The Charles Barkley-Phil Jackson Twitter exchange
TNT announcer Charles Barkley before the game between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 27, 2011. Credit: Christopher Pasatieri
TNT analyst Charles Barkley and Knicks president Phil Jackson engaged in a remarkable public exchange Thursday night that would have shocked (and baffled) citizens of the 20th century.
Barkley, with fellow analyst Reggie Miller, spent the first half of the Knicks-Bulls game bluntly dissecting the flaws in the Knicks' approach - and the limitations of the triangle offense.
Finally, Jackson had heard enough and tweeted this to his 765,000 or so followers:
"do I have to mute this game? Chuck just remember your fundamental...key to [the triangle]"
Barkley got wind of the remark and responded before the start of the second half, saying that while he respects Jackson, "He's too old to be tweeting."
Later Barkley added, "Phil's gotten sensitive in his old age."
Perhaps, but let's go back to that ageist remark.
For the record, Sir Charles: Jackson is far from the world's oldest tweeter. Walt Frazier does it, and he's several months younger than his former teammate.
They're both 69, a year younger than another fellow '73 champ: Earl Monroe. He's on Twitter, too!
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
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