Hour 2: NBA All-Star & That Guy

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Episode Summary

Podcast: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg
Hour: 2 (February 12, 2026)
Main Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Episode Focus: NBA All-Star Game, International vs USA narratives, NBA’s effort/competitiveness problems, state of sports rivalries, and a lively “That Guy” segment.

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Episode Overview

This hour dives into:

• The shifting landscape of the NBA All-Star Game (USA vs World format, effort issues)
• Whether international players care more or less than American NBA players
• The crisis of competitiveness in the NBA — load management, regular season meaning, All-Star Game malaise
• Comparison of rivalries and player attitudes in the NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB
• A hilarious “That Guy” segment about overthinking music lists and LeBron’s historical comparisons
• A spirited conversation about how sports, fan culture, and even TV have evolved

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NBA All-Star Format and the “World Team”

• Discussion kicks off with the USA v. World structure for the NBA All-Star Game. The hosts comedically explore their own heritage and which international teams they could feasibly represent (01:26–04:20).
  • Quote (Don, 02:07): “I’m literally working on my Polish citizenship as we speak, so I’m going to say Poland.”
  • Alan elaborates on how eligibility works, such as players qualifying via their ancestry even if they were US-born (03:07–05:18).

2. NBA All-Star Game and Issues with Effort

• LeBron James’s comments about effort levels at the All-Star Game become a focal point (06:12–06:38). He challenges critics, highlighting that both American and “world” players coast through the game:
  • LeBron (06:13): "You should ask the Europeans and the world team if they want to compete… Luca and Jokic, they don't care about the game floor. They shoot from half court."
• Alan explains: LeBron is “trying to stir it up” and hopes to ignite real competition (06:44–09:05).

3. Why Is the NBA All-Star Game Broken?

• NBA’s attempts to revive the All-Star Game (and the season) through “gimmicks” like the in-season tournament and play-in games have mostly failed.
• Peter and Alan debate incentives, load management, condensed schedules, and compare NBA's structural problems to the NHL, where regular season games still matter a lot (09:09–14:18).
  • Peter (10:16): "How do you make your regular season more meaningful? Adding the play-in made it worse… now they can load management even more."
  • Alan: Even being a play-in team can become a negative stigma—teams may rather tank for the lottery than get stuck in “NBA purgatory.”
• They posit: Too many narratives drive NBA perception, and teams/players are more concerned about health for the playoffs than regular-season success.

4. Rivalries in Sports: NBA vs. NHL, NFL, MLB

• The hosts lament the absence of genuine rivalries in today’s NBA, compared to other sports and NBA’s own past (14:16–18:49).
  • Rivalries in NHL (Rangers-Islanders, Battle of Alberta), MLB (Yankees-Red Sox), NFL (NFC East) are contrasted with the “hugs and kisses” culture in the NBA post-game.
  • Alan (15:01): “There used to be rivalries… stop what you’re doing, Lakers-Celtics is on… Star matchups felt like must-see TV.”
  • Don (18:15): “David Stern saw value in that [toughness] until the Malice at the Palace… Players now just don't have that visceral hatred.”

5. What Do Fans Want? A Bit of “Hate”

• The group jokes seriously about how a little “hate” and toughness is good for sports, bringing up MLB brawls and the infamous Malice at the Palace incident in the NBA (19:47–22:49).
  • Peter (20:12): "Hate is sports. Hate is good."
  • Don and Alan argue it’s better for young players to see that athletes care enough to get heated, rather than see stars coasting or saying things like “loyalty's overrated.”

6. Sports TV, Fan Intelligence, and Pop Culture

• The discussion transitions to some fun ribbing about pop culture (“That Guy” segment)—debating music lists, overthinking, and TV shows for “morons” (24:14–44:56).
• Multiple jokes about “That Guy,” the person who over-explains their list or tries too hard to sound deep/smart.
  • Alan (26:33): "That's why you're in a Bridge over Troubled Water right now."
• The hosts also poke fun at modern TV (Masked Singer, We Are Family), lampooning the low intellectual bar.

7. LeBron James: “That Guy” and Historical Comparisons

• Alan roasts LeBron’s claim that today’s NBA is tougher than in past eras (32:24–39:14).
  • LeBron (32:47): "The game is different. Playing 82 games in the 80s and 90s is not the same…"
  • Alan counters by running down the actual hardships of playing in older eras: rough travel, poor amenities, lack of medical staff/equipment, heavy uniforms, etc.
    • Alan (33:29): “If we could get a flux capacitor, I want to put LeBron in the DeLorean and send him back…"
  • Don makes a nuanced point: LeBron’s personality and off-court strengths may have “ruined” the league’s edge, because he lacks the killer drive of Michael or Kobe—he’s “that guy” obsessed with legacy, not pure competition (36:18–37:39).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Don (02:07): “I’m literally working on my Polish citizenship as we speak, so I’m going to say Poland.”
• LeBron James (06:13): "You should ask the Europeans and the world team if they want to compete… Luca and Jokic, they don't care about the game floor. They shoot from half court."
• Peter (10:16): "How do you make your regular season more meaningful? Adding the play-in made it worse… now they can load management even more."
• Alan (15:01): “There used to be rivalries… Lakers and Celtics only play twice a year, but it was stop what you’re doing…”
• Don (18:15): “David Stern saw the value in that until the Malice at the Palace. Players now just don't have that visceral hatred.”
• Alan (33:29): “If we could ever get a flux capacitor, I want to put LeBron in the DeLorean and send him back…"
• Don (36:18): “As good as he is, LeBron has kind of ruined this league… He does not have that killer edge that Kobe had, that Michael had.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:26 – All-Star Game: USA vs World Team Eligibility and Personal Heritage
• 06:12 – LeBron on NBA All-Star Game Effort
• 09:05 – Analysis of All-Star Game Decline & Failed Gimmicks
• 14:16 – NHL and Sports Rivalries Compared to NBA
• 19:47 – Is Some Hate Good in Sports? Malice at the Palace Reflection
• 24:14 – “That Guy” Segment: Overthinking Music Lists & Social Dynamics
• 32:24 – LeBron as "That Guy"—Easier or Harder Now? Old School vs New School NBA
• 36:18 – Kobe, Michael, and the Value of Competitive Edge

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Tone & Style

The conversation is energetic, fun, and rooted in frustration about today’s NBA trends. There’s sharp but affectionate banter, plenty of humorous jabs, honest nostalgia, and a running theme of sports (and pop culture) being better when players/fans genuinely care and competition is real.

The group’s chemistry comes through—no one escapes a roasting, but it’s all in the name of lively, thoughtful conversation about sports and cultural shifts.

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In Summary

Hour 2 of this episode tackles big questions around the NBA’s identity crisis, the decline of rivalries, and the authenticity of competition—punctuated by LeBron discussion and a playful “That Guy” intervention. It’s an entertaining snapshot of passionate sports fans and insiders wrestling with what’s been lost—and what might bring the spirit back.

Transcript

[Don LaGreca]

From 30 for 30 podcasts.

[Alan Hahn]

Did you say someone got shot?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Brian Pata, senior defensive lineman from Miami, gunned down. The key to this case.

[Alan Hahn]

It's Brian.

[Don LaGreca]

An hour before he died, he was on the phone arguing with somebody. This might be a hit. You want the truth? They just want a conviction.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Being placed under arrest. We had a killer amongst us.

[Don LaGreca]

Murder at the U. Listen now.

[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 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Game time is brought to you by. Tell them our new Irish whiskey, because when it's game time, fellas, it's Tully time. All the locals are off. And when I mean off, they're off.

[Alan Hahn]

Off, done, out, zilch.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The only thing we got of interest is Team USA and Latvia in Milan after one tied at one Tullamore due. The original triple distilled triple one didn't triple cast matured Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore do or try the new Tullamore do, honey. During today's action, glasses up to enjoying Tullamore due responsibly. Alan mentioned the All Star Game, which is coming up this weekend, and it's the whole America versus the world. USA versus the world. Or is it North America?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, no, no, it's. It's two US Teams, right, And one world team. Okay, so that's the Canadian players, like Shea, although he's hurt, is on that team. I know. Yeah. Giannis also hurt. He's not playing either. So the world team is short a few. They took towns who was born in New Jersey, but his mother is Dominican, so he's. He wanted to be on the world team.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So what team would you be on, Peter? What do you mean? I. We need somebody to play for Team World. What relative can we drag into this for you that you could represent a country?

[Don LaGreca]

Oh, this isn't hard at all. I'm literally working on my Polish citizenship as we speak, so I'm going to say Poland.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay, now for me, my grandparents on my dad's side were born in Italy. Then they came over and my dad. Sounds embarrassing. He thought it was embarrassing, but it makes sense. Got left back in kindergarten. You're finger painting. How do you get left back in kindergarten? Because he literally spoke no English. He didn't speak English.

[Alan Hahn]

You're finger painting, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I like. Like, how do you fail kindergarten? You fail kindergarten when you don't speak any English. Like, that's how Italian he was. So I would be on team Italy, no question. What about you?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, the. For me, off the boat, I'm a mutt. So there's three off the boats for me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Alan Hahn]

Ireland.

[Don LaGreca]

Mm.

[Alan Hahn]

England by way of Germany or Canada.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Then there's no stronger.

[Alan Hahn]

No. My sister did the whole CNA thing.

[Don LaGreca]

They're all equal.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, but she did the whole DNA because we thought, like, the orig that Germany was. Because, again, my last name has German roots, but I guess apparently, it's. It originated in England.

[Don LaGreca]

Who.

[Alan Hahn]

Bizarre, right?

[Don LaGreca]

Where were your grandparents born? America.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

Got it.

[Alan Hahn]

Great grandparents came over on the boat. My Great grandfather was 17. Came over on a boat to escape Germany.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, there you go. So you would definitely play. And eventually, when his papers clear.

[Don LaGreca]

I'm the only one. I'm the only one who's. No, let me not say that. I am also a fraud, but I'm the least fraud.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're Brett Hall.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm cooked. It just. You were born in America, but you know what? You're gonna. You. You will have papers that say you can represent.

[Don LaGreca]

Well, listen, my mom wasn't born in America, so I'm the closest. Where was she born, My mom?

[Peter Rosenberg]

You've.

[Don LaGreca]

You've done. We've worked together a long time. You've heard the story, but my mom was born at a DP camp in Germany.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, well, that works for. For the NBA. You're team world. There you go. Go there. We'll put a little.

[Don LaGreca]

Thank you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Have fun with it.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And. And you'll be good for, like, 1 3.

[Alan Hahn]

This was the thing. Me, Luca, when I. When I was in, believe it or not, there was always, like, these street agents that would, like, go around to some of the, like, the college players, and they would try to find if you had citizenship, if, like, somebody. If your grandparents were from a certain country, because back then in Europe, they could only have two Americans. So you couldn't play overseas because it was really hard to get one of two roster spots. So it was like, the guy would ask, like, do you have, like. Then one of my teammates, his grandfather was off the boat, Irish. So he's like, all right, we'll be able to get you that in Ireland, and you'll be able to make a team without having it to be an American. And so he's going around the circle, and he's asking everybody a different thing. So he came to me, and he's like, you. I'm getting excited now, right? I'm like, God, my great grandfather. And he goes, you ever think about being a Referee.

[Don LaGreca]

You know what would be gangster, by the way? Never. Never done. You know what? I think I'm pretty sure what would be pretty gangster is the first person who wins a gold medal for two different countries based on dual citizenship.

[Alan Hahn]

I think that's happened.

[Don LaGreca]

Has it happened played in one Olympics for one and then came back and played for the other country in another.

[Alan Hahn]

Or, or is it that if you already played for a country, you can't do that?

[Don LaGreca]

That's a good question.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't know which one, but I know I've seen this story before. I mean, Becky Hammond, that's the famous story. She played for Russia, right? Because she didn't make the American team and she had been playing professionally in Russia and it was allowed and that was considered to be like, you know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How do you do that?

[Alan Hahn]

That's sacrilegious.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Crazy. But here's what Durant has to say on the level of effort.

[Alan Hahn]

Listen to this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

At All Star Games, you should ask.

[LeBron James]

The, the Europeans and the, the world team if they won't compete. Got Luka, DOD and Kish. Now let's go back and look at what they do at the all in the All Star Game. Is that competition. But we haven't questioned what they've been doing. But we going to question Oz, the Americans. But these two dudes out there, Luca and. And Yis, they don't care about the game floor. They shoot from half court. But you got to worry about the old hit playing hard.

[Alan Hahn]

I can read between the lines now. He's starting to try. He's, he's trying to start.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's trying to start.

[Alan Hahn]

And he called out Luca and, and Jokic because if you remember or probably don't because why would you have watched? I know I didn't. Jokic took a three quarter court shot once. It was still like plenty of time on the clock. It wasn't like a buzzer beater. He just pulled up, missed it terribly. Luca tried to throw it off the backboard and catch a dunk and he missed that terribly. There was like one hand passing and stuff. Like the game, it was, oh, there was a time everybody stopped so Jokic could dunk. They all got out of the way and let him dunk. It just was so stupid. And so I think what he's saying is we get blamed for the All Star game not being competitive anymore. Did you see what those two clowns were doing? Like nobody gets mad at them though. It's always our fault. They did create a team. He said old heads. One of the teams is called USA Stripes. That has KD on it, LeBron on it. Kawhi's on it. Jalen Brown, Jalen Brunson's on it. Like, the older players are on it. Steph Curry's on it, but he's not going to play. He's hurt. I know that's rinse, repeat.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's the thing.

[Alan Hahn]

So that's why he's saying our team. He's trying to call out the world team, like we're going to bring it, but they don't bring it. And so Wembanyama, who's on the world team, he said, I've always thought of myself that if I was there, I was never stepping onto a court to lose or not caring. Like, he's at home. I'm never going to a board game and not caring, thinking I'm going to lose. I'm going to be out there. I might as well win. So he's already got Wemby's attention about calling out the international players. So the hope is they'll the Stripes team and the world team meet on the court. And now we got ourselves a battle. Now we've got, okay, who's, who's gonna clown and who's gonna play hard, and one of us is gonna embarrass the other, and that should juice up the competition. That's what's supposed to do, make it fun. So curious to see now if that leads to anything.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We'll see.

[Alan Hahn]

But KD's like, well, that. He said, well, you said, all right, well, we'll see. But KD did that. And you heard him chuckle because I think he wanted to tweak. He loves to do that. He loves to clap back, he loves to tweak. And I think he's just trying to stir it up to see if maybe it could turn Sunday into something relatively watchable.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, it's not new. The NHL did it with North America versus the world.

[Alan Hahn]

Didn't work.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The NHL tried, the draft. Didn't work. NBA, nothing works because the All Star Game doesn't matter anymore. When your regular season doesn't matter, you know, the midway point of the regular season, that doesn't matter. Isn't going to matter.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So what do we do about it, guys? Seriously, now there's the tanking part. We can address that, right, Peter? We've addressed that for years on the case show. But what do we do? The NBA has already had the in season tournament, which I think has done more damage than good for two reasons. All right, number One, it's condensed the schedule to make it more load management because you've got to condense the schedule by taking all these days off and adding games in certain situations, like for the Knicks and the spurs, who had to play in the championship game. And what we've also seen now post cup is that there's even more load management. And when you look at the history, if the Knicks flame out this year, that'll be three straight years, all three years of the cup that the winner was hurt in the second half of the season. Which means now no one's going to care about the cup.

[Alan Hahn]

Right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

No one's going to care, which they don't care about it anyway.

[Alan Hahn]

But no one's going to want to win it anymore.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But what do we do? How do you make your regular season more meaningful? Adding the play in games, I think has made it worse because now you got teams that know they're in, so now they can load management even more because nobody cares. Well, if I finish, if I finish seventh, the sixth, what's the difference? I'm gonna play an extra game. So what?

[Alan Hahn]

But here's the weird thing about the play in. You know what's happening is that there are teams that are on the cusp of the play in that are like, yeah, we really don't want that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Then they'll tank to get out. So they can be in the line.

[Alan Hahn]

They don't want to be in it.

[Don LaGreca]

Yes, you can avoid it altogether.

[Alan Hahn]

Like, I don't want it, you know, like, like we don't really want to be part of that. We'd rather be down here if we're going to be. If you're going to be at, you know, 14, I'd rather be at 12 or 11. So that's where that starts turning into. So you're starting to see even teams like the Chicago Bulls were a play in team. And after a while, if you're a play in team for, for like consecutive years, it starts to become a stigma. And so it's like, well, you're not going anywhere. You're running on ice. You're in the play in every year. That's nothing. You're not in the top six. So what the Bulls did at the trade deadline, they blow their roster up, they have no chance of winning. They've lost like six in a row. Like, that's also become a thing that was supposed to curb tanking until you, you know what we do, we find fault with everything. Oh, you're in the play in every year. Your team sucks you're better off in the lottery. You're better off not even making it. And so that gets in the mentality, right? Too many games. So you're better off just sitting because your team broke down at the end of the season and couldn't get through a playoff series. Because all these guys were hurt because they played so many minutes during the regular season. So now we're like, well, we can't treat the regular season as so important anymore because we want to be healthy for the playoff. It's unreal what we've done to the NBA season. And all it is is based on narratives, Don. Yeah, it's only based on narratives.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I can't. Like, I can think of ways to fix the tanking. Or you just. All right, you know what?

[Alan Hahn]

They'll find other ways to.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They're always. The geniuses will always find ways around it. But, like, how do you get. Here's the ultimate problem that Silver has. How do you get people that don't care to care? Like, I keep bringing up the NHL. For whatever reason, for whatever reason, the players care. They care about these games. They give an effort every single night. For whatever reason, their regular season means something. They didn't have to add a play in. They didn't have to add incentives to make the regular season more meaningful for these guys. For whatever reason, when they dress, they.

[Alan Hahn]

Bring it because it's really hard to make the playoffs in the NHL. And if you have one bad week, like, look what happened to the Devils.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They had a bad job, they had.

[Alan Hahn]

A bad week, and they're out, and now they're in. Climbing back in is hard. Like, you got to go on a run to. To get back in. So maybe you have to make it harder to make the. I don't know. Like, that's the problem.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's the problem. The reason you added the play in.

[Alan Hahn]

I know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because it was. I don't want teams to tank. I want to give incentive teams.

[Alan Hahn]

Like.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like I said, I don't want to have markets that they're out of it. Like. Like football, Peter. Right? It was. It was one thing. Jets and Giants are out. It's football. Everybody cares. Right? But in a market where, you know, you're the Brooklyn Nets, like, I'm out of it. Nobody Thanksgiving, then. Nobody cares. Nobody goes. Nobody pays attention. They don't want that. They want everybody to be engaged. So what do you do?

[Don LaGreca]

You can't force people to care.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like, for some reason, they care. You know, baseball's got an issue to a little bit, but there's 162 games. It's ridiculous, but for the most part. But also they care.

