And so the NBA Twitter Revolution takes another strange, unexpected turn: Tweeting live, during your own arrest. The New York Knicks’ Nate Robinson is the unlucky pioneer here, as his Twitter followers got a blow-by-blow account of him getting pulled over by police in Brooklyn on Tuesday afternoon, and then getting hauled down to the local precinct for driving on a suspended license.

In Twitter posts that have been subsequently deleted by Robinson (but salvaged by the NEW YORK POST), our protagonist at first seems to laugh off the incident as he sits in his car (with passenger Terence Williams of the Nets), presumably waiting for the officer to run his information. But then things get a little more serious. From THE POST:

Robinson, 25, soon announced via a Twitter posting that, “Cops pulled me over cuz my windows were 2 dark (but my windows were down) lol how funny is that.”

Williams posted his own tweet: “being pulled over is so funnnnny now I got to go get him mannnnnnnnn”

Robinson followed up with another Twitter posting: “Iam still pulled over and its been 35 min they have me sit in my truck like I dnt have s#*+2 do lol.”

At 6 p.m., Robinson was arrested and charged with unlicensed operator of a motor vehicle, and taken into custody by cops. He currently is being booked at the 52nd Precinct.

Robinson’s Twitter postings soon after were taken down. Williams also deleted his posts.

If you go to Robinson’s Twitter page now, you can pick up the dialogue as he enters the apology phase. I’m assuming he Tweeted these when he got home that night, and not from a holding cell.

“To All My Tweeps: I was irresponsible earlier when I tweeted about being pulled over.”

“I apologize to the Knicks, my family and fans.”

“I also want to thank the NYPD especially the arresting officer. He was fair and helped process me quickly.”

Then it starts getting weird:

“the media is try n 2kill my name and my image, but its cool only GOD can judge me now, they are make n it seem iam a head case not cool”

God’s going to judge you for a suspended license? That must be from the Old Testament …

Anyway, here on Earth, I’m not sure what’s the bigger imperative for the Knicks; taking away Robinson’s iPhone, or his car (his license has been suspended four times since June, 2008). It’s not very wise to flake on paying your tickets, but it’s even crazier to Tweet your own arrest, especially when you’re a restricted free agent trying to negotiate a new contract.

One of the first things that many high schools did when cell phones became ubiquitous with students was to ban them during school hours. And since professional sports is like high school with money, and athletes are getting themselves and their teams into trouble all the time with technology, it’s inevitable that contracts will soon begin including clauses such as “May not use Twitter while a member of this organization.” It wouldn’t be as hard to enforce as you’d think: One intern with a laptop and no social life could keep tabs on an entire team. The Truth Is Out There.

But what about the contention by Robinson that the media was trying to “kill” his name? Dude, you posted that only four hours after you were arrested. Quick work if it’s true.

Well, at least his car was stopped while he typed. I hope.

Meanwhile, as Robinson lay snug in his bed after washing the booking ink off of his fingertips, Chad Ochocinco was still up, Tweeting into the wee hours of this morning. Mostly he was venting over a KENTUCKYPOST.COM article quoting Shaquille O’Neal as saying that he had better hands than him. Of course it was all a way for O’Neal to plug his new reality show, “Shaq Vs.,” which debuted Tuesday night (I didn’t watch it). But Ocho either didn’t know that, or was playing along with the joke.

Ocho on Twitter:

Why in the hell didn’t yall tell me Shaq called me out Twitter family, he had the nerve to say his hands are better than mine!!! It’s on (about 3:30 a.m., EST)

I been sleep all day after I broke camp now I can’t sleep (about 3:33 a.m.)

WTF!!!! He called me Ochonachos, them is fighting words and that’s the challenge, must see tv=Black Mexican beats Giant man to a pulp!!!!! (about 3:33 a.m.)

Then radio host JT the Brick barges in, but Ocho doesn’t seem to know who he is:

@OGOchoCinco Ocho, make a play in a game that matters and then I will give you love on the radio all night long. Larry Fitzgerald is the NFL

@JTTheBrick who cares and who are you, nice to meet and hear your input but: Child Please!!

Hey Chad, aren’t you in the middle of preseason? Shouldn’t you be in bed?

In keeping with our Twitter theme, here’s Erika David, a rising pop star who Tweeted all her followers to be sure to watch the 7th inning of the Dodgers-Cardinals game on Tuesday night. That’s when she would be singing “God Bless America,” and … oh my Lord. That’s horrific.

The poor woman just had a bad day … it happens. Quit mocking her, James Loney! OK, at one point she forgets the lyrics and simply mumbles. And then the ending … my dog just fled the room. This performance is so bad, it’s good.

• Now we switch you to Michael Bisping’s UFC blog, where the British middleweight announces that he won’t be fighting Wanderlei Silva in the main event of UFC 105 on November 14 in Manchester, England, as everyone expected. Silva, says Bisping, is due to undergo facial surgery. Can we skip the next year of transition and just go directly to way that all sports news will be reported in the future — via each individual athlete’s blog or Twitter account? Why deal with the bothersome middleman at all?

• The ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH tells us that John Smoltz will sign with the Cardinals today at noon (CT), when and if he clears waivers. The Cardinals will insert Smoltz as their fifth starter, and only have to pay him a pro-rated share of the major-league minimum, about $100,000; with the Red Sox responsible for the balance of his $5.5 million contract.

• Worst episode of “Cops” ever: Yet another MLB figure has been caught jaywalking; this time it was Cubs manager Lou Piniella, who was stopped by a policeman in San Diego’s Gaslamp District while crossing the street while chatting on his cell phone. The cop actually used his siren to get Lou’s attention, lectured him, and unlike Kenny Williams in Seattle, let him go with a warning. On Tuesday, Ryan Dempster was not so lucky.

• Here’s a pretty humorous Michael Vick comic which HOLY TACO rolled out on Tuesday, an excerpt of which is shown above. But for my money, nothing beats the classic strip MARK TRAIL, which manages to be funny just about every day without meaning to. That’s because the artist, for some reason, insists on positioning the word balloons so that it appears the animals are talking. And, um, sometimes they’re talking from more than one orifice. (Witness below).

• Before South Africa’s 800-meter gold medal favorite Caster Semenya can run in the semifinals of the World Athletics Championships in Berlin Thursday morning, IAAF officials must confirm her gender. Yep. Take a look at the link here and decide for yourself; guy or gal? The IAAF will go with your decision.

• Videos of Mark Sanchez and Matt Stafford playing paddleball and Twister? Yeah, I’ve got them around here somewhere …

• No, you only wish you could parallel park with the expert aplomb of this 5-year-old. Check out the video at this link: There’s about seventy dozen people at my local Safeway parking lot which I have to go slap in the face now. The adjustment at the end is the best part.

• Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., the spelling capital of the world, Redskins running back Ladell Betts gets somewhat of a surprise when an equipment manager sheepishly approaches him during the first quarter of their preseason opener against the Ravens, and tells him he needs to take his jersey. “Actually, I do like Jerome Bettis, but I don’t prefer to have his name on my back,” Betts said. “I wasn’t upset or anything. I think the equipment people felt bad, but I wasn’t mad at them.“

• Wait, 10 hits in one inning? The 2009 New York Mets? I find this hard to believe and must see further documentation.

• We’re all happy to hear that David Wright says he’s feeling fine, and wants to return to the Mets’ lineup as soon as he is eligible to do so, on Sept. 1. Wright was hit in the batting helmet by a pitch from the Giants’ Matt Cain on Saturday, and the Mets are being cautious; not quite yet ready to give him the green light to play. Of course if Wright had been a fan of The Faith Tones like I am, he’d know that no pitch could ever penetrate those imposing hair helmets. I’m here with my record collection to help in any way that I can, MLB.

The Faith Tones, by the way, would have NAILED “God Bless America.”

• Ain’t that a pain in the butt: An unlucky Italian swimmer suffers a cheeky wardrobe malfunction during a meet.

• The Baltimore Orioles make history - but the good kind, for once.

• The head of L.A.’s schools is seething after Sacha Baron Cohen did a Bruno GQ photoshoot with some high school football players.

• America’s favorite couple is back - Terrell Owens & Joanna Krupa return to compete in ABC’s “Superstars“.

• Stephon Marbury really doesn’t want to go back to New York.

Read more…

Yesterday we learned about Brandon Marshall’s feelings for Denver and how he hates that “f***ing city“. Now today we learn of another disgruntled athlete and his lack of love for the place he had to play in the last few years.

Stephon Marbury will hit the free agent market today along with plenty of other NBA players, and though he’s not going to be as hot a commodity as most of the others he does have some advice for anybody considering the New York Knicks. That advice basically being to slap yourself in the face and think again.

