Sun-Times takes low road in feud with sports columnist

A few days ago, I opened the Chicago Sun-Times and saw in big bold print, “Welcome back, Pete” at the top of the paper. It took my attention away from a man at the Democratic National Convention on the front page who was in tears after Barack Obama officially received the democratic nomination.

I read the type below the headline, curious why the Sun-Times was welcoming back Pete.

“Sports fan Pete Gaines had enough of Jay Mariotti and quit reading the paper. When he heard Mariotti was gone, he quickly came back. You can too. For home delivery call 888-84-Times.”

Clearly the Sun-Times were using Mariotti’s departure as a chance to bring in more subscriptions. It’s no secret that he is perhaps the most hated sports figure in the state of Illinois, including Steve Bartman.

Mariotti quit the paper Tuesday night after signing a contract extension nearly two months ago. He said in that it was because he figured out the internet is bringing down newspapers and he wanted to jump off the ship before it sunk going so far as to call the Sun-Times the Titanic.

The real reason he quit, was because of Barack Obama.

Rick Telander had the first pick of topics to write about and he chose to write about Obama’s interview with Stewart Scott when he bashed Cubs fans since he is a White Sox fan. Mariotti also wanted to write about the topic, causing him to send an email with is resignation.

The Sun-Times responded with a two-page spread that insulted Mariotti. The spread included reader responses and a column from columnist Chris De Luca, who didn’t even try to contain his dislike for Mariotti.

His column ends with a quote from Sun-Times Editor-in-Chief Michael Cooke.

“We wish Jay well and will miss him – not personally of course – but in the sense that he is no longer here, at least for a few days,” Cooke said.

On the left-hand corner of the spread, you see, “For home delivery of the Jay-free Sun-Times, call 888-84-Times.” The ad is a desperate call for subscriptions, as the Sun-Times continue to lose money, and a celebration.

Many people in Chicago strongly dislike Mariotti because he’s arrogant, insulting and is more of a glorified blogger than a columnist, who hides behind his column without confronting anyone about it.

The paper could easily write a 400-word statement addressing the departure and just wishing him good lock in the future.

Instead, it was an overall bash-fest of the controversial columnist. Mariotti wasn’t exactly the epitome of professionalism either, but it would’ve brought some closure if the paper just took the high road in this little saga and moved on.

Many readers are probably ecstatic that the Sun-Times took such a harsh shot at Mariotti, but the newspaper needed to take the high role here. Its job should be to inform its consumers on the news, not make the news.

I blame the Sun-Times for Mariotti’s problems almost as much as I blame Mariotti for them. The paper was too complicit in allowing the former columnist to have his way.

Despite a pretty obvious feud with Telander that Mariotti enflamed and made it a battle in the public rather than behind closed doors, he was awarded with a contract extension until May 2011. Many of his colleagues complained that Mariotti never went into clubhouses that he criticized.

This is a legitimate complaint, but the Sun-Times should have done more to get Mariotti into the locker room so he could get the quotes that he pulls from other writers in his column. Nobody said a peep except for Telander about his notorious reputation for avoiding Chicago White Sox games altogether.

There are many columnists who write about their city’s team without going to games, specifically the ones who have obligations to ESPN or Sports Illustrated. Who knows how long it’s been since Michael Wilbon has seen the Washington Nationals in person or the last time Woody Paige has been inside the Pepsi Center.

The reason it flies with them is because most columnists are nowhere near as controversial as Mariotti and don’t have coaches or managers who call them out as Guillen did a few years ago.

However, for the amount of bashing that Mariotti did with the White Sox, or any other Chicago franchise for that matter, the Sun-Times should have put their foot down and forced him to at the very least set up a few interviews once in awhile.

Who knows how long the Sun-Times editors will celebrate their divorce with Mariotti. Hopefully not long. The Cubs and Sox are having one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory and I’d rather see the paper devote a spread with its cashed-strapped companies to one of those teams than on a former columnist.