There has been two constants hanging around the New York Mets for almost three decades — disappointment and Keith Hernandez's mustache. Now one of them is gone and — too bad for Mets fans — it's the former first baseman's iconic 'stache.
The same caterpillar that was above the first baseman's lip when he came to Shea Stadium in the mid-80's, charmed both Jerry and Elaine on "Seinfeld" in the '90's and was his trademark while calling games for the Mets in the new millennium is gone.
Hernandez's famous facial hair met its maker Thursday afternoon during a public shaving in front of Citi Field Thursday.
Hundreds of fans came early to see the freshly-shaven Hernandez show off his glistening upper lip and watched as their memories of better times fell onto his lap.
"I feel like I'm on the guillotine here," joked Hernandez as he settled into the makeshift barber's chair.
On a platform surrounded by a barber pole and various shaving accessories, Eliot Chester, the Las Vegas barber to the stars, did the honors.
"Am I nervous?" asked Hernandez from the stage. "No."
The five-time All-Star said he has only shaved his mustache three times and when his contract for "Just For Men" hair coloring ended, he felt he needed to make a change.
Shick Hydro donated $10,000 to the Jacquelyn Hernandez Health Center in Brooklyn for the honor of providing the tools that shaved off the facial hair that was named the best mustache in sports history by the American Mustache Institute in 2007.
Hernandez has committed to remaining clean-shaven for the rest of the Mets season. He will decide in the offseason whether it will reappear. That lip might get pretty cold come November.
"I want to thank all my fans who supported my mustache over the years," he said in a statement. "But it's time to take a back seat and give my upper lip some time to shine."
Remember. He's Keith Hernandez.
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