After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 3

Life comes with a lot of decisions, and it can be hard to know the right path sometimes. A therapist can help you map out what you really want, so you trust yourself to make great choices and feel excited about the future. BetterHelp offers convenient, professional, online therapy on your schedule, however you want it, by phone, chat, or video call. Let therapy be your map with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com slash positive today to get 10% off your first month.

That's BetterHelpHELP.com slash positive. Facts are facts, like how contributing to employees' financial security makes them want to work harder for their company. In fact, according to a 2023 study by Principal, 87% of employers say that better employee financial security means employees are more engaged and productive at work. The fact of the matter is that employees want to feel financially secure in their future, so consider this. Principal helps you invest in your employees by providing customized benefits and retirement plans to help keep your employees more engaged and productive. When you take care of your team, they take care of business.

That's a fact. Learn how Principal can help you find the right benefits and retirement plan for your team at principal.com slash benefits. Products and services offered by member companies of the Principal Financial Group, Des Moines, Iowa.

For important information, visit principal.com slash disclosures. In exactly two weeks, we'll be caught between a rock and a hard place, but it won't be a bad place to be. It'll be safe, protected. The Rock will be the season opener of the NFL 2023 campaign because in exactly two weeks, hey, you forgot to put NFL network back up. I'm still watching no TCS.

So frustrating. In exactly two weeks, we will be talking about the season opener between the Chiefs and the Lions on that hype train, you know. The hype train. Chiefs and Lions will be top of mind, front and center on our show in exactly two weeks.

The night of September 7th into September 8th. And yes, of course, we'll be dubbing it a football Friday. But the hard place is that we'll be staring down the barrel of NFL Sunday week one.

And yes, NFL Monday, Monday night football. It's so close. So milk every last ounce of joy and wild abandon and adventure that you can from your summer because it's almost over.

I'm sorry, I'm not laughing. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. I'm so torn this summer. It's been so frustrating because I enjoy activities and adventures in the summer.

I really do. It's generally a slower pace of life. That does not apply to this summer because of everything happening in my personal life.

It doesn't apply to this summer. But because I only get to see my betrothed once a month, I'm counting days and I'm anxious and full of anticipation. And I feel like sometimes I'm missing the joy of the summer because all I'm doing is looking ahead.

Well, not all I'm doing. A lot of what I'm doing is looking ahead to when I get to be together with Bob again. Long distance relationships suck.

If anybody has any type of advice about how to survive it, please let me know. I'm open for tips. I'm all ears because we still have three and a half months to go before we can be together 24 seven. Just kidding.

That sounds very, that sounds very Romeo and Juliet of us, which we're not. Anyway, yeah, it's still a long haul. And so I regret that a good portion of the summer when is normally a chance to meander, sleep more. Oh, there's not been more. There's been less sleep this summer because of all the phone calls, all the planning, the traveling, just in general, the everything that comes along with this time of my life. And I'm not complaining.

I love it. Not complaining, Bob. We both said, though, that we kind of lament the fact that we've been spending so much time looking ahead that you forget to be happy about where you are or to enjoy where you are.

We're happy. Just we're anxious for it to be here already. It's so hard. It's what I talk about with time, the perspective. It's so skewed when you're looking forward to something. It feels as though time stands still. But when you actually get to that point or when you're excited about a vacation or an adventure, or in my case, time with Bob and with my mom in Houston, the time flies. It goes by in a blur. Why is that?

How does our mind play that trick on us? You want to take this piece of advice? Have you ever done a long distance relationship? Well, I didn't write the advice, but I was doing a little researching. Oh, you were? Okay. On the internet?

On the web. You Googled long distance relationships? Yeah. Okay, Jay.

All right. Is this come from Dear Abby? This comes from... Dr. Ruth?

I don't know who this is from, but I tried them. Delilah? See it as an opportunity.

Two. This is an opportunity for you to prove your love to one another. You should believe that through this experience, the both of you will be bound together even stronger. I actually cannot dispute that.

And Bob would say the same thing. We recognize that if we were in the same place, our relationship wouldn't be as strong because we wouldn't be forced to have so many conversations and to learn how to communicate, not to mention learn how to deal with conflict. It is much harder when you're long distance to have an argument or a disagreement or a discussion, a tense discussion, and then have to fix it without being in the same place.

That's a lot harder. Do you know anything about the five love languages? Have you ever heard about the love languages? No.

Oh, you should Google that. Research the love languages. It just so happens that Bob and I have the same one, which is physical touch as our number one love language. Essentially, it's how people show you love or what... And it doesn't have to be your partner, whether marriage or anything else. It can be family.

It can be friends. It's the way that you give and receive love is essentially how it is. And so when you rank your love languages from say one to five, one being, hey, this communicates love to me the most. This is my love language. It's how you show me that you love me or how I show you that I love you. And then five being the one that, eh, okay. So for me, weirdly enough, I mean, physical touch is number one. When Bob and I were trying to guess each other's love languages, this is kind of funny, right?

I made him go first. When he was trying to guess mine, he said spoken word because I talk for a living. But actually, spoken word is not one of my top love languages.

It's not even in my top three because I do use so many words. And because I work in a business where there's a lot of empty words, right? Where people rant. They talk about themselves a lot.

I don't know. In the communication business, clickbait things. Exactly. It's not that I value communication any less because I love to communicate. I are on the side of over communicate.

But words are not how you show me that you love me because I hear them and I use them all the time. So it's not as significant. Interesting. Isn't that interesting?

Yeah, it is. Something I learned about myself. So back to the point about conflict. When we've had conflict, you know me, I get very passionate about things. When we've had conflict, it's tough because both of our love languages is physical touch and you can't do that over the phone. You can't give someone a hug, say it's gonna be okay, kind of bridge the gap.

So yeah, the long distance has been excruciating. But the positive is we feel like we're so much further along when it comes to being ready for marriage for what we call our 50 years together, our next 50 years together. We're pretty sure that we're a lot tighter and a lot closer and a lot better equipped because we're not in the same place.

Because we've been forced to communicate. Exactly. It makes it stronger. It does. So thank you for that.

I feel that validation. It still sucks though. Just want you to know it still sucks.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Do you remember on Ask Amy Anything earlier this week, we had a listener named Rich who wanted to know if I had any advice for relationships or any advice for finding? It's not that I don't believe in soul mates. I think that's rather romanticized and melodramatic. Love is an action. It's not a feeling. Relationships are really hard work, as we've just been talking about.

So it's not as though you just fall into them and boom, it's magic and they work without any effort. That's not true. Couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, if you don't put effort into it, your relationship is likely to disintegrate relatively quickly or become a sham, a shallow sham of itself. Well, I did give him the four pieces of advice that really came organically, but Bob heard them and he was really proud of me. I was like, oh, he said you could be one of those people who gives relationship advice. Oh dear.

I think not. How long have I waited to be in the right relationship? That's good advice. Well, okay. But what makes me someone who can offer advice when I, I think I seriously went on a date with every person in New York city and well, not every person, but every man in New York city that was eligible before I found the right person. He's not even in New York, but you found the right person. That's good advice.

That's true. Actually, my mom found him, but yes. Yes. Isn't that sweet? Isn't it really sweet that my mom has been praying for this and she's been hearing me be sad and cry and lonely over periods of the last 25 plus years. And she never gave up. She never let me give up.

Not that I would have, but she never gave up. And she's personally invested. She's my person that I cry to and that I complained to.

And she's the one that found him. How cute is that? I think it's more romantic than we met online.

So. Oh, that my mom introduced us. Well, I think it's really sweet because mom will always have that part. She'll always play that role.

And in fact, when we do our wedding vows, I'm going to mention something about finding him and then be, and then tack on, you know, me, I always have to make jokes, tack on the line about, well, technically my mother found him. Oh my gosh. Yeah.

