Uniform

The bus carrying Cody Stanton and other wounded soldiers breezed up Interstate 95 on Tuesday to the site of the former World Trade Center in New York, with an escort arranged by Baltimore's police commissioner. The side door opened, and Stanton, who lost his legs and two fingers in an explosion in Afghanistan, was lowered on his wheelchair. More than one hundred construction workers were protesting working conditions at the site, but when they saw the soldiers, they suddenly broke into a thunderous applause, chanting "USA!

It's no secret that Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld IIIis a frequent diner at Miss Shirley's, a breakfast, brunch and lunch spot with locations in Roland Park and at the Inner Harbor. He's partial to the omelet margharita. So it should be no surprise that the soon-to-be retiring chief headed for the Pratt Street bistro Wednesday morning to catch a quick breakfast. There, according to a police source, he stumbled on two city officers drinking alcohol. They had just come off the midnight shift and were off duty, but were either dressed in partial uniform or had their guns and badges displayed, said the police source and another person affiliated with law enforcement who is familiar with the incident.

On a warm, sunny afternoon at the Maritime Industries Academy baseball field, posters honoring members of the Negro leagues hung on the outfield fence and dust swirled under the banner honoring Jackie Robinson at home plate. Members of the Maritime and Southside Academies wore gray and blue pin-striped replica uniform shirts of two teams that played in the NL — the Baltimore Black Sox (Maritime) and the Baltimore Elite Giants (Southside). And they played with wooden bats. In this, the 1st Annual Negro League Appreciation Game, the Maritime Black Sox won, 11-1, in five innings, with pitcher Devont'e Lewis striking out 14 and allowing just one hit while going the distance.

Baltimore's Board of Estimates on Wednesday awarded a $120,000 contract to a Columbia-based company to buy T-shirts, primarily for youth sports. Nightmare Graphics took over the city t-shirt contract from Replay Sports, which had previously held the city contract. Over the past three years, city agencies have purchased more than $444,000 in T-shirts, polo shirts and hats from the company.  A database of all the transactions can be found here . While about three quarters of the money used to purchase uniforms for young athletes at recreation centers, nearly $147,000 was used to buy uniforms and t-shirts for employees and program participants in other departments.  City officials are grappling with the fourth consecutive year of significant budget shortfalls.

After nearly an hour of buildup Tuesday morning, the NFL and Nike -- the apparel company which has replaced Reebok as the league's official apparel supplier -- revealed new uniforms for each of the 32 NFL teams at an event in New York City. Seconds later, those images were transmitted out into the blogosphere. So what changes were eager, fashion-forward Ravens fans treated to? A swoosh and a collective yawn . As expected, there were no major changes made to the team's new Nike uniforms.

If the unveiling of the Seattle Seahawks new uniforms are any indication, Nike has come up with a sleeker, more space-age look for the new jerseys, which are said to be 20 percent lighter and 50 percent stronger. They're also 50 percent uglier, too cold and futuristic-looking, if you ask me. New design on the shoulders adorned with -- naturally -- a Nike swoosh -- is right out of "Star Wars. " Being an old-school guy, I'm not crazy about the Ravens' new Nike Elite 51 unis -- not even the name Nike Elite 51. They're sleeker, lighter, tighter-fitting in a Star-Wars-meets-Ray-Lewis kind of way, but I liked the Ravens jerseys just the way they were.

Time will tell if Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, the 2011 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, will make into to the Pro Football Hall of Fame whenever his playing career ends. But if Suggs does get inducted, his gear will be waiting for him when he arrives. The uniform worn by Suggs in his standout 2011 season arrived Thursday at the Hall of Fame , so if you make the trip up to Canton, Ohio you can check out the helmet, purple jersey, pants, socks and cleats he wore while chasing after enemy quarterbacks in 2011.

Second baseman Brian Roberts will be in uniform when the Orioles take the field for their first full-squad workout Friday at the Ed Smith Stadium complex, but it remains to be seen how much he will be able to participate in the early drills. Manager Buck Showalter met with him on the field after Thursday's final pitcher-catcher workout and said the progress that Roberts has made in his recovery from two concussions has been “very encouraging.” “We'll see what tomorrow brings,” Showalter said.

A Parkville man has been arrested on a charge of impersonating an officer, after Baltimore County police say they found uniforms, badges and patches from various police agencies in his home, as well as weapons and other items. Derek John Propalis, 59, of the 2900 block of Garnet Road, was stopped Jan. 19 for allegedly speeding in Parkville, police said Thursday. Propalis was wearing a Virginia State Police uniform, police said. His 2006 Ford Crown Victoria was set up with emergency lights, a laptop computer, spotlight, video monitoring system, and siren with a public address system, police allege.

NBA players sponsored by Baltimore-based Under Armour will be sporting their professional jerseys in upcoming ad campaigns for Under Armour footwear, under a partnership between the company and the National Basketball Association. The multi-year partnership between the league and the sports apparel company will allow the athletes to wear official NBA uniforms when promoting footwear in promotional campaigns, brand advertising and in-store promotions, Under Armour said Tuesday. NBA athletes with Under Armour endorsement deals include Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks, Derrick Williams of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Bobcats and Greivis Vasquez of the Memphis Grizzlies.