I don’t know Andy McNamara. But, then again, I do.
I follow him on Twitter.
Which means I get to see his bald head a lot each day. And read, of course, his latest burst of insightfulness.
If you keep tabs on the Oregon football team, and your Twitter feed isn’t locked into the UO sports information director yet, you should copy and paste this into your address bar: twitter.com/#!/McNamaraUO
Like right now.
If such a ranking existed, McNamara surely would be near the top among those who communicate about Duck football in 140 characters or less.
He’s relevant. He goes beyond the obvious. He’s spot-on in his analysis.
He gets you thinking.
Or picture it this way: If Twitter is like a giant sports bar — where people react to the latest player news and rehash great moments — then McNamara is the bartender wearing the Duck hat, engaging in conversation, tossing out the latest tidbit, stirring the pot.
A recent exchange between Andy McNamara and a follower.
So, yea, I’m a fan, errrr follower.
On Thursday, two days after Oregon’s spring practice kicked off, came this nugget, “Kenjon Barner’s 939 rushing yds in 2011 would have led team in all but 15 seasons in UO history #goducks”
On Monday, he tweeted: “Oregon’s QB on Sept. 1 vs. Arky St. will be the 5th different opening day starter in 6 seasons #goducks”
That isn’t the stuff of someone using Wikipedia to pawn Duck trivia. That takes some doing.
From the McNamara on Feb. 9: “Of the 28 Ducks to play in every game last season, 20 return for 2012: 12 Def, 6 Off, 2 ST #goducks”
From Jan. 15: “In the 60 yrs before Chip Kelly became head coach, Oregon ranked among the AP top 10 50 times. In 3 yrs under CK, 32 times #goducks”
Or from Sept. 14: “Of Oregon’s 26 alums on current NFL rosters, 18 played on the ’07 team #goducks #whatcouldhavebeen”
As you would expect in his role as sports information director, he breaks news on occasion, as he did Friday when he used social media to announce tight end Curtis White’s playing career is over due to injury. He’ll engage followers in a conversation, too.
From time to time, you’ll also find McNamara offering up commentary. After No. 3 Oregon fell to No. 4 LSU last September, one of his tweets proved to be prophetic. “May seem overly optimistic after Sat., but 12 wins before bowl season is still possible thx to possible Pac-12 champ. game #goducks”
Ah, but McNamara is not all seriousness.
One of my favorite lines came Nov. 12: “Stanford is the only place I’ve ever been to that plays Hells Bells on 2nd down #goducks”
Or this one during the Nevada contest on Sept. 10: “Light workout so far for @TheOregonDuck: 39 pushups with 14:36 left in the 2nd #goducks”
Or, going back to the LSU game, “Good thing UO not playing TCU. Van driver said no visiting team staying at our hotel has beat Frogs in 10 years #GoDucks #ducksindallas”
Yet he’s not a journalist in the strictest sense of the word. He’s a sports information director, whose job is to disseminate news but also to protect the UO and employees when necessary.
With a little critical thinking, though, you can distill what hat McNamara is wearing — and when.
When he tweeted at Rose Bowl on Jan. 2, “It’s O-ver. The Oregon Ducks have WON THE ROSE BOWL #goducks #RBGPasadena,” I knew he was playing the role of cheerleader.
When he tweeted Oct. 15 in the second half against Arizona State, “First full set of downs Bennett. Here’s your chance kid #goducks,” I knew he was telling me a big moment for the program had arrived.
So when McNamara tweets, take note.
Whether you are a fan or a writer.
And if it hasn’t happened yet, you’ll soon to get to know him.
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