Nobody's Listening Anyway

How can you not have Minnesota Timberwolves fever, especially on the precipice of a showdown full of stars, storylines, and bad blood between the Wolves and Golden State Warriors?

Jimmy Butler — whose belligerence and self-engineered exit eventually sunk the squad into the abyss — returns to face unruly Target Center fans, not to mention the superstar who has lifted the Wolves from that abyss, Anthony Edwards.

Steph Curry — a Hall-of-Famer who has spearheaded four NBA titles in the Bay Area while the Wolves have mostly wallowed in misery — returns to face the team that passed him over twice in the 2009 Draft. 

Then, there's the Big Man Battle Royale with Rudy Goebert and Draymond Green, who choked Goebert in a game last year and trash-talked him from his pulpit on the TNT set. To add to the spice: ANT said publicly before the season started he couldn't wait to face the Warriors in the playoffs because Green "talks so much trash." 

John Gaskins and Matt Zimmer carve into the carnival to lead off this week's "Nobody's Listening Anyway" from Gateway Lounge, then take a stab at what to make of the tepid but not terrible Minnesota Twins. How much life will the returning-from-injury Royce Lewis give them? The latest heroics of Byron Buxton lead to this discussion:

Is Buxton the most electrifying Twins player of all time? Does he belong on the Mount Rushmore of Most Electrifying Minnesota Pro Sports Athletes of the last 30 years? Which Wolves and Vikings players make that cut?

Closer to home, what is there to make of the recently-announced partnership between the Summit League and Missouri Valley Conference, with the commissioner of the latter league taking over as commissioner of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and Summit League leader Josh Fenton being tabbed "Executive Advisor" in the MVFC?

Finally, South Dakota State's 2025 season opening football opponent has an even more turned-over roster than the Jackrabbits, and the Augusta baseball and softball teams are heating up as the calendar flips to May. Why have the Vikings been so consistently successful in those diamond sports for over a decade?

Things certainly feel different in South Dakota State's football program — at least the personality of the head coach and staff and therefore the atmosphere of spring football.

Happy Hour host John Gaskins and Sioux Falls Live SDSU reporter Matt Zimmer compare notes of their recent interviews with quarterback Chase Mason and offensive lineman Quinten Christensen and wax poetic about the "vibe" of the program and how it will serve the Jacks in what feels like a year of upcoming uncertainty, considering all the new players and coaches. 

While Mason has the "rocket" arm and undeniable athletic prowess, USD's Aiden Bouman brings unmatched experience into the MVFC and FCS national race that gives them an "edge" against other FCS powers, according to local football guru Kurtiss Riggs. 

Both USD and SDSU saw multiple players sign NFL undrafted free agent deals, but is there one local player that feels like he has the best chance to make a roster? What do we make of the Vikings' first-round choice and the trade that made Sam Howell the backup quarterback? (Hint — we don't think an Aaron Rodgers drop-in is still out of the question).

Finally, what does the Timberwolves' 4-1 series win over the Lakers say about both teams?

Also, find out how a guy named Seymour Weiner and TV legends Beavis & Butthead wove into the fabric of today's discussion.

Beyond Pierre lineman Grey Zabel, a North Dakota State Hall-of-Famer-to-be, it appears there may not be a South Dakotan (native, high school alumnus or local college player) drafted. But history tells us that doesn't mean there aren't several that could make an impact on NFL teams. 

It appears J.J. McCarthty will "hit the ground running" as Vikings QB1, according to Kevin O'Connell. But KOC also continues to lead Zim and John to believe the Vikes still may have Aaron Rodgers on their radar, which they should. 

Exhausted by NIL/portal transfer talk? So are we. So we keep it to a couple of recent nuggets.

Finally, Augustana deserves a standing ovation for the forthcoming renovation of the Elmen Center to make it the on-campus hoops home -- at long last and full circle.

And, we have two Dead Guys of the Week — one, we learned during taping of the show.

South Dakota State's roster full of youngsters and rookie starters looks green, while several USD players are leaving -- perhaps for literally greener pastures (NIL money?).

Those are a couple headlines from spring football at the Rushmore State Div. I schools, according to Sioux Falls Live's Matt Zimmer, who joins John Gaskins for another "Nobody Listening Anyway" pow wow from Gateway Lounge. 

Who and what stood out at SDSU, and what do we make of quatterback Chase Mason so far? And what does the exodus from Vermillion lead us to believe about the nature of FCS and college athletics?

Yes, it delves into another NIL and portal transfer, but we promise an entertaining one. 

Plus, you don't want to miss Zim's rant about the Twins, which aims squarely at "dumb" owner Joe Pohlad.

Woops! We failed to post the reaction show to Eric Henderson leaving SDSU for Drake and the near-immediate hiring of Bryan Petersen as his on-staff replacement.

Are Jackrabbits fans spoiled?

They are treated to national championship football teams and every-other-year NCAA Tournament berths for men's basketball.

Yet, there's still frustration among some about the football and basketball coaches leaving after 2-6 years.

How do we make sense of it, and of Eric Henderson leaving for Drake, a job that seems "barely" a notch above the SDSU job (and in some areas, like arena and fan support, maybe a notch below)?

There's real "life-changing money" to all this... and how much does that matter?

Was Bryan Petersen the right hire? How much does his junior college head coaching experience matter?

And what kind of a choice would "Coach Klink," the 19-year assistant, have been?

John Gaskins and Matt Zimmer sort at all that, then squabble about the importance of a mid-major presence in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Is SDSU vs UConn the biggest sporting event in the history of South Dakota State — and maybe even the state of South Dakota — considering the Jackrabbits' opponent, the stakes, and the national stage this game is on?

Yes, there have been football FBS national titles and Div. II men's and women's national titles, plus other matchups with big-name, top-notch big league schools in the big sports. But this is the all-time women's national program (record 11 titles), still coached by the inarguable best (or most decorated) coaching titan of the entire sport, in the NCAA Tournament, not just a November or December non-conference game.

This is Geno Auriemma and Paige Bueckers in the NCAA Tournaand a No. 2 seed that could win the national title!

Matt Zimmer is there to talk about how historically relevant Monday night's game is, what kind of chances the Jackrabbits have, and how SDSU socred a satisfying but not necessarily surprising Jacks win over Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Plenty of comparisons between the SDSU and UConn programs and coaches, and plenty of insight into some of the things Auriemma and Aaron Johnston and SDSU players had to say in his Sunday pre-game press conference, attended mostly by South Dakoa media.

Would a victory be the greatest moment in South Dakota State athletics history — if not in state of South Dakota history.

So much big game to discuss!

The Jackrabbits got hosed. That's Matt Zimmer's assessment of their No. 10 seed in the NCAA Women's Tournament, despite beating three ranked teams and playing four Quad-1 teams, with two close games. John Gaskins tried to make sense of the seeding with some NET and quad logic.

Why will Oklahoma State be a difficult matchup for the Jacks? And, how much is Matt looking forward to covering who John calls the "Buddha" of women's basketball Geno Auriemma? 

Oh, and Aaron Rodgers reportedly has chosen the Vikings, but will they choose him? Do we want that?

Aaron Rodgers hasn't found a place to play yet — at least, as of this show's publishing. 

So, why not the Minnesota Vikings? 

In this week's "Nobody's Listening Anyway," Sioux Falls Live's Matt Zimmer and John Gaskins describe why they think Rodgers in purple would work, in addition to the McCarthy era that appears to be unfolding with lots of big-money free agent re-signings and acquisitions — thanks to the over $33 million Minnesota would have had to spend on Sam Darnold.

Who will emerge from a stacked, up-for-grabs field as the men's Summit League Tournament champion and go dancing? Will a home court advantage be enough for the South Dakota State men to overcome the loss of their starting point guard?

Should SDSU's Oscar Cluff have been voted conference player of the year over Omaha's Marquel Sutton? Does USD's Grace Larkins deserve to be women's player of the year even though she played on a team that went 5-11 in league play?

What do we make of the league potentially sending a vague message that suggests it will move long-time all-sessions ticket holders — many of whom are Jackrabbit fans who have been re-ordering their tickets since the first SLT in Sioux Falls 16 years ago — out of their seats? Is this biting the hands that feed it? 

Answers to these questions and more in the latest edition of "Nobody's Listening Anyway" with Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer and Happy Hour host John Gaskins. Plus:

• Zimmer's biggest takeaways from the very first SDSU football practice of the Dan Jackson era
• Reaction to the Minnesota Vikings not franchise-tagging Sam Darnold
• Jimmy Johnson's retirement from FOX NFL
• Gene Hackman's legacy — particularly in Hoosiers

John and Matt re-live their couples day drinking trip to Brookings on Sunday and get down to business with the Jacks' sleepy (until the last few minutes) win over Kansas City, how SDSU will fare without Owen Larson, the Omaha Mavs' first regular season title, and the final week of games before next year's tourney. 

Plus, Pierre native Gray Zabel is all of a sudden on Mel Kuiper's NFL Draft board as the No. 24 overall pick to the Vikings! Does this make us any more excited for the combine?