Before we look ahead to a rapidly-approaching 2025 football season, a look back — over beers and with a background of classic country music at the Gateway Lounge, of course — at pop culture titans from our youth who left us this past week.

Gen X'ers John Gaskins and Matt Zimmer put the latest local sports buzz on hold for a bit to reminisce about the essence of Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer Ozzy Osborne, Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, WWE GOAT Hulk Hogan, and "Cosby Show" heart throb Malcolm Jamal-Warner (Theo Huxtable). They all died this past week, and their legacies are all in the wheelhouse of the two hosts.

John and Zim next look back on last week's MVFC Media Days. Zim's biggest takeaway was the response and tone of North Dakota State head coach Tim Polasek regarding one particular touchy topic affecting all FCS teams in 2025. Plus, what do we make of the health of the league, with a currently clear two-tier system — The Big 3 of NDSU, SDSU, and USD... and then everyone else?

Then, a look back at the short-lived but memorable tenure of South Dakota State running back Nate White, the Wisconson transfer who made an instant impact on the practice field and instant friends in the locker room before his tragic death in his sleep at the age of 20 last month.

White's now-well-documented happy time in Brookings is a testament to the culture fostered within the Jackrabbit program over the last 20 years, a feature also well-established with the Sioux Falls Canaries. While "culture" and "family" are attainable cliches in prep and college sports, they are difficult to come by in minor league baseball. But the Birds clearly have it with manager Mike Meyer in a season that is escalating into a bonfire of big offense and big wins. How and why did the inferno grow?

Finally, now that it is obvious the Minnesota Twins aren't championship contenders, what moves should the front office make for an organization that is for sale, but not in the bottom of the barrel? 

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.

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 through 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 each of the last two seasons.

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.

It's back to football for most college football teams this week, including 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.

Our fourth and final part of Missouri Valley Football coverage is a chat with the University of North Dakota.

New head coach Eric Schmidt says he's eager to take on the challenge of the Missouri Valley and that, as a former player, this is a "dream job" for him.

The Fighting Hawks came in as the 7th-ranked team in the preseason poll, but offensive lineman Ben Buxa said that doesn't matter to them and that they're "ready to put our heads down and work."

Linebacker Malachi McNeal is eager to play "meaningful football" and is looking forward to the Dakota matchups.

Today's show concluded with Matt and Marcus discussing games to look out for this year, including USD vs. Iowa State and SDSU for Sacramento State.

Officially marked as the preseason favorites, the North Dakota State Bison are looking forward to showcasing their capabilities this season.

WR Bryce Lance, LB Logan Kopp, and head coach Tim Polasek sat down with Marcus Traxler and Matt Zimmer at Missouri Valley Football Conference Media Day on Monday to break down their aspirations of making it to Nashville this season.

Coach Polasek also went into detail on why he believes high school recruits are a big part of what makes NDSU successful, even in an ever-changing world with NIL and the transfer portal.

Matt and Marcus also had a discussion on players to watch for to have a breakout year from each team.

More MVC media coverage is coming tomorrow, featuring the University of North Dakota and an analysis of the schedules.

Every team in the Missouri Valley Football Conference was represented in the Sanford Pentagon on Monday, including the head coach and two players from each.

For Tuesday's Happy Hour, you'll hear from the University of South Dakota, Northern Iowa, and Indiana State.

Travis Johansen took over the role of head coach after Bob Nielsen stepped down earlier this year.

The Coyotes are coming off their best season in their D-1 era, making a semi-final appearance. They return two key parts of their offense, including QB Aidan Bouman and RB Charles Pierre Jr.

Expectations are sky-high for the yotes coming in as the #3 ranked team in the preseason poll, and they talked about how their offseason work is preparing them to meet those expectations.

Missouri Valley coverage continues tomorrow as we hear from NDSU and UND!

College football season kicks off officially next week as teams hit the practice field Wednesday. On Monday, the Missouri Valley Football Conference was the talk of FCS as they hosted a media day that included the head coach and two players from each team.

The Jackrabbits got the nod as the No. 2 team in the preseason poll, which comes as a surprise to some after several losses to graduation and the portal.

However, sitting down with head coach Dan Jackson, defensive lineman Kobe Clayborne, and offensive lineman Sam Hagen, you get the feeling that the Jackrabbits believe they're in a great position to vie for the top spot in the country.

Matt Zimmer and Marcus Traxler break down their chat with them and have conversations with SIU and Youngstown State as well.

You'll be able to watch/listen to more from the Missouri Valley media day, including USD and NDSU, in the coming days!

Let's face it — Mid-July is the Sahara Desert of the sports events landscape, locally and nationally.

But that doesn't mean there aren't some fun local and national topics for Happy Hour host John Gaskins to bounce around over beers on an idle Wednesday afternoon at The Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls with Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer:

• What do we make of the "Swing Off" determining the MLB All-Star Game winner?
• Why does baseball have the best all-star game?
• Why is "run it out" is the most annoying fan whine in baseball?
• Why are the Canaries such a fascinating watch full of incredible individual characters and stories?
• How does USD, of all schools, have an incredible pole vaulting dynasty?
• What should we most look forward to for MVFC Football Media Day on Monday?
• What are the top Sioux Falls Metro high school football storylines heading into the fall? 
• Wu Tang Clan in Denver or Nelly in Minneapolis — Who saw the better show?

They didn't exactly solve the world's problems, but John and Trent at least killed an hour that hopefully may have made your day, or your long drive or jog somewhere.

Before that...

The college football world opened up its eager eyes toward Alabama and South Dakota native Kalen DeBoer on Wednesday.

So, what was the former University of Sioux Falls Cougar's highlight while facing the white hot spotlight in Atlanta, just a few days after "Kalen-Palooza" swept Sioux Falls last week?

While some Crimson Tide fans or talking heads like Paul Finebaum may think the former University of Sioux Falls player and coach is on a "scorching hot seat" after the worst season in Tuscaloosa in 17 years, Happy Hour host John Gaskins pegged one statement at the podium, plus DeBoer's track record as reason to believe Bama will be back in the national title hunt in second season.

The college football world opened up its eager eyes toward Alabama and South Dakota native Kalen DeBoer on Wednesday.

So, what was the former University of Sioux Falls Cougar's highlight while facing the white hot spotlight in Atlanta, just a few days after "Kalen-Palooza" swept Sioux Falls last week?

While some Crimson Tide fans or talking heads like Paul Finebaum may think the former University of Sioux Falls player and coach is on a "scorching hot seat" after the worst season in Tuscaloosa in 17 years, Happy Hour host John Gaskins pegged one statement at the podium, plus DeBoer's track record as reason to believe Bama will be back in the national title hunt in second season.