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Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. They start with Oklahoma City's decisive Game 7 win Sunday over Denver, which set up the Western Conference finals against the Wolves. Minnesota will have its hands full with the Thunder's depth, but an elusive championship is just eight wins away. The Twins' 13-game winning streak ended Sunday, but their season has been altered. Now they must weather the storm of injuries. Plus a strong start by the Lynx and a gamut of amateur baseball for Reusse.
On another jam-packed episode, host Michael Rand starts with the Wolves and the accomplishment of returning to the final four of their league -- something no other Minnesota major men's pro sports team has done in roughly a half-century. Plus the Frost advanced, too, and the Twins won their 10th in a row. What a night in Minnesota sports. 13:00: Kent Youngblood joins Rand to preview the Lynx season, which begins Friday in Dallas. They, too, will be trying to get back to where they were a year ago. 27:00: The Loons lost and the Vikings have a bunch of interesting games this season.
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which included another sweep for the Twins. They have won eight games in a row and are above .500 after a wretched 7-15 start. The Wolves grinded out a 102-97 win over Golden State in Game 3 of their playoff series on Saturday. Wolves fans complained that it was ugly, but no playoff victory should get that description. Game 4 is Monday night. Plus a Loons win over Messi's Miami squad and another Frost playoff win as well.
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which included Golden State's win over Houston on Sunday that set up the Western Conference semifinals against the Wolves. Between Jimmy Butler, Steph Curry and Draymond Green, there are a ton of storylines to devour as the series gets set to begin at Target Center on Tuesday. Plus Reusse and Rand get into the Twins, who disgusted Reusse so much Sunday that he shut off his TV before Minnesota rallied to beat Boston. And the Wild's postseason exit felt different this time.
Michael Rand and Ryan Kostecka break down the Wolves' five-game series win over the Lakers, capped by a 103-96 win in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. They started, naturally, with the Wolves' second consecutive thrilling home win over the Lakers, which gave Minnesota 3-1 series lead. Anthony Edwards was brilliant in a must-have game. Plus thoughts on the Wild, the Twins and a Vikings draft that at least one publication did not like at all.
Michael Rand and Ryan Kostecka break it down.
Michael Rand and Ryan Kostecka break it down postgame
Introduction: host Michael Rand starts with the Vikings' decision Thursday to take Ohio State offensive lineman Donovan Jackson No. 24 overall. They seemed to have other options to trade down and add depth, but they chose a player that fit a need. Was that the right move? Did they play it too safe? The Wild, meanwhile, left no doubt. They clobbered Vegas 5-2 again to take a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference playoff series. Can they finish the job? 11:00: Chris Hine joins Rand to talk about another big Game 3, with the Wolves hosting the Lakers on Friday night. Can the Wolves bring "that third kind of heat?" 32:00: A big series for the Twins.
Michael Rand and Ryan Kostecka break down the Game 2 loss by the Wolves.
Ben Goessling, Andrew Krammer, Michael Rand and Emily Leiker put on their general manager caps and each take over a team in the NFC North for a division-wide mock draft. What can only be described as perfection ensues. Make sure you check out the Star Tribune's YouTube channel for the video.
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which included Game 1 for both the Wolves and Wild. The Wolves won in a rout over the Lakers while Wild fell 4-2 to Vegas, but Reusse liked the way both looked. Rand, on the other hand, senses a short series coming for the Wild. Plus Reusse unloads on the Twins after they were swept in Atlanta and pays homage to a high school basketball coaching legend.
Michael Rand, Chip Scoggins and Ryan Kostecka break down the Wolves' 117-95 victory in Game 1 over the Lakers on Saturday.
On Part II of Friday's Daily Delivery extravaganza, Wild beat writer Sarah McLellan joins host Michael Rand to set up the playoff series between Minnesota and Vegas.
Chip Scoggins pinch hits for Patrick Reusse on Monday's episode with host Michael Rand. They start with the Wolves' win over Utah on Sunday, which set up a playoff matchup against the Lakers. Game 1 of the series is Saturday, with the Wolves needing to find a way to stop Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Can they stay composed enough to use their depth to their advantage? Plus the Wild had a huge win in Vancouver on Saturday, leaving them on the verge of clinching a playoff berth. The Twins are staggering at the plate, even after a good win Sunday. And Rory McIlroy had a Sunday to remember at Augusta.
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse and host Michael Rand look at the weekend in sports, starting with the Twins. They were three outs away from mostly erasing the bad vibes from their 0-4 start, but a late Astros rally thwarted those vibes and put the Twins at 3-6. The pitching hasn't been nearly as good as advertised so far, and the defense is worrisome. On a happier note, the Wild got a huge two points over Dallas, local superstar Paige Bueckers won an NCAA title and the Wolves found some more company in the crowded Western Conference playoff race.
Henry talks with Michael Rand from the Minnesota Star Tribune about his grim outlook for the Minnesota Twins, why the Wolves can be a tough out, the best story for the Men's and Women's Final Fours and more.
This hour Henry says detaining college students with no evidence that they are criminals is wrong, he talks with Michael Rand from the Minnesota Star Tribune, plus we have Bite of the Night and Headlines.
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. They started with the Twins, who had about as bad an opening series as possible in getting swept by the Cardinals. The starting pitching was largely bad. The offense was nonexistent. And the defense was suspect. We shouldn't overreact, Reusse says, but we also shouldn't underreact. Plus a discussion of the new "torpedo" bats that are helping the Yankees hit homers, the Wolves brawling (and winning) against Detroit and a young defenseman who should give the Wild a lift in a couple weeks.
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in Minnesota sports, which starts with a game between Colorado State and Maryland. A buzzer-beater loss for Colorado State on Sunday means head coach Niko Medved is available. Will the Gophers hire him as soon as Monday? Plus a larger look at big schools dominating the NCAA men's basketball tournament and a preview of the Gophers men's hockey team in the NCAA tourney as well as the Twins starting their season this week.
On a special Monday afternoon edition of the podcast, host Michael Rand and columnist Chip Scoggins break down the news that the Gophers men's basketball program has hired Colorado State's Niko Medved as the next coach.
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which begins with a look at where the Gophers men's basketball coaching search is at the moment. It sounds like former U assistant and current Colorado State coach Niko Medved is the front-runner, but timing will make things interesting this week. Plus Reusse and Rand get into the Timberwolves' eight-game winning streak and another ill-timed injury for the Twins' Royce Lewis. And the Wild are in free-fall while the Loons somehow coughed up a three-goal lead this weekend.
It's a newsy day on Daily Delivery! On Part One, host Michael Rand starts with the overnight news that Gophers men's basketball coach Ben Johnson has been fired. 8:00: The Wolves rolled the Nuggets by 20 for their sixth consecutive victory. 12:00: La Velle E. Neal III joins from Florida for an update on the Twins, including the sale of the team. 34:00: Aaron Rodgers just won't go away.
In Part two of Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast, Chip Scoggins and Michael Rand break down the news that Ben Johnson has been fired as Gophers men's basketball coach. What were the underlying causes? What didn't work with Johnson? Who will AD Mark Coyle try to target in his next hire? And how will a new coach benefit from increased money being pumped into the program?
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. Plenty of things happened on Sunday, but they had to start with the biggest one: Reusse joined the social media platform Bluesky after dumping Twitter/X after a dustup over a Beastie Boys song. They eventually got to sports, which included another strong Wolves victory (their fifth in a row), a Wild loss, a Gophers men's basketball loss and a surprising Gophers men's hockey defeat. Plus some thoughts on NFL free agency, with teams free to negotiate with players officially starting today even if they clearly have been negotiating for a while now. Where will QB Sam Darnold wind up?
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which included a much-needed victory for the Timberwolves on Sunday night in Phoenix. Reusse compares Anthony Edwards to Randy Moss, but not necessarily in a good way. From there, they get into a pair of 1-0 victories for the Wild and Loons, with Reusse decrying the lack of attacking spirit from Minnesota United. Bill Guerin is cranky about being asked all the time about injured stars Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek. Plus thoughts on Gophers basketball, the Twins and Sam Darnold.
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which unfortunately for Minnesota teams did not include a lot of successful basketball. The Gophers took a bad loss to Penn State, while the Wolves lost twice coming out of the break. Where does each team stand after those results? We also learned that Justin Ishbia is no longer in the running to buy the Twins, having instead increased his investment in the White Sox. Reusse wants everyone to calm down and notes that while Ishbia was the only known suitor there is still interest in buying the team from others. Plus a little hockey and soccer talk at the end.
Introduction: On a wide-ranging edition of the podcast, host Michael Rand starts with Canada's 3-2 overtime victory over Team USA in the Four Nations championship game. Plus a look at the Timberwolves' relatively soft schedule in March and the breakup between MLB and ESPN. 10:00: Jon Marthaler joins Rand to preview the Minnesota United season, which begins Saturday at LAFC. Is this the year the Loons become legitimate contenders? 25:00: A listener has a perspective on Ben Johnson.
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. The live viewing options were sparse because of the worst scheduling coordination in pro sports history. Unless you wanted to watch the NBA All-Star Game (nope) or the Four Nations Tournament (maybe later), you were stuck between seasons. But they found plenty to talk about, still: The Twins begin their spring schedule on Saturday and still have a lot of questions to answer. The Gophers men's basketball team won at USC and revived a question about whether Ben Johnson has earned another year as their coach.
Jeff Day and Michael Rand discuss and analyze Monday's news
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. They started with a Super Bowl blowout of epic proportions. The Eagles harassed Patrick Mahomes without ever blitzing him and scored at will on offense, piling up a 34-0 lead before Kansas City even crossed midfield. What did the game tell us about the Vikings? From there, they took a tour of the downtrodden Gophers men's basketball program, talked through a good win for the Gophers women's basketball team and set up a big day where the Timberwolves ownership dispute should be resolved.
Michael Rand (Minnesota Star Tribune) joins Henry Lake to discuss the Big Game, Mahomes and the mark of true greatness, KOC being named Coach of the Year at NFL Honors last night and Jared Allen being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The full second hour of Henry Lake filling in for Jason DeRusha. First a conversation with Michael Rand on the Big Game and Jared Allen's HOF induction. Henry and Lindsey on Josh Allen's MVP and why they think Eli Manning won't have to wait long for his own bust in Canton. Plus Andy Greder stops by to talk Gopher Men's Hoops and the crossroads they find themselves in as a program.
On a jam-packed and sometimes meandering edition of the Daily Delivery podcast, Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse and host Michael Rand started with the bonkers NBA trade over the weekend that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers and Anthony Davis to Dallas. Almost everyone thinks Dallas was crazy to make the deal, including Reusse and Rand. The Wolves took a very bad loss to Washington, even accounting for the fact that Minnesota was missing Anthony Edwards. The Gophers lost to a much different Washington, but that loss was almost as bad. St. Thomas men's basketball, meanwhile, keeps on rolling. And an early look at the Super Bowl mixed in with an old Reusse story.
Andrew Krammer, Michael Rand and Emily Leiker discuss defensive coordinator Brian Flores not being hired in this head coaching cycle, his relatively older depth chart on defense, plus takeaways from this year's playoffs and thoughts on pending Vikings free agents. There are a few among their many free agents who could be coveted elsewhere.
Introduction: Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. They started with the AFC and NFC title games, focusing mostly on Kansas City's 32-29 win over the Bills. Reusse says Buffalo got everything it deserved in the loss because of a stubborn insistence on running the "tush push" in short-yardage situations. And now we're stuck with Chiefs vs. Eagles again. 16:00: The Gophers men's basketball team has now won three games in a row after starting Big Ten play 0-6. Neither Reusse nor Rand can figure out what exactly is going on here. 25:00: Reusse has perspective from the Wolves' big win over the Nuggets on Saturday, plus thoughts on the Twins and their search for a new owner.
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which included another close but ultimately unsatisfying Timberwolves loss to Memphis. More questions about late-game personnel and offense turned a five-point lead into a two-point defeat. Will Minnesota even make the play-in? Reusse isn't convinced they will. 16:00: The Wild earned a tough win at Colorado on Monday, continuing a yearlong trend of playing their best hockey on the road. Still without several key players, including Kirill Kaprizov, the Wild are staying competitive. 27:00: Washington thrashed the favored Lions, putting up 45 points to eliminate Detroit in the NFL playoffs. Should we be even more concerned now about how the Vikings ended their season? And what else did we learn from the division round?
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse and host Michael Rand take a look back at the weekend in sports and a look ahead to Monday's huge playoff game between the Vikings and Rams. The NFL playoffs so far have been a dud, with either lopsided results, mediocre action or both. The Vikings know going into Monday that they would face the Eagles if they advance to the next round thanks to Philadelphia's win over the Packers and Washington's upset of Tampa Bay. The biggest question, of course: Which version of Sam Darnold is going to show up? Plus thoughts on the Wolves and Gophers men's basketball.
Henry talks with Michael Rand from the Minnesota Star Tribune about Vikings fans angst, why being on the road could be a good thing, does a win Monday night change the narrative, and more.
This hour Henry wonders if there are more Vikings fans than we are aware of, MLB did the right thing by banning Yankee fans from all MLB stadiums, and Lake talks Vikings with Michael Rand from the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Ben Goessling, Andrew Krammer, and Michael Rand preview Monday night's playoff game against the Rams, including quarterback Sam Darnold's confidence and consistency, L.A.'s young defense, receiver Puka Nacua's impact, and what this game means in the bigger picture of judging the 2024 season.
Introduction: On a jam-packed edition of the podcast, host Michael Rand starts with the Timberwolves. They won 108-106 on Monday after making a change to their starting lineup. Donte DiVincenzo replaced Mike Conley Jr., a move that seemed to help both players. Did Chris Finch simply listen to all of us? Plus the Gophers men's basketball team made a slew of errors down late in the game in an 89-88 double overtime loss to Ohio State. 11:00: Andrew Krammer joins Rand for a review of the 31-9 Vikings loss to the Lions. It was a bad performance from QB Sam Darnold in a critical moment. It also raised questions about the Vikings' ability to handle blitzes heading into the playoffs Monday against the Rams. 32:00: More award-winning Vikings poetry, plus comments from Kevin O'Connell on his job status.
Henry gets into a column from The Strib's Michael Rand about this week being a big test for the Vikings and their fans, January 6, 2021 still leaves a bad taste in his mouth, and more.
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse and host Michael Rand look back at the weekend in Minnesota sports, which of course begins with the Vikings' 27-25 win over the Packers on Sunday. The Vikings are now 14-2 with a chance to earn home-field advantage in the NFC next week vs. Detroit. Already this is the most surprising season in franchise history, Reusse says. Plus a discussion of Anthony Edwards' uneven play this season, even in the midst of a three-game Wolves winning streak, as well as college bowl season.
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which included one of the best Vikings' wins of the season. Facing plenty of adversity in Seattle, Minnesota rallied for a 27-24 victory to keep pace in the NFC North at 13-2. Two more wins would give the Vikings the division title and the No. 1 seed in the conference. In news that is, um, less good: The Wolves have lost two in a row and look just as lost as they did earlier in the season. And the Wild have hit a funk that can only be cured by the return of goalie Filip Gustavsson.
On Monday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand is joined by Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse for a look back at the weekend in sports. The Vikings don't play until Monday night, but two key games Sunday went their way. First the Lions lost to the Bills, giving the Vikings a path to home-field advantage in the playoffs. And the Seahawks lost, officially clinching a playoff berth for Minnesota. From there, they got into the Wolves' sixth win in seven games, the Wild's loss to Vegas on Sunday, Bethel's tough loss in the Division III football playoffs and news about a potential buyer for the Twins.
Ben Goessling, Andrew Krammer and Michael Rand open the mailbag and answer your Vikings-adjacent questions about the future at quarterback, contract extensions for leadership, what this defensive depth chart has shown so far and who could be rejoining by season's end.
Ben Goessling, Andrew Krammer and Michael Rand discuss quarterback Sam Darnold's MVP candidacy, playoff scenarios, Monday night's rematch against the Chicago Bears, and more.
Michael Rand has the postgame breakdown after the Vikings' stirring 42-21 win over the Falcons.
Andrew Krammer and Michael Rand open the mailbag and answer your Vikings-adjacent questions about the age of the roster, how many Pro Bowlers they'll have, chasing the No. 1 seed in the NFC, quarterbacks, and more.