Rays' Maddon back in black

If you tune in to the television broadcast of the Rays' game against the Orioles tonight, don't worry, your HDTV hasn't gone on the blink.

Joe Maddon actually does have black hair.

The Rays' latest follicle-based motivational tool, following the success of last year's Mohawk haircuts, is now in effect after the manager's wife, Jaye, dyed his familiar silver-gray hair jet black.

"It's very Joan Jett-ish," Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman observed.

Maddon took the plunge several days head of the team's next theme road swing, the "Ring of Fire" trip to Toronto and Detroit next week in which all members of the traveling party will be encouraged to wear all black on travel days in honor of Johnny Cash.

"I was going to wait until Sunday night to do it," Maddon said, "but I thought, why not, in advance, just to get it up there and loosen things up a bit. I think we've been playing hard, we definitely care, and I was looking for an avenue to lighten things up a bit, so I went with darker hair to lighten things up a bit."

Maddon said he would encourage all of the lighter-haired members of the group - from J.P. Howell and Ben Zobrist to radio man Andy Freed - to follow his lead. He also said his new look will not be limited to the road trip; he plans to stick with it for the duration of the season.

"Absolutely. No question. It's here to stay."

With time, perhaps those around him will be able to make the adjustment. Tuesday, however, Maddon caught a lot of people off-guard.

"I didn't recognize him - twice," said shortstop Jason Bartlett. "After I saw him, and then I saw him again in the food room and I did a double [take] - I didn't know who it was. I heard his wife likes it, so that's all that counts."

Designated hitter Pat Burrell had the same problem initially.

"I didn't know it was him," Burrell said. "He had his back turned and I recognized his shirt and I was like, 'No way.'"

Burrell did add that he thought the look made Maddon look 10 years younger, and his math was about right. Though Maddon said he started going gray in his 20s, his hair didn't go "full-blown silver" until 1998 or 1999.

"The last time I dyed my hair was 2002," Maddon said. "Angels went to the World Series."

Hey, whatever works. Center fielder B.J. Upton, a pioneer in the 2008 Mohawk movement, gave the look two thumbs up.

"Love it," Upton said. "That might be the thing to put us over the edge, I don't know."