Now that Tiki Barber is working for the Today show, it looks like the producers are all up in his business. Well, at least when Tiki's bags get lost. On his way to South Africa for the show's "Where in the World" gimmick, Barber missed a connecting flight and his bags got lost in the shuffle. And since the former NY Giant was traveling with just "essential toiletries," Sean Reis, producer for Today, purchased almost everything else for the former Giants running back.
Barber was swimming with great white sharks for a segment, where he was presumably messing his wet suit while in a shark-surrounded cage. An excerpt of the correspondence between Barber and Reis, including all of Barber's clothing sizes:
From: Barber, Tiki
To: Reis, SeanI have essential toiletries, so I’m good there.
Pants are tough to fit, I have a 32 waist but my thighs are generally too big for them so you'll prob need to get 34. Length 33.
Shirt: large is good.
I have tennis shoes, i'm not sure what i'll need but in case, i wear 11.5.
Hopefully, they will find my bag and get it to Capetown tomorrow.
Thanks, i appreciate you getting the stuff for me.
From: Reis, Sean
To: Barber, Tiki
Treetrunk thighs.
Got it.
While shopping, Reis learned that buying clothes for large Americans in South Africa isn't easy and that a man buying another man's clothing is awkward anywhere you go. And buying another man's underwear, a very personal preference, is even more awkward. Reis also found that the most common underwear among South African men is the bikini, "South Africans are really really really big fans of the bikini brief for men. NOT the jockey. The bikini. It's referred to in some circles as 'The Grape Smuggler' or 'The banana Hammock'."
Yikes! Luckily for Tiki, his producer was able to find something similar to a boxer brief. Something called "THE BEAR" - it's multicolored, snug, and, if you're wondering, Tiki likes them. And it's also a good thing Barber is retired, because we're sure he would hear about being THE BEAR from his teammates.
