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Twins minor leaguer released for helping opposing team + An unusual high school offense + Fantasy football Sep 13, 2024

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with a bizarre story about Twins minor league catcher Derek Bender, a sixth-round draft choice this past summer, who was reportedly released from the organization for tipping pitches to help an opponent. While his motivation is not 100% clear, ESPN reported that Bender had told teammates he was was ready for the season to be over.

6:00: Star Tribune high school sports writer Cassidy Hettesheimer joins Rand to discuss her story on Elk River's unique offense that fools both defenses and camera operators.

14:00: The introduction of a fantasy football segment with Star Tribune sports editor Ryan Kostecka.

28:00: Another concussion for Tua Tagovailoa and a big weekend in Minnesota sports.

NFC North power rankings + Should Lynx want to face Caitlin Clark? + Biggest Twins pitching blunder Sep 12, 2024

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand details a night of mostly good news for the Twins, who won 6-4 over the Angels to take the series. Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee broke out of slumps with two-run doubles, the bullpen held up nicely and the Twins announced postgame that Byron Buxton will be activated from the injured list Friday. The concern remains with the starting pitching. Zebby Matthews didn't go past the fourth inning. Rookies are slated to make nine of the Twins' final 16 starts this year.

10:00: Star Tribune columnist La Velle E. Neal III joins Rand for a new segment called The Daily Delivery Debate. This week's topics: What was the Twins' biggest pitching blunder this season? Should the Lynx want to face Caitlin Clark in the playoffs? And how do we rank the four NFC North teams after one week of the NFL season?

31:00: A zombie Pac-12 is emerging, while even more concern is out there about Kirk Cousins.

Is Kirk Cousins still injured? Why did the Rally Sausage ever leave? Can the Lynx grab the No. 2 seed? Sep 11, 2024

Show notes

On a jam-packed episode, host Michael Rand starts with the Twins, who defeated the Angels 10-5 on Tuesday. They snapped a four-game losing streak, which had bookends of Pablo Lopez starts, and broke out of a slump at the plate. Their secret? The return of the Rally Sausage, that spiced meat talisman that brought the Twins out of their funk earlier this year. Its return leads to a question, though: Why did it ever leave? Plus Rand looks at the Lynx, who won for the 11th time in 12 games since the break. Can they hold onto the No. 2 seed?

11:00: Star Tribune Gophers football writer Randy Johnson joins the show to set up Minnesota vs. Nevada on Saturday and to spin ahead to the Big Ten opener against Iowa a week from now.

20:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins goes into detail on his Football Across Minnesota feature. The fourth season debuted this week with a story of football revival at St. Paul Johnson and a life-saving effort at Minnesota-Duluth.

27:00: There is cause for alarm with Kirk Cousins. And is it too easy to kick a field goal in the NFL these days?

Can Sam Darnold be a Top 15 NFL quarterback? + Free-falling Twins desperately need good news Sep 10, 2024

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with the Twins, who came off a 2-5 road trip hoping they had solved some of their recent woes but fell flat once again in a 6-2 loss to the Angels at Target Field. Their wild card lead is down to three games over three different teams with 18 to play. They will put their faith in Pablo Lopez tonight and their hope in the near-term return of Carlos Correa, who says he is close to coming back.

7:00: Star Tribune Vikings writer Andrew Krammer joins Rand for a review of the film from the Vikings' 28-6 victory over the Giants. There were defensive stars all over the field, while Sam Darnold had an excellent debut. Rand has three hot takeaways for Krammer, including one big one about Darnold.

24:00: Award-winning Vikings poetry is back and better than ever.

41:00: Do we need to recalibrate the NFC North? What about the Jets and Aaron Rodgers?

Patrick Reusse on the 'unprofessional' Twins, unstoppable Vikings and uninspiring Kirk Cousins Sep 09, 2024

Show notes

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joined host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. They got into the Vikings, but first they had to tackle the Twins. After a 2-5 road trip, including a sweep at Kansas City, the Twins are reeling. Manager Rocco Baldelli said their approach in the series against the Royals was "unprofessional," but that's probably just code for what Reusse and Rand can plainly see: they aren't very good right now, with injuries and underperformance playing key roles.

The Vikings, meanwhile, opened the season with an impressive 28-6 victory over the Giants. New York is probably one of the five worst teams in the NFL, but if the Vikings can maintain Sunday's formula -- offensive balance and defensive strength -- they might be as good as Reusse thinks and better than Rand thought they would be. Kirk Cousins had a clunker of a debut in Atlanta, by the way.

They touched on the Lynx and Gophers near the end of the show.

What is Shaq's beef with Rudy Gobert? + 2,000 baseballs -- and the story of the one that got away Sep 06, 2024

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with Shaquille O'Neal's bizarre assertion this week that Rudy Gobert is the worst active player in the NBA. It might have generated the attention Shaq craves in our warped media world, but it also lost him a decent amount of credibility. Gobert's measured response was perfect. Plus Rand resists the urge to say Thursday's Twins win was the most important one of the season, but it was pretty significant.

14:00: Twins fan and Minneapolis man Tony Voda has traveled the country watching games and snagging baseballs. He's nabbed more than 2,000 of them over the years. But on a recent trip to a Dodgers game in Los Angeles, he learned an important lesson from a big one that got away.

31:00: Five things Rand wants to see Sunday from the Vikings opener.

Royce Lewis needs to show up, grow up; Gophers volleyball looks dominant once more Sep 05, 2024

Show notes

Introduction: Twins infielder Royce Lewis has had a charmed existence when he's been on the field as an MLB player, but things have taken a turn lately. Since announcing that he doesn't "do that slump thing" in mid-June, Lewis is hitting just .228. And this week Lewis has been vocal about not liking even occasional action at second base, which is where he started in Wednesday's 9-4 loss to Tampa Bay. Combined with Byron Buxton getting ejected from a minor league rehab game, it hasn't been the most mature week for two of the Twins' best players.

10:00: Star Tribune Gophers reporter Marcus Fuller joins host Michael Rand for a look at the Gophers volleyball team, which went through growing pains in Keegan Cook's first season as head coach but looks to be ready to resume a place of dominance this season.

29:00: Will the Vikings be able to run the ball this year?

Chip Scoggins on Gophers football, Vikings; Would David Festa be Twins' playoff Game 3 starter? Sep 04, 2024

Show notes

Introduction: The Twins continue to falter, but their competition in the wild card race has been even worse. Boston has lost nine of its last 12. The Royals have lost seven in a row. Add it up and the Twins still have a 95% chance of reaching the postseason. If they do, they won't have an obvious choice for a Game 3 starter in a winner-take-all wild card series. Maybe rookie David Festa, who pitched well again in a 2-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday, is the best option?

9:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the Gophers football team's disappointing opener against North Carolina. Every Big Ten team (yes, the other 17) except the Gophers won their first game, but Minnesota looked flat on offense. Plus they look at the Vikings and big questions heading into the season.

37:00: The Vikings' depth chart clarified some things for Rand.

Patrick Reusse on Mike Zimmer, amateur baseball, the Twins and Gophers volleyball Sep 03, 2024

Show notes

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand on a jam-packed edition of the show after a holiday weekend.

The weather was perfect all weekend for the state amateur baseball tournament, and Reusse took advantage with a trip to Jordan.

Reusse and Rand also got into Minnesota Star Tribune colleague Mark Craig's excellent piece on former Vikings coach Mike Zimmer in which Zimmer spared nobody in recalling the ending in Minnesota. It didn't make Zimmer look very good, but it was compelling reading.

Plus thoughts on the Twins, who course-corrected with two straight wins, and the Gophers volleyball team's upset of No. 1 Texas.

The greatest kids sports movies of the 1990s; Fireworks tell story in Gophers loss to North Carolina Aug 30, 2024

Show notes

Introduction: Your bleary-eyed host Michael Rand returned home from the Gophers' 19-17 loss to North Carolina on Thursday night, grabbed a few hours of sleep, then tried to make sense of it at the start of today's show. The best way to describe it: There were very few figurative fireworks in a close but uninspiring game. And the literal fireworks at the end, mistakenly shot off when Minnesota missed a potential winning field goal in the final seconds, were a fitting end to it all.

9:00: Dana Wessel, a radio morning show personality on 93X as well as a movie expert (and friend of Rand), joined the podcast for a fun segment on the best kids sports movies of the 1990s. Which ones hold up the best and should be shown to the next generation?

40:00: It's a big weekend for Pablo Lopez and the Twins.

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