Hour 3: Alan Hahn calls in

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg — May 15, 2026, Hour 3: Alan Hahn Calls In

---

Episode Overview

This episode of the Don, Hahn & Rosenberg podcast brings together the trio—Don La Greca, Peter Rosenberg, and Alan Hahn—for an engaging discussion centered on the New York Knicks' playoff prospects, the complexities and logistics surrounding big New York sporting events, and a mix of classic show banter. With Alan Hahn joining via call-in, the crew zeroes in on the Eastern Conference Finals, home court advantage, and the evolving identity of the Knicks in the postseason. The episode also features notable listener call-ins, some meta-media moments about the show itself, and lighthearted discussion about New York's infrastructure woes during mega-events.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Knicks, Playoffs, and Home Court Advantage

[03:44 - 17:31]

• Update on OG Anunoby:

  • Recent practice participation points to his likely return. There’s optimism about his availability for Game 1, depending on whether it is Sunday or Tuesday.
  • “Now that we’re getting closer to Game 1...you do want to start ramping them up a little bit. So I’m guessing that’s kind of what they’ve been following.” — Alan Hahn [16:34]

• Cavs or Pistons? Looking at Possible Matchups:

  • The main priority for the Knicks is securing home court for the next round, which is only guaranteed if the Cavs clinch tonight.
  • The crew weighs in on whether it’s preferable for the Knicks to face a well-rested Detroit or a Cleveland team possibly fatigued from a seven-game series:
    • “For me, I want the Cavs and I don’t want to take a chance of not having the Cavs for there to be a Game Seven. So if you’re rooting for a home game on Sunday...you’d rather just see the Cavs win it tonight, right?” — Don Hahn [07:03]
    • “Both teams will probably have to adjust to what the Knicks have become versus what they remember seeing during the regular season.” — Alan Hahn [08:57]
    • “Three rounds in a row of home courts, pretty solid. That’s not bad for a three seed.” — Alan Hahn [08:57]
    • The consensus is that home court is especially crucial at this stage, particularly since, if the Knicks make the Finals, it will slip away to either the Spurs or Thunder.

• Cleveland’s Respect Factor & Playoff Demons:

  • Despite past underachievement, the Cavaliers’ late-season transformation, including the acquisition of James Harden and the steady Donovan Mitchell, is forcing the sports world to reevaluate them.
  • Both Harden and Mitchell still have much to prove in high-stakes games.
    • “For Donovan Mitchell, his first time ever out of the second round, and for James Harden...there’s a lot they’d have to prove.” — Alan Hahn [10:49]

• Could Detroit Surprise?

  • Discussion on whether Detroit is simply “messing around” and dangerous in elimination games, or if their issues are deeper.
    • Alan argues Cleveland has “exposed their flaws,” particularly their reliance on an inconsistent offense and absence of star power besides Cade Cunningham. [13:00]
    • Don predicts, “If it goes seven, the Pistons win. I don’t think the Cavs are...going to win two straight on the road, including a Game 7.” [15:03]

• Knicks’ Playoff Expectations—What Constitutes Success or Failure?

  • What would happen if the Knicks don’t reach the Finals? Does anything less, even a hard-fought loss, feel empty?
    • “If they were to not make the finals at this point, Alan, even if it went 7, even if it was hard-fought, it would end up feeling like an epic disappointment, wouldn’t it?” — Peter Rosenberg [17:31]
    • “I think they’re at that point now where the expectation is to get to the finals. The belief is they can do it.” — Alan Hahn [19:35]
    • The standard for success has shifted—anything short of the Finals could mirror last year’s disappointment and have organizational consequences.

Inside Jokes, Personal Moments, and Behind-The-Scenes

[05:20 - 06:21, 19:38 - 22:30]

• Proud Dad Moment:

  • Alan shared a feel-good story about his daughter’s hockey exploits:
    • “She had a good day. She had a very good day. Well worth the effort to get here and see her on the ice. She was big smile when she came off, which is the best part of the whole thing.” — Alan Hahn [05:42]
  • The crew teases Alan about whether his daughter is playing in the right league!

• Show Banter About Roles and Titles:

  • Don and Peter joke about the way Alan is introduced in online videos (“Knicks insider and friend of the show”), musing about how hosts get credit or overlooked for their own show. [15:38]

New York’s Infrastructure & Major Events Train Wrecks

[24:36 - 32:39]

• Logistical Headaches Looming with Subway Series and World Cup:
  • In-depth look at the chronic transportation chaos associated with the city’s largest sporting events, especially with Mets games, the upcoming World Cup at MetLife, and possible Knicks’ Finals runs.
  • Horror stories are swapped about events like Super Bowl, WrestleMania, and routine games derailed by train service failures.
    • “Anytime we’ve had something at MetLife, it’s been a disaster. Super Bowl, like, people almost died at Secaucus Junction...WrestleMania, people wandering on Patterson Plank Road having no idea how to get home because the train stopped running.” — Don Hahn [26:37]
  • Consensus: New York’s “can’t shut down” city model and lack of integrated planning will likely create “an absolute disaster” during overlapping major events.
    • “Just the fact that it started this way, where it requires this much sort of talk in advance of it...it’s not a great start.” — Peter Rosenberg [27:57]

Listener Call-ins & Fan Culture

[33:15 - 47:33]

• Fan Calls on Football, Fraud Friday, and NY Sports Tutelage:
  • Moose from Jamaica discusses switching NFL fandom from Giants to Jets and how the Jets should focus on player development rather than wins, prompting Don and Peter to reflect on the tough realities of coaching job security amid perpetual struggle. [33:15 - 35:23]
  • Joe in Tennessee calls “fraud” on Don’s past stances about the “correct” pronunciation of Boonton and Melbourne—leading the crew into a self-deprecating, comic debate about hypocrisy and local vernacular. [35:39 - 39:39]
    • “It is very hypocritical. He wins. I wish there was something I can give him.” — Don Hahn [39:39]
  • Eric in Mawa shares thoughts on fan civility, inter-team respect, and appreciation for the show and its history. [42:17]
  • Anthony on the Jersey Shore praises Don’s speech at Ramapo’s graduation and shares a personal story about longtime listenership. [46:13]

---

Notable Quotes

• On the Knicks’ Need for Home Court:
  “Home court, I think, is a big deal. When you get this deep into the playoffs, it's valuable...Three rounds in a row of home courts, pretty solid. That’s not bad for a three seed.”
  — Alan Hahn [08:57]

• On the Weight of Playoff Expectations:
  “If they were to not make the finals at this point, Alan, even if it went 7, even if it was hard-fought, it would end up feeling like an epic disappointment, wouldn’t it?”
  — Peter Rosenberg [17:31]

• On New York's Logistical Nightmares:
  “New York is different. I am sure, in other countries, when the World cup is there, everything else shuts down. Right? There's other cities where you have WrestleMania or the Super Bowl. Like, New York doesn't shut down...So this is not the city that can just shut down for one thing.”
  — Don Hahn [28:13]

• On Coaching and Team Turnover:
  “You just can't lose every year, Peter. You just can't have three, four win seasons every year. And I understand they're not equipped to win at a playoff clip, but ... jobs are going to be lost again.”
  — Don Hahn [34:22]

---

Memorable Moments

• Alan’s Proud Parent Energy:
  Alan relays the story of his daughter’s hat trick amid jokes about whether she’s “in the right league” [05:32–06:21].

• Meta Media and Show “Trolling”:
  The crew reacts to social media promo framing ("K Show Reunion") that leaves Alan out, sparking tongue-in-cheek speculation about his “friend of the show” status [44:11–45:11].

• Caller Fraud Friday Hypocrisy:
  Joe from Tennessee catches Don in a contradiction regarding regional pronunciation, inciting laughter and honest self-reflection [35:39–39:39].

• New York Travel Woes:
  The segment on urban chaos during epic sporting events becomes a stand-out confessional on why NYC can’t handle world-scale convergence—told with the right mix of world-weariness and comic frustration.

---

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [03:44] Update on Knicks injuries and Game 1 speculation
• [07:19] Why home court is critical for the Knicks
• [10:49] Cleveland’s playoff respect, James Harden/Donovan Mitchell doubts
• [13:00] Detroit’s chances & team weaknesses
• [15:38] Alan Hahn “friend of the show” meta bit
• [17:31] The pressure and disappointment if Knicks don’t reach Finals
• [24:36] Subway Series, World Cup, and NYC mega-event travel woes
• [33:15] Moose’s fandom switch, Jets struggles, and coach job security
• [35:39] Fraud Friday: Hypocrisy in local place names
• [42:17] Listener calls: Civil rivalry and show appreciation
• [46:13] Don’s graduation speech and Peter’s hip hop roots

---

Conclusion

This episode captures classic Don, Hahn & Rosenberg energy: sharp basketball insights, personal storytelling, New York-centric reflections, and self-aware humor. Alan Hahn’s on-the-go call-in delivers both depth on Knicks strategy and relatable family moments, while the on-air chemistry remains a standout. Whether dissecting playoff psychology, lamenting urban gridlock, or playfully critiquing themselves, the trio keeps it lively, local, and loyal to their New York audience.

Transcript

[Ian Fitzsimmons]

Ian Fitzsimmons here and I'm going to be brutally honest with you. I was skeptical about ordering plants online like this is actually going to show up alive at my house. But after my wife and I ordered from Fast Growing Trees, convinced they had this thing down to a science, they've built a whole system to protect your plants until they arrive. They even have a lab where they test against cold, heat, humidity, you name it. Any condition, they've got it and they thrive. We couldn't believe how good our plants looked when they arrived at our doorstep and everything showed up up exactly how he expected. A perfectly healthy plant that was easy to unbox and ready to go. Every order is backed by their Alive and Thrive garon tea and you'll get ongoing support from real knowledgeable experts. They have unbelievable deals on spring planting essentials and right now you can get an additional 20% off your first order with the code sports at checkout. That's 20% off at fast growing trees.com with the code sports terms and conditions apply. Again, that's fast growingtrees.com code sports this

[Don Hahn]

is the Don 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. Game time is brought to you by Tullimore Dew Irish Whiskey because when it is game time, it's chime.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, it's totally time.

[Don Hahn]

Mets, Yankees Subway Series coverage begins right here on 880 at 6:30. And then it's game six. Cavs Pistons at 6:30 and that could be heard on 10:50. Cavs win. Knicks will take on the CAVS Sunday at 3:30 at Madison Square Garden. If the Pistons win, there'll be a game seven on Sunday and then the Knicks will either host the Cavs on Tuesday at the Garden for game one of the Eastern Conference final or go to Detroit to take on the Pistons in game one of the Eastern Conference final. Tullamore Dew, the original triple distill, triple Blunden and triple cask matured Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore Dew or try the new Tullamore Dew honey during today's action, glasses up to enjoying Tullamore Dew responsibly. In a couple of minutes we'll be joined by Alan Hahn Talk a little Knicks basketball. But let's hear from some of the Knicks as they spoke again today. And Mike Brown gave another update on on the condition of og he practiced today in full.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Anytime anybody's able to do anything like

[Alan Hahn]

that, it's always encouraging.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, at the end of the

[Alan Hahn]

day, I'm awake and let the medical

[Peter Rosenberg]

group tell me each day what he can do. Everything we did today, he did.

[Don Hahn]

That's pretty good. Because the last update we got Peter, that he attended practice, but then when it went live, he didn't do anything. Live, meaning when they started to actually drill, he was off the court. But full participation today. And the earliest they could play is Sunday, which is 48 hours. So I would think there's a pretty good chance that if they play Sunday, that he'd be in the lineup.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I would think you're right.

[Don Hahn]

If he can improve that much in a day,

[Peter Rosenberg]

you know. You know, it's even better, though.

[Don Hahn]

Tuesday would be even better.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What I said was even better than the. The possibility of playing Sunday.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Possibility of playing Tuesday.

[Don Hahn]

Well, then Tuesday I would think that you'd be in good shape.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And we'll find out tonight. I mean, yeah, if this, no matter what happens, if Detroit wins tonight, it. Tuesday it is. You got to game one.

[Don Hahn]

It's just a matter of where the game is. But you'll be playing on Tuesday. That's right. Karl Anthony Towns talking about Mike Brown.

[Caller]

He's done a great job of adjusting our team to give us the best chance to win.

[Don Hahn]

And the spot we're in now is

[Caller]

because of his courage and trust to

[Alan Hahn]

change, you know, what we were doing

[Caller]

and put us in a better position.

[Don Hahn]

Now all the talk has been what happened after game three. They lose game three, they're down two games to one to Atlanta. It felt like this was all going to crumble. Well, Karl Anthony Towne said he had a conversation with Brown after Game 3 versus the Hawks.

[Caller]

You go, you know, you're down 2:1.

[Alan Hahn]

Obviously, it's not the end of the

[Caller]

world, but it's, you know, you guys understand the importance of the next game.

[Alan Hahn]

Every game is just. It should be acting like we're down 2:1. No matter if we're up 3:0.

[Caller]

You know, you go in there, you

[Don Hahn]

say how you feel, what your feelings, your idea, and see if it's received. And it was received.

[Caller]

So I'm glad that we're not talking about a 2:1.

[Alan Hahn]

We're talking about us getting ready for

[Caller]

the next opponent and having this time to see our families rejuvenate our minds,

[Alan Hahn]

our soul, and get ready for the next challenge.

[Don Hahn]

It really shows you just how collaborative it all is, right, where the players have a direct line to Mike Brown. And that's probably one of many reasons why there was the coaching change. And instead of my way or the highway, I could, I feel I can go to my coach and I could say maybe we should try this or do this differently. And they have not lost since that conversation. We bring in Allen Hahn. He's got the day off, but he understands the significance of the possible game one on Sunday against the Cavs. And he carved off a little bit of time for us on a day in which his daughter had a big afternoon on the ice. How are you, Alan?

[Alan Hahn]

On fellas, how are you? This is. I could probably walk home faster at this point from New Jersey through Long island, but we're battling through enjoying the show.

[Don Hahn]

And did she get a hat trick? Because you. You showed the video of the two goals and then you sent in a top hat. So I'm assuming she had a hat trick correct. Cat for Cali.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes. Yeah, I didn't want to inundate you with more. More gold videos, but yeah, she had a good day. She had a very good day. So well worth the effort to get here and see her on the ice. She was big smile when she came off, which is the best part of the whole thing.

[Don Hahn]

Well, Peter thought that she's not in the right league.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, it seemed, it seemed like she was a little easy for if I'm being honest.

[Don Hahn]

Right.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, it's, it's. She's 11. It's. It's a 12U spring tournament. It's boys. So for her it's a big challenge and she met it today, which was great.

[Don Hahn]

Awesome. Well, I know you needed to take a day off and I think it was important. But you join us here to talk about the next. You know, it was weird like opening the show, Alan, like even with Mets Yankees, if we knew for a fact Cavs Nicks was game. Game one was going to be Sunday. You could argue it could be the open of the show because it's our only chance to preview that game because we're not on tomorrow and we'll be on before the game. I mean, you will on msg, but you know, from a show standpoint. Yeah, but it is odd because we don't know. But we had the conversation earlier. We had a caller say best case scenario, since everything's breaking the next way is have the Cavs win game seven as opposed to them win tonight because of the gap that you would have between games if it starts on Sunday. For me, I want the Cavs and I don't want to take a chance of not having the Cavs for there to be a game Seven. So if you're rooting for a home game on Sunday or home game for game one, I think you'd rather just see the Cavs win it tonight, right?

[Alan Hahn]

Yes, I think for a lot of reasons. But the first one is home court advantage. Again, the fact that, you know, you can hear it in the guys voices like they, they want to get the playing again. As much as you love a break, this is a long break and you know, it's still, you still have the benefit of the fact that a game. If the Cavs win tonight, their, their reward is to fly to New York and get ready for a game one on Sunday. You know, like that's, that's really it. So there's the. You remember the Sixers talked about how their head were spinning after winning Game 7 in Boston and they had to fly right to New York and play a Game one. And so it's the same situation that you'd be in and that's. So it benefits one way or another. But I think for the Knicks, it's really more of just A, they just want to get back to playing and then B, obviously is having that home court advantage which they had last year and gave away and. But you'd want to take advantage of it again this year.

[Peter Rosenberg]

At this point, Alan, it sort of feels to me like the home court advantage is the biggest thing. I mean, we all realize that this version of the Knicks and what we've seen so far from Detroit, the series will probably look much different than what we saw during the regular season. And whatever we've thought about Cleveland, Cleveland is now a game away from beating Detroit. They have obviously shown that they're somewhat of a different team than they were during the regular season. Don't you think that the home court advantage or not is sort of the biggest thing? It's. To me, it's kind of hard to pick your poison between these two teams given that the Knicks are a totally different team than they were a couple of months ago.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, I completely agree. I think both teams will probably have to adjust to what the Knicks have become versus what they remember seeing during the regular season. They both have flaws because we saw that throughout this series as well. But it's a matter of just getting back to it. Yeah, having home court, I think is a big deal. You know, when you get this deep into the playoffs, it's valuable. I mean, the last time the Knicks have it, if they get to the Finals, you know, whether it's the spurs or the Thunder, they're not going to have it because both those teams had more wins. So this will be your last opportunity to have home court. But three rounds in a row of home courts, pretty solid. You know, that's not bad for a three seed. So it is. I agree with you that it does matter. And I do think whatever you see, the regular season matchups don't count. And also, keep in mind, too, Cleveland wanted Detroit. You know, they wanted that side of the bracket. This was what they anticipated. They thought they could beat them. So I don't think they're surprised, and I don't think they're surprising anyone by doing it. It's just a matter of can they do it in six or does it have to take seven your home? They got to get that win tonight, and then we can get started in a conference final that would begin on Sunday.

[Don Hahn]

And I brought this up earlier, I'm guilty of it, Alan, where we kind of disrespect the Cavs. We never brought them up during the course of the summer as a threat. Even though they won the conference in the regular season last year, they weren't a part of the conversation during the season. It was all Boston and Detroit. And the Cavaliers have always felt fugazi, right? Outside of LeBron James, they've never really accomplished anything. But coming back down 20 against Detroit, winning four straight games, getting to the conference final, would they start earning some respect?

