Monthly Archives: October 2011

Oct 31 2011

Spanning the Twitterverse: LaRussa Retires

Spanning the Twitterverse to bring you the constant variety of tweets
The thrill of the retweet and the agony of the unfollow
The human drama of the twitter timeline
This is CadChica’s Wide World of Tworts

Celebrity divorce is such a messy issue. One or both parties cite irreconcilable differences and their “joyous union” ends. Nevermind the fact that “we” (you, not me) followed their every move leading up to the union to begin with. And so with great public fanfare of course, surely to milk more $$$ from media outlets, it is announced that the union is no longer. Just like today on Twitter:

((You thought this was going to be about that other non-sports news divorce news today didn’t you. Give me some credit here…..I’m not that kind of girl.))

Okay so it’s not really a divorce but it is a parting of the ways, albeit through retirement. Fresh off his second championship with the St. Louis Cardinals (he had a third with the Oakland A’s in 1989), Tony LaRussa decided to call it a career as a manager. His reason:

As you might expect, that was all the news today until that real celebrity divorce that shall remain nameless was announced on Twitter. There was some shock, surprise, not-surprise, and of course humor at the news “TLR” was retiring. It was announced earlier today that the Cardinals were going to have a press conference but no details were given. From my perspective, to hear that the press conference was to announce he was retiring was a surprise.

“TLR” was a different kind of guy for me. Way back when in 1989 when he was managing my “then” favorite team, the Oakland A’s, I thought he was the greatest. Of course I did, he was managing “my team”. Rickey Henderson, Bash Brothers all playing in the town where I was born. You better believe he was a TLR gal.

Now that I’ve sufficiently made myself sick, when he left, I was not a happy camper. I was glad the A’s won in 1989. I had just moved to Washington that year so their winning did provide some semblance of normalcy for me. But I began to follow another team in my new home (Seattle Mariners), and the A’s, well they became the A’s. Times change. But, TLR keeps winning. The A’s and Mariners, however, do not.

Before I make myself any more ‘depressed’, let’s see what the Twitterverse had to say about TLR retiring:

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CadChica Sports

Oct 30 2011

Opinion: Twitter Blurs the Line Between Media-Fans

I’m listening to the podcast in the link above right now. A topic of discussion going on at the moment is: Do fans really care about sports media stories? A fascinating topic that, with social media, is ever-evolving in importance.

The dynamics of the media-fan relationship have changed. It used to be the only real contact fans ever had with a sportswriter was reading their stories/columns in the newspaper.Yes fans could write a “Letter to the Editor” but there was never a guarantee that the newspaper would actually print the letter.

As talk radio has grown, sports media took to the airwaves. Fans could call in to their show and make “opinions” known to the listening audience, not to mention, their local sports media. Combine the local radio with national radio (ESPN, Fox Sports) and fans had a voice in giving sports opinions.

I haven’t even touched on what the internet has done. Message boards, emails, blogging, comments on a sportswriter’s column or post, the opportunities are endless for fans to vocalize. In some cases that isn’t necessarily a good thing. Yet, it’s a door that has been opened and should remain.

Which brings us to social media; in particular Twitter. I have written on this before in that for a fan like me, it is a valuable resource. It is not just a matter of a sportswriter telling me the story from their perspective. I am fascinated as to the why or the background. What makes people tick is something I believe brings another dimension to a story.

Sports media, in my estimation, has adopted, embraced and utilized Twitter greater than any other occupation, outside of “social media experts”. Granted, I’m a bit biased but. the level of interaction I have seen by sports media with each other and fans is amazing. Sports media tweeps interact with fans. It’s not as though they are always just tweeting AT YOU, although truth be told, there are too many that do that for my tastes.

As a fan, you can gain insight and understanding that you never could with just a newspaper or a radio show. No more writing letters to the editor or posting on a message board or commenting on a writer’s article on a website. In 140 characters or less, you can get an answer to your question, from 2, 3 or 10 different media writers. Then, it is up to YOU to sift through the answers and form your own opinion.

Which brings me back to the topic on the podcast: Do fans care about sports media stories?

In a short answer: No. Well, at least not yet for most fans. For someone like me who finds the dynamic interesting, yes I do care. Why did Bruce Feldman stop tweeting all of a sudden this summer? Why do some not receive credit from other media sources? Why do some national sports networks allow their employees more freedom on social media than others? Do certain networks have an advantage with colleges or conferences that others don’t?

Those are just some of the questions I asked in the last few months. Questions, that without Twitter, I never would have begun to think of.

Why does it matter? That might be a little harder to explain other than what I said earlier: knowing what makes people tick. When you know what makes a person tick, that helps you to understand why they think like they do. And in the case of media, it is why they write what they write.

Is there a particular sportswriter or reporter that gets your blood boiling or makes your hair stand on end every time you read their words or hear their voice? Try following them on Twitter. Chances are, you’ll gain understanding, and maybe, just maybe, soften your stance a bit. I’m not saying you have to agree with what they write or say. But if you really WANT to be heard by media, then gain understanding and be willing to listen. There are fascinating stories within the sports media community itself; not all of them good. The question is: What type of fan are you? Fanatic like a zealot or a fan with an open mind?

A quick flip side to that? Media need to be aware that, there are others like me who do care about “sports media stories”. They may not necessarily be as inquisitive as me, but they are out there. And they bring great insight and understanding to the Twitterverse. They just get drowned out by the noise of the trolls.

Those are my thoughts. What about you?

CadChica Sports

Oct 28 2011

Spanning the Twitterverse: Friday Fun Tweets

Spanning the Twitterverse to bring you the constant variety of tweets
The thrill of the retweet and the agony of the unfollow
The human drama of the twitter timeline
This is CadChica’s Wide World of Tworts

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Every weekend on Twitter, there are a countless number of NFL players who are talking trash on college football Saturdays. They love their schools and aren’t afraid to show it. John Skelton, backup QB for the Arizona Cardinals, doesn’t seem like one for trash talking. Maybe he does and I don’t know it. However, he does seem fairly intelligent after reading this tweet.

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BASEBALL

Thankfully we are nearing the end of the baseball season. Never let it be said though that there aren’t “good tweets” in baseball. If you can drop Port-A-Potty’s or an A-Rod slam in your baseball-centered tweet, that’s okay by me.

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NFL

I do enjoy good, hard-fought football. Defensive struggles can be very entertaining games to watch. Hanging around with family or friends at home or at the bar, feeling every hit with an “Ooo!” or a “Did you see that?”, can be very satisfying to the ‘sports-soul’.

But then there are games that torture that ‘sports-soul’ with offensive ineptitude. Such was the case this past football weekend. Browns-Seahawks on Sunday (Browns win 6-3) and Ravens-Jaguars on Monday (Jags win 12-7). It was downright ugly.

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To prove the point even further, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco completed a pass to…..Joe Flacco?

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TWEET OF THE WEEK

I’ll admit it. I “sometimes” have an Arizona bias. But the Phoenix Suns’ Greg Esposito won Tweet of the Week “without” bias for this:

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CadChica Sports

Oct 27 2011

Spanning the Twitterverse: Game 6 Tweet of the Night

Spanning the Twitterverse to bring you the constant variety of tweets
The thrill of the retweet and the agony of the unfollow
The human drama of the twitter timeline
This is CadChica’s Wide World of Tworts

Normally I try to give a collection of tweets on a big sports night. But, in light of the current Pat Forde situation at ESPN, I give you THIS:

((HINT: He’s from Missouri.))

CadChica Sports

Oct 24 2011

If A Woman Loves Sports…..

….does she have to be a fan of women’s sports?

….does she really have to listen to you analyze every play? Is it okay to just “watch” the game?

….should she play dumb when you try to explain the Box-And-1?

….can she roll her eyes when you start talking about uniform color combos for Oregon?

….is it okay if she yells at the Pac-12 refs for not throwing a flag on that OBVIOUS pass interference?

….should she pretend she doesn’t know more sports than you in front of your friends?

….can she give YOU Mr. Sports Fanatic “the look” when you watch “Dancing With the Stars”?

….is it okay if she doesn’t make a honey-do list because she’s watching football?

….isn’t it your turn to change the poopy diaper if her team is down to their last shot with 10 seconds left?

….can she tell her friends that you’re sick & can’t go out so she can watch college football on Saturday night?

….will you forgive her if she isn’t worried about what you will eat for lunch Sunday morning in October?

….is she a bad person if she turns on the tv to watch baseball, mutes the sound and listens on radio?

….will you still love her if she goes to bed early on Friday night so she can watch EPL early Saturday morning?

….do you think she should be working during the first two days of March Madness?

….can she steal your Aaron Rodgers jersey and never give it back because it looks better on her than you?

….why does she have to cook dinner on Monday Nights after work?

AND FINALLY…..

….will you STOP discounting her sports opinion just because she’s a woman???????

CadChica Sports