After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 3

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That's betterhelp.com slash positive. I know that our nation doesn't always put its best foot forward. The United States has many challenges that we're dealing with currently, and that may always be issues. We very rarely agree on anything in this country. We're kind of split down the middle. I do joke that we agree on football only.

That's it. American football is the only thing that we can have a consensus about across the board in the United States of America. But I do think we also agree that our military deserve to be supported, that our military families need to be supported because they send their loved ones in the faith and the hope that they will return to them whole. And of course, that's not the case a lot of the time. Whether it's mental, emotional, physical, ramifications and consequences, many of them don't return home the same way. It is our duty. We need to make it more of a priority to take care of our veterans.

At least we still have them, the ones who are able to come home. We should be working with them. We should be helping them. We should be offering them as much assistance as they need.

Again, emotional, mental, physical. But there are many who do not. And that's what we remember on this Memorial Day. We remember the sacrifices made, the ultimate sacrifices and the price paid by so many Americans and their families and their loved ones, whose loved ones signed up in most cases, made the choice, whether domestically or abroad, they knew that their choice to join a member of the armed services could cost them their lives.

And yet they did it willingly. Defended our nation proudly and bravely under the flag, right? That's what means so much to members of our military, our veterans, because that was what kept them together.

That was the symbol. This is why we fight. This is why we do what we do. And so we're thankful for you on this Memorial Day, those families who have lost loved ones, men and women who served, but also thankful for those who were willing, right?

Those who were called and followed that call. So on this Memorial Day, there's white crosses, there's American flags, there are parades, of course. So important that we remember, take time to reflect. And it is sobering.

It is somber in many cases. And we always ask you to share with us the next day. Ask you to share with us the names or the branch of service, the photos, messages. I know we'll continue this through Monday and on into our Monday night show. On Twitter, After Hours, CBS, and then our Facebook page, too.

A lot of you see the post. I know more of you and more people will see the post as we head through Memorial Day Monday. So we'll keep it up there. We'll reshare it. But it's on Twitter, After Hours, CBS, and then also on our Facebook page. And we will retweet.

And then we invite you to go through the thread on Facebook so that you also can see what others are sharing. It is a community. And we appreciate the service. We appreciate the sacrifices. This is our way to highlight and to honor. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Even as we talk about sports, recognizing it's not the most important thing.

It's not critical. But I know it's also an opportunity for families to spend time together, to be outside. Along with Fourth of July Memorial Day weekend and Fourth of July holiday or weekend. These are the two holidays where you just got to be outside.

That's kind of the idea. Now my neighborhood appears to be deserted. It was so quiet on Sunday.

So quiet. A lot of people getting out of town. I was hearing the numbers about Americans driving or flying and the numbers are way up even from pre-pandemic levels.

I got three weeks to go before I travel. But we're always, I can't speak for Jay, I'm always happy to work holidays because we catch many people who are out of their typical routines and hear the show for the first time or the first time in a long time. We have a bunch of different affiliates around the country that maybe don't carry the show on a full-time basis. So if you're listening out there and you don't always hear the show, that happens to pertain. And I don't know specifically about AM 670, the score in Chicago tonight. But a lot of times Chicago will grab our show when it's a holiday or when their overnight host is on vacation.

And there are other affiliates, network affiliates that will do the same. So we always enjoy hearing from you whether it's the first time or the first time in a long time. We've got so many different sports that take place this time of the year.

Late May, early June until the pace slows a bit. And I love it because then we can get off the beaten path with our shows. We get an opportunity to talk more about niche sports or sports that are not as mainstream.

So we mentioned women's college world series and the college world series. Those are about to take place. The Fright to Open is about to begin on Monday and we're going to hear from Novak Djokovic momentarily.

A huge opportunity for Novak or anyone else who wants to step into the Rafael Nadal void at Roland Garros. But also on Monday we've got a game seven in the NBA, a game six in the NHL. So two series that are hanging on, hanging on, not done yet. Excited to see how these play out because we're certainly looking at possible history.

So again love for you to find us on either Twitter or Facebook. We're keeping our eyes on baseball as well. And then the Coca-Cola 600 was postponed.

Charlotte was underwater water essentially. It cracked me up because I was watching some of the coverage on Fox after the Indy 500 was done. This is 1,100 miles of racing that they like to hold on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. But as they're starting their coverage on Fox, the crew is, the TV crew, is not even outside on their set. They're in a garage somewhere because it's raining so hard. And I laughed because the trucks, the trucks that have the drying equipment, they're going around the track with their dryers even though it's pouring. What would be the point of that exactly?

Seems like a lot of wasted fuel. But they were trying until finally they called it off and the race is supposed to start at three o'clock Charlotte time on Monday afternoon. That's noon on the Pacific coast. We'll see. Hopefully that's the case and they can drop the green flag because it is one of the one of the races that's highlighted on the calendar.

It's the longest race on the NASCAR circuit and it usually goes hand in hand with the Indy 500. All right let's talk about the French Open a little bit. You know there is no Rafael Nadal. He made the announcement a couple weeks ago on his own social media and the emotion in his voice, how painful it is for Rafa, who's the king of clay and the king of Roland Garros, what he's lost three matches I think in his entire career at the French Open, he's won 14 singles crowns at the French Open.

14. By far a record for the French or for any other major to have 14 singles titles. That is the vast majority, well vast majority, that is the majority of his 22 grand slam singles titles, right? That is the record for men tied with Novak Djokovic and there lies the intrigue, right? They're both sitting at 22 grand slam singles titles each. Most ever for the men. For a while we had three guys who were sitting at 20 and it's pretty amazing that these three men, Roger Federer who's officially retired, Rafael Nadal who will not play again this year and is hoping for a return to Roland Garros next year and he thinks it could be his last and then Novak Djokovic who's slightly younger, not a lot younger but slightly younger and the two of them, Nadal and Novak, are tied but these three will forever be entwined in tennis lore and I've said this multiple times, I do believe, while it might be easy to say that if only one of these guys exists, only one of these guys existed in this era or only two of these guys existed in this era, sure you could imagine that one or two of them would have more titles, maybe it would have the all-time record, so for the women Margaret Court has 24.

The all-time record, right? Or you could think that they pushed each other, right? They pushed each other to be even better.

They pushed each other to heights that they would not have achieved had it not been for the fact that they were all competing for the same crowns. By the way, just as a side note for women's tennis fans or just tennis fans in general, Serena Williams is mostly retired. Now she didn't rule out playing in the future. She finished one Grand Slam title shy of Margaret Court, so the all-time record is 24. Serena has 23 and could never quite get the 24th to tie. Then you've got Steffi Graf who has 22 and Novak and Rafa who also have 22. Some of the best tennis players ever and we're talking about four of them all in this current era which is awesome. We've been able to see them which is awesome and Serena by the way just put out this social media video over the weekend in which she and her husband shared with her daughter, their daughter, that they're about to have another baby. It was really sweet.

You should definitely check it out. All right, so let's hear from Novak Djokovic here on After Hours. Yes, Rafael Nadal is missing the tournament but as much as Novak is understanding how impactful that is, he's not crying for Argentina.

Well, honestly, I don't miss him being in the draw, you know. I mean, I don't like seeing him in the draw of Roland Garros to be honest, you know. I've had, you know, not so much success against him in our records head-to-head in Roland Garros. I've managed to beat him twice but, you know, I had to leave my heart and my guts out on the court to achieve that so I know how hard it is to play him anywhere really around the world, I mean, but especially here.

Especially here. Certainly at the French Open at Roland Garros where he is the king. 14 of his Grand Slam titles coming from the French Open.

So now that he is unable to participate, and yes, we'll miss him, but unable to participate, Novak considers this opportunity the chance to pass Rafa. I'll try to balance things out. I know how to approach the Grand Slam. I know how to live during these few weeks, in a way, day in and day out. And I hope that I'll have a few weeks. It would mean that I went far in the tournament.

But yeah, I have a very good team of people around me and so far things have been progressing well in the last week of training. History being on the line is something that is very flattering and it's very motivating, no doubt about it. Obviously, Nadal not playing in the tournament here is a big loss for tennis, is a big loss for Roland Garros because he's by far the most successful player to play in this tournament in history. So of course, it opens up a chance and opportunity for the rest of us to try to get a title because whenever he plays he's an absolute favorite here, or any clay court tournament for that matter. That is true. That is true.

The king of clay. Novak Djokovic has an opportunity. This is a chance for him to break the tie and he's obviously motivated. If you consider what Novak has been through in the last couple years, being banned from multiple tournaments because he was not vaccinated, that includes the Australian Open. Not this past year, but the year before. Remember that whole mess where he was deported multiple times, then he was held under house arrest while he challenged Australia's law? It was actually the Prime Minister of Australia who, even though the courts wanted to give Novak the visa to play, the Prime Minister would not allow him and overruled the courts. So Novak then missed the U.S. Open as well.

He was able to play in the Aussie earlier this year. And can he now maintain the health and the longevity to be able to not just pass Rafael Nadal, but I would say he probably wants to put a little distance between himself and Rafa if he can. He did win the Australian Open in January, so he's still very capable of beating a field that's younger, maybe has more athletes.

But at the same time, he's brilliant. He's in great conditioning and he's the best tennis player in the world. There are challengers, there are up-and-comers, and there certainly are some veterans.

Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, Stan Varynka. So there's other guys that, in a perfect situation, could beat him. And because it's best of five, which is not the case in most tournaments, it's best of five sets, it also does require stamina. And he has that, but he's 36. So he has experience, but he's got a lot of miles on his legs.

If you know him, he's in incredible shape, world-class shape. And usually the length of a match doesn't matter. What he has is the experience on that stage, even when over, say, a five-set match, it's not always going his way. He's won so many times. His collection of 22 majors includes 10 at the Australian Open, so not 14 like Rafa at the French, but 10 at the Australian Open, seven at Wimbledon, three at the US Open, and two in Paris.

This would be his third, if he's not upset along the way. So the French Open, part of this next fortnight, along with racing, and women's college world series, and college world series, softball, baseball, actual baseball, major leagues, and then hockey, we'll get to here coming up. Because the Dallas Stars are about to welcome their captain, Jamie Ben, back to the ice after that intentional stick to the throat of Mark Stone in what was game three.

And now it's a completely different situation. I hate to look at it and think that the ejection and the suspension of Jamie Ben, the Stars captain, lit a fire with Dallas. The series was close anyway, except for that game three.

Game three was a blowout, but the first two were overtime wins for Vegas. They're obviously the two best teams in the West still standing. They will get Jamie Ben back.

I don't think it's right. I think he should be suspended the rest of this postseason, but they will get him back. And Peter DeBoer explains what he's been up to during the suspension. And also, we know for the Golden Knights, not quite Miami Heat territory yet, but potentially they were up 3-0. Now they've dropped two in a row. This game six takes place in Dallas, right? So if the Stars are able to tie it, game seven, then all bets are off. It's a game seven. It could be sudden death, but anything can happen when you're talking about a hockey or hoops game seven. Although I would say in hockey, just the nature of the sport lends itself to a little more tension, angst even. It's hockey. Feel it in my gut. The Golden Knights recognize the precipice they're standing on. And Bruce Cassidy? Not holding back.

After what he saw from the Knights in game five, he's not holding back. A lot still to come. Please find us on Twitter, After Hours, CBS, and our Facebook page too. We love it when you share photos of your loved ones that we honor on this Memorial Day, but also names as well. And this post will be up all the way through Monday. We'll pick it up again on Monday night when we're here following game seven.

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That's BetQL.com slash hoops. Surgeons keep our hearts beating. They do the amazing, help save lives, and so can you. Your CSL plasma donation can help create 24 critical life-saving medicines that can give grandpa the chance for his heart to swell when he meets his new grandson or give a bride the chance for her heart to skip a beat on her wedding day. Every plasma donation helps more than you know. Do the amazing, help save lives. Donate today at your local CSL plasma center and be rewarded for your generosity. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. Starts the counter for Kimmy Rotten. Now Delandria, right circle. He shot. He scores!

Ty Delandria! He beat Hill from the right circle. And for the first time tonight, the Stars have the lead.

Here's White Cloud turned over. Stars Domi feeding in front a chance. Score!

Delandria again! He's got both here in the third and the Stars lead it by two. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Dallas Stars have now made this a series worth a little bit of anxiety if you're the Golden Knights, maybe if you're the Dallas Stars, but they've been living with that now for a few days. The Western Conference final, it's not over yet and now it's got a slightly different feel. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Josh Bogerad on Dallas Stars Radio. They have faced elimination in Game 4 and Game 5 without their captain. Jamie Benn will return for Game 6. They're back home in Dallas on Monday night and trying to force a Game 7 and it dawns on me both the Florida Panthers from the East in the NHL and the Denver Nuggets are hanging out max and relax and get an extra time to game plan for their potential opponents.

Obviously the Stars dug the hole and got into it and then had to figure out a way to climb out or they fell down the well and then had to figure out a way to climb out. But honestly, sometimes if you find a comfort zone operating under pressure, operating in the face of adversity, operating when you know you have no margin for error, you get comfortable there, it can give you an edge. But you got to find that place where you're okay and you are giving it everything you've got without any guarantee. It's heart, soul, blood, sweat, tears. Now these are the best athletes in the world, right?

And these are the best teams still standing. But there's a difference when you are giving it everything you've got. No holds barred. You can see it.

It's not something you can define necessarily. I hate the idea of the Celtics just don't care. The Celtics gave up or he didn't matter to them. They could win in Game Number 5.

That's BS. But there is a difference between caring, between going out there and playing hard and playing with effort and giving it everything you've got with no guarantee. Can you operate on that fine line? Can you play your best on that fine line?

Where you recognize and you come to terms with the fact that if you don't succeed in those moments, you're done. It's not life or death, but it is the death of your season, if you will. And there's something to be said for teams that can operate on the edge.

They can't operate on the precipice. Miami has been doing it all year. Well, all year. Miami's been doing it for months. The Celtics, not so much, though they are 5-0 in elimination games in the last month.

But that's partly their own doing because they did not think that they had to pour in heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears. Nah, the thing about the Celtics that can be annoying is that they don't do it until they have to. And yet you can see, pound for pound, toe to toe, they are a better team than Miami.

If we're just talking athletes on paper, they've got more weapons, they've got better superstars. I mean, Jimmy Butler, you would take on any team. Well, he's been on a lot of teams, but you know what I'm saying.

You would take him on any team for the most part. But man, he and Bam Adebayo and the rest of the Heat, these last three games, the offense has been sporadic and spotty. And that was their issue all year long. But they are used to operating under duress. The Dallas Stars right now, they're operating under duress, recognizing you don't have any more choice.

You don't have any more margin to screw up. And that's what Ty Delandrea was saying is, hey, they're in this place where they recognize, they don't have a choice. It's a lot of desperation. We have a lot to play for here.

So the groups really come together and lean on one another. You know, guys have stepped up. Ole came in too and has been playing great. Jake's been playing great. You know, our decor, you know, they took on some water. We all took on some water tonight in the second period and just able to weather that.

And going to the third to 2-2 game with 20 minutes for an opportunity to head back home. So, you know, we've really been leaning on one another and, you know, playing for a lot here. So, you know, it's been a group effort for sure.

It has to be. It has to be all hands on deck. Now, as for the Golden Knights, again, they won the first two games in overtime and those games could have gone either way. Bruce Cassidy didn't have a huge issue with how his team was playing until game number five. The second period we got to our game, I thought we were the better team. First period, I think, pockets of each team were good.

They were probably better than us overall, but we got through that part. To me, the desperation was we had 24 giveaways. I'm not sure you're beating the Arizona Coyotes in January with 24 giveaways. No disrespect to Arizona, but it's not the right way to play.

24 giveaways. I mean, we're trying to go to the Stanley Cup final against a desperate team. So, to me, that's the whole game right there. So, that falls under urgency, obviously, right? You're not making the right decision with the puck or you're not supporting it well.

So, it starts right there, and that's the first thing we'll go to correct. Whenever a person utters the phrase, no disrespect to da-da-da-da-da, oh, it's definitely disrespect. No disrespect to Atlanta no match, but that's one of the worst teams in the league. How can you call them one of the worst teams in the league and not have any disrespect? It is disrespect.

The same thing with Bruce Cassidy. It's not meant to be an insult. It's more to be an example, but the fact is it's still disrespectful to Phoenix. I'm not sure you're beating the Arizona Coyotes in January. Oh, Arizona. There's no disrespect to Arizona. I forgot they're not Phoenix anymore, right?

They're the Arizona Coyotes. My fault. Of course, there's disrespect.

Otherwise, you wouldn't use them as an example. Put some disrespect on their name. Put some disrespect on my name.

There's no disrespect to Arizona, but... Please. Thing is, it's not a great revelation, right? It's after hours, CBS Sports Radio. So, what about the return of Jamie Benn? Peter DeBoer, what have you said to your captain as he's set to rejoin the series?

Not much conversation. He's an angry bear walking around waiting to play again. So, I think he's on pins and needles. You know, he's been sitting with our video coaches watching the game. He's not a really good spectator. So, I think he'll be excited to play. I don't agree with this one.

I've said it multiple times. Jamie Benn's been in a suit and tie. Team's come off the ice. He's there to greet him. Okay, leading the way that he can while he's suspended. For that stick to the neck.

A stick to the neck of Mark Stone. So, two game suspension and maybe three, I suppose, if you include game three in which he was ejected two minutes in. I don't think that's fair to call to suspension, but he was out for the better part of three games. And he did play a large role in the Golden Knights building an early leading game three because of his match penalty in the five-minute power play.

The Knights scored on that one. So, he returns to the ice and they have this game six in Dallas. They're going to keep this thing going. Well, then this is the opportunity. They don't have to play on the road.

They get to do this at home. And Jamie Benn certainly returning to the lineup with a lot of motivation. There's not many six foot three, 220-pound power forwards that can score and create room and have a physical and an offensive presence on the game. I mean, power play, all those things. So, he's a welcome addition back for us. And that's just the hockey piece.

The fact that he's in our dressing room and with our guys, the leadership piece is another big part of it. We'll see what impact Jamie Benn's return makes on game number six. Going on the same time as game seven in Boston. Did you know, despite the fact that the Celtics are not great at home this postseason, in fact, they're just at 500, five and five, they are in game sevens, 22 and five in their franchise history. And already have survived a game seven against the Sixers.

And you saw what a landslide that was. I fear for the Miami Heat that they've lost all the momentum, number one. Number two, they no longer have an advantage. The Celtics have every advantage you could possibly ask for now. And I'm not saying the pressure isn't there.

It's on both teams equally. Now, well, unless you think about the Heat about to be a footnote to history. It's always the first time how many years I spent and many people spent saying the words, a 16 has never beaten a one. A 16 has never beaten a one. Well, not only has it happened once, it's happened twice. In 2023, in sports, there is incredible parity, incredible competitiveness. Really across the board, because of free agency, because of salary caps, because of the amount of money that's spent in sports, because of the amount of money that's spent in sports, because of the amount of money that's spent in sports, because of the amount of money that's spent in sports, because of free agency, because of salary caps, because the talent is just better. And then you get to this point in the postseason and you realize anything can and will happen.

These are the best of the best. I could already feel the tension in my gut for the Miami Heat. I feel like they're on the dark side of the moon now.

They missed their opportunities. We'll see. I hope it's competitive. That's what I want. I just want it to be a good game. Want it to be a good game. There have been 3-0 series comebacks in NHL history. So we've seen teams rally from that hole in the NHL, but not in the NBA. Hashtag too soon.

We'll see. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. The 1-0 pitch to Ramirez. A swing and a line drive toward the gap right center. It's a base hit. It'll go to the wall. Strauss scores the tying run. One around third. He scores the winner.

And a mob scene on a short. Jose Ramirez. A walk-off. Two out. Two run double. Up the alley and right center. The pitch to Gino. Swung on. A rocket to left field.

Absolutely mashed. See you later. Surgeons keep our hearts beating. They do the amazing. Help save lives.

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Donate today at your local CSL plasma center and be rewarded for your generosity. Walking off Gino. Three run blast and the Mariners have won it.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. It was a world of walk-offs on Sunday in Major League Baseball. The Mariners, the Royals, the Guardians, the Tigers all with victories in their final at bats. And you hear the calls. They're so dramatic on their respective radio networks. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. We'll mix in a little more baseball as we head through the final hour plus of our show. Because baseball certainly is the soundtrack of summer. And since this is the unofficial kickoff to summer, it makes sense that we would have baseball. And it's with us.

They do a lot of day games. And this is the part of the season where we start to get a little more attention on baseball, right? Because hoops and hockey are winding down. I wouldn't say football takes a break break. But maybe a short break.

At least it's not in season. And so you have baseball as the standalone of the four major professional sports. Yes, there's still tennis. There's still racing. There's still college softball and baseball. There's still golf. There's still plenty going on. Not telling you there's nothing else going on. But of the four major professional team sports, there's MLS as well. Baseball gets to clear the deck a little bit. So it has right in front of us.

It has more of the center ring of the circus. It's After Hours on CBS Sports Radio. Before we get to the top though, we have to pass along this report that caught us, I wouldn't say off guard because of the subject matter, but at least caught our attention. Few eyebrows raised here.

And maybe it's much ado about nothing. But according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, not only does Jimmy Garoppolo have a foot injury, but the Raiders have a contingency plan when it comes to the quarterback. Jimmy Garoppolo agreed to terms very quickly on the first day of the negotiating window, but he didn't actually sign the contract. I believe his press conference got delayed at one point.

There was a week or two there where there was at least some questions. And then it kind of died down because he ended up signing, had the press conference, everything was well. Well, part of what was happening there was he was coming off the court and he was coming off of that foot injury, which you remember Kyle Shanahan in a way that only Kyle Shanahan can describe the injury as there's a bunch of stuff broken in there. It was a significant type of an injury that sidelined Garoppolo for the remainder of the season there. What they determined was he needed an additional procedure.

It was described to me yesterday as a cleanup. I was told by somebody close to him that everything is progressing well at this point. Josh McDaniels was nonspecific about when Jimmy will be back on the field, which, you know, Josh, frankly, him is not a criticism, but he's going to be nonspecific about pretty much anything in the injury area, particularly in May. I did open the possibility that maybe Jimmy's not back on the field until training camp. We'll see whether or not that's the case, but I have not seen or heard any real things about Jimmy not being ready to roll by the time the Raiders season rolls. So that's the crux of it is that the Raiders don't appear to be concerned, but I'm not sure we would know if they were. They probably don't want it to get out that there might be any concern, but the news from Pelissero is that the Raiders have a waiver in Garoppolo's contract.

If they didn't have that waiver, he could have failed his physical and he would not be part of the Raiders now anyway. And the reason why this raises red flags, again, why it's not a huge surprise necessarily is because it's Jimmy Garoppolo and he spent a good chunk of his career dealing with injuries. Some of them freak, some of them not so freak, and he's played hurt as well, but each of the last two off seasons he's required a surgery. We know in the past he's had a torn ACL and other various maladies, and while this isn't the entire reason why the Niners were willing to part ways with him, I mean we're talking about a long history here. The ACL alone cost him 13 games.

This is interesting info from nfl.com that I found. In 2020 it was an ankle, 10 games. In 21 it was a calf and thumb injuries, two more games, and then last year with the foot, I remember Trey Lance was out from week two with the foot, Garoppolo started for a while and the Niners got on track before he gave way to Brock Purdy, and the foot was a freak thing.

It wasn't his fault. It's not like he did anything wrong, but it cost him another half of a season, another eight games. And so we first heard that the foot injury would not require surgery, but then we found out last week that he did in fact have an operation right after he signed with the Raiders. Again, so he would have failed his physical. The Raiders had to add a waiver to his deal because of this, it's a little bit like our insurance right, pre-existing medical condition. That applies in the NFL as well. And so if there's a problem, if he can't play, if there's a re-injury, the player himself ends up on the pup list, physically unable to perform, and then there's a waiver potentially that the Raiders could have an out. But right now all things appear to be on track and the Raiders need a quarterback, and the Raiders need a quarterback. So this is not what they want. They're just protecting themselves financially if in fact it does happen.

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