Dedicated coach makes good on a bet

Mets fan now bears Jeter’s name on his scalp Franklin — Snickers and giggles occasionally drowned out the buzzing of the razor as the coach of the Walkill Valley Rapids paid off on a bet. Coach Jamie McCurry, a Mets fan, bet Katie Smith, a Yankee fan, that if she hit a home run he would shave the name of the Yankees star player, Derek Jeter, into his hair. If she struck out she would have to wear a Mets baseball cap during the Walkill Valley Girls Softball League playoff games. Well, Tuesday evening, McCurry, of Hamburg, took a seat for a custom haircut. “The original bet was for a home run over the fence,” said McCurry. “We changed the bet to allow an inside the park home run.” Katie, of Franklin, drove a line drive over the left fielder’s head in a game against Mount Olive. As the ball rolled to the outfield fence she rounded the bases and McCurry’s scalp had a debt to settle. Getting the job done Manny Galicia, of Sparta, one of four employees of A Cut Above in Sparta, provided his artistic haircutting talent. “We do a lot of designs,” said Gelin Suarez of Sparta, owner of A Cut Above. “High school sport team names are popular.” So he was no stranger to the artistic stylings needed for this job. McCurry suffered further embarrassment when the players provided a poncho with large Yankee emblems on the front and back to use to cover him as Galicia worked. McCurry sat quietly as Galicia used a straight razor to shave in fine details. Cameras clicked and camcorders whirred to document the event.