← Don, Hahn & Rosenberg
Don, Hahn & Rosenberg
Hour 2: Kevin Shattenkirk & Let's Talk About It
00:49:23
Don, Hahn & Rosenberg on ESPN NY
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- [00:01]
Sponsor/Commercial Announcer
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- [00:27]
Don Hahn
this is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
- [00:30]
Don McGregor
That sounds like heaven to me.
- [00:32]
Don Hahn
Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.
- [00:40]
Don McGregor
The fourth annual shoulder check showcase is tomorrow, July 30th. The Maritime family arena in Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. The goal is to raise awareness for youth health, mental health through SoldarCheck, a movement founded by Rob Thornson after the tragic loss of his 15 year old son Hayden to suicide. Today that movement has Inspired more than 80 current and former NHL players, professional teams, colleges and youth athletes across North America to take the Shoulder Check pledge. Reach out, check in, make contact. And to talk about that is former Ranger Kevin Schattenkirk and he joins us here on Don Hannah Rosenberg, Don McGregor and Peter Rosenberg, welcome to the show, man. How you doing?
- [01:23]
Kevin Shattenkirk
It's great to see you, Don. How's everything?
- [01:25]
Don McGregor
I know, I miss you, man. I mean, it's funny how sports is right, you get to see a lot of each other and then obviously you went to Anaheim and, and now out of the NHL and now I don't get a chance to see you as much. Hopefully you're doing okay.
- [01:38]
Kevin Shattenkirk
Yeah, everything's going well. We, we moved back to the Connecticut area so we're not, you know, too far removed from my old stomping grounds. But no, all is well. Doing great and you know, didn't take too long to be getting back to work, so I'm took a job at the nhlpa, which has been going really well.
- [01:59]
Don McGregor
Oh, very good. So you get to stay close to it because I'm sure you miss it, right?
- [02:03]
Kevin Shattenkirk
Yeah, no, it's, it's a, it's a huge transition. I think nothing, you know, really prepares you for it. But having that connectivity to the game still, you know, I get to cover the Rangers as one of my team too. So, you know, I get to see those guys a bunch and it's, it's nice. I'm not making any decisions that's gonna be getting people fired, which is even better.
- [02:25]
Don McGregor
Very much the case. Just why is this charity so important? To you?
- [02:31]
Kevin Shattenkirk
Well, I think it's, you know, unfortunately an issue that's affecting a lot of young adults, you know, these days. And in a time where, you know, these kids seem to be so disconnected from each other, getting pulled away by social media and, you know, a lot of distractions like that, added press with college applications and there's a lot of stress. And when Rob started this, it was something that hit very home because it affected Hayden, who was part of the gym that we all worked out at in the summer with Ben Prentice. And the way everyone has stepped up and turned this into such a positive movement, it really makes you proud of the hockey community, you know, and how, how tight knit it is and the amount of players that show up for this in the summertime. You know, some are here training, but others are coming from, you know, their homes to, to take part in it. And I think it's, it's really powerful when you see all those people showing up in the stands to get together to watch a little hockey, but more importantly, to embrace, you know, the message behind this entire, this entire charity.
- [03:50]
Don McGregor
You know, I've had to deal with mental health issues with members of my family, and I'm kind of taken to heart. The check pledge, the shoulder check pledge of Reach out, check in and make contact for professional athletes who are usually. Or just athletes in general, Kevin, that are told to suck it up. Don't make, don't complain. How difficult are these three things, not just for teammates to do, but people that are struggling to do?
- [04:18]
Kevin Shattenkirk
It's very hard, you know, and I think, you know, it's even harder, you know, I think as friends to know, you know, as a friend of someone who's, who's struggling to know how to approach it. And I think that's really the most powerful thing behind what we're doing here is we're kind of highlighting the fact that it's just a simple gesture. You know, it's a phone call. It's putting a hand on someone's shoulder, letting them know that you're there and if that, if anything is, you know, bothering them, that they have someone to talk to. And, you know, I think a lot of young adults will, will seek out, you know, some help if a friend, if it's coming through a friend. And I think that's very powerful to know that you have that much influence on someone and you can, you know, you can change their lives. Who knows, you know, it's a, the, the hardest part about this is you don't really know what people are struggling with. And like you said, that can be, you know, adults and athletes, you know, at the highest level, down to kids who are. Who are just playing a sport and. And, you know, doing it for the right reasons to have fun and be with. With their friends and their teammates. But as I said before, I mean, you just don't know what kind of pressures that they're dealing with and, and, you know, how it might affect them. So it's, you know, it's just very important to realize that a simple gesture can really go a very, very long way.
- [05:41]
Peter Rosenberg
Did you notice? Can you. Can you. Could you have pointed out a discernible change or difference from when your career started to the end in terms of how players were open about maybe things that they were dealing with. Was there any difference at all over that time period in terms of vulnerability or any sort of honesty like that amongst teammates?
- [06:05]
Kevin Shattenkirk
Absolutely. I think, you know, from. From when I started in 2010 and 11 and, you know, finishing in the early 2000s, I think, you know, the message behind this, and not just in sports, you know, in, you know, the everyday world has allowed people to be more vulnerable and be more open. And you have to credit those who paved the way, you know, those who were brave enough to speak out and. And share their truths, you know, and. And in a way, you know, that's something that. Where social media has been impactful, I think that people have an outlet to share their stories, and someone from across the country or even in other parts of the world can see, you know, a video or a caption highlighting what you're going through and. And it can affect them. One person can read it, and it can save their lives. So, you know, to Don's point, you're taught as an athlete most of the time to suck it up, deal with the pain. You know, if things outside of the rink are hard on you, whether it's a family issue or something else like that, you know, you're taught to leave it there and not bring it in with you to work. And now teams are starting to offer a lot of support. You know, they usually have someone on staff that you can talk to, and it's a great thing. I mean, I think the more and more that we normalize it and we allow people to be comfortable with it, it's going to, you know, just help a lot more people along the way.
- [07:38]
Don McGregor
The event will be tomorrow at the Maritime Family arena at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. It's going to air nationally on the NHL Network. What other things can we expect when we go tomorrow.
- [07:53]
Kevin Shattenkirk
You know, I think it's again that for the first timers coming to the event, you're going to be blown away by how many people are there and, you know, some of the activations that they have in the game. You know, getting everyone together for the national anthem, to place a hand on each other's shoulder and really bring that community together to understand what this is all about. It's, you know, it really touches you. And I think the, the hockey part of it is, you know, the show, but the message is really felt. You know, when you're walking around before the game and you're seeing players, you know, up close and personal and realizing that it's, you know, it's a fun event dealing with, you know, maybe an issue that's a little bit darker and they bring a lot of light to it. And I think it's, it's a great example for a lot of the young kids who come to this event and get to watch their, you know, their heroes and see, you know, these world class athletes really stepping up to show what that camaraderie is like and, and how powerful it is. I mean, all the players who come back year after year, I think are just so excited to see some familiar faces and, and again, you know, it's an opportunity for them to check in with each other and see how everyone's doing, how their families are doing. And every time we host this, it seems to get bigger and bigger. So our message and the network is spreading and that's the ultimate goal.
- [09:29]
Peter Rosenberg
Now, I'm curious, you had a cup of Coffee between St. Louis and New York in my hometown of Washington, would you have guessed in 2016, based on personality, that OV would still be going pretty strong in 2026?
- [09:47]
Kevin Shattenkirk
You know, I, I definitely would not have been surprised. You know, first of all, the guy never gets hurt because no one can hurt him. He's a beast. But his, you know, passion for the game, his charisma, you know, every day in the locker room was something that I always admired. I mean, he's obviously, you know, one of the biggest stars in the league and at that time, you know, probably the biggest next to Sidney Crosby. And his, you know, his attitude every time he came to the rink, it lightened the mood. You know, he's constantly having to sign autographs and be pulled in so many different directions to do so many different things, but he does them with a smile. He gives every fan, you know, the time of day and make sure that he leaves a Positive impact on them. And you know, it's, it's, it's great to see how he's obviously adapted over the last few years to the coaching change and you know, losing some of his best friends to retirement. But, you know, it just shows, you know, what, what difference is when you, when you're dealing with the greats of the game and, and how much they love it and how, how long they, you know, are willing to stick it out in order to continue their legacy.
- [11:09]
Don McGregor
Kevin, you played over a thousand games in the NHL, counting the playoffs, only, only two seasons with the Rangers. What was that experience like playing in New York?
- [11:19]
Kevin Shattenkirk
You know, it was fantastic for me. I mean, I think living out a lifelong dream of playing in the NHL is one thing, but then getting the opportunity to play for the Rangers was almost like the cherry on top. Know, I think you don't have that many players don't have that ability to, to choose to go to their hometown team and that opportunity presented itself and it was really a no brainer for me. You know, I think while we were there, we certainly had our struggles and, and it wasn't the most successful two seasons of my career by any means, but I still feel, you know, so much love when I go to Rangers alumni events from fans and people who, you know, were supportive of me the entire way through and, and even afterwards when I left and, and went to Tampa and won a Stanley Cup. I mean, I can't tell you how many messages I got from Rangers fans just saying how proud they were and with the way things ended in New York and seeing me go on and, and you know, find myself again. So, you know, I, I really, I appreciate the New York sports fans. You know, I think for me, being back around this area this year and watching the Knicks, you know, win, win the title like it was, it was a testament to how great the sports fans are here. And you have to embrace, you know, the, the, the criticism because, you know, the praise is, is just that much better when you get it and you
- [12:51]
Don McGregor
won the title in Tampa. And that was obviously during the COVID season. So what was, what was that whole. We all went through it, right? Having to wait so long to finally get a chance to play. But how was it for you as a player to just go through the change of a team and then have that all go on during that kind of crazy season?
- [13:10]
Kevin Shattenkirk
Yeah, it was nuts. You know, I think we, at the time when the season stopped, we were rolling, obviously had, you know, a great feeling about getting into the playoffs and Making a run. And when things get put on pause, you're not really sure how you're going to stay connected as a team. But a lot of us stayed in Florida. You know, we're able to find ways to skate and train together in small groups and, you know, wait around to see if and when the season started. And I think when we got into the bubble situation, we were all really just so appreciative and grateful for the fact that we were still able to play the game that we love, you know, in such a way. A turbulent time, you know, when people were going through again, a lot of, a lot of struggles and, and hardships and, you know, I think sports in general offered, you know, a great deal of levity and distractions for people to sit down together, you know, in, in moments when, you know, you really weren't allowed to gather and then you could sit with your family on a couch and, and watch games. And, you know, for us, being up there was. It was a chance to all be together as a group, and we all loved each other and had a tremendous bond. So to see it through and actually win, you know, is certainly a moment that, you know, we will always cherish and have forever. But, you know, when we came home and got to see our families, you know, and our wives who were stuck with the kids for, you know, close to two and a half months, you know, it really hit home of kind of what was going outside. We were shielded from, from a lot of the, the, the issues going on in the real world. And, you know, it, it hit us and again, I think we made us feel even that more grateful that, you know, we were able to play the game we love and be, you know, just some sort of positive influence on people at home and give them a chance to, to forget about things.
- [15:14]
Don McGregor
For marire Family arena at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut is where the Shoulder check event is going to take place tomorrow. Just come to the arena. Can I get tickets in advance? How do you do it?
- [15:27]
Kevin Shattenkirk
There's tickets if you go to Shoulder Check to their Instagram page. There are tickets being sold on Ticketmaster, which helps you choose your seat too, so you get a little optionality there. But when you get to the arena, I think the activities are starting at 4 o', clock, going for about two hours. They'll have a bunch of stuff going on for, you know, for kids and for the families to, to get involved in. And yeah, 6 o' clock is, is showtime. So, you know, they'll have plenty of great surprises there. But you know, usually, like I said, you want to be there for that national anthem, you know, and really feel, you know, the weight of it and how powerful, you know, the message is embraced as the game starts.
- [16:12]
Don McGregor
Well, Kevin, you were always great to deal with. Hockey players in general are always amazing to deal with, but, you know, especially you always made me feel a part of the team when I was there and always feel connected to you. Stay in touch. Good luck with everything you're doing with the PA and good luck with this charity, man. I really appreciate it.
- [16:28]
Kevin Shattenkirk
Yeah. Thank you, guys. It's been, it's been great to be back home, hear your voices on the radio again. You know, it's, it's a part of what makes me feel like I'm, I'm back home. So. So, you know, I always, always appreciate having you guys and, and getting this opportunity and hopefully we get to see each other, you know, away from the camera and catch up.
- [16:47]
Don McGregor
All right, thanks a lot, Kevin. Thanks, Chad and Kirk, everybody. And of course, the event is tomorrow, and that's at the Maritime Family arena at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Check it out. Fourth year doing it and we've had Dave Maloney. He's been behind this for a long time. And, you know, you just hate to hear that this is all involving the tragic loss of a 15 year old, you know, Hayden, to suicide. And it's, listen, it's something that's really important to me, Peter, having, you know, what my aunt went through. And we just, we haven't really gotten a handle on it because sports especially, you know, rub some dirt on it, don't complain. And even today when you hear, like, what Simone Biles went through when she stepped away because of mental health, it's still scoffed at in a lot of ways, right? Because you're supposed to be tough, you're supposed to be a professional, you're supposed to fight through it. Well, it's one thing at that age, it's one thing at that level, but think of what these kids, the pressure they're on. You know, a 15 year old, he's thinking about performing. Is he going to be able to get a scholarship? Is he going to be able to maybe get into junior hockey or make it to a minor league team or something? It's amazing. When we were kids, Peter, and we played, we played for the fun, you know, and then by the time maybe you got to high school and to college, you started thinking about, maybe this is something I can do professionally. I'm seeing it with my son now. He's 8 years old, gonna be 9. You start to feel it ratcheted up, like you're preparing them for a future in that sport. That's a lot for a kid to have to deal with and the pressures of that, and not everybody can handle it. And I'm sorry, there's still an atmosphere around sports to suck it up, don't talk to people, don't say anything. And that's the worst thing you can do in situations like this. So that message, that pledge, that shoulder check, pledge of reach out, check in, make contact, it's just so vitally, vitally important. It really is.
- [18:49]
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah. It's not something that's understood. So the most we can hope to do is talk about it, give people information, give people resources. Because whenever you find out about something like this happening, you just realize how sick people. And I'm not saying sick with a pejorative tone at all, how quite literally sick people get and aren't telling anyone, and then it's too late, and you go, oh, my God, how could you have gotten to that level of sickness where this was possible? So, fantastic work that we're doing. Glad we could help them have the conversation.
- [19:26]
Don McGregor
And the thing is, Peter, when an athlete is injured, you see them limp, you see it affect their play, and then you go over and you can talk to them, because even players don't even want to talk about when they're ailing from something in their body. That pledge of reaching out, checking in is a way to check, hey, are you okay, man? Not just physically, but mentally. You need any help, you need to talk, you need to take a break. Things like that are very, very important. Sam and Bayonne, you're on ESPN New York. What's up, Sam?
- [19:57]
Caller Sam
Good afternoon, gentlemen. Thank you so much for taking the call. Realistically, the only reason why I'm calling in and I listen to that entire interview, that gentleman just really seems like a really good individual. He sound. He kind of gave me vibes of David Wright, die hard Mets fan. So I just really call in to say that was a great interview. And, you know, it's a unfortunate dark topic that unfortunately does exist in our world. So kudos to that dude. And if I may, Don, if I could just ask one question, since it's not easy to get on the horn with you guys.
- [20:28]
Caller/Listener
I.
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Caller Sam
You and I are very, very similar Mets fans. Where do you. And I hate to bring even more anguish to the conversation, but where would you rank this season as far as one of the worst. I started becoming a fan in the 80s. I'm 46, but you and I are very similar. So I rank this towards the very. As far as misery, as a Mets fan, but thank you, gentlemen. You guys. I love you guys always, man. Thanks for the time.
- [20:53]
Don McGregor
Thanks a lot, Sam. I mean, maybe that's an idea tomorrow for the top five, but this is up there. It's not the worst. You go back to those. The worst team money can buy with Vince Coleman and Bobby Bonilla. Those were just awful seasons where so much was expected. I don't know if things, Peter, this year were expected to a level of a championship. It just. We thought they'd be better than the 83 wins. That's why they made the changes in the first place. And to have this be as disastrous a season as it is puts it right up there. I guess it really depends how old you are. There's a lot of seasons in which I'd suffered and was disappointed. This definitely ranks up there. It does. As just what ends up being a waste of a season. And Jeff Passon was on with K earlier. We were playing some of the sound that they're blowing this up, Peter. I don't think Lindor is going anywhere. Certainly Soto's not going anywhere. But like everybody that Sterns brought in, they're movable contracts. He thinks the Mets are going to be the busiest team at the deadline by Monday because all those guys are going to get dealt and Peralta might be a guy and they're not going to get the return that they gave up to get him. But they've got a chance to make this right. You know, I was getting into Will Michael. I was on his show at the end earlier today about what a disaster the Mets are. I think they can get out from this. It just. It's admitting you made a mistake and moving on. And Peter, if he gets rid of all those players and admits that he made a mistake, that's a huge step forward. Because a lot of times general managers refuse to admit they made a mistake and double down on their roster moves and make things worse. So if he gets rid of all these players, Peter, that's a strike for Stearns moving forward. Because there's a lot of guys that wouldn't admit they made a mistake.
- [22:39]
Peter Rosenberg
That is a fair point. That is a fair point. At least it gives you some hope that you're not. There's nothing worse than someone who's failing and in denial of that because that means there's no hope to it changing.
- [22:49]
Don McGregor
Yeah, exactly. Just, hey, chalk it up. Hey, I tried. Didn't work. We're going to try something different and we'll see. We'll see ultimately, whether it works out or not. Certainly this season. An absolute disaster.
- [23:01]
Rich Eisen
Shohei Ohtani's interpreter was fired today.
- [23:03]
Don McGregor
Ippei Mitsuhara ran up gambling debts to a Southern California bookmaking operation. The inside story of the biggest scandal in modern baseball. He was absolutely bananas. The amount of bets he was making. I've never seen anyone like it.
- [23:18]
Kevin Shattenkirk
From 30 for 30 podcasts this is
- [23:21]
Don McGregor
the Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani, presented by Gusto.
- [23:25]
Sponsor/Commercial Announcer
New episodes available now. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
- [23:30]
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- [25:19]
Don Hahn
thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
- [25:23]
Peter Rosenberg
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
- [25:24]
Don Hahn
Catch the show on demand whenever you Want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. Sometimes you just can't take it anymore. This is. Let's talk about it Tuesday with Don Han and Rosenberg.
- [25:46]
Don McGregor
Well, we kind of hinted at it when we opened the show piece.
- [25:49]
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah, I'll say.
- [25:49]
Don McGregor
We did this catastrophic weather that we had yesterday, and some people are experiencing today, more thunderstorms on top of all the rain that we got yesterday is making it very difficult. And we just had, you know, Cullum in the Bronx call us earlier in the show and the train hit a tree. Are you surprised that According to Cullum, NJ Transit's policy is that if you can't stop when there's a tree on the tracks, just blow through it as hard as you can.
- [26:19]
Peter Rosenberg
You know, it made sense.
- [26:20]
Don McGregor
It does make sense. But.
- [26:22]
Peter Rosenberg
But it's like, here's the thing. That was the column's call. We love Cullum.
- [26:26]
Caller Sam
Yes.
- [26:27]
Peter Rosenberg
The problem is that part was the pinnacle of the call, the blasting through the tree on the train track. And then the call went on for another 30 minutes, and then I lost track of what happened. The guy was climbing through the water and he was swimming, and I got confused. But the part about the blasting through the tree, Don, Insane.
- [26:52]
Don McGregor
Well, just the fact that all this is happening because of a thunderstorm, you know, that's all we were told that we're going to have a thunderstorm. And then all this catastrophic stuff. And then today with more thunderstorms. Now there's warnings all over the place. But we didn't see that coming yesterday. Or at least I didn't see it.
- [27:08]
Peter Rosenberg
But it's always, it always starts out as, oh, there's going to be some rain. And then within a few hours, it's gonna be catastrophic. There's gonna be flooding. It's not gonna be safe. Watch out on the subway, watch out for sinkholes. Like, yes, Don, it's definitely. The infrastructure of this country is a disaster. I've heard that many times, and I certainly, it makes sense. But some of it is also that there's something else going on here as well. The level of intensity of these storms just continues to increase.
- [27:41]
Don McGregor
Yeah, it is crazy. And, but just, just living with what we know, the infrastructure. I mean, sometimes you hear about these places that, like, fall apart or you'll hear that there's a water main break and that that water main was built in 1875. And of course it's going to go. And I joke about it with you. I joked about it when the sinkholes were happening on Route 80 last summer, if you remember.
- [28:11]
Peter Rosenberg
Oh, sure.
- [28:12]
Don McGregor
I'm like, yeah, those were all, like, mines that were built in the early 1800s. And then when they put Route 80 down, like 100 years ago, they were probably thinking, well, you know, there's. There's some mines down here. You know, a hundred years from now, these things might fall apart. And they're like, well, we're not going to be here in 100 years.
- [28:27]
Caller/Listener
Who cares?
- [28:28]
Don McGregor
100 years later, now we're having to deal with this. And obviously there's engineers and they check on all this stuff, but a lot of it's just that when they built these things, there wasn't this kind of rain, this kind of intensity. Now, it did happen. You know, people will say, well, we had this much rain back in 1840. I'm sure we did. And then we didn't have it again for another 50 years.
- [28:51]
Caller Danny
Right.
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Don McGregor
You know, that's the thing, is that we joke around. My mother in law would always joke around if, like, if she found something in the house from like a box a bunch of years ago. Oh, that was from the flood. You know, when you had a flood, it was like, oh, that was.
- [29:08]
Peter Rosenberg
That was.
- [29:09]
Don McGregor
Remember that flood 30 years ago? Oh, my God, it was so devastating. Good thing we never had that again. It just seems like those things are now. What happened every 30 years are now happening every three weeks. It's crazy. And for the most part, we've been able to handle it because we know what to do and we're rescuing these people. But you shouldn't be driving home from work afraid you're gonna drown because there's a thunderstorm, right?
- [29:32]
Peter Rosenberg
But Don, it's a bad thunderstorm.
- [29:35]
Don McGregor
I know.
- [29:35]
Peter Rosenberg
I used to drive through the. Like, I used to drive through things that felt like, oh, my God, it's Sodom and Gomorrah. This is the end. But really, it was just bad rain. He kept driving. Now, Don, it does that for three minutes, and I'm trying to cross Central park, and I go, I don't know if my car can get across this. I might float off.
- [29:52]
Don McGregor
Yeah, and that's what you gotta be careful in seriousness, because there might be people listening. That might hit an area where there's water. Where in years past you've thought, oh, it's just a couple of inches, I'll just drive through it. And then you're not able to drive through it. And then your car floats away and God forbid, gets taken away. Depending on where you are. If you're close to a river, these things Happen. And that's why you just got to be careful, man, you know, not placing blame or just saying that. This is the world we live in now, where it seems like every storm seems to be worse than the other, and we just have to be prepared for it, you know, instead of, you know, just complaining about it. We've got to be diligent and realize that these are things that can happen. So if you're in the car right now driving, just be very, very careful, because when a storm comes, it might just not be the inconvenience of traffic you're going to have to deal with. It might be something pretty serious. And just be aware of what you do in case that does happen. And one of the things is, is that you see a body of water on a road that's not supposed to be there, don't drive through it because you don't know where the hell you're going to end up.
- [30:58]
Peter Rosenberg
Well, that. And that is the tough part, because you're trying to measure like, hey, this looks pretty bad, but I think I'm fine. And figuring out where that line is is a little tough.
- [31:08]
Rich Eisen
But, yeah, you're right.
- [31:09]
Peter Rosenberg
If it's in question, it's not worth the risk.
- [31:13]
Don McGregor
No, it's just. It's spooky now. It's kind of crazy. So, you know, in hurricane season's now on the horizon, too. You got to deal with that. So. So, yeah, so we always. We find ways to be able to fight through these things, and most of the time it's just an inconvenience and we get home a little bit later, we might have to get water out of our basement and stuff like that, but every once in a while, something happens that can be kind of scary.
- [31:39]
Peter Rosenberg
But just do me a favor. Just don't pretend. Just don't pretend with me that it's normal. Just don't. Just don't play the reindeer game of. It's always been like this. There's always been bad storms. I refuse to. To stick my head in the ground and not look up at the fact that the frequency with which this happens is markedly different.
- [31:58]
Don McGregor
Well, yeah.
- [31:59]
Peter Rosenberg
And by the way, you know, Don, it's not just that there are fires now, you know that the fires happening across Europe, this doesn't happen. So, like, if you want to turn a blind eye and just go, I don't know, things just happen, great. But if you were paying attention, Don, and this was Sim City, you go, man, I keep seeing different huge events happening. Probably want to keep an eye on
- [32:21]
Don McGregor
this and usually what happens, Peter, when we have like catastrophic rain, it's after we're in the middle of a drought so the ground can't absorb the water because it's so dry. And then it runs. It just, the extremes are crazy. Everything that happens has happened before. But what we're questioning is the frequency happening and the intensity in which it happens. So again, there's nothing that we can do about it I guess in the immediate other than just do our due diligence. But the Peter's point is maybe we shouldn't be ignoring and saying it's not a big deal. It feels like it's a bigger deal and maybe it won't affect us. But you know, for Peter and I who have kids, you know, what are they going to go through 30, 40 years from now if we're complaining about this? If it continues to get worse, worse, you know, then we're going to be in a lot of trouble. 1-800-9193776 Danny's out on Long Island. Always good. He's staying dry.
- [33:19]
Caller/Listener
Danny.
- [33:21]
Caller Danny
Danny is in a 101 degrees South Carolina where I would love about a 7 minute rainstorm where I could lay on my son's lawn and have ice cold water cool off my body.
- [33:31]
Caller/Listener
I hear you.
- [33:32]
Caller Danny
You know where he lives? Down here in the mountains. The thunderstorms hold my beer. I thought the top of the house was coming off a couple of times when I slept over. And it's, it's almost a nightly basis in certain times of the year. I'm not a meteorologist, I'm not an expert on history weather so I'm not going to comment any of that. But I would like to comment on the previous topic which, you know, the mental health issues with these kids in the sports because they've had a front row seat for the last 25 years. And the pressure that adults and leeches that are sucking our kids childhoods away on a travel sports team, they're making a living off your son's childhood and they're not in the business of saying no, we don't need one more tournament or we don't need more practice or no, no, let your kid go to his best friend's birthday party. They are in business to suck the child life right out of your kid's childhood. And I had a front row seat. And then you're playing a thousand games a year of baseball. You don't have any friends in the neighborhood left because you're on the field every single weekend. And my first son who is now 38, I think his first away tournament was Cooperstown. Think about that. His first away court was the 12 year old Cooperstown. They played nothing off Long Island. Now in the Little League I got nine year old coaches that feel like if they're not going over the Verrazano Bridge once or twice a month to go play in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, Connecticut, they're not playing enough ball. And the parents are afraid to get off the merry go round because this is what it's become and you want your kid to be on the team. What's the alternative? And then my son gets to college and he had a very uneventful, productive career. He managed to pitch for four years and never have a Tommy John surgery. Because my son took good care of himself and I took good care of him until he was 18. And you got coaches that lie to your face and you go in their program for two or three years and you do everything they tell you to do. And then they have a guy come in who's a 24 year old reclassed up to you know, what transfer student on his third team and the coach who looked at you in the eye for four years, you were part of his program, look, tells you to sit down, that they have a 24 year old super senior that's now going to be the left handed guy or the second baseman. So your whole way up the career chain, what sport you're in, people lying to your face and these kids are suffering for it. And you see college kids commit suicide. When my son's career was winding down, I was on the phone, hey, feeling like everything okay? I was so worried that something that was his identity, even though it was a healthy choice, a healthy amount was, and he had a great bunch of friends back in his house, in his neighborhood that he played all the time. You know, I felt like this is something that he did for so long and you're just stepping into it, Don. And there's no way to get out of it. And it's sad and you can't talk to K about. He probably get the front row.
- [36:14]
Don McGregor
No, listen, I'm going through it now, Danny, and thank you for the call because I agree with everything you're saying. Marco is eight and a half, you know, he'll be nine December 5th. So he plays the regular ball in town, you know, during the spring and then there's a travel ball in the summer, then there's fall ball and then in the wintertime there's a clinic once a week at the gym that he play, and he'll do the clinic, and he'll play in the fall, and he'll play in the regular league. Peter, I just. I couldn't do the. I couldn't do the summer. It's like, you got to give the kid a break, you know, just because, like, am I. Is he playing for fun, or am I trying to make him the next Aaron Judge? If I'm trying to make him the next Aaron Judge, I guess this is the prudent thing to do. But he's eight. I have no idea whether he'll be good enough to play in high school yet. I think he will because I think he's got a great swing, and I think he's got talent. But first of all, I want to know that he loves it enough. Second of all, I want him to have a childhood, you know, and. But he's right. If. Then, you know, but his friends in travel ball, so he wants to be in travel balls. Like, so it just becomes a vicious cycle to. Where does it end?
- [37:25]
Rich Eisen
Where.
- [37:26]
Don McGregor
All right, it ends up that you end up getting a scholarship or you end up getting drafted by a major league team, but for the 99.9% of everybody else, it's just getting chewed up to get spit out and be done with.
- [37:38]
Peter Rosenberg
Well, that's.
- [37:39]
Don McGregor
And then what?
- [37:40]
Peter Rosenberg
That's the question that I have. How do you decide as a parent, you know, what is the reasonable amount? Like, yes, your kid likes it, but do they like it so much that they want to literally give up, you know, so many other things about their lives? And if they give those things up, is it worth the trade off? You know, like for Danny's son, for example, who even went on to have a college career, but then it still ended. Maybe he would tell you it was all worth it. I loved the game so much, right, that giving every spare minute for all of high school and college was worth it. But, Don, I also wonder, are there people who give it all and they go, man, it was cool, but I missed out on trips, and I missed out on girls, and I missed out on so many things that you're never getting back.
- [38:29]
Don McGregor
But the thing is, is that when Marco gets to be 16 and he goes, to me, I want to play. That's all I want to do.
- [38:34]
Peter Rosenberg
Okay?
- [38:35]
Don McGregor
But at 8, he shouldn't have to be making these life decisions at 8, I want him to play soccer. I want him to play basketball. He's gonna. He's gonna be doing hockey this year. I want him to try everything to Find out what he truly loves. I, I wanted to be a baseball player. My dream was to be a major league baseball player. That doesn't mean that'll be his dream. And I don't want to live vicariously through my son. I want him to have his own life and make his own decisions. And that's how my dad was with me. Anything I wanted to do, sports wise, my dad let me do it, but he never forced me into anything.
- [39:06]
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah, it's like, it's like if you're, if your kid shows you that with the amount that they play, they're good enough to have potential, great. If you're not able to see it so you have to keep playing them every second until they get there, then maybe they don't have it and you're just going to force it. You know what I'm saying? Like, by the time you get to an age where the decisions have to be made, hopefully they've shown you that there's something there that's special. But you shouldn't have to completely take away the rest of their childhood to show them that.
- [39:36]
Don McGregor
But I got to tell you, I have not the coaches in my town, I have not sensed what Danny was talking about yet. And the travel ball really just came down to the fact that I didn't think it was fair to Jalen, you know, where we're traveling all over the place in the summer with Marco. And what's jailing it to do? Just be, you know, playing in, you know, playing in the grass while he's playing baseball. I mean, I want them to have a childhood, but we'll see, we'll see as he gets older what decisions end up being made. But the overall point of this was, is that kids get a lot of pressure laid on them at a very young age. And mental health, and that's why we had Kevin Shattenkirk on, is very, very important. Even at a young age, life insurance
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Don McGregor
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Peter Rosenberg
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Don McGregor
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Peter Rosenberg
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Rich Eisen
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- [42:21]
Don Hahn
Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
- [42:25]
Peter Rosenberg
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
- [42:26]
Don Hahn
Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
- [42:34]
Don McGregor
She loves
- [42:37]
Sponsor/Commercial Announcer
shown.
- [42:39]
Don McGregor
She loves have his leg. She loves covens.
- [42:46]
Peter Rosenberg
It's a remix.
- [42:48]
Kevin Shattenkirk
Yeah.
- [42:48]
Don McGregor
No matter what political leanings are, you had to feel feel bad for Ronnie. Phenomenal at that moment.
- [42:56]
Caller Sam
Yeah.
- [42:56]
Peter Rosenberg
No it wasn't. That's, that's the, that's the moment when I think it started when the bit started. You know, SNL really started leaning in onto the. Yeah. I forget the whole forgetfulness and him losing it probably started kicking in big around 85, 86.
- [43:13]
Don McGregor
But I'm surprised you never saw that one.
- [43:16]
Peter Rosenberg
I know. I'm disappointed in myself too.
- [43:19]
Don McGregor
Pine shown.
- [43:20]
Peter Rosenberg
Mine shown. And he got through so many names first.
- [43:23]
Don McGregor
Yeah. And it just like kind of ran out of steam there. But that would always be if there was any like I'd always go get for as a gift when I was younger when we finally got our first VCR in 1984. So like after 84 I would start getting these like you know, sports bloopers. Best of kind of stuff like highlight and whenever they had like a sports blooper one more times than not that would be on it because of all the mispronunciations of the old Celtic players. So that was kind of round for a while.
- [44:00]
Peter Rosenberg
So I'm surprised that's a bad job.
- [44:02]
Don McGregor
He did not coven's half his like pine shown. I mean like literally. That's decades worth of laughter that you lost out.
- [44:09]
Peter Rosenberg
I lost all those years of laughing.
- [44:12]
Don McGregor
Let's squeeze in a couple of calls here before we get to the five o' clock hour. Steve and Boot. And you're on ESPN New York.
- [44:20]
Caller/Listener
Hey guys, thanks for taking the call.
- [44:22]
Don McGregor
No problem.
- [44:24]
Caller/Listener
You guys like, you guys like South Park?
- [44:26]
Don McGregor
I did, but I was in for a while. Yeah.
- [44:30]
Caller/Listener
Did you ever see the south park where the kids try to intentionally lose the baseball game? That is one of the best south parks ever. So. So they basically, they try, they try to lose. Because like I remember again, 40 years ago, around the time you're talking about 80, 86, you played football from August to Thanksgiving, basketball from Thanksgiving to St. Patrick's Day, and baseball from April 1st till you were done 4th of July. And we would always have this last tournament in July where we didn't try to lose, but we were okay with losing because we knew we were starting football camp in two to three weeks anyway and we wanted to go down to the Jersey shore. We're done with this for now.
- [45:17]
Caller Sam
Yeah.
- [45:17]
Don McGregor
You want. You wanted to be a kid, Steve. I get it. That's the way I was. I mean, I played baseball and I played football, you know. And then when baseball season was over, that was it. If there were these things, Peter, I didn't know about them, Steve, but like when baseball season was over and when football season was over, football season was over.
- [45:38]
Caller/Listener
When I started probably around you too, Don, they started putting the innings limits in. It wasn't pitches, but it was innings. You could only throw six innings a week. But we played in four different leagues with the same coaches who threw us in every game in every league we had, Steve.
- [45:53]
Don McGregor
We had no. And thank you for the fault. The only restriction I remember having when I was a kid was not being allowed to throw a curveball until I was probably in high school just because they didn't want to like hurt my arm. But for all I know, that just been my dad saying, I don't want you throwing a curveball, but I pitched every game.
- [46:16]
Peter Rosenberg
Now, how capable you think you were of throwing a decent curveball when you were that little?
- [46:21]
Don McGregor
Probably not at all, but who knows, right?
- [46:23]
Peter Rosenberg
But I do remember it being discouraged until you're older.
