Hour 2: Most Pressure in NY

Summary

Podcast Summary: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 2: Most Pressure in NY

Podcast Information:

• Title: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg
• Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
• Episode: Hour 2: Most Pressure in NY
• Release Date: February 19, 2025

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Introduction to the Topic

In the second hour of the "Don, Hahn & Rosenberg" podcast, hosts delve into a heated discussion surrounding the most pressured sports figures in New York. The conversation is sparked by Anthony Pusick introducing a self-created list of individuals—ranging from athletes to executives—who are currently under the most scrutiny in the competitive New York sports landscape.

The List Unveiled

Anthony Pusick kicks off the discussion by presenting his list, which categorizes the most pressured figures in New York sports into five categories: team athlete, coach, general manager (GM), owner, and additional key roles. The urgency and high stakes associated with these positions in the bustling New York market form the backbone of his analysis.

Key Components of the List:

1. Darren Muji - General Manager of the New York Jets
2. Juan Soto - New York Mets Outfielder
3. Aaron Judge - New York Yankees Outfielder
4. Tom Thibodeau - New York Knicks Head Coach
5. Joe Shane - General Manager of the New York Giants

In-Depth Analysis of Each Figure

1. Darren Muji – New York Jets General Manager

Anthony Pusick highlights Darren Muji as a first-year GM facing immense pressure to secure a franchise-defining quarterback following the departure of Aaron Rodgers. Muji's decisions are critical, with potential impacts ranging from team competitiveness to long-term organizational success.

“He’s under a ton of pressure to get the position that no one before him could get right.”
— Anthony Pusick [06:23]

2. Juan Soto – New York Mets Outfielder

Juan Soto enters the list as a pivotal figure for the Mets, having recently signed a historic contract. His role is crucial in the Mets' championship aspirations, especially following his decision to leave the Yankees for a team with a higher chance of winning.

“He’s considered the huge piece of the puzzle to help win a championship.”
— Anthony Pusick [02:10]

3. Aaron Judge – New York Yankees Outfielder

Aaron Judge is portrayed as a double-edged sword. While celebrated for his exceptional performance, his leadership and postseason successes are under intense scrutiny. A recent high-profile error in the World Series has amplified the pressure on him to deliver a championship.

“The only negative on his resume. The only one.”
— Peter Rosenberg [18:42]

4. Tom Thibodeau – New York Knicks Head Coach

Tom Thibodeau stands out as a coach whose defensive strategies are now critical to the Knicks’ success. Despite leading one of the best offenses in the league, his defensive shortcomings could jeopardize the team’s championship prospects.

“He’s under a ton of pressure to get that defense figured out.”
— Anthony Pusick [06:15]

5. Joe Shane – New York Giants General Manager

At the pinnacle of pressure is Joe Shane, whose future with the Giants hangs in the balance. Given the looming possibility of not making it past the current season, the pressure on Shane is unprecedented, as failure could end his tenure with the team.

“No one is under more pressure right now than the GM of the New York Football Giants.”
— Anthony Pusick [04:50]

Debate on Ranking and Pressure Levels

Peter Rosenberg challenges the initial power ranking proposed by Anthony, emphasizing that the potential loss of a job represents the highest form of pressure. He argues that Joe Shane should be at the top of the list due to the existential threat to his career if the Giants continue to falter.

“I think Joe Shane's gonna lose his job if the Giants bottom out again. So, to me, that has to be number one.”
— Peter Rosenberg [06:15]

Anthony Pusick concedes the point, agreeing that in terms of job security, Shane indeed bears the most significant pressure.

“I gave you the order in least to most. That's why Shane is number one.”
— Anthony Pusick [06:02]

Focused Discussion on Aaron Judge and Juan Soto

The conversation deepens as the hosts dissect the pressures surrounding Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. They explore the dichotomy between their on-field performances and the external expectations placed upon them by fans and the media.

