Then and Now

As Jennie astutely noticed last week, TBB favorite Casey Blake has gone beardless.

My first instinct is a combination of disappointment and horror. But on a practical level: how is this going to affect his performance?

Last year pitchers had a stare down a fierce, hard-hitting third baseman. Now? An ogre-ish man that may have crossed eyes? Could I strike him out? Of course not - he's a major league baseball player and he may just be squinting in the picture above. But can Tim Lincecum? Probably, in fact he did it 4 times in 7 AB last year. And that was with the beard!

Here's a side-by-side comparison for reference.

I suppose it's possible that he wants to save the beard for later in the season. And this smile certainly bodes well for future facial hair growth. But for now, I'm afraid Casey Blake can no longer be: