ZeitGAYst

Mets Catcher Mike Piazza Goes Public to Deny Gay Rumors (May 22, 2002)

Sports stars regularly call press conferences to dispel rumors about dissention in the clubhouse or deny fathering illegitimate children, but never before had an A-list star spoken to reporters about his sexual orientation - until May 22, 2002.  On that day New York Mets All-Star catcher Mike Piazza held a press conference to end talk running rampant that he was gay. 

 

 

The issue of his orientation may have been brought to a head by an article in Sports Illustrated in which Mets manager Bobby Valentine opined that Major League Baseball might be ready to have openly gay players on team rosters.  Some thought he may have been alluding to Piazza to pave the way for his coming out. 

 

After all, some rumors had him paired with WABC-TV weatherman Sam Champion (now with Good Morning America).  And then there was the time when he went all Jean Harlow and sported a blonde coiffe!  Of course, despite the 34-year old bachelor's denials, and subsequent marriage 3 years later, some still beg to differ.  

 

 

 

So Piazza's name was added to a list that includes the likes of Ron Reagan, Jr., Hugh Jackman, Ben Affleck, Richard Gere, Troy Aikman, Isaiah Thomas, Jake Gyllenhaal, Derek Jeter - and a host of others.  

A Salute to Major League Baseball's Sexiest Players (2012 Season)

With the exception of soccer, no other professional sports league has sexier players than Major League Baseball.  NFL players are largely obese, overmuscled and brain addled from concussions; NBA players are freakishly tall and look silly in their baggy shorts; and the NHL teams are full of players with missing teeth and "ice rage" issues.   

 

Granted, there's not a whole lot of running, jumping, or tackling involved in baseball.  Still, the players look great standing around posing in their snug stretch pants that hug their groin, thighs, biceps and calves.  And while they stand at homeplate or out in the field waiting for next pitch it gives us fans time to ogle them as they play with their bat, adjust their cup, or stretch teasingly.

 

Out of the 750 or so players on active rosters of Major League Baseball's 30 teams, here, in no particular order, are a dozen of my favorite players:

 

Joe Mauer/ Minnesota Twins (29 years old/6'5"/230 lbs.).  For me, Joe's All-American good looks bring to mind the character Joe Boyd, the baseball player in the movie and Broadway show Damn Yankees.  In addition to playing baseball Mauer is also a TV spokesperson for Head and Shoulders shampoo. 

 

 

David Wright/ NY Mets (29 years old/6'1"/210 lbs.) - He's like a little puppy dog, i.e. always smiling and eager to please.  Not surprisingly, he's the Mets ambassador of good will. 

 

 

Grady Sizemore/ Cleveland Indians (29 years old/6'2"/200 lbs.) - Definitely a cool drink of water.  But what a shame that he ended up in Cleveland!

 

 

 

Albert Pujols/LA Angels (32 years old/6'3"/230 lbs.) - A slab of 100% pure Dominican beef with a mighty bat.  Three MVP Awards and two World Series rings got him a 10-year, $254 million contract from his new team, the Angels.  Ay papi indeed!  

 

Ichiro Suzuki/ Seattle Mariners (38 years old/5'11"/170 lbs.) - Somewhat like Toyota, Ichiro is the Japanese import whose had the greatest success in the U.S., becoming one of the greatest hitters of all time. 

  

 

Carlos Beltran/ St. Louis Cardinals (35 years old/6'1"/215 lbs.) - First, I've always had a weakness for the name Carlos.  Second, I think he has has the most beautiful lips of any ballplayer.  Sadly, he was traded from the Mets last summer.  

 

 

Matt Kemp/LA Dodgers (27 years old/6'3"/220 lbs.).  His little black book may be as filled as that of Derek Jeter's (e.g. Rihanna, Eva Longoria)  - and he's 10 years Jeter's junior.

 

 

 

Andy Pettitte/NY Yankees (39 years old/6'5"/225 lbs) - Although he turns 40 in June and is a towering 6'5", he still has the qualities of a little boy (albeit with a pronounced five o'clock shadow).  And his touch of a drawl from the Louisiana bayou makes him even more endearing.  

 

CJ Wilson/LA Angels (31 years old/6'1"/210 lbs.) - A pitcher who looks like he came from the same gene pool as Grady Sizemore and Ryan Braun (below).   

 

 

 

Ryan Braun/ Milwaukee Brewers (28 years old/6'1"/200 lbs).  One of baseball's few Jewish ballplayers, his nickname is the "Hebrew Hammer".

 

 

 

Johnny Damon/ Cleveland Indians (38 years old/6'2"/205 lbs.) - Whether sporting the shaggy mane he had in his days with the Red Sox or shortly cropped hair afterward, Johnny is adorable.  Like David Wright, a very rambunctious puppy.

 

 

 

Jose Bautista/Toronto Blue Jays (31 years old/6'/190 lbs.) - If you didn't know his name you might think Bautista is of Israeli heritage, but like Albert Pujols he's from the Dominican Republic.  Over the past few years he's become quite a home run hitter. 

