Episode 12: Career Tides

say it? Madison bomb Garner said you should just start, but I do love him. Um he said we should record it right when we come on. But those are all the things I don't want anybody to talk about. Get down there. It's good, good stuff. Speaking of good stuff, I know you don't like attention, but I'm here to give it to you. Congratulations. Where has moved into the NHL space? I mean, what league? Don't you have? Major League Baseball? Kyle? Can you get that done from Hyle? One?

Wait contri the NHL congratulation. Thank you. We're very very excited. It's getting announced Tuesday, which is after this is released. But it's cool for us it's kind of like where it all started. I mean, and my career started with the Tampa Bay Lightning, which we're going to get into a bit later. And then obviously I married somebody that has a lot to do with hockey and hockey influenced

his life. And Alyssa Green, who is our creative director and also our designer, her husband played with my husband and they worked together now, so it's really cool. She it was cute. We're talking about it today and she goes, yeah, when I really sat and thought about it, I cried. It was like that, or you're exhausted from your kids. But it's fine, No, it's it's really really cool and that's going to come out next season the start of next season, and can't wait for it, and that's huge.

I mean, you you you touch on it, but that's how you started. You know, your first job on air was covering hockey, and now you have a clothing line which will you know, be spread throughout the league as well as all the other league. So that's really really cool.

I know a little bit of your story, but I'm sure you get asked a lot like what your first gig was, and it was with your hometown team, which I think is so cool because I know the few times I even actually I filled in for you when you were covering baseball and did your NFL assignment on the sidelines, and I remember my first Seahawks game covering that was so cool for me because it was my hometown.

But like you followed the lightning and then they want to Stanley Cup, So walk us through that, or for the listeners that don't know that that's how you started, I will tell you that. I'm also going to do a teaser for the end of our podcast because I want to ask you a question about the derby, and I know you have a great Larry David's story to tell, unless you want to get into it now when we can do it. By the way, this is our podcast.

We can do whatever you want, Okay. So I wanted to do kind of a weekend catch up, and I know that one of the hot topics and it's very unfortunate. I have friends that horse was in the derby that said, this is so bad for our sport. You know, there's there's talks that what was the horse's name that was potent Bob Baffort. Well, I don't all I remember truthfula is because as that has the gambler in me. I

don't even remember the horse's name. I just know that Bob Baffort is the Tom Brady of horse racing craft because you never bet against him and I should have known better. And no matter what horse Bob has in the race, whether he's a long shot or not, put your money on him. So anyways, okay, so, yes, the horse who won the Derby. Yeah, so they're now saying he tested positive. Oh thank you Ryan. Is it Medina Medina spirit? Yeah, Ryan's the best. I love the chat

um potentially tested positive. For those of you listening, it's our producer telling us information that I should have known. Um called Medina. You know why I because I don't remember things that I lose. So there you go. Okay, go ahead. Sorry, you so potentially tested positive for steroids. I know there's another test coming out. Got to be honest, don't know the specifics, but I was dying to ask you, Carissa,

for everybody that place bets, how is that affected? But you said you didn't know, right, But I know this leads into a story that you love about betting at the Derby. Yeah, so I do know that it just in general and gambling, like for example, like if you bet on the Astros to win the World Series, no one's coming back and getting money from that, right, Or if you bet on a certain player to you know, hit so many home runs and they're tested positive for p D, you don't go and get your money back.

It is what it is. So the same holds true then for horse racing. But you and I were talking before we started about when I went to the Derby a few years ago and Larry David and I we went with like a group because I got Larry into horse racing because Larry needed it a hobby and like something to like, you know, he's competitive, but like also is very reclusive and like doesn't like like leave his house ever. He was like COVID before COVID, right, Like he didn't like that, and so I was the way

I get it. I don't want to leave my house either. I mean, now I'm that person and I don't want to leave. So I went the opposite direction. But so in order to like get him to, like, I don't know, get out and do things, we went to Santa Anita. So he went to the race track and that got him into horse racing. Then we went to Vegas he got even more into horse racing, and so we went to the culminated in a trip to the Derby. So we go and so he's like, how does this all work?

I was like, we're gonna go up to the window. You play your bets. You say, like, I want twenty dollars to win place or show is first, second, third, So I want twenty dollars to win on horse number five. So we go up, we place our bets and the guy that's at the window recognizes that it's Larry and he goes, oh my god, like he does his like you know whatever, the whole like reaction, everybody like gives a Larry, and Larry can't be bothered. He's like, yeah, focus,

are you're not focusing? We want this? We want this. And so finally the guy like prints off the tickets and he's like, you got him right? Are you sure you got him right? And the guys like, yeah, yeah, I got him right. So we go. There's a lot of races leading up to the actual Derby forever, so we have our tickets in hand. We're so excited for like the actual like race to happen. Horses are going around final stretch, you know, chariots of fire, the whole thing.

Our horse wins, always dreaming, two thousand seventeen Kentucky Derby winner. I'm like screaming Larry, screaming, we're so excited we won. He looks down at the ticket and he goes, yeah, we don't have the ticket. I'm like, what do you mean we don't want the ticket? My god, right out of curb, right out of her. So at this point, there's like tickets everywhere all over the floor because from all the previous races, when people lose, they just rip

them up and then throw am. He's on the ground, dirty dirty ground, on the ground looking for the ticket. I'm like, what the hell. He's like the guy, the guy didn't give us the ticket. So when the race is over, you go up to the window to like cash your ticket in right and get money. He cuts the line, Aaron, It is so like from an episode which you know I don't want to show, but you tell me that he cuts the line by cutting the line. Tom Brady big poppy, like all these people big poppies,

Like can do you do a big poppy voice? And Larry, what's he's happening? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, So that's literally what he's saying. And there goes the guy didn't give me the right ticket. So he goes up to the guy and he starts screaming at him. He's like, I knew you weren't paying attention. I knew it all along. He goes check the tape, and I'm like, oh my at this point, like the race is like the video, the security footage. Check that tape. He gets the manage

are out. The managers like it's going to take us a long time to check, like what bets were made? Mind you, the bet was for like twenty bucks, Like it wasn't even a lot of money, but it was the principle that Larry was like, I knew he wasn't

paying attention. We won, we should get our money. And he created such a scene to the point where like now everyone's filtering out of Churchill Downs and we're like standing there and I'm standing there against the wall waiting for the manager to check the tape, and so I'm like, Larry, let's just go and he goes, no, this is ridiculous. Anyways, Needless to say, we never got our money for that. But I also didn't I lost this year on the derby. I was so mad. But again, when in doubt, don't

bet against Bob Bafford hold on. So did they look at the footage? No, because I wouldn't let him because it would have taken forever to comb through, like all the nonsense like needle in a haystack whatever, and I'm like, let's go. It was all just so very Larry ausque and leading up to it, and like only we would have like the ticket that didn't get printed when we were supposed to, and I was like whatever, So yeah, that's our our story for that. But we had a

good time. All Larry Curb fans right now. I know you can hear it in your head. I mean, I swear. But my my favorite was Big Poppy's voice where he was like he was like ready to be, like what can I do to help Larry in like his sweet little voice. Yeah, side tangent about Big Poppy one of my favorite athletes ever and one of the best guys out there. But I love Poppy And he talks about how he learned to speak English from the Dominican and

I think he had said it was from television. Well it must have been an R rated channel because I love my man, but he says the F word, like the word the So everything was like, hey, Poppy, like, what do you think the keys to playing against the Inkies? Well, you know, whatever the funk you think you gotta do? You like, everything is like I started like, oh my god, like, yo, Larry, what the funk? You know? I guarantee it was that? But also, um, isn't that that reminds me that? Didn't you?

Zells say that she learned how to speak English by listening to boys to men? Okay, yes, because I feel like that's how I would if I'm going to learn another language, it would for sure be music, right like would that be the easiest station? Hip hop Nation? Well, obviously, which would then bring merge the two together a lot of profanity and uh, a good time. I guess that's what we're getting at here. So yeah, so oh this brings me back to that discussion of when people say

our horses athletes? What do you think do you think horses are athletes? I'm really okay, I gotta be honest. I don't know how to feel about this. I don't even know how to feel about watching the derby because I love it. I love the build up, I love the stories about the jockeys and their families. And I'm crying and everybody, you know, we're back here in Lexing or are we in Lexington where we Louisville, And I'm so excited and then they're like getting whipped and stuff,

and I get upset. So I don't know how to feel and taken care of. Yeah, okay, so like their I wish they had their nutritionists. I say they are athletes for this exactly. Bringing it back to the pe D thing there. If this is this proves true, right that he took p e D s, well, then then they're they're under the same rules as an athlete, right like if we're having I don't know, I just feel like because what they're not human, I mean like they're

participating in a competitive event, and I don't know. It's the same thing as like NASCAR when people like, oh, NASCAR drivers aren't like athletes. The car is doing the work. I'm like, have you ever driven in a NASCAR because I have, and that ship is hard. We didn't imagine bathroom for that long and that left turn that left that left turn. Obviously it takes out. We did a NASCAR immersion. Did you ever have to do that at ESPN? Now?

Why did to do it? And it's like it takes a lot of stamina in that car for hours and hours and hours. Anyways, there's so much we can say about this, which is why we have a podcast. I guess that's what we're talking about it. But good news everybody. Two things to take away from this conversation. One, you will always keep your money no matter if the athletes cheated or in this case the horse, horse and hat cheated. And remember to always check your ticket at the race

before the race happens. Keep your ticket, have it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. The guy, because he was distracted, I'm dying. You know where that damn ticket was. I don't think he ever printed it was Larry's point, because he wasn't paying attention Larry. Larry maintained like, oh, because we had a stack of like all these tickets, and so he was like, oh, he never printed that one. Yeah, but do you really

believe that, Crissa? Yeah, I believe that that. I know because I was standing there and the guy was like losing his mind and wasn't paying attention, which was Larry's point, like are you concentrating on the task at hand. I appreciate that you like my show and you want to talk about episode twelve, but you're not paying attention to your job. And we missed out the twenty dollars that

Larry didn't need. And I think the best part about it is there are so many stars in athletes at the Kentucky Derby and the one person that everybody loses their ship over is Larry David. It just is tell the Tom Brady story in the ole of a or please yeah, well you know, okay, So anyone that's been to the Derby, there's like one nice hotel you can stay. And I say this lovingly, it ain't like the nicest,

but it's this hotel where everyone stays. Okay. So we get in the elevator, the elevators packed, and it's that moment where you don't know, like should we wait for the next one or we getting in? Is everyone gonna be okay if we like suck it in and like

you know, everyone moves in. So Larry, who hasn't thought about any of this, he just goes into the elevator and I'm like okay, and we turn around and all of a sudden, and so we're facing the doors and like up against the doors, and I hear this sultry like Tabasco Vanilla wisky boys go hello, Larry, And I was like, the turn around and the sexpot that was Tom Brady in sunglasses and a nick fouquette hat, and I was like, holy sh it, I've never thought this

guy is hotter. And Larry goes Tom hey and looks back at the elevator doors. It says nothing else, and like we walk out and like Larry does his like shuffle, doesn't even like and then like Tom comes up and like continues whatever, talking to him or whatever. But I think why everyone loves Larry is because Larry can't be bothered, whether it's Tom Brady, um Jeff Bezos. In between, he's like did you print the ticket or not? You know?

Oh it's so good. I love it. Hey. We came into this podcast today wanting to talk about because we get a lot of d m s about like where we started in our career and all that, and then we went off on a huge welcome to our lives tangent about Larry David, but coming up after the break, like we're gonna get into this, like some of the funny stories about when we first started in the industry. And then you know, guys, if you really make it in the industry, you get to hang out with like

Larry David at the derby. So there's that and take him to a hockey game. That's another story up. So it was a circuitous route back to hockey. But we'll make the turn, the left turn in this case, we'll be back to the point and I'm going to look up for that word really quick circutus or comfort. It's an indirect route back to the beginning. Hello, Larry, Welcome back, everybody,

Calm Down podcast For those of you tuning in late. Um, we are all about in this well we get we get off on tangents, but we started at the intention of talking about how we got into our careers, and not because we are self absorbed and want to talk about that, but because people actually care about how we got started. Um, and Aaron and I, in a weird way kind of both started in hockey. But you your first job was with the Tampa Bay Lightning. How did

that even come about? Well, the one thing you and I do have in common with hockey is that we both read Hockey for Dummy, the cliff Notes version. I'll have you tell yours in a second mine. You know, I'm from Tampa Bay. I had interned at my dad's TV station, like for four years doing um working in the sports department, and this position came open as the rink side ice side reporter, and I was like, Dad,

I don't know anything about hockey, full disclosure. When I into the University of Florida, I became obsessed and thought the only thing that mattered was Gator football, Gator basketball, and that was it. And I remember my dad saying to me one day, pick up a paper and read there's more teams out there than just the Gators. So that was my come to Jesus moment that I better get my life together and start studying red hockey. First dummies still didn't know what I was talking about when

in for the job. Thank god, they wanted the hometown girl that would work her ass off, But I did. Do you remember, like I remember reading you know, penalty kill, power play, and I was like, wait, what, how many guys are on the ice? What's going on no legitimately because to what she mentioned that we both read is because we left that I got asked it was like my third job and my um producer who was my college football producer and in charge of assignment, who was

Leon schwire Um. He was over at the Big Ten Network and then he went to go run versus which is now NBC, and he goes, I need you to cover hockey, and I go, I don't know anything about hockey. He goes, you'll figure it out. So I went to barn the Noble bought hockey for Dunnis and I was like the blue line. I was like, I didn't even know there was. So the moral of the story, kids, if you don't know the sport, by the dummy version and start reading. But you always wanted to be a

sports broadcaster, right? I did? And I told kids that I was in high school with that that's what I wanted to do. Like it's funny. I think we talked about it in the prep for this. There was really no other option. I mean I say it all the time and it's not a joke. I probably would have been a swashbuckler for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers if it. How does that doubt? What a year this would have been? Dancer? Um, what are the bucklers? They're the Swashbucklers there like that

a name. I don't know, it's like Piraty or something, but um, you know the Bucks and the Swashbucklers. Yeah. I didn't really think that there was gonna be any other option. And it's funny and it's not to sound like a conceited jerk, but people are like, did you think it would get to this? And I was like, well, that was kind of the plan. It's what I thought

would happen. No, I don't think. I don't think that's It's the same way that like if you ask athletes that are at the peak of their sports saying like I always wanted to be that, Like, yeah, sure of course it doesn't always work out, but I think that you put yourself in various positions and hope that it does. I mean, I feel the exact same way. I made a little video and I made my brother V. J. Buner because I was from Seattle, and I was like,

please let me interview you. And I used a paper towel roll and a tennis ball and I taped it together and that was my microphone and I was like, I need this for my resume reel. He's like you're eleven, and I'm like, well you're thirteen, so stop acting too cool. And I ended up using it for my resume reel later on, because you know, like news directors they put in those well we are old. They put in those DVDs for about two seconds and if you don't capture

their attention, then you know whatever. You and I also we have a lot of parallels in our career, different but the same, and like, I feel really lucky. I never had to go work in a small market and like that's I know a lot of people that have to do that. I was willing to do that. I was willing to go to Champagne, Illinois or wherever I needed to go. But I took the job in Fox Sports human resources just wanting to get in the door. Became a production assistant and then that turned into getting

an on air job with the Rockies. Was my first like you know, on air job. But I also was only getting paid a p a salary and was like, I'll just do it for free and hope that it all works out, Like you know, smart of you to do that though. That was a big risk that you took, but it was smart of you to do because you literally did get your foot in the door. And you probably worked it too in terms of like, hey, can you guys get me on TV? Like what can I do?

