7-5-23 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 3

I would suit up in my uniform and you're going out on patrol. What are we going to do tonight? Well, we're going to rob some drug dealers and I know how to do it really well.

Listen to and follow The Set, an Odyssey Originals documentary podcast series available now on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your shows. I'm not a bad guy, but I love being that dirty. I am running out of opportunities to say Happy Independence Day. Happy Fourth of July, but milk in them because I do love this holiday and we got to usher it in.

And now we get to usher it out. July 4th, 2023, another birthday in the books for our great country. And baseball is part of our summer tradition, always about this time. So even as we get closer to the All-Star break, there are some teams that are limping to the All-Star break and there are others who don't want the break to come because they're playing their best baseball of the season. We're asking you, since we're just past the midway point of the 2023 campaign, what are the biggest surprises? Gosh, even as we were talking about the various storylines in baseball and on the diamond in the first hour of the show, I came up with six, seven, eight surprises all by myself. So don't let me steal your thunder. Find us on Twitter, A-LOL Radio, our Facebook page also available.

And there is in fact crying in baseball despite what Tom Hanks would have you believe. So that's one post that's up on both of our social media sites. And then also it's a twist on your regular workweek because the holiday fell on a Tuesday. Now I love it for people who are taking off because most people could get then four days off for the price of one. If you don't work Saturdays and Sundays normally and you were taking off the holiday, that's what my brother's family did. They went to a family reunion for my sister-in-law's side. They left on Saturday, they returned on Tuesday only to take one day off.

So kind of cool. Really I felt like it was the perfect extended weekend set up if that's what you needed. We decided to work because we got time off later in the month. So it's not your hump show necessarily, but it's our hump show, middle show of the workweek. And you look for the bright orange box to post your questions for Ask Amy Anything again on both Twitter and Facebook and that comes up 30 minutes from now. Our phone number is 855-212-4227.

That's 855-212-4CBS. I sent the photo of the Funfetti cupcakes decorated with chocolate frosting and red, white and blue sprinkles to some of my friends and family. That was my photo to say Happy Independence Day actually. They were sending me memes of flags and gifts of fireworks and I was sending back Funfetti cupcakes.

But whatever, they were festive. If you missed that photo, it's on both of our social media sites as well. And I do appreciate a lot of you who wrote back with your own wishes for Independence Day and July 4th. And some of you who are working or weren't working but liked the company and the fact that we didn't take off. We're here for you peeps. We are here for you.

A full service operation. Alright, coming up this hour as I say, we've got Ask Amy Anything. Also, I don't know if we can call it a holiday edition of QB News. It really has nothing to do with the holiday but it's always, always a time where we can dig up NFL News. There is no month out of the year, no week out of the year when we can't dig up some NFL News. And in this edition of the show, we've got the Niners.

One of their quarter, actually two of their quarterbacks but one of their potential starters. We'll hear from him as well as some of the other speculation around what could happen at the quarterback position this season. Which by the way, training camps are weeks away.

Let me look this up. NFL train, actually if I go to NFL.com, it gives me the entire training camp schedule. But I was reading, there was a NFL reporter who put together the schedule, and this does generally happen, but put together the schedule of all the teams that will be reporting to training camp and when. And I believe, believe that what he wrote is that every training camp will be in session completely by July 26.

But I do want to check that just to be sure. So I'm looking for the training camp schedule. But yeah, it's coming. I mean, I've got time off at the end of this month, but I think even before I get to my next long weekend, which will take me to Houston, every NFL team will be in camp, fully immersed in camp.

Let's see. July 25th. July 25th. So a lot of them report on the 25th. 25th, 25th, 25th.

That seems to be one of the latest, but there are the Steelers, the Pittsburgh Steelers. They do it a little bit differently to La Trobe, Pennsylvania. They don't straddle the rookies and the vets. They all show up to camp on July 26th.

It's put up and shut up time. Now you do have a July 29th in there as well. The Jets with their rookies and vets will report on the 29th. So that looks to be the latest. So the 26th and the 29th, the Steelers and the Jets appear to be the last teams.

Stragglers. They appear to be the last teams that will report. Get this. August 3rd. August 3rd is the start of the preseason. Stop it. Do you guys know we're a month away from the start of the preseason?

That's hard for me to wrap my brain around. It'll be the Jets against the Browns in the Hall of Fame game. Yeah, there must be a misprint here. So this is on the CBS Sports website. I'm just telling you what CBSSports.com has. They put July 29th for the Jets, but there's no way that they would report then and play on August 3rd.

So I'm going to assume that's a misprint. Jay's telling me what site are you on? NFL.com and Sports Illustrated.

Yeah, a couple. Jay's on multiple different sites and on those sites it says the Jets report when? The 19th.

Holy crap. The Jets report on the 19th, which makes more sense if they're playing in the Hall of Fame game. So I see, yeah, the Jets, rookies, and their veterans both report on the 19th. Okay, and then the Giants on the 18th for their rookies.

Rookies generally do tend to get in a little bit early, but if it's Browns and it's Jets in the Hall of Fame game, they can report earlier. Cleveland also on July 19th for rookies. July 19th, you guys.

I'm not kidding. So let's go with Wednesday morning, July 5th, okay? That means we're exactly two weeks away from a bunch of rookies reporting. Some of them even on July 18th. Oh my gosh.

Day by day. Stop it. How is that even possible that we're two weeks away from a bunch of rookies reporting to their training camps?

And then again, some veterans as well, simply because they may play early in that Hall of Fame game. Whoa. Not sure how to process that in my pea-sized brain. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. My mom, who teaches in Texas, is a math teacher for a high school in Texas. She actually has her first in-service coming up the first week of August. No, she will not. She's been out since Memorial Day, so it's not like she hasn't had a summer. But the reason she needed to get her foot surgery done is because she's got to go back to school in just over a month. Now, she's frustrated.

I'll tell you that. Anybody who's ever had foot surgery, maybe you can empathize with poor mama and what she's going through right now. She had the surgery about two weeks ago. She has not been able to fit into the boot yet. So the doctor has said to her, whatever you can fit into the boot full time, great. But she hasn't been able to yet, so mostly it's wrap. It's still really swollen. She's got a lot of broken blood vessels on the end of her foot and her ankle, and so it gets red. And it was getting better, and it was not quite as red until she put on the boot for the first time and walked for the first time.

She's been using a wheelchair. My mom's husband has been a saint. He's been cooking, he's been cleaning, he's even doing laundry, which is my mom's job. They've divvied up their household chores, and my mom always does laundry. He's, no joke, he's preparing food and he's doing the dishes. They split that job up too, so my mom cooks and Mike does the dishes. That's their delineation of chores, which I love because whenever I go visit them, when we get done eating, I just gotta put the dishes on the counter and walk away. Yeah, it's really nice. But that's his job because my mom does the cooking and the food prep.

And I bake when I'm there. Anyway, he's having to do a lot more, and my mom has said he's been so patient. He's been so helpful. He's not been rude with her. Not that he would be rude, but he's not been impatient with her. He's not been frustrated because she feels like she's so slow and can't really get around.

He sent us a video to the family group chat of mom walking for the first time, and it was really cute because she didn't know he was taping. So she was around the island in the kitchen, and all we can see is her holding the cane, and her walking, kind of steadying herself with the cane, and she comes around the island. Well, you can see Boot first before she even gets around the island. She comes around the island.

He says, look up. And mom looks up and then realizes he's taping and gets one of her fun smiles on her face. So poor thing.

She did say that she walked for a little bit, but then she felt like she paid for it because her foot swelled up again and the redness came back, so maybe more broken capillaries. So poor mama. She's frustrated and she's bored as heck because all she can do right now is watch TV or read. And it's not like she'd be going out a ton, but she would be using the pool. She'd be going to the library. She'd be running errands with Mike.

