We all know what it is. We’ve seen players like Jason Giambi, Randy Johnson, and Johnny Damon all shave their facial hair and get clean haircuts when joining the Yankees. $324 million dollar man Gerrit Cole is the newest member to join the “they look so different without a beard” club. Being in quarantine had me wondering why the appearance policy was enacted in the first place, so let’s dig deeper and find out.
It all began back in 1973 when George M. Steinbrenner saw some of his players looking sloppy while standing for the National Anthem, most notably Thurman Munson, Bobby Murcer and Sparky Lyle.