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Sun-Times vs. Tribune, Part the MCMLXXVII

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Ellis Redding, Feb 15, 2007.

  1. Weighing the evidence

    Bartman or a billy goat usually get blamed, but there's a Tower full of bean-counters behind baseball's beloved bunglers

    It's the trial of the century in the Court of Public Opinion. Case No. 1908, the People of Chicago vs. Tribune Co. The charge: gross negligence and neglect in its ownership of the Chicago Cubs.

    The Sun-Times, representing Cubs fans everywhere, is filing a class-action suit and offers as evidence 98 consecutive years without a World Series victory, the last 26 under Tribune stewardship.

    The Sun-Times wants the team sold -- immediately. Tribune Co. has been derelict in its duty as custodian of one of the most cherished teams in American sports. Fans are suffering from emotional abuse and mental anguish. Four meager playoff appearances in more than a quarter-century of Tribune ownership are offered as proof. The Cubs have the longest World Series drought in baseball.
    Some blame the Curse of the Billy Goat. Don't believe it. Owning a baseball team, especially one as beloved as the Cubs, is a public trust. Current ownership has broken that trust. The only goat in this scenario, our complaint alleges, is Tribune Co.

    Cubs fans are among the most loyal fans in any sport. They deserve better than a team synonymous with losing.

    The Red Sox hadn't won a World Series since 1918 when they broke through in 2004. Long-suffering White Sox fans celebrated in 2005. The stars seemingly had aligned for the Cubs in 2006. It was their turn, and how did they respond? With a National League-worst 66 victories.

    The Cubs must be rescued from their own tortured history. Being a Cubs fan means bitter memories of the 1969 collapse, when the team was in first place for 155 days before falling apart down the stretch. At that time, the Cubs were owned by the Wrigley family.

    Fans thought corporate ownership might be the answer after the franchise and ballpark had deteriorater the Wrigleys' rule. But it was evident after witnessing the horrors of the 1984 NL Championship Series that nothing had changed. The Cubs blew a 2-0 series lead, losing the final game when an easy ground ball inexplicably went through first baseman Leon Durham's legs. That stunning series loss to the San Diego Padres set the tone for Tribune Co. ownership.

    The biggest heartbreak of all came in 2003. The Cubs were five outs away from their first World Series appearance since 1945 when Steve Bartman reached to catch a foul ball in Game 6 of the NLCS and deflected it away from left fielder Moises Alou. The Cubs went on to lose their best chance to bring a title home to Wrigleyville.

    If that's not cruel and unusual punishment, what is?

    The people have suffered enough. That's why this case will be tried in these pages over the coming days and weeks. We will present the case for the prosecution and the case for the defense, and then the Court of Public Opinion will render a verdict.

    Court is adjourned for a brief recess.
     
  2. alleyallen

    alleyallen Guest

    That is outstanding.
     
  3. FishHack76

    FishHack76 Active Member

    While I like the Sun-Times/Tribune rivalry, sort of agree with their thought and enjoy the Sun-Times a little more than the Trib, to see this story splashed on the back cover screamed "SLOW NEWS DAY!"
     
  4. wickedwritah

    wickedwritah Guest

    Or it also screams "pitchers and catchers report" day.
     
  5. CollegeJournalist

    CollegeJournalist Active Member

    The most beautiful words in sport...

    And that was a great read.
     
  6. ondeadline

    ondeadline Well-Known Member

    <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-0702160128feb16,0,7372223.column?coll=chi-navrailbusiness-nav">
    Here is the defense offered by the Tribune.</a>

     
  7. FishHack76

    FishHack76 Active Member

    That was a good rebuttal. I thought something along those same lines when I read the Sun-Times story on Thursday: stone meet glass house.
    I immediately thought about Conrad Black when I was reading it, oh excuse me, Lord Black of Crossharbour ::). The Jay Mariotti thing is extremely funny. Typical of the Sun-Times management, they were probably clueless about the whole forthcoming situation (but maybe that's typical of most newspaper management). For the Sun-Times' company, every time it needs to make a good decision, they seem to make a bad one. I have many examples of this. The TV book, though, is a good one. Something like that is my grandparents' lifeline (who are newspaper readers), and my grandparents have no clue how to use the internet. I mean no clue. I mean NO clue. My family has tried four or five times to no avail.
    It probably says about Mariotti's respect - or lack thereof - for the Sun-Times management that he wouldn't just re-negotiate his contract to extend the number of columns and continue writing. That's pretty sad.
    I'm sure it's not different than most companies out there. The feeling that management gives off (or is pounded into you) is that they don't care. So why should the people that work there return the favor?
     
  8. BigRed

    BigRed Active Member

    Nice to see Mariotti gives a crap about his readers - and Opening Day and the Masters and the NCAA Tournament.... what a prick.
    Of course, I certainly won't miss his poorly thought-out vitriol when I pick up the Sun-Times on Opening Day at Wrigley Field.....
     
  9. FishHack76

    FishHack76 Active Member

    To steal money from a company known for its CEO stealing money and lying about circuation, that's an easy one. It is a shame that he wouldn't at least care more about the readers. Again, the Sun-Times News Group has never given its employees a reason to care nor does the company seem to care about its readers by the way it acts.
    Then again, maybe that's why the company's stock price is around $4.35 per share?
    I hate to say it but Mariotti is the best columnist Chicago has. That's not saying much sometimes. I mean Morrissey? Downey? Telander? That's the best the city's papers can offer?
    Maybe they'll move Couch up into a more regular slot. He does decently sometimes.
     
  10. brettwatson

    brettwatson Active Member

    The Sun Times is becoming more irrelevant by the day in the Chicago market.

    Weak stunts like this one only move them a step closer to weekly shopper status.
     
  11. cubman

    cubman Member

    What about Greg Couch? I won't list some of the other Trib guys because many of them are beat columnists, but even I've tired of Downey lately and I've been a fan of his for a while. Some of his recent stuff has been downright horrible.
    I agree with you more about Mariotti than I would have in recent years, though.
     
  12. CentralIllinoisan

    CentralIllinoisan Active Member

    Yeah, people want to read about a pissing match between two multi-million dollar companies. Grow up.
     
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