ICYMI: Will the Yankees Ever Allow Facial Hair?

Will the New York Yankees ever end their policy that keeps players from having anything more than a neatly kept mustache? I sure hope not. Looking through the Yankees Photo Day pictures I kind of enjoy not seeing the Jayson Werth’s, the Danny Espinosa’s and the Charlie Blackmon’s of the league. Straight off the top of my head I can only remember Jared Burton, the reliever from the Twins that is over on a minor league deal, having any facial hair on the team this season other than maybe a five o’clock shadow. This is one of those trends that started in the 1970’s and has made a comeback with the “idiots” from the Boston Red Sox in the mid- 2000’s.

Little known fact that facial hair was considered to be “ungentlemanly” in Major League Baseball up until the 1973 season when Reggie Jackson came to the Oakland Athletics spring training camp with a mustache. The A’s owner Charlie Finley did not want Jackson to stand out so he paid each of his players $300 for growing a mustache that season and the 70’s exploded with facial hair in the game. That explosion is back and it’s as disgusting as ever. I’m not a facial hair hater, I tend to only shave once or twice a week and I have at least a five o’clock shadow every single day, but I think some of these beards have gotten out of hand and they are generally unattractive.

This is not Duck Dynasty, this is Major League Baseball, start acting like it. 

Most Popular Article of the Week: Yankees Give Hideki Matsui a Job

Hideki Matsui is back in Major League Baseball and he is back with the New York Yankees but he's not coming back as a player. Matsui has been assigned to the Yankees as a special adviser to General Manager Brian Cashman after spending seven seasons in New York and winning World Series MVP in 2009.

Here is the press release from the team:

In his first full-time role in the New York Yankees front office, Matsui will work closely with General Manager Brian Cashman and Player Development Vice President Gary Denbo. Matsui will spend the majority of the 2015 season traveling throughout the Yankees’ minor league system and focusing on aspects of hitting with managers, batting coaches and players.

The Superstition of my Desktop

I am a baseball fan and baseball is in my heart and in my blood so naturally I am a pretty superstitious person sometimes (all the time). Way back in 2009 the New York Yankees signed AJ Burnett to a big free agent deal and as many of you probably know by now Burnett was my favorite player. I loved AJ when he was with the Florida Marlins and the Toronto Blue Jays because there is something about throwing a no hitter with nine walks that excites me. Anyway let me get back on track before I get too far gone, for the 2009 season I put a picture of AJ in a Yankees uniform on my desktop on my PC. I don't need to tell you the history, the Yankees won the World Series and AJ had a great and healthy season. So in 2010 I picked one player who I thought needed a pick me up and they were showcased on my desktop all season long... and I just picked my 2015 player this afternoon.

In 2010 I chose Phil Hughes because I felt it was finally his time to break out... 18 wins later I decided this would be a yearly thing. 2011, Mariano Rivera. 2012, Derek Jeter. 2013, Robinson Cano. Last season I had Jacoby Ellsbury on my desktop all season long and he was one of the best hitters on the team. Overall, Ellsbury stayed healthy as well in 2014 which led me to my 2015 pick, Mr. Masahiro Tanaka. Tanaka had a partially torn UCL in his throwing elbow last season and opted to rest and rehab it rather than head under the knife for a Tommy John surgery. If anyone needs a little bit of black magic and help it's Tanaka so the official revealing for my 2015 desktop picture... #TANAKA

Gary Denbo Creates Captain's Campers

Gary Denbo was hired this offseason to be in charge of player development in the New York Yankees farm system and has created a program called Captain's Campers. The purpose of the group is to promote quality character, accountability and respect for the game. Basically they are sending prospects to the Derek Jeter school.The Yankees invited 15 of their prospects to this year's camp and they all took part in character building exercises including visiting a children's hospital.

The fifteen prospects that attended were Luis Severino, Jacob Lindgren, Jake Cave, Ian Clarkin, Greg Bird, Eric Jagielo, Aaron Judge, Gosuke Katoh, Leonardo Molina, Alex Palma, Nick Rumbelow, Luis Torrens, Matt Tracy, Tyler Wade and Jorge Mateo.

Here is a direct quote from Lindgren:

“It kind of gave me an idea of what they want. How I should eat in the off-season to get ready for a long season. We got to talk to some big league guys who have done it before. They told us their personal experiences with it. You try to take a little bit from each person.” 

TGP Daily Poll: CC Sabathia Starts Opening Day

CC Sabathia starts the next game for the New York Yankees which lines him up perfectly for Opening Day. Assuming he makes it through the spring healthy CC will make the Opening Day start for the Yankees in 2015.

Vote in our prediction poll on knoda.com

MLBTR: Jared Burton/Scott Baker Article XX(B) Free Agents

According to MLB Trade Rumors the New York Yankees have a pair of Article XX(B) free agents this spring training in Jared Burton and Scott Baker. What makes a Article XX(B) free agent is a player that has signed a minor league deal despite having at least six seasons of major league service time. If neither of these players make the 25 man opening day roster the Yankees owe each oft hem $100,000 bonus. Each player also automatically receives June 1st opt-out date on top of any other opt-out dates that are already written into their contract.

Burton already has four opt-out dates written into his contract so he looks to be destined for the pay day and the transfer to the minor leagues while Baker is attempting to fill in for the injured Chris Capuano.

This Day In New York Yankees History 3/16: Blank Check to Babe Ruth

On this day in 1932 Babe Ruth signed a deal for $75,000 and a percentage of the exhibition gate. Ruth signed a blank contract with the amount filled in later by Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert. Talk about trust.

Recap: Yankees 3, Phillies 2

Nathan Eovaldi pitched four shutout innings and Chase Headley hit his first home run of the spring Sunday as the Yankees snuck past the Phillies, 3-2, in a nail-biter at Steinbrenner Field.

Nate the Great: Eovaldi struck out three and faced the minimum in his four frames, giving up just two soft singles in the third and fourth. He retired seven straight to kickoff the afternoon, and never let the Phillies reach second.

Chase-ing a Victory: With the score even at one in the bottom of the seventh, Headley drilled a Kevin Slowey offering over the right-center field wall -- Headley's only knock in three at-bats. It was one of two runs for the Yankees in the inning, the other coming on a Slade Heathcott RBI single.

A Good Start: Leading off the Yankees' half of the first against Sean O'Sullivan, Jacoby Ellsbury laced a stand-up triple to the left-center field gap -- nicely setting up Brian McCann for a run-scoring sac fly three batters later. Ellsbury's knock was the only extra-base one the Yankees had besides Headley's homer, and represented one of the few offensive highlights on the day for their lineup.

Bad Carpentry: David Carpenter entered the contest in the seventh with the Yankees still up 1-0, the Phillies having been kept off the bases since the fourth. Carpenter quickly surrendered a walk and a wild pitch, though, and once Dominic Brown connected on a one-out single to right, the former Brave had blown New York's advantage.

Wilson to the Rescue: After Carpenter allowed another single to get the top of the eighth going and Justin Wilson hit Cesar Hernandez in the foot, the Phillies had the tying runs on with no outs -- a situation that seemed to favor them highly. Following a big strikeout of Cameron Rupp, a weak RBI groundout from Andres Blanco and a routine fly ball from Darin Mastroianni, however, Wilson had forced Philadelphia to settle for just one in the inning -- maintaining for the Yankees the 3-2 lead with which they would ultimately win.

Next Up: The Yankees will have their first off-day since March 2 on Monday before hosting the Blue Jays Tuesday night in Tampa -- beginning at 7:05 p.m. ET. CC Sabathia is expected to make his preseason debut for the Pinstripes when they go head-to-head with Toronto's Drew Hutchison, a matchup set to air on both YES and MLB Network. 

Yankees Send 10 Back to Minor League Camps

The New York Yankees have announced that they have sent down a total of ten prospects down to minor league camp as a part of their first spring cuts. Among the prospects were the Yankees top two prospects in Luis Severino and Aaron Judge.

The remaining eight prospects the Yankees sent down were C Trent Garrison, RHP Nick Goody, C Juan Graterol, LHP James Pazos, RHP Diego Moreno, LHP Tyler Webb, OF Jake Cave and SS Cito Culver.

None of these players expected to make the team out of spring training but I honestly thought the team would take a longer look at Goody, Pazos, Webb and Culver specifically. Goody is as close to MLB ready as they get and Pazos and Webb figured to fight with Justin Wilson for a little longer. Culver is running out of time and was left unprotected from the Rule 5 Draft but all can benefit from regular at bats and playing time in minor league camp so it's good for them in the long run.

David Robertson is Talking About the Yankees Again

David, we get it. You're a member of the Chicago White Sox now and you didn't want to come back to the Yankees because Chicago has a better chance of winning. You didn't necessarily agree with all the rules the Yankees threw down, apparently the facial hair policy irked you a bit, we get it. I love you D Rob and I really loved watching you play in the Bronx but it's over. You know you can refuse to answer a question or just turn the question around to talk about your current team? Right?

Anyway the point of this article was to inform you guys what Robertson had to say about the Yankees admittedly outdated facial hair policy. Here is the quote from his ESPN interview:

"This is nice, not to have to shave every three days. I think it's kind of ridiculous, but that was the Yankees' rule — they wanted to have you clean-shaven. Here you can just let it grow. Obviously, they don't want me to get it to that point. But I won't let it get out of control."

Joba Chamberlain didn't rip the Yankees facial hair policy and neither did Robinson Cano. Be better, because we know you can be and we know that you are.