Welcome Back to “I’m Curious!”

It has been a little bit since the last edition because of job stuff and Election Day, but we’ll get back to it!

First of all, I am happy to report I’ll be starting a new job next week. I’ll be producing evening coverage with Straight Arrow News, a small but growing news outlet that plays it down the middle when it comes to covering news. It is funded by billionaire Joe Ricketts, a major Republican donor, but I have not seen that shape their coverage or affect their ability to report on stories fairly. 

The job will allow me to maintain the ability to chase my curiosity by covering stories on just about every beat and will let me stay in the Washington, D.C. area. I’m excited!

There’s plenty of sports coverage ahead in this week’s newsletter but first, I’ll take a sec and put my own spin on some of the post-election discussions about masculinity, podcasters and how to talk about that kind of stuff.

The Most Curious Thing This Week

It’s the glory of the mani-pedi!

Election Day is a stressful time to be a journalist covering politics. I had the evening shift working down in Atlanta as we covered the results coming in from Georgia.

Beforehand, I made some time to get a manicure and a pedicure.

This is a pretty radical move for any man to make. Manicures, pedicures and nail salons have been regarded, pretty much forever, as spaces for women. There haven’t even been any prominent attempts to make a male-coded, “sporty” hand and foot care place that I’ve seen, in the vein of Sport Clips, the hair salon with TVs playing sports channels in the background.

There’s the old internet meme template making fun of toxic masculinity where somebody asks “Fellas, is it gay to…” and then inserts a mundane activity afterward. In this framework, people have joked that literally anything can be “gay.”

Praying? You’re getting down on your knees for another man.

Making money? You’re literally collecting pictures of other men.

Sad to say that in my time, I’ve heard some pretty ridiculous unironic efforts to spin everyday activities like this as “girly” or “gay,” and treating that as a bad thing. It feels like pretty often, guys who think this way end up mocking other guys who just take care of themselves.

It takes some guts and the refusal to give a crap about what anybody else thinks, but going in for a mani-pedi gets you a heck of a time. For less than the price of most guys’ bar tabs after a night of drinking, I got to sit in a massage chair for 45 minutes, soaking my feet, getting them massaged and getting all the gunk on there removed. You don’t even need to get nail polish. That doesn’t really match my personality or how I dress, so I pass. 

The place I stopped at in Atlanta last week even asked me if I wanted a drink to go with it almost as soon as I sat down.

Coming in, my nails had been long and gross, but I got to completely zone out, destress and let a couple of folks clean me up. At one point, two people were working on me at the same time and I felt like the most important person in the world.

It took me going with my fiancée the first time a few months ago to get comfortable with it but it feels pretty easy to go in yourself. They’re not gonna turn you down. After all, your money is just as green as anybody else’s.

It doesn’t say anything about your masculinity or your sexuality to go in there. It’ll just be a reminder that you deserve to care for yourself. It isn’t any different from getting a haircut, going to sit in a sauna or even lifting weights at the gym. You’re taking care of yourself. The setting may feel weird but seriously, if you have the cash, just go do it. What matters most is how it makes you feel.

I don’t care what supplements Joe Rogan might be trying to sell you, or what warped definition of masculinity Andrew Tate is using this week to try to get money to cover the legal bills from those charges of rape and sex trafficking he’s facing.

I’m just gonna keep rolling with a definition of masculinity that doesn’t judge you for self-care.

So fellas, it doesn’t matter if it’s gay or not. Just take care of yourself.

My Reporting

NWSL Playoffs

In every respect, it was a crowded house on Sunday at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. I made it out for one of four NWSL quarterfinal games this weekend, as the 2-seed Washington Spirit hosted 7-seed Bay FC, who made the playoffs as an expansion team this year.

The press box and photo bays were crowded but the biggest difference came from the sellout crowd of 19,215 fans. I’ve covered many games in the stadium but this one was the loudest. And not just for big moments, either. The crowd was focused and roared even for plays as simple as a well-timed tackle or interception.

And while the Spirit pulled out a win to guarantee they would move on and host a semifinal next weekend against fellow semifinalist NJ/NY Gotham FC, the game turned out to be a suspenseful (and, as we’d learn eventually, emotional) affair.

The two teams traded opportunities but held each other scoreless for more than 80 minutes to start the match. Bay FC took a late lead after a goal by Asisat Oshoala in the 82^nd minute, briefly looking like they might pull off a stunning upset on the road.

Bay FC defender and recent U.S. national team call-up Alyssa Malonson held Washington’s star forward Trinity Rodman in check, and Bay were able to snuff out many efforts to cross the ball from the sides of the field to the middle of the box in front of the goal.

Similarly, Washington’s defensive crew kept Bay FC’s star forward Racheal Kundananji from making much noise. At several points, Spirit defender Tara McKeown chased Kundananji down and snuffed out her attacks.

It was quite the emotional weekend for McKeown, as after the game, she and her teammates shared that she had to miss her sister’s wedding to prepare for and play in this game.

After Bay FC took that late lead, opportunity struck in the 86^th minute. After being shut down all afternoon, Rodman lobbed a pass into the box. Some deflections sent the ball back out and to the feet of McKeown. With the tables turned and Kundananji now defending her, she dribbled past her and launched a shot. It tumbled fairly slowly along the grass but somehow snaked its way through four defenders nearby.

By the time Bay FC goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland could see the ball, it had already trailed off well to her right, taking a clear path into the bottom left corner of the net.

The crowd lost it.

“When we were down a goal, I knew that our season wasn’t over and I couldn’t miss my sister’s wedding for nothing,” McKeown said after the game. “So when I saw the opportunity to do, I did. And thank God it went in.”

Near the very end of stoppage time, the Spirit looked to seal the deal with the ball in Bay FC’s penalty area. A bouncing ball landed with midfielder Hal Hershfelt, who had a fairly clear shot from the top of the 18-yard box. She hit one heading straight for the top right corner of the net. It cleared the keeper but deflected off the top of the crossbar.

About a foot lower and the game would’ve been over.

But it took extra time to determine a winner, with the deciding goal coming on an own goal for Bay FC, as defender Caprice Dydasco, who played four years with the Spirit at the start of her career, inadvertently headed the ball into the net.

The Spirit then held on for the remaining time to seal the win.

And Tara McKeown’s sister Kait let the world know that she was proud.

Election Night in Georgia

Before we move on, I have to shout out my first time producing live for a reporter in the field. My colleague Lauren Magarino and I held things down covering the home stretch of the campaign in Georgia.

We came up live a few times on Monday from the Georgia State Capitol and then had two stops on Tuesday: a polling place in the Grant Park neighborhood of Atlanta and the Fulton County Election Hub, a warehouse on the outskirts of the city where ballots were processed and counted.

We met some very friendly voters over by the polling place, including one lady who immigrated from Jamaica and was particularly proud of Kamala Harris, whose father also immigrated from Jamaica.

Neither Lauren, I or Kola, our videographer, had offers to stay with Scripps News after this coming Friday, so we treated it in many respects as a bit of a last hurrah. By midnight, it had been a very long few days but we at least put on some smiles for a final picture together.

Other Sports Takes and Things of Note

The BYJew: Jake Retzlaff has quarterbacked the BYU Cougars football team to an 9-0 start. The Cougars are ranked 7^th and as of today, would qualify for the College Football Playoff.

BYU is run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Nearly 99% of the students on campus are Mormons. BYU has three Jewish students. Jake Retzlaff, also the only Jewish starting quarterback at the top FBS level of college football, is one of them.

Despite a little bit of hesitance when the nickname circulated, Jewish communities in Utah have embraced the nickname Retzlaff gave himself on his arrival: “The BYJew.”

Retzlaff has had to adopt some unorthodox methods, including playing on Yom Kippur. In an article published in The Atlantic last month, correspondent McKay Coppins wrote that, “to Retzlaff, playing on [Yom Kippur] was a chance to represent his faith on a stage that is not exactly teeming with people like him.”

On the field, Retzlaff hasn’t shown any signs of being uncomfortable, throwing for 2,091 yards and 18 touchdowns compared to just seven interceptions in nine games so far.

And off the field, Retzlaff told Deseret News that he has felt really welcome despite being one of so few Jewish students at a Mormon school.

“As a culture we love to point out the differences in each other. But we have way more similarities. That’s something I’ve gotten to discover here is that so many guys are so much like me,” he said.

Return of the C-Mac: It’s been a middling season for the San Francisco 49ers, who started 4-4 after nearly winning the Super Bowl last season. 

Star running back Christian McCaffrey has been out for the entire season so far due to Achilles tendinitis in his feet.

The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year rushed for just 39 yards on 13 carries in Sunday’s win vs. the Buccaneers but got involved in the passing game, catching six passes for 68 receiving yards, including one big gain.

@nfl

missed this duo #brockpurdy #nfl #sanfrancisco49ers #cmc #christianmccaffrey

After the game, McCaffrey told reporters it was just the third time in eight weeks that he was wearing pads and that he was still trying to find his footing.

“I think there’s a couple of things that, maybe I didn’t feel like myself 100%, but that’s normal when you haven’t played in a long time,” he said.

The Niners are on the outside looking in when it comes to the NFC playoff picture. But they are just one win behind the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals, and if McCaffrey gets back up to speed, they may be able to get in by winning the division.

The Rise of the Cavs: It has been quite the run for the Cleveland Cavaliers to start this NBA season. They have started the season 12-0, jumping out to the top of the Eastern Conference in the early days of this season. That includes their win Monday night, where they held on 119-113 against the Bulls thanks in part to a 36-point game by star swingman Donovan Mitchell.

It’s not entirely unexpected for a team that went 48-34 last season and secured the Eastern Conference’s 4-seed in last year’s playoffs. But Cleveland is still a young team that, entering this season, many experts didn’t think had enough top-tier players to make a deep run.

There have been no major individual steps forward, but Cleveland’s core four of Mitchell, point guard Darius Garland and big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley have all each improved just enough this season to make a big difference for the Cavs.

@cavs

Game winner. SPIDA’S ICE COLD. #LetEmKnow #nba #nbahighlights #highlights

Mitchell, Garland and Allen have all improved their field goal percentage over last season, Garland and Mobley have both upped their points per game averages, and Garland has taken a huge step forward as a 3-point shooter, shooting 45.9% from downtown. Both that percentage and his 7.1 3-point attempts per game would be career highs if he can keep them up all season.

It will be a tough fight for Cleveland to knock off the reigning champion Boston Celtics, who with an 9-2 start, are the only other team in the Eastern Conference to start above .500 so far. But if Cleveland’s core maintains its improvements, it may be able to make it a real competition.

Something Good I Ate

I had the pleasure of visiting Charleston, South Carolina, for the first time a couple of weeks ago for the wedding of my college best friend.

When co-best man duties didn’t overlap (and that’s no small thing… I had to learn the choreography for not one but two dances!), I snuck out to try a few of Charleston’s many delicious food spots.

Close readers may know about my love of all things put out by chef and TV personality Vivian Howard. Between her ability to tell stories that have a strong sense of place, some delicious food, and a North Carolina accent that makes every word sound like it’s covered in molasses, I’m all-in!

She has a pair of restaurants in Charleston, including Handy & Hot, a breakfast/lunch grab-and-go café.

It became one of my go-to spots over the weekend, as I could hardly resist their delicious caramel apple latte. The pepperoni pizza biscuit, with cheese, pepperoni and tomato sauce crammed into the middle, gave a savory hug to my taste buds, perfectly balanced by the applejack hand pie, a hot, crispy pastry with sweet apple jam filling inside (no cereal or reggae-singing cinnamon, sadly, but it’s good enough as it is.)

Pair all of it with a quiet patio tucked away off a side street and blocked by some thick shrubs and I had a pretty much perfect space all to myself to get away from the chaos.

You can’t ask for much more than that.