Hour 1: Big Series Debate

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 1: Big Series Debate (August 21, 2025)

Overview

This episode centers around a high-energy debate about sports priorities in New York right now. Alan Hahn and Peter Rosenberg spar over whether tonight’s Yankees vs. Red Sox showdown or the Giants’ preseason football game is more crucial to New York fans. The discussion digs into how much this Yankees-Red Sox series means for the playoff race, the psychological state of the Yankees, and shifts in fandom priorities. They also touch on broader topics—parenting, sports broadcasting, and a splash of wrestling—but always circle back to the urgency and symbolism of this Yankees-Red Sox faceoff.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The “First Most Important” Yankees vs. Red Sox Series

• Series Context:
  • Yankees have won 8 of 10, hitting 14 home runs in the last two games.
  • Red Sox have stumbled and are now two games behind the Yankees; Yankees chasing the Blue Jays for the division.
• Importance Debate:
  • Rosenberg: Initially claims Giants preseason is bigger news; not buying the "season-defining" hype for this series.
    • “To me, good Lord, that is more exciting than game one of a four game set between the Yankees and the Red Sox.” (03:00)
  • Hahn: Firmly sees this as a turning point for the Yankees, both for the standings and team psyche.
    • “This is the first big series left in the season of a couple. But this one's big. You prove that things have turned… Now you have a chance to smack them around a little bit, keep them reeling, put them in the rear view and then let the Blue Jays know we're coming for you.” (03:27)
• Psychological Impact:
  • Hahn emphasizes not just standings but the need for a “psychological dominance” after the Red Sox embarrassed the Yankees earlier this year.
    • “I think it's important for the team psyche … I think there's got to be some sort of a psychological dominance coming out of the weekend that makes this team and its fan base feel like, okay, we had some dog days of summer, they're behind...” (06:32)

[Key Segment: 03:15–09:16]

2. The Case for Giants Preseason and Jackson Dart

• Rosenberg’s Football Focus:
  • He tries to steer the show towards Giants preseason and rookie Jackson Dart, positioning it as the “story of the day”.
  • Anthony Pusick, producer, says he’s not interested in watching preseason football, calling Yankees-Red Sox “the bigger game”.
• Fan Priorities:
  • A playful ranking of Anthony’s fandom: Rangers, Yankees, Giants.
  • Discussion on what truly gets New Yorkers excited: meaningful late-season baseball or even preseason glimpses of football hope.

[Key Segment: 04:39–11:16]

3. Parenting & Letting Go

• Personal Moments:
  • Alan Hahn gets candid about the emotional tug of sending his son, Zach, off to college sports camps and college.
  • Peter relates, recalling his own “scaredy cat” childhood and never returning to sleepaway camp.
    • “When I went to sleepaway camp once, I cried for two weeks, came home, never went back again.” (13:13)
  • The conversation explores how parenting styles shift between sons and daughters when dealing with growing up and moments of independence.

[Key Segment: 11:16–15:10]

4. What Would Make This Series Telling?

• Possible Outcomes:
  • Hahn: Anything less than winning three out of four would be disappointing; sweep nearly impossible but would provide a “psychological breakthrough”.
  • Key factors: Team’s response to Red Sox aggression on the bases, Yankees’ improved running game, emotional and strategic “juice” in the rivalry.
    • “Can Luis, heal give you… that indication of him finding himself and setting a tone in the series?” (15:52)
• The Need for “Juice”:
  • Reflecting on when “the juice wasn’t there” in May, Hahn wants this series to restore animosity and urgency to Yankees-Red Sox.

[Key Segment: 15:30–20:53]

5. WWE Moves to ESPN & Media Landscape

• Wrestling Crossovers:
  • Rosenberg shares excitement (and surprise) about WWE’s move to ESPN, with the first premium live event “Wrestle Palooza”—and his own confirmed involvement.
  • The hosts marvel at the blurred lines between traditional sports, pro wrestling, and ESPN’s growing reach.

[Key Segment: 21:54–22:42]

6. Broadcast Booth Praise: Joe Girardi's Analysis

• Yankees Broadcast Talent:
  • Hahn notes Joe Girardi's growing confidence as an analyst, praising his “insightful” commentary and ability to explain the subtleties of managing and catching.
    • “I think he's fantastic as a game analyst. I think he's really insightful. He's very good.” (25:42)
  • Additional shout-outs to Jeff Nelson, who’s scheduled to appear later in the show.

[Key Segment: 25:42–29:39]

7. Sports Nicknames and Traditions

• Fun with Names:
  • Banter about calling ex-players and broadcasters by their nicknames (or avoiding them out of respect).
  • Comedy over Buster Olney’s real name:
    • Rosenberg: “Your name is Robert Stanberry. Only the third. You basically are a character in Game of Thrones. And then you go, you know what? Why don’t I just knock my name down to being the family dog?” (32:47)

[Key Segment: 31:07–33:26]

8. Listener Call: Yankees Optimism

• Graham in Yonkers:
  • Calls in to echo Hahn’s positivity and excited energy for the Yankees.
  • Discusses how aggressiveness, especially on the bases, has built his confidence—that the Yankees may have turned a corner.
    • Hahn: “I want to turn over a new leaf. I don't want to be that guy that is just the wet blanket negative. Everything terrible. I don't want to be that.” (36:16)

[Key Segment: 33:26–36:59]

9. Don La Greca’s Acting Debut

• Commercial Spotlight:
  • Discussion about Don’s New Jersey Devils commercial, poking fun at his “hammy” performance.
  • Jokes about the marketing of Don’s tattoo and “Wolf of Weehawken” vibes.

[Key Segment: 37:10–41:17]

10. Playoff Format & Competitive Balance

• Listener Steve's Suggestion:
  • Calls for MLB playoff reform—fewer teams, more meaningful late-season games.
  • Hahn acknowledges that the league prefers more teams involved, creating “parity” and a “crapshoot” in October.

[Key Segment: 45:00–47:56]

11. Closing Sound: Players and Managers on Series Importance

• Clips from Aaron Judge and Aaron Boone:
  • Judge: “Just stay locked up in on that and do what we can do and control. We can control and… take care of business.” (48:13)
  • Boone: “We've never lost confidence. You know, even through some really tough times and some dark days... So, you know, we got to keep it going, though.” (49:11)

[Key Segment: 48:12–49:11]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Series Importance:
  • Alan Hahn: “This is the first most important series left in the season. That's the best way to describe it. But that says that there's a lot of emphasis there when you say it that way.” (21:22)
• Sports Priorities:
  • Anthony Pusick: “I’m probably not even putting the Giants on. I mean, it’s preseason football. I could catch the highlights…” (09:45)
• On Hosting Styles:
  • Alan Hahn: “I want to turn over a new leaf. I don't want to be that guy that is just the wet blanket negative.” (36:16)
• On Nicknames:
  • Peter Rosenberg: “[Buster Olney’s] name is Robert Stanberry. Only the third. You basically are a character in Game of Thrones. And then you go… Why don’t I just knock my name down to being the family dog?” (32:47)
• On Don LaGreca’s Acting:
  • Alan Hahn: “We need to, like, get some critiques on it. There’s a couple of good one liners. I’m sure if we throw it on the page, like him on the phone with people is just fantastic.” (40:57)
• On Yankees Playoff Picture:
  • Alan Hahn: “If you come out of it losing three out of four, I feel like the win comes out of the sails. Of the 8 out of 10...” (21:54)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Yankees vs. Red Sox “First Most Important” Debate: 03:15–09:16
• Giants Preseason vs. Yankees Red Sox Fandom: 09:37–11:16
• Parenting & Letting Go: 11:16–15:10
• Psychological Stakes of the Series: 15:30–20:53
• WWE to ESPN & Wrestling Crossover: 21:54–22:42
• Joe Girardi as Analyst: 25:42–29:39
• Nicknames & Sports Lore: 31:07–33:26
• Caller Graham’s Yankees Hope: 33:26–36:59
• Don La Greca Devils Commercial: 37:10–41:17
• MLB Playoff Format & Call-in: 45:00–47:56
• Player/Manager Clips on Series: 48:12–49:11

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Conclusion

The opening hour delivers a rapid-fire, banter-filled exploration of why this Yankees-Red Sox series matters—both in the standings and emotionally for the fan base. Hahn and Rosenberg’s tug-of-war over what’s sports “headline” material in New York is both comical and insightful, showing just how multi-layered the sports landscape is at this point in the season. Through listener calls, inside-broadcasting stories, and riffing on sports traditions, the show sets up the weekend’s tension and drama while maintaining a signature blend of levity and serious analysis.

Transcript

[Alan Hahn]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

I had never seen holes like that before.

[Alan Hahn]

Han, I'm not comfortable touching it. I'm not. No. And Rosenberg?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm not breastfeeding. No, but I.

[Alan Hahn]

That's too bad. This isn't North Dakota. This is New York. This is Don, Han and Rosenberg. The best threesome I've ever heard on 880, ESPN and the ESPN New York app.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'll tell you what, for my money, these, these new intros that the guys have been putting together, the brain children of Anthony Pusick have been fantastic. Don't you agree, Alan?

[Alan Hahn]

I do. I certainly do. And I also can't remember saying half the stuff that I hear.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Isn't it funny, Wild, like.

[Alan Hahn]

I didn't, did I? Why would I say that? It's just a lot of that. So it's good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Happens on this show. Why? But here we are. Here we are Thursday, Alan.

[Alan Hahn]

We are here.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We made it.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, not yet. Friday. Yeah, we made it to Thursday.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's Friday at Jays.

[Alan Hahn]

I guess so.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, the good news is.

[Alan Hahn]

And we made it to Yankees, Red Sox.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, I was going to say four.

[Alan Hahn]

Games in the Bronx to decide it all for now.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I was actually going to say we made it till Thursday Night Football where Giants fans will get their eyes on Jackson Dart for the last time and in God knows how long.

[Alan Hahn]

Until when.

[Peter Rosenberg]

When we renew the rivalry of the ages, the G Men and the Pats prime video. Nationally though, you'll have your local coverage as well. What Is that a Fox 5 vehicle?

[Alan Hahn]

Locally, I guess, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

We'll find out.

[Alan Hahn]

But either way, a Fox 5. It could be an NBC. I can't give up. Was it NBC? It could be NBC. I got a thumbs up. Yeah. Yankees are on Fox. That's right. Fox tonight, Amazon tomorrow. Little yes on Saturday. And then of course, the brand new gorgeous ESPN direct to consumer app for Sunday night baseball. And I mean, come on, everything.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I believe the story today is football. I believe the story is Giant fan.

[Alan Hahn]

Preseason football is where you want to begin today's conversation.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I believe today. I believe Today of all days, the holiest of days. I believe that the, the anticipation of what Jackson Dart could show in his final outing of this preseason, to me, good Lord, that is more exciting than game one of a four game set between the Yankees and the Red Sox. In spite of the implications this. Let's not all of a sudden act overnight. Allen, you of all people, me, the, the man who has poured rain all over the New York Yankees. You're now going to turn around and.

[Alan Hahn]

Tell me mean the red hot rolling New York Yankees, 8 out of 10, 14 home runs in the last two games. All they do is hit home runs.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So you're in now.

[Alan Hahn]

And they got, they. The Red Sox have been reeling and they now are chasing the Yankees again. And you could kind of, you could, you know, push them down a little more or a lot more in this series. Get him out of the way and then get back to your cupcake schedule that'll resume again next week against some other patsies that you're gonna bat around like the bunny likes to do. Like this weekend is the most important series of the month, which is gonna end in a week. And then you go into the early part of September where you have a couple more. But like, this is the first big series left in the season of a couple. But this one's big. You prove that things have turned. You get your Red Sox team that, that, you know that look, they took you to the woodshed earlier this season. They're the reason why you went into a tailspin. They have been the thorn in your side since 2004. And now you have a chance to smack them around a little bit, keep them reeling, put them in the rear view and then let the Blue Jays know we're coming for you. That's what this weekend's about and it starts tonight. All right, Luis Heal on the hill. Like, this is great.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay, I, I'm more excited to talk football today, but if you want to, if you want to win me over to tell me this, can you call it as important a series as they have left on the schedule?

[Alan Hahn]

No, can't be yet. It's the first of important importance. Look, you don't know like, like that series at the end of the year, if you're a half game back of Toronto, that could be the most important one. You know what I mean? It's the first most important.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, let me, let me, let me argue with you here, please.

[Alan Hahn]

Do.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They have one more with the Red Sox? Yes, a three game set. That one will be vital in mid.

[Alan Hahn]

September, Yeah, in Fenway too.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But they, but they close out now, obviously that last series. Depending on what happens, maybe Chicago and Baltimore to end the year. You're just locked into, of course. But this is certainly. If you think this is a team that needs something dramatic to take a turn, you could argue playing their division rival at this stage. It could be tied for the most important series they have left with the other series they have with the Red Sox. And of course they have a three game set with Toronto as well. But you're right, the rest of it is so bleh. Especially down the last 10 games of the season.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, but that's all right. Again, those matchups, despite the fact that you're playing like the Orioles, for example, who have played better since like Michael was saying this during his show. They fired their manager. They have played better. They're above.500. I mean they had such a God awful start to the season that they just have been bad. But they're the Orioles and it's the. Let's just say that that final three games at Yankee Stadium, could that be for the division? Not that. Not you're playing the Orioles for the division, but you still might need two out of three. And that makes it important regardless of who you're playing. I think this is the first most important because of where we are in the schedule and where they are when it comes to the standings. They have put the Red Sox two games back of them and they have three games now to chase the Blue Jays. You're right there. The division which we thought they, you know, when people a week ago were like, there's not even make, they might not even make the playoffs, which we all know was, that was a bit of hyperbole. Even me, the big hater, the big, big, you know, negative Nelly. I never even would have acknowledged that because the American League is not, it's not good. There's a lot of parity. So the Yankees always were going to be a team that with the schedule that they had left, you could see them definitely making the playoffs. But they could win the division. They still could because the schedule will allow it. Because it's not a lot of good teams. They have to win them. But you can't do anything if you come out of this and the Red Sox still own you and you lose three out of four at home to them because you then you fall right back into okay. So the belief is that you're only beating bad teams. But when you play a team like the Red Sox, you just can't beat them. You have to send a message this weekend. I believe that. You really do. You have to. I think it's important for the team psyche. You can do like, like Michael was saying, just go two and two and then you have your soft schedule and that, that could be enough just to keep the Red Sox at bay. And I understand that that's true. But I think outside of the numbers, emotionally, I think the Yankees need to do three or four. I think they need to get three out of four, which is more likely than a sweep because it's hard to sweep a four game series. But I think they've got to do that. I think there's got to be some sort of a psychological dominance coming out of the weekend that makes this team and its fan base feel like, okay, we had some dog days of summer, they're behind. And now as the calendar starts to turn towards September, within the last week of August, you start to feel that momentum building to the Yankees taking the division. That's, that's why I feel like this weekend has a little more juice to it than just, you know, oh, well, there's still more, there's still more important series to go. But this is the first most important series for everything. I just explained. Am I, do you think that I'm putting too much into this? Like, am I, am I over hyping this at all? You, you feel like I am because Jackson Dart. We're not like we can. I totally agree. We should talk about Jackson Dart. Start tonight, what we want to see and when's the next time we're going to see him and all that stuff. I completely agree. But when it comes to the headline of the day, my opinion, Yankees, Red Sox in the first most important series left in the season.

[Peter Rosenberg]

First, most important.

[Alan Hahn]

See how I did that?

[Peter Rosenberg]

First of the importance. I mean, it's such a. It's like assistant to the regional manager.

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, it's just Anthony as a Yankees fan and a Giants fan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, well, he's not a fair one to ask at all.

[Alan Hahn]

Why is that? He's just, he's a sports consumer, but he hates. Well, he'd still.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They make him sick to his stomach.

[Alan Hahn]

Anthony, which, which game is on the main screen? Which game would you have on the small screen on the phone or whatever it is?

[Anthony Pusick]

I'm probably not even putting the Giants on.

[Alan Hahn]

Wow.

[Anthony Pusick]

I mean, it's preseason football. I could catch the highlights of whatever.

[Alan Hahn]

Jackson, favorite son of Jackson Dart.

[Anthony Pusick]

That's great. I've seen, I've seen the highlights from Weeks one and two look good.

[Alan Hahn]

This is the glory.

[Anthony Pusick]

Just very exciting.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But John Winthrop called him sensational.

[Alan Hahn]

Wow. You really going to put that out there?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah.

[Anthony Pusick]

But no, it's. For me, it's Yankees, Red Sox, if it was a regular season game, might have a different conversation, but it's not a regular. And Jackson Dart's not playing week one, so there's no need for me to see what he's got in week three of the preseason.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now this, this begs an interesting question. Is the order of Anthony teams Rangers, Yankees, Giants?

[Anthony Pusick]

Yeah, I think that's probably right.

[Alan Hahn]

That sounds about right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's it, right?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, that sounds about right. No, he loves the Giants, but he loves the Giants. The Rangers are every. He bleeds Ranger blue.

[Anthony Pusick]

We know this big time Rangers preseason game. Now we're having a conversation.

[Alan Hahn]

Now, see that? Now he's, he's torn.

[Anthony Pusick]

Matt Rempe on like, line one. Like, now we're. Now, now we're having a discussion.

[Alan Hahn]

Rempe, Rempe on the power play in the, in the game preseason.

[Anthony Pusick]

Perot skating with Mikasa, banished.

[Alan Hahn]

Now it.

[Anthony Pusick]

Now we're in. Now we're in.

[Alan Hahn]

Now he's wondering. Now he's wondering if Yankees, Red Sox even matters. Now he's making the case of why it's not that important because it's range. And we're only a couple of weeks away from this, by the way, fellas, very exciting, right? The ice is going down. Players are getting ready. Zach left, by the way, today. Zach's on his way in the car right now.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Tell me the truth. Tell me the truth.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You've been through this a good amount with your kids.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, especially since you consider he went to prep school. So since he's 16, he's been going away.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So just completely give us the full, full, honest, whole thing, right? The kitten caboodle.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What level does it affect you at this point? With him when he leaves or with him? Is it fine? It's like, see you next time.

[Alan Hahn]

But it's both. I still get choked up as he drives away, but it's not like it's not as sloppy when I give him that last hug before he gets in the car. You know what I mean? Like, letting him go when he was just turned, literally just turned 16, walking into a dorm at prep school where he knew no one.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, man.

