The long, disgruntled, guns-blazing, flip-flopping national nightmare is over: Jay Mariotti has resigned from the Chicago Sun-Times after 17 years of service. No need to go too in depth on Mariotti here: just read Eric Zorn’s brilliant dissection of Mariotti’s coverage of the 2005 White Sox, or one of the many battles he’s had with coworkers of late. The dude isn’t very well liked by those in his industry and by sports media consumers.

But if there’s one thing I can say in favor of the guy, it’s that he knows what he’s doing. He knows that if you play the big bully, if you rip everyone to shreds — people will read you because they want to see what stupid or asinine thing you will say next. It’s a tactic that’s worked well to bring in a readership. (Even if your readership hates you.) It’s a tactic that’s led him to ESPN’s “Around the Horn.”

So when I read why Mariotti claims he is leaving the paper, I tend to think it’s somewhat of a smart move. (Though who knows if this is really the reason he is peacing out.)

From the Trib:

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 said that he “is talking with a lot of Web sites” and added that the future of his business “sadly is not in newspapers.”

…

“I’m a competitor and I get the sense this marketplace doesn’t compete,” he said. “Everyone is hanging on for dear life at both papers. I think probably the days of high stakes competition in Chicago are over.

“To see what’s happened in this business…I don’t want to go down with it.”

First off: the notion that “there were not many newspapers there” is absolutely absurd. What major newspaper in the US, nay the Earth, wasn’t covering the Games? And furthermore, unless you are a big player (ESPN, CBS Sportsline etc.) major sporting events are far less likely to credential you. So I find it hard to believe a bunch of Web sites were running around with their MacBook Pros overrunning the Jay Marriottis of the world — the ones trying to file column inches by deadline. (Except maybe for Dan Steinberg. Oh wait: he works for a newspaper.)

Also, newspapers are Web sites. I read Mariotti in my RSS reader, as I read all newspaper columns and articles. He’s online everyday. So this line of logic seems to have a few holes in it.

Where Mariotti makes more sense? The whole “newspapers are going down in a burning wreck of fire” bit. Between the faux pickup reporting at the Sun-Times and all the buyouts and firings at the Trib, things aren’t looking so hot.

And it’s clear the sports media landscape has shifted to the Web; fans get scores and wraps online instantly and can comment real-time about games on blogs.

I’m reminded of the “Costas Now” segment where  Will Leitch said: “If you’re really waiting to read the game story in the newspaper to find out what happened in the Cardinals game last night, you’re probably over the age of fifty.”

Jay Mariotti, like it or not, has realized all this. And he is (supposedly) coming to a Web site near you. Heaven help us all.