Mariotti vs. the Sun-Times sports staff

But I'm sure he is very happy to collect a nice pay check from the Sun-Times

 

Despite the myriad financial problems STNG is facing, it's still paying him a princely sum. That's probably why he's sticking around -- for the paycheck.

 

August 2003, from the Chicago Reader...wish we still had that thread here:

http://www.chicagoreader.com/hottype/2003/030808_1.html

 

Sounds like the same situation as w/ Mike Lupica at the New York Daily News and Mitch Albom at the Detroit Free Press.

There is an award-winning star columnist who is a multi-media celebrity and gets his paper free advertising by being on TV shows, writing books etc. And that evidently gives them the clout to do what they want.

 

Maybe he could post the spiked columns here? [/wallymatthews]

 

Here's your answer: http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/posts/1805141/

 

Ah, yes. Now I remember that thread. Thanks for the reminder.

 

I'm here to help.

 

Even without getting published, Telander probably served his purpose. You know that the anti-Mariotti faction there loves the fact that someone with clout was willing to stand up for them and take on the neighborhood bully. It makes it a little easier to get motivated to show up for work when you know one of the stars is in your corner.

Longer term, there will come a day when Mariotti's apologists/patrons fall out of power and the new regime will receive copies of the spiked pieces and be told to deal with the situation.

The situations are nowhere near comparable, but I ripped into our columnist many years ago in front of most of the department for not pulling his weight. Everyone knew his lack of a work ethic was causing resentment issues across the department but no one wanted to deal with. Once I went ballistic, management was forced to act. I got taken to the woodshed, but the columnist was told to step it up or step down. He was gone within a year.

 

Zzzzzzzzz.

 

If I were Cooke, I wouldn't allow such a war of words between members of my staff to play out in my paper.

Mariotti's column ripping the Sun-Times sports staff would never have seen the light of day. If he wanted to have a star power trip, I'd tell him an edited version of what Keith Booth's momma told him when he wouldn't take out the trash because, "I'm a superstar."

Mama Booth: "I'm the only superstar in this house. Take out the trash."
Me: "It's my name at the top of the masthead. Your column's not running."

 

Cooke wanted to give star ratings, the way you do for movies, for daily baseball games: That Mets loss would be a one-star game, with a little logo.

He recently ran the headline on the front page backwards. On purpose.

He probably thinks Mariotti is brilliant.