If you're at work, please take a half day and go home to play some Wiffleball. It's what the Founding Fathers would have done.

A few years ago, the New York Mets were on the verge of challenging for a playoff spot. Needing one more starter, the Mets decided to part with a young high school pitcher.

The Victor Zambrano for Scott Kazmir trade is now historic, a trade that turned one franchise around and did nothing for the other (the 2004 Mets finished 20 games below .500). Last year Kazmir won the AL strikeout crown and pitches tonight as the Tampa Bay Rays try to sweep the Boston Red Sox for the second time this season.

Prospects do get traded, but none with the background or potential of Kazmir and rarely at the deadline anymore. That could change this season as several teams throw their hat into the C.C. Sabathia Sweepstakes. The Yankees, who earlier this decade destroyed their Minor League system, have apparently decided to stay out and the Red Sox seem to be taking the same route. That leaves teams stacked with very good farm teams like the Brewers, Phillies and dark horses like the Dodgers who might not have the chips to trade but have the cash to resign the Cleveland southpaw.

One of those chips is former Gator first baseman Matt LaPorta, who is currently raking for the Brewers Double-A affiliate in Huntsville. In two seasons of MiLB, LaPorta has 31 homers, including 19 this season. The problem is that LaPorta is not a defensive standout. Selected to the Futures Game, LaPorta is serviceable as an outfielder, which is necessary since the Brewers have Prince Fielder at 1B. Does that make LaPorta moveable? Or does Milwaukee keep trying to make him into a right fielder?

Baseball teams can afford to be patient now. Fans are much more sophisticated and are willing to wait for a kid to show himself in the Minors. But they also know when they are crushing the ball and start asking for the kid to move up (Evan Longoria and Jay Bruce this season in Tampa and Cincy). LaPorta is not a "once in a generation" talent like Bruce or Longoria, but you can't argue with a .286 average and .399 on-base percentage. Someone will be very happy with LaPorta, but it might not be the Brewers.

- Former Gator Earnest Graham is getting paid by the Bucs. The running back went from special teams superstar to feature back will be getting a four-year deal worth $11 million. Early in his career, Graham had been released by the Bucs and was living in a friend's spare room after an acquaintance, who was acting as his agent, basically stole his money. Now, Graham will not have to worry about money for a long time.

- Jeff Demps will not be going to China this summer. While that's better for UF, it does suck. I think an Olympian returning kicks would be an advantage for the Gators.

- Speaking in Ohio, Urban Meyer said he felt "awful" following the Gators' loss to Michigan in the Capital One Bowl. He also has the early leader for Quote of The Year.

He said he has heard many a young student-athlete say, "Coach doesn't like me, so he isn't playing me."

To which Meyer had an answer.

"I look and them and say, 'You are correct. I don't like you,' " he said. " 'If you worked harder, if you got better grades, if you quit being a jerk, pulled your pants up and got the IPod out of your ears, I'd like you a lot better.' "

Meyer then said, "And get off my lawn!"

- Finally, I get a weird feeling this time of year. Today is the start of Summer B at UF, and for nearly all freshman now, the start of their college careers. Two years out of school and I still feel the pull of Gainesville. That's either good (that I haven't lost touch) or bad (that part of me wants to be at UF). Last year on The Sporting Orange, we named the Ten Things to Remember at The University of Florida for the freshmen, and we bring it back today with some updates.

1. Do not date freshmen or sophomore year. There are a lot of awesome girls at UF and you don't want to lock up with one. (Note: The one downfall of UF becoming harder to get into is that the attractiveness of the student body is dropping. I believe it started with my class in 2002, because I'm ugly.)

2. Stand up at every football game. You go to UF, not Miami. Also, remember Championship Mode for the big games.

3. The only reason to rush is to get drunk and get laid. If you have trouble normally doing those things, then you should rush.

4. There are two 24 hour Wal-Marts and two 24 hour supermarkets near Archer and 34th St. in Gainesville. You'll need to know this when your roommate spills beer all over your PS3/X-box controller.

5. Despite what she says, a twin bed is big enough for two people.

6. If you meet a girl at a party, and she says she is from New Orleans, do not tell her your fantasy football team name is the New Orleans Refugees. (Or if she's from Iowa, and you've called your team the Floods. But there are no cute people from Iowa, so this should not happen anyway.) If she keeps talking to you after that, she's a good girl.