[Alan Hahn]

And we couldn't go in with him. He had to. He went in by himself. And watching him walk through the door and then go back to the car, I mean, just. I couldn't you can't even fathom that. So that it's much different. Yes. We've kind of gotten to the point. Also excited about this season because this is a big year. Like this is his time. It's time for him to play. So I'm really excited. I'll be up there, you know, if I can get to Michigan State for the opener, if. If Winthrop will let me have a couple of days off from the show, you know, in October when nothing's going on, I'd be there. But I don't think I can. But I'm gonna, you know, like we're gonna see him. Cause we're gonna go up a lot and watch. So the emotions aren't nearly as heavy. But you still get that. I don't know. I guess other parents can understand this. Of older kids, you still get that little pit in your stomach when they drive away. I'm sure, you know, you still feel.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Listen, it all hits different now. Everything I ever thought about hits different. The idea. See, to me, I was a scaredy cat. So when I was a kid, when I went to sleepaway camp once, I cried for two weeks, came home, never went back again.

[Alan Hahn]

Wow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That was it. Sleepaway camp. Not for me. That's all. I do not want to be there. All it took. And by the way, this camp was like two hours from my parents house. It was not far and I cried my eyes up for two weeks. So the idea at that time that there could be a. I could get older one day and if I were now to drop off Maya in a situation where she were scared.

[Alan Hahn]

Mm.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How much worse that would be as the parent feeling for your kid Going through it, I would. You would trade it in a heartbeat for it to be you going through the feeling of the fear, being alone.

[Alan Hahn]

Quickly. Zach, his first sleepaway camp, he was 14 and it was up. I think it was like Hamilton College or something like that. And they had them. The boys would be in the dorms. And this is in the summer, so it's disgusting hot. There's no air conditioning and they just gusting hot. Right? Disgusting that every day disgusting hot. I thought I said. So I bring them up to school and set them up in the dorm and then I leave them there. But I'm in a hotel, you know, 10 minutes away, right in town because I'm not going home from Hamilton. I'll stay there for the three days that they had camp. Four days. And so he texts me like it's like 11:30. He's like it's really hot. I'm really uncomfortable. Can I just go to the hotel and sleep in the room with you? And I said, no, can't do it. You gotta, like, make him go through it, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

That and you were happy to have a hotel room to yourself. Let's be honest.

[Alan Hahn]

Not really. It was kind of boring, but it was just funny how he was like, can I just go to the hotel? No, can't. My wife's like, how could you do that to him? Like, because he's got to figure. He's got to live through it. He's got to figure it out. So, yeah, it's different, though. And then of course, with Emma, I'm like, sure, I'll come get you right now. So it is different with the daughters.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I could totally imagine. Yeah, well. 1-800-919-3776 whatever the big story is to you today, whether it is this facoctor.

[Alan Hahn]

Yankees, Red Sox series now, it is not for cocktail. Honestly, though, if you just look through and I'm going to ask you a question. Okay, go ahead, take me through it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What scenario here? Give me the scenarios that are truly intriguing between the. In this Yankees, Red Sox series, obviously a split is a nothing burger. And in the end, unless something, you know, bizarre happens, we don't have that much to say about it come Monday. But what are the outcomes, Alan, that you think would be so telling about this baseball team as we sit on August 21st?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, well, like I said, I think mentally there is, there is part of this game that is mental of all sports for a team's psyche. When you think about where the Yankees were and that, that, you know, the 20 and 31 after July, I'm sorry, June 13th, they go into that series, they, they, they suddenly start playing sloppy again. They start looking like that team, you know, from the end of the playoffs where it was kind of embarrassing, where that was the team everybody mocked, that Yankee team that couldn't run bases and couldn't field and, you know, had terrible at bats. They started showing that and it was alarming for the longest time. Now they have fixed a lot of problems. Like Caballero gets, gets caught stealing last night and again, I'm on his side. How the hell did that umpire see that? I have no idea, but I understand why he'd be mad. But what I, what you can't overlook as I'm trying to be more positive about things with this team, they are running. They are running and they're running and they're running and they need to do that, putting pressure on opposing pitching. That's good. Not just with your at bats but with runners on base and then trying to steal bases, being athletic on the bases. That's all good stuff. That's new that they have. They have kind of added this year the Red Sox do the same thing. And the Red Sox, remember in that series they ran on the Yankees almost every time they could. They made a mockery of the Yankees by running on him. So this feels like are you a different looking Yankee team than the last time you saw the Red Sox and you were swept? So that's number one. Number two. And Michael pointed this out as well. They played in Tampa last night. They, they've mashed a bunch of home runs against bad Tampa pitching in a stadium they're very comfortable in. But still they did have 14 home runs in two games. But they got in late or early this morning, 4am because they're in Tampa and they flew overnight. Why? They played a night game. That's what they did. So it's clear this is going to be a team that like this first game. You know, Giolito is pitching for the Red Sox. He's been great this season. Luis Heels pitching for the Yankees. It's a nice matchup. Can Luis, he'll give you like start to give you that indication of him finding himself and setting a tone in the series because they probably are going to need him on point if they're a little bit of a road weary team, especially at the plate against a good pitcher. All right, so I'm watching that tonight. That's number one. But then you've got Freed, Will Warren and Rodon, like you have your guys now. Schlitler, by the way, pitched great last night. But what I'm watching for, especially Saturday's game, Garrett Crochet, who you struggled with the first time around, I feel like for the Yankees there's some mental. I don't know what to say. Breakthrough, because that's not the right word. It's like a. Not a hurdle. What am I looking for?

[Peter Rosenberg]

What are you looking for?

[Alan Hahn]

Because they're one in five. Like this is a way to like let the Red Sox know this is a different team than you saw and we're now going to push you in our rear view. I don't want the Red Sox to be relevant anymore after this series and I think for the Yankees and the winning that they've done recently against some bad teams, coming out of this series with three out of four at the least would be huge for Their psyche and I think would also be a little more credibility to the winning because, you know, I'm the first one to say I'm a little skeptical. The schedule's been soft. They're doing what they're supposed to do. They're beating bad teams. But you give me a series where they look like they dominate the Red Sox, that is a psychological improvement that I think could give you that momentum as you head into September, which then you're going to face the Tigers, you're going to face the Astros. There's still a couple more tough series to face. But a good series here gives you that feeling of, okay, you know what? This runs legit now. This is not just, oh, you, you're in the soft party schedule. This is. No, things have turned around. I feel like that's important. So I, that's why I'm looking at this series with a little extra attention. The last time around, I don't know if you. You had to have been here, because I think it was May when, remember I said, yankees, Red Sox, the juice isn't there anymore. It used to be and all that stuff. And I really was disappointed. Then they came out of that weekend and I was like, oh, my God, the Yankees went into that, like, as if the juice wasn't there. And the Red Sox were like, no, it is the way they played versus the way the Yankees played. I want this series to have juice every single game. Little bit of animosity, a little bit of tension, and a Yankee team that plays with a little bit of a steely determination because they know, all right, we've seen this team twice, and they've kind of embarrassed us. They set us off course. We got to get back on course, and we're going to do it against them. That's what I like about this series. Can I convince you anymore? No, because I can also give you just the standings alone, tell you how big this is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, that part's obvious.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, I mean, think about it. Two games in a loss column, Better you get three of them, right? That's you're opening up two more, and it keeps the Red Sox behind you, which, in the wild card race, that's important. And then just see where things go. I mean, the Blue Jays are playing the Marlin, so I don't know what, you know, what to expect out of a series like that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, you throw the record books out, do you?

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, look, I'm not selling that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Or you or your television.

[Alan Hahn]

Right. I was going to throw your phone out the window if you got it on the app. But I feel like. I think there's no other way to put it, then this is the first most important series left in the season. That's the best way to describe it. But that says that there's a lot of emphasis there when you say it that way. It's important because of how you come out of it. Because I think if you come out of it losing three out of four, I feel like the win comes out of the sails. Of the 8 out of 10, did.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You follow the first WWE ple on ESPN will be wrestle Palooza, which I have to admit, if you had made me guess 20 names for what they were going to come, you wouldn't have gone. Palooza just it's. It's pulling out an old ECW thing that's like. It's a very random one. They pulled out. But John Cena will be on that show. I don't know what else will be on it. I know I'll be there.

[Alan Hahn]

Will you be on it?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'll be on it, baby.

[Alan Hahn]

You confirmed?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Confirmed.

[Alan Hahn]

Nice.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I will be in Indy September 20th. That will be the first ever WWE on ESPN. Ple. Now, here's the thing I was. I didn't know about in this deal. Anthony, did you realize that it starts then and that's it? It's like WWE's now on ESPN.

[Anthony Pusick]

That was the big announcement.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, it's a big deal.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Up until that, though, I thought Peacock ran through the end of the year.

[Anthony Pusick]

Yes, that Russell Palooza kind of broke everything together.

[Alan Hahn]

So that's it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like as of a month from now, WWE is on ESPN. It's a crazy development. This is an ad by BetterHelp. These days, it feels like there's a vice for everything. Cold plunges, gratitude journals, screen detoxes. But how do you know what actually works for you? With the Internet and information overload about mental health and wellness, it can be a struggle to know what's true and what actions to take. These days, using trusted resources and talking to live therapists can get you personalized recommendations and help to help you break through the noise. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. And it works with an App store rating of 4.9 out of 5 based on over 1.7 million client reviews. As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise. Talk it out with BetterHelp, our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com timeout that's betterhelp.com timeout if you've.

[Don LaGreca]

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[Alan Hahn]

This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Checking off the boxes on your to do list is a great feeling. And when it comes to checking off coverage, a State Farm agent can help you choose an option that' right for you. Whether you prefer talking in person on the phone or using the award winning app, it's nice knowing you have help finding coverage that best fits your needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Alan Hahn]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. 800 now, 193776 we have calls here to get to in a moment. I'm gonna just keep fighting Peter all the way to the at least the end of the hour about the importance of Yankees Red Sox. Starting tonight it's on Fox. We get yes once Saturday. You get the yes crew tomorrow night, Friday night, but that's an Amazon. And then of course the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball because Yankees Red Sox is always going to be on Sunday Night Baseball as it should be. That's fine. Fox on a Thursday night felt A little out of place, didn't it? It's very random. Thursday night, Fox grabs that game. Smart, but it's kind of random. But we will get yes at least one time over the weekend, which is good. And one quick comment here, Peter, what's that is. And I'm seeing it trend today on. On Twitter, and I'm glad it is because I have been feeling like this since he's returned. And it's Joe Girardi. I think he's fantastic as a game analyst. I think he's really insightful. He's very good. Again, when he, as a former manager, the idea of him being able to, you know, plan two or three at bats ahead, what I would do here or why you do this here in this situation and as a catcher, why you throw this pitch, why you put this. Like, it's so insightful. But then on top of it, him also getting more and more comfortable, which probably took him a minute because, look, it's got to be awkward. You're talking about a team that fired you as manager. You're talking about a team and a manager. Well, and a manager who replaced you that you managed. No, he didn't. He didn't manage him. Right. Tory was still manager then, but, but he was teammates with him. So there's, there's a lot of, like, awkwardness in the beginning. So you don't want to be a critical. You don't want to be a little too. This is what I would do here. You know, you want to be, you probably want to be careful. But as the year has gone on, I think he's gotten more and more comfortable. And I felt like, you know, this, this, this, these past two games. His stuff on Stanton was phenomenal. And he also spoke about Volpe in a way like I did when everybody wanted to run him out of town when he, he was struggling, he couldn't throw a baseball. He looked like that hang dog. Feel sorry for myself. Thing that does happen with young players who are definitely have the rabbit ears of hearing all the criticism that was going on at the time. And then he acknowledged something that we never do, which is, hey, remember when we all thought Volpe was a disaster and it was, you know, maybe the Yankees should move on from him and all that stuff. And they stuck with him. And look at him now. Look how he's starting to hit the ball. Look how he's fielding again very comfortably, turning double plays, ground balls at like, you know, while Schlitler was going through his perfect game into the sixth inning, Volpe made a play on a ground ball that Anthony. I don't know if were you watching at the time. Did you. Did you catch the one he snow coned like a quick little one hop that was coming at it. It was a bizarre like that. Easily could have hit off the glove and went into the field and I would have ended or they may be the call it an error, but he made an unbelievable play. Snow coned it and then the wherewithal and the athleticism of then transferring it and making the throw. Yeah, even.

[Anthony Pusick]

Even his throws have looked better over the last week or so.

[Alan Hahn]

Just snapping it now like not even hesitating. Just remember he was double clutching for a while. So I having Girardi there and hearing kind of his voice of reason and I think also just how much command he has of the game. I think it's been great. He and Kay had a fantastic two.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Games and you even get him on. You even get them what once this weekend? Is that what he said?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, I got to see who's got the weekend. Who's got Saturday. I think. Well, Michael's got to be doing Friday night, right? Did he say on his show? I did not hear that part.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, is.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, there is Friday's Amazon. Well, it's a. Yes. Broadcast. It's an Amazon, but it's on Amazon.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Did you. When do we start doing Amazon?

[Alan Hahn]

I always do that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh really? I didn't know that.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, because. Have you ever see the. The when people shorten it. It's amzn.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How often do people shorten it on tv?

[Alan Hahn]

You see it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean like on the. On like the. Yeah, on like the score sheet.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, Amazon.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It'll say it's on Amazon.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So.

[Alan Hahn]

So at least if you don't like it, I'll stop. But it's just the thing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no. I'm kind of into. I shouldn't know if it was. If I, if I missed something.

[Alan Hahn]

Not a thing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, it's your thing and that matters to me.

[Alan Hahn]

Anyway, I, I felt like it was because I'm looking to see the, the trending because I'm actually trying to see if there's anything on the football front with your guy, Terry McLaurin and there isn't. But I did see Girardi and I'm like, what's going on with him? And then I saw people, you know, throwing flowers to him and I thought, you know what? I was thinking the same thing. He has been really good. Another really good analyst that yes has is Jeff Nelson. He's joining Us at five.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, there you go.

[Alan Hahn]

You talk about Yankees, Red Sox. I mean, come on. He's got stories for days. Yay. Nelly's going to join us at 5, and we'll get deeper into.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Are you guys on a Nelly basis? Well, that's his nickname, but you're jumping right to Nelly.

[Alan Hahn]

I can't do that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm asking you.

[Alan Hahn]

I'll ask him when he comes on.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How he feels about it, because, you know, Michael doesn't. Michael didn't even call Yogi Berra by his nickname. He respected him too much.

[Alan Hahn]

He didn't call him Yogi?

[Peter Rosenberg]

No.

[Alan Hahn]

What do you call him when he refers to Babe Ruth? Does he say George?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Larry. He called him Larry.

[Alan Hahn]

He called him Larry. Does he call him George when he talks about Babe Ruth?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, if he. If he were to see him, he would call him George.

[Alan Hahn]

George Herman.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, I don't know if he called him. I don't know if he called Yogi Lawrence or Larry. But he has. Michael has great respect. Respect for the man. By the way, I always loved when he did that bit, because I'm like, I have to imagine Yogi Berra would be much more offended if you didn't call him Yogi.

[Alan Hahn]

And he doesn't call Buster only Buster. Right. He calls him the. What's Buster's fault?

[Steve]

James.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Buster only James. What is Buster's real name?

[Alan Hahn]

No, Michael. Michael has it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, he doesn't.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, no, he. He always refers to him as his given name here.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, his name is Buster.

[Alan Hahn]

Buster only joins us.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How you doing, Champ?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, you called him Champ.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Robert Stanberry. Buster only Robert.

[Alan Hahn]

Robert Stanberry III is what he said.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He does not call him Robert only, does he?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, he says Robert Stanberry when he ever introduces him, when he has him on. Buster only joins us.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How you doing, Champ?

[Alan Hahn]

Champ. But he. Remember, they grew up together in the business. So, you know, you go back before you. I knew you before you were Buster.

[Peter Rosenberg]

By the way, real quick. So. So your name.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is Robert Stanberry. Only the third.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You basically are a character in Game of Thrones. And then you go, you know what? Why don't I just knock my name down to being the family dog?

[Alan Hahn]

I don't know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's a crazy.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't know if he chose that. That probably is what family members called him as a kid. And he just. It stuck with him. Busted.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean. I mean, his. His real name has. I mean, Gravity.

[Alan Hahn]

No, no, that's. That's. Yeah. That's a guy that wears his nickname.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Might as well be Rover.

[Alan Hahn]

That's a three piece suit with a monocle and a walking stick kind of name, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Exactly. And it goes from a walking stick to he's chasing a stick. I mean, it's unbelievable.

[Alan Hahn]

800 now, 193776. Let's take Graham and Yonkers to start off the calls today. Hey, Graham.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Graham. Graham.

[Graham]

Yep.

[Alan Hahn]

What's up?

[Graham]

Hey, guys.

[Alan Hahn]

How you doing?

[Graham]

Doing great. Doing great. So I just. Before I get into talking about the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry, Peter, I had a quick question for you.

[Alan Hahn]

Go ahead.

[Graham]

I was thinking, you know, first off, congratulations on the. The birth of Maya. I know it's pretty late to be saying that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'll take it anytime. Thank you.

[Graham]

Yeah, man. Her initials are mjr.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Graham]

Is. Do you ever think that that's a Mage Major?

[Alan Hahn]

Wow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, my God.

[Alan Hahn]

Did you even know? Did you even know you did that?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I never thought of that. My daughter's initials, M.J.R.

[Graham]

Major.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's like the long version of Mage. Is her name. Her name Major?

[Graham]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now, Graham, I thought. Graham, are you a wrestling fan?

[Graham]

Yeah, yeah. I'm the biggest Peter Rosenberg guy in the business.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah, I know. I remember you, Graham. Sorry. So I also thought. And I thought that was you, but I didn't remember your name being Graham, but how about that? I thought you were going to go with. Did I consider the fact that she's MJR and she's better than you and you know it, but you went with Major. Wow. Graham, you're bringing it already, buddy. Thank you.

[Graham]

Yeah, man, I just. It hit my head yesterday. My wife, we all use Mage. My family, everything's Mage chased. It's. It's a, It's a regular part of the everyday lexicon.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What a great family.

