♪♪ >> Eric: GOING TO TAKE A SHORT BREAK FROM COVERING THE WORLD OF POLITICS AND VENTURE INTO THE WORLD OF SPORTS.

HERE TO TALK TWINS SPRING TRAINING, WILD INJURIES, LOSING VEHICLES, EVERYTHING ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES.

LARRY FITZGERALD SENIOR.

WHAT HE'S NOT SITTING HERE FITZY DOES RADIO WORK FOR THE NATIONAL PROGRAMMING NETWORK.

AND ANT EDWARDS HAS 16 TECHNICAL FOULS AND GAME SUSPENSE.

>> ISN'T THAT AMAZING?

>> Eric: WHAT'S WITH THIS YOUNG MAN?

>> HE'S, YOU KNOW, HE REALLY HAS AN ATTITUDE THAT HE BELIEVES WHEN HE ATTACKS THE BASKET THAT HE'S GETTING FOULED MORE OFTEN THAN IT'S BEING CALLED.

>> Eric: WHAT DO YOU THINK?

>> HE HAS A CASE.

BUT THE POINT IS YOU CAN'T CRY ABOUT IT.

I MEAN, YOU THINK THEY DIDN'T FOUL MICHAEL JORDAN OR MAGIC JOHNSON?

YOU KNOW, OR ISAIAH THOMAS GOING TO THE BUCKET?

THEY UNDERSTOOD THAT YOU GOT TO BE PATIENT WITH IT AND, YOU KNOW, HE'S JUST A YOUNG GUY, HE'S STILL ONLY, WHAT, 23, 24 YEARS OLD AND HE EXPECTS TO GET EVERY CALL AND HE'S NOT GOING TO GET EVERY CALL.

>> Cathy: TELL US ABOUT THIS OWNERSHIP TRANSITION, IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S GOING TO BE MAYBE A LITTLE MESSY.

>> IT'S GOING TO GET MESSY, I THINK BECAUSE OF THE ORIGINAL PRODUCE THAT LORE AND RODRIGUEZ BOUGHT IN ON, THAT NUMBER'S NOT HIGH ENOUGH FOR THESE OTHER GUYS THAT OWN NBA FRANCHISES AND SO THEY'RE PROBABLY GOING TO ALLOW THEM TO COME IN BUT THEY'RE GOING TO RAISE THE PRICE WHICH MEANS THAT GLEN TAYLOR'S GOING TO WIND UP GETTING MORE MONEY OUT OF THIS DEAL.

>> Eric: DOES THAT LEAVE LESS MONEY TO BUILD THE FRANCHISE?

IS >> THAT'S HOW THAT WORKS, YOU KNOW, UNLESS THEY GOT THE MONEY ALREADY ORCHESTRATED OR DIRECTED TOWARDS THE TEAM, F IT'S GOING TO COST MORE FOR THE FRANCHISE AND GLEN IS TOTALLY GOING OUT, HE'S GOING TO TAKE THAT MONEY WITH HIM.

>> Eric: WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE WILD AND INJURIES?

THEY, DON'T THEY NEED A LITTLE FORWARD HELP HERE AT THE STRETCH?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

THEY JUST LOST A GUY I THINK FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON.

>> Eric: EK?

>> YEAH, AND THEY WERE ALREADY OUT KIRILL KAPRIZOV, THIS GUY'S A SUPERSTAR AND HADN'T PLAYED SINCE DECEMBER, HE JUST HAD SURGERY AND THEY KEEP CALLING IT A LOWER BODY INJURY.

I MEAN, WHAT IS IT, IS IT A KNEE?

YOU KNOW, WHAT?

BUT HE'S OUT AND THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY NOT AS GOOD.

UTAH, THEY JUST STARTED THAT TEAM TWO WEEKS AGO, LITERALLY, YOU KNOW -- >> Eric: FROM ARIZONA.

>> YEAH.

AND THEY KILLED THE WILD 6-1.

I MEAN, COME ON, THEY'VE LOST TWO IN A ROW.

AND THEY'RE STRUGGLING.

THEY STARTED GREAT, THEY WON MORE GAMES ON THE ROAD THAN ANY TEAM IN THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE, BUT THEY JUST DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PLAYERS TO PUT ON THE ICE THAT CAN COMPETE.

>> Eric: SPEAKING F BASEBALL AND OWNERSHIP.

>> Cathy: YEAH.

>> Eric: THE DEAL THAT SEEMED TO BE FLOATING AROUND HAS BOTTOMED OUT.

NOW WHAT'S LEFT NOW FOR THE POHLADS?

>> I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A BIG DESIRE RIGHT NOW BY PEOPLE TO GET INTO MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL.

WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE CONTRACT WITH ESPN.

I MEAN, THAT'S A DOMINANT ORGANIZATION IN SPORTS BUSINESS, THE WORLD LEADER, AFTER 35 YEARS THEY'RE SAYING WE'RE GETTING OUT OF BASEBALL.

THAT'S NOT GOOD, I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOOD BECAUSE WHO'S GOING TO POP UP AND TAKE IT?

YOU KNOW.

ANOTHER NETWORK?

I DON'T THINK SO.

NBC, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ALREADY COMING BACK FOR THE BA.

THAT TYPE OF THING.

BUT I DON'T SEE ANYBODY ELSE DOING IT, NOT CBS.

>> Cathy: I WONDER ABOUT THIS, AGAIN, THIS UNCERTAINTY OVER THE OWNERSHIP.

DOES THAT PLAY OUT WHEN IT COMES TO MAYBE NOT MAKING DEALS AND TRADES AND MIGHT THAT ACTUALLY, CAN YOU SEE SOME OF THIS UNCERTAINTY OUT ON THE FIELD, IF THAT MAKES SENSE?

>> I THINK RIGHT NOW THE FANS, I KNOW I'VE NEVER SEEN LESS INTEREST, I THINK, IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, THE TWINS SPECIFICALLY.

LAST YEAR THEY HAD A ROTTEN SEPTEMBER.

WE KNOW THAT.

AND I THINK ROCCO BALDELI IS LUCKY TO STILL HAVE HIS JOB.

AND THEY PUT THE TEAM UP FOR SALE JUST BEFORE THAT.

THERE'S JUST BEEN A BAD TASTE AROUND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL AND I THINK THAT'S HURT THEIR SALES AND IN ERMS OF THE EXPECTATIONS GOING INTO THE SEASON.

THIS IS WHEN YOU WANT PEOPLE TO BE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE COMING WITH, AND THEY DID NOTHING IN THE OFF SEASON TO IMPROVE THIS BASEBALL TEAM.

>> Cathy: ARE YOU SEEING ANYTHING THAT GIVES YOU ANY HOPE IN SPRING TRAINING?

>> WELL, JUST VERY LITTLE, ROM A HEALTH STANDPOINT, SOMEBODY ASKED ME THE OTHER DAY HOW MANY GAMES FOR BYRON BUXTON, OVER AND UNDER IS, WHAT, 110 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, I SAID 90.

AND THEN THE SHORTSTOP, THAT'S THEIR MAIN GUY.

HOW MANY GAMES FOR HIM?

HE DIDN'T FINISH THE SEASON WITH HIS FOOT.

SO IT SCARES ME, BUT I HOPE THAT THIS TEAM CAN COME TOGETHER AND PLAY CONSISTENTLY AND PLAY WITH SOME FIRE AND HIT THE BALL OUT OF THE PARK.

>> Eric: TWO-WORD ANSWER.

SAM DARNOLD R JJ MCCARTHY?

>> SAM DARNOLD.

>> Eric: OH!