"Yankees Spring Training" (21st, Tampa)

The Yankees have announced that they will now allow beards for players and team personnel, something that has been banned for more than 50 years since the 1970s.

The team released a statement by majority owner Hal Steinbrenner titled "Yankees Beard Policy Changes" on the same day. He explained the situation, saying, "Over the past few weeks, I have been consulting with generations of former and current Yankees players about our traditional beard and grooming policy," and concluded, "The final decision rests with me, and after much consideration, we intend to make changes to ensure that going forward, players and team employees are able to properly groom their beards."

According to the MLB official website, the Yankees banned facial hair except for moustaches in the 1970s under former owner George Steinbrenner, who was Hal's father. It was traditional for players who were transferred from other teams to trim their hair and shave their beards when they joined the team.

Closer Devin Williams, who was acquired from the Brewers in a trade in December last year, said in an online press conference that he would like to keep the lush beard he has grown for the past six years if possible.

Like the Yankees, the Giants have a team policy of "always be gentlemen" and prohibit beards and long hair, so attention is focused on how the team will respond in the future.