Mattingly Refuses to Make the Cut

For New York Yankee captain Don Mattingly, it could be hair today and gone tomorrow.

Mattingly was pulled out of the Yankees’ lineup Thursday because he refused to get a haircut. After the game, the first baseman revealed he told the club earlier in the season he wanted to be traded. He hasn’t changed his mind about a trade, either.

Mattingly was supposed to be batting third as the designated hitter against the Kansas City Royals, but minutes before the game it was announced he would not be playing. Late in the game, the Yankees said it was for “personal reasons.”

Most thought he was out of the lineup because of a bad back.

The clubhouse was closed for about 20 minutes after a 5-1 victory over the Royals, and Manager Stump Merrill then said Mattingly would be on the bench until he got a trim. The Yankees are scheduled to play the Chicago White Sox tonight.

Mattingly said he would probably cut his hair. “Whatever it takes to play,” he said.

Said Merrill: “He was told to get a haircut before the game. He was told about it two weeks ago, too.”

Mattingly, who was fined $250, said the haircut order was coming from General Manager Gene Michael and being carried out by Merrill.

Michael, in Scranton, Pa., for a minor league game, was contacted Thursday night by Newsday. “He’s the captain of the team,” Michael said. “He’s got a big contract. If I ask him to get a haircut, he should get a haircut.”

Said Merrill: “He asked me if he was in the lineup and I asked him if he would get his hair cut. He said no, so I told him he would not be in the lineup. Why have rules if you don’t enforce them? It’s in the contract and he signed it.”

Mattingly appeared stunned by the incident.

“I never had too much concern with my hair,” Mattingly said. “I come to play ball and win games. It’s kind of silly to me.”

Mattingly’s shaggy brown hair drops over the collar and is cropped closely at the sides. The Yankees say they want it neat and trim.

“Maybe they want an organization that is full of guys who are puppets,” Mattingly said. “Maybe I don’t fit into the organization anymore. Maybe this is a way of saying I don’t fit into the organization.”

Mattingly, troubled by back problems the past two seasons, is hitting .305 with seven homers and 48 runs batted in. He is a .317 lifetime hitter and a fan favorite since joining the club in 1983.

“I asked to be traded awhile ago,” Mattingly said, “I just want to keep playing to stay healthy. If Stick (Michael) wants players to do exactly what he says, maybe he should come down here and take the blame, too.”

Mattingly mentioned the Minnesota Twins as a team he would like to play for.

Of the Yankees, he said: “Maybe this is the organization’s way of telling me they don’t want me.”

Michael, appointed to run the club a year ago when George Steinbrenner was forced out by Commissioner Fay Vincent, said: “That’s not true at all. That’s being silly. Where would he get that from? I don’t want to trade Don Mattingly. He’s a good player.”

Merrill said he also had told pitchers Pascual Perez, Steve Farr and catcher Matt Nokes to cut their hair. Perez said he hadn’t made up his mind.

“We want it neat and trim and not too long,” Merrill said. “If someone in management tells you to get a haircut--you get a haircut. No matter who tells you.”

Mattingly said he was confused by the whole thing and wasn’t sure how short to cut his hair.

“When they made me captain I thought my job was to get guys to play hard,” Mattingly said. “I never worried about off-the-field stuff. When this happened I could not believe it. I saw a picture in my mind of Thurman Munson and Lou Piniella with their long hair flying. . . . They were winners.

“I don’t feel sloppy or out of control. I’m interested in playing for a team that wants to win and not concerned about stuff like this.”