StribSports Daily Delivery

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the final week of the NFL regular season and more. The Vikings coasted to a win over the disinterested Bears, but plenty of questions remain for Minnesota ahead of Sunday's playoff opener against the Giants. Meanwhile, the Packers were eliminated by the Lions on Sunday night -- the culmination of a mediocre season tha...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand can't help but look back a year to when the Vikings were seemingly choosing between Kevin O'Connell and Jim Harbaugh as head coach. O'Connell is 12-4, while Harbaugh had a stellar year after staying at Michigan, but now the Wolverines are being investigated by the NCAA and Harbaugh has been linked to the Carolina NFL job. 5:00: Is Kirk Ciarrocca headed to Rutgers to...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand notes that the Wolves are finally figuring out a basic premise, that the players who are playing best in a particular game should be the ones on the court at the end. It paid dividends in a win on Wednesday, and maybe it will be a key going forward. 5:00: Wild coach Dean Evason keeps ascending along with his team in the aftermath of a 5-1 win over Tampa Bay. 9:00: I...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand can't help but wonder what in the world is going on with Carlos Correa. It was mid-December, almost two weeks before Christmas, when it was initially reported that he was signing a 13-year, $350 million deal with the Giants. A week later that deal fell apart, but now it's been two weeks and he still hasn't signed with the Mets. 5:00: The Gophers men's basketball tea...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand watched the scary situation unfold along with so many of you on Monday as Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field during a game against the Bengals. In addition to obviously hoping for the best outcome for Hamlin, Rand also encourages you to listen to those who played the game. They're the ones who have the best insights into what it must hav...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which featured a lot of doom and gloom for two local teams. The Vikings were clobbered 41-17 by the Packers, dropping their still-strong record to 12-4 but raising even more concerns about how they have been playing lately. Can they rebound -- and get healthy -- in time for the playoffs? The Wol...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand watched Thursday night's NFL game with a sense of horror. As we think about the Vikings' future and perhaps an eventual change at quarterback, be careful what you wish for because even with the No. 2 pick in a draft you can wind up with a QB like the Jets' Zach Wilson. He was booed off the field in a Jets loss Thursday, and he's more evidence that the wrong move at...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand examines a paradox in sports whereby a winning team can sometimes be taken for granted and underexposed compared to a team that has more drama but doesn't win as much. That seems to be happening this year with the Wild and Wolves; the Wild won their sixth game in a row Wednesday, while the Wolves fell to .500. 10:00: Some good news for local sports fans on the TV fr...

Introduction: If you were a Twins fan (or executive) disappointed when Carlos Correa chose a 13-year, $350 million deal with the Giants, it has to hurt even more to wake up to Wednesday's stunning news that he is instead going to the Mets on a 12-year, $315 million deal. That's in the neighborhood of the Twins' final offer (10 years, $285 million) and is in fact less if you add in the $35 million...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand notes the strong play and good vibes from Anthony Edwards lately, and notices a pattern: He seems happiest when he's the unquestioned star of the show. The next step in his maturation process -- a journey that has seen him make key strides already this season -- is finding that same energy and joy when Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert return from their injuries. 7...

Host Michael Rand and Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse take a look back at an amazing weekend in Minnesota sports. First and foremost, obviously, was the Vikings' NFL-record comeback from a 33-0 halftime deficit to defeat the Colts 39-36 in overtime Saturday. Trying to make sense of that game -- or this team -- is nearly impossible. But it did cement the Vikings' identity: a flawed team with...

Host Michael Rand still can't believe what he just saw -- parts of which he admits he did not see -- after the Vikings rallied from a 33-0 halftime deficit to defeat the Colts 39-36 in overtime to clinch the NFC North title in the 1000th game in franchise history. The twists and turns ... postgame audio from Kirk Cousins and Kevin O'Connell ... and plenty of listener commentary are all part of thi...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand uses the occasion of the Vikings' 1000th game on Saturday to recount his youth spent watching the Vikings and some of his favorite moments watching the purple over the years. 9:00: Longtime Vikings fan Ted Young joins Rand on the eve of what he hopes is a personal milestone. Young has seen the Vikings beat every team in the NFL in person -- except the Colts, their o...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand has a few questions in the aftermath of the Twins losing out in their bid to sign Carlos Correa. It's a strange duality: Rand thinks the Twins are probably lucky they didn't wind up with Correa based on the cost compared to his ability, but he's also unclear what the Plan B is now that the dust has settled. And he's truly puzzled by Sonny Gray's continued inclusion...

Introduction: The big news we had been waiting for arrived Tuesday night, with Carlos Correa making his free agency decision. The shortstop, who played one season for the Twins at $35.1 million, ended up agreeing to a 13-year, $350 million deal with the Giants -- a deal that will weaken the Twins in the short-term but might be the best thing for them in the long run, host Michael Rand says. 7:00:...

Introduction: In a jam-packed episode, host Michael Rand looks at the dismal Timberwolves perimeter defense after another loss to Portland. These are the times when the Wolves miss Patrick Beverley, whether they want to admit it or not. 4:00: The Twins signed a new catcher, Christian Vazquez, to shore up what became an overlooked weakness last season. 8:00: The Vikings are at a crossroads on defen...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look at the weekend in sports, which included a rare loss by the Vikings. Rand notes that they were set up to fail from the start by resting some players with minor injuries, while Reusse takes the pass rush to task. It added up to a lot of fan anger for a team that is still 10-3 and very much in control of its season. Plus though...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand revisits the trade that brought Rudy Gobert to the Timberwolves ahead of his Friday return to face his old team in Utah. Would the Wolves still make the trade if they knew things would look so clunky so far this year? Would the Wolves have made the trade if someone other than Tim Connelly had been running the team? And would the trade make more sense if you knew ano...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes a spin through a very busy day in sports, touching on a lot of big subjects. Among them: P.J. Fleck's contract extension, which includes a $1 million annual raise; Carlos Correa's place in the market now that several players have signed; Rudy Gobert's big game and how it impacts the Wolves; the Wild losing a two-goal lead in a loss to Calgary. 12:00: Jeff Day...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes a look at the state of leadership on Minnesota sports teams, noting that the void with the Timberwolves stands out just as much as the strong leadership the Wild and Vikings seem to have. The Twins, meanwhile, continue to pursue Carlos Correa -- with leadership being a big piece of his value as well. 7:00: Star Tribune sports columnist Chip Scoggins and photoj...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand notes a few developments that could impact the Twins' attempt to retain shortstop Carlos Correa in free agency. First, Trea Turner agreed to a massive 11-year, $300 million deal with the Phillies. Plus the Yankees said they aren't going to rush Aaron Judge and the Cubs reportedly met with Correa. What does it all mean for the Twins, who have money to spend? 6:00: Vi...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. The Vikings are now an unbelievable 9-0 in one-score games, displaying not just a flare for drama but a knack again for winning in the critical moments of a game. Their latest high-wire act came Sunday with a 27-22 win over the Jets that required two late defensive stands. The Wild and Gophers w...

Introduction: If we look at pure wins and losses, the Wolves and Wild both have identical 11-11 records. Both of them also have transcendent young players (Anthony Edwards and Kirill Kaprizov) who played major roles in encouraging wins this week. Can either or both of these teams generate the type of consistency needed to live up to lofty preseason expectations. 9:00: Vikings writer Ben Goessling...

Introduction: It was just one game, but Anthony Edwards looked like a different player without Karl-Anthony Towns on the floor during Wednesday's 109-101 victory over Memphis. We'll need to see a larger sample size before we overreact, but host Michael Rand has a couple of theories about why we saw a different Ant without KAT. 9:00: Star Tribune Gophers men's basketball writer Marcus Fuller joins...

Introduction: It's been proven through various studies that humans are wired to avoid pain more than they are wired to seek pleasure. That might explain some of the drama of sports, and particularly why it feels so draining while watching a team you are rooting for that is trying to protect a lead as opposed to one that is chasing a deficit. The U.S. men's soccer team gave us another lesson on Tue...