[LansdowneSt]

Allen “Bullet Ben” Benson was a former star with the House of David, a barnstorming team of amateurs based in Benton Harbor, Mich., who wore long hair and beards. Only two baseball players between 1910 and the early 1970s sported a full mustache or beard during the regular season. Bearded baseball players were such a spectacle at the time that, in 1934, Senators president Clark Griffith signed Benson in an effort to boost attendance.

Let's see how the Washington Post covered him:

"Scribes and fans may laugh at the idea of a diamonder carrying around a mattress on his chin, especially during this hot weather, but Allen Benson, the newest Nat pitcher, who has been the butt of much kidding in this respect, did not cause any loud guffaws yesterday with his flinging when he worked against his mates in pregame practice."

"[The pink-whiskered former House of David star, will fling his flowing beard over his left shoulder this afternoon and toss a few baseballs at the lowly White Sox. No protests have been made by the Sox yet, but it is expected that Manager Jimmy Dykes will ask that Benson be not allowed to use his whiskers for the hidden ball trick."

"Elder Al Benson, the human mulberry bush, made his big league debut with Washington yesterday... Wrapped up in Al Crowder’s old No. 10 suit and plainly ill at ease as delegates of Union Barbers’ Local, No. 76, cast covetous eyes upon his crinkly beard, the old Sagebrush was off to a wobbly start."

"Bearded Elder Allen Benson, the only player in the majors who cultivates on his face what grows wild on his chest, will do the flinging in one of the games, with Al (Tommy) Thomas probably drawing the mound assignment in the other."

Elder Allen Benson, the only bewhiskered baseball pitcher in captivity, outside the House of David, from which he escaped, left Washington yesterday in charge of Joe Cambria, owner and president of the Albany Internationals. The memory of those flowing pink weeks on his chin, now so green here, may turn to sere yellow before the good elder returns–but return he will, he says, and without the hirsute chin adornment. “I believe I could have made the grade with the Nats but for these danged whiskers,” Benson said. “I want to cut ’em off right now, but Mr. Cambria says they make me a drawing card–a sorta circus attraction–and that I’ve gotta wear ’em for the rest of the season. But I’ll tell you one thing, they’re coming off just as soon as the season ends, and, when I report to Albany next spring, I’ll be looking like the rest of the gang.”

All told, he went 0-1 with an ERA over 12 in his two MLB games. While I kinda love reading old newspaper accounts of ballgames, man, he put up with a lot of crap. I'd have loved it if the team had supported him instead of joining in on the teasing and gone all 2013 Red Sox in unity. How scandalous it would have been!

Did my best with the beard, AESP. The sides are always light because in a perfect facegen world, the software is looking for matching perfect profile pictures to do those parts of the face. Shouldn't be too many more beards in the 1930s!