Baseball

“I wrote 63 songs this year. They’re all about Jeter.” Just kidding. The game we love, the players we hate, and more.

Culture and Criticism

From Norman Mailer to Wendy Pepper — everything on film, TV, books, music, and snacks (shut up, raisins), plus the Girls’ Bike Club.

Donors Choose and Contests

Helping public schools, winning prizes, sending a crazy lady in a tomato costume out in public.

Stories, True and Otherwise

Monologues, travelogues, fiction, and fart humor. And hens. Don’t forget the hens.

The Vine

The Tomato Nation advice column addresses your questions on etiquette, grammar, romance, and pet misbehavior. Ask The Readers about books or fashion today!

The Tomato Nation Fall Classic: Sophomore Slump
October 5, 2010 · 16 Comments
The Tomato Nation Fall Classic: Sophomore Slump

1988 Sarah says, “Let’s celebrate $6,481 with a styrofoam garland and a gigantic sweater!”
Sadly, I could not find any pictures dating from my freshman year; you’ll just have to take my word that my school …

Bet Red: The Video
October 4, 2010 · 19 Comments
Bet Red: The Video

Camera and editing by Mr. Stupidhead; fund-raising by you fantastic people.

Squared Up: Changing of the Guard
October 4, 2010 · 6 Comments
Squared Up: Changing of the Guard

“So long, suckers.”
I’ve just heard on the radio that the Mets have officially let GM Omar Minaya and manager Jerry Manuel go. This had to happen, but it won’t change anything, because the problem is …

The Tomato Nation Fall Classic: School Days
October 4, 2010 · No Comment
The Tomato Nation Fall Classic: School Days

Little did Mabel know she would soon dress as a tomato for the amusement of strangers…
In this morning’s batch of email, Classmates.com threatened me with the following information: “We have a 1987 yearbook from [my …

The Tomato Nation Fall Classic: Doubleheader
October 2, 2010 · 2 Comments
The Tomato Nation Fall Classic: Doubleheader

(If you think I’m having a contest with myself to see how many baseball puns I can flatten in the next month, you are correct! “Enjoy”!)
As of this writing, not quite a day and a …

The Vine: October 1, 2010
October 1, 2010 · 10 Comments
The Vine: October 1, 2010

I’m trying to find a collection of fairy tales I owned as a child in the late ’80s. It was a bigger-sized (length and width) book, with beautiful illustrations. The pictures were kind of like …

The Tomato Nation Fall Classic: Opening Day
October 1, 2010 · 18 Comments
The Tomato Nation Fall Classic: Opening Day

10K for Donors Choose; 10K for scholarships and Little-League uniforms. Plllllllay ball!
Donors Choose/Fall Classic giving page is RIGHT HERE. (Don’t forget: make sure you’re on the Fall Classic page. The ID is 58788, so spot …

The Tomato Nation Fall Classic: Pre-Game
September 30, 2010 · 2 Comments
The Tomato Nation Fall Classic: Pre-Game

Y’all ready? Me too!
A quick review of the rotation:

10K for classic literature on Donors Choose
5K for the Jackie Robinson Foundation
5K for Pitch In For Baseball

…by October 31. For every day left before October 31 when …

The Vine: September 29, 2010
September 29, 2010 · 56 Comments
The Vine: September 29, 2010

I’ve had my 7-year-old kitty since she was a 3-week-old rescue kitten that had to be bottle-fed. For the most part, she is wonderfully behaved.
However, she whines.
She’s always been very vocal kitty, and that is …

DVR Break-Up: The Event, House
September 28, 2010 · 20 Comments
DVR Break-Up: <I>The Event</I>, <I>House</I>

I had high hopes for The Event — a lot of actors I enjoy (Jason Ritter, Laura Innes), a tantalizing concept, and the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of Flash Forward.
But the actors can’t …