Hour 1: Just One Game

Summary

Podcast Summary: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 1: Just One Game

Episode Information

• Title: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg
• Hosts: Don LaGreca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
• Episode: Hour 1: Just One Game
• Release Date: March 28, 2025
• Description: The first voice of ESPN New York and New Jersey legend Don LaGreca, long-time sportswriter and New York Knicks broadcaster Alan Hahn, and highly opinionated Hip Hop vet and WWE personality Peter Rosenberg delve into New York sports and beyond.

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1. Season Kick-Off and Initial Impressions (00:30 – 03:13)

The episode begins with the hosts discussing the excitement surrounding the new sports season. Alan Hahn opens the conversation from Milwaukee, highlighting the potential intensity of the Knicks vs. Bucks matchup, suggesting it could evolve into a high-stakes 3-6 series. He remarks, “This could be the 3, 6 matchup. You don't want to fall the fourth” (00:43).

Key Points:

• Opening Day Reactions: Mixed feelings about the latest games, with some games going well and others not.
• Duke vs. Maryland Game: Peter Rosenberg shares his enthusiasm about Duke’s impressive victory, stating, “It was a great night” (01:22).
• Personal Updates: Don LaGreca shares personal moments, including spending quality time with his mother despite the Mets' loss (01:53).

2. Mets vs. Yankees Opener and Juan Soto's Performance (03:13 – 05:52)

The discussion shifts to the highly anticipated Mets vs. Yankees opener. Don expresses frustration over Juan Soto’s performance, suggesting his struggles were visible: “You could see he regrets signing with the Mets” (02:44). The hosts dissect Soto’s at-bat, debating whether it was an isolated incident or indicative of larger issues.

Notable Quotes:

• Don LaGreca: “I'm not going to define every single moment early on of this guy's career. Yankee fans should know… it takes time for free agents to adjust” (25:26).
• Alan Hahn: “He’s a confident player. This was not a failure” (19:24).

Key Points:

• Performance Analysis: Debate over whether Soto’s strikeout was a sign of pressure or just an off moment.
• Contract Implications: Discussion on whether one moment can define Soto’s 15-year contract.
• Fan Reactions: Contrasting views from Mets and Yankee fans regarding Soto's performance and future expectations.

3. Listener Story: A Memorable Moment with Aaron Judge (03:32 – 10:31)

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to a touching listener story involving Jonathan and his son at a Yankees game. Jonathan shares how Aaron Judge created a memorable experience by interacting with him and his son, turning an ordinary game day into an unforgettable memory.

Key Points:

• Jonathan’s Experience: Jonathan explains, “…Judge just came and gave my son a lifetime and myself a lifetime memory” (06:18).
• Impact of the Moment: The hosts applaud Judge’s gesture, emphasizing the importance of such interactions between players and fans.
• Behind the Scenes: Discussion on how Jonathan secured his seats and the spontaneity of the moment.

Notable Quotes:

• Peter Rosenberg: “The smile from Judge up, guys, if you put that in black and white and slow motion, it could be like Mickey Mantle” (10:31).
• Don LaGreca: “Moments like that, that's, that's something that you're going to talk about forever” (09:43).

4. Yankees’ Season Opener Analysis: Austin Wells and bullpen performance (10:31 – 19:37)

The conversation deepens into the Yankees’ season opener, focusing on Austin Wells' historic leadoff home run and the bullpen's performance.

Key Points:

• Austin Wells' Historic Home Run: Don highlights, “He's the first catcher ever to homer leading off a game on opening day in the history of baseball” (15:02).
• Aaron Boone’s Decision: The unconventional lineup decision by Boone is dissected, pondering the blend of analytics and gut feeling.
• Bullpen Performance: Analysis of Devin Williams’ shaky start but eventual success in securing the win.

Notable Quotes:

• Don LaGreca: “It's the first time something happens in the history of baseball; it's a pretty cool moment” (15:20).
• Alan Hahn: “I think that's the formula for how the Yankees are going to win a lot” (16:54).

5. Reflections on Time and Aging (21:01 – 23:12)

Towards the end of the episode, the hosts engage in a light-hearted conversation about the perception of time, especially in the post-COVID era.

Key Points:

• Rapid Passage of Time: Don reflects on how quickly 30 years have passed since 1995, the release of Old Dirty Bastard’s Return to the 36 Chambers.
• Impact of COVID-19: Both Don and Alan agree that the pandemic has distorted their sense of time, making years feel shorter.

Notable Quotes:

• Alan Hahn: “Covid made us lose track of time” (22:39).
• Don LaGreca: “It’s pretty incredible. Always felt that way, guys, especially at an advanced age” (23:12).

6. In-Depth Discussion: Juan Soto’s Future and Yankee Fan Perspectives (25:26 – 28:14)

The final segment delves deeper into Juan Soto’s performance, his adjustment to the Mets, and the broader implications for his career.

Key Points:

• Soto’s Adjustment Period: Don argues that Soto is still adapting to his new team, emphasizing that one bad game doesn't define his career: “He's got a ring. He knows the moment” (25:26).
• Comparative Analysis: Peter notes Soto’s reputation as one of the best batters, making his off day more perplexing: “There’s probably not a better batter in baseball like at for at bat” (27:32).
• Fan Dynamics: Discussion on how Soto’s struggles are perceived differently by Mets and Yankee fans, with Mets fans being more critical.

Notable Quotes:

• Don LaGreca: “I think he might have been a little amped up… Quinn don’t need him here, pivot to Goldschmidt” (26:31).
• Peter Rosenberg: “Listen, Don. It was a bad at bat. It’s not a great at bat. It happens” (25:57).

7. Closing Thoughts and Final Reflections (28:14 – End)

The hosts wrap up the episode with final reflections on the discussions, reiterating their support for Soto while acknowledging the frustrations fans may feel.

Key Points:

• Support for Players: Emphasis on understanding the human side of athletes and extending grace during tough performances.
• Looking Forward: Optimism about future opportunities for Soto and the Yankees’ strategies moving forward.

Notable Quotes:

• Alan Hahn: “I guarantee everybody that moment’s coming. You know it's coming” (28:14).
• Don LaGreca: “The fact that it's still one of 162 games, we can’t artificially make it out” (29:21).

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Conclusion

In this episode of Don, Hahn & Rosenberg, the hosts provide a comprehensive analysis of recent sports events, focusing on the emotional and strategic elements of baseball and basketball. From dissecting individual player performances to sharing heartfelt listener stories, the trio offers insightful commentary intertwined with personal anecdotes. Their balanced perspectives cater to both passionate fans and casual listeners, making the episode a rich tapestry of New York sports culture and beyond.

Notable Moments:

• The emotional listener story showcasing the impact of player-fan interactions.
• In-depth debates on the balance between analytics and gut decisions in sports.
• Reflective discussions on the passage of time influenced by global events.

For those who haven’t tuned in, this episode serves as an engaging entry point into the dynamic world of New York sports, enriched by the unique voices of Don LaGreca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg.

Transcript

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[Don LaGreca]

Don, she fell in love with the sex.

[Alan Hahn]

Don, Sauce was everywhere.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And Rosenberg, if you want to stay up, he's got the energy that matters.

[Don LaGreca]

This isn't North Dakota, this is New York.

[Alan Hahn]

This is Don Hahn and Rosenberg. John Frenchy Fuqua on 8 80, ESPN and the ESPN New York app. Oh, here we go. On a Friday in New York City with Don Lagreca and Peter Rosenberg. I'm Alan Hahn. I am in Milwauke with the Knicks. They're playing the Bucks tonight. And fellas, don't look now, but this could be the 3, 6 matchup. You don't want to fall the fourth. You don't want to mess around because this might be the more favorable matchup now when you think about it. So we got that we had opening day yesterday. Some good, some bad and some ugly. And Peter, I know you're going to love the fact that Duke won again last night in epic fashion.

[Don LaGreca]

That's not what he was focused on.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, I mean, that can't. You mean coming right out of a just sort of miserable loss like I. The. The Maryland loss is one of those ones you can't even really be mad about. It's like they were just clearly a better team. And the only frustrating thing was that for the first half, it so clearly looked like Maryland could play with them. And then all of a sudden it disappeared and you realize, oh, no, no, they're much better than us. So. Yeah. And then to see Duke just run away with it, that's fantastic too. It was a great night.

[Alan Hahn]

You had a good day, didn't you? Donnie? How are you doing?

[Don LaGreca]

I've been better. Not too bad. Got to see mom today. Got to hang out with Artie and Farallon. Went to for some pastrami for me and my mom after we went to the doctor and went food shopping. So got to spend a pleasant day with mom. But the Mets lost. But apparently, apparently baseball has become football. Was that loss yesterday, it's like crippled everybody. What I mean, come on, get up. No, Come on, you heard the Yankee fans. I'll see he regrets it already. You could see it on Soto's face. He regrets signing with the Mets. Have struck out. If he was wearing the pinstripes of the Yankees, he would have home run. They would have won the game. You could see, you could see his face. You could see the way he swung at the. The ball that he regrets every second of it. Season's over. Mets made a mistake. Yankees won their game. They don't need Soto. Like I. It's. We have this conversation every single baseball season where people freak out over the first game of the year because we're coming off the NCAA tournament, we're coming off football, where every game is so very important. Dude, I watched my Mets. I wanted them to sell at the end of June because they were out of it. I'm not going to. It stunk that he struck out. It stunk that they left the bases loaded in the eighth inning. It stunk that they had a chance in the ninth inning to win it and didn't. But I'm not going to get crazy, man. It's one of 162 games. Please stop it. Stop yourself.

[Alan Hahn]

Did you see the tweet From Gary Sheffield Jr.

[Don LaGreca]

I did not irritate me. I'm in the mood to be irritated.

[Alan Hahn]

He, he's got his podcast going. You know, he's into the media stuff.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He loves, he loves social.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, he posted the swing and a miss and said generational talent right there.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, come on.

[Alan Hahn]

And I thought that, I mean, that's epic trolling. Big troll trolley.

[Don LaGreca]

But. All right, listen, I understand the fun of the troll. I get it. But why do I feel like it's more than just a troll? It's like that people are really caught up in that. This is the defining moment. It's the same people that say, oh, you better win a World Series this year. Well, he's. It's year one of a 15 year contract. All right, I'd like to win a World Series this year, but I'm not going to define the signing based on what happens this year. You know, you saw the whole rally started in the eighth inning with two outs, nobody on, and they didn't want to pitch to him. And he walked. And the next thing you know, two more guys walk and there's the bases loaded. I mean, you could see that he's selective. You could see where he is going to be a big time player. Yeah, he didn't come through against Hayter, who's one of the better closers in Major League Baseball. We didn't see that a lot last year with the Yankees, but I did not real. When I invested the time to listen to the game. Driving home from the studio yesterday, I wish I knew, guys, that it was the Super Bowl. If I had known that it was game seven, if I had known it was the national championship game, maybe I would have stayed in the studio and watched the game. Instead, I drove home like an idiot, listening to what was the defining moment in a man's career.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You didn't know.

[Don LaGreca]

What was I thinking, Peter, why did you let me leave the studio? If I thought it was going to be the defining moment of this man's career, I would have stayed and watched it in the studio. What a moron I am.

[Peter Rosenberg]

People listen. You got to find something to talk about. And people are excited for day one. And there was. I'll say this. When you started dreaming about a grand slam to win the whole thing, I see people started getting their hopes up. They're going, oh, my God, we could have this moment. And you didn't get it. Usually you don't get it, but it was one of 162 guys.

[Alan Hahn]

Listen, it was his first chance to have a moment, and it didn't happen. Now, I want to get back into this conversation because I love where Don's head is that right now. And I want to definitely dive into this. But because of timing, I do want to flip just simply to the Yankees game. Not because they won, not because I.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Know where you're going with that.

[Alan Hahn]

There was a moment where Aaron Judge does what Aaron Judge does. He just recognizes the right thing to do, and he gave a ball to a young man in the outfield wall, and that went viral and everybody loved it. Well, guess whose son that was.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, just so you know, Alan, real quick.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yesterday, I did speculate this because I saw a tweet moving around from Jonathan, but I wasn't sure if it was our Jonathan.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, it apparently is Jonathan. He's heading home, so he's catching a flight and we want to get him on as soon as we can. Jonathan from LA by way of the Bronx. What kind of day was that for you yesterday?

[Jonathan]

Hi, guys. I'm in Colorado right now, guys, and I'm about to go, but thank you so much. I still got time, guys. It was a lifetime experience. And I really want to thank Don and. And. And Peter while you weren't there, but Don and Peter for the invitation. But you see, God works in mysterious way. You guys invited me. Thank you so much. But Peter was like, you know what? Go to the game. And you know what? You was Right. I went to the game. Before you know it, Judge just came and gave my son a lifetime and myself to a lifetime memory. I'm so appreciative. And it's just been crazy. We've been getting texts and. And, you know, everyone is messaging us, reposting us. It's just a great feeling, man. This is gonna be a memory my myself. We couldn't sleep yesterday till like, four or five in the morning. We're running with two hours of sleep, man, how excited we are.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Jonathan, let me ask you, Jonathan, real quick. When did you get that seat? Like, did you know you had those seats?

[Jonathan]

No, I. The night I called you guys, I bought it like, two hours later. We're just eating. I'm like, you know what? These cheats are pretty. They're decent. Well, they. I mean, they're okay with price. And I was like, you know what? I'm just gonna get them. Like, the hell with it. I'm here in New York. I'm an opening day. It's only right. So I did. I got him. And it was crazy when. When he was heading towards our way, I thought he was gonna give it to the little girls next to us because the little girls kept saying, oh, her birthday is gonna be next week. But when he seen my son, I flipped my phone out and I started recording. I DM all you guys on a direct message so you guys could see the video coming from me. And. Yeah, man, just really appreciate it and thank you guys so much for the invitation. It's crazy, man.

[Don LaGreca]

Oh, well, see, Alan needs to know the context of when I invited him to the studio. Al, he was willing to bypass the Yankee game to come to the studio. Yeah, and imagine what. What he would have missed had he done that. Listen, we would have given him a good time in the studio.

[Alan Hahn]

Nothing like that. No offense.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Respect. Respectfully, I don't think so.

[Alan Hahn]

Now, again, you. How did you get, like, you just on a whim, went to the stadium and you ended up getting the ability to be right on the wall like that? Like, right there.

[Jonathan]

I was. I browse every time I'm going to the game all week. I brought days before the game. I browse through. Through these apps that sell tickets to above David seats. And I'm like, you know what? It would be pretty cool. We sit next to judge. So right behind or not. The other days, they weren't available, but for some reason, they were available. Two of them. I'm like, you know what? I'm just gonna jump on them. I don't care. My wife gets mad at me later when the credit card even comes, but I like, the hell with it. I, and I just went for it, man. And there were two available and I got them, man.

[Don LaGreca]

The rest, why you go for it, man?

[Alan Hahn]

Love it. It's a great story. Did you, did you send us the video? Do we have it? Because I'd love for us to repost it.

[Jonathan]

I was about. Yeah, I sent it to, to Peter, Don and Anthony on Instagram right now. Send it to you and through it again. By the way, guys, I have X. I don't have no followers. The only reason I have Twitter is because of you guys when I used to vote for March, man. So excuse me, but I do have some sort of followers on Instagram.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, I'm looking right now at my requests on Instagram. I'm gonna find it, right?

[Alan Hahn]

And then get it, get it to Anthony. Let's get it posted on, on the. Okay. Yeah, let's get that posted so we can celebrate it. Jonathan, you for you and your son, what a day for your family. What a day. It great to hear from you. Safe travels. Getting home. How about that story, fellas? All right. How about that story? And I had to get to it because he's at the airport. As you know, he's in a puddle jump. Well, not really, but he's in Colorado.

[Don LaGreca]

I, I, I had saw the video when we were doing the show and I just thought, that's cool. And then Peter had said to me, I think this might be Jonathan from la. Like, wow, that would be really cool if it was and get confirmation. And that, that is, that's forever, right? Like, I don't know how much money he spent for the ticket. I don't know much money he makes and how much that hurt. But listen, the money comes and goes, right? Hopefully in this, in this life. But moments like that, that's, that's something that you're going to talk about forever.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, the smile from Judge up, guys, if you put that in black and white and slow motion, it could be, you know, Mickey Mantle. It's, it's such an incredible, like, it just looks so epic. It's a commercial. It's a, it actually literally should be a commercial.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, I can say one thing, though, Don. In reaction to everything about yesterday, Soto would never do that. Ah, see, see, see. Judge was at center. If Soto had something like, you know, like, like, would Soto have done that? I don't know. Maybe not.

[Don LaGreca]

I love when players get it, though. Like, seriously, you know, how easy it is not to get it. I mean, you're a superstar athlete.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

You have no idea sometimes just how much you can do things that can be forever.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like.

[Don LaGreca]

Like what Ovechkin did last night in the Minnesota game.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh. With Fleury.

[Don LaGreca]

His. His teammates. Peter, are leaving the ice. They lost the game, and he waved them all back out. Some of them are already in the dressing room. Get your ass out here. We're going to congratulate Mark Andre Fleury on an amazing career. This is the last time we're going to face him. He's retiring at the end of the year. This was my rival in Pittsburgh all those years, and I'm going to honor him, and I'm not going to do it myself. He dragged all of his teammates out there, like the athletes. It's so easy not to get it right because you're in the moment and you're focused on a game or you're disappointed after a loss, and you don't realize how those gestures mean so much. And for the great athletes to get it, it makes it so easy to root for guys like that.

[Alan Hahn]

That, again, it's all true. And the. And the great ones who get it, that's why they're extra special, because they understand that they have that relationship with fans that they. They just understand. They appreciate all that stuff. But you know what? I couldn't help but think this. We're so happy for Jonathan. Right? We are. And for his son. What a great moment. But he did say that there were two little girls there who were yelling, and they, you know, this is my first, my birthday and all that stuff. And I hate to say it, but, like, how did. Like. Like, for Judge, you got to make a choice. Everybody's screaming. So. So while we're like, John, like, what a great moment. This is awesome. The parents and the little girls were probably like, I hate her in Judge. I'm a Met fan now. Like, you never know with those things. How do you choose?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right?

[Don LaGreca]

That's.

[Alan Hahn]

It's not easy.

[Don LaGreca]

I remember, like, athletes telling me all the time that they'll go and they'll sign autograph, but they got to stop. They got to say no at some point. Right? Get on the bus. They got to leave. And there's always somebody that was next. And you always wonder to yourself, okay, what is that person going to say? Like, is the family of those girls, like, calling another radio station saying, what a piece of garbage Aaron Judge is? My daughters wanted a ball and they gave it to somebody else. You Got to stop at some point. But just a gesture. You get it when the players don't even look because they're like, I can't. I just can't. I'm too focused on the game. So I'm not going to criticize the ones that don't do it because I kind of get it. But the ones that do definitely deserve some extra praise because it's something they don't have to do. And to do it is just amazing.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. So it's a, it's a, it's a very cool story. And it was at the stadium. It was as close to a perfect day as you could have. Right. Like, you get the leadoff home run from Austin Wells. What a great story that is. The fact that. Here's something I wanted to ask both of you, but especially you, Don, because again, how deep you go into baseball and how many conversations like this you've had over the last 20 years, especially recently, Aaron Boone, when he tells the story about Austin Wells becoming the lead off hitter, a catcher, a guy who doesn't have tremendous speed. Right. Like, this is not a traditional type of leadoff guy. This wasn't analytics. This was. He said it was just a gut feeling. I just wanted to give it a look. I wanted to see how it looked like. So they did it in spring training, his first at bat, the guy hits a home run. And so he's a contact hitter, he's got some pop. And they thought, you know what, this is going to work. So they went with it. That's. That still shows you that a manager does still have that ability to make a choice. Like this is a lineup decision. That was not according to everything that I've seen. And the way Aaron Boone told the story, it is not an analytics driven decision. It was. He thought this is a good fit.

[Don LaGreca]

Well, it, it is and it is. And I mean, the reason he thinks it's a good fit, because analytically he's a guy that gets on base a lot, but it is still outside the box. He's the first catcher ever to homer leading off a game on opening day in the history of baseball. We're talking about, you know, this started in 1869. It doesn't happen that often that catchers lead off. It's the first time a Yankee ever had a catcher lead off in a game. So it is outside the box, but I'm sure it's based on some sort of analytics. But it is honoring a guy that had a tremendous start. And I mentioned this, I don't Know if it gained any traction anywhere else. Allen, I mentioned it to Peter on the air yesterday. Do you know what number Wells wears?

[Alan Hahn]

Remind me. And the Yankees are trying for their 20 championship.

[Don LaGreca]

And to open up the season, he hits a home run. I don't know if anybody else picked.

[Alan Hahn]

That up, but I just got excited.

[Don LaGreca]

That's the magic that I, I felt. And I'm not even a Yankee fan, but I saw that asymmetry.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. But I looked at it again. I love that, by the way. That's great. I just felt like we talked so much about how managers, all they're doing is just writing out a lineup that they were told to write. Not necessarily in this case, he saw something and whether or not he had to run it by the analytics guys. And maybe they said, you know what, it's spring training, give it a look, let's see what it looks like. Yeah, that could be. But I kind of like, don't you feel though, like at least there's some hope? Like that gives you that sense that, okay, so maybe there is the case to be made that the gut is still part of this sport.

[Don LaGreca]

I hope so.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Don LaGreca]

At least a modern day gut. Right. But I don't want to muck up this great thing by just saying, well, the analytics tell you this. I'm sure there was some basis in fact around that, but it's still unconventional. For all the analytics that exist and have existed for a while, you don't see many catchers leading off. And when something happens for the first time in an organization that has been around that long, and when something happens in the history of baseball, for a sport that's that old, it's a pretty cool moment.

[Alan Hahn]

So let's hear, let's hear Aaron Boone explain it. This is Aaron Boone post game about Austin Wells and leading off in the home run.

[Aaron Boone]

Yeah, great. I thought he was great behind the plate too, in the dirt. I thought he was really good. Real good decision making back there. Some really good at bats too. You know, had the walk there, you know, we had a chance maybe a couple times to break it open. Couldn't quite do it, but I thought he did a good job setting the tone up. You know, obviously to, to go deep first ab I heard it was the first catcher ever. And wow, we've been doing this for a long time, so that's pretty neat. But that's what he's capable of right there. So, you know, he was, he was excellent today.

[Alan Hahn]

Now how do we feel about the. How the game ended? That's how it started, at least for the Yankees offensively. And you know, Carlos Rodin does what Carlos Rodin does. He looks good, you know, first two, maybe, you know, one and a half times through the order, then it starts to get away from a little bit. He got in some trouble. They get him out. I thought he pitched well though. He pitched very well. And then the bullpen does his job. Devin Williams comes in and how many people were ready to say, see, it's the beard. He shouldn't have a beard. It looked like he was about to blow up on the mound, that he was. He was going to blow his first opportunity to get his save, but he didn't. He was shaky. Do we look into that? Do we have this, do we think that there. Is there anything to. Not the beard thing. I'm joking, but I'm talking about just in general. Was there this? Is he going to blow this? Because that would have been the bigger story of the day if he did, but he doesn't. How do we feel about Devin Williams in that performance?

[Don LaGreca]

Well, it wasn't good. I mean, obviously luckily they got some insurance runs, but it was not good to see him throw what, 37 pitches in closing out. But he's also human. He's a big free agent signing, comes over from Milwaukee. The last time he threw a pitch he gave up a game winning home run and cost his team a chance to advance. He goes to the Yankees and it's opening day, Yankee Stadium, 48,000 screaming fans. I can understand him being maybe a little nervous. Maybe that affected things a little bit. You don't like your closer to not have the ice water in his veins all the time. But I think if there's ever a moment guys to give him a pass and he still ended up getting the job done. He didn't strike out nobody. Right. That was a big time guy that he got for the final out. I think that's just the way guys that the Yankees are going to have to win games. They're not a great offensive team and they're going to have to be led by their rotation which right now is compromised certainly because of the injuries, but that's the way they're going to do it. The one thing that's very special about this Yankee team is their bullpen and that's the way they're going to kind of have to navigate through, right. Is just getting a lot of outs out of the bullpen. Now can you do that every single night? Because that was the good thing about Cole is every five days that he'd be able to go out there, get seven, eight innings and catch you a break. But if you're gonna have to get 12, 13 outs every day from your bullpen, that is a bit of a problem. But hey, you went out there, they got, you got in a jam in the sixth inning, out comes the bullpen, gets the job done, you win the game. And that's kind of the formula for how the Yankees are going to win a lot. So if I'm a Bombers fan, I'm not spending a lot of time getting aggravated about the way it went down. But it did be happy that it did go down.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I hear Don, but I definitely heard from Yankee fans who did not, who kind of felt the other way of like, oh, God, this is what we're going to be doing, huh?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, because remember the last memory of him?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Exactly.

[Alan Hahn]

The last memory of him was not, was not great.

[Don LaGreca]

But I brought up Josh Hayter, what happened with, with the Astros yesterday. You know, he, that was, that was a dance with the devil during that game. Right. He's got, he's got a, what is it? A three nothing lead. And now it's three one and the go ahead runs at the plate and it's. He struck him out, but he threw a ton of pitches and it didn't look clean. Guys, you can't analyze to this depth. If, if, if that's how he gets a lot of saves early on and he blows a couple, then get concerned about it. Yeah, but it's opening day. It wasn't pretty, but you got the win, man. You can't analyze it in real time like that.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, I don't think it was long. Yeah, I'm not, I don't. Like I said, I brought it up because that's what a lot of the chatter was after the game was about. Like, if he blew this like, like in the moment, you could just sense it from a lot. Again, I'm a Yankees fan. I'm watching. I literally was watching on the plane here and then got here in time to settle in and watch the end of the game. And so watching those last, those last at bats there was that just sense. And I was jockey, I was texting Anthony. We were both joking about how many tweets are going to be about the beard, you know, but it was, it obviously it didn't happen. I actually think yesterday went as well as I said earlier. I think it went as well as it could go for the Yankees. I think in all, all things considered, that's what you want you, you want it to feel and look like that. I think you've got. It's such a long season, but you always want that first impression.

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[Don LaGreca]

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

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know what this is, Jacob. I know what you're doing here. 30 years ago, 30 years ago today, the iconic return to the 36 Chambers by Old Dirty Bastard dropped 30 years ago, which is insane.

[Alan Hahn]

It's insane. Like, just hearing that. Thirty years, like, honestly, I've said this, I think, I don't think I've said this on this show, but I've said this before on the air and I'm wondering, do people really. Do you feel like I am at an age now where if you told me 2012, I'm like, was that like three years ago? If you told me 2005, I'm like, oh, it's like 10 years ago. Like the 90s feel like 10, 15 years. Like, it doesn't feel. I don't know what happened. I think Covid made us lose track of time.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Agreed. I think it made it worse. It was already bad. It got worse, though.

[Alan Hahn]

It's weird. It's like all of a sudden, like, because of the lost time we had in that period where everything shut down and everything changed, it just feels like, like the other day, RJ Barrett, you know, he came in the league in 2019. It's like, you know, he's in the league seven years. What?

[Don LaGreca]

I know.

[Alan Hahn]

But, like, it doesn't make sense because.

[Don LaGreca]

We play the game. At least I do. All right, so it came out in 1995. 30 years ago.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's right.

[Don LaGreca]

So I know in 1995, you, like, 30 years from then is 1965. And that would be way before I was born.

[Alan Hahn]

Great point.

[Don LaGreca]

1965 would have felt like a billion years ago. And, you know, pre Vietnam war. And now it's like in our lifetime, we've seen 30 years go by and it's. It's pretty incredible. Always felt that way, guys, especially at an advanced age. Like, at least me and Alan are in post 50. But yeah, Covid definitely has changed a lot of the time frame for us.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, those that year and a half to two years just suddenly feels like it just disappeared and somehow we lost that time. It's almost like daylight savings time where you just don't realize where'd the time go? We got calls. 800-919-3776. Speaking of where the time go. So we started off the show with Don, and I felt like, Don, that you were, you were close to erupting about a narrative that came out of yesterday's Mets opener. And I just want to play for everyone. This is, I really appreciate this. Look, we can say all we want to say as Yankees fans about Juan Soto. The one thing I've always felt about him, from just listening to him talk and watching his at bats and how he handles himself, is that this guy is at another level intellectually when it comes to baseball, when it comes to approaching pitching, when it comes to how people pitch him, there's a lot about him that I just come away saying, this guy more than physical talent. So when he talks about facing Josh Hater in that moment with a chance to be the hero and win the game and he gets struck out, I like listen to what he talked about. When it comes to that challenge, he's a closer. He's one of the best closers in the league. I think his stuff is nasty, everything he do. And he's really smart on the mount. So I think that's why he's still being so effective. So does he sound like a guy that just walked into the situation blindly looking to just swing like an idiot, or was he had a plan in mind and he said, I thought he was going fastball. I thought he was going to give me his best. I thought it was best on best in that situation. And that's what I was looking for. He threw a good pitch and he got me and that's it. And that's a confident player. This was not a failure. This was just, he got me. That's it done. I don't see it as, as a failure as he blew it as he felt pressured. The only question I have is this, was he playing hero ball there rather than let me get on base and let let Alonzo now take bat?

[Don LaGreca]

I think so because that's his. That's his MO. I believe it was on the 3, 2 pitch. So, yeah. The thing about the one criticism that you do Hear from Soto every once in a while is, you know, maybe I needed more than just a walk there. There had to be a pitch you could have hit to help us out. And so I do think he might have been a little amped up. Why not? He just signed a 15 year contract with the Mets. He wants to leave an impression. He understands the moment. He's not a kid. He's been around the block. He's got a ring. He knows Don.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen, Don. It was a bad at bat. It's not a great at bat. It happens.

[Don LaGreca]

But normally that's a pitch. He probably spits on walks. And then you pass the baton, right? And it may be maybe last year or maybe in June of this year, he will but kill him if in that moment he got a little hyped up and wanted to play hero ball and swung through it because guess what, it's one bat out of 550 he's going to have this year. It's one game out of 162. Now, the back and forth I'm talking about is that now all of a sudden he regrets coming here. And see, see what happens. See what you got. Met fans. He's not going to do it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

These are jabronis though, right?

[Don LaGreca]

They're jabronis. And the other thing that I heard a lot today was, well, you guys threw the first man you were talking when, when you signed. So why couldn't Met fans talk when they got Soto? When does that ever happen when you're a Met fan, that you get what the Yankees wanted? All right? And most Yankee fans, and logically I understood it was, we don't need him. We pivoted to Goldschmidt, we pivoted to Bellinger, we pivoted to Max Freed. We're, we're good. We don't need him. Well, for not needing him, why is Spence so much time paying attention to what Soto's doing? But I get it. I'm the same way. I like to celebrate the team. I don't like defeat. I get it. But to make it out, it was like some sort of defining moment. You want to pump up your chest. He bats 220 and the Mets finished 20 games under.500. Have at it. But I'm not, I'm not going to define every single moment early on of this guy's career. Yankee fans should know, Allen, you should know how much time it does take free agents to get adjusted to a new team.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right?

[Don LaGreca]

When Jason Giambi had his moment in the rain against Minnesota, that wasn't on opening day. You know, sometimes it takes a little time. Not everybody is Matt Sui. It's a grand slam on opening day.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But also the funniest thing, I guess, about the Soto thing in particular is that crushing Soto for having a bat at bat is particularly ironic because there's probably not a better batter in baseball like at for at bat. The way he makes pitchers work his patience, this is not what he does. So, like, you have to see it as outside of what you generally get. Don, you could probably count on one hand last year with Yankees, the amount of bad at bats that he had. It's just not what he is as a player.

[Alan Hahn]

No, but it's funny what it is in that moment, though, Peter. Right? What it is, is it's annoying. That's all it is to me. It's because Don's right. And as much as we, you know, we love to have fun with this stuff, Don's right. It's the first game of the season. Like, you always want that first impression. It would have been great if he comes through, have him line one into, you know, into left field. And now, you know, they. They find they tie the game. And now Alonzo, like you, you want that it didn't happen. It's annoying that he struck out, that he looked bad on the swing. That's the annoying part. His first chance to be a hero, his first chance to prove that 700 million. Actually, more probably 800, when it's all said and done, that. That, you know, he's worth every penny from one swing, right? Like, that's. That's what all the beat writers were ready to write. They were ready to write about it, and it didn't happen. And so the annoying part is now having to wait all the way till tonight for another chance for him to do something to make you go, that's right. He's ours. I guarantee everybody that moment's coming. You know it's coming. But it just didn't happen yesterday. I don't care that it didn't happen yesterday, but it's annoying.

[Don LaGreca]

But, but the annoying thing for me is that let's say tonight, same situation, and he hits the home run and they win the game. That doesn't mean that the contract ended up being worth it either. That's the thing we have to understand, and I'm not going to sit here. We know how much we love baseball and we talk baseball on this show, but the fact is it's still one of 62, so we can't. We could artificially make it out. Like every game is game seven. And I know the fans do that. I thought Dave Rothenberg was very poignant earlier today.