StribSports Daily Delivery

Host Michael Rand takes you on a spin of the weekend in sports, dealing primarily at first with a very competitive Super Bowl. A controversial holding penalty, at least in the eyes of some, was the overriding story line, but let's not discount the greatness of Patrick Mahomes. Plus Rand evaluates the Super Bowl in terms of the Vikings and looks ahead to 2023, when the Vikings are nowhere near the...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand goes in-depth on the numbers inside the Wild's struggles at even strength this year. What was a boon for them a year ago is suddenly a glaring weakness, and only better special teams are propping up a quickly deteriorating season. 10:00: Star Tribune Timberwolves beat writer Chris Hine joins Rand for a look at the trade that sent out D'Angelo Russell and brought bac...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand could not be more thrilled that the Timberwolves shed themselves of the baggage known as point guard D'Angelo Russell. His inconsistency and lax defense will not be missed, and the Wolves are a better team now than they were a day ago. The big questions now: How much does Mike Conley Jr. help, and what's the long-term plan at point guard? 9:00: La Velle E. Neal III...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand watched LeBron James break the all-time NBA scoring record on Tuesday and was transported back in time 20 years ago. He talks about traveling to write about James when LeBron was a senior in high school -- and of the unbelievable arc of a career that has somehow lived up to the hype and beyond it. 9:00: Jason Gurwin from The Streamable joins Rand for fresh perspecti...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand breaks down the Vikings' hire of defensive coordinator Brian Flores, which ended a nearly three-week process. In going a completely different direction from Ed Donatell, head coach Kevin O'Connell is admitting his initial hiring mistake. This is a great hire, but let's hope it doesn't become part of a coordinator revolving door. 11:00: Kent Youngblood joins Rand for...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. They start with the Timberwolves, who routed a short-handed Nuggets team Sunday but have bigger questions looming ahead with Thursday's trade deadline and Karl-Anthony Towns' eventual (?) return on the horizon. Plus thoughts on the Gophers men's and women's basketball teams, who have just three...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes a look at the puzzling and troubling development with Minnesota United. It's Feb. 1 and Emanuel Reynoso still hasn't joined his teammates, who began their training on Jan. 6. We're a little over three weeks away from the start of the MLS season, and his absence needs a better explanation, a fast resolution or both. 6:00: Chip Scoggins joins Rand for a wide-ran...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand doesn't want to overreact to one Timberwolves game because every one of the final 30 games is going to be critical to a playoff berth. But like head coach Chris Finch, he saw some troubling familiar habits resurface in an overtime loss to Sacramento on Monday. 7:00: Vikings writer Andrew Krammer joins Rand for a look at the Vikings' offseason to-do list, after which...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand with an enlightened take on how NFL officiating has an outsized influence on the outcomes of games -- including a huge impact on Sunday's AFC title game between the Chiefs and Bengals. Plus Reusse and Rand discuss the state of the Gophers men's and women's basketball programs and find themselves starting to believe the Timberwolves have...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand dives into a report this week that Diamond Sports Group, which operates 19 regional sports networks including Bally Sports North, will soon be headed for bankruptcy. What does that mean for local teams in the near- and long-term -- and what might it mean for how we watch sports? 9:00: Twins beat writer Phil Miller joins Rand for a look at the Twins' very active offs...

Introduction: The Associated Press named five finalists for NFL Coach of the Year, and the Vikings' Kevin O'Connell wasn't one of them. That seems like a serious lack of respect for a first-year coach of a 13-win team, especially given how he help elevate MVP candidate Justin Jefferson. 7:00: Sarah McLellan joins host Michael Rand for a discussion of the Wild. After three straight losses, there ar...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand notes that the Wild are No. 3 in the NHL in most penalty minutes, which is sabotaging a lot of other good parts of their game. It showed up again in a 4-2 loss Tuesday in Tampa, after which Ryan Hartman (and Dean Evason) were disappointed. 5:00: Maybe Aaron Rodgers should just stay off the microphone until he knows what he actually wants to do? 9:00: Wolves beat wri...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes a look at the complicated world of WNBA free agency, which includes the Lynx, charter travel and superstar Breanna Stewart. 7:00: Star Tribune columnist La Velle E. Neal III joins Rand for a breakdown of Neal's five moves he would make if he were the Vikings this offseason. Plus he tries to talk himself into liking the trade of Luis Arraez. 27:00: The Twins ma...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at a busy weekend. The Twins got things started Friday with a blockbuster Luis Arraez trade, which Reusse doesn't like from a pure at-bat standpoint. The NFL gave us plenty to think about on Saturday and Sunday, while Reusse had a larger complaint about college basketball.

