Team Jerseys and Stinkbugs

It’s an eerie phenomenon. Beginning in late summer and increasing as the days get shorter and the air a touch cooler, you can be assured of two things in this neck of the woods.
Both the Team Jerseys and the stinkbugs will be out in full force.

I hadn’t noticed such an infestation of the magnitude I’ve seen this year. They are all over the place, and most prevalent on the weekends. They are in offices, restaurants, retail and driving in cars.TEAM JERSEYS are EVERYWHERE. Definitely a fashion faux pas, these shapeless, garish, and ill-fitting garments are a scourge. I certainly don’t want to be labeled with the name of the athlete du jour and a number that is a foot and a half tall on my back. And even if I did like the local “team colors” I’m not sure I’d want to be as homogenized as everyone else wearing purple and black with “Flacco” across their shoulder blades. It seems that every year, I’ve seen more and more acceptance of the team jersey as an item you wear off the field instead of on. Granted, I’ve moved to what was the training town of the Baltimore Ravens, but they flew the coop the year I came and went south a bit. I guess it’s no big secret that the football sport craze is something I’ve never bought into, and I don’t mind if others want to show team support. To each his own. But, I don’t want to do it, and that’s that!

The stinkbugs, on the other hand, weren’t as bad as the jerseys this year. I had a few outbreaks near the doors, but for the most part, I think my BUCKET OF DOOM will remain fairly empty this year!