Heart problem puts Mariotti back on bench

'For the second time in six months, Mariotti will be out of the paper for an extended stretch. Mariotti, 47, is recovering from a heart-related angioplasty procedure and insertion of an arterial stent, Sun-Times editors said Thursday.

• "He's feeling fine now but will be taking some time off," Sun-Times Sports Editor Stu Courtney said by e-mail, noting that Mariotti hopes to resume writing and appearing as a regular panelist on ESPN's "Around the Horn" by early next month.

Mariotti reportedly didn't feel well on his flight to New Orleans, where he went to cover Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. He felt even worse upon arrival at his hotel and ultimately chose to bypass the game for the hospital, where the procedure was performed Wednesday night. Mariotti, who has a well-earned reputation as a workaholic in 15 years at the Sun-Times, took July off from the paper after being enveloped in controversy when White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, in late June, used a homosexual slur to rip Mariotti's reluctance to face players after critical columns. The pundit, a north suburban husband and a father of two, continued to come to the paper's Chicago offices several times a week to tape his "Around the Horn" appearances in a newsroom studio during that time off.' From the Chicago Tribune, 1/5/07, by Phil Rosenthal

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