The Finger Wag – Athletes using Twitter and Social Media to their Disadvantage

The 2012 Olympic mascots were announced today. Their names are Wenlock and Mandeville.

If the pure sight of these two are not enough to give you nightmares check out their backstory:

The pair are based on a short story by children’s author Michael Morpurgo that tells how they were fashioned from droplets of the steel used to build the Olympic stadium.

Now if that doesn’t sound like it is ripped right out of a JJ Abrams horror movie nothing does.

Let’s see if we can make it any more family friendly…

Tommy: Guys something is wrong!

Black Guy: What’s that Tommy?

Tommy: Olympic mascots have not been freakishly shitty since the 1996 games in Atlanta and the advent of Izzy

The Pink One: MAN! He was gross!

Zordon: Tommy is right, Rangers! I have a feeling Rita Repulsa is up to something

Alpha: AI-YI-I!!!

Rita Repulsa: Magic Wand, make my monster grow!

Power Rangers: It’s MORPHIN TIME!!

Source: London Olympics 2012: Meet Wenlock and Mandeville, drips off the old block

ESPN held their “upfront” thismorning, according to wikipedia:

In the North American television industry, an upfront is a meeting hosted at the start of important advertising sales periods by television network executives, attended by the press and major advertisers. It is so named because of its main purpose, to allow marketers to buy commercial airtime “up front”, or several months before the television season begins.

Why does any of this matter to us? ESPN is prepared to overtake the internet. Done are the days where they just want to ruin 4 channels on TV and a host of websites with different local “flavors”. No today marked a huge announcement. ESPN plans to help bring Facebook down in flames. You may have heard of Facebook, it’s a social networking tool that used to be just for college kids. Now it has expanded to include anyone who has ever touched a computer. Facebook has recently decided
that privacy is useless in this new world so now everyone who knows you now knows you listen to Collective Soul on Pandora.

Why am I so critical of Facebook? I can’t stand half of my news feed. It is filled with too much crap. I do not care about your mafia and I really hate seeing what kind of pig you are raising on your farm.

ESPN is about to make my Facebook experience even more annoying, we are talking ESPN2 First Take level of annoyance. ESPN will be partnering with Playdom to create a Facebook game based off Farmville. It will actually be called ESPNUVille. Let that soak in a bit.

I personally can’t wait to see Facebook friends bitching that their
UVille isn’t producing enough Sasha Vujacics…

Upfronts: ESPN Gets Into the Game

Here’s what I don’t get.  There are two parts to Craig Sager’s job: Speak clearly, and don’t look like a blind person who banged his tailor’s wife.

Craig only succeeds on one of these.  So why is he still there?  How did he get started doing this?

Did he show up at his first game in a regular suit, then slowly slip in ties with obnoxious patterns and white-trash-couch-cushion blazers?

Or did he don his full regalia on the first day and scream, “You can’t fire me! DO YOU KNOW WHO MY FATHER IS!”

What is the corporate structure over there that allows him to get away with this?

In case you haven’t seen Craig before…

Don Cherry’s at least got a flamboyant personality to match his wild suits.  Sager’s got all the originality of the Cleveland Cav’s offensive strategy.

I’ll never understand this man.

Fortunately, anyone who was anyone was watching the Lakers play the Suns last night.  And they all had something to say about The Artist Formerly Known as Craig Sager.

blakegriffin

(Blake Griffin)

I got dizzy after looking at craig sager's suit... Missed party of the game On 1:39 AM May 18th 2010 from UberTwitter

Blake Griffin’s equilibrium has been thrown off, he took a tumble, and he’ll miss next season for the Clippers.  Thanks, Craig.

ROYALTIVEY

(Royal Ivey)

Craig C'mon Son your suit game is bogus!!!! #quitwithurcircusantics On 1:28 AM May 18th 2010 from UberTwitter

Royal Ivey gets the award for Best-Sager-Related-Hashtag.

NBATVChris

(Chris Webber)

if you watch the pre game with players walking into arena or post game, who's outfits are outlandishly garbage? On 12:59 AM May 18th 2010 from TweetDeck

NBATVChris

(Chris Webber)

Sager doesn't count, his outfits are terrible I mean a hooper.. Kobe's m.j. jacket, D. Wades school boy look.. etc... On 1:05 AM May 18th 2010 from TweetDeck

Chris Weber disqualifies Craig for performance-enhancing-duds.

Uconn42

(Donyell Marshall)

What the hell Does Craig Sager have on On 12:57 AM May 18th 2010 from web

Donyell Marshall questions Craig’s outift.  And Marshall has a sense of style.  He’s obviously a fan of the classic Three Wolves t-shirt.

boomtho

(boomtho)

Craig Sager stole a costume from "Alice in Wonderland" and wore it to the Laker game. He's gonna get caught, I just know it. On 1:39 AM May 18th 2010 from Echofon

I’ll buy it.  Fortunately we finally got a tweet with a pic of Sager’s suit…

Adaye5

(Austin Daye)

Is Sager serious wit that suit lmao http://yfrog.com/5u807vj On 1:32 AM May 18th 2010 from Twitterrific

And the twit pic…

At this point, it seems like everyone on Twitter is watching this basketball game.  At least everyone involved in basketball is.  Well, almost everyone…

CJMiles34

(C.J. Miles)

3 ninjas #classic On 12:54 AM May 18th 2010 from Echofon

Amongst all this talk of LeBron James’ free agency this summer we may forget about some of the other amazing free agents up for grabs. Some truly great players are working hard to make sure they get a great contract on a contending team so they can finally win that championship.

Chris Bosh ain’t hearing that…

chrisbosh

(Chris Bosh)

Man! I am truly and honestly out of shape. Lol On 8:11 PM May 17th 2010 from UberTwitter

I had no idea this was a color. A quick check of Crayola reveals…. nothing

cutondime

(LeSean Mccoy)

Jay z blue RT @Krys_Boss @cutondime Favorite color? On 9:53 PM May 17th 2010 from Twitterrific