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For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves, loved ones, neighbors, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrivent, we help plan your financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more. Thrivent, where Money means more. Connect with us@thrivent.com this is the Don
Don Hahn
Han and Rosenberg Podcast.
Alan Hahn
That sounds like heaven to me.
Don Hahn
Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.
Alan Hahn
Game time is brought to you by Telemar New Irish Whiskey. Because when it's game time, fellas, yeah,
Allen
it's tele time.
Peter
It's tolly time.
Alan Hahn
Mets rockies underway on 1050. Coverage has already started, so we just want to remind you again, when the Knicks and the Mets play at the same time, the Mets will be on 1050. The Knicks will be on 880. So we appreciate that from our partners over the Mets to get that done. That means the Knicks will be on 880 with game one of the Eastern Conference semifinals with the Sixers at MSG. And it'll begin right at 7:00 clock with Pat O' Keefe here on 880 after us and the Yankees finish up their series. It's a wraparound four game series against the Baltimore Orioles at 7:05 Tullamore due. The original triple distilled, triple blended and triple cast matured Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore Due and try the new Tullamore Due, honey. During today's action. Glasses up to enjoying Tullamore du responsibly. Obviously the Knicks are a big story. And of course the passing of John Sterling. I'm really surprised, guys. And I guess I shouldn't be surprised because I do think sometimes there's a New York bias when it comes to announcers in the hall of Fame. And I know Chris Carino just entered the Basketball hall of Fame and well deserved. Sam Rosen is in the Hockey hall of Fame. Also very well deserved. Mike Breen in the Basketball hall of Fame as well. All right, John Sterling was unconventional, I get it. And there were some mistakes down as he got older. But just the fact that he called 5,000 consecutive games for the New York Yankees, all those championships, how's he not in the hall of Fame? And then what they'll do is they'll put him in in a couple of years posthumously. And it sucks. Yeah, exactly.
Allen
Yeah, I felt this way with Pat
Alan Hahn
Burns, when they put him in after he had passed away, who votes for that? I don't know, because you'd think just
Allen
again, lifetime achievement type stuff, right? You know, he retires, you understand? Like, anybody that's voting should have a pretty good feel. When you're voting for the Ford Frickie, you gotta know all the guys that would be up for it and say to yourself, you know what? The amount of years he's put in, the amount of time and dedication he's put in, and the historic games that he has called, how do you not put him in? Like, wouldn't you feel weird if you want it and you're like, I mean, I guess I have to accept this, but shouldn't he get it first? Well, you know what I mean? There comes a time where you should acknowledge somebody who's put it 36 years, man.
Alan Hahn
Well, that's the thing.
Allen
I don't understand who's voting.
Alan Hahn
How do you. Obviously, in sports, there's stats, there's championships, and there's the eye test. That's a great player. You just don't put Cal Ripken in the hall of Fame because he had the Iron man record. He was an amazing shortstop. He was a great player. Right? Like, you can, you can wrap your mind around why somebody's a Hall of Famer or not, but from a broadcasting standpoint, you wouldn't get the job unless you were very good. Especially in New York. Especially with the New York Yankees, right?
Allen
Yeah.
Alan Hahn
They're not giving those jobs to chimps, as Michael would say. All right, but it's all preference, right? Because I could see people like, ah, John Sterling's not exactly my cup of tea. But that's not how you grade a player. You don't go, you know, Wayne Gretzky was good, but you know what? I just didn't like the way he played. So I'm not going to put him in the hall of Fame. No, you got to put him in the hall of Fame.
Allen
I didn't like his style.
Alan Hahn
So the only thing you really have to go by is he's the New York Yankee announcer for 36 years, called over 5,000 consecutive games. Some of the most iconic plays in the history of baseball happened with John Sterling on his watch. Shouldn't that be enough? Not somebody sitting there going, well, you know what I think? I think, you know, Scully's better or Cohen's better, or this one. Like, that's all just preference, right? He called these games. And if you want to tell me about the slippages the mistakes. You tried doing stuff in your 80s. Okay, well, live stuff for hours on end, you know. So when you're grading out broadcasters, doesn't the longevity speak for most of it? So I don't get.
Allen
I can't explain it. I would want somebody to explain it, but I can't explain it. It doesn't make sense. Just, again, who else has. I'm just going to look it up out of curiosity, but who else has won it that you would say well deserved. Yeah.
Alan Hahn
And I'm sure everybody that we would list if I was to look it up now are well deserved. Right. But it's still kind of preference. Right. Like, all right, did he call nationally televised games? All right. No, again, it's not just. I know it's about the greatest broadcasters of all time, but again, that still falls into the category of is he my cup of tea or not. Right. He obviously had the voice and he painted the word picture. Well, he added to the abilities of it. Right.
Peter
But the voters are living Frick recipients and reportedly esteemed members of the field.
Allen
When did John retire?
Alan Hahn
20, 24.
Allen
Okay, so Joe Castiglione, one in 24. Tom Hamilton won in 25. Joe Buck won, it says, for 26.
Alan Hahn
Right before.
Allen
Like you can't argue any of those names.
Alan Hahn
No, I mean, these are big names. Right, but what I'm saying is, is that you know, Pat Hughes called games for the brewers and the Cubs. I know Pat Hughes. I'm familiar with his work as I'm a baseball fan.
Allen
Okay.
Alan Hahn
But most people probably don't know who he is because they're not Cub fans or Brewer fans. And it's not like the brewers and the Cubs have played a ton of games on that. A ton of games in the playoffs and in the World Series.
Allen
Forty plus years, though.
Alan Hahn
No, but again, he's well deserved. Yeah, but you're talking about 40 plus years of broadcasting baseball for John Sterling because before that he was doing the Brave games. So he's got just as much longevity as anybody else called more iconic games for an iconic franchise. And I bet you walking around all over the United States people know John Sterling's name because it's the Yankees. Right. So again, I'm not throwing any shade at the people that are on here. They're all well deserved to be there. So what is it about John Sterling that you can't put him among these names when I think he's more famous than a lot of these guys. Joe Buck, different story. Nationally televised games. But if Joe Buck had just Done the Cardinals his entire life, and you never knew him for football and national baseball. Would he be as well known as John Sterling? You know, it's crazy.
Allen
And Al Michaels is on this 2021.
Alan Hahn
Well deserved.
Allen
Yeah. But obviously, Carlson in 2020. Costas is on this. I mean, baseball name. Yeah, it.
Peter
It's a lot of national names, though, if you're being honest.
Allen
It's. It's. Yes, it is a lot of national announcers here, but there are some local guys, some former players who were, you know, in the booth who also got, you know, got the call.
Alan Hahn
So, again, not disparaging them. I'm just saying, how is John Sterling not among these other peers? Because he sang occasionally or maybe did he disrespect the game with all the nicknames? I'm sorry, that. That kind of jazzes it up a little bit for me. Right. It never came at the expense of what was happening on the field, and the fans loved it, so I. And again, they'll probably decide to put him in next year or the year after, and that'll be nice, and his family and his kids will get a chance to enjoy it. But if there's anybody on the face of the earth who would have enjoyed it as much as John Sterling, show me. He would. Had an amazing speech. Really would have appreciated. You heard what Michael said.
Allen
Yeah.
Alan Hahn
The one thing among the many things that he passed today is that he's not here to hear all the accolades everybody's throwing at him. And what more of an accolade would you want to get than going to the hall of Fame and being considered one of the great broadcasters of all time?
Peter
Well, he is on a long list of many greats who have been overlooked by bodies that decide, quote, halls of fame.
Alan Hahn
And you know what? Because we love the music analogies. Right. You know who he kind of reminds me of from a music standpoint? Kiss. Kiss was an iconic band, but they wore makeup and they were kind of gimmicky.
Peter
I love this.
Alan Hahn
You know, and so they didn't really go about it like a lot of rock bands.
Peter
It's a brilliant comp.
Alan Hahn
It helped them super popularity with the KISS army and everything else. But the highbrow people at the Rock and Roll hall of Fame were like, oh, well, I don't know if they're one of us. They. They had to wear makeup, and they had to make movies, and they had to have a fan club, and he had to spit food, fire, and blood. But that's what. That was their charm. And they were amazingly Popular and made great music. And eventually they ended up in the hall of Fame. But people felt that it was way longer than it should have been. And luckily, you know, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were all able to still ace Freely and Peter Criss were still alive to be able to appreciate going in. John won't be. But you see the comp.
Peter
I love the comp.
Alan Hahn
Cause he kind of went about it off the beat.
Peter
It's just different. It just doesn't sound like the rest. It doesn't look like the rest in the case of Kiss. Doesn't look like the rest. In the case of John just didn't sound quite like the rest. You're different, you're offbeat. There's a. You're making up funky nicknames. There's a humor to what you do.
Alan Hahn
But does that make it less. Make him less great?
Peter
No, but it made it.
Alan Hahn
Not at all.
Peter
But it makes the serious people say, you're not serious. You wear makeup. You kiss, you're not serious. Meanwhile, one respectfully, is a baseball announcer, the other is a rock and roll band. Is it all about being serious?
Alan Hahn
I thought it was about entertaining your audience. Right?
Peter
It is entertaining.
Alan Hahn
And you know what? There's a lot of Yankee fans that love him for that. And yeah, you could have brought in somebody that was straight laced and never made a mistake and did everything the way it's supposed to be done, and it would have the same stats as John Sterling and go to the hall of Fame. But would he be as revered? Would he be as remembered? Remember, fans remember him.
Allen
Remembered. No, there is something personal to the. Like I said earlier, there is something about John having a personal history with the franchise that it matters to him. Right.
Alan Hahn
Yeah.
Allen
I just think you heard that in his voice, that it's personal to him. It doesn't mean that like in 2001, he calls it like a straight up homer, sounding depressed and disappointed. No, because he loves baseball. Game 7, walk off, win for the World Series, he had the enthusiasm of somebody going, can you believe? Like, this is what a moment, Right? Like, just like it came out.
Alan Hahn
Because that's what he is because he was a pro.
Allen
But. But there still is on the daily, you know, a game in July series against the Marlins, somebody hits a home run and he's giving you enthusiasm because it. Every game mattered to him.
Alan Hahn
Yeah.
Allen
And I think that's something that does. I don't think it's as easy as you think when people say this. It's not because, like, Don, again, you're doing it Right now in your, for the first time in your life where it's your call, this, that's the team of your youth. It matters to you, right?
Alan Hahn
Yeah.
Allen
Like I'm going through it in a similar way, but I don't obviously I don't call games. I get to do some. But for me, it's still the preparation every day for a January game against the freaking Memphis Grizzlies. But I'm still putting in two hours sending out the emails because it just matters. You care about it. So, yes. When you have success, when a team wins, it means a little extra when a player comes along like a for me, Jalen Brunson. And you just know it, it gives you a little extra juice. That stuff you cannot fake. You can't be a guy who came in from Kansas City because you have a great voice and no baseball and call the Yankees and you have no background on the franchise. I'm sorry. It's different. It's also what makes Michael special and him calling it Mike Breen, you know, Gary Cohen, like all of everybody. Sam, how personal it is to Sam Rosen. Why did that matter so much to him? We talked to him last year. So I do think it's something unique. And maybe it's just unique to baseball, maybe it's just unique to New York. But it isn't as easy as you think.
Alan Hahn
Yeah. It was just being. And the thing is for everybody that thinks it was shtick. If you met John Sterling, he was exactly the same in person as he was on the air. So it wasn't an act. He was just being himself. And I think. And that is when people are the most loved.
Allen
Right.
Alan Hahn
Like we talk about Russell Wilson. Why didn't it work in the locker room in Seattle? Because he kind of came across as a phony. People noticed that.
Allen
Yep.
Alan Hahn
You know, when you're genuine, whether you rub people the wrong way or not, at least they can appreciate, hey, just being himself. And if you're being yourself, then there's never anything wrong with that. And people are going to appreciate that. The honesty in that.
Allen
Yeah.
Alan Hahn
And that's what you love about John Sterling. 1-800-919-3776. Matt is in Merrick. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, Matt?
Matt
Hey, what's up, John? How are you, man?
Alan Hahn
Good. How you doing, buddy?
Matt
Good. I'll shout out Alan. Peter, I'm a longtime listener, first time caller. I just want to touch base about Sterling.
Alan Hahn
Sure.
Peter
Thanks, man.
Matt
Yeah, I wasn't listening the whole show. I was Listening to some fish shout out boba shoes in. But I'm just gonna give you my. My favorite Sterlings was. I got the John Beano was one of my favorites.
Allen
Okay.
Matt
And every time you guys be in
Allen
the car and you.
Matt
You do random sterling voice with like condiments. Remember when you guys did that?
Allen
Oh, Nutella.
Matt
Oh, my God, there it is. So, yeah, if you could do that the rest of the show, that would make money.
Alan Hahn
Yeah. You know what? That. That is a. I was thinking about that today too.
Allen
It's like that should be the hellos in enn.
Alan Hahn
One dozen farm fresh eggs.
Allen
Just no one better it sounded so almond nut butter.
Alan Hahn
It's just again, there's plenty of people that have great voices. Right. But it's just John is just so. You got to celebrate the uniqueness of individuals. And what the hall of fame is kind of celebrating is how everybody's the same. Or how you're supposed to call. You're supposed to be in this box. Right. Stay in this lane. You know what? Be yourself, man, and be genuine. And that's what made him so, so much fun to listen to. And I'm not even a Yankee fan, but, you know, I think because there are so many games in baseball, even if you grew up a Met fan, you start, you listen to John Sterling. There's the Mets are off or the Yankees are playing in the World Series and you pop them on. If you were in the car or you just heard the highlights during updates or what you just. Everybody knew this guy Ricardo in Cliffside Park. You're on ESPN New York.
Ricardo
The sun will come out Tanaka, that Kanaka.
Peter
Wow, that's.
Alan Hahn
That was.
Ricardo
No.
Charles Barkley
What.
Allen
What did he say about. What was Matsui. What was the Matsui one? That home run call, Wasn't it like Godzilla?
Ricardo
What? What?
Alan Hahn
It was gorilla by Godzilla.
Ricardo
By Godzilla was how he. He would announce his home runs. And, you know, I actually called you guys last week. I was the guy who went to know into the garden. Paid $817.
Allen
Oh, yeah.
Ricardo
For the mix ticket. And then, you know. Yeah. And then we win, you know, which was a great win. And then, you know, last year when Michael was on this show, we actually. I actually spoke. You know, it was a nick suck. And I told him that, you know, I DJ and stuff like that. Even Michael was like, oh, you should do John Sterling's daughter's wedding. And then out of nowhere, where my brother works at in a hot dog spot in Fort Lee Hirams, if I could shout him out, sure John Sterling would Go in there a lot. He would go into Hiram's a lot. I mean, Don, you know, you know, Hiram's in Fort Lee and my brother is. And my son sitting right next to me right now in the car is a Red Sox fan, which I still trying to find out what the deal is with that. But my brother looks at me and goes, do you know who that is? I looked up and I felt like I met a Yankee player, you know, and that's the time that I think he retired. Didn't he retire? They kind of come back a little bit.
Alan Hahn
He got, he got. He got sick. He overworked himself. He got sick and then he left. And then he decided that he was going to step away and he retired and then he just, he got the itch and he came back and he ended up doing that World Series in 2024 and they lost to the Dodgers, and that was the last games he did. And then eventually Dave Sims came in on a full time basis. So he did give it another shot, which was great when you think about it, because I think, you know, he was. He felt better. You know, he didn't want to go out that way. And they got a chance, and in the Yankees make it to the World Series, so he got a chance to do the ultimate World Series. Right, Allen? Yankees and the Reds, the Yankees, Dodgers. And it didn't go the way the Yankee fans wanted it to, but at least they got a chance to hear Sterling.
Allen
And his last game was World Series games.
Alan Hahn
Yeah. Which is perfect for his career, right?
Allen
Yeah, exactly.
Alan Hahn
That's what just makes it, you know, just so special. So, you know, I thought about Michael today because you could tell when you listen to his show. Anybody that missed it, I'm sure you can go back and check it out on the podcast. Just how emotional he was. And he was talking about his daughter's wedding. I guess the last. He had a heart attack a couple of months ago and he was recovering from that, had open heart surgery and was doing very well. The one thing that he wasn't able to do was walk. And he was going through rehab trying to walk because he wanted to walk his daughter down the aisle. And unfortunately that's not going to happen. But I believe he'll be there and he'll be walking with her. You might not be able to see him, but I'm sure he's going to be there in spirit for sure. And Michael outlined as much as he loved the Yankees and as much as he loved baseball and certainly loved calling games, he loved his family, he loved his kids, for sure. And as somebody who was an older parent, myself, as he was. I think he had the triplets. I think Peter, he was in his 60s. He might be early 60s. It was 98.
Peter
Oh, yeah.
Alan Hahn
So he was 87. So how old would he have been then? Going back? Yeah. 60, 59. 60 years old. And so that's when you really, like, appreciate, because you know that your time is going to be limited. And, you know, he lived a good life. You know, Michael always. I didn't want to bring it up to him because obviously not. Not appropriate for today. Where Michael, we, you know, we could take it. We always give those ages. If you live the life he lived, how do you not take those 87 years?
Unidentified Speaker
87.
Peter
You know, for a life that well lived, you know, like to have your life, as Michael put it, be a constant cocktail hour and make it to a nice full 87. It never feels like enough at the time. But that's. That's a pretty good run, man.
Alan Hahn
And not the cocktail hour where you're thinking, I got these finger foods. I don't know how to hold my drink and then hold the plate of food, and how do I eat? And that uncle, he's talking about the cocktail hour, where you got a drink in your hand, you're schmoozing, you're walking a room, talking to everybody. Everybody knows you, everybody loves you. That's the way he was. I can't imagine. There were too many rooms he walked into where he had to introduce himself. Especially in, like, the last 30, 40 years of his life.
Peter
Well, certainly, like the last year, the last 25, 30 years. Absolutely.
Allen
And from what it sounds like, nor would he care. He wouldn't need to. You know what I mean? Like, if nobody, if some, if people
Alan Hahn
didn't know who he was, it didn't matter.
Allen
He seems like that he would have probably enjoyed that even more.
Alan Hahn
Yeah. So, God, you know, bless him and rest in peace. John Sterling, Knicks have a big game coming up. A game one. It's a big game because we know the history. If the Knicks lose in the best of seven at home in game one, they lose the series. And we saw what happened to Pacers. Same kind of vibe, right? Oh, we're going to the finals, we're going to beat the Pacers, and then you lose a heartbreaker in game one and you never recover. Don't have that happen tonight. Win tonight. That would be what, four straight wins?
Allen
Yes.
Alan Hahn
You know, now you're on a roll. You maintain the home court advantage and then you go back to business on Wednesday and then you take care of that business. But give them a reason to believe this is an odd matchup. You can make the case. Allen and I want to see if you agree when we come back that from a matchup standpoint, this might be tougher than the Celtics. Like the Celtics might have been the better team, at least on paper, and the better regular season. From a matchup standpoint, this might be the tougher matchup.
Allen
Very interesting.
Peter
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FDIC for some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves, loved ones, neighbors, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrivent, we help plan plan your financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more. Thrivent where money means more. Connect with us@thrivent.com
Don Hahn
thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
Peter
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
Don Hahn
Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
Alan Hahn
If you're looking for the Mets Rockies coverage, it's on 1050 right now for the first pitch at 540. And that means the Knicks Sixers will be coming on right after us on 880 at 7 o'. Clock. And we want to thank our partners with the Mets because they've allowed themselves to go to 1050 anytime they're up against the Knicks. So as long as the Knicks are in the playoffs, we hope it's right until they get high ender the handed the O' Brien trophy. The Knicks will get 880. The the Mets will get 1050. And we thank them for that. And that's going to be the way it is moving forward. Bet your ace. That's right.
Peter
Can I just say something real quick? I know we're not going to spend a lot of time here today, but I think I hate Joe Missoula. I think I do.
Alan Hahn
Well, that was not a great game. 7.
Peter
Really, you want to step out all the way on the ledge here and
Alan Hahn
say something crazy today because, you know, because I do think he did a fabulous job this year without Tatum for most of it. To get him the two seed he did left a lot to be desired
Peter
on Saturday night, but he's like, he's. He's Thibodeau with the championship. Like he has his plan. He's sticking with his plan. The plan is good enough in general. It seems to give you a great regular season record and not to win in the playoffs. Except they do have that one chip. So it makes it feel to me, Allen, like he's going to get this pass at least for a while, but. But to not be able to make any changes. It was so clear on Saturday that was a winnable basketball game when they didn't have Derrick White just chucking from 30ft. It really felt like when the game ran through Jalen Brown, they could score and the threes weren't going down. And they're going to die with it. As Allen has pointed out on our show over and over again, that is what they're going to do. It is what they did and they died again.
Allen
What if I told you they know no other way and.
Peter
No, he knows no other way.
Allen
No. As a team.
Peter
Well, that's. That.
Allen
That was them before, when Brad Stevens was coaching. They were the same. The. The difference is it didn't feel like this defensive. Well, because they didn't have. They always wait and they bet on the numbers and the math. They're like the Yankees in the sense of home runs. They'll live with strikeouts, but they feel like, you know, you hit the home runs, that's going to generate offense. That's how you'll win. And you know that your player will eventually come get to his numbers because that's what the. That's what the numbers tell you, that the averages will kick in and at some point the ball will go out of the. Out of the ballpark. Well, the Celtics believe that the threes will start to drop. It's a matter of time. And so when they go through slumps, they stick to it as ugly as it can look. Because when it flips. It's epic. Think about this. The two games they won in the middle when they, it felt like they took over the series, they hit 23 point threes and then 20 threes. So when they went through the slump in game I think it was four. It's like, oh, that's a bad game and throw it away. The problem was is that it just kept happening. And I go with the fact that this strategy works when you have good shooters. They had guys with no play. This was almost arrogant. Their regular season was because I said this many times. They have like, it's like AI bots that play 3 and D. It's almost like computer generated players. All 6, 8, 69 long arms run around. But the playoffs, you cannot quantify pressure and stress and clutch when it comes to numbers. So regular season games, yeah, guy can catch and shoot a corner three. Ugo Gonzalez knocking down a corner three. You know, Luca Garza having a game maybe once in a while.
Peter
Garza shooting threes in the playoffs wasn't scaring Philadelphia. They're gonna, they're gonna let you beat us with Garza popping three threes.
Ricardo
Right.
Allen
So that's why during the regular season randomly this stuff can work. But in a playoff series when it's pressurized and it's like, yeah, Jaylen Brown's going to drive into the paint and spray it out great, that means Jaylen Brown's not shooting. I'll take it. And you know, you didn't, you didn't expect. And I think this, no one wants to say this. They lost that series because Peyton Pritchard sucked.
Alan Hahn
That's a big part of it.
Allen
No one wants to say it because they love them. He was terrible in the last three games. He had an epic 32 point game four or game three. No, four, the one that AIMB came back for. And like to me like after that game, 32 point game was fantastic. He had him beat on skates. He was terrible the rest of the way and they needed him because Tatum obviously fell off. Which you'd have to predict that at some point it was going to catch up to Tatum. As much as you hate to see did, it did. But Missouri, they're sticking with that stuff. They believe in it. Brad Stevens believes in it. That starting lineup was curious and they've got to now go back to the drawing board and they're going to say this. Don't worry now we'll have Tatum fully healthy for a full season. We can run it back again because our two great players are still very much in their prime.
Alan Hahn
All right, what about what I threw at you before we went to break that? Even though the Celtics were the better team, the Knicks probably match up better against Boston than Philadelphia.
Allen
The Knicks were beat, were built to beat Boston. They had the Celtics in mind when they went and got an anoby when they went and got Bridges. They had the Celtics in mind when they got Towns because with Porzingis, they couldn't. They struggled with Horford. They had their. Remember, they had guys like Mitchell Robbins and Isaiah Hartenstein. They couldn't pull you away from the basket, so they needed that. They needed a guy like Townes and they thought we've got a team now that matches up with Boston. And then they proved it last year by beating them. They thought they were going to and they beat him three out of four this year. They thought they were going to do it again. So I agree. The Sixers bring a different look with their speedy, athletic backcourt that doesn't match up well with the Knicks back court. That is not speedy and not very athletic there. That's a danger zone right now. But at least in the matchup with Embiid, which the first when they played him two years ago, the same as I said, they had Mitchell Robinson, they had Isaiah Hardenstein and they didn't really have a healthy Robinson at all in that series. They couldn't really deal with Embiid. But Embiid broke down. So what you're looking for now is the Towns that you saw in the first round was against as legs told us smaller players that he could physically impose his will. This has to be a skill versus skill with Embiid, that's going to be the interesting matchup. Brunson has his games against the Sixers. They have a hard time guarding him. The Towns factor is another big one and so is the wing factor when it comes to Anunobi is can he pick up where he left off? Because the difference could be in the fact that the Knicks main five have more in the tank and probably can do more now than I think the Sixers can. And then the bench is also a huge difference maker. But the Towns Embiid matchup, that could be the whole story that could decide whether or not the Knicks win the series or not. Does Embiid last in the series or does he have a tweak? He's one tweak away from being out. We all know this about him. And if he is playing, can he get Towns in foul trouble? Because that has happened before. And if now you eliminate Towns and you bring in Robinson and they foul Robinson on purpose to put him on the free throw line. And he's missing free throws. That throws the whole system off. That's what makes this a scary matchup. Nick Nurse is a, he's a wizard when it comes to the crazy defenses. And Embiid is. Jaylen Brown said it and it's right. He's the biggest flopper in the league. He's really strong, but pretends that he falls down easy. He can draw fouls and we know Towns can get caught up in that. That's the area that I'm watching in this series.
Alan Hahn
Yeah. I'm not suggesting that they're going to lose. We'll have our predictions coming up before the end of the show. From a matchup standpoint, it might be a little bit tougher to take on Philadelphia.
Allen
Yeah, well, I explain. Yeah, I explain exactly why it's, it's the speedy back court and Embiid drawing fouls. Those are the two things that make it a more challenging matchup for the Knicks than a Celtics matchup, which would have been simply, you know, your, you have your guys versus their, their main guys. You have guys who can match up with everybody and it's a matter of who who shoots the three better and you'll win the series.
Alan Hahn
And again, I just worry we opened the show with this, along with the John Sterling passing, is that this is where you get nervous about the Knicks. Not just this iteration of the team, even going back to when, you know, before Jalen got here, is that you get into these series, whether it's Atlanta, Miami, last couple of years against Indiana where it's like, oh, we're going to the finals, it's all set up for us. And then that's when it kind of gets scary. So hopefully they learn their lesson with the three game winning streak in the last series against Atlanta and the way they disposed of them in game six, that, that's the old news, not the new news and it's going to change. But I do think, and I wanted to get your thoughts, guys on this one. Everything is really broken the Knicks way. All the game sevens in the east and, and obviously with Boston being beaten, Detroit surviving can be a thing because remember, you wonder about matching up with them now. Were they exposed by Orlando showing that they're not really that good, that they don't have the stomach for a run or by surviving that series and coming back the way they did. And I think they've got a very good chance of beating Cleveland coming up, that if it ends up being Detroit in the conference final, we're kind of back to where we were at the end of the regular season, right? How poorly they matched up with them in the three meetings this year, how. How tough Detroit was to bounce in the first round last year, having to go six. So that's the one break I don't think they got. I think you feel a little bit better had Orlando won that game seven.
Allen
Yeah, I wouldn't have. Because Orlando healthy scared you. They hadn't been healthy all year. But when they were and they had Wagner and Von Caro, and Wagner and Bonchero were kicking the crap out of the Pistons front court, killing them. When Wagner got hurt, that whole series ended. They couldn't score other than Boncaro. They needed Wagner because they had nobody else to score. Those two guys together are formidable and dangerous, but they're never healthy. That's been their issue as a young team. So I still think the Magic win that series if Wagner doesn't get hurt. I think the comeback was allowed because Orlando's offense went. And you. I mean, that. That game six was Embassy. They went literally 45 minutes of real time without scoring a bucket. That. That's. That. That's. That was the bigger issue. The. The Magic would have scared you because I've seen the Magic when they're fully healthy against the Knicks, and I hate the matchup, but Detroit against Cleveland, I would not. I'm telling you, that series. Cleveland wanted that. Cleveland wanted that series because they felt really good about their matchup with them. And that's a series. I would not. I would not just assume Detroit's going to come out of that thing easy. I think Detroit showed you a lot of warts in that first round. Man. Cade is on his own and he's relying. Tobias Harris had a great Game seven. Yes, he did. But you're not getting that out of him every single game. And they don't have much else around Cade. Cleveland has a lot of size. They've got Max Stru who can guard, and he. He shut down Scotty Barnes.
Charles Barkley
He.
Allen
On Cade is going to be very, very interesting in this series. What they allow and what they don't.
Alan Hahn
Now you talk about the meltdown of Boston in game seven. How about the meltdown of Orlando in game six?
Allen
Brutal.
Anthony
Brutal.
Peter
Well, that's. That's for the record books.
Allen
Were they up 24 like they had?
Alan Hahn
Yeah. What was it? 65, 30 something?
Peter
This was Friday night. That was one of the most insane
Allen
in Your own building.
Peter
I, I don't know how you recover from that.
Allen
Well, you don't because they just fired their coach.
Peter
Yeah, well, he doesn't recover. I mean, as a fan, how do you even like you're celebrating, moving on, it's over.
Allen
It's just crazy. Yeah, no, that was, think about, somebody was saying this and I found it funny when you think about the, the different meltdowns we saw and the fact that Atlanta losing at home by 51 seemed less dramatic. Right? Like it felt less dramatic than Orlando and Boston doing what they did, blowing 31 leads. Boston losing a Game 7 at home, Orlando losing a big lead in Game 6 at home to close the series. Don't you feel like, like the Atlanta thing almost doesn't feel nearly as dramatic? And yet they lost by 51 at home.
Peter
Yeah, but it's just, I guess cuz it was over so fast, you know it. Didn't it lack drama?
Allen
Yes. No, no, it was just 40 to 15. Like wrap it up B.
Peter
It was just a tragedy.
Alan Hahn
If you were in Atlanta now, it just shows you like the parody, right? You had so many game sevens. Two teams blew three one series leads, teams winning on the road in game sevens that never had that way you'd go decades. That never happened.
Allen
Now recently it's become more the norm.
Alan Hahn
Yeah, it's become the norm. I mean parody has certainly hit Evan Cohen here.
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Don Hahn
thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
Peter
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
Don Hahn
Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
Alan Hahn
If you're looking for the Mets rockies, they're on 1050, top of the first inning, nobody on two outs as the Mets will start that three game series against the Rockies. The Knicks Sixers immediately following us here on 880 at 7pm thanks to our partners at the Mets, every Knick game will be heard on 880 for the remainder of their playoff run. If there's any scheduling conflicts. So they're going to the bottom of the first inning scoreless. Mets have taken two out of three against the Angels. Good way to start. But since the 12 game losing streak, they're only five and six. So it's going to take a run a little bit deeper than what they're doing right now to kind of turn it around. Yankees don't lose. Pretty impressive stuff there. But you know what? Anthony has not chimed in yet about John Sterling. It's actually something that we actually can have in common. Even though he's so young and we talk about the 90s and he gets upset. He was a part of your childhood, Anthony. So how do you feel about the passing of John Sterling?
Anthony
Yeah, it's, it's very sad. John was the soundtrack to a lot of great Yankee moments. I was watching the 2009 World Series with my dad on the TV and as soon as Mariano Got the ground out. I ran my radio to hear what John would say. Not that I didn't respect Joe Buck at the time, but I wanted to hear John's call.
Allen
Right.
Anthony
He was. He was awesome. I didn't get to speak to him as much as you guys did, but in the limited amount of time I did. He was awesome. He was. He was a. Everything everybody says about him is accurate. He's exactly like he is on the radio, which is kind of hard to believe, but there's a lot of people my age and a little older who. Their only voice for a very long time on the radio was John Starling, and it was Michael as his partner, and then Susan. John and Susan were the fabric of a lot of great Yankee moments for a lot of these great teams, and he'll certainly be missed.
Alan Hahn
Now, here's the stat that Anthony sent us that I'm not sure how to feel about. Okay. This is from tick pick. 56.11% of the purchases for game three. Knicks at Sixers have a zip code from New York and New Jersey. Now, they're making a big deal out of that because, you know, Sixers, nobody wants to go. They don't believe in their team. And the Knicks have so many fans. But last I checked, South Jersey is Jersey. Right? So that's right. So how many of these Jersey zip codes are North Jersey? If it's North Jersey, like Hawthorne is 07506. That. Those are Nick fans. But if they're from, you know, Central Jersey or lower, they could be Sixer fans. Right.
Anthony
For sure.
Alan Hahn
So I'm not sure how to feel
Peter
about this, because I saw there was an effort from the Sixers to. Which really try to get.
Alan Hahn
Which I know everybody thinks is fugazi, but it's. It's a good idea to do. Right. You want to make sure your fans have the best crack to get in. Especially when you're taking on a national team like the Knicks in an area where there's a lot of disposable income from the fans. Right. I mean, I would. That's. That's smart to do. Like everybody knocks Allen these franchises to do that. It's a smart thing to do. Doesn't mean they don't have fans. It just means that when the tickets start to get a little pricey, their fan base might not be able to match the Knicks fan base.
Allen
It's a strategy.
Alan Hahn
Well, I think you have to do it right.
Allen
It's interesting.
Alan Hahn
Markets have to do it. Well.
Allen
They know they have to after 2024.
Ricardo
I mean.
Allen
I mean, that was embarrassing.
Alan Hahn
Of course it was.
Allen
But also the Knicks, one, they won two of the three games, and they went in the clinching game there where they. They were up big early in that game, and the whole building was chanting, let's go, Knicks. And MVP for Brunson. So, yeah, you don't want that. And the fact that Embiid didn't waste a second to talk about it and talk about how, like, you know, how much you need Sixer fans to buy the tickets. And if you can't afford it, I'll buy. Like he. You remember the owners, I believe in that series bought like 2000 tickets because of what they saw in games three and four. They tried to buy as many tickets they could for that game six. And that did not work.
Alan Hahn
Now, we mentioned that. I think they're the fourth team in Philadelphia. Doesn't mean they don't care about the team. They do. It's a great sports team in Philadelphia.
Allen
You're right.
Alan Hahn
City in Philadelphia. But it's also a lack of belief. But now maybe they believe because they just beat Boston, but, you know, they've been trusting this process for a decade and exactly. Has not worked out.
Allen
Yeah, this is usually. The second round is usually where it ends, too, for them. But you're right, though, because people have. I was talking actually Kevin Ngandi about it. He's a big, big Philadelphia sports guy.
Alan Hahn
Oh, is he cool with me? He got the job, you ass.
Allen
Well, we did the video for you.
Peter
You saw the video, right, Tom?
Alan Hahn
I did not.
Allen
You did not see the video? I put it in the group chat.
Alan Hahn
Let me tell you something. Let me connect. I want to tell you something. Our group chat has gotten out of hand.
Peter
You see, Don, not me.
Allen
I didn't do nothing. I'm just saying what happened.
Alan Hahn
No, it's too much. I mean, there's handle it, and so I kind of give up on it. When I look at my phone, it says like 29 missed text messages. When I see it's from us, I shut it out. I'm good.
Peter
Once it's 29, you're done.
Anthony
That's a three to seven group chat.
Allen
A lot of things are being said.
Alan Hahn
A lot of co workers.
Allen
I'm gonna say, instead of saying, I probably should check in, I'd rather not look at all.
Alan Hahn
No, because I. Because every thought in you and John's head ends up getting text.
Allen
In my head?
Alan Hahn
Yes.
Allen
That's insane.
Peter
In your head.
Alan Hahn
Because I'm.
Peter
Listen, I'm driving back.
Alan Hahn
I'm sorry. We went to dancing with the. The. It was. That's Stars on Ice over at the Rock. That's right.
Allen
Sure. Beautiful.
Alan Hahn
Alan, Han. Alan, Han. And to the point where Jalen's in the back seat.
Allen
Who is.
Alan Hahn
Why is Alan bothering us? Alan. Alan, Han. You're now.
Peter
You're now attacking the family.
Alan Hahn
All I. It was just an observation and just. And then look into your soul.
Allen
Wow. No, I'm not.
Alan Hahn
Is it getting out of hand?
Allen
You know, I'm looking at Friday night and to be honest, it's not me much at all.
Alan Hahn
Well, John, John's. It's Disney and texting and Anthony, Anthony,
Allen
Anthony, you got to step in here if he was that bad.
Peter
Now listen, I'll be, I'll be.
Anthony
I've given up on the group chat a long time ago.
Allen
No, no, no, no, you did not. Not on this night.
Peter
Yeah, you were in.
Alan Hahn
I saw some pieces.
Anthony
So guess what? Hang on. Here we go.
Peter
Here we go.
Anthony
I will do the one text in the morning.
Allen
We'll.
Anthony
And you won't hear from me until 3 o'.
Alan Hahn
Clock. Why does he.
Peter
You know, it's the only speed.
Alan Hahn
When I said observation, that's almost like in all due respect, like Peter's too
Anthony
nice to do it anymore because he knows it bothers you.
Alan Hahn
Send me the video. But you don't.
Allen
But you don't care.
Anthony
You're just like, I hate this group text. And we understand.
Allen
So Don takes the day off and then wants us to take the day off.
Alan Hahn
Can I, can I.
Peter
Let me, let me.
Allen
Bunch of game six.
Peter
Please let me weigh in. Please let me weigh in. And keep in mind, I am the same person when I go in on vacation. Said, guys, I'm going on paternity. See you in a month. Okay. So I understand all sides of this. If you are participating, which these days I have been, it doesn't feel like too much. Now Don, more so than any of us, has his. He has his kids in a very specific age range where when he is out on the weekend, he is knee deep in 8 year old. Like it is just. I think the last thing he can even think about doing is getting to his phone. I have a baby. So when she's out, like she's out and I can fully be participating. Anthony doesn't have kids. Allen's kids are a little bit older where he has a window and he's often at work these days. So I do see how Don looks at it. He comes back after a couple hours at the 8 year olds and it says 35 messages during a basketball game where we're all going back and forth. Like I think we can reasonably see it from all of us.
Alan Hahn
And also, I'm coming from a place of. I got a 45 minute ride home from the Rock and I couldn't even listen to the countdown because it just was.
Peter
You're still getting alerts.
Allen
You can turn those off.
Peter
Can we get you on an iPhone so we can help you.
Allen
Just for. For the record, for our audience who is paying attention to this riveting conversation, it was literally about an hour of texts.
Peter
That's a lot.
Alan Hahn
That's only what, 950.
Allen
That's a long.
Matt
Well, there you go.
Alan Hahn
That's.
Allen
It is not. It was not constant. It was.
Alan Hahn
I have to look literally, because I need more of my phone.
Allen
10:20.
Alan Hahn
Let me just tell you this quick. All right.
Allen
It's really sad. Exit.
Alan Hahn
I'll exit. I'm relaxing on the couch. Go ahead. Watching the Lightning and the Canadians, which, by the way, that series was unreal. Every game decided by a goal. Three overtimes. Tremendous. Game seven.
Allen
Yep.
Alan Hahn
Newark scores. Just an amazing goal. I. I texted group chat. What a goal. Nothing. Thanks.
Anthony
It stinks.
Alan Hahn
Doesn't nothing. It hurts. And now you know.
Found Announcer
It makes.
Alan Hahn
Feels good.
Anthony
Good, good.
Allen
I saw it.
Alan Hahn
Listen, I don't even to tell you. I already. Actions speak louder than words. I didn't have to say I was out. I'm out.
Anthony
We know.
Alan Hahn
But you want to see this. Nandi. This.
Allen
Unfortunately, that was like last week.
Anthony
This is the only show other than Michael's. This is the only show other than Michaels that, that John can't talk to the group in.
Alan Hahn
Oh. Because listen.
Anthony
And I think John feels bad about that.
Alan Hahn
John is. It's. Listen, Allen's fine. John's got a problem.
Allen
John responds to everything because he's also another showgirl.
Alan Hahn
There's only 24 hours in a day.
Peter
He's.
Alan Hahn
There's no way he's on the morning one the way he's on the afternoon.
Anthony
He says that they text.
Allen
By the way I'm looking now. Last night. So Sunday I got three game sevens in the game one, right? So I had. We had. We had seven straight hours of NBA and NHL. Just glorious. Just epic. Right? Basketball and hockey, playoff stuff and nothing. Right. 7:47. Anthony Anthony sends us the thing about. Just about the. The show. How dare I? No, no. Then Don says, what a goal. That's it.
Alan Hahn
That's.
Allen
That's the bulk of the conversation. So Friday night, we're all. We're all excited Nothing's a lot. Saturday, Sunday. No, we're all shut down. Peter.
Ricardo
The devil think.
Allen
I had the phone near me on set. I was just sitting there watching all this. The games were great.
Anthony
Danhausen uncursed the Devils. I thought that that would be important information for Don, given how successful he's been against the Knicks.
Peter
Don.
Allen
Not when the. Not when there's. Not when there's dancing on ice.
Anthony
Everybody but don't responded. And all the text messages I sent on Friday, there were three.
Peter
That's all you sent on Friday?
Anthony
That's all.
Don Hahn
I just looked back.
Alan Hahn
I was at the Rock for the Stars on Ice, and it's pitch black. If I just look at my phone, it disturbs everybody. The people in that building just absorbed by the figure skating. I thought it was good. The kids loved it. It was a day.
Allen
There's a bunch of game sixes going on. You want nothing to do with it.
Alan Hahn
Plus, it was like, congrats, Don, was the text. So I'm like, what did I. What happened was something good happened. Did I get an award or something? Then I see the Duke house and whatever his name, Danhausen, and I didn't know what the hell was going on. I just put home. But can I. Can you send me the video? I'd like to see what was. What happened?
Allen
I deleted it.
Peter
Oh, it's gone now. He made a video with the Gandhi.
Allen
What am I keeping this?
Alan Hahn
Well, you. You know, you let me see if I can see it. It's coming up in En. Donna Rosenberg, espn. He got the job, ya ass.
Allen
Hey, with Xfinity, you already enjoy ESPN as part of your TV lineup with live games, daily sports coverage, and expert analysis. And now the ESPN Unlimited plan is available at no additional cost, giving you access to additional ESPN content in the ESPN app, on demand programming and originals. To explore, visit xfinity.com your subscriptions to activate ESP unlimited access. Then start watching in the ESPN app. More from ESPN.
Don Hahn
Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
Peter
I don't want to know how the
Allen
sausage is made, but I just want to know it's good.
Don Hahn
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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Date: May 4, 2026
Hosts: Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg, Allen, with contributions from Anthony, Matt, Ricardo
Network: ESPN New York
This episode is marked by the recent passing of iconic New York Yankees broadcaster John Sterling. The hosts engage in a heartfelt and impassioned discussion about Sterling's legacy, his Hall of Fame qualifications, and the unique flavor he brought to sports broadcasting. The show also covers the Knicks' pivotal playoff matchup, the shifting landscape of NBA team rivalries, a behind-the-scenes look at group chat etiquette among the hosts, and the unmistakable energy of the New York sports scene.
Unparalleled Longevity & Local Legend
Controversy Over Exclusion from the Hall of Fame
Sterling’s Unique Style: Asset or Obstacle?
Genuineness and Connection to the Audience
Listener Tributes and Iconic Calls
Personal Side of Sterling
Knicks–Sixers Playoff Anxiety
Knicks vs. Sixers: Is Philly a Tougher Matchup Than Boston?
The Eastern Conference Landscape
Knicks Fans Dominate Philly Ticket Sales
On Hall of Fame Voting:
On Sterling’s Style:
Listener Callbacks to Sterling’s Calls:
On Being Genuine:
Reflecting on John Sterling’s Enduring Impact:
The Group Chat Gets Out of Hand
Recounting a Group Chat Snub
A Peek Into Off-Air Dynamics
If you missed this episode, you missed a moving tribute to an unmistakably unique New York sports voice, a lively debate on what makes a Hall of Famer in broadcasting, in-depth playoff analysis, and a hilarious peek behind the curtain of the show's off-air chemistry. Through memorable stories, direct fan engagement, and classic New Yorker candor, Don, Hahn & Rosenberg make both the sports and their own lives feel personal, communal, and unmissable.