Fingers and a mustache
Future Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers is coming off the worst year of his career after going 1-6 with a hideous 5.04 earned-run average in 47 games for the 1985 Milwaukee Brewers.
Fingers is 39 at the time and already has 17 years in the major leagues.
His resume includes three World Series titles with the Oakland Athletics; a World Series Most Valuable Player Award in 1974 with Oakland; both an American League Most Valuable Player Award and Cy Young Award in 1981 with Milwaukee; four Rolaid Relief Pitcher of the Year Awards and seven All-Star Game selections.
Fingers has nothing left to prove in the major leagues, but some team somewhere always seems want to offer a contract to someone of Fingers’ pedigree.
Rollie Fingers with Oakland
In this case, that some team somewhere is the Cincinnati Reds, who want Fingers to help their bullpen in 1986.
Fingers, too, has some interest in Cincinnati until he realizes the Reds are not going to waive for him their ban on facial hair.
Mustaches, in particular.
And no one in baseball has a better mustache than Rollie Fingers, owner of the game’s best handlebar stache since the late 1800s.
No waiver?
No worries, Fingers says as he instead announces 39 years ago today that he is going to retire rather than shave.
“The mustache is my trademark,” Fingers says back then, “and it has been for 15 years. I am not about to shave it off just to play baseball.”
Greg Vaughn
The Reds keep their clean-shaven look for another 13 years until they trade in February 1999 for hard-hitting outfielder Greg Vaughn, who is coming off a 50-homer season in 1998 for San Diego.
Vaughn emphatically tells his new team he likes his goatee more than their rigid whisker policy.
The Reds soon capitulate to Vaughn’s demands and then watch him hit 45 homers in 1999 before he quickly leaves the team as a free agent after only one season in Cincinnati.
The Reds soon trade for future Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., acquiring him from Seattle on Feb. 10, 2000.
Coincidentally, 11 days after the trade – 25 years ago today, to be exact – the Reds suddenly drop their ban on players wearing earrings on the field.
The team insists there is no cause-and-effect due to acquiring the earring-clad Griffey from Seattle.
Ken Griffey Jr.