Major Leagues to Swing Pink Bats for Mother’s Day
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James Joyner | Wednesday, May 10, 2006 |
Major League Baseball is breaking out the pink bats for Mother’s Day.
Hulking Jim Thome. Rugged Manny Ramirez. Brawny Adam Dunn. “The thought of these big macho men, swinging pink bats to help women with breast cancer … what a novel idea,” Louisville Slugger president John Hillerich said Tuesday. Major League Baseball granted special permission for players to use the colorful bats - baby pink, at that - for Mother’s Day. They’re part of a weeklong program to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Derek Jeter, David Eckstein and Marcus Giles are among dozens of players who intend to try them Sunday. This is the first time pink has been approved for bats - dyed at the Louisville Slugger factory, they’re usually black, brown, reddish or white.
Kevin Mench was among several Texas players who wanted their mother’s names burned on the bats. The Rangers slugger, who homered in seven straight games earlier this season, also planned to have a bat for his grandmother, who died from breast cancer. “My mom is the glue of our family, and I just want to do something to thank her for all that she has done,” Mench said before Tuesday night’s game against Minnesota. “At the same time, we are raising money for a great cause.”
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Along with the pink bats, players and all on-field personnel will wear pink wristbands and a pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness on their uniforms. The pink ribbon logo will appear on the bases and on commemorative home plates, and the lineups will be written on pink cards. The bats, along with the home plates and lineup cards, will be autographed by the teams and will be auctioned off later with the proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Foundation.
A nice gesture, to be sure.
Still, I always have the same questions about these things: Does MLB favor breast cancer every other day? And what about the diseases/causes whose logos they aren’t wearing?
Further, presuming symbolism actually matters, why breast cancer? It’s sufficiently ubiquitous that you’d have to be a dolt not to be aware of it. No one that I’m aware of opposes finding a cure for it. Why not use the media spotlight of MLB to highlight a less celebrated cause?
Update: Aaron Brazell is troubled by the idea of “Barry Bonds breaking the Babe’s homerun record using a pink bat.”
Update: Jeff Vreeland asks, “Are we going to have Blue Bases for Prostate Cancer on Father’s Day?” They’d better, unless they want to send the message that they hate men and want them to die.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
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Years ago, some team was playing the San Francisco Giants and it was AIDS awareness day in San Francisco, yet one of the opposing players did not wear the AIDS ribbon on his uniform, and MLB fined him.
In fact, I would not be surprised to learn that is where Seinfeld got the idea for the AIDS walk episode where Kramer refused to wear the ribbon!
Bonds faces Cubs pitching tonight and tomorrow. He will get 715 by Sunday.
AND HE IS NOT BREAKING ANY RECORD! WILL PEOPLE GET IT THROUGH THEIR SKULLS? AARON HAS THE RECORD.
One bit of irony he may hit 715 against Cubs pitcher the sucky David Aardsma who replaced Aaron as the first player alphabetically in baseball history .
Steph:
I'm a Braves fan; no need to sell me on Hank Aaron.
Still, Babe's record stood for decades and is considered iconic. Passing it, like passing Willie Mays, will be noteworthy.
My guess is that more baseball fans could give you Ruth's total than Aaron's and the same goes for Maris number over Bonds.
755.
Plus, 715 was Joe Friday's badge number. That's significant all on its own.
My guess: any loss of effectiveness caused by emasculation felt by weilding a pink bat will be offset by the opposing pitcher's inability to concentrate while laughing. So, it's a wash.
I am against the pink bats because of where the money is going to. The Susan Komen foundation gives money to planned parenthood which is for abortions. Also It won't admit the abortion increased the chance of breast cancer. James
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