Detroit — Daniel Norris was in a laughing, smiling mood Saturday at TigerFest, even participating in a fun Bad Jokes Challenge with fellow pitcher Matt Boyd. The rules: Whoever laughs most, loses.
"Did you know I used to hate facial hair?" Norris deadpanned.
Boyd cracked up, even before the punch line was delivered, given Norris is sporting a wildly bushy beard.
"Then," Norris said, "it grew on me."
Ba-dum-ch.
Point for Norris.
Now, laughs haven't been the easiest to come by lately for Norris, a former second-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays who figured he'd be an established major-league pitcher right now -- and not someone entering spring training on the outside looking in at a rotation spot.