Twitter Patter

Homer Simpson is shocked to learn they have Twitter on the computer now.

Why I love Boston, even if I’m typing this from a recliner on Long Island: The Patriots’ decision to announce their draft picks last weekend via Twitter—before the picks were even revealed on ESPN or released to the media gathered in Foxboro—has generated a ton of comments at Bruce Allen’s site, including posts from the Providence Journal’s Shalise Manza Young and the Sun Chronicle’s Mark Farinella.

Meanwhile, the Jets did the same thing…and nobody cares. A Google News search for “New York Jets Twitter” produced 26 links, many of which were duplicates and none of which were specifically about the Jets using Twitter to announce the selection of Mark Sanchez.

Where is the uproar over who decided to Twitter first? Where is the breathless coverage over Twittergate? Why is nobody parsing the Twitter posts of Eric Mangini and Bill Belichick in search of passive-aggressive digs at one another?

Anyway, Allen’s post links to a Cold Hard Football Facts story (presumably by CHFF head honcho Kerry Byrne, who also contributed to the discussion at BSMW by explaining his interpretation of what he saw) that indicates at least a couple reporters at Foxboro were livid over the Patriots circumventing the traditional media. But I’d be a lot madder about the Twittering of the Patriots, Jets and everybody else if I was the NFL or its broadcast partners.

The NFL Draft has somehow become the second-biggest day on the league calendar (why that makes me scratch my head is a post for another day), but the golden goose would seem to be endangered by teams who announce their picks (and the Patriots and Jets were apparently far from alone) before Roger Goodell even makes it to the podium. After all, if you can learn who your favorite team selected via Twitter, why do you need to spend 13 hours in front of a TV?

Then again, how can ESPN squawk about Twitter when its saturation coverage squashed any suspense about whom the Jets and multiple other teams would take?

As it turns out, the NFL isn’t all a-Twitter about its teams Twittering. According to the sidebar to this Associated Press story, the league “…is less than thrilled with such announcements” and is determining whether or not it needs to establish a Twitter policy. Translation: Hope the Patriots, Jets and everybody else had fun while it lasted.

Email Jerry at jbeach73@gmail.com.