Hour 1: Giants Future & Another Mets Trade

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – "Giants Future & Another Mets Trade"

Date: December 22, 2025
Podcast Hour 1: Key Summary & Highlights

Episode Overview

This lively episode centers on the dire situation facing both the New York Giants and the New York Mets, with emphasis on the Giants’ dysfunctional leadership, uncertainty about the team's future, and the ongoing teardown of the Mets’ roster. Don La Greca and Alan Hahn drive the discussion (Peter Rosenberg is absent in this hour), using wit, frustration, and deep sports knowledge to dissect what’s gone wrong in New York sports—and what needs to change.

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Giants in Crisis: Dysfunction and Uncertainty

Main Theme:
The Giants are mired in dysfunction at every level, with leadership questions compounding on-field regression. The hosts debate who's actually in charge and what direction the team must take, especially as John Mara battles cancer and familiar faces have failed.

Key Discussion Points, Quotes, and Timestamps

A Pointless Season

• Don and Alan agree the Giants’ problems transcend “just losing.” The focus is no longer on wins and losses, but on lack of growth, questionable coaching decisions, and uncertainty about the franchise’s direction.
• Don (03:44):

  "But your shiny new toy, Alan, is regressing. And not because of himself, but because of the dysfunction around him."

• Don criticizes the conservative coaching of rookie QB Jackson Dart, questioning what can be gained when a young quarterback is simply handing off the ball instead of developing.

Who's Actually Calling the Shots?

• Alan (05:25):

  "This has now become the toilet bowl. Who gets that pick? Who's going to get the worst record in the league?...the guy who's at the podium, he ain't going to be the guy at the podium when the season starts next year. ... It's the train is off the tracks. There's no getting it back."

• Both agree the key issue isn’t even who the Giants might select in the draft, but rather: "Who is making that decision?"
• Don (06:04):

  "Who's leading this team, football wise, whether it's the first pick or the 32nd pick, who is leading this team moving forward? And this is why I wanted to get Jordan on, because it's really time to have this discussion."

The Mara Situation

• The delicate question: John Mara, long the Giants’ football decision-maker, is battling cancer and seemingly absent from operational control. Don expresses care but insists a football organization needs leadership contingency plans.
• Don (06:34):

  "Even in these circumstances, there has to be some kind of contingency plan. If John can't run this...what is the next stage?"

Missteps, Kafka Audit, and the Search For Answers

• Hahn and La Greca revisit the firing of Brian Daboll, the ascension and failure of Mike Kafka, and the prospects for GM Joe Schoen ("Shane") possibly leading the search for the next head coach by default, not by merit.
• Alan (08:11):

  "We wanted to see Kafka...and now you know. ...So you guess what we don't have to do. We don't have to waste our time interviewing Mike Kafka. Don't have to. We've seen you in action. You had a chance, and you're not it."

• Both agree it's not wasted time if the Giants "learned something" and fix things—otherwise, it's catastrophe.

Historical Parallels & The Need for 'Blood in the Ground'

• Don draws parallels to the 1970s organizational chaos, when NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle had to intervene and appoint George Young.
• Don (15:55):

  "You bring in guys that...have blood in the ground. ...you saw that 30 for 30 with the two Bills and how Parcells talked glowingly about growing up a Giant fan..."

Searching for a Savior

• Who can step in? Names like Bill Parcells, Tom Coughlin, and Ernie Accorsi are floated as veteran 'consultants' with deep Giants ties.
• Don (16:39):

  "Is it that just to come in—don't even give him a title. Just come in here. What do you think, Bill? What do you think we should do here?"

• There is agreement that "blood in the ground," or emotional investment and historical connection, is vital for any turnaround.

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Mets Tear Down Continues: The Jeff McNeil Trade

Main Theme:
The Mets, under David Stearns, are aggressively remaking the roster—demonstrated by offloading Jeff McNeil and even paying the A’s to take him.

Key Points and Notable Quotes

• Alan (19:42):

  "They are continuing to dismantle that team and yet really what are the additions they're making? They're not big time additions."

• The hosts agree Stearns' aim is to erase anyone who wasn't acquired or extended by him; only Lindor remains due to contract size.
• Don (22:00):

  "All I say is this. I know there's a plan. All right. I know you do. There's a plan."

• Alan notes that big-money owners not only sign stars, but also write checks to erase past mistakes, highlighting Steve Cohen's willingness to pay to move players.

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Brief Check-ins: Knicks, Rangers, and Parity in Sports

Knicks:

• Injury management for Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby.
• Alan (41:00):

  "For Brunson, it's listed as right ankle injury management. ...If there's ever a time to get him to catch your breath because you got a noon Christmas Day game...this would be a game to kind of mark as let's get him right."

• Team is handling the condensed schedule post-NBA Cup wisely, accepting some potential short-term losses for long-term health and playoff readiness.
• Discussion of smarter load management becoming contemporary league dogma.

Rangers / NHL:

• La Greca bemoans the difficulties posed by tight schedules, especially with injuries and flu bugs hampering hockey teams.
• General observation: "Parity is at an all-time high in the NHL and NBA," creating unpredictable swings.

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Listener Calls & Additional Insights

• Caller (29:49): Advocates leaning into Jersey/NY football roots by hiring rising local coaches with ties to successful Giants eras. The hosts respond positively to the idea of reconnecting with traditions and pride.
• Alan (32:05):

  "When the Giants are great in their history, what is the best thing about them?"
  "Defense," Don quickly replies, underlining the franchise's lost identity.

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Received Wisdom & Host Frustration

• The hosts repeatedly highlight that the Giants' fundamental flaw isn't just poor results, it's utter lack of clear, invested leadership or philosophical direction.
• They voice despair at “legacy” franchises operating like small-market teams, searching for quick fixes instead of rooting decisions in the organization's proven historical strengths.
• Alan (34:23):

  "So Roger Goodell has to do it. ...We can't have two teams in New York that are an abomination."

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Memorable Moments / Quotes

• "It's the toilet bowl. Who gets that pick? Who's going to get the worst record in the league? That's what you're playing for." — Alan (05:25)
• "Your shiny new toy, Alan, is regressing. And not because of himself, but because of the dysfunction around him." — Don (03:44)
• "You bring in guys that...have blood in the ground." — Don (15:55)
• "We can't have two teams in New York that are an abomination. We're used to the Jets being a joke, but we can't let the Giants keep being a joke." — Alan (34:23)
• "It's all about trying to make the team better. ...I know there's a plan. I just don't know exactly when the plan is going to be executed." — Don (22:03)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:47 – 06:35: Giants season: irrelevance, QB regression, coaching failure, leadership crisis
• 06:34 – 11:38: Mara's illness, succession confusion, Kafka experiment
• 15:44 – 17:44: Calls for intervention: Who has "blood in the ground"?
• 18:49 – 22:58: Mets trade Jeff McNeil, ownership strategy, rebuilding philosophy
• 40:46 – 47:35: Latest Knicks injury/roster news, NBA schedule grind
• 29:49, 35:27: Notable caller ideas & response

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Tone and Style

Conversational, slightly exasperated, ever-honest New York sports banter; part intensive therapy, part late-night bar debate, and fully invested in the fate of New York's teams.

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Summary Takeaway

The Giants’ struggles run deeper than wins or losses—they’ve lost their functional core, clear leadership, and historical identity. The Mets are in teardown-mode, but at least have a coherent (if painful) direction under new management. Both teams leave their passionate hosts and fans with big questions, but little current hope. As Alan puts it:

"It's only a lost season if you didn't learn from it." (09:58)
The question is, who will do the learning—and what will they do next?

Transcript

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[Don Hahn]

Sometimes fraud gives you movement. It sounded like it moved.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Han, you heard a squish.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

And Rosenberg, shake gently to ass.

[Don Hahn]

A complete activation. Hello. This isn't North Dakota. This is New York.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

This is Don, Han and Rosenberg.

[Caller or Guest]

The best threesome I've ever heard on.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

ESPN New York and streaming live on YouTube.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, it's 301 in the big city. It's Don, it's Han, it's Rosenberg. It's Monday, and a lot of times we would be off celebrating the old Christmas holiday, but. Yeah, why are we're not going to do that when we've got an NFL Monday to talk? I mean, we mean, we need to reevaluate this next year if these teams are going to continue to play the way they're playing. Because when we agreed to work, which again, is not a problem. This is not work. This is the toy store, man.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Well, I want to talk to you today anyway, Donnie.

[Don Hahn]

I know, absolutely we could have done this offline, but my, you know, my dad worked. We don't work. This is. This is the toy store. This is fun, right? But, you know, when we agreed to do. It's like, well, wait a minute. It's, you know, it's week 16. The conclusion of week 16. There could be some big games in the NFL. There's plenty of big games in the NFL. Tons of. None of them have anything to do with the jets or Giants as they continue to just fall into the abyss. Jets with still three wins, the Giants with two. Tell you, that's gonna be a hell of a game next week in Vegas. I'll tell you. Giants and the. The Raiders.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Are you watching?

[Don Hahn]

Both of them almost won this week. I mean, the Giants lost by three, the Raiders lost by two. But it's just going to be, as the great Herb Brooks says, two monkeys blanking a football. That's what it's going to look like on Sunday when the Raiders play the Giants.

[Alan Rosenberg]

That's such a great line.

[Don Hahn]

It is such a great. And it's. And he used it because, like Danico talks about it, he used it when he was with the Devils. He used it when he was with the Rangers. He used it when the Team usa. It was great. And you could figure with the blank means.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

And I said to it, usually he says, you look like a monkey blank in a football.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

But I said two monkeys. Because the Raiders and the.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I believe in the. In the movie, he used hump. Yes.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, but he didn't use hump because.

[Alan Rosenberg]

It was a Disney movie.

[Don Hahn]

It was a Disney movie, so. But you get the picture. And then that's basically what we're watching. We'll save the Giants for a second because we're gonna have Jordan Ron on coming on at 330. Yep. Because the. The jets are what they are, all right? And we could sit there and take phone calls about, you know, firing the head coach, making. They're not doing any of that, all right? They are going to. Their regime is tight. Whether you like it or not, whether you'd want it to be that way. If you own the team, it's irrelevant. Muji's not going anywhere, nor should he. And Glenn's not going anywhere, nor should he. All right? It has not looked good, but they're playing three dimensional chess. You hope is that they're evaluating talent beyond the wins and losses. So don't even worry about it, okay? That will get figured out next year. The scholarship's over and we're going to really watch and see about the growth of the team. But whatever, there are no changes here. The Giants are in complete evaluation mode and this thing is going to get blown up sky high when the season is over. Because I was embarrassed by what I saw yesterday, not the fact they lost the game. Who cares?

[Alan Rosenberg]

All right?

[Don Hahn]

At the end of the day, whether you believe in tanking or not, whether you're rooting for them or not, the results, irrelevant. But your shiny new toy, Alan is regressing. And not because of himself, but because of the dysfunction around him. What kind of game plan in a meaningless game at home, do you have a game plan in which you ask your quarterback who needs to grow and get better and to learn, just not throw the football, just hand off.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I don't know, Don.

[Don Hahn]

Now you do that when you're in a must win situation because the Vikings do not have a good run defense, all right? And you're trying to win the game, okay? Because Kafka maybe still believes he's got a chance at a job. But you know how you keep the job is to have your quarterback continue to grow and get better. Not sit there and just hand off the ball the entire first half. Now, he didn't play well in the second half, but explain to me that Game plan. Alan, explain to me in a meaningless game why I'm taking my quarterback, who needs every game possible to try to get better and grow and learn and read defenses and change plays of the line of scrimmage, just basically hand off all day.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I can't. It doesn't. It doesn't make sense here, Don. My motivation about local football yesterday was zero. Like, I had zero interest in either game. I feel like it's a fait accompli with the Giants at this point, and I was the one fighting it. But you see where this is going. Like, it's. The train is off the tracks. There's no getting it back. And right now I think the bigger concern is if they end up with. Look, you know what? You know what your game is next week, this coming week, for the number one pick in the draft?

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Alan Rosenberg]

That's what this is now. This has now become the toilet bowl. Who gets that pick? Who's going to get the worst record in the league? That's what you're playing for. And if you get it, what do you do with it? What's happening right now, but is irrelevant to me on all accounts, it means nothing. Because the guy who's at the podium, he ain't going to be the guy at the podium when the season starts next year. So I can't worry about that. I can't worry about anything other than what are they going to do going forward and who's going to be the one making those decisions. That's it.

[Don Hahn]

See this over. The second thing you said to me is way more important than the first.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Thing, which is what?

[Don Hahn]

Who's making it?

[Alan Rosenberg]

Who's.

[Don Hahn]

Who's leading this team, football wise, whether it's the first pick or the 32nd pick, who is leading this team moving forward? And this is why I wanted to get Jordan on, because it's really time to have this discussion. Where are we with John? Mara? And I do not want to be callous. I don't want to be cold. He is going through a cancer battle, and that should be the most important thing to him, is to try to fight through this and survive it. And we're praying for him and we're thinking of him.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Absolutely.

[Don Hahn]

So please do not misunderstand me that I think football is remotely important to human life. But even in these circumstances, there has to be some kind of contingency plan. If John can't run this, and we're not even sure when he's running it, that it's running functionally, what is the next Stage what is happening here? Because again, I. We talked to Carl Banks. I know Carl. Carl's a friend of mine. I do not pick him for information because I want to have a friendship with him and not have him feel like the only reason I talk to him is to try to get information out of him. But when we have him on, that's my job. So when we had him on, didn't we say we came away with that interview after they fired Dable, that Kafka was going to be given a chance to win this job?

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yep.

[Don Hahn]

And now it's all coming out that they should have kept able. Look at how darts played since Kafka has taken over. And that maybe they should have kept able there so at least the quarterback could have moved forward. Okay, I can understand that. But here's the thing. Allen was the reason Dable let go, because they thought Kafka was going to be the guy. And that's why Shane stayed, because now we have the stability we were looking for. We had to get rid of Dable because all they did was lose. But now we keep Dart's offensive coordinator, the only offensive coordinator he ever had. All right? He becomes the head coach. We can keep Shane because they're connected just like Dable and Shane were connected. And they maybe made this choice, Allen, and fired Dable when they fired him because they believed that Kafka was the next guy. Well, guess what? He's not. They haven't won a game since he took over.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah. And that's. That's why I think again, I know you're. You're painting the picture of what the season has been about. And I'm telling you that I don't think anything would have been different. It's. It still would have been, you know, in its show with this team. Because what we saw that team with Dable, we saw the mistakes. We saw the defense coordinator was over his head. We saw all of it. He. There was time. He had to go. He went. They wanted to see Kafka, who had interviewed for other head coaching jobs. What can you do? And now you know. So you guess what we don't have to do. We don't have to waste our time interviewing Mike Kafka. Don't have to. We've seen you in action. You had a chance, and you're not it. What this franchise needs right now. You're not it. So this is not, to me, it's not wasted time. You win or you learn. And the Giants, if you're. And I know again, like you said all due respect with John Mara, he's going through a lot. So I can't imagine he's really able to be up on everything as much as he should. And I'm sure he's not seeing it with his own eyes. But whoever it is in the organization that is paying attention, I hope that you learned enough at this point to know that the only move to make is to bring in someone experience and let them run this thing. Let them? Since Tom Coughlin left and Tom Coughlin was the standard guy, he was the one that set the standard. This is what we do. This is how we do it. Ever since then, when they went to this stupid committee thing, it hasn't worked. So why don't we go back to what we know works and that is get me an experienced coach who knows how to organize a franchise, get everybody under this, under the same umbrella with the same standards and the style of play and let's build a team that way. That's it. So you've learned this will. This is only for naught, Don. If we go into next season and nothing's changed, that's it. If you have learned something from this experience and next year you're better for it because you made the right hire, then none of this was a waste of time. And the quarterback will be fine. Trust me. He hates losing. He's miserable losing. But who knows if they have the number one pick, maybe they will make that crate. We were joking about hypotheticals. Who's to say though, if they get the number one pick that they might change their mind and say, you know what, we're worried about his long term health, the way he plays and maybe we need to start fresh with a number one pick quarterback and trade him while he's got serious value because Jackson Dart will have serious value. But who I don't see it as, you know, like this has been a lost. It's a lost season record wise, but it's only a lost season if you didn't learn from it. And by next year you have somebody in here that's helping you become a functioning franchise. That's the only way that you can say that this experience, as painful as it was, was worth it.

[Don Hahn]

That's all great, but who is making that decision is my ultimate question. Because Shane, the last we heard from the Giants organization was when Dable was let go and we were told in the statement that Shane would lead the search right, for the next head coach of this team. So the last we've heard from the Giants and Again, Jordan's gonna join us at the bottom of the hour to see if anything's changed within.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

That Shane is leading this, that's not good to me because he's a part of the problem now. So now you're telling me that they've got to learn. Did Shane learn? Is Shane the reason why Kafka was given this opportunity and failed? You know, he's the guy that's gonna want to keep darts. So you say, well, I don't think they'll get out of the dart business because if Shane's in charge, he's the one that.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I've already said it's lunacy. I've already said it's lunacy if they think about trading him. Use that pick. If that's. This narrative is coming out now and I hate it. You do not trade the guy. I'm saying who knows what they're going to end up doing. Whoever comes in might have this decision, but that's become a thing. I think it's lunacy. I think if they end up with the number one pick, you use that pick. If you're a smart general manager, you use that pick to find the desperate team that needs a quarterback. Take all you can, get as much draft capital as you can and fill all the blanks that's all over your roster right now. That's what a smart football person would do coming into the situation because you already have the quarterback. But I don't want somebody to say, you know, I'm worried about him getting hurt. What about his long term health? Is he the type of quarterback that I'm not going to be able to rely on? That's to me, you can't bring in somebody that's going to have that mentality.

[Don Hahn]

I don't disagree with you. I'm just concerned who is ultimately making these decisions that you're talking.

[Alan Rosenberg]

They don't have one yet. They have to find them.

[Don Hahn]

That's the problem.

[Alan Rosenberg]

We know already done by the way this is done. That's. That's the stuff that I'd be most concerned with. Not what we see on the field. What you're saying that now we're getting to the heart of the matter with the Giants is. And you're trying to be respectful and I know it. But I finally got it out of you. The only thing that matters right now of the Giants is who the hell is leading this search for the next. And maybe, just maybe the story you always love to tell about the late 70s, maybe the league needs to step in Here, maybe they do. Well, because who is, who is the one making these decisions? Who, who is going to find the person that is going to come in and get this thing back on track?

[Don Hahn]

And that's why we need to talk to Jordan just about the pecking order. Just trying to figure out the ladder, who's leading the way of leadership that goes on here. Because we know before we found out about John Maris cancer situation was that he was the football guy. He had Shane as his general manager and then they had their head coach. That was what they had in place. Tisch does not make those types of decisions football wise. John Marrow was the one that said, I want stability. I'm bringing these guys back. Now John's ill. Jon is not traveling with the team, which is unheard of for him to do that because he's in treatment, he's going through. So I don't want to be critical of his situation. But we also have to know. Is the guy by default. That's not a good thing. Like if Shane's the guy because they believe in him, John believes in him, well then what are we supposed to do? He's the owner of the team. But if he's just there by default because John's sick and Shane's the guy, that's the brain trust there and there's literally nobody to fire him and he is leading this coaching search just because he's the last guy standing, football wise, that's not a good thing. If people believe in him, that's a different story. But if he's just there because like literally he's the guy that's holding the steering wheel because everybody else has got other things going on, that's a major problem. And you bring up what happened to Wellington when he was arguing with Tim. They were battling with each other back in the late 70s. The league had to step in and they recommended they get George Young and it changed everything. Are we at that stage? Hey, John can't run the team right now because he's ill. We need to bring somebody in here to grab the steering wheel. It can't be Shane. It's got to be somebody that's above Shane, that has given more responsibility to Shane and say, I think this guy should do it or I don't think this guy should do it.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Who is it?

[Don Hahn]

Is it Bill Parcells? Is it Kaufman? Is. I don't know. Do you. Do you call Ernie a course if.

[Alan Rosenberg]

It was Parcells because he'd now have his fingerprints on both franchises.

[Don Hahn]

But I'm just, you You. We joke about it when we talk about our drinking game. The blood in the ground. The blood in the ground is such a great phrase because that's what the Giants need, somebody that is invested emotionally with the success of this franchise. Is it Bill Parcells? Is it Ernie? Of coursey. Is it Tom Coughlin? Is it somebody that we're not thinking of, that they can bring in here? I don't want what the jets did a few years ago when they brought in Wolf and Childress to decide what to do because they didn't have blood in the ground. Right?

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

You bring in guys that. You saw that 30 for 30 with the two bills and how Parcells talked glowingly about growing up a Giant fan, that it was in his blood, like literally in his blood, purging through his veins.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Personal.

[Don Hahn]

Is it. Is it that just to come in. Don't even give him a title. Just come in here. What do you think, Bill? What do you think we should do here? You watch the teams down in Florida, the games down in Florida. You see this team, you're emotionally invested. What do we do here? John's in trouble. Shane's a mess. This team is in as bad a shape as somebody that lived through the 70s. And my earliest memories of the Giants are 75, 76, when they were an absolute tire fire. This is worse. This is way worse. This is worse because it was hard to make the playoffs in the 70s. Allen.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Owners fighting in the 70s, fine.

[Don Hahn]

But it was fixable because it wasn't like they were that far away, you know, right now. Think about how far away they are, and yet it's still easy to make the playoffs. Nine win teams are making the playoffs. This is. This football league is garbage. Right. We don't even have a very good team in football.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Your example is the fact that the coach that they just fired was coach of the year and made the playoffs and won a playoff game in his first season. That's your example? Yeah. That's how easy it is.

[Don Hahn]

That's it, honestly, that you fell over after that and look like God because, you know, name a great team who is a great team. At least when the Giants were bad, they were supposed to be bad. They weren't the Steelers, they weren't the Cowboys. But right now, all you got to do is tweak here, tweak there, and you can find yourself back. And yet they still seem to be so far away. I'm watching. You know, I had the devil game last night, but like before the game, in between periods, I'm watching that Lion Pittsburgh game. You know, I'm watching the game last night between the Patriots and the Ravens. By the way, Patriots trying to become what, the third team to lose 13 games and then win 13 games the next year. Oh by the way, it happened last year with the Commanders. Right. Like so it can happen but you need to make the right decisions and they don't even have somebody to make decisions.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

So that's why I feel like this is the worst football that we've ever seen as Giant fans ever. And if you're a certain age like me or even older, that's saying something, brother. That's saying something.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Well, while we're talking about football, there's some more Mets news when it comes to breaking up that team. Okay, so Jeff Passon reporting that the, that the Mets are sending Jeff McNeil to the A's. The Mets are getting back a pitcher from rookie ball. Basically he doesn't have his name. The Mets are sending cash to help cover the 15 million plus salary and then also a 2 million dollar buyout on the club option for next year. So they're basically paying the A's to take him. We had a feeling, you know, McNeil was going to be out along. You know, there was a core of players there that you could see that they knew they had to get out of that clubhouse. Nimmo, McNeil and Alonzo. Now McNeil and Lindor did not get along as we know.

[Don Hahn]

No.

[Alan Rosenberg]

But wow. That they are continuing to dismantle that team and yet really what are the additions they're making? They're not big time additions.

[Don Hahn]

Not yet.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yet. But that's just one more. So for Mets fans to know they are paying the A's to take Jeff McNeil just to move on from him.

[Don Hahn]

Right. So right now you are seeing David Stearns just building the team. He wants to build this, this type.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Of team that he believes right should.

[Don Hahn]

Win type of team. And basically anybody that was not AC by him, extended by him, traded for by him, he is trying to get out. Lindor probably can't because the contract's too much and he just can't make that kind of a deal. Yeah, but he is, he is, he is changing this team. You know, he'd love to get rid of Senga if he could but again there's a lot of money to move there and, and he has good. And he has been helpful.

[Alan Rosenberg]

That too. See this is also how you get, you know, that's the thing when people talk about. And I know we're Making a hard turn here. But we will get back to Giants when Jordan Renan joins us next. But just because this just broke, it shows you too that when you have a deep pocketed owner, a lot of people think you can just sign players to massive contracts and outspend them. What you can also do, and we saw this a couple of years ago with Scherzer and Verlander, is you can also pay your way out of mistakes.

[Don Hahn]

Right.

[Alan Rosenberg]

And that's something that clearly, like, that's one thing that, you know, Hal never wanted to do. That's why Jacoby Ellsbury sat on that roster for years and he didn't even play well.

[Don Hahn]

It's a lot to ask an owner to do. I know the fans don't have any sympathy.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Oh, pay for my mistake as a gm.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, that's hard to do, but pay, pay. But that's the, that's what makes an owner and a general manager great. Is admitting, hey, I made a mistake. Let's get the heck out of this.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

You know, and, and that's what, and that's what the Yankees used to do back in the day. Like, oh, you know, Jose Canseco is not working out. Shelley Davis isn't working out. You know, we'll just keep trying until we find the right guy. Right.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Throw money on top.

[Don Hahn]

This guy I know is not working out. We'll just keep trying until we find the guy and if we've got to pay through the nose for it. But clearly it's a different world now. And even the billionaire owners are like, I'm not setting fire to money unless I have to. But it's all about trying to make the team better. That's the number one question I get asked. I'm sure you get asked it too, Alan. What are the Mets doing? You hope there's a plan. All I, all I say is this. I know there's a plan. All right. I know you do. There's a plan.

[Alan Rosenberg]

You feel pretty good about that?

[Don Hahn]

Of course.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Very good.

[Don Hahn]

He's not doing all this and not having a plan. Now, I don't know if the plan is going to work, but the thing that I'm a little worried about is is there an expiration date on the plan? Now, they said that we'll see it on opening day, but are we going to get settled a bill of goods? Like, oh, there's a plan. But you know, we're going to see what happens with this potential lockout or strike with this new cba. And is there going to be A salary like I'm just hoping that 26 isn't end up sold as a transitional year because the plan's taking longer than expected because of the work stoppage. That's the one I'm worried about. I know there's a plan. I just don't know exactly when the plan is going to be executed. And I would not be surprised if it's going to be after the dust settles with the CBA. And then that means 26 ends up being taken a knee. I can't have my baseball team take a knee after my football team has taken three knees.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I think the jets are taking a knee next year. I'm telling you, I think the jets are still. I think the jets are another year away. What the New York teams are doing to their fan bases right now is mind boggling. It really is. And then the jets dare to raise prices. We'll see what the Mets end up doing. We see the Yankees have been really, I mean, this is as quiet as I've ever seen the Yankees in an off season and we were warned about that. So baseball's been quiet. The football obviously is just, is, is a dead stick, as you used to say. With my favorite sayings from you in the old show, it's a dead stick. But we did get a Nick win last night, which is pretty riveting. We have that going on, which is nice.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, the hockey is a bit of a, bit of a whirlwind right now. Rangers, they, you know, playing without Fox now, they lose Miller, they got a flu bug, go to Nashville, one of the worst teams in the league. After a thrilling come from behind victory against the Flyers and they just hand two points back. Jack Hughes back and he scores.

[Alan Rosenberg]

That's not nothing. That's not nothing getting him back.

[Don Hahn]

They still, that's the only goal they get. And they end up losing to all of a sudden a red hot Buffalo Sabers team. You know, since we're pivoting all over the place right now and pulling our hamstrings and groins, we're very agile right now.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I think we're being great agility.

[Don Hahn]

The NHL's Eastern Conference basically is all win four in a row, then lose four in a row like everybody. And there's, there's so much parity in sports right now. It's, it's really ridiculous.

[Alan Rosenberg]

It's really amazing.

[Don Hahn]

But we're, listen, we got full four hours today, all right? So we're going to get to everything there is to get to.

[Alan Rosenberg]

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[Don Hahn]

Yeah. Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment.

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[Alan Rosenberg]

So good, so good, so good.

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[Podcast Host/Producer]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don Hahn]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

[Don Hahn]

Game Time is brought to you by Televardu Irish Whiskey. Because when it's game Time, Alan, It's tolly time. There are no locals in action tonight. You know what? I don't know. Zero, zilch, nada. We do not have any locals playing. We do have the 49ers and the Colts on Monday Night Football at 8:15. And that's not ABC vehicle. That's an ESPN vehicle. That is a Disney plus vehicle.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Wow.

[Don Hahn]

It's all over. When I say all over, like all over the map. Not all over like it's done.

[Alan Rosenberg]

It's not over. Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Germans let him go. He's on a roll.

[Don Hahn]

Tullamore. Do the original triple distilled, triple blended and triple cast matured Iris whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore Dew or try the new Tullamore Dew. Honey, during today's action, glasses up to enjoying Tullamore Dew responsibly.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I love when you call me honey.

[Don Hahn]

You want to. You want to do some. Some phone calls? Because. Waiting on. We're waiting on Jordan.

[Alan Rosenberg]

We are.

[Don Hahn]

That's what I was told.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yes. So why don't we do that, then?

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, let's do it. And let's talk to another great line from Animal House.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Let's do it.

[Don Hahn]

Let's go to Al in it says Bergen. None of it's Bergen Field. Bergen County.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Bergen something.

[Don Hahn]

Bergen County. He doesn't want to be Catholic.

[Alan Rosenberg]

What do we got? All right.

[Caller or Guest]

Definitely. Definitely not Bergen Catholic. Bergen County.

[Alan Rosenberg]

All right.

[Don Hahn]

Okay.

[Caller or Guest]

So listen, I heard you guys saying parcel. That's when I got into the Giants. I was in high school then. And the banner flying over the stadium team, the whole thing. And I love the idea of the parcels thing, but at this point, don't you think we need to do what we did then? But with guys like Parcells now? So I just throw out a name, and you guys drew Bergen Catholic out there. So the Campanelli family. I don't know if you know what Anthony Campanelli is doing in Jacksonville. The dad is like a. Is like a Mickey Corcoran to. Who are Parcells was back then? I mean, they're the first family of football. I don't understand why Anthony's name is not coming up to come up here even as a defensive coordinator and start building with Jersey guys like the next generation of Parcell guys like these guys are doing in New Jersey. What Parcells did back then. Chris Partridge is a Jersey guy who coached a Paramus Catholic, is now the linebacker coach with the Seahawks. So it's almost like when Parcells, like when Parcells was that Air Force, you know, hard just doing that now when Belichick was with Minnesota, that's what. That's what Anthony Campanelli is doing now. Bring guys like that in that have Jersey roots but that are 35 and 40 years old.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I'm not asking.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I don't hate that, Alan.

[Don Hahn]

I'm not asking for Bill Parcells to run the show. I'm asking for Bill Parcells to help point out the direction. And if he recommends different people, then I'm all for it. So I just want somebody with blood in the ground that cares, that can, you know, instead of making a business decision or getting some sort of a check the way that, you know, Wolf did from Woody Johnson.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Oh, him and Cassidy boy.

[Don Hahn]

I want somebody Money grab, emotionally invested, to say, here's what I think this franchise needs. All right, why don't you talk to this person? Talk to that person. I'm not giving him any authority. I'm just somebody that I know, that cares, that I know, that knows football, to kind of help me out in this. In this time of transition. That's what I need. And so I'm sure there are a bunch of people that can help. I just don't know who those people are. Do you. Does anybody at this point know exactly?

[Alan Rosenberg]

This is. I. We have the same problems with the jets as well, right? Like, it's. It's the same issues of those running the franchise. Maybe don't have a really good feel for what it takes to run a good franchise. And when the Giants have had success, it's when they've reached back into their history, right? Like, it's. It's when they've found success, they have always tried to find some sort of connection to when they were great, Obviously, the parcels era, Right. And that, to me, was, you know, evident with Tom Coughlin. And we say it all the time, all of it. Walked out the door when he walked right past John, didn't shake his hand and left. And they have never gotten it back since. Never. And that's the problem. How do you not recognize that? Like, you know, whether it's. I don't think it needs to be John. There are other people in the family that care about the team and care about the franchise that should also just say, hey, you know what? Remember, we were good. Why don't we go back to doing it that way? Because that worked. Instead of always having to feel like. Like, I hate when the major markets or the. Or the legacy franchises start acting like the outpost franchises and the smaller market ones. And maybe they're having success doing it their way, but that's because it's unique to them. When you operate as a major market legacy franchise, you're supposed to do things a little bit differently, a little bit more with tradition. This is who we are. This is our identity. When the Giants are great, what do they do? Don, when the Giants are great in their history, what is. What is the best thing about them?

[Don Hahn]

The best thing about the Giants? When they're great, Whenever they're great, what.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Is the one thing you're like, they're.

[Don Hahn]

The best at this most usually defense.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Thank you. That's it. When they're great, it's because they have a great defense. It starts there. That's their identity. And you know, they, they decided to hire defense coordinator. I had no experience. They, they had a secondary that zero chance of covering anyone. They had linebackers who can't tackle. That's not the Giants. You could talk all you want about Jackson, Darton and offense and all those things. That's nice. But when the Giants are their best is when they are their standards, defense and they have a defense over the last couple of years that has been embarrassing ever since Wink walked out the door. So I just feel like that's all it takes. So what you said. And we'll hopefully Jordan, you know when he gets on with us, who is overseeing. Don't tell me. You could say that Joe Shane is going to lead the search for a new head coach. That doesn't tell me anything. That just tells me he's going to be one making phone calls and arranging things. He's almost like the secretary, you know, he's going to be the one organizing these, these interviews. But we all know how this stuff works at the high end. The agents, the super agents, the Jimmy sections of the world. They get their coaches interviewed. They say he's interested in the job, I'm coming. And he'll look at Joe Shane like, we're not talking to you. We're talking to whoever's above you. Right. Like they know. So who is the one that, when Mike McCarthy comes to talk to the Giants, who's he talking to? Because it can't be Joe Shane. We all know that's not that. That's not the case.

[Don Hahn]

Well, the entire history, recent history of this organization, I've said it a bunch of times, is basically George Young to Ernie. Of course he, of course he didn't win a ring. It was Jerry Reese's teams. Technically, those were teams that were built by a Corsi. And those are the two guys, Allen. So it's really not about any, you know, the ownership. It's about hiring the right guys that can make the decisions for what's good with this franchise. And they have not been able to find anybody since Ernie, of coursey to make the football decisions to get this team back on track. And even before George Young, the dysfunction. They're flying planes over the building. They're burning tickets. Why? Because they couldn't find. They couldn't find the guy. They've got to find the guy.

[Alan Rosenberg]

That's it.

[Don Hahn]

So. And Pete Roselle was able to help them get George Young.

[Alan Rosenberg]

So Roger Goodell has to do it. Yeah, Goodell. Goodell or whoever it is in the high offices of the NFL have got to look at that franchise, see that it's in disarray, see that there's, you know, health issues with ownership and say, you know what? We got to help them. We got to come in and help them. We got to get that franchise back on track because it can't be like this. We can't have two teams in New York that are an abomination. We're used to the jets being a joke, but we can't let the Giants keep being a joke.

[Don Hahn]

And maybe, and maybe the jets have their guys. That's the difference is that they've got, you know, Muji's in his first year. Yeah. And Glenn's in his first year. I can understand fans saying, I know, I don't believe it because it's never worked. Okay. But they've got. It could be these guys. The Giants right now don't have anybody. And if Shane comes back, that's not going to really exude any confidence for people moving forward either. Now Jordan's going to pivot. He's going to join us at 4. So we'll continue with their phone calls at 1-800-919-3776. Alex in Lynbrook, you're on. Don Hanna, Rosenberg. What's going on? Hi. Hi, guys. What's up? Hello. Yep.

[Caller]

I have an idea.

[Don Hahn]

I don't know.

[Caller]

You're going to think it's great or good to think it's crazy the Giants should draft a quarterback like Mendoza. Then they have two quarterbacks. Then they contact, let's say the Cowboys and say you want one of our young quarterbacks, give us Dak Prescott and then he's a mature, experienced quarterback. He can help the Giants start winning some games. I'm sure you agree that our record would be better if we had a quarterback like Dak Prescott. And that way you have Doc Proxna, inexperienced quarterback, and then an up and coming quarterback, depending if it's Dak.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I mean, Alex, if I can cut you off because I know you put a lot of thought into this.

[Caller]

Sure.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Dak Prescott can't play linebacker and he can't play corner. And that's the problem with the Giants more than it is quarterback. Their quarterback play was not an issue for most of this season. They were putting up points. There were games where they had leads, double digit leads in the fourth quarter. Their defense is a major problem. Some of it was coordinator and some of it was personnel. And that, that to me is what you have to fix more than worrying about making a major change at Quarterback?

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Caller]

You're saying if you get, if you fill these other positions, it will help the team start winning games, then fine, I'm not.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Then, yeah. To me, that's, that's what you do with the pick. You don't draft another quarterback. You use that pick to get multiple picks so that you can get a lot of players, you can get a lot of talent to fill out areas that are not quarterback that are a little bit easier, especially in a draft like this, to find. Like, why would you take on a Dak Prescott massive contract that's going to cause trouble with your cap situation? When you have a quarterback on a rookie deal that buys you at least four more years of not having to worry about paying him? Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

They have a major, major one question. Go ahead.

[Caller]

What about if you draft Mendoza and then you go to other teams and go, okay, you want him?

[Alan Rosenberg]

Well, no, no, because. No, no, you can't do that because now teams know you have to trade them. So if you draft the quarterback now, they know. Well, you drafted a quarterback, like, you have no leverage now. You won't get the maximum for him.

[Don Hahn]

No, what you want is the pick, whether it's one or two. And I guess what really could work out is if for whatever reason they don't get the second, the first pick is that multiple quarterbacks come out. The kid from Oregon comes out, wins a national championship and there's two quarterbacks and now you can maybe trade to get. They have. I was thinking about this watching the game, Allen. You know, I think sometimes we confuse name for talent.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Don Hahn]

Like, they've got some name players. Like, you know, Thibodeau is a name, Carter's a name. Dexter Lawrence is a name. Even though he's had a miserable season.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah, I'm going to chalk that up to injury. I don't think he was ready for the season.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, I don't think so either.

[Alan Rosenberg]

You're right.

[Don Hahn]

But the point is, is that they've got names. You can name a lot of players, but they don't have a ton of talent. You know, guys that are executing guys that are playing to the level that they're supposed to play at. They've got line, they need linebackers, they need a secondary, they need extra weapons on offense. You know, and yesterday was tough because, you know, you're down two offensive linemen. Thomas leaves the game. Rucker couldn't go because his wife was having a baby. But they have no depth. Like, so there's talent issue here. So it's not really. It doesn't seem like it's the quarterback, although the jury still could be out on how good dart can be. But that box seems to be checked. It's every other box that needs to be checked for this team to be able to get where they need to go.

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[Alan Rosenberg]

Let's drive.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don Hahn]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your PO casts.

[Don Hahn]

So we've got some Nick Breaking news, Allen.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah, the NBA injury report is out. And the latest one, the Knicks are leaving today for Minnesota. They're going to play, you know you love the schedule. Just random. Go to Minnesota, play the Timberwolves and then come back. So tomorrow night. Right now listed as out for tomorrow is Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby. For Brunson, it's listed as right ankle injury management. Okay, he just went for 47 last night. That's the third game in four days, fourth game in six days for him. So you can understand why playing a Western opponent. So you know this record is what it is on the road. He loves playing at the Garden. If there's ever a time to get him to catch your breath because you got a noon Christmas Day game and then we go on the road right after that. This would be a game to kind of mark as. Let's, let's get him right. Like, let's make sure he doesn't start breaking down. The other name that's interesting on this is OG Anunoby. He's also listed as out left ankle soreness. OG had a great second half last night. OG and Brunson are the only, along with Bridges are the only starters that played all, all three of the games over the four days after the NBA Cup. Bridges just doesn't miss time. He's never missed a game in his career, so he will never sit out. But I think you're seeing the Knicks manage this. Hart and Towns missed that game in Indiana, if you remember so. And Robinson. So I think this is just a way to. Okay, we got to give you guys at least a day, a little break because the Knicks don't get two days off between games until mid January. So the schedule is tough and the Knicks are just trying to manage this, but it's a good Timberwolves team. So The Knicks are 20 and 8, which is a fantastic record, second best in the east and I think top five in the entire NBA. So, you know, it's. This is one of those things where you look at the schedule and you try to manage it. This is not something we've seen in the past, obviously with the Knicks and the Tom Thibodeau and Brunson was asked about Brown, you know, working with the schedule and trying to find places to rest him. And he just basically said that I trust Mike Brown and whatever he says, I, I believe I'll do it. He said, I want to play, but whatever Mike Brown says, I'll do it.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I have a response to all this, but first I need to tell you. There are a lot of reasons why people buy at Ramsey Mazda. It's their selection, it's their customer service, and it's their savings during the more to move you event. Lisa New 2025 Mazda CX5 2.5s all wheel drive for 229 for 36 months. Start shopping now at Ramsey Mazda.com choose wisely. Choose Ramsey Mazda. Call 833-853-2970 for details Vin S0775503 MSRP $30,920 0 security deposit ends 1 2, 26. Now, a lot of this has to do with the play with the in season tournament.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yep.

[Don Hahn]

And how things are condensed. But still you have to look at the schedule that if it's that arduous where guys just can't physically play every game, then doesn't the league have to figure out some way to manage it better so that every. So this is not an issue like the NHL is going through it. I thought that was awful that the Rangers had to play at Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon and then play a Sunday night game in Nashville.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

I mean that. That's just what's happening here with Minnesota. Nashville's. It's not that far, but it's still far like the play. And even though the rangers were at 12:30, it's still second to back to. Backs are tough in hockey to begin with. But have to travel to Nashville.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yep.

[Don Hahn]

That's tough to do. But the NHL's excuse is we got the Olympic break and we've got to condense the schedule. So you might not have that under normal circumstances, but the, the in season tournament's not going away, Alan. And you just can't have a schedule where it's physically impossible for players to play every day. It's counterproductive to what you're trying to do to create interest. And you know, the Ranger, the Knicks have been kind of up and down here where they have the thrilling win against Indiana, but then they lose to the Sixers.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

And they have a bounce back and they, you know, they've got the, the win last night. Only now, now you might have to give it up tomorrow. Minnesota, when half your, you know, best players are out like it's. You're robbing Peter to pay Paul. It feels like to where now you have to ask yourself, is the schedule too arduous?

[Alan Rosenberg]

I hate that. But it is. It's always been a conversation in the league. I'm just saying that what the league and I'm, I'm agreeing with you on what you said. When they are setting up the NBA cup during the week of the cup so the semifinal and the final. Other teams that didn't make it were playing like that Monday, Wednesday they were like fitting them in. And I think what they should do is just keep it open because the fact that you had to play and I brought this up. We talked about this the other day. So I want to go too Deep into it. Because anybody that's listened to the show knows I went through the hangover and the impact it had on the Lakers and the Bucks. But I also wanted to point out that the Knicks, in the three years the Knicks had the shortest break between the championship game and. And their next game. And then they had to play a back to back Thursday, Friday. And not only play it back to back Thursday, Friday, that Friday game, they played a team that didn't play since Sunday. Right?

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Alan Rosenberg]

A good Sixer team that had not played since Sunday. You got to admit that's a little unfair. That's a schedule loss. And then they got pissed off and had to play on Sunday where you probably could have had like, you know, you gave some guys on the Indiana game some nights off because you thought, Indiana's banged up. We could probably beat him with our B squad. And they barely did, but they did. But they had Brunson, who did it. At some point, you wanted to give Brunson a day off. But Brunson's like, I'm not taking a day off. When we're playing a home game against an Eastern Conference opponent. I'm not doing it. So they do it against maybe Minnesota. They need to just clear the decks. And they play this thing and no one else is playing. Just so no one has to deal with jumping on a plane and playing the next day. And after winning this thing, the Lakers had three days, the Bucks had two days off in between. The Knicks had one, and it was a travel day. That's unfair. But you know they're going to handle it. It sucks because nobody likes to see a player sit. And no one more than Brunson doesn't want to do this, by the way. But that's just how you have to manage your way through a season sometimes.

[Don Hahn]

I know.

[Alan Rosenberg]

And make sure your guys don't break down. Because the argument about Thibodeau was he. He valued every single game. Tonight's game's the one that matters. I can't worry about an April game, but a lot of the conventional thinking now in this league is I have to sacrifice earlier in the season so that it doesn't affect me later in the season. And you don't want a guy like Brunson and how great he is to start breaking down because you couldn't just get him a breather. As I said, they're every other day now all the way up until January 13th. That's. That's a breakneck speed that you just got to get him a breather thanks.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

For listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I don't want to know how the sausage is made, but I just want to know it's good.

[Podcast Host/Producer]

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.

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