Phillies Remorse

Baseball players have always been on the cutting edge of popular coiffure and facial hair styles.

We Phillies fans fondly(?) remember when Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski went with the permed white guy Afro look back in the late '70s. Al "The Mad Hungarian" Hrabosky and "Goose" Gossage pioneered the Fu-Manchu mustache during the same era. More recently, Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins went with the Stevie Wonder beaded dreadlocks look. Raul Ibanez retained his "Mr Clean" shaved head, and Chase Utley went back in time for the Michael Douglas / Gordon Gecko slicked-back hair style.

One of the common reasons given for the Phillies failure to defeat the Giants this year was that our boys are aging and couldn't keep up with those young, aggressive San Franciscans. Is this reflected by a comparison of hair styles? Jimmy, Raul, and Chase are clearly living in the past as indicated by their coiffures. The Giants, on the other hand, have Tim Lincecum's shoulder-length hair with a Mary Tyler Moore-like "flip" on the end. Is this the cutting edge for 2010? The Giants' star relief pitcher, Brain Wilson, has a mohawk complemented by a full beard that he blackens with what appears to be shoe polish. Is this "the look" for the upcoming decade? Phillies-killer Cody Ransom has a shaved head but a well-trimmed beard at his jaw line. Again, is new hair / beard style ground being broken before our very eyes?

Should the Giants win the World Series, their youthful exuberance as reflected by the Mary Tyler Moore "flip", the mohawk / blackened beard, and the shaved head / jawline beard will be a big factor. The Phillies should take note, abandon their outmoded looks and get with the times. Our boys may not be young, but they can look young.