Post Bulletin Sports Podcast

Isaac Trotter and Erich Fisher go series-by-series and break down the NBA Playoffs. All eyes will be on LeBron vs. Steph in the play-in tournament. The Western Conference is loaded but the Eastern Conference might have the best first-round series of them all. Predictions, breakdowns and projections on which guys could make a name for themselves when the lights shine brightest.

Pat Ruff and Isaac Trotter break down the Timberwolves' recent hot streak and the optimism surrounding the franchise after Anthony Edwards' promising rookie season, KAT's resurgence and the surprise of Jaden McDaniels. Pat and Isaac discuss the changes that Chris Finch has made and how they can keep the momentum going. Plus, they look ahead to the potential of adding a Jalen Suggs to the roster and what that could mean to end the rebuild.

Guy Limbeck and Isaac Trotter break down all the angles surrounding the Vikings on the eve of the NFL Draft, including top positions of need and the guys they could get early in the draft or in the middle rounds. Plus, they discuss the possibility of an Alabama wide receiver or Justin Fields potentially dropping to 14 and what the Vikings could do in that dream scenario. 

Pat Ruff and Isaac Trotter break down the early impressions of new Gophers men's basketball coach Ben Johnson and get into what the roster could look like in 2020-21. Pat and Isaac circle two graduate transfers that they really like the most and look at what the holes in the roster are right now and what positions the staff should target. Isaac has doubts whether a transfer-laden team can compete in the Big Ten next season, while Pat looks ahead to another local high school prospect that Minnesota has to land if its serious about keeping in-state talent home.

It's State Championship Saturday. Hayfield will play Hancock at 1 p.m. at the Target Center for the Class A crown. Waseca and Caledonia will clash in the Class AA finals at 3 p.m. Sports reporter Isaac Trotter broke down the film for Hancock and Waseca. Stay tuned for a in-depth look at each starter and what they will bring on the floor. Can Ethan Slaathaug and Isaac Matti lead the Vikings to their first state title? Waseca is stockpiled with elite talent, but Caledonia is playing exceptional basketball. Even without Eli King, the Warriors have a chance to win a title. They'll need their top-6 guys to keep playing at a high level if they want to pull it off.

Isaac Trotter and Guy Limbeck break down all the angles between Hayfield's run to the Class A semifinals and look ahead to their Final Four matchup with Badger/Greenbush-Middle River. Can anyone stop Ethan Slaathaug? Then, they also break down Caledonia vs. Minneapolis North in the Class AA semifinals and give their predictions for both games. 

Chicago's 670 The Score Producer Jake Hasan joins Isaac Trotter to look ahead to the glorious start of baseball season and break down X-Factors for every single team. Highly-touted prospect Alex Kirilloff is not going to start Opening Day with the Twins, but he'll be a major factor down the stretch. Christian Yelich getting back to MVP form would be huge for the Brewers' hopes, but they also need another pair of outfielders to step up. Could the Royals be potentially in the mix for a little rise thanks to their young pitching? And what do the Cubs do with Kris Bryant? And will the Cardinals be able to survive losses to Dakota Hudson and Miles Mikolas? To wrap up the show, Jake and Isaac take a look at a few overs and unders that could potentially be valuable and Jacob DeGrom's longshot MVP odds.

Isaac Trotter breaks down everything that happened across southeastern Minnesota sports last night. Austin and Byron both took care of business in the Section 1AAA quarterfinals, while Kasson-Mantorville got a big performance from Jace Bigelow in a 10-point win over Simley. Isaac also breaks down the Section 1A bracket where Hayfield, Lyle/Pacelli and Southland flexed their muscles. On the wrestling mat, Kasson-Mantorville and GMLOS both had strong performances in the opening round of the individual section wrestling tournament. Isaac takes a look-ahead at the wrestling Super Sectionals and the upcoming Section basketball pairings.

Isaac Trotter recaps the wild night of playoff basketball, headlined by St. Charles' Kooper Vaughn going off for 61 points in an upset win over Triton, Will Tschetter putting up 40 and No. 12 Wabasha-Kellogg stunning No. 5 Spring Grove in Section 1A basketball. Isaac also touches on some of southeastern Minnesota's girls basketball results and the first round of the section hockey tournaments. 

Isaac Trotter and Guy Limbeck go around Section 1 boys basketball and break down the tournaments. Century is pesky in Section 1AAAA and Mayo is hoping to make a run. Section 1AAA feels like a two-team race between Austin and Byron. Caledonia and Stewartville headline a loaded Section 1AA tournament. And any of five or six teams could come out on top in Section 1A.  

Pat Ruff and Isaac Trotter go around Section 1A, 1AA, 1AAA and 1AAAA to break down who has the inside edge in each section. The Section 1AA tournament could be extra delicious thanks to the standout teams like Cotter, Stewartville, Lake City, Goodhue and Plainview-Elgin-Millville. Can Mayo pull off a huge upset in Section 1AAAA and is Kasson-Mantorville going to cruise in Section 1AAA? 

Pat, Mike and John Ruff all join Isaac Trotter to bask in the glory of the return of March Madness. They go region-by-region and give their favorites, sleepers and teams to watch. Then, they each give their way-too-early picks for a Final Four and a champion.

Isaac Trotter breaks down the Section 1A, 1AA and 1AAA wrestling tournaments. In Section 1A, Chatfield, Zumbrota-Mazeppa, Dover-Eyota and GMLOS are the favorites, but Goodhue could factor in as well. Section 1AA is going to be a high-level showdown between Kasson-Mantorville and Simley, but Lake City could be interesting too. Mayo is hoping to make a deep run in Section 1AAA. Marshall Peters, Calder Sheehan and the crew will have their hands full. 

Isaac Trotter breaks down everything that happened Thursday across southeastern Minnesota athletics and hands out three stars of the night. Byron's Jake Braaten cracks 1,000 career points in a big win over La Crescent. Mayo boys hockey edged Century 4-3 and so much more. 

Isaac Trotter and Pat Ruff break down the Timberwolves' decision to fire Ryan Saunders and replace him with Toronto assistant Chris Finch. Pat believes the decision was the right move but also how it shows how cutthroat the NBA can be. Plus, a breakdown of why it didn’t work for Saunders and what the Wolves can show by the end of the year. Hint: the defense has to get right.

Pat Ruff and Isaac Trotter break down the Gophers' struggles throughout the last month and decipher what they could do to turn the season around. Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Brandon Johnson have been major bright spots, but Liam Robbins doesn't look the same after the ankle injury, and the loss of Gabe Kalscheur really impacts hte defensive end. Then, they debate if Richard Pitino should keep the job if the Gophers don't make the NCAA Tournament and who could be his replacement. 

The 2020 NBA Draft class looks special. Isaac Trotter is joined by the Post Bulletin's digital content producer and NBA super-analyst Erich Fisher to break down all the talented rookies. Isaac and Erich break down the rookies into separate tiers. Like LaMelo Ball, James Wiseman and Anthony Edwards who have shown they might be franchise players already. Or others like Patrick Williams, Saddiq Bey and Tyrese Haliburton who are going to play in the league for a long time. Some rookies need to show more (looking at you, Cole Anthony and Isaac Okoro) and plenty have been way better than expected, like the Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels. 

Isaac Trotter and Guy Limbeck break down some of the early takeaways from the HVL, Big Nine, Three Rivers and Southeast Conferences. They then get into some of the breakout performers and preview Friday's Byron/Stewartville heavyweight showdown. 

Isaac Trotter and Pat Ruff go around southeastern Minnesota and give their early observations for boys and girls basketball. Pat thinks that the HVL will be one of the most competitive conferences for girls basketball due to the strength of Kasson-Mantorville, Goodhue, Lake City, Stewartville and others. Isaac breaks down the boys' side of things. He has an observation for almost every HVL team, including Byron who is off to a fantastic start. Then, he touches on some of the big storylines in the Three Rivers like Lewiston-Altura's depth, Caledonia's absurd winning streak and how Eli King's injury changes the game. Finally, they touch on some of the early observations from the Rochester-area teams, including the terrific Mayo girls' team and Century's eye-opening showing against Owatonna.

Isaac Trotter, Guy Limbeck and Pat Ruff pick a 5-member team from the pool of super talented girls basketball players in the southeastern Minnesota area. The debate starts at the top between John Marshall's Lilly Meister or Plainview-Elgin-Millville's Macy Holtz. It doesn't get easier in the following rounds.

Jason Feldman, Guy Limbeck, Pat Ruff and Isaac Trotter all converge to draft a 5-man fantasy basketball team for the upcoming 2021 season. Jason earned the first pick so he had the tough choice between Will Tschetter or Eli King. Isaac leans heavily into the pool of talent in the Three Rivers Conference. Pat loves the talent on Byron. Guy Limbeck puts together a terrific squad too. 

Isaac Trotter and Guy Limbeck hand out their end-of-the-season awards for the Vikings, including most valuable offensive player, most valuable defensive player, most improved, most disappointing, etc...

The guys hit on the Vikings' next steps for the offseason, what position groups need to be upgraded the most and what the Vikings should do with big-name guys like Kyle Rudolph and Anthony Harris.

Pat Ruff and Isaac Trotter break down the Gophers' recent hot streak, including the win over Iowa and the beatdown of Michigan State. They marvel over the All-American-like play from Marcus Carr and the resurgence of Liam Robbins. They recalibrate their expectations for this Minnesota squad and re-rank where they think they could fit in the loaded Big Ten.  Then, Pat and Isaac chat for a little bit at the end of the podcast about the Timberwolves 2-1 start. 

Guy Limbeck and Isaac Trotter break down the Vikings' surprising turnaround and give their takes on if they can make it into the playoffs.

Pat Ruff and Isaac Trotter give their takeaways from the Gophers' 5-0 start, including Both Gach's huge impact. They also touch on the Big Ten's dominance over the ACC in the 2020 ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

They break down Jamal Mashburn Jr.'s emergence, why Liam Robbins could be turning a corner and question whether Gabe Kalscheur can find his jumper again.

Later in the podcast, Isaac and Pat chat about the depth of the Big Ten and which teams are legit or just fool's gold.

Isaac Trotter, Pat Ruff and Guy Limbeck draft a 10-man Fantasy Football team using players from around southeastern Minnesota. Pat takes Eli King but decides that he could potentially play him at wide receiver, if necessary while hammering the defensive picks early. Guy loads up on first-team All-Area selections. Isaac waits until the last second to take a quarterback and instead stockpiles a bunch of offensive studs. 

Isaac Trotter and Pat Ruff break down the Timberwolves' shrewd moves in the NBA Draft. They discuss how Anthony Edwards fits with the roster and what the potential starting lineup could look like. Then, they get into the trade for Ricky Rubio. Pat wonders what the true upside is for Rubio, while Isaac believes that Rubio could get the best out of D'Angelo Russell just like he did with Donovan Mitchell and Devin Booker. The Wolves took two big swings late in the first round, but Isaac was mad they didn't go after R.J. Hampton. Pat breaks down what it was like watching the draft with his two sons, who even got into a fight when the Wolves didn't draft a guy that one of them wanted.

Isaac Trotter and Pat Ruff break down all the different angles regarding the Timberwolves on the eve of the 2020 NBA Draft. LaMelo Ball or Anthony Edwards at No. 1? Pat is scared that Ball will be the choice, while Isaac sees the upside of swinging for the fences. Should the Wolves trade the No. 17 pick alongside Jarrett Culver for the Hawks' No. 6 pick? Who should they target in the middle of the first round and with their early second-round pick? All that and more on this episode of the Post Bulletin Sports Podcast

Isaac Trotter and Guy Limbeck break down the tough-to-swallow news that the football season is over for multiple programs including Caledonia, Hayfield, Zumbrota-Mazeppa and others. They give the latest updates to whether the Rochester schools will get one more game and what a potential Section tournament could look like. They also break down the Week 6 scores, including Byron's great showing against Mayo, Century's tough loss to New Prague and Cannon Falls' huge win over P-E-M. They also chat about the potentially tough choices that could be in store for the Post Bulletin's all-area football team.

Isaac Trotter and Guy Limbeck go game-by-game and break down the entire Week 5 slate of high school football. They break down big wins by Mayo, Century, John Marshall and Lourdes. Then, they also touch on incredible performances from Lanesboro, Cannon Falls and Kasson-Mantorville. They also touch on the remarkable individual performances of the week.