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Isiah Thomas showed up on Dan Patrick’s radio show today to try to set a few things straight. (By the way, plenty of tickets are still available to see the Florida International Golden Panthers in action this fall!)

During his chat, the ex-Knicks coach & prez wanted fans in New York to know that he did everything he could to try and succeed in Madison Square Garden. And before you gothrowing more stones in his direction, Isiah would like to point out that he’s not the only one who couldn’t make it at MSG:

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By all accounts, Stephon Marbury’s time in Boston is a bizarre anticlimax. He rarely plays, he’s afraid to shoot, and he’s managed to completely stay out of the media, good or bad. So why does he say he’s happier than any time he’s been in his career?

A simple quote from Bill Russell seems to have motivated Marbury, by vindicating what he’s been saying all along. That his problems in New York were all the fault of the Knicks, and Marbury is completely innocent.

What, you thought Marbury was going to grow up and shoulder some blame?

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Kim Kardashian was caught eyeing the backside of some curvy competition in the round rear department. And THE SUN is there:

The shot was snapped at Wednesday night’s Knicks game, where Kimmy scored some primo seats with pal Britney Gastineau, aspiring model & daughter of ex-Jets defensive star Mark Gastineau. We haven’t seen this kind of courtside celebrity ogling since David Beckham was seen leering at a Lakers game.

To be fair to Kim & Britney, the Knicks Dancers were the only thing worth watching at Madison Square Garden that evening, as the Pistons pounded New York 113-86. Butt … er, but the gals did had some fun besides looking at dancers’ derrieres.

More pics of Kim & Britney’s big night out after the jump.

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Marvin Webster, a former NBA player for the New York Knicks & Seattle Sonics, was found dead in a bathtub at a Oklahoma hotel.

The ASSOCIATED PRESS reports that the body of the 56-year-old former center was discovered Monday morning at the Ambassador Hotel in downtown Tulsa. Webster had been living at the hotel, and employees had grown concerned when they didn’t see him in the past several days.

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A team of headcases. Every league has to have one. Where the players’ antics are bound to grab the front pages as often as the back. Where the front office competes with the players to see who respects the coach less. Where every fan of a losing team can look, and say, “at least I’m not a fan of those guys.” But with Isiah Thomas gone and the Knicks actually looking like they have a plan, who inherits the title of the NBA’s problem child?

(This is how Don Nelson looks when he wakes up every morning.)

Quietly, but surely, the ridiculousness has been mounting in the Bay Area. The Golden State Warriors are an absolute train wreck right now, with the team making up injury reports, threatening their own players to opt out of contracts, and at least four players missing tonight’s game with dubious — or no — excuses.  Click to after the jump to find out why, as bad as your squad might have it, at least you’re not a Warriors fan.

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The Worldwide Leader dropped the bomb around midnight that Terrell Owens, whose given name could be Mercurial T. Owens, has been let go by the Dallas Cowboys. Clearly, anticipated chemistry issues with Jon Kitna forced the move. Kitna is on the record as preferring Sweet’n'Low while Owens is all about the Equal.

(”Ha ha ha ha… pack your stuff.”)

On SportsCenter last night, ESPN’s Michael Smith reported there would be significant financial penalties for the Cowboys to cut Owens as much of his 4-year, $34 million contract signed less than a year ago is guaranteed cash. We hope this means Owens will continue to have at least twenty million reasons to come back to camp this summer.

(Note to ESPN: Neil Everett is monumentally awful at ad-libbing. Never tell us how cool it is to be the one on the dais when news breaks. When a big story hits, break the glass on Bob Ley.  Surprisingly good: Stuart Scott. Also, how did Ed Werder not break this story?)

(Note 2 to ESPN: Please remind Keyshawn Johnson that Charlie Manson comparisons may be a bit dated, not to mention a little racy.)

In brighter news, the Cleveland Cavaliers claimed the first musical chair in the Longines Symphonette that is the NBA playoffs with a 91-73 triumph at home against Milwaukee. The Cavaliers move to 48-12, which is exactly how LeBron James hopes his Knicks career starts in two years.  (We kid, Cleveland, we kid.)

LeBron posted a silent but deadly 23-8-4 on 7-of-11 shooting Wednesday night.  Unfortunately, his most offensive move isn’t necessarily the one he unleashes on the court:

On the other end of the spectrum, Shaquille O’Neal has been letting everyone know that his excrement does not emit a malignant odor. First, he somehow thought he could pull off the Divac Dive against Dwight “Time Warner Intellectual Property Here” Howard.

Then, when the Van Gundy with the honest living fussed about the sad little move, there was a Shaqhissy, captured on Miami’s 790 THE TICKET by Jorge Sedano and reproduced below in the popular MP3 format:

• Shaquille O’Neal addresses Stan Van Gundy comments
• Shaquille O’Neal calls Stan Van Gundy a frontrunner
• Shaquille O’Neal defends himself from Stan Van Gundy
• Shaquille O’Neal on what he told Stan Van Gundy after the Orlando game
• Shaquille O’Neal discusses his comments upon leaving Miami one year ago

None of this, of course, helped the Suns win in Orlando or Miami. The Suns dropped their second Florida game in the “He Hate Me” series of former O’Neal teams last night in Miami, 135-129. No defense in here anywhere.

(Perhaps the only men left who will fight for Shaq’s honor)

We feel compelled to note again that Shaq’s a complicated fellow. We recently saw him encourage his kids post-game to say hello to a fragile 7′ 6″ teen that sat near courtside after being featured on the local news the previous night. This was done under the stands with little fanfare, maybe a few dozen witnesses and none from the media.

When his young son was too shy to do so and tried to hide under Dad’s massive jacket, Shaq gently insisted until his son shook the adolescent hand. Shaq could relate to the teen’s condition better than nearly anyone on the planet and made sure that young man felt welcome. Also, Shaq showed his own son the importance of graciousness.

Shaq makes that gesture damned near every day of his life, often without credit. He’s also the same man that made the comments to the media above. He may have been compared to a meteorite by this author yesterday, but not in the most important way: Shaquille O’Neal is a force of nature. Try to comprehend him at your own risk.

Same for Terrell Owens. Same for LeBron James. Maybe not so much for Jon Kitna.

And now the proverbial hail of bullet points while saving a parking spot with your life…

• The biggest news out of the NHL trade deadline: Olli Jokinen moves from Calgary to Phoenix for a pretty bauble or three, allowing him to work for a team that has a half-decent chance of being solvent next season.
• Yes, this D-III basketball star put herself into college in part by stripping, but now she’s known for her ball-handling.
• As always, the players are asked to take all the financial pain, but it couldn’t hurt (much) for the NBA team owners to consider their role in protecting the long-term prospects of the league.
• Madison Square Garden personnel just can’t stop with the Italian stereotypes around Danilo Gallinari. We assume that’s why the Knicks keep changing leadership every few months.
• Our best to the family of Vikings coaching legend Bud Grant’s wife, Pat Grant, who passed away yesterday. We’d tell you her birthdate, but we never talk about a lady’s age.
• Kansas hasn’t been this shaken by a loss since John Brown left town.
• The WALL STREET JOURNAL is going daily with their sports coverage and have left the esteemed Sam Walker in charge of the section. Helluva time to cut PLAY, NEW YORK TIMES.
• Ohio State fans, prepare to donate $100 or more to University of Toledo for the honor of seeing your team overinflate their ranking.
• Tom Izzo shaves it all off for the children.
• Wouldn’t it be great if we could bring back phrenology to diagnose steroid users? Until then, we have Mike Piazza’s bloodied shirts.
• Thank goodness someone’s there to defend us against that heathen continent, Australia, and their relentless baseball team. Bless you, Ken Griffey, Jr.!
• And finally, a high school football coach-turned-sex offender just can’t stay away from the porn. Heavens, don’t tell him about the D-III basketball player!  (Or Tom Izzo. Smooth, smooth Tom Izzo.)

Alan Hahn of NEWSDAY gives us all some work to do. Hahn introduces to a 6-year-old Jasmina, who recently befriend New York Knick Chris Wilcox. As you can see, she’s a beautiful little girl, but sadly she has leukemia.

More:

She has a rare and agressive form of it, which was diagnosed on Jan. 20. Her doctors say she needs a bone marrow transplant now or Jasmina will die.

Wilcox: “I have a sister who suffers from Lupus so, unfortunately, she is in and out of the hospital and has undergone chemotherapy. I just can’t bear to see a six year old who literally could die if we don’t find her a match soon.”

So what needs to be done? And what can we all do? Read more…