The Babe Didn't Wear Pink

it is called our national pastime. a game played in hallowed stadium, in timeless uniforms. it has long represented the pysche and persona of america. a game invented by americans (allegedly), for americans (but only 50%, the other half are latinos). and as of the last 15 years, it's a game played by steroid-riddled, egomaniacal, multi-millionaire asshats. this is baseball.

for all the scandal of steroids, the storylines of barry bonds' chase of babe ruth and hank aaron, broken curses (and those that continue....thanks cubs. you suck), baseball has finally done something worthy and right--though it will hardly get the media attention it deserves.

sunday, may 14th is mother's day. according to MLB, it's also the opportune time to help raise awareness and money for the susan g. komen breast cancer foundation. as a lifelong baseball fan and a newly initiated member of the society of people that donate things, this is a very proud moment for me. however, it's not mlb i'm proud of, it's the very same "me" guys that play the game that are allowing this to happen.

starting sunday, some of the biggest names and brightest stars of the game such as david ortiz, jim edmonds, derek jeter, and adam dunn among others, will be sporting pink wristbands and swinging pink bats for a week. home plate and each of the bases will be emblazoned with a pink ribbon emblem and all items will be auctioned off at week's end, with all the proceeds donated to the foundation.

for all the negative attention the game and its players have gotten in recent years and for all the ways the selfishness and egos of these overpaid athletes manifests itself (e.g. steroids, contract disputes, union grievances, throwing bats at umpires...i could go on), it takes a humble man, a big man to stand in front of 40,000 people--often on national television--sporting a pink bat and a near-pink uniform.

the sport's greatest symbol, its icon, babe ruth, was many things: a womanizer, a drunk, a smoker, an adulterer. he was, and to many still is, the greatest player to ever live. baseball is a game whose players are defined by their statistics and no one was more statistically dominant than babe ruth. but for all his accomplishments--the world series titles, 714 home runs, most walks and strikeouts in history, and single-handedly bringing misery to the boston red sox for nearly a century-- the larger-than-life babe ruth never wore pink.


if you'd like to make a donation this mother's day to the susan g. komen breast cancer foundation, visit www.komen.org

or, if you prefer to donate to another worthy cause, the denver heart walk sponsored by the american heart association (of which i am a proud participant), please click the link below to visit my personal donation page.

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=122700&lis=1&kntae122700=7866AEE7097F4D6AA068B9FB0C131A47&supId=129111124