MLB to go pink on Sunday

MLB to go pink on Sunday
Bats, wristbands will benefit fight against breast cancer
By Mark Newman / MLB.com

A pink bat advisory has just been issued for Major League Baseball.

Here they come again.

What began two years ago as a bold statement has grown into a full-scale baseball tradition, driving massive proceeds to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation to fight breast cancer. It is now officially and dramatically how Major League Baseball celebrates each Mother's Day, as hundreds of players again will be swinging pink bats this Sunday and giving everyone, including fans, the opportunity to get involved.

Those signed bats will gradually show up in coming weeks at the MLB.com Auction, with all proceeds again going to Komen. In addition to promotional support, Major League Baseball Charities has also committed $50,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure through the "Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer" program.

"Major League Baseball is committed to giving back to our communities in meaningful ways and we are proud to again partner with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to help raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer," said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. "Breast cancer affects countless women and their families each year and we at Baseball feel fortunate to be able to use our game as a platform to help raise awareness in the ongoing fight to eradicate this disease."

During games played on Mother's Day, players will wear pink wristbands and pink titanium necklaces made by Major League Baseball licensee Phiten. Pink ribbons will be displayed on player uniforms, as well as those of all on-field personnel. The breast cancer awareness theme will be carried throughout the game, including pink ribbon logos on the bases and commemorative home plates, and pink dugout lineup cards.

Team-autographed commemorative home plates and pink bats from each ballpark will also be auctioned off on MLB.com at a later date with net proceeds raising additional funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Major League Baseball is also donating tickets in many ballparks to local Komen affiliates, which will distribute the tickets to its volunteers and breast cancer survivors and their families, and are to be designated as "Pinked-Out Zones" in the park.

"At Susan G. Komen for the Cure we collaborate with a variety of organizations to provide creative ways for people to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer," said Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. "Partnering with Major League Baseball increases breast cancer awareness and allows fans nationwide to make a valuable contribution to breast cancer research and community outreach programs."

This is the third year for the Pink Project, and it was immediately embraced and turned into a tradition.

"It's about bringing awareness to breast cancer and raising money for research so we can stop cancer and save lives," said John A. Hillerich IV, the president and CEO of Hillerich & Bradsby Co., manufacturers of Louisville Sluggers for the past 124 years.

"It's a great cause, a great idea," said Jeter, whose sister was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000 and is now cancer-free, of the pink-bat tradition. "I hope they raise a lot of money."

According to komen.org, an estimated 182,460 cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in American women in 2008 alone. In 1975, the number was 107 per 100,000 for caucasian women and 94 per 100,000 for African-American women. Twenty-nine years later, in 2004, the number of new cases per year had risen, to 128 per 100,000 and 119 per 100,000, respectively.

The five-year survival rate for all women diagnosed with breast cancer is 90 percent. This means that 90 out of every 100 women with breast cancer will survive without a recurrence for at least five years. Most will live a full life and never have a recurrence. The chances of surviving are better if the cancer is detected early, before it spreads to other parts of your body. In fact, when breast cancer is confined to the breast, the five-year survival rate is 98 percent.

These are not the kinds of statistics you normally go looking for at MLB.com, but these are the kinds of statistics you are going to hear about around the game. Those diagnosed include mothers of players, relatives, fans -- people in the baseball family, people you very well may know. Baseball as an institution can make a positive difference, and the pink bats have become a symbolic means of doing just that.

The concept originated during a visit Hillerich made to Louisville Slugger's sister company, Canada-based TPS Hockey, in March 2006. TPS Hockey had made pink hockey sticks for players in the NHL, and more than $100,000 was raised during the weekend those sticks were used.

Hillerich returned to Louisville smitten with the idea and presented it to MLB officials. Even though it was shockingly different -- and "different" doesn't always fly with fans -- this was a no-brainer. Still, no one could have imagined how popular it would become. Each of the last two years, the pink bats that were used and signed by players -- as well as team-signed pink bats and team-signed home plates -- were listed at the MLB.com Auction. All proceeds went to Komen, and bidding was wild.

Bidding already is under way for several pink bats, including three signed by Yankee stars as part of a recent segment on ABC's "Good Morning America." Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera and Jeter are among those who signed the ones now listed in advance. After the May 11 games, be on the lookout at the MLB.com Auction, because all of those incredible keepsakes will be there again, your chance to make a difference.

"We expected that this would be something that would draw a lot of interest," Hillerich said two years ago, at the inception, "but it has far exceeded our expectations. It is wild around here. People are calling, wanting to buy a pink bat. It's crazy. The good thing is that it's drawing attention to the cause."

Fans can "Go to Bat Against Breast Cancer" by making a donation at komen.org.

Thanks for the info Brob.

Too bad the Tigers missed out

Pittsburgh and Cleveland were also posponed due to rain.

They both were going to do big things for Mothers Day too.

But they get to play makeup doubleheaders on Monday iwith temps in the 50s there.


Why couldn't the Yankees be off on Monday?

We could have played them!

Only 6 home games left in May.


Gonna be in the 70s next week; 82 for the Sunday Afternoon game against Minnesota two weeks from now



I bet today was the last cool day at Comerica until next April!


Do I need to start a countdown until it is cool at Comerica Thread?

The Twins and Red Sox are swingin' pink bats!

Wish the Tigers did today!

MLB should let the Tigers do it the next time they come back home.


But Selig won't!

It is a good game too. They bounced that Boston knuckleball pitcher, Wakefield for a bunch of runs! C Monroe hit a 3 run homer off of him! I sure wish we still had Craig Monroe yet!!! He is hot this year, unlike a bunch of our "superstar players!" He was hot in 2006 when we went to the World Series!

Why is it that most of the players we trade away end up as superstars for other teams!

There is big Papi with lots of pink: bat, armband, necklace and breast cancer pin! Dang, he just struck out!

gs78 wrote:

MLB should let the Tigers do it the next time they come back home.


But Selig won't!

The with Selig, the Tigers should still do it!

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

I sure wish we still had Craig Monroe yet!!! He is hot this year, unlike a bunch of our "superstar players!" He was hot in 2006 when we went to the World Series!

Why is it that most of the players we trade away end up as superstars for other teams!

You know, the "Former Tiger Effect!"

I was personally glad to see their bats come alive against Wakefield....at least another team can overcome him!

05/11/2008 3:19 PM ET
Not even rain can damper Mother's Day
Tigers in spirit of the cause even though weather cancels game
By Scott McNeish / MLB.com

DETROIT -- Outfielder Matt Joyce walked up to Brandon Inge in the Tigers' clubhouse on Sunday morning, and he tapped the utility man's shoulder as he swung an odd-colored piece of lumber.

"Nice pink bat," Joyce said.

"Hey," Inge snapped, "it's for a good cause."

With Sunday's game against the Yankees postponed because of the rain, Inge and his fellow Tigers did not get a chance to use their pink bats, but the message behind them is still clear.

Pink bats have become an annual Mother's Day symbol as part of an overall "Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer" initiative by Major League Baseball that raises awareness about breast cancer and directs massive proceeds to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Fans play the next big role in this process, because attention will move now to the MLB.com, where the gradual arrival of those pink bats that were used in games and then signed or just signed by an entire team will be auctioned off. Signed home plates and bases with the pink-ribbon logo will also be among the auction items that will draw a frenzy, and all proceeds will go to Komen.

It is a "rolling auction," so if you don't see a player's bat in the next few weeks, keep coming back, because eventually, most or all of them will appear on the auction site. Fans also can purchase their own personalized "Mother's Day 2008" pink bats right now for $79 apiece at the MLB.com Shop, with $10 from the sale of each one going to Komen.

Tigers players arrived to a clubhouse decorated in a color not usually affiliated with professional athletes.

"Man, there's a ton of pink around," Tigers bullpen coach Jeff Jones said as he gazed around.

Most position players had at least four pink bats engraved with their names sitting on a chair in front of their lockers. One by one, players strolled in, picked up a pink bat, gripped it and waved it in the air to get a feel for it. Meanwhile, they also received pink wristbands and necklaces to be worn during the game.

Inge wanted to honor his mother, because he understands what she went through. A parent himself, Inge sees his children act just like him during his younger years, which makes him appreciate all the effort put forth by his mother.

"Oh my gosh, the way I was running around 24 hours a day, things like just calling me inside for dinner must have been a nightmare," he said.

But Tigers players did not have the opportunity to honor their mothers by using the pink bats, as the game was postponed shortly after its scheduled 1:05 p.m. ET start time. But that didn't mean the bats wouldn't go to some use.

Gary Sheffield, for instance, already had a plan for his pink bat.

"I'll take them home, give them as presents," he said. "I'll give them to family members. I hope they like pink. It's a lot of pink, isn't it?"

Scott McNeish is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

We should have kept all the guys from our 2006 team!


Maybe we made too many moves!

I dunno!

gs78 wrote:

We should have kept all the guys from our 2006 team!


Maybe we made too many moves!

I dunno!

I agree. Why mess with a good thing!

I bet if we had won the WS in 06; we would not have made all these moves.


Let's hope it pays off this October!

GO TIGERS!

Too bad you can't be in a slump for too long in MLB...your a** gets moved!

laprimamirala wrote:

gs78 wrote:

We should have kept all the guys from our 2006 team!


Maybe we made too many moves!

I dunno!

I agree. Why mess with a good thing!

I completely agree here!
Never change a winning team! It was more rebuilding than optimizing the team.

No Pink for the Tigers on Sunday.....damn rain!!

The Tigers should use pink bats their next home game.

It is for a great cause too.


But I bet that idiot Selig would not allow it!

I think the Tigers have been using the PINK bats ALL year.....

tigersaint wrote:

I think the Tigers have been using the PINK bats ALL year.....

mentally, anyway!