As a sophomore at the University of Washington, Scott Somers managed a radio station, where he encountered commitment issues with one of the disc jockeys he had hired.
Levi Thomas, the DJ, wanted to go to the school's football game on a Saturday instead of working—and when Somers decided he wasn't going to put him on the schedule for the next quarter, Thomas decided he didn't want to DJ anymore.
"To this day, we joke that I almost had to fire him," Somers said.
After all, the two were, and still are, the best of friends. They talk almost daily about their beloved Seattle Mariners; they play racquetball together; they also play on the same softball team in the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association ( CMSA ) .
Somers is gay; Thomas is straight.
Thomas was one of the first people Somers came out to in 2005, when he sent Thomas an email clarifying his sexual orientation.
"Levi was shocked; he had no idea [ that I was gay, ] but couldn't care less. It really was anticlimatic," said Somers, who admits he was nervous before hitting "send" on that evening email to Thomas. "Levi is just a good person and one of the best friends I've ever had. In 50 years, Levi and I will still be friends."
Somers plays outfield on his C3-Division softball team; Thomas usually plays third base, "and is one of the best players on the team," Somers said.
Somers also is the C3 team's co-coach.
Baseball is Somers' passion. He has a white Seattle Mariners jacket, his favorite team. He has a black replica jersey of Hanley Ramirez, one of his two favorite players ( along with Albert Pujols ) . Somers also plays fantasy baseball and one of his summertime passions is traveling to different major league stadiums.
Photos Ross Forman
THE STATS
Name: Scott Somers
Age: 28
Relationship status: Dating
All-time favorite movie: The Wizard of Oz
Hobbies: Video games and bicycling
Sports: Plays softball and kickball
Favorite Chicago restaurant: Moto
Pets: One dog named Hunter
Facebook or Twitter: Facebook, which he joined two years ago, "after refusing to do it for the longest time."
Techie: "I'm an under-educated tech person. I always want the newest and latest tech item, but I don't always use [ those items ] to the degree I [ initially ] show."
