Hour 4: Last Call Crew & Knicks Game 2 Preview

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 4: Last Call Crew & Knicks Game 2 Preview

Date: June 5, 2026
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn
Guest: Jake Asman

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Episode Overview

This episode zeroes in on the heated atmosphere ahead of Knicks vs. Spurs Game 2 in the NBA Finals. Don and Alan examine the conspiracies and realities around NBA officiating, fan enthusiasm in New York, watch party madness at MSG, and the lengths fans go for tickets. The Last Call Crew segment brings in Jake Asman, a rising voice on the New York sports scene. The conversation blends basketball analysis, sports fandom, nostalgia, humor, and a playful discussion about Sesame Street allegiances.

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Key Topics & Insights

1. NBA Finals Game 2: Knicks vs. Spurs Officiating Drama

• Setting the Stakes: Knicks lead the series 1-0. The pressure is high, and history shows teams rarely come back from losing the first two games at home.

  • “No team has ever come back to win a NBA final series when dropping the first two games at home.” — Alan Hahn (00:40)

• Conspiracy Theories about Ref Assignments:

  • Don and Alan discuss fan suspicions that the NBA assigns officiating crews to influence the outcome and extend series for TV ratings and revenue.
  • “[Assigning officials] could feel like it’s by design…like hey, we’re choosing who’s going to be officiating…let’s make sure it’s somebody that’s anti-Knick so we can get a 1-1 series. But you know that not to be a fact.” — Alan Hahn (01:36)
  • Don debunks the narrative, pointing out that officiating assignments are decided before the results of previous games are known.
  • “It isn’t like somebody’s behind the scenes twisting their mustache…That’s not what happens here.” — Don La Greca (02:12)

• Referee Impact on Series Flow:

  • Even if there’s no grand conspiracy, the refs can alter the tenor of a series by changing how fouls are called based on the previous game's play.
  • “There is a bit of a carryover that they might see things and say, ‘We’re not going to let that happen…we’re going to officiate that differently than game one.’” — Don La Greca (02:34)
  • The crew focuses on Tony Brothers, notorious among both Knicks and Spurs fans, and how public perception often lags behind officials' realities.
  • “Don’t fall into these things you find on social media and let it create this idea that there’s some type of a machine working behind all this.” — Don La Greca (04:40)

• Historical Perspective on Sports Rigging Theories:

  • Examples from the NHL and MLB show that big leagues don’t always get the markets or matchups that would be most lucrative, further refuting rigging suspicions.
  • “If the NBA could rig it, it wouldn’t be 27 years between Knick final appearances when you’ve got the number one market.” — Alan Hahn (05:03)
  • “The Rangers wouldn’t have gone 54 years between Cups if they rigged it.” — Don La Greca (06:27)

2. Officiating Style and Game Dynamics

• Changing Whistles Game to Game:

  • Don and Alan agree that while refs don’t favor teams, the officiating crew’s specific tendencies can change what defenses or offenses get away with from one game to the next.
  • “Officials do change the style and feel of a series from game to game. And that’s why…tonight, what I’m watching are the whistles.” — Don La Greca (06:42)

• “Correction” Mentality from Officials:

  • If Game 1 was loose, expect a tighter Game 2 — a consistency phenomenon rooted in human nature.
  • “If I tell Alan…you got to do this, you’re going to be really anal about it the next time you get a chance to correct it.” — Alan Hahn (07:28)

• San Antonio Fan Anxiety:

  • Recent officiating that upset Spurs fans could boil over if Game 2’s whistle isn’t favorable.
  • “If the Spurs don’t get a good whistle tonight…the building will be on fire…that’d be a big story.” — Don La Greca (08:18)

3. Fan Behavior: Brunson Hecklers and Venue Tension

• Update on Game 1 Courtside Incident:

  • The NBA banned fans who harassed Jalen Brunson in Game 1 from sitting courtside again.
  • “Those fans…are banned from sitting courtside…They cannot sit near the court.” — Don La Greca (09:37)

• NBA Courtside Proximity:

  • The closeness of fans to players in the NBA creates a uniquely intense atmosphere, especially compared to hockey or football.
  • “In the NBA, they’re right there. Oh, man, they’re right there on you.” — Alan Hahn (09:25)

4. Fans, Parties, and Secondary Market Madness (feat. Jake Asman)

• MSG Watch Party Hysteria:

  • Knick fans' energy is off the charts: long lines at bars, $10 watch party tickets reselling for $200, and the city buzzing in summer heat.
  • “Every single bar in the area has people already starting to gather…90 degrees outside. Knicks are playing ball in June. It’s awesome right now.” — Jake Asman (17:25)
  • “It is $200 to get in [the watch party at MSG] right now.” — Jake Asman (22:07)

• Reselling Furore and Garden of Dreams Foundation:

  • The original intent was for fans and charity, but the secondary market jumped in.
  • “Whoever sold them should give whatever money they made to the Garden of Dreams. Right? That’s only the right thing.” — Alan Hahn (22:21)

• Community & Nostalgia – Sesame Street Debate:

  • The hosts joke about Elmo being Switzerland (neutral), refusing to pick a Knicks side, and riff about which Sesame Street characters would support New York.
  • “Elmo is not going to ruffle any feathers…He is a trophy participation guy.” — Alan Hahn (17:59)
  • “Big Bird's not there anymore…Did they put little, like, gray feathers in Big Bird?” — Alan Hahn & Jake Asman (18:58-19:08)

• Best Age to “Freeze Yourself At”, Sports Fan Style:

  • The hosts and Jake joke about being stuck at the age of your current sports fan energy, how it feels to be a Knicks supporter in this era, and the cyclical joy/pain of NY fandom.
  • “It's good to be a fan of the Knicks right now. I love living in the city.” — Jake Asman (19:36)

• Jake Asman’s Perspective:

  • Sharing insight on being a devout NY sports fan while living in Houston, and not faking allegiance to local teams.
  • “As a Yankee fan, [living in Houston] was probably the hardest because the Astros were good every year…cheaters.” — Jake Asman (20:38)
  • “Oscar the Grouch probably would be rooted for the Rockets if they were in the NBA Finals.” — Jake Asman (20:54)

5. Knicks Watch Parties and Community Vibe

• Massive Demand:

  • Jake highlights huge demand for the MSG watch party—even with tickets originally $10 for charity, resale is astronomical.

• Playful Gripes about Pizza:

  • Alan and Don lament not getting offered a slice from fans who devoured a stack of pies near the studio.
  • “They brought, like, two or three pies. These guys ate it like it was a zombie movie.” — Alan Hahn (22:34)

6. Closing Thoughts & On-Air Banter

• Jake gets kudos for his versatility filling in at ESPN NY, and Don & Alan muse about maybe hosting an all-night celebration show if Knicks win it all.
  • “Second the clock, second the Pat's done with the postgame, we go on…all night long, local, taking calls.” — Alan Hahn (23:26)
• “Be in the streets with all the hooligans. Are you crazy?” — Don La Greca (23:56)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Ref Conspiracies:

  • “Somebody’s not behind the scenes twisting their mustache going, all right, let's put in Tony because he'll wreck the whole thing. No, that's not what happens here.” — Don La Greca (02:12)

• On Changing Officiating:

  • “What I’m watching are the whistles. Not because of intent…but what are you going to get away with? And it might benefit the Knicks.” — Don La Greca (06:42)

• On the Power of NY Markets:

  • “If the NBA could rig it, it wouldn’t be 27 years between Knick final appearances.” — Alan Hahn (05:03)

• Elmo Banter:

  • “Elmo is not going to ruffle any feathers. He is a trophy participation guy.” — Alan Hahn (17:59)
  • “Oscar the Grouch probably would be rooted for the Rockets…” — Jake Asman (20:54)
  • “Did they put little, like, gray feathers in Big Bird?” — Alan Hahn (19:01)

• NY Summer Sports Scene:

  • “Knicks are playing ball in June. It’s awesome right now.” — Jake Asman (17:25)
  • “It is $200 to get in right now [to MSG watch party].” — Jake Asman (22:07)

• On All-Night Knicks Win Party:

  • “Second the Pat’s done with the postgame, we go on. And we do shows like all night long, taking calls…” — Alan Hahn (23:26)
  • “Be in the streets with all the hooligans. Are you crazy?” — Don La Greca (23:56)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment/Topic | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:40 | The high stakes for Knicks in Game 2, history of teams down 0-2 in NBA Finals | | 01:13 | Officiating conspiracy theories and NBA assignments explained (Don, Alan) | | 02:14 | The “series extender” refs (Tony Brothers, Scott Foster) and real officiating impacts | | 04:40 | Social media myths about officiating, Spurs/Thunder game controversy | | 05:03 | Historical proof (NBA, NHL, MLB) that leagues can’t rig outcomes for markets | | 06:42 | How officiating style shifts from game to game, what to watch for tonight | | 07:28 | “Correction” mentality in officiating, analogy to human nature | | 08:18 | Spurs fan anxiety over Game 2 whistle, potential fallout | | 09:37 | NBA bans Game 1 hecklers from courtside at Spurs arena | | 17:25 | Jake Asman on fan fever, lines for bars and MSG, energy in NY | | 22:07 | Watch party ticket resale madness ($10 → $200) | | 22:34 | Fan feast—pizza at the event, hosts playfully disappointed | | 23:26 | Alan suggests all-night radio if Knicks win |

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Tone & Takeaways

• Candid, lively, and irreverent. Don and Alan blend serious sports analysis with humor and playful New York skepticism.
• Myth-busting: The hosts don’t buy into conspiracy theories, explaining practical realities of officiating and big-league scheduling.
• Emphasis on community: Knicks fever grips the city, stories of MSG madness and fan passion abound.
• Broad NY sports connection: Shout-outs to Yankees, Islanders, Mets, and the city’s unique fan energy.
• Riffing on culture: Sesame Street analogies and banter add levity and nostalgia.
• Call to embrace the moment: New Yorkers are urged to soak in the excitement—not everything in sports is a fix or a plot twist.

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For fans who missed this episode: Expect smart, funny, and insider talk about the NBA Finals, what really goes on with referees, New York sports culture at full blast, and a city living and breathing every moment of the Knicks' rare June basketball run.

Transcript

[Don LaGreca]

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[Alan Hahn]

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[Don LaGreca]

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[Alan Hahn]

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[Don LaGreca]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Don LaGreca]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 880 ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.

[Alan Hahn]

Knicks Spurs Game two. Knicks have won the first series first game and they've got the one nothing series lead. And no team has ever come back to win a NBA final series when dropping the first two games at home. So that's how close the Knicks might be to having to put the spurs up against the brink of history. 1-800-919-3776 Close it out with the last call crew. But Alan, I, I teased a question for you. All right listen everybody outside of the Knicks and Spurs who just want to win the damn series want to see a long series.

[Don LaGreca]

Right?

[Alan Hahn]

I mean you see those want to be entertained from game one. Nearly 17 million people watch game one. It behooves ABC. It behooves the NBA to see a classic seven game series.

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

So the Knicks are down one game to none or Knicks are up one?

[Don LaGreca]

None. Yep.

[Alan Hahn]

Now all of a sudden coincidental that you've got a officiating crew in which the Knicks have not had a winning

[Don LaGreca]

record with well against the spread.

[Alan Hahn]

Against the spread. And, and and also not very good in in wins either. So like that could feel like it's by design like hey, we're choosing who's going to be co officiating this crew. Let's make sure it's somebody that's like anti Nick so that we can get a best a one one series. But you know that not to be a fact.

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah. Just so anybody that wants to think that their funny business goes on here with all that stuff. Oh the crew in because they want the series extended before the finals begins is when they assign the officials to games. So I love like like they call Scott Foster the extender.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Don LaGreca]

Because he, he's great at extending a series that might be on the verge you don't he like he doesn't know what the series is going to be. He just knows I'm doing game five or I'm doing game six. Right. So Tony Brothers and, and Josh Tibben and, and Tyler Ford officials tonight, they don't know that it's going to be one nothing Knicks or one nothing spurs because they. All they know is we've got game two, that's it. So it isn't like some type. Somebody's not behind the scenes twisting their mustache going, all right, let's put in Tony because he'll wreck the whole thing. No, that's not what happens here. But it doesn't mean that the officials are aware of what happened in game one and are aware of, you know, how to work the game after what they witnessed, what they watched in game one. So there is some, there is a bit of a carryover that they might see things and say, we're not going to let that happen. Like we're going to, you know, we're going to officiate that differently than it was in game one. That does happen. So it is something to watch. But there isn't this thought of the NBA wants this season to go six games because, you know, ESPN wants that. They wanted the revenue. Look at game one, look at the viewership for game one. 90% better than last year. So you think they want a sweep? They don't want to sweep guys. That's not how it works. Keep this in mind. Curry versus LeBron. You would want that to go seven, wouldn't you?

[Alan Hahn]

Right?

[Don LaGreca]

It did in 2016. It was amazing, right? LeBron finally won his championship. Three one comeback, all that stuff. LeBron also got swept by Steph Curry.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, right.

[Don LaGreca]

Oh yeah. So you're not going to, you're not going to control it. But the game to game officiating, because it's a different crew, will feel different and at times we'll get this sense of one team being favored over the other. One last thing, the Tony Brothers thing that we talked about, how the spurs are so, so successful apparently against the spread, when Brothers is officiated, ask spurs fans how they feel about him and his crew because he reft game five against the Thunder. In game five against the Thunder, there were memes of people were creating AI pictures of Tony Brothers hugging Shay, Gilgis, Alexander or high fiving him and things like that because the officiating was so seemingly slanted towards the Thunder and Shea, I believe Shea had a ton of free throws in that, in that game, especially in the fourth quarter. So don't fall into these things you find on social media and let it create this idea that there's some type of a machine working behind all this. These games are played on the court. They're not decided in any boardroom or any. Any back room or any officiating room as well.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Because let's face it, nobody, I would think, at ABC were thrilled to see a Thunder Pacer final last year. So if the, if the NBA could rig it, it wouldn't be 27 years between Knick final appearances when you've got the number one market looking at these numbers.

[Don LaGreca]

Right.

[Alan Hahn]

And I think the Knicks are probably largely responsible for the number being as big as it is, I'm sure. All right.

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

I always hear it in the NHL. Well, up in Canada, I was like, oh, they want an American team to win. And in America, like, oh, they want Canada to do well. Listen, I can tell you, coming out of the lockout, this is how I knew there were never any conspiracy theories in the NHL coming out of the lockout in which they canceled an ent.

[Don LaGreca]

Entire season. No playoffs, no Cup. No.

[Alan Hahn]

Your Stanley Cup Final coming out of one of the darkest ages in the history of the NHL was Edmonton Carolina.

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

And that was followed up after Edmonton

[Don LaGreca]

didn't have Connor McDavid with, like, what, Doug Waite and all them, like, who was on those teams?

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, although there was. Was it Fernando Pasani and all that. Yeah, it was not your.

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah, that was. There was no star.

[Alan Hahn]

Exactly. And then they followed that up, which was a great series, and it went seven. They followed that series up with Anaheim Auto. All right. Then it got a little juicy when you got Detroit, Pittsburgh a couple of

[Don LaGreca]

years back, but that's a great.

[Alan Hahn]

The Rangers wouldn't have gone 54 years between cups if they rigged it. It's a great point, you know, so.

[Don LaGreca]

Hey, and by the way, after the Yankees miss out on 94, do you think MLB would want to see them get there in 95?

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

You know what I mean? Like, like, so there's this. There's all kinds of things that we. We love the conspiracies. I'm all for them. Fun with them all the time. But I. I read that because it was about betting. It was the spread. And I know Peter has put his money where his mouth is a lot of times with this Nick team. And that's the only reason why. But I will say, though, officials do change the style and feel of a series from game to game. And that's why to me tonight, what I'm watching are the whistles. Not because if there's intent for one team over the other, it's what are you going to get away with? What is. What are the. You going to be able to do defensively and it might benefit the Knicks. Towns might get the line a lot. Brunson might get to the line a lot. He didn't get to the line of game one. So I want to see how the whistle is impacted in this.

[Alan Hahn]

What I do think happens in sports, Allen is, all right, guys, you let him play in game one. Maybe we should tighten it up a little bit in game two or. I see this in the NHL a lot. It's like, you know what? I watched the end of the regular season. You guys were letting a lot of stuff go with, you know, cross checks or. Or the interference calls or goaltender inter. We need to tighten that up a little bit to come playoff time. And then all of a sudden you'll see like the same thing get called a lot. Because I do think they kind of stand. And it's only human nature if I tell Allen, Han, you know, you got to do this, you're going to be really anal about it the next time you got a chance to correct it.

[Don LaGreca]

Right.

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, that just. That's logic. Yeah, but it's all human nature. There's nobody pulling any strings as much as it feels like that sometimes. And you feel like, you know, they don't want the Knicks to win.

[Don LaGreca]

I'll tell you what, though.

[Alan Hahn]

First saying, oh, they want the Knicks to win.

[Don LaGreca]

I'll tell you what, though, because of what happened in game Tony Brothers and the Thunder with the spurs. If the spurs don't get a good whistle tonight and the Knicks. Knicks are the advantage of free throws and you know, whatever it is, that building will be on fire. Yeah, they'll be. They'll be going. They'll be going after him hard. You got to think about that because he's coming off where that game five allowed the Thunder to take the three two series lead. And everybody thought that series was probably over at that point. And there was a lot of spurs fans and a lot of San Antonio angst about the officiating that night. And if the next time they see him is in Game 2 of the Finals, down 01, and he's not giving them a fair whistle, at least they don't feel that way. And they lose the game. Yeah, that'd be a big story.

[Alan Hahn]

And. And I.

[Don LaGreca]

Big story.

[Alan Hahn]

And I wonder because like in the NHL, you're separated by glass, Right. Baseball and football, there's a fair distance between where you are and where the crowd is.

[Buster Olney]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

In the NBA, they're right there. Oh, man, they' right there on you

[Don LaGreca]

as Jalen found out in game one

[Alan Hahn]

and you're going to hear it. So it probably would be just human nature for him to go in there and feel away about it, you know, I don't know.

[Don LaGreca]

I don't know. You never know. You never know. For those just joining us that might not have heard it earlier though, the NBA investigation into those fans that were yelling at Brunson in Game 1, where Brunson was really having it out with them. Those fans have they, they were not season ticket holders of the spurs and the NBA said that they are banned from sitting courtside. They cannot if they're, if they buy courtside seats, they're not allowed to sit. So they'll have to sit somewhere else in the arena, but they can't sit near the court. So if they thought they were coming back for game two to harass him even more, that's not going to happen. Hey, soccer fans. Join us for a live broadcast presented by Milagro Tequila. It's all happening Friday, June 12th at Platt Deutsch in Franklin Square on Long Island. Get there early starting at 3pm grab a Milagrosa cocktail as we talk matchups and storylines while you get to be part of the live passionate soccer atmosphere. Don't miss this special live event with us on Friday, June 12. Is that next Friday?

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

You and me at Platt Deutsch in Franklin Square out on Long Island. All brought to you by Milagro Tequila.

[Alan Hahn]

Lot going on. Aaron Judge out for the foreseeable future. Knicks game two World Cup. It's just a lot of stuff going on.

[Don LaGreca]

Last open Belmonts this weekend. Did you see in Saratoga all of the jockeys are wearing Nick jerseys?

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, that's right.

[Don LaGreca]

All wearing Knick jerseys.

[Alan Hahn]

And I had forgotten that Belmont's gonna be in Saratoga because they're ren the track. So a lot of things happening. 1-800-919-3776, the Last Call Crew don on a Rosenberg live at Stout. Still time to swing by, although there's a huge line, I should say that because it is just absolutely crazy trying to get in here.

[Don LaGreca]

But that's where you're here. Come up.

[Alan Hahn]

We'll be here next week as well when the Knicks return home. We'll tell you details about that coming up. Don on a Roseburg till seven. Then it's Pat o' Keefe with the extended Knicks pregame show. Nick spurs right here on ESPN New York.

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[Alan Hahn]

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[Don LaGreca]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don LaGreca]

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

[Alan Hahn]

It's always good to see Jake Aspen worked his way in. There's a line around the block, but he started throwing names out and he

[Don LaGreca]

got into his way in.

[Alan Hahn]

He got into Stout.

[Don LaGreca]

I thought he just climbed up. Climbed up and climbed in a window or something, but it's. It's a long line out there, Jake. Isn't it?

[Jake Aspen]

Alan, it is nuts out there. But it pays to know the great Don legrecka. He just dropped the Don name that

[Don LaGreca]

let you write to the front.

[Jake Aspen]

I go, I know Don.

[Alan Hahn]

He said he works.

[Jake Aspen]

He's my father.

[Alan Hahn]

And he'll be right in.

[Jake Aspen]

And here we are. So it's an honor to be with you guys. Been listening throughout the afternoon. This is awesome, man.

[Don LaGreca]

He just called you old.

[Alan Hahn]

Listen, I get that, but he is still young enough to get away with it because it would work. Because I always. How old are you?

[Jake Aspen]

I'm 30.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. So I could have had a kid at 28. Right? Like most people do. I just waited till 49. Yeah, yeah. I'm a yo yo, which is the way. But you were talking about how it is outside. What's going on?

[Jake Aspen]

Every single bar in the area has people already starting to gather, wait online, and then you come to the Stout line and it's out of control. So everyone who's already in here was wise to get in here early because everybody. 90 degrees outside. Dicks are playing ball in June. It's. It's awesome right now.

[Don LaGreca]

All right, I need to know where he stands. Did you grow up? Sesame street stuff?

[Jake Aspen]

I was a fan of the show.

[Don LaGreca]

Okay. All right. So you knew about it. How do you feel about Elmo just, you know, being so down the middle once? Everybody just have fun and we all know where Sesame street is.

[Jake Aspen]

He's from New York.

[Don LaGreca]

Thank you.

[Jake Aspen]

So I think it's. Did you get brought on this? Yeah, Elmo's a fraud.

[Alan Hahn]

No, I'm not a fraud. Because he's not. He's not a fan of anything. He's just a fan of everybody being okay. He is a trophy participation guy. Like, he.

[Don LaGreca]

He.

[Alan Hahn]

Elmo is not going to ruffle any feathers.

[Jake Aspen]

Does Elmo want happiness for people?

[Don LaGreca]

Yes.

[Jake Aspen]

Does he live in New York?

[Alan Hahn]

He doesn't think of it that way. Elmo.

[Jake Aspen]

But the Knicks winning happiness to where Elmo lives.

[Alan Hahn]

They want ratings in Texas. They want ratings in San Antonio. He just wants everybody to be happy.

[Don LaGreca]

But you know how miserable. No, no.

[Alan Hahn]

He's a puppet, for Christ's sake.

[Don LaGreca]

I don't care. This San Antonio knows that. They've got years to win a championship with that guy Wemby. They just won five. It's. It's in New York basketball.

[Alan Hahn]

He doesn't even speak normally.

[Don LaGreca]

But you know what? Mari Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony were on his show.

[Alan Hahn]

They were. It's not his show.

[Don LaGreca]

It was on his show.

[Alan Hahn]

The Elmo was there when I was watching.

[Don LaGreca]

Who's Big Bird rooting for?

[Jake Aspen]

Did we cover that?

[Don LaGreca]

We know already. Big.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't even think Big Bird's on Sesame street anymore.

[Jake Aspen]

Big Bird's not there anymore.

[Alan Hahn]

I think they.

[Jake Aspen]

Well, back in my day.

[Don LaGreca]

Did they send him away?

[Alan Hahn]

I think they discontinued.

[Don LaGreca]

Did you notice they put little, like, gray feathers in Big Bird? Like, recently when my kids were little, I was watching them because when he's getting older. When did he get gray feathers?

[Alan Hahn]

Because he's getting older.

[Jake Aspen]

How do we choose which cartoons get

[Don LaGreca]

older and which don't I know you

[Jake Aspen]

turn on Family Guy. I mean, Peter Griffin still.

[Don LaGreca]

Nobody.

[Alan Hahn]

Nobody ever gets in the Simpsons. They've had, like, 5,000 episodes. And Bart's still, like 8 years old or whatever.

[Don LaGreca]

If only we could. If there's an age that you could stay at Jake, what would it be? Forever?

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, he's feeling it right now.

[Don LaGreca]

You think he's feeling it right now?

[Jake Aspen]

Well, I feel like it's either where I'm at now or you go back a lot younger to your college years if you want to relive, like, those glory years.

[Don LaGreca]

But you have to stay that forever.

[Jake Aspen]

Yeah, it's tough. I mean, I would probably say the age range I'm in right now because it's. It's good to be a fan of the Knicks right now. I love living in the city. Yeah. It's like I have a lot of friends and family that's here again. I mean, I lived in Texas for six years to try and come back.

[Don LaGreca]

That's right.

[Jake Aspen]

To New York.

[Alan Hahn]

That's what I was gonna ask you because Jake does great job on our radio station filling in, doing shows. And he's a future star. There's no question about it. And I got to know him going to Super Bowls because you were doing shows at the Super Bowl.

[Jake Aspen]

You came on with me, Don, at The super bowl, ironically, in Houston, my senior year of college, it was the Falcons, Patriots, Super Bowl. You came on in person and then, you know, let's say 16 months later, I ended up moving to Houston and was down there doing radio for almost six years.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. And so. So you're, you know, you're a big Yankee fan, big Nick fan, big Islander fan, big Jet fan. Of course, that's where you really made your bones with your YouTube show and all that, and you've really been creative with that. But how did you handle living away from New York for six years with all of your favorite teams being based in New York?

[Jake Aspen]

I think the key is, obviously, I'm not going to pretend like I'm a Rockets fan. I'm certainly not going to pretend like I'm an Astros fan. As a Yankee fan, that was probably the hardest because the Astros were good every year. They were in the World Series and cheaters. Yeah, I had to deal with that

[Don LaGreca]

as a Yankee fan also, you know,

[Jake Aspen]

so that was tough.

[Don LaGreca]

They also. They also like to bang on a garbage can every now and then.

[Jake Aspen]

Yeah. I mean, Oscar the Grouse probably, probably would be rooted for the Rockets if they were in the NBA Finals.

[Don LaGreca]

I imagine someone like you with a run like this that the Knicks are on. Like what? Like on a. On a game day, like a game nights. There's. Everybody's doing watch parties, everybody's doing something thing. What do you got going on? Do you have something going on that. That you do that, you know, is part of? I mean, you're really smart at finding ways to do either a watch party or do something on YouTube live to generate a lot of interest. What are you doing?

[Jake Aspen]

Yeah, tonight I'm actually going to the watch party at MSG in the Garden. So I. I was lucky to be one of the few that could get a ticket. They didn't have to pay a million bucks on the second market.

[Don LaGreca]

So the gentleman right behind you who still thinks Mike Woodson is coaching the team. Right. He called in and had a Freudian slip. He said he was on a waiting list. That was what was number

[Jake Aspen]

29,000.

[Don LaGreca]

That was the waiting list.

[Jake Aspen]

It's unbelievable. And these tickets cost $10. Originally hosted by the Garden, and they go to the Garden of Dreams Foundation. So I just think it's terrible that people.

[Don LaGreca]

They've raised a lot of money for the Garden of Dreams foundation and people

[Jake Aspen]

are taking a ticket that's supposed to be for true Knick fans, and it goes to a great cause and they're reselling it walking in here.

[Don LaGreca]

Alan.

[Jake Aspen]

I can resell these. Yes.

[Don LaGreca]

And they're going for 200 to get

[Jake Aspen]

in right now for a watch party.

[Don LaGreca]

200?

[Jake Aspen]

I went to Yankees Mets at Citi Field a couple weeks ago. I paid $148 for my tick get in right now to watch on the Jumbotronics in the finals. It is 200 to get in, right?

[Don LaGreca]

I didn't know that you could that that you could do secondary market on these.

[Jake Aspen]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

And you know what? Whoever sold them should give whatever money they made to the garden of dreams. Right? That's the only the right thing.

[Don LaGreca]

If I were the Knicks, I'd almost amazed now.

[Alan Hahn]

But before we go, I just got to mention there's like four or five guys that are to our right here. Big Nick.

[Don LaGreca]

They are.

[Jake Aspen]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

And I was jealous. I'm starving. I'm gonna get something to eat when I get home. They brought like what? They brought like two or three pies. These guys ate it like it was a zombie movie. Oh really? By the way, no, I didn't want devoured that piece.

[Don LaGreca]

Thanks, boys. No, you could have asked because I

[Alan Hahn]

really thought there was a chance that

[Don LaGreca]

maybe they say, hey, hey, Don Allen.

[Alan Hahn]

You want to say thanks for entertaining us, we'll give you a slide. No, it was gone.

[Don LaGreca]

Jeez. It's not even a crumb crust and

[Alan Hahn]

all they just devoured it but animals. Jake, when are you going to be on again?

[Jake Aspen]

It's a great question.

[Don LaGreca]

John. John Winthrop.

[Jake Aspen]

I have no idea when one of you guys is sick or Michael's calling

[Don LaGreca]

a game right now.

[Jake Aspen]

Dan's doing a different show that I get the slide in for the whatever.

[Alan Hahn]

Enjoy it. He's gonna be in the championship.

[Don LaGreca]

Be ready.

[Jake Aspen]

I'm ready.

[Don LaGreca]

I don't know what condition I'm gonna be in after that.

[Jake Aspen]

You're taking your shirt off J.R. smith style.

[Don LaGreca]

I saw I might be shirtless.

[Alan Hahn]

You know what? I got an idea. I wonder if I'm gonna run it by John. All right, that and you're not gonna like it, but I think it's a good idea. You might do it anyway.

[Don LaGreca]

Involves me working more.

[Alan Hahn]

I remember real good. Jacob will love this. We gotta go. I only got a few seconds. When Brett Favre signed with the Jets. Yeah, they called me up. It was like 2 o' clock in the morning. I plugged in the comics. I did a show show because we just wanted to be local when Favre joined the Jets. Yeah, I say the second the clock second the Pat's done with the post game. We go on. And we do shows like All Night Long, local taking calls. Me, you, Rick.

[Don LaGreca]

Be in the streets with all the hooligans. Are you crazy?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, then bring your cell phone. We'll call you. You'll be a guest. I think this would be a good idea. All right, let's do it.

[Don LaGreca]

Thank you, everybody.

[Jake Aspen]

Thank you.

[Don LaGreca]

Enjoy the game tonight.

[Alan Hahn]

Back here next week for games three and four. But coming Pat o' Keefe coverage, Knicks spurs, game two, right here on ESPN New York.

[Don LaGreca]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, man. I just want to know. It's good. 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.

[Alan Hahn]

Your next chapter in healthcare starts at Carrington College's School of Nursing in Portland. Join us for our open house on Tuesday, January 13th from 4 to 7pm you'll tour our campus, see live demos, meet instructors and learn about our associate

[Jake Aspen]

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[Alan Hahn]

to become a registered nurse.

[Jake Aspen]

Take the first step toward your nursing career.

[Alan Hahn]

Save your spot now at Carrington Edu Events.

[Jake Aspen]

For information on program outcomes, visit carrington.

[Alan Hahn]

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