Hour 2: Why, Baseball?

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg Podcast Summary Episode: Hour 2: Why, Baseball? | Release Date: March 18, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of the Don, Hahn & Rosenberg podcast, hosts Don LaGreca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg delve into the perplexing scheduling decisions made by Major League Baseball (MLB) concerning the 2025 season's opening games. The discussion centers around MLB's strategic move to inaugurate the season with games in Japan, resulting in inconvenient viewing times for American fans. This decision has sparked frustration among listeners, especially those heavily invested in fantasy baseball.

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MLB’s Opening Day in Japan: A Controversial Move

Peter Rosenberg kicks off the primary discussion by expressing bewilderment over MLB's decision to start the 2025 season in Japan. He highlights the clash between traditional American baseball enthusiasm and the new international scheduling.

Peter Rosenberg [00:28]: "Major League Baseball's 2025 season started today. The Cubs played the Dodgers in Japan to open up the 2025 season... it's flat out stupid."

He criticizes the timing, pointing out that opening day games are scheduled at 6:00 AM and 3:00 AM Eastern Time, making it nearly impossible for US fans to engage meaningfully with these pivotal games.

Peter Rosenberg [04:14]: "If you're a die-hard baseball fan like K K new... the Dodgers and Cubs start in the regular season at 6 o'clock in the morning east coast time and nobody know about it is flat out stupid."

Impact on American Fans and Fantasy Baseball

The hosts discuss the adverse effects of this scheduling on American fans, particularly those involved in fantasy baseball leagues. The inconvenient game times disrupt the traditional excitement and engagement associated with opening day.

Peter Rosenberg [04:27]: "Major League Baseball's got to do to cultivate their younger Audience here in the United States... nobody know about it is flat out stupid."

Jace contributes by highlighting issues such as the inability to draft key players like Shohei Ohtani effectively due to the mismatch in game schedules.

Peter Rosenberg [04:23]: "I've talked to people who are in fantasy sports that they could draft Ohtani and not have Ohtani's stats count because their draft or they have Ohtani, but their draft isn't until after this game."

Comparisons with NFL’s International Strategy

A significant portion of the conversation contrasts MLB's international approach with that of the NFL, which has successfully managed games abroad without alienating its core audience.

Peter Rosenberg [05:03]: "What drives a lot of interest in sports, Peter? You know what people get excited about besides gambling? But what's gambling? A jace when you talk about sex, Peter? Sex, yes. Major, no. It's fantasy baseball."

Peter lauds the NFL for hosting games in locations like London and Mexico City with more fan-friendly times, suggesting that MLB could adopt similar strategies to better serve American fans while expanding internationally.

Peter Rosenberg [05:47]: "What do you think makes football brilliant? They play their games in London, in Brazil, in Barcelona, in New Mexico, in Mexico City... They'll play in Europe at 9:30. And everybody loves it."

Listener Feedback and Host Banter

The episode features multiple listener calls and banter among the hosts, though much of it veers into side topics like voice technology and personal anecdotes. However, the core discussion remains focused on the detrimental effects of MLB's scheduling decisions on American fandom and engagement.

Caller [04:05]: "You think that?"

Peter Rosenberg [04:06]: "Not the fantasy baseball."

Prospects for Future MLB Scheduling

The hosts explore potential solutions and future implications if MLB continues on its current path. Peter suggests that MLB needs to prioritize the American fanbase to maintain its status as the national pastime.

Peter Rosenberg [07:03]: "I don't think it's good for baseball. As you said, it's not the national pastime anymore. It's been gobbled up by football in a lot of markets in this country."

Jace and Michael further discuss the logistical challenges and cultural impacts, emphasizing the need for MLB to balance international growth with domestic fan satisfaction.

Michael [10:03]: "The time difference is a big deal because it's just so hard to coordinate with Japan... baseball is big in Japan."

Football and Baseball Dynamics

A segment of the conversation shifts briefly to the New York Giants and their quarterback strategies, illustrating the interconnectedness of sports management decisions and their broader impacts on team success and fan loyalty.

Peter Rosenberg [10:21]: "And I'm not in favor of tanking, you know that, but I want to know that the guys that are in charge of the franchise are also thinking about the future of the franchise, not thinking about their own futures."

Conclusion: The Future of MLB and Fan Engagement

In wrapping up, the hosts reiterate their concerns about MLB's direction. They advocate for scheduling that respects the American audience's preferences while still exploring international opportunities. The episode underscores the importance of maintaining the cultural essence of baseball in America to retain its passionate fanbase.

Peter Rosenberg [22:03]: "It's a money grab. That's what I'm saying is that if anybody put any thought into it, they would say, I don't think we should do this to our fans."

Peter Rosenberg [31:43]: "And if you call it, I don't think it ends up being worth it. At the end of the day. I'm sure it's big bucks, but what's the end game?"

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Notable Quotes

• Peter Rosenberg [04:14]: "If you're a die-hard baseball fan like K K new... the Dodgers and Cubs start in the regular season at 6 o'clock in the morning east coast time and nobody know about it is flat out stupid."

• Peter Rosenberg [05:03]: "What drives a lot of interest in sports... it's fantasy baseball."

• Peter Rosenberg [07:03]: "I don't think it's good for baseball. As you said, it's not the national pastime anymore."

• Michael [10:03]: "The time difference is a big deal because it's just so hard to coordinate with Japan... baseball is big in Japan."

• Peter Rosenberg [22:03]: "It's a money grab. That's what I'm saying..."

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Final Thoughts

The Don, Hahn & Rosenberg podcast episode "Hour 2: Why, Baseball?" offers a critical examination of MLB's recent scheduling choices, highlighting significant tensions between international ambitions and domestic fan expectations. Through engaging dialogue and listener interactions, the hosts articulate a passionate plea for MLB to reconsider its strategies to preserve the sport's cherished traditions and ensure its continued relevance in the American sports landscape.

Transcript

[Don LaGreca]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast. That sounds like heaven to me. Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers 402 in the big city. Don Han, Rosenberg Han's in transit to San Antonio because the NBA doesn't like the Knicks. I don't know if you heard have them play on the west coast, come home for one day against Miami and then go to San Antonio and Charlotte back to back games. Lucky for them, the Hornets are awful so they should be able to win. And the spurs with no Wemby is very winnable games too for the Knicks. Got the Rangers tonight home against Calgary. I'm going to throw a must win. I'll tell you why a little bit later on, but in case you missed it and judging by the reaction you have, Major League Baseball's 2025 season started today. Oh, Don, what are you talking about? It's been spring training for three weeks. No, no talking about the regular season. The Cubs played the Dodgers in Japan to open up the 2025 season and I'm sure Dodger and Cub fans knew. And if you're a die hard baseball fan like K K new. But this is all happening while spring training baseball games are going on. Like how are you supposed to know? And I don't know, when you start a season, people get excited. Even if it's not your team playing, it's opening day. That's when you bring the bunting out. That's when you have parades. That's when you get excited about, oh, baseball season starting not at 6 o'clock in the morning, east coast time. And oh by the way, if you're a Cub fan, first pitch was at 5 in the morning. And if you're a Dodger fan, first pitch was at 3 in the morning. I understand you want to build up the Japanese market because there's money to be had here, but last I checked, Major League Baseball still has got a lot of work to do to cultivate their younger Audience here in the United States and have Dodgers, Cubs start in the regular season at 6 o'clock in the morning east coast time and nobody know about it is flat out stupid. And here's the other thing too. And not the Major League Baseball's got to be overly concerned about it, but they should. Do you know what drives a lot of interest in sports, Peter? You know what people get excited about besides gambling? But what's gambling? A jace when you talk about sex, Peter? Sex, yes. Major, no. It's fantasy baseball. Oh. Not fantasy sex. And the baseball game overnight was ridiculous. This is what we're getting. Do you realize that there I've talked to people who are in fantasy sports that they could draft Ohtani and not have Ohtani's stats count because their draft or they have Ohtani, but their draft isn't until after this game. Like so you're going to have a guy play less games. He's going to play two less games because your draft was later on. You say, well, I'd rather have the draft early, but how early do you want to have it? There's still two weeks of spring training left. Guys can get hurt. You want to have your draft as close to the regular season as possible. But Major League Baseball decided to have the Cubs and the Dodgers. The Dodgers laden with talent. Guys that you would draft in your fantasy draft play two weeks before the season starts. Let's be honest. If you play fantasy baseball, you're a virgin. 1,000%. Wow. You just went off after a good portion of our audience. Come on. The virgin community.

[Jace]

You think that?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Not the fantasy baseball.

[Jace]

You still know people play fantasy baseball.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Jace]

Really?

[Peter Rosenberg]

And people that are married.

[Jace]

Wow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Now that could mean they stopped at some point. They no longer had their virginity. But am I wrong here, Peter? I'm a baseball fan. I was in my number one sport. No, no.

[Jace]

It's ridiculous.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But I love it. And I'm happy that the Mets or the Yankees aren't doing this. Otherwise I'd have to get up at 6:00 in the morning to watch them so I can do a talk show. But come on, this, this doesn't irritate people. And the other thing, even if it doesn't irritate you're like, I don't care. Well, that's not good either. The baseball's reaction to your opening day is I don't care. It's so. I don't know what football does it and it irritates me. But you know what's so brilliant about football? You Know why? They're absolute brainiacs there in the NFL. They play their games in London, in Brazil, in Barcelona, in New Mexico, in Mexico City. And you know what they do? Oh, we'll start them at 9:30. Not the Mexico City, but you know what I mean. They'll play in Europe at 9:30. And you know what? Everybody loves it. Oh, I hope I get the 9:30 game on Saturday so I can watch my team play and have the rest of the day free. Or if I'm a big sick football fan. Great. I got 9:30. I got one, I got four, I got 8:00. It's orgasmatron for football. They actually make it work for them. Baseball plays in Japan and no one notices it. And the people that do notice, they're irritated. So the NFL does it. It's still a money grab. When the NFL does, it's the same thing. It's stupid. But you know what? They're cultivating an audience overseas and they actually get the people in America to buy in. Baseball does it and it's ignored. Baseball sucks. You're right.

[Caller]

Done.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now, who is that now? Different version of it.

[Jace]

Trying to find a new voice.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, this is the way you're going to do it. I would really prefer you go home. Hold on.

[Jace]

Give me a chance. What about Fred?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hello, my name is Fred. I am an American English voice. These are not good. This isn't Vietnam. It's radio. That's. That's too tracheonomy sounding nice to have a.

[Jace]

No, come on. These are terrible.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hello, my name is Grandpa. Hello. How's that? Grandpa? Grandpa. What do they call that thing? Like with the.

[Jace]

Oh, here's Rocco. Maybe it'll be good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right. Hello, my name is Rocco. I can we admit right now, I like that one. But the voice technology for phones, it.

[Jace]

Hasn'T made it far.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It isn't there yet. It isn't quite there yet. They shouldn't have launched it. They should have waited until they were able to perfect it.

[Jace]

It's not good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's not good. But I was just really curious if anybody else was like.

[Jace]

No one. I'm telling you, I don't know a soul who know. It even happened last night.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It.

[Jace]

Don.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was.

[Jace]

It was not a. It wasn't on anyone's radar. Come on. The tournament starts this week. The NBA is in full swing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I. I don't even think it's that. I just think it's. It's opening day. It's a big deal. I mean, every sport that starts it's a big deal, but there's something about baseball. It's a long season, but you have opening day, the first game of the season. That's always the guaranteed sellout. People are interested. Hope springs eternal. Because let's face it, for a lot of these teams, by the time we get to the end of April, their season's over. And Dodger fans are all excited. They just won the World Series. And listen, I'm no Dodger fan, but hey, you're excited. Cubs. Hey, maybe we have a chance to win the Central this year. Oh, by the way, your first game, Dodgers, Cubs. Great sexy matchup. Something you put on Sunday night baseball. Right. Something that you'd want to like, feature. Yeah, let's have it. 6:00 in the morning, 3:00 out on the West Coast. Completely obscure it as if it didn't happen. So the people in Japan can get excited. The people in Japan love baseball. Right. If you gave him an exhibition game, they wouldn't go, right? They wouldn't go right now. What's the time difference in Japan? You've been there.

[Jace]

It's like 12 hours.

[Peter Rosenberg]

12 hours?

[Jace]

10 hours? Something like that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

10. Can we get confirmation? Jacob? Tell me.

[Jace]

I think it's close to 12 hours.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How hard could it be to run a board 13 hours from here to DC 13.

[Jace]

But, but, but then why couldn't they have done it at.

[Caller]

It's 5am right now in Japan.

[Jace]

All right, so why couldn't they play it at 9am 10am in Japan?

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're getting it. You're getting day baseball. So you can't go at 10 o'clock like nobody would go. Make it a national holiday. I would sooner play Dungeons and Dragons than watch baseball at 6am Dungeons & Dragons over baseball virginity.

[Jace]

It's. It's by.

[Caller]

You didn't type it that way.

[Jace]

No, it's. By the way though we're. Baseball in the middle of the night is Dungeons and Dragons level nerdery. That's what we're talking about.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But no, but you're right. You could have, you could have fashioned it to where it was like at 9, 9, 30. Where it's actually somewhat like where people.

[Caller]

Can they appeal to the home crowd, not the American crowd. And by the home crowd I mean the Japanese.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Because obviously baseball is so flourishing right now that they can just ignore the base fans in the United States. And from what we hear like Japanese. What time of the game when Ichiro was playing and all of Japan would stop to watch Ichiro break the record for hits, when they're watching Ohtani, when they were watching Matsui, when they're watching Senga, whoever. What time is it in Japan? They're falling in love with the game of baseball, watching it at 3 o'clock in the morning. But now they actually get baseball players to go, Major League Baseball players to go to Japan. They can't be bothered going at ten o'clock in the morning. But if it's on tv, they'll watch it at three in the morning. You got to help me out with this, man. You've been there.

[Jace]

Let's go to Michael, who wants to speak on this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I want to, Michael. Make it make sense. Yeah.

[Michael]

So first off, just a long time listener, first time caller. Thanks.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What took you so long?

[Michael]

Well, I mean, I don't know, but I just wanted to say. Yeah, going on what you were saying, but before you jot off the time difference, I was going to say, yeah, I feel like the time difference is a big deal because it's just so hard to coordinate with Japan, as opposed to the NFL with somewhere like Germany or London or Brazil, where it's two hours. And I feel like, really, Japan just being almost at this point that baseball is their national sport. You couldn't say that about the US for what, 30 years now since the NFL has taken over. I feel like if you're a kid in Japan, I mean, if you're going to go to school or something, I mean, I don't know their school schedule, but I'd imagine during the day it'd be hard to do. I just think that time to, like, see Ohtani or, you know, Sasaki or Yamamoto or something is just so important for them. And I know that the two weeks before isn't exactly ideal, but I guess they don't want to interrupt with the opening day in the US Being that end of March that it always is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I get it. I get the logistics of it. You're making sense, but at the same time, I think you're damaging a pretty important product in the United States. We're not taking games in June or July or August. We're in the dog days. And just say, all right, let's send a series out. We'll give them a couple of days off in between. We'll figure it out. We're talking about opening day. It's opening day, Cubs, Dodgers. And it's completely obliterated by it being on when nobody's gonna watch it, nobody's gonna care. In the middle of all these other things going on. I don't think it's good for baseball. As you said, it's not the national pastime anymore. It's been gobbled up by football in a lot of markets in this country. It's being gobbled up by the NBA. And can you really afford to do that? It's not just one day. I'm sure I'm gonna get the tweets, Don. It's one day. It's two days. Big deal. It's opening day. It's kind of a very important part of your long, regular season. So work something out. In the dog days of summer, I understand they gotta travel. You're probably gonna have to give them a couple of days off on either side. Figure it out. We figure out all the off days we're gonna have in March and April where there are rain outs and in some places, snow outs. To be able to make it up, you could figure it out. Give them regular season games in the middle of August where it's not that damaging. Taking opening day away from Cub and Dodger fans, I think is criminal. And to do it for what they apparently can't get enough of the product. In Japan. I get money grabs, Peter. I'm a capitalist, too. I like making money, but not at the expense of where my bread is buttered, and that's in the United States. And I'm sorry, baseball isn't king anymore. Can't really afford to give up their audience here in the States, especially at.

[Jace]

The top of the year. Let's go to Mark.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What's up, baby?

[Caller]

Yeah, just give me a post.

[Jace]

Uh.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, all right. Take care. Love you.

[Jace]

That was interesting.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think he was having a conversation with somebody, and I wanted in on the conversation.

[Jace]

Tessa.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hi, Tessa.

[Tessa]

Hi, guys. Thanks so much for taking my call.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Always.

[Tessa]

Peter, I just want to say, have you tried. You probably did. Have you gargled either warm salt and water or 2 tablespoons of peroxide? Have you tried that?

[Jace]

So? So I. I gargled this morning with the salt water, and it helped with the cough. I haven't yet tried it for the hoarseness.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Could it help you try to peroxide?

[Tessa]

It's just two tablespoons of peroxide. Of course. Do not swallow it. But if you try that, I'm telling you, it'll make you feel, like, a lot better. You can, like, look it up and everything like that. It'll help with the hoarseness, the peroxide. So the gargoyle with saltwater definitely helped with the cough. And, like, you know, as far as, like, the ability to swallow but the peroxide will help with it. And you probably don't have any yet but maybe when you get home. But the peroxide will help with the hoarseness. So I just wanted to tell you that maybe you can try that out. Of course, Don. I'm just listening to everything and you know, I find myself. I can't even enjoy my Devil's wins. I can't even enjoy my Lakers win because I keep going back to my New York teams and you know with the Yankees I'm about to do the panic button. Already there with all the injuries. And then with the Giants, I guess my. I really just want to know like what did. We would never know because we're just the fans. What did Gable and Shane say to Mara about their plan, their vision? Thank you so much because I'm just so confused because I don't really think it's nothing with the whole black quarterback thing. I think it was somebody that they really liked. I think they would get so that's why I think if Cam Ward is there, I think they're going to take him. So I'm not really one to say that. I feel like, oh, are they racist? Are they? I don't think that, I don't think the organizations like that. They're really classy. I don't think they would do that. However, my question is I'm tired. Like as far as Flacco, he's a statue. Statue. As far as Rogers, if you pluck him the wrong way, God forbid he's gonna blow something. James Winston is a dodo head. Russell Wilson, he just can't cook anymore. So you know what, let's stop the games, just go after a quarterback. I just rather take my chances now Don, like we can go ahead try to get him. You know what I mean? Like that's where I'm at right now because it's nothing else out here for us. And if that's not the case then why did you re sign the veto? Would you gonna go with him? Like let's just do something like it's no vision. And Don, every day I just keep sitting here like what are we doing? Like it's just, I don't know like you said.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well let's, let's assess the information that we have. The information that we have. Shane and Dable were brought back. The last year of their contract is next year. So they've got this year and next year left on their contract. So you would think it would probably be. If you really believe in them, you would have extended Them, they didn't. And John Maris said, I don't want to be in the same place next year that they were this year, meaning having another awful season. So I'm left to assume that John Mara probably told him, I want to win in 2025. Go draft a quarterback if you want, if you believe in a quarterback, I get it. But just make sure I'm competitive in 2025. So I'm wondering if Shane's thinking, yeah, I like these quarterbacks. They're okay, but I've got to be competitive. I've got to try to save my job. I got to go get a veteran quarterback. Now, Stafford confuses me because I'm going to pay him $50 million a year and have him for the next three years, which can stunt the growth of my young quarterback. But maybe they wouldn't draft a quarterback. All right, I will draft a quarterback, but I'm going to bring in somebody that'll be a mentor but also be able to play 17 games in 2025 and save my job. That's what I'm thinking. Whether they draft a quarterback or not, Tessa, the clear message that's being sent by what they're doing is they are going to try to win as many games as humanly possible in 2025 to save their jobs. And I'm good with that, but I don't want it to come at the expense of the future. Because if these guys fall on their face and they win three, four games, no matter who the quarterback is, they're going to blow it up and start again, and God knows how long it'll be before this team's competitive again.

[Tessa]

So, Don, can I ask you one more question?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Tessa]

So my one question is this. I agree with everything you're saying, but again, do we feel safe that maybe they're doing everything just to save their job and not to make the franchise. Not to make the franchise successful. Because that's what I think. I think it's almost like a, like, thirst trapping. They're doing everything to try to, like, right now, some of their free agency signers are awesome. I'm very happy about that. But is their mind clear or are they just trying to hurry up, win now, save their job? Because I don't feel like even did. I don't feel like they're coming back once their contract is up. I think they're going to get let go. But if you win seven games this year, I don't know why they feel like Mario's gonna be like, all right, you know, What? You guys are the man. You're staying. Like that's not gonna happen. I don't feel like that's gonna happen.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't feel like it either. I don't know how you can do that. How do you do both, you know, hard in the Yankee. Brian Cashman tries to do it every year. I want to be competitive. Now, I'm not in favor of tanking, you know that, but I want to know that the guys that are in that are in charge of the franchise are also thinking about the future of the franchise, not thinking about their own futures. Now, that's hard to do. I mean, put yourself in their shoes. You know, are you going to care about the Giants if you get fired, or are you going to look to try to save your job? So now, Peter, you're left with having to try to do two things. I'm going to try to be competitive, try to win as many games as I can, but also make sure that the franchise is in good shape moving forward. That's really hard to do because there can be a lot of face offs. You're going to have to decide who you draft, what free agents you sign, how much you sign them for, how long you sign them for, who stays, who goes on cut day is all gonna be determined by now or later. And if your job's in jeopardy, Peter, the face offs are all gonna go in. What helps me win in 2025, which I'm all for. But at the same time, if it comes to the expense of not being good, cuz like Tessa says, if they fail and they still have to blow this up, a year that could have been a rebuild now becomes delayed by a year, and now a new regime comes in. And did they get that right? It's. They have put themselves in an absolute mess and blame Shane and Dabel all you want. They put themselves in this spot by the decisions that they made. But John Marra saying what he said, bringing them back, mistake, not extending them, mistake. So he's half pregnant on his regime. And then the comedy made. I don't want to be back here again next year. What are they supposed to take from that, Peter? Go out and win games. And how do you go out, win games and still have an eye on the future, good luck doing that, man. That's a hard thing to do. The job's hard enough to begin with. Now they're trying to do two things at once.

[Jace]

Good luck, Mark and Charlo. Hey, Mark.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hey, Mark.

[Caller]

Hey, guys. Don. So I'm in fantasy baseball and I am married, so check two boxes for me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Good for you.

[Caller]

Thanks. So our draft is not till Sunday night and we actually just kind of ignored these games over in Japan for our season. Opening day is like you said, it's. It's baseball's holiday. It's baseball's best day outside the All Star game. But I feel like I'm speaking for myself. But I feel like I'm speaking for a lot of people. You know, opening day really like these games in Japan don't matter to outside of Cubs and Dodgers fans. It doesn't matter to the rest of baseball fans. Opening day is your home opener. That's what everyone really looks forward to. But you know, on the fantasy front, you know, we just ignored these games and, and I did not watch those games either. I care less.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All I know is I'm pretty hyped up for opening day. I know with Mets are on the road, but I'm still hyped up for it. And if they played the game at 6 o'clock in the morning, guess what? I'm not going to get a chance to watch it. That doesn't make any sense. It makes zero sense. I'm sorry. Everybody is jonesing to be the national sport. Everybody wants football. Baseball's not football. You're not going to get people in New York to care about Dodgers and Cubs. You're not going to get people in Texas to care about Dodgers and Cubs. You know who cares? Los Angeles and Chicago. And guess what? Their fans in Chicago had to watch the game at 5 o'clock in the morning. And Dodger fans had to watch at 3 o'clock in the morning. Tell me how that makes any sense.

[Caller]

If the mets played at 6am you wouldn't watch though, Don.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, you know what, I'll be honest with you. I'd be lucky because the kids are on spring break. I probably set the alarm early and I'd watch. But guess what 6:00 in the morning for if I work the overnights like I used to or if, you know, I got to get the kids to school and instead of sitting there watching the game, I'm getting the kids ready for school at 6 o'clock in the morning. That's not an ideal time for me to celebrate the game of baseball that I love. The very first game that's being played, watching it at 6 o'clock in the morning. So even if I would do it, that doesn't mean I'd be happy about it.

[Caller]

6Am U.S. time is what? So what time do they first pitch in Japan then.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, they said it's a 13 hour time difference. Right. So you do the math. I'm lost.

[Caller]

Oh, 7:00pm yeah. So, yeah, I mean they should. Why can't they just switch the time in Japan to help us?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because they don't care. It's a money grab. That's what I'm saying is that if anybody put any thought into it, they would say, I don't think we should do this to our fans. But it's a money grab. And I get it post Covid. It's a capitalistic society. Make as much money as you can. But you wonder why baseball's kind of losing some fans because you took something that's really cool and take it away. And you know, and listen, you're a die hard baseball fan and thank you for the phone call. Appreciate it man. But you know, and you're gonna find a way to. Not everybody's a die hard. Stuff gets in the way. Like Peter said, It's 162games. I can't watch every pitch of every game. Life gets in the way. But on opening day, I'll make the sacrifice. I gotta make that kind of a sacrifice. We got a request from a caller saying get Ryan Ruko on. Talk about the women's tournament. Talk about the women's game. Just talk about basketball in general. Guess what, Ruko? Five bang. Yay. And he's. And he did Nick's. Hell yeah, Nick's Heat on ESPN proper. You know what ESPN proper means? ESPN the Mothership. You know what the mothership means ESPN proper. Oh yeah, he's doing that Celtics, which I'm not going to ask him about. 1-800-919-3776. Don, Peter, Jace, we're taking you up until 6:30. Then it's Rangers, Hockey, Rangers, Flames. I'll be on the call. Dan Gross will have the pregame. And it's all happening here on 880 ESPN.

[Tessa]

Okay.

