StribSports Daily Delivery

With Allianz Field set to host the Major League Soccer All Star Game on Wednesday, and with Minnesota United manager Adrian Heath slated to manage the MLS side, host Michael Rand caught up recently with Heath on a number of subjects.

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the big stories from the weekend. They started -- of course -- with the Twins' 3-2 loss to Toronto on Sunday, which was punctuated by an overturned call at home plate and an extremely rare postgame rant from manager Rocco Baldelli. He said the reversal "beyond embarrassing" and used even stronger language throughout h...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand declares Aug. 2 a sigh of relief day on two fronts in Minnesota sports. Twins fans (and probably players) who were desperate for upgrades to the first-place club watched the front office deliver three impact trades with the additions of relief pitchers Jorge Lopez and Michael Fulmer plus starter Tyler Mahle. And the Wild welcomed Kirill Kaprizov back to Minnesota on...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand collects up the swirl of negative energy surrounding the Twins at the trade deadline and exhales it as a positive sentiment: Even as fans get frustrated by inconsistency and a lack (so far) of substantive deadline moves, it's hard to stay mad at a team that has shown this much resiliency. Another example arrived Monday with a walk-off win over Detroit. 7:00: Star Tr...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look at the Twins. With Tuesday's trade deadline approaching quickly, the organization seems stuck in a strange spot: Leading a weak AL Central, but having seen that lead dwindle; lacking enough depth in the minor leagues to make a major move; and perhaps not being good or bad enough to warrant a big move at all. So what will happ...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand took note of comments Thursday from Vikings QB Kirk Cousins, who said he is trying to learn not just a new playbook but a new way of progressing through his reads under head coach Kevin O'Connell. How fast the two can get on the same page will go a long way toward determining the Vikings' success in 2022. 9:00: Rand caught up with several local high school athletes...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand did some unnecessary work to determine the same fact Phil Miller referenced at the top of his story from the Twins' 10-4 loss to the Brewers on Wednesday. The Twins, as Miller had already found, are now 2-10 against other first-place teams in MLB, and they have been outscored 80-41 in those games. Plus Rand looks at the difference between how Carlos Correa and Karl-...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand explores the dual legacies of Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, noting that Sano's return to the lineup Tuesday and these final two months of 2022 will probably mark the duo's last chance to do something special together. Plus Tuesday's 7-6 loss to Milwaukee was another example of the need for bullpen help. 9:00: Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns joins the show to ta...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a recap of Reusse's trip to Cooperstown for the Baseball Hall of Fame induction weekend. After plenty of adventure and conversations, a grateful Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat could probably use a little peace and quiet for the next couple weeks. Plus Reusse wonders about the timing of Byron Buxton's All-Star break procedure, considers the...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand looks ahead to the second half of the Twins season with five predictions. Will anyone significant be traded? How about some bullpen help? Which current players are poised for big second halves? And will the Twins win the AL Central? Rand tackles all those questions. 11:00: Star Tribune columnist La Velle E. Neal III joins Rand in advance of Neal's trip to Cooperstow...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes note of an ESPN assessment of the strengths of each NFL team over the next three years. If the evaluations of the panel of league experts is accurate, there is trouble -- or at least mediocrity -- ahead for the Vikings. While the Packers finished tied for third and were deemed to be top-10 in every category, the Vikings were No. 19 overall and weren't higher t...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which included the Twins getting steamrolled while losing three of four games to the White Sox heading into the All-Star break. This is still a first-place team through 94 games, but Reusse has never been a believer and is even less of one now. Plus Rand and Reusse share thoughts on the MLB Draf...

Introduction: In a jam-packed episode, host Michael Rand starts with the Twins' blowout loss to the White Sox. It's just one game, but with Sonny Gray pitching a dud and the offense sputtering it was a bad omen for an important series heading into the All-Star break. Plus Rand is joined by Twins prospect and Forest Lake native Matt Wallner, who was called up to St. Paul on Thursday after tearing t...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand welcomes in Twins beat writer Phil Miller for an extended look at Wednesday's big walk-off win over the Brewers, the upcoming series against the White Sox, Sunday's MLB draft and the trade deadline looming in a few weeks. 20:00: Minnesota native and Motocross legend Ryan Dungey joins the show. After retiring in 2017, Dungey has returned to action this year at age 32...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand breaks down the Wild's trade of goalie Cam Talbot, just a few days after the team signed Marc-Andre Fleury to a two-year deal and created the potential for drama with their two veteran goalies. Was it the right hockey move? And how much drama would there have been? 9:00: The Twins lost to the Brewers and Miguel Sano, the forgotten man, returned on a rehab assignment...

Introduction: The Twins are trudging into the All-Star break, but they can't afford a letdown even after a grueling first-half pace. They have six important games against the Brewers and White Sox starting Tuesday, and the results could set the tone for the second half and trade deadline. 7:00: Star Tribune college basketball writer Marcus Fuller joins host Michael Rand for a look at how the colle...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. The Twins salvaged a game against Texas, and it seems like no matter what they do they manage to maintain a reasonable lead in the weak American League Central. Plus they learned that Luis Arraez and Byron Buxton are All-Stars. Reusse weighs in on the team's biggest pitching need as the trade de...

Introduction: On what was a joyous on positive day on a couple fronts for the Wild, after making two first-round picks and signing goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, there is still a sense that there will be a cloud over the team as long as the Kirill Kaprizov situation in Russia remains unresolved. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's non-committal remarks didn't help. 7:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggin...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes note of several key developments from the Rudy Gobert introductory news conference on Wednesday, including how he projects to fit alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. The two players should complement each other, as long as Chris Finch can work his magic. 10:00: Wild beat writer Sarah McLellan joins the show to talk about the Kevin Fiala trade and the NHL draft, whil...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes a look at the suddenly surging Twins, who demolished the White Sox 8-2 on Tuesday and now lead the AL Central again by 4.5 games over Cleveland and 6.5 games over Chicago. Almost all the correspondence from fans is negative, and yet this team keeps winning. 9:00: Star Tribune Timberwolves beat writer Chris Hine joins the show to talk in more depth about last w...

After a VERY eventful week away, host Michael Rand plays catch-up on all the big Minnesota sports news with Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse. Topics of discussion include: *The Twins continuing to win (and frustrate) Reusse even after losing pitching coach Wes Johnson to LSU in the middle of the season. *The blockbuster Timberwolves acquisition of Rudy Gobert and what it means. *Big Ten expan...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand, with the help of Star Tribune beat writer Chris Hine, takes an in-depth look at Thursday's NBA Draft. Did the Wolves and new personnel boss Tim Connelly, after a lot of wheeling and dealing, end up in a good spot with No. 22 pick Walker Kessler and No. 26 pick Wendell Moore? Time will tell, but they certainly addressed a need with Kessler's size and rebounding abil...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand gives some of his own thoughts on the impact of Title IX, the sweeping anti-discrimination legislation signed into law 50 years ago today. You'll also hear excellent perspectives from three highly successful women athletes: Paralympian Mallory Weggemann, hockey legend Natalie Darwitz and Olympic gold medal skier Jessie Diggins. 21:00: The Twins fell out of first pla...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes no pleasure in reporting that the Twins have relinquished sole possession of first place in the American League Central for the first time in almost two months. They took over that top spot on April 24, but on Tuesday a late Cleveland rally for a 6-5 win in 11 innings pushed the Guardians into a tie with Minnesota atop the division standings. 7:00: Star Tribun...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand is ready to get a better idea of how the AL Central stacks up when the Twins begin a series against Cleveland on Tuesday. The Guardians have made up 6.5 games in the last three weeks and trail Minnesota by just one game. These teams will play eight times before the All-Star break in a month, while the Twins and White Sox will play seven times. 5:00: A look at some i...