Hour 3: Best GM on the Show?

Summary

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Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 3: Best GM on the Show?

Date: March 24, 2026
Podcast: ESPN New York
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg

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Episode Overview

This third hour from Don, Hahn & Rosenberg dives into a lively, rapid-fire mix of New York sports debate and banter. The main theme circles around the qualities of a great sports General Manager (GM), but the discussion sprawls into current NBA controversies, Yankees and Jets roster construction, fan expectations versus reality, and the irrepressible personality of Giannis Antetokounmpo. As always, the chemistry is electric: friendly jabs, listener calls, and inside-joke energy pervade the entire hour.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. NBA Drama: Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Future & Team Tanking

Timestamps: 02:22 - 07:47

• Giannis' Refusal to Sit Out:
  Don outlines the Bucks' push to shut Giannis down for the season due to injury and tanking motives, but Giannis refuses:

  "They're tanking. They don't want to win anymore...He keeps getting hurt...they want to shut him down and he doesn't want to." (02:22, Don)

• Players Union & NBA Anti-Tanking:
  The show scrutinizes the effectiveness of league policies designed to keep stars like Giannis on the court:

  "Anti-tanking policies are only as effective as their enforcement." (02:54, Don)

• Giannis' Motivations:
  Rosenberg is skeptical of Giannis’ intentions, wondering if this is a PR tactic to avoid the “quitter” label before departing Milwaukee:

  "Is he serious or is this all just a ruse?...Own it, all right? Own it. Take the slings and arrows, just own it. You can't have it both ways..." (04:01–05:55, Rosenberg)

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2. Fan Expectations: Championships, Enjoying the Ride & the Knicks

Timestamps: 13:11 – 15:32

• Caller Wayne (Charlotte):
  Challenges New York fans' championship-or-bust attitudes.

  "We went from...being horrified at participation trophies to if you don't win the championship, it's a failure....Sports is just entertainment and we should enjoy the moment, enjoy the journey." (13:22, Wayne)

• Hosts on the Fan Experience:
  Both Rosenberg and Peter reflect on the pleasures of day-to-day sports, especially the marathon nature of baseball, and mock the tradition of instantly blowing past earned joy for “what’s next?”

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3. Jets Draft Talk & GM Decisions

Timestamps: 08:00 – 12:44, 29:03 – 33:40

• Caller Flavio (Brooklyn):
  Presents draft scenarios and receiver recommendations for the Jets.

• Caller Vinnie (Staten Island):
  Presses the GM question: Who would be the best GM, Don or Peter? And which QB should the Jets select if picking first?

• Rosenberg's Philosophy:
  On drafting QBs just because they’re available:

  "If I believe he's the guy, then I obviously have to take him...If I don't believe he's the guy, then I'm trading. That's what I would do." (29:28, Rosenberg) "Trust your board...If you don't have Mendoza as the number one pick...you trade [the pick] to someone who does." (32:33, Rosenberg)

• Don's Take:
  Advocates for not reaching on a franchise QB unless absolutely convinced:

  "You don't just take to take. Mike Tanenbaum always says...take a QB every year, not with the first pick. But with late picks, sure...But the #1 pick's different. You NEED to know he's your guy." (31:28, Don)

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4. Yankees: Judge, Don Mattingly Comparisons & “Prospect Hugging”

Timestamps: 16:07 – 36:26

• History and Context:
  Caller Alex (Lynbrook) compares the fan treatment of Mattingly and Judge, and the teams built around them.

• Hosts on Mattingly/Judge:
  Don and Rosenberg discuss playoff format changes, roster construction, and what constitutes "enough" surrounding talent for a Yankees superstar:

  "How good is this Yankee team around Judge? Stan can never stay healthy...I do think it's better than the ones Mattingly was on." (17:39, Rosenberg)

• Postseason Pressure on Judge:

  "If he keeps hitting and they don't win, then how can you keep, you know, beating him up? If he has a second consecutive postseason of great numbers...how do you kill him?" (19:20, Rosenberg)

• Caller Christopher (Brooklyn) Calls Out Alan Hahn:

  "You have to stop this with Judge...you're hyping the Yankee fans up a little bit by doing that." (19:36, Christopher) Hahn gives insight into how sports radio shapes fan narratives: "I have a pretty good feel for what the news cycle's going to be...I was letting everybody know, understand tonight, one or the other could happen based on how he performs." (20:15–21:22, Hahn)

• Yankees "Prospect Hugging":
  Caller Tony questions Brian Cashman’s tendency to over-value prospects:

  "Guys, you got to talk me off the ledge here...why does he prospect hug so much?" (34:33, Tony) Don adds: "No one pumps up his prospects like Brian Cashman. And rather than win the sell high, what does he do? He holds on for too long, and then you end up cutting them or sending him off for nothing." (35:17, Don)

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5. Tangents & Classic Banter

Throughout, Notable at 12:15–13:10, 24:54–27:45, 41:03–43:24

• Tupac and Orioles:
  Spirited debate on Tupac’s Baltimore roots, with tongue-in-cheek references to the Orioles and ’80s baseball players.

• Food at the Game:
  Peter seeks advice on what to eat at MSG’s Delta Club; Don suggests sushi, garden burgers, and the carving station.

• Candy Bar Temptation:
  All marvel at the psychology of free candy rooms at New York arenas.

  "The people who go to this area in both of these arenas, I have to imagine they can afford all the candy they want. But for some reason, when you see the candy there for you for free..." (26:16, Peter)

• "Drop Madness" & Listener Polls:
  Lighthearted rundown of a “Drop Madness” bracket, urging listeners to vote.

  "Let me get the right music here...your vote matters." (40:22, Rosenberg)

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6. NBA League Leadership & Tanking Issue

Timestamps: 44:03 – 46:36

• Caller Gilberto:
  Laments Adam Silver’s softer leadership compared to David Stern, especially with player empowerment and tanking.

  "Adam Silver's too soft, man...You can't have the players running the whole industry into the ground." (44:03, Gilberto)

• Rosenberg Reframes Blame:

  "It's not a players problem, it's an owner problem...not disciplining them when clearly they're tanking." (45:19, Rosenberg)

• Don’s Solution:

  "I think you've got to make a dramatic change to the draft, to the lottery...Like, you've gotta do something dramatic...I don't know how you do it." (45:56, Don)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Giannis:

  "You're one of the best players in the league. You want to play, you walk into the office, say, I'm playing tonight. Try to stop me." (05:54, Rosenberg)

• On the idea of free candy at games:

  "There's something about that. Takes you back to your childhood...when you were like six, free candy, all you wanted. So it was a big deal." (26:41, Rosenberg)

• On New York’s championship expectations:

  “We should enjoy the moment, enjoy the journey.” (13:22, Wayne, caller)

• On Brian Cashman’s “prospect hugging”:

  “Rather than win the sell high, what does he do? He holds on for too long, and then you end up cutting them or sending him off for nothing.” (35:17, Don Hahn)

• Banter about potential GM qualities:

  "Who do you think would be a better GM, me, Don or Peter?" (33:44, Don)
  "Don flies off at the handle. He'd be firing people left and right. You want somebody calm, collected." (34:05, Don)

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Important Segments (Timestamps)

• 02:22 – 07:47: Giannis Antetokounmpo, NBA tanking, and legitimacy of league enforcement
• 08:00 – 12:44: Jets draft discussion; QB evaluation and philosophy
• 13:11 – 15:32: Caller Wayne on fan expectations and the value of enjoying the journey
• 16:07 – 21:22: Yankees history: Mattingly vs. Judge, fan judgments, and postseason scrutiny
• 29:03 – 33:40: "Best GM" debate, draft strategies, importance of trusting your draft board
• 34:33 – 36:25: Yankees "prospect hugging" critique
• 44:03 – 46:36: Caller Gilberto on Adam Silver, league leadership, owners vs. players

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The Show’s Tone

True to the Don, Hahn & Rosenberg style, the hour is smart, quick, brutally honest, and hilarious—full of both deep sports insight and irreverent NYC sports talk attitudes. The dialogue is peppered with sharp one-liners, in-jokes, and affectionate ribbing between hosts, always inviting listener participation and giving callers plenty of room to contribute.

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Summary

This episode is a strong blend of sports radio substance and style, drifting seamlessly from deep takes on pro basketball and football decisions to playful pop culture and food chatter. Core themes include the psychology of athletes, what fans should really expect from their franchises, and what makes for wise (or foolish) decision-making at the highest levels of sports. The hosts’ essential message: debate, enjoy, and never forget to laugh—even (especially) when the stakes are highest.

Transcript

[Don Hahn]

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[Rosenberg]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Don Hahn]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers. Oh, yeah, it's a good take.

[Peter]

Thank you. Appreciate that. Al Home refresh classic Italian pastries. Trust me, the tiramisu is incredible.

[Don Hahn]

Miso misu could take.

[Peter]

Thank you. Me sue, you sue. We all sue. Fry screw. Anyways, if you go on the Twitter, Fry screw. Yeah, I didn't plan it. I didn't plan it. It just came out that way. How about a little game? How about a little game time? Brought to you by Tullamore. Do Irish Whiskey. Because when it's game time, it's Tolly time. It's Tolly time. Wilma, you got the Nick's Pels like you just dream about.

[Don Hahn]

It's. It's up there.

[Peter]

I'm in the really is. I'm in the building. Although, am I going to leave the Delta Club for the game? We don't know.

[Don Hahn]

Well, you want to watch Zion a little bit?

[Rosenberg]

Sure, sure.

[Peter]

I want to see big Zion.

[Don Hahn]

You want to see Zion in person?

[Rosenberg]

He loves the dukies.

[Peter]

I did love that dookie, you know what I mean? So that's happening right on our airways. 880 at 7 o'.

[Caller]

Clock.

[Peter]

You have the Isles and the Blackhawks.

[Don Hahn]

Big one. I'll be watching that on my second screen. Yeah.

[Peter]

You kidding me?

[Don Hahn]

While pretending to be a sideline reporter.

[Peter]

That's right. That is happening on the island at 7 o'. Clock. The Devils, the Diablos are in Dallas to take on the stars with Donnie Pucks on the call.

[Don Hahn]

Eight Lega on the mic.

[Peter]

Legreca. Open your mouth. Tullamore do the original triple distilled, triple blended and triple cast matured Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore do or try the new Telemore do, honey. During today's action, glasses up to enjoying Telemurdu responsibly.

[Don Hahn]

Hey, just the latest on Giannis. If I could go ahead because this like he is. This is his defiant way of saying as you ball that up right in the Microphone, his way of saying, I am not going to sit out, you're not going to make me quit, you're going to be the ones that send me out the door. All that stuff. They have been trying to shut him down because as I said, they're tanking. They don't want to, they don't want to win anymore.

[Caller]

They're done.

[Don Hahn]

He keeps getting hurt, he knee sprained after the calf stuff and they want to shut him down and he doesn't want to. So he's got the players union putting out a statement about how the player participation policy was designed by the league to hold teams accountable and ensure that when an all star like Giannis Dina Kounmpo is healthy and ready to play, he, he's on the court. Unfortunately, anti tanking policies are only as effective as their enforcement.

[Rosenberg]

Exactly.

[Don Hahn]

And so that the NBA needs to like, you know, directly address this stuff. Giannis could easily just say, yeah, I mean, the team stinks. There's no reason for me to play. Why would I want to hurt myself? I can shut it down. There's like 10 games to go, who cares? But this is also, he knows these are his last days in Milwaukee. These are his last games and he doesn't want anybody to say Giannis even he bailed on us at the end of the year, didn't want to play. He is taking this all the way to the very end, making sure that everybody knows I never quit on you. I respect him for it.

[Rosenberg]

But is he serious or is this all just a ruse? Like he has no intention of playing, doesn't want to play, but he doesn't want the reputation of not wanting to play. I think it's both a little of that in Giannis. Oh yeah, where he wants everybody to like, he wants to be the bad guy, but he also wants everybody to like him.

[Don Hahn]

Well, he doesn't want to be the bad guy. He doesn't want to be the guy that said I want out. He doesn't want to be a guy that looked like he gave up or quit. If I'm healthy, I'm playing. I owe that to the fans so that when he does leave, no one can say a thing. They could say. He could say, I played all the way to the end. I gave you everything I had. I never sat out a game that I couldn't play in. Like I said, I think this is, yes, it is about that, but it's also for him, the idea of knowing this is probably my last days here, these are my last games and, and I think that I give him credit for doing this, because most guys would be like, yeah, I'll sit out. I don't want to play.

[Rosenberg]

I'll give him credit if he's serious. Or is it, I don't want to play, but I don't want people thinking I don't want to play.

[Don Hahn]

No, I think he wants. I think he wants.

[Rosenberg]

Well, you're Giannis. You walk in, say, I'm playing. Guys stop me. I'm walk out on the court, I'm going to play, try to stop me.

[Peter]

Isn't it amazing?

[Don Hahn]

They'd stop him, but isn't it amazing they wanted to keep him? And if you want to keep him, don't you want to make him happy? Do whatever it takes. So if he says to you, I want to play, well, Giannis, we'd rather you don't play well. I want to play well. We're not. We don't really want you to play. Now I got to get a statement from the union calling you out for not wanting me to play. You don't think he's leaving? Come on, man.

[Rosenberg]

No, of course he's leaving.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

But I do believe that he's powerful enough that if he wanted to play, he'd play.

[Don Hahn]

That's why he's doing this.

[Rosenberg]

Let's just play.

[Peter]

Yeah, well, but he.

[Caller]

That.

[Peter]

But he doesn't want to. That's the view.

[Rosenberg]

Right, but to see.

[Caller]

That's my problem.

[Don Hahn]

I see what you're doing.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, okay.

[Rosenberg]

He's a bad guy, but doesn't want people to know he's.

[Peter]

He doesn't want to own bad.

[Rosenberg]

Wanted to get out of Milwaukee, but I don't want people to think I want to get out of Milwaukee. Dude, own it, all right? Own it. Take the slings and arrows, just own it. You can't have it both ways. You can't have your cake. You need it to. You can't want out, but then make it seem like you never want it out. You can't say, I don't want to play, but I want everybody to think I really want to play. You're getting the union to issue a statement for you. You're one of the best players in the league. You want to play, you walk into the office, say, I'm playing tonight. Try to stop me. Have the owner drag, you know, Mark Cuban on one leg or not Mark Cuban, Milwaukee owner. I'm sorry.

[Peter]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

Mark Lazarus, like, holding on to his leg as he. As he goes out for the opening tip. You're Giannis, you could do whatever the hell you want.

[Peter]

Stop it.

[Rosenberg]

If he wants to play, he'll play. Issue a statement. He's hiding behind this bad guy energy to me.

[Peter]

Oh, he's been. I believe he's been giving bad guy energy for a long time now. That's. That's the odd thing.

[Rosenberg]

There's a. There's a respect. When the bad guy says, I don't care. Do you think I'm a bad guy? There's a respect. I know this is weak. I'm with you like bad guys, but, you know, just own what you're doing, man. Listen, Alan, you know where basketball than anybody. You telling me they could stop Giannis from playing?

[Don Hahn]

Well, yeah, I mean technically they could, sure.

[Peter]

But like, are they going to first

[Don Hahn]

put them in the game? It's just so weird. But this is.

[Rosenberg]

This is. You know what this is? This is. This is the. The guy that wants to charge them out who's 10 times bigger than the catcher, but for some reason the catcher is able to hold him back from running at the pitcher. Like, I want to show everybody I'm gonna beat the pitcher up. Grab me. Grab my arms. Please grab my arms. Grab my arms. Please don't let me go up. He's not grabbing my arms. I'm gonna have to go out there.

[Don Hahn]

Don't hold me. Don't hold me.

[Rosenberg]

Pretend fugazi garbage. God, I want to like this guy. Cuz he might be a Nick.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter]

But he's making. He's been making it tough for a while now. So if we're being honest.

[Don Hahn]

It is really.

[Caller]

Let's.

[Peter]

Let's talk to some of the people. Every line is jam. They deserve it, for God's sake. 1-800-9193776. We'll start with Flavio in Brooklyn. What's up, Flavio?

[Rosenberg]

What's up, baby?

[Caller]

Hey, guys. How you guys doing?

[Peter]

Hey, man.

[Caller]

By the way, I did want to say before I put it on my. My take for Mikel Bridges. Allan, I know that you're. You're a judge fan and I'm talking to my father. Yes, they should take Ty Simpson before the Rams grab him. But the jets do need to see. I would like for them to take a wide receiver, preferably Denzel Boston, because that guy is a dog from. From Washington. If not Makai Lemon. Those are two. Those are two wide receivers that they should look into. Do not take Jordan Tyson. I.

[Rosenberg]

You really think Washington would take Simpson?

[Caller]

No, no, no, no, no, no. I'm talking about from the Washington Huskies. Denzel Balkan.

[Rosenberg]

No, I'm saying you really think the Rams would take Simpson?

[Don Hahn]

It's a thought.

[Caller]

I mean, think about it. Ramp. I mean, Stafford is on the back line of his career. I mean, all the reason not to

[Rosenberg]

take a quarterback because they, with the 16th overall pick, they can get somebody that can help them this year.

[Caller]

That's right. Yeah, but I just.

[Rosenberg]

You're talking about receivers. The match you take at 16, I'm sure the Rams at 15 are going to be like, yeah, let's get a wide receiver for our guy.

[Caller]

Yeah. The only reason why I thought that was just because the, the, the back issue with Stafford. I mean, how long is it going to last? I mean, he's getting older, so I mean, he was already contemplating whether retiring or not.

[Peter]

So you'd have to really, if you're the, if you're the Rams, you would have to really believe in Ty Simpson. Like, no, this is the guy who in two years is going to take the mantle from Stafford. Unless it's your future. To Don's point, you roll out whatever backup you roll out. You get whatever weapons you can with these picks.

[Rosenberg]

So while you have this guy, Peter, is what you're saying to me is, is that because he's 38 years old and has a bad back, you're going to want to protect Sam?

[Peter]

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying.

[Rosenberg]

You're going to be. You're going to want to protect Matthew Stafford?

[Peter]

That's exactly what I'm saying.

[Rosenberg]

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[Don Hahn]

So good.

[Rosenberg]

Cockroach, you changed me. It's a life changing.

[Don Hahn]

I hate it though, because I used to enjoy. I wish we never brought it up.

[Rosenberg]

It's over. It'll slip.

[Peter]

You can't. No, it's definitely coming back down. You're not letting go of it.

[Rosenberg]

I also have to thank Anthony Pusick because he sent me the read and he put cockroach in bold type.

[Peter]

Of course, I think the other day in mine, you know why he wrote cockroach in mine the other day.

[Rosenberg]

And again, sickened Marco. Holy Canoli's down by four now. Late.

[Peter]

Yeah. Well, look at Maya.

[Rosenberg]

And Maya's in all kinds of trouble. I think we should try to sway it. I think we should tweet out. What are you doing? What do you.

[Don Hahn]

I think people are purposely doing this because they want to hurt you both. That's what I think.

[Rosenberg]

Well, you know what? Then he. What comes around, goes around.

[Peter]

I just.

[Don Hahn]

I.

[Peter]

To have Maya lose to Paul Heyman is just a disgrace.

[Don Hahn]

Peter, why would the Baltimore Orioles have a Tupac bobblehead?

[Peter]

Because Tupac is from Baltimore, essentially.

[Rosenberg]

Essentially?

[Don Hahn]

What do you mean, essentially?

[Peter]

Well, yeah, it's kind of hard to say where Tupac is from because he's kind of from New Jersey and he's kind of from New York, but his teenage years were spent in Baltimore.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, he went to performer arts school

[Rosenberg]

out there in Baltimore.

[Don Hahn]

I mean, interesting claiming there going on.

[Peter]

Yeah, he really.

[Don Hahn]

I don't remember him ever referencing Baltimore.

[Peter]

He did. Well, he wasn't like a Baltimore rapper.

[Don Hahn]

Okay, well, but he's from.

[Peter]

He went.

[Don Hahn]

He went to high school there.

[Peter]

Yes.

[Don Hahn]

All right. Everybody wants to give mellow crap for saying he's from Brooklyn even though he only lived there till he's eight. But we're gonna do this. Okay. I was just. It was interesting.

[Peter]

Well, if you're Baltimore, how many people are you claiming? You have some claim at Tupac. You're not taking it.

[Don Hahn]

I guess so. Yeah. Especially the Orioles.

[Peter]

All they got are the only other ones mellow. I mean, where else are they going?

[Don Hahn]

I'm sure he was a big baseball fan.

[Peter]

Oh, yeah. He was always at the Orioles games. Kidding me.

[Don Hahn]

Big Orioles fan. Big O's fan. He loved Cal Ripley.

[Rosenberg]

I mean, listen, love Doug Desensay.

[Don Hahn]

He was a strange pull.

[Peter]

Yeah.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Peter]

You know what? It's a beautiful.

[Don Hahn]

Such a strange pole. Big Jim Palmer guy, you know, I'll

[Peter]

tell you what, Don, you know, he was huge Mike Boddicker guy, in my opinion.

[Don Hahn]

There you go. Yeah, yeah.

[Peter]

Anthony points out they could pull him.

[Don Hahn]

Tony Tarrasco. Can I go? Tony Tarasco. No, he may nothing.

[Peter]

No, Tony Tarasco's worth a later. Timing wise, though, it would have been an Eddie Murray guy, you know what I mean? That. That's who he would have been. Fred Lynn, one of. One of the true.

[Don Hahn]

He was chanting red, so he was

[Peter]

chanting Freddie and Eddie at every game. You know what I mean?

[Rosenberg]

Freddie and Eddie.

[Peter]

All right, let's go back to the phones.

[Don Hahn]

Named the head coach in Syracuse coming home.

[Peter]

Oh, that's nice. Good for Jerry.

[Don Hahn]

The great move.

[Peter]

Yeah, well, he had a. He had a great year this year. Here's Wayne. Wayne and Charlotte. What's up, Wayne?

[Caller]

Hey, Pete, how you doing? What's up, Ron Allen? I was talking to Anthony and I said, it's funny how we went from as a, as a fan base being horrified at participation trophies to if you don't win the championship, it's a failure. And even when you win the championship, the conversation two weeks later about Seattle, can they repeat? And then if you repeat, can you create a dynasty? And I keep. I think we keep forgetting that sports is just entertainment and we should enjoy the moment, enjoy the journey. Like they're saying if the Knicks don't make the final, it's a failure, I would be disappointed. But if they make the Eastern Conference finals, I mean, that's a good season. People say they love the 90s. 90s Knicks.

[Rosenberg]

At some point you want to win. I think at some point you want to win. But what I was trying to say earlier is.

[Peter]

Go ahead, Ron.

[Rosenberg]

That there is the day in, day out.

[Peter]

You mean enjoying the day in, day out.

[Rosenberg]

Oh, just there's. Especially baseball. It's like every day. He called me Ron.

[Peter]

It felt like it. It felt like he called you Ron.

[Rosenberg]

I'm going to be.

[Peter]

Let's face it, let it go.

[Don Hahn]

It's a new one.

[Rosenberg]

At least I haven't could let it go. I haven't accomplished much here.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, no, we could not let it go.

[Peter]

How did we get to that?

[Don Hahn]

This is the show where nothing. You get away with nothing.

[Rosenberg]

Nothing. You know, you call me Ron, but

[Don Hahn]

we could have just kept moving. We could have.

[Rosenberg]

No, but I missed it. I missed it.

[Don Hahn]

And the first opportunity.

[Rosenberg]

I'm glad you did it.

[Peter]

I mean, how do you not point it out?

[Don Hahn]

It just was so subtle by Peter. It was very.

[Rosenberg]

One letter off.

[Don Hahn]

It was just.

[Peter]

And no, I like calling you Ron. You know, Ron legreca.

[Don Hahn]

Is it better than Dom?

[Peter]

Is it better than Dom also? Well, you know, Dominic.

[Rosenberg]

No, I think, I think Ron is way worse because I can say Don and maybe it sounds like Dom, but Ron's Ron and Don, you're not. Listen, I, I'm new.

[Don Hahn]

I was so good.

[Rosenberg]

I've only really been on the air, honestly.

[Don Hahn]

Great.

[Rosenberg]

In the last year.

[Peter]

We have confirmation that it's Ron.

[Don Hahn]

Hang on, standby.

[Peter]

There's a lot of laughter happening in the other room.

[Caller]

If you don't win the championship, it's a failure.

[Peter]

He's working on it. We're efforting.

[Don Hahn]

I'm sorry, but I'm just seeing Pete.

[Caller]

How you doing? What's up, Ron Allen?

[Peter]

What's up, Ron Allen?

[Rosenberg]

Ron out.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, he meant. He meant.

[Peter]

Well, if Allen's name was Robert and he was just getting kind of confused. We called you Robert and Don. He called you Ron. Yeah, but there's no R to be found unless it was like a Rosenberg thing. So it's tough no matter what you say. Let's go to. Let's go to good old Alex in Lynbrook. What's up, Alex?

[Caller]

Oh, hi, guys. How you doing? Good. Before I give you my comparison with Manly and Judge, you know how you guys always want people to watch Napoleon Dynamite?

[Peter]

Well, just Damian Woody, but yeah, sure.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Caller]

They're on tour. They're going to be in patrick Theater in April 25. John Heater and other special guests. And then they show the movie. So they're on tour. Just so you guys know.

[Peter]

Did not know that. Wow.

[Don Hahn]

We should go.

[Rosenberg]

That is pretty cool.

[Caller]

Just like Donnie last year, you know, who went on tour. It was the 50th anniversary of the Rocky Hall Picture Show. So those magenta in Columbia, they all. They traveled the country, you know, showing the. Showing the movie and stuff. And then my thing with Donnie, I'm sorry, Manley vs. Judge is gonna hang up. I think the fans feel Manly never had the team around him to win the World Series. He had to do it all on his own. They probably feel that Judge Yankees have built a team around him to get the job done, and he hasn't fulfilled. He hit well last season in the playoffs, but there's no Soto. And then when Soto was here two years ago, he did his part in the playoffs, but Judge didn't.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, but he did a great job last year. But also with Don Mattingly, the. The wild card literally came in his last year. So you had to win the division in order to go to the playoffs. So I think that that helped Donnie Baseball because it was hard to win your division as the only way in. Only four teams went to the playoffs every year. But, you know, now 12.

[Don Hahn]

That's true. Too hard.

[Rosenberg]

And they're in the playoffs every year. And his numbers report Donnie finally got in in 95 and he did well. Right, but how good is this Yankee team around Judge? Right. Stan can never stay healthy. Right. You didn't have Cole pretty much all of last year, and you won't have him at the start of this year. You know, Volpe hasn't lived up to expectations. They haven't had a third baseman. They haven't had a left fielder. Like, I'm not saying they're not good, Alan, but how. How stacked is this Yankee team now? I do think it's better than the ones Mattingly was.

[Don Hahn]

This is potentially the best pitching staff I think Judges ever had.

[Rosenberg]

Right. Going into this year.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. I think by the time we get to mid season, again, injuries have to just not be a major factor. Guys who you're expecting back. But. But when you think about what they could be, what Schlitler has become and what they really think he can become along with Freed and Cole and. And like, they. Radon, they. This is a really good pitching staff and they have a close.

[Rosenberg]

Right.

[Caller]

But.

[Rosenberg]

But through all those years of Judge not winning from, you know, 17, where he came close, I think it's really about 18, 19, 20. All those.

[Peter]

They.

[Rosenberg]

They didn't have as good a pitching staff. No, listen, he has not performed well in the postseason, don't get me wrong. But now this year, they seem to be stacked with the rotation. Bullpen's always been good. You know, Bellinger comes back. There's a. There's a lot of reasons to be bullish on this team. And at some point, you know, I think he will win, but until he does. But if he keeps hitting and they don't win, then how can you keep, you know, beating them up? If he has a second consecutive postseason of great numbers.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

How do you kill him?

[Peter]

Let's go to. Thanks for the call, Alex. We appreciate it. Let's go to Christopher in Brooklyn. What's up, Christopher?

[Caller]

Yeah. What's up, guys? How you doing, Alan? Don. And. And Rosenberg. Rosenberg.

[Rosenberg]

Yep.

[Caller]

What's up, W e babies?

[Peter]

Yeah.

[Caller]

My guy, Alan Y. Alan. I'm. I'm a Nick, I'm a Judge and I'm a Yankee fan. You have to stop this with Judge. Like, Judge didn't show up in the wbc. He did have two home runs. He did get robbed for a home run against the Dominican Republic in. In the delay, the endings. He did get robbed. All right, I'm not going to sit here and say that he didn't go over four. Yes, he did. All right, but you gotta stop doing that to Judge because you got you the one I got on. On radio. Judge, don't do this. You don't have to have a talk. So you. You hype in the Yankee fans up a little bit by doing that. So you have to know.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I mean, look, just a little. All right, I feel you. I will I'll dial it back tomorrow. Tomorrow's a new day. When the season starts, I'll, I'll be happier again. But. But to be fair, though, before the championship game, the reason why I brought that stuff up was almost like a foreshadowing of, hey, this is what's coming. Because look, I'm not good at a lot of things, but I have a pretty good feel for what the news cycle's going to be. I've been in the business a long time and kind of know what the story's going to be the next day. And that was what I knew was coming. And I was letting everybody know, understand tonight, one or two, one. One or the other could happen based on how he performs. And it'll be interesting to see what it becomes and just be ready to talk about this tomorrow because we know this is what's coming. And sure enough, and I said it, if he goes 04 with three strikeouts, and I can't believe he literally went 04 with three strikeouts because I looked at that as the worst case scenario and that's what happened. So I wasn't wishing it to happen. I was sort of just letting you know, hey, hey, in sports, these are the things that we look for as media. We look for these moments and from a New York perspective, that was a story to follow in that game. And unfortunately the, the negative part of the story came true, not the positive one.

[Rosenberg]

I think the fans would have figured it out themselves. 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. And you're the captain of Team USA.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, you shouldn't be surprised that it was.

[Rosenberg]

You're the best player. You're on the best player on the perceived best country. And you essentially got shut out until Harper hits the two run home run, not you, Harper to tie.

[Don Hahn]

And then you're. And then you're up with a chance to put the team ahead or at least keep the rally going and you struck out right? Come on.

[Commercial/Announcer]

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[Peter]

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[Don Hahn]

I like things my way. My coffee, my schedule and my treatment. So I talked to my doctor about self injecting with the Vivgard Hytrulo pre filled syringe which contains fgar, Tigamide Alpha and Hyaluronidase qvfc. It's injected under your skin subcutaneously. It means I can inject in my space on my time. It's my treatment, my way. Visit vivgardmyway.com that's V Y V G-A-R-T myway.com and talk to your doctor about Vivgard Hyrulo Brought to you by Argenics thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

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

[Peter]

So why, why second round knockout? Is it, Is it, is it a date?

[Don Hahn]

Oh yeah.

[Caller]

On this day.

[Peter]

This song came out on this day in 1998.

[Don Hahn]

That's right.

[Peter]

That's 28 years to you and me. Wow. Mike Tyson featured on the Cannabis record. Oh, it's a fantastic moment. It's a crazy moment in time. Mike Tyson fresh out of jail, running on the beach, cannabis versus LL Cool J. Oh, you can smell it, can't you, Alan?

[Don Hahn]

Right now I'm reading something about Popeyes. I can smell Popeye.

[Peter]

Oh, by the way, what should I be. What should I be aiming to eat here in the Delta Club tonight?

[Don Hahn]

Give me the.

[Peter]

Oh, give me the. Lay down the lowdown. You get the idea.

[Don Hahn]

Popeyes filed for chapter 11.

[Peter]

No, that's impossible.

[Don Hahn]

$30 million debt.

[Rosenberg]

That's the tremendous Product.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, they make a great change operator, by the way.

[Peter]

They make a great chicken.

[Don Hahn]

I mean, a great chicken.

[Peter]

Oh, yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Delicious.

[Peter]

My family. We are a Popeyes family. Confirmed.

[Don Hahn]

I'm here with my family. I'm here. You know, you can't go wrong with the garden burger. Can't go wrong. Garden burger, the sushi. Sushi's good.

[Peter]

All right.

[Don Hahn]

Fresh, handmade, right in front of you.

[Peter]

All right. Good way to keep it healthy.

[Don Hahn]

There's always a carving station, so you can't go wrong there.

[Peter]

That can keep me away from the carbs. So maybe I go carving station. Just hit some protein.

