Wednesday, August 05, 2009

   Among those of us who use Twitter, there's been a lot of questions about whether THE_BEST_FES is Jazz center Kyrylo Fesenko's account. According to Russ Ridge, whose family has helped care for Fesenko during his two years in Utah, the account does not belong to Fesenko. In fact, Ridge contacted Twitter in the hopes of getting it removed, a process that can be more difficult than you might expect for celebrities and athletes who've been impersonated. Although Fesenko is active on Facebook, Ridge said Fesenko had no idea about Twitter until Ridge showed him THE_BEST_FES a couple of months ago. Ridge added that Fesenko's Facebook updates are far better written than what is being attributed to him on Twitter. Lastly, Fesenko hasn't been able to use the data capabilities of his iPhone since he went back to Ukraine this summer, which would make it significantly more difficult for him to post updates. It's worth noting, though, that whoever is authoring THE_BEST_FES has done a remarkable job of following Fesenko's schedule and making references to coaches, teammates and agents that would be beyond even the biggest fans. Three days ago, the author even included two pictures of Fesenko, only increasingly the perception of legitimacy. For his part, Ridge said Fesenko appreciated the humor of THE_BEST_FES - - though there were many references to drinking that didn't cast him in the best light - - and that while Fesenko isn't on Twitter right now, he might join someday in the future.

    --Ross Siler