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What do we make of last Saturday's SCSC doubleheader in Vermillion — with the USD women beating SDSU for the first time since the Dawn Plitzuweit era four years ago, then the Coyote men's M*A*S*H unit taking first place North Dakota State to overtime?   Can the somewhat-middling Jackrabbits men and women make a February charge and/or a Summit League Tournament surge?   Also, NDSU men's coach Dave Richman and Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney are finally speaking out about agents illegally "tampering" with their current players. 

Is Bad Bunny a bad idea for a Super Bowl halftime show?   Well, who better to ask than two middle-aged white guys whose preferred genre is (shocker) rock 'n' roll?    Actually, lots of people are better to ask, but you may be surprised to hear how Sioux Falls Live's Matt Zimmer and John Gaskins feel about the Grammy Award winning performer taking global TV's biggest stage of the year on Sunday.   The two talked over Tuesday afternoon libations at Gateway Lounge in Sioux Falls, and they talked as if nobody was listening anyway.   That's kind of the premise of the five-year-old weekly show. Hence, the name "Nobody's Listening Anyway."   How much is Kevin O'Connell to blame for the Vikings roster and quarterback busts of the past year that led to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's firing? And, Zim takes another swing at the pathetic Pohlad ownership of the Twins    

Jeff passed away on Thursday, Feb. 5, from Leukemia. He joined Happy Hour when it appeared he was in the clear of the disease and was set to return to the Augustana football radio booth after a season off. Here is what we wrote on Sept. 3, the day of the original release of this chat: As inevitable as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, Jeff Fylling's dulcet tones hummed through radio and internet airwaves on a college football Saturday in Sioux Falls last week as he sat in a booth and called an Augustana game at Kirkeby-Over Stadium. But a year ago, that was as far from inevitable as possible for a man who has been the venerable Voice of the Vikings for 40 years. Fylling sat out both the football and basketball seasons as he battled cancer, and for a few months, he lived in Rochester, Minnesota, so his brother Bob could drive him to the Mayo Clinic every day for treatment. Did the Augie alumnus ever worry that he would live, let alone ever put on a play-by-play headset again? Considering the latter did happen on Saturday, what were his emotions? A Lennox native, Fylling fills us in on his year-plus "setback" with the same to-the-point yet thorough description listeners have come to expect as he "paints the picture" of Vikings football and basketball games. His one-hour conversation with fellow Husker fan Gaskins at a mutual favorite haunt — Gateway Lounge — also threads through his childhood in Lennox, early Nebraska football fandom, then an encounter with an Augustana legend that changed his life forever and set him on a course to become the Voice of the Vikings. A major part of that journey was Fylling sitting alongside his mentor and Augie Hall of Famer Danny Olson for several years before assuming the lead role. In his typical mild-mannered and matter-of-fact way, Fylling tells these stories with ease while also sprinkling in his favorite memories of Augie coaching icons like Jim Heinitz, Bill Gross, Dave Krauth, and current football leader Jerry Olszewski. A lot of those memories involve the good old days of the North Central Conference. During and after the chat, you'll understand why Fylling was so flooded with well-wishes and prayers from so many in the Augustana and Sioux Falls communities while fighting through his "setback."  

