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This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast.
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That sounds like heaven to me.
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Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3.
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On 880 ESPN, the ESPN New York.
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App and your smart speakers 400 one.
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Of the big City Don on in Rosenberg with you until 6:30. And then it's Mets Phillies here on ESPN New York. We'll get back to your phone calls. NFL binge coming to 4:30. But Allen asked me the question about how I feel about the possibility of, of realignment in Major League Baseball, something that Commissioner Rob Manfred had hinted at during the Mets game at Williamsport last week. And I didn't get a chance to comment on it because I was on vacation. Allen hates it, thinks it's a bad idea. I'll tell you two things. Number one, it's going to happen.
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You think it's going to happen?
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I think it's definitely going to happen.
B
What makes you, what makes you feel.
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Because you are heading towards a new CBA and there's going to be give and take. And this is something I think the owners would love to give the players, as you mentioned. I think the players would love it because it reduces the amount of travel for them. And I think that's something that you're dealing with not just because of the fatigue of the players, but also the economy. You know, less travel, less gas used from planes, all that. That's. I think everybody's trying to get into that world.
B
I think you're right.
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And also it's something you're going to have to try to give back to get something back from the players during the course of negotiations. And I think both the players and the owners want it. So I do think it's going to happen.
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Yes.
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Then there's the idea of how I feel about it. And I'm all for it. And here's why you're for it. The league, the leagues are done. When I grew up, there was an American League, there was a National League. One had a dh, one didn't. One had a different strike zone. Because if you remember the umpires had that bubble vest so they couldn't see the lower part of the strike zone as easy as the guys that had the vest as the chest. So literally, the two leagues had different strike zones, different umpires.
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Yes.
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You didn't leave leagues. The only time you came together, remember.
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The AL was pretty cool.
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And they did not. The only time that they, they mixed them up was during the All Star Game in the World Series. Like there was two distinct leagues. They didn't play each other. They had different rules. Since they have basically gone to conferences, they have, you have 24, seven interleague play. The umpires are all together now. The rules are all the same. What are we holding on to, Alan? Why is it any different than the NBA and, and the NHL? And the only reason football didn't do it is because football had the two different leagues when they merged. And it's only once a week, so travel isn't that big of an issue. And when they started out, they were a little too Eastern east heavy, so they wouldn't have enough to put a Western Conference. Now they can, but they're not going to change it. The NFL doesn't have to because the schedule is way different. But how is it any different than basketball and hockey? You said tradition, but that tradition has been lost. Alan, I'd be all for it if we were still clinging to the differences in the leagues. But once the National League took the dh, once the umpiring became the same, once we went to full time interleague play, what are we holding onto? So might as well just go where it's more convenient. I mean, the Mets and Yankees play every year together anyway. What's the difference between this and the Rangers, Devils and Islanders being in the same division or the Knicks and the Nets being in the same division? So I understand you wanting to hold on to tradition, but what left to hold on to? It's over.
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So what I said last week when this first came out was a lot of what you said. Clearly it's a negotiating ploy. It's a way to, you know, implement a cap by giving the players something by saying, well, look, it's going to be better for the sport. It'll bring in more revenue for whatever reasons, less travel on you guys, less wear and tear on you guys. All that stuff, you know, be more regional play versus, like the great example of what I just said, you were bringing up the fact that the Mets could end up playing the Dodgers or the Padres in a Wild Card round. I mean, to have to fly Cross country to play a playoff series that early doesn't make sense. Right, because you never see that, but in this sport you do. And I also gave the reasons, such as the fact that you have a National League team now playing in the American League and an American League team now playing in the National League. You know the teams I'm talking about, right?
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Yeah, the Astros and the Brewers.
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There you go. So you've already like, you blurred the lines already and I get it. So it does feel inevitable. But I also don't like it. For one thing, baseball's changed so much that the idea of tradition is sort of out the window. I mean, in traditional, there's a guy standing on second base in the 10th inning. How'd he got there?
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We don't know.
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He's just there.
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He's a ghost rider. He's a man for man.
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Yeah, exactly like. So that's gone. As you mentioned, the National League was diff. Like my mother when she. She taught me a lot about baseball. She was a huge. Baseball is a huge baseball fan. And she always believed in National League baseball. Pitchers should hit like there was a lot. It was a pitchers league.
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It was more strategy to.
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It wasn't about scoring runs. It was right. It was always, you know, the low scoring games. But there was strategy and everything else. And the American League is just about home runs and blah, blah, blah. And so that was. Her belief was better baseball. And that is gone now too with the idea that there's a designated hitter for everyone now. So it's all gone except the name. It's the only thing left. It's just a name. And once you do that, the history of the sport now is completely. There's no connection anymore to the past. It's all gone. And I likened it somewhat to one of Gary. Gary Bevins had a good run as the commissioner of the NHL. But the one thing I didn't love, what he did early on coming from the NBA is getting rid of the Wales and Campbell Conference, getting rid of the Adams Division and the Patrick Division and the Smythe Division. There's a history to those names. And the reasoning was fair. Nobody knows what the hell this means. Americans have no idea. When you say Wales Conference, I don't know what this is. You know, the Smythe Division. What is that? Where is that like, so they put all the regional delineations on the divisions to make it easier to follow. But while doing that, it did rob the sport of something special and unique and cool about it. That those who are closest to it. Don't break the mic, Donald. Oh, it's shot. Did that just snap off?
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I think it was. It was snapped and you didn't even have a rant. It was. It was balancing it.
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It was being held on by some glue.
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No, it was just.
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Do we have gorilla glue?
