Hour 2: Knicks Repeat? Weekend Recap

Summary

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Don, Hahn & Rosenberg Hour 2 Episode Summary

Episode: "Knicks Repeat? Weekend Recap"

Air Date: June 22, 2026
Hosts: Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg, Dave Rothenberg
Theme: Can the Knicks Repeat? A Deep Dive into Championship Hangover, NBA Evolution, and Local Sports Highlights

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Episode Overview

In this hour, the crew tackles the burning question: Can the New York Knicks repeat as NBA champions after finally ending their 53-year title drought? Alan, Peter, and Dave offer a detailed look at the precedent for repeat titles across major sports, the NBA’s new era of “team over stars,” challenges of roster management, and the unique magnitude of the Knicks’ championship for both fans and the franchise. The conversation also weaves in local sports shout-outs and playful banter about sports fandom, parental allegiances, and New York sports legends.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Championship Repeatability: How Hard Is It?

[00:53–04:29] Alan Hahn’s Drought-Ending Team Review

• Alan runs down teams that ended long championship droughts—Rangers, Cubs, Red Sox, White Sox, Chiefs, Cavs, Blackhawks, Saints, Blues, Bucks—and what happened the next year.
• Insight: Most teams failed to repeat, either falling short in the playoffs or bowing out early; only a few maintained elite status.
• “My point is it’s really hard to repeat. Now all of these teams, with the exception of the White Sox, did make the playoffs, which you expect the Knicks to do. But you do wonder. It’s hard to repeat. The NBA’s had eight straight years of no repeats.” — Alan Hahn, [04:22]

The NBA's Current Climate

• Eight straight years with eight different NBA champions—a sharp contrast to the previous dynastic eras.
• “It’s pretty incredible considering how dynasty laden it was before that run.” — Alan Hahn, [04:41]

2. NBA in Transition: It's "Team Over Star" Now

[05:18–07:07] The Brunson Factor, Team vs. Superstar Model

• The Knicks win was a team triumph, even with Brunson as MVP.
• “I love where the NBA is right now. Where it’s not about a player…It’s about teams.” — Alan Hahn, [04:47]
• “The idea of just, hey, throw two stars together and that’ll be enough to win a title—that just doesn’t work anymore.” — Peter Rosenberg, [06:05]
• Discussion of failed recent superteams and the value of depth-building and stability.

Notable Quote:

“So, if anything… I'd love to ask Adam Silver about… is this exactly what you were hoping for? That the NBA would turn into… the emphasis on building a team.”
— Peter Rosenberg, [06:39]

3. Knicks Roster Management & Free Agency

[07:19–08:40] Can They Run It Back?

• Bench pieces—McBride, Robinson, Alvarado, Shamet—are in contract flux.
• The starting five are locked in, but key bench decisions loom and cap flexibility is limited.
• “If they can get those guys back, then you’re running it back with the same roster that just won a title. How do they not come into the season as the favorite, no matter what?” — Alan Hahn, [08:28]

4. The Human Side: The “Hunger” and Motivation Dilemma

[08:40–10:40] Will They Be as Laser-Focused?

• Psychological and off-season distractions (book deals, celebrations) can sap repeat intensity.
• “Is it just human nature to… rest on your laurels a little bit…and if it’s just a tick off, is that just enough to come up short?” — Alan Hahn, [09:02]
• Analysis of the “chip on the shoulder” mentality, especially for Brunson:
  • “I do know number 11 will come back with the exact same mindset...I swear to God. This guy is a psychotic, but he feeds off this stuff.” — Peter Rosenberg, [10:43]

5. The Immense Size of the Knicks' Championship Moment

[11:12–15:03] Comparing Title Celebrations Across Sports

• Is this the biggest New York sports championship in decades? How does it compare to, e.g., the Cubs?
• “It’s never going to be like this ever again. No matter what. If they win another. It’s not going to be like this.” — Peter Rosenberg, [13:59]
• Hosts reflect on their own most memorable first championships, emphasizing the irreplicability of a first title.

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Listener Calls: Roster Moves, Generational Perspective

[15:31–24:02] Fan Callers Weigh In

• Caller Steve: Advocates keeping young prospects like Modi Diwara over veterans; raises issue of player wage sacrifices to build depth, referencing other teams’ stars possibly copying the Knicks’ model.
• Hosts: Push back, noting the need to weigh upside versus immediate contribution in tight cap scenarios.
• Caller John: Asks why the “Knicks drought” was less culturally prominent than Red Sox/Cubs “curse” narratives; hosts explain the lack of a clear curse or catchy chant, attributing the drought to bad management and missed opportunities rather than supernatural jinxes.

Notable Quotes:

• “Here was the curse. You were really bad and poorly run for many, many years.” — Peter Rosenberg, [24:02]
• “There was never any curse… There was no story, there was no nothing that just made sense in a chant. It was just a long ass time.” — Alan Hahn, [24:02]

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Local Sports and Community Highlights

[28:17–32:31] Weekend Recap (with timestamps):

• [28:23–30:04] Peter shouts out Long Island’s Joe Scally, rising U.S. soccer star.
• [31:28–31:55] Rosenberg congratulates his daughter for making the NY Rangers 12U team, despite being an Islanders fan.
• [32:31–34:09] Playful banter about whether hosts would abandon lifelong allegiances if their kids played professionally for rival teams.
• [35:12–36:09] Discussion on going “all in” as a parent if your child makes the majors.

Notable, Lighthearted Moment:

• “If he played for the Somerset Patriots, you’d be there during practice.” — Peter Rosenberg, [34:43]

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Giants Spiral: From Fandom to Franchise Philosophy

[36:09–41:49] Return to Giants Football

• Are the Giants finally on the upswing with Harbaugh as coach and a young QB (Dart)?
• Rothenberg is skeptical about the QB and defensive losses, but Alan argues history says the franchise “figures it out.”
• “At some point, the Giants do always seem to figure it out…they always seem to get it back on track for a little while.” — Alan Hahn, [39:20]
• Playful speculation about how much the hosts would enjoy “the problem” of finally being a perennial contender.

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Cultural Odds & Ends: Authentic Sports Fandom

[45:06–51:50]

• Mike Breen, OG Anunoby, and Jose Alvarado set to throw out first pitches at Mets’ games; tangent about how celebrity fans get labeled “huge” based on minor interactions.
• Deep-dive on Bruce Springsteen’s (alleged) baseball fandom, the lore of “speedball” in "Glory Days," and public skepticism of celebrity authenticity in sports.
• “People throw ‘big’ in front of ‘fan’ whenever they get the remote possibility that you might care about their team.” — Alan Hahn, [47:16]
• Rosenberg and Hahn lightheartedly discuss calling Alan “gullible" for championing celebrities' fandom.

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Notable Quotes & Moments (by Timestamp)

• On repeat difficulty (Alan Hahn):
  "The NBA’s had eight straight years of no repeats." [04:22]
• On the team era (Peter Rosenberg):
  "The idea of just, hey, throw two stars together and that’ll be enough... just doesn’t work anymore." [06:05]
• On Brunson’s hunger (Peter Rosenberg):
  "This guy is a psychotic, but he feeds off this stuff." [10:44]
• On the Knicks' drought (Alan Hahn):
  "There was never any curse... There was no story... It was just a long ass time." [24:02]
• On parental fandom (Peter Rosenberg):
  "If he played for the Somerset Patriots, you’d be there during practice." [34:43]
• On New York sporting moments (Peter Rosenberg):
  "It’s never going to be like this ever again. No matter what... so it was almost like that. Take it in for a moment..." [13:59]

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Major Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:53–04:29: Teams breaking droughts & repeat patterns
• 05:18–07:07: NBA’s team era, superstar vs. depth
• 07:19–08:40: Knicks roster questions for 2026–27
• 08:40–10:40: Hunger, laser focus, and championship letdown
• 11:12–13:59: Knicks championship as a pop-culture moment
• 15:31–24:02: Listener calls: Diwara vs. McBride, Knicks drought culture
• 28:17–32:31: Weekend Local Sports Recap (Scally, Rangers, parenting)
• 36:09–41:49: Giants hope and skepticism
• 45:06–51:50: Celebrity sports fandom, Springsteen riff, "speedball" lore

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Tone & Style

Conversational, energetic, and deeply knowledgeable, blending hard sports analysis with irreverent New York banter. Hosts frequently riff and challenge each other, inviting listeners into both sports “barbershop” debates and heartfelt community moments.

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For New Listeners

This episode offers a comprehensive, insightful (and often hilarious) analysis of the Knicks’ chances at repeating, broader trends in the NBA, and the depth of emotion behind New York’s long-awaited sports triumph. Whether a die-hard or casual fan, it’s a vivid snapshot of where city sports fandom stands in 2026—and a reminder that in New York, “the first time is always special.”

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Transcript

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[Don Hahn]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Don Hahn]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 880 ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.

[Alan Hahn]

Game time is brought to you by Tullamore. Do Irish whiskey because when it's game time, guy. Yeah, it's Tolly time.

[Dave Rothenberg]

It's Tolly time.

[Alan Hahn]

Mets start a series with the Cubs coverage immediately following us on 880 at 6:30. And if you've watched the Mets lately, you better turn it on quick because they'll be down like three nothing before you even get going. The middle part and the end's not bad. It's the beginning that's been killing them. The Yankees will Visit the Tigers at 6:05 Tullamore due the original triple distilled, triple blended and triple cast matured Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Telemore Dew or try the new Telemore Dew honey during today's action. Glasses up to enjoying Tullamore Dew responsibly. I'm probably missing a couple, but I just wanted to kind of go through when talking about the Knicks chances of repeating how teams did the year after ending a jinx or a long drought of championships. I figured we'll start locally. The Rangers 54 years, right. Similar to the Knicks, very average. That was the 48 game lockout schedule that they had the year after. Remember they had to wait a long time till January for them to raise the banner and all that. They beat the Quebec Nordiques in the first round, got swept by the Flyers in the second round. The biggest one, the Cubs 108 years. They went 92 and 70 the next year in 2017. But they lost in the league championship series. So they did make it to the cusp of the World Series. Lost to the Dodgers 4 1. The Red Sox 19 18. They finished in second of these actually tie with the Yankees. But the Yankees had the tiebreaker in 2005. They lost in the first round to the White Sox, got swept three nothing

[Peter Rosenberg]

is that first round means division round.

[Alan Hahn]

Well there was. Yeah, the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because there was no wild card. Wild card was just a right. So they won the right. They won A wild card bid.

[Alan Hahn]

They were. They got a wild card and they got swept in that wild card.

[Podcast Sponsor Announcer]

Remember?

[Alan Hahn]

Because the wild card team played a best of five, just like the division winner did back then. Wow. But they were a wild card team. Got swept by the White Sox. Speaking of the White Sox, they had gone a long time without a championship. 100 years. Because theirs was what, 1917. So it wasn't 100 years, but it was close. They missed the playoffs. They finished with 90 wins, but they missed the playoffs. Other teams, the Chiefs, because they had never won, they won that Super Bowl 4. They didn't go back until 2019. They ended up losing in the Super Bowl. The next year, the Cavs, after they had their long drought not winning a championship one when LeBron lost in the final. The next year, the Blackhawks, who went from 1961 to 2010 between their championships, lost in the first round. Saints, 43 years of existence, never won a Super bowl, finally win their super bowl. Lost in the first round the next year to the Seahawks. And the reason I remember that one is because The Seahawks were a 7, 9 team but. But they won their division. So the Saints had to go to Seattle. They lost that game. That was that big beast mode. Marshawn Lynch, 70 yard touchdown run blues. They won their first championship in nearly 50 years. Won their division, but they were bounced in the first round by the Canucks four games to two. The Bucks, 40 years between championships. When they won in 2021, they lost in the second round in 2022. Am I missing anybody with like any long droughts as you're doing on my. What I was doing, if you went over 30 years between championships. So my point is it's really hard to repeat. Now all of these teams, with the exception of the White Sox, you know, did make the playoffs the next year, which you expect the Knicks to do. But you do wonder. It's hard to repeat. The NBA's had eight straight years of no repeats.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

So it's going to be hard to do.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They haven't even had a repeat within the eight years. Like one team win it twice. Because again you can.

[Alan Hahn]

Eight years, eight different.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Eight different teams. Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

It's pretty incredible considering how dynasty laden it was before that run.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right, right.

[Alan Hahn]

But right now we're in a transition and I love where the NBA is right now. Where it's not about a player.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

You know, Curry versus LeBron, who's going to win the championship? You know, Bird versus Magic, who's going to win the championship? It's about teams because even though it's Brunson, I don't look at and maybe, maybe I'm wrong about this because Brunson was such a major integral part of it. He had to score those 45 points in that Game 5 because he might not have won the MVP. There were other candidates going into that game, right?

[Dave Rothenberg]

Well, I don't think into the last game after four, I think it was

[Alan Hahn]

over maybe after four.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think the only thing up in the air was if OG had a big game fight, maybe that.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Because if OG had scored 45 in game five after the tip in, in game four, right. Maybe we're having.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Brunson already had. Had three 30 point games in the series.

[Alan Hahn]

There's two different things. There's. It's Brunson's championship because he was the mvp. It's Messier's championship because he was the big kahuna who came in and slayed the dragon. But you know, Leech won the Con Smythe. There were other great players around him. So I'm just saying that this, this is not a superstar. This is. Brunson did.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, you're right with what you're saying this is. And I think that's what everybody's trying to watch here is does the emphasis of team and the importance of team building to where you have, you don't have the one dominant player which again when you look at the nine different championships, how many teams had the one dominant player, right? Like this is the reason why they won. Even the Thunder, they won. Yes, SGA was the most, was the mvp. But that, that was a good team. Like they were, they had depth, they were really good. So I do think that this has been an era where, you know, the idea of just hey, throw two stars together and that'll be enough to win a title that just doesn't work anymore. And in fact the teams that tried it, look how much it, look how much it failed miserably when they tried to pair stars up making megatrades, that gutted your depth. So if anything, and that's what I'd love to ask Adam Silver about when we talk to him tomorrow night, is that. Is this exactly what you were hoping for? That the NBA would turn into? Where instead of it being ring chasing and stars pairing up and all that stuff, it has become the emphasis on building a team.

[Alan Hahn]

And that's what makes it fun because then it's just about who you know. Now we know ahead of time who's going to win the championship. The great thing this year. Is it going to be the Celtics? Is it going to be the Knicks? Is it going to be the Pistons? They're going to come out of the

[Peter Rosenberg]

east, but with that in mind, Don. And that's why you think, can they repeat? Which is a fair question. And I don't think it's answerable. I really don't. Could they? Yes.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Will they?

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's impossible to answer. But here's the thing that I think you look at is no matter what any other team does to react to the Knicks in the east, what does it do to your team? Because how did the Knicks win all these series? Because they had depth, they had a team. And that's also to me, watching what the Knicks do. Can they do things to keep their most important pieces off that bench? The five aren't going anywhere. Starting five are locked in. They're not going. They'll be back next year. Same starting five will be back, but the guys off the bench, McBride has one year left. They don't have to do anything right now. But we know that Mitchell Robinson could be a free agent. They can extend him before June 30, and that's not a problem anymore. And then there's also Jose Alvarado and Landry Shammit. Sham. It's going to be a free agent. You got to figure that out. Alvarado can pick up a player option, or you can extend him off the player option if you want. But those pieces, to me, those four guys are the ones that you ask. If they can get those guys back, then you're running it back with the same roster that just won a title. How do they not come into the season as the favorite, no matter what you do? Because anybody else that makes a massive trade, like a Giannis trade, you're blowing up your roster. You might not have the same depth.

[Alan Hahn]

Now, the other, you know, elephant in the room that people don't like to talk about is just, is the hunger going to be the same? Are the bounces going to be the same? And one of the teams I left off my list of droughts and what they did the next year were the New York Giants. 30 years, 56 to 86. And I remember that championship. They missed the playoffs the next year. It was a strike year. It was a mess, but they were a mess. They got injuries, bald and bounced away that they needed to. Just didn't catch the breaks. The other thing, everybody had a book. Lt had a book. Leonard Marshall had a book. And they took the tour. And you just, maybe you lacked the Hunger. It'll be interesting to see how they handle the offseason. They did everything the right way leading into and during this upcoming season, because they were hungry, they were disappointed. What happened against the Pacers? They were on a mission. Can you duplicate that mission? Or is it just human nature to kind of, you know, rest on your laurels a little bit, enjoy the moment a little bit, and then you come in focused. But is it fair to think that that laser focus is going to be exactly the same way it was last year? And if it's just a tick off, is that just enough to come up short?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, I mean, Brunson and Hart and the Roommates guys had their show Friday night. That's right, at the Garden. It was on ESPN too. And they're going to drop it on YouTube if you haven't seen it. And it was very interesting because it felt like the Petty tour, like they had Stephen A. On. They made him apologize.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, they brought up, without mentioning names, Becky Hammond. They brought up the, the, the, the participation trophy thing. Like you could tell already. They were building the chip back on the shoulder already. And that's why, like I was watching, I was thinking, now I can't answer for everybody because you don't know how everyone's going to come back, but I do know that number 11 will come back with the exact same mindset.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, well.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Of what everybody's saying.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Yeah, this year was a fluke.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, this. You gotta validate it by winning one more. This isn't going to happen. I swear to God. This guy is a psychotic, but he feeds off this stuff.

[Dave Rothenberg]

He. I agree.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And I think the more it said, especially with the Knicks being, I think, fifth in the odds, all stuff like that. Oh, yeah, I think, I think that stuff will continue to kill him.

[Dave Rothenberg]

I'm not worried about him.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, you don't worry about him. It's everybody else fault.

[Dave Rothenberg]

That's right.

[Alan Hahn]

Like you're not wrong.

[Dave Rothenberg]

It's also hard because the level of this win, you know, when was the last. And this is something to think about. When was the last championship in any city, in any of the four major sports? This big a deal nationally? Think about it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I would say the Cubs. I think the Cubs won.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Maybe again, we're really close to it. So I. Maybe I'm too close to it.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't know.

[Dave Rothenberg]

This feels bigger to me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Nationally, didn't the Cubs one feel like it was big?

[Alan Hahn]

108 years, such a thing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, think about it. It's more than it was double the time the Knicks had to win and

[Peter Rosenberg]

it was excruciating to the end for them.

[Dave Rothenberg]

It had to be now. But I'm. Do you guys remember what the numbers were?

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's a good question.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Can't imagine they're close to what this,

[Alan Hahn]

that this did the TV, radio. I'm going to look up 2016 Cubs at the time Indians. Because that, that's a nice matchup too. Well, they were both fighting for their first. Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. They get like game seven drew an average of 40 million on Fox.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Wow.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, 40 million. And we got our answer.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And I don't watched baseball game in 25 years. I remains it.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That.

[Alan Hahn]

That's big.

[Dave Rothenberg]

I was on a plane. I remember where I was.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Watch how the numbers went up though. Game 119, game 217. Game 3, 19. Game 4, 16. Then it got real. Game 5, 23.6. Game 6, 23.4. Game 7, 40.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, that. That's so.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It drew everybody in of it.

[Dave Rothenberg]

How there are. How are there 17 million people who thought, I'm not interested. All right, Now I'm interested.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, because I think it's just crazy. I know, but it's still crazy.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Like if you haven't been in for the first six, you're really running. It was. I think it was a. I feel like it was a. What night of the week was that game? I feel like it was a Thursday night and then people ran to their TVs.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, because it's game seven. One team's trying to end a drought of.08.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

1908.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Right.

[Alan Hahn]

The other one, 1948.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, wait.

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, these are two. I get smacked around for years.

[Dave Rothenberg]

It was a weird word.

[Alan Hahn]

If this had gone 7, I think the number would have been probably 30 for Knicks and Spurs. If it had gone to a game seven, a compelling series. I think that maybe more because it

[Dave Rothenberg]

was already at 25, but. Okay. So. So my point is though, if the only other thing you can really come up with in the last 20 years is a battle between two epic baseball franchises, neither of which had won in 50 or 100 years, it's. It's such a huge thing. It will test this team's ability to just put it all behind them and dial in and do it again, this is. You could very easily have the party of a lifetime. And this thing never gets back on the rails in the same way. That's like the worst case scenario to a team that's not focused. That could happen.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And we all know, I guess One of the things that stayed with me, that I was thinking as I realized the parade had ended, we had stopped. It's time to get off the float. And yet there were still millions of people around you just screaming and excited. And there was City Hall. And I just said. I just turned around and I looked down back the other way. The Canyon heroes or the other floats were still coming. And I just said to myself, it's never going to be like this ever again. No matter what. If they win another. It's not going to be like this. If anyone else wins, it's not going to be like this. And so it was almost like that. Take it in for a moment, like I told myself, just stop for a second and just take that in. Look down where you just came from. And these people hanging from street signs and street lights and like, just saying to myself, it's never going to be this big ever again.

[Alan Hahn]

No, the first time is always the one that's special. I remember even though the second Giants super bowl was way more interesting. It was Super Bowl 25 and the Norwood Miss. It was a competitive game. They. They upset the Buffalo Gulf War, too.

[Peter Rosenberg]

There was a lot of emotion.

[Alan Hahn]

The one you think about is 86, because that was the first super bowl that they had. It's the first championship I. I saw as a Giants fan. And that even though it was a blowout game and it was interesting in the first half, but not nearly as interesting as Super Bowl 25, certainly not as interesting as the two beating the Patriots.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, God.

[Alan Hahn]

But the first one that you saw, that's something that's really, really special. It's going to live forever. Let's go to Steve in California. You're on ESPN New York now. Turn down the radio, buddy.

[Caller Steve]

Always a pleasure. Yep. I'm moving away. All right. Always a pleasure. Always. A couple things I want to say if I'm Leon Rose, I'm getting together with the team to find out what they want to do. Carl Anthony Townes is going to have a big impact on this. This is going to become an issue now between players and the Players association and owners because players are going to see what the Knicks have done. And are players willing to take cuts and not take those huge max yields so that team can build depth around them? This is going to be something that's going to be very important moving forward. The fact that they have all of their starters coming back, the one guy that they must keep moving forward is Modi Awara as well.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's going to be tough. That's going to be tough. Restricted free agent, 20 years old. There's teams that are going to want to throw money at him to hope he turns into something special. And for the Knicks, as nice as, you know, the idea of maybe in four years he could become an All Star, five years, you. You can't use that money to do that. To match. That would be very, very difficult.

[Caller Steve]

I'm not sure it takes that long for him. I think this is why they kept him hidden the rest of the year, is that they feel that he can fill in at multiple spots and be one of those positionless guys who's really worth hanging on to. And he knows their system and he knows how to play.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think I would not. Not at that. Not at the expense of losing someone who can help you win. Right now. You can't. You just can't.

[Caller Steve]

I believe he can. And here's the other thing, Alan. You know how many years the Knicks needed to have that veteran guy on their roster to show guys how to win? They don't need that roster spot now. They've got that.

[Dave Rothenberg]

So.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, let me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, so then who are you. Who are you saying goodbye to? Like Don always says, who you taking out? Because you'll have to say goodbye to somebody.

[Caller Steve]

So I think they may see more in Diagara than they see in Daddier. I don't know the answer.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, that's not it. But that, that's. That's not a comp here. I'm talking about Shamet, McBride, Robinson or Alvarado. One of those have to go there.

[Caller Steve]

He could, I would say McBride easily. I know the injury impacted him, but his skills are replaced. And I believe that Dottie A is going to have so much upside. I mean, Diwara has so much upside. And he plays defense at a level he's what, six, eight, six, nine? Play three positions. Okay? So that's a guy who knows your system and can fill it. And here's the one thing besides what you said, Allen, is that you never know how injuries are going to play. You're looking forward. Yes. They've got their starting five. They're all in their prime. They have an excellent shot. They need another defensive battle. They got to keep Mitch or somebody who can do what Mitch does.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All you have, just so you know, Stephen, and again, appreciate the call. All you got to know this, they have $13 million under that second apron. That's all they got. Now, you're allowed to sign your own players and go over that apron. You can do that. There's no penalty. You can do it. You can't bring in other players and go over the apron. That's what makes that the hard cap. So they have to make a choice. Steve's choices. Deuce McBride, he would let him go to keep that. This is where we're getting to right now.

[Dave Rothenberg]

This is where, and I hate this is very difficult. It's not fun. But it's. But you know what is fun is

[Peter Rosenberg]

the fact that we are finally starting this great project I've been talking about.

[Dave Rothenberg]

I've heard you talk.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I told you earlier on the show, project's going to begin this week. The beautiful French door I've been telling you about arrives Thursday. And we got that door from Ring's End. Now you're saying why'd you go to Rings end? Well, my contractor and I talked about the importance of a high end quality door that we want to put into this project that we are building. And we know Rings end. Is that why? Well, they have an extensive inventory of built to last high end product lines that contractors like my guy Michael relies on. So they have showrooms you can go in, you can touch and feel these products. You can see exactly what you're getting. They have, by the way, eight full service lumber yards in Connecticut and Westchester County. They're around the area. 12 freestanding paint centers as well. They are family owned and operated since 1902. So they've been in business for a long time, over a hundred years. They have deep northeast roots. So they're not a national chain. Everyone, they know the northeast. They know the area. They know what you need. They, they also support local builders and communities. And by the way, if you can't make it to a store, you can shop online. So check them out. Ringsend.com that's ringzen.com John in Queens.

[Alan Hahn]

You're on ESPN New York.

[Caller John]

What's up boys? How we doing?

[Podcast Sponsor Announcer]

What up, man?

[Caller John]

First time I get the call. Hey. First time I get the call. Well, I guess now is post playoff run. I've tried to get in but the lines are busy. But I'm just glad to be talking to you guys now.

[Caller Steve]

But I know we were just talking

[Caller John]

about who we the last callers talking about who we want to keep and not bring back whatever. But I want to bring another point. You guys are talking about you. We were talking about the title droughts. Right. And specifically like the, the rating numbers of Cubs and yeah, Cleveland, excuse me, I apologize. But then Indians. But the point is so like I know the, the 53 year title drought. Right. For the Knicks. But something I, I you you guys are talking about was I I as a Nick fan. I don't know it maybe I just never heard it from other Knicks fans. I know I, it's 53 years was never like a calling card for us. I like, I never heard like how sock fans and Cubs fans used to be 86 years, 108 years and they used to champagne like the champion the year the last one like 1918. The tease socks fans. People say 20, 19, 16. The tease cubs fans. I know the Rangers people were saying 1940 the Tease Ranger fans. But that was never. I don't think that has that ever been a thing for like the Knicks. Is it just because like the Knicks were so.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's always been.

[Caller Steve]

That's just a question.

[Caller John]

I don't have like a. Yeah, yeah. But I don't know like opposing team fans use it well.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, but, but they do. And how old are you?

[Caller Steve]

I'm. I'm 32.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay. I mean I'm the younger side, right?

[Caller John]

I'm not.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right?

[Caller John]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But the reason why I don't know if that's something that was from more of the younger generation but I know from the again the older generation thing and I always would hear about it like I. It's all you'd ever talk about. Franchise hasn't won in over 50 years. Once it got to 50, that's when it became a thing.

[Alan Hahn]

But there's also nothing like 1940 kind

[Peter Rosenberg]

of 73 doesn't rhyme that you don't have any type of like yeah, what

[Alan Hahn]

do you say 1973 changes 50 years. 51 years, 50.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Rangers fans started chanting 1983 after they won the cup. The Mach Islander fans. That doesn't sound cool.

