2025 ESPN New York Holiday Party! | The Michael Kay Show & Don, Hahn, & Rosenberg – 12/12/25

2025 ESPN New York Holiday Party! | The Michael Kay Show & Don, Hahn, & Rosenberg – 12/12/25

CBS FM HD2 New York. Michael K is on the radio today and he ain’t afraid to say what he’s thinking. It’s the Michael K show on 880 ESPN radio and a good afternoon everybody. This is indeed the Michael K show. We thank you for joining us on this Friday. It is December 12th, 2025. Me and you for two, the fastest two hours of sports talk radio. Those are the rules of engagement. And this ESPN New York holiday party is live and brought to you by Spike Daid. Made for big city social stamina. We are here at your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island. So many fans have turned out already. Thank you all for being here. So early in the afternoon, I will lead you right into Don Han and Rosenberg. They’ll be here as well right after 3:00 or right at 3:00. So, we’ll have a good time. We’ll talk some sports. You know the rules. 1 800-9193776. Um I I was talking uh to some fans uh the previous half hour before the show began. And I and I actually I actually got moved. I I really did. And I want to talk about it because um a gentleman who said he’s a 40-year Met fan came up to me and he started talking about what David Sterns has done in the last week or so um with trading NMO and Diaz and Alonzo and he had a Met shirt on with a big X through it and he wrote in magic marker you know we’re done and and I said really you’re done he goes and then he got choked up which is really got what it’s it’s it it’s what got me. It it really did get me because you realize that this is a lot invested for a fan. It really is. Um it’s not just watching the game and if they lose it’s over with. It means a lot. And he said they traded away Pete Alonzo who meant so much to Met fans and not traded him away. It allowed him to get away and become a free agent. Uh and and he said he’s going to root for them to lose this year. He said that’s how much it has affected him. And I think that that’s affected so many people. It it really has. And as I was driving here today, it’s funny because my take was I know it hurt Met fans. And when you trade away a player that’s so popular with the fan base, it’s going to hurt. And in this case, they let him get away. Uh it wasn’t a trade. NMO, it was a trade. And Diaz, they let him get away. But if you’re David Sterns and you’re entrusted to build a winner of this team, he looks at it and goes, “You know what? The the focus of this team, the central nervous system of this team has not won.” And last year with this team pretty much the way you see it right now or before he made these moves, 83 and 79 and they didn’t make the playoffs. They lost out on the final wild card to the Reds. So, I know that what he did was was heartless. And I think that David Sterns comes here and his assignment is to build the long-term winner. And and Steve Cohen has said they want to be the East Coast Dodgers. And David Sterns, who makes 12 to$14 million a year to do this job, has looked at the lay of the land and said, “It’s not going to happen. Not with this group. it’s not gonna happen. So he looked around and he said, “Who could I move?” Well, you could move NMO, although you had to take a 35year-old to move NMO, and you improved the defense at second base by getting Marcus Simeon, and you got rid of five years of contract that NMO had remaining. They tried to keep Diaz. That’s the one that I I I w I wonder about because if you tried to keep him, then money shouldn’t stand in your way. So when you say, you know, we set a baseline for what we would go to, 66 over three years to me is not a big difference to 69 over three years. It’s just not and it shouldn’t be. So if you wanted him, you could have gone the extra million a year. That’s the way you have to look at it. An extra million a year and kept him. That’s the one that confuses me. Now with Pete Lonzo, I’ve been telling you this for weeks. I thought that their tipping point where they would tap out would be three years. And I thought that maybe because of what he meant to the fan base that they might push it to four, maybe a team option or a mutual option in the fourth year. They knew what was being offered to Pete. They knew that the Orioles were at five years. So when you read that the Mets did make an offer, they didn’t make an offer because they knew they weren’t going there. So why make an offer of three years and 90 million or 93 million when you know that he’s got 5 years and 155? And that’s what it comes down to. And they looked at Ponzo and said, “This is not the type of player that we think is going to be a winning player for us.” Because if you look at some of the response that the Orioles have gotten for signing him, they’ve received a lot of criticism because he’s not an analytics darling. He’s not. And the Mets have turned into the metrics. They really have. They look at the numbers, the underlying numbers, and they say, “This guy’s not fast. He runs base to base. He’s a bad defender other than the scoops. And yes, he gives us home runs, but that’s about it. And we want more.” Now, if you’re a Met fan, you sit back and you go, “This team is terrible.” And you know what? At this point, you’re right. But I don’t think that you could make this judgment on Friday, December 12th. This guy might surprise you. I I think this guy’s too smart. He’s an Ivy League guy. He grew up a Met fan. Obviously, his marching orders are to turn the team into a winner. Maybe he gets you Kyle Tucker. Maybe he gets you Cody Bellinger. Maybe he makes a trade uh for TK school. Maybe he makes a trade for Freddy Peralta. In two weeks, you might be overjoyed. And I know the sting of Louis losing on Lonzo, it’s going to hurt, but what I would tell the fan that came up here and was so emotional, if they start the season 30 and 10, you’re going to be drawn back because when you’re a fan of a team, it’s awfully hard to let go. And I know that what he did was assassin-like and it was heartless and it was cutthroat, but that’s that’s his marching orders. I’ve seen it on the other, but he’s probably, I don’t know, a 250 hitter where if he played a full season, he might hit 23 to 25 home runs and he’s at 696 home runs. Four away from the milestone 700. And the Yankees said, “No, we’re done.” They cut him. They actually cut him. Now, they gave him a little goodbye that day. His last hit was an RBI double. And Alex could have begged and said, “Let me stay here for the four home runs.” And they still had a year left on his contract. So, they still had to pay him all that money and the money for the remainder of the season. But Brian Cashman is is very methodical and he doesn’t let emotion play into things. and he probably went to House Diamond or said it’s time for us to transition to younger players and we’re going to be taking at bats from the younger players by playing Alex who doesn’t really have a future with us. So that’s what it comes down to. GMs have to make tough decisions. Now this will be looked at as a very dark day in Met history, the day when they let Alonzo leave, but it will be a footnote if he builds a winning team and wins the championship. That’s how it is. Because you see fans, fans will accept the most despicable human being of all time if that person can help them win. Because let let’s look at the football side here in New York. Listen, we’re not going to put lipstick on a pig here. Lawrence Taylor, not the greatest guy in the world, did some awful things. Awful things. We hear stories now and they almost seem endearing. You know, he showed up late to meetings. We know about the the drug problems. There’s not a giant fan out there that thinks a bad thing about Lawrence Taylor because it all comes down to winning. So, if David Sterns can build a winner, I think this will be a footnote. You’ll still think of it and you’ll feel for Pete and in September when the Orioles come into town, you’ll give him a big ovation and you love them. I get all of that. But if the Mets are in first place on that day, all will be forgiven. He will not be, and I’m talking about David Sterns, he will not be the antichrist. He won’t. So before we vilify him for what he did, we have to see what he does. Because if you read all the columns of the people that you respect in the athletic and in the post and in News Day, what you’ll see, as most people say, he has put the the crosshairs. He’s been firmly put in the crosshairs. All the pressurees on him. I mean, there was pressure on him before he made these moves because they didn’t make the playoffs. After spending all that money on Juan Sto and Pete Alonzo, they didn’t make the playoffs. So, right now, he’s a villain. He’s a villain, but if he builds a winner, you’re going to think differently of him now. Joe Shane, he looks like he’s run out of time. Right. I don’t know if he’s going to be allowed to build a winner. So, his place in New York history is going to be a black mark. If David Sterns, who’s got two more years left on his contract after this, does not build the winner that he promised after making these unpopular moves, he is going to be hated along the lines of the worst New York villains ever. Because whether or not you think Pete Alonzo was a complete player, he wasn’t. You loved him. And if you’re going to let him go, then what transpires after letting him go is going to be how you judge that decision. That’s where the hurt will subside. But if they don’t make the playoffs this year and they don’t make the playoffs next year, David Stern’s going to be gone. Going to be gone. He’s going to be gone just like Pete Alonzo and Edwin Diaz and Brandon NMO. I think that what Sterns did, he took a look at a team that failed so miserably in the second half of the season and said, “What can I do here? What are the pieces I could move? He can’t move Sodto.” And although there have been some rumors about, well, maybe the Mets should think about trading Lindor. He has a blanket no trade clause. Blanket. He’s not going anywhere anywhere. So he knows he’s got to keep Sodto and he’s got to keep Londor. Everybody else is movable. Everybody, including the kids, including um Sanga, Peterson, all of them. They’re all movable. So he wants to redo this team. And when the team failed as badly as it did, you kind of understand why he wants to do that. 1 800 919-3776. Let’s talk about it. Let’s go to Greg in the work truck. Start it off, Greg. Michael, how are you in your mother’s house? How are you? I’m good. How you doing? I’m doing all right. I’d love to come down there, but unfortunately I can’t, Mr. Michael. Well, thanks for calling. Well, thank you. Listen, I’m in agreement with you about David Sterns, and it’s like I think Buster only said a couple of days ago, he better get it right. Yeah. The thing that I see here is in 2024 when Sterns first took over, he signed a bunch of guys who were prove it deals and not the biggest of names and the Mets went to the to the NLCS six games. Last year they signed Alonzo to whatever his extension was at the 11th hour and they signed Juan Sto and they missed the playoffs. If you ask me, he’s probably going to go, and this is how I feel, maybe sign one big name or two and then leave it up to prove it, guys, and try and get the try and get the Mets to where they were again. Well, I think that he’s going to have to do some Thank you for the call, Greg. He’s going to have to do some cosmetic things. So, he’s gonna have to make some sort of a splash because if he doesn’t make a splash, all right, and he goes with Carson Bang, and if he goes with uh Jet Williams and he uh he decides he’s going to go with Sprro and Tong to go along with Mlan, he better win because right now Met fans feel betrayed. Right now, Met fans probably wondering, do I renew my season tickets? Because we did what the owner asked us last year. We packed that ballpark. We sold out all the time. We had over three million fans that paid their way in. If you’re not going to do something that’s going to make us feel good about this team, you know what? We might not come back. At least for this year, it’s going to be a prove it for them. Just like David Sterns has to prove it, he has to prove it to them. He has to prove it to them and make this Met team a competitive team. Danny in Long Island. Danny, good afternoon. Michael, happy uh happy holiday party everybody out there. Have a safe day. No drinking and driving. Listen, I I agree with a lot of what you said, but this is my question. Did the Mets not make the playoffs because of Peter Lonzo? The answer is no. They they didn’t make the playoffs because the worst starting pitching staff I’ve ever seen, and I assume it to be 61 years on this earth. So now we just have one other problem. We besides having to fix that that starting pitching, we now have to replace a guy who if he did he if he did in the next 5 years what he did in the first five years could end up in Koopastown. So we we we trade I know he’s not a perfect ball player but he has proven to be an RBI and a home run machine at City Field with the wind blowing in. And I even watched so Sodto this year take a couple of nice swings and stand there and realize oh this is not Yankee Stadium the right field. So he has proven he can play in this ballpark, in this meeting environment, and in this crowd. So what you did was you took out a functioning organ of a body that has many failing organs, and now you have to replace one more. I don’t get that. All right. So let me ask you this because I I think you bring up legitimate points. 5 years, 155. Would you have done that? I mean, I think they would have brought him back at three years. I don’t think the Phillies wanted to go as long as they did, but that’s their guy. That’s their guy. That’s their heart and soul. That’s the personality. That’s their big uh clutch player. Got to bite the bullet. And and and because five years from now, the amount of money Pete that that could be a small contract. Listen, the Yankees haven’t won a World Series with Judge. Are they getting rid of him? Are they restarting over? Maybe. But they’re not getting rid of Judge. Why would you get rid of V? I know because when you know when you’re when you’re Pete and you’re standing in the same city as Sodto and Judge, you look lesser. He’s he’s a possible future Hall of Fame ball player in his prime. No, I I I hear what you’re saying, Danny. I thank you for the phone call and happy holidays. Um it comes down to this. They they set a baseline for what they want to end at, and that was three years. And I don’t think that Sterns wanted them last year. You bring up great points. Now you’ve got to deal with first base. So who’s that first baseman going to be? You created another hole for yourself. Um when you compare him with Judge, you know, the Yankees haven’t won since 2009, but the Yankees do make the playoffs. The Mets completely crapped the bed last year. They crapped it. I I I wish I was there was a more delicate way to put it. They didn’t make the playoffs with a $340 million payroll. So, I think he wants to change the whole vibe and he might want to change the whole team and the only people that he can’t change are Sodto and Lindor. Everybody else is up for debate. So, he decided, you know what, if Alonzo’s going to want a 5-year deal, I’m not locking myself into that. I’m just not. Um, but I would agree, you know, I I’ve been saying the last couple of days, you’re taking away the strength that Steve Cohen has over other owners, and that’s his wealth. Now, all owners are wealthy, but he’s wealthy beyond, you know, what any of us can even imagine. And you’re you’re not letting him exert his power. His superpower is his wallet. And you know, a couple of people on on um on X said, “You have to know, Michael, that owners don’t dig into their own pockets to fund the team.” Well, yeah, most owners, but filthy rich owners that don’t care if they lose $350 million, which has been documented that Cohen has lost 350. So if he’s lost $350 million in the last three years, that’s coming out of his pocket. So he is funding the team out of his pocket because if he’s just going by the the Met revenues, right, the Met revenues are not close to what the Yankee revenues are, he would not be allowed to have a $340 million payroll. So he is going into his own pocket. So if in fact Sterns is saying, I don’t want to tie up payroll four years from now for a guy who might be deteriorating, that’s where Steve Cohen could step in and go, it’s $31 million. What’s the big deal? I’ll take care of it. But he didn’t do that. And remember, there are owners out there that know exactly what’s going to happen with the basic agreement, what their intent is, and maybe they put that to some of the GMs and they don’t want to tie up payroll and put themselves over any kind of threshold that might not be so easy to get under. These are stuff that we don’t know what’s happening. So, when we hear, you know, House Star said it would be ideal to be under $300 million, he knows stuff that we don’t know. Now, the Dodgers are so far over the threshold, they don’t care. They’re trying to win their third one in a row. And if there’s a if there’s a salary cap that’s implemented, you know what? They’ll deal with it because they’re a smart organization. And if there’s a couple of years where they’re not good, then they’ll deal with it because they could be sitting on three World Series in a row. But for other teams, for for for Steve Cohen to sit by in a docile manner and not jump in the middle of it and say, “Give him the five.” That shows you that he either knows where the game is going, A, or B, and this is more likely, he has entrusted David Sterns with running this team. He moved heaven and earth to get this guy. moved heaven and earth, paying him an exorbitant amount of money. He might as well let him GM, and that’s exactly what he’s doing, letting him GM. Let’s go to Ray in Connecticut. Ray, hey, Michael, thanks so much for having me. I appreciate it. You got it. You got it. I’m 59 years old. I’ve been a Met fan for 55 of those years. Um, David Stones has destroyed my fandom. Um, people get attached to players on teams no matter what the sport. Um, they started with NMO. I was okay. They let Diaz go. I’m okay. Then everyone’s thinking they are definitely signing Alonzo. Our guy. Alonzo’s our guy. Yep. This happens. And I know it’s a business and I know there’s money, but I am done. I donated my Met Gear to Goodwill this morning. I’ve got cups here that I’m going to give to my son-in-law. Um, you can hear my voice shaking because I I get I’m this affected by it. I am done. Um, I’m not I’m not Last year I’m a one game a year guy. Last year I went to four. I spent over $1,200 on my time driving from Connecticut to Queens, paying the tolls, paying the parking, paying the concessions. I’m done. Who, you know, this whole threeyear thing? Um, who’s he going to get for three years? These guys that are hit free agency at 30 are going to want five years because they know they’re getting into that third decade of their life. Who’s coming here for three years? Cody Bellinger is going to come here for three years. What’s he getting when he’s 33 and his contract’s over? Can Can you help me out here? I can’t make sense. If if he’s if he’s going to set a limit at three years um for Cody, he’s not going to get him. He’s just not going to get him. Um and in terms of Tucker, Tucker’s probably going to want a seven-year deal. But, you know, they did go above and beyond that for younger players. They went above and beyond that for Sodto, 15 years. They offered 12 years to Yamamoto. So, I guess there are special cases for younger players. Uh, I I guess he looked at Pete’s age at 31 and said, “I’m just not doing it.” Ray hung up. I wish I could have gone back and forth with him because Okay, so they they let Pete Alonzo sign with the Orioles. And I get it. And I the fan I talked to here earlier at your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island, where we’re having our Christmas party. I understand the emotion that Met fans love Alonzo. Homegrown guy. But here’s what I would ask you. Weren’t you a Met fan before Pete Alonzo to Ray in Connecticut? Weren’t you a Met fan before Pete Alonzo? So you all of a sudden you you transform from a Met fan to a Pete Alonzo fan because I mean Jerry Seinfeld who’s a Met fan ironically always used to make the joke you don’t root for players you root for Laundry. Well there’s going to be somebody else with that Met uniform I’m playing first base next year and if he has an unbelievable year and the Mets have an unbelievable year I I’m not saying that you’re lying to me. I’m not I’m not trying to insult you or diminish what you feel. I’m not. And if you feel that way, I apologize cuz I’m not trying to do that. But what I would ask you is if the Mets have an unbelievable season that David Sterns turns around and his plan B is just amazing. I mean, he brings in players that just tear it up and they go to the World Series. You’re not going to be a Met fan. All the years you put into the team, you’re not going to be a Met fan. Again, I’m not diminishing what you feel, but I mean, I I I’ll give you my own personal feelings. I grew up a Yankee fan. I loved Bobby Mercer. Loved him. Didn’t like him, loved him. I wore number one. He was number one before Billy got there. Billy was number one when he was a player, but Bobby was number one when he was an all-star with the Yankees. I wore number one in Little League for Bobby Mercer. the way kids wear 99 now or they wear two. I wore number one. And then I woke up one day and Gabe Paul, the GM of the Yankees under Steinbrunner, had the audacity to trade Bobby Mercer to the San Francisco Giants. I was crushed. Absolutely crushed. I mean, what was I at that point? 14 years old. I mean, that’s the heart of your fandom when it’s really locking in. And I almost cried. That’s how much I love Bobby Mercer. So, they traded him for Bobby Bonds. And Bobby Bonds didn’t work out. And then they traded Bobby Bonds for Ed Figueroa and Mickey Rivers, two of the lynchpins of the championship teams in 77 and 78. So, I lost my favorite player with a trade. I didn’t say I’m not going to be Yankee fan. I I didn’t say that and my heart was broken and I stayed with the team and you know what trading Bobby Mercer for Bonds and then trading bonds for Figureroa and Rivers led to them winning their first championship since 1962 when they won it in 1977. I’m not saying good things are going to come of this, but you have to have an open mind. Don’t give up on your team just because they traded away one player that you love cuz it’s still your team. And I understand the feelings. I saw it in the gentleman who came up and spoke to me. I saw it in his eyes. I heard it in his voice. I heard it in Ray’s voice. I understand the hurt cuz I felt that with Bobby Mercer, but I was a fan of the Yankees first. I mean, we had a guy call in yesterday and said, “I’m going to root for the Orioles now.” So wait, were you a Met fan or were you a Pete Alonzo fan? So when Pete Alonzo retired, you were no longer going to root for the team? Again, there’s a lot of pieces that just don’t fit or that I don’t understand. Hey, I’m not the brightest guy in the world, but it just seems a little suspicious that you’d give up on a team because they traded your favorite player. This is the ESPN New York Holiday Party live brought to you by Spiked Aid made for big city social stamina. We’ll continue with your phone calls. Um 1 800 9193776. Want to remind everybody it’s Michael K talking to you about my friends at PC Richard and Sun. They’re local, familyowned, and I trust them and you can too. 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I appreciate it uh taking time out of your day to a listen to the show and the b come by the holiday party. We do appreciate that. Game time brought to you by Telmord Irish whiskey because when it’s game time it’s Tully time. 8:30 the Nets are in Dallas to play the Mavericks. Telmord, the original triple distill triple blended triple cask matured Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Telmord. Try the new Telmord honey during today’s action. Glass up to enjoying Telmord responsibly. um that net game. You could watch it on Yes. But talking about the Mets decision, let Pete Alonzo sign with the Baltimore Orioles. So, let’s go back to the phone calls. Tim in Hicksville. Timmy. Hello, Michael. How are you? I’m good. How you doing, Tim? I’m all right. Uh I’m a longtime Med fan as well. Uh but everybody seems to forget that after game 162 in the clubhouse said he was going to you know declare for free agency. To me that’s that told me right then and there he was never coming back. I don’t know if it’s an organizational issue. I don’t know it was a clubhouse issue but for him to do that at that particular moment told me he was never coming back. I’m not Tim. Let me ask you let me ask you. If they gave him the 5-year deal the Orioles gave him you don’t think he’d come back? No. Really? Wow. Really? Yeah. Well, then that I don’t think even there would have to be internal problems. That’s what I’m thinking. I’m thinking there’s problems at the organization, problems in the clubhouse. Uh I think that uh even with Boris as his agent, I think he would have gone elsewhere. Well, I’ll tell you what, and I thank you for the phone call, Tim. It comes down to this. When you have Scott Boris as your agent, you’re going for the most money. And that’s why I laugh when people say, “Well, you know, Cody Bellinger loved being with the Yankees. Uh, he’ll probably he’ll probably do a discount to stay there.” No, no, no. I mean, maybe if it’s, you know, $500,000 a year and he’s going to make 28 instead of 285, maybe. But if the Yankees want to offer him a three-year deal and a team’s out there that’s going to give him a six-year deal, it could have been Shanganger for him. When you hire Scott Boris, you hire him for a reason. Now, Tim also mentioned that at the at the end of 162, Alonzo said, you know, I’m going to opt out. Everybody knew he was going to opt out. Edwin Diaz opted out. He still had two years left on his contract. That’s what Boris clients do. And I think it’s distasteful. That’s what Garrett Cole did uh after the last game the Astros lost in the playoffs. He said, you know, he had a Boris hat on with the media availability. He didn’t have an Astro hat. That’s what Sodto did. They don’t wait. That’s what Alonzo did. I give credit to Bellinger. He is a Boris client. He did not talk about it when the Yankees were eliminated by Toronto. I give him credit. You have to be a strong man to go up against Boris and say, “No, that’s not my gig. I’m not doing that. I’m not going to play it that way.” But I I I disagree with Tim. If if the Mets offer him 5 years 160, he’s a Met today. It’s all there is to it. He’s a Met. Now, he might had his feelings hurt that they left him drifting in the win last year and then it had to take Steve Cohen going down to Alonzo’s country club in in Florida and they hammered out a deal which Steve Cohen wanted because he knew the fans wanted it but David Sterns didn’t. Now I mentioned earlier that um Francisco Lindor and Juan Sodto have blanket no trade clauses and I’ve read that in a number I know I know that Sodto does and I also read it about Lindor and I I I thought it to be the truth but my guy Jarve from Oz listening all the way in Australia he said that Lindor has a limited no trade clause where he could say no to 15 teams. So that means there are 15 team or 14 teams because the Mets count as a team. 14 teams where he could be traded without his permission. If Jarv says it and he’s up in the middle of the night now in Australia, I’m going to take him at his word that he knows that Lindor has a limited no trade. So the possibility is there to tra uh to do it. But I’m going to tell you another thing. You know how um Pete Alonzo was allowed to go without Cohen stepping in? I would be fascinated fascinated to see if Cohen and his wife Alex sign off on Lindor being traded. I don’t think they would. I don’t think they would. He has been like he’d become part of their family. I I would be shocked if they allow Sterns to trade Lindor. Now, throwing money is not always the best thing because at the end of contracts, it’s an overpay. So, take a look at what Sterns or not Sterns, Cohen gave to Lindor years ago, couple of years ago, $341 million for 10 years. There are no other shorts stops that make that still all the years after that contract was signed. That is a contract that will not age well. So I know fans go give the players whatever they want. Yankee fans, you know what I’m talking about. You’re the ones who were on the show screaming, you got to give DJ Lameu whatever he wants. Whatever he wants. Okay. The Yankees gave him whatever they want. Now they’re paying him not to play. So, these contracts will age out and they will hamstring your team because no matter how wealthy your owner is, teams run on a budget. Except for the Dodgers, teams run on a budget. Let’s go to uh Raul in Harrisburg. Raul, Mike, how you doing? Let me tell the story, Mike, before I get to my question. You’re very good. One year ago at that very place, I met you, Don, and Peter. You signed a a a ball from U Judge. You hit it out. Oh, cool. Yeah, man. At the mother’s house. I love it. So, Mike, I I want to get into Yeah. Go ahead. What were you gonna say? No, I said I love it. Please go on. Love it, man. Um, so I want to give a little bit of my take. I’m a Yankee fan on Pans before I get to one little question. P. Uh, I think that the Mets, they he they knew what they were doing. You know, they wanted to pass on this guy because of the value. You know, sometimes you don’t see in a player all the values that you see in other players and you give them the money. You know what I mean? So, I think the Mets was smart and I was smart at Alonzo. So, I just want to, you know, point that out. Well, I I think I I think it was an over I think it was an over pay by the Orioles and I understand why the Mets drew the line, but they also do have to consider that this was an important player to their fans. But what was your other point, Ro? Yeah, a lockout. Mike, do you think from the bottom of your heart with all these players accepting all these money, will there be a lockout? That’s my big concern. I would say, and I thank you for the phone call, I would say if I had to put a percentage at it, I’d say it’s there’s 70% chance there will be Well, there’s definitely going to be a lockout. That’ll that’ll happen on December 1st. The big question is, will we miss games? Will we not have a 2027 season? I think that’s possible, too. I hope that cooler heads prevail. You know, I know the owners are going to um hope that the players say, you know, we’re making so much money. Why would we give a year of that away? And when you give a year of it away, not only you giving money away, that’s a year on your career you’re never getting back. You’re never getting back. Now, my producer back in the studio, Ray Dahan, he actually corrects the great job Jar from Oz. Ray tells me Lindor had a 15 team no trade through 2025. Now, it’s a full no trade through the end of the deal 2031. So, I was right and Jarv was mistaken. I would never say Jarve is wrong because Jarvis is a man, but Jarve was mistaken. This is the ESPN New York holiday party live from your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island. Brought to you by Amazon Pickup, Security Dodge, and Spike aid made for big city social stamina. We’ll continue with the phone calls. 1 800 9193776. First, I want to tell you FanDuel Friday. It’s turning it up with NBA Happy Hour. Every Friday from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Eastern, FanDuel is dropping limited time specials to get you in the zone. boost, bonuses, surprises, all designed to bring that Friday energy. This isn’t just another promo. It’s your weekly pregame. NBA Happy Hour every Friday 6:00 to 7:30 Eastern only on FanDuel, the official sportsbook partner of the NBA. Visit fanuel.com/k to grab your reward before the clock expires. 21 plus and physically present in New York. Optin required. Rewards are nonwithdrawable. 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Hey everybody, this is the ESPN New York holiday party live from your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island. Brought to you by Amazon Pickup, Security Dodge, and Spike Aid, made for big city social stamina. I’ll tell you what, it’s so cool when we have these uh these shows at at restaurants, bars around the tri-state. Um, I see a buddy Steve Brzinski who’s had some health issues over the year, but he always makes it a point whether in Jersey or Long Island, he comes and sees us and I know it’s not a doppelganger because Steve is carrying around a picture of beer, which he will finish and get another and he’ll finish that and he’ll get another and he’ll finish that. You’re looking great. So, everything’s going well healthwise. So, Steve Brazinski, longtime listener of the show in the afternoon and hanging around here in the 1 to3 spot. Also, um, Mad Mike Carabio, it is his birthday weekend, so we wish him a happy birthday. Uh, I know I know Mike back to the old Yankee Stadium. And so, he made his way here. Happy birthday, buddy. Hope you have a great weekend. Um, last year when we did the holiday show, it was a little bit melancholy to tell you the truth because it was the last show that I ever did with Don and Peter and that was like the farewell show. Um, I knew that I was still going to I I was going to be doing this show and they were going to be doing the afternoon show with Alan Han and it’s been great. Don Han and Rosenberg are great. You should be listening to them every day starting at 3:00. But the fact that that was the the ending of a show that was about 23 years, it was emotional. It really it really was emotional. So, this one feels a little happier. Don Han and Rosenberg will be doing their show here um at 3:00. So, stick around for that. But I want to I want to thank you in this holiday season how easy you have made this transition for me. You know, people are continuing to listen. They’re enjoying the show. They seem like they’ve enjoyed the the YouTube aspect where they could see it visually as well. So, thank you all for sticking with me as I’m doing the show alone. I love you. I never let it go unsaid that you’re spending part of your day with me. You don’t have to. You have a lot of choices. So, thank you uh to everybody. Thank you to everybody. Thank you. Thank you. 1 800 9193776. Uh let’s go to um Eric on the Upper East Side. Eric, talk to me. Hey, Michael. What’s going on? How are you? How you doing, Eric? I’m good. I actually just got married. My one month will be in on Sunday. And I just was thinking I can’t think of a better blessing for myself that my kids eventually look this good in a black turtleneck and whatever color blazer you’re wearing. My god, you look amazing. You look amazing on YouTube. Congratulations on the wedding. Is it going well for the first month? It’s going really well. We’re both big diehard Met fans and we’re both on very opposite ends of All right. What end are you on now? What end are you on? I’m on the end I’m very uh on board with what David Sterns is doing. Um obviously I I love Pete and I love Diaz. Um but I was mentally prepared to lose Pete last year and I kind of was setting myself up for that this year. The Diaz thing I definitely agree with is weird, but um fans want change. fans were disgusted with last season and now that change is here um fans like are super what do you think like what did fans think was going to happen like we’re going to lose McNeel I’m very comfortable with David Sterns um having financial flexibility prospect flexibility and a core of Sodto and Lundor and McClean like they should be okay um I’m not like not losing my mind over losing a aging for his basement’s good he’s very good but he’s not like entering is prime now. Let’s all calm down. If I recall correctly, when the Nationals won the World Series, didn’t they lose Bryce Harper the season like that off season? And guess what? When they made the playoffs and they were doing their thing and how was going off, the stadium was full. As you said before, winning is the best deodorant. And people won’t care if Pete’s not here if they succeed. Let me let me ask you this, Eric. Let me ask you this. So, they had a terrible season last year. There’s no denying that. But as Danny from Long Island said earlier in the show, was Pete Alonzo the reason they had a bad season? No, Pete wasn’t the reason. But you sometimes change is good and sometimes you just need different people in the clubhouse. You need different people to show up to work, a different mentality. Baseball is a weird sport. As I as I literally just said, Howie Kendrick one year practically won the World Series. A couple years later it was Eddie Rosario and Jorge Solair. It’s it’s a it’s a weird sport and that obviously the Dodgers have kind of broken that mold, but they seem to be the um they seem to be the outlier in this superstar. The last for the last couple of years, baseball has been pretty good with these one-off teams doing well and having nice stories. Pete Alonzo was not the Mets problems, but with flexibility all over the place, bringing up young players, having that money to spend in bullpen players and whatnot, I’m okay with it. Like, I’m not losing my mind. This guy didn’t Your your wife is upset. Yeah. She said, “I’m doing something else for the next five years.” We’re dieh hard fans. The whole family. We have like eight season tickets next to each other. Big fans. Very upset about all this. And I kind of am saying, “I hear you, but I’m not so angry.” And uh I don’t know. Minority opinion, but I think yeah, it’s a season of of of thanks. And I I want to thank you being a Met fan. And you know, putting aside the fact that I do the Yankee games and just do this radio show. Thank you. I appreciate that. Happy holidays. Continued success with the marriage. All right. So, I I I usually um don’t talk about uh the other station, it’s it’s not my business, but I I I did want I I did want to make this point. So, I if you’re aware of what’s going on in New York Sports Radio, they’re making changes there. And you know they they’re bringing back Craig Carton and and that you know forced them to make maneuvers and and one of the maneuvers is that BT and S um lost their job. Uh I’m not one of these people. I I I love Chris Garland. He’s a dear friend and I thought that what happened to him at FAN when they gave him the afternoon show. He moved from Philadelphia. I thought it was despicable. But I never put any blame on Mike Francesa. I didn’t because Mike Francesa was offered the job back by management. They’re the ones who screwed um Chris Carlin and Maggie and Bart. They did it. Wasn’t Mike Francesa. That’s why I I hold no ill will toward Craig Carton in this at all. Blame FA management. They decided to bring Carton back. And why wouldn’t Craig take it? And because they bring Carton back, they move Evan and Tiki to 10 o’clock. And that means BT and S lose their job. And the reason I bring this up because this is their last show together today. It’s over by now. Um, you know, during commercials of of Bart and Carlin, I’ll switch back and forth, see what the other station is saying, and I got to tell you, it it’s been the worst kept secret in our industry. And and for two or three weeks, they’ve known that their time is over. I don’t know what’s next for them, but their time in that slot is over. Maybe at the station. And those guys, every single day they were on the air. They gave it their all. They busted their hump every single day and did a show as if they were going to be there for the next 10 years. That is the height of professionalism. The absolute height of professionalism. I feel for them. I’m I’m good friends with Brandon. I don’t really know S at all and I’ve texted Brandon and expressed my remorse that, you know, he and S are going through this during the holiday season. It’s it’s awful to lose your job at any time. But, you know, when you’re two weeks away from Christmas, to lose your job, that really stinks. But they never let it show in all of their last shows together. They did the same show that they did four months ago before Craig Carton was coming back a year ago. And whether you like them or not, they did an energetic show and they showed their professionalism. I I I really give them credit. I was uh it was remarkable to me because, you know, if you listen to this show and you’ve known I’m on the air for 24 years here, I am a petulant, vindictive child. And if somebody was saying, “You’re going to be out at the end of two weeks.” I don’t know a if I would have done the shows and b if I did do the show, if it wasn’t going to be a two week pity party. I give them credit. Total class. That’s the way you handle it. And I hope that the way they handle it serves them well down the line and that they find work somewhere else. And again, I am not the guy I am not the guy that’s blaming Craig Carton. Management did that. Craig Carton was offered a job. Why wouldn’t he take it back? Management did it to BT and and S, not not Craig Carton. So if your emnity is toward Craig Carton, whether you like him or not, that’s the wrong person. And if your emnity with what happened to to Carl and Bart and Maggie was toward Francesa, that’s wrong, too. Again, it was management that brought him back. They didn’t have to. They could have said, “We’re happy with what we have.” They didn’t. Neither time. They’re to blame. Not the people that came back. Not the people that came back. This is the ESPN New York Holiday Party live from your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island. Brought to you by Amazon Pickup, Security Dodge, and Spike Aid, made for big city social stamina. We’ll come back. We got to talk about the Michigan situation. To me, it’s unbelievable what’s going on there. Talk a little bit about the Yankees at the end of the show. We’ll do the two pack for sure. Give you my two NFL picks. It’s the K show right here on ESPN New York. 1877 cars for kids. K A R S Cars for Kids. 1877 Cars for Kids. Donate your car today. 1877 Cars for Kids. Donate your car today. Ready to get rid of that old car? Donate it to Cars for Kids. Call 1877 cars for kids to reach a friendly live agent. Donation’s super easy and your car can be picked up as soon as tomorrow. Call us now 1877 cars for kids. That’s cars with a K to donate your car today. 1877 Cars for Kids K A R S Cars for Kids 1877 Cars for Kids. Donate your car today. Hurry, it’s your last chance to donate for 2025. Last chance. Donate now for a 2025 tax deduction. New York Lotteryy’s holiday scratchoff games are the perfect gift for everyone on your list. Like me, your aunt Jewels. I told you I didn’t need a gift this year, but I secretly really want one. Or me, your neighbor Frank. I hope you didn’t forget I’m coming to your holiday party tonight. Or me. Why does no one ever think of the voiceover guy? Anyway, New York Lotteryy’s holiday scratchoff games have more winners and top prizes up to $5,000. Please play responsibly. Must be 18 plus. Gambling problem? Call 1877HOPNY or text HOPEN NY. The holidays are here and Amazon Pickup is your MVP of package pickup. Need that perfect gift like a brand new jersey for the big game? With Amazon Pickup, you can grab your order from secure Amazon lockers or counters near you on your schedule at no extra cost. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it keeps your holiday surprises tucked safely away. So whether you’re running from work or heading to the holiday party, Amazon Pickup makes holiday shopping worry-f free. Find your nearest Amazon pickup location at amazon.com/pickupp. That’s amazon.com/pickupvp 880 ESPN, WHSQ, and WCBS FMD2 New York. A Good Karma Friends radio station. Health surprises can change your life in an instant. You’ve seen it happen to others, but it doesn’t have to be your story. At Princeton Longevity Center, we customize actionable and proactive health plans to maximize your lifespan and take control of your health. Our cancer check program combines cuttingedge technology with top medical expertise to keep you ahead of potential risks with advanced full body imaging, genetic testing, and multi-cancer detection blood tests. We look for even the earliest signs of problems. Results are analyzed by expert physicians who craft a personalized plan to safeguard your future. You’re not just a patient. You’re a partner in your health journey. Backed by a team committed to helping you live longer, healthier, and more vibrantly. Our programs have saved hundreds of lives and empowered countless others to take control of their health. Be proactive with your health for the ultimate peace of mind. Call 888000 PLC or visit princetonl longevitycenter.com. Rich Eisen here. As you all know, I care deeply about pediatric cancer research and awareness. That’s why I’m proud to talk about Hyundai Hope on Wheels. For over 27 years, every Hyundai sold has helped fund lifesaving pediatric cancer research. Together with over 850 dealers nationwide, they’ve raised more than $277 million, supporting over 25,000 kids in their fight against cancer. At Hyundai, hope isn’t optional, it comes standard. Visit hyundaiusa.com and search Hyundai Hope on Wheels to learn more. Tim collects bobbleheads. A lot of bobbleheads. Baseball bobbleheads. Race car bobbleheads. Little Chihuahua bobbleheads. He’s got an entire room strictly for bobbleheads. Does he need them? No. Is his wife mad about it? A little. But Tim works with Empower and he got good at money so he can be a little bad. Ooh, horse bobblehead. Classy Tim. Empower. Invest well, live a little. Start today at empower.com. Ah, yeah. Welcome back. This is the ESPN New York holiday party live from your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island. Brought to you by Amazon Pickup, Security Dodge, and Spike Dave. Made for big city social stamina. You know what? One of the uh the hallmarks of our holiday party over the years is that Don LGrea always wears something with a holiday spirit to it. So, Don’s here with me right now, and we have a big announcement. But first, he comes in with a black, white, and gray sweater. This is not holiday appropriate. I I It’s the new schedule’s thrown me off here with the Devils and the trout. Like Tuesday, I was in Ottawa. I got home at 3:00 in the morning doing the show. I I I just can’t believe it’s already December 12th. I haven’t gotten really any shopping. And it just I I thought about it last night because usually I would, you know, run the Target or something. I’m like, “Nah, listen. I’m going to I’m going to follow your suit and just say, you know what, I’m I have the holiday spirit, but I don’t have to wear a onesie or do something kooky. So, very conservative. It’s okay. Now, this is going to surprise everybody after what I just previously said, but I’m I’m here to announce that Don and I are back together again. Well, that’d be something, right? Yeah, we’re back together. With all the news in radio, we decided to just do this stealth. That’s right. And you know, we we we’ve eliminated Peter. It’s just me and Don, and that’s the way it’s going to be. Now, are they they’re just not believing you or they didn’t seem as interested in the announcement? I think they they like the shows the way they the way it is. No, I’m just kidding. But I I do miss Don. No, I I I I miss you every day. I do. But I love what’s going on. Both can happen, right? Yeah. Sure. Well, I’m sure you’re happy where you are doing the shows and you’re killing it. I listen. It’s It’s become a like destination radio for me at 1:00 to make sure you’re in the car. I’m not in the, you know, the Holland tunnel. And if I am, I got to make sure I can listen to the app to be able to hear your open because I think you are that significant where I want to know what’s h you got the finger on the pulse. So I’m like, all right, what’s your open because that might sway what we decide to do with three. So So I, you know, I was listening to your show yesterday and and you were I thought fairly circumspect about the Alonzo thing. Let’s see what’s going to happen. Yeah. But I’ve talked to people on the phone today, a gentleman here, Pete, Met fans are crushed. I mean, was Pete that important to you as a Met fan? Listen, would he have been if I was 18 years old? You know, probably because I gave my my my list yesterday was the the the toughest exits in Mets history for me. You know, number one’s Tom Siver. Um, you know, I think number three was Dave Kingman because I love Dave King even though he was a piece of garbage. I didn’t know I didn’t know that when I was 10 years old, whatever. Um, I I was I was sad to see him go, but can I see what this looks like before I go nuts? I I don’t understand Met fans, you know, boycotting the team, flipping out, wanted David Sterns fired for these moves when we don’t know what the pivot is. Now, I’ll be the first one there if we start the season and they look like this and I’ll be the first one killing him if they have a 62- win season and two, three years from now they completely bottom out under nobody. I’ll be there with everybody else with the pitchfork out, you know, looking for his job. But can I just see where we go with this? You know, listen, he brought Alonzo back because he hit the home run against Devin Williams. You knew he didn’t want him last year. Oh, it was Cohen that did that, right? and and and he that’s the act that Cohen brought stood too. I I I wouldn’t doubt it. And listen, he’s on orders, but at the same time, he probably figured, okay, I’m going to make a contract for for Alonzo that if this doesn’t work, which I don’t think it’s going to, that I can get out. Now, he had a good season, much better than he did the year before, but the Mets won 83 games, Michael. We’re holding on to players that have not won us anything. As a matter of fact, they’ve broken our hearts. The second half of that year, uh last year was was god awful. They collapsed. You go back to 22, 101 wins, but they they hand the division over to the Braves. They lose in the wild card to San Diego. This team hasn’t accomplished anything. I don’t want to be a Met fan the way a Nick fan’s glory days are losing to Jordan and losing to Hakee Elijah. I don’t want to be a Jet fan where my glory days are the back-to-back championship games. I want to be a Met fan and have my glory days, you know, finding a way to win for the first time since 1986. spent all my glory days losing to the Royals in 2015, losing to the Padres’s in 22, losing to the Dodgers in in in 24. I want a team that’s going to win a championship, and I’m going to give him the opportunity to build that, and if it doesn’t work out, he’ll lose his job. I’ll be all over him, but can’t I wait and see what it looks like? Well, I think it’s unfair, and I understand fans want results yesterday. I mean, I I’m getting it on social media. Cashman’s failing. He hasn’t failed. Let’s see what he does. If if this is the team the Mets have when they report to Port St. Lucy, then you have some issues and we’ll see what Cashman does with the Yankees. You can’t judge their their offseason work on December 12th. But right now, if you’re a Met fan, the Phillies have gotten better and the Braves have gotten better. Well, you know, the Braves are going to be better just because they went through the injuries last year and and that’s going to be tough. And the National League, I think, is much better than the American League because, you know, the Dodgers right now are clearly the best team in baseball. You know, the Padres’s are still uh a very good team. It’s going to be it’s going to be tough to make the playoffs. You know, 83 wins in some years could have been enough maybe to sneak in. It wasn’t even close this past year because how good the National League is. But the difference between the Mets and the Yanks, Cashman’s been here forever. There’s already a preconceived notion of the fans being down on him, so they don’t trust him. Met fans don’t trust David Sterns because he didn’t have the greatest of trade deadlines last year. But then again, he was trying to improve on the team that we know he probably didn’t like, right? And he knew that he was going to change it anyway. So maybe not doing anything at the deadline last year was exactly what the doctor ordered. I mean Rod uh I mean Montas was a was a failed experiment for sure. No no general manager is perfect but am I wrong to still trust and see what he can do. Well I I think you are putting a I mean he’s failed because when he went to the national championship series that was Billy Eper’s team. Then last year he he makes those two pitching signings which are awful. one been released already. You’re paying him $17 million not the pitch and then at the trade deadline he laid an egg. I mean he didn’t help them at all. So I mean you’re you are putting aside those failures. No. Well the the at least the trade deadline I can say he wasn’t going to to feed into a team he didn’t believe in in the first place anyway. And it’s a philosophy with pitching isn’t it with him. He’s not going to give big-time contracts to pitchers uh that are of a certain age. And certainly some guys have failed. But the year before, you know, he he caught lightning in a bottle, right, with Maniah and Canana and it worked out. Um, but look at the guys he’s gotten rid of. You talk about, you know, Eper’s team. He’s getting rid of all the guys from the previous regime. Yeah. And I do think there might be something to this Lindor. Now, maybe San Diego, they won’t make a deal. And I’m I’m not sure I’d want Bogart’s to be my shortstop over Lindor, but I think if he can move Lindor, I think he might try to. It just be a hard contract to move, but I think he would like to do that. Well, he’s going to have to take it back. I I I think it would be a terrible deal if he brings back Bogarts. Bogarts is is shot. What about uh Jun if if if Oh, that would be unbelievable. But why would they do that? Because Tatis Jr. makes less than Lindor. Tatis Jr. makes U average annual value of like $25.5 million. Lindor’s 34.1, but and and listen, I don’t know how much he’s buying into the defensive analytics. Lindor was terrible last year defensively. Now, he’s a good defender, but so do they look at Lindor as a guy that’s going to fall off the map? That contract is going to age poorly. Poor. And now listen, and and and Bogarts is what, a year older, but for far less money for almost the same length of time, right? He’s 11-year contract to Lindor’s 10, right? But a lot less money. I think it was 280 to what 350 341, you know. So, it’s um I I want to just see how it work. I’m just saying I think he would probably move Lor. There’s also a problem in the clubhouse. I I’ve talked to a few people and it’s split. I don’t know what you’ve heard. Oh, there’s nothing to it. There’s no problems between Lindor and Sodto. And I’ve heard people say, “No, there is a little bit of an issue between Well, I don’t think they fight. From what I hear, they don’t fight. They just they’re not buddies, right? They’re not.” And that’s okay. You don’t have to be buddies. You I heard you talk on the air to, you know, the 78 Yankees, the the three-time champion A’s, they were at each other’s throats and they won. Chemistry is not as important in baseball as it is in basketball, but you can be selfish and still win. Yeah. And now listen, this would be a problem if if Sodto was your second baseman, and that’s your double play combination, right? But, you know, one’s an outfielder, one’s a shortstop. So, I wouldn’t worry about that. But I’d like to see what the pivot is. I heard you say the other day, well, this is why you have Cohen, so you can overpay. I don’t think it was about money. I He didn’t want Lock five years into Alonzo. He doesn’t want to clog up the DH position cuz let’s face it, that’s where Juan Sto is going to be at the end of that probably 3/4 of the way through the contract, your DH. Do you know what scared me uh at the winter meetings? I don’t know if this got your attention. So, Mendoza speaks and he was asked, “Are you going to use Sodto as a DH more?” He goes, “He doesn’t like the DH, so I don’t want to use him there.” He doesn’t like the DH. So, don’t you hear what’s going on in that organization? It’s a 15-year contract. You know, by year seven, he’s going to be DH. And don’t and and don’t be David Sterns telling me that run prevention’s important. And you’re going to put him there in right field like, you know, for the next few years. He’s he’s not a good defender. No, he’s not. You know, now I want to see who the center fielder is going to be and replacing NMO. Maybe that makes it a little bit better. But they’ve gotten better defensively. I love what they did at second base, but let’s face it, Juan Sto is not going to be your outfielder for the majority of this contract. So, I I I follow the site um streamer, right? And they they had the 2026 projected offensive wars of all 30 teams. All right. The Dodgers are first at 25.8. Okay. Even without Bellinger, the Yankees are 25.5. They’re second. The Orioles are 25.3. And the Mets subtracting Alonzo, they’re fourth in baseball at 24.9. So, it’s not as dire as you think if you believe in that stat and it looks like everybody else does, no matter what we think. Interesting. Bellinger. Doesn’t it feel like we’re being set up for sodto Mach 2 here? What do you mean? Meaning that that the Mets will the Mets will, you know, do everything to get him. If not, then you know drive up the price for the Yankees and and bring Bellinger here. Well, I I I I don’t think that’s going to happen. The Yankees, they went far above and beyond what they want to do for Sodto. If it gets crazy with with Bellinger, they’ll tap out. Well, that’s what but but I think the Mets might be there to be to grab Yeah. But but but if the Mets are, you know, they don’t want to give three more than threeear contracts out, you’re not going to get them. Like Andrew Freriedman said all those years ago, if you’re rational with free agents, you’re always going to finish third, right? But you I I could see Sterns liking Bellinger more than Alonzo, right? He could be your first baseman. He’s a little bit younger. He’s played what 350 games at first base. Yeah, he’s a good first baseman. So, if he’s a good first baseman and he’s a year younger and you like him more, I I think you might be able to give more than what the Yankees give. I think they can go out and and I guess, you know, sign King. Maybe they can be on a school where they can they can get him and then give him a contract. I mean, these are the things I’m hoping that they can land. See, I’m glad you brought up Scooble because I was going to ask you about that and I was going to talk about it today. I don’t know if if the move for the Mets is to get Scooble. Okay. Why? Because I don’t think they’re going to win next year. No matter what they do, I don’t think they’re going to be a World Series team next year. And you could get Scooble just for money. And you know what? Boris is his agent. The Mets going to they give a a truckload of talent to the Tigers to get Scoo and then you could lose him to the Dodgers the next year. You could. Now remember they did the same thing that different regime but remember they could have done that with Lindor and instead gave him the contract because I think the Mets thinking then and it might be the thinking here is we want to show him New York we want to show I don’t want to have I want him to play here a year see how cool it is see the vibe of it and then have an inside track to keep him but I would make the deal if if the Tigers allow me to talk extension with him and that Boris lets him talk extension say okay we’ll give you $400 million for 10 year then I’ll give that’s what I was hoping before, right? But that’s not going to give me that window. I don’t know if I don’t Yeah, I don’t want I don’t want to do what the Yankees did with with Sodto. I mean, they got to the World Series and that’s all well and good, but I I think the Yankees were hoping, right, that that year would be a nice audition for him to stay long term or give him the inside track. That was a bad read because we said it from the beginning was going to be about the money anyway. Um, I don’t know if that’s going to be the case here, but there’s still guys that they can go out and get, Tucker, you know, so the overspend, the advantages of Cohen can still be utilized here. I don’t think this is about money. I think this is about they didn’t want Alonzo. Diaz is interesting because you could have gone the extra mile, right? And it wasn’t a real long mile. It’s a couple of blocks. It’s a million dollars a year. Unless, you know, they’re they they just want to change the face. Maybe they weren’t in love with the clubhouse. Did he have something to do with that? Maybe just inside he really wants Devin Williams to be his closer. And then I thought, well, is that also something to where if they think they can do something with San Diego, could Miller be here? And then that Williams is your setup man to to Miller as your closer. But remember in Williams uh press conference, the Zoom press conference said they told me I was going to be a closer. They only they only talked to me about being a closer. Now he proved last year he’s pretty good setup. I mean, you really sold I was down when the when the deal was first made because my impression was that he couldn’t handle New York and he lost his closing job, but you really sold me when you came I guess you can’t you had been off so you weren’t on when it happened and you kind of recapped it saying that hey listen he won the job back and he seemed to like feel better about but he lost it again. He ended up being a setup guy to Bednar and was great. Yeah. I don’t think he allowed a run in September and in postseason. Yeah. And Bednar was Yeah. But that was a closer he but he didn’t lose it. He lost it because there was there was a better option after the trade dead. But he also didn’t pitch well. Yeah. But it seemed like he did not pitch well as a closer as a setup guy was much better. So maybe there is you want to pay 1700 17 million a year for a setup guy. No. That’s why when they signed him I I had a feeling Diaz was gone. That wasn’t that wasn’t insurance. That was and and if I had heard that like the same with the with Alonzo that they didn’t make him an offer then I’d say okay just they don’t like him but they made him an offer. They made him an offer. So they there was a possibility Diaz would have said yes and then then you would be paying that much money for a setup guy right? Yep. Now I follow you you know like a hawk everything. You were not happy with that Devil loss yesterday. You’re a little empty on it. I didn’t see it coming. None of us did because Tampa Bay is kind of beaten up too, right? Well, yeah, they Yeah. So, that’s why you can’t Listen, they lost Jack Hughes, they lost Brett Peshi. I think it’s Hogus. They uh they played last night and probably for the next few games without team Omire for personal reasons. That’s a lot to lose. But, you know, Tampa’s got injuries, too. The the Devils lost to a team in Boston last week that was playing without Pasternak, their best offensive player, and Makavoy, their best defenseman. Everybody’s got injuries. and you give up eight goals, the goalender gets pulled in the first period. It um one for 11 on the power play. Um they’ve given up five goals in the last six times they’ve been short-handed. A lot a lot of things that are kind of bottoming out here. Hopefully it’s just a blip on the radar screen, but you know, give up eight goals in a building. You were nine on one at home and now you’ve lost five straight at home and you come off a win on Tuesday and a nice win and and get beat up the way that you did even though you’re short-handed. Um that was a little disturbing. It was. So, you’re not you’re not quite halfway through. Are you still enjoying it as much as at the beginning? Cuz doing this and playbyplay. It’s exhausting. I mean, you saw it with me. I was killing me, but it’s exhausting. Have you felt tired? Not t not physically tired, right? I I sometimes and I wonder if you went through this. I thought about it the other day. How much different would it be if I didn’t have the radio show? Oh, be unbelie be nervous. Yeah. And so, and listen, you you were doing it a long time before you started doing radio. Yeah. You know, and I did Rangers, but it was sparse compared to I’ve done, you know, 30 of the 32 games. Two only two games were taken nationally. And there’s travel and all that. I listen, I still love it’s it’s amazing. It’s It’s every bit as exciting today as it was the first time that I did it. But there’s, you know, there’s certain stresses to it. But again, I don’t work for a living. My dad worked. This we’re not digging ditches. This is a lot of fun. But it’s still, you know, it’s a long day and I I just concern myself on my with with prep and making sure that everything is getting done and it is it it just you don’t want you don’t want to lose. I don’t want the show to suffer either and I certainly don’t want the games to suffer because I’m new there. So there’s that balancing act that you do, but it’s still a ball. You’re doing a great job. Everybody loves you. Thank you. What what I would suggest to you, stop interacting with people on X. I I answered two people last week, right? And that was the first time in two and a half years. And right away, oh, you’re so thin skinned. They just don’t they don’t want you to answer them back because they don’t have an answer. I did it today because there there’s a group of people that you know, I’m actually kind of excited about it in the sense that it’s television, right? So, they see when you make a mistake and there’s a lot more people, you know, paying attention to what you do on TV as opposed to radio. So, there’s a there’s a people that are make constantly calling to attention anytime something gets missed. For now, can’t wait. So I decided so much better. It’s a fun like somebody somebody on X last night said that they thought I said sling too many times. I saw that. So I just said, you know, I’ll work on or something like that. What I don’t realize in real time is that nobody sees that, but then if I retweet or something then everybody Yeah. Everybody, you know, and it kind of but I’m just trying I’m trying to let them know that I’m still having fun with it that it’s not anything that that bothers me because when I see the people at the at the rink, they’re they’re all excited. And more important, you know, MSG loves it. So that’s that’s the I’d rather MSG and the Devils you want to like it. I would rather listen, as much as I really want the fans to love everything that I do, if if my bosses don’t like it, then it doesn’t matter. All let’s cut to the chase. It’s been a year now because we had our goodbye show about this time last year. Yeah. December 8th. Of Allen and Peter, who who do you dislike? Well, I’m going to I’m going to surprise you. Okay. And answer the question. Wow. Because you want an answer. Yeah, of course. All right. Obviously, it would be Peter, right? Because I mean, listen, I don’t dislike Peter. I love Peter. Right. But who who angers me the most? It would be something Peter did. Right. Right. Whether it’s off the air, on the air, whatever. Allan Allen’s a Allen doesn’t bother me. See, it must have been tough for you with our show because you didn’t like me and you didn’t like Peter, so it’s hard to choose. Well, but by I did things that annoyed you. Not as much as Peter, but you did. Well, listen, I’m sure I did things that annoyed you a lot. Yeah. Well, a lot. Are you being performative, Michael? No, no, no. I kind of true. No. When you work four hours together, you know, there’s going to be times, but I I love and respect the two of them. Um, and and Peter’s is, you know, his own guy. There’s different things. This is his foibless as you. Is he here yet? Well, there’s there’s one that you And what time is it? I’m sure we’ll be asking that question at 52 instead of 22, right? That’s one of the things that sometimes could be annoying. Have you seen Brzinski? I did. That You know what? Because he’s from North Jersey. That’s a long track. Guy’s a stud. That’s a long And he’s gone through some health issues. He has and I’m very happy. He continues to drink like a fish. I love it. Nothing stops him. That’s his That’s his superpower, right? That’s what gets him gets him going. Well, I know John Winthrop, our pin head PD, wants to talk. pulled you here and you were eating. Well, and I feel sorry for that. But I was happy cuz he said this is the long segment which means that you know that means that you wanted me to be on for a significant amount of time. I wanted to take advantage of it. So I’m going to go back to eating cuz it’s been And you’ll join again at 3 with your show. Yeah, that’s the plan. Are you going to hang? Uh a little bit. A little bit. Little bit. I’ve got some things going on here or abroad. Abroad. Okay. Yeah. I don’t want to interrupt you with that, but thank you for the kind words. Don LGRA, everybody. Don LGRA. He is Christmas. He really is. All right. I I promised you I’d say something about um Chiron Moore. Charges have been laid down. Don walked right in front of my camera. Uh and we will uh we’ll break that down for the people. And by the way, see Bill Bich fired like almost his entire assistant coaching staff, including and and Peter will talk about this, his offensive coordinator, Freddy Kitchens in North Carolina. So, Bill’s not taking any of the blame. It’s all of his official uh assistant coaches. Uh this is the ESPN New York holiday party live from your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island. Brought to you by Amazon Pickup, Security Dodge, and Spike aid made for big city social stamina. We’ll be back in just a moment. Two pack for sure coming up at the end of the hour as we lead you into Don Han Roseberg here on ESPN New York. Discover a driving experience crafted to inspire at Garden City Mazda. Exceptional design and sophisticated performance come together during the Mazda more to move you sales event. Lease the 2025 Mazda CX-5 for $229 a month for 33 months or the 2025 Mazda CX-50 for 2.39 a month for 33 months. Both with $49.95 to its signing. It’s the Mazda more to move you sales event at Garden City Mazda. At Garden City Mazda, expect the exceptional. PC Richard and Sun gives you their holiday price guarantee. If the price goes lower now through December 24th, they will match it so your price is protected. 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All State North American Insurance Company and affiliates, Northwork, Illinois. This is the ESPN New York holiday party live from your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island. Brought to you by Amazon Pickup, Security Dodge, and Spike, made for big city social stamina. All right. Obviously, Pete Alonzo signing with the Orioles is a big story, a big New York story and and and nationally, too, but I I don’t know how much or how closely you followed the situation in Michigan, but wow, it it’s it it’s unbelievable. So, Jerome Moore, the head coach, has been fired. Um, he’s been charged with a number of of different things. Um it it says that um the prosecutor said today that Chiron Moore and this woman that he had an intimate relationship for a number of years uh the victim broke up with the defendant on Monday morning. She presented herself to the school and corroborated the fact they had a relationship. She then says that Moore went to the woman’s house, grabbed butter knives and kitchen scissors and threatened to kill himself, threatened her that my blood is on your hands. What a mess. What a mess. Um there’s so many things that that don’t make sense. So, she worked for Michigan and I’m going to round off the figures here and she had like a $45,000 a year job and then she started seeing more and her her salary jumped to 95,000. Not a change in job, but her salary doubled and this went on for a couple of years. This is supposedly a god-fearing man with three children. And there’s a rumor out there and I I I don’t even think it’s right to perpetuate the rumor, but if he had won the Ohio State game and that they were in the college football playoffs that Michigan would not have fired him. I I I mean, if that’s true, it would make me sick to my stomach, but you you got to be true to the values of the school, I would hope. So, I would never accuse them of doing that, but that is out there. You do wonder why though she was with this man for four years and she all of a sudden turned him in. Does that seem at all like it could be a little bit of a conspiracy? Did somebody that with ties to the school that didn’t want more as the coach anymore convince her some way somehow to all of a sudden turn on him? And then he threatens to kill somebody with a butter knife and commit suicide with a butter knife. So I mean he has a lot of charges against him. He’s still in jail. So we have not heard his side of the story. But I’m going to talk turkey here and I know it’s the holiday season and I’m not trying to bring people down. It is amazing to me how many people in this world throw away their livelihood, throw away their family so they could have an extrammarital affair. It it’s it’s inconceivable to me because here are the rules of engagement in this world. If you want to run around and do what you want to do, don’t get married. I did that till I was 49 years old. And I never wanted to get married because I liked running around and doing whatever I wanted to do. And while I was doing that, as long as I was upfront with the people that I was with, I wasn’t hurting anybody. But once you get married, again, I don’t want to sound polyianaish. Once you get married, that’s a covenant. And forget about religion. It’s a covenant between two people that you’re going to be faithful to that person. And then when you have kids, it further cements the covenant where you don’t just have to all of a sudden get a chance to act on your your carnal urges. I mean, the people that do this, I I I would like to say I don’t want to cast dispersions, but I want to cast dispersions. You know, you can’t have everything you want in life. So once you get married, you eliminate the carousing. You eliminate eating at the buffet. Now you’re eating one meal every single day. You don’t get a chance to try everything at the buffet. That’s not how life is. But people that do that are probably self-important, have a god complex, and think because they are them, that they deserve to get whatever they want to get. So if Moore in fact was cheating on his wife with a subordinate at Michigan, he deserve what’s coming to him. Because think about the three daughters that he have all young. How’s their Christmas going to be? Cuz daddy couldn’t keep it in his pants. How’s their Christmas going to be? How’s the wife’s Christmas going to be? How’s the rest of their life going to be? It’s inconceivable to me. It’s absolutely inconceivable because as I said, I’m no angel. I am no angel. But one thing I am is honorable. And I see it in athletes, too. They get married so that they can have their kids and then once they hit the road where the wife’s not there, they do whatever they want. How about this? Don’t get married. Don’t have the kids. do whatever you want and then do that then get married and have the kids. You know who did it right? Derek Jeter. Derek Jeter lived the life he wanted to live while he was a professional ball player. And I would hope that he was upfront with everybody that he dated. And then after it was all over and all the fun and games were over and he was no longer the the Yankee shortstop, he just became Derek Sanderson Jeter. He got married and he has a lovely family and I’m sure he’s an honorable guy. I would hope that. But that’s not the way the world works. I guess it just doesn’t seem like that’s what everybody accepts. And this guy more the thing that bothers me too, he’s a proathizer, too. He’s a he’s a devout man. Really? Now, I know everybody makes mistakes and you you could say, you know, ask for forgiveness. I I don’t always buy that. I don’t always buy that. If you’re as religious as you say you are, you know you’re not supposed to do that. You’re not supposed to do that. In the Bible, it says you’re not supposed to do that. But still on the outward, you sell this this pious attitude and you’re preaching to people. And we see this in politics, too. The most pious preachy people are freaks. And that’s what’s happening here, too. So, if he did these things and all these things that he’s charged with, good for him. He earned it. And I don’t want to hear all the nonsense. Oh, you have to feel for him. He’s got issues. We all have issues. We fight them. We fight those issues. That’s the thing to do. You got a little urge, ignore it. If you’re a diabetic, don’t eat candy. If you’re a sex addict and you’re married, don’t have sex with other people. It’s an easy easy thing to do, but you probably think you’re above the rules because you’re the head coach of Michigan football, but you’re not anymore cuz the house came crashing down cuz you couldn’t control your urges. And three little kids in the Christmas season, their dad’s locked up in a yellow jumpsuit and it’s out there for the world that he’s been cheating on mommy for four years with a woman that you probably saw all the time in his office. Isn’t that grand? How nice is that? Now, he’s on protective watch because obviously if he was going to kill himself at this woman’s house, he might try the same thing in prison. And if he does that, he’s just further running away from the problem because he can’t face the consequences of his acts. Sickening. Sickening. And I was listening to Barton Carlin driving in and there was a caller that called in about what Michigan should do for their new head coach, who who they should get. And the guy rattled off they should get Kirk Signetti. You know, he’s he’s been great with Indiana. Or they should get Kalin Dbor. He’s a really good coach with Alabama. These people have jobs. Kurt Signetti just signed a mega million dollar deal with Indiana, but that’s the way college sports are. So, how can we expect anybody in college sports to act like a normal human being when you know that Michigan is going to poach some team’s coach that has a contract and it’s accepted because college sports is the wild wild west. What an absolutely odious sport this has become. Absolutely. on the field. It’s fun to watch and people just forget about it. Like I said earlier, if your team has a repbate on its team and that reprobate happens to be an unbelievable player, you don’t care. You don’t care. Giant fans don’t care what that Lawrence Taylor did. They don’t care. They don’t care. We go chapter and verse because they help you win because winning is the deodorant. And the deodorant for Chiron Moore was when Michigan won. And when they lost to Ohio State and they didn’t make the College Football Playoffs. Wow. All of this stuff came out. How convenient. So that means that you could be a creep and you could be a bad person. As long as you win, we’ll turn the other way. But if you don’t win, wow, who knows what’s going to turn up. 1 800 919-3776. Let’s go to Joe in the Bronx. Joe. Hey, what’s going on, Michael? Thanks for taking Hey, Joe. Uh, just uh FYI, I actually uh watched a show you recommended a couple weeks ago, Land Man. I thought it’s phenomenal. I’m up to date. I got up to date in in a day. It was good. It’s so good. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Very good. Yeah, it’s it’s great. Um, now my Yankees point. Um, I was thinking I saw a report that they might trade Jazz. I was thinking that they do that. Um, probably get Bette. Hear me out on this. Don’t even sign Bellinger. Get Bette, move him to second base because we know he has issues at shortstop. And then get Seager to play shortstop. And um, if you’re going to say Vulpi, you know, they they don’t want to move on from Vulpy, fine. as Seager plays third and they can platoon um Vulpi with McMahon. McMahon doesn’t play short. But Joe, you you you’re giving this pie in the sky stuff. Where are they getting the money? Bett’s going to cost 30 million a year. Jazz makes 12 and Seager makes $30 million a year. They don’t have an unlimited budget. They’re not going to have a payroll of $350 million. So, and we thank you for the phone call. What Brian’s going to have to do is do some genius work on the margins. That’s what he’s going to do. That’s what he’s got to do. But you can’t have a wish list of of Seager and Bashette. Now, the the reason they’re probably listening to offers for Jazz. Jazz’s a good player. He’s 3030 player and he missed a month of the season. And the first month when he came back, he was actually not great yet. It took him a while to get right and he started the season at third base. but he’s a free agent at the end of 2026 and maybe they know they’re not going to sign into a long-term deal. So this way they just spin it and get somebody that they have more control over. But I mean that’s a lot of stuff, Joe, that you want them to do. I I I just I I just don’t see that happening. I mean, House Stein Burner is not trying um to mislead people. He said it would be ideal if we’re under $300 million. So, the moves you just made, put them at about 3:30. So, either you believe them or you don’t. We’ll see what happens. Let’s go to George and Pamis. George, hey there, Mike. How’s it going? It’s so good to talk to you. Happy holiday. Thanks for calling. Same to you. Oh, absolutely. You’ve been a staple in my holiday rotation. Just uh even when you when it was you and and uh and Don and just the Kville scene, I just I miss that train station and Me, too. Okay. I love how you guys do the holidays, right? I know. I love how you guys do the holiday. It just puts me in the spirit. I’m just I’m so happy. But yeah, I did want to talk Yankees. And also, one quick thing, I do want to say I’m just so sorry that Pete Alonzo left New York. Um I just as a Yankee fan, I just feel like he did so much for the city and um you know, with his charities and things like that, I just thought he was just great for the organization. I thought he was great for Queens and um really sad to see him go. Um, and I I really like the the note he he wrote for everybody on X and you know, I just I just thought he was a great first baseman. He’s awesome. But, um, on the Yankees rotation, I just feel like more could be done. I really need the the the rotation bolstered up. I feel like we’re missing out on a lot of pitchers out there. I’m completely upset Dylan Ce is in Toronto. I can’t believe Cashman even let that Well, George, let’s talk let’s talk about this. You you you you have Garrick Cole signed for $36 million a year. You have Max Freed signed for $29 million a year. You have Carlos Lon signed for 26 million. You want to bring in another high pitcher like Dylan? Those guys are not even going to be available until May and June. But so you’re going to bring in Dylan CE for $210 million. You also have Slitler. What are you going to do with him? I feel like we Slit I get it. Schlit is is he’s a stud. He’s coming up. I’m so happy that he’s he’s a diamond in the rough. But as far as our our rotation goes, I need one more solid starter. Like Rodon, he’s he’s too hot and cold for me. He has Well, have have you seen Dylan Ce’s numbers? You don’t think he’s hot and cold? He had a terrible year. True. But well, Zack Gallon Zack Gallon still out there. Well, but you don’t need no moves are being made. George George, thank you for the phone call. You you can’t have um Kofax, Dedale, Gibson, Robin Roberts, uh Warren Spawn. You can’t have a rotation like that. It’s not fiscally responsible and it’s not realistic. It’s not realistic. You know, you you say that, you know, Cole might not pitch until May. Okay, Rodon might not pitch until May. Will Warren made 32 starts last year and pitched really really well for rookie. He’s only going to get better. You have Luis Heel who was the rookie of the year in 2024. You have you have Cam Slitler who burst upon the scene and saved the Yankees season by beating the Red Sox in game three of the Wildard series. And you want to just cast them all aside and sign another big-time pitcher. The thing that’s funny about what you’re saying, George, that’s the one problem the Yankees don’t have. Their starting pitching is fine. Now, if you say, “I’d like to spend more money to get a big- time reliever.” Now, we could talk. You want to spend $210 million on Dylan CE doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense. You can’t always get what you want. I think Mick said that and it applies here because every fan wants a Hall of Famer at every position. It even the Dodgers don’t have that. The Dodgers settle for a center fielder named Andy Pahz. That’s what they do. You give, you take. Yankees have a payroll of about $300 million. They’re not signing a big-time starter that they don’t need. That’s the last of their worries. They need a right-handed first baseman or third baseman. They need to fill left field either with resigning Bellinger or committing to Dominguez. And they need somebody in the bullpen. Starting pitching is last on the list. The two pack for sure is coming up in just a moment. This is the ESPN New York holiday party live from your mother’s house in Gordon City Park, Long Island. Brought to you by Amazon Pickup, Security Dodge, and Spike Daid. Made for big city social stamina. Not sure what to bet on today? Army versus Navy, college basketball, soccer, hockey. Join one of the nation’s top sports betting analyst, Joe Whiz, on the fine line Saturday at 8 a.m. In the NFL, Buffalo takes on New England. And the Giants are actually favored at home. Will they cover? Follow the Whiz on Instagram, Joe Wizports. It’s the best bet in town. The Fine Line with a Whiz. Saturday at 8:00 a.m. Be ready to win. When equipment breaks down and operations come to a halt, every single second counts. So, why is your maintenance team spending 60% of their time doing anything but turning wrenches? Maintain X is the AI powered maintenance and asset management system that helps your team get back to actually fixing breakdowns. No more searching for manuals. No more hunting down parts. No more drowning in paperwork. With Maintain X, your team can access manuals from anywhere. Create new procedures in minutes and turn voice notes into clear and complete work order feedback. What used to take hours now only takes minutes. Keep your operations moving, not your paperwork. 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Unexpected large orders, adverse weather, new safety guidelines, and changing economic trends. Uline works hard keeping 41,000 items ready to ship, minimizing detours on your way to the extra mile. Visit uline.com. Rich Eisen here and we’re brought to you by Sonos. This season, make your home feel alive with Sonos speakers. From cinematic sound that pulls you into every holiday movie to game day audio that puts you right in the middle of the action. Sonos makes it effortless to fill your home with incredible ambiance. Stream everything you love, music, movies, or your favorite sports podcast all in one place. Sonos’s holiday sale is on now through December 28th, 2025 at sonos.com. Discover how easy it is to bring every room to life with Sonos. Rich Eisen here. As you all know, I care deeply about pediatric cancer research and awareness. That’s why I’m proud to talk about Hyundai Hope on Wheels. 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The last two weeks, I’ve gone one and one each week. And for the season, because of that one stretch where I was 03 and one, I’m one game under 500. This is not an easy slate at all today at all. But I’m going to give it a try. I’m going to go up against the numbers. The Titans are four- one against the spread in their last five. And they killed me in the last game. Killed me. And they are 12 and a half point underdogs in Santa Clara against the 49ers. 49ers coming off a byee. They have a coach though that will not allow them to go to sleep on a by-week. That’s not what he’s about. Shanahan is going to make them prepare. So, I think the 49ers are going to blow out the Titans. I think it’s a maybe a 17-point game. So, give me the 49ers giving 12 a half and the Titans will get blown out. Now, this is an interesting game. The Steelers have an easier record than the Ravens down the stretch, but every game, as Chris Carlin said, he’s a big Steeler fan, every game for the Steelers is a tough game. you you can’t say there’s any gimmies. And the Dolphins, strangely enough, they are still in the playoff hunt. So, they’re going to go to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is a three-point favorite over the Dolphins. And my pick is totally based on the weather. It’s going to be bitter cold in Pittsburgh. It’s going to be really cold. So, this is a Monday nighter, I believe, and supposedly it’s going to feel like 12 degrees. The Dolphins don’t play that game. Now, they have played well, but I think you’re going to take away some of their offensive firepower by the inclement weather. So, give me the Steelers to win the game. I think it’s going to be close, but the three points, it doesn’t scare me all that much. So, there you have it. The two-ack 49ers giving 12 and a half over the Titans. That’s in Santa Clara. And the Steelers giving three to the Dolphins. And that one is in Pittsburgh. All right. Hopefully I’ll give you a 2 and 0. Now, usually the holiday party um is the beginning of what I take somewhat lengthy vacation till the beginning of January. Not this year. I’m going to do the shows all next week, too. That’s right. Get excited. I’m going to be doing the shows all next week. Uh then I go on a little two-eek vacation. I’ll be back. um the beginning of January and we’ll have some fun. The this is the the first year ending the first year essentially of the 2-hour solo show. You have made it so much fun to do listening to my voice for two hours. The great guests that we’ve had and as I keep telling all of you when you call in, you are legitimately the co-host of the show. There’s no Don, there’s no Peter. So, it’s you and you’ve kept it alive and I do appreciate that. So on this holiday season, I hope everybody gets what they want. I hope you’re happy, healthy, enjoy your family and your friends, cuz isn’t that what it’s all about? Try to squeeze in one more co-host before we go to the weekend. We’ll go to Jose in Connecticut. Jose, Jose, hey, Michael, thank you for getting me last, man. Um, I just want to say a narrative and not you cuz you’ve been on point, but I love Don and some of those, but everybody keeps saying give Spence a chance and he’s some genius and and we’re setting ourselves up for failure saying, “Well, we might get school and and and Bellinger.” And like my point was like, I understand if you don’t like these guys like like Alonzo and Diaz, but they weren’t the reason we didn’t win last year. We had all these holes, right? and they were the ones, one of the few that actually did good last year. So all of Ste’s move last year were terrible. They all failed except for Soda which was a Cohen move. So it was like why should I have confidence if I I saw what you did last year and your two moves this year were two guys who had off years a 35year-old who had his worst offensive and Deon Williams. Those are your two moves so far. Like why should I have why should I keep hearing everybody say, “Yo, he might get Kubu. Give him a chance. He’s a genius.” No. Like I should not give him the benefit of the doubt. He failed horribly last year and it was his non-players that actually performed like Allonzo and Diaz. Yeah, but but you I’m not saying that you you you should give him the benefit of the doubt because he has not he has not earned that by his performance with the Mets so far. But this guy’s not stupid. He did a great job with Milwaukee. I think he’s trying to run the Mets a little bit like Milwaukee where he has a lot of advantages with the Mets because of of Cohen’s money. But I don’t think that you should put the imprint on his off season on December 12th. I think it’s irresponsible. I mean, there’s so many things that he can do. What he’s going to do, I don’t know. I don’t know if he’s going to get school ball. I don’t know if he’s going to sign Bellinger or Tucker. But doesn’t he deserve the right to have the time to make those decisions? This isn’t the Met team that’s going to report to Port St. Lucy. And if it is, then you could go nuts. I’ll be here for you. I’ll be going nuts, too. But right now, it’s a work in progress. I know you don’t like the fact that he allowed Allonzo to leave. I get it. I spoke about that earlier and I’m not saying giving him the benefit of the doubt, but you have to give him time. He’s the GM of the team. The owner is entrusting him with building this team. Now he’s going to build his vision. The last two teams, last year was was kind of his vision and it fell flat. Let’s see what he does this year. He’s got the draft capital to do it. He’s got the minor league system to do it. He certainly has the money. We’ll see what he does over the next month and a half. Same thing with the Yankees. Thank you so much for joining us on the Holiday Show. We’ve had a great time. You’ve all been a great crowd. Um, and this is the ESPN New York holiday party live from your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island, brought to you by Amazon Pickup, Security Dodge, and Spike Daid, made for big city social stamina. But don’t go anywhere. Everybody here at your mother’s house, stay right where you are because Don Han Rosenberg will join us in just a moment. They’ll start their show and I want you to be here when they do it. In the words of Billy Joel, life is a series of hos and goodbyes. I’m afraid it’s time for goodbye again. See everybody have a wonderful weekend. Don Rosenberg next. Hi, I’m Greg Richard at PC Richard and Sun. We have all the holiday gifts for everyone on your list at the guaranteed lowest prices. Headphones, smart TVs, wireless speakers, Yeti coolers, MacBooks, and everything smart for your home. All backed by our holiday price guarantee. Your price is protected. If the price goes lower from now through December 24th, we’ll match it so you can buy with confidence. And it’s only at PC Richard and Sun, the company you can trust since 1909. Oxspine at New York Presbyterian is always in pursuit of a better way to heal the spine. We’re getting more people moving again with minimally invasive non-surgical and surgical treatments with innovative solutions for every back and spine condition and your unique needs. Expert spine care is available now across New York City and Westchester. Find a doctor at ny.org/oxspine. Stay amazing. New York Presbyterian Hall the Iback at the five yd line. Hand off. Grease Hall finds a crease. Runs left. He’s into the end zone for a Jet touchdown. Jets fans, come out to Metife Stadium for a week 17 divisional matchup. See the New York Jets host the New England Patriots Sunday, December 28th at 1 p.m. presented by Ticketmaster. Lock in your seats now at nyjets.com/tick. Once again, that’s nyjets.com/tick. Discover a driving experience crafted to inspire at Garden City Mazda. Exceptional design and sophisticated performance come together during the Mazda more to move you sales event. Lease the 2025 Mazda CX-5 for $2.29 a month for 33 months or the 2025 Mazda CX-50 for 2.39 a month for 33 months. Both with $49.95 to its signing. It’s the Mazda more to move you sales event at Garden City Mazda. At Garden City Mazda, expect the exceptional. John Ryan. Yeah, Dad. I think I came up with a killer slogan for our law firm. Dagustinino and Associates. Bite back. Bite back? Yeah. When someone hurts you, you bite back. We’ll be the law firm that bites back. Dad, that’s brilliant. Accident victims? Call Dagustinino and Associates and bite back. Hey, we could even put a big vicious dog on billboards everywhere. Yeah. And Rottweilers on buses. Hey, how about a toll-free number? What are you thinking? You know, like 1800 biteback. 1 800 biteback. That’s brilliant. But what if people hear fight back? Easy. I’ll spell it out for them like 1 800B t back. 1 800 bite back. That’s 1800248322. Love it. Hey, Dad. Yeah. All this talk about biting back got me hungry. Me, too. Want to grab lunch? Sure. Hey, how about a jingle? You mean like dagustino law bite back? Getting more as a Myos Pro Rewards member is easier than ever with the Lowe’s app. Download it today and earn 500 points the first time you log in. Plus, your digital wallet helps you scan, save, earn, and access what you need to manage it all in one place. Download the Lowe’s app and take advantage of your pro benefits today. Lowe’s. We help you save. Valid 12125 through1726. Offer valid for first login per organization only. Loyalty program subject to terms and conditions. Additional restrictions apply. Visit lowe’s.com/terms for more details. Subject to change. Feeling stuck on your own 10yd line in the career game? Maybe it’s time to just go for it. My computer career has the game plan to score a rewarding new IT career in months. Whether you’re a rookie, a breakout career changer, or a military veteran ready to serve. Why spend years chasing a college degree when you can fasttrack your future in IT starting now? Take your mark. Get set. Go for it. Take the free career evaluation at mycomputcareer.edu edu today. Financial aid is available to those who qualify, including VA benefits. Hey, this is Mika’s abandoned job. Hey, this is Adam Fox. Catch every Rangers game right here on 880 ESPN. WHSQ and WCBS FM HD2 New York. Don, you know what? Maybe they can go pee on each other. That’d be great. Han, there’s a lot of women out there that want you, Alex. And Rosenberg, give me the porn for God’s sake. This isn’t North Dakota. This is New York. This is Don Han and Rosenberg. The best threesome I’ve ever heard on ESPN New York and streaming live on YouTube. Hello. Happy Friday, everybody. It is 3:00 in the big city. Don and Rosenberg. We’re at your mother’s house. That’s right. Your mother. Ah, this ESPN New York holiday party is coming to you live from your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island. Brought to you by Amazon Pickup, Security Dodge, and Spike Aid. Made for big city social stamina. And when you say in the city, we mean Garden City. Garden City in my hometown. I did. I I We do better than that because I I’m I’m starting to talk to corporations now. A little side action. All right. And I I don’t know what that means. I spoke I spoke to a company and I was dur at the end of the speech 45 minutes. It’s 15 minutes a question. So an hour I was complimented for my stamina. I can honestly say that has never happened. The first time you ever been complimented for your stamina? The first time I haven’t ever been complimented. Wait, what do you mean you’re talking to Nancy? Did she laugh? What? What do you mean you’re talking to corporations? What does that What does that mean? Yeah, just to, you know, they’re bringing you in just to paying you some money to say, “Hey, whatever.” Listen, it’s none of your business. I’m just saying it’s called making an appearance. You know, you make a little appearance. You’re making corporate appearances because I believe your ace story on a stage pacing back and forth. You need to close that sale and this is how you do it as much as giving like the wolf of Wall Street. He gives you the top five reasons, right? He gives you a list. What was that George Clooney movie? It was up in the air. Oceans 11. Oh, there’s a lot of George up in the air. Up in the air. Up in the air. It’s a great movie. And he’s given the speech about like all the things that you put in a bag. Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Yeah. Something like that. You know, because I think that our stories, our collective stories work in corporate America. A lot of the values that we have uh strived for can work in corporate America. We have values. You know what I like about today? You know how I know today’s a good day? Why? Because I am looking straight into the beautiful eyes of Paul Simon and Art Garfuncle as I sit here and live and breathe. How about that? Oh, wow. There you go. Two men that just created such amazing music. They really didn’t have any use for each other. Yeah. I know. This wall’s got a lot of us right here. You got Spruce, right? You got Freddy Mercury. I love everything. And then, of course, to go along with it, Bill Parcels and Bill Parcels. This is a great wall for us. It It is one of the rare times where I could honestly say, to me at least, Bruce Springsteen comes in fourth. when I got Freddy Mercury, Bill Parcell’s Simon and Garfuncle as as But you’re not you’re not a But you’re not a big Springsteen guy. That’s right. I’m just saying this. So Parcell’s ahead of Spring. I’ve never heard Parcell sing. He’s Well, but no, Don, for a Jersey guy, you have great respect for Bruce Springsteen. He’s just not your cup of tea musically. And he doesn’t feel like I have to love him because I’m a Jersey. No, he’s not that way. No, I like Billy Joel more than I like Bruce. God bless you. And of those people on the wall, there are three people from Jersey, right? Obviously, Bruce, we know. Yeah. Bill grew up in Oriel, New Jersey. And and of course, Freddy Mercury. And no, Paul Simon was born in Newark. New Jersey. Yeah. I mean, he’s not from Newark, but he was born briefly there, right? I’m just saying it’s interesting here in Garden City we’d find a wall like that. Thanks everybody for joining us. This has become a tradition like no other. Oh, you kidding me? It was great to see Michael K. and we’re going to take you right up till 7:00 and we’re going to have some fun. We’ll do our usual things for the audience. What does that mean? Meaning we’re going to have our picks at 5:45. We’re going to have ENN at 6. Correct. And we’re going to talk some sports and have some fun. The difference though is that usually our holiday party was a goodbye to Michael because at the end of the holiday party, we didn’t see a Michael again until the the calendar turned over. Yes. So, and then we actually said goodbye to Michael pretty much forever last December. Yes. But it’s not like that because I I’m going to be it next week. You No, I’m not. Interesting. But you got But you normally would be this whole fugazi my fugazi paternity leave. I am taking the last week uh next week. That is right. But Allen’s going to be here if he’s not, you know, in a in an ICU cuz he is really making the ultimate sacrifice today. He’s not well. He looks great. He does look fantastic and he sounds great. Fake it till we make it. But listen, he’s going through it. Nancy too. Every December, usually closer to Christmas, she gets her traditional flu that’s kind of going around and she’s dealing with. And I don’t know if Allan’s got the flu, but he’s feeling under the weather, but he knew the importance of this show. It’s too important. Can you believe Can we Can you believe uh Anthony Poo’s here, too? That’s right. I think he got a haircut. Poochie. He looks great. Yeah, he looks great. The Poochie. He’s got the sweater on. No, but we really appreciate days like this because, you know, I’m running into people, you know, uh Steve Brzinski is here and he’s from Jersey and he took the train here. Where’s Stevie today? Where is he? So, all the Long Island people, but there’s also Long Long Island’s in the house. I hope so. I met a a lovely young lady from uh Fort Lee, New Jersey. So, people are making the trip. Lee. And remember And remember, it’s early in the day. The people here now are the addicts, the derelicts, the lunatics. I mean, the nerd duwells. I mean, the the P1s. The P1’s. I mean, that’s what I meant. All right. Represented by Captain Steve Brzinski. Might be four deep, right? He’s on a he’s on a pub crawler across the metropolitan area by himself is the interesting which could be with his hip he is crawling let’s be honest. But as the day goes on of course we’re excited to meet more and more people and I’m always in a good mood on a football Friday. I I I heard you guys I heard you and Michael in your zone. You found each other. Oh wow. That was a listen. Oh man, they were in. Was that a listen? Oh they were in. They were I felt like old times. I’m in the car. I’m listening to Don and Michael breaking down baseball in December to a fine powder. We’re not going to dream about it. But I but I do think it’s still What do you think they should do with the bullpen catcher on the Mets? Cuz I needed to know. Hey, listen. Did No, the bullpen catcher didn’t give you know, he brought up he brought up an individual. I didn’t catch his name. I saw him earlier because we’re out here in Long Island. So, there’s a a lot of Met fans and you know, Michael brought it up to open the show. There’s a guy, I don’t know if he’s still here because we got all the lights in our face here that had a Met sweater and he he exed out the logo. He’s done. He’s out. No. because of the uh the department Deianne Diaz and and Sto um Alan uh Pete Alonzo and Pete Alonso Alonso um and that they’re out and then that means that uh he’s out and I I just I brought well I think just to play pop psychologist for a second please. It feels like to me that people want to be miserable. They want to be mad. They’re mad at this team for what happened last year. They’re one of the best teams of baseball in the first half of the year. Ended up winning 83 games, collapsed again, and you’re angry. And listen, I can’t defend David Stern’s moves during the offseason last year and during the trade deadline when he pretty much didn’t do anything, and the things that he did didn’t work. But he wants to build this team. He’s being paid to build this team. He will lose his job if he doesn’t succeed building this team. I want to give them a chance to do it, but I think fans, they want to turn on this team because this team has given them to get excited about. They haven’t won since 1986. They haven’t embarrassed themselves like some franchises, not not the Jets. They’ve been to a World Series with within the last decade. They’ve been a team that’s won a 100 games. They’ve competed. They just haven’t won. And they’re trying to change that. So, I I just find it so interesting that what’s the biggest complaint you get from people about the Mets? They haven’t won. No. haven’t won since 1986. It’s been a long time. Um Don LGreer was 18 years old the last time they won if he were a day. But now we’re gonna give up on the team because Pete Alonzo’s gone. Listen, I like Pete Alonzo. I like Edwin Diaz. All right. I love the Timmy Trumpet stuff. I love NMO. I love his story. I love his hustle running down the first base. But how many rings did he get? But at the end of the day, I want to see this team win. Yep. And if David Sterns is going to build a winner, then hey, this will be a blip on the radar screen. This will just be something that happened on the way to a championship. And if he doesn’t, we’ll be I’ll be there to rip him like everybody else should rip him. But can we wait and see what the end result is before now we’re we’re painting X’s on our chest with the logo and we’re completely giving up on the team. I just don’t see where that meets. A lot of times you don’t want fan emotion involved in player personnel. Owners are going to have that and I know Steve Cohen is going to have that. The the the fan type stuff. First and foremost, can we at least acknowledge one thing? That Steve Cohen is not fat-handing things, that he’s not forcing his will on decisions, right? That he’s letting his guy that he hired to run baseball operations do what he believes is best. Right? So, that’s the good thing that he’s not getting involved, that he’s not meddling as an owner. We’ve seen how that works, Jets. And it doesn’t, Giants. It doesn’t, right? So, there’s that. But a lot of times you don’t want the fan emotion because you’ll make fan emotion decisions you’ll regret later, which is but I love him. I I love him and then you’ll regret it two years later. So David Sterns grew up a Mets fan, but he’s got a cold blooded heart when it comes to player personnel. That’s the exact thing you want. He knows that you’re upset, but he also knows you’re going to thank me later because the plan I have is better than the one we were just talking. The truth of the matter is in sports, and this is ugly, and it’s not even just in sports, it’s across in life. Sometimes we hang on to situations that are familiar to us and that feel nice and warm, but really they’re preventing us from further greatness. And it happens in sports all the time. The real teams are coldblooded. The Eagles, the Patriots, look around the league. They make the moves when it’s time when you know he’s done. The the Packers the Packers drafted Rogers before Favre was ready. They drafted Love before Rogers was ready. This is what real franchises do. So it it stinks to lose them, but the truth is that’s what good franchises do. You went through it. I wouldn’t say Marcus Smart was to the level of Pete Alonzo in the the Celtics lore, but he was one of your favorite. Although at the time it felt like it, right? Like that’s the thing about these things. In the moment it feels like, oh my god, he was the heart and soul of was the heart and soul. But it bothered you. It bothered you because you liked him. He was one of your favorite players, but you saw the forest through the trees. They made the move and it worked out. Well, if but remember the order was this. Chris Apps Porzingis Drew Holiday. Oh, it’s starting to take shape. Oh, championship. That’s how it works. Because there there are two types of teams that hold on to their players, the legacy of their players, and those are, you know, the Yankees with their core four, uh, the Celtics with with Bird and Male, right? those those you know those guys um Mets Strawberry Gooden Carter you know um Keith Hernandez those are from hey those guys won me a title I want to hold on to those guys I want to cherish those guys the other type of teams are the ones where your team hasn’t won anything so all you really have is your favorite player because your team’s not winning a championship so because that was me when I was a kid I love Dave Kingman because the Mets were never going to in. But maybe Dave Kingman might win the home run title. He was hitting 500t bombs and that kept me engaged when they were on their way to losing 105 games. And it hurt me to see him go because the best part of the team walked out the door. I don’t want to be that fan where I’m holding on to Pete Alonzo and Edwin Diaz and and NMO and all these players because I I really enjoyed watching them. They didn’t win me anything, but I really enjoyed watching them uh on a hot July day in the middle of the summer on a Tuesday. They entertained me. Yeah, they did. And I’m sad to see them go, but I don’t want to hold on to these guys because that’s all I got. I want to hold on to guys because they won me a ton of rings and I don’t want to see them go. And everyone understands that once you get like once you make it for like once you make it past that the season I and I don’t mean the literal season. I mean, the season of our lives, if you will. You’re able to look back and see it, right? Like, for example, I’m gonna I’m gonna bring you into my world, for example. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to look at the stats. I’m pretty sure Santana Moss was a better overall player than Gary Clark. I’m pretty sure you guys remember Gary Clark from your childhood, member of the Posi. But, but Gary Clark won multiple rings. He was part of something iconic. When he shows up at the stadium, it’s like, “Oh my god, Gary Clark is here.” Royalty. Santana’s there all the time. He works for the local TV channel and everyone’s got love for Santana Moss, but he didn’t win a title. It’s just not the same. It is unfortunate, but that’s how these things are. And you don’t want to be, to your point, Don, someone who’s hung up on your emotional ties to the guys who didn’t bring you titles. I’m sorry. Look, when you’re when you’re a fan and your team doesn’t win, you hold on to those pieces. And so when you want to see the team do well, you want them to be part of it. Like that’s what you want. That’s the hope. Like like because you like them and so this stuff gets frustrating. But a trade gives you an immediate re I said this yesterday. A trade gives you the immediate reaction. The problem is is that this is cleaning house and I haven’t seen what you’re replacing it with yet. So my initial reaction is how can you get rid of this guy? What are you going to do now? That’s the problem is that there’s a there’s now a gap right now between the who you’re replacing someone and who you’re replacing them with. So until you can that’s why again I you can’t overreact but I understand the emotion of it. We all have those players that we want when this thing turns I want him to be part of it. I want him to be in, you know, part of the winning. Yeah, that would be nice. It just you can’t always have that. Unfortunately, you know, Pete was going to go for a 5-year contract. See, people think it’s about the money. It wasn’t about the money. It was the commit. And the reason they didn’t make him an offer was because they weren’t going to go more than three years. They knew Boris was going to ask for five, then we’re out. Why are we going to dance? Why are we going to play games? I If he wants to stick around for three more years, we could probably make it work because we probably won’t need the DH in the next three years the way we’re going to need it the final two years of the contract when Sodto’s probably going to be the DH or whoever. So, we’re not willing to go more than three. That’s And maybe he’s wrong. And maybe this all blows up in his face. I’m willing to wait and see. Has he been perfect? No, he hasn’t been perfect. This has not been a great year for Sterns as far as how he built the pitching staff, how it worked with the trade deadline. But maybe he didn’t invest in the trade deadline, Allan, because he knew this team’s not going anywhere, right? So, let’s see. And if he fails, then you’ve got all the reason to rip him. to sit here and to give up on the team and quit on the team and start asking for his job before you see what the pivot is. Now, maybe he’s not a great general manager. Maybe he is going to screw this whole thing up. But he’s got the job. He’s making like 145 million a year to do it. So, let’s see what he does. And I’ll be there to kill him if he fails. But I’d like to see what the pivot is, please. Well, the gentleman right there, I think, is who Michael was talking about, right? Because he has the sweatshirt. Sir, can we see your shirt? Can we see the shirt? Oh, he’s in the middle of the conversation. Can we see the I just want to see the shirt you have the big X on it. Come on over here because this is exactly what we’re No, you can come on. Yeah, come on. Cuz I just want to see it. What’s up, buddy? And so it says it used to say there’s no place like with home plate and the Met logo. You want to turn towards the camera so they can see you? Okay. And so he crossed it out and just said no like. Yeah. No like with an X. So you’re clearly frustrated. What if they end up building if they build a team that is championship caliber? It It’s That’s it. He’s out. All right. Well, that’s great. All right. Thank Thank you for playing. Right. A clown show chant. That was a clown show. But I I don’t I don’t understand the logic that. So So if So what he’s saying is he doesn’t have a mic. He doesn’t have a mic. He’s out. He’s out. So even if Sterns builds a championship team, he’s out. Well, he said dead to me. Like he’s he’s But I just don’t Why would this be the thing that this was it? Why this? Because there’s probably been a lot of things and this is the straw. That’s the I There were other straws that made more sense. This just isn’t the straw, I don’t think. No, I just think people No, not yet to be miserable. People have, you know, listen, it it it’s so easy. It’s like the easy uh talk show stuff of I’m going to go with the thing I know is going to end up happening. Listen, I’m going to bet the Jets are going to blow it because they always do. I’m going to bet the Mets are going to blow it because they always do. So the logic is probably from that individual, you know, the Mets are going to lose because they haven’t won since 1986, so I’m getting out. All right, then you’re out. But don’t don’t make it be about, oh, I love Pete Alonzo so much. That this is the guy. You didn’t quit on him when Daryl left. You didn’t quit on him when Carter left and when Keith Hernandez was a Cleveland Indian, and when they didn’t give Ray Knight the extra $200,000 after he won the World Series MVP. You didn’t quit on the team when they collapsed in 22. You didn’t want quit on the team when they collapsed last year. This is the line of demarcation. Pete Alonzo and Edwin Diaz are now the final last straw. After all the suffering you’ve done, this is it. Or is it just I want to get off the clown show. And if that’s it, say goodbye. By the way, I don’t make it about something that it’s not. I don’t begrudge people saying I’ve wasted enough life. Like I think if Ira called us one day, guys, and said, “Hey, I made a decision. I’ve wasted precious time with my family. I’ve wasted in the case of Ira hundreds of thousands of dollars on this team. I’m moving on now. I would I would give the man a standing ovation. I’d applaud it. You have every right to give up that there’s no shame in that. It’s over. It’s over 15 years, man. It’s been a long You tried, but I’m with you, Don, to just arbitrarily decide that this move. What if this is the move? To the point Don just made earlier, my heart hurt when they traded Marcus Smart. That is the reason they won the championship. Without the Smart trade, they don’t win. They needed Porzingis and Drew Holiday to win the title. Those pieces had to happen. Now, there are people, and this happen doesn’t happen in baseball as much, but it does happen a lot in basketball where, you know, I’m just a fan of the play. I’m a fan of Pete Alonzo. Now, I’m going to become a Baltimore Orio fan because I just love Pete Lonzo. Okay, that if that’s why you fell in love with the Mets and now he’s gone, I can understand that. But if you’re a Met fan and of the age of that uh the the the person here looks like I don’t want to assault him, but he looks like he’s definitely north of 40. You were a Met fan long before Pete Alonzo was was here, right? So now Pete Alonzo is now that that that’s the that’s the drop. Mike Mo I I I I just I can’t go on. I can’t go on. And listen, I’m a Pete fan. I would have loved to him him to stay, but I’m not trading it for maybe a chance to get a championship. And if you want to call and I I I we weren’t going to take calls, but there are tons of people want to rip me for this. And I just want to hear I want to hear the logic why this is the line. Yeah. Without knowing what the pivot is. I will say the last thing I had an interest in doing at our live holiday party was talking about baseball. But I’m actually interested too. I just want just give us the just quickly if we bring you on make the case. Why is this it? Right. Why? That’s it. Now I I bet you can’t. And if I were to bet on it, I’d do it at fan booth. Oh, of course you would because FanDuel Friday is turning it up. Thank you. You’re supposed to drink when we when we a smooth transition. Smooth transition. FanDuel Friday is turning up with NBA happy hour. Every Friday from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Eastern. FanDuel’s dropping limited time specials to get you in the zone. Boost, bonuses, surprises, all designed to bring that happy that Friday energy. This is not just another promo. 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Upper level still have some repairs that’ll run you about 20 to 30. Outbound Lincoln a 20 to 30 minute ride. Outbound Hun are in you 30 to 40 over in Jersey 46 at a standstill over by Main Street in Richfield Park dealing with a broken water man. A lane out in both directions. This report is sponsored by the New York City Department of Transportation. Speeding ruins lives. Drivers watch out for pedestrians and cyclists and slow your turns to less than 5 miles an hour. I’m Brandy Scott on 880 ESPN New York. On December 12th, Service Titan invites you to celebrate the day of the trades. A day we recognize the men and women we depend on to make our lives possible. A day we shine a spotlight on the men and women that work tirelessly to keep society functioning. A day where we look to honor those individuals we couldn’t live without. On 1212 and every day, all of us at Service Titan say thank you to the trades people who power the nation. Search Service Titan power the nation to learn more. Wendy here. If you’re looking to add a star player to your financial roster, you should take a look at SoFi’s personal loans. SoFi’s got some amazing moves that would be a valued addition to any team like low fixed rates when you consolidate your debt. No fees required and as soon as funding. View your rate at sofi.com/roster to get started. Loans originated by SoFi Bank NA member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply at sofi.com/roster. MLS696891. Don Han and Rosenberg with you till 7:00. And this is the ESPN New York holiday party live from your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island. Brought to you by Amazon Pickup Security Dodge and Spike Aid made for big city social stamina. 1 800 919 3776. We wanted to get some people that, you know, want to just debate me on the the Alonzo thing. And let’s go to Jason in New Jersey. You’re on Don Honor Roseber. What’s up, buddy? Hey guys, how’s it going? Thanks for taking my call. Uh, I’m looking at this from a baseball perspective. I’m not a Mets fan. I’m I’m actually a Yankee fan, but from overall baseball, I want to talk about Pete Alonzo. When I look for when free agency starts for teams, I you look for someone who’s a consistent, healthy player, right? That’s usually what I look for when you’re giving out a long-term deal or when teams do. And the one thing that Pete Alonzo does, he plays every day. He’s done it for about five straight years. And you’re going to pay him to hit 35, 40 home runs, 100, 120 RBI’s. That’s his that’s his job, right? And he had one of his best seasons behind Juan Sodto last year. So I think getting rid of him on that aspect of things to me is a mistake for the Mets. I know you would have given him five years baseman in the world. Sorry. So you would have given him five years. I would have because I think yes, I understand the point with the DH if Sodo was the DH. But Petonzo’s job is to go out there and hit 35 40 home runs. Uh 35. See that’s see that’s the disconnect right there. That that according to David Sterns and we’ll find out if he’s right. not enough. He wants run prevention. He is not a great defender. All right. He is a home run hitter and that’s pretty much what he brings to the table and that’s been good. It was good enough for 83 wins. It was good enough to be one of the worst teams in baseball in the first half of the year the year before. Remember, they ran all the way to game six. Yes, he hit the home run against Devin Williams, but they made the playoffs and he wasn’t very good. Yep. And it’s not going to age well. He’s not going to become a better defender. The home runs are not going to continue to be at 40 plus at 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 years old. I think they would have brought him back at three years. And Jason, thank you for the phone call. At five, it doesn’t make a ton of sense. I don’t understand Jason’s point about I his availability because you’re assuming availability continues for a guy that’s over 30 that is not exactly you know in the best physical condition when you look at him right big body I mean played a lot already breakdown’s coming it’s coming right so I I like you you have to assume which is buy a three-year deal. Okay. Five. No. Like that’s it. As simple as that. You can’t assume numbers continue to extrapolate out the older he gets. You can’t assume that. That’s interesting cuz I I let him go too soon because he said he’s a Yankee fan. Since Anthony Rizzo, the Yankees have needed a first baseman. This was the second time Pete Alonzo was available. Why didn’t the Yankees go after him? Because the Yankees don’t see a fit. He hits a bunch of home runs. He’s available every day. Yankees zero interest in beat Alonzo because they see the same thing David Stern sees as a guy that will hit home runs but he’s limited to Dodgers Dodgers interested no no the Dodgers didn’t know they have a they would say the Yankees needed a first but real quick and who was interested it was the Orioles the Baltimore Orioles and how do things normally work out for the Orioles and apparently from what and I didn’t know this but Michael was talking about it on the show earlier that they’re kind of killing it in Baltimore they felt They give him too many years. Oh, they will. Oh, yeah. So, listen, we agree to disagree and let’s and let’s see who plays first base over the next couple of years and maybe Jason’s going to turn out to be right. But I want to see what the alternative is. But let’s not make Pete Alonzo anything more than a guy that hit home runs. He was fun. I loved him. But I think everybody understood that he was limited as a player. That’s why he didn’t get the big-time bucks he thought he was going to get in free agency the year before. Because I think the analytical world, they see the flaws of a guy that’s not a great defender and as Allen said, it’s not going to age well. The home runs are going to start to go away. He’s not overly athletic. These are the things that you get concerned about when you’re talking about Pete Alonzo over the next five years. Jim in the car, you’re on Don Honor Roosevelt. Hey guys, how you doing? Thanks for taking my call. What’s up? Um, so Don, as a Met fan who is a year older than you, I watched that World Series in uh in my college dorm uh with a bunch of guys. Um, so I was a sophomore, you were you were a freshman. So what college? We have the same history with the Mets. Um, but I have to disagree with you with Sterns. Like I I’m not I was form. Okay, cool. Uh, form university. There you go. Um, so never really left the area. I’ve been a long time New Yorker. Um, but so I I don’t really agree with you with Sterns about giving him the benefit because yeah, first of all, run prevention, great. We we need runs. He just blew up two holes in the in the offense. Um, but his pitching staff last year was atrocious. I mean, how do you expect Klay Holmes? It was It wasn’t a shock that his arms fell off halfway through the season. He never pitched like that. Mania got 75 million off of 10 starts. Montas bust. Uh Sangga can’t get out of the fifth inning without six days of rest. Couldn’t even couldn’t even pitch with through the calf owie that Simone Biles won four golds off the same injury. Um no wonder the bullpen fell apart. Staff couldn’t get out of the fifth inning here. Did he? Did he bring Sang in here? Now he’s trying to get rid of him. So at least he saw that this is a flawed player. You know, you were happy with Maniah Lash the year before. You were happy with Kintana the year before. I’m with you. Montto starts, Don. Awful. He got 75 million off a 10. I don’t get I’m not protecting him or defending him. You’re right about the pitching staff. I would like to see how he pivots. You don’t believe in him. I do. And we’re going to find out who’s right. But right now to kill a guy based on well he didn’t do a great job with the pitching staff. We were all lauding him for his pitching staff the year before when they were able to get to the playoffs and those guys pitched well. He got it wrong. Now the Klay Holmes, I still think he was a project. You’re converting a closer into a starting pitcher. Everybody knew that was going to take a while to work out. It certainly didn’t work and we’ll see whether he’s going to be a part of the bullpen or part of the pitching staff. But I’m willing to see what it looks like. If you don’t want to, if you think already it’s got all right, there’s enough evidence to say that maybe you’re right. But I want to see what this plan is. He has to have a plan. He just didn’t get rid of these guys for kicks. He got rid of these guys because he has a plan. Can I see the plan? I understand you’re a little shaky about the plan based on the pitching staff from last year, but I’m willing to see it through. George Staten Island, you’re on ESPN New York. How’s it going, guys? Good. Uh, I just want to talk about David Sterns. I I know he came to New York. Everyone’s excited. I’m looking at the Milwaukee record. I get it. He turned the team around. He made him a consistent playoff team. But I I got the list in front of me. Uh, 2019, lost the wild card. 2020 lost the wild card. 21 lost a division series. 22 didn’t make it. 23 lost the wild card. 24 lost the wild card. 25. They went far. It took them five games to beat a wild card team and then they just handed the Dodgers the trip to the World Series. Right. We The Mets want to, you know, the goal is to win the World Series. All right. But this guy makes a playoff team, but All right. So So we’re ripping So let me let me ask you, George. So we’re ripping him for getting rid of players who also did nothing. We got there’s players that I don’t think they were the problem. I mean, listen, I’m a we’re I’m a Mets fan. He’s the pilot of the plane. You know, you don’t even if you don’t like the pilot, you want him to land successfully. You I hope he’s I hope his vision pans out. That’s all. That’s what we’re saying. Can I just also intervene? Please. Uh 2021 95 wins. 2022 was 86 wins. 2020, sorry. Yeah. 23 uh 92 wins 24 93 wins 25 97 wins uh I mean Milwaukee you’re winning 90 plus games a year and yes the playoffs were failures and in Milwaukee that has been the biggest criticism is that that team can’t win in the postseason for whatever reason but you can’t say he didn’t build a really good team how many time when was the last time the Mets had what four in the last five years and 90 plus wins the Mets only twice in their history have gone to the playoffs backto-back years. But George understand now he’s in Milwaukee. Obviously, there’s limited funds. He built the team, but now he can build a team that maybe can go to the playoffs every year and now have Cohen’s money to get him over the top. I’d like to see what it is. I can’t stress enough, George. Thanks for the call. I I can’t stress enough. They will not be outbid for a player they want. Let’s keep that in mind. A player they want, they will not be out bid for. If they have a player like again Diaz, they had a a limit. They wanted him back but there was a limit and then they were like that’s it. Pete probably same thing. There was a limit that that’s the but if there’s a player that they want there will not be a limit. But don’t come at me. He didn’t do anything in Milwaukee. We’re talking about the Milwaukee Brewers, who by the way have been to the World Series once in franchise history and lost and he’s got them as a perennial playoff team that can’t get over the hump. You know what? I’ll take perennial playoff team and then Cohen’s money to maybe get him over the top. I just think he can’t use his Milwaukee to just all agree that you cannot make a declarative statement about the Mets until you know what pieces have come in to replace the pieces that went out. You can’t you cannot make a declarative statement. You want to be emotional. You want to be mad at the moment. You want to feel sorry because you’re going to miss the polar bear and you’re going to miss Timmy Trumpets. That’s fine. But you cannot make a declarative statement about the franchise until you see what replaces the parts that went out. Well, that’s no fun. Okay? And that’s not how you just are a loudmouth fan who gets a scream. Come on, Allan. You know better than that. We got to stop. Come. It’s that’s that’s it’s really what it’s going to come down to. We’re never going to convince people otherwise. I I’m done. I’m done trying. Yeah. They’ve decided they want to be mad. They’re mad and that’s it. Be mad. That’s fine. You’re allowed to be mad. I I do think but we’re not making a declarative statement to play pop psychologist. There is a part of people that this is their enjoyment with sports to complain to be mad at their franch if their team’s not going to win. They want to they want to hate them be happy being miserable. They want to be they don’t want to be miserable but they’re so comfortable with that misery that they want to open their heart. But can I can I just be fair to some miserable fans? Some miserable fans have more of a right than others. Like for example, I really do appreciate Jets fans being angry about everything. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt more than Mets fans. Cuz to the point you’ve been making the last few days, Don, yes, 86 was a long time ago. The Jets are 20 years before that. The Mets went to the World Series again in 2000. They went again in 2015. They’ve been in the playoffs and fought with the Dodgers since then. They at least play the game. They’re in it. They’re not what the Jets are. Do you see what I’m saying? I understand why the Jets fan is just perpetually miserable with no faith. I think the Mets fan has hyped that up as if they’re the Jets. The Mets are not the Jets. And I also believe because we live in a world now where sports radio, the callers are co-hosts. They’re not calling to ask questions. They’re not calling for your opinion. They’re calling to give their opin sports radio used to be, I’m going to go call the quote unquote experts on the radio to find out about my team. M they’re joining the show as co-hosts. Michael calls them co-hosts on his show. These a lot of these people have podcasts. They are on social media expressing their opinion. And just like any talk show host, they want to be right. So their opinion that the Mets are going to screw it up. The benefit of being right is that hey, I told you so. I I told you from the very beginning Sterns was going to screw this up. And if I’m wrong and they win a championship, I’m happy because I got the ring. So really, it’s just it’s putting yourself in a situation where you’re either right or wrong means a championship because everybody’s their little mini talk shows. And I’ll be honest, when I have an opinion, I want to be right. I I feel good when I win my picks. I feel good when I have an opinion that turned out to be the right opinion. As big a Giant fan as I am, do I take pride in being right about not drafting St. Paul? But you know, but you know where it’s not that though, and I think you’ll feel the same way as me. When I predict one of the local teams to fall flat on their face, I always hope I’m wrong. I didn’t I didn’t want Joe Judge to be a complete joke. I just knew that he would be right. But but you hope that I’m wrong. But you did take some satisfaction as a talk show host. Sure. But I would have Especially as a guy gets beat up for supposedly not knowing anything about sports. Oh, guess what? I got Joe Judge, right? Well, but I I would have enjoyed it more. I would rather have had us talk about a winning Giants team every week. and they would rather suffer have. No, they would rather see the championship. But when you haven’t won since ‘ 86, you’re probably leaning on the side of Yeah, Sterns is going to screw it up. You know how you know I know cuz the Mets haven’t won a championship in 40 years. That’s how I know. I know Mucci’s going to screw it up cuz the Jets haven’t won it going on 60 years. That’s how I know. Here’s your problem. You got you had a guy take over a franchise that was poorly run, that was on a shoestring budget that made bad decisions and it was maddening. Right. Right. Then comes in the night and shining armor with the gigantic wallet and you thought life’s going to change now. We’re going to get great players. This guy’s going to throw money around and the next thing you know we’re going to be winning at a high level. That’s what was expected. as this continues on. That has not happened yet, right? Not yet. And there has been those frustrating step back years like we saw last year, which feels, no offense, very messy. Good year, bad year, good run, magical run, go back to being, you know, again, the dose of reality. So, I understand why a fan would just get fed up. Like, I thought this guy was supposed to change everything and we still can’t get we can’t keep guys we like. We can’t get new players. I’m frustrated. This was supposed to be different. That to me is the genesis of everyone’s frustration, right? But it’s not like broker off with Brooklyn where it’s going to be different. Then he’s out the door. He just wanted the property. Well, what I’m saying is is that nothing, you know, championships aren’t guaranteed, man. And there’s been plenty of teams that have thrown money around. This isn’t building a fantasy team. This is building a team that has the right chemistry and the right mojo to go out there and win. And we’re still very early in the process. And there’s finally a big boy in the room that’s going to say, “Yeah, I got money to spend, but I want to spend it the right way.” I’m willing to see it go forward. Some people are not. 1800 919 3776. We got to talk football. We’ve got to talk picks. We’ve got ENN. We’ve got a lot of fun. A lot of fun coming up because we are at your mother’s house. Excuse me. Yeah. And they I love your mother’s house. And it’s right here in Garden City, Long Island. Not not pretty convenient, I think, for Long Islanders. And even for me, I had some traffic on the belt because when is there not traffic on Jericho turn? So Rod Strickland’s on his way. Looking forward to that. It’ll be great to talk with him. And what time is he going to be swinging by? Do we know? Originally, his ETA originally was supposed to be uh 3:30. Okay. So, it is now 4:30. All right. So, close enough. That’s the day he’s having. So, he’s making an effort. We’re going to make an effort to make him feel great. All right. This ESPN New York holiday party is live from your mother’s house, Garden City Park, Long Island. Brought to you by Amazon pickup security Dodge and spiked aid made for big city social stamina on ESPN New York. 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We’ve got our picks at 5:45. We got ENN at 6. We’re loaded up, having a lot of fun. We’ll talk some football coming up at the 4:00 hour, but people still raw about this Pete Alonzo thing. And and I feel bad because it’s almost like I’m coming across like a hater of Pete. I did not want to see him go. I wish they were able to work something out, but I’m willing to see this through. I’m the guy that had the the crane pool ran. Another Forever Met walks out the door for sure. But I’ll forgive it if it leads to a championship. You know, the Forever Mets that walked out the door, you know, letting go of Tom Siver was not a good decision. They didn’t replace Pat Zachary was not a good pivot. That’s the This Siver one is the biggest one. If you’re old enough to have experienced the Siver trade and know the story of why if you were ever going to be out, that’s when you’re out, right? That’s you’re out. Absolutely. Like that that’s the most egregious re like that trade right there tells you dysfunction. Exactly. So if you weren’t out on that and you were old enough to know about it, then you should be out on something. are the guys that bother me. Yeah. You know, makes me sick that David Wright’s back went out and he wasn’t able to f, you know, fulfill what I think would have been, you know, a Hall of Fame career. Those are the things that are frustrating. And I’ll be and maybe next holiday party, wherever we are, hopefully it’s at your mother’s house that I’ll be opining about the loss of Peter Lonzo and how it’s an their ugly pivot for the Mets. But let’s see that happen. Rob is in Nyak. You’re on ESPN New York. What’s up, Rob? Hey, what’s going on, boys? Um, merry Christmas. Happy holidays. I was about to say merry New Year. Yeah. Now, let’s Merry New Year. Yeah. Yeah. I love that movie. I love that movie. Um, so yeah, with Sterns, I just, you know, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. Like whatever job, whatever career field you work in, two people could be great at it, but in different ways. So, like Sterns showed that he’s great with like managing a tight budget and getting the most out of very little. This is obviously a different task. And just wanted to throw a little bit back because I am one of those people like if you’re going to issue a complaint, I like for you to have a solution. So like I want I’m a Yankees fan. I’m dying to get rid of Brian Kman. Different story. But I never really want wanted Sterns because I looked at it when there started to be hype around him. Like look at his division and yeah, he’s winning 90 games, but he’s got 60 games against teams that the Cardinals are like their worst I can remember in my adult life. The Cubs were down. The Pirates are awful. So, like he’s racking up wins, but after you play your division, all the 60 games against those teams, you’re really just going 500 against the rest of the league. So, I’m a Yankees fan, but my whole family’s Mets fan, so let’s let’s see what they can do. But Rob, do you do you really think he doesn’t want to spend the money? Like, I understand he’s working on a small budget, but do you think you think Cohen’s like, “Here, here, I’m going to I’m going to give you uh $100 million to play with this uh this off season. Go have fun.” He’s like, “No, no, no. I’m good. I don’t need it.” You really think that’s really making business decision? I don’t know. Why Why is Petonzo gone in your mind, Rob? It It just seems strange to me. I I can’t I can’t put my finger on that one. I really don’t have No, no, no. I’m I’m not saying that, but I’m I’m trying to put myself in his shoes, and I really hope it’s not an ego thing, but I heard Michael say earlier, and I kind of agree with him, that you have Cohen, so if you’re going to say like, “Listen, I want to be frugal. I want to do this the right way. You are cutting off the biggest advantage that gives you. But that’s not why would he that’s that’s moronic to think that that’s his angle. It’s I don’t like Pete Alonzo. I don’t like him as a defender. I don’t want to have to give him a 5-year contract. I might dance with him for three years, but I’m not going to give him a 5year contract. This idea of go spend like a drunken sailor. You know what? just going to give all the players whatever they want and if it doesn’t work out I’ll cut them like I did with Verlander and Sherzer and I’ll bring in other people on have a $650 million payroll and win the championship. That’s not realistic. Even in Cohen’s world, it’s not realistic to set fire to money. And as a and as as a businessman, he’s looking at he’s saying, “Can I win a championship with Pete Lonzo as my first baseman? I think I could do better.” Not I I I want to work with with a small budget. I do think like a Brian Cman doesn’t want to be accused of of winning with his checkbook, but he finds a way to still spend money. So, you’re telling me Sterns is like, “No, I’m good. I’d rather work with a hund00 million budget and win than a $300 million budget. Come on. That doesn’t make any sense. Let’s Let’s play a game. Name me the beloved player that might have been marginal that got the extension anyway and it ended up being like the best thing that ever happened. That’s a great question. And and I know I’m saying I’m not trying to Lonzo’s the largest player. He does hit home. No, no, no. But very good. You know what I mean? Like they give the gold watch and the gold watch led to a gold plaque, a championship. Yeah. When when was that? When was that one? When was the one that it’s like they weren’t sure beforehand and then they stayed like you got to pay him. You got to give him the punch. You can’t let them walk until they do it and then it’s like gez. I I’m sure there are examples, but it definitely is the minority amount of time, right? It’s probably the low percentile. It never happens. The better play is what what did Branch Ricky always say? Better to get rid of a player a year too early than a year too late. Which is what the Patriots always did. Always. Always. They were the Kings. Yeah. Yeah. And I’m sure in the winter the Chiefs started doing it. Chiefs do it. There certain guy like Tyreek Hill is a great example of it, right? They just would like nope. How you going to win without Tyreek Hill? Oh, Rashi Rice comes along. Look at us. It’s it’s amazing. Um, so I’m trying to think now who got the gold watch. Think of a player in any sport. I’m thinking of all the sports, right? Do you have one in your head? No, I That’s why I asked you. I thought this was a fun exercise. Well, no. No. I No. The c the Capitals, for example, never moved on from Ovetchkin. There were there he had been there for a very long time. But where were they going to go? But he raised the cup. Well, he won a ch like if that guy got you a No, but I mean I mean I mean I mean he was there for a long time before they got the ring. Yeah, but he was one of the best players in the league all the time. But he was always one of those potentially. Yeah. Let it could happen with it. If the pay But he already has three cont. But they gave him a contract that I thought I thought was a mistake. I know. They gave him a gold watch. They gave him a gold watch and now they’re competing and they gave, you know, Latang and Falcon money for for Crosby. Cuz what you’re saying is kind of what happened with Eli. Like it wasn’t a contract. It was let’s double down. Let’s see if we can get more out of them. Eli got you rings. I’m talking about the beloved best player on the team who hadn’t won. Hadn’t won. I know. And when you look around, the names that I think of are all people who left and won. Wade Boggs. Mattingley never Mattingley never won. Bogs has to go to New York to win. Matt Lemons leaves his leaves the Red Sox to win. Every Ray Bour. Ray Bour leaves and wins. That franchise finally realizes it’s the right thing to do. But never when Matt Stafford leaves and wins. Matt Stafford Jared Goff leaves and competes. It It’s It is a give me the guy, which is what everybody wants here. Yeah, you’re But but because there’s no cap, you play a You play this game of it’s not my money. you should just spend it. And he’s like, “No, I I won’t get out bid by players that like Juan Sto not getting out bid guy’s 26. I’m not getting out bid by him, but other players I feel like this wouldn’t be a good contract for us. I I want to get into the football coming up, but but I I I have a question to ask you guys when we come back about the Mets and then we’ll continue. I don’t know where we’re going to put Fraud Alert Friday. Strickland’s coming at 4:30. We got Strick at 4:30 battling through traffic right now.” Well, also alert feels like a 5:30 vehicle, doesn’t it? Yeah. You know what? Today feels like a 530. Today it feels 5:30. No, no, no. You know what else? What? What about just 5:00 on the bang? Oh, just big block. I big block photo. We can do some live with the people here, too. All right. Do we have a gavvel? Did you bring it? I thought Anthony would bring it. Did you bring the gavl, Anthony? You know what? I’ll bang on the floor. No, but Jacob But Jacob has one back. Did someone have a hammer? Don and Rosenberg were with you at your mother’s house. Garden City, Long Island. It’s the holiday party. Amazon pickup security dodge spiked aid made for big city social stamina on ESPN New York 880 ESPN WHSQ and WCBS FM HD2 New York a good karma brands radio station to help those who want to be helped but may not be able to afford it. That’s what PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray had envisioned for a foundation before he sadly took his own life at just 30 years old. 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I want to get into the football, but I just had one question. One question. One left. Go for it. Everybody that’s defending or or killing Sterns for letting Alonzo go have said they don’t trust him. They don’t think he’s any good. Right. Came from a small market. Doesn’t know what he’s doing. Mhm. So, if he kept Alonzo, you would then trust him. Or why wouldn’t you say, “Well, if I don’t trust him, then maybe keeping Alonzo would have been a mistake.” Or No, no, because because you’re you’re overthinking it. they wouldn’t have questioned it cuz it would have felt good and warm and fuzzy just to keep him and that’s and I and I understand it. I understand why people feel warm and fuzzy to keep say that. Don’t we’re getting calls, you know, Sterns is a small market guy. Look what he did with the pitching staff. So if you don’t like him, if you think he’s a bad general manager, then any decision he would make would be bad, right? Fair. So wouldn’t you worry, oh he kept pee that they gave him five years. Nobody else was probably going to give him three because they’re being disingenuous. That’s what it really like. Thank you. I promise you. I promise you if they had matched that deal, we’d also have the equal amount of calls that would say, “Why are we giving that guy five years? This was stupid. This is, you know, and God forbid he had a bad first half of the season or whatever.” And by the way, can we just remember one thing, live in the moment, and I know this is a big if was a spliff kind of thing, okay? If if Pete doesn’t hit that home run in the playoffs, we’re never even having this conversation. He’s already gone. He’s gone. He gone. He’s He gone, as they say. So, they were killing him before that home run because he was having a miserable year. Oh, I remember it very well. So, I’m on to all of you. Um, we’re going to have Rod Strickland here. Hopefully, the traffic although I don’t see it easing up as we get closer and closer to 5:00. He’s keeping me a breast. Yeah. Well, that’s nice. Is he driving himself or a car service? Oh, we took care. So, he’s he’s listening to the show. Relax. Stay away. We mean out. We could He could be. Can we all Can I just Can we pause for one moment here? Sure. Why not? cuz there’s a lot of people there’s Well, no, no, no. There’s a lot of people here that have come out to see us and we greatly appreciate that because it means a lot to us that you would take the time to come here and spend your afternoon with us. Damn right. Which is why we’re doing this. That’s your ace. And have you all noticed Don’s not being Don today? What do you mean? Yeah. There’s something not Don about Don. I got a haircut. Am I right or am I wrong? Like Don doesn’t seem like There’s something not Donike. This is not Santa, Don. Yeah. And we we we we when Don wasn’t on the other day, we suggested maybe Don would come dressed as Santa today. It was a thought. It’s got the beard. Yeah. But he did not You’re not full Santa, Don. Just It’s been It’s There’s a lot going on. There’s a lot I thought about. This is what happens when the Devils give up eight goals. No, it has nothing to do with them losing. It has everything to do with, you know, it takes up a lot of my day. Yeah, I know. So, uh, can we give Don a cheer, though? There you go. That’s all. Can we get a Don Lrek a cheer? Can we do it? Something to pump him up, make him feel good. Wait, you We got to get the best of Dawn right now. You would think Don was the person who found out today that he was never going back to Hot 97. We got to address that. Yeah, it’s What did you find out? Would you like to do that now? Yeah, sure. Why not? Sure. I I’ll I’ll just family conversation, everyone. That’s what we do. No, I I’ll give you guys the first interview and I’ll answer what I feel comfortable. So, uh Well, when did you find out, Peter? Uh, I found out today at uh, this is the time when people find out that radio shows end. I found out at like 10 a.m. on Friday when I’m going on vacation next week. Merry Christmas. Did you have any inkling that this was coming? Um, yes. There had been uh, negotiations going on for a long time. Um, and I was not thrilled with where they had gone. I I implied this on the air more than once that I was not happy with where things were going. Um, and I decided to just work without a deal. So, I was just working without a deal. I was just going to work every day for free. No, no, no, not what I’m not an animal, but I I just I just continued, you know, basically if you’re working without a deal, you make your salary that you’re making, but you’re working unprotected. You get paid per day and you get paid the way you get paid. But I just I I wasn’t happy with where things were. I’ve had a lot of questions about the station and the direction. I love my team. Love, we’re very close, as you know, just like I’m close with this team. I’m very close with that team and I’ve been with them almost 20 years. Mhm. Um, but I don’t know that I thought the end was today. So, you felt it was coming, but you didn’t know how soon. This caught you off guard. Yeah, it was it was it was and it’s it’s like there’s no farewell, no nothing, right? That was the risky part. I I think we have been an edgy enough show on that on on hot. I lure and I have been edgy enough that I knew we wouldn’t get a final day because I had already been implying too much stuff that I wasn’t thrilled with. If I were them, I wouldn’t have said, “Hey, let’s give him a last day. In a few hours, I won’t go rogue. Are you kidding?” Yeah. I I would considering I had already implied like displeasure, but like my first day there was June, early June 2007. That’s a run. I I was a kid who dreamed of being on Hot 97 from DC and Summer Jam was like this mythical event at a stadium where all the big rappers performed. And my first day ever at work, Ebro, who was the boss at the time, told me, “Yeah, just come up to the Meadowlands and we’ll leave you, you know, tickets at will call and then like you’ll do interviews and stuff.” And I’m like, “Oh, okay.” So, I show up from DC at at the Meadowlands at the time. I go get a credential. They hand me a mic with the mic flag that has Hot 9 the Hot 97 logo on it, which had been like for me at the time, it’s like the Yankee logo. And it’s like here, this is yours now. And then I had a camera guy with me and I went backstage at Summerjam and I’m just flagging down all of these rappers who had just like existed in magazines and on TV and I’m now the guy being like, “Hey.” And I I reposted that video on my Instagram today of my first day. I had hair. I’m wearing a backward Red Sox hat. I look like Fred Durst. Um, and that was nearly 20 years ago. I I’m the I’m the longest tenure morning show host in Hot 97 history by like miles. It was it was a long a long run. It’s Yeah, for sure. I I’ll take the smatter of Long Island applause. Thank you. I felt bad when I heard it. I know how important it was to you, but I also knew that it was kind of careening towards something like that. Anyway, radio only ends one of two ways, right? You either decide you’re leaving early or you wait till it’s done. I was in the process over the last few months of deciding, do I want to show up one day and just have like a screw it moment and kind of, you know, create a buzz for the day and be gone or do I want to just ride with the team and see where the thing goes? And I Laura and I got together. We knew things were likely heading this direction. We feel like we still have a lot that we can do. Um, is that a hint? Yeah, I I would I would expect Ebro Laura and I to continue to do things and we’ll uh and we’ll pick the place a place that is more excited to have us there. How about your mother’s house? I don’t know if your mother’s house in the plans. Ebro lives in Jersey. Laura’s in Brooklyn. It would be tough. No, I made your mother’s house. Oh, you want to show at my mother’s house? I No, longer commute. No, I haven’t I haven’t spoken to my mother yet. Oh, so she doesn’t know. My No, I know. My dad I told my dad. Okay. So, I presume my mom knows. But you know, like no matter how many jobs I have and no matter how safe I am, I just feel like my mom will hear that something bad happened and it’s like, “Oh my god. Oh my god.” You’ll get your room ready. Sell the house. That’s what we have room for you and Natalie and the baby. I’ll get your room ready. Don’t worry. I’m okay. We’re going to get you a job at the plant. At the plant. No, for the McGovern campaign. That too. No, it’s a weird but I’m just being honest with you guys. It’s a weird day. I haven’t like processed it in in a way that that’s over. It’s defined who I am. Like Ballard’s response was wild. Enjoy sleeping in. And I was like, whoa. It’s funny. My first I don’t have to wake up. Yeah. Like I have things to do and Maya will have me up by 8:00. But like it’s a different wake up though. That’s the different wake up. Donnie, I was thinking my first impression was all right. He’ll be more checked in with us now. I have to be. It’s my only my only spot in live radio. Hold on. like grim death. I think we can hold hold it over him a little bit too. The leverage now major leverage on but listen it’s it’s been it’s been a tough week for radio. That is true. And so all the more reason why we cherish you people and the job that I’ve had going on 25 years here. So let’s celebrate the holidays. We do feel bad for Peter but no he’s got a nice opportunity here uh on this Don Han and Rosenberg I think I think I’m now all he has left is afternoon drive. That’s it. No, it’s all he’s got. Well, what a shame. Poor kid. Well, I I have to go to DC tomorrow for WWE and Saturday Night’s main event, but from a radio standpoint. Oh, from a live radio standpoint. Yes. Well, you know, well, I I I I did do Cheap Eat today on on SiriusXM Pro Wrestling Nation 24/7. He’s going to get money far. Okay. Now, before I forget, I promised him Mad Mike’s birthday. Want to give him a shout out. Came all the way out here to your mother’s house. There he is with his Yankee uh sweatshirt and his Santa hat. Happy birthday. Thanks so much. Mad Mike, by the way, it was a year ago at the holiday party that this show was birthed. Birthed. Yes. You were here. You were right to my right when the announcement was made that you were going to be coming on. And on stage, Michael was moving to 1:00 and that was on December 8th. It’s December 12th, so pretty much almost to the day. By the way, as as a wild year, Anthony Pus came up to me and I walked in and goes, “Can we have one year with a where a holiday party like doesn’t have lifechanging news in the same day?” I I guess a show must always end the day of the holiday party. Let’s not do this next year then, shall we? Let’s just No, you don’t have anything. I really agree with you on that. Yeah. And then and then when there wasn’t any kind of uh work news, we we lost uh Uncle Danny Danny Aello on a holiday party day too when we did it out in Buffalo. Wild. Can I Can I Can I Can I throw in a good story though for I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. Good holiday party. Yep. 2020 holiday party. coming out of the vape eight era after the holiday party, hung out with a a a lovely lady and made out with a woman for the first time post divorce. That was day of the holiday party. Like she met me after the holiday party. Miss Hatton, it was not it’s No. Well, hold on, honey. It was a few months before I met Miss Hatton. I had a very limited window. Oh, so this was your warm-up. This was your bullpen. Yeah, but you got a little bullpen. I didn’t get to throw a full bullpen, though. Here’s the story. Okay, here’s the story. If he had said that that’s the day that he met Miss Hatton. Yeah. We’re like, “Oh, we find out that it was his first hookup since divorce.” We’re like, “All right, let’s talk, man. Talk to us. Good for you.” That bounce, everybody needs a good bullpen session. Yeah, that’s um you got to get But but you got to work your way up. You know what I mean? That was I threw a couple innings to the top of the Empire State Building, buddy. Super proud of you. Rod Strickland’s going to be here in a few minutes. We got our picks at 5:45. But I don’t know how much you watched of the game last night. I was doing the Devils and I listening to the end of the game. I was I Todd Bulls might get fired. Did you see his post game? Oh, and that’s a post game of a guy that’s going scorched earth cuz it’s like, you know what? If I’m going to go down, I’m going to make sure I take a bunch of people with me. Well, they’re saying it’s not like everybody’s killing me cuz he’s been under fire in Tampa. they they have been on him and I think he’s finally had it and his point was enough blaming the coaches. These guys have got to take accountability to be ready to play and their assignments and know them and all those things. Baker Mayfield tried to take blame for it, too. That was a great play on the interception, but it’s really he’s looking at his defense. Yeah, he’s looking at his defense. Kyle Pitts, man a 20 a 28-4 lead. Yeah, that on the final possession, the Falcons, who have been eliminated from playoff contention, nothing that lost to the Jets, complete a fourth and 14 to keep the drive alive, get in the field goal range, and kick a game-winning field goal at the buzzer. The Bucks, who still are the favorites to win the South, they’ve got a higher percentage to win the South than the Panthers, who are in first place, but the doors open. The Panthers current chance of making the playoffs is 46%. The Buccaneers chances of making the playoffs are still 54. Don’t they play each other twice? Twice. That’s crazy. But here’s the thing. They’ve lost back-to back home games to the Saints and Falcons. I mean, what are you doing? So, they got the two games against the Panthers. The Panthers have beaten good teams. You know, the Panthers have beaten the Cowboys, right? Um who did the Panthers beat uh just a couple of weeks ago? Rams. Yeah. Right. Right. So, but and then then the Buccaneers, who should be running away with this division, have lost, you know, back-to-back games at home against non-playoff teams. Yep. But it’s week 15 and Giants and Commanders. Both of those teams are eliminated. All right, Philadelphia is in must-win mode against the Raiders. And the reason I say that is the Raiders are starting to back up quarterback. Eagles got to get right, man. They’re 11 and a half point favorite. Bears. Bears are a playoff team right now. Everybody’s talking about the Bears. They’re the seven seed. They got to win games here. They’ve got a 62% chance of making the playoffs. That drops to 41 if they lose. Can’t lose to the Browns. Wait, the Bears are what? They went to the seven. They’re the seven seed right now. That is insane. It shows you how tight it is. It’s tight. All right. Ravens and Bengals. All right. Bengals still have a pulse. Stop. But not much. By the way, neither of them have a real pulse. Well, here are the Ravens. Okay. Ravens still have a chance to make the playoffs, but it’s starting to run out. They’re on the outside looking in. They’ve got a 34% chance of making the playoffs. If they were to lose, that drops to 17. So, the Ravens are in must-win mode. All right, the Texans, they’re they’re the seven seed right now. They’ve got a 91% chance of making the playoffs. 79 if they lose. So, the Texans are great. All right, Bills and Patriots are in good shape, but I guess if the Bills fancy to catch the Patriots, they’re going to have to win that game. Jaguars are in um not a must-win mode, but it’s a big game for them. Chiefs and Chargers. I I if you still believe the Chiefs are alive. I don’t. Nope. This is the last stand. Okay. The Chiefs, right? What do you think the Chiefs current chances of making the playoffs are? Percent. I know. No, I know it’s single digit. It’s I’d say 18%. 12. 12. It is 12. That’s still double digit. All right. What do you think it goes up to if they win? 18. Uh 24. 17. So you guys must have seen this. No, I didn’t see performative. See, I would have hit drops down to 1% if they lose. So, they’re still mathematically alive if they lose, but let’s face it, they they would be dead. This Colts Seahawks game is is fascinating to me because of who might end up being the quarterback. Do we have an announcement yet? Not yet. Not that I’ve seen. Uh right now, Seahawks are obviously in great shape to make the playoffs. The Colts currently at 29%. Think about that. This was the hottest team. We were actually having conversations about Daniel Jones going to a Super Bowl and right now a 29% chance they’re clearly losing to the Seahawks which is only going to drop him down to 23%. If they were to find a way to win it and move up to 53%. I that how big a story would that be if Philip Rivers plays and they beat the Seahawks in Seattle? How big a story is it? If if Philip if the Philip Rivers thing actually happens, it will be gigantic. If it goes if they go to the playoffs, it will become must-see TV. Now, it was really interesting. Were you guys surprised yesterday at how revolted Damen Woody was by Philip Rivers? Well, because you know why? He was all out offended by the idea. Well, because but the average the average person is going to be rooting for it and loving, right? But it listen, they play different positions, but and I’m not saying it’s right to think this, but I guess I understand. Does it devalue you as an athlete to see somebody join your sport, overweight, hasn’t played in 5 years, and was to do something well. Like, I don’t think he should look at it that way, but you almost don’t blame him if he’s like, “No, this would be a joke. This is the NFL, man. This is not for long. And as great a story as it would be, it kind of comes across as a it’s like a gag reel, a joke. And does it devalue what these guys feel like they represent as NFL professional players? And that’s definitely how Damen Woody felt. But I’m telling you right now, if Philip Rivers were to go to the playoffs, the the vast majority of people would be locking in to see, can this 44year-old grandfather, who’s been out of the league for 5 years, win a game. It becomes like a a Hallmark football movie in two seconds. You know, they make those to Oh, yeah. It’s like the Tony Danza garbage man kicker vehicle. They’ve made two NFL movies. One about the Bills and one about the Chiefs. However, I swear I believe you and this would be in the next one. And I’m not I I would hate to see it cuz I’ve always liked Phil Million Kids and I get what he’s doing and I wouldn’t turn down the chance either. But if he were to go out there and embarrass himself, it would be a joke for the league. It’s there’s no way around that, Peter. I agree that you’re telling me that this was your pivot. This is your alternative. And if he goes out there and it’s a great story, well, hey, it’s a great story. But if it comes out and he’s he soils himself on the field, it be what? What you’re telling me there was what you you’ve made a mockery. This is a joke. Give me give me a comeback equivalent to this. Give me something equivalent close to equivalent to this. I mean, legit. Yeah. Like something like George Foreman. where where well Foreman see but Foreman won. Yeah, he but it’s also but it’s also his he also worked his way back correct. It was a five. This isn’t a off the couch kind of moment right like is there something Foreman was was 39 and then I think he won the title at 44. It was a 5year run his way to get his but hey that’s an individual he makes his choice given the opportunity. I’m talking about an organization saying that’s still alive for the playoffs saying this is our alternative that was just called off the couch. But you know I I look a pitcher that did that. Was there ever I mean there were guys that Steve Carlton tried to make a comeback. Tom Siver tried to make a comeback. Yep. They failed. But those are regular season baseball games. One of 62. Not a team in week 15 who needs to win a game to make the playoffs saying this might be our best chance to win. I mean there’s plenty of examples. It was um Oh, there’s I’m missing one in football because there’s definitely one in football. Usually it’s like, oh, Jim Brown. Jim Brown went to camp with the Raiders in like 19 83 84 somewhere and and he got cut like but those are guys trying to make a comeback feel good. I week 15. I mean, it’s one thing Joe Flacco 39 or whatever coming off the couch having played last season five years away from the game at 44 not in any kind of shape. That’s because he happens to know the system and know the coach. I I can’t. Is there one in basketball? I’m I’m trying I’m racking my brain trying to figure Hockeyy’s Gilaf Floor. You Gilafl came back after three years and played but he played his 18 minutes actually wasn’t that bad. I mean yeah I mean Magic coming back was crazy but of course he’d been gone for five minutes. Yeah. And he was in his prime. Oh, yeah. But Gila Floor is the only thing I can think of pretty close that comes to that. But this is almost like player who retired and then I believe he retired and also went to the Hall of Fame because it was the three years of it was three-year weight and he goes into the Hall of Fame. But Rivers it’s like right now if if like Mart Mart like like goending was needed and they were like we don’t really have anybody that good. You’re still like a you’re still in the organization. Let’s just give you a contract finish out the year. and he put on the pads and just played. Yeah. Is that in in in like the last week of the season when they when they had to make wins like on their way to making the playoffs and they and they just had too many injuries. They’re starters. They couldn’t sign anybody and they just do that. I get the story, you know. I I get, you know, because a lot of things these things happen because you’re looking for attention. Yep. You’re telling me there’s nobody else? There’s nobody else. Peter, this is it. A guy that hasn’t played for 5 years is my is my best chance. This is the NFL. It’s unreal. All of these quarterbacks. What a story. Well, you you guys a mockery of the quarterback position because it tells you that a lot of these younger guys just they don’t have it. But you said it the other day, Allan, who would you rather have? The athletic guy who you don’t know if he has the mental makeup for it, the box of rocks, or the guy who, you know, is physically done, but if you could protect him and give him time, mentally knows what to do. And I don’t even think it’s for me, it’s less even knows what to do. It’s built for the moment. Now, is that Philip Rivers? No. I mean, respectfully, how many huge playoff wins does Philip Rivers had? Did he ever go on a run to the championship? No. I The biggest game of the week to me, we didn’t get to. To me, I think it’s clearcut. It’s the biggest game on Commander Giants you’re talking about after that. We didn’t get to it. We’re going to get to it next. And then Rod Strickland’s going to join us. We hope. We’ve got Fraud Alert Friday at 5. He’s coming in. And we also have our picks at 5:45, EN 6. Oh, yeah. Announce your lineup like your dream. Oh, this. Oh yeah, is the ESPN New York holiday party and it’s live from your mother’s house in Garden City, Long Island. And it’s brought to you by Amazon Pickup Security Dodge, Spiked Aid, made for big city, social, stamina, and of course, ESPNU. Every aspect of your business, from the most mundane to the most complex, will operate orders of magnitude better and faster when you add artificial intelligence. AI is literally a race to the top. The companies that engage AI first will win. Will that be you or your competitors? 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Stratton Killington and Smuggler’s Notch Vermont all pushing 50% and they all got 8 in of fresh snow Wednesday. Pico rides two high-speed quads and they’re going to the summit. Sundown open Friday in Connecticut, Southernington and Mohawk Saturday. You don’t just ski or ride, you dominate. At Killington, we fuel your adventure. Be the beast. Ski and ride Killington. And now, let’s take a look at the traffic with Brandy Scott. Thanks so much, guys. Just no easy way to get around right now. Long line of brake lights no matter where you’re headed. Problem spot over in Queens. Grand Central Westbound heading toward the Trib Bridge in the BQE. Crash in the right lane by LaGuardia. You’re jammed there from City Field. Definitely your worst ride to the outbound George Cross Bronx westbound. First, a collision in the center lane involving a car that rear ended a tractor trailer by the Bronx River Parkway. After that, a broken down car over by the Degan in the center lane. Traffic is slammed there from the Brookner on through. Inbound George upper deck running about 20 to 30 minutes. Lower level about a 15minute ride. Outbound only going to run you 30 to 40 outbound hall now close to an hour. This report is sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. For victims of drunk and drug driving, your grief is unique, but you’re not alone. You always have a place at MAD. Visit mAD.org. I’m Brandy Scott on 880 ESPN New York. Friends, it’s football season, the best time of the year. You should be out there tailgating, cheering on your team, and enjoying every Sunday. But if you’re dealing with neck pain, back pain, sciatica, or nerve pain. Even getting off the couch can feel like a challenge. You don’t have to live like that. There’s help. Dr. J. Shaw at Samuel Pain is New Jerseyy’s top pain specialist. He’s Ivy League trained, double board certified, and is dedicated to helping you get back in the game. Here’s what makes the difference. 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We got um Fraud Alert Friday at 5. We got picks at 5:45. ENN at 6. But you got a legend in in the building. You want to say hello and talk a little basketball. Rod Strickland, head coach Liu, former Nick. Happy holidays, my friend. How you doing? Same to you guys. I’m good. I’m good. Now, you you were in Brooklyn. Yes, sir. How long did it take you to get here? Uh 1 hour 45 minutes. Come on, man. The effort the man made for hours. That’s too long, bro. I’m telling you, that’s not right. My My guy Allan tell me to come. I’m coming. Well, that you know that’s strong. This is That is pretty strong. took me for 145 and I was coming from Central Jersey but a little earlier. So, oh my god. But we appreciate you for doing that. And for everybody who doesn’t cuz it’s always like what are you doing these days and you see the gear. Rod Strickland’s a head men’s basketball coach at LIU and LIU guys came into this season. Now this is your fourth year. Fourth season. So you’ve been building something or trying to. Absolutely. Preseason number one in the NEC. Yes. preseason number one. So, he is building something. Now, non-conference schedules are always you want to get some tough opponents. You want you’re going to be on the road a lot. And you got five wins, right? Five and five and four. Yeah, we’re five and four right now. Five five wins, four on the road. Uh and I think we got the second most wins in the country on the road right now. So, wow. Okay. We’re off to a pretty good start. So, you’re building something. And then tomorrow, um Lasal. Yes, we got at home. at home in Brooklyn. Yes. Come out and support Rod Strickland and Liu because this program is heading in the right direction. I’m very proud of it. Were you when did uh when was coaching on your mind as a possibility for after your career? Yeah. So, it’s weird because uh like I tell people now, I may go back and apologize to a couple of my coaches. You weren’t a coach friendly player. I mean, yeah. you know, always. But so, uh, I I would just tell you that during my, uh, playing days, you know, I was just thinking about playing basketball. I I don’t think I understood or thought about the next step. Once I finally retired, I remember I was home for a while. I didn’t know what to do. And I called a friend. I said, “I need a job.” And that’s how I got to college basketball with John Caliperry. Cuz I went to Memphis, then Kentucky, then USF. Uh, so now when you wait real quick now when you said I need a job. Yes. You were bored because you had some pretty good contracts in the in the No, no, it wasn’t even It was just you wanted to do something. It was once I finished playing basketball, right? So my whole day, my whole week, whatever, if I hung out all night, whatever I did, that next day, I’m going in the gym and I’m going to compete or I’m going to get better. And so once my career was over, now the next day don’t mean the same, right? So now I’m in the bed early in the morning in the movie room with the lights out. Don’t know what to do. So now I’m getting bored. Listen, at least you had a movie room. It’s a good starting point. No, but it’s But you didn’t want to live in the movie. No, because now why? Yes, I need a Y. And I’m calling my friends. They got to go to work. So everything was kind of off tilt. Uh and then I went to college basketball. And Coach Cal brought you in. He was brought in. Cal was the best because he gave me an opportunity uh and he let me grow. So them first two years or few years I was still in NBA mode. Right. But you know what I mean? But he didn’t really need me. He kind of used me for Rod Strickland point guards. So I was able to adapt and adjust. Then I went to Kentucky. Uh so I was able to grow into it. But then from there I was I went from Memphis to Kentucky. Four final fours, one national title. Right. I go to USF. It was a little struggle. Then from there, I went to the NBA and I was an executive and ran Team Ignite. And then from all of that, I got a call and it was like, would you would you want to coach at uh Liu? I said, “Let’s talk about it.” Uh, and so I had a conversation and uh spoke with the president and they offered me the job and you know, that’s kind of how all this transpired. Is it is it different winning as a coach as opposed to a player? It’s just a whole different process cuz as a player I have that ball in my hands. Like I’m the point guard. So I know some of the things I can personally do to affect the game. Uh as a coach, you know, you got a whole totality, you know, uh as a leader, you have the university, administration, coaches, players, culture. So, it’s just a little it’s a little different, but it’s all the same as basketball. You got to get still satisfying though, right? Still satisfying. I’m I feel like I’m a basketball person. Everything I’ve done to this point has been a part of basketball and I think I’ve excelled at it. Uh so, to me, I’m just a basketball person that I think I can fit in many different areas. How does at that level, the mid- major level, how does the things that we’re seeing in college sports now, Portal, NIL, how much does that affect that level? Is it I mean, because it’s astronomical at the highest level. That’s right. You do you have to deal with that on a daily basis, keeping my players and absolutely taking care of guys? Absolutely. It’s all relative. You know, it trickles down. You know, the money may be different. The conversation I don’t know, conversations are kind of the same. just not the same amounts of money, you know what I mean? But you still, so wherever you at, you know, you got the power fours, fives, whatever they call them, and they have to deal in that space. Well, at my in my space, I want to be on top of that. Yep. So, I got to try to figure out how do I can how I can become the best at that part uh where I’m at. So, you were talking about being home, bored, your pro career had ended. Did it ever dawn on you like we’re seeing in the NFL this weekend with Philip Rivers stepping in after four and a half years out? Did you ever think to yourself that you could do something like that? If someone called you, you know what, we got injuries at our point guard position. We’re trying to make the playoffs strict. You got anything left in those legs? We need you. Could you have done it? I don’t know. But I’ll tell you this, what I realized after I retired, my last three or four years, I wasn’t as good as I thought I was. When you went back and looked, you say I thought I was, you know, I might have thought I was as nice as I’ve ever been. And and that’s the mindset. And I’m smarter now. So So don’t even worry about you had all the stories. You had nice people saying, “Hey, but listen, I never forget this.” And I spoke to my brother recently about this. I’ll never forget I was with the Houston Rockets my last year and I got cut eventually. But I never forget getting a text from my brother and he was like, “Man, it’s hard watching you out here.” No. Oh man, I wanted to fight my brother. Yo, he was being real though. He was being honest. I don’t know what. But the timing was bad. Right. Um, so you couldn’t have done it. Is there any curiosity? You have a game Saturday. Uh, is there any c curiosity for you at all as a professional athlete to watch Philip Rivers if he does get in and say I need to see this what happens here? Well, now that you told me cuz I I kind of heard it. I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention. Yeah, you’re a little busy. And so now you said that I’m definitely interested cuz Well, we don’t know yet. Five years. Five years. Like I’m as a football player, too. No. And and and and how do I say this? Uh delicately. And he got fat. Yeah. Oh, okay. I’m I mean I’m going to say as delicately as I can. Don’t sugarcoat it, but he looks a little fat. So, it’s going to be very interesting. Yeah. If he steps on the field, bigger target, big slower. And he was never a speedy quarterback. No, that was not his game. Now, Damen Woody, we had him on and you remember Damen Woody, offensive lineman for the Jets, the Patriots. He almost seemed offended by seeing this opportunity because I guess as a former player, it’s like, listen, it’s a fraternity and it’s kind of I don’t want it to be a joke. How would you feel if there was an NBA player similar circumstances that went in and played? Would you be happy for him, rooting for him? Would you be like, I don’t want this to be a joke? I played in that league. Yeah. I I don’t know. I can’t I don’t want to talk I don’t want to talk to him who had his opinion, but I don’t know if I look at it like that. Like if someone had an opportunity and they thought because I know what an athlete thinks when you’re at your lowest or when you’re going downhill, you still think you better than you probably are. And so I can’t go to his uh mindset, but if he gets that opportunity, I would really me as an athlete, as a competitor, I’m like, “Wow, I want to see this.” Okay. I want to see I might not I might not believe he can do it, but I want to see. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know, you didn’t you didn’t come that long away, but it took you a long time. And we got to ask you about the Knicks. Would you mind hanging another segment for us? Absolutely. I want cuz cuz he can stay the whole show if he want. The Knicks are playing in something that you never had to deal with, the NBA Cup. I’m really curious how you think about that. State of the NBA. So much to get into. Rod Strickland with us. We’re hanging out with you till 7 o’clock. We’re here at the ESPN New York holiday party here at mother your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island. And it’s brought to you by Amazon Pickup, Security Dodge, and Spike Aid. Made for big city social stamina on ESPN New York. This is the ESPN New York holiday party and it’s live from your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island. Brought to you by Amazon Pickup Security Dodge and Spike Aid made for big city social stamina. If you’re on your way home, you’re in the area, swing by. We’re going to be here till 7:00. Hang out with us. Rod Strickland’s with us for another segment cuz I wanted to ask you just about the NBA Cup. You played in the NBA a long time. Knicks have a chance to win it. They could beat the Magic tomorrow and then the winner of the Spurs and the Thunder, they can win a championship in the middle of a season, which is odd. How do you think you’d handle that if you had a chance to win it when you play? Oh, I think it would be great. I thought it was a great addition to the NBA. kind of bring a little excitement to the beginning of the season and I believe that’s what they did it for. Uh so I think it’s a great thing to get to win a chip in the beginning and you know you got your obviously you got your winners at the end of the year but I would have loved to be a part of that. Now, you want to tell them about our, you know, pin head suits philosophy or you don’t even want to Well, I first want to just because I I want I’d love to get your reaction to this because never mind, you know, it winning a championship, putting up a banner, all those things in the middle of a season, but um winning this game, just getting to this game, every player got $106,000. Winning this game, the worst you’ll get is $212,000 more. Mhm. Winning the whole thing, $530,000 each player. Yeah. Now, for some players, you know, that are making the big money night out. But if you’re a guy at the end of the bench, Absolutely. Not bad. Yeah. I might be on your case, Rod. Like I might I’d be literally the end of the bench guy, but I every time out I might be like, “Let’s go. Come on, man.” Like that’s that’s a half a mill for me and I’m a G-League guy. Like that’s big money. That’s big. How much does that change the whole dynamic when the money’s involved? Uh I think well like you said, a lot of these players are making way more money than that. But I do I do think it’s a like a rallying cry like to get those other guys money. They all say it. I do believe that for sure. Cuz if I was a vet and I was making so much more money and we’re in the championship game, I can guarantee you I would want to win it to get those guys the guys with the lower lower salary. See how he pointed at Peter when he said those guys those guys and the bench. Now, now I want to throw a few names at you. Can you turn my mic up a little bit? By the way, at least in my head, I feel super low. Thank you. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. There we go. Um, all right. Tell me if I get any of these wrong. You played for Patino. Yes. At the Knicks. You played for Larry Brown. Yes. You played for Rick Adelman. Yes. You played for PJ Carlos. Oh, yeah. That must You played for Bernie Bickerstaff. Yes. Mo Cheeks. No, not Mo. Okay, that’s wrong. Thank you, Chad. GPT. Uh Pat Riley. Yes. Stan Van Gundy. Yes. He was assistant. Oh, but go ahead. Jeff Van Gundy, head coach. He was assistant. Oh, he was in Houston. Jeff was head coach. And you played for Flip Saunders briefly or No. Absolutely. Yes. Who was the best coach? All right. So, I can right away I’m going to tell you Rick Adam was the guy who took my game to another level. When I went to Portland, he put me in different situations as a player. I was known as a point guard, ball in my hands. He started me posting up and he also started uh bringing me off screen. So, he kind of balanced my game. I love Pat Rley. I played for him one year and everybody thought we would be all in water. But I love Pat Ry and I love Pat and he was hard and he was rough and he says some things to me that I probably wouldn’t let other coaches get away with. But I always knew where he was coming from and I always knew that if you’re if you if you’re winning, you’re the best. If you’re losing, you’re a piece of [ __ ] Excuse my friend, but it’s like he just had that like you knew he’s about winning and you knew he’s going to tell you to your face whether it’s you the first player, fifth player, 12. So I respected him so much. I wish I played for Pat Riley more, but I also had Bernie Bicker Staff who was great. Obviously Rick Patino was great. Larry Brown was great, but I know uh Rick Adam kind of started me on. He found like he he cuz everybody in New York hated that trade, but he found you that there was more to your game and you saw it and that’s when your career took off. You mentioned Rick Patino. That was a young Rick Patino. That was I about to say was that was that like 30s? That was 80 late 30s 40 year old Rick Patino. Yeah, cuz that was his second year with the Knicks. That’s right, I believe. Yeah. And and that was the bomb squad. That was you guys were were fast break shooting threes before that was a thing. That’s a fact. That’s a fact. At the time when you when you came in and then here’s this coach going this is what we’re going to do at three-point line. No, no, stop there and shoot throws. Did you think this is crazy or did you think this is where the game’s going? Yeah, because I’m coming from college. I’m coming to the NBA. So, I’m thinking this is what it is. You know what I mean? So, uh, and that was his style and I loved it because, I mean, he kind of helped me to kind of expand my game, but also we were pressing and then we were getting up and down like I went to Depal University cuz I wanted to get up and down. So, I kind of walked into a situation that kind of fit me, right? Um, did you enjoy playing against Michael Jordan, despise him? Where did you land in the Jordan of it all? uh uh like and I I don’t want to say it like this, but you play against Jordan knowing who he is, but once you step on the court, you’re competing. So, it was just a matter of I know who he is. He’s beating everyone. Let’s try to beat him or let’s see where we’re at. Uh but obviously, it was great to compete against him. Uh just because of such a competitor, 66, jump out the gym, IQ off the charts. Uh, and he was like a rock star back then. So, you know, when you played against him, you knew eyes were on you and you could feel that like when you walked on the court, the cameras hit different. Absolutely. The court hits different without a doubt. Basketball was different. Speaking of rock stars, that’s what Jaylen Brunson is now in New York. And it it’s I always would say this, you and Mark Jackson were together on the same team for a very short time. And that was like having two point guards on one. Like that was for me as a kid like I was like and I don’t mean to make you feel old now but for me I’m like this is all you want is to have New York point guards running a New York team and then it went 20s something years where that level of play at the point guard position just wasn’t there consistently. Jaylen Brunson comes along and and you I’m sure you know Rick and you knew Rick and all that, but did did that catch you by surprise and what about his game as a point guard that you look at that you appreciate the most? Yeah, so I watched uh Jaylen in high school. So I saw him and I thought he was really good, right? I didn’t know he would be this. I had no clue how good he was. Even watching him at Villanova, you knew he was a technician. You knew he knew how to play the game. Uh people watch him on the Mavericks and still didn’t know he would be this. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But when you watch him and I got a chance to watch him with the Knicks, his footwork is ridiculous. Like he’s a technician. Is that typical for a point guard? I don’t think so. Uh I mean his footwork is incredible and he has, you know, he has a body strong so he knows how to bump off you. He know he knows how to get separation and then he has footwork. Pump fake, step through, you know, spin around and that’s tough. And he’s patient. So he’s not a speedster, which I think helps him cuz now he can be patient. He doesn’t have to go too fast. Right. Right. You know, being a coach yourself, how did you find the change that they made at coach after going to the conference finals, feeling like they needed to get somebody different than Tibs? Well, and I love Tibs. Uh, but I I looked at it like if they made that decision, it was for a reason, like they saw something, right? But I think Tib should get so much credit cuz the Knicks were so down. And that’s Wes and uh Leon Leon because the Knicks were so down and they had the foresight to see that they needed Tom Tibido to come in here and make this thing right. And he did exactly his job. And he he he brought us back to relevance. He made us more than we were. And so I think at some point in time they looked at it and they said now to get to the next level we got to make a change. And so whether I agree don’t agree but I I believe they saw it and I believe I mean you can see Mike Brown is a great coach and a great person and a great motivator and I think he brings a different energy and sometimes you need that. Sometimes you got guys who’ve been with a coach for so long and you can’t get over the hump. you done heard the voice long enough there’s some irritants like you know and now you you know what I mean and so with all with all the coaches to get back to because it’s interesting because you are coaching now so you’re seeing it from the coaching eye everything you just explained you sounded like a coach less like a player with the coaches that Peter just named that you played for and you talked about Riley h who do you emulate the most who who who do you draw from the most and can you coach that way what you said about Riley with today’s players, right? And I don’t I don’t know if I kind of emulate anyone. I just kind of picked from Yep. certain thing like I love Pat Roll because he was so straightforward. So I want to be straight forward. I love Rick Adam cuz he was a player coach and he kind of helped you and had conversations with you and kind of rally behind you and and but more importantly is my experience is you know how I felt like a player. So, like I was a player that, you know, I wasn’t going to let the coach talk to me all kinds of ways, right? So, I’m You’re from the Bronx, right? Yeah. So, I’m not really that unless I have to be or I try not to be that. But I also from a player’s perspective, I know the mindset. I know the mentality. I know this ain’t easy. I know young people have to have confidence. I know sometimes you can take it away if you do too much, but then I know if you don’t do enough, they can take advantage of it. So there’s these fine lines that, you know, I play in or play with, you know, during the course of a a season. And I don’t think it’s just automatically you’re like this. You know what I mean? I do. And that’s how I case by case situation with players. Now, now before we let you go, I’d be remiss. We just mentioned you’re from the Bronx, the birthplace of hip-hop. Don, you have to understand, I know you enjoyed the the first Wuang album, Don. That’s one of your big forayas into hip-hop. 1997, their follow-up album comes out. They dropped the lead single off the album and like I can’t describe how big the moment was. And this and and Jake has it ready. This is how the song, one of the greatest rap songs of all time by the way, Triumph by Wuang ends. How the first time you’re the whole world is talking about the song and it ends going to dead air made him jump like Rod Strickland. Did your head explode? Yeah, that’s big time. That’s big time. Like I I tell people now like they put me in the mix forever. Forever. like that song will go on and on and on. It was the middle of your career. It’s always conversations about it. Uh and I’m I’m doing a power line now. Make them jump instead of made them jump. Really? But yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Still based on that. Lu hosting Lasal tomorrow 4:00. Good luck. Thanks for that. Give it up for Rod Strick. Great Rod Strickland. Fraud alert Friday next. Good meeting you. Pleasure. ESPN New York’s holiday party live from your mother’s house, Garden City Park, Long Island. Brought to you by Amazon Pickup Security Dodge and Spiked Aid made for big city social stamina on ESPN New York. And now let’s take a look at the traffic with Brandy Scott. Thanks guys. Not so great on the inbound Guanas in Brooklyn right after the prospect of crash blocking two lanes. Traffic is at a standstill there from the belt merge. You stay on the brakes on the BQE eastbound heading into Queens with a broken down truck over by Queens Boulevard. No relief on the Grand Central Westbound heading over to the trio bridge. Still have this accident in the right lane by LaGuardia. Bumper to bumper from City Field. Still your worst ride to the outbound George Cross Bronx westbound over by the Bronx River Parkway. A collision in the center lane involving a car that rear ended a tractor trailer. Traffic is stopped there from the Brookner on through. Inbound George 20 to 34 the upper deck lower level a 15-minute ride. Outbound Lincoln or 30 to 40 outbound Holland 45 plus. This report is sponsored by the New York City Department of Transportation. Speeding ruins lives. Drivers, watch out for pedestrians and cyclists and slow your turns to less than 5 miles an hour. I’m Brandy Scott on 880 ESPN New York. Oh yeah, baby. Fraud alert Friday here from the holiday party. If we have anyone with any major fraud questions, if you have a question of fraud, fraudulence and you’re here at your mother’s house, feel free to come over here to the front and line up. We’ll try to get you on. See if we can take a couple of fraud questions. But, uh, by the way, first of all, before we even get into fraud Friday, Allan, yes, sir. Big score with Rod Strickland. That was tremendous. Oh, by the way, um, well, I’ll talk to you off air about it. Interesting. Good good good stuff. Good stuff. He but that that’s a great guest right there trying to link you guys. Yeah, that I’m I’m a big fan. Oh yeah. All right, done. That’s a that’s a quality guy. I just like what he is though. Think what he and I’m again this is not a drop or any of this stuff. I I just want everybody to understand. We’re here. He’s Long Island University. We’re on Long Island. He’s starting a program, but he’s also a legend. And and I that’s obviously my school. So we’ve had a connection over the last couple of years. And all I did was say, “Let me see who I can get here.” Now, the Islanders played last night. They’ve got an event tonight. We were hoping to get an Islander player here, but they’ve got a lot going on. It’s that’s a tough thing. But Rod Strickland, I sent him a text and I just said, “Are you around? Cuz I know you’re playing at home on Saturday. Would you be willing to come out uh and and to the show?” Like within seconds of me sending it. Yes. Tell me when. That’s what he’s about. And then he shows up and then he’s buried in traffic. Are you kidding me? And then he’s just interesting. support him and the LIU men’s basketball program. Oh, I’m in. Lu is my new LU is my new spot. Yeah. Want to get them to the tournaments. We have a reason to be excited about them like March, right? For sure. Let’s do that. No, he he was great. So, God bless him and and it means a lot to us to make he made an effort like that and so we’ll always support him. All right, here we go, guys. Fraud alert Friday. [email protected]. Uh here we go. Uh hi DHR. I graduated from Baylor University. Okay. and was a member of the football team with Peter’s favorite RG3. Okay. He was a teammate of RG3. Pretty impressive. That’s a fun run they had there. Yeah. Um it’s a great school. That team lit it up. Uh however, I grew up in Seattle and have always l loved Washington Huskies football. Always. I realized today that if UW played Balor in a meaningful game, I would root for the Huskies. Am I a fraud? Daniel, he’s got blood in the ground. No. No. Take a drink. He’s got blood in the ground. Blood in the ground. Yeah, that’s a fraud. Call him fraud. Oh, yeah. Do it. If a fraud had a stink, I’d smell him from a mile away. You’d smell him from Washington. He played. He’s a lum. Not one of these like yo-yo boosters that like went there for a semester. It’s like I want to win. Show my He played. He played along RG3. They played in big games together. And he just happened to grow up in Washington. So he’s rooting for the Huskies. Fraud. That’s just fraud. How is he even asking that question? Right. You think he only wanted to flex that he played at Baylor to say it? What was his name? We have a We have a Daniel. All right. Daniel fraud. We have a We have a lot of uh college fraud questions for some reason. Oh, we love college fraud. Good afternoon. My name is Joe. I’m originally from Queens. I now live in North PTOAC, Maryland. By the way, I didn’t know that we separated PTOIC into North and other when did they uh when did they um separate? What was this? I I didn’t know there was a battle of of North and South. What is the line of demarcation? It’s like it’s like um you don’t stop believing South Detroit. There is no South. There’s no South Detroit. I mean, you couldn’t find something else that could run. By the way, you and you’ve looked into that. No one calls it South I’ I’ve been told by people. Everybody says that there’s no South Detroit. It’s Windsor. Windsor. I mean there there’s probably a south of Detroit or whatever, but it’s not there’s nothing called south Detroit. All right. Is there a south New York City? I know. I I guess maybe maybe Staten Island. Maybe this person means like north of Democracy Boulevard. I don’t know. But which is a random street in Bethesda. Very seated. My wife and I love listening to Fraud Alert Friday. She wants to make sure she’s not a fraud. Oh boy. She’s from Ohio. She’s a big fan of the Ohio State University since she was a kid. Proper name. But oh, this is tied into our show. I love it. But she attended the University of Maryland for her degree. Mhm. Um because of me and uh is still in the army. I’m retired now. But she went to Maryland for her degree because of you. That’s that’s what it sounds like. fraud followed him to Maryland. I think I’m going to go to Maryland cuz Peter Rosenberg went there. No offense. Uh she attended she attended Maryland, but she still cheers heavily for Ohio State, especially their football team. She’s heard of you ruling fraud in cases of people that attended a certain university, but a fan of another. Yep. Judge LGrea is my wife of fraud. I’d like to add, by the way, as a lawyer here, that in the modern era that we live in now, not only is Ohio State another school, this is a divi uh a conference rival. Conference rival. Yes. Now, so she’s from Ohio, right? Went to Maryland, right? I said, I don’t care. I’m still Ohio State all day. I just want to call her a fraud for going to Maryland because of you. So either way, no, but she is a fraud because first of all, rooting for Ohio State before you even went to school. I mean, I get it. They’re they’re big time over there, right? That’s almost like a professional sports franchise. Certainly, they have more succulent. All right, sir. You want to get on fraud Friday? All right, let’s do it. Watch uh watch all the I’m going to pass you the headset. Try to cheat a little bit to Oh, we have a microphone over there. Sorry. We have a microphone for you. Sorry, buddy. All right, go ahead. Let Let him have a mic. Yeah, see it on the head. What’s going on, guys? What’s going on? Name name and where you from? I’m Gary. I’m from Hop Hog. Gary. All right. Hop. All right. Judge Lrea. I am a long-suffering New York Jets fan. Okay. Who is much like Allen. Yeah, everybody is. I have a best friend who lives in Michigan. I have adopted the Detroit Lions as my backup team. Oh no. Cuz I’ve just been done with the Jets. Backup. Backup. Am I a fraud? Well, you say you’re done with the Jets. You’re not going to root for them anymore. It’s getting to the point. Don, are you officially dumping the Jets and becoming a Lions fan? I need to know right now. Declare. Gun to my head. I have to go. Oh, I have to. He’s out. I mean, I understand. It makes sense, but that that’s a fraud. It’s a plain and simple. Gary from Hapo. Now, do I understand? Do I understand, Gary? Do I actually agree with Gary? I mean, the proof is in the pudding. As still fraud. The life. And oh, by the way, you just in time. Jump on the Lions bandwagon. They may not make the playoffs either. I know. So now you right as they’re as they may not no longer be the Lions fraud. Fraud. Fraud. Fraud. Are we saying this is fraud with cause? No. This is fraud. Fraud. Fraud. Just fraud. He gave up on his team to go root for the Lions. He just did it here by the way. Live on radio, Gary. Thank you very much. You’re very welcome, guys. Thank you. Pass the mic. Pass the mic to the next uh gentleman. The fraud. Who’s up next here? Fraud alert Friday. All right. What’s your name, sir? All right. Isaac from Sunnyside. side. Okay. Yeah. Um, Don Alan Peter, it is a honor for me to bring my case before the court. All right. Um, so this is actually about my uh girlfriend’s uh best friend. And thank god my girlfriend’s not tuned in. At least I hope she’s not. But um my girlfriend’s best friend grew up a Giants fan. Uh watched Giants games with her dad. Still claims to be a Giants fan. Still claims them. Um a couple years ago, married a lady, great lady. Um we love ladies. We love the ladies, but um but um unfortunately said lady is an Eagles fan and they had a kid about a year ago and the kid is now being raised to be an Eagles fan, dressed in Eagles gear all the time on the Instagram stories, going to Eagles games. Oh boy. And and I’ve just haven’t heard boo about the Giants from this friend since then. Zipper key. So yeah, it’s a zipper key moment. moment. We don’t know she gave up on the Giants. She just had the kid become an Eagles fan. Yeah. And she’s attending Eagles games. She’s attending Eagles games. She’s very nonchalant about this kid being an Eagles fan. Just in Eagles gear all the time. So, it’s it’s troubling to say the least. I I very I would say very troubling. Very troubling. So, Judge Lrea, is she I I need a little bit more information cuz she still root for the Giants. She still she still claims to root for the Giants. Hey, your significant other is an Eagles fan. Your child now is an Eagles fan. You want to do family things together. You’re an Eagles fan. You become Dave Rothenberg if you’re staying at home and your family’s going to Eagle games. I I say no fraud. I I think family stunning guides. She still roots for the team, but I I’m going to say no fraud. I need a little bit more information. This This is a historic stunning moment. I don’t think it’s that stunning. I I’m surprised by it. I didn’t expect it, but I It doesn’t mean it’s wrong. I We need to deliberate. All right. This is This is stunning. Okay. Oh, there’s no deliberation after the rulings, man. If you want to appeal, that’s fine. Go deliberate amongst you. Talk about it all you want. I got to tell you, the appeal process is very long and it’s like a 99.9% failure rate. But go ahead and try if you like, but I’m going to say no for Okay. I accept the judge’s ruling as much as it’s to my personal dismay. I get what you’re saying, but you know, happy wife, happy life. It’s more about your child and and and how Wow. the But she didn’t give up on the Giants, right? Well, well, no. Well, the information that was presented to me, I asked the question, Don, I never question you as a judge. Thank you. But look at you sucking up to the court. Allan’s got a problem with me. You know what? We’re going to have words. I got a problem. I got a problem with the court system right now. Okay. I’m fighting that ticket. It’s a big deal for me. Oh, so you and judges in general. This is Han versus the town of Huntington. Okay. So, we’re going to have we’re having it out. Well, by the way, guys, this is the ESPN New York holiday party live from your mother’s house. Your mother’s house, I should say, in Garden City Park, Long Island. Brought to you by Amazon Pickup. Security Dodge and Spike Dade. Made for big city social stamina. You guys want one more email? Of course. Who asking that? No, I’m good. All right, here we go, guys. Hi all. After an interesting conversation with my boyfriend at the bar last night, we decided to bring the situation to you all for final judgment. But she’s going to the bar with her boyfriend aa I was born and raised in the DC area and the only sports team I would routinely root for is the Washington Capitals. Interesting. Okay. Through the years, I found this was a way to spend time with my dad. A Mhm. Over time and situations, we have drifted apart and we are not in contact anymore. Oh. This is This is Let’s take it. Let’s take By the way, as as three as three fathers of daughters, this is feeling terrible right now. Sounds like a fraud daughter. Oh my god. A fraud. Accusations. All right. In the beginning from her dad. I You don’t know what happened. Let’s hear about it. That’s a good point. At the beginning of this season, I wanted to get back into hockey, but found trying to go to a Caps game or just watching it on TV was hard and slightly triggering. Huh. My boyfriend told me to just find another team if it helps and get back into the sport. I told him I would be a fraud fan and after listening to so much of DHR with him, I just can’t do it. He insisted it’s not. So, I bring this to you all for a final ruling. Can you switch to a sports team if one team triggers family trauma? I I believe he’s thinking if she decides to root for another team, even under those very unique circumstances, it would be fraud. Wow. If she decides to drop the sport all together, then it’s not fraud. So, she’s got to just completely give up on So, how about this? She’s allowed to give up. She’s not allowed to become a fan of She’s from DC. Yes. But this team, the Capitals, she shared with her dad, who she no longer is a fan of. All right. How about And she loves this show. Obviously, it’s a part of her life. Yep. Devils fan. No, she can’t pick up another team. It makes her a fraud. She doesn’t want to do that, right? Unless it’s Devil’s fan. How about even though it hasn’t been a good year, she jumps on board with your boy and becomes a fan of the Washington Commanders. I mean, yeah. Find a new It still represents It still represents your area. Different sport. It won’t trigger you as much. We had Gary on. That’s right. Sure we did. and he’s going to give up on the Jets and become a Lions fan. Fraud. Big fraud. If he came on and said, “I’m just going to give up on the Jets. I’m done with football.” No fraud. So, it’s the same thing here. If she is done with hockey, no problem. But if she converts to another, and it sounds like she doesn’t want to. Sounds like her husband or boyfriend’s a fraud. It’s getting these discussions at the bar. All right. We’re going to take We’re going to take one more from here in the building. Sir, give us your name and state your case. Yeah. My name is Alan from UNAL. Alan in the money truck. Allan in the money truck. What you got for me? Over the coliseum. Let’s do it. Yeah. All right. What’s the fraud question? Don is the biggest fraud ever. Oh my. And Don is the people’s champ. Don is the people’s champ. I love Don. Love Don, but he is the biggest fraud ever. Okay. Don went from I got a devil’s tattoo. Then I work for the Ranger. Then I work I know it’s old, but I’m saying I I never got to I never got to press it. No, you get to have your your moment. I never got to address it. Then he went from doing that and then he works for the Rangers and he’s like, “I want the Rangers to win. I’m a Rangers fan now. I’m this. I’m this. I’m that.” I remember I’ve been listening for 10 years plus. He never said he was a Rangers fan. I heard it a Rangers fan. He used the word Donald Marco LGrea said, “I am a Rangers fan. We’re going to need some more.” He said he was a Rangers supporter. Whatever. He was Well, he was a supporter of the people who put money in his wallet. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. That’s not wrong, but just I’m a Knicks guy. You see I work for the if I work for the Nets I’m still going to root for the Knicks right it teach his own so Don worked for the Rangers right worked for the Rangers has the Devils tattoo stop talking about the Devils for like 20 plus whatever right and now works for the Devils again now he’s the Devils fan again I mean you go point out frauds but I got a guy look at the you know you got you got three fingers pointing back at you got three fingers pointing back at you three now we take a vote you know no there’s no vote You’re you’re a mess. Okay. Because if you can present evidence, right? No, this is the judge trying to let the lawyer, you know. Yeah. Yeah. Go ahead, judge. You need evidence. You need help. You need evidence. You have no evidence. If you saw if there’s a picture of me with a Ranger jersey or Ranger hat or when I got a Ranger tattoo or something. I never said fan. Was I a supporter? I was a supporter of the team I was calling for to win the game that I was calling. Yeah. And the deeper they went in the playoffs, the more money I was able to put in my pocket. I wanted them to do well. Now, now you can. But you did because of becoming a professional, you did let go to some degree of your Devils fanship. Correct. Exactly. Because how would it look if it was banging on the glass when the Devils eliminated the Rangers in the conference final and oh by the way, where’s my check? No. No. That doesn’t work. That’s not how life works. If you started working for the Nets, you wouldn’t be able to prance around the offices with your Nick jersey and stuff. They’d let you go. No, I wouldn’t hire you anyway. You’re not qualified. And so now, and by going and doing the things that I did, I ended up getting my dream job. Thank you, Alan. But even with me doing devil games. Yeah. And I admit I am now I am now doing games for the team that I grew up loving. I still call myself a fan in the true sense of the word. Are you falling like back in love a little bit with the team or is it still like professional and it’s nice and there’s um nostalgia attached to it but it’s professional course because I grew up a fan of this team so the nostalgia and working with Ken Danico and Bryce Salvador and doing trivia talking about times I was a fan but I am giving the same attention and rooting in the same way I did when I did the Rangers like it’s my career it’s my job it just happens to be with the team that I grew up rooting for. But am I have a devil jersey and a double hat on or anything? I’m I guess I am a I was always a fan of the team. I had to put it aside. Now I don’t have to put it aside anymore. But it’s not the same as it was before I started doing hockey. We’ve heard people call this out before and I would I would side against you if I if I thought they were right. Got it. But they’re not. But how about Mr. Contrary? Who? How? What? What do you mean? What do I do? No, he fights me on Well, when there’s a ruling rulings Well, there you me. This I agree on. I’ve always told you I You understand this because you grew up a Nick fan. Yep. And you never had to do games for other teams. But when you’re doing the job, you wouldn’t call yourself a fan. You want the team to do well. But it’s hit hitting completely different Allen Han Nick coverage as opposed to when you were growing up. The truth is All right. So, the first professional sports beat I ever was given. Oh, get your drinks ready. I know they had your drinks ready. But it was the the Islanders. Oh, you guys know that he did the Islanders. That’s one of my first teams as a kid. That was like the team. And the minute I got that job, I stopped being a fan because what was most important was that I had a job to do because I never wanted to read that kind of coverage where it’s all just pompoms and roses and we especially that year that era because that team the franchise was a mess. It was more about doing the job right the way I would have wanted to like when I grew up reading people who covered the team. I wanted it covered that way. So you stop that. you you’re more about the story and what’s important and you’re focusing on that. You’re calling the game. You’re not calling the game hoping for them to win because it matters to you that they win. You’re calling the game looking for like the most exciting thing that’s going to happen. Whatever has happened, you don’t know what’s going to happen. I want them to win. Well, I mean, of course, it’s under a different sense. The deeper the team goes, the better it goes for you in a playoff. I don’t know if I’d understand this if I was 18-year-old Don McGregor. just it’s different and I can’t expect people to understand it because they’re not walking in my shoes. That’s not what they do for a living. You’ll know it when you ever do it. That’s the thing. You won’t know it and a fan won’t understand it until they’re put in that situation where you get your dream job and now all of a sudden your whole mind you’re not wired the same way anymore. It’s the reason why I never wanted to cover the Yankees. I never ever wanted to cover a Yankee game or do anything Yankees. I wanted one team that I could still have that sort of that I I only know it as a fan. I don’t know personally from covering it cuz it does ruin it as a as a fan. No. So interesting stuff. Thank you for everybody participating the emails. Another successful fraud alert Friday. Thanks for everybody hanging in there. We usually do it at 4:30, but we were not going to delay. Rod Strickland at 5. Um get back into the football of it. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of big games. None of them involving the Jets or the Giants. Although the Jaguars do need the game, but from a Jets and Giants perspective, that spread is 13 and a half. It does. And it could be even more. 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Welcome back to ESPN New York’s holiday party live from your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island, brought to you by Amazon Pickup Security Dodge and Spiked Aid made for big city social stamina. The big game this weekend, guys, and we were joking with Gary about it. The Lions are at the Rams. Believe it or not, this is the sixth time. Did I hear that right? No. That they’ve played that they’ve played together. It’s been a few. I certainly remember a few. But so, not only do you have the whole quarterback with Goff going up against Stafford. The Lions need this game, guys. Yep. Oh, yeah. Big time. They are in a lot of trouble if they lose this game. I want to be able to give you the analytics in in just a second, but if it’s hard to believe there’s a world, guys, where they can miss the playoffs. And if I’m if I’m a betting man, I think I’d bet they wouldn’t make it. Is it that crazy a thought? I mean, first of all, that’s going to be a very, very difficult job to go to LA and beat the Rams. Mhm. The Lions right now are on the outside looking in for making the playoffs. They’re the eight seed right now. It’s a big number though, by the way. However, they have a 54% chance of making the playoffs right now. So, it’s still above 50%. And if they win, it jumps to 74%. If they lose, you know, 44% chance of missing the play of making the playoffs going into week 16. It is a big number. It’s six. Yeah, it’s it’s it’s it’s sizable. That’s a tough spot, man, for the Lions. They are. Now, was that what you were saying for the biggest game? I Is there a bigger game in your mind? I I got a I got a sexy one. I don’t if it’s bigger, but sexy. And the Rams, you got to figure the Seahawks are winning. Correct. I mean, the Seahawks are going to beat Indianapolis. I want to hear which which is your You know where I’m going. It’s right up your alley. It’s right up the Allen Han alley. Bills Pats. That’s a That’s a sexy That’s a sexy vehicle to It’s so sexy. I might dabble. Yeah, I I I I feel you, dog. I don’t disagree in the sexiness. Although Rams Lions is dead sexy. Oh, it is. But if the Bills lose to the Patriots, they still have a 94% chance of making the playoffs. If there’s any hope of winning the division, the Bills have to win. Yeah. But the Bills are going. Patriots are going. But for a chance for the R the the Lions, the Detroit Lions to miss the playoffs and to see it drop to 40% 44% if they lose. the Rams, you know, they want to be able to win this division, right? You know, the Seahawks are winning. So, I’m just want to get this all right from a divisional standpoint. If the Seahawks win, which you expect them to do, and the Rams were to lose, well, then all of a sudden, the Seahawks are in first place. So, the Rams wanted to be able to win the division. And looking at it, the Rams are still very much alive to get a buy. So, the Rams have a reason to play and the Lions might fall out of the playoffs. So to me, the bigger game is Lions, Rams, but you’re right, Bills and Patriots is dead sexy. There’s a lot going on in that game. There’s a lot with that game. I mean, there’s a big It’s a big Vel game. It’s a big Drake May game. Uh it’s obviously a monstrous Josh Allen game. And on top of it, in the end, go ahead. We keep talking about coaching, don’t we? And in Buffalo, you know, you start like you start losing the division now to this what the Patriots are showing you they’re becoming. And again, as a Jets fan, throwing up my mouth right now, but that’s that’s where you’re at. Like this is where how do you not if you’re the Bills start wondering, do we need to make a change? Allan, they should have been wondering that. That’s that to me. Well, it’s all put Josh. Put the cape on for us again, please. It had to be. I’m sorry. McDermott should have been gone at least a year ago. And by the way, at least it’s two How many years can you throw at it with this quarterback and now if this year at Don if they somehow don’t make the playoffs, it’s over. It’s the next day. Well, they’re not not making the playoffs by by the way. It could be a snow globe game. Oh, we love that. That always a We got a Nor Easter coming through. And but you’re not you can’t you can’t lock them into the playoffs. Who? The Bills. Yeah, I I can’t lock. said, “If they lose the game, they still have a 94% chance of making the playoffs.” Oh, even after a loss, it’s 94. They got nine wins. I mean, I not making the playoffs isn’t the issue. And they’re not winning the division. Even if they win this game, they’re two games back of New England. New England’s already beaten the Bills. I I it would be a collapse for the P. Now, the Bills have any hope of winning the division. They’ve got to win this game against New England. But I still don’t think the Bills are winning the division. And I don’t think they have to. Like I think the Patriots with a buy, they become a dangerous I I I’m not ruling out the possibility of the Bills still making a run as a wild card team. I don’t increase their odds that dramatically if they win the division. They’re not getting a buy. Let me look at this. The Bills aren’t getting a buy, right? So they’re going to Buffalo for Buffalo. Isn’t it just simply about winning Super Bowl getting to a Super Bowl in a year where in the AFC? But I’m fighting you on what the bigger game is because the Bills have a safety. No, no, you’re right about Don. I wasn’t I wasn’t quite I wasn’t aware of what the Bills had coming up. Yeah, cuz the Bills should be concerned about a playoff spot except in their last few games after New England, two of the three are against Cleveland and the Jets. Yeah, they’ve got So, it’s just kind of a given they’re getting to 11. Yeah, they got and they’ll get in. No, no. The bigger game, you’re right. Yeah, Detroit Detroit’s on it. like the choice, but I’m more interested in watching the football of the Patriots of the Oh, and if you give me a snow globe, then I’m Yeah, I might give you I don’t know what it is. And also, I just Here’s the thing about picking it though, Alan. Like, one part of me says, “Wow, you’re giving the Pats points at home, the kind of year they’ve had.” And then another part of me says, “Are the Bills though in the process of turning the thing on and Josh Allen’s going to show up and say, I’m going to show you guys how the I’m teaching you Drake May how we do this. This is how you close out a season.” It it I just I’m I’m kind of scared of the game. I don’t know which way I’m leaning. You’re leaning though. Oh, I’m Oh, so I’m lent. I’m not touching it. He’s locked in. I’m completely lent. He’s what? Leaned. Lent. You know, lean. He’s lent all the way in. Leaned. Leaned. Yeah. Oh, I see what he’s doing. You know, just based on how filthy he was yesterday, I was trying to find a sexual You missed a good one. You missed a good one earlier, though, Don. I had a a really good one earlier. Repeat. Said it under my breath. I don’t remember the uh on the air. Yeah. Yeah. Under my breath. Nobody heard it. It was a good one. It was really good. Nobody heard it. So, it’s not really Peter said something and I It was really good. Now, maybe it’s just me. I don’t feel like I have to do this. Go ahead. But and I know the games don’t mean anything for the Jets and Giants, but like to do a whole holiday party on a on a on a Friday football and not mention the Jets and Giants. I mean, just as how far we’ve fallen. Now, I’m going to dabble in Giants Commanders when we make our picks just because of feel, not because of the game. They’re both teams have been mathematically eliminated. I mean, you got a Giant Commanders game in week 15, both teams mathematically eliminated. Ridiculous. Yep. Now, the Jets, they’re out, but the Jaguars are still very much alive. Very much to win their division, make the playoffs. Do you The Jets are a 13 and a half point dog. Brady Cook is starting at quarterback. Do you give the Jets any any shot? You give him a shot to cover the number. As you would say, none shot. None shot. You give him no shot to cover the number? No. Oh, I do. I give him a shot to cover the number. 13 and a half in Yakovia. Mhm. I I give him a shot cover. Sure. Yeah. No shot. Have you seen that defense? Yeah, but it’s not about defense. You see what they look like against Miami? They couldn’t tackle. No, they’re not very good. They couldn’t tackle anybody, but I don’t know. They’re not they’re not playing. And they got Brady Cooker starting a quarter. But that to me points how could he be anywhere? Where the points coming from? Where you getting points? All it could take is 177 is not a cover. Listen, I’m not true. I’m not picking that game because I don’t trust it. So I can’t say with full certainty. So if you’re asking me how do I feel? If this was old school Michael K where we had to take the locals, you would take the Jags. By the way, that’s a terrible rule. Oh, that’s why we got rid of it. It was I mean it’s awful. We We’re in the job of entertaining our audience. I forced them to give picks on the locals. I think I brought a lot to the radio station. This might be the biggest, but I killed that. I was like, this was like you guys do this every week. This is not fun. That was massive. I added the point system for better for worse. It hasn’t helped me much recently. It is one of your greatest contributions. And yeah, getting rid of the locals cuz to be at this point in the year picking Jets and Giants every week, it’s like why don’t we just pick the CFL Euro League? What do you want to What do you want to bet? I would love to do that. 12 and a half or 13? 13 and a half, sir. That’s two scores to you with two touchdowns win TDs. The Jets just seem to stumble into these covers every once in a while. I guess I guess what what I saw last week just really was sickening about how a noshow at home when it comes to physicality. Physicality, Don. Not technique, not skill, it was physicality. But what is home? Home to me is a detriment. Like at this point when the Jets and Giants play at home, right? To me, that’s a road game. Especially when they’re playing a team like the Dolphins. Yeah. But like where you know there’s going to be a ton of do they must you know how demoralizing that must have been for the Jets to be introduced and booed in their own building that whenever the Dolphins did something well, they’re cheering for the other team. That’s got to be so demoralizing. I’m sure I’m sure it is, but they also must be used to it because a lot of their games that they’ve played at home have had the right the popular teams that have come in. This is this is why I think in that spot you just would rather be on the road. Just get me Well, that’s I was just I was just fighting when Allan said the way they played at home. I I think home is a detriment. No, homes were I guarantee you I hate that it it was Dolphins at home last week. It was right. They were there playing at Dolphins wearing the Gotham City gear. That’s right. I guarantee you they will look more alive and focused this week in enemy territory than in what is basically like a weak neutral sight at home weather. Yeah. Come together. I I’ll tell you what. If you say so. You might and maybe I’m all wet on this and you can call, email, tweet. They might get more of a positive reaction in Jacksonville than the Metife. Just because you might Jet fans are still Jet fans. Like you know what? I’d rather go to Jacksonville. Hop on a flight. At least it’ll be warm. I matter of fact, I’d guarantee it if it was Miami cuz you know Miami is a cool place to go. Miami and No, there’ll be some injection. Met life’s not a cool place to go when it’s 23°. You’re sitting in your own filth. No, no. What? Stop. Your sentence went way too long. Met life isn’t a cool place to go. Stop. Stop. Sitting in your own filth is all part of the experience. Yeah, that No, that is that is Met life is sitting in your own filth. I’m telling you right now, I one of the things I’m I’m most excited about in life is that the commies are getting a new building. When you’re in a bad building, we’ve been in a bad building since 97. You guys have been in a bad building now since 07. But let’s say whatever it is. First of all, it’s a football stadium. It could look nicer. It’s not going to really change the experience even. No, no. That’s I disagree. No, no, no. Because I’m not going to where it is, what it looks like. Parking lot setup. Well, no. That’s the thing that you weren’t going to get around that. The parking lot setup’s the parking lot setup. They could have they could have had a a replica of of uh Jerry’s world if it’s still gonna take two and a half hours to get out. Remember remember when they remember when they considered there was the conversation about the Jet Stadium in Manhattan? Yeah, that didn’t go well. That but that would have been that’s game changing. You could take easy public transit to get there. But if I had a lot of issues, the the other thing was is the eminent domain stuff next to City Field. Yeah, that you want to change a karma. That’s going to change. That changes karma. But quick, if you have disposable income, would you rather if you lived in Suffach County, Long Island, drive to Metife Stadium, how long that takes, all of the traffic, sitting in 23° weather in your own filth, taking another 3 hours to get home, or get on a jet like a gentleman, fly to Jacksonville, Florida, tailgate outside in nice, you know, 75° weather, watch a football game in your shirt sleeves, have a nice steak dinner after, and fly home. What would you rather do if you had disposable income? I would rather go to Jacksonville. Yeah. So, that’s why I think the reaction might be more positive in Jacksonville than Metife Stadium. Our picks, oh boy, are next, followed by ENN. And it’s all happening here at the ESPN New York Holiday Party. Live from your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island, brought to you by Amazon Pickup, Security Dodge, and Spiked Aid made for big city social stamina on ESPN New York. Listen up, New York. 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These are the Don Han and Rosenberg pro picks. That’s football. There is football. Maybe not locally, maybe technically, but we’re going to be picking other games. I have a feeling. Although I am uh bullish on the the Giant Commander game and I wouldn’t be surprised if Peter was as well. Uh let’s take a look at the standings as I have to unfortunately. Do we have to uh go over them because they are putrid. I am back to 500. I feel proud of that. I’m 21 and 21. Look at you in the black. 40 points after going two and one in a five-point week last week. I’m in first place. Allan Han just five points back despite being 18 and 24. But good point allocation. and you went 3-0 last week and got six points. Six big points, baby. Quite the opposite for our buddy Peter Rosenberg. First of all, a record of 13 and 29, 27 points. So, he is 13 points off the pace after an 0 and three. How zero point. How far back from Allen though? You are only eight point back. So, if you were able to flip-flop and you get six and he gets zero, then you’re very much back in the game. A lot of time left, folks. Lot of time. I wouldn’t even rule out catching Don. A lot of time left. [ __ ] you just gave me. So since I’m in first place, I am going to I am going to go first. Since I’m in first place, I get to go first. Did I say it that way, Peter? I heard it that way. Well, he heard it that way because let’s face it, he’s not feeling well and he’s taking it out on me today. He’s not feeling you. I’m in first place. I get he’s not feeling you. That’s clear. He called me out in front of our audience that I’m like, “No, not not.” He said, “You’re not right today. I just said you weren’t like you weren’t yourself.” Yeah, you keep those things to yourself. I think Peter agrees. I wanted to get I wanted to get you the support you needed. Well, I better help you’re talking about a little better help. All right. So, I’m going to start with my onepoint play and I’m going to go with the Giants. Wow. The Commanders, let’s face it, they’re a mess with Mariota. They are. Especially defensively for whatever reason. And you know, the Giants coming off a buy and this will irritate a lot of Giant fans who want them to tank for the better pick and all that stuff. And I can understand getting phone calls on Monday. I can’t believe they won that game. But I just think the Commanders are in a mess. And it’s two and a half. So, you’re basically picking a winner. I don’t feel that confident in it. But still, my one-point play. Uh the Giants covering the two and a half. Uh my two-point play, you know, the Titans have played pretty well down the stretch for being one of the worst teams in football. And they’ve got no reason to tank because they’ve already got their quarterback. Niners want this game. I mean, they’ve got the Rams, they’ve got the Seahawks. There’s no guarantee for the Niners to make the playoffs and and you know the 12 and a half points is a lot but they’ve covered four straight games the Niners. So they want the game and I think they’ll cover the 12 and a half at home against the Tennessee Titans. And my three-point play another big number three three and the Eagles haven’t played well. Eagles, but it’s really Jaylen Herz not playing well because if if they don’t turn the ball over five times, they’re crushing the Chargers. Let’s be honest. Mhm. So, if they can cut down on the turnovers, and are the Raiders going to take advantage? West Coast team playing a 1:00 game in Philadelphia. Kenny Pickicket, the quarterback for Vegas. I like the Eagles to cover the 11 and 1/2 over the Raiders as my 3-3 three-point play. So, let’s go with the Giants covering the 2 and 1/2 is my one. Let’s go with the Niners coming in at the 12 1/2 is my two. And my three-point play, Eagles covering the 11 and 1/2 at home against Vegas. All right, Allan, do I get to go now? Cool. He’s that he’s that guy. Yeah. No, he’s that guy. You know, you know what you just heard? He’s a nozzle. If we decide to change the that guy Thursday open, what he just said is going to be it. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. A lot of a lot could be in that. I love you both dearly. Um, for my onepoint play, this is a very interesting game. When you guys were talking about the sexy games this weekend, you didn’t mention this one. This has a little bit of appeal. A little bit, right? Little little strap off the shoulder. Packers at Broncos. Packers are actually laying two and a half here. They have been playing well of late. They are starting to now find that form. Maybe a Super Bowl preview. And it could be right. Broncos defense is fantastic. They are at home where they’re always tough. Which is why for my one-point play, I’m going to believe in Green Bay. Hey, I’m taking the Packers. Take a look at that. I I had I scratched it off, but I had Oh, you are? So, you were thinking about it? I was thinking about we’re we’re of the same mind. So, uh I will take the Packers for my onepoint play. Uh for my two-point play, the Dolphins are terrible in cold weather, right? Dolphins. But they came up to Metife and played in some cold weather. Yeah. In the semi-pro game and they dumped cold water all over the Jets. That’s not going to happen again. I think when you look at the Steelers on Monday Night Football at home, they never ever lose. Under Mike Tomlin, they never ever lose on Monday Night Football. These are must-win games. They need them. The Dolphins have had a nice run, but they suck in cold weather. Give me the Steelers. Lay the three. Monday Night Football 2.4. I’m not three. Three. That was my I I have that one. So Oh, wow. Head to head, baby. Um, all right. And and by the way, good on you for staying honest about that, cuz you could have changed it. No, no, I may I may change it now. Oh, what do you mean? So, not good on you. No, no, no, hold on. I’m saying I’m heads up. I I have the same thing. I don’t want to take the same pick as you. I have a few games I like. That was one I was picking, but Don, if you’re in my spot, do you stay that one or you pick another one you like? No, you only have to honor yourself. Thank you. I thought we have to lock these in beforehand, but I guess we haven’t got to the envelope rules yet. Rules are different for Don and for Peter, not for Allan. Lock in. So, last but not least, my three-point play. This is the game I love. This is the game that I’ll care more about than even the damn Jet game. And that, of course, is Bill’s Patriots up in New England. Little snow globe potential. It’s his three-point play. It’s my three-point play. And you know what? Mike Vrabel off of a buy at home. Well, I might change at that level now. I might have to change two picks. Give me the one and a half. Give me the pants. Wow. Does Allen realize that he doesn’t have to allocate points based on how good the game is? He’s supposed to allocate points on how he feels. I’m learning. I’m learning as we go. But no, I felt like that three stars or three-point I can’t. Anyway, that that’s my three three-point play. So, uh, onepoint play, give me the Packers, I’ll lay the two and a half. Two-point play. Steelers on Monday night. I’ll lay the three. Love it. And then my three-point play, the New England Patriots. I’ll take the point and a half. Three, three, three points. Well, guess what? I’m at a point in the year where I can’t just go with the picks I like if Allen likes them. Truthfully, I had the Patriots. Truthfully, I had the Steelers, but I also have other picks that I like. And so, I’m going to have to pivot here, okay? Because this is the situation you’re in when you’re down 13 to the leader and eight to the second place. situation. That is the situation that we’re in. Um, so I will make my one-point play the uh Los Angeles Chargers to keep it close with the Kansas City Chiefs. That’s sneaky good. I I I’m sorry. Sneaky good. I’m not I’m not saying the Chiefs can’t win, but I’m First of all, in the best of circumstances, the Chiefs never cover and never blow. Now, this will be the week they will cuz I suck. But I like the Chargers to cover the six and a half points. I’ll make it my one-point play. Hopefully Justin Herbert doesn’t walk away from the interview afterwards. And uh and and we get a one point there. Well, you’re hoping he gets an interview afterwards. It means he won. That That’s exactly right, though. I do. You know what? I do hope he walks away from an interview afterward. Uh maybe it’s a DD King Kobala. I don’t know. We’ll find out in a few minutes. Find out you. Yeah. Uh my two-point play. Two two very very very similar. The the road Detroit Lions getting six points in Los Angeles. Now listen, I Duis has not been exactly duis. No, but last time I checked, they’ve been Detroit. Last time, last time I checked though, the guy they have at running back, he’s still the guy who looks like he just got the star in Mario Brothers, right? Like every time he moves, you hear the music get faster and Jir Gibbs is just gone, right? He’s still playing in that game. He’s the Rams are very good. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not putting him in the Super Bowl yet, but their defense is good. Give me the lines to cover the points. I I think they’ll stick around. That’s my two-point play. cover one, two, and then I’m going to throw up in my mouth a little bit cuz I got it wrong with this team last week. There he goes. I got it wrong with both these teams last week. I’m going to put my three-point play on those filthy, disgusting, dirty Dallas Cowboys. Minus 5 and a half at home. Oh, against the Minnesota Vikings, who looked like world peters against the Commanders last week. I got a hunch JJ McCarthy is not going to be feeling the same way in Big D on Sunday night. Oh, look at you cowboy. Give me the Oh. Oh, no. I don’t play it. Don’t you play those drops for God’s sake. I forgot. I’m not saying I’m not saying those things. I I said the dirt for you. I’m simply picking the dirty, filthy, stinking Cowboys to cover the points. Back to back. How about them Cowboys, Peter? I don’t like that drama. How about them Cowboys? Yeah. You like that one? I’ll tell you what. If you nail this on Monday, you’ll be saying it. Oh, boy. Oh, yes, you will. all the way into the playoffs and a big Peter comeback. So, those are our picks. ENN is coming up next. This is the ESPN New York Holiday Party live from your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island. Brought to you by Amazon Pickup, Security Dodge, and Spiked Aid made for big city social stamina on ESPN New York. In an accident that wasn’t your fault, then you need a lawyer who knows New York’s unique personal injury and workers compensation laws. At the Parisman firm, they have decades of experience handling all types of accident cases and a proven track record of delivering huge results. Their team has already recovered nearly a billion dollars for injured New Yorkers. From construction to car accidents and slips and falls, they’ve got you covered. Call the Parisman Firm now at 718 Workers, where your case is their cause. Get the justice you deserve today. 888 ESPN, WHSQ, and WCBS FM HD2. New York, a Good Karma Brands radio station. And now, let’s take a look at the traffic with Brandy Scott. Thanks a million, guys. I hope you have a fantastic weekend. Enjoy the rest of your holiday party. I’ll catch up with you on Tuesday. Heading outbound across the Hudson River. Stick with the tunnels if you can. Starting to do a lot better. Outbound Lincoln are already running about 15 to 20 minutes. Outbound Holland, 20 to 30 minute ride. All of your purchase the outbound Georgia Jam. Not even the Henry Hudson going to help you out. They did clean up that crash on the Cross Bronx westbound by the Bronx River Parkway involving a tractor trailer. Still not moving much there from White Plains Road on through inbound George. Stick with the lower deck about 10 to 15 minutes. Upper level about a 20 to 30 minute ride. Belts eastbound crawling in Brooklyn with a crash by Cropsy Avenue. Delays there from before the Verzano. You’re backed up into Bay Ridge over in Jersey 287 northbound shut down with a serious accident by exit 37 in Whippony. Traffic has stopped there and backed up into Morristown. I’m Brandy Scott on 880 ESPN New York. Grease Hall the IBback at the 5 yd line. Hand off. Grease Hall finds a crease. Runs left. He’s into the end zone for a Jet touchdown. Jets fans come out to Metife Stadium for a week 17 divisional matchup. See the New York Jets host the New England Patriots Sunday, December 28th at 1 p.m. presented by Ticketmaster. Lock in your seats now at nyjets.com/tick. Once again, that’s nyjets.com/tick. Do you owe $10,000 or more in credit card debt or personal loans? With credit card debt at all-time highs, debt relief advocates is urgently notifying consumers of debt relief now being made available. Designed to aid consumers with out of control credit card debt. Those who qualify and enroll for this relief program will only have to pay back a fraction of what they owe. This is not bankruptcy or a debt consolidation loan. This is a relief program that credit card companies would rather you not know about as it ends your debt nightmare and saves you lots of money. Consumers owing at least 10,000 in credit card debt or personal loans can now take advantage of this debt relief as the cost of living skyrockets. Debt Relief Advocates has established a relief hotline for you to call to learn what debt reduction you may qualify for. So don’t wait for this free information. and call the relief hotline at 8006068737. 8006068737. 8006068737. This is an ENN special report. Now reporting the very handsome Jewish man Peter Rosenberg. We should talk some sports. Who would you go on? It’s CNN. Peter Rosenberg. Thank you guys. Thank you. Oh, we we can do better than that though. No, they’re doing good. We got too many people here to be that like chill. It’s the headset mics, you know. Is that what it is? I think so. Cuz actually my headset was off. It was a lot louder. Yeah, they don’t. The headset mics don’t pick up louder when you take the head field. No, it’s not our sound guy. It’s just the headset mics. Yeah. Um guys, welcome to ENN Row ESPN. Yeah, sure. The ESPN New York holiday party live brought to you by Spike Aid made for big city social stamina. Sure. And with that, I’d like to start off ENN by saying good evening to Don. Why am I excluded? I mean, it’s it’s happening after the show. That’s right. Peter’s meeting up with all these people that I thought were my friends. big day. Yeah, I texted Andrew the other day about it and I said, “We’re talking about your favorite subject. How how you have no use for Don and he he got No, he gets legitimately upset.” Why Why is he saying this? This is patently untrue. Well, did you tell him that you didn’t invite me? No, I I I’ll talk about it tonight at the dinner that you’re not invited to. Well, well, we’re going to talk about you at our dinner. By the way, should we FaceTime from the dinners? No. I’m good. You’re all set. I’m all set. Wait, now you feel bad too for my guy. Oh. Oh, yeah. You’re defending. No, because No, I think he’s because as you could see, he doesn’t like all of my rulings. He takes them as they come and he says, “You know what? That’s a bad job. You treated Don poorly.” Yeah. And I think it’s all part of the master plan of Andrew not wanting me to be there. I know Brown sure wants me there and I know I know R.J. does. Oh, wow. I just know these people. You love these people. But I That’s fine. again. You let Andrew know that this does not affect the relationship on my side. You still love him just as much. Now, when you like saw him at the wedding for example, like you guys hung out at my wedding and it was you you you showed your love and affection for him. Sure. And even though you know he had no use for you, you still showed it the same way. Did like you did you guys all hang out like wives hanging together at the wedding? Yeah, we were. I think we were all at the same table. Sure you were. I I believe the table was table 10. Michael K. Yes. And Jody Applegate. Donald and Nancy LGrea. Yeah. The Santillos. Yes. And the Gunlings. The Gunlings. Uh Ryan. Oh, yeah. Ryan. And Ryan. Yeah. Ryan. Ryan was there. And we all hung out. And if I’m if I’m not mistaken, we might have been the last table to leave. Oh, no. You guys, we exhausted the entire wedding. I got to tell you, you guys, you guys put on a great show. Drank the open bar until it was empty. You guys No, they put on a I I was impressed with Don and like I didn’t expect, you know, Don and Nancy Irish exit. Don’s not a big dancer, right? You know, as we know, Don and Nancy are non-dancy. Yeah, we’re not dancing. The day that that was discovered on the show when I realized you reversed their names and they become non-dancy is think about that. Think about that. I don’t want to. The level of the genius is too deep for you to get cuz you know the you may not know the story. It’s way too deep. I didn’t dancy non dancy because of the fact that Nancy didn’t or or Oh my god. Oh my god. Please say you were on a give it up. Allan was like a fullown show. A full dribble show. Clown show. He held I officially have a drinking problem. Yeah. Yeah, this is right out of airplane. This is So, he’s got the cup. He’s got he’s got a a clear solo cup with with ice water. And he’s got the the straw tipped to the far side. I don’t know why. And then instead of moving the straw to the closer side, he continued leaving it on the long side and so all the water poured out the short side down. So good. I thought I had a sippy cup. That’s what that was about. I’m Yes. Yeah. So, what I was saying was is that I didn’t dance at Michael’s wedding because Michael because Nancy didn’t want to dance. The shoes were bothering her. Okay. So, what am I supposed to do? Dance with somebody? I’m not a big dancer. But if Nancy wanted to dance, I’d be out there. Your wife doesn’t want to dance. What are you doing? You’re sitting at the table with her or you going to go out and dance with strange women? No, you do other things. You talk. Yeah. And that’s what I did. But Michael said, “I wasn’t having a good time. I was having a great time. I wasn’t dance.” Can I by the way matter what? Why does anything matter with Michael? Yeah, it’s Michael. Why does No, no. Why does it matter what he says? And and by the way, can I just say this, too? I’m going to I’m It feeds right back into my theory. You know why else you weren’t dancing? Cuz Michael had to have a big hoidy toy wedding band instead of a DJ. And no one dances as much with bands as they do DJs. Sorry. I want to hear Michael Jackson. I don’t want to see the 52-year-old white guy pretending to be Michael Jackson. Right. Unless he’s the unless he’s the guy from uh the hangover that I think I danced around. No, that’s the hangover. Sorry, I was thinking old school, but also it was the same guy in Hangover, but in old school was when he did the song you’re talking about. See theing look in your eye that is it’s one of the greatest moments in film because you don’t know what the joke is. So when they are singing the the song and say the f-word as an audience member, you’re going, “Did they just say the f-word?” And then you see Will Frell go and look off and you go, “That’s how I feel.” Yeah. of my film viewing experience because they let you feel what the characters feeling is in the most underrated comedy of the of the modern era made the John Favro Vince Vaughn swingers followup. Vince Vaughn who plays the biggest dnazle in history as he often does is in a fight at a New York club trying to get in and he says Ruiz Ruiz put me on the list. Ruiz is played by a debut acting redacted P. Diddy. And he goes I’m on the list. I’m on Ruiz’s list. And they go he’s not you’re not on the list. And he goes I’m I’m I’m on the list. Ruiz. We always know who’s on Ruiz’s list. You’re not on the list. So Vince Vaughn’s having the back and forth in a very Vince Vaughn way. Yeah. And then God and then God rest his soul. What’s the real actor’s name? The man who played Screech. Oh, I don’t remember his name. Well, Dustin Diamond. Yes. Yes. Good call. So, so Dustin Diamond then walks walks up and kind of pulls through the crowd in front of him and goes up to the doorman and the doorman sees him and and just sees Dustin Diamond, gives him a dab. Dustin Diamond brings his people and walks in and you’re sitting there watching it and then Vince Fawn goes, “Do you just let you just let Screech in the effing club and because that’s what you’re thinking, it it just hits.” Yeah. In the right way. And Maid also had a cameo from Jason Fabini, former Jet offensive lineman. Yeah, that’s right. Yeah. Wait, what what character? He’s he plays one of the bouncers at the club. I love I love that movie. No, the movie is the best. If you’ve never watched it, Cardiff Giant is check the list. That’s my people, Cardiff Giant. Um, by the way, this is the ESPN New York holiday party live from your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island. Brought to you by Amazon Pickup, Security Dodge, and Spiked Aid. Made for big city social stamina. Now, now it’s 610 like you dream about. And I want to take my time today since we’re live from your mother’s house. I said, get right to it. Hey, you know what they say? There’s no EN like the EN the day you do your last show at another radio station that you were at for 19 years. There’s no EN like that. No. So, you can’t waste any time and you get right into this week’s week 15 15 NFL announcer lineup. This is a big one, Jake. Big one. Ladies and gentlemen, we go to Sunday afternoon 1:00 Fox and we take a trip to Chicago land. The Cleveland Browns led by Allen Hans childhood hero Shadore Sanders. The Browns and the Bears 1:00 on Fox Kevin Cougler on the call and it’s caught. It’s a touchdown. He’ll be joined by Daryl Johnson aka and of course Allison Williams on the sideline. Feel like I got invited to sit at the big kids table. This is awesome. So, thank you. Now, this is special. I hope we have the right drop ready and there’s only one drop that needs to be played. This game can be heard on our airwaves 880 cuz it’s an ESPN radio vehicle. And on the call is my dear friend, the big man, Chris Carlin. Ah, Chris Carlin. This is college football. Man, I would have taken even the longer version today. You know what I mean? Yeah. You love it. Oh, it’s the bad. Well, you really think I’m a bad guy? Yeah, but I I It’s still funny. Thank you, Carlo. One of the first people to text me today. Quality man. I didn’t text you because I knew I was going to see you. So, hopefully you don’t crown down him. Well, no. That’s different cuz he te I texted you guys in the group and told you most of everything I’ve been getting is incoming today. I I think I’ve done a pretty good job during the commercials cleaning things up. I’m I’m up to uh I’m down to 67 unread text message. Wow. It’s been a hot It’s been a hot one. Did you really just say did you have to Did you have to I hate it. I do. Even though my Marco’s teacher today sent an email that today is the today is class number 67 of the year and she’s like pray for me. We’re so sorry. Yeah, exactly. All right, guys. We stay at 1:00. We go to Cincinnati, an AFC North clash that I would say it’s like you dream about except these two teams suck. What might have been? What might have been when the Ravines and the Bengals get together? Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. A very a very quanky Joe Burrow against the not so great these days Lamar Jackson 1:00 on CBS Spiro Diti is on the call. That is Ado Kumbbo. He’ll be joined by Adam Archeletta. Adam Golden Archeletta and Aditi Kingabala. Trevor said he needed to be loose. Did he look loose to you? Oh boy. Hold on. Uh-oh. Yeah. Smells like Thursday. The Arizona Cardinals at the Houston Texans, baby. Oh, that’s football. Football in Houston. If they ever met in the Super Bowl, they’d play the Super Bowl on a Thursday. Yeah. And aired on Tuby 1:00. And I love Tuby. We love Tuby. Evolve every Wednesday night. 1:00 on Fox. Chris Meyers on the call. I have Chris Meyers. He’ll be joined by Stink Schlare. I literally empty my bladder completely on the bench. And Jennifer Hle. You’re such an effort guy. We stay at 1:00 and wait. Oh, more co Tuesday. It smell It smells like a Thursday double header. Oh, the Jets and the Jaguars. Oh, man. Jaguars to you and me. The Jaguars own Thursday. The The Jaguars are the Kings of London and the Kings of Thursday. Thursday in London and the Kings of Leon. That’s exactly right. The Jets and the Chargers. CBS 1:00. Tom McCarthy on the call. He was wide open. Ross Tucker. They called that a hold. And Tiffany Blackman, give me a vibe check. Um, I have to say this respectfully, do it. Um, is there of all the teams we do, like the funny thing about the role of broadcaster is like some broadcasters, some sports broadcasters are really famous and others really are not. even ones who do national games. Is there a less you could pick them out of a lineup group that we do than Tom McCarthy, Ross Tucker, and Tiffany Blackman? I can’t speak to Tiffany Blackman, but I can tell you Ross Tucker is somebody that I knew it’s serious, so I know him. And Tom McCarthy being a baseball guy, I I I I disagree with that, but I’m biased because I know personally Allan, how do you feel? I don’t. There you go. He agrees with you. Thank you very much. You don’t disagree. Now, here’s a sexy game, guys. Uh, let’s see who they put on the call when we head out to Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs hanging on by a thread. Patrick and his Mahomies doing their best to stay alive against the hot, brokenhanded Justin Herbert. The LA Chargers 1:00 CBS. Any pick? It It’s It’s not Hello friends, is it? It’s not good. Doesn’t deserve much louder than that. It’s Kevin Harland. That guy is headed to the slammer. He’ll be joined by Trent Green. Holy smokes. And Melanie Collins. Tyreek, what happened this morning? We stay at 1:00 and we head over to New England. And this is this could be a snow globe game. Could be a blizzard. It’s dead sexy. The Buffalo Bills making their playoff push against the upstart Drake May and the New England Patriots. Mike Vrabel hot off a buy. Isn’t that what you said, Alan? Yes. Always good off a buy. Always good off a buy. Mhm. The announcer for this vehicle. Oh, that’s got to be the Hello, friends. Yeah. Iron Eagle. You were well Bronxed in that photo. It’s not nothing. He’ll be joined by James Joseph Watt. That is okay. And everyone, the lobby is bustling. There is an energy here. Why is that funny, Don? Every week. All right. We are 15 in. This is my first experience with the announcer lineup. Every week he gets me. Every week. Why is it funny? I don’t We don’t know. Help me. But look at Don. Don’s doubled over. He’s here for three years. Hysterical. You really went there with it. No, that one was really If you could see my lips, they barely moved. It did not move at all. My lips. That’s what made it special. That’s so not what it’s not supposed to be funny, but it’s funny every All right, we stay at 1:00 and we and we get head over to the Lincoln Tunnel. We get over to Route 3 and we go to beautiful Metife Stadium where the New York Giants and Jackson Dart will host the Washington Commanders led by of course their star quarterback Marcus Mariota. Now, I will say I will say that is Terry McLaren back. So, there there could be a little bit of uh a little bit of movement for the Commander offense. Okay. Kenny Alair, you knew you knew when the day started this game was Kenny Al. That was a Kenny Albert vehicle. Yeah. Short man with a long stick. Yeah. Yeah. You’ve talked about that stick in the past. We have. Which means which means I am forced to hear from Jonathan Well, had enough of them. I’ve had enough of him. Really? Or is it just because he’s No, I’m out. It’s every I’ve gotten him like five times this year. I’ve just I I’ve had enough of Vilma. But I do like Megan Olivy on the sideline. The Trophy Hall of Fame. Sick. Sick. We stay at 1:00. Man, a loaded 1:00 uh slate here. And we go to Philadelphia. God, can you imagine what the sports books, they’re going to be loaded with just Philly and Vegas trash this weekend when the Raiders and the Eagles get together 1:00 on Fox. Joe Davis on the call. Oh my gosh. Greg in the chilling on the seventh floor. I got to let these chickens know Greg is in the house. So the other day I said how uncomfortable that song makes me and Anthony Poo said, “Well, that’s the only part of the song I can play because of how filthy it is.” Yeah. and he sent me a link. Then you listened. It It sounds like an NWA album cut. It’s insane. It’s the filthiest. It’s a filth rap. Pure filth. It’s WWA. It’s like Aanelli. I mean, I don’t even know what to say about it. It’s really intense. Uh, also Pam Oliver on the sideline. Hey, now we go to 425. Finally, Green Bay at Denver. on Fox. Ah, so sorry. Sorry. That was this. Ah, Jim Nance on the call. Hello, Fred. He’ll be joined by Tony Romo. Hey, take your helmet off. Give it to me. Give it to me. There you go. Thank you. Yeah, you can’t do that. That’s not allowed. And the great Tracy Wolson. Wow, what a game. As we expected, you know what I’d like I think for Wolf, Tracy Wolfson, I think I’d now like to get a Wolf Sound when we do Tracy Wolson. What are your thoughts? Not terrible. Not terrible. Like a wolf pack. We see Tracy. I think that fits. All right. 10. Uh 425. Wow. This is interesting. You don’t you don’t often get this. Hello friends. 425 on CBS. 425 on Fox. The Detroit Lions at the LA Rams. The Kevin Birkhart vehicle. Boston College alongside Tom Brady. a lot of friends here. I’ll kick their coverage. Aaron Andrews. All right. Oh man, I can joke with you about that. And Tom Raldi. How spectacular and great is this? And I think Raldi’s at Saturday Night’s Main Event on Saturday. He’s making his way to uh Wait, is he going to be at Saturday Night’s Main Event then go all the way to LA? No, no, we’re airing a clip of his interview with John Cena. I don’t think he’s going to be there. That’s interesting cuz they can’t both have the double header, but maybe because of the better 425s. I’m not sure. But it’s not common, right? The two number one teams never go headto-head, but that’s what we have. Wow, that’s two great games Sunday. By the way, happy Hanukkah everyone who celebrates if you partake in the Hanukkah, your Hanukkah parties and have some nice football there in the afternoon. 4:25. Also, could it be the debut of the fat, sloppy Philip Rivers making his way to Indianapolis and then to Seattle? The 44year-old grandfather of 30. The Colts and the Seahawks 425 on CBS. Andrew Catalon on the call. Adam Catalan on Andrew. Damn it. Charles Davis. Take your shots downfield. Carolina. Jason McCordney. It’s okay. And AJ Ross. Texans running back Joe Mixon daffing it up. Now, here’s a game that again you could also believe is a Thursday. The Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints. Oh boy, that’s sexy. 4:25 on Fox, aka if that’s the game you’re on, enjoy your nap. Jason Benetti on the call. Jason Benetti is a great broadcaster. All right. And out of the college booth, out of the college booth, given a shot to Mr. Robert Griffin III. And what do you know, guys? It’s an orgy in the end zone now. We have no buys, right? Is that why they just ran out of announcers? What? We’re done with buys, right? What do you mean? Uh, in football? Yeah. Yeah. I don’t know if it’s 16 games. I don’t know if they ran out of announcers or colleges done and they wanted to get RG3. They’re paying people. Yeah, we have 16 games. That that that clip that’s something, right? Sarah Kustto on the sideline. Well, that’s basketball, John. Uh we stay at 425 and I can’t imagine this is going to be the the biggest ratings game of the uh late slate. The Titans and the ners Adam Amin mean on the call. No stand. He’ll be joined by Drew Brees. I can’t stand to watch that offense and Christina Pink. Oh yeah, the swagger is back. Now uh Sunday Night Football, I’ll be locked in. The Minnesota Vikings, the great JJ McCarthy heading to Dallas to take on Dak and the Cowboys. NBC 820 Mike Trico on the call. York still seem to resonate. There are three teams. It’s unfair. Chris Collinsworth. I love it. I saw the play. I’m sophisticated. And Melissa Stark. Both sidelines have chicken broth and hot chocolate. The Monday nighter Allen will be locked into with his two-point play. The Miami Dolphins at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Aaron Rogers trying to keep things rolling for the Steelers who currently are have taken charge of the AFC North. That’s an 8:15 ABC ESPN vehicle with Joe Buck on the call. I have proof Joe Buck is the spawn of Satan. Troy Aman. He is so hot inside. How did that happen? You ever hear that and go, why did he say it the way that he said it? Is Is there a way that in context that made sense? No. I I’m just trying to figure out in a football game in the tone of voice. He’s so hot inside. He is so let know it’s also I know I know slippery uh Lisa Salters welcome to the playoffs and Laura Rutled enjoy that flight just so you know that’s what Laura Rutled said to Justin Herbert that’s why I wouldn’t talk to her she just she just wanted to say enjoy that flight that is just the coldest delivery those two back to back I know it’s the best this is this is what makes it brilliant that’s your NFL announcer lineup week 15 all brought to you by the ESPN New York Holiday Party live which is brought to you by our friends at Spike Aid made for big city social stamina. All right, we’re going to have a lot of fun taking you up until 7:00. Should we open the microphone for questions, things of that nature? There’s a lot of people that have hung for the entire show. We’ve got a microphone that’s hot. You want to come up, ask any questions? We’re taking you up until uh 7:00. 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Donate now for a 2025 tax deduction. Listen up, football fans. You It’s never ordinary at Bet 365. Gambling problem. Call 1800 gambler 21 plus only. Must be physically located in New Jersey. TNC’s apply inapp only. Getting more as a Milo’s Pro Rewards member is easier than ever with the Lowe’s app. Download it today and earn 500 points the first time you log in. Plus, your digital wallet helps you scan, save, earn, and access what you need to manage it all in one place. Download the Lowe’s app and take advantage of your pro benefits today. Lowe’s, we help you save. Valid 12125 through 1726. Offer valid for first login per organization only. Loyalty program subject to terms and conditions. Additional restrictions apply. Visit lowe’s.com/terms for more details. Subject to change. Some people just know you can save money on car insurance by checking All State first. Like, you know, to check the weather first before wearing face paint to the game. Bro, your gold cats is dripping into your nachos. Oh, and now paint is in my eyes. Interception. Did you see that? No. Yeah, checking first is smart. So, check All State first and see what you could save. You’re in good hands with All State. Potential savings vary, including based on how you buy, subject to terms, conditions, and availability. The All State North American Insurance Company and affiliates, Northwork, Illinois. Game time is brought to you by Telmardo Irish Whiskey because when it’s game time, guys, yes, it’s time. Very light schedule tonight. Just one game. The Nets will be in Dallas to take on the Mavericks. That’s an 8:30 tip. TMOD do the original triple distill, triple blend, and triple cast. Matured Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Telmour Dew or try the new Telmour Dew Honey during today’s action. glasses up to enjoying Telmar do responsibly. So, we are here at your mother’s house for the ESPN New York holiday party. And of course, it’s in Garden City Park, Long Island. Still time. We’re here till 7:00. So, if you’re in the car on your way home, you want to swing by, say hello. We will be here until then. It’s all brought to you by Amazon Pickup Security Dodge and Spiked Aid made for big city social stamina. So, Anthony Pusk is right here. He’s in the red sweater. He’s our producer. He’s holding the microphone. So, if anybody has a question, comment. Anthony, how you doing? You suck music. Anything. Uh, come on, swing by and uh ask the question. We’ve got some time. I think that hits a little better than taking the phone call. So, step up to the microphone. Looks like we got a pretty decent line. Introduce yourself, where you’re from, and what do you got? This is ask us anything. My name is Caesar. I’m from Florida Park. All right. Caesar with a mustache. Caesar, how you doing, buddy? Doing good. I’m doing good. question I got is uh big Knicks guy what we might be missing. I’m thinking Jos Alvarado, little Dante Dvenenzo seeing a lot of smoke over there. What do you guys think about that? I mean guard help off the bench is something that has been identified, right? Um especially losing Malcolm Brogden. Deuce McBride out. We’re going to see what he looks like in a week. But that’s a fit. Now the Stevenenzo. I mean adding the fourth Beetle. Yeah. Right. Villanova like that. I don’t know how you could get him. Oh, that would be fun. But what a fit he would be. We already know what he brings cuz he already played here. Why Minnesota would want to move on from him. I couldn’t understand it because I know Anthony Edwards loves him. He’s been very good there in Minnesota. But if there’s an opportunity to bring him to New York and you can make it work, I’m in. Is there a legitimate conversation about it? Because he said, you said you’re hearing. I have not that that’s something that’s new to me today. I It’s nothing I’ve heard. So saw it on Twitter today. Saw it on Twitter. Okay. All right. Like I said, I haven’t seen anything, so I can’t act like I know anything. I’m not going to pretend. I think it might be more of the Kobe White Minnesota interest, the Dante salary matches. I don’t see Chicago. Chicago doesn’t want that, right? So, you want to get involved. So, I think that might be Wow. But, like I said, I’m I I’m a big fan of that guy. I’m all in. Well, they’re only a they’re 15- N. They’re a six seed right now, but by no stretch of the imagination are they giving up on the season. They’re only three points back or excuse me, not three points, three games back at the Nuggets for second. I mean, nobody’s catching the thunder. Minnesota. Yeah. I I don’t I don’t see why they would do that. Thank you. That’s good stuff. Jose Alvarado, though. Alvarado is an interesting piece. Like, you real bulldog point guard kind of guy. Like, you know, defensively aggressive. not a great offensive player, but you know, like I I like Deuce McBride a lot. I and I think he brings you not only, you know, again, tough defense, but he also can shoot. He’s shown you that this year. So, I I’m not as you know, that doesn’t I mean, it’s a nice addition, but I’m not as like the David thing. You got me right there now. I’m I’m like wondering how can that happen? If that can happen, that’d be fantastic. So, what would be missing right now? Health. Backup wing. Health. Yeah, health. I mean, I I this team just get them all healthy and play them for a long stretch because they’ve won eight of their last nine games. They’re in the top 10 now defensively. They’re top three offense. Like, this is a really good team. They just need more time and some challenging games are coming up. So, we’re going to learn a lot about this team. Caesar, thank you. Yeah, Caesar with the mustache. See, that’s how you started. Now, we got a nice line. Everybody now wants to jump in and get a piece. So, let’s go. Excuse me. Who’s up next? jump up and get a piece as Allen says. All right, fellas. What’s going on? I have no piece to offer. Uh long time listener. Yes. Great finally seeing you guys in person. Thank you, man. Honestly, I’m a Knicks guy, Jets guy, Mets guy. And my main question is obviously recently the Mets have been in the news and I just want to see, you know, Don’s perspective. Like obviously there’s a couple guys that come and go, but what do you see for the direction moving forward? You know, what would make you happy? I I listen what would make me happy if they uh they trade for Scrubel, they get King, they they add uh um Bellinger. Like that would be great. Second straight year steal a star away from the New York Yankees. That’s I mean that’s pie in the sky. I’m willing to see what this is going to be. I can’t imagine he’s letting all the you know your closer go, your first baseman go, your starting center fielder go and not have some sort of a plan. And there are players out there. Tucker’s out there. There’s money to spend. I want to see what they’re going to do. Um the question though that we really haven’t discussed guys is he may have a plan but how long will it take to execute them? Y is it going to be a few weeks? Is it going to be a few years? Yeah. Because I don’t know if the matter fact I know for a fact the fans are not going to give him a few years. Mhm. And there will be trouble on opening day if the plan is well we never said we were going to do it for 26. You That’s That’s a great point. if you’re moving on from forever players or heart soul players. Again, I I think NMO and I think Alonzo resonated with the fans because they watched them grow. And so, if you don’t have an an immediate replacement and you say, “Well, we’re still in the midst of trying to find it,” that’s when you’ll really start to get that unrest. Look, Stern said that he understands there’ll be frustration, but the plan is on opening day to have a better team that the fans will recognize and by then we’ll say, “Okay, this is a good team, opening day. So, this has got to be now.” So, there’s the evidence that the plan is going to be executed this off season. And I do want to add with the recent additions that the Knicks have made, they don’t bother me anymore. I know they’re going to be competitive. I that’s at least a given. The Mets right now are it concerns me a little bit. I just don’t see the vision. So that’s kind of it. We don’t know. Nobody sees it. Nobody does. That’s the problem. But I and and thank you so much. That was some great questions that I think fans want to be in the know. If if they knew they were legitimately in on Bellinger and Tucker and King, then I think people would feel a little bit better about it. But they don’t know. They haven’t heard anything. There hasn’t been any rumors that the Mets are all in on this, that, and the other thing. Um, and that doesn’t mean that they’re not, but I think that’s makes fans feel comfortable. I think if they know they’re part of the plan, they could be on it. But right now, they’re flying blind. Yeah. And it wasn’t a great season last year for Stern, so they kind of lose trust in there. So, and trust is the hardest thing for a fan, right? That’s the hardest thing. You’re asking when there’s no track record. Well, there Yeah, there’s no What are you basing the trust? It is a little blind. This isn’t Frank Cashion. This isn’t like, you know, somebody that you’re like, “All right, well, I know what he’s done.” And by the way, you you can you can have one year as a GM where you go, “Oh my god, this is this is what it’s like. They get it.” And then like year two, you go, “Well, those year two moves didn’t play out the way I just tr I trusted year two cuz year one went well.” Then year two wasn’t good. And then you realize, “Oh, we got to watch this thing over time.” Their mistake, and it’s not a mistake because it was the the easiest thing to do, but the real mistake was is running it back. They shouldn’t have done it. It cost you a whole year. They ran it back last year. Unless it was a case of, “Yeah, I’m going to run it back to show Cohen that this is why we need to make the changes or the guys that are going to be available won’t be available until the winter of 25 anyway. So, let’s run it back one more year and then Bellinger becomes a free agent, then Tucker becomes available, then King becomes available, and then we can really execute our plan.” That’s my hope. But again, I’m just guessing cuz I haven’t heard that. You know, we’re waiting for that Buster only. We’re waiting for that Jeff Passin tweet to say Mets all in on Bellinger. You know, signing imminent. Then people get excited. Right now, we haven’t gotten anything like that. We got a Blackhawk jersey. One of the best in sports. Uh, good evening, fellas. So, what’s your name? Matt from Tom’s River. Wow. You came from Tom’s River today. Did you take a boat? No. I think you would have gotten faster here with a boat. Yeah, probably. Took a couple hours. But, uh, love you guys to the beach bash. That’s one of my Thank you. Uh I’m not a fraud though. I’m a Devil’s fan, but this this is a holiday shirt that has a lot to do with a drop on the show. Let’s see. Oh, yeah. All right. Oh, look at that. Griswald. Did I say that again? This awesome. By the way, is that the proper the Griswalds with an O? Yes. Yeah, that’s why I understand. I always think of Griswald with an A. So, um beautifully done. Nice. So, we need the vacation drop, Jacob. Oh, like Clark Claude. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that would be that’s I think I listed that as uh it’s Clark Claude. I thought anyways your question. So, yeah, thanks. So, uh Allan, it’s been awesome having you this past year. A lot of Nick’s energy brought to this program now. Love it. Thank you. Yeah. Uh Don, huge Devils fan. I have a 15-year-old daughter and that’s kind of how we connect on Devils games. So, Oh, cool. Same kind of with Allan. Same. My daughter, she’s 17 and all she cares about is Devil’s hockey. So that’s how we connect on. Well, I mean Jack Hughes is hot, you know, so that helps. Listen, I don’t care about the gateway. At least she cares about hockey. I love it. Exactly. So that that’s been really cool. Uh Peter though, my question is for you. So So um really impressive and awesome run you’ve had on Hot. You know, I listen to you a lot in the morning. Not as much as this show, but I definitely enjoyed the time that I that I heard you guys. So what do you think? Uh yeah, and congrats on that. What do you think was your I’m going to put you on the spot. Your best or favorite moment of hot if you can shoot off the head. Oh man. Wow. Yeah, I’m I’m pushing it. It was pushing 19 years. Yeah. Um I mean, listen, there there are lots of individual moments that happen that are great are are or are important like things that happen in the world. You’re like, “Wow, I was on the air when when this happened or that happened over that period.” But yeah, I mean we had Jay-Z up there multiple times like you know it was a rare it was an era that doesn’t exist anymore of where when radio was that important that like on a big day someone of that level would come walking into the radio station like it doesn’t happen that much anymore. Um so I’d say yeah any of the times we sat with with Jay-Z is pretty high on the list but there but there were so many I mean honestly it was endless. I met all of my heroes. I interviewed all of them, you know, and just getting there to me was the biggest deal ever. Like, what do you think about it from an odd standpoint? Me as random kid in Chvy Chase, Maryland saying, “I want to be on that. That’s the biggest radio station.” It was the only radio station that people really knew worldwide to to end up on it for 19 years. The whole thing was so improbable, you know. Yeah. Congratulations, man. Thank you. I I appreciate the people who’ve been saying congratulations today. It’s been like I’ve gotten a lot of that. up every 5 minutes. Clog Clark. Odd timing. Odd timing. Very interesting. Odd interesting timing, Jake. But we got it back. Is that to wrap it up, B? That was wrap it up. We Yeah. Thanks for hearing your story, buddy. Thank you, dude. The play on me. Great job. All right, we got we got one more. What do we got? Yankee sweater. Yankee Christmas sweater. What do we got? My name is Mike. I’m from Patchhog. Um, nice to see you guys again. A lot of hogs here. So, yeah, we had a hot hog. Now we got a patchog. Hop hog. Patchog. So many hogs. A lot of hogs. We don’t have quag though. That’s that’s the other one. Yeah, you need We needed qu. Anybody from Quog here? So, I was actually at your last Long Island event last year in Tap Room in RVC. Sure. Okay. Sure. So, it’s great to see you guys again. Um, yeah, primarily a Yankee fan, but I’m also a long-suffering Jets fan. Is there any other kind? Yeah, that is that is that’s just called Jets fan. Yeah. So, I do have a question. Either one of you can answer this. Um, you know, I know the draft order, it’s still pending, right? We got a few games left here, but depending on how it shakes out, if the Giants do get the first pick and let’s say the Jets end up, you know, anywhere between 5 to eight ideally, hopefully not any lower than that. Um, do you think there’s a possible trade to be had? You know, if we wanted to trade up for Fernando Mendoza? Yeah. I I I I don’t want them to trade for Mendoza. It’s one thing to draft him if you happen to have the first overall pick. It’s quite another to draft up for him. And I’m not big on, well, the Mets and Yankees can’t trade and the Jets and Giants can’t trade because it’s a bad look. But in this case, if you draft Mendoza and he turns out to be Ryan Leaf and the Giants use those picks to build up a playoff team, you’ll never live with them. But I I wouldn’t do it just because I’m not trading up for Mendoza. How about you, Alan? Yeah, that’s how I feel is that it’s less about the Jets and Giants just aren’t trade partners because they’re ri, you know, they don’t want to help each other. I I I don’t look at it that way. I look at it as enough people have said that Mendoza is not a generational quarterback. It’s just in this draft, you know, like that, you know, some fives end up looking like an eight or a nine in certain situations. That’s kind of what’s happening here with him. And so you’re really gonna give up draft capital to take a quarterback that in any other draft might not even be a top 10? That’s why I don’t understand. I’m really curious what Darren Muji wants to do. But that can’t be your play. No. But that said, if for some reason Muji looks at Mendoza the way that of of course he looked at Eli, then you do whatever you have to to get him because that’s your job. If something happens in the along the way, college football playoff, I mean, who who knows? I mean, under pressure plays out of his mind and now everybody feel jumped up. I’m telling you, it does happen. The movement happens after the season more so than during the season. Oh, the throw of the proday season just a followup. Sorry. You know, if there were a trade to be had, would how would you see it looking? I mean, would it be two first rounders plus maybe a player? Would it be What do you mean to to move up to one? To move up to one from let’s say like You wouldn’t need to put a player in that. you that that’s all picks. Yeah. It’s whatever the value is on the chart. Yeah. They need the chart. So, obviously, you’re flip-flopping. Let’s say they pick nine. Nine and one. You’d have to give up the other first round pick, right? Uh and then again, I don’t know if there’s whatever the other value is because there’s a math equation to it that because there might be Yeah. And there might be a pick that that has to also go back from the Giants perspective. So, the Giants might have to give up like a you know, a fourth round pick or like Yeah. It’ll it’s hard to say what it looks like. the chart that Allan’s talking about for people that don’t know, and this goes back to Gil Brandt when he was running the Cowboys, is that every every draft pick has a numerical value. So, a little cheat code for the general managers when they make deals for picks is they want the numbers to match up, right? Uh so, and I I I could probably punch it up now, but it’s late in the show that there the numerical values are all you can find them online and all that, and it could be a lot of fun. But thank you. Thanks so much. And that was a nice uh Christmas sweater as well, guys. One more special guest to close out the show. What do you think of that? I like it. I don’t even think you guys know about this. This big surprise, Morris. I’m looking Well, that would be something. Are you kidding me? By the way, did we bring the one microphone that I dropped at the uh at our live broadcast? It does look like it’s been through the only one we have. Might be the only stick mic we have. It might be. It might be. All right. A very special surprise guest that’s coming up next. Santa Claus. I I I got to be honest with you as I’m punching up the reed to kill a little time. Yeah, Santa Claus. I’d be disappointed. If it No, if it was Santa Claus, I would disappoint you. I’m expecting respectfully if it’s some yo-yo from the ball. I I I I’m very curious to see what this is going to be. This is the ESPN New York holiday party and it’s live from your mother’s house in Garden City Park, Long Island. Brought to you by Amazon Pickup Security John uh Dodge and Spike aid made for big city social stamina on ESPN New York. Is this us? This is us. Coming down to the very last few moments of the show. The nub. All I want to do. What a great in a boom boom. so many people to thank because you just don’t have an event like this without, you know, all the hard work from everybody here from ESPN New York, guys coming from Jersey, guys coming from the city that were here like literally all all day. So, we really want to thank everybody for coming out here from the ESPN perspective. Our pinet suit, John Winthorp’s been here all day as well. Doesn’t want the Knicks to win in the NBA Cup, right? He made it clear and brooding against the Knicks. So, the Knicks have a game tomorrow at 5:30 against Orlando in Vegas. If they win that game, they’ll take on the winner of the Spurs and the Thunder on Tuesday for the Cubs. So, should be a lot of fun. But, you know, thanks to everybody here at your mother’s house. Always do a great job here. Garden City Park, Long Island. It’s a great spot. And thanks to Amazon Pickup, Security Dodge, Spike Aid made for big city social stamina. Anthony Pusk who never makes you really should feel privileged honestly. Give it up for Anthony is here. He never comes out. So feel like you see like Haley’s Comet. It’s like at that level of appearance at a remote. Uh and all you guys for coming out. You know, you know, Peter talked about what happened in HOT and I mentioned some of the things that happened in sports radio, not just in New York, but you know, Jody Mack, who used to work at the station for a long time, he got let go in Philly. It’s a bad time for radio right now, unfortunately. But to see an event like this and all you people coming out tells me that there’s uh there’s hope for the future. Listen, it’s not just radio that has suffered losses. No, of course. And with that, we should get to our special guest. That’s because something happened in North Carolina. You want to give the news? Sometimes there comes a time in your life when you got to make a change. There was a feller there was a feller who used to sing and he had a song very popular and he said I’m going to make a change for once in my life. It’s going to feel real good. It’s going to make a difference. And I don’t remember the rest of that song but that man was Michael Jackson. And today I got up and I looked in the mirror and I said, “Freddy, Kiki, you are a jobless. Don’t try to cut off Kiki.” Did he Did he just say two minutes on Ki? Did he Did he just give you a Did he just Did he just give me an ultimatum? Anyways, as I was just expressing ulturatum, I’m not pleased with what’s happening. I’m not pleased with what’s happened here in North Kakilaki, but I got good news. And here’s a hint. It’s two words. Oh, three or four syllables. It rhymes with stiff fro. I’m talking about biff pokey. Kiki has an out. I’m on the first thing smoking to Ann Arbor and I’m going to get in there. We’re going to mix things up. What bowl are we in, by the way? We got a bowl. Michigan. Citrus. Citrus bowl. Who we playing? Well, whoever they are, they’re dead meat cuz Freddy Kiki, I don’t know about Santa, but Freddy Kiki is coming to town. And my dad used to tell me a story. Oh, boy. You know, my daddy got let go from the plant once. Well, he got let go several times. Which which plant? Well, it was a it was a dirt plant. What type of plant? Well, they produced dirt. No, it was the best dirt in all of fired from a dirt. He got But here’s the thing. Before he went on workers comp and then was alleged to have cheated the workers comp system, my daddy work hard. And he told me, “Freddy, if you ever get fired from your job, you keep your head high, your shoulders back, you look at the person who fired you, you look them right in your eyes, and you say, “I’m going to kill you.” Oh. Uh, for those who might be wondering, uh, Bill Bich fired Freddy Kitchens as his offensive coordinator. I blame the hussy at the University of North Carolina. I blame the hussy. Oh, really? Oh, yeah. She always had it out for Kiki. And guess why? You want to know why? Jordan. You know why? Why? Jordan. Jordan or Jordan? Whatever the hell her name is, that little thing had the hots for Kiki. Oh, it was awkward. Really? She didn’t want to work close with you. Too close. But no, that belly could have killed her. Excuse me. What? What? His belly could have killed her. Oh, it’s more It’s more cushion for the pushing. I don’t think the angle just doesn’t work. It’s in the what? The angle doesn’t work. As I learned with my uh cup of water before, she would have just got angle. Thank you everybody. This was a lot of fun. We appreciate you. We will be back again on Monday at 3. Peter’s going to take the week off, so it’ll just be Allan and I next week at 3:00. Ty Butler is coming up next right here on ESPN New York. Thank you.

It’s the 2025 ESPN New York Holiday Party! Coming to you live from Your Mother’s House in Garden City Park, NY! First, it’s The Michael Kay Show, and then Don, Hahn & Rosenberg follow up! All coming to you live from 1-7 pm!

Presented By:
Spiked Ade: https://spikedade.com/
Amazon Pickup: https://amazon.com/pickupmvp
Security Dodge: https://www.securitydodgechrysler.net/

Chapters:
00:00:00 – Show opens; Stearns patience debate; Mets callers
00:00:30 – More Mets callers
00:00:45 – Mets calls continue; WFAN management criticism
00:01:00 – Don joins; Wait-and-see on Mets
00:01:30 – Sherrone Moore story; Yankees/Mets caller takes
00:01:45 – 2Pac drop; Caller distrusts Stearns
00:02:00 – DH&R begin; Fan crosses out Mets logo; Teams moving on from fan favorites
00:02:29 – Calls on Alonso & Stearns
00:02:49 – More calls; Rod Strickland & Fraud Friday tease
00:03:00 – Peter’s last HOT 97 show; Bucs TNF heartbreak
00:03:29 – Rod Strickland joins
00:03:49 – Rod on NBA Cup & Brunson
00:04:00 – Fraud Alert Friday
00:04:29 – NFL matchups; Can Jets cover +13.5?
00:04:49 – Pro Picks
00:05:00 – ENN & NFL announcers
00:05:29 – Fan questions
00:05:49 – Freddie Kitchens closes show

Weekday Lineup:
DiPietro & Rothenberg — 6a-10a
Bart & Carlin — 10a-1p
The Michael Kay Show — 1p-3p
Don, Hahn, & Rosenberg — 3p-7p

#ESPNNewYork #NYsports #DiPietroAndRothenberg #BartAndCarlin #TheMichaelKayShow #DonHahnRosenberg