Hour 4: Body Shaming & Guaranteed Money

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg Podcast Summary Episode: Hour 4: Body Shaming & Guaranteed Money
Release Date: July 9, 2025

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of the Don, Hahn & Rosenberg podcast, hosts Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg delve into pressing topics in the sports world, including body shaming in athletics and the complexities surrounding guaranteed contracts in the NFL. The conversation seamlessly transitions between current sports events and deeper societal issues, providing listeners with insightful analysis and candid discussions.

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Mets and Yankees Updates

The episode kicks off with a discussion about the latest developments in Major League Baseball, focusing on the Mets and Yankees.

• Yankees Roster Moves: Peter Rosenberg highlights the Yankees' decision to designate DJ LeMahieu for assignment, questioning the team's strategy as they approach the trade deadline. He notes, "The Yankees DFA D.J. leMayhue. So he is gone. So we'll see what the Yankees do at the trade deadline as they can now focus on a third baseman." ([00:38])

• Bullpen Challenges: Don La Greca adds, "They have to certainly target some bullpen help. That has been an issue for them, but it's really an issue for everybody who's a contender." ([02:01]) The hosts discuss the competitive market for relief pitchers and the uncertainty it brings to the season's outcomes.

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Body Shaming in Sports

A significant portion of the episode addresses the sensitive issue of body shaming athletes, sparked by a listener's call.

• Caller David's Concerns: Listener David raises the topic, expressing frustration over athletes being subjected to body shaming. He states, "This whole sports fat shaming thing, I don't know if you guys are serious, really taking a stand against it." ([03:23])

• Host Responses: Don La Greca responds by contextualizing the behavior, suggesting that some athletes might engage in provocative actions for attention. He mentions, "It was July, it was July 4th. He was trying to get clicks, he was trying to get attention." ([03:52])

• Peter Rosenberg's Perspective: Peter agrees, emphasizing that subtle body changes during the off-season don't warrant public criticism. He remarks, "But it's not fat shaming to me, because he's not fat." ([05:16])

• Discussion on Athletic Performance vs. Appearance: The hosts debate the fine line between legitimate performance-related critiques and unnecessary body shaming. Don shares anecdotes about athletes who maintained a certain appearance but lacked conditioning, such as an NBA player who "ate McDonald's before every game" leading to deteriorating performance despite a "chiseled" look. ([11:03])

• Quotes Highlight:

  • "It's just shaming, period." – Peter Rosenberg ([05:39])
  • "Can we stop body shaming this dude?" – Don La Greca ([06:34])

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Yankees Management and Aaron Boone's Future

Transitioning back to baseball, the conversation shifts to the Yankees and their manager, Aaron Boone.

• Caller Insights: A listener questions when the Yankees might consider firing Boone, especially given recent team performance. ([13:46])

• Host Analysis: Don La Greca counters the notion of Boone's imminent dismissal, pointing out his recent contract extension and the lack of substantial reasons to question his leadership. He states, "Don't expect it, don't anticipate it. He is not getting fired and not in season." ([13:48])

• Peter's Take: Peter echoes the sentiment, acknowledging Boone's current standing but remains open to future discussions based on team performance. ([15:15])

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Guaranteed Contracts and NFL Collusion

The latter part of the episode delves into labor issues within the NFL, focusing on guaranteed contracts and alleged collusion between owners and the players' union.

• Caller David's Inquiry: A listener brings up concerns about the lack of fully guaranteed contracts in the NFL and the potential for collusion to prevent such precedents. David asks, "I think it's time for him at some point... What are the players willing to do to fight this?" ([18:02])

• Hosts' Discussion:

  • Don La Greca: Highlights recent reporting by ESPN journalists Don Van Natta and Kalyn Koller, discussing how NFL owners may have worked together to prevent fully guaranteed contracts from setting new industry standards. He explains, "They did find that there was collusion among the owners." ([19:17])

  • Peter Rosenberg: Compares the situation to past labor disputes in other sports, questioning the players' willingness to take significant stands given the short average career length in the NFL. He says, "Are they willing to throw an entire year, over a quarter of their career, to fight for something?" ([22:18])