Aaron Judge:

• Celebrated for his home runs and leadership but overshadowed by a critical postseason error.
• Faces the challenge of winning a championship to solidify his legacy.
• Peter Rosenberg expresses empathy over how Judge’s error might unfairly tarnish his storied career.

“It’s the last memory that a lot of people around baseball have of you.”
— Anthony Pusick [04:50]

Juan Soto:

• Thrives under pressure, fueled by his recent contract and pivotal role in the Mets’ success.
• Unlike Judge, Soto is seen as someone who can bounce back quickly, maintaining his performance without the same level of scrutinizing legacy.

“Soto thrives on that. He can win them back in a heartbeat.”
— Peter Rosenberg [16:37]

Impact of Fan Expectations and Media Scrutiny

The hosts touch upon how New York's passionate fanbase and relentless media coverage amplify the pressures on these sports figures. The constant expectation to perform at peak levels in high-stakes environments contributes significantly to the stress experienced by these individuals.

“New York is always taking care of the homegrown guys give the benefit.”
— Peter Rosenberg [18:36]

Final Insights and Conclusions

As the episode wraps up, Anthony Pusick and Peter Rosenberg reflect on the complexities of managing pressure in New York sports. They acknowledge that while some figures may buckle under the weight of expectations, others harness it to elevate their performance. The discussion underscores the intricate balance between personal performance and external expectations in shaping the careers of New York’s sports personalities.

“The unfortunate thing is he can go out there, hit 70 home runs, it's not going to matter till they get to October and what he does there.”
— Peter Rosenberg [16:37]

“The list was thought-provoking. Take a bow, my friend.”
— Peter Rosenberg [22:50]

Conclusion

"Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 2: Most Pressure in NY" offers a compelling exploration of the high-pressure dynamics faced by New York’s top sports figures. Through thoughtful analysis and engaging debate, the hosts provide listeners with a nuanced understanding of the challenges and expectations inherent in New York’s vibrant sports scene.

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For more insights and detailed discussions on New York sports, subscribe to the "Don, Hahn & Rosenberg" podcast available on all major platforms.

Transcript

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[Don Hahn]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Don Hahn]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 880 ESPN, the ESPN New York app. And your smart speakers just made the list, buddy. This is the list with Don Hahn and Rosenberg.

[Anthony Pusick]

All right, so you guys are not privy to the list. This is something Anthony and I did on our own today. And I thought if like Anthony, you agree it's best that we reveal the subject of the list and then those who make the list, I think that's the guys react.

[Unknown]

Yes, absolutely.

[Anthony Pusick]

Okay. I don't think we need to guess here. No, there's no reason to guess. And again, I believe the list is not in any order. It's not power ranked. Right. I'll give it in an order that I think is like the order of importance from least to most, but still it's, you know, it's definitely fluid. So the list today fellas, is. And it's team athlete, coach, gm, owner, under the most pressure right now in this market.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, okay.

[Unknown]

Team athlete.

[Anthony Pusick]

Yeah, it could be any of the, any of the above, basically. Okay. It doesn't just be a player, just, just a sports figure under the most pressure. Here in New York, in his first year as general manager, Darren Muji is under a ton of pressure. Yes, he's a first year guy. He just got here. He's not going to get fired after one year. Right. The jets just brought him in. Still, he's under a ton of pressure to get the position that no one before him could get, right. Quarterback. They moved on from Aaron Rodgers. The safety net would have been to keep him because that's just like, okay, he's a vet, let's give him another chance. It's under us. Like that's the easy thing to do. He didn't do the easy thing. They chose to go a different direction. Now he's got to fill that position on a team that you could argue roster wise is still pretty competitive. Should be good. You get this wrong, you could set the franchise back multiple years depending on whether you bring in a veteran or draft a quarterback. So he's under a ton of pressure to get the very first decision he has to make, Right? So that's one. The next one is Juan Soto, I think it's obvious, signed a gigantic historic contract. You're there to carry a franchise now along with Lindor and everybody else, but you're considered the huge piece of the puzzle to help win a championship. The Mets have a lot of momentum now based off last year, a lot of excitement about their team. He's the reason why they won the offseason. Based on you. He had a really good year last year, a great year last year. But he chose to leave the Yankees to go to the Mets. And in his words, he said because he felt like the Mets were closer to winning a championship. Those were his words. So there's tons of pressure on him now with this contract in his pocket, with his roots now in Queens to produce, perform and most importantly, help them win. Aaron Judge is next. Again, an obvious one for Judge. Finally got to the World Series. But what is our lasting memory of Aaron Judge dropping a routine line drive slash fly ball, one that your opponent auctioned off, calling it the dropped ball by Aaron Judge. That's the last memory that a lot of people around baseball have of you. So yes, you hit home runs. Yes, you are a leader. Yes, you're a guy that everybody looks at in New York and says every athlete should be like this and carry him like that, carry himself like that. But for Judge, it's still going to be, no pun intended, judged on winning a championship. They got close, oh, so close last year. They were mocked for losing. You are the leader in the face of this franchise. How does your team, how do you respond this season? Next up, Tom Thibodeau. This Knicks offense is the best they've had in 50 plus years. It's one of the best in the league. They are top five in the league. Odd odds on favorite to win a championship. Also in the top five. They haven't been in a lofty place like this in a long time. You know where they aren't top 10 in defense. You know, we know over the last 11 years only two teams have won a championship with a defense that is ranked outside of the top 10. Only two in the last 11 years. Tom Thibodeau is known for his defense. He has 28 days to fix it. Can he? It's a lot of pressure. Last but not least, Joe Shane. Again, very obvious. We just talked about the quarterback situation. Matthew Stafford is a potential option, but also at the 3 pick, drafting a quarterback do you trade up if you have to, to make sure you get the guy you want? Do you take this, whoever's left, or do you not even take a quarterback at number three and go for some other option? Whatever happens here, it might be the last draft he works. He might not make it past this season. No one is under more pressure right now than the GM of the New York Football Giants. That's the list.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I like it a lot. I mean, I think, I think you're right. Shane, if you were to power rank them though, is that the, that's the.

[Anthony Pusick]

Order you would, that's the order. I, I, I gave you the order in least to most. That's why Shane, to me, number one, most pressure on him. I did power rank them. I was told that you don't have to power rank them. I just, I'm so used to doing it. That's what I did.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, the, the thing is I, and it's all just the semantics of how you want to grade pressure. Like I don't think there's any greater pressure than the loss of a job. I think Joe Shane's gonna lose his job if the Giants bottom out again. So to me that he has to be number one. Could Tibbs survive another second round exit? Yeah, I don't think he's gonna get fired. Judge isn't going anywhere. Soto's not going anywhere. As you said, Muji's not gonna go anywhere. He's not gonna get fired in his first year.

[Anthony Pusick]

Exactly.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So, so that puts Shane right at the top because he's going to lose his job. Because I look at the players like Lindor, Lindor had a ton of pressure when he came to New York, big 10 year contract. And he wet the bed the first couple of years, but then he had a monster year last year and now the pressure's off. So even if Judge doesn't win this year, yeah, tons of pressure. But he'll still get opportunities in this contract to get out from under. Shane's not going to get another opportunity. You heard what John Maris said, he's going to blow this up if they win three, four games this year. And right now, when you take a look at the roster, is it going to be any better than that? So, yeah, I think Shane with a bullet. I think the, I think in my opinion, I don't know what Peter thinks. I think Shane, it's not even close. It's like 86 Mets in the Phillies, 25 games back. Like, I think it's Shane and it.

[Anthony Pusick]

Is, everybody else is Anyone missing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I.

[Anthony Pusick]

Could you. Could you. Could you give me like, Chris Drury, Peter Lavia. Let's go in there.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I was going to say Laviolette again because next year will be the last year of his contract. So what's the more likely thing to happen if they miss the playoffs? They extend Laviolette or they fire Laviolet because I don't think they're going to want him to go in as a lame duck coach. So he probably feels like this might be it for him. They missed the playoffs. They're probably going to fire him. Drury a ton too, because we've seen Jim Dolan pull the trigger on general managers for less. So I would. I would probably make them a package deal of Drury and Laviolette, even though Dolan has said he has no intention of making any kind of a move missing the playoffs. Would you be shocked, Alan, if Drury were out of a job if they missed the playoffs?

[Anthony Pusick]

Yeah. I wonder if it'll be Drury instead of Laviolette, to be honest with you. Right. I would think Drury might be the guy that's really feeling. I don't know. I honestly don't know because I think La Violette is thought of highly in the organ in the. In the building. I think Drury, though, has some people that are starting to whisper a little bit about his ways and.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And how much pressure's on Boone if they don't extend him going into the season. And he is a lame duck manager.

[Anthony Pusick]

What's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What. What kind of pressure is he feeling in 2025?

[Anthony Pusick]

Is it. Is he feeling pressure though? The Cashman I didn't put on this list because we all. We can already decide that there's no pressure on, like, this is a lifetime job.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Grapes, for God's sake.

[Anthony Pusick]

Exactly.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He.

[Anthony Pusick]

He will. He's the guy that's going to decide when it's time for him to go. Like, it seems pretty clear Boone, though. It. Is it pressure for Boone or is it almost like relief?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, well, just like looking to move on. You know what I mean? Like, like, look, I know him a little bit and I got to know him a little bit.

[Anthony Pusick]

I know he loves.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This was his dream job. I think he wants to make this work. I don't think he wants to lose this job. I think he. He thrives on the pressure. He thrives on being the Yankee manager. If they don't extend them. Is. Would. Would 2025 be a glorified audition?

[Anthony Pusick]

Yeah. That is worth thinking. Now, can I ask you this? If between the two, though, because I used I had Judge instead of Boone. And I did it because for me, I don't think Boone has as much control as Judge does.

[Peter Rosenberg]

True.

[Anthony Pusick]

And while Judge isn't going anywhere, you said about losing your job is the most pressure. Judge isn't going anywhere. But I'll tell you what, the rep's going to start taking some tarnish. You got to admit that. That to me, the way that the World Series ended, the way the Dodgers mocked the team, the way they had the ball, he couldn't catch that whole thing. Like, if you're Aaron Judge, you have been on a pedestal up until last year and that playoffs where everybody kept looking saying, anytime you're ready, Aaron, you're gonna hit one. You gonna give us one. Where's your big moment? You haven't had it yet. Stan's had it. You haven't had it. Soto had it. Where's yours? And I think, you know, you have another year where it's just the same old, same old, where, yeah, sure, they're there and you know, they're 90 plus wins. They get to the playoffs and then again, no hit doesn't give me anything. It's gonna start to wear on people and his image and his brand, all that stuff. It's gonna start to get tarnished. There's pressure on him to start showing up and showing out.

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[Anthony Pusick]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

Let me ask you guys this. Peter's usually pretty good at this. On opening day, Yankee Stadium, when Judge is introduced, is he booed?

[Anthony Pusick]

No way. The captain.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, because if he's not going to get booed, that's showing. The fans are showing support, which takes a little bit of the pressure off. If they booed him, like, we don't care about what you do in the regular season. Like, those are the callers, right? The Yankee callers and social media are going to boom. But the fans that he sits in front of, those 41,000 every night that he plays at Yankee Stadium, if they're going to cheer him, that does take a little of the pressure off until you get to the postseason. But if they were to boom on opening day, I don't think they would either. Then that would set the tone, like, all right, we don't care, dude. You got to win. And that would put a ton of pressure on him. Soto looks. I don't even worry about Soto. How much pressure was on the guy last year. He had a way. He knew he was leaving, and they. And the only way it was going to be considered a success if they won and he had a monster season. I think Soto eats this up like pie.

