1 » When the New York Post asked Florida Gators five-star freshman defensive tackle Dominique Easley what his goals are when he heads to Gainesville, FL, next week, his response was straight-forward: “start right away and get to that BCS championship game.” Easley – who was honored with a student-athlete award on Monday after finishing high school with an 85 grade average while compiling 73 tackles and 16 sacks as a senior – says that he is excited for his future. “It’s getting crazy,” he said. “I’m going to be doing what I’ve been watching all my life.” Earning praise from his teachers, administrators, coaches and peers, Easley is on the fast track to success and may realize that as soon as Sept. 4 against Miami (OH).

2 » Miami Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder, entering his sixth season in the NFL, is facing a bit of adversity this offseason after the team signed high-priced free agent LB Karlos Dansby and traded for back-up LB Tim Dobbins to compete with him for one of the inside positions. Though Crowder has not been a source of game-changing plays yet in the NFL, his consistent play and locker room presence is one of the driving forces of the team’s defense. Crowder sat down with the Sun-Sentinel for a wide-ranging interview which can be viewed below. As OGGOA has contended for years, Crowder is easily the best interview in the NFL. Enjoy.

3 » In college baseball, deciding to remain in school after being selected in the MLB Draft is an increasingly difficult decision – especially when the lure of money is being thrown around. But according to Gators senior outfielder Matt den Dekker, returning to school could not have gone any better. “This is definitely the best moment in my career,” den Dekker said after defeating Miami last week to advance to the 2010 NCAA College World Series. “Coming back was the best decision I could have made.” The choice also improved his draft stock, seeing as he moved up from a 16th-round pick in 2009 to the No. 152 overall pick just over a week ago as selected by the New York Mets.

4 » As OGGOA first reported via Twitter early Wednesday, Florida head basketball coach Billy Donovan and Central Florida Knights head coach Donnie Jones will be holding a joint press conference in Orlando, FL, on Thursday at 3 p.m. to officially announce the neutral-site game to be played at the brand new Amway Center on Dec. 1. The game will be the first college basketball contest played at the $480 million facility and will hold added significance on two levels for Donovan. Most notably, he will be going up against his former long-time assistant in Jones for the first time since he left the program for the top job at Marshall after the 2007 NCAA National Championship season. Donovan also will be coaching in the new home of the NBA’s Orlando Magic, the team he once agreed to coach before backing out just days later and signing a new contract with Florida in 2007.

Tags: Amway Center, baseball, Billy Donovan, Central Florida Knights, Channing Crowder, College World Series, Dominique Easley, Donnie Jones, Draft, Karlos Dansby, Matt den Dekker, Miami Dolphins, MLB, National Championship, NBA, NCAA, New York Mets, NFL, Orlando Magic, Tim Dobbins

1 » Former Florida Gators defensive end Derrick Harvey has been underwhelming since being drafted in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Having only compiled 5.5 sacks in his first two seasons in the league, he is taking the coaching staff’s belief in him to heart by shedding some weight and becoming a more athletic player. “I thought bigger was better,” Harvey told the Florida Times-Union. “Speed is better. You’ve got to be rushing all day, and you can’t be 280 [pounds] rushing in this heat. […] It’s all on me. I’ve got to perform.” General manager Gene Smith agrees. “I think a couple of things are evident out there,” he said. “He’s probably in the best shape of his life, and he’s lighter this year, so I think you’re seeing some quickness off the snap. And he has better bend coming off the corner. He has shown better flexibility, better quickness and has been better at getting to the quarterback than in any OTAs since he’s been here.

Three more BITS on Thaddeus Bullard’s debut on WWE NXT, 2010 baseball signees picked in the MLB Draft and Tim Tebow…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Harvey, Bullard on NXT, Tebow

Tags: Brady Quinn, Daniel Gibson, Denver Broncos, Derrick Harvey, Draft, Gator Chomp, Gene Smith, Jacksonville Jaguars, John Barbato, Josh McDaniels, Karsten Whitson, MLB, NFL, NXT, Robbie Aviles, San Diego Padres, Thaddeus Bullard, Tim Tebow, Titus O'Neil, University of Florida, Urban Meyer, WWE, Zach Ryder, Zack Powers

Two Florida Gators seniors – reliever Kevin Chapman and outfielder Matt den Dekker – were selected on the second day of the 2010 MLB Draft on Tuesday.

Chapman, picked No. 119 overall by the Kansas City Royals, is a left-handed pitcher with a high-90s fastball and solid temperament. The Gators’ closer this season, he has earned 11 saves and posted a 1.28 ERA and 0.99 K/9 in 42.1 innings.

The New York Mets selected den Dekker with the No. 152 overall pick in the draft. Having already posted a .361 average with 13 home runs and 48 RBI this season, den Dekker improved 11 rounds after being pick No. 475 in 2009 by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

As many as five other Florida baseball players could be selected in this year’s draft, which may go as deep as 50 rounds.

Tags: baseball, Draft, Kansas City Royals, Kevin Chapman, Matt den Dekker, MLB, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates

1 » No. 4 Florida Gators baseball will begin action in 2010 NCAA Gainesville Super Regional at 7 p.m. on Friday at McKethan Stadium against either No. 11 Miami (FL) or No. 20 Texas A&M. The two teams look to finish their weather-suspended game Tuesday at 1 p.m. for the right to travel to Gainesville, FL, later in the week.

2 » As OGGOA reported via Twitter on Monday, former Gators first baseman Matt LaPorta has been optioned by the Cleveland Indians to Triple-A Columbus. LaPorta, who started the season up with the team after being called up late last year, was only hitting .218 with one home run and seven RBI in 35 games.

3 » Day one of the 2010 MLB Draft came and went without a single Florida player being selected. Two seniors in particular – outfielder Matt den Dekker and closer Kevin Chapman – are looking to be selected somewhat early in the process. For more on Gators in the draft, check out OGGOA‘s post from Monday.

4 » Two former Florida baseball commitments – outfielder LeVon Washington and pitcher Karsten Whitson – are also up for selection in the draft and were profiled by The Gainesville Sun on Tuesday. Learn about their respective journeys to the big show.

Photo Credit: University of Florida

Tags: baseball, Draft, Karsten Whitson, Kevin Chapman, LeVon Washington, Matt den Dekker, Matt LaPorta, McKethan Stadium, MLB, NCAA, Super Regional, Triple-A

1 » As they await their opponent for the 2010 NCAA Super Regional likely to be hosted at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, FL, members of the No. 4 Florida Gators baseball team are on notice as the three-day 2010 MLB Draft begins Monday night at 7 p.m. Seniors outfielder Matt den Dekker and closer Kevin Chapman will likely be selected somewhat early in the process, especially considering it can go up to 50 rounds. Also poised to be picked at some point are seniors pitcher Jeff Barfield and outfielder Jonathan Pigott, junior second baseman Josh Adams, and redshirt sophomore pitchers Tommy Toledo and Justin Poovey. There are four other seniors on the Gators’ roster whose names could potentially be called. Unlike football and basketball, being eligible for or selected in the draft as an underclassman does not ruin eligibility; said player is not forced to hire an agent, sign a contract or leave school.

2 » Denver Post columnist Mike Klis took a different perspective on Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels’ decision to draft former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, saying he may be just what the team needs to finally equal or surpass the San Diego Chargers and their signal caller, Phillip Rivers. Here is an excerpt from Klis’ piece:

In Tebow, McDaniels believes he has a quarterback who can eventually match Rivers. Maybe not pass per pass, but play per play.

It’s too much to expect Tebow to keep up with Rivers this season. But maybe by 2011, Tebow can stare down Rivers and mix in 190 yards passing with a touchdown and 55 yards rushing with another touchdown. There’s the offset to the typical Rivers game against the Broncos.

Before he can beat Rivers, though, Tebow has to win over his locker room.

“When you earn respect from people, then they begin to like you, and then they believe in you, and then they begin to love you, and then you have a team that is united and cares about each other more than anything else,” Tebow said in a backroom session with The Denver Post. “And then you go out there and you play for each other, you play for your coaches and you win championships.”

Tags: baseball, Denver Broncos, Draft, Jeff Barfield, Jonathan Pigott, Josh Adams, Josh McDaniels, Justin Poovey, Kevin Chapman, Matt den Dekker, McKethan Stadium, MLB, NCAA, NFL, Phillip Rivers, San Diego Chargers, Super Regional, Tim Tebow, Tommy Toledo

1 » Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer visited the Tampa Bay Rays clubhouse Friday night before their game against the Chicago White Sox. Rays pitcher Wade Davis and clubhouse manager Chris Westmoreland (Florida fans) were happy to see Meyer, but others like P Lance Cormier (an Alabama alum) and outfielder B.J. Upton (a former Florida State commitment) gave him a hard time by hanging up an Alabama shirt and doing the tomahawk chomp, respectively. “It’s good to have probably the best coach ever in college history in the clubhouse,” Davis told MLB.com. “I haven’t met him yet, but that’s pretty cool. I know Westy’s probably having a good time.” Meyer also met up with White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski – a huge Gators fan – before the game.

2 » Florida and Georgia are in the process of renewing their contract with the city of Jacksonville, FL, to play the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party there for the next six years. A few new provisions have been placed in the deal as uncovered by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which received a copy of the work-in-progress contract via the state’s Open Records Act. The contract stipulates that the schools will be given the rights to sell the name of the game to a corporate sponsor (which is not being planned), the Bulldogs will receive up to $300,000 in additional funds covering travel expenses and the Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair will never be held the same weekend as the game (which caused a traffic and parking issue in 2008).

3 » A source close to the team has informed OGGOA that redshirt senior linebacker A.J. Jones has been wearing a protective boot recently after having “simple surgery” to remove a screw from his foot. He is healing nicely and will be able to participate in on-field action sooner than expected.

4 » Jerimy Finch, the No. 1 safety recruit in the nation a few years ago, has decided to leave the Indiana Hoosiers football program just two years after transferring from the Gators. A release from the team states that Finch will “pursue other interests outside the program” but does not go into further detail.

Photo Credit: Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tags: A.J. Jones, A.J. Pierzynski, B.J. Upton, Chicago White Sox, Chris Westmoreland, Georgia Bulldogs, Indiana Hoosiers, Jerimy Finch, Lance Cormier, MLB, Tampa Bay Rays, Urban Meyer, Wade Davis, World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

1 » Former Florida Gators baseball star Matt LaPorta, now a starter with the Cleveland Indians, is struggling mightily in his first full season in MLB. The two-time Southeastern Conference Player of the Year (2005, 2007) batted .254 with seven home runs and 21 RBI in 52 games his rookie season (2009) but is not coming close to that pace this year. In 20 appearances, LaPorta is hitting .214 with no homers and only a single RBI to his name. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2007 MLB Draft was expected to be a source of power in the major leagues but has yet to live up to the expectations he had garnered. Cleveland acquired LaPorta as part of the trade that sent now-New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers two years ago.

2 » Fellow former Florida baseball player Ben Harrison is also struggling, but he is facing a very different type of conflict. On Friday, Harrison – who is currently a free agent in the minor leagues – was suspended 100 games for violating MiLB’s drug program. He was caught buying and using amphetamines, which were outlawed in MLB beginning in 2006. During his University of Florida career, Harrison hit 40 home runs and 192 RBI, ranking him second all-time in both categories behind arguably the best player in school history, the now-retired Brad Wilkerson.

Tags: baseball, Ben Harrison, Brad Wilkerson, CC Sabathia, Cleveland Indians, Draft, Matt LaPorta, MiLB, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, New York Yankees, Player of the Year, SEC, University of Florida

1 » The No. 3 Florida Gators women’s tennis team was honored extensively by the Southeastern Conference on Wednesday, taking home the top three available annual awards. Freshman Lauren Embree won SEC Player of the Year, freshman Allie Will took home SEC Freshman of the Year honors and Roland Thornqvist was named SEC Coach of the Year. Also representing the team were seniors Marrit Boonstra and Anastasia Revzina, who were named to the All-SEC First Team and Second Team, respectively. Embree and Will also earned All-SEC First Team honors and placement on the SEC All-Freshman Team. Florida was undefeated (11-0) during the regular season, won the 2010 SEC Tournament and will compete in the 2010 NCAA Team Championship beginning May 14.

2 » When it comes to former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow’s future with the Denver Broncos, you will find no stronger advocate or staunch defender than Denver Post columnist Woody Paige. As someone who suggested the team select Tebow from the get-go, Paige has gone on the offensive against a number of his readers who continue to question head coach Josh McDaniels’ decision, comparing Tebow to the likes of John Elway and San Francisco’s Steve Young.

Check out four more BITS on Cunningham, Mullen and Florida baseball…
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Tennis, Tebow’s defense, Cunningham’s future, Mullen’s job, Johnson’s start, Moyer

Tags: All-SEC, Allie Will, Anastasia Revzina, Andre Smith, baseball, Bob Stoops, Brian Johnson, Carlos Dunlap, Cincinnati Bengals, Coach of the Year, Dan Mullen, Denver Broncos, Draft, Freshman of the Year, Jeff Moyer, Jermaine Cunningham, John Elway, John Jerry, Josh McDaniels, Lauren Embree, Marrit Boonstra, Michael Oher, Mississippi State Bulldogs, MLB, NCAA Team Championship, New England Patriots, NFL, Player of the Year, Roland Thornqvist, SEC, SEC Tournament, Steve Young, tennis, Tim Tebow, Tommy Toledo, Urban Meyer