Introduction: In a packed episode, host Michael Rand starts with what could have been an awkward Timberwolves media day but instead was one that provided some clarity and closure on the Karl-Anthony Towns era. Players were able to talk about the weekend's blockbuster trade, with veteran Mike Conley Jr. offering key perspective. Plus the Big Ten admitted it made a mistake on Saturday and immediately changed how it officiates on-side kicks. Too bad it can't change the outcome for the...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at one of the newsiest weekends in Minnesota sports that either of them can recall. On top of the Vikings improving to 4-0 with a win over the Packers at Lambeau Field, we had the end of the Twins' 2024 collapse, the Gophers losing in controversial fashion at Michigan and the Lynx dropping Game 1 of their series against Connecticut. But they started with the unexpected news: Karl-Anthony Towns, a nine-year mainstay...

Special Delivery! Takeaways from a big win at Lambeau for 4-0 Vikings

Introduction: Host Michael Rand devotes two segments to the Twins, who are on the brink of elimination after another frustrating chain of events Thursday. The Royals and Tigers both had late-inning heroics to win their games, while the Twins missed several chances and fell 8-6 in 13 innings to the woeful Marlins. 9:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins joins Rand for a big-picture look at the Twins. There's plenty of blame to go around, but for Scoggins it starts with ownership. If the...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with the Lynx, Twins and Gophers volleyball. All three had big victories of varying degrees on Wednesday. The Lynx advanced in the playoffs by sweeping Phoenix, perhaps ending Diana Taurasi's career in the process. Napheesa Collier tied a WNBA playoff record with 42 points and set a league playoff record with 80 points in the two games. The Twins, meanwhile, gathered themselves for a night and handed the Marlins their 100th loss of the year. Can...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with the Twins, who continue to stagger down the stretch of an increasingly lost season. On Tuesday they fell 4-1 to the 99-loss Marlins and now sit two games behind Kansas City and Detroit in the wild card race with five games to play. They don't seem to have any answers, and fans are toggling between anger and apathy. 12:00: Star Tribune Gophers football writer Randy Johnson joins Rand off of a rough outcome against Iowa. Up 14-7 at halftime, the...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with the Twins, who continue to frustrate fans as they head into the final week of the season. Two listeners vented via email -- one about the Twins' roster moves and another about their lack of power recently -- and Rand responded. Plus a bleak outlook for Gophers football as P.J. Fleck's team looks to move on from the Iowa loss. 9:00: Star Tribune Vikings writer Andrew Krammer joins Rand to break down film from Sunday's 34-7 victory. Along the way,...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, which encompassed both extreme highs and lows. The highs: The Vikings moved to 3-0 with a 34-7 trouncing of the Texans. Minnesota is playing like one of the best teams in the NFL, which even the optimistic Reusse has to admit is even a surprise. It's time to start believing in this team, and the same can be said of the Lynx. They got a good test from Phoenix but prevailed to take Game 1 of...

Host Michael Rand hopped on a live postgame breakdown after the Vikings' 34-7 victory Sunday.

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with three different notions of 50/50 clubs. The Twins have slid back to a coin flip chance to reach the playoffs and are now tied with Detroit in the wild card race after another walk-off loss Thursday. The Vikings have changed perceptions and risen up to a coin flip chance to be a playoff team. And Shohei Ohtani achieved a remarkable, never-been-done feat -- 50 homers and 50 steals in a season -- with a remarkable game Thursday. 9:00: Star Tribune WNBA...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with a frustrating night for the Twins and their fans. After taking a 4-2 lead in extra innings of a vital game against Cleveland, the Twins fell 5-4 and say their wild card lead trimmed to a half-game over Detroit. The seeds for the loss were planted before Wednesday. How long you want to go back probably determines who you think is to blame for the season. 14:00: La Velle E. Neal III joins Rand on the Daily Delivery debate to hash out three subjects....

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with the Lynx, who locked up the No. 2 seed in the WNBA playoffs with a dramatic win on a long last-second three-pointer by Bridget Carleton on Tuesday at Connecticut. The Lynx are 30-9 and will have home-court advantage for two rounds of the playoffs, assuming they knock off No. 7 Phoenix in the first round. 7:00: The Twins grabbed a much-needed 4-1 win in Cleveland. They had to expend a lot of bullpen energy to get there, but with just 11 games left in...

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with Monday Night Football, where Kirk Cousins and the Falcons were gifted a chance that they took full advantage of in rallying to defeat the Eagles 22-21. Before Cousins' final TD drive, he had played a steady but unspectacular game that he was likely to lose. Now he's a hero and has erased some of the narrative that emerged after a rough first week in Atlanta. The whole game felt like the 2021 Vikings playing against themselves. 8:00: The Twins lost a...

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for an overwhelmingly positive episode of the podcast. They start with the Vikings, who improved to 2-0 with a statement victory over the 49ers. By winning 23-17 in a game that wasn't even as close as the score would indicate, the Vikings are proving Reusse correct. He liked them as a playoff team before the season started, but he was in the minority with that opinion. They could contend for an NFC North title in what might end up...

Daily Delivery host Michael Rand went live with his instant reaction to the Vikings' 23-17 victory over the 49ers on Sunday. Here is the playback of that session.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...