6a. If said girl is "hanging out" with the guy hosting the party, wait until that guy is sufficiently trashed before you ask for her number.

7. If you live near Museum Road and Newell, in the back of the IFAS building that gives out free food samples is a giant air vent. The vent blows air that is about 50 degrees. Perfect place to cool off. St. Augustine's Church is pretty good too, and you get the bonus of wine and crackers at 12pm and 5:30pm.

8. From my first ever class, INR 2001, "The only way you'll get smarter is by reading newspapers; The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal."

9. Once you turn 21, start going to bars with live music on a regular basis. You're an adult now.

10. Have fun.

I'm gonna go cuddle my degrees now. Enjoy your day and Let's Go Rays.

While you were working the grill or stretching out your arm for beer pong Saturday night, Florida signee Jeff Demps was trying to qualify for the Olympics. In the 100-meter dash quarterfinals, Demps finished second and ran 10.01.

Wait, now in bold.

10.01

The only reason why he was second? Tyson Gay set the American Record with a 9.77, .05 away from a world record. But Demps sets the High School record, since he is competing as a high school student. The previous mark was 10.08.

"It's an honor to break that record," Demps said by phone 45 minutes after his performance. "I can't really explain how it feels right now. I'm so excited."

First off, 100 yards is about 91 meters, so for those of you imagining one of the world's fastest men returning kicks for UF, it might actually be less than 10 seconds goal line to goal line. (But in pads, it might be about 10 seconds.) Demps is only 5-9, 170, perfect for a sprinter, not so much for a football player. As it stands, Demps is only in the semifinals, with two races Sunday between him and Beijing.

Giving him the benefit of the doubt though, let's say he is one of the athletes who qualifies for the Olympics. Should he become a pro track athlete or head to Florida and uphold the ideals of the amateur athlete? He could be too damn fast for Florida Football and start cashing checks.

The News Journal of Delaware calls Speights,"Big man of the future."

The Sixers liked the 6-foot-10, 245-pound forward from Florida because of his versatility, which includes his ability to post up and shoot from the outside. And Speights also possesses the main prerequisite of anyone joining the Sixers these days -- the ability to run.

"We're a running team, and he's one of the best running big men in the draft," Sixers vice president Tony DiLeo said. "We need a post-up presence, and we think he will be a good post-up player.

"We've done a lot of research on him. He really fits us like a glove."

The Philadelphia Daily News says the addition of Speights is part of a larger renewal plan for the Sixers. With $11 million in cap space following a surprising playoff run, the Sixers are positioning themselves for a big splash in the free agent market. That allows some patience with Speights.

"With the 16th pick in the draft, we had a plan," Sixers GM Ed Stefanski said, "but it was only part of the plan. We got the player we wanted [Speights] with a very big upside.

"While we don't see him coming and helping immediately, this kid is a talented offensive basketball player and he is 6-10. But the $11 million is extremely important to us to get the player that we want to bring in here starting on July 1."

How Speights fits in, either now or next season, is the subject of this Philly Inquirer column. Plugging Speights in may mean shipping out the Sixers' most recent star.

If Speights is the power forward, Thaddeus Young the small forward, and Mystery Acquisition the shooting guard of the future, where does Andre Iguodala play? He's not a point guard. As demonstrated painfully during the brief playoff appearance against Detroit, he's not a shooting guard. And, honestly, are you going to pay him $12 million a year to split time with Young at small forward?

My 12-year old sister claims she wants to go to UF and then open her own restaurant. But, after comments like this, I wonder if she should go the Erin Andrews route.

Sis: Did the Florida guy go yet?
Me: Yeah.
Sis: Why didn't you tell me?
Me: He just went. Philadelphia picked him.
Sis: So, they just drafted him on potential?

That is some solid analysis there. At least for a 12-year old girl who thinks the Big Three are the Jonas Brothers. She might have been confused about if Speights wasn't drafted, he could go back to UF, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

Finally, I was getting annoyed during the draft when it was constantly brought up how many freshmen were drafted. This thing is, if the NBA went back to no age requirement, there would be less freshmen drafted and more High School kids. Does anyone think Rose, Beasley and Mayo really wanted to go to college? At least Rose went to a school that had a legit shot at winning a championship, but I doubt that winning was even on the minds of Beasley and Mayo. Kids go to college for one season, taking a scholarship from a possible long term player in addition to killing their school's NCAA academic measures. (Can you see Mayo getting a degree?) The NBA could be moving closer to the NFL "three years out of high school" mark. That would create a domino effect, keeping guys in school longer and create dominant teams at the top of each conference.

Another season and another first round draft pick for the Florida Gators. Marreese Speights is nearly a lock for the first round in Thursday’s NBA Draft. NBA scouts look beyond his relative lack of fitness and see the .624 field goal percentage and averages of 14.5 points and 8.1 boards a game. Put him in an NBA system, where he can be tutored by Shaq (in Phoenix, pick 15) or by Dwight Howard (Magic, 22), and he can become a force. He was playing 24 minutes a night in college. If he gets 10-15 a night in the NBA, he will easily make a team’s rotation.

But does his decision to go pro really matter? Was there ever a point this season where you said, “Wow, Speights is dominating here.” If there was, let me know. Because for better or worse, the offensive options for UF were;

1a. Calathes outside

1b. Calathes inside

3. Who ever has the ball with five on the shot clock whenever Calathes is sitting

Calathes is the most dynamic player the Gators have. In the absence of players matching his caliber or willing to support him, the team fails. If Florida had done this, maybe they would have flamed out in the NCAAs and not the NIT.

Speights’ exit means the reinforcements coming in (Allan Chaney, Kenny Kadji, Eloy Vargas) will have to play more as freshman, which is what everyone wants anyway. I’m not trying to downplay the output of Speights, but being the most efficient player on the floor will not get you the ball when you’re only out there half the time. He is truly heading for greener pastures. Now it’s up to Calathes to take the reins and realize that there are four other dudes on the floor. Some of them may actually be able to shoot too.

It’s always tough buying for that special lady (or ladies). You can only get her ill-fitting underwear and expensive lotion so many times. But, now comes along Victoria’s Secret with their Collegiate Collection, which will make a roll in the hay seem closer to a roll on Florida Field. And it’s just in time for Summer B Semester.

Of course, some schools are not too keen on having their name across the rear ends of sorority girls. First to object is Minnesota, who claims, "The clothing line was not in step with [Minnesota’s] values and focus." Most of the schools are public schools, with a surprise in Boston College. Not because it’s a private Catholic school, but because girls from Boston (cue bias) are not very attractive.

And Victoria’s Secret does heart UF. Just look at this Heidi Klum picture.

- Getting back to our series on the 1996 Florida Gators, after destroying Arkansas, No. 12 LSU and No. 16 Auburn by a combined score of 149-30, the No. 1 Gators (7-0) drove to Jacksonville to face the Georgia Bulldogs (3-4). The series returned to the Bold New River City of The South, after playing a home-and-home while the Gator Bowl was rebuilt. But a renovated yard was not enough as the Gators won 47-7. (Note: Games like this are the reason why current and recent students hate FSU and Tennessee far more than Georgia. In my lifetime, Florida has only lost to Georgia seven times. Since my family moved to Florida, and I became aware of the Gators, there have been only three losses. We didn't know we were supposed to hate someone we always destroyed. Now, that’s all changed since Mark Richt has gladly accepted the black hat/jersey in this rivalry. Although, I still think this should be a home-and-home, at least once a decade. At this point, the game is only staying in Jax because of money and to keep alive the tradition of awkward Florida-Georgia hookups Saturday night.)

- Off topic, but Tampa related so it’s ok; via the awesome Rays Index, comes St. Petersburg propaganda. The Tampa Bay Rays, in addition to sweeping the best teams in baseball at home (Red Sox in April, Cubs this week), want a waterfront stadium in St. Pete. Many people in St. Pete are into art, museums and slowly dying, so paying for a new ballpark on the site of an old Spring Training park is not their cup of tea. So what do they do to make their case? Photoshop. *sociallyconsciousbird points out that the images on the Preserve our Wallets and Waterfront website(anti-Rays group) are wrong. This is either a) deliberately intentional or b) these people are idiots. I expect a massive propaganda machine on both sides (the Rays’ stuff is awesome in that sense), but so far, the Rays haven’t been lying. (As a Tampa-based Rays fan, I have my fingers crossed St. Pete rejects the Rays and sends them here. Tampa has already built world class stadiums for the Bucs and Lightning. Why not one more?) 

- Finally, Blame Canada if Chris Leak comes back stateside. Number 12 was supposed to play last night for the Montreal Alouettes. But it was Adrian McPherson who played the entire second half of the Als 19-16 loss to Winnipeg. The former FSU man is now the leader for Montreal’s third quarterback spot. So when you head to happy hour today, pour one out for Chris Leak. He might be selling cars soon.

The biggest problem with the off-season is that you are so in need of anything Gator related that you jump on it with no mercy. Sometimes, it’s no big de-WHAT THE HELL! JIM CAPLE SAID GAINESVILLE DID NOT HAVE ONE OF THE TEN BEST SPORTS YEARS EVER! ANGERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Gainesville, 2006-07: No matter which way you want to count it -- the basketball/football double-shot in 2006 or the football/basketball parlay in the 2006-07 school year, Gatorade never tasted more refreshing than when Florida won college's two major championships (Ohio State fans, however, may disagree). And if you want to get technical, the Gators won three titles in 365 days: their first hoops title on April 3, 2006; the BCS title on Jan. 8, 2007; and the hoops championship again on April 2, 2007.  

Oh, but you did count it Jim! Three titles in 365 days is kind of a big deal. People know us.

I know Caple is a Boston apologist (he has Boston 07-08 as number 3, ignoring the Pats being the victim of the second greatest upset in NFL history), but here’s the list of schools to hold the National Championships in Basketball and Football at the same time.

1. Florida

Wait, here it is again.

1. Florida

Ohhhhhh! Really? Only Florida? And as someone who thought 2003-04 in Tampa was huge (Bucs win Super Bowl, Lightning win Stanley Cup), none of those championships made me cry. (Not that I cried after the Gators won the BCS title. No never. I’m always in control of my emotions. Although me screaming, “I WAS AT EXPO HALL!” when I saw the Stanley Cup was a little excessive.)

Nothing personal against Caple, but I think it’s going to take several years before people realize what Florida accomplished in 2006-07. Looking back, it will be like how we study the winners of the Triple Crown (Big Brown’s jockey called them, “freaks,” after losing the Belmont), or wonder how Williams hit .406 and DiMaggio hit in 56 consecutive games. At the time, maybe it didn’t register because Ohio State could have been the team with titles in both sports.

In the future, college programs will get bigger and badder, swallowing the landscape and preventing another George Mason or Hawaii from getting to the top. It’s possible for Texas or Michigan or UCLA to do what Florida did. But we can take some pride in knowing that it was Florida that had the luck and skill to do the unthinkable. All we ask is that people recognize that. Thanks!

Chris Leak has only been with the Montreal Alouettes for a few days, but Number 12 seems much more comfortable with the Als than the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. On Monday, he was still explaining why a college player of his caliber has become a nomad on the football landscape.

"We all have different stories," said Leak, who was quickly signed by Montreal after his Hamilton sojourn ended, and received clearance to start practising this weekend, after recovering from a shoulder injury.

"It's just the game of life and ball. That's how the game is," he continued. "There's always high expectations coming out of college, especially when you play at Florida and win a national title. But that's how the NFL draft goes. Teams have different needs.

"I'm excited to be in Montreal."

As was the case with Hamilton, Montreal has a crowded backfield too, with Leak making it six “pivots” on the roster, including veteran starter Anthony Calvillo and the one, the only Adrian McPherson. Just like a typical NFL rookie, it will be a struggle for Leak to get some snaps and make the team. But the kid hasn’t given up.

Leak’s mistake was not waiting to get in the CFL. It was being conned into believing the AAFL was a legitimate enterprise. You could make the case that the time Leak spent hoping that league would get off the ground actually hurt him.

By the way, the title of this post is “Orange and Blue to Red, White, and Blue” in French. Even I’m trying to be optimistic about Leak in the CFL now.