For better or worse, Twitter changed sports fans and media coverage forever

CHICAGO — My first mention of a tweet appeared July 28, 2009, in a Chicago Tribune story on a Milton Bradley trade rumor. “It began when White Sox analyst Steve Stone twittered that the Tigers were interested in trading for Bradley, adding the Cubs ‘should fly him in a private jet.’ ” As a Twitter novice who joined the app that month at the encouragement of my employer, I had no idea the correct verb was “tweeted,” not “twittered.” No matter the terminology, once the tweet began circulating on blogs Cubs beat writers were forced to talk to Bradley to get his reaction. “I don’t pay attention to...