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Three most likely Twins trades + MMA fighter Tim Johnson Jun 25, 2021

Show notes

Intro: The Twins made a business decision in the offseason, cutting loose Eddie Rosario after a successful run in Minnesota's outfield. Saying the move backfired wouldn't be quite right because Rosario is having a pretty pedestrian season in Cleveland, but his value tends to show up in different ways. Among them: He tends to come up big, and he did that for Cleveland with a two-run single in the eighth inning of a 4-1 win over the Twins on Thursday. The game underscores just how much the Twins miss a durable, heart-and-soul player like Rosario.

5:00: MMA fighter and Minnesota native Tim Johnson joins the show in advance of the biggest bout of his career Friday in BELLATOR 261. His career was delayed twice by deployments with the Minnesota National Guard -- once to Iraq and recently as part of the Derek Chauvin trial -- but those seeming obstacles have only made him stronger.

19:00: Answering burning listener questions, including: Which Twins players are most likely to get traded in the next month? How soon before the Twins start making trades? What is my standard taco order? And if I could be any Twin Cities mascot for a day, which one would I pick and why?

Three frustrated fans vent about Bally Sports North Jun 24, 2021

Show notes

Intro: Host Michael Rand takes a look at two big wins for local teams on Wednesday, with Minnesota United defeating Austin 2-0 in a full Allianz Field -- the first time the home of the Loons has had full capacity since the 2019 playoffs -- and the Lynx getting a big 87-85 road win over Atlanta. Both the Loons and Lynx started 0-4 but have rallied since then. Can they get their seasons back to level and beyond?

4:30: Rand is joined by three Minnesota sports fans -- Douglas Farmer, Corbitt Harrell and Tom Pederson -- to get their takes on both the ongoing inability to watch local Minnesota pro teams on Bally Sports North and what the future of watching sports on that channel (or any channel, if at all) might bring. All three shared their frustrations and perspectives as we head toward a time when sports viewing could become even more fragmented.

28:00: Are we heading toward a Hawks vs. Suns NBA Finals? As unlikely as that would have sounded a year ago, when neither team even made the playoffs, it's getting closer to a reality.

Wolves lose pick, Badgers dysfunction, MLB crackdown + The importance of Carl Nassib Jun 23, 2021

Show notes

Intro: Major League Baseball's crackdown on pitchers using illegal substances on baseballs took a fairly dramatic turn on Tuesday when Phillies manager Joe Girardi and Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer had a confrontation over repeated checks of Scherzer. It led to the ejection of Girardi and is an example of how this won't be a smooth midyear transition for baseball to try to make.

5:00: Timberwolves beat writer Chris Hine joins to talk about Tuesday's NBA draft lottery drawing, which saw the Wolves lose their 2021 draft pick because they didn't finish in the top three of the draft. Instead, the pick will go to Golden State as part of the early 2020 trade involving Andrew Wiggins and D'Angelo Russell. Any improvement the Wolves make this offseason likely will have to come either from development or trades.

Hine also talks about the importance of NFL player Carl Nassib coming out as gay and shares his experiences and perspectives as a gay man.

26:00: There was major drama with the Badgers men's basketball program when a secret audio recording of a meeting between seniors and coaches was sent to the Wisconsin State Journal. Players were very critical of Gard during the February meeting, much of which was revealed on the audio recording.

Gophers hoops roster breakdown + Wolves Ben Simmons trade chatter Jun 22, 2021

Show notes

Intro: Michael Rand stayed up for the longest game in MLB this season, and if you did as well there was a payoff: Unlikely heroics from Miguel Sano and Matt Shoemaker, two of the most disappointing Twins players so far this season, in an 7-5 win over the Reds that lasted 12 innings and more than five hours. The Twins have won five in a row and will need more heroics like that as they try to overcome their own 31-41 start and more adversity in the form of another Byron Buxton injury.

6:00: Gophers men's basketball beat writer Marcus Fuller joins Daily Delivery to break down a completely remade roster. With Ben Johnson's arrival as coach coinciding with the ramping up of the transfer portal, you won't recognize many players on this year's Gophers. Fuller evaluates who is coming in, who might help right away and what outgoing transfers surprised him the most.

28:00: Rand can't help himself and has to talk more about a possible Ben Simmons trade -- and how the Wolves can get into that mix. If you're a Wolves fan, you want to be in that discussion even after Simmons' postseason meltdown. But it would take a lot of assets to get a player like Simmons, flaws and all.

Patrick Reusse on U.S. Open, Ben Simmons, Buxton's return and cheating Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

Intro: Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand at the outset for a look at a U.S. Open that chewed up a lot of golf's biggest names on Sunday. Left standing at the end was John Rahm, who made two clutch putts while his nearest competitors faded.

8:00: The NBA playoffs have been as wide open as any in recent memory, with huge clutch performances and ... some not so good. Ben Simmons fits into that latter category after going 24-for-71 from the free throw line in the postseason and refusing to shoot in Philadelphia's Game 7 home loss to the Hawks. Kevin Durant, meanwhile, played all 53 minutes of Brooklyn's Game 7 loss to Milwaukee -- as did others in the game. Is that even safe?

16:00: Byron Buxton returned to the Twins lineup over the weekend and provided a spark in two wins that extended the team's streak to four games. But the mystery of what happened in Seattle isn't any clearer.

22;00: MLB is set to crack down on cheating pitchers starting today. What will that look like? And Reusse makes a great point: For a sport trying to improve pace of play, isn't this just another thing to slow the game down?

What is Byron Buxton's future with the Twins? + Scary pitching moments Jun 18, 2021

Show notes

Intro: Michael Rand takes a look at the Clippers, who are trying to break one of the most dreadful streaks in pro sports history on Friday night. Yes, things have been bad in Minnesota with a lot of our teams. But in 50 years, the Clippers have never even advanced to the NBA conference finals. That can change with a win over Utah.

4:00: Star Tribune Twins beat writer Phil Miller joins the show to talk about his excellent story on three Twins pitchers who have overcome scary moments getting hit by baseballs. The mental side of recovering from a baseball hitting you in the head traveling more than 100 mph is as daunting as the physical side. And Miller also provides an update on Byron Buxton, who hasn't played for the Twins in seven weeks. What is his injury status? And is there some frustration between Buxton and the organization that could lead to bigger decisions ahead?

23:00: The value of interviews and a look at the Bears' QB situation.

Episode 100! Wolves ownership, Vikings vaccines + Twins injury caution Jun 17, 2021

Show notes

Intro: The NFL has made it clear that players who aren't vaccinated during the 2021 season are going to have far less freedom than those who are vaccinated against COVID-19. With prominent Vikings players already saying they aren't vaccinated (yet), host Michael Rand wonders if there will be a locker room divide among NFL teams between this season.

4:00: Timberwolves beat writer Chris Hine joins the show -- only fitting for the celebratory 100th episode of Daily Delivery. Hine, the first five-time guest in podcast history, breaks down the latest wrinkles in the proposed sale of the team to Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, gives an Academy Award parallel for LaMelo Ball winning Rookie of the Year over Anthony Edwards, previews next week's draft lottery drawing and assigns Carole King songs to various Wolves players.

28:00: The Twins won on Wednesday, but they also lost two more players to seemingly minor injuries. The MLB leader in injury caution strikes again.

Ben Goessling on Vikings money and minicamp + A peeved Cheryl Reeve Jun 16, 2021

Show notes

Intro: The Lynx fell to 4-6 with a 105-89 loss at Target Center to Chicago on Tuesday, and head coach/GM Cheryl Reeve was not happy about it afterward. She called out her players for not playing defense, she singled out her lineup for not showing up and she ripped herself for poor offensive coaching. Will this be a rallying point for a team with high expectations?

5:00: Vikings beat writer Ben Goessling joins the show to offer up early observations from a newsy week of minicamp. You'll hear his take on the Danielle Hunter contract restructure, what Sheldon Richardson's role might be after signing a one-year deal, how QB Kellen Mond looks and much more.

28:00: Kevin Durant had one of the greatest clutch games in NBA playoff history, playing all 48 minutes for the Nets in a must-win game over the Bucks while pouring in 49 points to go with 17 rebounds and 10 assists. Plus what do player attitudes about MLB pitchers cheating tell us about them?

Musician Claire de lune; Danielle Hunter back; Buxton still sits Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

Intro: The Vikings and Danielle Hunter reached a temporary solution in Hunter's quest for more money, with the Vikings giving him extra cash in 2021 and setting up a decision before 2022. It's another in a series of short-term moves for a team that seems to be loading up on defense for one season. Whether that's more than just an acknowledgement of how bad the defense was last year -- an attempt to save jobs, exploit a potential weakness in Green Bay or both -- is another question.

4:00: Musician Claire de lune joins the show for a discussion of the NBA, Lakers fandom and other topics. She'll help explain why she thinks so many artists are basketball fans, trash the Clippers at every possible moment and much more in an entertaining conversation.

30:00: Byron Buxton is traveling with the Twins but isn't playing yet after a rehab stint in St. Paul. That says about all you need to know about this season.

Patrick Reusse on Twins pitching, Buxton unhappiness and Mudcat Grant Jun 14, 2021

Show notes

Michael Rand and Patrick Reusse look at an eventful recent stretch for the Twins, which included a 2-4 home stand against the Yankees and Astros while several of their key players continued to try to work their way back from injury. Both of them concluded that the Twins' pitching is to blame, and injuries don't tell much of the story -- just a bad plan and ineffectiveness.

In a discussion about Byron Buxton rehabbing his latest injury in St. Paul while the Twins played key home games, Reusse said he senses Buxton is unhappy with the organization. As the trade deadline looms in about six weeks, there could be a purge of the Twins' roster. While Buxton is unlikely to be dealt midyear, don't rule out an offseason trade -- meaning none of the Twins' core of established players is untouchable.

And a tribute to the life and career of Mudcat Grant, ace of the 1965 Twins, who died on Friday at age 85.

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