Chicago– It is no surprise that Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot work together seamlessly in the middle of the Cubs’ infield, considering their relationship goes back to their college days at LSU. As it turns out, they work together pretty well on camera, too.

The Cubs’ double-play combo is the centerpiece of Saturday’s “This Week in Baseball,” which will air at 2:30 p.m. CT on FOX, just before the Cubs take on the division rival Cardinals. The show, filmed during Chicago’s series in Milwaukee in early May, also will give an overview of the Cubs’ season and features an in-depth look at catcher Koyie Hill’s comeback from a gruesome hand injury.

The rapport Fontenot and Theriot have developed on and off the field came through when they sat down together with “TWIB” for an interview, according to producer Paul Solga.

“They had a really good, playful interaction going back and forth,” Solga said. “They were agreeable to sharing stories and insights of what it was like playing then, and what it’s like playing now and how it helps them instinctually knowing the other one is there and knowing what their move is before it even happens.”

The interview covered the two players’ story, which began when they played together at LSU in 2000-01. The show will feature footage of the Tigers winning the 2000 College World Series and Theriot scoring the winning run in the final game.

Fontenot and Theriot both were selected in the 2001 First-Year Player Draft, although Fontenot originally was taken by the Orioles before being traded to the Cubs in 2005 as part of a deal for Sammy Sosa. Theriot became the Cubs’ starting shortstop in the middle of 2007, while Fontenot took over everyday second-base duties this season. Because of their history and close relationship, the two are lumped together often in media coverage.

“I’m always tired of him,” Fontenot joked about Theriot. “No, we have fun. We’ve been good friends, and our families have been good friends because we’ve known each other for a while now. We don’t get tired of each other as much as you’d think.”

The show also planted a microphone on Fontenot during batting practice to capture the team’s behind-the-scenes chatter.

“We kind of stayed conscious of it,” Fontenot said, “just so we wouldn’t drop any bad words or anything like that. So we just tried to talk and make it fun.”

In addition to Fontenot and Theriot, the show also profiles Hill, who lost three fingers and a thumb on his right hand in a table-saw accident in October 2007. The right-handed catcher showed the cameras how he lost the fingers and how doctors reattached them in a way that made it easiest for him to grip and throw a ball.

Hill also talked about his struggle to make it back to the Major Leagues, which he did last season with the Cubs. He made the team this spring as the backup to Geovany Soto.

“It’s pretty powerful stuff to see the images of his mangled hand and fingers and then see the footage of him coming back,” Solga said.

Besides the Cubs-related content, Saturday’s program also will reveal the Pepsi Clutch Performer for the month of June and preview the 2009 All-Star Game, which will take place Tuesday in St. Louis.

Andrew Simon is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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