Hour 4: Torts Remembers Larry Brooks

Summary

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Don, Hahn & Rosenberg Podcast

Hour 4: Torts Remembers Larry Brooks

Air Date: November 14, 2025

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Episode Overview

This hour of Don, Hahn & Rosenberg was a heartfelt tribute to Larry Brooks, the legendary New York hockey writer who passed away at 75. The hosts—Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and guest Steve Levy—reflect on Brooks’s journalistic legacy, his complex relationships with coaches like John Tortorella, and the indelible mark he left on New York sports. The episode also veers into the importance of showing up and facing criticism in sports media, before pivoting to fan calls about NFL coaching carousel speculation and MLB player movement.

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Remembering Larry Brooks: Insights, Stories, and Respect

Steve Levy Reads John Tortorella’s Tribute (01:20 - 02:19)

• Tortorella on Brooks’s Work Ethic and Relationship:
  • “The thing I always respected about Larry is no matter what the day brought... him and I disagree, and we had a lot of disagreements, but... he'd be there the next day, right? Ready to ask another question. He’d be there face to face.”
    — Steve Levy relaying Tortorella’s comments [01:36]
  • Emphasizes mutual respect despite clashes; never personal, just business.

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The Value of “Showing Up” in Sports Journalism (02:19 - 03:40)

• Alan Hahn: “It’s so easy to throw bombs from a million miles away, but the true respect… is if I kill you, but I'm in the clubhouse the next day… they’re going to respect that.” [02:19]
• Don La Greca: “If you're gonna put your name on something, you have to be there the next day to face the music… no one can deny what you said. They're just mad that you said it.” [03:19]
• Anecdotes about journalists who write critical pieces but avoid locker rooms, contrasted with professionals like Brooks who face subjects directly.

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Brooks’s Legacy and the Changing Face of Sports Media (03:40 - 05:24)

• Discussion on the rise of “superfan” sports radio personas and how athletes respect criticism more from those who are present afterward.
• Hahn recalls Joe Benigno as another example of ‘showing up’ after harsh criticism: “He'd kill him on the air. But then he'd be in the locker room the next day…” [04:23]

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Brooks as Colleague and Hockey Advocate (05:24 - 07:29)

• Steve Levy: “He’s a grinder and turned into an icon in this business… We struggled at certain times, but there was never any lack of respect as far as how he went about his business. And it’s a big loss.” [04:53]
• Levy shares recent conversations with Brooks’s family: “Larry can’t get to it… explained to me what was going on. This was five weeks ago… It tore him apart.” [05:39]
• The hosts discuss the danger of focusing on viral altercations over the real human being and his family.

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The Courage to Be Present (07:03 - 08:02)

• Levy: “He wasn’t afraid of anything, and he voiced his thoughts. And how can’t you respect that? No matter if you agree with it or not?” [07:29]

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Brooks’s Passion for Hockey and Professional Standards (10:08 - 13:46)

• La Greca on Brooks’s Relationship with the Sport:

  • “He wanted hockey to be a main sport. He always felt it belonged right there, the Big Four… you don’t cover it softer or less because it's not considered as major…” [10:08]

• Anecdotes of Brooks teasing colleagues who left hockey writing, reinforcing how he elevated the sport’s coverage.

• Alan Hahn: Pushback on the perception of hockey as merely a stepping stone:

  • “...there are people that are lifers in the sport… and he's in a hall of fame because of that coverage.” [11:49]

• La Greca: Shares his own journey, not wanting to leave the Islanders beat for the Knicks because of his connection to hockey, and Brooks’s positive influence in that transition. [12:20]

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Memorable Quotes

• “If you're gonna put your name on something, you have to be there the next day to face the music. Later on, they let you know they respect the fact that you stood there and took the heat.”
  — Don La Greca [03:19]

• “Larry, no matter what the day happened... he’d show up the next day just ready to go to business. He didn’t hold any grudges. I didn’t either.”
  — Steve Levy [07:29]

• “He wanted hockey to be a main Sport. He always felt it belonged right there, the Big Four.”
  — Don La Greca [10:08]

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Listener Calls: NFL Coaching Speculation, MLB Trade Talk (17:27 - 24:11)

Giants, Tomlin, LaFleur Coaching Futures (17:27 - 21:41)

• Jay from the Bronx & Tom from Upstate NY bring up the Giants’ coaching search and possible availability of Matt LaFleur and Mike Tomlin.
• Alan Hahn: “Can he coach? And I think he can. They almost won in the playoffs last year. They came close.” [18:09]
• Tom, a Steelers fan, expresses that Tomlin’s playoff drought may warrant change, but Rooney family values stability with the 2026 NFL Draft coming to Pittsburgh.

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MLB: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh, and Trade Market Dynamics (21:16 - 24:11)

• Tom discusses star pitcher Paul Skenes’s eventual trade from the Pirates:
  • “He is the quintessential athlete…. For a kid who’s, what is he, 20 something years old? He’s acting like he’s been around for 15 years.” [21:41]
• Hahn speculates on trade timing: “If they don’t get a salary cap… things might proceed as is… they might want to move him sooner than later to get the biggest package back.” [22:04]
• Discussion of how a salary floor in future CBA negotiation could force Pittsburgh’s hand.

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MLB Cap Changes and Market Impact (24:05 - 24:40)

• La Greca: “If they ever get there and he's got to pay, maybe that’s the one guy you do pay.” [23:14]
• Both hosts imagine the complexities for large salary teams (Yankees, Dodgers, Mets) as MLB edges toward potentially adopting aspects of a salary cap.

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Tone, Language, and Style

• Friendly, insider banter colored with personal anecdotes.
• Genuine emotion and admiration for Larry Brooks, coupled with media industry insight.
• Occasional jovial interruptions about music, movies (“Magnolia”/Supertramp), and sports minutiae.

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Key Takeaways

• Larry Brooks was revered for his dedication, professionalism, and being present—never backing down from uncomfortable confrontations, which led both media and the athletes he covered to respect him.
• ‘Showing up’ remains an irreplaceable part of sports journalism credibility.
• Brooks’s love of hockey helped elevate the sport’s coverage in New York, and his mentorship influenced a generation of writers.
• Current events (NFL and MLB discussions) show the hosts’ ability to pivot quickly while keeping dialogue engaging, informed, and relevant.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

“He grinded. He’s a grinder and turned into an icon in this business… Coaches, NHL media, all colleagues. We’re all working together here.”
— Steve Levy [04:53]

“He worked at it, and he wasn’t afraid of anything, and he voiced his thoughts. And how can’t you respect that? No matter if you agree with it or not?”
— Steve Levy [07:29]

“You don’t cover [hockey] softer or less because it’s not considered as major as the other three.”
— Don La Greca [10:08]

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Additional: Nod to Cultural References

• Light musical detour about Supertramp and the use of music in movies (e.g., “Magnolia” — Alan Hahn [16:40-17:12])
• Reinforces the show’s characteristic blend of nostalgia, personal trivia, and pop culture.

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For more, catch Don, Hahn & Rosenberg weekday afternoons, ESPN New York.

Transcript

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

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, you're breaking out all Oreo Speedwagon. Good for you, man. And then why am I vegging on their name? Breakfast in America. Super tramp. I got. I'm getting old at a senior moment.

[Don La Greca]

Do you like this song?

[Alan Hahn]

This song I could take or leave. But I do like the album Breakfast in America.

[Don La Greca]

Well, there's two huge hits on it.

[Alan Hahn]

No, it's that you don't like Supertran.

[Don La Greca]

This song is this. This is a great song. I love this song.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, it's okay.

[Don La Greca]

The story it tells.

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[Don La Greca]

Big lyrics.

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I think their drummer just died like last week.

[Producer or Ad Voice]

No.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, so Peter teased at the end of enn, John Tortorella, of course, had his clashes with Larry Brooks, who passed away earlier this morning at the age of 75. Torts was on the Point on ESPN and spoke about Larry Brooks.

[Steve Levy]

Yeah, see, I don't even think of the clips. This is a man that just passed Jordan, Joanna. Two grandkids, 2018 hall of Famer. He's an icon. We had our disagreements right along the way, but the thing I always respected about Larry is no matter what the day brought, him and I disagree. And we had a lot of disagreements, but we disagree and we go at it. But he'd be there the next day, right? Ready to ask another question. He'd be there face to face. I just had so much respect on how hard he worked at his job. We're both trying to do our business, right? I need to protect my hockey team. Sometimes he has information and he has information. That's one thing. He worked at it to get information and sometimes we butted heads, but it was never a personal thing.

[Alan Hahn]

I can't tell you the importance from a journalistic perspective, whether it's Writing articles, covering hockey or doing a talk show is showing up. You know, it's so easy to throw bombs from a million miles away, but the true respect that athletes and coaches are going to have is that if I. If I kill you, but I'm in. I'm in the clubhouse the next day, I'm in the dressing room the next day, I'm in the locker room the next day, they're going to respect that. You know, it's so easy to do this job, and it's coming from somebody that covered teams from a journalistic perspective and also as a talk show host and now as a play by play guy. Showing up is more than half the battle if you're there, and you'll be given some leeway to be critical if you show up the next day.

[Don La Greca]

That's the part some guys were masterful at dropping the bomb in the newspaper and then just conveniently off the next day. Yeah, and so the backup had to be there to get the reaction and the quotes and all that stuff. And so they can't wait for you to come in.

[Steve Levy]

And.

[Don La Greca]

And that was one thing that I had learned early on, is that you don't do that if you're gonna put your name on something. You have to be there the next day to face the music. And even though they're all mad at you, later on, they let you know that they respect the fact that you stood there and took the heat, knowing that everybody's gonna be mad, but no one can deny what you said. They're just mad that you said it.

[Alan Hahn]

And I'll say this because I know, you know, we talk about how the trend in sports radio has been like, be super fan, and you go nuts because of your fandom. And that's kind of where sports radio has become for, for better or worse, you take or leave it myself. But, you know, that's how people want to do it, and they're making a living doing it. And they'll always say about the first guy, Joe Benigno, who worked overnights years ago, he still does stuff over at the Fan on the weekends as the guy that kind of started that, because he's always a super fan. I work with Joe. Joe would bash Tom Glavin, kill him. And because he wouldn't start until midnight, you know what he would do the next day? He'd go to Shea or Citi Field. He'd be in the locker room and stand with Tom Glavin and talk to him. So that showed me something. He'd kill him on the air. But then he'd be in the locker room the next day, you know, and the players respect that. They don't like to get bashed, but they're going to respect you if you show up and. And you'd be surprised. They'll have a little back and forth, but the fact that you were there, they respect you a lot more from it. Again, it's easy to throw softballs over the fence, but if you. If you go into the yard, there's always going to be respect. So you talk more about the clips with Larry and how they don't matter today.

[Steve Levy]

The accolades that he's receiving the award in 18 is so well deserved. As far as. Look at his resume. He grinded. He's a grinder and turned into an icon in this business. And he's a colleague, let's face it. Coaches, NHL media, all colleagues. We're all working together here. And he's a colleague of mine. We struggled at certain times, but there was never any lack of respect as far as how he went about his business. And it's a big loss. I get the stuff, the video of him and I. That doesn't fit here, though. That doesn't. He passed this morning.

[Alan Hahn]

And. And also, like I said, a lot of those altercations happened when he was in Tampa. That's 20 years ago. I would think people grow over time.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

You know, John Tortorella 20, 25 years ago is different than John Tortorella today. On his conversations with Larry's family.

[Steve Levy]

I feel for the family. I've had a number of conversations with Jordan. Aaron Portsline from Columbus texted me a few days ago and said, hey, Larry's struggling. I immediately text Larry. Jordan text me back on a different number while it was on Larry's phone. He says, Larry can't get to it. And he kind of explained to me what was going on. This is five weeks ago. This all came up with Larry and it tore him apart. And so Jordan and I talked a little bit and I just wanted to try to help out in any way possible that I could. And we've continued the discussion the past couple of days. We talked before the show here, before I came over here and just want to send our condolences to the family. The grandkids, 14 and 12, Joanna, Jordan, that's what we have to remember here. Not the crap that you see and get sensationalized. I think it's the man, he deserves that respect. And it's hard, it's sad.

[Don La Greca]

I'm glad he's saying that. Because you do know, obviously, that when the news comes out, there are people who don't know Larry. And so immediately what comes up is, are those moments that went viral. And so that kind of gets celebrated more than the things that you and I talked about at the very top of the show, because we both knew him personally. And that's, again, what you want to be. And I think what Torch is saying there is. This should be what we talk about. Not. Yeah, we had an altercation, and it was on camera, and it went viral. And everybody finds that to be entertaining, but this isn't a time to be focused on the entertaining part.

[Alan Hahn]

And finally, the respect he had for Larry.

[Steve Levy]

Tremendous amount of respect back and forth him and I went. But it was a relationship that bonded because of that, I think, and the love of hockey that you. That you both had. He's a lifer. Look at it. I can't go over it right now. It takes too much. But look what he did did to grind, to get where he went to. And in the biggest media market. Yes.

[Producer or Ad Voice]

In the world.

[Steve Levy]

Yes. The most popular team in all eyes. And Stevie's face to face with you. That's what I loved about him.

[Alan Hahn]

Because not everybody is.

[Steve Levy]

No. And. And that's what drives me crazy about the media. I think sometimes they just don't have enough guts to do it. Larry, no matter what the day happened with him and I. And a number of things happened, let's face it, with him and I. But he'd show up the next day just ready to go to business. He didn't hold any grudges. I didn't either. And we. We go about it again. But he was there. He was there. He wasn't on the outside writing stories and not showing up in the locker room or not showing up at the press conference. That's what I loved about him. He worked at it, and he wasn't afraid of anything, and he voiced his thoughts. And how can't you respect that? No matter if you agree with it or not? How can't you respect the man if he's gonna put it out there?

[Alan Hahn]

And of course, that other voice was Steve Levy on point.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

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[Don La Greca]

Larry loved the game again. And that's why when you cover something with passion and you you want all the you want it to be to hold it to a high standard. And when you feel like it's something is wrong, you say it. But you also hear things that are happening with a team and you take it upon yourself to believe that this has to be reported. Whether or not it's going to blow up a locker room, whether or not it's going to impact the team, whether or not it's going to upset people, it doesn't matter. This is a story. This is hockey. He wanted hockey to be a main Sport. He always felt it belonged right there, the Big Four. It's not like hockey has fallen off. No, it's very important. He covered in the 80s when it was a regularly a back page story in New York because both teams were very good and the Devils had just come in. It was important to him to keep it at the same standard as if you covered baseball or covered basketball or covered football. You know, you don't cover it softer or less because it's not considered as major as the other three. He felt it deserved all that coverage. And, you know, that's why, like when you cut, when you did something else, he would always joke with you about. A friend of mine said that when he moved on to baseball, he became a great. He's a national baseball writer now and Larry used to tease him all the time about how you had to go to a lesser sport to get big, you know, like just mess with him, you know.

[Alan Hahn]

No, I always think about Larry when people like I remember Colin Cowherd would, would say that, you know, people that cover hockey are usually kids and, and they learn how to do it and then eventually move on to a bigger sport. And I'd be like, that's so disrespectful. Because they're not untrue.

[Don La Greca]

It's not untrue.

[Alan Hahn]

Listen, obviously if you're a paper that there's a good chance you look at like Pat Leonard to cover the Giants for. Cover the Rangers for the Daily News and it was a promotion to cover the Giants. We get that myself. But there are people that are lifers in the sport that they cover because it's still, you know, covering the Rangers, still important, covering hockey still. Absolutely, you know, and he's in a hall of fame because of that coverage. So yeah, it could be a stepping stone, but it's also depending on how much you love that there are people that choose to work.

[Don La Greca]

Can I share with you that the year that I Newsday moved me and I don't want to say promoted, they moved me from the Islanders beat to the Knicks beat, which was my dream. When I first got into the business, my dream was to be a Knicks beat writer. But I had loved covering hockey so much and I was so embedded by that point, like nationally. I didn't want to go. I said, no, I don't want to do it. My father just passed away. I wasn't ready to make a transition like that in my life. And I just was, no, I love what I'm doing. I don't want to change. And Larry's one of the ones that said, no, take the job. You got to do that. It's who you are. And you know, like, that's so I don't like that idea either of, oh, hockey's just a stepping stone for a lot of young writers. There's a guy, Mike Russo, you know Mike Russo, right, In Minnesota. Mike's one of my good friends. We go all the way back to them. Mike Russo actually grew up in Long island, although he's a guy big, big superstar hockey writer in Minnesota now. But like, you know, Mike's one guy that stayed in it, never left. And he could. He had many opportunities to do it, but he didn't. A couple other guys that were in our group, as we were young writers back then, have all moved on to the sports that sort of were our sports, but we started in hockey. But I'm the first one to admit I never really wanted to go at that moment because I felt so connected to the sport. And I thought there was some kind of a value to being to like, this is the only thing I've done my whole life, my 40 years, I did this right. I, I can't say that about hockey, but the sport has stayed in my life. Both my kids play it. Two of my kids, I should say, play it. So it's still very much in my life.

[Producer or Ad Voice]

But you see how strongly he feels. He only considers the kids who play hockey to be sure.

[Don La Greca]

That was terrible what I just did.

[Producer or Ad Voice]

It was actually pretty fun.

[Don La Greca]

Very terrible slip too.

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[Don La Greca]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast.

[Producer or Ad Voice]

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. This, this is, this is not going to make me really sad.

[Producer or Ad Voice]

This is in the Rosenberg jukebox in the house.

[Don La Greca]

It is?

[Producer or Ad Voice]

Yeah, it is on 45 friend, the crib.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't want to give a lot of details on the scene because it's a little off brand, but the movie Magnolia uses this song. You ever see Magnolia?

[Producer or Ad Voice]

No, of course I watched. I watched the beginning recently, the scene.

[Alan Hahn]

At the bar where.

[Producer or Ad Voice]

But aren't they cutting around to different things or.

[Alan Hahn]

No, just William H. Macy's at the bar and he's got a thing for the bartender. But when they first introduced it, this song's in the background. It just, it hits. There's just something about a song in a movie that just resonates and just.

[Don La Greca]

Makes sense because you have the visuals with the music, right?

[Alan Hahn]

And you can't even describe it.

[Don La Greca]

Now I got to see this.

[Alan Hahn]

But when you see it and they the use of that song is pretty, pretty big. All right, let's close out your calls. 1-800-919-3776. Let's talk to Jay in the Bronx. John, ESPN New York. What's up, Jay?

[Caller Jay or Tom]

Hey, guys. Thanks for taking a call, as always.

[Alan Hahn]

No problem.

[Caller Jay or Tom]

Had an intriguing thought about the Giants and their head coach search and in relation to the game they have now, Matt LaFleur is on the hot seat. If you guys figure out a way to beat them.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Caller Jay or Tom]

Get him out of there. He might just be the guy who's. I mean, he would be the top candidate off the rip. It would be really ironic. He would guys to beat him. Get him out. He has a great resume when it comes to working with quarterbacks and I just want to see if you guys thought he would be a good fit for you. I know, I know he's better than anybody. You've had some coughlin and I. I always thought he was a really good coach.

[Alan Hahn]

No, I, I really ironic.

[Caller Jay or Tom]

Stranger things happen.

[Alan Hahn]

No, it is kind of ironic that the very first game after letting him go, you know, beating him and can leading to his dismissal and I would think that if Green Bay were to fall apart here, it might cost him his job. That would be ironic. Now, the fact that he works with quarterbacks. Great. Can he coach and I think he can. They almost won in the playoffs last year. They came close. Right. They had the Eagles up against it. So I think he's a good coach. That's why I love when Alan's asking the questions like, give me who you think should be the coach now. Who's available? Just give me people.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Because there are guys that might become available. Tomlin, LaFleur, Harbaugh. These are guys currently under contract that could be out of jobs.

[Don La Greca]

Yep.

[Alan Hahn]

Now, I think Baltimore is going to make a run here, but if they never really catch and miss the playoffs, they might make a change there. Right. Green Bay, Same thing in the super bowl after they made the deal for Parsons.

[Don La Greca]

That's right. But. But the Harbaugh thing in Baltimore sounded more likely early in the season when things really were falling apart. But, you know, with Lamar now kind of back and I think there's this sense of, all right, let's see if they can get some momentum and take the division from Pittsburgh.

[Alan Hahn]

Let's go to Tom. He's in upstate New York. You're on espn, New York. Hi, Tom.

[Caller Jay or Tom]

Hi, guys. Thanks for taking the call. I love the 70s music because I'm going to relate to the 70s. I grew up in Pittsburgh in the 70s when we had super bowl champs and super bowl champs.

[Don La Greca]

My goodness.

[Caller Jay or Tom]

You know, it was great and I got spoiled, so. Right. So I go to The Giants with Tomlin, and I've been defending him for a lot of years, but he hasn't won a playoff game in 10 years. And they get blown out in the playoffs, they don't just lose, they get blown out. Cleveland crushed him in Pittsburgh a couple years ago and that's the first time and the only time Cleveland has won in Pittsburgh in like 40 years. So I think I'm ready for Tomlin to go. However, I've heard from Pittsburgh, you know, they have the draft in Pittsburgh next year and that the Rooney family, you guys know how they're all into consistency. It might not be the time for the Rooneys to change things up right before the draft comes to Pittsburgh. So a lot of people are thinking they'll hold onto him for another year just because they love that consistency. One other quick quote on, on skiings and New York. He's not going anywhere for a couple of years. Pittsburgh will hold on to him. But he is the quintessential athlete, he says, and does the right things all the time. Very great at what he does.

[Don La Greca]

Very judge, like so, yeah, oh, oh.

[Caller Jay or Tom]

He'S judge like and, and being a Pittsburgh guy, he's Sidney Crosby like, like Sydney does the same thing. So he's not going to go anywhere until they have to get rid of him. But if they put in a salary cap in baseball, you know there's going to be a salary floor and the Pittsburgh owner, he doesn't want to even reach salary floor, so I don't know where that's going to stand in terms of Pittsburgh Skins will be there a couple years and then he'll be gone to LA or the Yankees or whomever.

[Don La Greca]

Tom. So with that in mind, he, because he's saying all the right things, doing all right things, he's not going anywhere right away. But when it gets to the point where it's time to move him, you imagine whether Charrington, whoever else is running the organization at the time, they'll send him where he wants to go, right, like as a sort of good, good, you know, like it's the right thing to do for a guy that was, did but right by us and did all the right things.

[Caller Jay or Tom]

Yes, he has been. He's unbelievable when it comes to off the field. He's for a kid who's, what is he, 20 something years old? He's acting like he's, he's been around for 15 years. Pittsburgh should do right by him. I hope it's not Charrington. He's never made a good trade. They got to get rid of him and find somebody that they can trade schemes and get a nice return for.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, I will say this, Tom, I would not completely rule out the possibly a possibility of it happening sooner than later for this reason. If they don't get a salary cap in the sport and things continue to proceed as is with the cba, they might want to move him sooner than later to get the biggest package back. Like if you wait until his last year, you know, then, then there might be teams like the Dodgers, Yankees saying, well, I'll just wait till he's a free agent. I'm not going to give up a bunch just for one year rental. But if I got him in control for a couple of years, I might give up a mint for him. And maybe if Pittsburgh has another lost season next year, they might say now's the time to do it. If we wait till the year he's a free agent, we'll really cut a lot of teams out of this and, and not be able to get the best back for him. So I would not rule it out. The big thing is what's going to happen with the cba. Are they going to get a salary cap? Are they going to change the structure to where some of these smaller market teams can compete?

[Don La Greca]

Because it's the floor that he's saying, that's a great point.

[Alan Hahn]

If they have going to have to spend to the floor now, there are ways to do it. You pick up dead contracts and stuff, but the idea is you're going to have to start spending some money.

[Don La Greca]

They got to pay somebody, right? That's why if they ever get there and he's got to pay and maybe that's the one guy you do pay. Do you want the Mets though, like schools on the other side of the conversation, right?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

He's got a year left before, you know, they're going to probably have to move him. The Yankees did it with Soto. Should the Mets because they don't have a guy. Should the Mets just try to roll the dice, bring him in and see if like he does he fall in love here and then we can sign him and keep him here because you.

[Alan Hahn]

Don'T have an ace and he's in it. Well, you're hoping with these kids, right? But you don't, you still don't know.

[Don La Greca]

You don't know. You know, he's still young and you know, would you want it or not? That's what I'm saying.

[Alan Hahn]

I would do it. But, but, but what's going to happen here? Not knowing what the current landscape is going to be because boy, that's going to really change things for the Dodgers and the Mets and the Yankees of if all of a sudden you're going to have to get rid of players to get into the cap, it's going to be interesting.

[Don La Greca]

Usually with a new cap there's always like that first time amnesty where you can just kind of.

[Alan Hahn]

You're going to have to do something. Right.

[Don La Greca]

The NHL had to do that. You had an amnesty period where you just, you had the ability, I think the one contract or something where you could just delete it just so you can get under the cap. It's going to be too hard to do it for some.

[Alan Hahn]

I got to tell you, it's. It feels like baseball needs it but unlike hockey, it's not like they've got teams that are like hemorrhaging money that are going to come close to folding like you had in hockey where those Canadian franchises just couldn't because of the taxes and everything couldn't exist.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Are they willing to go to Matt? Are they willing to cancel the season?

[Producer or Ad Voice]

And my question is, are they willing to go out on Saturday night for UFC 322?

[Alan Hahn]

That's what I'm saying.

[Producer or Ad Voice]

Because we're going to be at the Rutherford right across from MSG. 6 to 67 30. Bud Light Drafts bucket special all night. Hanging out with the ESPN crew before the big fights. That's the Rutherford B. Hayes, as Don calls it. The Rutherford 6 to 7:30 brought to you by Bud Light, proud to be the official beer sponsor the ufc. Bud Light, easy to drink and easy to enjoy. Enjoy Bud light responsibly and Isa Bush. Bud Light Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, so interesting night tonight. It's the jets and the Patriots. Big, big.

[Don La Greca]

Did we hear yet about the quarterback? Do we have any.

[Producer or Ad Voice]

What do you mean? Has he been bench yet?

[Don La Greca]

Who's starting?

[Producer or Ad Voice]

I think we're good. I think they're going to try it out. Justin, big secret. And then we're going to see what happens. But Don has three points on the.

[Alan Hahn]

Yet three on the.

[Producer or Ad Voice]

Yes, I got you. I got two points on the Patriots.

[Don La Greca]

I can't win either way now and.

[Producer or Ad Voice]

Now Alan's gonna have to just watch.

[Alan Hahn]

Something.

[Don La Greca]

I don't want to put the Islanders.

[Alan Hahn]

On that's until 10 so he got some time to kill. But we tomorrow, tomorrow at 3 o'.

[Producer or Ad Voice]

Clock.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep, we're going to have a show till 6:30 because then we're going to have the Knicks in the Heat. But we're going to have fraud Alert Friday. Oh yeah, we're going to have our picks, although I only have to make one, so Ty Butler's coming up next. Enjoy your evening. Back with you tomorrow at 3 o' clock here on ESPN New York.

[Don La Greca]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Producer or Ad Voice]

I don't want to know how the.

[Don La Greca]

Sausage is made, but I just want to know it's good. Hear more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.