Amy Shipley reports that Michael Phelps decided to go retro early to prove his point that high-tech suits were helping swimmers and boy did he make the case.

He blamed Tuesday’s performance on not being sufficiently fit and failing to adapt to the increased number of turns in short-course meters (25-meter pools instead of 50), events in which he has rarely competed. Bowman acknowledged that Phelps’s choice of swimwear – he wore a textile, waist-to-knee “jammer” rather than a long, high-tech model that will be banned as of Jan. 1 – likely contributed, and U.S. officials who declined to be identified because they did not wish to appear to be poor sports said it was the suit choice, period, that slowed Phelps.

I wonder if we'll see anyone openly tout the use of new grooves during the Silly Season so that we can perhaps see some performance differences? I know Stephen Ames and some other Nike players made the switch a while ago, but it would be fun to know more specifically who is playing what.

And nice catch by Deadspin to get this photo of Phelps sporting facial hair and the new/old suit.