Twitter More Than a Trend in Athletes’ Worlds

Twitter is taking over the world.

It already has changed the entire social landscape of our current day and age. Now, it’s taking over the media, too. Pretty soon, we will no longer need journalists. With intrepid reporters like Chad Ochocinco, who needs professionals?

Ochocinco has better access than anyone. Players trust him (well, kind of). Coaches voluntarily provide him with information that would be classified under any other circumstances. He does not require press credentials, and he gets unrestricted, unlimited access.

And now that he is armed with Twitter, he cannot be stopped.

Last week, Ochocinco broke the news that Tom Brady was perfectly fine, despite taking a vicious hit from Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. Brady didn’t exactly provide the Bengals’ wideout with any information regarding his status, but still — he was right, wasn’t he?

This week, Ochocinco strikes again with a breaking news report regarding the signing of rookie Andre Smith. Now, it’s time to send him to San Francisco so he can keep a lookout on the ongoing Michael Crabtree saga.

Check out more Twitter hysteria to find out what Jon Heyman really thinks of cheating allegations against Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez. Plus, J.D. Drew finally sticks up for himself, and for the first time ever in the history of Word Around Here, a NESN.com commenter makes a cameo appearance.

"Attention: 1st rd. Pick Andre Smith has signed, the new source = Ocho Cinco, not ESPN, thank you, stay tuned for more info.''
–Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco via Twitter

“If Rich Rodriguez cheated to go 3-9 at #michigan, I nominate him for worst coach in college football history.”
–SI’s Jon Heyman via Twitter

“kevin said in reply to chico…
good job klay.”
–NESN.com commenter Kevin in response to a passionate request that fans learn how to spell “Buchholz” correctly

 “It’s hard to judge character when you don’t know somebody. I’ve always been that way. It does affect you when family members hear certain things or people treat you a certain way because they think you don’t care. I care as much as anyone out there. I’m just not geared the way some people are to show it outwardly.”
–Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew, in the Boston Herald, on unfair fan perceptions

"After this, I don't know, man. I think they're going to call my parole officer and put me away."
–Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, in the Boston Herald, on being fined repeatedly for exceeding the MLB-mandated time limit between pitches

“I’ll clean toilets if I have to, and I told them that.”
–Red Sox pitcher Paul Byrd, in The Boston Globe, on finding a way to contribute to the team after sitting out most of the 2009 season

“The new Madden, whoever made that, I’ve got to go see them. They just tricked the whole game up, didn’t they? The attributes are all wrong. I know I was hurt last year, but I went from a 90 to a 78. It’s crazy. It’s ludicrous. Everything is down.”
–Patriots running back Laurence Maroney, on NESN.com, on his inaccurate rating on Madden ‘10

“The only thing good about a 1 p.m. game is that Manny Ramirez may not want to get his butt out of bed.”
–Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo, on ESPN, prior to a Sunday afternoon game against the Dodgers

“Regardless of whether it’s against one of my five ex-teams, I really don’t have any emotion other than if you have a good game and you get a W, it feels good.”
–White Sox reserve Mark Kotsay, in the Globe, after homering against his former Boston teammates on Friday

“I have no idea. I have no idea, but I want to be around God. Before, if I wasn't in baseball, I wanted to become a doctor. Anything with medicine. I have a passion for that. Now, I don't know if I'll have the time to take on medicine after I'm done. It will be hard to go back to working so hard, but I still have a passion for it.”
–Phillies pitcher Pedro Martinez, on Yahoo Sports, on whether he’d consider becoming a priest after retiring from baseball

“I actually didn’t notice until [Dustin Pedroia] was screaming at me that they were booing. It was kind of hard not to notice. … And for about a hitter there, I was kind of agreeing with them. But it worked out.’’
–Red Sox manager Terry Francona, in the Globe, on the fan reaction after he pulled starter Clay Buchholz in the ninth inning of a scoreless outing

"I watched Little League this morning, and they played better. This is not major league ball. I'm getting a lot of money to manage this team, and I feel like I'm stealing money from [chairman] Jerry Reinsdorf."
–White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, on ESPN.com, on his team’s subpar play last week

"He is taking this very hard. He understands he made a mistake, and he has to pay for the mistake. But we're not going to throw LeGarrette Blount out on the street."
–Oregon head coach Chip Kelly, on ESPN.com, on suspending the running back for throwing a punch at a Boise State player following Thursday’s loss but keeping him on scholarship

“There are players in the last years of their contracts, and they have to deal with it. I would have done the same thing. But there’s no doubt that to be able to feel the confidence of those people means a lot to me.’’
–Bruins head coach Claude Julien, in the Globe, after signing a multiyear extension on Friday

“Not many people get a chance to play with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace. It’s a good opportunity, and I’ll worry about the money later. Right now, we have to worry about one thing, and that’s winning the championship this season.”
–New Celtic Marquis Daniels, in a news conference, on why he took a pay cut to come to Boston