ESPN’s Keith Olbermann Knocks Gay Jason Collins STRAIGHT!

ESPN’s Keith Olbermann Knocks Gay Jason Collins STRAIGHT!

Keith pays tribute to the first openly gay player in one of the four major sports. And it’s not Jason Collins. On “Olbermann”, Keith talked about Glenn Burke, the LA Dodger who was the first openly gay athlete in major sports over 30 years before Jason Collins, and he hits a sweet spot. It’s personal, rational and ends with a shocking twist.
Glenn Burke, the Real First Openly Gay Athlete in Professional Sports
Glenn Keith
“If I can make friends honestly, it may be a step toward gays and straight people understanding each other. Maybe they’ll say, ‘He’s all right, there’s got to be a few more all right.’ Maybe it will begin to make it easier for other young gays to go into sports.” Glenn Burke
Those are the words of Major League Baseball’s first openly gay player. While the national media covers Jason Collins‘ first minutes on the court as an openly gay professional basketball player and the NFL network constantly breaks down rookie Michael Sam‘s combine stats, we forget about the ORIGINAL sports pioneer.
Glenn Burke played 225 games in the majors as a Dodger and as a member of the Athletics, with 523 at-bats, a .237 average, two home runs, 38 RBIs and 35 stolen bases. While those numbers remain far from stellar, he contributed as a spirited member of the locker room, well liked by his teammates.
Dusty Hi 5 Glenn aft HRMajor League Baseball didn’t either know how to deal with his sexual orientation or chose not to. The media wouldn’t touch the story until years after he left the game. Glenn Burke was a trailblazer who arrived on the scene long before our culture knew how to embrace him.
Over the next few weeks, forgive me if I seem apathetic towards media reports about the progress of Mr. Sam or Mr. Collins in their Collins Big Herorespective sports. We live in 2014. A player’s sexual orientation shouldn’t have any bearing on how well they throw a ball or how much weight they can lift. While they may have overcome hardships in their quest to seek a career in professional sports while maintaining their authenticity as a person, it pales in comparison to Burke’s journey more than 35 years ago. Most of us have come a long way since then, although you wouldn’t know it by the actions of a few knuckle-draggers.
I would write more about it, but wordsmith and sports personality Keith Olbermann eloquently sums it up better in 5 minutes than most professional journalists could with an entire novel.
The next time you read or hear a story about a gay athlete, remember outfielder Glenn Burke.
If you have any interest in learning more about his journey, check out his story from the 1982 issue of Inside Sports chronicling Burke’s time as a professional baseball player. Heartbreaking, courageous, inspiring and tragic… all words to describe the tale of professional sports’ first openly gay athlete.
Watch “Olbermann” weeknights on ESPN2 at 11pm ET

Marshawn Lynch’s Quiet Power Behind Seahawks’ Super Run

EDITOR’S NOTE: Michael Silver wrote this piece after an exclusive interview with Marshawn Lynch last week, when the running back wasn’t sure if he would attend Super Bowl XLVIII Media Day. On Tuesday, Lynch did indeed appear at the event to briefly speak with the assembled media before spending some additional time with NFL Network’s …
Continue reading Marshawn Lynch’s Quiet Power Behind Seahawks’ Super Run

Before Jason Collins

Before Jason Collins
The world is throwing a parade for Jason Collins, the 7-foot free-agent NBA center who came out last month. He was hugged by Oprah, celebrated by “Good Morning America,” and congratulated by President Obama.

But nobody seems to remember baseball’s Glenn Burke, who tried to come out nearly 40 years ago and was stuffed back in.

“How’s Jason Collins going to talk about being the first?” says Burke’s agent, Abdul-Jalil al-Hakim. “Glenn Burke was the first. And he wasn’t any free agent, either. He was in the lineup.”

Glenn Burke was a barrel-chested jokester, a singing, dancing, one-man cabaret. His teammates called him King Kong. In high school, the 6-foot Burke could dunk two basketballs at once, in street shoes. He roamed center field for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland A’s in the late 1970s.

Burke was the pulse of the clubhouse. He wore a red jock. He’d jump in the backs of pink Rolls-Royces after games. He invented the high-five (with Dusty Baker). Oh, yes, he did.

He was as out as an athlete could be in the mid-1970s. It wasn’t that he was flaunting it. It was that he couldn’t keep it in.

“When we’d land at airports,” remembers Davey Lopes, the Dodgers’ second baseman. “There’d always be guys waiting for Glenn. We’d go our way and he’d go off on his merry way. We’d go to clubs and women would hand him their numbers. But he’d never call ’em. Didn’t matter to us. We loved him.”

In the famous 1977 Dodgers-Yankees World Series — starring Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Steve Garvey, and Ron Cey — only one rookie cracked either starting lineup: Glenn Burke.

“Nobody tripped that he was gay,” says Burke’s longtime pal, Doug Harris, who produced the documentary “Out” about Burke in 2010. “The people who tripped off it were the Dodgers [management]. They didn’t want to talk about it. He was trying to tell the reporters, but they said they couldn’t write that stuff.”

Oakland Council Candidate Ignorantcio De Vil Fuente True Gang Boss Don Coontoon www.nowtruth.org

Oakland Council Candidate Ignorantcio De Vil Fuente True Gang Boss Don Coontoon www.nowtruth.org
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O’Malley, answer, Appellate Judges, appointed, appointment, Archer Norris, ARE NOT the constituents, around the world, Assemblyman Sandre Swanson, Assistant District Attorney Kevin Dunleavey, ASU Group, atmosphere of unfairness, attorney, Attorneys, away, backstabbing, bad faith, Banks, bargain away the rights and interests, Bay Area Carpet Cleaning, beginnings, Bentley, BIG BUSINESS INTEREST, Bishop Keith Clark, Black Women Organized for Political Action, Bob Connor, bootlicking, Bradley Bening, by Abdul-Jalil al-Hakim, by the admissions made by District Attorney Nancy O’Malley to him, California Chapter, California Constitution, California Judges Association, California State Appeals Court, California State Bar Association, California Supreme Court, Can’t Dodge Fraud, carpet baggers, Carson, case, cast of characters, cause, challenge for cause, charges, Chief of Staff, chose to cover it up, city, City Attorney Candidate Barbara Parker, City Attorney’s from Oakland, Civil Gang Injunctions, claiming, Cleaveland, clergy, community, compromised by, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, constant three year barrage, continued Corruption, COON, Coontoon, Corruption, Corruption Charges, could have been avoided, Councilmen Reid, County, court, court order, Courthouse Building, courtroom, cover up, Crone Rozynko, Cronyism, Crooked former Oakland City Attorney John Russo, CSAA, culture of corruption, curfew, curfews, D. 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Lee, debacle, deceitful, DeLaFuente, demean, Democratic Party, denial of justice, deny justice, Department of Child Support Services, depending on the advice, Deputy District Attorney Kevin Dunleavy, developer partners, developers serving claims, did Mayor Ron Dellums or City Attorney John Russo investigate, disavow their very own ethnic orientation, disenfranchised, displayed disdain, disposed, disposition, District, District Attorney Matt Golde, District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, District Attorney Officer, do not represent their interest, double crooked, dramatically portrayed, dream, due process, duplicitous, echoing the frustration felt by the people, elected officials, Eliada Perez, eliminated, Elizabeth Allen, entire good of some lives, et al, evaluating, EVERY act of difference, evidence by al-Hakim, exposed California, exposed Govenor Jerry Brown Covering up, exposing Presiding Judge Jon Rolfenson, exposure of the criminal actions, expressed a fixed opinion, fact laden reports of fraud and corruption, families, fighting, following Oakland’s lead, for gentrifying the inner-city, FORCED OUT, forced to resign, Forcibly Removed, formal Corruption Fraud Complaint, former City Attorney John Russo, former District Attorney Tom Orloff, former Oakland and current San Leandro City Attorney Jayne Williams, Frank Roesch, fraud, from the comfort of your home, gang related, Gave Case File To Stephan Barber, George Bush, George Hernandez, Gil Scott-Herron, given away millions of dollars, gone on air, Gordon & Rees, Grancell, Grand Jury, great, Hakim, has enriched the police department with over $12 million, has over 100, he was suppose to Investigate, hearing, Henry Needham, her effort to prompt a conflict of interest charge, Hon. Alice Spearman, Hon. Darleen Brooks, Hon. Darryl Moore, Hon. Desley Brooks, Hon. Kathy Neal, Hon. Marlon McWilson, http://NowTruth.Org/, humiliate, Ignacio DeLaFuente, Ignarantcio De Vil Fuente Coontoon, Ignorantcio De Vil Fuente, in solidarity and union, in the 1960-70′s re-evolution, individuals, Influence, influence peddlers, injunction, injunction/curfew, Insurance Companies, investigate, investigation of corruption, irrefutable evidence, is to be considered worthless and disposable, Jackson Alternative Dispute Resolution, jail, James Richman, Jane Williams, Janie Wong, Joel K. Liberson, Johannes Mehserle, John Russo, JonTigar, Judge, Judge Jon Tigar, Judge Leo Dorado, Judges, judicial, Judicial Council, Justice Department, Kehilla Community Synagogue, Keith Carson, Killers, Kings Dream, know, known to al-Hakim, Kohn, Larry Reid, law enforcement, law firm, Lebovitz, Legal, Leo Dorado, lied under oath, Listen, live television feed, long been known for, losing, Lousy Larry Greed, lying under oath, MacArthur Blvd., made himself a witness in this case, Maggie Takeda, maintaining the status quo, Majeski, malice, many alleged charges of abuse against former Oakland Police Department Chief Anthony Batts before they hired him, Martin Luther King Jr., mass fraud, mental attitude, Michael Ballachey, Michael Tigar, Minister Keith Muhammad, Minority, mistreatment, Mitt Romney, most are reacting, murder, Murray, Must Resign, Nancy, Nation of Islam, Native American, Nepotism, NEVER return, nor represent, NowTruth.Org, O’Malley, Oakland, Oakland City Attorney, Oakland City Attorney John Russo, Oakland City Attorney Resigns, Oakland City Councilmen, Oakland Council Candidate, Oakland East Bay Area, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, Oakland Police Department, Oakland Police Department has FAILED to comply with the Federal Mandate to meet MINIMUM agreed upon standards to fight corruption, objected, Occupiers, Occupy, Occupy Communities, OCCUPY Movements, OCCUPY OAKLAND, OCCUPY RE-EVOLUTION, OCCUPY WALL STREET, Occupyers, one of the presumed reasons for Oakland Police Department Chief Anthony Batts resigning, One question being asked now, ongoing case, opinion, ordered al-Hakim, Oscar Grant, overall Minority Youth Community, owned and controlled by developers, partner, partner in crime, Patricia Smith, people they do not talk to, perjury, Pledge of Allegiance, Political Suicide, post, Poverty Pimps, power brokers, Presiding, problems, proclaim widely and loudly, promised retaliation, provoke, publicly denounce, Rabbi David Copper, rampant corruption, Randy Hall, Randy Willoughby, Real Estate, real estate developers dream tools, Redeem, refused to investigate it, regarding the incident, Reid was served a complaint, repeatedly, represent, Rescue, resenting that media manipulation, Resolution, Rev. Dr. Harold R. Mayberry, Rev. Dr. Kevin Barnes, Rev. Zachary Carey, revealed, revelation, Richard Hodge, right to a fair hearing, Rodney Brooks, Rodney King, Ronald G. Overholt, Ronald M. George, Ropers, Ropers Majeski, Rosa Parks, same stance taken, San Francisco Chapter, San Leandro, Sandre Swanson, saying NO MORE, Sell Out, sellouts, serious crime, shamelessly, she had al-Hakim removed from the D. A.’s office while sitting alone in the lobby waiting for a meeting, She made this order without any legal proceeding, sign the Petition To The Honorables President Barack Obama, so-called, so-called power brokers, sordid, sources have confirmed, spinning it, standing up, strikes, Stuart & Bening, sullied, Superior, Superior Court, swept America, taking land from the poor, that corruption, that establishes the admitted fraud committed by the D.A.’s office for over 20 years, that resulted in the only conviction of police officers crimes committed while on duty, the Bay, The Black Elected Officials and Faith Based Leaders, The California Branch of the NAACP, the courthouse, The cry at ALL the Occupy events world-wide, the Developers, the late, The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, the media, The Minority, the North Oakland Gang Injunction HAS FAILED to reduce crime in any way, the Nowtruth.org, The Oakland Branch of the NAACP, The Occupy Movement, the Occupyers, the Reid Gang, the whole world is chanting the same tune, The World, The world witnessed as Oakland revolted and burned, their bagmen, their life, then Attorney General Jerry Brown, these self-perceived, they acknowledge that being Black in America, they are law enforcement, they constantly connive, those whom have voiced their opinions with their frustrations in a varied manner of ways, throwing away, to avoid having to investigate and prosecute the complaint, tried to place al-Hakim in a life threatening situation, trivialize, True Gang Boss Don, turncoats, Uncle Tom, under the threat of arrest, underbelly, unethical behavior, United States Attorney General Eric Holder, United States Constitution, unrest, Valgeria Harvey, Victim, Victoria Henley, video of al-Hakim, violates, violence, voicemail, void, want-to-be-leaders, wants the injunction/curfews, was that a factor in his resigning, Washington, Watch the story with video and documents, Watch video of al-Hakim, We are ALL Oscar Grant, Website, Who are they protecting and why, willful misconduct, Willoughby, Wilson Elser, www.nowtruth.orgOakland City Council Candidates, yet claim to bargain and speak for them, Yolanda Northridge, you can watch, Youth

