Hour 2: RIP Don Nelson & Weekend Recap

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg - August 10, 2026

Episode: Hour 2: RIP Don Nelson & Weekend Recap

Overview

This episode of "Don, Hahn & Rosenberg" features hosts Alan Hahn and Peter Rosenberg reflecting on the recent passing of legendary NBA coach and player Don Nelson, including his unique New York Knicks tenure and wider basketball legacy. The show also covers memorable personal stories, listener calls about sports and parenting, and a weekend local sports recap focused on youth baseball and technology's impact on young athletes.

The episode is marked by its candid, banter-filled tone, blending sports nostalgia, passionate New York sports discussion, parenting in the age of technology, and some honest reflections on sports fandom.

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1. Opening Banter: Karaoke Drama and Brutal Honesty

[00:30 – 05:12]

• The hosts begin by addressing an incident at a recent Beach Bash where Hahn's performance was criticized.
• Alan shares that while Don and Peter tried to be supportive, the honesty standard of the show was slightly broken when Don exaggerated positive feedback on Instagram.
• Alan appreciates the usual honesty on the show:

"This show has set the precedent. We don't let anything go. We're always brutally honest with each other. That's what makes this show so much fun." — Alan [02:01]

• Karaoke: Alan opines that it’s not about singing abilities; he dislikes “good” singers at karaoke because it should be fun, light, and communal.
• Don admits his first instinct is to support his teammate when others are piling on:

"In the moment. I'm not like that as a teammate. If everybody else is throwing tomatoes at you..." — Don [02:44]

• Alan ultimately values the show's brand of honesty, feeling it makes compliments meaningful.

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2. Community Announcements: Charity Softball Game

[05:12 – 06:07]

• Alan announces an annual charity softball game in honor of Mark Sasso (August 22nd, Wag Field, Hawthorne NJ).
• Many local sports personalities are set to attend.

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3. Remembering Don Nelson: The Legend and His Knicks Chapter

[06:07 – 12:54]

Don Nelson's Knicks Tenure:

• Don Nelson passed away at age 86; hosts reflect on his eccentric and impactful basketball life.
• Alan recalls iconic “60 Minutes” footage of Don Nelson living next to Willie Nelson in Hawaii, "just watching basketball, getting high.”
• Don Nelson’s personality off the court, penchant for mingling at local bars, and his legendary fish ties are discussed.
• Basketball legacy:
  • Forward-thinking coach, pushed for up-tempo offenses, innovated with “point forwards.”
  • His controversial attempt to trade Patrick Ewing for Shaquille O’Neal in 1995.
• Alan and Don debate the merits of the potential Ewing-for-Shaq trade in 1995 with hindsight:

"When you look back and see what Shaq became and the titles he won, that's what makes sometimes the emotion of it all." — Don [09:56]

• Nelson’s failed cultural fit with the Knicks, brief tenure, and infamous player decisions (starting Matt Fish at center) recounted:

"He started that game in LA... it's so bizarre." — Don [12:41]

• The episode positions Nelson as both an NBA great and an odd-fit in New York, but always unconventionally memorable.

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4. Caller Memories: More Don Nelson Stories & Basketball Evolution

[12:54 – 16:49]

• [13:01] Manny in Flushing: Shares stories about Nelson supporting Chris Mullin through alcoholism and leading the 2007 Warriors’ stunning playoff upset over Dallas.
• Alan highlights how Nelson’s up-tempo style paved the way for the run-and-gun era, with shout-outs to both him and Mike D’Antoni for transforming NBA offense:

"He was a coach that was like, give me the players and I'll figure out what I can do with them. ...He loved playing fast, up tempo..." — Don [14:56]

• [15:34] Spike in St. Pete: Celebrates Nelson’s “Run TMC” teams and the lack of defense, shares a personal cancer recovery update.
• Discussion pivots to the Knicks’ contract and cap situation, Bird rights, and the restrictiveness of the luxury tax on improving rosters:

"It's more than the three times the money. It restricts things you can do trade wise... You are frozen." — Don [18:04]

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5. Reflections on Knicks Fandom after a Championship

[19:34 – 24:07]

• Alan and Don discuss how winning the Knicks’ long-awaited title reshaped fan identity:

"...part of my identity as a long suffering Nick fan is gone. It's pathetic, but true." — Don [20:50, quoting a fan]

• The joy, but also the strange emptiness, of victory is compared to Red Sox and Cubs fans post-title:

"Being a Nick fan, a long suffering Nick fan. That was your identity." — Alan [22:28]

• The celebration is real, but the struggle shaped generations of fans.

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6. Weekend Recap: Little League World Series & Technology vs. Focus

[26:51 – 39:04]

Local Baseball Update

[27:02 – 29:00]

• Bayonne, NJ Little League team defeats Port Washington, NY; will play for a spot in the Little League World Series.
• Port Washington coaches implemented a "no phones on game day" rule, leading to new focus, winning state championship for the first time.

Parenting, Phones, and Sport

• Both hosts reflect on the effect of technology on children's attention—how it’s harder to pry kids away from devices now than it was with TV in their day.
• Alan shares personal parenting struggles with phones and tablets, wanting his kids to be more present and focused during sports and in general.
• Don underscores the addictive nature of screens:

"There is an addiction aspect to this with kids... It's a serious issue..." — Don [32:34]

• Both recognize the need for parents to model better habits, and commend coaches for enforcing focus and teamwork.

• Notable anecdote: Alan’s family dinners with “no devices allowed” proved challenging but rewarding.

"...that was the best night because we just actually talked." — Alan [37:13]

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7. Listener Calls: Parenting, Nostalgia, and the Modern Kid

[41:14 – 45:02]

• [41:24] George in Elizabeth: Shares how he had to force his son outside, seen as punishment now—whereas for previous generations, the big threat was being forced to stay in:

"I'd rather take a butt whooping than punishment and not be able to go outside." — Caller George [41:25]

• Hosts share childhood stories: late-night TV, black-and-white sets, and how the home entertainment landscape has radically changed since their youth.

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8. Listener Callbacks & Yankees Talk

[45:02 – 48:32]

• [45:09] Adam in California: Good-naturedly pressures Alan for updates on his book project, to much laughter.
• He advocates enjoying the moment as a Yankees fan—don’t let high expectations steal present-day joy.

"Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it's not gonna get you anywhere." — Adam [47:04]

• Don and Alan agree that, while Yankees expectations are always high, enjoying the journey is paramount—especially as the team tries to get healthy before October.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “There was no need to protect. You don't protect on this show. This show... we’re always brutally honest with each other. That’s what makes this show so much fun.” — Alan, on the show's spirit [01:21]
• “In the moment... I'm not like that as a teammate. If everybody else is throwing tomatoes at you…” — Don [02:44]
• “He was ahead of his time when it comes to the style of offense.” — Don, on Don Nelson [07:12]
• “If the Knicks could have gotten Shaquille O’Neal in 1995, would that really have been a bad trade?” — Don, speculative [09:49]
• “There is an addiction aspect to this with kids... But whatever it is, it’s a serious issue with young kids, and it’s reached a point now...” — Don [32:34]
• “I would, dude, if we had a pool and it was 90° ...my dad would have like the net trying to fish me out of the pool.” — Alan [43:08]
• “Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it’s not gonna get you anywhere.” — Adam, caller [47:04]

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Key Timestamps

• 00:30 – Banter about karaoke, honesty, and team culture
• 05:12 – Charity softball game announcement
• 06:07 – Don Nelson’s legacy and Knicks stories
• 13:01 – Caller stories: Don Nelson’s impact and NBA evolution
• 18:45 – Knicks contracts and NBA luxury tax talk
• 19:34 – Reflections on Knicks’ championship and changing fan identity
• 26:51 – Little League World Series and technology’s effect on kids' sports
• 41:14 – Listener calls on parenting and generational sports nostalgia
• 45:09 – Yankees fan experience and living in the moment

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Tone & Style

Friendly, banter-heavy, reflective, and often nostalgic, the hosts blend deep basketball knowledge, personal parenting tales, humor, and genuine emotion in a conversational New York-centric style. This episode stands as much as a tribute to Don Nelson’s irrepressible spirit as it does a meditation on how technology and sports shape youth and fandom today.

Transcript

[Curtis Garner]

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[Don Hahn]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan 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.

[Don Nelson]

Can we get something out of the way? But let's just tear the band aid right off.

[Alan Rosenberg]

All right.

[Don Nelson]

As Peter said, you felt the way your performance at the Beach Bash was one that I told you in the moment. You gave it your all, didn't like that everybody else was. Right after it was over, everybody else was getting on you. Then you said your wife texts, you cringe, and I felt bad. So I was just trying to pump you up and tell. You know what? No, no, but don't lie to me. I didn't lie to you. I never said it was good. I just said it was that you gave your best and all that stuff.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Here's where you lied to me. You said that Instagram, they were getting. You were. You were getting responses on Instagram about how great I did. That was a lot. That's not.

[Don Nelson]

No, no, I actually, there was a couple. There were others, but I didn't read those. I just protecting you.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I know, dude. There was no need to protect. You don't protect on this show. This show.

[Don Nelson]

A lot of babies.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Oh, that's as many babies as the Led Zeppelin had.

[Don Nelson]

That's what the lyrics told you.

[Alan Rosenberg]

So the thing is, it was a bad selection. I don't think the performance wasn't great, but it was. It was more just. I. I picked the wrong song.

[Don Nelson]

It wasn't the vibe for a beach bass.

[Alan Rosenberg]

No, no. It was the exact vibe for that one.

[Don Nelson]

Okay. Fair, fair.

[Alan Rosenberg]

We almost lost people there. So, listen, I just. I. I think the one pressure on this show. Well, because the reason I was. I was more disappointed than mad.

[Don Nelson]

Okay.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Is the fact that I got off the stage and I knew it didn't hit. And then I get back to the stage and I'm hearing Peter say, that's the best one you ever did. Alan's like, I'm getting responses on Instagram that you did a terrific job. And I was, like, frankly surprised because I didn't think it was all that great. This show has set the precedent. We don't let anything go. We're always brutally honest with each other. That's what makes this show so much fun. So I was a little taken aback that that's where you chose to. To prop me up. I'm a big boy. I'm fine. Not everything is going to be great.

[Don Nelson]

See, I'm not.

[Alan Rosenberg]

And part of the great thing about my performances is that, hey, if it doesn't hit, we can all laugh and joke and make fun. And if for some reason I do a good job, then great.

[Don Nelson]

More than that, we would have done that after the fact. In the moment. I'm not like that as a teammate. If everybody else is throwing tomatoes at

[Alan Rosenberg]

you, I don't think I was getting that many tomatoes. I got the text from my wife, which I found out later was mistakenly sent to me, was supposed to be sent to my sister in law.

[Don Nelson]

Even better.

[Alan Rosenberg]

So listen, it is. I'm not. I am not a professional singer. You know what gets upset? Upsetting?

[Don Nelson]

What?

[Alan Rosenberg]

Is that there are people that think I think that I'm good, that I go up there and I'm looking to impress everybody. The one thing I always hate about karaoke is I hate the good singers. Don't do karaoke if you're good. Just do karaoke if you're bad. It's supposed to be fun. People laughing, having a good time. All of a sudden, somebody goes up there and thinks they're on Broadway. No, that it humbles everybody else and it just, It's. It's inappropriate. I go up there to just have a good time. If it happens to sound good. It was completely on accident. I want everybody to have a good time.

[Don Nelson]

Which is why I love.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I am not trying to all of a sudden become a lead singer of a band.

[Don Nelson]

Sure. The year before. I'm kidding. The year before, though, the Door song, that was such a perfect song. That was fun. This one just. It caught me off guard, like. Okay, so. But I didn't want to duck it. Peter told me you were really mad.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I just, I said, well, let's.

[Don Nelson]

Let's just. Let's have it out.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I don't think we should have.

[Don Nelson]

And I'm letting you know I'm not that kind of demon.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Brutal honesty.

[Don Nelson]

I'll always put my arm around you first.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I understand. But there's a brutal honesty that I love about this show that keeps us all on our toes and that I know that when I get a compliment from you or from Peter, that it's genuine because I know that you would not lie to me. And in that moment, you lied to me. And I was disappointed. But just like the New Jersey Devils bring intensity on the ice, Viking Pest Control brings that same level of protection to your home. I know this because I use Viking in my own place. The season may be over, but pests are always in play. So it's time to lock in your off season defense. As the pest control provider and proud partner of the devils, Viking delivers 45 years of trusted experience to keep ants, cockroaches, stinging insects, rodents, mosquitoes and more out of your zone. Your local team builds a personalized game plan that actually works. And when you bundle pest control with mosquito services, you score big. Savings. One call, one company. Total peace of mind. Visit vikingpest.com protecting your home inside and out. Just wanted to mention because we sent out a tweet. August 22nd, 5 o', clock, Wag Field, Wagger Road, Hawthorne, New Jersey. Mark Sasso, softball. Allen's locked in. Peter's locked in. Carlin's going to be there. I just been texting with Ty Butler. Ty's like, I can't go. I gotta fill in for Dan Grassa that day. The game's at five o', clock, man. Grass is off the air by noon. He could do it. So Ty Butler's locked in.

[Don Nelson]

Good.

[Alan Rosenberg]

All right. Brian o' Halloran from Clerk's locked In. Greg Buttle, Marty Lyons, Ken Danico, be there.

[Adam]

It's free.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Come by for my buddy Mark Sasso passed away of cancer going on 20 years now. And we look forward to having the softball for him and His Honor. August 22, 5 o', clock, Wagfield. More information as we get closer. Don Nelson, we lost him today at the age of 86. I just remember that 60 minutes were just him and Willie Nelson's his neighbor and they're just watching basketball, getting high. He's like, he was just living the life. But you said you had some really cool stories about him and he had a very interesting tenure here with the Knicks.

[Don Nelson]

Yeah, it was short, not memorable, but still left, left an indelible impact. A lot of it had to do with away from the game. Like Nelly's a guy that think about this in the mid-90s to be at like the Molly We. You know that bar. Oh, yeah, yeah. After a game, go in there, just sit down, have some suds. Seriously, that is insane. And there was.

[Alan Rosenberg]

That's insane.

[Don Nelson]

Yeah. And like it's such a cool stories about people that just have, you know, ran into him in different places and he would sit there and he would tell you stories. He had some hilarious stories. One that a friend of mine shared me today, I could not tell on air, but I'll tell you off There.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Don Nelson]

Hysterical.

[Spike]

All right.

[Don Nelson]

About a former teammate of his. But there's a lot of that kind of part of his, His. His legacy. Right. Everywhere he went, he's a guy that. You remember. He wore the fish ties back in the day.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Nelson]

And you know, coaches still had to wear suits back then. He hated dressing up. So he found like, what's something I could wear? That's just completely bizarre.

[Adam]

Right.

[Don Nelson]

So he would wear these fish ties. It was so bizarre. He was an innovator when it comes to systems, up tempo point forwards. He was big on that stuff. He was ahead of his time when it comes to the style of offense and you know, a story. I know I've told this several times before, but when he got here and he, you know, remember he's replacing Pat Riley and they had just gone to the. They had gone to the finals, they lost in the playoffs, Riley leaves. They wanted to get another headline coach. And when Nelly got here, he saw Ewing as a dinosaur. Slow, methodical. No, we're going to play up tempo. And. And Anthony Mason was, he thought the future making him the point forward. We're playing through him, we're playing fast. And in the beginning it seemed to work, but as the season goes on, you're just like, we cannot run this much. Like, this is not who we are. Patrick wasn't happy, but Nelly had spent time with the. In practices the year before with the second dream team. Shaq's on that team. He knew Shaq wanted out of Orlando and that Shaq was looking at big markets and he was pushing garden management. At the time it was co owned and he was like, we got to trade for Shaq now. Don't let him get the free agency. And I know if we get him here, he'll sign. And it was trade Ewing for Shaq now. Ewing in his prime still, but towards the end, in 95, Shaq literally, like, it's just happening. Just got to a final. Yeah, just got to the finals. Like he's. He was on an unstoppable force. And once Ewing got wind of that, that was it. He was done. And so he ends up not finishing the season. Remember we were talking about Mike Brown. Remember I was telling you about Nelly and how Nelly didn't even make it? That first season did not last the year because it just didn't work. They were changing the offense and all the things that sounded very similar to Mike Brown. Mike Brown was different. He first didn't say, let's trade Jalen Brunson.

[George]

Right.

[Don Nelson]

Second, he worked With Carl Anthony Towns to a point where they finally figured out an offense. But still, if you look back, as crazy and blasphemous as it sounded to trade Patrick Ewing, when you think about if the Knicks could have gotten Shaquille O' Neal in 1995, would that really have been a bad trade?

[Alan Rosenberg]

No, but it's tough. You would have given up a lot.

[Don Nelson]

Ewing. Yeah, it's a lot.

[Alan Rosenberg]

It's.

[Don Nelson]

But. And again, you know me. I mean, Patrick is like, I love the guy. And he's a forever Nick. And you still look at it and you think, in the moment, no way. But when you look back and see what Shaq became and the titles he won, that's what makes sometimes the emotion of it all. Nelly comes in with no emotion. Patrick's just a guy for me. Right? Like, for him. Yeah, that's. Nelson is looking at Patrick, and he

[Alan Rosenberg]

also can't do it the way I want to run the team.

[Don Nelson]

And that's the other part of it. And also the friction that was already there because of the way he was changing up. Starks didn't like him either. There was a game they played against the Lakers. Ewing was hurt. He was out. They were playing the Lakers. Lakers weren't good anymore. Magic Johnson, before the game, was interviewed and he was going to be a free agent. And he in the interview openly talked about how Ewing has been telling him, like, we're going to have a lot of cap space. Remember, this is going into 96. We're going to have a lot of cap space. Are you coming to New York? And Magic in that interview, said, patrick's been on me. You know, I really want to think about it. He's like, a lot of guys can't handle playing in New York because of the pressure. He goes, but I love pressure. So you had that going on. But Ewing's not playing. So Nelson signs a guy named Matt Fish out of the. It wasn't the G League then. It was whatever minor league. It was CBA or something.

[Alan Rosenberg]

What was the.

[Don Nelson]

Matt Fish started the game at center.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Matt Fish.

[Don Nelson]

Like, why? It's just what he wanted to do. They had. They had guys on the team. He just.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yakima. I remember those teams in the sea.

[Don Nelson]

Fort Wayne. Yeah, but. But this is like. These were the crazy things he would do. And then he. And he sat. He didn't start Starks in the game. They lost to the Lakers. Lakers weren't good then. And the Knicks were. And they lost to the Lakers. And they. There's video of Starks on the bench and he's just seething at the start of the game. So it's that he was here for a short period of time. He did not leave a big impact on the franchise. But still in the short time he was here, look at the stories I just told you for about eight minutes.

[Alan Rosenberg]

It is crazy for somebody who didn't even finish the season.

[Don Nelson]

Now again, a great coach, Golden State hu upset. You remember that first round. Like there's a lot of things like he was a great, great coach. Run tmc, all that stuff. But you know, again the, the, the New York aspect of it all. For those who never heard that story about Ewing and, and Shaq and why Ewing, like he, why Nelson didn't last that year, didn't even. They gave him a multi year contract. They fired him before the end of the season. And that began the Jeff Van Gundy era.

[Alan Rosenberg]

And Jacobs played two games, Fish played two games.

[Don Nelson]

And he started that game in la. Am I wrong?

[Caller H]

Yes.

[Don Nelson]

He came out of this out of those two games. He started one game and that was

[Caller H]

the game in LA.

[Don Nelson]

And he had like 10 points. It's so bizarre.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Which also was his career high.

[Caller H]

10 points.

[Don Nelson]

Of course it was good for Matt Fish though.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah, good for him.

[Don Nelson]

Crazy.

[Alan Rosenberg]

So rest in peace. Don Nelson, great character and a great

[Don Nelson]

player too, by the way, at the Celtics.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yes, he was. Manny in Flushing. You're on ESPN New York. What's up Manny?

[Caller I]

Hey guys. How y' all doing?

[George]

Good.

[Caller I]

Welcome back, Bob, by the way too.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Thank you.

[Caller I]

Yes, I have like two, I have like three, two stories of involving Don Nelson. One of them was with the Warriors. His first thing I remember I was watching the profile on Chris Mullen. That was when, before the one TMTC years that his first few years with Golden State wasn't as. Was, was not as great because I remember he had a problem, an alcohol problem like back then. And Donnie really was like a him about it. And Chris knew he was doing, but he didn't know and he kind of suspended him. And I think you know Chris Mullen, I mean, because we all know about his history before he became a Hall of Famer, he had a problem with alcohol. And Don Nelson pretty much like, like told him, hey man, if you don't get this act together, you're going to be suspended. And I think he was there like for a month. And then Chris Miller returned and it really set the start of his, you know, prime hall of Fame career. And the second one was in 2007 when he coached the warriors when he upset the Maverick in the. As. As the ac. Because I remember I was in. I was. I was in seventh grade in 07. That was like in. You know, when the. Because at the time, you know, I didn't want. I mean, the warriors at the time, it was the first time I ever watched wars in the playoff. Because when I. Because I grew up in, you know. You know, the warriors were the lapin started or the arrival of Steph Curry. And you know, you think about the Knicks, you know, they. In a way he. They had. The warriors were a Lapis start throwing that time back in the 2000s. But because I remember the way that they beat the Dallas, you know, the crowd was jumping all that stuff. The first time that.

[Don Nelson]

Remember the moment. Baron Davis ridiculous dunk. Yeah.

[Caller I]

Yes. Yeah. And then he hit that big buzzer beater. I think it was game four. He had that big buzzer beater. And I remember Don Dig Stockton at the time was doing D and D.

[George]

Is that Baron David?

[Caller I]

It was so remarkable.

[George]

Yeah, but you know, I mean.

[Don Nelson]

Yeah, and that's the example. Like he. He was a coach that was like, give me the players and I'll figure out what I can do with them. And that's kind of. But he loved playing fast, up tempo, was quick and he could. Those teams could overwhelm you. And it was new to the league, still there. Nobody was really playing that way yet. And little by little, between him and Mike Dantoni, everybody started to play faster. So yeah, it's again the NBA. I may have lost a great character, a great coach, a legendary, you know, Celtic, all that stuff.

[Alan Rosenberg]

But a life well lived for sure.

[George]

Oh, yeah.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Spike in St. Pete, you're on.

[George]

Don.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Ana Rosenberg. How are you, Spike?

[Adam]

I'm great.

[Spike]

I'm great. Cancer is gone.

[Don Nelson]

Oh, yeah. Good, that's great. Ring the bell. Baby

[Spike]

told me this morning the cancer is all burned out and gone and I gotta stay on hormones for 17 more months, so. Alan, you'll get this one. Not that darn long. I said, why? Why do I have to stay on it? Well, we'll make sure that nothing else is in there. But you can't stay on it that long. Why keep me on it for two years? I'll be in the wnba, you know, on a hormone treatment. Anyway, one thing with Nelly, I gotta tell you, Nelly had Tim Hardaway senior, Mitch Richmond and Molly, and they played their ass, as they say in Brooklyn basketball. They played no defense, right, Alan?

[George]

None of them.

[Don Nelson]

Yeah, I mean, yeah. I mean, they played just. They Tried to outscore you. Yeah.

[Spike]

Didn't he live in Hawaii?

[Don Nelson]

Yes. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yep.

[Spike]

And he had long hair. He lived in Hawaii and he wanted to run. Mentioned about Mace. He wanted to run Mace, which was way ahead of its time. And you're so right.

[Don Nelson]

He made Anthony Mason a lot of money. Made him a lot of money.

[Spike]

Listen, Anthony Mason's high school coach was Kenny Fiever, who played point guard on Wingate. My team when I went to high school. But. But Mace was a great passer and he took no prisoners, man. You know, when Riley came, the only thing about Riley I couldn't stand was the way he left, you know, with the facts and going to Greece. But I'll tell you something. I got another lease on life and I think the Knicks are going to. I know it's baseball and football scrub and that's fine. I'll take a sabbatical. But I think the Knicks have a chance to repeat because there's one thing I looked at. I saw pictures of Leon and the west on together look great. They all have their fully vested Bird rights at the end next year, right? Cat has the three years, so that doesn't affect the cap as far as the apron goes. Am I right? If you're fully vested with Bird rights, you can pay your players after three

[Don Nelson]

years, but that does it. But it's still. You still pay the tax, though.

[Spike]

So what? But they raised the price of the tickets. This was one of the.

[Don Nelson]

No, no, no. It goes beyond that. I understand. It's. It's three times and. No, it's more than that, though. It's more than that. See a spike. That's what. I'm glad you said it and we'll be quick on it, but congrats. I'm glad everything's good.

[Alan Rosenberg]

For sure, man. Stay in touch, baby.

[Don Nelson]

Just again, just quick. I don't want to put a lot of time into this, but Don, because people keep saying this. Oh, just pay the. Just write the check. It's more than the three times the money. It is. It restricts things you can do trade wise to upgrade and fix your roster and do things with your roster. You are frozen. Like I said, I hate it with your own players. That's all.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah, for sure. And as far as. Listen, we got a long summer and off season to still go here and it's really hard to wrap my mind around Embiid staying healthy. But if Embiid for some reason stays healthy, well, there's.

[Don Nelson]

All right, so there's pictures.

[Alan Rosenberg]

They are absolutely beast In Philly.

[Don Nelson]

Yeah.

[Alan Rosenberg]

And oh my God, walking the boardwalk at Ocean City because it's down by Atlantic City. Yeah. I, I go there every year.

[Don Nelson]

Oh.

[Alan Rosenberg]

And I gotta go through because it's baseball season. So all the fans and there's always flyer stuff and certainly Eagle stuff. My God, the Sixers. I never saw Sixers stuff. Like I saw it after they signed.

[Don Nelson]

So the bat. So the bad wagon's filling up.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Oh, my God. Every. They're walking around with the, with the jerseys on the, on the. Not just the boardwalk, but on the beach. And you by far fourth place as far as seeing jerseys and stuff in that area down the Jersey Shore.

[Don Nelson]

Right.

[Alan Rosenberg]

It was definitely. The Sixers were always dead last. It was always like Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, and then it was the Sixers. Now it's like Sixers with a bullet.

[Don Nelson]

LeBron James. This is going to be a lot.

[Alan Rosenberg]

23. 23 all over the place.

[Don Nelson]

It's going to be so much fun. I'm telling you. And the best part is there's no anxiety in New York.

[Alan Rosenberg]

No. Because this is the.

[Don Nelson]

He just sit back and let it happen.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah, exactly.

[Don Nelson]

But it's because the goal has already been achieved. Like I'm telling you. I had a friend of mine. We're almost at the end here. I had a friend of mine. So I'm gonna read you what he said. Good friend of mine, he runs. He was running a bed and breakfast down in New Orleans, very successful. And he's a big Knicks fan, New York guy. And he asked me a question this morning. Where the hell was it? And it was like something I laughed because it's. I haven't heard many fans say it yet, but I'm wondering what you think. Here it is. He said something ironic has been nagging at me. I was wondering if you. If you felt this or if anyone you're around has mentioned this. Lifelong Nick fans and beyond ecstatic with how this storybook championship was won. And there's a piece of me that feels like part of my identity as a long suffering Nick fan is gone. It's pathetic, but true.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Well, this is.

[Don Nelson]

It's almost like the comfort of misery. Now it's gone. And you don't know what to do with yourself. Because I'm not anxious about a season now. I'm not like the schedule we're gonna get. Opening night tomorrow, we're gonna know about opening night and Christmas tomorrow, Thursday you get the full schedule. And it's. The first thing you're gonna find out is, oh, there's the Game. When the banner's going up, there's words that I've never said in my life. Right, exactly. So there's sort of like this that you just said about the Sixers, and you're absolutely right. If they get right, they could be beast. We know already in Miami. That'll be interesting. Like Indiana is going to be healthy. There's all these reasons to feel like, oh, my God, the East is going to be tough, but yet there's this sort of like, ease about it, like, whatever.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah, like.

[Don Nelson]

Like they did what they had to do.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Well, I wish I could give you the direct quote, but one of my favorite movies, and it was released like 30 years ago because it was released in 96. I wonder what day it was. Really. What movie surprised would be the anniversary Swingers.

[Don Nelson]

Oh, yeah.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Okay. So there's Mike, Jon Favreau, he's opining about his girlfriend the entire movie.

[Don Nelson]

Yes.

[Alan Rosenberg]

And then Rob, who's Ron Livingston, is the guy that goes to California to kind of follow in Mike's footsteps to try to see if he can't make it in Hollywood. And Mike is just complaining about, why won't she call my girlfriend? Whatever. And he. He's like, I know, I've been through it. And Rob's quote was like, and you miss the pain. He's like, you miss the pain.

[Don Nelson]

Yep.

[Alan Rosenberg]

He's like, for the same reason that you missed her.

[Don Nelson]

Yeah.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Because you live with it for so long. Being a Nick fan, a long suffering Nick fan. That was your identity.

[Don Nelson]

Right.

[Alan Rosenberg]

And it kind of became who you were.

[Don Nelson]

Yeah.

[Alan Rosenberg]

And now you've kind of been undressed into something different. And as great as it is, it almost. You wonder, I wonder that people feel that way. Michael always brought it up on his show is like, when the Red Sox finally win, when the Cubs finally win, their identity will be stripped from them because their identity was. You never win.

[Don Nelson]

Long suffering.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah. And now it's done.

[Don Nelson]

It's so true. But that's. That's, that's exactly it. It's almost like I'm done, you know, like, it feels like a conclusion because what else is next? Winning another one.

[Curtis Garner]

All right.

[Don Nelson]

But it still won't be like that. You know what I mean?

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Nelson]

I can't imagine the Reds. Well, the next title day one was what year?

[Caller H]

Which one?

[Don Nelson]

After 04, the next one they won was when?

[Alan Rosenberg]

Oh, seven.

[Don Nelson]

There's no way that felt anything like. Like nothing. Like 04. Nothing.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Now, I think if you're able to repeat and be the first team in nearly a decade to repeat. I think there could be a specialness

[Don Nelson]

to that, but it still won't be the same.

[Alan Rosenberg]

But it won't be the same.

[Don Nelson]

No, not close, but I almost laugh maniacally if they win it, if they go, if they really win back to back or do like the 70s teams and win, win another one. Like in two years they ran it. Like whatever happens, it almost just might sit there and just laugh. Like all these yellows couldn't even get to the final.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Interesting.

[Don Nelson]

I'm telling you, it is an interesting place that fans are right now.

[Alan Rosenberg]

It's a nice place to be, but also, you know, kind of interesting to kind of talk about. Not mad at what he sent you

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[Alan Rosenberg]

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[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

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

[Alan Rosenberg]

Time now for the weekend recap brought to you by Neutral. And this is always a fun time of year. We get into August and we follow the locals in the Little League World Series. Yes, there's a couple of prominent ones.

[Don Nelson]

Yeah. So we have the Metro Regional going on right now up at Bristol, Connecticut. And the Jersey team, Bayon, beat the New York winner, which is from Long Island. Port Washington and Port Washington been a great story, but Bayonne smacked him pretty good today. 122 Bayonne now advances to the regional championship game on Friday. Port Washington now goes to the loser bracket, like semifinal to advance to the championship. And they'll play Darien, Connecticut, the Connecticut winner. And they'll play each other Wednesday afternoon. The winner of that, Darien, Port Washington will go on to play Bayonne in the regional championship. So Port Washington wants to get another shot at Darien. That's they got to win a game, I mean, against Bayonne, they'll have to get a win over Darien on Wednesday. But this weekend, like this has been fun, like the following this whole thing through. And one of the local teams, whether it's Bayonne or whether it's Port Washington or even Darien, will be in the Little League World Series. So somebody in our area that we'll be following and rooting for no matter what, even though for me personally, Long island be great. But I saw this story about the Port Washington team over the weekend that I thought goes along with seeing the success of this team because they had a heartbreak last year as a program and lost in the regional this year. The coaches, I saw the story in the Post. The coaches decided we're going to challenge the players and they have a cell phone ban on game days where they all there's a bucket and it's a Couple hours before the game, they all put their phones in the bucket.

[Alan Rosenberg]

How old are they?

[Don Nelson]

This is 11, 12 year old. Again, try prying a phone out of the hands of an 11 or 12 year old. Good luck. But still, like one of the kids was saying, whenever we go on our phones, it makes you stimulated and you're just not focused for the day. And so this is. They decided to do this and it's flipped the script for this team. They did it this year. They dedicated themselves to it on game days and they went on to win the New York state championship. And now they're, you know, they're right there. They're basically a win away from playing in the regional championship game. Don, you have kids? You know I have kids. It's a remarkable story, but it's kind of how many people out there, it's parents, coaches, whatever it is that coach kids. How big of a challenge this has become is, hey, like, it's time for practice. Put your phones down. Like, get away from the phones. Sports has become even more important in our society now more than ever. Just because if it's an hour practice, that means it's an hour of. Just get them off the screen for an hour.

[Alan Rosenberg]

No, it's true.

[Don Nelson]

And look at each other and interact with other kids instead of just be mesmerized by this screen.

[Alan Rosenberg]

You know, I don't have to worry about it with Jaylen. She's not as addicted to the tablet or although she will grab my phone. She's. She's really sticky fingers, but I'm not careful. But she's not as committed to it as Marco is. And there are times that he gets. They don't have phones, but if you grab my phone or they got the tablet and I'll just say, dude, grab your glove, let's go out. Let's throw the ball around, guys. I just want him to get into it. The challenge I have and eventually, I don't know what age is appropriate to give them their own phone. At some point you want them to have it because you want them to get in touch with you when they start to go.

[Don Nelson]

Well, communication wise, it's important.

[Alan Rosenberg]

So I don't know if 11 or 12. I was thinking more 13, but it sounds like I might be a little too conservative with it, I guess, but going that long. But whatever. The day will come. I guess I'm going to have to confront that. But what Marco, who's the athlete of the two, hasn't comprehended yet is the thinking part of playing.

[Don Nelson]

Yep, he's just.

[Alan Rosenberg]

It's all instinct. And fortunately, he's got good instincts. So when he's playing, he knows how to play. He just hasn't thought it out yet. Realizing that, hey, there's a lot of work you can do before you hit the field. Thinking about the game, envisioning how you should play and what you should do when the ball's hit you. There's no excuse not to know how many outs there are or what you do when the ball is hit to you. You should always be thinking, baseball looks boring because you're just standing out there. But if you're thinking, what do I do if the ball's hit to me? I'm trying to teach him that. But when you're so focused right up at the second that he grabs the bat and ball, like looking at the tablet, looking at the phone, then you're not thinking about the game. You got to. You got to have it. There's got to be preparation going into it. And I try to explain that to them, and maybe they learned that by putting those phones away. All right, now it's time to focus on the task at Handy.

[Don Nelson]

So they've never won the New York State championship to advance into the league world, too. They've never, never. So they do this. It's like four or five hours where they don't have their phones because, you know, you're focused on the game, you're getting prepared. All the things that go into on a game day, what's important and the results. Tell the. Tell the boys. You know, what must work, right?

[Advertiser J]

Yeah.

[Don Nelson]

It's as simple as that. Like, if they. If it didn't work, that you can't sell it, so it has to work.

[George]

Right.

[Don Nelson]

But doesn't it blow your mind that it. It did work?

[Alan Rosenberg]

Okay. It kind of makes sense.

[Don Nelson]

Which tells you this is, you know, this is clearly a problem. I don't.

[Adam]

I've.

[Don Nelson]

We can't relate to this because we didn't grow up with this. So it's easy for us to look at a kid. Like, why you keep grabbing your phone, why There is an addiction aspect to this with kids. It's something. I don't know if it's missing out or if it's just keeping me busy or I just want the stimulation of just staring at something, going through reels, all that stuff. But whatever it is, it's a serious issue with young kids, and it's reached a point now why it's so important that if you can have your kids in sports, especially in the summer, I mean, in the summer, what are they doing? They're home, they're not doing anything. If you don't have them in camps all day, you're not keeping them busy. It's hard as a parent 24, 7 to entertain your kids.

[Caller H]

We were kids.

[Don Nelson]

It was get on my bike at 9am and mom be back for dinner. I didn't ever thought about being home or sitting in my.

[Alan Rosenberg]

We didn't have the options. Now what I find very ironic, at least in my house, is we're begging them to get off the tablet.

[Don Nelson]

Yeah.

[Alan Rosenberg]

And then we'll have them watch tv, which was our addiction.

[Don Nelson]

Our addiction was television was laying on the carpet, you know, eating cereal, staring at television, changing channels.

[Alan Rosenberg]

And that was, I guess, our parents problem. Get us off the TV and go out there and play.

[Don Nelson]

Right.

[Alan Rosenberg]

But that was all we had. If there was nothing on television, there's always something on the phone. There's always something to find on the computer.

[Don Nelson]

On demand.

[Alan Rosenberg]

But on television, especially before cable, and I was lucky. I got cable in 76, so I was 8 when we got cable.

[Don Nelson]

Yeah.

[Alan Rosenberg]

But before then it was just, you know, if there was nothing on. 2, 4, 5, well done. Or 11.

[Don Nelson]

Once. Once the, Once the, Once the, the televangelists came on.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Nelson]

Cartoons were over, so it's time to get outside.

[George]

Right.

[Alan Rosenberg]

And you had. Yeah, because it was. There was nothing on cartoons on a

[Don Nelson]

Saturday morning up to a certain point. Then it was all televangelist.

[Alan Rosenberg]

But imagine if we had the TV options that we have now. We'd always find something. But even with all that. And listen, I. I got DirecTV and I got every premium channel.

[George]

There's.

[Alan Rosenberg]

There's still times. There's nothing on, believe it or not.

[Don Nelson]

Crazy.

[Alan Rosenberg]

But there's always something on the computer. You could always find. They can always find something that will interest them.

[Don Nelson]

Well, so wheels or, Or a game. Yeah, you know, like this.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Marco watches a lot of baseball. He knows a lot. He goes to YouTube and he watches old highlights and he's. No, he's. But it's on the computer. He finds it like. I don't have a problem with what he's watching. It's just that he's watching it too much. I want him to get out there,

[Don Nelson]

but because you're, you're. You're sitting still. It's too like that. That's the part of it. And an hour or two goes by and even like, I know this with Cali, she's 11 and she won't even really. When you tell Like Cali. You've been up here for an hour and a half. I have, like, no idea. Because it's just time. Time just disappears when you get lost in something that you're just scrolling or watching or whatever. So I found this to be a cool story because it was a commitment the boys had to make. And parents, too, because, you know, I'll tell you what, when you tell a parent, hey, you know the phone you gave him after you drop them off? He's gonna put that in a bucket. You can't contact him. What do you mean? I can't. I can't check on him. What if he needs something, right? There are. There are some parents that are like that, that if you told them we're taking the phone away for a couple of hours, they might lose their minds because there are parents that are constantly texting their kids, hovering. Are you okay? Everything fine? Do you need a drink?

[Alan Rosenberg]

Do you need something?

[Don Nelson]

Like, how are you feeling? Like there's too much of that. So that's a commitment the parents had to make, too. And they did. And look at the success it had. Their first state championship in 63 years of the program. One win away from getting to the regional championship. That's a big deal, and these boys will remember that. So it is something that I thought was interesting to talk about as parents, all of us, you can relate. And anybody that was. That's a kid that might be listening, maybe you can relate to it, too.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah, listen, it helps us, too, with the phone. Sometimes it's like, I just need a second. You take my phone. Especially when we're out to dinner. It's like, I just want to enjoy my meal, have a conversation with my wife.

[Don Nelson]

You know, if I, you know, there's such things, babysits.

[Alan Rosenberg]

But I will tell you, we went to this one restaurant, it was on a Wednesday, and Nancy, we went out with a couple of other people. And so there was three kids, three adults. And we just like, no, no, you're not bringing your computer. You're not bringing the phone. We're just going to talk.

[Don Nelson]

Yeah, you're going to talk to each other.

[Alan Rosenberg]

And it was. It was tough in the beginning. They didn't want to do it. But then we played like, a trivia. Like, it was Don trivia. When did I graduate high school? And some of the. You guess, 1979. I'm like, oh, my God. But it was. And it was. Nancy and I both agreed that that was the best night because we just actually talked. And they.

[Don Nelson]

Well, the puzzle, you Guys, did you showed me the two puzzles? Yeah.

[Alan Rosenberg]

The puzzle was.

[Don Nelson]

How many tablets were involved in the puzzle?

[Alan Rosenberg]

Nothing then that was fun.

[Don Nelson]

And you're talking while you're doing it,

[Alan Rosenberg]

but you find yourself just, I'm not a new parent. They're going to be nine. But still, to Alan, compared or anybody else that's having kids or whatever, it. It does become a crutch sometimes for a parent to just give them the tablet, give them the phone, so you just kind of get a break. Yeah, but just be careful because it does become incredibly addictive. And we didn't have that. Television was our addiction, but television just wasn't nearly as interesting as these phones can be. And just what? Just watch. Because they will stumble into some things that are inappropriate, and all of a sudden they'll tell you. They'll say something to you. Like, how do you know that? I saw it on YouTube.

[Don Nelson]

Don't you want to, by the way, whoever some of these developers are, just find them. Like, hunt them down, grab by the throat and just smack them, slam them into the wall five or six times.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I know it's busy, like, you're targeting

[Don Nelson]

kids, you moron, but don't use it as a babysitter.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Although it sometimes can be very tempting to.

[Don Nelson]

Of course.

[Alan Rosenberg]

But there's an example with this team in Port Washington where they were able to channel this and it shows you

[Don Nelson]

away from the technology, their focus gets better. And that's something. Again, we stop blaming the kids, we start blaming technology. So again, just to shout it out, Bayonne wins. Congratulations to them. They move on. The championship being the regional championship up in Bristol on ESPN. Friday, 7pm they're already in. So now Port Washington will play Darien on Wednesday. That's at 5 o', clock, also on ESPN. And you can watch that game to decide who gets to play against Bayonne to see who is the Metro Region champion. Who moves on, of course, to Williamsport, which would be really exciting for one of these three teams. So that's what's going on. Shout out to the kids and the coaches and the parents and everybody involved in it.

[Alan Rosenberg]

That was your weekend recap brought to you by Neutral. Keep it tasty with neutral vodka seltzer made with real vodka and real fruit juice.

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[Alan Rosenberg]

Shohei Ohtani's interpreter was fired today. Ippei Mitsuhara ran up gambling debts to a Southern California bookmaking operation. The inside story of the biggest scandal in modern baseball. He was absolutely bananas.

[Advertiser J]

The amount of bets he was making,

[Don Nelson]

I've never seen anything like it.

[Alan Rosenberg]

From 30 for 30 podcasts this is the Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani, presented by Gusto.

[Advertiser J]

New episodes available now. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Don Hahn]

listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Rosenberg]

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.

[Alan Rosenberg]

All right, we got a very eclectic list of people here on hold.

[Don Nelson]

I love it.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Let's take advantage of it and talk to George and Elizabeth. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, George?

[Caller I]

Hi fellas.

[George]

Thanks for taking my call, man. Listen, I'm 55, my son's 19. You know, he's in job corps now. But I remember an incident, man, where, you know, he was in the house for a couple of days and it was a beautiful was the summer. And I went in there, his face was all in the tablet and his mom unfortunately used to buy him, you know, the games, whatnot. And I told him I no, no, no, give me that. You got to go outside. Go outside with everybody, man. Some of that. And he cried. He took it as a punishment to go outside. He Took it as a punishment. And when I was a kid, I'm 55, that's how you broke. I'd rather take a butt whooping than punishment and not be able to go outside, George. Like, if I was given that after

[Don Nelson]

Generation George in the 80s, your punishment was you had to stay inside. And there was nothing worse than seeing your friends outside.

[Caller I]

Oh, my God.

