Hour 3: Baseball Streaming & Mets Walked Off

Summary

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Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 3: Baseball Streaming & Mets Walked Off

Date: April 1, 2026
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Producer/Caller Contributions: Anthony, Spike, Charlie

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the challenges of broadcasting baseball in the streaming era, using Netflix’s recent MLB Opening Night broadcast and its disappointing viewership as a jumping-off point. Don and Alan critique the attempt to broaden baseball’s appeal beyond its core regional fan base, and draw parallels to previous failed sports marketing experiments. They also dissect the Mets’ walk-off loss to the Cardinals, the Yankees’ strong pitching, and weigh in on the state of the Knicks as the NBA postseason approaches. The chemistry is lively, mixing sharp sports analysis, personal anecdotes, and classic New York banter.

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Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. The Flop of Baseball Streaming on Netflix

• Viewership Letdown: Netflix’s MLB Opening Night (Yankees-Giants) drew only about 3 million viewers, far below expectations and even less than NBC’s broadcast of Diamondbacks-Dodgers (“NBC drew 3.2 million viewers, and that was more than Netflix” - Alan, 01:54).

• Takeaway: It's not a lack of access—when there’s something people want, Netflix numbers can be massive (e.g., 27.5 million for Lions-Vikings NFL on Christmas, peaked at 30 million, Alan, 07:31).

  “What baseball has to truly understand, and hockey should take note of this as well, you are a regional sport.”
  — Don, 03:29

  “You’re so right. They were always hunting for other people. …We want to do is make it a spectacle. Oh, it’s opening night. No, baseball’s not opening night. Baseball’s Opening Day.”
  — Alan, 06:47

• Critique of Broadcasting Style: Too much spectacle and “crap” that chases casual fans but alienates the real baseball audience:

  “You broadcasted in a way to win over people that aren’t going to watch that game on a bet. So can we stop hunting down the people that don’t care? Baseball fans care. Give them a baseball game.”
  — Don, 05:04

• Parallel to Fox & the NHL (Glow Pucks):
  Fox’s NHL broadcasts in the ‘90s tried to dumb the sport down for broader appeal (glowing pucks, robots), which only insulted true fans:

  “They did glow pucks and they treated us like idiots.”
  — Alan, 09:52
  “They dumbed it down to the most ridiculous level. And nobody took it seriously.”
  — Don, 12:07

• Lesson for Leagues: Embrace your regional identity and core fans.

2. How Baseball Should Approach Streaming

• Lean In to Tradition: Afternoon ‘Opening Day’ games with all teams playing and whiparounds to other games, making the day feel big.

• Highlight Star Power and Rivalries: Feature marquee matchups (like Yankees-Dodgers, Ohtani vs Judge), not “nothing burger” games.

  “Give them Yankees, Dodgers, Ohtani and Judge. …make it about baseball. Not just a non rival game between the Yankees and Giants. …And you’re giving me comedians and wrestlers…”
  — Don, 16:11

• Stop Gimmicks: Avoid comedians and personalities not rooted in the sport; at best, this pleases no one.

  “You are … trying to fool you into … watching it, you know, and Fox thought, you know what, we’ll put robots and we’ll have glowing pucks and everything.”
  — Don, 11:56

3. Live Reaction – Mets Walked Off by Cardinals

• Game Breakdown:
  Mets lose 2–1 in 11 innings to St. Louis on a dinky pop-up; offense flat (Lindor 0-4, Soto 1-5, others struggling).

• Key Moments:

  • Soto’s Solo HR was the only Mets run (“Their only offense today was a Juan Soto solo home run, that should have been a two-run shot. But Lindor got picked off of first base before the Soto home run.” — Don, 23:30)
  • Lindor’s Mental Lapses:
    • Picked off before Soto’s HR.
    • Forgot how many outs there were in the first inning, costing a double play.
  • **Don and Alan debate leadership and accountability for mistakes. (“Forgetting how many outs there are—you gotta see the pickoff. …He was so—his mind someplace else. …I’m sorry that you’re not locked in. You got to lock in here.” — Don, 44:56)

• Team Assessment:

  “The Mets just couldn’t … everybody come converging and just fell in and it’s not really about the bullpen … It’s Lindor over four, Soto one for five… just trying to find some offense…”
  — Don, 23:30

4. Yankees Update: Dominant Pitching

• Yankees up 4–0 vs Mariners:

  • “Schlitler, in his second appearance, was just as sensational as his first…six innings, 73 pitches, and he was lights out.” — Alan, 47:26
  • Early-season pitch count management discussed; Don and Alan agree on the wisdom of keeping young arms healthy long-term.

• Strategy:

  “You want him healthy and ready all season long because he’s still a kid. That’s smart, that’s doing your due diligence.”
  — Don, 48:31

5. Knicks (and NBA) Cross-Talk

• Is Mike Brown’s Time Up? Discussion initiated by caller Spike (26:48) and built on by Don and Alan.
• Criticism: Inconsistency, failure to get the most out of a roster with two All-NBA players (Brunson & Towns), lack of identity.
  • “On paper, seems to make sense, but it doesn’t. When you watch them play, there’s something missing.” — Alan, 29:56
• Comparison to Last Season:
  • Same record as last year, but feel and effectiveness are not the same—“the team … has a lot of talent and no identity.” (34:32)

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Netflix’s MLB viewership woes:

  • “All the pomp and circumstance, all the, the thing, the hand, the… All the crap they did pregame, nobody was watching. I promise you, the 3 million, the majority of it had to have been from first pitch to last pitch… Because what baseball has to truly understand—and hockey should take note of this as well—you are a regional sport.” — Don (02:38-03:29)

• On trying to win ‘new’ fans instead of serving regulars:

  • “You broadcasted in a way to win over people that aren’t going to watch that game on a bet… can we stop hunting down the people that don’t care? Baseball fans care. Give them a baseball game.” — Don (04:54-05:04)

• On failed innovations ("glow puck" analogy):

  • “They did glow pucks and they treated us like idiots. …it pissed off your fan. …But we do it too much.” — Alan (09:52-10:51)

• On star matchups:

  • “You give them Yankees, Dodgers, Ohtani and Judge. …and you do a broadcast around …here’s why you should be following baseball: two of the studs of our league are playing against each other.” — Don (16:11)

• On the Mets’ struggles:

  • “Mets have lost to the Cardinals at 11 by the final score of 2 to 1 on a just perfectly placed popup that falls in for the game winning hit… Lindor over four, Soto one for five… five hits against the St. Louis Cardinals. Team is not supposed to be any good and now they lost a series…” — Don (23:30)

• Mets leadership issues:

  • “Lindor forgot how many outs there were… Didn’t cost the Mets any runs, but extended the inning… I don’t know if one has to do with the other, but come on, you’re… you’re the leader on this team. Let’s get going here.” — Don (43:16)

• Yankees rotation/pitch count logic:

  • “He went through six innings, 73 pitches, and he was lights out… But early in season, that’s what we’re doing, right? The 80 pitches is your limit. So you got to 80 and you’re done.” — Alan (47:26)

• Knicks critique:

  • “The Knicks have two all NBA players. And yet do you watch them this season and say they should be able to win the NBA championship? You don’t.” — Alan (31:32)
  • “You fired a coach because you felt like he was driving the team too hard. …You bring in a coach and he changes everything… and after that, you could tell they hit a wall physically, …they realized we can’t play that way over 82 games… now they’re a team that has a lot of talent and no identity.” — Alan (34:32)

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Additional Segments & Memorable Banter

• Baseball’s “regional” identity defended:
  Both hosts take issue with the idea it’s an insult—regional sports are healthy because of localized passion and sellouts.

• Fan Calls (notably Spike & Charlie):

  • Spike gives detailed Knicks opinions, agreeing “Mike Brown’s gotta go," offers creative rotations, and highlights Hart & Robinson as bright spots.
  • Charlie reminisces about Rangers-Devils goalie fights; Don details what happened in the most recent one, emphasizing the unexpected joys of sports attendance (38:12).

• Light Moments:

  • Don and Alan’s ongoing joke about being ahead/behind on the game feed:

    “I actually know what happened next week. That’s how far ahead I am.” — Alan (20:33)

  • Banter about mistakes/broadcasting chemistry compared to baseball snafus (46:48-47:20).

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Timestamps for Notable Segments

• Netflix MLB numbers & analysis: 01:35–09:08
• Regional sports, fan base focus: 03:29–06:28
• Lessons from Fox NHL coverage: 09:52–12:16
• How Opening Day should be broadcast: 14:43–17:54
• Mets walk-off loss and breakdown: 19:03–25:00
• Knicks issues & coaching debate (w/ Spike): 26:48–34:32
• Rangers-Devils goalie fight story: 35:14–40:15
• Lindor’s mental lapses + team leadership debate: 43:16–44:56
• Yankees pitcher usage logic: 47:26–50:01

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Conclusion

This episode offers a passionate, nuanced critique of how major leagues and broadcasters sometimes lose the plot in pursuit of casual fans, at the expense of the loyal base that actually tunes in. Don and Alan’s New York sensibility shines through in the banter, the detailed breakdown of team struggles, and the candid, sometimes comical, view on the “business” of sports. For listeners interested in media, team culture, and old-school sports talk, this hour serves as a smart, entertaining ride through the state of New York sports and beyond.

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Transcript

[Don Hahn]

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[Alan Hahn]

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[Podcast Announcer]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don Hahn]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Podcast Announcer]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80. ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.

[Don Hahn]

Game time is brought to you by Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey. Because when it's game time,

[Caller Spike]

it's Tommy time.

[Don Hahn]

It's Tolly time. The Knicks visit the Grizzlies with coverage immediately following Dan Grassa on 880 at 7:30. Well, hold your horses. Mets and Cardinals are still going, so we'll see if it's on 880 or not. Mets and the Cardinals again in the. Going to the bottom of the 10th, tied at 1. Yankees and the Mariners. What's the latest there, Anthony? I know you're all over it. Thank you. You're gonna make me look it up

[Alan Hahn]

you, but Yankees 11 nothing. Yankees. I'm sorry, I was, I was going to give you.

[Caller Anthony]

I understand completely.

[Alan Hahn]

Something interesting here if you want to finish one nothing.

[Caller Anthony]

Bottom fourth.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

One nothing. Bottom four.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Schlitler on the mountain though. Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Well, that's the zero tells you that story.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Telemore do the original triple distill, triple blended and triple cast matured Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore Dew or try to do Tullamore do honey during tonight's action. Glasses up to enjoying Tullamore do responsibly. Something interesting.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Before you pay off your. Your Knicks tease, the Yankees Giants opener, opening night game that we all were just, you know, complaining about on Netflix.

[Don Hahn]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

How? Give me a number. What do you think? They drew 10 million viewers. How many?

[Don Hahn]

10 million.

[Alan Hahn]

Lower, Bob.

[Don Hahn]

Okay.

[Alan Hahn]

Eight lower. Six lower. Yeah. Four lower. What if I told you that NBC the next night had Diamondbacks and Dodgers and that game On NBC drew 3.2 million viewers?

[Don Hahn]

Okay.

[Alan Hahn]

And that was more than Netflix.

[Don Hahn]

Well, that makes sense.

[Alan Hahn]

Over the air it was more by 200,000.

[Don Hahn]

So 3 million people.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Don Hahn]

Tuned in. Yankees, Giants, crap. Game 7. Nothing as far as like a national perspective. That's. They have to be disappointed.

[Alan Hahn]

Very. In fact, Austin Karp from Sports Business Journal said that was the preliminary number, but it took a while to come out because Netflix kept thinking something was wrong with Nielsen. Oh, the Nielsen must have this wrong. There's no way it's only 3 million. It was only 3 million. So all the pomp and circumstance, all the, the Thing, the hand, the. All the crap they did pregame, nobody was watching. I promise you, the 3 million, the majority of it had to have been from first pitch to last pitch. Had. Had to have been because.

[Don Hahn]

But what that tells you, did you

[Alan Hahn]

get bang for your buck?

[Don Hahn]

Well, they got 3 million people to find out everything that Netflix is about, I guess. Right.

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, you see the numbers that Netflix is put there pulling.

[Don Hahn]

They might have.

[Alan Hahn]

During the game. They might have had more people viewing other things in that game.

