Michael Rand

The Vikings and Texans have played only five times, but there is plenty of familiarity between to the two teams.

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said Wednesday that wide receiver Justin Jefferson participated in Wednesday's walk-through and was limited in practice, but Jordan Addison is day-to-day.

The Lynx have won almost twice as many games as preseason odds suggested they would, and they have finished several spots ahead of predictions. Perhaps the only ones who imagined this season was possible were the Lynx themselves.

On Wednesday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand breaks down a dramatic win by the Lynx that locked up their playoff seed and a big win by the Twins that strengthened their case. Plus Randy Johnson joins Rand to set up Saturday's Gophers vs. Iowa game.

The Twins don't have much going for them right now in a desperate and slump-filled September. But they do have one big advantage over their closest pursuers in the wild card race.

Playing on Monday Night Football and gifted a chance for redemption on multiple fronts, former Vikings QB Kirk Cousins led the Falcons on a last-minute touchdown drive for a stunning 22-21 win. Meanwhile, the Twins blew a late lead and saw their wild card cushion shrink.

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores schemed up a win over the 49ers that built on his national reputation and earned praise from QB Brock Purdy. Former Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, now the coordinator in Dallas, was on the wrong end of 44 points by the Saints.

On Monday's Daily Delivery podcast, Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse and host Michael Rand broke down a dominant Vikings win over the very good 49ers. It was part of a great Sunday in Minnesota sports that also included big wins for the Lynx and Twins.

Maybe this is too optimistic based on one victory over a bad team, but Michael Rand is putting the Vikings up to No. 2 in his NFC North power rankings while the Packers were last. Star Tribune columnist La Velle E. Neal III has a much different order of teams.

In a bizarre story at the start of Friday's Daily Delivery podcast, a recent sixth-round Twins draft pick was released by the organization for aiding an opponent by tipping pitches. Plus the joy of fantasy football and a unique high school offense.

Oh, you expected the Pac-12 to just disappear after all but two teams left for other conferences? Washington State and Oregon State have other ideas.

On Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand and Star Tribune columnist La Velle E. Neal debated three subjects during a new segment. Plus Rand broke down a mostly positive night for the Twins.

Breakdowns of what went right and wrong in Week 1 for the current and past Vikings quarterbacks revealed some encouraging signs for Sam Darnold and some concerns about Kirk Cousins.

On Wednesday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand lamented the Twins' on-again, off-again relationship with their spiced meat charm. He also talked with Star Tribune writers Randy Johnson and Chip Scoggins and wondered about Kirk Cousins.

The Twins have been in free-fall for the past three weeks as injuries and underperformance have collided. But they are still favored to make the postseason and they have a favorable schedule.

On Tuesday's Daily Delivery podcast, Star Tribune Vikings writer Andrew Krammer joins host Michael Rand for some big (and optimistic) views after Sunday's 28-6 victory. Plus the return of Vikings poetry and the free-fall continues for the Twins.

The former Vikings QB, making his much-anticipated debut after signing an expensive contract with the Falcons, put up just 10 points and did many of the things that frustrated fans when he was in Minnesota.

On Monday's Daily Delivery podcast, Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joined host Michael Rand for a look back at a disastrous weekend for the Twins and a strong opening victory for the Vikings. They also talked about Kirk Cousins, the Lynx and Gophers.

A Minneapolis man who loves going to baseball games and nabbing souvenirs had the chance of a lifetime bounce away. But the story of the human spirit has a happy ending.

On Friday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand picks apart Shaquille O'Neal's bizarre, attention-seeking assertion that Rudy Gobert is the worst player in the NBA. Plus he talks Vikings and Twins and shares the story of a local baseball fan with a home run ball that got away.

Royce Lewis doesn't want to play second base, and his honest reaction reveals a poor attitude. Meanwhile, Byron Buxton didn't help himself by getting ejected from a Class AAA game.

Star Tribune reporter Marcus Fuller joined host Michael Rand on Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast to talk about the Gophers volleyball team, which showed its power in performances against Stanford and Texas.

The Twins' rotation has two healthy proven starters. They should be able to cobble together enough wins to make the postseason, but what happens once they get there?

On Wednesday's Daily Delivery podcast, Minnesota Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins joined host Michael Rand to talk about the Gophers football team and Vikings. Rand also made the case for a Game 3 Twins playoff starter.

The Minnesota Star Tribune's Mark Craig recently sat down with the former Vikings coach, who gave an honest assessment of several subjects that defined his tenure.

