Beard Ball

the Yankees will now allow beards:

The Yankees’ facial hair policy was first implemented by George Steinbrenner, the former Yankees owner and father of Hal Steinbrenner, in the 1970s. The policy banned any facial hair other than mustaches, with exceptions for religious reasons, and scalp hair below the collar for players, coaches and male executives. George Steinbrenner, who died in 2010, justified the rule as a way of instilling discipline in the team, reportedly telling The New York Times in 1978 that he wanted to “to develop pride in the players as Yankees.” Since then, all players have abided by the policy, though not without some resistance. Famously, Yankees captain Don Mattingly was benched in 1991 for refusing to get a haircut, an incident mocked on a 1992 episode of “The Simpsons.” Former Yankee Andrew McCutchen said in 2020 that it would have been difficult for him to join the team when he still had dreadlocks, which he wore during the early years of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and called on the franchise to change the rule.

Don't fear the beards...