ESPN.com - What's hot, not for the week

ESPN.com: Page 2

Thursday, November 7, 2002
Updated: November 8, 12:20 PM ET
What's hot, not for the week

By Dan Shanoff
Page 2 columnist

After years of unwavering support for the "retro uniform" look, we're torn: In the wake of Notre Dame's green-jersey choke and San Diego's powder-blue-jersey on-field joke, how does the fad-conscious reconcile "Style? YES!" with "Performance? NO!"


	The white lightning bolt helmet and LaDainian Tomlinson jersey round out an electric look. But you'll fumble if you dress like Ryan Grant.

As NFL teams roll out "alternative"/"retro" jersey looks throughout the rest of the month (following the Chargers' powder blue, the Browns' orange and the Panthers' light blue), we'll take a wait-and-see approach. But the question lingers: If a team loses in a cool-looking jersey, is it unfit to wear on the street? Any judgment must be informed by the name on the back: If the player represented by the jersey is hot, the jersey -- by association -- may overcome a "losing team" stigma and also be hot. Call it "The Darius Miles Effect."

In the case of our two teams from last week, that anonymous green ND jersey shouts "Loser." Meanwhile, the Tomlinson-flavored Bolts jersey represents LT's substance, along with stylish color. Therefore, it's got our approval as casual wear. For more on what's hot and what's not this week, check out the list below:

What's Hot, What's Not this week
Category	Hot	Not
Baseball operations adviser	Bill James	Cal Ripken
Toast of New York	Lee Nailon	Latrell Sprewell
Looking smart	Cubs management	Giants management
Prison-movie casting call	Winona Ryder	The Canseco brothers
L.A.'er likely to bring U.S. Olympic glory	Kobe Bryant	Phil Jackson
Overall MLB manager of the year	Mike Scioscia	Tony La Russa
Foreign hoops import	Christian Drejer (Denmark)	Nik Skitishvili (Denver)
Just save it	Kordell is frustrated	Fantasy trash-talking that you picked up Maddox in Week 2
Robbed	Curt Schilling	Randy Johnson
Best high-school hoops coach ever	Morgan Wootten, DeMatha	Just as long as they aren't screamers
Dolphins' strategy	Collecting retired Hall of Famers	Being realistic Super Bowl contender
NBA trade rumor of the year	Shawn Bradley to the Knicks	Anything with Wally Szczerbiak
BCS blame game	It's the coaches' fault	It's the computers' fault
St. Louis QB controversy?	Bulger bandwagon	Warner ready to return?
Baylor's novelty	Fired coach sticks out last three games	Team somehow going to rally to wins
Naming your baby	"The Birthday Book"	After your favorite athlete
Heisman bandwagon	Willis McGahee (Miami)	Phil Rivers (N.C. State)
Aggie Nation	Dump R.C. Slocum	Keep good ol' R.C.
Michigan State coaching contender	Urban Mayer, Bowling Green	Dan McCarney, Iowa State
Impressive early season	The runnin', gunnin' Mavs	The bear-in-the-headlights-looking Grizzlies
Suns' bright future	Penny Hardaway	Joe Johnson
Movie subject	Rally Monkey	Rally Monkey
Republican sports-themed candidate	Mitt Romney (Massachusetts)	Steve Largent (Oklahoma)
College hoops competition	Exhibition teams (ie, EA All-Stars)	Tissue-soft nonconference slate
Weekend flick	"8 Mile"	"Far From Heaven"
Notre Dame	Who?	Love 'em

Dan Shanoff is a columnist for Page 2. His "What's Hot, What's Not" trend-spotting list appears Thursdays. Got inside scoop on an up-and-coming trend? Want to declare something passé? Send this glimpse of your hipness to hotnotlist@yahoo.com.