After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 1

We all belong outside. We're drawn to nature. Whether it's the recorded sounds of the ocean we doze off to, or the succulents that adorn our homes, nature makes all of our lives, well, better. Despite all this, we often go about our busy lives removed from it. But the outdoors is closer than we realize. With AllTrails, you can discover trails nearby and explore confidently with offline maps and on-trail navigation.

Download the free app today and make the most of your summer with AllTrails. In the market for investment-worthy bags, watches, and fine jewelry? Rebag is the answer. Rebag is a luxury resell platform where each piece is carefully inspected by experts to ensure quality and authenticity. Use Rebag to buy and sell finds from the world's top brands, including Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Cartier. Head to Rebag.com and get up to 15% off your first purchase as a member with code REBAGNEW. Shop today at Rebag.com.

That's R-E-B-A-G.com and use promo code REBAGNEW for up to 15% off your first purchase as a member. Plug in a Hyundai EV and the extraordinary happens. It's not just the ultra-fast charging capability and long range in the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6, or the adventure-seeking spirit of the Kona Electric, or the groundbreaking 601 horsepower IONIQ 5N. And it's not just the comfort in knowing that every Hyundai EV is backed by a 10-year, 100,000-mile limited electric battery warranty. Hyundai's EVs transform a low hum into a loud adventure. They bring color to your journey and turn energy into main character energy. So forget everything you thought you knew about EVs and turn the extraordinary into something truly electrifying.

There's joy in every journey. EPA estimated 323-mile driving range for 2024 IONIQ 5 SE SEL limited rear-wheel drive and 361-mile driving range for 2024 IONIQ 6 SE long-range rear-wheel drive with fully charged battery. Estimated range varies for other models and trims and depends on battery capacity, temperature options, and other factors. Limited battery warranty covers defects and materials for 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first. See owner's manual for complete warranty details and limitations.

Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details. I always love this moment for a couple of reasons. Well, number one, I love what I do for a living. And so I always enjoy coming back after vacation, though it's challenging to get back on the overnight schedule. I will admit that sometimes I feel like I got hit by a semi the morning after I returned from a vacation and host a show again. It can get nice and comfy and I can get really comfortable sleeping at night, which I did for the last five nights, kind of. On Sunday night, actually, I was still awake when the show went on the air because we didn't arrive back. We drove back from Virginia, DC, Virginia, Northern Virginia, and arrived home around 2 30 in the morning. So that was that was an aberration. But for the most part, in bed before midnight for the last four four of the last five nights, it was tremendous being on the same schedule with the hubs.

That was also really nice. So I do love coming back to work, but it sometimes hits me right in the face. But I always enjoy to thinking about the reaction. Those of you who are listening to the radio, maybe actively, maybe passively, but you hear our signature song American Woman and you think, huh?

Is this Amy or did Amy get fired? I have no idea why that is the reaction every single time I take a few nights off. It's July, people. Americans take vacation in July a lot of the time. Whether or not you've been listening for the last couple of weeks and you knew I was going to be out, I understand because you might be on vacation, too.

But for heaven's sakes, why is it the very first thing that people jump to that something must be wrong? No, no, vacation is right. And I'm not going to apologize for taking vacation. So yeah, it cracks me up because some people think, oh, yeah, she's back. She didn't get fired. She didn't die. Other people think, oh, no, she's back. I was so hopeful this time she might not return. Too bad, so sad.

You get what you get, you don't get upset. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Aha, aha, here I am. And got to tell you a little bit of show insight, a little bit of what's happening behind the scenes. You know, of course, that producer J is gone, so we're somehow going to find his replacement. Somehow going to find producer number, I think it might be nine or maybe it's ten. I lost count.

It really doesn't matter. I'm good. Moving forward, a producer, while they bring a whole lot to the show, the show must go on regardless of who's behind the double pane glass. It's not as though I'm going to crawl into a hole or curl up in a ball because somehow I have to change producers.

Now, I'm pretty sure over the course of my career, I have worked with at least 50, maybe more than that. So it's all right. I'll keep on chugging. I know many of you are asking about producer J. There's no update. I don't know what he's doing, actually. I haven't heard from him. It's good for him to have some time off. I'm happy for him to pursue a different path in life if that's what he wants to do. And he even left his headphones in my locker and I guess not coming back.

Well, definitely not coming back for them. His key cards already been turned off, revoked. Yeah, for sure. I know that because I tried to use his log in a couple of days after he was gone and denied. Survey says anyway, I don't know what producer J is doing at some point. I'll get an update.

And of course we all wish him well, but we've got to find someone to produce the show in time for football season. And so what the managers told me. Oh, actually, can you hold on one second? It's really hot in here. The heat is on, I swear. One second.

I'll be right back. Just talk amongst yourselves. Everything's going to be fine. I just need to turn down the AC. See, this is what happens. Producer J goes away and all of a sudden it's really hot in the studio. No, just kidding.

I don't know why it's hot in here, but it is. Anyway, back to what I was saying. So the managers told me, the manager of the producers told me that we would have three different guys, guys who are in house, who are interested in the job and that they would rotate around my days off and each one would get a certain number of shows to audition for the job of producer. And then once they were done and they were guys that I signed off on. Once they were done, we would see who else might audition, whether it be from some of the applications outside the company, whether it be from some of the other candidates here in house.

So I'm coming off vacation. If you were listening last week, you know I worked with Ryan and we'll have a few more shows with Ryan before his audition is done. I was all set to work with another young man. They're all young to me because I'm so old. Another young dude who is interested in the job and wouldn't you know, he called out on the first night he was supposed to audition. I guess he has car trouble. Here's the difference between me being old and someone who's younger. If I had car trouble, I would take mass transit.

Our headquarters are located in New York City. There are plenty of ways you can get to work, but that's just me. I've had to do it before when my car was in the shop or when there was a ton of snow or whatever reasons happened to be, but he decided to call out. So I guess he'll be here for the next show.

I'm not really sure. Instead, we have Chris who agreed to step in. Chris, were you supposed to have a day off?

You're allowed to turn on your microphone and speak just this one time. I'm just kidding. I'm trying to scare Chris just to see how much fun it will be. I don't get intimidated easily. Really? Well, that's good. I like a challenge.

That's fair. I'm open to any and all challenges, but I was actually scheduled to work tonight. I was scheduled to work in the newsroom for the night tape shift. So they just threw you in here.

Yep. I woke up to a text this morning asking, hey, can you flip to this show? And I said, OK. Have you worked on the show before? I have not.

All right. First time. Chris is a newbie. He's already deciding that he's going to push back on the whole intimidation thing, which is kind of fun. We'll see how that goes.

Does that mean I should expect mistake free radio for the next four hours? I hold myself to a high standard. And if I do make a mistake, please tell me that I did. Oh, no, I think it'll be obvious. But even if to say, hey, you messed up, I'd be like, that's not my style. Well, thank you for stepping in.

I appreciate you doing a different role than you were expected to do, especially since this one is a little more challenging. So Chris is new, has not been on the show before. I'm going to assume. Don't tell me if I'm not right, because you know what happens when you assume I'm going to assume that he's at least heard the show before. And so he's familiar with what we do here, maybe a little bit, but it's different when you have to run it yourself. So we will be kind and we will give Chris some leeway and some grace if and when things don't go perfectly.

There's no such thing as perfect. You know, I make up words on a regular basis here on the show. And so for that reason, I don't. Well, and because I just think it's unprofessional to ever drop the hammer on people on the air, unless it's intentional and willful.

In this particular case, we're just going to assume that Chris is doing his absolute best. So you can find me on Twix at ALOL radio, also on our Facebook page. After hours with Amy Lawrence, I am thrilled to hear from you, especially during the month of July, where a lot of people July and August, where a lot of people are out of their typical routines, like me, and where many of you are either hearing the show for the first time in a long time, or maybe you're hearing the show for the first time ever. And that's terrific. So again, find us online.

Be glad to connect with you. And also, if you're wondering about our phone number, even though the name of the show or the network has changed, actually, the name of the show has not changed in 12 years. The name of the network has changed. That's inconsequential.

Intel, the phone number is the same 855-212-4227. So since we were together, man, a lot has happened in our nation. And you know, I do not talk politics on the show ever. But like many of you, as I was away for a family occasion last week, my brother celebrated a milestone birthday. We had a terrific few days, although my mom was supposed to be there, but she and her husband ended up staying in Texas after the storms knocked out power, then their water. They had a bunch of cleanup, again, that had to happen in their front yard.

So unfortunately, they were not able to make the trip. But Bob and I drove down on Friday, and we were able to go through a long weekend of events with my brother, my sister-in-law, my two nieces. It was so much fun. I'm not sure if you checked out my Twix lately. I'll see if I can get some of these photos up on Facebook.

You know, sometimes it's a little challenging now, but I'll see if I can. Anyway, if you find them on Twix on a very hot day, oh my gosh, into the 90s and scorching sun, we walked the mall in DC on Saturday. After going to a concert at Wolf Trap the night before, we were underneath the pavilion. For those of you who don't know about Wolf Trap, it's one of those incredible pavilions. It's actually a national park. And it's got a big lawn area. And we went to see the National Symphony Orchestra play Beethoven's No.

9. If you love classical music, this is a legendary piece of music. Anyway, we sat under the pavilion. It rained so hard that it threatened to drown out the orchestra. So I can't even imagine what it was like to be on the lawn. But they desperately needed rain, so it was so humid though.

Oh my gosh, one of those nights where it was really still and humid and you're drenched just by sitting there. So that was Friday evening, but my brother loved it. We were all excited. On Saturday, we walked the mall in DC, which was a lot of fun. And I did post a few pictures from that, actually.

I will retweet now at ALawRadio if you want to see those. It was really neat. I hadn't walked the mall in DC in quite a while. I'd been in DC for a couple other events in the last five years, but not to walk the mall. And my husband had never been there.

He'd never seen the monuments. So that was fun. We took the metro into the city and walked up and down. And we ducked into the Museum of American History to get some AC because, yeah, it was hot. And we end up, we pick an area.

I think we picked the particular section that focused on wars in American history because we're all kind of big into history, military history. So we were there on the third floor, for those of you who know the museum. And across from the escalator, there's a point to the story, across from the escalator was the entertainment section of the Museum of American History.

What do you know? But right inside the opening, a small exhibit dedicated to Star Wars. My husband saw it before I did. Do you know the original C-3PO and R2-D2 costumes from Return of the Jedi are on display in the Museum of American History?

Of course, I had to have my photo taken with R2-D2 and C-3PO. You don't care about that part, but you might care about the photos. They're also up now on my Twix. And as I say, I'll try to get to them on Facebook as well. So I'd love for you to check those out. And as for the producer search, word early.

That's all I know. I, like I said, was away from the weekend. Couldn't, well, thought about working on Wednesday and Thursday nights when my mom's plans got changed.

But because the producer schedule's been set up around my days off, I decided I would take a couple of days and just clean the house, do laundry, enjoy being home, which was really nice. And then spent the weekend with my brother. My nieces did a whole Lord of the Rings party.

It was amazing. They had a costume for my brother. They had decorations. So much great food. They really worked hard.

They were very creative on it. So it was good to spend time with the fam. But as I say, like many of you on Saturday evening, we spent a good two hours just watching the news after what was the, well, the breaking news of the rally in Pennsylvania.

And gosh, all the news that has happened and the different elements that we know, questions that we still have about the assassination attempt on President Trump. So yeah, as much as I was with my family and taking vacation, our family is not so different from every other family. And I know many of you were also attached to the TV and experiencing a varying range of emotions over what we were watching play out in the video and the photos and everything else that was happening. So yeah, as much as I was away, I really didn't pay much attention to sports at all because I don't want them on vacation. I definitely was watching the news coverage on Saturday the same as many of you and on into Sunday as well.

So that was part of the weekend. It is good to get back on the air and provide some entertainment, maybe a little distraction if that's what is needed in this time. So glad to be with you on a night in which the All-Star break has the home run derby.

At least I thought I was. And then I watched the new format and thought, and I felt badly too because I really wanted to like it. I generally enjoy the All-Star break more than any of the other sports. I think baseball really does it well most of the time. And I love that it's full of the best and brightest in baseball and they're all out there, right, for the world to see. They're hanging out on the field on Monday night for the home run derby. They're having a grand old time with their families and their teammates.

And it's very loosey goosey. And that's the part that I love is you get to see these guys in a very different atmosphere than what we normally see them. And so I really do enjoy both Monday and Tuesday, I've said this repeatedly on the show, the baseball All-Star game is the only one I actually watch. I do not watch any of the other All-Star games because they're not in any way similar to what we see on the court or the ice.

They're not interesting to me. But baseball is because you actually get the matchups between the best pitchers and the best hitters. For instance, Paul Skeans, a 22 year old rookie pitcher for the Pirates who will start the All-Star game for the National League, gets to face the best hitter in the game, Stephen Kwan of the Guardians, one of the best home run hitters and brightest young stars, Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles, and then Juan Soto, who's currently on the Yankees but may not be there past this year. If one of those guys gets on base, Aaron Judge is batting cleanup for the American League.

Who doesn't want to watch those matchups? Of course they're real, because Paul Skeans has to get them out or the game would never be over and he wouldn't survive the first inning. He, by the way, is likely only to pitch one inning according to Bruce Bochy. And we'll hear from both Bruce and Tori Lovello. Did I say Bruce Bochy?

Sorry, opposite way. Tori Lovello and Bruce Bochy. And those guys have to manage not just 11 to 12 pitchers on their roster. They're trying to get everybody in.

They're trying to make sure nobody gets hurt. So a 22-year-old rookie who's, granted, more stretched out now, he's pitched seven innings in three of his last four starts, he's not likely to go more than one inning in the All-Star game. So of course he wants to do his best.

He wants to get out. No pitcher wants to be the one that gives up the home run or the other team crossing the plate. And so it actually resembles a game. I really enjoyed the baseball All-Star break, but I didn't like the home run derby. It was boring.

I'm sorry, it was boring. I got into the first round, but then it went on and on and on. I like the idea of a certain number of pitches and four minutes or three minutes or whatever it was. I thought that was interesting, but then with the bonus round and the extra outs and, oh, if you hit a long enough home run, you get more outs.

It went on too long. So after I waded all the way through the first round and we were able to get to the final four, now at that point I'm thinking, I just want the two finalists. I don't need four. Or if you're going to give me four, then just have the winner come out of those four. I don't need a semifinal round. I don't need a final round. I just need one more stretch, one more group of hitters, and then I'm good. And then when I realized it was semifinals, my response was, or my thought was, okay, well then no bonus round. I don't need to see the bonus outs again.

Yep, had those two. Oh my gosh, it went on forever. I'm sure the home run derby was also longer in the past or about the same length in the past.

I really didn't keep track, but this one seemed like it went on forever. Yeah, I wasn't a huge fan of the format. It happens so often in sports that leagues tinker with a good thing. And I get that all of the leagues are trying to find the perfect formula for their All-Star festivities so that people tune in.

Also, it's a tough week because it's the Republican National Convention and a lot of people are watching the news and not watching baseball. So all of that, it maybe led to them changing the format a little bit. I didn't really find that there was a whole lot of benefit. I didn't really find that it was any better. In fact, like I said, I felt like it stretched on and on.

It was kind of a yawner. But congratulations to Teosco Hernandez. He gets past Bobby Witt Jr. in the finals and he's the first Dodger ever to win the home run derby. Good. Alright, we can tie a bow on it.

We're all good. Otherwise, we've got fun stuff from Paul Skeans and the American League starter. A really neat nod from Bruce Bocce, who of course is the manager for the AL. Lavello, the manager for the NL.

Aaron Judge weighing in about the pitcher he hopes to face in the All-Star game. Plus, we've got SEC Media Days. We've got USA Basketball in Abu Dhabi getting ready for the Olympics. And man, wait until you hear the stats that I got from the news about travel to Paris for the Olympics. You're going to be stunned because I was.

I actually listened to it twice just to make sure I did not hear the report wrong because I wanted to share it with you. Plus, Kaitlyn Clark, Aliyah Boston, the Indiana Fever in action on Sunday sparking another late game rally. All kinds of fun stuff that we want to talk about and get into this next four hours.

And give Chris every opportunity to shine like a star. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Facebook or you can find me on Twix at ALawRadio. Good to connect with you again. No, I'm not dead. No, I didn't get fired.

Yes, I take vacation like most other Americans. Thanks for joining us on the Infinity Sports Network. We all belong outside. We're drawn to nature, whether it's the recorded sounds of the ocean we doze off to or the succulents that adorn our homes. Nature makes all of our lives, well, better. Despite all this, we often go about our busy lives removed from it.

But the outdoors is closer than we realize. With all trails, you can discover trails nearby and explore confidently with offline maps and on trail navigation. Download the free app today and make the most of your summer with all trails in the market for investment worthy bags, watches and fine jewelry. Rebag is the answer. Rebag is a luxury resell platform where each piece is carefully inspected by experts to ensure quality and authenticity. Use Rebag to buy and sell finds from the world's top brands, including Hermes, Chanel and Cartier. Head to Rebag.com to get up to 15% off your first purchase as a member with code REBAGNEW. Shop today at Rebag.com.

That's R-E-B-A-G.com and use promo code REBAGNEW for up to 15% off your first purchase as a member. Master outdoor cooking this summer with the Meat Eater Outdoor Cookbook, the inspiring and practical new guide from Steven Rinella, host of the Meat Eater podcast and television show. With over 100 recipes for meat, fish, poultry and game birds, accompanied by lush photography and easy to follow tips, the Meat Eater Outdoor Cookbook is the ultimate guide to open air cooking. Whether you've hunted the ingredients yourself or forged them from the supermarket, because food just tastes better when it's caught, cooked and eaten outside.

The Meat Eater Outdoor Cookbook by Steven Rinella is available now. Ew, gotta get rid of this old Backstreet Boys t-shirt. Tell me why. Because it stinks, boys. Tell me why. I've washed it so many times but the odor won't come out.

Tell me why. No, you tell me why I can't get rid of this odor. Have you tried Downy Rinse and Refresh? It doesn't just cover up odors. It helps remove them. Wow, it worked, guys. Yeah, yeah. Downy Rinse and Refresh removes more odor in one wash than the leading value detergent in three washes.

Find it wherever you buy laundry products. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Ouch. O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave On After Hours, the biggest meltdowns in sports history are immortalized with an infamous distinction. Now it's time for Amy Lawrence to bring you tonight's candidates for the After Hours Hall of Flame. We might have to save that for the Hall of Flame, the next induction for sure, because that.

Well, I don't really know what that was, but it was hideous. Here's the thing. It's Texas, for heaven's sakes. There are some incredible country music performers, if that's what you were going for.

Incredible. I'm a huge country music fan. And I know that there were others that had to be available.

Was she just the last one on the list? Also, and I'm sure she's got some great music. The national anthem is a challenging song. It's a really hard song because of the range it requires.

Number one, did she not practice in front of anyone else who maybe said to her, Sweetheart, no, I love you dearly. Don't sing it like that. Or I love you dearly.

Maybe you should turn this down. Or I love you dearly. Make sure you take a note card so that you have the words in front of you. That is one of my biggest pet peeves. No one is going to remember whether or not you had a card in your hand with the words in front of you. It is far better to have a cheat sheet, quote unquote, than it is to screw up the words of our national anthem. But also, I will readily admit I've never heard of Ingrid Andress before tonight.

Ever. There had to be someone who could rep not just the anthem, but Texas and the industry better than that. Do you think she warmed up beforehand? Because generally they do a test run.

For instance, I know this because I was watching the news during the day on Monday. I'm not generally awake on Monday, but because I was watching coverage of the Republican National Convention, I noticed in the background behind some of the anchors that they were doing different warm-ups. The different musical artists were doing a sound check. You had different people who were testing the microphones. I mean, that's what you're supposed to do before a big event. I know that just because that happens sometimes at press conferences too. Mic checks to make sure everything is working, functioning properly. You can hear in the back of the room, blah, blah, blah. She must have done a sound check at some point.

Nobody? Nobody had the nerve to say to her, I feel like maybe that's not the right approach. Oh my goodness.

I'm embarrassed for her. Anyway, in Texas, not what I was expecting. Generally, you get the best of the best when you're talking about an event of this magnitude.

But also when you're thinking about Texas and the number of incredible performers, musicians that have come out of Texas. So that was a bummer for Ingrid. I know that there are videos out there of some of the athletes trying to keep their smiles and off their faces and the laughs to themselves. That's tough. We're not going to do a question of worst national anthem ever. Although I can think of a few. The Carl Lewis one, Roseanne. Those are the two of the iconic, awful national anthems. This one was pretty rough.

Pretty rough. Play it off a CD. Oh no, people don't use CDs anymore.

Oh see there, I'm dating myself. Play it off of your iPod. Oh, no one uses an iPod anymore except for me. I still have a little orange iPod Nano. It's awesome. It has 1100 songs in it. I can't get rid of it.

And then I dated myself again. Let's see. Play it off your phone for heaven's sakes. Plug it into a USB and play it over the loudspeaker. The PA at Globe Life Field. You do not need to do a live national anthem if it's going to be that bad. That bad. Oi. You know what? Not just a Hall of Flame candidate but a... Wait, hold on. Oh, there we go. A facepalm Friday.

Even though it's not Friday yet but I don't know who else could possibly top that. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Hey, our last show that we did together, you may remember. I hope that you do.

If you don't, I'm here to refresh your memory. We asked you the best and brightest athletes under the age of 24. Awesome list. From every sport.

It was really cool. One of the earliest answers. One of the most popular responses. Paul Skeens.

At 22 years old. A dynamic Pittsburgh Pirates rookie. Who's already the ace of the staff.

Which tells you something about the Pirates too. Fans show up to the ballpark to see him. He's now 6-0.

An ERA under 2. 89 strikeouts already. And as I say, they're starting to stretch him out. He has gone a full 7 innings in 3 of his last 4 starts.

We've been waiting with bated breath for the last couple of days to find out who would be the starter for the National League. I'm not sure if you saw the video from the Dan Patrick show. But Torrey Lovello called in as Skeens was a guest. So he was on a Zoom call with Dan and his crew. And Lovello called in as well. And made the... I guess broke the news. Made the announcement that Paul would be the starter for the National League. Barely a reaction from Paul. It was actually kind of funny. He was so laid back about it. I think he said awesome or thank you.

Something like that. But really didn't have a whole lot of emotion to it. Still though, at 22 years old. To be not just an all-star, but the starter facing some of the best and brightest in the game on Tuesday evening. Even if he doesn't express his emotion, I can imagine there is some emotion. Especially when he said on Monday, really his entire goal for this first season of his major league career was just to be a solid starter.

Those big folks of the off-season. And obviously being here now, I think that's just a product of doing it one day at a time and having good coaches and good people around me. But yeah, I didn't necessarily think I would be here. I didn't necessarily think that I would be here.

That's cool. The Paul Skeens viral video from a little kid. I don't remember exactly how old the kid was.

9 or 10. He was a 4th grader. Who was asked during a game in which Paul was pitching, what he loved the most about Paul Skeens. And he said, his mustache and Livvy done.

And he yelled it. I thought of him because I saw a photo from Livvy on her Insta. In which she posted that the two of them were headed off to the all-star game in Texas. So yes, everywhere Paul Skeens goes, there is talk of Livvy done. Now, I will give extra brownie points to our fill-in for the fill-in producer, Chris. If he can find that drop somewhere in our folder. We've got audio folders galore. I think they're all under the heading of after hours. If you can find it, I will be really impressed.

Maybe a little search there, Chris, but we'll give you the break to find it. So yes, a little more with Paul Skeens. Also, Tori Lovello and Bruce Bochy and Aaron Judge, too. Lots of stars.

Lots of big names, of course. That's one of the reasons why I love the all-star game. The format, even with some of the newer rules in baseball that are intended to speed up the games. The format is such that you really do get a chance to see these guys, hear these guys.

Just in a different way. They're laughing, they're smiling, their kids are around a lot of times. Their teammates are goofing off. Many of them are mic'd up or they will get interviewed while they're in the field. I know not everyone loves that.

I think that's kind of cool, actually, especially if they're great talkers. And so I'm looking forward to it now that the yawner of a home run derby is behind us. You can find me on Twix, ALaw Radio, also on our Facebook page. Glad to be back.

Even those of you who thought that I had somehow been fired or something far worse had happened to me, thank you for missing me, I think. We've got so much more to come. Even a couple of stories, too, about my time away. So we'll get to all of that. This is what I love about radio.

It just kind of meanders through the overnights. We get to have fun, especially in July, where it's not as great a sense of urgency. Here's our latest sports update. And here's Pete McCarthy. Good morning, Amy. Love your show. Oh, thank you. You're welcome. ALaw, what is up?

Um, nothing. I love your show. Thank you. By the way, you're welcome. Amy, thank you for taking my call. I really appreciate the work you do.

Hello, Amy. I just love your show. I've been listening for about three months.

My first time calling in. Awesome. I love your enthusiasm and your whole style. Y'all keep me laughing and smiling. I don't get sleepy.

That is the point. Just enough. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. I'm not sure anything I could say would be nearly as cool as listening to that song. Also, if you're up, you're driving in the middle of the night, maybe that's exactly what you need, a little pep. A little pep in your step, baby.

Well, maybe not your step, but your lead foot. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Speaking of that, we were driving back from Northern Virginia, so my brother and his family live near Dulles Airport. We were driving back, actually left their house around 930 Sunday evening, and we were still driving a little after two, so it took us about four hours and 20 minutes to get back.

It was amazing. There was hardly any traffic except for semis, truckers, and honestly, oh my gosh, hundreds of them parked along the side of the roads where you might see weigh stations or rest areas. They spill out of the rest area, and you've got long lines going into the rest area and then on the side of the highway coming out of the rest areas. For those of you who drive overnight or even late night, early morning, you know exactly what I'm talking about. But since I started this career, which is now 20 plus years, the number of trucks on the road, it's astounding. It is tripled, quadrupled, maybe even more than that. And so I always chuckle, and I even said this to my husband as we were driving, when people tell me that, oh, you work overnight, the only people who listen to you are truckers, it cracks me up because even if that was the case, which it isn't, of course, but even if that was the case, oh my gosh, there are hundreds of thousands of trucks on the road overnight around the United States.

So I actually would be okay with that. Nice base for the audience. You are a nice base for the audience.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. I have no more time off for a while. This is what happens when you've got family events and different travel that has to be done actually in the first half of the year. That does include honeymoon.

Of course, we had to take our honeymoon. So yeah, I've used actually 75% of my vacation time already for the year, which is okay because we've got to find a new producer. I need to be here for that. And then football season is, you guys, football season is seven weeks away, and that's the actual kickoff to the regular season. That doesn't even include preseason, and a lot of what happens during training camp, there's always news. So we've got to find a new producer. Then it's football season, and maybe, maybe, just maybe I'll take some time off around the holidays.

Of course, of course I will. But there's a lot on the horizon, and July is kind of this fun, I feel like a great analogy for it. It's a fun time where you've got so much bubbling just beneath the surface. I know the old adage is a watched pot never boils, but that's kind of how I feel about July in sports. Not only because it's freaking hot, and so yes, it works with boiling water. But you wait for a pot of water to boil, and just under the surface you'll start to see the bubbles.

You'll start to see that there's a lot of activity below the surface of the water in your pot. Well, that's what happens in July, and it's going to get crazy busy at the end of the month on into August, of course, not only because of NFL training camps, because you've got the Major League Baseball trade deadline on into the stretch run-ish, but also the Olympics. There's a lot happening with the Olympics in Paris, and the fact that we'll be able to watch them live, events live on the air here in studio, because they will be taking place across the pond in au Paris while we're on the air.

So this is one of the reasons I love international events, because we get to catch them live. And so for that reason, July may feel quiet and slow. It's really, it's percolating and it's getting hot. If not the water analogy in a pot, how about molten lava just before this, just underneath the surface? Having gone to the Big Island in Hawaii in May, I've learned so much about volcanoes and eruptions and lava and how it can take weeks and months for it to cool underneath the surface to turn into that lava rock.

Our phone number 855-212-4227 on Twix, ALawRadio, also on our Facebook page. Thank you for all the I miss yous and I can't listen when you're not here and where have you been and oh, I'm having heart palpitations, that part I don't get, but I'm back and won't be taking any time off for quite a while, so we're all good now. Paul Skeans, as much as he's excited about starting the National, for the National League in the All Star game, honestly, it's cool to hear this from a 22 year old. The biggest benefit may not actually be the three outs he gets on the mound. The thing that I'm looking forward to most is just getting to spend some time with the other pitchers here and pick their brains and see what they have and what they're willing to share and on what it takes to be a big leaguer for however long they've been here and how they have success and all that. How about that? A 22 year old who's excited to learn from guys who are older and wiser and have more reps and more innings and more experience. I like that.

Sometimes that's not the case with younger people. I would say that it's super smart for Paul to be interested in soaking up whatever he can from guys who have gone before him, who've been there, who've done that, right? Now he does have to face, at the very least, Steven Kwon, Gunnar Henderson, Juan Soto, potentially Aaron Judge, who's hitting cleanup. Likely isn't going to pitch past the first inning, but man, that lineup packs a wallop. Looking at the lineup, yeah, there are no breaks there.

There's no free outs. I mean, it is the All Star game, but yeah, looking forward to attacking them each head on. It's going to be pretty cool. I've gotten a chance to watch a couple of his games the past couple of weeks since he got called up, and it's special stuff, man, electric stuff. Not only is he going to talk about the velocity of his pitches and what he does, but the guy's a pitcher, man. He can work all three, four, five of his pitches, throw to any part of the zone, any count. He's a complete pitcher, man. So it's going to be fun. I think we're all excited to see him on the mound, see him do his thing, especially in his first All Star game, getting the nod to be a starter.

It's impressive, man. So definitely looking forward to facing him. High praise from one Aaron Judge, who obviously is leading the majors with the home runs, 34 of them, and will be a huge challenge for Paul Skeans if, in fact, he ends up facing him in that first inning on Tuesday night.

So that's something I'm looking forward to now. Something else we're looking forward to, finding out whether or not Chris, the fill-in producer, who is on the show for the first time, managed to crack the code and find the section of the audio folder, back behind the double pane glass, that has the little kid raving about Paul Skeans. His mustache and Livy Dunn. Bravo, Chris. Bravo.

Yes, that is one of our favorite drops. So every time we talk about Paul Skeans tonight, you feel free to drop in his mustache and Livy Dunn. The way this little nine-year-old kid yells it is so funny. So good for you, Chris. That's, I mean, that's major brownie points, although maybe, just maybe, it kind of brings you back to even. I offered Chris popcorn before the show. Apparently he does not really like popcorn. I don't know what to make of that.

I don't know what to, I don't know anyone else who doesn't like popcorn. So I'll try not to hold it against you, but since you found Livy Dunn, I think we're back to even one hour down, it's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on the Infinity Sports Network. Look around. What do you see? Cars? Lots of them.

And guess what? They're probably on Auto Trader. Whether you're into timeless classics or the latest trends, did somebody say solar-powered, eco-friendly, vegan leather-wrapped, aromatherapy-scented, disco-ball-equipped self-driving car? If you see it on the road, you can likely find it on Auto Trader. Big cars, small cars, blue cars, new cars and used cars, electric cars, and one day, maybe even flying cars. With millions of options to choose from, buying a car becomes a whole lot easier. See it, find it.

Auto Trader. You sit in traffic now, but later, there's an ice cold reward, Medela, the mark of a fighter. You've earned this rich golden lager with a crisp, refreshing taste, because you know all your patience is paid out in gold.

You remain calm through honks, bumper to bumper, and people yelling, come on, move. You are a fighter, and Medela is your reward. Medela, the mark of a fighter. Trick responsibly.

Imported by Crownland Port, Chicago, Illinois. Listen as Selenia tells us why she chose to vaccinate her daughter. I definitely felt like the pros far outweighed the cons. The diseases that I am protecting my child against, they're still here, and at the end of the day, it's my job as a mother to keep my child safe. Talk to your child's doctor and learn more at WhyVaccines.com. Brought to you by Merck.