How’s it going, friends and fans? Don’t look now, but there’s only three days until the Oklahoma Sooners’ Spring Game is finally here! Over the years, one thing I’ve always enjoyed about the game was the field itself. Especially recently, the folks in charge of what’s painted on the field have been quite creative with mixing it up. One of my favorites was when the state of Oklahoma was painted on the middle of field. This year, they’re going with another look, and I must admit, I think it looks tremendous.

Bob Stoops’ statue is being officially unveiled this Saturday, but the dedications to the program’s winningest head coach won’t stop there. On the field, just below the OU logo, there is a ‘Salute to Bob Stoops’ message, and on the 25 yard lines there is a white OU visor that’s emblematic of Bob himself. Whoever came up with the idea to include the visor deserves a free sundae because it looks awesome. Excellent work, everybody!

Now for today’s edition of Hot Links! Trash-talking ensues as a much more competitive spring game looms, Baker Mayfield played better defenses compared to most of his draftee counterparts, Fale Aviu made SportsCenter’s top 10 and more!

OU Links

• Lincoln Riley clearly knows something we don’t. My educated guess is this is about recruits (mainly because he used the eye emoji). Typically in the past it’s been the sign that a commitment was coming soon, and with such a monster recruiting weekend just days away, I wouldn’t be surprised to see one or two huge verbal commitments come the Sooners’ way. Nevertheless, he’s got me all excited about whatever this may be.

• With the first half of the spring game being traditionally formatted like an actual game, there’s been plenty of trash talk between the players. The prize for winning is meal-related, but the menus haven’t been revealed as of yet. Needless to say, both sides want to come out on top.
• One of the aspects of how effective a QB is throughout their college careers is the level of competition they faced. The Big 12 may not be known for defense, but Baker Mayfield still faced some tough defenses over the years, both in and out of conference. Check out where Mayfield ranks among the other QBs entering the draft when it comes to the strength of the defenses they each played. How the rankings shake out may surprise you.
• Redshirt senior Carson Meier is a known commodity as a blocker, but this spring he’s shown improvement as a receiver as well. The battle for starting H-back between he and Jeremiah Hall is one that figures to carry on well into August.
• Steele Walker has done it again! Walker blasted two home-runs last night in the Sooners’ 13-0 win over Little Rock, making it the second time he’s sent two out of the park in the past three games. Boomer!

• Fale Aviu made yesterday’s SportsCenter’s top 10 with this amazing dive for an out against Iowa State. Congratulations, Fale! You and the entire team represent Sooner Nation amazingly well.

• Barry Switzer’s granddaughter, Skyler Miller, plans to blaze her own trail as a tennis player at the University of Oklahoma. She certainly carries the pedigree of a champion, so I wouldn’t put anything past her.
• A plethora of Sooners came away with awards from the Max Weitzenhoffer Scholar-Athlete Breakfast. Check out this year’s list of award-winning Sooners!

Around the Sports World

• Kansas and NC State are the latest programs to be named in the FBI’s investigation of college basketball’s epidemic with impermissible benefits.
• Tonight is the regular season finale in the NBA, and there’s a ton left at stake as far as the playoffs are concerned. So what are the scenarios for all the teams still vying for a postseason spot?
• Who knew Milhouse was a Milwaukee Bucks fan? But seriously, this guy dresses up like The Simpsons’ Milhouse at Bucks games, and he’s bringing his charade to the playoffs.

• Alabama and Auburn might be the most bitter in-state rivals in all of college football, and the back-and-forth doesn’t rest just because it’s the off-season. An Auburn kicker recently claimed the Tiger as state champs, and a Bama linebacker dropped the mic on him.
• David Simon has been playing in the Korean Basketball League since 2010, but now he’s banned for being too tall. There’s a lot more injustice to this than meets the eye.

Stick to Sports!

• A man ate some extremely spicy chili peppers in a chili pepper eating contest before being rushed to the hospital later in the day for an excruciating headache. He’s okay now, but doctors deduced that the peppers were the problem. Amazingly, this has now led to an important medical discovery, furthering what we know about headaches.

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