With the middle of November fast approaching, the contenders and pretenders are being sorted out.Those who don’t have what it takes are getting out of the competition, while the contenders are stepping to the front. Those who can’t stand the heat are shaving away the facial hair, while the committed are letting it all grow out.While the normal LSU student is able to shave at his (or her) pleasure, members of the LSU baseball team don’t have that luxury, despite the “No Shave November” movement that’s spread by work of mouth among men.LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri chooses to keep his players clean cut as a form of discipline, something he has done since his first year as a coach.”I was only 25 years old, and I actually had a player on my team that was 24,” Mainieri said. “So I had a no facial hair policy for all the players, but the coach was allowed to wear a mustache to look older and more distinguished than his players.”Mainieri sported that mustache in his first year as a coach and on his wedding day.Now cleanly shaven, Mainieri keeps his players’ beards tamed to see which players on his team are willing to make the sacrifice to be a part of his team.He added being a member of the Tigers isn’t a democracy.”I don’t have time to poll everybody to see what the right move might be [in the heat of a game],” Mainieri said with a chuckle. “You have to have the faith of your players.”LSU junior catcher Micah Gibbs said the policy holds even during the offseason when fall practice is going on and added he agrees with Mainieri’s facial hair ixnay.”At LSU, you are looked upon so much by the kids,” Gibbs said. “You want to have people see you as cleanly shaven when you are going about taking care of business.”Although Gibbs said he would support a “team No Shave November,” he jokingly noted it probably wouldn’t look unified.”We have a couple of people like [sophomore pitcher] Chris Matulis who I’m not sure can grow any facial hair,” the Pflugerville, Texas native said. “So it may be tough for some of the team, but for others, it may be a little fun.”Mainieri prefers not to look at his facial hair rules as a policy.”I don’t tell my players that they have to shave. They only have to do it if they want to participate on the team,” Mainieri laughed. “They don’t have to be on the team, and therefore they don’t have to follow the rules.”Meanwhile, some 500 yards away, many members of LSU’s football squad were letting their facial hair grow a bit untamed.Nobody on the team said they were strictly not shaving just for November. Instead, some members just don’t have the tools necessary for their grooming.”I ran out of shaving cream,” said junior kicker Josh Jasper, who grew out his beard for two weeks. “I haven’t had any time to go buy any.”Jasper said LSU coach Les Miles does have somewhat of a policy in place in terms of facial hair grooming. But in the midst of a chaotic football season, Jasper said sometimes little things like facial hair go unnoticed by the “Mad Hatter.”One bearded member of LSU’s football team may stand out more so than others. But it’s not just his beard that makes him stand out — it’s also been his recent play.Junior linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, who said he has been growing out his beard since the summer, made an interception late in the first half of LSU’s 24-15 loss to Alabama with the Crimson Tide threatening to score.”It was a turning point in the game,” Sheppard said. “It happened at a pivotal time.”But Sheppard wouldn’t give the credit to his manly look.”Nah, it was all the hands,” Sheppard said with a laugh.————Contact Andy Schwehm at [email protected]