On the Mets beat

First it was Mike Piazza and Pedro Martinez who succumbed to the razor in Willie Randolph's debut as Mets manager. Last year, Carlos Delgado sacrificed his trademark goatee on the first day of workouts to comply with the dress code. Now, the latest challenge to Randolph's code is the bushy head of new reliever Ambiorix Burgos, whose thick curly hair pushes the boundary of the rules.

"We’ll have to talk a little about trimming it up, I’m sure," Randolph said this afternoon. "It’s a little bit straggly. When the big boys come in and we talk about our dress code, he’ll trim it up a little bit. To me, it’s not outrageous or anything like that. Just tighten it up a little bit."

With the newspapers spread out on Randolph's desk, a reporter pointed to the bald head of Britney Spears and asked if that was "tight" enough. Randolph laughed.

"Delgado will be looking like that when he comes in," Randolph said.