9-6-23 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 4

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For important information, visit principle.com slash disclosures. Always a little upside down coming back to the overnights and coming back to after hours when I'm fresh off a mini vacation in this case, an extended Labor Day weekend, but it was worth it. Really checked out, got refreshed, got a lot of wedding plans and wedding things done and family stuff done before football begins.

It's definitely here. We are so close now to the season opener and we've got news about the Super Bowl champion chiefs. There's good news and there's bad news.

Good morning to you. It's Wednesday. It's your hump day. It's our hump show after hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. We're going to mix it up here this hour of the show. We do have a little bit of QB news. It's actually a fairly eclectic mix from a retired QB who's teasing people about a comeback sort of to a QB that's not yet on the field because he isn't healthy to a quarterback who may still yet have something new in store for us, though he dazzles most every time he touches the ball. Also, we've got a really cool matchup in baseball coming up on Wednesday.

Did you hear? For the first time in their careers and they're both Hall of Famers and they've been teammates in multiple places, now they are competitors, but in the same division, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander will start in the same game against each other for the first time in their careers. Verlander's 40.

What is Mad Max? 38? A couple years younger?

They've never faced each other. How amazing is that? 39. Excuse me. Shortchanging Mad Max. 39. Excuse me.

Shortchanging Mad Max. He's got a lot of life in there. A lot of life and a lot of baseball.

The two of them got to play together or share a roster, share a rotation for a couple of months in New York and then they parted and went their separate ways again, but now we're going to see them in the same game pitching against each other for the first time on Wednesday. Wow. That's pretty amazing.

We've got the latest on a couple of the wildcard surges too, which are fun. And really now as a precursor to the NFL season, you are running out of time to join Survivor Island. I just did it. If I do it, you know you're running out of time because I'm a procrastinator. I'm a queen procrastinator. I wait until the very last second.

So you are, so you are, yeah, you are almost down to the final, I mean the pressure is on. You're down to the final options here. I actually made a pick just to have one there so I don't forget and I don't like my pick. Per the usual, every week when I pick for Survivor Island or Survivor Pool, I can't stand the pick. Jay, did you make your pick yet? I haven't, but I know where I think I'm leaning.

I'm not sure I'm, I'm not sure I like it either. That's how you know, right? I might go back and change it, but at least I registered a pick so that I don't forget. That's the worst. You sign up for Survivor Island and then you forget to make your pick or you don't save your pick. Here's your clue. When you save your pick, a little box pops up that says your pick has been saved. That's how you know. If you don't see that box, your pick has not been saved.

Do it. We've got the link, top of our show, Twitter, After Hours, CBS, also on our Facebook page. I think we're on to our second island now. I know we are because one family member of mine said that he's on the second island. He's not on the main island. It's like a, an archipelago, like Hawaii, the Hawaiian islands and we've got the big island and then we've got, Isla Nublar. Isla Nublar, yes.

So you can find us on Twitter or Facebook. Join us on Survivor Island. I did put some photos up in the last few hours on Facebook as well as on my Twitter A Law Radio because I do love to take photos of clouds and the view above the clouds is probably the most amazing. For anybody out there who still is considering the idea that the earth is flat, just go check out my photos. You can actually see the curvature of the horizon, okay? It's not flat.

You can see that it's not flat. Stop mentioning me right now, please. No one mentioned you by name.

Get my name out your mouth. So yeah, we're going to try to jam in here. If we did not get to your question last segment as part of Ask Amy Anything, I've already started answering those that have been posed to us on Twitter and Facebook, except for the wedding questions. There will be a special Ask Amy video version because Jay wants to do it that way.

We feel like it's a better way to answer your wedding questions because we're getting the same ones and then new ones over and over and over again. Jay's eyes are rolling back in his head. It's the only way. Because they keep coming and so in order to make it nice and easy for everyone, we're gonna put them in one video, okay? Jay thinks it's gonna go two hours. There's no way. Maybe three at this point. No, stop it. There's no way.

I'm not giving you that much information. But the invitations have been ordered. Whoo! That makes it real, peeps. That makes it real. We've also hired a caterer.

Also makes it real. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. All right, why don't we start off your Wednesday. If you're shaking out cobwebs, it's your hump day. Maybe you're coming off of a Labor Day weekend. Maybe your kids go to school today for the first time.

I know there's a lot of school systems that are starting today or tomorrow. How about some fireworks? Wake up. It's Wednesday. Cavaldi working from the first base side of the rubber delivers and Altuve rockets one deep to left field. It sends back Grossman at the wall.

Looking up. See you later. Lead off home run for Jose Altuve, the 35th of his career. And the Astros are up one to nothing.

3-1. And Altuve drives this one out to left center field. Hit pretty well. Going back on it is Tavares at the wall.

See you later. A home run in the first and now a home run in the second for Jose Altuve. His second straight multi-homer game. And the Astros lead is four to nothing. This one's wall up to center field. Back on it, Tavares.

And she's gone. Third home run for Altuve. A blast to straight away center field. It's nine nothing Astros as Altuve goes deep for the third time in the ballgame. Well hello. Five home runs and six plate appearances for Jose Altuve including four consecutive innings spanning a couple of different games.

Immaculate. But the first time that he's ever hit three home runs in a regular season game. And man part of a hit parade. A barrage of the Astros against the Rangers. 20 hits. 14 runs. And the Astros mop the floor with the Rangers in Arlington on Tuesday.

The final was 14-1. So Jose Altuve gets the three home runs. But yeah the Astros now have the one game lead in the AL West. And are the World Series champions finding their groove? We got some momentum going yesterday. Modi's here hitting two homer. Today Maldi and Jordan hitting homers.

It's always good you know just got a lot of runs and like I said just to create some momentum and keep winning. Meanwhile the Rangers have dropped five of six. Which puts them two games back of the Astros and the Mariners are sandwiched in between. Swing and a bouncing ball through the right side base hit. Here comes De La Cruz the plate. Here comes the throw.

Not in time. Reds win it seven to six. Christian Encarnacion Strand singles home Ellie De La Cruz and the Reds walk off over the Mariners.

Okay well that's Tommy Thrall on Reds radio. Yeah Christian Encarnacion Strand has the walk off RBI single but that's after the Reds play three runs in the eighth to come back against the Mariners. So this young Reds team in a story in and of itself and the fact that they remind me so much of the Cleveland Guardians last year when they made the playoffs by winning the AL Central. That the Reds have had their ups and their downs.

They've had their pitfalls. They've had their valleys but they've also had their peaks and they still believe and they're learning on the job which is incredible. And should they make it into October? Should they make it into the playoffs?

Well this experience will serve them extremely well. By the way just want to make sure I mention Astros radio is Robert Ford and Steve Sparks and then that's Reds radio. So you've got a lot of cool races that are taking place and and will likely guide us all the way through the stretch run all the way through the month of September. So Cincinnati Reds are still right there and could win the NL Central but man if you're not paying attention to the Cubs well then you are missing out. 3-1 pitch to Seya. Swing and a drive. Deep left field. It's got a chance.

Good. Ballgame is tied. Seya Suzuki. A hanging curveball and he crushes a two-run game tying home run. Morrell drives one in the air. Deep center field.

It's got a chance. Gone. Three-run homer Chris Morrell.

Listen to this place. Oh six runs in the seventh inning for the Chicago Cubs and yes according to David Ross the fans there at Wrigley Field deserve credit for the win over the Giants on Tuesday. It was early in the game. I forget the inning third fourth. Well just the crowd got on their feet 3-0 and just like it was a just a misfire you know like some of that adrenaline affects the other team as well and I think the more we're in that environment the better we're going to be over time getting to experience that controlling your heart rate focusing on the pitcher making them make pitches.

It's a hard thing to do especially if you're young and haven't experienced that. The Cubs have won seven of their last ten and remember they've gone through a pretty sizable rebuild. They're second now in the wild card and to think about the race there and the AL as well it's a lot of fun because there's some fresh blood in both of these races. In the National League though the Cubs are poised in the second spot behind the Phillies behind the Phillies and then the Reds are on their heels. So there you got your two NL Central teams. Funny because we made we just poked fun at the NL Central for months right.

The NL Central plus the AL Central. Marlins are just a half game out. They actually took a game off Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers last night.

We'll get to Clayton here coming up. Diamondbacks and then Giants are only two out so there's a bunch of teams right now six of them essentially that are vying for those three wild card spots. In the American League it's not quite as thick a race. The Rangers are a half game out. Okay so sitting third place in the AL West and a half game out of the wild card. Red Sox are hanging around.

They've had a tough stretch but they're five out and so it should the competition should pick up. The attention the scoreboard watching that should pick up as we head deeper into the month of September. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio.

Pat Hughes on Cubs Radio. Giancarlo Stanton hit his 400th home run last night for the Yankees and Jay and I were talking about how many more he might have hit if he hadn't been injured so often. Think about the number of games he's missed.

He could have potentially 500 home runs now at this point if he hadn't missed so much time. And how many years does he have left on his contract? Six? I believe four.

Okay only four. Oh my goodness yeah remember he got the 13-year deal from the Marlins and then the Yankees traded for him and he still has four years left on that deal but he's had a really difficult season obviously hasn't been able to stay healthy a lot though he gets his Yankee Stadium moment and hits the home run in front of the New York fans. It's pretty awesome you know especially how the year's gone for me personally you know not how I would have liked or prepped for but I'm glad I was able to do something cool like that. Giancarlo Stanton is that on Yes Network following the game? We again we have no way of knowing but imagine just for the sake of argument if he has 50 more home runs or 100 more home runs I mean he you talk about the hall of fame possibly right so injuries will always be a part of his story but he is a former MVP and you get to 500 home runs and that's some rarified territory right there. That usually does it for hall of fame. Yeah Jay was just saying in my ear that he read are we not quoting this do you you think it's roughly the case?

Roughly yeah. He's only played in half the games that he's been eligible for since he joined the Yankees or half the games the Yankees have played since he joined the team he's only been with them for half. Okay this is as this is from August 5th so a couple weeks ago or about a month ago now Stanton has missed a total of 464 out of a possible 972. More than half yeah well not quite half I guess but that's it's insane that is but also it's wasted opportunities I know injuries are part of the game and he suffered a ton of them but to pay the kind of money they're paying for him and only get him for half the time and then when you factor in their disappointing playoff exits and how the bats have gone silent for the most part in their playoff exits most recently against the Astros and other teams that's not money well spent I mean they really didn't have to give up much or anything to get him and they still probably lost that trade just because they're paying him so much and he's there for so long.

Not so. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio if you missed it we talked about the Shohei Ohtani update the injury really there isn't one at this point he's playing as much as he possibly can oh and and his future obviously is up in the air because we don't know if he'll be playing next year as a hitter with the Angels or if he will be somewhere else we also don't know what Terry Francona's future holds but producer Jay found this on MLB network on Sirius XM and I don't know he seems to be hinting toward an actual decision. I think I've been pretty clear with people I don't want to have the last month be a like a send-off or you know a pity party or that's not how it feels but it's time and my body's telling me that my head is telling me that and I don't want to stay on for the wrong reasons and I hope I have too much respect for not just the game but for this organization to do that and so I've been pretty clear with the guys I work for and told them to start preparing because it's time. It's time for what Terry? Oh that hurts me I love Terry Francona and I know the guys love him too.

He guided the Guardians to the playoffs last year when they were the youngest team in baseball. Gosh Jay I feel like that should be a bigger headline if anybody heard that why isn't it a huge headline? Is it just accepted that he's going to walk away? He's never confirmed that or anything I know they've been asking about it for the last couple of months you know but he's always just said oh you know I'm you know I'm getting older or whatever that that sounded like he kind of made his decision no?

Wow wait let's hear it one more time. I think I've been pretty clear with people I don't want to have the last month be a like a send-off or you know a pity party or that's not how it feels but I'm it's time and my body's telling me that my head is telling me that and I don't want to stay on for the wrong reasons and I hope I have too much respect for not just the game but for this organization to do that and so I've been pretty clear with the guys I work for and told them to start preparing because it's time. Wow I will miss him that is probably the most definitive word we've heard from Terry Francona to this point it wasn't that long ago that again he was answering the question but not giving much info much intel and it's not Terry to want the spotlight to be on him so that makes sense he doesn't want a retirement tour if you will and so for that reason he's kept it to himself. Wow MLB network radio on Sirius XM with Terry Francona so we'll see if he does an official announcement or if he just walks away rides off into the sun he actually has trouble walking rides off into the sunset they need to bring him a horse and buggy.

All right straight ahead let's see well we still have some incredible storylines and incredible American advancements at the US Open in fact all the way to the semi-finals pretty sweet to see some of the young talent but we promised you QB news because of Tom Brady he did a promo video with Peyton and Eli in which he was kind of left on the outside they didn't allow him to audition to be the third host of the Money Night Manings and instead at the very end producer Jay apparently didn't know it was there I told Jay to go grab the video because it was funny with all the different voices Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Mike McDaniel, Mike Tyson, Lil Wayne, Sean Payton, Sean McVay right so they're all they're auditioning all these different guys and actually one TikTok star that I did not recognize I'm sorry I'm not a big into social media influencers anyway she was a young blonde maybe it's Olivia Dunn it might actually have been the former gymnast for LSU Olivia Dunn oh actually I do know who that is yeah that's good anyway it might have been her but I don't know her by face I only know the name and the reference and she's she's hot to trot right now so it may have been her she's the one who's dating Paul Skeans yes right yeah yes okay so it may have been her anyway don't quote me on that but at the very end Tom Brady's left outside they turn off the lights on Brady don't allow him to audition probably because they want to uh they they don't want him to steal their thunder as part of the the Monday night mannings and he calls someone on the phone Brady does and he says I didn't get the Monday night job okay go ahead if you got it Jay no I didn't get the many cast job I guess I'll just come back and play football again so that's clearly the voice of Tom Brady what is he doing is he just being a big fat jerk and teasing everyone I'm gonna go with yes I'm gonna go with he just decided that he would spark the flame yeah he's toying with us back to his Let's Go podcast though because it's a brand new football season it's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio you are listening to the After Hours podcast this is Upper Hand Fantasy what about JK Dobbins I think he's going to be the breakout running back of 2023 I love the fact that he's a year removed from a bad injury I love his price at the four five turn I'm happy with him as my RB2 but I do think he has RB1 upside man I think he is a dark horse candidate to lead the league in rushing I think he has a talent he has a great offensive line he's averaging 5.9 yards per carry so far over his career Upper Hand Fantasy available on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcast it's easy to go all in when you're in Arlington enjoy the array of international cuisines live music spots a clean theater plus so much more explore over a dozen neighborhoods all easy to get to whatever you're looking for but never expected it's all in Arlington visit stay Arlington dot com podcast all right back to throw and it is is it lost oh my goodness the song DeAndre Hopkins Cooper Touchdown L.A. back to throw looking firing deep for Chase in the end zone. He's got it! Touchdown!

Joe Burrow in the bagels. Touchdown! Kansas City.

No, Herbert keeps it in. Touchdown! Chargers. 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. Oh yes and he may not be an active QB anymore but we wouldn't put it past him. He's still talking about QBs actually. The season premiere of Let's Go with Tom Brady and Jim Gray back on Sirius XM and I think it's good stuff and I'm actually interested to hear how he talks about football when he's not active in the league.

It's different right? It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Tom Brady actually says he's enjoying the start of football training camp preseason soon to be the actual regular season. He's part owner of the Raiders even though he's not on the field. This is great. I was very blessed to play for as long as I did and I loved it. Now I get to see other guys do it and I also get to see football from a different perspective and you know I'll be on Fox next year so I have a chance to really sit back and watch and learn a different career and I'll need a lot of help from a lot of different people including you Scratchy. You know I'm coming hunting you down and I'll be able to really watch this year with kind of a different eye. I used to watch it from the lens of a quarterback. Now I see it more from maybe broadcasting but also as a fan and then also still from a quarterback so maybe a few different perspectives to learn which will be a really fun thing.

Scratchy being his nickname for his long time friend Jim Gray on the Let's Go podcast. So what now kind of feeds that need for him to be competitive and to have the adrenaline rush because what you hear from athletes is they miss the camaraderie in the locker rooms and the clubhouses but also nothing ever quite feeds that need for the adrenaline or that competitive fire once they retire. I think it transitions into different things.

I mean a lot of it's a redirection into different areas of life you know and it's a I would say the competitiveness nothing's ever going to be like running out in front of 70,000 people screaming let's go and I mean that was that that that's that chapter is unbelievable and I've had I've done it longer than anyone else and I had so much fun but I think that can be redirected into other areas not in the same way but I think there's still a part of me that wants to do really positive great things and bring people together and you know just and and to think about you know how we can always connect with people to bring the best out of them. Plus he's going to be busy with his kids of course and apparently there's a new Brady who's heading to the gridiron this year not Tom but someone else. You know my son is going to play football this year Benny so I've been throwing the ball to him in the backyard and he wants to be a tight end like Gronk and he's going to be a little beast but you know I never thought he's such a he's an amazing kid but he and he's and he's got a lot of talents he's very he's got a really talented musician and artist and then he told me this year dad I'm playing football and I was like what do you want to play and he's like tight end I want to be like Gronk and I was like that's the spot to be so I actually texted Gronk and I'm like yo my boy wants to be like you and he he loved it he's like that's so great. Tom Brady, Jim Gray back on the Let's Go podcast for the 2023 NFL season and they have guests maybe not as many guests as the Monday night mannings but Andy Reid head coach of the Super Bowl champs he was on Let's Go and they asked him whether or not Mahomes can raise the bar again this season or if he's finally hit his glass ceiling.

I kind of look at quarterbacks like farmers man like the work's never done you're always working on it I mean Tom did this thing forever and he was still cranking on his game at the end man just fine-tuning some part of the game and maybe golfers are the same way you're always working on something there I'm sure Larry feels the same way about being a receiver there's always something you can do to stay ahead of the game and to be as great as or greater than you already are so I would tell you nobody's really a finished product until they retire that's kind of how it goes. I'm excited all this football talk it's wetting my appetite I can't wait oh we've got Mike Tomlin for you too don't you want to hear it oh just hold your horses it's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. Mac Jones does a weekly appearance now that we're back in season in season we're in season on our Boston affiliate WEEI and they asked him about Bill Belichick's decision to cut not just Malik Cunningham but Bailey Zappi in their round of roster cuts. It's just part of the business and it's tough you know I think it's really hard for the coaches and GMs around the league you have to make a lot of hard decisions and it just proves to me that the NFL's a business and you got to be ready every day just got to work hard and just focus on what you can control right that's all you can do. And the Patriots did bring Zappi back he's expected to compete for QB2 but the funny part was that the conversation around whether or not Zappi would take over the starting job for Mac Jones was still going on as recently as I don't know a couple weeks ago and then boom Zappi gets cut.

I really can't control that. Mac Jones has nothing but praise for both the new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien and Bill Belichick as they get ready to start the season. Just trying to build a good plan and we had really good conversations throughout the off season about what I need to get better at and how I can help the team so I really just want to apply to the games and feel like we made a lot of progress you know throughout OTAs fall camp and the games and stuff but you know now it's this is what we've been working for so just trying to apply to the games. By the way Tom Brady will be back with the New England Patriots and the fans to be honored. Week number one Philadelphia the defending NFC champs will be in the house at Gillette for the opener on Sunday. All right I said Mike Tomlin here he is in all of his Mike Tomlinisms he's in mid-season form. Did you know Kenny Pickett is the captain selected by his teammates? Proud of the group that this group selected yesterday Kenny Pickett on offense and I think him being the lone captain on offense is obviously no disrespect to the leadership of others but probably more reflection of everyone's feel of his growth and development. It's just so good to hear Mike Tomlin again there's more don't you worry because the Steelers open up against the San Francisco 49ers. Turning our attention to the NFC the offensive coordinator in Arizona so under Jonathan Gannon is Drew Petzing and he still believes that Kyler Murray is the face of the present and the future for the Cards. He's been unbelievable really since we've walked in the building just done everything we've asked from a rehab standpoint from a learning the offense standpoint from an engagement in the offensive room and getting to know his teammates and things like that so really pleased with where he's at kind of how he's handled things and certainly expect that to continue moving forward I think that's one of the main reasons you see him as a captain you know I certainly view him as a franchise quarterback and the leader of this organization I think his teammates do too so was really happy for him to kind of get that nod and it's been good. It's amazing how different the internal and external views can be about a particular player in a locker room and so much of media and social media it kind of shapes that narrative but gosh even if you take the social and the media out of it just the fact that he's been unreliable and the Cardinals have been brutal when he's not healthy I know he makes a difference on the field obviously because when he's not healthy the team suffers but is that the right long-term plan and just the the type of petulant attitude not that young people can't grow up and that people can't mature at any stage of life and maybe he's done some of that it's too hard since he's gotten injured and had to rehab speaking of stages of life Jerry Jones he's the he's still there he's still hanging in as the Dallas Cowboys owner general manager and I don't know why there are questions about Dak right now but there are always so we wrap up QB news with this Dak in Jerry's opinion will be a cowboy long-term despite a nearly 60 million dollar cap hit what those numbers on those contracts those uh types of numbers especially the big ones you live with that's always on your mind there's never a time when it goes away because you've got to make the entire thing fit and so it's uh it's on the mind on a player decision in the middle of the year and so it's just a fundamental uh we expect that to be with us a long time on our Dallas affiliate 105.3 the fan the fan he's back back to his weekly appearances this is how you know football's returned there's podcasts there's weekly radio shows there's press conferences and audio non-stop and soon games all right on Twitter ALOL radio put some photos up it's kind of fun it's a Wednesday morning why not a wacky Wednesday as we look toward the weekend oh I see football and it's not just NFL it's also college I'm not sure we'll get to Deion Sanders before this show is done but we definitely will on our next show even as I'm trying to catch up uh red white and blue flare at the US Open as it should be some surprise semi-finalists oh and Novak Djokovic he's feeling so good that he decided to imitate Travis Kelce or imitation is the sincerest form of flattery right uh so maybe maybe he just wants to be a Travis Kelce don't we all oh and an update on Travis Kelce as a matter of fact you are listening to the after hours podcast guys it's no secret that classic dress shirts suck that's why our friends at and collar created something different no more tight collars loose fabric or stubborn stains just outrageously comfortable shirts that are breathable stain resistant and perfect for all occasions blending the comfort of athletic wear with the style of dress shirts you'll never feel better being dressed up discover their versatile collection at hand collar.com and save 20 with code radio shop shirts and more at and collar.com discount code available for a limited time terms and conditions apply we go toss serve uh white good turns through the middle jumping with the back hand now has a forehand cross into an open court and the box office remains open Ben Shelton breaks new ground into his first US Open semi-final six two three six seven six six two he hangs up the phone and a hug with Francis Tiafoe as Shelton's parents hug as well it's Ben Shelton and Novak Djokovic in the US Open semi-finals getting you to the good half of your week it's the Hump Show on After Hours get to know the name Ben Shelton one of the young American tennis players who's making some noise in Queens at the US Open his first ever grand slam semi-final at 20 years old and he joins Coco Goff who's 19 on the other side for the women also into the semi-finals in red white and blue but yeah for Ben this is an all-new experience to a man or woman every single player who was on the court at the open on Tuesday was mentioning the heat and the humidity because it was taxing and it was challenging and on the court after you hear that final call there from US Open radio on the court after Ben said that it was really the crowd that got him through the crowd that kind of dragged him along so he could dig down deep and keep going but obviously when you you pause you think about the magnitude of the situation as a 20 year old here you are into a US Open semi-final so essentially our national tournament and you're facing Novak Djokovic at the next juncture I mean this is this is a lot this is heavy walking to get my towel in the fourth set and it's like this is the greatest moment uh on the tennis court of my life and I'm in a lot of pain you know physically but I'm loving it and I think that that was just kind of kind of the story of today congratulations to Ben and then for Coco uh she's been on quite a tear she won in Cincinnati actually Novak Djokovic did as well and now it's really it's something that people are starting to pay attention to every single time Coco has played in the US Open so far the very next match on the same court has been Novak so they're essentially session partners if you will uh twice at night but on Tuesday during the daytime with the heat and the humidity and so it's a lot to manage for both of them Coco first though she says now she's not going to be looking ahead she's so close she's never won a grand slam singles championship and here she is to her first US Open semi but she refuses to look ahead there's still a lot of tennis left to play and it's a long match and a long tournament and you know even though the semi-finals by theory if you want to win there's two matches left but it's you can't think like that I'm still in the mindset that I'm in the beginning of the tournament I think that's what I've learned you know in the past of being in quarterfinals before I would think you know close to the end but right now I have the mentality that I told myself I still have another um two weeks to play so that's where my mind is at um and then obviously when it's over it's over but right now I'm just saying another two weeks and also I think it's what's helping is playing from DC to Montreal to Cincinnati that was a long type of swing so I think doing well in those tournaments built my mental endurance always had the physical endurance but it built my mental endurance so right now I'm not I feel emotionally fresh um which I think was the problem in the past and grand slams I would emotionally be drained but um obviously I'm physically fresh and emotionally fresh. Good for her so Coco and Ben into the semis as Americans now for Novak Djokovic it's old hat old hat he sets a record a men's new record 47th grand slam semifinal 47 no one has ever played in more on the men's side and he beat American Taylor Fritz in that heat in that humidity on Tuesday afternoon and I thought that we heard from him earlier but I thought this was kind of interesting how he highlights New York as a place where you're constantly having to navigate and manage the noise and the distractions all around so kind of making it seem like in other places Wimbledon the French Open maybe the Australian or other tournaments that are not majors fans are more respectful fans kind of abide by the rules which by the way you're not supposed to get up and walk around regardless of how big the stadium is you are supposed to remain in your seats while the play is going on so you're not supposed to get up and move around until there are changeovers I worked for the tennis hall of fame I was constantly reminding fans please stay in your seat until there's a changeover and so yeah it's something that he noted you just have to get used to when you're in New York. Look it happens you know and and sometimes you react but most of the times you don't I mean I speak you know for myself obviously there's 90 whatever percent of the time you don't react I mean people speak they move around you got to be ready for that particularly in US Open especially in the night sessions it just you know that's part of it it's part of the sport mostly I don't mind it but you know in those important moments when you're all of a sudden you know it's under a lot of stress and you're facing a break point and then all of a sudden everything annoys you and distracts you so then then you react but that's again that's that's hit of the hit of the moment and playing on the highest level I'm actually glad that crowd wants to get into it because you know it means that the match is interesting that they want to be part of it and that they're having fun so the end of the day they pay tickets to come and watch you play so we try to put on a show and perform for them so they go back home you know satisfied that they've been here and enjoy the enjoy their day. I gotta tell you we've been really blessed with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as two of the best men's tennis players that have ever walked the face of the earth and yet they're so open they're so thoughtful they give you long answers or give the media long answers they explain themselves they're not cryptic they're not rude with the media most of the time just recognizing that it's better for the sport when they speak and and also just very well spoken and are willing to kind of go down the rabbit hole when it comes to some of the bigger issues challenges facing tennis.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence CBS Sports Radio. Maybe you didn't know that Novak Djokovic was going to channel his inner Travis Kelce after his quarterfinal when this is tennis tv. Okay everybody ready? You gotta fight for your right to party!

