>> ERIC: ON TUESDAY, MINNESOTA SPORTS LEGEND AND ST. PAUL NATIVE JOE MAUER WAS ELECTED TO THE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME ON THE FIRST BALLOT.

MINNESOTA SPORTS FANS KNOW JOE'S STORY WELL.

A STAR HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE IN THREE SPORTS, HE WAS THE NUMBER ONE QUARTERBACK IN THE NATION.

MAUER COMMITTED TO PLAY FOOTBALL AT FLORIDA STATE IN APRIL OF HIS SENIOR YEAR.

THREE MONTHS LATER, HE WOULD SIGN A CONTRACT WITH THE MINNESOTA TWINS, WHO HAD CHOSEN THE CATCHER WITH THE NUMBER ONE PICK IN THE DRAFT.

HOW BIG WAS THE NEWS THE DAY HE JOINED THE TWINS ORGANIZATION?

EVEN TWIN CITIES PUBLIC TELEVISION COVERED IT.

>> THIS IS A BONA FIDE CATCHER WITH ALL THE SKILLS THAT YOU LOOK FOR.

HE CAN THROW.

HE CAN RUN.

HE HAS POWER.

HE CAN HIT.

HE CAN HIT FOR AVERAGE.

HE CAN HIT LEFTIES.

HE IS ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT YOU LOOK FOR IN A BALL PLAYER.

>> I COULDN'T ASK FOR A BETTER SPOT TO BE PLACED IN.

AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST AN UNBELIEVAL FEELING TODAY.

AND I'M JUST THANKFUL THAT THE TWINS SELECTED AND NOW I'M A BASEBALL PLAYER.

>> Eric: JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT MAUER'S HALL OF FAME CAREER, LARRY FITZGERALD, SENIOR.

IN ADDITION TO HIS REGULAR "ALMANAC" SPORTS CHATS, YOU CAN HEAR LARRY'S RADIO WORK ON THE NATIONAL PROGRAMMING NETWORK.

FIRST BALANCE A SURPRISE?

FIRST BALLOT A SURPRISE?

>> NOT REALLY, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT WINNING A BATTING TITLE THREE TIMES IN THE SPAN OF, WHAT, SIX YEARS?

'06 ... '08 AND 2009 HE DOMINATED BASEBALL.

I THINK HE HIT 28 HOMERS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

DROVE IN 90 RUNS.

HE WAS THE M.V.P.

IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL.

AND THEN I THINK THEY SWITCHES TO GO OVER AND PLAY AT TARGET FIELD AND EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT, IS HE A HALL FAMER, OR WILL HE GO IN THE HALL OF FAME?

YES, HE'S DESERVING OF IT.

THE UMBERS PROVE IT.

HE'S THE ONLY CATCHER IN THE HISTORY OF BASEBALL TO WEBINAR THREE BATTING TITLES AND THAT SAYS A LOT.

WHAT A TREMENDOUS ATHLETE.

HE CARRIED HIMSELF IN A WAY AT A TIME DURING MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WHEN YOU LOOK AT ALL THE ISSUES WITH THE PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS AND ALL THE PLAYERS THAT GOT LABELED FOR THIS AND LABELED FOR THAT.

I MEAN, BARRIERY BONDS IS NOT IN.

YOU KNOW, NEITHER IS ROGER CLEMENS.

AND THESE GUYS CLEARLY IN TREMENDOUS CAREERS.

BUT THEY WERE TAINTED.

JOE MAUER WAS A GREAT PLAYER.

HE PLAYED EVERY DAY.

AND HE ELIVERED FOR THE MINNESOTA TWINS.

IT WAS GREAT TO BE AT THE TWINS FEST KICKOFF TODAY AT TARGET FIELD AND TO SEE, YOU KNOW, TERRY RYAN.

THAT'S THE GUY THAT DRAFTED HIM.

AND ALL THE THINGS THAT HE SAID IN THAT CLIP CAME TRUE.

>> Cathy: AW.

