Pink bat
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On Mother's Day in the United States in 2006 (May 14) the Louisville Slugger Company produced a limited supply of more than 400 pink baseball bats for use by more than 50 professional baseball players. Major League Baseball authorized the use of the specially dyed bats — temporarily suspending the regulation that restricts players to using black, brown, red, or white bats — as part of a weeklong program to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
In addition to wielding the unique Sluggers, players and field-staff wore pink wristbands and pink ribbons, while bases and homeplates were tagged with the breast cancer awareness logo, and line-ups were written on pink card. All of the specially-produced memorabilia was later autographed and auctioned off on MLB.com to benefit the Komen for the Cure.
Players who brandished the distinctive bats included Alex Rios, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Xavier Nady, Jim Thome, Carl Crawford, David Ortiz, Jim Edmonds, Toby Hall, Willy Taveras, Richie Sexson, Mark Teixeira, Travis Lee, Ken Griffey Jr., Doug Davis, Michael Young, Mark Kotsay, Jeff Francoeur, Greg Norton, Torii Hunter, Hank Blalock, Jason LaRue, Derek Jeter, Jermaine Dye, Mark Ellis, Prince Fielder, Jonny Gomes, Kevin Mench, Carl Everett, Joe Borchard, David Eckstein, Marcus Giles, Damon Hollins, Manny Ramirez, Adam Dunn, Bill Hall, Tomas Perez, Craig Biggio, Doug Mientkiewicz, and Lance Berkman. Rios, Dye, Thome, Kotsay, LaRue, Bill Hall, and Berkman hit some of the few Pink Bat homeruns.
Other players, including Geoff Blum, Khalil Greene and Mike Cameron, flatly refused to use the unorthodox bats.
[edit] Origin
In March of 2006, John A. Hillerich IV, President and CEO of the Louisville Slugger parent-company Hillerich & Bradsby, made a visit to the Canadian-based sports company TPS Hockey, which had produced more than 400 pink hockey sticks for players in the NHL. Players including Tie Domi, Mats Sundin, Steve Yzerman, Sidney Crosby and Ed Belfour used the special sticks during the weekend of March 17, raising more than $110,000. Hillerich later presented the idea of the Pink Bat to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and MLB President Bob DuPuy, who "both went to bat for the pink bat".
