After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 1

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Shop in store or visit Ashley.com today. This has nothing to do with the radio show, but it's weird. It feels weird. I had my pupils dilated today and it's a good thing I don't really need to see anything, I suppose. Other than the road and the other traffic when I was driving into work, but yeah, it's odd. I had an eye exam that lasted for an hour and 45 minutes. Apparently they had an eye emergency with another patient, so I just sat there, waited, waited, waited.

It threw my entire day into flux, as you can imagine. But the whole dilation business, it's been a while. Gosh, I don't remember the last time I had my pupils dilated, so it was very strange.

Just the whole world looks different when your pupils are a little bitty. So I think I'm okay. I don't need to see producer Jay, I suppose. Or maybe there's three of producer Jay. They actually had me do this test, Jay, where they asked me if I saw two of a particular object, do you see one or two of them? I'm like, oh, is this a trick question? I don't know what to say. One and a half?

Wrong. We're getting rid of your eyeballs. We're giving you new ones. Yeah, they fiddled around with my contact prescription and changed it and then changed it back and then changed it again. So yeah, it was an extensive exam. But then when they dilated my pupils, she said to me that I need to go sit out in the waiting room for 15 minutes. And that they would bring me back in and do another exam in 15 minutes. Okay, great.

Except 15 turned to 20 turned to 25 turned to 30. And I'm now starting to worry about I'll give you one clue what I was worried about while I was sitting there. Penny? Yes, of course, because I'm always worried about Penny. She was out of her routine.

It was late for her dinner. And so I was feeling really bad. But anyway, I think we're all set. I'm all set. I'm not going to let it affect the show in any way.

But if there's something weird that happens that I can't explain, we're going to blame it on pupil dilation. And new contract contracts. Oh, nope, not that that would be nice, though. Good morning, boss. It would be nice.

But instead, it's um, it's contacts, not contracts. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. Always good to have you with us even when your host is a little bit upside down, which it feels it feels more like that on this edition of the show. It is the eve of week four in the NFL. So we've got some QB news, of course. And we'll frame it as we look ahead to week number four. It starts with a battle in the AFC North. And I'm sure there are Packers and Lions fans having flashbacks to week 17, 18, week 18 of last year when finally finally Dan Campbell got his wish and the Lions did in fact get flexed just in time to knock the Packers from the playoffs. Who says we can't get flexed? Well, this is a different Packers era.

There is actually life post Aaron Rodgers, just the way that there was life post Brett Favre. I don't think so. Well, you're wrong. Stop it. Jay's biggest complaint when Aaron Rodgers got hurt after week one is that he has all these Rodgers drops saved up and now he can't use them.

And I said, of course you can. He's still, he's not dead. He's just injured. Also, he's not going away.

I mean, I'm sure you've noticed that as well. He's still very active, taking a player coach role. It's gonna be hard to cancel me. Who wants to do that?

I can't imagine. Anyway, that's not even the biggest story in Wisconsin right now. The Portland Trail Blazers finally pulled the trigger on a trade. They said they were going to wait. They were going to be patient and they found the perfect partner for Damian Lillard with the Milwaukee Bucks. Now the Phoenix Suns also have to be amenable. They are eight players up to three future draft picks involved in this trade. But the biggest piece, of course, the cornerstone of the trade, the bombshell component of the trade is that Dame is now headed to Milwaukee. So that's all the Bucks get. They get Dame. And while Drew Holliday initially is part of the Portland package, he likely won't stay there because they are in rebuild mode. And they've already got a young point guard that they really like that they picked in the draft. And so we'll see where Drew ends up. So the pieces are not done moving around, but Milwaukee, Milwaukee got what it wanted. And how does that affect Giannis?

That becomes a major question. So coming up about an hour from now, we'll welcome our good friend Steve Pfeiffer from 1250 The Fan in Milwaukee. He's also got a couple different podcasts, one that deals with the Packers.

Best podcast name maybe in all of sports radio. That's your tease. And then he also has the green and gold that has to do with the Bucks.

So we're excited to hear his reaction. And really, is it a bad time to be a Wisconsin sports fan? Dame to the Bucks. The Packers are 2-1 and have a chance against the Lions this weekend to actually move to the top of the NFC North.

And then what what? The Brewers are division champs for the third time in six years. So it feels like a good opportunity to spend some time in Wisconsin with the cheeseheads and all the other big sports fans. I actually miss Wisconsin.

I didn't make a trip in 2023 because, yeah, it's tough to do. And also Grammy's not there. So, gosh, I wish I could make a trip to Wisconsin just to talk to Grammy. But it's a big time to be a sports fan. I do hear from my Wisconsin side of the family about all the different sports stories coming out of their neck of the woods. It'll be fun to talk to Steve and see what he has to say.

So that's coming up next hour. You can find me on Twitter, ALawRadio, our Facebook page, too, After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Gosh, we know all of you.

OK, maybe not all of you. The majority of you have found your way to our YouTube channel to catch the first part of Ask Amy Walks Down the Aisle. Now, part two will be posted before the show is done. It's like I said, it's been one heck of a day for both me and producer Jay. We've had a lot to navigate in both personal and professional. For those of you who pay attention to what's happening at CBS Sports Radio, you know it was quite a chaotic day for the network as well. It's not really here nor there, just that there's been a lot going on the last 24 hours with our colleagues and with the network. And so it's been one of those days. You know what, that doesn't mean you won't get part two of Ask Amy Walks Down the Aisle. And I'm sorry that I haven't had a chance to respond to all of your tweets and all of your Facebook messages. I haven't even really gotten back to Ask Amy because it was such a nutty day.

I never really had a chance to do social media on Wednesday. But I will make up for it tonight. We've got a lot to catch up with on the baseball diamond. Not only was it Terry Francona's last game in Cleveland, so not last game with the Guardians, but last game in Cleveland.

So that was an emotional time for him. But the Cubs and the Braves doing battle, they go into extra innings. We've got the Marlins trying to hang tough in the National League wild card.

Also, if you think about the American League West and the three teams that are still involved there, it's going down to the wire. So there's just a lot to work into this show, even as we look ahead to week four of the NFL season and the drop. The news drop. The drop it while it's hot.

Actually, you don't want to drop it. Taylor Swift will, in fact, be at MetLife Stadium to watch the Chiefs and the Jets. There's no other reason to be there except for Travis Kelce, I suppose. I actually texted Jay a few hours ago and said, did you see the photo of the PDA between Taylor and Travis? What? It's a big deal. I'm telling you, the fact that they've got now what we are very convinced is a pre-existing relationship.

Because she didn't just show up there and hang out with his mom last weekend at Arrowhead Stadium. But we didn't have real proof there was any type of relationship before now, but there's a photo. TMZ, of course.

Beautiful. Who else would have a photo? It would be TMZ. So now I'm a little suspect about Patrick Mahomes indicating he's ever met Taylor Swift. I'm guessing that's been rectified. Anyway, Travis talks about his new fling.

Oh, we shouldn't disrespect her like that. Travis talks about the new love interest in his life with his brother Jason on the New Heights podcast, which I'm sure you're surprised to know is number one in the country right now. Duh. So yeah, there's a lot to get to. A new round of updates on injuries like Joe Burrow, Austin Eckler, Bryce Young, Derek Carr. There's just a lot we're going to get to. Big news from the NBA world is that Damian Lillard is a buccaneer.

A buccaneer. Can I blame that on the pupil dilation? Is that possible? Yeah. Thank you, Jay. He is now a Milwaukee buck. And he's a soon to be running mate for Giannis and Dennicumpo, which NBA training camps are opening up this week. It's funny though, going back to 2022, Dame did an interview with GQ Sports in which he talked about, I don't know, was he speaking it into existence? Jay's a big fan of speaking it into existence. Was he talking about the future? Did he have some insight?

Well, maybe not. But Giannis was one of the hottest things in the NBA back then. If you were to pick a player that would help you win a championship, who would you pick? I would pick Giannis. I hope he would get to play with Giannis at some point.

Those two would be a very, very nice combo. I mean, I would say just the dominance, you know, somebody that's going to get to the rim. He's a good playmaker, a good defender, disruptive. And the way he plays compliments the way I play.

I would bring something to the table that compliments what he does and vice versa. Seamless. Okay, Dame. Let's see it play out on a basketball court near you. Giannis apparently did not reflect the love.

He didn't respond in kind. So going back to February and this year's All-Star game, Giannis was a captain. And on TNT, you know that they do the whole live selection show. Was it LeBron who was the other?

Okay, so Giannis has the first pick. Let's see. Did they know something we didn't know? Do you think they were working behind the scenes?

It was a bit of a surprise. And so when I say that he didn't reflect or didn't, I guess, react or respond to what Dame was saying. You've got to be careful about tampering in the NBA because the commissioner takes it very seriously. You're not supposed to be talking about other players as a player in a particular roster. You're not supposed to be ever talking about combining forces or working with someone else. So Dame there in some, I would say that's gray area.

That's some gray territory there. But when Giannis has a Drew Holliday and they're one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, well then you're not thinking about who else you might be running with. So it was a big surprise then when he announced his number one pick.

My first pick is going to be Damian Lillard. Look, that surprised me too. No, you're not going to do him dirty here, are you?

No, you're not. Giannis has changed this weekend. I think so too. You know, he always talks about loyalty, being loyal, and all that stuff, right? So I knew for sure his first pick was going to be Drew. So I don't know what's going on with Giannis. Okay, okay. You're messing my whole draft board up now.

I'm sure you're doing it. Okay then. So it was a surprise to the guys on TNT. It was a surprise to LeBron. But maybe Giannis was laying the groundwork. Hmm. That's polite, right?

Things that make you go, hmm. To the best of my knowledge, I don't know that we've heard anything from Giannis yet. I looked on social media. There's not been a response from Giannis today. Now maybe he's overseas. Maybe he's checked out. Maybe he's on a vacation.

Except maybe not because this is the start of NBA training camps. So I'm sure at some point we will hear from Giannis. Dame himself did actually post on Twitter. He did post on his social media. And he was cryptic.

Right? Only to say that he was excited for the next chapter. But it wasn't, it was more about Portland than it was about Milwaukee.

He just said, and this goes back now to 3.30 in the afternoon Eastern time. The casuals won't be addressed. But the Trailblazers fans and city of Portland that I love truly will be. And they will be addressed truthfully.

Stay tuned. So when I first saw this, and I've read it a couple of times. I wondered if he met the casuals as in the casual fans. Those who would criticize him for leaving Portland. Or maybe, then I thought Jay, he might be talking about media. Media, analysts, those who are not diehards.

Right? Would they also fall in the same category of casuals? You don't really know what you're talking about.

You're not ride or die type of thing. I wasn't sure. If he was just referring to fans who would criticize him. And not understand why he wanted to go. Or if he was referring to really anybody who's criticizing him for requesting a trade out of Portland. But what he does seem to indicate is that he will finally open up. Share his perspective. He will address the Trailblazers fans and city of Portland that I love.

Stay tuned. So it's more of a tease. Which we're big on that in sports. More of a tease about his perspective and upon his exit from Portland. What he really wants to say. Okay, so maybe been holding his emotions and holding his true perspective.

His true feelings in until this was consummated. Until the trade was reality. And we know he's been asking to go to Miami. His agent put it out there that Miami was the only place that Dame wanted to go.

But I can't imagine that this isn't a nice consolation prize. I'm using my air quotations. He says stay tuned and then excited for my next chapter at Bucks. It's only been seen 9 million times.

And no, I'm not exaggerating. So we'll talk about Giannis and Dame. Together, not forever, but for now in Milwaukee with our guest who will join us about 45 minutes from now. I'd love to get your reaction to Dame. It feels weird to be thinking about basketball right now. But at the very least, for Portland, for Milwaukee, this is done on the eve of training camps. It's good timing because there needed to be some resolution. Not just for the franchises involved, but also for the NBA and I think for fans. And moving forward now, there's a sigh of relief because it's kind of been hanging over the heads of a lot of people.

A lot of NBA peeps for quite a while. So yeah, I would say this is a big deal to get it done. The timing, it's what it needs to be.

To move forward with some resolution as we launch into what is a month of training camps and preseason for the NBA. Alright, on Twitter, ALawRadio. Also on our Facebook page, After Hours with Amy Lawrence. You know our YouTube channel. Part 1 of Ask Amy Walks Down the Aisle is available. And lots of response it's getting. Can I tell you something? Part 2 is actually my favorite. It's shorter.

It only features 4 frequently asked questions. But I really like Part 2. I told Bob today that Part 2 was my favorite. And he said, I can't wait to see it.

I kind of feel like he knows everything that's in it, but... Yeah, he's so cute. Oh, and he will be arriving on a plane in, let's see... 20 hours from now. Roughly 20 hours from now, Bob will be arriving on a plane. Now, I've warned him again. You cannot talk after I pick you up. I gotta listen to football.

Jake gets so upset every time I say that. I mean, I get it. Oh, nice to see you. Now, be quiet. Talk to you later. Zip it.

Zip it emoji. After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Right there, folks. He's trying to dig that base out. He wants it.

Pulls it up from the ground and holds it high. Man, that's awesome. A 40-70 man, Ronald Acuna, Jr. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Congratulations to Ronald Acuna, Jr., the first in Major League Baseball history to rack up 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases in a single season.

Wowzers. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. The call there on the Braves radio network. And as you can imagine, because this is taking place in Atlanta, in front of the fans, and the culmination of a season of work and dedication and perseverance and persistence and skill and health and all that jazz, well, they stopped the game. And of course, they had to give him the base or at least grab the base so they could have it for history or the Hall of Fame. And that didn't sit so well with Cubs radio. And we're really stopping the game. Can we get the base after the game? I mean, this is pretty absurd.

I mean, it's just a hell of an accomplishment. Totally, but you can't stop the game and want a highlight montage. You can't?

You can't stop the game? I don't know both voices. I know John Shambi, who was the play-by-play there doing Cubs radio. I do not know the other voice.

If anybody else knows, you can find me on Twitter, A Law Radio. Can we get the base after the game? Why so catty? Let the man have his day, not to mention you're in Atlanta and the Braves are vying for the number one seed at this point, of course. Now, I can imagine they're extremely salty when the game goes into extra innings and. Winning run at second, the pitch swung on right field to right field, base hit.

One hopper to Suzuki. Here comes Ronald. Here comes the throw. Brave win. Ozzie Arby's swarmed by his teammates out between second and third. 6-5 your final.

I told myself I need to get, I need to come through right here. Base hit, whatever it is. And I'm happy I came through in the right spot and we won that game. Ozzie Arby's with the game-winning hit and Ronald Acuna, the star of the show, as the Braves do walk off in the tenth. So the single, the RBI single in the tenth. And here are the Cubs who take a hit, even as the Braves are not only celebrating in their face by taking up bases, but are also clinching that number one seed while the Cubs are still hanging on trying to, trying to make what they can.

I mean, this is a tough series for any team, right? Because it's the Braves and it's in Atlanta. But trying to salvage what they can so that they're able to remain part of that playoff mixture, except at the same time that the Braves are doing work against the Cubs, the Marlins are going through a doubleheader, second half of a doubleheader against the Mets. And the Marlins end up winning, well, they split the doubleheader, right? They win the later game, which means they pull even with the Cubs.

So we'll talk about that and the Cubs' perspective coming up. But really, this night belongs to Ronald Acuna and the history. And it was really cool to see him and hear him with his kiddos following the game. I just want to thank God for this incredible moment. I'm really, really grateful for my teammates, coaches, support staff, and all the fans out there supporting us the whole time.

It's really an incredible moment. Now that's a translator, not Ronnie, but those are his kiddos. And Marco Belletti is here in studio. I kind of feel like you should bring your two younger kiddos in so that we could hear them. Or maybe just your little boy. Oh, you don't want that. Yeah, I do. It would be so cute. You don't want that. I do.

No, I don't think anybody wants that. Although the four-month-old is definitely a babbler. Oh, is he so cute when they're babbling? Sure.

And then Acuna actually himself introduces his kiddos. Jamal and Ronald. Jamal.

Ronald? Yeah. Like Jamal Crawford. Like that.

Like Jamal Crawford. Man, they were cute. Super cute little noises they were making there. And again, Ronnie should be able to do whatever he wants after the baseball history. So that was neat.

I enjoyed it. And congratulations to the Braves, who do in fact clinch the number one overall seed in the National League. So not worried about the Dodgers catching them anymore. The Dodgers, I think they also split a doubleheader, I think today.

Sorry, my days are all blending together. But they're sitting on 98 wins. The Braves have actually eclipsed what they did last season. They have 102 wins. Last season had 101 and were ousted by the Phillies.

So it didn't last very long. We'll see if these regular season wins translate. They don't carry over, but do they translate into a longer stint in October? As for the Cubs, this is a tough one. David Ross knows they had many opportunities. They were one for eight with runners in scoring position. They left seven guys on base. We got to do some little things a little bit better, try to get runners in from third, less than two outs. It hasn't been our strength here this month.

You know, guys are laying it all out there. It's a really good team. Got to figure out a way to win a baseball game. We're now into the final days of the regular season, and there's still a lot on the line. And the wildcards do, they do represent baseball's big dream, right? This is what Rob Manfred in baseball wanted when they expanded the playoffs and included the wildcard series. When you look at the National League, it's, whoa, it's astonishing still. Phillies have clinched the top wildcard.

We talked about that on the last show. Diamondbacks have a two-game lead right now over the Marlins and the Cubs, who are tied for the third NL wildcard. The Reds are a game and a half back.

That was tough for them, but certainly the Guardians wanted to give Terry Francona the right sendoff, the sayonara there on the shores of Lake Erie, so the Reds were the benefactor of that. But they're a game and a half out. The Padres are still technically alive. They've won eight of their last ten, and they're three and a half out, so they've not been officially eliminated.

It's a tough sell between now and then. Yeah, teams are down to either three or four games now left in the regular season, so there's still a lot on the line there. In the American League, the Rays have clinched the, well, the Rays or the Orioles have clinched the top wildcard. The other will win the AL East. The Blue Jays are a half game up on the Astros, who are a half game up on the Mariners. So those are the three teams still alive for the final two AL wildcards. Exactly what baseball wanted, if they could draw it up, the fact that you have so many teams still alive, and division titles that are still up for grabs as well. As I mentioned, the Orioles and Rays only separated by two and a half games, though the Orioles have won four in a row and appear to be tenacious in attempting to hang on to that East division. In the West, you have all three teams, excuse me, I was going to say four, but of all three teams that are still alive for the division title, the Rangers have a two and a half game edge right now. Oh my gosh, Amy, what is happening to me?

My brain! We're going into October, where it gets really convoluted and crazy, and I'm already starting to mix it up. The World Series champions, the Astros, if they get in, they're going to be dangerous. But right now, they could be looking at the wildcard. So yeah, it's kind of fun to think about how the weekend's going to play out. Alright, on Twitter, ALawRadio, also on our Facebook page, Top of the Hour, we'll get back to Giannis and Dame together in Milwaukee. So we'll head to Milwaukee, but also the Brewers, maybe ask a little bit about the Packers too, with a big Thursday Night Football game coming up at Lambeau Field. Straight ahead though, Terry Francona, final game in Cleveland. He's already the winningest manager in Indians slash Guardians history.

Had some really incredible moments with that franchise, but is on his way out. They wanted to send him off with a win. It just seems like a good time, and not many people in this game are able to leave on their own. Usually there's somebody else making the decision for them. That's why when I talked to Chris and Cherney about this for the last month, I told them. I said, hey man, don't tiptoe around me.

Go enjoy finding the next guy. I mean, you guys aren't firing me. I've loved my time here.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. You guys aren't firing me. It's finally time for me to walk away. On the Starkville podcast, the revelation by Terry Francona, or the acknowledgement by Terry Francona, that he would in fact be retiring at the end of this regular season. The Guardians not headed for the postseason, which is I'm sure disappointing. Not just to the fans, but probably Francona and that young group of players. Remember last year they won the AL Central as the youngest team in baseball, but could not replicate it this season.

Nine games below.500 is where they sit right now, and ten and a half out of the Twins who've already locked up the Central title. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio, with Francona finally making it official and even using the R-word, though he'd been reluctant to come to terms with that. And as I said on last night's show, he's given everything to baseball for decades.

Heart, soul, blood, sweat, tears. It's taken a major toll on his mental health, his physical health. We know that he has also battled in both of those areas. It's time for him to be healthy. It's time for him to be well. And baseball will never be the same without him, but he doesn't owe anything else to the game. Right, he's a future Hall of Famer, and if he believes that it's finally time for him to pay more attention to who he is away from baseball, now I get it, he's a lifer, and a lot of times people who are lifers, in any career or profession, and this happens a lot with athletes, professional athletes, who am I away from the sport? Who am I once I leave this locker room or leave this clubhouse? And no doubt, because Fran Cohen has been immersed in baseball for decades, again, for years and years, going back to when his dad played, and he was a kid running around, and he had a minor league career, a minor league slash cup of coffee, but coaching and then managing, it's all he's known forever.

No doubt there's wrestling with who am I outside of baseball, but I'm happy for him that he is shifting his priorities now and needs to get healthy, wants to get healthy. The fans, the Guardians wanting to make sure he has the best sendoff in Cleveland. You know how badly this Cleveland club wants to win it for Tito.

And 29,000 on their feet want it just as badly. The pitch, swing a little tamper, right side trickling down the line, fair ball, Naylor grabs it, steps on the bag, ball game. Della Cruz never left home plate. David Bell coming out to argue, what's that, a foul ball off the foot. Cleveland will celebrate as the game ends in a weird fashion.

Emmanuel Classe will get his 43rd save, a new career high, and Cleveland hangs on to win 4-3. David Bell is pleading his case with the entire umpiring crew as the fans are on their feet chanting, Tito, Tito. I think the baseball guys made it so.

Sometimes they're a little harsh, but they're just. He's put so much into baseball and I think that was a Tito-like win right there. Stephen Kwan on Bally Sports Cleveland with the reaction. If you haven't seen the video, I would encourage you to go and watch it.

A very emotional scene there on the shores of Lake Erie. Francona is not a guy who likes the spotlight or likes the attention. He really doesn't.

It's one of the reasons why he didn't want the news to get out before it did. So he walks down the dugout steps and then I think encouraged by his players and by the chants of the crowd, Tito, Tito. You don't know what you got until it's gone right now that he's finally leaving. Anyway, he gets kind of an encouragement and a shove from some of his players. He goes back onto the field.

There's a standing ovation, a moment that no doubt he will remember forever, but also extremely emotional because this is the end of his tenure there in Cleveland. It's kind of difficult. It was really touching. Don't ever get me wrong.

I mean, my goodness sakes. I mean, you know, I've told this group plenty of times, I know I'm not the smartest person in the room by far, but I was smart enough to pick a place where I believed in the people and that only grew and I think anybody that's ever spent ten minutes with me knows how much I like it here. It's so close to kind of where I grew up two hours away and it was a good decision.

It just seems like it got better. I love this guy and I only know him from having worked with him in Boston when he was manager of the Red Sox and covering that team. When you get older, whether it's players, coaches, managers, and this doesn't just apply to sports, but sports is a microcosm of real life, you don't take anything for granted.

Terry has long been in that space because of his health challenges, because of his age. He doesn't take it for granted and I love that about him. He's always got a big picture perspective. He's grateful for what the game has given him.

He's always tried to deflect the attention to his players except for when it comes to criticism and then he takes it on himself. And you can hear that emotion in his voice and how much it means to him that he is beloved there in Cleveland by the Guardians fans. I'm going to be rooting like hell for these guys. Might be in a rocking chair or something, hopefully be on the golf course, but I will never not root for these guys. I love these guys, man. This has been 11 years of good.

That's awesome. And it definitely was a resurrection to his career after what was a painful exit in Boston. He was essentially chased out of town, the whole fried chicken and beer thing in the clubhouse with the Red Sox and the rumors that were going around.

And I think he'd be the first to tell you that he made some poor choices in his personal life that maybe left him open. He was struggling at the end of his Boston tenure. He got let go there when he spent two years or I don't remember exactly how long.

It was one or two years outside of baseball doing broadcasting, right? He was working in media and then he got this opportunity to work in Cleveland and yeah, 11 years there and loves the young group of guys, loves the fans, was really touched by it, did the whole handshake and high-fiving with his players for the last time and also was thrilled that Shane Bieber had such a strong outing too. And I just love that even though this night in the eyes of his players and the fans is about him, Frank Kona then turns around and points to Bieber and says, hey, look, he just shut down Cincinnati for six innings and he's had a difficult year, right?

He's been on the shelf with injuries. He's only six and six. This is not Shane Bieber the ace that so many Cleveland fans expected or were hoping to see. But yeah, so Bieber is happy for him and then Frank Kona is happy for Bieber.

Man, that was so nice. I mean, he looked like Bieber and now he can go home, have hopefully a normal offseason and come back next spring and be Bieber. And by that, you know, nobody has a crystal ball, but I'm kind of thinking everybody here kind of has a pretty high level of confidence that he's pretty good when he's healthy.

You kind of see it unfolding. I got more and more excited for the opportunity to, you know, pitch his last home game. So I'd be lying to you if I said it didn't mean a little bit more tonight.

And it was easy to anticipate and get amped up for it. So it's in fitting fashion that it was a one-run victory for this year and it was a great team win. Congratulations to Terry Francona on what's been an incredible career, a Hall of Fame career. I will definitely miss him because he's one of my favorite personalities and his impact on the game is indelible.

Saw this post on our Facebook page. Marie, thank you, Tito. Cleveland will miss you. Oh, no doubt. Baseball will miss you. But yes, Cleveland is better. Cleveland baseball is better for the time that Francona poured into the Indians slash Guardians, Tom Hamilton with the call, by the way, of that last moment with Tito in Cleveland on the Guardians radio network.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Yeah, as we talk about the end of this regular season, there are a lot of storylines that will wrap up and won't end up in October with an extra opportunity to add a chapter. And I hate that for Francona. I hate it for the Otani situation in Anaheim with the Angels. I was hoping that that would at least put him on the October stage. If nothing else, one time with that franchise that made him a superstar here in the United States, thinking about the Mike Trout chapter and how painful it's been for him to only play half the season and once again have a season that's cut short by injury.

And so these are a couple of the questions that we go into this off-season with. Yeah, good October that stands in front of us or stretches out in front of us, I hope. I hope it's compelling and dramatic and interesting and it's not same old, same old. I do love fresh blood.

I feel like I've been at the dentist since two o'clock. That was a long inning. We're going to miss Terry's humor. But the idea of the Angels potentially trading Trout even as they brace for Otani's departure. Now it may not happen.

It may not. And whoever gets him next year only has him as a hitter, won't have him as a pitcher. But what about the Guardians? Who do they tab to replace Terry Francona or to take over there? We know there's some other big job openings, high-profile job openings around Major League Baseball. And the money is sure to fly even for those teams that don't make the postseason. Though, how about the Padres? They've let it be known that they're planning to trim salary after all this time building up this roster that they expected to be a bomb, just a bombs away World Series contender in 2023. They're still technically alive for the playoffs, but may very well miss them. So what happens in San Diego?

We're going to Milwaukee next here after hours, CBS Sports Radio. That's BetterHELP.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.

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