A high school classmate of Carl Pavano’s, who pitches for the Minnesota Twins, is claiming that Pavano was his “first love” in high school, and that they shared a three-year-long relationship.
The openly gay accuser, Christian Bedard, claims to be writing a book about the tawdry affair, but its verisimilitude has been called into question because of some Bedard’s shady tactics.
According to the AP, police in Pavano’s hometown of Southington, CT, are investigating the case because Pavano’s sister, Michelle DeGennaro, says that Bedard tried to extort her and her brother in exchange for not publishing the book.
After DeGennaro complained to police, they searched Bedard’s house and took some of his stuff. Writes the AP:
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Officers executed the search warrant at Bedard’s home on March 21 and seized items, but wouldn’t say what they were. Bedard said on his Facebook page that police took his laptop computer, material relating to his relationship with Pavano and the book he was writing. Bedard hasn’t been charged…
“I have serious juicy book offers … to the point that the only way your brother is getting out of this … is with a heartfelt apology and a navy range rover with tan leather,” Bedard allegedly wrote to DeGennaro, according to police. “If I’m going to drop a 1.2 million dollar book deal I want something.
“That is my best offer an apology and a land rover and I’ll kill the project,” Bedard wrote referring to the book deal, according to the affidavit. Bedard told The Associated Press in a statement that he wanted an apology because of how Pavano treated him at the end of their relationship. He didn’t elaborate.
What do you guys think—was Carl Pavano pitching and catching with Christian Bedard in high school, or is this just another case of a dude looking to scam a celebrity out of some money?
Clockwork
This should be your main topic headline:
“Bedard tried to extort her and her brother in exchange for not publishing the book”
Why do you take joy in a gay man extorting/blackmailing an individual who
has done no harm to the gay community?
Is Carl Pavano on ESPN talking down gay marriage? Is he running some weird camp to
deprogram gays? No.
And no matter what happened (unless they are foes of GLBT freedom) this man and all of us
are entitled to privacy about our relationships.
jason
I might be wrong but Michelle DeGennaro comes across as homophobic. We ought to look into her to see what makes her tick. If she’s coming from a homophobic angle, she needs to be exposed.
As for Carl Pavano, the alleged affair with the guy is not unusual. Many, many straight-identifying men have dabbled with other men as young adults. They won’t admit it but they have. The reason they don’t admit it is because their wives generally don’t tolerate male-male sexuality. These wives see it as something abnormal and pervasive, as if you can’t shake it off.
Women in general tend to be very envious and fearful of male-male sexuality unless it’s segregated in the form of the gay concept. Once it enters the “bisexual male” domain, it poses a threat to them.
Clockwork
@jason:
>We ought to look into her to see what makes her tick. If she’s coming from a homophobic
>angle, she needs to be exposed.
Your kidding me right?
What are some gay folks now on patrol; Roaming around looking for sister’s of men who may
have had a gay relationship or gay encounter and “expose” them?
Sam
Based on the correspondence, on an open Facebook page, it’s not extortion as there’s no threat of violence if she doesn’t pay. It can be called blackmail or as the man claims, a joke. I mean the man asked for a rove ranger–it’s hard to take that seriously, especially since he writes it on facebook where anyone can see it. Not to say he’s not a nutcase though.
the other Greg
Probably just has a crush on Pavano. But if it’s true, shame on him. Hey if I scored with Jacoby Ellsbury you wouldn’t see me bragging about it or trying to get money, no doubt the memories would be enough!
iDavid
Feels like it may b true but more corroboration would be needed. It just doesn’t seem a request for an apology would come from a fraud. But anything goes these days.
I’m certainly not adverse to having the star pitcher on our team. One way or another, alpha male celebrities hardwired for male/male sexuality being out, helps integrate sexuality as it truly exists in our species and our culture.
comus
@Clockwork: You beat me to it; those were my thoughts on reading the sleazy headline. Unless Pavano has been actively anti-gay in his public role, he’s entitled to absolute privacy. And the people who work on this site should be ashamed of framing a story about a blackmailing creep as one about a love affair. I came here because I had thought this might be the HuffPost of gay sites, but it’s increasingly looking and sounding like the National Enquirer.
Darling Nikki
This guy claims he was going to get over a million dollars to publish a book about his alleged relationship with Carl Pavano lest he gets a Range Rover? Umm…
Problem 1: No publisher will ever give that kind of advance for a marginal baseball player scoop. Baseball books don’t sale in such large volume to warrant such an advance and the audience of that kind of book doesn’t exist. Not enough sports fans or GLBTers to pay $25 for a glorified “National Enquirer/Star” piece.
Problem 2: Ok, so let’s say this is true. Bedard and Pavano f**ked like bunnies and wrote love letters back in the day. Who cares? This is 2012. If Carl Pavano fooled around, had a relationship with another guy, what difference does it make? He’s not a X-tian Fundamentalist railing against the “community”. There have been baseball players with weird scandals (Japanese baseball player who was in the Cleveland Indians system who in his past did solo-jerk gay films to think of one) and continued their careers. Besides he’s used to being on Page Six, he did date Alyssa Milano at one time. His career is closer to the end than the beginning, why would he care? Perhaps Bedard is upset that Pavano is a newlywed (married in December 2011).
Problem 3: Would anyone settle for an $80k – 100k car over a Million Dollar advance? Not me.
Non-story. Subliminally it reeks of the old days when accusing someone of being “queer” was akin to character defamation.
Jay
Its shocking that in America, anything/anyone can sue, blackmail, extorted for money…. maybe they had a drunken night in HS and had a makeout session, jo session or what ever. I would hardly call that a love affair. I mean didn’t every boy went through that stage?? lol
Xerxes
Pavano is not known to be a homophobe. Why is Queerty spreading this malicious information about him? Even if true, it is maliciously put into the public by the spurned asshole, seeing a major league baseball player as an easy mark to extort. Shame on the extorter, and shame on Queert.
Zach
@Xerxes: Your comment and Clockwork’s comment are the only points that need to be said on this topic. Shame on Queerty for posting such a potentially harmful rumour. It isn’t gay news. It’s potentially criminal behaviour. Also, if Queerty felt so strongly about posting this, a more accurate title should have been chosen, as has been suggested in comments above.
Sam
This is a story reported by the national media & MLB, ESPN & sports illustrated so I don’t think Queerty is spreading anything more than what’s out there & no one is really taking this guys claims seriously . He wrote a bunch of rambling facebook messages to Pavano’s sister. Site’s have captured the facebook pages & it’s barely coherent & it feels like he’s just yanking her chain more than seriously asking for money. Police are investigating but he hasn’t been charged as of yet with anything.
doc
mr bedard has a nice little criminal history, and a major problem with alcohol. He is an angry man, and over the past few months has made some horrible accusations via facebook about carl and his family. Bedards plan appears to have backfired though—I think he was expecting “hurray, we are so proud of you for being brave” and instead those of us who know him, and are from this area are simply saying “how pathetic”
Chris is trying to make a few bucks off of something that MAY have happened over 20 years ago–and if it did happen..WHO CARES
Pretty simple folks…Chris Bedard lives at home with his mother, and in the meantime Carl Pavano will be the opening day starter for the Minnesota Twins-
MikeyM
Show me the pictures.
Angel
First, the real story is the attempted extortion.
Second, no one should out someone else.
Third, just because he had a alleged relationship doesn’t mean he’s gay, he could be bi or was experimenting.
jason
I don’t have a problem with Bedard saying he had a relationship with Pavano. To say that he shouldn’t come forward with it is to assume a homophobic position in one’s thinking. Is a homosexual relation between two men still so horrible in America that it can’t be mentioned?
I think that Pavano’s sister may be homophobic. It seems that she may be desperate to neutralize any notion that her brother Carl might have had a same-sex relationship. If both of these possibilities are true, it doesn’t exactly make her look good, does it?
jackpapa
I have some lovely memories of trysts with some of the athletes from my highschool days. But we were kids. The memories of our times together are warm and wonderful, and even if any of the guys had become famous, I would never share them in a book. They are just too important to me to cheapen with money. Remembering how I felt, being wrapped in their arms, being intimate…these thins are very close to my heart and I remember them with great affection. I never told anyone about these guys – not because of some ‘closet’, but because these things are personal. They are MINE. And without putting too fine a point on it, I do think that writing a book about a gay high school relationship with a now famous person is in very bad taste.
porsupuesto
nice stache and nice ass on that baseball player!
Will L
@Clockwork: I share your sentiments.
If Mr. Bedard was dumped after being so “close” for three years, he probably deserved it. Let Carl Pavano write his own memoir when he’s good and ready. Mr. Bedard is a loser.
rick
Extortion is such a low, pathetic thing to do. Move on with your life and get over yourself, bitch.
Dylan
Hope that materialistic queen goes to jail for a while for his very serious crime, EXTORTION.
bill forsyth
What exactly is the point of this story and why is it newsworthy.
Peter
If this is even true it would make Pavano bisexual, not gay.
What Jason wrote is correct but it’s more that a lot of gay men are highly biphobic and practice bisexual erasure.