Thought it'd be fun today to look back to a 10-year
old post from the blog, one of my first "nicknames of the 1970s" cards
created by yours truly, that a 1975 "Spaceman" Bill Lee specimen:
Fun card and series to start on for the blog!
Lee was "something else". A perfect product of the times a'la Bill Walton from the NBA.
He brought a lot of that "hippie"/counterculture attitude to the
game, which made him extremely popular with fans, but NOT with the
people running the game.
As a pitcher, Lee was a solid starter for the BoSox during the
mid-70's, winning 17 games a season three years in a row from 1973-75.
But his career would be someone derailed because of the very personality that made him popular.
His clashes with managers and management for both the Rex Sox and
the other team he played for, the Montreal Expos, would make him
expendable, eventually getting dumped by Montreal in 1982 because of a
one-game walk-out he staged over the team releasing
Rodney Scott.
He'd never play in another Major League game again.
His post-baseball days have been incredibly productive, as Lee has
authored books, played semi-professionally, barnstormed, and even
released his own wine, "Spaceman Red"!
He's even STILL active PLAYING ball at the ripe old age of 67!
The man is the definition of "character"!
If you're into professional athletes with a lot to say, do yourself
a favor and read any of his books! Hilarious and insightful on
pro-sports from a free-spirit perspective.
For his Major League career, Lee finished his 14-year run with a
119-90 record, with a 3.62 earned run average over 416 games, 225 of
which were starts.