StribSports Daily Delivery

Latest Episodes:

Patrick Reusse on freezing cold Twins bats, college basketball, Timberwolves and more Apr 08, 2024

Show notes

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. Women's basketball again took center stage, with South Carolina capping an undefeated season by outlasting Iowa and Caitlin Clark in Sunday's NCAA title game. Iowa advanced after a controversial offensive foul helped it defeat UConn in the semifinals. On the men's side, Purdue and UConn will offer a contrast in styles in Monday's title game.

Reusse and Rand also get into the Twins, whose early offensive struggles are a bad sign for a team that will need a more balanced approach to be successful this season.

And the Wolves won a key game out west against the Lakers, keeping alive their chances of being the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

Phil Miller on Twins; Huge night for women's basketball; Where do Wild go now? Apr 05, 2024

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with the Wild, whose playoff hopes were almost completely dashed with a 5-2 loss to Colorado on Thursday. It's been a middling year for the franchise. Can it get any better next season, the final year of salary cap jail?

6:00: Friday is a huge night for women's college basketball with the national semifinals. Plus an interesting WNBA mock draft says Angel Reese will wind up on the Lynx.

11:00: Star Tribune Twins writer Phil Miller joins Rand for a look at the Twins. After a loss in their home opener Thursday, they are 3-3 and are struggling at the plate. What takeaways do we have from the season so far?

32:00: A sign of the times for Gophers men's basketball.

Big Ten deer hunting power rankings; Anthony Edwards and Twins break out of their slumps Apr 04, 2024

Show notes

Host Michael Rand starts with some key games from Wednesday. Anthony Edwards broke out of his shooting slump by making five three-pointers as the Wolves moved back into first place in the Western Conference. The Twins hit a home run for the first time since their opening game, keying a win over the Brewers and sending the team back to the Target Field opener with confidence. And the Gophers women's basketball team advanced to the finals of the WNIT.

11:00: Star Tribune outdoors writer Tony Kennedy joins Rand to talk about a unique story he is working on. Which of the 11 states that have Big Ten schools is the best for deer hunting?

32:00: Stefon Diggs wore out his welcome again.

Chip Scoggins on NIL and Caitlin vs. Paige; Troubling numbers for the Twins, Timberwolves and Wild Apr 03, 2024

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with the good and the bad from three Minnesota games Tuesday. The Wolves won and kept pace in the West, but Anthony Edwards is now 0-for-19 on threes in his last few games. They can't afford an Ant slump in the playoffs. The Twins lost 3-2 and their home run leader (Royce Lewis) has been injured for all but three innings this season. They also aren't getting enough innings from starting pitchers. The Wild won, but time is running out -- a shame because they are actually playing pretty well since the break.

10:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins joins Rand for a look at the Gophers men's basketball program in the wake of losing several players to the transfer portal. How is a program supposed to improve in an era of instant transfers as well as name, image and likeness? Scoggins and Rand also set up what should be a great women's Final Four matchup between UConn and Iowa.

36:00: Women's basketball is setting TV records.

Patrick Reusse on Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Timberwolves ownership and more Apr 02, 2024

Show notes

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look at the biggest stories in sports. They started with Monday's thrilling NCAA women's basketball games, as Iowa's Caitlin Clark and UConn's Paige Bueckers dazzled fans and set up what should be a Final Four matchup for the ages on Friday.

Reusse also shed more light on the Timberwolves ownership situation and his conversations with Glen Taylor. Plus he has a theory that the NBA probably doesn't like all the acrimony between the Taylor side and the Marc Lore/Alex Rodriguez side. But let's not pretend any of this really influences how the players play on the court.

Plus thoughts on the Twins' opening series and the Frozen Four.

Timberwolves ownership drama; High school transfer conversation; Gophers hockey + Twins win Mar 29, 2024

Show notes

On a jam-packed episode of Daily Delivery, host Michael Rand starts with the brewing ownership drama with the Timberwolves. Glen Taylor announced Thursday that the Wolves and Lynx are no longer for sale after investors Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez missed a payment deadline to become majority owners. But Lore and A-Rod have a different version of the story.

7:00: On a normal day, the Twins winning their MLB opener and losing Royce Lewis to injury would have been the top story -- or at least shared the spotlight with the Gophers men's hockey team rallying to win 3-2 in the NCAA tournament.

12:00: Star Tribune high school sports editor Kevin Bertels joins Rand for a look at the impact of transfers on the prep sports landscape, particularly the recent boys' basketball state tournament.

32:00: Speaking of transfers, the Gophers have a bunch of players in the men's basketball transfer portal, threatening the progress are making as a program.

Inside the Vikings' quarterback draft evaluation process; Timberwolves reach new heights Mar 28, 2024

Show notes

Host Michael Rand pauses to note the Timberwolves' 50th victory of the season Wednesday and what that means in the context of their franchise history. It's just the fifth time they've reached that mark. This is already going to be the second-best season in team history. Can it be No. 1? Plus some optimism as the Twins start the year.

10:00: Star Tribune Vikings writer Ben Goessling joins Rand fresh from the owners meetings in Orlando, where he gained valuable insights from head coach Kevin O'Connell into the process the Vikings will use to evaluate quarterbacks leading up to the draft.

35:00: Transfer portal news for the Gophers men's basketball team and a big opportunity for the Gophers men's hockey team.

Special Delivery! Twins season preview: Can they sustain last year's success? (Wednesday, Part II) Mar 27, 2024

Show notes

On the second half of Wednesday's podcast extravaganza, host Michael Rand welcomes in Star Tribune Twins beat writer Bobby Nightengale for an advance of the Twins season that begins Thursday in Kansas City.

There is earned optimism that the offense will be an asset this season, and you'll hear from Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa about just how confident the team at the plate.

But pitching depth could be a question after losing two key starters off of last year's division-winning squad as well as several relievers to spring training injuries.

A big change for the Vikings + How the Timberwolves have adapted without Karl-Anthony Towns Mar 27, 2024

Show notes

Host Michael Rand starts with a look at the Vikings' decision to let go of kicker Greg Joseph, who signed Tuesday with the rival Packers. Rand thinks it was a good move by the Vikings and that he had lost confidence in Joseph in the past year. Plus two more interesting mock drafts.

9:00: Star Tribune Timberwolves beat writer Chris Hine joins Rand for a look at how Minnesota has adapted to life without Karl-Anthony Towns. Down the stretch of the season, what is a realistic goal for the Wolves?

33:00: The Gophers women's basketball team continues thanks to two key players returning from injury.

Can the Gophers reach the Frozen Four? + Justin Jefferson's role in the Vikings picking a QB Mar 26, 2024

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand is intrigued by the Vikings' process as they spend the next month getting to know several candidates to be their QB of the future -- particularly the role that star receiver Justin Jefferson will play.

7:00: Star Tribune Gophers hockey and football writer Randy Johnson joins the show to preview the NCAA men's hockey regional. Minnesota will begin play in Sioux Falls against Nebraska Omaha on Thursday and needs two wins to reach the Frozen Four in St. Paul. Plus how does new QB Max Brosmer look in spring practices?

26:00: North Dakota hockey tickets will set you back a lot of money ... gambling in sports is dominating headlines ... it's the NCAA women's basketball tournament's time to shine.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

StribSports Daily Delivery

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected