What’s up, everyone?

The list of Oklahoma Sooners who have had major success at the next level, regardless of sport, is not a short one. One of those former OU athletes is Blake Griffin. After going No. 1 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft, he had an outstanding stint with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Now he’s in Detroit, and even though he’s battled through some frustrating physical setbacks, he has the Pistons moving in the right direction. Sure, the Bucks finished his team off with a sweep on Monday night, but the fans in the Motor City recognize what Griffin means to them. The toughness he displayed as he fought through an injury certainly resonates with that city and fan base.

He’s always left everything on the court, and through all the injuries, that hasn’t changed. It’s heartwarming to see the city embrace him, and considering the illustrious history that franchise has, it’ll be fun to see how far he can bring them in 2019-20. Hell of a season, Blake.

Now for today’s Hot Links! Lincoln Riley shares his last minute words of advice for Kyler Murray before the draft, OU softball remains No. 1, Bryce Harper is ejected but still looks majestic and more!

OU Links

• Now this is just too funny. The folks over at Bleacher Report put together this animated career day featuring the who’s who from this year’s NFL Draft. Kyler Murray is proficient in Microsoft Office, Elway likes anything that’s tall, and you don’t mess with the Mannings on Draft Day Career Day.

• Student tickets for the 2019 football season are now on sale, and tickets for all men’s basketball home games are also included in the price. It’s not a terrible idea.

• NFL analyst Peter Schrager has heard from a couple sources close to the Arizona Cardinals (for what that’s worth) that Kyler Murray may not be their choice for the No. 1 overall pick. If that happens, he says it could wind up being a decision that haunts the franchise for years.

• I’m sure Murray will heed Riley’s advice. I can’t imagine how proud he must feel when he sees his players in these high profile positions making a major impact on the football world. Keep doing your thing as a coach, and there’s no doubt the talent that comes through will continue to reap the benefits.

• The Philadelphia Eagles hold the 25th pick of the first round, but if they plan on trading up, either Marquise Brown or Cody Ford are intriguing options that could fill positions of need on the team.
• Sooner Scoop’s Bob Przybylo wrote about Alex Grinch and the monumental challenge he has ahead of him as his first season in the Big 12 approaches. Also, at the end of the article is a quote from OU’s DC that more than likely was a direct diss on Texas. I like this guy more and more, let me tell you.
• Oklahoma baseball is in Wichita today to take on the Shockers. The Sooners will look to continue their positive momentum after winning the series against Minnesota over the weekend. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.

• OU softball holds onto the top spot in this week’s NFCA poll. Oklahoma is also No. 1 in RPI, which is the metric that could be most important when it comes to seeding in the postseason.

• Speaking of the softball team, junior Giselle “G” Juarez was named Big 12 pitcher of the week after helping lead Oklahoma to victory in two of the three games against Texas.

Around the Sports World

• The Denver Broncos’ Von Miller reportedly will not be prosecuted after sharing on social media his catching of a hammerhead shark off the coast of Miami last year.
• On Monday night, Bryce Harper became the first Phillies player to be ejected from a game since 2015 after he disagreed with a third strike call from the home plate umpire. My one question is: Does anybody in professional sports have a better hair and beard combo than Harper?

• The Phoenix Suns fired their head coach on Monday night, which means Devin Booker will have five different head coaches in his five seasons in the NBA. That’s... not ideal.
• Cole Anthony, the son of 12-year NBA point guard Greg Anthony, made his verbal commitment to North Carolina live on ESPN’s ‘Get Up!’.

• Ever felt like you were missing out on all the NFL draft fun because you’ve never had scouts pick apart your game? Well now you can scratch that off your bucket list with SB Nation’s Scouting Report Generator. Simply enter your name and see what the scouts like about you and what they’re concerned with.
• Here’s my scouting report, and honestly, I have zero complaints. Probably a Day Three guy at best if I’m being realistic, but I’ll take my chances in free agency if I have to.

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