Happy Hour with John Gaskins

The Happy Hour host and Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer get together for their weekly "Thirsty Thursday" local sports chat at Orion Pub.   The two recap the South Dakota State women's statement-making road win at SLT No. 1 seed North Dakota State, becoming the first league team to beat the Bison this season.   Then, there was the South Dakota men's blazing, almost-out-of-nowhere 89-72 w...

ohn Elway led  "The Drive."     Dwight Clark made  "The Catch."   And in South Dakota State's rich history at the Summit League Tournament in Sioux Falls, Michael Orris hit  "The Shot."   It is one of those iconic moments in sports (around here) that, if you mention Orris's name, the first thing that would come to mind for about 99.9% of people who know Jackrabbits or SLT history is "The Shot."  ...

How do you know when it is time?   That's the big question involving the "R" word for so many people, and 61-year-old Derek Robey decided now is the time to retire as a head coach in high school basketball after spending his entire 40-year career in that role — the last 21 at O'Gorman in Sioux Falls.   It is also the question on the Happy Hour host's mind when it comes to when is the right time to...

The Happy Hour host reacts to the latest Mountain West Conference news for  North Dakota State football — a partial schedule release for 2026, identifying which MWC teams the Bison will play, which ones are coming to the Fargodome, and which destinations they'll head.   Let's just say it should make SDSU and USD fans think about living in that world. Wouldn't it be nice to watch the Jackrabbits an...

How do you know when it is time?   That's the big question involving the "R" word for so many people, and 61-year-old Derek Robey decided now is the time to retire as a head coach in high school basketball after spending his entire 40-year career in that role — the last 21 at O'Gorman in Sioux Falls.   It is also the question on the Happy Hour host's mind when it comes to when is the right time to...

So, North Dakota State's men and women have clinched the No. 1 seed in the Summit League Tournament.    Does that take away the luster from Wednesday's women's showdown between the Bison and South Dakota State, or from both the men's and women's "State vs U" games between the Jackrabbits and Coyotes on Saturday?   Absolutely not, said veteran Summit League reporter Matt Zimmer, the Sioux Falls Liv...

It wasn't a miracle, but it sure was a thrill.    The USA men's hockey team provided a Sunday morning spine-tingler for the ages. It wasn't just  that  they won, but  how  they won that was so endearing — especially to those who don't watch hockey regularly.   The Happy Hour host is one of those people and leads Monday's show with that angle, then celebrates a clutch if not monumental win for Augu...

The Summit League men's and women's basketball tournaments tip off a week from Wednesday.   North Dakota State will be the No. 1 seed in both tourneys. How did both Bison teams climb to the top?    In beating North Dakota on Saturday, did the South Dakota State men find their formula for a three-day rally in Sioux Falls? If so, is there reason to believe they'll follow it for three games?   What a...

Fans want to be entertained, and losing doesn't entertain them.   It is a simple but true statement, especially if your squad draws the biggest crowds in its league.   That's why Long Island native Ryan Cruthers has taken on a bullish approach to restore the order for the Sioux Falls Stampede — regularly the USHL's attendance leader but a non-playoff outfit in the three years before he arrived in...

Fans want to be entertained, and losing doesn't entertain them.   It is a simple but true statement, especially if your squad draws the biggest crowds in its league.   That's why Long Island native Ryan Cruthers has taken on a bullish approach to restore the order for the Sioux Falls Stampede — regularly the USHL's attendance leader but a non-playoff outfit in the three years before he arrived in...

, South Dakota State's men's basketball team played Summit League leader North Dakota State  in front of 3,619 fans at FB&T Arena on Wednesday. The underdog Jackrabbits leaped to an early lead before a late first half run sprung the Bison on their way to a 74-66 win.   SDSU has lost six of its last eight games, with three of those losses coming in a building that had been one of the 10 toughest in...

Round 2 of of this season's Augustana vs USF hoops will be waged in Augie's Elmen Center on Saturday, and both the men's and women's games will have an impact on where things sit for all four teams heading into next week's Northern Sun conference tournament.    The Cougar men will be coming off one of the best individual performances in school history — true freshman Brogan Madson's 45-point barra...

