1 » Amid growing concerns about the numerous arrests of Florida Gators football players over the last few years, USA Today reached out to athletic director Jeremy Foley to pick his brain about the issue. “No one here condones our players stepping out of line, and everyone here wants to get better and we will get better,” he said. “[The football staff is] working constantly at modifying behavior and, at the end of the day, the majority of the players who come through this program will make us all proud and not just because they are good football players.” The paper also spoke to Gainesville Police Department spokeswoman Tscharna Senn, who relates the player arrests to those of regular students. “Every weekend downtown, we make those same arrests across the board of other University of Florida and Santa Fe College students,” she said. “They are no different in that respect other than their name carries more weight with media.”

2 » Former Gators center Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls has been the focal point of trade rumors between his team and the Denver Nuggets for superstar Carmelo Anthony. And while the Bulls do not seem to have any interest in trading Noah, he does understand if Chicago decides to part with him in the end. “It’s part of the business,” he told ESPN. “I understand what kind of caliber of player Carmelo Anthony is. I’m trying to stay positive. […] My goal is I want to stay in Chicago and I think we can do something really special here and I hope I can be a part of it.” Brand new teammate forward Carlos Boozer agrees. “I want Joakim Noah to stay,” he said. “I don’t want to see him in any uniform but a Bulls uniform. […] Jo loves being a Chicago Bull, so for him, he’ll be excited at camp. I’ve known him for three-four months now, and his excitement level to be in this city and play for the Bulls is not matched by anybody else.”

Photo Credit: White House

Tags: arrest, Carlos Boozer, Carmelo Anthony, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Gainesville Police Department, Jeremy Foley, Joakim Noah, NBA, Santa Fe College, University of Florida

1 » The word “dominate” is thrown around a lot, but that is exactly what No. 6/5 Florida Gators softball (39-7, 17-4 SEC) did Wednesday evening, shutting out the North Florida Ospreys (23-27) 22-0 and 8-0 in a doubleheader at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, FL. The Gators won each game in five innings, hitting seven total home runs (six in the first game – tying UF single-game record) and scoring 30 runs. The 22 runs that crossed home plate in the first game of the series (14 in the third inning alone) set a school record. Wins were achieved by junior Stephanie Brombacher (26-5), who began a no-hitter with five strikeouts in three innings, and freshman Ensley Gammel (12-2), who struck out six and only gave up three hits.

Senior outfielder Francesca Enea (18), freshman first baseman Brittany Schutte (14), junior OF Kelsey Bruder (10), junior catcher Tiffany DeFelice (7), senior third baseman Corrie Brooks (8) and freshman OF Kelsey Horton (4) hit the first six bombs, with DeFelice (8) adding a second in the late game. Schutte’s moon shot also broke Florida’s freshman home run record, last set in 2008.

2 » Gators women’s basketball added its sixth 2010-11 commitment Monday when Santa Fe College sophomore point guard Lanita Bartley (Jacksonville, FL) signed a National Letter of Intent to join the University of Florida. “Lanita is a dynamic scoring point guard, who brings experience in the point guard position,” head coach Amanda Butler said. “She’s been in the Florida Junior College system for two years, which is consistently the most competitive in the country.”

3 » Also increasing its talent level is Florida’s track and field team, which added a commitment from Luc Lawrence (Fort Walton Beach, FL), Lawrence, who can run both track and cross country, began running in eighth grade and caught the eye of cross country coach Todd Morgan almost immediately.

4 » As OGGOA first reported on Twitter early Wednesday, Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow officially had the top selling jersey in the month of April according to sales figures from NFLShop.com. Tebow’s new Broncos jersey was only available for eight days of the month (he was drafted on April 22), yet it easily surpassed jersey sales for new Washington Redskins QB Donovan McNabb, who was traded away from the Philadelphia Eagles on April 4 and came in second overall on the list.

“I think it’s an honor for people to want my jersey and want to have it and want to wear it,” Tebow told the Denver Post on Wednesday. “It is somewhat surreal to have it sell more than some of these people I grew up idolizing.”

Photo Credit: University of Florida

Tags: Amanda Butler, Brittany Schutte, Corrie Brooks, Denver Broncos, Donovan McNabb, Ensley Gammel, field, Francesca Enea, Kelsey Bruder, Kelsey Horton, Lanita Bartley, Luc Lawrence, NFL, North Florida Ospreys, Philadelphia Eagles, Pressly Stadium, Santa Fe College, Stephanie Brombacher, Tiffany DeFelice, Tim Tebow, Todd Morgan, track, University of Florida, Washington Redskins, women's basketball