Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – August 29, 2025

Hour 2: Joe Fortenbaugh & Fraud Alert Friday

Episode Overview

This episode of the Don, Hahn & Rosenberg show centers around two main themes: breaking down the weekend's major college football betting lines and angles with guest Joe Fortenbaugh, and the always-entertaining "Fraud Alert Friday" segment, where fans’ sports loyalty and behavior are humorously judged for their authenticity. The trio—Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg (absent this hour), and Don La Greca—navigate insightful interviews, passionate debates, and interactive listener segments, all in their usual opinionated, unfiltered New York sports style.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Joe Fortenbaugh on the College Football Landscape (01:17–14:55)

Opening Thoughts & Line Moves (01:17–03:31)

• Fortenbaugh discusses the dramatic line movements for OSU–Texas, attributing the shifts to both "respected" Vegas bets and the ripple effect these wagers have market-wide.
• Quote: "In Vegas yesterday afternoon, a respected sportsbook... took a $550,000 bet on Texas... They flip favorites... Other sportsbooks see this and copy... the market-wide reaction." – Joe Fortenbaugh (01:41)

Arch Manning & Texas Betting Hype (03:31–05:43)

• Media buzz and betting lines are swayed significantly by Arch Manning's last name and hype.
• Quote: "If his name was pretty much anything other than Manning, he’s not your Heisman Trophy favorite. And Texas isn’t getting the respect they’re getting with their win total or with their point spread, plain and simple." – Joe Fortenbaugh (04:33)

Notre Dame @ Miami – First Half Unders (05:43–07:11)

• Notre Dame’s key strength: offensive line and elite running back.
• Fortenbaugh likes the first half/game under due to a young, road-debut quarterback in a hostile environment.
• Leans slightly Notre Dame, but more enthused with conservative betting approaches.

Belichick Factor: UNC-TCU (07:11–09:14)

• With Bill Belichick now coaching UNC, narrative shifts are affecting public and betting interest.
• Fortenbaugh suggests the line is riding hype and would lean toward TCU.

Weekend Sleepers & Prop Bets (09:17–11:37)

• South Dakota +16.5 vs Iowa State (citing “sandwich spot” in Iowa State’s schedule)
• Georgia Tech +4.5 vs Colorado ("Colorado wants to run more, but Georgia Tech’s defense is strong")
• Prefers Utah over UCLA due to savvy transfer portal moves.
• Player Prop Highlight: Under 29.5 yards for Jeremiah Smith’s longest reception in OSU–Texas
  • "Texas had bracket coverage on him... I think they're going to do the same thing with Smith. Play under 29.5 yards for the longest reception."

Big Underdogs: Can You Make Money on LIU? (11:37–13:25)

• On betting +45.5 LIU at Florida, Fortenbaugh: "Haven’t done a deep dive... If Florida has a big matchup next week, I might be inclined to play the dog."
• Suggests betting first half favorites with major FBS vs. FCS mismatches, since starters get pulled late.

A.L. MVP Race: Raleigh vs. Judge (13:50–14:55)

• Fortenbaugh leans Aaron Judge due to stats, but acknowledges “feel-good” narrative could help Raleigh’s candidacy.

Notable Quote: "If you want to win an MVP, you want your team to be playing really well... Raleigh as a catcher... going to generate a ton of interest." (14:02)

2. Betting Local Heavy Underdogs (15:15–17:27)

The Hosts Debate Betting Their Alma Maters & NYC Area Long-Shots

• Don jokes about betting on LIU, Alan roots for Fordham to cover vs. Boston College.
• Alan: "I trust Coach Conlon... Maybe, as Joe Fortenbaugh said, I'll have to see who BC is playing next week. Maybe we could surprise them... at the very least, we cover this week." (16:33)

3. Discussion – Narrative & Storylines' Influence on Betting (17:01–18:17)

• They compare the Belichick effect at UNC and Arch Manning at Texas, noting how betting movements often reflect fan and narrative interest, not solely football merit.
• "Sometimes you do want to draw the interest, because the public gets excited about a story and they jump all over so you give them a number that's tasty enough to jump in on." – Don Hahn (17:40)

4. "Fraud Alert Friday" (25:35–39:50)

The DHR Team Judges Fans on Their Sports Loyalties

Georgia Tech Senior Taking Grad Courses (Online) at Texas (26:06–28:34)

• Verdict: FRAUD if he starts rooting for Texas without a real connection;
• Alan: "He's not physically going to Texas... if you suddenly become a Texas fan and claim yourself as, 'Oh, I'm a student.' Well, you're online. Click. Okay?" (27:23)
• Additional info comes in: he IS a Georgia Tech fan and attends games, making his switch definitely fraudulent.

