: With Judge and Bellinger expected to return, he believes fans should appreciate the team's resilience and that making a massive trade isn’t necessary to stay competitive (05:35–07:38).
• Rosenberg’s take: Acknowledges fan frustration but floats the idea that winning with this gritty, underdog team could be more satisfying than with an expensive, overhauled roster (07:38–09:31).
  • Quote: "Couldn't you argue there'd be something sexy about them finally winning the World Series in a year when … they just kind of play with what they have and do it?" – Peter Rosenberg (07:48)

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3. What Yankee Fans Expect vs. Reality

• The hosts compare Yankees fandom to other NY sports experiences, emphasizing that Yankees fans’ perception of “bad” years is skewed due to a tradition of constant winning (13:39–16:44).
  • Quote: "If you're a Yankee fan first … I don't even think you know what it's like to be a real sports fan." – Peter Rosenberg (15:49)
• Don notes that many fans want to trade for stars every year and later complain about no prospects. He argues that most teams would collapse given this injury toll, but the Yankees remain in contention (13:52).
  • Quote: "Who else loses their best players and still can talk about going to the World Series?" – Don Hahn (15:49)

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4. Market Realities: Not Many Options

• Buster Olney’s input: Volpe’s trade value is low; George Lombard Jr. seen as their future shortstop (19:06–19:48).
  • Quote: "He would be a candidate for non-tender this winter, I would imagine." – Buster Olney (19:06)
• Jeff Passon’s input: Mason Miller would cost the Yankees a premium prospect, likely Lombard Jr., which Don and Jeff agree is hard to justify for a reliever (20:24–21:34).
  • Quote: "Do you trade George Lombard Jr. in a deal for Mason Miller?" – Jeff Passon (20:58)
  • Quote: "You're going to trade a guy that could be your shortstop for the next 15 years for a closer?" – Don Hahn (21:09)

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5. Call-In Highlights – Fan Frustration & Perspective

• Caller “Sam” explains that Yankees fans’ frustration isn’t just about this year—they’re annoyed that the same sloppy play and fundamental mistakes recur (28:18–31:20).
  • Quote: "It's those types of mistakes ... being made by the same players that we have seen kill them in the postseason year after year." – Caller Sam (28:21)
• Don counters that clutch hitting, not just errors, has hurt them in October; also stresses the ongoing injury crisis.
  • Quote: "They're actually winning more than they're losing. Without Judge, they've kept their head above water." – Don Hahn (32:13)
• Calls from fans generally echo ongoing anxiety about whether injuries and “dead spots” will haunt them, but some (like “Griffin”) argue this adversity is reason for pride (33:39–36:19).
  • Quote (Griffin): "You're winning ball games with guys like Max Schumann ... if you get fully healthy like they are expected to ... New York really [is] capable of doing anything." (33:39)

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6. Humorous Sidetracks & Notable Moments

• Discussion on NYC celebrity sports fans whose only “bad” sports experience comes from the Yankees, not other local teams like the Knicks or Mets.
• Banter about mispronounced Celtics names by Ronald Reagan, height comparisons between public figures, and behind-the-scenes radio station antics (41:38–46:28).
  • Quote: "Your freak and my freak may be different." – Don Hahn (43:42)
• Extended joking about a WNBA broadcast and wardrobe choices, maintaining the show’s light, conversational tone mid-episode (38:25–41:36).

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Key Timestamps

• Storm/flooding chat: 01:08–02:48
• Yankees’ injuries and deadline position: 03:53–07:38
• Should fans appreciate this team instead of demanding a splashy trade?: 07:38–13:39
• Yankees fandom vs. other NY sports fans: 13:39–17:31
• Analyst (Olney/Passon) insights: 19:06–21:34
• Caller stories (NJ Transit & Yankees complaints): 23:02–33:20
• Fan pride in the Yankees’ depth: 33:39–36:19
• Humorous sports tangents: 38:25–46:28

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Notable Quotes

• On the Yankees' resilience:
  • “They lose Bellinger. You would think, all right, that's another body blow. And they go out and score nine runs. … But damn, can they pitch.” – Don Hahn (10:36)
• On deadline deals:
  • “You're going to trade a guy that could be your shortstop for the next 15 years for a closer?” – Don Hahn (21:09)
• Yankee fan expectations:
  • "If you're a Yankee fan first ... I don't even think you know what it's like to be a real sports fan." – Peter Rosenberg (15:49)
• Fan pride despite adversity:
  • "You're winning ball games with guys like Max Schumann ... if you get fully healthy ... New York really [is] capable of doing anything." – Caller Griffin (33:39)
• On perspective vs. results:
  • "Why pick at the scab when the overall body is going ... to the playoffs?" – Don Hahn (32:26)

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Conclusion / Episode Takeaway

This episode puts the Yankees’ current dilemma in perspective: while fans annually demand World Series or bust, the hosts urge listeners to recognize the grit and resilience, especially given unprecedented injuries. The episode thoughtfully balances critical fan feedback, inside info from MLB insiders, and characteristic humor, making a case that sometimes the best move at the deadline is no big move at all.

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Transcript

[Peter Rosenberg]

So good, so good, so good.

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[Don Hahn]

Don, give me a piece of wood. I'll eat it. Han, Peter's most used sweat is at a buffet.

[Rosenberg]

And Rosenberg.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'll be honest, the one thing I miss about having an office is the taste of Steve Hart's nuts.

[Don Hahn]

This isn't North Dakota. This is New York.

[Rosenberg]

This is Don, Han and Rosenberg.

[Don Hahn]

The best threesome I've ever heard on

[Rosenberg]

ESPN New York and streaming live on YouTube.

[Don Hahn]

Happy Tuesday, everybody. 301 of the big city. Don Hahn and Rosenberg. Full frontal today.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like you dream till 7.

[Don Hahn]

The Mets have been rained out. Double header tomorrow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We got a split double header or no split?

[Don Hahn]

One and seven.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, one and seven. Okay.

[Don Hahn]

We will start on the app tomorrow. We're always on the app, but we'll be app and YouTube only until the first game is over. And then we'll take you up until 7 o' clock right into the first pitch of the second game of the doubleheader. Be safe out there, people. I mean, we, we, we went through. This is the second round, Peter. I don't know how it was in New York and I was obviously in the city yesterday too. But like my mom's okay, but in the town that I grew up in when my mom is, Hawthorne, New Jersey. It was all over the news yesterday. If you watch the news, a lot of the places that I grew up were like underwater. Not forever, but because, you know, the drains. Listen, these are, this is stuff that was built infrastructure from 150 years ago. And they just can't take, you know, 2 inches of rain in 15 minutes. And so it was pretty hairy. People had to be rescued. You see boats. This is happening so often.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wow.

[Rosenberg]

It almost.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Should this even be. Should this just be our talk about it?

[Don Hahn]

He's flirting with it, right? It's a good point. So stay tuned to 4:30. I'll give a little bit more detail.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And I don't mean to have you not do it now, but that's where I was gonna go is like this is what now we're acting like is normal, is not really normal. It's insane stuff happening with every other tweet.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, we'll give more detail to talk about it. Cause I think it's worth talking about. But these things are not new. They've always happened. There've always been storms. There's always been floods. And I remember things happening when I was a kid. But it would happen like once a decade.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Correct. Now, every three weeks, there's a storm where people are worried you're gonna have a major infrastructure problem in a major city.

[Don Hahn]

Like, every time that there's a thunderstorm, there's something on the news about trees down, floods, people having to be rescued from their homes. Like things that seem to happen once or twice a decade or seem to be happening once or twice a week. It's kind of crazy. But the overall point is be safe because we're expecting another round tonight. And, you know, I think that maybe the warnings are a little more. Cause we didn't. We didn't even see it coming yesterday. Now we're a little bit better prepared for it. But just be careful. If you don't have to be out, don't be out. I know that they were talking about people that live in the city that might live in basement apartments, maybe try to get out because there may be that much rain. Remember when the subways get all flooded, because, listen, no matter what the infrastructure, you get a bunch of rain in a very short period of time, it's going to be a bit of a problem. So be careful out there, and we'll be with you. There'll be no Mets. The Yankees are out in Chicago. Looks like they'll be able to get their game going. We got a big show today. I don't know if you saw this, Peter, but Plexigo burris compared to 2011 with the jets being in prison.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wow.

[Don Hahn]

So there's that. We now have a little more information, a little bit more information on Kyle Shanahan. Not a lot, but a little bit more information on that. The talk about a Tuesday come up at 4:30 enn at 6. But the place that I wanted to start, Peter, we are now inside a week from the trade deadline. And the Yankees won a game last night in Chicago against the White Sox with a lineup that you're not writing home about. Okay. Schumann, Rice, of course, Goldschmidt, who's really been struggling. Dominguez, who's a kid. Volpe, everybody wants out. Grisham's had a disappointing season. Caballero Jones just got called up and Sanchez, a catcher. There was not one person in the lineup that is batting anywhere close to.300. Okay. Ops that are all in the Sixes and sevens for the most part. Not the lineup that I think a lot of Yankee fans expect. And you're not going to see that when you don't have Judge. You don't have Bellinger, who's going to be out for the next four to six weeks. We found that out yesterday, Peter. And of course, Mr. Postseason not in the lineup that you're going to be struggling to find offense and that many people are screaming about the deals that they absolutely have to make because of the injuries to secure not just a playoff spot but a chance to go to the World Series. And we're going to hear some sound from Buster only and from Jeff Passon. Buster was on the morning show with dpietro and Rothenberg and passing was just on with K. Peter, there's not a lot to do.

[Sam]

No.

[Don Hahn]

And the Yankees don't have an appetite for just basically getting rid of all their young players in these trades and be held hostage or held up by some of these teams that are out of it. So the Yankees can make a run. And then all of a sudden all these older players get old and now you don't have a farm system to fall back on. Right. They want to be careful with this. I know all the fans want to go for it, but there's not a lot out there to do. And I just wonder, Peter, maybe because I'm not a fan of the team and I think people can jump me for not being a fan of the Yankees. But you watch what happened last night. That's the best of the American League Central. The Chicago White Sox, that's likely going to be a playoff team representing the American League Central in the American League in the postseason. You've got the Tampa Bay Rays, who have a third of the payroll, the Yankees do in first place. And you have out west garbage. There may be a team that finishes under.500 in the American League West. And when I see the Yankees with a Punch and Judy lineup score nine runs against what's the best team in the Central Division? Isn't it a reminder, Peter, that there's not much to do for this team to go to the World Series? I'll believe the Rays when I see it. I don't want to disrespect them. They've been in first place for much of the year. But I'll believe they'll beat the Yankees when I see it. You should be getting Judge back. You will get Bellinger back. Peter. I know you want to go for it and be all in, but can you kill Brian Cashman, if he looks at it and goes, why we should be able to go to the World Series. Regardless, we've. We've got most come from behind victories of any team in baseball. We've got a ton of heart. Like, I know Yankee fans don't appreciate that because they want guarantees across the board, but look how they played without judge. I know they don't hit, but they pitch better than anybody. What do you want this team to do?

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's a very interesting question because, you know, you can't convince fans to care about, like, finances. And nor should you have to. You know, it's not.

[Caller/Fan]

It's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's. Hey, the fans are the reason these teams have finances, so it's not their responsibility to think about what's fiscally responsible. But at the same time, couldn't you argue there'd be something sexy about them finally winning the World Series in a year when rather than just trying to, you know, do whatever they can to buy it, they just kind of play with what they have and do it?

[Don Hahn]

But it's just so weird. Baseball, so strange, right, Peter? Because you follow all the other sports. If I had a football team that was struggling offensively, but the defense is playing well and they're in every game and their players are dropping like flies, but they're finding ways to win games. They're not the best team in their division, but they're going to the playoffs, wouldn't that be a team you're proud of? Wouldn't that be a team you're like, yeah, they're scrappy. I love that team. Same thing like hockey, basketball.

[Peter Rosenberg]

People love teams like that. Those are the teams people love.

[Jeff Passon]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

I mean, listen, the Knicks weren't the best team in the regular season pretty much at any point. It was pretty much Detroit start to finish right in the East.

[Sam]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

And then they found themselves and they ended up winning a championship. And the fans love that. You didn't hear at the deadline, do this, do that, Got to. Do this, got to, got to. You did hear things like, you got to be all in. But, heck, if Knick fans were Yankee fans, they would have wanted Giannis during the season as the security blanket of going instead of hoping their team would find a way. And they found a way, and it was really sweet. You make a great point. With all the dominant Yankees with all the money and all the great players disappointing, wouldn't it be something if this team found its way to the World Series and maybe not beat Dodgers and win the damn thing?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wouldn't it be even sweeter. But you're right. People want to guarantee. And you're up against a team who's willing to spend any amount of money. And you're used to your whole life. You're the team that's willing to spend any amount of money. I understand why it's hard for fans,

[Don Hahn]

but not knowing the landscape of what finances are going to be next year. And I know Cashman, everybody beats him up for holding onto his prospects too long. You've seen what's happened with Volpe and you saw what happened with Sanchez at catcher. But these same fans who are like, you got to be all in. You got to try to win it now will be the first fans five years from now that are killing the team for missing the playoffs because all their. All the aging players will be on their way out and there'll be nobody down on the farm to call up because you traded for all of them to try to win a league that you might be able to win anyway. I mean, that's the point I'm trying to make is, is that everywhere you turn, you're constantly reminded, despite the fact the team can't hit, despite the fact that Anthony Pusick always calls them, they're a dead stick.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's over.

[Don Hahn]

That you can't kill them. The league won't allow it, Peter. The league won't allow the Yankees to go away. They keep losing players. They lose Bellinger. You would think, all right, that's another body blow. And they go out and score nine runs. I know they can't hit the way you want them to hit, but damn, can they pitch. And they'll make deals at the deadline to secure little things, but with nothing really out there, why are we screaming? You gotta do something instead of maybe just appreciating that.

[Train Engineer (Caller)]

This is a.

[Don Hahn]

This is maybe not an entertaining team because they don't score a ton of runs, Peter, but aren't they making you proud?

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's a great. It's a great point, Don. And isn't that what you want? I mean, when they're all flashy and they win, it's cool. You love to win, but. But you'd think there'd be some upside to just enjoying the fact that you root for a team who's scrappy and is finding a way. It's. And by the way, I'm sure there are people out there who are. But come on. The kind of people that we hear from are the kinds that complain.

[Don Hahn]

I think that sometimes Yankee fans forget that it's that the landscape has kind of changed in the sense that there is. It's not being cheap and even fiscally responsible. It's just, what exactly do you want? Who is the player you want? You want Mason Miller? He's going to cost a fortune. Yeah, the Dodgers will probably get him. Because the Dodgers don't give a damn about tomorrow or anything else. And I guess that's what the Yankee fans want. Why can't we be like that? Why can't we be like. The Dodgers have a $500 million payroll and win a third consecutive title and spin on the future, I get. But I don't think the Yankees, believe it or not, are dancing in that

[Rosenberg]

area

[Don Hahn]

from the financial standpoint. I know it sounds ridiculous, but that's kind of where you're at, where they're not going to add another 50, 60 million dollars of payroll. They don't have a general manager that wants to throw a bunch of prospects at a closer who might be sitting there. When you're down 2:1 in Game 7, that's not going to be able to come into the game because you're down a run. You know, the Dodgers may do it. It may work. But at some point, the Dodgers are going to pay the piper for it. And I guess there's a reason why the Yankees are always there. And I know the Yankee fans don't want to hear that because they want to win that elusive title, but nothing's guaranteed to you. Anyway. I'm not saying you can be happy about the fact that the Dodgers outspend you. That's why that we're going to have a lockout next year and you may end up having a salary cap because of this. But, you know, right now, this team has lost so many really important players and yet still are the second best team in the American League, still the favorite to go to the World Series. And I don't hear a lot of, like, being happy about that. I hear being disgusted by it. But it's easy for me to say, Peter, I'm a. I'm a Met fan, and I'm envious of the Yankees because I'd kill to have the Yankees out.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no. To have a down year where everything is in question. Your best player is out, and you're like, 14 games above.500 and talking about, could we go on a run? That's a bad year, Don.

[Don Hahn]

Not the best.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know what a bad year is for the Mets? They defecate on themselves in public. That's right. You know, Mr. Met kills a guy I mean, it can't get any worse. Well, they can't even. They can't even have a game tonight. They can't even do us a favor on a split double header tomorrow.

[Don Hahn]

It's true. But, you know, they usually don't give awards to New York that often because they seem to like, oh, well, the I'm not going to be handing out any Manager of the Year award to the Yankees because they've got the third highest payroll in baseball and they're supposed to be good. So Kevin Cash will likely win Manager of the Year if the Rays win the division, but the manager you want fired, Narran Boone will get votes for Manager of the Year if this team makes the playoffs. Without Judge, without Bellinger, without Cole, without Freed, without Rodin, where most teams would be under.500 and they're double digits above.500, I still think they're going to win this division. So I'm not. Peter, I'm not trying to say Yankee fans don't have a right to complain about certain things. And I do think sometimes the Yankees are a little too prudent at times and they do believe they're successful even though they didn't win the World Series. I'm not saying that they have no right to complain, but at this particular point, with there really nobody of any major movement to go out and get in a year where they just seem to be able to survive, no matter how many injuries they have, that. Would it be so wrong to just be kind of happy where they are right now that they're in a position that the World Series is still on the table? Who else loses their best players and still can talk about going to the World Series?

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's crazy, man. Across all sports, who's the team that you get to root for? Yankee fan. If you're a Yankee fan first, like, they're your number one team that you care about more than anything. I don't even. I don't even think you know what it's like to be a real sports fan. Honestly, Don, I'm not even just saying that to be that guy. But like you, you have to also have another team that you love just as much like Anthony can understand what it is to be a sports fan because he roots for the Rangers and they bring him back down to earth on the, on the regular. But like, imagine, Don, if you're one of the, like one of the hardcore Yankee people, where that's all really you care about in sports is the Yankees, you have no clue what the rest of us Go through when your team is bad, it means your team is horrible. Like there's no we were bad, but then we battled and we're competing for the NFC championship. Well, that's not how it works for normal teams.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I've given the example before with Jake Aspen. He's a Yankee fan, right? And he's also a Knick fan. So the Knicks gave him a championship this year, but he suffered a long time with them. He's also a Jet fan, right? And he's also an Islander fan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So he gets it because the other sports, but some of the people we know, you know, some of our favorite listeners who used to call all the time.

[Caller/Fan]

I'm a proud Yankee fan since 1981.

[Don Hahn]

I've been a Yankee fan since 1969.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, there's the biggest one, the turncoat people who are Yankees or busts, they don't get it. They don't understand what bad really means. Their version of bad is like we just don't, we just don't have enough. Well, when are we going to spend enough? When are we going to do enough? This isn't bad.

[Don Hahn]

Again, Yankee fans have had a right to complain. This year may not be the year that they should because they could still, I still believe. And we're going to take your calls. Full bank at 1-800-919-3776. There was one line open and it' ringing. So I don't know why he gave the number. But they still can go to the World Series without Judge and without Bellinger. And here's the thing, they're both coming back. You may not believe it, but they're telling you they'll be back. All right, so that's something to celebrate, something else to celebrate. Just like the New Jersey Devils bring intensity on the ice, Viking pest control brings that same level of protection to your home. And I know this because I use Viking in my own place. The season may be over, but pests are always in play. So it's time to lock in on your off season defense. As the pest control provider and proud partner of the devils, Viking delivers 45 years of trusted experience to keep ants, cockroaches, stinging insects, rodents, mosquitoes and more out of your zone. Their local team builds a personalized game plan that actually works. And when you build a bundle pest control we with mosquito services, you score big savings. One call, one company. Total peace of mind. Visit vikingpest.com protecting your home inside and out. Before we get to the phone calls, we were talking about the deadline and who may be available for the New York Yankees. We'll start with Buster. Only he was on DNR earlier this morning and he talked about Volpe has almost no trade value.

[Baseball Analyst]

And I don't think he has a lot of value. Like he wouldn't have value now in the marketplace because he's now as service time and arbitrator and that sort of thing. I mean, let's face it, given his, given his production, he would be a candidate for non tender this winter, I would imagine. And yes, George Lombard Jr. It feels like he's banging on the door, you know, at some point because no one doubts that right away, the first day he arrives in big leagues, he's going to be an impact defender and he's an impact base runner and his offense has gotten better during his time in the minor leagues this year when he got promoted. I mean, you keep on waiting for him at some point to get that call. You know, maybe Volpe's included in a trade at some point, but his, his value has definitely gone down.

[Don Hahn]

What is the top priority for the Yankees of the deadline?

[Baseball Analyst]

They feel like that their big, biggest need right now is an impact arm and their bullpen. And so I think that's definitely something going to get and they're going to add a hitter. But it might be if you, if you're going to devote assets to one position or another, if Mason Miller is available, then that it would not surprise me if that's the one because, man, you put him at the back end of your bullpen. And by the way, it's not only for this year, but he's under team control for a few years.

[Don Hahn]

However, Jeff Passon was on the Michael K. Show earlier and he says that Mason Miller might be too expensive for the Yankees.

[Jeff Passon]

I don't know that that's an area that's screaming for need, but when you have the ability to acquire somebody of that caliber, Michael, if you're the New York Yankees, you absolutely have to consider it. The fly in the ointment here, I wonder, is the tack that the Padres are taking. When they have talked with teams about Mason Miller, they've said they nobody can be off limit. And some teams look at that and they're like, all right, well that's, that's what it takes to get into this conversation, that we're going to do it. But if you're the Yankees, do you trade George Lombard Jr. In a deal for Mason Miller?

