Filed under random: Ibanez's beard revitalizes career?

Raul Ibanez arrived to spring training with a gluten allergy (Ciliac's disease) and a new beard. So while Ibanez can neither eat any wheat products nor grow hair on the top of his head, his beard may be just what the Phillies needed in the outfield to replace the All-Star beard of former Phillie Jayson Werth.

Before Werth decided to take his talents and his beard to Washington, Werth cranked 95 homeruns with the Phillies, leading many to believe the beard to be the source of his power. Guess how many he hit when he looked like this?

When asked about his new facial hair, Raul claimed that he wasn't trying to copy Werth's beard, he was growing it for President's Day (note: only five presidents had beards). I think Raul is just hoping to use it to catch the chew that dribbles out of his mouth and maybe even earn a contract similar to Werth's 7-year, $126-million deal. Hopefully it will inspire Raul to have a better season than last year.



Sports Illustrated has compiled a hall of fame of facial hair, and I must say, Walt Frazier's chops are pretty tough to beat. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0705/gallery.beards.moustaches/content.1.html