Recent content from Michael Rand
Making sure your fans are safe is just smart baseball
Having only been a dad for 3½ years, I still can neatly divide my memories and lifestyle into two distinct categories: B.C. (before children) and…
Readers deliver some smoking hot takes
I was at home minding my own business, checking work e-mail and watching another torturous Twins-Yankees game, when I received at 9:45 p.m. Tuesday an…
Fans' ire with Koivu gone, few grumble over his extension
A couple of years ago, I compiled a list of the most polarizing athletes (and sports-related topics) in the eyes of Minnesota sports fans.Guys like…
Vikings, Twins, Wild all missing top stars
It has come to my attention that three of the most important players for three of the most popular professional sports teams in town are…
Roth reunites with Thibodeau as the Wolves G League mentor
Scott Roth's relationship with Tom Thibodeau — which began years ago when Roth was playing for Bill Musselman in the CBA and Thibodeau would attend the team's practices — has led him to another opportunity.
Seven Twins who turned their seasons around
In an attempt to explain how the Twins not only have gone from 59-103 a year ago but also from 50-54 and left for dead…
Vikings' Dalvin Cook faster than advertised
A stopwatch is certainly one tool for measuring the speed of NFL players, but like a lot of tools that have been around for a…
Vikings could make it best sports scene since 2002-04
As someone who spent the lead-up to the Vikings' opener Monday questioning whether this team was destined for a very bad season, I don't want…
Wild has two options: rising, falling
Wild training camp opens Friday, when players hit the ice for the first time to signal the start of what should be an interesting season.…
Opinions on Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford vary widely
We're just a few days past the anniversary of the Sam Bradford trade, a deal that was triggered by the devastating injury to young Vikings…
Pitchers are better in their debuts than their second starts
When Aaron Slegers pitched for the Twins on Aug. 17, starting the second game of a doubleheader against Cleveland, he became the 33rd pitcher this…
Arrival of fall sees local teams on rise
This is a celebration of what is yet to come in the near future — the duration of September and October that are always a sports lover's dream but are particularly so for local fans this year.
RandBall: Kids reveal oddities of baseball
Trying to understand the game through the eyes of our 3-year-old daughter brought to light this simple fact: Baseball is ridiculous.
TCF Bank stadium takes up the food fight
When Target Field opened in 2010, it revealed itself as more than just a ballpark. Among other things, it almost instantly became one of the…
Drag racer Hight hopes to break 340 mph barrier in Brainerd
Robert Hight and some of the other top drag racers in the world are preparing for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd starting Thursday and running through Sunday.
Breaking down the Wild and Wolves schedules for 2017-18
The NBA schedule came out Monday, and the NHL schedule is already out. That means my yearly obsession with comparing the Timberwolves and Wild schedules…
The Twins' Byron Buxton shows signs he's turning a corner at the plate
Byron Buxton has fooled us before, so let's proceed with caution here even though the question is worth asking: Is the Twins center fielder figuring…
For Vikings, pendulum has swung to defense — and stayed there
The defense should be a top-10 unit for several years to come and buy the offense some time to finally catch up.
Beholders disagree on beauty of Wolves' new uniforms
The Timberwolves introduced two new uniforms (with two more to come) Thursday, continuing an evolution of appearances spanning nearly three decades as an organization.Their website…
Talker: Twins in fun, awkward position
On July 30, barely a week ago, the Twins made an early-morning trade of lefthanded pitcher Jaime Garcia to the Yankees. Garcia, who made just…
Minnesota, Wisconsin sports fans reach for common ground
Minnesota and Wisconsin fans don't agree on much when it comes to local sports. (They do agree on a lot of things in life, since…
Margins are razor-thin for Twins, Vikings
Relying on aging Colon, ailing Reiff puts both teams in precarious positions.
Opener of P.J. Fleck TV series informative without any bombshells
The opening montage from Wednesday's debut episode on ESPNU of "Being P.J. Fleck," the four-part series chronicling the new Gophers football coach, suggested we might…
Darko Milicic deals with the 'bust' label
In this modern era of sports, where every season that doesn't end in a championship is considered by some to be a failure and every…
Chattanooga OF pitched in 21st inning — and got the win
Max Murphy hadn't pitched since he was a senior at Cooper in 2011
The Twins bullpen was destined to fail
The Twins stayed in or near first place in the AL Central for 3 ½ months this season thanks to a combination of strong defense, adequate…
Remember Eric Fox? A's do it again 25 years later
If you have an interest in the symmetry of history, you can't help but pay attention to the events of Saturday and exactly 25 years ago Saturday between the Twins and Athletics.
When the umpire has had enough
The 2002 MLB All-Star Game infamously ended in a tie when the American League and National League both ran out of pitchers.That event had a…
TV set on wheels gets rolling in test for upcoming Super Bowl
Testing of NFL Network's MediaCruiser, a portable set on wheels, to use during the Super Bowl was underway last week.
Five things to know about newest Twin Jaime Garcia
The Twins' on-again, off-again deal to acquire pitcher Jaime Garcia from the Braves switched back to "on" when the trade was finalized Monday. Garcia gives…
Kyrie Irving-Andrew Wiggins trade rumors show Wolves' pecking order
We've had a few days to digest the news that 1) Kyrie Irving wants out of Cleveland and 2) the Timberwolves are one of four…
Target Field flyover during Twins game lives up to hype
On Sunday, staff writer Michael Rand had the chance to be in a Blackhawk helicopter for a flyover of Target Field in celebration of Armed Forces Appreciation Day.
Rochester's Henry Miller learning how to ride with the big boys
Henry Miller, 20, a native of nearby Rochester, went to watch the Spring Creek Nationals in Millville with his family when he was 6 and was instantly hooked.
Plan Z: Free agent QB Kirk Cousins could Vikings next season
OK, let's start with the disclaimer: It seems unlikely that Kirk Cousins plays for the Vikings in 2018 because a lot of things would have…
Miguel Sano is hands-down the Twins' most dangerous hitter
Hopefully we can all agree that Miguel Sano, the Twins' only All-Star position player this year and a participant in the Home Run Derby, is…
Foxsports.com chooses video over words
In case you haven't noticed — which means you never regularly visited Foxsports.com in the first place — the website for one of the biggest players in sports is now video-only.
Jake Guentzel brings Stanley Cup to Woodbury
With the Cup at his side, Guentzel enjoyed 'special' day
We know who the Timberwolves are now
A couple weeks ago, Jimmy Butler arrived at the Mall of America for his introductory Timberwolves news conference. Music was blaring and the crowd was…
Twins improved baserunning among reasons for their better record
Here we are at the All-Star break — and, yes, the last two Twins games were a poor way to go into a four-day layoff…
Rand: Twins, Wolves going old by signing Colon and Crawford
Local teams have gone old before with good results: Consider Brett Favre, Jim Thome and several Lynx players. Will the newest old players become part of that lore?
Today's Talker: Topsy-turvy Twins never out of bounce
"Don't bury them until they're dead" is probably the name of a country music or heavy metal song (possibly both, though I'm afraid to look…
What might the finished Wolves roster look like?
Timberwolves coach/personnel boss Tom Thibodeau got to enjoy a one-week victory lap where every Minnesota fan was on board with the plan. It started the…
Today's Talker: Timberwolves moves bring fresh round of dreaded high expectations
If you left town for a long weekend and shut your phone off for three days — stick with me on this, since nobody ever…
Free-agency haul brings back memories of Kevin Garnett trade
When evaluating a franchise like the Timberwolves that has missed the playoffs for 13 consecutive seasons, there are plenty of checkpoints along the way at…
Newest Wolf Jimmy Butler gives out cellphone number to fans and foes alike
Jimmy Butler has the work ethic, skills, defensive acumen and oratory skills to quickly win over a fan base. He already had almost all of…
A look at the Twins' All-Star Game candidates
The MLB All-Star Game, dubbed the midsummer classic, is less than two weeks away. This means a lot of things, and one of them is…
So far, so good this offseason for the Timberwolves
As with any blockbuster trade, the Wolves' deal on Thursday had immediate reactions — most of them leaning heavily toward favoring the Wolves for getting…
RandBall: Southern baseball trip offers mixed results
People in the Atlanta area seem to like baseball enough to justify new ballparks — just not enough to actually fill them up.
Vision can give players competitive edge
Normal good vision for an average citizen is 20/20, defined as being able to see at a distance of 20 feet what should be seen…
Ricky Rubio: An oral history of his Wolves career
Is Ricky Rubio the Timberwolves' point guard of the future or the past? We travel back eight years and then look to the present in an attempt to answer that question and others that define his legacy.
What a long, strange trip it has been for Ricky Rubio and the Wolves
Editor's note: For the much longer, fuller version of this special project, see startribune.com/sports.In a strange recurring daydream, I'm riding in a car in…
Which players would Vikings, Twins and Wolves protect if there were expansion drafts?
The NHL expansion draft is Wednesday, and the Wild's list of protected players was official as of Sunday. Las Vegas can't touch forwards Zach Parise,…
Rand: The Twins' lost weekend: You could see it coming
They also went into the Indians series, because of injuries and a compressed schedule, with a four-game starting pitching rotation that looked as hopeless as the starters of recent seasons.
Draft deep in Tier II talents will help Wolves
We're officially less than one week out from the NBA draft. The mock drafts are ramping up. Most of them are just guesses, and we…
Minnesota finds it hard to resist lure of locals
I get it.It's fun to think about Minnesota natives playing for Minnesota professional teams. It's even worked out in plenty of cases. A few examples:…
Surprise pick of Royce Lewis in draft opens Twins up to second-guessers
In their first draft as Twins bosses, Derek Falvey and co. had a daunting but exciting task: They had to make a choice between every…
Twins have been anything but identical this season
If you still don't quite know what to make of the 2017 Twins, there is probably a good reason: For as good as the first…
RandBall: Toughest No. 1 pick to get right belongs to MLB
While it is possible to get a historically good player with the first overall pick in the MLB draft — let's define that as someone who winds up in the Hall of Fame, just for the sake of simplicity and comparisons — it also is quite possible to wind up with a player who doesn't pan out.
Minnesota adoptees return to Colombia to play hockey, of all things
Despite being the youngest players on the team at age 15, they do have one distinct advantage over their teammates who still live and play hockey in Colombia: the three Minnesotans get to practice on ice.
Twins catcher Chris Gimenez might not be done pitching
The real novelty of Tuesday's 12-3 Twins blowout loss at Seattle was utility player Eduardo Escobar playing catcher.Chris Gimenez pitching? That's old news.Gimenez, normally a…
Mock drafts just might be right about Wolves drafting Florida State's Jonathan Isaac
The MLB, NBA and NHL drafts are all happening within a two-week span of each other this month, with varying levels of participation from Minnesota…
Remembering Twins deals past, and other weekend observations
Three thoughts from the weekend in sports:
Can you win this spelling bee of famous Minnesota athletes?
In an era of autocorrect and instant critiques, nobody is a spelling expert but everyone is a spelling judge.And spelling was at a premium Wednesday…
Rubio seems to be Wolves' best option at point guard but ...
Two reports, both coming from the same New York writer, are enough to at least revisit the Timberwolves' point guard situation heading into the summer.The…
Dare to hope, Twins fans — but do so cautiously
The warm months in Minnesota are better when the MLB team is interesting and competitive. Stop worrying about whether it will last and enjoy it for as long as it does.
North Stars lost in two OTs in Game 7 of 1968 Western Conference finals
During last week's NHL Eastern Conference finals Game 7, a graphic flashed once as the Penguins and Senators prepared to head to double overtime: There…
Numbers tell the story in difference between 2016 and 2017 Twins
Are the Twins for real? Well - a 25-18 record near the end of May is better than a team that was 25-54 on July 1 last season. A look at those numbers and more.
'Still kind of in shock': St. Kate's makes Division III softball nationals
The success of the St. Catherine softball program, including a sweep of neighboring St. Thomas in the super regional, has even the players a bit stunned.
Take note, Timberwolves fans: Warriors aren't going away any time soon
After his team was thoroughly defeated again Monday, capping Golden State’s Western Conference finals sweep and keeping the Warriors undefeated in the postseason, Spurs coach…
NCAA hurt Gophers softball team by sending it on road
This weekend's softball action in Alabama provided a convenient narrative for those who doubted the Gophers softball team and/or thought the NCAA was justified in…
Bottoming out: Should the Wild get real bad to get good again?
Wild owner Craig Leipold has rejected the idea of letting the franchise get so bad that it potentially could rebuild with young stars through the draft. But here's why the concept has some merit.
Twins won't get much rest from here out thanks to so many off days and rainouts
If you felt like the Twins didn't play very much during the first month-and-a-half of this season, you are correct. If you're worried about the…
Is it appropriate for U to rename landmark buildings?
Contained within a recent MinnPost piece by local attorney and University of Minnesota journalism school graduate Marshall Tanick on finances and naming rights at his…
Improved defense the difference in this year's Twins team
After setting out to prove just how huge of a role defense was playing in the Twins' 2017 resurgence and 19-15 start this season, it…
Jose Berrios just might be Twins' most important prospect
By now, Twins fans are more than familiar with the team's young hitting prospects.Miguel Sano is in his third season with the team and is…
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