Mariotti vs. the Sun-Times sports staff

Yep.

But this ain't that, and we all know it.

 

Dude, the guy can write. Give him that at least.

 

Don't know the details in that shop, but I do know some columnists whose editors can not touch, period. If said editors tried to put the hammer down on them, it would be the editors getting called on the carpet. I've seen it happen, and this seems like that. Just from reading, it sounds like Mariotti holds all the cards in this game, as much as that sucks.

 

I'm with you, Waylon. Mariotti is a cartoon character on that absurd game show ("Around The Horn"), a half hour of anti-advertising for the papers those screaming mimies represent. He is arrogant, pompous, overpaid, a bully and the antithesis of a team player, at a time when sports departments and newsrooms in general need lots of those.

He flip-flops his positions constantly, without acknowledging all the 180s, and he is indeed all fastballs. My family and friends who live in Chicago cannot stomach the guy and I don't mean in that "love to hate him" way. They simply despise his work and avoid the Sun-Times largely because of it.

But he can crank out a lengthy, well-written and passionate column under extreme deadlines. He isn't afraid to take a hard position, way more often than most. And I'd rank him with Mike Wilbon as one of the few -- maybe the only two -- big-time columnists who don't cheat the day job as they increase their multimedia-ness. (Anyone familiar with my posts knows that is a particular ax of mine, and I do love to grind it!)

In other words, I respect Jay's talents a lot more than I respect the man (child?) toting them around. He never got over himself, and he always has had enablers who permit that to continue.

 

They call Jay the "Original Blogger."
Because he never steps foot in a locker room.

 

I have a cordial relationship with Jay Mariotti (maybe because I see him once every several years), but I agree completely with this. You can't let one guy do this and then lay down the law when somebody tries to retaliate. That's chickenshit.
This isn't the NHL.

 

He's at a much bigger paper, in a better position and makes a lot more money than I do ...


... but Mariotti's a clown, and an embarrassment to our business.

 

Big fuckin' deal. I can write. Plenty of kids in eighth grade can write, too.

 

Totally disagree.

Papers need to rethink everything.

And a good, openly fractious relationship, where all readers can have "their horse in the race" would be a good move.

 

Playful banter is one thing, but you should never air out your family business in public. Maybe 15% of readers will suck up the gossipy/reality TV aspect of the squabble. The other 85% will wonder why the Bumfuck Times-Ledger can't get its act together and behave like adults.

 

If you want to grab the younger customer, you need friction.