Don, Hahn & Rosenberg
Hour 3: Cake v Pie
Date: November 24, 2025
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Podcast Theme: New York sports, culture, & lively debates—Thanksgiving special focus on the “Cake vs. Pie” debate.
Episode Overview
This episode centers around the heated and humorous ongoing debate of “Cake vs. Pie” for Thanksgiving, weaving in New York sports talk, pop culture references, callers’ stories, and a touch of friendly chaos. The crew also dives into NFL Thanksgiving matchups, the Giants’ season angst, the ins and outs of desserts, and interacts with listeners on both sports and sweets. The tone is light, ribbing, full of classic New York energy.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Great Cake vs. Pie Debate
Segment Start: [01:04]
- Context: Rosenberg kicks off the debate, recounting a “heated discussion” on the morning show with Ebro, who declared, “pie is the real dessert and cake is for children.”
- Both Don and Alan strongly side with pies, particularly for Thanksgiving, citing tradition and taste.
- Peter fights the cake corner, claiming, “I always would take cake over pie…” ([01:42]).
- Discussion devolves into subtleties: a la mode vs. standalone, “missionary” status of apple pie, and whether chocolate cream pies are “real pies.”
Notable Quotes:
- “Apple pie—it's the missionary of desserts.” – Peter Rosenberg [02:00]
- “If you bring a cake to Thanksgiving, we're sending you home. Pies only on the table.” – Don Hahn [07:54]
- “Horse manure with French vanilla ice cream, I’d still eat.” – Peter Rosenberg [04:59]
- “A pie is a pie is a pie, man. Okay.” – Don Hahn [04:07]
Memorable Moments:
- Peter’s absurdity: “A piece of chocolate cake and then a woman's breasts with it.” [07:17]
- The Entenmann’s debate: nostalgia vs. store-bought “sin” ([08:08–09:22])
- Callers chime in with their pie picks, such as Moose hilariously detailing his dessert preferences stemming from fighting childhood bullies for free Russian bakery cakes. [24:52]
2. Thanksgiving and Sports Schedules
Segment Start: [12:19]
- The hosts preview the NFL Thanksgiving schedule, speculating on quarterback performances (notably Joe Burrow’s return), and riff on how certain matchups become much more appealing with key players.
- Entertaining musings on whether adding a Taylor Swift halftime performance to Cowboys vs. Chiefs would shatter TV ratings.
- “Cowboys. Chiefs. Thanksgiving Day. You throw a Taylor Swift at halftime—you're getting into the 40 millions. Done.” – Peter Rosenberg [19:10]
3. Listener Calls: Giants’ Miseries & Dessert Takes
Key Callers:
- Michael ([14:13]): Wonders if he should sell his Giants vs. Vikings tickets because the team's “complete garbage.” Alan and Don recommend going, highlighting the experience over outcome.
- “You’re not gonna get anything…Go to the football game. You bring your new wife.” – Alan Hahn [15:08]
- Moose ([24:49]): Shares his nickname’s origin story and says he’d choose key lime or pecan pie over cake, but is mainly a “sour candy” dessert guy.
- “I’m like sour candy type of person for dessert. But if I must choose, key lime pie, pecan pie.” – Moose [26:06]
- Earl ([28:26]): Gives love to Don and Alan, then drops: “Pie. Okay. Sweet potato. Sweet potato pie. Pumpkin piece.” [29:08]
4. Dessert Definitions and the “Cheesecake Problem”
Segment Start: [33:53]
- Call-in debates about cheesecake: Is it pie or cake?
- “Cheesecake really isn’t cake…It’s in a pie plate.” – Alan Hahn [34:13]
- Flavors blur lines—creme brulee, tres leches, and the nature of “layers”—fueling banter and classifying desserts.
5. Sports Talk: Knicks, Rangers, Islanders Updates & Yankees Payroll Debate
Knicks & Defense Struggles:
- Callers ask Alan about the Knicks’ “Jekyll and Hyde” home vs. road performance, especially defense.
- “My red flag right now is the defense…Defense travels, right?” – Alan Hahn [47:24]
Yankees Payroll/’Mom and Pop’ Ownership:
Segment Start: [48:46]
- Long segment unpacking how the structure of Yankees ownership (family business, not hedge fund) changes their roster-building ability compared to Steve Cohen’s Mets.
- “The Yankees are basically a mom and pop…It’s a family-owned business.” – Don Hahn [52:34]
- “No one’s crying poverty for the Yankees, but Cohen might say, ‘I’ll lose a few bucks, I want Bellinger.’” – Alan Hahn [51:27]
6. Rapid-fire: Mount Rushmore of Goalies & NHL Trivia
Segment Start: [35:45]
- Caller and hosts debate the four greatest hockey goaltenders, drawing comparisons among Patrick Roy, Brodeur, Smith, and Dryden.
- Series of playful (and increasingly obscure) hockey references, culminating in a trivia bet around Don Beaupre and the North Stars, with Trader Joe’s goods on the line.
- “Minnesota North Stars.” – Peter Rosenberg (winning the bet) [40:32]
7. Pop Culture & Production Snafus
- Alan's and Don’s video feeds glitch during the livestream, leading to slapstick commentary on their technology.
- More banter on who counts as “great” music acts for NFL halftimes (Post Malone vs. Taylor Swift), with tongue-in-cheek analysis of who can “move the numbers.”
- “There’s only a handful that can do that…Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, maybe two or three others…” – Peter Rosenberg [20:14]
Notable Quotes & Timestamped Moments
- Peter Rosenberg: “I still though for me, I always would take cake over pie if I’m given the choice. Nine times out of ten. Ten times out of ten. No, eleven times out of ten.” [01:42]
- Don Hahn: “If you bring a cake, we’re sending you home. Pies only on the table.” [07:54]
- Alan Hahn: “You’re not gonna get anything…Go to the football game. You bring your new wife.” [15:08]
- Peter Rosenberg: “Cowboys. Chiefs. Thanksgiving Day. You throw a Taylor Swift at halftime—you're getting into the 40 millions. Done.” [19:10]
- Moose: “There was a Russian bakery…A bunch of his bullies were picking on him in school. I took them on and then…got free cakes and stuff.” [25:20]
- Don Hahn (on Yankees): “The Yankees are, are basically, basically not in reality, but basically a mom and pop. That’s what it is. It’s a family-owned business.” [52:34]
Conclusion & Tone
The episode is a lively, food-and-football-fueled New York tussle full of nostalgia, sports savvy, and irreverent good humor, anchored in the kinds of debates that dominate family tables during the holidays. The hosts create a vibrant space where sports, dessert loyalties, and NYC culture intersect, pulled together by caller stories and off-the-cuff riffs.
Listeners leave entertained, armed with opinions on both the culinary and sports sides of Thanksgiving, and reassured that—between cake or pie, Yankees or Mets—there’s always something tasty (or heated) on the New York table.