StribSports Daily Delivery

Latest Episodes:

Joe Ryan's injury scare, KAT on vaccines, Chip Scoggins' Football Across Minnesota Sep 15, 2021

Show notes

Intro: When Twins pitcher Joe Ryan was hit in the hand by a batted ball on Tuesday, fans -- and Ryan himself -- immediately feared the worst. But the rookie, who seems to have a flair for drama, sounds like he is actually OK even after he left the field and didn't return to the Twins' 3-1 loss to Cleveland.

5:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins joins host Michael Rand for a look at his debut Football Across Minnesota column, a weekly feature highlighting moments from all levels of football in the state this fall. He shares his thoughts on the Vikings' offensive line, the Gophers' defensive line and a story from the northern part of the state that puts it all in perspective.

22:00: Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns tweeted on Tuesday about the silliness of vaccine skeptics, a nice contrast to the spotlight often put on athletes who are against getting the spotlight for their anti-vaccine stances.

25:00: The standings are tightening up for the Lynx and the Loons. Here are some things to watch for in the next week for both Minnesota United and the Lynx.

Tuesday Morning Nickelback: Breeland's rough debut, Vikings O-line woes, Gophers get a W Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

Introduction: Anyone can be a Monday Morning Quarterback and come in hot with the next day’s takes. Not everyone can let the football stew for an extra day, then analyze it through a different lens – all while incorporating one of Canada’s pre-eminent rock bands.

That's what Tuesday Morning Nickelback, a new weekly feature on Daily Delivery during the football season, is all about. You'll get four standard components to the show every week. For example, this week:

2:00: Vikings writer Andrew Krammer joins to help break down one of the biggest moments in the Vikings' 27-24 loss to the Bengals on Sunday: Joe Burrow's 50-yard TD pass to Ja'Marr Chase late in the first half over Vikings corner Bashaud Breeland. How did Chase get so open? How rough was Breeland's debut? Krammer has all those answers.

11:00: Host Michael Rand's longtime friend Keith Richotte joins to break down the Vikings' loss from a more casual and visceral perspective in a segment we call My Least Favorite Team is My Favorite Team. Richotte likes to watch Vikings sped up after they are all over, meaning he saw a penalty flag once very 12 seconds on Sunday. The key takeaway: Every fear about the Vikings, except for the kicker, has come true so far.

24:00: Gophers football beat writer Randy Johnson takes a look back at a closer-than-expected Gophers win over Miami (Ohio) on Saturday and notes that the defense -- which has yet to produce a sack in two games -- will need to improve at Colorado this coming weekend.

Patrick Reusse: Have the Vikings already tuned out Mike Zimmer after one game? Sep 13, 2021

Show notes

Host Michael Rand is joined by Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse for a scathing dissection of the Vikings' 27-24 overtime loss to the Bengals in Sunday's season-opener.

If you were worried about the Vikings' offensive line, their vibe, their continuity and their depth coming into the season, none of those fears were alleviated in a game marred by penalties, big plays allowed on defense and a late fumble by Dalvin Cook. About the best thing that happened was some solid work in the kicking game. After a dismal training camp, the Vikings couldn't just flip a switch. And it as Reusse wondering if the Vikings have simply tuned out their head coach -- or of Mike Zimmer's time has merely run its course.

20:00: The Gophers got their first win of the season, but they had to sweat a little in the end. After taking a 21-3 halftime lead against Miami (Ohio), Minnesota hung on for a 31-26 victory. If P.J. Fleck's team is going to compete in the Big Ten West, the defense must show improvement and consistency.

26:00: Reusse temporarily had a case of the Bens, getting Johnson and Simmons confused. But eventually he made his point: He doesn't like Rand's constant stumping for the 76ers' Simmons.

Crunch time for Ben Simmons, Kirill Kaprizov deals + NFL picks with Mark Craig Sep 10, 2021

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand woke up Friday morning, looked at the date and came to the realization that two huge issues that seemed to be in the distance are much closer to a needed resolution; Whether the 76ers are going to trade Ben Simmons (to the Timberwolves) and a contract extension for Wild wing Kirill Kaprizov. With the Wild's preseason opener 15 days away and NBA training camps opening in 18 days, these two looming stories that have occupied our thoughts for a lot of the summer are overlapping now with football season.

5:00: Rand welcomes Vikings/NFL writer Mark Craig onto the show to talk about his season outlook and his Week 1 picks. He has the Packers winning the Super Bowl, so prepare yourselves accordingly. Rand, meanwhile, has the Vikings going 7-10.

29:00: Mike McCarthy botched another game for Dallas in its 31-29 NFL opener loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday.

State Rep. Pat Garofalo on the future of sports wagering in Minnesota Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand breaks down Twins rookie Joe Ryan's second MLB start, which included 6 1/3 perfect innings -- and a much more consistent mix of his four pitches than he used at the outset of his debut last week. If he can continue to throw his fastball, slider, changeup and curveball for strikes and in various counts, Ryan has a very bright future.

5:00: The Lynx had a chance to move into prime playoff territory on Wednesday, but a blowout loss at Las Vegas dimmed those hopes. Still, the rest of Minnesota's schedule is forgiving and a top-four regular-season finish is well within reach.

7:00: State Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, joins the show to talk about the future of sports wagering in Minnesota. With Iowa already having legalized sports wagering and Wisconsin on deck, where do we stand in Minnesota? And how did we get here in the first place, with countless states legalizing sports wagering and the public sentiment toward it shifting almost by the minute?

29:00: The U.S. men rallied for four second-half goals to defeat Honduras 4-1 in World Cup qualifying on Wednesday, much to the surprise of the doom and gloom soccer crowd on Twitter.

Gophers running back options; Kirk Cousins = Warren Moon?; Should the Vikings tank? Sep 08, 2021

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand notes that Twins closer Alex Colome has rebounded from a disastrous start to this season and now -- somehow -- has his ERA for the year under 4 after another clean inning and save on Tuesday. It's too little, too late but if we're going to rip Colome for how he pitched early on we at least need to acknowledge that he has been much better since mid-June.

3:00: Gophers football beat writer Randy Johnson joins the show to provide an update after a 45-31 season-opening loss to Ohio State in which star running back Mohamed Ibrahim was lost for the year with an injury. Where Minnesota goes from here largely will be determined by its running back depth and how well its defense adjusts to competition not as stiff as that offered by the Buckeyes.

12:00: My least favorite team is my favorite team with Keith Richotte -- the last preseason installment before the Vikings season begins finds us talking about three things: Will you be rooting for the Vikings' season to go REALLY bad if they aren't really good? Is Warren Moon the best comparison to Kirk Cousins when it comes to Vikings' all-time QBs? And how much should we be concerned about yet another midstream switch on special teams?

30:00: Huge game for the Lynx on Wednesday against Las Vegas with significant WNBA playoff implications.

Patrick Reusse with a Twins pitching rant, a failed Gophers prediction and more Sep 07, 2021

Show notes

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand and immediately gets going on one of his favorite gripes: That the Twins are doing a disservice to their young pitchers, particularly Bailey Ober, by limiting his innings in 2021. His point is a good one: Sometimes you have to look at situations case-by-case, and if Ober seems like he's strong enough to go deeper into games (and the season), let him. How else are you going to find out about what he can do in 2022?

Reusse and Rand then dive into the Gophers' 45-31 loss to Ohio State, the impact of the loss of Mohamed Ibrahim and P.J. Fleck's performance.

And a check-in on the state town ball tournament, which Reusse reports had its best attendance since 1959.

Special Delivery: Chris Finch and Chris Hine talking Timberwolves at the State Fair Sep 06, 2021

Show notes

Wolves coach Chris Finch and beat writer Chris Hine joined host Michael Rand at the State Fair recently to talk about the offseason -- including the revelation that Anthony Edwards, according to Finch, has grown an inch or two since the Wolves drafted him. What should we expect this season, and did Finch ever go and get that beverage?

Special Delivery: Lindsay Whalen and Kent Youngblood talking hoops at the State Fair Sep 04, 2021

Show notes

Gophers women's basketball coach Lindsay Whalen and beat writer Kent Youngblood joined host Michael Rand at the State Fair recently to talk about the upcoming season, how much Whalen misses playing and whether she could have capitalized on her name, image and likeness if the rule was in place back in her time with the Gophers.

Chip Scoggins breaks down the Gophers; Ben Simmons to the Wolves heats up Sep 03, 2021

Show notes

Intro: Host Michael Rand gives his thoughts on the Gophers' season-opening 45-31 loss to Ohio State at Huntington Bank Stadium. In the end, it was about what most of us expected -- a competitive loss, but a loss nonetheless. Still, Rand couldn't help feel like an opportunity was missed based on how the game unfolded.

5:00: Chip Scoggins joins Rand with more breakdown of the game. There was plenty to like, including the emergence of a receiving group and the play of the offensive line. But there was also plenty of concern -- first and foremost the health of star running back Mohamed Ibrahim, who left with a leg injury in the second half and did not return. The defense also showed its weak spots in allowing several long second-half touchdowns.

20:00: Rand is back on his obsession thanks to the 76ers' Ben Simmons reportedly saying earlier this week that he won't report to training camp as discord escalates between the two sides. Will that finally shake loose a trade? And could the Wolves be the team to make that deal?

26:00: The Lynx keep winning even through adversity.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

StribSports Daily Delivery

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected