StribSports Daily Delivery

Latest Episodes:

Chip Scoggins on Joe Rossi's departure, big Gophers news + Another new Vikings starting QB Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand does a brief history lesson on Vikings starting quarterbacks, finding that Nick Mullens will be the 42nd different one in team history when he takes a snap Saturday against the Bengals. He will also be their fourth starter this season, which has never happened in Vikings history. A staggering 34 different starting QBs have spanned the John Anderson era with Gophers baseball. The U of M announced Tuesday that he's retiring at the end of the 2024 season.

8:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins joins Rand to talk mainly about a newsy offseason for the Gophers football team. Why did defensive coordinator Joe Rossi leave for Michigan State? And is modern recruiting, both in high schools and the transfer portal, going to make life a lot harder for P.J. Fleck going forward?

32:00: Why didn't the Vikings name a backup QB on Tuesday?

Vikings film review: How do we divide the blame on offense and praise on defense? Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes a look at the Wolves' loss on Monday at New Orleans, one that was predictable and not yet alarming -- but one that still bears watching. It was the first of 16 straight games against teams above .500, with 11 of those on the road. It's the toughest stretch all year for the Wolves, and they need to maintain their early standard during this stretch.

7:00: Andrew Krammer joins Rand to break down the film from Sunday's still unbelievable 3-0 win over the Raiders. With so much to like on defense and so much to dislike on offense, what does a review of the game tell us about the Vikings going forward?

24:00: Vikings poetry gets into a deep discussion of just how good defensive coordinator Brian Flores has been this season. Plus a finishing thought on a great week for the Vikings overall.

Patrick Reusse on a Vikings win so bad that he couldn't stop watching + Joe Rossi's departure Dec 11, 2023

Show notes

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which included this statistical anomaly: The Vikings and Wild both won by identical 3-0 scores on Sunday, something that might have never happened in the history of Minnesota sports.

The Vikings' win was punctuated by injuries and more struggles from Joshua Dobbs, who was replaced by Nick Mullens before the Vikings scored their only points of the game. Will Mullens become the Vikings' fourth starting QB in 14 games?

Plus Joe Rossi's departure as Gophers defensive coordinator is interesting and could spell even more difficulty in 2024.

Will the Twins trade Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco? + Big money influence for Gophers football, golf Dec 08, 2023

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand looks at the major money influence in college football, which was brought up again by Gophers coach P.J. Fleck in a news conference ahead of the Quick Lane Bowl. The financial gap is widening in a lot of places, which we were reminded of again when John Rahm signed a deal with LIV Golf for more than $300 million.

8:00: Star Tribune Twins beat writer Bobby Nightengale joins Rand for a breakdown of the Twins' offseason and this week's Winter Meetings. The Twins are gauging trade interest for mainstays Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco while trying to figure out how to decrease payroll this season. Will deals materialize? And what's the plan in the outfield?

29:00: The Wild's win streak is over, plus a key college hockey series.

The Josh Dobbs decision + Three good basketball wins + A ton of great listener questions answered Dec 07, 2023

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand runs through three basketball games Wednesday -- all of them victories of varying magnitudes for the Timberwolves, Gophers men and Gophers women. Ben Johnson thought a lot of Minnesota's win over Nebraska. The Wolves stayed perfect against the NBA's worst teams. And Dawn Plitzuweit's team got a nice road victory.

12:00: Rand breaks down Kevin O'Connell's comments Wednesday on the state of the Vikings' quarterback room and how he came to the decision to keep Josh Dobbs as the starter.

22:00: Your questions about the Wolves, Twins and Gophers get thorough answers.

Wolves President Tim Connelly on last year's criticism, the reward of patience and decisions ahead Dec 06, 2023

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand looks at the Wild, who just won their fourth straight game in dominant fashion under new head coach John Hynes. The instinct might be to think this team is dramatically different because of dramatically different results. But the margins are so thin at the top levels of sports that even getting a little better means a lot.

8:00: Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly joins Rand. The Wolves are 15-4 and carry the best record in the NBA into Wednesday's game against the Spurs. This comes after tons of criticism of Connelly last season when the Rudy Gobert trade looked bad, plus an offseason when he could have been tempted to remake the roster again.

32:00: We should learn the identity of Sunday's Vikings starting QB today.

Breaking down transfer portal, new Gophers QB; Are the Wild better off than the Vikings? Dec 05, 2023

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand notes that barely more than a week ago, the Vikings and Wild were on much different trajectories. The Vikings had a seemingly easy game against the Bears last Monday to get to the bye week at 7-5, while the Wild were on a seven-game losing streak and fired their coach. Now? According to multiple projection sites, the Wild have a better chance of making the playoffs this year than the Vikings.

9:00: Star Tribune Gophers football beat writer Randy Johnson joins Rand for a look at all the transfer portal comings, goings and ... stayings? The biggest addition is new quarterback Max Brosmer, but players saying they are staying is becoming a new thing, too.

28:00: The Twins are optimistic about Byron Buxton again.

Patrick Reusse on the red-hot Wolves and Wild + avenging a big Gophers loss Dec 04, 2023

Show notes

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which included more wins for the Wild and Wolves. The Wolves just completed a huge November and are keeping things going in December, while the Wild are undefeated since making a coaching change.

Plus the Gophers football team lands a transfer quarterback. They will put their Quick Lane Bowl dominance (sarcasm font, though they are 2-0) on the line on Dec. 26 against hated Bowling Green as they try to avenge a terrible 2021 upset loss.

Thoughts, too, on Gophers basketball, volleyball and the Vikings.

New play-by-play voices for Twins; Chip Scoggins on QB roller-coaster for Vikings, Gophers Dec 01, 2023

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand jumps right into the big news Friday morning that the Twins will have new (but familiar) voices on their TV and radio broadcasts in 2024. With just a few months left in the offseason, though, we still don't know who their TV broadcast partner will be. Plus big wins for the Wolves and Gophers men's basketball show off their depth.

8:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins joins Rand to talk about the three biggest stories of the week: The Gophers' QB upheaval, with Athan Kaliakmanis entering the transfer portal; the Vikings' impending decision at quarterback; and the Wild's coaching change.

31:00: Rand reiterates his preference for a Vikings quarterback and marvels at how much different the Wild looked in a 6-1 win Thursday.

Gophers winning transfer portal? + Gobert narrative changing + Gophers volleyball's path to Sweet 16 Nov 30, 2023

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand revisits the Rudy Gobert trade with the Wolves set to face Utah on Thursday, noting that the national narrative around a deal that was widely panned a year ago has started to shift. Gobert is playing like a defensive stalwart, the Wolves have the best record in the West and things look much different now.

8:00: A ranking of quarterbacks in the transfer portal shows the Gophers could be getting an upgrade at that position.

11:00: Jeff Day joins Rand for an in-depth discussion of the Gophers volleyball team, which turned its season around after a rough start and reached the NCAA tournament in Keegan Cook's first year as coach. They face Utah State on Friday in Omaha.

34:00: Another impressive display from the Gophers women's basketball team.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

StribSports Daily Delivery

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected