By Andy Tarnoff Publisher Published Dec 25, 2006 at 8:16 AM
My wife tells me I have more T-shirts than anyone she's ever met.  She might be right.

Between the dozen Brewers Spring Training shirts, the tattered old free college shirts, the concert souvenirs I refuse to throw away and the occasional "dressy" T-shirt,  I've got a gaggle.

Which is why I have a hard time adding to my wardrobe.  But I really love ironic T-shirts, though I'm to pull the trigger and get one for myself.

That may change soon, though.  I've deliberately stayed away from Shag, the custom T-shirt store at 2218 N. Farwell Ave.  I knew, once I got sucked in, I may never leave.

Fortunately this week, I exercised a little bit of self control and just bought one custom shirt -- as a gift.

I gotta admit, though.  It was pretty cool.  And I wanted to stay and buy more.

But when your closet is overflowing with old T-shirts that you refuse to retire to Goodwill, you have to pick your spots.  And I must admit, most of the ironic shirts that make me laugh the hardest are too raunchy to wear in public, and thus, not worth the $30 it'll set me back to make it from scratch.

So for now, I'll hang back, giving great shirts this holiday. But when I gather up the gumption to retire that frayed 1992 Robin Yount T-shirt, I'll be back at Shag, ready to reload.

Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.

Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.

Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.