Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 1: Not A Championship Team (August 25, 2025)

Brief Overview

This episode opens with the trio—Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg—reunited after Hahn's vacation and their annual Mark Sasso charity softball game. However, the main thrust of the hour is an unvarnished, at times frustrated, analysis of the New York Yankees and (briefly) the Mets. The hosts debate whether the Yankees, despite likely making the playoffs, are fundamentally flawed and not built for a real championship run. Throughout, they explore what’s missing, the playoff scenario maze, and how Yankee Stadium’s mystique interacts with match-up realities. The hour also features fun banter about Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run and the burdens of local musical knowledge.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Mark Sasso Charity Softball Recap (00:50–05:31)

• Don and Alan start the hour trading war stories from the Mark Sasso softball game, lamenting joint knee ailments and reflecting on the fun and camaraderie, despite injuries and aging.
• They highlight the joy of bringing kids into the game—Don’s son Marco impressing with his swing and diligence.

Memorable Moment:
“His second knee is much better than my knee. So between us, we might actually have maybe two and three-quarters knees of the four we're supposed to have on the show.”
— Alan Hahn (00:57)

2. State of the Yankees: “Not a Championship Team” (05:31–25:01)

A. The “Repetition” of the Yankees’ Flaws (05:31–07:06)

• Don laments the predictability of the Yankees’ conversations: decent against bad teams, exposed by good ones, no major changes on return from vacation.
• Volpe being out of the lineup is flagged as a small tweak but not real change.

B. Statistical “Best-Case” vs Actual Playoff Prospects (07:06–10:00)

• Hahn runs the playoff odds: Yankees most likely a Wild Card team, possibly winning 92 games at best. But where they finish in Wild Card rankings critically affects matchups.
• Concern: Facing nemeses like the Astros at Houston or Sox at Fenway is a recipe for early disaster.
• This year’s parity in baseball means the Yankees could sneak through on schedule alone… but will likely get exposed come October.

Quote:
“Anybody that watches the Yankees the way we do... realizes that this team is not close to being a championship caliber team despite what their record's gonna be.”
— Don La Greca (06:11)

C. The “Ugly Underbelly” and October Reality (07:53–11:01)

• Alan points to a limp, punchless offense vs good teams (citing the weekend’s ugly 1-0 game vs Boston), and how good pitching totally neutralizes the Yankees' “bash.”
• Don piles on: “You have talent to beat bad teams, but you are not good enough to beat the good teams. And come October, that will be exposed.”

D. Schedule Math & Playoff Scenarios (11:01–14:54)

• The crew math-outs Yankees’ path to 90 wins, agreeing 90 is mostly cosmetic. Still, they stress home field for Wild Card is crucial, especially against Seattle, given notable home/road splits.

Quote:
“As much as you want to throw away that hope because they frustrate you and they don’t live up to expectations... baseball’s allowing them to be okay. They could still win this division.”
— Don La Greca (16:09)

E. Who Is Actually a Championship Team? (14:54–17:32)

• Are the Red Sox, with all their errors, really contenders? No American League team looks truly dominant.
• Don and Alan highlight that, weirdly, Yankees could still “win the division with all their flaws.”

F. Atmosphere, Mentality, and Yankee Stadium Mystique (20:20–23:12)

• Don floats the theory: no matter the year, opposing teams (like Toronto, Detroit) might still “melt” under Yankee Stadium lights in October. Houston, they agree, is immune.

Quote:
“There’s just something about having to come here... so if the Yankees can just pass the Red Sox no matter what happens during the regular season and get those three wild card games here... does that change your perspective?”
— Don La Greca (21:18)

G. Lack of Clutch: The Real Yankees Weakness (22:04–23:12)

• Alan flatly says this Yankees team hasn’t given a single clutch, faith-inducing moment since June.

Quote:
“This Yankees team since June has not given me any reason to have faith that in a clutch moment it will come through. That’s a fact.”
— Alan Hahn (22:04)

3. The Mets (29:01–32:15; 46:29–48:13)

• The Mets, for all their flaws and now-lost bullpen pieces, are likely to outlast teams like the Reds for a playoff spot but are not true contenders. Injuries (like Alvarez’s hand) and recent bullpen losses stack the deck further.
• Alan notes the “fundamentals aren’t that great either.” Don: “I can't conceive [the Mets] coming out of the National League…”

Memorable Moment:

“The National League is tougher. The Mets have not been good for a while now… Their bullpen has not been great. The guys they went out and got have not been great.”
— Don La Greca (46:29)

4. Yankees’ Flawed Model: Bash First, Fundamentals Later (31:59–34:12)

• When the Yankees hit a barrage of home runs (like vs the Rays), they reinforce the belief that offense alone will get them through, ignoring the recurring fundamental mistakes (errors, baserunning issues).
• Volpe’s benching is about his lack of offense, not defensive lapses.

Notable Stat Mention:

Only two teams in history have hit nine home runs in a game twice in a season—and it’s the Yankees this year. (32:15)

Quote:

"As long as the Yankees have those moments when they bash the other team's skull in, it reinforces them that they're okay."
— Don La Greca (32:15)

5. Playoff Pathways, Home Field Disparities, and Matchup Chess (38:45–39:18)

• Home/road splits are stark: Red Sox, Blue Jays, Mariners are juggernauts at home but average/mediocre on the road. Tigers are best overall, home and away.
• Home field advantage could be more meaningful than ever in deciding escapes and upsets.

6. The “Ghost” of Previous Losses (24:27–25:01)

• The hosts discuss how “Game Five” still hangs over the team: "The Yankees hate when we keep bringing up game five, but they keep making us bring up game five.”

— Alan Hahn (24:27)

7. Off-Field Banter: Born to Run Turns 50 (27:30–28:52)

• Break from sports for local color: They reminisce about Springsteen’s Born to Run, swap thoughts on musical regionalism (Billy Joel for Long Island, Bruce for Jersey), and test each other’s knowledge.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Yankees' Playoff Ceiling:
  “This team will not win a championship this year because they've already shown us they are not built to be a championship team.”
  — Alan Hahn (10:00)

• On Regular Season Mirages:
  “Baseball allows bad fundamentals to go unpunished for months.”
  — Don La Greca (31:59)

• On Yankee Bias at Home in October:
  “Is there still something about coming to Yankee Stadium and beating the Yankees October that does not exist in Detroit... in Seattle?”
  — Don La Greca (20:21)

• On the Mets:
  “The Mets, I can't conceive coming out of the National League like they're a flawed team. But... the Yankees, I could wrap my mind around it happening.”
  — Don La Greca (24:03)

• Springsteen Sidebar:
  “That's Bruce is to New Jersey like Billy Joel is to Long Island. I firmly believe that.”
  — Alan Hahn (45:48)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Mark Sasso Softball Banter: 00:50–05:31
• Yankees' Repetitive Issues and Volpe Out: 05:31–07:06
• Playoff Scenarios, Odds & Home Field Stakes: 07:06–14:54
• No AL Juggernaut? The Division’s Still in Play: 16:09–17:32
• Yankee Stadium Besides the Point? Maybe Not: 20:20–23:12
• Game Five “Ghost” Discussion: 24:27–25:01
• Born to Run Reflection: 27:30–28:52
• Mets’ Realities & Injuries: 29:01–32:15; 46:29–48:13
• Home/Road Splits for Playoff Teams: 38:45–39:18

Tone & Style

The show balances a classic New York sports-radio blend of exasperation, gallows humor, and measured hope. The hosts riff—the language is candid, sometimes playful, at other times mournfully serious about the Yankees’ and Mets’ flaws. Frequent calls to history and cross-sport analogies keep things rich for hard-core New York fans.

Conclusion

By hour’s end, the consensus is clear: The Yankees are heading for the playoffs, but no one on the panel—despite glimpses of hope born from schedule quirks and home field possibilities—can talk themselves into believing this is a true championship team. Matchups, clutch hitting, and October pressure are all shadows looming larger than the record. The Mets get a less-detailed treatment but are quickly dismissed as real contenders this year. In between, there is ample local flavor, music talk, and the type of “only in New York” banter that anchors the Don, Hahn & Rosenberg experience.