Week Twenty-Seven: March 1st

For those of you not weaned on NBA basketball games in the late 80's and early 90's, you may never have heard of Brad Daugherty. A UNC alum, Daugherty cleaned the glass at a Moses Malone-like pace in his short career. Perhaps more importantly, he used his tall, spindly frame to score about 20 points per game over the short career that would soon be derailed be injuries. (Nowadays he is ESPN's NASCAR analyst, which I find even more amusing than his awesome facial hair and his frequent destruction at the hands of Jordan and the Bulls' dynasty. Of course, this also explains his odd #43 number uniform choice: in honor of NASCAR legend Richard Petty.)

To my friends and I, Brad Daugherty was always known for his amazing facial hair. Of course, during his first few years in the league, he was still working out the look, rarely sporting more than a 'stache. And while I could never actually do justice the to sideburn and step-down to the under neck thickness worn by the man himself, I had to make an attempt at it at least once. In high school--his pro hoops salad days--we often spoke, about how we would wear the Daugherty look when we were older. I would have made the effort long before now if not for my severe aversion to hair-scrub under my neck. Not only is it itchy, but it catches on my shirt collar and drives me insane. Still, I kept this look the entire week, including during my parent-teacher conferences with 19 of 20 families. More than once, I saw glances at my chin and neck, especially as the week wore on and the look became ever more scraggly in the manner of Jack Sparrow.

For those unfamiliar with Daugherty, check out some Brad Daugherty pictures with a web search and you won't be disappointed. You might even hear Marv Albert proclaim, "Daugherty serves up a facial!" Yes. Yes he did.