Hour 1: What's Happened to NY Baseball?

Summary

Podcast Summary: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 1: What's Happened to NY Baseball?

Release Date: August 11, 2025

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Introduction

In the premiere episode titled "What's Happened to NY Baseball?", hosts Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg dive deep into the troubling decline of New York's baseball teams—the Mets and the Yankees. After a brief hiatus, Don and Peter reunite to dissect the factors contributing to their teams' underperformance, engaging passionately with listener calls and sharing candid insights.

Current State of NY Baseball

Bullpen Struggles and Pitching Woes

Don and Peter open the discussion by highlighting the primary issue plaguing both the Mets and Yankees: ineffective bullpens. Don emphasizes, “If you got to get north of 12 outs every single night from your bullpen, I don't care how good your bullpen is, it's not going to work” (05:09). Peter echoes this sentiment, questioning the inconsistency, “How do they do this? They won seven in a row. Now they've lost 11 of 12. It doesn't make sense” (05:42).

Key points include:

• Mets’ Pitching Problems: David Peterson remains one of the few reliable starters, while other pitchers like Senga and Montas fail to deliver consistent performances.
• Yankees’ Similar Struggles: Despite acquisitions, the Yankees face similar bullpen exhaustion, making it difficult to sustain performance over a 162-game season.
• Sustainability Concerns: Both teams are struggling to maintain their performance levels, raising questions about their playoff prospects.

Offensive Decline

The discussion shifts to offensive shortcomings with notable player performances:

• Mets’ Batting Issues: Star players like Lindor and Soto are underperforming, with Lindor unable to maintain consistency and Soto struggling against pitchers when the bases are loaded.
• Yankees’ Offensive Struggles: Judge's performance has dipped since his return, and while Stanton continues to deliver, other key hitters like Goldschmidt are showing signs of fatigue.

Don laments the situation, stating, “It's a mess,” referring to the combined issues within both teams' offensive and defensive lines (09:18).

Listener Calls and Perspectives

The hosts engage with several listeners, each providing unique insights and frustrations:

1. Bobby from Bellmore (17:40):

   • Team Records: Points out the poor records of both Mets (18-31) and Yankees (20-31) since June 13.
   • Managerial Decisions: Criticizes the Mets' lineup changes, specifically moving Nico Mendoza to bat behind Holosko, questioning the lack of protection for troubled hitters.

   Notable Quote:

   "Why is Nemo batting third behind Solo? He has no protection." – Bobby

2. Tony from the Dominican Republic (22:24):

   • Family Insights: Shares personal anecdotes about taking paternity leaves and managing a large family.
   • Managerial Expectations: Discusses the historical context of Yankees' management changes and expresses skepticism about Aaron Boone’s potential job security despite the team’s performance.

   Notable Quote:

   "He (Boone) didn't have Cole. We didn't have Holts for half the season during the pennant race. They are not a playoff team." – Tony

3. Reggie from Brooklyn (44:07):

   • Fan Loyalty and Frustration: Expresses a deep frustration with the Mets' consistent failures and advocates for unwavering support despite recent losses.
   • Hope for Improvement: Encourages fellow fans to maintain belief in the team’s potential to turn the season around.

   Notable Quote:

   "I am going to root for this team like I've never rooted before. I still believe." – Reggie

4. Danny from Long Island (37:15):

   • Minimal Update: Briefly shares his limited sports highlights, focusing on Skyler Thompson’s preseason performance.

   Notable Quote:

   "That's all I had for the whole weekend." – Danny

Management and Organizational Issues

The conversation delves into the management strategies of both franchises:

• Yankees’ Management Stability: Don argues that Brian Cashman’s tenure as the Yankees' general manager is secure unless there’s a significant ownership change, minimizing the likelihood of immediate organizational shifts despite team struggles.

  Notable Quote:

  "As long as Hal Steinbrenner owns the team and Brian Cashman wants the job, that you will not see any change there." – Don La Greca (26:18)

• Mets’ Accountability: Both hosts express dissatisfaction with manager Nico Mendoza’s handling of the team, criticizing his lack of accountability and adaptability in high-stakes situations.

Mental and Emotional Toll on Fans

Don and Peter explore the psychological impact of the teams' performances on their fanbases:

• Don’s Perspective: Advocates for authentic emotional responses, stating, “I'm not gonna make something up that to me doesn't make sense” (47:44), highlighting the frustration of maintaining fake positivity.

• Peter’s Counterpoint: Emphasizes the importance of continued support, saying, “I don't think the right thing to do is to root for your team to lose at every single turn” (47:48), advocating for a balanced perspective that acknowledges both support and realistic assessments.

Concluding Thoughts and Future Outlook

As the episode wraps up, Don and Peter reiterate their concerns about the sustainability of their teams' performances and the potential long-term implications if current trends continue. They express a cautious outlook, acknowledging that while there remains a slim chance for postseason contention, the underlying issues need urgent resolution.

Final Remarks:

"They are okay. But we expected better than okay. They're okay. And the thing with okay is that it never collapses." – Don La Greca (35:35)

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• "If you got to get north of 12 outs every single night from your bullpen, I don’t care how good your bullpen is, it’s not going to work." – Don La Greca (05:09)

• "How do they do this? They won seven in a row. Now they've lost 11 of 12. It doesn't make sense." – Peter Rosenberg (05:42)

• "Why is Nemo batting third behind Solo? He has no protection." – Bobby (17:40)

• "He didn't have Cole. We didn't have Holts for half the season during the pennant race. They are not a playoff team." – Tony (22:24)

• "I am going to root for this team like I've never rooted before. I still believe." – Reggie (44:07)

• "As long as Hal Steinbrenner owns the team and Brian Cashman wants the job, that you will not see any change there." – Don La Greca (26:18)

• "I'm not gonna make something up that to me doesn't make sense." – Don La Greca (47:44)

• "I don't think the right thing to do is to root for your team to lose at every single turn." – Peter Rosenberg (47:48)

• "They are okay. But we expected better than okay. They're okay. And the thing with okay is that it never collapses." – Don La Greca (35:35)

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Conclusion

In "What's Happened to NY Baseball?", Don, Hahn, and Rosenberg deliver a no-holds-barred analysis of the declining fortunes of the Mets and Yankees. Through a blend of expert commentary and passionate listener interactions, the episode paints a comprehensive picture of the current challenges facing New York's baseball scene. The hosts advocate for both accountability and realistic fan support, setting the stage for ongoing discussions as the season progresses.

