Don, Hahn & Rosenberg Podcast – Jets Suffering (Hour 3)

Date: September 30, 2025
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Theme: Navigating religious observance during playoff season, New York Jets fandom agony, and reflections on sports, faith, and resilience.

Episode Overview

Hour 3 delivers the core of Don, Hahn & Rosenberg’s appeal: lively, self-deprecating takes on sports pain (notably the Jets), a candid discussion on religious obligations during playoff games, and the existential dread (and hope) of rooting for long-suffering teams. The trio, plus a handful of passionate callers, move fluidly from Yom Kippur etiquette for Yankee fans, comparative suffering as sports and religious minorities, to dissecting the Jets’ ongoing woes and the broader spiritual questions that fandom evokes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Yankees Playoffs, October Weather, and Holiday Scheduling

• [00:44–02:43] The hosts set the scene: fall baseball in New York, with unseasonably warm weather creating a bizarre October vibe.
  • “Looking at the overhead shot of Yankee Stadium… it’s not going to have that October nip in the air.” – Don Hahn ([00:44])
  • They joke about weather and how it doesn’t feel like playoff season.

Yom Kippur vs. Yankees Playoff Dilemma

• [02:10–05:07] The scheduling conflict: game time overlaps with Yom Kippur, creating turmoil for observant Jewish Yankee fans.
  • Explanation: Peter Rosenberg details the seriousness of the holiday—fasting, no electronics, no TV.
    “From the second sundown tomorrow hits till sundown the next night, there’s nothing.” – Peter Rosenberg ([03:09])
  • “Some…will call in, sort of stressing. My guess is the move for some will be turning on the TV or radio tomorrow afternoon before leaving it on and then leaving it on for 24 hours…cheat the system that way.” – Peter ([04:35])
  • The group riffs on “religious loopholes” (having a neighbor turn on a radio or TV), with Peter doubting the integrity of such workarounds.

Religious “A la Carte” and Minority Guilt

• [05:29–08:56] Nuanced, humorous talk about selective observance:
  • Peter: “Michael believes … there’s no such thing as a la carte religion. You either do it as the rabbis would do, or just sit.” ([03:00])
  • The hosts compare religious pressures, especially for minority faiths:
    “When you’re not the main religion, there’s an obligation… that I feel…There’s a certain level of guilt to it.” – Peter ([06:52])
  • Christianity vs. Judaism work holiday dynamics discussed.

Personal Faith and Mind-Your-Business Approach

• [09:09–10:21] Don shares his philosophy:
  • “I have a personal relationship with God, and it’s none of your business. That’s what I do. I do it my way.” – Don Hahn ([09:21])
  • The group agrees; if only everyone were live-and-let-live.

2. Philosophy, Afterlife, and the “Sports Commandments” Bit

• [10:33–13:15] The conversation spins off into metaphysical and comedic tangents:
  • They joke about religious unknowns and tie it back to sports fandom—“You were a Jets fan. You’ve already been in hell.” ([10:28])
  • Discuss the film Defending Your Life (Albert Brooks) as a metaphor for judgment and self-reflection.
  • “Fantastic Albert Brooks vehicle…” ([10:49])
  • The concept: being judged for “fraud alert Friday” and sports sins as if they're spiritual ones.

Callers Weigh In – Real-Life Yom Kippur Sports Protocol

• [12:25–16:14] Levi and others share how religious Jews in NY prioritize faith over baseball, with synagogue security guards serving as covert score updaters.
  • “I’m still human. But once Yom Kippur is over, we tune back in. Wherever we’re holding, we’re holding.” – Levi ([13:08])

3. Sports Commandments & The Ten Actual Ones

• [15:53–20:14] The hosts debate which Ten Commandments are “actually kept,” veering between irreverence and insight.
  • “You talk about a la carte. The Ten Commandments are ala cart.” – Don ([16:27])
  • “Thou shalt not kill…That’s number one, right? …We break that a lot, don’t we?” – Peter & Rosenberg ([16:21])
  • They joke about how “coveting” is social media’s entire business model and note even following lesser commandments could make us better, happier people.

4. Jet Fan Misery: Catharsis and Comparison

• [20:36–27:01] Heart of the episode—caller “Danny” gives a confession of Jets pain:
  • “What is wrong with me?…I battled…traffic to get home for that game. For what? What in God’s name is wrong with me?” – Danny ([22:01])
  • The hosts empathize, likening Jets fandom to spiritual suffering and discuss parallels to long-suffering teams like the Lions and the Patriots before their turnarounds.
  • Don preaches hope but warns: “Might not be in this century. But don’t throw the guy away through four games.” ([23:02])

On Perseverance and Pacing Yourself as a Fan

• [25:41–36:15] Callers urge patience with the Jets. The hosts debate QB performance and the franchise’s inability to develop quarterbacks:
  • “Jets are just not a place where quarterbacks thrive…just not an atmosphere for a quarterback to grow. And it hasn’t changed.” – Don ([41:11])
  • They show skepticism over Fields and current Jets QB projections.
  • “He has not been an embarrassment, but…you said we found a quarterback. No, you haven’t.” – Don ([30:13])
  • Peter: “I went from thinking he had something to what I’ve seen has made me think he could be a nice little backup for you. He’s not the guy.” ([31:00])

“Fraud Pass” for Jet Suffering

• [32:00–33:16]
  • Peter: “Wouldn’t you give it for this season? If someone says, hey, this weekend my kid has a thing…” ([32:24])

5. The Anatomy of Jets and Mets Futility

• [40:49–44:46]
  • Callers reflect on ex-Jets QBs finding success elsewhere.
  • Don: “Every time you try to bring somebody in…right now it looks like it’s not working with Fields, maybe it will, but God…” ([41:11])
  • Peter: “Sam…is now thriving with another franchise. Two other franchises since he’s left. Thriving.” ([42:17])

Top 5 “Jetsiest” Moments

• [43:36–45:34]
  • They rank infamously embarrassing (often bizarre) moments: from the “Butt Fumble” to Sam Darnold’s mononucleosis.
  • Don: “The reason the butt fumble resonates is because you never saw anything like that before. Guys tear their Achilles, right? It just happens…You don’t see guys run into their own offensive lineman’s butt on Thanksgiving…” ([43:53])

6. Final Thoughts & Baseball Fast Takes

• [47:01–47:20]
  • As Yankees-Red Sox game looms: Peter calls for a “big Judge performance.”
  • Don: “All the games right here. Coming up next, it’s the Yankees and the Red Sox game one. We’ll break it all down for you tomorrow…” ([47:16])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Yom Kippur and Baseball:
  “You could have your neighbor come turn on your radio…this is where I get into religion being a joke, right? Because if you’re doing a thing where your neighbor cheat[s] the system for you…isn't this now? Yo, yo, yo.” – Peter Rosenberg ([05:08])
• On Personal Spirituality:
  “I have a personal relationship with God, and it’s none of your business. That’s what I do.” – Don Hahn ([09:21])
• Existential Doubt:
  “There’s a chance when every one of us that eats meat…we’re getting up there…He goes, hold on. Were you eating all the little animals? Yeah. What do you think, I made those beautiful animals send them right to hell…and we’re all going to hell, right? We don’t know.” – Peter Rosenberg ([09:54])
• Jets Fandom Despair:
  “What is wrong with me?...I want to get home for the game, babe. I want to make a little dinner. What is wrong with me? What in God’s name…?” – Danny, Jets fan ([22:01])
• Sports & Faith Intertwined:
  “If I were somehow to document all the fraud stuff…asteroid hits the planet a thousand years from now, they discover this and confuse me talking about sports as, like, a religion…” – Don Hahn ([15:02])
• Hope for Jets Fans:
  “Don’t throw the guy away through four games. The day's gonna come…might not be in this century.” – Don ([23:02])
• Ala Carte Religion/Commandments:
  “You talk about a la carte. The Ten Commandments are ala cart.” – Don ([16:27])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Yankees Playoff Weather Chat: [00:44–01:58]
• Yom Kippur Dilemma for Fans: [02:10–05:07]
• Religious Observance & Guilt: [05:29–08:56]
• Personal Faith Stance: [09:09–10:21]
• Afterlife/Sports as Judgment: [10:33–13:15]
• Caller Levi on Yom Kippur Routine: [12:25–13:47]
• Sports Commandments & Ten Commandments Bit: [15:53–20:14]
• Jets Fan Despair (Danny): [20:36–23:44]
• Jets, QBs, and Development Issues: [30:37–36:15]
• “Fraud Pass” for Fans: [32:00–33:16]
• Failings of the Jets Franchise: [40:49–44:15]
• “Jetsiest” Moments: [43:36–45:34]
• Preview Yankees-Red Sox, Final Chatter: [47:01–end]

Tone & Takeaway

The episode is a masterclass in blending local sports grief, NY Jewish identity, and classic sports radio banter. It's therapy for the battered fan: empathetic, witty, at times existential, ultimately resilient.

If you’re a Jets fan, a Yankees diehard conflicted by the High Holidays, or just someone who’s ever questioned the meaning of it all—this is your hour.