WEBVTT - BONUS: Kaylee Hartung 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:02.600 This is cut to It with Steve Smith Senior at 0:00:02.640 --> 0:00:07.240 production of The Black Effect and I Heart Radio. I'm 0:00:07.280 --> 0:00:10.840 Steve Smith Senior and and this is a cut to 0:00:11.000 --> 0:00:16.280 it bonus episode. Good do It, Good do It. Let's 0:00:16.320 --> 0:00:23.840 getting down to do it, Good do It. It's yes, 0:00:24.160 --> 0:00:28.000 bonus episode. I Love it. A bonus episode that fell 0:00:28.040 --> 0:00:34.120 into our mean complete spontaneous pod, spontaneous of all spontaneous nous. 0:00:34.320 --> 0:00:37.520 And we got Kayleie hard Tongue. She's an ABC News 0:00:37.560 --> 0:00:42.200 correspondent g m A working for Good Morning America. Flex 0:00:42.800 --> 0:00:47.920 also been at CNN two, n Longhorn Network. She is 0:00:48.000 --> 0:00:51.360 a veteran journalist. But where she from the most important part. 0:00:51.479 --> 0:00:55.640 She's from Baton Rouge. I tried to do the whole 0:00:55.680 --> 0:00:59.600 French thing, the creole, So she's from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 0:00:59.800 --> 0:01:01.760 When to l s U and we're just happy to 0:01:01.800 --> 0:01:03.240 have on the cut to a podcast. She did a 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:06.480 good job and we were excited to get to get 0:01:06.520 --> 0:01:09.600 someone so close up to know what's going on and 0:01:09.640 --> 0:01:13.759 give us really a breakdown of college baseball, the World 0:01:13.840 --> 0:01:19.960 Series and College World Series. So a first time exclusive 0:01:20.520 --> 0:01:24.960 College World Series podcast, Little Short, a little Short, Little 0:01:25.240 --> 0:01:28.119 in and out, of what's going on down there here 0:01:28.160 --> 0:01:30.760 locally here in Charlotte. You know, so we got the 0:01:30.920 --> 0:01:34.759 NT State Wolfpack that we're on the path to secure 0:01:36.480 --> 0:01:41.040 a World Series in college baseball. Covid said, ha ha, 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:46.240 we have alternate plans. So I hope you enjoy it. 0:01:46.480 --> 0:01:54.040 Thanks for listening. Dandy Hartongue on Tattwood Podcast. Yes, this 0:01:54.080 --> 0:01:56.360 is such a tree for me. Thank you for letting 0:01:56.360 --> 0:01:58.840 me join. So what's what's what's been doing? I mean 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:01.720 we're just coming on, you know, College World Series has 0:02:01.720 --> 0:02:06.120 been the Vanderbilt NC State. It's what's been going on 0:02:06.320 --> 0:02:09.480 is clearly probably unpresidented. What's what's your what's been your 0:02:09.520 --> 0:02:11.320 take on the last few days and and and the 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:15.400 rollout of all this information. Yeah, it's been tonnely wild guys. Um, 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:17.520 you know, I worked the College World Series in some 0:02:17.639 --> 0:02:25.040 capacity for seven years. I only worked seven years. But 0:02:25.360 --> 0:02:28.600 I am I'm actually here for Good Morning America. We're 0:02:28.600 --> 0:02:34.359 doing a series visiting just telling you guys where I'm here. 0:02:36.560 --> 0:02:38.760 What's the hotel? Did they put you at the Ritz too? Right? 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:43.800 There is no Rits in the hall. Unfortunately, my name's 0:02:43.800 --> 0:02:46.240 not Michael Strahan, so I don't come with you know 0:02:46.320 --> 0:02:50.320 that kind of right. I'm personally just glad they cut 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:54.600 to it made the media co wash right now. One 0:02:54.600 --> 0:03:00.560 in America College World Series for seven years, okay, casual 0:03:00.680 --> 0:03:03.000 but no, but I haven't been here since, so it's 0:03:03.000 --> 0:03:06.840 been amazing to be back and just a really wild 0:03:06.880 --> 0:03:09.880 time to be here. So I'm here to shoot this 0:03:09.919 --> 0:03:12.840 piece for for g m A. That's it's really about 0:03:12.840 --> 0:03:16.160 the significance of the College World Series to the city 0:03:16.160 --> 0:03:19.200 of Omaha, to the state of Nebraska. Without it happening 0:03:19.240 --> 0:03:21.639 a year ago, it was just devastating just going local businesses. 0:03:21.680 --> 0:03:23.760 So that's sort of the angle I was coming here with, 0:03:24.520 --> 0:03:27.280 and not so much the ins and outs of how 0:03:27.280 --> 0:03:29.280 I would prepare for your Tomaha when I was covering 0:03:29.280 --> 0:03:33.520 the actual tournament. So I'm just checking in as I 0:03:33.560 --> 0:03:35.760 was about to get on my plane on Saturday to 0:03:35.840 --> 0:03:37.920 come here to see if there were any of the 0:03:37.960 --> 0:03:40.280 if necessary games to determine who was going to get 0:03:40.320 --> 0:03:43.240 to the finals, because it's a double elimination format until 0:03:43.280 --> 0:03:46.560 you get to the best of three finals. And I'm 0:03:46.600 --> 0:03:48.720 looking I'm like, what's going I don't understand what's going on? 0:03:48.800 --> 0:03:50.040 What do you mean no contest? What do you mean 0:03:50.040 --> 0:03:51.720 it's what do you mean in C State's going home? 0:03:51.760 --> 0:03:55.320 I'm super confused. Took a minute to dive into it, 0:03:55.360 --> 0:03:58.920 but I mean, what's happened here is unprecedented, Uh, something 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:01.560 that could only happen in the time of COVID. But 0:04:01.960 --> 0:04:06.600 as it turned out, the way they're testing players here, okay, 0:04:07.000 --> 0:04:10.920 only unvaccinated players needed to be tested on I believe 0:04:10.960 --> 0:04:14.280 it was in every other day basis, if you've been vaccinated, 0:04:14.360 --> 0:04:18.280 you did not need to be tested. These schools haven't 0:04:18.520 --> 0:04:20.840 required their players to be vaccinated, and the n c 0:04:20.960 --> 0:04:25.560 a A cannot require players to be vaccinated. So all 0:04:25.600 --> 0:04:28.520 that being said, NC State had a couple of unvaccinated 0:04:28.520 --> 0:04:33.000 players test positive. That triggered the next layer of the protocol, 0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:37.360 which which meant the entire team needed to be tested. Yeah, 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:39.640 contact tracing, you know step one and then and then 0:04:39.680 --> 0:04:42.360 step two. It was like, let's test everybody, and then 0:04:42.400 --> 0:04:45.480 they actually had some vaccinated players test positive. So after 0:04:46.080 --> 0:04:48.360 NC State like gutted it out with I think they 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:52.680 only had thirteen players available. Um, after quarantines and all 0:04:52.720 --> 0:04:55.320 of that, they got it out this like really gritty 0:04:55.360 --> 0:04:58.480 game with Vanderbilt. They lost three to one. It was 0:04:58.520 --> 0:05:01.320 their first loss in Omaha. Uh, they were as hot 0:05:01.360 --> 0:05:03.720 as any team here, and then the n c a 0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:09.159 A decided we can't let this continue. They want the 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:12.080 easy route to to say the least, not having to 0:05:12.120 --> 0:05:17.320 deal with at some point we want to talk about 0:05:17.880 --> 0:05:20.919 you know, we want to talk about well vaccinated unvaccinated, 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:26.600 but at the end of the day, vaccinated unvaccinated infections 0:05:26.600 --> 0:05:33.159 are gonna happen, and the protocols seemingly are basically saying, 0:05:33.200 --> 0:05:38.440 if you are infected, we have to eliminate everybody, and 0:05:38.520 --> 0:05:41.000 let's just do the Let's let's be like water. Let's 0:05:41.040 --> 0:05:46.120 take the easiest path of resistance and go We're just 0:05:46.120 --> 0:05:48.880 gonna eliminate everybody instead of going through it and not 0:05:49.120 --> 0:05:52.839 let's go backwards though, because you know, being in the NFL, 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:57.200 I think Nebraska O Mahall has that same kind of 0:05:57.920 --> 0:06:05.279 um status that Canton, Ohio has. I agree, man, It's 0:06:05.360 --> 0:06:08.479 it's rare that something stays in one place, but its 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:11.720 a destination. Don't just say I want to play in 0:06:11.720 --> 0:06:13.520 the College World Series. I can't say I want to 0:06:13.520 --> 0:06:16.400 go to you know, you go in wait rooms across 0:06:16.440 --> 0:06:18.919 the country, you go into baseball facilities at colleges, across 0:06:18.920 --> 0:06:21.560 the country. Omahawk is on the wall. I mean, it 0:06:21.640 --> 0:06:24.000 is synonymous with what it means to be the best 0:06:24.040 --> 0:06:27.719 in the sport. And I actually interviewed earlier today. I 0:06:27.760 --> 0:06:29.960 got Jack Dson, who is the head of the local 0:06:30.080 --> 0:06:32.360 organizing committee for the College World Series and and got 0:06:32.360 --> 0:06:34.120 schooled in a little bit of the history. But this 0:06:34.200 --> 0:06:37.839 event has been happening in Omahawston's nineteen fifty. How cool 0:06:37.920 --> 0:06:42.440 is that? How much the basketball tournament is to this city. 0:06:42.480 --> 0:06:45.839 The basketball Tournament it goes to very cities, the BCS, 0:06:45.720 --> 0:06:49.159 it rotates around different cities. Yeah, this is a destination 0:06:49.279 --> 0:06:53.920 every single time. Every single time, Kaylee, it's there. It's 0:06:53.960 --> 0:06:56.480 in Omaha. So that that is really cool, and it's 0:06:56.480 --> 0:06:58.600 something that when we do think about some of these 0:06:58.640 --> 0:07:04.120 prestigious tournaments we don't always talk about. Kyle, let me ask. 0:07:05.720 --> 0:07:08.880 That's why we're happy, and that's why you got two 0:07:08.880 --> 0:07:12.080 brothers talking College World Series right now. We are breaking barriers. 0:07:12.800 --> 0:07:15.760 So let me ask. Let me ask you in seventeen, 0:07:17.480 --> 0:07:27.720 how was Nebraska Omaha compared to just just just just 0:07:27.800 --> 0:07:31.000 the city. You know, it's been there, like you said, 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:36.720 nineteen fifty. His fun fact nineteen fifty However, the audience 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:41.880 has not always been tuned in, and the and the 0:07:41.920 --> 0:07:46.160 amount of people traveling have not been what it is 0:07:46.200 --> 0:07:51.360 in the last what ten years. So I'm imagine Qualified 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:58.400 League three hundred thousand visitors come to omahaw over the 0:07:58.400 --> 0:08:01.840 two weeks span of this tournament, three hundred thousand people. 0:08:02.160 --> 0:08:09.920 They fill the stadium nearly every game something thousand. So 0:08:09.960 --> 0:08:15.840 we're in that ballpark and this event generates nearly ninety 0:08:15.880 --> 0:08:21.040 million dollars. That's how yeah to the city of the Mall. 0:08:21.160 --> 0:08:23.400 That's how I pitched the story to Good Morning America 0:08:23.440 --> 0:08:25.680 to say, if we are talking about ways that this 0:08:25.760 --> 0:08:28.240 country is reopening, in ways that people are getting back 0:08:28.280 --> 0:08:30.320 to living life, and if we want to tell the 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:32.959 stories of the way small businesses persevered, and if we 0:08:33.000 --> 0:08:35.080 want to tell the stories of just you know, the 0:08:35.120 --> 0:08:38.880 fortitude of the American people to survive this pandemic and 0:08:38.960 --> 0:08:42.000 to come back stronger than ever, there's no better time 0:08:42.160 --> 0:08:44.920 to showcase what's going on in Omaha, Nebraska than when 0:08:44.920 --> 0:08:47.640 the College World Series is here, because you see, I mean, 0:08:47.720 --> 0:08:51.440 you see the infusion of energy and life and money 0:08:51.520 --> 0:08:57.040 into this town. When when college baseball is on, you 0:08:57.120 --> 0:09:01.960 have they were probably probably what ten hotels. Maybe there's 0:09:02.000 --> 0:09:04.760 a residence in This place is blown up. I mean 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:07.480 coming back here, there were so many places, like every 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:09.400 corner I turned, I'm like, well this is new, Well 0:09:09.440 --> 0:09:11.720 this is new. I was told last night there is 0:09:12.360 --> 0:09:20.400 a two hundred and fifty million dollar downtown UH project underway. Romah. Yeah, 0:09:23.559 --> 0:09:26.319 they're looking for some angel investors or some people that 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:28.760 are looking for ten to twelve percent return, you know, 0:09:29.160 --> 0:09:34.120 tell them I'm I'm I'm available, I'm outchair. Hey always 0:09:34.120 --> 0:09:36.800 wanted to do it. Any investment want to tend to 0:09:38.080 --> 0:09:43.280 cupon clip preferred, I like preferred. Yeah, but it really is. 0:09:43.320 --> 0:09:46.600 The city's growing quickly. It's a beautiful it's a beautiful town. 0:09:46.960 --> 0:09:49.160 And the best thing I could say about this place 0:09:49.200 --> 0:09:52.480 that is the people are as friendly and welcoming like 0:09:52.600 --> 0:09:55.920 the people here love the cultural series. They love to 0:09:56.200 --> 0:09:59.160 be hospitable, They love to welcome everyone. They want everyone 0:09:59.160 --> 0:10:01.719 who comes here three hundred thous of them. They want 0:10:01.760 --> 0:10:04.480 everybody to year to have a good experience. And it's 0:10:04.520 --> 0:10:06.400 the it's the kindness and the friendliness of people to 0:10:06.440 --> 0:10:09.400 them all that help make this event what it is 0:10:09.440 --> 0:10:12.840 and that helped make it such an awesome experience for 0:10:12.920 --> 0:10:14.640 all of the fans from all over the country who 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:17.360 come to this tournament. And one of my favorite things 0:10:17.400 --> 0:10:20.240 about what you see here is there fans like they're 0:10:20.400 --> 0:10:23.240 LSU fans, um from Baton Ridge. They're LSU fans who 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:25.320 come here every year. I don't know l s U's 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:28.040 in the tournament because this event is an annual tradition 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:29.920 and it's so special to them. There's a group of 0:10:29.920 --> 0:10:32.040 Miss to Be State fans who come here every year. 0:10:32.200 --> 0:10:34.000 This year they are lucky enough for their team to 0:10:34.080 --> 0:10:36.360 be in the finals for a chance to win the 0:10:36.520 --> 0:10:40.720 first national championship in any sport at miss to Be State. 0:10:40.960 --> 0:10:42.840 So let me tell you, the cow bells are ringing 0:10:43.000 --> 0:10:44.880 in Omaha wherever you go, because those Miss to be 0:10:44.920 --> 0:10:46.559 State fans love to have a good time and love 0:10:46.640 --> 0:10:49.400 to let you know. And they're here well the SEC 0:10:49.600 --> 0:10:53.800 showdown for the College World Series. I know that. So 0:10:54.000 --> 0:10:57.079 let me ask you. Let's let's dive into your background. 0:10:57.120 --> 0:11:02.160 How did you get involved to college baseball? And as 0:11:02.240 --> 0:11:07.839 you flexed on several times, going as they call it, 0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:14.520 we talked to Good Morning America like whoay, no, don't 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:19.280 be impressed, um compliment? Can you take a compliment, please, 0:11:19.280 --> 0:11:22.800 I'll take it. I'll take I'm just a girl from 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:27.880 Bad Wars, Louisiana who grew up a very loyal fan 0:11:28.200 --> 0:11:30.199 of L. S U. I was lucky growing up in 0:11:30.240 --> 0:11:32.240 that my mom worked for the athletic Foundation at L 0:11:32.280 --> 0:11:35.240 s U. And I got to be a fan of 0:11:35.240 --> 0:11:38.920 of a school that had the best team in the 0:11:39.040 --> 0:11:41.800 most fun sports to watch, so like in the nineties, 0:11:41.880 --> 0:11:44.160 like I love college baseball because in the nineties there 0:11:44.240 --> 0:11:45.959 was no better team than L. S U. They won 0:11:46.040 --> 0:11:49.319 five national titles in a decade. That's wild, right, So 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:52.280 that was my come up in baseball, was just cheering 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:55.880 for the Tigers as they were rolling over everyone in 0:11:55.960 --> 0:11:58.040 some of the most epic moments in college baseball history. 0:11:58.280 --> 0:12:02.320 Shoutout War in War. It's I mean, in the record 0:12:02.400 --> 0:12:04.760 books for for one of the best best moments in 0:12:04.800 --> 0:12:08.559 the sport. But then there was shock, right like Shack 0:12:08.679 --> 0:12:12.520 was the first athlete I ever knew existed, Like late eighties, 0:12:12.640 --> 0:12:15.280 early nineties, you can just jumping on everybody in the 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:17.440 Mayor Vich Assembly Center. I was there in my lowella 0:12:17.480 --> 0:12:20.480 shed trurely no bit, just like thinking he was actually superhuman. 0:12:21.240 --> 0:12:23.679 And then of course there was l football, right, So, 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:25.920 like I said all of that to say, I came 0:12:25.960 --> 0:12:29.120 at wanting to do this job as a fan first 0:12:29.720 --> 0:12:32.679 and just always felt like and still being here right now, 0:12:32.840 --> 0:12:34.719 I feel like it's such a privilege to get to 0:12:34.840 --> 0:12:38.760 be there on the best days of these kids lives, 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:43.640 right like that. You know, you've worked for so hard, sweated, tears, 0:12:43.760 --> 0:12:47.280 all the things to get to this incredible moment and 0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:49.760 for me to get to be the person to ask 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:52.760 that question or telling that story and highlight all the 0:12:52.840 --> 0:12:56.719 work going into achieving something so special to them, Like 0:12:57.160 --> 0:13:02.880 to me, that's a tremendous privilege that I okay, very seriously, um, 0:13:03.400 --> 0:13:05.160 And that was out that's where my love of sports 0:13:05.200 --> 0:13:06.920 comes from and why this and then it's especial to 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:09.439 me and what I loved my job at ESPN, But 0:13:09.600 --> 0:13:13.160 the dream for me was always it was always more 0:13:13.280 --> 0:13:16.400 so the morning show format, right Like as a kid, 0:13:16.880 --> 0:13:18.800 I looked up to Katie Couric so so much the 0:13:18.920 --> 0:13:22.200 Today Show. And now I'm at Good Morning America, admitted 0:13:22.240 --> 0:13:25.760 flex number one. So the dream has been amended, um 0:13:26.240 --> 0:13:28.839 to be right where I am as a part of 0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:31.360 the team a Good Morning America. And I think I'm 0:13:31.880 --> 0:13:35.240 really lucky. And and what's interesting for me now is 0:13:35.320 --> 0:13:39.280 that I find myself in his balance right of trying 0:13:39.360 --> 0:13:41.560 to show up on the best days like I got 0:13:41.640 --> 0:13:44.079 you at n but also when you're working in news, 0:13:44.160 --> 0:13:45.800 you have to show up on the worst days the 0:13:45.840 --> 0:13:51.640 people's lives. So that's a different cho said, the best 0:13:51.840 --> 0:13:54.800 at the top is just us. She she definitely. So 0:13:54.960 --> 0:13:57.679 what's been what's been some of the some what's been 0:13:57.760 --> 0:14:00.160 some of the worst days that you have to show 0:14:00.280 --> 0:14:03.319 up on that you know you're going out on a 0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:07.640 on a remote or your your doing a report about something, 0:14:08.320 --> 0:14:11.640 but then when you get there, it hits you in 0:14:11.720 --> 0:14:14.800 a way that you're no matter what the storyline says, 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:17.360 no matter what how you've been brief, no matter what 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:22.120 you know and which questions you're gonna ask, it's still 0:14:22.320 --> 0:14:26.880 hits you in a way that you're unprepared for. Oh gosh, 0:14:26.960 --> 0:14:29.080 so many. UM. I mean, just a couple of weeks ago, 0:14:29.160 --> 0:14:32.880 I was at a mass shooting in San Jose, UM 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:35.280 where a guy who worked at a light rail yard 0:14:35.360 --> 0:14:40.200 maintenance facility for two decades walked in and shot nine 0:14:40.240 --> 0:14:42.800 of his coworkers. Um. And then the next day I'm 0:14:42.800 --> 0:14:46.000 at the home of a man who who was praised 0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:49.160 as a hero for the lives that he saved before 0:14:49.440 --> 0:14:53.720 his was taken. And and over, I was overcome with 0:14:53.880 --> 0:14:56.640 grief and emotion because I mean, the man's the young 0:14:56.720 --> 0:14:59.560 man who was my age. UM, the young man's mother 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:01.360 was in side the home. I was in the front yard, 0:15:01.400 --> 0:15:05.320 and I could hear her wailing in grief and pain. 0:15:05.600 --> 0:15:09.160 And I mean, there's no way to prepare yourself. There's 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:11.040 no way to prepare yourself to that. I mean, the 0:15:11.480 --> 0:15:14.640 number of mass shootings that I've been to, sadly it 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:18.000 would it would be hard for me to count right now. 0:15:18.120 --> 0:15:22.880 But Parkland, my gosh, being in Parkland, UM, at that 0:15:23.000 --> 0:15:25.280 high school. I mean, I got there a day after 0:15:25.440 --> 0:15:27.760 that happened, and was there for two weeks and and 0:15:27.840 --> 0:15:29.800 in and that was when I was at CNN, and 0:15:30.080 --> 0:15:33.040 I was on such a grinding schedule that it wasn't 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:36.680 until it wasn't until I got the call that I 0:15:36.800 --> 0:15:38.680 was clear that I could go home after being there 0:15:38.680 --> 0:15:40.320 for two weeks. At the second I hung up my phone, 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:42.360 I just burst into tears. It was like all the 0:15:42.440 --> 0:15:45.560 emotion that I've kept inside because adrenaline was pumping through me. 0:15:45.600 --> 0:15:47.040 And I was just trying to do my job and 0:15:47.120 --> 0:15:49.800 stay awake and make sure the words that were coming 0:15:49.800 --> 0:15:52.200 out of my mouth were making sense. The second the 0:15:52.240 --> 0:15:57.720 adrenaline was gone, I just lost it. Um. But it's 0:15:57.960 --> 0:16:00.640 it's you know, it's daily right now. I got colleagues 0:16:00.680 --> 0:16:05.800 in in Miami, um, who are in an unimaginably difficult situation. 0:16:06.760 --> 0:16:11.960 The weight, the the unknown down there. Um, there's still 0:16:12.040 --> 0:16:15.760 some hope. But you know, last last I saw hundred 0:16:15.760 --> 0:16:18.080 and fifty people were still on accounted for in Serve 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:24.200 Side with that collapsed building. And it's every week, every 0:16:24.280 --> 0:16:27.600 day it's something, and sometimes it's my assignment, sometimes it's 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:30.000 one of my colleagues, but it's um, yeah, it's heavy. 0:16:30.240 --> 0:16:32.880 It's heavy. So I feel very fortunate that I'm now 0:16:33.120 --> 0:16:36.280 with with the network and and have a platform to 0:16:36.400 --> 0:16:38.360 be able to cover such a broad range of stories 0:16:38.400 --> 0:16:40.720 where I do get some relief, you know, where I 0:16:40.840 --> 0:16:44.240 do get to again show up on the best days. Um, 0:16:44.640 --> 0:16:49.240 because that's healthy for my own my own self. Right. 0:16:49.760 --> 0:16:52.960 And you you're walking right into the question that we 0:16:53.040 --> 0:16:55.000 were going to lead into, how do you take care 0:16:55.000 --> 0:16:57.760 of yourself when you do have topics that are this 0:16:57.840 --> 0:17:00.920 heavy and mass shootings and build it is collapsing. How 0:17:00.960 --> 0:17:04.800 do you take care of your own mental health? You 0:17:04.880 --> 0:17:06.840 talk about it, you know, you talk about it with 0:17:06.880 --> 0:17:09.760 your friends. I've got a great support system of U 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:14.680 of wonderful, wonderful family and friends like Meredith Carter, your producer, 0:17:15.240 --> 0:17:17.360 Um is a very important first in my life. Who 0:17:18.080 --> 0:17:19.600 you know, I need friends like that in my life, 0:17:19.640 --> 0:17:20.959 who I can count on and who I can call, 0:17:21.040 --> 0:17:23.840 and who who aren't afraid to go there with me 0:17:23.960 --> 0:17:26.040 and ask me questions about how I'm feeling. Because I'll 0:17:26.040 --> 0:17:27.679 be the first to admit one of the reasons why 0:17:27.720 --> 0:17:30.320 I think I capable of doing this job is that 0:17:30.520 --> 0:17:34.680 I am capable of compartmentalizing. I'm capable of focusing on 0:17:34.760 --> 0:17:37.399 the task at hand. Um. But, like I just friended 0:17:37.480 --> 0:17:40.040 Mark with you know, I'm not afraid, once I've gotten 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:43.840 through the task at hand, to feel what I'm feeling, 0:17:43.840 --> 0:17:45.560 because at the end of the day, I'm a human 0:17:45.800 --> 0:17:47.080 right at the end of the day, I'm I'm a 0:17:47.200 --> 0:17:50.280 human with real emotions and real feelings. Uh way before 0:17:50.440 --> 0:17:53.040 I'm a I'm a journalist. Um, But I think that 0:17:53.240 --> 0:17:56.920 my humanity might empathy, my ability to be very real 0:17:57.000 --> 0:17:59.200 with people in the dark moments and in the best moments. 0:17:59.800 --> 0:18:03.200 Is is what's allowed me to have any success. It's 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:05.919 the job I'm doing or allowed me to put anything 0:18:05.960 --> 0:18:10.360 on television that's worth worth listening to her watching from 0:18:10.400 --> 0:18:13.800 CNN too. Now you're good more in America. You've you've 0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:16.320 You've been a lot of places when it comes to 0:18:16.400 --> 0:18:20.479 the journalistic world. What's been your journey, um through your 0:18:20.560 --> 0:18:22.760 journalism path. Tell us about some of the stops you've 0:18:22.840 --> 0:18:25.600 had and just just how you've been able to now 0:18:25.680 --> 0:18:30.119 have a have a namestake within this industry. So, my 0:18:30.160 --> 0:18:33.280 first job out of college maybe my favorite job of 0:18:33.320 --> 0:18:37.480 all of them, um, for you know, basically minimum wage 0:18:37.800 --> 0:18:41.159 working at CBS News in Washington, d C. I had 0:18:41.200 --> 0:18:44.840 the incredible fortune of being Bob Sheefer's personal assistant, and 0:18:45.240 --> 0:18:47.879 he's an icon of the industry. He's interviewed every president 0:18:47.920 --> 0:18:51.119 since next in. It was like getting my masters and 0:18:51.240 --> 0:18:54.200 journalism from a true master. And I was by a 0:18:54.280 --> 0:18:56.800 side for five years through the two thousand eight presidential 0:18:56.840 --> 0:19:00.040 campaign through most of twelve. I never thought I'd be 0:19:00.040 --> 0:19:03.040 somebody's personal assistan for five years. The adventures go on 0:19:03.760 --> 0:19:05.560 with him and the way I was able to learn 0:19:05.640 --> 0:19:08.359 for him on a daily basis. Made it just a 0:19:08.480 --> 0:19:13.920 wonderfully fulfilling job and was the best way to come 0:19:13.960 --> 0:19:17.560 to understand the industry in such a full circle way. 0:19:17.680 --> 0:19:19.960 But while I was there with him, he was the 0:19:20.000 --> 0:19:22.600 best about saying, take advantage of me in this building, like, 0:19:22.760 --> 0:19:25.119 you know, your first responsibilities to me, but be useful 0:19:25.119 --> 0:19:28.200 to everybody. Volunteer for everything, work the holidays, work the 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:30.720 weekn that's whatever it is. And so I started doing 0:19:30.760 --> 0:19:33.399 that and I ended up um doing some pieces in 0:19:33.480 --> 0:19:35.640 the you know, one man band style as we call 0:19:35.720 --> 0:19:38.159 it for CBS News dot Com. I was shocked they 0:19:38.200 --> 0:19:40.560 would put me in front of the camera on CBS 0:19:40.640 --> 0:19:42.600 News dot Com back into two thousand nine, but I 0:19:42.720 --> 0:19:46.199 was free and uh creating content, so here you go. Um. 0:19:47.040 --> 0:19:50.040 But that led to UH catching eye of the guys 0:19:50.080 --> 0:19:53.880 at CBS College Sports Network. I did too uh football 0:19:53.920 --> 0:19:58.520 seasons there, and it was the same time that CBS 0:19:58.560 --> 0:20:01.480 and Turner Sports were creating their partnership for March Madness, 0:20:01.640 --> 0:20:03.440 which allowed me to get involved with them on the 0:20:03.520 --> 0:20:06.800 digital side with n c A dot com. So I 0:20:06.920 --> 0:20:11.320 spent two years of my five that CBS News moonlighting 0:20:11.720 --> 0:20:14.960 for CBS Sports and Turner sports, and it was so 0:20:15.119 --> 0:20:17.680 much fun and it was amazing, uh getting my feet 0:20:17.720 --> 0:20:21.760 wet in that way, but it was totally on. Thankfully, 0:20:22.240 --> 0:20:25.520 an audition came up for a job at Long Wore Network, 0:20:25.560 --> 0:20:28.320 which ESPN had just launched, covering the University of Texas. 0:20:29.119 --> 0:20:31.480 I was most president anybody that I got the job, 0:20:31.800 --> 0:20:35.200 and that led to five awesome years at ESPN, from 0:20:35.480 --> 0:20:38.840 pasting on Long Word Network and was SEC Network to 0:20:39.359 --> 0:20:42.160 doing things for ESPN like working the College World Series 0:20:42.240 --> 0:20:47.840 and and working the College Football Playoff. And I wasn't 0:20:48.960 --> 0:20:52.399 ready to leave sports when the opportunity presented itself to 0:20:52.880 --> 0:20:54.720 make a jump to CNN. But you know one of 0:20:54.760 --> 0:20:56.560 those moments where when the phone rings, you answer it 0:20:56.640 --> 0:21:00.080 and do you take the meeting? And um, sometimes it 0:21:01.080 --> 0:21:03.040 you could be more surprised to anybody as I've been 0:21:03.160 --> 0:21:06.280 consistently throughout my career. So there was an opportunity to 0:21:06.359 --> 0:21:08.520 jump to CNN, and I knew that news was always 0:21:08.560 --> 0:21:10.800 the goal. So Bob Sheeper actually gave me the advice 0:21:10.920 --> 0:21:14.320 of why wait, If you know that's the the eventual goal, 0:21:14.520 --> 0:21:17.919 why not take this opportunity and and see what happens. 0:21:17.920 --> 0:21:20.040 And so I did, and the two years at CNN, 0:21:20.119 --> 0:21:22.800 we're just like driving in the deep end of of 0:21:22.880 --> 0:21:25.520 what it means to work in the news industry. But 0:21:25.600 --> 0:21:28.880 I went from you know, the one end of the spectrum, 0:21:28.920 --> 0:21:30.760 like I was describing at ESPN of just having so 0:21:30.880 --> 0:21:32.719 much fun and showing up on the best days too, 0:21:32.800 --> 0:21:35.560 at CNN only showing up on the worst days. So 0:21:36.480 --> 0:21:39.520 so then that's why I say ABC is such a 0:21:39.600 --> 0:21:42.520 great for me where I get to do both, um, 0:21:42.920 --> 0:21:45.439 because I think we all need to we all need 0:21:45.520 --> 0:21:49.159 to hear some good stories when we're just inundated with 0:21:49.440 --> 0:21:56.639 bad ones. So that's the there, there's the there's the resume. Impressive, 0:21:57.520 --> 0:22:00.639 you're doing a heck of a job, and um, you know, 0:22:00.880 --> 0:22:03.560 we just appreciate you taking a time out all the 0:22:03.640 --> 0:22:12.720 way from Omaha, Nebraska College World Series where our NC 0:22:13.000 --> 0:22:17.440 State fellas have been eliminated, not because of lack of 0:22:17.520 --> 0:22:19.920 ability to close out a game, but the virus has 0:22:19.960 --> 0:22:22.800 taken them out. Um yeah, I think if they could, 0:22:22.800 --> 0:22:24.840 if if the virus wouldn't have done what it did, 0:22:25.480 --> 0:22:28.480 I think I think would have won us. I really do. 0:22:29.359 --> 0:22:31.560 Nobody could, nobody could beat them twice. I just my 0:22:31.640 --> 0:22:33.920 heartbreaks for those guys. And there's a great video you 0:22:33.960 --> 0:22:37.200 should look up on NC State's baseball Twitter account. When 0:22:37.240 --> 0:22:40.080 they got back to Raleigh the other night after flying 0:22:40.160 --> 0:22:43.400 home from Omaha. And also they bust the kids who 0:22:43.440 --> 0:22:45.440 tested positive. They couldn't even get on the plane. That 0:22:45.520 --> 0:22:47.840 felt real bad for this because anyway, once they all 0:22:47.920 --> 0:22:51.800 got back to Raleigh, um, they filled the ballpark Raleigh 0:22:51.800 --> 0:22:54.480 within ms to welcome them back. And it was so emotional, 0:22:54.600 --> 0:22:56.879