When Don Mattingly took over as manager of the Miami Marlins before last season, a ban on facial hair was put in place.
But so many players complained about it that Mattingly decided to lift the ban, and so beards and mustaches will be permitted this season.
“It was a constant fight last year, honestly, with guys,” Mattingly said, per Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
“It just didn’t seem like that big of a thing. The most important thing is our guys prepare, play the game right, play hard.”
However, Mattingly wants his players to keep the facial hair under control.
“Groomed is what we talked about,” Mattingly said. “We talked about keeping it groomed and being professional.”
If lifting the ban on facial hair keeps his players happy and boosts their performance in turn, then Mattingly is making the right decision. The Marlins haven’t had a winning season since 2009, but they were much-improved under the former Los Angeles Dodger manager, winning 79 games last season, the most since 2010.
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