Jay Mariotti resigns

"It's either a threat to be ignored, or an offer to be accepted."

-Sandy Alderson

 

No dog is this obviously somewhat personal fight, and haven't read every word. But obviously not every newspaper manager is bad. Some simply haven't been able to offset the bad work of others.

 

Was Ebert's thing published?
From reading it, I got the impression it was just an interoffice email

 

As linked above, it's on the Sun-Times site.

 

I never have understood how someone can not accept your resignation.

Guy wants to quit? Submits a letter of resignation or two-week notice? Fuck him. Let him go.

If someone is that much of a whiner whose commitment has waned or disappeared then begging him or her to stay isn't smart. It can breed contempt and internal strife, which apparently has played out in the CS-T staff during Mariotti's tenure.

You want to quit? Don't let the door slap your ass on the way out.

 

I think you're absolutely right. The financial problems at the S-T caused them to call Jay's bluff.

 

I think the S-T's financial issues plus daily Mariotti-induced headaches caused management to say, "Fine. Get out."

 

Except that he had been inducing those headaches for the better part of 17 years, and it didn't prompt even a stern talking-to, much less a don't-let-the-door-hit-you-in-the-ass response.

 

I think, though, that his bitching about the website holding his gold medal men's basketball game column and his fit about not being able to write the Obama/Cubs column on top of his usual behavior and the S-T's financial situation just caused an exec to say, "Yeah, fine, whatever. See ya."

 

If Mariotti's decision was another anger-induced, knee-jerk, screw-this-I-quit decision/threat, it seems to me that kinda reflects the type of person/columnist he is. Write first, (maybe) reflect later.

 

Agreed, SF. Obviously not every newspaper manager is bad. Hardly anything of everything is one way or another, black or white, and so on. But I have been disappointed or uninspired by more bosses across a couple of decades now in this business than I've been impressed or fired up, even as I was eager to be impressed and fired up. The few outstanding ones make me see the gap between them and the others.

Came upon this while reading the thread with Michelle Hiskey's essay about leaving the biz on CJR. This guy Chris Ison gets at what I've been talking about in challenging managers, who were supposed to have been the guardians and visionaries for the business in big-picture ways that reporters and line editors couldn't be:

http://www.cjr.org/parting_thoughts/parting_thoughts_chris_ison.php

 

http://www.suntimes.com/news/steinberg/1134011,CST-NWS-stein29.article

Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg shares an interesting Jay story...

Oh gee, I'm almost out of room, and haven't gotten to Jay Mariotti. Well, Jay's gotten a lot of criticism recently, and I feel that, as a former colleague, I should do my best to refute the parts that are untrue.

First, he was accused of never facing his critics. I know that isn't true. A few years ago, I joked about him on the radio and -- after first complaining to the union, and the publisher, demanding that I be punished and getting nowhere -- he strode right up to me in the newsroom, fists doubled, and threatened to punch me. We had never spoken before.

Usually, I have the physical courage of a schoolgirl in a slasher movie. But somehow, emboldened by Jay's boldness, I did not shrink back. Instead, I calmly removed my glasses, slipped them into my shirt pocket, then closed my eyes, tipped my chin up and said sweetly, "You're a bully and a coward Jay, and I know you won't do it. But go ahead. Take your best shot."

So in a sense, Jay taught me to find the courage hidden within myself, and I'm grateful for that.