Breaking News! There is compelling Summit League basketball that happens before the Summit League Tournament.   More Breaking News! There is compelling Summit League basketball that happens before the Summit League Tournament between the two South Dakota schools during seasons when neither the Jackrabbits and Coyotes look like the league's team to beat.   Or, at least, that is how we see it at Sioux Falls Live. SDSU hosts USD in a nationally-televised game on CBS Sports Network on Saturday. The teams sit at No. 5 (USD, 5-5) and No. 6 (SDSU, 4-5) in the nine-team conference standings with just over a handful of regular season games left.   But that doesn't mean First Bank & Trust Arena won't stage a fascinating showdown featuring a team that is overachieving (Coyotes) and another desperate for a breakthrough and late-season surge (Jacks).   A win for either squad would go a long, long way both in the standings and in the winner's belief it could make some noise in Sioux Falls that first weekend of March.   Happy Hour just dropped in with Jacks coach Bryan Petersen for 35 minutes on Thursday to see what condition his team's condition was in. (That's a Big Lebowski reference, chief). He explains what he has learned at the helm, and how he leans on past SDSU coaches to navigate challenges.   SDSU lost to second place St. Thomas 77-62 at home on Wednesday night, and there isn't much time to recover for a USD team that won in overtime at Kansas City at the same time, playing with its hair on fire despite being without injured several players, including leading scorer Isaac Bruns.   Before that, the Thirsty Thursday crew — Happy Hour's host, Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer, and Happy Hour producer Cordell Wright — tore into the "State vs U" storylines and matchups. They also sank their teeth into the highly entertaining press conference introducing Bobby Kennedy as Bobby Hauck's replacement at the helm for Montana football.  

Breaking News! There is compelling Summit League basketball that happens before the Summit League Tournament.   More Breaking News! There is compelling Summit League basketball that happens before the Summit League Tournament between the two South Dakota schools during seasons when neither the Jackrabbits and Coyotes look like the league's team to beat.   Or, at least, that is how we see it at Sioux Falls Live. SDSU hosts USD in a nationally-televised game on CBS Sports Network on Saturday. The teams sit at No. 5 (USD, 5-5) and No. 6 (SDSU, 4-5) in the nine-team conference standings with just over a handful of regular season games left.   But that doesn't mean First Bank & Trust Arena won't stage a fascinating showdown featuring a team that is overachieving (Coyotes) and another desperate for a breakthrough and late-season surge (Jacks).   A win for either squad would go a long, long way both in the standings and in the winner's belief it could make some noise in Sioux Falls that first weekend of March.   SDSU lost to second place St. Thomas 77-62 at home on Wednesday night, and there isn't much time to recover for a USD team that won in overtime at Kansas City at the same time, playing with its hair on fire despite being without injured several players, including leading scorer Isaac Bruns.   The Happy Hour Thirsty Thursday crew — Happy Hour's host, Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer, and Happy Hour producer Cordell Wright — tore into the "State vs U" storylines and matchups. They also sank their teeth into the highly entertaining press conference introducing Bobby Kennedy as Bobby Hauck's replacement at the helm for Montana football... plus some Super Bowl topics.  

T-Wolves did NOT trade for Giannis (nobody did).. but did make another move for a guard that averages 15 points. Chris Johnson breaks it all down and how the team looks going forward.

SDSU men's basketball coach Bryan Petersen, ahead of a showdown with rival USD on Saturday and coming off a home loss to St. Thomas on Wednesday, describes his first year as head coach, leaning on advice from past bosses like Eric Henderson and T.J. Otzelburger, finding ways to rescue Jacks from their midseason struggles, and the potential to be dangerous in March.

A bombshell sent shock waves all over the FCS on Wednesday morning. They are waves that powerhouses like Montana State, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, and South Dakota might just try to ride in the coming weeks.   Montana coach Bobby Hauck — one of the premier coaches in the sport for over 20 years and the winningest coach in Big Sky Conference history — retired pretty much out of nowhere, notifying his athletic director at 8 p.m. on Tuesday night and holding a press conference on Wednesday morning.     This comes just less than a couple months after his Grizzlies throttled the Jackrabbits (50-29) and Coyotes (52-22) in back-to-back weeks in the FCS Playoffs to reach the semifinals. The next week, in-state rival Montana State thrashed the Griz 48-23.    While Montana would finish ranked among the top three FCS teams for the second time in three years, the semifinal loss to MSU was the third time in a row and sixth time in Hauck's eight-year second stint in Missoula the Bobcats beat Montana. A few weeks later, MSU won its first national title to throw salt into the Griz' wounds. The end of Hauck's final season is fitting — it was wild, dramatic, chaotic, triumphant yet turbulent. In 15 seasons wrapped around a disastrous five-year tenure at UNLV, Hauck was wildly prolific, guiding the Griz to eight Big Sky titles and four trips to the national championship game. But he went 0-4 in those finals.   Born in Missoula and a U of M graduate, he is both a hometown hero and his own worst enemy.    Because of the odd timing of the retirement, too late for the school to conduct a full-scale search for a long-term replacement, Hauck leaves his program in both the strong spot of a solidified Top 5 powerhouse, yet bridesmaid in its own state with an uncertain future.    While Hauck's wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy — never a head coach and never even a coordinator in a 35-year career mostly spent in the FBS — was named immediate successor, Montana athletic director Kent Haslam made no mention of a multi-year contract for Kennedy, only saying he and school leaders will assess the program's performance after the 2026 season to then decide about the head coaching position then. Although, oddly, Haslam said Kennedy would not be labeled "interim coach."   And now, the vultures are circling Missoula. Soon, a special two-week portal window will open for Griz players who prefer to transfer, a window granted for schools who make head coaching changes. Had Hauck retired prior to the nationwide Jan. 2-16 window, this "coach leaving" window would not have opened.   Ironically, Hauck mentioned in the presser that the nature of which college football is operated in the NIL/transfer portal era is the primary reason he is stepping out and vowing to never be a head coach again — a la the sentiments expressed last year by USD's Bob Nielson and in December by Kansas State's Chris Klieman in their retirement announcements. There is a lot to unpack. The Happy Hour host plays the highlights of the presser, then turns it over to a pair of Montana alumni guests who have a deep following and passionate fandom for the Griz.   Former U of M receiver Samuel Akem, who played for Bobby Hauck just a few years ago and is now an analyst and podcaster for Skyline Sports in Montana, gave his reaction from Missoula. Drew Trafton, a veteran news reporter at WDAY-TV in Fargo and now content manager for Forum Communications (parent company for Sioux Falls Live), attended Montana during Hauck's tenure and gave a historical perspective on Hauck's legacy.   Hint: Neither of these Griz fans are thrilled about the timing of Hauck's retirement, nor what lies ahead in its wake.    Carrie Eighmey Happy Hour's other guest for Wednesday's show is an example of a coach who is embracing the transfer portal and making it work for her program.   Last year, South Dakota women's basketball coach Carrie Eighmey led the Coyotes to an 11-20 record (5-11 in the Summit League) in her first season, mostly with players she inherited from her predecessor.   The Nebraska native, adept at turning sagging programs into national tournament qualifiers (Hastings in NAIA, then Nebraska-Kearney in Div. II), drilled down on her roster, signing a slew of transfers from all over the country.   All five of this season's starters and each of USD's top seven scorers came from another school, including point guard, leading scorer, and Denver transfer Angelina Robles, who led the Yotes to a 73-54 breakthrough win over three-time defending league champion South Dakota State on Saturday.   There's a method to Eighmey's roster-building madness similar to Curt Cignett's at Indiana that led to a College Football Playoff national championship: Experience and fit. Four of those top seven players are seniors who have logged in multiple full seasons of college hoops from all levels.   Eighmey does a deep dive into how and where she found all the players that have powered the Coyotes to a 16-7 record and 7-2 mark in the Summit League, good for second place with seven regular season games remaining.   Hint: It wasn't willy nilly. Eighmey has "types" that fit her style, and she explains how the winning and chemistry have all come together in such a short time.

Montana coach Bobby Hauck — one of the premier coaches in the sport for over 20 years and the winningest coach in Big Sky Conference history — retired pretty much out of nowhere, notifying his athletic director at 8 p.m. on Tuesday night and holding a press conference on Wednesday morning.     This comes just less than a couple months after his Grizzlies throttled the Jackrabbits (50-29) and Coyotes (52-22) in back-to-back weeks in the FCS Playoffs to reach the semifinals. The next week, in-state rival Montana State thrashed the Griz 48-23.    While Montana would finish ranked among the top three FCS teams for the second time in three years, the semifinal loss to MSU was the third time in a row and sixth time in Hauck's eight-year second stint in Missoula the Bobcats beat Montana. A few weeks later, MSU won its first national title to throw salt into the Griz' wounds. The end of Hauck's final season is fitting — it was wild, dramatic, chaotic, triumphant yet turbulent. In 15 seasons wrapped around a disastrous five-year tenure at UNLV, Hauck was wildly prolific, guiding the Griz to eight Big Sky titles and four trips to the national championship game. But he went 0-4 in those finals.   Born in Missoula and a U of M graduate, he is both a hometown hero and his own worst enemy.    Because of the odd timing of the retirement, too late for the school to conduct a full-scale search for a long-term replacement, Hauck leaves his program in both the strong spot of a solidified Top 5 powerhouse, yet bridesmaid in its own state with an uncertain future.    While Hauck's wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy — never a head coach and never even a coordinator in a 35-year career mostly spent in the FBS — was named immediate successor, Montana athletic director Kent Haslam made no mention of a multi-year contract for Kennedy, only saying he and school leaders will assess the program's performance after the 2026 season to then decide about the head coaching position then. Although, oddly, Haslam said Kennedy would not be labeled "interim coach."   And now, the vultures are circling Missoula. Soon, a special two-week portal window will open for Griz players who prefer to transfer, a window granted for schools who make head coaching changes. Had Hauck retired prior to the nationwide Jan. 2-16 window, this "coach leaving" window would not have opened.   Ironically, Hauck mentioned in the presser that the nature of which college football is operated in the NIL/transfer portal era is the primary reason he is stepping out and vowing to never be a head coach again — a la the sentiments expressed last year by USD's Bob Nielson and in December by Kansas State's Chris Klieman in their retirement announcements. There is a lot to unpack. The Happy Hour host plays the highlights of the presser, then turns it over to a pair of Montana alumni guests who have a deep following and passionate fandom for the Griz.

Trafton attended Montana during Hauck's first tenure and gave a historical perspective on Hauck's legacy. He also weighs in on the timing of the retirement and the level of alarm felt by Griz fans considering the new portal window that will open specfically Montana players.

Last year, South Dakota women's basketball coach Carrie Eighmey led the Coyotes to an 11-20 record (5-11 in the Summit League) in her first season, mostly with players she inherited from her predecessor.   The Nebraska native, adept at turning sagging programs into national tournament qualifiers (Hastings in NAIA, then Nebraska-Kearney in Div. II), drilled down on her roster, signing a slew of transfers from all over the country.   All five of this season's starters and each of USD's top seven scorers came from another school, including point guard, leading scorer, and Denver transfer Angelina Robles, who led the Yotes to a 73-54 breakthrough win over three-time defending league champion South Dakota State on Saturday.   There's a method to Eighmey's roster-building madness similar to Curt Cignett's at Indiana that led to a College Football Playoff national championship: Experience and fit. Four of those top seven players are seniors who have logged in multiple full seasons of college hoops from all levels.   Eighmey does a deep dive into how and where she found all the players that have powered the Coyotes to a 16-7 record and 7-2 mark in the Summit League, good for second place with seven regular season games remaining.   Hint: It wasn't willy nilly. Eighmey has "types" that fit her style, and she explains how the winning and chemistry have all come together in such a short time.

Akem played for Hauck and describes the coach's legacy, reacts to the timing of the announcement, and gives ideas to how things should change for the Griz to narrow the gap with Montana State.

