This is not a repeat of 2009, 2008, 2007....wait how many years has Bill Simmons worked at ESPN? Anyway, Simmons had a bit of a Twitter meltdown yesterday after learning that his scoop, which hadn't been taken seriously was credited to Adam Schefter. Bill had reported that Tom Brady had broken three ribs way back on December 10th, but his employer didn't believe the claim until it was reported by a "real reporter"....




Well let's get one thing out of the way first. Of course Bill cares, or he wouldn't be drawing attention to it. Of course it's terrible when someone gets credit for something that you've found first, but what do you expect? Breaking the story, and with "their guys", is all ESPN cares about and they're notorious for claiming credit from others. Just ask Jay Glazer.

All in all, I think this spells the end for Simmons and ESPN. I thought that his (brilliant) work, and time spent on ESPN's 30 for 30, would give him new life.....but apparently there's still an underlying element of mistrust.

Bill Simmons Hammers ESPN's Twitter Policy (Huff Post)

While some teams like the Redskins and Dolphins have banned their players from using Twitter, teams like the Jets have embraced its networking potential. At the current time, New York currently has eleven players using Twitter, and has even hired someone to help the team's players with their posts and accounts. Via the Associated Press....

The Jets have even hired someone responsible for assisting players with social networking.

"We now have more than 80,000 people following our various players and our organization," Higgins [Executive VP of Business Operations] said. "That means that at any given moment, we can reach 80,000 fans directly, rather than having to get a newspaper story to get a message out. I just don't see how you don't embrace such a powerful tool."

Sanchez was leading the Jets with 40,244 followers, followed by Rhodes, center Nick Mangold (6,548), tight end Dustin Keller (5,292) and Feely (5,127).

"It's a good way of not being mean to a fan where you're not able to stop and give them an autograph," Rhodes said, "but you can go online and see what's going on."

Higgins said the timing simply worked out for the Jets, whose new coach, Rex Ryan, is all for his players speaking their minds.

"He's the type of guy who says, 'Say what you're feeling, but make sure you back it up on the field,'" Keller said. "That kind of goes hand-in-hand with the Twitter thing. You have to be smart and it gives us an even better opportunity to get closer to fans."

Obviously using Twitter needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but for teams to completely ban their players from using it, is a terrible idea. As Higgins illustrated above, the Jets alone have 80K followers, and fans appreciate the direct communication. The NFL has already gotten behind Twitter, but it'll be interesting to see the success and trust of the teams that embrace the phenomenon.

Tweet this: Jets encourage players to use Twitter (AP)

Twitter is taking up just about every single headline today, and that's not just because the site was down for half the day. ESPN is still making waves about their recent "Tweet Laws", but the newest network to use/not use the software appears to be NBC. The Peacock is actually considering an idea that will have their crew, tweeting during Sunday Night Football this season. Via the Albany Times-Union....

On a conference call today promoting NBC’s coverage of Sunday night’s Hall of Fame game (Bills-Titans), “Sunday Night Football” producer Fred Guardelli was asked about the possibility of his announcers tweeting during telecasts. Here’s his response:

“It is something that internally I’ve bandied about with the production team quite a bit. I do Twitter. I can’t tell you I do it a lot, but I do follow the people in pro football to see what they’re tweeting about.

“Twitter would probably be an excellent application for a sideline reporter because as long as they stayed within the bounds of what the NFL allows you to report, Andrea (Kremer) could probably provide a constant stream of information that you just can’t get on TV because the game is dictating how it will be covered. We’ve discussed it quite a bit and while we are not sure what we’re going to do at this point, I could see it having some value.”

While I don't necessarily see the benefits of having the booth tweet during the games, it could be something good for the studio hosts to try out. They could use it as a preview to the halftime show, and if the content is juicy enough, they might keep some people tuned in.

Is sideline tweeting in NBC’s future? (Albany Times-Union)

Obviously this isn't serious, and it's rare that Joe Buck makes me chuckle, but here is his latest tweet about the guests on his September 22nd show. Via the JBL Twitter feed....



Pretty darn funny, but there's no way that Buck would subject players of that magnitude to that kind of comedy. Michael Irvin and Chad Johnson, yes....but not Elway and Montana.

(FYI- Buck is also hinting at an appearance from Vin Sculley as well)

Given his propensity to receive sexy emails, you'd think that title is something racy, but alas....it is not. Rich Eisen is one of the media's brightest Twitters, and yesterday for some reason, his page was taken over and had one interesting tweet. Via Sox and Dawgs....

Now I'm not one to tell someone how to hack, but you'd think they could come up with something more clever than just, "I'm Horny." Rich Eisen has since figured out that he was hacked and has changed his password (1,2,3,4,5??? I got the same combination on my luggage!).

Rich Eisen Twitter Page Hacked (Sox and Dawgs)

The NBA Draft is tonight as you know (and yes there will be a third annual live-blog), and teams are thinking of various ways to let the public know of their picks as they come in. Well according to Sports Business Daily, one the ways that won't be allowed however, is tweeting.

The NBA has notified its teams to not disclose on Twitter picks made in tonight’s Draft before they are announced on stage. The league has traditionally prohibited teams from using any sort of local or club media outlet, particularly digital forums such as an official Web site, from tipping off their selections in advance. A notice recently sent to clubs reminding them of that provision was expanded to include the wildly popular microblogging service. Several picks in the NFL Draft in April were leaked out by clubs to their Twitter followers.

The NBA, meanwhile, plans an extensive rollout of social networking-based content for the Draft, focusing primarily on behind-the-scenes content such as candid photos, offbeat interviews with draft selections and other similar material. Extensive sharing of content is also planned between the league’s feeds on Facebook and Twitter and those of the individual teams. “The guiding idea is to use social media and be complementary to what’s happening on ESPN, on NBA.com, and so forth,” said NBA Dir of Marketing Dan Opallo. “We’re not using Twitter, for example, to simply tweet pick by pick. That’s not what this is about for us. We want to supplement that traditional coverage and get into some additional places where fans haven’t been.”

Considering that every player, and NBA exec is already on Twitter, it seems like a bad move for the NBA to use the social networking platform. Also, it doesn't really seem like a big deal to me, as long as teams what until the selection is announced on ESPN, but whatever works for the NBA.

NBA Warns Teams Not To Announce Draft Picks On Twitter (Sports Business Daily - $)

I know some people are staunchly again Twitter, but the social networking site continues to amaze everyday. Natural disasters, breakups and the Hudson River plane crash were all found out first through Twitter. Well, now you can add an NBA trade with on of the best centers of all time. Shaquille O'Neal was dealt to Cleveland for a draft pick and a few players, and he learned so through a tweet. Via Stock Lemon....


Just unreal. Oh I'm not talking about the Twitter thing anymore. It's amazing that Shaq got traded for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic and the 46th pick in tomorrow's draft.

Shaq Finds Out He's Traded Through Twitter (Stock Lemon)

I've had back and forths with people on Twitter, but I've never had a fight with someone. In fact, I didn't really know it was something that went down on a regular basis. Well, ESPN's Rob Neyer decided to combine a Twitter feed and a column to attack Rob Dibble, and the analyst decided that he need to respond via the social networking platform....

Rob Neyer: "Really, I just wanted an excuse to write about Rob Dibble. For years, I was less than a fan of his work at various networks. So you can imagine my shock, when I realized that I sort of like him in his current role with the Nationals. Yes, he's still a blowhard who believes that if you didn't play the game, you don't know anything about it. But he's got a good voice, he's quite a bit smarter than you probably think, and he's not been pulling his punches while the Nationals have become the biggest joke in the game."

Rob Dibble: "It's funny to have college dropout Rob Neyer transcribe MASN broadcasts*, hey Rob, I've got a leaky roof, can you come over and fix it? lol"

"The fact that Neyer and Keith Law have HOF votes proves writers should no longer have the right to vote..."

Well then. I understand that journalists fight with each other from time to time, but that's taking it a bit too far on both ends. The funny thing about Twitter, is that certain people almost act like people won't see what they write. Until you know how to use a technology, it's best to be a tad more careful. What you don't know, could really get you in trouble.

Twitter Fight! (Federal Baseball)
Nats Dunn Can't Fight City Hall (ESPN)

Given the fact that there's no real breaking news this morning (sure Rodney Harrison and Tony Dungy were hired by NBC, but we knew that a month ago), so we're going to play a game. USA Today posted an interesting article on Sportscasters who Twitter, and decided to turn it into a matching game. Take your time, think things through, and head to the comments for the answers!

1. "Let's all make a wish together that it doesn't rain in Darlington on Saturday night … ready … one … two … three. WISH!!!"

2. "The man in charge of our show today is dressed like a homeless person."

3. "At the miss scv teen pageant! Don't ask!"

4. "Bummer. Carnegie Deli finally arrives and it's the wrong order. Not really a roast beef fan."

5. "Why do so many people pick their noses when they are driving? (Pretty good case for buying new.)"

6. "While you were listening to commercials, went to the cafe and got a diet coke. I didn't pay for it. I'll pay for it later."

7. "I'm nearly out of pop but who knows if the mini market guy is open at 10p on a Sunday. Mobil is just too far. Gonna be a long night."

8. "Looking for ridiculous catch phrase. Whichever reply is best I'll use on air this weekend!"

9. "I had a dream I was wearing a nadal headband. Now I want to buy one."

10. "I'm cleaning my house. Talk about a glamorous life! Ha!"
________________________

A) ESPN's Kenny Mayne

B) NFLN's Rich Eisen

C) Fox NASCAR reporter Dick Berggren

D) ESPN's Rebecca Lobo

E) ESPN's Trey Wingo

F) TNT's Kenny Smith

G) CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell

H) ESPN's Scott Van Pelt

I) ESPN's Linda Cohn

J) Big Ten Network's Mike Hall

Sportscasters getting all a-Twitter with their tweeting (USA Today)

Right Field Bleachers, did Yeoman's work in getting hilarious audio from last night's Brewers' game, in which announcer Bob Uecker goes off on blogging and twittering for a good two minutes. Oh and he adds in that he drinks Miller Lite for breakfast....

Now that's funny....I don't care who you are. I'm with Ueck as far as Twitter goes. Actually, that and the beer for breakfast thing as well.

Uecker on Twitter (Right Field Bleachers)

If there was one thing that I never thought see, was the day that Peter King opened a Twitter account. KSK found the SI writer's page the other day, and there are so many good entries, that it's almost impossible to link to just one. Here are my top three....

3. "Good morning all. This is my first Tweet of all time. Noticed in the NY Times that Oprah beat me by one day. I'm bitter."

2. "Just talked with Mark Sanchez. Dedicated lad. Worked out at his old high school tonight. Will go to class all week at USC. More in MMQB."

1. "Have a good day. Off to run some errands. Hey, thanks to Karen Dmochowsky and Sam Farmer for making Twitter sound not so intimidating."

As KSK points out, it didn't take just one person to help open a Twitter account for Mr. King, but it took two. I also like the use of the word "lad" in reference to Mark Sanchez. Twitter has taught me that Peter King talks like he's stuck in nineteen dickety two (King had to say dickety because the Kaiser had stolen our word for "twenty.")

The Peter King Twitter Is Here, And It Defines Clutch (KSK)
Peter King (Twitter)

Charles Barkley probably has no idea what Twitter is, but he apparently has an account. Well not exactly. TNT created a fake Barkley page and among his followers they listed Bernie Madoff, Martha Stewart, Nelson Mandela and Mike Vick....

Wow. That Vick one was pretty bad. "Watching Marley and Me"??? Man. A Charles Barkley Twitter page would actually be pretty entertaining. Let's keep that one going, TNT.

Charles Barkley Uses Twitter (Half Court Heave)

I'll take questions that will never be asked on Jeopardy for $1000, Alex! Yes, that's right....NASCAR on FOX's Jeff Hammond and ESPN's Rebecca Lobo used the platform Twitter during live events this weekend. While both seemed to have fun, the differences in their tweeting styles was very noticeable. Via USA Today....

Jeff Hammond, a Fox NASCAR analyst, and Rebecca Lobo, an ESPN women's college basketball analyst and reporter, were trailblazing TV twitterers this weekend.

Twittering, via Twitter.com, lets you use laptops, cellphones or PDAs to instantly communicate an online message of no more than 140 characters. While already popular, Hammond and Lobo are the first announcers for their networks to Twitter from events.

Sunday, Hammond's tweets largely offered what you might hear on TV — "that car needs a lot of adjustments" — while Lobo had tidbits you'd probably never get without Twitter: "Had to wash 5-month-old's poop (vs. 5-month-old poop) off my hands. Back now. To clarify: I was changing a diaper during commercial."

Lobo, in an interview, says she's psyched but still has reservations: "The weirdest thing about it is the ridiculous lingo. 'Tweeting.' I just can't bring myself to say that."

Now I'm not one to judge, but I'd personally rather not hear about dirty diapers on a Twitter feed. Still pretty funny though.

Tweets (USA Today)
Rebecca Lobo (Twitter)
NASCAR on FOX (Twitter)