The Blast won't be blue anymore.

Owner Ed Hale told the 256 fans gathered for the Baltimore Blast Fan Club Appreciation Dinner last night that the team would return to its winning colors.

"This superstitious Irishman knows when he's made a mistake: We're changing back to red," Hale told the gathering at La Fontaine Rouge on Belair Road.

The Blast made the Major Soccer League playoffs 10 straight years while wearing red uniforms. But this season, wearing the blue and gray colors of Hale's alma mater, Sparrows Point High School, the Blast failed to reach the playoffs.

"I couldn't believe the reaction to the announcement," Hale said. "All those people jumped up and started applauding. They were very happy."