[Don LaGreca]

Well and also baseball has a built in feel as a fan that you only have to care so much unless you're a freako. Like you don't even view going to games with baseball the same way. It's a social outing. It's not the same thing. Yeah, but like in the NBA and I remember I said this the other day, guys, while the NBA is not 162, 82 is a friggin handful still. And getting people to care over that period of time. But you have to be a really sick.

[Alan Hahn]

Hockey's 82. Hockey's 80 locked in. Here's, here's the question.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's gonna be 84 next year too.

[Alan Hahn]

Rivalries in the NHL when the Rangers play the Islanders, when the Devils play the Rangers, like all those games, right. When the Flyers play the Capitals, when.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The Battle of Alberta.

[Alan Hahn]

Right, right, right. St. Louis plays the Blackhawk. Like does it still resonate? Like are those games a little different? Do they feel different? They have something about them that you're like, is a little extra.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean listen, there's a very good chance that when the Devils and Rangers play their first game on March, I.

[Alan Hahn]

Think it's seven amazing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They're going to both be pretty much out, right? But when they play, is that going.

[Alan Hahn]

To still be a good game?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because it will wake those two fan bases that are about to fall asleep because their teams aren't good. It's going to be one day where they're going to be fully engaged.

[Alan Hahn]

There's one of the major issues with the NBA is that there used to be rivalries. There used to be. And I don't want to go that far back, but I will. I mean the Lakers and Celtics only play twice a year, but when they did it was like stop what you're doing. This is on CBS at 1 o' clock or 3 o' clock and on Sunday and you're going to watch that game because that's like yourself, that's bird magic like that. You got to see this. There were certain star matchups that just felt like stop what you're doing, you need to watch this.

[Don LaGreca]

But there are so many Alan but.

[Alan Hahn]

But, but in the NBA, like he's a great example. Nick Sixers last night after that game, hugs and kisses right on the court. Hugs and kisses. Fan bases who are like one disgusted fan base because a lot of Knick fans were in their building and there was a lot of Chance and stuff. Sixers fans were feeling like they were climbing up and they're getting. After the Knicks. They beat them twice. Like Sixers fans were feeling it. Nick, fans knew they beat the Sixers. Like there was something brewing between those two teams, right? Nothing. Pacers came in all banged up, right. Two nights ago, all banged up, having a bad year. Worst year they've had in forever. Come into the Garden. The game was like a scrimmage game ended to. These are two teams. They were there, they got after it. And I give the Patriots credit, they rose their level because they were at the Garden. They want. And then they. Everybody sat the next night so you knew something was on the table. Rick Carlisle was probably like, tell you what, you guys have tomorrow night off. You have now your all star break begins. You got to give me everything tonight. I want this one. And they did. After the game. Hugs and kisses.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now that's a problem in all sports.

[Alan Hahn]

Rivalries in the NBA, they don't exist.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And listen, you guys could both jump because you're both basketball guys. But as somebody that follows all four sports, obviously not equally. And I will fully Admit, of the four, basketball is four for me. But I've been in this market for 30 years. NBA has been light on rivalries for a long time compared to the other sports. You know, Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Phillies. Like you can come up with a bunch of them. Giants, Dodgers, Cubs, Cardinals. There's a bunch of them that all still resonate. Even during dormant times. They still resonate. Rangers, Islanders, still resonate. They haven't played each other in the playoffs in over 30 years. Still resonate. Football, forget about it. Right, Peter, the entire NFC east, when they meet each other, it's a thing.

[Alan Hahn]

Love it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is it ever just. I mean, yeah, I could tell you Knicks, Heat was a thing for a while when they met each other in the playoffs a few times. Yeah. Nick6 if you're old school. Knick, Celtics. But really, does the NBA have rivals that even come close to the other three majors?

[Don LaGreca]

But to Alan's point, in the 80s and 90s, it wasn't even about traditional rivals. Celtics and Hawks were nasty. Bulls and Hawk, Evan Willis and Dominique Wilkins were gonna fight you. Craig Elo and. And Mark Price and Brad Dougherty were gonna fight. Every team had its own. Don't get started. Detroit had it with everybody. So every team had their own thing.

[Alan Hahn]

With another team doesn't want. I'm telling you, David Stern saw the value in that until the malice in the palace. And I don't think Adam wants it ramped up. They. They. They try to pretend like these are rivalries, but there's something. And again, the players grow up together. They play AU together. There's a lot of. A lot of relationships to a point where you realize in the NBA, as a fan, you care about beating a certain team more than the players you root for do. Because for you, you've been there forever. The players, in the grand scheme of things, are here for a minute. So they're like, well, I don't know why I'm supposed to hate them. Now. Indiana knocked you out of the last two years. The fact that you aren't sick of seeing that logo. So they come in your building, and you're not going, all right, We. You know, we just beat the Celtics. We're on a roll. These guys are coming in. They're beaten. Let's make sure we send them home in a bag. Make sure they know, like, we're not giving, like, no. No quarter given. I don't care how bad things are going for you. I don't care that Halliburton sitting there. I'm still gonna beat your ass. And I'm gonna tell Halliburton, why don't you keep sitting there like that? Don't dare come back this year. Like, send the message because they knocked you out. Instead, it was a scrimmage, because that's just the mentality of the players. It's not. It's not what it used to be. So hockey can go 82 games where games matter and they get after each other the way they do sometimes because there is this visceral hatred.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sometimes you gotta let them go. Like, I understand the malice in the palace got out of hand because it spilled into the crowd, and there were lawsuits. That is an exception to the.

[Alan Hahn]

Of course it is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But, like, what happened the other night with the Pistol. Let it happen, man.

[Alan Hahn]

I agree.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So let it happen. Everybody's so worried about, like, oh, it looks so bad for the league. Oh, no, you know what? These guys. Because it shows they care. Thank you.

[Alan Hahn]

Show me you care.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's what we're looking about. They care.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right. It's not, you know, stage fighting like you have in the NHL. Once in a while, if two teams hate each other, they're going at it like the bench. Cruise balls, baseball. I don't want to see anybody throw at their head. No. But every once in a while, a guy gets poked in the fanny, and they go at each other and they clear bench. You know what? Have fun with it. Embrace it. That's good. They hate each other, but it's good.

[Alan Hahn]

That's good. Hate.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hate is sports. Hate is good.

[Don LaGreca]

Poked in the fanny was a choice, but real quick.

[Alan Hahn]

I liked it though.

[Don LaGreca]

No, but it was there for you. Remember Malice at the Palace? I understand the fear around it because, you know, I used to sort of sarcastically call it NBA 9 11. I mean, they acted like the world ended on. On that day. It was a scary day. But don't forget, that started because yo yo fans wanted to treat the players.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like it was not.

[Don LaGreca]

It wasn't because fought that had. It really was not that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But they freaked out over. And you know what? You can say, hey, look, maybe the reason the NHL isn't bigger than it is because they allow fighting and all that. But you know what? Just embrace what you are. And there's passion. Because the exact same thing happened back in 1979. When Mike Milbury's beating somebody in the stands with a shoe, we look back at it. It's lore. It's something we talk about. Like, and you get excited to talk about it now. Oh, remember that dark day at the garden 79 when mulberry went into the crowd, beat somebody with a shoe? It's like, dude, did you see Milbury was the crowd beating a guy with his own shoe?

[Alan Hahn]

And then he threw it on the ice. He didn't even give the shoe back to the guy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But the malice and the pal.

[Alan Hahn]

You know, the guy walked home with one shoe.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, yeah, he deserved it. But that shoe should have been somewhere else, poked in the fanny.

[Alan Hahn]

Imagine coming home. What happened to your other shoe? It's on.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The shoe would go for in like a sports auction. The shoe.

[Alan Hahn]

Milbury called it a cheap penny loafer.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right. But you know what I'm saying, Peter, like the mouse and the Palace. That's the dark, that's the black and blue. That's awful. We can't let that ever happen again. And yes, to a certain extent, you don't want that to happen. But you know what? At least it showed that people in the building cared. They weren't going through the motions. They weren't load managing. They weren't thinking about the next game. They cared in that moment. And maybe we need to get back to it. Okay, I know it's not politically correct. It's not kids watching. Dude, kids should watch people going out there and caring about what they do. I think for somebody that has a son that wants to play sports, I rather them see the malice in the palace than to hear James Harden say loyalty's overrated.

[Don LaGreca]

And there's a lesson in malice in the palace. Number one, don't throw things at people who can beat your ass. Number one lesson.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, that's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And you know what? But. But isn't that life? Hey, you throw something, guess what? Somebody's gonna have to answer to your little reindeer game.

[Don LaGreca]

It's before the. Before the concept of bleep around and find out existed.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was malice of the palace.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Remember, you know that guy that was talking all that smack to Tai Domi and all of a sudden the plexiglass gave.

[Don LaGreca]

Oh, I remember it well.

[Peter Rosenberg]

His attitude was a little different all of a sudden when he was in the penalty box with Tai Domi.

[Don LaGreca]

Best moment ever.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Little bit of a different situation.

[Don LaGreca]

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[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don LaGreca]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. We all have that one friend.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm talking about the yo yos who set themselves on fire and bathe in.

[Don Hahn]

Pork and beans or know that one.

[Alan Hahn]

Person I'm here with, my family who.

[Don Hahn]

Can'T help but be.

[Don LaGreca]

He's not cool.

[Alan Hahn]

His voice.

[Don LaGreca]

Voice is weird. He's kind of a dork. His brother's a tool. His girlfriend's annoying.

[Don Hahn]

That guy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't know it was banner night.

[Don LaGreca]

We won't be out for that.

[Don Hahn]

It's time for that Guy Thursday.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hey, guys.

[Alan Hahn]

Anyone want to play some ball with.

[Don Hahn]

Don Hahn and Rosenberg?

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's just being that guy.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, Don, yes, you have a couple of times. Said today and yesterday. I'm being that guy. Right? That's true, Peter. Don was being that guy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Go ahead.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, we had this great idea, an epic idea to create this list and we were all gonna have our own lists. We discussed it. We put time into it. An effort.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

And I feel like don't over was overthinking, you know, like being the guy that didn't want to do the obvious, didn't want it to be. Well, of course it's going to be these five. He wanted to be the guy that was like. But you see, you have to go deeper. You have to understand that this song, despite the fact that nary a guitar was played in it. Wow. Is still considered a rock song.

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah. You know what?

[Alan Hahn]

And so I think, Don, you have that.

[Don LaGreca]

You have the Kajonis right now to say that.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, first of all, I can only do this because I love Don and Don knows that. And sometimes you have. No, sometimes with family, you know, we've got to. We've got to hold each other accountable. And I think you're too good to worry about trying to sound smart. You already are. So this to me, your list that you're getting a lot of heat about because the guy who loves hard rock had a lot of soft rock in his list. I think you just tried too hard. You were being that guy that couldn't just say, these are obvious. And I'm gonna go with the obvious because it's that easy to do. And that's why you're in a bridge over troubled water right now.

[Don LaGreca]

I love what you've done, Alan. And the truth of the matter is, I have heard from many people who. Two things. One, love Don LaGreca, and two, no music. I'm not talking about people who bathe in pork and beans. I'm talking about people who enjoy quality music and no rock and roll, who also feel like. What was Don actually thinking? How could this have been? Not that he didn't name great songs, but definitive rock songs. How could this have been the list? And I think the answer in the eyes of some people is that our very own, the arbiter of fraud, was in fact being that guy.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm so mad at both of you because you know what's so. Because I feel like I'm being ganged up. No, no, no.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm gonna tell you why we're standing in front of you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Even if I.

[Alan Hahn]

We're standing in of front front of.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You, taking the bullets for you, If I were to concede that Bridge Over Troubled Water might be leaning towards more of the easy listening folk. Yeah, come on.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Day in a Life was on my list.

[Alan Hahn]

No, no, that's. That's fine. That's fine.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Was it not.

[Alan Hahn]

No, no, that's fine. That one, nobody.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, I'm sorry, but you. God only knows it's a rock song. It is not a rock song. The Beach Boys are a rock band. That's a rock song. I might be slow or what? Green Day does that yo yo song.

[Don LaGreca]

What's the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What's the one that everybody loves with their green hair and everything, but yet they had to grab an acoustic guitar and have it in Seinfeld? Yeah, that's real punk rock.

[Alan Hahn]

You know, every band has that one song that isn't rock.

[Don LaGreca]

It's rock.

[Alan Hahn]

It's not.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The Beach Boys are Rock band now again, I wanted to just be. Just because I'm a good guy, not that guy. And I wanted to say, all right, maybe I'll give you Simon and Garfunkel, but you can't give me the Beach Boys. Made the Beatles and American Pie.

[Alan Hahn]

We said song, but that does the thing.

[Don LaGreca]

Oh, stop it.

