He's out!

[yeezus]

I was hoping a baseball forum would be one place I could go without this agenda being shoved in my face. I am in the same camp with John Smoltz on this issue and I could give a damn what y'all think about that. Have a nice day. :)

the equality agenda, i hateeeee it.

[sturg33]

I think this is exactly why MLB named Billy Bean to the post that they did. Y'all are entitled to your cynical takes, but MLB has a vested interest in ensuring that the transition to openly gay personnel happens smoothly, and this is a step in that direction.

There is no downside to any of this, unless you resent the attention the kid gets just that much.

The downside is I now have to hear about a no-name minor league baseball a disproportionate amount of time. If they announced it, had a story on it, and moved on - then I wouldn't care. But I don't suspect that will happen.

[yeezus]

[sturg33]

I'd always wondered what you look like!

[Hawk]

Phrasing?

This thread sucks (?)

[NinersSBChamps]

Is it news if a player comes out and says he straight?

[Dalyn]

Is it news if a player comes out and says he straight?

Don't be that guy.

[Dalyn]

Is it news if a player comes out and says he straight?

What I want to know is how these guys say they're straight with all the bro-jobs going around. I mean, I know the rule in sports after middle school is that it doesn't count as long as everything anal involves a female (ask a professional cheerleader what she thinks "strap on and mount up" means, and the answer might be more cowboy than you can handle), but come on!

[Braves1976]

the equality agenda, i hateeeee it.

You're a riot. I never said I didn't support true equality. What I don't support is the Marxist concept of it in vogue today.

[Dalyn]

You're a riot. I never said I didn't support true equality. What I don't support is the Marxist concept of it in vogue today.

In fairness to Yeezus, you said you were with Smoltz, and he is on record not supporting true equality.

[DaneHill]

That is what I was pointed to. As for gays being lonely, only if you allow it. Being black and gay is far worse than white and being gay, we have a different pattern of behavior in regards to that and possibly getting the treatment from his surrounding family. I have six in my family, we treat them like any other and like I said before as long as they live like other people and not trying to further their cause there is no backlish. If you want to live like a straight, act like a straight. Let me repeat myself, if you want o live like you are just like a straight, act like a straight and stop furthering because it does is anger people.

Dane you are a good dude always have been and I have not been nice to you and I owe you an apology but my beef with your life style is your forcing people to accept you when you do not need to. You don't which is why I am apologizing, you just defend and I applaud that. But when the PC crowd makes it above everything else it gets annoying. I am black and I have suffered because I don't have white skin but I accept it and just live my life not forcing the whites to accept me because they never will but they will accept me for being a good human being and doing what I can to live in this world and not forcing them. I do understand why some will never accept me, the crimes my race have and continue to do. I do not blame them. As for your life style, never had an issue with it, just don't look my way is all I ask. I do not understand your cravings but you are an individual and you have needs like anyone else so who am I to judge.

In the end, live your life and don't worry about what other people think, just don't force yourself unto others to accept you, I have being black in a white man's world.

I appreciate the response, AA, I do. I enjoy your posts more often than not, even when I disagree.

I already know that you and I essentially just agree to disagree on this subject and go Braves. Your belief that it's a choice / life style. My understanding that it's not. I do feel like the unofficial gay guy in this group that needs to speak up when this topic pops up every so often, as much for my own self as for any lurkers reading. I don't see it as forcing people to accept me or forcing an agenda on you or anyone else. It's more like offering a first-person perspective on the topic. Granted, I can get quickly annoyed and not always maintain my composure with really ignorant comments, which I always feel bad about 5 minutes later, but eff it, ignorant comments deserve strong reactions at times. Not saying yours is ignorant mind you. You actually just asked a legitimate question: Why is this news? I felt like answering, somewhat snarkily though that wasn't the main intention.

It is newsworthy though, make no mistake, regardless of who the person is. Firsts always tend to be, especially in sports, and especially especially in one of the last remaining segments of society where you simply do not see any representation for whatever reason. Also, baseball thrives on stats. This is basically a stat. I'd argue it's a stat more newsworthy than a no-hitter or someone hitting for the cycle. Gays in baseball - 1. It will also be equally newsworthy when a woman is drafted to a team. Women in baseball - 0.

Is he now the Jackie Robinson of gays? No, not at all. But he is the first to break a barrier in the sport that no one else has had the courage to do yet. And that deserves mention. Is it easier for him to come out as a non-prospect, or is he coming out for the attention and money? Maybe. But that's a really cynical point of view, and at the end of the day, I don't really care what his reasoning is, only that he did, and good for him. And maybe good for the next guy who thinks, well, that's out of the way now, I guess I'm not as afraid to let the press ask me about my home life or photographers catch me out eating with my boyfriend.

You mention your family members who are gay. The biggest reason for the advance of equality is visibility. So many more people these days have a gay relative or friend or acquaintance at work. It has humanized the subject matter for them. That's a good thing. And the more normal it becomes, the better it will be for everyone.

I chuckled at your "cravings" comment. I don't think anyone's ever said I have cravings, other than for Diet Coke or Subway. I don't have gay cravings though. Actually, my libido is pretty low these days. I just fall in love like anyone else, and can recognize a good-looking guy or girl when I see them. As for sex, meh. Not important to my life these days. Sadly. Still, I know which way my bat swings.

[DaneHill]

I was hoping a baseball forum would be one place I could go without this agenda being shoved in my face. I am in the same camp with John Smoltz on this issue and I could give a damn what y'all think about that. Have a nice day. :)

You do realize that society shoves the straight "agenda" in everyone's face all day long, including on this site, right? Ok, my bad, back to baseball....

[Runnin]

I want to see an organization build an all-gay team (the Mukaki Rebuild notwithstanding) like the Rockies built an all-Christian team.

That would be awesome. Just seeing their uniforms and warm up routines would make it worthwhile.

[Runnin]

And this is news? why?

I think it's news - a human interest story. Unfortunately it gets lumped in with a lot media overkill that we're all probably tired of hearing about.

I'll support this guy until he gets a reality show.

[weso1]

Kind of boring that it's just another bum though. Maybe Harper will finally come out soon.

[Dalyn]

Kind of boring that it's just another bum though. Maybe Harper will finally come out soon.

He definitely has tried to corner the market on Asshole.

[AerchAngel]

I appreciate the response, AA, I do. I enjoy your posts more often than not, even when I disagree.

I already know that you and I essentially just agree to disagree on this subject and go Braves. Your belief that it's a choice / life style. My understanding that it's not. I do feel like the unofficial gay guy in this group that needs to speak up when this topic pops up every so often, as much for my own self as for any lurkers reading. I don't see it as forcing people to accept me or forcing an agenda on you or anyone else. It's more like offering a first-person perspective on the topic. Granted, I can get quickly annoyed and not always maintain my composure with really ignorant comments, which I always feel bad about 5 minutes later, but eff it, ignorant comments deserve strong reactions at times. Not saying yours is ignorant mind you. You actually just asked a legitimate question: Why is this news? I felt like answering, somewhat snarkily though that wasn't the main intention.

It is newsworthy though, make no mistake, regardless of who the person is. Firsts always tend to be, especially in sports, and especially especially in one of the last remaining segments of society where you simply do not see any representation for whatever reason. Also, baseball thrives on stats. This is basically a stat. I'd argue it's a stat more newsworthy than a no-hitter or someone hitting for the cycle. Gays in baseball - 1. It will also be equally newsworthy when a woman is drafted to a team. Women in baseball - 0.

Is he now the Jackie Robinson of gays? No, not at all. But he is the first to break a barrier in the sport that no one else has had the courage to do yet. And that deserves mention. Is it easier for him to come out as a non-prospect, or is he coming out for the attention and money? Maybe. But that's a really cynical point of view, and at the end of the day, I don't really care what his reasoning is, only that he did, and good for him. And maybe good for the next guy who thinks, well, that's out of the way now, I guess I'm not as afraid to let the press ask me about my home life or photographers catch me out eating with my boyfriend.

You mention your family members who are gay. The biggest reason for the advance of equality is visibility. So many more people these days have a gay relative or friend or acquaintance at work. It has humanized the subject matter for them. That's a good thing. And the more normal it becomes, the better it will be for everyone.

I chuckled at your "cravings" comment. I don't think anyone's ever said I have cravings, other than for Diet Coke or Subway. I don't have gay cravings though. Actually, my libido is pretty low these days. I just fall in love like anyone else, and can recognize a good-looking guy or girl when I see them. As for sex, meh. Not important to my life these days. Sadly. Still, I know which way my bat swings.

It has nothing to do with the lifestyle, too many family members and I am dull to it. I am like Sturg with the media glamorizing it. My first post stated it, like why? If the media treat you like a circus that is what it will become, a circus. Sam is the circus clown, Collins was not a circus clown. Just think about it. Media is not doing him any favors and he might end up like Michael Sam and that is why posted it.

[AerchAngel]

There is some thinking I am a homophobe and I am not (best man at a gay wedding throws it in the trash). I think our resident person know if I were one but he sees my angle in talking about this soon to be circus caused by the media. Coming out should not be a spectacle because true homophobes is going to attack it. Since no baseball player has done it, he capitalize on it before anyone else so he knows if he doesn't make it, he is going to get paid and make in roads, abusing the system with his own gain. This is the problem I have with it and some of us caught on to that.

Now if he denies Oprah and other media things that will get him fame and money (like Sam), I will stand up and clap like no other, more than any gay or straight person because he truly in for it as his lifestyle and not a cheap way to get paid. THen standing up is a purpose.

[mqt]

It has nothing to do with the lifestyle, too many family members and I am dull to it. I am like Sturg with the media glamorizing it. My first post stated it, like why? If the media treat you like a circus that is what it will become, a circus. Sam is the circus clown, Collins was not a circus clown. Just think about it. Media is not doing him any favors and he might end up like Michael Sam and that is why posted it.

My concern with this particular line of reasoning is that it often ignores the importance of someone in this position coming out in the first place. If you think Sam is a media whore, then that's all fine and well, but I don't see how that negates the importance of what he did for young men all across this country who are afraid to be who they are for fear of not being accepted. So often the conversations regarding homosexuality in the public eye center around the media or gay community or liberals trying to push the gay lifestyle as some sort of superior thing, and while I feel confident that this is not your position, I think that this particular argument strengthens that sentiment. When we fail to separate the person from the act, we run the risk of undoing the good that came out of that person coming out.

[AerchAngel]

My concern with this particular line of reasoning is that it often ignores the importance of someone in this position coming out in the first place. If you think Sam is a media whore, then that's all fine and well, but I don't see how that negates the importance of what he did for young men all across this country who are afraid to be who they are for fear of not being accepted. So often the conversations regarding homosexuality in the public eye center around the media or gay community or liberals trying to push the gay lifestyle as some sort of superior thing, and while I feel confident that this is not your position, I think that this particular argument strengthens that sentiment. When we fail to separate the person from the act, we run the risk of undoing the good that came out of that person coming out.

You fail to see the point.

If I were gay and I can get money out of it seeing the political environment why not take advantage? What point does that prove, is it not being selfish?

Being selfish is the sole reasoning coming out until he prove me otherwise? Michael Sam did and looked what has happened. Media still clings to him and he is not a good football player. Wise life management there getting paid because you have a different lifestyle. I couldn't live with myself if I use that mentality to make money.