The sports world is full of brash, confident people who love to hear the sound of their voice. And with Twitter, we don't even have to wait for them to be asked their opinions.
We sifted through the noise to bring you 50 of our favorite quotes from 2012.
50 That's a clown tweet, bro.
“Buy beer.”
– Marlins outfielder Logan Morrison, in response to the question, “What can’t [Bryce Harper] do?”
49 Les Miles should speak at everything, everywhere.
“Operate with swagger.”
– LSU football coach Les Miles, to the 2012 graduating class of his alma mater, Elyria (Ohio) High School
48 It's almost as though he knew what they were going to do. Weird.
“Make them go to Manningham.”
– Patriots coach Bill Belichick, before the game-winning drive of Super Bowl XLVI
47 A compliment of the most backhanded variety.
"I thought that it was a very tough game for the first quarter of the game."
– Alabama coach Nick Saban, on his team’s 52-0 win over Arkansas
46 Now that you mention it, there was an organic milk shortage in Florida this year...
“You could be watching cartoons with your kids and you don't like it, you say, 'Blame it on LeBron.' If you go to the grocery store and they don't have the milk that you like, you just say, 'It's LeBron's fault.'”
– Heat forward LeBron James
45 When operating with swagger goes wrong.
"You're not going to have Tennessee to kick around anymore."
– Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, before going 0-7 in the SEC and getting fired with one game to go in the season
44 OK, how about "Duck Dynasty?"
“There's something about dancing in prom costumes in front of national television that's just not very appealing to me.”
– Tennis star Maria Sharapova, on the likelihood of her appearing on "Dancing With The Stars"
43 No sir, that distinction belongs to Phil Spector.
"I don't know what he's doing with that perm, but I guess he's a trendsetter."
– Kobe Bryant on former teammate Andrew Bynum
42 And suddenly, it didn't matter who else was on the bus.
"I knew when we left. He's Adrian Peterson, so I know when he's on [the bus] or not on."
– Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier on Peterson missing the team bus to a Bears game at Soldier Field
41 You don't just walk out on unlimited breadsticks unless you're really steamed.
"I'm putting food in my mouth and being read, from a piece of paper by our owner, that the Pittsburgh Power as a whole is now terminated. Mid-statement, all the players got up and left. Every player got up and left while he was still talking. There were 15 to 20 angry, large individuals."
– Former Pittsburgh Power center Beau Elliott, on the entire team being fired during a pregame meal at an Olive Garden restaurant
40 LOL? We'd be weeping softly.
“Thanks Charlotte Observer for announcing my new injury. Still able to workout with it. Lol”
– Knicks guard Baron Davis, commenting on an unfortunate newspaper typo referring to a herniated disk
39 What if he's lactose intolerant?
"Ask Tebow if he wants a glass of milk. If he says yes, ask him if he prefers chocolate. if he says no, then no more Tebow date suggestions"
– Olympian Lolo Jones, after fans kept tweeting that she should date Tim Tebow
38 And they will respect me after they pick me back up.
"I will kick his a--. Well, I won't say I'll kick his a--. They'll kick my a-- because they're bigger than me, and I'm older. But I will take my chances.”
– Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen, speaking about Heat guard Dwyane Wade getting into a heated confrontation with coach Erik Spoelstra during a playoff game.
37 He also can't go down a slide and maintain his dignity at the same time.
“My husband cannot [expletive] throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time.”
– Supermodel Gisele Bundchen, on Patriots receivers letting husband Tom Brady down by dropping passes in Super Bowl XLVI
36 That's just Manny being a member of a new team and not knowing his teammates.
“Manny just asked if I was the video coordinator. … Our relationship can only go up from here.”
– A’s pitcher Brett Anderson, on Manny Ramirez
35 With an infinite number of reality shows, this still hasn't happened?
“hey bro we both live in vegas .lets dance”
– Former baseball star Jose Canseco, tweeting to former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson
34 Added bonus: Ben Zobrist has notes of soothing lavender.
“We might need more fabric softener in the towels.”
– Rays manager Joe Maddon, on pitcher David Price injuring himself by toweling off too vigorously
33 A watershed moment for U.S.-British relations. #JEAH!
‘I was quite surprised by that. It is not OK to pee in the pool.’
– British Prime Minister David Cameron, on the admission by U.S. swimmers Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps that they peed in the Olympics aquatics center pool
32 Notre Dame returns to the national title game.
"I've always felt like to have a successful team you've got to have a few bad citizens on the team. That's how Ohio State used to win all the time. They would have two or three guys that were criminals and that just adds to the chemistry of the team. I think Notre Dame is growing because maybe they have some guys that are doing something worthy of a suspension which creates edge on the football team. You can't have a football team full of choirboys. You get your butt kicked if you've got a team full of choirboys so you've got to have a little bit of edge. But the coach has to be the dictator and the ultimate ruler. Here's my opinion: You don't hand out suspensions unless you know you've got somebody behind that guy that can make plays."
– Former Notre Dame star Allen Pinkett
31 This agreement stands for everyone in a civilized society.
“Let's make a deal guys: I'll try my super duper hardest to play well, and in return you will never ever ever update me on your fantasy team.”
– A’s pitcher Brandon McCarthy
30 The best explanation ever for "Kazaam" existing.
"I was a medium-level juvenile delinquent from Newark who always dreamed about doing a movie. Someone said, 'Hey, here's $7 million, come in and do this genie movie.' What am I going to say, no?"
– Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal
29 He also kept our ball when it went in his yard.
“You know what I hate? I hate Twitter. I think these guys are young guys and they Tweet this SpaceBook that, whatever."
– Penn State coach Bill O'Brien
28 Bill O'Brien likes his style.
“I don't know how old my phone is, but it was only $10.”
– Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, on the flip phone he wielded at the NFL draft
27 That's why we love you, Ed.
“I dropped down on the floor and started doing pushups.”
– Ed Hochuli, on hearing the lockout of NFL officials had ended
26 Kids learn more better with rhymes.
“You hang around with turds, you'll finish third.”
– Minnesota football coach Jerry Kill, speaking to high school students in Richfield, Minn.
25 Is that the part with all the quarterbacks?
"They have a sliver down the East side"
– Magnanimous University of Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds, on the SEC expanding its footprint into the state of Texas by admitting Texas A&M
24 The star ratings system is a bit much.
“I will not hire an assistant coach until I've seen his wife. If she looks the part, and she's a D-I recruit, then you got a chance to get hired.”
– Vanderbilt football coach James Franklin
23 And for shameless marketing ploys!
“They can also be used for spontaneous shoe shining, if necessary.”
– Shy Anderson, son-in-law of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, on his line of “Jerry wipes” eyeglasses cloths
22 The Comic Sans, now that was another story.
"Looking back now, that probably was not the most brilliant thing I've ever done in my life."
– Dan Gilbert, on guaranteeing the Cavaliers would win a championship before LeBron James.
21 Yeah, but it seems like Cougars could take down some hobbled Buffaloes, too.
“If it's fresh water, I think a grizzly bear. If it's saltwater, I'm going to go with a great white. Grizzly could tap that joker on the head pretty good. But those great whites get 10 yards long.”
– Washington State coach Mike Leach in response to a reader question in a Seattle Times online chat
20 Just when you think you've hit rock bottom, Mike Tyson compares your situation unfavorably to his.
“It took a good 18, 20 years for me to go broke, but he got broke pretty quick.”
– Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, on former NFL star Terrell Owens
19 Time to squash this Canada-Oklahoma beef, once and for all.
“The first million is the hardest.”
– Rapper Drake
"The first billion is a helluva lot harder.”
– Energy magnate and Oklahoma State megabooster T. Boone Pickens
"@boonepickens just stunted on me heavy"
18 This is almost as funny as the Pirates drafting shortstop Mark Farris one pick before Nomar Garciaparra in the same draft.
“18th anniversary of me being taken 9th overall in the MLB draft. I often reminisce about how many people were fired over that decision.”
– Former MLB pitcher C.J. Nitkowski
17 Careful, you'll end up like Baron Davis.
“I’d rather someone take a pair of steel-toed boots and kick me in a delicate region than to lose a hockey game like that.”
– Toronto Marlies coach Dallas Eakins, on losing a game in the AHL championship series 1-0 on a fluke goal
16 Pretty high praise coming from this guy.
“He’s probably the toughest metrosexual I’ve ever come across.”
– Patriots receiver Wes Welker, on Tom Brady
15 YOU ask him. (Because, probably, you would. And we're scared.)
"It's easier to win the national championship than the SEC. Ask Nick Saban."
– South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier
14 And also the most modest.
“I'm now a legend. I'm also the greatest athlete to live.”
– Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who won the 100 and 200 for the second straight Olympics
13 Someone should probably tell that to Rex Ryan.
"I think you can never have too much Tebow."
– Jets owner Woody Johnson
12 But who's going to correct it?
“It was a mistake made by a human being and will be corrected.”
– Tweet by the Pittsburgh Pirates about a uniform glitch on the jersey of second baseman Brock Holt
11 Is this the liner notes for Steve Harvey's "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man?"
“Women are more honest and fair than men and they know how to catch a man cheating.”
– Steelers linebacker Larry Foote on Shannon Eastin, the first woman to officiate in an NFL regular-season game
10 Finally, Rex Ryan gets a prediction right!
"How many people are going to feel sorry for the New York Jets? I know the answer to that -- nobody."
– Jets coach Rex Ryan, on the news that wide receiver Santonio Holmes was lost for the season due to injury
9 It's always sad when America loses access to one of its national treasures.
“I will put my Alamo Bowl MVP trophy in storage.”
– Former Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington, on his displeasure with the Nittany Lions hiring Bill O’Brien as head coach
8 Reunited and it feels so good.
“Great seeing John Chaney last night. It brought back some memories.”
– Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari
7 Roger Goodell, take notes on interrogation strategy.
“I’d rather answer a bounty question.”
– Saints coach Sean Payton, when asked at a Dallas luncheon if he would ever like to be coach of the Cowboys
6 Maybe we should stick to talking about sharks and bears.
"Some of them quite honestly have an empty-corpse quality. That's not pleasant to say or pleasant to think about, but that's a fact."
– Washington State football coach Mike Leach, on the senior class he inherited from predecessor Paul Wulff
5 Doc Lakes is really coaching them up, too.
“KJ is great but Hondo is really the inspiration. Hondo drives that team.”
– Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, praising the Celtics' Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo
4 To be fair, this ranking was done before Hostess shut down.
"The day Elvis died, the day Michael Jackson died, and the day [Alabama coach] Mike Shula got fired."
– Auburn fan Charles Barkley on the three saddest days of his life
3 He is an expert, after all.
“It has to be a tremendous wiener.”
-- Texas Rangers CEO and president Nolan Ryan on the "Boomstick," the 2-foot-long, $26 hot dog sold at Rangers Ballpark
2 Ponyboy would've had way more credibility.
“I never thought 'Sodapop Curtis' would announce my retirement”
– Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, on actor Rob Lowe tweeting that Manning wouldn’t return to the NFL, referring to the character played by Lowe in “The Outsiders”
1 Swagger = fully operational.
“That’s a clown question, bro.”
– Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, to a reporter who asked him if he would go out for a “celebratory Canadian beer” in Toronto
Why it's No. 1:
Five words. Five words is all it took for Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper to shut down a reporter’s question about whether he planned to drink a beer in Canada. Five words is all it took for Harper to give birth to a meme. Five words is all it took for Harper to be invoked in the halls of Congress.
And, remember, Harper was only a 19-year-old rookie in 2012. He has just begun to scratch the surface of his potential for producing memorable and concise bro-based one-liners. At this rate, it won’t be long before every phrase he utters is quoted, referenced, trademarked and repurposed. He is the voice of a generation. The Broet Laureate of the Millenials, if you will.
Is there really any doubt that “That’s a clown question, bro,” is the quote of 2012?
That’s a clown question, bro. -- DJ Gallo
Thomas Neumann contributed to this article.