Hour 1: Not A Championship Team

Summary

Podcast Summary: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg - Hour 1: Not A Championship Team

Release Date: August 14, 2025

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Overview

In the inaugural episode of "Don, Hahn & Rosenberg," hosts Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg dive deep into the current state of New York baseball, focusing primarily on the New York Mets. Balancing personal anecdotes with in-depth sports analysis, the trio engages listeners with spirited discussions, expert opinions, and interactive segments with callers.

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1. Personal Anecdotes and Show Dynamics

The episode kicks off with a light-hearted personal story from Peter Rosenberg about a failed movie outing. He shares his experience of planning to watch Disney's Tangled with his daughter and the ensuing mishaps that led to an impromptu Mets-watching session instead.

Peter Rosenberg (01:22): "I just had a very interesting moment with Michael as you love, but I don't think he caught it because have you seen Tangled yet with Maya?"

This anecdote sets a relatable and engaging tone for the show, showcasing the hosts' ability to blend personal experiences with their passion for sports.

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2. Analyzing the Mets' Performance

A significant portion of the episode centers on a critical analysis of the Mets' recent performances, particularly highlighting their pitching woes.

• Pitching Issues: Peter Rosenberg expresses deep concern over the Mets' inability to maintain leads and the detrimental impact of their starting pitching.

  Peter Rosenberg (05:08): "Forget suggesting Blondies. She'd be too busy just destroying me for being that stupid."

  Peter Rosenberg (04:00): "What happened last night is just inexcusable. That does not happen to good baseball teams."

• Player-Specific Critiques: The discussion delves into individual performances, notably targeting David Peterson and Pete Alonso. Rosenberg criticizes Peterson's recent struggles on the mound and Alonso's defensive plays.

  Peter Rosenberg (16:48): "How can you not score? And to have two guys... I've never seen that before, ever."

  Peter Rosenberg (29:19): "Mets are probably going to keep him [Pete Alonso] because they're the one team that will be willing to slightly overpay."

• Future Implications: The hosts speculate on the Mets' playoff prospects, emphasizing that without significant improvements in pitching, the team's championship ambitions are bleak.

  Peter Rosenberg (19:26): "There's no formula in which you can win games, important games down the stretch."

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3. Interactive Caller Segments

The episode features engaging interactions with several callers, each bringing their perspectives and questions to the table.

• Carlos Mendoza's Take: Carlos Mendoza shares his frustration over the Mets' inconsistent performances and the broader implications for the team's future.

  Carlos Mendoza (20:46): "How can you not score? And to have two guys... I've never seen that before, ever."

• Jeremy and Steve's Insights: Other callers like Jeremy and Steve discuss specific game incidents, pitching strategies, and contract considerations for players like Vlad Jr. and Pete Alonso.

  Steve (40:53): "When you turn on the Mets during sometime of the break, during the Yankees and stuff in the fourth inning... highlights are from first, second, and third."

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4. Broader MLB Context and Comparisons

Beyond the Mets, the hosts compare the team's struggles to other MLB franchises, drawing parallels and highlighting systemic issues in modern baseball.

Peter Rosenberg (33:30): "But neither of these teams look like they're championship caliber teams."

They also touch upon the expansion of playoff spots across major sports leagues, questioning whether the increased number of wild card entries dilutes the quality of playoff contenders.

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5. Concluding Thoughts and Predictions

As the episode wraps up, Rosenberg and his co-hosts reflect on the Mets' season trajectory and share their predictions for the remainder of the season.

Peter Rosenberg (36:43): "But neither of these teams look like they're championship caliber teams. And it's been a long time now that they've looked like they're lost and not that great and very average, but maybe they make a run."

They emphasize the uncertainty surrounding the Mets' ability to rally in the remaining games and the potential challenges they face against formidable opponents like the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees.

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Notable Quotes

• Peter Rosenberg (05:42): "This is inexcusable. It's a major problem."
• Peter Rosenberg (19:26): "There's no formula in which you can win games, important games down the stretch."
• Peter Rosenberg (33:30): "But neither of these teams look like they're championship caliber teams."

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Conclusion

"Hour 1: Not A Championship Team" sets a compelling foundation for the "Don, Hahn & Rosenberg" podcast series. Through a blend of personal stories, critical sports analysis, and interactive discussions, the hosts provide listeners with a comprehensive and engaging exploration of the current state of New York baseball. While the episode is candid in its critiques, it also leaves room for optimism, encouraging fans to stay tuned for future episodes as the season progresses.

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Tune In

Catch more insightful discussions and lively debates with Don, Hahn, and Rosenberg on weekday afternoons starting at 3 PM on 880 ESPN and the ESPN New York app. Subscribe to the "Don, Hahn & Rosenberg" podcast on your favorite platform to never miss an episode.

Transcript

[Don Hahn]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

Todd, sometimes fraud gives you movement. It sounded like it moved.

[Unknown]

Han, you heard a squish. And Rosenberg shake Shanley to assure complete activation.

[Peter Rosenberg]

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

[Unknown]

This is Don Hahn and Rosenberg.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The best threesome I've ever heard on.

[Unknown]

880 ESPN and the ESPN New York.

[Peter Rosenberg]

App 304 in the big city. Don Hahn and Rosenberg with you till 6:30. Then it's Mets baseball. I just had a very interesting moment with Michael as you love, but I don't think he caught it because have you seen Tangled yet with Maya? She's probably too young to be watching any like Disney movies or whatever.

[Unknown]

Well, I mean we've not. We've. We throw them on like based on ones will enjoy and that she can just sort of look.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right. Because Tangled is one of the Disney movies that we watch when they were both young.

[Unknown]

All right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And one of the scenes because it's Rapunzel, basically that's what Tangled is. And she goes, I love you. And then the girl responds, Rapunzel responds, I love you more. And then the mom. I love you most. And I almost had that moment with Michael. I love you. I love you more. But he didn't catch the most part because he walked out.

[Unknown]

Wait, hold on. So you said a third one back?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, I supposed to. Yeah, I say the third one that I love you most. So it was.

[Unknown]

It was a cute moment that only you noticed.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's it.

[Unknown]

So is it. I felt, you know, somewhere between cute and we.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I wanted to do the opposite of yesterday and start the show off with a nice moment.

[Unknown]

You know, I like that because it start yesterday. But here's the thing that I worry about.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What's that?

[Unknown]

Yesterday started off rough but turned into just a phone's blazing. No, so many different things. And I'm a little worried. I'm worried today.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, don't be worried because the Mets have given us content. And also I got a Thursday rewrite.

[Unknown]

Oh, really?

[Peter Rosenberg]

To dream about.

[Unknown]

Really? And not to dream like not because you fell asleep.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I. I told Anthony I don't like it? I love it.

[Unknown]

Anthony, were you visibly excited?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because Anthony had one and a good one, but I responded with mine. And what did you say? I love it. Love it. And you think I'll be into it? No. Oh, come on. I'm. Put it this way, Anthony's idea, you would have zoned out, which is usually what happens when I give ideas to people. Right. That's not true. But this one, you're all in. Really? Yeah.

[Unknown]

Now I also want to throw this out there. You know, we spent the latter half of the show talking about my QB tables. Yeah, I think that's back on the table today.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, it is back on the table.

[Unknown]

And we got new information.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, we have another table that we're going to throw out there and we're going to compare and contrast and see what you think because now ESPN has.

[Unknown]

Sent us along some QB tears. Oh, sorry, it's not espn. It's Mike Sando of the Athletic.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Unknown]

But I got it from Anthony. I got it from Anthony who works at espn.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He was on this morning with the, with Dave and Jordan was on and they went over it and like this is going to be something we got to revisit just to compare to Peters.

[Unknown]

So it's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So we got that going on.

[Unknown]

Yeah, I'm looking forward, it's very interesting.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So we're looking forward to that. And of course, ENN at 6 o'. Clock, but you know, we're going to start, you know, with the Mets and I defended the Mets yesterday and I got a lot of Met fans responding in the affirmative. My, my son and my nephew are at baseball camp today and the coaches, one of them is a big Met fan, just like, thank you for defending us. I really appreciate it. You know, Yankee fans obviously had the opposite opinion of yesterday, which I would expect. But today, I'm sorry, the Mets have to be killed. I mean, what happened last night is just inexcusable. That does not happen to good baseball teams. It doesn't. You've got a 6 nothing lead with your best pitcher on the mound and you lose 11, 6. You give up nine runs in the fourth inning, you don't respond. What is going on? And I did mention yesterday in my defense of the Mets and everything with Alonzo is that yeah, they did beat the Braves, but let's not forget Holmes gave you nothing again. And the only reason the Mets won is because they pounded the braves. They scored 13 runs. That's the, that's going to be the recipe for the Mets to win games, is score a Ton of runs to obscure what right now is horrendous starting pitching. Awful. So McClain got called up. He's going to start on Saturday against Seattle. I would expect Sproat to be called up at some point, too, because Montas was taken out of the rotation. I'm suspecting that at some point Holmes is going to be taken out of the rotation. But Peter, right now, forget about the offense and who's not hitting, who's hitting. Lindor and. And Nimo have had their problems, and Alonzo hasn't been as good as he was at the beginning of the season. And Soto can't hit with the runners in scoring position. Fine, it's an issue. But Peter, you cannot win, never mind compete for a championship. You can't make the playoffs. You're not going to be able to hold off Cincinnati if your pitchers are getting bombed every single night and can't get through the third or fourth inning, you. It's just not going to work.

[Unknown]

I need. I need to. Listen to me and listen to me good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay?

[Unknown]

Remember I was going to see the movie Weapons last night?

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's right.

[Unknown]

Got the babysitter.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Unknown]

Got to the theater, paid for parking, walked in to start ordering the tickets, found out the movie was 90 minutes later than I thought it was.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, no.

[Unknown]

Looked around, no showings in the window that I was looking for. Was very angry.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Was 90 minutes ain't nothing at that time.

[Unknown]

No, no, it was basically, we pulled up to the theater at. At 8:05 for what was an 8.

[Peter Rosenberg]

O' clock showing in my mind.

[Unknown]

So I go, this is perfect. 20 minutes of previews. We'll be in by 8, 10 that way. Cause I want to catch the. I need the shortest window possible. Mm, no, no, it's 9:30. I went, well, I saw online, I'm not this dumb, but I. You know what? Look at my whole song. I lost my voice. I injured my meniscus. I'm washed. Who knows? I'm wearing a heart monitor, for God's sake. We don't know what's going on.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no.

[Unknown]

So I got it wrong. So I was like, what are we gonna do? And Natalie said, wanna go to blondies? I said, you know what? Me and the wife, few wings, a little Mets baseball. Sounds pretty good, actually.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So she was. She was cool with you screwing up?

[Unknown]

Oh, she didn't care. I was the one who wanted to see the movie.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay?

[Unknown]

She was. She was along for the ride. So she was like, oh, bummer. Want to get something?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, that's very Nice of him. Yeah.

[Unknown]

No, it was me. She. She doesn't care for weapons. She's not a horror person. It was me. Okay, so we go to blondies. I love that, by the way.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Don.

[Unknown]

Don. Saying what he just said, though, was a mouthful. He didn't say anything about his own life.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, but it was. But it was. It was. You could remind me.

[Unknown]

You learn a lot.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I can just tell you right now. I'll say it. She might even be listening. She'll tell. She's probably nodding her head. It's like, I would not be able to get away with that if I told her there's a movie at 8, and it was actually at 9:30. It's like, what kind of idiot can't read a schedule? What's the matter with you? Now what are we gonna do? No, now what are we gonna do? We got a babysitter. We got an hour and a half to kill. What are we gonna do? Forget suggesting blondies. She'd be too busy just destroying me for being that stupid.

[Unknown]

The funniest thing is, it's reversed in my house in this case. I was so mad she said something, and my response was, honey, I need.

[Peter Rosenberg]

A. I need a minute.

[Unknown]

I was so angry at myself. I said, baby, I just need a minute. I'm so irritated. And then, of course, I go back to the garage. I said, hey, we were just here five minutes ago. They said, 10 bucks. I said, no, no, I was just here.

[Peter Rosenberg]

10 bucks.

[Unknown]

Anyways. All of that to say, we go to blondies, we get a few wings, we watch the beginning of the Ole Metzi's fun start. When they were replaying the. Was it Nimmos? Tag up. I'm explaining to my wife, but tagging up is, we're going through the baby, okay? And the Mets are laying it down. This is. This is nice. And then my wife says, you know what? We still got time. Want to get a foot massage? She loves. My wife loves a foot massage. There's a beautiful massage spa right next door. Go right next door, get our feet rubbed on. Have a nice time. I get home, I can't even.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I can't even picture this in my life. The things that you are doing. The way things went last night. I can't even conceive it. Why.

[Unknown]

Why is this so crazy?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Let's get a foot mass. Yeah.

[Unknown]

What's wrong with that? You would. You wouldn't enjoy that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I would, but it's not something that would be on the table. On the table. This worked out perfectly for Natalie.

[Unknown]

Oh, no, no.

[Peter Rosenberg]

She didn't want to see the move. Correct.

[Don Hahn]

So she's like, this is me day now.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm all good. Let's go to Blondie.

[Unknown]

So just to be cool, just to be clear, it sounds like Natalie's, like, so cool and accommodating, she turns it into her night. She gets a foot massage every week. So. All right, so we go get our.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Foot massages and Pulp Fiction, ruined foot massage. That's all I think about it.

[Unknown]

Well, and listen, this isn't an Orchids of Asia situation. Just be clear. So we get home and I go, oh, my God. Mets were up six zip. Let me just get the rundown. I got to make sure I'm set. For me and Don tomorrow, it's nine.

Six.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. And then.

[Unknown]

And then as I'm looking at the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

On the.

[Unknown]

On the app, as I'm looking 11, 6. This is only them.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, it's. It's. It. And I looked it up one inning. I saw the. I saw it. Now I have a similar story. Like, so, as I said, Declan's over. He's a Met fan. Marco is still in the decision process, but he looks like he's leaning Mets.

[Unknown]

So the game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is Declan helping with that? They. Yes. And they want to watch the game. And now it's like, even though it's the summer, they've got to get up for baseball camp. It's at 9:00 in the morning, so we're trying to get in the bed. Remember, the game was delayed because of the rain, so it's only quarter to 10 now.

[Unknown]

Real quick, when Declan's staying with you guys?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Does he have same bedtime?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Everyone gotta get everybody because they both.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Have to get up at the same time for camp.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So. So they. They want to stay up. So it's a quick half inning. We're going to like the. Whatever. It was the top of the third, and it's another quick. They want to stay up and watch the bottom of the third. And Nancy goes, what? It's six nothing. What are we doing? Go to bed. It's early in the game. They're up six nothing. And Marco goes, well, what if they. What if they score six runs and tie the game? And I said, hey, in Marco's defense, they had a 5 nothing lead against the brewers on Sunday and blew it. Nance. Like, I don't care. Go to bed. And I'm like, all right.

[Unknown]

By the way, Nancy. Nancy's general demeanor is not being covered in glory over the last five minutes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're painting a picture. You dis the way you have to be with the kids.

[Unknown]

I get it, I get it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because if you're nice and give them any inch.

[Unknown]

No, another one. They're going to take.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. All right, get up there, brush your teeth. So I go up there, make sure they brush their teeth, go to the bathroom. Now, my daughter was having trouble falling asleep, so I lay down with her, rub her back, do the whole night. Here we go.

[Unknown]

Running the whole play.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So the whole thing probably takes about a half hour. I come downstairs, hell's broken loose. I'm like, is that a 9?

[Unknown]

I had the same thought, by the way. You know how old and washed you feel when. When you see something on your phone and you have to reach to your nightstand and grab your glasses to make sure you're seeing what you think you see?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Nine.

[Unknown]

Is that a nine?

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, a nine. And then, of course, because of technology, I'm able to rewind because I like, I got to see how this all went down. And grand slam, like walks galore. Cause Peterson was cruising. He allowed one hit, and all of a sudden the nine. And as Peter mentioned, they tack on a couple of more because the Mets had a rally going. When I got down, they had put. They had, I think that second and third or they came within a hit of trying to get back into the game, and then they didn't. And I was like, this is inexcusable. It's inexcusable. Now, I said on this air yesterday, I don't think the Reds are going to catch him. Well, I'm looking like an ass now because they're only a game back. And what is the formula for the Mets to be able to turn this around? The pitching is God awful. Holmes isn't going to get any better. He's already exceeded his innings limit. Peterson's supposed to be the best you have. And even if Peterson gets back to what he was, he's only one man. You got kids that you're going to be calling up now. I think that's the only avenue to turn things around, that these kids are going to come up and maybe inject a little adrenaline to the pitching staff, but they're. They're going to be on limits, too. It's not like they're going to go out there and be allowed to go seven, eight innings and throw 120 pitches. They're going to be treating them like, literally with kid gloves, make sure that they don't get burnt out. So am I expecting McClain and Sproat and anybody else that they call up to turn this around when they're probably not going to be pitching a ton of innings. Is Mania going to turn it around? Is Senga going to turn around? Because that's the secret sauce, man. Yep. I know this offense can turn it around because I've seen it. But this pitching staff right now is giving me zero faith. And there is no way. There is no way this team's competing for a championship with this pitching staff. Now, they might hold on to a playoff spot because I don't know how good the Reds are anyway. Or will the Cardinals be able to take advantage of it? We'll see. They're taking on the Yankees this weekend. But you tell me that this is a team that's going to be able to make a run if they're going to have to score 10 runs every night to be able to win. Now, I understand that the brewers were the best team in baseball, and them getting swept over the weekend, hey, that's going to happen. But you've lost 12 of your last 14 games. You. For the first time in franchise history, which goes back to 1962, the Mets have blown four run leads or more in the last three games in a row. But the offense bailed him out two days ago. But the offense couldn't bail him out last night. You're losing games.

[Unknown]

How many you need? You need 13.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Peter, you lost Sunday scoring six runs. I'm sorry. I know there's a lot more offense than it was back in the day. But you know what? Six should be enough to win a game. You scored six last night. That should be enough to win a game. I shouldn't have to score 13 runs a night to be able to consider being competitive. This is a major problem. It's a major problem. And the Cincinnati Reds say what you want about their roster. They've got a heck of a coach in Frank Kona, and they've got nothing to lose because there were no expectations around the Reds. There were nothing but expectations around the Mets. So as the noose gets a little tighter, as we get deeper and deeper into August and September, I'm sure the Cincinnati Reds could be freewheeling, just happy they're above.500, they're competitive. Their fans have a reason to come to the ballpark. Oh, yeah, and the Mets are going to be feeling that new titan every single night that they don't get this done. And I thought Michael's point was great. We talked to him at the end of his show about, you know, The Mets and Yankees, you know, settling for a wild card or God forbid, the third wild card. And then I'm going to see them pouring champagne all over themselves, running around with goggles and stuff. That would be a disappointment. I'll take it because the playoffs are better than not in the playoffs. But is that what this season was supposed to be about? A season of Soto vs. Judge and whose fan base is better and who's taking over the town to seeing just two very average ball clubs limping to the finish line? Last night's Yankee Twins game. Listen, give the Twins credit. They got off the mat and the Yankees did win the series. But come on, man, is there any sense of urgency the way that that game was handled at the end? I might thought Michael outlined it very well, the way the bullpen was handled. They scored one run. One run. And you know what? Ryan's a really good pitcher. Every time the Yankees face a pitcher, it's a struggle to score runs. Yeah, they'll beat the heck out of bad bullpens and bad starting pitching, but when it comes to facing really good pitchers and what you're going to face in the playoffs, one run is not going to be enough.

[Unknown]

And by. And how often, Don, are you stumbling into games like you did two nights ago in the playoffs? Five, six home runs, Alonzo hits two. That just doesn't happen in the playoffs.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Not happening now. Speaking of Alonzo, go ahead. They talked about it on the broadcast. Darling and Hernandez had never seen it before. He's at second with two outs, run on contact, he gets thrown out at home.

[Unknown]

How?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I really thought at some point we would look at the replay and see him stumble at third. Did you see the play get thrown out at home?

[Unknown]

How?

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're running on contact, the ball goes into the outfield. How do you not score? And to have two guys in, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling, who between them have seen what, 3,000 games? I've never seen that before, ever. Unless you got Lamar Hoyt running the bases. I. How can you get thrown out there? And I don't think it was a lack of hustle. Just like what's going on with this team. We shouldn't be here. So we got a little bit of a reprieve. Alonzo broke the record, got a little positive met talk with the 13 runs, but then they puke it right back up again. Both of these teams do it. Grisham hits the home run over the weekend, beat the Astros, almost get no hit. The next day, Yankees got a chance to sweep the series Take care of the Twins. Everybody lost last night, Peter. Everybody lost. Seattle lost. The Rangers lost. The Blue Jays lost. Red Sox lost. Everybody lost. And because the Yankee game was delayed, they, they knew everybody lost and yet still wet the bed late in the game and couldn't take advantage of it. Maybe it's because these teams are just not that great. And thank God Major League Baseball added an extra wild card, so they still should be able to make the playoffs. But are these teams really all that good? It doesn't feel like it. And right now, the Mets pitching staff, you want something to pan about because the Yankees are going to make the playoffs. I think the Yankees are going to make the playoffs.

[Unknown]

You feel better about the Yankees and.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The Mets, but, and I thought the Mets were the better chance. But now just looking at the way that this starting pitching is going right now, and the Reds now just took two out of three from Philadelphia, it's, I'm not feeling it right now for either team. And maybe it'll be fluid. Maybe you ask me next week and I'll have a different answer. Two years, two days ago. Like, I think the Mets have a better chance than the Yankees. But right now, this Mets pitching staff stinks. You do have kids getting called up, but when was the last time you saw kids? This is not Doc Gooden going out there as a rookie throwing a hundred miles per hour and pitching nine innings. These kids are going to be on a pitch count. They're going to be careful. And the second they get any kind of trouble, they're going to get pulled because they're prospects. And you can't ask kids to save your season. Now maybe it will in the long run be better form that these kids are up there and pitching and doing better than the veterans are doing. But to have it be the answer is really, really scary.

[Unknown]

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Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

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

[Peter Rosenberg]

Here's what Carlos Mendoza had to say about another loss for the match 12 in the last 14.

[Carlos Mendoza]

They're tough losses. You got to keep going. You know, we got the coaches right now, like, looking up pretty much everything, you know, trying to figure it out. How can we continue to help these guys, you know, especially the guys, you know, from the rotation, like, because we know the talents there, but we just haven't been able to get much from them, especially this last time through. Um, not easy, but, you know, understanding that we got to keep going, you know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yep. There's no other way to put it. I wish that maybe you'd be a little bit more critical, but in this day and age, it's always going to be, we're going to fight, we're going to work on it. We're going to see what's wrong. What's wrong is, is your pitchers aren't very good right now and they just don't give you any length. And the one pitcher that was doing it on a consistent basis and your all star David Peterson completely melted down last night in that fourth inning, and that's a problem. 1-800-9193776 Whenever you bring up David Peterson.

[Unknown]

You know what I want to do?

[Peter Rosenberg]

What do you want to do?

[Unknown]

I want to do the voice. We should get the drop. I want to do the voice that Cameron in Ferris Bueller is doing when he yells at the principal.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah, that's a good one, Peterson.

[Unknown]

I don't know why it's constantly on my mind. You know what I'm talking about, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Of course. I saw that in the theater. I'm a little older than you dream it. No, just something to think about. Don't you know who I am?

[Unknown]

He's so good in that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You had me make a phony phone call to Edward Rooney now, did you? You.

[Unknown]

You don't watch Succession?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Never. No, I don't. I should.

[Unknown]

That's one. You really. I put that right at the top. But, you know, that's really the true comeback of Cameron.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, is it?

[Unknown]

Massive role on that show.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay, and then.

[Unknown]

And when it dawns on you in the first episode, you're, oh, my God, it's freaking Cameron. And he's kind of the same guy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Cameron gone to Egypt's land. Let my Cameron go. Jeremy in Baskin Ridge. You're on espn.

[Unknown]

Hey, Jeremy.

Hey, Don. Hey, Peter.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What's up?

[Unknown]

So I caught the tail end of what you guys are saying with your, like, experience of how you saw the fourth inning last night and compelled me to call because I had a pretty wild experience with that, too. So, basically, the past few days, I've been going back and forth about buying tickets to Friday's game, just given how bad the pitching has been. But then the game the other day where Alonso got the record made me think, you know, maybe we should take a stab at this game with the Mariners. Should be fun. You got J Rod, you got Cal, Raleigh. I figure, why not? Should be a good time. So last night, they go up six nothing, and I'm like, all right, I'm gonna pick out the tickets. We're gonna go on Friday. Within at most five minutes of me hitting purchase on those tickets. I see him, like, walking the base is completely loaded, and I go downstairs, I see it's 6, 4, and then I see the grand slam happen. And I was so viscerally angry, the way that I usually get towards the New England Patriots, that I went right upstairs and decided to go read a book instead of, there you go. So they did it.

They did it to themselves. They did it to themselves. They have no one to blame.

They really did. What I honestly just could not believe, like, last night was probably the worst game they've had all season. To see Peterson, of all guys, Peterson be the one who couldn't make five innings was just, like, to me, like. Like maybe don't have any hope of getting through this season.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, they might make the playoffs, but really, what kind of run are you looking at? I understand starting pitching is less and less important now as far as going long, but you have put yourself in a position where you're going to have to score a ton of runs, which I'm not sure they're capable of doing anyway, because, as I mentioned, it's not your biggest problem. But it's not like they're tearing the COVID off the ball. Lindor and Nimmo and Soto have all left a lot to be desired at times during the year. Offensively. Yeah, they'll put it together and they'll score a bunch of runs. That happens in baseball. But you got to do it on a consistent basis. And that's no formula for success. If my only way to win games is to score double digit runs to compensate for what's been an awful starting pitching staff just not going to work. And the bullpen got better during the deadline. But it's not like these guys have been great either. On a consistent enough basis. It's been bad and it's been a long time. Now it's been 50 plus games where this team is ridiculously under 500. They're surviving off of what was a fantastic start. Yankees, the same thing. And, and we're all caught. I mean, I know a lot of baseball fans, like I said, I dropped my, the kids off at baseball practice today and I'm talking to some of the fathers and they're like, yeah, but they're still a playoff team. I said, get out of the whole old days when you won your division, you went to the playoffs or even, even 20 years ago where you had the wild card and it really didn't make a difference if you won the divisional wild card. It's like they've, they've added three wild cards. Six of 15 teams make the playoffs. That's close to half. 12 of 30 make the playoffs. Well, Don, it's not as bad as hockey. Well, hockey, 16 out of 32 make it. Is it that big of a difference? Basketball, forget about it because with the play in, 20 of the 30 teams make it. But in the NFL, 14 of 32 teams make it. So in football it's 14 of 32. In hockey it's 16 to 32. Baseball, it's 12 of 30. It's not that big of a difference. Which means you get those average teams. Peter, you know it. That third wild card in the NFL is close to 500. Not a very good team, you know that make. They're not making a run.

[Unknown]

Yeah, you got to figure it out.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's what the Mets and Yankees are right now. Now things can change over the next 42 games. But right now they're that third wild card of the NFL that's going to get their head bashed in in the first round of the playoffs. Right now you're that low seed in the NBA that likely isn't making it out of the first round. That's not what we bargained for here. So yeah, they are a playoff team. But get your head out of the 1980s and 90s and the early 2000s. The being a playoff team in baseball is not that big of a deal anymore. Being alive for a playoff spot in the middle of August, not that big of a deal anymore. Not as much to write home about anymore. Keith's in Newark. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, Keith?

[Unknown]

What's going on, guys? You. You letting the Mets off the hook, fellas? Because real talk, Alonzo should have stayed on third. Stayed his big chunky monkey.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I, I don't know how you don't score there, though. There's two outs.

[Unknown]

Yeah, I can see if you had a kuna there, I could see the score with no problem. But Alonzo trying to be. Alonzo trying to be the hero once again. You could have had two outs. Just like the other night. They came back against the Braves with two outs. And I want to say this before you. I hang up. The Braves are spoilers. They're not even worried about the division. You brought up Cincinnati. But let's look at, let's look at the Brewers. The brewers beat them and swept them with fundamental baseball and situational hitting. They're not ready for that. And the only way Lindor got out of his slump, because Marte got in his butt and told him the butt to get on base. If they do situational hitting, fundamental baseball.

They can win the games.

They got to pick each other up off the ground. Stop thinking about, oh, what was me. If I don't get my stats, if I don't get my stats, I'm. I'm a failure. And like I said, you're celebrating. Listen, I'm still Alonzo on the fence person, but you're celebrating this like he's going to the hall of Fame. The mission is not done yet. Even if you win a division, guess what? You might put. You get a break. You might play Cincinnati or you might play the Bruise. And if they play the brewers and they get, they, excuse my French, get their ass whipped. The whole scene should be gutted with the exception of Nemo, Lindor Soto. And listen, I'm gonna add. I'm gonna need you to bring this up on the table, guys. How much you plan on playing alonzo with Vlad Jr getting a 725 million dollar contract for 15 years. Have a good show, guys, and thank you. Good ltp.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thank you, Keith. But here's the thing, is that Vlad's 26, Alonzo's 30. So he's. He's not getting a Vlad contract. Nobody's going to pay him.

[Unknown]

That.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Mets are probably going to keep him because they're the one team that will be willing to slightly overpay Pete Alonso is a met thing. Most people around baseball were not going to be giving him money. He was not, he was not getting the money he thought he was going to get last year because nobody was interested. The only team that kind of kicked the tires were the Blue Jays. Now with the Red Sox, they need a first baseman, but they're analytically driven, too. Are they going to give him a ton of money? I think, Pete, you know, four year contract, I don't know, 40 million a year, probably more than I think a lot of people would even think about. But, you know, Steve Cohen sitting on a lot of money and Alonzo means something to this fan base. But I'm sorry, I'm not going to get into a debate with you on. I'm not holding him up at third. He's, he's not, he's not fast, but he's not that slow. Running on contact with two outs and a ball hit to the outfield, you should be able to score. And it was a bang, bang play at home. You can't hold up. You cannot not score at second base with a base hit that goes to the outfield when you're at two outs and you're running on contact. How in hell did that happen?

[Unknown]

How does that, how does that happen? How? You're just not paying attention.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't. I watched it. I mean, you see him, it looks like he got a good jump out of the box. I don't. You don't see him rounding third. I don't know what the heck happened. But the one thing I'm never going to tell you is that to hold him up, you still got to force a good throw. You can't hold him up at third if you're the third baseball.

[Unknown]

Literally.

Literally. Maybe if John Carlos Stanton's the man on second, every other player, Major league Baseball, you're sending home.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't know how that happened, but it happened. And we, we can have the Yankee conversation if you want. Fundamentals, they're the starting pitching is not giving them a chance to win games, period. When you're in the bullpen in the fourth or fifth inning every single night, yeah, they could play better. There were times in Milwaukee, that Saturday game with the Mauricio error, that wasn't called an error. They need to tighten things up, man. But you. There is no formula in which you can win games, important games down the stretch. When I can't get my starter pitch, starting pitching through five innings, never mind six. It can't happen. Always a pleasure to talk to Griffin in Connecticut. You're on ESPN New York. Hi, Griff. Hello. Everything good?

[Unknown]

Hello?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hello?

[Unknown]

Yeah. You? I'm here.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right. What do you got?

[Unknown]

Oh, what I got is the, the match. For example, like everybody wants to say fundamental and this and that, but whenever you turn on the Mets, when I turn on the mats during sometime of the break, during the Yankees and stuff in the fourth inning. If you look at. They sort of take us down on SNY on Monday or Tuesday, what, Thursday. Starters ERA is from the first, second and third. When they get to the fourth, their starters fall off a cliff. So if their stories cannot even give them four innings, then your bullpen is going to be completely exhausted. And how are you going to make the playoffs? Enough with this. They're a playoff team. Well, both, both teams in New York are trying to show us that they don't want to be in the playoffs because every time you have it, you have a chance to extend the lead. You. Because they want to somehow miss the playoffs. They want to show, hey, we're not a playoff team, because you could say they are a playoff team, but they're trying to show us they don't want to make it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They're not playing the way you got to play that just period. That's it. They're not. Baseball is a long season. Griffin, and we saw with the Yankees last year, got off to the great start, then played awful through the summer. But the American League was wide open. They were able to take advantage of it. They got hot at the right time and that's what you're kind of hoping for. Baseball has allowed them to stay in this thing because of the extra wild card and there's a lot of bad teams in baseball and maybe they'll get hot and maybe they will, maybe they will.

[Unknown]

But this is not a serious baseball club.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But this does. But neither of these teams look like they're championship caliber teams. And it's been a long time now that they've looked like they're lost and not that great and very average, but maybe they make a run. But I just don't. I don't know if that's any way to live of hoping for some kind of run.

[Unknown]

You know, it's not a way to live like this where your team stinks and one day they make you feel good. They seem to do everything right for one night and you celebrate for a moment the next day you literally not just lose. Don, they didn't lose six five to the Braves last night. They were up six nothing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Six nothing.

[Unknown]

And got blown out. It doesn't happen.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, it happens to this team. Three straight nights, first time in franchise history. Pretty scary.

[Unknown]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

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

[Peter Rosenberg]

Don Hanna, Rosenberg with you until 631.800.919.3776. Back to the busy phones. Let's talk to Tim. He's in the car. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, Tim?

[Unknown]

What's up, Don? I got two quick points for you. The first one is Alonzo on that. Everyone keeps saying it was two out, it was two outs and it was a three two count.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right? You're gone.

[Unknown]

Yeah, he was running.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, he should have.

[Unknown]

Should have been. No, I don't know why anybody's blamed the third base coach. Everyone blamed him for the brewers game and then now they want to blame him for him being thrown out. You can't have it both ways.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, to me, I just don't know how you can't hold him up. All right. I mean, it was still worth. Even though he was out, it's still worth sending him because the throw was perfect. I just don't understand how was that close to begin with?

[Unknown]

Yeah, I just don't think he was. I don't think he was running on the. From the 3:2 pitch. But the other one is for the wild card. The MLB is the only one. If you look at the anal last three years, the six seed has made it. I know you can say like you're not happy with the Messiah 6 seed, but the MLB is not like the NBA, NFL and NHL. If you're the 8th seed, you're out. If you're the 6 seed, you still have a good chance, you know, And I was proved that the past couple years where two of them went to the World Series. The only one not going was Mets last year.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, I get it. But you do see on occasion, like Miami was able to come out of the play in, in the NBA and go to the final. You do see eight. You know, the Kings won a cup as the eight seed. It's just. It's no way to live, Tim, to have to play three games on the road, you know? Yeah, I guess you could survive, right? You could make it out of the wild card. You could make a run. Listen, the Giants won a Super Bowl. Being a wild card team, it just. That's not what this season was supposed to be. About barely making the playoffs. And maybe they're a scenario, Tim, even though I still think they'll both make it. But there's still scenarios that both of these teams might miss. I mean, that, that's not what we were sold going into the season.

[Unknown]

Listen, it's fine to live that way if you had zero expectations going into the season. You know what I mean? If you're, if you're, if next year the Boston Celtics went in, who go into this next season with no expectations, found themselves in that spot. Okay, sounds good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know what this feels like, Tim, to me? What if the Knicks had to settle for the play in this coming year?

[Unknown]

Exactly.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, they're in and they can make a run. But is that what you thought when we talked about how wide open the Eastern Conference is? And this team, you know, the odds on favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference right now and all of a sudden they're in the play in. Yeah, sure, they could still win. It was the same players that went to the conference final the year before. But you wouldn't feel great about it because it's three games on the road and you're setting yourself up that even if the Mets could set the rotation right now, I don't even know what the hell you'd set it to because only Peterson's been good and he was terrible last night, but now you. Who knows what you're going to have left by the time you get to the divisional round. And I do think that, you know, the Mets got burned by just, they just ran out of steam by the time they faced the Dodgers. The Dodgers were a better team, but the idea this year, win the division. The American League's wide open for the New York Yankees and we're talking about a team trying to hold off the guardians who sold at the deadline. That's what, that's what's irritating about the whole thing. Let's talk to Sean. He's in Brooklyn. You're on espn. New York. What's up, Sean?

[Unknown]

How you doing, gentlemen? How are you today?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Good, man. Good, good.

[Unknown]

So I have a question. Just pivot it over to the Yankees. Trent Griffins has been having an amazing season.

Do you think he remains, remains a.

Yankee after this season?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I would, I would think so, but I'm just trying to think with what he would end up making. But you know, because he's. He's making like 5 million now, so he's going to definitely want a major raise. You got Bellinger to deal with, obviously Goldschmidt's probably got, I would think. How old is he now? 25.

[Unknown]

I think he's like 28, maybe 28, 39.

[Peter Rosenberg]

28, 28, that's right. Because he's born in 96. I got to figure out now you got to be careful, like how much you pay him because maybe it is something that kind of just, I don't want to say a flash in the pan. Would you look at his career? This is the monster season, but he's finally getting, you know, the bats. But he's a guy that's never had more than 17 home runs. He's never had more than the 62 RBIs that he had in 21 when he was a Padre. But sometimes you got to be careful and not pay off of one season. But of all the inconsistency that this Yankee team has had, he's been probably one of the more consistent bats. I think if the price is right, they'll try to bring him back. I have no inside information on it now. I wouldn't give him a ton of money, but I'm sure he's going to want obviously a raise off of that. But I'd like to see them come back when you definitely.

[Unknown]

I was thinking maybe like three years, 40 million. That could work.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, it probably could. Again, the Yankees don't like to overpay, but are you paying him for Again, this has been an amazing season for him, but he's still, career wise, a.218 hitter. He's got 21 home runs, but never had more than 17. He had a, he had a good year in 22 with the Padres. 17 home runs, 53 RBIs, but he only batted one 84. Now, I know they don't put a lot of weight in batting average, but when you're batting under 200, those numbers that he supplied and it was over 152 games, so he's definitely having a career year. Peter. But do you know when a guy's going to be 29 years old, you don't like to base it off of one season. You still have to be very careful of that.

[Unknown]

When are we getting a look at Spencer Jones, too? That has to happen now.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't know because Spencer Jones is already 25 and he was not considered.

[Unknown]

The brought up 14 home runs for Scranton Wilkesboro.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Oh, no. He's been, he's been breaking, but he's not here.

[Unknown]

He's not here.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So it'll be interesting to see what they really do feel about him. But you're right you don't want to landlock him either, but you also don't want to let go a guy that you might be able to keep on the cheap. That's been one of your best and most consistent offensive players. Steve is in Middle Village. You're on ESPN New York. Hi, Steve.

[Unknown]

Hey, guys.

You and I stuff to take my call today too. And I just want to clarify. When I said that the Mets were quirky, I did not mean it as an insult. Okay, I agree what you were saying that, you know, it works for the Yankees or whomever to be corporate, etc. The Mets were quirky. I was looking it up. 1973 had to be their quirkiest year because they were in last point, they were in last place on, on August 30th and, and got to the seventh game of the World Series. I know was, you know, it's only one playoff game, completely different sport, etc. But they made a run. But they had pitching. The Mets don't have pitching.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, that's been the Mets. Right. Because everybody talks about the miracle of 69, and it was a miracle, but 73 was almost as big a miracle. You know, the God you got to believe and that whole thing, which was actually Tug McGraw mocking M. Donald Grant, but they used it as a rallying cry. But you're right, the Mets always had pitching. And all Evening, even in 86, is the big bats that they had. You still had Gooden, you know, Heater and, and darling, this team, this pitching has just been so bad, Steve. I just don't know how they're going to be able to turn this around.

[Unknown]

I don't. I don't think so. And one other thing. I mean, I believe your wife is a. Is a San Francisco Giants fan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Unknown]

And something struck me because I've been, you know, put baseball in the back burner for the past few years, although it's been my entire life, up until I was my early 60s, I saw, I saw a team picture being taken before one of the games on the MLB Network. There were literally at least if everybody in a black jacket was an analytical guy. There were 25 or 24, 25 players, maybe two or three coaches, let's say 25 people who were either analytical people or maybe two or three of the people were the, you know, the trainers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Unknown]

I mean, it's like, it's like one analytical guy per three players. I don't know how the players, I mean, being paid tens of millions of dollars or even the lowest guys are making more money than I could ever dream of. But can you imagine if you had four or five people second guessing you? And then you have the pressure of alleged pressure. I mean, it isn't live or die, but you have all these people saying, we really got to win. You know, you really have to get your numbers up. I think that plays a lot into it. I mean, granted, this is not the depression. This isn't. You know, these people didn't go through World War II, whatever the hell you want to talk about. But to have that many people who were bosses of yours trying to help you, but also second guessing some of the things you're doing, you got to be able to feed a ball and hit the ball.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. And you know what they always used to say, Steve? They don't play games on paper in baseball, they play games on paper. Last night's Yankee game was a perfect example. Is that game was played before the game was played. And so when I say a lack of urgency, there, there, there comes a time in a 11 game, you take a look at the out of town scoreboard, all the teams that you're being chased by and you're chasing have lost, where now there's a certain urgency to win that game where you got to throw out whatever you agreed upon in the pregame and say, you know what? I got to win this game. I got to live lighter pitch. I've got to change things up a little bit here. And it doesn't seem to work that way. So I don't think anybody's being second guessed. I just think this is the first guess. This is the way we're going to do it. This is who's gonna pitch. This is his lane. This is who's gonna start, who's not gonna play. Joe Torre said it during Old Timers Day. He loved information, but ultimately he was the one that was gonna use that information and make the decision based not just on the numbers, but who's in a good mood, bad mood, who's fighting with his wife, whose kids in the hospital sick.

[Unknown]

Isn't that all leaders? Shouldn't that, isn't that all leadership except in some sports these days?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. And now it's becoming even more where all of that gut has been taken out of it.

[Unknown]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

I don't want to know how the.

Sausage is made, man.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I just want to know.

[Unknown]

It's good. Hear more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.