Shave and a haircut. . .
Just once, I’d like to see someone stand up to the Yankees’s long-standing policy against beards and long hair.
Everyone, it seems, caves in. Remember Clint Frazier before the powers-that-be ordered him to cut his curly red locks? He was something of a free spirit when the Yankees brought him aboard and I thought maybe, just maybe, this was a guy who would tell the club to take their rules and shove them. Didn’t happen.
Didn’t happen with Garrit Cole either. Then again, when one is offered a 9-year $324-million contract, making him the highest paid player in the history of the game, what’s a fella to do?
Cole admitted he “sort of hated” losing his locks and facial hair but everyone has his price.
Even Joey Gallo, the Yankees’s latest acquisition and a player who could make all the difference in the club’s drive to make the playoffs. He’s great, no question about it. He’s a tremendous hitter, a wonderful fielder and only 27-years-old. Acquiring him from the Texas Rangers was a brilliant move.
But what if he’d said “I’m not cutting my beard.”? How would the Yankees have responded? Would they really have let a player who is likely to play such a crucial role in the club’s future disappear into the ether simply because he objected to an old-fashioned rule mandated years ago by the late George Steinbrenner?
I wonder. But I’d give anything to see someone do that and see how the Yankees respond.
Times have changed. The clean-shaven, buttoned-down look strikes me as silly and out of step with today. And lest I get carried away, let me add that I also think it robs a player of his identity, his persona, and perhaps even the way he plays. Remember Samson after Delilah got her clippers out?
Another question: Ever notice what happens when players leave the Yankees for other clubs? Most go back to the way they used to look with beards and long hair.
For the record, I happen to be clean-shaven and wear my hair short. But for the sake of argument, let’s pretend I’m not that way. I’m sure some of you would be asking what would happen if someone offered me a ton of money on the condition I shave my beard and cut my hair. Would I do it?
Of course I would. Do you think I’m crazy?!!!
