One of the last vestiges of George Steinbrenner era is finally over. The in-house (that Ruth built) rule that denied New York Yankees players the right to wear beards on baseball diamonds from the 1970s on is done and dusted, not unlike like The Boss himself, who died at 80 back in 2010. It’s the latest move showing that the new boss, George’s son Hal, who axed the 49-year-old rule on Friday, will do everything he can to differentiate himself from the old Boss, his dad.
“In recent weeks I have spoken to a large number of former and current Yankees – spanning several eras – to elicit their perspectives on our longstanding facial hair and grooming policy, and I appreciate their earnest and varied feedback,” Steinbrenner said in a statement. “These most recent conversations are an extension of ongoing internal dialogue that dates back several years.
“Ultimately the final decision rests with me, and after great consideration, we will be amending our expectations to allow our players and uniformed personnel to have well-groomed beards moving forward. It is the appropriate time to move beyond the familiar comfort of our former policy.”
It’s a sensible decision by Hal, even if it may lead some fans to bemoan that the Yankees just aren’t the Yankees anymore. And those fans, who surface after every mini-losing streak, may actually have a point. After all, Hal does not spend foolishly like a drunken sailor. Hal doesn’t treat managers and general managers like Tinder dates. Hal hasn’t made any illegal campaign contributions to sitting presidents. Hal hasn’t sent a mob-tied unsavory character to follow around Aaron Judge to dig up dirt, like his dad did to the franchise player Dave Winfield. Hal has yet to nearly cancel dental insurance for his Yankee Stadium employees. Hal hasn’t threatened to move the team to New Jersey every time something goes wrong with their new stadium. Hal doesn’t override the general manager and trade their best prospects on whims. Hal doesn’t ask his managers to play every one of 162 regular season games like an NFL game, as the football-obsessed George always wanted. And Hal didn’t ask his equipment manager to withhold a uniform to one of his players until they shaved off their afro, as was done to Oscar Gamble in 1976. Neat hair was also part of the rule.
And now Hal won’t force his players to shave, just because his father may have wanted to mask the daily chaos happening in and around Yankee Stadium by forcing his men into a clean-shaven, prim, proper and professional look. Talk about irony.
If anything it’s a wonder that in this era of Instagram individualism, where everyone tries to look different despite mostly looking the same, that the rule to keep Bronx ballplayers beard-free lasted this long. Now, for clarity, if you think you’re going to be seeing long, gruff, twisty, Brian Wilson-type beards flirting with diamond dust any time soon, guess again. Remember, Hal says beards must be “well-groomed”.
Why now? Well, this move is further proof that the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets have overtaken the Yankees. You may be able to institute juvenile policies on your ballclub when you have the highest payroll in baseball, decade after decade. But when that’s no longer the case, players may be less inclined to put up with such nonsense. If you’re a bearded ballplayer with a similar offer from Queens or Chavez Ravine, well, you’re that much less inclined to sign in the Bronx.
Devin Williams is a case in point. The closer, who is now known for his handsome beard as much as his fastball, was most definitely unhappy about having to shave upon his arrival in Tampa where the Yankees train each spring. Williams, who was acquired by New York from Milwaukee this offseason, is a free agent after this year. So why would a guy so in love with his thick, rich beard, who is clearly miserable and who clearly sneaked some stubble into his team picture just two days ago, come back to a ballclub that laid him bare for all to see? Answer? He wouldn’t, and that’s precisely why this is a business move more than anything else.
The rpeal of this Boss-era rule means that we’ll never again get those little Yankees rebellions that gave us Goose Gossage’s Fu Manchu style mustache, which he grew to “to piss Steinbrenner off”, and we’ll never again see anything resembling The Simpson’s Don Mattingly moment. Jarring transformations, like Johnny Damon as the thick bearded, long haired “idiot” Red Sox star, to the clean cut Wall Street-looking outfielder, and the brutally savage trimming of Randy Johnson’s marvelous mullet, are also out for good.
Instead, Yankees fans will now watch and wait for any growth signaling the ultimate reversal: Aaron Judge as a newly bearded baseball menace, batting clean-up in the Bronx.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
