By: Nathan DeSutter

The entertainment scene in the college town of Lincoln, Nebraska—though buoyed by an impressive zoo, quilt museum, various gardens, and Big Ten Football—can sometimes leave a bit to be desired if you're a Husker baseball player suffering through the seemingly endless offseason. 

So, understandably, right-handed pitcher, Byron Hood, got bored 

But, unlike most of his teammates who found regular hobbies like fishing, golfing or video games, Hood was inspired to attempt a more meticulous and challenging craft, cutting hair. 

“This fall, I wasn't doing much besides schoolwork,” Hood said. “So, I decided to pick up cutting hair because it’s really satisfying when you get a good haircut and it looks good.”

However, he couldn't just purchase the necessary materials and jump right in; nobody is willing to put stock into a novice barber wielding a razor inches from the tips of their ears. Instead, he slowly picked up the basics from a trusted cosmetology counselor, his hometown barber. 

“I’d ask him how to get a fade around the ears, around the head, and how to cut hair long on top with scissors,” Hood said. 

Whereas most people loathe haircut small talk—preferring to sit in silence rather than suffering through bouts of uncomfortable sharing—Hood flipped the script when he walked through the dinging barbershop door. 

“Every time I went in there, I’d be the one asking questions, he wouldn't be the one.” he said. 

And, during his free time—after he was done studying and preparing for baseball season of course (Mom and Coach)—he’d frequently watch Youtube tutorials as further training. Until, finally, the day or his first real haircut arrived. 

“I was no nervous,” he said. “I’d do little things, but I wouldn't really ever do a full haircut. It’d just be in the back.”

It was his roommate that took the plunge, though Hood speculates it was his increasingly long hair and shrinking wallet—rather than Hood’s skills—that convinced him. 

“I don’t know what made him say yes, but I was getting so nervous because if I mess up, it’s his hair and he’s gonna have to live with it,” Hood said. “But, it turned out really well.”

Eventually, he earned the trust of his Husker teammates, becoming the regular barber for ten different guys. And, alongside his swiftly growing clientele, his impressive collection of barber utensils began to take shape. 

“I’ve got a pair of clippers that were about 150, I got a trimmer that was about 100, and I’ve got a cape and everything, ” he said. “They’re all in a big box wit a bunch of guards. It’s a mobile barbershop.”

Hood's Official Barber Kit

Now, that mobile barbershop, which he’s officially naming Hood’s Barbershop, has made the trip north to the locker room of the Lakeshore Chinooks. And, business is booming. 

“I brought my clippers in, and everyone was asking me if I cut hair,” he said.” My first haircut was [Fellow relief pitcher, Parker Sanburn]”

Despite barely knowing Hood, Sanburn wasn't hesitant. 

“I always try to get a gist of what everyone likes to do,” Sanburn said. “Byron said, ‘I just like cutting hair,’ and I said, “Oh, well, I need a haircut, are you gonna line me up?’”

At first, the wait wasn't long, so they made an appointment right after the game. 

“We set up in the hallway outside the locker room, and people were walking by about 8 or 9 o’clock,” Sanburn said. “There I am getting my haircut all over the floor. Janitors were walking by giving us the stink eye.”

But, everyone was impressed with the finished product. “It looked good, and everyone else wanted one after that,” Hood said. 

Catcher, Nick Cheema, was especially impressed. So much so, he decided to get his shaggy mane lopped off and replaced with a smooth fade. It wasn't a speedy, poorly executed haircut either. Hood, a perfectionist who's seemingly never satisfied, spent nearly 45 minutes layering and sculpting every element before finally removing the cape.

Afterward, everyone loved Cheema's new look, though his teammates still jokingly razzed him for being ugly. Cheema shrugged, "you can't win them all," he said. 

Cheema before and after

The full view of Cheema's new do.

Over the next week, Cheema-esque fades, buzz-cuts and trims started appearing all over the clubhouse. Chinooks players couldn't resist a cheap, professional quality haircut available at a moment’s notice. 

So, if you take a trip to Kapco this summer and see a few sheared Chinook sluggers, know they’ve probably taken a seat in Hood’s famous wooden stool just outside the locker room. 

However, if you want an appointment at Hood’s, Byron says you might have to wait a while, “I’ve got appointments booked up, I’m gonna be booked until the end of July,” he said. 

Although, you might want to write your name down now because Hood might set his clippers down for good in the near future. He insists he has no plans to make a career out of cutting hair; it’s simply a hobby. Though, my guess is this passion will have a longer life than he anticipates. 

Regardless, the Chinooks’ only hope is that Hood’s success with a razor can turn him into a buzzsaw out of the bullpen this summer.