Ever since Shaquille O'Neal left the Lakers, I've been more love than hate. He's smart and charismatic in ways that are rare for a professional athlete, and of course he's given out the League's best nicknames — The Big Aristotle (to himself), The Truth (to Paul Pierce), The Big Fundamental (to Tim Duncan), The Big Ticket (to Kevin Garnett), and Flash (to Dwyane Wade). But now that he's started Twittering as THE_REAL_SHAQ, I'm very firmly in the Shaq love camp. He's quickly picked up on Twitter's conventions, and he's engaged a variety of fans and other folks on a variety of mundane topics. @Shaq: I feel you, my friend. Keep it up.A selection of Twitter Shaquliciousness:
- His bio, two words: "Very quotatious."
- Yesterday: "Last nite i told greg oden , 'we r not the same, i am a martian'"
- Last week: "About to go to yoga, gotta get my stretch on"
Which reminds me of another star who has a way with words: Randy Moss, who recently launched "hellified" into the everyday sports lexicon. Back in 2002, he became a permanent fixture on my refrigerator when this passage appeared in Sports Illustrated:
The perception was that [recently hired coach] Mike Tice, after one game as interim coach, was given a three-year deal last January because he convinced McCombs he could control Moss. "No," says Moss. "Mike Tice got the job because he and Randy Moss can get along. Nobody controls me but my mama and God."
There's something about that quote that sticks with me. Only controlled by his mama and God. @RandyMoss: It takes a special kind of person to even think in those terms. Keep it up.