Where are all the famo old gay baseball players?, by Steve Sailer - The Unz Review

any gay baseball players

T.J. Hoe, who is only the third Major League Baseball player to e out as gay, said shame kept him the closet, but “love has fally set me ee.”

Contents:

9 BASEBALL PLAYERS WHO CAME OUT AS GAY

In major league baseball only two players have publicly me out as gay other than that few of mor league players have done so. * any gay baseball players *

The prsure toward acceptg pri players baseball may be why homosexual players who e out as gay before or after retirement have a short reer. Later, terviewg wh SB natn outsports, he mentns hearg anti-gay slurs by teammat the locker room or gam felt like havg a knife the heart.

'IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME FOR THIS:' BRYAN RUBY BE ONLY ACTIVE PRO BASEBALL PLAYER TO BE OUT AS GAY

Let’s be clear right om the start. None of the athlet are nfirmed to be gay or anythg like that. The purpose of this list is to go a b more pth about some of the mors that are surro * any gay baseball players *

Sce 2016, no homophobic slur has been chanted for the first time, and looks like MLB is dog s bt to change the perspective toward homosexual players.

An outfielr for the Los Angel Dodgers and the Oakland A's between 1976 and 1979, Glenn Burke beme the first Major League Baseball player to e out as gay to teammat and owners while still active, though the team asked that he keep his sexualy secret om the public and he plied. @billybeanballThe only livg Major League Baseball veteran who has e out as gay, outfielr Billy Bean played for the Tigers, Dodgers, and Padr over a reer that spanned om 1987 to 1995.

HOW MANY OPENLY GAY MLB PLAYERS HAVE BEEN THERE? HONORG LGBTQ INS OF BASEBALL ON PRI NIGHT

List of gay baseball players Major League Baseball (MLB) and the mor league. Updated: TJ Hoe, Billy Bean, Jason Burch, Glenn Burke, John Dillger. * any gay baseball players *

He me out four years after retirg om the field, and wrote his 2003 book Gog the Other Way: Lsons From a Life and Out of Major League Baseball that the bullyg and homophobic world of baseball led him to walk away om pro ball. @_DavidD_41A first baseman for the Helena Brewers, rhe Milwkee Brewers' rookie affiliate team Montana, David Denson 2015 beme the first player affiliated wh Major League Baseball to e out as gay.

@DunngtonTylerA pcher for rookie and Class A teams affiliated wh the Cardals 2014, Dunngton told Outsports he left pro ball bee of homophobia.

CELEBRATG LGBTQ SPORTS HISTORY: THE ONLY MLB TEAM WH PLAYERS WHO HAVE E OUT AS GAY

* any gay baseball players *

"I experienced both ach and players make remarks on killg gay people durg my time baseball, and each ment felt like a knife to my heart, " he said.

Durg an 11-year mor league reer, John Dillger would vis bear gathergs on the road but kept his gay sexualy secret up until his retirement 2005. @tampaMarkJWhen Mark Johnson and teammat won a champnship for the Universy of Tampa 1998, he still was nial about his gay sexualy, he told Outsports, but he beme more nfint over his adult life. When Tyson Lk, director of baseball operatns at the Universy of South Carola, cid on Natnal Comg Out Day 2016 to publicly reveal he was gay, he beme the first person Divisn I llege baseball to ever e out as LGBT.

TOP 10 ATHLET WHO ARE RUMORED TO BE GAY

The first openly gay profsnal baseball player to e out publicly while still active the sport has pched a shutout, strikg out 11 and allowg three hs over ne ngs. * any gay baseball players *

An umpire for Major League Baseball most notable for a rather famo row wh Pete Rose, Dave Pallone would eventually be ducted to the first class of the Natnal Gay and Lbian Sports Hall of Fame.

Yet 's Ruby's hidn part of his inty that he now believ n have the biggt impact, partially bee 's so foreign to the worlds of baseball and untry is a gay man, the only active profsnal baseball player at any level to be publicly out.

" FOLLOW THE MONEY: MLB player salari and payrolls for every major league teamHis g out follows a summer which Las Vegas Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib and Nashville Predators prospect Le Prokop also me out as gay. “As a untry mic songwrer, at first I thought beg gay was a huge weakns, ” said Ruby, who will be showsed the upg documentary, "Out Nashville.

FAMEWATCHER SEARCH PRIMARY MENU SKIP TO NTENT HOMECELEBRY HAIR TRANSPLANTCELEBRY PLASTIC SURGERYCELEBRY LEATHER JACKETBODY SHAPER SEARCH FOR: GAY MALE ATHLET, HOT BASEBALL PLAYERSGAY BASEBALL PLAYERS LIST: MLB AND MOR LEAGUERS

"It's not all super rosy, " Ruby ach om past generatns have been subtly homophobic, urgg him to keep his sexual orientatn a secret or to be wh a woman to keep up a ont.

As the MLB ntu embracg the LGBTQ muny, the players have also taken steps towards clivens wh Chigo Whe Sox pcher, Anrson Comás, g out as openly gay. Although Anrson Comás is only the send openly gay MLB player to e out while actively wh an anizatn, the Chigo Whe Sox, he is far om the first openly gay player to play profsnal baseball. "Former Player of The Day - Billy Bean - Outfielr, #Padr #Tigers #Dodgers #PlayerOfTheDay" - @GayBaseballFanIt has been a long road, but thanks to pneers such as Glenn Burke, Billy Bean, David Denson, and Anrson Comás, baseball is beg a more welg place for everyone.

MOR LEAGUER SOLOMON BAT OUT AS GAYSHARHARE-SQUARE-729577MOR LEAGUER SOLOMON BAT OUT AS GAY

Today, as the Los Angel Dodgers prepare to play the World Seri agast the Tampa Bay Rays, -founr Jim Buzski remds that the Dodgers anchise is a part of LGBTQ sports history as havg the only two MLB players who ever were public about beg gay.

FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE PCHER T.J. HOE OUT AS GAY

Not a “Hey world, I’m gay” way, but the sense that his teammat knew as did the management of the Los Angel Dodgers, Burke’s first team. ” A memorable moment “Out” occurs when is relled that the Dodgers — tryg to stifle mors that a popular player was gay — offered Burke $75, 000 to get married. The Dodgers and their manager, Tom Lasorda, prented a versn of themselv as a clean-cut, All-Amerin team and a flamboyantly gay player uld not be tolerated, pecially one who hung out wh Lasorda’s gay son.

FIRST OPENLY GAY PRO PLAYER, SEAN CONROY, GETS SHUTOUT HISTORIC START

While baseball is still wag for s first openly gay active MLB player, Bean’s elevatn to a posn of thory the missner’s office is a sign that thgs have changed sce the days when Glenn Burke was lled a faggot by his manager. The purpose of this list is to go a b more pth about some of the mors that are surroundg the players, not to nvce the rear that the athlet are gay.

In fact, as society is now much more open to people no matter their orientatn, we have seen a ton more athlet, both active and retired, e out and adm that they are homosexuals, and 's absolutely a great thg.

This list will look at some of the most high profile exampl of pro athlet who have had mors about beg gay surroundg them, but aga, none of those are nfirmed and even if they were nfirmed, they would be somethg to celebrate. Qutns about Aikman's sexual orientatn have been around for s and the mor was started by Skip Bayls, when, his book, he stated that Troy Aikman might be gay. Let’s add the followg to our list of gay baseballers:Jason Burch, pcher for mor league teams (Johnson Cy Cardals, Peoria Chiefs, GCL Orl, New Hampshire Fisher Cats, and more): He me out this year an terview wh ’s what he says about playg the mor leagu: “Anyone who has played wh me and has been the bullpen wh me knows I’m not aaid to talk about sex or gay rights or femism or anythg that some people might nsir amic.

GAY PRO BASEBALL PLAYER SAYS 'DISCRIMATN AND HATE HAS A VOICE BASEBALL' AFTER TAMPA BAY RAYS PLAYERS REFED TO WEAR PRI NIGHT UNIFORMS

That feelg of beg relied upon, that people mt turn to you as a closer to make thgs right, to have that role – and to have people have that feelg about me that role – as a gay man, I thk that would have been a powerful msage.

WHY ARE THERE NO OPENLY GAY PLAYERS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL?"IN BASEBALL, YOUR POSN IS ALWAYS LS SECURE THAN OTHER PRO SPORTS."{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}LIFEBY DAN AVERYAPRIL 2, 2017/11:10 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:574PX;WIDTH:1020PX;}GETTY IMAGKISSG HIS BAT FOR GOOD LUCK SATURATED FOR A OL LOOKBY DAN AVERYAPRIL 2, 2017 / 11:10 AM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"WHY ARE THERE NO OPENLY GAY PLAYERS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL?","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2017-04-02T15:10:55.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2017-04-02T15:10:55.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"LOGO TV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"LOGO TV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT"}},"CREATOR":"DAN AVERY","KEYWORDS":"SPORTS","ARTICLESECTN":"LIFE"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}WE'VE SAID HELLO (AND GOODBYE) TO JASON COLLS AND MICHAEL SAM, BUT I N'T HELP BUT WONR WHY MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL HASN'T HAD S OWN OPENLY GAY {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MOR LEAGUERS SEAN CONROY AND DAVID DENSON ME OUT THIS YEAR, BUT ONLY TWO GAY PLAYERS THE MAJORS—BILLY BEAN AND GLENN BURKE—HAVE DISCLOSED THEIR ORIENTATN, AND BOTH AFTER RETIREMENT. (BURKE WAS REPORTEDLY OUT TO HIS TEAMMAT ON THE L.A. DODGERS, BUT WAS NEVER DISCSED PUBLICLY.){BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IS CHANCE—THAT THE RIGHT GUY JT HASN'T E ALONG YET? OR IS THERE SOMETHG ABOUT THE SPORT THAT MAK HARR TO E OUT?{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"THE OBV REASON IS NO ONE HAS HAD THE URAGE TO DO ," OUTSPORTS' CYD ZEIGLER TELLS NEWNOWNEXT. BUT HE ADMS THE GAME PRENTS SOME SPECIFIC {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"ONE OF THE THGS THAT MAK BASEBALL UNIQUE IS THE MOR LEAGUE SYSTEM. PEOPLE ARE BROUGHT UP AND PUT BACK ALL THE TIME. IN BASEBALL, YOUR POSN IS ALWAYS LS SECURE THAN OTHER PRO SPORTS."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THE MLB ALSO DRAWS ON MORE PLAYERS WHO SKIPPED LLEGE AND WENT STRAIGHT OM THE MORS, SO THEY AREN'T AS EXPOSED TO OTHER WALKS OF {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}WHERE PLAYERS ARE BORN N IMPACT THEIR FEELGS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALY, AS WELL: "THERE'S A HUGE FLUX OF PLAYERS OM CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERI AND THE CARIBBEAN BASEBALL," SAYS ZEIGLER. "GUYS WHO ARE OFTEN RAISED VERY MACHO OR CATHOLIC MUNI."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}ULTIMATELY, THOUGH, MOST PLAYERS AT LEAST SAY THEY'D WELE A GAY TEAMMATE. AND FANS ARE OPEN TO AS WELL. "THIS ISN'T AN ISSUE WH FANS— HASN'T BEEN FOR A ," HE ADDS.GETTY IMAGBASEBALL PLAYER POSG ONT OF WHE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MAYBE AN OPENLY GAY MLB PLAYER ISN'T AS IMPORTANT AS WE THK. AFTER ALL, THE DAYS OF BASEBALL BEG "AMERI'S PASTIME" ARE LONG GONE. "FOOTBALL IS KG. NOTHG CHANG AMERIN CULTURE LIKE FOOTBALL," SAYS ZEIGLER. "THE NFL IS THE MOST POWERFUL ENTERTAMENT PANY AMERI."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}BUT BASEBALL IS MAKG AN EFFORT: MANY TEAMS HOST PRI NIGHTS AND MLB HAS EVEN PRODUCED RABOW-THEMED HATS, SHIRTS AND OTHER MERCHANDISE. LAST YEAR, THE LEAGUE HIRED BILLY BEAN TO BE S FIRST AMBASSADOR FOR {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"THERE'S NO ONE SPECIFIC REASON" WHY A PLAYER HASN'T E OUT, BEAN TELLS . "FOR ME, WAS MY UPBRGG. I WAS RAISED A STRICT CATHOLIC FAY AND MY DAD WAS THE MARE CORPS."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}BY AND LARGE, THOUGH, HE THKS DOWN TO BS: "THE PLAYERS NEED TO KNOW THEY'RE GOG TO BE TREATED FAIRLY," HE SAYS. "IT'S SO HARD TO GET TO THE TOP. BY THE TIME THEY'RE THERE, THEY'VE WEATHERED SO MANY STORMS, THIS ULD FEEL LIKE ONE MORE THG."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}BEAN IS EAGER TO WELE THAT TRAILBLAZG PLAYER. "MY GOAL IS NOT TO ASK WHY HAVEN'T WE HAD ONE YET. BUT THAT, WHEN WE DO, 'S A POSIVE EXPERIENCE—SO THAT MAYBE TWO OR THREE MORE PLAYERS FEEL FORTABLE G OUT."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}ZEIGLER, THOUGH, SAYS THE ONT OFFICE HAS TO LEAD THE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"PLAYERS HAVE TO BE NVCED TO E OUT—THATS THE ONLY WAY THAT CHANGE HAPPENS," HE SAYS. "THE MANAGERS AND OWNERS ARE THE ONLY ON WHO N DO . THEY'LL SAY 'S NOT THEIR JOB, BUT I'D SAY THEY HAVE A GREATER RPONSIBILY TO MEASURE PERFORMANCE BEYOND THE SREBOARD."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS

John tells more about beg a gay baseballer and has some words of advice to about g out to athlet who are planng to (via): “Playg 162 gam a year, you spend a lot of time wh your teammat. First let’s start wh gay baseball player mors like this one om the New York Daily News: “Athlete is a Swch Hter: Which baseball heartthrob may be playg for the other team?

By some, we mean actually jt two of them: William Daro “Billy” Bean who played for the Detro Tigers, the Los Angel Dodgers, and the San Diego Padr durg a major league reer that spanned om 1987 to 1995 and Glenn Burke who played for the Los Angel Dodgers and the Oakland has earned the distctn as the first, and so far the only, baseball star (and maybe the only one team sports) to acknowledge his homosexualy while still playg is reported to have ma this awome statement which every gay man sports should take to heart: “They n’t ever say now that a gay man n’t play the majors, bee I’m a gay man and I ma .

A GAY BASEBALL PLAYER, STATISTIL PERSPECTIVE

”If you want to know more about Glenn Burke, you should check out his tobgraphy, Out at Home: The Glenn Burke Bean is the send Major League Baseball athlete to have e out as a gay man. His g out story 1999 or four years after he retired om baseball ma to the ont page of The New York Burke, Billy also wrote a book about his life as a gay ball player entled Gog the Other Way: Lsons om a life and out of Major League is he dog now? An old photo of baseball stars Derek “Boner” Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Alex Gonzalez, Rey Ordonez, and Edgar Renteria lookg like they’re a gay bathhoe or should have clud the Speedo wearg Gabe Kapler, don’t you thk?

STATISTICS SAY THERE ARE DOZENS OF GAY PRO BASEBALL PLAYERS

Augt 10th, 2022SAN DIEGO -- Former Giants Mor League pcher Solomon Bat me out publicly as gay an Instagram post on Tuday, also announcg that he had been released by the anizatn. ”Bat is the send Mor League player to e out as gay, jog former Brewers farmhand David Denson, who beme the first openly gay player affiliated baseball 2015. No active Major League player has e out as gay, though Billy Bean, who now works as MLB’s senr vice print for diversy, equy and cln, and Glenn Burke both me out after their playg reers end.

BRYAN RUBY, THE ONLY CURRENT GAY MAN PROFSNAL BASEBALL, SANG NATNAL ANTHEM AT DODGERS GAME

Hoe me out as gay and announced his engagement to his partner, Ryan Nezel, an emotnal social media post, who pched for the Cleveland Indians and the Toronto Blue Jays om 2014 to 2017, said he lived out his childhood dream of playg profsnal baseball Cleveland at 23, but that he ed as a “dg” to “numb what was really gog on si. -- Baseball history was ma Northern California we untry Thursday night when the sport's first active profsnal player to e out as gay pched a shutout before an enthiastic crowd that seemed more imprsed wh his performance than his role as a Conroy, 23, led the Sonoma Stompers to a 7-0 victory durg his first start wh the 22-man team that is part of the pennt Pacific Associatn of Baseball Clubs. "The atmosphere at Arnold Field, the Stompers' 370-seat home field, was low-key, wh no obv signs was a historic game or even gay pri night at the ballpark -- except for the rabow-striped socks and arm warmers some players (but not Conroy) Stompers did not make a special announcement or ll attentn to the tone so Conroy uld foc on his pchg, general manager Theo Fightmaster the startg lp was announced, however, Conroy got the loust cheer.

"We've had gay people here forever; 's not like 's a big al, " said Barry Bosshard, who along wh his wife, Lra, is puttg up Conroy and another player at their home durg the Stompers' 78-game season. Fightmaster says Conroy privately shared his sexual orientatn wh teammat and management before agreeg to e out publicly time for the team's gay pri night.

JAGUARS ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY HISTORIC ANNOUNCEMENT

"His goal has always been to be the first openly gay baseball player, so he was very much favor of tellg the story, of rryg that torch, " he Do, 67, attend the game wh 25 iends om a lol group for LGBT senrs and was one of three fans picked to throw out a first pch. "While this pcher who was unknown to me before your ll may not be a prospect for Major League Baseball, he certaly serv our applse, " Thorn, who had earned four sav as a closer for the Stompers before takg the mound as a starter for the first time, said he told his fay he was gay at age 16 and was open wh his high school, summer league and llege teams.

"It don't matter if he pch the big leagu or not; he's gog to bee a lear (tonight) many ways, " Bean 's history-makg start me at a watershed moment for gay rights, wh the U. Supreme Court schled to le any day now on whether to make same-sex marriage legal across the Vogler, 50, -owner of a lol pany that sponsors LGBT tours and events we untry, marveled om behd a fence not far om the tcher as he watched Conroy throw some of what turn out to be 140 grew up another part of Sonoma County and left as soon as he uld bee the anti-gay hostily was so high.

After a handful of Tampa Bay Rays players refed to wear rabow-clad uniforms for Pri Night on Saturday, the only out gay active player profsnal baseball said "discrimatn and hate has a voice baseball and you saw Tampa.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* ANY GAY BASEBALL PLAYERS

First openly gay baseball player Sean Conroy mak history - ESPN .

TOP