
Don, Hahn & Rosenberg on ESPN NY
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That sounds like heaven to me.
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Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers, Don
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Hahn and Rosenberg 401 on this beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Thursday.
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You know what?
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Yeah, no, it's a. It's a beautiful, beautiful afternoon. Hope you're enjoying it. Alan's getting set for Knicks basketball like you dream about. Don is getting set for some devil hockey like you dream about. And last night we did the baseball. And one of the interesting things that came away from the broadcast was something Barry Bond said that was related to the Yankees. I'm going to play it for you guys. You ready?
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Yes.
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Barry Bond says he was almost a Yankee when you came here, Barry.
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There was so much discussion of the Yankees being interested. You ever think back a what if sense? What if I was a Yankee?
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That short port, she might have hit a thousand home runs. I don't. You know, I got to tell you a story because George isn't here anymore. So I can tell the truth, right? Well, I would have been the Yankees, but Steinbrerner got on the phone and they called us and they told me, barry, we're going to give you the. The money. The highest paid player at that time, but you have to sign the contract by 2:00 clock this afternoon. And I said, excuse me. And I just hung the phone up.
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Wow.
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Wow.
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And I went to go get lunch and my, you know, Dennis Gilber agent, and we're like, what do you know? You just did. I'm like, did you know what he just said? I just said, forget it. And I went to go get. By the time I walked down the street to go get lunch, I said, let me just think about this. The Giants called me and I said, I'm going home.
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So BS meter, 1 to 10. 1 being not BS 10 being absolutely BS where are we going?
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I'm. I'm. I'm 7.5 BS John.
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I'm like 9, 9, 10.
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Yeah.
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Yes.
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Yeah.
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So what part of it do you
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think is true, Don, that he signed with the Giants? It was. No, it was because it's 1292. He signed a six year deal with the Giants. 45, 44 million, which I know we all laugh at now, right? Like, what the hell? That's it. But that was contract.
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George offered him a contract. I believe that. And my belief is that Barry declined. I don't think there was ever any ultimatum. I mean, where exactly did George have the standing in order to do that in 19 in the summer or actually the. The off season of 92, right. When the Yankees were not winning, he'd just come off being suspended. Nobody wanted to seem to play for the Yankees. You had a list of free agents that didn't go there. Bad deals, superstars in other places that had played for the Yankees or came up with, why would George do that and give him an ultimatum like that? If this is 97, 98, you'd say, all right, well, listen, George is feeling it. You know, the Yankees are winning championships. I don't. I could do that. Could George afford to do that in 1992? Now, Barry wasn't Barry in the sense of breaking the home run record, but he was an outstanding player that was on his way to the hall of Fame even before all the allegations of pds. How. Why would you give him an ultimatum like that? How does that make any sense for George?
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Well, going back to the reporting in 92, they offered him a five year deal at 36 million. So they offered him less money, so he took the higher offer. Now why would they give him. Why would George give him an ultimatum? Because George would probably like, I want to know by two, because I don't want you now using this. You know what I mean? Like, don't use it for leverage. I got other guys I want to sign. You know, they. I think they signed Jimmy Key. Like, if he's doing that, like, I need to know by two because I got other things on the burner. That's fine.
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Well, see, that's why I'm saying 9 out of 10 instead of 10 out of 10. Is it semantics? Were those words said?
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Sure.
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But Barry's tone was. He was like offended. Like, come on. Like, the arrogance of George to give me a deadline. There might have been a back and forth. And George is finally like, listen, this is my last offer, all right? So get back to me by two. And he got a better offer from the Giants and took it. But that's not a fun story. That's just the Giants won the face off on the negotiations. The fun story is that George in his arrogance, because now George became What he became, I think he kind of doctored the story enough where he's not technically lying, but I don't think it played out exactly the way Barry is saying.
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Also the way, the way Bonds, you know, tells the story. It's easy to forget Barry Bonds in that at that time was on his way. That's why he was. That's why it's reasonable. He'd get the offer to maybe be the highest played pair in baseball. He was becoming that dude. Like he was becoming the man. Now forget. Now remember he had a huge. He had a what? Not huge. A couple of year period guys where he just was awful in the playoffs for the Pirates. You guys remember that he just could not hit in the playoffs. And that was sort of becoming like the narrative was that Bonds was great in the regular season, not in the postseason, but he was. He was a 40, 40. Like he was a beast. But you also. He wasn't the guy. But he's also not the guy that a lot of the kids listening now picture when they think of Barry Bonds in 1998. He's not that guy either.
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He was on his way. But you're right, they had just come off losing to the Braves, I believe it was that, you know, with that play at the plate. Was it Sid Bream, whatever, that play, the play at the plate.
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Bream.
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God, that the Braves moved on, you know, but the Pirates just couldn't get over the hump and they, they knew that he was going to get the big deal. Now, I don't think anybody knew he was going to break the home run record and become the player. But he still was on his way to the hall of Fame. He's a Hall of Fame caliber player. But I'm sure George didn't want to go where San Francisco wanted to go. But that's not a fun story, right? Like if he just said, yeah, that just the Yankees, the Giants outbid the Yankees. That's why I didn't become a Yankee. But was there. All right, you gotta let me know, I gotta move on. There's other players I want to sign. Let me know by two whether you're gonna accept this offer. He made it seem like, all right, take it or leave it. That's it. You know, I'm sure there was a lot.
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And also it's like, yeah, there's the way he worded it. You know, stories changed though, like in your brain over the years and you then have your own editorial version. You start to tell and it become. But it's natural, right? Like as the years go on. Because now think about it, guys, this story for bonds, it's over 30 years old. He's been telling this story to friends and family for over 30 years. And the version he now tells everyone goes, wow, really? And you start naturally hamming it up when there's a world in which maybe, you know, George said something along the lines of like, hey, I got a couple hours, I gotta figure out what I'm doing. But the story sounds better when it's like if you don't come back to me by 2 o'. Clock.
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More importantly, more importantly, it's this. If you're a Yankees fan and this is, you know, this is now a million years ago, right? It's another lifetime ago. It's before anything, you know, really hit with this team. They had Jimmy Key and Paul o', Neill, like those were guys that were pieces at the very beginning.
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At least they had Mattingly down the stretch. The last few years of Mattingly still
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had chartable on the team. Like they had those guys. If that's the year of the Abbott no hitter, right? If I'm not mistaken, there was like, it was Showalter was the manager. They had finally kind of gotten out of a malaise of season after season where they were a losing team, second place team behind a great Blue Jays team. But you know, do you look back and go, wow, if Bonds had taken that offer, could they have won the division that year? Could they have been a team that got to the World Series with just one player? Or were they, you know, they still like, you know what's a weird thing to say? I'm glad he didn't sign. Here's why. Because then the 96 and all doesn't happen. You can make that argument.
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No, you totally can. Because.
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Because George brought all these guys in, right? This is before George got. Went through the whole Howie spirit thing where he gets suspended. So now none of that happens. Maybe.
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Yeah.
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Because you have this big money contract with Bonds and, and now it's harder to bring up players like Bernie and others. So maybe 90s that maybe the dynasty never happens because of this.
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Who knows?
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We don't know.
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Just.
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Just to correct the thing. In 92 they were 76 and 86, they were 10 games under.500.
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But this was, this was what, this was the winter of, of. Of 92 when they, when they made the offer.
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This is after the 92 season, going into the 93 season, right? So they were just coming off a year in which there were 10 games
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under.500, they were garbage.
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Right?
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But that, that, that's what I mean. That season, when he says no, that season, they were a good team.
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But if you have.
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If he doesn't say no, are they a better team? Of course they are. They have him with a team that's pretty decent. As I mentioned, they have o'. Neill, They've got some decent pieces on that team. Tarnable, you know, was hitting home runs. But I'm just trying to figure out, like, as a Yankee fan, do it like, I don't care. I don't care, Right?
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Well, listen, you don't care because three years later, you win the World Series and you win four championships in five years, but if 1993, you've got Barry Bonds in left field instead of Deion James, you can't tell me that you're not all fired up now. I don't know who would not be there if, if you. If you signed Barry Bonds, and I'd like to take a look. I know you would have. You would have. You would. You would have Barry Bonds.
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It's. It's.
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I know, but you just.
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You can't. You have no clue. Well, a line. There's a line in this movie that I thought was tremendous that I just saw train dreams that I loved. It's about loggers, like, destroying. Basically when they started destroying the forest of America to build the train system and everything else. You never know what's. Like. The other end of the thread is right when you pull something, you never know. And this is one of those things you pull. Barry Bonds ends up a Yankee, maybe he ends up setting the home run record and they win absolutely Nothing in the 90s. You. There's no way of knowing. It changes everything.
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That's what I'm saying. I'm wondering, as a Yankees fan, how you. The older guys now, because younger Yankee fans, you can't relate to this. So, I mean, I need somebody that, you know, you got to be old enough to have been around for those years. And, you know, do you look back and say, wow, you know, if it wasn't for George, we could have gotten Barry Bonds. He would have never gone to the Giants and things could have changed. Are you like, are you. Do you hear this story and be frustrated, or do you hear this story go, I don't care.
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We.
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We still won freaking five titles. Who cares?
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Yeah. That's the. Ultimately the answer, right?
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Yeah.
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I can't imagine you wouldn't win because again, left field was a hole for the Yankees. You had Deion James. You had Jared Williams. You know, you. Who am I forgetting? Luis Polonia.
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Yeah.
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Like you. Left field was a hole. It was a hole on the team,
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you know, so I'm slacking here.
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Gerald Williams was beloved, but, yes, he was not exactly.
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Gerald Ice Williams, I believe, was his nickname. You know, so even, like, even in, you know, in 96.
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This conversation, Alan, it's leading us to a place we've never been before. You know what it is? Yeah, what is it? Strange. Pole City. That's where we're going.
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We're driving. Right.
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Mayor. Mayor Sid Bream. Okay. Executive Director Gerald Williams. All right. Councilman. Councilman Danny Tartable. Everybody's here.
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Then you had Tim Rains. Like, it just. It was. It was a rotation of guys in left field. It's crazy. And then you would have had what I think the better questions, because I think Yankee fans wouldn't make the trade because, again, they. You win those championships and all that, and I can't imagine Barry Bonds would stop you. But Peter makes a point. You never know. What. How would Yankee fans have handled the controversy? Like, in San Francisco, Barry Bonds is a God. He's a pariah everywhere else, but they talk about him. The reverence. They talk about him during broadcast because, you know, Nancy's a Giant fan. I'd watch the broadcast. They bring up nepd's Speedies. Doesn't exist.
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Yeah, right.
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I wonder how the Yankee fans would have dealt with that controversy. Would they have supported him? Would they have, like, tolerated him? Like, hey, we're winning, so. But I don't like him. Or would they have did what the San Francisco Giants fans didn't, just pretend it never happened. Hey, never tested positive tennis.
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I'm going with the latter, Don. I have to admit.
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Right.
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I have to admit. You would. You would. You know how New York fans are. Stand in front of all bullets. That's. That's how we are.
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It's. Unless you're losing.
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Only if you're losing. Do you get it? But if you're winning, don't mess with my winning. Right? Don't mess with my winning.
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You have the example of, you know, Andy Pettit had. Goes through the whole HGH thing, and it's like. Well, he was recovering from injury, you know.
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Yeah.
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Like, he apologized.
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He was upfront about it. See.
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Right. He's a rod.
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A rod. Never got the benefit of the doubt from fans because it just. From the very beginning, I don't think everybody really wanted to embrace him. So I think that's also part of it.
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I gotta, I gotta break in here, guys, for a moment. I gotta say something I think needs to be said.
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That we're talking about something from 30 years ago.
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Not at all. I love this. You know, I'm down for strange pole city. That's not it. What I was gonna say is that there was just a pitch challenged in the a Mets Pirates game and it was confirmed to strike out. And I was just like saying to Anthony in the talkback, it's funny how little conversation there has been about a league and sport that everything is so sacrosanct. This is like a major change. And yesterday the first time it has ever happened. Yeah, they were, they were talking about something else and didn't even make news about it. It's bizarre. I'm actually surprised we haven't talked about it more than it's starting right now.
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So I was thinking about it on things that we were going to talk about today because Caballero challenged it and it was like we're talking about a smidge of the ball was touching the corner, right? It was so small that it's almost like, was that too close to challenge? And was he going up saying, all right, nobody's challenged yet. I'm going to do it. Like, you know what I mean? Like, who knows what the motivation was. But to lose the first challenge is kind of. It's kind of.
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I just think it's crazy that a bigger deal like that they didn't make a bigger deal about it. This is like something we have talked about happening in baseball. The beginning of this is just the first bit of it, right? But this is the beginning of a massive change in the sport. And yeah, we're kind of being quiet
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about it, but because we just hasn't become a thing yet. Because again, Netflix missed it. The game was not really competitive. But I'll tell you during the Met game and I'm listening to the broadcast again because I couldn't watch it on TV because they blacked out NBC here in Nashville. I forget what inning it must have been the third inning. So the Mets have a 52 lead in the third and Cruz, I think it was a 3, 2 pitch walks the Mets challenge. It turns out to be a strike. Cruz is out. And how he brings up, was that a good challenge considering the Mets are up by, you know, the Mets are up five to two. It's the third inning. You might need that later on in the game. Was that a good job? They were debating it. And then Lau hits the home run and he Ends up making a 5:3 game. And then you're thinking, no, it was a good challenge. Because if you believe in the fallacy, the predetermined outcome, all of a sudden, now it's a 5, 4 game. But there is the debate of, do I challenge it? It's early in the game. I don't want to lose all my challenges. And also how instantaneous the answer is. Why is baseball not willing to embrace this as just the way things are? Why does it have to be challengable? If it's that instantaneous, why isn't every. Every subject to review firmly, let's get it right.
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That it. If you have that technology for every pitch, why not just use it for every pitch? Then it doesn't have to be a challenge. It doesn't have to be questions. It doesn't have to be should he or shouldn't have. It doesn't have to be. Nobody has to be embarrassed. The batter doesn't have to be embarrassed that he challenged wrong. The catcher doesn't be embarrassed that he challenged wrong. The umpire's not embarrassed because he got the call wrong. We don't need any of that. Instead, you just get it right every single time. It's right every time. Why not?
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Unless. Unless they like the whole. Let's debate on whether we should challenge it or not. But I thought one of the reasons they had challenges. We don't want everything to be reviewable. We'll sit here for five hours. But it's pretty much instantaneous. It doesn't take that much time.
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I agree, but it is.
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Peter. It is interesting that I think people made way too big of a deal out of it last night. I think it was wrong that Netflix missed it, but, like, that would be an opportunity. They missed the first ever ABS challenge. What's wrong with you? Like, we're all gonna, like, sing Kumbaya.
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No, no, you just. It's just surprising on a broadcast where they, you know, we're gonna bring out taxi cabs for the intro to the Yankees, but we're not going to make sure that the first time this historic thing happens, we at least have a graphic pull it up with a description of what this means and, like, a little bit of a breakdown. You just think it's an opportunity kind of missed, that's all.
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Now, I don't know how you guys saw it, because, again, there's a lot going on.
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Oh, by the way, on my other TV, Tom Rathman with a huge pickup for the 49ers.
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Oh, he's got the NFL.
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A classic. A classic 80s, you know. You know it's classic when you see the baseball field in the middle of the football field.
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Yeah, that's.
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Oh, that's old school football.
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All right. Sorry, Don, you were saying?
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So the Netflix goes to the manager's interview. So are you going to abort the interview? You get to tell the manager, listen, we'll talk to you later. I mean, it was. It was an awkward spot.
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Yeah, you got. Well, you got to do it when you come back. Don't you do it right when you come back and kind of bring it down.
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They never acknowledged it. Like, they didn't even talk about it. All right. Unfortunate timing that we're in the middle of the interview with the Giants manager and we miss this historic moment. They just never addressed it. That's where they were wrong. But the timing just. It wasn't anybody's fault.
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No, that's not. But I just. I just feel like the standard issue thing to do. You get back from the interview, you go, guys, during that interview, we just saw the first ever ABS challenge.
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Yeah. And then show it.
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And.
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Hey, hey, let's. Let's clarify a few things here. Go ahead. Always appreciate Kofi the Steinbrenner. I mentioned this and again the years go by and you just try to get it right. But the Steinbrenner thing with Spear, his. He was reinstated in 93 so that. That he would have been in touch with Bonds in that December of. No, wait. And he wouldn't. Wait. That's right.
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No, reinstated.
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93.
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92. And it was.
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Yeah, that's what he's saying. So Steinbrenner wasn't reinstated as managing general partner of the Yankees until March of 93. Right before that 93 season, December of 92, he technically wasn't. So his bond sharing that he was talking to me, even though he really should be representing that.
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You know what that would make sense about, though? I was trying to understand why he even said, george isn't here anymore. So I can say it. Yeah, Maybe that would explain that.
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Is that he called him and said, listen, this is what we're going to offer you, but I need to know by two. And he's just like, what's this guy doing that? Like, I didn't even think of it because again, the timeline and all that stuff, sometimes, you know, for those of us who don't live in that world on a daily basis, it does. It does slip out of your mind.
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But here's the thing. What was the rules of the suspension like he couldn't conduct any business.
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I believe he was it not couldn't operate as an owner.
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Right.
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But and stick Michael was running things back then so it would have been up to him.
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George, I'm telling you at that time would not surprise me. Yeah, well George isn't going to get on the phone.
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Yeah. That's got to be in Vaccaro's book that I. That I have to finish. But. But again the question about whether or not as a Yankee fan you care, does it matter? Here's like Nate on Twitter said my brothers, I'm 52 and a die hard Barry fan. Back in the day I was hurt when they didn't get him. But looking back on it, no way they do the same thing with him. Their team was based on selflessness and teamwork. Great players again Fielder reigns Justice buying in. He said Barry would never. And this is coming from a big die hard Barry fan from back then. I could he have disrupted what they did and what they were and what they were about? I. I can't imagine.
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Here's what I know. He was prickly with the media and he obviously was defiant about the PD stuff so comes across as a liar and a bad guy. But when you talk to his former teammate like they, they rave about the guy. He did take them to a World series in, in 02. They lost. I. I can't believe he would have brought it all down. You never know. But I do think it's painting a picture of Barry just being a terrible person, a terrible teammate. That's not what you hear from his former teammates. At least what I've read, what I've heard and you know, but he wasn't a great postseason player.
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You know what it may mean though? That he's that guy. Which is coming up next. That guy.
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Well then we just did it.
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You see, it's that guy Thursday. And by the way, guys, right now, new FanDuel customers get up to $300 back in bonus bets every day for 10 days. Here's how it works. Place a tournament bet using the token and if it doesn't win, you'll get up to $300 back in bonus bets every single day for 10 straight days. You can even mix things up with same game parlays for a shot at a bigger payout. So visit fanduel.com local to sign up today. 21 and over. Physically present New York bonus bets are non withdrawable and expire seven days after receipt. Tokens are received in increments of one per day. Restrictions apply. See terms@sportsbook.fandom.com for help with a gambling problem. Call 877-8-Hopeny or text OPTY 467-369Amazon Hub
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C
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
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Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. We all have that one friend.
C
I'm talking about the yo yos who
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set themselves on fire and bathe in pork and beans.
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Or know that one person I'm here with, my family who can't help but be.
C
He's not cool. His voice is weird. He's kind of a dork. His brother's a tool. His girlfriend's annoying.
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That guy.
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I didn't know it was banner night. We won't be out for that.
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It's time for that guy Thursday. Hey, guys. Anyone want to play some ball with Don Hahn and Rosenberg?
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He's just being that guy.
C
I got a couple. Oh, fantastic, Alan. I pass you the rock.
A
First and foremost, though. But just to follow up from Nate, who sent us that thing about being a die hard Barry fan. And you know that he didn't think that Barry would have fit with that Yankee team. Might have, like, kind of messed up what they had. And then Don pushed back. He's now saying this again. This guy's a die hard Barry fit. He said he had a lounge chair and his own TV in the corner of the locker room. That was a no enter zone for his teammates from what I've heard. So I don't. I gotta feel like. I don't know if Barry Bonds was gonna be it. Like, he wouldn't have been with that group. The things we knew about that Yankee team. Now, later on, they added some guys who were prickly, like Randy Johnson and Kevin Brown. You know, Clemens seemed to fit in pretty well, but there were other people that came in. Who. Who is the dude? Chad Curtis.
C
Right.
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They had a couple of guys that were, you know that.
C
But.
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But the group strong enough by then to kind of like push back and make sure those guys didn't mess up the room. But this would have been early in the go. And a lot of those, the core four, they were young.
B
Yeah.
A
So I don't know. It's an interesting debate. Interesting debate.
B
I think we've run into enough players in our lifetime guys that you give them an inch, they'll take a mile. To me, that was more of a reflection on the Giants organization and where they were. He wouldn't have done that with the Yankees.
A
You don't think so?
B
Well, listen, the Yankees, George loved reclamation projects. And I'm not saying that Barry was a bad guy, but, you know, Daryl Strawberry didn't come to the Yankees with a great reputation. Neither did Doc Gooden. You know, whether drugs and really literally getting in trouble with the law.
A
Okay.
B
Right, George. George always loved to bring those guys in to kind of prove the world wrong. And they all. They all fell in line. They all did. Because the one thing you give the Yankees credit for, even then, it was a respected organization. I think George was respected to A certain point, a lot of guys didn't want to go there. See, that might be the ultimate answer, guys, that Barry's not telling you is knowing he couldn't be that guy is why he didn't go there. Yeah, the Giants offered him more money, but it was probably a case of, you know, all these rules that George has and guys file.
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Right, no beards.
B
I'm not going to do that.
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But if he.
B
I think if he ended up on the Yankees, I think he would have conformed the way I think every other star, really, whoever really gave them many problems. There's a lot of guys that came over that were. That had issues, had problems other places and just didn't with the Yankees because I don't think George would allow it.
A
Well, again, Kevin Brown wasn't great. Randy Johnson didn't love it here. There were a couple of people that came through that just knew that they had to just mind their business, otherwise the room would have turned on them. But the room had to be established, and it took those early years to establish it. I think that part of it's important now. B. Dilly said, what if the pull. What if the pulled thread goes the other way? Bonds comes to New York, the Yankees win, he becomes a megastar. And because he's a megastar in the Yankees, he doesn't feel overshadowed by McGuire and Sosa, doesn't turn to Juice and ends up in the hall of Fame. That's.
C
I mean, now we're playing.
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Now that, that's. That's the happy juice. Now you're happy.
B
But that's fun because that, I think. I think it's Barry Bonds apologist story. But for the people that concede that he did take it was that, yeah, you know, that he wanted to catch up. He saw what the home run was doing for Sosa, McGuire, and he wasn't getting the love that he wanted. He was a good player. He had 34 home runs. He led the league in walks the year before he went to San Francisco. He's a really good player, but he wanted to be special and he knew to be special. He had hit home runs. But you're right, maybe if he's winning championships and hitting 35 home runs in the Bronx and he's doing commercials and he becomes a big deal. Maybe he's like, oh, this is great.
A
He doesn't care about. Yeah, right. McGuire and Sosa's whole thing and, yeah, all that stuff.
B
So it's great. It's a great point. I know it sounds like it's exaggerating, but he does make a great point. It could have gone the other way.
A
All right, so that guy stuff, yes. The first one's just some goofy, you know, social media stuff, but it's fun. I know he's listening, so he'll love that I'm calling him out. This guy Andrew was, you know, taken aback. John Harper, the great John Harper was writing about how it's just a party at Citi Field. The game's over now, by the way, The Mets win 11 7. And again, Benj and Alvarez also had a home run. I mentioned on the show, right. When Benj hit the home run, how, you know, it's his first one. We all made a big deal about it and he couldn't. I mean, he ran to Twitter and replied to Harper saying, meanwhile, Alan Han is searching for a Josh Hart quote. No one cares about. First time he's mentioning Benj on the show. And so I just for fun, I just said, you know, it's first time anyone has Andrew. It's March. And then he said, so off base. It's insane. And he said that, you know, Michael has been talking about him since January and all that. Right. So, I mean, first of all, Andrew's a Mets fan, and yet during a Mets game, he's listening to our show. So I love him for that. God bless being that guy. You know, you haven't even talked about this guy. Dude, it's March. Like there's a lot going on in New York. So now we're going to talk about him. And that's what it's supposed to be about. But it was a back and forth. He was being that guy. But I also acknowledge that your favorite team is playing their season opener and you still have us on while watching the game. So God bless. We love you. But you are. You were being that guy today. So that's that one. The other one is this. We've all lived this world. We've all been here, we've all seen it, we've all felt that, we've all thought it. And what I want to say is that we see it. But what about those who are doing it? Don't you know you're being that guy. And that is, of course, and God bless him because it's not an easy job. But when you are a road construction worker and you take out a lane in the middle of the day in one of the busiest stretches of road in this tri state area.
C
Oh, yeah.
A
And you know, everybody's miserable because they're all just jammed into two lanes when barely three is enough for that much traffic. And you are leaning against the concrete wall, looking at your phone, not doing a damn thing. Maybe it's your break. Maybe it's your break. And if it is, you deserve it.
C
God bless.
A
But don't be that guy. Don't be caught standing when a lane is closed for construction and there's no construction happening.
C
No, you can't be that guy.
A
You can't. You gotta know everybody's looking at you like, yo, get to work. Right? Like, what are you doing standing around? If it's your break and your union demands you get a break, good for you. Don't stand there.
C
No, you gotta walk off. You gotta go somewhere else.
A
Go in the truck, Sit in the truck. At least something. Don't sit. Don't just lean on the wall staring at your phone like, yeah, I got nothing to do. I'll get to this eventually.
C
Oh, is this. Is this creating an inconvenience for you?
A
Oh, I'm sorry, are you guys. Does this bother you? Like, you know, you're being that guy by just standing there as everybody's staring at you?
C
So, all right, you want to. Let me.
A
Let me piggyback to that guy, don't you think?
C
Oh, let me piggyback with you because we're going. We're going driving and we're going New York etiquette.
A
Okay?
C
So I, as the people here who know me well, know I am moving again because I'm a psychopath back to my old home on Tuesday.
A
You can go home again.
C
Yeah, apparently you can go home again. And I am doing that on Tuesday. So I. One of the reasons that this has been a colossal failure for me is that after many years of not being in the street parking game, I decided at this stage of my life, I am going to get right back into the old driving around, looking for parking spots and dealing with alternate side every day of my life. So I'm that guy for thinking that. Guys, I first got a garage and I don't. I honestly don't care how this sounds. That was a way that I chose to spend $500 a month, guys. I'm talking about going back, like my second apartment in the city, something like that. I was like, you know what? I can't do this anymore. It's causing me too much stress. This is worthwhile to spend the money. Over 10 years after that, I said, let me go back to street parking, as you can imagine. Guys, has it been great? No, not this winter. No, no, no, not when you have times where ICE will literally take out an entire street of parking for a week. And then let's say there's an SVU episode that takes out four blocks of street parking. So it's had its ups and downs. Frankly, it could have been worse. It's mostly been okay. But anyways, I digress. The other day.
A
Thanks for the reminder. I have to move the car to.
C
Yeah, there you go. You better do it. The other day, it's, you know, it's. Let's say, let's say it's a. It's a. It's a Tuesday. All right. And a Tuesday. And I'm driving, looking for a spot, and I pull up and I see someone in a Monday, Thursday. They're in the car, the lights are. They had their hazards on for some reason. Hazards are on. They're sitting in the Monday, Thursday. And I pull up next to them and I try to get the guy's attention. He's already trying to do the I'm not giving you attention. Which, by the way, already that guy, if you are sitting in a car in one of those spots that you know is coveted, just you have to be prepared that people are going to
A
pull up and ask, that is, hey, are you leaving?
C
That is, you know, Don, I know you live in Jersey, but you know, that is built in here. Like, you know that's happening. Like if it's one of those spots.
B
Well, I look for parking too.
C
Yeah, you know what it's like you pull up the guy. Oh, you know. No. Okay. So the guy doesn't want to look at me. He eventually, I think I go with the full honk to get his attention.
A
Oh, wow.
C
And I.
A
You leaned on it.
C
Not a lean, just a hello.
A
Oh, okay.
C
He looks up. Exacerbated already. Is that the right word? No. Exasperated already.
A
That too.
C
Yeah. It almost exacerbated, but he was definitely exasperated. Okay. And he looks up at me and I give him the, you know, international sign for are you moving? And he tells me, no, but he does it kind of weird. I don't back off because I sense there's something going on. I say, I say, I get him to roll down the window. I go, are you leaving anytime soon? He goes, eh, 20 minutes. I said, alright. I look behind him, there's one car behind him, and then there's a 40 foot gap where there's a hydrant. I go, any chance you want to. Any chance I get the spot, you could just wait by the hydrant. He goes, what do I look like an A hole.
A
Oh, wow.
C
I went.
A
Sorry, he went New York on you.
C
I'm literally gave me like the. I'm an extra in City Slickers. Like a complete jabroni. I go, I look like an A hole. I actually, I guess, is the opposite. I looked like. I thought you looked like a nice enough person. Who would think, since I'm sitting in my car anyway? Let me explain something to you. Hydrants are for waiting. If you are just going to sit in your car, you sit by the hydrant. That's how this thing goes. You don't take a Monday Thursday spot on a Tuesday. You don't. You don't. And you can tell me, I'm not a New Yorker and you could say everything you want, but I've been here 18 and a half years. I've been coming here my whole life, and I know I am factual. And Anthony Pusick, by God, will back me up as a borough man himself. Hydrants are for waiting, not legitimate spots. What say you?
A
Right now, everything's for waiting. People just leave their car in the middle of the street sometimes.
C
What is wrong with you people?
A
But I told you, Peter, I think I've said this on this show. I know I've said it on my other shows. Hazard lights, when you put them on, you can get away with murder in this city.
C
It's crazy.
A
You pull over and you put on your head on. It's all right. He's got his hazards on. What does that mean?
C
What does that mean?
B
What does that mean?
A
You just, like. You can't just put your hazards on and sit there and take up. Take up the whole road now. Nobody can get by you. It's seriously. It's like, you know, a man's throat was slashed. I saw the guy who did it.
C
Technically, it's legal, though. His hazards were on.
A
You know his hazards were on. All right, well, you know, if the slash. If the suspects. That's what it is. It's like. Well, suspects, hazard lights were on, so we did not press anything.
C
It's immediately no longer murder in the first degree. The hazards were on.
A
Have you ever noticed that?
C
No, no. Oh, yes. Because I've done it myself, too. We've all used the hazards inappropriately. When I drove away, though, I noticed. I did another lap around the block and I noticed as I was pulling up the second time, he turned the hazards off. So he didn't realize. You said, what do I look like an a hole? The answer is yes, sir.
B
You do.
C
You had your hazards on. You're drawing attention to your car that you are going to leave soon.
A
Right. The hazards say this is a pause button. If the hazard lights tell you I'm pausing. I'm not stopping fully. I'm not going to be here a while. That's what the hazards tell.
C
And I got to tell. You guys can tell me like I'm a complete mark and a yo yo. If I'm in that spot where I know I'm going to be posted up for a while. And someone asked me and I could tell they need the spot. Assuming my spot is not impossible to get out of, what I would have done was told me to back up so I can block the street for him, and I would have just backed out and moved into the hydrant spot. That's what I would do to be courteous to other people. But you people are animals, Absolute wild animals. Don, are you with us?
A
Don, do you have anything after this? I mean, because we're just letting it out.
C
Sorry.
A
We're going it all out.
B
There's so many. Because the parking stuff, especially where we park, not directly in front of our building, but on 6th Avenue.
A
Yeah.
B
For some reason, there's a delivery truck that always seems to be there. So you got the truck. And then there's a couple of spots outside the truck where they're unloading boxes. Now, they got a job to do. But I'm kind of curious, Are they paying for that spot if they. If they paid the 1325 for two hours or the five bucks for an hour? Do what you want, right. Have an orgy in the spot, you pay for it. Oh, but I'm wondering, do those. Do those delivery trucks.
A
Yeah.
B
Pay for the spot you're taking up?
C
Not.
B
Then why do they understand they got deliveries to make, you know, But I got. I got work to do. Are you allowed to take up four spots and then you don't have to pay a dime?
C
No.
A
You're claiming.
B
I'll just. You know what I'll do? I'll park and I'll just unload a bunch of boxes outside my car. Just claim I'm delivering.
C
Well, no, but what you do is you can't. But no, you can do it, Don. The companies are getting tickets. The tickets are just included in the price of doing business. So these delivery.
B
I was curious.
A
Yeah.
C
You know, they do. So, like, you'll see. Every once in a while, you'll see a delivery truck. They get. Just get tickets stacked up. But it's built into what they do.
B
The other. The only thing And I might have brought this up before, and if I did, I apologize. But, like, before I left for my trip, I'm stopping at Dunkin Donuts to get a coffee in the drive through.
A
Okay.
B
So it's busy. There's a lot of cars. But I don't know what these people are. Morons or they. They. They don't know how to drive. They'll leave, like, a full car gap between themselves and the car in front of them.
C
Mm.
B
And I'm halfway between. I can't. I can't place my order because I'm not in front of the microphone, because this guy won't drive up to the bumper of the guy in front of him. Why do you need that big of a gap? And it's not like, oh, I wasn't paying attention. I was on my phone. I'm sorry. I'll move up. No, they had no intention to move it. They don't want to be that close to the car in front of them. Not realizing that you're messing up the cars behind you, because now I can't place my order. Maybe somebody else can't turn into the drive, but just drive up. I'm not saying you got to touch the bumper of the guy in front of you, but move up couple of inches.
C
It's a miracle that we survive.
B
I just think that. Honestly, I don't. It's always. Probably always been this way. But whether it's post Covid or whatever, there are people that, like, literally do not care about anything but themselves.
A
That's correct.
B
Their ounce of convenience is more important than your survival.
A
Yes.
B
They don't care. They're oblivious. They don't have any sense of decorum. They don't have any sense of awkwardness. If I were in that situation with the guy with the hazards, I. I probably would see you pull up and I drive away. Just because of the awkwardness of. I wouldn't even want you to ask me. I'd be gone because I'd be. I'd be so sensitive that I was taking up somebody's spot.
A
Well, because, you know, you were wrong
B
myself in front of somebody else, I would have saw him pull up and stop, and I would have left.
C
I literally. I know this sounds crazy. I'm just really polite. Like, if. So, I know we got a break. But if someone comes up and is like, hey, are you leaving? I'll go, no, sorry, I'm not. I just got here. Or I'll say, I'm leaving in about two minutes. If you can hang on Two minutes. And then you do run into people that are really polite like that. The other day I was in a dire parking situation. I'd been looking for over an hour. Pouring rain, about to lose it. I think I told you guys this and as I'm about to walk into my in my building, I see a guy who just got a spot in front of my building. And as I'm walking up, I go, hey, dude, are you sticking around long? He was like, no, like five minutes. I said, is there any chance you could just hold that spot for me? Complete stranger held the spot for me for five minutes. I ran and got my car and came back. So you do find kind people, but I just the amount of people who are terrible, it's just. Listen, that's why we have that guy Thursday.
B
Every week at this time, Donald, you find nice people. Just like there are some that win the lottery.
C
That's exactly right. And speaking of winning the lottery, the DNR Couchcast is much like that. The draft is coming up on the 23rd of April and guess what? New York's on the clock. Jets pick in second and 16. Giants picking five. Rick and Dave breaking the whole thing down on our YouTube channel. You don't want to miss it live with them. It's all presented by Calandra's Bakery.
B
This college basketball tournament moment is brought to you by Marriott Bonvoy.
C
After rupturing his Achilles celebrating the team's Sun Belt tournament championship, Georgia State head coach Ron Hunter was forced to roll this sidelines of the NCAA tournament on a stool with wheels. In the opening round, 14 seeded Georgia State faced third seeded Baylor down two.
A
RJ Hunter, the coach's son hit a
C
game winning three pointer causing his father to fly off his stool celebrating on the floor.
B
Mary A thon Boy where game day checks in.
A
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C
Your stage should feel just as memorable. With Marriott Bonvoy, official hotel partner of the NCAA and U.S. soccer, you're connected to a portfolio of brands designed for how you travel. Some offer complimentary breakfast, others give you
A
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A
I like things my way. My coffee, my schedule and my treatment. So I talked to my doctor about self injecting with the Vivgard Hyrulo pre filled syringe which contains fgartigamide alpha and hyaluronidase qvfc. It's injected under your skin subcutaneously. It means I can inject in my space on my time time. It's my treatment my way. Visit vivgardmyway.com that's V-Y-V-G-A-R-T myway.com and talk to your doctor about Vivgard Hytrulo Brought to you by Argenics thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
C
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
A
Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. Hey Donnie, did you see this quote from Tom Brady?
B
I did not.
A
Okay, so Tom Brady did an interview with CNBC and he said because, you know, yeah, he looked pretty good moving around and stuff in that flag football game. Physically looks great. And so he's asked because of, you know, we see a lot of over 40 quarterbacks in the NFL. Joe Flacco just signed with Cincinnati. He'll be 41 this year. And so there was a question, did you ever think about coming back? And he said, I actually have inquired and they don't like that idea very much. So I'm going to leave it at that. We explored a lot of different things and I'm very happily retired. Let me say that too. So at first you're like, wait, Brady wanted to come back and play but he couldn't because he's an owner. So he would have had to give up ownership of the Raiders to play because that's, that's a salary cap circumvention kind of thing. But is there a part of you, though, that wishes, as much as you know, that rule has to be there? Because otherwise teams would do silly things like giving ownership stakes to players just to get them to sign and have more value to a contract that you couldn't put under the cap. But there's also something that would be kind of cool about, like, Brady saying, you know what? I want to play, so we don't need to draft the quarterback. I'm the quarterback of the Raiders.
B
Well, see, I need more information.
A
Be kind of cool.
B
I was thinking, let's say catastrophic things happened to their quarterback situation, and you needed a quarterback, the Raiders needed a quarterback.
A
Okay.
B
Why would it be a circumvention of the cap if he signed a contract and the money that he made from the Raiders fit in the cap? Like, no, you just can't. You just can't walk on the field and be a quarterback of the Raiders because you own the team. That would be a circumvention of the cap. But what if you were able to sign a contract and that money fit in the cap? But, yeah, you're being paid because. By the Raiders.
A
Yeah, but you're. You're still an owner. Right. So you still have the benefit of being an owner, a share of the team and whatever the revenue that comes with and all that stuff and the value of that ownership. So, for instance, who's to say that Matt Stafford says, I'm retiring this year? And then, you know, Woody Johnson says, Matt Stafford's coming in as a 5% owner of the Jets. We're bringing him in. He wants to own a team. We want to bring him and be part of the ownership. Right. And then in like the fall or whatever it is, August, Matt Stafford wants to play quarterback again. So we're going to let him play for us. And now, while you're still paying him a salary that fits in your cap, he has ownership of the team, though. There's a value to that.
B
Yeah, but I think is there you'd
A
have to give back the ownership to
B
be a player again, I guess. But what I was kind of curious
A
about
B
was he inquiring about going to play for the Colts.
A
Yeah.
B
And they said, no, you can't do that. You own the Raiders.
A
Right. Because Philip Rivers. Right. Yeah.
D
Right.
B
Because I was just wondering, like, the Raiders, were they in a need of A quarterback. They were losing. They didn't care if they won games or not.
A
No.
B
Colts were trying to make the play. I'm wondering, was he inquiring, was he
A
thinking about opportunities elsewhere? Yeah, because that.
B
I could see the impropriety there. Of course, you're playing for another team. But I wonder, like, you don't already
A
see impropriety in the fact that he's calling games while owning a team that's a broadcaster. There's also something there.
B
I. I think there's impropriety if he calls, Calls a game that involves the Raiders.
A
Yes.
B
But I also think, you know, what about if he calls a game that it's involving the Chargers, the Chiefs, or the Broncos division or, like. Yeah, there is a little impropriety to that.
A
Yeah.
B
But, like, what we're talking about is basically one of the themes of Heaven Can Wait, because that, that. That's what it was. Right. He bought the team so that he could be the quarterback of the Rams.
A
Right.
B
But how cool would that be if Tom Brady wanted to play for the Raiders, if all of a sudden three quarterbacks got hurt, they didn't have a quarterback? If I'm Roger Goodell, I'm not stopping that. I'd want to see that happen. Yeah, no, but I understand how awkward it is to you on the team, but it's not like that. What you make from the Raiders is to be the owner. But if you want to be a player, player, like, I understand not giving a piece of the team to a player you're trying to sign as a free agent or give a contract to. That seems like you're breaking the rules. But if you already own the team and you want to play, I think that'd be a pretty cool story, and I try to find a way to make it work.
A
Yeah, no, he'd have to divest ownership. Again, that's a league rule. And it's a league rule once again, because there is. There's always ways you can finagle it so that you can pay a player more than anybody else can by giving them ownership. Even if that play. Like, I think maybe the rule could be you have to be out of the league for X amount of years and be. Be an owner for X amount of years before you could then say, you know what? I want to play. Because it would have been kind of cool to see it. But it's such a rare case that I don't think it's that big of a deal to, like, start arguing it, you know, but it's an interesting thing that he wanted to do it and the league said, no, you can't. And like, don't bother. Don't do this. It's. It's not worth it.
B
I'm trying to remember was there a game last year or was there a moment where the Raiders needed a quarterback or. But I'd like to find out a little bit more. Like was he angling to go play for the Colts?
A
There's no way he could have. He would have done that. Not as an owner. He wouldn't have done the Colts thing. I think it was. I think it had to be the Raiders.
B
He gets it.
A
Yeah, that's a good point. Thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.
C
I don't want to know how the
A
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, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers. Monster Energy Everybody knows White Monster Zero Ultra, that's the og. It kicked off this whole Zero sugar energy drink thing, but Ultra is a whole lineup now. You've got Strawberry Dreams, Blue Hawaiian Sunrise, and Vice Guava, and they all bring
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B
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C
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Date: March 26, 2026
This episode leans into an iconic New York sports “what if”: Barry Bonds nearly becoming a Yankee in the early 1990s. The crew of Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg dissects Bonds’ recent revelation about his near-signing, examines its credibility, and explores its potential impact on the Yankees’ dynasty. The hour wraps with their signature “That Guy Thursday,” featuring rants about relatable New York pet peeves and etiquette.
Barry Bonds recounts a high-stakes Yankees offer during a broadcast interview:
The Yankees, represented by the late George Steinbrenner, allegedly called Bonds and offered to make him the highest-paid player with the catch that he sign by 2pm that day. Bonds says he refused the ultimatum, went to lunch, and ended up signing with the Giants instead.
(00:50 – 02:13)
"George isn't here anymore, so I can tell the truth, right?... They told me, Barry, we're going to give you...the highest paid player at that time, but you have to sign...by 2 o'clock this afternoon. And I said, excuse me. And I just hung the phone up."
– Barry Bonds, via Alan Hahn (01:31)
(32:17 onward)
Street Parking Faux Pas:
Parking Hazard Lights:
Drive-through etiquette:
General politeness:
"I said, excuse me. And I just hung the phone up." (01:31) — Bonds via Hahn
"I'm 7.5 BS, John." – Don (02:21)
"I'm like 9, 9, 10." – Alan (02:27)
"You know how New York fans are. Stand in front of all bullets. That's how we are." – Alan (13:28)
"You never know what's...like. The other end of the thread is right when you pull something, you never know." – Alan (10:21)
"If you are just going to sit in your car, you sit by the hydrant." – Rosenberg (37:41)
"When you put those [hazard lights] on, you can get away with murder in this city." – Alan (38:52)
"Their ounce of convenience is more important than your survival." – Don (43:05)
Conversational, debate-heavy, and full of humor, local references, and New York attitude. The hosts freely blend sports analysis with relatable everyday complaints (“That Guy Thursday”), often poking fun both at themselves and idiosyncratic city life.