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!

Shea Good-Bye
June 29, 2009 · 6 Comments
<em>Shea Good-Bye</em>

I like Keith Hernandez, but as a TV commentator, he has weaknesses. Leaving aside the “what’s that betty doing in the dugout” incident, Hernandez tends to dwell more than I’d like on the kind of …

N Cereal AA: Monday-morning status report
June 29, 2009 · 8 Comments

Round of 64 voting for Classics, Fruit/Nut, and Fiberfest has closed.   You can see the results here; I won’t list every cereal moving on, but highlights include the street-fight upset of Corn Flakes by …

3-2-1 Launch: Monday 29 June! Freeee!
June 29, 2009 · No Comment
3-2-1 Launch: Monday 29 June!  Freeee!

Come on down to the Bell House on June 29 at 7 PM for a FREE Night Of Rock, to celebrate the launch of two new Brooklyn-based businesses — King Killer Studios and xtrapulp — …

The Vine: June 26, 2009
June 26, 2009 · 53 Comments

Dear Sarah,
I am currently living in London but will be moving back to the good ol’ U.S. of A this summer.My Irish boyfriend is set to follow and, being the thoughtful and intellectually curious person …

N Cereal AA Round of 64, Flight 4: Sugar Shock
June 26, 2009 · 63 Comments
N Cereal AA Round of 64, Flight 4: Sugar Shock

Ready to vote?   Click here. Confused?   Click here.
1 Captain Crunch/Crunchberry vs. 16 Krusty-Os. Well, we had to have one fictional cereal in here, right?Krusty-Os don’t exist outside the Simpsons-verse, so I can’t speak …

The bitter end
June 25, 2009 · 63 Comments
The bitter end

It all happened very fast — within a couple years of the Motown special. But even at the time of the “Motown 25” moonwalk, fame was old hat to Michael Jackson. He hadn’t even turned …

N Cereal AA Classics Run-Off: Corn Flakes vs. Cocoa Krispies
June 25, 2009 · 16 Comments

Dead heat, guys.   You’ve got ’til 6 PM EDT to pick me a winner.
Update, 6:27 PM: Cocoa Krispies it is, 51% to 49%. View the updated bracket here.   Don’t forget that we start …

N Cereal AA Round of 64, Flight 3: Fiberfest
June 25, 2009 · 65 Comments
N Cereal AA Round of 64, Flight 3: Fiberfest

Ready to vote?   Click here. Confused?   Click here.
1 Quaker Oat(meal) Squares vs. 16 Cream of Wheat. I really like Cream of Wheat, famous original CoW with nothing on it — no brown sugar, …

N Cereal AA: Upcoming Schedule
June 24, 2009 · No Comment

Here’s the org chart for the Round of 64 — you know, in case you’re writing a book.   Heh.
Thursday 25 June: Fiberfest flight voting opens; Classics voting closes.
Friday 26 June: Sugar Shock voting opens; …

The Vine: June 24, 2009
June 24, 2009 · 42 Comments

Dear Sars,
Some years ago I received a Master of Arts degree in English literature.However, my professional life is about as far removed from my academic past as it could possibly be — I work for …