[Don Hahn]

Netflix has gotten gargantuan numbers with different things that they've done. So it's not a quick case of, well, people don't have Netflix or people don't want to go to Netflix. When there's something there they want, they'll go to it. But what baseball has to truly understand, and hockey should take note of this as well, you are a regional sport.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Don Hahn]

Now, when people hear that it could sound pejorative, like you're insulting the league saying, oh, well, you're. You're a regional sport. No, no, no. Regional. That's good.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. I don't know why that's considered like a curse.

[Don Hahn]

Because the one thing that I think, you know, whenever they throw out a number for big events, like whether it's a big golf tournament, there's a big fight, mma, you know, you see all these gargantuan numbers and all that stuff.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Oh. See how much popular they are. Stop it. The four major sports. All right, but let's leave the regionals. Baseball and hockey, right?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

How about. Let's combine all the. Not like last night. There was what, like. Anthony, there might be like these 10 games last night in the NHL, not

[Alan Hahn]

12 and the NBA. Lot of action last night.

[Don Hahn]

Put all of the local numbers together. What do you get? Now you'll throw, I'm sure, ABC's. What was it? Bruins, Red Wings on. I think that was the game on Saturday night, Right. Anthony on ABC probably maybe did a million people. Because it's a regional sport.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

Red Wing fans and Flyer fans watched, and a few other hockey fans maybe popped it on. But. But if you combine all the numbers of all the games last night, you would get a big number, because that's what's good about regional sports, is that people care about their teams. When their teams are playing, they'll watch. Madison Square Garden was filled last night, even though the Devils and the Rangers are out of it. That building was full and there was energy. It's nothing wrong with being a regional sport. But when you try to be something you're not. That's when you get exposed. So you decide, I want to do this bit. We're going to do this big thing. We're going to build it up at a big national game. And then you get embarrassed because you know what? The numbers aren't there because you know who tuned into the game. Yankee fans and Giant fans. And what you did to those Yankee fans and Giants fans, you insulted their intelligence by broadcasting the way you did. You broadcasted in a way to win over people that aren't going to watch that game on a bet. So can we stop hunting down the people that don't care? Baseball fans care. Give them a baseball game. I'm sure that number would have been a lot better had the game been better. And maybe the number would have been better even at 7 nothing, if they weren't bombarded with all the promotions and all the comedy and all the garbage where the baseball fans like, you know what? I'm good. It's seven nothing. I'll listen to the rest of the game on the radio or I'll check the score tomorrow.

[Alan Hahn]

That's your problem. What's the difference? Netflix had the Lions Vikings game on Christmas Day. Do you know what that brought viewership wise? Huh?

[Don Hahn]

12.

[Alan Hahn]

Higher, Bob.

[Don Hahn]

See? 15.

[Alan Hahn]

Higher, Bob. 20. Higher, Bob.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, see, this is embarrassing.

[Alan Hahn]

It is. It's Christmas Day and people knew where to go to find the Lions Vikings, which as we know, is a national treasure that we all look forward to seeing every year, right? 27.5 million. It peaked at 30 million. So you're right, it is that. That's. You know what? That's exactly what. You're so right. They were hunt. They were always hunting for other people. Because the two teams playing. We know. We got you. What we want to do is make it a spectacle. Oh, it's opening night. No, baseball's not opening night. Baseball's opening. What? Don't. What do they call it in baseball?

[Don Hahn]

Day?

[Alan Hahn]

Opening day. Problem is, wasn't day. It was evening in San Francisco and for the rest of the country it was night. It's not opening night. Nobody's used to that. So you've created something that never existed before and thought baseball fans will want to be part of the first game of the season. The problem is you didn't give baseball fans what they look for, which is opening day, sun splashed field shirt sleeves and baseball. You gave them an evening game. You did it in the middle of the week and there was nothing else happening in baseball around it, which no one's Used to. That's the problem. You tried to repackage something that no one wanted repackaged and that's why no one watched.

[Don Hahn]

Just be what you are.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Don Hahn]

Now you should always try to improve. And I always think and be forward thinking and there's different ways to abs

[Alan Hahn]

Is forward thinking all that. We like that.

[Don Hahn]

But it's. Possible. So if we're going to go forward broadcasting baseball games, the baseball fan will respect us and come watch us because they're already apprehensive. Baseball fans have already told you they don't like the whole app thing. Not their thing.

[Alan Hahn]

Nope.

[Don Hahn]

Older people don't like it. Not their thing. But I understand it's a money grab post Covid. I'm all for everybody making as much money as they can. But instead of trying to reinvent the wheel and try. Instead of trying to win over fans you can't win over, just make the experience for the baseball fan that much better.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Don Hahn]

And now that you can move on from it and become a respected entity when it comes to baseball instead of clowning it. That's the same stuff that's happened with the apple too. Oh, you know, listen, I like Katie Nolan for what she does, but put Katie Nolan on a broadcast when they first started. Why she's not a baseball fan. What are you doing?

[Alan Hahn]

But she had a following.

[Don Hahn]

So we thought. So let's hope. See, you got to stop with that.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Because they're following. Because the problem is her followers are going to expect Katie Nolan to be Katie Nolan.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

And now they're going to be disappointed because they're not getting the Katie Nolan that they've seen because she's trying to be a broadcaster. Now they're kicked off.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

And the baseball fans ticked off. It's like, why Katie Nolan is not even a baseball fan there.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, that's exactly it.

[Don Hahn]

You are.

[Alan Hahn]

But we can't do that. And you know what this reminds me of? Yes, go ahead. Because this is where I was going to dig. People think this is nothing new, by the way. Everybody, this is not a new thing. We're not old men screaming at a cloud. Because we were young men screaming at a cloud. When Fox took the NHL back in the 90s and we thought this is great. The NHL back on a national broadcast network getting big time coverage. And Fox was going to take it because they had lost the NFL and they thought this is going to be our thing. And the problem is, is they did glow pucks and they treated us like idiots. It became like they dumbed it down because Fox said most of the country doesn't know hockey. We need to make it easier to watch. So we're going to do all these innovative video game type stuff that will draw in people. And, and you know what it did? It pissed off your, your fan. It pissed off the ones who were coming from the beginning that you can't do that. But we do it too much.

[Don Hahn]

I know. Because people aren't that much different. Alan.

[Alan Hahn]

Everybody else will figure it out though. Don. Right. Don't you think if something's worth watching, I'll figure. You think people in America know how football works? Average people?

[Don Hahn]

No big.

[Alan Hahn]

Really average people understand the rules of football? No, but you figure it out. But you watch it enough because it's interesting.

[Don Hahn]

Because I'll be honest with you, I was late to hockey compared to baseball and basketball and football. So my dad wasn't a hockey fan and hockey wasn't on television all that often.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay, but I want. That's in the 11th, by the way. Just so you know. Top of the 11th.

[Don Hahn]

This, this sport interested me. So I, I went, I took it about myself to kind of learn it. I had a buddy, John Stark, who was like teaching me. I came in. I didn't ask them to dumb it down for me. I didn't ask them to entertain me clowns with some pomp and circumstance from other things. I said, you know, I don't want to get to know the sport. And I got to know it by watching it, learning the game and saying, you know, them offering me what they had, I liked it and I stuck with it.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Don Hahn]

Not trying to Jimmy Switcher or kind of fool you into to watching it, you know, and, and Fox thought, you know what, we'll put robots and we'll have glowing pucks and everything.

[Alan Hahn]

Let's dumb it down.

[Don Hahn]

We're gonna. Let's dumb it down for the yo, yo. That doesn't understand hockey. And you know what? It bastardized it. No one took Fox seriously.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

And. And then you've got who I. A guy. And I have the game on. On VHS. Because the Devils won the cup in 95, the first year of Fox. And James Brown, God love him, exceptional talent was the main guy for it. And at the end of the broad, the Devils lift the cup. They're skating around the ice. And James Brown basically admitted, we want to thank the CBC for teaching us hockey during this year. Like they didn't know anything about it. And they broadcasted it. They dumbed it down to like the most ridiculous level. And Nobody took it seriously. Painful, you know, and that's what it's like Netflix did. It says, listen, we know a lot of people don't like baseball, but come watch the broadcast anyway. We'll entertain you. And the baseball will be in the background and the baseball fans insulted, and the other people are like, listen, I can get this yo, yo stuff anywhere. I don't have to watch a damn baseball game to see it.

[Alan Hahn]

Right, right, right, right.

[Don Hahn]

We're chasing after shadows, Alan. Just do a damn good broadcast with the sport that, you know, that people love and care about. Do it the proper way. I'm not saying you can't reinvent things and do things differently and come up with different interesting angles and stuff. I'm all for that. But to just make it not about the thing you're supposed to be broadcasting seems counterproductive to me.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, I don't know when we're gonna get to a point where that'll stop, but it really. I think if this doesn't show anything, and I don't know what the excuse will be, but if this doesn't show Netflix and anyone else, that taking. Taking something tradition, especially tradition like baseball and trying to repackage it and thinking people will just follow you, you're wrong. So 3 million. You got what you deserved. Because I really do believe that the smarter thing to do if you're a baseball, especially baseball, because that's regional, just like hockey's regional. Be who you are. You know what, guys? Our broadcast partners. Opening day is a thing in baseball. All the games playing at once, it's just a thing. It's what we're about. Can't we do better than just a standalone game where we think the whole league will want to watch because it's the first game of the year, it's not the NFL. The whole league watches the NFL because it's the NFL. It's different because I don't even think opening night in the NBA is the same thing.

[Don Hahn]

I. I don't think it's like, not everybody plays.

[Alan Hahn]

No. And it's just opening night is usually a doubleheader, and then the next night, everybody plays. But the problem is, is that I don't think everybody's watching opening night with the same excitement as you're watching the first. You know, the Thursday of the first week because it's usually the defending champion. And then whatever else, the hot team of the year, whatever it is, the. You have to. As Netflix, if they're going to continue to do the first game of the year, if that's part of their deal, you have to then say all right, that did not work. We need to make our game needs to be an afternoon game, late afternoon, whatever it is. Make it something so that in the east coast it's still a sun splashed field and everybody else is playing around it. And you do whip arounds in between innings. You do look ins so that it feels bigger than because the whole league is happening and you don't have to go anywhere. We have our game and we're going to keep you up on all the great stuff happening around the league. That is how you do it in opening day baseball.

[Don Hahn]

And also instead of just taking the

[Alan Hahn]

money, well that's too late.

[Don Hahn]

Be a part of it. The NFL decided we are going to give NBC a standalone Thursday game to kick off the season.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

You don't get Jaguars Panthers on that game. You get the defending super bowl champion, a popular team, the next league and you. And now let's go.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Don Hahn]

All right. So you got the Yankees. You got that right. But you know the Giants, they're not predicted to really do anything. They don't have any like superstars. You know what you do? You give them Yankees, Dodgers, Ohtani and Judge.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh come on.

[Don Hahn]

And then you do a broadcast around. Hey non baseball fans, here's why you should be following baseball. Two of the studs of our league are playing against each other and you extenuate why? Accentuate why Judge is so good and how rare it is for Ohtani to be a pitcher and a hitter at the same time and make it about baseball.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Don Hahn]

Not just a non rival game between the Yankees and Giants. It's a nothing burger.

[Alan Hahn]

Nothing burger.

[Don Hahn]

And you're giving me comedians and wrestlers

[Alan Hahn]

and hands sitting in his guy sitting in the boat in McCovey Cove.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

And most of the time you're going what is this? What is he doing?

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, it's not enough.

[Alan Hahn]

I know he's got a following. I get it. There's a following. People are interested in it. It's what you said. It wasn't enough. If you're a follower of the comedian, it wasn't enough to stay tuned because they didn't show him enough. He wasn't a main character. They just checked in on him. And if you're a baseball fan you're annoyed. So nobody really came away from this thing happy and not enough people stayed on it. But you're right. Give me the two mega teams play each other and and I'm saying give me a whip around. Check in around you can do that because there's so many breaks during a game. A live inning where a pitcher is toeing the rubber and. Or something's going on, whatever it is. All right, check in here real quick. You do it fast and you could show the highlights. Even if it happened minutes, who cares? Show me highlights of what's happened around the league. It makes it feel bigger. That's what I would do if I could rethink how Netflix is doing the first game of the season.

[Don Hahn]

And the same thing with ESPN and TNT's trying to do, too. That's the one thing I think that they've done a good job with hockey. I'm not. I'm not going to get stupid and dumb it down. You know, I'm going to give you. You know, I'm going to shove down your throat. Connor McDavid, Macklin, Celebrini.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Matthews highlights I'm going to give you. Here's what I'm going to give you players so that you're like, this is why you should be able to follow hockey, because Connor McDavid's one of the best players in the world. And I'll give you some ovection and show you the history. I'll give you some cross. That's what you want.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Don Hahn]

Like that. Give me more of the sport you're trying to sell. And that's why these leagues got to step. The NFL would have never allowed that broadcast from Netflix, you know? I know. Because the NFL didn't allow NBC to have Mike Tirico right away. If you remember, they said, no, you're not getting Mike Tirico. We want out Michaels because Al Michaels is a bigger name. They're not. You're not going to take our product to do whatever the hell you want. Yeah, but baseball was quick to take the cash instead of saying, you know what? No. No comedians. No. No promotions. With this another. You're. You're going to do certain things, but there's going to be certain things. We're like, no, no, no, no, no, you're not doing that.

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Don Hahn]

You're not embarrassing our fan base.

[Alan Hahn]

No, they shouldn't want the money. Oh, my God. Broken bat. Mets had bases loaded, one out and Beatty broken bat tried to. So Soto gets thrown out at home. It's unbelievable. Still bases loaded now, but still like, like, of all things, like, if he, if he hits that clean, he probably gets a single and that's a run or two scored.

[Caller Anthony]

Well, I gotta blame Jacob here.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, Jake. Oh, why he called it oh, yes.

[Don Hahn]

I watched Brett Beatty just ground out right into the dirt into a force play. Oh, well, you know what? I need you to keep pipe down because you're ahead of me.

[Caller Anthony]

I'm still in the 10th inning. We in the 11th inning. I'm watching a game against the Pirates.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, no, that was last week.

[Don Hahn]

Marcus Simeon up. Simeon, he's 2 for 19 as a Met, but his moment Bichette, by the

[Caller Anthony]

way, there's a lot of guys struggling offensively.

[Alan Hahn]

Another one of these at bats where you're just like, that guy can hit like if you didn't know who he was. It's, it's, it really is. If you're a Mets fan right now, you're waiting for it and that'll probably be the end of the inning on a fly out.

[Don Hahn]

You don't even listen to me.

[Caller Anthony]

It's not, it's like we're not here.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, it's like I don't exist. Well, I mean, I'm trying to ruining the baseball experience.

[Caller Anthony]

He's got, he's got Netflix.

[Alan Hahn]

Am I Netflixing this for you, Don?

[Caller Anthony]

He's got the dirty. You know that. So he's like six pitches ahead.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, I'm way ahead. I actually know what happened next week. That's how far ahead I am.

[Don Hahn]

I also need to let you know that the NFL draft is coming up on Thursday, April 20, and New York is on the clock. The jets pick second and 16th, the Giants pick fifth, and Rick D. Pietro and Dave Rothenberg are breaking it all down live. Join ESPN New York's Coach Couchcast your second screen for the NFL draft. Real time reaction, instant takes, and everything New York fans care about. Watch along, react with us, and don't miss a single moment. ESPN New York's Couchcast is on draft night, April 23rd at 8pm presented by Calandra's Bakery.

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[Podcast Announcer]

thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don Hahn]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Podcast Announcer]

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

[Don Hahn]

Certainly not a way to lose a game, but the Mets have lost to the Cardinals at 11 by the final score of 2 to 1 on a just perfectly placed pop up that falls in for the game winning hit and the Mets just couldn't, you know, everybody come converging and just fell in and it's not really about the bullpen. It's not really about how they lost the game in the bottom of the 11th inning. It's Lindor over four, Soto one for five. You know Bichette's one for five, Polanco one for four, Robert one for four. It's Simeon's oh for four today, two for 19 on the season, Alvarez over three, Taylor over two. They had five hits against the St. Louis Cardinals. Team is not supposed to be any good and now they lost a series so I know it's early, not going to get crazy. They're 3 and 3. They won a series against Pittsburgh, lose a series against the Cardinals, but you know, just trying to find some offense and their only offense today was a Juan Soto solo home run that should have been a two Run shot. But Lindor got picked off of first base before the Soto home run. So you get aggravated when you lose games or you're not doing the things you're supposed to be doing. So Mets lose, Yankees now in action. And we'll keep you updated on that.

[Caller Anthony]

So I guess first and second with two outs on the top of the six, it's one nothing. Judge also over on the day.

[Don Hahn]

Well, he had that little bit of an outburst in San Francisco, but the Yankee pitching has just been unreal. It's been un. Cam is dealing and, and you've got two really good pitchers on their way back that aren't even a part of this rotation yet. So the Yankees are scary good and the Mets are. Listen, there's a lot of eyeballs on the Mets when you make the moves that they make. And I'm certainly not going to sit here and judge based off of six games, but you'd like a little bit of a better start than they've had. So the Mets are already done, which means somewhere around 6 o', clock, hopefully in time for Ennis. We'll be back on 880. So keep an eye on what's happening in the baseball, the Knicks. We'll get back to your phone calls that at 1-800-919-3776. You know what? We opened the show talking about Mike Brown and to reiterate what I said, if I'm the Knicks and I believe Mike Brown's a problem, I make the move now rather than later. But the other thing that needs to be considered here too, guys, is the fact that it's not just a coaching problem. There's guys that are not living up to expectations. There's a lot of issues around this Knicks team as we close into the final six weeks of the season as the Yankees have just hit a three run home run Goldschmidt, his first home run of the year, breaking that game open. So one nothing, four nothing. Yankees against Seattle. All right, let's get back to the phones at 1-800-919-3776. Always a pleasure to talk to Sports Spike in St. Pete. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, Spike?

[Caller Spike]

Yeah, well, forgive my voice. First of all, happy Easter to your families and pass over to those who observe it. Alan, I gotta give you my old take on what I have seen. When you refer to things not meaning you particularly. Well, they're fifth in defense. You know how skewed that is, how you pilot up against the, you know, the wannabes and the has beens. Mike Brown's gotta go. I agree with Don. I do. I totally agree with Don. By not making. When you have like Murray and Jokic or whoever and whoever, you got a 1, 2 kick that should get you conservatively 45 points a game and 7, 8, 9 assists and 15, 16 rebounds combined. Yes, as Ty Butler calls it, the traffic goes on defense. Every team the Knicks play, every single team the Knicks play before that first six minute timeout, the other team is anywhere from 4 for 10 or 4 for 8 on threes. They start the game and get caught up in a switch. Bridges is a very good on demand defender off support. He stinks and you know I'm right. He gets jammed up on switches with help to help or help. He's never there. He's, he's. I don't care. Five draft picks you tell. I'll give you five draft picks that stink. I just think that Mike Brown molded the team the same way he did the Kings. With Cleveland. It was different. He had LeBron. I think you make the change now and honestly look. You think Tom Pivotal Care says he's getting $10 million a year to knock the coach. I would go to him, but Dolan won't swallow his pride. That's the right move because you're having a career year from Josh Hart and every team in the NBA has the template what to do with Jalen Brunson. And I don't know as much basketball as you do or others forgot you played Brunson off the ball. Josh Hart is terrific bringing the ball up and once in a while picking up his speed and getting the layup. He sees the floor better. He's not the greatest ball handler, but he's good enough. And he worked on his shot this year, shooting a career high at 3. You got to make a move now. They're dead. This team is dead. And the bonus to the whole thing this year is all year. I said Mitchell Robinson played 35 games last year. 18 in the regular season, 17 in the playoffs. They've managed him. They have him primed and ready when need be. You play the two bigs together. What the hell did Mike Brown decide to leave Cat out of the offense? Tell me. Anyway, most important, you guys, thanks for everything. You're a blessing in my life right now more than ever. And I can't thank you enough for it. And I'm looking forward to the playoffs and Kate Cunningham I think, is not coming back. If you look it up, Detroit's 25 to 1 to win the title and they're in first place, that indicates he's not coming back.

[Alan Hahn]

You'd hate to see that. You definitely would hate to see that. But look, the stuff about Towns, that's, I guess, my biggest question. If I was trying to think about reasons why, like, again, Don Don laid it out at the start of the show about what you would do right now if you don't think your team is trending in the right direction. And that's something that Josh Hart said. We're just not going in the right direction. We're trending upwards. Those are not my words. Those were Josh Hart's words last night after that loss. And so if that's really happening here and it is not unprecedented to see a team right before the playoff, look, again, it happened in the NHL. Again, it happened in the NBA last year. It does happen. If you feel like that's the case and you know this is my window to win and you need to make a change or you feel that's the right thing to do. But what's happening with this team? I can't figure out why the Brunson town's pairing doesn't have synergy the way you think it would the way it was supposed to. A stretch five that opens up the paint. So someone like Brunson, who can operate so well and does so well getting into the paint, it on paper seems to make sense, but it doesn't. When you watch them play, there's something missing. And that's where you. You say, I have two all NBA players. I should be a team that can win a championship. But the Knicks have two all NBA players. And yet do you watch them this season and say they should be able to win the NBA championship? You don't.

[Don Hahn]

No way.

[Alan Hahn]

And so that's why what Spike said about the numbers and the stats and all that stuff, that's why I've said it. They were having one of the great statistical seasons in franchise history. But the eyes tell me this team doesn't look like a team that can win 16 games from April to June. It just doesn't look like that kind of team.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I mean, I was arguing with somebody on Twitter who's like, they have the same record as they did last year.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, I know.

[Don Hahn]

There's so many.

[Alan Hahn]

Then they fired their co. Your answer is simple. And then they fired their coach.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Like fire their coach who did not get anything more out of them, despite the fact that the champion of the Eastern Conference is tanking now. All right, so so you have an easier schedule because the east is easy. We said this with Monica. We felt that it was a. At least finals or bus team because there was no Tatum, there was no Halliburton. Well, guess what? There is now a Tatum. And the Pistons look like they're really good. And if Cunningham doesn't come back, I agree with you. It'd be a shame for them not to make a run because they lose their best player. As much as that would benefit the Knicks, you would think, but it's.

[Alan Hahn]

It's just what you see. It's as simple as that. Do they look like it? And the answer is no, they don't. Can they. They have at times had moments where you've gone, boy, if they do. If they could do this consistently. Yeah. The problem is they don't do it consistently. It's the reality of it. So, you know, you fired a coach because you felt like he was driving the team too hard. They weren't getting better. The team. You could, as I said, the players, some of them made it abundantly clear in the exit interviews that this was not who they wanted coaching them. And so all that's going on, you bring in a coach and he changes everything. And you think, all right, give it. Give it time. It'll take time to take. Game 77 has it. It didn't take. In fact, everything they were doing to start of the season, you could watch Don. You could watch the Knicks November games, December especially, when they were probably at their peak. And then if you watch their offense now, tell me it's the same offense. Well, they have. He is. He has given in on so many things because, like Spike asked, well, you know how you're not getting Towns or not? Not how you're not making an offense for Towns. Brown tried something. Towns couldn't figure it out or didn't want to figure it out. And then Brown's like, what do you want to do? I want to do this and this. Okay, let's start doing that. And after the All Star break, that's what he was doing. So he complete. He's almost completely scrapped the way he wanted to see this team play. His vision of what the Knicks could be. We saw it as close to the NBA cup. And then after that, you could tell they hit a wall physically, and they realized we can't play that way over. Over 82 games. We're going to wear ourselves out. So that seems to be scrapped now. So now what are they? They're a team that has a lot of talent and no identity.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. When you talk about inconsistency, that's no way to win a championship.

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Don Hahn]

On any given night they can beat you. But there's a difference between any given night beating Detroit, beating Boston, you know, even beating Cleveland or, or Atlanta or Toronto, who you'll face in the first round. But doing it four times in the best of seven series is a completely different animal. Do I think they could beat Toronto? Sure. Atlanta.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, they could.

[Don Hahn]

But that won't be a major problem.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes, yes. Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

You know, so. Yeah, they could. But will they? That's a complete, completely different conversation now.

[Alan Hahn]

They have it in them.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, exactly. Charlie's in Bayside. You're on ESPN New York. Hi, Charlie.

[Caller Charlie]

Good afternoon, gentlemen. Alan, comment? I wanted to say your daughter's got

[Don Hahn]

great taste in music.

[Caller Charlie]

Congratulations for raising her right. Chills and growth. Bread America. All those storytelling bands from the 70s are the best.

[Alan Hahn]

Nothing like it. You're right. Nothing like it. You're absolutely right.

[Caller Charlie]

Is the best. Pairing that with the Beatles and the 80s. Awesome. Don, question. Were you doing the Devil's game, Rangers game, when the goalies were fighting?

[Don Hahn]

Yes. Yes.

[Caller Charlie]

Okay. I'm sorry because I don't watch too much, but I listen, that was. I was in a bar and they were showing highlights of past goalie fights over the years. They were commenting how awesome it is and how they dropped the gloves and should they take their pads off. What was your call like? Were you as excited as the fan?

[Don Hahn]

I was excited just because I. I saw it coming. I saw him skating from the other side of the ice and I knew he wasn't just there to show support. He was going to go after Shusturian and he did. He got his butt kicked, but I think his teammates appreciate the effort. I don't know if he had just got there, but. Right.

[Caller Charlie]

It had to stem from something earlier in the game. Did somebody cross? Did he check somebody with a stick or something?

[Caller Spike]

No,

[Don Hahn]

there was a couple of. There was an incident earlier in the game that I thought it was a little much. I don't know if you were watching at that point, Alan.

[Caller Charlie]

No, I wasn't sure.

[Don Hahn]

Short handed, Buxtad had a breakaway and Shisterka made the save as a sliding save and it looked like the puck was underneath him. So Buxtad took a couple of pokes, Shusturkin took exception and then swiped at him with a stick and that brought bodies together. So then just before the fight, I forget who it was, knocked Shousturkin down and usually when there's A scrum. The goalie skates away because he doesn't want to get fallen on. And obviously you're not gonna. Goalie's not gonna fight a skater. But when Shisterkin didn't skate away, that's when Markstrom's like, I gotta even things up. And usually you could tell, all right, I'm gonna skate to the blue line. Watch. No, he was. He darted right for Shusturkin, and it would listen on a 41 game. And do I think some of it was trying to create a spark? It was midway through the third, so it's not like it's impossible to come back. Right. Maybe you get a spark, didn't create one. Devils were actually shorthanded right after the goalie fight. But it happens rare. But that's why I said it during the broadcast. That's why we love sports. You go to a game, and maybe that's the night somebody throws a perfect game. Maybe that's the night somebody goes out there and, you know, scores 90 points in a game or something crazy like that. Or maybe it's the night two goalies decide to get into a fight, and locally it just doesn't happen. That's the first Ranger goalie fight. What year was it with Cloutier? Had to be. What?

[Alan Hahn]

No, if that's Tommy Sallow, that's got to be 95, 96, maybe.

[Caller Anthony]

I saw a stat that said both times the Rangers and Devils last had a goalie fight was in the 90s and against the Islanders.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. So it's got to be. That's. That feels. That might be the. That could even been the end of the lockout season, if not the second year.

[Don Hahn]

Look it up.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

When Cloutier played, played now. Cliche was also a Canuck. He's my go to. If there's any Canucks arrangers and puck Doku.

[Alan Hahn]

98. Okay. That is. Yeah, so was I.

[Caller Spike]

So.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, we were right there. 98.

[Alan Hahn]

I know. I was there. So. So I was there. So I.

[Don Hahn]

So it just doesn't happen. You know what? And it wasn't, you know, them, you know, dancing around. I mean, they. They were throwing. There was one point where she. Sturkin landed like five flush, pummeled him.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. So you don't see something now you got. Now you have a good relationship with Marky, right?

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

So you're gonna. Because since he teased you, are you gonna mess with him a little bit about it?

[Don Hahn]

That's interesting. He called me an old man.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Do you say to him something along the lines of we all have, we all make decisions we regret. Like something like that.

[Don Hahn]

I was thinking maybe going like tomato can, something like that.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, that, that might have been a little personal.

[Don Hahn]

That's probably a little bit too much probably for people to missed it. I, I, you know, I told, he's like, you feel better? You recover for being sick? I said, yeah, it must be, must be harder when you get older to recover. Like I just slapped him on the back. So, yeah, listen, now you're not that much. He's like, he's 36, so it's not like he's that far behind me, but, you know, but it was all fun because he, he is, he's got a great personality. He's a fun, he was, he was the first one during camp to come over to me and said, I heard you're a big Devil fan. Congratulations on the job. And so it's cool. I've gotten along with him pretty good.

[Alan Hahn]

But yeah, so, you know, you gotta, you gotta chirp him a little bit

[Don Hahn]

and listen, I, I, he's probably disappointed he lost, but I, I think just showing up was the victory for him and I think, I think his teammates appreciate it.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, that's what you're supposed to do when you see the other team's goalie using his blocker, getting into a scrum, throwing a couple. All right, that's it. It's go time. He did what he did what he was supposed to do.

[Don Hahn]

He's not paid to fight. He's paid to support his teammates.

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[Don Hahn]

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[Podcast Announcer]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don Hahn]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Podcast Announcer]

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

[Don Hahn]

You know, you try to follow what's going on during a game when you're hosting a show. It's really hard.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Don Hahn]

So I got the TV on. I'm watching, I'm trying to follow everything that's going on. I saw Lindor get picked off before the Soto home run. So that cost of a run, if you believe in the fallacy of the predetermined outcome, of course. But then what I had missed in, you know, show prep and everything was in the first inning. Lindor forgot how many outs there were. He touched second base, started jogging to the dugout instead of getting what would have been a sure double play. Didn't cost the Mets any runs, but extended the inning.

[Alan Hahn]

Interesting. And realize that.

[Don Hahn]

And you know, again, I don't know if one has to do with the other, but come on, you're. You're the leader on this team. Let's get going here. Okay, let's. It's. I know it's only game six and you're off to a bit of a slow start and that seems to be the history with Francisco Lindor, but come on, you know, forgetting how many outs there are in the friggin first inning. All right, it's not 100 degree day into the top of the 20th and you're just out of it.

[Alan Hahn]

But don't you think that's also. If you, if you want to believe that Soto is one of these buttoned up, I take this serious kind of guy. Is that part of maybe his first year experience with Lindor was like, you're a leader and like you're not always locked in. I don't respect that.

[Don Hahn]

Then deal with it.

[Alan Hahn]

Maybe that's what it is.

[Don Hahn]

Take him out to dinner and just say, listen, we're two of the best players on the team. And let's get on the same page here. All right? Now, Lindor played in the World Series, so is Soto. Neither of them have won a championship.

[Alan Hahn]

So it's not like, you know, with the nationals.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, sorry. 19. So I guess you could say, yeah, he won a championship with the Nash. He did.

[Alan Hahn]

It was on the team.

[Don Hahn]

But this isn't, you know, this isn't Gibson coming to the Dodgers, you know, back in the day where, you know, he was a part of one of the great teams ever in 1984, the Detroit Tigers. But no, you make a point. He has. He's been playing a couple of World Series, did win. But you know, the point is their resumes similar in experience, but Soto's the better player. But again, they don't have to sing Kumbaya, just get along with each other. But I'm just saying that you're struggling offensively. Those things are going to happen. But yeah, forgetting how many outs there are, you got to see the pickoff. I mean, he didn't move, he just lost.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

He was so his mind someplace else. I'm sorry that you're not locked in. You got to lock in here. I know it's April 1, it's only Game 6, but it's about winning series. Okay. And managers, we talked about this with both the Mets and the Yankees, like, decisions are being made, like coming out of the game tonight right now.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, I wanted to talk about that in a minute.

[Don Hahn]

What about the seventh? But here's the reason. I don't agree with it, Alan. But you know what, I want to

[Alan Hahn]

get to that in a moment. Can I go back to the Soto Lindor thing?

[Don Hahn]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

Because of what you're saying. I want to know how you would feel if that were me. So you're at the, you're at the plate early in the game. I'm. At first I get picked off because I fell asleep. How do you feel?

[Don Hahn]

Disgusted.

[Alan Hahn]

You're like what is this guy doing? Aren't you, like, your human nature in that moment is to go, like, what is this dude doing? Well, like, it's funny once when it's like, you know, July, and we're all kind of just punch drunk from a season, whatever it is, and you just might go like, oh, man. Like, all right, wake it up. Wake it up. But it's the start of the year. We're struggling to score runs, and you're one of our team leaders, and you fell asleep at first base in the start of a game that we're trying to win a series here. Like, it just.

[Don Hahn]

I don't. I don't want to put words in your mouth.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, well, you make.

[Don Hahn]

You decide for yourself how you feel about it. But the apples to apples comparison for what we do as teammates is what just happened.

[Alan Hahn]

All right?

[Don Hahn]

It slipped my mind that Soto was on that Nationals team and you reminded me.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, you want. And you're not mad at me?

[Alan Hahn]

No, because it's a rare miss.

[Don Hahn]

It's red screwed up.

[Alan Hahn]

It's. But it's rare for you, so I just wanted to cover for you so

[Don Hahn]

just to keep the people off your back.

[Alan Hahn]

This guy doesn't remember, you know, it's not the first.

[Don Hahn]

It's not. It won't be the last mistake. But.

[Alan Hahn]

But it happened.

[Don Hahn]

But if you said that and I'm like, what, Alan? I wasn't paying attention, you'd have a right to be mad. Yeah, because now I'm not focused. I'm not paying attention to what you're saying. Now you could feel insulted because I'm not all in, right? If I make a mistake as a. Hey, you made a mistake. Just like an error, you know, if. You know, if something happened in the game, you make a mistake, hey, get caught napping, forget how many outs there are. Getting picked off by a country mile, first day, dreaming. You got a right to be ticked off.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, 100%. So. All right, so let's.

[Caller Charlie]

For.

[Alan Hahn]

Just for fun.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Let's take this now to Seattle. The Yankees are comfortably ahead for nothing. Schlitler, in his second appearance, was just as sensational as he was in his first one. He went through six innings, 73 pitches, and he was lights out. And I was wondering, all right, comfortable lead going into the eighth. It's early in the season. What do they do? Do they let him go into the 8th inning? I should say 7th inning? Do they let him pitch? Do they see how far he can go with it? You know, because it doesn't seem like 73 wasn't a ton of pitches. They let him open the inning, he gets an out and then that's his pitch count. That's it. Now he's out of pitch 79. So 80 was his line of demarcation but he has seven strikeouts, two hits, again, another, you know, no run clean performance from him and that's excellent. But early in the season that's what we're doing, right? The 80 pitches is your limit. So you got to 80 and you're done.

[Don Hahn]

Well, you're looking at the decisions that have been made.

[Alan Hahn]

Cruz is on the mound now for those wondering.

[Don Hahn]

You got a four nothing lead and the idea is to win the series and it's the bottom of the seventh inning, you got a four nothing lead, you got a great bullpen. That's his pitch count because you want him healthy and ready all season long because he's still a kid. That's smart, that's doing your due diligence. Right. You've seen the use of the bullpen here early because not that they're throwing games away, they're not tanking, it's that, hey, sometimes I got to lose the battle to win the war, you know, I want to be able to save something for tomorrow because I want to win the series. That's the objective. That's why today's met loss is so frustrating, because they lost the series. If the Mets had won the first two games, maybe decisions are different because hey, we already won the series because that's all you're looking to do, go out there, win series. That's going to win you over 100 games. You're going to win a division, you're going to be in great shape. That's the objective. That's where you can compare it to football, is that each series is like a game in the NFL where it's like you don't want to lose series. And the Mets lost the series, now they're 500. But the Yankees, they're thinking about the long. They know they're going to be needing Schlitler really big time down the stretch. They got a four nothing lead. Yeah, there's no reason to go crazy now. Obviously if the bullpen implodes, people are going to be ripping Boone for taking him out. But hey, they've got bigger fish to fry. Man. It's six. Yeah, let's got, let's not get nuts now.

[Alan Hahn]

Another thing happened in this game.

[Don Hahn]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

So the Yankees have been really good, using the ABs to their advantage. In fact, was it two games ago or last game that they, they were like four for four. At one point in the game. It was in five for five. Okay, so they had a run. They've been very good using it. Austin Wells just had an at bat where there was a low, a pitch he thought was low, low in the zone. He immediately challenged wrong. It was a strike. Okay, so later in the count, another low pitch to his like his did not to his liking. He. He challenges again. Wrong. Like, I feel like if you get one wrong in an at bat, don't, don't. Yeah, you shouldn't, probably shouldn't tap twice. What do you think? What do you think, Don? Would you have an unwritten rule as a manager like, listen, guys, I know we want to take advantage of this, but if you get a call wrong in an at bat, don't double down. It was like the same pitch, same location, and he missed both times. He was wrong both times.

[Don Hahn]

Especially, you know, a catcher should know the strike zone.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, that's. Never mind that.

[Don Hahn]

That's another. That's conversation.

[Podcast Announcer]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

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

[Podcast Announcer]

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.

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