Outspoken Cincinnati Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco loves Twitter. He made headlines recently when he announced his intention to tweet during NFL games. It seems doubtful now that will ever happen.

Last week NFL spokesman Greg Aiello reiterated the NFL’s current ban on cell phone and other handheld communication devices in an email to ProFootballTalk.com. “We already have a rule that prohibits the use of cell phones or other handheld devices in the bench area during games” he said. A violation of this policy would likely result in a hefty fine, even for a first time offender.

You will recall that New Orleans Saints WR Joe Horn celebrated a touchdown with a cell phone call during the 2003 season. Horn was reportedly fined $30,000 for the celebration.

For his part, Ochocinco says he is undeterred by the NFL’s ruling. Ever the showman, Ochocinco says he’s “putting his foot down.” What do you think? Do you think Chad Ochocinco will tweet after a touchdown?

It all started with a tweet.

Cincinnati Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco called out San Diego Chargers LB Shawne Merriman on Twitter earlier this week and the resulting exchange begs the question: will athletes use Twitter to trash talk?

Here’s the exchange between Ochocinco and Merriman on Twitter as well as Merriman’s response video from 12 Seconds.tv.

VID 00062.3GP on 12seconds.tv

Players know fans and the media are following along on Twitter so is this exchange any different from trash talk via the traditional media? Do you think this will be the first of many similar incidents on Twitter? Why or why not? What do you think?

This week many Major League Baseball teams joined Twitter so I am publishing a list of official team accounts. This information may also be found on the “Teams & Leagues” page on the Complete List tab above.

Arizona Diamondbacks (run by Director of Corporate Communications Catherine Herman)
Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles
Cincinnati Reds
Colorado Rockies
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers
Minnesota Twins
New York Mets
Oakland Athletics
Pittsburgh Pirates
San Diego Padres
Seattle Mariners

Opening Day 2009 begins tonight in Philadelphia and continues tomorrow for the rest of the league. If you’re a baseball fan on Twitter, you have to be excited about the networking possibilities this season thanks to MLB’s use of the site.

photo credit: aqui-ali

The Players
There are already several star MLB players on Twitter, all of whom seem to have started using the service during this past off-season. New York Yankees ace and star free agent acquisition CC Sabathia is among the MLB players already using Twitter. The recently retired Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling is also on Twitter and uses the site to communicate with fans and promote his new game development venture, 38 Studios. Other MLB players on Twitter include Phillies reliever Chad Durbin, Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher, Giants closer Brian Wilson, Rangers reliever C.J. Wilson and Giants starter Barry Zito.

Each player uses Twitter differently. Sabathia and Swisher don’t tweet much but Wilson is very open and answers fan questions regularly. Still, it’s great to see MLB players embrace Twitter to communicate with the fans and it’s likely that even more players will join Twitter this season.

MLB on Twitter
The players aren’t alone in embracing Twitter. MLB has taken an active role on Twitter, too. MLB’s Mark Newman runs the MLBlogs Twitter account and keeps everyone updated on the newest blogs on MLB.com (sign up for your own blog here) and on the latest MLB players to join Twitter.

If you enjoy watching MLB games on your computer through MLB.tv, you’ll be happy to know that you can follow the MLB.tv Twitter account for the latest news on the service and baseball in general.

MLB Teams on Twitter
If you’re an Athletics, Diamondbacks or Royals fan, you can follow Twitter accounts for an insider’s look on your favorite club. Catherine Herman, a Dbacks PR staffer, offers an inside look at the ballclub via her DbacksPRGirl account. Around the Horn KC offers updates from the official Royals blog on MLB.com. Finally, the Athletics maintain an official Twitter account to inform fans about the latest team news and promotions.

While there are only a handful of official club accounts on Twitter right now, I’ve heard that many teams will launch official accounts at some point this season. Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates.

Team Beat Writers on Twitter
If you enjoy reading about your favorite team on MLB.com or in the local media, you’ll be happy to learn that several MLB beat writers are already covering their teams on Twitter in addition to their normal media outlets. Here is a list of team beat writers on Twitter, divided by ML division. Please note this is not an exhaustive list; I am always looking for more writers.

AL East
Blue Jays – Jordan Bastian, MLB.com
Rays – Marc Lancaster, Tampa Tribune
Yankees – Bryan Hoch, MLB.com, Pete Abraham, The Journal News

AL Central
Tigers – Jason Beck, MLB.com
White Sox – Joe Cowley, Chicago Sun-Times

AL West
- None that I know of yet -

NL East
Marlins – Joe Frisaro, MLB.com
Phillies – Todd Zolecki, MLB.com, David Murphy, Philadelphia Daily News

NL Central
Astros – Alyson Footer, MLB.com
Cardinals – Matthew Leach, MLB.com, Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Reds – John Fay, Cincinnati Enquirer

NL West
Padres – Corey Brock, MLB.com

Finally, several national baseball writers maintain Twitter accounts, including ESPN’s Jayson Stark and Keith Law and Baseball Prospectus writer and injury expert Will Carroll. Please note that while Peter Gammons has an account, it is new and now private so I am not listing it here.

If you prefer to read blogs, I recommend Tim Dierkes’ excellent MLB Trade Rumors site and Twitter account. For a full listing of MLB blogs (and other sports blogs, too), check refer to the Blogs page on the full list.

I hope that this MLB roundup helps you enjoy the 2009 season a little more in some small way. I fully expect more MLB players, teams and writers to embrace Twitter this season so it looks like a good season for baseball fans on Twitter!