Photo courtesy of SN#1's Flickr photostream

When Stewart Cink won the British Open in 2009, he thrust himself into the Golf limelight as a Major Championship winner.   By that time, Cink had already established himself as a Twitter superstar.   He had over 500,000 followers in July of 2009 and he is now up to over 1.2 million.

Why has Cink, a professional golfer, not the most hip group of people in the world, garnered such a large Twitter following?   He makes the most of his Tweets by doing all the things great Twitter-ers do: tells of his likes and dislikes, gives his followers an inside look into his profession, gives tips on golf for the average guy, lots of retweets to his followers’ questions, little games and prize giveaways (ala Shaq), comments on popular movies and TV shows, and lots of humor and good cheer.   If you are new to Twitter, Cink is an example of a great Twitter-er.   Here is a sampling from the last couple of months of Cink’s Tweets:

• Oh yeah congrats to all you Canadians. We were watching from the trailer park!!   –   about 18 hours ago

• Hmmm..I’m at the DMV and “Give Me One Reason to Stay Here” is playing to all the folks waiting in line.   -  7:54 AM Feb 26th

• Just listening to David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” on the way to practice. One of few songs I like that include a countdown. Your favorites?   -  1:51 PM Feb 23rd

• @ELANO94 be sure to get left shoulder behind ball on backswing and swing clubhead down the line or outside after impact.   –   10:13 AM Feb 23rd   via Echofon  in reply to ELANO94

• I think I may be takig this healthy food thing too far. I just bought my dogs’ food in the organic section.  -  1:57 PM Feb 11th

• Heading to Los Angeles tonight for the Northern Trust Open. Do you think N. Pelosi would send a military jet for my travel needs?   –   8:14 PM Feb 1st

• @ALBATROSS_VIEW sorry, no way to fix a slice easily! But be sure to change directions with patience at top of swing.   -  11:13 PM Jan 27th   via Echofon  in reply to ALBATROSS_VIEW

• Tonight @ Philips Arena, 1st person to tell me IN PERSON the movie @lisacink  and I saw today gets tickets to next Tuesday’s Thrasher game.   –   4:43 PM Jan 26th

• Had a movie date with @lisacink today during school. Saw Leap Year with Amy Adams. Loved it, then put my Man Card in the shredder.   –   3:59 PM Jan 26th

• Sitting in the Tundra outside Chick-Fil-A waiting for son Connor to close up. Okay though, I’ve got DMB keeping me company. Cry Freedom Cry.   -  10:38 PM Jan 25th

Photo courtesy of Denbow's Flickr photostream

Danica Patrick is a race car driver.  She’s also a brand name (see shirt in photo above).  Since entering Indy car racing a few years ago, she has won one race and finished in the top ten of the Indy 500.   These are great accomplishments.   One question that seems to surround her, though, is whether Danica is a racer who happens to model and promote products, or is she a model who happens to race.   In other words, is she “just another pretty face,” or is she a real racer?  Now that Danica is entering the world of Nascar beginning this week, we should get a better answer to that question.   Of course, time will tell.  Danica will run some ARCA and Nationwide series races this year and the racing world will be watching intently to see how she does in each race.   As a Nascar fan myself, I hope she does well.   It would be good for the sport.

Two things I like about following well-known people are: 1. getting a glimpse about their life away from their chosen profession; and 2. getting the inside scoop regarding their chosen profession.   I want to know the person better so I can relate to them on a human level, and I want to hear interesting tidbits about their work that I won’t get anywhere else.   I like to read their take on an event they were a part of, direct from the source.   On Danica’s Twitter page, you get a fair amount of her personal life, which is fine.  But not as much “inside scoop” on her racing life as I would like.   Perhaps that will change as the 2010 racing season unfolds.   Plenty of people will weigh in on how they think she’s doing in Nascar-type cars.   I want to know how she thinks she’s doing, and whether she’s encouraged, frustrated, excited, or whatever.

Here are her best tweets from the end of last year’s racing season to just before the beginning of this one:

• Its race time people! I cant believe it is already here.  -  10:17 AM Feb 1st   from web

• http://twitpic.com/zuwvi Last night I gave my makeup brushes a home with this (homemade) roll up case!   – 10:26 AM Jan 26th   from web

• The sun shines again in az! I am picking a font for my name on my perfume bottle and box, where should I look?  -  12:20 PM Jan 23rd   from web

• I bought about 30 yards of fabric to start playing with…..well 10 of those yards is for a curtain. Am I a geek? Wait dont answer that.   -  4:12 PM Jan 16th   from web

• Obviously since I got a sewing machine(its a Project runway limited edition one too) I am totally excited about the start of project runway!   -  11:35 AM Jan 13th   from web

• Well I can finally say I have really run a stock car and that I enjoyed it even more that I thought I would! This is going to be a fun year!  –   11:13 PM Dec 20th, 2009   from web

• a yearly tradition- an amazing bottle of 03 pride reserve cab and pizza as we decorate the tree…..then dexter later!!!!   –   7:18 PM Dec 13th, 2009   from TinyTwitter

• Wow ESPN was all over me yesterday! I guess thats a good thing… thanks for all your support!   -  8:35 AM Nov 5th, 2009   from web

• @mw55 OK, this is tweet business is sucking me in and I was going to go to bed. I am really going this time! Thanks for being funny!   –   11:36 PM Oct 13th, 2009   from web  in reply to mw55

• So the season is over! Glad Dan taking me out in the pits didnt hurt my championship standing. I guess I am pleased with it overall.    -  11:44 AM Oct 13th, 2009   from web

Photo courtesy of JustUptown's Flickr photostream

It just makes sense to highlight some Super Bowl participants as the big game grows close.   Few can argue with the impact this man has had on the Who Dat Nation in Louisiana.   In a few short years since joining the team, Drew Brees has become the unquestioned leader of the revitalized New Orleans Saints.   He is an All-Pro quarterback and an All-Pro person.    The Brees Dream Foundation has impacted the lives of thousands of New Orleans area people, especially children and cancer victims.   You can find more information about Drew at his website http://drewbrees.com/.   You can follow Drew on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Drewbrees.  

Drew Brees has the qualities of a great Twitter-er.   He engages his followers with replies.  He tweets about his life and family.   He encourages the city and Saints fans with positive, uplifting tweets.  And he inspires with his frequent tweets about the needs of his city and how the citizens can get involved.   He doesn’t take himself too seriously, and he leads by example.   Here are some great tweets from the last few months:

• Shout out to the Who Dat Nation for winning the NFC Championship on Sunday. The Dome was out of control on Sunday. I am still recovering    -  7:22 PM Jan 26th from web
• A lot of news to announce…my son’s 1st birthday today, Blackout the Dome on Saturday, and Deuce is back! Deeeeeeuuuuuuuuuuuuuuccccccceeee    -   10:25 AM Jan 15th from web
• To our fans: Keep Believin, one at a time, we love you, see you Saturday Night!   -  2:15 PM Dec 14th, 2009 from web
• @rsuir The one thing you need to know about our team……is that we are truly a TEAM. One goal, one mindset, one heartbeat. Sounds simple   -  1:56 PM Dec 2nd, 2009 from web in reply to rsuir
• Really excited about my date night with Wifey tonight, and the time I will get to spend with my son. Have to take advantage of these moments   -  2:03 PM Nov 13th, 2009 from web
• Sitting outside on rocking chairs and just listening to the sounds of New Orleans from the front porch is pretty cool. The simple things   -  7:02 PM Nov 10th, 2009 from web
• Met Tom Hanks and Tom Brokaw last night at the National WW2 Museum event in Nola. Those are two pretty amazing people. Great speakers too   -  3:11 PM Nov 6th, 2009 from web
• OK, so be honest, who thought I would get stuffed by the goal post?   -  4:44 PM Oct 27th, 2009 from web
• Looking for charitable projects to fund in New Orleans area thru the Brees Dream Foundation. Send recommendations ASAP to info@drewbrees.com  -  8:49 AM Oct 5th, 2009 from web
• Been preparing like crazy for the Lions. You never know what you’re going to get for the 1st game of the year. Should be a fun one. Who Dat!   -  7:24 PM Sep 11th, 2009 from web

Photo courtesy of avinashkunnath's Flickr photostream

Michelle Wie, 20, won her first LPGA golf tournament last weekend.   In many people’s view, it’s been a long time coming.   Miss Wie has been in the public spotlight since age twelve.   Nobody disputes her talent.   Some have disputed her maturity at times.  However, those same people likely did not grow up under a media microscope.    What do you get from following Michelle Wie on Twitter?  You get a tranparent look at a young woman who is at the top of her profession at a very early age, but she is still learning about herself and her place in the world as a person.   That makes for a good Twitter follow.   You can follow Michelle at http://twitter.com/TheMIchelleWie.    Here’s my Top Ten Tweets (so far):

• wowwwww……never thought this would feel THIS great!!!! about 19 hours ago 
• So I’m a huge klutz. I resprained my ankle on the way to lunch and then I burnt my finger when I spilt hot tea on it.   -4:47 PM Oct 1st
• First week of school was great. I have the best roommate, neighbors, and friends . And plus classes seem interesting.   -2:10 PM Sep 28th 
• @sdimegUSATgolf   it’s ok my nicknames were much worse in high school. U can only imagine what people would do with the last name wie hahah   -10:31 AM Aug 15th, in reply to sdimegUSATgolf
• Felt like I had a taste of what i can shoot today. A couple holes bit me in the ass today but other than that I felt pretty good about it   -8:36 PM Jun 28th
• Listening to iration, natural vibrations, sublime and some more island reggae at the airport is making me smile inside. But I miss the aina    -5:44 AM Jun 21st 
• Thank you all for the congrats! I made the top play in sportscenter!! And they showed my “dance”. How embarassing haha excited to play today   – 5:27 AM Jun 14th
• Did u know that the 7-11 extreme gulp is 50% bigger than the volume of the human stomach?!? Those slurpees are oh-so-delicious tho! Yummmy    -11:31 AM Jun 10th 
• im really sorry for the people i have offended…but really…it was just a doodle..no real thought went into it   -6:29 PM Jun 5th 
• and i had no intentions of offending my native korean people. THE BACKGROUND IS NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE JAPANESE FLAG.    -6:25 PM Jun 5th

Picture via Kaloozer's flickr photostream

Follow Shaq on Twitter: http://twitter.com/THE_REAL_SHAQ

•  ill b there n 4 days lebron, its on   -11:36 PM Sep 18th

•  Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. -11:50 PM Sep 5th

•  @exjetsguy he was a true team player, competitor, model citizen, and a master at his role. tim duncan owes him lik i owe derek fisher  -8:24 PM Sep 3rd  (about Bruce Bowen)

•  went to the la zoo today, a chimpanzee spit at me, dam i must be ugly, lol  -3:29 AM Aug 27th

•  im at knots berry farms n my butts 2 big 2 fit in da seats on ride. ahhhhhh (dats me yellin)  -1:49 PM Aug 20th

•  @ilovebron23 yo momma so dumb she thought taco bell was a mexican phone company  -10:40 PM Jun 14th

•  Congrats to you to phil jackson. When the general doesn’t panic the troops don’t panic. You are the greatest now.  -7:40 PM Jun 14th

•  Congratualtions kobe, u deserve it. You played great . Enjoy it my man enjoy it. And I know what yur sayin rt now “Shaq how my ass taste “  -7:38 PM Jun 14th

•  They said on around the horn that I’m playing when I say I want kobe to win his 4th ring, here it goes again I’m serious I want kobe to win  -2:14 PM Jun 4th from TweetGenius

•  Thanks to all of my followers, I neva thought I would hit a million, thanks to you all, I hereby promise to keep you all laughin, its on now  -12:08 AM May 17th

Bonus, since this is the first post:

•  Should I challenge tiger woods to a homeboy style putting contest? I kno what you are thinking, I dnt putt like I shoot free throws, lol  -2:43 PM May 15th from TwitterBerry

•  Its so hot n phoenix, I just saw the devil at the airport, I asked him were he was goin, he said I’m gettin the hell outta here. Waaa w …  -2:33 PM May 9th from TwitterBerry

•  Started my diet the other day, I haven’t cheated yet, I wanna b a calvin klein underwear model, pls dnt laugh, lol   -11:55 AM Apr 19th

•  One two Diesels comin for u Three four Gonna tweet some more Five six I play a lotta trix Seven eight tweetin is great Nine ten …  -10:37 PM Apr 14th

•  Dnt believe crappy websites such as mediatakeout.com If it doesnt come from me verbally or twitter wise, disregard The horse has spoken  -5:12 PM Jan 16th