[Graham]

Definitely, Matt. All right, so just to get into the Yankees here, you know, Alan, I'm loving the energy today. I was a little, you know, thrown off by your trepidation about, you know, the way that we've been playing and the easy teams and the fact that we do need to beat the Red Sox, which I totally agree with you. I think that we need to come out of this series three or four. But the way they Tampa, but the way that we were dominating the faces in game one there, just ruthless with the stealing and just the way that we were kind of, you know.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. And I don't. I don't even mind, you know, Graham, I. Bellinger tried to steal. Did you see Bellinger try to try to get the third and they on a I believe it was. Was that a sacrifice or was that just a basic. Whatever it was, he was trying to get the third and he got thrown out. I don't mind it, though, because you're putting pressure on defense and you're testing teams saying, you know, what probability is they could throw it away too. You never know. So let's just keep putting pressure on defenses like teams were doing to them. And I didn't mind it as long as, you know, it doesn't get too crazy. But I. I have noticed that. And I also. Graham, I want to turn over a new leaf. I don't want to be. I don't want to be that guy that is just the wet blanket negative. Everything terrible. I don't want to be that. But, you know, I got. No, I really rarely am, but in this case, lately from. From mid June. So for some reason, the way the Yankees played is really set me off, and I gotta get. I gotta snap out of it. So it's gonna start this week. It's gonna start tonight and this weekend and Monday when we come back, I'm gonna be. You know what? I'm feeling good about this team now because they're gonna get at least three out of four. That's what I'm feeling.

[Graham]

I think we got it ahead of us here.

[Alan Hahn]

Graham's signal is. Thanks, Graham.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Good call, though, dude.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But, yeah, no, listen, it's in front of you. I. I love. Let me say this. I love the idea of. I'm gone next week because Paris. Peter.

[Alan Hahn]

No, here we go.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Going back to Charles de Gaulle. I love the idea that when I get back the day after Labor Day, we have an upbeat Alan Hahn.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We have an upbeat New York Yankee fan base. I'm already going to be excited to be working with the star of. Of stage and screen, Don legreca, who. We saw his New Jersey Devils commercial.

[Alan Hahn]

How about that?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, Don's the star of a commercial.

[Alan Hahn]

Did you know, though, that he was that big of a ham? He really hammed it up.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And by the way, very impressive, by the way. Not only that, not only did he ham it up and love it, but the day he got back from doing the shoot, he comes into the studio and he's talking about. He sits down, he goes. I mean, I'm a really good actor. I mean, I mean, you know, Don, he didn't actually say it that way, but he did. He did say, I don't. I can act. So if you guys haven't seen it, you can be the judge on on Don's acting skills. But I'll tell you this, it's very good. It's just an awesome spot. Like, I love, by the way, I love that they intentionally did the part where he put his leg up on the desk. So you see the tattoo.

[Alan Hahn]

You have to see that they're gonna. They are going to play up the tattoo as much as possible. They might even have a night at a game where a tattoo artists are all around the arena. And you, too, could get a Don LaGreca tattoo. Wouldn't that be a great idea? Get a Stanley cup tattoo on your leg just like Don's. And we're going to add 2,000. Which one's missing for him? He has 95 and 2,000. Right. So he's missing 03. So, yeah, we'll put the 2003 on.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He might as well add it now. By the way.

[Alan Hahn]

By the way, 123,000 views of this video for the New Jersey Devils. I would say Don McGregor being there, play by play. Guy is already good for business.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Agree 100% agree.

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, you can wait.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I cannot believe I got to tell you, this is so weird for me. It's. It's crazy for me. The timing was very good there. It's. Every time I open my Twitter page, Anthony, you had this experience. Every time I open it. Another one of the big ESPN platforms had a WWE star on today. It's crazy. Like, I'm just still so not used to this level of worlds colliding. It's.

[Alan Hahn]

We have you, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

You have me for sure. It gets no bigger. But, you know, Seth Rollins was on.

[Alan Hahn]

That's big.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Get up. Yeah, CM Punk was on first take. It's all over the beat. Maybe we'll get. Should I call old Seth?

[Alan Hahn]

Wait, wait, wait.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Set to jump on with us too.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, wait a minute. You know who loves me?

[Anthony Pusick]

A little late for Seth.

[Alan Hahn]

Why?

[Anthony Pusick]

He's in Ireland.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, that's right. It's okay. It's only 9. 44.

[Alan Hahn]

Wait a minute. You know. You know who loves me?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Who loves han?

[Alan Hahn]

Who loves LeBron and loves tweaking me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The nature.

[Alan Hahn]

Can we get an H?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, he's not officially with the Company anymore.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, he's not? Oh, that's a shame.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now, listen, will he be at some point? I'm sure, but at this specific moment, it doesn't work. He wouldn't be what Someone we'd have on for the promo. But his recent.

[Alan Hahn]

His recent attack on me and then retreat.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, is the best.

[Alan Hahn]

Just an unbelievable moonwalk. It Was fantastic.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I've never seen anything like it. Hated you. And then the next day was literally like, it gets no better. I don't know why I made him trump, but he. It's just ridiculous.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But yeah, if you haven't watched, I'm gonna retweet it right now. The Don Legrette commercial.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. We all need to, like, get some critiques on it. There's a couple of good one liners. I'm sure if we throw it on the page, like him on the phone with people is just fantastic. How he walks up to the one, the one young lady and he goes, you know, njd negotiate, justify, deliver the Wolf of Weehawken. Like, what is he doing?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Did he actually say.

[Alan Hahn]

No, no, no. I'm just saying, like, he's. He's giving me like Wolf of Weehawk and vibes as he's walking through the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The Wolf of Wheel.

[Alan Hahn]

Let's sell, people. Let's sell.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Don't you think? For the record, I know we got a break. All these for closers.

[Alan Hahn]

Like all those lines I was waiting to see.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Do you. Do you think, though, like, it obviously won't happen early on because Don's going to have to, you know, obviously the play by play is second nature for him.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, he'll. He's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But the comfort of it being the place that you work will take a little time. Like, okay, this is where I am now. I know the lay of the land. Everybody likes me. They think I do a great job. Like, he'll need time to feel that it's his. I get that. But Don legreco will make the next step as a truly great commentator. When occasionally, when the right moment presents itself, you get crazy. Don from this show, it won't happen often.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, like a rant like, like a.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Player does something that's so atrocious against the Devils, for example.

[Alan Hahn]

And then he just flips out on.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And you get to see, like, it has to be special.

[Alan Hahn]

Like what? Somebody died. Yeah. We've heard from other announcers before on things like this in the past. So it does exist. So we shall see. @blinds.com it's not just about window treatments.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's about you, your style, your space, your way.

[Alan Hahn]

Whether you DIY or want the pros to handle it all, you'll have the confidence of knowing it's done right. From free expert design help to our 100% satisfaction guarantee, everything we do is made to fit your life and your windows. [e-mail], the only thing we treat better than Windows is you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Visit blinds.com now for up to 40%.

[Alan Hahn]

Off site wide plus a professional measure at no cost.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Rules and restrictions apply.

[Anthony Pusick]

This isn't just another ESPN Fantasy football season. It's your shot at greatness. With a refreshed design, the ESPN Fantasy app is shot sharper than ever. So you can draft like a pro and dominate your league. And introducing Gridiron Gauntlet, a new game mode where the best compete to be crowned the number one fantasy football player of 2025. One app, one shot, one champion. Download the ESPN fantasy app and sign up to play ESPN fantasy football today.

[Alan Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Alan Hahn]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want to. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. Oh, you know how you said in that in the what I forget the Prince song that there was no bass.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, this, this face in this song.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, there's bass in that one.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh yeah. It's a hell of a bass line. We'll get into football like Peter wants to as he is just. He's just punching and screaming and kicking. I didn't say that through this hour.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right thing to do.

[Alan Hahn]

Just wants to talk preseason football so badly and so I promise we will. Four o'. Clock. A lot of Giants Jackson Dart making the start tonight in the final preseason game. And as we can start, decide when are we going to see him again and does he need to do anything tonight to make a bigger case? Although, like I said, the Giants have made it abundantly clear Russell Wilson is starter. Nothing's going to change that. But could he do something tonight that makes you just want even more to see him sooner rather than later again? 800 now, 193776 calls now, shall we? Oh yeah. Steve in Middle Village. Steve.

[Steve]

Hello gentlemen.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How are you?

[Steve]

Thanks for taking the call. A couple of things about the proposed realignment of the major leagues that may be off topic that I, I remember that in 1982 or 83 there was a split season when they had a work stoppage and the teams that won in the first half of the season really didn't play that hard in the second half of the season because they knew they had a playoff first. I don't think that's going to work too well. I have a suggestion. God help me, I have a suggestion that maybe may make it a little bit more exciting if you're going to have forget about the American National League that ended a while ago with The DH and everything have three divisions or have four divisions, north, south, you know, west and Central. However you want to cut it up, you have enough teams, you don't need to expand, cut, make, make it difficult for teams to get into the playoffs. Go back to 154 game season. Follow me on this. The only teams that get into the playoffs are the winners of the four divisions and the second place teams. No more of this aping or not aping. I should say copying the NHL and the NBA where they have so many teams getting into the playoffs. Make it a little bit special, put pressure on, on the teams and on the teams that don't want to spend money to, you know, have more of a competition where I remember that August and September were the biggest months because you, you know, years ago when you had to get into the playoffs and you only had either the league championship or you only had two wild card teams. I'll shut up. And I like to hear what you have to say.

[Alan Hahn]

I feel like I, I understand what you're talking about. I think for the league, they want to keep more teams engaged and by expanding it the way they did it does that now for better or for worse because obviously the more, the more teams you let in, you water down the competition. Because look, look at baseball now. There aren't, it's not very top heavy, there aren't many dominant teams. It makes it though more interesting because in reality as much as, again, I blame myself, the consternation here in New York about both teams, the Mets and the Yankees and how, you know, they've fumbled lately and don't look like champions. We're only looking at our teams. When you look around the league, nobody does. Everybody's flawed. So I think that does leave that. And what was what, what's the saying, Peter? What get to October and it's a crapshoot.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's right.

[Alan Hahn]

And that's sort of what baseball has created. It's a, it's, it's a real thing. Aaron Judge talking about this Red Sox series and the importance of it as it begins tonight on Fox, 7:30 in the Bronx.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Let's play our game.

[Alan Hahn]

You know, we've been playing our game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The past, past couple series.

[Alan Hahn]

So you know, just stay locked up in on that and do what we can do and control. We can control and you know, we'll.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Take care of business.

[Alan Hahn]

You know, he's never going to give you any type of bulletin board material.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, I mean, and he did two days ago. So. But that was not doing it back to back.

[Alan Hahn]

That was the wrong guy. That was the wrong time. How about Aaron Boone, Boonie to you and me, discussing whether or not this Yankee team may have gotten its confidence back. Yeah, look, we've never lost confidence. They've never lost confidence. You know, even. Even through some really tough times and some dark days, you know, it's there to be had. So we haven't done anything yet. We've. We've obviously, you know, put together a really good road trip off, you know, off winning a series. So, you know, we got to keep it going, though. And we understand the importance of obviously, all these games now to give us a chance to do something special, you know, in a while. Dark days.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know what it sounds like he wants to say.

[Alan Hahn]

What does he want to say after.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All that we've been through? I will make it up to you.

[Alan Hahn]

Does he promise you? He promises you after all that's been said and done?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Huh.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And then the next thing.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, whatever came after that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The thing that comes right after that.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, you know what's coming after this football commercial break. You have Jackson Dart starting tonight. What is it that he can do to either make it even more obvious that he needs to play this season, or is there anything that could happen that could make you say, all right, he's got to start right away?

[Peter Rosenberg]

And not only do we have that.

[Alan Hahn]

What else do we have?

[Peter Rosenberg]

We also have the audio of Don's acting debut for the New Jersey Devils. We'll play you a bunch of clips of Don being his most Don legreca self. But it's the actor version of Don.

[Alan Hahn]

I see that. And in the 4 o' clock hour it is Thursday. That gives us a Thursday rewrite.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Rewrite like you dream about.

[Alan Hahn]

And a little history that there's an anniversary of this week. Really, that if, that, if there was just a little change in the story, it might have been a dramatic change in the New York sports landscape.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You get all of that and a leaderboard update brought to you by Schweppes. Because I know you care about this. We're talking about the Tour Championship, baby. NBC, espn. Many different ways to consume this weekend. Justin Thomas, currently your leader in the clubhouse. Actually, he's not in the clubhouse yet. Sorry. He's through 13. He's seven under. Collimore Cowell right behind him at six under. And Patrick Cantlay at five under. All right, I know Allen is locked in just like Don is on vacation right now. And that is your leaderboard update presented by Schweppes. Schweppes offers a hole in one refreshing experience, and it's proud to sponsor the PGA of America. Enhance your summer with Schweppes Seltzer or Schweppes Ginger Ale.

[Alan Hahn]

Thanks for listening to my Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't want to know how the.

[Alan Hahn]

Sausage is made, but 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.