Cutler hurt in close loss, but no close shaves in 'Movember'
The concussion-inducing wallop delivered by Texans linebacker Tim Dobbins knocked the Bears quarterback Jay Cutler out of the game, out of his Monday radio show and maybe out of next week's Bears game.
But it left Cutler's new mustache intact.
"Jay Cutler's looks pretty darn good," says Paul Mirandola, a registered master barber at Roosters Men's Grooming Center in Schaumburg and owner of a mustache that is far older and sturdier than any Bears quarterback.
Cutler is sporting his mustache as part of the "Movember" charity campaign in which men grow mustaches all month to bring attention and raise funds for men's health issues, including prostate and testicular cancer. While some charities get pledges for every mile walked or run, Movember participants ask sponsors to donate money for every mustache grown, with the highest percentage going to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. ESPN 1000 radio hosts Marc Silverman and Tom Waddle, forced to carry on without the injured quarterback Monday during Waddle & Silvy's weekly Jay Cutler Show, are growing mustaches alongside Cutler.
As part of the Movember charity efforts, Roosters, 1426 N. Meacham Road in Schaumburg, is hosting a "Shave Off" on Nov. 30. Owner David Laudadio, 48, is offering free shaves for anyone participating in the Movember fundraising, will donate $1 for every "like" on the Roosters Facebook page and will provide a free haircut and shave for anyone whose 'stache brings in $250 or more. Laudadio is not only the owner, he's also a participant.
"I'm not afraid to get silly with it," says Laudadio, who isn't even at the halfway point but already has a pretty thick mustache with an accompanying soul patch under his lower lip. His wife, Candace, supports the effort, and so do sons Gianni, 8, and Leo, 7. Mustache-shaped cookies baked by his mother-in-law's DGM Design in Streamwood add to the Movember celebration of cookie-dusters.
Pondering a poster with a variety of mustache styles, Laudadio is hoping to grow a "connoisseur" with upturned edges, while his sons want to him to grow the "porn star," says Laudadio. He's happy with the result so far.
"I was at jury duty the other day and the lawyer asks me if I was a cop. So at least I know it's working," Laudadio says.
Mirandola's mustache has been working nearly as long as Laudadio has been alive. The Mount Prospect resident and master barber is 64. His mustache is 47. Born in San Sisto, Italy, Mirandola came to the United States in 1958. His mustache came in about the same time.
"I was shaving at the age of 10," Mirandola says, recalling how he'd use his father's twin Gillette safety razor when he was in grade school. "I thought I was doing something magnificent. I was proud."
Then he discovered that not shaving was even more impressive.
"I had a full beard at 16," says Mirandola, who could walk into a bar and order a beer at an age when some boys are still being mistaken on the phone for their mom. When he got older, his mustache made him look even older. He was 21 when he married his wife, Susan.
"Her grandmother thought I was 40," Mirandola says. "She said, 'Why are you marrying this old man?'"
The couple have five grown children and will celebrate their 43rd anniversary in February, making his marriage almost as durable as his mustache.
"I threatened to shave it once and my daughter started crying, 'Dad, I've never known you without your mustache. Please don't shave it off,'" remembers Mirandola, who never seriously has considered a bare upper lip. "Just thinking of shaving it off gives me the creeps. It's like my left arm or my right am. I couldn't shave it off."
Using his mustache to raise money for men's health issues should bring good karma to Cutler in his health issues. Bears fans hope for Cutler to make a full recovery before 'Stachegiving and lead the Bears to the Super Bowl. But it would be nice if all the Bears stepped it up and played a little better.
"Maybe," Laudadio offers, "they need to grow mustaches."