CLEAN CUT VS. SCRUFF

After David Price made his silly comment the other day about he not wanting to come to the New York Yankees long term because of their facial hair policy, read HERE. He's appeared to have back tracked now.  No surprise here.  I thought what he said was ridiculous… read IF THE DEAL'S RIGHT, YOU'LL SHAVE for context on that.  The reality is, he back tracked one day later according to David Lennon, HERE.

But reading comments from the Internet, I was surprised by the many die-hard Yankee fans that just want to scrap the whole “Clean Cut” look. 

It’s been a staple with the Yankees for quite a long time and we all know about the feud between Don Mattingly and George Steinbrenner about the long hair back in 1991.  Now it’s world famous.  It’s funny though, at the time, almost all of us were "Team Mattingly", because we loved him of course, yet, me personally, I still wanted that rule to stay intact.

Fast forward to the present day where the New York Yankees wear their crisp, white and blue pinstripes and a clean face look like the elite club that many should want to aspire to be.  Don’t misunderstand me, scruff don’t bother me, long hair don’t bother me, tattoos don’t bother me, earrings, earplugs, nose ring, nipple ring… I don’t really care. It’s your body, you have that right.  All I’m saying is, if the Yankees want you because they love your talent and they know you can contribute, why NOT take one for the team and get cleaned up, it’s their rule.  Look at KevinYoukilis.  The dudes spotless right now. 

Remember him in Boston? He was a hot mess.

Look at our boy Johnny Damon. What a transformation and it didn’t hamper his ability.  He was wanted by the Yankees, he followed the rule and became a champion.

It’s not to say I would ban it across the league, I wouldn’t. I actually  think it works great for teams like the Boston Red Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers.  I mean, growing up loving baseball, there was something truly bad ass about seeing dudes like Pete Vuckovich and Robin Yount with their ridiculous hair and staches with the Brewers for example.  But we’re the Yankees, we don’t do that and I kind of like it.

I’ve always felt like the Yankees are a symbol of something big.  I’ve always felt like there was something superior about our team and with that comes image, a clean cut group of guys that look similar in appearance, like a military ready to go to battle, like a team that forms 1, meaning, we stand at 25 that are 1, not a bunch of misfits or idiots as Johnny Damon used to say of the Sox.  

It worked for the Sox, but I just don’t think it works for the Yanks.   Call me silly, but I think that has always been the idea for the Yankees.  If you disagree, I can see your argument.  Many would like to end the whole thing with concerns that players WON’T come to New York, like David Price hinted about the other day.  I say, if the price is right, you’ll shave your body hair off.   But that’s just me.

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