Jay Mariotti resigns

playthrough · Aug 28, 2008

Write-brained said:

And will Around the Horn really continue to employ Mariotti now that he's a former sportswriter?

What newsroom will he broadcast from? His basement?
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That was my thought. Seemed like part of the m.o. of that show was to have four corners of the country represented by four papers' writers. ATH could be done with any four espn talking heads, but it's not.

21 · Aug 28, 2008

Bob Cook said:

Actually, that was Neil Steinberg of the S-T, not Miner, who did the Bob Greene column. Steinberg did it under a psuedonym and outed himself after he was through.
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Really? I always gave Miner credit for that. Apologies for the error. Still cracks me up....worst thing about Greene's departure is that we get no new material to lampoon here.

Ben_Hecht · Aug 28, 2008

21 said:

Bob Cook said:

Actually, that was Neil Steinberg of the S-T, not Miner, who did the Bob Greene column. Steinberg did it under a psuedonym and outed himself after he was through.
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Really? I always gave Miner credit for that. Apologies for the error. Still cracks me up....worst thing about Greene's departure is that we get no new material to lampoon here.
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And don't forget Bagboy.

BigJim5190 · Aug 28, 2008

This is from BSMW:

Chicago columnist Jay Mariotti abruptly resigned his position with the Chicago Sun-Times this week, to “pursue other opportunities.” At the same time, he proclaimed newspapers a dying industry and stated that sportswriting has become “entirely a Web site business.” (Which he might be correct about.)

This morning, Chicago Tribune media columnist Phil Rosenthal ended his column on Mariotti with the following chilling passage:

One rumor on which Mariotti would not comment had him bound for Boston and an array of multimedia opportunities. How he would find flaws in a city with defending champs in basketball and baseball is anyone’s guess.

“An array of multimedia opportunities” - where would he get those? WEEI.com? (BSMW colleague David Scott has already gotten a denial from an Entercom source) Boston.com? They just hired Tony Massarotti to be “the voice of Boston sports on Boston.com.” The Boston Herald to replace Massarotti? That’s a newspaper…a dying industry. A revamped ESPN Boston? Doubtful.

An emailer to BSMW yesterday also stated that Mariotti was dropping hints about Boston his radio show yesterday. I did not hear the clips, so I cannot verify them, but it seems worth mentioning, especially given the content of the Rosenthal column today.
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I'd find it hard to believe that the Herald, after losing some key guys to WEEI.com and the Globe, isn't already measuring space in its newsroom for a soundproof Around the Horn both as I type this.

Give him essentially the same gig as Mazz got from the Globe (Web Guy, general columnist, increased media presence - he'd get radio (WEEI) and TV (Comcast Sports Net) from the Herald) and suddenly it doesn't look so bad to lose all those guys. They may have salary spots saved from losing Mazz and Bradford - even though they don't have a new Pats guy yet.

Mizzougrad96 · Aug 28, 2008

playthrough said:

Write-brained said:

And will Around the Horn really continue to employ Mariotti now that he's a former sportswriter?

What newsroom will he broadcast from? His basement?
Click to expand...

That was my thought. Seemed like part of the m.o. of that show was to have four corners of the country represented by four papers' writers. ATH could be done with any four espn talking heads, but it's not.
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Does Michael Smith still do ATH? I haven't watched the show in months...

SF_Express · Aug 28, 2008

The DeLuca column wasn't unprecedented, but it was close enough to still qualify as amazing.

The S-T ad? THAT's unprecedented.

It does kind of make him a sympathetic figure. Not much, but some...

shotglass · Dec 15, 2014

OnTheRiver said:

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How did Mr. Nadel manage to slip that skybox onto the Sun-Times pages?

gingerbread · Aug 28, 2008

BigJim5190 said:

I'd find it hard to believe that the Herald, after losing some key guys to WEEI.com and the Globe, isn't already measuring space in its newsroom for a soundproof Around the Horn both as I type this.

Give him essentially the same gig as Mazz got from the Globe (Web Guy, general columnist, increased media presence - he'd get radio (WEEI) and TV (Comcast Sports Net) from the Herald) and suddenly it doesn't look so bad to lose all those guys. They may have salary spots saved from losing Mazz and Bradford - even though they don't have a new Pats guy yet.
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Gerry Callahan and Jay Mariotti at the same paper? Can't see it for so many reasons.

Ace · Dec 15, 2014

slappy4428 said:

poindexter said:

Holy shit, now that's piling on.

I don't mind it one bit, but that's piling on.
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Agreed...
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It's piling on, poor taste and over-the-top, but I gotta give the circulation department kudos for at least trying something splashy to lure readers.

Maybe Jay's departure will save the Sun-Times!

shotglass · Aug 28, 2008

I'm generally embarrassed for the industry by this whole thing.

Bubbler · Aug 28, 2008

Joe Williams said:

Telander dancing on the freshly filled grave. But classy about it:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-080827-telander,0,5123276.story

To me, here is the best part, which not only addresses Mariotti's biggest failing but can be extended to sports departments and newsrooms across the nation:

"As sports writers, we study and analyze teams all the time. We look at chemistry, teamwork, coaching and discipline like all of that has nothing to do with any other business, and yet that's the blueprint for success anywhere and in any business. So in these stormy seas, let's give it a try..."

How often does management, at the department level or the newsroom level, ever actively do anything to foster teamwork and, more important, an overall sense of team? My experience: Hardly ever. Often never.

We've got managers who pit staffer against staffer, who reward stars while dumping on drones and who let all manner of s*** run downhill, often faster than it came toward them. We've got petty rivalries and jealousies within the ranks. We've got prima donnas (like Jay and plenty of others) who act like the plum jobs are birthrights, then thumb their nose at the ethics of it all -- work ethic sometimes, basic reporting requirements other times, etc. -- and behave as if the fundamentals of this business are beneath them. I've encountered a lot more "stars" in this business who, in terms of camaraderie and pitching in and sharing the wealth, act like Billy Zane's character dealing with the folks from steerage ("Down, down! How 'bout you feel the bottom of my boot?!").

All of this was traditionally lacking. But now, with everyone covering their nuts (OK, private parts) to look out for No. 1 through at least the next pay day, we all are leaving tons of untapped potential and collaboration on the table. And even those of us who consider ourselves great team players have to understand that much of this starts at the top. When the suits who cut, slash and burn continue to reap bonuses and fat paychecks for shredding the product and rocking staffers' lives, no sense of "team" is possible. That, sadly, is the problem with Telander's plea, as right as he is -- Michael Cooke continues to own multiple homes internationally (I'm guessing) and Rick T. lives in posh Lake Forest on his star's megasalary (while being a guy who always has been willing to pitch in to help his beat folks, from what I hear). Meanwhile lots of Sun-Times grunts are praying that they can handle the mortgage, car note, tuition bill and groceries two or three months out from now.

T-e-a-m! Right... At this point, most of us are limited to the sort of bonding that war prisoners felt, the night before the morning of the firing squad.
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WE GET IT! YOU DON'T LIKE MANAGEMENT!

God, Joe, you are a one-note shill.

etsuwes · Aug 28, 2008

From a journalists perspective, I think CST took it a little too far. I enjoyed reading Jay's stuff online. I also enjoyed reading when people ripped him. That being said, this morning's paper kind of shocked me. But as someone who has family in Chicago -- diehard Sox fans, mind you -- that wouldn't dare touch the paper because they hated him, it's a smart move by the Sun-Times.

My cousins used to own of the more high profile companies in that region before selling out. They were active sponsors in the Chicago sports community and still are hardcore Sox and Bears backers. But they all had one thing in common: They never took the Sun-Times because of Mariotti. I e-mailed one of my cousins for the hell of it because they'd rip on Jay when they were in town and we'd talk about sports. His response kind of summed this thing up for me: "My dad bought a Sun-Times subscription this morning."

Folks, as some have said above, this may help that paper more than hurt it. In some of our eyes, it's classless. In some of our eyes, it's justice. Up there, either way, it's a different beast and the opinions of their readers and subscribers mean a hell of a lot.

I'll bet their subscriptions jump 10 percent.

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