Is Bad Bunny a bad idea for a Super Bowl halftime show?   Well, who better to ask than two middle-aged white guys whose preferred genre is (shocker) rock 'n' roll?    Actually, lots of people are better to ask, but you may be surprised to hear how Sioux Falls Live's Matt Zimmer and John Gaskins feel about the Grammy Award winning performer taking global TV's biggest stage of the year on Sunday.   Will their thoughts on Summit League basketball, college sports tampering, and both the Vikings and Twins firing their general managers surprise you?   Well, hit that play button and find out, bucko. Even if you don't, the two still talked over Tuesday afternoon libations at Gateway Lounge in Sioux Falls, and they talked as if nobody was listening anyway.   That's kind of the premise of the five-year-old weekly show. Hence, the name "Nobody's Listening Anyway."   Some micro-topics: * What do we make of Saturday's SCSC doubleheader in Vermillion — with the USD women beating SDSU for the first time since the Dawn Plitzuweit era four years ago, then the Coyote men's M*A*S*H unit taking first place North Dakota State to overtime?   * Can the somewhat-middling Jackrabbits men and women make a February charge and/or a Summit League Tournament surge?   * NDSU men's coach Dave Richman and Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney are finally speaking out about agents illegally "tampering" with their current players   * How much is Kevin O'Connell to blame for the Vikings roster and quarterback busts of the past year that led to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's firing?    * Zim takes another swing at the pathetic Pohlad ownership of the Twins      

Things have been shaken up in Summit League men's and women's basketball as teams brace for the final seven games of the conference slate.    North Dakota State's men and women are both 9-0 and two games ahead of their closest contenders. On the women's side, the two contenders tied for second place are three-time defending champion South Dakota State and South Dakota.   The Coyotes convincingly put another dent in the Jackrabbits armor on Saturday, two weeks after the Bison ended SDSU's 67-game conference win streak.    How has USD risen from the ashes of a seventh place finish (5-11) last season to beat its in-state rival for the first time in eight games? Why are the Jacks as vulnerable as they have been since Dawn Plitzuweit stalked the USD bench?   Happy Hour's host wrote about this in a recently-published Sioux Falls Live column. Summit League TV game analyst, a 15-year veteran who called Saturday's game, has his answers and puts a finger on the Bison dominance so far in 2025-26.   Newitt also tries to make sense of the USD men taking NDSU to overtime, which is the Bison's closest threat to losing a league game so far.    How are Coyotes remaining competitive (4-5 in league) without the services of several injured players, including leading scorer Isaac Bruns, who is out for the season with a foot injury? What can the Jackrabbits do to emerge from a scrap heap in the middle of the standings and look like the "team to beat" they often are in Sioux Falls come March?   Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Twins both fired their general managers on Friday.    What does 28-year Minnesota Star Tribune sportswriter LaVelle Neal make of these moves, particularly a Vikings organization that has whiffed the last few drafts and has plenty of egg on their faces now that Sam Darnold — the quarterback they refused to pay $100 million to sign back — has led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl?

Things have been shaken up in Summit League men's and women's basketball as teams brace for the final seven games of the conference slate.    North Dakota State's men and women are both 9-0 and two games ahead of their closest contenders. On the women's side, the two contenders tied for second place are three-time defending champion South Dakota State and South Dakota.   The Coyotes convincingly put another dent in the Jackrabbits armor on Saturday, two weeks after the Bison ended SDSU's 67-game conference win streak.    How has USD risen from the ashes of a seventh place finish (5-11) last season to beat its in-state rival for the first time in eight games? Why are the Jacks as vulnerable as they have been since Dawn Plitzuweit stalked the USD bench?   How are Coyotes men remaining competitive (4-5 in league) without the services of several injured players, including leading scorer Isaac Bruns, who is out for the season with a foot injury? What can the Jackrabbits do to emerge from a scrap heap in the middle of the standings and look like the "team to beat" they often are in Sioux Falls come March?   Happy Hour host John Gaskins answers in the Monday John-o-logue.   Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings fired their GM on Friday. Was it the right move?