Oakland Council Candidate Lousy Larry Greid & Police Victim Alan Blueford Coontoon, OPD Gang Blue Meanies got’em!

Oakland Council Candidate Lousy Larry Greid & Police Victim Alan Blueford Coontoon, OPD Gang Blue Meanies got’em!
#occupyoakland, #OWS, 000 signatures, 106th Ave, 14th Ave, 20 year, 24/7, @nowtruth, Abdul-Jalil al-Hakim, abuse, administratively, African-American youth, Al, al-hakim, Alameda, Alameda City Manager, Alameda County, Alameda County district attorney, Alameda County Superior Court, Alex Stuart, an analyst, and current District Attorney Nancy E. O’Malley, answer, Appellate Judges, appointed, appointment, Archer Norris, ARE NOT the constituents, around the world, Assemblyman Sandre Swanson, Assistant District Attorney Kevin Dunleavey, ASU Group, atmosphere of unfairness, attorney, Attorneys, away, backstabbing, bad faith, Banks, bargain away the rights and interests, Bay Area Carpet Cleaning, beginnings, Bentley, BIG BUSINESS INTEREST, Bishop Keith Clark, Black Women Organized for Political Action, Bob Connor, bootlicking, Bradley Bening, by Abdul-Jalil al-Hakim, by the admissions made by District Attorney Nancy O’Malley to him, California Chapter, California Constitution, California Judges Association, California State Appeals Court, California State Bar Association, California Supreme Court, Can’t Dodge Fraud, carpet baggers, Carson, case, cast of characters, cause, challenge for cause, charges, Chief of Staff, chose to cover it up, city, City Attorney Candidate Barbara Parker, City Attorney’s from Oakland, Civil Gang Injunctions, claiming, Cleaveland, clergy, community, compromised by, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, constant three year barrage, continued Corruption, COON, Coontoon, Corruption, Corruption Charges, could have been avoided, Councilmen Reid, County, court, court order, Courthouse Building, courtroom, cover up, Crone Rozynko, Cronyism, Crooked former Oakland City Attorney John Russo, CSAA, culture of corruption, curfew, curfews, D. A. Bob Conner, D. L. Glaze, DA, Dan Siegle, Daniel Crowley & Associates, David C. Lee, debacle, deceitful, DeLaFuente, demean, Democratic Party, denial of justice, deny justice, Department of Child Support Services, depending on the advice, Deputy District Attorney Kevin Dunleavy, developer partners, developers serving claims, did Mayor Ron Dellums or City Attorney John Russo investigate, disavow their very own ethnic orientation, disenfranchised, displayed disdain, disposed, disposition, District, District Attorney Matt Golde, District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, District Attorney Officer, do not represent their interest, double crooked, dramatically portrayed, dream, due process, duplicitous, echoing the frustration felt by the people, elected officials, Eliada Perez, eliminated, Elizabeth Allen, entire good of some lives, et al, evaluating, EVERY act of difference, evidence by al-Hakim, exposed California, exposed Govenor Jerry Brown Covering up, exposing Presiding Judge Jon Rolfenson, exposure of the criminal actions, expressed a fixed opinion, fact laden reports of fraud and corruption, families, fighting, following Oakland’s lead, for gentrifying the inner-city, FORCED OUT, forced to resign, Forcibly Removed, formal Corruption Fraud Complaint, former City Attorney John Russo, former District Attorney Tom Orloff, former Oakland and current San Leandro City Attorney Jayne Williams, Frank Roesch, fraud, from the comfort of your home, gang related, Gave Case File To Stephan Barber, George Bush, George Hernandez, Gil Scott-Herron, given away millions of dollars, gone on air, Gordon & Rees, Grancell, Grand Jury, great, Hakim, has enriched the police department with over $12 million, has over 100, he was suppose to Investigate, hearing, Henry Needham, her effort to prompt a conflict of interest charge, Hon. Alice Spearman, Hon. Darleen Brooks, Hon. Darryl Moore, Hon. Desley Brooks, Hon. Kathy Neal, Hon. Marlon McWilson, http://NowTruth.Org/, humiliate, Ignacio DeLaFuente, Ignarantcio De Vil Fuente Coontoon, Ignorantcio De Vil Fuente, in solidarity and union, in the 1960-70′s re-evolution, individuals, Influence, influence peddlers, injunction, injunction/curfew, Insurance Companies, investigate, investigation of corruption, irrefutable evidence, is to be considered worthless and disposable, Jackson Alternative Dispute Resolution, jail, James Richman, Jane Williams, Janie Wong, Joel K. Liberson, Johannes Mehserle, John Russo, JonTigar, Judge, Judge Jon Tigar, Judge Leo Dorado, Judges, judicial, Judicial Council, Justice Department, Kehilla Community Synagogue, Keith Carson, Killers, Kings Dream, know, known to al-Hakim, Kohn, Larry Reid, law enforcement, law firm, Lebovitz, Legal, Leo Dorado, lied under oath, Listen, live television feed, long been known for, losing, Lousy Larry Greed, lying under oath, MacArthur Blvd., made himself a witness in this case, Maggie Takeda, maintaining the status quo, Majeski, malice, many alleged charges of abuse against former Oakland Police Department Chief Anthony Batts before they hired him, Martin Luther King Jr., mass fraud, mental attitude, Michael Ballachey, Michael Tigar, Minister Keith Muhammad, Minority, mistreatment, Mitt Romney, most are reacting, murder, Murray, Must Resign, Nancy, Nation of Islam, Native American, Nepotism, NEVER return, nor represent, NowTruth.Org, O’Malley, Oakland, Oakland City Attorney, Oakland City Attorney John Russo, Oakland City Attorney Resigns, Oakland City Councilmen, Oakland Council Candidate, Oakland East Bay Area, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, Oakland Police Department, Oakland Police Department has FAILED to comply with the Federal Mandate to meet MINIMUM agreed upon standards to fight corruption, objected, Occupiers, Occupy, Occupy Communities, OCCUPY Movements, OCCUPY OAKLAND, OCCUPY RE-EVOLUTION, OCCUPY WALL STREET, Occupyers, one of the presumed reasons for Oakland Police Department Chief Anthony Batts resigning, One question being asked now, ongoing case, opinion, ordered al-Hakim, Oscar Grant, overall Minority Youth Community, owned and controlled by developers, partner, partner in crime, Patricia Smith, people they do not talk to, perjury, Pledge of Allegiance, Political Suicide, post, Poverty Pimps, power brokers, Presiding, problems, proclaim widely and loudly, promised retaliation, provoke, publicly denounce, Rabbi David Copper, rampant corruption, Randy Hall, Randy Willoughby, Real Estate, real estate developers dream tools, Redeem, refused to investigate it, regarding the incident, Reid was served a complaint, repeatedly, represent, Rescue, resenting that media manipulation, Resolution, Rev. Dr. Harold R. Mayberry, Rev. Dr. Kevin Barnes, Rev. Zachary Carey, revealed, revelation, Richard Hodge, right to a fair hearing, Rodney Brooks, Rodney King, Ronald G. Overholt, Ronald M. George, Ropers, Ropers Majeski, Rosa Parks, same stance taken, San Francisco Chapter, San Leandro, Sandre Swanson, saying NO MORE, Sell Out, sellouts, serious crime, shamelessly, she had al-Hakim removed from the D. A.’s office while sitting alone in the lobby waiting for a meeting, She made this order without any legal proceeding, sign the Petition To The Honorables President Barack Obama, so-called, so-called power brokers, sordid, sources have confirmed, spinning it, standing up, strikes, Stuart & Bening, sullied, Superior, Superior Court, swept America, taking land from the poor, that corruption, that establishes the admitted fraud committed by the D.A.’s office for over 20 years, that resulted in the only conviction of police officers crimes committed while on duty, the Bay, The Black Elected Officials and Faith Based Leaders, The California Branch of the NAACP, the courthouse, The cry at ALL the Occupy events world-wide, the Developers, the late, The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, the media, The Minority, the North Oakland Gang Injunction HAS FAILED to reduce crime in any way, the Nowtruth.org, The Oakland Branch of the NAACP, The Occupy Movement, the Occupyers, the Reid Gang, the whole world is chanting the same tune, The World, The world witnessed as Oakland revolted and burned, their bagmen, their life, then Attorney General Jerry Brown, these self-perceived, they acknowledge that being Black in America, they are law enforcement, they constantly connive, those whom have voiced their opinions with their frustrations in a varied manner of ways, throwing away, to avoid having to investigate and prosecute the complaint, tried to place al-Hakim in a life threatening situation, trivialize, True Gang Boss Don, turncoats, Uncle Tom, under the threat of arrest, underbelly, unethical behavior, United States Attorney General Eric Holder, United States Constitution, unrest, Valgeria Harvey, Victim, Victoria Henley, video of al-Hakim, violates, violence, voicemail, void, want-to-be-leaders, wants the injunction/curfews, was that a factor in his resigning, Washington, Watch the story with video and documents, Watch video of al-Hakim, We are ALL Oscar Grant, Website, Who are they protecting and why, willful misconduct, Willoughby, Wilson Elser, www.nowtruth.orgOakland City Council Candidates, yet claim to bargain and speak for them, Yolanda Northridge, you can watch, Youth