. . . at flinging shit and seeing what sticks. Mac, I suppose if you believe Jay Mariotti is Chicago’s best columnist because he gets such strong reaction. Then you’re not only dismissing the desired qualities of intelligent insight and analysis, but to carry it over to your own vocation it would validate the status (legendary primarily in his own mind) that Mike North is the king of Chicago sports radio.

Provocative? By such a measure Harry Teinowitz is the most provocative aspect of your own program. The same failings you’ve cited in Teinowitz are those in which Mariotti openly indulges, except he takes it to an astronomically higher level. But even as a person who isn’t a fan of Harry’s (the radio person, not the person) I wouldn’t want to impugn him by drawing such a comparison.

When he was at your station you argued with him about his characterization of The Cell, a characterization not driven by any fact or analysis but his ongoing feud with Reinsdorf. Isn’t this latest proffering just another chapter in his ongoing feud with all things Reinsdorf?

I stopped reading that monkey-boy some time ago when I could no longer stomach his shrill, hypocritical and windsocking opinions, and his unquenchable desire to insert himself into his columns. It isn’t just that he doesn’t go into locker rooms, he doesn’t always attend the games, and will freely and glibly steal from other journalists their quotes, as if a part of his own divine province.

There are various websites (blogs) that have gone to great lengths to expose the fraud that he is, and any entity that looks to promote him is one that is unconcerned with its own perceived integrity (one of several reasons I don’t purchase the Sun-Times). But perhaps the biggest irony in all of this is he occasionally fancies himself a media critic of local radio, and while you may think him to be the best in town he has consistently ignored you and your show.

He's the poster boy for douche sports media.

Good post Moniker

http://www.jaythejoke.com/

About
Jay the Joke is dedicated to unifying true fans of all Chicago sports through their shared contempt of the daily offerings from Jay Mariotti.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
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I can't believe I'm defending him... but here it is. When Mariotti gives it some effort, he's a good writer. He's got talent.

[b]However[/b], 99% of the time he just mails it in. It really shows in his work.

I lived in Cincinnati back when Mariotti wrote for the late, great Cincy Post. He writes maybe one column a month now that's anywhere near as good as what he used to write back when he was a no-name guy in a small market.

Somewhere along the line, he got more interested in being a C-list celebrity than in being a A-list sportswriter. In other words, he's perfect for an ESPN corporate job.

A moment of silence for the Cincy Post...







...thank you.

Jay is a spectacular writer.

But he writes his very biased opinion - and herein lies the problem.

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The name's Rockmore. Beef Rockmore

If you listen closely Mac comments mostly on Jay's writing style and his ability to write so eloquently in a sports column. I think that's what Mac respects the most about Jay's writing. It's pretty hard to deny that act. After reading one of Jay's columns in sports, the rest kind of seem two or three grades behind him.

Perhaps, but it does not excuse douche baggery.

Agreed. I was just explaining a reason why to admire Jay's writing.

Beef, you're right.

I pulled a Jay Mariotti and cranked out a half-assed post.

What I meant to say was: when Mariotti thinks something through, he can usually come up with a good angle.

But 99% of the time he takes the easy way out and doesn't make the effort. It's easier to fill a 10 inch column when all you just write out the first dumbass reaction that pops into your head.

(Don't know about y'all, but I say I've got a 10-inch column too. Even though it's more like 3.)

It always has puzzled me how so many Chicago sports fans can rip away at management and the athletes, but turn on any columnist who essentially says the same things. Of course you're not going to agree with Mariotti on every column; I don't either. Fact is, he is the edgiest writer in the city. And the best wordsmith. WR is correct when he notes that I admire Jay's ability to create landscapes with his words. On a personal level, I don't really like the man, but it is flat out erroneous to say he isn't a gifted writer or a hard worker.

I believe the biggest issue with Jay is his apparent wind-sock ways. Just wait, and he'll find a way to argue against one of his previous comments (2005 White Sox). He's too contradictory for my taste.
But, the guy can turn a phrase. His columns really flow. That's what is so frustrating about him.

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President of Blake Shetlon fan club

Do you know where Jay lacks all journalistic integrity.

He continues to roll out the White Sox record since Ozzie called him a burrito.

More like a cum gulping burrito imho.

I've never argued that he's an excellent writer, but the guy has it in for the White Sox and Bulls. That's extremely clear from any column he writes. His solution for most problems also tends to be 'throw more money at it', and he's often extremely irrational when it comes to the Bears. He does his job though - extremely good writer who gets a reaction.

He bashed the Cubune Co. every chance he gets as well

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Actually, Mariotti is pretty consistant with his stances on issues. A recent example was on Around the Horn, where they were talking about the guy with the fake legs wanting to race in the Olympics and getting denied, because his man-made legs would give him an advantage.

Jay was the only panelist who agreed with that decision, citing that it wouldn't be fair to give this guy a spot, knowing he has an advantage. He claimed that in this day and age, where we go after atheletes who use substances to get an advantage, we cannot allow someone with an unfair advantage to compete. It would be hypocritical.

Of course, the other panelists said it would be an inspirational story, a wonderful story. They totally missed the hypocrasy of their statements. Apparently, its okay to use metal, spring-like legs, but not HGH or 'roids.

While I usually attack Jay, I have to commemorate him on his stance.

I think more people react to Jay over a stance of his and not because his columns suck. He is a good writer who knows how to get reactions out of people. He is doing exactly what the Sun-Times wants him to do.

Shemp, you missed my point.
He took a stance on a subject -- his present stance. There's no mention of prior columns or statements that show his continued opinion on this subject.
His opinion differed from others. What does that prove?

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President of Blake Shetlon fan club

at first jay was the reason read the sun times over the trib. but jay bashing everybody and his "east coast" mentallity of spending yankee type money to fix these teams gets old.

The Sun-Times has the better sports section, IMO, and for many years, I preferred that paper over the Trib for that very reason.

These days, damn, the Sun-Times is as thin as some deli meat. It's pathetic just how that paper overall just blows.

Personally I don't think Mariotti's "wordsmith" skills can hold a candle to former Tribune scribe Bernie Lincicome. Bernie's use of original metaphors and cynical perspective always made me laugh. Mariotti tends to rely on bad puns - usually based on the subjects name (although nobody was worse in that regard than Skip Bayless) .

Agree, Zippy. I loved Bernie's wit. He and David Israel are my two favorite Chicago sports columnists of all time. Oooh. I smell a Take 5 brewing.

Theres no way you cant put Mike Royko on that list

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

You may smell that, but I hear rigor mortis setting in.

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The name's Rockmore. Beef Rockmore

Royko wasn't a SPORTS columnist Helen Keller.

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Disclaimer: Most of my posts are not suitable for work or home viewing.

The name's Rockmore. Beef Rockmore

Who you Crappin Mackey, you still pull out old colums Boers used to write and wax poetically on what a Hemingway he was.

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"NEED a friend...Buy a dog"..

On the semi routine occaisions that Royko wrote a column about sports or a sports figure, his columns towered over virtually ever other sports writing offering put forth in this city. He (Royko) actually understood his subjects, the readers, his own position on a variety of topics (something Mariotti doesn't seem to grasp on a consistent basis unless it's Reinsdorf bashing), could really turn a phrase, but more importantly was able to give a reasonable and balanced basis behind most of his colums.

Mariotti, has long been acknowledged as a windsock (Mac gave him the moniker years ago- or was it Boers), is a one trick pony as a writer, is as thin skinned as any columist as I've ever seen, and is about as/only as (simplistically)provocative as a seven year old poking at a bee's nest with a long stick. His columns follow the same reasoning that contrarian gamblers do, little more.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

So we have this and Hillary's marriage being a non issue that we agree on, we pretty much disagree on everything else.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

We don't disagree on everything else, I just don't share your degree of appreciation for certain Packers QBs or the level of greatness shown by Caron Butler.

But we both are Sox fans, right? :lol:
[/i]

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Yeah Im a Sox fan, but definitely not very passionate about it. baseball is a distant third in sports for me, with the nba and nfl tied for number 1.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul