Red Sox players shave beards at charity fund raiser
BOSTON — World Series MVP David Ortiz and Boston Red Sox teammate Shane Victorino had their beards shaved for charity Monday to benefit victims of the Boston Marathon bombings in April.
The “shave offs” occurred at Gillette’s world headquarters. The Boston company donated $100,000 to the One Fund, which is assisting victims and their families of the bombings on April 15. Three people were killed and over 260 injured near the finish line that day.
Ortiz, fresh off his third World Series title with the Red Sox, joked that it’s a perfect look for his offseason.
“I’m going down south — some place warm,” he said. “I feel fresh. I’ve got to keep it real. It’s not that cold down there.”
Sitting in one of two barber’s chairs to Ortiz’s right, Victorino appeared a bit shocked when he looked into a hand-held mirror and realized his beard and goatee were completely gone.
“I’m a World Series champion and I look like I’m 12-years old,” he said.
Ortiz had his most of his beard shaved off, leaving only a goatee.
“He’s a three-time champ and I’m a two-time champ, and he’s a little more tenured in the city than I am,” Victorino said. “It’s different look for me and something I’m definitely not accustomed to.”
But he did find another reason to enjoy his fresh look.
“My kids will be excited,” he said. “I don’t know if they’re going to recognize me when I walk in the door. My daughter was tugging on it last night and said, ‘When are you going to shave it?’ I didn’t want to let the secret out. She was still sleeping when I left this morning.”
Ortiz couldn’t resist teasing his now fresh-faced teammate.
“He looks like he’s in fifth grade. You going back to school?” Big Papi said. “Mine will grow very fast. I don’t think I’ll have any problems letting it grow. I don’t know about this guy.”
Victorino said he’s hoping to grow a beard back by spring training.
“It was a battle. We fought to get that beard,” Victorino said.
Outfielder Jonny Gomes and first baseman Mike Napoli encouraged teammates during spring training to grow beards in spring training, even teasing players who talked about shaving.
“Mike Nap said, ‘You touch that one more time and we’re going to have to need a new DH,’” Ortiz recalled.
Naploi and Gomes had the biggest, bushiest beards on the club.
“It was a goal to come in and play hard and finish the season like we did for all the people that were struggling from the marathon, all the family members, the whole New England area that struggled with this and the whole country that struggled with this,” Ortiz said.
Victorino and Ortiz were joined by Fenway Park bullpen and Boston police officer Steve Horgan and fan, Michael Grant, from Leister, Mass. Grant was selected from Gillette’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Horgan, stationed in the Red Sox bullpen, became an instant celebrity after he was photographed with his arms in the air celebrating Ortiz’s grand slam in Game 2 of the AL championship series as Detroit right fielder Torii Hunter flipped over the short fence with his legs straight upward.
“I started it a week before the playoffs,” Horgan said of his full beard.
