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- [00:00]
Don LaGreca
With the Venmo debit card, you can Venmo everything. Your favorite band's merch. You can Venmo this or their next show. You can Venmo that. Visit Venmo Me debit to learn more. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp bank and a pursuant to license by Mastercard International, Inc. The card may be used everywhere. MasterCard is accepted. Venmo purchase restrictions apply.
- [00:16]
Jordan Ronan
This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
- [00:20]
Don LaGreca
That sounds like heaven to me.
- [00:21]
Jordan Ronan
Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New.
- [00:26]
Don LaGreca
York app and your smart speakers 401 of the big city. Don Han and Rosenberg taking up until 6:30. Jordan. Ron on in filling in for Alan Hahn, who's on vacation. Peter has taken the month of July off for the paternity leave after the birth of his daughter Maya. So we're making it work through the summer. And there's been a lot of baseball, so Peter probably wouldn't want to be.
- [00:50]
Jordan Ronan
Peter's chair on board and push it down. He has it propped up really high.
- [00:53]
Don LaGreca
What's that?
- [00:54]
Jordan Ronan
His seat? Peter?
- [00:55]
Don LaGreca
Oh, he does? Yeah. Well, you're taller than he is.
- [00:57]
Jordan Ronan
He's a shorter guy. Allen seat.
- [01:00]
Don LaGreca
I mean, oh my God. Alan's. Al's a basketball player.
- [01:04]
Jordan Ronan
Prop that baby up.
- [01:05]
Don LaGreca
Yeah, he covers the right sport, man. Cause he's like, he's perfect for it. Like, we were searching for him yesterday during the Tee it Up challenge, and we were able to find him through all the course because it just, he sticks out. Like he's just taller than everybody else, you know?
- [01:19]
Jordan Ronan
Right. So, yeah, if he was 5, 9 and you're like, you know, standing next to, you know, Karl Anthony Towns, you look really small.
- [01:28]
Don LaGreca
Yeah, for sure. We did have John Starks there. But he's taller than John Starks.
- [01:32]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah, John Starks wasn't a big guy. He was an undersized two guard, you.
- [01:36]
Don LaGreca
Know, he's still a monster. I saw him yesterday is Justin Tuck.
- [01:39]
Jordan Ronan
Justin Tuck.
- [01:40]
Don LaGreca
He looks like he could still play.
- [01:41]
Jordan Ronan
Justin Tuck was one of the best guys that I've ever seen in a locker room. Like when you, when you have to go to someone to talk to and someone to talk, you know, genuinely and smartly about any sort of subject, you went to him like he was the guy that controlled the locker room when I was there. This was a little post super bowl, but that he, you know, his job was to keep JPP in line and to make sure, you know, to tell him what, you know, what was right and what was wrong? I mean, he was one of the best guys I've ever seen in a locker room. He was. He was that guy.
- [02:14]
Don LaGreca
He was terrific to just talk to yesterday. It wasn't a long conversation, but we had to go and say hello to all the different golfers. So it was. Bart was riding the cart with me, and John Winthrop was driving the cart with Dave, and we were going around saying hello, and we fell behind because Bart knows everybody. He's talking to everybody. And he had such a great conversation with Justin Tuck because Tuck really. It's amazing what he did with his life, going back to school and then working in finance. And he had some very interesting opinions on what's going on with the nflpa. So it was really great to. To have that.
- [02:52]
Jordan Ronan
Him and his wife always did a lot with teaching kids how to read and literacy was a big thing for them. No, he just a super solid guy, you know, like the kind of. Definitely the kind of guy that you would want in your locker room. And I could see why it worked with him because think about it, the Giants now have three pass rushes, and they have to figure out a way how it worked. The Giants, once upon a time, you know, they had used to have that back in the day. And Justin Tuck, early in his career was the guy. He. He moved around. He didn't start right. He used to joke. He still jokes to the day about how he want. He. He used to call the Strahan an old man and wanted to take it, take a starting job. Like it was like a running joke, but it wasn't really a joke. But he was willing to sit there because it was. It was Strahan and O.C. and Tuck had to take a backseat to them for several years until Strahan retired.
- [03:39]
Don LaGreca
Until. Yep.
- [03:40]
Jordan Ronan
And he could step into that.
- [03:41]
Don LaGreca
He was able to take over and, you know, boy, I miss him. So. It was a great day yesterday. And then it was a good day for the Mets. They beat the Angels 7 to 5. But there's still some things that are problematic. All right. The Angels are an average team, but the Mets, they're down four nothing and five two. This is the first disconcerting thing is that Senga gave you three innings.
- [04:03]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah. And I'm willing to push that aside, saying this is one of his. Still his first. One of his first starts back.
- [04:10]
Don LaGreca
It's going to be second because he did have a start before the All Star Game.
- [04:13]
Jordan Ronan
It was barely a start by. You know what I mean? Like, he.
- [04:16]
Don LaGreca
No, you're right. But because they're going to be careful with him. But again, you know, only three innings, so the bullpen had to get a bunch of outs. Six innings worth of outs, and they did. They only gave up one more run. After that, they were down to five.
- [04:27]
Jordan Ronan
That was a positive. Their bullpen was really good in that game.
- [04:29]
Don LaGreca
But the Mets came back, and in large part, they were able to take the lead and win the game on what was just. Just a ridiculous. Bottom of the eighth inning for me comes in, and then Wade Jr. Can't play a fly ball. Alvarez got the hit, and I was so happy for him. And give the Met fans credit. I'm listening to the game, driving home from the. From the golf. The ovation they gave Alvarez, I thought was really cool. Like the Met fans got it. You know, it's been a struggle for him.
- [04:58]
Jordan Ronan
I thought the whole atmosphere was just electric. I was watching, even from tv, I was like, wow, it's like bumping.
- [05:04]
Don LaGreca
It was. It was. It was really cool Monday night in the summer, too. Yeah, it's your last. The only chance to see Trout. And Trout was actually in the lineup, and the Mets pretty much shut him down. But Alvarez gets the hit. But that was a total fielding botch by Wade Jr. Just didn't get under it. He was feeling for the wall. He thought he was closer to the wall. Ends up going for a double, scores a run, and then, you know, just another awful play by their third baseman. Does a great job feeling Moncada. Makes a great job fielding the ball, but then can't throw accurately at a home plate. Mets took advantage of it. So the starting pitching, it's good to have all these guys back, but you're going to need length and hopefully Sengle will eventually find. He just didn't. He just didn't have it early. Kind of fought through it, got the fork ball going, but then he started to get touched up. And again the Mets, you know, committing. Not. Not that the great fielding either. And it leads to Iran, So there's some good and bad in there. Angels came in only a game under.500, but again, one of those teams that you're supposed to beat. Mets lost two out of three to Cincinnati. We'll see what they can do against the Angels before they head out west again, having to take on the Giants and the Padres. But let's keep an eye on Senga because he's had a couple of starts since coming back from the leg injury, but isn't really giving you any length. And this bullpen is a problem. You're not going to win games. Jordan. If you're going to have to go out and get, you know, 12, 15 outs out of your bullpen, it's not going to work out. It worked out last night. But on a consistent basis, there's no way.
- [06:31]
Jordan Ronan
No. Especially when their bullpen is not any good. I mean, who do you really trust, aside from Diaz? Even, like, do you really want to see Static in a big spot in the eighth inning? Like, is that. Is that really the guy you want? Like, they've got some definite holes there that they need to fill at the trade deadline. But I think the one thing you could take from that game was Francisco Alvarez. Right. And feel better, a little bit better about him. Right. Even not even walking. Right. It was something he never did earlier in the year. Like, it was just like an automatic out when he came up that sure, he should have caught it. It was. It was Taylor who came in the game as a. As a defensive replacement and botched that ball to the right field.
- [07:10]
Don LaGreca
Oh, that's. I'm sorry.
- [07:11]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah, yeah. He actually. I think he had just come in, and so the fact that he drove the ball deep to right center, like, that was a good swing, regardless of whether it's a hit or not.
- [07:20]
Don LaGreca
Right.
- [07:20]
Jordan Ronan
That's a pretty good swing. I think that's something that Mets should feel good about. Because the reality is, when I look at the Mets team as a whole, I always say to myself, well, what. What is the strength of this team? What makes them really good that they could win in the playoffs against other good teams? And right now, they don't really have that. It was supposed to be the lineup. Right. Because they have the top four in the lineup. They're all supposed to be really good. They really have never this season put it together as one. And now, in order for that lineup to have some length and to really get to that next level, aside from those four top guys getting together at the same time, is they need some of these young guys to come through. Like, they need something from either Vientos or Beatty. Like, one of them has to pop here and really get hot. And if Alvarez is one of those guys, I think that's. That's huge for them.
- [08:06]
Don LaGreca
That could be very, very big for them. Also, just a footnote, too, because you didn't get a chance to talk about it yesterday. Yesterday was a very interesting show, and we did touch on the David Wright of it all during enn, but I was talking to Dan Grasso and I was driving. He went to the game on Saturday, where the retired David Wright's number five. And he said it was the most. The most people. And we've gone to World Series games together at Citi Field, me and Dan, that the place was packed. It was not an empty seat. It was nuts because that's when you retire somebody's number, when he's still relevant to the fan base. Like even Doc and Daryl, when they retired their numbers. And these are legends. It's so far after the fact.
- [08:46]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah, it was too late.
- [08:47]
Don LaGreca
That you don't create the buzz because there's a generation of fans who go to games. Jordan, that didn't see him play. Keith was a little different because they know Keith as the television guy.
- [08:56]
Jordan Ronan
Right.
- [08:56]
Don LaGreca
But even that. And you know, the Rangers have done it for guys that, you know, played a long time ago when they retired Harry Howell's number and Vic Hatfield, it's great. It's a great honor. But when it's 40 years after the fact, you know, the building's half empty, there's no energy. David Wright was the perfect storm. He's still relevant in the eyes of all the Mets.
- [09:16]
Jordan Ronan
Fans love David Wright. And there's nothing not to like. Even as a Yankee fan, you're like, that was a guy you liked. Like, how could you not like David Wright?
- [09:21]
Don LaGreca
But honestly, if you. If you do, if you do it 10 years later, like, let's say they waited another 10 years, it might not have hit the same because now you've got a fan base that didn't see him play and they don't get it. You know, like when they retired Jerry Koozman's number and Tom Seaver's number, it meant something to me because I know those guys, and I saw them a little bit when I was a kid, but it didn't hit the same way that Doc and Darryl's retirement did, because I. That. That's right in my wheelhouse. So those kids that grew up on baseball, that fell in love with the game because of David Wright, those kids are now in their 20s and 30s that have the disposable income to go to a game on a Saturday. And that's what retired numbers don't wait. Don't wait forever. Like, they should retire Gary Carter's number. He's no longer with us. Right. But you waited so long. Now he's gone. And when they do it, and they'll eventually do it, it's only the old.
- [10:14]
Jordan Ronan
Guys like us that remember Gary Carter. Yeah.
- [10:17]
Don LaGreca
You know, his wife's going to give a speech and everybody's going to be respectful, but the building's probably going to be half empty. Half the fan base never saw him play.
- [10:24]
Jordan Ronan
David Wright was the perfect sport because he just, he was so well liked by the fan base, you know, like everybody loved David Wright too. And he stretched across multiple generations. He's still pretty young. He's not like you say, just fresh out of the game. It was really. I actually watched it with my wife. My wife never watches sports with me and she actually enjoyed it. She was asking me all these questions about him.
- [10:45]
Don LaGreca
Yeah.
- [10:46]
Jordan Ronan
Who's his wife? She's really good looking.
- [10:47]
Don LaGreca
Oh, really?
- [10:48]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah. His kids are really cute. Where's his brothers?
- [10:52]
Don LaGreca
Oh, no, he was. And he was also the perfect guy to cover too.
- [10:56]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah. I mean, look, there's like no knock on David. Right. He was going to be, as you know, he was. He was basically destined for the hall of Fame if he didn't get derailed by injury. It's still amazing that in the history of the Mets, who've been around for a long time now that he is their all time leader in home runs.
- [11:11]
Don LaGreca
I know, right?
- [11:12]
Jordan Ronan
With 252.
- [11:13]
Don LaGreca
Crazy. Well, eventually Alonzo is going to get.
- [11:15]
Jordan Ronan
There soon, very soon. But still the fact that they. Because that's the beauty of David Wright is he spent his whole career with the Mets partially because, you know, he got injured and didn't have that end.
- [11:26]
Don LaGreca
Of the year he probably would have finished his.
- [11:28]
Jordan Ronan
He probably would have.
- [11:29]
Don LaGreca
Yeah.
- [11:29]
Jordan Ronan
But the Mets don't have a lot of those guys, if at all in their history. That's the crazy part.
- [11:34]
Don LaGreca
Who's the next guy to get their number retired? Like I said, it might be Gary Carter. But of the guys that are playing now or the guys that just recently retired, like the Rangers just retired. Lundqvist. Number. So who are we talking?
- [11:48]
Jordan Ronan
Mets.
- [11:49]
Don LaGreca
Well, Mets, you know, Pete, but that could be a decade from there because.
- [11:53]
Jordan Ronan
We got like the 2000 Mets.
- [11:55]
Don LaGreca
There's some Mets.
- [11:55]
Jordan Ronan
Was there anyone from like those 2000 Mets teams? Edgardo, Alfonso, probably not that level. Right. Like Jose Reyes is David. David Wright's counterpart, but I don't think.
- [12:09]
Don LaGreca
He would be the next Yankee to be honored. Like, there's only guys that are playing now, right? Yeah. Cole eventually will get probably some love. Certainly Judge is going to be in Monument Park.
- [12:20]
Jordan Ronan
Matsui, does he reach that level? One of a World Series, basically. So I'm thinking, I'm thinking, okay, who, who won the 2009 Yankees? Right. That's that next generation. Because we're already done.
- [12:33]
Don LaGreca
Cece.
- [12:34]
Jordan Ronan
Ooh, yeah.
- [12:35]
Don LaGreca
Cece would probably be the next guy.
- [12:38]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah, he was when he first came to the Yankees. What he did that year on the first few years.
- [12:44]
Don LaGreca
There's no Nick. Right. Because I guess they're going to do Carmelo right now. Did they, Jacob? Yes, they're going to do Carmelo. Right. They announced that they were supposed to do Carmelo.
- [12:57]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah, I think that's. I think I saw recently. That's happening next season now.
- [13:01]
Don LaGreca
Yeah, I thought. I thought. I just didn't know if they came up with a date yet for it. So. Yeah, that's the Nick. Right.
- [13:08]
Jordan Ronan
So we're now. So we're now in like Giant. We're now in like the mid 2000s. Like, you know, 2005 to even. I guess 15 is too late, but 2005 to like. Or 2000, 20. 15ish era. Like, guys have finished playing around there.
- [13:23]
Don LaGreca
Yeah.
- [13:24]
Jordan Ronan
Like where it would be appropriate to have them retired and still be relevant. So the Knicks weren't very good in that range. Right. Lundquist.
- [13:32]
Don LaGreca
Lundquist already retired. They retired it a couple of years ago. And with the Giants.
- [13:38]
Jordan Ronan
Kreider eventually.
- [13:39]
Don LaGreca
Oh, Kreider, I think eventually still playing. So we have to wait a little while for that.
- [13:44]
Jordan Ronan
So he's that next Ranger guy.
- [13:46]
Don LaGreca
So because the Giants have the Ring of Honor, they don't retire a lot of numbers, right. LT obviously Phil Sims in recent vintage. And Eli.
- [13:58]
Jordan Ronan
And Eli. But they already did Eli.
- [14:00]
Don LaGreca
Yeah. So.
- [14:00]
Jordan Ronan
So there's not anyone else really from. That's probably gonna get retired. You know, you get the Ring of Honor, which they've done for a bunch of guys. But I don't know about retiring a number because a guy like Victor Cruz had a very short career.
- [14:13]
Don LaGreca
Yeah.
- [14:14]
Jordan Ronan
And then jpp.
- [14:17]
Don LaGreca
Probably not. And then also talking you and OC.
- [14:23]
Jordan Ronan
Humanora, they're Ring of Honor guys.
- [14:27]
Don LaGreca
They're not going to get their numbers returned. That's fair. Like. Like Banks is a Ring of Honor guy, but not his number. Retired.
- [14:33]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah. There's not that many guys that get there. You know, there's.
- [14:37]
Don LaGreca
I. I think the Ring of Honor in recenter.
- [14:39]
Jordan Ronan
I think.
- [14:40]
Don LaGreca
I think if you have a Ring of Honor, then you've got to retire the real ultra special guys like the LT. Nobody should wear 50. Nobody. Nobody should want to wear 50.
- [14:47]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah. Well, we already went through that dance of the Abdul Carter wanting to wear 56 for a minute. Right. For.
- [14:54]
Don LaGreca
Yeah. Then that did not. I mean, it was out there for like three seconds and it didn't.
- [14:57]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah. Well, it's just a bad idea. You don't want to have. First of all, you don't want to put that kind of pressure, and you don't want people who just. You'll have half the fan base looking at you in 56 being like, no, I. I want to remember Lawrence Taylor being number 56. I don't want to remember. I don't want to remember Abdul Card.
- [15:12]
Don LaGreca
Is that because you're. You're at every home game? All right. Is 56 still the most popular number or was it overtaken by Saquon?
- [15:23]
Jordan Ronan
Oh, it was overtaken. Yeah. It's not the most popular anymore. I'd say the most popular Giants jersey right now at a game would be. And this is. Shows you where they are as a franchise right now. It's. It's probably still. It was Saquon, but that ended poorly, so I don't think a lot of people want to wear it. Eli. It's still probably. Eli. That's been.
- [15:43]
Don LaGreca
It's. It's been a minute since he played.
- [15:45]
Jordan Ronan
I know that's been a while. So now we're looking at, like, you need that next generation guy. Like, Odell was a big guy for a while.
- [15:51]
Don LaGreca
And listen, I. I ended poorly, too. But I'm a bad. I'm a bad person to. To. To ask this.
- [15:57]
Jordan Ronan
Oh, because when you have to preface it like that because.
- [16:00]
Don LaGreca
Because it's never my wheelhouse. My wheelhouse is the. Is the. The 80s giants.
- [16:05]
Jordan Ronan
Yes.
- [16:06]
Don LaGreca
Right. So with the Giant helmet and then the red and the white, the trim on it. That. To me, that was a gorgeous jersey. That blue pop. That. That was something to feel. I don't know if I'd want to wear a Giant jersey now. It's basically blue and white. It's very generic. I'm done with the old throwback. When they first brought him back, it was like, all right. It brought me back to my Dad's time, the 56 championship, the lowercase NY that. I'm done with that. I know they won two Super Bowls with it, but it's not attractive. It's not a great jersey wear.
- [16:39]
Jordan Ronan
You want them to bring back the red a little bit?
- [16:40]
Don LaGreca
Yeah, I want them to wear what they wore, you know, from. I guess it was from 76 until when they make the change, I guess 2000.
- [16:48]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah.
- [16:49]
Don LaGreca
That's what I. That, to me, that's. That's in the Giant wheel. That was a gorgeous jersey. That was a gorgeous blue. Listen, I know it was a throwback, and people like it, especially a younger generation that saw two Super Bowls with it. But is it. Is it. Is it nice? It's just. It's blue and white. There's no trim.
- [17:07]
Jordan Ronan
It's eh.
