Jay Mariotti: so hot right now. The latest? He hit the talk radio circuit here in Chicago this morning and expanded on what he told the Trib last evening. And yeah: he’s saying everything bloggers and savvy media peeps have been saying for a few years now. The Internet pwns print. Some highlights from his 670 The Score interview (link to the audio), graciously picked up over at TBL:

“The print product is dead. It all has to be fed into the internet product now. The internet is going to save the written word. We’re not positioned for anything. These aren’t sour grapes - these are the facts.”

…

“Yahoo got something like 30 million hits during the Olympics. These places are for real. They’re legit. It’s just something we’re all going to have to come to grips with. Our fathers may read a newspaper over coffee, but I don’t know anyone under 40 who is picking up a newspaper and reading it.”
…

“I think newspapers that aren’t competing on the internet are dead in the water. The [Sun-Times] has made some strides … but it’s maddening trying to compete against [the Chicago Tribune] that is well-established and well-read.”

LIke I said late last evening: he might be a bit of a hack — but he is far from dumb. And if you listen to the inflection of his voice in the interview, you can tell the whole situation pains him a bit. He’s irked a lot of people at the Sun-Times are still clinging to the print model when it’s clear there’s been a shift. He did what he could to modify philosophy. Nothing changed. So he is moving on. (That’s his side of the story, at least. I’d be willing to bet someone at the Sun-Times might have a counterpoint to this. If you do, please e-mail me.)

If ESPN doesn’t offer him a writing gig in the near future, someone will pretty darn soon.

UPDATE: The Sun-Times has released a statement. Nothing in itseems to refute Jay’s claims, but there is this zinger (my emphasis in bold): “We wish Jay well and will miss him — not personally, of course — but in the sense of noticing he is no longer here, at least for a few days.” Buuurn.