Double Post Day

I'm up a little early for a Sunday and I've been catching up on blogs/news/whatever. If you're not aware, Jay Mariotti was a columnist for the Chicago Sun Times for nearly 20 years. He wrote a sports column and was heralded for his willingness to say exactly what he thought about a team, coach, or event. I thought he was a bland writer at best, and without the controversy hot sauce, would have died off years ago. He had stopped attending sporting events, yet still wrote about them.

This past week, he flamed out - left a two-word e-mail for his employers and split. In subsequent interviews, he claimed that newspapers were dead, which only proves how little he understands his own medium. Most writers at the paper are journalists; the newspaper itself is only one form of distribution for their work. Did Roger Ebert's hugely popular, nationally syndicated television show end his newspaper career? Far from it.

I heard some insider dish on the radio, but this open letter to Jay Mariotti from Ebert says it much better. Even with all the health issues in the recent past, I forget how much I've been entertained by Roger Ebert over the course of my life. You could always tell he loved his profession by his writing - polar opposite of Mariotti, who seemingly always bore some type of grudge. Good riddance, Jay - maybe I'll pick up a Sun Times this week just to spite him.