Don, Hahn & Rosenberg

Episode: Hour 1 – Don is Red
Airdate: September 25, 2025
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg

Episode Overview

The first hour of “Don, Hahn & Rosenberg” centers on classic New York sports angst—specifically the emotional rollercoaster of the Mets’ playoff chase and the Yankees’ surge. The trio blends humor, therapy, and biting honesty as they examine the pain and hope that comes with fandom in New York. Discussions span everything from traveling woes, balancing family with demanding media careers, why hope can be torturous for Mets fans, rivalry psychology, MVP voting drama (Judge vs. Raleigh), and the joy (or misery) that comes from watching local teams succeed or fail. Frequent analogies, movie references, and banter keep the energy high and relatable for any diehard.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Travel, Family, and the “Old Man Wisdom”

• Alan’s quick trip to LA: Opens with Alan recapping a whirlwind work trip, lamenting the difficulty of quick travel especially now that he has a daughter. Balancing family life and professional commitments is a theme.
  • Alan (02:03): “I don't understand people who live like this... it's just a bear on and off the plane over and over.”
  • Peter offers perspective: Appreciates Alan’s understanding spouse and notes marriages work best when partners respect the demands of the other's careers.
  • Reflection: This segues into a broader life observation—cherish time with young kids, as later you’ll miss it.

2. Mets Therapy: Hope and Heartbreak

• Don’s Mets despair: Don uses the group as “reverse therapy,” seeking support as a struggling fan. He details the Mets’ inability to execute, persistent errors, and how they’re only playoff-bound because “the Reds stink and the Diamondbacks stink” (04:26).
• Questioning expanded playoffs: The gang questions the “third wild card,” calling the playoff spot “played-off a-jace.” Peter: “I feel like it's one wild card too many” (05:48).
• Coping with hopeless hope: Don likens his Mets fandom to “Red” from Shawshank Redemption—viewing hope as dangerous and potentially maddening, not redemptive.
  • Don (07:04): “I'm red. I don't want the hope... these walls, man. I'm institutionalized.”
  • Peter (08:27): “The line is, ‘Hope can drive a man insane.’”

Notable Movie & Life Analogies

• Shawshank Redemption: Don vacillates between being Red (“don’t give me hope—it hurts”) and wanting to be Andy Dufresne (optimistic).
• Relationship analogy: Mets as “that girl who flirts but isn’t really interested”—being given false hope, only to be let down.
  • Alan (09:16): “Now she gave you hope... now you're gonna think maybe we kiss this time.”

3. Yankees Positivity & NY Sports Context

• Peter lauds Yankees consistency: The Yankees have made the playoffs 8 of the last 9 years—“the only consistent thing we have in this town” (13:03).
• Comparison with local teams: Knicks, Nets, Islanders, Giants, Jets—no one else comes close in regular playoff presence, highlighting the bleakness of NY football.
  • Peter (13:45): “Our football teams are unreal... I don’t think we can fathom how pathetic football has been in NY.”

Recent Performance Turnarounds

• Yankees resurgence: Since mid-August, the Yankees are 28–12 (best in baseball), contrasted to a dire stretch earlier in the summer.
  • Alan (14:41): “Best in baseball.”
  • Peter (14:45): “August 11th is not like two weeks ago… They have been the best team in baseball for the better part of a month and almost a half.”
• Outlook: Yankees moving from “circling the drain” to division race, while skepticism surrounds the Blue Jays and Astros.

4. Judge vs. Raleigh MVP Debate

• Who deserves MVP? The hosts debate Aaron Judge’s candidacy for MVP versus Cal Raleigh (Mariners).
  • Statistical edge discussed (28:28): Callers note Judge leading in most major categories.
  • Pitching around Judge: Callers and hosts argue Judge gets pitched tougher than others, reflecting the league’s respect.
  • Rosenberg (29:11): “The strike zone [on Judge]—I agree with that 100%.”
• Don dismisses conspiracy theories: Shots down caller theories that MLB pitchers are colluding against Judge.
  • Don (30:21): “What is the Rockies pitcher’s motivation to give Raleigh something to hit?”
  • Resolution: MVP voting will come down to who’s had the more remarkable, meaningful season; both are worthy.

5. NY Rivalries—Hate, Schadenfreude, & Honesty

• Yankee fans relishing Mets misery: Several calls and hosts reflect on the psychological intricacies of rooting against the local rival.
  • Don (24:01): “Relish in it! Because I would, if the Yankees were collapsing and the Mets were red hot… that’s part of the rivalry.”
  • Peter (37:13): “It’s very on brand… It’s hate.”
• Caller perspectives: Some claim it’s “not hate,” just enjoying an implosion, but Don calls out the dishonesty—if you want the collapse, “you hate them!” (36:10).
  • Alan: “Sports hate is good, man.” (36:37)
• “The call quality is rough”: Don and Peter joke about “bad dope day” due to the bizarre or nonsensical nature of several callers (39:28–40:11).
• Analogies/banter about suffering and hope: Enduring with your team through lows makes the highs meaningful (“Sunny days, everybody loves them...”).

6. The Value of MVP Awards vs. Playoff Success

• “Rings matter, not MVPs”: The consensus is that another MVP won’t cement Judge’s legacy—only post-season heroics and a ring will.
  • Sam in Rockland (48:54): “Another MVP is not going to cement Judge’s legacy at this point. Only thing... is the ring.”
  • Alan (50:13): “The only thing he hasn’t done is be a stud in the playoffs and bring that home.”

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• The burden of hope (Mets):
  • “I'm red. I don't want the hope... I'm institutionalized.”
    —Don, [07:04]
• On fake optimism:
  • “It's gonna piss you off even more because now it’s elimination games... Why are we even here?”
    —Peter, [05:57]
• Shawshank Redemption analogy:
  • “Hope can drive a man insane.”
    —Peter, [08:27]
• NY football failures:
  • “Jets and Giants have more combined 0–3 starts, three of them, than they do playoff appearances. Our football teams are unreal.”
    —Peter, [13:03]
• Expanded playoffs skepticism:
  • “That third wild card is played off a-jace. It just is.”
    —Don, [05:35]
• Sports fandom as love and pain:
  • “You have to dive in and I'm hitting the rocks, right? That's what's gonna happen. But... you still have to leap, don't you?”
    —Don, [11:22]
• On the Yankees’ consistency:
  • “As much as we kill them, they're the only consistent thing we have in this town.”
    —Peter, [13:03]
• Rivalry honesty:
  • “If you're hoping for them to collapse, what other word would you use but hatred?”
    —Don, [36:10]
• MVP priorities:
  • “You trade 100 MVPs for the World Series. Who gives a rat’s ass?”
    —Alan, [45:11]
• On Mets futility and hope:
  • “They stink. They're not going anywhere. I'm going out of my mind.”
    —Don, [10:32]

Important Segments by Timestamp

• Travel, family, and career balance — [01:37–04:04]
• Mets playoff anxiety, hope as pain — [04:11–13:03]
• Yankees’ playoff consistency & NY sports context — [13:03–15:37]
• Judge vs. Raleigh MVP call/argument — [17:10–20:31]; see also [28:28–31:20]
• NY fans, rivalry, joy in others’ misery — [23:04–38:19]; highlighted by calls & hosts discussing hate/Schadenfreude
• Bad calls/bad dope day banter — [39:24–40:28]
• MVP meaning vs. playoff rings — [45:10–50:13]

Overall Tone & Takeaways

The episode captures the heart of New York sports radio—frustration, gallows humor, and fandom as a mix of masochism and hope. Don, Hahn & Rosenberg oscillate between earnest analysis and comedic riffs, all while laying bare the raw emotions of being a Mets or Yankees fan.

If you missed it:
You'll understand why hope hurts so bad for Mets fans, the quiet pride and exasperation of Yankees followers, why local rivalry is a contradictory stew of admiration and spite, and how MVP debates are ultimately less important than playoff glory.

Next Up:
Jeff Passan will join the show at 4:00 PM to discuss MVP races and playoff storylines further.