New Yankees Infielder McGehee Shaves Off Beard, Gets First Start In Pinstripes
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) - Casey McGehee, the newest member of the Yankees, wanted to shave his beard in private despite his former Pittsburgh teammates wanting him to shear it in front of them.
The infielder decided to stray away from a televised grooming, like Jose Reyes had when his dreadlocks were cut on the MLB Network last winter.
"I don't think they had enough viewers to watch that," McGehee said. "Reyes might be able to pull that off. I don't think they want to watch a chubby white guy shave his beard."
The 29-year-old was aware of the Yankees' rule against facial hair without being told.
"It's just facial hair," the five-year-veteran said. "It's not like I was going to win any beauty pageants with or without it. I'm just excited — all joking aside — I'm just excited to be here. I'll do whatever it takes.
"Shaving my beard is the least of my concerns. I'm just excited to be able to not only come to a storied franchise, but also a team that's been playing as well as they have been. My head's been spinning a little bit. It's been kind of a crazy last 24 hours. But the big thing is I'm just excited. I'm really looking forward to the chance of coming over here to help win games."
McGehee got his first start in pinstripes on Wednesday afternoon, filling in for the injured Mark Teixeira at first base against the Orioles. The righty hit eight home runs and had a .230 batting average with the Pirates before being traded.
(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
