Morning Look: Marty's Pants

(2001 TWP photo by John McDonnell)

Once a month, when I go into The Washington Post's mailroom, I'm greeted by a huge blow-up of this photo. There are many reasons I love it. Here are some of them.

1) Has there ever been another NFL action photo featuring two men named Marty side-by-side? On the left, Schottenheimer; on the right, Booker.

2) The pants. Oh, the pants. They try to reach to the ground, like regular pants might do, but they come up so, so short, leaving acres of white sock staring out at the world like a newborn puppy thrust into the light.

3) This comes out much better in the mailroom, but Marty has more than one playsheet tucked into the high-waisted waist of those pants. Fashion icon.

4) That one fan in the top right? Is he rocking Bruce Smith or Tre' Johnson. I ask myself that question once a month.

5) Is Marty I dancing a polka? Is Marty II going to the beach? Is Champ practicing the Fosbury Flop.

Then I go to my mailbox and realize that another month has past, and still no one has sent me an audio cassette recording of one of Jim Zorn's commencement addresses from the late '70s.