Lamm at Large

I imagine ESPN would like a do-over on scheduling Florida-Florida State on its major network for a high noon shootout. Who other than Gators and Seminoles will watch a game between two teams with sub-.500 records, one with an interim coach? I realize over the last 40 years this game has usually had national championship or major bowl implications. But that was then and this now. The Seminoles are fighting […]

The way I see it, everybody is happy about the firing of Dan Mullen.   Mullen seemed ready to end his run as the Gators coach based off his strange and confusing comments, always delivered with a bit of a smirk. He didn't seemed concerned about his collapsing program. Maybe reports of his wanting an NFL job are true.   Gator Nation appeared ready for a divorce after last season's […]

If the LPGA had a higher profile, Lexi Thompson's story would be the lead on Sports Center. (That used to be like being at the top of the front sports page.)   She has the yips. A bad, continuing case of the yips.   What makes her story intriguing is she remains one of the top players in women's golf, contending most weeks  She blew a 5-shot lead on the […]

The Gators should fire Dan Mullen, and do it now.   This isn't some knee jerk reaction. I've seldom called for the firing of coaches. The exceptions are Charley Pell at Florida when it was obvious he had committed dozens of NCAA violations and Jim McElwain when his mental health became an issue.   I never thought Ray Goff was a good hire by Georgia. Defended the Jaguars' Jack Del […]

Remember the good old days for most First Coast football fans?   I'm talking about the 90s when FSU and Florida (also Miami, for that matter) were among college football's top programs. When they weren't winning national championships, they always seemed to be playing for them. They were scoring 50 points a game before everybody was scoring 50.   The expansion Jaguars hit the NFL like a juggernaut. They went […]

The College Football Playoff was designed to determine a true national champion.   It doesn't, of course.   There's still lots of opinions involved. Tell Cincinnati or Oklahoma they don't belong in the top four.   No team sport determines a true champion. The only sport that comes close is golf, but even golf now has a 'postseason".   There are two seasons in sports: the regular season  and the […]

In my 40-plus years of covering the NFL, there are several things I'm learned that can't be disputed.   One, every player on an NFL roster is a good football player, as are a lot of men who get cut.   Two, there are maybe two dozen special players at various position. Get two of them and you're a contender.   Three, "On Any Given Sunday" is a cliché because […]

Something had to be done at Florida. And don't expect the firing of two coaches, DC Todd Grantham and OL boss John Hevesy, to be the end of it. The Gators' program is spiraling out of control, and it isn't just this season. Giving up 144 points in their last three games in 2020 sent the Gators from national champion contenders to also-rans. Finally, it's time to seriously think about […]

When's the last time you heard anyone refer to baseball as America's National Pastime? That label was given to baseball more than a century ago, but it began to fade in the 80s when the boom in football -- and auto racing -- started. The speed and violence in those sports were more appealing, especially to young fans. But baseball kept its head in the sand. The leadership did nothing […]