It's back to the field for many Div. I college football teams this week as they start "fall camp" leading into their first game approximately a month from now. This includes the Jackrabbits and Coyotes.

It's also back to work for Happy Hour host John Gaskins, who was on a vacation scheduled well before last week's Missouri Valley Football Conference Media Day in Sioux Falls.

(For a look or listen at the extensive coverage Matt Zimmer and Marcus Traxler provided for our Sioux Falls Live team, check out both the Happy Hour show page to hear or watch back episodes and the SFL sports page to read articles.)

So, what did John miss of greatest relevance? To him, it wasn't who was there and therefore what was said, but who wasn't there to say some things. And, that just happened to be one of the three most relevant players in 2025 that will determine both the league and national championships.

Speaking of relevance, how much time should we even devote to any of the nine MVFC teams who aren't the "Big 3" from North Dakota State, South Dakota State, and South Dakota?

Also, it's time to bury the 2025 Minnesota Twins, or at least their relevance. It's gone after a putrid last couple wins of stinking it up against mostly wretched opponents. It should leave the club no decision but to sell some assets. But, which ones?

Finally, a word about the Minnesota Vikings' first training camp practice open to media and the public. In a word... meh.

TODAY'S GUEST - CANARIES GENERAL MANAGER DUELL HIGBE —

If you are school-girl-elated for football camps starting and the pigskin flying in real games within a month, cool. So are we!

But that doesn't mean there is "nothing going on right now" in the Sioux Falls sports scene.

The Canaries are going on. Big time! They are the hottest team in the 12-squad American Association of Professional Baseball with three games at The Birdcage on Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday and seven more in a row next Monday thru Sunday (Aug. 4-10), and this is the best Sioux Falls crew since the 2010 Pheasants dominated the season before losing the championship series.

The Birds have won 8 of their last 10 games and four in a row — the best marks in the league in both cases as of Monday. They just completed a four-game Birdcage sweep of Lake Country to seize both the second best record in AAPB and the "hottest team" ownership. The Dockhounds had won eight straight heading into the series.

With one-third of their regular season games remaining, the Canaries are 41-27 and are either tops or second in the league in runs, home runs (tops by far), hits and every other hitting category. They have perhaps the best starting pitcher in the league — Thomas Dorminy at 9-0, the only regular season-long starter with 9 wins and 0 losses, plus the second best ERA (2.38) — and the best closer (Charlie Hasty, who just broke the Birds' all-time career saves record).

Jabari Henry is the league's all-time career home run king (and fifth in AAPB in HR this season with 14), and he wasn't even one of the seven All-Stars from Sioux Falls who made the trip to Fargo for the league's version of the "midsummer classic." Two of those studs, both starters, are local college products — Josh Rehwaldt (USF) and Jordan Barth (Augustana).

This kind of dominance did not happen overnight. The Canaries had nine straight losing seasons (2011-19) and 11 of 12 sub-.500 campaigns until they broke through with playoff berths in 2023 and '24, and they'll likely make it a third consecutive trip barring a seismic meltdown.

How has it all finally come together, from lovable losers to league leaders? General manager Duell Higbe has been with the organization since 2013, through thick and thin. He's seen the dark side and the new ray of light. He knows exactly why the Birds are flying high again, and details them all in this illuminating half-hour conversation with Happy Hour host John Gaskins.