Isaac Trotter breaks down what the Section 1 playoffs will look like. In 9-man football (0:33), Grand Meadow looks like the No. 1 seed, but Lanesboro, Southland, Houston and LeRoy-Ostrander all have the talent to compete. In Section 1A (4:57), it looks like Blooming Prairie's to lose, but Randolph is having a resurgent season. But could COVID affect the Awesome Blossoms' chances? Caledonia owns Section 1AA (7:26), but Chatfield, Triton and Kenyon-Wanamingo are all 3-1 right now. Section 1AAA (8:59) could be the most competitive. Lourdes, Pine Island, Stewartville, Waseca and Plainview-Elgin-Millville are all dangerous. Two Byron/Kasson-Mantorville showdowns could be in the mix. Are they the best two teams in Section 1AAAA (13:33)? In Section 1AAAAA (15:15), Mayo, JM and Century are all trying to muscle up and knock off Owatonna. 

Isaac Trotter and Jason Feldman recap a wild Week 4 that saw multiple games get decided at the very last second, and LeRoy-Ostrander makes some national news. Lourdes' stuns Stewartville on the last play. Goodhue wins in a wild overtime. Caledonia wins No. 71 in a row. They recap it all. Isaac and Jason hand out stars to Friday's top-5 performers and look ahead to a trio of ridiculously good games on Saturday. 

Isaac Trotter hands out the midseason awards for high school football (1:20). Isaac decides who's been the best quarterback through three weeks, along with the best running back, best wide receiver, best offensive line, best defense and most improved players. Then, the debut of Coaches Corner, a segment with two of the top football coaches in the area. Caledonia's Carl Fruechte (11:42) breaks down the matchup with Chatfield, the joys of being back on the gridiron, Eli King's move to quarterback and Casey Schultz's outstanding play. Chatfield coach Jeff Johnson then hops on (21:54) to discuss his Gophers' outstanding 3-0 start, the challenge of playing Caledonia, how this game is a measuring stick for his program and how they could snap Caledonia's 70-game winning streak. Finally, Isaac looks over the entire Week 4 slate (30:31) and gives the lowdown on which games the Post Bulletin will be covering this weekend.

Isaac Trotter and Jason Feldman break down everything that happened in Friday’s high school football games, including John Marshall hanging tough with Mayo, and Kasson-Mantorville winning on a buzzer-beater. They also look ahead at some of Saturday's big games and Week 4 matchups that we can't wait for. 

Isaac Trotter hosts a solo podcast and goes team by team and asks, "Which quarterback would you rather have? Kirk Cousins or ____." Cousins or Matt Stafford? Cousins or Matt Ryan? Cousins or Baker Mayfield? The exercise shows where the Vikings are in relation to the rest of the league.

Isaac Trotter and Jason Feldman break down the entire Week 2 slate of high school football in southeastern Minnesota. A high-level clash between Stewartville and Caledonia sadly gets postponed due to COVID. Byron breaks out in a big way with a win over Winona. Mayo uses a stellar passing attack to beat Century 34-14. Grand Meadow cruises past Spring Grove. Everything you need to know about Week 2's solid games. 

Isaac Trotter and Guy Limbeck break down the Vikings/Colts game. Five scary Colts. The keys to the game. Matchups to watch and picks from the entire Week 2 slate. 

Isaac Trotter and Pat Ruff discuss the potential return of football and volleyball in Minnesota. They break down which teams could benefit from the return and what some of the coaches are saying and if they're optimistic that the MSHSL will let football and volleyball get back on the field. Then, Pat and Isaac also chat about the Big Ten's decision to reverse course and start college football. Finally, they close the podcast by chatting a touch about the scheduled start of college basketball season. 

Isaac Trotter, Jason Feldman and Guy Limbeck break down the Vikings' embarrassing season-opening loss to the Packers. How dangerous is a peeved Aaron Rodgers right now? What is wrong with Zimmer's defense? Is next week's Colts game a must-win? Isaac is frustrated with Pat Elflein's play. Jason wonders if Mike Hughes does anything right. Guy refuses to jump ship quite yet.

Jason Feldman and Isaac Trotter first start by talking about 9/11 and the impact it still has to this day. Then they break down everything you need to know about the Vikings and Packers Week 1 showdown. They go through five guys on the Packers that the Vikings should be scared about. They break down the matchups to watch and discuss whether Justin Jefferson will get a lot of run on Sunday. Finally, they go game-by-game and pick against the spread for the entire Week 1 NFL slate. 

Isaac Trotter and Guy Limbeck break down the Vikings' 53-man roster. They list the strengths of the roster and also look at which position gives them the most pause. Isaac and Guy give their takes about Danielle Hunter's move to IR and the trade for Jacksonville edge-rusher Yannick Ngakoue. With the season just a short three days away, they also touch on some of the big news from around the NFC North, including Mitch Trubisky winning the Bears' starting QB job and the Lions adding Adrian Peterson. 

Isaac Trotter and Pat Ruff break down the Gophers' outstanding offseason. Isaac and Pat chat about the upside of Liam Robbins and how Marcus Carr and Both Gach could potentially play together. They rank the impacts of the three transfers and Pat gushes about his boy David Mutaf. Finally, they take a look at each team that finished above Minnesota in the Big Ten standings last year and decide whether the Gophers have passed them up. 

The Timberwolves jumped up and snagged the No. 1 pick in the NBA Lottery. Now, they have all the control. Isaac Trotter and Pat Ruff break down some of the top-tier targets like Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball. Plus, who the Timberwolves could target at 17 and 33. Daniel Oturu potentially? Isaac and Pat have a slight disagreement over LaMelo Ball and also chat about what the Timberwolves could do to potentially trade the pick. 

Pat Ruff and Isaac Trotter break down the MSHSL's decision to move football and volleyball back to the spring. There are a lot of questions but not a ton of answers. Pat talks about what his decision will be like and if he will let his sons play sports this season. Isaac and Pat discuss whether or not winter sports will start on time and the complex decision the MSHSL had to endure.

Guy Limbeck and Isaac Trotter chat baseball and break down the top 10 lineups in baseball. The Twins' Bomb Squad is in the mix for No. 1. The Astros, Yankees and Dodgers are locks to make the list. But there was some controversy with filling out the rest of the list.

No. 1 and No. 14 are easy. But the rest is so up in the air. Here are the Big Ten quarterback rankings. The hopes of Ohio State rest on the arm of Justin Fields. Minnesota will go as far as Tanner Morgan takes them. Sean Clifford is the heart and soul of Penn State. Brandon Peters, Adrian Martinez, Jack Coan and Michael Penix Jr. are just some of the middle-of-the-pack quarterbacks that are trying to take their teams on the next big jump. You can send all hate mail on the rankings to Jason Feldman, sports editor of the Post Bulletin. 

Isaac Trotter and Jason Feldman break down the Vikings roster and go position-by-position to hand out the 53-man roster projections. Then at the 31-minute mark, they go over The Athletic's QB Tiers piece. Kirk Cousins is in the third tier and he comes in at No. 15 overall. Is that fair? Is that where he should be? Then, the evaluators just trolled the Chicago Bears with their comments on both Nick Foles and Mitch Trubisky. 

Isaac Trotter and Guy Limbeck are elated to finally talk about a real baseball season. It's seven days away, so they break down the Minnesota Twins and their chances in the AL Central. The guys go division-by-division and hand out their predictions. Will the Twins hold off the White Sox and the dreaded Indians? Then, they wrap up with a 10-round draft where they each select 10 teams with the hopes of compiling a group that wins the most games in 2020. 

Isaac Trotter and Guy Limbeck discuss Iowa offering Caledonia guard Eli King and Stewartville forward Will Tschetter on the same day. They dive into Eli King's decision on whether he'll play basketball or football at the next level and why Iowa is a really good fit for his skillset. They break down Will Tschetter's offers and decide which school has the best potential fit for him. What would a potential duo of Liam Robbins and Tschetter look like in Minnesota's frontcourt? But will Juwan Howard and the allure of Michigan be too good to pass up? They also chat about how southeast Minnesota has turned into a basketball hotbed.

Isaac Trotter and Pat Ruff discuss Both Gach's decision to transfer to Minnesota. Pat tells stories of watching the former Austin star duke it out against the Hurt brothers at John Marshall, and he also details why Gach wanted to come home. Pat and Isaac break down everything about Gach's commitment, like what he will add to the roster, what his ceiling is, and how he changes Minnesota's backcourt. Isaac tells his funny Marcus Carr story, and Pat has the tough choice of deciding if Gach or Liam Robbins will make a bigger impact. Then, the guys get into a broader chat about Big Ten Hoops. Where will Minnesota finish in the Big Ten? Finally, Isaac details his three tiers of Big Ten hoops and Pat pushes back about the offseason love for Wisconsin.