As a Sox fan, at this point, I get some kind of twisted pleasure in reading Mariotti each and every day. I like to read the new and different ways he can find to insult the organization when there is no reason but to praise them. Today, it had to do with fights in the stands. Of course, no mention of any fights at Wrigley in last weekend's articles, but they surely occurred, as I witnessed first hand on last Friday.

Whatever the case, last week, we get three articles about Ozzie's mismanagement of the pitching staff and pieces about the demise of the Sox. This week, when the sweep is on the other foot, we get articles about baseball in Chicago, a WS between the two sides, etc. Throughout the columns over this weekend, never are the games or what happened discussed, because for that to happen, the White Sox would need to be praised (or at least discussed in a positive light).

There's plenty to write about, Jay, and you can even remain negative in your assessments. You think the Sox are too reliant on the Home Run, say it. The starters looking a bit shaky the last couple of times through the rotation, that could eat a few paragraphs. But to not discuss what is going on on the field, and to concentrate on the GM's comments, both managers' mutual love fest, and the rest of the crap you right about, just show what a snotty, little piss ant you are.

And that's why we love you. Idiot.

The only time I buy the Sun times is to use in my charcoal chimney starter. I've read Jay's articles before and have seen him on TV (and radio...wow, bad). I have no use for either as a source of entertainment.

jay is trying to draw attention to himself and grind his 3 axes...telendar writes mostly safe columns...I skip 'em both and read DeLuca and Wittenmayer, saves time...

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

I still have no idea why I read Mariotti today. I never read Mariotti. But today's column was, dare I say, good. I may have to take the rest of the day off ....

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Du hockey comme dans le temps

One of the first columns I read when I receive my home-delivered Sun-Times is Jay Mariotti. He's the only columnist in the Sun-Times or Tribune that makes fans like me actually think about the issues concerning local, national & international sports. I do not always agree with his opinion, which is exactly the idea of his column. I'm also not sticking up for Jay either.

I like his column today. Hopefully he continues to rip China and they revoke his Visa. THat would be funny.

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I've said it before, but when he's not talking about the Sox or the Cubs, he can be very good. He's just got a personal axe to grind with the local teams and it makes him sound like a tool.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Darkside, I think Mariotti can be over the top in his criticism of the local pro teams, especially when it comes to both of Jerry Reinsdorf's teams, the White Sox & Bulls. I think Jay has had a problem with the way Jerry has done business for many years. When it comes to columns like the ones he has written concerning the Olympics in Beijing, and the biggest sports events all over the place, it's hard not to argue.

We agree!

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Maybe they could arrest him and we'd never hear from him again.

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Du hockey comme dans le temps

Two words...International Incident!

Done at the Sun-Times. Really wonder what went on there? 'Other Opportunities'? Should be interesting.

Article link?

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Sun-Times columinst Jay Mariotti resigns

By Jim Kirk | Tribune staff reporter
9:39 PM CDT, August 26, 2008

Jay Mariotti, the opinionated and polarizing sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, told the Chicago Tribune he resigned on Tuesday after 17 years with the paper.

Just back from Beijing where he wrote about the Summer Olympics, Mariotti said in a phone interview Tuesday night that he decided to quit after it became clear while in China that sports journalism had become "entirely a Web site business. There were not many newspapers there.'' He added that most of the journalists covering the Games were "there writing for Web sites.''

Mariotti, whose public battles with fellow staffers, team owners, and rival columnists are legendary, didn't disclose any specific plans except to say he will continue doing his regular stint on ESPN's "Around the Horn.''

He said that he "is talking with a lot of Web sites'' and added that the future of his business "sadly is not in newspapers.'' Mariotti said that he sent a resignation letter to Cyrus Freidheim, Sun-Times Media Group Chief Executive and Sun-Times Publisher. When asked via email by the Tribune whether Mariotti had resigned, Sun-Times Editor Michael Cooke responded, "You're kidding?''

Cooke didn't reply to further requests for comment.

"They accepted it,'' Mariotti said of his resignation. "It was my call entirely.''

In a city with a strong sports journalism tradition, Mariotti is thought of as one of its premier columnists. With a style that relied on being contrarian no matter the topic, readers turned to him as much to disagree with what he had to say than agree. He added to his reputation with the scrapes he got in with the subjects he covered.

The highly-paid Mariotti quits after just signing a three-year contract extension in June. At that time, Cooke said that Mariotti was a "focal point'' of the Sun-Times sports section, praising his "pull no punches'' approach.

Commenting on his 17 years at the paper, Mariotti said he loved every minute of it. But he said that with the troubled times newspapers face, it was time to consider a new future.

"I'm a competitor and I get the sense this marketplace doesn't compete,'' he said. "Everyone is hanging on for dear life at both papers. I think probably the days of high stakes competition in Chicago are over.

"To see what's happened in this business...I don't want to go down with it.''

Maybe put him and North together? Eh?

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Whatever you think of Mariotti, he is right about the printed word.

North and he would last less than one hour.

I can say I used to hate Mariotti, yet I learned to start appreciating his articles.

You can't deny that he was a very good writer. His style and creativity was UNMATCHED in this city. Things such as the "Blizzard of Oz" were accurate and creative.

No doubt he had an axe to grind with Reinsdorf and the White Sox Front Office/Media People, but one must realize his job was to sell papers first and foremost. The guy was physically threatened by Ozzie, Hawk and the rest of the pussy ass White Ass front office, for what? because he wrote things about them? lol For a group of guys that despised him, they promoted him more than anyone.

Hate him or Love him, he was an asset. Very similar to North, but you could not take a shot at Jay for not being able to formulate a thought, sentence or article.

This was NOT good for the Sun Times.

P.S. Before Jay was the Articulate Antagonist for the Sun Times, guess who had that job? TB! So when I hear him criticize Jay, that might be the most unfounded rip ever.

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

I will give him one thing, he irritated Reinsdorf like no other. Can you imagine a man with Reinsdorf's money, power and backround caring about what a local columnist wrote? There must be something more to the story because Reinsdorf's hate for him has never made sense to me.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Everything I've heard and read about Jay (including his own columns) makes me think he's a weasel and coward.

The guy's face was in the dictionary next to the term "windsock". Early on in his career it was no secret (particularly amongst his peers) that he wrote about things in the first person while physically not being present.



The best writers in this city have long been gone/retired/new vocations. Bob Verdi could make a far more salient point with much less hysteria and vitriol. Bernie Lincicome was far more ascerbic in his comments and nicknames. John Shulian would have made Mariotti his bitch.



So why didn't he visit other locker rooms? He kept up the feud with the Sox to provide him cover for the fact that he didn't do his job very well. He liked to talk a lot of trash but would hide out in the press box.



Like North he often talked out of his ass. Both were "assets" but they became diminished assets that also incurred a good deal of liability. North's ratings were a burden, Mariotti's lack of credibility amongst his peers was his burden.

I'm willing to go back to paying for a copy of the Sun-Times. A significant portion of the garbage that permeates their pages has now quit.

Jay did not kiss the ring. I think Jerry's relationship with a majority of the media is a huge issue. Maybe they will write something that is not flattering, but none will write an article listing the names of the White Sox partners and tell them to get rid of Reinsdorf. The same names that used to be in the media guide you can buy.

Almost every member of the media calls in favors. They get tickets for people, field passes, autographs, etc. Nobody wanted to ruin that privledge.

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Prior to the date of Jay writing that article, Jerry has not realzied any profit for his White Sox investors, but had 3 cash calls. However, this was not the point. Not one of his investors needed the money they put into the team.

Prior to 2005, you could say the White Sox were one of the poorly run teams in MLB. regardless of the article being right or wrong, you never saw anyone else write anything similar for fear of what Reinsdorf would do to that person.

In a way Jay was/is similar to North. North gained attention by risking his future by calling out Pat Riley, Mike McCaskey, etc. What was the worst that could happen to him? These guys would get his media passes pulled to NBA or NFL games and he would be forced out of a business he was never in to begin with? He risked nothing.

Guys like Mully and Hanley (who I like) are an example of guys that can't step out. They have spent their whole lives getting to this point and if things went so bad, like a McCaskey saying "Dump Hanley or you have no more access" Hanley would be gone. So I never expect it.

Jay, risked it everyday, however he was smart enough to get longer (3 years) term deals, so he gets paid if they dump him.

My biggest issue with the people ripping him, is how can you call a guy out for never facing his critics and then spend the last 2 days writing articles about him now that he is gone? Where the fuck have all these guys been? That includes the pussy editor in chief, who got Jay a 3 years deal 3 months ago? yet made his comments public?

Fact is- the guy sold more Newspapers than any 5 other guys combined. And THATS THE BOTTOM LINE!

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Is it though? I assume they have some ability to track papers sold. However, if there was an actual number out there I'm sure we would have heard it from Jay.

I hear this "fact" thrown about by everyone but it seems similar to the "facts" about North and his sponsors.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

NO!!

I heard Jay awhile ago when he had the nine to noon show with Carmen and Silvy. HE was horrible.

Ill tell you how to save both baseball teams and the bears too. Right after this break. Than he would say the dumbest things and he couldnt help but pat himself on the back over it. I hope he just goes away.

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This is the biggest myth in sports media and .in the newspaper biz. A generation ago when many of today's senior media types were in J-School, columnists were a major draw. But columnists have not been much of a draw for many years. Now, with columnists and opinion-meisters on TV and the web 24/7, the draw of columnists for newspapers is mostly gone. People don't need to buy a newspaper to get someone's opinion. They get experts whenever they want them in any media. Some people still throw this myth out there, but they haven't spoken to newspaper people who will quietly admit it's nonsense. I have a friend who is in the newspaper marketing biz. He has market research data that makes clear it's a myth that columnists bring much traffic to papers these days. Front page above the fold news, selections of comic strips, want ads, sports sections overall and weather coverage are what attract people to buy newspapers. Columnists...any columnist...are way down the list.

I never like Jay - I thought he was often being acerbic in order to separate himself from his peers, and attempt to create controversy. But the Dude put out content. More of it than any other columnist I remember reading. The Sun-Times is going to miss that.