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Wolves score knockout of washed up Warriors; Randy Johnson on Gophers football struggles Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand goes deep on the Wolves' 104-101 win over the Warriors on Tuesday. It was Minnesota's seventh win in a row, and yet another game this year that they might not have won in previous seasons. It started with a fracas, as the increasingly desperate Warriors lost both Draymond Green and Klay Thompson to ejection. From there, the Wolves had several big and calm moments needed to topple a fading Golden State dynasty.

16:00: Randy Johnson joins Rand to talk about the struggling Gophers football team. Where does P.J. Fleck's team go from here, after a nightmare against Purdue and with Ohio State looming on Saturday? And was Michigan's initial punishment too light?

31:00: A Vikings injury to watch and a big day for the Twins.

Film review: What Joshua Dobbs brings with his mobility + P.J. Fleck is catching a lot of heat Nov 14, 2023

Show notes

Introduction: What a strange and ultimately disappointing season its been for the Gophers football team and their head coach P.J. Fleck, with scrutiny mounting along with poor performances. Imagine if Minnesota goes 6-6 with wins over Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin but the year still feels hollow.

7:00: Andrew Krammer joins host Michael Rand to review the film of Sunday's Vikings victory. Head coach Kevin O'Connell can do new things with mobile quarterback Joshua Dobbs, and the tandem showed that off against the Saints.

27:00: Vikings poetry reveals both love and hate.

45:00: Break out the silly courts, it's NBA in-season tournament time again.

Patrick Reusse raves about Vikings and Wolves, rips Gophers and Wild Nov 13, 2023

Show notes

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. The four biggest teams currently playing could not have had a weekend of more significant opposites.

Reusse gives plenty of praise to the Vikings and quarterback Joshua Dobbs. Minnesota won its fifth consecutive game -- all five without Justin Jefferson and now two without Kirk Cousins -- to improve to 6-4. The Wolves are the only local team hotter than that, with their winning streak up to six after an impressive win at Golden State.

The Gophers football team, meanwhile, gave up 600 yards and 49 points to Purdue. Were we really talking about a Big Ten West title just two weeks ago? And the Wild gave up eight goals Sunday. They now head to Sweden, which might be good timing for everyone except Sweden.

Is Joshua Dobbs underrated? + Gophers football could still win Big Ten West -- or miss a bowl game Nov 10, 2023

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes a look at Joshua Dobbs, the Vikings' starting quarterback on Sunday. As a fourth-round pick in 2017, Dobbs came into the NFL with a label already: likely backup quarterback, if he survived in the league at all. Those labels determine opportunities and the situations quarterbacks ultimately end up in. Is Dobbs' ceiling higher than his path would suggest?

12:00: Gophers football beat writer Randy Johnson joins Rand to unpack Minnesota's path after last week's 27-26 heartbreaking loss to Illinois. The Big Ten West title is still in play, but so is missing a bowl game entirely.

26:00: Will the Wild score enough? And can the Wolves take their good play on the road?

Chip Scoggins on Laurence Maroney and Marion Barber III -- a Gophers tale of tragedy and hope Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand rattles off some really impressive numbers about the Timberwolves, including the fact that they have started the season with five consecutive home victories -- all of which the team has announced as Target Center sellouts. TV numbers are also way up this year compared to last year. Plus Rand notes the strong start for the Gophers women's basketball team and the Wild's blue line shakeup from two Wednesday trades.

10:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins joins Rand to talk about his latest long effort on former Gophers running backs Laurence Maroney and Marion Barber III. In the wake of Barber's death last year, it's a story filled with both tragedy and hope.

29:00: Can Joshua Dobbs take the Vikings higher?

A new era in Gophers women's basketball; Wild identity emerges; Twins margin for error shrinks Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand notes one of the most complete Wild performances of the season in a 4-2 win over the Islanders on Tuesday. Two big plays by Pat Maroon and solid goaltending by the easily forgotten Marc-Andre Fleury were the keys to the Wild re-establishing their identity.

9:00: Star Tribune writer Kent Youngblood joins Rand ahead of Wednesday's season opener for the Gophers women's basketball team, the first game under new head coach Dawn Plitzuweit. Can the Gophers emerge as a threat to make the NCAA tournament?

29:00: Payroll will shrink for the Twins. What will that mean for their ability to compete in 2024?

Inside Joshua Dobbs' incredible Sunday; Timberwolves take down another undefeated team Nov 07, 2023

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes note of the Wolves' third straight win, and second over a previously undefeated team. Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels made huge plays down the stretch of a 114-109 overtime victory Monday over Boston. Karl-Anthony Towns fouled out and was largely a hindrance. Is this a crossroads, good and bad, for the team? Plus a Bally Sports North update.

12:00: Andrew Krammer joins Rand to break down Joshua Dobbs' impressive debut on the fly against the Falcons on Sunday. Is it sustainable, and what did we learn about both Dobbs and the Vikings' offense? Plus fewer blitzes from the Vikings.

34:00: Poetry befitting of a four-game winning streak.

46:00: A listener with a key assist.

Patrick Reusse on the agony of Gophers football and the ecstasy of the Joshua Dobbs Vikings Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at two games that were very similar -- but which elicited extremely different emotions if you are a Minnesota football fan.

The Vikings pulled out a win for the ages on Sunday, rallying behind quarterback Joshua Dobbs. The veteran arrived midweek after a trade and was only in the game because of various injuries to Kirk Cousins, Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens. But Dobbs made big plays with his feet and arm, leading the Vikings to an improbably 31-28 win.

Just a day earlier, the Gophers were undone by a backup quarterback from Illinois who conjured up his own late-game magic. The Gophers' 27-26 loss to Illinois on a late and long touchdown pass put a major dent in their hopes of rallying for a Big Ten West title. The path for the rest of the season and beyond only gets harder.

What's wrong with the Wild? + How the Wolves are trending up + Joshua Dobbs, smart QB Nov 03, 2023

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand looks at the bigger picture for the Wild after their latest defeat, a 5-3 setback against New Jersey on Thursday. The sobering news is that it's not just one thing dooming the Wild so far this season. Actually, it's almost everything. Is the 10-game sample enough to conclude that the rest of the season will be a struggle?

10:00: Timberwolves write Chris Hine joins Rand and offers some calming perspectives on just how much perception can change from game to game with any team. Fans were full of doom and gloom -- as well as ire for coach Chris Finch -- after a Monday loss to Atlanta. But a convincing win over Denver for the NBA's best defensive team seems to suggest there is a strong path forward.

32:00: Vikings QB Josh Dobbs is smart. He explains how that translates to a football field.

More Bally Sports North frustration; big win for Wolves; Gophers men's basketball preview Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

Introduction: Host Michael Rand lauds the Timberwolves for their win over the Nuggets but laments that he (and others) weren't able to watch it because of continuing problems with the Bally Sports Plus app. That led directly into listener questions about the future of sports on TV, Dick Bremer and local superstars.

14:00: Star Tribune Gophers men's basketball writer Marcus Fuller joins Rand ahead of Ben Johnson's third season as head coach. The Gophers are picked to finish last in the Big Ten again. Will they be better than that? Fuller thinks they will.

29:00: The Rangers win the World Series and Big Ten coaches turn up the heat on Michigan.

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