The Shear Report

as of the start of this evening's game, the only guys in the Mets clubhouse with full heads of hair were Jose Reyes and Aaron Sele.

athletes are a superstitious bunch, and anyone looking for signs in the fortunes of the players since the locks came off in San Francisco will have no trouble finding them. the unifying gesture has not been good for the Jews, who lost thick curls; Shawn Green is 0 for 10 since he made himself look like a Holocaust victim, and David Newhan had another failed pinch hit tonight. David Wright, on the other hand, is hitting .333 with 4 RBIs and a homer since he went bald, while he was only hitting .246 until that date. Carlos Delgado has hit two home runs since he went bald(-er than usual).

but it's Paul LoDuca's performance that has to foil any belief in the Samson effect. Paulie was hitting before he shaved his head, and he's continued to hit since (it's a 9 game streak now). Carlos Beltran hasn't seen any real change since the shave, either; he was hitting just a little before, and he continues to hit just a little since.

the interesting case for me is Jose Reyes. as Willie Randolph said, his isn't just hair, it's a style, so it's different. I think his hair is fabulous, and it would be a crying shame for him to lose it. but at the same time, he's the only everyday player on the field with hair-- and he ended his 14 game hitting streak tonight.

I will not be shocked if Jose is bald when we see him at Shea tomorrow.