Hour 2: Don Rant

Summary

Podcast Summary: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg Episode: Hour 2: Don Rant
Release Date: January 23, 2025

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Introduction

In the second hour of the "Don, Hahn & Rosenberg" podcast, hosts Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg delve deep into the world of sports, focusing primarily on their frustrations with the Kansas City Chiefs' dominance and the broader implications of sports dynasties. This episode, aptly titled "Don Rant," showcases Don's unfiltered opinions and heated discussions, punctuated by interactions with enthusiastic listeners.

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Main Discussion: The Kansas City Chiefs and Sports Dynasties

Don's Frustration with the Chiefs: Don La Greca kicks off the conversation by expressing his deep irritation with the Kansas City Chiefs, highlighting the team's perceived manipulation of game rules to secure victories. He draws parallels between current player Patrick Mahomes and past legends like Michael Jordan, suggesting that greatness in sports often comes with unearned advantages.

• Don La Greca (03:03): "That bothers the rules."
• Don La Greca (04:57): "Flopping in the NBA irritates people. You’re manipulating it..."

Manipulation and Gamesmanship: The debate intensifies as Don criticizes Mahomes for "playing the game to draw penalties," equating it to flopping in basketball—actions he finds contrary to the spirit of fair play.

• Don La Greca (05:18): "He knows he’s getting the calls and now he’s playing the game to draw that. Now you might say it's gamesmanship. All right, good on him."

Comparison with Other Sports Legends: Don extends his critique to other sports figures, reminiscing about Michael Irvin and his controversial tactics, and LeBron James' notorious flopping in the NBA.

• Don La Greca (10:00): "He [LeBron] knows how to win games. But all year long...you start to say this is what the league wants."

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Interaction with Callers: Engaging the Audience

Caller Melissa's Perspective: Melissa from Brooklyn offers a counterpoint, appreciating Don's candor but defending the fun and communal aspect of activities like dancing the Macarena. She emphasizes the joy in doing something mindless with others, highlighting a generational and cultural divide in perspectives.

• Melissa (20:27): "When Macarena comes on, you dance the Macarena, right? And it's fun."
• Don La Greca (22:02): "I need Melissa to answer one question real quick. Do you know any of the words?"

Caller Richard's Input: Richard from Huntington brings in his support for the podcast while expressing his desire to see different teams, like the Lions or Commanders, succeed without relying on manipulation. He touches upon coaching strategies and team dynamics, adding depth to the conversation.

• Richard (23:15): "The Kansas City Chiefs winning a three-peat is like Mariah Carey and 'All I Want for Christmas' is overdone. It's overrated."

Caller Aiden's Challenge: Aiden from Colorado voices the common sentiment of audience fatigue with the Chiefs' repetitive success, urging for more competitive balance in the league to maintain viewer interest.

• Aiden (25:13): "America is over the Chiefs. I'm sick of seeing the Chiefs. It's the same thing every year now."

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Musical Banter: The Macarena Debate

A lighter segment of the podcast centers around the popular dance song "Macarena," where Don vehemently opposes the synchronized dancing it inspires, labeling it as mind-numbing and contrary to true expression. Peter defends the communal joy it brings, especially for younger audiences.

• Don La Greca (12:37): "I'll never, I will ever... dancing is a form of expression. When you start doing the same thing everybody else is doing, you're a moron."
• Peter Rosenberg (13:36): "It's like singing together, except you're dancing well."

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Sports Strategy and Team Performance

NHL Focus: Transitioning to hockey, Don and Peter analyze the performance of the Flyers and their defensive strategies, praising goalie Igor for his impressive record and emphasizing the importance of securing points in the standings.

• Don La Greca (29:25): "Igor hasn't allowed a goal in 164 minutes and three seconds. So he is really playing tremendous."

NFL Insights: Peter provides insights into coaching changes and team strategies, particularly focusing on Aaron Glenn's influence as the Jets' head coach and the potential impact of Aaron Rodgers' tenure.

• Peter Rosenberg (31:29): "We have that coming up... these are two points they got to put in their pocket."

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Conclusion and Closing Remarks

As the episode wraps up, Don and Peter reflect on the heated discussions, emphasizing the diverse perspectives within the sports community. Don reiterates his stance against the Chiefs and synchronized pop culture phenomena like the Macarena, while Peter underscores the broader audience's varied interests and the evolving landscape of sports fandom.

• Don La Greca (32:06): "I'm Don Legreca here to tell you about my friends at Bathfitter..."
• Peter Rosenberg (32:38): "Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast..."

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Key Takeaways

1. Dominance of Sports Dynasties:

   • Don voices strong opposition to teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, arguing that their consistent success stems from manipulating game dynamics rather than pure talent.

2. Fair Play and Sportsmanship:

   • The conversation highlights a broader concern about maintaining fairness in sports, with criticism directed at players who exploit rules to gain an advantage.

3. Generational and Cultural Differences:

   • The debate between Don and callers like Melissa underscores the generational divide in appreciating communal activities and pop culture references.

4. Engagement with the Audience:

   • Interactive segments with callers enrich the discussion, showcasing a range of opinions and deepening the podcast's exploration of sports-related frustrations.

5. Balance Between Tradition and Modernity:

   • While Don clings to traditional notions of sportsmanship, Peter represents the evolving nature of sports fandom, which now incorporates broader cultural elements.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Don La Greca (03:03): "That bothers the rules."
• Don La Greca (04:57): "Flopping in the NBA irritates people. You’re manipulating it..."
• Don La Greca (05:18): "He knows he’s getting the calls and now he’s playing the game to draw that."
• Melissa (20:27): "When Macarena comes on, you dance the Macarena, right? And it's fun."
• Richard (23:15): "The Kansas City Chiefs winning a three-peat is like Mariah Carey and 'All I Want for Christmas' is overdone."
• Aiden (25:13): "America is over the Chiefs. I'm sick of seeing the Chiefs."

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Conclusion

"Don Rant" serves as a passionate exploration of the frustrations surrounding dominant sports teams and the ethical boundaries of competitive play. Through Don's fervent opinions and the dynamic interactions with listeners, the episode offers a candid look into the complexities of sports fandom, balancing traditional values with the changing landscape of audience expectations.

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For those who enjoy spirited debates on sports and the intricacies of team dynamics, this episode of "Don, Hahn & Rosenberg" is a must-listen. Whether you agree with Don's perspective or find yourself siding with Peter and the callers, the conversation is sure to resonate with any dedicated sports enthusiast.

Transcript

[Don Legreca]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast.

[Don Legreca]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers. I mean, you could just play this, set the mood if you want, you know, Don.

[Don Legreca]

That'S not bad.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know what I mean?

[Don Legreca]

Listen, I love groove.

[Peter Rosenberg]

When the horns come in, though, that's when you feel it, Anthony. So we have a Super Box Bonanza winner, right? Oh, yeah. Listen, guys, there are ten super boxes, and one was given away on Barton Carlin yesterday. Okay? Today, Hal in Livingston, New Jersey. Let's go. Hal takes home the Apple TV, the.

[Don Legreca]

4K Apple TV that is ours.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's not nothing. Not nothing at all. Not nothing at all. Congrats to Hal.

[Don Legreca]

That's something. One more chance to win later in the show.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes, that's right. That's why you keep listening. So we'll let you know when that's coming up. Superbox Bonanza already giving away great prizes. We are in our number two, the 4:00 hour. It is Don Hahn and Rosenberg. 880 ESPN. The number is 800 now. 193776. So we've got championship weekend this weekend. Sunday, actually, of course, the NFC and AFC championship games. And I think it's America's team, and that is the Kansas City Chiefs, the team everybody wants to see win. Because I think dynasties are good for sports. They're good because you hate them or you love them. But they also have characters that regular America is used to, okay? Regular America has become very familiar with the certain faces in the characters. So whether it's Andy Reid or Patrick Mahomes or Travis Kelce or just the Chiefs in general, that is just like when it was Tom Brady and the Patriots and Bill Belichick and Gronk and all that stuff, just like it. Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. Just like it's any of this stuff. LeBron James and the many teams he played for. Steph Curry and the warriors and that whole thing, right? It's always been good. I think it's been good. But I know that there's constant pushback from fans who like to see different characters each year. But this now becomes. When you start to see one team get there every year, you start to then say, this is what the league wants. And then you start to watch games closely, and you see marginal calls. And if there's one or two, it sounds like there's 20 of them in a game. And fans see, they get the calls. They get all the calls. And Mahomes does. He's a smart player, and he knows how to manipulate.

[Don Legreca]

That bothers the rules.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He understands it. This is what you do. Like, this is what happens with certain players. They know Michael Jordan. Everybody used to say that about Michael Jordan is what the league wants. Jordan gets every call he pushed off. They don't call it right. Like, there's always something going on back then as well. This is a tale as old as time. This is not new.

[Don Legreca]

I get it. But there's just something different this time around.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay, well, with that in mind, because this has become a narrative now. You have to ask Patrick Mahomes what he thinks about shocking. You know, everybody thinks you're getting all the calls that you get favorable calls. How do you feel about that? PATRICK Mahomes?

[Don Legreca]

I don't feel that way. I mean, I just try to play football. At the end of the day, the referees are doing their best to. To. To call the game as. As fair and as proper as they possibly can. And all you can do is go out there and play the game that you love as hard as you can and live with the results. And so for me, it's to go out there, play hard, try to do whatever I can to. To win the football game, and then live with the results based off my effort and. And the way that we played the game. And so I think that's. That's what Kansas City. But the problem is, is you're manipulating it, Patrick. I mean, that's what kind of bothers me. All right. When Michael Irvin would push off, I mean, that's a football play, right? I mean, and he would get the break, but he's trying to catch the ball, right? We see that when Wade Boggs would always get the benefit of a play on the corner, that would. That. That just. That's what happens. The great ones sometimes get the breaks. It feels like, to me, he's manipulating it with these late slides, with slowing down before he goes out of bounds. He Knows he's getting the calls and now he's playing the game to draw that. Now you might say it's gamesmanship. All right, good on him.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He knows the rules and he's using.

[Don Legreca]

Them to think he's using it to his advantage. And that could be irritating to people, right? I mean, it's not like, all right, there's there. They didn't call the hole. Like, it's one thing if it's like, all right, something that's beyond him. But he realizes when I slide, if they breathe on me wrong, I'm gonna get a 15 yard penalty. So I'm gonna manipulate this. And so that can drive a lot of people crazy. That now goes beyond. Like, the thing that really irritated Sidney Crosby is that, like, early in Sid's career, he's toughened up a lot, but early in his career, he'd whine to the officials, and then all of a sudden the arm would go up and you're like, come on, man, you're the best player in the league. And you gotta complain to the officials and get those. That irri. Flopping in the NBA irritates people.

[Peter Rosenberg]

LeBron used to flop.

[Don Legreca]

You're manipulating. It's one thing that you get the call, like when you drive to the basket and they don't call the charge because you're LeBron James is one thing, but when you flop to get the call, you start to become a glorified actor. Now you're taking it a bridge too far. For me, that's what makes it irritating. I never said they weren't great. I had this conversation with Michael earlier. I'm sick of him. I don't like them, but I'm never going to say they're not great. And great teams find ways to win games, and that's why they win close games. But I can understand, and myself included, feel like there's a manipulation going on here that I think to me is a bit of a bridge too far. And honestly. And I had this conversation with Dan Grasso when I was driving in, and Dan's a huge Jet fan and he hates the Patriots and all that. And I didn't hate the Patriots, but I never felt it was that far with New England. Now we'll get a bunch of calls. Oh, wait a minute, Don. This and that. Deflate gate and all. Yeah, no, I get that, but maybe because Brady didn't scramble, but I just never did. They get calls, yeah, but I never felt they manipulated it to that point to where it irritated me, the way.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It manipulated it in other ways. They. They had deflated footballs. They had. They had cameras on the other team. It's the same thing. It's just you're not manipulating in the game, but you're still manipulating.

[Don Legreca]

But absolutely. Well, I mean, that's. That's something that said. What did that explain it away? Because somebody said that one time that makes it okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't say it makes it okay. But the point is that that has become part of it, where I am going to do whatever it takes to win, and I will use whatever I can to my advantage. And if the league makes a rule change, then Mahomes, okay, I can't do that now. But he's aware of rules. He's aware of all of them. And he knows what he can and can't get away.

[Don Legreca]

I know, but it bothers me. So it could bother me. Now, what would really help with the Patriots, because you make a great point. Champions were won after Deflategate, after Spygate. Like they were. They were great. And you know what? The Chiefs are great.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They also lost some. But.

[Don Legreca]

And listen, Kansas City lost to Cincinnati and they did. They lost to Tampa. So they're not perfect either. And again, there's nothing to do with the Swifties and all that. I'm just. I'm done. I want to see the Bills. It's been a long time since the Bills have been to the Super Bowl. They've never won a championship. And listen, I've got no problem with the Commanders. The commanders are the one team I don't hate in the NFC East. You know why? Because the Giants always beat them in a big spot. But the Eagles, Cowboys, oh, my God, forget about it. But Washington, I won't say I have a soft spot in my heart, but I got no problem rooting for the Commanders on Sunday. I'm not rooting for the Eagles, but if I see an Eagle chief Super bowl, it's, you know, Michael was saying, well, don't you just love the greatness? No, I don't. I'm good. I've seen great. I'm very fortunate. I've seen LeBron James, I've seen Michael Jordan, I've seen Wayne Gretzky, I've seen Sidney Crosby. Okay, I got to see Nolan Ryan throw a no hitter. Like, I've seen a lot of greatness. I've seen the Yankee dynasties, I saw the Canadian dynasties, I saw the Islanders dynasties. I'm good. I just want to be entertained. I'm not entertained by them anymore. I want them out. And he Irritates me. His voice irritates me. Just looking at him now. He's a great guy, which bothers me even more. It was easy to hate Emmett Smith. It was easy to hate Michael Irvin. Michael Irvin was a punk. Even though he did something very nice one time, he didn't come on the show and he called me to apologize. So my opinion has changed on Michael Irvin post career, but during the career I hated him. You know my theory on the shoulder game? Remember the 93 Giant? The last game of the regular season, he had the separated shoulder and still mauled the Giants.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Don Legreca]

Faked it. He faked the shoulder injury because every time you talk to him, he never remembers what shoulder it was. And the fact that people were helping him up, he's helping him up with the shoulder is supposedly hurt. So that's the kind of level of hatred I had for the Cowboys. I don't hate the Chiefs in that way. Kelsey's a great guy. Patrick Mahomes is a great guy. But they're still irritating and I want them out. Can both be true?

[Peter Rosenberg]

That doesn't make any sense.

[Don Legreca]

No, it makes perfect sense.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, it doesn't.

[Don Legreca]

So now, because I hated the Cowboys.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They'Re nice, but I want Jerry Jones right in the face, right?

[Don Legreca]

Jerry Jones a bad guy. Jimmy Johnson was an arrogant pee ending in ick. Right? Michael Irvin. Punk. Couldn't stand him. Couldn't stand the Cowboys.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The Chiefs are at that level, but.

[Don Legreca]

The Chiefs aren't at that level, which makes them even more irritated.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wait a minute. They aren't at the level that you were irritated by the Dallas Cowboys, but.

[Don Legreca]

They'Re even more easy to hate the Dallas Cowboys. But this. They. They. But it's so weird. The. The only thing that irritated me about the Cowboys is cause they won so much. I was jealous. I'll admit it. My hatred for the Yankees. Honestly, my hatred for the Yankees comes from my dad, who hated the Yankees. But there isn't been really any hateable Yankees. I mean, Derek Jeter was a gem. Jorge Posada, you know, these are good people. I hated them because they won too much. I was jealous. This is just. They really just irritate me. It's like he's not cool. His voice is weird, he's kind of a dork. His brother's a tool, his girlfriend's annoying. It's like I'm tired of them playing in every big game. I'm tired of during the commercials. I've got to see Reed full Maruski. Yeah, it's to that level of irritation. It's like a bad song. Listen, I appreciate the artist. They're very good at what they do. But the song is irritating. I'm turning off. They irritate me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, I see.

[Don Legreca]

They irritate me. And the commercials. The commercial. The Allstate commercials are stupid.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Stupid.

[Don Legreca]

I've had it with them. Is that my son? To think that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is it State Farm?

[Don Legreca]

I don't even know. Commercials don't work on me. I watch every commercial, and I don't know what.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Don't retain a State Farm.

[Don Legreca]

Is it State Farm? It's definitely State Farm. Star.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What did I say my homes is. You said All State.

[Don Legreca]

All right, I got it. Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no, you said Allstate.

[Don Legreca]

Oh, what the hell.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, we want to be fold.

[Don Legreca]

All right. I'm just. I'm tired. I'm just tired. And Andre's a nice guy. If you need three new reasons to love Jack wraps at Jack in the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Box, even more, here they are.

[Don Legreca]

Chicken fajita, chicken Caesar, and delicious. Starting at $3. Coincidentally, those are the same three reasons you should come to Jack in the Box right now at Jack, every bite's a big deal.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sorry. So the Chiefs are Aaron Base. I saw the sign. Right. Remember that Ace of Bass? I saw the sun. Remember that? There was a time in the 90s where you couldn't turn on a radio without that.

[Don Legreca]

I know, but you know what? I can handle that song. No, this is Macarena level. This is Macarena.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wait a minute.

[Don Legreca]

No, they're Macarena level.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Macarena could stand the test of time. They played at every wedding. I mean, it's everywhere. It lasts forever.

[Don Legreca]

But do you like it? I'm disgusted.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Everybody's. When it comes on, you're like, all right, let's do it.

[Don Legreca]

No, I don't do it. No, no.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You refuse to do the Macarena.

[Don Legreca]

I'll never. I will ever. Like, line dance through the Macarena. The chicken dance. No, dancing is a form of expression. When you start doing the same thing everybody else is doing, you're a moron.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But that's fun.

[Don Legreca]

No, that's not expressing yourself. If you're just doing what everybody else is doing, you should be institutionalized. The music is supposed to take you to a place where you start to move. That's what it's about. But if all of a sudden, putting one hand out, the other hand, no, then you're a moron. Line dancing. But these people all should be institutionalized. So you listen to countrymen not my thing. Not my thing. But it moves you. Moves you to go up and dance the same way everybody else does. So that song moves you the same way. 50 other people are moved. Stop it. I mean, independent thought people.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, it's.

[Don Legreca]

That's not the idea of this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Stupid. The synchronicity of it together. It's almost like singing together. Except you're dancing well.

[Don Legreca]

But if you're getting paid, what's harmony?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Harmony's the same. Same thing.

[Don Legreca]

It's just paid because they wrote a song, they want to harmonize. You're not that we want to dance. You're not that talented that I got to be at a wedding and watch a bunch of half drunk yo yos all dance in unison. There's something wrong with you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't know. When I hear Apache, the first thing I'm ready to do is Apache.

[Don Legreca]

I'm not familiar.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, you know, Patch, I probably heard it. Tonto, jump on it. Jump on it.

[Don Legreca]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, you put your hands on your hips and you go one side, the other side, back, forward.

[Don Legreca]

You do this?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hell yeah.

[Don Legreca]

Why?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because I have a 9 year old daughter and she loves it.

[Don Legreca]

Well, that's one thing. If you're dancing with your daughter, that's beautiful. But that's. What if you're dancing with some drunk 50 year old woman, right? Who you wouldn't give the time of day to if she was burning on fire in the street. All of a sudden let's all dance together the same way. I don't know who you are, I don't care if you lived or died. But all of a sudden this song comes on and now we all have to dance the same ass way this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Stop it.

[Don Legreca]

The Chiefs of the Macarena.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The Chiefs are not the Macarena.

[Don Legreca]

Unified dancing, Sy. Synchronized dancing. They are synchronized swimming. At the Olympics, you wouldn't watch it on a bet.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Why do you hate fun? Because that's what the Chief. So winning is fun? It's fun to watch?

[Don Legreca]

No, no.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Dynasties are fun. They're fun to watch.

[Don Legreca]

Fun.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Good. Football, yeah.

[Don Legreca]

But no, not a teacher guy. You know, fake slide to draw a penalty is not fun.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, how about when he's getting tackled and he still throws an amazing dart.

[Don Legreca]

Right to his title? Seem like nobody else has ever done that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Not like that.

[Don Legreca]

I'm good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Not like that.

[Don Legreca]

I am good. Why can't you just let me hate. Now, I'm not saying they're bad, but I tell you, I don't know how they're doing it good for them. They know how to win games. But all year long, you know, the, the penalties, the holds, missed field goals, block. Feel like they catch every damn break.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes, that's what great teams do. But that's what's compelling about. It's compelling.

[Don Legreca]

Not to me. Not to me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know why it's not your team.

[Don Legreca]

Well, of course if it was my team, I'd be fine.

[Peter Rosenberg]

There you go.

[Don Legreca]

Blah blah, blah. I wouldn't be happy if with the fake slides and everything, I'd be like that irritates me. It always irritates me, the sack dances and stuff. And when my team does it, I tolerate it, cuz it's my team. But it's still deep down. It bothers me. But I have a right as a citizen of this planet to root against the Kansas City Chiefs. And I'm damn well gonna do it. Go Bills. I want to jump off a plane into a fiery table for the Buffalo Bills. Give me. Give me Bills Commanders or give me death if you give me Chief Seagulls. You know what? I may not watch.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wow.

[Don Legreca]

I may not watch and you want to fire me? Fine.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know what?

[Don Legreca]

I'll come on and I'll break down the Rempe's play over that weekend and they can fire my ass. I'm fine if it's Chiefs. Eagles. I'm not watching. Can't stand the Eagles. And Sirianni with his little smug face and all of a sudden Saquon became a punk. Used to be the nicest guy on the planet. All of a sudden now he's slowing down, scoring touchdowns, doing dance. Stop it. Philadelphia, my ass. Eagles, Chiefs. Not watching. Commanders. Bills. I'll be licking the television screen. Licking it like it's ice cream.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And you'll be one of the only ones good.

[Don Legreca]

Why do I. The one thing you gotta find out about me, Everybody will watch if you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Less people will watch if you learn.

[Don Legreca]

Anything about me in the time. And I hope we work together forever. I hope we both croak on the air together at 100.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That'd be amazing. All right, Thelma and Louise.

[Don Legreca]

Is that I don't do anything because other people do it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, I understand.

[Don Legreca]

But I don't intentionally do it differently. That's the point.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't care.

[Don Legreca]

I don't care if I'm the only one watching. Bill.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's not my point, though.

[Don Legreca]

I want it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's not my point. My point is, is I think what you're missing is most of America wants this.

[Don Legreca]

I don't Care.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's almost the reason Taylor Swift romance has taken on a different life. That your Good Morning America audience that doesn't really care. It's not your SportsCenter audience. These are other people. I've tried to explain this to sports fans for years. This is not for you. Because we know you're coming. Cuz, Don, no matter what you say, you will watch that Super Bowl. You will.

[Don Legreca]

Was my job.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Of course. So you're gonna watch it. And it's also the Super Bowl. Everybody watches it. But there's a lot of people I could hate. There's Eugene and Dolores who don't watch sports. But oh my God, I love Taylor and her boyfriend Travis. It's so cute. And if they win, do you think he's gonna. You think he's gonna propose to her on the field?

[Don Legreca]

Oh, my God. To kill me. And again, I get a little problem.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, my God. Eugene, come in here. Come in here.

[Don Legreca]

He's on his knees and I get it. And if you want to get into conspiracy theories, even though the NFL prints money and Prince ratings, the million people or however million people watch a game because Taylor Swift is involved in it, wouldn't watch a football game on a bet.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's right.

[Don Legreca]

So they're getting it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Don Legreca]

But I don't understand it. I love Slayer. If you told me Slayer was at a game, I'd be like, I don't care. They're not playing. Like, I don't understand why you care if Taylor Swift's obsession, that's just obsession. Well, that's not good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's a human. But human condition that some people have that you and I don't.

[Don Legreca]

You know, I don't care.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You and I don't have that. But I'm just trying to understand, like, I get what you're saying, that you're tired of seeing the same. The same story. You want a new story. Right? But I'm just trying to tell you that you're in the minority here.

[Don Legreca]

I don't care.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because what everybody wants to see is if Ken Mahomes do three in a row, can he take this now to a level where you can legit now start saying, you know, we just saw Brady and this guy's about to pass him, right? This guy's already now level so that he's right there at this age.

[Don Legreca]

So that is more compelling.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes. History. It's history.

[Don Legreca]

Buffalo Bills team that's 0 for 4 in the Super Bowl. This little tiny market, all right, that these fans haven't seen anything good for so long to be able to finally see that team win a Super Bowl. I get your jet fan. So maybe you think differently because they're in your division. I get that. I will. I will understand.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Maybe there's a little of that.

[Don Legreca]

But, you know, to just get this team.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Remember, I am a card carrying Josh Allen fan from his Wyoming days. So there's nothing. There's less to do with that than.

[Don Legreca]

Anything or to see the commanders. As Griffin said when he called up, has there ever been a team around and a good kid, young quarterback.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I get it.

[Don Legreca]

And the commanders and all the fans, what they had to go through, those fans with a terrible own playing in a terrible building and now finally it coming together. I mean, those stories are compelling to me. Not a team that's trying to jimmy switch their way to a third championship.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm good. 800-919-3776. Melissa in Brooklyn. Melissa.

[C]

Oh, my God. Hello.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hi.

[C]

Hi. I'm so excited. I want to cry. I love everybody but Don. Don, you are my absolute favorite. I love you so much. And this is because I don't think that you have ever been wrong. I always say, if Don McGregor has ever been wrong, I haven't heard it. I must have missed that episode if it ever happened.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wow.

[C]

However, today is the exception that proves the rule. First of all, let me just say my husband agrees with you about the Chiefs. He thinks they're great. He's just sick of them. He's like, I've had enough. So I get that. I don't disagree with you about that. I do disagree with you about the Macarena. When Macarena comes on, you dance the Macarena, right? And it's fun. And the fun of it is just like doing something stupid and letting yourself do something mindless. Because sometimes it's fun to do something mindless. And it feels good to nail the choreography and to do something in a big group of people and you're doing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It together with others. It's like kind of a shared experience.

[Don Legreca]

Why not have expression? That's independent thought. This is how I think the Macarena should be. Instead of one hand up and then one hand down, it's Melissa.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It just doesn't get it.

[Don Legreca]

It's a mess, man.

[C]

I am not against personalizing the Macarena.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I am.

[C]

I'm not against it, but I think there is some fun in doing it exactly right and getting it right.

[Don Legreca]

Thank you for the kind words. We agree to disagree on that. But I just really.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I need Melissa to answer One question real quick. Do you know any of the words?

[C]

Hey, Macarena.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's about it. That's what I thought. Thank you, Melissa.

[C]

I appreciate it. Thank you so much for taking the time And Don, other than that, you are always right. So thank you.

[Don Legreca]

Thank you, Melissa. I appreciate that. Listen, I'm doing very well with the ladies this year.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, you were really Roz in New Hyde park ahead, Roz.

[C]

Okay.

[Don Legreca]

Long time fan, big fan of both views. But Donnie, you're right on, baby.

[C]

Television with red skin and, and the Bills. The Bills haven't won in a long.

[Don Legreca]

Time and I'm a die hard Giants fan.

[C]

But I'm telling you now, Donnie, I'm licking the television on that.

[Don Legreca]

That's right.

[C]

Donnie is right.

[Don Legreca]

Let's make this a thing. Let's make T shirts out of it.

[C]

Nobody wants to see that. I'm tired of them.

[Don Legreca]

And you know what? You don't hate the Commanders, right? As a Giant fan, they wanted the championship game against Washington, you know, beating up on Jay Schrader and listen, I'm. I'm good with the Commanders winning a Super Bowl.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Let's go to Richard in Huntington. What's up, Richard?

[C]

Hey, guys.

[Don Legreca]

Don.

[C]

Long time no talk. How's that? Anyway?

[Don Legreca]

Good. How are you?

[C]

Good, sir. I have a first time talking to you. Alan Han put a habitual myster crown on you because congratulations. You just made Don rant for the first time.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This won't be the last, trust me. Yeah, but please, I'm finding ways to push buttons.

[C]

Oh, I am looking forward to that. Don, here's a comp for you. The Kansas City Chiefs. It Winning a three peat is like Mariah Carey and all I want for Christmas is you. It's overdone. It's. It's overrated. I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to hear about it. And so I actually. I actually had Lions command. I'm sorry, not Lions, Commanders. Lions, Bills in the Super Bowl.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's unfortunate.

[C]

It's very unfortunate. I actually wanted the Lions to win. They had a. You know, obviously they had a flawed defense. Now I'm a Jet fan and I probably have an unpopular opinion. I want to get your guys take good. I like the high. I like the hire with Aaron Glenn defensive mind. He had a. You know, he had a full defense back when they faced the Commanders. That's why they lost. Did Dave Campbell have. Have a hand in it? Maybe, maybe not. But I think they play as value of game. I would have rather I Would have rather Ben Johnson only because he's an offensive mind. Are we doing like it's like you know, the defensive guy on the head as a head coach again, like do we really need that? I like to hire but I would.

[Don Legreca]

No, it's fair.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's definitely fair and that's something we've all kind of talked about. But either way you were going to get somebody that is inexperienced. I want to grab a couple more here. I know we're late, but this was too fun of a conversation. You good with? I mean we got ENN coming up so.

[Don Legreca]

Well, I don't devalue enn. It's better when he does it anyway.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I was not devaluing. I was just saying we do have that coming up.

[Don Legreca]

Well then get to it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But I'm just kind of like, I love it feel like these conversations. Aiden in Colorado. Go ahead, Aiden.

[C]

Hey, listen, that last guy hit on what I wanted to say but Allen, I'm sorry, you're wrong. Not as right. America is over the Chiefs. I'm sick of seeing the Chiefs. It's the same thing every year now. Let's get a Super bowl with a little bit more juice. Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Again Aiden, you're missing my point is that you're a football fan so you're you football fan America might want it, but non traditional football fan America. This is what they want. They want the Roman, they want the. This is like the last chapter of the romance that they're all entrapped in. They want to see the Chiefs win.

[C]

Kelsey.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, because they're not football fans but they super bowl. Everybody watches. And Taylor Swift brings another element of fandom like, like Don said that normally doesn't watch football but they're watching because of this.

[C]

The people that watch the game and it's only game the year that they watch, they don't care who's in it ever.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like I said, I think this is different because of this element. This is even different than Brady and the Patriots being there feeling like every year it's different because this is an element we haven't really seen. This is like some type of like a romance thing. This is another story that has nothing to do with sports. That's what this is. I'm trying to make that point. I'm not saying this is what I want. I'm just telling you like if you look at it, this is what's trending in the world. It's why when she's at a game you have to as a network cut to her. If Kelsey does something or the Chiefs do something. You just cut to her. It might be for three seconds, but you're cutting to her because there's an audience that is expecting that. And the rest of us who are football fans, we gotta live with it because it's not for us, it's for them. And the reason why over 50 million people watch games that the Chiefs play in when they're on national TV. All right, more you calls. 800-919-3776. That was a lot of fun. We're going to do the Macarena during the break. We have Enn coming up, so stay with us. Don Han, Rosenberg, 880 ESPN. You got some Mazda?

[Don Legreca]

I certainly do. You want to get the most for your money. That's why more Mazda buyers choose Ramsey Mazd Lisa New 2025 Mazda CX5 All Wheel Drive. Just 229amonth. Start shopping now at Ramsey Mazda.com or at Ramsey Mazda Route 17 north and Ramsey. Choose wisely. Choose Ramsey Mazda. Call 888-885-2970 for details. Excludes tax, title, registration 0 Secure Deposit Vin S0560758 MSRP30585 Ends 13125 thanks for.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don Legreca]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Peter Rosenberg]

CA on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. This is the studio version.

[Don Legreca]

This is. It's like a bunch of kids doing this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sounds like a. Like a garage band covering it.

[Don Legreca]

This is the original studio song that they played live in Budokan and it just was on steroids.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But. But the way he's singing it, it's like he's not even sure he wants.

[Don Legreca]

You to want me. It's like, I can't imagine.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think I want you.

[Don Legreca]

It's like they caught a rehearsal of a song that they decided it's a sound check. And in case you missed it, we were talking about, like, songs that sound better live.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Legreca]

I want you to want me is one of the great songs of all time from Cheap Trick. And the song you always hear is the live version, Cheap Trick live from Budokan. But there is a studio version that you just heard, which is not good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no, it's. It's lame. It needs. It needs viagra.

[Don Legreca]

It's. It's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

800-919-3776. Game time right now. Brought to you by Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey. Because when it's game time, it's Tully time. The Rangers and the Flyers tonight at the Garden. Of course we have Don McGregor right here with us and he'll be on the pregame immediately following us at 6:30 on 8:80. And then we're also going to join Lakers Celtics coverage in progress afterwards. So that's a big one. Coming up we've got rivalry week going on of course, one of the great ones in NBA history. Lakers, Celtics. So that's coming up afterwards. So Don, I mean imagine you said it earlier in the show, so I'll let you just repeat it. Like these are two points on the table and you think with the way the Rangers are playing right now, these are two points they got to put in their pocket.

[Don Legreca]

Yeah, I mean listen, the Flyers have the same amount of points as the Rangers so there isn't any easy games for the blue shirts at all. But the way they're playing right now, they're home. Then they got Colorado on Sunday, Carolina on Tuesday. Those are two good teams. So you want to try to get as many points as you can, start climbing up those standings and they're doing that and you know, it feels like there's so much time left. But you know in the NHL all these teams play each other a lot of three point games. You're not going to win every game you play. It's really difficult to move unless you're really going to go on a toot. And 6, 0 and 3 is a nice run but it's not epic because you still left points on the table in Montreal, in Colorado they can come back and bite you. So you got to get points. Get points in conference, get points in regulation, you know, or overtime. Don't go to the shootout because from a tie breaking standpoint they don't have as much value. And just get the business here. They're playing great. Igor's Igor hasn't allowed a goal in 164 minutes and three seconds. So he is really playing tremendous. So take advantage of that man. Ride it and just get as many wins as you can.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Another game again, when you play the Flyers in the garden, there's always something special about that as well. Telemardue. The original triple distilled triple blended triple cast mature Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore Dew or try the new Tullamore Dew. Honey, during tonight's action, glasses up to enjoying Tullamore Dew responsibly.

[Don Legreca]

Yeah, Dave Maloney does the reads for that in game. You should hear it. It's hilarious. I don't know if we can find it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Does he say like, tullamore do, honey, as if like he's calling you honey.

[Don Legreca]

Oh, no, no.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He does it like a. I gotta hear it then.

[Don Legreca]

Like an Irishman.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, he does that.

[Don Legreca]

Yeah. That's why. Yeah. And he is Irish. Unless they give up three goals in the period, then he won't do it the next one. But right now they're riding a 6, 0 and 3 shoot.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So there was a month where we didn't hear Irish, if you can find it, please, because we do have another one of these reads coming up.

[Don Legreca]

Probably one of the most, if not the most underrated analyst. Dave is terrific, knows the game, passionate about it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yep. So completely agree.

[Don Legreca]

I'm a big fan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right. Well, we've got more of the show coming up, of course, including the big five o'clock hour. Aaron Glenn is your jets head coach, but who has some influence here that might change the way you look at this. Higher. And also the other Aaron, as in Aaron Rodgers. Is he now suddenly, is the clock ticking on his tenure here with the Jets? We'll explain all that. Your calls at 800 now, 193776. Because Don hates the Macarena and he hates the Chiefs even more. And none of it makes sense. Plenty to talk about. But Don, let's talk about some bad things.

[Don Legreca]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, man. I just want to know. It's good. Hear more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.