Recent content from Michael Rand
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…
Thursday's Talker: Minnesota fans can sympathize with those in D.C.
Maybe it's only because we pay particular attention to these things when they actually happen, but it does seem like Minnesota teams have a habit…
In Denver, sell at own risk
It's not uncommon to see a high-demand sporting event these days "sold out," only to find hundreds if not thousands of tickets available on secondary…
As Twins face Chris Sale, little from last time seems familiar
Three thoughts from the weekend in Minnesota sports:• What a difference a year makes. The pitching matchup Sunday between the Twins and Red Sox — Ervin…
Twins' deliberate at-bats benefit team, but foul commissioner's shorter-game wishes
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred will visit Target Field on Friday before the Twins begin a three-game series with the Red Sox. One might…
Twins' Ervin Santana is putting up dominant stats
Somewhat lost in all the home runs hit by the Twins in Tuesday's 9-1 rout: Ervin Santana continued his brilliant start to the 2017 season,…
McShay missed on Mitch Leidner
Around this time a year ago, ESPN's Todd McShay put out his "way too early" mock draft for 2017 NFL first-round picks. Some of it…
Let's mock the 2042 draft
The 2017 NFL draft just ended, which naturally means it's time to start fixating about future drafts. If you haven't already read — or ignored…
The biggest Vikings draft steal of all: Fran Tarkenton
This week, Michael Rand counted down the 25 biggest draft "steals" in Vikings history — a list that encompasses several different eras of the draft and goes all the way back to the Vikings' first draft in 1961.
Ervin just might be second Santana to be a Twins ace
From 2004-07, former Twins pitcher Johan Santana won 70 games, led the American League in strikeouts three times and took home two AL Cy Young…
When Twins draw walks, they often convert into runs, wins
Stymied on offense through four innings Monday night, the Twins once again returned to a lesson that has served them well this young season: Before…
Local sports teams' postseason failures nothing new
Reader Brian Roberts checked in Monday morning with a blast of research that will not improve the moods of Minnesota sports fans but will put…
Dealing with the end of the Wild's season
Wild fans are in different stages of grief after the team's five-game ouster from the playoffs by the Blues.
St. Cloud bowler Brady Stearns tells of his 900 bowling series
Every Tuesday night, 23-year-old Brady Stearns bowls in a league with two friends and his father, Bob, at St. Cloud's Southway Bowl.And most days, Stearns…
Mom from Chaska makes history as hand cyclist at Boston Marathon
Michelle Love won the women's hand cycle race as lone entry.
'His heart was a Ferrari.' Carew, donor's family tell story of transplant
"We know we have one grieving family and one elated family," Rhonda Carew said. "For the grieving family to step forward and seek this out really says a lot about their character as people and a family."
Wild reminds of quiet playoff exits of Minnesota's past
It is impolite to write matter-of-factly about the near-dead while they are still clinging to life. So it is only fair to point out first…
Twins showing signs of life while the Wild nears its final breaths
If we can now look at the evolution of this Wild-Blues series with the benefit of hindsight, it's becoming clear that Game 1 was a damaging loss in so many ways.
How high and who Wolves will draft remain unsettled as of yet
The NBA regular season is over. That means we know more than we used to about the June draft, though we don’t know anything really…
Globetrotter Zeus McClurkin loves his job, playing for smiles
When Zeus McClurkin was a little kid, he hoped one day to hold a Guinness world record. There was just one problem."Everything was so outlandish,"…
Leading — a near-liability
When they write the book about the failings of the 2016-17 Timberwolves (please don't let there be a book), it could certainly go in chronological…
Twins are worth watching, analyzing
Three hours on Sunday solidified a few notions about these suddenly fundamentally sound, 5-1 Twins. Let's take a spin through five of them:
Success just didn't register for the Wild of 2006-07
Members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins — the only team in the NFL's Super Bowl era to go undefeated, including playoffs, for an entire season…
Twins, Wolves kindred spirits on progress
Basketball and baseball are different.(You're welcome for that clarification. If you had been confused all of these years, trying to bat a ball through a…
The new and improved Ricky Rubio
During March, as the Timberwolves' slim playoff hopes faded and fans began thinking more about the NCAA tournament, the draft lottery and better days ahead,…
Let's do a quick U review
With four of the Gophers' highest-profile teams having just finished their seasons while a fifth embarks on an interesting transition under a new head coach,…
Ready or not, Twins on deck
After a stretch of gray days in the Twin Cities, it might be hard to believe that Opening Day for the Twins — which, in…
Best- and worst-case scenarios for Minnesota pro sports teams
This feels like a vulnerable time for Minnesota pro sports teams, with a wide range of possible outcomes that could dictate each team's future. As…
Latavius Murray a better fit for Vikings than Peterson
Latavius Murray is a good running back who topped 1,000 yards in 2015 for the Raiders. Adrian Peterson is a future Hall of Famer who…
Rand: Using figures to figure out Wiggins/Towns, Park and Dubnyk
Here are a few numbers of note as we work our way through March:
Repeating success is far from guaranteed
As we get older, allegedly we get wiser. We're perhaps not necessarily smarter but rather have gained enough repetitions in life to understand patterns that…
Speaking of Gonzaga …
As Gonzaga plays in its 19th consecutive NCAA men's basketball tournament — dispatching first-round foe South Dakota State on Thursday — Yahoo has an interesting…
LaVine's negative impact on Wolves' win-loss record when he's playing is puzzling
After all the sifting, sorting and calculating are finished, sports tends to be very bottom-line oriented.Did you win or did you lose?For the Timberwolves this…
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