02-24-2007, 10:58 AM
Back in the early 80's my dad brought me a book from the library titled "The Wrong Stuff. Such began my 23 plus year fascination with the Spaceman. It's a sad fact that a picture of the spaceman hangs in my livingroom next to pictures of my kids and family. If you're a sox fan and haven't read the book do check it out as it's back in print again for the first time in 15 or so years. There is also a sequel to the Lally authored book Have Glove Will Travel which follow's Bill's career after being blacklisted from the game for standing up for a teammate.
Well the point here is that a documentary was filmed during the writing of this book and is now out on dvd detailing Lee's barnstorming across Cuba. Definately a must see with great footage, interviews with Freddy Lynn, El Tiante (where do you find his cigars by the way?), and Bernie Carbo amongst others, as well as the quintessential Spaceman quotes.
http://spacemanincuba.com/
He also penned the Little Red Sox box by Chairman Lee depicting the alternate history of the Red Sox where so many of the tragedies do not befall the organization. A fun read.
In an era where baseball has become perverted by Alex Loves Derek and what's in Barry's Blood Stream it's refreshing to see the game presented the way it should be played.
And some of my favorite Bill Lee quotes:
Well the point here is that a documentary was filmed during the writing of this book and is now out on dvd detailing Lee's barnstorming across Cuba. Definately a must see with great footage, interviews with Freddy Lynn, El Tiante (where do you find his cigars by the way?), and Bernie Carbo amongst others, as well as the quintessential Spaceman quotes.
http://spacemanincuba.com/
He also penned the Little Red Sox box by Chairman Lee depicting the alternate history of the Red Sox where so many of the tragedies do not befall the organization. A fun read.
In an era where baseball has become perverted by Alex Loves Derek and what's in Barry's Blood Stream it's refreshing to see the game presented the way it should be played.
And some of my favorite Bill Lee quotes:
"Do they leave it (Fenway's Green Monster) there during the game?"
"Hell, if KY jelly went off the market, the whole California Angels pitching staff would be out of baseball."
"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."
"I think about the cosmic snowball theory. A few million years from now the sun will burn out and lose its gravitational pull. The earth will turn into a giant snowball and be hurled through space. When that happens it won't matter if I get this guy out."
"I would change policy, bring back natural grass and nickel beer. Baseball is the belly-button of our society. Straighten out baseball, and you straighten out the rest of the world."
"Most of the managers are lifetime .220 hitters. For years pitchers have been getting these managers out 75% of the time and that's why they don't like us."
"People are too hung up on winning. I can get off on a really good helmet throw."
"That was real baseball. We weren't playing for money. They gave us Mickey Mouse watches that ran backwards."
"The designated gerbil (nickname given to Don Zimmer)"
"The only rule I got is if you slide, get up."
"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."
"There's nothing in the world like the fatalism of the Red Sox fans, which has been bred into them for generations by that little green ballpark, and the wall, and by a team that keeps trying to win by hitting everything out of sight and just out-bombarding everyone else in the league. All this makes Boston fans a little crazy and I'm sorry for them."
"You have two hemispheres in your brain - a left and a right side. The left side controls the right side of your body and right controls the left half. It's a fact. Therefore, left-handers are the only people in their right minds."
"You should enter a ballpark the way you enter a church."
"You take a team with twenty-five assholes and I'll show you a pennant. I'll show you the New York Yankees."
