Linking Up: Great longform on Keilani Ricketts; Bob Stoops opens up

Some odds and ends as we head into Memorial Day weekend.

*I don't really pay much attention to college softball, but it's impossible to follow OU sports to any degree and not know about phenom Keilani Ricketts. Over at SBNation, the talented R.J. Young, who normally works with our friends at SoonerScoop.com, has penned a thoughtful longform piece on the superstar pitcher and slugger. This is a must-read if for no other reason than Young's ability to capture the experience of watching the most dominant athlete in college athletics today in action.

*Bob Stoops took a break from helping out with the clean-up and recovery efforts in Moore yesterday to talk with sports talk radio host Jim Traber. It turned into what I thought was one of the most candid interviews with the coach that I've ever heard. Definitely worth a listen if you get a chance.

*Insightful chalk talker Nickel Rover published a great two-part series this week at Football Study Hall on Baylor's dynamic offensive attack. Part I focused on Art Briles' scheme, while Part II zeroed in on how to slow the Bears down – if the last three years are any indication, there really isn't much "stopping" that can be done.

Really excited for our buddy Bill Connelly's new book dropping this summer, by the way.

*I had the pleasure of appearing on the ever-sophisticated "Friends With Muscles" podcast on Rebel Sports Radio this week. Ostensibly, I was on to help preview the upcoming season in the Big 12, but we kept it on the intellectual tip with talk of bro-ing, "loser hot girls" and the misery of music festivals.

*The Big 12 gets a lot wrong – a lot. All the huffing and puffing in SEC country over scheduling should serve as a reminder, though, that the round-robin is one thing Bob Bowlsby does get right. I think that while it presents some drawbacks in terms of postseason positioning, the Big 12's approach is still the most equitable way to determine a champion.

Also, I can't help but find it ironic that the SEC is struggling with concerns over protecting these rivalry games after the league helped kill off Texas-Texas A&M and the Border War. Tradition!

*Despite admitting that he doesn't condone homosexuality, Landry Jones is earning plaudits from the LGBT community for the perspective that he brought to the ongoing dialogue about gay athletes.