- [17:08]
Don LaGreca
And again, I've said this a million times. It's a lowercase ny. Jordan. Like, they didn't try because, again, we were at war. They didn't care about such things. You're lucky that you had a logo back in the day. You went from a leather helmet that just blew. And listen, we could put a capital ny. But you know what? That might be too expensive. Just do a lowercase. We'll get it cheaper that way. I mean, it's a lowercase ny. What are we doing?
- [17:32]
Jordan Ronan
It really bothers you that much? That's a lowercase ny.
- [17:34]
Don LaGreca
It's a lowercase. Why would you do that? How would you. How about. How about you go through life and you're Jordan Ronan with a lowercase J and R. You don't capitalize your name. What are we doing?
- [17:46]
Jordan Ronan
They are proper nouns, so they probably should be capitalized.
- [17:49]
Don LaGreca
Yeah, but does it make. Does it make. Did it make sense? Or at least in the 50s when they went to it, they said it doesn't matter. And the colors don't matter. People are barely watching on tv and when they do, it's in black and white. They didn't care. Do you see the throwback uniforms in the NFL? They're all putrid. Those Steelers, the Packers, they didn't care. So that we're honoring not caring. That giant uniform with that blue with the red and white trim was gorgeous. Was something you could be proud to wear. It looked nice.
- [18:19]
Jordan Ronan
You want them to go back to him?
- [18:20]
Don LaGreca
Yes.
- [18:21]
Jordan Ronan
That's where you're going?
- [18:22]
Don LaGreca
Yes. What are we doing?
- [18:24]
Jordan Ronan
They got to modernize.
- [18:25]
Don LaGreca
That's modernized by going back to something they wore in 1956 when there was no color TV. They played at a baseball stadium. They warm themselves with a garbage can on fire. What do we. When it was raining, they put a parker on them and didn't care if they got sick and died because they drag them off the field and draft somebody else. All right, we go the sneaker game. What are we going to do? Listen, I love all the old throwback guys. My father told me all about them. You know, Rosie Brown and Sam Huff and. But what are we doing?
- [18:57]
Jordan Ronan
The Giants are a very traditional team, though. You know, everything is very, very basic. And blue. The whole idea of not having cheerleaders have.
- [19:04]
Don LaGreca
They don't. I love that. I love it. I don't want to mix my sex with football. I'm Good. Unless I get offered sex during football, in which then I'd hit pause like any other human being.
- [19:13]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah.
- [19:13]
Don LaGreca
Getting back conversation. What are we honoring here?
- [19:17]
Jordan Ronan
This pause button doesn't work or something. That's only my.
- [19:19]
Don LaGreca
What are we honoring? We're honoring. You know what? They didn't win as much as they won in, in the 80s, in the 90s. I mean, they. Yeah, they won the championship in 56, and you got to go back to the 30s and the sneaker game and all that. I get. And we had, you know, Tom Landry was the defensive coordinator and Vince Lombardi was the offensive coordinator. Great times. There were great times. But it's a drab looking uniform. It's not sexy at all. It's nothing that I feel like I want to put on a Manning 10 with just that basic blue and no trim. What are we doing?
- [19:52]
Jordan Ronan
They want. They're very conservative. They want to go basic and plain. You, you, you. You really want them to go back, huh?
- [19:57]
Don LaGreca
Yes, desperately. Now you want them to wear, like, wool jersey. I think they're like, oh, and 100 when they wear those jerseys, you know, so they're. They're terrible. I get that. But is there any comparison? Again, it was, it was kind of cool when they went back.
- [20:10]
Jordan Ronan
You want the ones with the trim, the red. The red, like type sleeves or red type trim around the sleeves and around the collar and the, and the, The Blue and the 56. Taylor. Yeah, they, you know, it's kind of weird. They kind of. The red has been shunned. It's like they're not, they're not part of the uniform anymore.
- [20:27]
Don LaGreca
It's weird because they're back in the early 2000s. They'd play a few games with a red.
- [20:31]
Jordan Ronan
I think I thought, I think I remember with the red. They have a really bad record. I think that's. I, If I remember correctly, not. I'm not the Jersey guy. I'm not a big Jersey guy. To me, it's all the same.
- [20:41]
Don LaGreca
But why does this, why does it.
- [20:43]
Jordan Ronan
Even bother you so much?
- [20:45]
Don LaGreca
I just want my. Listen, the team's not any good because they at least look good again. I'm over it. Again. It's not. Sound like you're over it. No, I'm over the whole. Ooh. The lure of the 50s.
- [20:56]
Jordan Ronan
Oh.
- [20:57]
Don LaGreca
It was like I said, it was cool. My father passed in 97, so when they did it in 2000, I said, you know what? That's cool, man. My dad fell in love with his team and I've Got the old yearbooks and, like, it looks cool. All right, that's cool. 25 years later, I'm. I'm over it. I'm done. Let's go back to what got me into football. The way it looked. Anything. I. I'd rather see the double bar NY they wore at Yale. I'd rather that at least they were. It was capital letters. They double barred it. It's a. It's a lowercase ny. Harvey. Who would do that? If you had a logo. Harvey Cruz. You got a. You got a nice podcast going, right? Would you lowercase h and c. I see your point. It doesn't make. It doesn't make that much sense. It doesn't really look visually appealing. That's not it. You're honoring an era where they didn't try. They didn't make an effort. There was a Jordan. Jordan might be new to this. My audience is bored for me hearing this, but I do enjoy doing it. If I ever do a comedy bit. This would probably be one of the things. There was an era of sports where we didn't try. We put the goal post on the goal line. Nobody thought that maybe they'd run into it. We played hockey for a century before anybody thought, hey, why don't we throw? Why don't we play a little overtime? There was a time in the NFL they didn't even have the playoffs. You finished with the best record the regular season. They handed you a trophy. There was no effort. They didn't bother because we were at war with other countries. So sports was stupid. But now sports isn't stupid anymore. Now do we go to war over sports? So let's honor it in the tradition that it's meant. And let's be serious. Let's not go back in the old days where the Pittsburgh Steelers look like bees and the Chicago Bears look like idiots running around in jerseys from the 30s and 40s when no one cared. There was no effort. College football is bigger than the NFL. They made no effort. The Giants are honoring an era in which they didn't try. They tried on the field. The players cared. But as far as marketing, they didn't market. The Giants logo was a guy throwing a football over Yankee Stadium. No effort. Sarah. The Browns. No effort. They named it after the owner of the team, and for some reason their logo was an elf. We didn't care. Why are we honoring an entire tradition of not giving a damn? Go back to the old uniforms from 1976 to 2000. Even the Giants on the helmet was lazy. You can Come up with something with a giant. A logo. A giant strong. That's much better than the lowercase. The Bengals.
- [23:37]
Jordan Ronan
I never heard the lowercase complaint before today.
- [23:40]
Don LaGreca
Because you know what people are. How do you not complain about it? Because people just go, oh, it's from the 50s, it must be cool. 50s weren't cool. That's why the sitcoms. The man and the woman were in separate beds. They weren't allowed to say the word pregnant on I Love Lucy. We lived in a dim time. We had no imagination, no forward thinking whatsoever. I'm surprised we were able to walk forward and chew gum at the same time. We are honoring an era of laziness with a lack of try. I'm. I. How are you not on board with this? You cover the team. This should be the first thing you ask John Ma if you see him.
- [24:20]
Jordan Ronan
I look, I've heard. I've heard a lot of uniform complaints over the years for fans. I have never heard the lower case.
- [24:26]
Don LaGreca
It should be the comply. If you're trying to market. You're trying to market something. ESPN, all sports, 24 hours a day in 1979 on cable. Are you kidding me? ESPSpot. That's bold. Let me see your logo. Lowercase ESPN. Really? I guess we don't care then. We're not going to try. Let's just do sports for 12 hours. Let's just do sports when sports are on. No capital espn. You don't think they're says right here. Espn capital letters. Right. The interlocking ny. Is it a lowercase ny.
- [25:06]
Jordan Ronan
It could pass as uppercase. Can it? What can the N and the Y.
- [25:11]
Don LaGreca
The Giants. Do you not look at an Alphabet?
- [25:16]
Jordan Ronan
They're fancy script. I don't know.
- [25:18]
Don LaGreca
No, it's just we got to put something on the helmet so the other team doesn't get confused and grab our helmets by mistake. So let's just put NY on it. It was after the depression too. It's the equivalent of me writing in marker Marco on his hat on the under the bill so the other kid in his team doesn't steal it. That's what they did. Put the NY on the helmet because another team's going to come that wears blue and they might take our helmets by mistake and we might have to cancel the game. Idiots. They were morons back then. They were good people and they put their efforts into more important things. But from a sports perspective, why am I trying? Somebody's going to drop a bomb on us any second. We're having kids hide under their desks. You want us to worry about marketing our football team, but now we can do two things at once. Let's celebrate that. 1-800-919-3776. I'm losing Jordan.
- [26:14]
Jordan Ronan
No, no.
- [26:15]
Don LaGreca
Hey.
- [26:16]
Jordan Ronan
I'm just letting you go.
- [26:17]
Don LaGreca
This is me. If you don't like it, then.
- [26:19]
Jordan Ronan
You know, when there's gold, you're just supposed to sit back.
- [26:21]
Don LaGreca
I don't know if it's gold. It's moronic.
- [26:23]
Jordan Ronan
You're just supposed to sit back and let it go. That's my job, right?
- [26:26]
Don LaGreca
This is me. Stay out of the way. Richer or poor? DL, Capital D, Capital L.
- [26:37]
Jordan Ronan
You should go by under. You should go by lowercase. Lowercase D. Yeah.
- [26:41]
Don LaGreca
Don Hahn and Rose. Lowercase. Why? Because, you know, there's a lot going on in the world. The economy's not great, you know, so what are we focused on sports for? Let's just give up like everybody did back in the 50s on ESPN New York. This is an ad by BetterHelp. Workplace stress is now one of the top causes of declining mental health, with 61% of the global workforce experiencing higher than normal levels of stress. To battle stress, most of us can't wave goodbye to work. But we can start small with a focus on wellness. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. And it works with an App store rating of 4.9 out of 5 based on over 1.7 million client reviews. It's convenient, too. You can join a session with a therapist at the click of a button, helping you fit therapy into your busy life, plus switch therapists at any time. As largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise. Unwind from work. With BetterHelp, our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com timeout. That's betterhelp.com timeout. Close your eyes. Exhale. Feel your body relax, and let go of whatever you're carrying today. Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts. Oh, my gosh. They're so fast. And breathe. Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste. Visit 1-800-contacts.com today to save on your first order. 1-800-contacts. Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Now I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills, but it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of 45 for 3 month plan equivalent to 15 per month required new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of network's busy taxes and fees extra c mintmobile.com thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I didn't listen to anything you just said. Catch the show on demand whenever you want.
- [29:04]
Jordan Ronan
Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
- [29:11]
Don LaGreca
Sometimes you just can't take it anymore.
- [29:15]
Jordan Ronan
This is let's Talk about It Tuesday.
- [29:20]
Don LaGreca
With Don Han and Rosenberg.
- [29:22]
Jordan Ronan
Sponsored by Better Help.
- [29:24]
Don LaGreca
It's right now time for Talk about It Tuesday. Sponsored by Better Help. Mental health is health. Well, since you're the guest, just tell.
- [29:33]
Jordan Ronan
Us what was on your mind by the way.
- [29:34]
Don LaGreca
I did. Unfortunately, between that and the David Wright and how you should honor these guys in more real time, I kind of spent my two. Although I have another one hovering. But in the meantime, since you're the guest.
- [29:46]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah.
- [29:46]
Don LaGreca
And you've got one.
- [29:47]
Jordan Ronan
I do.
- [29:48]
Don LaGreca
Why don't you jump on board?
- [29:49]
Jordan Ronan
Because I think, I think in a way I've kind of lost hope in humanity.
- [29:53]
Don LaGreca
Interesting.
- [29:53]
Jordan Ronan
Like the male species. So you go to the bathroom and you know, you guys got a nice beautiful new studio and new office and even you go to, you go to the restrooms here and you go to the urinal and you're like dodging a puddle underneath the urinal and it's like what that like so. And it's not the toilet because you know, you used to have to flush the urinal. Now they, they all self flushing so they, and so it's not even like you have this monster flush and the water's splattering up and it's actual water.
- [30:25]
Don LaGreca
No.
- [30:25]
Jordan Ronan
And this isn't just here. It just reminded me like this, this is everywhere you go. Like you go to a rest stop and you're like, you're literally peeing from like eight feet away. Right. Because you're trying not, you're trying to dodge all the urine that's there on the floor and it's like, okay, my six year old son, my daughter complains like why can't he pee in the toilet? And why does he always have to miss like, okay, he's six years old, but we're at a workplace here. Like, who's really missing the urinal that badly? I mean, I heard Rick DiPietro story the other day where he apparently peed on someone else in a restroom accident. It just. Yeah, just like, you know, flew sideways. But, I mean, like, most of us, I thought, were normal human beings. Where you can get it in the urinal?
- [31:09]
Don LaGreca
Urinal. Guys next to me, I'm like, wow. Doesn't really sound like it's going in the urinal. Peeing right on the guy's. Shit.
