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Patrick Reusse + Wild OT winner breakdown with Sarah McLellan May 17, 2021

Show notes

Intro: The Star Tribune's Sarah McLellan joins Michael Rand to break down the Wild's 1-0 overtime win over Vegas in Game 1 of their playoff series. Veteran goalie Cam Talbot was perfect in net, turning away 42 shots and helping the Wild calm its nerves early on. Joel Eriksson Ek provided the only offense necessary with a deflected shot from close range in overtime. Can the Wild carry that momentum into Game 2 and take a huge series lead in Vegas?

10:00: Patrick Reusse joins the show for a little more Wild talk, plus thoughts on the Twins continuing to invent ways to lose games. If Saturday's comeback win gave you thoughts that the team was going to start a streak in the right direction, Sunday's disappointing 7-6 loss will leave you thinking otherwise. Plus the Wolves finished their season Sunday with much more promise than how the started -- but Rand argues there is still a lot of work to be done before anyone can be happy with this roster.

30:00: Minnesota United scored a huge stoppage time goal to win over the weekend while the Lynx lost a tense opener. Could anything more possibly have happened?

Megan Ryan on the Twins' descent to the bottom + Wild vs. Vegas, baby May 14, 2021

Show notes

Intro: The Wild's playoff opponent wasn't determined until the final day of the regular season, but now we know it's Vegas -- a team Minnesota went 5-3 against this season. Can the Wild win a playoff series for the first time since 2015? 5:00: The Wolves ran into a quality opponent and a familiar problem in a 114-103 loss to Denver: They lack size, and Karl-Anthony Towns lacks in-game maturity. 8:00: Going deep on the Twins with beat writer Megan Ryan, who was in Chicago for all three games of the sweep against the White Sox. She talked with GM Thad Levine, and it's still clear that the Twins are hoping to improve from within. How long can they wait? 28:00: Vikings trade Mike Hughes, a minor move that reinforces a major problem in a recent stretch of draft picks.

Kirk Cousins, MVP? + Jerry Burns tribute + Lynx season preview May 13, 2021

Show notes

Intro: The fatal flaw in a Pro Football Focus piece about Kirk Cousins being an MVP candidate. 6:00: Two struggling teams, two different outcomes for Twins and United plus a new "Spin Rate" feature with Twins GM Thad Levine. 10:00: Lynx season preview with Kent Youngblood: Can Minnesota add another title to its impressive legacy after remaking its roster? 28:00: Former Vikings coach Jerry Burns, who died Wednesday at age 94, was more than just a rant.

Kevin Garnett stories + more of the same Twins disappointment May 12, 2021

Show notes

Longtime Timberwolves executive Jeff Munneke joins the show to talk about his favorite memories of Kevin Garnett, whose induction ceremony into the Basketball Hall of Fame is coming this weekend. KG made it cool to be a Wolves fan, Munneke said, and he was one of the rare athletes people still rooted for after he was traded away. Garnett also shaved Munneke's head completely bald as part of a promotion back in the day.

At the start of the show, host Michael Rand talks about the Twins' disappointing 9-3 loss to the White Sox on Tuesday -- another game that followed an all-too-familiar script this season. The Twins led 3-0 and it was 3-3 going into the sixth inning, but a combination of lackluster starting pitching, low offensive output and a shaky bullpen doomed the Twins again. Plus: The Wolves jumped all the way up to the sixth-worst record in the league. What does that mean for their future and the draft lottery?

A Vikings rookie to watch + 5 good things in Minnesota sports May 11, 2021

Show notes

Vikings rookie defensive back Cam Bynum joins the show to recount how he jumped into a lake a couple weeks ago after getting the good news that Minnesota drafted him in the fourth round. He also talks about his transition to safety in the NFL after playing cornerback for four seasons at Cal -- a switch that should be easier because he is constantly dreaming up and drawing up new defenses on the white board in his room.

Star Tribune outdoors writer Bob Timmons also joins to talk about two different groups led by Minnesotans that are trying to set a record for fastest canoe trip down the length of the Mississippi River. It's a journey that takes more than two weeks and over 2,000 miles to complete.

At the start of the show, Michael Rand cuts through the negativity and finds five things that listeners are excited about or looking forward to in Minnesota sports. Among them: the Wild in the playoffs; the start of the Lynx season; and Wolves rookie Anthony Edwards.

Patrick Reusse + Minnesota United has been as disappointing as the Twins May 10, 2021

Show notes

Columnist Patrick Reusse joins Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. The Twins were mercifully rained out Sunday, giving them two off days to prepare for a suddenly very important early series against the White Sox. At 12-20, the Twins can't afford to fall much further back, but the truly alarming thing is how few good options they have coming up from the minor leagues at this point. Reusse and Rand also marvel at the woeful Orlando Magic, blown out Sunday by the Wolves. And does the Wild have a long playoff run in it?

At the start of the show, Rand breaks down a team struggling even more than the Twins: the 0-4 Loons, the only Major League Soccer team without a point this season. Which team do you have more faith in at this point in the season?

Total System Failure 5 years later + "Fire Rocco" fan explains himself May 07, 2021

Show notes

If you are a frustrated Twins fan after their 11-19 start, you came to the right place. Chip Scoggins joins the show as he recalls the column he wrote almost exactly five years ago after the Twins started 8-20. That year, he called Twins owner Jim Pohlad, who offered up the now-infamous quote about how the organization was experiencing "total system failure." That team went on to lose 103 games; this year's team figures to be much better than that, but with losses mounting -- and no relief in sight after another extra-innings loss Thursday -- there are some unfortunate parallels.

Frustration at Target Field boiled over during three losses to Texas this week, including a fan who displayed a "Fire Rocco" sign behind home plate during Wednesday's loss. That fan joins the show to explain what prompted him to bring that sign, how he got it into the game and what his particular gripes are with Twins manager Rocco Baldelli.

At the outset of the show: Host Michael Rand explains why this Aaron Rodgers story isn't going away anytime soon and advises Vikings fans to enjoy it while it lasts.

Gersson Rosas on Wolves' big questions + Rocco Baldelli as the scapegoat May 06, 2021

Show notes

Timberwolves President Gersson Rosas joins the show for the first time. His vision for what the Wolves could be with D'Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns paired up is starting to take shape, but many questions about the future remain. The biggest immediate question: Will the Wolves keep their 2021 draft pick or have to give it up to Golden State as part of the Andrew Wiggins trade for Russell? Rosas revisits that deal, whether he would still make the swap now if he knew how this year would play out, and much more.

At the outset, host Michael Rand talks through an 0-for-3 night in Minnesota sports. The most disappointing loss was another Twins setback, dropping them to 11-18. A sight to behold, particularly for TV viewers who saw it directly behind home plate: A "Fire Rocco" sign. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli is becoming the symbol of all that is going wrong, much like Kirk Cousins in the early part of the 2020 Vikings season.

And at the end: Happy birthday Willie Mays, a legend who turns 90 today.

A palpable Twins anger + Nick Bjugstad and Sarah McLellan on the Wild May 05, 2021

Show notes

Another night, another blown Twins lead. They're now 11-17, which includes an 0-6 record in extra innings after a 6-3 loss in 10 innings to Texas. Michael Rand runs down the chain of events that led to this loss and takes a bunch of your angry Twitter questions as well.

In far more upbeat news, Wild forward Nick Bjugstad and Star Tribune beat writer Sarah McLellan join the show to talk about a Wild team that comes back from deficits instead of blows leads -- and is gearing up for what it hopes is a playoff run. Bjugstad also sings the praises of rookie Kirill Kaprizov and talks about what makes him so special.

The future of the Wolves roster + 6-5 the hard way for Wild, Twins May 04, 2021

Show notes

The Wild and Twins are playing games that you can't look away from right now until the very end -- but for much different reasons. Both were illustrated by 6-5 wins on Tuesday, which Michael Rand talks about at the start of this episode. Plus: The Packers take a lot of the blame in the deteriorating relationship with QB Aaron Rodgers, but Rodgers is also at fault.

Later in the episode, Star Tribune Timberwolves beat writer Chris Hine joins to talk about whether the team's recent stretch of improved play is sustainable or merely a blip on the radar while the pressure is off. Hine and Rand discuss which players might be around next season and beyond to try to see the improvement through in a meaningful way.

And: Tuesday is the first game for the St. Paul Saints as the Class AAA affiliate of the Twins.

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