- [46:26]
Don McGregor
Yeah, you Waited. But now it just. There's this feeling again. I'm not going to accuse every coach or every parent of this, but there's this feeling like, am I giving this kid an opportunity to play, to have fun and learn sportsmanship, or am I trying to groom them into becoming the next Mickey male? And if you're doing that, then forget it, because why would you do anything that young that you have, like, literally less than 1% chance of it working out right? You know, then as you start to get older and you start to see that there's skills there, then you want to cultivate those skills. And now the percentages are a little higher, and then you want to see. And even then the percentages are going to be low. But. But at such a young age, it just feels like it's a little too much for me.
- [47:14]
Peter Rosenberg
I mean, think about it like this. How many people do we know who made the pros in anything? And you can't really include the ones who work at this radio station, because the only reason I know them is because they made the pros. I wouldn't have known them otherwise. I don't know anyone who made it to pro sports. I didn't go to school with anyone at any level who made the least.
- [47:37]
Don McGregor
I didn't.
- [47:38]
Peter Rosenberg
Unless at Maryland. You know, I shook hands with Juan Dixon once, you know, but I didn't know him.
- [47:42]
Don McGregor
No. The chances are very, very slow now.
- [47:44]
Peter Rosenberg
They're.
- [47:45]
Don McGregor
They're better than they were when I was a kid because there are more teams, you know, but still, you're talking about the lowest of a percentile. Ryan and Harrison, you're on espn, New York. What's up, Rye?
- [47:56]
Caller/Listener
Hey, guys. I coach travel, baseball, and I think we do it perfect. We do fall ball, we do winter workouts, spring, and they all go to camp in the summer. I don't see them from the end of June until August. They come back and they want to play baseball. They enjoy it. We don't travel more than 10 minutes. You end up scheduling with coaches from other towns. You get to know these guys. I've had them since they're eight. Now they're 13. And we played teams 20 times. And you get to see kids from other teams get better. Your guys get better. It's a perfect way to do it.
- [48:29]
Don McGregor
I like that.
- [48:30]
Caller/Listener
Double headers, even teams, the best.
- [48:32]
Don McGregor
I like that's the way to do it.
- [48:33]
Caller/Listener
And I'll just. Don. Just. Piece of advice. Enjoy the up and down. You're gonna have a kid that can barely hold up the bat when he's 8, and he's gonna be the lead off guy when he's 12, or the ace when he's 8. Can't hit the strike zone when you go to 60ft, right? Or when you go to all that stuff. It's a hot mess. And you got to enjoy it.
- [48:54]
Don McGregor
No, absolutely. Because. Because you know what, Ryan? You're enjoying watching your son have fun and play a game and learn sportsmanship and learn competition and learn how to lose, which is something Marco needs to learn. It's okay to lose. That's what you want to see and enjoy. Not. Oh, man, you think maybe he's gonna get a scholarship? Oh, maybe he's gonna get drafted. You know, then now you're doing it for all the wrong reasons. Now you're using your kid instead of. Instead of having. Having the fun. And you know what ends up happening?
- [49:27]
Caller Danny
You.
- [49:28]
Don McGregor
You might have a kid that's got talent. And now the kid ends up hating the sport and doesn't want to play it, and now misses out on maybe what could have been a career because you try to drive it down their throat instead of making it fun. But isn't it? I think Ryan had it right. You know, have it. Have them be away from it to where they can miss it and get excited about coming back to it.
- [49:44]
Peter Rosenberg
But isn't. But isn't it like to even really go into any of this stuff with a serious consideration about a career? Unless they're coming from, like, the DNA of a family where, you know, it's, like, in there, in there. Aren't you basically playing Tonka Trucks?
- [50:03]
Rich Eisen
But.
- [50:03]
Don McGregor
But I gotta tell you, Peter, and maybe if you. I don't know if you're gonna have any more children, or maybe. Maybe Maya will turn out to be an athlete and you'll be following her whatever sport she decides to play. I don't want to make this just about guys, but Jalen's just not into sports. That's why I don't have to worry about it with her. I don't think you mean it to be that way. But, hey, listen, I know you send pictures of Maya. You believe she's the most beautiful girl in the world, and she is right. Nobody looks at their child more than through the eyes of the parents. So any little bit of skill, you'll be like, this kid's got it. You know, like so. And then you get caught up in it. Like so. I don't think you intentionally go, I'm going to get my son ready to play because he's going to make the major leagues. No, but you do get caught up in when all of a sudden he rifles a ball into the gap and it's a wow, you know, and then you start to, you get caught up, you know, it's, it's, it's easy for parents. That's why you need coaches to kind of just rain yin. And when that happens, rain yin.
- [51:09]
Don Hahn
Thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.
- [51:12]
Peter Rosenberg
I don't want to know how the
- [51:13]
Don Hahn
sausage is made, but 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.
- [51:26]
Don McGregor
You know when you're locked in, focused and fearless. Welcome to the wnba. Your vision narrow. You can't look away. Every assist, every stop, every logo.
- [51:38]
Kevin Shattenkirk
Three from beyond the logo, every.
- [51:42]
Don McGregor
Did you see that moment? You bet. What records are going to be broken this season?
- [51:48]
Peter Rosenberg
All of it.
- [51:48]
Don McGregor
Right here. Lock in. It's the WNBA on ESPN all season long.