Happy Hour with John Gaskins

Jaden McDaniels talked the talk, then nuked the Nuggets. After sending shock waves through the NBA by saying of Denver, "they're all bad defenders," McDaniels and his Minnesota Timberwolves teammates railroaded Nikola Jokic and company to the rim in a wire-to-wire 113-96 blowout to take a 2-1 first round series lead on Thursday night. How was it so easy? Will Minnesota take the title wave of momen...

It's NFL Draft Day... Yay!   Right?   Nah.   Not for the two merry hosts of Happy Hour on Thirsty Thursday. Not when trusted NFL Draft analysts consider this a weak Draft class, particularly for quarterbacks.   So instead, today's Miller Lite-inspired NFL Draft topic: Is that Times Square New Year's Eve tailgating football block party full of drunken die-hards lustily booing or bellowing glee with...

Believe it or not, Stig did not spend his entire career at SDSU. After starting as a voluntary student assistant in 1977, he bounced around from Northern Iowa to high school ball in Wisconsin, to Northern State, to a grad assistant job at Wisconsin for one season before returning to Brookings. That final move was his last. How does he reflect on that decision that led to so many changes and evolut...

The SDSU football patriarch describes his "greatest achievements" — what becomes of his former players and what it is like when they come back to visit Brookings, like a bunch of players from his 2022 national title squad in town for Mason McCormick's wedding on the same day as the 2026 spring football game.

What is a man? Such a simple question, yet it yields so many different answers. One answer came from the patriarch of South Dakota State's football empire. It was printed in a page with the same title in the MAD manual — MAD, as in "Making a Difference"—which John Stiegelmeier gave to each player during fall camp throughout his 26 seasons at the helm. It was more of a guide to life than to footbal...

Jacks/Yotes national title contenders? Schemmel extended, Gronowski & Bouman NFL potential, NBA watchability Wolves win wild Game 2

Timberwolves roar back to tie series with Nuggets! USF coach Chris Johnson & Sunny's/Orion Pub owner Jon Oppold join

The statement could cause dry heaves and nausea for both Jackrabbits and Coyotes fans the same way "Finkle is Einhorn, Einhorn is Finkle" did for pet detective Ace Ventura.   But at the moment, SDSU is USD and USD is SDSU when it comes to football.   At least, that is the Happy Hour host's evaluation as spring football winds down for both programs. Allow him to present his case.   Arguably the GOA...

The statement could cause dry heaves and nausea for both Jackrabbits and Coyotes fans the same way "Finkle is Einhorn, Einhorn is Finkle" did for pet detective Ace Ventura. But at the moment, SDSU is USD and USD is SDSU when it comes to football. At least, that is the Happy Hour host's evaluation as spring football winds down for both programs. Allow him to present his case. Arguably the GOAT quar...

USF's spring football season ended with a scrimmage on Saturday at Bob Young Field. The fourth-year head coach assesses the performaces of the quarterbacks vying for the starting job, the abundant local talent on both sides of the ball, and if his program is ready to compete for an NSIC championship. But first, plenty of insight and opinions on being a Div. II coach in the NIL and transfer portal...

Nothing quite hits a sports fans' lips as sweet as the first game of the playoffs.   It's like the first sip of beer on a Friday afternoon after a long work week, or the first bite of steak after a diet.   Over the last six months, the Sioux Falls Stampede and Minnesota Timberwolves grinded through 60 and 82 games, respectively. Now, the fun  really  begins for their fans.   The Herd open their US...

The Wolves tip off their NBA Western Conference quarterfinals in Denver on Saturday in Round 3 of their playoffs trilogy with the Nuggets. Orion Pub co-owner Jon Oppold sat in with fellow Wolves die-hard Cordell Wright (the Happy Hour video producer) and the host to dive into the storylines and matchups.

The Herd open their USHL Western Conference semifinals on Friday. Their president and 20-year play-by-play voice Jim Olander joined the Happy Hour host and Stampede beat writer Trent Singer in the Orion Pub to preview the series and explain how the Herd won 40-plus games for the first time in club history.

Trent Singer and the host react to both Sioux Falls metro area boys basketball head coaching hires this week: Dan Jansen (O'Gorman)  and Ben Schultz (Roosevelt).    They also break down the decision of Pierre four-star tight end Cooper Terwilliger — who Sanford Sports Academy football director Kurtiss Riggs calls a "Top 5 or 7" player he has seen in his 30 years following local prep football — to...

One just ended her reign of terror on the rest of the Summit League. One just started his reign as head coach of an FCS powerhouse.   And both of Wednesday's guests on "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" had much to discuss.   Just over a month ago, Brooklyn Meyer hoisted the Summit League Tournament trophy for the fourth time, capping a prolific career in which she finished twice as an All-American, t...

The Happy Hour host explains why Brooklyn Meyer didn't get a WNBA opportunity (it's not her fault) and why Byron Buxton is the most exciting Twins player ever—and one of the club's most amazing stories.   Buxton, who hit two home runs and scored from first base on a single in a 6-0 win over Boston on Tuesday, is one reason Twins fans may tune in to a squad with low expectations. But video producer...

Matt Vitzthum (USD head coach) on being "the man," spring developments, QB, Charles Pierre, transfers, NDSU-to-FBS  

The All-American and Becky Hammon mid-major player of the year just finished her SDSU career as the No. 3 all-time scorer and top 5 in rebounds, blocks, and field goal percentage. She was All-Summit League three times for four consecutive teams that won the Summit League Tournament and playing in the NCAA Tourney. She talks about it all, plus, what's next for her career after going undrafted in th...

Just when we thought the Minnesota Twins would be an afterthought all spring and summer, here they go on a heater to seize the best record in the American League.   So, what do we make of it?    In Tuesday's weekly "Nobody's Listening Anyway" podcast on Happy Hour, the conversation about the Twins somehow turns into an intriguing history lesson of the Pohlad's ownership, which swerves into a discu...

Replacing a coaching legend is never easy, both for the program making the hire and for the new coach.   O'Gorman High School is replacing its boys basketball coaching legend with one of the playing legends from a college just over a mile up the road in Sioux Falls.   Dan Jansen — who spent this past season as Derek Robey's junior varsity coach — is  Augustana's all-time leading scorer and was the...

The Happy Hour host reacts to O'Gorman hiring Augustana legend Dan Jackson to replace legendary boys basketball coach Derek Robey. A rival school is a common thread in Jansen's journey since leading the Vikings to the 2016 national championship. Also, how big of a deal was not just Nebraska volleyball's maiden voyage to Sioux Falls on Saturday, but the Bergen Reilly Bash the spring exhibition game...

After one season as Knights JV coach, Jansen takes over Derek Robey, who retired after 21 years and six state championships at the helm. Hear about how Jansen's journey took him back to Sioux Falls nine years after he led Augie to the 2016 national title, what he'll take from Robey and former Vikings coach Tom Billeter, and how he'll navigate the year-round grind of a prep head coach.  

Steve Kueter (O'Gorman A.D.) on hiring of new boys basketball coach Dan Jansen, the Knights' JV coach last season and Augustana's all-time leading scorer. He replaces Derek Robey, who won six state championships in his 21 years at the school and announced his retirement in January.

There aren't too many athletes who have come out of Sioux Falls with more national and international acclaim and achievement than O'Gorman alumnus Bergen Reilly. And she's not yet 21 years old. (Her birthday is next month). A two-time All-American on two NCAA Final Four teams at four-time national champion Nebraska, Reilly is the first player in Big Ten volleyball history to be the league's Setter...

Looking for the rare feel-good story to come out of the "portal combat" window in college basketball?   Look no further than Fargo, where the Summit League women's player of the year announced Thursday she is returning to NDSU for her senior year.   Wait. That probably doesn't feel good for Jackrabbits and Coyotes fans.    Koenen, the Bison's third all-time leading scorer, cited the loyalty and su...