I missed this back when news first hit that the Marlins banned facial hair and Mattingly (he of the exceptional mustache when he played for the Yankees) agreed to enforce it, but the American Mustache Institute reacted with sorrow at that horrific turn of events.

“The entire episode marks yet another dark chapter in the way the Mustached American community can often be treated,” said Dr. Adam Paul Causgrove, chief executive officer of the American Mustache Institute. “But we will continue to fight for those who have no representation and firmly push our agenda, making the case of the power of facial hair and all that it brings to all walks of life.”

I share Dr. Causgrove’s dismay.