Just thought I would post this article.
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/153770.html
On Baseball: Swisher is a hair above the rest
By Paul Gutierrez - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 1:36 am PDT Thursday, April 12, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
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The A's Nick Swisher is growing his hair to help women stricken with cancer. After it is cut, it will become part of a wig. Sacramento Bee/Carl Costas
OAKLAND -- He's heard the snide remarks, and frankly, they're starting to wear on him.
Nick Swisher, the A's gregarious first baseman and outfielder, has been taking heat on call-in radio shows, the Internet and even from fans in the expensive seats.
"Everywhere I go, people always say, 'Swish, dude, get a haircut,' " Swisher said with a shrug before the A's 6-3 loss to the White Sox on Wednesday. "So I'm just like, 'Do you read the papers? Do you know what this is for? I mean, do you think I'm just trying to make a fashion statement here?' No, I'm not."
Far from it.
There is a method to Swisher's mane madness. He is purposely growing his hair long so he can cut it and donate his tresses to help make wigs for women who have lost their hair because of cancer treatment.
And now, a few seconds for the embarrassment to subside in the loudest of you critics.
Ready? Let's continue.
By Swisher's count, it has been nearly nine months since his last haircut. But it has been nearly two years since he last saw his grandmother. Betty Lorraine Swisher died in 2005 after a year-and-a-half battle with brain cancer that included 33 chemotherapy treatments. Yes, 33. As in Swisher's uniform number. And yes, he's aware of the irony.
Swisher's devotion to his late grandmother is well- documented. He has her initials (BLS) tattooed on his upper left chest, and without fail, he points to the sky to honor her as he crosses the plate on home runs.
So hooking up with Pantene Beautiful Lengths and the Entertainment Industry Foundation to further pay homage to her by helping others in need was a no-brainer. Real-hair wigs are given to cancer patients through the American Cancer Society's wig banks.
"Whatever I can do to help maybe one or two women, I'm all for it because my grandma's extremely close to me, and I know she'd be proud of me for doing this," said Swisher, who played with the River Cats in 2004 and part of 2005.
According to the American Cancer Foundation, nearly 7,000 American women will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and one in three will develop some form of cancer in her lifetime.
And with a Journal of the American Cancer Society survey finding that 58 percent of women consider hair loss the worst side effect of chemo and, thus, 8 percent are at risk of avoiding potentially life-saving treatment because they fear losing their hair, having a wig made of natural hair could save someone.
Those numbers -- not batting average, on-base percentage or situational hitting stats -- are what connected with Swisher.
"My grandma, she didn't lose all her hair, but she lost a little bit of it, and her hair was probably the most important thing to her," he said. "At that time, she would go to the salon every week and get her hair done, and it had to be perfect because she didn't want anybody to know that she had a bald spot here or a bald spot there.
"With men and children, you can get away with shaving your head. But for a woman, I think sometimes you might lose a little of your self-confidence because you might not feel that you were the same as you once were."
A's fans might need an adjustment period after Swisher visits the barber in late May. Gone will be his trademark "Car Wash" pregame ritual, when he pours water on his head and shakes his head east-to-west, his soaking tresses making like brushes in said car wash.
Swisher's not sure yet how he will commemorate the cut but wants to draw as much attention to it as possible. Not because he's a glory hound. He wants others to join the cause and is trying to recruit teammate Bobby Kielty to shear his shocking red locks.
"I like to think I've been given a good opportunity to be in the situation I'm in to affect people's lives, and I want to do that in a positive way," Swisher said. "Because I think, in general, you never really hear the good stuff that athletes do, and this is one thing where you have no choice but to hear it."
Now if only the critics would take notice of the reason behind his locks.
"They've called me 'Fabio,' " Swisher said with a laugh. "I don't know how many Johnny Damon comments I've had, but I guess that's not a bad guy to be like.
"Then there's that dude Sanjaya, from 'American Idol.' Give me a break. I mean, come on, dude. I'm 170 pounds heavier than that guy."
And doing something more meaningful with his hair.
Your beautiful hair is going to thrill some youngster. 
