Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 4: Hockey Hour (October 10, 2025)

Theme Overview
This episode, titled “Hockey Hour,” finds hosts Alan Hahn and Don La Greca diving deep into a whirlwind night for Philly sports, baseball playoff heartbreak, the evolving NHL season for local New York teams, and fresh college football scouting optimism amid NFL draft anxieties. With Peter Rosenberg away, the focus stays on Alan and Don’s dynamic, sporting their usual blend of sharp analysis, banter, and New York sports humor.

1. A Brutal Night for Philly Sports (00:43 – 05:54)

Phillies Elimination & the Kirkering Blunder

• Alan kicks off by painting the heartbreak for Philly fans after both the Phillies and Eagles lost, zeroing in on rookie reliever Orion Kerkering’s error in the MLB playoffs:
  • “Kerkering bobbles the comebacker but has time to get the runner at first to end the inning... inexplicably throws home... Dodgers win, advance.” (00:43)
  • Alan empathizes: “He obviously just, he just had one of those moments and it just, it’s killer and you feel terrible for him.” (01:14)
• Don is blunt: “Yeah, I don’t feel sorry for him. We’ve been through enough of this.” (01:53)

New York’s Own Misery & Fan Resilience

• The hosts revisit New York’s own string of tough losses, including a recent “bad Monday” where every local team lost, underscoring the shared pain of sports heartbreak.
  • Don: “Nobody was apologizing here. Nobody.” (03:06)
• They contrast the culture of Philly and New York fans, crediting Philly for not giving soft landings but highlighting sports’ unpredictable cruelty.

Phillies’ Future & Mets Opportunism

• Alan speculates on upcoming Phillies changes amid looming free agency (Schwarber, managerial shakeups), with Don quickly asking if the Mets should “cherry-pick” talent:
  • “If I’m the Mets... you going to just be a buzzard... see what can I get?” (04:29)
  • Alan: “Why not? You already have the second highest payroll in baseball.” (04:57)

2. Baseball Playoffs Without a Horse in the Race (05:07 – 08:04)

Checking Out or Staying Tuned?

• Alan asks Don if his Yankee fandom has dampened his playoff interest:
  • Don says it’s “still raw,” hard to watch, and “I can’t even, honestly, I can’t watch tonight.” (06:06)
• Alan suggests rooting interests—maybe Toronto. The consensus: not much emotion for non-local teams and growing focus on hockey and football.

Quote:
Don: “Because at bats take forever. You can watch one pitch, go out and come back and still see the next pitch.” (07:57)

3. NHL Talk: Early Season Takeaways (10:49 – 17:36)

Rangers: Responding Well

• Alan highlights the Rangers’ 4-0 win over Buffalo following a shutout loss:
  • “They respond by showing you something.” (10:50)
  • “Shesterkin made what, 33 saves and they get the win.” (12:49)

Devils: Tough Matchups, Notable Debuts

• Devils’ opener: Despite the 6-3 score, Alan notes “it was a three game with less than four minutes to play... Carolina’s got their number.” (11:39)
  • Positives: Blue line production (Hamilton and impressive rookie Luke Hughes referenced by “Jack got his first point, then Luke got his first point.”)
• Upcoming challenge: Next up, Tampa Bay, a “really good team” with an elite goalie; can the Devils bounce back?

Islanders: Familiar Frustrations, Rising Hope

• Don, self-described as “not high expectations,” outlines the “same old, same old” issues—offensively challenged, especially with Druin’s suspension:
  • “Offensively, they just always seem to struggle.” (13:21)
• Rookie Schaefer Excitement: Don is excited about seeing prospect Schaefer’s growth, comparing him to legendary defenseman Denis Potvin:
  • “There’s just something, like when you watch him, he looks very, very comfortable within the flow of a pro game for a kid... 19.” (14:14)
  • Alan: “This is the beginnings of this franchise’s next Denis Potvin.” (15:12)

Blue Line Gold Standard

• Alan and Don reinforce the importance of offense from defensemen:
  • “If you’re able to get points out of your blue line... that’s when you know you’re good.” (15:46)
  • “That’s the name every Islander fan is hoping he becomes—best defenseman in the history of the franchise.” (16:09)

Anticipation for Don’s Devils Call

• Alan: “We should be all tuned in... hear Don and his first regular season game with his team.” (10:55)
• Don appreciates the milestone: “At some point you’re going to be like, hey, this is my 500th game. Where’d the time go?” (17:02)

4. College Football: Scouting for New Quarterbacks (19:38 – 24:48)

The Search for Quarterback Hope

• Don reminisces about previous “lost” Jets seasons devoted to scouting college QBs:
  • “In football season of 2017 the Jets were so bad... I started getting myself focused on college football... That’s how I came across Josh Allen watching Wyoming football.” (19:38)
• The hosts riff on current draft prospects—Oregon’s Dante Moore, Indiana’s Mendoza, waning interest in Nussmeier and Sellers.

The Inexact Science of QB Evaluation

• Alan notes: “It doesn’t seem like the scouts in the NFL put a lot of stock in the actual college game... They make jumps during pro days, combos.” (22:18)
• They discuss the unpredictable nature of the draft, referencing Mahomes, Russell Wilson, and late-breaking risers like Dart.

Quote:
Alan: “As long as Patrick Mahomes was taken 10th overall, as long as Russell Wilson was taken in the, you know, the third round, that it’s a complete inexact science, at least from our perspective.” (23:38)

5. Jets & Giants: The Never-ending Search for Stability (24:48 – 26:06)

The Franchise Quarterback Quest

• Conversation turns to the Jets’ likely need for a new QB—do you take the best available even in a weak class? “A lot of times you gotta—you're a quarterback needy franchise... you gotta get one of them and you gotta pick the right one.” (24:40)

• Alan cautions on the organizational ecosystem: “Just hope you have the structure in place to develop that quarterback.” (24:40)

Hope for New York Fans

• Alan: “All this conversation about—well, what if they go 0-17, are they gonna blow it up... you hope the coaches are just waiting to pop.” (24:48)
• He’s upbeat about the Giants: “Now all of a sudden, the Giants look functionable. You know, it’s very fluid. But I’m just glad that the Giants came off a win and we got a big weekend.” (25:10–25:22)

6. Closing Sentiments & Upcoming Highlights (25:40–26:06)

• Alan and Don encourage fans to support Don’s Devils game call on MSG, and promise to break it all down next week.
  • Alan: “Everybody watch Don. Everybody tune in to the Devils and hear Don, hear his first goal call.” (25:40)
• A nod to the team’s “fresh start” and anticipation for a fun New York sports winter.

Notable Quotes

• Alan (on Phillies heartbreak): “You just react. You in the minute, again... you know instantly that you made a bad decision... it just ended the season because I had a brain fart at the absolute worst time.” (03:20)
• Don (on Islanders’ Schaefer): “There’s just an, I hate to say aura, but there’s just something... when you watch him, he looks very, very comfortable within the flow of a pro game for a kid that just, by the way, 19.” (14:14)
• Alan (on blue line production): “If you’re able to get points out of your blue line... that’s when you know you’re good.” (15:46)
• Alan (on the QB draft process): “It doesn’t seem like the scouts in the NFL put a lot of stock in the actual college game... They make jumps during pro days, combos.” (22:18)
• Don (on sports heartbreak): “It’s hard right now because it’s raw. Like you feel like your team should be there and they’re not, and it just annoys you. So I need a minute.” (06:32)

Episode Flow – Key Timestamps

• 00:43 – 05:54: Philly sports misery, Phillies’ wild finish, and possible Mets opportunism
• 05:07 – 08:04: Playoff apathy without local teams, shifting focus to hockey
• 10:49 – 17:36: NHL deep dive—Rangers’ bounce-back, Devils’ challenges, Islanders’ rookie hope (Schaefer)
• 19:38 – 24:48: College QBs, NFL draft speculation, and the perennial Jets quarterback search
• 24:48 – 26:06: Giants excitement, franchise-building, and previewing Don’s first Devils broadcast

Final Notes

This “Hockey Hour” features trademark New York sports banter, emotional catharsis about playoff defeats, emerging NHL storylines, and the eternal optimism (and skepticism) attached to scouting the next great quarterback. Don’s big moment with the Devils’ season opener is a recurring highlight, setting up a hopeful, if anxious, winter for fans.