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 Vine: September 7, 2011
September 7, 2011 · 120 Comments
The Vine: September 7, 2011

What’s your opinion of cash bars at weddings?
I attended a wedding recently where there was a charge attached to every beverage except tap water. This was met with a ton of grousing (I heard …

The Vine: September 2, 2011
September 2, 2011 · 52 Comments
The Vine: September 2, 2011

As fall and winter approach, I need some wardrobe-building help. 
I work in Manhattan in an industry that’s not quite suits-and-heels, but isn’t cazh, either. I have lots of appropriate separates to wear, but I …

The Vine: August 31, 2011
August 31, 2011 · 23 Comments
The Vine: August 31, 2011

I have an issue driving me crazy that I would love to get some perspective on from you and your readers.
I have a coworker who makes me crazy. I’m tempted to give you a bunch …

Irene-y Days And Sundays Always Etc.: Hurricane Open Thread
August 26, 2011 · 124 Comments
Irene-y Days And Sundays Always Etc.: Hurricane Open Thread

I just spent an hour playing cards on our new backyard deck with Mr. S and Gen. All quiet on the Brooklyn front, except for one romantically desperate cricket who didn’t get the memo. “Um: …

The Vine: August 26, 2011
August 26, 2011 · 6 Comments
The Vine: August 26, 2011

Long, long ago I read a short story that involved a writer who loved to write but was constantly rejected for publication. Somehow, he ends up with a box that is an “adjective magnet” — …

The Vine: August 24, 2011
August 24, 2011 · 66 Comments
The Vine: August 24, 2011

Now with follow-up info! — 10/17/11
I have a wedding-related conundrum, and I hope you (and the illustrious Vine readership) can help me figure out the best course of action.
My dear friend B just got engaged …

Big Country Little Car Tour II, Day 22: Northwood, OH to Brooklyn, NY
August 23, 2011 · 20 Comments
Big Country Little Car Tour II, Day 22: Northwood, OH to Brooklyn, NY

I had a hotel room reserved, near Williamsport. It seemed prudent. I wanted to get home, but not to push too hard. The little wrench that appears on the dashboard when it’s time to bring …

Big Country Little Car Tour II, Day 21: Davenport, IA to Northwood, OH
August 22, 2011 · 22 Comments
Big Country Little Car Tour II, Day 21: Davenport, IA to Northwood, OH

I wished I could stay at the hotel longer. So big! Such good coffee in the lobby! So tired of portaging my bags in and out and up and down, getting stuck in doors, making …

Big Country Little Car Tour II, Day 20: Lincoln, NE to Davenport, IA
August 19, 2011 · 10 Comments
Big Country Little Car Tour II, Day 20: Lincoln, NE to Davenport, IA

I’ve found on these trips that biting off a big mileage chunk on a weekend day is a mistake, so I decided to take it easy today, a Saturday — stop and browse around where …

The Vine: August 19, 2011
August 19, 2011 · 33 Comments
The Vine: August 19, 2011

Dear Sars,
Would the Tomato Nation brain trust please help me pick out some skivvies? 
Lately the only things in my top drawer that don’t give me an immediate (and enduring) wedgie are the 3 pairs …