Hello from Gainesville, Florida. It's Monday, April 27, and you're listening to StreetSmart. I'm Seth Johnson. StreetSmart is a weekly podcast from Mainstreet Daily News, where we cover local news that informs, engages, and inspires listeners like you. Today, we've got a special sports edition of our show.
Even if you're not a sports fanatic, I think you're gonna wanna stick around and hear from a couple guys who's been covering Gainesville for decades. Focus on sports, but focus on sports and how it affects others around us in our communities. And as always, a big thanks to our sponsor, Forest Meadows Funeral Home, where compassion meets experience. Check out their beautiful gardens, funeral home, and tribute center. Cremations, funerals, and memorials all in one trusted place with exceptional care and personal attention.
Forest Meadows is here to honor every life with care. Instead of our normal rundown, I'm just gonna sit back and take it easy and let these sports guys do the work. Main Street sports director Mike Ridout is gonna carry it from here.
Welcome to a special edition of StreetSmart. This is our sports edition, so we appreciate Lillian and Seth for giving us a platform because we've got some exciting stuff to talk about. I'm Main Street Daily News sports director Mike Rideout. Joining me is Mike Dame, formerly of the Orlando Sentinel, and Pat Dooley, formerly of the Gainesville Sun. We've got a lot of Gator coverage coming your way.
Really excited about it. Let's talk first with Mike. Mike Dame will be the editor of Gator Bites, and we've already gotten started. So, Mike, first of all, talk about the opportunity to expand Gator coverage here in Gainesville.
Yeah. So, thank you for having me on here, and it's been a great opportunity to get this going. You know, this started when JC Derrick, the publisher, and I met a few years ago and started talking about the growth of Mainstreet Daily News and how could we possibly introduce more Gator coverage in the newspaper and on the website. And so as we started talking about it, you know, I wrote a couple of feature stories, as you know, for the paper. And we saw an opportunity and kind of a gap in local coverage that we could fill.
And as we thought about it, I was like, well, okay, who could contribute to that? My eyes turned to Patrick Dooley. And, you know, we started talking about that. And when the opportunity came open, we had a conversation and decided that the time was right. And Pat can tell you a little bit more about that.
Yeah. I'm definitely excited about working with Pat again. Pat and I actually have hosted shows together. Longtime contributor to the the Gainesville Sun as the sports columnist, cover the Gators since 1987. Thirty seven years, Pat. I'm sure you saw a lot during your time there at the Gainesville Sun.
Too much. Yeah. I saw a lot of things. It's it's fun to look. I'm a big believer in journalism. I think journalism this world is not gonna go in a good direction if we don't have journalism, local journalism out there. And, obviously, we know that what happened with the Gainesville Sun. But once, Mike and, JC came to me and and I said, you know, I read the Main Street News. That's the only paper I read. Yeah.
So Good. I said, hey. Let's go. Let's let's do it. I'm I'm happy to see my stuff in print again.
Yeah. And JC, when he came to me talking about expanding coverage to include the Gators, we both agreed it had to be something different. And I suggested Pat. I mean, there's nobody that knows Gator coverage or provides as good Gator coverage as Pat Dooley.
What are saying?
You're saying I'm different? Is that what you're saying? You are
a little different.
Yeah. I I didn't know. Like, weird different?
No. You're different in a
good You're kind of definitely a unique character. There's there's only one Pat Dooley, and that's probably a good thing.
Well, there's yeah. I don't think the world has enough room for two of them.
Mike, how did you and and Pat meet? When did you guys meet? Was it because of the relationship with you at the Sentinel and him at the Sun?
Yeah, so I'm a graduate of the University of Florida, and back in the late 80s, I was a sportswriter for the Independent Florida Alligator. And at that time, was I also a correspondent for the Orlando Sentinel. And so after graduation, I slid into the Gators beat writer position with the Sentinel. And that's when I got to know Pat, got to know Robbie Andrew, the former football beat writer for the Gainesville Sun. That's when Pat and I met.
And, you know, as Pat said, you know, those really were the golden years of sports journalism, particularly on this beat covering UF sports, because every newspaper in the state put huge resources toward it. I worked for the Orlando Sentinel, but I lived here in Gainesville full time. Okay. And I traveled to every basketball game, every football game, some baseball games. So there was a huge investment, but of course, as we know, that investment eroded over time, and it is very sad what's happened to it.
But, you know, what we're doing here with Mainstreet Daily News, I think can fill a gap. And one of the things that we want to do is, you know, we're not going to cover the Gators like B writers. We're not going to have game recaps. We're not going to be at every practice. But what we are going to do is provide strong opinions.
