It was not a pretty first game for most of the Div. I football teams and players of interest in South Dakota. But it was a "just win, baby" week for some.

No. 3 South Dakota State stopped the "Go Go" offense of No. 15 Sacramento State all night, but the Jackrabbits didn't exactly make chest-thumping offensive waves themselves. How does that translate to a road game at perennial Top 5 powerhouse Montana State, who was pulverized 59-13 at FBS No. 7 Oregon?

FCS No. 4 South Dakota threw Iowa State for an early 7-7 loop before the Cyclones blew them away, 55-7. Does that mean doom and gloom for Aidan Bouman and a USD offense that mustered just 34 yards in the second half? Or is ISU perhaps a tornado that will rip through the Big 12 and leave an easy cleanup for the Yotes in FCS play?

Both Augustana and the Universtiy of Sioux Falls won nail biters, but in different ways. What are some easy assessments of their returning quarterbacks?

And then, there was Jimmy Rogers' Washington State Jackrabbits, who needed a perfectly-executed two-minute drill at home to survive FCS Idaho, with a new coach and offense replacing former SDSU offensive coordinator Jason Eck. What do we make of Jimmy's more-than-blunt postgame remarks?

There's also the all-time Jackrabbit Mark Gronowski's less-than-impressive Iowa debut and native son Kalen DeBoer's Alabama debacle at Florida State. How much should we curb our first week spasms? 

The Minnesota Vikings lift off on Monday night in Chicago. Why does typically pessimistic Matt Zimmer feel like he's boarding a rocket ship?

The answers to these questions and more, all over cocktails on an idle Tuesday afternoon at the Gateway Lounge in Sioux Falls as Zim and Happy Hour host John Gaskins wet their football whistles — finally!

Will Saturday be another story of the "farm kids" from South Dakota being underestimated by a bunch of thoroughbred athletes from California?

The Dan Jackson Era and Chase Mason era at South Dakota State opens with a likely sold-out home game against Sacramento State, a 3-9 team from last year with over 50 FBS transfers and a brand new coach that is rated No. 15 in the preseason polls.

With so many new starters on each side, it is tough to accurately predict how the game may unfold, but Sioux Falls Live sports editor and decade-long SDSU reporter Matt Zimmer takes a stab with Happy Hour host John Gaskins in a 74-minute chat over cocktails at Gateway Lounge.

But Zim pulls from over 20 years of covering South Dakota college football teams who lock horns with talented rosters from talent-rich states like California, while also unveiling some new Jackrabbits FBS transfers you should expect to see and maybe shine on Saturday and all season long. What exactly can we expect, especially from SDSU's new starting quarterback, Chase Mason, who has undeniably supreme physical talent but has not played a full game as a starting signal caller in six years, back to his junior year in high school?

Meanwhile, No. 4 South Dakota opens 2025 at FBS No. 22 Iowa State, who impressively finished a 24-21 prize fight win over No. 17 Kansas State in Ireland on Saturday. How much of a factor will jet lag from a trip to Ireland factor in USD's favor, not to mention this being a "sandwich" game for the Cyclones between rivals KSU and Iowa (next week)? What kind of upset threat can USD mount, with its own litany of transfer replacements but also with a guiding light in senior quarterback in Aidan Bouman, a former Cyclone with plenty to prove against his former team and NFL scouts?

Plus, a glimpse into the "Washington State Jackrabbits," led by former SDSU coach Jimmy Rogers, who brought his staff and 16 players with him to the Palouse. The Cougars, who play Idaho on national television late Saturday, have shut down practices to the media after reported inner-team practice scuffles.

Speaking of former Jacks, quarterback Mark Gronowski is Iowa's "Million Dollar Man" (or $2 Million Man, depending on who you believe). What should we expect of the former Walter Payton Award winner in the stacked Big Ten, and in what way will life be more different and difficult for him compared to the FCS?

Then, there's No. 8 Alabama, led by former USF coach Kalen DeBoer, who starts his second season on the road at Florida State. Why should there be reason for the Crimson Tide to improve after their first four-loss season in 17 years?

Finally, how much more secure should the Minnesota Vikings feel about their QB2 situation now that they dumped Sam Howell and made room for North Dakota State legend Carson Wentz, who joins his sixth NFL team in six years?

