Mets manager Buck Showalter has accomplished a lot in his managerial career. Spanning three decades and five different teams, Showalter has won three Manager of the Year awards and guided his club to the postseason five times, though a World Series title has proven to be elusive. With New York sitting in first place and among the league’s top championship contenders, the 66-year-old Showalter is prepared to make a grand gesture should the Mets win the World Series this fall: he’s going to dye his hair.
At least, that’s what the veteran skipper indicated on Sunday, according to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. That’s as good a reason to root for the Mets as any, considering the franchise has gone through its fair share of hard times over the past few decades. In that sense, the marriage between team and manager is quite fitting.
Showalter’s first managing gig came with the Yankees in 1992. When he arrived, the team was in the midst of a nine-year playoff drought—unheard of for the Bronx Bombers—and after a sub-.500 first season, he led New York to 88 wins in ’93 and had the team in first place in ’94 before the players’ strike ended the season. New York finally broke through in ’95 to make the postseason, losing to the Mariners in the ALDS.
Despite the clear progress, Showalter was fired and replaced by Joe Torre, who led the Yankees to a World Series title the following season. Showalter then went to the newly-created expansion Diamondbacks, and after a last-place finish in 1998—their first year in existence—he led Arizona to 100 wins and a playoff berth in ’99, though the team was bounced in the NLDS. The Diamondbacks won 88 games the following year but missed the postseason, and Showalter was fired. The next year, Arizona won the World Series.
So if indeed Showalter finally gets his ring this October, it will have been well-earned, and any follicle-inspired celebrations would be warranted. As for what color hair he would select? Perhaps shortstop Francisco Lindor can help with that decision.
