Hour 1: Concerning Yankees Offense

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg

Episode: Hour 1 – Concerning Yankees Offense

Date: August 6, 2026
Hosts: Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Focus: The Yankees’ persistent offensive struggles and fan frustration as rivals surge

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the growing concerns surrounding the New York Yankees’ offense, recurring patterns of underperformance, and the mounting pressure as the Boston Red Sox heat up. Alan Hahn and Peter Rosenberg engage in a candid, sometimes exasperated, conversation about whether the Yankees’ offensive philosophy is fundamentally flawed, why the cycle repeats yearly, and what it means to be a Yankees fan in this era of frustration. The discussion features perspectives on front office accountability, injury excuses, and fans’ emotional investment—contrasted with what’s happening elsewhere in the division.

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Key Topics and Discussion Points

1. Red Sox Closing In; Yankees Sliding

• Yankees’ Current Situation: Hahn highlights how the Red Sox have surged after sweeping the Yankees, recalling a similar narrative from the prior year. Boston is now right on the Yankees’ heels in the standings.
  “If I told you by the end of the week that Boston would be ahead of you, that you’d be in third place in your division — it’s not crazy. They just won’t lose.” (01:00 – Alan Hahn)
• Boston’s Hot Streak: Red Sox are “25–3 over the last 28 games,” and their streak is fueling additional concern in the Bronx (13:20).

2. Groundhog Day: Same Old Yankee Offense

• Offensive Futility: Yankees have scored two runs or less in six of their last seven games, hitting .169 with RISP since Bellinger’s injury.
  “They have failed to score three runs in six of seven games now … And the one game they did, they lost anyway.” (02:40 – Alan Hahn)
• All-Or-Nothing Approach: Both hosts bemoan the “home run or bust” philosophy.
  “Is it that the Yankees have decided on a permanent approach … and yet again have Yankees fans with their face in their hands going, ‘We have no shot because we only have one way of trying to play and that is to hit home runs’?” (04:24 – Peter Rosenberg)
• Aaron Boone’s Repeating Script: Hahn plays Boone’s postgame comments, which sound the same year after year:
  “We gotta be able to deliver and we haven’t done that enough. So, you know, tough one … we gotta be able to capitalize more often in these situations.” (06:00 – paraphrasing Aaron Boone)

3. Injuries—Valid Excuse or Convenient Shield?

• Roster Holes: Yankees are missing key sluggers (Judge, Bellinger, Stanton), but the hosts question how often this gets used as a shield for underperformance.
• Buying Time for Leadership:
  “It just keeps buying time for any type of accountability because you can use that … it puts too much pressure, unnecessary expectations on Judge and whatever his return is going to be … for once, you’d like to see a team that scraps its way through while the star’s out.” (15:13 – Alan Hahn)

4. Recurring Frustration; Fan Apathy and Anger

• Caller Perspective: Steve (Listener) expresses how he became a “lapsed Yankee fan,” implying the franchise wants to win “their way … not anybody else’s” and questioning if the Brian Cashman era has run its course.
• Financial Reality vs. Fan Reward:
  “The franchise in the black, fans are in the red … my investment emotionally and financially, what am I getting out of it?” (25:52 – Alan Hahn)
• Desire for Change:
  “Would Don suggest at this point, ‘No, I think you should be fine … be happy as a fan going to the playoffs with 90-something wins every year … lose in the playoffs every single year?’ … I’ll take the Red Sox. I’ll take the Astros. Give me a team that wins a World Series, then has a down year. I’ll take that 10 times out of 10.” (24:18 – Peter Rosenberg)

5. Is the Yankees’ Model Broken?

• Management Philosophy: Hosts observe that as long as Hal Steinbrenner retains Cashman, the organization seems committed to this approach:
  “If what you’re saying is right, and Hal’s never going to move on from Cashman, then don’t expect they’re ever going to move on from this way of winning.” (32:16 – Alan Hahn)
• Cashman’s Defiance:
  “I think that he would, he wants to show everybody once he gets one, ‘See? Right.’ And I think the fans would really prefer you just start doing something that puts them in a chance to win.” (36:57 – Peter Rosenberg)

6. Fan Experience: The Treadmill Effect

• Expectations vs. Satisfaction:
  “It starts to become the monotony of being good, like there’s a treadmill effect to it … at some point, collectively, it’s like, you know, I want a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow.” (26:42 – Alan Hahn)
• Not Just Spoiled—It’s Baseline:
  “You can’t do the ‘you’re a spoiled Yankee fan.’ No, our baseline is different because when you’re good every year … one of these years you gotta cash in.” (28:43 – Alan Hahn)
• Comparing to Dodgers:
  “You can’t even spend a moment comparing it to the Dodgers, because the Dodgers are the Yankees in ‘98 … they trust baseball gut … Alan it feels like poor Aaron Boone … has to sit at the podium and tell you that the urine on your head is rain.” (31:09 – 32:09 – Peter Rosenberg)

7. Young Players and Lineup Concerns

• Ben Rice’s Role: Callers question if young players like Rice can grow into the moment or are just being overtasked.
  “Is he meant to carry an offense? No. … He’s not gonna be a centerpiece.” (40:47 – Alan Hahn)
• Waiting on Stars: The hope remains for returning or healthy sluggers, but the treadmill cycle of expectation continues.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Hahn on Monotony of Success:
  “The monotony of being good … it’s your baseline now … at some point, collectively … I want a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow.” (26:42)
• Rosenberg on Fan Frustration:
  “The fans are the ones keeping them in the black, but they aren't getting anything for it. … You should just be happy with that? I’ll take the Red Sox. I’ll take the Astros.” (24:18)
• Hahn Calls Out Excuses:
  “You can make all the excuses — well, they lost Judge, they lost Stanton, now Bellinger. The offense really isn’t clicking. And you can understand why … but it just keeps happening.” (30:50)
• Rosenberg, Cynically:
  “Alan, it feels like poor Aaron Boone … has to sit at the podium and tell you that the urine on your head is rain.” (32:09)
• Hahn on Cashman’s Entrenchment:
  “As long as he’s got the job … he’ll be even more dug in on proving himself right.” (32:16)
• Caller Steve:
  “I'm a lapsed Yankee fan … seems like they want to win their way and not anybody else’s way … maybe the game has passed Cashman by.” (21:13)

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Segment Timestamps

• Yankees’ Offensive Problems & Red Sox Surge: 00:10–04:00
• All or Nothing Offense; RISP Stats: 04:00–07:00
• Recurrence of Same Issues; Boone’s Comments: 07:00–09:00
• Why the Approach Never Changes; Playoff Fears: 09:00–12:54
• Injuries and Accountability: 12:54–16:01
• Fan Perspective; Franchise Aims and Apathy: 21:13–27:00
• Monotony of Good, Not Great; “Treadmill” Yankees: 26:42–31:09
• Cashman’s Entrenchment; Management’s Philosophy: 32:09–33:45, 36:57–38:07
• Young Players Like Ben Rice; Roster Limitations: 40:13–42:37

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Tone, Mood & Style

The episode mixes resigned frustration (from both hosts and callers) with wry humor and candid, sometimes biting, sports analysis. The hosts invoke shared history, pop culture references (“Groundhog Day”), and pointed fan questions. There’s an underlying sense of weary expectation—knowing, as Rosenberg puts it, that every year will be “home run or bust,” and perhaps more importantly, that nothing will truly change until leadership does.

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Final Takeaways

• The Yankees’ inability to adapt offensively and an overreliance on injured sluggers has left fans restless, even as the team remains technically competitive.
• Leadership’s persistent “our way or no way” philosophy—combined with convenient excuses and lack of accountability—fuels continued pessimism.
• The Red Sox’s surge only compounds the anxiety.
• Fans are left questioning the purpose of yearly contention if it never results in ultimate success.

This hour closes with the fundamental question: How much longer can the organization bank on “it’ll be different next October” before fans demand a change in process, not just in personnel?

Transcript

[Alan Hahn]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

We're efforting here.

[Alan Hahn]

We are efforting. Yes, of course. Technology doesn't want to work with us on a day like today when both of us just had to be in other places. But the Yankees right now, not only four and a Half back of the Rays, but Boston a game back. But the loss comes what matters to me. And they're right there now in the lost column and you're in one. And so for the Yankees, you can see that not only are you struggling, you, like you have to hold off a Red Sox team, but you also have to get your offense right. And with all of the fun of, of course, Lombard Jr. And what we've seen, and even last night, he still flashed a little bit. You know, while you're excited about what he can be, it's the right now that matters most. And you know, Garcia and Ramos aren't helping this offense at all because it's another game, Peter, where it's two runs or less. It's. That's six of seven games now. They have failed to score three runs. And the one game they did score over three runs, they put up a big number and they lost anyway. It's. It's 1 for 18 in the series with the Cardinals with runners in scoring position 1 for 18. They struggle with their offense. It continues to be a struggle. They were over 10 last night, left 11 on baseball. And it starts to get, I'm telling you, it starts to feel like, here we go again. This Yankee offense feels all or nothing. And I think the shield is, well, there's no Judge and there's no Bellinger and there's no Stanton. And so what are you going to do? And you shrug and you move on. And that I think now as you come out of the trade deadline, that was frustrating, but you have that little bit of positive, little bit of positive judge news yesterday. And of course, the excitement of bringing up the hot prospect in Lombard. But as we now sober up, the reality is with this Yankee offense is that it continues to be a dud and this is now getting into dangerous territory. You talk about a lost season, the Yankees could still be a wild card team and, and it could still feel like a lost season. These are different levels. I know Don hates this, but that's the reality of this whole thing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, let's have a conversation. Let's have a. Let's have a. Standards are different. You and I, for God's sake. Two men, one man. I drive a Dodge Stratus. Let's. Is this an unusual thing where the Yankees bats just aren't going. It's a perfect storm, judges out, the pitching's been good, but they just can't find their bats? That. Or is it that the Yankees have decided on a permanent approach to how they view offense? How they view every at bat that yet again has Yankees fans with their face in their hands going, we have no shot because we only have one way of trying to play and that is to hit home runs. And if it doesn't work out, we lose every single time. Is that a fair question? As we sit here on August 6,

[Alan Hahn]

2026, we continue like, it just feels like the same conversation year after year with different players, doesn't it? And injuries always come up and injuries are, you know, again, it's a fair excuse. And look, other than a walk with the bases loaded that drove in the only run. But the last couple of games, I mean, he's talking about 30 plus innings where the Yankees have the home run was the only way they could score. And that, that, it just reminds me again, every time, like every time, every year feels like the same thing. A team that just doesn't know how to manufacture runs, that's the frustration. Aaron Boone, you know, it sounds like he says the same things year after year here. Here he is last night just coming up empty again. Especially when you, you have a. 10 runners in scoring position, 10 opportunities with runners in scoring position and not one time can you get an rbi. Here's Boone on, that was good, but you know, we got to get it done. You know, we got to come through in those situations. Like the opportunities tonight had a lot of chances, felt like baserunners every inning, but you know, we gotta, we gotta be able to deliver and we haven't done that enough. So, you know, tough one, tough one to lose into the off day. But you know, the timing of the off day with the stretch we've been in is, is good and hopefully allows us to, to recharge and, and get ready for a tough Braves team coming in. But you know, we got to be able to capitalize more often in these situations. By the way, Braves have won seven straight. They play it tonight, but they've won seven straight when they come in tomorrow to play the Yankees. But what can he say? It does feel like Groundhog Day a lot of times with his offense. It really does. It's the all or nothing. It's the frustration not being able to manufacture runs and cashmen bringing in two guys that are supposed to be bats that they needed to help them get through this. But Garcia is one of the hottest hitters in the game coming in when they traded for him. Ramos is a really all or nothing kind of guy. Strikes out a lot, but he does have some pop in the bat. But it just feels like the same thing with different players year after year. And that's the concern about when they get to the postseason.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, that's the part I'm just. I'm trying to understand what Aaron Boone

[Alan Hahn]

is supposed to say because can't say anything.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We were never. Until he retires and maybe one day writes a book. A long time from now, we won't know what he really deep down thinks about this approach. But you cannot tell me that it is just coincidence that no matter who they bring in, these results are the same. And frankly, here's the thing, Alan, things will turn. We're sitting. It's August 6th. At some point between now and the playoffs, things will turn. Maybe Judge comes back. They will stop scoring two runs a game or less. You'll have some games where the home run show up and they win seven out of 10 and you start to believe it again. But then. And Anthony, you can cut me off if I'm not representing the thoughts of a lot of Yankee fans. But this is what I've observed from watching the team and listening to the fans. When you get to October and you start, if you can get there, by the way, just to ensure that everything doesn't completely come off the rails here, are you going to be able to. Let's say they're on a toot at the end of the regular season. Is that going to continue in the playoffs when teams are giving you their absolute best and you're seeing the best starters in your league going after you night after night? Or are we going to see what we generally see with this team in the playoffs, which is they just can't seem to manufacture runs. Allen. And it's like they would rather lose their way than try to adapt and win the way that it seems like. If you're being honest, Alan, a lot of our previous World Series winners have won. I mean, when you look back at the last five or six years, Alan, when you get deep in the playoffs, teams do start. They start to get a little bit away from the numbers and play with a little bit of heart. Let's get some people on base. Let's manufacture some runs. This is not something it seems like, Alan, your team is ever willing to

[Alan Hahn]

try to do it never seems to be that way. Now, they did address the idea, was it two years ago to get more athletic last year at the deadline that was, you know, something that. Or two years ago at the deadline, I think. But it's. This is really becoming redundant.

[Caller or Listener]

Right.

