Don, Hahn & Rosenberg Podcast – Hour 4: Hallmark Movies & Wemby Comments

Date: December 17, 2025
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Podcast Description: The trio tackles New York sports (and more) with energy, opinion, and humor.

Main Theme of the Episode

This hour weaves together New York sports discussion—especially Mets and Yankees offseason moves and intriguing Victor Wembanyama (“Wemby”) comments about the Knicks—with a humorous sidebar on Hallmark Channel holiday movies. The hosts dissect New York Jets leaks, debate baseball prospects, and analyze Wemby's nuanced (and possibly backhanded) compliment of the Knicks. In between, there are memorable listener calls and classic banter, all in the sharp, playful NYC sports radio tone.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New York Jets – Locker Room Leaks & Player Dissatisfaction

[00:43–01:58]

• Discussion of recent leaks from the Jets' locker room post-Wilkes.
• Alan Hahn expresses skepticism: “I don't like. I don't really care about any of that. It's just players talking. I thought the Jets were trying to button all that up.” [01:36]
• Rosenberg and Don discuss the persistence of Jets internal leaks and dysfunction.

2. Mets & Yankees Offseason, Youth Movements

[02:17–04:56]

• Caller Moose in Jamaica raises concerns and hope:
  • Frustration as a Yankees fan with the team’s stagnant World Series drought.
  • Wonders if the Mets might embrace prospects instead of trades for a needed youthful spark.
  • “The Mets are trying to do something different because they believe doing the same thing again and expecting a different result is somewhat insanity...” – Moose [02:32]
• Alan Hahn on Yankees:
  • Dismisses rumors of big pitching acquisitions—thinks they’ll “stand pat” despite injuries.
  • On Mets youth pitchers:
    • “The Mets look at the three young pitchers that got called up last year as being a part of this rotation, especially McLean. I think he's got a chance.” [03:50]
  • Hahn and Rosenberg debate prospects' real readiness—especially McLean as a potential ace.

3. Hallmark Channel Holiday Movies: The Irresistible Formula

[07:47–13:10]

• Caller Janine introduces the “Hallmark curse” theory:
  • Posits recent Hallmark holiday movies featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills might correlate to team slumps/“curses.”
  • Hosts riff on the concept but admit, “Kansas City did go to the Super Bowl. So you're saying the curse was they lost the Super Bowl. And what, you think the Bills won't win now because they were in a Hallmark movie?” – Alan Hahn [08:28]
• Deep-dive into Hallmark tropes:
  • “They're all corny. Yeah. But you do get sucked in... the brilliance of those movies... They're just always on the same premise. You know, it's a fish out of water story—going back home... big city girl ends up in Alaska and meets the town doctor...” – Alan Hahn [09:23]
  • The perfection of small towns, cozy aesthetics, and the ASMR effect on viewers, as described by Peter Rosenberg:
  • “I think is really the allure is the fact that it's like asmr. Everything is perfect. Visually. Everything looks nice...” [09:57]
  • Repeated appearance of familiar actors—especially Candace Cameron.
  • Playful speculation on how the movies skirt reality (“Alaska in December? No way you’re sipping cocoa outside without your face freezing off!”)
• Self-aware jokes about men enduring Hallmark marathons:
  • “For every man out there, you're just hoping that there's something for you at the end of the rainbow if you're going to sit through something like this. Right. What am I getting?” – Alan Hahn [13:10]

4. Victor Wembanyama’s Knicks Comments: Compliment or Critique?

[14:59–19:55]

• Wemby (San Antonio Spurs’ star) says:
  • "They don't play a brand of basketball as sophisticated as the Miami Heat or the Thunder, but their physicality is top in the league. So it's a very tough team to play against."
• Hosts debate intent:
  • Alan: “So is that a backhanded compliment or is it an accurate assessment?” [15:32]
  • Rosenberg suggests Wemby’s French accent makes everything “sound like a backhanded compliment” but also notes some confusion over the praise (“sophisticated” vs. “physical”).
  • They discuss whether “sophisticated” is lost in translation, and poke fun at Wemby’s tendency for “ethical” and “sophisticated” as backhanded jabs.
  • “It's all sophisticated and ethical.” – Peter Rosenberg [16:23]
  • Alan speculates: “Maybe he's saying, like they're not going to surprise us with anything... and the compliment is, hey, they're tough to play.” [18:28]
• Caller Rob from Suffern weighs in, wondering if Wemby is out of touch with the Knicks’ current style:
  • “The Knicks basketball that I've seen all year has been beautiful. Completely different than what the Heat do... Is he watching film from the 2023 season?” [17:53]
  • Hosts agree it’s unclear, emphasize the Knicks' strong offense (#2 in the league) and fans’ sensitivity to criticism.

5. Playful Segue – “Full Name” Sports Nicknames

[19:55–21:43]

• Caller Chauncey and hosts have fun with sports names used in full (“Josh Hart”, “Bo Nix”, “Seth Jones”).
  • “If you saw Jalen Brunson, you’d say, ‘hey, that's Brunson.’ But if you... Josh Hart, you go, right. Oh, it's Josh Hart.” – Alan and Peter exchange [20:59–21:09]
  • Bizarre but classic, light-hearted banter.

6. Memorable Moments & Philosophy: "Not Screwing Up is a Skill"

[23:03–23:32]

• Caller Richard in Manhattan: Riffs on football wisdom, connecting Philip Rivers to lessons in “not losing the game.”
• Alan encapsulates:
  • “Not screwing up is a skill is what I text you guys. And I think that's part of it is just like, don't mess it up. It's going to be hard enough to win.” [23:19]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Alan Hahn on Hallmark movies:
  “They're all corny. Yeah. But you do get sucked in... it's a formula that works.” [09:23]

• Peter Rosenberg on Hallmark’s visual coziness:
  “The allure is... everything is perfect. Visually. Everything looks nice... it just feels like a fantasy world that everybody's...” [09:57]

• On Wemby’s comments:

  • Alan Hahn: “So is that a backhanded compliment or is it an accurate assessment?” [15:32]
  • Peter Rosenberg: “He's French. Everything he says sounds like a backhanded compliment.” [15:35]
  • Alan Hahn: “Maybe he's saying, like they're not going to surprise us with anything... and the compliment is, hey, they're tough to play.” [18:28]

• Alan Hahn (on managing expectations in football):

  • “Not screwing up is a skill.” [23:19]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Jets Leaks & Dysfunction: [00:43–01:58]
• Mets/Yankees Offseason & Prospects: [02:17–04:56]
• Hallmark Movie “Curse” / Formula Discussion: [07:47–13:10]
• Wemby’s Knicks Comments Analysis: [14:59–19:55]
• Full Name Sports Nicknames Banter: [19:55–21:43]
• Sports Wisdom (“Not Screwing Up is a Skill”): [23:03–23:32]

Wrap-Up

This hour highlights what fans love about Don, Hahn & Rosenberg: sharp sports insight, playful cultural tangents, and a unique New York sensibility. Whether they’re poking fun at Hallmark movies, dissecting subtle sports shade from an international NBA star, or musing about the value of “not screwing up,” the hosts keep it relatable, energetic, and funny. Great for listeners who want deep sports context with personality—and some laughs along the way.