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Packers in danger of an upset? Five most likely Kirk Cousins trade destinations Jan 21, 2022

Show notes

Introduction: Prompted by a listener question, host Michael Rand digs into team needs and salary cap situations to determine who he thinks are the five most likely teams to be interested in Kirk Cousins if the Vikings decide to try to trade him. Bottom line: There should be a market if the Vikings go that route.

9:00: Mark Craig joins the show to talk through the weekend slate of NFL games. The top-seeded Packers are getting healthy at the right time, but they face some matchup problems against the 49ers. Meanwhile, Rams vs. Buccaneers and Bills vs. Chiefs should be very entertaining.

25:00: The Gophers women's basketball team suffered one of the worst losses in program history Thursday against Iowa, part of a disappointing year. Meanwhile, the Loons welcomed back star Emanuel Reynoso.

An immature Wolves meltdown; Wild goalie Kaapo Kahkonen joins; Kirk Cousins trade likelihood Jan 20, 2022

Show notes

Introduction: It was a tale of two nights for the Timberwolves. After a resilient win over the Knicks in which Wolves players -- most notably Karl-Anthony Towns -- gushed about being able to come through in big moments and battle through adversity, the Wolves melted down in the third quarter of Thursday's back-to-back against Atlanta in an 134-122 loss. Anthony Edwards was ejected. Karl-Anthony Towns had a flagrant foul and constantly battled officials. And afterward, D'Angelo Russell talked about the need for Towns to walk the line with his emotions.

12:00: Wild goalie Kaapo Kahkonen joins the show to talk about his recent stretch of strong play in the absence of Cam Talbot. He also talks about his relationship with Talbot, the developmental curve for a young goalie and how he got his start in hockey.

22:00: An update on the Vikings' search for a new coach and GM, plus Rand gives his thoughts on how likely a Kirk Cousins trade is this offseason.

Big Wolves win, big words from KAT; intriguing Vikings candidate; Gophers women's hoops update Jan 19, 2022

Show notes

Introduction: The Wolves pulled out a 112-110 win at the Knicks on Tuesday, a notable victory on several fronts. Karl-Anthony Towns made the biggest play of the game with a three-point play that put the Wolves ahead with about 30 seconds left. You'll hear a lot of interesting comments from him that show some of his growth and the team's growth this season. Plus the win came over Tom Thibodeau, who is not having the same level of success in Year 2 in New York.

12:00: Star Tribune writer Kent Youngblood joins the show to check in on the Gophers women's basketball team and the Lynx. The Gophers have had an up-and-down season. Better days are likely ahead with a strong recruiting class set to arrive next year, but more growth in Year 4 under Lindsay Whalen is needed. Plus free agency with the Lynx is set to start soon, and they have some interesting decisions to make.

22:00: An interesting name emerged in the Vikings' search for a coach: Raheem Morris. He has relative youth (45), previous head coaching experience and has been an assistant on both sides of the ball.

25:00: The Gophers men's basketball season is on pause, while Minnesota United has somehow already started again.

Kirill Kaprizov appreciation; Pam Borton on basketball, life after it; Vikings at a crossroads Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

Introduction: With a two-goal game Monday -- both of which tied the game for the Wild in an eventual 4-3 shootout loss to Colorado -- Kirill Kaprizov moved up to ninth in the NHL with 44 points in just 34 games this season. Perhaps it goes without saying, but the great ones sometimes get taken for granted so let's say it anyway: Kaprizov is absolutely living up to his rookie season, and then some.

5:00: Former Gophers women's basketball coach Pam Borton joins the show on the heels of publishing her second book, "The Crooked Rim." Borton has moved into the corporate coaching after leading the Gophers from 2002-2014 and taking them to six NCAA tournaments, two Sweet 16s and a Final Four.

20:00: The Vikings are at a bit of a crossroads in their history. While the franchise has frustrated fans with its inability to win a Super Bowl, the Vikings rarely have bottomed out. A wrong set of hires and decisions in the coming weeks, though, could change that.

Patrick Reusse on youth hockey, dumping on Mike Zimmer and the Vikings coach/GM search Jan 17, 2022

Show notes

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look at the big stories in sports. But first Reusse regales us with some thoughts on traveling several hours in the middle of winter to watch youth hockey tournaments.

Reusse and Rand get into the Vikings coach/GM search and how the popular narrative in the last week has been to dump on fired Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer.

Plus some thoughts on the NFL playoffs and the Timberwolves, who beat the Steph Curry-less Warriors quite handily on Sunday evening.

