Don LaGreca (1:57)

Yeah, a little, little over 17 minutes left in the, in the second half. And I thought Peter made a great point that once you dip into that under 16 first commercial break and if they maintain a big lead, that's when you start to say maybe upset could be a possibility here. And it's now final 71, 65. Duke survives. And around the 17 minutes into that second half, they missed a couple of dunks and Duke came right back, hit a three, cut it to nine. And then you started to see it kind of ebb away.

Peter Rosenberg (2:31)

Yeah.

Don LaGreca (2:31)

Now Sienna's you know, hoisting threes and now the threes aren't falling and now they're not getting the stoppages on the other end. And then once Duke took the two possession lead, it was pretty much over at that point. But Sienna didn't get blown out. You know, they hung in there. They did try to counter punch a little bit, but they just, they just didn't have it. Duke's the better team. This is why upsets are especially 16 and ones are so difficult because you just can't leave that door open even a crack. And they did and Duke just kicked it down.

Peter Rosenberg (3:01)

Yeah, and three point shooting was big for Siena early on, but that also went away as well. Some of the other scores. TCU is a nine seed. They took out Ohio State, an eight seed 66 64. Nebraska gets their first ever NCAA tournament win, which is hard to believe, but that is a fact. The four seed beat Troy 76 to 47. Louisville beat South Florida. Six seed Louisville beat 11 seed South Florida 83 79. Some other scores that are happening for live games right now. Michigan State's a three seed. They're up 3720 over 14 seed North Dakota State. Arkansas, four seed up 4230 on 13 seed Hawaii. Vanderbilt. They are in, let's see, under five minutes to go for them. Up five, five seed Vanderbilt up five that 512 bracket McNeese states at. So 656012 seed. McNeese has been hanging in this thing as well. So we'll keep an eye on all this stuff for you as we continue the conversation. That of course, the tournament update presented by Schweppes. Schweppes delivers above the rim refreshment. Feel the madness and refresh your game with a Schweppes Seltzer or Schweppes Ginger ale before we get back to calls at 800-919-3776 with you, Don, we open the show just again one of some of the news in the world of sports, at least in the New York area today, Howie Rose announcing his retirement as the voice of the Mets. This will be his final season. It's a hell of a run certainly for Howie. You and I both know him well. You know him a lot better than I do. But I did get to work with him at times when he was the voice of the Islanders for a while on TV when he made that move over from the Rangers broadcast and we just know it's a class act. But another voice of a generation, you know, our generation of listening to sports in New York that is calling it quits saying goodbye and well deserved for him.

Don LaGreca (5:00)

And we've been so fortunate here in New York to see some of the best. And when I say losing, they're still with us, but they're not calling games anymore. You know, about a decade ago, you know, Doc Emmerich retired from the Devils and then eventually retired nationally as well. And he's one of the best to ever do it. John Sterling has called his last Yankee game. Sam Rosen has called his last Ranger game. And now this year we're going to see how he rose call his last Met game and hopefully it'll be in the postseason after a long run. We hope that with Sam, and Sam didn't get a postseason, didn't get a chance to do a first round on MSG or do any radio beyond the first round. So you don't take anything for granted. He'll have all of his home games at Citi Field and he will call the three games at Yankee Stadium. And that's it. He announced that before, before the announcement that this was going to be his last season. And he was on with Michael K earlier and just talked about that. It really came down to, even though he had cut it down to just the home games, the sacrifice that his wife has made. And when you do a game, especially a night game, you're coming home at 11:30 at night, she's eating dinner by herself because it's an empty nest now. Kids are out of the house and, you know, his daughter's moved on to do some things in the business, too. And he said that maybe he'd keep it a little longer if he was able to, you know, blink and be right home after the game was over and show up just before first pitch. But, you know, it's. The community lives full time in Florida now, so they come back up here to be in New York for the season. And, and you know, he's 72 years old, which is not old by any stretch of the imagination, but he's been doing this since 1987. And now he wants to be able to be with his wife and, and relax. He'll still come in to, to do ceremonies and all that. And he didn't rule out the possibility of maybe pinch hitting. He did make very clear, which I thought was important, that if two years from now the Mets are making a run in the World Series, you're not going to see Howie Rose come in and start doing games. He's like this Is it all right whether they win, lose, whatever happens, this is going to be his last season. But he's always been a help to my career. I was a fan of his with Mets Extra when I was younger and running and listening to the post game shows after watching the game on tv, just fascinated with his passion, his knowledge of baseball. And then of course, you know, filling in for Marv Albert, doing Ranger games and then eventually doing the Islanders. That's where I really got to know him because we had the Islanders on our air when we first started. That's how I got to know Allen doing games at the Coliseum. I'd pick his brain about play by play and how you do it and tried to work on that for my career. And he was always so helpful and he talked about Michael. He learned that from Marv. Marv is always helpful to people that ask questions. I try to be as well because we try to hand it down and he was better than anybody at it. And he's been very helpful in my career and hopefully he still will be. But I will miss him driving home after a show, listening to him paint the word picture, as Bob Murphy would say, and then certainly miss his put it in the books when the Mets would win a game.

Peter Rosenberg (8:06)

This feels like a season for really for both baseball teams. Right. Where last year was such a frustrating year for both teams on many levels. Like can we have a year where they're both, they both get it right? Like are the Mets a team? The Mets are going to be a much different looking team. You know, whenever. Look, we don't know how it's going to, going to go for the season, but when you hear this about Howie and you know, all the years he's, he has obviously he's called some amazing seasons. You know, the Alonzo home run is one of the biggest moments as well as obviously the World Series that they went to against Kansas City. But there's also been those, you know, those years of starvation with this franchise and somebody like him who has been such a lifer and you know, it means so much to him. It's almost like it's like the extra reason to root for one of those magic Met seasons. Right? Like, yeah, just give him one more.

Don LaGreca (9:07)

Well, because he never had it. Like I said, his first year doing mets extra was 1987. It was the year after. After, yeah, they won their championship.

Peter Rosenberg (9:17)

Yeah.

Don LaGreca (9:17)

As sad as you were for Sam not getting postseason last year he had called 94. Right. And that was back when the local had everything right up to the Stanley

Peter Rosenberg (9:27)

cup and this one will last a lifetime.

Don LaGreca (9:29)

He, he got that. He, you know, he deserved another, but at least he got that right. You know, you look at a guy like Mike Breen, he hasn't gotten it yet. He's been calling championships for other teams. He hasn't been able to call it for the Knicks. John Sterling had plenty. Okay. Michael Case had plenty. They've been lucky. But you look at a, you look at. And Doc got to do it with the Devils, but you know, because he just happened to call, you know, certainly for national while Devils are calling it. But you know, Carino's gotten his way to the hall of Fame, is yet to call a Nets championship. Yeah, some guys don't get that chance. And Howie has had a lot of 39 years of call of being involved with the Mets and boy, I'd love for him selfishly because I'm a Met fan, but it would be great to see him be able to finally get that call. There's a lot of reasons why you root for that. There's a lot of reasons why people buy.

Alan Hahn (10:23)

I knew it.

Don LaGreca (10:24)

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Peter Rosenberg (11:07)

Okay.

Don LaGreca (11:08)

And I thought you guys handled yesterday great. That was an amazing game. But if you were looking, I was always searching for the right way to explain why it was difficult to be all in and compare it to the Olympics and compare it to the World Series. And I thought the best way to describe it because exhibition sounds like it's pejorative, right? It sounds like you're saying it's meaningless, dismissive.

Peter Rosenberg (11:33)

Right?

Don LaGreca (11:34)

It's very dismissive. But it's not accurate. Even though technically it is, it feels like it's diminishing. It is. Miller's availability in that game the other night because the Padres asked him only

Peter Rosenberg (11:46)

a safe Situation, Right?

Don LaGreca (11:47)

Yeah. And that's it right there. There can't be any compromises. There can't be any. He's not availables. The reason we love game Sevens is that you're all in. This is where you see Madison Bumgardner, a starter, coming and close a game. Right? This is where you see that you take that extra shift. Imagine in the gold medal game between Canada and the United States that Conor Hollabeck was pulled to start the third period or overtime because the Winnipeg jets asked him. We don't want him to play too many minutes because he's got games coming up. It would have compromised the whole thing. So it's a fun event. It's great. It was a thrilling game. Stinks. The US didn't win. I'm really happy where it is. But are you in or are you out? You can't have those moments, guys. Because he could have pitched. He would have been the chance to pitch in that top of the ninth inning. But because it wasn't a safe situation and a promise was made to the San Diego page. I don't kill Derosa for that. What's he supposed to do? But the fact that you can do that is what stops it from being at the level that it should. And I. And as much fun as it was, that's why there are people, guys that aren't all in and not taking it seriously because of moments like that. You can't have that.

Peter Rosenberg (13:11)

No. And that's why I would. I will continue to push Rob Manfred to strongly consider moving this thing into the season. Same way the NHL does it. We don't need an All Star game. We don't need that. Just block off, what is it, two weeks?

Don LaGreca (13:32)

You don't. You don't even. You could probably set it up where it doesn't even have to be that long. Right?

Peter Rosenberg (13:37)

Well, you have to have a setup, don't you, for a playoff? Or do you just want to go right into elimination rounds? Just no round robin, whatever last year's finish was. That's your seating for this coming year and have these games. Because we saw in the NHL that four nations, which by the way, exhibition meant nothing. All you got was a trophy. It was just an in season tournament that didn't have an imp. That wasn't the season. It was basically an in season tournament. But you do it and you do it to a point where it does feel like first of all, players have played a whole year. So now you're conditioned to pitch six innings if you had to. You're conditioned to have your closer goal because it's. It is actually following suit. He's not going to be messing. It's not going to be messing up with his arm or his readiness or his availability to start a season. All of it's there. Guys are in rhythm. It's more. It really becomes more real baseball. And then to me, that's your celebration of a sport in the middle of the summer when there's nothing going on. All eyeballs on you. And it then brings you into the second half of the season where everybody now is fired up to watch. Why not try that? Then it feels more real. But the other countries treated it like it meant everything. The US Team didn't. That's why, from the American perspective, it never felt real until we got to the semifinal. Agree.

Don LaGreca (15:04)

What are you, what are you looking at a Four days off now with the All Star break, right?

Peter Rosenberg (15:09)

Yeah.

Don LaGreca (15:10)

So if you're able to condense, even if it's two weeks, that's 12 days. So it's an extra eight days. But it's not off days because you'll have baseball to watch.

Peter Rosenberg (15:17)

Yes. Sports still going on.

Alan Hahn (15:20)

Well, that also means there's baseball to play, though. That's the problem.

Peter Rosenberg (15:23)

Well, for some guys, yes. And for some guys, there is no baseball to play. Who doesn't make a team.

Don LaGreca (15:27)

Yeah.

Alan Hahn (15:27)

Right. But for the guys who are playing, no break at all. And that ends up being between all these different teams a lot, you know, what, 60 players.

Peter Rosenberg (15:36)

But if you go to All Star, you're still doing something. If you're an All Star.

Don LaGreca (15:40)

Right.

Peter Rosenberg (15:40)

You're still playing.

Alan Hahn (15:42)

Yeah, but this is playing like real games that matter. I mean, particularly for pitchers. Right.

Peter Rosenberg (15:46)

If they're working over. Are they playing every day, though? Like it's playing a day you get off. Like I. If you're doing quarterfinal, semifinal, final, that's how many. The max is four. It's three games, right?

Don LaGreca (15:59)

Yeah.

Peter Rosenberg (15:59)

You're gonna. It's the max of three games, the minimum of one.

Alan Hahn (16:01)

I also, I also hate to say this, but, Don, I just don't think it'll hit that way. I think, like, you need the round robin. Like, I think. I think it needs the build up.

Don LaGreca (16:11)

I mean, if you. Well, Peter, if you're gonna go to the Olympics, you're gonna have to take an extended period of time off. If the end game is to go to the Olympics and you're going to take more than two weeks, you're going to. You're talking about taking 16, 17 days off. If you're committed to do that, then why not have it happen every year? And then when you're not playing the Olympics, play the World cup and then, you know, can both survive or would the World cup be devoured by the fact that you know what, there's the

Peter Rosenberg (16:39)

Olympics, but you get the World cup to also become the thing that does

Don LaGreca (16:44)

set up the appetizer. Like what happened with the. With first with the four nations. For the four nations.

Peter Rosenberg (16:51)

So. So if it's every four years for the Olympics, the. Is it the year before or two years before? Do you do your.

Don LaGreca (16:58)

I think you do the year before,

Peter Rosenberg (17:00)

then the other two years you do an All Star weekend. Is that so crazy?

Don LaGreca (17:05)

But would baseball fans be okay with there being you're not seeing your team in the middle of the summer for 16 days? Because. Because that's what we do in the NHL. Right? Like, it was fun watching all the Olympics. But hey, it also means that you're not seeing your. Your Devil's Rangers rounders for over two weeks.

Peter Rosenberg (17:24)

Yeah. Yeah.

Don LaGreca (17:24)

You know, but if you're looking to grow the sport, it would work. Will. Would baseball fans tolerate that? Plus, what do you do with the rest of the. You can't. You can't condense because you're already playing every day anyway.

Peter Rosenberg (17:36)

No, you can't condense.

Don LaGreca (17:37)

You'd almost have to set up like they had back in the old days where there was a double header every Sunday. Like that. Maybe that's the way you make up for. You'll set up double headers.

Peter Rosenberg (17:46)

I don't hate that.

Don LaGreca (17:46)

On Sundays or Saturdays.

Peter Rosenberg (17:48)

Yeah.

Don LaGreca (17:48)

You can do the day night ones if you're afraid of losing a gate to make up for the time so that you're not losing any games.

Peter Rosenberg (17:54)

Do you hate that yours?

Don LaGreca (17:56)

I don't.

Peter Rosenberg (17:57)

I don't hate it either. I feel more old school. Doesn't it?

Don LaGreca (17:59)

But I could also understand people like, yeah, I'm a Yankee fan, man. I don't. I love the summertime. I. I don't. I don't want to not see my Yankees for two weeks.

Peter Rosenberg (18:09)

I mean, it's two weeks.

Don LaGreca (18:10)

I. I know.

Alan Hahn (18:12)

I don't. You can survive.

Don LaGreca (18:13)

They got a lot of. Especially when you're.

Peter Rosenberg (18:15)

When July.

Don LaGreca (18:16)

You probably always have a good player. You're still seeing Aaron Judge, right?

Alan Hahn (18:21)

What about the craziness of. I know this sounds nuts, but hear me out.

Don LaGreca (18:26)

I love nuts. If.

Alan Hahn (18:28)

If you were to do it right at the end of the season.

Don LaGreca (18:31)

No.

Alan Hahn (18:33)

People are at their absolute high off of the World Series when you actually have the Most eyeballs on the sport. And then you. My only thing is otherwise, any other time, you're holding back on the pitchers, you're not getting the full thing.

Peter Rosenberg (18:46)

Here's the problem with doing that. While in theory it makes sense, remember wait time. You get to the World Series, only two teams keep playing. What are players doing at that point? Like, what are they waiting for? It's a whole month of October before you can play a World Cup. It cuts into your offseason, which nobody wants. Yeah, I feel like the middle of the year, especially in the dead zone, that is July. We all know it. We say this all the time. July, the dead zone of sports. Nothing's happening. No one's playing. It's. It's the WNBA and it's Major League Baseball and it's football training camps where we turn seven on sevens into like, what was, what was his percentage? Completion percentage. And you know what I mean? Like, we get, we get goofy because at least it's football. It's something new to talk about. This is ideal for baseball. If you want to own, if you want to own the sports headlines beyond the, the randomness of, you know, Royals versus Twins, you have this instead. It makes sense. And I do think it gives you momentum into the dog days of August for your team.

Don LaGreca (19:54)

And the problem, Peter, also with the end of the season is, is that whoever goes to the World Series can be like, I'm not, I'm not. Yeah, they're not play.

Peter Rosenberg (20:01)

Yeah.

Don LaGreca (20:01)

Like if the Yankees.

Alan Hahn (20:02)

Yeah, well, that's, that's a problem.

Don LaGreca (20:03)

You're not going to get Aaron Judge to say, now I'm going to go ramp it up and play for my country. Absolutely. After I.

Alan Hahn (20:08)

Well, Aaron Judge, you probably would get. But other people know you wouldn't. Judge, you know, would be very like, sure, why not?

Peter Rosenberg (20:14)

Yeah. He says, yes, most play baseball.

Alan Hahn (20:17)

Yeah, they asked. I do.

Peter Rosenberg (20:19)

I'm here for baseball.

Don LaGreca (20:21)

Baseball.

Peter Rosenberg (20:21)

Good. Am I wrong, though? As much as I love the guy, he really does come off robotic, Right. You never, he never shows you real personality. Even the speech thing, now that's become a thing. His at bats, when he, it's his failures. No matter what he does. The expression looks the same. Harper hits the home run. Did you see him, like, going like, tamp it down, Tamp it down. Harper's like saluting. He's trying to get the crowd going. And Judge is like, no, man, chill, chill.

Don LaGreca (20:52)

I do think it's who he is. I really do. I think he's true to himself. Yeah. But I do think it just shows you how hard it is to be a Yankee because everything you say and do is dissected and analyzed to where it just makes your robot that that's why Jeter was the way that he was, because he knew if I say anything wrong, somebody's gonna get back to me. Now, Jeter didn't care necessarily, but I think Judge does. I don't think Judge wants to be hated. I don't think Judge wants to be disliked at all. But when you have. Just imagine living life knowing everything that you say. Somebody is gonna have an opinion on it, millions of people are gonna comment on it. It's gotta be exhausting. We do it for a living, but it's what we do for a living. We accept that as sports radio, that our opinions are gonna be dissected and analyzed. Now times it by a thousand. And it's not what he does for a living. Public speaking is not his strong suit. It's playing baseball. We're paid to talk, so we don't have a kick coming, but it's gotta be exhausting, right? You can't say anything off the cuff because it's got. You gotta go over it. All right, what if I say it this way? Well, if you say it this way, they might take it this way. So you better put. It's. Oh, my God. It just. That's why these guys don't want to friggin talk.

Peter Rosenberg (22:12)

This is the life of being a Yankee. A Yankee great. This is what DiMaggio went through. Ruth went through this, Mantle went through this. They all went through it, Reggie. Everything they did was dissected and criticized. And also, you know, everything you do is criticized, harsher and praised more than anywhere else.

Don LaGreca (22:33)

Right?

Peter Rosenberg (22:33)

And that's just judges living that life. It's how you handle it. And the problem right now is he needs a moment. He needs a moment. It didn't happen in the wbc. All those who wanted to tear him down couldn't wait for it to happen. We predicted. Peter, you and I had this conversation Tuesday. We were calling, we were saying this is going to happen. If he go. And I don. I actually said, I can't believe. I said if he goes over four with three strikeouts.

Don LaGreca (23:00)

That's what I said.

Peter Rosenberg (23:01)

And sure enough, that's what he did. And it's just sad, but it's so predictable that now I. I'll tell you what, I'm more galvanized than ever about wanting to see this guy have another dominant season, but I also want to see him. I'll Use, you know, the way you love to describe it. I want the WBC experience to be the first chapter of the dvd. When Aaron Judge failed again and they started doubting him and his greatness. That's right. Then the season began. Right. And he's just like, he's on the chair. Right. That feels like the end game has to be where he has the last laugh.

Don LaGreca (23:39)

I think it was you that said it, Alan. Like when I was listening that the pressure was kind of off him after the Harper home run. Because now he's not making the last.

Alan Hahn (23:47)

That was me.

Don LaGreca (23:48)

That was my theory. Yeah. Oh, okay. Because now, now it's at least tied. I don't. I disagree. No.

Peter Rosenberg (23:56)

The building was, as you would say, up for grabs. You got the crowd finally on your side. You have momentum. Maybe Venezuela was reeling. Now all of a sudden, up comes. I mean, this is a Bunion esque

Alan Hahn (24:08)

home run, the ultimate. But Alan, you know, in all sports, like the ultimate buzzer beater isn't tied game. It's when you're down 1. The ultimate pressure in sports is when if you fail, you don't win.

Don LaGreca (24:21)

Right?

Peter Rosenberg (24:21)

You lose.

Alan Hahn (24:22)

In this case, at least he had the tie.

Peter Rosenberg (24:24)

Right?

Alan Hahn (24:25)

So like just have a relaxed at bat. You don't need a home run. Keep the thing going, get on base. And he just looked. He shrunk. I hate, I hate that I say that, but he shrunk in the moment again.

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Don LaGreca (26:58)

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Peter Rosenberg (27:17)

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

Alan Hahn (27:20)

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

Peter Rosenberg (27:22)

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. All right, let's do a game time boys. Brought to you by Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey because when it's game time, I like that.

Alan Hahn (27:42)

It's tolly time.

Peter Rosenberg (27:43)

It sure is. Rangers Visit Columbus that'll be the Blue Jackets to you and me. Every Islander fan watching this one closely. Suddenly huge Ranger fans tonight. Coverage immediately follows us on 880 at 6:30. And speaking of the Islanders, they're in Ottawa. They're facing the Senators at seven. See, this is the time of year, Don, where it's. Well, suddenly you know you're starting to root for your rival. A team you hate because you need them to win to help you in the standings. And for the Islanders, you're looking at the Blue Jackets. You want to make sure that they don't get any more cheap points. They get a lot of cheap points lately.

Don LaGreca (28:20)

Well, Columbus is only three points back of the Islanders with a game in hand.

Peter Rosenberg (28:24)

Yes sir. And look at how many points they've gotten in overtime.

Don LaGreca (28:28)

Yeah, 11.

Peter Rosenberg (28:29)

Yeah, that's.

Don LaGreca (28:30)

And then Ottawa is still, you know, six points back but a game in hand. So if they beat the Islanders of regulation, all of a sudden they're only four points back with a game in hand.

Peter Rosenberg (28:38)

So there you go.

Don LaGreca (28:39)

Very, very tight races down the stretch.

Peter Rosenberg (28:42)

That is of course, game time. Brought to you about Tullamore Dew, the original triple distilled, triple blended, triple cast matured Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore Dew or try the new Tullamore Dew honey during today's action. Glasses up to enjoying. Tell them or do responsibly. Some Islander news. By the way, Don, you remember the day that they moved their AHL affiliate? I believe it was in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Don LaGreca (29:04)

Right.

Peter Rosenberg (29:05)

And they moved it to Bridgeport. And it was such a smart move. Right. Nearby Islanders were in Bridgeport. They called them the Sound Tigers for a while. Then they changed the name to Islanders. They had that arena in Bridgeport. They have officially announced that that is no longer. They'll be moving that team to Hamilton, Ontario for the start of next season.

Don LaGreca (29:26)

That's a shame.

Peter Rosenberg (29:27)

So hockey in Bridgeport, at least from the AHL perspective is no more. And that's.

Don LaGreca (29:34)

Yes.

Peter Rosenberg (29:34)

That's quite a ride for those 20 something years. Right. least.

Don LaGreca (29:39)

Right. Because. Because wasn't Dpietro played for the Rick was there.

Peter Rosenberg (29:44)

Yeah. Steve Vallek had. Our good friend was with Hartford. Those Valley games, Hartford and Bridgeport became like the Islander Ranger rivalry. A Jace, as Peter would say.

Don LaGreca (29:52)

His name escapes me and I apologize for that. I look it up quick, but I don't want to waste too much time. But the Devil's announcer moved on to Bridgeport because the Bridgeport announcer is now is one that replaced Chris King. Correct. Alan.

Peter Rosenberg (30:08)

Alan Fearing.

Don LaGreca (30:09)

Yeah. So unless he's going to Hamilton, I don't know if he's going to, you know, lose his job.

Peter Rosenberg (30:16)

It's tough. You're going all Hamilton. Like obviously it's a great hockey town. Like they'll get crowds and all the things that you want.

Don LaGreca (30:22)

No, they almost hit they. If you remember this going back 15 years ago, the Nashville Predators, it was like that they were going to move to Hamilton and it was like almost a done deal in the last second. Nashville was able to keep the team and they were better for it. So Hamilton's been looking for a team. It's right, you know, near Toronto and.

Peter Rosenberg (30:40)

Yeah, but it's just tough when you're trying to bring a play. You know, you want to get a player to come in. Rick Used to do that drive up, up and back some. You know, when he. Before he was a full time Islander, they had him there and believe it or not, he actually, he was in the. Remember the Chicago Wolves. Oh, yeah, yeah. Rick was on that for a while too, before he was a full time Islander. So that was an IHL team that was ihl, correct. Yeah. He was with a lot of veteran, like, you know, old school players. That, that must have been something for an 18 year old. But when everybody wonders why Rick is the way he is, you got to understand the road and the experiences that he had through some of his formative years.

Don LaGreca (31:20)

There's, there's a little damage there, you could say. How was he yesterday? Good. He was great. He's always good with that.

Peter Rosenberg (31:27)

A lot of fun. He and Peter canoodling, getting along really well.

Alan Hahn (31:30)

We did.

Don LaGreca (31:32)

And then he drops that text message today. That's not.

Peter Rosenberg (31:34)

Well, that's the thing. That's the thing. But that's what it's about.

Don LaGreca (31:37)

It's almost fraudulent. Quickly. We had a caller that.

Peter Rosenberg (31:40)

No, no, I want to. I was going to bring this up on.

Don LaGreca (31:42)

Yeah.

Peter Rosenberg (31:43)

And before. And I actually, you can ask the guys. I brought this up once and before we even got the caller, then I saw the call and I said, oh, good. Now I have a reason to bring it up because I don't want you to feel a certain way. But we have noticed as now I'm going to bring up more things that happen on our air while we're in break. But Don McGregor has one of his reads for Viking. Viking pest control.

Don LaGreca (32:07)

Viking, yes.

Peter Rosenberg (32:08)

That is great. And you talk about different pests that you want to eliminate, including cockroach. Yeah, I've heard that. Cockroach. Which sounds a lot like

Don LaGreca (32:21)

an A in it. I buried those. Cockroach. Well, I don't think I'm accenting it that way, but am I, am I saying it incorrectly?

Alan Hahn (32:30)

The word is definitely not cockroach. The word.

Peter Rosenberg (32:32)

There's no, there's no extra A in there.

Alan Hahn (32:35)

Yeah, the word is cockroach. I think the reason it gets the cockroach treatment is because of the word cucaracha.

Don LaGreca (32:43)

No, because it's.

Peter Rosenberg (32:44)

Which is. Which is Spanish.

Alan Hahn (32:45)

Which is, I think Spanish for cockroach.

Don LaGreca (32:47)

C O, C, K. Is it right to roach?

Alan Hahn (32:50)

That's a handful.

Don LaGreca (32:53)

It goes right to roach.

Alan Hahn (32:54)

No, it goes right to roach. There's no.

Don LaGreca (32:56)

Okay, you thought it was.

Alan Hahn (32:58)

Hold on. You thought the word was spelled with an A in the middle.

Don LaGreca (33:00)

I don't know. Clearly.

Peter Rosenberg (33:02)

No, no, no.

Alan Hahn (33:02)

Let's play it.

Don LaGreca (33:03)

We got it.

Alan Hahn (33:03)

We have to, as a family, work

Don LaGreca (33:05)

through, I don't know, just cockroach. That's it.

Peter Rosenberg (33:08)

That's it.

Don LaGreca (33:08)

That's it.

Alan Hahn (33:10)

Theo's best friend on the Cosby Show.

Don LaGreca (33:12)

58 years old and it's not something I. Luckily, we don't have any here at the house. I learned something new every day. I'm sorry, I. Wow.

Alan Hahn (33:23)

Listen, so if you were writing this, if you had written the copy down, well, you would have written cockroach with

Peter Rosenberg (33:29)

an A in the middle?

Don LaGreca (33:30)

No, I was thrown off the ashes. No, because the way the call. The slug on the call spelled it with the A between. So I didn't look wrong to me. But the copy doesn't have the A. I didn't know. How often do you write cockroach?

Alan Hahn (33:48)

Cockroach. All right.

Don LaGreca (33:49)

I mean, I'm sure I'm going to say it wrong because I've been saying it. Nobody's ever corrected me.

Peter Rosenberg (33:53)

I say you stick with it because it worked. It worked for Scarface, it worked for Tony Montana.

Don LaGreca (33:59)

Those.

Peter Rosenberg (34:00)

Cockroach, Tony Montana.

Don LaGreca (34:02)

Now, Anthony claims that both are acceptable, but it doesn't sound like that's the case.

Peter Rosenberg (34:06)

How are both acceptable if it's not? You're going to question Tony Montana?

Don LaGreca (34:10)

Well, I'll see. Now you're leading me.

Peter Rosenberg (34:12)

That's a script.

Don LaGreca (34:13)

He had me convinced that maybe it was something. I live in Brooklyn.

Peter Rosenberg (34:15)

Everybody says it that way. That doesn't mean it's right.

Alan Hahn (34:20)

It means I heard it.

Don LaGreca (34:21)

So it's not. So it's not like radiator. Radiator. Or my father. My. My dad's famous one where he always called it wrestling.

Peter Rosenberg (34:29)

Yeah, wrestling. Right. No, I think that's. That's also different. But I think, first of all, I find it endearing. And I want you to keep doing well.

Don LaGreca (34:38)

No, but I'm. That's not the way I'm taking it. I'm taking it as that I'm. I'm a moron. I'm 58 years old. You see what you do, what it is.

Alan Hahn (34:47)

Why does he have to go?

Don LaGreca (34:49)

I should take it as a moron thing? Peter, he's gonna get over every day. Yes, you' Every day. I've held a record for completing Hail Mary passes. Every day. Every day I do something. It's, it's, it's. It's. It's a minor miracle.

Alan Hahn (35:05)

All we all. Allen thought was that it's funny that you're like, accent is cockroach.

Peter Rosenberg (35:10)

And then in the real, it Draws me in. Because you just said cockroach. I don't get what happened to me.

Don LaGreca (35:15)

Here it comes.

Alan Hahn (35:15)

Here it comes.

Don LaGreca (35:16)

There was a moment. There was a moment when I was in college, there was a speech expert that came into one of our communication classes, okay? And he said he would give us certain words to say, and he would be able to tell us not only where we were from, but where our ancestors were from, just by the way we'd say certain words.

Peter Rosenberg (35:33)

Stop it.

Don LaGreca (35:34)

And I was the one guy, he couldn't figure out where I was from. And he's like, you really have a future in this business, man, because you don't have an accent. But apparently I've developed one. You don't.

Peter Rosenberg (35:44)

Wait, Don Lagreca doesn't have it. You don't have a New York accent?

Alan Hahn (35:48)

No, he's from Jersey.

Peter Rosenberg (35:50)

You know what I mean?

Alan Hahn (35:51)

He doesn't have a Jersey accent either.

Peter Rosenberg (35:54)

Yeah, when he gets mad, he does.

Don LaGreca (35:56)

I say things wrong because I'm simple, but I don't have. I don't. I don't think I have a Jersey accent or a New York accent or anything like that. I have what they call just ignorance.

Peter Rosenberg (36:06)

I'm just.

Don LaGreca (36:07)

I'm simple again. No, it's simple.

Peter Rosenberg (36:10)

Honestly, Peter, do you find it endearing? I find it in the read, like when we hear him do when the spot comes up, it just. There's something. Once it goes to cock. Cockroach.

Alan Hahn (36:20)

Natalie says. I think Natalie says cockroach. Like a lot of people say it. It's just. It's. But. But Don's a professor. But he did add to it by saying he thought it was spelled cockroach also.

Don LaGreca (36:31)

No, only I never thought about it until I saw it up on the slide, and I thought maybe it didn't look wrong.

Peter Rosenberg (36:37)

I think it's great.

Don LaGreca (36:38)

I think if I spelled it, I wouldn't spell it with the A, but. Like, it's not a word.

Peter Rosenberg (36:42)

No, it's not. We're not using it every day. And if you are, you've got a problem and you need Viking.

Alan Hahn (36:46)

That's a great point.

Don LaGreca (36:48)

Scene in Forrest Gump where he's running and the braces break off. That's. Every day. I walk into the radio station, it's another small miracle that I still have a job. And the devil's job. When I got the devil's job. It's the equivalent of turning water into wine.

Peter Rosenberg (37:02)

This is it, right? This is make a wish? Is that what you're saying? Like, come on, make a wish.

Don LaGreca (37:07)

Are, you know What I think.

Peter Rosenberg (37:08)

Are you kidding me?

Don LaGreca (37:09)

A little too far?

Alan Hahn (37:11)

I'm sorry.

Don LaGreca (37:11)

You're the one that talk about miracles

Peter Rosenberg (37:13)

and braces coming off your legs.

Don LaGreca (37:16)

Yeah.

Peter Rosenberg (37:16)

I think it was about one of the most accomplished broadcasters we have in New York, and it's a miracle every day. Cockroach. It was one word.

Don LaGreca (37:24)

I can't. I can't say.

Peter Rosenberg (37:28)

I couldn't say an. An enemy. Do it.

Don LaGreca (37:31)

No.

Alan Hahn (37:31)

Still can't.

Peter Rosenberg (37:32)

I think I said it right now. I've been working on that, man. I've been in the car. I've been saying that word to the windshield. You wouldn't believe it. Anonymity. This is really the perfect storm of

Don LaGreca (37:46)

giving Donna Reed and a Brooklyn guy

Peter Rosenberg (37:48)

the person to edit it and going, cockroaches. What's the problem? I understand.

Alan Hahn (37:51)

Yeah. This is a cockroach.

Peter Rosenberg (37:53)

Right? That's how. That's what I say. And this would be the first read

Don LaGreca (37:56)

where nobody is correct.

Peter Rosenberg (38:00)

Sounds good to me.

Don LaGreca (38:02)

I know.

Peter Rosenberg (38:03)

This is how we get Drop madness.

Don LaGreca (38:04)

We got people here that didn't know

Peter Rosenberg (38:05)

what St. Joseph's pastries were today.

Don LaGreca (38:06)

Okay.

Peter Rosenberg (38:07)

I don't. I did. To. The reason we've got to educate people

Don LaGreca (38:10)

that that movie's a classic.

Commercial Announcer 1 (38:12)

Mm.

Don LaGreca (38:13)

Although it's more of a video client. It didn't do well in the theaters at all, but it picked up a new life later on in video. I need to watch that again. It's been. It's been too long. Like, for the way that I watch Goodfellas and Casino and the Godfather. I need to get that more of a rotation. I agree, but I. I did have a quick movie review if you want to do it at some point, but you don't have to. There's always tomorrow. We.

Alan Hahn (38:35)

Oh, yeah. When's the. After the break. Can we get the movie review, though? You've been teasing.

Peter Rosenberg (38:40)

We will get.

Alan Hahn (38:41)

I want to know the movie review

Don LaGreca (38:44)

we got tomorrow, too.

Peter Rosenberg (38:45)

That is the way you did it. And then took a drink. It was so. It's like, you know, we could always. We could do it tomorrow. Was it. Was it like.

Don LaGreca (38:57)

Like. Was it like Kermit sipping the tea?

Peter Rosenberg (38:59)

Guys, you were just so done. All right, before we get to Don's movie review, your calls and more. And, of course, ENN at 6 as well. ESPN New York is teaming up with Calandra's Bakery to give away a pair of tickets to see the New York Knicks take on the Charlotte Hornets. Sunday, April 12th. As I've said, the Hornets, you know, they're doing pretty good. They. They play hard they do? Good. It's easy to enter. Just stop by Calandra's Bakery. Do it yourself in person. We were there yesterday. You'll Love it there. 234 Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell, New Jersey before April 7th. You have to get there before April 7th. You can enter in person. It's of course brought to you by Calandra's Bakery in Caldwell, home of the fresh bread, classic Italian pastries and and traditions baked daily. 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 my way.com and talk to your doctor about Vivgard Hyrulo Brought to you by Argenics Quick time out.

Alan Hahn (40:19)

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Don LaGreca (40:24)

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Alan Hahn (40:35)

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Peter Rosenberg (40:43)

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Don LaGreca (40:45)

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Alan Hahn (40:48)

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Alan Hahn (40:55)

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Peter Rosenberg (41:33)

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

Alan Hahn (41:36)

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

Peter Rosenberg (41:38)

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts Daddy Kane. Hey, let's do another game time, boys. Brought to you by Tulla Mordu Irish Whiskey. Because when it's game time, it's Tully time.

Alan Hahn (41:59)

It's Tully time.

Peter Rosenberg (42:00)

Rangers Blue Jackets in Columbus. That coverage immediately follows us at, on 880 at 6:30. So yes, note the start time where a 6:30 vehicle today we have enn next and then Rangers hockey follows us and the Islanders there in Ottawa taking on the senators at 7 Tullamore du. The original triple distilled, triple blended, triple cast matured Irish Whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore Dew or try the new Tullamore Dew, honey. During today's action, glasses up to enjoying Tullamore Dew responsibly. Donnie.

Don LaGreca (42:30)

So I'm sick, right? So I'm in bed. Figure I'll watch, catch up on some movies. And I didn't see any of the movies that were up for best Picture.

Alan Hahn (42:39)

Oh, God bless.

Don LaGreca (42:41)

So. And I'm a big Paul Thomas Anderson fan, so I'm like, I gotta see.

Alan Hahn (42:45)

That's PTA to you.

Peter Rosenberg (42:46)

It is not, but okay, very well

Don LaGreca (42:49)

done, very well acted. Dear God, that. It's a, It's a mess. Movie's a mess.

Alan Hahn (42:57)

You think the movie's a mess?

Don LaGreca (42:58)

Well, and I don't want to give too much away, so if anybody didn't see it, turn away.

Peter Rosenberg (43:03)

Why?

Don LaGreca (43:04)

Okay, go ahead. But like Perfettia, the Bob's love interest, pure evil. Like what is she? Is she good? She's obviously on the side of good. She's trying to do things to help people, but then she rats them out, never goes back to see her daughter. And what she doing with lockjaw and Lockjaw? What kind of character is that? How disturbing was he?

Alan Hahn (43:30)

Very disturbing.

Don LaGreca (43:31)

Like disturbing to the point of like not natural, not real. Very weird.

Alan Hahn (43:37)

Yeah, very weird.

Don LaGreca (43:38)

And I don't know who's the kingpin in all this. Is there a president? What is. What's being suggested here?

Alan Hahn (43:44)

Well, you're saying a lot of things that are interesting, compelling. I don't think any of them make the movie a mess.

Don LaGreca (43:49)

I think it's America, you don't know what's going on. Again, it's very well acted and it's, it's. There's a. I understand why it was best Picture, especially the topic matter.

Alan Hahn (43:59)

Well, I think the Gianna Taylor character, though, you're supposed to think is kind of crazy. She, she, she was very passionate in one direction. Then she starts to lose it. Then she suffers from like postpartum depression and Loses her mind even further. Then she just, like. I think it's a story of someone who's kind of going back, but then

Don LaGreca (44:18)

you, but, but the letter at the end doesn't make any sense because she's not anybody you want to reconnect with anyway. And then because, and then the other thing is, like, so they're not on the run anymore. And Bob, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, he's, he's the biggest mess. I love to be good, but he's got not a great father. He's, he completely screws everything up. Like, there isn't anybody to be celebrated here. There is no hero.

Alan Hahn (44:47)

Well, Bob's character is an anti hero. That's what makes the movie funny. He's a hilarious character. I don't think you're supposed to go, I really like that Leo character. That's like a poster I want on my wall. He's a stoned weirdo. Met, like, nobody to root. He's one of my favorite Leo characters of all time.

Peter Rosenberg (45:02)

But you have to root for them.

Don LaGreca (45:03)

But they're not that great. I mean, it's almost like unforgiven in the sense that the hero is not a hero. It's just that it's the lesser of two evils. But I still don't know who's in charge of this whole thing.

Alan Hahn (45:17)

I think you're expressing. So did you like the movie or not?

Don LaGreca (45:20)

I'm not sure. I tell you what, I, I, I won't watch it again. But I, I thought it was done well. Then the next day I finally got around to watching Happy Gilmore and I laughed through the entire movie. I thought it was absolutely fabulous.

Alan Hahn (45:38)

I think ii was very well done. I really.

Don LaGreca (45:41)

Because that's exact. So from an entertainment standpoint, it was like one battle after another was like, like filet mignon. Right? Like high end. You like it? I'm a good. But that it was just like Taco Bell with Happy Gilmore was just. I enjoyed the heck out of that movie. Never. Best picture. But the camera.

Alan Hahn (46:04)

It was underrated.

Don LaGreca (46:05)

It was terrific. Absolutely terrific. And one battle after another. I get it. But there's a lot going on there

Alan Hahn (46:12)

that like, so Don's Quick Movie reviews. One battle after another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, which just won Best Picture at the Oscars.

Don LaGreca (46:20)

Yes, fine.

Alan Hahn (46:21)

Happy Gilmore 2, starring Adam Sandler and Bad Bunny.

Don LaGreca (46:26)

Five out of five. You know what? Bad Bunny, he was tremendous. No, he was great. Tremendous.

Alan Hahn (46:31)

No, he was. Matter of fact, I didn't even realize it was him.

Don LaGreca (46:34)

Yeah, no, he was great.

Alan Hahn (46:35)

He was a sleeper bonus in the movie.

Don LaGreca (46:37)

It was really good. He was so good. But that's the problem because it's dumbed down as a comedy. Nobody would ever give it any credit. But from an entertain the two hours watching out was way more entertaining than the 2:45 watching one battle after another. And listen, I'm a Paul Thomas Anderson fan. I love There will be blood. I love movies like that but there's so many things I need to investigate but I just don't know if I have the energy to do it. And lockjaw which is too disturbing.

Alan Hahn (47:07)

What I thought the last thing on this I thought the way end like the lockjaw clothes I thought was totally unnecessary. I was like why couldn't he have just been dead on the side of the road? I didn't. I don't know why we needed it

Don LaGreca (47:20)

but you know it ruined it for me. I watched the end of the Oscars so I knew it was coming.

Alan Hahn (47:25)

Yeah, that happened.

Don LaGreca (47:26)

So I put two and two together. So maybe it would have hit me different if I didn't see the end of the Oscars. I'm sorry, Alan. If you know what we're talking about,

Peter Rosenberg (47:34)

you guys might as well be.

Don LaGreca (47:36)

I'm telling you Jeff, don't bother.

Peter Rosenberg (47:38)

No idea what's going on unless you're a fan with to watch any movies right now.

Alan Hahn (47:43)

But he has no. But you know, you got no travel coming up.

Peter Rosenberg (47:47)

No, no, you gotta watch.

Alan Hahn (47:50)

You got Don, you gotta go watch begonia. Right that you should add begonia to your list immediately.

Don LaGreca (47:56)

You'll really reasons why.

Alan Hahn (47:58)

I just think you'll like it. I think it's just a really. It's funny and weird and interesting and good.

Don LaGreca (48:04)

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Peter Rosenberg (48:36)

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the 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.

Alan Hahn (48:59)

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Peter Rosenberg (49:01)

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Don LaGreca (49:14)

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