8-2-23 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 2

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That's BetterHelpHELP.com slash positive. The second half of the baseball season is here, and each game means a little 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. And in this scenario, of course, heaven is represented by the weekend. Thanks so much for hanging out with us. I am glad to be back. I definitely needed the time away. It was busy. In fact, I wouldn't say it wasn't restful, because I did sleep and spent some time in the pool and had good conversation with mom and lots of laughs with with Bob and with his family. It was great to meet them for the first time, so it was an awesome trip. No travel problems, and so I promised stories. Bottom of the hour, you get some stories, peeps, and then we've still got Damar Hamlin back in pads.

We've got Carly Lloyd and the U.S. Women's National Team at odds, but it's Team USA that's really floundering right now, so we'll get to that. Some QB news as well, and yeah, post-Major League Baseball trade deadline. It's our Hump show after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

You can find us and send your questions for Ask Amy Anything now just about 90 minutes away on our show Twitter after hours, CBS, or on our Facebook page. Blanco at second and Waters at first. Francisco Alvarez calls time and goes out to the mound for a mound visit. Oh, they called a buck! They called a buck!

The game is over! They called a buck on Josh Walker before he even threw a pitch! The Royals win it 7-6 on a buck of all things! If there was any other way for this wild back and forth game to end, why not a buck from the seventh pitcher of the game before he even threw a pitch? In case you're wondering, yes, it is in fact the first win via the walk-off buck in Royals history, and that's the call there on the Royals radio network. All right, we welcome Scott Miller, who is a contributor for the New York Times Sports Department, and he's a great player.

He's a contributor for the New York Times Sports Department, also Sirius XM MLB Network Radio longtime insider and analyst and frequent guest here on After Hours joining us from San Diego. My goodness, let's start with the Mets, shall we? What is your reaction to what they've just done with two starting pitchers, a couple other key pieces after setting a record for a season's worth of payroll in 2023? It's the old cliche, but you cannot buy... it takes more than money to win a world series, right? I mean, the Mets won 101 games last year. They had basically the same team coming back. I thought one of the key free agent signings last year, everybody talks about Justin Verlander adding him to Max Scherzer, but you know, there was a time you think back to last winter, center fielder and leadoff man Brandon Nemo was a free agent, and there was a time when people wonder whether he'd be back, and when they signed him, I thought, you know, they really need him.

He's key. Then they had Verlander, and then it all just blows up this year. I mean, you're right, the balk tonight, the losing closer Edwin Diaz in the world baseball classic. I mean, the season started... things started going south on the Mets even before the season started, and you know, they obviously have to do something.

I know if you're a Mets fan, you're probably angry and frustrated and questioning, but I don't see any other option. I mean, they... Atlanta is light years better than them. So are the Dodgers.

I think, you know, they did fairly well. Obviously, they're paying a lot of Verlander and Scherzer's salary. They essentially bought... went out and bought themselves some prospects.

So, you know, now we'll... you know, it'll be important that they hit on those prospects in the next year or two. I will confess, I laughed out loud when I saw that Justin Verlander is going back to the Houston Astros. Why didn't they just sign him in the first place if this is what they wanted?

Yeah, I mean, it's crazy. Yeah, had they done that, then they would have kept their number one prospect, the outfielder that they said to the Mets, and they'd still have him in their farm system. Baseball works in crazy ways and credit the Astros for whether it's admitting a mistake by not resigning Verlander or whether it's simply, you know, going out and getting the best starting pitcher on the market, whatever it is. I mean, he's going to help them. Obviously, he's key in postseason. He knows his way around.

He doesn't shrink from the moment. And once he came back, he had the slow start this year. He was on the injured list for the first few weeks of the season, but he's pitched pretty well since then, and he's going to be a big help. And, you know, also, by the way, fitting on a couple parts that, you know, the Mets lose on a balk tonight, and Houston, Framber Valdez is a no-hitter to Houston. You know, so what a day there to give Verlander and then get a no-hitter. As you mentioned, Framber Valdez with the third no-hitter of the season in the majors and, yes, the irony as they return Justin Verlander to a World Series team, even as they continue to try to track down the Rangers who pick up Max Scherzer. So which team right now do you think is better equipped to make a championship run, Scott?

