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

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.

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)

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)

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).

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

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.