Baseball's had it's fair share of fads.
There was the mullets of the 90s, teal and magenta uniforms in the 90s, and of course bullpen carts in the 70s.
But one thing that hasn't been a fad is facial hair.
It's always been there.
It's been worn by those like Rollie Fingers, who ended up in the Hall of Fame, guys like Tom Marsh, who sipped a cup of coffee, high character guys (Doug Glanville) and villains (Goose Gossage).
Here's our list of the best mustaches, beards and the like ever to find a ballfield. It's a bakers' dozen.
Hey look it's Sammy Hagar. What do you mean it isn't. That's not Jeff Bagwell. Oh, it is. And that's how we start our list. With Bagwell's King Tut impression.
When you think of mustaches we doubt you think of the Man of Steal. And, while we doubt this wispy growth helped his aerodynamics, we can't deny this awkward mustashe didn't have a bit of style. It made Rickey look like a cheep villain in a Steven Segal movie.
Thurman Munson was a very mean man on the ballfield. And his 'stache was an exclamation point on his attitude.
Rod Beck's life wasn't always easy, but his emotion and his fu manchu made him a fan favorite. But he wasn't the first. That honor goes to Goose Gossage. Goose's name seems nice enough. But the whiskers and the blazing fastball forced you to think otherwise. Even if he got to kiss Mary Lou Retton
Sure, Michael Jack and Krukker, you probably had better facial hair. But my look is a warning. Sometimes a bushy 'stache looks downright horrible. This isn't even comical. But it served its purpose and people everywhere learned that facial hair doesn't work for everyone.
We're not sure this qualifies as facial hair, but these chops are memorable. And it's our list. So we're putting them here. They might have even given Brady Anderson the power he needed to hit 56 home runs after never hitting more than 21. Then again, maybe they didn't.
Anderson's career really was almost as memorable as his muttonchops. Or were they sideburns?
Whatever you want to call them, they must have inspired the 39-year-olds who played 18-year-olds on "Beverly Hills 90210" to grow them. That's right, we're talking about you, Shannen Doherty.
First he was a scraggly A. Then, he was a clean-shaven Yankee. Then he was an nearly-admitted steroid user. Then he was inspired by Al Gore and grew some fuzz. Now he's an A again. And the fuzz is still ugly. But, hey, his facial hair has been the talk of baseball since 1998.
Robin Yount had several different growths, but we love the fact he ripped off the Hulkster. Now, if only Paul Molitor had grown a Mr. T-like mohawk.
We bet there's a lot you don't know about Dan Brouthers.
He's considered the first great slugger in history.
He was nicknamed "Big Dan," because he was 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds.
He batted .342 for his career. He once hit four home runs in a game.
And, of course, he had a fantastic mustache, that rivaled Doc Holliday's.
What's great about Al Hrabosky is that his facial hair was part of his personality. The Mad Hungarian pounded the ball into his glove, glared down the batter and let loose his violent fury.
The caveman liveth. In all seriousness, this look was fantastic. Even if he would later sell his soul.
Was there ever a doubt? We knew it had to be Rollie Fingers with the best ever. There were never any legitimate challengers. Then again, maybe you want to argue. If so, who would you pick?
Did you like this list? Let us know. Or check out our other Top 10 lists.
Leave a comment