Don, Hahn & Rosenberg: Hour 3 — "What's Happened to the Mets?"

Date: September 22, 2025
Hosts: Don La Greca (D), Alan Hahn (C), Peter Rosenberg (E)
Main Theme:
A deep-dive into the New York Mets’ dramatic late-season collapse, franchise patterns of inconsistency, key decisions facing club leadership, Mets-Yankees contrasts, MVP debates, New York sports woes, and listener calls dissecting local teams' struggles and ownership styles.

The Bleak State of the Mets

Timestamps: 00:44–05:59, 06:13–09:07

• The Mets have suffered an “absolute mess” of a collapse, going from 21 games over .500 and the best record in MLB to barely clinging to a playoff spot, and possibly missing the postseason altogether.
• Don La Greca:
  • “This team’s not winning a championship. Stop with the runs... Right now, if the season ended today, they're out of the playoffs.” (01:04)
  • Highlights: Losing 4 of 6 to the Nationals, a last-place opponent; Mets no longer control their own destiny; weather troubles may force them into another doubleheader at Wrigley.
• Alan Hahn:
  • Stresses that with the expanded playoffs, average teams can sneak in, but the Mets went from “best in sport” to .500 mediocrity.
  • Points out dangerous historical precedent: No team since 1905 has gone from 21+ games over .500 to under .500 by season end.
  • Scorched-earth changes may be required if team misses the postseason.

Key Quote:

“If this team misses the playoffs and it clearly is on the table, you cannot come back with the same team. Can't do it.” – Alan Hahn (02:58)

Notable Point:

• Front office decisions are under a microscope: Could mean firing manager Mendoza, trading stalwarts like Alonso, or moving on from recent investments in Nimmo, Alvarez, or even reshaping the entire core.
• Don: “You can make the case, this would be worse than ‘07 when they blew a seven-game lead with 17 left to play.” (05:59)

Ownership, Payroll, and Urgency

Timestamps: 06:13–11:08

• High payroll and high expectations, but the team keeps failing to deliver. Attendance at Citi Field remains high, but fans deserve more.
• Discussions around whether Steve Cohen (owner) should break from his philosophy and "make exceptions" to bring in star free agents, especially starting pitching.
• Mets need to “spend their way out” without a full teardown — could Bellinger or big-name catchers be targets?
• Hahn: “Sometimes you do it when you feel like you need to... If he had to do it all over again, right, knowing that this would happen, would he have spent the money on Max Fried?” (08:28)
• Trade deadline and roster construction moves are deemed a failure in hindsight: the relievers acquired did not deliver, exposing major holes.

Mets Consistency: A Franchise Pattern

Timestamps: 26:15–33:12

• Caller Kevin (26:22): The central problem with the Mets is never maintaining consistency—franchise has made the playoffs back-to-back only twice (1999-2000, 2015-16).
• Don: “Sitting on the highest payroll in baseball... and only twice in the history of the organization did they go to the playoffs back-to-back.”
• The “Amazing Mets” moniker fits not just their legendary runs, but also the extremes of their failures (miracle years, awful collapses).
• Hahn: “Every other NY team — Knicks, Rangers, Giants, Jets — has flashes, but the Mets’ entire history is that: brief success, but never sustained.”
• The contrast with Yankees: “They’re always there.” Others are a “flare” (Bursts, then back to mediocrity).

Mets’ Baseball Problems: Roster Analysis

Timestamps: 31:51–33:12

• Starting pitching collapse, bullpen failures, and offensive inconsistency are core problems.
• Hahn: “When you lose your top two pitchers… and then overtax a rebuilt bullpen, you’re in trouble.”
• Don: “Pitching’s been the major issue. But you’re taking on the Nationals, you give up three runs, lose 3–2? Come on, man.”
• Leadership on the field is questioned; Lindor is still seen as the foundational player, but is he “the rally guy?” “Baseball's not a 'run through the wall' sport.”
• The crux: Mets can't rely on “magic” and miracles without building something sustainable—last year's unsustainable “lightning in a bottle” compared to recent failed runs.

Contrasting Fortunes: The Yankees and Aaron Judge’s MVP Chase

Timestamps: 10:43–17:59, 11:18–17:59

• Yankees are “spinning the positive”: could win the division, have the second-most wins in AL; more consistent, always contenders.
• MVP race: Aaron Judge vs. Cal Raleigh.
  • Judge: Closing in on 50 HR (would be his 4th 50-HR season; only Ruth, Sosa, McGwire have done that four times).
  • Raleigh: If he reaches 60 HR as a catcher and switch-hitter — “never been done”.
  • Don: “Judge might be the greatest clean HR hitter in the history of the sport.” (14:18)
  • Hahn: “MVP’s not ‘who’s better’ — if Raleigh wins the division, hits 60 HR as a catcher, that’s history.”
• Both hosts lean toward honoring unique, historic seasons, even if Judge is the better overall player. Emphasis on how difficult it is to maintain as a catcher.

Key Quote:

“Judge is a better player than Cal Raleigh. But in this year... [we] got to acknowledge this season.” – Alan Hahn (15:49)

• Consensus: what fans and Judge should want is October greatness, not just another MVP.

New York Sports: A Broader Malaise

Timestamps: 38:12–43:48

• Caller Michael (38:12): If we remove Yankees, Islanders might be NY’s No. 2 franchise since 1969 (five Stanley Cups, four wins).
• Group laments the lack of sustained greatness in NY teams outside Yankees, especially since the 1970s. Ownership and expectations unique in NY, but pressure and scrutiny may play a role.
• Don and Alan: Ownership style is crucial.
  • Steinbrenner “set the tone” for the Yankees — constant pressure, attention to detail, willingness to be disliked, high standards.
  • Jets/other owners lack this tenacity or are “too concerned about being liked.”
  • “I'm going to give you the best, but you still need to know what you're doing... plenty of times George demanded but didn’t know what he was doing.”

Listener Calls & Lighter Moments

Timestamps: 26:15–39:46

• Callers Kevin & Joe:
  • Vent about the Mets' inability to build continuity; repeat pattern of miracle runs followed by collapses or mediocrity.
  • Joe (in Florida) delivers a passionate “mini rant” about quarterback readiness in the NFL, Russell Wilson's performance, and the need for genuine readiness, regardless of age or draft status.
• The hosts defend giving young QBs better support; fear of throwing them into unwinnable situations can ruin confidence and health.

Sports Media & Pop Culture Banter

Timestamps: 19:10–25:35

• Upcoming “ESPN New York Couchcast” for Jets-Dolphins: All hosts will join fans for a live, multi-personality watch-along.
• Lively segment discussing Chris Collinsworth’s career arc, McAfee’s “pencil dive,” and playful asides about NFL broadcasting and past legends.
• Hosts joke about Uber pricing in New York versus taking the train home after a long broadcast.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “If the Mets don’t start winning, they’re going to take on a Cub team... at Wrigley over the next three that have lost four in a row. The weather apparently... is not going to be good in Chicago. Get set for what we had last year... doubleheader in Chicago to get in.” – Alan Hahn (02:12)
• "This would be worse than '07 when they blew a seven-game lead with 17 left to play." – Don La Greca (05:59)
• “[The Yankees] are what they are every single year. They might not have won since 2009, but every year they're in it.” – Alan Hahn (29:03)
• “Amazing is fitting on both levels. There’s always some magic... and when they don’t, when are they boring?” – Don La Greca (29:50)
• “Judge might be the greatest clean hitter in the history of the sport.” – Alan Hahn (14:18)

Conclusion

This episode captured the frustration, exasperation, and deep-seated hope of New York sports fans, using the Mets’ collapse as a case study in how big payrolls, flawed construction, and leadership indecision perpetuate disappointment. Sharp contrasts with the Yankees (and other NY franchises) lead to broader observations on ownership, culture, and what separates flashes of success from sustained excellence. Listener calls bring the real texture of fandom, while host banter provides levity and the city's trademark attitude.