Happy Hump Day, friends and fans!

When the Oklahoma Sooners last squared off with archrival Texas at the historic Cotton Bowl, there was only one beer stand inside the stadium itself. This year, there will be 26. It’s about time.

Of course, there are countless stands where one can purchase beer throughout the fairgrounds, but the addition of 25 more stands inside the Cotton Bowl itself should not only cut down on time spent waiting in line, it should also increase general commerce before and during the Red River Showdown/Shootout/Rivalry/whatever.

Just as many universities around the nation are beginning to discover the financial benefits of selling beer in the stadium, this move made by the Fair Park Stadium should in theory help generate more revenue by way of simply being more convenient, if for no other reason. No matter who wins on the field between the Sooners and Longhorns, fans of OU and Texas are winning with this development.

Now onto today’s Hot Links! The Sooner Swirl is a mystery no more, A.D. Miller addresses the media about his almost-transfer, Dana Holgorsen isn’t going to mail in his first season at UH and more!

OU Links

• Keeping on the topic of adult beverages for a minute, The Athletic’s Jason Kersey recently did some digging about the origin of the ‘Sooner Swirl’ from The Mont in Norman. This article is behind a paywall, but if this and other quality, inside stories about Sooner Football pique your interest, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not giving The Athletic a chance.

• Even after not playing this past weekend, Jalen Hurts maintained his lead atop ESPN’s Heisman Watch. If only the same could be said for Oklahoma as a team in the AP rankings, but whatever I’m not even mad. Stop looking at me like that.
• CBS Sports Network’s Brian Jones caught up with Lincoln Riley to talk about what it’s been like succeeding Bob Stoops and continuing the tradition of athletic excellence at the University of Oklahoma. The third-year head coach says all of those trophies represent expectation, and that’s what he strives to meet each and every day.

• Senior WR A.D. Miller spoke with the media for the first time since he kinda-sorta transferred to Illinois but not really because he ended up returning to Oklahoma. While he wasn’t ready to open up about everything that happened during that brief period of time, he did share some good things about how he was welcomed back by his coaches and teammates, writes the OU Daily’s Vic Reynolds.
• It’s almost hard to believe Lon Kruger is entering his ninth season as the OU men’s basketball coach, but here he is. For the last couple seasons, the Sooners have been on the cusp of being a good-to-great, but haven’t quite been able to rise up when it counts the most. Could the influx of talent and the heightened emphasis on playing defense take Oklahoma to the next level? Stick around to find out.

• Baker Mayfield signed autographs and took pictures left and right for a Special Olympics event at the Cleveland Browns HQ. It’s nothing new for this QB, but it never gets old to see him or any other player spend time with some of the most incredible people.

• If you have not yet checked out the new React Havocs, do yourself a favor and take a look! It’s the latest Oklahoma Sooners shoe from Jordan Brand, and they could be yours if you follow the link and pull the trigger. At least think about it, but don’t think for too long or else you might miss your chance!

• The Oklahoma Breakdown Podcast with Jack and Kamiar is back and there is plenty to discuss as OU prepares for Texas Tech. The guys talk about Trejan Bridges’ unofficial move to safety, Kenneth Mann’s return to the DL rotation, some Big 12/SEC double standards and a whole lot more. As a usual warning, there is some NSFW language used on the pod.

Around the Sports World

• After seven hours and 19 innings, the Arizona Diamondbacks finally pulled away for the win over the St. Louis Cardinals behind an RBI single from Ildemaro Vargas. My goodness, I’m getting sleepy just thinking about sitting through all of that one. Wow.

• Houston Cougars coach Dana Holgorsen says he won’t throw away this season just because starting QB D’Eriq King has chosen to sit out the remainder of the year in order to redshirt.
• Boise State starting MIKE LB and leading tackler Ezekiel Noa has been ruled out for the season after suffering two injuries against Air Force. The Broncos are currently the highest-ranked Group of Five team in the AP Poll at No. 16, and are one of six that have yet to lose.
• The Washington Nationals secured a wild card spot in the postseason on Tuesday night after stumbling out of the 2019 gate with a 19-31 record. Of course, that’s cause for celebration, and Brian Dozier was, um, totally feeling himself amid all the euphoria.

Stick to Sports!

• Talk about a blast from the prehistoric past. Actors Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum got together in 1993 to film the original ‘Jurassic Park’ movie that started a monstrous franchise, and nearly three decades later, the trio is officially getting the band back together for the third installment of the latest saga. Neill, Dern and Goldblum will be reprising their roles as Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler and Dr. Ian Malcolm, respectively, although it is not yet known how involved or essential to the film’s plot they each will be. ‘Jurassic World 3’ is set to hit theaters June 11, 2021.

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