Skins...shirts...and spears...

It's hard to imagine the Redskins wearing gold helmets with a red "R" on the side. Despite charges of politcal incorrectness, the indian on the side of the burgundy helmets is as much a part of the NFL as the Cowboy star, the Bear C and the Steeler hypocycloids.

BUY-- the current uniforms with burgundy pants and white jerseys at home more than stand the test of time...but there's one item I've seen in the Redskins store that I would jump over people to purchase: the road Jurgensen jersey from the George Allen era. It's still on my wishlist.

BURY-- the irony of Steve Spurrier coaching here during the 70th anniversary season was the "vintage" unis the Skins wore that year had an odd resemblence to Florida State. It's tough to get adjusted to the spear on the side of the helmet. Perhaps that's why things didn't work out under the ol' ballcoach.

BURN-- the all-white unis were lucky during the team's run from 5-6 to the NFC Divisional Playoffs, but it took way too long for this team to realize the mojo had been washed out during the offseason. What is this, Penn State?

Thanks for checking out our week-long look at uniforms in the DC area... any others that give you thrills, chills and spills? Leave us a note...

Which schools pass the uniform test?

College tradition is something to behold. Unlike pro teams that seemingly change jersey colors and/or styles, most universities keep the same basic styles over the years--unless you go from cursive to block lettering or numeral font style. We're blessed in the DC metro area with sweet outfits collegiately:


BUY-- The home Georgetown home jersey is a classic-especially if it has the gray t-shirt underneath. When I walk near it during stores I nervously throw whatever I'm carrying out of bounds. If I wear it I walk like I'm a foot taller. Hoya paranoia, indeed.


BURY-- I like Maryland's football and basketball outfits, with one exception--the black. Does every school/team need to "mix it up" with the alternate black jersey? I did enjoy the Maryland gold hoop unis from the mid-80's... they'd be nice to break out once a year.


BURN-- Virginia Tech's colors are nice, especially on fall Saturdays in Blacksburg, but did we need the "opposite color on the shoulder"? Do the lefthanded players then have their left shoulder with the opposite color?


coming up tomorrow... shirts for skins...

Diamonds in the rough: best and worst in the area.

Baseball is a sport littered with different uniform styles good (New York Yankees classic pinstripes), bad (Houston Astros early 80's popsicle) and ugly (Chicago White Sox big collar/shorts from the 70's). Therefore it only makes sense the Nationals and Orioles boast a checkered history of clothing...

BUY-- You can't go wrong with the Orioles classic uniforms--although I wish they'd put "Baltimore" on their road jerseys. The bird on the cap works as well.

BURY-- The cartoon bird on the cap worked while Earl Weaver managed the Birds to AL East titles, but is hopelessly out of date now. Meanwhile, could somebody tell the Nationals the Anaheim Angels already have their color scheme? I wish the Nats worked the old Expos royal blue into their scheme-- and I'm not a fan of the cursive cap plus the block lettering on the jerseys.

BURN-- Start and stop with the O's orange crush from the late 70's-- I think they lost the 1979 World Series based on those jerseys alone.

coming up tomorrow--college collections...

Wizards/Bullets uniforms: buy, burn or bury?

Continuing our series on DC area uniforms...:

Much like the "Good Ole Blues Brothers Boys Band", the "Baltimore/Capitol/Washington Bullets/Wizards" have enjoyed a bit of an identity crisis over the years. A change of cities, a chance of nickname and a change of uniforms coloring the franchises intriguing history...

BUY--the mid-80's red, white and blue jerseys boasted stripes across the front as well as-- the ultimate coup-- outstretched arms posing as the two l's. Sometimes a bad team can have a great uniform- and this was that moment.

BURY--what's the deal with teal? It seemed like every new franchise (Jaguars and Panthers in the NFL, Hornets in the NBA) found creative ways to have this color in its uniform scheme back in the late 80's-early 90's. I've been big into the "Wizards" as a nickname-- and the departure from red, white and blue makes it easier to yearn for "Bullets" as a moniker, even if it's not alliterative.

BURN--the best thing about the Wizards unis-- they aren't the "Sunday Special". Gold shirts and black pants--when did they become Sha Na Na? I half expect Bowzer to come out of the stands. If Gilbert Arenas has any pull, he'll have the team pull these travesties as part of his deal to re-sign. While you've got the fire up and running, toss the odd-striped ones from the 70's in the pyre as well.

coming up tomorrow...Nats and O's=Angels and Orange?

New jersey's got it, fit to a t (with a hockey stick)...

Congratulations to an incredibly successful weekend for the Capitals. While I have no idea if defenseman Karl Alzner will make an immediate impact, and don't know how their trading the 28th overall pick for two second rounders will help them in the long run--I'm certain the new uniforms are a huge improvement, and in today's cosmetic world does anything come close? As Jerry Seinfeld once said when it comes to sports "you're really rooting for laundry". The Capitals new jerseys put them back in the hunt for best uniforms in the DC area. Let's break it down team-by-team...asking three important questions: 1--Would you buy it? Is this piece of overpriced merchandise worth busting your budget and getting in trouble with your girlfriend? Or does it inspire scorn from your friends? I wore a "DEF LEPPARD ROCK BRIGADE" painters cap once to a soccer game. ONCE. 2--Would you bury it? Does this "artistic statement" perhaps belong in a different era? It's nice, but you know for some reason it just doesn't fit. My Red Sox 1975-78 red cap/blue brim qualifies. 3--Would you burn it?: Have you ever had a nightmare about clothing? Seriously, uniforms should not inspire bad dreams-- and there are more than a few that unfortunately do: many involve shock (why are the Sabres dressed like Kent State?) and disbelief (all right, those new Syracuse hoops jerseys are warmups-right?) and sometimes utter horror (Bullets strange stripes from the 70's, the new Sunday specials for the Wizards). The CAPITALS have been around for 30-plus years, and have had a limited amount of uniform changes...: BUY IT--I loved the original red, white and blue color scheme. And although the new unis go back to those colors, the original jerseys just look cooler. I'm just glad the new ones have the "hockey stick through the t". BURY IT--The new sweater has an ultra-modern, european feel to them. Almost TOO trendy for it's own good. Instead of beer and a hot dog, I feel like I need to sip a mojito and eat sushi wearing this one. BURN IT--Still, the best thing about the new jerseys is it's not the ones they've worn the past decade. I never understood the "Teal Eagle" (outside of synergy with the Wizards' colors) and they trumped it with "Busy Capitol on a Black Background" unis-- my theory remains it was that jersey that led to the team's downfall during the Jaromir Jagr era. coming up tomorrow... the Washington Capitol Bullet Wizards...

Nats exposed, O's hosed, Caps draft new colors...

The Nationals were enjoying a productive June until Detroit dropped by RFK Stadium this past week. After getting outscored 32-13 in getting swept by the Tigers, the team's obvious shortcomings came to light: the pitching, while better than many thought, is VERY banged up and the team doesn't possess a lot of offensive weapons. What will be interesting over the next month is which veterans will be dealt; the way Dmitri Young's hitting it appears the first baseman will have his bags packed by mid-July. What's the biggest concern for the Orioles? A nine game losing streak? The fact their first choice for manager gave them the thumbs-down (I'm sure if the Yankees or Cubs job opened up, Joe Girardi would have no problem being "away from his family")? Or losing their biggest bat and most valuable bargaining chip when Miguel Tejada broke his wrist? Chief Operating Officer Andy MacPhail has a proven track record with Minnesota and the Cubs; it'll be interesting to see not just player movement, but what structural changes he'll make in the O's organization. Big weekend on tap for the Capitals. The club owns the 5th overall pick in the NHL Draft and has four of the top 46 selections. Since the Jaromir Jagr experiment the franchise has been in "bunker mentality", accumulating draft picks for proven players-- this year saw another fire-sale right before the trading deadline. While most of the players chosen this weekend won't make instant impact this represents a solid opportunity for George McPhee to build around Alex Ovechkin. Needs include a center to eventually play with Ovechkin and defense. What do you think about the new Caps uniforms? I like them much better than the "Teal Eagles" and "Busy on a Black Background" that we've had to suffer through over the last decade. While I wish they more closely resembled the classic unis from the 70's and 80's, I'm psyched to see the "hockey stick through the T" return. The new jersey in and of itself makes this year's draft weekend a smashing success.

Levar lives large-- O's woes continue...

The incredible odyssey that has become the NFL career of Levar Arrington took another turn yesterday near the interchange of Route 50 and the I-495 Beltway in Prince George's County, Maryland. The onetime face of the franchise broke his arm and leg in a motorcycle accident; while the injuries are not life-threatening, they could spell the end of the linebacker's pro football career. He's currently re-habbing an achilles injury and turns 29 years old this week.

Jack London wrote "I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet". During his tenure with the Skins Arrington was just that-- a fascinating star streaking across the sky-- and unfortunately he flamed out with the team and, it appears, in the NFL much too soon. The possibilities of Levar might have outweighed the actual results-- but weren't the possibilities fun?

This week's other major development saw the Orioles fire manager Sam Perlozzo after two-plus seasons and a 122-164 record. While the O's were not getting things done under their skipper and had skidded to a halt in June (losing 8 straight and 13 of 15), the franchise is in need not so much of a mid-season tuneup as a complete overhaul. The team hasn't had a winning season since 1997 and the future isn't that bright (Nick Markakis the only young player producing at the big league level). Will this change be cosmetic or genuine? Wait until September 2009 when I write about the next managerial firing after two-plus sub-500 campaigns.

Nats= Half-full, O's=Half-empty...

Baseball's battle of the beltway wraps up this week with both the Nationals and Orioles owning losing records. While the six-game series has provided plenty of chills and thrills, what spills out of this matchup isn't as much what's happening now but the road ahead.

Both teams have had rough seasons thus far; while the Nationals lost 25 of 34 games to start the year, the Orioles flirted with .500 before starting June by losing nine of eleven. The Nats appear overmatched and talent-poor; the O's feel mistake-prone and look like their under-executing.

Both teams reach their current point from different directions: While Washington is recovering from being baseball's Quadruple-A team (aka Montreal Expos), Baltimore is the home of a once-juggernaut (3 world championships with ten playoff appearances from 1966 to 97) that's dissolved into irrelevancy with eight straight winning seasons.

The two franchises current position in the standings is where their similarities end; the Nationals direction is clearly on an upswing as they boast a youthful unit (24 of 33 players under 30--including 14 of 18 pitchers) and you could say three building blocks already play in DC (Ryan Zimmerman, Austin Kearns and Ryan Church).

The Orioles upside is not as bright: only Nick Markakis (age 23) and Brian Roberts (29) provide hope for the future among position players while Melvin Mora and Miguel Tejada are both on the wrong side of 30. And the pitching staff is either old, injured or both.

To top it off, the O's are in this hopeless short and longterm place despite a 95 million dollar payroll (as opposed to the Nats 37 million dollar salary structure). With a new stadium on the horizon, we may very well see more seperation between the two franchises-- and sooner rather than later.

Traveling on my mind-- and Gilbert Arenas's as well?

Well, despite my attempts to get bumped off my flight from San Juan, I'm back in DC after a week in the sun. Some observations from the Caribbean:

The sun is ridiculously high down there because of how far south you are-it's right at the top of the sky directly overhead from noon to 2pm-- and even at 5 in the evening the sun is at "noontime DC levels". Pass the sunscreen.

Food is plentiful on these ships-- I've eaten one meal since Saturday night and have still gained 3 pounds. On board, food is available somewhere from 6am to 3 the following morning-- and then you're stuck with room service for three hours.

NHL-- so far off the map it's not even funny. They did have cable tv with ESPN and CNN hookup on the ship so you could follow the NBA and Major League Baseball, plus plenty of Belmont Stakes on Saturday-- but not a word about the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. It was as though the sport didn't even exist-- and I'm not sure if that isn't really the case.

I came back to the area hearing that Gilbert Arenas has decided to opt out of his current contract at the end of next season. He's making about 12 million dollars in each of the next two years; obviously he would command the max contract. While the Wizards can give him an extra year (6 as opposed to 5) as opposed to other suitors, does Gilbert want to stay in DC? Will management give him not only the money he seeks but also provide him the supporting cast he desires? Keep your eyes on offseason moves-- and if their personnel shifts inspire confidence or crisis.

Piston's Popped... and the Sultan of SPF...

I hope this reaches the DC Metro, Richmond and Virginia Beach Webwaves...

Greetings from the Adventure of the Seas!... I'm currently in the Caribbean recharging my batteries for the next Redskins/Virginia Tech/Maryland marathon from late July's training camps through next April's NFL Draft.

So far my goal has been to 1-not lose all my money at the casino, 2-not get massively sunburned and 3-not get hung over on the local "spirits". Done, done and done. And I've only had my heart broken twice this week (Vegas over/under set at 3 and a half).

Still, I can't get away from work on vacation--

I'm seated at dinner this week with MIKE WOOD. Formerly a tight end at Hofstra, he's been recently signed to the Arizona Cardinals practice squad. He's probably on track to play in NFL Europe next year.

Also at my table--three people from Ireland who couldn't stop talking about the Pakistani cricket coach's death-- I'm glad Bram was overseas when it happened so he could talk it up on the show to give me fodder for the conversation.

Lastly--I couldn't stop thinking another Pistons meltdown. Joe Dumars, this is on you. After constructing a dynamite TEAM-- and putting the perfect coach in charge-- you allowed his stay to become so unenjoyable he ran to the quagmire that is the Knicks. If Larry Brown is a happy coach, who's to say they don't repeat in 05? And if Brown's their coach the past two seasons, you'd have to think they'd get through to the Finals-- especially with homecourt advantage.

Instead of a team with multiple titles (and perhaps a young Carmelo Anthony or Dwyane Wade instead of memories of Darko) you've got an aging squad minus your best defender (Ben Wallace) coached by Flip Saunders. OUCH.


Back to the sun, the beverages and who knows what else.