♪♪ >> ERIC: IT BEGAN AS ANOTHER CHALLENGING WEEK FOR MINNESOTA SPORTS FANS.

THE WILD LOST THEIR 7TH GAME IN A ROW ON SUNDAY NIGHT, JUST ONE LOSS AWAY FROM THE FRANCHISE RECORD.

THE VIKINGS FAILED MISERABLY ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL, LOSING 12-10 TO THE CHICAGO BEARS.

AND THE TWINS LOST SEVERAL PITCHERS TO FREE AGENT SIGNINGS.

LUCKILY THE TIMBERWOLVES HAVE BEEN WINNING AND ARE ATOP THE WESTERN CONFERENCE.

AND AFTER THE WILD REPLACED THEIR HEAD COACH, THEY'VE WON TWO IN A ROW.

LARRY FITZGERALD IS BACK.

IN ADDITION TO HIS REGULAR SPORTS CHATS HERE ON "ALMANAC," FITZGERALD DOES RADIO WORK FOR THE NATIONAL PROGRAMMING NETWORK.

YOU'RE TOO MODEST TO SAY THIS.

BUT I WANT TO REMIND VIEWERS THAT YOU TOLD US SEVERAL WEEKS AGO THAT THE VIKINGS WOULD BE ALL RIGHT.

AND THEY'RE ALL RIGHT.

>> YOU'RE RIGHT.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE HAD A CANCER ALL YEAR, THOUGH.

AND THAT CANCER WAS HERE WHEN KIRK COUSINS WAS PLAYING.

THEY TURN THE BALL OVER LIKE THEY DON'T VALUE THE FOOTBALL.

WHEN YOU LEAD THE LEAGUE WITH 22 TURNOVERS, THEY'VE BEEN WINNING DESPITE THE FACT THAT YOU CAN'T PLAY THAT WAY, BUT, YOU KNOW, HERE THEY ARE, 6-6, THEY'RE INTO A BYE, AND, YOU KNOW, KIRK CAN'T SAVE 'EM, THEY HOPE JUSTIN JEFFERSON CAN COME BACK AND GIVE AN IMPACT TO THE OFFENSE, BUT THEY GOTTA FIND A WAY TO STOP GIVING THE BALL OVER.

I MEAN, YOU CAN'T TURN THE BALL OVER FOUR TIMES ON NATIONAL TELEVISION AND THINK YOU'RE GOING TO BEAT ANYBODY GOOD OR BAD.

>> Eric: WHO'S GOING TO SADDLE UP AS THE QUARTERBACK?

>> WELL, I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO COME BACK WITH JOSHUA DOBBS.

I MEAN, THEY BROUGHT HIM OFF THE TREET AND WON A COUPLE GAMES.

AND CERTAINLY THEY LOST A GAME TO A CHICAGO BEARS TEAM THAT'S TRYING TO FIND OUT IF THEY'VE GOT A QUARTERBACK IN JUSTIN FIELDS.

AND THEY PLAYED ONE OF THOSE OLD-FASHIONED CHICAGO BEAR-TYPE GAMES.

THEY MAULED THE VIKINGS, THEY JUST KEPT THE BALL, AND THEY DID A BETTER JOB OF PROTECTING THE OOTBALL, AND THAT'S WHY THEY GOT AWAY WITH A WIN.

>> Cathy: HEY, IF THE PLAYOFFS WERE HELD TODAY, DO YOU THINK THE T-WOLVES WOULD BE THE NUMBER ONE SEED IN THE WEST?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

THEY'RE GOING TO MISS THIS IN-TOURNAMENT DEAL, WHICH EVERYBODY'S GETTING EXCITED ABOUT, BUT THEY LOST TO PHOENIX AND SACREMENTO, AND, SO, I GUESS THAT ELIMINATED THEM.

BUT WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT ALMOST 20 GAMES INTO THE SEASON AND THEY'VE GOT THE BEST RECORD IN FRANCHISE HISTORY, 35 YEARS, 14-4, YOU GOTTA SAY, HEY, THE BEST IS YET TO COME.

THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANTHONY EDWARDS, WHO'S AN ALL-STAR, THEY DIDN'T HAVE JADEN McDANIELS WHO'S PROBABLY THE BEST DEFENSIVE GUARD IN THE LEAGUE, AND THEY HAD NO PROBLEMS WINNING THEIR LAST COUPLE OF GAMES.

SO WE'LL SEE IF THEY CAN CONTINUE TO GROW A LITTLE BIT, BUT I LOVE THE WAY THEY'RE PLAYING ON DEFENSE.

>> Eric: NOW, JOHN HYNES SHOWS UP, THE WILD HAVE WON TWO IN A ROW.

>> ISN'T THAT AMAZING?

HE WENT DOWN TO NASHVILLE, SMOKED HIS FORMER TEAM.

I TELL YOU, I LIKE THE WAY THEY'VE PLAYED THE LAST COUPLE OF GAMES.

BECAUSE THE PROBLEM I'VE HAD WITH THEM ALL YEAR IS THAT THEY FORGOT ABOUT DEFENSE.

THEY FORGOT ABOUT CHECKING.

BUT THE LAST TWO GAMES, THEY'RE PICKING UP THEIR GUYS, THEY'RE PICKING THEM UP AT CENTER ICE, THEY'RE PLAYING ON BOTH ENDS, THAT'S WHY THEY'VE WON A COUPLE OF GAMES.

>> Eric: WAS THE COACHING CHANGE NEEDED, DO YOU THINK?

>> BSOLUTELY.

I MEAN, THE PLAYERS, THEY WEREN'T LISTENING TO THE COACH, OR THEY WEREN'T PAYING ATTENTION TO SOME OF THE VERY IMPORTANT DETAILS ON DEFENSE.

WHICH IS, YOU GOTTA PLAY ON BOTH ENDS, YOU GOT TO CHECK, YOU GOT TO SCRAP FOR THE UCK, AND THEY HAD GOTTEN AWAY FROM THAT.

THE NEW COACH HYNES HAS COME IN AND REMINDED THEM THAT, HEY, I'M GOING TO BE HERE, IF YOU WANT TO BE HERE, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO PLAY A WHOLE LOT BETTER.

>> Cathy: TWINS EVIDENTLY GOT RID OF THREE PITCHERS, IS THAT RIGHT?

>> YOU SAY GOT RID OF.

THE TWINS ARE ON A, YOU KNOW, THIS BUDGET SITUATION IN TERMS OF WHO THEY CAN SIGN AND WHO THEY CAN'T, YOU KNOW, SON ANY GRAY -- SONNY GRAY, DIDN'T TAKE THE CARDINALS LONG TO THROW 75 MILLION AT HIM.

SOME OF THE PITCHERS THEY'VE HAD IN THE BULLPEN THAT THEY WERE DEPENDENT ON.

THEY'VE LOST A COUPLE OF THOSE GUYS.

BUT IT'S A LONG WAY TO GO.

THE TWINS HAVE A DEEP SYSTEM.

THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO BRING A PLAYER IN, AS LONG AS THEY DON'T LOSE THEIR GUY AT THE BACK END, THEIR CLOSER, THEY'LL BE FINE.

>> Cathy: BY THE WAY, BECAUSE WE'RE ALL BROADCAST PROFESSIONALS HERE, WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF THE CHANGES WITH THE TWINS PLAY-BY-PLAY CREW?

>> THAT SURPRISED ME.

YOU KNOW, BUT, YOU KNOW, TIME IS A SITUATION THAT LEADS TO EVENTUALLY MAKING DECISIONS ON HOW WE'RE GOING TO GIVE A BOOST TO THE ORGANIZATION FROM THE PRESENTATION OF THE GAMES.

AND NOW THEY'RE DEALING WITH THIS BALI ISSUE, WHICH IS WHO KNOWS WHERE THAT'S GOING.

BUT, YOU KNOW, I LIKE THE NEW BROADCASTER.

BALLY.

YOU KNOW, CORY PROVUS HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL, CONSISTENT, HE KNOWS THE TEAM, OF COURSE, HE'S BEEN ON RADIO WITH DAN GLADDEN, I THINK HE'LL COULD A -- DO A GOOD JOB ON TV.

>> Eric: WHAT DO WE WANT TO DO ABOUT AN AUTOPSY N THE GOPHER FOOTBALL SEASON?

>> >> Cathy: THAT WAS A DEEP SIGH.

>> FOUR LOSSES IN A ROW.

YOU CAN'T LOSE A THREE-TOUCHDOWN LEAD TO NORTHWESTERN, GIVE A GAME AWAY TO AN ILLINOIS TEAM WITH A BACKUP QUARTERBACK RUNS OUT THERE.

AND WISCONSIN HAD NO PROBLEM WITH THEM.

SO, I DON'T THINK THE COACH IS IN TROUBLE.

BUT I THINK THE PROGRAM IS IN TROUBLE BECAUSE THEY CANNOT TAKE CARE OF THE N.I.L.

AND THE BEST PLAYERS THAT THEY GET IN HERE EVENTUALLY WANT TO BE RESPECTED, AND IN THIS DAY AND AGE, YOU GOT TO GET OME MONEY.

AND THAT'S AN N.I.L.

AND THEY DON'T DO THEM.

NEZ NEBRASKA -- >> Eric: NEBRASKA COACH SAID THE GOING RATE FOR THE QUARTERBACK IS A MILLION DOLLARS.

>> THAT'S WHERE IT IS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL, YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE A STAR QUARTERBACK THAT CAN LEAD YOU AND RUN YOUR SYSTEM.

>> Cathy: FOR FOLKS WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR, N.I.L.

>> Eric: NAME IMAGE AND LIKENESS, THEY CAN PLAY THE -- PAY THE PLAYER ABOVE THE TABLE.

>> Cathy: GOT IT.

A MILLION BUCKS FOR A QUARTERBACK IN THE BIG TEN?

>> REMEMBER WHEN WE HAD THE PROBLEM WITH COVID, THE ATHLETIC IRECTOR DECIDED TO CUT OUT TENNIS.

>> Cathy: THAT'S RIGHT.

>> AND THE McNAMARAS, THOSE FOLKS HAVE GIVEN A LOT OF MILLIONS TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.

>> Cathy: RIGHT.

>> SO THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ACTIVE IN GETTING INTO THIS N.I.L.

SITUATION.

AND PEOPLE THAT ARE INTO THE FLOW OF REVENUE IN THIS TOWN, HAVE LOOKED AT THEM AND SAID, IF THEY'RE NOT IN, I'M NOT IN EITHER.

>> Eric: A LOT ON YOUR PLATE.