You gotta fight for your right to party! Oh my gosh so a little bit different there but I love that Novak also has that side of him as well You gotta fight! He's playful he's fun. Travis he's like a bull in a china shop but we will miss him if he's not on the field come Thursday night which is a distinct possibility so here's what we know about Travis he hyperextended his knee at the very least in a in a red zone drill it was a non-contact injury which is what scares people it was the last practice before the Chiefs kick off the season Thursday as they host the Lions though now his status is in doubt and Andy Reid fielding a lot of questions the Chiefs do not believe that he tore his ACL even though it was non-contact news limping they don't believe it's an ACL but right now they're not sure they'll have him Thursday. Next guy steps in and we roll I mean that's that's what you do if that's if that's the case.

Okay next guy steps in and we roll but how do you replace an all-world tight end who is Patrick Mahomes' security blanket? You gotta fight! Oh you're right. Hey Jay you know what I just saw? Apparently after I flew home from Houston on Tuesday United had a system-wide shutdown. No way. Three hours after I got off the plane the FAA put a tweet out that said United is asking to pause all of the airline's departures nationwide oh this is why you get out early this is why you get out early I would have been stuck in Houston oh you might have had to do the show without me I made it though phew all right we'll talk to you tonight survive your hump day it's after hours CBS Sports Radio. Boom! 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 re-blooming 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.