As the New York Yankees search for answers after suffering their 17th loss in 23 games, WFAN’s bearded Tommy Lugauer thinks he has it. Let them grow beards.
The Yankees season is undoubtedly in a tailspin right now, prompting fans to call WFAN with suggestions of firing Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman, while also offering bizarre trade proposals like sending Juan Soto to Toronto. But those callers failed to point out the larger problem with the Yankees. Their “Neatness Counts” policy that forbids beards.
Fans and callers may have failed to recognize what’s wrong with the Yankees. But thankfully, Mets fan and WFAN producer Lugauer answered the bell. Lugauer noted that while Carlos Rodón’s $162 million contract is on the verge of becoming a historically bad deal for the Yankees, he was great with the San Francisco Giants. What’s the difference? Facial hair.
Loogy says the Yankees need to ditch their no beard policy.
— Evan and Tiki (@EvanandTikiWFAN) July 10, 2024
“This is not the Navy,” Lugauer told Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber. “Just let these guys grow a beard out. Let them be comfortable. You talk about being in New York, stop with this nonsense!”
The hot take by Lugauer occurred after Roberts accused his producer of attempting getting on Awful Announcing earlier in the week by suggesting the Mets should sign 52-year-old Billy Wagner. That take didn’t make it, but calling out the Yankees’ hair policy is always worthy of a headline.
Will facial hair really fix Rodón and the floundering Yankees? Probably not. But in 2024, the policy is nonsense. The “Neatness Counts” policy was instituted in 1976 by then-Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, barring players from having beards, beads, mutton chops, or long hair. Nearly a half-century later, the seemingly outdated hair maintenance rules are still enforced by the Yankees.
But at this point, who will step up and break the law? Last year, a bat boy had the gall to don the pinstripes with long hair and facial scruff and promptly got called out for it by play-by-play voice Michael Kay. “There are rules. Rules are rules. He’s disobeying two of them,” Kay ranted last year.
Don’t worry, Lugauer has an answer for that too. “Aaron Judge needs to grow a beard,” Lugauer suggested. “They’re not fining him. Juan Soto could grow a beard, they’re not fining him.”
[WFAN]