Transcript

[Don La Greca]

Are you feeling more fulfilled now that you're back to work this Friday? No, I need a vacation. See the movie that critics are saying is an awesome. Look at that crowd pleasing fist pumping.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All out brawl of a film.

[Don La Greca]

You're right about that.

[Anthony]

They're coming after our family. Go fix this.

[Don La Greca]

Oh my. Nobody 2, rated R only in theaters Friday. Don, I'll be licking the television screen. Licking it like it's ice cream.

[Alan Hahn]

Han, the type of music I listen.

[Peter Rosenberg]

To would make you cry.

[Alan Hahn]

And Rosenberg, I expect to be called ball coach.

[Don La Greca]

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

[Alan Hahn]

This is Don Hahn and Rosenberg on 880 ESPN and the ESPN New York.

[Don La Greca]

App 300 one of the big city. Don Hahn and Rosenberg. As the summer marches on. Alan in week two of his vacation. But I get to work with Peter for the first time since the beach bash. That's June.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wow, that is a long. That's six weeks. We had a lovely hug when we saw each other. An embrace. A warm embrace.

[Don La Greca]

Two guys. A bad knees.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Two guys commiserating on their knees. And that didn't sound right.

[Don La Greca]

No. And.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But it is nice. Although I realized we won't have a.

[Don La Greca]

Full.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Two guys on their knees is how we go.

[Don La Greca]

I was just thinking about because I asked you where, where on your knee does it hurt?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

And Anthony's response was so funny. I'm just, I'm rethinking. It.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Might have been his best line since working on.

[Don La Greca]

Let's just say in Anthony's opinion, the pain was not coming from your knee.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, but the question was specific to my knee, which is what made it so interesting. So we're not going to have a.

[Don La Greca]

Fully reunited, I think September 2nd until the 1st.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The week leading into the NFL season.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. So I guess that was that I guess is Labor Day on September 1st this year. So the day after Labor Day.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I will say though, there's something right about that. It's like, it's like the full season begins right when it should.

[Don La Greca]

Well, listen you this. I try to explain to people that when you choose radio or television for a living, your vacations are not necessarily your own. You get them. But it's not like any other job where you can just take them whenever you want to take them. You know, you basically you have two that aren't considered heavy lifting seasons. And that is, you know, Christmas and summer, you can take vacation during the winter. But for me and Alan, that's off the table because of a. Hockey and basketball respectively.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's right.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

You know, and And I'm sure you're. There are vacations you need to take. Well, good luck taking it during SummerSlam or good luck taking it during WrestleMania or. And then on top of whenever things are going on here. So when you get whatever allotment of vacation you get, you have to take it pretty much in the summer.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

So that's why really, at every radio station you hear different talents, combinations, provides.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Fun opportunities for people.

[Don La Greca]

It does. And it definitely, I, Some of my, my best experiences came from filling in for people when I was younger into the business. I'm sure you can say the same thing. But the really unique thing about this job is that you can go away and feel like you didn't miss anything because the topic of conversation is eerily similar to what it was before I left for vacation. And it's eerily similar to when Peter left after the Beach Bash. What is wrong with the New York baseball teams? Like, why are we in the situation we're in, Peter? Like, I'm really, I'm still kind of mad about it because I wish Allen was here because what was the talk going into the season?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, what would be Soto versus Judge. Oh, yeah.

[Don La Greca]

Mets and Yankees, the destined Subway Series. And it's going to be a fun summer of who's got the who flexes better, who's hitting the longer home runs and who's the better team in New York right now. It's a comp. It's a pillow fight.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's. Honestly, I don't appreciate you disrespecting pillows.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, I was just going to say in the right circumstances, those could be fun.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, there's a situation where a pillow.

[Don La Greca]

Fight could be fun, but this isn't.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This isn't one of them.

[Don La Greca]

This is, this is. And it's really bothersome and I want to. And we're not going to do, you know, segment on the Met, segment on the Yankees. I think both Met and Yankee fans are in the same boat. So. 1-800-919-3776 climb aboard because this is inexcusable. And then you hit the trade deadline and Peter, you weren't here. But across the board, everybody felt like the Mets and the Yankees did very well. Both teams were able to improve their bullpens, both got bats and gloves that were needed to make a stretch run. And then what are they collective 12 games since, since the trade deadline. I mean, it's ridiculous. The team's got worse.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I, it's, it's, it's truly a marvel to, to when I, when I came back from vacation and got myself caught up with what's going on, I'm like, wait a second. This team just won seven straight and they're already awful again. How do they do this? How do they do this? They won seven in a row. Now they've lost 11 of 12. It doesn't make any sense. And I understand they're. They're not a perfect baseball team. That part we get. But you still can't make it make sense for me how they could be in this spot.

[Don La Greca]

It's. It's mystifying. It really is. And the two teams are in similar spots where their starting pitchers aren't giving you any innings. And we've been talking about it forever, and Michael's harped about it on the show before us. If you got to get north of 12 outs every single night from your bullpen, I don't care how good your bullpen is, it's not going to work. First you're going to tire them, which I think is happening with the Mets, because none of their pitchers outside of David Peterson can give you anything more than five, never mind six. He's like the only pitcher pretty much over the last couple of months that has given you a quality start. A quality start which, if you don't know, is six innings and three runs. Forget about it. The Mets would, would die for any of their other pitchers to do that. Mania doesn't. Montas doesn't. Holmes doesn't seem to have the ability to go past five as they try to stretch him out from being a closer last year. And Senga, come on, man. He's supposed to be the ace of this staff. And whether he's being treated with kid gloves or whether there's something wrong is that he's brilliant for like three and a half innings. And then it's, it's dicey at best, and then he's out in five innings. It's supposed to be your ace. David Peterson is not supposed to be your ace. He's not supposed to be your All Star from a rotation standpoint. And so it's exhausting the bullpen. But the other thing it does, Peter, is if I've got to use four or five pitchers out of the bullpen, what are the odds in any walk of life that all five are going to be on? You figure one guy might be having an off night or not feeling it, and that's enough to crumble the whole entire plan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yep.

[Don La Greca]

If I've got pitcher one, pitcher two, all pitcher three, wasn't Great. Then pitcher four and pitcher five. Well, it's too late because the guy that came, Stanick, came in and he lit a fire and they couldn't put it out or whoever it is. Helsley couldn't get the job done. Rogers has been very good since the move. Same thing with the Yankees. Good bullpen, improved bullpen. But, you know, if I got to get Bednar to get five outs every night, well, good luck having any kind of chance now. Come postseason time, when they're built in rest days, it's a different story. But to navigate through 162 games this way, Peter, it's just not going to work. It's just not sustainable. At least the Yankees have an excuse, right? Guys are hurt. Cole's supposed to be a part of this rotation. He'll just came back after missing 75% of the season. Schmidt's gone, but the Mets built this. These are the pitchers that we were told were going to help this team win a championship. We don't need Quintana. We'll bring back mania. We've got Senga coming back and he's going to be healthy. We're going to make Holmes from closer to a starting pitcher with. We got David Peterson, they went out and acquired Montas. They are all healthy now. They're all raring to go. And you got nothing. Nothing. And I like Stearns, but this is a, this is an area that was a bit of a blind spot for him because this was the rotation that was supposed to guide this team to a World Series. And I know they're coming off of injury, but most of them are six, seven starts in. It's a problem, man. They really. So you can blame the managers all you want, but the fact is, is that they only have so much to work with here. And it's, it's, it's just not sustainable. It's just not. Now, offense, Mets. What's happened to Lindor? He. He did the. He switched this up. He went from always getting off to a slow start to getting hot and then a slow change of pace. He said off to a hot start. Now he can't hit.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Just when you think you know him, you don't.

[Don La Greca]

Nimmo can't hit. McNeil can't hit. And you know else who can't hit. You want to get Soto out, put a runner on. If it's, if the bases are empty, he'll hit the ball 500ft, but put somebody on. All of a sudden he's a 189 hitter. And can't do it. And you can pitch around him. And now it goes to Alonzo. God love him, but he's not judged. So Soto's not getting the protection. But Alonzo, he isn't hitting the ball the way he did in the beginning of the season. So it's. It's. It's a mess. And the Yankees judge has not been the same since coming back.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No. Has he had a. Has he had a great game since coming back?

[Don La Greca]

No, not that I can think of. I mean, he's gotten some heads. He's done some things, but nothing that I would consider great. Goldschmidt is slowed down. Stanton is still Stanton. But now what's happening is because Stanton can hit, like yesterday, eighth inning, you know, he's got to. He's got to go on the field. It didn't matter, because the Astros were able to add to their lead, end up taking two out of three from the Mets, but from the Yankees. But where are we at, man? This was supposed to be the summer of love. This is supposed to be Kumbaya. Yankees and Mets, arm in arm all the way to the championship.

[Peter Rosenberg]

There's one thing you can feel good about if you're a Mets or Yankees fan, and that is that the Dodgers are falling apart, which is nice to see. But the thing is, the Dodgers. Don, you know what just stood out to me that's. That's incredible that you would never see here?

[Don La Greca]

What's that?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Dave Roberts calls out Shohei Ohtani. Did you see it?

[Don La Greca]

So it can be done.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It can be done about getting caught on the bases. That was his decision. Not a good baseball play.

[Caller]

What?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Don, why is Dave Roberts allowed to say that about the only player on earth who. Who may be even better than Aaron Judge, but here we're not allowed to say it about anyone?

[Don La Greca]

No, everything's not.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Chaz Chisholm can't get half of that, but Shohei Ohtani can. So I understand the frustration of everyone right now. It's a perfect storm of absolutely nauseating. And if you're me, Don, you're wearing not only a knee brace, but to make myself even older. You see who this is? I have a heart monitor on at the same time. No, you did.

[Don La Greca]

Why is this being told to me for the first time on the air?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because there's not anything really going on. I had a couple of moments over the last few months where I felt something and I didn't like it. So I went to the doctor. She went. I don't really think there's anything going on with you. But if you want, I'll give you a heart monitor. I went, give me the heart monitor. So I'm wearing a heart monitor for three days, but it doesn't feel good. My young, beautiful wife saw me at one point today wearing a knee brace and heart monitor at the same time. That's not an Afro.

[Don La Greca]

Dj, you don't want Maya's first words to be grandpa.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No.

[Don La Greca]

You come limping in with a heart monitor, she's gonna be like, all right, where's my dad?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, that's grandpa. But at the same time, you also don't want her to go, what was dad dad like? So that's why you take all the precautions necessary.

[Don La Greca]

Listen, not as bad as myself and Michael, but you were up there when you had Maya. Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

45. That's no spring chicken.

[Don La Greca]

You've got friends that are taking a month off from work to take their kids to college.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Exactly.

[Don La Greca]

Not their infant to friends.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Exactly.

[Don La Greca]

Right. So everybody's got. Everybody's at a different stage in their life. We're. We're. We're. We're. We're starting. We're. We're changing the game plan in the fourth quarter.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's exactly right. Wait, have you ever had a heart monitor?

[Don La Greca]

Not that I remember. No, I don't think so. I've had. I've been monitored, but not walking around like that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, they.

[Don La Greca]

You.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They send it to you in a little thing, and you wear it for three days and send it back.

[Don La Greca]

You might. This might be a little bit of.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, I'm being a bit. I'm being that guy. I'm being that cuz. Like you've never had a moment where you feel like your heart kind of skipped a beat and you feel a little like.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So I had a couple of those happen over a period of a couple months. So I made an appointment. She said, I'm not worried about it, but let's do it. Do all the things. By the way, the insurance company's never met. Everyone's always happy to charge the insurance company some money.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, sure.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So why not I pay for it? Let's go.

[Don La Greca]

Thank you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sag aft.

[Don La Greca]

There's always something that we can take your money and try to make you feel about it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

When I walked in with the knee thing, they were excited. X ray, mri. Here's the price for the knee brace they're gonna pay for. I mean, it's. Come on. The whole racket's going on.

