Alan Hahn (1:45)

playoffs isn't that you have three teams in the league and not one of them was good enough to make the tournament.

Peter Rosenberg (1:53)

And when the Devils came in, the Islanders were in the midst of their dynasty. And then when you got to the end of that dynasty, that's when the Devils made the playoffs for the first time and the Rangers started to get better in the early 90s. It's never happened. So then when the Islanders came in in 72, the Rangers had gone to the Stanley cup final the year before, lost to the Blackhawks in 73, started to make the playoffs a little bit more. And then by 75, the Islanders were a perennial playoff team and they were

Alan Hahn (2:19)

in the playoffs for the next 15 years.

Peter Rosenberg (2:21)

To go back to the 65, 66 season when we were an Original Six, Rangers didn't make the playoffs. The last time there was not local representation in the postseason exactly 60 years ago. Wow. No postseason.

Fan/Caller (2:36)

That is an insane stat.

Alan Hahn (2:37)

By the way. 60 years. You have to go back to the last time there were no playoff hockey to speak of in the New York Metropolitan.

Fan/Caller (2:48)

Crazy.

Alan Hahn (2:50)

That's where we are. But where we also are is the Knicks in the playoffs. They're taking on the Atlanta Hawks. We're going to discuss that momentarily with you again. 800 now, 193776. But before we do that, how about a little game time brought to you by Telemardu Irish Whiskey. Because when it's game time, Donny, It sure is. So the Mets, they're in la? Why not? You know, when you're going through some struggles, you know what really helps you go play the Dodgers. Yeah, that's right. Coverage immediately following Dan Grasser, by the way, tonight on 8:80 at 9:30 Eastern Time. Rangers, as Don mentioned, visiting the Panthers, coverage on 1050 starts at 6:30. And then the Yankees, they're back home. They're in the Bronx. They're going to be welcomed with open arms and cheers and excitement as they take on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in California usa.

Peter Rosenberg (3:49)

Yep. Everything shuts down.

Alan Hahn (3:51)

Well, I mean I don't think he can move anywhere in the city. He's so recognized.

Peter Rosenberg (3:55)

God, that. Remember when that was a thing?

Alan Hahn (3:57)

Yeah, the Yankees, that game. By the way, first pitch,705. That's a. Yes. Vehicle. Yes, I would imagine, right, little Michael K. Yeah. Okay. Telemardu. The original triple distilled, triple blended, triple cast matured Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Telemardu or try the new Telemore do, honey. During today's action, glasses up to enjoying till I'm a do responsibly. I only ask because I do know the Yankees do appear sometimes on prime and sometimes on Apple.

Fan/Caller (4:21)

Sure.

Peter Rosenberg (4:22)

And so Apple's usually a Friday vehicle, right?

Alan Hahn (4:24)

Oh, Apple's always a Friday thing, I think. And when's Amazon random?

Peter Rosenberg (4:29)

Yeah, I think it's random. Amazon replaced what used to be the Pixel 11 days.

Alan Hahn (4:35)

Remember those days? Yeah, I remember. You know what I saw? Bill White, Phil Rizzuto did. They did something on a Yankee broadcast on picks on 11 and Bill White was reading a statement from WPIX because the Yankees were about to move to I think MSG Network.

Fan/Caller (4:57)

All right.

Alan Hahn (4:57)

And they were going to move to cable and there was an uproar about how we feel the Yankees should be available for free to everyone. And, but you know, and Rizzuto. I think Scooter was like, well, it's. This is where the new world is going. Cable tv. And it's so amazing that here we are now complaining about moving the streaming because it should be on cable, like it ought to be, like it always was. It's just everything say the same.

Fan/Caller (5:24)

And we've known that, but we've known for a long time it was going this way. It's just so annoying now that we're here.

Peter Rosenberg (5:29)

But I do remember, you know, going back, I guess it was like 20 years ago when TNT got one of the conference finals on. My God, there's a conference final in the NBA and it's not on over the air. It's on cable. But I'd say, listen, follow the money. And I would think one day the super bowl will be on an app. They come up with enough money.

Alan Hahn (5:53)

What do you think of it? If we're gonna guess, would you go Netflix or. I'm thinking Amazon. I'm thinking at some point, Amazon Prime, super bowl, because they print money. It's a gigantic company that we know is going nowhere.

Peter Rosenberg (6:08)

Right.

Alan Hahn (6:09)

Tons and tons of stability with that company. And they're in the business. Don't you think we're going to reach a day where super bowl is watched on Amazon Prime? Of all the places, would you say, think about other places it could be? ESPN is a network. So it's on cable already, right?

Fan/Caller (6:28)

No. What ESPN is.

Alan Hahn (6:29)

Yeah.

Fan/Caller (6:30)

The super bowl is not. I still don't think the super bowl would end up on espn.

Alan Hahn (6:34)

We have the Super Bowl.

Fan/Caller (6:35)

Right. But it's gonna be on abc.

Alan Hahn (6:37)

You know what I mean by when I say espn? I mean the product. But you're saying NBC has peacock. But they'll always have it on NBC on the only.

Fan/Caller (6:45)

So you're saying, will it ever be on? Straight up, it's on a streamer, which

Alan Hahn (6:48)

is Amazon or Netflix. Unless Apple wants to jump in. But who else are we has that kind of.

Fan/Caller (6:53)

I don't think it'll happen.

Peter Rosenberg (6:54)

No, definitely will happen. Why not? I mean, if they pay.

Fan/Caller (6:58)

They can't. They can't pay enough. You can't. I. They can't.

Alan Hahn (7:03)

You think Amazon can't pay enough? No, I promise you Amazon can.

Fan/Caller (7:06)

They can, but they won't.

Peter Rosenberg (7:07)

Guys, it's the way.

Fan/Caller (7:08)

They can also not fire people. But they fire thousands all the time, these places. There's no world in which you would admit the dollars would make sense. What's the number?

Alan Hahn (7:18)

I don't know.

Fan/Caller (7:18)

Because a hundred million people.

Alan Hahn (7:21)

Well, we Got to see the world that it become. We don't know what the world becomes.

Caller (7:24)

Right.

Ethos/Grainger Announcer (7:24)

We don't know how soon.

Fan/Caller (7:25)

K, explain why I'm saying no.

Alan Hahn (7:27)

Good.

Fan/Caller (7:27)

The reason I'm saying no is it hasn't happened yet. And we are getting near the prime of the streamer.

Alan Hahn (7:34)

No pun intended.

Fan/Caller (7:35)

Well done. I believe by the time we would get to a place where maybe that would be an option, I believe this system will already be outdated and we will now be in a full on cable system again. And all of these places will exist in a cable.

Peter Rosenberg (7:49)

They already have a wild card game. So they already have a playoff game.

Alan Hahn (7:52)

They're inching closer.

Fan/Caller (7:53)

But a wild card in a Super bowl could. I know they're in the same family, but you're right. But it's dad and it's the old cat. Okay, I'm sorry. It's the scraggly old cat who they, they adopted in the backyard. The wild card isn't standing near dear old dad.

Alan Hahn (8:08)

With that in mind, the Knicks game one Saturday, six o', clock, Madison will

Fan/Caller (8:14)

never be on prime.

Alan Hahn (8:16)

It's on prime.

Fan/Caller (8:17)

Oh, it's on prime. Sorry.

Alan Hahn (8:18)

Game one of the playoffs not on msg. This was something that Mike Green talk during our broadcast which ended up being on Sunday, our last broadcast game broadcast of the regular season of the season. Normally now historically we have always been allotted at least the first round. In the past we'd done more. But in Recent times the RSNs, the regional sports networks had the ability to side by side with national carry at least the first round of their team's playoffs. And this is the first year in the new broadcast agreements with the NBA. That entered Amazon into the fray that you couldn't do that anymore because Amazon jumped in. They're doing the whole play in tournament that starts tomorrow and now they can also cherry pick games and you can't do side by sides anymore. So for the first time in, I mean since the network was formed, the Knicks first playoff game of the year will not be on MSG network. And that's kind of sad. We will do pre and post coverage. For those who are wondering, we still will be on the network viewing pre and post for all the games. But when Mike said this and then they, they posted the video, it caught me by surprise that so many people guys in the comments were shocked by this and mad about it that I don't get to hear my local broadcasters and some people don't want to watch it on a streaming service like Amazon because now I'm stuck to watching it only on Amazon. Like that's basically it. But this is the world. But are we losing that connection though when it comes to having the opportunity to hear our. And Michael did this opening night, you remember that wasn't. They couldn't. Yes, couldn't do Yankees opening night. And the fans love to hear their hometown announcers, but they can't. Is that something we have to get used to or is there a world that somehow, some way we can figure out how do we still do this where you can hear your local announcers? We can do everything else technology wise. How can we not do this?

Peter Rosenberg (10:28)

Well, that's the thing, especially on an app, right? They don't care. They just want the audience. They want more people to get prime and that's why they've got the NBA. Right. So why, why pay the money to have your own announcers that those guys don't want to hear? Just hit a button for Atlantis feed. Hit a button for the Knicks feed. You watch it on Amazon, everybody wins.

Alan Hahn (10:50)

When you get Tyler Murray and Monica McNutt on the ESPN New York call at worst, is that what you get? Could you just. The radio call just feeds in instead.

Peter Rosenberg (11:00)

But why can't you just have

Fan/Caller (11:03)

like

Peter Rosenberg (11:04)

the locals do it? Like Breen and Clyde would be there. Yeah, maybe calling it for Amazon but then you would have the same feed. But you can get the Atlanta announcers and if you wanted to, I guess you could have Amazon's own announcers if you just wanted to watch it.

Alan Hahn (11:21)

Right. Nationally you just get that. But I would think in market you can get anything is possible youe know, you get those two.

Peter Rosenberg (11:29)

As long as you're watching on Amazon prime, like what does it matter, right?

Alan Hahn (11:33)

You're getting all the same streaming and

Peter Rosenberg (11:35)

all that other stuff now once you feel like there's a national stuff, it's like, well, listen, we have our own announcers and we get that. But in this particular case. And you'd have the technology to do it.

Alan Hahn (11:46)

Just the market, right?

Peter Rosenberg (11:48)

Yeah. When I watch an Amazon game now, like the Yankee game. And by the way, thanks to Kofi, there's 21 games on Amazon left and like four of them are not Wednesday. There's a couple of. There's like three Tuesdays and a Thursday. So it looks like prime is usually Wednesday.

Alan Hahn (12:05)

Okay, the Yankees. All right.

Peter Rosenberg (12:07)

But if I go Wednesday to click it on, it'll give me. I can watch the Yankees or I could watch like a Spanish feed. Like so they give you options. I mean, they'll just give me an option of watching the Knicks feed or to watch the Atlanta feed. Television.

Alan Hahn (12:24)

Now, in comparison to NBC, which we love Tirico, but we can do without Reggie in this market. Especially Jamal Crawford. Love him. Right? Those guys. But Amazon's got like, it's Iron Eagle. Yeah, nobody hates Iron Eagle. Stan Van Gundy. Can you deal with Stan?

Fan/Caller (12:41)

I like Stan.

Peter Rosenberg (12:42)

I like Stan, too.

Alan Hahn (12:44)

So that's what you're getting in New York for that Game one.

Fan/Caller (12:48)

Listen, I don't want to be. I don't want to sound like I know Michael would get very sensitive about this.

Alan Hahn (12:53)

Okay?

Fan/Caller (12:54)

I mean, are we still talking about this?

Alan Hahn (12:57)

As far as what this.

Fan/Caller (12:58)

Every Dom we do is every year. Well, how about the local announcement, man?

Alan Hahn (13:03)

Is it really.

Fan/Caller (13:04)

To me, it's who care?

Alan Hahn (13:06)

I need to know that. Not from you, though, okay? Because you're out of market. You know what I mean?

Fan/Caller (13:10)

And my main thing's football. I never get a local. That's what I think for that.

Alan Hahn (13:14)

That's exactly what I mean by out of market. So I'm not saying football doesn't have that aside from the radio call.

Fan/Caller (13:19)

But you still have the radio and

Peter Rosenberg (13:20)

you still have the radio call.

Alan Hahn (13:21)

When you go through a whole season, there's something about the announcers that are your team guys. You know them, they, you know, they know the team well. And then sometimes when you get to the national call, you feel like they don't really.

Fan/Caller (13:34)

They don't. No, listen.

Alan Hahn (13:36)

And that could be fun. That's why I asked the question. Because if everybody agrees with you and go, I don't care.

Peter Rosenberg (13:40)

Listen.

Alan Hahn (13:40)

Okay, the majority don't care.

Fan/Caller (13:42)

Go ahead, Don.

Peter Rosenberg (13:43)

Everybody would rather have the local. But here's.

Fan/Caller (13:46)

I agree, everyone would rather. But also, who cares?

Peter Rosenberg (13:48)

And I'm not calling anybody out because I could have been in the same situation. You know, Gary Cohen mentioned that he was disappointed that opening day was taken away. Michael's complained. Opening day was taken away for yes. And Mike Breen, the first round of the playoffs. Taken away. You make certain choices, you know, like those guys were all radio guys and took the TV job knowing that at some point, you know, it's. They're not going to do all the games anymore. You know, I understand you're disappointed, but would it have been enough for you to not take the job? No, because, like, I just put myself in the situation. I. I was doing Rangers radio and then did Devil's tv. Yeah, right. But let's say I was doing Devil's tv. Would I have turned down the Devil. Devil's Radio Would I have turned down tv? Because I would. I would only do the first round of the playoffs and maybe eventually when the new television contract comes in, it might be none. No, I'd still. I'd still.

Alan Hahn (14:44)

I think profile of TV as your friend. If he would ever turn down a TV gig just to stay on radio. But that's the point.

Fan/Caller (14:53)

No, but that's why it's point guards. That's why he won. It's already point guards.

Alan Hahn (14:57)

You take the job. I get it.

Fan/Caller (14:58)

No, but because the truth is not

Alan Hahn (15:00)

about you though that.

Fan/Caller (15:01)

No, I know.

Alan Hahn (15:01)

Mike saying I want to call.

Fan/Caller (15:04)

I know.

Alan Hahn (15:04)

This is why I said this because I was surprised by the response it got when they posted it on social media about how many fans A didn't realize that this was a thing which they announced last year.

Peter Rosenberg (15:18)

But B, right.

Alan Hahn (15:19)

That they were that upset about the fact that I. I want to hear my hometown guys I don't like. I want that. And I was. I was caught off guard because I thought people were just like, whatever, it's the playoffs. Who cares? It feels big.

Peter Rosenberg (15:32)

No, I know. Peter will tell you this was a topic every baseball postseason. Michael would say it sucks. Or we get phone calls. I'm sorry that you're not doing the game. And listen, really listen. Mike Breen's disappointed because he always did the first round right now was taken away from him.

Alan Hahn (15:49)

Yeah.

Peter Rosenberg (15:50)

And Michael and Gary have a right to complain because they always did opening day and it was taken away from them.

Alan Hahn (15:55)

Right.

Peter Rosenberg (15:55)

But it would be ridiculous. Every postseason fans would call. Oh, Michael, I'm going to miss you doing the postseason. The baseball never had the like for 50 years, 60 years didn't have local postseason but still took the job. So you kind of knew what they were getting into.

Alan Hahn (16:15)

I didn't mean to bring back then an old topic. It was caught me by surprise on the people care. You're not wrong about that response really got.

Fan/Caller (16:22)

I think. I think there 100% be preference. But also my point is isn't the feeling you're so hyped for the playoffs ready to see your team, you're not crying over this. You could still listen to the radio call and thank goodness you could still go on msg, get all the pre and post with your people.

Alan Hahn (16:36)

Well, that's there.

Fan/Caller (16:37)

So that's all there

Alan Hahn (16:40)

to watch it. To watch a game only on streaming. You have to watch it. And that would be game one on Saturday. Chris in Brooklyn on this topic. Go ahead, Chris.

Chris (Caller) (16:50)

Yes, I'm not mad. Hey guys. How first of All How y doing? It's beautiful in the town, y'. All. Hope you're enjoying this beautiful weather that we got coming along and everything. I'm not mad about Mike and Clyde. I'm not gonna say you lie. I was mad that they said that last night that they're not gonna do the first round. But if fans are really fans of NBA, do the research. I did the research in the beginning of the season to see where everything is going to be at. I know where every game is going to be at this year regarding Peacock, Amazon and espn. That's all you got to do. This is just the first game. It's going to be on Amazon Prime. After that, everything is going to be on Peacock and espn. The conference finals is on. The Western Conference is on Peacock. The Eastern Conference is on espn.

Alan Hahn (17:39)

Right.

Chris (Caller) (17:39)

Finals got ABC and espn. So it's not that big of a deal to me as a fan because you get this. I love Stan Van Gundy. I like Ione.

Fan/Caller (17:53)

How you say his name?

Alan Hahn (17:54)

Ian Eagle.

Chris (Caller) (17:54)

I like him. Mike Perico. Reggie. Jamal Crawford. Mike Green, Kim Legler, Richard Jefferson. So they tell you what's going to happen and who's going to be calling these games and stuff like that. So that's my only thing is.

Alan Hahn (18:13)

Yeah, so you're a guy, Chris. You're a guy that, you know, knows to go check it out, find out where it's going to be and be ready for it.

Peter Rosenberg (18:20)

But not everybody's like that if you're a die hard Nick fan. We saw this with the Rangers too, with Sam Rose, I mean, talking about Mike Breen and Sam. They're in the hall of Fame.

Alan Hahn (18:27)

Yes.

Peter Rosenberg (18:28)

So all season you get those guys. And now in the biggest games of the year, at least you'd get them in the first round, understanding that eventually they'd be taken away. I can understand you having a bit

Alan Hahn (18:40)

of a problem, feel away. Yeah, yeah, no, I know. Look, I got lucky last year. In the last year that we were able to broadcast games, I was sent to Detroit, as you guys remember, and I had the incredible privilege to be part of that broadcast, to call that game, Game three with, with Mike Breen and that, you know, I would have never had that opportunity after that. Right. This year, obviously it never would have come up again. So the fact that I could say that I called the Knicks playoff game on MSG is like one of those resume type thing. So I was lucky and I appreciate it. But it is, you know, again, not being in the game, you feel, you feel like, wait, we did this all year and now we've got to be on the outside. Like there's rules. We can't do any interviews on the court. We can't even be in the building to do pre a post. Like any stuff we, it's, it is off putting a little bit. But you understand it's a business.

Peter Rosenberg (19:35)

It used to be a day though that the money grabs benefited the fans. Like more games on television. You know that was a money grab by major league baseball back in the day and all the sports, not every game was on television. We were growing up, Alan. Remember.

Alan Hahn (19:51)

Yeah, no, I know.

Peter Rosenberg (19:52)

So that, but that we benefited from that. Now all of a sudden games that I'd have to listen to on the radio and I could watch on television

Alan Hahn (19:57)

every single game now you could watch.

Peter Rosenberg (19:59)

But now it feels like the money grabs don't benefit the fans and tick the fans off the apps, tick the fans off national television. Taking the local announcers away, tick them off.

Alan Hahn (20:09)

And the times, because you're trying to fit all these games in, you know, you start saying to yourself, wait, what time's this game? What time's that like it does get, it does get a little crazy. The fun part is Sunday. Four straight games on Sundays in the first round. But you gotta love two on abc, ESPN two on NBC. That's an awesome Sunday.

Peter Rosenberg (20:27)

That's old school.

Alan Hahn (20:28)

Yeah, man.

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Don Hahn (24:04)

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast I didn't listen to

Fan/Caller (24:08)

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Don Hahn (24:09)

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

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Alan Hahn (24:56)

All right, we got lots of calls to get to at 800-919-3776. So let's keep talking to the people, shall we? How about Anthony in Union, New Jersey on the Yankees. Anthony.

Chris (Caller) (25:08)

Yes.

Caller (25:08)

How you doing, guys? Glad. I was on a long ride from South Jersey to Trenton, so I thought I'd chime in. I heard what you were saying earlier. Han and I 100% agree. This is, to me, this is an organizational up top. I'm a point to Brian Cashman. I remember when somebody was saying that Curtis Granderson was down in the minor leagues one time. I don't know if Michael K. Said it. And he came up and he said, man, you won't believe what's being taught down there. And I just think that the Yankees, I mean, we have, I mean, we're instead of, you know, like there's not a 220 hitter that Brian Cashman doesn't like. And I just feel that the big problem with is that, you know, we're more focused on launch angle and hard hit rate. I mean, to me, I could care less if someone hits 120 miles an hour if they're too 10 hitter. And I think what happens is when it comes to the playoffs that Brian Cash I don't think realizes is when you're a.220 hitter that shows up in the postseason, you can get away with it in the regular season if you hit home runs and, and you know, you could maybe get, grab some walks, but when you're in the playoffs, you're going against the best pitchers that that team has to, has to offer. And when you're a true Yankee fan and you're a fan who knows what, you know, kind of, we've seen it. You sound like a, a true Yankee fan, Hannah, that 220 shows up in the playoffs and that's why we never get the big hit. We never get.

Alan Hahn (26:32)

Well, you are who you are, right? That's the great equalizer, Anthony. It's the great equalizer, of course, is the playoffs. Why? Because you focus a little more on scouting reports, you focus a little more on matchups. Like all the simple things in any sport, it's a lot harder because there's a microscope now on every single player and we're trying to exploit every single weakness. And you know that. And thanks for the call. Anthony and Don like that. That to me is the hardest part, of course, about having a team that plays that style. But I do think they've changed a little bit.

Peter Rosenberg (27:02)

Right.

Alan Hahn (27:02)

You know, they are a little more athletic, they are trying to change themselves. But it's still, to me, when it

Peter Rosenberg (27:08)

looks bad, it's the same looks bad, saying it's right. But Brian Cashman's going to tell you is, how's it working? We're good. Every single year I get right now, I could do it the way Boston does it and maybe we'll win a couple of championships, but in between those championships, we might lose 90 games and be out of it. So are you cool with winning a title and then maybe missing the playoffs the next five years?

Alan Hahn (27:36)

What do you. What Would you answer that question, Don?

Peter Rosenberg (27:38)

Listen, I. The Giants, you know, I take the championship, of course, but anybody does.

Alan Hahn (27:45)

I don't care what fan you are.

Peter Rosenberg (27:47)

The bean counters are like, okay, the championship's great, but the next five years our buildings would be half full if we're not winning games. And then Yankee Stadium is gonna look like it did, you know, in the 80s when there was nobody and nobody at the ballpark. Right. So that's the way they're looking at it. I'm not saying it's right or wrong. That's the way they're looking at it. And you look around Major League Baseball outside of the Dodgers, who are spending like an astronomical amount of money, but even they didn't win A championship from 1988 to 2020, they were going to the playoffs most of the time, but they didn't win either. And then they had to spend the outrageous amount of money that they're spending. But, you know, the Astros win a couple of titles and they're out of it, you know, and maybe cheated.

Alan Hahn (28:28)

Yeah.

Peter Rosenberg (28:28)

The two times that they got it. Kansas City goes to back to back World Series and where are they?

Alan Hahn (28:34)

San Francisco.

Peter Rosenberg (28:35)

Three championships in six years. That's where are they now?

Alan Hahn (28:39)

But I. So I can't fall back on that more than I'm falling back on. It's. It's when it's the same thing every year because.

Peter Rosenberg (28:50)

But that's there. They'll get it. Yeah, it's the same thing every year. We win 90 plus games and we

Fan/Caller (28:54)

go to the playoffs.

Alan Hahn (28:54)

That's, that's in the. You fall short at the finish line for 15 straight years. You've got to eventually say, hey, we almost finished the race.

Caller (29:05)

So that's the question.

Alan Hahn (29:05)

Still. We were still one of the. One of the. We were in third place when we fell down at the finish line. Like, okay, great. All right. You didn't win in the end. Is that what it's about?

Peter Rosenberg (29:15)

The argument? You answered it. But I'd love to get the fans. He might be able to go a different route and win the title. But now you see, like, it's not sustainable. So the next year now you don't make the playoffs.

Alan Hahn (29:28)

Well, it's the whole tanking and then

Peter Rosenberg (29:30)

get better at tanking.

Alan Hahn (29:31)

No, but I mean in other sports,

Peter Rosenberg (29:33)

you see, he builds a team for 162 and then unfortunately come playoff time with the smaller sample size, that hasn't seemed to work. If he builds a team in the small sample size that it could excel, you run the risk of over a long period of time, 162, you get exposed and you don't make the postseason. He wants to make the postseason. And he believes, I guess, that if he starts straying from his system and thinks more about the postseason, it might come at the expense of making it in the first place again. I'm not. But that's the answer.

Alan Hahn (30:07)

I know that's the answer because that's

Peter Rosenberg (30:09)

why they're the only team anywhere that has got had winning seasons for 30 plus years. I mean, I was in Detroit this weekend. There was a time the Red Wings were the gold standard. Yeah, they missed the playoffs. Ten straight years they've gone without going to the playoffs.

Alan Hahn (30:24)

Yeah, right.

Peter Rosenberg (30:25)

San Antonio's going through their rebuild. The Dallas Cowboys were dominant. They've gone over 25 years without winning a championship. But the Yankees. Yeah, 2009 is a long time ago for you, but what other organization in sports can say we've had 32 consecutive winning seasons? No one. And they see value in that now. Can both be done? I think you could probably do both. I agree with you. But you're saying it's broken. They believe it's exactly the system they want.

Alan Hahn (30:58)

My concern is about A salary cap system coming up and a GM that has never proven that he can handle a budget properly. And imagine if you put the constraints on him like that and then still try to build me a team that can win well and not just, you know, getting regular season winning. It's harder in the cap years because escalating contracts and everything else make. You have to make tough decisions on players. It forces you to make tough decisions on young players. You have to know what the hell you're doing when it comes to talent evaluation instead of system. And that's the. I don't have a lot of confidence in him handling a cap situation. I just don't. Because we're seeing a team again that has one of the highest budgets in the league, and still when it has a bad day, it looks God awful. And it's fundamentals, Don. It's not, it's, you know, it's one thing to say the bats just haven't been good and all that stuff. I understand that bottom of the order has been garbage, which everybody's bottom of the order is not very good. Right. You know, rarely do you have a team that's like, hey, our bottom of the order is great. You don't have that. But when you do things like we saw in the field defensively against what the Rays did, that just nickel and dime you into stealing a win and turning it into a loss because you can't field and you can't understand how to handle buns and speed, like, those are the things that drive you crazy as a fan. You're the Yankees, you're supposed to be elite. And they always seem to find ways to embarrass themselves in situations where all you got to do is be elite at fundamentals. I'm sorry, am I asking too much, Don? That's what, that's the part that bothers me the most. But that, again, that's also what concerns me going forward. Is Cashman, is he somebody that you think in a cap system is going to thrive because of how well he handles a budget and builds a team?

Peter Rosenberg (32:55)

Last year, getting Grisham at $5 million was that. That's the kind of stuff. Those are the types of decisions you need to make in a cap. But then $22 million, well, that's the Q O ing don't want to make.

Fan/Caller (33:05)

But wouldn't he thrive in a. In a capped situation, considering he kind of caps himself? And that's why they come up short, but they still do pretty well. Meaning. Meaning he operates in a way where within the system that they play with, as opposed to the Dodgers right now, they are able to get right there. They just can't get over the top. If everyone else comes down a bit. That wouldn't help someone like Cashman for the way he already operates. Because who that's going to hurt the most is the Dodgers.

Alan Hahn (33:33)

They just buy everybody.

Fan/Caller (33:34)

Because they buy everybody, right?

Alan Hahn (33:35)

But if it's going to be a challenge in la, too.

Fan/Caller (33:38)

So the Yankee. Now, listen, it might. The Yankees aren't the Rays, right, Who are able to operate with no budget whatsoever and still put up 90 wins, be competitive. But they do put a cap on themselves and put themselves in a good spot every year.

Peter Rosenberg (33:50)

And the speculation is the cap is probably going to be at 300 million. And if that's the case, they could certainly work within that.

Alan Hahn (34:00)

Well, wait, you can for now, until the salaries go up. Like, it's not like the salaries are going to stay flat now. You know, you still got to pay people. So. Look, I. I know what I'm doing right now. I'm being what we are. I'm owning it. We are the worst fan base in New York. I'm the first to admit it. I'm as bad as anyone. Because early on, Don was right. I didn't want to tell him, but I was feeling it. It's too early to get this hysterical. But when you have this demand in your brain that you can't, no matter how many times you tell me, it is a ridiculous notion to think that, you know, you should hold the Yankees to a higher standard than anybody else because. Because of who they are. I can't help it. I was born into that, right? And so because of it, in April, when they can't do what? Like when you get swept by the Rays in Tampa and you look lifeless and the pitching's been great, it's all the other stuff, and you've got a third baseman that can't hit to save his life. When you've got other mistakes going on, when you've got other guys who can't hit either, it just starts to become. Are we doing this again?

Peter Rosenberg (35:12)

I'm glad you're owning it. And we are.

Alan Hahn (35:14)

We're the worst fan base because of our demand.

Peter Rosenberg (35:15)

But I will never, ever apologize for it by being. By having that standard. Your low end is still what, you know, 80% of this league would love consistently winning, consistently going to the playoffs. I root for a team that's celebrating the 40 years of not winning a title. And they've. They've got the means. And they've got their own network and they've got a billionaire owner. They may not have the standard that the Yankees have. Who does? But they have the same means, same same age of the building and all that. And yet we can't seem to figure it out. We make runs every once in a while. You do the amazing, you know, which is nice.

Alan Hahn (35:56)

We're boringly consistent. You are the amazing, but whatever happens has to be.

Peter Rosenberg (36:02)

You haven't won it. You haven't won a title in what, 16 years? Going on 17. And it's the 40th anniversary of the last Mets title, you know, so you're still in better shape, believe me, in so many different ways.

Alan Hahn (36:19)

Feel like your situation could be fixed a lot quicker. This situation seems like groundhog.

Peter Rosenberg (36:25)

Well, if you just own who you are. I don't like spending all the money. I don't want money to be the reason your team wins. It's like feels like buying a championship, but it does feel like the Mets are, you know, Stearns is kind of doing a lot of cashmere. You know, he would. He didn't go out and replace, you know, Nimmo, McNeil and Alonzo with household names.

Alan Hahn (36:47)

No, he made a choice.

Peter Rosenberg (36:48)

Bichette was a star, but Polanco Bichette

Alan Hahn (36:52)

was a chase right after the Bellinger thing fell through.

Peter Rosenberg (36:54)

Right, Exactly.

Alan Hahn (36:56)

That felt like a chase more than it was. Like that was a. I don't want to say they like what was that? That's a rebound kind of thing.

Peter Rosenberg (37:05)

And I said at the time I was willing to give Stearns the benefit of the doubt. Let's see how it works out now. It's still too early to deter to determine that it didn't work, but I wasn't expecting to be sitting here at 7 and 9.

Alan Hahn (37:17)

Yeah, that's not good.

Peter Rosenberg (37:18)

You know, getting swept at home by the A's and now trying to save your April. Going la to play the Dodgers and then swinging back on the way home and play the Cubs.

Alan Hahn (37:29)

Tough situation for both franchises right now, but as we said, it is early. Got lots of calls to get to ENN coming up at 6 and the NFL Drafts coming up on Thursday, April 23rd. You know that, Don. New York, you're on the clock. The jets pick second and 16th, Giants pick fifth. And Rick DiPietro and Dave Rothenberger breaking it all down live. You can join the ESPN New York Couchcast your second screen for the NFL draft. Real time reactions, instant takes and everything New York fans care about. Watch along, react with us. And don't miss a single moment. You know it's going to be entertaining because Dave's crazy and Rick's hilarious. ESPN New York's Couchcast on Draft Night April 23, 8pm presented by Calandras Bakery

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Don Hahn (40:25)

Thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.

Fan/Caller (40:28)

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

Don Hahn (40:29)

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

Peter Rosenberg (40:37)

Al I'm not sure if you saw this. You saw it on social media.

Fan/Caller (40:42)

All right.

Peter Rosenberg (40:43)

Kind of making the rounds. I wanted to bring it up.

Alan Hahn (40:45)

Do it.

Peter Rosenberg (40:46)

There was a play at the plate on opening weekend, Mets, Pirates, where Lindor lost his helmet and slid into home plate and was slow to get up. Looked like he might have hit his head as he slid home. And so it's being suggested that. Was he concussed on that play and is that why he seems so out of it now? I think.

Alan Hahn (41:13)

Come on.

Peter Rosenberg (41:14)

That Met's medical team would be on top of something like that. But it just. When you're searching for why he's been so lost, is it crazy that, you know, maybe he suffered a concussion and because he never.

Fan/Caller (41:31)

You think this is a Rizzo. Fer.

Alan Hahn (41:33)

Rizzo thing. Remember Rizzo a couple years ago on the first base play, got hit in the head, left him in. And then the rest of that season,

Fan/Caller (41:38)

you know, I will say, actually, he

Alan Hahn (41:40)

was done after that.

Fan/Caller (41:41)

Yeah.

Alan Hahn (41:41)

He just couldn't get right.

Fan/Caller (41:42)

And then. And then way later, they figured it

Alan Hahn (41:45)

out and they realized, oh, you know, he's playing with the concussion.

Fan/Caller (41:47)

So I've watched this play a million times because when it happened, you know, there was a lot of discussion about whether he didn't want to score. The whole thing with him at Soto. I have to tell you, though, what I never noticed is that his arms stand up like that at the end of the play. Do you notice that, Alan?

Peter Rosenberg (42:01)

I didn't know it.

Fan/Caller (42:02)

Yeah. I never once noticed this. Look at the end of. Look at the end of the play. Look at. Look at his.

Alan Hahn (42:07)

Oh, what do they call that? You say?

Peter Rosenberg (42:09)

They say it a lot in fencing position.

Alan Hahn (42:10)

Fencing.

Fan/Caller (42:11)

Yeah. Look, look right here. Just. Just watch the end of it from when he gets hit and then how he ends up laying on the ground. Look.

Peter Rosenberg (42:17)

Now, I would have to believe somebody in the Mets organization would have caught that, might have been out and get it checked.

Fan/Caller (42:24)

Could have been.

Peter Rosenberg (42:25)

Especially now with him, the way he's playing. Like, wouldn't somebody. Hey, remember that play on.

Fan/Caller (42:30)

But to put to Alan's point, that Rizzo thing, I mean, that Rizzo thing lasted all year. Don't. And it took forever for them to notice. And if the player, you know, right away doesn't give them any reason to

Alan Hahn (42:41)

think protocol definitely doesn't want to say

Fan/Caller (42:43)

anything, then they may not do. Is weird, you guys. I mean, let me see what I have here. Hold on, hold on now.

Alan Hahn (42:51)

Nothing's been. I have not. So that's just going around now it's amazing that no one has even brought it up.

Fan/Caller (42:57)

You guys have the Lindor in there

Alan Hahn (42:59)

from this weekend, him talking.

Fan/Caller (43:01)

Yeah, we've been in the Lindor talking. He just generally sounds so.

Alan Hahn (43:04)

At Mendoza, Bichette and Peralta.

Fan/Caller (43:07)

Yeah, that's all I saw.

Alan Hahn (43:07)

Yeah, here's.

Fan/Caller (43:12)

Here's Lindor. Here's Lindor. What gives him confidence that this year will be different?

Alan Hahn (43:16)

Different year. And we were one, by the way, from turning around today. Just we started putting better bats as the game went on, but we just didn't finish the job. So it's a different year. You got to see it from a whole different lens.

Peter Rosenberg (43:37)

This is not the same.

Fan/Caller (43:37)

Now listen, he 100% could just be bummed out because he's been playing terribly in the team. But Don, he also is like, he almost doesn't sound like himself there.

Peter Rosenberg (43:45)

But I guess it was yesterday. I was driving to the Rock for the game and I was listening to the, the Met game and they had David Lennon from Newsday on and David was talking about how he just, he seems different in his demeanor. Like everything, it just seems to be off. Just the way he talks, the way he conducts himself, the way he's playing now. He wasn't a great defender last year either. But we're seeing just poor decisions, forgetting how many outs there are. Like, it would suck for it to take something like this to get them to wake up.

Alan Hahn (44:27)

How does no one, I get it.

Peter Rosenberg (44:29)

Why did they put Ryan Church on a plane after a concussion 20 years ago?

Alan Hahn (44:32)

I mean, no one in the organization just sees that he's off and doesn't want to just like, hey, let's do a. Let's just do a baseline with you.

Peter Rosenberg (44:39)

Well, like you said, look, you know the Yankees.

Alan Hahn (44:42)

Yeah. I don't get.

Peter Rosenberg (44:45)

The player is going to be uncooperative. I'm fine, I'm fine. Don't you know you're supposed to protect

Alan Hahn (44:50)

the player from himself? The NFL goes out of the way to take a player off.

Peter Rosenberg (44:53)

I know. Does baseball have the same protocols that hockey and football have? That and somebody independent looks and says, get him checked?

Alan Hahn (45:01)

Yeah, they should. Why not?

Peter Rosenberg (45:03)

The reason football and hockey have it is because the organizations don't have an appetite to get these guys checked because they want them back out there. They want them playing right there. So. But at some point you got, here's a guy, an astute player, a great player, forgetting how many outs there are, throwing flat footed on a double play, just looking generally lost. And he hit the back of his head on opening weekend. I don't care what he says. Check him out.

Alan Hahn (45:30)

Well, it's a story, I mean, for sure that if we breathe a little more life into the Mets have got to put a little time into it just to make sure. Even if you think, oh, this is some crazy Internet, you know, conspiracy theory. Well, fine, just make sure though. The video does look a little. It's enough concern that you would want to. And you gotta feel like the trainer has already looked him in the eye and checked him out and made sure. Like that. Are you right? You're good. Like you.

Fan/Caller (45:59)

I would think so too.

Alan Hahn (46:00)

God, how do you not.

Fan/Caller (46:01)

I would think so.

Peter Rosenberg (46:03)

Russians are weird.

Alan Hahn (46:04)

These guys aren't clowns. I mean, they're professionals. And what they do, these tribes.

Peter Rosenberg (46:08)

That's why I find it hard to believe he wasn't checked. But could there be a situation where you check him and he's fine, but then there's effects that you got to stay on top of it, right? You know, he hit his head. So, you know. But it happened with. With Rizzo. We've seen it happen other times too. But if all of a sudden, a week from now we find out, yeah, he suffered a concussion and that's why he's been acting this way. I mean, jobs should be lost, right?

Alan Hahn (46:34)

Yes, absolutely. As many $300 million player.

Peter Rosenberg (46:39)

You hate to put it in those terms, but your job is to protect these players, protect them from themselves. Not just rely on. Hey, how you feeling?

Fan/Caller (46:46)

How's the back of your belly for a sleigh rod?

Peter Rosenberg (46:48)

How the back exactly? Maybe from. That might be the origin story of that drop. Right? Hey, you good?

Fan/Caller (46:53)

Yeah. How's the back of your belly for a sway rod? What?

Peter Rosenberg (46:56)

All right.

Fan/Caller (46:56)

Seems good to me.

Peter Rosenberg (46:57)

Yeah. If he. If the. If he answers the question, then that there's something wrong.

Alan Hahn (47:01)

If he laughs, he's good, right?

Peter Rosenberg (47:03)

Or if he goes. No, back of the belly. Strong.

Alan Hahn (47:05)

Very strong.

Peter Rosenberg (47:06)

Get him in an mri.

Alan Hahn (47:09)

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Don Hahn (47:58)

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

Alan Hahn (48:01)

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

Don Hahn (48:04)

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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