After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 4

I was going to brand it a fun Friday, but it seems kind of bland, boring, fun. A fun Friday?

Can you be a little more creative than that, Amy? So then I was going to call it a funny Friday. I thought, okay, that's a little goofy and also could give people the wrong idea. Then I thought we could call it Friday funnies, which also gives people maybe the wrong idea. So yeah, without football, the F alliteration. No, not that F. The F alliteration, it just kind of falls by the wayside.

Instead, we'll call it maybe a freaky or a free for all or a freak out or a fabulous or a fantastic. It's just, yeah, I'm missing football a little bit too, but not enough that I need us to restart the season immediately. Nah, I'm good. I don't mind having my Sundays back to do anything else.

No, I'm good. So what is it that you're most looking forward to now that the behemoth has at least shoved over to the far side of the stage? Just give it a couple of minutes and the NFL gets jealous. It's a jealous lover. It'll come barreling back in trying to win your heart over again. And so just take my word for it. The NFL won't go away for a long period of time. The combine is in days. I was actually speaking to a friend of mine who is an NFL agent. I was asking her about her schedule coming up because I know she's got five players in the next draft. And she was telling me that they'll be at the combine in mere days and that it runs through the early week of the early days of March, the first week of March.

So yeah, that's close. We're in the final two weeks of February. So it comes fast and furious and the NFL doesn't stay quiet or dormant for long. Then it'll be the new league year. It'll be free agency. Maybe Derek Carr has a new home before then. Maybe Aaron Rodgers does too. If the Packers, well, if the QB decides he wants to go somewhere else and the Packers acquiesce and they move on to Jordan Love, blah, blah, blah, you know.

Maybe if we're lucky, he'll stay eight days in the darkness. Stop talking about me. Don't tell me what to do. You're not the boss of me.

You may think that your inner circle, the fact that your inner circle is so tight and so protected means that you can be the boss of everybody else. I don't have your number. You're not going to have my number.

Nobody wants your number. We hear everything we need to hear from you every single week. What else could we possibly want to know? Don't make s*** up, okay? I mean, I do that sometimes for sure.

See what I mean? Aaron Rodgers is going to come back from the darkness. He's going to turn the lights on, maybe squint for a while, blink a little bit, and then hijack the situation again. He's going to hijack the NFL airplane one more time. That's just what he does. I'm offended.

It's really sad that I actually have some of this crap memorized from his weekly appearances with McAfee. I'm offended. Just go back in the darkness, please.

Four days is not long enough. Wait, why am I talking about Aaron Rodgers? I don't want to talk about Aaron Rodgers. This is supposed to be an Aaron Rodgers-free zone. That's what we're going to call it. An Aaron Rodgers-free Friday. But too late. I already messed that up. So we're asking you not about Aaron Rodgers, nope, about your next big thang in sports.

So on Twitter, ALawRadio, our show Twitter after our CBS, and then on our Facebook page too. And yes, you surely can chastise me for even bringing him up. And the darkness and everything else. I get it. You don't want to hear about it either. Stop talking about it. I said it before you said it.

Stop being a child. Jay is being a mad scientist behind the computer screen. I can't even see his face. I can only see his eyes. And I know that he's grinning from ear to ear because he thinks he's brilliant.

I mean, I'm just saying. I don't think so. Aaron Rodgers is your muse. Oh my gosh.

Just got this tweet. You can call it Friday's Follies. Well, anytime Rodgers is involved, we could certainly call it that. Friday fools, actually, if we wanted to. But that would include me and I don't want to do that. So that's you point one.

What is the old saying that you used to tell kids or the old piece of advice? If you point a finger at someone else, you've got. Now, I'm pretty sure I've heard four pointing back at you, which is not accurate, because first of all, you only have four fingers. And second of all, who points with their thumb?

I don't have. Is it reposable thumbs? Is that the word? Opposable. Opposable thumbs. OK.

I don't have that. I can make a gun, the gun shape guns out. Finger gun. Finger gun. But I cannot point my thumb back at myself. That's it doesn't bend that way. So whoever told you that if you point one finger at someone else, you have four fingers pointing back at yourself.

Clearly had reposable thumbs. I've never heard that. What? You point.

No. You've never heard that saying that if you point one finger at someone else, you have four pointing back at you. In other words, keep your fingers to yourself. Don't be pointing fingers as in blaming other people and assigning blame because you point one at somebody else and rut row. You've got a bunch more pointing back at you. It's a good one. You've never heard that before. No, I can't say I have.

Wow. I guess your mom didn't use those types of phrases to knock a little sense into you. Now that I've called it reposable thumbs, I feel like that's better. I like that better than opposable thumbs. Opposable thumbs allow the digits to grasp and handle objects and are characteristic of primates.

Oh, maybe I'll Google reposable thumbs and see what that says. They don't have reposable thumbs. Do they have thumbs at all? I think they do, actually. Dogs do not have thumbs.

You did not just say that. I don't know if they're called thumbs. No, they don't have thumbs. Okay, I know I called it reposable, but you just said dogs have thumbs.

Not opposable. No, they don't have thumbs. Oh my gosh. I don't know. You're Googling it right now, aren't you? Dogs with thumbs.

I know you are. No, they don't have thumbs. That's fifth digit. Okay, but it's not a thumb.

What is it? It's not a thumb. It's a dog thumb. It's a claw, essentially.

But no, Penny does not have a thumb. She has a claw that comes out the side, right, on either. It's a claw where... It's not a claw, yeah. Okay, but that's not a thumb. A claw is a better word. It's like a thumb. It's the word.

It's the better word. I'm sorry, you have a dog. Moose has thumbs? He's got thumbs.

I don't know. I thought he had thumbs. He's got claws, I guess. Go home this morning and figure out what Moose has on the inside of his paws. I don't think he'll like that.

I guarantee you it's not a thumb. Yeah, and then he's going to be happy when you leave. Probably. What's happening with Moose while you're gone on vacation? He's going to hang out with his friends. He's got this place.

It's just down the street from where I live, actually. The kind who know not to insult him by saying he has thumbs? I guess. I don't know if he'd be insulted by that, but he might. He's smarter than you think he is. I don't know about that. Just because he looks dumb doesn't mean he's... I don't know about that.

You've seen videos. Hey, he knows where the air-conditioned vent is and how to stand over it when he's hot. That's true. That sounds like a pretty smart dog to me. That's true. He did figure that out. He did figure that out.

My dog also lays on the air-conditioner vent, but she's big and she's hairy and I make her move because then no one else gets any AC, only Penny. All right, so opposable and reposable thumbs. Everything's on the table on this Friday Folly. This Friday of Follies. And now I definitely have joined Aaron Rodgers in the Fool category.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence. Okay, okay, okay. So what we're asking you is the next big thing in sports. You know me.

I take the scenic route to get to where I want to go. Peter Rant was introduced in front of 3,000 of his closest friends. According to our Suns insider who joined us actually in the first hour of the show from Phoenix. This was following the Suns loss to the Clippers, but the bigger event being this unprecedented, rare introduction of a player in the actual arena.

And they open it up for 3,000 people. And our insiders said they were season ticket holders, so he knew he had a friendly audience. And yeah, it definitely felt like every time he said anything positive about anything, the fans were cheering unless they were asking about Brooklyn, unless the questions were about Brooklyn. But KD had put the Suns in the group of teams that he wanted to go to just in case the Nets were interested. Well, why?

Why was that? They experienced a lot the last couple of years. You see the growth in his team when Monte took over. When James came here, I see the culture started to change, the way they played on the floor, the energy they played with started to change. I always loved playing here in Phoenix. The fans always showed love to, you know, just good basketball in general. They always cheered their fans on, but they showed love to the opposing team as well.

So I knew this would be a great place to play and a great place to continue to get better as a player. Not all that different than what he said about Brooklyn when he took the job there. I know no one wants to hear me say that, but it is true. I hope that he's happy, and he was certainly smiling the entire time. And he was very complimentary of this group of teammates. Well, and the coach too, right? Monte Williams, then James Jones, who's the general manager, a former NBA player himself, Miami, right? He was part of that group in Miami. And KD mentions Devin Booker, and he raves about Chris Paul and DeAndre Ayton and this group of guys that he gets to play with when he's healthy.

You got somebody like Devin, Chris, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Ayton, guys that work. And I wanted to be a part of that, so I'm excited I'm here. I'm looking forward to trying to add as much as I can to the group already.

Like I said, they built, you know, themselves up and built the structure and infrastructure for themselves already, and I'm looking forward to adding to it. He was asked about Brooklyn, and if you missed it, we play the audio before the top of the hour. But he admits it was disappointing that he was really upset that they didn't get to finish what they started. I don't know that this year would have been the ending that he wanted, but that when Kyrie requested the trade, well, then he realized he had to act quickly and figure out the best move for himself. Now he's on a team where the expectations are similar to what they were in Brooklyn.

This team is supposed to win a championship. It's pressure, because I'm one of the best players to ever play the game. So every time I step on the floor, people are going to expect me to do great things. And the team, I'm on to do great things. But I enjoy getting better as a player every day.

I enjoy just waking up and getting to do this. So I don't ever say anything's a failure if I'm healthy enough to play the game of basketball. But I know what's on our backs, and we understand that, and we want to do the most.

We want to get the most out of this opportunity. That's something LeBron would say, really, not something that you often hear from Kevin Durant. I was just thinking about it, and it's not as though we don't know that he's one of the best players in the world. But you don't generally hear that from KD. I don't feel like that was a part of his introduction in Brooklyn. Now, he was coming off the torn Achilles and had a lot of rehab time in front of him.

But yeah, that really jumped out, because it seemed more LeBron-like. It's pressure, because I'm one of the best players to ever play the game. To ever play the game? To ever play the game? Definitely one of the best players in the NBA right now. Yes, has a couple of rings, and two NBA Finals MVPs, and I never ascribe to the theory that he's a cupcake.

I didn't. But I kind of feel like this whole sojourn in Brooklyn changes things a little bit. Maybe.

Maybe not. Chris Paul has been all over the place. Carmelo Anthony, he was all over the place. Remember, he forced his way out of Denver, because he wanted to go to New York. LeBron James, he picks a team that fits his station in life and his goals at the current time.

I feel confident, because I'm the best player in the world. I mean, see what I'm saying? He's going to choose again when his son gets into the NBA. So it is a different flavor to the league now. But I do feel like what happened in Brooklyn, and the fact that Kevin Durant hasn't been able to stay healthy for a full season now, over the past four years, that's part of it. If they win a title in Phoenix, yes, he's back on top of the basketball world. It's round, not flat.

But right now, I think there is a bit of a bad taste, if that makes sense. This is the 2023 NBA. This is today's NBA, where it's almost required that you play with your BFFs, and that the best players do frequently force their way out of town, or force their way out of a situation that they no longer love.

Just thought that was different. You don't often hear that from Kevin Durant. Maybe something he'd put on his burner account, but not something that he would say in a press conference. Of course, again, he knew he had 3,000 of his closest friends there who were going to cheer his every word. So yes, he does want to be part of helping the Phoenix Suns get to the pinnacle of the NBA mountain. I know how significant a championship is to a franchise and to a city.

I've been a part of two of those, and I'm looking forward to getting back on that road to try to do it again. But I know how tough it is and how hard it is, and this fan base is looking forward to cheering for a winner. So I want to go out there and prove every night that we got a chance to win, and that starts with the work we put in every day in practice. They've been to the finals a couple times, most recently against the Bucks in the 2021 season. But for now, Phoenix Suns are still in search of the golden ring. Kevin Durant will help. Don't know exactly when he's going to get back on the court.

He's basketball activities, but he's not practicing. So when is that? How quickly is that? I mean, these teams are looking at roughly 25% of their schedule. That's all that's remaining. How quickly can they get everybody on the same page?

Because they've made a lot of changes here. All of that part of my conversation with Dave King, longtime Suns insider for more than a decade. So he's seen the highest. Well, he's seen some highs. He's seen the lowest of the lows, and he had some real great insight from Thursday with the KD introduction. Oh, I wonder if he has reposable thumbs.

I don't know. I just know he's one of the best to ever play the game. Not just one of the best in the NBA. One of the best to ever play the game.

He went next level. It's pressure because I'm one of the best players to ever play the game. Ever play the game.

Oh my gosh. I have a huge basketball IQ. Right. No, I got you. But ever play the game?

You know, no complaints from me. Now, if he had labeled Kyrie that too, then I'd know he's just joshing us. He's just fooling with us. He did speak very highly of Kyrie, though.

All right. Another basketball headline that you may hear on this morning, even as we head to Utah for the All-Star weekend, is that Giannis looks like he sprained a wrist. Doesn't appear to be serious. X-rays were negative, which is good news. He's supposed to be one of the captains for the All-Star game, so hopefully he's OK. But does have some time off here. Doesn't need to play in the All-Star game if he is hurt.

What's your next big thing? I don't think I've seen very many responses that revolve around All-Star festivities. I have seen Daytona 500 a bunch, which is awesome. I certainly have seen baseball, whether it be spring training, whether it be opening day on March 30th, kind of a throwback to the late 60s where every single team is at least scheduled to play on opening day. So it's 30 teams on March 30th. Easy way to remember. Jacob deGrom, he's on the shelf, but for how long?

And also, did you see what happened with Trey Turner's first Philly BP? Ruh-roh! We're having fun on a Friday because we're one of the best ever to do it.

I'm a fun guy. I can't even say it with a straight face. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Getting on a call with C.Y. and Boach, you know, hearing the vision of what the Rangers want to do and ultimately getting to meet Ray and the vision here and bringing a world series here. That's the goal, winning a world series and these guys all had that same vision.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Jacob deGrom introduced by the Texas Rangers not that long ago to the tune of five years, $185 million. Nothing else needs to be said about why the Mets did not bring him back. I'm not sure if it was the years or the money. Probably the years more than the money simply because we know Steve Cohen wants to spend money. He's like Oprah handing out money.

You get some cash and you get some cash and you get some cash. But the five years is a lot for a pitcher that has very often been unavailable for long stretches over the last several years, though Jacob deGrom is a two-time Cy Young Award winner and clearly was the best pitcher the Mets had when he was healthy and could be on the field. So when he misses the start of spring training or he's not available for the start of spring training, it definitely does raise some eyebrows. Already a bit of a setback and this is being called left side tightness, so oblique area.

Obviously what I've been through the past couple of years, I've dealt with some things and this is very minor. Left side was a little tight. Mentioned that to them.

But actually I was still throwing at home and then when I got here, they just said, hey, let's take a couple of days, knock this all the way out and then resume. After nine years with the Mets starting over with the Texas Rangers, now they've had some high profile free agent signings in the last couple of years. Think about how they rebuilt the middle infield.

The money they've spent, it just hasn't panned out. And to be fair, in the AL West, it's been the Astros. We've seen challenges from, well, the Mariners mostly the last couple of years, right?

We've seen those challenges. You would expect the Mariners to come back strong again and to finally punch that ticket. But the division has belonged to the Astros. Like I was talking about with the AFC West, you are forced to, especially now with the Astros being World Series champs again, you are forced to really raise your level of play and increase your expectations if you want to keep up. Otherwise, you're being left behind. There's a different kind of pressure when the champion is in your division and when they've got a plan in place and they've got pieces in place that should keep them there, at least keep them relevant. So what are you doing to change it? Rangers, they've got the new ballpark. They want to make this major splash.

Well, this is how you do it. And yeah, maybe you have to overpay a little bit to get DeGrom there. But honestly, if he pitches the way he's capable of, you're getting your money's worth and then some.

The problem is, shoot, his injury history and can he stay healthy and durable? Dealing what I dealt with the past couple of years, that was the last thing you wanted to come in and say, hey, my left side's a little sore. But looking at the positives of it is how it's feeling even after just taking yesterday off. I threw the day before.

I threw before I flew in and I felt fine then. So I'm glad to hear that. I'm glad that it's minor.

I'm glad that he has been throwing. And honestly, I can understand what he means when he says, I almost don't even want to say anything. Because of my injury history, I'm almost embarrassed to say anything. But the thing is, if you don't say something now and you try to pitch through it and it becomes a bigger problem, well, then you've done your team a disservice and you've set yourself back.

So good for him. There's a lot of talk about the Frankie Montas injury now and that should have been taken care of beforehand. And we know that that's the case a lot of times when athletes maybe they have it off season and they had time. They tried to rehab.

They didn't necessarily want to get the surgery route or the surgical route. And then they go into the start of a season. They gear up, whether it's spring training, whether it's training camp, whether it's OTAs. And what happens? It ends up becoming aggravated and they then have to go ahead and miss time because they are getting a surgery or a procedure or they have to be shut down. I can imagine he felt like a total turd speaking up about it, but it's February.

So this is the time that you do it. It's fine to miss a few weeks in February. That's not a big thing.

But of course, there are red flags when it comes to Jacob deGrom. All right. I promised you I always try to do some lighter moments on our last show of the week anyway, our Friday. And Trey Turner introduced himself with a splash, so to speak, first batting practice with Philadelphia. I'm just going to tell you what happened because you are hearing it, not seeing it. He hit a car with one of his his fly balls. Sorry.

All right. I want you to hear it again. And Jay, he can hear it, too, because he's got three hundred million dollar contract, 11 years with the Philadelphia Phillies. This is from NBC Sports, Philly. And you can hear him saying there's a car.

There's a car. You shouldn't park there. And then I'm assuming it's one of his teammates, not him, who says the three hundred million dollars.

So, yeah, just a lighter moment. But rut row. I mean, they really sold it short. Thirty million is not nearly what the man is worth now.

But my favorite part is sorry. So fans show up there. Right. And they'll they'll be outside the stadium. And spring training facilities are completely different. They have a low wall a lot of times out in the outfield.

They're much smaller or shorter fields. And people can park or walk around, stand around the field in different places. So you ever go to like a little league field and they tell you to be to be where? Because every now and then you'll get a kid who can crank the baseball or the softball. And so I remember going to watch, you know, friends, kids, my nieces, whatever.

We always had to be aware of where we parked, especially if it was a shorter field. So welcome to spring training, Trey Turner. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. Really quickly, because I mentioned that the Kelsey brothers, all the rage. We know that, to be sure.

In fact, I I mentioned this earlier in the show, but it blew me away. I was driving home yesterday morning and I bop around on the channels when I'm driving home because I don't listen to commercials. So I'll start with one station. I'll catch the news. I'll catch the traffic. I'll go local.

Then I'll go national. And I turned on my Sirius XM. There was a break in my local radio. Turned on Sirius XM. No joke.

Fox News was playing the emotional moment between Jason and Travis Kelsey as they're breaking down, talking about their mother, Donna. So these guys are as big as you can possibly be right now. And to that end, guess who will be hosting Saturday Night Live coming up in early March? This is going to be hysterical. OK, how many years? I would need more than my two hands to tell you the last time I watched Saturday Night Live. How many years, producer Jay, since you watched Saturday Night Live? Well, I'm 30 and it'll probably be about that. If I watch Saturday Night Live, it's going to be the old ones that have Adam Sandler in that crew.

I haven't watched them on the newer ones. Well, it's going to be Travis Kelsey hosting Saturday Night Live in early March. So I guess coming up in two weeks, right? I mean, it blows me away that we're at the end of February.

I can't get over it. March 4th, which I think is two weeks from Saturday. And so guess where he announced the news? On The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

I mean, the man is everywhere, right? So he goes on Jimmy Fallon and announces that he's going to be guest hosting Saturday Night Live coming up on March 4th. But he kind of goes throwback like you and goes old school and talks about Chris Farley and Will Ferrell. And those were the guys that he watched on Saturday Night Live.

And he used to watch it with his mom, with Donna. And so he says it's an honor and it's a privilege and that he's so nervous for that, which I think is really interesting. Now, see, I can't imagine all he has to do is hear his brother's voice in his head. So I was thinking about some of the funny stuff that we got, not just from the speech, which, of course, he was all about giving the doubters crap. But there was this one particular exchange where he and his brother were talking about Jarek McKinnon. Do you guys remember that moment where Jarek, well, so it's late in the game and the Chiefs just get that first down following the holding penalty on James Bradbury. And Jarek McKinnon breaks free and could have easily gone into the end zone to score. But what would that have done? It would have given the ball back to the Eagles with over a minute to go. And so the two of them, the Kelsey brothers, are talking about this particular moment.

And you can just hear Travis's personality where he just is a total goofball. That's a mature decision by Jett. I mean, I mean, in the Super Bowl, you had a chance to score a touchdown. You're in the Super Bowl. And there was still some time left if you would have scored. That's an all time. That's an all time stat right there.

That's a memory. You take that football home and you got that thing on a mantle for the rest of your life, like Super Bowl SB. I played in the Super Bowl. It's that ball I scored with right there. I think a lot of guys might score in that situation. I'm 1000 percent scoring that motherf***er. You don't care?

I'm coming to the sideline clueless. Oh, I wasn't supposed to do that? We were in that mode? No.

Look at the clock. We weren't in that mode. Church mode. Let's go defense. You guys still call church mode?

Yeah, I'm kidding. I'm a team player. I'd have been laying my ass on the one yard line, too. That's why Jett's a captain, right there. That's why he's got that C on his chest, man.

Because he does smart decisions like that. Veteran guy, man. Hopefully we can get him back. I haven't watched it in years, but I may watch it with Travis Kelsey.

But seriously, my favorite part is, I'd be like, let's go defense! He's a total goofball. But really funny.

I don't want those two hours back that I spent listening to the New Heights podcast on Wednesday. It was good stuff. So anyway, Travis, he is a unique breed.

And now as a brand, actually, in addition to being a unique breed, he and his brother are pretty cool. I'm 1000 percent scoring that motherf***er. I mean, I'm just saying, whoever went to bleep out the offensive part of that, maybe missed a couple of, you know, nanoseconds.

I know what he said. Do you think there are kids riding in cars this morning? Maybe not this early.

Do you think there are people riding around in their cars who are like, huh, I wonder what he said. That's a good edit. Let's go defense!

And then after he trots back over to the sidelines with his Super Bowl touchdown ball, and he's like, oh, wait, what? We weren't in that mode. Church mode.

Let's go defense. He's a hoot. I like him a lot.

One of my favorite things about this postseason, to be sure, is the Kelsey brothers. And I know you're tired of them, but you're just going to have to deal with it for a little bit longer. Some of you tell me that.

I just think you're jealous. All right, on Twitter, ALawRadio. On our Facebook page, too, what's your next big thing in sports?

You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. Don't be afraid to show your emotions. We all process trauma in a very different way. I'm just glad we're all here together tonight.

So let me close with the challenge. Let's all do a better job taking care of one another. Through no fault of our own, but COVID has led us to all feel a little more separated from one another.

It drives me crazy. We need each other. For 40 years, I've always believed that at Michigan State, we are at our own strongest when we're together. In athletics, the best teams are always greater than the sum of their individual parts. The same is true for our community.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. An emotional Tom Izzo speaking at the vigil on Wednesday night. And at that point, we still had campus activity shut down. Classes called off for the week in the wake of the shooting that took the lives of three students. One who had graduated in 2020, two others who were even younger, graduating in 2021 from high school. Five still remain in the hospital.

And while the investigation is still ongoing, it's tough to really understand why or how or any of the questions that we struggle with in the wake of something this senseless. The other question is when? When do you get back to your routine?

When do you try to resume your quote unquote normal life, even though it's shattered and it feels different? It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Tom Izzo is the most famous person associated with Michigan State. And even though he doesn't speak for the university all the time, he does represent the university, but most often he's speaking about basketball, not academics or the campus as a whole. You can understand why people now are looking to him for leadership.

And it's a tough position to be in. But what do we know about sports? For some reason, somehow, they bring us together across cultures, languages, state lines. They bring us together where really nothing else does.

I say this all the time and it's it's a joke, but there is truth to it. We agree on nothing in this country, but we agree on football. That's why 113 million of us watched the Super Bowl. A third of our population. A third of our population can't get together on anything else. Sports have the power to heal.

There's a different unity there. There's a different bond when it comes to sports. There can be joy. There can be a distraction, to be sure. There could be a reason to smile, a reason to forget, even if it's for a couple of moments.

And I know there's guilt associated with that, right? Because I've been through it, too. Sometimes we need a break. Our hearts and our minds that are heavy, they need a break. And sports offer us that, but they also offer us a chance to once again get together, recognize we're all in this together very often and to support one another. And so Tom Izzo to that end was answering the question of when do they get back to basketball and how that might help the campus. We've had a lot of help from some mental health professionals that have really helped me. And but they felt that if they played, it would help not only themselves, but the team, but but maybe the campus heal a little better.

And so we agreed that that would be our battle cry. We also know everybody grieves different and everybody processes trauma in a million different ways. I've gone through so many different highs and lows that I, too, am learning new things. But like I said last night, whatever you're feeling is valid. You know, I wouldn't have said that a couple of years ago.

I guess I'm maturing with age. I have a better understanding right now that not everybody processes things the same way, whether you're a fan, a coach, a media member, player or just a student. Tom Izzo emotional once again, but even though he makes millions of dollars and he's been on campus 40 years as a highly decorated and very successful basketball coach.

In these moments, he's one of them. He calls East Lansing home. He said he's spoken to mental health professionals. And he also called the vigil and being part of the vigil one of the more moving moments of his 40 year tenure at Michigan State. That's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Lots of coaches reach out to him.

Of course, he's trying to find advice. How do you get back to basketball? When do you get back to basketball? They will resume sporting events for the Spartans today.

That's all sports, not just basketball. And then students return to class next week. Izzo had his team practicing on Wednesday and Thursday. And so they're about to get back into it. And I do hope.

Well, I do hope. But but I also can imagine the emotion, the emotional outpouring for those first home games, the emotional outpouring as Izzo and his team want to play for the students who lost their lives, the students who were part of this, the ones who are still fighting for their lives. Again, we know sports can be powerful and can help us to heal. I don't always understand it.

I try to explain it because that's my job, but I don't always understand how it works. I just know as human beings. They bring us together.

They have the power to heal and the power to unify where very little else does. A lot of you are looking forward to March Madness, and I feel like we can all cheer for Michigan State now. Maybe not you Michigan fans, but OK, in this situation, could you potentially do a golf clap for the Michigan State Spartans? So lots of March Madness answers, lots of golf answers as well. Maybe because you saw Tiger Woods flashing his pearly whites there on Thursday. First round of the Genesis Invitational, which is his first competitive tournament in seven months.

He birdied the final three holes as he was playing with Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy. And the crowds went crazy. I was able to simulate nerves at home because I've come off layoffs before and I was a simulate that stuff. But there's nothing like coming game time.

Just the feeling of the butterflies and trying to calm all that stuff down adrenaline. The ball goes further, even though it's cold out here. It was going even further than I than we expected.

I had a dialogue back in. Joey hadn't seen me hit a golf ball in a while. And so obviously he's his feels are what we're trying to get the feels for out there and then the shots and the distances.

And we adapted very quickly. Now he's got a quick turnaround. Fourteen hours between when he finished yesterday and when he tees off this morning. It's an early tee time before seven thirty on the West Coast. And so this will be a test for his ankle. But he's within five strokes of the leaders. And he says driving it farther than he expected because of the adrenaline.

A couple of his drives went over three thirty. It was a great round flow of kneeling each other, encouraging each other and telling stories because I haven't been out here. So I missed some of the things that have transpired on tour, which is kind of fun. So Tiger Woods, Rory McElroy, Justin Thomas. That's the profile group on Friday morning teeing off the Genesis Invitational. And very soon, golf will make its turn toward the southeast and we'll get prepared for the Masters. The Masters comes up Easter weekend.

Not that long. We're talking, oh, gosh, seven weeks until the Masters. So many of you pointing to the Masters and then also talking some of the other sports. So whether it's college wrestling, whether it's the USFL, some of you are not ready to give up on football. So you're going with the combine and the NFL draft. Dan says WrestleMania. Yep. I love pro wrestling and I'm not ashamed.

That's Dan on our Facebook page. Lots of baseball, to be sure. And so many of you are sending us gifts and memes of your favorite teams out there.

Some of you are going with the NBA championships or the playoffs and then, of course, on into the Stanley Cup playoffs as well. But yeah, there's a lot of excitement about what's to come now that we're out from underneath the football umbrella. I mean, I talk a big game. Right. But I definitely do miss football. There's a different buzz during football season. But it is a time when you can start to get, I don't know, stuff done.

Here's the thing. I would like to get stuff done inside the house, but because it feels like an early spring in February where my crocuses are already out and things are getting green, I might have to do yard work. No.

No one should be doing yard work in February, at least not where I live. Pucks and Tony Phil. I'm going to get that little goober. He lied. No. He lied. Have a good weekend. It's After Hours, CBS Sports Radio. Boom!