We're going to find hidden facts, maybe provide some perspective and some history about the Gators, put things in context. And that's something that only Pat can do as really the unofficial historian for Gator athletics. I don't think there's anybody that knows more about Gator sports over the last fifty, sixty years than Pat. So those are the things we want to do. And we also want to have fun with it.
I agree. I would say that our prep coverage is second to none. But with 22, 23 schools that I'm covering and I'm the only full time sports guy, something had to go to the wayside, and that was Gator coverage. And I'm excited about having Pat back. What does it feel like, Pat, to to be able to be back in print?
It's a cool feeling. To physically And to me, there's still nothing like the printed word. I think it's important that people read papers. I know everything wants to be done online or on your phone. And know, I'm guilty of it too.
I get on Twitter and and start looking. I'm trying to find out if guys are coming back and who's leaving and stuff like that. But that's where you that's kind of the news source now. But if if you can be entertaining in print, I think people get a kick out of it because they go, hey, you know, look look what Dooley wrote today. Look what Mike Dame said about what Dooley wrote.
Yeah. And and and you you know, you handed somebody. I know that newspapers have gone by the Wade side around the country, and it's really sad what's happened in the Washington Post and some other places. But let's let's be different. Let's be the ones that are going forward and and actually getting more people to subscribe and getting people to get involved with it.
Well, and, you know, to add what Pat's saying, we also want to shine a light on the sports that maybe other newspapers and other online sites are not paying attention to. Sure. You know, there are multiple sites that are talking about football and recruiting and men's basketball, and that's really all they do when it comes to the Gators. Well, there are a lot of other nationally ranked sports here, as we all know baseball, softball, track and field, one of the best programs in the country Swimming is on the way up. Lacrosse, we could go on and on.
And we want to make sure that we're paying attention to those sports because there's a lot of great stuff happening here in Gainesville.
Yeah. Also planning to do some features on Gator athletes. So a lot of good things planned. Have either of you guys I know we're in our infancy still, but have either of you gotten any feedback yet?
I've gotten a lot, and it's been really cool. Okay. In fact, my friend Adam from Adam's Rib, you know, course, Adam Brewer, sent me a long text about, he was excited about it. He's a fan of Mainstreet Daily News, and, I'll probably see some more. But I know that in the comments section, JC was telling me people was positive stuff.
And I think there like, there are a lot of people who will will tell you, I'm they'll come up to me and go, I miss you. I miss you. And I'm like, I'm still writing. Yeah. But now they can see it in print, and it's it it changes everything.
One of the things that I appreciate about you, Pat, is that you're not afraid to tell it like it is.
No. No. If you if you are, then you need to get out of the business. Mhmm. And, I mean, that's I I will say this. I'm leaning towards more of the fan perspective now than I used to, because I'm not employed by an, you know, Gannett or anybody like that, and I can kinda be a fan. But I went down to the the second game to Florida played in Tampa, and I sat on Presto, and that was great. But, of course, you've got to be a different person. You're not gonna wear Gator stuff. You Yeah.
You know? But if I go to a baseball game, now I can go ahead and wear baseball stuff as long as I'm just going there to watch.
That's true. That's true. Because I don't remember you wearing that much Gator
stuff in the past. You had to literally pick out what you were going to wear. Yeah. Because if you like, one day I remember I wore a purple master shirt and I'm at the game and it's LSU Florida baseball. Skip Bertman comes up to me afterwards and goes, hey, that's a great shirt, man. Go Tigers. I'm like, oh, that's the worst shirt I could have worn.
Mike, what's your goal with Gator Bites?
So, you know, Gator Bites is a weekly newsletter. It's going to be sent out on Monday mornings. And we'll top every newsletter is going to be topped with a snippet from Pat's front nine column. So we'll have that as the lead in. But from there, really, Gator Bites, it's really just that some bite size pieces of content, whether it's a quote of the week or a story you may have missed. So this past week, we had a little snippet about Michelle Rothrock's no hitter in softball over the weekend.
Keegan Rothrock.
Keegan. Keegan Rothrock. Or
Michelle. I
think I went to high school
with Michelle
Moultrie? I don't know.
So Keegan, you know, stories like that, and also looking Younger at to
edit him, too.
Yeah, right. Yeah. Hey, and that's one thing about any writer. Every writer needs a good editor. That's right. Yes. And vice versa.
And if you don't have an editor, you're not a real journalist.
That's right. You're not real tell people that all the time.
Yeah. So people are just tweeting out their opinions and calling it journalism. I don't think so. But so it's bite sized things like that. And we're just getting started. You know, we'll try new things along the way. And if we get good feedback on it, we'll continue down that road. If things are not getting any kind of feedback, we'll drop them. So this is going to be kind of a work in progress. And it'll also vary by the season.
So this summer, when there's not as much going on, we might talk more about, you know, things that maybe are not Gator related, but Gator adjacent.
So Yeah. And also, Pat, you don't have to drive far. The SEC Media Day is going to be right here in the Sunshine State.
Yeah. That's going to be really exciting because not only that, but it's two of my favorite hotels. I've stayed at both those places, and we were down there. We stayed in that one where the media headquarters are. Mhmm. And then it's right across the street. So that'll be pretty convenient. It I looked at the schedule of coaches as they're speaking. Again, Sumrall, as usual, is a third day. Florida's always on the third day.
But it's just I'm thinking, well, that's the story I would do there, and that's the story I would there. It's gonna be a lot of fun.
What's your take so far on coach Sumrall?
Doing all the right things, doing the things that he needs to do. You know, he he came out to the Tommy Townsend fund fundraiser the other day at the spring game. I I like his honesty right now and that he's saying if our offensive line doesn't get bigger and stronger, we have no chance that you know? And I liked what he's selling recruits. If you like us now, you're gonna love us later.
All the things. These aren't sound bites. He's he's genuine, but we still have to see it translate to the field. I do think this is going to be a rebuilding year. Now, back in the old days, we used to call rebuilding year seven and five.
Now, these days, we say, wait, we go four and eight to rebuilding year, but we don't want that. So seven and five, I I think is, you know, it's an easier schedule, and I think it's gonna be interesting to see what happens when they get into games. Like, Buster Faulkner hasn't shown us anything but the basic plays, and and that's great.
Yeah.
But what do they do when they get into a a big game, an SEC game, when you go on the road to play Auburn?
That's what
I wanna find out.
Mike mentioned, you know, Gator baseball, if we could ever get rid of those midweek games. I don't know what happened against Bethune Cookman, but
It is a rollercoaster.
It has been. Softball, obviously, I think we're looking at maybe an extended month of June. Right?
Yeah. No. That's always good. In fact, I used to love it. That's one reason Mick Huber actually left because he would have to go do baseball and they were in the College World Series every year. And then right away, he's having to get ready for football season. And finally, he got to an age, and he told me that. He says, well, I just didn't I don't wanna do it anymore. But I love that we have when we have extended seasons into June. And hopefully it does because they're both good enough.
Yeah. And they've got baseball has the pitching to do it. But
Yeah. They used to call it the dog days of summer, but really it's not anymore because as soon as we're wrapping up, it's almost July. You got media day in July and football season's right around the corner. There really is no downtime.
There's no
majors in July too, which is my favorite thing.
Yeah. That's one thing Pat and I have in common is a lot of common interests, whether it's, you know, golf and Yeah. And different things like that.
Mike, if there's someone who's not interested in sports, how could Gator Bites and Pat's coverage kind of entice them?
So, if you live in Gainesville, you are in Gator Town. Know, so I think that even if you're not interested in who wins and loses over on campus, you want to know what's going on here in your own community. So, I think that staying in touch through Gator Bites, it's a weekly newsletter, it's easy to consume. Five minutes you're in and out. If something grabs your attention, if a snippet from what Pat wrote about grabs your attention, click on through and read more about it.
So it's just staying close to your community and more in touch.
And it's not only that, it's things like golf courses in town that are opening or closing and that affect everybody, whether you play golf or not. So we'll get involved in all that stuff too.
And by the way, it's free. How often can you say that? Right? It is free. It is. That's good thing. Free. Yep. Well, really excited, guys. Looking forward to you joining the team. So thanks for all that you do. Really excited, as I mentioned, moving forward with so much coming up for Gator sports. Also, check out our high school coverage. Busy, busy time for sports. And now we've got Gators on board as well with Mike Dame and Pat Dooley.
Guys, thanks so much, and we're really excited and looking forward to it.
We're excited too. We're excited. We're fired up. Yeah. We wanna we wanna have a lot of fun
is the main thing.
And that's that's really the the key thing is is, as Pat said, it's from a a fan perspective, and it's gonna be fun. So come along for the ride with us.
Alright. Thanks again for the time, Seth and Lillian. Appreciate it. This has been a special edition of StreetSmart, a sports edition. I'm Mainstreet Daily News sports director, Mike Ridaught.
And that's all we've got for this week's StreetSmart podcast, the sports edition, brought to you by Mainstreet Daily News and made possible by our generous members. Another special thanks to Forest Meadows for believing in local news and sponsoring us. We'll be back next week to round up local news like you're used to, but we really hope you enjoyed a little detour in this final April episode. Remember to click on the links in the show notes to find more free local news along with our Gator Bites newsletter at mainstreetdailynews.com, or pick up a prank coffee around Alachua County now with Dooley's Column. Our theme music is Sunset Sonata by Gainesville ska band Now Leaving Space. This episode is a production of MARC Media.