What would you call this guy?

[bellsjc]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

Now you had to make me go grab my soapbox.

I am a professional; I am a controller for a multi-million dollar non-profit organization. I wear a mustache & goatee combo (whatever you want to call it. Believe me when I say there is nothing unprofessional about properly worn facial hair.

The conceit that any and all facial hair is unprofessional is rooted in a 1950s mindset (that or just jealousy from people who cannot grow a reasonable beard). All that banning all facial hair gets you is the loss of a good portion of qualified umpires.

Don't get on the soapbox. You don't have to convince me that you can't be a pro and were a mustache & goatee. I wear a mustache and goatee as I said and I am business professional for a 3 company llc. My mustache and goatee are always trimmed very short and always looks neat. I think the association banning all facial hair is the easiest way to assure the neat look they are trying to portray. It would be far more difficult to have someone say... gee, Joe your beard is nice and short and trimmed its ok, but you Charlie need to trim that up a bit before you can do a game. No wiggle room is easier to enforce with less problems or arguments.

[Eastshire]

Originally Posted by bellsjc

Don't get on the soapbox. You don't have to convince me that you can't be a pro and were a mustache & goatee. I wear a mustache and goatee as I said and I am business professional for a 3 company llc. My mustache and goatee are always trimmed very short and always looks neat. I think the association banning all facial hair is the easiest way to assure the neat look they are trying to portray. It would be far more difficult to have someone say... gee, Joe your beard is nice and short and trimmed its ok, but you Charlie need to trim that up a bit before you can do a game. No wiggle room is easier to enforce with less problems or arguments.

Less problems with the officials you keep, more problems over all. Why drive away quality officials just because you cannot adequately explain the meaning of neatly trimmed? I for one would have to quit rather than go clean shaven because, one, I am afraid of what my wife would do to me and, two, I look a lot less professional clean shaven (I look ten years younger clean shaven and I am not old enough for that to be a good thing).

Originally Posted by bellsjc

Don't get on the soapbox. You don't have to convince me that you can't be a pro and were a mustache & goatee. I wear a mustache and goatee as I said and I am business professional for a 3 company llc. My mustache and goatee are always trimmed very short and always looks neat. I think the association banning all facial hair is the easiest way to assure the neat look they are trying to portray. It would be far more difficult to have someone say... gee, Joe your beard is nice and short and trimmed its ok, but you Charlie need to trim that up a bit before you can do a game. No wiggle room is easier to enforce with less problems or arguments.

Well said. Our association is open on the topic. If nothing else, it gives all umpires the uniform look. We've got one guy who wears a beard at least 6" long. Do any teams really care - probably not. If nothing else they recognize him when he shows up. One would think the heat of a hot summer is enough to dissuade anyone from having any facial hair under a mask.

[mcrowder]

This one's easy. I'd call him Steve. I know that guy.

Seriously though - this guy has nothing on my "Verbal Fan Interference" guy (same as the "Caught-Bounced-3rd Strike Guy")

[LMan]

Originally Posted by mcrowder

Seriously though - this guy has nothing on my "Verbal Fan Interference" guy (same as the "Caught-Bounced-3rd Strike Guy")

Oh, great. Now I have to start searching