Outsports Radio

This week, I wrote a review of a wonderful new Glenn Burke biography called Singled Out. It's the most comprehensive examination to date of the life and times of the first openly gay player in MLB history and the numerous difficulties he faced during his all too brief career. On today's pod, I'm joined by Singled Out's author Andrew Maraniss to examine Burke's trailblazing legacy and the tragedies he endured in order to be true to himself in the conservative and close-minded world of late-70s baseball. Andrew recounts the incredible impact Burke made on teammates who embodied a range of personality types from Dusty Baker's coolness to Steve Garvey's "wholesome" image consciousness. We also discuss Burke's bravery in living an open gay life as a celebrity in San Francisco's Castro District at the same time Dodgers management did everything possible to keep it under wraps. Finally, Maraniss details the many prominent moments of post-Stonewall LGBTQ history that intersected with Burke's career. It's a fascinatin