Don, Hahn & Rosenberg — Hour 3: Mets Win Opener (March 26, 2026)

Episode Overview

This episode celebrates the New York Mets’ impressive Opening Day victory, dives into the intricacies of early-season baseball overreactions, and balances it all with lively debates on sports fandom, music genres (specifically “yacht rock”), and listener calls. With Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg, Don La Greca, and a few notable callers, the hour blends big-league analysis with lighthearted banter and classic New York sports radio energy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mets' Opening Day Victory & New Team Identity

• Opening Segment [02:27]: The hosts recap the Mets’ win over the reigning Cy Young winner, Paul Skenes.
  • Audio Highlight: Howie Rose’s radio call of Brett Baty’s bases-clearing triple.
  • "This has been a near perfectly executed offensive first inning for the New York Mets with their new philosophy and new talent." — Howie Rose [02:45]
• Working the Count: The new “offensive philosophy” focuses on patience and grinding out at-bats.
  • Mets walked nine times. “Yeah, that’s working the count.” — Alan Hahn [04:11]
  • “Nine, nine, nine walks... a complete offensive effort.” — Peter Rosenberg [05:33]
• Carson Binge’s Big Debut [04:17, 05:04]
  • First Major League hit: a home run, described by Howie Rose and summed by manager Carlos Mendoza’s praise for Binge’s calm, approach-driven plate presence.
  • “He controls the strike zone, he walks, there’s a couple of walks there and then he gets a pitch that he can do damage and goes to pull side.” — Carlos Mendoza [05:04]
• New Faces Shine (except Bichette) [05:33]
  • Positive contributions from other newcomers (Robert, Polanco, Simeon), but Bichette (0-4, 3 K, 1 RBI) gets called out.
  • Emphasis on Alvarez’s health and contribution: “Another important guy is Alvarez, right, keeping him healthy...” — Alan Hahn [05:33]
• Pitching Woes Still Exist: Peralta struggled, but the offense made up for any pitching lapses.

2. Early Season Baseball Reactions & Judge Debate

• Annual Offense vs. Pitching Trends [06:55]
  • Questioning whether it’s normal to see more offense early in baseball seasons, or if it’s pitching that usually leads.
  • “Is it the hitting that's not there yet or the pitching that's not there yet?” — Alan Hahn [06:57]
• Yankees & Overaction to Aaron Judge [07:29+]
  • Discussing media and fan tendency to overreact to Aaron Judge’s 0-for-4 with four strikeouts despite a team win.
  • “Is Aaron Judge overrated? Is Aaron Judge washed up? These are things that people have been kicking around... It’s stupid. Of course it’s stupid.” — Alan Hahn [08:18]
  • “If he’s batting .099 in May or June, then we can have that conversation.” — Don Hahn [09:20]
  • Host consensus: Don’t get sucked into hot-take debates after one game.
  • Memorable line: “People debating on whether [Judge] is done is not a logical conversation I want to breathe life into.” — Peter Rosenberg [11:13]

3. NBA & Knicks Playoff Picture/Coaching Carousel

• Spike from St. Pete Calls In [11:55]
  • Wide-ranging NBA thoughts: Knicks’ chances, Celtics’ strength, skepticism about “modern NBA,” tanking teams, and comments on coaches.
  • Praise for Knicks’ center play and hopes for postseason success.
  • “I think the Knicks have as good a chance to come out of the east as anybody... these teams are going to beat the crap out of Brunson.” — Spike [13:58]
• Knicks, Celtics, and Charlotte Forecasts
  • Watch out for Charlotte, on the edge of playoff qualification with key wins possible ([14:00]).
• Coaching Carousel: Jeff Van Gundy & Tibs [14:48-16:44]
  • Discussions on which teams might pursue Jeff Van Gundy or Tom Thibodeau ("Tibs") as head coach.
  • Tibs described as a “fixer” coach—he’ll get your team right, then move on: “He’s not your forever man... he helps you find real love, and then... moves on.” — Don Hahn [16:07]

4. Drop Madness & Listener Engagement

• Drop Madness Update [18:54+]:
  • Recap of the show’s soundbite bracket “Drop Madness,” with vote counts, upsets and controversies.
  • “Anyone who votes against the children of the show hates children.” — Don Hahn, teasing Peter Rosenberg’s earlier comment [20:40]
  • Lively engagement with show drops and ongoing in-show jokes.
• Calandra’s Bakery Ticket Promo [21:44+]
  • Humorous discussion of sports-themed bakery cookies (“Just scrape off the name!”) and how baked goods can be rebranded for different fandoms.

5. Yacht Rock — Debate Over Genre & 'Cheesy' Songs

• Deep Dive: Yacht Rock vs. Serious Music [27:08-45:24]
  • Don expresses frustration with the “Yacht Rock” label, arguing it belittles genuinely well-crafted songs:
    • “It really implies it’s a genre that’s silly. And it’s not... Dirty Work is not a silly song.” — Don Hahn [27:38]
  • Alan: Most so-called “yacht rock” songs are musically rich and have depth ([28:34]).
  • Lively on-air review: “Moonlight Feels Right” by Starbuck is crowned the “cheesiest” yacht rock song due to its wild xylophone solo:
    • “That song... that xylophone literally sounds like a scene in Anchorman.” — Don Hahn [32:29]
    • “I got a hankering and the only cure is more xylophone.” — Don Hahn [34:05]
    • “If it does fall apart, the xylophone will build it back up.” — Peter Rosenberg [31:27]
  • Listener Mike calls in to clarify: the label is more about the demographic (“rich boat vibes”) than musical quality; the hosts ultimately agree.

6. Sports Knowledge, Trivia, and Listener Q&A

• Richard from Manhattan [34:22, 36:43]
  • Explains a pivotal moment in Northeast college basketball history—St. John’s beating Duke in 1979.
  • Shares an esoteric but true Mets stat: “The Mets won the World Series before they ever won on Opening Day.” [34:22]
  • College basketball picks: Alan and Peter both take the favorites (Duke, Arizona, Michigan, Houston) over the rest of the field ([36:56]).
  • NBA trivia: Michael Ray Richardson credited with the “high dribble” before Magic Johnson.
    • “He had a crossover, a high crossover, if you remember... but the NBA was changing at that time.” — Richard [37:41]

7. Coaching Credentials in Big-Time Sports

• Caller Question [46:20]
  • Should managers/coaches without big-league playing experience be hired in top jobs? (Prompted by the Giants’ hiring Tony Vitello.)
  • Hosts’ view: There will always be critics, but success (or failure) matters more than résumé. “The proof is only in the pudding.” — Don Hahn [47:24]
  • Warn against copycatting just one successful outlier (like Sean McVay in the NFL). Early returns shouldn’t dictate the experiment’s future ([48:01]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This has been a near perfectly executed offensive first inning for the New York Mets with their new philosophy and new talent.” — Howie Rose [02:45]
• “Is Aaron Judge overrated? Is Aaron Judge washed up? These are things that people have been kicking around... It’s stupid. Of course it’s stupid.” — Alan Hahn [08:18]
• “If he’s batting .099 in May or June, then we can have that conversation.” — Don Hahn [09:20]
• “He’s not your forever man... he helps you find real love, and then... moves on.” — Don Hahn, describing Tibs [16:07]
• “If it does fall apart, the xylophone will build it back up.” — Peter Rosenberg, during the Starbuck song breakdown [31:27]
• “That xylophone literally sounds like a scene in Anchorman in which, like, Ron Burgundy would start playing the xylophone.” — Don Hahn [32:29]
• “It really implies it’s a genre that’s silly. And it’s not... Dirty Work is not a silly song.” — Don Hahn [27:38]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Mets' Big First Inning & Calls: [02:27] - [05:04]
• Carson Binge’s Debut & Postgame Comments: [04:17] - [05:33]
• Judge/Yankees Overreactions & Hot Takes: [07:29] - [11:32]
• Spike’s NBA Call/Coaching Talk: [11:55] - [16:44]
• Drop Madness Soundbite Bracket: [18:54] - [21:14]
• Yacht Rock Music Debate: [27:08] - [45:24]
• Richard’s College Basketball/NBA Trivia: [34:22] - [38:08]
• Coaching Credentials/Lack of Experience: [46:20] - [48:01]

Tone & Atmosphere

In classic New York sports talk fashion, the tone is sharp, vibrant, and full of wisecracks. Hosts blend analysis with humor, never shying from going off on playful tangents—from sports media hot takes to debates over the cultural meaning of “yacht rock.” The show thrives on chemistry, the blend of knowledge, nostalgia, and good-natured debate.

This episode is a great listen for any Mets, Yankees, or Knicks fan hungry for local analysis, plus anyone who enjoys sports talk radio that’s as much about personality as it is about the game.