[Don Hahn]

I wouldn't. When you've got that many question marks on the left side of your infield you're going to trade a guy that could be your shortstop for the next 15 years for a closer that, yeah, he makes you better. But that's, that's Lombard Jr. Ah, that, that's, that's what we're talking about. That's the rarefied area you're talking about to get that kind of personnel from San Diego. And that's why we say the Yankees are going to get held up. Remember, the Padres only a couple of games out of a playoff spot. So if they're going to deal him, they're going to deal him for something earth shattering. And that, to me, is earth shattering.

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[Don Hahn]

You know, when you're locked in, focused and fearless, welcome to the wnba. Your vision narrows. You can't look away. Every assist, every stop, every logo, three

[Peter Rosenberg]

from beyond the logo, every.

[Don Hahn]

Did you see that moment?

[Sam]

You bet.

[Don Hahn]

What records are going to be broken this season? All of it. Right here.

[Train Engineer (Caller)]

Lock in.

[Don Hahn]

It's the WNBA on ESPN all season long.

[Rosenberg]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Rosenberg]

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

[Don Hahn]

Well, how do Yankee fans feel? 1-800-919-3776. But let's start with Cullum in the Bronx because he wants to give us some firsthand storm experience from yesterday. What do you got?

[Train Engineer (Caller)]

Column we were talking about, obviously. Yeah, sorry, I just heard the ding now. What's going on? Don? Peter.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yo, yo.

[Train Engineer (Caller)]

So you're talking about Hawthorne in that area. So at around 6:45, I'm work for New Jersey Transit. I'm on the front end. I'm the engineer operating the trains. So I come into Hawthorne Station, you know, prime rush hour. Literally the storm hits. Lightning is striking right above me and it's loud so I know it's close. The whole electrical system on the front end of the engine just shuts off. Like I can't move the train and everything. So I'm like, I Don't know.

[Sam]

That had.

[Train Engineer (Caller)]

That had to have correlated. Those had to be. That had to, you know, right. Not be a coincidence.

[Caller/Fan]

Lightning.

[Train Engineer (Caller)]

And then that shut off. The system comes back on, but it limits me to only 20 miles an hour. So I have to keep the train moving. This is prime time, rush hour, everybody leaving New York and that area to get home. So I start moving. The system comes up to about. To about normal speed, which is 60 miles an hour on the train. So I get up to speed. Absolutely. Pouring rain. I could barely see in front of me on the train. And as I'm going in between Hawthorne and Glenrock, massive tree down. So I try to slow down the train, I try to slow down the train, and I realize I am not going to be able to stop before I hit that tree. So the rules is, what we're taught is if you can't stop, hit it as fast as possible. Blow the. Blow the tree apart and, and limit the damage.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, my God.

[Train Engineer (Caller)]

So I sped up, hit the tree, hit the tree branches, everything flying all over the place. I at least safely pull into Glenrock station so that if there's any issues, we're at least at a station that people can discharge safely. I jump out of the train. I call on the radio, tell every. Tell the dispatchers what happened. I jump out the train to go to the front end of the train to, you know, check. Thankfully, it wasn't serious damage. There's just a lot of branches and everything lodged into the wheels and stuff. So pouring rain. I'm yanking out tree branches, trying to. Trying to clear it out. And some, I'll call him a good Samaritan. Guy gets off the train and sees that it stopped. I think he was on the front, so he probably heard the tree explosion. And the right side of where the train was was probably 2ft of water. So unbeknownst to me, this guy jumps in the water and starts drudging his way up to the front of the train to give me a hand. And as I see him coming, he falls not once, not twice, but three different times in this huge puddle of water. And I'm trying to yell at him. He's got to be in his mid-50s or whatever. And I'm trying to yell at him. I'm like, I appreciate it, but like, I got it. I'm just clearing branches like, we're good. And he's just trying his best just to give me a hand. And I'm like. And like, by the time he got there, I think he pulled one Branch out and I was done. And I'm like, oh, my God, that's a wild. Like, what were you doing, buddy? Yeah, I ended up.

[Don Hahn]

I so now signed up for, I'm sure being a conductor. But no, it's, it's, it's crazy. And thanks for, you know, all the detail of what people had to go through where we play the sasso softball we're going to play on August 22nd. And by the way, Chris Carlin's been added to the roster.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, my God.

[Don Hahn]

On August 22nd at 5:00'. Clock. So we're going to have more detail as we get closer. But the field that we play on. So if you could picture the field, Peter, down the third baseline into the outfield. When you hit the street there, Wagner Road, right there is an underpass. I don't know if you can picture it or have you ever seen it? It's an underpass under the train was completely underwater yesterday where people having to get rescued by boat to get out of their cars were stuck on Route 208 not far from there. Like it was, it was like Armageddon. And I'm telling you, if something like that happened when I was 10, it would be like a story for your whole life. Your aunts, uncles, everybody be talking. Remember that storm on July 27th when cars were floating on 208? Now it seems to happen once a month.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's the point. It's all the time.

[Don Hahn]

It is just. It is. This is where I grew up, like, so I know I live there, you know, basically the, the first 40 years of my life almost, and my mom's been there forever. So I've, I've seen every storm, I've heard every story. And there were maybe two or three of these things the first 30 years I was alive, and now it happens three times a year. Kind of crazy. Let's go to Jimmy in Connecticut. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, Jimmy?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Jimmy.

[Sam]

Jimbo.

[Don Hahn]

Jimmy going once. No, Jimmy going twice. No Jim, three times a lady. Sam is in Cleveland. You're on ESPN New York. Hello, Cleveland.

[Caller/Fan]

Hey, Don, how's it going?

