Hour 1: Don LaGreca and Rick DiPietro

**SPEAKER_1** (0:01)
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**SPEAKER_2** (0:31)
This is The Michael Kay Show podcast.

**Michael Kay** (0:34)
I gotta get more Kay.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:35)
Listen live weekdays at one on the ESPN New York app and your smart speaker.

**Michael Kay** (0:41)
And a good afternoon everybody. This is indeed The Michael Kay Show. We thank you for joining us on this Thursday, July 2nd, 2024, me and you for two. Those are the rules of engagement and really it's the fastest two hours on Sports Talk Radio. And we're so glad you could make it. We are at Bar Anticipation, Bar A and Lake Como. And it is a swelteringly hot day. And it's not just me and you for two today.
It's me and you and Don La Greca. That's right.

**Don LaGreca** (1:11)
I was invited on.

**Michael Kay** (1:12)
The whole gang is back together. Don, you look great with your little flag theme shirt.

**Don LaGreca** (1:18)
Yes, Robert Graham got me a nice flag theme Independence Day shirt. It's hot, but so what, man? We're having fun. This is great. This is my favorite time of the year at this radio station when we do the beach bash, get to see all you come out, have a good time. We got a great band today, Surfing for Daisy. And you asked me to come on and I was more than willing.

**Michael Kay** (1:42)
I'm thrilled that you're going to be. I might even step away.

**Don LaGreca** (1:44)
No.

**Michael Kay** (1:45)
Yeah. No, don't do that. Robert Graham gives you so many...

**Don LaGreca** (1:49)
No, no. I go and I buy.

**Michael Kay** (1:51)
But do you call him Bob? I mean, are you that close with him?

**Don LaGreca** (1:53)
I have never met the man.

**Michael Kay** (1:54)
Oh, really?

**Don LaGreca** (1:55)
No, but it's all that he's the designer. But I went to Short Hills Mall. I said, I told the story on the air. I said, I looked back at some of the games I did with the Devils and I said, I got to step up my wardrobe.

**Michael Kay** (2:05)
Right.

**Don LaGreca** (2:06)
And so a friend of mine said, you should check out Robert Graham at the Short Hills Mall. And I went, I bought a bunch of stuff and they were great.

**Michael Kay** (2:13)
And so so they're no freebies yet.

**Don LaGreca** (2:15)
No, no, no.

**Michael Kay** (2:16)
Well, they don't mention the whole no.

**Don LaGreca** (2:18)
No, I can mention the name because I paid. Oh, no, I understand how Paola Paola works.

**Michael Kay** (2:23)
But they're getting free advertising.

**Don LaGreca** (2:25)
That's all I've worked it out.
I've made all the introductions. It's up to it's up to them to close the deals. All right. I close the close.

**Michael Kay** (2:32)
Now, yesterday I was off the air because of another great Yankee game that they lost in 11 innings.
But there's so many things that we have to cover that have been going on. One of them, it shows you how the business has changed on because Steve Cullen wanted to get the word out. He didn't go on a radio show. He didn't go on any show on our station. Didn't go on FAN.
He went to a podcast. So the whole world has completely changed. And John Heyman and Joel Sherman, and that's the people he wanted to reach. And the people that wanted to hear from him just download the podcast and listen. And I think, I think they did a good job with him. But as a MET fan, what did you take out of it?

**Don LaGreca** (3:13)
Well, and I mentioned this on the air yesterday, and I haven't heard it said anywhere else. I don't know if you felt the same way. His quick defense of Stearns about, did we not witness 2024?
Well, Steve, David Stearns doesn't agree with you about 2024 because he blew that team up.

**Michael Kay** (3:31)
And it was mostly Billy Eppler's team.

**Don LaGreca** (3:33)
Well, there's also that point. But if you're going to give him credit for 24, well, he doesn't even agree with you. He doesn't want credit for 24 because he blew the team up. And you know he wanted to blow it up the second they lost to the Dodgers. But because of the fact Alonzo with the home run, I still believe Cohen talked to him in the Let's Try Another Year. They win 83 games and gone is Alonzo, Nemo, McClain, the whole deal. So obviously, you can't bring them all over 24 That's just ignorant to me. That's tone deaf completely.