YOU KNOW, JOE COULD HAVE LEFT FOR GREENER PASTURES, RIGHT, BUT HE STUCK HERE HIS ENTIRE CAREER, ALL THOSE YEARS IN MINNESOTA.

>> YEAH, THE TWINS SIGNED HIM TO ONE OF THE BEST CONTRACTS IN BASEBALL.

AND I THINK THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY HE STAYED HERE.

IT WAS A SENSE OF LOYALTY.

HE LOVED THIS COMMUNITY.

I MEAN, HE GOT A CAR DEALERSHIP, THEY GOT A WHOLE LOT OF THINGS GOING FOR THEMSELVES, BUT JOE MAUER WAS A TREAT TO COVER DURING A TIME WHEN THE TWINS WERE TRANSITIONING FROM PLAYING INSIDE TO GOING OUTSIDE.

>> Eric: NOW, YOU COVERED HIM SINCE THE BEGINNING.

>> YES.

>> Eric: AND I WONDER HOW IT WAS DAY-TO-DAY COVERING THE TWINS WITH HIM IN THE CLUCKHOUSE.

BECAUSE HE'S KIND OF A MILD MANNERED GUY.

HE'S NOT A FIRED UP LEADER, THAT TYPE OF THING.

WHAT WAS HE LIKE WITH THE REST OF THE PLAYERS AND WITH THE MEDIA?

>> WELL ..., YOU KNOW, I THINK FOR ME, IT WAS ME JUDGING HIM AGAINST ANOTHER SUPERSTARE, IN THIS CASE, KIRBY PUCKETT.

KIRBY MADE HIMSELF AVAILABLE AFTER EVERY GAME, WIN OR LOSE AND HE TOOK THE BULLETS AND HE TOOK THE ACCOLADES AS WELLING.

JOE MAUER WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

JOE, NOT NECESSARILY WOULD BE THE FIRST GUY.

YOU'D GO DOWN TO THE LOCKER ROOM, YOU'RE WAITING FOREVER, THAT TYPE OF THING.

BUT THE SAME THING HAPPENED WITH KEVIN GARN EAT.

EAT.

EVERYBODY'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

WHEN HE TALKED HE DID TALK.

>> Cathy: WE WERE TALKING OFF THE AIR HERE ABOUT, DO YOU THINK BECAUSE OF COURSE YOUR SON IS A GREAT ATHLETE, WAS JOE KIND OF A POSTER CHILD FOR NOT SPECIALIZING IN ONE SPORT IN HIGH SCHOOL, BECAUSE HE WAS SUCH A GOOD ALL-AROUND ATHLETE, BUT HE AS GOOD IN BRB AND FOOTBALL AND BASEBALL.

NOWADAYS PARENTS KIND OF HELP THEIR KID SPECIALIZE IN ONE SPORT.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?

>> YEAH, IT WAS, FOR ME, WATCHING HIM PLAY, PARTICULARLY AS A HIGH SCHOOLER.

I MEAN, YOU START HEARING ABOUT THIS PHENOMENAL ATHLETE IN ST. PAUL FROM CREATEDIN DURHAM HALL, THEY ROLL 'EM OUT OF HERE, BUT HE JUST WAS A TREMENDOUS PLAYER.

AT A EARLY AGE.

AND HE COULD DO WRNG.

EVERYTHING.

AND HE CHOSE THE ONE THAT HE THOUGHT WAS HIS BEST SPORT, AND THAT WAS BASEBALL, EVEN THOUGH FLORIDA STATE HAD -- THEY WANTED HIM TO BE A QUARTERBACK, THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT.

>> Eric: GOOD BUSINESS DECISION, THOUGH ... LONGER CAREER, IN BASEBALL, NO SALARY CAP.

>> VERY TRUE.

AND HE HAD A TREMENDOUS CAREER, 15 YEARS, 2,100 HITS, 143 HOMERS AND ALL THOSE WINS.

THE TWINS JUST WON SO MANY GAMES DURING THE TIME HE PLAYED THOSE 15 YEARS.

IT WAS JUST UNFORTUNATE THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES AGAIN.

>> Eric: THANKS