[Alan Hahn]

And you don't want to overreact like pockets of the game or pockets of the season, I should say. But the. It just, I got. When I was preparing for the show today, I was thinking about the office. I was watching that game last night and I just said, like, it just, it does feel like that. It does feel like. This is the same thing that we have talked about with this team. It's just different players. You had it last night. Jazz drew the walk, basically. They did. See, again, they do make you work. They do get counts. Eight walks last night, like you're looking for that. It's not like they're just closing their eyes and free swinging, but it. They get the walks, they get guys on base, but it's from there. And it does a lot of time. It's the bottom yard. Look what happened. You know, Jazz gets the. Gets the run in by drawing the walk. McMahon strikes out. And now we're now the innings over. So the whole thing ends there now and again, McMahon's, you know, he knows the situation. He knows he's got to come up big there, and he doesn't. He throws his helmet. He's pissed off. And he should be, as every fan was at that moment as well. Like, come on, man. Like, are you serious? Get some runs, something. But that's always going to be the issue at the bottom of the order. And speaking of which, you have now in the seventh inning, two on more opportunity. Okay, you got somebody in scoring position. Garcia's up. There's a guy. You brought him in to be a difference maker. He grounds out and then the kid comes up and he just gets, I mean, 1, 2, 3, 100 miles an hour just blows him away. He has no chance. And we know that that's always going to be something with him because he's young like to say, oh, see, I told you expectations are too high. Give me a break. It's the second year I told you he's flashing, which is good, but he's not going to carry this team at his age. We know the bat is going to take a minute, so I'm not putting that kind of pressure on him. But opportunities are there for them to score. They're not coming through. And since Bellinger left, it's 11 games ago. Bellinger was lost to that hamstring when you saw him pull up when he got the stretched out to a double. And now you lose him. Judge has already been out and they're batting with runners in scoring position. They're batting.169 in the 11 games since Bellinger went down. So it's Just clear. There's no pop at all in this lineup. Even after Cashman brought in two guys who have bats who can do something, they still, they are, their pitching has carried them, which is kind of the opposite story a lot of times. It used to be their offense would carry them. Starting pitching has been so good. Warren gave you a good start. He gave up three runs. But that's it for your fourth or fifth starter. That's a good start.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's all you're asking.

[Alan Hahn]

So it, it's, it's. This is the part now, it's August is plenty of time. It's the combination though, of the injuries, it's the combination of this, this offense that is anemic. And then the Boston Red Sox cannot lose. They just won't lose. So you put that combination together, it's August. You don't panic in August. But I think it's time to have some healthy concern. I think that's a reality.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, there's a difference between panic and healthy concern. But if you were a Yankee fan and you've been paying attention to anything, the combination that you are seeing, which is the, in case you're not paying attention to the sweet combo pack, it's your team cannot hit your division and arch rival is the hottest team. It doesn't feel like saying in baseball is even enough credit. They're on a seven game winning streak. This comes after their 15 game winning streak.

[Alan Hahn]

25 and three. Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So they're, they're be, they're out of this world. They're a different animal altogether. And then. Oh yeah. Piece number three of this bonus August surprise pack. You're getting really weird, ominous information about your best player.

[Caller or Listener]

That.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, we took a little bit of good news, Alan. We were stretching. We did the most. We. I almost pulled something stretching that into really good news. Okay, it wasn't really good news.

[Caller or Listener]

No.

[Alan Hahn]

All it was is that judge is now being, you know, he's close to doing baseball activities close to August six.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We're hopeful. Baseball activities.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. But you know what? You know what, though? I hate to do it. I hate doing this again. 800 now with 93776. We'll get your reactions to this and more coming up next. I don't want to say that this is on purpose because I don't think it is, but boy, doesn't this buy even more time because how can you hold the front office accountable or even the manager accountable when all they have to do is say, look at the lineup, look who's missing, look at the names, these are brand names we're missing. This is the heart, though. This is the straw that stirs to drink. Aaron Judge, he's out. Bellinger, who's right there with him, like, he's critical piece to this whole thing. He's out. We don't have him stand what a big part he's going to be. So once we get these three guys back, our lineup looks different, things can be different.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Conversation. I know. Every year it's it. Last year it was Cole, this year it's Judge. There's the teams who win find their way through these injuries. It's just the way it is. And this goes back now a decade of like, yeah, fine. It wasn't. It wasn't always judged, though it has been before. But it being somebody pivotal is down.

[Caller or Listener]

Alan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's every year.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. And it always feels like Stanton's one of the names you always bring up. And what matters is if they. If you can get them healthy by October, that's when you want them the most. Okay, I get all that. But it just keeps buying time. It just keeps buying time for any type of accountability because you can use that. And what I don't like is that now it just. It puts too much pressure, unnecessary expectations on Judge and whatever his return is going to be. Oh, it'll all be better once we get Judge back. See, like, for once, you'd like to see a team that scraps its way through while the stars out so that when the star comes back, there's not the pressure for the starter. Be the savior. And that's what's going to happen. It'll look like he's gonna have to be the savior. The same thing with Lombard, all those that want to be skeptical and pump the brakes and all that stuff. I get it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Did you see that?

[Alan Hahn]

The double play he. He pulled in? That was the second. Second inning. The kid is. He's so good. Like, it's. He's really good. He's gonna be special. But you. He's not carrying this team either. That's not happening. So it is. When does it become a concern that this offense, now, it's 11 games that they just can't score runs, Never mind the runners in scoring position. They can't even hit for power. They can't do, like, nothing. Six of seven games, they have scored two runs or less. Six of seven games. 160, whatever. One hitting 160. With runners going position in the last 11, the offense has been anemic. It's been a problem. They've been under three runs a game now going back to June. So it's not as if this is something new. Oh, it's just a little pocket of the season. This has become a thing and it's a major concern. And if I'm a starting pitcher, it's, it's kind of annoying me. Like they're starting pitching has been like, weather's has been good. Warren was good last night. Cole's been phenomenal. It just for me, like this is creating that level of concern that they only have about a month to survive this. But the Red Sox are making it clear that the Yankees are going to be on the road in the wild card 100% they're going to be on the road in the wild card if they can't figure this out and get it right. So level of concern 800-9193776 with this offense and the way it is and the expectation that we don't know when judges coming back, you're wasting great starting pitching. The Yankees finally get the they finally get freed, you finally get Cole. You finally get all that right now the other side's hurt. Can the Yankees ever just put it together and maybe, just maybe, it all comes together in October? But that's a huge maybe.

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[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Alan Hahn]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Alan Hahn]

2025 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. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. Steve in Middle Village on the Yankees and their anemic offense. Go ahead Steve.

[Caller or Listener]

Hey guys, thank you for taking the call. Peter, I think you hit the nail right on the head. It may be a business model that they're following. It seems. You know the old expression a lapsed Catholic. I'm a lapsed Yankee fan. I kind of gave up a few years ago and it seems like they want to win their way and not anybody else's way. And one of the guys on on the station said it said a few months, about a month or two ago that maybe the game has passed cashmen by. He is and I'm 73 so I can do ageism. He's 59 years old. He's no longer the fair haired boy. I think he's doing it the way he wants to do it and the owner wants to do it and the owner was really A horse race fan. He was never really a baseball fan. And Cashman, he wants to be the guy, and he wants to be the smartest guy in the room. And they spend a lot of money. But that money is generated by the Yankee fans who watch the tv, all the streaming services, buy the merchandise and everything else. They have squandered at least 10 years, if not 15 years. And I don't know. I don't think they can solve the. The hitting problem this year. And who knows if there's going to be a season next year, right? You're looking at a judge not being, you know, not being the judge we know in 2028. That's all I have to say. But I'd love to hear what you have to say about this because you've got a lot of people probably on after me that are going to be ranting and raving, and they're real Yankee fans now. I'm kind of like a visitor, but I can feel their pain.

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, I was feeling it. It's frustrating just to watch. Thank you, Steve.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, man.

[Alan Hahn]

It's. I mean, I don't know. Am I asking too much? Don would be all over me about this, right? Because he's like, you know, you're over.500. You're right there.

[Caller or Listener]

You're in it.

[Alan Hahn]

I, you know, you've got all these injured players. Just give it time. But I keep saying it's like. But I, I see it. It doesn't look right. No, Michael was saying, you know, we did the pro. He. We replayed the promo yesterday because I wanted to hear it, right? Michael saying, you know, because we watch them every day and we see it every day that we see all the warts, and we get a little frustrated with it because it's every day without the macro view. But I don't know, Peter, again, you did 10 years on the Case show, so that's a lot of Yankee baseball you talked about. Doesn't it feel like the same conversation over and over again about them and the. It's all or nothing. It's home runs or nothing. They don't manufacture runs. They leave runners on base. And this is, this is a drought now without, yes, your best player, but it's, it's double concerning because of how the Red Sox have really turned their season around.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't think even Don right now would in earnest be able to argue that what's happening is okay. Like, sure, he might. He won't. He's not going to change. His overall. Yankee fans are spoiled Thought process. Because I think, yeah, by and large, Yankee fans are spoiled, but that does not change the run. That change the fact that they cannot score runs, like there's no way. And that you would not be frustrated to see that they're never willing to change their approach. So, like would Don suggest at this point? No, I think you should be fine. You should be happy as a fan going to the playoffs with 90 something wins every year and then having your team have the same approach to every at bat and you lose in the playoffs every single year. You should just be happy with that. I've said this over and over again, Alan. I mean it. I will take the Red Sox. I will take the Astros. You give me a team that shows up, wins a World Series and then goes as a down year bounce. I will take that 10 times out of 10. The idea that you're supposed to feel so good. I'm sorry. The Yankee fans don't work for the Yankee company. They don't make money because the team is in the black every year. That doesn't do any, you know, what the fans are doing? The fans are the ones keeping them in the black, but they're not getting anything for it. So what you got to see, a few wins.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. The franchise in the black, fans are in the red.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's right.

[Alan Hahn]

Because, you know, like, you're feeling like my investment emotionally and financially. What am I getting out of it? And I think that's the, That's a reality because it just continues to be that same thing. I know we've done this before, but it really does become that. Right. Like, it's like, what would you rather have? The team that every year is just steady, competitive, or a team that you know will be all in, but there'll be years where they've got to go through a reset. Like, that's, that's what I continue to go. It just, it starts to become. What's the word I'm looking for for. It starts to become the men again. I'm going to get down going next week on this. The monotony of being good, like, there's like a treadmill effect to it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Totally.

[Alan Hahn]

Because you, It's. It's your baseline now. Right. As a Yankee fan, it's your baseline. So it, it can't be compared to others, which is why you can't do the. You're a spoiled Yankee fan. No, our baseline is different because when you're good every year, it gets to a point where it's like, all right, well, one of the you got to cash in and one of these, you know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, it's a great one. You got to hit something, you know, it's a great way to call Don on this.

[Caller or Listener]

What?

[Peter Rosenberg]

So Don's living the dream. He is the announcer for the Devils.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He does afternoon drive in New York City.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I have. I have told you, you look at a picture of Don Lagreca from 2001, you say, if this guy's life turns out at that. 2001.

[Caller or Listener]

Don.

[Alan Hahn]

Are you talking about Repug Don?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Repug Don, if he does the best he could do, he does middays in Milwaukee before eating a bear claw, having a heart attack, and dropping dead at 46 years old. That was. That was what Repug Don was pacing for.

[Caller or Listener]

Okay.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes. He was headed instead.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He looks like a million bucks. He's got beautiful kids, he's doing afternoon drive, and he's the voice of the Devils. And yet every year, when we were really into the ratings thing, Dom would be pounding his fist about wanting to beat the fan. We wanted. We got to do this, we got to do that. We. At no point does Don accept. Dude, your check clears either way.

[Alan Hahn]

You're living the dream.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Just be happy. No, that's not enough for Don. Don, as you know. Well, I'm really getting in the weeds here. Don is the first one of all of us here. He's the one who goes, I want to go back to the ratings days. I want to keep score. I want to get W's. That's what one wants to. So how can you tell a fan of a team just be happy enough to get to be in the tournament every year? Isn't that enough? It's not a reasonable ask anymore. Yes, you're right. If you're an Orioles fan, that is a reasonable ask. Oh, cool. I'd love to be there every year, but it's. That's not the Yankee situation. It's just not.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, that's a great comp. It's perfect because we don't live our lives that way. Like, we don't. We don't live our lives that way. And when it comes to sports, that's not. You don't. You don't. You don't invest yourself as a fan in sports just so you could say, well, every year, I know my team's gonna to be good. Oh, yeah. Like, the feeling is always, yeah, of course. It's nice that you can watch and you'll get a good performance from Cole that you can get. You know, Ben Rice will hit some you know, Ben Rice will do something special. You do have Aaron Judge. When he's healthy, he's fun to watch. Like, all that stuff is great, but at some point, collectively, it's like, you know, I want a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, right? Like, I'd like to. I'd like to feel like with everything that they are, the prestige that comes with it, the feeling that comes with it of, like. But my team's the Yankees, man. Like, we're not the little engine that could. We're supposed to be the evil Empire, the fully operational Death Star. That's what it's supposed to be. That's what the deal was the last time it felt like that. And it. And it has it now again. We're going back into, like, the typical conversation that we have with the Yankees every year. But that's part of the problem, right? It's every year. And this is another example that you can make all the excuses. Well, they lost Judge, they lost Stanton, now they lost Bellinger. The offense really isn't clicking. And you can understand why when you're missing big pieces, that's going to happen. Look, the Dodgers are going through it right now. The Dodgers are, with all the money that they're spending and all the stars on that team, they're going through it right now, every year. They always seem to have a little bit of a swoon anyway, but they get right in the postseason, and then they kick everybody's ass. And I guess all the Yankees can do right now, all Cashman and company can do right now is just bank on telling the fan, hey, it's just August. We just want to get healthy in time for October. And when we do, we feel really good about our chances.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's great.

