The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Billy Bean works for LGBT inclusion
Former big-leaguer came out as gay after leaving Padres in ’95.
Billy Bean has come full circle, throwing out the first pitch for the first Mets Pride Night against his former San Diego team.
Bean came out as gay after he left the Padres in 1995. Now he’s Major League Baseball’s vice president for social responsibility and inclusion.
In the past two years, Bean has talked to all 30 MLB ownership groups, various teams and players about struggling with his sexuality during his career and gay and lesbian inclusion in the workplace.
“The message is everyone is welcome that walks through the turnstiles to watch us play baseball,” Bean said. “The LGBT community is part of every community.”
Mets general manager Sandy Alderson approached Bean after he heard him speak to GMs in 2014. Since then, the former outfielder who had a six-year career with Detroit, the Dodgers and the Padres has participated in spring training, spoken with players and thrown batting practice. He’s helped former teammate and Mets coach Tommy Goodwin with the outfielders.
“(Alderson) wanted them to know about me,” said Bean, who grew up in Santa Ana, Calif. “My dad is a Marine Corps veteran, like Sandy. I grew up in a big family, very conservative. Lot of things that were explanations of why I chose to leave baseball as opposed to talk about what was going on with me.”
Paging Myron Floren
Starling Marte was walking around the Pirates’ clubhouse recently playing an accordion. Probably not the squeeze play his teammates had in mind.
Take a walk
Bartolo Colon is having a big season at bat.
First, that unforgettable home run, and now (at last) a walk!
The 43-year-old Mets pitcher drew the first base on balls of his career last week against Diamondbacks left-hander Robbie Ray in phoenix. It came in Colon’s 282nd plate appearance over 19 major league seasons.
No other player in big league history had appeared at the plate that many times without a walk, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Back on May 7, the plump and popular Colon was 17 days shy of his 43rd birthday when he connected for a stunning drive off James Shields in San Diego, becoming the oldest player to hit his first major league home run.
Junior mint
The Reds are contractually bound to pay newly minted Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. through 2025 - to the tune of $3.5 million a year. In other words, The Kid is still getting quite the allowance.
Let’s play two
Cubs manager Joe Maddon says he’d have no problem with MLB shortening the season by adding more doubleheaders, but not drawn-out day-night twinbills. Maddon would be for second games starting 30 minutes after the end of the first, and for teams adding two players to their rosters.
“I think the fans would dig it, too,” said Maddon, while noting he understands the economics of day-night doubleheaders with separate admissions. “If you have to put a premium on the price tag, I don’t know.”