Fantasy Football Versus Fan Allegiance (28:48–31:58)

• Listener hesitant to draft division rivals’ players in fantasy because of Jets loyalty.
• Verdict: Not a fraud, according to the hosts.
• Anthony: "Your money's on the table. You got to do what you got to do. So I don't think that makes you a fraud." (30:16)

Switching NFL Teams After Moving (Knicks/Yankees/Jets Fan Considers Becoming Eagles Fan in Philly) (32:13–33:22)

• Verdict: FRAUD, but with understanding.
• "He just needs to know he can live with the scarlet letter... It's fraud with reason. All right? We all would have done the same thing." – Anthony (33:17)

Mets Fan Rooting for Yankees Post-9/11 (34:51–39:42)

• Listener asks if it's fraud to root for the Yankees in the 2001 World Series for the sake of New York after 9/11.
• Anthony (Judge): "He decided, all right, because of what happened, the tragedy of 9/11, he decided that he thought it was okay for one World Series to be a fraud. Doesn't make you a bad guy... it's still fraudulent behavior, but it's a very, very good reason." (36:08, 38:23)
• The hosts debate whether such a move is a lesser degree of “fraud”—a humorous take on the complexities of fan loyalty.

When Sports Media Professionals Lose Pure Fandom (39:53–43:59)

• A group chat revelation that Mets are "more interesting than Yankees right now" leads to the conclusion: Not fraudulent—thinking like a talk show host, not a fan.
• "Today, he officially became a talk show host. And Alan, you were a talk show host already. That's why you agree with him." – Anthony (41:35)
• The group reflects on how professional coverage of sports inevitably changes the experience of fandom.

5. Micah Parsons Trade & Jerry Jones Rant (47:06–54:43)

Breaking Down the Cowboys’ Controversial Move

• Alan and Don attack Jerry Jones's logic for trading Parsons, saying it's about ego—he wants all the attention.
• Don Hahn: "You sent away a superstar in his prime on your team and you're trying to build towards something...it didn't mean that... that's not a key piece to build towards."
• Jerry Jones (press conference clip, 50:30): "We appreciate his four years, but we can take that [compensation] ... and we can win, in our minds, more."
• Anthony: "You have an egomaniac as an owner and is willing to burn the place to the ground as long as everybody's focused on him." (48:49)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Joe Fortenbaugh (on Arch Manning): "If his name was anything other than Manning, he's not your Heisman Trophy favorite." (04:33)
• Judge Don, on 9/11 World Series fandom: "It's fraud with reason. It's like manslaughter, you know?...It's still fraudulent behavior, but it's a very, very good reason." (38:13)
• On the transition from fan to media personality: "When you... become a sports writer is when it all died because... you knew too much." – Alan Hahn (43:14)
• On Jerry Jones: "He did not let [the players] be the brand. That's the scary thing right now... in a brand where you should be out of the way and let the players be the brand." – Don Hahn (52:26)

Timestamps – Important Segments

• 01:17–14:55 – Joe Fortenbaugh’s College Football Betting Insights
• 15:15–17:27 – Betting on NY/NJ Local UnderDogs
• 25:35–39:50 – Fraud Alert Friday (multiple cases)
• 47:06–54:43 – Parsons Trade and Jerry Jones
• Throughout – Notable quotes, narrative analysis, hometown team coverage

Summary

This episode front-loads sharp college football insights and unique betting angles courtesy of Joe Fortenbaugh, before the show pivots to the fan-favorite “Fraud Alert Friday,” where the authenticity of sports fan behaviors is judged in good fun. The conversations are candid, humorous, and quintessentially “New York sports talk." They also touch on how narratives, hype, and emotion influence fandom—and the betting public.

Listeners get:

• Expert analysis of early season college football matchups and betting value
• Insight into how fan stories and media narratives affect odds and public sentiment—and hosts’ own behavior
• Entertaining, relatable debates about the nature of sports loyalty and the meaning of being a “real fan"
• Timely commentary on major NFL news with the Parsons trade and Jerry Jones’ leadership critiques

The tone is fast-paced, irreverent, and packed with quotable banter—delivering both sports expertise and the kind of honest, personal sports debates that make talk radio beloved.