TRAVERSE CITY -- After briefly looking a bit like the Wendy's girl, Jake Whitesides is sporting a vastly different look.
The Traverse City Beach Bums designated hitter and one of the team's fan favorites donated his long locks to charity in a very public way on Sunday.
The Frontier League All-Star had his long hair cut down on top of the home team dugout in front of several hundred fans who arrived early for Sunday's game with the Midwest Sliders.
Beck's "Devil's Haircut" blared through the stadium's speakers as hairstylist and designated trimmer Teresa King of Traverse City braided the DH's hair into four pigtails, then snipped each off and dropped it into a plastic bag.
Whitesides began growing out his hair last September when he was a member of the Joliet Jackhammers, with the intention of doing the same thing there.
The 27-year-old was traded to Traverse City in the meantime and decided to go through with it at his new locale. He did have a slight trim in January to get rid of split ends.
"I've enjoyed growing it out, so I'll probably keep doing it," Whitesides said before his trim.
King took Whitesides into the clubhouse to finish his new look because of the windy conditions.
"I feel a little naked, actually," Whitesides said soon after his cut. "But I'll probably sleep a little better at night, not pulling my hair out."
The locks will go to Wigs 4 Kids, an organization that reaches out to children and young adults with hair loss. Wigs 4 Kids' main focus is on cancer patients, but includes other young people with challenges that cause hair loss.
Wigs 4 Kids helps children who struggle to deal with social acceptance because of physical appearance by providing custom-fitted wigs.
Whitesides has gotten some heckling around the league for the long hair sprouting from under his batting helmet.
"Everybody on our team knew what I was doing," Whitesides said. "I got the most grief from opposing teams and fans.
"My favorite (taunt) is when we were in Washington and they said, 'Your swing is like your hair,' and then I hit the game-winning RBI."
Print this story
E-mail this story
