Happy Hump Day, friends and fans!

Whether you root for the Oklahoma Sooners or the Dallas Cowboys (or both, for many of you) you’ll definitely want to check out Part One of this mini series featuring rookie WR and former OU great — CeeDee Lamb.

Before he wore No. 88, and before he was a first round NFL Draft pick, Lamb’s rise to stardom began well before he donned the Crimson & Cream. From an early age, those around him saw greatness, and he knew it was there, too.

I’m a sucker for these kinds of behind-the-scenes looks into the lives of extraordinary football talents, especially ones that highlight Sooners. Also, I need to cop one of those ‘88’ hoodies for myself. It’s just too clean.

Now onto today’s Hot Links! The Pokes lead the Sooners in one man’s pecking order, K1 talks about his buddy Baker, MLB’s first no-no belongs to Chicago’s Giolito and more!

OU Links

• 247 Sports’ Barton Simmons shared his 2020 preseason Big 12 Power Rankings, and he believes Oklahoma is currently the second-best team in the conference behind Mike Gundy and the Oklahoma State Cowboys. I suppose five straight league titles, returning an entire starting O-line, and having the best coach in the league isn’t enough to warrant the top spot. I’ll be honest, I’m a bit flabbergasted.
• On Tuesday, redshirt junior C Creed Humphrey was named to the AP Preseason All-America First Team, and redshirt sophomore K Gabe Brkic was named to the Second Team. Boomer!

• Sooners’ Wire’s Steven Plaisance took a closer look at OU’s running back situation, and gave reasons why the unit’s depletion this offseason isn’t as dire as some might try to make it out to be.
• 247 Sports’ Brandon Marcello offered his take on the realistic win totals for each team in the Big 12, and for the Sooners he expects eight wins to be the number. Personally, I’d be a bit surprised if Oklahoma loses two games in the regular season, but given the unique nature of the world around football, it wouldn’t absolutely shock me.
• Former NFL QB Michael Vick recently caught up with Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, and the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner briefly talked about the relationship he has with his former OU teammate and fellow stiff-arm award winner, Baker Mayfield. Folks, you heard it here first — Bake and his Cleveland Browns are coming back with a vengeance.

• Don’t forget to listen to the latest Oklahoma Breakdown Podcast with your usual hosts, Jack Shields and Kamiar Mehrabian. Also joining the discussion this week is fellow C&C Machine pod-man — RufWriters’ Stephen Brown. In this episode, the guys touched on the ballyhooed ‘Sooner Summit’, Parnell Motley’s rise during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp, the emergence of some young and exciting OU playmakers and much more. As always, keep in mind that this pod does contain some NSFW language.

Around the Sports World

• Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2019-20 season, and became just the fifth player in league history to earn both DPOY and MVP honors in his career.

• Moments after the Los Angeles Clippers took a 3-2 series lead over the Dallas Mavericks in a 154-111 thrashing, L.A. forward Paul George revealed that he was in a ‘dark place’ and that he’s been dealing with anxiety and depression inside the NBA bubble. ‘PG13’ had himself an outstanding game for the first time in a while, but for all his haters out there, I hope they realize that these pro athletes are people, too. Just be kind, y’all.
• After the Indiana Pacers were swept by the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the organization has officially fired head coach Nate McMillan. In four seasons with Indy, McMillan went 183-136, including an abysmal 3-16 record in the postseason.
• The Carolina Panthers have signed WR Cam Phillips, who last played for the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks. The Charlotte native had a cup of coffee with the Buffalo Bills in 2018, but now he’s back in the NFL for a second chance at playing in the game’s highest level.
• On Tuesday night, Chicago White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito struck out 13 Pittsburgh Pirates en route to the first no-hitter of the shortened 2020 MLB season. I’ll admit, I’m not the biggest baseball aficionado, but these kinds of moments will always give me chills.

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