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The Spaceman in ‘08?
Bill "The Spaceman" Lee is one of the most popular players in Boston Red Sox history.
Best known for his expertise as a left handed pitcher in the 1970s, Lee's personality – intelligent, articulate, hilarious and outspoken – earned him the nickname Spaceman.
"I'm mad at Hank (Aaron) for deciding to play one more season. I threw him his last home run and thought I'd be remembered forever. Now I'll have to throw him another."
Lee supported population control, Greenpeace, school busing and was openly critical of Red Sox management, especially manager Don Zimmer, who he dubbed “the designated gerbil.”
He once said: "You take a team with twenty-five assholes and I'll show you a pennant. I'll show you the New York Yankees."
He ate health food, practiced yoga, and claimed marijuana use made him impervious to bus fumes while jogging to work at Fenway Park. He told a reporter, "The other day they asked me about mandatory drug testing. I said I believed in drug testing a long time ago. All through the sixties I tested everything."
He sang Warren Zevon songs at times, and in an act of mutual admiration, Zevon recorded a song entitled “Bill Lee.”
Lee ended his baseball career in 1982 with the Montreal Expos, when he staged a one-game walkout as a protest over the decision to release second baseman and friend Rodney Scott.
Some believe Lee was then blackballed from Major League Baseball.
Now 60, the Spaceman lives on his farm in Vermont. He still plays baseball and he still has a lot to say.
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