Now, I'm no fan of the tough-guy, no-smile pictures that some baseball players are so fond of taking for their team mug shots. Scowling at a camera doesn't make you tough, OK? It makes you look like you never learned how to say “cheese.”

But when you're sitting in your office, watching a game on the MLB.com Gameday application and your favorite player just made a bonehead play, it's really irritating to look up at his goofy grinning face.

For example, you'd probably have no problem with this face when it seems to be saying “Hey, I'm on pace for 162 home runs.” But when it's saying “My net effect on today's score was negative two runs,” don't you just want to wipe that smile right off?

Or what about when you're staring down the opposing pitcher on your team's behalf. It's kind of hard to get the appropriate emotional tension when he looks like the comic relief in a teen romance movie.

I think the ideal Gameday face is tricky, because it's going to depend on the player's personality. Does he want to say, “Hey look, I'm not so bad,”

or “What are you looking at, sucka?”

Does he want to make you feel a little sad,

or give you the opportunity to giggle at his adorably goofy ears?

Yes, the expression in the mugshot on Gameday colors the entire perception of the game. I'm just glad they didn't use this photo: