1 » Former Florida Gators linebacker, 1992 NFC Defensive Player of the Year and three-time Pro Bowler Wilber Marshall has decided to speak out about the proposed 18-game NFL season because he believes it is a money grab and will take a serious toll on players’ bodies. “I take meds just to walk,” he told Florida Today. “I don’t like taking them. I know what they do to the liver. I saw what happened to Walter [Payton]. So far, my head’s good. It’s just the rest of my body that doesn’t work. […] They should keep it at 16 games and eliminate the two preseason games anyway. But you know how it is. It’s all about the NFL making money, and not about the players’ health.”

2 » Florida freshman shortstop Nolan Fontana was named to the Rawlings NCAA Division I Gold Glove Team on Wednesday, the first player in school history to earn such an honor. The only freshman on the nine-player team, Fontana posted a .986 fielding percentage and only committing four errors in 279 chances in 2010.

3 » In the process of re-signing with ESPN, former Gators dazzler and current sideline reporter Erin Andrews will be featured in the August 2010 issue of Vanity Fair. Complete with an alluring photo spread, Andrews was interviewed by George Wayne who, safe to say, asked her some pretty ridiculous questions. Among them: “Do you have man-size feet like Paris Hilton?” “What is the one thing you take when feeling constipated?” and “What gets me to the vomitorium is that faux romance between you and that cheesy ballroom dancing partner of yours. What was with this tabloid fake romance?” Luckily for OGGOA’s male readers, Wayne’s somewhat absurd interview comes along with a video of Andrews’ photo shoot.

4 » Georgia Bulldogs athletic director Damon Evans was arrested on charges of driving under the influence Wednesday evening. Evans, driving a 2009 BMW, was pulled over just before midnight and is said to have smelled of alcohol while failing a field sobriety test. He refused a breathalyzer test and was released on his own recognizance Thursday morning. The University of Georgia is expected to release a statement sometime soon; some believe the school will ask him to resign.

Photo Credit: Patrick Fraser/Vanity Fair

Tags: baseball, Damon Evans, Erin Andrews, Georgia Bulldogs, Gold Gove Team, NCAA, NFL, Nolan Fontana, Player of the Year, Pro Bowl, Rawlings, Walter Payton, Wilber Marshall

Former Florida Gators dazzler and current ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews has agreed to sign a new multi-year contract with The Worldwide Leader in Sports after her deal expires on July 1, according to USA Today.

Though her new role with the network is yet to be defined, one should expect Andrews to see an increased role on the network from this point forward. With Suzy Kolber and Michelle Tafoya already (wo)manning the sidelines for ESPN‘s signature show – Monday Night Football – it will be interesting to see what other responsibilities Andrews is given in addition to her duties during college football, basketball and baseball games.

When questioned about how imminent the agreement with Andrews is, ESPN‘s executive vice president Norby Wiliamson said, “We hope to have a deal signed soon.”

Tags: dazzlers, Erin Andrews, ESPN, Michelle Tafoya, Suzy Kolber

1 » As director of strength and conditioning for the Florida Gators, Mickey Marotti runs the program almost by default during the offseason. When speaking at the 2010 Southeastern Conference Meetings recently, head coach Urban Meyer praised Marotti’s efforts for making the Gators the best conditioned team – especially when it comes down to those fourth quarter road game efforts. ESPN’s SEC blogger Chris Low sat down with Marotti and covered a few topics, excerpts of which can be found below:

How about some of the players on this team who maybe haven’t been in the spotlight that are going to need to be this coming season? Who are some of those guys who’ve had big offseasons?
MM: One young player who’s really done a nice job is Jordan Reed, who’s going to play a couple of different positions and can hopefully step into Aaron Hernandez’s role as that pass-catching tight end. He’s really matured from when he first got here. Another guy is Jaye Howard on the defensive line. He’ll be a redshirt junior and has really changed the way he does things. We’ll find out about him. The other guy is Deonte Thompson at wide receiver. He has a ton of ability, but his work ethic and his demeanor and his leadership have really changed. Sometimes it takes guys longer to mature. I can’t wait to see him. I hope he has a great year, because he has really worked his butt off.

From your perspective, how much better and how much stronger has John Brantley gotten since the day he walked onto campus?
MM: It’s night and day. He’s what we call a grown-ass man right now physically and mentally. A lot of it is maturing, and I think a lot of it has to do with being around Tim [Tebow]. But Johnny has worked really hard and grown up.

What goes through your mind when you hear Meyer laud you, your staff and the whole strength program for the Gators’ success in the fourth quarter?
MM: I don’t think it’s just what we do in the weight room. I think it’s more about the whole coaching staff, from the athletic trainers, to the defensive coordinator and his staff, to the offensive coordinator and all his coaches. We are all so much on the same page, and I think that’s why we’ve been successful here. Everybody buys in, and everybody sells the same thing to our players.

Two more BITS on Erin Andrews and women’s basketball…after the break!
Continue Reading » TWO BITS: Mickey Marotti; Erin Andrews’ future

Tags: dazzlers, Erin Andrews, ESPN, Mickey Marotti, NCAA, SEC, University of Florida, Urban Meyer, women's basketball

1 » ESPN’s Andy Katz reports that Rutgers transfer guard Mike Rosario, who was hoping to enroll at the University of Florida for its Summer A session, will instead join the Florida Gators for Summer B as he is stuck in New Jersey finishing classes. “Rosario might end up being one of the most important transfers Donovan has had in his career,” Katz wrote. “[He] will push Kenny Boynton in practice every day.”

2 » Former Gators dazzler and ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews finished third in her quest to win ABC‘s Dancing with the Stars competition. Andrews got further than many expected on the program and is rumored to have begun a relationship with her dance partner on the show. She is currently in the process of finalizing a new contract (including a significant raise) with the Worldwide Leader in Sports and hopes to expand her horizons beyond college sports and baseball.

3 » Two Florida softball players – juniors pitcher Stephanie Brombacher and outfielder Kelsey Bruder – have been named 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans by the College of Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Named to the third- and second-teams, respectively, each earned at least a 3.30 GPA.

4 » Former Gators inside linebackers Channing Crowder and Andra Davis were both in the news Wednesday. A report from the Sun-Sentinel states that Crowder may begin the season on the Miami Dolphins’ physically unable to perform list if his foot does not heal properly, while another from the Buffalo News infers that Davis is set to start for the Buffalo Bills alongside Paul Posluszny.

Tags: Academic All-American, Andra Davis, Buffalo Bills, Channing Crowder, Dancing with the Stars, Erin Andrews, Kelsey Bruder, Kenny Boynton, Miami Dolphins, Mike Rosario, University of Florida

1 » Just before Mother’s Day, former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos spoke with the Denver Post about his mother, Pam Tebow, and how much she has meant to him throughout his entire life. “For 25 years, she’s pretty much put her life on hold for me and my siblings,” Tebow said. “She’s invested in our lives – we were her No. 1 priority, and nothing else really mattered. Now, she’s getting to do a lot of things she loves to do too with the speaking and the writing and the traveling. She loves it, though I still don’t think she loves it as much as she loved raising all her kids.” For much, much more, check out the Post’s story here.

2 » Shout out to Deadspin for this one. “Ten years ago, Darrin Henson was the Tom Emanski of instructional dance videos. He had one enthusiastic pupil, though,” and her name was Erin Andrews. The former Gators dazzler and current ESPN sideline reporter appears at the 0:45 mark of this pretty damn funny video.

Tags: Denver Broncos, Erin Andrews, Pam Tebow, Tim Tebow

1 » Former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow was drafted No. 25 overall in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. Before that became official, league commissioner Roger Goodell had to announce it to the crowd at Radio City Music Hall. After that took place, some lucky kid snatched up the below card. Nice keepsake. Good luck getting your hands on it. Be armed with $1 million.

2 » Dressed in an sea foam green shirt and white Broncos hat, Tebow’s first rookie card looks more like something out of a family photo album than a card kids will have a desire to collect. But considering his No. 15 Denver jersey is already the top seller among rookies, it is no surprise that Prestige Football wants to capitalize on his brand ASAP.

3 » Though OGGOA has already shown you both pieces of cover art featuring Tebow on EA Sports‘ NCAA Football 11 video game, now you can take a look at his likeness in the company’s Madden NFL 11 game, set to be released just a few weeks later.

4 » Former Florida dazzler and ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews continues her quest to reach the finals of the ABC reality television show Dancing With the Stars. Like she did earlier in the season, Andrews’ celebrated on the show Monday with a nice big Gator Chomp to show her UF pride and thank her fans. Enjoy.

Photo Credits: Panini America, IGN

Tags: Dancing with the Stars, dazzlers, Denver Broncos, Draft, EA Sports, Erin Andrews, Gator Chomp, Madden NFL 11, NCAA Football 11, NFL, Radio City Music Hall, Roger Goodell, Tim Tebow

In a feature on Sports Illustrated Monday, Jimmy Traina spoke with ESPN sideline reporter and former Florida Gators dazzler Erin Andrews about her time on Dancing with the Stars, recent death threats she has received and a variety of other issues. Portions of his interview pertaining specifically to her personal issues and sports career can be found below, but you can read the entire thing on SI.com.

SI.com: How are you doing in light of the recent death threats against you?
Andrews: The past week was a really hard week. I’m not going to lie and say that it didn’t bring everything back that I had to deal with last summer. Granted, this was to a different level, but it brought back a lot of different emotions that I was trying to get past. But it just puts me back in the spotlight and makes me an example of how stalking is for real and it needs to be taken seriously, and I think it forces me even more to say to myself, “OK, how am I going to use this platform, how can I show women they have to be smart about their safety and protection?” But it’s been a difficult week.

SI.com: Your contract with ESPN is up soon. What’s the latest with that?
Andrews: My agent is handling all that. We’re in talks, trying to figure some stuff out. I miss sports a lot right now. I feel like I don’t know what’s going on and it kills me. And [ESPN colleagues] Chris Fowler, Craig James and Jesse Palmer are going to be in the audience this Monday, and I’m so excited to see them and get some sports in my life.

SI.com: So there are no plans to do something other than ESPN?
Andrews: Oh, God, no. I’m not even thinking about that right now. Before I know it, it’s going to be time for college football. There is, in the back of my mind, something I’d like to do with female safety and crimes against women, so maybe that’s something I can do in addition to ESPN. But you know me, I’m obsessed with sports. I miss it a lot right now. I feel like I was cheated out of March Madness because I didn’t get to see any of it. I was walking up and down the press line last Monday asking, “Does anyone have a Duke score?” Nobody knew what I was talking about. This is such a different world for me.

SI.com: How has being in sports affected you on DWTS?
Andrews: There’s a lot from sports that’s has rubbed off on me. I really wanted Maks as a partner because he reminded me of Urban Meyer and Nick Saban — your no-nonsense kind of coach. I wanted someone who wasn’t going take any of my bull. I hurt my back this week. It really, really hurt, but I wasn’t going to tell the doctors about it because I love athletes who tough it out. So, I didn’t want to go to the doctor, but Maks called production and said, “I need to get her a doctor because I need her back to be OK.” And I was like, “No, no, just tell me I’m good to go.” And I still think of this as a game. I always ask, “When are we getting to the stadium?” And people here are like, “Do you mean the studio?”

Tags: Dancing with the Stars, dazzlers, Erin Andrews, ESPN, Urban Meyer

1 » Florida Gators freshman sprinter and junior running back Jeff Demps is fast. So fast, in fact, that the 10.11-second 100-meter dash he ran at the 66th Pepsi Florida Relays on Friday afternoon at Percy Beard Track is the fastest run in the world so far in 2010 (and it is not even the best time he has run in his life – 10.01 in high school. Demps won the 60-meter dash national title at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships and is hoping to add more titles to his resume in the outdoor season.

2 » ESPN sideline reporter and former Florida dazzler Erin Andrews, who is currently a contestant on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, has been the subject of death threats since the end of March, according to CNN. Andrews’ attorney, Marshall B. Grossman, says that radio talk show host Dan Patrick has been sent several threatening e-mails about Andrews beginning in September. The e-mails “were of a sexual nature but then turned violent” recently, according to Grossman. The FBI is already on the case and has identified the sender of the e-mails, per the Los Angeles Times.

Two more BITS on…No. 8/11 baseball, No. 3 women’s tennis and No. 6 men’s tennis all defeating Vanderbilt on Friday. Read more about these results…after the jump!

Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Demps is fast, Andrews’ death threats

Tags: Alex Panteliodis, Alexandre Lacroix, Allie Will, Anastasia Revzina, Antoine Benneteau, baseball, Currey Tennis Center, Dancing with the Stars, dazzlers, Erin Andrews, Jeff Barfield, Jeff Demps, Joey Burkhardt, Kevin Chapman, Lauren Embree, Linder Stadium, Marrit Boonstra, Matt den Dekker, McKethan Stadium, National Championship, NCAA, NCAA Indoor Championships, Pepsi Florida Relays, Percy Beard Track, Ring Tennis Complex, Sekou Bangoura, tennis, Vanderbilt Commodores