Don, Hahn & Rosenberg — Hour 1: Entertaining Football

Air Date: September 15, 2025
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Podcast Description: New York’s unique sports trio — OG voice Don La Greca, Knicks broadcaster Alan Hahn, and WWE/Hip Hop maven Peter Rosenberg — reflect and riff on the latest in New York sports… and everything else.

Overview: The Monday After “The Game of the Week”

The hosts launch into a lively, candid post-mortem on a wildly entertaining, yet ultimately gutting, Giants loss to the Cowboys. The theme centers on the duality of being a New York football fan — finding optimism (“moral victories”) in defeat, lamenting old wounds with new hope, and the unending cycle of expectation, heartbreak, and reflection that characterizes Giants and Jets fandom.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Moral Victories and the Giants’ Painful Progress

• The guys agree: the latest Giants game was "one of the most entertaining" in a long time, but the thrill is mixed with cold, hard reality — an 0-2 record and another devastating divisional loss.

  • Alan Hahn: “It just shows how far we've fallen that I could actually be excited about talking about a Giants loss...that didn't look like a complete and utter embarrassment.” [06:16]
  • Don La Greca: “That’s how low it’s gotten, that you feel good about a loss because it's all you got at this point.” [06:39]

• The double-edged sword of “moral victories” — the concept is dissected and mostly derided as a symptom of mediocre expectations in New York football.

2. Blame and Responsibility: Who Cost the Giants the Game?

• Russell Wilson’s Game: The hosts debate Wilson’s performance, torn between his gaudy passing stats (“the Russell of old,” [04:16]) and the brutal late-game mistakes (backwards pass, untimely interception).

  • Peter Rosenberg: “He's not completely cooked. Against a putrid defense, he can throw that moon ball over and over again…” [04:16]
  • Alan Hahn: “Russell Wilson cost them the game. Those two mistakes—behind the line pass, the interception—cost them the game.” [12:35]
  • Don La Greca: “He’s going for it, trying to win the game… I don’t have a problem with it. At that moment, let 'er rip, baby.” [14:21]

• Coaching and Discipline:

  • The group pinpoints undisciplined play, excessive penalties (notably, multiple flags on the same play), and coaching choices as pivotal factors.
  • Rosenberg: “Where's the place that we look when you see a team that's utterly undisciplined?” [08:45]

• Rule Frustrations and Officiating:

  • Colorful gripes about NFL penalty rules, offsetting yardage, and tongue-in-cheek conspiracy talk about league favoritism (e.g., Chiefs will "never be allowed" to go 0-3). [17:19–19:04]

3. Fan Psychology: Addiction to Hope, the “Dagwood Sandwich” of Emotion

• Hahn and La Greca delve into how fans grasp onto hope, likening it to an addictive substance, and recall their childhood experiences idolizing even mediocre Giants teams.
  • Don La Greca: "Hope is an addiction. It's unreal, but that's what's going on here." [07:39]
  • Alan Hahn: "Maybe this is just a glorified sports aspirin I'm taking." [12:36]
  • Anecdote: Hahn’s son Marco wanting to play football in the yard after the game — a small joy amid disappointment. [03:37]

4. Big Leg, Big Problem: The New NFL Kicker Era

• Extended discussion about monster kicks and whether the league should address the seemingly automatic super-long field goals.
  • Alan Hahn: "...a 46 yard field goal...I almost turned to — I would never do it — but… this is a chip shot. It's over." [37:55]
  • Don La Greca: “Keep in mind, that’s in a dome...ideal situations. I wouldn't overreact...but [the Cowboys’ kicker] is the best in the league right now.” [39:16]

5. Running Bits & Light-Hearted Banter

• Couch and underwear discourse: The trio meanders into an extended, laugh-out-loud exchange about man cave couches, the merits of leather vs. cloth, and “football-in-my-underwear” nostalgia — seamlessly blending personality and sports culture. [29:56–34:34]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Moral Victories:

  • Alan Hahn: “You want to start winning games here. These moral victories are nice, but eventually you want to get a W, especially in the division. Eight straight losses in your division…” [04:34]

• On Russell Wilson’s Moon Ball:

  • Peter Rosenberg: "At least against a putrid defense he can throw, as Alan Hahn would love to call it, that moon ball over and over…" [04:16]

• On Discipline and Rules:

  • Don La Greca: "But as a fan, you're just grasping to something. Hope is an addiction." [07:39]
  • Alan Hahn: "Penalty should only offset if it's the same yardage." [09:18]

• On NFL Conspiracies:

  • Alan Hahn: “The NFL is not going to allow the Chiefs to start 0-3...I'm just going to throw it out there. Call me a conspiracy theorist.” [17:19]
  • Peter Rosenberg: “You’ve become the NFL scripted guy.” [18:43]

• On Coaching:

  • Peter Rosenberg: “Where's the place that we look when you see a team that's utterly undisciplined?” [08:45]

• On Field Goals:

  • Alan Hahn: “He's lining up for a 64-yard field goal. I had no doubt it was going to be good. No doubt in my mind. Automatic.” [37:55]

• On Fan Experience:

  • Alan Hahn: “Am I the only person that after the Giants lost…as you're preparing for bed…you're not thinking to yourself, the NFL is not going to let the Chiefs lose on Sunday night?” [22:10]
  • Tessa (Caller): “I don't know why the Giants keep like putting the straw in my soul and like sucking it out every season.” [49:02]

Noteworthy Call-Ins (Listeners’ Reactions)

- John (34:35): Expresses frustration with Russell Wilson’s late-game ego and the emotional whiplash of being a Giants fan; hosts empathize but stress Wilson isn’t the future — so the pain is less direct.

- Nick (37:22): Highlights how rarely Giants fans have a truly exciting game to rally around, and how the modern NFL kicking game shifts late-game strategy and emotion.

- Tessa (48:23): A passionate fan who covers the emotional spectrum — from misery over the defense and coaching, to hilarious hot takes on couch hygiene — capturing the raw pulse of New York fandom.

Segment Timestamps & Structure

• 00:52–06:16 — Weekend recap, moral victories, Giants/Jets shifting roles
• 06:16–16:28 — Entertaining Giants loss, moral victories dissected, Russell Wilson’s performance, game breakdown/penalties
• 16:28–23:33 — NFL officiating, league "scripts" and conspiracy, schedule banter
• 29:56–34:34 — Man cave couch/underwear conversation, family anecdotes
• 34:35–48:23 — Listener calls: Giants heartbreak, generational fandom, kickers, fan frustrations, coaching criticism, more cathartic venting
• 42:31–44:14 — In-game coaching decisions: 4th down call controversy

Podcast Flow & Tone

• Language & Tone: The banter is barbed but affectionate — plenty of sarcasm, exasperation, colorful New York metaphors (“hope is an addiction,” “sports aspirin”), and genuine, sometimes cathartic, sports therapy.
• Dynamic: The mix of deep analysis, self-deprecating fandom, and comedic off-ramps (couches, childhood, man caves) keeps both hardcore sports talk and personality front and center.

Takeaways for Listeners

• The Giants’ loss, while entertaining, exposes chronic flaws — discipline, coaching, closing ability — making it hard to see real hope amid temporary thrills.
• New York football culture cycles between solace (moral victories) and skepticism; the show captures that restless, never-satisfied energy.
• Listeners can expect both sharp on-field breakdowns and relatable slices of fan/family life — all delivered in classic high-energy New York style.

For future episodes: If you’re a fan craving both X’s and O’s and a little comic relief for your football-induced stress, Don, Hahn & Rosenberg remains appointment listening.