Less than a week from the announcement of The Hall of Very Good™ Class of 2014 announcement comes this one. In addition to three (yes, three…more on that later) inductees, The Hall will also be awarding the inaugural Glenn Burke Memorial Courage Award.
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. “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 will be announced Wednesday, July 23 to a person who has made a significant impact on the game of baseball or has overcome adversity to succeed on the field.
Now, more about The Hall of Very Good™ Class of 2014. Joining inaugural 2012 inductee Tommy John and 2013 inductees Dale Murphy and Steve Blass will be two new members, both of whom could easily find themselves in Cooperstown soon. Also, The Hall will be recognizing its first celebrity inductee.
The Hall of Very Good™ Class of 2014 will be announced Monday, July 21.
This year’s induction will have a new look courtesy of Todd Radom, the creative mind behind some of the sports world’s more iconic logos. Radom has created logos for the Los Angeles Angels, Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers and the World Baseball Classic.
The Hall of Very Good™ Class of 2014 is also 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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