I got divorced this week.  No, not from my marriage.  I am still very much in love with my wife, and can't imagine that changing.

My divorce was with another great relationship, though, one that even predates that which I have with my wife.  I became a subscriber to the Chicago Tribune in the spring of 1985, shortly after I moved to the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.  Early on, we had some wonderful times.  Our relationship began not long after the great Mike Royko moved his loyalties from the Sun-Times, shortly after that publication was purchased by Rupert Murdoch, to the Tribune.  Royko introduced me to the penultimate Chicagoan, Slats Grobnik, whose wit and wisdom put the politicians in both City Hall and Washington DC to shame.

Even after Royko's passing, I remained true to the Trib.  I was a big fan of the man chosen to replace Royko on page 2, Bob Greene.  After Greene was forced to resign following an unfortunate sex scandal (something that would have provided entertaining fodder for Royko!), my loyalties remained, even if I no longer read much from Greene's successors on page 2.

After I moved away from the Chicago area in 1995, I continued subscribing to the Tribune.  For the first time in my life, I became a two paper reader, receiving daily editions of the Trib as well as the Rockford Illinois Register-Star.  I would not let a physical move cause me to stray from my decade-long romance with the largest Chicago daily.

The Tribune's all too predictable Republican presidential endorsements often tested my loyalties.  When the paper endorsed Shrub for a second term in 2004, I questioned whether our relationship was as strong as it had been in the past.  But I forgave the editors for their misguided choice, just I had done every four years since 1988.

But then, something changed.  And I am not just talking about the Trib's historic endorsement of Democrat and favorite son Barak Obama.  No, I began having my doubts a few months before that momentous occasion.  It started when the newspaper changed its paper stock to some cheap material that curles along the edges, making it a tedious chore to read the stories along the outer sides of each page.

But I can deal with little inconveniences like that.  The real kicker happened early this year, when suddenly I noticed the Tribune had shrunk about 30%.  The stories that made the front page were no longer the kinds of stories I want to read about.  The stories too often were of the sort that I can quickly read in the tabloids while standing in the grocery store line.  Sure, there are still stories that cover important events, both here and abroad.  But you have to look for them.  They are somewhere back on page 15 or 17 or Section B.

Same for the Opinion pages.  Except now the Opinion pages are usually no longer plural.  It is the Opini0n page.  Of course, if you write a letter to the editor, and it is selected for publication, you can now have your color photo appear right next to your letter, just like Steve Chapman or Clarence Page. Whoop-dee-doo!

The truth is, the Chicago Tribune is no better now than my local newspaper, the Register-Star.  In fact, Rockford's paper now carries just as much real news as the Trib.  In some respects, the Rockford paper is better.  For instance, its Sports section will almost always carry the scores of the late games, like the ones played on Monday Night Football.  When the Trib failed to report the final score of several late baseball games during the playoffs, I could normally find them in the Register-Star.

So this week, I am no longer a two paper man.  I have divorced the Tribune.  And guess what?  I have not missed it at all.  And that makes me sad.