To Tweet or not to Tweet

After seeing the tweet that the Ohio State back-up QB produced I was reminded of this piece I wrote for a now defunct site last year.




Thankfully, for some athletes that is not a question.

History and the media have graced us with some quotes from some of the biggest names in sports that are absolute gems. Through the beauty of the printed or word or the magic of television and radio, athletes and coaches have made some pretty incredible statements off the field that have entertained the masses long after the game has ended.

As great as some of the quotes are, I can’t help but wonder how many classic quotes are forever lost because a reporter was talked out of including a statement before an article went to print or a segment of an interview was cut before the broadcast.

Yes, the exclusion of these statements might have saved said person from a lot of embarrassment, but what about journalistic intergrty? What about bringing the truth to the reader? What about our amusement?

Thanks to a relatively new form of media—Twitter-- the viewing public never has to be deprived of the chance to get a good laugh at an athlete’s expense again!

For those that don’t know, Twitter is a rapidly growing form of social media where users can ‘tweet’ short comments for their followers to read. Some people use it for self-promotion; others for getting in touch with people. Lots of people use it to share their innermost thoughts with the world (because the world needs to hear what they have to say).

Thankfully, there are many in the wide world of sports that feel as if they are making our lives better by doing just that.

Jose Canseco is one of the best. The former slugger was once known for knocking the ball out of the park better than anyone during his day. Now he creates little nuggets of twitter gold that make you wonder if the man has an ‘off’ switch:

Whether it involves sharing his innermost thoughts:

I am on the toilet thinking about writing a third book.

Hmmm…don’t think I want to know what that one might be about; or how he feels about quality time with his daughter and girlfriend:

Just came back from horse riding with my daughter & GF. My [naughty word for gluteus maximus] is chapped & my [naughty word for scrotum] are bruised! Damn I hate riding horses…

His are not the only classics. Former Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was well known for tweeting his mind:

Some were hard to understand:

Sometime what i say people not listen only when is some the like to talk no the good thingh

Spell check couldn't save that one. After seeing Sammy Sosa in a Rangers uniform he tweeted:

Great sammy sosa is black again yesssssssss

As entertaining as these are, I would be remiss if I did not include some greats from the world of football. Here is proof that getting hit in the head a lot is bad for you; either that or maybe Eli Manning does not have much of a vocabulary:

Pro bowl was fun

Michael Phelps might be spending a little too much time underwater:

Relaaxxxxxxxxxxxx for a bit, Listening to my ipod…and by the way, Yes I’m still single and it’s an 8800.

Some guys really shouldn’t tweet there honest opinion. It might alter our image of them (I’m talking to you Chris Bosh and Tyson Chandler):

Tyson Chandler: So my wife bought 2 Britney Spears tix the only I’s available were the V.I.P experiment…So guess who had 2 go?...
Chris Bosh: Trying to figure out which movie to watch this weekend. Hmmmmm…You Got Served it is!!!

Some things are better left un-tweeted guys, but at least they can be understood sober. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay’s tweets are hard to understand unless you are in a special state of mind:

Mr. Beer Belly, Beer Belly…keep these mutts away from me, I don’t find this stuff amusing anymore!!!!!!

But at least he knows it:

Don’t ask me what I’m talking about! That’s like asking me 2 tell u who you are! Spent my whole life figuring out who I am, and I’m tired!

One of the best tweeters of our day is hands down, the Big Aristotle himself—Shaquille O’Neal. He can be a bit creepy at time, but the man is funny otherwise:

To all twitterers, if u c me n public come say hi, we r not the same we r from twitteronia, we connect

A Rastaman walks n2 a bank & hands the teller a bag of weed. She says “Sir, what is this 4?” Da Rasta said.”Mi wan open a joint account!”

I’m at the fashion sq mall, any1 touches me gets 2 tickets, tag me and say yur twit u hv 20 min

No word on how many people ran up and touched Shaq after that one.

So is Twitter a good idea? Will it last or will it go the way of MySpace and disappear? Only time will tell, but with nuggets like a lot of these I sure hope it stays right where it is