BEANBALL
Baseballer and LGBT trailblazer Billy Bean has died aged 60. His decade-long career saw him play for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres, but his stats weren’t exceptional. It was off the mound he made his greatest impact, coming out as gay in 1999 several years after his partner died of AIDS. As the second MLBer to come out, he summed it up best in 2001: “I’ve learned making an impact on someone’s life is more important than a lifetime .300 batting average. The more positive role models that people see, the less sensational the whole idea of diverse sexuality becomes.” He also was a guest caller in Frasier, and a MLB vice president. He was a cult pick this year after announcing leukaemia last year, taking GUN Fishing into the top five.
Billy Bean
11 May 1964 – 6 August 2024, aged 60
3 TEAMS (💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀 8 POINTS)