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NEW YORK -- Billy Bean has come full circle, throwing out the first pitch for the first Mets Pride Night on Saturday against his former San Diego team.Bean came out as gay after he left the Padres in 1995. Now hes Major League Baseballs vice president for social responsibility and inclusion. In the past two years, hes talked to all 30 MLB ownership groups, various teams and players about struggling with his sexuality during his career and gay and lesbian inclusion in the workplace.The message is everyone is welcome that walks through the turnstiles to watch us play baseball, Bean said. The LGBT community is part of every community.Mets general manager Sandy Alderson approached Bean after he heard him speak to GMs in 2014. Since then, the former outfielder who had a six-year career with Detroit, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Padres has participated in spring training, spoken with players and thrown batting practice. Hes helped former teammate and Mets coach Tommy Goodwin with the outfielders.(Alderson) wanted them to know about me, said Bean, who grew up in Santa Ana, California. My dad is a Marine Corps veteran, like Sandy. I grew up in a big family, very conservative. Lot of things that were explanations of why I chose to leave baseball as opposed to talk about what was going on with me.The Mets are among 10 teams hosting Pride Nights this season, and the first among the four New York mens major pro sports to host the theme night. A portion of ticket sales will go to the LGBT Network, which promotes anti-bullying programs in the New York area.Here are some things to know about Bean, who also talks to people in the front office, instructional leagues and minor leagues.---LIFE SKILLS: Bean says his job is to help younger players from all backgrounds and cultures understand workplace expectations. A lot of people forget our players are 19, 20, 21 years old, he said. Theyre world class baseball players, and they havent had time to learn all the ways of the world. We really prioritize messaging on life skills, domestic violence awareness and counseling about relationships. The inclusive conversation is a wonderful part of that comprehensive message.Bean says the comments in the clubhouse that everybodys been hearing for the last 500 years will take time and education to reduce. It was acceptable to be disparaging. When guys are ragging other guys, they feminize them. The comments were sexist as much as they were homophobic.---TOUGH LESSONS: Bean says he quit baseball without talking to one person about why. I had never come out to my family, I was living a very secretive, dark life, he said. My partner died of HIV-related causes on the eve of what was my last season.Brad Ausmus, the current Detroit Tigers manager, was Beans teammate and friend. He says Ausmus and his wife talk about how things might have changed if I just would have told him. He would have said, `Dont stop playing or just tell your parents or dont tell your parents, just talk to us.I didnt realize there was a place for me in this world, and I didnt even trust the people that loved me the most -- my own family.Alderson was part of the Oakland organization when Glenn Burke, the first MLB player to publicly acknowledge he was gay, played for the Dodgers (1976-78) and Athletics (1978-79). Burke left the majors after receiving little playing time with the As. He died at 42 of complications from AIDS in 1995.---PROGRESS: Milwaukee Brewers minor league first baseman David Denson became the first active player in affiliated professional baseball to come out in August 2015. Bean sa