- [31:16]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah, he peed on another guy. He peed on the guy next to him.
- [31:19]
Don LaGreca
So, like, how do you react to that?
- [31:21]
Jordan Ronan
We have.
- [31:22]
Don LaGreca
Like, what do you. You got. Listen, I know Rick's a big guy.
- [31:25]
Jordan Ronan
Oh, I would say.
- [31:26]
Don LaGreca
What are you doing? What are you doing? I think you take a swing in him. No, I mean, I don't know if.
- [31:32]
Jordan Ronan
Taking a swing at him, he might just pee on you. You continue peeing, but you got to.
- [31:36]
Don LaGreca
Stand up for yourself. No.
- [31:37]
Jordan Ronan
Definitely a verbal confrontation there. But I think my whole point is I thought Rick was just an animal and he was on his own. But then as I stood in the bathroom and I realized, this is everywhere. We just live in a world of animals. Nobody can hit the urinal. It's a normal thing nowadays.
- [31:56]
Don LaGreca
Rick.
- [31:57]
Jordan Ronan
Rick is just an everyman.
- [31:59]
Don LaGreca
I've seen it. I see what you're talking about. I don't know whether it's people just in a hurry and they're not done, and they're still, like, ready to turn and zip up and leave, but you're right. There's a puddle of urine under every urinal I ever go to, and it's a.
- [32:14]
Jordan Ronan
And you're trying not to step in it. So now you're peeing and standing in awkward, you know, formation or situation. You're an awkward angle because you're trying not to stand in it. Who wants to stand in a puddle of urine?
- [32:28]
Don LaGreca
Not me.
- [32:28]
Jordan Ronan
No, not me.
- [32:29]
Don LaGreca
And then let's not forget all this does not happen in a vacuum, right? So that stays on the bottom of your shoe. And then you. You walk in the house and you're.
- [32:40]
Jordan Ronan
Taking your shoes off with your hands. I mean, think about how gross that is.
- [32:42]
Don LaGreca
Dear God.
- [32:43]
Jordan Ronan
It's in your car. Like, you're going to put. You're driving in your car. What are we. It's terrible.
- [32:52]
Don LaGreca
That's a good.
- [32:53]
Jordan Ronan
It's unacceptable.
- [32:55]
Don LaGreca
I found this, and I did. I've done some homework on it, and it's the only quote. And I know he's not the greatest person in the world, but people were trying to get a quote from Bill Cosby after Malcolm Jama Warner passed away, tragically drowned in Costa Rica yesterday at the age of 54. So I guess Bill's been exonerated. He's not in prison anymore. He's, you know, free life. And I get. I don't know how with it he is, but the quote they got from him and this guy was on, they tracked him down. They tracked him down, and he. It's so ironic that his son in the show died young, and Bill Cosby's actual son, Ennis died very young, too, tragically changing a tire on the side of the road. So there's some kind of weird circumstances there. So I'm looking at the quotes and one of those, and they show this on the news all night. Bill Cosby on the death of Malcolm Jamar Warner. He was always a great studier, and I enjoyed working with him very much. Malcolm calls here regular. He was very professional. He always knew his part. He always knew his lines, and he always knew where to go. I didn't ask you what kind of actor he was. The guy just died. Can you give me a little more than. Yeah, he was good at his job. Again, I know he's not all that with it, but is that, like, almost as a reporter, Jordan, wouldn't you be like, I don't even know if I want to print this. It's like, you can't give me anything.
- [34:33]
Jordan Ronan
It's definitely shit.
- [34:34]
Don LaGreca
He was a good studier. I don't know. Like, I don't know if I was looking around to see if that was just like half the quote, was there other stuff? But that's all. He knew where to go. He studied his lines. Like, that's all you can give me.
- [34:47]
Jordan Ronan
Maybe he. It makes me think by hearing that, by the way, that it's almost like. And you're obviously inferring this, and he doesn't say this at all. Like, maybe he didn't think Malcolm Jamar Warner was a good person.
- [34:57]
Don LaGreca
I don't think, you know, comment on him, don't answer the phone, but, like, you know, God forbid, if somebody I work with died, I don't even want to give an example because I don't want to put that kind of evil on him. And the first thing I said, oh, I enjoyed working with him. He was a great, good talk show host. Boy, he. He really nailed his monologue. And he always showed up to work on time. And he never, ever, ever forgot where the studio was.
- [35:21]
Jordan Ronan
You don't take pride in those things.
- [35:22]
Don LaGreca
I just. But, you know, just. I just. You gotta listen. You're Bill Cosby, right? You're one of the more creative people. And again, I don't know how with it he is or whatever, but, like, even if you're his publicist, wouldn't you say, bill, you gotta give me a little bit more than this actor. He was just telling the kind of person. He was like. Like all the other stuff. Glowing. Like he was a tremendous human being. They. They also, by the way, is this a statement?
- [35:48]
Jordan Ronan
This is a statement put out. Like, that's the full statement.
- [35:51]
Don LaGreca
Yeah.
- [35:52]
Jordan Ronan
Because, you know, if it's an interview, maybe it was just that that could be like a snippet of the year.
- [35:55]
Don LaGreca
No, I guess he. They issued it because. Let me see how that they.
- [35:58]
Jordan Ronan
Because if it's just like a full statement and that's the full statement. That's. That's just. Yeah. Then that you're like. The publicist should have said the statement, you know, should have said to him. You know.
- [36:08]
Don LaGreca
In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Cosby remembered Warner, who played his son for eight years on their hit show, as an ultimate professional. So it was in an interview, I guess it wasn't a statement.
- [36:19]
Jordan Ronan
So maybe that's just a snippet pulled out of the interview. But if you feel like you should. You feel like there should be an addition addendum to that, that.
- [36:25]
Don LaGreca
Well, find the snippet where he says, he was a great father and I enjoyed his company and he was a great human being. They found something last night from, like 2013, I guess he was promoting something he was doing in 2013. And this was kind of eerie where he said if he died today, he'd be okay because he feels like he was a good person. He accomplished a lot in his life already. I was like. He ended up living another 12 years after that, but still, it was like. It was kind of eerie thing to see. It was kind of sad. The whole thing with Bill Cosby is sad because that was an unbelievable show.
- [36:59]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah.
- [37:00]
Don LaGreca
That now kind of gets thrown into the politically incorrect category. Nobody wants to really air it because what. What he became and all that. And then I've talked about this before. I grew up with his albums. My parents had all of his albums. You mean as a comedian, his comedic albums?
- [37:19]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah.
- [37:20]
Don LaGreca
Why is there. Air was one of them. The Noah stuff, which is. Which is tremendous. And I grew up on that. So much so that one time, like, 20 years ago, I was. Before all the controversy happened, I was out somewhere, like, CD shopping. That's how long ago it was. And I found all those old ones on cd and I bought them so that I can download them again, showing the age. My ipod so that I can listen to them when I was on the road and stuff. Because I grew up on it, I found it was to be funny.
- [37:51]
Jordan Ronan
Your kids are like, what's an ipod?
- [37:52]
Don LaGreca
For now? But now it's so inappropriate. But I say, no, that's mine now. Like, that was my childhood. What am I supposed to throw those things away because Bill Cosby was a bad person and wipe away a part of my childhood? Like, music, too. Like, again, I don't want to throw any false accusations out there, but, like, if you believe some of the stuff with Michael Jackson, should you just not listen to his music anymore? Like, isn't that music yours? If you like a song and that brings you back to a certain time in your life, doesn't that belong to you and you can keep it? Are you supposed to throw it away when there's controversy? When that artist goes bad, does that make all the stuff that they did also bad?
- [38:32]
Jordan Ronan
It makes everything uncomfortable.
- [38:34]
Don LaGreca
I understand.
- [38:34]
Jordan Ronan
Admitting you're, like, a fan or like that you like that. It's almost like it's taboo.
- [38:40]
Don LaGreca
I guess the question is, can you be a fan of an artist's work but not be a fan of that person?
- [38:48]
Jordan Ronan
That's what I'm saying. You almost have to do it, but do it, like, below ground, you can't. You could do. You could be a fan, but you can't admit to it out loud.
- [38:54]
Don LaGreca
I'll bring it to sports. You know what I mean? I'll bring it to sports. My favorite player growing up was Lawrence O.J.
- [38:58]
Jordan Ronan
Simpson.
- [39:00]
Don LaGreca
No, not that bad. Lawrence Taylor. I have a Lawrence Taylor jersey. I went to the hall of Fame when he was inducted. I got the autographed jersey hanging up in my man cave. I go nuts every time I see the highlights of that game against Detroit. Detroit 82, that Thanksgiving of 82. But I can also admit that not.
- [39:22]
Jordan Ronan
A great cop, greatest person yet.
- [39:23]
Don LaGreca
Not a fan of the human being, fan of the. Of the football player. A fan of what he was able to do for the Giants. Am I wrong to divide the two, or am I supposed to just be like, no, that's bad guy. So I got to throw all those memories away. I. I can't see.
- [39:37]
Jordan Ronan
I'm a big believer in that, too. Like, you got to separate the individual and the person and what they do professionally and like what the, you know, what their specialty is in entertainment or the sport. Because seeing guys in a locker room too, like, you know, a lot of these people are not good people. And you're just like, you know, this is a bad guy. I would, I wouldn't want my kid, this to be my kids role model. But the same time is if you're a great player, you know, you can enjoy that person as a player. But there's certain people that are basically been canceled and socially taboo that like, you just like, you can't tell people you're a big fan of the Cosby show these days. You just can't say that out loud. It's just, I don't know.
- [40:16]
Don LaGreca
But it was a good show.
- [40:17]
Jordan Ronan
It was. But you can't just, it's almost like.
- [40:19]
Don LaGreca
You saw, did you see that, did.
- [40:21]
Jordan Ronan
You see that documentary?
- [40:22]
Don LaGreca
I saw it.
- [40:23]
Jordan Ronan
Was it on Showtime or Max or something like that?
- [40:25]
Don LaGreca
It was a brilliant documentary because it also showed the juxtaposition of his life. There was a lot of things that happened that can make, that can translate into him being a very good person. But then you find out that he wasn't a good person.
- [40:38]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah.
- [40:39]
Don LaGreca
You know when, you know the things that he boycotted because he didn't believe that African Americans were being treated fairly when he was a star and he wanted to use that stardom to try to help out. That's a good story. But then there's a lot of bad too. Like, so listen, I'm no fan of him and the things that he's been accused of and it looks like that he did are disgusting. But does that mean that the work that I enjoyed long before I knew anything about that, how do I cancel that?
- [41:06]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah.
- [41:07]
Don LaGreca
So I understand the network's not wanting to show the Cosby show. Like I get that. But it also is hiding away a lot of good work that was done that was beyond like him a lot. There was a lot of, including Malcolm Jewell.
- [41:21]
Jordan Ronan
You just can't admit it at a dinner party. You go with people, with people, with people you don't know, but you're not close.
- [41:26]
Don LaGreca
Is that, is that where we are? Nuance wise? I think that's where that I, I, I just explained to you my situation. So it's just, you can't, I'm not saying you, but in general you can't understand what I'm saying. It's that, no, you got, that's it, you're done. I think certain people keep those albums. If you watch that show, then you agree. I'm sorry, I got it. You have to separate it, otherwise you won't have much left. I agree.
- [41:51]
Jordan Ronan
But there's going to be some people that are going to judge you, you know, like, regardless. It's unfair. I don't like it.
- [41:57]
Don LaGreca
But I'm not standing up for him. But I'm standing up for him.
- [42:00]
Jordan Ronan
You have to defend it to me.
- [42:01]
Don LaGreca
10 year old Don Lagreca putting those albums on, you know, sitting in my living room listening to him laughing hysterically till I'm crying because I thought it was funny stuff. And sometimes I don't mind going back to that time and to wipe it all away because he was a bad guy. And if I do that with everything, how much are we going to have left? Like you said, a lot of these athletes, not good people. A lot of these musicians, not good people. You know, a lot of these comedians, actors, movies that you've gone and seen. You know how many great movies out there?
- [42:35]
Jordan Ronan
You ever go on social media, you see people judging you. They can judge you. See what they say.
- [42:38]
Don LaGreca
Yeah, I know.
- [42:39]
Jordan Ronan
Bad.
- [42:41]
Don LaGreca
You know, that was, I think this was the essence, guys, of talk about it Tuesday. Sponsored by BetterHelp Killed It. Visit betterhelp.com timeout today for 10% off your first month of therapy. Interesting stuff. Your thoughts. 1-800-919-3776, Don Han and Rosenberg Jordan, Ron on hanging out with us here on ESPN New York. After Zumi's at the dog park, it's time for drive up at Target. In goes a big bag of kibble and one squeaky chicken toy for the boy. Drive up. That's ready when you are. Only in the Target app. Just tap Target.
- [43:18]
Jordan Ronan
Hey, guys, it's Ceedee Lamb, wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys. I'm partnering with Abercrombie this season to tell you all about their viral denim. All you need to know is denim should fit like this. My jeans need to check a lot of boxes. Fit first, trend second. They need to go with whatever I'm feeling. An Abercrombie denim has it down whether I'm throwing on a tee or putting a whole fit together. Shop Abercrombie denim in the app, online and in store.
- [43:49]
Don LaGreca
This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Knowing you could be saving money for the things you really want, like that dream house or ride, is a great feeling. That's why the State Farm personal price plan can help you save. When you choose to bundle home and auto bundling Just another way to save with a personal price plan. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts, and savings and eligibility vary by state. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I didn't listen to anything you just said. Catch the show on demand whenever you want.
- [44:25]
Jordan Ronan
Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
- [44:30]
Don LaGreca
And let's go to Josh. He's a Mount Pocono. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, Josh? Thank you for taking my call.
- [44:37]
Jordan Ronan
Gentlemen.
- [44:38]
Don LaGreca
Jordan, you're doing a great job, both.
- [44:40]
Jordan Ronan
Last week and this week. I just wanted to say.
- [44:44]
Don LaGreca
I just want to say, when I was a kid, probably the same as.
- [44:49]
Jordan Ronan
You, Don, I'm a lot younger than.
- [44:52]
Don LaGreca
You, but, like, we knew the. The. The shows we were watching, you know.
- [45:00]
Jordan Ronan
We were watching Ren and Stimpy. We were watching Beavis and Butthead.
- [45:04]
Don LaGreca
We were watching South Park. We knew what we could say at school and what we couldn't say at school. So kids should just kind of. You gotta teach your kids what you.
- [45:14]
Jordan Ronan
Can say and what you can't say sometimes.
- [45:18]
Don LaGreca
Yeah, I get what you're saying, but what we're talking about is not so much, like, how dirty the comic is or the comedic show is. What we're talking about is can you enjoy art from a bad person is really what it is. So it wasn't.
- [45:33]
Jordan Ronan
He's just.
- [45:33]
Don LaGreca
Matter of fact, the thing with. With Bill Cosby is he was the polar eye. He never swore.
- [45:39]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah.
- [45:39]
Don LaGreca
Like, he was as clean a comic as could be. So it wasn't really that.
- [45:42]
Jordan Ronan
So, you know, someone's fraudulent, though, in retrospect.
- [45:46]
Don LaGreca
Well, Seinfeld didn't.
- [45:47]
Jordan Ronan
No, no. I mean, if. If you're, you know, on air doing one thing and then off the air, reportedly doing.
- [45:55]
Don LaGreca
Right. Yeah, it shows. It's kind of hypocritical.
- [45:57]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah. Yeah.
- [45:58]
Don LaGreca
If you. If you look at that. I don't know.
- [46:02]
Jordan Ronan
I just feel that there's some people that have gotten canceled in society. Right.
- [46:06]
Don LaGreca
Yeah.
- [46:06]
Jordan Ronan
And then every. Anything to do with them or even mentioning their name is basically taboo. Like, and there's certain guys that, like, they've done bad things. They're not good people, but they haven't been canceled, and it's okay. And so, like, it's a weird. It's a weird juxtaposition. You're like, where's the line here?
- [46:23]
Don LaGreca
Well, listen, there's some piece people that are easier to cancel than others. Like, it's easy to cancel. Bill Cosby now, because he was in his 80s and he was done. Like, would they have been able to do it in the height of his career or would they have looked the other way because he was making money for everybody?
- [46:39]
Jordan Ronan
It's easy to cancel Lawrence Taylor now, but he's still beloved. They still trot him out at Giant.
- [46:43]
Don LaGreca
Games, but I don't.
- [46:44]
Jordan Ronan
He's a hero. The Giants fans still view him as Lawrence Taylor. Nobody people are will. Are able to separate the Lawrence Taylor the person from Lawrence Taylor. They're able, which I agree with you. Or maybe they should be able to.
- [46:56]
Don LaGreca
But maybe they don't and they don't care. Like I cared. Like a quick story. God, this is probably about 10 years ago. Tim McCarthy was our boss at the time, general manager. They, they had like this dinner with a legend series and they got Lawrence Taylor and they wanted me to interview Lawrence Taylor and I said, no, I don't want to interview him. It's like, yeah, but you're a big Giant fan. It's like, yeah, I was a Giant fan. I love Lawrence Taylor the player. I don't want to sit down with the guy. There's a lot of things that he's done post career I'm not agree with. I'll feel uncomfortable doing it. They said, well, you got to do it. And I'm thinking 18 year old Don Leggra would have been like in a tizzy getting a chance to sit down for an hour and talk to Lawrence Taylor. I did it because I had to do my job. I'll tell you. I wasn't like enamored with it. We kept it to football, which was fine. But like I just like I. This, this, this isn't the greatest person.
- [47:43]
Jordan Ronan
Is this the drop with Lawrence Town?
- [47:45]
Don LaGreca
No, no, that was a, that was back in 05 when the Giants were about ready to take on the Panthers in the playoffs. That game they got shut out. Eli's first playoff game.
- [47:52]
Jordan Ronan
Terry. Yeah, that's where we got. That was a rough game.
- [47:54]
Don LaGreca
That was a very rough game. But, you know, and we got through it and the fans were great. I think I did a good interview. I got through it. But I, I never read his book, the Fellas, because that was like his post career. Like I didn't care. I didn't care about his post career because I cared about Lawrence Taylor the football player. And it's interesting, during his acceptance speech when his number was retired, he talked about that there was Lawrence Taylor and there was lt like there were two different people. So he made it easier, I think, to do that, to separate.
- [48:22]
Jordan Ronan
Yeah. You're a fan of lt. And I'm.
- [48:24]
Don LaGreca
Not talking about the drug addiction because we've learned over time that that is a disease and that can happen. But there's been a lot of things that have happened that again, is he the worst human being in the world? No. But he's somebody I wouldn't want dating my daughter. He's not somebody that I would, I would maintain a friendship with. But I've had people pretty fair that know him well who say he's really a good guy. He's just troubled and. All right, fine. But you know what? There's a lot of things I just can't abide by. But he was a hell of a football player and he got me into football because I was right. My wheels 1981, the same year that I, you know, listened to Blizzard of Oz for the first time, is I'm finally understanding football at 13. And, and he came on the scene and was just amazing. But you know, beyond that, what's happened post career, I just can't, I just can't live with. More your calls coming up at 1-800-919-3776. We've got ENN coming up at 6:00'. Clock. Don, Han and Rosenberg hanging out with you until 6:30. Then it's Mets baseball on ESPN. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the.
- [49:27]
Jordan Ronan
Sausage is made, but I just want to know. It's good.
- [49:28]
Don LaGreca
Here.
- [49:29]
Jordan Ronan
More of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.