Supermodel Kloss takes swing at broadcasting

A fashion model, a Victoria's Secret Angel and a very serious cookie monster.

All three could accurately describe Karlie Kloss, a 6-foot-1 model who's easily identifiable, professionally speaking, by the first two. The third? Those are her words, believe it or not. She's a cookie monster. And a serious one at that.

The little-known facts uncovered during Express Written Consent, sponsored by Klondike, are often the most delightful. Last week, we learned Michael Franti's appendix burst just before one of his songs hit the Top 20 for the first time in his singing career.

This week, we now know that while Kloss may have just turned 21, she's a pretty worldly gal who has channeled her passions into not only a very successful career, but a philanthropic one as well.

That's the fun of EWC, an exercise in broadcasting where nontraditional announcers -- i.e., celebrities -- try their hand at calling Major League games, or, in this case, jewel events.

Kloss explained the subplot to her life as a public figure (literally) during a spell in the Klondike suite on All-Star Monday in New York last month. While watching Bryce Harper take his hacks during the Home Run Derby, she chatted it up with MLB.com's Jeremy Brisiel and revealed her fascination with cookies and baking.

Last year, she started a project in collaboration with Momofuku Milk Bar in which she created a special gluten-free recipe called Karlie's Kookies, with proceeds benefiting hungry children around the world.

The sale of the cookies raised $200,000 for school lunches for kids who wouldn't normally get them.

"It's all of my passions rolled into one," she said. "Philanthropy, cookies and health and nutrition."

These days, Kloss is a big-city girl living the high life of a top model, but here's another little-known fact: she's from St. Louis and is a born-and-bred Cardinals fan. She grew up rooting for Mark McGwire but in her more formidable years shifted allegiances to Albert Pujols.

Her most memorable Cardinals moment occurred when she met a legend that trumps every other popular player who's been in St. Louis: Stan Musial.

Apparently, Kloss ran into Musial last year in the same manner a lot of common fans meet their sports idols -- in an area restaurant, where she was not there as a Victoria's Secret model but just as a local who happened to be getting food at the same time as a Hall of Famer.

"It's a small town," she said. "I got introduced, and I haven't washed the hand since I shook Stan The Man's hand."

This story emerged when Kloss was playing "Start, Bench, Cut," during which J.B. threw out three names and she had to put them in categories in order of importance.

This one was easy -- start Musial, bench Ozzie Smith and cut Pujols. "Albert, you left me," Kloss said. "I still love you, but I'm cutting you."

The exercise wasn't so easy when the options were Gisele Bundchen, Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks. Too much risk of backlash and all.

"See, that's rude," Kloss said, contemplating her order. "All of them are going to be watching this. That's just too political."

Pressing on, she decided to start Bundchen because "I am her biggest fan."

Kloss opted to bench Klum, which left Banks to be cut. "Tyra is a good friend," Kloss said, "so I can cut her, and we'd still be OK."

Toward the end of her EWC session, Kloss, unprompted, asked for a Klondike. Then, turning to J.B., she asked, "What would you do for a Klondike bar?"

"I would finish this segment," J.B. joked. "I would finish it in a heartbeat."

MLB.com will be unveiling more original broadcasts over the next several weeks. Among the new crop: John C. McGinley, the Madden Brothers (Benji and Joel), Kevin Pollak and Robert Horry.

So bookmark EWC to see which storyteller's story is the most fun and whose future in the booth is brightest.