I Follow: Reischea Canidate

Editor’s note: “I Follow” is all about ESPN employees on Twitter: what they tweet, whom they follow and how you can interact socially with anyone and everyone.

Reischea Canidate handles the news segments for ESPN2’s weekday programs First Take and Mike & Mike In The Morning.

Canidate, a high jumper on USC’s Pac-10 title-winning track team in 1996, took time out of her busy schedule to discuss her Twitter activity with Front Row. She reveals why she loves social media, the subject of her most intense Twitter conversation, and how she thinks she would fare in a game of 1-on-1 with a former NBA star.

Twitter Handle: @Reischea
Followers: * 10,452
Following: * 82
* Twitter numbers as of 7/19/11

FR: Who do you like following on Twitter?

Canidate: Jason P. Romano (@jasonromano), ESPN Talent Producer: great scriptures to start your day every day. And a positive fella named Andre Parker (@_andreparker): outstanding inspirational phrases daily!

FR: What’s your favorite part of social networking?

Canidate: I love being able to respond to people, to interact and get other’s thoughts on the hot topics of the day. I’ve got to be careful though, some people think it’s a forum to be rude and disgusting. That’s when I feel like taking my earrings off.

FR: Have you ever engaged in a heated discussion with a person on Twitter? If so, what was the topic?

Canidate: I got into a heated Twitter debate over Oprah [Winfrey] during her last few days on the air. Someone had the nerve to call her overrated. Now I may not be an Oprah disciple, but I thoroughly admire what she’s done, how she’s influenced people and the world. She truly is a phenomenal human being.

FR: You’ve worked with Mike & Mike In The Morning and First Take for a while, what do you like best about working with those shows?

Canidate: Both shows are so much fun. Mike and Mike kill me, they are exactly like an old married couple. That whole crew is so creative. The personality known as Joaquin, he writes the funniest lyrics for the songs they do. And the rips they come up with like the Marcellus Wiley one using Samuel L. Jackson’s lines from “Pulp Fiction.” First Take is my other family. We seriously laugh a great deal on that show at and with one another. Jay [Crawford], Dana [Jacobson] and Skip [Bayless] are so sharp. Excellent, all three, at what they do. No one needles better than Skip and when it comes to his debates, whether you agree or highly disagree, you better come correct with your argument and be prepared to stand it up!

FR: You and ESPN NBA analyst Bruce Bowen are from the same hometown (Fresno, Calif.) and both have athletic backgrounds. In a 1-on-1 game to 11, how many points would you score?

Canidate: I’ve known Bruce for many years. Good man there! I’d probably get 4 points, maybe. Offense unfortunately was never my strong suit. I’ll D- you up in a minute though! Well, maybe not him, he’s got about a foot on me in height. I may have to resort to some of his defense (wink, wink, love ya’ Bruce)!

FR: What is your best story about Mike & Mike or First Take?

Canidate: For Mike & Mike, the day [Mike Greenberg] realized I was pregnant. I don’t remember what show it was, but they were in a special comedic place that day and I was laughing all morning long. I finally came out and told them, that they had me laughing so hard, they were going to send me into premature labor. They relayed the story in the next segment with Greeny adding: ‘And she’s not even pregnant’. Golic quickly corrected him of course and Greeny didn’t believe him. Golic asked him if he’d ever seen me (classic). What makes it all so hilarious, is that I was six months along with a good-sized belly by then! The day after my son was born [Feb. 7, 2011], both shows announced it on the air and welcomed my little Agisi to the world. It was so sweet the way both crews did it. It truly did show me that they all cared.

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