[Anthony Pusick]

You think? Yeah. Winthrop thinks Soto should be ahead of Judge, but I guess pressure on Soto.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He just signed a big contract. He's not going to care.

[Anthony Pusick]

No, he doesn't.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No. I mean, we have learned. Please, I want to take that back. He does care.

[Anthony Pusick]

What does he.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But this guy, he thrives on that. He. He's not. And if he had an off season. Listen, I got. I got 14 more to prove you wrong. Just like Lindor did. He's not losing his job. He can win them back in a heartbeat.

[Anthony Pusick]

But I wonder, does Judge get, like, not. Not the, The. The rousing applause, but more like the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Murmur kind of like, hey, murmur's almost a boo, man. I mean, like, he's Aaron Judge.

[Anthony Pusick]

Like the respect of. Yeah, ye. Get a little of that. Where it's like a sort of a half hearted. Yeah, let's see. Aaron, you know, like, when does that start? I'm telling you, it does weigh on fans.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know what, you know, you know, it's so New York. And even though I'm not a Yankee fan, I think I get them because I've been around them for so long. They're going to give. The building's going to explode when he's introduced and then if he strikes out in the first of bat double.

[Anthony Pusick]

That's exactly, that's exactly right. That's. That's probably the best way to put it. Like, I remember last season during the playoffs a couple of times when he would drag his bat back to the dugout. How many times? Right? He'd step up to the plate and it's everybody standing up, getting crazy. And then it's that, you know, low and away. And he swings at it as always, and he drags the bat back to the dugout. And you hear all the fans just starting to like, it's. It's never a hearty boo, it's never an angry boo, but it's sort of like that, that groan, like, well, they're.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Disappointed, you know, because they expect so much from him and he has set such a standard, but unfortunately, the organization has set such a standard that he still hasn't lived up to it. He is Yankees.

[Anthony Pusick]

He's speaking of great, he's more Dave Winfield than Reggie Jackson so far.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But, you know, he's so.

[Anthony Pusick]

Am I wrong?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Than both of them. But that's. No, no, no, but you're right. You're.

[Anthony Pusick]

But in Yankee history, the best way to describe it is that, isn't it Reggie. Reggie was a pain in the ass for most of the season, but, man, when the lights were on, meanwhile, Dave Winfield, like, was unbelievable during the season. But, man, when the lights went on, right, like, that's. It's a difference. And right now that's kind of like the best way to describe them. So.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But it. So I think. I think the fans get it and they're going to want to show support to him because he is Judge after all, right? He's their guy. But their patience level for him is going to be so thin. And you wonder how much he's there because he's a guy that cares tremendously. And I just think it's so unfair that he's getting beat up off of that drop. But hopefully the fans don't turn on him. But the unfortunate thing is he can go out there, hit 70 home runs, it's not going to matter till they get to October and what he does there. So that's why I think Judge has way More pressure than Soto because, yeah, the fans will get on Soto enough, just like they did Lindor. But Soto thrives on that. And he'll. And he'll. If he doesn't get them this year, I'll get him next year.

[Anthony Pusick]

Something so compelling about the Judge story, though, to me, because how many times. And I know a Rod went through this, but it's different because a Rod wasn't a homegrown guy. A Rod was never embraced here like Judge. Judges beloved. So I'm trying to think of the guy that he just couldn't. Couldn't win the, you know, again, I mean, championship that just went. And it doesn't have to be a New York athlete. Just anywhere that he finally broke through and it was just cathartic. And that's what you're almost hoping to see for Judge is that one year where it finally happens. And he's such a. He's not stoic, but, you know, like, he doesn't show a lot of emotion. I wonder if he will absolutely break down, if he finally breaks through and finally wins and gets that monkey off his back.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The thing that's so unfair. Cause you think of all the Yankees that were booed, you know, the Giambies and the A Rods.

[Anthony Pusick]

Again, not homegrown, but they're all not.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They were mercenaries. There was a level of expectation when they got here. New York is always taking care of the homegrown guys give the benefit.

[Anthony Pusick]

Think about Don Mattingly had a bad back for years. Like, it was like they, you know, you knew he couldn't swing anymore, he couldn't move anymore. But there he was at first base, and there he was like, you felt bad, but you knew, that's our guy. We can't. You can't boo him.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And there's also nothing to boo. His numbers are tremendous. He hustles. He's. He never says the wrong thing. He took less money to stay here. Like, it's just. He hasn't won. And it just. It feels so unfair because baseball, it's not basketball where LeBron James can will his team to victory or a quarterback in the NFL, you can only do so much. Yeah, he dropped that ball. I get it. They were going to lose that series anyway. I still believe it.

[Anthony Pusick]

Yeah, but you dropped the. I'll be. Come on.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, he dropped the ball.

[Anthony Pusick]

Memory of what he did.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Let's not pretend they weren't killing them before then, you know, so that would.

[Anthony Pusick]

Come on in that inning. That inning was painful, but that's him contribute to it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's the only negative on his resume. The only one.

[Anthony Pusick]

But it's the last thing everybody remembers. It is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's so. It's so. Listen, I'm not saying it's unfair to the standpoint that Yankee fans should have a certain level of expectations that really Dom Mattingly is literally the only great player they've ever had that didn't win. You know, so I, I get that. But God, he has come through in every other way humanly, and he's such a good guy. Like, I can see if he didn't bust it, if he was like Labor Torres.

[Anthony Pusick]

Oh, I agree. Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

If he was.

[Anthony Pusick]

But he would have been booed by now, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

The nasty. It's just. God, that would just. It would be so terrible. Like I said earlier in the week, that if that drop ball becomes, you know, the Buckner between the legs, where a great career is only going to be remembered for that moment and it's.

[Anthony Pusick]

The last time and only time he gets to the World Series. Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I can't imagine, you know, in this, in this sport, Alan, it could be. That's the way baseball is, man. Like you, if you're great, you can't help but win a title. Like the Karl Malone's and the Stocktons, they're the outliers, right? Because if you're that great, the Charles Barclays, if you're that great, you're going to play in a final, you're going to win. At some point. You play 20, you're going to win. It's the way it is. If you're a great quarterback, you're most likely going to win. The Damarinos are the outliers, but in baseball, there's no guarantee. I mean, Trout's probably never going to win. Trout's going to go down as probably the best baseball player of his generation. He may never even play in a World Series. Never even have a Series win. That's on the table for him.

[Anthony Pusick]

Yes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're going to kill him for that.

[Anthony Pusick]

Well, no, because nobody cares. But for the people that do care, he's playing somewhere where no one cares. Judge is playing where everyone cares.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That shouldn't matter. When you talk about legs.

[Anthony Pusick]

Tremendous.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right. But that matter. But I gotta tell you, you think that when they're talking on the MLB Network or, you know, baseball tonight, when they're talking about the legacy of Aaron Judge, when he gets into the hall of Fame, they're going to spend a lot of time on the. Yeah, but he never won a World Series. That'll be A New York thing, but to the rest of the world, it won't be as big of a deal. That's a quarterback thing. That's an NBA thing.

[Anthony Pusick]

Yeah, probably, but.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, so nobody cares about Trout because nobody cares about baseball in Anaheim. But that doesn't still mean from a legacy standpoint, that he could still feel the fact that he's never won a championship, but it won't be a thing because it's baseball. It's hard. Ernie Banks never won. Ted Williams never won. Tony Gwynn never won. If Wade Boggs didn't go to the Yankees, he would have never won.

