Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look at the Twins, who have been buried and revived a few times already this year. They are in a comeback cycle after sweeping the Giants over the weekend to pull within two games of Cleveland. With some key players perhaps returning soon from injury, it should be a fun stretch run.

Rand expresses pessimism -- perhaps prematurely -- about the Vikings after looking at their depth in the preseason. In a role reversal, Reusse is still in wait-and-see mode.

And Reusse caught up recently with former Gophers football coach Jerry Kill, who brings his New Mexico State squad to town against P.J. Fleck's Gophers on Thursday.

Introduction: Host Michael Rand goes "micro" on a couple of fringe moves by the Vikings and Twins on Thursday. First, he takes note of the Vikings' decision to keep rookie punter Ryan Wright instead of veteran Jordan Berry. How does it impact kicker Greg Joseph, who had Berry as his holder all of last season? Plus the Twins signed veteran outfielder Billy Hamilton to a minor league contract. Rand wonders why the Twins didn't make any sort of outfield depth move even sooner.

10:00: Wild General Manager Bill Guerin joins the show with a free-flowing conversation from the State Fair. Guerin touches on the dicey offseason situation involving Kirill Kaprizov, how he and head coach Dean Evason have changed their postgame communication and expectations he has for young players trying to stick on this year's roster.

27:00: Wolves forward Taurean Prince was arrested Thursday; former Minnehaha Academy standout and No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren is going to miss the entire NBA season with a foot injury.

Introduction: One of the hardest things for an "expert" to admit is that they don't know something. But when it comes to the 2022 Vikings, we are dealing with such incomplete information heading into the season that anyone trying to predict how the year will go is ripe with overconfidence. The nature of everything that has transpired this offseason means we are in for surprises when the year actually starts.

9:00: Star Tribune Minnesota United beat writer Jerry Zgoda joins host Michael Rand for a look at the red-hot Loons. They've scored 25 goals in their past 10 matches, losing just once in that span, after averaging about a goal per game until that point. Can United sustain that going forward?

21:00: Rocco Baldelli wants the Twins to play loose. Is that the problem, or do they just not have enough talent in the lineup right now with all the injuries?

26:00: Patrick Beverley is on the move to the Lakers.

Introduction: Ejections were the norm during the Ron Gardenhire era, as the Twins manager either led the American League outright or tied for the league lead in ejections every year from 2006-2011. Rocco Baldelli has tended to be much more mild-mannered, but lately he has been positively Gardy-esque. On Tuesday he was ejected for the second time this month and fourth time this season after being tossed just six times combined in his first three seasons as a manager.

7:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins joins host Michael Rand for a look at Byron Buxton and another stint on the injured list and thoughts on the Vikings' acquisition of Nick Mullens as their presumed backup quarterback.

28:00: Mullens met with the media on Tuesday and vowed to be focused on the task at hand.

Introduction: Host Michael Rand is disturbed by the latest Byron Buxton injury news on a couple of fronts. First, the fact that he had to leave Monday's game with hip soreness is a bad sign for the Twins as they try to hang around in the American League Central race. Second, if the Twins haven't been forthright about all of Buxton's injury problems this season they aren't doing anyone a favor.

9:00: Star Tribune Vikings writer Andrew Krammer joins Rand to dissect the Monday trade for quarterback Nick Mullens. Though nothing is official in the depth chart, Mullens presumably will be the No. 2 quarterback behind Kirk Cousins, ending an underwhelming camp battle between second-year QB Kellen Mond and veteran Sean Mannion.

26:00: Speaking of QBs, Tom Brady is back while Aaron Rodgers is still being himself.

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look at the impotent Twins' offense. Minnesota was shut out 7-0 by the Rangers on Sunday, and a look at the lineup reveals a lot of players who just shouldn't scare opposing pitchers that much. With a tough slate of games coming up, the Twins will need to revitalize their hitting to stay in the AL Central race.

Plus Reusse gives his pitch for why Cesar Tovar was such a deserving inductee into the Twins Hall of Fame and who else needs to get in soon.

And both Rand and Reusse offer solutions to the Vikings' backup QB problem.

Introduction: Host Michael Rand rips into the NFL for the negotiated suspension of DeShaun Watson that will bring him back just in time to face his former team in Houston. And Watson himself doesn't seem to have learned anything given the nature of his contradictory words on Thursday.

6:00: Star Tribune columnist La Velle E. Neal III joins the show to talk through the potential impact of Tyler Mahle's shoulder problems with the Twins. Even after a clean MRI on Thursday, there is concern about his availability. Plus Neal has thoughts on Kirk Cousins and the Timberwolves.

27:00: Big money for the Big Ten.

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes note of Twins starter Tyler Mahle's early departure from Wednesday's game. Mahle, acquired at the trade deadline, had a dip in velocity. And just before the Twins acquired him, Mahle went three weeks between starts with a shoulder strain. How concerning should this be for a team with a history of acquiring injured pitchers?

9:00: Gophers football writer Randy Johnson joins Rand for a breakdown of that team's strengths and weaknesses so far during camp. With just two weeks before the season opener, it sounds like the defense is ahead of the offense.

20:00: Vikings QB Kirk Cousins was feisty in his return to practice on Wednesday.

25:00: A new standalone Bally Sports app will be available to BSN customers starting Sept. 26, but is the $19.99 monthly price tag too steep?

Introduction: Even as the Twins have spent most of this season either in first place or contending for an AL Central title, the vibe has been negative. So let's spend some time after a 9-0 win over the Royals to highlight three players who have stood out for the Twins so far this season (and did so again on Tuesday).

7:00: Star Tribune Lynx writer Kent Youngblood joins host Michael Rand for a look back on a disappointing season. At 14-22, the Lynx missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010. Big changes are on the way with legendary center Sylvia Fowles retiring. How long will it take the Lynx to return to prominence?

23:00: The Lynx used to be the default pick for Minnesota team most likely to win a championship in the next five years, but that's no longer the case. Now? The Wild and Wolves are at the top of that conversation.

28:00: Sounds like Aaron Rodgers doesn't love his young wide receivers.

Introduction: You are forgiven if you had an impending sense of doom as the 9th inning unfolded for the Twins on Friday. After blowing Saturday's game against the lowly Angels, things were slipping away against the Royals. But this time, All-Star closer Jorge Lopez induced a huge double play to preserve a 4-2 win. Max Kepler had three hits, breaking a huge slump. And the scoreboard watching, which will be a feature of the rest of the season, continued.

8:00: Vikings writer Andrew Krammer joins host Michael Rand for a breakdown of Sunday's first preseason game. There was a lot to like, including a two-touchdown performance from QB Kellen Mond. Did Mond do enough to re-emerge in the backup QB race? Who else showed flashes? And what areas are still concerns as the preseason rolls on?

26:00: Rand takes note of a key pass rush stat that the Vikings will need to improve upon this season.