I was listening to an episode of Radiolab yesterday called "Patient Zero" and they had a story about who invented the high five. One of the contenders was a guy named Glenn Burke who had been a centerfielder for the Dodgers.
Apparently, Burke was gay, and the Dodgers offered him $75,000 to get married. When he refused, they traded him to the A's where his manager, the always classy Billy Martin, would introduce him to people as "Glenn Burke the faggot."
Versus has a piece on it.
For those who were old enough to understand then, was there any awareness of this in the baseball community?
I was stunned that I'd never heard this story before. That said the claims that he was billed as the "next Willie Mays" seem a bit much given his terrible numbers. Also, the story's claim that he was traded for nothing (Bill North had a better OPS+ than Burke) also don't hold up.
Also, to hell with Billy Martin.
Apparently, Burke was gay, and the Dodgers offered him $75,000 to get married. When he refused, they traded him to the A's where his manager, the always classy Billy Martin, would introduce him to people as "Glenn Burke the faggot."
Versus has a piece on it.
For those who were old enough to understand then, was there any awareness of this in the baseball community?
I was stunned that I'd never heard this story before. That said the claims that he was billed as the "next Willie Mays" seem a bit much given his terrible numbers. Also, the story's claim that he was traded for nothing (Bill North had a better OPS+ than Burke) also don't hold up.
Also, to hell with Billy Martin.