When ESPN imposed a two-week Twitter suspension on Bill Simmons last week, it sent a message that even their hottest commodities aren't exempt from controversial social media guidelines. Last week, Simmons had some harsh tweets for a Boston radio station ("deceitful scumbags") that happens to be an ESPN partner. On Thursday, the network determined that he had violated their Twitter policy and suspended him from its use for two weeks. The subsequent blog coverage was biting, as many jumped at the chance to compare Simmons to a child on timeout. (more...)

exclusive Bill Simmons is many things to many sports fans: a popular ESPN columnist, an influential Twitterer, and now, the author of a New York Times #1 bestselling book, The Book of Basketball. Mediaite recently spoke to Simmons about the pressures of fame and bestsellerdom, his feelings about a fanboy named Will Leitch, and his plans to take over the Power Grid: (more...)