[Don Hahn]

Might not hurt. Then there's always, you know, like, there's some. There's a candy bar we got to keep you away from.

[Peter]

Yeah. No, no. The candy I can't got. You can't.

[Don Hahn]

Got to stay away from the candy bar. Otherwise it's.

[Peter]

That's nuts.

[Don Hahn]

That's a bad week that you can't escape from.

[Rosenberg]

Yep.

[Peter]

They have the same situation over the Barclays Center. They have that next to the restaurant, next to that Carbone restaurant. They have. They have a candy room that you can just walk in. It's like going into a convenience store.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter]

It's funny, Don. It's a brilliant thing. I mean, the people who go to this area in both of these arenas, I have to imagine they can afford all the candy they want. But for some reason, when you see the candy there for you for free.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter]

It costs. Neither a team spends any money giving you free candy. And yet. And yet, people are just completely allured by free candy bars.

[Rosenberg]

Now, there's something about that. Take you back to your childhood that was your dream when you were like six, free candy, all you wanted. So it was a big deal.

[Peter]

Yeah, yeah, of course.

[Don Hahn]

My guy just at the carving station. Just hopefully. I think Elliot's there.

[Peter]

It's my guy. That's your guy. Elliot.

[Don Hahn]

Elliot. And he's. He's, by the way, he's a stand up comedian.

[Peter]

Really?

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

He does shows in New York City.

[Peter]

So should I go like a meat man? Make me laugh. Meat man.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, I hear you. Laugh time.

[Peter]

It's laugh.

[Don Hahn]

Make me the jokey joke. Jokey, jokey.

[Peter]

So the people go, laugh time.

[Don Hahn]

Or you could just say, I heard you're a really good comedian.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Peter]

And I'll have the.

[Don Hahn]

An extra slice. Give me an extra extra.

[Peter]

I like. I'd like the rib eye, please. Thank you.

[Don Hahn]

Nice.

[Peter]

Cut the fat off there. All right.

[Rosenberg]

How do you. How do you take care of somebody when it's free food.

[Peter]

Well, I don't think you tip in

[Don Hahn]

that room, you know.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, no, but I'm saying, like, how could he take care. He's given the meat for free. I mean, so.

[Peter]

Well, no, no, no. You gotta want to get a nice.

[Don Hahn]

You know, you never want to give the meat for free. Don't.

[Peter]

And you want a sizable piece of meat.

[Rosenberg]

Well then.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I mean, depends on who you are.

[Peter]

Let's go to.

[Rosenberg]

I'm good.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, I'm all set.

[Peter]

All set, huh? By the way, you know, I don't want to get in trouble for saying this.

[Rosenberg]

Why would you?

[Don Hahn]

But why not?

[Peter]

But it was. It did happen. Don, did either of you happen to pop peep Stephen A's rant about Jason Whitlock?

[Rosenberg]

I didn't click on it. I saw it.

[Peter]

Well, I won't get into details of it because I didn't get the details. I only knew one. Yeah. And it ended with him making a go fund a gofundme for. He made a fake gofundme for Jason Whitlock. And the name of it was not endearing. It was because. Don, you know, I appreciate this because I. I'm not as bad as Michael, but I do appreciate someone having time for someone. And even I appreciate the level of petty like you could say to Stephen A. Dude, your contract's worth whatever, 25, 30 million dollars. What are you worried about Jason Whitlock?

[Don Hahn]

Because he's petty ruxpin, but petty rucksbin.

[Peter]

I respect it. This guy will not stop going after you no matter what happens. And Stephen A saying, well, listen, I might have the money, but guess what else? I got time. I respect the hell out of it. Let's go to Vinnie in Staten Island. What's up, Vinny?

[Caller]

What's going on, guys? How are you?

[Peter]

How you doing?

[Rosenberg]

What's up?

[Caller]

What do you think would be the best year? Because I gotta ask a question.

[Don Hahn]

The best gm.

[Caller]

Yeah. Who would make the Don? I think Don would. John, I'm gonna ask you this question.

[Don Hahn]

Sure.

[Caller]

Okay, so if you have the first pick now and you're on the jets, do you draft Mendoza

[Rosenberg]

with with it?

[Don Hahn]

Vinnie, you're gonna hate it, but I got an answer. I got the right answer.

[Rosenberg]

Okay, again, if there's more to it, here's what I'm gonna say, Vinny. If I believe he's the guy, then I obviously have to take him. I don't take him because he's a quarterback and I need a quarterback. If I don't believe he's the guy, Then I'm trading. That's what I would do. Now, I don't. I don't know enough to know if he's the guy. I'm not just taking him because he's the best quarterback in the draft and I need a quarterback.

[Don Hahn]

Right.

[Rosenberg]

I don't believe he's the guy. Then I would trade it. That's what I would do.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Caller]

Okay. Now. Now my take here is I've been watching Carson back for three years. He's every bit as good as Mendoza. I think he's better. And everybody's falling asleep on this guy. You know, they just fall asleep on him.

[Rosenberg]

And he's older, too.

[Caller]

And I just want to.

[Don Hahn]

So wait a minute. I'd like to know if you had the pick this year, Are you taking him with your number one pick?

[Caller]

No, I'm taking all Reese and then I'm taking a receiver at 16 and then I'm taking back with my first pick in the second round.

[Don Hahn]

Okay, Right.

[Caller]

So the Jet. The jets better not sleep on him in the second round because somebody's going to grab him and this kid's going

[Peter]

to be very, very good.

[Rosenberg]

I'm not mad at that. I like Beck. I know he's a little older.

[Peter]

Well, where's he projected to go?

[Rosenberg]

Not in the first round. And he went. He was right there with Mendoza in the championship game. It's. I do believe it is ridiculous as this is.

[Peter]

Go ahead.

[Rosenberg]

Vegas is sitting there, right? And they're like, we can't not take Mendoza. But is that really the smart thing to do? If you don't believe in him, shouldn't you just, like, screw it? I'm not taking the guy I don't think is the guy. Just because I need a quarterback and I have the first overall pick. Is that a reason to take him?

[Don Hahn]

No, no. You don't just take. To take. And Mike Tanamo always says that, though. He's like, you take a quarterback, you know, like each year you take a quarterback, like, just take one just to have, like, he doesn't say take the first pick, but do it. And you just keep going until you find one. Every year you take a quarterback that I understand. If you have like, you know, two third round picks and you think there's a good quarterback, maybe I'll take him. Like Beck. All right, if you love Beck so much, maybe you take him there and just to have him and see what he becomes. And if he doesn't become anything, who cares? You just move on. But every year you do that until you Find one. I. I understand thinking, but I'm with you. See, Don and Vinny. Didn't think I'd say this, but I'm with you. I. I am shopping the pick. If I don't think he is everything that I need to be a franchise quarterback for the next decade. It's the number one pick in the draft. I need to know you're that good. You're that kind of guy. And if I don't believe that, then I'm trading it to somebody who's desperate enough looking for picks next year, knowing that team's probably going to suck next year anyway. And I get their pick.

