The L.A. Times laid off long-time NBA sportswriter Mark Heisler last week, just one year shy of retirement. Heisler has written a farewell post.

I got the bad news last Wednesday in Ocean City, N.J., on vacation.

Not that I had any problem with that, after years of rolling my eyes when jocks moaned about the way they were told they were history, as if that meant anything, compared to the fact they were history....

Five days later, I went downtown to turn in my company ID, laptop, Blackberry and American Express card.
Unfortunately, my ID card no longer opened gate in the parking structure. They had already turned it off, along with my access to the Trib’s virtual network, my email account and, of course, health insurance.

I should point out that, believe it or not, I’m not angry about this. At 67, I was only going to work one more season and they just gave me the whole thing off, with pay, through April.

All that notwithstanding, I’m sitting in my car, behind the closed gate, marveling at the company’s efficiency, thinking, ‘If only we were as good at newspapering as we are at dumping people….”

On the other hand, we are getting to be very, very good at dumping people.

I wish Heisler had talked a little more about basketball, but even in the sports world the economy we're mired in is the big story. I doubt this will get much play. Too bad Heisler didn't get a chance to mush his boss on video.