Why are we all bearcats?

The coolest knife that’s not a knife.

Someday, I’ll break down the coolest things made by maker content creators. There are certainly a few worth picking up like Giaco’s Maker Knife and Diresta’s ice picks.

In the meantime, check out the Bourbon Blade. A collaboration between Jonathan Katz-Moses and Jason Hibbs (Bourbon Moth) (and a collaboration between knife and chisel).

Katz-Moses has a long history of making badass tools and jigs, but this is the first I’ve seen in the ‘EDC’ space. Check out KM Tools for some of his other stuff.

This thing is still in pre-order, but I’m excited to get my hands on one and see how it feels.

My wife and I were both bearcats.

It seems like there is no more ubiquitous American elementary school mascot than the “bearcat”. Somehow, we have redefined the word 'bearcat’ to be almost exclusively referential to a sweaty guy in a costume at a football game.

You would be right to say there are more popular mascots. According to this page on mascotdb.com there are 48 of them.

The important point here is that bearcats are a more popular mascot than “Cubs” (#53), “Cowboys” (#56), “Sharks” (#76), and many other more obvious mascot choices.

The only one that seems to make less sense is the ubiquity of “Senators” (#46), which, given the current political climate, seems risky at best.

So WTF is a bearcat?

People who know what they are talking about call it a binturong and it’s apparently a mammal from South East Asia related to the civet (which is the mascot for a whopping zero teams).

So what is the connection between the binturong and midwest American t-ball teams?

I hate to spoil the incredibly interesting email journalism you’re reading now, but I don’t know.

Believe me, I looked.

In a last ditch effort to find some kind of closure, I asked AI.

Google Gemini said:

This is probably true and ultimately unsatisfying.

If you, as a human, have another idea why there are so many bearcats running around youth sports fields, please hit reply and give me your thoughts.

In the meantime, go bearcats. 🤷‍♂️

Here’s what I’ve been hooked on lately…

WATCH: Blue Eye Samurai

This very adult show is part Kill Bill, part Mulan and all revenge-fueled badassery. Highly recommend watching as long as there aren’t any children or nuns in the room.

READ: Life After Power - Jaren Cohen

I heard Jared Cohen interviewed on Armchair Expert. I don’t usually dig into political books but, given the old man tug-of-war happening in Washington, it seemed like a good time to get a little history.

Cohen deep-dives the stories of seven US presidents with a specific focus on their life post-presidency. If you’re anything like me, you know a little about some presidents and nothing about their lives after the fact.

Highly recommend.

LISTEN: YUNGBLUD & Halsey cover “I will follow you into the dark” for Triple J’s Like a Version

It's an oldie but a goodie. I still think this is the greatest cover of a beautiful song.

If you check out any of the above, let me know what you think.

Be good.

z