Hour 2: MLB Cold Stove & Talk About It

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg: “Hour 2: MLB Cold Stove & Talk About It”

Date: December 16, 2025
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg (Peter is away this episode)

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Overview

This lively episode of Don, Hahn & Rosenberg covers two major threads:

1. The culture and meaning behind championship banners in Madison Square Garden (MSG) and comparable sports accolades, particularly in light of the new NBA Cup.
2. Frustrations with the “cold stove” – the sluggish MLB free agency period – and its impact on fans and sports media.
   The hosts also dive into New York winter woes for “Talk About It Tuesday,” bringing in gripes and listener calls about snow clearing etiquette.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. MSG Banners, the New NBA Cup & Fan Perceptions

Starts ~00:44

Examining MSG’s Eclectic Banner Collection

• Don details the various banners hanging in MSG, noting how they range from championship wins (1969-70, 1972-73) to regular season and division titles, conference finalists, and even banners for entertainers like Billy Joel and Elton John.
  • Don: “You’ve got all kinds of banners... is it going to... because John’s argument was, I haven’t seen a champion. Nobody is saying this is a quote unquote championship. You won the NBA Cup. You compete for a cup. It’s a mid-season tournament, you won it. Nobody’s going to call you the champions of the cup.” (04:12)
• Rosenberg points out how redundancy creeps in, like Rangers banners for both President’s Trophy (best record) and division wins in the same season.
  • Don: “Which is redundant because if you win the President’s Trophy, of course you won your division.” (02:59)

NBA Cup: Meaningful or Meaningless?

• The hosts debate how (and if) to value the new NBA Cup – is winning it worthy of celebration, a banner, or even considered a “championship” by fans?
  • Rosenberg: “The NBA will [call you champions], but that’s it.” (04:33)
  • Don: “When you’re having a conversation about your team winning a championship...he’s not going to throw it out there because it’s not a championship, but it’s a cool thing to have.” (05:11)
• They relate to past non-championship banners, like wild card births and division titles in MLB and NHL.
  • Rosenberg: “To make a wild card is not something to celebrate. You don’t put a banner up saying you made the wild card that year. That doesn’t count.” (07:17)
• Fan engagement: They note that despite some dismissiveness from fans, for players, the Cup offers a sense of “vibe that we are winners,” quoting Karl Anthony-Towns.
  • Rosenberg, quoting KAT: “[It’s] poignant...as a team, you want that vibe that we are winners.” (05:22)

The “Who Cares?” Dilemma

• Don challenges the energy some fans spend actively rooting against their own team in a lesser tournament.
  • Don: “To root against them...I think you’re miserable.” (19:04)
• Listener Alex calls in, arguing fans should just “enjoy the Cup” if the players care. Don agrees.
  • Alex: “If the players are into it, the fans should be into it. That’s all I had to say.” (18:00)
  • Don: “Why do you worry about what other people think? You’re a sports fan. You shouldn’t expect other people to get it.” (19:01)
• They highlight the hypocrisy of sports fandom – fans dismissing mid-season cups or wild cards often crave anything worth celebrating after years of disappointment.

Dangers of the NBA Cup: Injuries in “Meaningless” Games

• Both highlight a doomsday scenario: if a star gets hurt in the NBA Cup final, public and media backlash against the tournament could be severe and lasting.
  • Don: “If somebody gets hurt...tomorrow is going to be morbid and people will curse this cup till kingdom come.” (41:24)
  • Rosenberg: “That’d be hard to explain...the NBA might have to revisit it.” (43:34)
• They also touch on the oddity that stats from the Cup final don’t count toward season totals, creating statistical limbo.
  • Rosenberg: “If Jalen Brunson goes for 65 points...that wouldn’t count.” (42:22)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Don: “I’d rather you criticize me for winning than losing.” (19:01)
• Don: “But if somebody gets hurt, people will curse this cup till kingdom come.” (41:27)
• Rosenberg: “It’s a game. What else is going on? They’re keeping score. The winner gets a trophy.” (40:54)

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2. MLB Free Agency: The Cold Stove Problem

Starts ~09:07

The Drag of Baseball’s Offseason

• Don rants about how slow MLB free agency has become compared to the rapid “frenzy” of signing periods in the NFL, NBA, or NHL.
  • Don: “Other sports say free agency starts at 3 o’clock...everybody is already signed, at least the big names anyway...isn’t that better than waiting all winter long just waiting for something to happen?” (10:26)
  • Rosenberg: “The NBA, July 1st (now actually June 30th)...the NHL, shotgun wedding, 12:01am let’s go. Putting a ring on it or not. And it gets crazy. And it’s a lot of fun...Baseball? Nothing. It’s nothing like it.” (11:17)
• The lack of urgency lets MLB fade into background noise as football and holidays dominate the landscape.
  • Don: “The worst thing for baseball is that when the holidays come...people are distracted...football takes over...and a lot of people in sports media take time off.” (13:24)

The Media and Fan Impact

• The hosts bemoan how a big signing could easily go unnoticed because media and fans are checked out in December.
  • Don: “Don’t you want to know that all the hosts on the sports stations are around...all the ducks are in a row so you can get the most attention possible?” (14:18)
  • Rosenberg: “You want a beginning and an end. You want bookends...the prime signing time is in this window. Everybody now knows...with baseball, I’m sitting down and I’m watching, and then you wait and you wait, then finally get up and leave because, well, I guess nothing’s happening.” (14:27)

Players, Agents & Systemic Stagnation

• They acknowledge the strategic reasons for slow deals (agent leverage, injuries, “twist in the wind”) but see it as fundamentally damaging for fan interest.
  • Rosenberg: “If you don’t get offers that you like, you wait it out and see if a team gets desperate. That used to be the wrong way to do it because the money dries up. If we get a cap sport with baseball, that'll change.” (16:42)

Notable Quotes

• Rosenberg: “Nobody cares, Donnie.” (11:17)
• Don: “You can’t be arrogant enough for that. You got the holidays, you’ve got football, playoff football. There’s a lot of things going on, and you don’t want to have to be secondary.” (15:15)

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3. Talk About It Tuesday: Snow Removal Etiquette & Winter Woes

Starts ~21:35

Don’s Rant: Clean Off Your Car!

• Don recounts navigating hazardous roads after a Jersey snowstorm because so many drivers failed to clean snow off their car roofs – a danger and a pet peeve.
  • Don: “I’m in a blizzard for like six miles because I can’t get around these cars. Now if you know one of your cubes is about to explode, maybe you didn’t have time to do it. But why do I have a feeling it was just you’re too lazy.” (23:05)
  • “It’s dangerous and it is illegal. You can get a ticket for that.” (24:39)

Creative (and Dangerous) Solutions

• Rosenberg suggests using a backpack leaf blower for cleaning snow; Don jokes about seeing videos of flamethrowers in use.
  • Rosenberg: “If you try it on the roof of your car, I wonder if it’ll work as well.” (26:51)
  • Don: “Some people are dangerous...setting fire to themselves or their house.” (28:29)

Neighbor Etiquette: Snowblowers

• Don laments neighbors blowing snow from their sidewalks into the street instead of over their lawns, adding to communal mess (27:00).

Listener Callers: Enforcement & Empathy

• Danny, a former police officer, calls in to decry “porthole drivers” (those who only scrape a small circle in their windshield), vowing he’d issue tickets if he could (32:28).
  • “You have to clean off your car and there’s no excuse for it.” (32:28)

DIY Headaches: Snowblower Meltdowns

• Both hosts hilariously bemoan the high-anxiety experience of trying to start temperamental snowblowers in the cold, likening it to scenes from A Christmas Story.
  • Rosenberg: “The amount of cursing that came out...I was the father in A Christmas Story when he’s battling with the burner.” (31:07)
  • Don: “Trying to start the damn thing is going to give me a heart attack faster than shoveling the snow.” (31:25)

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4. What Makes a “Big Game”: Fan Perspective & Regular Season Meaning

Starts ~33:15, 38:23

Knicks, Islanders, and Defining Stakes

• Don and Rosenberg discuss how a “big game” is entirely in the eye of the beholder. For fanbases hungry for meaningful moments, a random December game or even the NBA Cup might be a legitimately big deal.
  • Don: “Maybe to the rest of the world, it’s not...because for Ranger fans, tonight’s a big game. For Islander fans, tonight’s a big game. And for Karl Anthony Towns, he thinks this is going to be a stepping stone to possibly winning the title. So it’s all in the eye of the beholder.” (39:54)
  • Rosenberg: “If it moves me, I don’t care if it doesn’t move you. What the NBA wants is just more people that it moves than not moves.” (39:56)

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |------------|--------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:12 | Don Hahn | "You’ve got all kinds of banners... John’s argument was, I haven’t seen a champion... You win the NBA Cup... Nobody’s going to call you the champions of the cup." | | 05:22 | Rosenberg | "It is...what does it mean in the grand scheme? Nothing other than what Karl Anthony Towns said... as a team, you want that vibe that we are winners." | | 11:17 | Rosenberg | “Baseball? Nothing. It’s nothing like it. It just...you wait, and then you finally get up and leave because, well, I guess nothing’s happening.” | | 19:04 | Don Hahn | "Why do you worry about what other people think? You’re a sports fan... you shouldn't expect other people to get it." | | 23:05 | Don Hahn | "I’m in a blizzard for like six miles because I can’t get around these cars... it was just you’re too lazy." | | 31:07 | Rosenberg | “The amount of cursing that came out... I was the father in A Christmas Story when he’s battling with the burner. That was me.” | | 39:54 | Don Hahn | “Maybe to the rest of the world, it’s not... because for Ranger fans, tonight’s a big game. For Islander fans, tonight’s a big game... It's all in the eye of the beholder.” | | 41:24 | Don Hahn | "If somebody gets hurt... people will curse this cup till kingdom come." | | 42:22 | Rosenberg | "If Jalen Brunson goes for 65 points... that wouldn’t count [in the record books]." |

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• MSG Banners & NBA Cup Meaning: 00:44 – 08:46
• MLB Free Agency & Winter Meetings Rant: 09:07 – 16:42
• Talk About It Tuesday (Snow removal, etiquette): 21:35 – 32:28
• Caller Segment: “Big Game” for Knicks or Islanders: 32:28 – 36:10
• Fan Perspective on Big Games: 38:23 – 40:12
• NBA Cup Injury Risks & Stat Oddities: 41:24 – 46:14

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Tone & Style

• Conversational, New York-centric, exasperated-yet-humorous.
• Hosts riff with each other and callers, sharing anecdotes, rants, and plenty of sarcasm—an “insider” tone for local sports fans.

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Summary Takeaway

• The NBA Cup is both a gimmick and, for many fans and players, a legitimate “something” to root for—especially for teams with little recent success.
• MLB’s slow free agency hurts fan engagement and media attention, especially in New York.
• Sports fandom’s meaning is deeply personal: if it moves you, it matters, whether it’s a December Islanders game, a mid-season tournament, or just finally getting your car cleared after a snowstorm.
• And yes, clean the snow off your car. Everyone hates you if you don’t.

Transcript

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[Don Hahn]

Let's drive.

[Podcast Host]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don Hahn]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Podcast Host]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers, 403.

[Don Hahn]

In the big city. Don Han and Rosenberg hanging out with you until seven. Peter's out. He'll be back after the first of the year. I thought I had it, and now it's bothering me of the list of all the banners at the Garden. Oh, I could.

[Rosenberg]

I could go through them.

[Don Hahn]

I don't know if you could.

[Rosenberg]

Wait a second now.

[Don Hahn]

Nevermind the retired numbers. You know the retired numbers. But besides the retired numbers for the Knicks, you take a look at some. It.

[Rosenberg]

It's.

[Don Hahn]

It's odd. And I, I would stare at them all the time when I'd be at the Garden.

[Rosenberg]

All right, Donnie.

[Don Hahn]

All right. And this. 69, 70, 72, 73 world championship banners.

[Rosenberg]

Okay?

[Don Hahn]

The exact same size alongside. So you've got those two banners.

[Rosenberg]

Then you have the Eastern Conference championship starting in like 1950.

[Don Hahn]

Well, to be specific, the 50, 51 Eastern Division champions.

[Rosenberg]

Ah, yes, that's right, because it wasn't conference.

[Don Hahn]

And they did that in 51, 52.

[Rosenberg]

Because they went to the finals.

[Don Hahn]

52 and 53.

[Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

And that's with the old logo with the Knickerbocker bouncing the basketball father.

[Rosenberg]

Knickerbocker. Right.

[Don Hahn]

So then you go and have the atlantic Division Championship. 70, 71, 71, 72, 88, 89, 92, 93, 93, 94. Right. Which is silly because now you've got a banner for the Atlantic Division championship and then you have another banner for the Eastern Conference championship. Conference championship.

[Rosenberg]

They went to the finals that year. But why is that silly? Because the Atlantic Division is. You won it during the regular season. You finished first.

[Don Hahn]

Understood? Okay, but. But it's still.

[Rosenberg]

And then 98, 99 is the eastern Conference finals champion. Oh, I'm sorry. The Eastern Conference championship Right. That's the only other banner. And then. Oh, and then there's the 13 Atlantic Division, right? Yes, that's the last one. Yes. Now they could win the division this year.

[Don Hahn]

They could.

[Rosenberg]

They're in first place. And if they did, that's the thing about it. If, even if they don't win the NBA cup, the next banner that could go up could be a division banner with this for this season. If they win this division because they're in first place now.

[Don Hahn]

Now you take a look at the Rangers. They've got their, you know, Stanley Cups.

[Rosenberg]

Yep.

[Don Hahn]

But they also have 2014, 15 regular season champions because they won the, the President's Trophy, Metropolitan Division champion that same year, which is redundant because if you win the President's Trophy, of course you won your division, you were number one in the league.

[Rosenberg]

So you don't like that one.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I'm don't, I don't. I don't mind it. I'm just saying. So the NBA Cup's gonna bother you. You go to Madison Square Garden. You see all these banners. Billy Joel, 104Consecutive sellout at the Garden. Yeah. The Baker's Dozen for Fish.

[Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

The Holtzman was at 613 wins. Like I'm not saying. Elton John. They got the one for Elton John.

[Rosenberg]

That's right.

[Don Hahn]

It's all. So what.

[Rosenberg]

When was the last Ranger banner to.

[Don Hahn]

Go up was for one of the metropolitan division in 2324. And then they won the regular season championship that same year. There's two banners.

[Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Don Hahn]

But they put regular season champions. They don't put.

[Rosenberg]

They didn't put. Why would they do that?

[Don Hahn]

I don't know. 23, 24 they put up there.

[Rosenberg]

Okay, so those are the last ones. So that's a lot of banners. So really, would you notice it?

[Don Hahn]

Well, that's what I'm saying. You've got all kinds of banners. Is it going to. Because John's argument was, I haven't seen a champion. Nobody is saying this is a quote unquote championship. You won the NBA Cup. You didn't win a championship. You won the NBA Cup. You compete for a cup. It's a mid season tournament, you won it. Nobody's going to call you the champions of the cup.

[Rosenberg]

Well, the NBA will, but that's it.

[Don Hahn]

But when you're having a conversation about your, you know, your team winning a championship and, and John Winthrop, who was just in here, is our pinhead suit program director of the Rangers.

[Rosenberg]

Big Nick fan.

[Don Hahn]

Big Nick fan. Big Ranger fan. Big Jet fan. Big met Fan. All right. And the only championship that he has seen in his lifetime, that he actually saw was the 94 Rangers. So you think you're having a conversation, John, tell me about the championships you saw. I saw the 94 Rangers and I saw the Knicks cup championship in 2025. Like, no, he's not going to throw it out there because it's not a championship, but it's a cool thing to have.

[Rosenberg]

Can I also point out that when you get to the finals, you're called Eastern Conference champions, right? Do we say, hey, they were champs that year?

[Don Hahn]

No, they just happened to win the Eastern Conference and they called.

[Rosenberg]

So they called the Eastern Conference championship. They don't say, you're the Eastern Conference finals winner. No, you're the Eastern Conference champions. So they say it, but it doesn't mean that's what it is. Right. So this is the same thing. You accomplish something. It is. What does it mean in the grand scheme? Nothing other than what Carl Anthony Towns said, which I thought was pretty poignant, which is, as a team, you want that vibe that we are winners.

[Don Hahn]

And. But. But I can't make you care if you don't care. I get it. You don't care, right? Because you might still be watching the game because your favorite team is playing, but you can care less or couldn't care less about any of that. But to root against them, well, that's. That just to me, is to ever see your team in this particular spot. Because what are you gaining? Like, even though I disagree with it, if it's helping a draft pick or getting a coach or a general manager fired, that's one thing. You're getting something for that, you know, what are you getting for the loss? It's not going to be. If anything, you just heard Carl and Anthony Towns. The win might actually help them win the title. And maybe a loss hurts them winning the title, because now maybe they lose a little confidence. Hey, it was a big game. We can't win it. Can we win a big game? And we couldn't win a big game the last time we faced a big game against the Pacers in the Eastern Conference final, and now we're facing a big game against the Spurs. We lose that. I don't want a narrative to get created that we can't win big games. Isn't it?

[Rosenberg]

Is it in some way. And this will help us transition to baseball. What I was saying, when, like, a team makes the wild card in baseball, you're not in the playoffs yet, you're not in the postseason. But you're not in the playoffs.

[Don Hahn]

No, you gotta, you're earning your way in.

[Rosenberg]

It's the same as the play in, in the NBA. If you're a 10 seed, you're not in the playoffs. You're in the postseason. You gotta win to get the seed, then you're in. Same thing with the wild card. The wild card teams are playing each other for the right to get into the playoffs.

[Don Hahn]

Yes.

[Rosenberg]

That's all. That is it. So would you agree it's sort of the same thing. To make a wild card is not like something to celebrate. You don't put a banner up saying we, you made the wild card that year. No, that doesn't count. Make the playoffs when a playoff round. Like if I win the wild card round to advance to, to the division round. I don't put up a banner saying wild card champion.

[Don Hahn]

Some might.

[Rosenberg]

You don't because it. All it did was earn you away into the playoffs. That's all it is. You went around. Then you could say that. Then you could say that you won a playoffs.

[Don Hahn]

I'm wondering, have there been teams? I bet you definitely. When there was only one wild card.

[Rosenberg]

When it was one game.

[Don Hahn]

No, no, no. When you. When, remember?

[Rosenberg]

Because. No. There was one wild card and they played a game.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, I'm talking about when they first brought the wild card in.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Where you played the same series of divisional winner. Did it just. You played the worst divisional winner and there were people that didn't care whether they won the wild card or the division because it didn't matter. You're still going to be playing the best of five series anyway. I, I bet you there were teams that made the playoffs and put up a banner the next year that they were a wild card team. I don't, don't hold me to this.

[Rosenberg]

But isn't it the same thing?

[Don Hahn]

But I believe Yankee fan. Somebody tweet me, call me. The Yankees won the wild card in 95.

[Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Don Hahn]

They were the first ever American League wild card team.

[Rosenberg]

Correct.

[Don Hahn]

I think they had some sort of a pennant or a banner representing that the next year. I'm not saying they rose at it. I'm not saying they had a ceremony, but for some reason, I think going into the 96 season, they had something to signify that they were the first ever American League wild card team. I'm sure it's gone now because that led to, you know, four championships in five years. And then it just became, you know, tissue paper. At that point.

[Rosenberg]

The Rays put up wild card birth banners.

[Don Hahn]

Okay.

[Rosenberg]

That is true.

[Don Hahn]

But did the Yankees at some point, whether it was up, whether it was a pennant or on a pole or some sort of something signifying they were the first American League wild card team in 95? Because, remember, that was also a streak of time. They hadn't gone to the playoffs since the. Since 81. So it was kind of at the time. You laugh at it now with all the championships they had, but for some reason, I remember something in the beginning of 96 where something that signified they were the first American League wild card team. Check that out. Since you brought up baseball and a ton of people want to talk about the NBA cup, we're going to continue taking your phone calls all day. We've got the Talk about It Tuesday. Coming up next. We got Ian at 6, led by Anthony Pusick, take up at 7 o', clock, and then Ty Butler. Free agency has been kind of a dud in baseball. There's been a lot of speculation, not much really to go on. Waiting on Bellinger. We're waiting to see any other free agents that might be able to shake loose rumors here, rumors there. There was a big tease because we had the. The winter meetings and something was going to happen at the winter meetings. Nothing really happened at the winter meetings. Explain to me how this is good for baseball.

[Rosenberg]

It's not.

[Don Hahn]

When the other sports say, free agent starts at 3 o', clock, free agency starts at midnight, bang, 12 hours later, it's over. Everybody is already signed, at least the big names anyway. You have a frenzy, everybody goes nuts, and then, all right, everybody go back to their corners and then we get ready for the season. Isn't that better than sitting here all winter long just waiting for something to happen and nobody talking about your sport because nothing's going on. And then you tease them by saying, oh, winter meetings are coming and Jeff Passon is there and Nightingale is there and they're all going to go and they're all going to be coming back to us with infra and then nothing happens. All we get is the stupid limericks from Boris. And now we're sitting here getting closer to Christmas and nothing.

[Rosenberg]

And by the way, better to just.

[Don Hahn]

Say, December 1st, it's on and just have a day. Michael always would say, no, I'd rather have it for the whole winter.

[Rosenberg]

What are you doing?

[Don Hahn]

You're dragging your feet.

[Rosenberg]

Nobody cares, Donnie. Like, so the NFL has a legal tampering period, right? Then you have the official beginning of the new league season, and that's when free agency really does begin. So. So all the legal tampering stuff that you hear about then becomes. Comes to fruition. Bank, bank, bank. All the signings that matter.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

The NBA July 1st. Now it's actually June 30th because they made a mockery of it because everything happened at midnight eastern would be 9 o' clock on the west coast, and all the agents will be camped out and all the teams be camped out in LA having their meetings at 9:01. So they said, all right, but they have a moratorium, so you can come to terms. But nothing's official for seven days. A, it buys you time. B, it's brilliant because what does it do? It stretches out the rumors and the conversations and the back and forth. So you get seven days of speculation and discussions and all that stuff. The NHL Shotgun Wedding, 1201am let's go. Putting a ring on it or not. Do you want it or not? Because if you're not gonna take my money, I'm giving my money to this guy instead. And it gets crazy. And it's a lot of fun. It's a n national holiday in Canada, so that puts urgency and it also puts to me an entertainment value to it. Because it's like. It's like you're watching the ticker tape. You're watching the stocks go up and down. You're anticipating when's the time to buy and sell. You're fired up because you're getting immediate information. Baseball, Nothing. It's nothing like it. It just. It starts out with this idea of, you know, who the players are, you know who the teams are, you know, you know who the agents are. And there's at first, the tease. And so you start waiting for something to happen. And, you know, you'll get one or two things to happen, but then it gets quiet. And then what happens is the holidays come. And the worst thing for baseball is that when the holidays come, a few things happen. Number one, people are distracted. Number two, football takes over. Football takes over and you're now secondary. And number three, a lot of people in sports media take time off.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

So you're not getting the hot story anymore, Right.

[Don Hahn]

Because we were talking about this like. Cause I'm gonna. You're done on Friday, right. So you're gonna take the two weeks off, which is tradition. I agreed to work that Monday because you're a saint. If on the 23rd, nothing will happen on the 24th or 25th or the 26th, 27th. Anytime leading into that week, Bellinger signs with the Mets or Yankees. Not having Your main hosts on Listen. Should Major League Baseball care about that? Yeah, they should. Because the reason why we take off that time is because it's a dead time, even during a ratings period. It's called the holiday book. No one cares. Nobody wants to win the holiday Book. So you know what? Everybody gets the chance to take off. Get your vacations in during the summertime. Get your vacations in during the holidays.

[Rosenberg]

Get the time in with your family while you can, because when we hit January, we know it's 100 miles an hour.

[Don Hahn]

So when your team signs something, don't you want to know that all the hosts on the sports stations are around, that everybody's. All the ducks are in a row so you can get the most attention possible.

[Rosenberg]

The right reporters are available, everything. You want, all of that. But you also, to me, want a beginning and an end. You want bookends. You want to understand that the prime signing time is in this window. And everybody now knows. So you got your popcorn, and you're sitting down and you're watching, and. And what happens with baseball is, I'm sitting down and I'm watching. And then you wait and you wait, and then you finally get up and leave because, well, I guess nothing's happening. Now, if you're in business and if you're an agent, I don't want pressure on my client. I want to take my time. I want to make the right decision. I want to let this team twist in the wind a little bit. I want to try to make sure I get every dollar. So I understand you don't want the urgency, because a shotgun wedding is not necessarily the best way to make a decision, but it's really not good for the product. No, because in the other sports, it works.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. Michael's argument always was, don't you want to have the whole, no, I'm sorry, you can't be arrogant enough for that. You, as you said, you got the holidays, you've got football, playoff football. There's a lot of things going on, and you don't want to have to be secondary, because imagine Bellinger signs with the Mets or Yankees in a year where maybe the jets or Giants are getting ready for a big playoff. I know. Stop laughing. At some point, we may get back to that, you know, and it's like, why wouldn't you want that moment? And you could strategically put it. You could look ahead of time. This is the day. And you pick days that in major markets, there isn't that much going on. You do it like on a Tuesday or Wednesday so you don't have to worry about football getting in the way. And you do it like three o' clock and boy, you'll own that day. Wouldn't you rather own that day than being kind of flying under the radar for three months? Well, what's the best. That's what they're doing now.

[Rosenberg]

And the best time to do it is in early December, Early December especially. If you think about it, what did the NBA just do? They, they shut down for a week because the NBA cup there hadn't been a lot of. There's nothing a lot going on here.

[Don Hahn]

That's why they picked this time.

[Rosenberg]

And this would have been a time, this would have been a perfect window to do it in. Football's kind of like still in its late season, but.

[Don Hahn]

And there's a reason why it's on a Tuesday. Right. You're not going up, you're not doing the weekend, you're not doing Monday Night Football. You're not going up against any. You know, even, even the ancillary bowl games could eat into the rating tonight. Pick a Tuesday where literally the only thing the NBA is going up against is NHL. And I don't think those audiences really cross over to no, not as. So I don't think you have to worry about that. I'm just feeling, especially in the markets that we're in.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah. And again, I'm just feeling like what's happened more often lately that's also heard it is what you just said before. Boris. Clients sign right before pitchers and catchers because now it's an urgency of get. These guys now have to take deals that they didn't want to take. So they waited out, which is morbid. But maybe somebody gets hurt and now a team's desperate. That's a real thing. So if you don't get offers that you like, you wait it out and you see if a team gets desperate and then gives you what you want later on in free agency. And that used to be the wrong way to do it because the money dries up. And by the way, if we get to a cap sport with baseball, that'll change because the money will dry up fast.

[Don Hahn]

It will dry up very fast. There's a lot of reasons why people buy at Ramsey Mods. That's their selection, it's their customer service and it's their savings during the more to move you event. Lisa New 2025 Mazda CX32.5s all wheel drive for 159 for 36 months. Start shopping now at Ramsey Mazda dot com. Choose wisely. Choose Ramsey Mazda. Call 833-853-2970 for details. Vin SM839072 MSRP266900. Security deposit ends 1226.

[Rosenberg]

Don gives good VIN.

[Don Hahn]

Let's go to Alex in the Bronx. You're on ESPN New York. What's about.

[Caller Alex]

Hey, gentlemen. How are you?

[Don Hahn]

Good.

[Caller Alex]

Okay, so I'm just a little frustrated with New York sports. The, the attitude. I'm listening to a guy like John. That is a bad thing to win. When would, why would it be a bad thing to win? Nick, Fans have watched our team suck for so long. Let's just enjoy the. Seriously, let's just enjoy the cup. You know, these guys are. And I, I'm gonna, I don't want to take too long here. These guys are used to playing tournament style basketball. Han said it from the time they were in aau. Yeah. So there is some, some. Something to this for these guys. These guys are into it. If the fan, if the players are into it, the fans should be into it. That's all I had to say.

[Commercial Voice]

Gentlemen.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I. With you. The other thing that John didn't get to, that we talked about a little bit yesterday, is the whole perception. Oh, fans are going to say, oh, well, that's the only thing the Knicks can win. And then if they lose it, what do you think fans are going to say? Oh, you can't even win that right. Why do you worry about what other people think? You're a sports fan, you're a Knick fan. You shouldn't expect other people to get it.

[Rosenberg]

Well, I just. I'd rather you criticize me for winning than losing.

[Don Hahn]

Exactly. You're out there. Went all the way to Vegas. Last I checked, Vegas is not around the corner. You went out there, you beat the Orlando Magic, which was not nothing. And it was a game that counted in the standings against a Magic team you might have to face in the playoffs come springtime. And hey, the Thunder might have been waiting there and that would have been a big deal. But who knows, Maybe the Spurs will be there come June. You don't know. But to be a part of something, cool, if you don't like it, fine. But to sit there and root against them, I don't know. I think you're miserable.

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[Podcast Host]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don Hahn]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Podcast Host]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. Sometimes you just can't take it anymore. This is let's Talk About It Tuesday with Don Hahn and Rosenberg.

[Don Hahn]

Talk about Tuesday is driven by Ramsey Mazda. So do you want to start or you want me to start?

[Rosenberg]

No, I'd like you to start now.

[Don Hahn]

It snowed on Sunday and I had to clear my car off. You know how I feel.

[Rosenberg]

How many, how much did you guys get in Jersey?

[Don Hahn]

I would say at least six.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, I brought out the tape measure out on the deck. 7.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, it was more than I was expecting. They were saying three to five. So I had a 9:30 meeting to be at the Rock for because we meet three hours before Face Off.

[Rosenberg]

You had a game Sunday, so that.

[Don Hahn]

Means I had to. I got up at like 7am Because I wanted to see what the snow was going to be like and I'd have to shovel and get out right in time to be Able to get to the rock, which is like a 45 minute ride for me. And I see this. So I shovel out a path for myself because I didn't have a lot of time. And I clean the car off and it's not easy. I've got an suv, so I got to get out the big broom and make sure that as much of the snow that I can reach is off the roof. Why? Because I don't want to get a ticket and I don't want to be throwing snow in the face of somebody driving behind me. All right, now it's not an issue day of. Because there's not many cars on the road and most people are just going really slow. Sunday morning, because I was on the turnpike, it was tough, it was rough to get to the rock, but I did. I got there in time. But I left, you know, two hours before because the weather was bad. So now it's the next day.

[Rosenberg]

Yep.

[Don Hahn]

So people had time during the day because it stopped snowing early enough in the morning that you had all day to clean off the rest of your car. So now it's Monday. I'm driving to work yesterday and I've got tractor trailer trucks. I've got regular cars like blowing snow in my face because they didn't bother to take the time like I did when I had to be someplace to clean off the top of the car. I mean, that's dangerous, man. I felt like I was in a blizzard driving behind some people. And at one point you say, well, don, why don't you just go around the car? Okay, I got a car in the fast lane in front of me spitting snow at me. And I got a tractor trailer. And the tractor trailer I get that must be really hard. And maybe they came in Monday morning, they've got deliveries to make.

[Rosenberg]

You're not reaching up off the road.

[Don Hahn]

They should do something about it. But then that's that. So I'm in a blizzard for like six miles because I can't get around these cars. Dude, I took the time up against it on Sunday to clean off the top of my car. Now if, if you know one of your cubes is about to explode, maybe you didn't have time to do it. But why do I have a feeling that it was just, you're too lazy. You didn't think, I'm just going to clean off my window and everybody else because that's the way it is now I've got someplace to go. You, you could die. I don't care, as long as I Get to my mahjong game on time. That's all that matters to me. I mean, it's dangerous and it is illegal. You can get a ticket for that. But of course, nobody's. I don't see anybody pulled over for it. No, I'll get pulled over for it the one day I decide not to do it. But I don't think I'm better than anybody.

[Rosenberg]

All right?

[Don Hahn]

I don't. So if I was able to take the time during the blizzard to clean up the top of the car, when it would be completely understandable. Hey, I got a game to go. I gotta go back in the house. I gotta shower, get my suit on, get to the rock. I still did it. So what's your excuse for not doing it? A day after the storm is over and, you know, you're flying 70 miles an hour on the turnpike, throwing snow all over the place. And then sometimes, especially when it's really cold like it was yesterday, where it sometimes just comes off as snow, and sometimes chunks of ice come flying at you.

[Rosenberg]

It's jarring when you see it too. You ever seen, like one big piece just come flying off a car and it like, starts to spin in the air and then it shatters. Like it just all of a sudden plummets to the street and shatters. You realize it's snow and a little bit of ice, but still kind of jarring. And if it hits your windshield, forget it. No, it's dangerous, it's careless, and it's lazy. It's really lazy. We're in an area where, you know, the give or rip level is zero. Nobody cares.

[Don Hahn]

And, you know, so I got the suv and luckily I'm six feet tall, but I still needed the. The broom and all. What I'll do is I'll go right to the front, take the broom, and yep, shove it all through the back. And the thing is, what also makes it difficult is now I had to shovel around the car to get to the car. Of course, now I gotta shovel again to get rid of all the snow that I just took off the car. But I did it, and I'm not better than anybody. Why didn't you do it, punk?

[Rosenberg]

You ever try leaf blower? You have a backpack leaf blower, like a pretty high powered one.

[Don Hahn]

I do not.

[Rosenberg]

Okay, I do. And I tried it. Cause you know when the bushes, when the snow gets on the bushes and it starts to pull the branches down, like it's not good. Like arborvitaes and, you know, and green giants, like, it's not good for the bushes. So you gotta knock off the snow. So I saw somebody doing it one time, and I'm like, does that really work? So I threw on the backpack book.

[Don Hahn]

Okay.

[Rosenberg]

Right. Fired it up. And I'll tell you what. Now it creates a big blizzard of snow, but it works. Cleans off all the bushes. And if you try it on the roof of your car, I wonder if it'll work as well.

[Don Hahn]

Probably I haven't tried it on the.

[Rosenberg]

Car, but it's something to think about.

[Don Hahn]

Now I'm gonna go there.

[Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Don Hahn]

And these. These are people that I like and respect.

[Rosenberg]

Oh, no.

[Don Hahn]

But there are people with snowblowers, and they seem to have no issue at all. No issue with. Of turning the snow towards the street. They just plowed the street.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Now you get your snow off of your sidewalk and driveway.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Instead of pointing it to your grass yard. Your grass, you spit it back into the street.

[Rosenberg]

Right. Because they'll come back and they'll. They'll plow this.

[Don Hahn]

Maybe your street didn't get plowed at all.

[Rosenberg]

Thank you, honey.

[Don Hahn]

Never mind you having to get back. I don't want to steal what might be your talk about Tuesday, but, you know. So never mind. Will they come again? And they're probably not, because there's just one spot, and I don't. I don't get it. The other thing, quickly, before I hand it off to you. Talking about the snow. The leaf blower.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

I don't know if this was AI. I saw it today on social media. Somebody with a flamethrower.

[Rosenberg]

Oh, no.

[Don Hahn]

You think that could work?

[Rosenberg]

My buddy Ben lives in Minnesota.

[Don Hahn]

Okay.

[Rosenberg]

My best friend since I was 13. He has a flame. Like, it's flamethrower. And that's how he does the edges of his driveway and all.

[Don Hahn]

Okay. He just melts it because I thought it was real. Because if you look at, like, old NFL film footage of the ice bowl, you see, like, they're heating it up. They're heating the grass. You see, like, fire coming out from what looks like a lawnmower.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah. Now you don't want to have full contact. Like, you just want to melt it down.

[Don Hahn]

Exactly.

[Rosenberg]

And that's literally. But, yeah, that's in some of the coldest places. That's what they do.

[Don Hahn]

Right. But some people are dangerous on the upsetting fire to themselves or their house.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah. That's when they're just going up to the stoop with. And you're like, all right, buddy, let's step back from the house and Just stay away.

[Don Hahn]

Well, there are a lot of dumb people.

[Rosenberg]

There are a lot more dumb people than I thought.

[Don Hahn]

I wanted to just get that off my chest.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, I'm glad you did. No, that's. That. That's a good thing to get off your chest. I really have nothing to add to it because that's a really. That. That's something we all should be talking about now because we're going to. This is going to be a very wintry winter. Does that make sense?

[Don Hahn]

It sounds like this is the beginning of what could be a very long winter.

[Commercial Voice]

Winter.

[Rosenberg]

We're gonna get a lot of snow. Yeah, that's what the forecast has been. The almanac has told us this is going to be a very snowy, cold winter, so be ready. We're going to have to probably take care of snow a lot, but. So the only thing I could add to it because it's frustrating because as you know, I'm very much home improvement, very much hands on diy. Like, I like to work around my house. It's my favorite. It's my Zen mm. But I suck at taking care of engines.

[Don Hahn]

Okay.

[Rosenberg]

So I. I have a snowblower and I couldn't start it, and it drove me crazy. What's your level of anxiety after like three or four pulls on the engine? You know when you're trying to get it started? Well, and now it won't start, it won't kick, and you just like, it's got to be the spark plug. Or maybe I didn't put in the stable for the gas. And now the gas is dirty and it's messed up the car. Like, I'm going through all of it. Meanwhile, it's freezing out and I'm so. I can only imagine my neighbors think of me as I'm losing my mind because I can't get this thing started. And now I have to do it by hand.

[Don Hahn]

I know. Well, that's why I do it by hand.

[Rosenberg]

That's why.

[Don Hahn]

Because I've got the snowblower. But then something I forget because I'll. Because Nancy's big on siphon the gas, like when winter's over. No, no, don't leave the gas in there or put in stable. Right. So what I don't do anything is I start it and then just let it run out of gas. I'm not siphoning anything.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, but you never know when. You don't know when you're done, though. That's the problem. Like, you could use the snowblower throughout the winter, and then suddenly It's. You don't know the last time you're taking it out of the shed. I don't know.

[Don Hahn]

I try. I try to wait until we were in that zone.

[Rosenberg]

All right.

[Don Hahn]

So that I put gas in it, then you could turn the gas line off.

[Rosenberg]

I did that.

[Don Hahn]

All right. Is it the spark plugs? Because what I had, I have the electric one where I could plug it in, and it just hit like, almost like a barbecue.

[Rosenberg]

I have the same thing.

[Don Hahn]

And then that doesn't work. And then you ask my level of anxiety. Well, on the fifth pole, I'm probably pulling the rope completely, completely out because now I'm done.

[Rosenberg]

So.

[Don Hahn]

So the aggravate. So I'm like, you know what? I know this shovel doesn't need spark plugs, doesn't need gas.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah. But you know what it needs? It needs that ticker you have on your chest. And you got to be careful.

