Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 1: Concern for the Mets?

Date: April 3, 2026
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Podcast: ESPN New York

Episode Overview

The trio broadcasts live as the sports world buzzes with Opening Day at Yankee Stadium under unseasonably cold and gray New York weather. However, the focus quickly pivots from the Yankees' festivities to mounting anxiety around the lackluster start by the New York Mets. The hosts dissect whether it's too soon to raise concerns—or even consider a managerial change—after the team’s 3–4 start. They tackle questions of expectations, leadership, and accountability, all while keeping their trademark irreverent, reference-heavy banter alive. The episode also features lively discussions regarding sports streaming woes, classic “Captain America” nicknames, and prepares listeners for the station’s famed “Drop Madness” tournament, but the heart of the hour is the state of the Mets and the seat warming under manager Carlos Mendoza.

Key Discussion Points

1. Opening Vibes and the Weather – Yankee Stadium’s Opening Day

• The hosts riff on the dichotomy between how Yankee Stadium looks on TV and how miserable it feels elsewhere in the city.
  • “If this is a first date, is there a second date?” – Don Hahn [01:05]
  • “It feels nastier than ‘eh’. Out here on the island, it feels just like worse than ‘eh’.” – Don La Greca [03:56]
• Alan Hahn checks in from Madison Square Garden; the crew exchanges typical NY-centric ribbing about borough differences.

2. “Captain America” Nickname Debate

• Playful debate around which athletes have truly earned the “Captain America” moniker.
  • “How many athletes have we called Captain America? … I’ve heard it two or three times alone on this show.” – Don La Greca [03:01]
• Multiple athletes discussed: David Wright (baseball), Aaron Judge, Landon Donovan (soccer), and the concept of “Captain Canada.”
  • “There’s no dope superhero named Captain Canada. He’d be a very nice guy, right? Kind of.” – Don Hahn [04:59]

3. Opening the Mets’ Managerial Hot Seat

• Don Hahn’s central thesis: It’s not too early to be worried if the Mets seem to have not changed, and that must inevitably put manager Carlos Mendoza on notice.
  • “I get tired of the whole ‘it’s early, it’s early, it’s early’. If I’m unhappy with the Mets being 3 and 4, I should be able to be unhappy with them being 3 and 4.” – Don Hahn [07:00]
• Points of concern:
  • Same issues as last year: lack of clutch hitting, underperforming pitching, clubhouse discord.
  • Rhetorical question—at what point would it make sense to fire the manager if the performance doesn’t turn?
  • The hosts agree: Not now, but Mendoza’s leash is short unless a turnaround comes by May 1 (around 30 games in).
  • “Wouldn’t the next move be to relieve the manager of his duties?” – Don Hahn [07:15]
• Alan sets context: The owner’s (Cohen) expectations, and Stearns’s authority as GM.
• Peter and Alan compare to the Yankees’ patience or lack thereof with Aaron Boone.

4. Accountability and Expectations—What Defines Managerial Success?

• The hosts challenge each other—and callers—about what managerial excellence looks like.
  • “What has Mendoza done as manager that made you say ‘you know what? They got a good one’?” – Peter Rosenberg [14:39]
• Acknowledgement that while a manager can’t bat for you, their job is defined by how well the team responds, how crises are handled, and whether player discord is resolved.
• Don: The Mets’ history is a series of “flares” rather than sustained excellence.
  • “This entire organization is a bunch of flair moments… little flares, no consistency.” – Don Hahn [12:38]

5. The May 1st Benchmark

• The table is set: If by May 1, the team is still well under .500, serious conversations about a managerial change become fair game.
  • “May 1, to me feels like a good line of demarcation... if you’re five, six games under .500, damn right you’re going to have to address it.” – Don Hahn [18:35]

6. Caller Reactions and The Great Accountability Debate

• Paul and David from the phones challenge the hosts: Is it too soon? What could a manager actually fix?
• Alan and Peter clarify that it’s not about a knee-jerk reaction, but about understanding context (last season’s failures, new roster, same results).
  • “If we get out of the first month and this team is 6, 7 games below .500, it’s already a conversation.” – Don La Greca [39:06]
• Peter: Mets fans shouldn’t lower expectations compared to Yankees fans, and if the playoffs are missed, Mendoza’s fate is sealed.
  • “Why do the Yankees have expectations but the Mets don’t? They should both have equal expectations…” – Peter Rosenberg [16:07]

7. Sports Streaming Frustrations

• Extended riff about the agony of streaming-delayed game footage versus cable, spoiled alerts, increased commercials, and the diminished experience for fans.
  • “The streaming system is… the perfect encapsulation of capitalism in America.” – Don La Greca [30:49]
  • “The last channel button is the greatest invention in the history of television… and it’s been killed.” – Alan Hahn & Don La Greca [34:17]
• Loss of regional sports network identity, complexity of navigating games, nostalgic for simpler “last channel” days.

8. Drop Madness: Final Four — Brief Lighthearted Interlude

• Tease for the show’s annual “Drop Madness” tournament—a bracket of audio drops—reflects the show’s irreverent charm.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Don Hahn [07:00, on Mets' frustration]:
  “I get tired of the whole ‘it’s early, it’s early, it’s early’. If I’m unhappy with the Mets being 3 and 4, I should be able to be unhappy with them being 3 and 4. Otherwise why bother talking about it? … Same result. Can’t hit with runners in scoring position. Peterson now, back to back, not very good starts.”

• Peter Rosenberg [14:39, on Mendoza]:
  “What has Mendoza done as manager that made you say ‘you know what? They got a good one. This guy’s sharp, he’s this, he’s that?’”

• Alan Hahn [21:06, on the ‘early’ excuse]:
  “They were supposed to be a different looking team. The joke is, of course, it wasn’t supposed to prevent your own runs—because the lineup is, that was the question...”

• Don La Greca [30:49, on streaming’s evolution]:
  “Let’s just have an honest conversation that the streaming system is... the perfect encapsulation of capitalism in America... So now instead of having cable, we just have more channels that all have commercials, that we pay for, and we get less television probably for it.”

• Peter Rosenberg [16:07]:
  “Why do the Yankees have expectations but the Mets don’t? They should both have equal expectations. That’s how it’s supposed to be.”

Important Timestamps

• 07:00–08:21 – Don’s monologue: Why Mendoza should be on notice
• 13:00–14:46 – Discussion: When does “it’s early” stop making sense?
• 16:00–17:00 – Peter on Mets/Yankees expectations
• 18:30–19:30 – Don draws May 1 as the line for serious scrutiny
• 29:58–34:17 – The streaming rant: why the modern fan experience is worse
• 35:05–40:45 – Callers Paul & David weigh in: Should Mendoza be under pressure yet?
• 44:35–46:26 – More Mets fans call in, seeking rationale for (or against) firing Mendoza

Episode Tone

Punchy, irreverent, and classic New York: playful rivalries and pop culture references mix with hardnosed sports analysis. The trio pushes each other—sometimes ribbing, sometimes genuinely disagreeing—but always in the service of framing fan expectations, accountability, and what it truly means to be a New York sports franchise.

TL;DR

Main question: Is it too early to worry about the Mets and their manager Carlos Mendoza?
Hosts’ answer: Not yet time for drastic action, but serious conversations about Mendoza's future are fair by May 1 if the results mirror last year. Fans’ patience, expectations, and the unique pressures of managing in New York are all in play.

For sports fans wanting to understand the early 2026 Mets narrative—or simply to enjoy the NY banter and the real fan’s experience—this episode is an essential listen.