They'd be going to church. So she'd at least be leaving the house, but for a couple of weeks now, she's been pretty limited in what she can do, even around the house. So I know she's frustrated and bored. Those are the text messages she sends me every night. And she has sleep issues too, so she's up late at night just kind of hemming and hawing and feeling like she can't do a whole lot.

But I keep telling her, you have to go through these first couple of weeks so that you can feel better. Her foot had been giving her a ton of pain. She had bone spurs. She had some arthritis. So the doctor cleaned her foot out. He had done the other foot a couple of years ago and she'd been putting off this foot surgery. So I do feel terrible for her.

I do. But I know this is necessary. I know that this is really the only stretch where she can get this done without it severely interrupting her school schedule. And probably she waited too long to get it done at all. So thinking about Mama, so proud of her because she was brave and she faced the surgery. She knew it was going to be painful. She knew it was going to cramp her style in the summertime, even to the point where she can't get into the pool the way that she wants to. So thinking of her, constantly praying for her and trying to encourage her because I know this is something that she was dreading and it's not working out the way that she wanted. So I love you Mama and I'm sorry that you're in pain but it's necessary to go through this so you can come out the other side and be pain free with more stability.

I was worried that she was going to fall or lose her balance or something like that. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Don't forget to send your questions for Ask Amy anything. For those of you who are big time followers and caretakers of baseball history, you may know that Lou Gehrig's iconic speech about ALS and being the luckiest man in the world, that was 84 years ago on Tuesday. And to honor him and to also honor the fight against ALS, the Yankees brought in some patients who, patients is the wrong word, brought in some people, both men and women, who are right now battling ALS. One of those is a baseball insider. She works for MLB. Her name is Sarah Langs. You maybe have seen her on Twitter or followed her on Twitter. She loves the game of baseball.

And last October, she indicated that she had been diagnosed with ALS. Various teams have brought her into their stadiums to honor her. But to be there at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, on the anniversary of Lou Gehrig's passionate speech, and to have the Yankees acknowledge her and acknowledge her fight was really special. And it was Aaron Boone and it was Garrett Cole.

And they had a press conference before the Yankees played the Orioles. The team signed this shirt for you, Sarah. So we'd like to present it to you on behalf of, we'll give you a good look at it, on behalf of the squad. Thank you. So this one's going to be yours.

Thank you. And then this one, I believe we're going to auction. We're going to auction this off. Proceeds go to Project ALS. So that's pretty cool.

And then the third thing I have is Mr. and Mrs. Langs. You guys are throwing out the first pitch today. Yes! You know, the training facility is all yours. We've got hot stuff. We've got fans.

Hot tub, cold tub, whatever you need. But we've got to get it right. You know, we've got to get it right. Definitely follow Sarah on Twitter. Again, she has a passion for baseball. She works for MLB. A lot of times she's highlighting some of the biggest moments and significant milestones on a nightly basis.

She previously worked at ESPN, so we crossed paths there. But the fact that she and her battle against ALS have been highlighted in multiple stadiums, including now with the Yankees, it sheds a spotlight on an ongoing fight. And also, apparently, now this is according to her Twitter, it was a bucket list item, a dream come true for her parents to be able to throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium.

And she was so proud of them. So her mom and dad were there and they were able to toss out the ceremonial first pitches before Sarah was honored with others who are battling ALS. And she's only 30 years old and really is trying as much as she can to shed a light on the fact that this is a disease that affects people of all shapes, sizes, ages, races. And as you know, there's no cure for ALS at this point. This is so, so important to put a spotlight on young women with ALS to show them. Not everyone looks like Lou Gehrig, but even Lou Gehrig, as I've been saying a lot of last month, is not your typical case. He was much younger than the average ALS patient.

He is not in that normal demographic either. So anything we can do to shine a light on this disease, the funding it needs, and the incredible people who are involved in this community, I'm just so grateful and again, so grateful to this organization. So thank you. I think Sarah has always been known for her joy over baseball and how she interacts with other people. I never hear anything but positive is about Sarah. But now that she is facing the fight of her life and she's got a new mission and a new vision, her joy is even more evident. If you would like to see more on her story, definitely check out her Twitter, also the website starsforSarah.org. And producer Jay is going to retweet a photo with that web link from the Yankees because they were highlighting her battle. Again, others there as part of Hope Week on what was the 84th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's iconic speech.

Many of you could recite lines from yourself as either Yankees fans or just longtime baseball fans. So check it out on our show, Twitter, After Hours, CBS. Also, you can send your questions for Ask Amy Anything. We've got our baseball question tonight, too. So plenty of goodies on our social media.

That includes Facebook. Straight ahead, it's always a good time for QB news. After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

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Visit act.com slash hypergig for details. It's time for QB news on After Hours. Always. Yes, baseball.

You are America's pastime, but we dig our football in this country. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. George Kittle holding his tight end camp, but a lot of the other Niners, including the quarterbacks, were hanging out, watching it unfold. One of our guests to talk Niners in the Bay Area, we looked at Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports, and she caught up with Trey Lance, who was acknowledging that Kittle can be a tough receiver to connect with.

It's different, for sure. I mean, time is a huge part of it, and George, with his explosiveness and speed and everything and just ability to make plays is probably one of the toughest guys I've ever had to throw to. But just continuing to get reps with him and, like you said, just getting the rest of the other guys, it only helps. The last time we had Jennifer on the show, she was talking about how important it is for Trey now to be healthy and to get the reps that he really hasn't had the last couple of years because he's been dealing with nagging injuries.

So she was talking about him being happier the last time he was here or she was here on the show, and he acknowledges that, yeah, he's so thrilled to be out there with his guys. I'm in a great spot physically, mentally, and just excited for this year. How much does your physical health play into how happy you are mentally on the field?

I mean, I like to play. That's kind of why I came here. So it's definitely hard when I don't get that opportunity, and last year was part of it.

Just bump in the road and be better for it. Sam Darnold also there right now. You would say he's the third-string QB at the very least, and that would be if Brock Purdy doesn't return healthy for training camp.

He'd be number two, but he's a backup plan, though he's also there at Kittle's tight end camp. To be able to come out here, listen to George, listen to Travis, listen to Greg, obviously Gronk yesterday, and really all the guys who played the position. It's so awesome to see how serious and how much they love the craft of playing tight end and playing their position. I think just being a quarterback and coming out here, I learned so much just from everything they talk about, whether it's a stem on a route or even run blocking. I think it's so cool to see how passionate they are about the little things.

It was awesome to come out here and obviously the camaraderie, being with the boys all weekend or all week, it's been fun. Sam Darnold finding a new home there in San Francisco, but if the Niners have their way, he won't see the field. What about Brock Purdy? We know that he's going through his rehab after the elbow surgery, and there is hope that he could be ready when the season kicks off, but don't ask for any type of information from Kyle Shanahan because he's not giving it to you ever. He hates it when you ask about his quarterbacks. It sounds like he keeps surviving press conferences. Rich Eisen did it instead with Kyle Juszczyk, was talking to him about Brock Purdy and why it worked so seamlessly when Brock took over for an injured Garoppolo last season, even though he was Mr.

Irrelevant, the very last draft pick in 2022. When I describe Brock to people, and this is the biggest compliment that I could ever receive, I say he's a football player. The guy has just played a lot of ball.

He started since he was a freshman at Iowa State, so he played a lot of games. When you're playing that position, especially a quarterback, you just need those reps. You need those live reps, those live bullets, and just certain little things, timing things, natural reactions, they just get ingrained in your head, and you're just not thinking as much out there. You're just reacting. I felt like that's what he was doing. If he was just going out there and he was reacting, he didn't have to think about it as much. It sounds so much easier than what it really is. To have the confidence to do that as the last pick of the draft, rookie, the first year in this offense, to have the trust in Kyle to, this is what Kyle told me to do during the week when we did the install, I'm just going to go do that and I'm going to react.

I'm not going to overthink it. I felt like that's what he really did. He was so well prepared that he didn't have to overthink things, and he just ran the offense.

He didn't try to do too much. He trusted in the playmakers that he had. He's got a plethora of weapons in our offense, and he didn't try to take on too much. He just went out there and he reacted.

An extensive answer from Kyle Hughes, check of the Niners, about Brock Purdy, and I like what he had to say. The reps really helped, even though they were in college. He was prepared, and he didn't try to win games on his own.

He was taking advantage of the guys around him. He learned quickly, and he listened to the coaches and to the veterans. That from the Rich Eisen show. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence of QB News. How about from San Francisco to Miami, where Jalen Waddle and his college teammate at Alabama, Tua Tungovoloa, have a special connection, certainly a big reason why that Dolphins offense can be successful. It's great.

Tua's a great guy. We got years in with us playing together, so that's always good. Being familiar with your quarterback, especially going from a college game to an NFL game. It's kind of like learning how to ride a bike again. That's just playing back and getting kind of.

It's fun, but you don't have to learn quarterback tendencies and what he likes because you already played with him. Jalen speaking to KPRC Channel 2 and Ari Alexander. Can't wait to see the Waddle again. It's even funnier when guys from other teams try to imitate the Waddle. Jalen, what makes your QB so special? His ball placement. I think everybody sees it. Ball placement, knowing exactly where to put the ball, where his receivers are carrying it. Not just catch it, but catch it and run with it.

So that's what makes Tua Tua. Definitely not too early to start talking about the 23 season with training camps two, three weeks away. Most accurate quarterback in the NFL. Tyreke Hill never stops talking.

Well, I mean, neither do we, so can't really point fingers. One more. Not sure if you guys saw Justin Fields, who was part of the festivities in Chicago for the street race that NASCAR hosted on Sunday. Even in all the rain, Justin was out there.

It looked like he was having a good time. The reason I bring that up is because Jay Gruden actually believes Justin could make a big leap in terms of his abilities and his leadership, like what Jalen Hurts did last season with the Eagles. I think people are hoping Justin Fields does that. His ability to run the football was incredible.

I never saw that at Ohio State. I mean, he's just running people over, running around people. Now if he can get some of his passing skills a little bit more in tune, hit some drop back throws, that'll really put some fear in some defenses now. We certainly know the Chicago Bears have made a lot of moves to try to put pieces around Justin.

Remember, they tailored the offense to him and to his skill set a little more about halfway through last season. Matt Eberflusen, we saw his number skyrocket, but can he stay healthy doing that? Can he stay healthy running the ball and having the ball in his hands and getting tackled as much as he was? That's always the question with quarterbacks who have the ability to run. So Jay Gruden on the 33rd team about a potential leap for Justin and the Bears this season.

Also from the 33rd team, Eric Mangini. Looking at the situation in Dallas, now remember Kellen Moore, their longtime OC, has moved on to the Chargers, and now it's Mike McCarthy who's calling the plays, though he puts a lot of the responsibility on the shoulders of Dak Prescott. But what happens if the Cowboys don't capitalize on this window with Dak and if they don't take advantage of him while he's on this free agent deal that he signed a couple years ago? It goes back to that same adage that to whom much is given, much is expected, and when you're being paid as an elite quarterback, there is the expectation not just that you win in the regular season, but that you have the potential to bring us to a Super Bowl every year and to potentially win the Super Bowl every year, and Dak has been very good in a lot of categories. He's been very good statistically. He's won a lot of games. But at some point for him to justify those types of numbers, they've got to take that jump.

Otherwise, they are who they are, and that threshold is going to remain the same as it's been for the last 27 years. Once again on the 30-13, that's Eric Mangini looking at the pressure on Dak Prescott, and I would say the pressure on Mike McCarthy as well. It's an abbreviated edition of QB News, but it is early July, and we've got your chance to ask Amy anything coming up next. So send your last-minute questions to our show, Twitter, After Hours, CBS. You can also do it on our Facebook page. Easy peasy to find us, bright orange box, because orange is still my favorite color, and I don't know, did you see orange fireworks going off at any point on July 4th?

AT&T Fiber presents a straightforward moment. Your wine? Thanks. I'll pretend I know what I'm doing before saying it's good. And I'll pretend I don't know you're pretending. Are you a gagillionaire?

Yeah, I have AT&T Fiber. The straightforward pricing has inspired me to be more straightforward. Me too.

Ugh, the swine. I'll fetch you a better one. Straightforward is better. No equipment fees, no data caps, no price increase at 12 months. Live like a gagillionaire with AT&T Fiber. Limited availability in select areas.

Visit att.com slash hypergig for details. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Time to ask Amy anything. Sort of. Hit me with your best shot. Fire away. Good to have you with us, even as we move forward post July 4th and Independence Day, starting a new year for the United States of America. Hope you enjoyed your holiday.

If it was an extended break for you, awesome. For us, we've been here, we're still here, and it is the hump show, which means Ask Amy Anything here on After Hours. CBS Sports Radio, thank you for sending your questions and for finding us on Twitter. After Hours, CBS, as well as our Facebook page named after the show. We do have a new video version of Ask Amy Anything.

That's on our YouTube channel. Completely different questions and a setting that we've never used before. So a different backdrop and different room for our Ask Amy Anything. My mom actually said to me, since when do you and Jay use the same room? That's a good question, mom.

So you're going to have to go check out the setting. Again, it's on our YouTube channel named after the show. Our latest video version of Ask Amy Anything. Jay? All right.

Well, with the holidays and all the millions and millions and millions of Americans who are traveling and out on the roads, who we saw this weekend, I have to start here with Greg. You ready for this one? OK. All right. So he says, hi, Amy. Hi. I'm on the last leg of a 12-day, 5,600-mile road trip from New Hampshire to New Mexico and back. Whoa. He asks, what's the longest road trip you've ever taken?

Well, that's a good question. I did do the New Jersey to Houston and back road trip three times in the last decade. And it's 1,700 miles one way. So that was definitely a haul. Not just for me, because I was driving solo, but also for Penny, who was the reason I drove it, three times in the last decade to go spend Christmas with mom and family members in the Texas area. I didn't think I would ever do that again. I actually promised my dog I would never make her do that road trip again, except now there's Bob in the equation, and it appears as though I will be doing it again at Christmastime.

My poor dog. But, yes, that's the longest, 3,400 miles round trip. I'd also done New Hampshire to Oklahoma, but I didn't turn around and go back because I moved from New Hampshire to Woodward, Oklahoma a little more than 20 years ago.

I just didn't do the round trip, so that was a one-way haul. All right, we'll talk about states and driving between states. Phil asks, which U.S. state, or couple of states if you want, have you enjoyed visiting the most? I love South Carolina because I love the low country behind Beaufort and the beaches.

So I do enjoy South Carolina. Loved, loved, loved my more recent trip to Arizona. Now, I'd been there before, but to see the Grand Canyon, to hike the Grand Canyon, to witness Sedona and Williams, Arizona, and the Sycamore Falls for the first time ever, and to drive 1,000 miles in Arizona in the span of two or three days, that was pretty incredible.

Plus, I saw family members while I was there. Utah is gorgeous. I did a basketball game there in the wintertime and got to see the snow-covered mountains, so really enjoyed that.

I'm trying to think what else just has captivated my attention. I love the Outer Banks and the Bogue Banks of North Carolina. I love Maine. I love New Hampshire for its coastline in New England. Certainly enjoyed the Jersey Shore, though I now live in Jersey. Really anything to do with the ocean makes me happy, so on either side of the United States. And Alaska, got to put Alaska in there.

Most beautiful shades of gray. And then to be up on the Hubbard Glacier, I don't know if I'll ever see it again, but a cruise to Alaska going back about 15 years ago was also probably my favorite vacation I've ever taken. You mentioned basketball in there and calling a basketball game in Utah, so I'm going to go here. Louis asks, when you were playing basketball, did you ever have a pregame meal ritual, or did you eat the same things before each game? Well, our team and the coaches pretty much gave us access to the same meals before every game. Chicken and some protein, certainly pasta. I used to eat a lot of pasta before games, or not right before games maybe. But when you're talking about right before the game would tip, I prefer to work more on, I wouldn't say an empty stomach, but not having anything recent in my stomach, so probably three to four hours before a game is when we ate.

But yeah, chicken for the protein, pasta to have some carbs, maybe a few veggies in there as well. What is more interesting would be what I drank after games. Weirdly enough, maybe I'm alone on my island, whether it be practice or games, I would always go to our snack bar afterwards and get a giant cup of iced milk. Milk is what helped me to replenish. I'm not a Gatorade person, though I've had Gatorade. Water was okay, that's what I would drink during a game, but after games and after practices, I would go across to our snack bar and get the largest size, an extra large cup of iced milk.

So good. And you've never broken a bone either, right? Never broken a bone. Calcium. Big time calcium, girl. I mean, I am big bone, so I'm thankful for my genes in that area, but yes, a big time milk drinker.

I love milk. All right, we'll go back to the fourth here. Dave asks, do you have a favorite type of firework, and have you ever launched any fireworks yourself?

Never. The only thing that I ever did was when I was a kid growing up in New Hampshire or when we would spend Fourth of July, which we typically did, with my grandparents in the Youngstown area. We would get sparklers to set off in the backyard or to have in the backyard when we were kids. But no, fireworks is not my expertise. I do not want to burn down a house. I don't want to start a fire in my yard. I don't want to lose fingers.

I'm good to watch someone else, the experts, put them together and to remain safely away. At a good distance. This one comes in from Eric. I don't want to smell them either. Do you smell them? They don't smell good. My whole neighborhood was just a haze of smoke and fireworks the whole evening.

No, thank you. This one comes from Eric. He asked, what are some of your favorite USA sporting moments?

Ooh, I like that question. All right, my initial one would go back to 1992 when I was a kid and the Dream Team. First time that pros were ever allowed to compete in the Olympics and since Larry Bird is my all time favorite athlete, he's one of the reasons I'm in this business. I'll go Dream Team with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley. I mean, these are this is the original Dream Team from 1992. So that I will never forget their red, white and blue warm up jerseys. Oh, that was awesome.

Let's see. How about Michael Phelps in Beijing? Was it eight gold medals?

He won every race that he entered. Do you remember how because of the time change in order to see them live, you'd have to watch late night. But they would be replaying these races during the daytime. And it felt like all of the United States of America was watching as Michael Phelps would get in the pool. So that was a record haul going back to 2008 and Phelps in Beijing.

How about a different sport? Soccer. Carly Lloyd.

So this was I remember this because it was July 4th week, actually. 2015 Women's World Cup final against Japan. She had a hat trick in the first half.

And do you remember? She nearly scored from midfield. She had a goal that she lofted up and over the head of the Japanese goalie from midfield. And that was really her crowning achievement. Carly Lloyd leading the Americans to the Women's World Cup title.

Maybe Brandi Chastain going back. I don't remember what year it was. But going back when the original iconic women's soccer team for USA, Mia Hamm and others who were on that roster. They won and she ripped off her jersey and created a whole controversy.