For a decade, North Dakota State officials, (some) Bison fans, and prominent Fargo media dreamed of the Bison graduating from the dominance of the FCS to a new life in higher stakes FBS.   Now, it is a reality, with the "pinch me" moment coming on Tuesday, when Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez and other league officials toured Fargo and the NDSU campus on Tuesday and, predictably,  had gl...

For a decade, North Dakota State officials, (some) Bison fans, and prominent Fargo media dreamed of the Bison graduating from the dominance of the FCS to a new life in higher stakes FBS.   Now, it is a reality, with the "pinch me" moment coming on Tuesday, when Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez and other league officials toured Fargo and the NDSU campus on Tuesday and, predictably,  had gl...

The former Div. I assistant coach and USF associate head coach — now the Sanford Sports Academy basketball coordinator in Sioux Falls — has been on the call for dozens of local games this season, including Tuesday's showdown between the top two teams in boys Class AA, No. 1 Lincoln and No. 2 Roosevelt.   The Patriots controlled most of the game and won 59-47, making them still the undisputed top t...

"It's about  money!  Just g*****n money!"   The fictitious coach Pete Bell — played by Nick Nolte — said that about high stakes college basketball in the 1994 film about the sport and its scandals,  Blue Chips.   There's no scandal at Sacramento State, but anybody with a brain able to compute deductive reasoning can strongly surmise that the Hornets' acceptance into the illogical geographic non-fi...

By now, anyone who follows college athletics understands the only constant is change, especially when it comes to conference affiliation.   The Summit League has spent most of its 40-plus years in constant flux of teams, but the current stable of teams seems to make the most sense for, well, stability in both the opinion of Zim and the host.   And yet, there's a horse that appears to be huffing an...

"It's about  money!  Just g*****n money!"   The fictitious coach Pete Bell — played by Nick Nolte — said that about high stakes college basketball in the 1994 film about the sport and its scandals,  Blue Chips.   There's no scandal at Sacramento State, but anybody with a brain able to compute deductive reasoning can strongly surmise that the Hornets' acceptance into the illogical geographic non-fi...

How do we even begin to describe how big of a gargantuan, monster, mondo, monumental, mammoth, seismic whopper of a deal Monday was for Sioux Falls?   The city's fourth-largest employer and one of the largest meat packing plants in the nation is moving its 117-year-old operation from the precipice of downtown Sioux Falls and next to the city's namesake and No. 1 tourist attraction — where, frankly...

Matt Vitzthum called his shot early in his "Hello, World" press conference introducing and celebrating him as South Dakota's new head football coach.   He called it and he immediately delivered.   "If you don't like to see a grown man cry," Vitzthum said, "you might want to leave the room."   Laughter ensued. Nobody left. And Vitzthum cried, almost on cue.  Looking at his wife Alyssa and two young...

Schemmel goes deep in walking through the 72 hours after Johansen broke Schemmel the news of his new job.   This included turning his basement into a head coaching search bunker, but it wasn't much of a search. Schemmel's account includes the emotional meetings with Johansen, Vitzthum, and both together before Johansen took off for New Jersey.    Both of the head coaches Schemmel has hired in the...

Matt Vitzthum called his shot early in his "Hello, World" press conference introducing and celebrating him as South Dakota's new head football coach.   He called it and he immediately delivered.   "If you don't like to see a grown man cry," Vitzthum said, "you might want to leave the room."   Laughter ensued. Nobody left. And Vitzthum cried, almost on cue.  Looking at his wife Alyssa and two young...

Augustana hockey is the only Div. I sports program that resides in Sioux Falls, and the Vikings, ranked No. 18 nationally and currently sitting in third place in the CCHA, host fourth-place Bowling Green at Midco Arena on Friday and Saturday nights.    These are Augie's final two regular season home games, although the Vikings still have a shot at gaining home ice in the league's tournament, which...

All of sudden, you wake up and it is February. In fact, Mid-February.    If you're a winter sports fan that means  bang , the stretch run is here. Over the next couple weeks, regular season conference championships and league tournament seedings will be sorted out, raising the stakes with each game.   That means even more anticipation with each shot taken, each loose ball or puck lost, every timeo...