• Impact on Players: The hosts debate the challenges NFL players face in negotiating better contracts without jeopardizing their careers. They reference historical lockouts and strikes in various sports to illustrate the difficulties in achieving change. ([23:10])

• Quotes Highlight:

  • "It's the one sport where there just isn't enough longevity for the majority of the players." – Don La Greca ([22:06])
  • "It's not body shaming to me, because he's not fat. Like, if he was morbidly obese, you're making fun of somebody. It's ridiculous in its own right." – Peter Rosenberg ([05:16])

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Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts

As the episode wraps up, the hosts touch upon lighter topics, including music preferences and the impact of external factors like weather on sports schedules. They reaffirm their commitment to ongoing discussions about critical sports issues, encouraging listeners to stay engaged.

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Conclusion

This episode of Don, Hahn & Rosenberg offers a balanced mix of sports analysis and societal commentary. By addressing both the immediate concerns of team management and the broader implications of body shaming and labor practices in sports, the hosts provide a comprehensive overview that is both informative and thought-provoking. Notable moments include deep dives into the Yankees' strategies, heartfelt discussions on athlete well-being, and critical examinations of NFL labor dynamics, all punctuated with insightful quotes and timely reflections.

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Notable Quotes:

• "The Yankees DFA D.J. leMayhue. So he is gone." – Peter Rosenberg ([00:38])
• "Can we stop body shaming this dude?" – Don La Greca ([06:34])
• "It's just shaming, period." – Peter Rosenberg ([05:39])
• "Are they willing to throw an entire year, over a quarter of their career, to fight for something?" – Peter Rosenberg ([22:18])
• "It's the one sport where there just isn't enough longevity for the majority of the players." – Don La Greca ([22:06])

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For more detailed discussions and additional insights, subscribe to the Don, Hahn & Rosenberg podcast on ESPN New York or your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

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[Don La Greca]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Don La Greca]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New.

[Peter Rosenberg]

York app and your smart speakers Don Han and Rosenberg. If you tuned in for the Mets pregame, sorry they've been rained out. The doubleheader tomorrow, a split double header 1 and 7 start to finish up that series. Then the Mets head to Kansas City to finish up the unofficial second half of the season. So we're going to take you up until 7 o'. Clock. 1-800-919-3776 topics on the table We've got the Yankees DFA D.J. leMayhue. So he is gone. So we'll see what the Yankees do at the trade deadline as they can now focus on a third baseman. It didn't seem like that long ago that the conversation was that they're probably going to trade for a second baseman and keep Jazz at third. Yeah, and now Jazz is back at second. You could see how well Peraza played at third and Jazz played at second. That defensively it's going to help. And, and now we'll see what ends up happening with the Yankees. Moving forward with LeMayhue out of the fold does save them some money in a sense, I guess from a, a luxury tax standpoint. Forgive me for not knowing all of the ins and outs, but I guess the money they save the rest of this season and next season maybe could help as far as that's concerned. But the fact is they did the right thing. Lemayhue didn't have a place on this team. Have a guy that's turning 37 years old on Sunday be a role player, bench player, forcing, force feeding him to be second. Your second baseman doesn't make a lot of sense.

[Don La Greca]

No, no. Again, third base. Right now it's just platooning. You'll get Peraza there. They'll probably have to move Jazz. They brought up Vivas, who's really more second baseman so they'll have to just piecemeal it. But you know, all star breaks coming and then obviously the deadline is, you know, coming fast and furious and Cashman made it clear today that it is going to have to be a priority to find themselves Some type of infield help. So they'll be targeting that. They have to certainly target some bullpen help. That has been an issue for them, but it's really an issue for everybody who's a contender. Everybody's looking for relief pitching and everybody, it's amazing. But that just is what you're, what you're going to deal with on the market. You're going to see a million no name relief pitchers get moved around before July 31 and a couple of them will actually have an impact when we get to October. It always happens.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You never know with the bullpen, the Mets.

[Don La Greca]

Look at the Mets.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They'll pick up, they'll pick up somebody, Mets or Yankees. You're like, I never heard of this guy. And he'll end up either destroying the season or saving the season. It's amazing. But you're right, everybody needs bullpen help because nobody's starting. Pitchers can go more than five or six innings. And if you got to get 912 outs on a consistent basis, you're going to need bullpen help. Let's go to David in the Bronx. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, David?

[Caller David]

Hey guys, I want to get to my point about Boonie. I think it's time for him at some point. I want to see when you guys think it's that time for him to go, you know, how many games they really need to fall behind before the Yankees seriously consider it, but this whole sports fat shaming thing, I don't know if you guys are serious, really taking a stand against it, but you know, this guy's doing it solely so that people in New York and other places talk about. I think you guys know better than that. Of course you may really get upset, but I think, no, it's a.

[Don La Greca]

Nobody does.

[Caller David]

But you know why, David?

[Don La Greca]

But David, why I brought it up was not only because this guy did it, and I know why he did it. It was July, it was July 4th. He was trying to get clicks, he was trying to get attention and he knows that a guy like Mahomes in that market is going to, is going to do that. But, but they've done that to him before in that mark because in the off season he goes on vacation.

[Caller David]

Not only him, but what about CC Sabathia? CC Sebastian faced it his entire.

[Don La Greca]

He dealt with it. And, and you know what though? And this, the Luca Doncic stuff has gotten completely. It's so stupid.

[Caller David]

But what, what about all these other players? Venus, you know, well, that.

[Don La Greca]

Never mind that. Yeah, it happens. Nicole Jokic. David. Nicole Jokic.

[Caller David]

And, like, chunky and fat, but I'm saying, like, thick. Yeah, but let them live. And I'm happy you actually said something, because a lot of it's bs and I think it needs to stop. And, Don, I'm surprised you're not. Congratulations, by the way. I'm surprised as a big person. You're not. You're not saying anything because, you know, I would expect you to say something. I'm big, but, you know, myself, I'm.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Big because I just think it's. It's garbage. I think. I think you're right. I think it's just for hits.

[Don La Greca]

I probably.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I looked at the picture. He doesn't look that bad. We're still a month away from training the big people. But, you know, what's. But what's funny is that we're. We're big guys, right? I mean, we're clearly. I. I don't know you, David, but, you know, it sounds like you might.

[Don La Greca]

Be overweight on the hoof.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, they. 300, you know, and I'm 240, and I can afford to lose a few pounds, but it's not fat shaming to me, because he's not fat. Like, if he was morbidly obese, you're making fun of somebody. It's ridiculous in its own right. But when you're talking about a professional athlete during the off season who looks like maybe he might be a couple of pounds overweight, that's not fat shaming. That's just shaming, period.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How many times they do it with celebrities? All the time. Hollywood people. Somebody comes off a beach at a bad angle, and a woman in a bikini who's gorgeous looks a little bit unsightly, and it's all just to get a reaction. That's all that it is. So I don't even like to play into it because I don't think the guy even really believes what he said. The middle of July, the Royals stink. Football's a month away from it being meaningful, and he probably wanted to be able to get. Get some phone calls, and it goes viral.

[Don La Greca]

I'm just trying to point out to fans who buy into this, because him saying that is not, like, in a vacuum there. A lot of people do this, and I see it all the time. And it started happening with the Luca thing, and I got to a point on get up where I lost it because they were showing him, like, working out or something, and it was like, oh, look, Luka's taking it serious, and I Just like I said, can we stop body shaming this dude? But like, can we stop? He could come as a fitness model, but if he misses, if he shoots 30%.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But three, it's not. In fairness, in fairness, you know, there were people who thought that the reason that Dallas parted ways with him was because of the fact I don't want to give this guy a long term contract. It doesn't seem like he really takes it seriously because he's got some issues as far as conditioning is concerned.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, you know, that was the issue.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And so I don't have a problem with that.

[Don La Greca]

But his conditioning was just playing basketball. He didn't go in the gym. Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But, but, but he wasn't. But that became a thing. You know better than I do because you follow it closer. But it became a thing because Dallas didn't want to give him the contract. I go back for me, what the only time I do it. As an old school Met fan, he used to drive me crazy. Sid Fernandez would always come into camp svelte. It's the only sport where you can actually gain weight during the season is baseball. And by May, he'd be overweight, and I didn't care. But then when he hurts his knee and goes on the DL at the time, Illinois, now, you know, now it is a problem. Yes, because you're carrying that extra weight now you can't pitch. So it's not about, oh, CeCe Sabathia looks unsightly. CeCe Bath is a Hall of Famer. But if people were concerned, is he gonna be able to make his next start because he's carrying that extra weight? I think that's a, that's fair game to me. It's not fair game that Patrick Mahomes looks a little overweight a month before camp. But if that picture was in the middle of a season, an injury plagued season where Patrick Mahomes doesn't look like himself and looks slow, then I think it would be fair game. Hey, he's not conditioned and it's affecting his play on the field.

[Don La Greca]

But to take a picture, he's always looked like that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's never not like that. I don't know that, but I'm just saying, even if that's true, if you see a player that's overweight and it's affecting their play or their lack of conditioning is affecting their play, I think that's fair game. That's not, to me, that's not body shaming. That's analyzing the moment and saying, I don't think he's taking his job serious.

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[Don La Greca]

3 [e-mail] we're talking about two different things. I think I. I bring it up because too many fans equate the perfect chiseled, you know, again, fitness model body and think that's a guy who's in shape. No, that's a guy has great genetics.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, amazing.

[Don La Greca]

You can have a guy that's that shredded, but his conditioning is poor and his wind is bad and he can't keep up because he doesn't put in the work. But he doesn't have to because he's shredded. Like, I know an NBA, I knew an NBA player, I covered an NBA player who ate McDonald's before every game. Every game. And not just like one little thing. Bags of it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don La Greca]

Right before the game. The guy did not have an ounce of body fat. Not an ounce. And you would think this guy's an incredible athlete, but he wasn't because you'd watch him play and his play deteriorated.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He.

[Don La Greca]

He didn't take care of himself, but he looked the part and everybody falls for it. That's the kind of, that's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know who got it a lot. You know who got it a lot was Carmelo.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because he looked doughy. Right. He didn't look like chiseled, like LeBron, but that was just his body. Let's see a performing performer. How can anybody in Kansas City honestly not give Patrick Mahomes, with what he's done, who recreated that franchise? Honestly, before Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City was like Lynn Dawson and Super Bowl 4, honestly. Right. They had their moments. You know, Marty Schottenheimer blowing leads in the postseason.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like he reimagined that franchise. And you have the audacity to not give him the benefit of the doubt. Really. Now, if Mahomes had been a failure and not making the playoffs and choking, well, then I'd say, you know, maybe if you want to make fun of his body, maybe that's a reason why he's not a great quarterback. When has he ever failed you that you're going to poke fun at him, right?

[Don La Greca]

Well, they worried about when he does. Oh, he's getting older now, but that's going to happen. Come on, man.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's going to happen. Because you know what, Like, I don't know. I. You. You say that that's always the way he looked. I. I've never paid attention to. No, that's always the way that he looks. But as these guys start to get older, man, you know, it's going to be harder and harder for them to be able to get ready and get in condition. But God, it's a sport. Did you see the. The combine photo of Tom Brady? Remember?

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, only the greatest quarterback of all time. Now, obviously, he looked a lot better.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, he was. He was like almost. He was sk.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Fat. Right? But yeah, it just. He was. It was.

[Don La Greca]

But that's just. I don't know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I guess I can't believe we're giving it that much of, you know, I just brought it. No, I know. I. But I think that's. But people wonder why talk show hosts do the things that they do and say the things that they say to get.

[Don La Greca]

To get.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't get. I don't even know the guy's name. I saw it.

[Don La Greca]

I didn't. That's why I didn't use the name. But, but I wasn't gonna.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But again, I'm not mad at him. Do what you got to do, man. We've all, you know, you create stuff for radio, but you know that this is exactly. I'm sure what he was looking to do.

[Don La Greca]

Now, the other thing the caller said was about how many, how many games back before the Yankees fire Aaron Boone? How many times do we have to say they are not firing him in season? Don't expect it, don't anticipate it, don't wait for it. Don't wonder. Don't waste an ounce, a moment, a minute, a mini second of your time. He is not getting fired and not in season.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm all for having the conversation about Boone being let go, but come on, guys, he just got a contract extension. And honestly, as disappointing as the Yankees are, where on the list of concerns is Boone? Like, how much do you blame him for this? Do you think Boone. It was Boone's idea to force feed jazz at third.

[Don La Greca]

He didn't want to do it. You could hear it in his voice. He didn't want to do it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Do you think he was the one that was so anxious to put DJ at second? Do you think he's the one that's putting Dominguez and left? Come on, guys.

[Don La Greca]

And again, is it his fault that Garrett Cole's UCL popped or he'll being.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hurt or Schmidt now needing Tommy Johnson, his starter, starting pitching. I will get on him for the post game press conference and all that, but honestly, it just can't be. We'll look at their record, look at their three and a half, I guess. Three back of the lost column now because the Blue Jays lost today and say, well, how many games? The answer is it's not happening the first year of a contract extension and it's not happening in the middle of the season.

[Don La Greca]

It's not 1983 where the manager is the be all, end all and makes every single decision and puts his lineup on gut and decides who plays where. It's not that anymore.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's collective now, but at the same time that doesn't mean you can't be critical of a manager. But I just don't think that the.

[Don La Greca]

Conversation is now a good job done. Keep the clubhouse feeling good, keep guys playing at their best.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But you know, get a pulse. I'm gonna tell you when we come back how Boone loses his job.

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[Don La Greca]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Don La Greca]

Turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial.

[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Don La Greca]

And time just stands still. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don La Greca]

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

[Peter Rosenberg]

1-800-919-3776. Mets rained out. That's why you're not here in the pregame show doubleheader tomorrow. Yankees about to get underway against the Royals. And just looking outside, looks like the weather's fine here.

[Don La Greca]

Little boss gags here, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I like.

[Don La Greca]

What do you got going on here, Jake? You had an interesting playlist today.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, you got something going on. You're in your own world.

[Don La Greca]

What is. This was good. So I just been collectively like going back to like 70s music and listening.

[Peter Rosenberg]

To it and kind of like appreciate it.

[Don La Greca]

So every week I'll go through a.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Couple songs and you know, this add to my playlist.

[Don La Greca]

This, this little track, right. Like this could be sampled easily. Like this is the Dirty Lowdown has like a great little.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It might have been a little vibe to it. My favorite Boss Skagg song is the Lido Shuffle.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, yeah, Lido's good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, it's a lot of good 70s stuff. Let's go to Chris in Rockaway. You're on ESPN New York. How are you, Chris?

[Caller David]

Good. How you guys doing? I know this is a late curveball and congratulations again, Don, but I was curious to get your guys, your guys take on. I don't know if you've seen the article on the collusion between the NFL owners and the players union with after the Sean Watson guaranteed contract. Kind of make sure that doesn't become a president. I hope that this story, I think, has gone under the radar just because it's a lot of nuts and bolts, but I think it's incredibly important. And one thing that's been understated, that NFL players haven't been guaranteed. And if Lamar Jackson isn't worthy of a fully guaranteed contract, I don't know who is. And I hope this leads to a lockout or at least the owners getting called out on this. I don't know what your guys thoughts on it because there's a lot to it.

[Don La Greca]

It's a really, really interesting story. It is. We haven't put enough time into it. Don Van Nada and Kalyn Koller put out a story just a little while ago about this on ESPN.com they're doing their own research on a story that had been leaked elsewhere, I think even a week ago. And it's been talked about, but hasn't been talked about enough. So it's, it's, it is interesting to see that, that, that. I think it was Pablo Torre, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was either one that started.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. And it's, it has to do with after the Watson fully guaranteed contract, there were other contracts, I guess that were discussed and there were owners who they'd talk to each Other about, like, making sure this one wasn't fully guaranteed and telling each other, like, yeah, good job. Yeah, you know, like, supporting each other and making sure that that Watson contract can't become the new precedent. And so the next quarterback contract, and I can't remember which guy it was, but the owner of that, another owner, like, thanked him or sent him, kudos for making sure it wasn't fully guaranteed. Good job. And he, I have my guy I got to deal with.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So was that Biscotti in Baltimore with Lamar Jackson?

[Don La Greca]

I don't think it was Biscotti. I don't think he. I don't think it was, but.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And that's the collusion that we saw when the baseball owners got together in the late 80s, not signing free agents. Here's the problem. What is the Players association going to do about it? What are the players willing to do to fight this? That's always been my issue with the players. And it's, it's not necessarily their fault. Their careers are short and they don't want to sacrifice any time. It doesn't work out for the players. You see it. It just never works out, Alan. So if they're not willing to walk, if they're not willing to cancel a season to get the things that they want. I remember talking to Kevin, my wife, because he was working with the players, and I said to him, why don't you fight more for guaranteed contracts? Why? He just said, listen, when you're in negotiations, how far are you willing to go to get what you want? Baseball's got that strength because in 1994, they walked away from the table. They canceled the season. The NHL was able to lock out the players, cancel an entire season to get what they wanted. They wanted a salary cap. They're willing to sacrifice the season for it, and they got it. The NFL players can't do that. The average career lasts three and a half seasons. Are they willing to throw an entire year, over a quarter of their career, to fight for something? Are they going to be like, listen, just make sure I get paid a little bit more money. I get taken care of. That's why the former players get screwed, because the current players, I mean, how much to the wall are they willing to go for the former players? How much are they willing to go for the guaranteed contracts? Because are they willing to fight? And there's always been this kumbaya between the players and the owners in the NFL because the, the owners hold the hammer. You saw what happened when they tried to strike in 87. They crossed the picket line in droves. Lawrence Taylor, Randy White, they all clipped because they didn't want to throw away a season and they got taken advantage of.

[Don La Greca]

Your career is so short. It's the one. It's the one sport where, like, there just isn't enough longevity for the majority of the players. That. That's what makes it just so difficult for them to do what they're doing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So what are you gonna do to fight for what you want? And it's terrible. It's not a bad conversation to have. As you said, to quote the caller, a lot of nuts and bolts. So. And a lot of people don't want to hear about the possibility of labor strife because we went through it in the NFL back in 82 and 87. We went through it in baseball in 94.

[Caller David]

We.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We went through it in the NHL back in 92, went through it again in 95. They canceled a whole season back in 04.05. The NBA went through it. They had the shortened season. When was that? Back in 99 when the Knicks went to the finals, they had a shortened season because of the lockout. Like, fans don't want to hear about, especially football fans, man. It's our national addiction. And nobody wants to hear about there being any kind of problem. But unfortunately, with that comes players, unfortunately being taken advantage of.

[Don La Greca]

And what does the league do in a lot of these situations? Oh, you don't have. Have to have two a day practices anymore. It's. It's the one thing that, you know, Bart's so good on this. Bart Scott, when he talks about it, because he experienced it as a player and he was in a lot of those meetings is they distract you by the money stuff that you really want to get. And a lot of the guarantees, they just like, oh, but you want to have this and you want to wear any cleats you want. Oh, we'll do that. And we'll. He's like, they give you all the shiny toys. And he said, too many of the players gets so caught up in the shiny toys that they don't pay attention to, by the way, they're still taking money from you. But you think you're winning, you're not.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Winning, you're not winning.

[Don La Greca]

And that's a big part of this, that this story should be more explosive than it is. And you know, again, the Don Van Naetter report that confirms that they did find that there was collusion among the owners. Now what do you do?

[Peter Rosenberg]

And also the other dirty little secret. And we went through this in 2011 when there was the possibility of work stoppage of camps opened a little late. Remember that?

[Don La Greca]

Yep.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is that all of these television contracts are protected. They still get paid even if there's not a season. So the owners are like, all right, you want to walk out, fine. We're still getting paid by the network. We don't make that much money from the gate. So if we're still getting a billion dollars from the network, your network.

[Don La Greca]

I'm not getting games.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, but you still want those. But you're willing to sign that away because you want the ratings. You want that. Right. And you know eventually the players are going to cave or they'll have replacement players and the games are still going to get aired. So it's the players totally get taken advantage of in the NFL.

[Don La Greca]

So no Mets tonight.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No Mets tonight. But we get.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. So the Yankees, let's see if they can build off something here with this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I got a chance to get to within two and a half of the Blue Jays with a win tonight. We will do this again tomorrow at three.

[Don La Greca]

Let's go, baby.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's all happening right here on ESPN New York.

[Don La Greca]

Thanks for listening to my Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, but I just want to know it's good. Hear more of Don, Alan and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.