While waiting breathlessly for actual football games (that count) to start, South Dakota State fans and media felt an early Christmas present drop in their lap on Monday with the news of the Jackrabbits accepting an invitation to play Montana in the new Vegas Kickoff Classic at Allegian Stadium — home of the Raiders — in 2029. 
In this week's addition of "Nobody's Listening Anyway" over cocktails at the Gateway Lounge, Happy Hour Host John Gaskins and Sioux Falls Live sports reporter Matt Zimmer dive into the relevance and meaning behind this news.
Then, more preseason banter about the the Jacks and South Dakota Coyotes. SDSU quarterback Chase Mason offered another reason to brace for a breakout season with remarks he made on Happy Hour last week, but how much stock do we take in them? Plus, what is the "sneaky" significant aspect of the '25 Jacks that nobody is really talking about, and what is the most-anticipated part of USD football beyond senior QB Aidan Bouman?
Meanwhile, what do we make of both the intense local and global spotlight shining brightly on South Dakota's 12-year-olds at the Little league World Series, while our high schoolers playing in recent state legion tourneys and grown men competiting in the state amateur events appear to play second fiddle?
Why is Zim "not surprised buy devastated" of the Pohlad family it is not selling the Minnesota Twins after all? Enjoy a deep dive of deep-rooted contempt of 40 years of ownership. 
Finally, SDSU legend Zach Zenner recently remarked that he had only had five alcoholic beverages in his life, that he had never been drunk, and that alcohol doesn't enhance any situation it is consumed.
As Zim and John sipped on Budweiser and Tito's on an idle Tuesday afternoon, enjoy the response. 

Let's go camping and light a fire for the 2025 football season.
With all the roster turnover and fresh faces in both the Jackrabbit and Coyote football programs, fans are salavating for a sneak peak into what's to come once the pigskin flies in just three weeks.
How are both seasoned veteran Aidan Bouman and shiny new toy Chase Mason acclimating with some of the new teammates that are blocking for them, taking their handoffs, and catching their passes?
Who are some of those studs in the trenches, in the backfield, and split wide who are waiting to burst out of their stables and run wild? 
Sure, whatever we read or hear should be taken with a dump truck of salt, but Sioux Falls Live's Matt Zimmer takes us to both Brookings and Vermillion for a boatload of insight. From his eyes and mouth to your ears, Zim's observations from the Gateway Lounge over a couple of Budweisers will glady serve as the precious kernels you can pop the next time you saddle up at the bar stool with your fellow SDSU or USD fans.
Plus, what do we make of reports from Minnesota Vikings camp that new starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy is struggling mightily to hit his targets? 
And, how does lifelong die-hard Minnesota Twins fan Zim view the trade deadline moves that sent his favorite team into a tailspin likely to relegate it into irrelevance for years to come?

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? 

What a weekend it was to be at Target Field!
Twins ace Joe Ryan got the 2-1 pitcher's duel win over National League All-Star starter and Cy Young candidate Paul Skenes in front of a sellout crowd, followed by a one-hour concert from still-jacked 50-year-old Nelly in front of a still-amped throng.
While Happy Hour host John Gaskins attended that, his Nobody's Listening Anyway co-host Matt Zimmer had the fortune the next day of witnessing Byron Buxton hit a 427-foot home run to complete the cycle on Byron Buxton Bobblehead Day.
These awesome experiences, plus Buxton's appearances in Monday's Home Run Derby and Tuesday's MLB All-Star game, lead off a midsummer's daydream full of baseball and football conversation from the Gateway Lounge in Sioux Falls.
Is Buxton one of the very best players in all of baseball? Can we enjoy this joyride he is on or is it still bittersweet considering so much of his talent has been squandered via injuries?
Meanwhile, the Sioux Falls Canaries have six players in their league's All-Star game next week, with two of them up-and-coming local talents from Augustana (Jordan Barth) and USF (Josh Rehwaldt), the latter who Zimmer things should have gotten a call to join an MLB operation by now.
While baseball is in midseason form, Alabama coach and USF player/coaching alumnus Kalen DeBoer stopped in Sioux Falls last week for a few speaking engagements before heading to Atlanta for SEC Media Days this week. Zimmer walks through his takeaways, including the connective tissue of DeBoer's 67-3 tear while head coach at USF to year two leading Fresno State, Washington, and now the Crimson Tide.
Meanwhile, you can watch and hear Happy Hour's one-on-one with DeBoer from last May here.

What is there to say about South Dakota State running back Nate White's death, just over 24 hours after it was reported on Wednesday?
The tragedy — with details yet public — rightfully hovers a cloud over the program, the FCS, and the regional sports scene, trivializing normal day-to-day events and hot sports topics.
But "Nobody's Listening Anyway" hosts John Gaskins and Matt Zimmer make what they can about a 21-year-old transfer from Wisconsin who was expected to be the starter and gained a boatload of respect and adulation from his new teammates in Brookings.
Before this shocking event, the top current issue regarding Jackrabbit Athletics was the looming decision to "opti in" (or not) to the NCAA-House Setttlement that allows schools to share revenue with athletes and changes the NIL model. As of the recording, athetlic director Justin Sell — who spoke on the topic for 90 minutes on Happy Hour last week — had yet to announce the decision, which comes with a June 30 deadline.
John and Matt discuss why USD went all-in over a week ago and why SDSU is still mulling it over, not to mention why this might not be as big a deal at these mid-major schools as it is in Power Four leagues.
This leads to reaction USD athletic director Jon Schemmel's remarks on Wednesday's Happy Hour about the lingering attendance struggles — with upticks in the past year, Schemmel said — at football and basketball games, and what would bring more fans, which leads to the latest discussion of attendance at for the Canaries, who have won 15 of their last 20 games, are 13-5 at The Birdcage, and sport the third-best record and the highest-scoring, hottest-hitting lineup in their league. 

Beer-logo'd golf bags. Old school MTV veejays. The Dead Guys of the Week — Brian Wilson and Sly Stone — and their place in music and pop culture history.
Matt Zimmer and John Gaskins tried their best to kick around fun and breezy topics to avoid that dreaded summer buzz kill — The NCAA-House Settlement and where schools like SDSU and USD fit into it.
But eventually, the hosts of the weekly "Nobody's Listening Anyway" podcast got down to busines at Gateway Lounge. What does this darn thing mean and what really matters to the college football fans of the Dakotas and the FCS?
What's also exhausting and confusing is if SDSU, USD, and NDSU will opt in or not, and what the competitive advantages and disadvantages would immediately be no matter what that choice is.
Over his ice cold Bud Light on tap, Zimmer — who, like most, is blurry-eyed from the deluge of reports and details about the Settlemen and what schools are doing about it — boils things down to the simplest and most straightforward of terms, including what SDSU football coach Dan Jackson makes of it.
Also, what is the bigger picture of the Sioux Falls Storm in the wake of head coach Andre Fields's resignation this week? Is this a sign the team may never come back? Why and how did it lose its hold on both its league and the springtime sports fans of Sioux Falls?
Also, some Twins Talk — Bailey Ober's injury, Buxton's boom, Wallner's emergence — and a few words about the University of Sioux Falls' new logo, which leads to the rabbit hole of SDSU and USD logos and sports team logos, in general.
On the way out, a word about "Tacos and Tequila," the upcoming hip-hop festival at The Birdcage, and Matt's new pickup truck. And his way to drive a pickup.

The breaking news of one of the biggest sports stories of the entire summer interrupted an entertaining storytelling session about beer and how picky people are about their beer.

Aaron Rodgers reportedly plans to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Will he be any good? Will they be any good.

We could ask the same thing about Chase Mason as a first-time starting quarterback for South Dakota State, but Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Matt Zimmer's long chat — and long, in-depth Sioux Falls Live story — suggest the former Huskers baseball pitcher is ready to light up the FCS.

Plus, how much will the Twins suffer from Pablo Lopez's injury, what do we make of (and how much do we care about) major college football events like Utah Valley leaving the FCS (domino effect leading to MVFC expansion?) and the House Settlement involving revenue sharing?

Plus, our Dead Guy of the Week and a Dead Gal of the Week!

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.