Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 2: "Let's Talk About It & Rickleball"

Date: February 10, 2026
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Michael Eaves (filling in), Peter Rosenberg
Podcast: ESPN New York – Don, Hahn & Rosenberg

Episode Overview

Hour 2 of the "Don, Hahn & Rosenberg" show is a lively, freewheeling blend of sports, classic rock, nostalgia, and inside radio shop-talk. This hour sees the team debating what makes a truly great/influential rock song, fielding passionate listener calls, reflecting on the decline of print sports journalism, and launching into a spirited on-air grievance about workplace recognition surrounding the network's "Rickleball" event. The tone is jocular, irreverent, and honest, with the hosts riffing off nostalgia, musical tastes, and workplace slights—all while keeping things quintessentially New York.

Key Discussion Points

1. NBA Fights & the All-Star Dog Days (00:08–06:27)

• NBA Midseason Tension: The guys riff on increasing NBA player fights as teams crawl toward the All-Star break, referencing two altercations from the previous night's games.

  Peter Rosenberg [01:34]: “You’re at that point of the year, you get into January, it’s the dog days ... coaches are on you ... you get sick of it. ... This is typical every year.”

• Old School NBA vs. Today: Anecdotes about classic NBA brawls (Willis Reed, Kermit Washington), contextualizing today’s fights compared to a rougher era.
• Detroit Pistons’ "Bad Boys" Vibe: The crew notes Detroit's physical style may soon draw more scrutiny from refs, risking their competitive edge.

2. What are the Greatest and Most Influential Rock Songs? (06:27–22:01; resumes at 46:20)

Listener Calls & Debates

• Criteria: Influence vs. Popularity vs. “Life”

  • Callers and hosts discuss the difference between a song’s influence, its commercial appeal, and its lasting cultural significance (“does the song have legs?”).
  • Alan, Peter, and Michael rib each other about generational bias.

• Notable Submissions & Commentary:

  • Modern Era:

    Caller Joe [07:03]: “Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes. ... talk about a song that has legs and is incredibly crazy influential.”
    Peter: “It’s not only arena rock. It’s like literally the entire world knows that song.” [07:49]

  • Classic Era:

    Caller Jeff [08:09]: “Everybody started a band when they heard the Beatles ... Stairway to Heaven ... Like a Rolling Stone ... Blitzkrieg Bop by the Ramones ... (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction ... You Really Got Me by The Kinks.” Peter: “Satisfaction is one of those Name That Tune songs, within the first note or two you know the song.”

  • Arena Anthems:

    Caller Doug [11:17]: “Thunderstruck by AC/DC, Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi, Ace of Spades by Motorhead ... If you hear them in a stadium, a bar, or a movie, you know it’s going to get nuts.”

  • Crossover Pick:

    Caller Kamal [14:03]: “How about Run DMC, Walk This Way.”
    Michael: “Once I realized Run DMC are just rapping the words ... Steven Tyler wrote a rap, but nobody knew it was rap ... That’s when they came up with Walk This Way—Young Frankenstein.”

• Hosts on Influence and Personal Taste:

  • Alan: “It’s impossible. We’re going to fail. We’re going to fail gloriously, but it’s going to be a lot of fun.” [13:20]
  • Peter: “Originality is subjective ... I’m trying not to be stuck in one era, but it just ends up happening again.” [18:32]

• Generational Divide:

  • Alan shrugs at Green Day being in the Hall of Fame.

    “I’m not a big Green Day guy. I don’t know how the hell they’re in the Hall of Fame.” [17:07]

  • Michael: “Green Day hit people my age when they were 13. ... It hit different.” [17:41]

• More Unique Picks:

  • Caller David from LA [19:32] suggests "Sgt. Pepper’s (Beatles)," "Break On Through" (The Doors), "Go Ask Alice" (Jefferson Airplane), "Last Night" (The Strokes), and "Naive Melody" (Talking Heads), noting influence and enduring popularity.

Notable Quotes:

• “The Ramones didn’t sell a ton of albums, but the influence of an entire generation … There was punk that came out of Europe influenced by the Ramones out of New York City playing CBGB.” — Alan [10:57]
• “If it wasn’t for this song, there wouldn’t be that song.” — Peter [13:06]
• “We could make a top 10, but you could probably keep expanding it and continue to have issues.” — Caller David [19:54]

3. Let's Talk About It: Personal Grievances, Nostalgia, and Workplace Slights (23:42–46:16)

A. Producer Anthony’s Frustrations & Women’s Hockey (23:52–25:02)

• Anthony laments on-air about US women's hockey thumping Canada.
• The hosts plug growing popularity of women's hockey, referencing recent championship games and stars (Hillary Knight).

B. The Loss of Local Sports Journalism & Personal Sports Heroes (26:05–31:45)

• Peter reflects on the death of the Washington Post sports page and Sonny Jurgensen:

  “My love of sports and what made me a sports fan was wiped out in one swoop last week. ... The Washington Post sports page—one of the true biggest ones in the country.” [26:36]

  • Reminisces about Sunday roundtables with George Michael, Sonny Jurgensen, a young Mike Wilbon.
  • Broad discussion on the decline of comprehensive newspaper sports coverage, the consolidation into outlets like The Athletic, and how it erodes local sports culture.
  • Alan affirms: “There were like seven papers that covered the Knicks. ... That’s a thing obviously gone by the wayside.” [30:23]

C. "Rickleball" and Workplace Respect (32:43–46:16)

• Radio Shop-Talk: Alan gets fired up over ESPN New York’s on-air promo for “Rickleball”—an internal pickleball event branded after Rick DiPietro, but seemingly sidelining his co-host Dave Rothenberg.
  • “They’re promoting Rickleball—only Rick is in the picture!” — Alan [33:02]
  • The group banters about radio management shortchanging valuable team members, comparing it to their own K Show experiences (Michael Kay, Don, Alan’s treated as second-class citizens).
  • Michael: “We’ve seen it other places ... Nobody wants to be left out, you guys.” [45:56]
• Comic Relief:
  • “If Rick or Michael asked for [management], they’d be here by now.” — Alan
  • “Might as well just kick me right in the cubes.” — Don [36:52]
• Listener Solutions:
  • Caller Matt: “Why not just throw his [Dave’s] name in like the name of the show? It’s very simple.” [45:21]

4. Stadium Anthems & The Hallmarks of "Forever Songs" (46:16–47:44)

• Caller Sam shouts out Queen’s "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions," and House of Pain’s "Jump Around" as songs universally played at American sporting events.
  • “Everywhere ... it is.” — Alan [46:38]
• Hosts push back on genre: “Jump Around is a good song, but it’s not pure rock and roll ... but if you wanted to say arena rock songs ...” — Alan [47:14]

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On the Impossibility of the Greatest Rock Song List:

  Alan: “It’s like lifting Mount Everest ... Not gonna happen. Peter’s not gonna do it. Alan’s not gonna do it.” [18:52]

• On Management Ignoring Talent:

  Alan: “Don’t you start disrespect...you start treating people like this, you know what? They disappear.” [33:59]

• On Print Journalism’s Decline:

  Peter: “Those ones that took it more seriously are the ones that didn’t last because ... you didn’t sell the crazy.” [31:13]

• On Generational Divides in Music Taste:

  Michael: “Our music discovery passion area kind of starts to change in our 20s versus if it hits you when you’re 14 ... Green Day hit people my age when they were 13 years old.” [17:34]

Important Timestamps

• NBA Fights & Old School Brawls: 01:00–06:27
• Rock Songs Greatest/Most Influential — Listener Calls Start: 06:43
  (Key calls: 07:03–19:32)
• Discussion on Failure/Generational Divide in Music: 13:06–18:47
• On Losing Local Sports Pages & Sports Heroes: 26:05–31:45
• Rickleball Promo Dispute: 32:43–46:16
• More Listener Arena Anthems: 46:20–47:44

Tone & Style

• Language: Conversational, humorous, sometimes irreverent. The hosts indulge in New York-centric barbs, personal storytelling, and self-deprecation.
• Interaction: Caller-driven for the music segment; lively host debates with affectionate ribbing and venting about workplace gripes.

Summary Takeaway

Hour 2 is a microcosm of what this show does best: blending smart, salty New York sports commentary with authentic nostalgia, pop culture debate, and the occasional behind-the-scenes workplace drama. The attempt to name the greatest rock song is playfully futile; the nostalgia for old sports journalism is poignant; and the “Rickleball” episode is classic radio comedy with a side of real talk about recognition and respect—both on the court and in the studio.