On Tuesday's Daily Delivery podcast, Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse and host Michael Rand broke down all of the biggest stories from the weekend in sports.

On Friday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand was joined by friend Dana Wessel for a look at the 1990s kids sports movies we should all be showing the next generation. And Rand broke down the Gophers' 19-17 loss to North Carolina.

If the Twins are going to snap out of their skid and steady themselves to earn a postseason spot, they will need to rely mostly on players already on the active roster.

On Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand welcomed in Jim Paulsen and Randy Johnson from the Minnesota Star Tribune to get listeners ready for some football. Paulsen talked about the best players and teams in the state, while Johnson set up Gophers vs. North Carolina.

The disastrous results of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's first draft as Vikings general manager have come into focus as top picks Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth Jr. were jettisoned. But pundits largely agreed at the time that the Vikings had done a good job.

On Wednesday's Daily Delivery podcast, Gophers women's basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit joined host Michael Rand and Star Tribune writer Kent Youngblood out at the State Fair. Plus Rand broke down the concerning 2022 Vikings draft and the Twins' recent struggles.

Monday's rain-soaked and stormy loss by the Twins at Target Field was damaging in a lot of ways. Meanwhile, the Vikings have some familiar (and some new) areas of concern heading into the season.

On Tuesday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand talked about a rain-soaked Twins loss and four areas of concern with the Vikings. He also welcomed three standout members of PWHL Minnesota's championship team to the Star Tribune's State Fair stage.

On the broadcast of Saturday's preseason finale, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell gave honest assessments of players and the action throughout the third quarter. Here are some things we learned from his appearance.

On Monday's Daily Delivery podcast, Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joined host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. Is a lack of depth catching up to the Twins? Is the addition of depth already paying off for the Lynx?

It's tempting to make an optimistic comparison between two quarterbacks who were both high draft picks in 2018. Sam Darnold could produce similar results to what Baker Mayfield achieved in 2023, but he will need some help.

Minnesota is in the hunt for a playoff berth and repeat AL Central title. How the Twins finish likely will be determined by three young pitchers who have been thrust into the spotlight, as Michael Rand and Phil Miller talked about on Friday's Daily Delivery podcast.

It's been a dream summer for members of the Fremont Avenue Wiffle Ball League, a collection of kids on the same south Minneapolis block who have spent the warm months playing on a field they helped create.

On Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand interviewed Josh Minott, using the third-year Wolves player's captions on social media to frame the conversation. Plus Rand introduced listeners to a group of proud Wiffle ball players in south Minneapolis.

It was looking for a minute like Minnesota would trim Cleveland's lead to 1½ games in the AL Central. Then a sudden turnaround in two games ensured the night would end with the Guardians up 3½ thanks to their biggest advantage in the race.

On Wednesday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand lamented the biggest difference between the Twins and Guardians, praised Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and spoke with Star Tribune Lynx writer Kent Youngblood.

Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy, about to enter his 20th season with the same program, shed light on another aspect of the new reality in college sports.

On Monday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand dissected criticism of Vikings defensive coordinator by Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Plus walks haunted the Twins, but so did a particularly fat strike. And what's in store for the Loons down the stretch?

It's baseball and football, different league structures and a good bit of apples to oranges. But that doesn't change the contrast in recent approaches between the Twins and Vikings.

On Monday's Daily Delivery podcast, Patrick Reusse and host Michael Rand get into a changing perspective on Rocco Baldelli, the Vikings' signing of Stephon Gilmore and the Lynx not drafting Angel Reese.

The Vikings are going to be without some of their most explosive players in the passing game for at least parts of this season. With Aaron Jones at running back and a revamped front seven, they should lean into old-school football.

On Friday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand put the Vikings and Twins news of the week into context with the help of two listeners. Rand was also joined by Star Tribune Gophers football writer Randy Johnson for a game-by-game look at the season ahead.

On Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast, Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand. Can the Twins survive all their injuries? And what will happen with the Vikings now that J.J. McCarthy is out for the season?

When he was hired after the disastrous 2016 season to reshape the Twins, Derek Falvey brought a reputation for identifying and developing pitching talent. It took a while, but the pipeline we were promised is now materializing.

On Wednesday's Daily Delivery podcast, Star Tribune reporter Jeff Day joins host Michael Rand for a look at Day's very popular story on a housing dispute involving ex-Viking Chad Greenway. Plus Rand dives into the pitching development of the Twins and J.J. McCarthy's injury

Rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy injected hope into the Vikings fan base with his preseason debut Saturday. The team and its supporters only had a couple of days to bask in the performance before Tuesday's sobering news of a meniscus tear.

On Tuesday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand starts with some disconcerting injury news for Vikings rookie QB J.J. McCarthy and Twins outfielder Byron Buxton. Rand also visits with Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti about last year's "Higher" phenomenon with the Vikings.

Yes, we know that Sam Darnold is still the starter, building what looks to be a capable bridge from Vikings QB past to the future. But a key difference between J.J. McCarthy and Kirk Cousins was on display Saturday.

Star Tribune Vikings writer Andrew Krammer joined host Michael Rand on Monday's Daily Delivery podcast to break down quarterback J.J. McCarthy's firsts preseason game. Rand also lamented the Twins' missed chance against Cleveland.

A highly touted rookie quarterback adds an element of intrigue to the preseason, as the Vikings are going to find out for the first time in a decade when J.J. McCarthy takes the field Saturday.

On Friday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand talks to Twins beat writer Bobby Nightengale ahead of a huge stretch of games. Plus thoughts on J.J. McCarthy's impending preseason debut and legendary Minnesota-Duluth hockey coach Mike Sertich, who died Thursday at age 77.

Rick Sutton, the former head coach at Mankato West, hired a new teacher onto his football staff in the late 1990s. They won a state championship together in 1999, long before Tim Walz was a local political figure, let alone a national one.

On Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast, you'll hear from former Mankato West head football coach Rick Sutton on the 1999 state champions and assistant coach Tim Walz's role. Plus Rand dissects the impact of Joe Ryan's triceps injury.

On their first 'unofficial' depth chart this week, the Vikings listed Sam Darnold as the No. 1 quarterback. If you were hoping to gain further clarity on where rookie J.J. McCarthy stands, though, you will have to wait.

On Wednesday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand caught up with Star Tribune summer sports intern Cassidy Hettesheimer about the Olympics. And the Twins are gauging interest in a new way to watch games in 2025.

Host Michael Rand and Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins had plenty of Vikings and Gophers football talk on Tuesday's Daily Delivery podcast. Plus Rand has a question about David Festa.

Let's take aim at some of the biggest questions that have emerged in Minnesota sports in the last few days.

On Monday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand and Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse talked about the big stories from the weekend in sports.

Comcast subscribers who are Twins fans will have access to Friday's game after three months of Bally Sports North being off the air. But that doesn't mean everything is settled, or the same as it used to be.

On Friday's Daily Delivery podcast, Twins writer Phil Miller joined host Michael Rand for a look at the Twins at the trade deadline and the resolution of Comcast's impasse with Bally Sports North. Plus Rand wonders if the Gophers will throw more and Vikings will run more (finally) this season.

The former Packers and current Jets QB hasn't had a lot of good publicity in the past 2½ years. If he wants to re-establish his legacy as an all-time great, now is the time.

On Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand wonders how many Twins fans will pay the extra fee to watch games on Comcast. And Randy Johnson joins the show to talk Gophers football.

After winning a playoff series in 2023 and sending fans into the offseason with genuine optimism, the Twins have slashed payroll and lost a chunk of their TV audience. Those issues are related, and they are now impacting the trade deadline.

On Monday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand and Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse covered the full slate of sports from the weekend and had time left over for a few diversions as well.

Speaking on Thursday at Big Ten media days, Gophers coach P.J. Fleck made a compelling pitch to "love where you're at" as the ground continues to move underneath college football. But he can't expect fans to love more of what they saw in 2023.

On Friday's Daily Delivery podcast, Star Tribune Vikings writer Ben Goessling joined host Michael Rand for a dissection of a newsy first week of camp. Rand also talked about the Gophers football team and the Twins at the trade deadline.

Minnesota was one of just two schools to have players selected in the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB drafts, the mark of a well-rounded program.

On Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand reacted to news that Bally Sports North could soon be back on Comcast, albeit at what will likely be a higher price. Plus a key Vikings injury and rare draft company for the Gophers.

On Wednesday's Daily Delivery podcast, Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins and host Michael Rand dissect the Vikings' reaction to Jordan Addison's offseason troubles and identify a big key to the team's success in 2024.

When teams are stuck in cycles of rebuilding or mediocrity, fans tend to dream about a better future. But if we're always looking far off in the distance, we lose sight of what's in front of us.