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Film review: Vikings run defense; Zimmer/Cousins tension; Trey Potts out for the year Oct 12, 2021

Show notes

It's Tuesday Morning Nickelback time on Daily Delivery as host Michael Rand welcomes in three guests to break down the biggest stories in Minnesota football.

2:00: Star Tribune Vikings writer Andrew Krammer joins for his film review segment looking at the Vikings' disappointing run defense. After spending a lot of money and energy trying to fix that part of their team, the Vikings have had poor results so far this season. What was Detroit doing to exploit them? And might it get better once Anthony Barr is fully back to being himself?

11:00: My Least Favorite Team is My Favorite Team featuring Keith Richotte has a good back-and-forth between Rand and Richotte about the tension that exists between Kirk Cousins and Mike Zimmer following their postgame Alpha male shoving on Sunday. Just remember: The first time Cousins shouted "You like that!" in 2015 it was about vindication and proving doubters wrong.

26:00: Randy Johnson joins to talk about the latest Gophers football news that Trey Potts is out for the season and to preview Saturday's game against Nebraska.

Patrick Reusse on Vikings' near-disaster and awkward Cousins/Zimmer moment Oct 11, 2021

Show notes

Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend, which was dominated by a you-can't-make-this-up Vikings game. After being in control but failing to put away Detroit, the Vikings watched the Lions somehow grab a 17-16 lead with 37 seconds left, only to have Kirk Cousins and Greg Joseph rescue a win with some clutch throws and a clutch kick.

But the win doesn't mask the underlying issues: The Vikings only scored 19 points a week after putting up just seven against Cleveland. There seem to be trust issues or playcalling issues -- or both -- holding the Vikings back. And even in a moment of exuberance after the winning field goal, there was a strange exchange between Cousins and head coach Mike Zimmer that ended with Zimmer shoving Cousins. Maybe it was just the excitement of the moment?

Rand and Reusse also talk about the interminable MLB playoff games and two very disappointing soccer results.

Mark Craig's NFL picks + MSU-Mankato men's hockey coach Mike Hastings Oct 08, 2021

Show notes

Introduction: Thursday night is why we watch sports. Two games. Two things you might never see again. A straight steal of home by Tampa Bay's Randy Arozarena in a playoff game against Boston, the first such postseason steal in 76 years. And a double punt -- yes, a double punt -- in the Seahawks vs. Rams game.

4:00: Mark Craig joins host Michael Rand for their NFL picks segment. Mark is basically taunting Vikings fans by saying there is no way they can lose to the Lions on Sunday. While Rand tends to agree, anything is possible. Plus a look at the Packers vs. Bengals and other big matchups this weekend.

17:00: Mike Hastings, head coach for the Minnesota State (Mankato) men's hockey team, joins the show to preview a big weekend series between the No. 1 Mavericks and No. 2 St. Cloud State. We also discuss the expanding State of Hockey with St. Thomas joining Division I and just how Hastings has been able to build such a successful program at Mankato.

Failed Twins predictions with La Velle E. Neal III + Revisiting Parise and Suter Oct 07, 2021

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes note of Wild owner Craig Leipold's comments Wednesday on Ryan Suter and Zach Parise plus the Kirill Kaprizov signing. On both fronts, it was a good dose of honesty from the Wild owner. Leipold said he would do the Parise and Suter signings again "in an absolute second" and said he was convinced Kaprizov would sign.

6:00: Star Tribune columnist La Velle E. Neal III joins the show to talk about some interesting Twins news about reassigning their hitting coach and his plan to put Jorge Polanco back at shortstop in 2022 (which has Rand's support as well). Plus Neal and Rand revisit the predictions they made about individual performances for Twins players six months ago to see who fared better. Let's just say La Velle did better than Rand -- and the Twins.

21:00: Four things about Phil Miller's season-ending Twins roster breakdown caught Rand's eye.

25:00: Some love for the Wild Card format, something MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred actually got right. And Rand answers a couple of your burning questions about music.

Yankees lose! + Can the Vikings be fixed? + Chip Scoggins has Wolves and Wild fever Oct 06, 2021

Show notes

Introduction: Michael Rand doesn't watch as much baseball as he used to, which at various points in his life has been A LOT of baseball. But Wednesday night's Wild Card game between the Yankees and Red Sox drew him in for a number of reasons and made him realize just how great the game can still be. Plus, the Yankees lost. So all was well with the night.

6:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins joins the show to talk about his latest Football Across Minnesota column, which leads with him partaking in film review with the Minnesota State (Mankato) football team -- an eye-opening experience that left Scoggins appreciating just how intricate football really is. Scoggins and Rand also tried to get to the heart of the Vikings' offensive line problems, and Scoggins confessed that he has Wolves and Wild fever already in early October.

24:00: Is Kyrie Irving really only going to play road games for the Nets this season? Andrew Wiggins was stubborn, but at least he got the COVID vaccine. Irving seems prepared to hold out. And good news for soccer fans: The MLS All-Star Game is coming to Allianz Field in 2022.

A familiar Vikings problem with Kirk Cousins and the offensive line + Trey Potts update Oct 05, 2021

Show notes

Introduction: On the first segment of Tuesday Morning Nickelback, Vikings writer Andrew Krammer joins host Michael Rand for a film review segment looking back at Sunday's 14-7 loss to the Browns. Familiar problems resurfaced quickly in that game. Namely: Any team with a stout front four that can get pressure without sending extra rushers is going to have success against most teams. But it's particularly problematic for the Vikings because of their offensive line deficiencies and Kirk Cousins' inability to improvise.

12:00: Keith Richotte joins for My Least Favorite Team is My Favorite Team, where he and Rand start talking about best possible outcomes for the 1-3 Vikings. Barring a level of consistency we haven't seen yet this year, and keeping in mind a tough remaining 13 games, it seems as though getting back into the playoff mix and maybe getting in as a low seed is the highest this team can aim. If you're a fan, you want to see victories. Intellectually, a complete teardown might make more sense.

26:00: Gophers football writer Randy Johnson joins the show to look back at Saturday's win in the rain at Purdue and to provide an update on running back Trey Potts, who stayed behind in Indiana with an unspecified ailment.

37:00: What if these Tuesday shows were called Village Idiot instead of Tuesday Morning Nickelback?

Patrick Reusse on a bad loss by the "good" Vikings, a Gophers rebound and Twins season wrap Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend. The Vikings continue to insist they are a good team, even after they scored just seven points in a home loss to the stout Browns. But are they really a team that "has a chance to be pretty darn good," as Mike Zimmer said afterward, or are they just trying to talk themselves into that to avoid sinking their confidence levels? An offense that didn't score a single point and had a hard time moving the ball (or protecting Kirk Cousins) after a nice opening drive makes all of that questionable.

Reusse also dissected what we know and don't know about the Twins as their season came to a quiet end. While Rand pointed out they were basically a .500 team after a disastrous 42 games and did manage to avoid a 90-loss season, Reusse was not in the mood for sugarcoating. The rotation is in shambles. Middle infield is a big question. And we still don't know which young position players will help them in 2022. All of that sits amid a backdrop of what should be a great postseason -- followed by a tumultuous offseason.

The Gophers football team, meanwhile, picked up a much-needed win in the rain at Purdue. Looking ahead at the schedule after next weekend's bye shows a real opportunity for P.J. Fleck's team to get on a roll.

Josh Donaldson trade? Kevin Stefanski's return; NFL picks; MN United at critical juncture Oct 01, 2021

Show notes

Introduction: A tweet from a reader helped host Michael Rand tie all his thoughts together like the rug in The Big Lebowski. The question was about just what went wrong with the Twins' evaluation of pitching in 2021. While the answer is unknown, the fact that Twins evaluators are probably stumped as well leads to an offseason path: If pitching is going to improve, money needs to be spent. If money is going to be spent, the Twins need to find a way to trade Josh Donaldson. It's just that simple, even if trading an expensive mid-30s third baseman entering an offseason where the collective bargaining agreement expires is very complicated.

6:00: Vikings/NFL writer Mark Craig joins for his weekly picks segment and also gives listeners a sneak peek at his Sunday story on Browns coach Kevin Stefanski. Craig is in Cleveland reporting the story on the former Vikings offensive coordinator.

18:00: Jon Marthaler breaks down an important stretch for Minnesota United, which is hanging onto the final playoff spot in Major League Soccer's Western Conference as of Friday. Marthaler and Rand also get into the idea of U.S. soccer legend Landon Donovan being an MLS coach soon.

29:00: NBA vaccination headlines are all about Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins possibly missing home games, but if the whole country was as vaccinated as the NBA we would be in great shape.

Is there hope for the Twins in 2022? Plus Carrie Tollefson joins to talk Twin Cities Marathon Sep 30, 2021

Show notes

Introduction: We have a new entry for injury of the year: Brewers relief pitcher Devin Williams fractured his right (pitching) hand and is expected to miss the entire postseason. The culprit? He says that after having a few drinks while celebrating Milwaukee clinching the NL Central title on Sunday, he went home and punched a wall. Kids, that's definitely what not to do.

3:00: That said, the Twins might like to have that problem. Instead, they are playing out the final days of a lost season. Host Michael Rand welcomed Twins beat writer Phil Miller onto the show to talk through what bright spots they saw in 2021 and whether there is any way for a quick turnaround in 2022. Long story short: Probably not, unless Derek Falvey and Thad Levine absolutely nail a few pitching acquisitions in what Miller said is the most important offseason they have had here.

19:00: Local distance runner Carrie Tollefson joins the show to talk about Sunday's Twin Cities Marathon. She has a time goal of somewhere in the 2 hour, 53 minute range -- which will be enough to be competitive in this year's race. But more than that, Tollefson just wants to enjoy herself and encourages everyone else to appreciate the day as well.

As Timberwolves embark on important season, instability is all around them Sep 29, 2021

Show notes

Introduction: At the outset of the show, host Michael Rand gives a rundown of the convergence of sports seasons that is happening in this moment. Minnesota United plays Wednesday night and this weekend as it tries to make an MLS playoff push. The Vikings have a huge game Sunday against Cleveland, as do the Gophers against Purdue on Saturday. Would you believe that the Gophers men's hockey season starts this weekend? Gophers men's and women's basketball practice is underway, as is training camp for the Wolves and the preseason for the Wild. Meanwhile, the Lynx would still be playing if they hadn't lost Sunday. And the Twins still have five games left before this season is mercifully done. It ... is ... a lot.

7:00: Timberwolves beat writer Chris Hine joins Rand for a deeper examination of the story lines -- and, let's face it, instability -- that will define this season. Incoming owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez met with reporters Monday and detailed their thoughts on the franchise and the eventual push for a new arena. Sachin Gupta, who replaced President Gersson Rosas as the team's top personnel decisionmaker when Rosas was fired last week, has a big task ahead. And what does it all mean for Karl-Anthony Towns, who talked openly Monday about all the change he has seen in his time here.

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