Meaning Behind the Moustache

We see it all the time in sports: the moustache. But what does it mean? In different sports, it may have different meanings and associations. If you see it in baseball, you may be thinking of a crafty veteran pitcher from years past who was able to find a way to get guys out. In fact he may have originally been a starter, but used his craftiness to become a proficient closer. Examples include Dennis Eckersley and Rollie Fingers.

Some of them may have had some overpowering stuff, but these guys usually had some facial hair or beard to go with the stache. They had an intimidating style in a blue collar sort of way. Bruce Sutter and Jeff Reardon come to mind....

 

And if you saw the Fu Manchu thing, the guy certainly had a mean streak in him. He wanted to throw high and tight before eventually striking you out. Goose Gossage all the way.

And while we are on baseball, let's not forget some of the position players as well (Bill Buckner and Keith Hernandez below).

The moustache carries over in other sports and certainly has some kind of meaning, particularly with football coaches. At the college level, there seem to be very few coaches who have moustaches, beards, or any facial hair for that matter. The explanation may lie behind the association with the stache: creepiness. With these coaches knocking on the doorstep to recruit high school boys, no mother wants to let a middle-aged man with a creepy moustache come take her son away to play football in another state. A clean shaved face on a college football coach represents integrity and sincerity. 

However, in the NFL, the moustache is fashioned by coaches on a regular basis. It probably was made famous by Ditka, but lives on with other coaches from the modern era, such as Andy Reid and Mike Holmgren. These coaches look like they are going for the look of a walrus. Moustaches in the NFL seem to represent knowledge, wizardry, or expertise. Jeff Fisher's sun glasses with the stache represents a cool and calm demeanor on the sidelines. 

 

So next time you see a moustache while you're watching the game, remember: not only does it look good, but it probably means something about the person.

Close The Book On Prior

Major League Baseball is reporting that the padres are releasing Mark Prior. Cub fans remember Prior as the golden arm that guided the cubs to within 5 outs of the 2003 world series. Of course, cub fans also remember Prior as a pitcher who was chronically injured after the 2003 season, and who never regained the same glory there after. Prior's last game in the majors was with the cubs in a game against the brewers on August 10, 2006. For the last three seasons, he was with the padres, trying to rehab his shoulder and make a comeback in their minor league system. But as manager Bud Black reported, he just could never "get over the hump." Most likely it looks like Prior, at the age of 28, is done with baseball. 

When looking back on Prior, he is often associated with being a victim of the pitch count. 5 or 6 years ago, when pitch count data was not regarded as highly as it is today, it was not uncommon for Prior to go out and throw 120 to 130 pitches in a game. Former cub manager Dusty Baker, who was managing Prior at the time, was criticized by cub fans back then (and even more so today) for extending Prior and other pitchers on the staff, and"abusing young arms." In game 2 of the 2003 NLCS against the marlins, Prior made 116 pitches and stayed well into a game that the cubs won easily in a blow out. Perhaps a more rested Prior would have had a little bit left in the tank in game 6 of the series to complete that fateful 8th inning...

Other associations come to mind when looking back on Prior, especially if you are a cub fan: chronic elbow, Achilles heel, and shoulder problems, several freak injuries, unraveling in game 6 of the NLCS against the marlins, and a low tolerance for pain. Most of these associations are unfair, especially one in which a man's tolerance for pain is judged by others. It may have been that Prior's aloof, California attitude made him not as real or reachable for cub fans. 

2 crowning moments in Prior's career that are often over looked were games in which he struck out 16 batters. In June of 2003, Prior struck out 16 brewers. In September of 2004, he accomplished the same feat, striking out 16 reds. These games are probably not fondly remembered by cub fans for several reasons: the cubs actually lost both of them, with the game against the reds being lost in 12 innings; also, the game against the reds in late September 2004 is often associated with the cubs collapse for the wild card that season, as a horrible reds team took 3 of 4 from the free falling cubs at Wrigley Field in the last week of the regular season. 

Striking out 16 batters on two different occasions may not be as glorious as Kerry Wood's legendary 20 strikeout game against the astros in 1998, but it's still something to remember. And while number 22 on the cubs will always be remembered more for Bill Buckner, maybe it should also be remembered for brief flashes of brilliance from cub pitcher Mark Prior during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. 

The following sources contributed to this post:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/27/sports/national-league-roundup-prior-strikes-out-16-but-cubs-fall-to-brewers.html

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2009/08/report-says-mark-prior-to-be-released-by-padres.html#comments

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20040930&content_id=876702&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc