Putting some colour into the proceedings

The Sylvester Swamp Rats. Jason Sanford referenced that name last week during an interview - the local fastball whiz got his start with the old Swamp Rats when he was 16. It's one of my all-time favourite nicknames for a local team - or any team, for that matter.
"Isn't that a great name for a team?" I said to Sanford.
Since I wasn't born and raised in Pictou County, I don't have any allegiance to any particular town or school so I'll just swing away here and see how things go, if you don't mind.
"Wildcats" is a common enough name for high school sports teams, but the West Pictou Wildcats has a mellifluous ring to it. Another name I've always liked is the East Pictou Blues Eagles. Nice uniform colours, too, I've long thought, and my personal favourite of all the old seven high schools.
Last winter I ran into a guy outside JBM Stadium, a fellow who used to do a lot of work with the old Pictou County High School Hockey League.
The conversation dealt with how we missed the old Friday nights at dingy old Stellarton Memorial Rink ('dingy' isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the old barns often have character), when the high schools traditionally played their games.
Supporters of the teams jammed into the rink every week (it was alcohol-free on Fridays, so none of the students were drinking during, before, or after the games. That sort of thing never happened).
The 19th and final season of that league saw the Westville Mavericks win their first and only title, in the spring of 2003. And if you were there and can remember, the Mavericks' players were very happy to have won it. It was fitting that WHS was able to claim at least one championship before the demise of that league, before the two big high schools came into being that autumn.
The Mavericks had snappy colours, too: the classic blue-and-white Toronto Maple Leafs knockoff, although at least the Mavs proved capable of winning something.
Sports Illustrated or ESPN.com - I forget which and it doesn't really matter - once did an on-line survey, asking people their thoughts on the best and worst uniforms in the NFL.
The Cleveland Browns finished last, but I didn't find that insulting, because the voters were probably a bunch of unemployed alcoholics who lived with their parents and were just smart enough to turn on a computer and surf God knows what on the Internet.
Here are my favourite and least favourite pro sports uniforms.
NHL
•Favourite: Chicago Blackhawks. Love the colours and the logo, too. The Calgary Flames are a close second.
•Least: Montreal Canadiens. There, I said it. Red and dark blue can work, if the red isn't dominant. When it is, it puts the capital 'S' in the word S-U-C-K. Two minutes for looking so terrible.
Major League Baseball
•Favourite: New York Yankees: The tradition, the simple pinstripes, the 'NY' logo, a uniform ensemble that has changed very little in 100 years or so.
•Least: Florida Marlins. They need a style makeover in the worst way. Light green with pinstripes? Swing and a miss, babe - please call Clinton and Stacy, they can only help you. I was tempted to say the Red Sox here - only because I hate the Red Sox - but their unis and colours aren't bad at all.
NBA
•Favourite: I really don't have any. I like the Cavaliers' dark red and gold combination, however.
•Least: Lakers. Yellow and purple may be regal but together they are garish, hard on the eyes and the stomach. To be fair, the Lakers now often wear home unis that are predominantly white, with yellow and purple trim. Much better. But the 'classic' Lakers look? Tie a cement block around it and send it to the bottom.
NFL
•Favourite: San Diego Chargers 1960s throwbacks (although now they're back again permanently, me thinks). White helmet with the lightning bolt and the players' uniform number on the side and nice pastel blue home jerseys. Might be the coolest uniform in all of sports.
•Least: Seattle Seahawks.
Awful. Dark green jerseys, dark green pants. If the pants were white with a green stripe it could work, but you don't paint yourself from head to toe in just one colour, unless it's black or white.
I thought everybody knew that.

Kevin Adshade is sports editor with The News