[Don Hahn]

What's up, baby?

[Caller/Fan]

All right, so just kind of wanted to debate you or just maybe kind of answer some of your questions from the beginning of the show. Yeah, I definitely see where you're coming from about the Yankees and why we can't just, you know, enjoy things more, especially when we're still able to win some games right now with as many crazy injuries as we have. But I think what we're upset about is when you look at, like, last night, for example, it's just how sloppy the play still is from a lot of our supplementary players. You know, in the first inning, Jazz, he just, you know, pretty much didn't catch the ball. It was very catchable ball. That kind of led to the White Sox putting up a three spot when we could have just gotten an out off the rip. Volpe drops that pop fly that could have ended the game. And yes, they still won. They were up by four or five at the time. But it's those types of mistakes. They're still being made by the same players that we have seen kill them in the postseason year after year. And they still just kind of persist on like, no, these are the right players, when, like, they really haven't gotten much better at fixing those things, and we want those things.

[Don Hahn]

Well, allow me to. Volpe's a mess, okay? And I think they would admit that he's a mess. But they invested so much in shortstops they could have signed as free agents. They didn't because they don't want to landlock this guy. Lombard Jr. Is their future. They know it. And they're probably planning an exit strategy as we speak. But, you know, when you talk about failures in the postseason, though, Sam, and I'm not going to defend the fact that they're poor fundamentally, and it was an embarrassment in the World Series two years ago against the Dodgers. But one of the embarrassing moments was Judge. You're not doing anything with Judge. I mean, he's usually a great defender. He dropped the fly ball. Your problem has been they haven't been able to hit. That's what's just so frustrating. That's the reason. Yeah, there's errors here and there that have cost them games in the regular season. But wouldn't you admit, for the most part, the reason this team has failed in the postseason is they have not been able to get clutch hitting more than. Oh, for sure, for sure.

[Caller/Fan]

100%. And it's that right now it's like, okay, they scored nine runs yesterday. They've barely been able to score over five during this stretch. And you're looking at what some of these other supplementary players have done throughout this stretch. Since Judge has gone down, no one's really stepped up except for Ben Rice. Like, he went down. He's come back to earth. And you're looking at this, and you're thinking about, okay, how can we prepare for the postseason? Like, teams like Tampa Bay, they still give us problems. And then Also, we're talking about, okay, you just get to the World Series. Like, the AL is this wide open. The Dodgers, they're going to have a little bit more prepared to match up with, you know, to match up against us. We want to be able to finally match up with those.

[Grainger Announcer]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

Well, let's worry about the Dodgers when you get there, and we'll see if the Dodgers even make it. You know, wacky baseball can be. And Sam, thank you for the phone call, but you see what I mean. Peter, just in that dialogue, right, he admits that it's really been their offense and they're big guns who you're not getting rid of that haven't hit in the postseason. You're not getting rid of Aaron Judge. And he hit last year, just came up short. But you got to pick apart the fact that, all right, their fundamentals aren't great, I can admit that. But they're actually winning more than they're losing. Without Judge, they've had their kept their head above water. They've stayed alive in this race, and yet we're still complaining about them not hitting. Well, how are you supposed to hit Peter with no Judge? Bellinger was out before Bellinger was out, Grisham was out. Right. Do you know what I'm saying? Like, they have. There's reasons why they're struggling offensively. And yet on the day that they lost Bellinger or found out that they lost Bellinger for the next month and a half, they go out there and score nine runs. And you get a complaint about Volpe dropping a pop up. I know Volpe stinks. Everybody knows Volpe stinks. But Peter, they're still finding a way to win games. They just took two out of three from Philadelphia.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's right.

[Don Hahn]

Philadelphia is a playoff team. I mean, so why can't you accentuate the positives instead of just always harping on the negatives? You won a game 9 5. You get a complaint that Volpe dropped the fly ball. We know Volpe doesn't have a future here. Lombard Jr. Is eventually going to be the shortstop of this team. But, Peter, why picket the scab when the overall body is going. Is on its way to the playoffs?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, but this is also just a culmination. Or not a culmination, but it's a buildup, Don. It's not just happening. This isn't. This year isn't happening in a vacuum. It's a continuation of past years.

[Don Hahn]

But why can't you live in the now in the sense of, okay, I understand the frustrations about this team over the last decade. But does it count for this team when you've had these kind of significant injuries and this pitching is spectacular?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, you're saying why can't they look at it from the standpoint of a normal sports fan who doesn't expect a championship every year? That's not who Yankee fans are. Although, look, do you mind if I pick up Griffin here, please? Because I think Griffin is coming with a very interesting take that could I think spark some convo. Griftster, how are you?

[Sam]

I'm good. Maybe they might kill me all over Twitter. They might kill me all over YouTube chat. Let them. But Jack Curry said something yesterday in the post game show. They don't know if anyone under Judge Bellinger didn't. Rodan, port Schmidt, that's $140 million that is on your injured list. That is not on the field. Then you put the money that Grisham has had, the money that Bellinger, that Cole has had, that's the amount of money that you have had not had this year. You're winning ball games with guys like Max Schumann. Max Schumann was leading off yesterday and was able to make a good play and left and stuff help stop a relay winning games with Max Schumann with Ali Santiago in a big three run home run yesterday. I'm just, I'm. I understand that this is not good with the amount of injuries, but if you get fully healthy like they are expected to, you add that in New York really capable of doing anything. And the crazy thing is I know Aaron Boom won't get any votes, but his odds should be higher than there's, than they are because how are we two half games out of first place with the amount of injuries and the amount of money that is sitting on our IL this year?

[Don Hahn]

And that's. And, and I, of course it's fair.

[Peter Rosenberg]

My ears hurt, but it's fair.

[Don Hahn]

You know, no Stanton, no Judge Grisham was out for a while. Bellinger is now out now. I mean these aren't nobodies. All right? They're not. And I'm not telling you to be happy that they're in second place, but can you just appreciate that there's still something worth fighting for. They're still very much in it and could still go to the World Series. And who knows, once you get there, maybe it's not the Dodgers that are there where stranger things have happened. I know the Dodgers have won back to back World Series Series, but is it crazy to think that maybe they're not there? And you're taking on the brewers and you beat them or the Phillies and you beat them or whoever. It's just this might not be the year to where you're complaining about the fundamentals and the lack of aggressiveness by Brian Cashman and just appreciate the fact that this team is still relevant despite missing some very significant pieces and also the best pitching staff in baseball. And the other thing too. And again, I'm not going to defend Brian Cashman because I think there have been flubs and there have been reasons to complain, but one of the biggest reasons was he didn't develop any pitching. Your Game seven start is probably Cam Schlitler who is developed by the Yankees.

[Peter Rosenberg]

True.

[Don Hahn]

So they're finally bringing pitchers up that from the minor leagues that are helping. It used to be Andy Pettit and just they bought everybody else like so this might be the year where I just let's just lay off all of the stuff. You can get back to it next year if there's a season. But right now, I mean this could be something that you appreciate that could be a lot of fun. That's kind of atypical of them that they now are kind of the underdog in the sense forget about the money, they're behind the raise. The Dodgers are the ones that are gobbling up all the players and they'll probably make the biggest splashes next Monday anyway that now you found yourself in a situation where you're not supposed to win. And maybe you do. And if you don't, you know, I'm sure you'll be there to complain once the season is over. And we'll be here for you. I'm Archmanning.

[Madison Skinner]

I'm Madison Skinner.

[Don Hahn]

I'm Eva Jovic.

[Train Engineer (Caller)]

I'm Decoria Moore.

[Don Hahn]

Want to train like a Red Bull athlete?

[Madison Skinner]

Tell us your fitness goals this summer to enter the Red Bull Athlete Challenge. You'll get to try each of our workouts for a chance to win an ultimate Red Bull experience.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Think you have what it takes?

[Rosenberg]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Rosenberg]

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

[Don Hahn]

The New York Red Bulls take on the Orlando City SC this Saturday, August 1st at Sports Illustrated Stadium. With kickoff set for 7:30. Celebrate Hometown Heroes Night with Red Bull New York and be among the first 10,000 fans for an exclusive beach towel giveaway for your chance to win a family four pack of tickets. Enter [e-mail] or through the ESPN New York app. Don't miss Julian hall and Antwan Griezmann when the Red Bulls host the Orlando City SC Saturday, August 1st. Secure your seats at newyorkred bulls.com 4 o'. Clock. We'll talk to Kevin Shattenkirk about the shoulder check charity. Oh, I'm struggling with that today. And then at 4:30, talk about it Tuesday. Enn at 6. You ready to get back on the

[Peter Rosenberg]

horse, Peter for E? Yeah, yeah, I think I can handle it.

[Caller/Fan]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now, real quick, you don't happen to have the ESPN on the television, do you?

[Don Hahn]

I do not, no.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So our good friend Ryan Ruko is on, doing a good WNBA conversation, obviously coming out of All Star Weekend and all of those things. And I'm going to send this to the group chat. He looks terrific. I really like his outfit. The coordination, the jacket style, the pocket square mixed with the shirt. The whole thing's very nice. I just sent a text. Did it come through?

[Don Hahn]

I will take a look.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And I want you to know I'm not a fraud. I texted it to him as well, and I said, tremendous. Look. Why am I watching you from your sink? Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Well, that is very odd.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This is not. He's on Malika Andrews right now. I mean, this isn't. This isn't Yo, Yo, Bumchuck doing some podcasts. See, this is middle of the day ESPN business. It's NBA today, for God's sake.

[Don Hahn]

Right?

[Sam]

And he.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And again, he did the job physically, which is the most important part. He looks great. But why did you just say, hey, I'm gonna lay the camera in my sink?

[Don Hahn]

Almost looks like he's an overlord and just looking down on us.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's like. He's like, hey, peons, it's me, Ryan Ruko.

[Rosenberg]

Shut up.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Shut your mouth. Shut your mouth and listen when Ryan Ruko is talking.

[Don Hahn]

And if you know him at all, that's never anything.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No.

[Don Hahn]

Trying to convey that's not his way. It's not his way at all. But, like, he's up, man.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's in a. He's in a hotel. Okay? That's what it looks like. And we got to talk about the accommodations that the WNBA is giving him. Or espn, I suppose. He's in a hotel room. I can tell that because no one's regular door in their house has that, like, that thing up top. You see the little, like, thing that slows the door down when it's closing?

[Don Hahn]

Oh, yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So it's in a hotel room. So I guess he has limited options, but again, it's. I mean, this is one notch away from setting the camera up in your toilet.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, I don't know what. Who thought that was a good idea?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hey, Ryan, do us a favor. You look great. Can you put the phone in the sink? We want to see all the way up your nose.

[Don Hahn]

And also, Peter.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah?

[Don Hahn]

Unless there's a ghost in there. The picture you sent me, it sounds like there's somebody with him or it looks like somebody's with him.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What do you mean?

[Don Hahn]

Look, the picture you sent me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, I see what you're saying.