[Jace]

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[Caller]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

To the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Jace]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. Oh, by the way, this tournament update is brought to you by Schweppes. The tournament kicks off first four tonight in Dayton. St. Francis goes up against Alabama State for the 16 seed in the South Region in the early game. That'll be followed by UNC and San Diego State for the 11 seed in the South. That was the tournament update brought to you and presented by Schweppes. Schweppes offers above the rim refreshment and is proud to sponsor the Big East Conference. Enjoy the madness and take a break from the hoop action with Schweppes Seltzer or Schweppes Ginger Ale. All right, it's Don legrecka here. Solo. We did give Peter raw. We did the right thing. Thanks. Wasn't feeling good, wasn't sounding good. Made no sense. So hopefully we get Peter back tomorrow. Allen's traveling with the Knicks, so it's me solo until six. Then we'll have Dan and then it'll be the Rangers because I got to get to the Garden to do Rangers and the Flames, so a lot going on, a lot of moving parts. Brian Hoak has tweeted Oswald Peraza came out of today's game because he has a 3pm appointment with an eye doctor. Okay, so what does that mean? He just had a his yearly and the only time they can fit him is at 3 o'clock.

[Caller]

I was told it was on the books for a while. Don is what it was described at.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So this is not a thing.

[Caller]

What are we doing?

[Peter Rosenberg]

But he tweeted out that he had to leave because he had an eye doctor appointment. Is everything okay?

[Caller]

It was a scheduled but it was on the books for a while. Just it was during a game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's a New York Yankee, correct?

[Caller]

Last I checked.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And I would think an eye doctor would think it's kind of cool to have as a patient a New York Yankee. You couldn't figure out a time where it didn't make him leave a game or not. Crazy. Crazy. Looking at some of the social media, I don't feel comfortable saying the guy's name. Slimmy. I'll say that. Slimmy Cohen says what's even crazier than 6am for Dodgers Cubs fans is that their home stay because it's 3am Pacific in LA and 5am in Chicago. That's what I'm saying. Makes no sense for a game to be played that ridiculously early. Completely. It's actually really, really dumb. All right, before we get to the calls, 1-800-919-3776 why is tonight a must win for the Rangers? Well, the Rangers played well against Edmonton, came up short, lost the game 3 to 1. Columbus is in free fall by the way. They lost again. They lost to New Jersey. So good win for the Devils. Trying to hold on to that three seed in the metro. But Montreal's right there, two games in hand on the Rangers, just a point back. Rangers got to get some wins here. You got a Calgary team that has won like three in their last 10. They played in Toronto last night and as somebody that has done that travel, you know, leaving Canada, going through the whole customs thing on a short turnaround is definitely a benefit for the Rangers. And the Flames got blown out six to two in Toronto. So the Flames are literally limping in here for the Rangers to be able to take advantage of it. So do it. Win this game. You've got Toronto, who's a very good team coming up on Thursday, Vancouver fighting for a playoff spot like Calgary is on Sam Rosen day for the 1:00 start on Saturday. And then the Rangers, by the way with 11 games left, embark on a three game Western Swing to Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Jose. Now those teams aren't great. The Kings are good, Ducks are not, and the Sharks are not, but it's still a west coast trip. So, yeah, you probably come away with 5, 4 of a possible 6 points, but you can't afford to leave these games dangling. You only have 14 games left. You make the playoffs, you got to beat the Calgary Flames at home. So I'll be on the call with Dave. I'm looking forward to that. So I called it a must win against Minnesota last Thursday. They came through. They won. I'm calling it a must win today against Calgary. Let's see if they can come through. 1-800-919-3776. Let's go to Javier in Queens, who we had a chance to beat on Friday. What's up, buddy?

[Javier]

What's up, Don Solo? How's it going? Thank you for having me there on Friday. It was incredible. Seeing Richard in person was. It was amazing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, I'm so glad that it hit for the audience the way it hit for us. It really made year to be able to see him. I thought he was. It was really great job by him and great job by you guys. Acknowledging him and giving it, having him have some fun with. It was cool.

[Tessa]

Oh, yeah.

[Javier]

I mean, people were literally asking him for his autograph and taking pictures with him. Like, it was like, I think in the past he's referred to his fans and I think people were laughing at him and look who's laughing now. It's a crazy situation.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was so.

[Javier]

But yeah, pretty hilarious. I had a Knicks call, but you're actually hitting on so many great points about baseball. And I, I hate to agree with this because I know it kind of sounds like old man against the cloud, but like, yeah, baseball gets so much wrong at this point. Like, I remember when I think the Reds always played the very first game of the season. Like, that was a thing in baseball for a long, long time.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And then they blew it up because they were the first, in 1869, the first major league baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Legs. And they first pitch was always in Cincinnati. You're right.

[Javier]

Right. So they've gotten away from these traditions and like all to like, Japan is very far away. I get that baseball is big in Japan, but like to cater to them in that way, like, why not do this in the Dominican Republic where you have an incredible amount of players in this league that are from there. I know that infrastructure reasons. But like, there, there are ways to do this. Like, maybe they have an international month after the All Star game and they play in different cities around the world for like the first week. After the All Star Game. But to take away opening day, it hurts because sometimes it's literally the only game where it doesn't matter who your opponent is. It's a big game in baseball. Otherwise, like the other 161, you know, it's kind of like, you know, you're just there to have a good time. But when you go on opening day, you go for that, that first time experience. Like, you know, imagine taking your son to opening day, but being like, whispering to him, it's not opening day, you know, it already happened. Like, it hurts my soul. That's the only thing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And I agree with you. I just don't think, Javier, that it ends up being worth it. At the end of the day. I'm sure it's big bucks, but what's the end game? We've already. We already take their players. Baseball's already huge there, so I'm sure they pay a stipend to get these games. And I'm sure it's not nothing, but is it worth kind of messing with the soul of the game when the soul of the game has been messed with enough? Listen, I'll be the first person to say that sometimes we spend a little bit too much time talking about the sanctity in the church of baseball. But there are some things that are special, and opening day is still special. And it's not going to be special in LA and Chicago. And you could say, well, who cares? I don't root for the Cubs or the Dodgers. Well, you know what? Maybe next year it'll be the Mets and the Phillies. Or maybe it'll be the Yankees and the Red Sox. Remember, the Yankees and Red Sox played in London and the Mets and Phillies played in London. That was in the middle of the summer. So what? But opening day, I. It bothers me. And you know what's great about it? I have a show to talk about what's on my mind. And most things bother me. Alex and Lynbrook doesn't bother me. He's on espn, New York. How are you, sir?

[Alex]

Hello.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What's up, baby? You're on the air.

[Alex]

Oh, hi. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Thank you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right. Got turned down that radio. Give you a second?

[Alex]

I know you're a big movie fan, so I'm going to give you. You don't mind. Five movies, the most shocking, surprising endings. Of course, number one, Second to None, Planet of the Apes with Charlton Heston.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Statue of Liberty buried in the sand. Love it.

[Alex]

The next four, no particular order. Halloween. The version of the classic.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Three.

[Alex]

The Mist four. Hear me out. Lane Trained automobiles only. Cause we didn't know that Marie was dead and he was homeless.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And then he came back and that was nice. I like that. I mean, it wasn't nice that she died, but it was nice that he came back. That's a good one. I like that one.

[Alex]

So plan the Apes the mistake.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Halloween.

[Alex]

I'm sorry. I'm throwing a bike. Can I give you a couple women now, like last time? See who you like better?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay, these are good.

[Alex]

These are good. Now, you would know them. Laverne. Shirley.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Alex]

No, no.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like it would be Shirley.

[Alex]

Okay. Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

These.

[Alex]

The next two are really good. Debbie Moore and About Last Night. Or Courteney Cox in the first season of Friends.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wow. You know what? I've always been a Demi Moore guy. I'm going to go Demi Moore in About last night. Awesome. 86.

[Alex]

I know you would know Terry Gar, but how she looked in the cocktail dress at the end of Young Frankenstein.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Awesome.

[Alex]

Or Cameron Diaz. How she looks. And there's something about Mary.

[Tessa]

Hmm.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's. You know what? I am going to go. And she's no longer with us. She passed away this year. I'm gonna go with Terry Garr in Young Frankenstein. So that was good. Bit sexist, but still fun. As far as the movie list, I did a top five during the pandemic of surprise endings and the ones that I remember that I had on there. Planet of the Apes. Yes. But Sixth Sense. To this day, I'm still blown away that I did not see that coming. And there could be people that say they saw it coming, that he was dead. And if I'm giving it away, the movie's been out for 25 years. Stop yourself. I was floored by that. Another one that I didn't have on my list, Anthony, that I saw and would put on my list. Shutter Island. Very underrated Martin Scorsese film.

[Caller]

I've liked that movie. I like that movie.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Very surprise ending and really sad. That one I'm not comfortable giving away because I want people to be surprised by that. But I was very, very surprised by that ending. That was a good call from Alex. Membership means more with American Express Business Gold. Earn four times Membership Rewards points in your top two eligible spending categories every month, including eligible U.S. advertising purchases in select media and U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery. What are you waiting for? Get the card that flexes with your spending every month. Terms and points cap apply. Learn more@American Express.com Business Gold MX Business Gold Card built for business by American Express. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Jace]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcast. All right? Just throw this in the hopper, if you will. The credible source, Benjamin Albright. He's a host reporter at the Broncos flagship Broncos Insider. Apparently he had some information about what the Giants might do or the fact that they were trying to make a deal with the Titans, as everybody knows. And what he tweeted out was this was earlier this morning. Well, there is a lot of buzz about the Titans staying put and picking at number one. Giants really thought they had a package that would get them to one back at the combine, but you know how these things go. Giants know they are taking multiple swings at the quarterback position regardless. So what do I take from that? You can't just take things at face value. You got to go deeper. So the Titans were offered a mint for the first overall pick and said no. So why did they say no? Well, I think the reason they said no is because they're going to take Ward. Because if they're going to take Carter or Hunter and they're not going to take a quarterback, then why not make the trade with the Giants? You know the Giants are taking a quarterback, otherwise they wouldn't be trading up. If they were interested in something other than a quarterback, they'd stay at 3. They're trading up to 1 because they want a quarterback. They want to secure their choice at quarterback. The fact that Tennessee didn't make that deal tells me they must be taking Ward because whatever they want to take it, one that's not a quarterback will be there at three because we know Cleveland is taking a quarterback. So say they want Carter, they could trade the three and still get Carter and get all this draft capital from the Giants by making the trade. So I'm reading the tea leaves and saying that if the Titans said no, it's because they plan on taking a quarterback. And that's scary because if Tennessee takes Ward and everybody and their mother's reporting that Cleveland is definitely taking a quarterback at 2, there's not going to be a quarterback.

[Caller]

Well, they've changed their mind on that now, Don. Now you got Schefter saying that it's not a guarantee that the Browns take a quarterback.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't know what to believe anymore. But they're still. They need a quarterback, right? Pickett's not going to be their starting quarterback. I know Watson Got married, but I still think there's problems there. Or engaged. I forget which one it was. I found it interesting. She's holding up the hand hold, you know, with the, with the ring on it. And I couldn't think anything but just the hand. And the first thing I think of when I think of Watson, unfortunately. And the Giants could get caught with no quarterback at three, and maybe that's why they're looking at these quarterbacks. To be your starter for 20, 25, it is so interesting. It's really hard not to be interested in this. It's the jets and Giants, two of the most popular teams in New York. What are the jets going to do at 7? Not nearly as intriguing, but still, it's still very interesting. What if Sanders drops to 7? What do they do? Are they just completely convicted on the fact that they're going to have Fields as their quality quarterback or what are the Giants going to do at 3? Did they stay at 3? Who do they take? Which quarterback is going to be their veteran? It could be anybody. It could be Flacco, it could be Winston, it could be Aaron Rodgers, it could be Wilson. Oh my God. Pretty incredible stuff. It really is. 1-800-9193776 on that note, let's go to Dave in the car. You're on ESPN New York.

[Dave]

Hey, thanks for having me on, Don. Look, you know, I think it's really sad looking at the Giants now and it's like you had a good analogy is like it's hard for them to do all these things and have something productive come on the field. But I'm going to run this by you because I believe sometimes the simple way is the best way to start off. He won some games with Jimmy Cutlets, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Dave]

So let's hold that thought. Gardner Minshew 2 years ago had to beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh to get the Colts in the playoffs. So if you can coach Jimmy Cutlets and you're the, you're the quarterback whisperer, why wouldn't you just build every other position and then take Gardner Minshew? So at least you have a second string quarterback if not a starter. Like God, for God's sakes, Cooper Rush just went to the Ravens. And this is the part that's frustrating me about this current regime with the Giants. The common sense stuff, the fundamental stuff, you're in such a bad state, you couldn't pull the trigger on Gardner Mintry as a backup. And I'm going to say it again, I'm not saying he's Going to lead you to the promised land with the schedule you have. The guy was in the playoffs two years ago with the Colts, and they were on shaky ground. He stepped in and got them to the playoffs. So I've really, like, I've lost respect for these guys. It's the Barkley. It's letting the defensive guy, Olarozhu or whatever his name is, go to the jets for 4 million. They're just losers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now, the interesting thing, Dave, you could. You could. You could explain it all away, Dave, by saying, well, they weren't interested in Garner Minchu, but you're interested in Jameis Winston. You're interested in Joe Flacco. Like, come on, man, they're all over the place. Maybe this will all make sense now. Dan Graziano was on First Take, or, excuse me, I get up right. Or on Sportsman. Third time's the charm. I'm sorry about that. And he laid out what the Giants would do if both quarterbacks are taken 12 in the draft.

[Don LaGreca]

If quarterbacks went 1 and 2, then the Giants would want to take either Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter. I think those are the two franchise changing players in this draft by most people's estimation. I think the Giants would be happy to take one of them and then try and find, like, a Jalen Milroe at the top of the second round and then maybe develop him.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, that seems logical, right? I mean, it doesn't. It's not sexy.

[Caller]

I can't imagine Jaylen Milro is exciting.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, but let's play this out. Let's take what Dan Graziano said. All right, they take Carter. Nothing wrong with Carter. Best edge pass rusher in the country, right? Highest drafted edge pass rusher that we've seen in a while. Okay, so you're kind of set. Defense got better. You reconstructed the secondary, did a better job of the offensive line. Rodgers goes to Minnesota. Wilson goes back to Pittsburgh. Who in God's name is your starting quarterback in 2025? Who? All right, Tommy DeVito. Who's backing him up? So then you're going to sell Joe Flacco as your starting quarterback. Jameis Winston is your starting quarterback. Kirk Cousins, I mean, what are you doing? Like, there's so. I haven't played musical chairs since I was a kid, but I've played. I've seen it played recently with my children. They had a school dance, and my kids were six at the time, and they're playing musical chairs. The tension because I had Marco and jalen, and there's 12 kids, and there's 11 chairs. And then there's. Then it just goes down to one. And then you get to a point where it's Jaylon Marco and some other kid and there's two chairs. I'm nervous because I don't want one of my kids to lose. Plus, Marco's a sore loser. He pitches a fit and I got to drag him home. But this is like real life musical chairs. That there's a chance that in the draft and in free agency, the Giants are circling around and there's no chair. The music stops and there's no chair. It's really scary. So when you think about that, that's why you're kicking the tires on these quarterbacks that make you sick. Because it's a quarterback right now. Winston and Flacco don't do anything for you. But can you imagine if there's no other options? It's like Eddie Murphy with the Ritz cracker, right? You're starving to death and all there is is a cracker and you eat it. Is this a Ritz? This tastes great because it's the only thing left to eat. Like, so Jameis Winston all of a sudden will become Flaming Yon because there's nothing else Right now. We're like, oh my God. We scoff at the idea of Jameis Winston or Joe Flacco being The Giants Quarter 2025. My God, we might be salivating at the opportunity to grab those guys if there's no chairs left. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Jace]

I don't want to know how the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sausage is made, but I just want to know. It's good. 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.

[Don LaGreca]

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