Sad news out of Chicago tonight. Jay Mariotti has resigned from the Chicago Sun-Times.
From Jim Kirk at the Chicago Tribune:
"...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.''...
"He [Mariotti] 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."
We're going to miss Jay. He was quick to turn a phrase and did it better than pretty much anyone in the nation. Mariotti's unique view on the Chicago sports scene was nearly as welcomed as a cup of coffee in the morning. His columns could be controversial at times, but they were usually right on target. All too often it was up to Jay to point out the hidden truths and media cover ups of Chicago sport personalities. When the Bears, Hawks, Bulls, Cubs, Notre Dame, and even the Sox, made a mistake or a bad move, it was Mariotti who usually there to point it out before the rest of us even knew what was happening.
Mariotti was unafraid to go after the most holy of holy in Chicago—from Jordan to Ozzie—he gave no one a free pass. He sought out the truth and, more importantly, pointed out what he believed the truth to be. His opinion mattered because it was well thought out and based upon sound logic. That is the hard hitting journalism and insight, which made Mariotti the best sport columnist in the United States... hell the world.
We're gonna Jay. We're sure the blogs will be all happy about his decision to leave, but not us. However, if this means more Mariotti on "Around the Horn" and other ESPN panelist shows, then maybe just maybe we can convince ourselves to be for the move.
So Jay, this Zima is for you. I know you'll land on your feet somewhere. But know that I'll miss those mornings, sitting at my parents kitchen table in Hinsdale slurping up Corn Flakes, and agreeing with every single word you wrote.
26.8.08
College Football Predictions
More because we can and we're sort of thinking about it today.
ACC - The conference that, in theory, is supposed to be good. Sort of like socialism.
- Atlantic: Wake Forest -- I know nothing about these guys other than they've been pretty good the last few years. And Clemson does one thing well—not win anything in the ACC.
- Coastal: Who cares. No one here is any good. Virginia Tech will probably win it just because someone has to. On the plus side, the ACC Coastal has locked up two awards—worst name for a division AND worst division in college football!
- BCS Team: Ugh. Wake Forest. Wow the ACC sucks.
Big12 - Hey look, it's the most overrated conference in college football! Big Ten teams rejoice!
-North: Missouri—One thing is for sure, it won't be Kansas the worst good team in college football history. Colorado will be good one of these days right? If Colorado played Washington would it be considered retro?
-South: Oklahoma—I'm going to say it, the Big12 South is better than the SEC West. It's going to be hard for the Sooners to go undefeated in conference play.
- BCS Team: Texas (remember them?), Oklahoma. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see them lose by 17 in the BCS.
Big East - Pittsburgh - If anyone claims they know what is going on in this conference this year, they're full of shit. Why Pitt? Why not? West Virginia seems to find a way to not make the leap year in and year out (the drubbing of Georgia a few years ago excluded). Pitt's toughest conference game is on the road at South Flordia, who no one knows anything about save they were #2 at one point last year. So why not Pitt? A win of Iowa in the third game of the season would go a long way.
- BCS Team: Pitt
Big Ten - Ohio State - This is the best team in the nation but no one wants to admit it because they've lost the last two BCS games. But they have pretty much everyone coming back from a team that didn't get beat as bad as everyone says they did in the national title game. If they beat USC they're going back to the National Title game, because after that only a trip to Madison will stop them.
- BCS Team(s): Ohio State, Wisconsin
Pac Ten - USC - Death, taxes, and USC winning the Pac 10, or something like that. Anyway, no longer the #2 conference in America it's still pretty good. But I don't see that second BCS team... oh and Arizona State isn't that good.
- BCS Team: USC
SEC - This really might be the most talent and the best teams a single conference has ever had. Wow are they loaded. And I would not want to play 'Bama in the second half of the season.
- East: Florida - Did you see that offense last year? It was sick. It was awesome. It was fun to watch. It was everything we love about college football. We don't see them losing to an overrated Georgia squad (which isn't the Bulldogs fault, they're a top five team, but not #1).
- West: LSU - We don't want to pick them, we but since they get 'Bama at home and Auburn doesn't... well we'll take the Tigers. The LSU Tigers.
- BCS Teams(s) - Too bad they can't send three. Florida, Georgia
Non-BCS conferences:
- We love us some Boise State.
- Notre Dame goes 6-6, we see four wins on their schedule. Then a bunch that could go either way: Michigan, Purdue, @UNC, @Washington, @BC, and Pitt. The disaster scenario has them at 1-3 when Stanford comes to South Bend. Unlikely, but not impossible. Fact is, no one knows. 9-3 is just as sane as 5-7. And if ND goes 5-7, I'm not sure what to say about Coach Charlie Weis.
- BCS Team: BYU
National Title:
Ohio State vs Florida. I'll take Ohio State this time.
ACC - The conference that, in theory, is supposed to be good. Sort of like socialism.
- Atlantic: Wake Forest -- I know nothing about these guys other than they've been pretty good the last few years. And Clemson does one thing well—not win anything in the ACC.
- Coastal: Who cares. No one here is any good. Virginia Tech will probably win it just because someone has to. On the plus side, the ACC Coastal has locked up two awards—worst name for a division AND worst division in college football!
- BCS Team: Ugh. Wake Forest. Wow the ACC sucks.
Big12 - Hey look, it's the most overrated conference in college football! Big Ten teams rejoice!
-North: Missouri—One thing is for sure, it won't be Kansas the worst good team in college football history. Colorado will be good one of these days right? If Colorado played Washington would it be considered retro?
-South: Oklahoma—I'm going to say it, the Big12 South is better than the SEC West. It's going to be hard for the Sooners to go undefeated in conference play.
- BCS Team: Texas (remember them?), Oklahoma. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see them lose by 17 in the BCS.
Big East - Pittsburgh - If anyone claims they know what is going on in this conference this year, they're full of shit. Why Pitt? Why not? West Virginia seems to find a way to not make the leap year in and year out (the drubbing of Georgia a few years ago excluded). Pitt's toughest conference game is on the road at South Flordia, who no one knows anything about save they were #2 at one point last year. So why not Pitt? A win of Iowa in the third game of the season would go a long way.
- BCS Team: Pitt
Big Ten - Ohio State - This is the best team in the nation but no one wants to admit it because they've lost the last two BCS games. But they have pretty much everyone coming back from a team that didn't get beat as bad as everyone says they did in the national title game. If they beat USC they're going back to the National Title game, because after that only a trip to Madison will stop them.
- BCS Team(s): Ohio State, Wisconsin
Pac Ten - USC - Death, taxes, and USC winning the Pac 10, or something like that. Anyway, no longer the #2 conference in America it's still pretty good. But I don't see that second BCS team... oh and Arizona State isn't that good.
- BCS Team: USC
SEC - This really might be the most talent and the best teams a single conference has ever had. Wow are they loaded. And I would not want to play 'Bama in the second half of the season.
- East: Florida - Did you see that offense last year? It was sick. It was awesome. It was fun to watch. It was everything we love about college football. We don't see them losing to an overrated Georgia squad (which isn't the Bulldogs fault, they're a top five team, but not #1).
- West: LSU - We don't want to pick them, we but since they get 'Bama at home and Auburn doesn't... well we'll take the Tigers. The LSU Tigers.
- BCS Teams(s) - Too bad they can't send three. Florida, Georgia
Non-BCS conferences:
- We love us some Boise State.
- Notre Dame goes 6-6, we see four wins on their schedule. Then a bunch that could go either way: Michigan, Purdue, @UNC, @Washington, @BC, and Pitt. The disaster scenario has them at 1-3 when Stanford comes to South Bend. Unlikely, but not impossible. Fact is, no one knows. 9-3 is just as sane as 5-7. And if ND goes 5-7, I'm not sure what to say about Coach Charlie Weis.
- BCS Team: BYU
National Title:
Ohio State vs Florida. I'll take Ohio State this time.
25.8.08
Back For No Cash
You're favorite first person plural blog is back... call on the angels in Orange County, you know you've been missing us.
We're new and improved and maybe even with a new look. It all depends on how much time we want to put into that... but either way. We're back. Blogging. The joy can be heard from here to China.
Why are we new and improved? Because we are for starters. We're wiser and better writers, hey hey!, and with fall fast approaching here in Chicago, the ideas will flow like beer in the bleachers of Wrigley.
But from now one Views From Life on a Bench will focus in on sports and sports only. I know crazy since that's kind of sort of what we were doing anyway. But that is the deal. We hope to look at things from an economic point of view and hopefully offer up some thought provoking things. Don't expect us to look for crazy ass sports stories about athletes, we don't care for starters and secondly, the fact that Matt Leinart likes to do beer bongs doesn't really interest us.
So look for, well, the other side of sports. Our goal isn't to post as much as we can. Our goal is to writing some interesting stuff and if it has an economic or intellectual point of view. All the better.
So sit back and use those eyes you've got. Reading hasn't been this much fun since you were reading The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.
Get ya.
Oh and don't forget to check out I Wanna Live With a Musician. It's more personal, more serious, and more interesting. If you don't like sports. And we don't write in italic over there.
We're new and improved and maybe even with a new look. It all depends on how much time we want to put into that... but either way. We're back. Blogging. The joy can be heard from here to China.
Why are we new and improved? Because we are for starters. We're wiser and better writers, hey hey!, and with fall fast approaching here in Chicago, the ideas will flow like beer in the bleachers of Wrigley.
But from now one Views From Life on a Bench will focus in on sports and sports only. I know crazy since that's kind of sort of what we were doing anyway. But that is the deal. We hope to look at things from an economic point of view and hopefully offer up some thought provoking things. Don't expect us to look for crazy ass sports stories about athletes, we don't care for starters and secondly, the fact that Matt Leinart likes to do beer bongs doesn't really interest us.
So look for, well, the other side of sports. Our goal isn't to post as much as we can. Our goal is to writing some interesting stuff and if it has an economic or intellectual point of view. All the better.
So sit back and use those eyes you've got. Reading hasn't been this much fun since you were reading The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.
Get ya.
Oh and don't forget to check out I Wanna Live With a Musician. It's more personal, more serious, and more interesting. If you don't like sports. And we don't write in italic over there.
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