I remember back in the 1970s, the Cincinnati Reds made a big deal about their grooming policy – no facial hair of any kind. It prevented famously mustachioed Rollie Fingers from considering an offer from the Reds and it required Dave Parker to shave his beard when he left the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Now I see, though, that several Reds players have goofy little goatees and the like. Does anyone know when the rule was changed?
Also, the Reds used to make a big deal about the fact that the first home game of the major league season was always played in Cincinnati. When did that stop happening?
I don’t know about when they relaxed it but I seem to recall that Marge Schott, when she owned the team, still had it in place. So that makes the rule like in the early-mid 1990s.
As for the ‘first pro team’ thing it was moved aside for the new ‘single game starting the season on Sunday night’ thing several years ago.
That was before ESPN got big enough to offer serious cash for the rights to Opening Day. They schedule the games now, in effect - and New York and Boston are bigger media markets than Cincinnati.
IIRC, the no-facial-hair rule was instituted by Bob Howsam, and kept as a tradition through the Schott regime. Now, it’s hard enough to attract free agents there without screening out the ones who like beards.
The Reds relaxed their facial hair policy in 1999 when Greg Vaughn joined the team. Since he hit a lot of home runs, it was easier to do so. Once the camel got its nose under the tent, the rest followed.
As for the Opening Day, according to a listserv I’m on, the Reds practice of opening the season a day before everyone else started all the way back in 1948 and that was because of a scheduling fluke.
I didn’t really happen every year until the 1960s. And when the practice changed in the mid 1980s, the Reds and the city of Cincinnati acted as if they had their birthright stripped from them.
In general, managers and coaches in all sports can make grooming rules; another common one is how players are allowed to dress on the plane/train/bus while travelling. Some coaches will want to set a “no-nonsense old-fashioned tough guy” tone by requiring coats and ties; others will relax it for the opposite impression.
For years, facial hair was generally verboten; the A’s of the early 70s were the first to really break the taboo in a big way – IIRC Charlie Finley paid Rollie Fingers to grow his famous handlebar 'stache as a marketing gimmick. Al Hrabosky was famous as one of the first bearded players. As time went on, those rules seemed petty, and now they’re pretty much gone.
My NY Yankees still have a grooming rule, and it is strictly enforced. One of the small entertainments enjoyed by Yankee fans is to see newly-signed players with their nice new haircuts at their first press conference as a Yankee.
Sorry to resurrect this, but hey, it’s only been a week.
For anyone who is not already aware and who might actually care, I just wanted to add that while the Reds no longer play the first game of every season, they do still always start their season with a home game, at least. Opening Day is something of a festive occasion in Cincinnati, complete with a parade (though I don’t think the team actually participates in that).
Let’s not forget that it was also traditional to have the first AL game in Washington so the President could throw out the first ball. That went by the wayside when the Senators moved to Texas.
