The Cut Seen 'Round The World

With a few weeks remaining before pitchers and catchers report to Late Winter Training, I was hoping to catch some baseball news on the MLB Network at 6 PM last night.  After an offseason filled with NL East teams making moves to help their teams (Phillies signed Jonathan Papelbon, Nationals acquired Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson, Marlins picked up a player or twelve), I was hoping to get some Mets news on the baseball cable network.  Instead, I got this:

That's right, Mets fans.  The MLB Network was showing a live broadcast of Jose Reyes getting his hair cut.  Now, granted, he is donating his locks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, who will in turn auction them off on eBay, but did we really need to see it on live TV?

Did the MLB Network not have anything else to report?  Were they all out of countdown shows?  Didn't they want to show Hot Stove or Clubhouse Confidential for the umpteenth time?  That's what I was tuning in for.

No.  They thought it would make for good television to have Jose Reyes comply with Marlins' team policy by getting his hair cut.  Other players, such as Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi, have gotten their long locks shorn when they moved to a team that forbade them.  Furthermore, numerous athletes have donated their hair to charitable foundations in the past as well.

But I guess anytime a star athlete takes his talents to Miami, a big television event has to come out of it.  First, it was LeBron James and "The Decision".  Now, it's Jose Reyes and "The Haircut".  What's next?  A guest spot on CSI: Miami?  Will Jose Reyes be the next killer to torment the officers of Miami Metro on Dexter?

Personally, I'm waiting for Reyes to take Guy Fieri on a tour of his favorite new restaurants in Miami, looking for the perfect mofongo or mangú on a special episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  Hey, if Don Larsen - the author of the only perfect game in World Series history - could appear on Triple D, why can't Reyes?

Blue background.  Orange cape.  So nice of MLB to remind us that Jose Reyes is no longer a Met.

I commend Jose Reyes on using his hair for a good cause.  That's not the point of my rant.  The point is, why did the MLB Network feel that baseball fans needed to see this on live television?  Did they have a post-cut interview with the guy hired to sweep the floor?  Was there an over-under on how many dreads would be cut?

Those are just some of the silly questions I can think of regarding this live show.  The silliest question of all is probably why the programming directors at MLB thought this would make for compelling television.  The Cut Seen 'Round The World should have been cut from our television sets.  Even the dozens of Marlins fans would have to agree with that.