[Rosenberg]

I say it all the time. I don't care the sport. Trust your board. You pay scouts good money. You know the game. You're a general manager in the NFL. There's only 32 of them. Where do you have Mendoza going? And if you don't have him going number one, then you don't take him at number one.

[Don Hahn]

Right.

[Rosenberg]

You trade them to somebody who has them as number one, and you take advantage of the numbers and you get things back. And you know what? If you're wrong, you're wrong. But it's the same thing if you take them. If you're wrong, you're wrong. You're going to lose your job either way. So you got to go with your board. What does your board say?

[Don Hahn]

Right.

[Rosenberg]

And if you don't have Mendoza as the number one pick in the draft, or especially if you don't have them as you 10 or 20 on your. On your list. Quarterback needs important. Don't get me wrong.

[Peter]

I'll say.

[Rosenberg]

But this is. Think about when you take a guy first overall and the decisions with the fifth year option. There's so many things that you get pigeonholed into that could really just completely ruin your franchise.

[Peter]

Let's go to Tony in Tampa. What's up, Tony?

[Caller]

Fellas, how we feeling?

[Peter]

Hey, buddy.

[Don Hahn]

I'm good. Who do you think would be a better gm? Me, Don or Peter?

[Caller]

I would say Don. I'm gonna go Don. And then Alan. Alan, you're right there, though.

[Peter]

Right there.

[Caller]

Peter could be the assistant. Thank you.

[Don Hahn]

But why. Why Don, though? Why Don? Don flies off at the handle.

[Caller]

He.

[Don Hahn]

He'd be firing people left and right.

[Rosenberg]

That's true.

[Peter]

It's risky.

[Don Hahn]

You want somebody calm, collected.

[Rosenberg]

I'd be an entertaining weekly.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, you'd be Mike Kilbury. You'd be mad Mike.

[Caller]

But Alan, I go off the rails too. I think that's why we both need. I think that's probably why I go with Doc real quick. So, Peter, first and foremost, the word pooter is incredible. Thank you.

[Peter]

Thank you.

[Caller]

That's unbelievable.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Caller]

Number two. Guys, you got to talk me off the ledge here. Season hasn't even started yet, and I'm talking about cashmere. I need you guys to answer this question for me. Why does he prospect hug so much I can't get through to? How many people are we going to name? David Garcia, Clint Frazier, and Duhar Sanchez? To an extent, we can go. We can go on and on, right?

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Caller]

So Jason Dominguez is having the best two months of his life. And. And we're gonna. And we're not gonna pull him up.

[Don Hahn]

No, we're gonna. We're gonna leave him in quadruple A. Yeah. I'll tell you what, guys, this has been. This is the triple crown. In calls today, like, we've had three spectacular calls.

[Rosenberg]

Really good, because it is so true.

[Don Hahn]

Prospect hug is a great phrase because no one pumps up his prospects like Brian Cashman. And then rather than win the sell high, what does he do? He holds on for too long, and then you end up cutting them or sending him off for nothing. It's such a great take the day before the season opener. So great.

[Rosenberg]

And everybody knows that you have to do something with them, and then you end up losing the value. Like, there should be, like, a legitimate competition. Right. That's why the Grisham deal is going to come back to haunt them. It landlocked, you know, a couple of prospects, the guys battling for position, and you could say, I know who's going to win it, but let me sell on. I'm not sure, and I'll trade one of them. But now they know I. You got a major league prospect in the minor leagues. So what? They know that you. He doesn't care if they win in Scranton or Somerset. So then you end up not getting what you should really, truly get as a value, because everyone knows you got to deal them. And then he holds on to them because that's how he judges success. Look at all the great prospects. Look how I can scout. Look at all the talent that I can find.

[Caller]

Right?

[Don Hahn]

Where's the payoff?

[Rosenberg]

There's only nine places to put him in a game.

[Don Hahn]

I'm so smart.

[Peter]

You know what I'm smart about, guys?

[Don Hahn]

I'm smart.

[Rosenberg]

I know. FanDuel.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, wow.

[Peter]

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[Peter]

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[Rosenberg]

Quick timeout. Some breakfast intel you want to know about. Kodiak Frozen Power Waffles and flapjacks are built for busy mornings. Heat it, eat it and you're out the door. No long prep, no complicated game plan. They're packed with 12 to 14 grams of protein per serving, a good source of fiber and and crafted with 100% whole grains, not refined white flour. So you're getting something that actually fuels you and there's depth on the roster. Buttermilk and vanilla blueberry chocolate chip. Even gluten free options. Breakfast that delivers, snack that delivers. Find Kodiak frozen waffles and flapjacks in the frozen aisle at your local grocery store. They're the ones with the bear on the box.

[Don Hahn]

This college basketball tournament moment is brought to you by Marriott Bonvoy.

[Caller]

He's gotta take one game of time and go up there and try to play our best and hopefully get a win.

[Peter]

In the 2003 NCAA tournament. Junior guard Dwyane Wade led third seeded Marquette on a magical run to the Final Four in the Elite Eight. Wade scored 29 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 11 assists as he carried the Golden Eagles to the upset win over 1 seeded Kentucky.

[Don Hahn]

Marriott Bonvoy, where gameday checks in Evan

[Peter]

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[Rosenberg]

So whether you're a traveling fan or

[Peter]

part of the team, Marriott Bonvoy celebrates

[Rosenberg]

the moments that live on before and after the game.

[Peter]

Marriott Bonvoy, where game day checks in.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

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

[Peter]

Don Han and Rosenberg, ESPN New York ENN Coming up in just a moment, we'll have Drop Madness results. Some pretty. You know, Don, in spite of the things that you and I may be a little disappointed about in the in the scoring of Drop Madness today, some pretty close matchups though. Very. We do finally have some. We finally have some tight races. So if you want to get in there and vote dhre ESPN on your Twitter machine, get in there and as they say, jump on there on your pooter and get your votes in. It's that easy.

[Rosenberg]

I know, I know. It feels like, you know, it's a waste to vote because you can't make a difference. Can make a difference in some of these. Honestly. Right. Let me get the right music here.

[Don Hahn]

You can make a difference right at this moment counts.

[Peter]

Where's the emotional nuts?

[Rosenberg]

And Allen Pounded is dead even. 50. 50.

[Peter]

Your vote matters.

[Rosenberg]

So your vote matters there. Holy. Canoli's in Trouble. It's down two. It's down too late. Less than 30 minutes to play. Griffin.

[Peter]

What?

[Rosenberg]

Peter is up 5149. You can make a difference there.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

Maya's trying to climb back.

[Peter]

Is she climbing in? Is she. Is she doing anything?

[Rosenberg]

5,644. I had to get. I had to intervene. I sent tweets to both of them saying, really? We hate children.

[Peter]

Oh, no. And the answer is yes.

[Rosenberg]

Apparently the answer is yes because there's she talking.

[Don Hahn]

Mama.

[Rosenberg]

Wait.

[Don Hahn]

She said mama.

[Peter]

Oh, man. How is that going to lose to Paul Heyman? It's not right.

[Don Hahn]

It's not right.

[Rosenberg]

The Anthony O guys, hey. Or hey guys to Anthony is 52. 48 in favor of Anthony. So I'm looking forward to this. Anthony, what do you got, buddy?

[Don Hahn]

Oh, hey, guys. We've got some calls, We've got emails.

[Peter]

That's beating this.

[Caller]

Watch the fish tank.

[Peter]

Oh, my God.

[Don Hahn]

Don not letting.

[Rosenberg]

Get away from the cake. Is only up 53, 40, 47. Get a lot bigger. Get away from the cake. Somebody get him away from the cake.

[Peter]

So there's a lot to vote for, is the point. These. These matchups matter.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

So they're still.

[Peter]

You saw the bad news the other day, Don, you were off, but you saw the bad news about what Advanced. Right. Unfortunately, we're gonna have to deal with this for another. Another week before.

[Rosenberg]

Well, there's different kinds of pervs.

[Don Hahn]

Pounded before. Pounding before. Let's not make that.

[Rosenberg]

That's not right.

[Don Hahn]

Let's not. It's not right.

[Rosenberg]

It's funny as hell, but it's not right.

[Don Hahn]

But don't make it a thing

[Peter]

before.

[Caller]

No, no, no, no. Don't do that one.

[Peter]

You suck.

[Rosenberg]

Go.

[Don Hahn]

Sick before God. Stop. Please suck.

[Peter]

Music

[Rosenberg]

to put that after.

[Don Hahn]

No,

[Caller]

no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[Peter]

Did you know yesterday that Griffin really crushed Griffin?

[Caller]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[Peter]

Yeah. Whoopty doo went down. And Dom, we said goodbye to your harness Wagner yesterday. Did you know that?

[Don Hahn]

That's amazing.

[Rosenberg]

I. I didn't mind seeing that go.

[Don Hahn]

Somebody went behind a couch and found,

[Rosenberg]

like, a harness Wagner rookie card or something.

[Don Hahn]

You never know. Harness Wagner.

[Rosenberg]

Hornets.

[Don Hahn]

Hornets.

[Rosenberg]

It's still a stupid name

[Peter]

since it's a great. I got a tonus. They did a great job. Anthony and Jacob, all said and done, this is a pretty strong field. Can't no denying that. Let's go to. Let's get a couple calls here before the ENN of it all. Let's go to Gilberto in the truck. What's up, buddy?

[Don Hahn]

Alberto.

[Caller]

What's up, guys? Yo, yo, yo, man. Good hearing from you guys. I'm actually walking back home with a friend, turning him on to the radio station. He was asking me what I listened to, and I said, you got to get with it. You know what I'm saying? I put them up.

[Don Hahn]

That's right.

[Rosenberg]

I appreciate it.

[Caller]

Yeah, man. Another listener. Yo, Don. No, you're gonna appreciate this, what I'm about to say. We're talking NBA. Okay. What happened to the grooming of David Stern on Adam Silva? Adam Silver's too soft, man. Come on, man. Like, you think he's gotta. He gotta put all these demons in check, man. You can't have the players running the whole industry into the ground. And that's what's happening. That's why you were talking about the disgruntled fan that doesn't see anymore, doesn't look anymore. It's not like back in the days when we used to go to any game and they would have been losing whatever, we still enjoyed going to that game. Now we have a smarter consumer because you guys are making us smarter. We know what's going on, we know what's going on in the trenches. We know why teams taunt, we know why teams do this and do that because you guys educated us. So now the consumer is not going to spend his money, hard earned money, especially when we pay $6 a tank for a gallon of gas. He's not going to spend his money well.

[Rosenberg]

It's not a player's problem, it's an owner problem. You know, it's not being soft on the players, it's being soft on the owners by not disciplining them when clearly they're tanking. But I, guys, I really think it's just a case of, I don't think he knows exactly how to solve the problem. We've had some ideas go across his desk and some callers and some pretty brilliant ideas actually. But what's going to work? He thought the plan might help. Didn't work. He thought, you know, a draft lottery would work. Didn't work. Fines don't work. What are you gonna do to stop these teams, especially when you have a deep draft like you have this year, stop them from doing it?

[Don Hahn]

I, it's, it's going to take dramatic, especially when you're adding two more teams now, so you're two more teams that could end up being bad teams as well. I think you've got to make a dramatic change to the draft, to the lottery, to the draft, to drafting play, whatever it is. Like you've gotta do something dramatic and I don't know if they're ready to do that because the draft itself as an entity, again, espn, we pay for it, we want it. It's a big show. There's a lot build up for it and they make money off of it. So it would take something dramatic that still makes money to change it. I don't know how you do it.

[Rosenberg]

Well, there's a lot of ideas, there's a lot of reasons, there's a lot of things that can be done and, but there's also a lot of reasons why people buy Ramsey Mazda. It's their selection, it's their customer service and it's their savings.

[Don Hahn]

Put it on a t. Lisa New

[Rosenberg]

2026 Mazda CX 32.5s preferred all wheel drive for $219 for 36 months. Start shopping now at Ramsey Mazda.com choose wisely. Choose Ramsey Mazda. Call 833-853-2970 for details. Make Vin TM 108368 MSRP $31,435 0 Security deposit ends 33126 thanks for listening

[Don Hahn]

to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter]

I don't want to know how the

[Don Hahn]

sausage is made, but I just want to know it's good. Hear more of Don Allen and Peter Weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers. Monster Energy Everybody knows White Monster Zero Ultra, that's the og. It kicked off this whole Zero Sugar energy drink thing, but Ultra is a whole lineup now. You've got Strawberry Dreams, Blue Hawaiian Sunrise and Vice Guava, and they all bring

[Rosenberg]

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[Peter]

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[Don Hahn]

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[Peter]

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[Don Hahn]

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[Peter]

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