Happy Valentine’s Day, friends and fans!

Can you feel the love in the air? The No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners sure can! Patty Gasso’s softball squad takes to the diamond today for a double header to open the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Tournament. Today’s matchups are against No. 18 Kentucky and Notre Dame at 3 and 6 p.m. CT.

On Friday, OU faces FAU at 9 a.m. CT before taking on No. 1/2 and defending national champion Florida State at noon CT. They then end the weekend with a matchup against Hofstra on Saturday at 9 a.m. CT

There are several new faces making some major contributions for the 2019 Sooners, and Shannon Saile is one of those newcomers. Joe Buettner from the Norman Transcript highlighted the junior pitcher who originally only received one scholarship offer out of high school before ultimately deciding to transfer to Oklahoma for a bigger opportunity. So far, the move is paying off.

If you want to see Saile and the rest of Oklahoma’s gifted softballers, tune in today and throughout this weekend as the Sooners go up against some top tier competition at the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Tournament. The first game will be on ESPNU, and the next will be streaming live on ESPN3.

Now onto this Valentine’s Day edition of Hot Links! Mike Stoops could possibly coach under his brother Mark at Kentucky, Oklahoma women’s basketball takes down Kansas, Kawhi Leonard put some NBA stars on blast for a new ad and more!

OU Links

• News OK’s Berry Tramel explores how Baltimore’s trading of Joe Flacco to Denver possibly impacts Kyler Murray’s destination options heading into the 2019 NFL Draft.
• For those who may still be wondering if Murray’s decision is economically the right move, CBS Sports’ Joel Corry puts it this way: “The last pick in the first round’s entire deal will be more than double Murray’s signing bonus from the A’s.” So yes, it’s likely the right decision, financially speaking.
• Tramel also looks into the possibility of Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops hiring his brother and former Sooners’ DC Mike Stoops onto his staff. Mike is currently slated to be a defensive analyst for Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2019.
• When Oklahoma and TCU last met on the basketball court, Kristian Doolittle put the team on his back and won the game in the final moments with a clutch bucket. However since then, the Sooners and the Horned Frogs have been moving in different directions as Saturday’s rematch draws closer, writes the OU Daily’s Caleb McCourry.
• Speaking of hoops, Jamuni McNeace is once again expected to be out of action this weekend.

• If you or someone you know is a high school football coach, you don’t want to miss this announcement. OU is hosting a coaches clinic on April 6, and Lincoln Riley, Barry Switzer and several assistants will be available for you to improve on your own coaching methods. It’s a phenomenal opportunity, so simply follow the RSVP instructions found at the bottom of the image and proceed from there.

• Sherri Coale and the Oklahoma women’s basketball team got back in the win column over Kansas following a 10-game losing streak. Check out some of the highlights from the Sooners’ 78-67 victory.

• Our very own Jack Shields joined Phillip Slavin and Chris Ross on the Ten12 Podcast to discuss Kyler Murray and his decision to take his talents to the NFL. Was it the right call? Where will he end up being drafted? Speculation abounds.

Around the Sports World

• Russell Westbrook has been blessed with a special talent, and I envy him for it.

• The Texas A&M Aggies and the Texas Longhorns once shared a wonderful annual rivalry an era ago. Okay, it wasn’t really that long ago, but a lot has happened since they split up, and that’s made the love letters and poetry all the more passionate.

• PGA Tour pro Matt Kuchar is taking a ton of heat for appearing to take advantage of a local caddie he worked and won an event with after paying him a laughably low amount compared to standard practice. Fellow pros and golf fans not only have found it shameful, but Kuchar’s response is also under fire for his lack of regret.
• Poop Johnson is a very real name for a very real player in the CFL. His name is hilarious enough as it is, but when you really think about it, you’ll quickly realize that the origin of the nickname is even more amusing.
• The New York Red Bulls tweeted this strange and almost sinister-sounding message that tells of an upcoming game that will be played behind closed doors with no cameras present and no information disclosed. I have so many questions.

• Kawhi Leonard is debuting a new pair of New Balance sneaks during NBA All-Star Weekend, and in the spirit of Valentine’s Day (or not), this ad throws all kinds of passive-aggressive shade at other stars around the league. Nobody is mentioned by name, but using context clues, I would guess James Harden, Kevin Durant and LeBron James are definitely singled out in this ad.

Stick to Sports!

• Studies project only 51% of Americans plan on celebrating Valentine’s Day this year, which is the lowest amount in at least a decade. Still, studies also show how the day of love has evolved over time, specifically with how much the average person spends on the holiday. If you’re part of the 51%, are you spending above or below the average?

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