Thursday, May 13, 2010
Mohawk haircuts bring entire Tigers team closer togetherBrandon Inge, the usual instigator, proclaimed his innocence. Having said that, he was one of the first to jump on the bandwagon. "If it looks like fun, I'll do it," he admitted. Johnny Damon, the role model, disavowed any involvement in the caper. "Their loved ones cannot be upset with me," he declared.
Actually, the harebrained scheme for half of the Tigers' team to get Mohawk haircuts was hatched in the bullpen and executed between halves of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Yankees. Now the stunt still has the whole clubhouse laughing. "That's what happens when you have too much time on your hands," said first base coach Tom Brookens.The impromptu shearing was supposed to increase solidarity among the boys in the league-leading bullpen. It appears to have brought the entire team closer together."We sit out there in the bullpen and during the first two or three innings it's a little loose," explained
Joel Zumaya, one of the provocateurs.
"Me, (Eddie) Bonine, (Phil) Coke, (Ryan) Perry _ we were all for it. It was all our idea. It's pretty sweet."I think it's cool. It's the whole bullpen. We're going to see how long we can keep it up. It would be pretty cool if we could get the whole team to do it."
"I had a little to do with it, but it was really a whole bullpen stunt," said Coke, who wins the award for Most Outlandish Haircut, hands down.
"Fu-Te Ni called his mom and dad in Taiwan, probably woke them up out of a dead sleep, to ask if it was OK," revealed Coke.
"Not true," Ni insisted, through his translator.
But how would your parents react if they knew,
Ni was asked?
"Probably go crazy," he replied with a smile.
In his native Taiwan, Ni explained, nobody wears hairstyles like that. "Unless they're models or rock stars," he added.
Australian
Brad Thomas admitted he now gets "lots of funny looks."
"People are giving me a wide berth when they see me."
"It's not the brightest idea we've ever had," Perry confessed.
"We have every position on the roster represented," Inge explained. "We got the whole bullpen, I represent the infielders, Johnny (Damon) is the outfield, Alex (Avila) is the catchers and (Jeremy) Bonderman is the starting pitchers."That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it," Inge added.
"Maybe it'll change my luck," muttered Bonderman, who has pitched better than his 1-2 record indicates.
I asked Inge what his wife, Shani, thinks of his new hairstyle.
"I don't know, she hasn't spoken to me yet," he said.
Perry invited Leyland to join the club. But the 65-year-old manager declined.
"I ain't got enough hair," Leyland growled."Besides, I've got my son's graduation to go to."
The lone holdout in the bullpen is closer Jose Valverde, who, according to informed sources, kept encouraging his teammates to get their hair cut, then chickened out when his own turn came."I'll do it if you do it," Valverde chided me.
"You first," I said.
He laughed and walked away.
posted by Jim Hawkins at 2:21 PM
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Mohawk mania hits Motor CityMany Tigers sport new hairdo between games of twin billBy Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com
05/13/10 12:40 AM ET
DETROIT -- A baseball clubhouse can serve a number of purposes. It can be a lounge, a gym, a kitchen and even a doctor's office.
On Wednesday, the Tigers' clubhouse doubled as something new -- a barbershop.
More than 10 Tigers opted to shave their hair into a mohawk in the home clubhouse between games of the day-night doubleheader against the Yankees. The pitching staff did the most grooming on the afternoon, with at least seven hurlers sporting the new look. Third baseman Brandon Inge even decided to jump on the bandwagon.
Maybe the new hairdos were a result of being cooped up inside so much lately. Tuesday's rainout led to the doubleheader, and with the first game lasting only two hours and 15 minutes, the team had plenty of time on its hands between games.
Or maybe it was just a team bonding experience.
Either way, several Tigers look ready to head out to a hard rock show, not take the baseball field.
No one is fessing up to having started the new trend, and the most likely candidate was quick to point the finger of blame elsewhere.
Johnny Damon sported the team's first mohawk, which started on the Tigers' road trip to Anaheim in mid-April. But Damon said he played no part in the barbershop session that occurred on Wednesday afternoon.
"I came in, sat down and started playing cards, and all of a sudden, people started walking out of the bathroom with mohawks to the skin," Damon said. "So we can't put that on me. Maybe they just liked how good mine looked, and then you see what we see now.
"I'm not going to be responsible for girlfriends or wives or parents calling me -- even grandparents or their kids. They've got to deal with it themselves."
Damon's mohawk isn't nearly as jaw-dropping as those of many other members on the team -- see
Phil Coke and
Ryan Perry -- mainly because he doesn't shave his head bald on the sides. Left-handed pitcher
Fu-Te Ni followed Damon's lead and went with what is best described as a "faux-hawk.""Some of them do have some very good ones working," Damon said. "I'm not even sure if, when we're on the road, places will even let us in. I mean, that's the thing that we have to watch out for. I guess I know who I'm not hanging out with."
Damon will still be able to hang with center fielder Austin Jackson, whose hair was too short to join the fad.
"Even if I could do it, I wouldn't do it," Jackson confessed. "That's not me."
Wednesday night's starting pitcher,
Jeremy Bonderman, joined in with his teammates, negating the adage that pitchers like to be left alone prior to their start.
"I came in and everybody was doing it, so I just jumped on the bandwagon," Bonderman said. "It was a long day with a lot of time on our hands. I think some of the guys got bored and decided to have some fun."
The mohawks don't have to be a permanent thing. A quick buzz here and a quick buzz there could get the team looking socially acceptable again.
But for now, the mohawks are here to stay.
"As long as we like it, it doesn't matter," Coke said. "It's pretty legit."Alex DiFilippo is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.