Re: Beards @MIYUMMY 3/1, 7:30PM!!! That's because, for close to five decades, the Yankees have had a strict policy that prohibits players from sporting beards and wearing their hair long. Skip to content. The New York Yankees saw their season end in early October after a loss to the Red Sox in the American League Wild Card, which has given the Yankees roster a solid eight weeks to exercise free will with their own personal appearance. However, not everyone responded that well to the rule. You can rule out Brian Wilson to the Yankees. Some people think its a great way to show team unity, while others think its unprofessional. Seriously. In 1973, the Yankees' owner, George Steinbrenner, had a realization sitting in the stands that led to the appearance policy that Yankees follow to date. 'I think it's a way for men to vary their look,' says Gary. Don't draft projects when half the roster comes from the G league. Over the years, the policy has evolved, with the team now allowing players to grow mustaches and neatly trimmed beards. Rather than asking him to shave outright, Athletics owner Charlie Finley, knowing that Jackson valued his individuality, encouraged four of his players to grow their own facial hair in the hopes that Jackson would voluntarily shave. Ironically, though, Mattinglys clash with management over his hair actually occurred when Steinbrenner was (temporarily) banned from baseball. Don Mattingly himself had a run in with George Steinbrenner about his. With the coronavirus-induced hiatus postponing Opening Day, however, there are no games to be played for the. The Yankees, of course, dont have names on their road jerseys as well. Agent tells Brian Cashman that Wilson won't shave his beard. [29] Bill Baer of NBC Sports also critiqued the Yankees' policy for its difficulties in marketing players, citing Justin Turner and Charlie Blackmon as two players known for their beards. For me, when I was on the Pirates and me having my dreadlocks, Id be lying to you if I said if I got traded over to the Yankees and they said you gotta shave your hair for me, that would have been a very tough thing to do. Beards can interfere with a players grip on the bat or their ability to wear a batting helmet properly. Mike Burke is a guy who I admired tremendously, Steinbrenner said. He looked noticeably different when he reported to the Yankees: how it started how its going pic.twitter.com/uVL2OhbI5A, Its taken as a given that if the Yankees pick you up, whether through a trade, the draft or in free agency, youre trimming your facial hair. A few players have started to grow beards, and the reaction has been mixed. But really, its 2021. [22], As the appearance policy only applies during the MLB season, members of the Yankees often grow facial hair during the offseason. When he told the team that he would not shave, they crossed him off the list. Personal grooming policy instituted by the New York Yankees, Logos and uniforms of the New York Yankees, "A History With Hair as Old as Baseball Itself", "Today in Baseball History: Oakland's Mustache Gang is born", "TBT: '72 A's hold memorable 'Mustache Day', "Andrew McCutchen Is Right to Question the Yankees' Outdated Grooming Policy", "First Look at Rougned Odor's Clean-Shaven Face With Yankees", "Cole's 1st side effect in pinstripes? Is any fan really saying, Good for the Yankees for differentiating themselves? Even if there were such fans, should that allow the organization to dictate what their employees do with their hair? Why do Yankees have pinstripes? No long hair. No mutton chops. This also is true for any player traded by the Yankees. )[33] Clint Frazier, whose curly red hair was declared "a distraction",[34][35] joked on Twitter, "here's to leaving my razor at home" after joining the Chicago Cubs. A beard can be grown during the playoffs for players, but it is not allowed during the regular season. The most recent instance came earlier this month, when the club announced they were trading for New York Mets relief pitcher Miguel Castro. And in this age, doesnt it now feel like the crisis you can see heading toward town, so if you can avoid it, why not? Andrew Miller let his hair and beard go crazy. Although the episode aired after Stump Merrill benched Mattingly, the Simpsons showrunners said that the sideburns storyline was recorded beforehand, and that the storyline was based on Al Jean's grandfather, who held his own strict appearance policy. Aaron Judge easily hits .300 and gets back to the 50 home run plateau with a beard. Here's a look at why don't Yankees players have . I reached out to the head of Yankees media relations, who ignored both text and email. Clint Frazier. In 1991, Don Mattingly was taken off of the Yankees' lineup for a day when he refused to cut his hair. Some have even called for the team to change its policy and allow players to grow beards. The story goes that, at the Yankees first home game of the 1973 season, he noticed during the National Anthem when the players had their hats off that their hair was too long for his liking. "We're incredibly excited to add two players that we feel like are really going to help us," Yankees manager Aaron. This rule still stands today and it is one of the many unique and unusual things related to the Yankees. Soon, the mandate came down, leading to a policy that continues to this day: All players, coaches and male executives are forbidden to display any facial hair other than mustaches (except for religious reasons), and scalp hair may not be grown below the collar. They have won one AL East title in the last nine years: in 2019 when Aaron Boone called his group savages, albeit the cleanest-cut savages in history. [10]:243244 After the game, Steinbrenner, who did not yet know the names of the players whose hair he considered unacceptable, wrote down their jersey numbers for manager Ralph Houk to reprimand after the game: No. The Yankees have won more World Series than any other club, but when Steinbrenner bought them in 1973, it had been nearly a decade since theyd made the playoffs. Exploring the 3,000 Hits and 700 Home Runs Club. This has been a rule for many years, but players are starting to rebel against it. Finally, the Yankees have a long history of being a clean-cut team, dating back to the days of Babe Ruth. Pitcher Sonny Gray, another young player, was a bit more critical, saying that he didnt think the beards made the team look very good. The Yankees dont allow facial hair, but they allow mustaches.. When Vern Rapp took over the St. Louis Cardinals in 1977, he insisted that players like Al Hrabosky shave their facial hair. I like to see a player look neat, Steinbrenner said in the same interview. Long hair is strategic. The list goes on and on. Most Surprising NYY Seasons: 2019 Mike Tauchman. A Highly Questionable Cultural History of Richard Geres Ass Gerbil. Between the demands of practices, games, and other team obligations, theres not a lot of time left in the day for things like personal grooming. But how did it originate in the. There are at least five reasons why the Red Sox have put their facial hair on display. For now, the team seems content to keep the policy in place, although some fans and players have argued that it is time for the team to embrace facial hair. On the other hand, the study also found that beards might contain a type of bacteria-killing-bacteria which could potentially be developed into powerful new antibiotics. Why can't Yankees have beards? Baseball is supposed to be fun, but that team treats it like military service the few, the proud, the overpaid stars of the New York Yankees. The CBA, which is expiring, would protect players from fines or suspensions over beards. [8], George Steinbrenner became the owner of the New York Yankees MLB franchise the year after the Mustache Gang debuted. I get that being clean shaven could be looked upon as more professional, I even had the same appearance policy in my high school. "I find men with beards and men without . You dont see dreadlocks, or beards, even tattoos are forbidden I believe. On one level, you could understand the owners viewpoint. Maybe not allowing dreads or Zach Galifianakis messy beards, but something neatly trimmed. [18] Lou Piniella, meanwhile, once challenged the rule during spring training in Fort Lauderdale, citing that Jesus had long hair. Were starting it in our minor league system. The darker uniforms or the road greys could conceal the dirt and grass stains better than the white uniforms. [4], In 1972, Oakland Athletics player Reggie Jackson appeared at spring training sporting a full beard. Gossage obliged by shaving the beard, but he left an exaggerated mustache extending down the upper lip to the jaw line, also known as a handlebar. Hey, theres nothing in the rulebook about that! If this was an inspirational sports movie, wed be at the beginning, when the tough-but-fair leader instills strict measures on his players, turning them into champions. In a season with so many injuries, Mike Tauchman stepped up and performed. Finally, its worth noting that some Yankees players do have facial hair just not beards. Gambling problem? What Do the Abbreviations Mean in Baseball? Remember back in the day when everyone had mustaches? In 1976, Steinbrenner gave an interview with the Times where he clarified his position. When we called him back up and he had the mustache, I made fun of him a little bit for it, but I think its perfect. Cortes grew it just for a change. A hitter who faced DeGrom (and has evidently chosen to remain nameless) told the Bergen . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Clean cut is the way a team needs to be. It's like saying will the Yankees ever put the name of the players on the back of the jerseys. There have been instances in the past where players have rebelled and grew out their hair anyway. To what end? [39] Although no member of the Reds had sported facial hair since 1902, general manager Bob Howsam put a formal ban into place in 1967. He set the rule in 1973 and enforced it with a strictness that became . Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. For a long time, the pure spending power of New York City sports teams, which have bigger revenue streams than many competitors, was enough. I dont think it looks bad, but its just not something that were used to seeing from our guys.. The Yankees' policy has been criticized by sportswriters as outdated, and by marketing officials for limiting the self-expression of players, thus also limiting their personal brands. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. In a highly competitive and image-conscious industry like Major League Baseball, players often go to great lengths to create and uphold a certain image, and facial hair can be seen as disruptive to that. [46] Mattingly softened the Marlins' grooming policy before the 2017 season,[47] and when Derek Jeter, another former Yankee, became CEO of the franchise in 2018, he promised that players could keep their facial hair as long as it was "well groomed".[48]. The mailbag zeroes in on the infield jam with a particular solution being pitched. Tim Grierson is a contributing editor at MEL. "[12] Steinbrenner argued in 1978 that the policy was not specifically about a distaste for long hair and more about "trying to instill a certain sense of order and discipline" that he believed was important for athletes to maintain. The Yankees went on to win 8-4. I don't think I was the one . Steinbrenner's military background is often cited as the reason why he didn't want long hair or beards, and certainly for generations of baseball fans the Yankees, who don't put their players' names on the back of their jersey, suggesting that the team is greater than the individual, have resembled a . The opposite scenario occurred the next year, when George Bamberger was put in charge of the Milwaukee Brewers and subsequently relaxed the appearance restrictions put into place by his predecessor, Alex Grammas. Yankees Appearance Policy The Yanks appearance policy was established in 1973 by traditionalist and conservative George Steinbrenner, supposedly after witnessing several players' hair covering.
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why don't yankees players have beards