Fifty years ago, Giants pitcher Sal Maglie earned the nickname "The Barber" because he gave the chins of opposing hitters close shaves with his pitches.
At Bowie, pitcher Kenny Sims earned the same nickname because of tonsorial talent with the clippers and scissors.
Need the shaved-head look or just a trim? Sims is your man. He has regularly cut the hair of manager Dave Machemer, the coaching staff and the majority of the players in what has turned into a tidy second income.
"Guys give me whatever they can," Sims said. "I don't make a big deal about it. But that's all they talk about, even guys on other teams. If you want to get a haircut, come see me."
Ironically, it was the barber shop, not his athletic ability, that moved Sims off the streets in his native Union, S.C.
"I was a bad kid, used to get into a lot of trouble," said Sims, who has enjoyed his best professional season as the do-everything member of the Baysox pitching staff. "I was 10 or 11 and got involved as an accessory to forgery. I got probation, but then my godfather [Modest Keenan] took me under his wing in his barber shop and that changed my life.
"Every day I'd go to the barber shop and shine shoes, clean the windows and the floor and I just stayed with it. Then I started messing around with my friends, doing little shapings. That's how I got into barbering."
Sims also grew into a stellar three-sport high school athlete who became a first-team, all-conference pitcher at New Mexico Junior College, then went to the University of Southern California, where he played basketball with the NBA's Mike Bibby, starting 15 games in 1997-98.
"I went to junior college in New Mexico because I could play both baseball and basketball. At that point, I didn't know which I wanted to follow," he said.
The inevitable clash arrived, however, when he signed with the Orioles in May 1996 as a 38th-round draft choice. Schedules conflicted and eventually Sims gave up hoops temporarily.
"I couldn't practice for one or the other," he said. "It was hurting me more than anything to play both. I couldn't develop. I had a chance to go overseas to play some basketball, but I decided it was time to get into pitching shape."
His progress through the Oriole organization has been gradual, but the past two seasons Sims has seen his name under "starting pitcher" a lot more often.
"We have used him just about everywhere," said Baysox pitching coach Tom Burgmeier. "But he has been in the rotation a lot the last six weeks."
"I didn't have a lot of pitching in tight situations up to this season," said Sims, whose resume includes a nine-hit shutout June 7. "I've held my own and as a spot starter you can open a lot of eyes. As a pitcher, you have to pitch.
"When I get to 28 or 29, it's still not too late for basketball. But I don't want to give up this game; I want to make it give me up."
Triple-A Rochester
The Red Wings entered the weekend with a magic number of two games for elimination from playoff contention despite a four-game winning streak. They had been outhomered 116-78, outscored 503-354 after the second inning and were only 4-54 when trailing after six innings. After 53 straight defeats when trailing after eight, they finally rallied for a 3-2 win over Pawtucket. ... . Damon Buford, son of the Orioles' director of minor-league operations, Don Buford, asked for his release after batting .255 with four home runs in 39 games. He was only 2-for-16 after his return from a fractured thumb. ... Ivanon Coffie has been playing the new position of first base fairly regularly. The incumbent, Calvin Pickering, still leads the International League in RBIs, but has struck out 50 times over his past 112 at-bats and has fanned 135 times this season. ... Rochester was on pace for 187 errors this season. Catcher Frank Charles has 14, and outfielder Darnell McDonald has committed 11. ... Before Jorge Julio's promotion to the Orioles, Ryan Kohlmeier continued to start. He is now expected to return to the bullpen. He has a 1.73 ERA. ... Keith Reed got off to a .353 start in his first four games with a homer and three RBIs. ... The team underwent a scoreless streak of 34 straight innings before beating Pawtucket, 1-0, in the 11th.
Double-A Bowie
