Beckett Behind the Scenes: Watching pink Louisville Sluggers come to life for Mother’s Day

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY8OQ2kibXg[/youtube]

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

For the eighth consecutive year, Major League Baseball‘s stars will take to the field this Sunday with a new color in their uniform mix and in many cases a new color of Louisville Slugger in their hands.

It’s pink, which is to raise awareness — and funds — for breast cancer awareness on Mother’s Day, and it’s an effort that has raised more than $1 million with MLB since 2006.

Many of these game-used bats will then be auctioned for charity, while also later appearing on photographs in baseball cards throughout the year. Fans can also buy their own personalized pink bats as well, with $10 from every purchase from mlb.com or sluggergifts.com going to MLB Charities in its cancer-fighting efforts.

Hillerich & Bradsby, aka the maker of Louisville Slugger, recently allowed a camera crew behind the scenes to show how the pink bats are made and provided the raw footage. Here’s our cut of the highlight reel of how some of your future game-used collectibles come to life.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.