Mex on Mustache title: A great honor

Is there any wonder why Keith Hernandez won the Keyboard Quarterbacks' inaugural Mustache Madness? (Newsday File Photo)

Neil Best

July 13, 2007

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Eleven Gold Gloves? Nice.

Five All-Star selections? Fine.

Two World Series rings, a batting title and a co-MVP Award? Yada, yada, yada.

Keith Hernandez added a truly unique honor to his resume this week by winning the inaugural Mustache Madness, conceived and executed by our own "Keyboard Quarterbacks" at Newsday.com/qbs.

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"Geez, it is a great honor to have the No. 1 mustache in the greater New York area; I love it," Mr. Mex said after beating out 31 other noteworthy New York sports mustaches in reader polling, including a romp over fellow first baseman Don Mattingly in the final.

Hernandez got 1,575 votes to Mattingly's 318. "I always liked Don's mustache," said Hernandez, who attributed the result to a perceived pro-Mets slant among Long Island fans.

A campaign for Hernandez at metsblog.com likely was more of a factor.

Hernandez, 53, a San Francisco native, said one reason he became enamored of mustaches as a young adult was watching the three-time champion A's of the early '70s, whose many examples included Rollie Fingers' handlebar.

Figuring facial hair as a minor leaguer would hurt his chances of promotion, he waited until his rookie season with the Cardinals in 1974 to grow one full time. He has worn one most of the time since, save for one-plus seasons in '77-78 when law-and-order Vern Rapp managed the Cards.

Hernandez recalled the policy having a disastrous effect on reliever Al Hrabosky, who without his Fu Manchu struggled all season. "It was like his whole image was shot," he said, "like he was naked."

Hernandez and his friends admired the mustache worn by Robert Redford in 1969's "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," but his favorite in sports was Joe Namath's memorable Fu Manchu.

In our contest, that style got Namath only as far as the quarterfinals before a loss to Walt Frazier, who won, 597-468. In the Final Four, Hernandez goosed Goose Gossage and Mattingly - once was ordered by Yankees management to trim his long hair - ousted Frazier.

Speaking of Frazier, he and Hernandez are spokesmen for "Just for Men," a product Hernandez credited for his Mustache Madness crown.

"I think it was probably 'Just for Men' that put me over the top," said Hernandez, whose natural color is almost entirely gray now.

When the gray emerges, he takes quick action with his favorite hair color helper.

"Then," he said, "I feel like I'm 32 again."

Strange but true: Wrigley gums up Nets' offseason

The NBA yesterday announced that Wrigley is the league's "official chewing gum," which is a little strange but not nearly enough for this corner of SportsWatch.

What is truly strange is that Wrigley also made a deal with the Nets to be the "presenting sponsor" of "Nets Overtime: The Summer Season" more commonly known among fans as "the offseason."

No, really, the sponsorship-savvy future Brooklynites signed Wrigley to sponsor traditional summertime events such as clinics, fairs, tryouts for in-game entertainers and free agent contract negotiations.