An excerpt from Richard Johnson's, NY Post Page Six Column insinuates about a closeted Hall of Fame baseball player. Anyone here about this especially given the recent surge of this subject in baseball?

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[ February 21, 2003, 11:10 AM: Message edited by: m1 ]

How many hall of fame player have biographies that are best sellers and written by women? I doubt it's all that many.
The only one I can find is a biography about Joe DiMaggio.

[ December 19, 2002: Message edited by: DC_guy ]

On another message board, the consensus was that it is Sandy Koufax. Apparently the author has gone on record talking about the long struggle it took to get the book written, which is unusual, talking about it, that it.

http://www.juf.org/news_public_affairs/art...le.asp?key=3625

http://www.bookmagazine.com/issue24/biography.shtml

[quote]Originally posted by DC_guy:
The only one I can find is a biography about Joe DiMaggio.

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Hey. Just because a guy has an obsession about Marilyn Monroe doesn't mean he's gay.

[quote]Originally posted by Charlie in the Trees:


Hey. Just because a guy has an obsession about Marilyn Monroe doesn't mean he's gay.

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I know, I just looked for a guy with a biography by a woman.

That NY Post "Page Six" column is the same one that started the Piazza flap, without mentioning him by name either.

Since the Koufax bio was just recently published, odds are that's who he's referencing.

I was recently told by a friend in a LA that a sports writer told him that Johnnie Bench is gay. Of course, I don't know if that's true or not but my friend (who's str8) wouldn't mention it unless he believed it. who knows...

When Jane Levy, the author of the recent Sandy Koufax biography, was interviewed by Dan patrick on his radio program, she was asked whether Koufax was difficult to write about because he's so "secretive" (Dan Patrick's term.) Her reply was that it was not hard & that Koufax is private, not secretive, and that though the book is unauthorized, Koufax was quite cooperative and offered psoitive comments upon reading it.

~Adam

Johnny Bench!? My very first athlete crush, and before I'd figured out what a crush was. Sigh... If only...

Aren't we assuming it's a biography that's already been published? It would be interesting to find out what books are in the pipeline, due to be published in the next 6 months or so.

The item called it a best-seller, which indicates it's already released, not in the pipeline.

Interesting thing about Bench: when he was getting a divorce, his wife claimed he brought his best friend on their honeymoon. Hmmm...

Also, if memory serves, Johnny Bench never remarried after his divorce. Also what is or was the marital status of Sandy Koufax? Not that it makes any difference, but just interesting. I have a feeling it has to do with Johnny Bench.

[quote]Originally posted by billybob:
Also what is or was the marital status of Sandy Koufax? Not that it makes any difference, but just interesting.

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In answer to your query BillyBob, Koufax is twice divorced and has been single now for over a decade, if I'm not mistaken....I'm fairly certain that the not so subtle references are to none other than the Dodger Hall of Famer who Jane Leavy chronicled in her recent biography -- I, for one, was shocked that the notoriously shy and private Koufax (who has apparently moved around the country MANY times following his retirement in an effort to avoid the fame and publicity that his notoriety brings) granted Leavy the "open door" to write the book....personally (and I admit this may sound somewhat selfish from the standpoint of benefitting our "community") I wish Koufax would come out (if the rumors are true) because it would be incredibly difficult and harsh for ANYONE to be critical of an athlete who not only achieved the enormous greatness that Sandy did throughout his short but illustrious career but, more importantly, has always conducted himself with tremendous class on and off the field for over 40 years.

[ January 02, 2003: Message edited by: gamecock ]

there have always been rumors about johnny bench. it would make sense.

I went to school in Cincinnati and there were many people who confirmed these rumors.

Other than the top-selling Koufax biography, which is great, have any other biographies of ballplayers written by women come out recently?

[quote]Originally posted by libaseballjock2:
I went to school in Cincinnati and there were many people who confirmed these rumors.

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About Jonnie Bench or Sandy Koufax??

Where is Jonny Bench now? Living a "private life"
below radar? Have not heard much on him in recent years.Would be interesting to know, just out of curiosity.
Somehow this all reminds me of years ago, before Dave Kopay came out, he would hang out at P Street Beach in DC. It is where all the gays would go to sun themselves in various stages of dress and near undress. In fact I often talked to him. No big deal. Is Johnny or sany ever seen in public with or without "someone"?

The rumor was about Sandy Koufax. He is boycotting the Dodgers because of it.

That's extremely sad and unfortunate for all the Dodger fans, Jim, not to mention their young pitchers who could have benefitted immensely from Koufax' vast knowledge of the game....after 48 YEARS of loyal service to the franchise (going back to their days in Brooklyn), for Sandy to be backstabbed by one of Rupert Murdoch's own "evil media empire" is indeed contemptible.

As I stated previously, I have always admired Koufax not so much for his obvious prowess on the mound (which I was much too young to have enjoyed) but for the classy way that he has consistently conducted himself following his premature retirement....any retired ballplayer, particularly one of his Hall of Fame stature, deserves to be treated much better than this.

Here is what the author of the book, Jane Leavey, said about Koufax:

“Sandy Koufax is as principled a human being as I have ever met in my life. If this is a stand he is taking, I certainly understand why he might feel that way and I totally support it.”

Johnny Bench...hmmmm...I have heard rumors about his sexuality as well, but I see him as someone who is more asexual than anything else. He's still revered here as some sort of icon, and will always be...has many local endorsements. I recently attended a benefit for the Life Center here in Cincinnati. They educate people about what needs to be done in order to be sure that in the event of thier passing thier organs are donated.(http://www.lifecnt.org/homepage.html) JB was one of the former local athletes that participated in this event (Anthony Munoz, Ted Pwer, Dave Parker also attended)...to make a long story short. JB is a total a**hole...my friend who works for the Life Center had a sister pass away a few years ago and donated her organs to help others. She had a photo of her sister, who was a HUGE Reds fan and thought it would be a nice gift to enlarge the pic & have it signed by one of her sister's favorite Reds players, and give it to her parents as a gift. Anyhow, she approached him, introduced herself, and was beginning to explain what happened...he cut her off, told her that there's no need to be nice to him...people aren't nice to him unless they want something...then he looked at her & said "What do you want to have signed?" She then produced the pic of her sister & explained that her sister was the reason she belives in and works for the organization. She thanked him for his "support"...made him feel like sh*t, and then he tried to act like he was all interested in her story. She thanked him for his time, and signature, and walked away. I have no respect fom him after witnessing that whole ordeal. I've always been someone who gives everyone the benefit of the doubt when it comes to questioning someone's chatacter...I still do. I had always hear about what a jerk he is, but in JB's case... maybe I should have listened to my friends and peers. He's just another Great player who turned out to be a jerk.

In another thread, redsoxbreath posted:

Ok, let me get this (ahem) straight... According to an L.A. Times report this morning,

• HOFer Sandy Koufax' biography was published last fall.
• On Dec 19, a gossip item the NY Post reported that a \"Hall of Fame baseball hero\" had \"cooperated with a best-selling biography only because the author promised to keep it secret that he is gay.\" (Not clear what \"cooperated\" means here. Did she blackmail him to let her publish his biography?)
• News Corp owns both the Post and the L.A. Dodgers.
• To protest the Post, Koufax has severed all ties to the Dodgers.
• Everybody has flown into a tizzy.

The book's author, Jane Leavy, calls the Post item "blatantly unfair, scandalous and contemptible. I certainly understand why he might feel that way and I totally support (the stand he is taking)." Tommy Lasorda says, "This just ruined my day." Dodgers manager Jim Tracy: "I have a tremendous amount of respect for (Koufax)." Shawn Green: "This is really a shame." Eric Karros: "This is upsetting."

It may be worth noting that Koufax has done all his communicating through "friend Derrick Hall, a Dodger senior vice president," and has refused to face the press. The Times refers to him as "intensely private" and "very private." Geez, I guess so. What's the big freakin' deal?


DC_guy replied:

Whether or not he's gay, he's definitely proving that he's a little bit stupid. How is making a huge scene like this going to make the situation go away. I think a lot of us spent enough time in the closet, and have known enough closeted people, to know that freaking out at the rumor that you're gay is the best way to confirm it (for me anyway).

I didn't need to hear about his celebrity look-alike female friend. next thing you know he'll be on the MTV awards kissing Lisa Marie.


Charlie in the Trees replied:

I know people in the media generally are using this as an "any port in a storm" excuse to bash Rupert Murdoch, but ...

(1) Are people (like Koufax?) seriously believing that Murdoch pre-clears the Page Six gossip items, so that anything published there must reflect the opinion of Rupert himself? If anything, this seems to indicate a surprising amount of independent among the various tentacles of the Murdoch global empiure.

(2) I understand that a heterosexual guy wouldn't want to be rumored to gay. (I mean, how many gay men constantly complain about being assumed to be heterosexual?) BUT ... I'd have liked a little less vehemence, and a little less anger, from the people "defending" Koufax's "honor." The author, in particular, is absolutely seething about the rumor. "Scandalous," yes, but "contemptible"? Y'know, it's not that bad to be gay.


William1865 replied:

Don't these guys have public relations advisors? Do they think everybody in America reads the NY Post, and more specifically Page Six in the NY Post? I can guarantee you the answer is no. So by bringing this up and making a big deal of it, Koufax and Co. are simply introducing lots of people to a controversy they would otherwise have known nothing about. Same with Piazza and his "I'm not gay" press conference. I'd guess most people had never heard of the Neal Travis blind item, and plenty of those who had would not have even bothered to put two and two together and get Piazza. But by addressing the gossip, he gave it legitimacy. Plus, saying "I'm not gay" sounds very defensive, thus there is at least a little bit of doubt built into the statement from the very start. Just my 2 cents worth.