So guess what? The Monday after labor day. Oh no, I take it back. The day before labor day.

So the Sunday before labor day, one year since we met. How about that? Wow. Not a fairy tale, but definitely a miracle. Yeah.

No such thing as a fairy tale unless we're talking about movies and books, but an actual real life miracle. I'll say that for sure. So yes.

Excited about it. But I sucked this summer at living in the moment. You try to, you try to do that when you get older, be present, right? That's really a buzz term these days. Be present? Yeah. Be present, be intentional.

Essentially bloom where you're planted. And yeah, I've stunk at that. I've failed miserably at it this summer. Well, you've been, like you said, you've had plans all every weekend. Almost every weekend. Like you've gone to the beach and kayaks and concerts and concerts and shows. So you are doing things. I got to see John Williams. That's pretty awesome.

I hiked the Grand Canyon. Again? Yes. I've been to multiple concerts that I really enjoyed. All right. It hasn't been all a loss.

I would say no. But Jay, do you know what I want to do with this phone? I want to throw it in the trash and never use it again.

You know you're preaching to the choir on that one. I hate cell phones. Poor Jay has been a casualty of my long distance relationship. Not because I don't love Jay as much, but because I can't be on the phone any more than I am. I get it. Sometimes when Jay calls, and Jay doesn't know this, I'll go, no, no more calling.

I'll yell in my house. But I do pick up. I don't pretend like I'm not there.

I do pick up and I get cranky sometimes with poor Jay. As much like I hate texting. Like I hate it. I know me too. So like if we're talking show, we talk for 20 minutes and then like it's it. Oh yeah. When do we ever talk for 20 minutes?

An hour and 20 minutes. My point is that it's like the lesser of two evils now. It's texting versus talking and blech people. I just want to be in a darkness retreat for a week. Well, and considering that Aaron Rogers glows in the dark, it wasn't actually that dark, but I just want a week of no communicating. Is that terrible? No, I would love that too.

I think that'd be amazing. It's not mental. It's not an option though. Just a week with a stack of books and a bed. That's all I want.

Just a week. Poor Bobby's going to hear this and he's going to feel bad. Can you take this out of the podcast? I could. Oh my goodness. Be careful what you wish for. I don't actually want it to be silent. It just sounds nice because it's been a very talky, talky, talky summer. It's totally fine.

It is better than fine, but it's just been a lot of talking this summer. Does my voice sound different to you? No. No? Are you sure? Cause I've worried about it. No. A couple of weeks ago or a month or so ago when you were with the smoke, I noticed that it was a little different, but now I know. All right.

Good. Still Amy Lawrence on Twitter, A Law Radio with your long distance relationship advice. Yes, please send it. And also on our Facebook page after hours with Amy Lawrence. Have you heard the latest about Jonathan Taylor? This comes from where'd it go? I had it. Don't, don't try to tell me. We know from, I wanted to give you the latest deets.

I had it up on the screen and then I got rid of it on the screen. We know that Miami is active in attempting to bring Jonathan Taylor on board. And so the latest report from Dove Kleinman, he covers the NFL for bro Bible.

Sorry. That's funny, but he's pretty active. He's a really respected NFL insider. He says the Colts rejected a trade offer by the dolphins for JT. So there was one offer on the table at least for the Colts from the dolphins.

They rejected it. That comes from Florida sports buzz. However, according to Dove, the two sides are still negotiating over JT. Another NFL team is believed to have made a quote serious offer for Taylor, but right now, and this is all coming from Dove Kleinman's Twitter account, no team was believed to have offered a first round pick, right? So that's what the Colts want. They want a first round pick for Jonathan Taylor, or they want enough picks that they feel as though they're getting a first round pick, a package of picks that would simulate a first round pick.

I don't know how that works, but the Colts have rejected at least one offer from the dolphins, but the two sides are negotiating. Now, Ian Rapoport was a guest with Rich Eisen. This to me is really interesting because how often do we hear the relationship has been fractured?

It's beyond repair. Actually, we know that James Harden is saying that about the Philadelphia 76ers and Daryl Morey. We haven't heard from Damian Lillard lately, but he surfaced this week and he's talking about, or he has talked about how the relationship with the Blazers is broken beyond repair.

Well, this is what Ian is saying about Jonathan Taylor and the Colts. It's hard for me to imagine that he just comes back and everything's fine. Like, you know, I would be a little surprised, honestly. I'd be a little surprised if he plays for them. I mean, look, anything's possible. I just don't know how it would happen.

This is a relationship that's not good. Not good. That may be true, Ian Rapoport on Rich Eisen. But if Jonathan Taylor is upset about not making enough money, how does it make sense that a running back in the prime of his career, whether or not he's nursing an ankle injury is up for debate, I suppose. A legit ankle injury. But if he's in the prime of his career and he wants to make more money, how in any way does it make sense for him to sit out an entire season and forfeit a year of salary?

I know I'm not a pro football player or a pro athlete of any sort. That makes zero sense to me, especially when you are a running back and you, as we've seen, you don't get treated with as much respect once you get to 28, 29, 30. Teams are willing to cut bait. They're willing to let you go and find a rookie to fill your shoes even if you're one of the best on the planet. Once you get to roughly 30 years old or even on the cusp of 30, you're no longer an attractive free agent option. Teams would rather franchise tag you for two years, pay you 10 million, 11 million, which is what it would be this year, and then let you go and find someone cheaper.

So why does it make any sense at all for Jonathan Taylor to sit out? He's under contract. He's not a free agent. He's going to forfeit an entire year's worth of money.

And it may not be what he wants, but it's still a lot of money. And also you're giving up a year of your career, a year of earnings power if you sit out. Why can't all of the potential running back holdouts like Josh Jacobs take the cautionary tale of Le'Veon Bell?

I admire you for believing in yourself, but you can believe in yourself, go out there and crush it in 2023 and force teams to pay you. He's under contract. He has no leverage with the Colts unless they trade him. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. Meanwhile, the Colts took on the Eagles on Thursday evening. And did you see what Anthony Richardson did?

Wow, rookie. I think you better be careful who you taunt. We'll get to that with a little bit of QB news coming up. We may have to break it up. What do you think?

AFC, NFC? Jay's making a very weird face. I cannot read your face right now. Maybe we'll break it up.

Maybe we won't. It's going to be a surprise. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. Touchdown Kansas City. Herbert with his second of the day.

Here's the snap. Josh going to keep it himself and run it again inside the five into the end zone. Touchdown Buffalo.

Josh Allen, nine yard touchdown run. The Bills respond and then some. It's time for QB news on After Hours. It is indeed two preseason games already in the books on Thursday evening, and there's a bunch of these games coming up this weekend that you can actually watch on broadcast TV. That includes a Friday night affair on CBS. So broadcasters, they're starting to me, me, me, me, me, warm up the chops, warm up the, the analysis, the play by play, try to get right into the game. And there's a Sunday night game on Fox. So yeah, it's, it's not just about the teams and the coaches getting ready. It's also about the broadcasters.

You know, we don't just show up in the booth or in the studio and become brilliant all of a sudden. So let's talk about the games that were played last night. Anthony Richardson, the rookie starter for the Indianapolis Colts.

He actually did the fly Eagles fly after a big play in Philadelphia. What are you doing, rookie? Anyway, Colts offense, even without Jonathan Taylor, yeah, they got to move forward. I did see a couple of missed throws from me, a couple of drops from the team, but that's just all the reps and preparation, you know, going into the season, you know, we're going to continue to build on it, you know, keep taking shots because we like to play aggressive. We like to play fast. So just keep taking shots, you know, just try to find ways to click on all cylinders and just connect with each other, you know, so we can have this offense being explosive. That's one of his talents, you know, to create those big plays outside the pocket. I think he had 38 rushing yards, but the scramble plays when guys are, you know, coming free on blitzes, obviously we got to look at those and get those things picked up better, but just his ability to create, you know, outside the pocket is definitely going to help us. A pair of rookies leading the way for the Indianapolis Colts, Shane Steichen, the first-year head coach, and Anthony Richardson. He has got a deep voice, got to be one of the deepest in the NFL and the moxie of flashing the Eagles' wings, the eagle in flight when you're in Philadelphia.

Ooh, best be careful. Welcome to the NFL rookie. Also on Thursday evening, Kenny Pickett starting out his first year as the quarterback that the Steelers will rely on.

No competition. Remember, there was always the buzz to start last year that he would take over eventually for Mitch Trubisky, but this is his first full year as the starter for the Steelers and they skunked the Falcons. Solidifying the preseason and finishing strong, going out there and putting points on the board is really, you know, our goal when two for two would touch down, so that's that was a good sign. I think the growth is probably associated with being him and not necessarily the surface level things associated with the position, but the leadership things, the communication things, the bringing people together things.

When you got a higher level of comfort in terms of what it is that you're doing, then those things probably happen more. And so, you know, that is significant. It's not, you know, play related, but it is because he is the catalyst for that unit. He controls the pace and the tenor of that unit. And I just think if he's comfortable, that unit has an opportunity to be comfortable.

And I think that's probably the most significant difference. Our young cube, as he called him last year, he didn't urinate down his leg. Can't say enough about our young cube. One of the things that Mike Tomlin said toward the end of last season is that these are reps for Kenny Pickett that you cannot simulate in practice. He's getting reps. So for that reason, he's ahead of a lot of the other young quarterbacks that will be starting next year or that are already thrown into the fire and are exposed. He felt like because they were flying into the radar in the AFC North, all of this was preparation for the future.

And yeah, Pickett sounds like a different QB and he's excited about what's to come considering where the offense started and where the offense started and now where it's ending after training camp. I feel like we moved the ball well. We had explosive plays in the pass game and in the run game. The balance is there.

That's what we're looking for. Our receivers did a really good job of getting yards after the catch and other point of emphasis that we had coming into this preseason. So I think we improved on a lot of things. Obviously a long season ahead, some great teams coming up, but I think we're a step in the right direction after having this preseason. But obviously now it counts. So now we've got to get our attention to San Fran and focus on those guys and start getting into some game prep stuff. How about that?

How about that? Next time the Steelers are on the field, it counts. Boom. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence, our QB news, as we launch you forward into a football Friday of sorts, actually college football for reals this weekend.

Hey, CJ Stroud hasn't officially been named QB one in Houston. Is that a problem? Nah, man, I ain't really tripping. I just do, do it. It's on my plate. I'm not worried about nobody else's plate. I got to focus on what we got going on this locker room and just getting better every day, man. It's not about any of that stuff, man.

It's about competing every day and just getting better. So whenever that time is about to come, that's up to, that's not my job. You know what I'm saying?

My job is to go out there and place, but I got the fun stuff to do. I like his attitude. I don't know what the benefit would be of starting Davis Mills.

You already know what he is. And if the Texans want to get their young quarterback acclimated as quickly as possible, as long as you're not putting him out there to be crushed or to get hit over and over again, if he can protect himself, which he's pretty quick on his feet, then I say, throw him into the fire. Again, welcome to the NFL rookie. Tua Tango Aloha doesn't want to get hit, but when he does get hit, he wants to be able to absorb those hits and also protect his head, protect his noggin.

He needs to avoid any more serious concussions, but his physique, his thicker physique has taken some criticism, which is unbelievable. Mike McDaniel coming to the defense of Tua Tango Aloha. I was starting to get annoyed. I was hoping for the opportunity to talk about, if I understand your question correctly, how Tua's offseason's been. And you know what?

I can say hard facts that I've seen with my own eyes. And it's been as it's top five on the team in terms of, you know, we've had a lot of guys really step their game up. And you want to talk about somebody that's committed to doing what he's doing for the right reasons. You know, I've, he was already invested before this year, but then, you know, taking a bunch of things that have happened, you know, he really put an onus on controlling what he could control. So you want to talk about every metric that Dave Peloka and his strength staff really track, which is pretty much everything, I mean, to the degree of blinks. Every metric of strength that is measured, he's, you know, he's shattered his previous highs. In some instances, he's almost twice as strong with with things. And that's been a daily commitment that he hasn't wavered from.

I'm starting to get annoyed, says Mike McDaniel. He does love Tua. Remember when he took the job, he was on the flight and he was FaceTiming Tua and telling him it was going to be the best day of his life?

Well, let's hope that's realized in 2023. Staying in the AFC East, we're about to see Aaron Rodgers in the preseason for the first time in a long time. And so why Robert Sala? Is your future Hall of Fame QB playing on Saturday? As much as it is for him, it's even more so for the guys around him so they can feel the tempo that he wants in and out of the huddle and they can and we can make the adjustments off of it rather than waiting until week one and then making the adjustments after that. Well, let's see what it feels like now and make the adjustments we need so we can get better for week one and then make more adjustments.

I got you. It's a never-ending cycle. He still does not glow in the dark. In the NFC East, Joe Shane, general manager of the Giants, gave Daniel Jones a fat contract before this season, maybe to the expense or at the expense of Saquon Barkley. But on Sirius XM NFL radio, Shane explains why Jones was worthy.

People look at the stats and how many touchdowns he threw and this and that. And at the end of the day, his job is to win games. And we were able to win games the way we were playing and he took care of the football. You saw the leadership. He was a captain. So to me, it was a 25-year-old young man that still had a lot of upside, the circumstances here before we got here.

Can't speak as much on that, but I do know there wasn't continuity. And as a former quarterback, you just know if every offense is new each year and you're trying to mentally figure that out. And then we did, we had a little bit of a turnstile of receivers last year. So now some guys run their routes at 12. Some guys are faster, they're slower.

Just to be able to operate in that type of environment is difficult at the position. And to see how he separated himself, elevated himself above the circumstances at the time last year, and we still won games, I think he checked every box as we were going through the process. He checked every box, but he definitely needs to give a lot of credit to Saquon Barkley because Daniel Jones would not have those wins or have this fat contract if not for the running back that made him look so good. It was a compliment to him last season.

It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. Brock Purdy is getting set to take the ball in week number one for the San Francisco 49ers. That in and of itself is a triumph. He's healthy after the UCL tear that he suffered in the NFC championship. And yeah, he can't wait to get started again. I feel really good. Arm feels good. Feel like I'm in a great spot just for my whole body. And honestly, yeah, just excited to be able to be out there, break some huddles and throw the balls to BA, you know, Kittle and Debo. So it's been good.

Yeah. Rely on your veterans, rely on your playmakers. And boy, do they have a ton of them. Christian McCaffrey, highest paid running back in the NFL. See, some guys at that position do make a ton of coin. Brock was Mr. Irrelevant last year when he took over his QB one.

This is going to be part of his story when he writes a book someday. Last year, I'm, you know, fighting and clawing, trying to make the team, you know, throwing the guys that are, you know, you know, also trying to make the team. So some things may not be perfect, but then, you know, we fast forward a year and I'm able to throw balls where they're supposed to be, you know, on time with, you know, IU and Debo and JJ and Ray Ray and Kittle and McCaffrey. I mean, the list goes on, but, you know, to be able to be where we are as an offense and, you know, have some games under my belt with those guys and still build off of that and, you know, still trying to create some really good chemistry. I mean, it's a big blessing.

And so being able to remember where I was a year ago to now very thankful and still chipping away at it. Oh yeah, absolutely. Really excited to see Brock Purdy take over and have the confidence and the validation as the top QB. He no longer has to worry about the competition because this is his job. Well, and Sam Darnold is his backup, but it's a different animal when you know that you are the choice of the team, the coaches and your huddle, your teammates, right? This is not by accident. It's not, I got the job from injury.

Nah, you're their choice. It's just a different level of confidence and ownership of the position. All right, coming up next hour, we will get to Cooper Cup's return because we haven't seen him in a while. Remember the 2000, 2021, he was the 2021 MVP. Man, that seems like forever ago, which I guess it was, but he missed a good chunk of last season with injuries and now he and Matthew Stafford too get shut down not long after him.

They are reunited and it feels so good. What else? Oh, the Jerry Jeudy injury with the Denver Broncos. That's rough.

And we saved more Mike McDaniel because he's on a roll. We'll just leave it at that. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. On Twitter, you can find me, ALawRadio. You are listening to the After Hours podcast. It's up to Jeffers as he swings and says one high and deep to left field.

Back it goes, deep it goes, gone! Ryan Jeffers, a pinch hit, go ahead to run Homer and the twins surge in front. It's 7-5 at target field. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. As much as I'd like to say that we're starting this segment by talking about the twins, it's actually only partly accurate. The reason that we play at Twins Highlight there with Corey Provis on the Twins Radio Network is not so much because they have widened the gap a bit atop the AL Central, now six games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians, but because of who they beat on Thursday.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. With three runs in the eighth inning, the twins rally past the Rangers who can't muster a big hit in the late innings of this one. They go one for five with runners in scoring position and this is now seven consecutive losses for the Rangers. I saw an offense that did a really nice job against a guy that was on a good role, a good pitcher with some great at bats, put five runs on the board.

Their lone guy came in and shut us down, you know. On a night like tonight where the ball was flying, you're hoping you can tack on, but he did a great job for them and they kept chipping away, you know. The solo shots caught up with us and of course the eighth inning, that's where it unraveled. Really just disappointing, I mean it's just been tough. It kind of feels like, you know, we've had moments where, you know, offense has been great, pitching hasn't been, pitching has been great, offense hasn't been, you know what I mean. It just kind of feels like we're not quite clicking and I think that's, yeah, I mean I guess that's a little frustrating, but it's part of the game and all you can do is just play the game and then come the next day and nobody here is questioning anybody's effort, their preparedness or anything like that. We're just, we're in a rut.

You know what this reminds me of? When the Tampa Bay Rays could not buy a win. They were on top of the American League East for months. They had a great lead, an incredible start. People are raving about a team that has the lowest payroll in baseball and yet they're crushing it atop one of the toughest divisions in the sport and then they hit this rut.

They cannot get out of it. They get overtaken by the Orioles and have not been able to regain first place in the East. The Rangers have lost seven in a row. Right now they can't seem to put all the pieces together as you hear with first Bruce Bochy and then Andrew Heaney. I guess the good news is the Houston Astros had a far worse loss on Thursday. He's been unbelievable. Verdugo though drives the first pitch.

It is back and it is gone. Lead off homer for Alex Verdugo and right out of the gates the Red Sox lead it one to nothing. 1-1. He drives one high and deep in the right field.

Adios! Pelliara Breju launches his first major league home run. 1-1 is ripped into right field but it's not high enough.

That's going to one hop off the wall. They will send home Yoshida. It's going to be an RBI double for Abreu. It is 15-1. Wong rips one high and deep into right field.

It is back and it is gone. Just over the wall a two-run opposite field home run for Connor Wong and it's 17-1 Red Sox. I'm sorry what?

It's what? The reason that highlight package was so extensive is because it was 17-1. The Red Sox plate 17 runs on 24 hits. 11 of those runs coming in the first three innings. Welcome to the majors. Wilier Abreu his first career home run. That's pretty impressive but on the flip side as the Astros are attempting to track down the Rangers and reel in the Rangers JP France gets shelled for 10 runs.

I don't even think he lasted out of the third inning. The Red Sox were, well they were bullies. They shoved the Astros down on the playground, kicked dirt on them and stole their lunch money. What a great day to celebrate a championship but we're not done yet. We're some greedy bastards baby. We're some greedy bastards.

Maybe just maybe there's a little extra juice. So yeah the Red Sox they actually might be charged with some type of assault and battery for what happened against the Astros. For that reason the Rangers still own the lead. Adopt the AL West. Rangers, Mariners, Astros all right in a row. They're separated by a total of one game.

Just one. That's it. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio.

Dusty Baker had no explanation. Just hey sometimes that's what happens. Oh okay. Sometimes your starter gives up 10 runs on 11 hits.

Okay all right. We tried to ride the hot hand. I mean the yeah that the game was so lopsided it wasn't even fair. It felt like they needed to dial up the mercy rule. Coming up next hour Terry Francona hints about his future and potentially retirement and the Guardians front office responds. Also did you hear the story about the Nationals player who broke his leg trying to make a catch? Shades of Clayton not Clayton Kershaw I'm sorry. Shades of Aaron Judge who ran through a wall at Dodger Stadium home of Clayton Kershaw.

Tore ligament in his toe and was out for months. Oh I think this actually might be worse for the Nationals outfielder. So we'll get to that next hour but before we hit the top Jay did you see my new favorite quote that I shared on social media? I don't think I did. Are you ready for this? It's profound.

I've I will retweet it ALawRadio so you can like it because I know you're gonna like it. People who love to eat are always the best people. Hey don't laugh think about it for a second people who love to eat are always the best people. Always. Always.

100% of the time. I just shared it again on Twitter and I'm putting it up on Facebook too because on a Friday it's a foodie Friday if you will. I'm so not a foodie I love most foodies. I do not eat Chinese food and I don't eat sushi and actually these days are gonna be some kind of like flesh eating bacteria. Just be careful what you eat is all I'm saying. Oh now I don't want sushi ever again. But people who love to eat are always the best people. As long as they're food. That wisdom comes from Julia Child. I will never be the same again. We are the best people Jay. It's a good quote to live by.

It's after hours CBS Sports Radio. Hey there dog lovers. It's time to show your furry friend a little extra love and attention.

After all they're not just pets they're family. At Get Joy we provide top of the line nutrition and wellness services to improve the lives of dogs and their families. Get Joy's dedicated team of animal science and vet nutritionists have expertly crafted their recipes to give your pup maximum health benefits with options like gently cooked fresh meals freeze dried meals with pre pro and postbiotics for optimal gut health and single ingredient beef treats.

Your best friend just got upgraded to a whole new level of pampering. And the best part Get Joy's meals are made with wholesome ingredients right here in the USA with no fillers or artificial preservatives. Plus when you subscribe to a Get Joy food plan you'll be connected with a board certified televet with services available 24 7 as a special offer to our listeners. Visit Get Joy food dot com and use the code podcast at checkout to get a 50 percent off your first order today. That's Get Joy food dot com and use the code podcast at checkout to get 50 percent off your first order. Proven Winners Color Choice shrubs are the landscaping plants that have been trialed and tested by expert horticulturists to ensure your success. Whether you're looking for the hottest hydrangea a reblooming rose or an elegant evergreen you can count on the shrubs in the white containers for easy care curb appeal for years to come.

There's still plenty of time to improve your landscape this season so head to your favorite local garden center and ask for Proven Winners Color Choice flowering shrubs. The official Winning Time podcast from HBO is back. I'm Rodney Barnes executive producer on the show. Magic and the Lakers are back to defend their title. Join me as I break down each new episode with sportswriter Jeff Pearlman and the actors directors and key collaborators who brought the 1980s Showtime Lakers to life. It's not about basketball it's about winning. Listen to HBO's official Winning Time podcast on Sunday after the show airs on max.