After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 3

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Nuh-uh. Just don't buy Bird Dogs. You won't like them. Don't go to BirdDogs.com slash MLB. I promise you'll regret it.

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That's BetterHelp H-E-L-P dot com slash positive. Straight up, dead center of the work week. What a Tuesday.

Makes the hump a little bit easier to stomach when there's so much football. Camps fully inflamed. Training camps are fully engulfed in flames now and so is Messi. My goodness I didn't count on twitter but I am willing to bet there were thousands.

I guess you could include Insta and Facebook and Snap and TikTok and whatever else. There had to be thousands and thousands and thousands of fireball emojis around Messi. Messi, Messi, Messi, Messi, Messi. Not only did he start for the first time for his Miami MLS club but he gets two goals and an assist just for fun. 4-0 win over Atlanta and now we're seeing not only why why Miami made such a big deal about his coming to MLS and it certainly even if he was over the hill like I mean David Beckham wasn't completely over the hill but he was toward the tail end of his career when he left Europe and came to the LA Galaxy. Messi is one of the best players in the world right now and at times it looks like he's toying with the other MLS players. My goodness granted it's a team sport he's not doing it all by himself but there are times what did you say earlier producer Jay when you told me about what you called my attention to Messi I was actually watching a little bit of this because I'm so thrilled to see the reaction to him but also he just can dribble circles around peeps. Yeah Messi playing in the MLS against MLS defenders it's just not fair. Miami's just gonna beat everybody because he can just run in circles around any MLS defender it looks like. Oh my gosh good stuff and he's wearing pink you know real men wear pink right these are the pink Miami jerseys love it I might get a pink Miami Messi jersey why not Miami's hot to trot right now. It's a goodbye the heat getting back to the NBA finals the Florida Panthers as the eighth seed had one heck of a run in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Messi has landed in Miami and MLS may never be the same this is the biggest coup for MLS in who knows how long it's crazy right because MLS is not good enough for Christian Pulisic who's the best American player but somehow it's good for Messi.

Christian get your rear end back to the United States. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence our hump show here on CBS Sports Radio. I'm cheating a little bit though because it's the hump show and yet I only have one more show after this one. I will be off on Thursday night into Friday morning my long weekend for July so each of the months of the summertime I'm taking a four-day weekend and this is my four-day weekend coming up. I've also got one end of August around Labor Day and then no more time off until Thanksgiving so I gotta soak up a little bit of extra rest before we hit football. We are just over 40 days and 40 nights away from the start of the NFL season and it feels like a total shift for the Washington commanders. I know there are a lot of fans who partied hardy over the weekend once the sale of the commanders really and the transfer of power away from Daniel Snyder was official and was announced.

You're going to hear from Ron Rivera coming up a lilt in his voice of course as long as he's got a revolving door quarterback it doesn't really matter who owns the team. I'm just saying. So we'll get to Messi and also a U.S. women's national team about to play its second game at the World Cup that takes place on Wednesday so we'll have that to talk about this time tomorrow. A little bit of football global style on the global stage but don't forget to send your questions for Ask Amy Anything.

I don't care what you call it. Twitter, X, Twix, Twix, Xlax, Relax. Actually that was kind of a good suggestion from a listener on Facebook which is just ironic. A listener on Facebook suggested the whole Aaron Rodgers R-E-L-A-X. It's perfect right? We could isolate the X at the end. Oh great just to make it we've got X already. Just the X. Aaron Rodgers into it. Actually I think it's perfect though.

The fact that X is the last letter in Relax is perfect because in the grand scheme of life how much does it matter whether or not the blue bird of paradise has flown the coop and we're stuck with the stupid X. I don't like it. I don't like it either. I don't think it's distinct. I don't think it's a distinguished logo. To me it's boring and dumb. When I see it like on the page or you know how when you have multiple tabs open it'll just show like that little image in like the left corner of the tab.

I keep looking at it and thinking it's like a pop-up or it's a like an ad or something like oh how'd that get open and I want to close it. It's just not I don't I don't register it as Twitter. It's weird.

Well your mind can be retrained. I just don't think it's very distinct. Also there is no as in no chance I will ever be submitting my credit card information into Twitter or using Twitter as a commercial marketplace. I already have a deep distrust. Deep mistrust.

I made up a new word for social media and this will not enhance it. People don't believe me but the second I'm done in this career now it may be a while but this it better be a while but the second I'm done in this career I'm out on social media. I don't know if my mom will still be around then.

I certainly hope so. I hope my mom was to be 120. She'd probably groan hearing me say that. I'm practicing taking care of my mom with taking care of my dog.

Oh my gosh poor Penny. She's her challenges are a lot like an old person. I'll just say that without embarrassing my sweet puppy I'll just tell you she's got some challenges that are similar to an old person and I love her dearly but I am stressed out about leaving her.

I've become a helicopter mom in my old age or her old age I should say. So yeah excited about Houston. Can't wait but really nervous about leaving my dog because this is the last time she has to go to a dog center who by the way hasn't gotten in touch with me. We were supposed to get together on Sunday then we're supposed to talk on the phone. Here we are just over 36 hours actually under 36 hours from me departing for Houston and I have not heard a word and so I'm Jay I'm telling you if I have an emergency dog sitting situation you can't turn me down. You're supposed to be one of my great friends. You're the only one I know who's available.

I guess I'll be on standby. Please you have to. It's Penny. You love Penny. Penny? I love Penny. I don't know if Penny loves me. No it's Penny loves everyone. It's easy.

It's easy. All you gotta do is walk her around the block a couple times a day. She hates the heat.

It's about to get super hot. All you gotta do is hibernate in my house with the air condition. Feed the dog. Walk the dog around the block. Talk to the dog.

Not that she can hear you anyway because she's mostly deaf. Ignore the cat and we'll all be set. I'm serious. I'm I'm not kidding. If I don't hear from I'm so stressed out see I said I'm serious. I'm not kidding. I mean if I don't hear from the dog sitter by Wednesday afternoon I'm calling you because I am I don't know what else to do.

Like do you see my face? I'm not making this up. I do not know what else to do. I would need room and board. Duh I'll pay you. Oh no that's fine.

No no I will absolutely pay you. If I just crash then that's all. Well what did you think I was gonna do?

Have you drive back and forth from Long Island to New Jersey? Yeah. No. I mean if I had to be done. I know I want Penny to have someone with her. Just hang out?

Well do what you normally do because you're on the same schedule as me so she's used to it. I'll even let you drink my soda. You love soda. I've got a stock of soda. I just stocked up.

UTV. Yeah yes with with your one of your passwords stored into it. Hmm. Yeah I'll be on standby. Will you really? Because I'm not kidding.

This is starting to stress me out because I have not heard from her. I mean of course like if you actually really do end up needing me I mean. Yes.

Yeah. And I swear to you I'll zell you money. I don't need your money. Well I do. I need everyone's money. Yeah don't lie. But I'm not gonna take your money.

I mean you could say you don't want the money but don't tell me you don't need the money. We both know that's not the case. Oh phew. I feel a little bit better now because I literally haven't heard from her and I'm supposed to be walking out the door on Thursday around lunchtime.

I mean you've used them before right? It's a little odd. It's my groomer.

It's the groomer but the the issue is that her mom right now is in the hospital and also she adopted two puppies three months ago so I should have just asked you ahead of time and promised you soda and snacks and tv and money in your zell account. All of that. Plus it's a shorter commute to work. Is it? Yeah.

It is a shorter commute to work. Hmm. Hmm. Okay I might just have to entice you just because I I I trust you. I don't really trust anyone else. She doesn't. All you have to do is just walk around the block twice a day.

Walk around the block twice a day. I'm here. I'm on standby. Okay. I mean I if if your dog groomer should come through just for you know her she agreed to it and that's her business. She did agree to it.

It would be a horrible move not to not follow through but. I know but but it's scaring me. But don't worry yeah you have uh insurance here. Okay I feel much better now.

See you guys this is why producer j is da best. This is why I keep bringing him soda oh and promising him TSA pre-check for Christmas. The greatest gift because it's something I would never buy myself you know. Why why would you? I don't know I just would never think I've never followed through like I just wouldn't do it. Well the issue is if if we fill out the application for you you have to go to an appointment. You have to get fingerprinted. They don't just give you the number until you get fingerprinted and background checked.

If you like set me all up I'd do it. Did you get arrested in your past? Um once. Didn't you tell me you got arrested once?

Once. Great yeah it was a long time ago. I hope that your juvenile record is sealed. It is it was on it was a probation thing six months didn't get in trouble it's all gone.

