Picture a news conference, just like the one Mets catcher Mike Piazza held Tuesday. The media is assembled, and national television is set to go live as he begins to speak.

	Piazza

"I wanted to clear the air about something," Piazza might say. "I feel like I have to be honest about something.

"I am a gay man."

This did not happen Tuesday. Instead, assailed with questions about his sexuality, Piazza held an impromptu news conference at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium to refute rumors spread by a New York Post gossip columnist that claimed a New York Mets player who hangs out with models "is actually gay and has started to think about declaring his sexual orientation." Many immediately thought of Piazza.

"I'm not gay. I'm heterosexual," Piazza said Tuesday. "I can't control what people think, that's obvious. And I can't convince people what to think. I can only say what I know and what the truth is, and that's I'm heterosexual and I date women. That's it. End of story."

Unfortunately, it's just another in a sorry sequence of events that has rekindled a burning issue that has smoldered for years: When will a professional male athlete break his silence and tell a curious world that he is gay. So far, no active player in any of U.S. sports' four major professional leagues has come out, perhaps fearful of committing professional suicide.

If Piazza was gay and had decided to make his sexuality public Tuesday, would it have meant the end of his career? Or would the catcher with the best career batting average in baseball history have survived, or even thrived, as baseball's first openly gay player?

Two baseball players, Glenn Burke and Billy Bean, broke their silence, but not until after they had retired. Same for Dave Kopay and Jerry Smith, both of whom played in the NFL.

Piazza said he doesn't believe the issue to be worthy of discussion, and added that he wouldn't have a problem sharing a locker room with a teammate who was gay. And Piazza isn't alone. Rumors of other players' sexuality are rampant.

One year ago, Out Magazine editor Brendan Lemon fueled speculation by writing a column in which he claimed to be having an affair with a major-league ballplayer. He described the player as a member of an East Coast team; not the best player on his team but still a good player.

Was it Piazza?

"I said he wasn't the star of his team, so I guess that answers that question," Lemon said Wednesday.

So, after Piazza's revelation, or non-revelation, we still do not have an openly gay player in the MLB, NFL, NBA or NHL.

It seems everyone has an opinion on the subject.

Mets manager Bobby Valentine, in the June/July issue of Details magazine, said he felt baseball was ready for an openly gay player.

A year ago, David Cone was asked if he would be bothered by having a teammate who was openly gay. "No, why should I?" he said.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Mike Timlin told ESPN.com, "I already have, knowingly, and it wasn't a problem."

Other players support the view that coming out would be a big problem. Eric Davis once told a reporter he wouldn't want to shower with a player who was gay.

For many fans, it's hard to grasp what might happen if one of baseball's superstars were to admit he likes men instead of women. For others, it's a meaningless issue that should just go away. And for those who happen to be gay, the lack of players who admit to being gay is a source of frustration.

The chances are that not just one, but many players are gay. The most complete and universally accepted research on sexuality has been compiled by the Kinsey Institute, and claims that approximately 10 percent of society is homosexual. With 750 active players in the major leagues, a projected 75 baseball players are currently hiding their sexuality.

Even if that number is high, as some claim, it seems inconceivable that the world of baseball is so much different than society in general. Surely, there is at least one player who is gay. Former major league umpire Dave Pallone, who has come out since his retirement, said that you could make a pretty decent All-Star team out of players who are gay.

So what stands in the way of a player making an announcement?

Endorsements are one easy answer. The uncertain reaction of mainstream America, presumably, would affect opportunities for endorsements.

Taking grief from nasty fans is another. There's no question that fans use whatever ammunition they can get in trying to razz opposing players.

Would the problems seep into the clubhouse and hurt team chemistry? Hard to say. An enlightened point of view might be that initially, yes, there would be some issues. But once those issues were dealt with and players realized that their gay teammate is the same person he was before coming out, it would get better.

It will happen. It's only a matter of time.

When it does, a media circus is a certainty. Some of the coverage will be enlightened, some of it not. There will be players who say they don't agree with the "lifestyle," and others who say it doesn't matter.

But mostly, it will all come down to what team sports is built on: teamwork. When a player is struggling with an issue on or off the field, a good teammate will be there to back him up, no matter what. Hopefully, teamwork will prevail.

Might it be Lemon's significant other? A year after writing his column on the subject, Lemon said his friend is still pondering whether the time is right to come out. In the meantime, Lemon said no one should pressure a player to break his silence.

"I can't do that, I can't force the timing," Lemon said. "So much has to happen, there are so many people who need to be told first, and that's why it's taking so long."

Bill Konigsberg is a former assistant editor at ESPN.com and a regular contributor to Outsports.com