[Alan Hahn]

But in the meantime, you got to sit through and watch this, and you can't. Anxiety won't let you just sit back and go, I don't worry about it. Right? You can't, because as a fan, that's not what you're invested in doing. That's not what you're here for, especially when it looks the same every year.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, yes, and that's why you can't. And that's why you can't even spend a moment comparing it to the Dodgers, because the Dodgers are the Yankees in, in 98. So it's a different thing. They, they. They can go on a slump in August because guess what they assume is going to happen?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, you have two in your pocket. That's why when you have two champions,

[Peter Rosenberg]

two in your pocket and based on what you know about them, we'll figure it out and we'll be fine. And I will tell you Dave Roberts, say what you will and again I feel bad comparing manager to manager. The edict for Roberts, I should say the edict in LA there is a little bit Allen of hey, we have ways that we do things but we do trust baseball gut when it comes down to it. You can do what you got to do to get a win when you need to. They at least have some of it. Alan it feels like poor Aaron Boone. He is stuck to sit there and manage this thing the exact same way every time and then has to sit at the podium and tell you that the urine on your head is rain. Am I wrong? That's part of his job.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, I mean it does feel like that sometimes he does protect his players which is what he's supposed to do

[Peter Rosenberg]

when protects the way they do everything

[Alan Hahn]

he has to again. And that feels like like you were saying, we got to stop talking about how it's time to move on from cash because it's never going to happen. I keep saying if that's the tr. If, if what you're saying is right and Hal's never going to move on from Cashman, then don't expect they're ever going to move on from this way of winning. Because now don't you think we'll get back to your call today. 109-19-3776 I'll leave you with this. Don't you think that as long as he has the job and as long as this continues to go without proving himself right, he'll be even more dug in on proving himself right. Like he'd rather go like you said it, I'm going to prove that we we're going to win. So I get the last laugh. Instead of we should change things, he's going to do it his way and then when he does he'll let everybody hear it because we saw him go toe to toe with some of the writers on Volpe, how dug in he was on that and then how quietly and quickly he put an end to that era. I like things my way, my coffee, my schedule and my treatment. So I talked to my doctor about self injecting with the Vivgard Hytrulo pre filled syringe which contains fgartegamide alpha and hyaluronidase qvfc. It's injected under your skin subcutaneously. It means I can inject in my space on my time. It's my treatment my way. Visit vivgartmyway.com that's V-Y-V-G-A-R-T myway.com and talk to your doctor about Vivgard Hytrulo Brought to you by Argenics.

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[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 this show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. Have fun, enjoy, right? Am I wrong, though? Like, in the NFL, there'd be fans like, pissed off, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like, oh, I gotta.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm gonna lose draft position right? In the NBA. I know for sure fans would start, you know, clamoring about the draft position, how important draft position is in baseball. It's like, all right, kids are playing. Let's see a couple of players play well. You know, let's just enjoy the team kind of getting out from a malaise and finish on a high note. So you feel good about the future, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I totally agree in particular with this Mets team who they do have a few new pieces that you act. And I don't mean, I don't just mean the kid doing the splits that they got at the deadline. I mean, I mean that they brought. I mean, I mean, in general this season, they have some young talent that you want to see how Much of a part of the future. Benj, Ewing, etc, they're guys you really want to see. Plus, if in fact there was any truth to the story we did yesterday that in the second half season, Soto and Lindor have started to mend this second half of the season, it still could end up being something you look back on later like that season sucked. But the reason we came out in 27 and we're a different team was because they started to figure it out in 2H26. So, yeah, at least you're right, Alan. There's something to watch and at least you don't have to deal with the. Oh, really, what a waste. You beat, you swept Cleveland, now you can just enjoy every win you get.

[Alan Hahn]

So, yeah, yeah, they get a manager. There's still a lot to do and figure out, you know, but David Stearns looks like he's locked in there that he's going to be part of, you know, rebuilding this thing and all that stuff. So we'll see where this all goes. We'll get deeper into the Mets once this game's over. Again, top of the eighth. It's now 13 to 5 against the Cleveland Guardians. Let's go back to the calls at 800. Oh, wait, you, you had a point you wanted to finish before we went to break there.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I was just going to mention the thing about Cashman. You were talking about Cashman with Volpe and his defensiveness. But don't forget cashman2off seasons ago when he went full, you know, Ric Flair promo. I mean, remember, remember when Cashman just went off and him and the reporters went back and forth and he just, he really let loose on everybody who questions him. So like, you know, he, he obviously is pretty dug in on this. And, and I, it's, I think you're right about it. I think that he would, he wants to show everybody once he gets one, see, Right. And I think the fans would really prefer you just start doing something that puts them in a chance to win. Like not just, not just theoretically. Because Michael would argue, well, they always have a chance to win. Well, yeah, theoretically they do. But on if you ask Anthony Pusick, do you think they have a chance to win? He would say, no, I don't think they have any chance to win.

[Alan Hahn]

It's a perfect way to ask it, right? Every year you have a chance to win. But how many years do you really feel it in your bones? Like, I think they can do it. Like, I think this is the year, right? Like this year especially, I Can feel

[Peter Rosenberg]

it all the way down in my plums.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Not in my palms. There's, there's like. How many years did it feel like? Yeah, like this team's giving me vibes. This team's giving me that. Like, they, they've got it in them. They've got to run in them right now. When they went to the World Series, they did with some, you know, epic performances. Being in Cleveland. Right. They had. There was a couple of these epic moments that you really felt good about. But, man, were they just completely overmatched when they got to the World Series and you left that World Series experience going, my God, like they, they kind of soiled themselves on the biggest stage. That was embarrassing, dude.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It ended. It was, it ended with the Dodgers. It ended with you. Your, your best player made the most embarrassing error of his career.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And then, and then LA Dodgers celebrated listening to New York. New York on the field at Yankee Stadium. I mean, that's, that's as bad as is humanly possible.

[Alan Hahn]

And your follow up to that was a dud. You're right. You're, you're. We're going to get a vet. This is never going to happen again. We're going to show that that's not who we were. Nope. Went right back to it. So that's why when you say every year you're in is nice, but when is the year that you felt like, no, they, you're really in it, they can do it. And this year because of the injuries, it's another reason. Like, are you looking at the Yankees and saying that you think even with the American League looking what it looks like, that they're going to beat Boston, that they're going to be Tampa, even

[Peter Rosenberg]

the White Sox, also the whole concept of the White Sox have been good, but remember the whole what the American League looked like, that's kind of changed since the Red Sox now are a different team.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So, yeah, that was like, that was like 40 games ago.

[Alan Hahn]

Like, team is nasty. Let's grab a couple of calls here before we get out of this segment. It was Will in Tampa is waiting online for a bit. What's up, Will?

[Caller or Listener]

Hey, how's it going, Alan?

[Alan Hahn]

Good.

[Caller or Listener]

Alan, my brother and I actually met you at the Hawks game back in December.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Caller or Listener]

We came up to you at halftime talking about Volpe and it's funny to see where we are currently at.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, yeah.

[Caller or Listener]

It's hilarious. But yeah, just wanted to talk about Ben Rice a little bit. Obviously he's had an incredible year. You just kind of Wonder, you know, is some of these bigger spots, you know, potentially this run to the playoffs and him being the main source offensively, you know, does a 12th rounder from Dartmouth have what it takes to kind of be that guy? Or do you think the moment is going to get a little too big for him?

[Alan Hahn]

I don't. Again, it's all about who else is in the lineup with him. Right. Like, is he meant to carry an offense? No. You know, he drew three walks last night. Like, like, it's not like he sucks. Like, the offense is bad because of him. He's still doing what you would expect him to do. He's just not a. He's not gonna be a centerpiece. The judge element is big. The Bellinger element is like, just adds to it. Stanton, as we've said all year, that's not a guy you always know at some point you're gonna lose him for a month or two. That's just a thing you got to get used to. And at some point, the Yankees have to move on from it. Once the contract is up, they got to just, all right, we're done with this. Because it really does hurt, right? Peter, here's a guy that, you know, when he's in the lineup, you're a better team, statistically, better team, especially he and Judge in the lineup together, you're a dominant team, but they're never together. What you're hoping for, of course, is that he just can get right by October. We've seen him do it when it matters most.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And Alan, I was going to say, here's the thing about the Yankees and Stanton. They can't move on from it until they find someone else who can hit the baseball in the playoffs.

[Alan Hahn]

But you're right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Otherwise, how do you move on from the only guy who every year bats 300, hits some home runs and keeps

[Alan Hahn]

you in game and he's clutch. Right? I absolutely know, but that. That. It just feels like Groundhog Day with the Yankees. It feels like the same thing with the Yankees. And of course, the conversation will continue with you on the Yankees. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, man. 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.

[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Alan Hahn]

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[Alan Hahn]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Alan Hahn]

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