[Don Hahn]

Right shoulder. I see, like, the haze of a face.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wait, do you think he's about to be pinned by R. Truth for the 247 championship?

[Don Hahn]

I think so. Keep an eye on the screen. Something's gonna happen. We might lose Ryan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So, anyways, shout out to Ryan did a great job with All Star Weekend. I wonder if he got to run into President Obama.

[Don Hahn]

I'm sure he did.

[Peter Rosenberg]

President was. Was. Was hanging out, doing the. Went to, like, the walkthrough and the shoot around. It was kicking with all the players.

[Don Hahn]

I. I was out on Friday night at a place that had ESPN on, so they had the. The skills competition stuff for the wnba.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

And so I got to see Ryan with Rebecca.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Was. Was Obama at any of the actual events or did he just go?

[Don Hahn]

I didn't. I didn't see him at all at the time that I watched.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, here. Here's some.

[Don Hahn]

I may have mispronounced some of those names in there.

[Caller/Fan]

I hope not.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sorry. I thought it was gonna be the actual. Can you give me the actual names? The one that's the series of the names. That's the one I like. I had never. So the other day when Don and I were doing one of our vintage summer shows was the first time I was today years old when Don said, have you ever heard Ronald Reagan mispronouncing all the Celtics? And I had never heard this.

[Don Hahn]

Well, have is like pine shown. Have is like Covins,

[Peter Rosenberg]

Dave Cowens, covens, John Havlicek.

[Don Hahn]

Have his.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like, Tommy Heinson, Heinzone. How did I miss it, Don? I don't know. My guess is what this has to be. Oh, no. It could be any of them. This could have been 81, 84, or 86. Because Reagan was president for all of them.

[Don Hahn]

I think it was 86. Pine shown.

[Caller/Fan]

Wow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, yeah, he's getting a little. Because he was getting a little long in the tooth.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. This was towards the end of his presidency. Well, he had two more years left.

[Baseball Analyst]

Half his life.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Do you remember when we were just at the beach bash and Michael and Alan, it was 84 when. So exactly halfway through. Do you remember we were at the beach bash and Michael and Alan. Don tried to tell us, like, when we were talking about tall presidents. I don't know how we got there. That Ronald Reagan was six five and when. Yeah, and you and I balked at it, of course. And we look it up, and the answer was, like, he was 6:2 or 6:3, and Michael and Al were. God, same thing.

[Don Hahn]

And we're like, no, no, it's not the same thing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know it. Because both Allen and Michael are basically freaks. I mean, they're gigantic men. What's. What's the line of freak? I think it's 6 4. I think.

[Sam]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

I think above 6 4, you're okay at 6 4.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, no, no, I think.

[Don Hahn]

Really?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah. I think six four is on the line of freak.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I think it depends on. You know, again, don't take this the wrong way, but your freak and my freak might be different just because I'm taller than you. So 64 may not bother me as much.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, that is true, Don. Your freak and my freak may be

[Don Hahn]

different, but coven's half is like pine shown.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no. So you think the line for you is above six four because you're how tall?

[Don Hahn]

Six, six four?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Oh, it's way different. I mean, listen, you have. You have three and a half inches

[Don Hahn]

or so on me, so that's the difference.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So for me, though, at 5, 8. At 6 4, you're already 8 inches taller than me.

[Don Hahn]

And listen, you may not remember this because you're much younger. My. My impression of Reagan and Bush was that Bush was taller.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes, me, too, for sure.

[Don Hahn]

So there's no way, like, If Reagan was 6 4, that would make Bush, like, 6, 5 6.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was the 80s. Bush was manute pole. He was 7 foot 7.

[Don Hahn]

No, it's just.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, it makes no sense. And they just. But the way they both downplay, like, oh, yeah, whatever. And I'm like, what do you mean, whatever? You know the difference. What? You can agree, though, Don, whether the line of freak is above six four or not. You can agree. Once you get above six two, you start talking about, like, oh, that's really tall. Six, three, six, four, six, five. Once you get to six, five, six, six. Now it's like, hey, are you a ball player?

[Don Hahn]

No, it bothered because I brought it up yesterday with Marco, with Declan. I Mean, I was driving Declan to his camp, and he. He was talking about. He's like, I can't believe Willie Mays hit 755 home runs. I said, he didn't. That was Hank Aaron. He's like, what's the difference? No, that's a big difference. They're different people. Like when. When Michael and Aaron, like. No, it was six, four, six. No, there's a difference between six, two and six. Four, six, five.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Just can't throw out. Well, no, there's no, it's a difference.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's a big difference. There's no question about it. It's a big difference.

[Don Hahn]

I thought, you know what? I thought that we were dismissed at the Beach Bash and we should have made more of a deal about it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, it's always. Intellectually, you have to understand. I know we got a break. We gotta get to Shattenkirk, but when you go to the Beach Bash, Don and I are in an interesting situation because we're Michael's co hosts, you know, for many, many years. Everyone else there at the radio station, respectfully, with the exception of Carlin, who just doesn't give a damn. It's an ass kissing contest. It's who can buddy up with Michael Moore on the air. And so Allen saw an opportunity for him, you know, and him and Michael are playing their tall games together. They're looking down, literally looking down their nose at the rest of the world. In this case, you were stuck with me among the shorts, even though you're

[Don Hahn]

much taller than me. But also among the righteous.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thank you. The short but the righteous. The name of my 13th book.

[Rosenberg]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't want to know how the

[Don Hahn]

sausage is made, man.

[Rosenberg]

I just want to know. It's good. Hear more of Don, Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.