 

And a shout-out to retired studs such as Javy Lopez (near right), Carlos Delgado (far right) and Brady Anderson (center).  Speaking of Anderson, for a number years at my summer share in Fire Island we had somewhat of a shrine to him, i.e. the poster to the right hanging in the living room above the fireplace. 

 

And although the following four players didn't make the cut for the above list they deserve mention because of their great names: Xavier Nady; Hunter Pence; Ian Kinsler and Chase Utley. 

Greg Louganis Reveals He's HIV-Positive (February 22, 1995)

On February 22, 1995 35-year old Olympic diving legend Greg Louganis called a press conference and disclosed that not only was he gay (long rumored) but also HIV+ (which he had known since 1988). 

 

These revelations were in preparation for publication of his autobiography Breaking the Surface.  Two days after the press conference he was interviewed by Barbara Walters on 20/20 (see video clip below).  The following week he spoke at a meeting of NYC's gay professional group "New York Advertising & Communications Network" (now called "Out Professionals") at Cooper Union before an audience of 500.

    

Two years later a TV movie about Louganis' life with the same title as his autobiography aired on USA Network, starring 23-year old Mario Lopez.  

 

                                                                                          Louganis' disclosure came 2-1/2 years after NBA great Magic Johnson revealed that he was HIV+.  And in 2000 openly gay figure skater Rudy Galindo (1996 U.S. Men's National figure skating champion) also announced his HIV status.  A very important lesson conveyed by Johnson, Louganis & Galindo, all still alive, was that life can go on despite an HIV diagnosis, i.e. HIV does not equal death.  For many it's a chronic but manageable condition, not a death sentence. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dick Button 1st American to Win Olympic Gold in Figure Skating (February 3, 1948)

Dick Button is a Babe Ruth-like figure in the world of figure skating.  He won all but one of the twenty-one competitions he competed in between 1944-52.  And on this date in 1948 he became the first American to win a gold medal in figure skating at the Winter Olympics, doing so at St. Moritz.  He repeated in 1952. 

 

Five American men have since joined Button as Olympic gold medalists in the sport: Hayes Alan Jenkins (1956); Hayes' brother David Jenkins (1960); Scott Hamilton (1984); Brian Boitano (1988) and Evan Lysacek (2010).  However, Button is the only one to win the gold twice.  Dick, long an astute and lively figure skating commentator for ABC, CBS and NBC (beginning with the 1960 Olympics), turns 83 in July.

 

 

 

Like Broadway show tunes and Sex in the City, men's figure skating is often associated with gay men, largely because of today's stars' flamboyant showmanship plus the glittery Vegas-style outfits that they often wear.  However, the fact that I wrote about Dick Button on this blog doesn't necessarily means that he's gay.  (But eyebrows were raised in 1975 when he was mugged in Central Park near the notorious gay cruising area known as the Ramble.) 

 

(For whatever reason the 3 used copies of Button's autobiography available on Amazon, Edge Is a Lean of the Body: A Memoir of Skating, are going for $890 apiece!  More reasonable, at $23, is Figure Skating's Greatest Stars.) 

 

Beyonce's Super "Super Bowl" Performance (February 1, 2004)

Since Super Bowl XXXVIII was being played in her hometown of Houston, Beyonce Knowles was honored by being invited to sing the National Anthem.  Not surprisingly, she looked beautiful and did a faaabulous job (I rank it up there with Cher's and Jennifer Hudson's renditions). 

 

However, Beyonce's performance has been long forgotten by most because this was the Super Bowl that witnessed the infamous Janet Jackson-Justin Timberlake "wardrobe malfunction" (which, eight years later, still reverberates).  I may have been one of the few persons watching the game who missed this incident as I was in the kitchen washing dishes.  However, I did see Beyonce make Houston proud.   

 

 

Barry Manilow Sings "National Anthem" at Super Bowl (January 22, 1984)

Female vocalists asked to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl have outnumbered male vocalists by 2:1.  This select group of male singers includes Barry Manilow, who was given the honor in 1984 at Super Bowl XVIII - the same Super Bowl made memorable for airing Apple's famous "1984" TV commercial that introduced the company's new Macintosh computer.  (Beyonce's singing of the Anthem in 2004 was similaly overshadowed - by the "Nipplegate" incident during halftime.)  

 

 

 

 

In addition to Manilow other male singers who've sung the Star Spangled Banner include Neil Diamond; Billy Joel (twice); Aaron Neville (once solo, once w/Aretha Franklin); Harry Connick, Jr.; and Garth Brooks.  Other divas have included Cher; Diana Ross; Whitney Houston; Mariah Carey; Jennifer Hudson - and Luther Vandross (in 1997).      

Rudy Galindo Wins Men's Figure Skating Championship at U.S. Nationals (January 20, 1996)

Rudy Galindo won the men's figure skating title at the U.S. Championships on January 20, 1996.  It was the eighth time he competed in the Nationals, a competition he previously had never placed higher than fifth in - until this year.  Going into the "long program", Galindo dazzled the judges with his Swan Lake program (for added pressure, he skated last).

 

What made his title even sweeter was the fact that 1) the Nationals were held that year in his hometown of San Jose, CA and 2) he had publicly come out shortly before the competition.  This gave him the distinction of being the first openly gay man to win a figure skating title.  And fifteen years before Johnny Weir raised eyebrows with his flamboyant skating outfits, Galindo did the same.    

 

 

 

Despite Galindo's success at the 1996 competition he never qualified for the Olympics.  A number of years after his success he tested positive for HIV (a few years after a similar revelation by Olympic diver Greg Louganis in 1995).  In 1999 he appeared on an episode of Will & Grace where he portrayed Will's ice skating coach (episode title: "Will on Ice").  He's now 42 and is a skating coach in San Jose, CA.

 

More recently figure skater Johnny Weir (near right) also came out.  However, Olympic figure skating gold medal winners Brian Boitano (1988 Olympics, center photo) and Evan Lysacek (2010 Games) remain curiously reluctant to discuss their personal lives. 

Figure Skater Johnny Weir - Ice Queen with Balls (Winter 2011)

January and February are the prime months for figure skating competitions so it's fitting that Johnny Weir's new autobiography Welcome to My World was published at this time.  (Spoiler Alert: Johnny reveals that he's gay!)  Weir is the Boy George and Lady Gaga of male figure skaters, i.e., as my mother would say, he's quite a handful.  Interestingly, his signature flamboyant style is in sharp contrast to his upbringing in southeastern Pennsylvania's Amish country.   

 

 

During his career the 26-year old Weir won 23 medals, including the gold at the U.S. Nationals three years in a row.  However, he failed to medal in either the 2006 or 2010 Winter Olympics (placing sixth and fifth).  His flamboyance and flouting of tradition is risky in a sport with a scoring system that depends largely on the subjectivity of its judges.  It may have also cost him endorsement deals that more traditional skaters like Brian Boitano and Evan Lysacek (both Olympic gold medal winners) received.  (The same probably holds true for another openly gay skater, before Weir's time, Rudy Galindo.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carol Channing Provides Halftime Entertainment at Super Bowl IV (January 11, 1970)

Known for her starring roles on Broadway in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Hello Dolly!, Carol Channing was the featured peformer in one of the earliest Super Bowls, Super Bowl IV on January 11, 1970.  In these early years the game hadn't yet become a mega media event/spectacle so "edginess" wasn't a prerequisite when considering which performers to choose (e.g., for a number of years the squeaky-clean group "Up With People!" was tapped to perform.)  And two years later Channing performed at the game again.  

 

 

Since those primitive times a long line of divas have been invited to sing the National Anthem at the start of the game, including Diana Ross in 1982; Cher in 1999; and Beyonce in 2004.  Whitney Houston's rendition before the 1991 game was so well received it was released as a single.  (Before she became notorious for her anti-gay campaign in 1977 Anita Bryant sang at 1969's Super Bowl.) 

 

In addition to her duties at the 1982 game, Diana Ross was the halftime entertainment in 1996, and when her performance was over she departed by helicopter - hanging from a ladder as she was lifted off!  (And at long last, Madonna will provide the halftime entertainment at Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, 2012).  Hats off to Super Bowl organizers for continuing to plan an event with something for everybody! 

 

Getting back to Carol Channing, who turns 91 on January 31, is the subject of a documentary titled Carol Channing: Larger Than Life.  It made the rounds at gay film festivals in 2011 and is about to open in select cities in the latter half of January 2012. 

 

 

 

First Gay Games Held in San Francisco (August 28, 1982)

To dispel the notion that gay men and lesbians excel only in figure skating and softball, an international athletic competition for gay athletes was organized that encompassed an array of competitive sports similar to the Olympics - but for this event skill wasn't a qualifier.  Some events were unique to these games, i.e. ballroom dancing and figure skating with same-sex partners.  

 

Appropriately, the first Gay Games were held in San Francisco (and the second Gay Games as well). The opening ceremonies took place on August 28, 1982.  Like the Olympics the Gay Games are held every four years.  The founder of the Gay Games, Tom Waddell, represented the U.S. in the decathalon in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.  He died of complications from AIDS in 1987 at the age of 49.   

 

 

These first Gay Games faced a number of hurdles: 

• The first was whether potential participants would take the event seriously.  Happily, approximately 1,500 athletes signed up (a number that's increased nearly tenfold since then). 
• The International Olympic Committee refused to allow the word "Olympics" to be associated with this event, thus the name Gay Games was created. (By contrast, the IOC had no problem with the athletic competition for the disabled calling itself the Special Olympics.)
• Another issue was the U.S. government's policy of barring foreign visitors with HIV/AIDS from entering the country, including potential participants in the Gay Games (a policy that was finally rescinded in 2009). 

 

A more recent controversy occurred in 2006 when a rift over financing resulted in two competing events: the sanctioned Gay Games in Chicago and the first World Outgames held in Montreal (the original choice of that year's Gay Games).  That year the two events were held just one week apart which reduced the number of participants at each competition.  To avoid such conflicts in the future tne World Outgames now hold their event the year before the Gay Games.   

 

In addition to San Francisco and Chicago, other Gay Games have been held in other well-known gay destinations such as Amsterdam, New York and Sydney.  The 9th Gay Games in 2014, however, will be held in Cleveland.