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, it's a great point you make about how they've been the overlooked team. And they came into the season, them and the Knicks were supposed to be the favorites before we learned that Detroit was going to do what they did, and Boston was not going to be a team that was taking the gap year. Right. So I completely get the thought that they're an overlooked team. They made the trade for James Harden, and suddenly everybody felt like, all right, that's a significant piece that really transformed what they can become. And they got on a little bit of a heater late in the year as well. But when you consider the fact, though, that for Donovan Mitchell, his first time ever out of the second round, and then for James Harden, you know, he had a really good game in Detroit in game five, like, he played really well, but James Harden also isn't somebody that people put a lot of confidence in when it comes to coming up clutch late in the playoffs. So for those two guys, there's a lot they'd have to prove. So it would make for an interesting matchup. Either way, you got to think about the storylines. You know, the Knicks last year their failure and how can they finally break through? And then there's Mitchell and Harden, two guys that throughout their careers have proven or proven too many times that they don't come through when it matters most. And then if Detroit finds a way to advance first timers, a young team. So you're not going to see a team that's been there, done that before with great experience. In fact, again, the Knicks might be the most experienced team that's left in the east when it comes to the playoffs, at least recently. And that's going to leave for a lot of wild card, a lot of what do you expect is going to happen? It's unpredictable.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is there any world in which the reason Is there possibly a scenario in which Detroit wins tonight, wins on Sunday and it turns out they just like have been sort of messing around and then when their back is against the wall and whenever they're in a closeout game, they win every single time. Is there any chance that's possibly what's going on here?

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, messing around? But I think they really. Cleveland's done a good job exposing their flaws. So did Orlando. I still think the Orlando series goes another way. If Franz Vaughan doesn't get hurt, they had no answer for him once he got hurt. Orlando couldn't score. All they had was Von Carroll scoring. They had no other way to get offense. And that was a huge difference. I think Cleveland has with Donovan Mitchell doing what he can do in a moment's notice that he can just detonate and have a big quarter like we saw at game four. It they're a dangerous team. Harden had a really good first half in game five. They've got guys like that that can carry an offense. And I think that changed everything. Detroit's problem is without Cade Cunningham being a stud, they really are an ordinary offense and they've got to rely on a lot of like peripheral guys like Dennis Jenkins and Caris Lavert. Tobias Harris will give you a good game every now and then, but who else are they really relying on? Jalen Durham was an all Star, but when you look at him, you know, you're not thinking of, here's a guy that can create for himself and score. He relies on others to help him score. So their offense isn't really that dynamic. And if you can slow them down even a little bit or take Kate out, which they've done a great job where they get an offense from. And so it's all on their defense to not just get stops, but shut down. If you have more offense than they do. You're going to win and that's kind of what we've seen. So I don't know how they come up with offense, but I expect you're going to see as much desperation as we've seen out of them in that Orlando series. You're going to see that again. They were, remember, they had this game in hand in game five. They allowed a 90 run to send the game into overtime on their home court. Inexcusable. And so they've got a lot to make up for, but it doesn't mean they can't. I still personally fully expect this to go seven, and I think if it

[Don Hahn]

goes seven, Allen, the Pistons win. I don't think you're right. I don't think the Cavaliers are going to go from never winning at home, never winning on the road, to winning two straight on the road, including a Game 7. So

[Alan Hahn]

think about it, too. A Game 7 and I just told you the history with James Harden and Donovan Mitchell, those are some serious demons that they would have to exercise to win a Game seven on the road. When your history says you never do that, that's to me, the winner of tonight's game clearly wins the series, regardless of who wins.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I'm reading this right off of YouTube where it says Alan Hahn, Nick's insider and friend of the show, joining us here on Don Han and Rosenberg as he's traveling from New Jersey to Long Island. Taking some time.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes, do I, do I get credit for working today? Now, this isn't a personal day when

[Don Hahn]

we've been told last time I wanted to take a day off, I was, I offered the to do the first two hours and then leave because I had someplace to go. And I was told, well, you're still taking the day off. And I'm like, okay, well then, then I won't do the first two hours. So, you know, it works. I don't know if you heard the mic, the Mike Brown before you came on saying that OG practiced in full. Yeah, the last update we got from, I guess it was the day before where he didn't participate in the live portion of practice, which means he really didn't practice. So is that enough for you to feel confident if there is a game one Sunday he plays.

[Alan Hahn]

I have my. If you're looking at the timing right, so we're on, we're at Friday, the timing looks like you'd want to start ramping him up at some point to get him ready. And you'd probably want to start today and tomorrow to see how he feels, to make sure that game one is good to go. But you're trying to give him as much time or that hamstring as much time as possible to heal without putting too much wear and tear on it. So there was no reason, I think, to put him in stuff on Tuesday and Wednesday. Right. That's all I can think of there. I have no other intel other than just common sense. And common sense would tell me you don't really need to play him as scrimmages in practice if you want that hamstring to get as healed up as possible. But now that we're getting closer to Game 1, either Sunday or Tuesday, you do want to start ramping them up a little bit. So I'm guessing that's kind of what they've been following.

[Peter Rosenberg]

One thing is very clear though, Allen. We have made it this far at this moment, with everything that has happened over the last seven games, in particular, as amazing as it has been, you talk about pressure. If they were to not make the finals at this point, Alan, even If it went 7, even if it was hard fought, it would end up feeling like an epic disappointment, wouldn't it?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, it would feel like the air was taken out of the balloon. Right. Like when you consider, and this whole week has kind of done that. I think I told you like the cautionary tale. The 2009 Cavs team with LeBron James who won 66 games. It mowed through the first two rounds, sat around for 11 days, and then ended up playing a. A red hot Orlando team that came in. I think they knocked off Boston and this Cavs were expecting Boston all along, never got them. And the Cavs just, just couldn't, just couldn't get the motor started again. Mike Brown coached that team, so, you know, I haven't seen anybody ask him about that yet, but I certainly would like to ask him about that experience and what he remembers from it and if there's anything he's done this week to, to change it. You know, Don, you brought up the whole get him out of New York and all that stuff. And you know, it always, it reminded me of what Pat Riley did. I've talked to a couple of people in the NBA over this week of, you know, just checking in with different people and they've asked me the same thing, like, did Mike Brown get him out of town that he. Did he, you know, did he do a little minicamp or something? Everybody thought that that might happen because of the amount of time off. So that game one will Be interesting to see. Just to see about that whole rust and rest.

[Don Hahn]

Hey, guys. I mean, Peter brings up a great point about just the massive disappointment and they don't get to the finals. The massive disappointment of it is how would it be any different than last year? I mean, think what you did last year. You lost to a Pacer team that you were supposed to be. You had home court advantage. Everybody thought you were going to the Finals and didn't it cost the coach's job? How would it be any different, Alan? Especially if it was the Cavs.

[Alan Hahn]

You're 100% right. No, it's. It's true. I guess I'm. I get. Because I hear this from all I heard Dave say it her Dave say that, you know, if you don't get to the finals, the season is a failure. And it's like, I can't get my head there. Honestly, I just can't get my head there. I've watched this team and there's something about this group and this team and the way they've played that just. I don't feel that. So for me, it's not something I'm thinking of. But when you bring it up, it's like, yeah, of course. Yeah. I think they're at that point now where the expectation is to get to the finals. The belief is they can do it. And so we're just waiting to see them do it.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, it should be waiting a long time. And we'll find out tonight whether it'll start on Sunday or on Tuesday again. If the Cavs win, we will play at the Garden 3:30 Sunday afternoon against the Cavs at the Garden. If there is a Game seven, we'll know we're locked into Tuesday. It'll just be a matter of whether the game will be at the Garden or in Detroit. Safe travels. Doesn't look like you're moving fast enough for anything to really happen. So hopefully, eventually you get home okay. At a decent hour. Hopefully before first pitch, and we will see you on Monday.

[Alan Hahn]

You got it, boys.

[Don Hahn]

All right. That is the great. And I mean great, Allen Hahn and apparently Nick insider and friend of the show.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, listen, we got to give him credit. He's certainly a Nick insider.

[Alan Hahn]

Would you agree?

[Don Hahn]

He's a Nick insider and. But friend of the show, I think is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's the. That's the. He could have said Nick insider slash host of the show.

[Don Hahn]

That might have been the fact that he's the host of the show. Because if you don't know, then there's an Issue. There's a problem.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But either way, tremendous job.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. That easy. But he was floating on air. Cali had the big day.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We've had some great. I've had some great guest connections today. You had K, who was on video and audio. Perfect. Alan's phone line sounded great.

[Don Hahn]

Terrific.

[Peter Rosenberg]

On Cheap Heat today to talk about the passing of my. My buddy Barry Blaustein, I had his dear friend, the hardcore legend Mick Foley, on. Foley's phone line was just, you know, it's always a crapshoot, Dom, especially when you get someone who, like, you know, they're not the kind of person who's thinking a lot about phone lines or, you know, when you get someone and their phone line is literally crisp and perfect. The entire. Don, we kept him for an hour. I did an hour phone or two.

[Caller]

Really?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. We. We did like 40 minutes, and then he was in the middle of a thought, and I said, can you. We had to take a break. And on Sirius, we get to the end of the hour, even if they're like, you have to hit the spots for like four or five spots. I said, can you hold on? We brought him back. We finished it out. It was fantastic.

[Don Hahn]

That's when you know, it's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I got a sweet text from your brother during it, who was listening. It was lovely. So a good day of guests.

[Don Hahn]

Good day of guests with good, clean phone lines. We love that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's really important.

[Don Hahn]

It's really, really have. Because honestly, how good can a guest be if you can't hear them?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, just go back and listen to any of our segments with Keyshawn Johnson.

[Ad Voice]

Most protein drinks ask you to choose between results and taste. Bucked up decided. That's a ridiculous trade off. Bucked up makes lightly carbonated protein drinks. 25 grams of protein per can. Clear protein, not milky or thick. And they taste so good that 25 grams of protein almost feels like a bonus. Bucked up is so confident you'll love their drinks, they're giving away an island vacation just to prove it. That's the kind of brand this is. No purchase necessary. Giveaway ends May 30th. Enter and find your closest Bucked [e-mail] Grab a Bucked up and feel like a million bucks.

[Alan Hahn]

My stepdaughter is in the naval reserve,

[Don Hahn]

and in that service, she travels a lot.

[Alan Hahn]

La Quinta by Wyndham is grateful for

[Don Hahn]

all of our military members, veterans, and their families. We understand the dedication, hustle, and hard work that comes with serving our country.

[Alan Hahn]

And to say thank you.

[Don Hahn]

Enjoy 15% off participating hotels across the US and Canada. Plus you'll receive 3,000 Wyndham rewards bonus points after completing your first qualified night tonight. La Quinta Tomorrow you shine. Head to la quinta.com to learn more about our military perks and discounts. Restrictions apply.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The NFL schedule dropped and it's time to settle up. There's road trips to plan, hotels to book, tickets to split, tailgates to cover, scores to settle. All the things for the season. But now when you send $10 or more to a friend with PayPal, by May 28, you could win two tickets to every home game of your favorite team. Yep, the whole season. Visit paypal.com P2P sweeps. No purchase necessary. See website for details, including how to enter by mail. Brought to you by PayPal official peer to peer payment. Sponsor of the NFL thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Alan Hahn]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want.

[Don Hahn]

Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. Fans heading to Citi Field for the Subway Series this weekend are encouraged to plan ahead and allow for additional travel time due to the potential Long Island Railroad disruption anticipated heavy traffic around the Ballpark. Mets are offering more ways than ever for fans to get to Citi Field, including subway service, direct shuttle service, ferry service, rideshare options, city bike access and driving. The 7 train will continue operating regular service to Metz Willits point from major transfer points throughout Manhattan and Queens. Fans can visit mets.com transportation and the MLB Ballpark app for the latest travel updates and to build a personalized travel plan before heading to Citi Field. What a disaster travel is going to be between this Peter, the potential of the World cup and the price to travel via the rails through Penn Station. What if we get to an NBA Finals? I think somebody said that there's the potential of a game. One of the games at Madison Square Garden, if the Knicks make it to the finals, would be the day of a World cup game. And Penn Station is basically going to be ostensibly closed if people don't pay $120 to ride a train. Like, come on, man, this is going to be a disaster.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This is at the moment, you know, we don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but I would say at the moment it's, it's, it's giving not what you want vibes.

[Don Hahn]

And I got to see, I got to get. I was talking to my brother about it because I wouldn't know, but he was telling me we were talking about the World Cup. He's actually interested. He's. He's. He's becoming a soccer fan, apparently.

[Alan Hahn]

Wait, really?

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Why is that?

[Don Hahn]

I'm not sure. I really don't know. I know, I know. He went to Poland last summer. Maybe that's something to do with it. I don't know.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Don Hahn]

But anytime we've had something at MetLife, it's been a disaster. Super bowl, like, people almost died at Secaucus Junction because there were just so many people on the platform. Remember, it was absolute, like, disaster. The amount of people that were waiting for that one train stop that they have at MetLife. He was telling me the horror show that WrestleMania was, oh, I met life. I met life.

[Caller]

Not bad.

[Don Hahn]

With people, like, stranded, like, walking on Route 17 because they. Apparently, they misjudged the timing and the train stopped running. So people are taking the train and no way to get home.

[Peter Rosenberg]

There's an argument to be made that it was so bad that it led to WrestleMania being too shorter nights instead of one long night.

[Alan Hahn]

Right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because it was. It went so bad.

[Don Hahn]

So the super bowl was a mess. WrestleMania's a mess. You know, the World Cup's gonna be a mess. So I stop giving us these things until they could figure it out. Honestly, I mean, I'm not trying to be that guy, but if MetLife can't handle it and they're not gonna put a stadium in the city, then maybe, you know, they shouldn't be here. Come on, man. Do you have the infrastructure to get this done? So let's see. Let's see how it works out with the World Cup.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But just the fact that it started this way, where it requires this much sort of talk in advance of it, and you're not allowed to drive, it could only be this. It's not a great start because we go through it.

[Don Hahn]

This is what's. Again, I'm not saying it's. It's special. I'm not saying it's better. It's just different. New York is different. I am sure, in other countries, when the World cup is there, everything else shuts down, right? There's other cities where you have WrestleMania or the Super Bowl. Like, New York doesn't shut down, all right? Other things are going to go on. You're still going to have, you know, Nick games, and there's still going to be baseball games going on, and there's still going to be 75% of the population that doesn't care, and they're still going to go to Broadway and They're still going to go to LA Lincoln center, and they're still going to go to their restaurants and all that stuff. So this is not the city that can just shut down for one thing. So all the World Cup. Yeah. Let's charge all this kind of money for you to take the transportation. Okay, I get it. It's a money grab. That's capitalism. But nobody thought, hey, maybe the Knicks might be playing and that people might want to be able to use the rails to be able to go to a Nick game. You never consider that. So that could be a disaster all the time. We have the US Open. Right, Peter? And it's a disaster. Why? Because the Mets are also playing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And as annoying as that is, that sounds like it's much, much better than what we're looking at for World Cup. People are used to it. Like, the Mets, US Open thing. Don is a pain in the ass, but at the end of the day, it's mostly comprised of New Yorkers figuring out how to do this thing they've done before.

[Don Hahn]

We could. We could figure it out.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But. But this is an. And as annoying as it is that you have the Arthur Ash and Citi Field right there sharing a train station, ultimately there's a train station there, and people make it work. The problem here is MetLife is so removed from so much. The public transit isn't that good, and there aren't as many options. And no one's from New York who's going. I mean, not no one, but half the crowd won't be from New York. It's going to be a pain. It's going to be a pain. It's. It's. I hate to be negative.

[Don Hahn]

It's. Yo, yo.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I guess what we're going to offer some great watch parties, though. The station is going to have watch parties from a lot of different locations

[Don Hahn]

on the World cup itself.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, no, it's on New York.

[Alan Hahn]

It's.

[Don Hahn]

No, baby, you're just. You know, we want these things, but can we handle these things? And again, I'm not pulling out of thin air. How was the Super Bowl? Like, literally, people almost died in Secaucus Junction. You had thousands of people on a platform that's not supposed to have that many people. And WrestleMania, people wandering on Patterson Plank Road having no idea how to get home because the train stopped running. What did Christie say? I didn't know it was gonna run that late. Okay, well, it's a simple phone call. When does WrestleMania end? Make sure the hour after WrestleMania ends. The train still running Seem like it's that difficult.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And by the way, that's what they do in most places. Not always that. I do remember there being a thing. Wasn't there a thing recently in. Was it Baltimore?

[Don Hahn]

No. The Nationals.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Nationals.

[Alan Hahn]

There were.

[Don Hahn]

There were. The trains stopped. Their games were still going on, and the train stopped running. What, like when they were in the World Series or something? It's like.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, guys, if there's major events, you change the train schedule.

[Don Hahn]

Listen, I'm. I'm sure it's a lot harder than I'm making it out to be, but when you actually try to bid for these events, instead of just thinking about all the money you're gonna make, ask yourself, are we ready for this? Are we prepared for this? Because in other situations, we were not prepared for this. And we were very fortunate things didn't get out of hand. And oh, by the way, no offense to Super bowl or WrestleMania, we're talking about the World cup, all right? Which in many circles is way bigger than the other two things. Maybe not to us, but the world's gonna DP descending on the Tri State area. And as Peter said, they're not as accustomed to figuring things out the way we do because we understand how difficult it is to get around for one another.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How about this? And even me as a New Yorker, like, or at least an adopted New Yorker, it's not like I'm regularly jumping on the New Jersey transit to go to MetLife Stadium. So, like, everyone's practically a rookie. Except for the. The only people who will be super familiar with this are Giants and Jets fans who take the train a lot from the city to MetLife.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. And there's not a lot of them, Peter.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No. Most people go tailgate. Most people aren't doing that.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, it's. It's not. So hopefully it goes off without a hitch, but really, what is the realistic possibility of that? But it just got me going. This has nothing to do with the possible transit strike, that those things happen. And good for the Mets coming up with a bunch of ways that you'd still get to the game. But it doesn't take much for things to be an absolute disaster. 1-800-919-3776 Moose in Jamaica. You're on ESPN, New York.

[Caller]

How are we? Good evening.

[Don Hahn]

Good, good, good, good, good.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Caller]

So, first things first. Sound the alarm. I am now a Jets fan. No longer a Giants fan. Long story short, had a conversation. Yes. With a friend back in the day. This is a long story. Not necessarily safe for the radio involving a spider man say, and so many things happening in the St. John's dorm room in 2007, in December, before finals week. Long story short. So, yeah, I want to talk about how the jets could really concentrate not so much on progression with the amount of wins they get going from three to six or seven, but the overall play development and the statistics behind their young players because it's not their time to even show an attempt to be relevant. They don't have the developed talent, they're not experienced. The quarterback isn't good enough. The weapons are better, the offensive line is great, but they're not there yet where they're going to show any ounce of real competition against the good teams in their schedule.

[Don Hahn]

You got to realize, Moose, then, then there is a very good possibility. And maybe you don't care that they're going to have a different coach, because I don't disagree with you, that it's going to be very difficult for this team to go out there and win seven, eight games. But if they have another three, four win season, then Glenn's gone and Muji will be on notice. Because you just can't lose every year, Peter. You just can't have three, four win seasons every year. And I understand they're not equipped to win at a playoff clip, but they're going to have to show you something. They're going to have to show some sort of progression. And it can't all be, oh, we were in that game. We were in this game. A break here. Break. They're going to have to start winning some games, Peter, otherwise jobs are going to be lost again.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You just can't have, as you said, you can't have year after year with nothing happens. I'm sorry. It's a tough spot because you bring in these new regimes and then the new regimes don't have time to really get it together. And then you bounce, you do it again. It's a very, very tough spot.

[Don Hahn]

Even though the losing will affect them positively by giving them a better pick in a year where there are a ton of quarterbacks, but you just can't keep throwing seasons away. Joe in Tennessee, you're on ESPN New York. Hi, Joe.

[Alan Hahn]

You needed a pilot cleanser for fraud Friday. I got one. Okay.

[Don Hahn]

All right.

[Alan Hahn]

And Judge Legretta, you're going to be judging yourself here. All right, so remember a couple days ago, and I have an odd perspective on this, as I grew up in North Jersey, I also lived for 12 years in Melbourne, Australia. Okay, so when you were, you were busting Peter about pointing out the difference in pronunciation. Peter had it kind of right. It was a little bit off. It's more a pronunciation on the mel and then burn. So just Melbourne. Very simple. Earlier in that same show, well, you're doing a little like a B, a hn. You can pronounce the R. It's just more of a pronunciation on the first syllable anyway. But, Don, earlier in that show, I was bursting with pride down here in bloody East Tennessee because you were pointing out the proper pronunciation of Boonton.

[Don Hahn]

Right.

[Alan Hahn]

Some people are. Make the. You know, they think it's boom town. They do all this nonsense. I grew up in Parsippany. I'm over the, you know, over the bridge from Boonton. So I knew. And then later on in the same show, you're taking umbrage with somebody pointing out the correct pronunciation. I call fraud. Wait.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh. Oh, that's a great point. From Boonton, New Jersey.

[Alan Hahn]

It's true. Boom.

[Don Hahn]

However, like Melbourne.

[Alan Hahn]

Same thing.

[Don Hahn]

But you just said Melbourne. You just threw in the R. They're eliminating. Eliminating. This may make no sense, Joe, I'm not mad at you, because this is a great point. I think it makes more sense to eliminate T than it is the R. I can't think of one. But I think there are examples where in the way something's pronounced that the T maybe isn't recognized. You always recognize the R, though, don't you?

[Alan Hahn]

Look, I, I, we can go. Look, I'm a writer, so we can go on down this path. But my point is, you were showing the importance of correct pronunciation. And later on in the same show, though, you were. You were all against it. You were saying, I'm going to pronounce it however I want. So I say, that's fraud.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. You know what? It's not.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's not. You know what hit the siren? He's right.

[Alan Hahn]

He's right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's right, he's right.

[Don Hahn]

It's a. It is a great point. But I'm willing to say, because I've lived in New Jersey my entire life, that we're probably mispronouncing bootin and it's just become an acceptive way of saying it because it's. Because there is the T. Right. Like, I can't jump Peter for reading it that way because he knows proper English. But you're right, whatever it is, if that's the way they pronounce it.

[Alan Hahn]

Mm. But they do believe me.

[Don Hahn]

And I. It bothers me. But you just. You made a fabulous point. I can't argue I mean, really, very, very strong.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And I don't know if I'm a fraud.

[Don Hahn]

I'm a hypocrite. Probably works better. But you're not wrong, man.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Here's the thing. The. You know, and Don, you can also. It's. Could it be the rare. It could be the rare example of not only fraud, but that guy, that guy. Fraud. We've never seen that before. It's combination.

[Don Hahn]

Because let me ask you this, because you're fighting the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're fighting their accent. It's not even that they're saying. It's like the way the pronounce it. That is just how they pronounce it because that's their accent.

[Don Hahn]

But I don't see what I need. Because listen, Boonton is not Melbourne, right? Like it's not a major city. Like, would somebody refer to it as Bhutan?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I did.

[Don Hahn]

You did. Because you just didn't know Boonton.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What? I said Boonton, N.J. but, but, but

[Don Hahn]

I would think most people outside of Melbourne would. Would pronounce it with the R, right? They don't. Maybe because of their accent or whatever.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And there's some, there's some R. It sounds like it's just not Melbourne, right?

[Don Hahn]

Melbourne. Melbourne, right. It's more like Melbourne.

[Alan Hahn]

Melbourne.

[Peter Rosenberg]

There's a little bit.

[Don Hahn]

There's a little R there.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's just not Melbourne. It's not the born identity.

[Don Hahn]

You called me out and you got it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's a great job by the caller. Great job.

[Don Hahn]

It is. It is very hypocritical. He wins. I wish there was something I can give him.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, you could give him some phone calls.

[Don Hahn]

How about that? Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start. Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to. Don't know the difference between matte paint finish and satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is. With thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro. You just have to hire one. You can hire top rated pros, see price estimates and read reviews all on the thumbtack app download today.

[Ian Fitzsimmons]

Ian Fitzsimmons here. And I'm going to be brutally honest with you, I was skeptical about ordering plants online. Like this is actually going to show up alive at my house. But after my wife and I ordered from fast growing trees, convinced they had this thing down to a science, they've built a whole system to protect your plants until they arrive. They even have a lab where they test against cold, heat, humidity, you name it. Any condition They've got it and they thrive. We couldn't believe how good our plants looked when they arrived at our doorstep and everything showed up exactly how we expected. A perfectly healthy plant that was easy to unbox and ready to go. Every order is backed by they're alive and thrive again guarantee and you'll get ongoing support from real knowledgeable experts. They have unbelievable deals on spring planting essentials. And right now you can get an additional 20% off your first order. With the code sports at checkout that's 20% off at fast growing trees.com with the code sports terms and conditions apply. Again, that's fast growing trees.com code sports

[Don Hahn]

need parts fast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

O'Reilly Auto Parts as fast need them now we've got now no matter what

[Don Hahn]

you need, we have thousands of professional

[Peter Rosenberg]

parts people doing their part to make

[Don Hahn]

sure you have it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We're O'Reilly fast. Just one part that makes O'Reilly stand apart. The professional parts people.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, oh, oh. O'Reilly Auto Parts.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast. I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Alan Hahn]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want.

[Don Hahn]

Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. Finish up the calls. Let's go to Eric in Mawa. You're on ESPN New York.

[Caller]

Hey, what's going on? Happy Friday.

[Alan Hahn]

All right.

[Don Hahn]

Happy Friday, buddy.

[Caller]

So listen, I'm calling in about the guy who, who called in to criticize fraud alert Friday, right? I'm married to a Red Sox fan. My stepdad's a huge Mex fan. He was a game 6 in 86. I am a die hard Yankees fan. They lost the 2001 World Series the day before my 10th birthday. They won the 2009 World Series right before my 18th birthday. I can watch a Red Sox game with my wife and just actively enjoy the game. I can watch a Mets game with my stepdad. I've been to multiple games with them. Enjoy the game. Would I ever root for either of those teams? No. But I can respect them. I can respect the fandoms. I don't have to incite violence. I don't know where he got that from. But ultimately, I mean, I don't get these people who take it so literally, you know, that that's ultimately my problem. Huge fan of you guys, though. Been listening since just before 1947, the Ruko days. And Peter have a signed copy of Real Late you signed at the TMKs 20th anniversary, have it framed right above our record collection. So just want to say thank you to you guys. Don, I'm from Mawa, and I'll hang up and listen.

[Don Hahn]

Thank you, Eric.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Don, you know, I once said something that was joking on the show, but it's also true. It's kidding on the square. Tell me if I'm wrong. Doesn't it seem that the Rosenberg guys, the people who call up, who are specific, outright Rosenberg guys, are always the smartest, most calm, reasonable, best people who call the show. That's a gentleman who just called.

[Don Hahn]

It's an observation. Sure.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, just tell me. Pay attention. When they mention that they go, you know, Peter, and they have something nice to say as opposed to the opposite. I'm very proud of my rosebuds.

[Don Hahn]

It does feel like they're very well spoken, intelligent people, thoughtful, thoughtful people.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now, this guy is just a fan of the whole program. Now, by the way, it seems as if the powers that be at our program here. It's almost as if they're trolling Alan at this point and they want there to be problems. If I didn't know any better, I would say, did you see the video that was put out from the show earlier?

[Don Hahn]

No, I did not see that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

There's already a video that in huge bold letters says K show reunion with pictures of me, you and Michael. And then it says, michael K, all caps, reunites with Peter and Don. There's a chance Alan may not come back on Monday.

[Ad Voice]

You know how the algorithm works.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, no, by the way, guess what? It was genius. It's doing well and the troll was really well done.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, I mean, listen, it was a union and it was that, but.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But still.

[Don Hahn]

Peter, I just saw your new avatar

[Ad Voice]

on Twitter and I thought you got taken over by a coinbase account.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's to validate me.

[Ad Voice]

No, I know, but at first I was like, oh, what mailchimp. Is Peter trying to send Peter coin?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm selling Pete Coin, Rose coin. Even now, Jefferson has claimed credit for this video title and layout. It's a good job by him. It's doing well already gaining views and comments early on and people are waxing poetic about missing the show.

[Don Hahn]

Well, it was a thing, man. What are you going to do?

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's a moment in time.

[Don Hahn]

It was a decade with the three of us. It was 22 years. The Michael K. Show. 20 of it spent in afternoon drive. I mean, yeah, it was a thing. Let's go to Anthony on the Jersey Shore. You're on espn, New York.

[Caller]

Hey, fellas. How's it going?

[Don Hahn]

Good, how are you?

[Caller]

Good, good. First time, Long time. So it's really good to speak to you guys. But, Peter, I've been listening to you since I was a Little Kid on 97. Big Hip Hop fan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, thanks, man.

[Caller]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. The main reason I called o', Don, I was actually at the graduation yesterday.

[Alan Hahn]

Just wanted to let you know you crushed the speech.

[Caller]

Yeah, that was great. Everybody in the crowd was engaged.

[Alan Hahn]

You brought. Brought a lot of energy, so it was great.

[Don Hahn]

Well, that's what I was hoping to do, man. I appreciate that. Thank you so much.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's my guy, Donnie Pucks, right there.

[Caller]

Yeah, yeah, no, I was.

[Alan Hahn]

I was joking around with my dad

[Caller]

because we go to the beach bash, so seeing you on the stage screaming and singing to college graduation, it's pretty funny.

[Don Hahn]

Thank you so much, Anthony, for the. For the kind words. And I had forgotten about it because this is. This has been a process for a while. Peter. They asked me a few months ago, so I had forgotten they had asked what my walk up song would be.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh.

[Don Hahn]

So when they introduced me, they played Freedom by Rage against the Machine, which would be my walk up song if I ever was a major.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And they did it for you at Rambo.

[Alan Hahn]

And they did it.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How'd it feel?

[Don Hahn]

It was cool. It was very early.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, listen, the reviews are clearly in. Well, listen, Clapish himself.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, that's. I'm sure he's heard a speech or two, so that made me feel pretty good. It was fun. And thanks to all the people at Ramapo and congratulations to all the graduates. And now it's on, man. But it was. It was a really great day. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't want to know how the

[Alan Hahn]

sausage is made, but I just want to know it's good.

[Don Hahn]

Hear more of Don Allen and Peter.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8

[Don Hahn]

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

[Ad Voice]

If you've ever wanted real energy without choking down something that tastes like regret, Bucked up is the answer. The flavor is the thing people keep coming back for. Insanely delicious, which is not a phrase usually associated with energy drinks. And they're built on real science backed ingredients. Clean energy that actually works without the garbage you don't want. Bucked up is so confident you'll love their drinks, they're giving away an island vacation just to prove it. That's the kind of brand this is. No purchase necessary. Giveaway ends May 30th. Enter and find your closest Bucked [e-mail]. grab a Bucked up and feel like a million bucks.