The Battle of the Beards: A Belated MLB playoff preview

I do not own this picture Well, I'm pretty late on getting this up, but to be fair, I did write a piece for The Carolinian outlining the playoffs........so there. But we are through a round and a half and it shouldn't go unnoticed the number of players who are growing their beards out. Remember when Johnny Damon did it in 2004? It seemed so weird back then, but its an approach that many players are tryng today. Who had heard of Cody Ross before the playoffs? The dude grows his beard out and his a homer against Atlanta, two against Roy Halladay and the Phillies, and then another off of Roy Oswalt, also of the Phillies. Jayson Werth (pictured at very top) looks like a cross between a yuppie hipster and Tom Hanks in castaway, and Brian Wilson for the Giants, who not only shares a name with a musical legend, also looks like an athletic version of Zach Galifinakis. The Yankees are stupid and aren't allowed to grow beards, so go ahead and count them out......it's not like prior experience,poise,clutch ability or any other valuable qualities New York posses matter at this point. Jeff Francoeur of the Rangers grew a beard but oddly enough still lacks the ability to lay off the high,outside fastball......so he doesn't count. Basically all you need to know is that every team other than the Yankees are represented by at least one stellar beard, although someone more competent than Frenchy should grow one for the Rangers. And the Giants should hire someone to seduce Jayson Werth, so she can cut his beard and hair creating a Samson effect and push the Giants into the World Series. I mean the last time baseball had this much awesome facial hair, was when the game was still being played in civil war prison camps, and everyone had awesome handle bar mustaches. I'd really like to see the cool mustache and sideburns return to the game but theses things take time, so I'll settle for baby steps. Aside from cool beards, some great baseball has been played. We saw the illustrious career of Bobby Cox come to and end, and Roy Halladay threw just the second no hitter in playoff history. Great things to come for sure. To be clear the Rangers and Yankees are fighting for the AL championship and the Giants and the Phillies are duking it out for the NL. Winners face off in the World Series.

-SB