The Many Beards of Josh Reddick: Aspiring Wrestler and Oakland Athletics Gold Glover

Josh Reddick: Aspiring Wrestler/Bearded Gold Glover

It all started when WWE wrestler Daniel Bryan called out Oakland Athletics outfielder Josh Reddick via Twitter. The wrestling tough man challenged Reddick, who is known for walking out to wrestling theme songs when he bats, to a beard-off. Upon further consideration, perhaps, beard-off was not the best name for a competition in which the contests try to grow a beard, but I digress.

According to this awesome read from “Sports On Earth” presented by USA Today Sports, Reddick is a really big fan of wrestling. He loves watching “Raw” on Monday nights on USA, and his favorite wrestler is Triple-H, who he has befriended.

The legendary wrestler leaves Reddick tickets for ringside seats, and sent him a real WWE Championship Belt. The one pictured above is just a replica which Reddick bought himself, which inspired Triple H's gift.

The 26-year-old also got the chance to meet Ric Flair among other wrestlers. But his real dream is to get into the ring himself. Reddick claimed that he “has already devised a gimmick, as well as many other necessaries for building a WWE character.”

When asked about a tag-team partner, he mentioned that Stone Cold Steve Austin “fits my criteria.” Somebody please get this guy in the ring.

It's been an interesting year for Reddick in his non-wrestling related endeavors as well. Early in April, he injured his wrist diving into a wall in a game against the Houston Astros.

On a later trip to Houston, he found himself embroiled in a sunflower seed scandal. An Astros team employee — whose job it is to throw t-shirts at fans — accused the strong-armed right fielder of flipping seeds at her face. Reddick apologized via Twitter, but added that he would continue to throw water at Stomper and his crew.

Oh, and Reddick didn't crack .200 with his batting average until midway through June. Since returning from the DL at the end of May, however, he's hitting a healthy .287 (25-for-87). As far as the beard goes, though, it's harder to tell if that's trending upward as well.

Karl Buscheck is an Oakland Athletics writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @KarlBuscheck or add him to your network on Google+.

Mike Gallego is Not Entertained

The outfielder appears to be amused by yet another base coaching blunder by Mike Gallego.

What is That...?

Ok. So technically these first two pictures are from the same game, but that beard grows really fast. Above ,Reddick returns to the dugout after golfing a home run into the seats at the O.co Coliseum in the Athletics 10-2 romp of the Seattle Mariners on June 16. Notice the uncanny resemblance to Daric Barton.

Josh Reddick or Jason Giambi?

So that's not really a beard at all, but I guess Reddick is just channeling his inner Jason Giambi.

Josh Reddick Goes Lord of the Rings Style

I'm sorry that I couldn't fit the cap into the frame, but the beard just kind of took over. I feel like now would be a good time to make a Gandalf joke.

The Beard Bottoms Out?

Is this rock-bottom for the beard? It nearly was for Reddick's batting average, as he was hitting .109 at the time. But don't worry, the beard gets worse.

What Would Josh Do

Back on April 16 at the O.co. Reddick looks almost biblical or maybe like a biker? Either way, he seems to be marveling at just how bad the Astros are.

The Padawan

That's funny. From this angle, Reddick sure resembles Obi-Wan Kenobi. Just out of frame is his lightsaber.

Reddick is None Too Pleased

On this day in April, the Athletics got rolled 10-1 by the visiting Detroit Tigers, and suffice to say, Reddick was none too pleased.

The Gift of Gab

I have no idea what those two are talking about, but it sure looks like an interesting conversation.

Josh Reddick Tries to Beat Adam Rosales Around The Bases

Reddick didn't beat Rosie, but his first home run of the season did add to an 8-2 beat down of the Mariners.

Desert Beard

I would think a really long beard would be a less than ideal choice when living in the desert of Arizona for a month, but then again, I didn't just hit a three-run jack against the Los Angeles Angels, did I? Did I mention it was against the Angels?

Beardless Reddick

Back in October of 2012, we have photographic evidence of the rarely seen beardless Reddick. Here he can be seen engaging in an elaborately choreographed high-five routine with a bat boy after crushing a home run in the ALDS against Detroit.

Who is That Guy?

The date was May 30, 2012, and this man appears to vaguely resemble Josh Reddick, but I can't really be certain.

The Next Ronaldo?

In this scene, Reddick looks suspiciously like a soccer player as he is escorted off the field by a trainer after getting hit by a pitch. Interesting.

Josh Reddick: The First Sighting

Hmm. So apparently Reddick had a beard all along. The date was February 25, 2012, and we see Reddick in what appears to be a very natural pose at Papago Park, the team's spring training complex.