Shtick in a Box: Paper charts the viral rise of the Lonely Island trio, proclaiming them the Internet’s biggest stars.
Batter Up: The 15 most exciting new stadium snacks in major league baseball, according to First We Feast.
Unserious Style: Esquire chats with today’s generation of comedians about how onstage style still matters today, just in a different way.
On the Ropes: Valet makes the case for picking up a jump rope as part of your fitness routine.
Menswear: The Gathering: Selectism discovers a mysterious new card game that pits menswear designers against one another.
A Home-Run Investment: A watch once owned by baseball great Joe DiMaggio is headed for the auction block.
Party Chair: A handy infographic on how to pick your seat at a dinner party where you don’t know anyone.
Can’t Coach Style: Grantland ponders the sideline style of this year’s March Madness coaches, including a few of the same skippers we named in our bracket.
Baseball is finally back.
As you might recall, we spent last week counting down to MLB’s opening day with a how-to on catching a foul ball, an homage to Satchel Paige, considering the meaning of baseball caps and reminiscing over The Sandlot…
And now we’d like to celebrate our favorite baseball tradition of them all: throwing out the first pitch. Naturally, over the years, more than a few style icons—from JFK to Eddie Vedder—have taken the mound for the inaugural heave, and we’ve rounded up some of the most stylish non-belly-itchers of all time. So, without further ado:
Next week marks the 20th anniversary of The Sandlot’s release, and it has us feeling nostalgic.
In fact, there isn’t a sport better suited for nostalgia than baseball—which is why the movie resonates so well to this day. It’s a sports flick, a coming-of-age story and a period piece all wrapped into the perfect summer popcorn movie. It doesn’t get much better than that for guys of a certain age—who’ll remember walking out of theaters dreaming of Wendy Peffercorn and calling each other L7 weenies. So we’d like to take a moment to stroll down memory lane—all the way back to the summer of 1962—to check in on Smalls and the gang. You might even notice a few style cues that are on their way back in: the short-sleeve popovers, raglan shirts and cuffed jeans, to name a few. (Even Ham’s jorts.)
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There are plenty of perfectly good reasons to wear a baseball cap.
Driving a convertible. Watching a ball game. Premature balding.
But we’ve been noticing a sharp rise in guys wearing more #menswear-y versions—without a hint of support for a sports team—even more so, with the recent rise in popularity of the five-panel cap and floral prints. And it got us thinking about what it all means. So we’ve gone ahead and taken stock of all the nonstandard baseball caps out there to give you a better idea of what your choice in billed topper is projecting to the world.
So, without further ado: what your #menswear baseball cap says about you, according to Kempt.»
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America’s Pastime returns to regular season play this weekend, so in our countdown to opening day, we’re proclaiming it Baseball Week here on Kempt.
There’s nothing like a bona fide baseball legend—especially one who managed to do it during his own lifetime…
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America’s Pastime returns to regular season play this weekend, so in our countdown to opening day, we’re proclaiming it Baseball Week here on Kempt.
Deep in the baseball almanac of 2012 lies a very extraordinary yet underpublicized stat: your humble blogger caught two foul balls in the stands last season.
And luckily for you, I, as a seasoned veteran of foul ball fielding, plan on taking you under my wing Bull Durham–style to teach you the ways of the elusive foul ball catch. You will learn from my mistakes (and my triumphs) and we’ll grow all the closer for it. (As long as we don’t let Susan Sarandon make things weird). So when that life-defining moment finally arrives, and you’ve got a baseball hurling toward your face like an orb of red-stitched destiny, you’ll know exactly how to play it.
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Sacrificial Lambo: Our pals over at Driven get the lowdown on Lamborghini’s newest supercar—with a price tag to the tune of $4 million.
Sporting Goods: Archival Clothing digs up some great print ads from 1950s sportswear.
Ball Girls: Just in time for baseball season, Bleacher Report counts down the 50 most notable MLB WAGS.
Mad Artist: It only took six seasons for the producers to track down an honest-to-God Mad Men–era illustrator for the show’s promotional art.
If you’re wondering why it’s feeling a bit more spring-like on Kempt today, we’d like to direct your attention to the column on the left—where we’ve refreshed our seasonal crop of must-haves.
We’ve conjured a spring fever dream of baseball, gardening and corduroys that don’t have a hint of fall in them. Allow us to show you the way.»
“The way I figured it, I was even with baseball and baseball with me. The game had done much for me, and I had done much for it.”
Six more iconic snaps of the most important ballplayer who ever lived, after the jump.»
via Worlds Best Ever
Leather Lather: Valet’s school of leather continues with a course on cleaning, conditioning and waterproofing your prized cowhide. [Valet]
Before They Got Big: Hipsters have finally arrived in China; they’re calling them wenqing. (Now you can say you knew about them before everyone else.) [The Atlantic]
What’s Beef: Everything you ever wanted to know about the mythical burger chain out west, In-N-Out Burger. [Gear Patrol]
Don’t Rain on My Parade: Recapping the oddities of yesterday’s aptly timed SF Giants World Series Parade. [Grantland]
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We normally don’t recommend wearing a baseball cap during the week unless you’re within a 100-yard radius of a ballpark, doing yard work or a celebrity trying to sneak in a quiet lunch. But there’s one time we’ll make an exception: when your baseball team has won the World Series.
That means that this year, today only, San Francisco Giants ball caps are fair game with everything from chambray to Italian wool. You’ve earned it—by keeping the faith through all the slumps, by your gut and determination during the extra innings of fried appetizer platters, and mostly by no hard work of your own—just don’t think you can get away with the hat for the rest of the week.
Coincidentally, it’s also the only day of the year you can wear an orange bow tie.
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We’ve said it once before, but it bears repeating: there’s nothing sweeter than the taste of victory—drenched in champagne.
And with MLB playoffs ramping up this week, we thought it wise to revisit some of the finest moments in champagne-drenched locker room celebration—as sort of a refresher course in anticipation of the effervescent-soaked revelry to come—from Willie Mays, to Reggie Jackson, to Ichiro, to Ken Forsch. So, without further ado:
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via Trend Hunter
Jump Around: Get caught up on GQ’s “Fall Style Playbook” with the most recent addition: sneakers. [GQ]
Drunk-0-Lantern: In case your fall festivities haven’t felt autumnal enough, here’s an idea: make a pumpkin keg. [Lifehacker]
Picasstco: Costco is getting back into high-end art sales—that’s right, now you can buy an original Matisse with that two-gallon jug of dish soap. [NY Times]
Hits for Hits: An analysis on the importance of the MLB allowing players to choose their at-bat songs (including R.A. Dickey’s Game of Thrones ode). [Wall Street Journal]
John Glenn coincidentally (but awesomely) threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium yesterday as part of a previously scheduled ceremony to honor Glenn’s service as both an orbiting astronaut and United States senator. Before heading out to the mound, Glenn, 91, was asked an extraordinary question: “Were you jealous of Neil Armstrong?”
The senator’s response made us proud to be Americans (and baseball fans)…»
Kurt Suzuki’s fingernails are bright yellow because…
A) He lost a bet in the clubhouse.
B) Some bruises bruise brightly.
C) This is between him and Jobu.
D) None of the above. Because there’s no “painting your nails” in baseball…»
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We’re big fans of Field Notes—and their fierce allegiance to the analog age—so we were more than pleased to hear from 10engines that they’ve entered the publishing business. Their first book, A Drive into the Gap, is centered around baseball, a father, a son and their unlikely connection to legendary ballplayer Roberto Clemente. And, in typical fashion, it’s designed to slip easily into a pocket or beach bag. For a few extra clams, you can pick up the bundle: the book and a couple baseball-themed memo books. There’s also an ebook version, but that would defeat the purpose.
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The gents at the Windmill Club have been quietly turning out some seriously handsome ties for the past few seasons—sourced from deadstock silk and released in limited runs—and the latest batch has just hit their webshop. Our favorite of the bunch is this baseball-player-embroidered number that’s tame enough for the office but still has a trad, tongue-in-cheeck spirit. The width skips the skinny trend and hits the classic sweet spot at three inches, so it should have a place on your tie rack for years to come.
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(Left) The Philadelphia Phillies pile on Jimmy Rollins after he singles in the winning run Wednesday. (Right) The San Francisco Giants pile on Brandon Crawford after he singles in the winning run Tuesday.
Major League ballplayers sure do like to jump all over each other. And we get it: there’s nothing quite like a walk-off hit to win a baseball game in extra innings.
That is, except for all the other walk-off hits to win a baseball game in extra innings…»
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We’ve identified two* possible reasons why Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey was dipping (chewing tobacco) throughout last night’s nationally televised broadcast of Sunday Night Baseball:
1. His high school bros back in La Grange, Texas, were watching and he wanted them to think he was cool.
2.
*It turns out we’ve identified only one reason why Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey was dipping (chewing tobacco) throughout last night’s nationally televised broadcast of Sunday Night Baseball.
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In this new weekly series, we peer into your summer weekend agenda and offer a few essential sundries to help you make the most of your upcoming escapade. This weekend, you’re taking in a game at the ballpark.
Look, there’s nothing wrong with wearing tent-sized cargo shorts and an XXL Nick Swisher jersey to the game.
It’s just that… actually, there is something wrong with it.
See, there’s another way. A better way. A handsomer way.
Allow us to elaborate…
Behold, five ways to upgrade the way you take yourself out to the ball game…»
via WBE
King Hill: On the passing of legendary mobster Henry Hill (his life inspired the movie Goodfellas), the gents at Esquire dig up his favorite meatball recipe. [Esquire]
Tailored Advice: Put This On breaks down the lessons to be learned from an interview with Aussie tailor Patrick Johnson. [PTO]
Bloggers Blogging Bloggers: The Impossible Cool follows street photog William Yan for a day. Try and keep up. [IC]
MemeLB: In a moment of indignation during a post-game interview, the Washington Nationals’ wunderkind Bryce Harper coins the latest rhetorical phrase taking the Internet by storm: “That’s a clown question, bro.” [NPR]
Losses seemed to sting a bit harder this weekend, particularly for the city of Boston, where the beloved Celtics dropped games 6 and 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Heat, and the even-more-beloved Red Sox were swept by an expansion team. Manny suffered a split-decision defeat by Timothy Bradley, and Robert Kennedy Jr. admitted that late ex-wife Mary Kennedy physically abused him before, during and after their marriage—and fatally ran over the family dog.
If winning were easy, gentlemen, everyone would do it…
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via WBESour Juice: Sports Illustrated goes deep on steroids in baseball—past the high-profile cases and headlines—to look at the dark shadow they’ve cast on an entire generation. Real talk. [SI]
To Lighten the Mood: The Muppets have just released their longest blooper reel ever. (They think.) [/Film]
Only in New York: What was once a freight elevator in a paper factory is now NYC’s newest museum. [CollabCubed]
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: Eric Simmons secretly lived in AOL headquarters for two months and lives to tell the story. [CNET]
Last week we ran a story about the best nicknames in sports. As you may recall, one of the nominees for Best Racist, Sexist and/or Culturally Insensitive Nickname was outfielder Ryan Braun, aka “The Hebrew Hammer.” (Incidentally, as predicted, Darryl “Chocolate Thunder” Dawkins took top honors in this category.)
While we stand behind our reporting, in the spirit of transparency we’d like to share with you an email we received yesterday from a concerned reader. It begins: “Not sure who did your research on the sports nicknames, but there is only one original Hebrew Hammer: Hank Greenberg.”
So we reopened the “ethnic slur” file and did some more digging…»
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Style: some people have it, and some neighborhoods really have it. To show you what we mean, we’ve partnered with Cadillac to present Style Shifters—a five-part, in-depth look at what the hippest gents in some of the country’s coolest neighborhoods are wearing now. Our intrepid photographers have roamed the streets in search of the most stylish guys around. Herewith, a few photos of what they found...
Williamsburg, Brooklyn is home to some of the country’s best bars, coolest restaurants and, of course, some of the best menswear shops in the world. Naturally, you’ll find more than a few stylish individuals perched outside those locations (and no, not all of them are Billyburg hipsters). See what we mean below...
Oh, and up next: we take a peak at another handsome-as-hell neighborhood, the Mission District in San Francisco. Stay tuned...
