SPORTS COUCH POTATO

Downey let go in Chicago

Here's a sad item posted today by Kevin Roderick on LA Observed about the layoff of Mike Downey, the former celebrated columnist for the Los Angeles Times who was let go Thursday by sister paper the Chicago Tribune:

"Mike Downey, the former Los Angeles Times sports columnist (and featured California columnist on page A3 for awhile in the 1990s, when state and local news still ranked ahead of national and foreign in the front section), was laid off Thursday at the Chicago Tribune after five years. 'The Tribune was generous enough to make me one of the best-paid sportswriters in the history of this business, so I certainly can't fault the paper for doing this now that times are hard,' Downey says in the paper (bottom of column). The sports editor announced the cut 'with profound sadness.' Perhaps Downey saw it coming, since his Tuesday column dismissing the Chicago sports scene sure reads like some inner dissatisfaction at play."

Mariotti's right: newspapers RIP

Jay Mariotti can be arrogant and antagonistic, but he's also provocative and he does know his sports. It's little surprise then that he became a celebrity in the multimedia world, first as a host on One on One sports radio and later in his current role as a regular panelist on ESPN's "Around the Horn."

With that to fall back on, Mariotti on Wednesday decided to jump from the sinking ship that is the daily print newspaper and give up his 17-year gig as a sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. His departure comes only months after he signed a new contract.

"It's been a tremendous experience, but I'm going to be honest with you, the profession is dying,'' Mariotti told WBBM-TV. "I don't think either paper [Sun-Times or Chicago Tribune] is going to survive.

"To showcase your work ... you need a stellar Web site and if a newspaper doesn't have that, you can't be stuck in the 20th century with your old newspaper."

The columnist's comments didn't sit well with Sun-Times management, which has had to deal with corporate scandal in addition to diminishing revenues. But with hundreds of hard-working print journalists having lost their jobs in the Windy City alone and many more undoubtedly in harm's way, it's hard to see why anyone would want to soldier on.

Take the story of Jaime Cardenas. As related recently on the Web site LA Observed, Cardenas migrated from Mexico as a youngster and became a sports intern at the Los Angeles Times. Last year, at age 26, he got the word he was being elevated to reporter status.

"At the time, I felt like I was on top of the world," Cardenas wrote. "I worked very hard and sacrificed a lot to get to The Times. Being so young I felt like my life was just beginning."

This July, 11 months after the promotion, Cardenas was laid off at the Times. In his farewell email to colleagues, Cardenas wrote, "My world — my dream! — came crashing down."

Whether a wide-eyed youngster or grizzled veteran, print journalists are an endangered species — as are the newspapers they work for. The end, like in Cardenas' case, can come in a flash.

Mariotti's parting shots may be tough for his former bosses to swallow  but they are on the mark. At least in his case there's nothing to be concerned about. He'll land somewhere on the Web and continue to get his TV exposure and six-figure paycheck. We don't know what has become of Cardenas in the months since his dismissal, but others like him haven't been, or won't be, nearly as fortunate.

A noble profession no longer seems so noble.

Le Batard leaves, Herald waits

In a time when some of the country's best sportswriters are being swept out of newsrooms by layoffs and buyouts, it's fascinating and somewhat surprising to see the Miami Herald let the omnipresent Dan Le Batard to take a yearlong sabbatical from his column so he can concentrate on his other media ventures.

Bob Norman of New Times Broward-Palm Beach first reported in his blog, The Daily Pulp, that Le Batard is taking the time off starting May 15 so he can "have more balance in his life."

Ed Pope is the dean of the Herald sports team and one of the all-time great columnists, but Le Batard is its most visible celebrity. He writes for ESPN The Magazine, hosts a weekly national radio show on ESPN Radio and a daily local show on Miami's 790 The Ticket and is a regular guest host on ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption."

Most papers would have given Le Batard an ultimatum, after all he made his name on its pages and would not have had the cachet to launch his lucrative electronic media career otherwise. Clearly, the Herald believes maintaining its long association with Le Batard is worth the wait.

To witness the sweeping changes in the newspaper business one has to look no further than "PTI's" sister program on ESPN, "Around the Horn." No fewer than three of its regular panelists have accepted buyouts in recent months after longtime stints as print columnists. The latest was Jackie MacMullen, who left the Boston Globe. J.A. Adande previously exited the Los Angeles Times for a gig at ESPN.com and Kevin Blackistone parted ways with the Dallas Morning News before eventually landing at AOL Sports.

News isn't good for sports journalists

Parents: Don't let your kids grow up to be newspaper journalists. A case in point:

While watching Monday's episode of ESPN's "Around the Horn," it occurred to the Sports Spud that two of the four sportswriter panelists — J. A. Adande and Kevin Blackistone — are unemployed.

Both have solid resumes and are entertaining and provocative columnists. Both were also shown the door at their respective newspapers after accepting buyouts amid massive staff cuts. Adande wrote his last column for the Los Angeles Times in May, while Blackistone has been without a regular gig since leaving The Dallas Morning News in 2006.

It's hard to comprehend just how many competent, able-bodied journalists have been relegated to free agency in the name of cost-cutting. Quality, sad to say, is no longer Job One.