[Don Nelson]

And you're like, I can't come out, George.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yesterday it was hot as blazes, right? I had. And I'm fortunate. I never had a pool when I was a kid. My dad wanted to have one. Our yard wasn't big enough. He always argued with the town. Had to be a certain distance between the road and how it killed my dad that he couldn't have a pool. Killed me that I didn't have a pool. I made sure I got a pool. And George, I'm begging my kids, get your suit on and get in the pool. I'm yelling at them. I'm like, what's the matter with you? I would be. You wouldn't have to tell me. It'd be three o'clock in the morning. I'd be getting dragged out of the pool. I'm telling them, get your suit, get out there. You're sitting there watching TV or on the towel. It's 90 degrees outside the gorge. Yesterday was gorgeous. It was a gorgeous day yesterday, but it was a little on the hot side. Get in the damn pool. I can't believe I got to tell them. It just. I would, dude, if we had a pool and it was 90 degrees in a gorgeous day, dude, my dad would have like the net trying to fish me out of the pool. I wouldn't want to get out ever

[Don Nelson]

be in there all day. Like, it's. We were like that. It's.

[Alan Rosenberg]

It's different world.

[Don Nelson]

But again, did your room have all the amenities that your kids have now? No, my room didn't have a television, let alone. Let alone a flat screen with an Xbox with tablets and everything.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I finally. I was about 12. 11, 12.

[Don Nelson]

Never leave my room.

[Alan Rosenberg]

If I had all that, parents let me have the old Black and white TV. Had it stand.

[Don Nelson]

How old were you?

[Alan Rosenberg]

Like 11 or 12.

[Don Nelson]

Damn, that's pretty good.

[Alan Rosenberg]

So it was like 1980. So it was like right in the wheel. I remember watching all like those Saturday night lives.

[Don Nelson]

Remember that show Friday, cable though, in there?

[Alan Rosenberg]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Had an antenna.

[Don Nelson]

All right.

[Alan Rosenberg]

But here was the thing.

[Don Nelson]

Tell them about an antenna, Don. How'd that work?

[Alan Rosenberg]

Well, just trying to. It was like getting radio reception, but it was television.

[Don Nelson]

You had to move the antenna at certain points of the day or night to get a certain signal of certain stations.

[Alan Rosenberg]

But you may not even know this. All right, so I would stay up watching old. If the Yankees are met, didn't matter who playing late. I just love staying up late on a Friday or Saturday night when it was just watching.

[Don Nelson]

Oh, west coast always made you feel good.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Yeah. Wheel the TV out now. I used to watch this time of year. They never aired the preseason football games live. They tape delay them, like at midnight, and I watch them. Here's the thing. Black and white tv. It would take. It'd have to warm up. I turn it on, it would take like 5, 10 minutes for it to come on little dot. Then eventually you would expand into an actual picture. So I remember, like, I would have to plan, like.

[George]

All right.

[Don Nelson]

And once it warmed up is when it cleared up. It was a little fuzzy.

[Alan Rosenberg]

It was late. So I put the TV on. Then I go in, go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, get ready, jump into bed. And then by then, hopefully the TV would come on. Watch all the late shows. And that wasn't until I was like 11 or 12, I wasn't allowed that. Have the TV.

[Don Nelson]

I can't even imagine.

[Alan Rosenberg]

It's crazy. Adam, he's in California. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, Adam?

[Adam]

Hey, what's up, guys? Hey, Don. You sound like Eddie Murphy from Beverly Hills Cop too. Would you throw your damn chicken? Hey, there's a pressing matter that really needs to be addressed. Can your audience and I please get an update on the.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Who you taking out books, please?

[Don Nelson]

You know what, Adam? Thank you for asking.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I thought about it today.

[Don Nelson]

He said he had a whole week off.

[Alan Rosenberg]

It's real. I'm doing it.

[Don Nelson]

He told me he was an outline for me.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I will have an outline. Listen, it's really difficult when you're down the shore to just. I am going to get rich. Here's the thing, Adam. It is. Yeah, but I've got the. I've got the list. I. I kept them all in a notebook, like so one.

[Adam]

It'll.

[Alan Rosenberg]

It'll. Once I get the. The. What do you like a syllabus? Whatever you need the sample chapter.

[Don Nelson]

I just need a sample chapter.

[Alan Rosenberg]

As soon as I get it.

[Don Nelson]

One list.

[Alan Rosenberg]

It's gonna flow, man. It's gonna flow. It's just that, you know, we're getting. We're. We're struggling on first down. Well, we. We just come up with a good play. On first down. Then once we get going, we'll. The drive will start.

[Don Nelson]

We're trying to get on the field, Doc.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I know.

[Don Nelson]

You know what I mean.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Well, what do you got?

[Don Nelson]

Thank you, Adam, though. I appreciate it.

[Alan Rosenberg]

You picked a scab dog.

[Don Nelson]

Yeah.

[Adam]

Thank you for the update. I just went from six to midnight, but I just want to talk about the Yankees, so I bleed pinstripes. I've been a major brat my entire life and right through slow. I grew up in the 90s watching the 90s Yankees, but at my age, I've emboldened myself to tamper down my expectations. So I'm in complete lockstep with Don. We all just need to enjoy the Yankees keeping their head above water and not tear our hair out about it until October. We're getting our guys. We're getting our guys back. So let's just. I mean, worrying. And worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it's not gonna get you anywhere.

[Don Nelson]

So that's fair.

[Adam]

Tampered down those.

[Don Nelson]

Listen, you know what's pacifying Adam.

[Adam]

Thank you.

[Don Nelson]

What's pacifying me is watching the kid for Cashmen. This is working out beautifully because the kid, I think, does pacify you a little bit.

[Alan Rosenberg]

I just think that you gotta learn to live in the now with. I understand there's expectations, a championship or bust, but like in the moment, just enjoy that. This team's finding ways to win and they're not whole. If this team had Judge, had Bellinger, had Stanton, and they were struggling like this, I can understand you red hot. And yes, their lineup still should be better offensively than what they've been. But just think about if you can keep your head above water, which you have, you get these guys back, man, then we can have a conversation about, hey, you get Judge, you get Bellinger, you get stand back. And this team gets bounced in the divisional round again, that maybe now I'm. Now I'm on board. Let's make some changes. Let's do some things. But right now I think they're overachieving with what they. With the runs they're scoring, that they're finding ways to win.

[Don Nelson]

Puts a lot on Judge to come back after missing two to three months.

[Alan Rosenberg]

You know what?

[Don Nelson]

And you're saying you now need to be primed as if you played the whole season and you need to be great in the postseason, and no one's going to accept any excuses about how much time you miss.

[Alan Rosenberg]

Well, let's see, let's see. When he comes back. He comes back on September 30th. I'll agree with you. If he comes back September 1st and has a month to get ready and then struggles in the postseason, that might be a little bit of a different story.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don Nelson]

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

[Don Hahn]

Hear more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.

[Curtis Garner]

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