Purple

It began with mollusk mucus -- not the most inviting thought -- a gooey, staining secretion from sea snails. Its dark-red color so delighted folks in ancient times that they used it as a coveted fabric dye. The Greeks coined it porphura. Medieval Europe combined it with rare blue dye to create what they called purple -- a bold, distinctive and expensive hue reserved for aristocrats and royalty. That's when the color's allure took hold, back when it was difficult to come by. Today, purple is prevalent yet it still possesses a look-at-me quality -- as evidenced by the purple-lit buildings throughout downtown Baltimore that celebrate the success of the purple-clad Ravens this season.

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Separated by 600 miles - not to mention diametrically opposed philosophies - throngs of Ravens and Colts fans gathered yesterday for dueling pep rallies, raising to a fever pitch the fan frenzy leading up to today's playoff game. Of the events in the Baltimore area, the most raucous was perhaps the noon rally in Bel Air, where purple was draped over downtown storefronts and an energetic crowd of about 2,000 assembled at a municipal parking lot on Main Street. Grown-ups, children and even pets sported purple hair, paint-on Ravens symbols and their favorite players' jerseys.

Good morning --Ravens fans-- Remember, no playing "Purple Haze" after 10 on a weeknight.

Bill Foltz ducked out of work for a few minutes this week and headed to a tent on the side of Belair Road to snag a must-have item for his wardrobe: a purple Ravens T-shirt. For Foltz, a season ticket-holder, the shirt is a splashy addition to the other purple tops and 46 strands of beads he has at home for game days. But for Andrew Hacke and Jeff Fiorucci, who were selling the shirts, the sale is one of thousands that mean extra profit this football season. "We're really rooting for the Ravens," said Hacke, a die-hard Ravens fan. "You could say this is the calm before the storm.

Once, when the children were small and her husband was alive, the garden filled Annie Green's tiny back yard. Her ruby roses burst through the chain-link fence and spilled onto the sidewalk, the talk of the neighborhood.But that was many years ago.Once, when her memory was better, she knew the names of all the flowers in her garden, and she grew tomatoes, peppers and greens, but that was before someone stole her collards.Now, cool October mornings whisper to her as she stands at her kitchen door, behind bars, squinting in the morning sun.Neighbors call her "Gran."

Editor's note: A little boy yearns to know the purple coyote's secret but later wishes he hadn't been so curious.In the middle of a flat and arid desert stood a hill of sand and rock.Near this hill was a small house.Jim played alone in the garden with his old truck, which was missing one wheel.One day, a coyote appeared on the hill.A coyote unlike any other.A purple coyote.Jim watched him.The coyote did a little dance. Then he balanced himself on his right front paw and let out a strange howl:"WULULI WULA WULILA WUWU WA!"

He's the purple baron of banalities, the dean of duh, the regent of repetition. He bores us to the point of paralysis.But Barney, it seems, is here to stay.It has been 10 years since the googly-voiced, overstuffed dinosaur debuted in videos as a new kind of educational programming. Then "Barney and Friends" came to public television six years ago. Almost immediately, the show gained BTC popularity with kids aged 2 to 5 who weren't yet ready for shows like "Sesame Street" or "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood."

HOW CAN pro football fans who remember details of a game 40 years ago have such short memories otherwise?Wasn't it just a few years ago that Baltimore pined for a team and a Camden Yards-quality football stadium for it to play in? Aren't Sundays more entertaining now that the National Football League has returned? Isn't downtown more vibrant on game days?No, the Ravens didn't make the playoffs their first three seasons. But teams down today may be up tomorrow. Organizations with storied pasts such as football's Green Bay Packers and baseball's New York Yankees are winning again, but only after long stretches of mediocrity.

Enter Nancy Carsey's North Baltimore co-op and you're in a parallel universe, one that's decorated in infinite hues of purple, (even her piano is purple) and peopled by larger-than-life-size statues from Africa, Oceania and other faraway places.The effect is a bit overwhelming. And so is Carsey. The director of Very Special Arts Maryland, a non-profit arts program for people with disabilities, is herself a vision in purple, plum and fuchsia. Save for the occasional detour to black, Carsey, who would prefer to discuss her "experience" rather than her age, buys clothing based on purpleness.

Not everyone at M&T Bank Stadium tailgating parties was wearing a Ravens jersey - even if it was the season opener. Mikel Pike chose to show her team spirit - without sacrificing her love of "unique, standout" fashion - in a knockout purple dress and silver and purple platform sandals. "I like to wear things that are fitted and show my figure, but are still comfortable and in style," says the 22-year-old Middle Tennessee State University junior. The look: Purple V-neck cotton-knit Takeout dress.

Paul Kase and Chuck Sabia have endured plenty of lousy news this year, from the impacts of an unstinting recession to another losing season by the Orioles. But none of that mattered Sunday as they and thousands of other purple-clad Ravens fans swarmed the streets of downtown, guzzling beers, whooping about how their team finally has a quarterback and swapping optimistic predictions of Super Bowl trips. Despite an afternoon full of tense moments, the Ravens rewarded an expectant crowd of 71,099 with a thrilling 38-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Prepare to duck as you enter Cal Bloom's Barber Shoppe in Westminster. There's a fierce-looking plaster raven atop the doorway, guaranteed to make your hair stand up. All the easier for Cal to cut it. See the lunchroom across the way, all dolled up with balloons and banners of purple and gold? Step inside Harry's Main Street Grille and order a Terrell Suggs Panini ("Guaranteed to knock you off your feet!"). Down the road at Baugher's Restaurant - just a shout from the football field - the staff is braced for the start of Ravens training camp this week.

Want some Ravens autographs? Drive out to Mount Airy, in Carroll County. There you'll find Earl Raven, 57, his wife, Nina, and their two kids. The Raven family moved to Maryland five years ago and fit right in. Visiting the Inner Harbor for the first time, Raven's daughter Tess, 11, pointed to a banner overhead and said, 'Look, Dad, they're welcoming us.' " "Home of the Ravens," it read. R-A-V-E-N During the team's good seasons, like this one, Marie Raven of Laurel has no trouble making dinner reservations.

The Rev. Frank Reid III has a problem: how to dress for tomorrow's service at Bethel AME Church in Baltimore. Should he deliver the sermon wearing his Ravens sweat shirt or the Ray Lewis jersey? "We've encouraged the congregation to wear purple," Reid said. "And at some point [during the service] I will mention that we want to pray for the team." Purple passion has reached the pulpit. All around town, the clergy are throwing their ecumenical weight behind the Ravens, who play Pittsburgh tomorrow night for a spot in the Super Bowl.

What are we going to eat and drink Sunday night as we watch the Ravens play the Pittsburgh Steelers? This is the question that is consuming Baltimore eaters this week. There are several game-day possibilities: bowing to superstition, choosing local flavors or going purple. The superstition route is one Gary Scher travels. His eating habits bring the Ravens good luck, he thinks. When, for example, he watches the Ravens on television in his Ellicott City home, Scher always pops open a can of Coors in sync with the kickoff.

There's a reason why Marie Long is dressed in purple, almost from head to toe, and it has nothing to do with the Ravens. The retired social worker from Southwest Baltimore says that dressing monochromatically makes her look taller. She chose this particular vibrant color to attend the Morgan State University Alumni Association's "Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Breakfast" at Martin's West. While she has fun putting together her one-color outfits, Long says, she's careful not to let her fashion define her. Self-described style: : "Eclectic" The look: : Purple wool boucle suit.

It was a rotten year. That 401(k) tanked quicker than the Orioles in September. The Maryland men's basketball team rallied less often than Wall Street. As for employment opportunities, at times it seemed the only jobs around Baltimore were for starting pitchers. Sports are supposed to muster the troops, push our worries aside. The Ravens are doing just that. If there's a bounce in the collective steps of Marylanders these days, credit football. Reaching the NFL playoffs - the Ravens play at Miami on Sunday - has given folks a distraction from their daily fears about stock woes, downsizing and housing ills.

Just a couple of years ago, when Republican Bob Ehrlich was governor of Maryland and running for re-election, he stood next to Rudy Giuliani at a $2,000-a-plate fundraiser in Baltimore, and the former New York City mayor took questions from reporters. When one brought up Maryland's blue statehood, Ehrlich stepped forward to make a correction. "Light blue," he said, and ha-ha-ha and hee-hee-hee - that Bobby Slots was some funny guy, no? Calling Maryland "light blue," suggesting that Democratic power is thin here, was wishful thinking on Ehrlich's part.

Baltimoreans are going to love this. One of the important home design trends this fall and winter is the color purple. Purple has been a mainstay color in fashion for a couple of seasons, and this fall is no exception. Where fashion leads, home design is soon to follow. We're not talking about a wimpy, pale shade of purple. This is not lilac, periwinkle or lavender - hues that belong in a powder room or a girl's bedroom. This shade is a rich, deep purple that a man would be proud to have on his walls.