Not sure about the reasoning, but there are plenty of folks upset at the San Diego Union-Tribune for booting out popular long-time columnist Tim Sullivan yesterday.

On his Twitter account, Sullivan said:

(Friday) marks the end of my 10 years with the Union-Tribune. Thanks to all who have offered their insight, their time and their readership.

Later, he said:

No idea. I was reporting a column this afternoon when I was notified my services were no longer required.

Naturally, members of our fraternity were shocked. Sullivan is among the most respected columnists in the business, and he more than made his mark during his 10 years in San Diego. Hard to see how this makes the U-T a better paper.

Reaction from the Voice of San Diego.

The UT fired its best sports writer,” KPBS reporter Tom Fudge.

“I’m better for having worked beside Tim Sullivan. Craftsman, truth seeker, unfailingly fair. A journalist in the finest sense of the word,” U-T Chargers writer Kevin Acee.

Among those weighing on Twitter, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal:

I’m biased, TimSullivan is my friend. But I will say this – it is insane that the SanDiego U-T let him go. He is a brilliant columnist.

Scott Miller of CBSSports.com:

UT San Diego firing columnist Tim Sullivan takes “dumbing down product for readers” to embarrassing low. Owner dumber than readers.

Dave Kindred:

TimSullivan laid off in SanDiego. Have all newspaper executives lost their minds?

Tim Brown, Yahoo Sports:

TimSullivan714 is one of the most talented, decent and intelligent columnists in the country. What a thing.

Sullivan’s columns still are up on the U-T’s site. Earlier this week, he had a column about Phil Mickelson wanting to own a piece of the San Diego Padres, which made national news.

Little wonder why people are baffled by this move.

Clearly, this isn’t going to be your father’s USA Today.

USA Today publisher Larry Kramer has sent out a note to staffers in the wake of several veterans being let go last week in the sports department. The memo appeared in the Gannett Blog, an independent blog not connected with the main company, via Romenesko.

Clearly, Kramer wants USA Today sports to be a player among the major sports sites. Breaking news is the mantra. He writes:

As we recast ourselves into a multi-platform sports organization, it is clear that we must be more aggressive and proactive about how we cover breaking news. While the newspaper remains an important source of news for our sports consumers, we can no longer operate with a print-first mentality. Stories move 24-7 and we need to move at that same rapid pace. The USA TODAY Sports Media Group intends to be the conversation starter, breaking news in Sports faster and in greater depth than anyone else.

Since breaking news is such a priority, it will be interesting to see what high-profile sports beat reporters USA Today adds to its roster. I’m figuring on at least a couple of additions at premium prices.

Here’s the entire note from Kramer:

USA TODAY has earned a reputation as a trusted source for the news and information that matters most to consumers, as well as for its legacy of innovation. One of the things I am most excited about is what the USA TODAY Sports Media Group is doing to help us aggressively reinvigorate that legacy. This team is bringing a whole new approach to the way we cover sports, and today I want to address the realignment of the USA TODAY Sports Editorial group which has been completed this week.

Over the last two weeks, I have spent time with Tom Beusse and his leadership team, getting further up to speed on what they have been working on over the last several months to transform USA TODAY Sports and to, once again, become a true sports powerhouse. As we recast ourselves into a multi-platform sports organization, it is clear that we must be more aggressive and proactive about how we cover breaking news. While the newspaper remains an important source of news for our sports consumers, we can no longer operate with a print-first mentality. Stories move 24-7 and we need to move at that same rapid pace. The USA TODAY Sports Media Group intends to be the conversation starter, breaking news in Sports faster and in greater depth than anyone else.

To get there, the USA TODAY Sports Editorial team has been restructured to emphasize specialization around several different areas of expertise. Work shifts, publishing cycles and priorities are all changing to ensure we are relevant across all platforms.

A careful and exhaustive process was followed, working extensively with Human Resources. More than 90 new job descriptions within Sports were created to meet the needs of a digital organization. Dozens of new positions were made available to staff. This involved an extensive interview process. We were 100% committed to putting the right people in the right jobs. In the end, 16 of the top 21 positions were filled by internal candidates. Also through this process, we were able to uncover previously untapped or underutilized skill sets that further enabled us to create new opportunities for many people within the group.

This process was about redefining and re-imagining our considerable Sports franchise and the roles our people assume within it to create a center of excellence and build a great sports franchise. With this new structure, we are now well-positioned to operate in a 24-7 digital environment. This is a major step forward. We are proud of what we have accomplished to date — in fact, our sports content has already improved significantly over the last 5-6 weeks alone – and, we are excited for what is yet to come. A much more urgent approach to news gathering will sharpen all sports products and allow USA TODAY Sports to compete on a much larger and more meaningful scale. I firmly believe no one is better positioned to play to win in this space than we are and we have the talent necessary to do it.

Larry

Michael McCarthy and Tom Weir may be out at USA Today, but their images lives on–at least for now.

Both reporters still are pictured at the top of the Game On! blog. Their biographies, though, have been eliminated.

Weir, meanwhile, has updated his bio on Twitter. It now says:

Used to blog at USA Today/Game On; liberated now

What registers as long-form journalism these days are back-to-back 140-character tweets.

So it was refreshing, if not stunning, to see the New York Times publish a 6,500-word story on the last run of ultra marathoner Micah True Monday. Besides the incredible length, the paper displayed Barry Bearak’s piece over the first five pages of its Times Monday sports section. A report on the Rangers-Devils series did not appear until page 8.

The story was fascinating. True, a truly mystical character, was the subject of Christopher McDougall’s best-selling book Born to Run.

Here’s the link and be sure to check out the audio version read by Jay O. Sanders.

However, allot some time. We’re talking five pages of newspaper type here. I printed the story off the link and it was 17 pages.

And the subject wasn’t Derek Jeter or new New York Jet Tim Tebow.

In this day and age, what makes the Times think people will stick with a 6,500-word story? I did a Q/A with Times deputy sports editor Jason Stallman.

What went into your decision to devote this kind of space for the story, and then to run it on five open pages before getting to nut-and-bolts Yankees, Rangers, Mets coverage?

It’s an exceptional story. The type of thing that comes along once a year, if that. So we wanted to give it special treatment.

Did you ever consider breaking up the story and running it as a series?

Yes, we did talk about that. In the end, we figured that breaking it up might only confuse or frustrate readers who came to the story after the first day. They’d have to go back and catch up. Also, I think the story is incredibly powerful when read straight through.

What kind of reaction did you get from readers and your fellow sports editors? Do you think people read it?

There’s been quite a bit of response, and all of it overwhelmingly positive — from colleagues in the newsroom and readers around the world. The bottom line is that people appreciate a good story well told. Perhaps running it in full on one day turned off some readers. I don’t know. But the folks who bought in sure did get a treat. We’re able to monitor in real time how people are engaging with individual articles on our web site. Throughout the day on Monday, this piece was attracting a staggering number of readers. Far more than the norm.

Is this a statement that long-form journalism isn’t dead?

No, it’s not any kind of statement, other than that Barry Bearak is “Michael, Magic and Bird, all rolled in one.”