DUNEDIN, Fla. – Brandon Morrow laughs when he hears the question.
Which of his Toronto Blue Jays teammates is rocking the better facial hair this spring – Adam Lind or Jose Reyes?
"Jose’s looks like it has a little more time put into it, some professional manicuring, he probably has a landscaper," says Morrow, who usually keeps his beard neatly trimmed. "Lind’s looks he went into hibernation for, I don’t know, eight months, and came out with that.
"I like them both though."
That seems to be the consensus in the Blue Jays clubhouse, although Lind’s new look – he’s been growing his goatee since July, while Reyes has sported his beard for a while now – is drawing far more attention.
"There could be something living in there," says the clean-shaven Sergio Santos. "With Lindy, you never know."
Asked for his critique of Lind’s goatee, Reyes says: "It’s a little bit out of control. In December, mine was longer than this, but I cut it off a little bit when I went home to the Dominican. It was a little bit out of control, hair everywhere, so I had to cut it off a little bit."
As Morrow suggested, Reyes does indeed have a barber who trims his beard, but the chin bristles are off limits.
And Lind?
"Nah," he grins, "I don’t have a guy."
The inspiration for his look came from Los Angeles Dodgers closer Brian Wilson, whose chest-length facial mane has taken on a life of its own.
"I remember hanging out with some guys last year after a game and there were highlights on," explains Lind. "Brian Wilson had his beard in a ponytail, or a chin-tail I guess, and I was like, ‘I want it to be like that.’"
Really?
"That might affect my swing a little bit, I don’t know if I can pull that off," says Lind, whose kids regularly tug on his thatch. "Maybe if I wasn’t playing."
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Here’s a sampling of other things the Blue Jays had to say about Reyes and Lind’s facial hair.
Which look do you like better?
"With Jose, he pulls it off, he’s got that swag which works. With Lindy, when I first saw it, it made me a little bit more intimidated. He looks a little scary up there, which is good. He might get some more heaters and hit some more homers." – Sergio Santos.
"I like them both, both look good for their personalities, but if I had to choose one I’d choose Lindy’s just because of how long it is and how red it is. I don’t know if it would be intimidating on the mound, I would probably laugh if I hadn’t seen it before, or if I knew him. But if you’re on the mound and you see that, some guys might be like, ‘What’s going on with that?’" – Kyle Drabek.
"I love it on Lind, it looks fantastic, perfect for him. It’s so bad, it’s great." – Drew Hutchison.
"Lind’s is pretty good. Just keep it semi-manageable on the field." – Todd Redmond.
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How long is too long?
"Lind is getting close to the limit. I don’t notice Jose’s as much. Lind’s is definitely more wild – it’s going everywhere. It’s like his goatee has bed head." – Brandon Morrow.
"Just let it do its thing." – Kyle Drabek.
"I don’t think there is a too long. You can go as long as you want to go." – Sergio Santos.
"I’m a bigger beard guy. I just hate shaving, so the bigger the beard the better." – Todd Redmond.
"You’ve got to let it go if you’re Adam Lind." – Drew Hutchison.
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Is a ZZ Top-like length too much?
"Why not. I’m in." – Sergio Santos.
"I wouldn’t be able to rock ZZ Top. When I had it at my longest, it was already bothering me when I’d touch my shirt, things would get caught in it, so I don’t know how people can deal with having really big ones." – Kyle Drabek.
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What’s the scruffiest you’ve gone?
"A couple weeks is the longest I’ve gone, maybe three weeks. That gets pretty thick, though." Why stop there? "Wife. Upon request." – Brandon Morrow.
"I have to keep it like this or it just doesn’t look good. I wish I could have a thick, longer beard. Kyle gets a pretty good one when he lets it go, Red’s got a good one when he lets it go. Mine just doesn’t do it, so I’ve got to keep it where it’s at." – Drew Hutchison
(All photos by Shi Davidi)