[Don Hahn]

You know what? But you know, trying to start the damn thing is going to give me a heart attack faster than shoveling the snow on my driveway. So, no, I know that shovel is going to work.

[Rosenberg]

I'll let you know. Secret. I ripped it out. Yeah, the cord, it's out now. So all. The only way I can start it now is to plug it, is to use the plug and use the plug in the electric starter. But it won't kick. Can't get the plug out because for whatever reason now I. Dude, I was. I was like. The amount of cursing that came out, like, seriously. I was the father in A Christmas Story when he's battling with the. The burner. Yeah, right. That was me. And I'm thinking to myself, my neighbors must think I'm a psycho right now. It's. I lost my mind, and I just. I had to calm down from it.

[Don Hahn]

No, I get it. So that was a good talk about it Tuesday. I felt better about it. And Danny on Long Island's gonna piggyback on mine. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, Danny?

[Caller Alex]

First of all, the line from the Christmas Story from Ralphie was, my father worked in profanity the way other artists worked in oils and clay.

[Caller J]

A true master.

[Rosenberg]

It is such a great line.

[Don Hahn]

Absolutely.

[Caller J]

Absolutely spectacular line. The way others worked in clays and oil. Before I get to my actual question, I'll talk about it Tuesday. I agree 100%. If I was still, I was not a shot buster when I was a police officer. But I'm driving down the road, I can't stand these people. I would have my broom on Me and I would pull over a car and say, do you think I wouldn't give you a ticket? But now the top, there's people, they're called pothole or porthole drivers. They make a circle so they can see out. No side views, no nothing. It's absolutely dangerous. You have to clean off your car and there's no excuse for it. And you're 100% right. My actual question for the day is, in the overall scheme of the season, who has a bigger game today, the Knicks or the Islanders?

[Rosenberg]

Hmm. Well, how big is the Islanders game? Like, what is the. Give me the.

[Caller J]

Listen, the way they've been playing in some of these tougher teams, Tampa Bay a couple of times and now Detroit on the road and they're getting to, I think they have the second best record in the conference.

[Rosenberg]

They do.

[Caller J]

This is, I mean, I'm just saying for, like in the talk about growth of a team and development and believing that you're, that you're, you're as good as anybody, this to me is a very, I mean, you know, there's only one of 82, of course, but I think this is a big game. Just like it's a big game for the Knicks. I agree, I agree with the Knicks player said, cat, you know, you want to win, you want to win the game, prove yourself. Same thing with the Islanders. You know, I will be watching the Islander game, actually, but I, I, I, I, if I was rooting for the Knicks, if I was watching it, I'll probably watch both. I'd be rooting from the win. The entire thing about the banner, I just want to say one thing. People make something important because they're trying to make money out of it. And then they're trying to put the importance on me. I don't have to think it's important. It's not making me any money. It's not, I, I like the championships. You know, I don't, I'm not running against my team, but I could care less. It's, it's a money making thing.

[Rosenberg]

All right, so here's two things. Number one, it is, it is actually interesting game, Dom, because The Islanders have 41 points. The Rubbings at 39. The Islanders lose, the Red Wing move up and tie them as far as the standings in the conference. So that's one thing to keep in mind. A win makes it four in a row, gets them to 20 wins. It's really starting to build. But the idea that somebody created something to make money off of, isn't that what Sports is pro sports is literally creating something to make money off it and to tell you you should care about this. Which is why I always think it's funny how here in the States we get things backwards. The regular season is six months and that's irrelevant. The two months after it is the only thing that matters. So you could be the best team for six months and no one cares. But if you're the best team for two months, that's the greatest thing in the world. That's ass backwards. But it's sold that way and we consume it as such.

[Don Hahn]

Well, because everybody wants to add playoff teams to make the regular season more meaningful, right? So that teams that had no shot now have a shot. But what they've done is make the regular season irrelevant. For the other half of the teams that now don't need these games because they know they're going to make the playoffs. So for those ancillary teams like, like the Islanders, the regular season is important. They weren't guaranteed a playoff spot when it started, right? But nobody's like the Avalanche teams like Carolina like I know I'm going to the playoffs. So in the Florida knows eventually when they get bark off back and they get choked back, they're going to go to the playoffs, right? But you keep adding these playoff teams. So that means that for a large percentage of the league, these regular season games have become meaningless. And the NBA has been forced now to come up with this cup because to make their regular season a little bit more exciting. But there's other aspects to it I want to bring up when we come back.

[Rosenberg]

So good, so good, so good.

[Don Hahn]

Score. Holiday gifts.

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[Rosenberg]

Cause there's always something new.

[Commercial Voice]

I'm giving all the gifts this year.

[Don Hahn]

With that extra 5% off when I.

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[Don Hahn]

Coca Cola for the big, for the.

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[Podcast Host]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don Hahn]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Podcast Host]

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

[Don Hahn]

You know, there's a lot of reasons why people buy at Ramsey Mazda selection. It's their customer service and it's their savings. During the more to move you event. Lisa new Mazda 2025 CX 52.5s select with all wheel drive for 199 for 36 months. Start shopping now at Ramsey Mazda dot com. Choose wisely. Choose Ramsey Mazda. Call 830-385-32970 for lease details then SN 385912 MSRP32795 0. Security deposit ends 1226.

[Rosenberg]

So they want movement from you, right? More to move you event.

[Don Hahn]

More to move.

[Rosenberg]

So they want. Do you get movement when you come see our cars?

[Don Hahn]

Now? What. What Danny was saying about the meaningful game for the Islanders. Listen, it's December. The Islanders have proven they're a good team. You shouldn't get that upset if they lose this game tonight. Plus, they're in second place. Detroit in the Atlantic divisions in third. So the Islanders aren't thinking about a wild card. So they shouldn't really care about Detroit at this point. But Danny thinks it's a big game, so it becomes a big game. Like that's how it is for fans. Like there are certain times during the course of a regular season where you're like, man, this is a really important game. You want to get this one. You know, um, it's tied at one in the third. P. You know, this is a big third period. Well, you want to get this one, you know, like. Like this game tonight for the Rangers. I don't want to speak for Anthony. It's become a pretty big game, right? You haven't been good at home. You just lost to the Ducks last night and now you're taking on a Canucks team. That's not very good. They just traded their best player away, apparently, looking at the morning skate. Some of their best players, like Brock Besser, not in the game tonight, possibly. You got to get two. So now that becomes a big game. So maybe to the rest of the world, it's not. Well, why is this a big game? It's the middle of December in hockey. Why would it be. Because for Ranger fans, tonight's a big game. For Islander fans, tonight's a big game. And you know, for Karl Anthony Towns, he thinks this is going to be a stepping stone to possibly winning the title. So it's a big game for the next. So it's all in the eye of the beholder, Alan.

[Rosenberg]

Of course it is. You know, it's all. What it matters.

[Don Hahn]

What?

[Rosenberg]

It matters to you. You. And that's why I said it's like we were talking about music before. It's like, if it moves me, I don't care if it doesn't move you. What the NBA wants is just more people that it moves than not moves. That's what they're trying to do till eventually it becomes something that.

[Don Hahn]

Right, I'm sorry.

[Rosenberg]

Well, I was saying, eventually it becomes something that the majority of the people care like. One reaction I'm getting here is, is it's an exhibition game. The players don't even care about the regular season games. Stop hyping this nonsense. You don't get it, Robert. You don't get. It's not hyping nonsense. It's discussing something about a team that people care about. How am I hyping nonsense? I'm not hyping anything. It's a significant game for a team that is trying to prove it can be a winner. You're saying it's nonsense because you don't give a damn about it.

[Don Hahn]

That aggravates me. The whole, like, we're not hyping anything. It's a game. And they're. What else is going on?

[Rosenberg]

They're keeping score. The winner gets a trophy. Okay? Do you want to win it or not? So, Robert, if you were in a competition with somebody for a trophy, are you like, I don't care. I don't want a damn trophy. Okay, then you're a loser. Because most people are competitive people that if there's something on the line, no matter what it is, I'm fighting you for it.

[Don Hahn]

But I will tell you, that's all this is. I pray this doesn't happen. But if somebody gets hurt.

[Rosenberg]

Oh, please don't. Don't speak that into existence.

[Don Hahn]

Tomorrow is going to be morbid and people will curse this cup till kingdom come.

[Rosenberg]

You are absolutely right.

[Don Hahn]

And I'm not just talking. Listen. I'm talking about, you know, if Wemby re aggravates his injury or somebody significant on the spurs or one day. One day, you know, because somebody's gonna get hurt in this game because this game doesn't count. You know, maybe 10 years, 100 years, someday somebody's of significance is gonna get hurt and it cost them a chance. And people. I don't think they'll ever be able to live it down.

[Rosenberg]

And they. And they won't be wrong because that. It. Like, it's one thing if this game counted as a game, as a real game where now it goes from 18 wins to 19 wins. So you're still carrying something because you could say, well, they could have lost. They could have gotten hurt in any regular season game. That's fine. But that game actually counts. This game does. Guys, if. If Jalen Brunson goes for 65 points, it would be a Knicks franchise record. That wouldn't count.

[Don Hahn]

See that.

[Rosenberg]

That is so.

[Don Hahn]

It's so true. So interesting. All the records. Anything significant that happened other than you getting the cup, if you win.

[Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

Will not go into the standings. And really, we did not start having conversations about how meaningless All Star games were until guys started getting hurt in them. I remember when Mike Richter got hurt, you know, Pro Bowl. Yeah, the Pro Bowl.

[Rosenberg]

They don't even play it anymore.

[Don Hahn]

And that's when it's like, you'll. They will lose people. This will not work. If one day a team of significance loses a player of significance and it cost them a championship. You're right. If you have. What happened. I'm trying to come up with an example because, again, I don't want to.

[Rosenberg]

Again, Charlie McAvoy in the. In the Four Nations. That's one where. But because it. You're playing for your country, it changed the feeling, right? Because it still doesn't matter.

[Don Hahn]

But how would it not, you know, now. Now the Bruins aren't competing for a Stanley Cup. They're not that great. But. But I'm telling you, like, what happened to Patrick Mahomes in the game on Sunday? If something like that happened to a significant NBA player in the championship game?

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, that'd be hard to explain.

[Don Hahn]

The NBA might have to revisit it.

[Rosenberg]

Because that'd be hard.

[Don Hahn]

That would be hard. That'd be tough.

[Rosenberg]

Because how. How much now next year will there be guys that they. If a team wins a pool, they get to the quarterfinal and they're like, we're not. We don't want to win this.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

Like, we're good. We got this far. We're good.

[Don Hahn]

And that's. That's what you don't. That's what you don't want to have happen to be the NBA.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Because then you wouldn't be able to get up from it. But you know, I listen injuries happen and all that, but. And, and even if the game happened against the Magic, well, at least it still counts towards the standings, right? It's still technically a regular season game, but in that championship game, which would end up being game 83, little bit of a different situation. Just hope that something like that is going to happen. But you surprised Ben in the car. Allen. Ben, you're on ESPN New York. What's up? Hey, Ben. I know he's surprised you're getting yawn right away, but it's so topical. Allen just upset you now?

[Rosenberg]

Yeah. What happened?

[Caller J]

No, it's all good, guys. Good to talk to you. Look, I don't understand why the stats from this game don't count. Why is that any different than a regular postseason? I understand it throws off points per game and those types of things, but why can't Adam Silver or whoever just say the stats from tonight they do count?

[Rosenberg]

Because you can't. What happens is, is that only two teams get the extra game. Everybody else in the league plays 82, you get 83, which then is like this unfair. Like I get an extra game, I can. So I can end up with more points in the season, right? And I got the extra game out of it. So it's, it's like an unfair advantage for a team.

[Don Hahn]

I get that.

[Rosenberg]

That's what I understand.

[Don Hahn]

I understand that. And that's fair because why should you get an extra game, right?

[Rosenberg]

As a team, Remember, however, if Brunson.

[Don Hahn]

Broke the Nick record for points canon, since it doesn't involve anybody else in the league, couldn't that still try to.

[Rosenberg]

Figure out if that would be recognized? But it would it be with an Astro, because first of all, let's go. Records are records, right? Does it. If a franchise is saying this is the most points scored in a game and they want to own it as such, I don't think anybody argues.

[Don Hahn]

But the answer is, I think for if he went out there and broke and broke the wreck for points, I mean, he scored 110 points, whatever. You're telling me that that would not be the record.

[Rosenberg]

I think it would.

[Don Hahn]

That doesn't affect the rest of the league.

[Rosenberg]

I just think it would be because it's almost like in the preseason Somebody goes for 65 points in the postseason.

[Don Hahn]

Right?

[Rosenberg]

At least in the postseason. Those that those records carry because that becomes a playoff record.

[Don Hahn]

Right, but that's a playoff record.

[Rosenberg]

But still has. It's still a record.

[Don Hahn]

Could this get thrown into the. Well, no, it's odd. It is odd.

[Podcast Host]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Rosenberg]

I don't want to know how the sausage is made, but I just want to know. It's good.

[Podcast Host]

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.