More than any other sport, baseball is a game played by guys with superstitious belief. You never mess with a good streak. If you think that you are winning because you don’t shave or change your socks, then you are.
The latest superstition to hit the game: facial hair.
The beard fad in baseball unofficially started when former San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson let his facial hair flow into a beautiful black mass during the Giants World Series run in 2010. Fans all across baseball were mesmerized by Wilson’s facial flow to the point where #fearthebeard became a trending topic on Twitter.
But the superstition goes both ways. The New York Yankees are the winningest team in Major League Baseball history and they do not allow their players to grow any facial hair. In 2013, the Boston Red Sox rode their team full of burly faces to a World Series Championship.
Major League players that grow facial hair obviously get the most attention because they play on television everyday and the world is watching, but facial hair is something that has affected every level of baseball- even here at Hillsdale College. Some of the Hillsdale baseball guys who can grow facial hair on the team are taking full advantage during the season. Three guys in particular, senior right-handed pitcher Dan Pochmara, redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Mitchell Gatt, and myself, have gone razorless since the month of December.
There are a number of reasons for baseball players to grow facial hair. Some do it because they are lazy, others grow it for tradition and charity during no-shave November. But whatever the reason, facial hair is something that can create a bond among friends and teammates.
Additionally, the characteristics of a beard can give insight into the type of person that is growing it. Much like people, beards have their own personality.
All three beards on the pitching staff have been growing since the beginning of the semester. The facial hair growing on the face of Dan Pochmara is named El Presidente. El Presidente has its own brand of flare. He is a responsible, well kept beard with a fun side.
The name of my beard is The Amish Stallion. The name comes from my inability to grow a good mustache.
The final beard on the staff is worn by Mitchell Gatt and is known as the Set-up Man. The name comes from Gatt’s ability to masterfully navigate his way through the eighth inning of a baseball game and because his beard flows naturally to a beautiful mane of hair on his head. Some uneducated people might call this look “homeless” or “caveman-like” but they could not be further from the truth.
Beards are a great way to express yourself and can carry tradition. It makes sense that the sport of baseball is full of men with lengthy facial hair. Next time you watch a game on television or come and watch a game at Simpson field, keep your eye out for some beards and see what they are trying to tell you.