Cal Football: Bears Center Visits Salon for Professional Bleached-Blond Look

Initially Cal center Michael Saffell was not gung-ho about the offensive linemen's idea that they all get their hair bleached blond for the Redbox Bowl. But when he decided he was all in, Saffell's mother insisted he do it right. So Saffell went to a salon.

He had to endure the indignity of having a 5-year-old girl express her surprise at a man having his hair bleached.

"You sit there with the foils and the head thing whatever for a couple minutes," he said.

Plus Saffell got involved in the traditional salon gossiping.

"Yeah, 100 percent," Saffell said. "We were gossiping. I had the little girl yelling at me, questioning my manhood."

Saffell was satisfied with the finished product.

"It looks OK," he said. "I'm rockin' with it."

And now he's glad he agreed to join the other offensive linemen in the blond look.

"We're rockin' with it, and I think we'll be rockin' with it far after the bowl game," he said.

Saffell's mother may be hard-pressed to get him to visit a salon again anytime soon, though.

By the way, the offensive line should be as healthy as it has been all season, and that should aid the Bears' offensive production. Cal's offense was more productive late in the season with most of its offensive linemen available.

Now, of course, the linemen can lead the way with hair that could act as a beacon for others to follow. Perhaps they can distract Illinois' defensive linemen with their, uh, distinctive look.