Media Power Rankings for June

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Like so many others, Dan Jenkins also couldn't resist the temptation to Tweet. Andrew Redington/Getty Images Richard Deitsch's Mailbag Submit a question or comment for Richard. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND Follow Richard Deitsch on Twitter

1. Dan Jenkins, Tweeter: The famed sportswriter and soon-to-be-octogenarian (he turns 80 on Dec. 2) tweeted 140-character dispatches with aplomb and verve at last month's U.S. Open, his 200th golf major.

"Twittering was something I thought kids do when they're sitting next to each other because in today's world they've lost the art of conversation," Jenkins said. "Traded it in for noise in general." But when Golf Digest asked Jenkins if he wanted to tweet from the tournament, he was game. His only requirement? Calmly explain to him how it worked. Thanks to some guidance from colleague Mike O'Malley, Jenkins channeled his inner Ashton Kutcher and tweeted regularly.

"I had no idea anybody would care to read it," he said. "Turned out to be fun. You get to say all the good stuff that sometimes gets cut out of your stories. I started with a handful of followers, as I learned they are called, and wound up with something like 3,000. My daughter, Sally [a Washington Post sports columnist], said, 'That's great, dad. Now you're only two million behind Britney Spears.' "

The Ancient Twitterer, as dubbed by his daughter, will return to tweeting during the British Open. "I have a lot more to say," he said.

2. Chad Ochocinco, HBO Sports: The artist formerly known as Chad Johnson promises to make HBO's upcoming Hard Knocks series (it debuts Aug. 12) compelling theater. "It will be very entertaining," Ochocinco said. "I have a lot of material waiting for them."

Why does Ochocinco attract so much attention? "I don't know, man," he said. "I think I am one of the few athletes who are very outgoing, very outspoken. I like having fun. I like entertaining you guys, the people, and I'm someone who never gets in trouble. The only trouble I get into is talking too much and dancing every now and then, changing my name, stuff like that."

Speaking of which, Ochocinco plans to stay with Ochocinco for some time. "Thirty years from now they are not going to say that guy had a great game or was a great player but, Do you remember that guy Ochocinco?" he said. "The name will ring a bell for years to come."

3. Kevin Love, accidental newsman: How did the world learn that Kevin McHale would not return as Minnesota Timberwolves coach? Love accidentally broke the story via his Twitter account, causing some late-night maneuvers for many in the local media. The 20-year-old forward is one of the most active tweeters in sports. Honest, too. During last week's NBA draft, he tweeted, "You can always tell when [David] Stern is going to call a foreign players [sic] name cause he looks at the card like WTF?????"

4. Rick Maese, Washington Post: An award-winning columnist for the Baltimore Sun, Maese (and two other sports department colleagues) was let go in ignominious fashion by the paper while covering an Orioles game at Camden Yards. But here's one newspaper story with a happy twist: The Post has hired Maese to be one of three full-time reporters assigned to the Redskins. He begins his new job July 13.

"Not too long after my layoff hangover started wearing off, I had lunch with the Post sports editor, Matt Vita, a great guy," Maese said. "There was no specific job available but lunch was free and it was a good excuse to shower and shave and stop feeling sorry for myself. I did a bit of freelancing here and there, and then the morning I filed for unemployment benefits with the state of Maryland, Matt called. Their longtime Redskins guy [Jason La Canfora] took a gig with the NFL Network. More important: They were going to fill the opening, a rarity in this environment."

All NFL beats are tough but the Redskins' job has particular challenges given mercurial owner Daniel Snyder and the team's rabid fan base. "I hope it's intense," Maese said. "I mean, one thing every reporter and columnist should be striving for is relevancy, right? With the Redskins' beat, that's built in."

As for the Sun, Maese has mixed feelings about his former employer. "The paper still arrives on my doorstep each morning, even though I canceled my subscription a couple weeks ago," he said. "Seems fitting. I've felt just about every emotion possible the past two months. As it concerns the Sun now, I'm mostly sad. The people still at the newspaper are trying to do good work and they deserve to be treated better. ... I just wish the people at the top of the Tribune ladder had half the readership's passion for an important Baltimore institution."

5. Artie Lange, comic: HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg blacklisted the Howard Stern sidekick after he hijacked the debut of Joe Buck Live. Such a ban only added to the avalanche of publicity for Lange, who soared to the top of Google Trends and ended up with some post-Buck interviews on sports-talk stations. We've said it before: Greenburg should free Lange from the injunction and invite the comic to appear (either in studio or via satellite) on Buck's next show in September. It makes Joe Buck Live appointment television and offers the host the opportunity to show viewers that he can handle a potentially dicey situation.