StribSports Daily Delivery

Introduction: What a strange and ultimately disappointing season its been for the Gophers football team and their head coach P.J. Fleck, with scrutiny mounting along with poor performances. Imagine if Minnesota goes 6-6 with wins over Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin but the year still feels hollow. 7:00: Andrew Krammer joins host Michael Rand to review the film of Sunday's Vikings victory. Head coach...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. The four biggest teams currently playing could not have had a weekend of more significant opposites. Reusse gives plenty of praise to the Vikings and quarterback Joshua Dobbs. Minnesota won its fifth consecutive game -- all five without Justin Jefferson and now two without Kirk Cousins -- to imp...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes a look at Joshua Dobbs, the Vikings' starting quarterback on Sunday. As a fourth-round pick in 2017, Dobbs came into the NFL with a label already: likely backup quarterback, if he survived in the league at all. Those labels determine opportunities and the situations quarterbacks ultimately end up in. Is Dobbs' ceiling higher than his path would suggest? 12:00:...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand rattles off some really impressive numbers about the Timberwolves, including the fact that they have started the season with five consecutive home victories -- all of which the team has announced as Target Center sellouts. TV numbers are also way up this year compared to last year. Plus Rand notes the strong start for the Gophers women's basketball team and the Wild...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand notes one of the most complete Wild performances of the season in a 4-2 win over the Islanders on Tuesday. Two big plays by Pat Maroon and solid goaltending by the easily forgotten Marc-Andre Fleury were the keys to the Wild re-establishing their identity. 9:00: Star Tribune writer Kent Youngblood joins Rand ahead of Wednesday's season opener for the Gophers women's...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes note of the Wolves' third straight win, and second over a previously undefeated team. Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels made huge plays down the stretch of a 114-109 overtime victory Monday over Boston. Karl-Anthony Towns fouled out and was largely a hindrance. Is this a crossroads, good and bad, for the team? Plus a Bally Sports North update. 12:00: Andrew...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at two games that were very similar -- but which elicited extremely different emotions if you are a Minnesota football fan. The Vikings pulled out a win for the ages on Sunday, rallying behind quarterback Joshua Dobbs. The veteran arrived midweek after a trade and was only in the game because of various injuries to Kirk...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand looks at the bigger picture for the Wild after their latest defeat, a 5-3 setback against New Jersey on Thursday. The sobering news is that it's not just one thing dooming the Wild so far this season. Actually, it's almost everything. Is the 10-game sample enough to conclude that the rest of the season will be a struggle? 10:00: Timberwolves write Chris Hine joins R...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand lauds the Timberwolves for their win over the Nuggets but laments that he (and others) weren't able to watch it because of continuing problems with the Bally Sports Plus app. That led directly into listener questions about the future of sports on TV, Dick Bremer and local superstars. 14:00: Star Tribune Gophers men's basketball writer Marcus Fuller joins Rand ahead...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand assesses the Vikings' new quarterback room in the wake of Kirk Cousins' season-ending injury and sees the opportunity in it. They have a nine-game sample to gain as much information as possible about what life is like without Cousins, which should inform how they proceed in 2024 and beyond. 10:00: Randy Johnson joins Rand for a look at the Gophers football team and...

On a special Tuesday afternoon NFL trade deadline edition of Daily Delivery, host Michael Rand is joined by Star Tribune columnist La Velle E. Neal III to break down two interesting Vikings moves -- most notably the acquisition of quarterback Joshua Dobbs. How soon (if at all) could Dobbs play? Neal and Rand have different opinions on that, but both are intrigued by his mobility and rushing succes...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes a look at the latest Timberwolves loss, a 127-113 defeat at Atlanta in which the Wolves gave up a 21-point second-half lead. Is this more of the same from a year ago? And are fans correct to be blaming head coach Chris Finch already? 6:00: Andrew Krammer joins Rand for a review of the film from Sunday's 24-10 win at Green Bay. Of urgent importance: How backup...

Kirk Cousins' season-ending Achilles injury dominated Monday's show featuring Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse and host Michael Rand. Just when the Vikings were getting their season in order and squaring their record at 4-4 with a convincing win over a bad Packers team, they lost their durable signal caller. What happens next? Will the Vikings try to make a trade or sign another quarterback?...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand dives into the Wild and Vikings, finding an easy answer for their woes. The Wild aren't stopping pucks? Filip Gustavsson might not think so, but it probably has a lot to do with their defensive depth taking a big hit. The Vikings aren't running the ball how they want to this season? Maybe they miss their longtime 1,000-yard rusher, Dalvin Cook. 9:00: Star Tribune co...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand was disappointed by the Wolves' season opener against Toronto, a 97-94 loss that featured much of the same offensive dysfunction we saw a year ago -- problems that supposedly were addressed in the offseason. It was just one game, but if it becomes a trend it will be even more of a concern. 10:00: Gophers football beat writer Randy Johnson joins Rand in the wake of M...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand started with the Wild's 7-4 win over Edmonton on Tuesday, a testament to the faith and patience coaches showed in an underperforming top line. Instead of breaking up Ryan Hartman, Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, coach Dean Evason evaluated their play and talked to the players. They stayed together, and Hartman's hat trick was the reward for all. It's a good les...

Introduction: The narrative of the Vikings season flipped over a three-hour stretch Monday. Suddenly they have a strong offensive line? A stout defense? A clutch QB in prime time? Luck on their side? And a real chance to make the playoffs? That's what it looked like to host Michael Rand after a 22-17 win over San Francisco at U.S. Bank Stadium. 12:00: Star Tribune Wolves writer Chris Hine joined R...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports and a look ahead to Monday Night Football. They start with the Gophers' 12-10 win over Iowa, a 59-minute slog jolted to life by a controversial call overturning a punt return for a touchdown that helped Minnesota secure its first win in Iowa City since 1999. You might not be stunned to find out t...

Introduction: Saturday marks the 10-year anniversary of Josh Freeman's one and only start for the Vikings. It came on Monday Night Football against the Giants, and it did not go well. Freeman was rushed into the lineup midseason. The Vikings' desperate search for a QB continued. And the game is still seared into host Michael Rand's memory. 10:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins joins Rand for...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand looks at the remaining MLB playoff teams and finds teams scoring runs without a preponderance of strikeouts. Houston and Texas, for instance, combined for 13 runs on Wednesday while striking out just 10 times combined. It was a far cry from how the Twins' season ended and made Rand think more about where the Twins can alter their approach. Plus, an opportunity on Th...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand is still concerned about the Wild's long-term outlook, but Tuesday's 5-2 win over Montreal restored a certain amount of order. The Wild still have a lot of strengths to play to, and their salary cap situation is not exactly unique. But they really can't afford more injuries to their top players. Plus the Wild are a good lesson that we should apply to the Wolves this...

Introduction: The Wild's 7-4 loss to Toronto over the weekend was costly on two levels. First, Matt Boldy was injured, which leaves the team short one big scorer while exposing a major salary cap crunch. And the Wild also gave up seven goals in the game, causing the team to juggle its defensive pairings just two games into the year. It could be a tough go for the Wild until Boldy and Jared Spurgeo...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse and host Michael Rand started with Sunday's 19-13 Vikings victory, their second win of the year. There was very little to like about the offense's first game without Justin Jefferson, and this fact remains: Brian Flores' defense has been more impressive than Kevin O'Connell's offense all things considered this season. What will the Twins do in 2024? A look at...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with the Wild's 2-0 win over Florida in Thursday's season opener, a game that couldn't have gone much better for Minnesota. Brock Faber scored, Marco Rossi had a goal (even if it was disallowed) and Filip Gustavsson picked up where he left off with a 41-save shutout. But they did lose Marcus Johansson to a third-period injury, something that could test their...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand senses the Twins and fans are in the honeymoon phase of team building. There is disappointment after Wednesday's season-ending loss to Houston in the ALDS, but there is also plenty of optimism over how the season went. The next step, though, is much harder: Getting past this point, when getting stuck gets old quickly. 6:00: Chris Hine joins Rand for a look at the Ti...