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Introduction: Host Michael Rand says the Timberwolves have had a lot of candidates for best win of the season already, including Monday's 112-108 comeback victory in Miami that improved their record to 20-5. At some point, we might have to stop comparing them to last year's team. Plus, will the Wolves and other Minnesota teams eventually wind up on Amazon Prime Video? 9:00: Star Tribune Vikings wr...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which included a loss snatched from the jaws of victory in Saturday's Vikings game. A late defensive implosion and two questionable "tush pushes" defined the day and put a dent in the Vikings' playoff hopes. The Wild, meanwhile, stayed hot even amid off-ice questions. The Wolves stayed even hott...

Host Michael Rand thought the Wolves might face some true adversity and a losing streak after Dallas blitzed them early in Thursday's game following a loss Monday in New Orleans. Instead, the Wolves calmly responded and won in a blowout and reaffirmed their place in the Western Conference. Plus, the Wild won but there's turmoil in the front office. 8:00: Star Tribune college basketball writer Marc...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand was somewhat amused by the scuffle between the Bucks and Pacers over who got to keep the official game ball from Wednesday's game. Plus some thoughts on Draymond Green's indefinite suspension. 7:00: Star Tribune Timberwolves beat writer Chris Hine joins Rand ahead of Thursday's game at Dallas, part of a 16-game stretch that will test Minnesota in new ways. Can the W...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand does a brief history lesson on Vikings starting quarterbacks, finding that Nick Mullens will be the 42nd different one in team history when he takes a snap Saturday against the Bengals. He will also be their fourth starter this season, which has never happened in Vikings history. A staggering 34 different starting QBs have spanned the John Anderson era with Gophers...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes a look at the Wolves' loss on Monday at New Orleans, one that was predictable and not yet alarming -- but one that still bears watching. It was the first of 16 straight games against teams above .500, with 11 of those on the road. It's the toughest stretch all year for the Wolves, and they need to maintain their early standard during this stretch. 7:00: Andrew...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which included this statistical anomaly: The Vikings and Wild both won by identical 3-0 scores on Sunday, something that might have never happened in the history of Minnesota sports. The Vikings' win was punctuated by injuries and more struggles from Joshua Dobbs, who was replaced by Nick Mullen...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand looks at the major money influence in college football, which was brought up again by Gophers coach P.J. Fleck in a news conference ahead of the Quick Lane Bowl. The financial gap is widening in a lot of places, which we were reminded of again when John Rahm signed a deal with LIV Golf for more than $300 million. 8:00: Star Tribune Twins beat writer Bobby Nightengal...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand runs through three basketball games Wednesday -- all of them victories of varying magnitudes for the Timberwolves, Gophers men and Gophers women. Ben Johnson thought a lot of Minnesota's win over Nebraska. The Wolves stayed perfect against the NBA's worst teams. And Dawn Plitzuweit's team got a nice road victory. 12:00: Rand breaks down Kevin O'Connell's comments We...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand looks at the Wild, who just won their fourth straight game in dominant fashion under new head coach John Hynes. The instinct might be to think this team is dramatically different because of dramatically different results. But the margins are so thin at the top levels of sports that even getting a little better means a lot. 8:00: Timberwolves President of Basketball...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand notes that barely more than a week ago, the Vikings and Wild were on much different trajectories. The Vikings had a seemingly easy game against the Bears last Monday to get to the bye week at 7-5, while the Wild were on a seven-game losing streak and fired their coach. Now? According to multiple projection sites, the Wild have a better chance of making the playoffs...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which included more wins for the Wild and Wolves. The Wolves just completed a huge November and are keeping things going in December, while the Wild are undefeated since making a coaching change. Plus the Gophers football team lands a transfer quarterback. They will put their Quick Lane Bowl dom...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand jumps right into the big news Friday morning that the Twins will have new (but familiar) voices on their TV and radio broadcasts in 2024. With just a few months left in the offseason, though, we still don't know who their TV broadcast partner will be. Plus big wins for the Wolves and Gophers men's basketball show off their depth. 8:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Sc...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand revisits the Rudy Gobert trade with the Wolves set to face Utah on Thursday, noting that the national narrative around a deal that was widely panned a year ago has started to shift. Gobert is playing like a defensive stalwart, the Wolves have the best record in the West and things look much different now. 8:00: A ranking of quarterbacks in the transfer portal shows...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes note of the QB disparity during P.J. Fleck's tenure with the Gophers. Minnesota under Fleck is 33-14 when Tanner Morgan starts at quarterback, and just 16-20 when anyone else starts. With that as a backdrop to news that starter Athan Kaliakmanis has entered the transfer portal, where do Fleck's Gophers go from here? Plus Rand gets into the Wild's win under new...

Introduction: In a hideous 12-10 Vikings loss to the Bears, the flaws of both quarterback Joshua Dobbs and head coach Kevin O'Connell were on display. Dobbs can be flustered into mistakes, which led to four interceptions and other turnover-worthy plays. O'Connell did him no favors with the game plan and did the Vikings no favors -- again -- with his questionable in-game management. 13:00: Randy Jo...

Star Tribune Wild beat writer Sarah McLellan joins host Michael Rand to break down Monday's big news that the Wild fired coach Dean Evason and replaced him with former Nashville head coach John Hynes. Early-season struggles turned into a seven-game losing streak, quickly escalating a hot seat for Evason after successful recent regular seasons. Will the Wild's top players start to produce after the...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the long holiday weekend of sports, which included the continued demise of two teams that figured prominently in Reusse's Turkey of the Year column on Thanksgiving. The Wild, who took home the grand prize this year for 20 years of mediocrity, have lost seven consecutive games. Changes have to be coming soon, but it's...

On Thanksgiving against Dallas 25 years ago -- yes, it's been that long -- Randy Moss unleashed a performance for the ages. He had just three catches, but all of them were for 50-plus yards and all were touchdowns. Where were you when it happened? 9:00: The Gophers football team has had a disappointing season and the program faces a lot of headwinds in the future. But the Gophers still have a chan...

Introduction: A recent posting by occasional podcast guest Jon Marthaler about the status of Minnesota pro sports teams got host Michael Rand thinking about how much can change in just a month of sports. 6:00: Rand is joined by Star Tribune writer and editor Jeff Day for a discussion of the Timberwolves and Karl-Anthony Towns. They carry a 10-3 record into a big game Wednesday against the 76ers. J...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand offers a brief examination of Joe Mauer's Hall of Fame candidacy now that the former Twins great is officially on the ballot. Was his run of excellence long enough and unique enough to get him in sooner rather than later, or will his late career and lack of postseason heroics weigh him down? 5:00: The Wolves are rolling, and maybe it has something to do with their c...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which included an end to the Vikings' five-game losing streak thanks to a 21-20 loss at Denver. The Vikings outplayed the Broncos in almost every way, leaving Reusse wondering -- aside from turnovers, of course -- how the heck this one wasn't a win. Reusse and Rand also got into the Wolves' narr...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand watched the closing minutes, appalled like many other viewers, of the Gophers men's basketball team's 70-68 loss to Missouri on Thursday. Poor execution, costly mental mistakes and questionable coaching decisions were all part of the swirl that saw Minnesota cough up a 20-point second-half lead. 9:00: Star Tribune Wild beat writer Sarah McLellan joined Rand from Swe...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand notes that the Wolves carried a lot of national love into the second game of a back-to-back against Phoenix on Wednesday. And a blowout loss to the Suns, 133-115, is not cause for alarm. This is what happens even to good teams that are tired from the fallout after an emotional win over the Warriors that cost Draymond Green a five-game suspension. 8:00: Star Tribune...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand goes deep on the Wolves' 104-101 win over the Warriors on Tuesday. It was Minnesota's seventh win in a row, and yet another game this year that they might not have won in previous seasons. It started with a fracas, as the increasingly desperate Warriors lost both Draymond Green and Klay Thompson to ejection. From there, the Wolves had several big and calm moments ne...