Friday was the first official amendment to the New York Yankees' controversial grooming and facial hair regulation, which has been in effect for almost 50 years.
Hal Steinbrenner, the owner of the Yankees, announced in a statement that the team would permit "well-groomed beards" with immediate effect, reversing a regulation his father, George, had put in place in 1976. The organization's hair length policy, which prohibits uniformed employees from growing hair below their collar, is not addressed by the change.
Steinbrenner told reporters Friday that he has considered changing the mandate over the years. He highlighted the potential loss of players due to the ban on facial hair as a compelling argument for a change that would be revolutionary for the team.
"If I ever found out that a player we wanted to acquire to make us better, to get us a championship, did not want to be here and, if he had the ability, would not come here because of that policy, as important as it is to that generation, that would be very, very concerning," Steinbrenner stated. "And I'm fairly convinced that that's a real concern."
Steinbrenner claimed to have had one-on-one conversations with several players, both current and former, on Monday to get their thoughts on the situation, including Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, and Giancarlo Stanton. Not all of them were in favor of the reform, he said.
"I did make the decision that the policy that was in place was outdated and given how important it is to that generation, and given that it is a norm in this world today, that it was somewhat unreasonable," Steinbrenner stated. "So I made the change."
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who has been with the team since 1986, sat next to Steinbrenner and stated that he was in favor of the accommodation.
"The time has come. Hal Steinbrenner's choice is not simple," Cashman remarked. "He considers a lot of facts before making a decision, just like he does with every other decision. We resemble an enormous battle cruiser. Turning takes a little time.
At a Friday morning team meeting, Steinbrenner shared the news with the group. He stated that as early as the end of the day, a regulation outlining what constitutes "well-groomed" would be made public.
Cole, who pitched for the Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates before joining the Yankees, frequently wore a beard. "The only information we were offered, from Cash, was that we're not trying to look like 'Duck Dynasty,'" Cole said. "Don't disparage 'Duck Dynasty.'" They are constantly grinding in the woods. There isn't really much else you can do. However, that was the only explanation we have received thus far.
The grooming strategy was put in place by George Steinbrenner, a former Air Force lieutenant, who believed that controlling players' appearance would foster discipline. The regulations, which were established before the 1976 season, prohibited players from growing hair over their collars and gave them the option of sporting a mustache or being clean-shaven. After taking over as chairman and controlling owner of the franchise in November 2008, Hal Steinbrenner maintained the codes. Less than three years later, George Steinbrenner passed away.
Hal Steinbrenner stated, "My father's top priority was winning." "Every summer, what we're attempting to do is position ourselves to acquire the player we're after, correct? And since it was about winning, I believe he could be a little more inclined to make the adjustment I did than people realize if anything like this took away from that and decreased our chances.
Over the following fifty years, players—including those who had previously been known for sporting facial hair—largely complied with the grooming regimen, which ran from spring training through October, frequently before allowing them to relax during the offseason. However, due to the organization's principles, some people have pushed the boundaries, and others have openly refused to join.
For instance, manager Stump Merrill benched and fined star first baseman Don Mattingly in the 1990s for not cutting his mullet. In 1995, four years later, Mattingly spent a portion of his final season sporting a goatee.
After winning the American League Cy Young Award in 2013, David Price, who was playing for the Tampa Bay Rays at the time, said he would not consider joining the Yankees when he became a free agent as long as the rule was in effect. All-Star closer Brian Wilson, who was the top reliever available at the time, declined to negotiate with the Yankees later that year because he didn't want to remove his signature jet-black beard.
This year's Hall of Fame inductee, CC Sabathia, was first apprehensive about joining the Yankees before the 2009 season because he didn't want to shave, but Cashman recalled on Friday that the team persuaded him with a seven-year, $161 million contract. The general manager pointed out that draft prospects have occasionally expressed that they would prefer not to join the Yankees due to the requirement. He claimed that a player the team targeted as a non-roster invitee for spring training this offseason had a problem with the policy.
Devin Williams, an All-Star closer who was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in December, expressed his disappointment at having to cut his beard at spring training earlier this month. He showed up with a mustache for the team's first practice the following day but kept the beard when he went to George M. Steinbrenner Field for his spring training physical. But for the team's photo day a week later, Williams wore a light beard.
On the other extreme, former Yankees Clay Holmes and Gleyber Torres both had full beards when they reported to camp this spring with their new organizations. One in pinstripes is now a possibility for their former comrades.
Cole remarked, "I think it's appropriate," "It makes sense. Although it permits some individual freedom and a few fewer razor burns, it still reflects our appearance and neatness.
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