Sports Then and Now

Rory McIlroy was in complete control at the U.S. Open, but his recent tantrum via Twitter suggests that is not always the case for the young star.

US Open champion Rory McIlroy launched a seething reply to criticism of his form by Jay Townsend via social networking site Twitter.

Townsend, a former European Tour player and now a pundit for radio, criticized McIlroy’s game on the micro blogging site following a mini collapse at the Irish Open.

McIlroy surrendered a strong position of four-under par to finish one under, including hitting a double bogey at the last hole on the opening day of the tournament.

This caused Townsend to post on the website: “McIlroy’s course management was shocking. Some of the worst course management I have ever seen beyond under-10 boys’ golf competition.”

And almost immediately, McIlroy responded on Twitter by telling Townsend to “shut up. You’re a commentator and a failed golfer, your opinion means nothing!” Read the rest of this entry →

It was about a year ago that I first learned about Twitter and started my own personal Twitter account (dhprguy). At the time I was working for a public relations firm and it was pretty obvious that gaining an understanding of the power of social networks was essential for people in the public relations field.

As a networking tool, I’m still not sold on Twitter. Most of the people that follow you and that you follow on Twitter are complete strangers and interactions seem to be a bit forced and trivial.

When you are following thousands of people, as many people do, and have thousands following you, I don’t see how you can expect to have a meaningful conversation or personal engagement with someone.

However, as a tool for disseminating information there is no question that Twitter has a ton of power.

Many companies are using Twitter to inform customers and potential customers about their products. It also is a great place for bloggers like myself to announce our latest post or share a great site or blog that we saw somewhere else on the web.

Many celebrities have figured out that putting something on Twitter before formally announcing it to the media helps ensure that the points they want to make can be told (140 characters at a time).
Read the rest of this entry →

It all started with a thunderstorm.

On June 16^th, I was all set to attend the first game of the Crosstown Classic between the Cubs and the White Sox at Wrigley Field.  Then Mother Nature struck, postponing the game.

Instead of playing a double header, the game was rescheduled for the first mutual off day, September 3^rd.  As fate would have it, the Chicago Bears, the team for whom I hold season tickets, just happened to be playing their fourth and final preseason game on that same day.

I’ve been racking my brain, and I can’t think of another time when a Chicagoan, or a fan from any city for that matter, would have the chance to attend a full game of three major sports teams from their hometown in the same day.  While I’m lucky enough to be the one going, it would be rude of me not to share it with those of you in the Sports Then and Now community.

So get ready, because starting with my arrival in Wrigleyville and lasting until the final whistle in Soldier Field, I’ll be coming to you live from both games via the World Wide Interweb.  Using just my phone and that fancy Twitter application, I’ll be live blogging from in and around both Wrigley Field and Soldier Field, bringing you all the action and perspective from a fan lucky enough to be at both games (in increments of 140 characters or less).

I’ll be posting the updates to the site as often as I can, but for the most up-to-date posts, check out the LIVE BLOG. Read the rest of this entry →