And it's like I forgot when we did those listeners live, you know, talk, when we just said you never know when you're going to be called upon and you've got to be ready to go. So that was so smart you did that. Well, thank you. Well, I mean I was just like hoping for the best. But I remember I was working in HR during the day and I'd sneak up to highlights at night in the Fox Sports building and log tapes so I could learn how to

do highlights. But that was an HR violation, so I would pretend I would tell my boss I was leaving, then get back in the elevator and go upstairs and log tapes because I wasn't technically allowed to still be there. And Randy Vnewitz shout out to Randy Venewitz, he was running the highlight department, and he's like, it's okay, I'll show you how to do this, and like I would log tapes whatever. But I said, like a movie, I think, well, what is the ending? We don't know. It's a miniseries,

is what this is? Um? But I think it's that idea right where you do whatever you need to do so you're working with the lightning that goes well, they win the Cup, Like what happened? That wasn't even that year they were It wasn't a ball. We had a brand new coach, John Tortorella, and they were so bad. But it was like baptisihn not very friendly either. I remember when he was with the Ranges, he's he was not friendly to this girl. And he was with the Rangers.

He's all business. He really is like a really but he's all business. He's friendly. You just yeah, you gotta. I mean he didn't want me. He didn't want me around, and I get it. I was when he did a good job of making him like you. Well yeah, I mean I went into his office. I was telling somebody this the other day. He didn't want me, said it wasn't a good idea, and I totally agree with him. Twenty one, right out of college, you have the crappiest

team in the NHL. They've been horrible he comes in, you know, coaching change mid season the year before, and he's like, no, this isn't gonna work. She's like on our plane, in our hotel, on our bus. Smart of him. But I went into his office one day and I just said, Hi, I'm Aaron Andrews. Probably not the best idea, and I was like, I know nothing about hockey, but I'm willing to learn and listen to you. And he did. He sat there and watched film with me. My very

very first day with the Tampa Bay Lightning was September eleven. Obviously, um, yeah, crazy, I had to go to the ring. That was your first day, Eric. It was the day I've been looking forward to forever, you know, like going to the Rank.

The boys started to camp that day and I'm driving and like the plane, I just hit the Pentagon and so I show up at the Rank and all the boys are around the television watching and we had a couple of American boys on our team, and so like I was hearing from our producer that day was obviously you're just getting reaction, getting reaction. But yeah, that was my very very first day with the Lightning. But I learned so much. I learned with towards like, you know,

questions to ask. I sat next to him on the bus because you know, like I needed not I needed attention. But he was like you're sitting here, and I was like, okay. But it was a great relationship, Like I was super tight with him. I love him so much. But yeah, it was I learned so much on the road. You learned, you know, have your head up. The way we started off this season that year was on a road trip. It was a five game road trip out west. It was in San Jose. I was at my first morning

skate or our game that night. Goosh, no, that's a bad word in this house. Sorry. So I'm at morning skate. I'm doing exactly what I'm doing right now. I'm like blah blah blah bla blah blah blah blah blah. I'm so excited. I'm talking to our play by play guy. All of a sudden, he goes look out and he swiped the puck. It was coming right for us. It launched over the board, over the glass into us. He heard his hand really bad, and everybody was, oh my god.

It was so bad that the local reporter wrote about it Kevin Costner jumped in front of you and took the bullet. Whitney Rick Peckham. I love him for evid our local reporter not a face for radio. Okay, are you a pucke at the face? You already took a baseball to the face? Was that would have bad? Would have seen our local writer wrote about it. My dad saw it in the paper the next day. I didn't tell him what happened, and she was like, hey, like,

shut your mouth and pay attention one more. Yeah, because I was talking the whole time. He goes, you have to like watch just doing all business. He wasn't like, are you okay, He's like, pay attention, Aaron. Yeah. I mean I could have had it like my whole face rearranged and then no. But I'm grateful I learned so much. I learned how to drink, eat, cuss, all of amen. Yeah,

I was the best. I love that. Well. That reminds me when you were saying that that maybe I shouldn't have done this, when honesty in my case, as it was in yours, was the best policy. Because I'll tell you I did the same thing with that job in HR. I did the interview. I lied, I pretended I wanted the job in HR, the whole thing, and I walked out there and I was like, that was a really shitty interview. I'm never going to get this job. And I was like, I have to get this job because

it was the only job available in Fox Sports. So I called the guy back that I interviewed with and I said, here's the truth. I don't want to work in HR. I want to be on TV, but I'll work my ass off for you and then I'll do it to be stuff on the side. And so he I got the job. This is the moral of the story HR. I got the job because he said I was honest, and HR was all about honesty. So it was like in the end, I mean, it ended up being literally the reason that I got a TV job,

right was being in there. So for you to have, you know, the balls to say I don't know anything, and by the way, you know, that motivated him so much more to be like, let me help you because he wanted to be part of your success. And I'm sure he looked that you now and it's like a proud dad as well, being like hell yeah. So he's always been that way with me. Until he cut my husband in PTO camp for the Columbus Blue Jackets. That's fine.

I understand everything happens for a reason. So yes, honestly worked well for you there. Honestly worked well for me with the Lightning. But then I got hired. It was after Christmas, the Lightning weren't done with their season, but Turner Sports came calling, and I didn't even have an

agent yet. They came calling. They saw me doing the Lightning game and they were national obviously at the time, with the Braves broadcast and Skip Carrie Joe Simpson were doing the games and they needed someone in their studio. I didn't know shit about baseball. I knew the Red Sox, I knew they broke my dad's heart every year. I knew Boo, the Yankees, George Sheinbrener, blah blah blah. But I remember I was in Ottawa. I was a fabulous hotel.

It was like very castly, as they all are at Ottawa, very cold that day, and my dad just said to me, look, he got his agent on the phone and said, I think he got to take this job, kiddo. He's like, this is an national this is your first year, calling right away. I think you can do this. Never hosted a studio before, never talked about baseball. I was like, okay, let's go. I talked to the PR guy that day from the lightning. We got back on the plane and

he said, well, you gotta go tell tort. I went up to the front of the plane and Towrt said to me, I heard you got a job offer. And I said, I don't want to leave you. I don't want to leave you. And it was national television. He said, look, if it doesn't work out, you can always come back here to the Tampa Bay Lightning making your forty dollars a year living with your parents. Hell yeah, it was the time of my life. Do what you gotta do, is sister. By the way, I thought I was crushing

it making thirty five tho dollars a year. I bought to use range over, put chrome rims on them, and had no money left to pay rep. But I was like, I am crushing right now. I had my stick shift Jetta that I was driving into like the Tampa Bay Lightning Arena next to you know, the guy's hummers and stuff, and I was like, I'm driving a stick shift anyways, Yeah, I don't care. I thought it was fabulous, so I was. I ended up going to Turner. I signed it two

year deal. It was the not because of them, the worst experience of my life. I was so horrible on television. I blanked out so many times. I mispronounced so many names. Anyone out there that ship's going bad for them in their job or they're worried about TV, this happened to me. I was awful. I used to go visit my parents all the time, cry to my dad, just say like, I'm out here on an island. I'm doing horrible. I feel like I took this job and I'm not ready.

And they didn't re sign me. They let my contract run out, which they should have. Turner didn't. I will say, I don't think I was put in the best position to shine. I feel like whatever. And I know that because um, when my contract ran out, Charles Barkley had said to me afterwards, he goes I walked into those executive office and I was like, you guys are gonna she is gonna make you look so bad. That was one of the biggest mistakes. And Sir Charles is saying

that about me. I love him so much. He's been wonderful in my career too, but it was the best thing that happened to me. I also kind of wonder, like, you know, Aaron Rodgers chip on the shoulder, if it's always something maybe, and I never thought about it until now. Maybe motivated me because I sucked and it piss me off.

Knowing you as well as I think I know you, I know for a fact that's what motivated you, because you don't like you don't want to fail ever, and if you fail, then you're gonna come back ten times harder because that's who you are, and you're competitive and you'll do whatever it takes a win. But a lot of this also has to do with humility. Um and for you guys just joining us, maybe you came into the podcast late. This isn't like a big like you know,

Aaron and Caissa say how great they are. I think it's more of a how we got to where we are, how we again with a little I'd like to believe a lot of humility and grace, but also like still wanting to be great. You know, we talked about I had worked that boxing event last week. I don't know about boxing, but to have the ability to say, like, I don't know, but I will ensure that I do the best at a canon as long as employers keep giving us the opportunity. But um, I love that story.

I love I love I love the stories. And by the way, so does a man Erica. America loves a fall from Gray's redemption story and get back on the horse in this case always dreaming. Oh yeah, there's three nightmares I always have when I do a game. One is that all my hair extensions not in right now will fall out. That's all your real hair. Well, you know, you wake up and they're all out on the pillow and you're in New Orleans and there's nothing you can do about it. Or I wake up and my two

front teeth fell out weird. Or I'm put in a situation and I absolutely blank out. Or I'm at the game and I didn't know I was supposed to be covering the game, and I'm I just don't know what to do. So yeah, I feel like that whole That's how I kind of fell at Turner. Not with my two front teeth, but not knowing what to do because I just sucked. I called one time and I don't know if I've talked about this. The paint they had just painted the studio so bad, and it was like

I was sucking in fumes. I threw it back to turner Field and I said, now let's send it back to Skip Simpson and Joe Carry And I was like, I fucking quit, Like I'm so mad at this. Sounds like there's a lawsuit on your hands. Was that asbestos? You know what? My husband's a lawyer. We'll get him downstairs to survey this. Kids. We're taking a quick break. It's the Calm Down Podcast. We will not calm down about the highs and lows of our career. Plenty more

where that came from. Right after this, I need to ensure that Charles Barkley is on the NHL coverage number. I didn't try to get him on this podcast, please. I didn't know that he was such a huge hockey fan, loves hockey. He just appreciates competition. I know from his time in Arizona he was big with the Coyotes. He also my husband and I saw he was on Hockey Night in Canada one night. He did a whole thing from there. He I think he just really appreciates how

m not violent, but how hard they play. He loves the competition. Yeah, he's the best. We're we're talking about our career highs and lows. I think it's how we're summing all this up. And Um it was the idea that Aaron got let go from Turner and Charles said they'll regret it. Um. So what happened after Turner? You end up at ESPN? How I end up at ESPN? I know I was let go. Um. The Thrashers, God love him, still in Atlanta at the time, and the NHL Playoffs were about to get underway. The Tampa Bay

Lightning blasts from the past. We're supposed to do very well in the playoffs. So I thought, okay, I got him. You know, let's go back to where it all began. I knew ESPN was in town covering a Thrashers game. I said, what'll they do after the game? Go back to the hotel and get some drinks. Weird story of our lives. So I went to the hotel after the game and kind of waited for the crew and acted like, oh hey, I just what are you doing that? They

share a tin? It's my favorite so showed up and I just kind of said, hey, guys, um secret squirrel. I've been let go by Turner and I'm interested in getting involved in the NHL postseason coverage. And they said, hey, you should talk to this guy and maybe he'll give you a chance. I signed a three month try out, and two weeks later I started NHL postseason coverage. My very first game was the Lightning hosting the New York Islanders.

Rick day Pietro got the win. I wasn't too happy about it, but I didn't look like I cared because it's just so excited. And from there, yeah, I was went to the Western Conference, covered that and then when it was all said and done, those Tampa Bay Lightning they were in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Calgary Flames, and um, I got to cover it and I got to I got to, you know, do the game. My mom and dad came to Game seven of that series.

They were center ice, the Lightning one. I was on the ice with all my boys and the Ann Taylor sweater that we've talked so much about, you know what, shout out to and Taylor. They heard that little bit we did with the Calm Down podcast. They sent me a box of goods and said, you stop, you like to freshen up your closet and Taylor stop it and no E Taylor, that's right. Oh that's so sweet. I wish be still around so I could get a box of refreshed goods from it. It will be the executives

if you're listening. I love the orange ruffle tops. Not to be confused with bebe hey baby. But yeah. So from there, I signed an eight year deal. Well it didn't sign an eight year deal. I was at ESPN for eight years and Aaron, Okay, a few things we need to dissect here. One sucking balls. I love the move of going to the hotel because I'm sorry, where are we gonna do? We're gonna talk shop? By the way, men sitting to that ship all the time, why can't you smart on you? Also like you getting the HR

job with Fox. That was ballsy too. Sometimes you just gotta put it out there, man, gotta make moves, okay. And then the other part of that is how cool is it that your again don't burn bridges, people don't burn bridges. Your relationship with that organization with the Lightning, and how it all came back and look as we know, and you specifically because you're still on the sidelines and like getting information first and foremost from these guys. It's

all it's a relationship business. So for you to have access to those guys and they're gonna tell you things because they trust you. And this is the other thing too that's so hard at the beginning of your career is that you have to earn that respect and you have to earn that seat at the table, right and so for you to be able to use that relationship and then see it come We started our podcast with the word circuitous, but like it all came back to where it started for you, which is so cool. I

love that. It's really really it was awesome because those boys that one that cup that year, they they saw me come in like the total asshole that I was with the Lightning where we're on the commercial jet, you know, but it's it's our charter. It's like a Delta commercial jet and the team has the whole thing. And here I am the ahole and I bring the rolling suitcase the l Grande style and try to fit it up overhead in front of all these like young good looking

NHL players and I'm like asshole line one. And then to where I come back holding the ESPN microphone and doing the Stanley Cup Finals and they're like a you know, I'm like, I know, this is so cool, and they're like, we'll give you stuff, We'll give you gossip, and I was like, oh my god, thank you. Yeah. I was

really really unleash. You were allowed on the charter. There was a certain manager, Clint Hurdle with the Colorado Rockies that he was the manager and he wouldn't let me on the charter because I was a man, because I was a woman, like I'm not bitter, don't be bitter, be better, it's right. Um. There was lots of you know,

roadblocks in that situation. So I I, you know, of what's the line from the sweetest thing I called my ass up this street with you know, luging her heels Garon Diaz and that, guys, that's that moment of I, you know, jumped on connecting flights from Frontier Airline, Spirit Airlines, all the things on commercial flights when I first started working for the Rockies to cover games for them, and they didn't let you on the plane. No, I'm cool. I mean don't most people want to go to HR

with that complaint. You know what I did, I said, you know what, I'm happy to be here and I'm going to be on a jet in first class with my contract soon enough. I'm just kidding, I remember, because

we have to slip it around. I mean. And that's the other thing too, where I would caution when people like I think like, oh, you guys, actually it's so hard with your cur service in your first round, which I worked real hard to thirteen years into this thing to get a first classy and I am so appreciative of my position to the point where it's like if I have to take you know, I worked that game in Cleveland. By this way, what I say worked that game.

I did the GMC tailgate with feeding, and they wanted nothing to do with me. Well, you're working the game and getting the Miles Garrett story. I'm feeding raw Wilders in the back of the GMC truck and there were no seats available, So I sat in the back of the plane with Jillian in thirty one A and I was happy as a clam. Never be too big for thirty one. Listen, those drinks tasted good. Yeah, Hell yea, what I mean before Yeah, yeah, we had a lot

of cocktails. Yeah, because it just came working from working that game. That was like very stressful. I know. No, you're right. I mean again, people, this is not to tute our own horn, but the stories and we'll talk about him on another podcast, the Stories from the Road. Yeah, let's do that. If you guys care, I hope you do,

but no, it's not. There are times, I mean I drove myself on icy roads in Wisconsin coming from Florida in a small, you know, four door car, crying on the side of the road to my dad like I can't drive in this, and he's like, what are you

doing driving in this trying to get to Battison, Wisconsin. Yeah. Actually, so if you guys do care about our our road woes, d M or send up a smoke signal and we'll get into all of that, because there's some doozies from all the years that we've spent on the road, and then you continue to be on the road. I'm just I'm so impressed that you still are a road warrior. I don't have it in me anymore. I'm like studio warm with a blanket and you're still in the conditions,

but you love it. Why do you love the sidelines so much? I love the game. I love the bright lights. As cheesy as that sounds, I love the noise. I mean this year was really hard because we didn't have any of that, and we just felt so far away. I love standing there when Sean Payton is lighting up the official and I'm like listening to what he's saying

and going, oh my god. I love the days when I was covering basketball, you know, college basketball, and Caliperry would let me in a huddle for a Kentucky game and he looked up at me and say, hey, Aaron, come listen to this. This is going to be good. I mean, I love that ship. It's awesome. Like I love you know, I used to love doing postgame interviews with him, and I would take one of those Listerine like tablets really quick and he goes, my breath is terrible.

Give me some of that. I love that connection, no true, because it all comes back to relationships. I do miss I missed that a little bit, and that's where it's like, I like doing interviews when you know during the season, especially you know, this year excluded but in previous years where you can go out and you know, those relationships are so important, and you know, I think that that's what it's all about, is this is a job that

we've always both wanted to do. We're lucky enough to still be doing it, and god damn it, if you put me back in thirty one A, I will have a smile on my face every time because this is a great gig. And also I will well aware that this thing only will last as long as they'll you know, keep us employed. So yeah, it's it's definitely been fun to go on this journey. Yeah, you know you I was thinking you were talking about those interviews and this is very current right now, but you just did a

sit down with Davante Adams. How much do you wish that that was this week so you could ask him some questions? I know, And now the producer brain and me is thinking, oh my god, can even use of this interview because much of it and we'll be able to cut it together whatever, um, you know, and do

voiceover stuff to sort of marry the conversation. But you know, a lot of that interview was about how when he got drafted and like he was saying that Aaron's really bad about responding to texts and calling and that kind of stuff, and so he finally got him on the phone, and don't say, yeah right, Aaron was like really receptive and was like great, but he's like, man, that guy's hard to get on the phone. And so I finally

got him on the phone and whatever. But yeah, I mean, there's a lot of things, a lot of headlines in the news. Tim Tabow back with the Jaguars. That's where my Calm Down Awards going this week. Okay, let's hear it, sister. I love me some Tim Tebow. Tim Tebow has always been lovely to me. I got nothing against Tim Tebow and what he stands for. But my calm Down Award is this, Tim, you come with not just some baggage.

You come with an Aaron Andrews l Grande suitcase in the overhead, and guess what we need to get checked that thing. Because you're not just Tim Tebow the football player. You're Tim Tabo all the other things. So when you come into that locker room with a new organization. And by the way, this is Urban Meyer, who we love is second dad of mine. I know, I know, that Tim has to make the team and there's still a lot of, you know, things that have to happen for him to be on that roster. I just I just

I'm like, what are we doing? What are we doing? Like I'm all about dreaming your dreams, but like you followed your dreams and by the way, they turned out really well for you. What are we still doing? So please just calm down and like let other people like that day that someone taps me on the show there and they're like, Chrissa, You're done with this gig? Where over you? I'm not gonna keep showing up to the studios and being like, hey, it's me. I'm still trying

to get that Stanza. Yeah. It's like like the envelopes and r I P. You know. So anyways, calm down. I have a question about the Tim Tebow thing. And I know you said Colin had a great take on this, and I want to go listen to it after you said, you know all the what is it? The storylines are the hype surrounding Tebow when he's around, and I get it. I went to the University of Florida, Jacksonville is in l A. It's like thirty forty minutes a way. It's

two thousand twenty one. Are we still doing that? I feel like, no offense. This is Tom Brady's league, like you know, like I don't feel like, like, look what happened when that tebow stuff came out, like he may or may not have had a private workout with the Jags and then it was like boomror Rodgers is unhappy and it was like smell you late or fifteen, here we go. So is it still all that hype? I don't know if it is. I don't know if it

is either. And this is not an indictment, and I'm not just hedging my calm Down award, but I'm just saying like, there comes a time and there's various chapters, and I feel like, you know, and I'm putting it on myself to this career is going to come to a close at some point, hopefully not for a while, but when it does, I'll go out gracefully and do something else. And you can say, by the way, you can still stay in the sport, You still a broadcaster.

I don't know. I just feel like, let's give somebody else the headlines, you know, And I just don't What I don't want is it to even be a conversation if that quarterback position is in question. So yeah, anyway, you know what's gonna be awkward when you have to do that sit down interview week two and I'm actually gonna pull this up and say I told you to calm down. Tell me I'm wrong. I'm gonna be the pundit and I'm gonna I'm gonna I doubt that Tim Tebow will be motivated by my calm down Award. But

I also need to be a contrarian. I'm not gonna just like fall in line everything. Jennifer Lopez. I don't love Jennifer Lopez. Calm down, Jennifer. Don't you like about her? She was made to me. She was so mean to me when I tried to interview her when I was at Extra. She was mean to me. It's like the line of pretty Woman. They were mean to me? Who

was mean to you? The woman at the store. Jennifer Lopez was the Rodeo Drive sales associate and I was Julia Roberts, not the prostitute part, but the the person who had the money to spend and Rodeo Drive and nobody would help me. I've got all of this and no dress for dinner tonight. Hold on one second, how he daddy wants you? You gotta go, peepiece? Um or we don't, we don't need a stay on the carpet. What okay, take us through it? What happened with that? Sure?

What I mean? What happened? You have all this? I was working at Extra and there was rumors that she was back together with her boyfriend at the time was Casper or whatever and the friendly ghost. He was friendly And I saw them backstage at a Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Award and I had to ask her about it because my job as an entertainment reporter was to report on what was happening, which is, you know whatever. In this

particular case, someone's personal. You had microphone in hand. You It's not like you were like you just shot the ship like that microphone in hand. And I said, I said, try to say it in a nice way and like be like kind of cheeky about it. I'm like, oh, I'm congratulations. That looks like everything's going well with you and your man. And she stepped out of frame and she said, not cool to me, and I was like, okay, well, um, I know, yeah, that's what she goes not cool, And

I'm like, okay, well, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to do my job, which is, in this particular case, entertainment is reporting on your personal life. We praise you when your personal life's going well. We also have to ask about it when it's not going well. It's part of the job. I didn't like that part of the job. It's probably why I'm not doing it full time anymore. But like, I don't care who you're dating, but if I see, I get in trouble if I go back

and don't ask you the question. So j loo calm down. I think what's interesting about this whole Alex Rodriguez, Ben Affleck thing and listening I can get, but I listen. I loved Ben. I want Ben, you know, to be happy. But here's my thing. I mean, we go everybody's missing this part. Yankees looks like the Red Sox are winning. You know, they're head like he's he's That's what I

think about. My calm down Award is my husband who's wearing his dress shoes because he's on his way to the last home game of the Kings and it sounds like that insurance commercial where the cloggers have moved in upstairs. I mean, listen, what are you? Why are you stomping around? And we've discussed this before. Pick your I mean it's like King Kong is up there. He's very muscular. Jaredy, oh my god, here comes this. I mean this guy

singing in the rain, fredis Staretta up dance. Did you ever live in an apartment where there was someone above you that were high heels? No? I lived in an apartment in New York. You know where my apartment was. I've lived up there and he was very loud. I'll leave it at that, right, I do know about that. I just didn't know because I've definitely lived in my fair share of apartments and I'm always cognizant. I'm not

wearing high heels because of that exact thing. So annoying, so annoying, get it together and anyways, it's just what did you say? Just you know, I'm thinking back to what I used to have to listen to through those walls, and I was like, calm down, it's not that good. It wasn't anybody I dated. But I'm just saying I felt like we were putting on a show. You know what I mean. It's never that good like relax, condemn,

you're speechless. Hey, Um, if you want to be specious, make sure you make sure you check out our i G. It wasn't my husband, by the way, it was in New York City. Um, make sure you check out our i G the Calm Down podcast or at Calm Down Podcast, and uh tell us who you'd like to give Calm Down Awards too? And I know I can't. I can't wait to get an email from Jennifer Lopez Is and Tim Tebow's PR team. BA Hi, babe, I love you. How what kind of dresshoes you're wearing? Cause you can

hear him through the microphone. Came here, I'm kidding. I love you so much. I love your dresses. Look at this guy coming in hot? Are they alloud? Were you breaking them in? Or? Oh there's your golf shoe? Were you doing it? Were you tap dancing upstairs? Oh? Okay, I love you. I'll call you later. Hi. Calm Down with Aaron and Corrissa is a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcast from my Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast