Happy Hour with John Gaskins

Brad Newitt, Summit Hoops Analyst (Midco) on USD women's win over SDSU, NDSU's dominance of both men & women (so far) and what to make of Jacks and Yotes men 

We talk to a country boy from Cherokee, Iowa, who blocked for Brett Favre and Kurt Warner in two Super Bowl wins, and two losses. Before that, Adam Timmerman was a two-time All-American offensive lineman for South Dakota State in the early 1990's, when the facilities and the football team were Div. II, and not exactly elite like today. The Cherokee, Iowa, native was  almost  Mr. Irrelevant, a 7th-...

Bring it on. We've been here before. And we came out more than just fine.   That's the tone and truth of the University of South Dakota football program — via its face, voice, and head coach Travis Johansen — following the high-profile transfer portal departures of FCS rushing champion L.J. Phillips (Iowa) and All-MVFC wideout Larenzo Fenner (Cincinnati).   In a 35-minute conversation Happy Hour c...

John and Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer sink their teeth into midseason Summit League hoops on another "Thirsty Thursday" from Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls — particularly the South Dakota State men's loss at Omaha on Wednesday to drop the Jackrabbits to below .500 in conference play. Is it time to sleep on the Jackrabbits until they wake us up?   What kind of a chance do the USD w...

Travis Johansen on portal gains and losses, USD's momentum, HS class of '26, philosophies & process of talent scouting

Why not one more win for the winningest quarterback in the history of college football?   It was "One Shrine-ing Moment" for former South Dakota State and Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski on Tuesday. Playing in the Cowboys' indoor training camp stadium in Frisco, Texas — the same town Gronowski led the Jackrabbits to the school's only national championships in football — Gronowski earned the all-st...

Augustana's all-time leading scorer when he graduated from the school in 2012, Schilling has his alma mater rolling in his second year as head coach. After growing pains of a 12-18 rookie campaign, the former Tom Billiter player and assistant coach has led the Vikings to a 12-7 record and 10-4 mark in the Northern Sun, good for third-best out of 16 teams.    Augie has won four consecutive games, a...

Why not one more win for the winningest quarterback in the history of college football?   It was "One Shrine-ing Moment" for former South Dakota State and Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski on Tuesday. Playing in the Cowboys' indoor training camp stadium in Frisco, Texas — the same town Gronowski led the Jackrabbits to the school's only national championships in football — Gronowski earned the all-st...

Kaeding, a former Div. I assistant coach, assesses the best boys basketball players in Class AA, including Lincoln's terrific trio of Augustana commits Sam DeGroot and Sam Ericsson, plus SDSU football commit Brody Schaefer. Also, explosive Lincoln transfers at Roosevelt (DeAndre Painter and Justin Bilal) and the versatile 6'10 SDSU commit Blake Elwein (Huron).  

Teeth-gnashing or no-teeth-gnashing about the Vikings letting Sam Darnold walk? NDSU's men and women currently kings and queens of the Summit League. Which Jackrabbit and Coyote teams besides the SDSU women appear primed for a big down-the-stretch surge before the tourney in Sioux Falls? And what do we think about the "split doubleheader" concept in Vermillion on Saturday — SDSU-USD women at 1 p.m...

Before Matt Zimmer & John Gaskins dove into the week's most interesting local and regional sports topics in "Zim part 2" (Sam Darnold, Vikings ditching him, Jacks & Yotes hoops, State vs U women preview), they spent a long time pining for the "good old days" of technology when it comes to watching sports (and other things), pre-streaming. You know, cable TV, terrestrial radio, and physical paper f...

In the thick of the Summit League basketball regular season race, with a "State vs U" women's basketball showdown coming up on Saturday, and with a Super Bowl that includes the quarterback the Minnesota Vikings discarded coming up, there is no shortage of excellent local and regional sports topics for Sioux Falls Live's Matt Zimmer and John Gaskins to talk about.   And don't worry, they do in the...

Last week, the million dollar rejection South Dakota State offensive lineman Quinten Christensen gave at least one SEC school — instead, he chose to stay and play for the Jackrabbits in 2026 — was the big topic on Happy Hour.    Imagine what the Wessington Springs cattle rancher was thinking as he watched Pierre native Grey Zabel help block Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl on S...

Grey Zabel's stay-in-FCS guide, Vikings made right move by ditching Darnold, and Husker Hoops is Top 5

Last week, the million dollar rejection South Dakota State offensive lineman Quinten Christensen gave at least one SEC school — instead, he chose to stay and play for the Jackrabbits in 2026 — was the big topic on Happy Hour.    Imagine what the Wessington Springs cattle rancher was thinking as he watched Pierre native Grey Zabel help block Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl on S...

Darnold, Stafford, should Broncos have kicked FG, snow games, Super Bowl early prediction

Grey Zabel, Patriot fatigue(?), Steelers hire McCarthy, AAA prep teams to play Omaha teams 

  Why in the world would he do that?   So many have asked that question about South Dakota State quarterback Chase Mason and All-American offensive lineman Quinten Christensen after learning both players turned down at least one offer of $1 million in NIL money to transfer to a Power Four school.   Mason explained his decision to stay at SDSU in a Happy Hour conversation in December.   Thursday wa...

John spends another "Thirsty Thursday" at Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls with Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer for another potpourri of local sports talk. Topics: * USD's severely undermanned men's basketball team pulled off a third win in four games without the services of eight of its players. This time, the Coyotes won at Omaha despite the unavailability of leading scorer Isaac Bru...

A trip back in time to the SDSU All-American offensive lineman's upbringing on the family cattle ranch in Wessington Springs and the influence his parents — both athletes — had on his development in football and wrestling. Plus, how Christensen acclimated to the "big city" of Brookings and grew as football player and person, a growth that included befriending teammates who come from different back...

University of Sioux Falls coach Chris Johnson and Orion Pub co-owner Jon Oppold vent about the Wolves' meltdown at Utah on Tuesday, part of a three-game losing streak that has dropped Minnesota from the No. 2 slot in the Western Conference to No. 7.   With 38 games left to go in the season, how concerning is this recent slippage and what trade(s) would make sense before the Feb. 4 deadline?   Or,...

Why in the world would he do that?   So many have asked that question about South Dakota State quarterback Chase Mason and All-American offensive lineman Quinten Christensen after learning both players turned down at least one offer of $1 million in NIL money to transfer to a Power Four school.   Mason explained his decision to stay at SDSU in a Happy Hour conversation in December.   Thursday was...

Why in the world would he do that?   So many have asked that question about South Dakota State quarterback Chase Mason and All-American offensive lineman Quinten Christensen after learning both players turned down at least one offer of $1 million in NIL money to transfer to a Power Four school.   Mason explained his decision to stay at SDSU in a Happy Hour conversation in December.   Thursday was...