Never mind I'm not letting you in my house. No it was one time at a concert. One time it was one time okay so when you get arrested a second time then it's a pattern then you're a delinquent? No that was like 10 years ago now yeah that was a long time ago. I love how you say it was a long time ago it was 10 years ago. 10 years ago.

I was here 10 years ago. I'll even pay you. I know I don't have to convince you anymore but I'm just I'm saying. I'm on standby. You are. Officially. Okay I feel so much better.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. I know you guys feel better for me too but also for Penny because I can't leave if Penny is not taken care of. All right back to the commanders.

There's no easy way to segue from me panicking about my dog to Ron Rivera. However Josh Harris has given the commanders new life and their fan base new hope. We're very excited to get to work and to start the new era of Washington football and yeah I mean we we are humbled and awed by the level of responsibility that we have to take care of the city and to win championships and to you know really excite the fans again.

A lot of that thing has to do with just you know the feeling that that you know that that so many people are behind us. You know it was it was it was it was different. I mean you know when you were having to deal with stuff outside of football. Now it's about football. It's like what I said you know we're going to focus in on what's important to us and that's playing the game so I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm fired up about that. I am.

I love Ron Rivera. I'm I'm fired up. No I really am. I am fired up. So fired up. I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm fired up. I am. Fantastic.

We're gonna need that drop during football season anytime anything good happens with the commanders. I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm fired up. I am.

That's awesome. It's even funnier than Jerry Jones when he stutters as if I'm some expert talker. All right so why why does he love new owner Josh Harris? A sense of pride in this organization and that was probably one of the really good things that I really appreciated in our first conversation and then you know we plan to have more conversations we talk about the more intricate things of of our job and that would be you know as you mentioned you know some of the extensions some of the titles about players the future all that kind of stuff the thing that was stressed to me from from Mr. Harris and and some of his other partners was this is about you know job one and that's putting together winning football team. Certainly Josh Harris made that point very clear as a guy who used to attend games at the old RFK stadium. The guy who could rattle off not just the dates when they won Super Bowls but also some of the players that he idolized when he was growing up in the DC area and so I love the fit.

It's personal for Harris. He also has shown that he wants to be a winner. His decisions, the decisions of the ownership group and of course the guys that they've hired with the New Jersey Devils and with 76ers. The Sixers they're still in process but they've got the reigning MVP in the NBA. The Devils made a major splash the last couple years are really building from the ground up and and they had a huge start to what they believe will be a good run of Stanley Cup playoff appearances.

It bodes well because he's got a track record and because it is personal for him so I like this for the commanders and I don't know if you saw the people partying all weekend and there is a new a new feel a new excitement and it's not just because Josh is personally connected and personally invested in seeing the commander succeed. Now in the NFL you make money even if your team stinks. I mean that's how it goes. The NFL makes money hand over fist and its owners they get richer. It's also the league where you can go from worst to first which the commanders were in the basement of the NL East the only team not to make the playoffs. Did I say NL East?

Haha. NFC East even before anyone could point it out it's baseball season. The NFC East had three playoff teams the commanders were the only one that didn't make it. They were busy rotating in three or four or six quarterbacks.

Okay three. This is a team that's got good leadership in terms of its coaching staff and now feels like they've got the support and the stability of an owner that is not going to be under investigation by the NFL, being called onto the carpet in front of Congress on Capitol Hill, worried about emails leaking, how is Daniel Snyder going to embarrass us next. It's a lot hanging over the heads of I would say the coaching staff in the front office. Maybe not the players as much but the whole tone around the commanders is Daniel Snyder is going to be but the whole tone around the commanders is different and you can understand why Rivera loves this shift and can tell already. I think it's pretty exciting I really do. You can already feel the impact a lot of it has to do with just really the reaction from the fan base more so than anything else. I think our guys have have also felt it they felt it again because of the reaction to fan base. It was really kind of neat and if you look outside you see the setup for camp and the guys really you know they're getting into this and so it's kind of unique feeling.

It's exciting I mean I'm fired up about the opportunity as we go forward. Super cool excited for Ron Rivera to finally have a winning team there in Washington. They did win the division going back to his first year. Was that 2020? It was right because it was the same year that the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl. So it was the 2020 season but they were under 500 and they have not found the answer at quarterback yet. He he keeps trying it's like a it's like a dartboard that's true he does think Sam Howe was the answer.

It's like a dartboard the commanders just keeps and the Colts too both teams Panthers as well there's it's like they're blindfolded and just throwing darts at a dartboard and hoping that something sticks. All right coming up messy messy messy messy messy and U.S. women's national team facing a game against the Netherlands in their round robin their group play at the women's world cup. Glad to have you with us. Send your last minute questions for Ask Amy Anything to our show Twitter after our CBS and also to our Facebook page. If you're waking up on your Wednesday well good morning you're listening I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm fired up for both I am on CBS Sports Radio.

You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. Everything's about opening the game going forward great ball from I think he's on side. Messi with Gazan off his line. Messi off the post puts the ball in of course he did. Eight minutes in Lionel Messi gets his second for Miami one down. Messi driving forward over to Robert Taylor. Taylor cutting it back. Martinez left it for Messi.

Oh my word he has done it again. Lionel Messi three goals in less than an hour of play for Eastern Miami. 2-0 tonight over Atlanta.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. It is pretty incredible to watch I will say that. The smile on his face the pink jersey of course because real men wear pink and it seems like he could dribble circles around some of the MLS defenders if he really wanted to embarrass them which I don't know that he does but he has made a splash already in the starting lineup on Tuesday night for the game with the Miami Miami fans.

Remember there were 20,000 strong that showed up for his introduction. Well now word has spread tickets are going like hotcakes and anytime they're going to be on a field anywhere there'll be a buzz but specifically they're in Fort Lauderdale and so he's in the starting lineup and they beat the united I mean they shellacked the united from Atlanta 4-0. He has a couple of goals for nil I should say. A couple of goals as well as an assist and the smiles the smiles all around and even when he missed his first shot on goal nobody got to him nobody marking him. He's able to just to punch it home on a follow-up. It's an offensive rebound for heaven's sakes. You know what I say about offensive rebounds they are sexy.

Noah Allen is messy. Everything that you could have hoped and dreamed and imagined. The second half of the baseball season is here and each game means a little little bit bit more. We're talking pennant races and wildcard chases with each pitch bringing us closer to the playoffs. The free odyssey app lets you listen to live play-by-play of your local team so no matter what you're up to you'll never have to miss another game.

Download the free odyssey app today and keep baseball close by all summer long. That's a-u-d-a-c-y odyssey. It was obviously really high but yeah he still passed my expectations I mean it's really beautiful to see him play he just makes it easy again for everyone and it's so awesome to watch you know in the game and to help you choose. I think he's a genius. He's a very smart man. All right I mean that pretty much says it all. How about this messy with his new contract is also very generous.

According to DeAndre Yedlin, same DeAndre Yedlin who plays for the U.S. men's national team. Messy gifted the entire team headphones by Beats. First off where can we snag some of those pink and black beats by Dre? You got to ask Messy. Messy got them for the team. Did he? Yeah he did. There we go.

Another anecdote to add. Exactly exactly. Can the man do no wrong?

He can do zero wrong. It's really impressive. It's a good move. I cannot wait to see him wherever he is landing at an MLS pitch near me. I have to see him play. This is it's like watching the Olympics when they finally come back to the United States. I need to be able to see them World Cup too. So in these next few years we've got both the World Cup and the Olympics in North America.

I'm gonna have to be part of that. August 26th Messy will be in the New York area against the Red Bulls. Aren't we supposed to go see the Mets and the Angels that day? That was that day right? Yes I think.

Double feature? I think we're supposed oh yeah and then work overnight? Yeah. Sure go ahead you you feel free. No. Nap on the train. What okay no absolutely not.

Only one of us has to be coherent for four hours and that would not be you. Well I mean if we want to stay in the air I'd have to be pretty alert but. So yay Messy.

A lot of buzz. This is exactly what MLS needs even before we're talking at the club level with specifically Miami. And yes I could do with the pink Messy jersey. U.S. women will take to the pitch again in New Zealand where they had their second game against the Netherlands coming up on Wednesday. Good news Rose Lavelle who's a bit of a veteran. She's one of their midfielders. She's finally available to be able to start. She's been dealing well she did come on in a reserve role or in a I should say a sub role in their game against Vietnam going back on Friday. And yeah she's one that she gets in the mix and she'll generate some scoring chances but has also been dealing with injury. That goes back to the spring when she hurt her knee. So good to see her out there running around and potentially could start. We had talked about this with Stephen Goff of the Washington Post who joined us from Auckland New Zealand on I guess it was Friday morning.

So it's Friday afternoon New Zealand time Friday morning for us live here on the eastern the eastern time zone on the east coast. And we had asked him or I had asked him about what it means that this is the first Women's World Cup where Team USA is not dealing with this fight over equal pay. I love what Alex Morgan had to say about this. She was asked in advance of this second game what it's like to have that fight and to now have equal pay but all of that in the rearview mirror. Everything where we were in 2019 to where we are now is almost the same but couldn't be more different. We were fighting a legal battle off the field and trying to also win over the world on the field, win over the world's hearts and minds and prove ourselves this time around. We don't have to worry about anything off the field. All we have to worry about is putting the work in, doing everything we need to do from sun up to sun down to get our bodies and our minds right for the next game in front of us. That feels really good and now we have to do the work each game that we step foot on the field. US Soccer has done a great job in supporting us and that's not the case with a lot of the other federations around the world. We know that so as much as we'll continue to support all of the other players around the world who are fighting the battle that we fought for so long, the construction's really going getting after it.

We're in a very good position right now and so it's just about putting in the work. I appreciate that from Alex because she was part of that fight for a long time. She's played in multiple World Cups and has represented Team USA before and after becoming a mom but has represented Team USA at the highest level. She's very high profile, a recognizable athlete, a vocal outspoken athlete and you know we had talked to Becky Sauerbrunn who was captain of Team USA back when they were qualifying.

She did the same thing. Now that was literally in in the hours after Team USA or the women had been granted the equal pay by US Soccer and had won that fight and she was talking about how emotional it was and now here is Alex Morgan in the wake of this agreement. The dust is settled and they no longer have to think about it. It'd be a little bit like doing your job in the midst of a contract dispute or doing your job while you're suing your employer. Maybe doing your job in the middle of a workman's comp situation. I've actually had the latter as something I dealt with earlier in my career and and I've worked while I was waiting for a contract to be finalized too. You all know that. It doesn't necessarily have to take you out of your rhythm and groove.

It doesn't necessarily take you to a point where you can't focus on your job but it sure is a heck of a lot easier when you don't have that to worry about. So I'm happy for the women's national team and anything less than a third consecutive world cup title would be a disappointment. Alright coming up don't be disappointed. Ask Amy anything.

Part of our hump show. You've got mere moments left to ask producer Jay. Please, please, please pick me.

Pick me. So send your questions. Twitter, ALaw Radio, Facebook too. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. Alright quick break.

When we come back as long as Al's still breathing we'll wrap things up. We'll get you to Boomer and Geo on the fan right now on Odyssey Sports Minute. It is Amy Johnson on the British Open. I'm Amy Lawrence with an Odyssey Sports Minute.

The superheroes of WFAN. Amy Johnson on the British Open. I know. We were talking Magic Johnson, Amy Lawrence. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Time to ask Amy anything. Sort of. Well you can ask Amy Lawrence anything or you can ask her alter ego Amy Johnson.

Whichever you prefer. Funny stuff with Jerry Smith. I told him I was going to call him Jerry Smith from now on. He is one of the personalities as part of our New York affiliate WFAN. He does mornings and I guess just had a moment. I have moments sometimes.

It is Amy Johnson on the British Open. For the first few years of George Kittle's career with the Niners I kept calling him Greg. I have no idea why but I kept calling him Greg. You know it's it's all good. It's After Hours here on CBS Sports Radio.

Thank you for sending your questions for Ask Amy Johnson Anything. Producer Jay is back though he almost lost his job to producer Manny who really got into the questions. He covered more than an entire eight and a half by eleven piece of paper with teeny tiny little script.

It was the front and most of the back with his questions for Ask Amy. He wanted to be sure he didn't run out. He's gonna wally pit me. I'll try not to go to a rapid fire with eight minutes left in it but let's see.

All right we'll start here. So Jeff asks what are some of your favorite things to do in Houston while you visit your mom? Oh gosh this time it's going to be stay in the pool as much as possible because it is going to be hot hot hot.

I have never visited Houston in July. I will just tell you that and so I'm not looking forward to the heat and the humidity but while I'm there I'm going shopping with my mom and best friend which will be fun. Mom is going to be in a boot or we're going to put her in a chair because she's still recovering from the foot surgery so that'll be fun.

We'll have the pool. I'm actually making dinner. Typically I bake for my family but I baked here. I'm taking the cookies with me.

Jay gave them the thumbs up. Tremendous tremendous buttermilk chocolate chip cookies and so I baked here but I will be cooking dinner for the family and for Bob on Friday. Also meeting Bob's family. I'll just admit little nervous about that whole experience coming up.

There's going to be a lot of them in just one of me but that's also taking place and then super cool this is Bob's idea. Our Saturday date night going to the Houston Symphony because they are playing Star Wars A New Hope and of course airing the movie on a big screen so I've only seen it with the New Jersey Symphony. This will be my first time visiting another symphony in another city. Let's hope they don't mess up Star Wars because it could ruin the entire day but yes that's our big date night dressing up on date night Saturday. It's going to be tremendous. I cannot wait.

I cannot wait. All right so speaking of traveling Connie wants to know what are some of your favorite beaches that you've ever visited? Well my favorite beach probably since oh gosh the first time I visited is in the low country of South Carolina behind Beaufort. It's called Fripp Island.

It's the last island of what is a string of islands again that that extend out from Beaufort into the Atlantic Ocean. It was my first ever solo vacation and it was one of the best weeks of my entire life so I really love Fripp Island the beaches there. I like Hilton Head but a little bit busier than than what I enjoy on my vacation. I would also say just because I grew up there and it was really my my first kind of experience with being able to go to the beach myself as a young adult my best friend and I we were allowed to go to the New Hampshire beaches all of nine miles of coastline. So Weirs Beach and and that's one where we frequented. I love Clearwater in Florida. My grandparents had a place there when I was growing up. When I was little we would spend Christmases there with my mom. I'm a grandparent so we would go to to Clearwater Beach.

So those are a few of them. Trying to think if there's another one that I've been to that I really enjoy. It's not really a beach but I I did enjoy the the um well never mind that that's not a beach I can't include.

I was gonna say I really enjoy being on the water in Alaska or being off the the Alaskan shore when I was part of my cruise. Not really a beach. Not really sand.

No. Rocks. Rocks. It was rocky. Beachy.

Yeah but Ketchikan was beautiful so was Juno. It's not beachy goofball but it is the coast which I loved. Well we'll keep it on beaches here for a sec because Sean wants to know because I know you're just here last weekend. Do you have a favorite pizza or sausage and pepper joint when you're down on the beaches in the Jersey shore?

Do you know I have never eaten anywhere on the Jersey shore outside of Asbury Park. I've done a I have a friend who lived there for a while and so I went out to eat a couple times with her but generally when I'm at the beach in order to save money and so that I don't have to leave the the place that we picked as our spot on the beach I take a cooler every time. Then I have drinks. I have water. I have snacks. My friend Jazz and I we took a big cooler full of fruit and sandwiches and snacks and everything else. Drinks of course. So yeah I don't actually go out to eat.

First of all I don't want to deal with the crazy traffic and everything else but also I really enjoy the fact that we can just stay on the beach once we're there. We walk in. We walk out. We walk in.

We don't leave for six and a half hours. Bringing the cooler is easily the play. It's clutch. Yeah it's clutch.

Absolutely. So sorry to disappoint but I actually haven't tried any restaurants on the Jersey shore. So Maureen wants to know how are your gardens slash flowers faring this summer with all the rain and lack of sun. Well we've had some sun.

In fact it's about to get steamy hot. It's about to be muggy buggy no huggy in my neighborhood but sadly and I don't know if this is happening anywhere else my hydrangeas either aren't blooming or have not yet bloomed. I got three of them on my large hydrangea which has the multiple colored flowers the purple the blue and the pink but only three of them at the very bottom level of the hydrangea nothing on top which is very strange. I've never had to do anything to that plant. It always I've cut it back a few times but it always it's just gorgeous flowers and only three this year and I don't see any other buds.

It's pretty distressing actually. I don't know if I've done something wrong to it. I didn't even touch it all winter so I'm not sure and the other hydrangea that has the white flowers is also not blooming so I don't know if it has to do with the weather.

It's got to. We've had so much rain but they're hydrangeas. They love water and then my rose bush the rose trellis it's growing out of control. I'm just letting it grow.

It's going over my neighbor's fence. It's like it's on top of the hydrangea. I mean it's crazy but no flowers there either. So my tiger lilies have bloomed. I had gorgeous flowers in the early spring. My butterfly bush is blooming. I just yeah my my sedum are about to bloom as well but not the hydrangeas which is making me sad. You should see my petunia and my begonia in in pots. Oh my goodness all the rain and the weather they love it but I miss my hydrangeas.

I feel like a failure. No it's the inconsistency of the rain and the sun. I feel like it's all too much at one time you know.

Maybe we've got a lot of storms. There's a follow-up actually from Maureen who wants to know did you have a family member or friend with a green thumb that shared their gardening knowledge with you? My mom. My mom loves flowers.

She's got a green thumb but I think she got it from her mom because her mom always had flowers and bushes and trees that were just beautiful in Ohio, northeast Ohio where my grandparents were. So this one's appropriate for this week. Ryan asks do you like to watch Shark Week when it's on? I do. I do. I've caught a few of the episodes. I really enjoyed Sharks vs Dolphins.

It was filmed in the Bahamas. I love dolphins. One of my bucket list items to swim with dolphins and so yeah I do love Shark Week. When they get in those cages and the sharks the great whites come in and rattle the cage like literally rattle the cage. It freaks me out. So yeah love Shark Week.

Don't have a lot of time to sit and watch it but I have recorded a couple episodes to be able to to catch up later. Did you ever see the one where Shaq goes into the shark into the water with the whale shark? Yeah. I love that one.

All right we'll move on here. Steve wants to know what is your number one Larry Bird moment? You're speaking about him earlier. Wow well Larry Bird's my all-time favorite athlete and I suppose it would be easy to point to some of his incredible scoring. Scoring games, obviously the the awards he won individually but also the three titles when he was with the Celtics and certainly the duel with Dominique Wilkins in the playoff game against Atlanta.

I don't remember what year that was. That was an incredible moment but honestly the three-point contest that he won in his warm-up jersey. This was late 80s and he walks off the court after he shoots the final ball. He walks off the court with his finger in the air.

Doesn't even watch the ball go through the hoop but wins the three-point contest. He's wearing his Celtics warm-up jersey. He never even bothered to take off the warm-up jersey. Yeah badass to be sure in the short shorts. Short shorts and the warm-up jersey. I'm a little okay that I missed that era of basketball with the shorts but. Oh no you missed us so much.

The Celtics and Lakers rivalry then Michael Jordan the bad boys. Oh probably the bad. Sad sap. I am. Eric wants to know do you put Italian sausage in your lasagna? No I don't recall that I've ever put Italian sausage. That sounds really good though. This one comes from Brian who asks have you ever spent time in Cincinnati and if so have you ever tried Cincinnati style chili?

I've not tried the chili but I have been in Cincinnati. I once did a game so this is a really funny story I'll tell it quickly. Rebecca Lobo and I were working together on a Big East broadcast.

I was played by place she was color. We we went to the river to get some seafood right so we're there we're getting seafood and this was my first experience with market value. I ordered lobster market value. The bill came back over 90 dollars.

Yeah no I swear. I actually so we got a per diem because we were there for a couple of days around this game and I nearly fell out of my chair when they gave me the bill. Rebecca couldn't stop laughing and so I used my entire per diem on the lobster and then I had had fresh asparagus which cost another ten dollars. The bill was well over a hundred bucks. I never ordered market value again ever. Oh my god.

Yeah it was it was it was really good but it was it was expensive. Real quick before rapid fire. Kevin asks what's your favorite season? Oh god that's so hard. I'll say spring because I love all the flowers. It's family birthdays. It's new life.

It's green. I'll go spring. Cookies or cake? Cookies. Skittles or starburst?

Starburst. Cooking or being cooked for? Oh no I like cooking for others. Logic or emotion? As in which one I like better? Yeah.

I'm an emotional girl but I'm also very logical but I I don't know. I plead the fifth. Field trips or field days? Field days. I rocked them.

Every single year at my school I won blue ribbon upon blue ribbon upon blue ribbon. Scrambled eggs are over easy. Scrambled eggs. Lake Michigan or Lake Superior?

Oh Michigan. Ready for this one? Barbie or Oppenheimer? Well I'm a history buff. I haven't seen either yet. I would like to see the Barbenheimer double feature but I'll go Oppenheimer because I do want to see it. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio.