FanHouse Twitter

The NHL has always been at the forefront of the major American sports leagues when it comes to the internet. The league streams most of its games online through its GameCenter Live application and has openly embraced bloggers and websites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Given all of that, maybe it's no coincidence that an internet savvy sports fan has chosen these same websites with which to embark on an NHL social media experiment.

You kids and your Twitter. There's something about 140 characters to get your point across that just seems to make sense. The whole idea got me thinking that instead of dragging out some fantasy basketball column that you'll likely just skim over, what do you say I give you 50 fantasy basketball tips and observations in 140 characters or less. You have no vote in this matter, so you're getting them anyway.

These tips are not only designed for those of you who have yet to draft your fantasy teams, but they're also for those who are looking to improve on their post-draft squads. Hopefully this is a helpful way to get out as much information as possible while keepin' it mainstream.

During my visit to Bristol, Connecticut, last week, I spent a lot of time talking to a lot of ESPN employees about Twitter. I was assured that ESPN does not hate Twitter, but more than that, several ESPN employees told me they're actively studying the use of Twitter by ESPN talent.

And, when it comes to ESPN talent on Twitter, I was told by one ESPN staffer, "Bill Simmons is number one, and number two is -- there is no number two."

Our first MMA twitter mailbag, in which you tweet the questions and I post the answers, features discussions about UFC 100, Dana White, Fedor Emelianenko, Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley, the upcoming Dream 10 card, and more.

Over the last few months, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has been involved in a complicated legal matter with social networking site Twitter over the unauthorized use of his name and person for a parody, kinda-sorta identity thieving Tony La Russa Twitter page. Now that the matter has been settled, it is safe for us to write about without Tom Nieto (or whoever) rushing to his legal team to protest the idea that he once dropped a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the ground outside of a Radio Shack.

This afternoon's Dugout is @ the jump.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Davone Bess wants to press charges against someone who was impersonating him on Twitter -- an impostor who used Twitter to chat with fans and even provoked other NFL players into responding to his tweets.

The impostor, who used the name Lambo_Weezy on Twitter, did everything from exchanging tweets with fans to challenging Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson to a race, all while passing himself off as Bess. (Johnson, on the Twitter page that really is his, was dismissive of Lambo_Weezy's challenge.)

The difficult contract negotiations between disgruntled receiver Anquan Boldin and the Arizona Cardinals took an interesting turn Tuesday with the news that Boldin has filed paperwork with the players' union to fire agent Drew Rosenhaus and seek new representation.

It's unclear who Boldin's new agent would be as he seeks a restructured contract or a trade from Arizona. The rules require him to wait at least five days after firing his agent to secure a new one. It's also unclear what this means in terms of where Boldin will play in 2009. Heck, it's not even really clear that he's through with Rosenhaus for good. At least not if you believe Rosenhaus's prolific and popular Twitter page.

Terrell Owens, y'all, is on Twitter. Of course he is. And equally as unsurprising as Owens' presence on the social media scene is his willingness to openly discuss his time in Dallas with his fans.

For instance, as Tim MacMahon pointed out, Owens responded to a fan's statement that he (the fan) wasn't happy about the Cowboys cutting T.O. by agreeing with him. And then proceeding to point out that it was Jason Garrett and Tony Romo's fault he got the boot from Big D.

Tuesday, Lane Kiffin and the Tennessee Volunteers received a commitment from a high school defensive end named J.C. Copeland. "Kiffin" exulted via Twitter, "It's a beautiful day in Knoxville, Tennessee today. I was so excited to hear that J.C. Copeland committed to play for the Vols today!"

There's just one problem with this twit, er, tweet. You can't comment on a recruit by name until they've officially signed with your program. Oops.

Meet Twittergate. As a result of the Twitter post, the Vols have been forced to self-report a secondary violation to the NCAA.

For years we've heard agents say they wouldn't negotiate in the media. So what do we make of an agent negotiating on Twitter? It's likely far too early in human history to say for sure, but it looks like Drew Rosenhaus is giving it a shot to see how it works.

In a post to his Twitter account earlier today, Rosenhaus took issue with and denied reports that his client, disgruntled Arizona Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin, was seeking $10 million or more per year on his new contract: