The Sporting Life

News27 Nov 2007 03:22 pm by john

News18 Jul 2007 11:52 am by john

Essential? I don’t think that word means what you think it means

I’m generally curious when I see something defined as a “Fashion Essential.” Essential to what? Clearly, suits are an “essential” if you work in a place that requires suits. More generally, belts are “essential” if you wear pants (save your complaints, suspender crowd). But beyond the basic essentials there’s a lot of gray area.

Forbes, for example, has a very interesting take. Examples of “essentials” include the following:

1. Kilgour suit, retail $8000
2. Hermes reversible belt, retail $500
3. Ferragamo Raul Lace Ups, retail $525
4. Rolex Submariner, retail $5400

Sorry, but to me many of these are “Fashion Aspirations.” The basic theme, though, is correct. Your wardrobe should have items such as a great suit, a great pair of shoes, a great timepiece. Even though Kilgour, for example, might be slightly out of reach, the message from this article is a good one.

To read more, visit Forbes

News12 Jul 2007 07:04 am by john

The Thinking Man’s Tequila

These days, if it seems like you’re seeing more written words on these internets regarding tequila, it’s probably not because you’re seeing double. seeing double. It’s because 1) it’s summer; and 2) it is increasingly a drink that is not only to be mixed, but savored on its own.

Consider this recent article from the San Marcos Daily Record:

Known most for its presence is margaritas, tequila has gone from the image of a cowboy tossing down a shot with a grimace in a dusty Mexican bar to an expensive, fine-aged tequila sipped from a brandy snifter by refined drinkers.

The authors, self-titled “Wine Guys,” go on to describe their experiences with Patron’s many offerings, from not-so-expensive, to the definitive “it” tequilia, the “Gran Patron Burdeos.”

For those of you who’ve not heard of this stuff, USA Today has some info:

Along with more sophisticated consumers has come more sophisticated (and pricier) packaging. Patrón unveils its $500 Gran Patrón Burdeos this month. The limited-production añejo, aged 12 months in Bordeaux barrels, comes in a crystal bottle with a crystal stopper presented in a handcrafted black walnut box.

This stuff is no joke. Some dude on Craig’s List has it listed for grand.

Bottom line, tequila, maybe more than any other spirit, is going through the kind of popular boom that cigars generally enjoyed in the mid-90s. Choice is good for you and me.

News09 Jul 2007 10:41 pm by john

An architect for every man

You see this building? Just look at it. It’s magnificent. It rises up from the surrounding city, the trees surrounding it appearing as if bush(es). The capitol domes, two perfect spheres setting off the rigid structure above them.

Yeah, it looks a lot like a dick. This building greets every visitor to Tallahassee, Florida, because it’s the capitol building. As a Florida State student, I saw way too much of this building, and I never was “ok” with the design. I mean, don’t people even freaking review these plans? Apparently in other places they do, because Sandor Shapery’s plans for a 40-story residential tower in San Diego have some residents swooning:

An architect reviewing plans for the 40-story structure for the City of San Diego’s Centre City Development Corp. said “with its rounded forms and swelling of it the uppermost floors … this building is very phallic.” Gwynne Pugh, a Santa Monica architect hired by the semi-public agency, questioned whether the design is right for San Diego.

I have to say, the rendering made available at Signonsandiego.com doesn’t really bear that out. I mean, if you really, really squint you can kind of make it out (I know, I know. That’s what she said), but I tend to agree with Mr. Shapery that Ms. Pugh is a bit, uh, hard up. Maybe she ought to put down the granola and spend some time in Tallahassee. Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about.

News09 Jul 2007 10:19 pm by john

Watch fixation run amok?

It’s no secret that we here at TSL, and more so our sister site, Wrist Watch Review (of course), are into fine time pieces. This site is set up to focus on the fashion side of things, as well. Ordinarily, unless you’re talking about the Titanic watch, I think a fine timepiece is its own fashion statement. Pick the right one, and it speaks for itself (time for a shameless Panerai plug? Nah).

But Desanti is going to force me to choose. This clothier is the maker of the Watchcuff shirt. Apparently made for watch geeks like me, these things are so out there that I think I’d have to pass. You may disagree.

Is it fashionable to so prominently feature your watch? Is the ultimate sign of Wisconsin cheddar? Of course, the argument can be made that many watches leave behind “fashionable” and dive head-first into garish, ridiculous, even obscene. But something about these strikes me as, well, wrong.

Cruise on over to Desanti’s website and make up your own mind. Even if you hate the shirts, you may dig the watch porn.

News09 Jul 2007 09:54 pm by john

Tony Parker has good taste

No, wait. I mean, Tony Parker doesn’t have good taste. Let’s think about this. Custom made watch. Right on. Piaget, no less. You damn right. 43mm 18k white gold case, with titanium bezel. All of that is great. Grand, even.

But as the picture in this post shall bear my witness, it comes together in one horrible, bling-sided flight of ~~fantasy~~ nightmare. The diamond “9″ is an especially interesting touch. Look, dude can do as he pleases, but sometimes just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

Oh, and congrats, by the way. Not on the wedding, I mean, who cares, right? But the Spurs are a legit dynasty, and he stepped up in a big, big way.

Via The Watch Quote

News28 Jun 2007 10:25 pm by john

The Grape One

Those of you still reading this article following my hilariously unoriginal title will just be ecstatic to learn about Wayne Gretzky Wines. That’s right, folks. The NHL’s greatest is offering wines that are, well, probably NOT going to be the greatest.

The Gretzky wines will be made by Creekside winemakers Craig McDonald and Rob Power. They are priced at $17 for the red, $14 for white and $45 for the icewine and are available starting today at Willow Heights Estate Winery in Beamsville with a further release through the LCBO in the fall. A portion of the proceeds will benefit less fortunate youth who want to experience hockey.

That’s right, affordable AND Canadian, hoser. I won’t dismiss this product out of hand. It’s not that I’m not a cynic by nature, because I am, but the Greg Norman Estates produce some very nice wines, for example. Bottom line, celebrities with no relevant experience, if they hire the right people, can, and do, produce some lovely vino. I’m going to see if I can’t take one for the team and give this stuff a try.

The Standard via Luxist

News27 Jun 2007 08:36 am by john

iPhone Roundup

Crunchgear does the work so that you won’t have to. For those of you with some sense of rationality and reason, you’ll be interested to know what the iPhone is like before you commit $500-600 and 2 years of your cellular service life to this gadget.

With that in mind, here are a couple of links to what I will call the iPhone iReview iDatabase.

Crunchgear
Google Time

Of course, if you have personal experience with this, please let us know.

News26 Jun 2007 11:43 am by john

Pissing into an iHurricane?

So, like, maybe you haven’t heard. The iPhone from Apple is being released. Uh, yeah… breaking news is my game, and Cutting Edge is my name. But, anyway, what are rival phone manufacturers, and cellular service providers to do in the face of the oncoming train (Apple says that there are some 19 million folks willing to pay for the device, sight unseen. We’ll see, given the high price and untested features and interface.)

From Crunchgear.com comes word that Sprint and LG are set to release the MUZIQ. Not perfect competition for the iPhone given the traditional interface, but there are some interesting features:

LG and Sprint are rolling out the MUZIQ today and it’s gunning for the top of the Mobile Music heap. Not only does it store up to 4,000 songs, but it also incorporates a built-in FM transmitter that feeds your music to any FM radio within 10 feet. A lot of mobile music phones lack the capacity to support any SD cards larger than 2GB, but the MUZIQ is not run-of-the-mill and supports up to 4GB.

Industry analysts and those with much more time on their hands than I have are opining as to whether people will make the switch from their current carrier of choice just so they can get their hands on the iPhone. Personally, I won’t, but then that’s just me. At least phone manufacturers are going to try to put up a fight.

Via Crunchgear.com

News26 Jun 2007 11:30 am by john

The New Kid Hits a Homer

A Wine Spectator Magazine score of 95 is a rarity. Generally, such ratings are reserved for exceptional wines, and exceptional wines require time. I was actually surprised to find a South African wine with a 95 score. So, too, I think, was Wine Spectator:

From Wine Spectator:

The Sadie Family Columella Swartland 2005 (95 points, $78) is a blend of 80 percent Syrah and 20 percent Mourvèdre. The wine, which debuted in the 2000 vintage, is the first in South Africa to garner a classic rating (95 points or more on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale). The 2005 Columella offers a stunning array of blue and black fruit–blackberry, boysenberry, blueberry and currant–that is pure, driven and refined, with licorice, sweet spice, vanilla, mineral and sanguine notes flittering throughout. Despite its concentration, it’s remarkably elegant, with superb length and a seamless finish.

I did manage to find one on-line retailer that sells the wine (make sure you’re looking for the correct year), but Wine Spectator notes that “Sadie Family wines are available at restaurants and retailers in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C.”

Via Everywine

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