Introduction: Host Michael Rand spends some time on the three live local games Thursday, coming away with a new appreciation for the Wolves' Kyle Anderson after watching him up close in a 128-126 comeback win over Toronto. Meanwhile, the Wild had a clunker without the benched Matt Dumba and the Gophers men's basketball team took a step back. 10:00: Star Tribune Twins beat writer Megan Ryan helps e...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand listened a few times to the Vikings' season-ending news conference Wednesday for clues as to how they might proceed this offseason. He found five things from GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah particularly interesting. You'll hear those five things, plus Rand's interpretation of them. 13:00: Star Tribune college basketball writer Marcus Fuller joins Rand to talk about the Gopher...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand goes back to Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly's introductory news conference to find two instances during which Connelly says he just hopes he doesn't mess up a good thing. A little more than halfway into the season, following his offseason acquisition of Rudy Gobert, things don't feel very good. 10:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggin...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes a glancing view of the Wolves' 126-125 loss to Utah on Tuesday, with the intent of going more in-depth on the organization's trajectory on a future show. 7:00: Star Tribune Vikings writer Andrew Krammer joins Rand for the final film review of the season. With the 31-24 loss to the Giants as the backdrop, they tackle this question: Was it the players or the sch...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a breakdown of Sunday's 31-24 Vikings loss to the Giants in the playoffs at U.S. Bank Stadium. From another awful game by the defense to a questionable final play from Kirk Cousins, there was plenty to digest. Plus Reusse gives his thoughts on the rest of the NFL playoffs and the Twins signing Carlos Correa.

Host Michael Rand brings you a special, vent-filled Daily Delivery from U.S. Bank Stadium in the aftermath of the Vikings' season-ending 31-24 loss to the Giants in the Wild Card playoff game. A 13-4 season gave way to a host of familiar problems, including a disappearing defense. The sum total was the first one-score loss, coming at the worst possible time, to a mediocre foe that was nevertheless...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand found himself intrigued by the Gophers men's basketball game on Thursday for the first time in a while. Not only did Ben Johnson's team end up prevailing in a 70-67 upset of Ohio State, but the broadcast "All Access" style on FS1 brought viewers very close to the action. Rand also touched on the Wild's big win over the Islanders. 10:00: Rand is joined by Ben Goessli...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand ties a bow around the Carlos Correa coverage, highlighting the most important takeaways (and things Correa said) from Wednesday's news conference. The Twins are dealing in a significant risk-reward space, but they are better now than at the start of the week. 10:00: Jerry Zgoda joins Rand for a look at Minnesota United, which has several things to sort out as it beg...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes a look at the 20-21 Timberwolves at the midpoint of their season, and offers up a couple reasons for optimism as well as a couple things to be wary of already this year. Bottom line: It feels like the ceiling has been considerably lowered on a season of great expectations, and there's a lot of work to be done to raise it again. 9:00: La Velle E. Neal III joins...

La Velle E. Neal III joins host Michael Rand for an emergency special edition of the podcast for immediate reaction to the news that Carlos Correa is set to rejoin the Twins on a six-year, $200 million deal. They discuss the process, the risks for the Twins and ultimately what sort of impact this will have on the 2023 season and beyond.

Introduction: Host Michael Rand notes the ongoing developments with Carlos Correa, as multiple reports suggest Minnesota is getting deeper in renegotiations with the free agent shortstop, and wonders what the optics and reality of the situation would be if he really did wind up with the Twins. 5:00: Andrew Krammer joins Rand for a film review of the Vikings. The Giants' pass rush will test Minneso...