A couple of signals to let you know that the summer is officially here.
1. Women of all shapes, sizes, colors and creeds begin leaving their house wearing the glorious creation that is, the sundress.
2. You will begin to whiff the faint smell of meat, charcoal and wood chips cooking in the distance when you step outside.
3. Dom Kennedy will release an album for the masses.
4. You have that realization for the next 2+ months that the sports calendar is about as dry as turkey meat with no gravy.
So, while you begin thinking of ways to talk to that young lady wearing that divine sundress at the barbecue you were invited to (and you didn't bring anything, you hack) with Dom Kennedy playing in the background, here are five dope tees from the good folks over at Homage that can give you the proper conversation starter.
The NBA Jam tee: We recently discussed which were your favorite arcade games growing up as a kid, and it seems that almost every man and woman on earth knows about the greatness of NBA Jam. One yell of "BOOMSHAKALAKA" will elicit an immediate response of nostalgia, or someone might think you're speaking a random African dialect. Either way, its a conversation starter.
The Ickey Shuffle tee: It was recently announced that the Cincinnati Bengals would be back on HBO's reality television series, "Hard Knocks" again, and while many might be familiar with AJ Green, Andy Dalton and the ass-slapper that is Chad Johnson, one of the original Bengal legends is former tailback James "Ickey" Woods. Bonus points if you can actually do the Ickey Shuffle without looking totally crazy in the process.
Legends Never Die tee: Especially if you want to wear a black tee in the heat of Summer. Show Mother Nature that you ain't afraid of her. (Okay, maybe wear this when it cools off a bit.)
Talkin' Bout Practice tee: You never really need a reason to talk about the greatness of Allen Iverson, but just in case you did, here's the tee that'll make it happen.
The Mustache Gang tee: Because wearing facial hair is a serious thing, and those who take the time and energy to rock it the right way are probably people that are not to be trifled with. Example, Rollie Fingers. The handle-bar mustache wearing gent was the Cy Young winner in 1981 and had no issue showing you what that hard biting sinker was like either in the batters' box.
Cop these five tees and more over at Homage.com.

Eddie Maisonet is the founder and editor emeritus of The Sports Fan Journal. Currently, he serves as an associate editor for ESPN.com. He is an unabashed Russell Westbrook and Barry Switzer apologist, owns over 100 fitteds and snapbacks, and lives by Reggie Jackson’s famous quote, “I am the straw that stirs the drink.”