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It was what Nancy likes to say. Whenever the kids leave their cup too close to the. To the table, it's there on its own imagination. This was here on its own imagination.
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Yeah, it's lame. It needs Viagra. That is a snap.
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There's a. There's a bunch of savages in this town.
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Oh, no. Somebody was. Somebody was strangling the mic today. Who was it? Oh, no, that's definitely. No, that's. That's broke. We're gonna need some flex tape. Oh, yeah, no, that's. Yeah, that's. That's gone.
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Look at this garbage. Look at this garbage.
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This is legitimately snapped and broken. Oh, boy. You're gonna have to relocate. What point was I making? I don't even think it matters. Can you just hold the mic in your hand?
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I gotta do something here. Yeah, I'm gonna hold the mic like an animal. All right. You were making the point. Holding on to the serious. Right now you're trying to.
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All I was trying to say was simply that, like, given the example of the. Of the NHL and how it got away from something that at least had something special about it that was unique and identifiable and. And those who got into the sport, once you got it, you're like, oh, that's kind of cool. It's different, right?
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Yeah, but.
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And so would you take away American and National League and turn it into Eastern Conference and Western Conference? And then when you just completely change everything by saying Mets and Yankees, and now it's like again, afc, nfc. The NFL has no reason to not have east versus west, but they keep AFC and NFC because there's a history to it. These are the teams that came in the afl. These are the originals, the NFL, the nfc. Like, that's the kind of stuff. Yeah, it's completely broken. Just like.
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It's not my fault either. I swear to God.
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He did not rant. Oh, but what are we doing?
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You know what?
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I.
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Just a suggestion. I think it's time to start letting people go. And if you need to break the seal, you could start with me. But just as long as you promise that somebody else.
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I'd rather have the gooseneck ones. Right. Way better. And I. By the way, the other day, I was standing up, put the Thing right to the top for a while was liberating.
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All right.
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Felt good for your back. All right. So do you hate everything? I've just.
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No, I fundamentally agree with you. But I remember talking to Gary Bettman when the NHL went back to the two divisions.
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Yeah.
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It went from three division and especially now where they had the change things. There was no more Southeast. And because regionally it didn't make a lot of sense. But now you got a division, the Atlantic Division has three Canadian teams and two Florida teams. Like it didn't make sense. I said this would be a good chance to maybe modernize the old divisions, the Smythe and the Adams and all that, the Patrick Division, maybe modernize it. Come up with the Gretzky, the Lemieux. And they shot it down because of the reasons. You just said the younger generation doesn't care. They don't make a connection to. That means nothing. So you're holding on to American League and National League. We've been playing interleague play since 1997. So you're talking. You have to be like a 40 year old to understand the difference between the American League and the National League. We've now gone several years of the National League having the dh. So when you're trying to get younger fans engaged, they're not going to care. Do you think they're going to want to have a division, you know, called the Ruth Division?
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But do you understand what I mean? This is the problem, though, Don.
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This is where we go.
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This is. This is our country in a nutshell.
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Let's water it down.
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Water it down, make it as easy as possible. They don't understand. They can't. They don't want to take five seconds to find out why it's an American League, International League.
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Wow.
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So instead, let's just change it for you rather than just stick to. Why is it like that? Because it is.
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This is what we do find. You find the uniqueness of. Oh, that's the sport that's got the Smythe and Patrick divisions and the Campbell and the Wales Conference. We were younger. We would investigate who was Clarence Campbell, who was the Prince of Wales, why is it called Jackie Adams. But unfortunately, and I'm not trying to, you know, the old man, get off my lawn. This generation be like, I'd rather just not care, you know, you problem. I'm not. But it's. But if there's enough views, then you've got to do something about it because you need to be able to attract your younger generation. You're not gonna eventually become fans and spend money.
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You're not watching my sport just because you don't know what the division means.
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You're holding on.
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You're not watching my sport because you don't know why it's called American League.
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You're. You're holding on.
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If that's keeping you out, there's more reasons that you won't reveal.
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Come on. I hunger drop. You know what the nickname of the American League is?
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Oh, yeah, I forget.
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The Junior Circuit.
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Yeah, that's.
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It was called the Junior Circuit. Why? Because the National League first. The American League was. The National League was first. And the American League came in. It was like the Junior Circuit. It was a pejorative way of saying you're the other league. Yeah, I get it, you know, but. And I. I didn't know that. And I investigated. I found out why, because they stopped calling it. But every once in a while, some old timey guy would say, in the Junior Circuit. I'd be like, why are they calling the Junior Circuit? I don't think people want to investigate. They want to move on. They want to move on. And you're talking about holding on to tradition and how cool it is that there's an American League and a National League where I can sell to a younger generation. Imagine what we'd be doing right now with basically the Mets and the Yankees essentially having the same record if they were in the same division, battling for the same real estate. Having them play when it matters, instead of it being a stupid, glorified interleague play series. That really doesn't mean a lot. Having the Braves take on the Red Sox because the Braves used to be in Boston. It's stupid. Now you can actually have the Mets and the Yankees in the same division. There's more.
B
So you think Phillies, Mets, Yankees, Red Sox as a division that essentially.
A
Right. I mean, you put Toronto in there, it would stink. I mean, obviously losing the Braves in that rivalry. Yeah. Would stink.
B
Well, you already lost the Cardinals.
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But listen, I went. That's a good point. There was a. I didn't hate anybody as much as Cubs and Mets used.
B
To be a thing.
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St. Louis Cardinals, that was my kryptonite. I hated that team. Willie McGee and John Tudor and Tommy Her. I hated that team. And they haven't been in the Mets division forever. Pirates, the same thing. Haven't been in the Mets division forever. You'll be upset for five minutes and then it goes away. Remember in hockey, you know, there was a time where the Penguins weren't in the same division as the local teams. And now then they're back in again. And Carolina and Washington were in a different division. They were in the Southeast Division. Now, I think that. But I think people understand change. But what you're hoping for. Because what Major League Baseball. The dilemma that Major League Baseball is facing, not New York, because we hunger for sport, for baseball here, is that your regular season's becoming meaningless. We're talking about the Yankees being a dysfunctional franchise that's still easily going to make the playoffs. You could be two games under.500 and still alive for a wild card spot. I need to jazz it up. I need to have the local teams battling for the same real estate.
B
So Cubs whites like you understand it's meaningless, essentially, because it's 162 games. And when we're in April and May and it's like it's too early to.
A
React, I'm going to turn. I'm going to turn early to react. I'm going to turn your. Your preseason argument against you right now.
B
My preseason argument?
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When we were leading up to baseball.
B
Oh, I know, I know.
A
What you were saying was this summer's going to be great. Mets versus Yankees, Soto versus Judge. It's all made up because they're not in the same divisions. They're not even in the same league. It would just be artificial.
B
You're fighting for us now.
A
Imagine now they're literally battling for the same real estate. They're in the same division, battling to win that division. It's not hypothetical now. It's not dreaming of something. It actually exists. And now we can't get it right because there might be a chance. Every 30 years they play in the World Series together. Well, now they're actually be playing during the regular season and it means something. In a long, arduous NHL season, it means something. When the. When the Rangers play the Devils, when the Rangers play the Islanders, it means something. Why? Because they're battling for the same real estate. It matters. It's not something made up and hypothetical like interleague play is. Now that's why I kind of like it. I understand where you're coming from, man, but in the modern way of thinking, why have 6 per 10 games when I can have 13 really meaningful games with them battling for the same position. That's what Major League Baseball is looking at, Allen. Not the tradition of we're different and how cool it is honoring the. Back in the day. The younger generation doesn't care about that.
B
But I think there's certain things that do have to matter in history. And your back like again, the history of your friend, especially your. Your longtime franchises. This is where what they've come from, this is who they play. This is their league. This is what it's about. It's just there's something about that now again, that gets blurred when the Astros and Brewers cross lines. And now all of a sudden, what used to be a traditional National League team ends up being a power in the American League.
A
But can you see what's happening when the Yankees play the Mets? It's sold out every game. Right.
B
Okay.
A
They used to play just one series and now they play two series. Sometimes it's four, sometimes it's six to balance out the other matchups. Well, now. And now you've watered it down because it's just a game against a team in another league. Yeah. It pumps up the fans because the Yankees and Mets are playing each other.
B
The bragging rights thing.
A
But it's a bragging rights thing now. It actually be a thing 13 times playing each other in the division. And in a year like this where they have essentially the same record, wouldn't that be exciting and fun? Rather than in the middle of July playing three games that really, in the grand scheme of things are more just cosmetic than meaningful.
B
To be clear, I outlined all the reasons why. Of course, I could see it happening, but I can't help but there being a part of me that just feels like it's just one more thing we're gonna erase. We're just gonna. We're gonna move on from, leave it behind. And in sports, there are some things that there's still a reason to have some traditions, something.
A
But it's gotta make sense, bottom line wise. And I just. Why should it worry you? Everything is gonna evolve and change and it doesn't necessarily. It's for the negative. I can remember back in the mid-90s, the Bob Costas of the world looked like he was going to jump off the George Washington Bridge when they added a wild card.
B
Yeah.
A
And now people look at it and go, thank God there's a wild card. How interesting with the regular season be when you'd have like three of the four divisions already sewn up by the time you got to September.
B
Well, you have too many teams to not have. Like the idea that half the league makes the playoffs is in everybody. Everybody has that.
A
Well, I mean, that's the thing you're going to see. Who would have thought we lived in the world. We both go back to the, you know, 21 teams in the NHL. Now there's 32. There were 26 teams in baseball. Now there's 30. And there's soon going to be 32. That's why this realignment is coming up. But that's all right. But other things are going to evolve and come of it. It just. That's the way. That's the way life works. That's how it changes.
B
So you think they'll do this before expansion? Because it doesn't. Expansion doesn't sound.
A
I think they'll.
B
They can't even get the ballpark built in Vegas. Like, they're not gonna have a team in Vegas. They're have to move that team.
A
They're going to have to work on this during the CBA because they're going to have to agree to it. But they probably wouldn't institute it until the new teams. It's funny, all the different formats I've seen, it's Nashville and Portland. Portland, yeah, because we don't. Who is the other. Because there's Nashville and. What else is it? Nashville and Charlotte. I've seen some with Nashville and Charlotte. I've seen with Nashville and Portland. Like, they haven't even agreed to who the two expansion teams are going to be. So we're ways away from this happening.
B
Is there even enough talent to add two teams? Look at the league right now. Look at the league now. There's not enough talent.
A
When you look at the expansion money these owners are going to get, they don't care about that. That's what I'm saying. The ball is rolling downhill on you, man. You know what I'm saying? I'd have more of a conversation with you if it was even. And we're kind of pushing the rock back and forth, but this is rolling downhill. These changes are all happening, so we just going to have to accept it. 1-800-919-3776. Lots of calls to get to. Let's go to David and Elizabeth. You're on espn, New York. You've been on a hold a while. What's up, buddy? What up? What up, Donnie Pucks. How are you, man? Before we get into the sports, man. Yo, that commercial is fire, brother. Yeah, I would play that commercial all weekend. Thank you. I got you, my man. I'm like, yo, man, Don. Killing it as usual. And yo, I ain't gonna hold you that suit. Cold, brother. Cold love that. Thank you. Yes. And before we get into sports, how about my man, your partner over there, AKA Baby Stanton, with that dinger? You can't Run the bases, but, boy, you can hit that ball.
