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TORONTO - Olympic gymnast Kris Burley remained in the closet throughout his career.The international sporting environment was too hostile a place for a gay athlete.From my perspective, to be the best athlete that you can be, and to reach your objectives, you have to be able to be yourself, Burley said. And my personal experience is . . . it wasnt a comfortable and open environment for me. And it was really challenging. And I know thats shared by a lot of athletes that have similar stories.When Toronto hosts the Pan American Games next summer in Toronto, Burley said it will mark the first time the organizing committee has worked in partnership with the local gay community.That sends a real message I think, a real leadership message to set a higher standard for inclusion, Burley said.The Truro, N.S., native was the emcee for Fridays unveiling of PrideHouse Torontos plans for the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.They include a celebration zone in the citys Church-Wellesley Village, with family activities such as pick-up sports games.The 519 Church Street Community Centre will be turned into a Pan Am pavilion, with a safe space for people to watch the Games as well as celebrate athletes and inclusion in sports, said PrideHouse spokesperson Ryan Tollofson.There will be a PrideHouse presence at other Games sites such as Nathan Phillips Square and the CNE grounds, with 16 ambassadors from across Ontario, who have been trained to be able to address questions about the importance of inclusion in sport.There has never been a PrideHouse at a Pan Am Games, Tollofson said. Eleven Pan American countries still criminalize LGBTQ activity, PrideHouse Toronto said.We want to set an example for what inclusion in sport can be, Tollofson said. Were very fortunate in Canada to have a country where we have a lot of rights and protections as gay folks, as LGBTQ people, and so we want to be able to demonstrate that to the world. The main goal of PrideHouse is to make the Pan Am Games the most inclusive multi-sport Games in history.Burley competed for Canada at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and then the 1999 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, retiring that same year.The former gymnast said that while Canada is an international leader in LGBTQ rights, sports still remains behind other areas of society in terms of inclusion.You can see that from all the media that comes from every athlete that comes out, beginning with (NBA player) Jason Collins right through to Michael Sam (the first publicly gay athlete to be drafted into the NFL) and some of the other athletes, Burley said.Torontos PrideHouse for the Pan Am Games, he said, isnt about a bricks-and-mortar building where people say OK, thats where the gays are going to participate in the Games.Its also about including Toronto communities, as well as encouraging the LGBTQ community to participate fully in the Games.Were not quite there yet in sport, I think were a little bit behind, Burley said. But this is a good step in the right direction, and it sets a good precedent and Im hoping that future organizing committees with all adopt the same thing, and it will just be standard that the LGBTQ component and diversity in general gets incorporated as part of every Games going forward.The Pan Am Games are July 10-26, while the Parapan Am Games are Aug. 7-15. James Neal Jersey . -- Thirty years ago, the Detroit Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in triple overtime, a game that remains the highest scoring in NBA history. Matthew Tkachuk Jersey . Liriano pitched in and out of trouble in his duel with Josh Beckett, and Ike Davis homered to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 Friday night. http://www.jerseyofficialhockeyflames.com/gary-roberts-hockey-jersey/ .Those stars, most notably the top line of James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel, struggled against the Montreal Canadiens and must be better as the Leafs look ahead to facing the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers this weekend. Joe Nieuwendyk Jersey . -- Jay Haas and Peter Jacobsen took the second-round lead Saturday in the Champions Tours Legends of Golf, teaming for a 6-under 48 in windy conditions on the par-3 Top of the Rock course. Doug Gilmour Jersey . INJURIES - Reds RF Jay Bruce is facing knee surgery for a torn meniscus and it could cost him a month of playing time. Chris Heisey, who has shown some pop (43 home runs, .PITTSBURGH – Sergio Santos arrived at PNC Park on Saturday afternoon and met with manager John Gibbons, who delivered the news everyone was expecting he would. "Were moving Sergio out of that role," said Gibbons of the closers spot, less than 24 hours after Santos blew his second save of the road trip and third of the season. Until Casey Janssen returns, Gibbons will go with closer-by-committee. "It could be Loup," said Gibbons. "It could be Cecil. Over the next few days it could be any of those guys." The change is necessary and while fans arent about to take pity on a multi-million dollar athlete, Santos struggles are a reminder of the human element of sports. There he was on Friday night, having blown a two-run, ninth inning lead, hunched over at his locker, his head in his hands for what seemed like an eternity. Santos then stood up and addressed the media. Later, once the ballpark lights had dimmed and he was back in his hotel room, Santos sifted through the litany of text messages he gets after each appearance, good or bad. His wife had written him and so had his parents. One of Santos brothers, Gabe, chimed in. He got messages of support from aunts and uncles, too. Like the goal crease in hockey, the pitching mound can be a lonely island when things arent going well. Out on the road, its easy to get lost in your thoughts. "You go to the hotel and that night, the night of the game, its usually the hardest, you know what I mean, that whole night," said Santos. "I mean, you close your eyes and you cant help but think about it. You think about a million different scenarios, what you could have done different." The sun, as they say, always comes up the next day. "The second you wake up the very next day youre presented with, basically, a choice," said Santos. "You couldd either feel sorry for yourself and say poor me or you could use the next day as an opportunity to know that what happened last night is not who I am.dddddddddddd." Santos turned to an old teammate and friend for advice. He often plays the online game Words with Friends with Darren Oliver and on Friday night, Santos sent Oliver a message. He wanted to talk. Oliver invited Santos to call on Saturday morning. "He said, Ive been through this a million times. I was in the game for so long. You go through stretches where theyre rough and theyre ugly," said Santos. "He says, its up to you to put a stop to it. They can go on for the whole season or you can nip it in the bud, get that confidence back and go out and pitch." Santos need only look at his numbers for a stark reminder of how bad things have been. Hes taken two losses, has blown three saves and has posted an ERA of 10.61 with a WHIP of 2.250. He insists he wont dwell. "For me, my edge has always been my confidence," said Santos. "Even in the midst of the biggest adversity, confidence, I think, is the one thing thats such a useful tool. So to even lose that, and dont get me wrong doubt creeps into your mind all the time, you get there, youre going, "Crap, is it going to happen all over again today? Whats going to happen? But its so important to just push those thoughts out of your mind." Santos is powerless over his role in the bullpen. He cant disagree with Gibbons decision and he wont. All he can do is wait until Gibbons calls his name again. "My whole thing is to help this team win in any way I can," said Santos. "Whether right now thats me throwing in the seventh, eighth, okay so be it because I know when Im going good I can help this team win. More importantly, for this team to win, Ive got to get right." 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