Daily Dirt: For athletes with receding hairlines, hair-raising experiences can be challenging

Daily Dirt for Saturday, April 20, 2024

Some simply shave, others try to fool us … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 925 of The Daily Dirt.

1. We’re human beings, and by nature we have this streak in us that forces us to make fun of other human beings. We can’t help it.

Today’s first thought probably falls within those parameters, but you know what? I don’t care. So, if you’re among the follicly challenged, simply look away or skip to thought No. 2.

It’s safe to stay athletes with receding — or outright disappearing — hairlines often attract our attention. We can’t help it. If you see a bald guy on a basketball court, your eyes are automatically glued to him. We can’t help it.

What’s the one thing you remember most about one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks, Y.A. Tittle? It’s the picture of him on is knees after a tough loss, his helmet off and his bald head shining for all the world to see.

Remember when Tiger Woods first took off his famed TW cap a number of years back and the whole world saw what was missing from much of the top of his head? Hair.

You get the point.

Some athletes handle hair loss much better than others. It happens, and not much can stop it. Others have a tough time, and that’s understandable, too.

So here’s my list of 10 of the more prominent (or at least memorable) mainstream pro athletes who we’ve seen lose their hair over the years and how they have handled it:

• 1. LeBron James: LeBron has not handled hair loss well. Whatever is currently on parts of the top of his scalp is not HIS real hair. LeBron started losing his hair at a relatively early age and ever since has tried all sorts of concoctions to maintain at least a hint of a hairline. Just shave your head, LeBron, and get it over with.
• 2. Tiger Woods: To this day, I remember how surprised I was all those years ago when Tiger took that cap off and showed the world — for the first time — how much hair was NOT there. I’m pretty sure he is undergoing treatments these days, judging by a few recent glances when he doffs his cap.
• 3. Andre Agassi: For years, sports fans all felt Agassi could double as a member of Bon Jovi with his long, flowing locks, but it was all a charade. Agassi said he was only 19 when started going bald and wore a wig for a number of years off AND on the court to try to hide his hair loss. “Every morning I would get up and find another piece of my identity on the pillow, in the wash basin, down the plughole,” he later wrote in his autobiography.
• 4. Manu Ginobli: One of the all-time great San Antonio Spurs players, Ginobli’s career was marked by how much hair he had lost from one season to another. He was a tremendously skilled guard, but many will only remember the glare from the top of his head.
• 5. Nate Thurmond: The former All-NBA center was one of the first to simply accept he was losing his hair and never let it bother him. By the time he was 25, his receding hair line was more than halfway finished in clearing off the top of his scalp.
• 6. Granville Waiters: The 7-footer had a relatively brief NBA career. He was bald when he arrived from Ohio State, and like Thurmond, did not try to hide fact. He simply played on. Not long or very well, but I always admired him for not trying to hide the fact. When at Ohio State, he stood out even more so. After all, there were not many bald college players. From a distance in college, Waiters always resembled a grandpa-type figure going up against a bunch of teenagers.
• 7. Alex Caruso: The 30-year-old Chicago Bulls guard started showing a lot of scalp during his days with the Lakers, and about a year ago surrendered to fate and shaved what little hair was left. He now wears an extra-wide head band, which he probably feels helps hide his baldness. It doesn’t, Alex. We know. 
• 8. Albert Pujols: To his credit, Pujols, who started going bald in his early-to-mid 20s, didn’t try and fool us. He just kept his hat on and his head  and his noggin clean shaven. But when he’d go a couple of days without shaving his head and removed his cap or helmet … yikes.
• 9. World B. Free: His given name was Lloyd Bernard, but he’ll always be remembered as World. His hair career followed much the same route as Thurmond’s — from front to back.
• 10. Dustin Pedroia: The former Red Sox infielder was always known for his hustle, temper and receding hairline.

Honorable mention: Derrick White. White is a valuable member of the current Boston Celtics. I’m pretty sure each time up and down the court he loses a few more hairs. He’s destined to be the next Alex Caruso.

2. Have you ever thought …

• That a hummingbirds are just regular birds who don’t know the words?
• That about 20 years ago the internet was an escape from the real world, and now the real world is an escape from the internet?
• That husbands are the best people to tell a secret? (Because they’ll never tell anyone because they aren’t listening anyway.)
• That if you are being chased by a pack of taxidermists, the worst thing to do is play dead? 
• That Chuck Norris is the only person who could drink water from Camp Lejeune?

3. How many married couples have had the following conversation?

Husband: I think you’re right.

Wife: I didn’t say anything yet.

Husband: I’m just trying to save time.

Steve Thought O’ The Day
One of the most interesting MLB facts ever is when Nolan Ryan won his 308th game as a member of the Texas Rangers, the reliever who got the save in the game was Goose Gossage. The save was the 308th of Gossage’s career.

Steve Eighiner writes daily for Muddy River News. He also likes celebrating Bald is Beautiful Day on Sept. 13.