Former Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti has been “staying sharp as a writer” (his words) with selected posts for ChicagoSide, who coincidentally just signed a content agreement with his former employer. If you’re wondering if this means a Mariotti return to the Sun-Times in any capacity, Jay assures the Sherman Report’s Ed Sherman that is absolutely not the case.
The Sun-Times, when I worked there, was a politically conflicted disgrace of a newspaper. The bosses cut deals and curried favor with people I had to cover as a Chicago sports columnist. They also failed to improve the Web site, a promise they made when I signed a contract extension in July 2008. I resigned in a cordial letter to the publisher two months later, after returning from the Beijing Olympics, and I handed back almost $1 million in wages. I don’t miss the place a bit.