Darnell McDonald's Dreadlocks & How They Hit Home For Me

As I predicted on the podcast I posted Monday, Darnell McDonald was designated for assignment yesterday to clear a roster spot for CC Sabathia, who had a very successful return to the Yankees rotation last night. As everyone knows, McDonald was claimed off waivers a few weeks ago when the Red Sox DFA'd him. And, as everyone knows, that meant his hair could no longer look like this:

Now he is no longer with the team. How does he feel about cutting off his dreadlocks, essentially for nothing? I know I would be downright pissed. As some of you know I, too, have dreadlocks:

Mine are obviously longer than McDonalds, so maybe it's unfair to make a comparison. But I keep thinking about how I would feel if I got hired by a company who told me I had to cut off my dreadlocks (which, by the way, I've had for over 20 years). If I really thought the job was worth it I would do it. 

So there I would be, towing the company line when, two weeks after my start date, I'd get called into the boss's office and told I was being terminated, through no fault of my own. That's exactly what happened to McDonald. I'm pretty sure I would cry, and I'd be crying just as much about the locks as I would be about losing the job.

I know McDonald's not crying. He's too busy trying to hook up with another team. I wish him all the luck in the world, both for the rest of this season and the remainder of his career. Bye bye, Darnell.

Update, 7/30/12: The good folks over at River Avenue Blues posted yesterday that McDonald made it safely through the DFA process and landed at the Yankees triple A affiliate. So, all is not for naught.