Jay Mariotti

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1 Biography
2 Controversies
3 Related Articles
- 3.1 Recent Jay Mariotti ArmchairGM Stories
4 On the Web
5 Footnotes

[edit] Biography

Jay Mariotti is a sportswriter and gossip columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times as well as a regular panelist on ESPN's "Around the Horn." He also has developed a significant following among Chicago sports fans who loathe him. His opinions are often ridiculed and mocked for their inconsistency.

[edit] Controversies

[edit] MacPhail & Reinsdorf Write to Sun-Times Publisher

On March 28 2006, Chicago Cubs President Andy MacPhail and Chicago White Sox Owner Jerry Reinsdorf released a joint letter addressed to Chicago Sun-Times Publisher John Cruickshank as a reply to a recent Mariotti column that criticized Commissioner Bud Selig's steroid investigation. The letter concludes, "If Mariotti would ever trouble himself to make a phone call, maybe he would get the story right."^[1]

Jay Mariotti

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[edit] Mariotti's Feud With Rick Telander

On June 22 2003, Jay Mariotti reportedly threatened to punch fellow Sun-Times columnist Rick Telander at Wrigley Field during a Cubs - White Sox interleague game. Another Sun-Times sports reporter, Chris De Luca, was observed separating Mariotti and Telander.^[2].

[edit] Wikipedia Controversy

According to Deadspin, Mariotti once "personally begged [Wikipedia]" to "shut down" the entry about him.^[3].

[edit] Rex Grossman's "Swagger"

In an October 5, 2006 column, after the Chicago Bears crushed the Seattle Seahawks 37-6, Mariotti blasted Bears' QB Rex Grossman for having too much swagger. Mariotti based his column off a quote from Grossman, which turned out to be the opposite of what Grossman actually said:

[edit] Mariotti's Infamous "Make Me Famous" Quote

In the October 2006 edition of Chicago Magazine, Mariotti told interviewer Dirk Johnson that other Chicago sports columnists could "take your shots at me" because "All you're doing is making me more famous."^[4].

[edit] Geno Mariotti Defends His Son's "Courage of Conviction"

In the June 25, 2006 edition of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Geno Mariotti lays claim in a letter to the editor that his oft-criticized son "has been a lone voice in the Chicago media for 15 years now" and "Jay's strength is his courage of conviction."^[5].

[edit] Mariotti Calls Colleagues "House Reporters"

In the June 30, 2006 edition of the Chicago Reader, Michael Miner quotes Jay Mariotti proclaiming, “I’ve got a lot of reporters jealous of me. To hell with them,” and “I call those reporters ‘housemen.’ They need to take care of themselves and break some stories in town.”^[6]

[edit] Neil Steinberg Comments on Mariotti as a Co-Worker

Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg shares his opinion regarding working with Mariotti on the Steve Dahl Radio Show.

In the March 27, 2007 edition of the Chicagoist, Steinberg discusses his comments on the Dahl Show and is quoted, "And as much as they dislike him, I don’t think they really grasp his depth."^[7].