I’m writing this before the Shohei Ohtani press conference that’s happening later this afternoon which is probably the biggest story in sports today. Because Shohei Ohtani is the biggest thing in baseball – he’s a unicorn talent, and up to this point in his career, having just signed the biggest contract in MLB history, his reputation has been flawless.
And now… a mess. A gambling mess involving one of his closest friends, his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, who recently admitted to a gambling addiction, and used Shohei’s money to settle his debts. Which may or may not have actually been Shohei’s debts. It doesn’t help that Shohei’s story keeps changing and I don’t know yet whether or not it’ll change again during the presser. But if you know nothing about this situation, The Ringer has a great piece by Ben Lindbergh that sums it all up and if you don’t think this has anything to do with celebrity, you’re wrong, it has everything to do with celebrity. This is about reputation, this is about young talent and the people around them; it’s about celebrity crisis management – and it’s about what we are and are not willing to believe when it comes to the truth about the stars we have elevated. (The Ringer)
I have never watched a single minute of any episode of any Housewives franchise of any city. So I say this as a neophyte – Heidi Klum’s outfit, does this look like she could be a cast member? (Go Fug Yourself)
Reddit and Pajiba are talking about life hacks, the ones that seem fake but actually can you’re your ass. Baking soda really is one of life’s unsung heroes – it has so many jobs and it’s good at all of them! I don’t have a life hack to recommend that seems fake, but my favourite hack to pass onto people, which I’ve shared before, and I will keep sharing it until everyone starts doing it, is to microwave your food with a wet paper towel. I’m telling you, the steam that it generates will prevent your food rom drying, and that is a life saver! Dry food can ruin your day! (Pajiba)
Let’s keep talking about food because there’s a corner of the internet that is obsessed with Ina Garten’s bagel and how she cuts it not once but twice to create three slices …which makes her a monster! Each half of one bagel is its own perfection and as far as I’m concerned, adding a third weirdly shaped, skinny slice (because who can actually cut a bagel into three perfect thirds??!!??) is bad luck, I said what I said! (Celebitchy)
The real monsters, of course, are the kinds of men online who are mad about a superhero in a crop top. (The Mary Sue)
