Free 'Rayhawk' haircuts during the playoffs

Fernando Santamaria wants Tampa Bay Rays fans to sport their spirit on their head.

The Tampa barber is offering free "Rayhawks" to any fan until the team wins the World Series or is eliminated during the playoffs. Think Mohawk with a title twist that's anything but French.

Santamaria came up with the idea while watching the Rays clinch the playoffs last week. Seeing the striped heads of B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria and other players got him thinking.

"I looked at my wife and said, 'Look at all these Mohawks.' That's when the word Rayhawk came into my mind,'' he said.

Cuban-born and Tampa-raised, Santamaria, 43, has been a Rays fan since the team's first pitch. He hasn't been to a game all year (like a lot of other fans, apparently) but assures he's watched the games on TV.

And he's had a good excuse, he said. He recently moved his business, Fernando's Barbershop, and expanded it to include hair services for women. He renamed it Shades & Shaves Hair Salon; it's at 5323 Kelly Road in Tampa. Call (813) 886-3145 for details.

On Monday, he followed his own advice and let his wife take the blade to his scalp. His friends and customers were quick to react to his new look.

"First they are stunned,'' he said. "Then they get it.''

Santamaria did three Mohawks early in the week and had three more scheduled for Thursday. His offer stands "until they win the World Series,'' he said. "Hopefully, I'll be doing a lot of Rayhawks.''