Hour 4: NFL Announcer Lineup & Bellinger

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 4: NFL Announcer Lineup & Bellinger

Date: January 10, 2026
Podcast: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg (ESPN New York)
Hosts: Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg, Don La Greca

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the NFL Wild Card weekend's matchups, focusing on the announcer lineups for each game, and then pivots to hot-button New York baseball topics—particularly Cody Bellinger's free agency and the Yankees' approach. The trio also touches on New York Giants' coaching possibilities and finishes with an update on the Knicks’ upcoming road trip. The conversation is lively, playful, and filled with familiar camaraderie, with quick-witted banter and some classic New York sports skepticism.

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KEY SEGMENTS & INSIGHTS

1. NFL Wild Card: Play-by-Play Announcer Lineup (00:29–13:27)

Saturday Games (00:29–03:09)

• Rams at Panthers (4:30 PM, FOX)

  • Announcers: Joe Davis, Greg Olsen, Pam Oliver, Christina Pink
  • Peter Rosenberg's take: "The Panthers are a Thursday night dream. But...with Matt Stafford and Devonte Adams and a sexy Rams team...the swagger is back." (00:29)
  • Playful hype about Greg Olsen: "Big Greg is in the house!" (00:48)

• Packers at Bears (8:00 PM, Prime Video)

  • Announcers: Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, Kaylee Hartung
  • Notable: Only the third time ever these division rivals meet in the playoffs.

Sunday Games (03:13–09:08)

• Bills at Jaguars (1:00 PM, CBS)

  • Announcers: Jim Nance, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson
  • Rosenberg praises Nance: "His week to week energy, intensity and knowledge is incredibly impressive. I really do." (04:19)

• 49ers at Eagles (4:30 PM, FOX)

  • Announcers: Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi
  • Rosenberg dubs it "the Ricky Watters Bowl" (06:00), joking both teams have fanbases that don't know true heartache: "I want them both to lose. These are two fan bases who just don't understand what it's like to feel the pain in a real way." (06:28)

Sunday Night (10:56–13:27)

• Chargers at Patriots (8:15 PM, NBC)
  • Announcers: Mike Tirico, Chris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark
  • Hosts joke about the abundance of Collinsworth: "We got more Collins. We got Chris Collinsworth, folks." (11:42)
  • Sideline atmosphere: "Both sidelines have chicken broth and hot chocolate." (12:11)

Monday Night (13:00–13:27)

• Texans at Steelers (8:15 PM, ABC/ESPN)
  • Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters, Laura Rutledge
  • Rosenberg torn: "I'm absolutely rooting for Houston given that they're my six-point play...but when I watch old man Rodgers, he's just one of my favorite quarterbacks I've ever gotten to watch. It's going to be hard to root against him." (12:44)

Memorable Quotes / Banter

• On Jim Nance:
  • "Classic smooth. And just doesn't miss a beat." – Alan Hahn (04:36)
  • "He's also one of the greats. Just not my particular cup of tea." – Don Hahn (05:22)
• On Al Michaels:
  • "I think he's mailed it in." – Don Hahn (05:09)
  • "He's just thinking about what steak am I having them wheel in for my meal." – Peter Rosenberg (05:19)

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2. Yankees & Cody Bellinger Free Agency (18:47–22:46)

Overview and Yankees’ Position

• Michael Kay's Perspective (clip):
  • "If he took the Yankee offer, he would be in the top five average annual value of outfielders in Major League Baseball right now." (18:57)
• Yankees’ offer: Reportedly $30M per year, but not over seven years.
• Yankees’ Dilemma: Should they bend to Bellinger’s desire for a longer deal?
  • Don Hahn: "You're really dancing with the PR hit of a second consecutive year losing a great player...But the Yankees are still working within a budget and overpaying for players is just not good business." (19:45)
• Age & Risk: "All these fans that are like, oh, give him whatever he wants, give him a seven-year deal, they're the ones that are going to complain if he's a useless player at 35, 36, 37 years old, landlocking them." – Don Hahn (20:15)
• Potential for a salary cap coming to MLB, which could make long contracts extra risky.

Other Teams in the Mix

• Mets, Dodgers, Giants, and Blue Jays all rumored to be interested.
  • "They can't sign everybody. So it's just now that there's an offer on the table, we'll see if they'll go there." – Don Hahn (22:27)

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3. Giants Coaching Search & John Harbaugh Rumors (22:46–25:52)

Latest News

• Giants have met with Kevin Stefanski and Antonio Pierce.
• Harbaugh Rumors: Giants' biggest target.
• Sal Palantonio’s (NFL expert) take:
  • Harbaugh's issue in Baltimore: constant churn at offensive coordinator, not maximizing Lamar Jackson.
  • "If you're going after Harbaugh, the first question I'm asking is, who's your OC? Who's your play designer? Who's going to sit on the bench after the series is over with Jackson Dart and go over the Microsoft tablet?" (24:20)

Continuity Question

• "Could Mike Kafka stay on as OC? Dart's played well with him as his offensive coordinator...you're always looking for continuity. Would Harbaugh be willing to do that?" – Don Hahn (24:45)

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4. Knicks Upcoming Road Trip & Outlook (25:52–28:00)

Knicks Schedule

• Starts a Western road trip vs. the Suns, then Trailblazers, Kings, Warriors.
• Alan Hahn emphasizes importance of getting Karl-Anthony Towns involved:
  • "He has to touch the basketball. He has to feel part of it. I think they've gotten away from it...he's a little like a wide receiver; if you don’t throw him the ball early in the game, he gets frustrated." (26:44)
• "This is a get-right trip." – Alan Hahn (27:38)

Playoff & Season Tone

• Not an especially demanding trip; time for Knicks to rack up wins and regain confidence.

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On NFL Announcers:

  • "He's been around for so long...I just found them kind of corny." – Don Hahn on Jim Nance (04:40)
  • "That tea is too mild." – Don Hahn on Nance's style (05:34)

• On the sports fan experience:

  • Rosenberg, on Eagles and 49ers fans: “These are two fan bases who just don't understand what it's like to feel the pain in a real way.” (06:28)

• On dealing with big contracts:

  • "Fans say: ‘Give him whatever he wants’...they’re the ones that are going to complain if he’s a useless player at 35, 36, 37." – Don Hahn (20:15)

• Giants’ coaching search:

  • "If you're going after Harbaugh...who's your OC? Who's your play designer?" – Sal Palantonio (24:20)

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TIMESTAMPED HIGHLIGHTS

| Timestamp | Segment Topic | Notable Quote / Moment | |-----------|----------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 00:29 | NFL Wild Card Announcer Hype | "Big Greg is in the house!" – Rosenberg | | 04:19 | Jim Nance Discussion | "His week to week energy...is incredibly impressive."| | 05:09 | On Al Michaels | "I think he's mailed it in." – Don Hahn | | 06:28 | 49ers/Eagles Fanbases | "I want them both to lose." – Rosenberg | | 12:44 | Monday Night Quarterback Loyalty | "It's going to be hard to root against him." – PR | | 18:57 | Yankees’ Offer to Bellinger | "He would be in the top five...outfielders..." – MK | | 20:15 | Long Bellinger Contract Risk | "They're the ones that are gonna complain..." – DH | | 24:20 | Giants/Harbaugh OC Question | "Who's your play designer?" – Sal Palantonio | | 26:44 | Knicks/Carl-Anthony Towns | "He has to touch the basketball..." – Alan Hahn | | 27:38 | Knicks Road Trip Tone | "This is a get-right trip." – Alan Hahn |

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FINAL NOTES / TONE

This hour radiates with playful rapport, deep knowledge of New York sports, and honest, no-spins takes (with plenty of ribbing, especially about sports announcers and tortured fan bases). There’s also a nuanced focus on decision-making for both teams and players (Yankees and Bellinger, Giants and Harbaugh), emphasizing smart management over fan appeasement or recency bias. The show wraps with a reminder that, for New York teams, the journey is always eventful—and that sometimes, as with the Knicks’ trip, it’s about getting right rather than being spectacular.

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For full energy and laughs, listen for the interplay around announcer clichés, the "cup of tea" debate, and the resigned wisdom about long-term deals with aging stars.

Transcript

[Peter Rosenberg]

New year, same extra value meals at McDonald's. So now get two snack wraps plus fries and a medium soft drink for just $8 for a limited time only. Prices and participation may vary. Prices may be higher in Hawaii, Alaska and California.

[Don Hahn]

And for delivery.

[Podcast Announcer]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don Hahn]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Podcast Announcer]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh yeah baby. Oh yeah, Bab baby. It's happening folks. The playoffs are. Playoffs. Yeah. Yeah, that's right, Jim. The playoffs are here and they kick off on Saturday at 4:30. You know, it doesn't really smell like the microphone in the studio or a Thursday night. Exactly. It's close. The Panthers are a Thursday night dream. But with Matt Stafford and Devonte Adams and a sexy Rams team, a team with experience. Sean McVay, a Super bowl ring jingling and jangling. The Rams ten and a half point favorites at the Panthers 430 on Saturday. It's on Fox, folks. That means it's a Joe Davis vehicle. Oh my gosh. He will be joined by Greg Urisi chilling on the seventh floor. I gotta let these chickens know big Greg is in the house. Pam Oliver's on the sideline. Although because it's a big playoff game, you know, sometimes you got to get some more dates in for people. So we also have Christina Pink. Oh yeah, the swagger is back. It takes us to 8 o', clock, the game of the weekend. As the great Alan Hahn said earlier. You'll be shocked to know guys, that Ballard sent off to Twitter because he's a great supporter of the show. Still sent off his picks. You'll never guess what his six point play is.

[Don Hahn]

Packers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, that's why he's such a great person to listen to. It picks. No bias in there whatsoever. The Green Bay Packers, a short favorite at the Bears. The Bears, they've split over the last month or so and it's only the third time guys in history they've played in the playoffs.

[Don Hahn]

Eight o'.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Clock. It's gonna be freezing in Chicago on Prime. Hopefully the cold weather keeps awake Al Michaels. He did what? He'll be joined by the immensely talented Kirk Herbstreet. That's right, Kirk, Herb street and KB Harding.

[Don Hahn]

I love you guys. Great job guys.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What was that from?

[Don Hahn]

From the Home Depot commercials.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Ah, that's right. Kirk, Herb Street. Yeah, he means it. We go to Sunday, guys. Let's take a trip down to visit shot and Tony Khan and the Yaksonville Jaguars. However, this isn't the Jaguars team of yesteryear. Mark Brunel will not be walking in that building.

[Don Hahn]

Natron Means.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Natron Means is nowhere to be seen.

[Don Hahn]

Freddie. Fred Taylor.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, you're not going to see Fred Taylor. He won't be there. Well, maybe he'll be there. I don't know.

[Alan Hahn]

To watch the game, Buy a ticket.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sure he can. I bet they even cop him one. The Buffalo Bill at at the Jaguars. Now Buffalo A short 1 1/2 point favorite in Jacksonville. It's 1 o'.

[Don Hahn]

Clock. Why not?

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's a CBS vehicle. Thoughts? Jim Nance. Hello, friends. He'll be joined by Tony Romo. Hey, take your helmet off. Give it to me.

[Podcast Announcer]

Give it to me. There you go. Thank you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, you can't do that.

[Commercial Narrator]

That's not.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And Tracy Wolfson.

[Alan Hahn]

Wow, what a game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

As we expected. Now I'm gonna say something. I think Don and I are polar opposites on this. But then again, the man's never seen Batman. So what are we talking about? I gotta tell you, we give a hard time to people, you know, if they're not really dialed in. And you know, the great Al Michaels has had his moments. I know Don's not like a. Am I wrong that you're not a huge fan? I think Jim Nance, he's got to be now what? In his early 70s.

[Don Hahn]

Wow.

[Alan Hahn]

Let's check his.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Allen. I think his week to week energy, intensity and knowledge is incredibly impressive. I really do.

[Alan Hahn]

I agree.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's 66. Sorry, I added five years. He's just really serious.

[Don Hahn]

My cup of tea. I'm not saying older. Good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, he's just been around for so long. That's what I thought.

[Alan Hahn]

Classic smooth. And just doesn't miss a beat.

[Don Hahn]

He's the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think so too.

[Don Hahn]

He falls in the same category as the late Dick Edinburgh. They were great broadcasters but I just, I found them kind of corny and just.

[Alan Hahn]

I wouldn't. That's not too vanilla.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know what you're saying in terms of like. I know what you're saying in terms of like a little corny or hokey. But Don, I think when it's all said and done, man, Nance is gonna be up there. He's there. That voice is. I just love everybody. No, you don't.

[Don Hahn]

Listen, Al Michaels, I think he's mailed it in. Like I don't think he puts in the same effort. It just. And that's what bothers me because he's on the Mount Rushmore and it doesn't feel like.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And he's just thinking about what steak am I having them wheel in for my meal.

[Don Hahn]

He just, you know, feels that way. That's why I'm critical of him. But, you know, Jim Nance is also one of the greats. Just not my particular. Cup of tea.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Cup of tea.

[Don Hahn]

Okay, it's fair enough.

[Alan Hahn]

Fair enough.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because we love tea.

[Don Hahn]

And I just think it's, it's a little too, you know, that tea is too mild.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's not your kind of tea.

[Don Hahn]

That's right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We go to 430. We take a trip down 95 to Philadelphia, where the defending champs are looking to get things on track as they host the San Francisco 49ers in something I like to call the Ricky Waters Bowl. The Niners and the Eagles. How you like that, dog?

[Don Hahn]

That's a good point.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thank you. Thank you. Right there for you.

[Don Hahn]

Not a strange one, but. But a good one.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, it's not strange. It's not strange, but it's 4:30 on Fox with Kevin Burkhart, Boston College. He'll be joined by Tom Brady, Eren Andrews.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, old man, I can joke.

[Rich Eisen]

With you about that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And Thomas Rinaldi.

[Alan Hahn]

How spectacular and great is this?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm excited for that game, guys. It's gonna be. That is gonna be a good one. Although I hate them both. Like, I want them both to lose.

[Alan Hahn]

I just have.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I got no love for the Eagles. I got no love for the Niners. These are two fan bases who just don't understand what it's like to feel the pain in a real way.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, the Eagles used to feel that way.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. But not recently.

[Alan Hahn]

But not in the last 10 years.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But honestly, can we be, can we be real for a second? If you really think about it, it's basically over 20, 20 of compete.

[Alan Hahn]

The McNabb years.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They were there like they were the Super Bowls championship games, but it was still that hard.

[Alan Hahn]

That frustrating heartache. Pain kind of like they hadn't won yet. Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, let me put it this way, Alan. If you're 30 years old, when you were like 8, they started really battling with McNabb. You didn't know. Years and years of heartache.

[Rich Eisen]

Yes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They'd never won a Super bowl, but you weren't around for all that. So if you're a 30 year old fan, they've basically been good your whole life with a couple of rings to boot. It's brutal.

[Don Hahn]

And what's the dark side of The San Francisco 49er era? The Jeff Garcia time.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Jim Tom losing in Lambeau Yeah, there you go. Head coach passing gas at the podium.

[Peter Rosenberg]

There you go.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Speaking of a stranger, you don't remember Jim Tomsula? His podiums were just remarkable, like really remarkable. Hold on. Yeah. I'm telling you it left, it left an indelible mark on me. He was a coach for a year and yet most of the audio we got out of his because I was doing national that he was. Most of the audio was just noises he would make and crazy things he would say.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I looked recently they had post Kaepernick. They had a several year pretty big bad run too.

[Alan Hahn]

I think that was him after Harbaugh. Right after Harbaugh left.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

And then.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, that was it.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. There was like this, this bridge in between of awfulness and then.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, that was. Yes, that was it. That was three years of nasty.

[Don Hahn]

Three years, Peter. Oh my God.

[Alan Hahn]

I know.

[Don Hahn]

How do you get cheese?

[Alan Hahn]

I know.

[Rich Eisen]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

Sunday Night Football. This is going to be a fun one. And if I'm you folks, and you're listening I to your nearest fanduel application. And I put a lot of money on the LA Chargers because this show is firmly locked behind the New England Patriots. Yes, we are the Chargers at the Pats. Couple of great young quarterbacks battling at 8:15 on NBC with Mike Tirico on the call.

[Don Hahn]

They still seem to resonate.

[Sal Palantoni]

Tom, there are three teams.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, we. I mean, he had an epic call at the end of the game. We're just gonna go with disrespected Dom being disrespected.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He'll be joined by Chris Collinsworth. I love Wicked. I saw the play. I'm sophisticated. We got more Collins. We got Chris Collinsworth, folks.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, oh, no.

[Alan Hahn]

I was like, you pulled out straw in the playoffs.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I thought Collinsworth throw.

[Alan Hahn]

We had more Collinsworth, don't we? Chris Collinsworth.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, come on.

[Alan Hahn]

Come on.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That is terrible.

[Don Hahn]

There you go.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He missed a few early on and then he just threw it in the other guy's hole. You got to put one down.

[Alan Hahn]

No, no. We could have ended on the other one. That's good. We're good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Of course you wanted that one. Melissa Stark on the sideline. Both sidelines have chicken broth and hot chocolate.

[Alan Hahn]

Yum.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now that literally makes her sound. Melissa Stark is a respected veteran reporter. Right? And it literally makes. That makes it sound like she was doing a project Martha Stewart.

[Alan Hahn]

That was like Martha Stewart was reporting on the sideline about the hot chocolate and chicken broth.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We go to Monday night. The last game of the weekend will be very interesting. And I got to tell you guys, it's going to be funny for me because I'm absolutely rooting for Houston given that they're my six point play.

[Alan Hahn]

I need it big.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But when I watch old man Rogers, he's just one of my favorite quarterbacks I've ever gotten to watch. It's going to be hard to root against him. 8:15 Texans, three point favorites in Pittsburgh. We're on ABC SPM. We got Joe Buck on the call.

[Alan Hahn]

I have proof Joe Buck is the spawn of fate.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He'll be joined by Troy Aikman.

[Alan Hahn]

He is so hot inside.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Lisa Salters. Welcome to the playoffs. And Laura Rutland.

[Alan Hahn]

Enjoy that fight. I mean, just, just deadpan. They're just, they're just dead.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That'll be it for your NFL announcer lineup for week one, the wild card weekend of your 2026 playoff. Thank you, Al. Thank you.

[Alan Hahn]

Thank you. It's almost like this is, this is a sad one today. Right? Because after this they're just going to be shorter and shorter. Enjoy that flight.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, exactly.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

She's talking to me tomorrow.

[Alan Hahn]

So deadpan, right? Oh. Have fun. Geez, thanks. That's all they got.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I. I don't even know what the situation was when she's saying that like.

[Alan Hahn]

Right. But for you, Peter, enjoy that flight.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thank you.

[Alan Hahn]

For you. Enjoy tonight. Where can those who want to consume you, consume you?

[Peter Rosenberg]

They will be able to consume me when these shows air in about a month on tube.

[Alan Hahn]

That's what we're doing now.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But if you didn't watch this week's episode, our first of the year aired this past Wednesday and it was tremendous. So check out WWE Evolve every Wednesday night on Tubi. But yeah, I got a lot of shows to do tonight.

[Alan Hahn]

So you're just, you're just. There's a lot of tape going. A lot of tape.

[Peter Rosenberg]

A lot of tape. But it doesn't feel like tape. It just feels like live shows. And I just filled this water bottle with half hot and half cold water. Some nice lukewarm to try to keep the nice. You're always thinking, I'm trying.

[Alan Hahn]

It's good. It's a. Tepid water is best though. You absorb it better.

[Commercial Narrator]

Tepid.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This is tepid, right?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, if you're doing hot and cold, that's tepid. Lukewarm. That's tepid, yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay, good. I wanna make sure I'm doing the right thing.

[Alan Hahn]

Absorbs better, keeps you hydrated quicker. Thank you. That's good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thank you.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, well, you look great. Have a good one. I know you have to run, love.

[Don Hahn]

Enjoy. Right.

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[Podcast Announcer]

For listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Podcast Announcer]

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

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, we had a couple of non sports heated debates today, Donnie, and one of them of course was the whole idea of Purple Rain not being a song that Peter would want to have in his jukebox and then debating all the different Prince songs which led to the revelation that you have not seen a single Batman movie. And that turned into a whole other discussion. So this, this has been a day. This has been a full day. And right now, to tell you more about today, it is game time brought to you by Tullamore. Do Irish Whiskey because Donnie, when it's game time, it's teletown. There is Knicks visit the Suns tonight in Phoenix. We have coverage following Dan Grassa who's on right after us on 880 at 8:30. Note the start time. It's a 9 o' clock tip off in Phoenix. The Nets host the Clippers in Barkley center at 7:30. And we also have coverage of the Peach Bowl. That's Indiana and Oregon. That's the other national semifinal. That'll be on 10:50am and that starts at 7. Tullamore Dew, the original triple distilled, triple blended, triple cast mature Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Telemardu or try the new Telemore Dew honey during today's action, glasses up to enjoying Tullamore Dew responsibly. Cody Bellinger, have you seen the latest there?

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, just about the offers that I guess he's turning down and Michael's talking.

[Alan Hahn]

About like the limited years on it here, here's, here's Michael K. On the offer to Bellinger.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think the Yankees have made an eminently fair offer. Let me take that back. They haven't made a fair offer. They've made an extraordinarily good offer. And you know why I say that? If he took the Yankee offer, he would be in the top five average annual value of outfielders in major League Baseball right now.

[Alan Hahn]

So the offer that is being reported that the Yankees are offering is, is not like he's looking for, I think more than 30, I guess, and they're offering an annual of 30. But they're trying to get it up to seven years and k is saying they can't do that. Kay saying the Yankees should tell Bellinger if he wants seven and thinks he can get it from another team, go ahead and get it. Do you think that's the right play here for the Yankees?

[Don Hahn]

Well, yeah, because you know, you saw it with Soto. There's got to be a limit of what you're willing to give. And I think Bellinger is a hell of a player, but really the only thing you're really dancing with is the PR hit of a second consecutive year losing A great player. But the Yankees are still working within a budget and overpaying for players is just not good business. You talk about a player that what, is going to be 30?

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Don Hahn]

So all these fans that are like, oh, give him whatever he wants, give him a seven year deal, they're the ones that are going to complain if he's a useless player at 35, 36, 37 years old, landlocking them. And let's not forget about the elephant in the room and that is the possibility of there being a salary cap in a couple of years where a player like that might really landlock you into becoming a better team. Now, is there another team that's going to make an offer? I don't know. Well, the Mets.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, that's what's interesting here is that Dodgers, Giants, like there's, you know, Mets are certainly named here, but the fact that this is continuing on like now we are getting kind of late now, aren't we into this, into the situation here? We're in almost in mid January.

[Don Hahn]

This is, this is right. Was it a couple of years ago where he had as many as four of his free agents not in camp?

[Alan Hahn]

Yep. Yeah, but not, not a guy of this, this status though. They didn't have anybody this big.

[Don Hahn]

Well, no, but listen, it's January 9th, right?

[Alan Hahn]

It's, it's the 9th.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, it's the 9th today. We're still next week.

[Alan Hahn]

We're in the middle of January.

[Don Hahn]

All right. So we're still a month away from pitchers and catch pitchers and catchers and so you're probably about five. We still have plenty of time to get things done. But it does go quick. Right. And then next thing you know, it's like, well, what was there no deal.

[Alan Hahn]

I just feel like if he was able to get the seven years and over 30 a year that, that's being reported that he, that, that Boris is looking for, for him, if somebody else already had that on the table, he would have taken it. If it wasn't that, you know what, I, my first priority is to stay with the Yankees. So, and Boris is telling them, don't worry, I'll, I'll squeeze them into getting the most we can out of them.

[Don Hahn]

Well, now, now you actually have an offer like so these teams are probably waiting and see, let's see what the Yankees offer. He wants to stay Yankee. We know we're probably going to have to pay a little bit more to get him because he wants to be a Yankee, so let's let the Yankees make the offer. And we'll go from there, right? Yankees aren't willing to give him seven of the Dodgers, the Mets, the Blue Jays, are they willing to give seven? What's going to happen to Tucker? Does he go first? A lot of rumors that the Mets would be interested in Tucker. And guess what? Their competition, Blue Jays, Dodgers, it's the same four or five teams.

[Alan Hahn]

You're right.

[Don Hahn]

They can't sign everybody. So it's just now that there's an offer on the table, we'll see if they'll go there, you know, and Steve Cohen's supposed to have all this money and not worry. But Stearns has also shown that he's not going to pay somebody more than he thinks they're worth. So.

[Alan Hahn]

So there's that.

[Don Hahn]

It'll be interesting.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, so there's that. That's one again. Of all the stories going into the weekend, we know the football is the biggest one, of course. And then another story to watch in the football front. Is John Harbaugh and the Giants going to meet with him? The Giants have met with Kevin Stefanski already today, I believe. Reportedly they met with Antonio Pierce, the former Giant who had very a little bit of coaching experience as a head coach as an interim with the Raiders. So they, they're meeting with him, but it's really next week. Is feels like this is. This is their biggest play and if they get him, things could really turn around. Sal Palantoni was on with Michael K. Earlier and he talked about Harbaugh as a candidate.

[Sal Palantoni]

This was the issue for Harbaugh in Baltimore and I love Harbaugh. Harbaugh is a culture creator. The problem with Harbaugh in Baltimore is he kept cycling through offensive coordinators. Couldn't get it right with Lamar Jackson. 3, 6 record with Lamar Jackson in the postseason. Harbaugh when he was 8 and 4 without Lamar Jackson when he had Flacco and the right combination.

[Alan Hahn]

It is true they did go through a lot, Todd Monkin being the latest. Monkin actually took all the criticism. He said this on me, that we failed, that I couldn't get Lamar where he needed to be and I couldn't get the offense where it needed to be. He put it on himself after the firing. But that's what Sal Pal pointing to, that kind of stuff. Like we're all getting excited about it, but we should, you know, point out those things. So one more thing he said. This is what Sal said. And Sal Palatonio has covered the NFL forever and he knows a lot of people. So his word is one that I value. And he said that this is what he needs to know from John Harbaugh.

[Sal Palantoni]

If you're going after Harbaugh, the first question I'm asking is, who's your oc? Who's your play designer? Who's going to sit on the bench after the series is over with Jackson Dart and go over the Microsoft tablet? This is what we see. This is what we can fix. This is what we have to do next. Who's going to do that while Harbaugh is coaching the team?

[Alan Hahn]

So what do you think of that, Don?

[Don Hahn]

Well, it's very important. And that's why I wonder could believe it or not, Mike Kafka stay on and be the oc. Darts played well with him as his offensive coordinator. Obviously, he's not a head coach because he didn't win as a head coach, but Dart's had success. That's his oc. That's who he knows. You're always looking for continuity. Would Harbaugh be willing to do that? If one of the most attractive things about being the Giant head coach is Jackson Dart, wouldn't you want to give his OC some consideration?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, I just, I don't know if. If it was Dable, I thought. I really do think it was Dable. Well, more than anything. Because the offense wasn't the same after Dable left. Right. Well, but they did lose players. I know. They, you know, lost Art. Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

You know, he missed a game because of.

[Alan Hahn]

And scattered. Who was really making an impact.

[Don Hahn]

Right. But literally he was there. Right. So I'm just saying that if there's. If the Giants live for continuity and Jackson Dart is the best thing about the Giants for him is that someone that might get some consideration. I don't know.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. No, again, it's all. We know how it works here, too. It's usually relationships and networking. That's all the stuff. So that's another story to watch as we get to the other side of the weekend. And last but not least, because they play tonight, it's the Knicks and the Suns. The Knicks start a road trip now where they play the Suns, who are very good, much better than they were last year. This is not like one of those killer road trips as far as, like when you look at the opponents, this is not like, you know, the Lakers and, you know, like they're. They're playing a lot of this trip. People are looking at as can the Knicks get right. What we saw, Don, in the last home game against the Clippers on Wednesday was them get getting right and what I'm watching now from tonight on and they'll play. They've got the Portland Trailblazers who are young but playing a hard playing team on Sunday. Then they get their first two days off in a month and then they play at Sacramento with Mike Brown's return and then back to back Golden State before they come home. So that's the trip. But they've got to get Carl Anthony Towns involved early in games. He has to, he has to touch the basketball. He has to feel part of it. I think that's got, they've gotten away from it and he's starting to, he's a little bit like a wide receiver, you know, like if you don't throw him the ball early in a game, he starts to kind of get frustrated. And then so the first time he gets one thrown to him and then he doesn't catch it. Now he's getting like you've got to as a Jalen Brunson who we love, he's got to recognize I got a really talented player with me. I got to make sure that I got him right. Like to me that's important.

[Don Hahn]

It's the, it's the geography of being out west and what that entails travel wise. But this is not any really heavy lifting for them.

[Alan Hahn]

No. So get right. This is a get right trip.

[Don Hahn]

You already got the win against the Clippers before you left and you've got some winnable games here. Take care of business. So what is it? Sons.

[Alan Hahn]

Sons. Portland Trailblazers. Right. And then a back to back Kings who aren't very good warriors. Yeah. So we'll see how these go. But we have fun week. Yeah. You know what? You do worse, Donnie, Have a great weekend.

[Don Hahn]

You too, buddy.

[Alan Hahn]

And good luck on your picks. We'll see you all Monday.

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[Alan Hahn]

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

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