[Anthony Pusick]

Right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Roger Clemens was on his way to never winning until he came to the Yankees. You know, in baseball, the. The. The outlier is winning how. Look how long Ohtani played, and he had to go to the Dodgers. If Ohtani stayed in Anaheim, the Unicorn would never win a playoff series, even get there NHL. I mean, Connor McDavid went to a final. Would you be shocked if he never wins a Cup? I wouldn't be.

[Anthony Pusick]

Yeah. Not where he is. Not where he is. But that's. Again, that's all part of the story, though. And that's what makes. I think it's so compelling. But it also part of the story is how the fans receive you and the frustration that continues to build up to a point where if the guy who's the face of your franchise continues to not come through in October, that's one thing. If he was just doing everything he could, but no one else could do it, then you could say, well, they got to build a better team around him. But because he is coming up small in a big spot, too much.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But. But doesn't that tell you that even if he did come through, they still might not win? Giancarlo Stanton rakes in the postseason, but.

[Anthony Pusick]

You made my point. If it. If he was doing what Stanton did in the postseason, no one would say boo. They would then say, this poor guy. They got to build a better team around. Look at all he's doing. They can't win. But because he hasn't. That's what I mean. I think that's why he's going to be judged through the prism of, okay, the team didn't win, but what are you doing to help the team win? Because all I'm seeing is a hell of a lot of strikeouts.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think the loss leader in this whole thing is just how well thought out and how great this list was, how thorough it was. You could hear the work that you did. It was thought Provoking. I have no criticism of it.

[Anthony Pusick]

Wow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, I really think you did a tremendous job. Take a bow, my friend.

[Anthony Pusick]

That's a good list. I feel good about this list. But I think, you know, in fairness, Anthony Pusick deserves a lot of credit too, because we both hashed this out while I was driving home from Get Up. And we came up with it because it was based off of this morning on get up. That did a lot of who's under the most pressure in the NFL, who's under the most pressure in the NBA. And they made that list. And so I was like, you know, it's interesting in New York and Shane seemed obvious, but some of the other names, again, Thibodeau, you might. Right. He's probably not going to get fired. But still, you know, like, defense is your forte. If you can't get that figured out, you know, there's going to be a lot of complaining about their situation. And then the judge and Soto stuff. Interesting lobby. Yeah, that's something to watch. And the Boone thing, you brought up Donnie, that. That's very interesting too.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

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

[Anthony Pusick]

All right, game time, boys. Brought to you by Tully Mordu Irish Whiskey. Because when it's game time, altogether now, it's Tully time.

[Unknown]

It's Tully time.

[Anthony Pusick]

That wasn't all together.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No.

[Anthony Pusick]

10Th ranked St. John's back in action tonight on the road against DePaul. That's a 9pm tip off. Note the start time. Game time. Brought to you by Tullamore Dew. The original triple distilled, triple blended, triple cast matured Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore Dew or try the new Tullamore Dew. Honey. During tonight's action, glasses up to enjoying Telemar do responsibly. So we have, I guess it really starts to pick up tomorrow. Right? We get. We get the four nations.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Anthony Pusick]

We get the NBA season kicks back in and then by the weekend we'll have the NHL season kicking.

[Unknown]

We're back. We're back as of tomorrow, baby.

[Anthony Pusick]

Yeah, actually I think we have a game tonight. Do we not. Do we not have Hornets, Lakers tomorrow or tonight? Yeah, right. Yeah, that's a postponed game and.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, okay.

[Anthony Pusick]

Was that not.

[Unknown]

So not only. Not only do you get a short break if you're like someone. Alan, to your point that you were making yesterday.

[Anthony Pusick]

Oh, yeah.

[Unknown]

Not only do you get A short break. But if you're someone like LeBron, you're thinking, plus, my break ends early. I got to make up a game and play on Wednesday. Oh, but he's out, of course.

[Anthony Pusick]

So yeah, he didn't play in the All Star. So you think he's playing in this game?

[Unknown]

Of course not, Charlotte.

[Anthony Pusick]

But you know who is playing?

[Unknown]

Who's that?

[Anthony Pusick]

The. Was it Mark Williams? Remember the Lakers tried went to trade for him and then, then said, oh no, he didn't pass his physical. So decided not to make this trade. He's actually playing tonight and he can't understand why he failed his physical. He's like, I feel fine. Like, it's the most bizarre story. The trade was done.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That is weird.

[Anthony Pusick]

And then how about this Dalton connect, the rookie who they included in the trade then brought him back. Can you guys imagine? He's feeling a certain way and he's not quite like. So he almost is like, I'm going to need like a couple of days to process all this before I'm ready to play again. How about that from a rookie.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, but what's the process? Didn't want you.

[Anthony Pusick]

Exactly. But now you want me back. I don't know. The NBA, man, if I, if I wasn't such a fan of the game in the sport, I'd have a real hard time with some of this, Some of these stories. Like, you gotta admit, is there any other sport that has stories like this where like a player is traded but then the trade gets rescinded and now he's like, I, I feel a certain way right now. I don't know if I really want to play. Not sure I could put the jersey on. Like, it's not too.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Come on, man.

[Anthony Pusick]

A guy has his son on the team and no one thinks anything weird about it. It's. It is what they make it.

[Unknown]

They make it tough. The NBA, to your point, if it wasn't for the. How good and beautiful the game was.

[Anthony Pusick]

Right.

[Unknown]

And how it feels when you actually get to April and May.

[Anthony Pusick]

Oh, yeah. Nothing better.

[Unknown]

No, they make it tough during the regular season, particularly right now in the All Star. They make it tough.

[Anthony Pusick]

By the way, Don, lists are a thing that you guys did a lot, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, I love lists.

[Anthony Pusick]

I'm big into the list thing. So this, I did this list. The list. The response to my list, which I felt like was the most obvious lists. I'm really surprised.

[Unknown]

What are they saying?

[Anthony Pusick]

It's like a lot of like, like how off base I am.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah.

[Anthony Pusick]

Which is first of all, Lou lamarillo can't be on this list because it's a list of who's under the most pressure. Yes, Lou lamarillo has reached a point now where I think a lot of fans are frustrated with your Islander fans. But when you talk about pressure, like in comparison to others, lamarillo is not under any pressure. Could he get fired? He could, but that's not real pressure compared to some of these other team. I'm. And I, I love the Islanders. They are not on the same level, I can admit that. So that's why he's not on this list. Drew could be on this list, I guess, but that's the only one I could think of. Tom Thibodeau, I explained why. How could you tell me that I'm wrong about that? His defense is 18th in the league. It's the one thing holding this team back from being a true contender. And he's a defensive minded coach. He got 28 games to figure it out. That's pressure.

[Unknown]

The did. I would maybe argue back that Soto in place for someone in management with the Mets would be fair, but that's still kind of nitpicking.

[Anthony Pusick]

Stearns. Yeah, Stearns is really under pressure. Seems like he's under control.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's. Yeah, I think, I think he's in good shape.

[Anthony Pusick]

No, Mets fans are under pressure because Steve Owen called them out.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I did a hundred lists during COVID Okay, you are signing up to just get abused.

[Anthony Pusick]

I love it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It started with my co hosts and then I would go to social media and just get absolutely destroyed. And it's not even like a debate. Like you'll, you'll get like somebody tweeting you. Did you consider this person moron list? You didn't include this person. Like, like all of a sudden your list is completely devalued. Your human filth because you didn't think of this person right?

[Unknown]

If you just. You, you could have nailed everything, left out one thing people wanted and you are absolute waste.

[Anthony Pusick]

All I ask people to do is this. Before you comment, listen. Because there were a couple of people that are like, I haven't heard it, but this list looks ridiculous. Well, maybe you need to listen to what I said with the list instead of just judging it by what you see on social media. But then again, then again, society.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Anthony Pusick]

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

[Don Hahn]

Hear more of Don Allen and Peter. Weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 880 ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.

[Unknown]

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