Collin Balester Channels Rod Beck

Earlier this week, Lou Olsen from the site Reviewing the Brew unleashed the fourth installment of his popular John Axford Mustache Facts.

Perhaps inspired by the majesty of Axford's lip sweater, Washington Nationals reliever Collin Balester has decided to carve his goatee into one of the fiercest things to take the bump since Rod Beck weakened knees.

"Bally" is already the head of the American Mustache Institute's West Coast Bureau, but by the looks of it...he might be auditioning for a role on "Sons of Anarchy" next.

Naturally, he unveiled his new look via Facebook and Twitter.  Suffice it to say...you should be following him.

More Mustache Talk with Collin Balester

In February, Dr. Aaron Perlut of The American Mustache Institute caught up with Washington Nationals pitcher Collin Balester and dropped what could end up being the best web series of this upcoming baseball season.

And yes...I'm talking about "MLB 'Stache Talk".

Well...here we are a month later.  Spring Training is coming to a close and Perlut again caught up with the AMI's Major League Baseball correspondent.

The two talked about Balester's chances of heading north with the team (he was optioned to Class AAA Syracuse shortly after the interview was conducted), discussed what the daily routine is while in Spring Training and even managed to plug a couple of products.

Enjoy the video. And if you're so inclined (and, frankly, you should be)...you can follow The American Mustache Institute on Twitter at @MustacheTalk and Collin Balester at @BallyStar40.

Mustache Talk with Collin Balester

Like most of you, I got some text messages this weekend.

My favorite came from Dr. Aaron Perlut of The American Mustache Institute.

While I'm not going to share our entire exchange, I'll tell you this...what he's allowing The Hall to share with you is priceless.  Suffice it to say, if this is any indication of what's to come this season from our friends at AMI...we're all in for a treat.

Here's the deal...Perlut caught up with Washington Nationals reliever Collin Balester via Skype and spent a good eight minutes talking baseball, mustaches and the hot cougars running around spring ball.

And if you're so inclined (and, frankly, you should be)...you can follow The American Mustache Institute on Twitter at @MustacheTalk and Collin Balester at @BallyStar40.

Enjoy the video.

Welcome to the Jungle!

In 1989, the movie "Major League" immortalized the entrance of fictional Cleveland Indians closer...Ricky Vaughn.

Now...I don't bring up "Wild Thing" to segue sloppily to some hackneyed post on how Charlie Sheen is a screw up.  That piece is a dime a dozen and you can hit up the Googles if you want to follow that death spiral.

I bring up "Wild Thing" to segue sloppily to something Washington Nationals pitcher Collin Balester posted on Twitter.

I know that a lot of people use this song but I have been listening to it and it's pumping me up. My 2011 walk out song will be welcome to the jungle by guns and roses

Nice. Choice.

I once suggested to some co-workers that we start the day with "Welcome to the Jungle", but, unfortunately, it never caught on.

You see, I'm a big fan of entrance music.  Heck...I've even thrown out talk of entrance music into some of the interviews I've done on this site.

So I've gotta ask...who has the best entrance in the big leagues and what song would YOU choose to enter the ballgame to? 

Me?!?  I've gotta go with "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Metallica.

Twitter Tuesday: Collin Balester

By now, you've probably heard of Movember.

If not, here's the skinny...courtesy of Movember.com:

Each Movember we challenge men to change their appearance and the face of men's health by growing a moustache. The moustache is our ribbon, the means by which we raise awareness and funds for cancers that affect men. Much like the commitment to run or walk for charity, our commitment is to grow a moustache for 30 days. Funds raised benefit the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG.

One Major Leaguer who has embraced the mustache is Washington Nationals reliever Collin Balester.  Throughout most of his big league career, the right-hander has worn a 'stache and this November is no different.

"I'm just trying to challenge Major League Baseball players," Balester said in an interview with MLB.com earlier this month. "If baseball players could all join together for a great cause, I think we could raise a lot, because there are no better fans than baseball fans. If we could get some guys to jump on board and see what they could do, we could do something great."

I found Balester on Twitter a while back and suffice it to say...he's equally as good at tweeting about mustaches as he his tweeting about baseball.

Just had to rewind like 7 times to get a good pic of this unreal soup strainer. http://plixi.com/p/55595532

One of the best lip sweaters I have seen on a human in my existence. http://plixi.com/p/55380921

beer stache. http://plixi.com/p/54839336

Get to know Collin Balester by following him on Twitter at @ballystar40 or take part in Tuesday's SportsNation chat over at ESPN.com at 3pm EST.  He'll be answering questions about this past season, this upcoming season and, of course, mustaches.

"You may look funny, gross, even weird but look yourself in the mirror and say this stache is for a good cause," Balester told The Hall this morning.  "After all staches make males look 36 percent better looking."

Feel free to contribute to Balester's Movember efforts by joining "Bally's 'Staches".

Collin Balester Raising Movember Bar

***From time to time, Dr. Aaron Perlut from the American Mustache Institute shares his wisdom.  This is one of those times.***

Despite not being a finalist for the Goulet award, In the Mustached American community, Collin Balester is a hero.

The Washington Nationals relief pitcher has withstood the pressures from agents, the Major League Baseball Player’s Union, the United Midgets Rights Union, and his seemingly mustache-friendly wife Ashley to remove his lower nose ruffage for several years.

He lost endorsement deals with Gillette and Summer’s Eve feminine hygiene products, and the Nationals went so far as to remove nearly every in-uniform mustached photo of Balester from his website.

All along, he has stood up to the negativity, tyranny, and intellectually inferior clean-shaven aristocracy of Major League Baseball.

“I’ll only pitch as well as my mustache allows me to,” Balester said. “I am my mustache, and my mustache is what I am.”

Indeed, but now Balester has joined the American Mustache Institute, of which he is the Southern California Bureau Chief (he lives in Dana Point in the offseason), in shaving clean for Movember and starting anew.

He’s now challenging other Major Leaguers to join his “Bally’s ‘Staches” Movember team and help contribute to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG.

He asks that any citizen within earshot of a major league player who does not suffer from Bare Upper Lip Disorder or BULD, walk up to them and state the following Haiku:

Grow a ’stache for Movember;

You’ll not regret it;

Join Bally’s ‘Staches or die.

In the end, Balester hopes to parade his unvarnished lip propeller at ‘Stache Bash 2010 in St. Louis on December 4.

For more information, email AMI at info@AmericanMustacheInstitute.org or call 877-STACHE-1.

Carry on.