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Time.
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B
There's no tush push if you're not pushing the tush.
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A
Han, I want you protecting my blind side and Rosenberg.
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C
When I was seven, I was riding shotgun and smoking cigarettes.
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B
This isn't North Dakota, this is New York.
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A
This is Don, Han and Rosenberg.
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D
The best threesome I've ever heard on
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B
ESPN New York and streaming live on YouTube. 300 one of the big city. Don Hahn and Rosenberg on another gorgeous Tuesday afternoon. And we've got three and a half hours of a show lead you into the Mets and the Tigers over at Citi Field at 6:30. How's everybody doing?
- [01:11]
A
Hi, I'm doing great. Beautiful day today.
- [01:15]
B
You know, we'll get into the Yankees play. All of a sudden, four straight losses. Mets call up a Ewing just because it felt like it's a Nick town now. So of course they're calling up a Ewing, but it's their second best prospect.
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A
They go on a run. That's it. Now you know what the thing is
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B
now you know what? I think that's right.
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A
Now. Is he wearing 33? That would make sense.
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B
He's wearing Nimmos, old number nine.
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A
Oh, you don't get it. You don't even get it. Put 33 on the jersey. What are we doing? Well, 341 up your dad. I would do it. No, 33, orange and blue.
- [01:51]
B
Yeah, but he's. He's a white guy half the size of Patrick Ewing.
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A
So don't let the facts get in the way of a false.
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B
I know, I hear what you're saying. But you know what? The Mets have symmetry is not their thing. You know, like I said, if it's a Hawk to. If it's a.
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A
Sure.
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B
You know, if it's Grimace, they, they, that's fine. When it makes too much sports sense, then, you know, then they, they get lost in it. But we'll get into the baseball in a little bit. We'll get into what might have been LeBron James last game as the Thunder make it eight. No. To start the playoffs as they sweep out the Lakers. I don't believe it's LeBron's last game, but it could be his last game as a Laker. We'll discuss that. Talk about a Tuesday at 4, 30, ENN at 6. But things continue to break the Knicks way. You know, if you want to talk about symmetry, we've already talked about the 136 points they've scored in the wins above the opponent and all that, and, and how well they play with seven consecutive wins in the playoffs, which is a franchise record. There's also the symmetry. When you need something to happen, it seems to happen, Right?
- [02:51]
A
Yeah.
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B
And, oh, you wanted the Celtics out. They were out and they had to play seven games. The winner of the last series, well, guess what? Your opponent in the next round is likely going to play seven. Because the Cavs win, they force at least the game six, which means we won't play until Tuesday. The Knicks will have a full, what, nine days off, I guess like Sunday to the following Tuesday, I guess eight days technically off before their next game. So it, but more important than that is, is that the Cavs and Pistons look like they might be set up for an historic battle that also benefits the Knicks. From what condition will the winner come out? And the reason I think it's going seven is have you noticed the Cavs, undefeated at home, haven't won a game on the road in the entire playoffs. So if that holds form, they'll lose Game 5 of Detroit, win Game 6 in Cleveland, and there'll be a Game 7. So really, guys, every time the Knicks have needed something in a game, in a moment from an opponent outside of their own, it's, it's, it seems to be breaking the Knicks way here.
- [03:55]
A
And that's usually what is part of the story is like things just happen to be going your way and you are that team. And so they, you know, watching last night's game also, as you always look ahead to see what the opponents are going to look like, what you got to deal with, how do you match up? It really blows my mind. Cleveland is got. They've. I mean, Donovan Mitchell is a special talent. I mean, that's not a hot take. And he detonated in the second half in an unreal third quarter, turned the whole game around. But every time they seem to have control of the game, they kept giving it back. So the Cavs have their own problems. Then the Pistons, when they're at their worst, they're turning the ball over constantly. Kate had another bad game and a lot of it has to do with turnovers, but bad passes Losing the ball just doesn't like it when help defense comes. So as you're looking at them and you're trying to see the matchups and stuff. You said it, Don. I think from now on I will live in that world. Next season I will start living in that world. The regular season doesn't mean squat. Nothing. Don't give me the. This is what happened when the Knicks played the Pistons. Because that Pistons team, that ain't the same team and this Knicks team is not the same team. Throw all that stuff out.
- [05:09]
B
You were right and I wanted to be right because I felt like the regular season was always used to the convenience of your argument.
- [05:18]
A
Yes.
- [05:19]
B
You know, when you beat somebody, oh well, we should be able to play them and beat them because we beat them in the regular season. And then when, when, when they crush you like Detroit did to the Knicks, it's like, well, the regular season doesn't mean anything. Well, it meant something when you played Boston. You beat them three out of four times. But. But it didn't mean anything when you lost to Detroit. And that's the way it'll work here. If the Knicks lose to Detroit, it'll be, well, look, we should have looked at the regular season. They couldn't beat him in the regular season. Why do we think we beat him in the postseason? But if they win, I mean, all the regular season doesn't mean anything. The fact is of all the sport, all sports change in the postseason because everything's now equal for the most part, you know, and it's the best of the best that's supposed to make the playoffs. So I think that's the way it is in the NHL. We've seen history, Major League Baseball, then the 88 Mets only lost one game to the Dodgers in the regular season. They played him 11 times, beat him 10 because it was a rain out. And they end up losing to him in the playoffs. It just happens.
- [06:11]
A
Yeah, it's all situational during a regular season. What was the second game of back to back? What was that like that look, the Knicks and Sixers this regular season, great example. They were two and two against each other. Both teams won on the other team's home court. The Knicks won both games in Philly. Philly won both games in New York. As you look deeper into it, the two games in New York was the second game of back to back for the Knicks. So they were coming off the road and having to play that game. What kind of condition were they in? Right. So it's not a level playing Field. So there's a lot. And then who was not playing in one of the games? Josh Hart didn't play in another game, there was no Paul George. In another game there was no mb. So really, when you look at it, it wasn't our best versus versus their best. So how do you really put that much stock into these matchups? You can't do all the regular season is, is not about how teams match up. Very rare do you get the true our best versus their best. What you do with the regular season is like what the Yankees need to do, which is stack all the wins you can, no matter who it is, get to a position where you're in a good spot in your playoff bracket and then when the playoffs come, hope you're healthy and hope you can win the matchups you get then.
- [07:19]
B
And also, let's be honest, we've all been to the Garden, Yankee Stadium, Met Light, whatever.
- [07:27]
A
Yeah, yeah.
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B
And for a regular season game, and I know I've done it when I did Rangers, you'd get like a, you know, a Tuesday night against Columbus be like, man, it's dead in this building.
- [07:39]
A
It's a good point.
- [07:39]
B
You know, I mean, you've stayed with the Knicks, you know, Knicks, Grizzlies, on a some random Thursday, you're like, boy, there's no energy in this building. You know, Yankees, you know, we're taking on, you know, whoever on a, on a, on a Wednesday night. But come playoffs, no, there's going to be an energy, there's going to be a vibe. There's going to be something going on that's going to just change everything because it's the playoffs. So of course the playoffs should be different. And I think of the four major sports, the one where I think it makes there is carryover is the NFL because everything usually is evil because it's one week, maybe there's an injury. But I do feel like if I killed that team in the regular season, I'm probably going to beat him in the playoffs. But I think in hockey, basketball, baseball, it's a completely different animal. I don't think using the regular season, it's a nice guide. It's, it's a nice sample. But how do you do that?
- [08:36]
C
How do you do that when one of the teams involved literally became a completely different team? So you're talking about they are the same two teams. Well, one of them is the same team, right? I mean, Alan, Detroit is basically giving you what Detroit basketball gave you throughout this season and last this New York Knicks team that you've been watching over the last seven games barely resembles the team we were watching in March and into April.
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A
Yeah.
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C
So I don't really. While, obviously, you know, Bickerstaff and company will know the DNA and the. And the personnel, they don't know what it's going to feel like to play this Knicks team because this is not the Knicks team that they ran circles around all year. Just not.
- [09:12]
A
It's a different look. They have to scout it. And that's why the rest versus rust thing that we keep debating about, this time off, the. What's going to be nine days, perhaps Sunday to Tuesday.
- [09:24]
B
Yeah.
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A
And you might not know your opponent till the earliest Saturday, Friday night, Saturday. So you're getting two days basically prepare for whoever you're going to play. And that could be a good thing if you're the Knicks, to have this much time, because that leaves you so much time to work on yourself. And as I said, with an offense that you kind of installed in the middle of the playoffs and then have like a little bit of, you know, let it evolve piece by piece, you're getting at least six days of practice where it's like, hey, let's put this in, let's put that in. And you can open the conference finals again looking completely different with whatever you're doing with the offense. So that's, that's why the time off could be part of the story and definitely something to watch now, as I said, like, what I'm watching is the number that I'm looking at right now. And I was just looking up just to see. And it's. It's unreal. This is what you're watching. The Cavs, they are the second highest turnovers in. In the playoffs. Right now, it's 16 and a half a game. That's a lot of turnovers. They're also giving up the second most. Oh, I'm sorry, the most points off turnovers. Over 21 points per game. That's a lot of points to give away in a playoff game. Detroit, third most turnovers, 16. Giving up the fourth most points off turnovers, 18, almost 19. Think about those cheap, easy points that you are giving up to your opponent. It's a dangerous thing. Right. So when you talk about teams and how they're playing and all that stuff, that to me is a part that you really have to pay attention to because. And the Knicks, by the way, are fourth best in the playoffs in scoring points off turnovers. They make you pay. So as we look at potential matchups and we will take away the regular season as we watch this series now evolve. Now that it's a two, two series, this is going six. We're going to Friday night at the least. I'm continuing to watch and see which team is going to control their turnovers because that's their Achilles heel, that's their weakness. And that plays into a strength on the Knicks.
- [11:46]
B
One thing that concerns me about the layoffs and see if you follow me at all.
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A
Okay.
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B
Is not you get rusty or get complacent because you haven't played in a while. Get out of your rhythm, whatever. Is. Have you noticed this city at all? Like, it was going to be my talk about it Tuesday, but I found something else. Like you can't walk down the street, you can't turn on the tv. Like I'm watching the news. And if it's a slow news day and nobody got killed, which is always a good day.
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A
That's nice.
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B
Like the Knicks have been like the lead news store.
- [12:28]
C
Yeah.
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B
Taking over the city, you know, and it's. And I've seen this happen.
- [12:31]
C
People like it even more than murder.
- [12:33]
B
But this, this happened. This happens usually when a team goes to the final like or the super bowl. Like if the Mets or the Yankees go to the World Series. That's when. What was her name from Fox? I just had it in my head too. And it just. It just left me. Penny. Penny Crone. Remember Penny Crone? She might not be with us anymore. I'm not sure she was. She was a newswoman. Didn't know anything. She had no idea what the shape of a baseball was.
- [12:58]
A
But she loved the Yankees.
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B
But the Yankees were going to the World Series and it was on Fox. All of a sudden she's doing the news report with the Yankee hat on. And it's like it just. It made you sick. Like it's just like every now everybody's a Nick fan. People that didn't watch one game all year, they. They're all on board. Remember last year the city changed the names of the streets.
- [13:19]
C
That was a bit much.
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B
I just don't want them to get caught up in it. If I were Leon Rose, if I was Mike Brown, you know what? Let's go to New Hampshire. Let's all just get on a plane. We'll rent some basketball courts. Let's go to New Hampshire.
- [13:38]
A
That's a very Pat Riley thing.
- [13:39]
B
Let's just stay at some Motel 6 for a few days.
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A
Hotel no tell.
- [13:44]
B
And you know, we got no TV and just. Well, let's Just focus on basketball. Don't get caught up in it all because it's so easy. You walk down the street, everybody and their mother's got a Knick hat on, a Knick jersey. And we haven't even got started the third round yet. But that's what happens. It takes over the town and I just wouldn't want the guys to get caught up in it because they're only halfway there. That's the only thing that concerns me. But could you use the time? You said Pat Riley. Wouldn't that be a good idea?
- [14:14]
A
It's a very Pat Riley thing.
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B
Let's find some, let's find some place in Crabapple Cove, Maine. We'll rent a couple of basketball courts, nice up there and just go and just focus on basketball. We'll keep an eye on what's happening in the Piston Cavalier series so we know who to get ready for. And then next Sunday come home, go to a hotel. Lou used to do this too with the Devils back when they make their runs. They never were allowed to go home. They always stayed in a hotel, even when they were home. He booked a hotel by the Meadowlands. Don't go home. You're not taking your kids to school and the teacher to say how great you are and how you're going to win the Stanley cup and people bugging you for tickets and people asking you just it's all about hockey in that situation. For the Knicks, it's all about basketball for. Don't get caught up in it. Just get out of Dodge.
- [15:04]
A
So this, did this did happen. I thought so.
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B
Okay.
- [15:09]
A
Pat Riley. In 1989 they had a break between the NBA finals. He did a three day minicamp in Santa Barbara. So he took the players out of their house. Like, you know, we're going to stay and we're going to do a camp. And you remember that finals Magic Johnson had a hamstring injury, you know, cost him and the Pistons won. And some people blame this, you know, three hour practice, boot camp type stuff. They blame Pat Riley for it, that it was too much. He was trying to like kind of keep them locked in and tough, toughened up because you know, that was, that was three peat time.
- [15:59]
B
I, I, I, I'm not worried about a boot camp. I don't need a boot camp.
- [16:03]
A
No, I just want to get.
- [16:05]
B
You want to get. I just want you to just get out of dot. I don't want people telling you how great you are. I don't want people hounding you for tickets. I don't want oh, we're going to beat the Thunder. We're gonna beat the Pit. I, I, I don't know.
- [16:16]
C
Even, even, even going to eat at the trendy restaurants right now where people can gas you up. Listen, here's the one part we do have to admit though, and Al and I talked about this some yesterday. You can say it's great, they're getting to rest, but what we're all talking about here is it does create a minefield. The nine days does create. There's some landmines.
- [16:35]
A
You got to avoid something that you got to keep yourself.
- [16:37]
C
You got to stay busy while staying focused and staying in some sort of zone. That's not nothing. It is easy to go to sleep.
- [16:43]
B
That's the only time.
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C
It is the only thing.
- [16:46]
A
Look, they've got to hold each other accountable. That's the part where the leadership of what is a veteran group that, you know, look, an older team married with kids home is going to stay a little more locked in than a younger team that's got a bunch of bachelors on it that are looking to take over the town. Right? So I think there is something too with this group is older. They know what they're in right now. They will hold each other accountable. That's what you'd expect. There are young guys on the team. They're bottom of the roster guys, the ones that are trying to get into Sabrina Carpenter's, you know, post Met gala party and couldn't get in. But you gotta feel like when you are aware of your situation. But it's a great point, because there's nothing else like this city when you're rolling and everybody, every door opens, every velvet rope suddenly pulls aside, every table's now available for you. How many people take advantage of that and get into it and then get lost in it? They have talked about that. Not getting caught up in it, because what did you really do? You won two series, you're halfway there. You're not there yet. Maybe I'd be more concerned if they won the conference final and then had to wait for the west and it was like four or five days of it sitting in New York with everybody already planning the parade. That might be more dangerous than this. This feels like we haven't, we just did what we did last year. We haven't done anything more yet.
- [18:11]
B
Do not see that. That's what blew me away last year. Because I got this idea thinking about last year when they changed the names
- [18:20]
A
of the streets, but that was the mayor's. Eric Adams thought that'd be a great idea, whatever.
- [18:26]
B
And whether it's a good idea, a bad idea, whatever, it doesn't matter. The point is, is that they don't do that after you win the second round. In other sport. They do it because it's the Knicks. Right. And you don't have to worry about insulting the other team. Sorry. Net fans. Because it's just not enough for you to complain. But they probably wouldn't do that for the Yankees. A lot of Met fans probably wouldn't do it for the Giants because they play in Jersey. Right. There's that whole stupid thing.
- [18:48]
A
Yep.
- [18:49]
B
You know, so. And I thought about like, usually that's reserved for going to the World Series, going to the super bowl, you know, going to the Stanley Cup Final. But because it's the Knicks and it's the second round and it was the first time they had done it in 25 years. So getting out of the second round wasn't as routine as now. It's all of a sudden become.
- [19:08]
A
And it was an election year.
- [19:10]
B
But the reasons. But you also now have a first time mayor who was getting, oh, by the way, ripped on social media. Cause he went to the Liberty game instead of the Knick game. So maybe he'll feel pressure. I gotta do something to show everybody I'm a Knick fan. Like it all becomes political.
- [19:26]
A
The Liberty game. The Knicks were in Philly, weren't they?
- [19:28]
B
But he wasn't home watching the game, man.
- [19:30]
A
Come on.
- [19:30]
B
I'm just telling you, this is what. But everything political is, hey, get on the side of the Knicks if you want to get reelected because otherwise no one's going to vote for you. All right? So I know he's, he's just settling in. He's a brand new mayor. But you got to look at the future. There's a lot of people that don't like him already. But you know what? He better start walking around the Knick hat because if he wants people to
- [19:49]
C
like him, he was going to nick games even leading up to the election.
- [19:52]
A
And he wasn't. And he wasn't being like, no, he was hiding. Yeah, he was like, I don't, I haven't had a chance to spend time with him yet. But I like, I like what he's about as far as a person.
- [20:05]
C
Yeah, he's, he's. I think what I know he's a legitimate.
- [20:08]
B
Well, he's got a little.
- [20:09]
A
All the other stuff. I don't know, I don't get into it.
- [20:11]
C
But no, he's a legitimate fan as
- [20:12]
A
a As a person. Yeah, I don't. I don't see a lot of phony when it comes to stuff with him.
- [20:16]
B
You could not be more polar opposite to the example that I give. But it's like Giuliani, he was a Yankee fan. He didn't do it politically. He was a Yankee man. He seems like a legit Met fan. He was from Queen. He does now. We'll see what happens if the Yankees go to the World Series and all that, but it seems like he's a guy that isn't motivated by anything other than. This is what I want to do. I'm a fan of this team, but from a political standpoint, getting behind the Knicks, my overall point is, is that, unlike other teams, getting out of the second round is a big enough deal where there will be attention on you. Getting out of Dodge might not be.
- [20:52]
A
You want Mike Brown, get the guys together, go down to College of Charleston or something like that.
- [20:57]
C
Get out of Dodge.
- [20:58]
A
We'll figure out who we're playing. We'll come back for, like, you know, whatever the weekend. We'll get a couple of practices in at home, and then we'll figure, you know, then we'll end up going where we gotta go.
- [21:07]
B
And again, I'm not worried about it.
- [21:08]
A
I don't hate it. I don't hate it.
- [21:10]
B
And it's not. It's not a weak leg thing or bring your family. We're gonna do everything that we would do in New York in Westchester, but we're gonna do it in Charleston. We're just gonna get out of New York. All right, but you can have your family at the hotel. We'll go out to dinner in Charleston. This is where this happens. We will practice normally. We won't do anything extra. It's not a boot camp. It's just we're taking everything we would do in Westchester, but we're gonna do it 500 miles outside of the area. So when I could turn on the tv, there's not somebody with a Nick hat going, go. Nick's giving me the weather, right? And there's not gonna be people bugging me for tickets outside or driving the kids.
- [21:49]
A
I don't hate it.
- [21:51]
B
And it's simple. We're talking about msg, right? There's money. Like, just take it. Take the facility someplace else.
- [21:57]
A
They would have done it by now.
- [21:58]
B
Now they're not going to do it.
- [21:59]
A
Yeah, they would have, but I don't hate the idea. By the way, Penny Crone still with us. Not only still with us, thriving as A real estate broker.
- [22:05]
B
But how old is she?
- [22:06]
A
76.
- [22:08]
C
Well, a lot.
- [22:09]
B
That's disturbing because I would be like, she was like, 46 back when the Yankees were making.
- [22:13]
A
That makes sense.
- [22:14]
B
And I thought, like, who's this lady with the met hat? Stop it.
- [22:18]
A
No, she's a sweetheart.
- [22:19]
B
No, I am not judging her. I get it. It's. It's kind of on the fraud side, where, like, when my team's making a run and I've watched every game and I'm a die hard, I don't need all these people that can't name two Knicks all of a sudden wearing hats going, going. They bother me.
- [22:37]
A
If you didn't see.
- [22:38]
B
Is that just me?
- [22:39]
A
If you didn't watch Alexei Shved and you're not a real Nick.
- [22:41]
C
Yeah.
- [22:42]
B
Come on, Frederick Weiss. If you don't know who that is, what are we doing?
- [22:46]
A
We could play strange pull. Oh, every Nick fan that calls has to give us a strange pull.
- [22:51]
C
By the way, I'm down for that. In fact, this could continue all the way through the playoffs.
- [22:55]
A
I need. When you call to talk Knicks, you have to give us.
- [22:58]
C
You start, hit us with a str.
- [23:00]
A
Alonzo. See, Anthony's got one, right?
- [23:01]
C
No, no, save him, Save him. We got the guys.
- [23:03]
A
We had a couple give something that someone else already gave you. Got to give me another one quickly before the break.
- [23:09]
C
Guys. I just wanted to get something in here. I was a tad distracted about it. I found out a friend of mine passed away today who is an incredible guy, and I heard from his wife two days ago that things were not good. And today he passed away. His name is Barry Blaustein. He was a film director and writer who. I mean, a career quite literally like you dream about. Wrote for SNL in 1980, then became the writing partner of a Eddie Murphy.
- [23:36]
A
Wow.
- [23:37]
C
And co wrote. What were the movies? Oh. Coming to America.
- [23:41]
B
Okay.
- [23:41]
C
Boomer.
- [23:42]
B
Familiar with that?
- [23:42]
C
Nutty professor. But for people in my world, and how I got to know him was that he made the greatest wrestling film ever made called beyond the Matt.
- [23:53]
B
Okay.
- [23:53]
C
It is a documentary that if you've never seen, whether you love wrestling or you've never paid attention to it for one second, I guarantee you two hours of pure, enthralled entertainment.
- [24:05]
A
Yeah.
- [24:05]
C
He followed around Mick Foley, Terry Funk.
- [24:09]
A
Yes.
- [24:09]
C
Jake the Snake Roberts.
- [24:10]
A
Yeah.
- [24:10]
C
I saw this 1999. And his movie did more to take people like me and make us re. Fall in love with wrestling as adults than maybe anything else I've ever seen. And even though he was this iconic really iconic writer. The films that he wrote, guys, nobody, professor. I mean, you're talking about literal, iconic American comedies that he wrote. But in speaking with his wife today, and she really, like, drove this home to me. Like, beyond the Mat was his baby. Like, all the other things he did, he was super proud of it. But nothing like beyond the Mat, which he wrote, produced, directed, and was in, you know, as he narrated it as well, because it was about. He grew up in Westbury on Long island, and he grew up a wrestling fan, and he adored it, and he made this film. And maybe 10 years ago, he reached out to me because he became an avid listener of Cheap Heat. And I was so tickled that he listened to our show every week, and him and I connected every once in a while, and we would text and we talked a few years ago, and I could hear his talking wasn't so good, and he had developed Parkinson's disease, and he was rocking. He was rocking it. He was still working out. He was boxing. His wife was telling me, still teaching his course, doing all this stuff. And then a month and four days ago, he got a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, and he died in a month. And so she reached out to me on Sunday, and she basically said, running really low on time here. And I wanted to tell you, and if you want to, you know, if you wanted to kind of say your goodbyes on Cheap Heat, he's still listening. Like, he's not communicating that much anymore. Like, it's getting rough here at the end. But, like, your podcast is, like, part of his week every week.
- [25:56]
B
Wow.
- [25:57]
C
And that was on Sunday. And then she wrote me this morning and said that we lost him. So we didn't. Didn't get to say goodbye. Which is. Which is, selfishly, for me, just upsetting and a bummer. But the world lost an awesome guy, a great filmmaker, and a lovely man from Long Island. If you get a moment, go check out beyond the Mat. You'll enjoy it. And, yeah, rest in peace to my buddy, Barry Blaustein. Great guy.
- [26:21]
B
All right. Our condolences to you and, of course, to his family. That's rough to hear. And I'm just looking at IMDb and seeing all the people that are in it. And it came out in 14, right? 2014.
- [26:34]
C
No, no, came out in 99. Beyond the mat.
- [26:36]
B
Yeah.
- [26:37]
A
That was a long time.
- [26:38]
B
There's another beyond the Matt.
- [26:40]
A
No, this one was 99.
- [26:41]
C
Yeah, 99. You never seen it, Don?
- [26:44]
B
No.
- [26:44]
C
I can't believe your brother hasn't made you watch it.
- [26:46]
B
I'M sure you will love it.
- [26:48]
C
You will love it. You can't. I cannot believe he got cameras backstage under Vince McMahon's WWF in 1999. My friend Noelle Foley, Mick Foley's little girl, is a three year old and she watches her dad have. What is it, Jacob? It's a false count anywhere. I think it's, I forget it's false count anywhere. A last man standing match.
- [27:08]
D
Yeah, a bunch of chair shots.
- [27:10]
C
And Mick takes, she watches, watches her dad take all these chair shots from the Rock. And my friend Noel, who's now like a 30 year old woman is. She was at the wedding. She, she was like, she's in tears as a, as a three year old. And they captured it all and then you see the Rock coming up to her afterwards and like it just shows wrestling in this way. You, you would have never ever seen.
- [27:31]
A
Yeah, no, I, I'm glad you've seen it.
- [27:32]
C
Remember, it's a special movie. So anyways, rest in peace to people 72 years old.
- [27:37]
B
So some far too young. But amazing, amazing, amazing career.
- [27:42]
C
Most protein drinks ask you to choose between results and taste. Bucked up decided that's a ridiculous trade off. Bucked up makes lightly carbonated protein drinks, 25 grams of protein per can. Clear protein, not milky or thick.
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A
And they taste so good that 25
- [27:59]
C
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- [28:02]
A
Bucked up is so confident you'll love
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- [28:11]
A
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C
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- [28:20]
B
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- [28:49]
C
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- [29:24]
A
Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
- [29:27]
C
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
- [29:29]
A
Catch this show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
- [29:37]
B
Volpe back called up today by the Yankees.
- [29:40]
A
That's not. I mean, that's good news for him, not good news for Caballero, which I'm sure we'll find out soon how long he's going to be out, right?
- [29:48]
B
So that's why you kind of hang around sometimes. You're able to catch breaks like that. Not that Caballero feels like it's a break for him, but it might be a break for Volpe as he's going to get called back up again to the Yankees. Four straight losses. Mets call up Ewing and listen, it's a jimmy switch.
- [30:05]
A
It's.
- [30:06]
B
You do things hoping to catch fire. Because when you're bad, when you're the worst team of baseball, you got to do something, right? Fire the manager, fire the general manager, make a trade. Another thing you can do. And this is what the Washington Nationals did back in 2019 when they were the worst team. Were they, Peter? Like 19 and 31. They called up Juan Soto and how'd that work out? It worked out very well. So there's little things that you do. They don't want to fire the manager. They're not going to fire the general manager. Now it's probably too early to make a trade of any consequence right now. So they'll call up Ewing, see if that kind of sparks something here. But the Mets still 10 games under.500. We're talking about the Knicks and the break that they caught last night guaranteeing that the Cavs Pistons will at least
- [30:57]
A
go six to Friday.
- [30:58]
B
And we now know that Tuesday would be the beginning of the conference final.
- [31:03]
A
Now, the NBA hasn't said that officially yet, but it's hard to believe that you would do that quick of a turnaround. But it all depends, too. You're going to need a game on the weekend. If you don't get any game sevens, you're going to need a game one somewhere.
- [31:16]
C
Sunday.
- [31:16]
A
Sunday.
- [31:17]
C
So Sunday.
- [31:18]
A
So you can go Friday and then make whoever wins Friday turn around Sunday. Come. Come and play Sunday like I think they would. It could happen still, but it's, it's, it feels unlikely because that, that nothing on the weekend, that Minnesota spurs, that Minnesota San Antonio series, feels like that's a game tonight to watch that feels like it might go the distance. But here Jared Schwartz of the Post did the research. Teams having five or more days of rest between series, there's been 201 instances of it. So I guess, well, this will be 202 in game ones. The record for those teams that had five or more days rest was 113 and 88 in the series, 124 and 77.
- [32:05]
C
It's pretty good.
- [32:06]
A
So it feels like the rest versus rust rest generally wins.
- [32:11]
B
Yeah, I guess it depends on the team and the circumstances, but.
- [32:15]
A
Well, if you're getting that much time off, it means you probably swept your first round, which means you're probably a good team. Right.
- [32:19]
B
You're a good team. And the team that you're playing had to go seven. So maybe they're not as good. That's not always the case. Yeah, sometimes just. But this early, if you're getting a matchup that's closer to you, that probably means that you weren't as good. And it just turns out that, you know, the Pistons, they're a one seed. They should have wiped the floor with Cleveland. Right. But they're not Cleveland crazy. Undefeated at home, can't win on the road. So that just reeks of a possible seven game series. So would they go Tuesday, Friday, Sunday, Would they do that? Would they take even a bigger break between one and two? Would they go, would they go Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday?
- [32:53]
A
I think because they want to alternate. Yeah, because you'll have one night east, one night West. They're going to do that. ESPN has the east, by the way. So Mike Breen, the voice of the Eastern Conference final. So the Knicks are going to get. Knick fans get to hear Mike Breen, which is a treat. I think it would be every other. I don't think you're going to see breaks in between like that. They want to have them aligned so that each, each night there's a game.
- [33:18]
B
Yeah. And just, and I'm sure you know this, but maybe you're new because you're excited about the Knicks run, is that obviously if it's the Pistons, it would start on the road. If it's the Cavaliers, game one would be at Madison Square Garden. 1-800-919-3776. Let's start it all off with Billy, who's down in Florida. You're on. Donjon Rosenberg. What's up, Billy?
- [33:39]
D
Guys, thanks for taking my Call today. Really appreciate it. Go Nixon. Been a fan my whole life. And, you know, last year.
- [33:47]
B
Strange poll.
- [33:48]
C
Give me a strange poll.
- [33:49]
A
Give me a strange poll that only
- [33:50]
B
a Nick fan will know.
- [33:53]
D
Okay. 1994, I was talking with the doctor I worked with. We were talking about when Charles Oakley tore his cornea and was guarding the king of Elijah and blinded, basically in his eyes, putting up one of the strongest fights I've ever seen that guy put up in his life.
- [34:08]
A
That's pretty good. We're talking more about. Just give me a name, a name like. Like a. An obscure Nick that you watched that proves that, like, how. How well you know Nick's history.
- [34:21]
D
Oh, man. Herb Williams is the one that I always think of. I remember her.
- [34:28]
A
That's good.
- [34:28]
D
Herb was one of my. Was one of my favorites as a kid.
- [34:31]
A
He's a great. And a great human being, too. Love her. Okay, good one.
- [34:35]
B
What do you got, Bill?
- [34:36]
C
Not quite strange.
- [34:37]
D
So one of the things I want to. I want to try to stay as optimistic as I can. And I compare what we went through last year. You know, the rust versus rest. Rust killed us last year, and we watched our team basically fall to what I thought we were better than a Pacers team. And now we're in the opposite opportunity here to really, you know, take some time off and sort of, you know, go at it with the next round. And, you know, I also look at the fact that we've had, I think, three or four games so far, even in this playoff run, where we haven't seen starters touch the floor in the
- [35:17]
A
fourth quarter and come out. They're doing correct.
- [35:21]
D
Yeah, so. So I just think that with this team having so many options, I look at a team like okc, and I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I feel like there's a destined matchup between two teams who are built to go far into their benches. And that allows you to go far into this playoff. You know, as this game goes on, the series goes on between Cleveland and Detroit. You know, if I was a Cleveland or Detroit fan, I'd be sitting there holding my breath, every game going. We're going seven. You know what happens if I have an Oakley type guy that pulls a serum stringer does that? So I want to take care of business. I want to get it done quickly. And I think this team has shown you that even in the current playoffs, we fat guys in the fourth quarter, and they come in that next game and they're just swinging and ready to go. Thanks, guys.
- [36:10]
B
All right. Well, listen, everybody would like it be over quickly. I just get a feeling that this next round is going to be a beast, no matter who it's going to be. I don't. I don't respect Cleveland. I don't. I don't think Allen or Peter, as a city. No, as a team, the Cavs. I'm not enamored with the city either, but not because.
- [36:28]
C
Not because you can buy a house for the price of a vcr.
- [36:30]
B
But can I all of a sudden gain their respect? If they were able to win this series and look at them differently if they're playing in the conference final and came back from two nothing down, and let's say they win a game seven on the road, like haven't won on the road the entire playoffs, but in game seven in Detroit, they win. Can all of a sudden they earn my respect. Yeah, I think they could. And kind of change the narrative for them.
- [36:54]
A
They win tomorrow night, they get their first road win, they're in full control. Yeah.
- [37:00]
B
Then they wrap it up in six.
- [37:02]
A
And this series, you know, this hasn't been where, you know, the Detroit was wiping the floor up with him in the first two games. That game, too was tight.
- [37:09]
B
Well, they actually gave it away. Tessa and Wes Caldwell, you're on. Don Hanna, Rosenberg. What's up? You seem down, you seem quiet.
- [37:21]
D
I'm sorry, guys. Thank you. Thanks for taking my call. I appreciate it. You know, I'm a little devastated right now with my Lakers and, you know, my LeBron, the possibility of him retiring. But if I could just make three quick points. I appreciate about the LeBron, Yankees and Giants. So with LeBron, with the retirement, you know, rumors and all of that, it just feels like it's the end of an era for me. And it's just like love or hate him, you know, he's been dominating for the past like deck two decades. And as a fan, it's just hard not to feel devastated or like hollow thinking about him not with the Lakers or the league. But, you know, I'm gonna have to move past that eventually. When it comes because he is 41 and then second with the Yankees, it's like, yeah, it's a four game skid. I'm annoyed. I'm semi want to bash my head against the wall, but I'm not yet. It's a very long season. I'm not going to get in full meltdown blackout mode because y' all know I can get. It's not even close. So I'm gonna just be calm and I Know they'll get it together. And then finally, with my Giants, the only thing that I'm optimistic and feeling good after my Lakers just lost yesterday is Sunday Night Football. Don. Prom time. New coach, new draft picks who just look like they're going to be special. A fresh new season. Last year we was hot, dirty trash. We all know that. But this year just feels different. So for me, the Giants are about to put belt to ass this season. I'm choosing to believe every second of it. It might be irrational, delusional confidence, but I could care less right now. I'm filled up now with hope and overreactions right now early. And I'm thinking we're going to win eight, nine games this year. So I might be bugging, but that's what I got to go off.
- [38:47]
B
The last time they were any good, Tessa. The last time they were any good was that 9, 71 season in Dable's first year. And what they do on opening day, they beat Tennessee. They've been so. It almost seems like every year they're 0 and 2, like automatically owing to, you know, destroyed by Minnesota, lose to Washington, that opening game against Dallas. Just win a game.
- [39:11]
A
Yeah.
- [39:11]
B
I don't care if it's two nothing. Just win a game. Yeah, it's Dallas. Yeah. It's prime time. How about winning on opening day and taking a good step forward? That would be nice, right?
- [39:21]
A
Yeah, of course. Well, you feel like you've got a. You got a head coach that you feel like will have you organized and ready. Right? Like, you got to feel that way. A coaching staff.
- [39:31]
B
No chocolate serve against the Cowboys.
- [39:33]
A
Oh, God, no. You can't have that.
- [39:35]
B
Right down your leg.
- [39:36]
A
Not wearing white pants.
- [39:37]
B
Oh, we got a couple of people with some strange Nick polls.
- [39:41]
A
Yeah.
- [39:42]
B
The last call just didn't understand. You got to give me a. You got to give me a name that only a Die Hard Nick fan would know.
- [39:51]
A
Yeah.
- [39:51]
B
Can I make a fan?
- [39:52]
A
We've thrown a few out.
- [39:53]
C
You want to make up for the caller?
- [39:55]
A
Oh, yeah. What do you got, man? I got a Michael doiak.
- [39:58]
B
Don't get more than one.
- [40:03]
A
No repeats. No repeats. Michael Doleak. That's it. There you go. You win.
- [40:08]
B
And we can't get that.
- [40:08]
A
Yeah, and I didn't even cover him.
- [40:11]
B
If. Jared, here's the rules. And if I'm leaving it up to you, then you can play the music. Herb Williams didn't deserve the music. No, no. But the strange pull music. If it is somebody deserving, I have.
- [40:24]
C
I have it ready.
- [40:24]
B
You'll have it ready.
- [40:26]
A
Yeah.
- [40:26]
B
No, yeah.
- [40:27]
C
I'm a good arbiter of it because I don't know it.
- [40:29]
B
It's definitive of strange pull.
- [40:32]
A
Yeah.
- [40:32]
C
Yeah.
- [40:34]
B
Speaking of strange poles, how's Ring's End doing?
- [40:36]
A
Yeah, Ring's End is doing great. What I'd like to do is be able to one day pull open this beautiful French door, walk out to the pool. We are in the process, of course, of having some work done at the house. And my contractor, Michael, he's working with my Rings end project manager, Andrew, and the door ordered on its way. We're getting ready for that part of it because I'm so busy. This. This whole project's not going to start till after the NBA Finals. That was a must. I wanted to clear my schedule. But Ring's End is a big part of this. So why Rings end? Because they work with pro contractors like my guy, of course, Michael, who build and remodel for a living. Pros. Trust them. I trust them. And I'm letting you know that you can too. Now they have premium brands and things, not just indoors. Windows, too. Decking, paint, lumber, kitchen. You know, all the stuff that you need to update and upgrade your home. Now they do it right. They don't do it over. They're not a national chain either. They, they have regional expertise. They know your area well. They have eight full service lumber yards in Connecticut and Westchester county and 12 free standing paint centers as well. They've been around a long time. Family owned and operated since 1902. And if you can't make it to a store, you can always shop online. Go to ringsend.com that's ringsend.com thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
- [41:55]
C
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
- [41:56]
A
Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
- [42:04]
B
I'm big on having the right game plan. Anybody that knows me knows, hey, Don, you always got a plan you're all about. And it's big on the ice and off the ice. Which is why I use Viking Pest Control myself. As a pest control provider and proud partner in the New Jersey Devils, Viking has been protecting homes for over 45 years with expert pest control service and solutions tailored for just you. From ants, cockroaches, rodents, stinging insects, backyard mosquitoes. Viking keeps pests out of your house and out of the play Bundle pest control with mosquito services and save big one call one company. Total peace of mind. Visit vikingpest.com Viking Pest Control protecting your home inside and out. 1-800-919-3776. Back to the busy phones and let's talk to David in Elizabeth, you're on. Don, Han and Rosenberg.
- [42:58]
D
What up, what up? What up? What up, fellas? Hollywood, Han, Donnie Pucks and my man Rosenberg.
- [43:03]
B
Radio.
- [43:03]
D
What up, fellas?
- [43:04]
C
Where's our. Where's the strange pull at?
- [43:05]
A
Let's go.
- [43:05]
B
You got a strange poll.
- [43:07]
D
Come on, man. You know I got one. Pause.
- [43:09]
C
Go ahead.
- [43:11]
A
Yeah, man.
- [43:13]
D
Oh, yeah.
- [43:14]
A
Man bun.
- [43:15]
D
Oh, yeah.
- [43:16]
A
Right before it turned.
- [43:19]
D
He had the man bun right before it was popular. And not for nothing, he was on. He was on the mellow teams.
- [43:25]
B
And.
- [43:26]
D
Yeah, he wasn't that great, but shout out teams.
- [43:30]
A
All right. Good one. Oh, yeah, good one.
- [43:32]
D
I remember. Fellas, I got a few new things I want to tell you guys. Number one, I'm in lockstep with you gentlemen. Let's take it one step at a time. Let's get there first. Everybody's hype right now. I'm in Queens, just like Don said. Everybody's got Nick gear on. I got my Nick gear, too. Not on at the moment, but, you know, I have it, too. But I'm just being preservative about this, and I want to take my time with it because we're in strange territories. We just gave the Philadelphia 76s a ill street sweeper, which I didn't see coming, which caught me off guard, which I enjoyed. And, you know, I just want us to stay where we're at and just stay consistent. And Don, I wish they could do what you said, take us to another place where they're not so on social media, seeing all this stuff, skipping the competition, all this good stuff. Last but not least, I do want to say this is a Nick point two from yesterday. And you gentlemen also brought it up. If Brunson were to make it to the promised land and finish, he still would need another one to exceed Clyde. Now, my favorite Nick is Carmelo, but, like, you know, I gotta call Spade Spades. The top dog, the big guru is Clyde. You don't give Clyde his flowers or you don't give Clyde his recognition. You're just not doing it correct in my book. And Brunson would need two of them to reach that plateau. So he would not be the greatest Knick ever. But he's already up there, though.
- [44:45]
B
Gonna give him his prop, I would believe the. To public opinion. It really depends on your age because there's a large percentage of Nick fans that know Clyde for the games on TV and don't know, his. His work or they've been told it. Right. But we talked about. Because it's been 53 years and the popularity of this team and the popularity of the NBA, it might just hit a little bit more. He may not need that second one. Jamie and Yonkers, what do you got?
- [45:11]
D
Well, I've got three. Do you want the skinniest nick of all time, the ugliest Nick of all time, or the most Irish Nick of all time?
- [45:20]
C
Oh, I'm interested in most Irish.
- [45:22]
B
I'm interested.
- [45:24]
D
That would be Chris McNeely,
- [45:27]
A
which is. I thought you'd go.
- [45:29]
C
You know what, though?
- [45:30]
A
I'm going to call you out because that's not the most Irish name. You know what the most Irish name was? There's some irony to it. I know there is. There's also irony in this one. You ready?
- [45:40]
D
Okay.
- [45:41]
A
Kyle o'. Quinn.
- [45:43]
D
Oh, okay. The ugliest. This guy was so ugly, he probably should have played on the Bucs front court of Randy Brewer, Paul McKeskey and Jack Sickman. How about the ugliest?
- [45:57]
C
Okay.
- [45:59]
D
Pat Short. Cummings.
- [46:05]
A
Pat Cummings was a tough dude, man. He was tough, though.
- [46:08]
C
God bless.
- [46:09]
D
I know. These guys are contributors. And then skinny, skinniest skin, by the way, if you look up Paul McCaskey. Now, how is this guy a professional athlete?
- [46:20]
A
I swear, I swear. I remember a game when I was a kid watching him with the Bucks, and there was like, halftime, and the players were coming out and he was ripping a dart, like in the tunnel.
- [46:30]
B
Okay?
- [46:31]
A
I swear.
- [46:31]
C
Respect.
- [46:33]
B
How about Anthony in the car? You're on. Donja Rosenberg.
- [46:36]
D
Hey, fellas, how you doing?
- [46:38]
B
Good.
- [46:40]
D
How about Ronaldo Bachman?
- [46:42]
A
That's a good one.
- [46:42]
B
That's very good.
- [46:43]
A
Yeah, That's a good one.
- [46:45]
B
Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry.
- [46:46]
D
And then. And then. How about. How about another one? If you blinked, you missed them. If you went to get a beer at the concession stand, you missed his whole career. Vic, what's his. Baker. Vic Baker.
- [46:59]
C
Vin Baker.
- [47:00]
A
Finn Baker.
- [47:01]
D
Vin Baker.
- [47:02]
A
Maybe you meant Ron Baker. He was Ron Baker. Yeah. Ron Baker was here for like.
- [47:07]
D
I'm sorry. My fault. I'm sorry.
- [47:09]
A
But Vaker was actually a really good NBA player who ended his career, I think, with the Knicks on like, you know, one of those. Vin Baker was good. Yeah.
- [47:17]
C
Vin Baker in 04 and 05 was with the Knicks.
- [47:20]
A
Yeah. Yeah. Ron Baker was the guy who was here for like, five seconds. Didn't he go to Baylor or something like that? He went to Wichita. He was a shocker. That's right. He was yeah, shocker.
- [47:29]
C
Not a shocker.
- [47:30]
B
Was he?
- [47:30]
A
He was.
- [47:31]
C
But Ben Baker did play in four nick playoff games in 2004.
- [47:35]
B
You know what? That's nothing.
- [47:36]
A
That was a memorable playoff series for the.
- [47:39]
C
But I will say this. Vin Baker as a Nick.
- [47:42]
A
Yes. Is a strange pull that. That playoff series. Probably Jolio wasn't alive for. But it's too bad he wasn't because that was the glory years for his team. Nets. That was a. That was not a good time to be a Nick fan.
- [47:58]
B
No, no, that. No, that was not.
- [48:00]
A
But Ray Santiago texted me.
- [48:02]
B
Okay, what does he got?
- [48:04]
A
He had Iggy Brad's dakis. How about that? Now you're.
- [48:10]
B
What year is that?
- [48:11]
A
Oh, God. That's got to be like 2017.
- [48:14]
C
Yeah, like 2019.
- [48:15]
B
Around that time.
- [48:16]
A
Yeah. Yeah.
- [48:18]
B
Why can't I remember?
- [48:19]
C
What was Vin Baker's nickname? I feel like he had a nickname.
- [48:23]
A
He had a nickname. I feel like he did. Baker. It was. Was it Shaken Bake? That was.
- [48:28]
C
Maybe it was Shaken Bake. That was his name.
- [48:30]
A
That makes sense.
- [48:31]
B
I was gonna guess that just because
- [48:32]
C
he's an assistant in the NBA right now.
- [48:33]
B
It says, sure is.
- [48:36]
A
But we play this game all damn day.
- [48:37]
B
We've got, by the way, and I
- [48:38]
C
can tell you, I know Ray Santiago. He knows good radio. He's a little jealous that we came up with the Nick Strange pole game from now until because this could last
- [48:46]
B
literally through the whole run.
- [48:47]
A
Oh, yeah. Trust me. There's that many names.
- [48:50]
C
It's basketball team every year. There's so many that come in.
- [48:54]
B
Feel free to use it during the broadcasts when they're up, you know, 30 going to the fourth quarter, and they're looking to entertain the audience.
- [49:00]
A
Tyler Murray coming up with them. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, man. I just want to know. It's good. Hear more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, esp, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.