Mike Downey, the former Los Angeles Times sports columnist (and featured California columnist on page A3 for awhile in the 1990s, when state and local news still ranked ahead of national and foreign in the front section), was laid off Thursday at the Chicago Tribune after five years. "The Tribune was generous enough to make me one of the best-paid sportswriters in the history of this business, so I certainly can't fault the paper for doing this now that times are hard," Downey says in the paper (bottom of column.) The sports editor announced the cut "with profound sadness." Perhaps Downey saw it coming, since his Tuesday column dismissing the Chicago sports scene — All signs point down around Chicago — sure read like some inner dissatisfaction at play.