Lifting the lid on Giants and A’s hair secrets, from mighty mullets to tight tapers to Crawford’s curls

Sheldon Torson gives customer Nate Thomas a trim at Sharp Barber Shop in Lafayette. The barbershop has been where many of the Giants players have gone to have their hair cut.

Sheldon Torson has been a barber for 15 years, and — like any professional — he has made mistakes. But few stick with him like the time he was too afraid to cut Brandon Crawford’s long hair when the San Francisco Giants shortstop asked him if he could.

“It’s one of my big regrets not taking on that challenge,” said Torson, owner of Sharp Barber Shop in the East Bay. “It was a big moment for me. It was like, ‘Damn, I should have been prepared for this moment, but I wasn’t.’ That kills me.”

Early in his career, Torson worked primarily with clippers and wasn’t ready to pick up scissors when Crawford asked. In the past five years, midlength haircuts became more popular among men and barbers had to adapt. Now Torson feels like he could cut Crawford’s hair and knock it out of the park.

Torson, 37, is one of the many hometown barbers hired by major-league teams to take care of their players. But the job isn’t as glamorous or profitable as it might sound. A baseball team is essentially a limited supply of clientele that hides a barber’s work under a hat all day. Baseball barbers can’t give up their chairs or shops because it’s the everyman who pays their bills.

So why do it? For one, there are opportunities to be creative. Hair isn’t a priority for most players; they rely on their barber to give them a fresh look. But ultimately, it’s the same reason Torson and