NEW YORK - Huston Street believes in some of baseball’s oldest, tried-and-true traditions, and the reliever knows team building can be a real benefit, so he considers the elimination of rookie dress up in the new labour deal the loss of “a healthy ritual.”
The Los Angeles Angels closer, like many players expressing their views Tuesday, disagrees with Major League Baseball’s ban on the hazing ritual of dressing up rookies in costumes that could be considered offensive, including women’s outfits.
“An effort to show our childlike spirit, or humble ourselves in wearing something funny as a team building moment, is now gone,” Street wrote in an email to The Associated Press, “but rest assured some other ritual will rise, will be kept far more secret and hopefully it’s as safe and harmless as uncomfortable clothes.