Monday, The Hall of Very Good™ added three more members when it announced its Class of 2015. Joining Jim Kaat, Lee Smith and celebrity inductee “Macho Man” Randy Savage is this year’s Glenn Burke Memorial Courage Award recipient.
But, first…about Glenn Burke.
From 1976-1979, Burke played parts of four seasons in the Majors, splitting time between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland A’s. But as impressive as his combination of power and speed was, it was his courage off the field that made headlines. In 1982, the former outfielder came out as homosexual, thus ending any real chance he had at possibility making any sort of comeback.
Burke was found to have AIDS in 1994. Less than a year later, he was dead.
“As Glenn’s biographer and friend, I believe the honor of a Courage Award being bestowed in his name is most appropriate,” author Erik Sherman said prior to The Hall awarding Tanner Vavra with the inaugural award in 2014. “Glenn was truly the first athlete in the four professional sports to be openly gay and he ended up paying the ultimate price because of it—his baseball career. He died like he played the game—with dignity and grace.”
The Glenn Burke Memorial Courage Award is an annual award presented to a person who has made a significant impact on the game of baseball or has overcome adversity to succeed on the field. And it’s with great honor and pleasure that The Hall of Very Good™ announces JON TEIG as this year’s recipient.
What separates the 28-year-old Teig from the rest of us is this…he’s been the batboy for the Cedar Rapids Kernels since 2000 and, yeah, he’s autistic But at the end of the day, Jon-Jon is just like you and me. He loves baseball and he’s not about to let anything get between him and his love and that is exactly why he was a no-brainer when it came to awarding him the Glenn Burke Memorial Courage Award.
Don’t believe the hype? Just ask anyone who has crossed his path.
“[Teig] is a great guy. He always has a smile on his face and has fun being at the ball park,” Vavra, who played for the Kernels in 2014 said. “Jon-Jon is the type of person that finds the good in every situation and every person. I can’t say enough good things about him.”
“If there was an accompanying photo in Webster’s dictionary by the word, ‘determination,’ Jon Tieg’s likeness would be an excellent choice,” Sherman added. “Jon personifies the human spirit in his love and devotion towards the game of baseball.”
“Jon Teig has meant a lot to me and all of the guys that have been a part of the Kernels,” Kernels Coach Tommy Watkins said. “From Mike Trout to Byron Buxton, players today and coaching staffs from before and now can appreciate how passionate Jon-Jon is for the game. He definitely puts a smile on everyone’s faces!”
Sounds about right.
*****
The Hall of Very Good™ Class of 2015 is presented by Out of the Park Developments, the creators of the wildly popular baseball simulation game Out of the Park Baseball. Out of the Park Developments has made a generous donation to The Hall.
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