Things are getting a bit tense between the Chicago Tribune and some of the blogs that follow the Cubs - punctuated by an hours-long skirmish between the two sides over ethics in journalism, the role of bloggers versus journalists, and who is and is not an idiot and/or a liar.

As with any battle, it is useful to deconstruct what happened to determine what was done well and can be done better.

To recap: Things escalated quickly yesterday when Cubs beat reporter Paul Sullivan of the Tribune called Milton Bradley an "idiot" on Twitter.

A handful of blogs - including this one - objected and said that it was improper for Sullivan to say such a thing about a player he covers when, as a beat reporter, he is supposed to at least pretend to be objective. That's when things got ugly.

(click "read more" for full article)

Aisle424 took a shot back on Twitter, earning a ban from Sullivan's Twitter feed (joining wv23 and a few others on the list). Once banned, the incident turned into a naughtily titled post on Aisle424 that prompted an interesting discussion on the ethics of Sullivan's original Tweet and journalism and blogging in general.

Meanwhile, in a fit of curiosity, I emailed the Trib sports editor asking if it was proper for Sullivan to call Bradley an idiot in a public forum. The editor responded without answering, though strongly suggested that I was the idiot. That earned a followup post at wv23 - and a Tweet, which led the esteemed (Trib-owned) ChicagoNow community manager Jimmy Greenfield to call me a liar.

Got all that? Good, but there's more.

Another Cubs Blog insisted Sullivan is the actual liar, and the View From The Bleachers renewed its call to boycott the Tribune (judging by the continued decline in circulation at the Trib, it would seem the boycott is a remarkable success).

This afternoon, Aisle424 has decided they have had enough of the fighting and seems ready to live in a world without Paul Sullivan and his Twitter feed. We disagree and will continue to read, fight through the Twitter ban, and politely point out flaws in logic, common sense and basic decency.

We owe it to you the reader. We owe it to the children. And we owe it to Chicago. Because, as the Tribune once noted, we are one of the best Cubs blogs in the world.