The Wolves, trades and a "what-if" scenario; Mark Craig on the Vikings' GM/head coach search Jan 14, 2022

Show notes

Introduction: The Timberwolves' 116-108 loss to Memphis on Thursday was interesting on a number of fronts. It signaled (again) that Minnesota can compete with the league's best teams, given that Memphis is now 30-14. But it also showed what the Wolves are missing: The sort of consistent complementary veteran roster depth that the Grizzlies have. Will Minnesota be able to add to its roster before the trade deadline, as Sachin Gupta suggests? And could the Wolves have had their own version of Memphis' roster with a little more patience a few years ago?

12:00: Star Tribune Vikings/NFL writer Mark Craig joins for his weekly picks segment -- playoff edition -- and to give his thoughts on the ongoing search for a new general manager and head coach.

28:00: Which free agents should the Vikings try to keep? And some good hockey news for a bunch of Minnesotans.

Five questions for Mike Zimmer; Kirk Cousins vs. Brett Favre; MLB lockout's impact on Twins Jan 13, 2022

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand isn't into moral victories, but there were positive indicators in the Gophers men's basketball team's last-second 71-69 loss at Michigan State on Wednesday. It reaffirmed that this team should be competitive against most teams in the Big Ten -- assuming Minnesota is able to persevere for however long Eric Curry's ankle needs to heal. Plus the Gophers women's basketball team got a much-needed win at Wisconsin.

6:00: Star Tribune Twins beat writer Phil Miller joined the show to give an update on MLB's labor situation. With the lockout dragging on, players and owners were set to resume talks on Thursday. What is the timetable? And what is the impact on the Twins if this drags out longer?

22:00: Five questions Rand would love to ask Mike Zimmer. And a statistical comparison between 2021 Kirk Cousins and 2009 Brett Favre that needs more context.

The five most important things said about the Vikings; Did KAT really just say that? Jan 12, 2022

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes a break for several minutes from Vikings talk to dive into the Timberwolves' 128-125 loss to the Pelicans on Tuesday. It ended a four-game winning streak and kept the Wolves from getting over .500 at the midpoint of the season (20-21), and in the aftermath Karl-Anthony Towns talked about how players can't let love from the media get to their heads. Um, what? The narrative around this team is one of improvement, for sure, but has anyone really said they have arrived? Hear audio clips from Towns, Anthony Edwards and Patrick Beverley.

8:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins joins the show to dissect what Rand deems the five most important things said about the Vikings in the last few days. Quotes from Eric Kendricks, Brian O'Neill, Mark Wilf, Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman (the last two being official statements) shed light on individuals and the team going forward.

30:00: Scoggins thinks Kirk Cousins will be traded in the offseason, which is a good reason to remember that a new coach for the Vikings has tended to mean a QB gets drafted right away.

Evaluating Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman -- and the jobs they left behind Jan 11, 2022

Show notes

Introduction: The Vikings aren't the only team looking for a new head coach. Several other teams are in the market, bringing about this question: Just how attractive is the Minnesota job relative to other openings? It seems to be in the eye of the beholder, given that NFL.com ranks it worst and an ESPN analysis ranks it the best. Cap space is an issue, but there is some upside for an offensive-minded coach. Comments from Eric Kendricks and Brian O'Neill made it sound like players will be receptive to a new voice.

8:00: Vikings writer Andrew Krammer joins Michael Rand for an evaluation of the jobs done by both Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman. Again, it's a mixed bag with the last two seasons really sealing their fates. Problems and successes were familiar throughout their tenures.

24:00: My Least Favorite Team is My Favorite Team explores the idea of whether the Vikings will -- and can -- trade Kirk Cousins given the rest of the shakeups.

Special Delivery! Ben Goessling on the Vikings' coaching search -- and what's next for Kirk Cousins Jan 10, 2022

Show notes

Star Tribune Vikings beat writer Ben Goessling joins host Michael Rand for a breaking news edition of Daily Delivery after Vikings coach Mike Zimmer and General Manager Rick Spielman were fired Monday morning.

The Zimmer news felt like a foregone conclusion while the Spielman news registers as somewhat of a surprise based on a narrative that had emerged in recent weeks. But starting over at both spots will create a seismic shift for the Vikings and impact their direction for years to come.

Goessling discusses which head coaching candidates might be the best fit in Minnesota, how he evaluates the tenures of both Zimmer and Spielman -- plus what might happen with QB Kirk Cousins in 2022 in the wake of the regime change.

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