[Don La Greca]

Did you guys. How'd you handle mri?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't go in yet. Didn't happen yet. But I'm told my face should be sticking out. I shouldn't be all the way under.

[Don La Greca]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's what I was told. Have you been all. You been all the way in?

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, it didn't bother me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Your face went under even for your knee. You went in for your knee and your face went in?

[Don La Greca]

No, my face was. No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Don La Greca]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

As long as my face isn't in, I'm not gonna panic. Face in makes me a little scared. Although someone told me that I'm overdoing it. They're like, it's not as close to your face as you think it is. Like, it's not. Like, I picture it being, like, inches from my nose, which really freaks me out.

[Don La Greca]

Well, listen, everybody's got their phobias, but when they say that, it feels like you're in a coffin. Well, in a coffin, you don't have a little buzzer that can stop and let you out. Like, so doesn't that make you feel better to know that we can extract you from this? Me freaking out is. It was. You're gonna be in here. You're gonna be here for 10 hours, and there's nothing you could do about it. That would freak me out.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, God.

[Don La Greca]

But if I knew that, I. All I had to do is. Can we stop for a second?

[Peter Rosenberg]

But my fear is like, you go in there, and then something crazy happens on the outside world. Nigel, we gotta go. Everyone just takes off.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, I never thought.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Never thought about that.

[Don La Greca]

That could be.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I could see that being aliens come down from space in that moment, and you're going, get me out. Get me out. And they're like, it's too late.

[Don La Greca]

We gotta never bring that up. In the movie, like an Independence Day, they never tell you about the person who was stuck in the MRI and never bothered to tell them. They just all left.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Although Anthony did tell me that there's an MRI death in the new Final Destination. They tap into that fear.

[Don La Greca]

Well, there was a death, not like recently.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And then Danny from Long island brought that up because his son was the responding officer on that death.

[Don La Greca]

But that should never have happened. And what. At least we're talking about the same story. A woman was in an mri and you're told, my mom just had an mri. That's why I didn't take off a couple of weeks ago. You can't have any jewelry on because it's a big magnet, so you don't have any jewelry on. And apparently woman was going. Went through the mri. I guess she was done and she wanted her husband. And I guess the technician let the husband in while the thing was still on. He had a chain on it, like sucked him into the machine and killed him.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But by the way, can I ask you guys a question? Here's the part I don't get about the story. What this hell's going on in the machine that you getting sucked in. Like, how did it kill him? Like it bent him in half or something.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, because it just kept. I guess the chain didn't break, if you believe the movie.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was. It was like a bike chain, though. He had a bike chain and like a master lock around his neck.

[Don La Greca]

In the movie or.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, in real life.

[Don La Greca]

What, did you marry MC Hammer?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't know. I don't understand what happened.

[Don La Greca]

Flavor Flav.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's a clock. You're safe, I guess.

[Don La Greca]

I don't know. The world's wacky. Just don't trust other people. And you can't trust the Mets or Yankees right now. 1-800-9193776 and I think both, both teams are on equal footing here. Mets are a game and a half from falling out of the playoffs. The Yankees are a half game. Do you realize if the Guardians didn't lose to the White Sox yesterday, the Yankees be out of the playoffs right now. And the one thing I don't want, I'm just sick of hearing. And we said this in the beginning of the season, too. Can't have it both ways. Oh, baseball's regular season is very meaningful. But don't worry about it, there's still time. Well, what's true, because I sit there and watch 162 games. There's still playoff teams. There's still time. The Mets record is similar to it was last year when they went to two games away from going to the World Series. What am I watching baseball for then? If it doesn't matter till September, what about watching hockey and basketball? All of a sudden in the regular season, it just. Whatever. Or is it supposed to mean something? Because if it's supposed to mean something, I think you have every right to be upset where the teams are right now. But if you're going to take the tact of. Oh, come on, Don, it's only the first second week of August. There's still 40 some odd games left in the season. They'll turn it around then. Why am I watching? Wake me up on Labor Day. Let's all get together on Labor Day. Where are our teams? Oh, they're in the Playoffs, Great. Enjoy a month of baseball and they go into the postseason. But if it does matter, like everybody claims it does, then I think you got a right to be ticked off.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well said. So let's go.

[Don La Greca]

1-800-919-3776. We started off with Bobby in Bellmore. You're on ESPN New York. What's up Bobby?

[Caller]

Yeah, hi guys. Before I get to The Mendozer, since June 13, the Mets are 18 and 31. The Yankees are 20 and 31.

[Don La Greca]

Think about, think about that, Bobby. That's bad base. Those are bad baseball teams. And, and that is a pretty big sample size.

[Caller]

50 games.

130. But let me get some indulge or two things. Number one, why is Nemo batting third behind Solo? I should say I changed it to Solo. That's self explanatory.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, right.

[Caller]

Why is he back behind Solo? Because I don't understand. He has no protection. Nemo can't hit. He shreds out too much. You have them into three holes separating him and Alonzo so long. I don't understand that move at all. Look what happened 8:30 yesterday. Yeah, he just walks.

[Don La Greca]

He's been. You're right. It's time. It's probably time to change that. It's that again. That's enough. Was it four for like 31? I think.

[Caller]

Yeah. The Fab Four. Yeah, he should be in a Fab bottom four. But anyway, let me get to Diaz. Another thing with Mendoza, okay, I understand you want to bring them out with 12 outs in, in the 8th inning, but this is a game you have to win. You lost by 11 out of 12. He said his excellent was you want to start with a clean slate on, on the base pads. I mean that's ridiculous. I mean if that's the case, you'd have started in the eighth inning. I mean, you know, you had to bring him in that point. I could not understand it. And you know, and you know, and they boot again. I know he gave the horn on ideas. So you know, but still, I mean.

[Don La Greca]

He'S going to give up a run, Bobby. Right? He hasn't given up a run in over a month. I'm not going to kill Diaz for giving up the home run, but once you get into the bullpen, man, it's all bets are off. You're going to have to go with your gut at certain points. Eventually you're going to get to some underbelly that's going to get exposed. If you got a problem with Mendoza over the weekend, not pinch running in that, in the, in the ninth inning on Friday from Arte. And he got thrown out by an inch. So if anybody else pinch runs there, the Mets tie the game, maybe have a chance to win it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The ball player, we love the ball.

[Don La Greca]

Player, but he's not, he doesn't have the speed that he used to. And they should have been, you know, they get a two out double. You should have been trained for him, didn't do it and it cost you. But you know, come on, man, you're kicking the ball around. On Saturday, even though the, even though he wasn't charged for an error that still led to the tying run, you lose. And once. Was it 6:3. Once, once, once. Contreras hits home run at 6:5. You know, they're losing that game. I gotta tell you. You know, we, we, we saw Milwaukee at the beginning of the year, Peter, Millie Walke when the Yankees beat him up. But this Milwaukee team is good. They're relentless. They never give up in a bat. They work counts. They're impossible to get out with two outs. They get big hits. That Milwaukee team's good. We'll see at the end of the day, we'll see if they can do it in the postseason. But this Milwaukee team is good. And the Mets went to Milwaukee, got swept. Yankees can't beat the Blue Jays. Yankees lose two out of three to the Astros. Who do you think these teams are going to face if they get to the postseason? It's, it really was a bad weekend. It's really just, it's awful what's going on right now with these two baseball teams. It shouldn't be, we shouldn't be in the situation we're in, that's for sure. We're actually having a conversation that these two teams may not make the playoffs. I still think they'll make it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But what would you rather have happen, though, for either team? Like, would you rather have the Mets, if they're going to just immediately completely flame out and do nothing? Would you rather have them make it or not?

[Don La Greca]

I always want to make it, but especially now because you think any changes are coming, man, the way these teams, like we think anybody's going to lose their job, that's what frustrates these fans. Boom. Just got an extension. Cashman's got a job for life. So do you think all of a sudden they're missing the playoffs is going to make all of a sudden mass changes? You think Mendoza is going to be out of a job? And do you think Mendoza is going to be replaced by somebody Any different than him?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Ty and I were speculating last week because we know that Cashman has a job for life. Is there a world in which they let you know Cashman continues to work for the organization because he does, but they sunset him somewhere else and bring in someone else to do that job so he will have this specific job?

[Don La Greca]

I will say this. There's only two ways Brian Cashman is no longer the general manager of the Yankees when he doesn't want to do it anymore, or if new ownership came in and said, we want to bring in our own guy, I think those are the only two ways that happens. I think as long as Hal Steinbrenner owns the team and Brian Cashman wants the job, that you will not see any change there. So anybody rooting for the Yankees to collapse and there'd be collateral damage from that? Doubt it. Tony and Queen, Johnny sbn, New York.

[Caller]

Hey, good afternoon, gentlemen. How are we doing?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Good.

[Don La Greca]

Menu?

[Caller]

Good. Good. Before I get to my Yankee boy, Peter, welcome back. Enjoy those times. I have six girls myself, so I have been able to take six paternity leaves in my company. I'm the joke of the company for that, but enjoy those time. That's great.

[Don La Greca]

You didn't. You didn't. You didn't have the kids for the leave, did you? It just worked out, of course now.

[Caller]

But, you know, after I found out that I get that, right, Like, I didn't mind taking my time off even though I have other men in my company and women saying, like, men should not take the fraternity leave, I'm all pro for that. I got my time and the way my company works, I could take my three months of my kids every time from this all the way to nine months.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How many.

[Don La Greca]

How many.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How many kids do you have?

[Caller]

Six girls. I'm a father of six girls. Six weddings that I have to pay. Peter.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, my God.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This is not.

[Don La Greca]

Since. Since you're so open with information, my next question would be, do you have six girls because you were shooting for a boy?

[Caller]

No, no, no necessarily. We just, you know, we. I come from a big family.

[Don La Greca]

Okay.

[Caller]

I'm the youngest. I'm the youngest of seven. My wife is the youngest of seven as well. So we just come from big families and we wanted to have a big family.

[Don La Greca]

That's all. Nice.

[Caller]

We might not be done. We might not be not done.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Might not be done. I.

[Caller]

We might. We might not be done.

[Don La Greca]

Real quick, how old's the oldest?

[Peter Rosenberg]

How old's the youngest?

[Caller]

The oldest is nine years old and the Youngest is two and a half on.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But I gotta tell you, I, I God bless you. It's, it's.

[Caller]

A set of twins to go to. So that's, you know, God bless. We have, we have a, we have four year old twins in there too.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, twins.

[Caller]

But we, we get it done and done again. You know, I know this is way late, but congratulations. You know, I, I'm not, as you can see, I have a. You have an accent. I'm not from this country, so I don't know anything about hockey, but I got into hockey because listening to your call, so when you got the job, I felt like I got something too. So congratulations.

[Don La Greca]

That's awesome.

[Caller]

I'm really proud of you.

[Don La Greca]

Thank you, Tony.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm really proud of you, Tony. What country are you from?

[Caller]

I'm from the Dominican Republic.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So you got, you got Don. You're bringing Dominicans to New Jersey, to the New Jersey Devil Hockey. You realize how big that is?

[Don La Greca]

That is pretty big.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Come on.

[Don La Greca]

It's an untapped resource.

[Caller]

If they're both, if they're both very. I get like, you know, six bullets, but I don't know about. I think my girls will be all right. I think I'm proud of my girls. They'll be all right.

[Don La Greca]

All right.

[Caller]

To my Yankee point. So I know, John, you mentioned about changes and things like that, but my question is, and I know I like Aaron Boone and I'm not claiming for him to be fired, but when you think about it, Joe Torre won four World Series and then after missing, I don't know, six, seven, he got left, you know, he got let go. Girardi was three hours of going to the World Series and he won awards it. And he got let go too. Iron Bull has done nothing. He went to a warship and he got completely out coached.

[Don La Greca]

You got to realize something, Tony, if.

[Caller]

They don't make the plays coming up.

[Don La Greca]

Well, I disagree with you, Tony, because I look at the guys, they let go, didn't renew the contract of Joe Torre, didn't renew the contract of Joe Girardi because those were guys that, you know, were stubborn about the analytics. I think they got the guy they want. So I don't think Boone's going to get fired. Yankees don't like to spend money for no reason and they just gave him a contract extension. So I don't think they want to pay him to not be the manager of the Yankees. You know what's going to happen if the Yankees missed the playoffs? Oh, he didn't have Cole. We didn't have heel for half the season during the pennant race. We lost judge for for 10 days but we lost Clark Schmidt, Stan couldn't play in the beginning of the season. Couldn't play. They're going to have those built in excuses that you heard two years ago when they finished 82 and 80 as the reason why this team didn't make the playoffs. If Indeed they do miss this is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Caller]

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[Alan Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Alan Hahn]

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

[Don La Greca]

Game time is brought to you by Telemardu Irish whiskey. Because when it's game time, I like when he holds it. Only one local in action tonight. Yankees playing host to the Twins at 7:05. Telemore due the original triple distilled, triple blended and triple cast matured Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Telemore do or try the new Telemore do, honey. During today's action, glasses up to enjoying Telemore do responsibly. Before we continue with the phone calls I want, this is not going to make me a popular person, but I'm going to do it anyway. Willie Randolph, Jorge Posada, everybody but Derek Jeter went to Old Timers day on Saturday. The one game the Yankees won on the Grisham home run.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah.

[Don La Greca]

All right. So they were all, you know, popping on here and there, talking on. Yes, I heard some of it. Here's Willie Randolph on the current state of the New York Yankees.

[Caller]

Well, it's time to start to really knuckle in really strong here because you got a little window of time going into September where this is where you define who you are. You know, go through ups and downs, that's part of it. You make the adjustments. That's part of it. But to me, this is the time where both teams need to really push because this is a crucial time with a tough schedule in some cases where teams are not afraid of us anymore, you know, and I think that we need to get that mojo back where when they come in the Yankee Stadium, places like that, they, they know they're going to be in for a big fight now. They're going to be fine. You know, guys are going up and down. I still believe in them, but it's time to start going.

[Don La Greca]

All right, here's Jorge Posada. The New York Yankees need an attitude.

[Caller]

Change, you know, a little less want.

[Don La Greca]

To do it like, it's just more.

[Caller]

About attitude than anything.

[Don La Greca]

So just gotta get a little angry. Hopefully a fight or something that happens. Not a fight, but something that happens that gets them going again.

[Caller]

Yeah, but they need, they need to have that chip on their shoulder, you know, the players. You gotta play like that, you know, you can't be friends with everybody.

[Don La Greca]

I, I always take it with a grain of salt, as you should. Every sport, when the former champions come to analyze the struggles of the current team, isn't it always. Well, you know, not us, it's. Oh, it's always so easy to analyze it when you've won the chip, you know, so listen, I have all the respect in the world for Willie Randolph. I wish he still was the manager of the Mets. And Jorge Posada, great Yankee, but like, Jorge, get mad. Do you think that's the reason the Yankees aren't playing well, that they don't hate other teams? I'm sorry, how much did the. You guys love David Ortiz when he was a Red Sox? You were better than everybody else. That's why you won. You were better. You were good. This team isn't good enough. Why can't everybody. Why can't anybody say, you know what? They're not good enough? You know, I heard her. Andy Pettit was on. Yes. On Saturday. I'm sure Anthony heard it. I just think we're struggling right now, and they'll get it together.

[Caller]

Hey, hey.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is that Andy Petters and me, Paulo.

[Don La Greca]

It just. It gets so tiresome sometimes. It's just the old cliche. Yeah, you gotta want it more than the other guy. Yeah. You gotta play with more of a.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Chip on your shoulder. Let me help you out here, though. The reason I'm fine with it is, is because it's. It's the Yankees fault for giving that personality. That is the vibe they give. They give. You know, we're doing the best we can. So I think when they come up short, Don, it'll let me. Maybe it's smart. It allows people to think, oh, it's not that they're bad, they're just casual. But. But to your point, is that really what it is? Oh, by the way.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, the. The. The.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The game's on right now.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, the. The All Star game in which poor Mariana Rivera, here's his Achilles.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Come on. And that was, was. Was a play even happening.

[Don La Greca]

When that happened again, he's on the outfield just like he hurt himself at the end of his career.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, it's fun. It's funny to me that so few people are there in time to see the Old Timers game. I feel like I'd be excited to see it.

[Don La Greca]

It's a long day. Well, because, you know, they only play like three innings or whatever, but then you got the game. And let's face it, too, a lot of people that are going to games, this is not their Yankees, you know. Right. I mean, Ron Guidry's on the mound and there's only so many Yankee fans that remember when Ron Guidry pitched, they know Ron Guidry. They've heard about Ron Guidry. But, like to, you know, Anthony's 30 years old. Ron Gidry was retired for like 20 years. Not 20, I remember, but five or six years already. I love the Old Timers Day, but it is, it does extend the day and it's a long day.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What time. What time do they get going with the Old Timers game?

[Don La Greca]

Like noon. The one and then I think first pitch was like two, like, but it extends things by like an hour. But you're already at the ballpark for a long time. It's amazing. The only time any building is full for a retirement of a number or something is when it's one of the current guys. You know, when the Rangers were to retire, you know, Vic Hatfield, the building's half full because again, half the people never saw him play. But you retire Henrik Lundgrist's number, you can't get a ticket because the place. Because everybody there saw him play.

[Peter Rosenberg]

By the way, did you. Did anything sum up why Derek Jeter? At least part of the reason Derek Jeter makes his decision to than that visual of Johnny Damon in the jersey. Oh, it's a horrifying sight.

[Don La Greca]

What's funny is, I don't mean to be a badass. The picture that you sent out with the long hair, I guess was a wig.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, he was goofing around.

[Don La Greca]

He was goofing. No, because I saw him play. He didn't have that long. He had the hair up in a man bun. Oh, that's what it was. Well, you know what? A man bun's a bad choice too. That picture was altered a lot. There were different faces put on it and everything. The hair was legit. But the picture that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The one that I sent was real? No.

[Don La Greca]

I believe so. And Damon's looked like that for a while. Just. You never saw it in pinstripes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Exactly. But that's the thing. It's the pins. That's why. So for Jeter, Right? Let's suppose Jeter. Right.

[Don La Greca]

I thought pinstripes are supposed to make you swimming.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Maybe. I mean, this picture that I posted, it looks so. I mean, I can't say what I think it looks like because it just wouldn't be appropriate for the time. But it's not great, this picture of Johnny Damon. So if you're Jeter, what if you feel. What if he's gained 20 pounds, right?

[Don La Greca]

But he hasn't. We've seen him out.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, you see Fox all the time. But maybe, but maybe he's like, nah, if I put on the uniform is when you're going to see that I.

[Don La Greca]

Look older, see people. You know what the problem is with people? They don't listen. Derek Jeter told you. He said it the day he retired. I'm never gonna pick up a bat again. He told you that?

[Peter Rosenberg]

He did.

[Don La Greca]

He's done. Everybody thinking. He doesn't wanna look fat. He doesn't want. No, he doesn't want to play baseball anymore. So do you think he wants to trot out there, you know, 10 years after he retired and go goof around? He's done. So. I know you wouldn't be done if you were Derek Jeter. You'd continue to go to the ballpark. You'd continue to want to be a. You'd go to every Old Timers game. He said it the day he retired. I'm not picking up another bat again. I'm done now. Should he still go? Absolutely. But if. But not playing. You shouldn't be surprised by that. He told you he was through.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. It's obviously a very specific feeling and emotion that Jeter had about retirement. Who's pitching right now?

[Don La Greca]

Zach cone.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Everybody pitched 36.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. Because even the old. You know, there's a pitch count even for the old Timers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I got to take cone still humming it. Yeah, Effortlessly. Just throwing dimes.

[Don La Greca]

But they don't. Threw a slider to Paul and he was not happy. Even the old Timers have a pitch count. Baseball. So listen, I love hearing from the old timers, but, like, everybody's got their theories and I just think the team's just not. It's not. They should be better, but they're just not. And maybe there has to be that instead. Oh, we're going to turn it around. Everything's going to be. I get they're not paid to be analysts, but Peter's right. Maybe it's just that's the overall feel of the team, is that all is well. Kevin Bacon and Animal House. All is well. Everything's going to be fine. And if it's not, we'll have a bunch of reasons why it didn't work out and how the same thing will work out next year. Metza. The same way Mendoza came from the Yankee organization. When I see Mendoza, other than the accent, he sounds like Aaron Boone. Same thing. Apologetic for the players, mistakes. Always thinking about the positive. Doesn't seem to be any kind of level of accountability. When mistakes are made, they're cut from the same cloth. It's the way it is. And I'm sure it's the way it is around Major League Baseball, too. I know there's the outside incidents, what happened with the Dodgers and calling out Ohtani, but, you know, for the most part, this is kind of how sports are right now, it is very, very frustrating. Danny, on Long island, you're on ESPN New York. What's up, Danny?

[Caller]

What's up? Well, if you told me Friday afternoon, gentlemen, that the sports highlight of the weekend for Danny would be Skyler Thompson throwing two touchdowns in a preseason Pittsburgh Steeler game, I probably would have laughed at you. But that's about all I got on my. That's I'm hanging into right now. That's all I had for the whole weekend.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, a Roger.

[Caller]

No, you didn't play.

[Don La Greca]

But.

[Caller]

But, you know, a couple of things you hit on in the first segment both correlate to being Met fans. First of all, Final Destination. That's every night at 7 o' clock for us Met fans. We sit in our lounge chair and we strapped ourselves in and we're waiting for like a javelin to come through the living room window and just impale us, which is like that movie. All these people are a perfectly happy date and the next thing you know, they're drowning in a car wash. That's what every game for the Met, what's going to happen tonight and yesterday was, was a different, you know, Diaz, who's been good. But that's what happens when you're a bad team. Yankees included. An error, a base running Erro, a bad pitching start, a bad closing, bad call. It always seems to happen. We always wonder why the Kansas City Chiefs never seem to win because they don't make the bad play, the bad goal. You know, these teams are bad and that's the way it goes. And Peter, you're asking a Met fan if he's ever heard his heart miss a beat. I've heard my heart explode out of my chest.

[Peter Rosenberg]

True.

[Caller]

I've heard it stop beating. I watched Andy Perez, whoever, they stopped running around third base. I watched things that make my heart literally die inside my body on a. You know, so no, I haven't had a heart monitor that these Mets are going to drive me to it because it. But listen, it's better, you know, what if it happens now and they continue on this descent, we are three weeks and four days to Thursday Night Football. And then, you know what? Clear the calendar. Get the trash out of my sight. The chocolate ice cream is melted and washed away and we can enjoy some football, okay? Because this is where we're heading with both these teams. And a heads up to Han Solo, who said on these airways after the trade deadline, I see nothing of these Yankee trades that are going to change the trajectory of this team. He said, I Hate to be a downer, but this is not going to change the Yankees fate. They're not a playoff team and this isn't going to change it where we are. You nailed it.

[Don La Greca]

He certainly did. Although the only thing he might got it wrong is is that it just worked the other way. It did make a change. It made things worse. I do think overall both of these teams will benefit from the deals that they made. But will it be too little, too late? And the way Danny explained where every mistake is so catastrophic, you know, that happens to teams that have no margin for error. See, the Yankees and Mets aren't bad, they're just okay. But we expected better than okay. They're okay. And the thing with okay is is that it never collapses. Like they're never going to actually fall out of it. Baseball won't allow that to because all these other teams stink too. So you're under the facade of hey, we're still a playoff team. The season ended today, we're still in the playoffs, Things are going to be okay. But that's exactly it. You're okay. Was this supposed to be an okay season for the Mets and Yankees or was this supposed to be a special season? It's been far from it. Lowe's knows when you're looking for reliability. The right brand makes all the difference. And now Lowes is the exclusive home improvement retailer for the Whirlpool water treatment line including their WI Fi softener under sync filtration system and more. With Whirlpool's proven performance and our everyday low prices, better tasting, better quality water is within reach. Shop pro trusted brands like Whirlpool and more in store or online Lowes we help you save. Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills, but it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a [e-mail] switch upfront payment.

[Caller]

Of $45 for a three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of networks busy taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com your backyard barbecue has some new RSVPs. Just tap target with the grill raring to go, your personal shopper is tackling your same day delivery order at Target, babe.

[Don La Greca]

So Bob and Lynn are bringing the kids after all.

[Caller]

Pro tip. You can change your same day order with a quick text to your shopper.

[Don La Greca]

I'll have her add popsicles.

[Caller]

Ooh, and some sidewalk chalk. Your shopper texts a thumbs up. You text five exclamation points and life is good. Text with a personal shopper and get it all delivered asap. Just tap Target.

[Alan Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Alan Hahn]

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

[Don La Greca]

Don Han and Rosenberg with it'll seven o'. Clock Myself and Peter. Peter back in the the fold last week while I was on vacation. So I haven't worked with this guy since the beach bash, which, God, nothing flies more than the summer. I mean, it's, it's pretty incredible. As much as we love football and looking for forward to football and it's cool to see the jets and Giants playing this weekend and all that, it's just, I don't want the summer to end just yet.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And then the weeks start going so fast because of football. Because every year we go, oh my God, we were waiting for the football season to start. How is it week eight already?

[Don La Greca]

Right? And then all of a sudden, bang, it's Thanksgiving.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's, it's. And as you're. When you're a kid, that time just takes so long. And we had that conversation about how fast time goes when you have a baby. The age thing makes it very annoying because you're paying attention to months. So the second they turn, like, she's gonna be now seven months in four days. She just turned six months. But like, for two weeks, you're going, oh, they're six months. But now you're already six and a half. And now, you know what I'm saying? So because you're counting months, it makes it go even faster than anything else. And I don't even have a moment to say how old she is before I'm saying she's actually this old. It is very frustrating and I'm trying my best to just soak it in as best as human. And we'll mention this later. A big topic of conversation on the K show back in the day was the movie Click the Adam Sandler Vehicle. I rewatched it this weekend and I have thoughts.

[Don La Greca]

Okay. I love it. Because you didn't share them.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No.

[Don La Greca]

At least not that deeply during.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No.

[Don La Greca]

But there's this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Things need to be.

[Don La Greca]

I'm looking forward to it. Reggie in Brooklyn, you're on ESPN New York. What's up, Reg?

[Caller]

Hey, what's going on, guys? Big fan of the show. Actually used to intern for you guys back in the day.

You guys are the best.

[Don La Greca]

Well, cool, man.

[Caller]

Actually calling for a message for Met fans. You know, after the loss yesterday, I was almost catatonic, and I was going back to the same old stuff. But the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So I'm going to the game tomorrow, and I am going to root for this team like I've never rooted before. I've heard people online saying they're showing up tomorrow with the bags on their heads. They're showing up with signs. Fire everybody. I'm showing up with a sign that says, oh, I still believe, because I do. I mean, we got to get behind our team.

[Don La Greca]

There's.

[Caller]

Why are we fans if we're not going to get behind our guys when they need it?

[Don La Greca]

Well, there's two different things here.

[Caller]

Fans to come out.

[Don La Greca]

I'm not telling you not to come out, and I'm going to watch every game like I do every day and root for the team, but I am not going to just formulate some positivity out of. Out of a whim, a dream. I need a reason to be positive. Reggie. What's a reason to be positive other than just for the sake of being positive?

[Caller]

I'll give you one. They are still in a playoff spot. They are. Mathematically, if we want to get scientific, they are still in a playoff spot, and Cincinnati is playing Philadelphia. So there is room there. They can build on this. I'm just saying, us Met fans. I went to a game on Mother's Day. They beat the Cubs, and it was such a different vibe. It felt like the vibe of us coming to every game thinking they were going to lose was done, and we were going into the building, day in and day out, expecting to win. And these two weeks, I feel, have gotten the fan base right back into that same old mentality, and it's not fun, and I'm right.

[Don La Greca]

But. Don't. But, but, but. Here's the thing. I'm not gonna argue. Reggie. You're obviously a very positive person, and I wish I was more like you, but I don't. Maybe it's a flaw of mine. Peter, I don't want to have fake positivity. I want to find a silver lining, sure. But why can't I react in real time to my team? They've dropped 10 of 11. They're in free fall right now. They don't do anything. Well, yeah, they're still alive because baseball's got three wild cards, and you just mentioned Philadelphia playing the Reds. So what am I supposed to root for Philadelphia to win? So if the Mets struggle against the Braves like they always do, I fall further behind winning this division. I don't want to have to go through the wild card again. And now I'm hanging on to the last wild card. I'm not allowed to be frustrated about that, Peter.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, it's. I totally get where you're coming from.

[Don La Greca]

This is like, well, you got to be positive because that's what a fan's got to be. No, that's just being artificial. I think a fan obligation is to support the team, but have to live in real time with what that team has given them. And if the game of the team has given them nothing, then you have a right to be negative. You have a right to be upset. And I think you're kind of delusional if you're just gonna go say, I'm gonna be positive because I'm a fan and I want to be positive. I've never been able to live off of fake positivity. I'll find a silver lining if there is one. But I'm not gonna make something up that. That, to me, doesn't make sense. There's no right way to do your team failing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't think the right thing to do is to root for your team to lose at every single turn.

[Don La Greca]

And you know how I feel about that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We all do. And I don't think the right thing to do is to just be every single day, be living and dying. When you know, this team, baseball. We were talking about this before the show started. This is fundamentally the problem with baseball, and it's actually fundamentally the problem. When you look as to why I sort of have issues with baseball and the audience this has been on very open book conversation about, oh, Peter's not interested in baseball. One of my biggest problems with baseball, which I really enjoy come September, is the fact that every day we're trying to assess a thing that you have to look at big chunks of to get a gauge on. And the unfortunate part for this, these two baseball teams are now that you have big chunks to look at, it's not good. And it can't change in two days. Don. The Mets can win tomorrow and the next day by combined 15 runs. It won't make up for the fact that they just lost 11 of 12. You're not all of a sudden going to feel better about the rest of the season. You got to keep watching and see what happens. And that has been a brutal experience for both fan bases.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. And I just think if you really are passionate and it's hard not to react negatively to negative baseball now, if you want to think positive thoughts, well, then what you're doing is you think you're controlling the narrative. You're not. Now you don't have to boo. And I still think you should go and support the team. I'm not telling you to give up on the team, but I also think a dose of reality is okay, too.

[Alan Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't want to know how the.

[Alan Hahn]

Sausage is made, but I just want to you know, if 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.

[Anthony]

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