When Jeff Kent announced his retirement recently, baseball lost much more than a great second baseman. It lost a great mustache.

Amazingly, Kent’s ’stache is not one of the handful of fuzzes that has its own entry in our Unfortunate Facial Hair pantheon. But don’t be fooled: his was truly fabulous fur. And it is not the only UFH that we stand to lose. Mike Piazza retired in May (and to mark the occasion Paul created a Piazza UFH retrospective). Now it’s looking increasingly unlikely that Sal Fasano will find a job. And both Todd Helton and Randy Johnson are in the twilights of their respective careers.

For the good of the game and, yes, for the good of America it’s time for these UFH vets to pass the torch to a greener generation. Here are a few young players who might consider picking up where the vets left off.

Kent’s actually toned down his mustache late in his career, but in his early years with the mets his flavor savor was large and in charge.

What would happen if we took Kent’s mustache and put it on Troy Tulowitzki’s baby face?

equals…

Whoah! Where does the line for mustache rides form?

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As I write this post the Rays sit in first place, 1/2 game up on the Red Sox. Clearly this team has come a long way.

Moreover, Tampa Bay’s best days lie ahead. The team’s farm system is stacked. David Price, for one, looks like the second coming of Sandy Koufax. And Tampa has the top pick in this year’s amateur draft. So, Rays fans, put on a happy face.

What does Tampa need to help make its 2008 playoff dreams a reality? The same thing every team needs – more pitching. While Tampa’s starting staff is arguably the soundest in the AL (except for maybe Toronto), the bullpen is another matter. Closer Troy Percival recently went on the DL and the team’s ‘pen is stretched thin without him. Frankly, a team shouldn’t be so dependent on a 40-year-old pitcher. Fortunately, plenty of bullpen arms figure to be available as the trade deadline approaches, and Tampa has a bevy of minor league prospects to trade for a player like Octavio Dotel or Matt Capps. Better still, Price could be an option down the stretch for the Rays. He could be this season’s Joba Chamberlain, pitching out of the bullpen for Tampa in August and September before moving to the starting rotation next spring. This would be the best possible scenario for the Rays, allowing them to improve their bullpen depth without sacrificing any prospects.

-What They Need Index-