Cal Ripken, Jr., 1989 Donruss All-Stars #5

I vaguely remember a time in the mid-1990s when Cal Ripken, Jr. went several days without shaving. Maybe he was trying to break out of a slump and had already tried altering his batting stance for the 52nd time. Perhaps the team was on a long summer road trip and he was too worn down to bother with a razor. I guess it could have even been his evil twin, Hal Ripken, hellbent on ruining Cal's clean-cut image. Whatever the case, I just remember that the thick, visible stubble looked out of place on the Iron Man's cheeks.

I'm prepared to go in the opposite direction. I'm hardly ever seen without facial hair, misleading sidebar photo notwithstanding. At present, I'd say it's been nearly two years since the last time I was clean-shaven. Even then, I had been planning to grow a full beard and just needed a fresh canvas. Similarly, I won't be smooth-cheeked for long this time. But it's for a good cause. I've decided to participate in Movember, a fundraising and awareness campaign for men's health. There is a particular focus on prostate cancer and other cancers affecting men of all ages. Basically, I'll spend November growing and grooming a mustache and collecting sponsorships for having done so. This is the ninth annual Movember event, and there's a tall mountain to climb in order to top last year's total of $80.7 million dollars raised. If you would like to sponsor me, or even register yourself, every little bit would help. You can make a donation at my MoSpace page, where I will post updates on my mustachular progress. Thanks in advance for your generosity!

With that out of the way, I hereby promise that I will keep this blog here free of facial hair discussion for the rest of the week.