[7] Lou Piniella challenged the rule during spring training in Fort Lauderdale, citing that Jesus had long hair. Not only has the rule been looked at distastefully by the media and some in pinstripes, but also players on other teams and in free agency. Well, he wanted the team to be looked at as more professional and stand out almost as if they were the military. He was called into the office, where George told him he had to cut his hair. On this date in Yankees history: He did it! Over the years, the policy has become a tradition and has been embraced by the entire Steinbrenner family, who holds to the policy up to today. Looking back at the Hall of Fame argument for David Cone. Lou Pinella showed up for opening day and had long hair. The Yankees’ policy is the exact opposite. It drew a lot of comments, many citing that the policy sets the Yankees apart from other teams. Steinbrenner later added, “He looks like a Yankee, he sounds like a Yankee and he is a Yankee.”. [10] Some players, such as David Price, have openly stated that they would never join the Yankees as long as the policy was in place. The policy has raised some controversy and there have been calls for its abolition.[1]. The most infamous incident involving the Yankees and facial hair happened in 1991.
The Yankee way is team first, the player second, which was fully embraced by Hall of Famer Derek Jeter and now Yankee star Aaron Judge. The appearance policy may have been inspired by Steinbrenner's veteran status with the United States Air Force, which like other military branches also has a similar appearance policy. After the game, he gave the list to manager Ralph Houk. “George Steinbrenner has a policy and I’m going to stick to it,” he noted. [17] However, Mattingly's facial hair policy came under scrutiny, as observers noted it bore too great of a resemblance to what Simpsons character Mr. Burns wanted from him in his 1992 Simpsons guest appearance. Today it is quite common, even with some teams saying they will have beards until they reach a certain number of wins or other goals. This is not to say that there have not been run-ins with certain players over the years. In 1983, Steinbrenner ordered that Goose Gossage remove his facial hair. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. Under S4037, the employer must establish that facial hair interferes with the job; under the Yankees policy, the employee must establish a religious reason. $324 million dollar man Gerrit Cole is the newest member to join the “they look so different without a beard” club. "[8], The policy has become a prominent symbol of the New York Yankees. He was an accomplished hurdler on his varsity track and field team and was a halfback on the football team at Culver Military Academy.
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