[Alan Hahn]

And it's just. It just. It wasn't you. It wasn't you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's not you. No, because you guys just don't know me again, this is what bothers me about people. That I'm just a hockey guy. I'm just the metal guy. I didn't give you my five favorite songs. I gave you the most influential songs that everybody knows that if I put a bunch of metal songs on, you guys would be like, look at Don's the metal guy. He's got to put your head back.

[Alan Hahn]

He didn't want to do the obvious.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, I did what I believe in my soul. If you know me, you know how important music is to me. And I really went there. And you weren't ready for it. That's what it is. You weren't ready for.

[Don LaGreca]

No, it was. It was the. It was the way you chose to interpret the word rock and roll.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, it's the way that's my list. You guys hijacked it to begin with. This is my list. All of a sudden, it became. What's the quintessential rock? What sounds like rock and roll. These are rock and roll songs. They're on every rock. I am mad. I'm not even being performing.

[Alan Hahn]

I shouldn't have done that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm so disgusted with the whole thing.

[Alan Hahn]

But. But, like, Don, we all have been whispering this, and I feel like it's not right to whisper it anymore. It took us to say it in.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Front of you know what?

[Alan Hahn]

We don't want to say it behind.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I knew I.

[Alan Hahn]

You know how I am. It's like, I'm never gonna lie to you. Right? I'm never gonna lie to you. I hate that. So he likes whispering what's going on? And I'm like, you know what? We need to talk to Doc. And he needs to know that that's how we feel. Now, you could be mad at us for feeling this way, but we feel this way because of how we feel about you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, that's all it is.

[Alan Hahn]

And we've. I feel like that was a little bit of, like, trying too hard, bro. That's all I felt. And that's it? That's it. There's nothing more, nothing less. You're not any less to me in the world. It's just this. That guy segment. And I thought this was the time to have the intervention.

[Don LaGreca]

Well, maybe that guy Peter wasn't in on this.

[Alan Hahn]

By the way, to protect.

[Don LaGreca]

No, no, I didn't know.

[Alan Hahn]

I didn't know. This is only me. No, I had the second decision I made.

[Don LaGreca]

I don't know if that guy Don was being. Is exactly what Alan's describing. Like he was trying to be Mr. Thoughtful. I know better than you. I don't think he's that guy. I actually think that that guy he was being was just sort of overthinking the. What the task at hand was. And to me, it ended up becoming, as I've said several times, the greatest popular songs in American history, as opposed to the greatest rock songs. Something in the word rock and roll that means something. There's a vibe. When you say that's rock and rol.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now you're. But you're creating something that is not mine. I never said that. Greatest rock songs of all time. Most influential. You're trying to turn it into something that it wasn't. So how is that my fault?

[Don LaGreca]

I'm going with the traditional.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay?

[Peter Rosenberg]

And that's my segment.

[Alan Hahn]

That's the part.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's my thing that I've invited you guys to, which, by the way, will never happen again. Then all of a sudden, I'm being that guy. I'm trying too hard. Meanwhile, Peter had tutti frutti on there. Who's trying too hard, bro? Really? Who's trying to. Honestly, who's trying too hard?

[Don LaGreca]

You mean the two people out of three on the show that said we should include actual foundational beginning of rock music?

[Alan Hahn]

All right.

[Don LaGreca]

It's more rock, too. D. Frutti. At least I hear a guitar. God only knows you can play it a few.

[Alan Hahn]

We're going against our own rules, which was no one's wrong. No one's right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, but. No, but until today.

[Alan Hahn]

No, it's not about.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because you're both wrong. All of a sudden I have.

[Alan Hahn]

I have another. That guy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Another.

[Alan Hahn]

Another one again.

[Don LaGreca]

Tell me it's not again. Show me. Show me, Gus.

[Alan Hahn]

So you got my next. That guy, Peter, is LeBron James.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, okay. I thought he was just going to go like.

[Alan Hahn]

So this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Take out a blowtorch.

[Alan Hahn]

This is LeBron James on the Mind the Game podcast, talking about just how hard it is for us these days compared to the past.

[LeBron James]

The game is different. Playing 82 games in the 80s and 90s is not the same as playing 82 games in the 2000s. It's just not the way we play. The level of pace, the speed that we're playing at, it's a different game now.

[Alan Hahn]

The level, the speed is different, yes, but as we said, physicality, different travel. They had three coaches on the bench, one trainer.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Alan Hahn]

If two guys got hurt, the guy who was less hurt was told, right. Hang on a second. I'm working on this guy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like, honestly, Trainer had a bucket of dirt to rub on wounds. But back in the day, like I've.

[Alan Hahn]

Always wanted, if we could ever get a flux capacitor, I want to put LeBron in the DeLorean and send him back to where all of a sudden, he walks into Old Boston Garden and there's Bill Russell and them boys, hey.

[Don LaGreca]

Doc, what are you doing with LeBron?

[Alan Hahn]

And they hand him, you know, a couple of, like. They don't have Chuck Taylor's then. I don't know what the hell they were called back then. Right, the sneakers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, they were just grippy socks.

[Alan Hahn]

Lace these up. And here's the cotton jersey. When you start sweating, it's gonna get heavy. That's just life, you know? Oh, no. Do we have any. Any scuba gear for you? No, no, no. No leggings, no arm sleeves, no hip pads, so when you fall down on the court, it doesn't hurt. One pair of socks, two if you want. But Maravich, he wears two. They go down to his ankles. We make fun of him, but don't tell him. You know, a basketball that is truly leather, and when sweat gets on it, you know what happens? That gets heavier, too. So you have to calibrate your jumper throughout the game. Dead spots on these courts, because they're not all the same. They're not universal. The baskets, by the way, when we go to this place, you know those wires that's holding the basket? The fans grab it when you shoot in a free throw, and they pull on it and it shakes. Just hit the rim in the middle.

[Don LaGreca]

Oh, when you play a Boston Garden, the AC may not work in the chat.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, by the way, the Hawks aren't in Atlanta. They're in St. Louis. When we stay there. You'll have to stay in a different hotel. Are you okay with that? Because that's the conditions we played.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right. And then probably before the first round of the playoffs, just conveniently they painted the visitors dressing room to breathe fumes before the. It's like.

[Alan Hahn]

That's what I mean. He's being that guy here because he tries so hard to try to tell you how much harder it is today compared to the guys in the past. And all you keep doing, ignoring the fact that what you guys have pales in comparison to what those guys had. And the reason why you have all this is because you stand on the shoulders of those men, those pioneers that had to go through what they went through working summer jobs. Sometimes he's really.

[Don LaGreca]

Now he's going.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now.

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah, now he's going. Alan's been yelling at the clouds all week. If you really go back, he was yelling at influencers.

[Alan Hahn]

I couldn't stand on the show when Don was. When Don was doing that and I decided to stop because I know I probably would.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, I was, I, I would. You had me, man. No, no, let me say. But you understand, right?

[Don LaGreca]

Let me, Let me say this about LeBron. LeBron James is that guy. He's one of the. He's one of the three best players who ever lived and he is also that guy. Yeah, I'd say I like that.

[Alan Hahn]

You went three. Who's your. Who's your.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's got Larry there.

[Don LaGreca]

No, no, no. I love, I love Larry.

[LeBron James]

Larry.

[Alan Hahn]

Who's your other two? So you got Michael and who?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Kobe.

[Don LaGreca]

Listen, it's. I wanted to leave it open for whoever. For you, for me. For me personally, I think it's Kobe. Yeah, I, I think it is like I, I love the man's game that much. And also because he was the opposite now Kobe for a time in his career.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't hate that.

[Don LaGreca]

Was. He was that guy, but not this that guy. He was a different. That guy in the beginning of his career at career. He wasn't that guy anymore. And he was certainly the opposite of the that guy LeBron's being. He was the guy who said, no, no, we have to do it the way Jordan and Bird did it. We have to keep going with what they did. And I love LeBron, but as good as he is as a player, he has kind of ruined this league like he.

[Alan Hahn]

His.

[Don LaGreca]

What makes Don, We've said this before. What makes LeBron a wonderful human being makes him a less all time great player. He does not have that killer edge that Kobe had, that Michael had. And it comes out through statements like this where you're just like, it's not the end of the world. You're still one of the greatest players I've ever seen. But, man, the game has gotten softer under LeBron.

[Alan Hahn]

It's. Look, all that you said is accurate. And that's part of the thing, is that I think sometimes, as much as we admire athletes for standing up for what's right, saying the right things and all that stuff, in the end, the reality of why we love sports and why certain athletes resonate is because the main thing we love are warriors. And you need to be a warrior. And there are moments where he's had moments of him being a warrior.

[Don LaGreca]

Right?

[Alan Hahn]

We certainly understand it, but there's too many other times, like, LeBron is the guy. It's like you never have to wonder if LeBron. LeBron's hurt, he'll let you know. Whereas a warrior doesn't show. It doesn't want, you know? And that's why people. That's why Kobe resonated. That's why Larry Bird resonated. That's why Matt, like, Magic, came into the league as this, you know, bouncy puppy who was just so excited and excitable and. And what. Who got him, right? Kareem Abdul Jabbar? Like, no, no, we don't do that, right? He jumps on him and he celebrates. He's like. He's like. He's buck. We got 80, 81 more games, man. You know what I mean? Like.

[Don LaGreca]

Like, like, that's classic moment.

[Alan Hahn]

And he learned that, though, from the guy he called Cap. He learned that from Kareem. And so then he became that grizzled veteran, understanding that, no, it is about the grind. It is about the competition. It is about never giving an inch, never allowing an opponent to get a win because you just were like, yeah, you know, it's. Who cares? It's one game. No, no, no. Not that guy. Not that team.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He seems a little too concerned about his legacy.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, but that. And.

[Don LaGreca]

But meanwhile. But meanwhile, it's hurting. Concerned about his legacy, that he makes all these mistakes that are going to end up hurting.

[Alan Hahn]

I wonder who agrees or disagrees with us here. I love this conversation.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don LaGreca]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

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

[Peter Rosenberg]

Fun show. 1-800-919-3776. Get back to your calls on the Basketball. As we are getting ready for the All Star break this weekend. Slick Rick.

[Alan Hahn]

Why? Just. Just. Because.

[Don LaGreca]

Why? Why, why?

[Alan Hahn]

Why not?

[Peter Rosenberg]

There's a reason. This is my head yesterday. So get it out. I respect that.

[Alan Hahn]

Hey, young world.

[Don LaGreca]

I got it. I got to tell you, he's that Jacob Wise beyond his ears for sure when it comes to his pop culture influence. Anthony, do you watch Boys in the Hood last night?

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Don LaGreca]

What?

[Peter Rosenberg]

What? I'm curious.

[Alan Hahn]

Were you watching? Because. Because I know you weren't watching the Knicks.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, you weren't watching the Knicks.

[Alan Hahn]

There's no hockey locked in on the Knicks. No, you weren't.

[Peter Rosenberg]

High potentials in hiatus because of the.

[Alan Hahn]

Olympics, which is disappointing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What are you watching?

[Alan Hahn]

Fear Factor was on last night. Watch that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Do you know the kids are into what?

[Don LaGreca]

Should have just slammed your head against the wall.

[Alan Hahn]

It's something I enjoy. I'm sorry.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You don't.

[Alan Hahn]

Peter.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't know what.

[Don LaGreca]

It's something for morons.

[Alan Hahn]

Wow. Thank you. That's wrong.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's calling you a moron.

[Alan Hahn]

I know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I just wanted to translate.

[Alan Hahn]

He never had respect for me. It's not a surprise, his response.

[Don LaGreca]

I only went that aggressive because his initial reaction was, it's something that I enjoy. Listen, we understand it's a show and it exists. It's on every week. We told him about something great and like our friend Damian Woody Anthony's thoughts of our opinions and the things we might have learned on our time in this earth to him is worth what's left in the toilet in the bottom of a urinal after a Ranger game. So I was simply saying that he watches a show for morons. Now, I watch plenty of shows for morons, so let's call it even.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So the kids like the Masked Singer, which I. Because they never. They're completely engrossed in it, but have no shot of knowing who it is.

[Alan Hahn]

That'S on before Fear Factory.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like, they're watching. It's somebody dressed up as an owl.

[Don LaGreca]

Our special moron lineup.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Nancy and I are watching and trying to pick up the clues, and we think we know the voice and it ends up being Billy Ray Cyrus. And the kids, they don't know who Billy Ray Cyrus is.

[Don LaGreca]

Right? No payoff at all.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But they still seem to. Last summer, it was the We Are Family, where the big. There was that. What was a cube or something. And somebody would sing a song. You're related to somebody like. So it'd be like, I don't know. But Peter Frampton's son comes out.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Gives you Some hints, and then sings a duet with Peter Frampton. But you don't know it's Peter Frampton. And they'd watch it completely engaged. I find them watching it on their tablet because it's on the Disney.

[Alan Hahn]

So they're just so into it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They never know who it is.

[Alan Hahn]

They don't understand the reference.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How are they gonna know Peter Frampton?

[Alan Hahn]

Of course not. No, it's.

[Don LaGreca]

It's hilarious.

[Alan Hahn]

They're not gonna know Billy Ray Cyrus what the.

[Don LaGreca]

What the payoff of the show is supposed to be is completely lost on a child.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, there's no nostalgia whatsoever. Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But they.

[Don LaGreca]

But they like the costumes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, they like the costumes and just the whole idea spectacle of it's a secret. They've got to figure it out. It doesn't matter that they can't figure it out. So it's actually pretty interesting.

[Don LaGreca]

There are certain shows that when I see, like, I don't watch them, but, like, when I see the commercials on tv, I go, this is sort of the time capsule of, like, look how dumb we are, like, in the world. And the Masked Singer is one of those things I put, like. I feel like in a meeting, when they come up with shows like the Masked Singer or some of the other different reality shows and competition shows, the people in the room sit around going, we all agree that TV viewers are absolute morons, right? What can we come up with that could entertain an absolute buffoon? Maybe an ape or what would an athen do? And that's where they come up. We put a big costume on them. They sing songs. We know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, it's interesting, like, with the We Are Family. They're both Fox shows, right? And I remember the one time they'll. They'll like, trying to guess who it is, and they'll guess, like, Kanye West. Like, you really think Fox got Kanye? Honestly, like, there's certain people you can eliminate. Okay.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, exactly.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They get Peter Frampton. Yeah, that's doable for Von. Yeah, yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

They got Jay Z. I'm sure he's here.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Jay Z dressed up like costume. Yeah, like a tree.

[Don LaGreca]

That is a. That is a great point. Are there really ever guesses that are that insane where you go, seriously? Oh, yeah, they did that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Absolutely. Taylor Swift.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, yeah. No, no, it's not Taylor Swift.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like. Like somebody. Last night was Billy Ray Cyrus. The guess is by the celebrity, right? One of them was Ted Danson. These are the guesses.

[Alan Hahn]

Ted Danson.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Ted Danson. Woody Harrelson, Matthew McConaughey. Maybe Ted Danson. Maybe. But you really think Matthew McConaughey is going to dress up like, right?

[Don LaGreca]

Or Woody McConaughey, considering it feels like McConaughey's entire career is kind of commercials now, I guess.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But I don't know. I don't think a Fox game show is going to. Is going to. Is going to be able to afford, no offense, you know, Matthew McConaughey or Woody Harrelson. Do you know what you got? You got Billy Ray Cyrus.

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Riley's dad to you and me.

[Don LaGreca]

That's right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, let's go to Dave and Queen. John, ESPN New York. Hi, Dave.

[Caller Dave]

Hey, guys. Man, I really appreciate you guys taking my call, all three of you, because I heard last week somebody didn't acknowledge Peter, so I want to make sure that.

[Don LaGreca]

Thank you. No, we know they didn't like me.

[Alan Hahn]

Thank you.

[Caller Dave]

Hey, I got a couple of takes here, so I really hope you give me some time here. But I'm going to start with one thing that, that, Don, you said earlier. Greed is not good. It's actually part of the problem that we have here societally and in the sports. But that's, that's the highest level of the takes, right? When you guys are talking about the sports and the four sports, you compared them, I think one point that you made is one point that you missed was football and hockey are physical sports. You cannot take off, otherwise you actually risk getting injured. Unlike the NBA players talking about getting injured at the All Star Game. They don't get injured. It's just, it's like you said, it's a narrative, and it's a ridiculous narrative. But with football and hockey, you get to put your hands on players and you get to like, exert your I'm better than you on players in a way that you don't do in baseball ever in any way. And in a way that you do basketball through the rules. That's kind of rebooting how these sports then wouldn't.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wouldn't in hockey. Then there'd be even more of a reason to load, manage and maybe not dress a player in the second of back to backs because it's a physical sport, because he might get hurt.

[Alan Hahn]

Recovery.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Let him recover. We can beat the Blackhawks tonight. They stink. We won't play. We won't play our best player because, you know, he might get hurt.

[Caller Dave]

I think that's a different conversation. And I would not pretend at all, Don, to act like I'm the most knowledgeable person on hockey in general to give a good response to that question. But I think the way in which coaches. I think it's also a coach and admin thing. It's like we're here to play and we're gonna play. So I just think culturally, those two.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sports, all I'm debating. You're 100% right and Davey for the call. But what I'm saying is I don't think we're really talking about the amount of minutes. We're talking about big game, national television, but because it's the second of back to backs, you know, we decide, you know, LeBron James isn't going to play or Steph Curry's not going to play because they're getting older and they're getting ready for the post season. We don't want them to play. But you don't see that in hockey. Even late in the season, the teams clinch their division. Maybe you might see it then, but most of the time you don't believe me. I'm with. I'm around the Devils and they need every game they can. And when they won't turn around and say, you know what, we're not going to play Hamilton today because, you know, it's the third game in four nights and he's getting a little older like that. That doesn't happen in hockey. He might get benched because he isn't playing well. But. And then there might be cap ramifications if you want to go there, but you never see. Or are guys about to get traded. That may happen, but not. You never hear, you know, too many. Too many games in a row just sit banged up.

[Alan Hahn]

He's got a. Yeah, yeah. No, no.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But he is right, though. If you're playing, though, it's hard to kind of avoid contact when you're playing hockey. You're gonna go out there, you're gonna play, you have to play. And because you're a unit, right. You're playing on lines. Sometimes it's difficult to say you're only going to play a handful of minutes because that could. Now you're messed up now. Other guys are going to have to play longer, you know, because you don't have the bench like you have in basket.

[Don LaGreca]

Everybody plays.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. No, it really is apples and oranges in a lot of ways. But I brought up the rivalry aspect of it, of course, and how you do get charged up for certain games where I just don't know if you see the same thing in the NBA and we are in. And I've. I've said this many times, this is the dog days when we're on the other side of this All Star break. Like the knicks in particular. 27 games left. That's it. 27.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Not many.

[Alan Hahn]

Like, you're gonna blink and it's gonna be April. And so this is now when you need to come out of this break rested and recovered and everything else, and then you ramp it up.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, but that doesn't solve the Jazz problem, and there will be times when teams got things clinched. It might change it a little bit.

[Don Hahn]

But thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg pod.

[Don LaGreca]

I don't want to know how the.

[Alan Hahn]

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 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.