B
I have to hit it far because I don't want to run.
A
I. I noticed. Straight dinger for you. Either Dinger or it's nothing. See you, you, you, you, you, you just like your Yankees. It's either his home run or not.
B
Just like my team.
A
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Man, it was good to see you gentlemen out there. Man, I wanted to make it, but I had to take my kids to Canada to see their family. So where. Where in Canada you have to go? We went to Terrebonne, Quebec. That's where, like, most of my family lives.
B
Oh, wow.
A
You know, it was a great time. Cool. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So, yeah, I just want to get into a little bit of football, a little bit of Mets. As far as the Mets, Don, I'm not gonna lie. I like what we did because the Bravos usually have our numbers. We played a pretty decent series this weekend. I'm looking forward to Jesse Winker coming back. That's another bat. Hopefully, that could help us out. I don't know. I don't know what the postseason is going to look like for us. I just hope we make it and we're in a solid, you know, position. Maybe make some noise because this seems super talented, and I just hate that, like, when our relievers come in or the pitchers play good, we don't hit. It's like, you know, it's one or the other, and when we're clicking on all the cylinders, I think we're a real dangerous team and we're a real, you know, real threat. But, you know, that's. That's the. That's the question, David, and thanks for the call. We're up against. It is how are you playing once we get to the postseason? That's what I'm trying to tell Allen. It's a lot about matchups, but also how you play and how healthy are you. Like, Wheeler just went down for Philly, so. And that's a big blow for the Philly. So that could change. Maybe not the division, but could change. If you face them in a series, that. That could be a game now that you can get. Maybe change the complexion of the series. You can still get hot, you can still start to click. So I understand the frustration, but nobody wants. Everybody wants to put so much stock in the regular season, but it's. It's time to acknowledge it's a long year. Even the 30 games they have left. A lot of things can change if you're playing well going into the Postseason and the matchups do kind of click in the right way. You could feel a lot better about these, both of these teams going into the playoffs.
B
But that's the difference between the Mets and the Yankees, in my view, is the Mets simply just have to play to what you expect to get out of. Like, you know, Helsley, like what you expect to get out of certain guys. You brought in thinking this guy's going to be a difference maker and just hasn't been there consistently. Viento is finding his bat, which maybe he has lately. Alonzo, you know, with a big, like needing a big moment because he had a great start and he's kind of leveled off. They have those things. They don't play sloppy, terrible baseball. They just can't pitch right now. But if they just start to figure it out and they get the better matchup, whatever it is, the Mets can be a team that goes on a run. The Yankees play sloppy, fundamental baseball and rely too much on hitting home runs. Those are the things to me that I don't see how, how it suddenly changes all of a sudden. They become a very clean, tight, fundamental baseball team that runs the bases right and throws the ball to the right places.
A
No, but you get a team that also, for some reason got, you know, going through it in the best of three or best of five series and you find a way to win. I'm again, I'm not betting on it. I'm just playing the devil's advocate of, hey, you got to be in it to win it. And you never, never know. It is baseball after all. The NFL binge is next on espn. New York Vandal Futures day is tomorrow the new holiday for football fans. 24 hours of deals on all your football season predictions. You can take a flyer in the MVP race. I could throw money on my guy. Jaden Daniels. Maybe you want to go Josh Allen to repeat, it's all there. Crown your champion in August. Maybe I'll go Commanders. Maybe you want to go Eagles. Repeat, whatever. It's all there for you. Parlay or division winner. Dark horses mark your calendars. This is your day. For your hunches, your hot takes, your calls and your odds. Visit the FanDuel app today and start planning your futures bets now. Because futures day is one day and one day only. FanDuel play your game 21 and over in fisly present New York for help with a gambling problem, call 877-8-Hopeny or text openy at 467369. This is an ad by BetterHelp these days, it feels like there's a vice for everything. Cold plunges, gratitude journals, screen detoxes. But how do you know what actually works for you? With the Internet and information overload about mental health and wellness, it can be a struggle to know what's true and what actions to take. These days. Using trusted resources and talking to live therapists can get you personalized recommendations and help to help you break through the noise. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. And it works with an App store rating of 4.9 out of 5 based on over 1.7 million client reviews. As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise. Talk it out with BetterHelp, our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com timeout that's betterhelp.com timeout Save big during Labor Day at Lowe's, get up to 40% off select major appliances plus buy more to get up to an.
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B
Thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.
A
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
B
Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. This is the NFL Binge now.
A
The NFL binge is driven by Ramsey Mazda. His name is Anthony Pusick.
C
Well, thank you Don. Welcome back and hello Alan. I am stunned. I'm floored. I'm shocked. If you listen to the last segment and you'll see a video of this very, very shortly. The microphone stand that Don uses here in these lovely studios kind of gave way on him. It was broken. It's done. It's now in pieces to my left. Why is it in pieces to my left? Alan and Don took it upon themselves to say we know this, we know radio, we know what we're doing. We're getting our engineering chops. They NASCAR pit crewed, which I will end up putting out on video. The microphone. And now Don has a completely. God forbid. We have five people in here.
A
Problem.
C
But we have four working microphones in the studio now. And one is in Don C. And I'm very impressed.
B
This is what dads do. Something breaks, we get it fixed.
A
We fixed it. We don't call somebody. No.
B
Who needs help. I know what to do. I unscrew this, unplug that, slip that out of there. Pass that over there. We got to get the mic flag on this. We had to do that real quick. And then we're back in business.
C
Very impressive.
A
I was. Good job, man.
C
That was nothing to do with the NFL binge, but I thought it was important.
A
No, listen, it all worked so.
C
And it did.
A
Everybody else can go back to bed. We've got it handled.
C
Well, somebody that could sleep very easy tonight is Terry McLaurin. And it's taken this long to mention it because Peter's not here. Three years deal worth up to $96 million. Peter was never worried. He was never that concerned. I couldn't say he wasn't worried at all, but he wasn't that concerned. He thinks that he would play against the Giants week one and that is going to happen. McLaurin gets a 30 million dollar signing bonus in the deal. And as I mentioned before, the contract is worth up to $96 million. His holding is over and he will be in uniform regular season opener against the New York Giants.
B
Now, this happened a couple of days after trading the running back and clearing $3 million off their cap.
A
Yep.
C
Brian Robinson traded.
B
That's all that had to be done. That's all that had to get done.
A
Usually gets done. Now, listen, it's getting very contentious in Dallas a little bit. So I'm not as confident they're going to get something worked out in time for the game against Philadelphia. But McLaurin, you knew was eventually going to get.
C
Well, that was very strange. I don't want to say strange. Michael Parsons can do what he wants and he's not being treated fairly by, let's say, Jerry Jones right now. But showing up in your workout clothes and laying on the injury. What would you call that? Massage board table. Like injury table. Massage table.
A
Right.
C
Wasn't a great look. Mike Tannenbaum on sportsmanlike medical table. Sure, why not?
B
You want to call it massage table?
C
I just, you know, it's what it looks like.
A
It looked like he was preparing himself for a massage, more so than any.
C
He was ready to take a nap.
B
He's very relaxed, and he wanted to be seen, which is. That's the part.
C
Well, that's.
B
You don't love that.
C
And Mike Tannemaun on Sports. Mike talked about Parsons sideline appearance this weekend.
B
Huh?
A
That's all right.
C
I hit it.
B
Did he.
C
I hit the sound. I don't know where the sound was.
A
I've worked with Brian Scheinheimer. I'm friends with him for years. I know what he's getting. I want to hear. And I'm sure he. That was a mess.
C
Okay, let's try it again. Mike Tannen, I'm on Sports. Mike Parsons sideline appearance this weekend.
A
And, you know, there's a great expression that, you know, wins and losses is a trailing indicator of a new culture. Culture that's being established by a head coach. I've worked with Brian Scheinheimer. I'm friends with him for years. I know what he stands for. And I'm sure he's talked to Micah behind closed doors. Because if I'm Brian Schottenheimer, I want to have certain standards about how our players comport one another. I think that's inconsistent with what he wants, and I'm sure he's had those conversations.
B
Okay, what are the conversations going to do here?
A
I don't know.
C
I.
B
That was just a talking. It was just a show of a little rebellion. I think the agent, David Mullingetta, has gotten him to a point now where he's like, you got to get out of there. He has convinced the kid Dallas is not for you. And you have to now play up this campaign because, A, it's going to get a ton of coverage, B, it's going to embarrass Jerry at some point. And see, history has shown you, like Zeke Elliott, who went away. Right?
A
Right.
B
Emmett did it. Right. Like there has. There is history here that the longer it goes, the more the fans get mad. And Jerry can't help himself. He always responds to the fans, and they'll end up paying him.
A
It's a. It's a bad optic to see there doing that.
B
But no, no, I don't like see. That's what I don't like is see, Dak Prescott took the high road and never did any of these goofy things. But the problem is, is that when you don't do these things, the story kind of goes away or it doesn't seem like you're that upset. You have to create drama to get Jerry's attention and get the attention of cowboy nation. I don't like the look for Michael Parsons. I don't think it makes sense. But in the end, it's going to pay off for him. It's going to.
A
Well, he's going to get paid anyway because again, you're hearing these rumors about two first round picks and everything. Dallas doesn't want to trade him because Dallas is in contention. Why would they trade away their best defensive play player for picks when they're a win now team? As Michael K. Used to say, it's. Jerry Jones isn't buying green bananas.
B
Okay?
A
He wants to win now. And if Micah Parson thinks he's going to embarrass Jerry Jones. No, Jerry loves this. It's attention on his team. It also kind of makes Parsons look bad.
B
It does.
A
And that's why I don't like it. And I don't think it's moving the needle the way Parsons thinks it's going to. He thinks I'm just going to lay there. I'm going to embarrass Jones. And the fans are all going to say, sign him. Yeah, they're going to say sign them, but you kind of look like a bit of a jerk. It's more. It's more shine on the Cowboys, which Jerry wants anyway. He's made it very clear he's an attention guy. Right. So this is just. I was.
C
Well, yeah, she did a good job.
A
I was able to suck it back into my mouth somehow.
B
Store.
A
I sure. I don't. I think it's going to backfire. It's. It's not moving the needle enough that's going to get him any closer. What did you say?
C
He said, sure. I said sure. He said more and we move on.
B
I said things that rhyme with.
C
Well, I said this on Friday. I was good on this story. I have to do it because this.
A
Is what Jerry wants that. That often.
C
But I was good. Like I. I'm. Jerry is admitting that he's doing this for some attention in some capacity. Michael Parsons is doing what anybody like Trey Hendrickson, Terry McClure and all these others are doing. I think I'm worth more money and I deserve money.
B
Trey Henriksen's gonna get paid soon, too.
C
It seems that way. It seems like all these things are kind of rounded into shape. But the Parsons one we're seeing not.
B
Right at the end of training camp is when all this stuff starts to get figured out.
C
Isn't that funny how it works?
A
Because when do you see the big name get dealt almost never.
B
Never.
A
Nope. When do you see it work out? When the player holds out and doesn't play, he comes back, gets hurt or holds out the whole season and destroys his career. So this is all just fun and games. They, they, they both had big games to start the season. Divisional opponents, right? The Giants, the, the Commanders are taking on the Giants. You got the Cowboys taking on the Eagles. And obviously it means a lot more for the Cowboys than it does for the Giants. But, you know, you get the point is that that's a big game for the Cowboys. They can't afford to not have parts. It's going to get done. So it's all just garbage. So just get it done already, for God's sakes. But around the country, you know, that doesn't necessarily care about baseball. This is all they're probably talking about because football is so huge, the Cowboys, so huge.
C
Well, they'll give you a sound bite a day.
A
Yeah. So keeps it fresh.
C
I'm sure Jerry will say something about it tomorrow. So this was interesting. This show is very high on Shador Sanders. Well, at least Alan and Peter Ardan. He did not have the best performance this weekend in the final preseason.
B
I got a theory on that, but go ahead.
C
It's interesting because people have theories on it as well, and they've asked Kevin Stefanski about it. So they asked them, why did you play Tyler Scoop Huntley, the Pro Bowler? If you remember correctly, late in that.
A
Game, we didn't play great as an offense in the second half. That's, that's never on one person. We can be better in a bunch of areas and just felt like we wanted to give Snoop a last draft.
C
Well, they released him.
B
Yes. Yeah.
C
The day later.
B
That's why they played him, because they knew they were cutting him and they wanted to just get exactly done. I mean, that's. Come on.
C
Sanders was 3 for 6 for 14 yards. Five sacks of four, 41 yards.
B
Yeah. Why not?
C
Great.
B
Why do you think? He was all right. So I was watching Dan Olofsky this morning, breaking down some things that he saw that he had from Shador.
C
Yes.
B
And all of it screamed to me that Shador was ignoring the obvious first option. Dump it off when there's nothing there. Kind of stuff that you tell rookies to do, because he was saying to himself, and maybe even dad gave him some advice. It's your last look of the preseason. Try to. Try to show out a little bit. Try to do something extra that makes him think twice. And I think he tried too hard a couple of times, holding on to the ball, looking for the perfect play. And by doing so, as we all know, especially with rookies, by doing so, it leads you to disaster. And that, I think, is why he looked. I think he was trying to do too much for the purposes of seeing if he could jump off the page and make a bigger case for himself to play. That's. That's what I saw. Because if you watched him earlier in the preseason, he wasn't doing that. He was fine.
A
I don't get any of this.
B
What don't you get? What's the. No, no.
A
I need to hear that. I listen. I am not. I'm not a TV personality. I don't claim to be.
C
You will be very shortly.
A
You understand what people care about. I don't understand why anybody is remotely interested in the Cleveland Browns quarterback situation.
B
It's not their situation.
A
I enjoyed Deion Sanders as a player. I hated him because he killed the Giants, but I knew how great he was.
B
Yep.
A
I didn't care about Chador in Colorado. I'm not that big a college football fan, and I don't care about Colorado football. There's 700 quarterbacks in Cleveland. I can't think about a team. I care less about maybe Jacksonville than the Cleveland Browns.
B
I understand.
A
Why do I care? Does the nation care? Am I the outlier or am I. The majority of people are like, why do we care who the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns is?
B
It's not the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns. This could have been any team in the NFL.
C
It's because Sanders is involved.
B
No, no.
A
Why do I care about him?
B
Because.
A
Why?
B
For some reason, he went from a quarterback that looked in this year's quarterback class good enough to be in the conversation to somebody that just fell in the draft, which felt dramatic. Then he was drafted by a team that almost, like, visibly, their body language showed you they really didn't want to draft him, but they did. Then the first time you saw him in a preseason game, he held his own. He looked competent enough to say, all right, well, this guy's pretty good. And so it became interesting of what is it that people don't like about him? Because he handles himself well in the media. He talks well. Yes. His father's famous. And a lot of that does have to do with it, because there are those who hate nepotism, and there are those who also hate when somebody is. It's when it's held against them, when it's used against you. Well, you were born on third base. He has done everything right. And I'm telling you, Don, as somebody actually watched him play enough. He's not as bad as some people want him to be. He's not as good as other people want him to be, but he's certainly an NFL quarterback.
A
You're saying words and you're making sense.
B
None of it matters to you.
A
I don't care. Am I wrong? I'm just telling. I just. I wonder if there's anybody else there. Like. All right, it's. It was odd. It made the draft interesting that he fell from maybe the first overall pick that now he's going to be taking in the fifth round. The hostage video that we saw from the war room in Cleveland. Yes, I get it. It was kind of interesting on draft day.
C
Second quarterback now.
A
I don't care. I don't. I never understood why people cared about Colorado football. I understand Dion's got a personality.
B
Well, Dion is. Why.
A
Yeah, but I don't care about. I wish him well, but I just don't know why. Everybody is caught up. He's going to play. When's he going to play? I don't care. It's Cleveland football. At the end of the day, it's not going to be Brian Sipe. If you show me Brian Sipe, I'm interested. Right? Yeah. If you. Bernie Kozar. All right, Sanders?
