♪♪ >> ERIC: THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM HAS A NEW HEAD COACH.

A HOPKINS HIGH ALUM LEADS U-CONN ON A QUEST FOR ANOTHER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.

AND THE TWINS BEGAN A NEW SEASON YESTERDAY WITH A LOSS IN ST. LOUIS.

LOTS TO TALK ABOUT WITH LARRY FITZGERALD, SR.

WHEN HE'S NOT CHATTING WITH US, FITZY DOES RADIO WORK WITH THE NATIONAL PROGRAMMING NETWORK.

NICO MEDVED, ROSEVILLE, LOCAL KID.

CAN HE DO BETTER THAN THE RECENT PAST?

>> WELL, HE DID HAVE SOME SUCCESS AT COLORADO STATE, THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT, TOOK THEM TO THE TOURNAMENT THREE TIMES.

HE'S A LOCAL GUY.

HE JUMPED ON THIS OPPORTUNITY.

AND I THINK HE CAN DO WELL, IF THE INNER BODY OF MINNESOTA SPORTS, IN TERMS OF THE CORPORATE COMMUNITY AND THOSE THAT HAVE MADE THEIR DETERMINATIONS ON HOW BASKETBALL PLAYERS SHOULD BE OR NOT SUPPORTED, THAT'S GOING TO BE BIG.

BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T HAVE A SOLID NIL SITUATION, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO KEEP YOUR BEST PLAYERS.

I DON'T CARE WHO'S COACHING YOU.

AND, SO, HE'S GOING TO NEED THAT.

AND I THINK FROM WHAT I'M HEARING, SOME OF THE COMMUNITY IS BEGINNING TO STEP UP.

>> Cathy: HE SEEMED BULLISH ON WILLIAMS ARENA YESTERDAY, TOO.

>> YOU KNOW WHAT?

THAT'S A UNIQUE SITUATION BEING IN THAT BUILDING.

>> Cathy: IT IS.

>> AND I TELL YOU, WHEN THEY'RE PLAYING WELL, AND CAN PULL AN UPSET, GET THAT CROWD INVOLVED, THERE'S NO SETTING LIKE IT IN SPORTS.

>> Cathy: NOW IT LOOKS LIKE SOME FORM OF COACH, BEN JOHNSON, HAD A PROBLEM KEEPING PLAYERS.

THEY WERE KIND OF DRIFTING AWAY.

IS THAT BECAUSE OF THE MONEY SITUATION?

>> ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY.

>> Cathy: OR NOT GREAT COACHING?

>> WHEN PLAYERS FIND OUT WHAT THEY'RE GETTING AT OHIO STATE, MICHIGAN, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT GOOD, BECAUSE THEY'RE LOOKING AT SUCH A SHORT SHELF OF LIFE FOR THEM, AND THEIR ASPIRATIONS TO TRY AND REACH THE GOALS THAT THEY'VE SET FOR THEMSELVES AND THEN THEY START LOOKING AT THE PROGRAM AND SAY, WHAT AM I DOING HERE?

AND THAT'S WHAT IT IS.

I THINK THE NEW DAY AND AGE, THE LAST SIX, SEVEN YEARS OF SPORTS HAS BEEN NIL DEPENDENT, AND YOU LOOK AT THE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE SOLID, YOU KNOW, NIL SITUATIONS, THEY'RE DOING JUST FINE IN THIS SYSTEM.

YOU KNOW, LOOK AT THE COACHES, I MEAN, THEY LEAVE ONE PLACE, GO TO ANOTHER ONE, THAT'S NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.

USUALLY IT TAKES A FEW YEARS TO GET A JOB IF YOU LOSE ONE.

>> Eric: TRUE OR FALSE, INTEREST IN THE MINNESOTA TWINS HAS NEVER BEEN HIGHER?

>> Cathy: OOH, WELL -- >> YOU KNOW WHAT, I DON'T KNOW IF I WOULD SAY THAT.

I WOULD SAY THAT THE INTEREST IN THE TWINS IS DEPENDENT ON THEM PLAYING BETTER THAN THEY DID LAST YEAR.

A LOT OF FOLKS GOT A BAD TASTE IN THEIR MOUTH THE WAY THEY FINISHED LAST YEAR.

>> Eric: IT WAS TERRIBLE.

>> I SAW SOMETHING WHERE THEY SAID THEY HAD 154 DIFFERENT LINEUPS.

HOW CAN YOU WIN WITH 154 DIFFERENT LINEUPS?

IT'S JUST NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE SOME CONSISTENCY.

YOU GOT TO BE STRONG UP THE MIDDLE.

AND, YOU KNOW, THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO DO EITHER OF THOSE LAST YEAR.

>> Eric: BULLPEN DECENT?

>> YEAH, YEAH, THEY'VE GOT SOME PITCHING.

I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO BE COMPETITIVE.

I GOT 'EM FOR 80 WINS.

BUT IT MIGHT TAKE 85.

>> Cathy: WHO'S INTERESTED IN BUYING THIS TEAM?

>> THAT'S AMAZING, ISN'T IT?

YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T GET ALEX RODRÍGUEZ, YOU KNOW, E'S SUPPOSEDLY A BASEBALL GUY, BUT HE WANTS TO BE AN NBA GUY, HE WANTS TO SIT COURT SIDE, THAT TYPE OF THING.

HE HAS NO INTEREST IN BUYING THE TWINS.

BUT SOONER OR LATER, SOMEBODY'S GOING TO STEP UP AND CUT A CHECK.

>> Eric: GOOD IS THE VIKING FRONT OFFICE?

THEY SEEM TO HAVE DONE A LOT OF BUSINESS THIS OFF SEASON.

>> I THINK THE VIKINGS ARE A BIG SECRET IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE.

AND I WAS OUT THERE THIS WEEK WITH QUASI ADOLF OMEN SAW -- >> Eric: THE GENERAL MANAGER.

>> I ASKED THE QUESTION, WHY HAVEN'T YOU GOTTEN AN EXTENSION?

DIDN'T YOU HIRE KEVIN O'CONNELL, KEVIN IS THE COACH OF THE YEAR, HE GOT A BIG EXTENSION, HE'S GO TO BE HERE, A QUARTERBACK AND AN OFFENSE.

>> Eric: WHAT DID HE SAY?

>> HE SAYS, YOU KNOW WHAT, I'M NOT GOING TO PUT MYSELF IN A POSITION WHERE I'M CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT SOMEBODY ELSE IS DOING AND GETTING.

I'M GOING TO TRUST THE ORGANIZATION THAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT.

BUT WHETHER YOU BELIEVE IT TO BE TRUE OR NOT, MOST OBSERVERS BELIEVE THAT HE DOESN'T KNOW FOOTBALL THE WAY THEY THINK HE SHOULD KNOW FOOTBALL.

HE'S AN ANALYTICS GUY, AND THAT MIGHT BE TRUE, BUT ANALYTICS, NO ANALYTICS, HE'S FOUND WAY TO GET THIS TEAM TO 34 WINS.

>> Eric: YEAH.

>> AS A GENERAL MANAGER IN THREE YEARS.

AND THREE OF THE GUYS THAT HE DRAFTED IN THE FIRST ROUND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THEM BROKE HIS LEG IN LONDON, THE OTHER ONE WAS KILLED.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, JJ McCARTHY, HE'S JUST GUY.

>> Eric: NO AARON RODGERS, HUH?

>> NO, AARON IS NOT COMING.

IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 40 MILLION TO BRING HIM IN THERE, THEY >> Cathy: NO.AT KIND OF MONEY.- I LOVE PAIGE BUECKERS FROM HOPKINS, WHAT A STAR FOR UCONN.

SHE'S HE GOING TO BE IN THE WNBA DRAFT, RIGHT?

>> SHE MIGHT BE THE FIRST PLAYER TAKEN.

BASICALLY ASSURED SHE'S GOING IF TO THE FIRST PLAYER TAKEN IN THE GRAFT -- DRAFT.

THREE TIMES, ALL AMERICAN, THREE TIMES TO HE FINAL FOUR.

BUT SHE'S TRYING TO DO WHAT PLAYERS THAT GO TO CONNECTICUT GO THERE FOR, THAT'S TO WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, AND THEY MIGHT HAVE THAT CHANCE, NOW THAT THAT OPENING WITH THE INJURY TO JUJU WATKINS AND USC HAPPENED LAST WEEK.

>> ric: HAVE YOU TEE'd IT UP YET?

>> NO, I HAVEN'T.

I'VE BEEN GETTING IN SHAPE.

I'M MAKING SURE I CAN KEEP MY SPEED, YOU KNOW, GOING TO THE BALL.

>> Eric: ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT.