NLA: Zim on NDSU-Polasek deal & FBS price of poker, NCAA Tourney expansion (mid-major fools gold?), Augie softball and baseball dominance, Twins, Wolves-Spurs, Adrian Peterson & Vikings Mount Rushmore

\ That dream house you drive by every once in a while might bring you a smile when you allow yourself a couple seconds to imagine yourself living in it. Then, reality smacks you when you look up how much it would cost to buy. SDSU and USD football leaders and fans perhaps felt that on Monday when reading reports of North Dakota State football coach Tim Polasek's new seven-year deal, which was finalized on Monday and reported by the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Polasek will make $815,000 this season and over $1,000,000 every year starting in 2027. Incentives include $50,000 for a Mountain West title and $200,000 if the Bison reach the College Football Playoff, which former FCS rival James Madison accomplished last season. This is the price of poker NDSU leaders feel it takes to compete at the FBS level and in the Mountain West, a move the school and conference announced in late January. NDSU paid $12.5 million to enter the league and $5 million to the NCAA to move up from FCS. The Jackrabbits and Coyotes athletic directors and head football coaches have repeatedly told Happy Hour and Sioux Falls Live in recent months that both programs are making strides financially and competitively to be ready should there be an opportunity to move up to the FBS. But are they truly ready financially? When might they be? Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer, who has covered SDSU football extensively for over 10 years, weighed in on the topic to lead off this week's "Nobody's Listening Anyway" podcast with John Gaskins from Gateway Lounge's Happy Hour. The two NLA hosts analyzed the FCS and Missouri Valley Football Conference landscape and how SDSU and USD should perform while they are still there. Meanwhile, how does last week's news of the NCAA Div. I men's basketball tournament field expanding to 76 teams affect programs like the Jacks and Yotes? Is it an exciting new opportunity or fool's gold for mid-majors? Other topics covered in the 70-minute session over (late) morning beers: * How have Augustana baseball coach Tim Huber and Augie softball skipper Gretta Melsted built and maintained their programs at the top of the NSIC for the last several years? The Happy Hour host wrote a column about the Vikings' dominance on Monday, and Zimmer explained both leaders' strengths. * The University of South Dakota softball team came from seemingly out of nowhere to win the Summit League softball tournament and reach the NCAA Div. I Tournament for the first time. How big of a deal is this? * The Minnesota Twins are only three games back of the American Central lead despite an 18-23 record (as of this show and article's publishing date). Is this any cause for excitement? What are Zim's biggest takeaways from the first quarter of the season? * Why is this Minnesota Timberwolves playoff series with San Antonio so captivating? * Adrian Peterson will be the latest Minnesota Viking in the team's Ring of Honor, a no-brainer for the squad's all-time leading rusher and No. 5 rushing yards gainer in NFL history. So, does this make A.P. a shoo-in for the all-time Minnesota Vikings Mount Rushmore? Who else should take the spot of the four heads? But the show begins with Zim's delight in his new electric mower and the Happy Hour host's preference of gasoline mowers and golf carts. Gentlemen, start your engines.