Wednesday was a Christmas Day of sorts for Jackrabbit and Coyote football fans.   They got to unwrap an anticipated present — well, stocking stuffer, at least — the FCS preseason Top 25 football poll, voted on by four respected FCS analysts at HERO Sports.   Was it a present or a Pandora's box? Or a can of worms?   Based off what many who follow the FCS thought in January, SDSU fans unwrapped a red rider BB gun while USD received a lump of coal in their stocking. The No. 3 Jacks are rated ahead of the No. 4 Yotes despite a wildly reconstructed SDSU roster and coaching staff.    North Dakota State, the defending national champs, of course rated No. 1, getting all four first place votes. Montana State, the runner-up, is second.    Happy Hour host John Gaskins breaks down why he'd rate the Yotes ahead of the Jacks, but also brings in the perspective of HERO Sports FCS senior analyst Sam Herder for an hour-long, deep dive FCS chat.

Herder discusses the proposal of Georgia coach Kirby Smart to scale back the number of portal windows in a year from two to one, with January making the most sense to him. 

Presently, athletes can enter the portal either in December (Dec. 9–28) or after spring practices (April 16–25). Smart argues that this system creates year-round uncertainty for coaches and players alike.

This especially includes those who coach and play in the FCS. South Dakota, one of the top FCS programs in the nation, lost several players in that spring window — including five all-conference players — leaving the Coyotes to scramble into the portal and bring in replacements from both the FBS and FCS.

But how much would transfer portal reform in Smart's mold help FCS schools? 

Herder tackles that question, plus so many more national and regional FCS issues that directly affect USD and South Dakota State. Topics covered:

• How do SDSU, NDSU, and USD stack up nationally now that most transfers are in place?
• Who will be the most immediately impactful transfers who just joined those schools?
• Which FCS team benefitted the most — quantity and quality — from FBS transfers?
• FBS transfers vs. FCS transfers to FCS teams — which tend to make a stronger impact?
• What is the latest in Sacramento State's bid to move up to FBS?
• Why is it difficult for FCS teams to be accepted into FBS conferences?
• Are NDSU and SDSU more likely to move up to FBS or stay put in FCS?
• What or who is impacted the most from the Missouri Valley Football Conference's new "partnership" with both the Missouri Valley Conference and Summit League? 

 

 

Wednesday was a Christmas Day of sorts for Jackrabbit and Coyote football fans.   They got to unwrap an anticipated present — well, stocking stuffer, at least — the FCS preseason Top 25 football poll, voted on by four respected FCS analysts at HERO Sports.   Was it a present or a Pandora's box? Or a can of worms?   Based off what many who follow the FCS thought in January, SDSU fans unwrapped a red rider BB gun while USD received a lump of coal in their stocking. The No. 3 Jacks are rated ahead of the No. 4 Yotes despite a wildly reconstructed SDSU roster and coaching staff.    North Dakota State, the defending national champs, of course rated No. 1, getting all four first place votes. Montana State, the runner-up, is second.    Happy Hour host John Gaskins breaks down why he'd rate the Yotes ahead of the Jacks, but also brings in the perspective of HERO Sports FCS senior analyst Sam Herder.   Gaskins also sinks his teeth into the remarks of who could be an unlikely hero to the FCS — Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who called for transfer portal reform on Tuesday. Specifically, Smart wants to eliminate the spring transfer portal, which decimated USD's offensive line.   Plus, reaction to Charles Barkley saying, "don't make Anthony Edwards the face of the NBA," and a word about all those free T-shirts NBA fans receive in arenas. What's not to like about them? Apparently, something.

If you are looking to be more informed about the present and future of FCS football and how the Jackrabbits and Coyotese fit in it — this season and beyond — this is a deep dive that should leave you satisfied. 

Remarkably, the power brokers from the SEC just might give "the little guys" in the FCS an enormous boost in a seismic college football rule change.

At the SEC spring meetings Tuesday, Georgia coach Kirby Smart railed against the spring transfer portal window and called for college football to scale back the number of portal windows in a year from two to one, with January making the most sense to him. 

Presently, athletes can enter the portal either in December (Dec. 9–28) or after spring practices (April 16–25). Smart argues that this system creates year-round uncertainty for coaches and players alike.

This especially includes those who coach and play in the FCS. South Dakota, one of the top FCS programs in the nation, lost several players in that spring window — including five all-conference players — leaving the Coyotes to scramble into the portal and bring in replacements from both the FBS and FCS.

But how much would transfer portal reform in Smart's mold help FCS schools? 

HERO Sports senior FCS analyst Sam Herder joins Happy Hour host John Gaskins to answer that question and so many more national and regional FCS issues that directly affect USD and South Dakota State. Topics covered in Herder's hour-long conversation include:

• How do SDSU, NDSU, and USD stack up nationally now that most transfers are in place?
• Who will be the most immediately impactful transfers who just joined those schools?
• Which FCS team benefitted the most — quantity and quality — from FBS transfers?
• FBS transfers vs. FCS transfers to FCS teams — which tend to make a stronger impact?
• What is the latest in Sacramento State's bid to move up to FBS?
• Why is it difficult for FCS teams to be accepted into FBS conferences?
• Are NDSU and SDSU more likely to move up to FBS or stay put in FCS?
• What or who is impacted the most from the Missouri Valley Football Conference's new "partnership" with both the Missouri Valley Conference and Summit League? 

 

 

Why should Sioux Falls be captivated and impressed by Canaries slugger Jabari Henry tying and eventually breaking the American Association independent league's career home run record, and what makes his story and career intriguing?

How disappointing, if at all, should we consider the Minnesota Timberwolves' postseason run considering it will likely end in a "gentleman's sweep" of 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals? Is Anthony Edwards' starpower taking a step back the way he does on some nights?

Now that the Minnesota Twins have cooled off a bit after their 13-game winning streak, what makes them worth a continued emotional investment from casual fans? 

What should we make of the South Dakota vs. North Dakota State football game being ranked as one of ESPN.com's top 10 college games (including FBS) to watch this season, and is South Dakota State being snubbed? 

What is Taryn Christion's legacy at SDSU — GOAT? Or perhaps something more meaningful?

John Gaskins and Matt Zimmer tackle these topics for Tuesday's "Nobody's Listening Anyway" show for "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" from Gibs Sports Bar on the east side of Sioux Falls. 

But first — a toast to George Wendt, the "Cheers" actor who played loveable barfly Norm Peterson, died last week at age 76. Turns out, one of the most popular characters on one of the most popular shows in TV history has quite a following. Our Gen X hosts who grew up on Norm and the merry gang in the Boston sports bar devote a worthwhile chunk of time to what both Norm and Cheers meant to them. 

 

 

 

 

He rewrote South Dakota State and Missouri Valley Football Conference record books as part of a juggernaut offense that vaulted the Jackrabbits into FCS national championship contention for the first time. Then, he had brief brushes with NFL royalty — Pete Carroll, Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, Mike Tomlin — before coming back to start his new life and family back in his hometown. Before all that, he lit up South Dakota's largest class of high school football while developing under the state's all-time prep wins leader Kim Nelson. Through it all, there were legendary games — like the breakthrough win over No. 1 North Dakota State in the Fargodome his sophomore year — and deflating setbacks, including a devastating injury that ripped away his high school senior season and a turnover-heavy nightmare in the 2017 FCS semifinals. Taryn Christion sits down to tell all about it for over an hour with Happy Hour host John Gaskins at The Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls.  While he is forever a warm spot in Jackrabbit hearts, the heartbreaks along the way make his story as human as it gets.  A connective tissue to this day — the other SDSU quarterback legend Christion will be forever interwined, Zach Lujan, who is now the offensive coordinator at Northwestern and still a good friend.And, of course, there are stories about SDSU icons John Stiegelmeier, Dallas Goedert, Eric Eidsness, Jake Weineke, and more. And there is no way we could end the conversation without Christion's observations of the program's shakeup this past winter, what new head coach Dan Jackson will bring, and how the Jackrabbit Former Players Association is helping to keep SDSU on the forefront of the ever-changing FCS landscape.

Before Taryn's interview —

What's there to say about another infuriating, deflating Minnesota Timberwolves spanking from the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 on Thursday night?

Plenty!

It's another group therapy session after Minnesota again waited until the third quarter to get mauled — by SAG's flops, by the OKC mob, by its own self-inflicted wounds and self-doubt.

If we can't cry (or already have), we might as well laugh. Our usual three-man weave of host/point guard John Gaskins, University of Sioux Falls coach Chris Johnson — a Twin Cities native — and fellow die-hard fan Jon Oppold (Orion Pub and Sunny's Pizzeria owner) unpack another brutal loss and how the Wolves can salvage a win or two to make this a series.

Beyond that, what can we already tell needs to change about the personnel to be a stronger championship contender next season? Which players must stay and must go?

Of course, we hope to be singing a different tune and re-examining everything on Tuesday after Games 3 and 4 in Minneapolis!

What's there to say about another infuriating, deflating Minnesota Timberwolves spanking from the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 on Thursday night?

Plenty!

It's another group therapy session after Minnesota again waited until the third quarter to get mauled — by SAG's flops, by the OKC mob, by its own self-inflicted wounds and self-doubt.

If we can't cry (or already have), we might as well laugh. Our usual three-man weave of host/point guard John Gaskins, University of Sioux Falls coach Chris Johnson — a Twin Cities native — and fellow die-hard fan Jon Oppold (Orion Pub and Sunny's Pizzeria owner) unpack another brutal loss and how the Wolves can salvage a win or two to make this a series.

Beyond that, what can we already tell needs to change about the personnel to be a stronger championship contender next season? Which players must stay and must go?

Of course, we hope to be singing a different tune and re-examining everything on Tuesday after Games 3 and 4 in Minneapolis!

He rewrote South Dakota State and Missouri Valley Football Conference record books as part of a juggernaut offense that vaulted the Jackrabbits into FCS national championship contention for the first time.

Then, he had brief brushes with NFL royalty — Pete Carroll, Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, Mike Tomlin — before coming back to start his new life and family back in his hometown.

Before all that, he lit up South Dakota's largest class of high school football while developing under the state's all-time prep wins leader Kim Nelson.

Through it all, there were legendary games — like the breakthrough win over No. 1 North Dakota State in the Fargodome his sophomore year — and deflating setbacks, including a devastating injury that ripped away his high school senior season and a turnover-heavy nightmare in the 2017 FCS semifinals.

Taryn Christion sits down to tell all about it for over an hour with Happy Hour host John Gaskins at The Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls. 

While he is forever a warm spot in Jackrabbit hearts, the heartbreaks along the way make his story as human as it gets. 

A connective tissue to this day — the other SDSU quarterback legend Christion will be forever interwined, Zach Lujan, who Christion is more than willing to talk about. And, of course, there are stories about SDSU icons John Stiegelmeier, Dallas Goedert, Eric Eidsness, Jake Weineke, and more.

And there is no way we could end the conversation without Christion's observations of the program's shakeup this past winter, what new head coach Dan Jackson will bring, and how the Jackrabbit Former Players Association is helping to keep SDSU on the forefront of the ever-changing FCS landscape.

 

 

Michael Jordan. LeBron James. Kobe Bryant. Allen Iverson. Gary Payton. There aren't too many humans on the planet that can say they guarded all of those Hall of Famers in the NBA, but Erick Strickland is one of them.  The University of Nebraska Basketball Hall of Famer has loads of awesome stories to tell about his nine-year career in the league (1996-2005), and a bevvy of opinions on both the current state of the game and the great Michael Jordan versus LeBron James debate. In a cigar-smoking 45-minute chat with Happy Hour host John Gaskins, "Strick," now a sports talk host at 93.7 The Ticket in Lincoln, plays both head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves and commissioner of the NBA in opining on how both operations could be better. How can the Wolves turn around the series after an ugly game in OKC? How should the NBA market itself better win back the casual fans it lost after Jordan retired? Whether you're an NBA nut, casual fan, or abandoned your interest in basketball's highest level years ago, you'll get a kick out of "Strick."

Before that —

The Jackrabbits aren't just a juggernaut in football and basketball.

South Dakota State captured the Summit League Commissioner's Cup, a season-long all-sports tabulation, for the 10th time in 15 years.

That SDSU continues to win or at least compete for league titles in almost every sport, every year is both amazing and obvious to Happy Hour host John Gaskins.

How is it amazing, yet obvious all at the same time? John breaks it down, plus, unloads his prediction and feelings about the Wolves' chances in Game 2 in Oklahoma City.

The Jackrabbits aren't just a juggernaut in football and basketball.

South Dakota State captured the Summit League Commissioner's Cup, a season-long all-sports tabulation, for the 10th time in 15 years.

That SDSU continues to win or at least compete for league titles in almost every sport, every year is both amazing and obvious to Happy Hour host John Gaskins.

How is it amazing, yet obvious all at the same time? John breaks it down, plus, unloads his prediction and feelings about the Wolves' chances in Game 2 in Oklahoma City.

Michael Jordan. LeBron James. Kobe Bryant. Allen Iverson. Gary Payton.

There aren't too many humans on the planet that can say they guarded all of those Hall of Famers in the NBA, but Erick Strickland is one of them. 

The University of Nebraska Basketball Hall of Famer has loads of awesome stories to tell about his nine-year career in the league (1996-2005), and a bevvy of opinions on both the current state of the game and the great Michael Jordan versus LeBron James debate.

In a cigar-smoking 45-minute chat with Happy Hour host John Gaskins, "Strick," now a sports talk host at 93.7 The Ticket in Lincoln, plays both head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves and commissioner of the NBA in opining on how both operations could be better.

How can the Wolves turn around the series after an ugly game in OKC? How should the NBA market itself better win back the casual fans it lost after Jordan retired?

Whether you're an NBA nut, casual fan, or abandoned your interest in basketball's highest level years ago, you'll get a kick out of "Strick."