What started off as a wonderful tradition and homage to breast cancer survivors everywhere, the use of pink bats on Mother’s Day, has turned into another ugly example of corporate greed. Hopefully sometime between now and Sunday, Major League Baseball and Louisville Slugger will realize there are few greater sins than monetizing disease, and fix that.

Baltimore outfielder Nick Markakis and Minnesota third baseman Trevor Plouffe, both of whose mothers are breast cancer survivors, received special bats from manufacturer MaxBat this week. They have been told not to use the bats, with their pink MaxBat labels, because they don’t comply with a league policy – one Louisville Slugger purchased through a charitable donation.

“We’re both believers,” Arencibia says. Dickey brought the oversize mitt that he carries around like a traveling salesman and his suitcase of samples; Arencibia brought only his mask. He decided that he wouldn’t wear his shin guards or chest protector. He had also chosen, very purposefully, not to wear his cup.

To understand why Arencibia went jockless—well, there’s really no understanding it.

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So Arencibia, in his unprotected undercarriage, was sending a message right back. “I don’t want to miss every fifth game,” he says. “It also makes you really, really concentrate.” After a few warmup tosses with Dickey at their first high-stakes meeting, Arencibia assumed the position. It wasn’t long before he took a pitch flush to his chest. But the two men played catch again, and again, and session by session Arencibia has learned more about Dickey, and about himself, and about the pitch.