Hour 3: Yankee Injury Update

Summary

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Don, Hahn & Rosenberg: Hour 3 – Yankee Injury Update & New York Sports Roundup

Date: August 11, 2026
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg

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Episode Overview

This hour centers around the latest developments in the Yankees’ injury situation, especially the awaited returns of Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Judge. The hosts dive deep into the repercussions of their absences, the pressure on Judge, and implications for the lineup and playoff push. The conversation extends to the upcoming Jets preseason, quarterback uncertainty, and the broader pressures of managing expectations in New York sports—bolstered by insider opinions from Alex Rodriguez and a comparison with the Dodgers’ recent struggles. The episode's tone is candid, rapid-fire, and passionate, reflecting the stakes and anxieties in the New York sports scene as crunch time approaches.

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Yankees Injury Updates: Bellinger, Stanton, Judge

(00:43 – 03:45)

• News from Gary Phillips:

  • Aaron Boone states fans should expect the return of Bellinger, Stanton, and then Judge, in that order.
  • Bellinger is “not too far off but still dealing with some tightness.”
  • Stanton “may need a rehab assignment.”
  • Earliest possible Judge return: mid-September.
  • “All you want Stanton to do is jog around the bases after he hits a 500-foot home run.” – Rosenberg (01:21)

• Concerns and Strategic Implications:

  • Bellinger’s timeline matches expectations (about 4 weeks out).
  • Judge’s anticipated late return would give him only a few weeks to ramp up before a possible playoff push.
  • Anxiety over a post-injury Judge facing immense pressure:
    • “You can't just plug Aaron Judge into right field and expect everything to pick up where it left off on May 31. It's not gonna happen.” – Don (04:15)

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The Pressure on Aaron Judge & The “4 DHs” Problem

(03:46 – 06:51)

• Managing Expectations:

  • Both Don and Rosenberg argue it’s unfair to expect Judge to instantly resume MVP-form right off injury.
  • A-Rod (guest sound): “You can't expect him to be Aaron Judge in September or early October… When you take that much time off… not being able to use that DH role as much as possible, I think hinders the Yankees.” (03:36)

• Roster Jam at DH:

  • Returning Judge as DH forces Stanton into an expensive pinch-hitter role, complicates at-bats for new acquisitions (like Ramos), and jams the outfield.
  • “If Judge has to DH and Stanton’s a pinch hitter… what is he in the lineup?” – Don (05:15)
  • Defensive concerns: Will Judge be able to play the field? What about his aggressiveness (diving, running into walls)?
  • Urges fans for patience but expects little mercy:
    • “Fans… they're going to go, ‘Oh, typical Judge. Just when we need him, doesn’t come through.’” – Rosenberg (06:40)

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Yankees Lineup Challenges & Wild Card Race

(07:04 – 10:00)

• Leadoff Hitter Options:

  • Persistent issues with Grisham at leadoff; speculation on when Lombard might get a chance up top.
  • Favorable stretch against right-handed pitching gives Yanks a window to “make hay” and lock up a Wild Card spot.

• Division Outlook:

  • Remaining hopeful on catching Tampa Bay despite a 6-game gap.
  • Key: Upcoming slate (vs. Toronto, Seattle, Baltimore, Houston, and a pivotal final series vs. the Rays).
  • Urgency reminiscent of past August collapses (i.e., Mets’ 2007).

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Playoff Race Urgency—Yankees & Dodgers

(10:00 – 16:41)

• Comparative Mindset:
  • Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts is quoted (“We’re a wild card team right now… we gotta play with urgency,” 11:28) as a standard for championship teams—Yanks must mirror this mindset.
  • Boone’s postgame comments cast similar urgency: “Go score. I mean that's the story, the beginning and end of it. We got to find a way.” (13:51)
  • Rosenberg and Don critique the acceptance of “August malaise”—holding franchises to high historical standards (“Don’t ever get comfortable losing. That’s why I hate tanking.” – Don, 15:54).

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The Boone Conundrum: Manager of the Year or On the Hot Seat?

(17:19 – 19:56)

• If Yanks rally and win the division without their big bats, Boone’s in line for Manager of the Year.
  • “You can make a case, with all the injuries and where the Yankees are, that Boone could be manager of the year.” – Rosenberg (18:46)
• But if the cavalry returns and they fall short, pressure mounts:
  • “If they get these guys back and they're healthy, and they don’t go to the World Series, that's going to be tough to swallow… he could be out of a job.” (19:02)
• Home run power blackout:
  • The absence of Judge, Stanton, and Bellinger is costing the lineup “triple digit” home runs (18:10), amplifying the struggle for offense.

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Jets Preseason & Quarterback Anxiety

(24:13 – 32:29)

• Jets’ Plans in Preseason:

  • Coach Aaron Glenn says starters will play some in all three preseason games for “25–30 reps” each, to build conditioning and minimize early-season injuries (24:31).
  • Hosts review the shift from old four-preseason game format—now less meaningful evaluation time for starters, increasing risk of slow starts.

• All Eyes on Geno Smith:

  • “Let’s get down to brass tacks… It's all about Geno Smith.” – Rosenberg (26:36)
  • Smith’s up-and-down reputation (stellar in Seattle at times, turnover-prone elsewhere), and his poor recent practice performances, fuel uncertainty.
  • If Smith falters or gets hurt, there’s “no quarterback depth.”
  • “This whole year is on Geno Smith.” – Don (29:57)

• Quarterback Carousel & Future Options:

  • Jets viewed as a stopgap destination for Smith, with the dream of luring a better starter (Baker Mayfield? Kyler Murray?).
  • Skepticism that drafting a new franchise QB is plausible given the roster’s age and draft positioning:
    • “With a team of this age… the timing isn’t right [for a rookie QB].” – Don (39:30)
  • Fantasy scenarios: Potential free agent/trade targets down the line.

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Call-In Highlights: Hall of Fame Debate & Mets as Spoilers

(42:01 – 46:44)

• Eli Manning & Tom Coughlin Hall of Fame debate:

  • Will they get in before/after Brady and Belichick? Likely, but it depends on the voting class.

• Mets as Spoilers:

  • Have already clinched the season series vs. the Braves; could impact playoff races for the Phillies and Yankees down the stretch.

• Other Notes:

  • Brief chat about Joel Embiid’s physical transformation and injury concerns.
  • Listener skepticism regarding Aaron Glenn’s aptitude now that he’s also handling Jets’ defensive playcalling (45:07).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Pressure on Judge:

  • “You can't just plug Aaron Judge into right field and expect everything to pick up where it left off on May 31. It's not gonna happen.” – Don (04:15)
  • “If he’s compromised and doesn’t hit in the postseason, are the fans going to go, ‘Well, give him a break, man, he hadn’t played in four months’? They’re going to go, ‘Oh, typical Judge. Just when we need him doesn’t come through.’” – Rosenberg (06:40)

• A-Rod’s assessment:

  • “Nobody wants to play more than Aaron Judge. But you can't expect him to be Aaron Judge in September or early October.” – Alex Rodriguez (03:36)

• Managerial Urgency:

  • “You know, we gotta get going and play with urgency and make sure… we not… get ahead of the playoff situation and talk about winning now, winning today…” – Dave Roberts (11:28)
  • “Don’t ever get comfortable losing. That’s why I hate tanking, because you’re accepting losing.” – Don (15:54)

• Jets Quarterbacks:

  • “It's all about Geno Smith. If Geno Smith plays like he played in Vegas, they're going to go nowhere. If he plays like he played in the second half of his last year in Seattle, well, they're going nowhere.” – Rosenberg (26:36)
  • “Their margin for error is so slim you can’t live with [Geno’s turnovers].” – Don (31:46)

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Key Takeaways / Episode Themes

• For the Yankees:

  • The entire postseason push hinges on the timing and health of Judge, Stanton, and Bellinger.
  • There’s conflicting hope and fear—if the big bats are back and the team surges, Boone’s a hero; if not, he could be on the hot seat.
  • The hosts set a no-nonsense tone: New York doesn’t do forgiveness, especially not in October.

• For the Jets:

  • The entire season (and perception of the team as a possible destination for future top quarterbacks) relies on whether Geno Smith can be passable, and if not, who steps up.
  • There’s deep skepticism about finding the next franchise QB through the draft, given the roster’s timing and draft capital.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------| | 00:43 | Breaking Yankee injury news from Gary Phillips | | 01:47 | Projected timelines for Bellinger, Stanton, Judge | | 03:36 | Alex Rodriguez on expectations for Judge’s return | | 05:15 | “4 DH” problem: jammed Yankees roster | | 08:04 | Leadoff hitter woes and schedule outlook | | 11:28 | Dave Roberts’ comments on Dodgers urgency | | 13:51 | Aaron Boone’s urgent postgame tone | | 18:00 | The cost of missing home run power | | 18:46 | Boone’s job security: “Manager of the Year or bust?” | | 24:13 | Jets preseason reps and QB discussions begin | | 26:36 | All about Geno Smith’s play | | 31:24 | Discussion of Jets’ QB play history (Fitzpatrick, etc.) | | 34:42 | Jets’ long-term plans for QB: draft, trades, retreads | | 42:01 | Callers: Hall of Fame & Mets as spoilers discussion |

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For new listeners:
This episode delivers a punchy, insider-rich rundown on the Yanks’ playoff prospects amid an injury crisis, captures the high-stakes anxiety of New York fandom, and pivots into equally high-wire NFL talk. The panel’s banter is sharp, grounded in experience, and brutally honest about the pressures of performing—or failing—in the biggest sports markets.

Transcript

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[Don Hahn]

and [e-mail] this is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast.

[Michael Rosenberg]

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.

[Michael Rosenberg]

I guess we've got some Yankee news from Gary Phillips. This just got Are we introducing people to bases? Yes, he says Aaron Boone said it's probably reasonable to expect that Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge will return in in that order. Oh, wow. Bellinger is not too far off, but still dealing with some tightness. Don't love that, boone said. And there is a chance Stanton will need a rehab assignment. Now that's kind of like good news, bad news in the sense. All right, Stan was running around the bases and it didn't look great. Listen, all you want Stanton to do is jog around the bases after he hits a.500 home run.

[Don]

If he can hit home runs and then walk, that's great.

[Michael Rosenberg]

But. But telling me that Bellinger, Stanton and Judge in that order. Well, that makes sense because Stan hasn't played since April. All right.

[Don]

I just want him for Bellinger was

[Michael Rosenberg]

four to six weeks. So we're already to the point now where we're at four weeks.

[Don]

Are we at four weeks?

[Michael Rosenberg]

So it makes sense that he was going to come back. Judge is the key man.

[Don]

Yep.

[Michael Rosenberg]

So the fact that Judge is third and he's behind the guy that still has to have a rehab assignment, that we're probably looking at, Judge. Probably what, the earliest? Maybe mid September. And you're looking at maybe getting a couple of weeks of regular season games before it's on for real, man. And that's what's kind of scary. I know we were going to talk about the jets since this kind of came over.

[Don]

Yeah, let's do this because how's my neighbor's prediction looking now?

[Michael Rosenberg]

Donnie?

[Don]

Yeah, yeah, no, no, we discussed this. But the Judge thing is something that I have said when it comes to Aaron Judge, and I was wondering, Don, again, do you agree with this assessment? Is I don't think it's fair to him that the expectation is that he's going to come back and be Aaron Judge. He's going to be 99. You know, he wants to play, he's going to do whatever it takes to play. He's all about that. You know, he's, he's a stand up guy. You have every reason to believe his heart's in the right place. But when he comes back, if he's got three weeks to ramp up, get rhythm, be ready, and then you're going to start a series maybe at Fenway. Who knows where they're going to be in this. Or maybe in the Bronx against the Red Sox. I don't know where they're going to be in the standings. But still you're going to tell me that there isn't going to be so much pressure and expectation on him to save it. Because this lineup without Judge is just a bunch of guys. But with Judge against lefty batting that now, all of a sudden, lefty pitching now, all of a sudden everything changes. Now it all works. He's the key cog. But if he's not performing and this, this offense still continues to sputter, who gets blamed? He does.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Yeah, I don't think that's unfortunate. No, it isn't fair. Alex Rodriguez was on tmks earlier today. What to expect from Judge when he returns.

[Alex Rodriguez]

I don't think it's realistic in an injury like this one that, you know, it's a very tough injury. Nobody wants to play more than Aaron Judge. But you can't expect him to be Aaron Judge in September or early October. Maybe Aaron Judge can do that. But when you take that much time off, then the question is, you know, we already had four or five dhs, we just got two more at the trading deadline. Not being able to use that DH role as much as possible, I think hinders the Yankees. But if you put him now at DH now, you're back to the same problems. You're not bringing good defenders in and you have more lefties and you know, you like to have some of the new guys also get them at bats at the age spot. Which is gonna be interesting how Boonie manages that.

[Don]

See, if you don't wanna listen to me, listen to Alex Rodez, because it's exactly. I think everybody that is just thinking logically just understands how it works here in New York because this is what's gonna happen. You can't just plug Aaron Judge into right field and expect everything to pick up where it left off on May 31. It's not gonna happen.

[Michael Rosenberg]

No.

[Don]

So with that in mind, Stanton becomes a very, very expensive pinch hitter if Judge has to be dh. And then you have Garcia, who's going to platoon basically with Rice. And Rice should be playing every day. Rice can't DH if Judge is dhing. And then you have Ramos, who's not a great fielder, so you're not going to use him a lot in the outfield. But he does have a big, big bet, right? That's why they brought him in. And he's a righty. But wait a second. If he can't play in the field, where's he going to? What is he in the lineup?

[Michael Rosenberg]

If just. It's the same old.

[Don]

So now what Alex said is you have four dhs, and that's essentially what it's going to look like unless Judge is fully healthy and can play the outfield. But he won't know that. We won't know that until we get. Until he's back. But when he gets back, he's probably going to DH for a little while. Playoff time. If you know him, he's going to know the best thing for the lineup is for me to be out in right field, and I got to get myself ready to play right field. And that means if there's a fly ball to the wall, is he going to crash into that wall, make that catch? If there's a. If there's a looping ball that's coming short and we've seen him make these plays. He's a very good fielder. We've seen him make the diving catches and all that stuff. The lasting memory of him dropping that ball against the Dodgers is not really who he is. And yet he might have to hold up on some of these plays. I hate this. I hate everything about it. And I don't want the expectations that fans have got to give him a little grace this time around.

[Michael Rosenberg]

They won't. Because what did you know their God, Jeter, and rightly so. All those championships, what would Jeter do? Always said, if you're out there, injuries are an excuse. So if he's out there and he's

[Don]

not hitting well, I don't think Judge.

[Aaron Glenn]

That's making.

[Michael Rosenberg]

No. Not making excuse, but nobody. They should look at this differently. If he's not 100%, cut him some slack. If he's not able to go out there and be Aaron Judge.

[Don]

But if he's.

[Michael Rosenberg]

If he's compromised and doesn't hit in the postseason, are the fans going to go? Well, give him a break, man. He hadn't played in four months. He's not 100%. And they're going to go, oh, typical Judge. Just when we need him doesn't come through.

[Don]

What do you think?

[Michael Rosenberg]

I think it's going to be the latter. I think it's going to be no. And again, spinning back to Jeter, like, hey, if you're out there, you got to play. And that's what Judge is going to say. Judge, that's what Jeter is thinking about.

[Don]

Judge, no, see, that's what I don't like because Jeter had other guys who could carry the mail. Judge doesn't.

[Michael Rosenberg]

No. Understood.

[Don]

And we're learning that while Judge is out.

[Michael Rosenberg]

But again, like, what would Jeter do? Jeter will tell you, hey, if you're out there, can't use injuries as an excuse. And, and Judge won't like, Judge will sit there and go, no, I'm okay. I'm 100%.

[Don]

I got to play in right field because I can't hold up a DH spot that I know either Rice or Stanton needs to have.

[Michael Rosenberg]

But like you said, if he doesn't play right field, which would be the prudent thing to do, at least he's the dh, well, then you don't get three players back. You get two and a half or two and a quarterback. Because now all Stanton is is a pinch hitter.

[Don]

And then like, do you and Grisham, who has not been great at center field, like Jones has actually been pretty good at center field. Jones, for everything that you know, he's all or nothing when it comes to the bat. He's been a good fielder. Grisham has not been a good fielder. And Grisham has not been a good leadoff batter.

[Michael Rosenberg]

No, but he's leading off again today.

[Don]

Of course he is. At what point? At what point? Now this might be a crazy, crazy thing to say. When does Lombard become the leadoff hitter?

[Michael Rosenberg]

Maybe they're just letting them get a sea leg.

[Don]

I think it's too early. But at some point, but at some

[Michael Rosenberg]

point, don't you think they're going to

[Guest/Caller]

have to do this?

[Michael Rosenberg]

Because this is a big couple of weeks. Michael K. Brought this up. They right now, if everything plans out, no rain outs, they're not going to face a lefty for two weeks. They got two straight weeks of just right handed starting pitching.

[Don]

Okay, that's good for the. Yes.

[Michael Rosenberg]

All right. Because that's been. Their bugaboo has been left handed starting pitching. So this is, this is a chance for them to kind of get going here. Right you're taking on a Seattle team that's underachieved. You got a Toronto team that you know has had your number but they're still under.500 like so let's see if you just played well. Just take two out of three from Atlanta. Let's see this team start to see if they can make some hay here. So good lockdown that first wild card at least so you know the games are at Yankee Stadium. See if you can put some pressure on Tampa.

[Don]

I still don't want to. I don't want to give up. I know this is the biggest lead they've had, right? Six games Tampa.

[Michael Rosenberg]

This is the biggest lead they've had playing well.

[Don]

I still don't want to give up on that.

[Michael Rosenberg]

No, I'm not telling you to give up, but just at least lock down the first wild card. least know at the minimum you're getting three games of Yankee Stadium to start the year. But no, they shouldn't give up on. They should continue to play well and chip away. You've got four more games left with Tampa. That where you can make. There's four games right there you can make up. All of a sudden six can become two if you take care of business. It's only August 10th we've seen. You know the Mets blew a seven game lead with 17 to play back in 2007.

[Don]

I'm just looking here. The end of the month is really again you get. You get series, you're at the stadium. So you got Toronto twice and then after that stretch, Seattle at Toronto, at Baltimore, then home against Toronto. Then you got Houston and. And then that Red Sox series which is going to loom large as you know. I mean that's good. It's a massive series at the stadium and then it's like they go back out west again. Hey, you got to play everybody and the Padres. But that raise again, you close out the season four at home against the Rays. That's why I feel like you got to be within three or four of the race. Yeah, you just got to get this six is. No, you got to get that thing under under four or at least four to three and a half with it. With the thought in mind that it Lee, it leaves the door open for you to buy yourself time which they're going to need. If you can avoid that wild card, man, you got to do it. And so that's what's making like this upcoming schedule without Judge is huge. Especially what you just said. What's coming up in the next two weeks this has got to be when they start figuring out which is why Boone last week you could hear the urgency in his voice. Dave Roberts with the way the Dodgers are playing. You hear an urgency in his voice because it's August. This is not the time to fall asleep. Sleepy time. Boboleg you like?

[Michael Rosenberg]

No, look it's the same thing like you know the Braves they had an eight game winning streak. All of a sudden now you lose three out of four. They lost two out of three to the Yankees. They lose the first game to the Mets. The Dodgers just coming off a seven game losing streak. And this is what Dave Roberts had to say.

[Dave Roberts]

You know just kind of thinking about it on the plane yesterday. It's like we're a wild card team right now and you know we got to get going and play with urgency and we got to make sure we not we don't get ahead of the playoff situation and talk about winning now, winning today and winning tomorrow. And you know, so I think that that's the thing that we need to get to and then deal with whatever result. But I think that's part of the we're going to be okay and we're good. You know that's not good enough and clearly it's not given how we've played over the last month. So. And we put ourselves in this position but a lot of talent but I think that across the board we need to play with emergency and our guys

[Don]

know that he says we're a wild card. They're, they're, they're going to win that division going away.

[Michael Rosenberg]

But, but they're going right now the season were to end today they're tied with the Braves for the second best record in the league. If they slip to the third then they have to play then they've got to play in the wild card round. They want that buy that these games are important.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[Michael Rosenberg]

And I will tell you this a lot later in the season. I like what Dave Robertson we just talk about Willie Randolph and how he got job by the Mets when he got fired Flying Anna when they blew that lead in 07. I remember playing cuts from Willie when the Mets were squandering the league and he was going oh, just gonna make the champagne test taste that much sweeter when we clinch. Like I like that Dave Roberts has a sense of urgency.

[Don]

I like the fact back to back titles no less.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Right. Because you've got to it's August 10th, it's 100 or 11th, it's 100 degrees outside. You've played 100 you know, 10, 15, 20 games. There's still, you know, 44 games left, 45 games left. You know, you're going to the playoffs. This is when you really got to start to focus.

[Don Hahn]

It's easy.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Once the weather starts to get cooler and it's September and the playoffs are on the horizon right now, it's easy to lose focus and you start losing focus and you start losing games. All of a sudden the Dodgers go from the best record in baseball now having to play in the wild card and having their three best pitchers possibly having to pitch and not be available in the divisional round. And that changes everything.

[Don]

And the best thing is, is that they responded to him after what he said.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don]

Because that's important too.

[Michael Rosenberg]

You kind of fall on a side.

[Don]

What's different then? Because when Boone said it last week and it was kind of like this was play it. I see it on the page. Isn't it, isn't it on the page?

[Michael Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don]

Don't worry about the, what the cut says. Okay. Yeah, yeah. Just play that.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah. I mean, you know, he did a lot of good things out there. Look, I mean we had to score a freaking point. This it's not the story is not the pitchers again did their job like obviously Storm. He was great to get us going. The bullpen was good, including Cruz. Go score. I mean that's the story, the beginning and end of it. We got to find a way.

[Don]

That's when Cruz gave up a home run. It was the Cardinal series, right. He gave up a home run. It cost him. And it was like, you know, asking him about, about how he's playing and it's like a home run. Like we, we didn't score, like we got to score. Our pitches were fine. You're going to give up a run. That was the one where he walked in the run. That was walking in the run. Okay. There was losing track now of these 2 to 1 losses. But even Boone had that urgency. That is because they know like the Dodgers are back to back champions. And what Roberts is thinking is we have a standard, let's not fall off this thing. Let's not get too comfortable with losing. You never want to be comfortable with losing. And I think that goes back to what you and I were talking about yesterday, the expectations and all that stuff. And, and hey, sit back. And you know, your team is still very competitive and it's like, but that's the difference is certain franchises, the Dodgers being one, I think the Yankees are another. It's like you don't ever want to be comfortable with losing. And I. It's. It's a standard that you could tell me that's long gone, give up on it, it's over. I can't. I don't want to. Right. I want to hold them accountable to that standard. Don't ever get comfortable losing. That's why I hate tanking, because you're accepting losing. So. So I think that's what you get. It's August baseball. Come on. There's still tons of time. This is the dog days of the season. Don't worry about it. September comes around and everybody starts to light it back up again. But you might get to September and go, now. We got to work harder than we need to to lock down a spot or what? Or avoid to have to play in the wild card round because we messed around in August. But when you're. When you're a. When you have a higher standard, you don't accept that. No, we're not going to do this. Even after winning two titles, you would think in that clubhouse, guys are probably getting a little comfortable. That would hurt. You know, we'll be fine. We'll turn it on. We'll turn on. We need to. Look at us. We've won two already. And I love that Roberts won't let them do it. And Boone is normally the guy that is protecting his players from this type of criticism, but he protected his pitchers from the criticism because he said, no, no, you're not going to ask me about Cruz and how maybe he's. He didn't have his stuff today. He hasn't been good lately. We're not doing that. We need to give these guys some runs. And there was urgency in Boone's voice that I thought was refreshing because we don't normally hear him talk that way.

[Caller Bobby]

Don.

[Aaron Glenn]

No.

[Don]

Right.

[Michael Rosenberg]

But he needs to, and I love that. Hey, we're banged up and injured. No, there's still good enough players, enough

[Don]

talent to be able to do better. Tell me. Well, we've got so many lefties, and it's just, you know, like our lineup. Well, whose fault is that? That you built a lineup like this, that if you took one righty batter out, the whole thing falls to hell? Who built that?

[Alex Rodriguez]

Well.

[Don]

Right.

[Michael Rosenberg]

That's why I told you that. You know, be critical when it's all over, how it was built. But right now, they seem to be finding ways. We'll see what they do this week to get a bunch of righties coming up.

[Don]

This is a get right time. You're right. No problem.

[Michael Rosenberg]

This is A very good chance to get right. Red Sox are spinning right now. They went from can't lose to they just dropped three in a row. And now we'll see if. Solidify the first wild card and then start chipping away at the Rays and see what happens and when you're going to start to get these guys back. So we figured we'd throw it out there. Bellinger's up next, then Stanton and then Judge. So if you get Bellinger back, I mean, that's not nothing.

[Aaron Glenn]

Okay.

[Don]

But Bellinger can give you right feet. Right.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Jones at center and start hitting some home runs. Like, everybody complains about that. All they're doing is hitting home runs. But you don't. When you think of all the home runs that are out of the lineup right now with Stanton, Judge, and Bellinger, just those.

[Don]

Just those three alone. How many? What would you say that is? If they played their normal amount of

[Caller Bobby]

games,

[Don]

is that 80 home runs?

[Michael Rosenberg]

But between the three of them, we're talking, like, triple digits, right?

[Don]

I think so. Well, Judge.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Judge is good for 50.

[Don]

50, okay.

[Guest/Caller]

Right.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Bellinger's good for 30. If Stan is healthy, I mean, I think he's good for 32.

[Don]

Well, what is. What is a typical season for him now? What's he playing? Half a season.

[Michael Rosenberg]

He never plays. That's what I mean.

[Don]

Like, I can't put 40 on his. I can't put 40 down in the ledger for him.

[Michael Rosenberg]

But you do have, like, a lot of thump that's gone.

[Don]

Yeah.

[Michael Rosenberg]

And maybe, just maybe, they'll get these guys back in enough time to kind of get things going. And if they're at full, I want

[Don]

to be laughing about this in October and say, see, they got healthy at the right time.

[Michael Rosenberg]

I am going from talking about. And I think this is fair. You can make a case with all the injuries and where the Yankees are, the Boone could be manager of the year. To where, if they get these guys back and they're healthy.

[Don]

Wow.

[Michael Rosenberg]

To where, if they don't go to the World Series, that he could be out of a job.

[Guest/Caller]

Wow.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Now, they won't fire him.

[Don]

Not. Not with a lockout coming.

[Michael Rosenberg]

But the idea that you survived without these guys, then you get them back, and you allow the Red Sox or the Rays or the Rangers or the Astros or the White Sox to. To beat you out of a World Series, that's going to be tough to swallow. Now, these guys banged up, that's a different story. All bets are off.

[Don]

Well, here's how he get. Here's how he gets manager of the year is they get healthy in September, make a run and win the division.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don]

Then he, then he's the manager because he kept a minute.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don]

And then when they got right, they just blew everybody like they the way they were early in the season. They get back to that when the division, that's how he gets managed here. But then that now it turns into well, they should win the whole thing then.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don]

And that's a different pressure.

[Michael Rosenberg]

That's how much it changes.

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[Michael Rosenberg]

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[Don]

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[Don Hahn]

listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Michael Rosenberg]

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.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Got the same thing going on today that we had yesterday, where it's like I look outside and it looks like a storm again.

[Don]

See, people on Long island saw this. Did you guys happen to see it on social media? There was a storm front and the clouds were like a line. It looked like an offensive line really. It was straight across curled over cloud that just started like emerging towards the shoreline. People on the beaches were trying to video it for social media and then realized like, I need to get the hell out of here because like literal lightning bolts were coming out of this.

[Michael Rosenberg]

I wonder if there's video on social media.

[Don]

No, no, no. It's everywhere. I'll find it. Because I had it on my feet. It was obviously chock full of Long Island. I couldn't. It really was stunning. And we were on the air while this was going on yesterday. So today could be another one of those days, I guess.

[Aaron Glenn]

Mom.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Just looking. I just searched clouds. Check out these cloud formation in Cape May. Imagine you're just on the beach and

[Don]

you see that's that. That was similar to what was going on.

[Michael Rosenberg]

It just looks like a mountain is coming towards the beach.

[Don]

Yeah, it looks like a. Like a whole line of.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Oh my God.

[Don]

Yeah, it's not great. There was another one though. This Long Island. Is it Long Island Connection?

[Michael Rosenberg]

It's like tornadoes and I was crazy. It's crazy what's going on.

[Don]

No, it wasn't that one. It was. It was one of the Long island things that I follow that had this. It was unreal. But yeah, it was. It was stunning.

[Michael Rosenberg]

So the first preseason games are coming up. Jets are playing on Friday. They've got the Bucks. They've been scrimmaging with the Bucks.

[Don]

Right.

[Michael Rosenberg]

The question that Aaron Glenn was asked today, which everybody wonders now that we're down to three preseason games and all that, is who's playing against Tampa on Friday?

[Aaron Glenn]

Everybody's playing. That's what I want to do for the most part. And listen you have two new systems, you know, that's going in. And I think. I think it's important for our guys to play now. There were science behind this also, you know, as far as having joint practices and trying to get the guys, at least throughout the preseason, 25 to 30 reps. I'm talking about all three games, you know, so. And I don't know how I'll divvy that up. You know, that's. It's a field when you go into preseason. But what they say is when you get joint. Joint practices where the ones get a lot of reps and then you have that many plays, 25 to 30 in. In the preseason games throughout the three games, the risk of injury actually goes down in that first part of the year. So just talking those guys, I'm a big believer in that, you know, so I'm looking forward to seeing that now.

[Michael Rosenberg]

What does that mean? Does that mean first series in all three games? Like how it's all going to get broken down, but we will see the starters or at least guys that are potential starters.

[Don]

I would expect that.

[Caller or Guest]

Right.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Well, I don't know what to expect anymore. I was talking about with John Winthrop earlier today. Used to kind of know the preseason. Right. First, when there was four preseason games. First preseason game, you'd see the starters for like the first half.

[Don]

Yeah.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Second preseason game, you know, about the same. Then the third was on. Like you would see the starters going to the third quarter. That was always the Jet Giant game. That's where you're going to see the most of. And then the fourth one, dress rehearsal

[Don]

and fourth was all guys trying to make the team or the practice.

[Michael Rosenberg]

You had a couple of stories of guys that were looking to not get cut, but otherwise starters barely got in if they did it all. And you kind of accepted that. But now with the three, it doesn't seem like anybody plays at all. So he's going to have the starters play.

[Don]

Aren't we learning that that's kind of a mistake?

[Michael Rosenberg]

Yeah. Especially for a guy like Geno Smith, who I think needs to get as many reps with this team as possible. Let's be honest, there's a lot going on with the jets today. Stingers got. Got hurt. Looks like he's going to be okay, but that was like a scary moment. They're fighting in camp and all that. But let's face it, let's get down to brass tag. I could play a bunch of sounds. So what? It's all about Geno Smith. It's all about Geno Smith.

[Alex Rodriguez]

All right.

[Michael Rosenberg]

We could talk about Aaron Glenn. Is he a good coach? We're going to find out, but they're going nowhere. If Geno Smith plays like he played in Vegas, they're going to go nowhere. If he plays like he played in the second half of his last year

[Don]

in Seattle, well, they're going nowhere. If he plays like he's played for a lot of today's practice.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Exactly.

[Don]

With the Bucks.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Not great.

[Don]

The reports are it has not gone good. Now, just. Just because you said it. I don't know if everybody knows this story, but Quantus Stiggers, who's one of their secondary, he's a good corner. He. He had. He was taken off the field in an ambulance. They had to stop practice. He collapsed during the practice today. He was responsive, though. I think Glenn said he just passed out.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don]

So, you know, they're. They're waiting on word on him and so obviously only the best thoughts to him right now. But that was one of the. One of a few dramatic things that happened in practice today. The other one, as you mentioned, there was a brawl, a back and forth that went on, which I think this happens a lot in crossover practices because look, you get tired of hitting your own teammates for a while, you want to hit somebody else, and the first chance you do, you always go a little extra. Did you see Breece hall saying he avoids all that stuff because he said I made a rule. Anybody is £240 or more, I'm not messing with him.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Exactly.

[Don]

So he just walks away. Which is probably the smartest thing to do. But yeah, it's Geno Smith's performance in red zone in some of the 7 on 7, 11 on 11 stuff. He was bad today and the reporters made note of it. He did recover. I guess he threw a couple of good. Or actually one of his touchdowns was more Garrett Wilson being incredible than him being thrown the ball. Well, but Don, we're assuming so much with the jets and I told you, I refuse to be all in. I'm intrigued. I think the general manager's good. I think Geno was the best play they could make right now. But he's Mr. Right Now. He's not Mr. Right?

[Aaron Glenn]

No.

[Don]

And any thought of, hey, he could be a Sam Darnold. He could be what Daniel Jones maybe was last year for the Colts. I don't know because he is not somebody that you can say what he did in Seattle, he's going to do here. And practices like this concern me. And you know what else concerns me? He's one hit away from you realizing there's no quarterback depth on this team.

[Michael Rosenberg]

No, none.

[Don]

There's no other place to go. And if you tell me Kate Klubnick,

[Michael Rosenberg]

I mean, it's a nice story.

[Caller or Guest]

It is.

[Don]

And they say he's performed well in practice and. But how many times have we heard about the guys that have performed well in practice and then when the lights turn on, he's getting his head kicked.

[Aaron Glenn]

Yeah.

[Michael Rosenberg]

You're not. You're not going anywhere. That's a fourth round pick. I know there's great stories and there's every Tom Brady. There's a million guys that Purdy.

[Don]

I get it.

[Michael Rosenberg]

All right, fine. But the point is, is that he's not the future of this team. At least not right. Not right now. Jets have talent. I think the defense should be pretty good.

[Don]

Yep.

[Michael Rosenberg]

I think there's weapons here on the offense.

[Don]

Correct.

[Michael Rosenberg]

The line, I think, is stellar.

[Don]

Really good.

[Michael Rosenberg]

What kind of quarterback play are you going to get if you're going to get, you know, like what you got in Vegas? Now, that was not a good offensive line in Vegas, and that's why he got kind of beat up a little bit. But if he's going to be making mistakes and throwing picks, they're not going to be able to overcome it. I mean, this whole year is on Geno Smith.

[Don]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. This whole year is. And every year with the jets always seems to be that. It always rides on. What kind of quarterback play are they going to get? Because going as far back as Ryan

[Michael Rosenberg]

Fitzpatrick, and that's a decade ago, more

[Don]

than a decade ago. I mean, and that's when you got quarterback play that you weren't expecting. And he was good. He was not great. He was good. Good enough to put them in place to make a playoff. And then they lost that last game.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Yeah, but. No, but he had a phenomenal.

[Don]

But after that, when was the last time you could. You. You felt like, hey, they're getting consistently good quarterback play.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Oh, that's the last time. That's the last time. And he threw for. He. I think he threw for 4,000 yards. He had a great year. He won 10 games. I don't think that's 4,000.

[Don]

But he had a good year.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Yeah, he had an outstanding. But he had a kind of year that the jets never have, is my point. Like, he. He had a year that.

[Don]

Well, they won 10 games.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Yeah, that was enough to. Yeah, it was just one of those unfortunate years where sometimes you see a team go seven and nine and make the playoffs, because they're in a crappy division. Right. And you win 10 games and you're not good enough to go.

[Don]

Yeah.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Now it's going to bother me what this, what his actual stats were that

[Don]

year, if it's magic.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Because the second year, 2015 with the Jets. Well, he threw for 3,905.

[Don]

Yeah, he was close.

[Michael Rosenberg]

So he was close to 4,000.

[Don]

I'm not mistaken. Namath is the only one to throw 4,000 yards.

[Michael Rosenberg]

31 and 15. 31 touchdown passes, 15 interceptions. That if Geno Smith gives them that, they're a playoff team because I think the defense is good. He's got weapons that should be, but we'll see if he can do it. But if he's going to go out there and make mistakes and turn the ball over, they're not going to be able.

[Don]

We know he does that, though. He does. Geno's thing is, while he can be. He's a guy that he can have those. And we saw it when he was with the Jets. We saw it in Seattle. He can have games where he's just slinging it. It's going down the field, and then he'll have games where it's going to the other team way too much. That's always been his bugaboo. It's always been that. And you've got to be able to live with it. But their margin for error is so slim that you can't live with it.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Michael Rosenberg]

When you say he led the league in interceptions last year with 17.

[Don]

Yeah. And a lot of it was because the line was so bad that he was just right. He was sped up. And he just gets rid of the ball because Gino, like no one, likes to get hit.

[Alex Rodriguez]

He.

[Don]

He'll do anything to not get hit.

[Alex Rodriguez]

Right.

[Michael Rosenberg]

31, 21 touchdowns, 15 interceptions in 24 with Seattle, and then 29 in 23. And that was already 30 touchdowns. A lot of interceptions drew for almost 4,300 yards. But that was four years ago, when he was 32. Now he's. He's 35 years old, and he had

[Don]

some weapons on that team. Remember, they had. The running back was really good. They had what dk. And there was another receiver like they, they. They had a lot of.

[Michael Rosenberg]

No, they were. They were stacked. And you realize that on October 10th, he's gonna be 36 years old. Now, that's not an old man by any stretch of the imagination, but still, he's not getting any younger.

[Don]

Okay.

[Michael Rosenberg]

So what to expect from him, I think is.

[Don]

But don't forget what's on the other side. Again, it's what's.

[Dave Roberts]

Let's.

[Don]

Let's say he's playing fine, but he gets hurt. That's the part. Like there's nothing behind him. No, that's the part that really concerns me.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Yeah. Your season's over and because.

[Don]

And everybody wants to sell. I've brought this up with other jets fans and other people have been talking jets who know the jets and it's like, oh, they really love Clubman. They think he's really good. Like he has a chance. He's quarterback, too. Zero experience. Fourth round pick, quarterback two.

[Michael Rosenberg]

And believe me, I've. All those years working the Jets. Everybody loves the young quarterback. It's going to find a way. Remember Sims had that good preseason game? I think. I think Matt Sims got a chance to do something like everybody, because that's what they're looking for, man.

[Don]

They just want that.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Just trying to find a Nick, looking for a point guard, the jets looking for a quarterback. This is like something that's been going on forever. Forever and ever. And everybody knows that Geno's just a stopgap. But give the jets credit for this. They've. They've actually drafted. Well, there's talent on this team. Like Joe Douglas lost his job because he messed it up with Zach Wilson. Right. But otherwise they've, they've drafted, they've got talented players. It's just they haven't been able to find a quarterback that can lead them. And they admittedly have found Geno Smith to just be that stop gap until they figure it out, either in the draft or whatever.

[Don]

I don't think it's the draft. I'm telling you, I don't think it's going to be the draft.

[Michael Rosenberg]

But here's why it's important. Like if you can keep it together and Geno Smith plays okay, that lets the world know that, hey, especially guys like if you, if you want to play Baker, play the fantasy of Baker or Joe Burrow or whoever you want to fantasize about. They look and go, well, I can play better than Geno Smith. And he won eight games with the jets last year. Look at the talent and maybe Aaron Glenn's a pretty good coach. And if I go in there, I can win 11, 12 games. Like that's what you're hoping. If everything falls apart, then it's like, I don't want to go. I just, I don't want to go there to just be another guy that doesn't make it in New York you, this is an opportunity, man, for them to be able to show the world that, hey, there's a quarterback out there. Come play for us because you can win here.

[Don]

You're watching to see not only Baker and I, that's why I don't, I just don't think they go, they go draft like, because you'd have to really be bad to get one of the

[Michael Rosenberg]

better quarterbacks if they've got the talent

[Don]

or to move up with the picks

[Michael Rosenberg]

and they've got the draft capital to say, I could trade up because I've got a lot.

[Don]

So you get a team that's already got their quarterback that might just be bad this year and they're not going to draft one.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Yeah, what if.

[Don]

But who's it going to be? We don't even know.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Like, we don't want somebody gets hurt. All of a sudden the season goes sideways, right?

[Don]

No, I'm talking about at a college, like the draft, like you. And now you're going with a rookie on a team that, let's be honest, like Garrett Wilson's now all of a sudden he's like a vet. Breeze Hall's a vet. Like, these guys are older now. Are you sure? Like now I want to bring in a 22 year old, 23 year old quarterback and, and hope it hits right away with guys that are now starting to age out and I got to pay them. Or do I go and see if there's a Baker Mayfield? Let me see. Does, does Philadelphia eventually decide, like, Jalen hurts, Ain't it, like where they want to move on from him? You don't know what's going to happen in some of these places where all of a sudden a guy shakes free.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Did you, did you know when Sam Darnold was bouncing around in Carolina and San Francisco that eventually he was going to have the year he had in Minnesota and become available?

[Don]

Right.

[Michael Rosenberg]

So who's that guy that we were all focused on? The guys that are now, but like, who's that guy we're not thinking about? Like, let's say, I don't know. Maybe. Maybe it's Baker Mayfield. Maybe. Maybe Kyler Murray finds it.

[Don]

They just named him the starter.

[Michael Rosenberg]

All right, so maybe he finds it in Minnesota. Maybe in Minnesota.

[Don]

Well, now J.J. mcCarthy becomes somebody that's like, well, I don't want to be here.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Or maybe they pull the same thing with Darnold and go, well, we still believe in J.J. mcCarthy, so we'll let Kyler Murray go. And now you grab Murray just the way that Seattle grabbed Darnold, like, who is the guy that hasn't emerged yet? Because I'm with you. Like, yeah, you'd like it to be in the draft. That seems to be where all the forever quarterbacks come.

[Don]

That's the fantasy of it.

[Michael Rosenberg]

But maybe I got too old. What Seattle did is a window into, if I get everything else right.

[Don]

Yeah.

[Michael Rosenberg]

That maybe I could find a quarterback that right now doesn't look like the guy. But if I put him on my team with all this talent and I have the coaching and I've got Reich now as my offensive guy and he can tap into something that now he becomes the guy. Because again, I think people realized when Sam Darnold was winning a bunch of games in Minnesota, hey, they cracked the code on him. But you didn't think that before he went to Minnesota.

[Don]

No.

[Michael Rosenberg]

You know, all right, he was just another draft pick, another failed guy. So maybe it's Kyler Murray is that guy. Maybe it's somebody we're not even thinking of right now that turns out to be that guy. Or maybe it's, hey, maybe Baker Mayfield does shake loose in Tampa. He has a big year and he doesn't want to sign. He wants out. He gets franchised. And maybe, maybe you use that draft capital to send a first round pick over to Tampa and you get him. Hey, I don't know. It's.

[Guest/Caller]

It's you.

[Michael Rosenberg]

You've put yourself in a situation where you got some options. And when's that a bad thing, actually have some options?

[Don]

Listen, you, You. Kevin o' Connell has a rep of fixing quarterback. I'm really curious to see what happens with Kyler there, but if he can't figure out J.J. mcCarthy, that'd be a red flag for me more than anything.

[Michael Rosenberg]

No, it would be.

[Don]

Look at the. Daniel Jones went through there, Sam Darnold went through there. Like everybody got right when they went there. You know, Kyler Murray's now doing the same thing. Like, I'm going to get right with this guy. So if they find it with Kyler Murray, they might go ahead and just stick with Kyler Murray. But if they don't, I'd rather take Kyler Murray after a year with KOC than after his time in Arizona.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Sure.

[Don]

Because I think I'd probably got. But Baker is interesting because him in New York, his personality chip on his shoulder, boy, doesn't he scream jets. Everything about him, right? The punchy and, you know, like, he would take things personal. Like, that'd be the right kind of guy. I just. The draft with a team of this age. I just feel like it's the timing isn't right.

[Michael Rosenberg]

It just, it's. And also it's time to get back on the rails again. We said that with the Giants you

[Don]

got to get back in the league.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Time to just get back at a regulation or what, delegate whatever they call in soccer, relegation, relegation and get back into the bigs.

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[Don]

Ohtani's interpreter was fired today.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Ippei Mitsuhara ran up gambling debts to a Southern California bookmaking operation. The inside story of the biggest scandal in modern baseball. He was absolutely bananas.

[Don]

The amount of bets he was making. I've never seen anyone like it.

[Michael Rosenberg]

From 30 for 30 podcasts this is the Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani presented by Gusto.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

New episodes available now. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don]

I didn't listen to Anything you just

[Don Hahn]

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

[Michael Rosenberg]

Let's go to Keith in New Jersey. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, Keith?

[Don]

Maybe Keith is Casey.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Maybe.

[Alex Rodriguez]

What's going on, guys? Listen, I need to know as a Giant fan, Don, how long does Eli and Tom Co got to wait to get into the hall of Fame? You got to wait till Brady Belichick get in first. Even though Eli was the one that

[Michael Rosenberg]

beat Bella Brady, I can see a scenario where they go in together. I think they both are hall of Famers. To me, it's all Keith. It all just comes down to who's eligible in the given year and who's going to get the votes. But I think they're going to get in. I hope it's at the same year. I hope it's next year. I have a feeling at least one of them, if not Eli, will get in next year. Now, Keith, a day will come where both of those guys are in the hall of Fame.

[Don]

So Eli, this was his first, right? Second.

[Michael Rosenberg]

I think it was the second.

[Alex Rodriguez]

Right?

[Don]

This was his second.

[Michael Rosenberg]

It was the second. Yeah, it's just second.

[Alex Rodriguez]

And I got a Met point right quick. How good are the mess chances being spoilers against the teams that's going into the playoffs?

[Don]

That series with the Yankees, that 911 weekend, man, that's going to be.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Well, it gives you. It gives you a reason to play. Look what they. Listen, they own the Braves for some reason. They've won like what, the seven of the 11 games they played against the Braves.

[Don]

That's a season series. They have it.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don]

They have season head to head.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Yeah. It's 13.

[Aaron Glenn]

Right.

[Michael Rosenberg]

So they've already got seven wins against them. So they're done. They've won the season series against the Braves.

[Don]

When's the last time they've done that?

[Alex Rodriguez]

I don't know.

[Don]

Braves have owned them.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Yeah, definitely. But the Mets owned them. They should.

[Don]

On the rundown. Oh, my God, it is.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Look at that.

[Alex Rodriguez]

You know what?

[Michael Rosenberg]

I usually read this not, you know, first time since 2017. So nine years.

[Don]

All right. That's not nothing.

[Michael Rosenberg]

That's not nothing. You're right. Now could they play spoiler? They'll play spoiler. They'll have games against the Phillies down the stretch. They've got that, that 911 series against the Yankees. That's going to be huge. Can't get around that. Bobby and Bellmore, you're on espn, New York.

[Caller Bobby]

Yeah. Hi, how are you? You hear me? Yeah. Plunkett and Flores didn't get in, so, I mean, you know, I don't know. We'll see. I know they beat the undefeated Patriots, but if those two didn't get in. And why should these two get in? You know, they had the two super bowl wins and.

[Alex Rodriguez]

I know.

[Caller Bobby]

And also, well, Joe, Joel Embiid. Have you seen pictures of him?

[Don]

Yes, and I never trust some photos.

[Caller Bobby]

Yeah, well, he lost 20 pounds and I guess LeBron's got his ass in the gym. I want to talk about Aaron. Good.

[Don]

We'll see. Well, we'll see if you look closer for a week. Yeah, look. Look at one of the photos. Look at one of the photos.

[Caller Bobby]

He could be docket.

[Don]

Yeah, but his left knee is.

[Caller Bobby]

I know.

[Don]

It's like it. It looks mangled. It's. First of all, it's twice his right knee, so.

[Alex Rodriguez]

Right.

[Caller Bobby]

Well, he has something. He has something in common with Stanton. They both play 55% of their games, so.

[Don]

I wish 55% of his games, but, you know, it's not.

[Caller Bobby]

No, I think he.

[Don]

I think he has. But Stanton's clutching the playoffs, Bobby. I don't know if Jordan B. No, he's not.

[Caller Bobby]

Well, we'll see. But I want to talk about Aaron Grant quickly. I spoke about this. Last year was mental aperture. He didn't know how to do elementary math. You know, he would go. He said he had to get to the 35 yard line for a 53 yard, even though Folk hit the 57 yarder a couple weeks prior to that. So in the game situations, I don't. Are you talking about Gino? I mean, I worry more about Aaron Glenn. His defensive plays didn't know. Were unhappy with the coverages, and he decided to change at the end of the year. I mean, what happened the first 10, 11 weeks of the season?

[Michael Rosenberg]

Well, let's not forget, you know, that you're also. Now he's got more responsibility because he's the D coordinator, because, let's face it, Woody Johnson didn't want to pay.

[Don]

That's a superpower, Don.

[Michael Rosenberg]

He didn't want to pay for a defensive coordinator because he paid all that money to Frank Reich. So he didn't want to get Wink. We could talk all we want. Well, I want you. You're a defensive guy. You should call the place. He don't want to pay big money. He's paying big money to Glenn that he probably doesn't deserve. He's paying money to Reich and he didn't want to pay Wink. So now a guy that didn't seem to be able to handle the head coaching job because it was a little overwhelmed in his first year. And I get it, it's his first year. But now in his second year, he's going to have extra responsibility because now he's calling the defensive plays. So if you were worried about him last year, now he's got more responsibility, that would concern me. But I still think Geno is the key to it. Because even if Glenn figures it out, if Geno doesn't play well, they're not going anywhere. I don't think they're going anywhere anyway.

[Don]

Gino gets hurt, well, that's another thing. I worry about that too, man. Like that's again, the offensive line is good. They should protect him. But you know, there's, there's nothing behind. Once again, there's really nothing there.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Quarterbacks do get hurt.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don]

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

[Guest/Caller]

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.

[Caller or Guest]

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