[Alan Hahn]

It doesn't work right. You know. But I think what's missing is that there's just nothing that kind of made sense to go after. Everybody knew it had been a long, long time. An obnoxiously long time.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

You know, we knew the Cubs 1908 because it was 19 friggin oh eight. Yeah, that's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh my God, the aughts as they say, you know.

[Alan Hahn]

But I, you know in the 1918 with the red. It was more. It wasn't so much about them. The Red Sox hadn't won since 1918. It was the curse of the Bambino. There was no real curse. Here was the problem with the Knicks. They were just bad. Like there was never any curse. Right. Nobody. What was the Ranger thing that they. That the New York Americans with the, with the lease on Madison Square Garden said, you're, you know, we're gonna, you're never gonna, you're never gonna win a Stanley Cup. And then with the. And what was the one with the Cubs was the donkey, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

You know, like there was no fun myth or story of, of a Knick player sold like the way Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees. It was just, you know what, they just hadn't won since 1973. There was no story, there was no nothing that just made sense in a chant. It was just a long ass time. That was it. You know, honestly, there was nothing else to it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Here was the curse. You were really bad and poorly run for many, many years. I mean, think about if you want to go through all the choices that worked against you, it starts with deciding that when Dr. J became available. Yeah, we're already in on George Gervin, though. Not George Gervin. I'm sorry, George McGinnis.

[Caller John]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We're already in on him.

[Alan Hahn]

George Girvin would have made a little bit more sense.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We're already in on George McGinnis. So we can't go for Dr. Jones. And everybody's like, you what? What?

[Pharmaceutical Advertiser]

Say what?

[Peter Rosenberg]

They have that passing on Larry Bird in the draft because he wasn't going to come out that.

[Alan Hahn]

But that's all you passed on Larry Bird.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What are you doing, you know, trading a pick that ended up becoming Scottie Pippen. Who would come back to haunt you after all these years, like just little things that happen along the way that kept you kept face palming about. That was the curse. Not yet.

[Alan Hahn]

We needed a story, you know, a

[Peter Rosenberg]

black cat or something.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, we needed, we needed, you know, Walt Clyde losing a bet to like Roger at studio. And that's why the Knicks had like, if it was a fun, cute story, right? We never, we never really had that. But you know what? It's over anyway, so it doesn't. Doesn't matter.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Dave Rothenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

Catch the show on Demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

[Alan Hahn]

It's now time for the weekend recap and it's brought to you by Neutral. And Alan Hahn's got a couple of cool things.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mentioned it earlier. I think this is something all of us in this area should pay closer attention to because I'm big on very. Is it myopic?

[Alan Hahn]

Is that the word?

[Guest or Secondary Speaker]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like, I like to focus on people from our area that are doing cool things. And so you're watching the World cup and you're watching the US team and they've had a hell of a run early on now in the double elimination stage. And a name like that that popped up on the screen as he got into the game on Friday afternoon. The US win over Australia got in late is Joe Scally. And Joe Scally is from Lake Grove, which is out on Long Island. He went to Sachem and he was a. He. He grew up and you could tell immediately like, like just reading his story that they. He just had. It was something special about him on the soccer field. By the time he was a teenager, he was getting signed to pro contract. He played for NYC FC and now he's in Bundesliga playing overseas and he's become one of the top young American players he had. You know, it's just a cool story to see a kid from this area. This is not, you know, naturally a place where you're just going to see a lot of great international soccer talents coming out of. We've had some. But, you know, to see this story is. Is really cool. I mean, he ended up signing guys at 15 years old.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

A pro contract. The second youngest player from the US to sign a pro contract.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Freddie Adu, the first time.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Very good job by you.

[Alan Hahn]

That's a good point.

[Dave Rothenberg]

If all of us knew it. Is that good a joke?

[Alan Hahn]

It's not a strange poll.

[Dave Rothenberg]

No. If all three of us would have guessed. Freddie, adieu.

[Alan Hahn]

Like a nice good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I bid you. So anyways, I just, I caught it. He got in as was his first appearance. He has played obviously for the US Before. I've been on the team. But him getting his first. His first look at 23 years old is, you know, a really cool thing. And let's just keep an eye on him as we go forward. So you have a rooting interest now

[Dave Rothenberg]

you're, now you're really.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, come on. All you got to tell me is, oh, there's a guy from Long island on the team. I'm in. I'm unabashedly a fan now. I'm watching every game.

[Dave Rothenberg]

It's. It's been a pretty cool start.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So that's a cool story. Shout out my daughter Callie.

[Dave Rothenberg]

And to do without Pulisic, by the way, for the first game and a half.

[Alan Hahn]

Very impressive.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Now, unfortunately, the thing he's dealing with, Don, is what we always talk about calves and what a pain in the. You know, what they are.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Apparently it wasn't when he got kicked. It happened in practice.

[Guest or Secondary Speaker]

Yeah.

[Dave Rothenberg]

So it was something that happened in practice, I guess was aggravated when he got kicked. It is worrisome, though, because you just never know when they're worried about a cat. Think about like this to be where he is at this stage in his career and be missing World cup games. You know, think about.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's not 100% killing him.

[Alan Hahn]

Think about the level.

[Dave Rothenberg]

It's got to be like, oh, well,

[Alan Hahn]

better luck next year. About four years.

[Dave Rothenberg]

If this was a day, if this was an annoying pain.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Where he could take a shot and feel, okay, he's doing it. So that is worrisome, guys.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's so important now that we get to the real part of the tournament. Right. So that's big. But I just quickly wanted to shout out my daughter Callie.

[Caller John]

She.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The New York Rangers just reached out to her.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Whoa, whoa.

[Peter Rosenberg]

To let her know that she has made their 12U team, which is a tournament team that they put together of players from all around the tri state area. And she was among one of the younger girls there, but she made the team, so I'm very proud of her.

[Dave Rothenberg]

And how old is she?

[Peter Rosenberg]

She's 11. Now she has to wear a Rangers jersey, which for her is not easy because she loves the Islanders.

[Caller Steve]

Well.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But we're gonna make an acceptance.

[Dave Rothenberg]

You're gonna have to push her.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We're very happy about it.

[Alan Hahn]

You're gonna.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So I just wanted to shout her out.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Mark says that sometimes. What if I. What if I become a Red Sox? Are you still going to root for me?

[Peter Rosenberg]

You should say no.

[Dave Rothenberg]

No, that's line. I'm out.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know what? No, you tell them Red Sox, that's fine. If you come to Philly, you're out. Not. I'm not fan. How am I rooting for the Phillies?

[Alan Hahn]

Don legrecka's answer before I had children would be completely different. But if he becomes a baseball player and becomes any. That. That would be my team.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Of course it would, Ron.

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, you're not a fault. It's a. You're not a Miami Marlins. I'M all in.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

We're all moving down to Miami. I'm going to buy hats, jersey, be there at every game.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Now that's interesting. Would you really think. You really think if baseball. Pro baseball. You're going to every game, pro ball player. First of all, if you're still on

[Alan Hahn]

the air, dead is. Is obviously the front runner as far as where I am. By the time he gets to the majors.

[Dave Rothenberg]

No, that's. It could be 12 years away. What are you talking.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, 12 years away. All of a sudden I'm 70. Let's try to be a little bit more optimistic.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Yeah, I think 70.

[Alan Hahn]

Listen, I think he's a hell of a player. I don't think he's playing in the bigs at 20.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay. How do you know?

[Alan Hahn]

You don't know if it did happen. 70. I don't know where Jalen's going to

[Peter Rosenberg]

be, but come on, you're getting an RV.

[Alan Hahn]

Florida. Kind of where 70 year olds go anyway. So going to Miami. But when I moved to the city in which he played, maybe. But if I did, why wouldn't I go to every.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Well, Sally.

[Alan Hahn]

No, I don't know. I travel.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Baseball is baseball. It'd be interesting to ask the average baseball parent. I'm sure we have some listening right now. Like the Volpes, like, how much do you go?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, they're from Jersey. They go to every. Every home game.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Every home game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They're going to every.

[Alan Hahn]

If he was a Met or he might aren't going.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But there's always somebody.

[Alan Hahn]

If somebody go. If I stayed in New York or he played somewhere where it's logical for me to move.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right.

[Alan Hahn]

I like the Raleigh area. There's a lot of New Yorkers and new people from.

[Dave Rothenberg]

I have terrible news for you.

[Alan Hahn]

No, but there's a lot of rumors that by the time that they might get a team, they might get a team. I'm just saying if it was somewhere. We're really down the road of fantasy now.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Not always.

[La Quinta Advertiser]

Marco.

[Alan Hahn]

Charlotte.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Not only is Marco in the majors, we created a team in a market that's not even there yet. I love where we're at right now.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We made up.

[Alan Hahn]

Listen, it's fantasy land. You know, the chances of making the

[Dave Rothenberg]

big is not easy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We did this with Zach in Seattle. Stephanie mispronounced, misread whatever it is, missaid lyrics to a song and she thought it was Seattle. And so we kept saying, well, that's where you're gonna play in the NHL. And then we had a team in Seattle. And now there's a team in Seattle.

[Alan Hahn]

And now there's a team in Seattle.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now, we know where you're going, but

[Alan Hahn]

let's just say it was Marlins or Rays, and we retired down to Florida. Why wouldn't I go to every year?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Of course you would. If he played for the Somerset Patriots, you'd be there during practice.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Listen, I don't know. You know this. Listen, I don't know. My dad literally didn't go to any of my baseball games as a kid. Now, granted, there was no chance of me making the majors, but I just don't know, would I want to go to 80 games here? I guess year one, you're like, oh, my God. And then once it becomes clear my kid's a perennial ball player, now you start going 30 times a year.

[Alan Hahn]

Since we're living in fantasy land, I think he's gonna pull. He's gonna pull a soto. He's gonna demand a suite.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

For the family. So if I'm sitting in a suite every game, just go have dinner.

[Dave Rothenberg]

I just want to go have dinner.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Tell you what, if he doesn demand that, what are we doing right? All this.

[Commercial Announcer]

Let me ask you.

[Don Hahn]

Don't do that.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Let me ask you a tough question.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Because obviously we know, you know, Dave Rothenberg's a psychopath.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Dave Rothenberg]

And says he would, you know, root for his kid to get sacked by LT or whatever it was. However, let's say Marco ends up on the Phillies.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Dave Rothenberg]

The Phillies become your team now. Now you're focused on whatever they're doing.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Dave Rothenberg]

When they're not playing the Mets, though, you're still rooting for the Mets.

[Caller Steve]

No.

[Dave Rothenberg]

You can't just kill off your love of the Mets.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm looking for a reason. I'm just hungry.

[Dave Rothenberg]

You know What?

[Caller John]

Hunger.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm. I'm rubbing veins, looking for anything to inject to get out. I'm just looking for anything.

[Don Hahn]

Wow.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm like, really?

[Peter Rosenberg]

That is a tremendous point you're making there.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Dave Rothenberg]

I didn't. I made it so easy by.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm like, remember when Chappelle was the crack addict? My lips are all white. I'm just looking for any big way to get out. I'm just looking. Give me a reason. Give me. Just give me some reason.

[Dave Rothenberg]

That's a great point. Sorry.

[Alan Hahn]

I can't think of a better reason.

[Dave Rothenberg]

And you don't really have. The fact of the matter is, you don't really have a team that you love.

[Guest or Secondary Speaker]

I don't.

[Dave Rothenberg]

The Devils are your job now. Of the teams you Root for. As a fan, you don't really have one. I mean the Giants. The Giants are.

[Alan Hahn]

No the Giants. The Giants, yeah.

[Dave Rothenberg]

But they've been, they've been on the edge of becoming one of those teams now for the last several years. Five more years.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think they're coming back though. I think Donnie. I see Donnie. All in this year.

[Dave Rothenberg]

A lot of people are getting watched every second.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, but you're going to be. You're going to be in on this.

[Dave Rothenberg]

You're sure?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think even Pusick might.

[Dave Rothenberg]

I don't. I'm like, God, am I being a hater? I'm like not believing what everyone else

[Peter Rosenberg]

put everything I like, everything I'm hearing

[Dave Rothenberg]

about that team, he likes things he's hearing. I'm not. My eyes aren't telling me anything I'm impressed with yet.

[Alan Hahn]

And you've got a pretty decent track record I think of like sensing like you saw. I sense Shermer wasn't going to be the guy.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Well, it's been easy to sense with this team. No, no, no, no, no.

[Alan Hahn]

But you. Same with getting to know you for 10 plus years. This is you doubling down on the QB you want to see more. People have definitely taken a leap believing that Dart is guaranteed the next franchise quarterback. So I think you're kind of. And listen, if he's not, then I think the Giants are not going to be a playoff team. But I think that you have to admit the hiring of John Harbaugh, they have now, you got to feel pretty good they're no longer an embarrassment. They may not go to the playoffs, they may not be a championship team, but the embarrassment they've been for the better part of a decade. I do think you would think they'll write. Odds are they're right.

[Dave Rothenberg]

I think that's fair. I think Harbaugh is really solid. So I have every reason to think that again, I always point out there's a reason he's not in Baltimore anymore. He couldn't make it work obviously with one of the most talented players in the league. So something has gone awry there. But I believe he'll kill right the ship in that way. My thing with the Giants is multifold. One, people are so desperate for them to find their quarterback and believe me, I've been there. I get it that they jumped out the window very fast with the kid and to me he just simply hasn't shown that much yet and people were like so ready to. And he's got a lot of swagger and moxie like I get it. I get why you think he's it. But it's all hints, not the real. Then the most talented player. The players who I believed were the most talented, you know, Dexter Lawrence, as much as he had disappointed at times, was clearly among the most talented. He obviously didn't want to be here anymore. He's gone. They made it work trade wise, but he still lost a great talent. And then you have the guy I think is all world on this team. If he were to fully be healthy again. Malik Neighbors and we're worried about what his timeline looks like. That worries me. Then the last little bonus you had was this scrappy. Where did he come from? Except my buddy had been telling us about him because he lives in Arizona. In Scatterbo, you got this guy Scatterbo, who's just nothing but heart and willing to run through walls, suffers a gruesome injury and everyone is just assuming and I love being positive that he'll just continue to be on who he was. However, my concern about that is what made Scatterboo a capable NFL player was that he played with reckless abandon. I don't know that that won't be somewhat compromised coming off of a lower leg injury.

[Alan Hahn]

You know what I think is bigger than all of it, bigger than Scatter Boo, bigger than Dart, bigger than Harbaugh, is that you at least have to give me this at some point. The Giants do always seem to figure it out. They do all right, because this is not the first time they've been embarrassing. But they always, you know, I give you the Dave Brown era, I can go back to the 70s when they couldn't get anything going, but then eventually they kind of right the ship.

[Dave Rothenberg]

They're good for a While and then they'll 90s 2007. 11. They're due.

[Alan Hahn]

So they're more than due. Not only are they due, it looks like they got the quarterback and it looks definitely like they've got a competent head coach. So it all seems to be coming together. I think that's more it than believing Dart's going to be the next Joe Montana.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Right.

[Alan Hahn]

Believing Scatterboo is going to be the next Walter Payton and it's all going to come together.

[Dave Rothenberg]

You have faith in the franchise.

[Alan Hahn]

I just. They always seem to just get it back on track for a little while. That's kind of.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Maybe I've been influenced by being around Anthony, who's young enough to Both remember the 2011 Super Bowl. Both. What year were you born, Anthony?

[Alan Hahn]

94.

[Caller John]

94.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Oh, she remembers. 07 too. So remember the Super Bowls. But also is young enough that basically half of his life, they've been a complete joke also. So maybe I've been influenced by being around his energy, which is very dark when it comes to the Giants.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, it's fair. But. But I feel like with. Especially with our good friend here, Don Lagreca, is that he doesn't suffer fools.

[Dave Rothenberg]

No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So he's not going to get in on something that you can see. It's not really all there, but it's my team, so I'm going to give him some help.

[Dave Rothenberg]

No, he'll need to see.

[Guest or Secondary Speaker]

He's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That he's the discerning type that is going to watch it and say, you've got to draw me back in. And I just feel like. And you're not wrong about the quarterback. You're not wrong. He's got a lot more to prove.

[Dave Rothenberg]

People are Harbaugh, that's true.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But that's what makes Harbaugh to me so valuable is because everybody knows that if you had a weaker coach or a lesser name coach, guess who becomes the voice of everything for this franchise?

[Dave Rothenberg]

Yeah, the kid.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That kid.

[Caller Steve]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But he's not.

[Alan Hahn]

And let's face it, that's important.

[Dave Rothenberg]

But Harbaugh didn't have it working exactly right with Lamar.

[Alan Hahn]

No. But any other playoff team, they had a clue. They just didn't work.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Eventually it just kind of wears out.

[Alan Hahn]

Is it possible that we'll fast forward 10 years from now? He got the Giants on the right track. Got him a perennial playoff team, but didn't get him a championship. And then eventually he leaves with a legacy of, yeah, he'll get you there, but only the one time he won. But yeah, I want that problem.

[Dave Rothenberg]

You would take that.

[Alan Hahn]

I want the problem of a team that just can't get to the Super Bowl.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's it.

[Alan Hahn]

Yo, I'm getting a little bored with the championship games. When are they going to finally get to a Super Bowl?

[Dave Rothenberg]

I want it.

[Alan Hahn]

I want that problem.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What a glorious.

[Alan Hahn]

How much is that?

[Dave Rothenberg]

Playing in the championship.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's for me as a Jets fan, back to back years, and I'm like,

[Dave Rothenberg]

you know, time to get over the hump.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We just get over the hump.

[Alan Hahn]

It's so frustrating taking the knee at the shadow of your own goal line. Things like, you know, I'd like. I'd like the new problem. We just can't seem great. Can't seem to win the championship. Yeah.

[Dave Rothenberg]

From taking a knee at your own goal line to not enough championship appearances. You take that.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, that was our weekend recap brought to you by Neutral. That was good. Keep it tasty with Neutral Vodka Seltzer made with real vodka and real fruit juice. Enjoy responsibly, Buster only here for La

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[Dave Rothenberg]

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[Guest or Secondary Speaker]

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[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Dave Rothenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

[Alan Hahn]

Just like the New Jersey Devils bring intensity to the ice, Viking Pest control brings that same level of protection to your home. And I know this because I use Viking at my own place. I mean, they're there taking care of everything because this is the season. You want this all taken care of. You do not want a barbecue and having flies, bugs, ants bothering everybody. They're not gonna want to come back.

[Caller Steve]

No.

[Alan Hahn]

Season might be over, but pests are always in play. So it is time to lock in your off season defense. As the pest control provider and proud partner of the devils, Viking provides 45 years of trusted experience to keep ants, cockroaches, stinging insects, rodents, mosquitoes and more out of your zone. Their local team Builds a personalized game plan that actually works. And when you bundle pest control, mosquito services, you score big savings. One call, one company. Total peace of mind. Visit vikingpest.com protecting your home inside and out. Wanted to mention this because our guy Mike Breen's throwing out the first pitch of the Met game tonight.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Dave Rothenberg]

How do you like that?

[Alan Hahn]

That is very cool. He is a lifelong Met fan, so how he and Michael stayed close is very interesting. Right. Because how many times has he offered to join the dark side, as Michael used to like to say? So he is going to be throwing out the first pitch, I believe Thursday. Alvarado is going to be throwing out the first pitch.

[Caller Steve]

Nice.

[Alan Hahn]

And then OG I think, is going to be this weekend throwing out the first pitch to Jose Reyes because OG Is a big Met fan. Did you know that?

[Peter Rosenberg]

A big Met fan.

[Alan Hahn]

That's what everybody says. Big.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He said he collected cards and one of his favorite teams back in the day was the early 2000s Mets. And then Jose Reyes invited him out to a game. This all happened within the last two weeks.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay. Now. But everybody grows big. I'm going to give you an example. I'm going to call out a friend when I do this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay?

[Alan Hahn]

Bruce Springsteen. We might have had this conversation many years ago.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He goes after Springsteen a lot, doesn't he? We're never getting him on the show.

[Alan Hahn]

K goes. Big baseball fan. I said, really?

[Dave Rothenberg]

No, don't do that. We've done.

[Alan Hahn]

Why?

[Caller Steve]

Because he's.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay, listen. Big Devil fan. One time it was like there was a buzz. Sherry Ross, remember Sherry?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Big Springsteen fan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

He was at a devil game like 20 years ago or something. Oh, big Devil. He's not a Big Devil fan.

[Commercial Announcer]

He just.

[Alan Hahn]

Somebody invited him to the suite. He's probably hungry. Swung by.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He was probably, you know.

[Alan Hahn]

And I. Michael, said, oh, Springsteen, big baseball. No, no, no, no. Well, he wrote that song, Glory Days. Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I had a friend who was a big baseball player.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Speedball by speedball.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Oh, the speedball fast works just as well.

[Alan Hahn]

So don't get me wrong. Speed just made it because it run. He didn't know he could throw that fastball by. It make you look like a fool. He says he doesn't know the game. He's the guy would walk up to. He would walk up the home plate holding the bat the wrong way. And there's nothing wrong with that. He's a brilliant artist. He doesn't know how to play baseball.

[Guest or Secondary Speaker]

Doesn't matter.

[Alan Hahn]

But he probably went to a Yankee game one time probably got invited. Why wouldn't you get invited to a Yankee game? You're one of the biggest stars on the planet, Right. And all of a sudden, oh, yeah, big baseball fan. Everybody throws big in front of fan whenever they get the remote possibility that you might care about their team.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Well, don't worry. Last week was the week that the bar changed again. And Mamdani's speech was so good, so undeniably good and detailed with his Knicks thing that the next thing I saw was all of a sudden, all over social media.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, he's.

[Dave Rothenberg]

He's really good at reading things written by other people. You mean, like every politician since the dawn of time?

[Caller Steve]

Why?

[Dave Rothenberg]

So now you want to go in? I didn't believe when he talked about Carmelo coming home or Linsanity or Clyde Frazier. Now, even though he did it perfectly well, now you want to question whether it's deep in his soul or not.

[Alan Hahn]

It's probably not.

[Pharmaceutical Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Dave Rothenberg]

I don't know the level to which. The point is that he did a great job. Now you want to go. That's not enough, though. I want to dig into it and find out do you do a good job or not? In the case of Springsteen, what Don saying is, Don doesn't care whether he's a baseball fan or not. But you didn't do a good job pretending to be a baseball fan.

[Caller Steve]

Right.

[Dave Rothenberg]

If mom Donnie had gotten up there and said, I tell you what, Karl Anthony Towns, when he puts up that. That three shot, we know he could. He could put down a three shot

[Peter Rosenberg]

with the best of them.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Now you sound like a yo yo.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hang on.

[Alan Hahn]

He's a big dunker.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This was researched.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Which part?

[Peter Rosenberg]

The speedball thing.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Okay. And what'd you find?

[Peter Rosenberg]

This goes back to 2011.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right. The question was asked, why does he say speedball?

[Don Hahn]

To Bruce?

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, to the world. To the world.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And it was researched saying, I mean, who says speedball?

[Alan Hahn]

Nobody.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's not even what they call baseball. Well, apparently, there's a wonderful thing called the baseball Dictionary, written by a Paul Dixon. In it, you can find definitions and origins, just about every baseball term you've ever heard and thousands you haven't. Lo and behold, on page 809, we have this entry. Speedball.

[Dave Rothenberg]

There we go.

[Peter Rosenberg]

A fastball used first in 1918 in the Boston Herald, Jim Vaughn's buzzer. The speedball is a mighty breeze, and it's difficult to hit. Ah, so there you go.

[Alan Hahn]

All right. Here's how dopey that was. So, yeah, Bruce was a big Fan of the. The odds in baseball. And then. Come on, stop it. He thought, at best, he's a casual. But he could have used fast. It would have worked.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't think we get him up.

[Alan Hahn]

I'll show you how big a baseball player is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think we get him on once and for all. We gott

[Dave Rothenberg]

just call Bruce and say, hop on.

[Alan Hahn]

I like his music.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think you go to a concert and just start heckling him.

[Dave Rothenberg]

What's the speedball? Yo, yo, listen, I love Bruce, but I don't disagree with Don's statement.

[Alan Hahn]

I think both could be true.

[Caller Steve]

Yeah.

[Dave Rothenberg]

And by the way, we're never having this conversation if he simply says fastball.

[La Quinta Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Dave Rothenberg]

And that's the issue. If you're gonna do it, you just gotta do it well. And that's why I gave Mondani such props for the speech, because I'm sitting there going, God, I'm not even a Knicks fan. I'm ready to be by the time the speech ended.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, that was one of those run through a wall speeches.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Dave Rothenberg]

At the end, you're like, you're this team. That's why I would. Again. And back to my point. So the next day, to see people, like, we're having this moment where we're all. We're all coming together now we need to dissect. Well, I'm not sure if he went to the world.

[Alan Hahn]

Welcome to the 21st century. That's all it ever is.

[Dave Rothenberg]

It's 2026, and we can't just all have a moment together.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He also, you know, he played Little League. New Jersey grew up playing Little League.

[Dave Rothenberg]

All right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

In fact, the Glory Days is about an actual friend of his.

[Alan Hahn]

We threw a speedball.

[Caller John]

Yeah.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Is that true?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Dave Rothenberg]

And also, what if you find out they called it the speed time.

[Peter Rosenberg]

One time in 1978, in a concert he was doing in Boston.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Here we go.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He started asking the audience, hey, anybody know the Yankee score? Like, you know.

[Alan Hahn]

But he was trolling. Yeah, the Boston fan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, but he cares about baseball.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, Alan will believe anything.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Listen, I like that Alan's in. Alan's fighting for. Fighting for springs.

[Alan Hahn]

We don't call him gullible for nothing.

[Dave Rothenberg]

He's fighting for the boss man.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, wait, you call me gullible

[Alan Hahn]

if you believe any of this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, you just said. We don't call him gullible for nothing. Which means you have.

[Alan Hahn]

That means that behind your back, we go.

[Dave Rothenberg]

We go. What time's Gullible Get.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, it's old Gully.

[Dave Rothenberg]

Where's Gully? McGee today. What are we going to tell Gully

[Peter Rosenberg]

McGee and his speedball?

[Alan Hahn]

Big five o' clock hour. Linda Cohen's gonna join us at 5:30. In case you missed it, she is gonna retire at the end of the month.

[Dave Rothenberg]

I heard that. And I'm gonna tell her this when we talk to her. She's an absolute legend. And the good news is is that if she wants to play on the biggest stage in the world, FanDuel's changing the game. Because sometimes when your player gets subbed off, your bet goes with them. Well, not anymore with FanDuel super sub. If your player subbed out, your bet stays in. That's right. If your player leaves the match, your bet continues on with the substitute now. So you're still in until the final whistle. Visit FanDuel.com local to get started now. Let there be goals this summer on FanDuel21 physically present New York for help with a gambling problem, call 8-77-Open Y or text OPEN Y 467-369.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast.

[Dave Rothenberg]

I don't want to know how the

[Peter Rosenberg]

sausage is made, but I just want to know. It's good.

[Don Hahn]

Here, more of Don Allen and Peter Weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.

[Podcast Sponsor Announcer]

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