You know, it's looked all season like Texas, but, you know, boy, they've hit a rough spot the last three weeks, and I think I'd say Houston right now for a couple reasons, Amy. One, you know, the acquisition of Verlander, you know, him and Framber Valdez, Christian Javier, they just continue to pitch and pitch and pitch in Houston, and they've got great pitching, and that's what wins, and that's why I go there. Now, second reason is I like Texas picking up Scherzer, and I think Jordan Montgomery, the lefty they acquired from St. Louis, is going to be an underrated acquisition. I think he's really going to help them, but I think what's going to hurt Texas down the stretch is the injury to catcher Jonah Haim a week ago when he hurt his left wrist against Houston, and he's out for two or three weeks. He was the starting catcher in the all-star game. He's having a career year offensively, defensively.

He's really good in all areas. That left wrist, I don't like the sound of it. I was with Houston, I mean with Texas, over the weekend, and I know doctors have told Haim basically lay low for two or three weeks, and then you can play basically to tolerance of pain. It's a tenon in that left wrist, and if he can play this year, he'll get through the year, then he's going to have to have surgery on the wrist, and playing with a bad wrist is not, I mean, that's asking almost the impossible in baseball.

You need your wrist to hit. Catchers have to have their wrists, so he's going to have to have surgery this winter, and if not, if he tries to come back in three weeks and the pain is such that he can't play, then he'll have surgery during the season. I know they went out and got Austin Hedges today from Pittsburgh, Texas did, who, you know, solid defense, cannot hit a lick. They're going to miss Jonah Haim, and that's why I say Houston over Texas. We're excited to spend a few minutes with Scott Miller, who joins us in the wake of baseball's trade deadline from San Diego. He contributes to the New York Times and also Sirius XM MLB Network Radio.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio, just staying in the AL West for a second. What do you take away from what the Angels did and did not do at the trade deadline, Scott? Yeah, I like that they're trying, that they're, they were in buy mode, and they finally, after years, they finally at this time of year have a chance. I mean, they've still got to win some games, and they've got a road to climb, a hill to climb to get to the playoffs, but you know, they're on the periphery, both the wildcard race, and I don't know that they're going to catch Houston, but you know, stranger things have happened, and you know, going out and getting, you know, Lucas Gelido to, to pitch, I think is good. You know, getting Grichuk from the outfielder from Colorado. I mean, they made a series of moves, and I like it.

I thought two weeks ago, everybody's talking about it. They're going to trade Ohtani. I never thought they would. They've been talking forever since Ohtani's been here about having a chance to win with them, and they finally do have that chance, and I know he's going to be a free agent this winter, but I'll tell you what, they are going to try to resign him. I don't know that they're going to be able to, but they're going to try, and if they can't win this year, suddenly they have a better chance to resign Ohtani than people would have thought, and if they don't end up in the playoffs this year, and he leaves to go elsewhere, I think with a player of that caliber, you've got to give it a shot to keep him. I don't know what they would have been able to get back in prospects.

It's no question. How do you value Ohtani? I mean, if the pitcher he is, the hitter he is, there's no way they were going to get an equitable package back in prospects, not for a two-month rental, so you might as well keep him, and you get a draft pick for him, and if you lose him, and the other end of it is, you know, if you have a player like that, the best player baseball in history, they've got corporate sponsorship deals. They've got every game televised in Japan.

I mean, there's some side money they make off of him that people don't talk about it. Beyond that, just the Angels brand, you know, throughout Japan and throughout the United States, and if you trade a guy like that, and you can't keep him, you might as well just close the franchise, you know. Sky, that sounds very fatalistic. Let's hope they don't close the franchise, though they do need to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2014, because it's been far too long, Mike Trout, that whole time we haven't seen him in the postseason. All right, shifting to the NL West, I know you're in San Diego. This has got to be one of the more, we'll call it, depressing surprises of the 23 season. What in the world is preventing the Padres from being a contender? Yeah, it's crazy. I mean, they've got like the third or fourth best run differential in the National League, and yet they're not even 500.

Right. They've had the worst batting average with runners in scoring position all season in the majors. They have not hit in the clutch. Last night, they won tonight, but last night, Monday night, the series opener in Colorado, they lost in the 10th inning.

That was kind of a microcosm of the season, top of 10. They loaded the bases with nobody out, and they couldn't get a run, and then they lost in the bottom of the 10th, which sent them to 0-10 in extra inning games this year. They've 0-10, haven't won a game in extra innings, and they're not hitting with runners in the clutch. They're really squandering a really talented team and good pitching, and stranger things have happened. They're within the periphery of the wildcard race. They can, you know, they reel off a good run. They need about a three-week stretch where they get really hot, and they can get themselves back in this thing, but the other stat that's crazy about the Padres is they've not won more than three games in a row all season. I mean, they just cannot get momentum going.

That's pretty crazy considering what they put out there and the way that they were. It was kind of a go big or go home type of mentality with the Padres, and we talked, you and I talked, going back to the off season, Scott, and the Dodgers were one of the teams that really didn't do a whole lot. They lose Trey Turner, and then they have their entire starting rotations been injured at one point or another. How were they staying on top of that division?

Yeah, I mean, I'll tell you what. It's a huge testament to that organization, the talent below the surface of the major leagues down in the minor leagues. They've brought guys up like Emmet Sheehan that have contributed to the rotation in a disappointing season for Julio Urrios and an injury-filled season. Clayton Kershaw back on the injured list and Dustin May blowing out and Walker Bueller not pitching because of the Tommy Jones surgery. Guys like Bobby Miller and Emmet Sheehan that they've called up and minor league young players like James Outman on the outfield.

It's a testament to the depth of the franchise. Can we please finally credit Dave Roberts? All we ever hear is criticism of that guy, especially in October. The Dodgers won the World Series in the pandemic shortened 2020 season, but otherwise, they get bounced in the playoffs. Everybody goes on and on about Dave Roberts made this mistake with a relief pitcher and that mistake with a relief pitcher. Dave Roberts is pretty darn good and that's a reason as well that the Dodgers right now are doing what they're doing. Scott Miller joins us from Southern California.

It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. The Cincinnati Reds are this really cool mix of young talent. They kind of remind me of what the Cleveland Guardians did a year ago and right now the Reds are on top of the NL Central. What stands out about the way that they have navigated this season to date?

Yeah, I mean those young kids you mentioned. I mean Abbott the starting pitcher. Ellie De La Cruz is so fun to watch. You know Matt McLean, they made some good trades. They've got some young talent that's real. I love that a week ago they extended manager David Bell's contract for three more years.

He deserves it. I mean he's banished to some really difficult times and here the Reds are looking like they've come out through the tunnel and you know the lights ahead. It's great to see. They're a fun team. All that young talent I mentioned, combination. They pitch well and that young talent, I mean they've got guys that can hit home runs. They're well-rounded. They run the bases well.

They go first to third. They're smart on the bases. They hit for average.

They hit for power. They do a lot of things well and that's a testament as I say not only to the young talent that they have but also to David Bell and his staff and the entire Cincinnati organization. You talked about the Atlanta Braves earlier Scott. They have had the best record in major league baseball going back now even before the trade deadline. That crazy was it a June surge that just blew away the rest of the division.

Who is at least at this point the top contender or contenders against Atlanta? Yeah I mean I think the Dodgers right now. I mean you know we thought the Mets were going to be there. I thought the Phillies maybe could get there. If so they're going to have to you know improve quite a bit here in the last two months.

It's almost like Atlanta and everybody else in the National League. Like I say the Dodgers I think are probably the next best team. They need to get some healthy pitching by season's end and Kershaw is supposed to be back here soon. Walker Bueller after Tommy John surgery early last year there's a chance he could come back and help a little bit late September.

He won't be stretched out of me. I don't think we should expect like starting pitcher ace Walker Bueller that goes seven innings a game but you know even if it's a couple innings out of the bullpen if they can get to that point I mean that that could be a wild card for the Dodgers. So it's Atlanta and everybody else and the Dodgers I think have a have an outside chance to maybe derail them.

I think that's the best chance right now of anybody to take down Atlanta. All right so that's the National League where the Braves rule the roost. How about the American League? We'll get to that coming up because it's the Orioles and the Rays atop the AL East that have the best record.

So thank you Scott. Stick around there in San Diego for the New York Times and Sirius XM MLB Network Radio. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. The 2-2 Henderson skies us in the air down the right field line heading for the corner Springer out there and that ball is fair and it is gone. Gunnar Henderson hit one a mile high here it comes full count pitch it's hammered way back forget about it grand slam number two on the year for Anthony Santander and the Orioles have blown this one wide open with an 11 to 3 lead.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. The Baltimore Orioles are one of the great stories of this 2023 season and right now atop the AL East a division where every team is above 500. It's the O's and it's the Rays who are sitting on 66 wins apiece. Rays have a few more losses right now it is shaping up as a two-horse race in that division and potentially atop the American League as a whole. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio and the Orioles Radio Network spending a couple more minutes with Scott Miller from San Diego for the New York Times and Sirius XM MLB Network Radio. You think about that race the Orioles the Rays how this season has shaped out between the two of them now. What are a couple factors or maybe a couple players you think could tip the scales in this race one way or another? Well I think Baltimore's just done such a wonderful job after years of tanking and it's nice to see good things happen for the baseball fans in that city. Jack Flaherty interesting trade today acquiring him from St. Louis he's a guy about three or four years ago when he was in his early 20s I thought he's going to win a Cy Young award he's this good and he's never quite lived up to the billing he's had a bunch of nagging injuries and just has not been able to show any consistency and I think maybe the trade to Baltimore in a big time winning atmosphere hopefully is going to help him and help Baltimore I think he can if they're going to win and go to where they hope to go I think Flaherty is going to have to be a key certainly they've got you know between you know Gunnar Henderson and Adlai Rutchman especially that the franchise changed about a year ago when they called Adlai Rutchman up from the minor leagues and you can't say that about many young players just stepping into the major league pool for the first time that they can have that big of an impact where they can change a franchise but Rutchman is one of the very very few who can and did do that and it'll be interesting to see if the battery when Flaherty pitches if with Rutchman catching if Rutchman's presence can kind of help boost Flaherty so I think I think that's part of it and then Tampa Bay has had some injuries to their rotation but what worries me about them and they have not been as good the last few weeks right they were the first few months I think you know there's some signs of potential fraying in the bullpen the one thing with Tampa Bay they lean heavily on their bullpen because you know they don't want the starters to go third time through the order and you know sometimes they'll play around with an opener and things like that and when I looked a couple days ago Tampa Bay I think bullpen usage they're workloaded innings pitched I think guys they were fourth in the majors I want to say or third so in other words they're toward the top of the list and their bullpen has gotten a lot of innings so far this year and they're going to have to figure out a way to make sure that bullpen is is healthy and rested because you know if we the way it's going right now there's a danger I'm not saying it's going to happen but there's a danger that you know when they're playing key games in September and then theoretically in the playoffs in October danger that you know their bullpen could be gassed by the time they get there right good point before I let you go Scott you used the word tanking about the Orioles the last few years and that brings me back to kind of where we started which was the Mets trading off big pieces but Max Scherzer makes waves with some comments about what he heard from the Mets on his way out of town which is that according to Max the Mets are planning to use 2024 as a rebuilding year we're not even done with 23 yet and and he says they want to use 24 is kind of a year that's a throwaway where they can see what they've gotten all these prospects is this something that major league baseball will look into or no I don't think they will I'd like I'd like them to I a couple things I think and I saw those Max Scherzer comments and there is a difference between kind of being realistic and resetting your team and tanking I mean I wouldn't say and again this is if the translation for Max Scherzer is correct the translation his view of what the front office is doing I mean if they're looking to be competitive year after next and use next year's kind of transition year that I mean tanking is when you strip it down to the studs like Houston did back around 2010 and basically feel a minor league team and Houston lost 100 plus games for three or four years in a row Baltimore did that recently so I mean that is that's what baseball I think needs to figure out a way to avoid you shouldn't be putting a minor league team on the field in any city the Cubs did it for a little bit if they were building towards the 2016 you know and that's that's damaging to the competitive integrity of the game which which cuts right to the heart of the game if you don't have integrity then it's that you have got big problems you know if the Mets I don't think they're going to do that I don't think you can do that in New York I don't think New York a New York team would be allowed by its fans to go that route and you just strip down to where you're going to lose 100 games for three or four years while you try to just collect as many young prospects as you can you know so baseball needs to yes look into that and figure out a way to discourage it where the Mets are concerned it's it's hard to say I mean Scherzer and Verlander are older pitchers and they weren't going to be around forever anyways when they sound Verlander a year ago they're basically all in on this year and they put all their money all their chips on the table in the middle of the table for this year and it didn't work and so they've got to do something and you know it makes some sense that they try to get you know buy that's why they paid so much money down on the Verlander and Scherzer contracts with Texas and Houston basically the more money they pay that the better prospect because they're basically buying better prospects and it makes some sense to try to get it some younger prospects and reset in the you know before you go full charge forward again I don't think with Steve Cohen's money we have to worry about the Mets cutting too deeply they're not going to be one of the lowest payrolls in the game that would be drastic to be sure all right you can find Scott on twitter at Scott Miller BBL contributing to the New York Times also Sirius XM MLB network radio analyst with great insight a post-trade deadline from San Diego Scott it's always a privilege to have you on the show thank you so much for a couple of minutes I just enjoy our conversations Amy thank you take care we'll talk soon Scott Miller great insight I like what he had to say about that Orioles raise race but also I appreciate what he said too about the way the Astros kind of took the circuitous route to bring Verlander back when they could have had him albeit for more money than they wanted to spend so I guess there's a discount there and how about what he said regarding Otani that he likes the move by the Angels why because you're not going to get the value of Otani to a team in prospects you're just not there's no way that that works out equitably and so instead you keep them and you hope that you can re-sign them because you make a playoff push but if not you know what you're doing you're keeping fans engaged the rest of the way and you're also making side money it's your side hustle with all the games that are taking place in Japan so I thought that was really interesting too and as for the Mets we'll see whether or not baseball investigates I kind of think they should because of the comments that Max attributes to Steve Cohen and Billy Eppler Marco Bledy is here in studio I don't know do you think it's worthy of baseball paying attention to or it's more of a wink wink nod nod they're not actually tanking they're just rebuilding no I don't even think they're rebuilding I think all that is eyewash I think I think part of it is I think part of it Scherzer making himself look better that hey I wanted to win they're saying they're not going to win so I had to move on that's the only reason I jumped ship and I think it's also the Mets telling Scherzer whatever the hell he wants to hear to get him out they paid for the range of his no trade clause yeah and whatever whatever they felt like they had to say because I have no idea what they told Scherzer I don't know if any of that's true or not I don't know if they said it just to make sure that he waved his no trade clause because they wanted him out the idea that Steve Cohen devious who would spend that kind of money on prospects because he bought a ton of prospects at the trade deadline he ate a ton of money with Scherzer with Verlander the idea that he's going to spend no money for next year I highly doubt this this guy has been burning money since the day he bought the Mets he's going to buy a rotation next year he's going to buy a bullpen and he's going to give it a shot huh I'm not telling you it's going to be perfect I'm not telling you it's going to be good he's going to spend money I don't think Major League Baseball is worried about Steve Cohen and the Mets in the least that's their least that of all the problems that basically baseball has it's not the Mets it's not Steve Cohen he's going to go all in whether it works or not is a different story baseball's got 99 problems but the Mets ain't one that's what Marco's saying I like that take the fact that they had to get they had to get him to wave his no trade clause so you tell him what would make him want to get out of dodge and that's even if what he's saying is true because I got to be fair there's a lot of stuff that Scherzer said that made him the the hero out of all of this when in reality he was one of the culprits as to why the Mets were in the position that they're in the beginning and why they flamed out in the playoffs last year too after winning a hundred games so yeah there is that to be sure all right you can find us on twitter after hours cbs my twitter a law radio your thoughts I know some of you have asked about the trade deadline so we just did most of the last hour and a half on it I'm gonna pivot a little bit TSA pre-check where have you been all my life I'm totally in love stories from a toasty Houston visit in our facebook page too though we'll take your questions for ask Amy since it's an hour from now you are listening to the after hours podcast oh you're listening to after hours with Amy Lawrence never ever ever taking a pause never hitting the brakes drive it like you stole it something like that am I even close hi Amy love the show hi I'll listen to you every now on the way home and you doing your own thing with your own swag thank you for listening I appreciate the therapy tonight oh I'm glad I could help me I just got home just want to let you know how big of a fan I am because I've been sitting in my car listening to your show waiting to talk to you on the phone for about 30 minutes now take me home tonight I don't want to let you go this is after hours with Amy Lawrence home tonight it is our home show middle show of the work week in fact as we hit top of the hour it's dead center of our work week we still have a lot to cover on this edition of after hours send your questions to either twitter a law radio or our facebook page asking me anything is one hour from now and I will actually retweet the bright orange box I feel like anyone who has ever followed the show for any even a short length of time which why would you do that of course you would be following the show permanently once you start whether it's a sick fascination I'm just kidding or you actually really love what we do here and I tell people give us two weeks and we'll win you over begrudgingly or not we will win you over uh so send your questions for ask Amy we always have new people and new questions every week even though this is now our longest running feature at 10 years plus it is let's say it's it's the it's the type of thing that kind of it takes on a life of its own every week and with the various producers that I've had asking the questions and of course taking them from your samples each one kind of takes on a different theme Jay happens to be really big on food and travel and loves the some of the holiday themed question as well so we'll see what he comes up with I told him producer Manny is gunning for his job so we better watch out it's after hours yeah here on CBS sports radio he loved it he wrote two full pages of notes to get ready for ask Amy to the detriment of the show because I would look up and ask him for something else and he'd be paying no attention to be busy in there writing down questions by hand all right where shall I start how about the beginning because those of you who listened last week you know that I was really stressing out over travel issues trying to get from Newark to Houston I had to go through Dallas there were thunderstorms in the area do you know after I made the essentially the deal I negotiated with God or as Jay calls it the airplane gods because I don't know what they look like but I'm sure they're very real so he he and I had this conversation on our last show would have been last Wednesday night into Thursday morning where I said here's the deal if if my planes planes because there were two of them on Thursday morning or actually it's Thursday afternoon if they both get to their destinations on time and I arrive in Houston when I'm supposed to I will not complain about the heat the entire time so of course Bob listens to the show and hears me say that and thinks it's hysterical so I might thankfully the storms dissipated in New Jersey there was no rain until much later in the afternoon there were no storms the airline had actually warned about severe weather but nothing like that at all so we took off from Newark landed in Dallas early actually instead of having an an hour and 20 minute layover I was there for almost an hour and 45 minutes we were really early and then was able to get from Dallas to Houston on time had checked bag it was in the overhead both times didn't have to leave it at the end of the jetway so it was actually was really easy except for the fact that I've been up for 30 hours uh it was great to be able to walk out of the airport Bob picked me up I was on time lots of smiles and blah blah blah anyway so I could not complain about the heat the entire time so I kept saying man it's cold here oh it's so cold here and he would howl like a hyena every single time I said it uh and so then a couple times we were out in the heat for an extended period of time one of them was was actually my suggestion you guys are you're just gonna think even more than ever that I'm some crazy chick I'm in training for another half marathon it's coming up in seven weeks I could not avoid running while I was there so I asked Bob hey how do you feel about a workout Saturday morning early so 7 40 we leave my mom's house he rides his bike in her hilly neighborhood I run run and for the first 20 minutes the street where I ran the hill I ran was entirely in the shade so it's a little bit cooler oh by 8 15 the temps were already in the 90s with a thousand percent humidity and so by the final let's say three quarters of a mile Bob is biking back and forth right he's doing all the different streets in my mom's neighborhood and every I don't know a couple minutes or so he would fly by me and I'd wave and but by the last time he drove or he biked by me I could barely smile because the heat and the humidity were so heavy and I was still doing hills and it was it was crazy so he he rides by me and holds out this ice cold bottle of water like no no I gotta I gotta finish this I don't fear sudden death I got a quarter mile left I gotta keep going babe and so I did but I'm not sure you want to hear something funny this is how crazy like hot it was and human I started sprinting I think I saw a mirage or I was just seeing things I started sprinting to my mom's mailbox because I this is how I finish up half marathons I always kick no matter what if I trip and fall over the finish line at least I finished faster I sprint I go like I'm done right and I'm that's it I'm gonna walk up to the house I start to stretch in the driveway and realize it's not my mom's house I had sprinted to the wrong house I was so eager to be done I had sprinted to her neighbor's house so thankfully we know her neighbors and it was fine but really funny that I thought I was done and then I look up and I'm like oh it's the wrong freaking house so I just walked from there I was not running again I walked from there that's fair so I did 49 minutes in what was probably a thousand percent humidity ran in Houston in the dead of July I've never done that before that will forever be one of my greatest athletic achievements no matter what else happens that will forever be one of my greatest athletic feats it's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio let's see oh travel actually before I forget TSA PreCheck it is a dream come true this is what I'm getting Jay for Christmas this year I'm telling you it is it's life-changing it's magnificent I'm in love with TSA PreCheck so Tuesday morning in Newark I was through security I'm not kidding you there first of all my line had nobody in it like as in nobody I walked into my line I couldn't figure out where it was either clearly because I can't read signs I'd been up for a long time anyway I walk right up to the TSA agent who takes my license looks at my boarding pass waves me through I'm I'm in like through on security no shoes off nothing out of my bag all I had to do was take stuff out of my pockets and put it on the on the belt I'm through security in 30 seconds 30 seconds stop no shoes off no electronics no toiletries no nothing all I had to do was take my phone out of my pocket and put it one of those smaller little uh bins not really a bin smaller little bowls and it was through and my bag was through I picked it up on the other side and that was it that's it have a good day have a good flight yeah seriously they they look bored they don't even they even bother to like ask me anything and so anyway so that was my experience in Newark on the way back so this is kind of crazy I don't know what's going on in Houston there must have been some early flights international flights it is summer time people are trying to get out of Houston I don't know anyway Spirit Airlines had about 300 people in line at six o'clock this morning I've never seen anything like it I had prepaid for a checked bag and after I printed the tag the lady said you have to get in that line to drop your bag hell no what what is the point of prepaying for a checked bag if I have to stand in line with 300 people so I said well I'm just gonna have to take my chances if it goes through security which I knew it would because I was pre-check if it goes through security I'm just gonna try to take it on the plane it was a carry-on anyway I you know I just there was nothing in it really so it gets through security once again TSA pre-check this time there are five people in line oh no there was a woman with her baby I helped her fold up her stroller this time it took me four minutes to get through security poor thing oh my gosh I it was I was really stressing out of it four minutes four minutes Jay it was what in the world was I doing not registering for pre-check and that's like a long time four minutes for unreal that's awesome so anyway I get down there and I'm I'm thinking shoot I don't because it actually says my boarding pass spirits very strict about this you have to prepay for check or they actually charge you for carry-ons they're very a la carte they don't give water they don't give anything that you don't pay for you pay for your your ticket you pay for your seat and then anything else is on top so my boarding pass very clearly says no carry-on bag because I was supposed to have prepaid for the check bag and dropped it but I'm in zone two I'm probably the fourth person on the plane it's a younger guy and I walk up and there's no one around but like the senior gate agent is over on the microphone so he's by himself and I said to him hey there was 300 people in line I didn't drop my bag I'm so sorry he goes just take it on the plane take it on the plane and so and so I just thanked him profusely and walked on the plane and didn't have to part with my bag or they didn't send me back to the line with 300 people good I think I told Jay this but I'm pretty sure that about a dozen people missed the flight because they came on the air over the you know like that speaker in the plane and said it's a very full flight multiple times there's a spirit again from Houston to Newark direct very full flight very full flight and so so it was uh it was supposed to be full no one sitting next to me I was by the window two empty seats next to me and then on the across the aisle another empty seat there were empty seats up front there were empty seats in back and initially the pilot said hey we're gonna sit here for a couple of minutes we think there's some people stuck in security and then two minutes later he's like hey we're gonna take off and so they they I'm no doubt that there were dozens of people that missed the flight because of that spirit 300 people in line at six o'clock in the morning what seriously something's wrong we're doing something wrong you had a dream travel day though I did I was very thankful for the travel to and from Houston and the heat it's after hours CBS Sports Radio