On Mother's Day, Plouffe goes a step beyond pink bats

Mothers Day is a day of appreciation for the ladies that brought us into this world. Most of us send flowers, cards and gifts. Its a time to say, Thank you to those ladies who helped shape us into what we are today. For Major League Baseball players, its a chance to honor their mothers and support the fight against breast cancer by using pink bats and wearing pink wristbands for a day. On Mothers Day, 2006, Major League Baseball introduced fans to the pink bats. They are used for a game, then autographed by the players and sold through an auction, with proceeds benefiting the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization. For Minnesota Twins infielder Trevor Plouffe, Mothers Day has special meaning, and on this Mothers Day game at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox he has special cleats pink cleats. Diane Plouffe has battled breast cancer and is now in remission, and her son is honored to don the cleats, regardless of the amount of ribbing he may take from his teammates. For me, it hits a little closer to home than most players, Plouffe said as he showed off the cleats in the Twins clubhouse on Friday. I think its great that Major League Baseball does this and supports breast cancer awareness. For me to be up here and be able to do this for my mom and for everyone thats had to go through it, its definitely special. Listening to Trevor tell Dianes story makes you appreciate why he feels the way he does about honoring those who have fought through this disease. She was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was in ninth grade. She went through chemotherapy, radiation and lost all of her hair. I was a tough time for our family. It was tough to see her like that because she was always so supportive and such a rock for everyone, he said. She got through it. She lost all of her hair, and that was tough to see, and I think it was tough for her or anyone whos been through this. Dianes story has come full circle; as she now makes her living helping others battle this awful ailment. Shes doing well now, and whats cool is a few years ago she got her degree in nursing and is now a registered nurse, Trevor said. Shes been working in oncology for a while now and helping other cancer patients. Lets go back to those pink cleats. Plouffe said hes going to run it by a few veterans on the team before actually wearing them on the field of play, and if you think hes concerned about what he may hear from teammates, coaches and fans, think again. If they do give me any grief, my mom means more to me than, you know, worrying about guys taking a few jabs at me. It means a lot to me and it means a lot to my family. Make you think twice about making any jokes, you know?