Goombye to Jay the Rat

If you're not from Chicago or don't follow Chicago sports, you might not realize that the big news in town is the resignation of Sun Times sports columnist Jay Mariotti. Mariotti can be seen nationally on ESPN's Around the Horn.

For a number of years, Mariotti has been a thorn in the side of most Chicago sports teams and many individuals, most recently White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen. While his columns have ofttimes been entertaining, they also tended to get old as he took shot after shot after shot ... and was even accused of some flip-flopping.

Mariotti was known as a big prima donna, and the many nasty goodbye tributes from his fellow journalists tell you how disliked and disrespected he was. I can't ever remember seeing anyone as insignificant as a columnist excoriated as publically, quickly and gleefully as he was after the Sun Times accepted his resignation.

Mariotti was quick to quote athletes, managers, coaches, and owners, but he apparently never had the balls to actually get the quotes himself and go face to face with the people he ripped. It reminds me of how people will talk all kinds of shit at the virtual felt -- stuff they would never have the stones to say in person.

Surprisingly, I will miss reading Mariotti's column online. It was sort of like passing by an accident scene. You don't really want to look, but the scene just compels you.