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Alan Hahn
Talk about stepping up.
Booger McFarland
Bang, bang.
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Don La Greca
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This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
Peter Rosenberg
That sounds like heaven to me.
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Alan Hahn
403 in the big city with Don Lagrego. Peter Rosenberg, I'm Alan Hodd. 800-919-3776 is the number. We will get back to your calls in the conversation momentarily. Stay. So of all the things that were going on last night, of course, Don calling the Devils in Colorado a wild game. The Devil's eight game winning streak comes to an end. What a crazy game that was. And eight to eight to four, right, Don? I keep thinking it was five, but it was eight to four final, which is a, that's a lot of offense. And now you're in senate, Jose. Continuing the trip, the Knicks, they now even their record at 2 and 2 with their second straight loss. They start a road trip with two losses, an ugly one, a bad second half in Milwaukee. Giannis goes off. More on Giannis, of course, and it's connecting to the Knicks. But some drama already early in Mike Brown's tenure with car Anthony Towns and issues of him buying into the offense. So that was going on last night. And then there was the World Series game which the blue jet like you wondered who was going to have any energy after that epic 18 inning performance in game in game three that the Dodgers went on a walk off home run by Freddie Freeman. And it was Vlad Guerrero, guys who seemed to set the tone early and kind of took back a little bit of the star talk. Shay Ohtani, who had the incredible, you know, nine times on base, two home runs, two doubles. They had to walk him every time intentionally because they were just so afraid of him. He started on the mound. He wasn't terrible on the mound, but he was good. He was fine. Yeah, he was fine.
Don La Greca
He gave up a home run and never had the lead.
Alan Hahn
The flat home run was the big hit, but you could see he was really labor like he was fighting his way through it. But offensively also brought it on the table. You wonder if he was fatigued. You wonder if the very next day that's a tough thing. You're asking him to hitch. Nine at bats hit, and it's less.
Don La Greca
Than 24 hours and on. And nine at bats, sure, five walks, but on the bases nine different times, Don. There's a lot expended there. And mentally and physically, it's a long night.
Peter Rosenberg
And I still feel. There was that one play, I guess it was in the 10th inning when he had to run the bases, where it looked like something had irritated him. Ended up being nothing that they talked about, but something just didn't seem to be right. Whether that had anything to do with it or, you know what, Toronto's a really good offensive team, you know, so good job bouncing back. You asked about Peter, like, how do you get up from a loss like that? Well, that's how baseball is, right? That momentum sometimes doesn't carry over and Toronto even the series. And I think it's great. I want to see seven. And now we got a chance at that.
Alan Hahn
Yeah. Game five tonight, 8:00 Eastern in LA. The last game in LA before the series, then will now definitely move back to Toronto. Well, the man covering all of it for us at espn, Jeff Passon, kind enough to join us here, and I'm sure it's the game after game after game in this type of a series, but because of what happened in game three. Do you ever catch up on rest at this point, Jeff?
Booger McFarland
No, but that's okay.
Jeff Passan
I have the best job in the world. Why would I need to rest without.
Don La Greca
Even yesterday when you canceled on us?
Alan Hahn
I love it. Oh, wow. He went right for it. Peter said that? When right for it?
Don La Greca
No, he's doing it soon. He said. He said. I said, you're a nice man. He said, no, I'm not. I have to cancel. I said, oh, don't worry about it. He said, I'll wear it tomorrow. So I had to give it to him.
Alan Hahn
He asked for it right in.
Don La Greca
Okay, so I hope you got a little snoozy.
Jeff Passan
I did.
Booger McFarland
That's.
Peter Rosenberg
That.
Jeff Passan
That's actually fair. I.
Booger McFarland
And here's the thing, it was very.
Jeff Passan
Precise the way you just cut my throat. So I appreciate that.
Alan Hahn
It was a clean cut.
Don La Greca
Listen, I'm honestly just jealous of you, though. The truth is, like, I think all three of us.
Alan Hahn
Well, tell them. Tell him what you thought when you looked up and there he was on SportsCenter.
Don La Greca
Which.
Alan Hahn
What did I say yesterday?
Booger McFarland
Which one?
Don La Greca
I think.
Alan Hahn
Oh, he what?
Don La Greca
Took a little big time.
Jeff Passan
I didn't.
Peter Rosenberg
Hold on.
Alan Hahn
We lost the face off.
Don La Greca
See, now they're making it up. It's not enough that I take a shot. Now you got to make things up.
Alan Hahn
Look, I was here.
Don La Greca
What I was going to say, what I would know, what I was going to say was he's just like, to me, your job at this moment. You know, Jeff, it's not necessarily always sexy on May 17, but right now, this is the envy of the sports world to be watching what's happening in Los Angeles. Like, you were. You were telling me yesterday that it's something you just have to see in person. Can you compare sort of the. The feeling around this Shohei Ohtani Dodger World Series situation to anything you covered previously in baseball?
Jeff Passan
It's LeBron, it's messy. It's seeing the absolute best player in the world at his absolute peak doing absolutely incredible things. And I've been covering baseball almost a quarter century now, guys. I've seen unbelievable players, you know, first ballot, no doubt, inner circle hall of Famers. I have not seen anything like Ohtani. And the beauty of Shohei Otani to me is when you show up at the ballpark any day, you have absolutely no idea what he's going to do to blow your mind. You know, whether it is a tape measure home run or whether it's throwing consistently at 100 miles per hour or. Or whether it's. You know, I just look at last year, the guy wasn't pitching, and he's like, you know, I think I'm going to do something else. And it's almost like, you know, Ice Cube messed around, got a triple double. Shohei Ohtani messed around and stole 50 bases. Like it wasn't even. It wasn't even part of his bag, but he made it such. And when you have somebody who is that gifted, that talented and works the way he does to extract the best out of himself, it's a majestic thing to witness.
Peter Rosenberg
You know, as somebody that really loves baseball, like history. What I was thinking about while I was watching game three, and I know it's game three, and we don't know what the rest of the series is going to be like, but that game three, Jeff's going to be a classic that they're going to show on whatever ESPN Classic is 50 years from now, and there's going to be some baseball historian that's going to watch this game to look at Ohtani and go, oh, my God, Max Scherzer started that game. Oh, my God. Clayton Kershaw came in relief. Oh, my God, they're walking Ohtani to face Mookie Betts. I Just think that game has the potential to age just so gracefully in just the amount of hall of Famers firepower. That was an absolute classic and it has to be honored by having a seven game series like this couldn't end with the Dodgers winning in five. I think that game three, Jeff, is going to age like a fine wine.
Jeff Passan
I hope you're right. Because I hope 50 years from now, I fear, Don, that right now there's a large swath of people who don't have the patience for what is truly an investment in time. I mean, six and a half hours is no joke for any sporting event, regardless of what the stakes are. And so to have as many people, I think stick around at the game as did to have as many people who stayed up till almost 3 o' clock in the morning Eastern time watching it was a real testament to how great it actually was. But part of being a baseball fan is understanding that sometimes the ride's going to be a little longer than you expected and just buckle up and enjoy it. And it reminded me, frankly, it reminded me a lot of hockey over time. I am not the biggest hockey fan in the world, but I'll tell you what, when the Stanley cup playoffs are going on and when games get into overtime, that is when I will tune in. Because you know, any mistake that happens, the game can end right there. And the idea that at any moment, if one of these pitchers makes a mistake, the game could be over. Particularly when the Dodgers were at the plate. And that's exactly what happened with Brandon Little giving a center cut sinker to Freddie Freeman. But at any moment this thing can just, this glorious event that you have invested so much time in can just stop. The sudden death of is just so cool to me. And it makes every pitch matter more. It's why watching do what he did, I mean, Will Klein was a guy who, I imagine 99% of people who are tuning into that game didn't even know who he was. He was telling me yesterday he was like, he was at the Dodgers complex out in Arizona just trying to stay hot, you know, pitching once, twice, maybe a week. And they brought, brought him in to do some live at bats and he was throwing strikes and the stuff looked good. And the Dodgers were like, all right, you're on a World Series roster. He was shocked by that. And then he comes in after a season in which he had maxed out at two innings and maxed out at 36 pitches and goes four innings and 72 pitches. And it's like the guy needed Twice the effort. For a moment that was a thousand times bigger than any he'd ever.
Don La Greca
And then. And then Jeff, after that, he gets greeted in the locker room by Sandy Koufax.
Spike
That's all.
Don La Greca
It's a day. It's a bit of a day.
Alan Hahn
It's not bad.
Jeff Passan
I was standing there when that happened, and, like, you gotta understand, when Sandy Koufax walks into a room, the room stops. I was quite literally talking with Will Klein, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sandy Koufax and looked at Will, and I was like, excuse me, and just took three steps back and wanted to make sure. I wasn't positive that he was coming over, but I assumed that was plan. And, you know, when. When you are in Sandy Koufax, his presence. There are very few athletes who leave me speechless still.
Booger McFarland
He is one of them.
Alan Hahn
And that's one of those moments where you're like, he's not here to talk to me. Like, you know, let them have the moment, right? And just be the fly on the wall.
Peter Rosenberg
Trust me.
Jeff Passan
I. Yeah, I've talked to Sandy Koufax once.
Peter Rosenberg
It was.
Jeff Passan
It was for my book. And I got a call the day before, and they said, can you be in Phoenix tomorrow? And I said, I. Absolutely. I think I was. I think we talked for 30, 45 minutes, and it was one of the coolest conversations I've ever had.
Alan Hahn
Well, we had a conversation yesterday, Jeff. And we're talking with Jeff passing on the World Series. We have game five tonight. The series is tied to two after the Blue Jays get the win last night. And one thing that we kicked around, and I'm wondering how you feel about it, is the idea that Ohtani was so good, that John Schneider's like, I'm done. We're putting him on base. In fact, we're putting him on base to lead off an inning and extra innings. We don't care. We're putting him on base. We're not letting him beat us anymore. And, like, I don't want to speak for Don, but, like, Don made a great case about how, like, you mentioned, overtime, hockey, in the playoffs, there'd never be a time where the other. The other coach would say, all right, we're taking Connor McDavid out of the game. We're just going to. Whatever you have to do to do. You don't remove the best player from the game, but you can do that in baseball. And so did you find that to be a problem? Like, someone's like, whoa, they're in the 14th inning. Yeah, I'm tuning in, but you never get to see.
Don La Greca
Literally happened to me, Jeff. I'm watching my stupid commanders lose to the Chiefs, and then I see two home runs, two doubles, oh, my God, let me get to the World Series. Never saw the man move his back.
Alan Hahn
So. And so there's a thought that it could be bad for the sport. I see it as strategy. How do you see it?
Jeff Passan
I see it as strategy, too, and I don't see it there being very many scenarios in which that's going to come up again. I mean, we've seen it happen with Barry Bonds in the past, Right. We've seen it happen after Albert Pools hit three home runs a game in the World Series. Back, I think was in 2011, maybe we saw that again. You know, he got intentionally walked at odd times the next day. If this becomes a where Ohtani becomes all too powerful and starts getting intentionally walked to the point where it's becoming destructive to the sport, yeah, there will be something legislated in, I'm sure, to prevent that from happening. But can you blame him? Like, no. In baseball. In baseball, you have the ability to say, I am not going to lose to their best player. And that's exactly what John Schneider did. I think the way that Ohtani was locked in that night, you can't blame him one bit for that. And I feel like if you're the manager of the opposing team and Ohtani is the one who walks you off there, you're going to be kicking yourself forever. Like, did I have that much hubris to think that we could get around him? If they had, if they had gone yesterday and walked Ohtani intentionally in the first inning leading off a game, that would have been a little much. And you saw the way that they pitched in the rest of the game, especially when it was when it was close in the middle innings. But I think when it was all said and done, that was a unique situation and one we're probably not going to see often enough to make changes to the game.
Peter Rosenberg
We're talking to Jeff Passen here on Don Hahn and Rosenberg. A little bit later on, we'll talk to Jeff about his dad, Rich, and a sports writing scholarship that he started in his dad's honor. It's probably not a debate outside of New York, Jeff, because it's a slam dunk for Ohtani, especially with its pitching performance against the brewers in the postseason. But here in New York, the debate still rages. Who's better, Judge or Ohtani? Judge has the better war. Judge plays Every day. Judge is a great defender in the outfield. Is there still an argument after this postseason who's better, Otani or Judge?
Jeff Passan
It's not even after this postseason, there wasn't ever an argument. As long as Ohtani is pitching, he's better. Judge is a better hitter. I think that, and I would take Aaron Judge as the hit.
Don La Greca
I know the Yankees, the powers that be, intentionally, they heard him answer and then started messing with phones.
Alan Hahn
Interference right in the phone. That's it. All right, Sabine, all over it.
Don La Greca
The second you try to go anti Yankee in any way here, take him out.
Alan Hahn
Yeah, it's too bad.
Peter Rosenberg
Shoot, my ass.
Alan Hahn
That is. Got it back. All right, we got him back. I feel like, we feel like that it was a signal that was interrupting from the Bronx somehow while you were saying that.
Jeff Passan
Yeah, that's exactly. And Aaron Judge fan got very mad there. Yeah, I, I, I don't know how much you guys caught up that Ohtani's better, period. Like, as long as he's pitching, there's no doubt about it. If it's just hitting, I will take Aaron Judge and I will take Aaron Judge all day because I think just in every element, Judge is a superior hitter, but they're the two best hitters in baseball. Ohtani just also happens to be one of the best pitchers.
Alan Hahn
Isn't it great, though, for the sport that we have that conversation, that one is on the west coast, one is on the east coast in major markets, and you can make an argument for either one, have that debate and not include PEDs and not include anything like that, where it's just straight up, these two guys are two of the best players in probably the history of the sport. They're generational, no doubt about it. But it's, it's critical for any sport when you have players of this magnitude. It's not just one, it's two. It's Bird magic. It's, it's, that's. I, I do think it's very good for baseball. And seeing them on the big stage. Ohtani last year, that wasn't at his best in the World Series, but it's two years in a row, and Judge was there last year. This is only good for baseball to have these kind of conversations.
Jeff Passan
It's amazing for baseball. And I listen, I just appreciate that we are in a time now where baseball has actual stars. You know, baseball has real stars, and those real stars, you know, they can, they can be marketed and they can be loved, and they can be seen as standard bearers for this game that all of us know is the best.
Don La Greca
Now, Jeff, we spoke to you recently about your father because Don had stumbled across him in a book that he was reading about. So we had the conversation about your dad and what he did. But I know that you're very excited about the rich pass in sports writing scholarship. Please tell us about it.
Jeff Passan
Yeah, my father passed in May of 2024. He'd worked for the Plain Dealer in Cleveland for 41 years, hosted sports talk radio on the weekends, and I would sit in with him and just soak up knowledge, and he had a lot of bad takes. I love my dad, but now I understand why people yelled at him when he was on the radio, because in a lot of ways, he was your quintessential sports talk host, who knew he wanted to get a rise out of. Out of fans and had a great ability to do so. But he loved journalism and he believed in the power of the written word, and we want to continue that legacy. So we are looking for the best college sports writers in the country, and we want to reward them for their devotion to the craft and for their belief in. In the power of the written word. And this is going to be starting for next year, next school year, 20, 26, 27. We'll be given the award out in May. And if you want to apply, you can go to the National Press Club, and they have all the information on the website there. But it's something that's near and dear to my heart, my mom's heart, and it's wonderful to know that my dad's name is going to live on for a long time because of.
Peter Rosenberg
That's awesome.
Alan Hahn
It's fantastic. Don, did you know that his dad had a column named passing the Puck?
Peter Rosenberg
No, I did not know that.
Alan Hahn
Talk about a perfect playoff play on the name. It's phenomenal.
Peter Rosenberg
That is cool. Do you have an example of a bad take from your dad?
Don La Greca
Oh, I love this.
Jeff Passan
I mean, pretty much anything on the Browns, and he loved talking Browns. Like, he would.
Booger McFarland
He would.
Jeff Passan
He would host. Oh, here's a bad take by my dad.
Peter Rosenberg
Here's this.
Jeff Passan
This is great. Bill Belichick is a terrible coach.
Don La Greca
He nailed it.
Alan Hahn
That did not age well.
Peter Rosenberg
It wasn't that poorly received.
Jeff Passan
Listen, remember his people forget his tenure in Cleveland.
Booger McFarland
It did not go well. It did not go well.
Jeff Passan
And so at the time, Bill Belichick is a terrible coach. Was not all that outlandish, but, yeah, I never let him forget that.
Alan Hahn
That's awesome.
Peter Rosenberg
And, Jeff, I brought this up on the air when you did it and as you just said, you're not that big of a hockey guy. But when I'm getting ready to do my first ever Devil game, I got a bunch of text messages from people and one of them was you reaching out to me. I thought that was amazing. You didn't have to do that. It made my day and I really appreciated you did that. You're a good person.
Jeff Passan
Thank you, John. I appreciate that. And anybody in that day and anyone who wants to to donate to the rich passing sports writing scholarship can go to the National Press Club website and there's a donation form right there.
Don La Greca
Sounds like the perfect thing for Don to do right now. After he paid you that compliment, right?
Alan Hahn
I mean that seems to be the.
Peter Rosenberg
Ideal thing where my mouth is very.
Alan Hahn
Successful play by play man. Right now. Who's got. He's got plenty of it to throw around.
Don La Greca
Thank you, Jeff.
Alan Hahn
We are going to share the link and everything else, Jeff and make sure that the word gets out. Here in New York there might be one or two budding sports writers and sports broadcasters. You never know in this city. So there'll be a lot of a lot of attention to this. We appreciate the time. I can only imagine the day that the 24 hours you had over the since game three. But this is invigorating for sure. It looks like it's going to be a really fun series and it's already been historic so enjoy it. Thanks for giving us the time and we'll talk to you soon.
Jeff Passan
Mindfulness. Appreciate you having me.
Peter Rosenberg
Jeff has. It's always fun.
Don La Greca
I call him J.P. talk to him.
Jeff Passan
Yeah, he's J.P. to you.
Alan Hahn
And Jeep for short.
Peter Rosenberg
Yep, Jeep. Jeep. Now there are a lot of reasons why people buy at Ramsey Mazda guy there.
Don La Greca
Well give me. Give me seven reasons I want to.
Peter Rosenberg
It's just customer service.
Alan Hahn
One, it's their savings to you missed selection.
Peter Rosenberg
That was the third one you missed the selection. I said that in the beginning. We got three of the bonus really terrific human beings. They all donate to charity. They do goodwill for people, good people and they run a heck of a company. And they also have a lease for a new 2025 Mazda CX5 2.5s. Select for $229 for 36 months. Start shopping now at ramseymazda.com choose wisely. Choose Ramsey Mazda. Call 833-853-2970 for details. Vin S 059-5731 MSRP31915 0 Secure Deposit. This all comes to an end on 10 30.
Alan Hahn
What was that vin again? I I didn't get the last two numbers.
Peter Rosenberg
S0595731.
Alan Hahn
Oh boy.
Peter Rosenberg
Nothing like a good vin.
Alan Hahn
Don gives good vin.
Peter Rosenberg
I do give.
Alan Hahn
He gives good vin.
Don La Greca
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Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
Don La Greca
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
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Alan Hahn
All right, now we go from baseball into football. One of our favorite people to talk to is Booger McFarlane. And we've got some things to talk to him about right here, right now because something he said on this show about a month ago is now coming to fruition here in New York. There's a little bit of back and forth going on. Carl Banks has called out Dexter Lawrence saying he's not the same, that he's People aren't intimidated by him anymore and by the way, he's playing. And Dexter Lawrence not happy with Carl Banks right now. And so all that audio we can play for you later on. But this comes as no surprise, I would think, to Burger McFarlane, who's joining us right now as he does each week. First of all, welcome. Good to talk to you again. And second of all, you do recall telling us this, right? That you didn't like what you were seeing from Dexter Lawrence from the Giants, and he wasn't playing up to his standard, and now he's kind of being called out for it.
Booger McFarland
Well, thanks for having me, as always. I just needed to see more, I think, you know, last year, what do you have? Nine sacks. He was an all pro and he was dominating. I don't see the same or I haven't seen the same Dexter Lawrence consist consistently. I see it in spurts, I see moments of it. But I think we all expected him to build upon what we saw last year. And I think that's the. That's probably what a lot of people are seeing. Some of the same things that I saw.
Peter Rosenberg
And because he's at such a high level booger, it's more noticeable. But you could say that a lot about a lot of the Giants defenders is Carter where he needs to be. Thibodeau has been wildly inconsistent since he came into the league. So how much of this falls on coaching when you see a variety of players on the same unit underachieving?
Booger McFarland
Well, sure, coaching is some of that. But here's what I would say. You know, coaches don't step between the white lines. And if I think, if I'm correct, they got the same D line coach they had last year. So sometimes the players got to take ownership. You know, we love to blame a lot of things on coaches. You know, Dexter Lawrence is a professional. He's paid handsomely. Brian Burns is getting the coaching, same coaching, and he's. He's been dominating. So yeah, if whatever, like whatever he's doing for Brian, I'm pretty sure he's doing the same thing for Dexter Lawrence and Abdul Carter. You know, rookies are going to be inconsistent, but I think overall as a professional, you have to take ownership of your performance, and I think Dexter's got to take ownership of his. And maybe they all should try to emulate what Brian Burns is doing now.
Alan Hahn
How much do you put into, you know, he had the dislocated elbow. He had off season, had to go through the surgery. He was a little late in training camp. In fact, I don't think he really participated much in training camp at all. How Much of an impact can that have?
Booger McFarland
Sure, that can have a little impact. But, I mean, we're almost at the midway point of the season now. Like, you know, if, if we're running the Kentucky Derby, we're getting ready to approach the home stretch pretty quick. So you should be where you're going to be by now. Like, you should be lathered up, ready to go. We should be seeing your best performance as long as you're healthy. And I put healthy in air quotes because everybody's always got nicks and knacks. But as long as he's relatively healthy, we should be seeing the best of everybody out there right now. Because you've gone through training camp, you kind of, you know, you started the regular season, you got your legs underneath you, you got a lot of film on tape, you practiced a lot. And so we should be seeing people start to round in a really. Whatever form they're going to be, they should be rounding into that form right now.
Don La Greca
The, the. The loss of Cam Scatterbo for the Giants is obviously a major problem. And, you know, it's. It seemed like Booger there was this one plus one equals three thing with Jackson Dart and this kid. And obviously, you know, I understand he's a fullback. He's not the be all, end all of this team, but you could feel how emotionally zapped they were. How much does this hurt this team's potential to at least do enough to keep the head coach around next year?
Booger McFarland
Well, I think the head coach's job status is going to be determined by the quarterback. Cam Scatter Boot definitely brought a lot of energy to the team and there was a motivation, there was a, a willing to watch factor for the audience. But if Jackson Dart continues to progress and the offense continues to put points up and you start to see a path to your franchise quarterback, I think that's going to be the number one thing as far as Brian Dabo's job, whether or not the running back could get a few more yards or the running back did a little bit more. Although it's a great story, and I think Cam Scatterboard's got a lot of people, a lot of people's respect. Head coaches don't keep jobs based on running back production. It's about quarterbacks in this league.
Don La Greca
Well, I guess my one concern is just that he's like this little X factor piece that we've seen Dart rely on. I mean, I think it's what, four, four touchdowns already? You know, I mean, there aren't a ton of offensive Pieces there for Jackson Dart. With Malik Neighbors down, they don't have a lot there, so. I totally hear what you're saying. I guess my concern is just that it could kind of zap them. Like his. His value is almost higher than it should be anywhere else because this team is kind of bereft of offensive talent.
Booger McFarland
I hear you. He's a piece amongst a team that didn't have many pieces, so.
Alan Hahn
Right.
Booger McFarland
That point is very. That point is very well taken.
Don La Greca
But you're saying he should still be able to produce. If it's going the right direction, they should be able to find a way to replace that. That.
Booger McFarland
Well, you. You got other pieces, man. Now, they may not be Malik Neighbors or Cam Scabo, but you got other pieces. That's why you got to watch the tape. You know, Jackson Dart. Jackson Dart's got to throw the ball to the right people. Whether they catch it or not, he can't control that. I think the offensive lines got a block. They can't control whether the back hits the hole. So although Cam Scabo is not. Has been a really, really good story. I don't want people to mistake Cam Scatter boo for Christian McCaffrey or Derrick Henry or, you know, that guy just yet. Not saying he can't become that. But right now, I think the main thing he brought to New York was he brought an attitude, he brought hope, he brought some playmaking ability, a level of toughness. All those things I can't, I think, can be made up by other people. But the main thing is the quarterback.
Alan Hahn
Speaking of the quarterback, what are your eyes telling you as we see him week after week? There's a lot of people want to, you know, they want to say they got one, they got one. Oh, they got a guy. This is the guy. This is definitely the guy. What are your eyes telling you?
Booger McFarland
Yeah, he's a good player, man, and he's got. I think he's got the it factor, and I think that's the number one thing you have to have as far as team camaraderie and team morale. Now, as far as the playing position of quarterback, he's still got to get a little bit better. I mean, he threw the pick against. Against Denver, like. Like, you can't do that. I think he's got to know when the. You know, when the. When the journey's over, he can't be trying to run over everybody in this league. He's got to continue to get better. But he. He's showing signs, man, that make you go Okay, I see it now. I just want to see it a little bit more often, a little bit more consistently, which I think over the, over the course of a quarterback's next first couple years, you'll start to see that. So I'm not willing to anoint him the next, you know, Josh Allen, but what I am willing to say is that you see all the traits that would lead to that. But more importantly, he is a, he is a force multiplier and I think at this point in his career he's, he's, he's the best he could be right now as a rookie quarterback. If you, if you're a force multiplier and you're starting to play the position, although not perfect, but you're starting to show flashes I think relatively to where he is in his rookie year, that's the best you can hope for.
Peter Rosenberg
Booger, look at the jets and Justin Fields. He's been maddening this year because as bad as he's been, he had the performance against Cincinnati, the performance against Pittsburgh, so he has shown signs that it's there, just can't find it consistently. So what is the true Justin Fields?
Booger McFarland
I think, I don't think Justin Fields is a starting quarterback in the NFL, guys. I, I put that on social media a few weeks back. I think he's, I think he's a placeholder. I think you're going to get what you, what you've gotten so far. Wildly inconsistent and when the inconsistent is bad, it's going to look bad. When the inconsistent is good, you're going to be like, man, I see something. But I just think the lack of accuracy, the lack of anticipation, the consistency is not enough for me where I can say he's my franchise starting quarterback now. Is he good for the jets for this year as they try to figure it out? Yeah, he's good maybe this year and next year. But by no way, shape or form is Justin Fields the answer to the long term solutions at quarterback.
Alan Hahn
And if there's not a quarterback in this draft like Mel Kuiper is already saying that there might only be one first round rated quarterback in the draft because a lot of the guys might stay for various reasons. Of course some of them is they don't want to take a pay cut. For others it's, maybe they need more time. But that's what he's suggesting right now. And I know it's super early, but let's just, let's just play in that pool right now if that's the case. Where do the jets go like, do they. Do they have to find someone's backup? Do they have to find the next Sam Darnold? Which. Who would that be? I think they think they were trying to find that with Fields, but that's, that's not going to be it. This just feels like a perpetual issue here with this franchise is that they never can seem to find that guy that at least can solidify a position that has been in flux for forever.
Booger McFarland
That's the job of the general manager, and you shouldn't force it. You try to find one and they went out and found the best one they could find this year in Justin Fields. Next year they may go out and try to find the best one they can find. Until you can find your franchise quarterback, you just try to. You can only choose from what's available. And so the job of the general manager is to get the best guy that fits the jets that's available. And if there's not one available, then.
Spike
You can't get one.
Booger McFarland
You have to wait until one is available via the draft of free agency. So, like, it's, it's, it's really. Not that it sounds challenging, but if. Mel. If, if, if the jets do their evaluations and they deem that no quarterback is worth the number one overall pick, if they get it, then don't take one. You know, maybe you, maybe you go out and maybe you get, maybe you take a chance on somebody else and you try this again in 2027. That's, that's how you, that's how you maximize the picks where you put your franchise in. In holy hell is when you take a guy at number one and you know he's not the guy. And so hopefully, hopefully the jets don't do that now. It's only if we're not even a Halloween yet. Right. I think they're going to be some quarterbacks in the draft. I cover college football.
Alan Hahn
Yep.
Booger McFarland
I think, I think the kid out of Indiana is going to be pretty good. Mendoza, I think the kid out of Oregon is going to be a little bit more of a project. So, like right now, those would probably be the top two, but if you got the number one overall pick, you don't need but one. It's not, it's not like you need five. And so if the jets find themselves with the number one overall pick and they think Mendoza is the best quarterback, then you take him. That's kind of what the way I would go about it.
Alan Hahn
I know it's funny. You're giving me logic and I'M wondering if you ever met the jets owner. I'm just going to leave it there. Have you ever met Woody Johnson? Is that.
Booger McFarland
I've met Woody, and Woody could be the problem. But Woody, at his core, Woody wants to win. Well, you can say a lot of things about. About Woody based on some of the things he says and his personality, but I think Woody wants to win.
Alan Hahn
Of course. Everybody wants to win. He doesn't know how.
Booger McFarland
Yeah, well, first, he doesn't have to win. That's the job of the GM and the head coach.
Alan Hahn
Well, you gotta let him do it. Let him do it.
Booger McFarland
Well, okay, but.
Alan Hahn
Well, he.
Spike
He's. He's given.
Booger McFarland
He gave the support to Aaron Glenn, so he did. He didn't cut the legs off the. Off the head coach. He just said the quarterback.
Spike
Which, guess what?
Booger McFarland
What is what he found in.
Alan Hahn
Well, he was. Nobody said he was wrong. It was. It was the tack. But I'll tell you what. Last year, he didn't have to. He had to step in and fire the coach and then blow the whole season up. But he did. Like, that's. That's always been part of the. Part of the problem here.
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah, it's like, listen, if I asked out Sydney Sweeney and I was like, you say, well, listen, he really wanted to go out with her, but he's an awkward schlub that couldn't get it done, but he still wanted to.
Don La Greca
That's a great comp for Woody Johnson. Woody Johnson winning football is like Don lrea asking out an A list starlet.
Alan Hahn
Right? Do you like that? Is that a good.
Booger McFarland
There are. There are so many analogies that you could have come up with. You might have picked the worst one.
Don La Greca
No, that's nailed it.
Booger McFarland
Perfect.
Alan Hahn
Not.
Peter Rosenberg
I love this spot. I don't care for you, Booger.
Booger McFarland
I. Listen, I have seen. Hey, Don, I. I've seen a picture of you. But by no way, shape or form should you ever consider Sidney Sweeney in your ballpark.
Don La Greca
That's exactly it.
Peter Rosenberg
That's why.
Alan Hahn
It's.
Booger McFarland
That's why it works.
Don La Greca
And that's why. And winning has not been in the ballpark of Woody Johnson.
Alan Hahn
But you know what we just did?
Don La Greca
What?
Alan Hahn
Booger McFarland now refers to him as Don.
Don La Greca
And he has a thing for him.
Alan Hahn
Now he knows him.
Don La Greca
And now he has him up.
Alan Hahn
He saw a picture. See what we did? We're bringing it together, Don. Don got what he wanted. Booger, thank you, man. We appreciate you.
Peter Rosenberg
Thanks, man.
Don La Greca
He's good. I gotta say. He like, he. I really love who he gave us.
Alan Hahn
Two scorching hot takes. Three, actually. Yeah.
Don La Greca
And he's on board for what Woody said about Justin Fields.
Alan Hahn
Well, we never said that Woody was wrong. We all knew. By the way, I have enough football acumen to know that Justin Fields is not the guy.
Don La Greca
Well, all of us said that. But. But I love that even I completely disagree. I like that Booger stood with that because most people said, yeah, we know he's telling the truth. But why would you do that?
Alan Hahn
Why would you do it?
Don La Greca
Yeah, I, I listen.
Alan Hahn
Booger's like, well, because it's true.
Don La Greca
Right, Right. He took no issue.
Alan Hahn
Just keep it real. But that's what keeping it real goes wrong. But what about.
Don La Greca
I'm going to need a drop though real quick from Don. We're going to need a drop of I love this spot but I don't care for you. That's going to live on. Sorry, you were saying about what he said about Don.
Alan Hahn
That's a good one. No, the two quick takes on dart. He's. He's showing signs that make you say I see it. That's big. Force multiplier is a Mike Tenenbaum phrase that everybody at ESPN uses because it's so accurate about a play. It's one guy who seems to impact everybody in a positive way. And then Justin Fields is. He's not a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Don La Greca
Yeah, he's been on definitive and he.
Alan Hahn
Has been saying so these are things that you get out of a segment with Booker McFarlane, whether Don likes it.
Peter Rosenberg
Or not, you know, I like it, just not him.
Don La Greca
Yeah, I'll listen. Here's how I feel about Justin Fields. If I'm betting on FanDuel, he's not who I'm betting. And it's NBA tip off week. FanDuel is your home for live betting. You know that. So bet fair. So even if the miss start of a game or whatever it may be, you want to ride the hot hand. FanDuel has all the live bets that you need. You know, fourth quarter comebacks, so many different fun ways to play it with FanDuel. And you can combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. However you want to play. Now is the perfect time to join because FanDuel is giving you customers $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. So just visit FanDuel.com Peter to sign up today. Play your game with FanDuel, official sports betting partner of the NBA, 21 and over. Physically present New York first online real money wager only $5 first deposit required bonus issued is not withdrawable. Bonus bets that expire seven days after seat restrictions apply. See terms@sportsbook.fandal.com for open the gambling problem. Call 877-8-Hope and Wire text open wire.
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Don La Greca
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
Podcast Announcer
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Don La Greca
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Alan Hahn
Bet your ace. 8003776 let's get into some calls here. How about Spike and St. Pete? What's up Spike? How we feel.
Spike
Hey Spike, of course spoke to Peter on Friday. You guys were out and about doing it. I marvel at how many jobs you guys have and you perform them all very admirably and you're very entertaining.
Alan Hahn
Thank you Spike.
Spike
Okay, so here we go. Mike Brown was coach of the year twice. Not casting explosions on him.
Booger McFarland
However.
Spike
He lost those jobs after one or two years. Not going to knock down what he said. I thought Town shouldn't have played with the injury last night. You can't take one shot in the first half. Now here's my breakdown. The four teams they lost to will all be playoff or play in teams. I had a discussion with my next door neighbor, late 30s, and he says, well, Miami's missing their best player, Tyler Herro. I've always had a problem with Tyler Herron. I think he's a, a little less of a player than Devin Booker. Can shoot, put the ball in the deck, plays no defense. I think Ben Alebayo and, and, and what's his name? Who's the other guy? Not Jaime Bass, the other kid. Oh, Andrew. Andrew.
Alan Hahn
Oh, Wiggins. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Spike
Both, both Bam and Wiggins are, are very, very good two way players. So I don't want to hear about Tyler Hero. He's a scorer. He probably should be a six man off the bench with his defensive efficiencies. I noticed in the game last night, I think Brown got out, coached twice, not making adjustments in the second half. I think, and I said this before the season, you know, I got two boys and I got my buddies and I talk to a couple of people who know basketball. I feel I know it pretty well, probably the oldest guy, but I just don't see the Knicks making, addressing the issue they had last night. My buddy says to me, who's these guys in the back court from the Bucs? I said, they can shoot. Don't worry about their names. They can shoot. I said, and Giannis may be the best two way player in the game. He's as good as he can do scoring when walking. Used to call him six steps, but he didn't play defense with anybody. He reminds me of LeBron catching a guy from behind. And I don't like this whole thing with him coming to New York. I think Bridges is changing. James has shot. I think Bridges played well and I think Jalen's played well. Towns looks hampered. You remember this year's goal, Alan, and you remember it when Stoudemire started off and had those 30 games where he averaged 30 points. Towns last year, the first 20 or 30 games, if you remember, he had a lot more assists before he injured his thumb and he just seems to be a little reluctant now. He can get plenty of rebounds, but the key to the Knicks and I pound addition to anyone who listens to my old brain is Mitchell Robinson. He played 35 games last year, 18 in the regular season, 17 in the playoffs. Every metric will tell you he was a top three defensive Player in the playoffs last year. I don't know what's going on. Maybe he spent too much time in Abu Dhabi doing Abu Dhabi things. But I'll tell you, he hasn't played since the second game in Abu Dhabi. And that's what, three weeks?
Alan Hahn
Yeah. No, he played in the. He played in the third preseason game against Minnesota and that did not come in the second half. And that's the last we saw.
Spike
Right. So what's the matter with him? What's wrong with him? Tell us.
Alan Hahn
They, they won't. They won't tell us. They continue to say it's not a new injury and they can't win without him.
Spike
They cannot win without him.
Alan Hahn
I think. You know what it is, Spike. They know that. And that's the thing. I think they're worried about not having him when they need him most because this, this, the ankle's been. They've had two surgeries on this ankle and anytime there's even the slightest feel in that ankle, they're going to shut them down. And that's, that's all it is.
Spike
So you could thank Joel embiId for the second one. And, and as far as far as, as far as the NBA, look at the lineup, you can say it out loud real quickly. What? Sacramento started five guys over 30 years old last night. Five guys over 30 years old. So I think the Knicks have to give him 20 games. Let's see what happens. Of course we miss Deuce McBride. I hope it's not a family issue or a health issue. God forbid, his family stuff.
Alan Hahn
Yeah.
Spike
Okay. Well, Godspeed to him. He stays in front of his man. He's probably the second best three point shooter. And I just listen, these are four good things. Miami is always okay.
Alan Hahn
The schedule to start the season was going to be tough, but they still, when you look at those games and you see when they were playing well in both those games in Miami, in Milwaukee, they should have won those games easily. They didn't.
Spike
Yeah, they have lapses, right? Defensive lapses.
Alan Hahn
They're not there yet. And that's why, you know, look, you, you, you say, hey, they're not there yet. And of course fans don't want to hear that. I don't blame them because there's a lot of anticipation for the season. They wanted a 15 and one start. You're not going to get a 15, one start.
Spike
One more quick thing.
Alan Hahn
We got to go real quick.
Spike
Yavasali played well in a few big games. He looks like you're ricking the horn with his rear end.
Alan Hahn
You're right about that. 100. Thanks, Mike. Good to hear from you.
Peter Rosenberg
Thanks, Mike.
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Thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.
Don La Greca
I don't want to know how to.
Alan Hahn
Sausage is made, man. I just want to know. It's good.
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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.
Date: October 29, 2025
Host(s): Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Guests: Jeff Passan (ESPN baseball reporter), Booger McFarland (ESPN football analyst)
This episode dives deep into the latest in New York sports, with a particular focus on the drama and highlights from the World Series, New York Knicks storylines, and football talk centering on the Giants and Jets. Jeff Passan joins to break down the World Series’ electric storyline, Shohei Ohtani’s stardom, and shares personal reflections on journalism and his late father. Booger McFarland brings honest, sometimes scorching takes about the Giants defense, the development of their quarterback, and the Jets’ never-ending quarterback carousel. The hosts keep their signature blend of banter, humor, and incisive analysis flowing throughout.
Segment: [00:48] – [16:38]
Game 3 Recap:
The crew recounts an epic 18-inning Game 3, calling it an instant classic for the ages with all-time greats on display (Scherzer, Kershaw, Ohtani, Betts, Freeman).
Quote (Peter Rosenberg, [06:38]):
“That game is going to be a classic they show on whatever ESPN Classic is 50 years from now. … the amount of Hall of Famers firepower — that was an absolute classic.”
Shohei Ohtani’s Unprecedented Performance:
Passan draws direct comparisons to athletes like LeBron and Messi, saying Ohtani’s impact on baseball is beyond anything witnessed in his career.
Quote (Jeff Passan, [05:17]):
“It’s LeBron, it’s Messi. It’s seeing the absolute best player in the world at his absolute peak doing absolutely incredible things... I have not seen anything like Ohtani.”
Extra-Innings Strategy – Walking Ohtani:
Discussion about the controversial managerial choice to intentionally walk Ohtani multiple times, even leading off extra innings.
Quote (Don La Greca, [12:08]):
“I see two home runs, two doubles... let me get to the World Series. Never saw the man move his bat.”
Quote (Jeff Passan, [12:26]):
“I see it as strategy too. You have the ability to say, ‘I’m not going to lose to their best player.’ That’s exactly what John Schneider did.”
Baseball’s Star Power & Relevance:
The hosts and Passan agree that having truly marketable stars like Ohtani and Judge is critical for the sport’s future.
Quote (Alan Hahn, [15:50]):
“Isn’t it great though, for the sport, that one [star] is on the West Coast, one on the East Coast in major markets, and you can make an argument for either one...?”
Segment: [14:05] – [16:38]
Raw Opinions:
Passan takes a hard stance: “Ohtani’s better, period. As long as he’s pitching.” He clarifies Judge is a better pure hitter, but Ohtani is having two careers at once.
Quote (Jeff Passan, [15:19]):
“Ohtani’s better, period... If it’s just hitting, I will take Aaron Judge all day... but Ohtani just also happens to be one of the best pitchers.”
Banter about the debate in New York:
The hosts joke about “Yankee interference” cutting Passan’s anti-Judge answer short.
Segment: [17:06] – [20:09]
Remembering Rich Passan:
Jeff Passan honors his late father, a legendary Cleveland sportswriter, and details the new “Rich Passan Sports Writing Scholarship.” A candid, affectionate story about his dad’s “terrible take” on Belichick is shared.
Quote (Jeff Passan, [19:22]):
“This is great. Bill Belichick is a terrible coach.” [laughter]
Encouragement for Young Writers:
Passan invites student journalists to apply via the National Press Club, and urges donations for the scholarship.
Segment: [24:00] – [27:45]
Booger’s Honest Take:
McFarland says Dexter Lawrence hasn’t lived up to last year’s All-Pro standard and needs to take ownership, despite injury hangover.
Quote (Booger McFarland, [24:54]):
“I don’t see the same — or I haven’t seen the same — Dexter Lawrence consistently. I see it in spurts, I see moments of it. But... we all expected him to build upon last year.”
Team-wide Issues:
Questions about the unit’s overall coaching, citing other defenders’ underperformance.
Segment: [27:45] – [32:13]
Impact of Cam Scadabo’s Absence:
The loss of the energetic fullback hurts, but Booger insists the QB remains the team’s future determinant.
Jackson Dart’s Development:
McFarland sees legitimate promise in the young quarterback, emphasizing consistency and leadership:
“He’s a force multiplier... at this point in his career, he’s the best he could be right now as a rookie quarterback.”
Segment: [32:13] – [36:04]
Fields as Placeholder:
Booger bluntly says Fields isn’t a long-term answer:
“I don’t think Justin Fields is a starting quarterback in the NFL... I think he’s a placeholder.”
Jets’ Perpetual Dilemma:
If there’s no sure-thing QB in the draft, the Jets must keep looking, not force a pick:
“The job of the general manager is to get the best guy that fits the Jets that’s available. And if there’s not one available, then you can’t get one.”
Segment: [36:04] – [38:15]
Segment: [42:05] – [47:57]
Jeff Passan on Ohtani’s Impact:
[05:17] Jeff Passan: “It’s LeBron, it’s Messi… I have not seen anything like Ohtani.”
Passan on World Series Game 3:
[07:29] Jeff Passan: “…Six and a half hours is no joke for any sporting event… it makes every pitch matter more. It’s why watching [Ohtani] do what he did... It’s just so cool to me.”
Booger McFarland on the Giants D-line:
[24:54] “I just needed to see more… last year he was dominating. I don’t see the same Dexter Lawrence consistently.”
Booger on Jets QB Problem:
[34:04] “You can only choose from what’s available… hopefully the Jets don’t [force a pick].”
Woody Johnson Analogy:
[37:19] Don La Greca: “Woody Johnson winning football is like Don La Greca asking out an A-list starlet.”
Jeff Passan’s Bad Dad Take:
[19:22] Jeff Passan: “Bill Belichick is a terrible coach.” (about his father’s infamous opinion)
Energetic, knowledgeable, and irreverent — hosts and guests mix expert analysis with jabs, jokes, and genuine enthusiasm for New York sports and beyond. The show is fast-paced, with plenty of inside jokes and old-school sports radio banter.
This hour of Don, Hahn & Rosenberg captures the essence of big-time sports talk in New York: from the transcendent spectacle of the World Series and Shohei Ohtani’s global stardom, to blunt realities facing the Giants and Jets, to the Knicks’ enduring quest for relevance. Jeff Passan’s baseball reporting blends deep expertise with heartfelt personal stories, while Booger McFarland brings candor and humor to football frustrations. All the while, the hosts keep it lively, honest, and unapologetically New York.