MEN'S STYLE: What to Wear for Sports by Brett Singer Now that the weather is starting to behave itself, it's time to go outside and play. No matter what your level of sporting expertise, the days when you could get away with grubby old t-shirts with lollipop stains are long gone. Gone too are baseball uniforms with your "sponsor" (i.e., The Sal's Pizza Wildcats) emblazoned on the front. Here are a few hints from Men's Style for what to wear when playing your game of choice. Baseball Ah, the national pastime. Seems no matter how many other things enter our lives, the dulcet tones of a bat cracking against horsehide will always be one of loveliest sounds of summer. For those who want to feel that crack as well as hear it, you'll need a few things. Serious players should get a pair of cleats -- those shoes with the pointy things on the bottom. Get molded cleats (plastic), not the metal kind which are more often used on golf shoes -- remember, you may be sliding into someone and don't want to puncture their lung. Speaking of sliding, we recommend long pants, although not the khakis you wear for Casual Friday. Non-fleece sweatpants are the best move here, since the goal is protection, not warmth. All of this and more can be found at fogdog.com. Golf Plaid pants can be hip (see the recent photo spread in Stuff Magazine), and thanks to Tiger Woods and other young golfers, 'hitting the links' once again means something other than surfing the Internet. Go for the aforementioned metal-bottomed cleats (again, fogdog.com), and for a hipper top, try Bastard Sons' "Float Like A Butterfly, Sting Like A Bee" t-shirt, (guyshop.com). The old-timers won't know whether to throw you off the course for being a whippersnapper, or to embrace your appreciation of boxing great Mohammed Ali. Make sure to wear a collared polo shirt over it if one is required at your course – how cool you are will be your little secret. Basketball Yes, we know -- you want to be like Mike. Who doesn't? You can't play like him, but you certainly can wear his clothes. The original Air Jordans -- the red and black numbers so popular in the (ahem) 1980's, are so, well, 1980's, and no amount of retro-chic will bring them back (although if you have a pair in your closet, try selling them on ebay). Nike still makes Jordan-esque sneakers ("Nike Air"), so you can take your pick. For the rest of your body, stay simple -- shorts and a 'muscle t' will suffice (check out the Champion Sports collection at WePlay.com). Tennis We don't think this game has been quite as much fun since McEnroe stopped entertaining us with his tantrums. That said, this is still a popular game and great exercise. Fogdog (them again?) has great tennis apparel, including their K-Swiss boutique, which features the 7.0 shoe, 7.0 being "the highest rating a tennis player can achieve" according to the site. Go traditional with this game -- no funky t-shirts, just white on white. If you feel the need to show some individuality, get a neat racquet. A few online retailers include Mitt Rocker, Tomahawk ("The racquet for the twentieth century" -- time to update the site, guys), and Weed, makers of "the largest [racquets] allowed by the rules of tennis." So, as you sit in your windowless cubicle, gazing at the computer screen, checking the weather report every ten minutes and finding out that yes, it is still nice out, get out there and play! But be sure to dress appropriately, or you'll be laughed off the court/field/blacktop. Happy Shopping! Surf @ Work Empty your closet: http://www.ebay.com Fill it up again: http://www.fogdog.com http://www.weplay.com/Champion/sweats/ http://www.fogdog.com/cedroID/AFA1470065224337/boutique/kswiss/index.html http://www.info-bodensee.com/tomahawk/ http://www.weedusa.com/ http://www.mittusa.com/ Float Like A Butterfly t-shirt: http://www.guyshop.com/shop/guys/catalog/product.asp?pf%5Fid=BD%2DCA&bt=bd Weather Channel home page: http://www.weather.com/ back to writing samples