B
I'm good.
C
I don't think the Spencer Rattler Tyler Schuck QB battle in New Orleans is getting as much.
A
Jerming Thomas dropped in the draft. I mean, you know the Dan Marino dropped in the Drive. Not that far.
C
Now, Alan, you gave your theory, but you were not in the room with the Cleveland media today when Kevin Stefanski was asked. Are you trying to sabotage. Are you trying to sabotage when one.
A
Of the main hosts told you he doesn't care? We're gonna just continue to talk about it.
B
Please don't break.
C
I don't know if we have it.
A
No, I just wanted to make sure we stay on this.
B
Don't do it.
A
No, keep going. We could go take it to 5. I just articulated my lack of interest, but keep going.
C
Hey, Quinn and Williams with Jenae Coakley on sny. What'd you pick up in the off season? How are you losing so much weight?
B
Yeah, I just. Playing golf is my new hobby.
A
My wife told me I need to get out the house and stop playing video games and stuff and find a hobby.
B
So I fell in love with golf.
A
And I love it so much. Do you not know me at All. What are you pivoting to? But yeah, I felt like I needed.
B
To lose weight this year just to.
A
Help be more dominant each and every.
B
Down and more consistent each and every down.
A
I struggled last year with run stopping a little bit. So just homing.
C
You didn't want Shador. Another cut I thought might be dumb.
A
This is also dumb, son. Shut up.
B
Play it out. Shut up. Don't play it out.
A
Shut up. There was like another 20 seconds left. Listen. No, because you know what? Your wife hates you. Because at least when you're playing video games, you're home. She's saying, get out of the house. I can't stay in your face. Go play golf. It takes seven hours to do that. Marriage that they have is over. It's done. They'll be divorced before the season's over.
B
Imagine taking up golf to get in better shape for football.
A
But it's better than playing video games. I agree. But at least when you're playing video games, you're home, your wife is throwing you out of the house, essentially. What can I have my husband do that takes hours? Go, don't go. Run. Get some milk so I could just breathe for five minutes. I need you out of the house for like half a day.
C
He said he has a coach too, Don, so he's taking lessons.
B
Lessons.
A
How did that work out for Michael?
C
That didn't last very long.
B
Michael took lessons.
C
How many?
A
A lesson I think was like six.
C
Oh, no.
A
He took six because he's not wasting money. He took all six. And I told him this is never picked up golf. No.
C
Peter said it was going to happen. Don said, I know Michael. It's not going to happen. Didn't happen. There you go.
B
All right.
A
The worst NFL binge ever is driven by Ramsey Mazda. It's the experience of driving a new Mazda and buying a new Mazda for Ramsey Mazda. Choose wisely. Choose Ramsey Mazda. Not in the quality of the announcement.
C
Knowing what you know now, would you have rather this conspiracy theory for Kevin Stavanski or the Quinn and Williams taking golf?
A
You know what? I would have just broke early. 1-800-919-3776.
B
We have more.
A
How interested are you in Shador? Am I the outlier? Please don't call this episode is brought to you by Amazon Prime. From streaming to shopping, prime helps you get more out of your passions. So whether you're a fan of true crime or prefer a nail biting novel from time to time, with services like Prime Video, Amazon Music and fast free.
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B
Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
A
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
B
Catch the show on demand whenever you want to. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
A
Calling all football fans. Enter the ESPN New York Survivor Pool for a chance to win $5,000. Make your pick each week of the football season to find out how you stack up against your friends and favorite ESPN host. Be careful. One wrong pick and you'll be eliminated. The last one standing will take home the title of the second annual ESPN New York Survivor Pool Champion and 5000 bucks. Enter now on the ESPN New York app powered by Splash Sports.com Happy birthday to Gene Simmons. Huh? How old is Gene? He's got to be 70.
B
He's got to be hitting there higher. 75. You're.
A
You're right about there.
B
74. 75.
A
76. Oh man.
B
Still wearing makeup.
A
Damn.
B
God bless him.
A
76. That's pretty incredible stuff.
B
Can't imagine all the chemicals in his body, you mean?
A
Well, I don't think he was. No. You don't think he was. No, he was. I think he had one addiction.
B
Yeah.
A
That didn't have anything to do with anything entering his body. So no drugs or alcohol. I think he was.
B
I think he was pretty clean. Clean is also the other addiction.
A
He was.
B
Yeah, that was.
A
Yeah, he couldn't control himself there. But good for him. Reasons you pick up a guitar, right?
B
I mean, is It. Yeah, I guess comes with the deal, right? Yeah, but that's.
A
It's just. It's just incredible. Like Kiss has been. They're not one of my favorite bands, but they've been a part of my life because they were always around and the Kiss army and you bought the albums. It was such a. Such a big deal back then, you know, it wasn't even about the music was just, who are these freaks with makeup? And it was. And then just to know that they're like deep into their 70s now, it's just. It's pretty incredible stuff. Rock and roll, right? Like the who just played last week at the Rock.
B
Yeah.
A
And to mix reviews, I think some younger people were like, God, they look old. But like people like Jared Max, who was at the softball, he's like, I can't believe that they're in their 80s. They were great. They sounded great. Yeah. They don't move. What 80 year old does move?
B
What do you want him do?
A
You want him to sound good? Right?
B
You don't want him jumping off the stage, do you?
A
Listen up. The problem with all these bands have are the Rolling Stones. Because Mick Jagger, he just doesn't age. Like, he still runs around like he's 25 years old. Guy's like 85.
B
Yeah. Like, don't say he doesn't age because you just need to look at him.
A
Well, listen, it's pretty clear. Listen, this is my flexible for his age. When, when Mick was 30.
B
Yeah, he looked old.
A
He's. He's a homely man. Let's be honest. He's got appeal. He's got sex appeal. He was never a handsome guy. Right. So, yeah, he's aged for sure. But I don't think he was ever like really a handsome guy. But he can move around the stage and he still does in his 80s. It's great. But I'm sorry, I'm not going to kill Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend for not being able. You think Pete, the big thing. I don't know how big a who fan you are, but the biggest moment. I forget what, what it was on where Pete, you know, he does the windmill. Yeah, right. Which now I think his arm would.
B
Probably just fly out of its socket.
A
But he made this move where like he runs with the guitar, strums it and then like drops to his knees and slides.
B
Yeah.
A
That could kill him. Now he's 81 years serious. You think he'd get up from that?
B
No, but.
A
Nobody else. But are you. I remember Michael went and saw Elton John, he's like, really. He's like old. He didn't move. He's Elton John. He's playing the piano. You really think he's gonna remember, like, jump with his legs up in the airplane? No, that. That. That ship sailed like 25 years ago.
B
That Dodger Stadium performance, he's never gonna do that. But Billy Joel is the same thing. Billy Joel just sat and played at the piano.
A
What do you expect? And he's not nearly as old.
B
No, but it's just like at some point it's like, I'm here for the music.
A
The two I don't need.
B
See, there's something about the newer concert experiences which have to have some type of high wire act or something that they get carried across the crowd or there's dancing or something that you have to do now. Visually entertaining, where I just play it like I know it.
A
Yeah.
B
And I'll enjoy it.
A
I think. I think two guys.
B
David Lee Roth jumping over the jump.
A
You've seen David Lee Roth lately.
B
Yeah, I know. Yeah.
A
But the two. The other guy, Mick and Bruce, like Bruce still maybe doesn't get around. Like he. But he's still very active. He's a. He's a. Was he 72? So he still feels like he's a younger 72. But you know, you won't matter what some of these guys have done to their bodies and different. It's pretty amazing that they're still with us. I don't know what's going to happen when these guys are done. Like, is rock and roll going to be dead then? Like, there's no. Is there? I know I'm going to get. I'm going to get flooded with people that. There's plenty of new bands. I don't know them to the extent of like Bruce Springsteen or Rolling Stones or the who. Like who? Like, I guess the Foo Fighters. I guess I could see them still doing it for like another 20 years, whatever. But is there a big band that's still going to be able to sell out stadiums well into their 70s? You too? But they're getting up there.
B
But like, who's like post these bands like Imagine Dragons.
A
Because Imagine Dragons gonna be out there, you know, Panic at the Disco. Panic at Disco MetLife Stadium. You know, 2045, you know, going out there at 70. I don't know.
B
You're not wrong. Like that. That's. That I've always wondered that is when does rock, like we know it. When does it die? Because it's dying and it's almost.
A
It's close. It's very close. There's no question. I keep thinking about the, remember the movie Almost Famous?
B
Yes.
A
And Jimmy Fallon plays the new manager that comes in and he's given the speech to Stillwater about how you got to pay for the, for the ice under the boards at Chicago Stadium. He goes, because you guys got to think about the future. Because you think Mick Jagger is going to be dancing out there when he's 50, you're sadly mistaken. And that was in like 2000, that movie. Right? And you're like, oh, my God, that's right. The Rolling Stones are old. That, that's a funny joke. And now you fast forward 25 years later and a new album, they're still touring. Like, that's. Yeah, because there's money to be made. I guess I got to bring the Mets into the conversation because the Mets did something that I'm just very curious about. And Alan is my conscience. He's the one that kind of settles me. He's my Zen. I need him to tell me what's going on with the Mets. Coming up next here on Don Hunter Rosenberg on ESPN New York.
B
All right, we have to talk about something here before we go though. The new ESPN app. The most live sports, the best championship moments. So much more. Monday Night football, college football, NBA, wnba, NHL, nwsl, college hoops, volleyball, softball, gymnastics across the list goes on and on and on. Plus you get shows like SportsCenter with SVP, First Take with Stephen A. Don't forget, get up as well. College game day. The entire 30 for 30 library, all of it on ESPN all in one place. So sign up now. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, man. I just want to know. It's good. Hear more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.
C
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Date: August 25, 2025
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn
Summary Prepared By: Podcast Summarizer AI
This episode covers the hosts' spirited debate about the potential realignment of Major League Baseball (MLB), shifting away from historic American and National League designations toward a regional conference structure. The discussion touches not only on the logistical and economic factors at play, but also the loss of tradition and meaning in modern sports leagues. The episode then transitions into NFL contract controversies (notably the Micah Parsons situation in Dallas), the preseason performances of young quarterbacks, and some hilarious asides about aging rock stars and baseball rivalries.
[00:44 – 19:40]
[20:15 – 22:42]
[26:53 – 42:13]
[28:13 – 34:17]
[34:17 – 39:41]
[07:58 – 08:16, recurring]
[44:01 – 49:39]
MLB Realignment Debate: [00:44 – 19:40]
Listener Call (David from Elizabeth, Mets/Yankees): [20:15 – 22:42]
NFL Segment - “NFL Binge”: [26:53 – 42:13]
Music Legends & Aging Rock Stars: [44:01 – 49:39]
For more, catch Don, Hahn, and Rosenberg weekday afternoons on ESPN New York or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.