Doesn't get better than getting to hang with members of the Gophers basketball team on the same day you stuff your face with cheese curds, cookies and all types of meat on a stick at the Minnesota State Fair.
That's basically how I spent my Wednesday this week at the University of Minnesota and Star Tribune fair booths and interview stages.

Of course, other than a stomach ache at the end of the day from not knowing when to quit eating, I also had a recorder full of Gophers notes from my fun and interesting chat with Gophers forwards Jordan Murphy and Eric Curry. Richard Pitino also talked about newcomers and gave some injury updates.
These are some of the highlights of my interview at the Star Tribune stage with Murphy and Curry:
MURPHY ON CURRY: "Seeing Eric work hard this summer definitely inspired me. Seeing him get in the gym those late nights with those long rehab sessions he had. Just watching him go through that was a testament to his work ethic, spirt, heart and passion he has for this team. Definitely hat off to him trying to get healthy."
FRONTCOURT HELP: "All these guys are really talented and really smart. They have no problem gelling and meshing with the rest of the team. I really think highly of these guys and how talented they are as far as the frontcourt goes. They're working hard. They just have to continue to listen to coaching and work hard. Most definitely (will have best frontcourt in Big Ten). No doubt."
TEAM GOALS: "It's everyone's goal to be on top of the Big Ten. That's pretty much everybody's goal at this point. Definitely make the tournament, be on top of the Big Ten and make the conference tournament. That's pretty much what I want to cap off my last year."
OFFSEASON WORK: "I pretty much worked on everything. I wouldn't say I'm satisfied with my game and how I performed in games. I'm a guy who just has to go over everything. And make sure every aspect of my game is air tight. Just making sure there's nobody who can stop me."