Because oh my gosh, she was wearing a sports bra on national TV, international TV. Was that 99? It might have been 99. So those are probably a few that I would say. There are many more because I'm a huge fan of the Olympics.

But those are a few that come up. You know what I just thought about? Remember TJ Sochi in Sochi Olympics? Yes.

Oh my gosh, that was amazing. Right. And not just that, but Ryan Miller.

Remember the run he had at the Olympics a few years ago when he was nearly impenetrable in goal for Team USA? Yeah, pretty cool. Thanks, Crosby.

Yeah, thanks, Sid. This one comes in from another Eric who asks, Have you ever made homemade ice cream? And if not, would you ever want to? I have. My mom and I did it together years ago. It didn't turn out that well. We didn't love it. But I've always wanted to try again. I never have.

So it was one time, I feel like now it kind of, I don't know, now I'm a little intimidated by the whole process. But I do have friends who make incredible homemade ice cream. And I do think it would be really fun to do. Now, considering how badly I suck at frosting cupcakes, maybe it's not my thing to go with liquid. Could you really call baking liquid treats? I don't know. No, I mean, we're talking about cooking slash concoctions, I guess. I'm not sure if I'd be real good at it.

Maybe I should try again because ice cream is amazing, especially this time of the year. So this one comes from David. And you'll have to check out our video version if you want to find out which animal Amy Lawrence would be if she was an animal. But David wants to know, what are a few of your other favorite animals that aren't a dog or a cat? Well, horse is my number one favorite. I've always been a horse lover since I was a kid. My girlfriends, when I was younger, would play with dolls. I did love Strawberry Shortcake. But they would play with, you know, whatever, girly toys, Barbies, that kind of thing. I was always playing with my miniature horse figurines.

That and Star Wars. So horse is number one. Number two, I've always loved big cats, tigers, lions, cheetahs, jaguars. They amaze me. Lately, I've been on an elephant kick. I can't stop watching elephant videos, baby elephant videos on Facebook.

They just keep sending them to me. I also really dig Fiona the Hippo from the Cincinnati Zoo, so I love her as well. Yeah, I mean, I'm a big fan of wild animals. Love pandas to see pandas. I know they're in zoos, but you don't see them a lot. I see them a lot in the wild, so yeah, those are some of my faves. But I love all animals.

I'm a big, except for bugs, I'm a big-time animal lover. This one comes from Baseballer, who, he says, I'm wondering if you've ever visited Central Park in New York City. If so, what was the experience like, and what are, is any special features that stood out to you? Well, not only have I visited Central Park a bunch, because we work in New York City, and because when family and friends come through, they want to go to Central Park, I've actually run a half marathon in Central Park, and one of the features that surprised me, if you don't know this, it's extremely hilly. You get to the north end of Central Park, and there is a gigantic hill that we had to run twice as part of the half marathon. So yeah, you may not realize it, you may think that because it's an island, that Central Park is relatively flat, but it's not.

It's got a lot of hills, and in the north end, it's a very steep hill that people generally have to walk out of, or bike out of, to exit the park on the north end. Oh, it's huge, too. Central Park is humongous. I don't think people realize how big it is. It's the size of Manhattan. It's huge.

I was going to say, it's like half of the island of Manhattan. Alright, we'll close here with rapid fire. Soda or milkshake? Milkshake. Cadbury or Hershey? Hershey. M&M's or Kit Kat?

M&M's. Lays or Pringle? Oh, I like Pringle. I like Pringles.

I don't really eat either one, but I like Pringles. Fan or air conditioning? Oh no, both. Right now in my room, in my house, I have Central AC and a fan. Balcony or terrace? Balcony. Give a speech or write a paper?

Give a speech. You know me. Come on. Warm coats or fuzzy socks?

Fuzzy socks. Be bored or be busy? I don't remember the last time I was bored. I'm always busy. That's what I prefer. I do my best work when I'm busy. It's After Hours, CBS Sports Radio.