Wear

You take your good news where you get it and here's mine: the Preakness sent Kegasus packing. You remember Kegasus. Sleaze-ball centaur with the biker haircut and beer gut? Budweiser-swilling centerpiece of the Infield Fest ad campaign the past two years? Gone. Got the proverbial pink-slip. You won't see him Saturday for the 138th Preakness Stakes. "He went back to the islands and I haven't seen him since," Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas joked the other day. Good thing.

Here's an interesting story for your Friday lunch hour, one that includes a reference to former Orioles outfielder Luke Scott, whose quotes never cease to amaze. Under manager Joe Maddon, the Tampa Bay Rays have made traveling fun in recent years, with the entire team wearing certain themed outfits for road trips. They all dressed in grunge outfits on a trip to Seattle, were decked out in all white on a trip to play the Marlins in South Florida. They dressed like cowboys on their way to play the Rangers.

For many folks headed to Preakness, the focus of the afternoon isn't the race. It's the fashion — and we don't just mean hats. If you're in the grandstands, the Jockey Club area or Corporate Village, you'll want to dress the part. Betsy Dugan, owner of Bettina Collections in Cross Keys and former co-owner of Octavia in Pikesville, has been dressing women for Preakness for years. "This is the time ... to dress up," she said. If there's one rule of thumb, it's that ladies and gentlemen at Preakness should look like ...well, ladies and gentlemen.

The Orioles announced today that they will wear the above patch on their jerseys throughout this season in honor of Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver, who died last month at age 82 . The team will also honor Weaver with a pregame moment of silence and video tribute before Saturday's Grapefruit League opener against the Minnesota Twins at Ed Smith Stadium. In addition, Weaver's No. 4 will be stenciled onto the grass outside of the Orioles dugout in foul territory.    

The Orioles announced via their communications department's Twitter account that Tejada will wear uniform No. 9 this season. Tejada, who had been No. 10 in his first stint with the Orioles, said Tuesday he wasn't concerned about getting it back from Adam Jones, who had joked earlier in the week that Tejada could have it for a Rolex watch. Tejada had worn No. 4 with the Oakland A's, but the Orioles retired that number in honor of Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver.

Editor's note: This rhyming treat describes Jesse Bear's activities from morning to bedtime. Jesse Bear, what will you wear? What will you wear in the morning? My shirt of red Pulled over my head Over my head in the morning. I'll wear my pants My pants that dance My pants that dance in the morning. I'll wear a rose Between my toes A rose in my toes in the morning. I'll wear the sun On my legs that run Sun on the run in the morning.

It's like a kid being told to eat his spinach: Somehow he knows it's good for him, but he still doesn't like it.Maryland's new helmet law is to take effect Oct. 1, but even cyclists who regularly wear helmets don't like the idea of being told what to do."I have a lot more lawyers and doctors and professional people coming in here buying bikes than most people would believe, and most of them wear helmets," said Keith "Rock" Opeka, 33, who manages the Dirt Shop in College Park. "Most of the people who come in here wear helmets, but they don't want to be told to wear one."

Q: Our 10-year-old son refuses to wear a cup when he catches for his Little League team. How can we persuade him to use it?A: In this case, experience will be a painful teacher. We hope your son can be encouraged by the facts.He already knows that batters wear helmets to protect their heads. You should explain why a cup is important and that his testicles are just as sensitive to injury as his head is. It is worth pointing out that if he is hit there by a ball, he will likely think of nothing else for quite a few days!

Is there life after modeling for the Victoria's Secret catalog?If you're Alexa Fong Drubay, you go from donning lingerie to running your own cafe, stopping in between to help run a hotel in China, learn cooking in Paris and marry a ski instructor in Switzerland.Regardless of your travels, though, one thing remains true -- your eclectic style.That's how it's been for Ms. Drubay, who currently runs Cafe Drubay with her husband (and former ski instructor) Philippe.But whether she's wearing chef's whites in her fledgling Cross Keys bistro or attending a party in a Thierry Mugler dress, she says comfort is key."

Not only am I openly embracing the fact that Ravens coach John Harbaugh has decided to wear a lavender coat on the sideline, but I also want him to look even less macho next week when his team takes on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Seriously. I won't even object if he dresses up like a police officer from the Village People and sips white wine out of a Gatorade bottle. You know why? Because being the baddest dude on the block is all about attitude and results, not aesthetics. That's why one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs is "A Boy Named Sue."

It seems as if it would be a common-sense maxim for cyclists: Wear a helmet. Maryland law mandates the practice for children 16 and younger, similar to standards in nearly two dozen states. Under a Sykesville town ordinance, a person of any age can have their bike impounded for being caught without one three times. A bill in the General Assembly would make Maryland the first state in the country to extend helmet requirements to any person on any bike. More helmets, more safety?

When I reported that the Orioles had held a brief workout for lefty reliever Arthur Rhodes at Camden Yards on Thursday, I received a whole lot of age jokes on my Twitter account. For once, they weren't aimed at me. Rhodes, who didn't pitch professionally in 2012 and was last seen winning a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011, turned 43 in October. (That's actually slightly older than me, so take that). I think the best line I saw on Twitter was from the guy who asked me if Rhodes had developed a deer-antler spitball to get hitters out. Hey, insulting and topical.

On the face of it, the state of Maryland is flying in the face of Purple Friday. The Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation sent out a message on Twitter today urging Marylanders to wear red Friday to show their commitment to fighting heart disease in women. The timing may be unfortunate because many Marylanders, including much of the General Assembly, already have plans to wear a certain other color in support of the Baltimore Ravens two days before the Super Bowl. The Go Red for Women is part of a national observation sponsored by the American Heart Association, which apparently picked Feb. 1 without football in mind.

Earlier this week, rapper Dr. Dre told TMZ he's rooting for the Ravens in the Super Bowl. We've gotten word on some more musicians showing love for the Ravens Nation. Country star Miranda Lambert sported a Ray Lewis jersey on stage during her concert at 1st Mariner Arena on Thursday. Opening acts Thomas Rhett and Dierks Bentley showed off their purple pride, too. Rhett wore a Ray Rice jersey, and Bentley wore a Joe Flacco one.  

Let me start this post by saying that Sam absolutely hates to go shopping! In fact, I typically have to bribe him with food just to get him to consider it. So needless to say, the thought of going shopping for suits for the wedding was harder than pulling teeth. But we did it, and we survived. And, we went out to eat after. Because we want to keep things true to who we are in real life (not just playing dress up for a day), we decided together that tuxedos were out of the question.

David Reed raised a few eyebrows when he wore Lee Evans' No. 83 jersey at practice Wednesday. Evans was blamed by many for being unable to hold onto a potential game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco in the waning minutes of the Ravens' 23-20 loss to the New England Patriots in last year's AFC championship game. But Reed didn't wear the same jersey Thursday or Friday. After Friday's practice, the receiver explained why. “That's my boy,” Reed said. “But you know, with the circumstances that went down last year, guys were giving me a hard time about it a little bit. So I haven't worn that jersey anymore.” In addition to showing some solidarity with a former teammate, Reed said he was wearing No. 83 to help the defense prepare for the Patriots' No. 83. “I was being Wes Welker for the scout team,” Reed said.

As co-host of the TLC series "What Not to Wear," Stacy London has a national reputation for defining fashion trends, and helping people develop their own personal style. The 40-year-old style expert regularly appears on NBC's "Today" show and is a contributing editor for People magazine. Last weekend, she traveled to Baltimore to host Believe in Tomorrow Children's Foundation's Benefit and Auction. London often talks about others' style choices. But what about her own? At the benefit, she wore a black Shoshanna dress, copper metallic Lanvin pumps and an Alexis Bittar pewter resin bangle bracelet and oyster resin earrings.

What's a mother of four boys to do when she has to be ready for anything, from luncheon meetings to black-tie extravaganzas? Get to Loehmann's whenever possible. "I'm the Loehmann's queen," says Xandy Waesche of Timonium. Waesche is the chair of the "nuts and bolts committee" for the Rites of Spring Garden Show, Union Memorial Hospital's annual benefit April 16-18 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds. (Call 410-554-2662.) Waesche, 37, dubs herself the "master planner" and knows how to stay on top of her mother and volunteer responsibilities.

It's been a lot of years since there's been a professional sports year like this one for fans of the Baltimore teams. It was the year Seattle Slew won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, "Star Wars" was first seen by movie theater audiences and Jimmy Carter took the oath of office to become president. It was in 1977 that the Orioles finished the year with a respectable record of 97-64 and in second place in the American League East. The Baltimore Colts finished the NFL regular season with a record of 10-4 and fell in the playoffs.

Her affinity for sleeveless frocks has caused a buying frenzy and inspired people to turn to workouts for toning their arms. She has become a highly coveted canvas for fashion designers and retailers. She steals the scene in pointed-toe flats, colored cardigans, brooches, and fit and flared dresses. First lady Michelle Obama's sense of style has captured fashion followers, and in the process made ensemble-gazing a national pastime. A regular fixture on best-dressed lists from Vogue magazine and observers such as Tim Gunn, Obama continues to make her mark.