The Mike McFeely Mess

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins host Mike McFeely in a last-second, emergency podcast (Mike just got back from Sioux Falls, S.D., covering the Summit League tournament and had nothing prepared) to chat about the North Dakota State women's basketball team, potential Summit League transfers, the Minnesota Vikings' free-agent moves and the now-relevant Minnesota Timberwolves. It's a smorgasbord of sports talk!

Forum columnist and former local TV news reporter and director Jim Shaw joins host Mike McFeely to talk about North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum refusing to say whether he would've certified the 2020 presidential election in which Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump. Burgum is angling for something from Trump, possibly a Cabinet position. Also, Shaw offers a couple of thoughts on the Republican gubernatorial race between Tammy Miller and Kelly Armstrong.

Forum columnist and reporter Tammy Swift joins host Mike McFeely and turns the tables. Tammy asked if she could be the one asking the questions to learn more about Mike. He agreed. So Tammy fires away. Does Mike think he has a large ego? What's one thing about him that would surprise people? What does he fear? It's like a therapy session, in podcast form.

WDAY-TV sportscaster Dom Izzo joins podcast host Mike McFeely to talk about the pair's "Drive For Five (Thousand)" campaign to attract 5,000 fans to the North Dakota State vs. North Dakota basketball games Feb. 24 in Fargo.

There likely won't be anywhere near 5,000 fans for either game, but the guys ask the question:

Why is basketball attendance for the men's team dwindling and what can be done to boost the number of fans at women's games?

Denver Post sports columnist Sean Keeler joins podcast host Mike McFeely to chat about one of North Dakota State's opponents this fall, the University of Colorado. Keeler recently wrote a column calling Colorado head coach Deion Sanders — you might have heard of him — "a false prophet, the Bruce Lee of B.S., Harold Hill in designer shades."

Keeler and McFeely talk about the column, the reaction to it, and the upcoming matchup between the historically powerful FCS team in NDSU and the upstart and very popular FBS team in Colorado. It is sure to be a game watched intently both nationally because of Prime Time and regionally because the Bison get another chance to play an FBS Power Five team.

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins podcast host Mike McFeely to talk about North Dakota State football's latest quarterback recruit Jacob Kilzer, the addition of three new assistant coaches and this year's great success of Minnesota State University Moorhead's men's basketball team.

Noted Bismarck, N.D., author, historian and humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson joins host Mike McFeely to discuss, mostly, the sorry state of the American republic. The United States is in the hurt bag because of an electorate (mostly on the right) that is stuck in its partisan fantasy land and politicians (mostly on the right) who won't push back on Trump. 

Jenkinson is the principal behind Listening to America (formerly The Thomas Jefferson Hour), a weekly podcast/radio program, newsletter, and website LTAmerica.org dedicated to "traveling less visited byways and taking time to see this immense, extraordinary country with fresh eyes while listening to the many voices of America’s past, present, and future."

Forum columnist and business reporter Tammy Swift joins host Mike McFeely to talk about several things, but mostly about columns she's written about her elderly mother's illness. Tammy's columns have been deeply personal, opening the door to thinking about her mom's mortality and her own. 

Forum reporter Tracy Briggs joins host Mike McFeely to talk about her stories on King Leo's, a long-ago popular hamburger joint in south Fargo that has readers stirred up with excitement. As is always the case when Tracy and Mike begin to talk, the discussion goes off-course into their careers, their spouses, travel, their aversion to math and other non-related topics. 

"News and Views" host Joel Heitkamp, based at Fargo's KFGO radio, joins host Mike McFeely of The Forum at Vic's Lounge in Moorhead to chat about North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum's presidential campaign. The Republican announced he was seeking his party's nomination in early June and dropped out of the race in early December after gaining little traction. Mike and Joel discuss the campaign, what Burgum could have done differently and what might be next for the North Dakota governor.

San Francisco Chronicle sportswriter Eric Branch joins podcast host Mike McFeely to talk about former North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance, who has work to do if he wants to be the San Francisco 49ers long-term starter.

Lance was taken with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, was given the starting job to start 2022, but suffered a broken leg early in the season. He was replaced first by Jimmy Garoppolo and then Brock Purdy. It's like Purdy would've remained the team's starting QB if not for an injury he sustained.

Branch lays out the scenario for Lance's short-term and perhaps long-term prospects with the Niners.

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins podcast host Mike McFeely for an early-week look at the Football Championship Subdivision national title game between North Dakota State and South Dakota State. 

At last glance, the Bison were 5-point underdogs to the Jackrabbits for Sunday's game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. This is a rare position in which NDSU finds itself.

How can the Bison win the game? Eric gives some examples of what he thinks has to happen.

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson and podcast host/columnist Mike McFeely take a closer look at North Dakota State's 2022 early signing period recruiting class, which was announced Wednesday, Dec. 21.

They look at some recent recruiting classes to give perspective on how many players might pan out to be contributors or stars.

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson and columnist/podcast host Mike McFeely take an early look at the Football Championship Subdivision national title game between North Dakota State and South Dakota State, to be played Jan. 8 in Frisco, Texas.

Who has the early advantage? What are the early keys? What does two teams from the same conference playing for the title mean for FCS? How many drunken fistfights will there be?

Eric and Mike take a big-picture early look at the much-anticipated title tilt.

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson and podcast host and columnist Mike McFeely take a close look at the North Dakota State vs. Incarnate Word FCS playoff semifinal game scheduled for Friday, Dec. 16. Eric sees a strength-on-strength matchup while Mike wonders how UIW's defense will hold up against the Bison run game.

As a bonus, the guys spend some time talking about the other FCS semifinal between South Dakota State and Montana State, two programs familiar to NDSU.

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins podcast host and columnist Mike McFeely to break down the North Dakota State-Samford FCS playoffs quarterfinal game this week. The Bison host the Bulldogs on Friday, Dec. 9, at 6 p.m. Central.

The Bison have their vaunted rushing game rolling, crushing their last two opponents in North Dakota and Montana. Can NDSU continue that trend against Samford, of the Southern Conference? If so, NDSU's chances of getting to the semifinals for the 11th time in the past 12 seasons grows.

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins podcast host and columnist Mike McFeely to take a close look at the North Dakota State-Montana FCS playoff football game. It's a second-round game scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Fargodome.

Montana is 8-4 and coming off a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Southeast Missouri State in the first round, but the Grizzlies haven't met expectations so far this season with inconsistent play.

The Bison are 9-2 and hoping for their 10th trip in the last 12 years to Frisco, Texas, for the FCS title game.

Colter Nuanez of Skyline Sports, which covers the Big Sky Conference and the University of Montana, joins podcast host and columnist Mike McFeely to break down Saturday's FCS playoff game between North Dakota State and Montana.

The Grizzlies have looked great at times this season and awful at other times. Which Montana team will show up to play the Bison at the Fargodome? Mike asks Colter that question right out of the gate.

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins podcast host and columnist Mike McFeely in prediciting the outcome of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. From first-round games until the title game in Frisco, Texas, they walk through what they think will happen each week.

Will they have the nine-time North Dakota State Bison coming out on top again? Or will it be somebody else like South Dakota State, Montana State or Sacramento State?