{"id":36563,"date":"2025-02-24T08:00:04","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T08:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=36563"},"modified":"2025-02-24T08:00:04","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T08:00:04","slug":"yankees-hall-of-famer-don-mattinglys-2-word-reaction-to-facial-hair-rule-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=36563","title":{"rendered":"Yankees Hall of Famer Don Mattingly’s 2-word reaction to facial hair rule change"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Don<\/p>\n

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For the first time in nearly 50 years, the New York Yankees have loosened their long-standing facial hair policy, allowing players and staff to sport \u201cwell-groomed\u201d beards from now on. The decision, announced by owner Hal Steinbrenner on Friday, marks a significant shift from the strict grooming standards established by his father, George Steinbrenner, in 1976.<\/p>\n

While the change has been met with mixed reactions across the baseball world, one former Yankee, Don Mattingly, had perhaps the most amusing take. Mattingly, who famously clashed with the Yankees over this policy during his playing days, responded with just two words when asked about the change, saying, \u201cTimes change!\u201d<\/p>\n

His short but humorous response quickly went viral, as many fans remember how Mattingly was once benched and fined for refusing to trim his hair in the early 1990s. The irony of Mattingly\u2019s history with the rule made his reaction even more fitting.<\/p>\n

The Yankees\u2019 facial hair rule, which had been in place for nearly five decades, required players to be clean-shaven, except for mustaches. However, it often faced pushback from players, including those who refused to sign with the team because of the policy. Hal Steinbrenner admitted that this was a major factor in his decision to relax the rule.<\/p>\n

A new era begins for the Yankees<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Yankees
Thomas B. Shea-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIf I ever found out that a player we wanted to acquire, to make us better and get us a championship, did not want to be here and would not come here because of that policy, that would be very, very concerning,\u201d Steinbrenner said about the Yankees no defunct facial hair policy.<\/p>\n

While Steinbrenner couldn\u2019t confirm whether any top free agents had turned down offers from the Yankees due to the grooming policy, general manager Brian Cashman noted that it had been a topic of discussion in past free-agent negotiations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re like a gigantic naval battlecruiser,\u201d Cashman said of the Yankees\u2019 reluctance to change. \u201cIt takes a little while to turn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some current Yankees welcomed the decision, seeing it as a step forward in modernizing the organization.<\/p>\n

\n

Related New York Yankees NewsArticle continues below<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt makes sense,\u201d said Gerrit Cole, who had a beard before signing with the Yankees. \u201cIt still embodies our look and neatness but allows for some individual freedom and a few less razor burns.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, new closer Devin Williams, who was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers, reluctantly shaved his beard upon reporting to Yankees camp earlier this month. He expressed frustration over the rule before the change was announced, making him one of the last players to be affected by the outdated policy.<\/p>\n

The Yankees\u2019 facial hair rule was deeply rooted in George Steinbrenner\u2019s military background and belief that a clean-cut look instilled discipline. Over the years, however, the policy led to some memorable controversies.<\/p>\n

In 1991, Mattingly was benched by manager Stump Merrill for refusing to cut his hair. The incident became a national story, and Mattingly\u2019s rebellious stance even inspired a subplot in The Simpsons. In 2013, pitcher David Price said he would never sign with the Yankees because of the grooming policy.<\/p>\n

Now, players will no longer have to face such dilemmas, though the Yankees will still enforce rules on hair length, ensuring that players maintain a \u201cclean and disciplined\u201d look.<\/p>\n

While tradition has long been at the heart of the Yankees\u2019 identity, Hal Steinbrenner made it clear that winning comes first. \u201cWinning was the most important thing to my father,\u201d Steinbrenner said. \u201cIf something like this would detract from that or lessen our chances, I don\u2019t know, I think he might be a little more apt to do the change than people think.\u201d<\/p>\n

As players begin embracing their newfound freedom, it will be interesting to see how many opt to grow beards in the post-clean-shaven Yankees era. One thing is for certain\u2014Don Mattingly was right. Times have indeed changed.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Don Mattingly had an eye-opening reaction to the Yankees surprising decision to change their facial hair policy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":36565,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nYankees Hall of Famer Don Mattingly's 2-word reaction to facial hair rule change - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=36563\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Yankees Hall of Famer Don Mattingly's 2-word reaction to facial hair rule change - News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Don Mattingly had an eye-opening reaction to the Yankees surprising decision to change their facial hair policy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=36563\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-24T08:00:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Thiet-ke-chua-co-ten-1-18.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrLuu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrLuu\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=36563\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=36563\",\"name\":\"Yankees Hall of Famer Don Mattingly's 2-word reaction to facial hair rule change - 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