Bill "Spaceman" Lee is running for Governor of Vermont

[cali]

Fringe candidates for public office often come out of Left Field.

But this year, the best nationally-known name on the lineup of candidates for governor comes out of the bullpen.

Former Red Sox and Expos pitcher Bill "Spaceman" Lee pitched with guts and guile, giving out-of-this-world interviews on the game and world politics.

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Lee famously quipped that marijuana sprinkled on his pancakes immunized him from Boston bus fumes as he jogged to Fenway Park during his nine years with the club.

He argues for legalization and taxation of pot in Vermont, along with single-payer health care, paid family leave and bringing the Expos back to Montreal.

In 1988 he ran for president under the Canadian Rhinoceros Party which touted positions like bulldozing the Rocky Mountains so that Alberta could receive a few extra minutes of daylight and a ban on deadly guns and butter.

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"If things don't go our way, if we get Trump as president, I'm out of here and I'll take Vermont with us," said Lee.

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http://www.wcax.com/story/32043285/vermonts-most-famous-former-baseball-players-pitch-for-governor

[BeyondGeography]

1. Famous in my town for getting his ass kicked by Graig Nettles

"What are you gonna do, punch me?" Sometimes it's better not to ask.

Great pitcher though. The only way we could beat him was to put him on the DL. Not so sure about his governating skills.

[dragonfly301]

4. Nettles fought dirty n/t

[cali]

5. Oh he's a complete and delightful nut.

The debates will be hilarious.

https://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=rOEVmwFCYtQ

[BeyondGeography]

7. Here's a highlight from Burns/Baseball...note the cap, too

[cali]

8. That was fascinating. Thanks. Gotta love the guy

[cali]

6. I should have posted this in sports

[dragonfly301]

2. I became a Red Sox fan when I was 9 in 1966

after one look at Tony Conigliaro, I was smitten. Bill Lee was favorite pitcher though his eephus pitch used to give me heart palpitations during the glory year of 1975. Go Spaceman!

[Scuba]

3. The world needs more Bill Lees.

[cali]

10. There's an upcoming movie about him with Josh Duhamel playing Lee

Radio Row Josh Duhamel Learned Eephus Pitch From Bill Lee During ‘Spaceman’ Movie by NESN Staff on Wed, Feb 3, 2016 at 9:39PM1,022 Share this: SAN FRANCISCO — Bill Lee graced the Fenway Park mound like no other pitcher ever has, and now his story is being told in an upcoming film, “Spaceman,” in which the eccentric former Boston Red Sox left-hander is played by Josh Duhamel, eephus pitches and all.

“Bill actually taught me how to throw an eephus, believe it or not,” Duhamel told NESN.com’s Michaela Vernava on Wednesday on Super Bowl Radio Row. “He came to the set the last day we were shooting. … And literally, you know, it’s about getting it high and getting this topspin on it. And after a few tries, I started getting it. And then we did some BP, and I just love the guy. I loved what he stood for.”

Lee went 114-90 with a 3.62 ERA in 14 major league seasons with the Red Sox (1969-78) and Montreal Expos (1978-82). And while his personal beliefs and clashes with management and media led Lee to be drummed out of the game, Duhamel grew great respect for the now-69-year-old. “He owns the room when he’s here, so it’s sort of a challenge to embody someone like that in a movie,” Duhamel said, “because he is so charismatic, and he’s incredibly smart, and I’m not either one of those things. So I had to do my best acting work of my life. “He was gracious enough to let us tell a story — and not tell a story that always paints him in the perfect picture, because he’d be the first one to admit that he made a lot of mistakes.”

Read more at: http://nesn.com/2016/02/josh-duhamel-learned-eephus-pitch-from-bill-lee-during-spaceman-movie/

[Scuba]

14. Sounds great, can't wait for it to not play in my town.

[annabanana]

9. I'm in..

Where's his Act Blue page?

[MADem]

11. He's not running as a Dem....

"I'm a pragmatic, conservative, forward thinker," said Lee, Liberty Union candidate for governor.

[cali]

12. You don't get Vermont. Let me explain

this is not a serious run. This is Bill being Bill and Vermont being Vermont. To say that we have always have a colorful cast or characters running for Governor is the simple truth. And they get to debate the serious candidates a few times on statewide TV.

It's just part of the political culture. And Bill is engaging in a some self promotion. There's a Hollywood movie bio pic starring Josh Duhamel coming out in August- just in time for the first debates.

It'll be fun.

[Bucky]

13. I just assumed he was dead by now.

Dude was crazy back when I was a kid.

Good on ya, Vermonters.

[cali]

15. Good grief no. He still plays and plays well

“I like competing against guys that still think they can hit me,’’ says Lee, as he exercises his rotator cuff for his upcoming start with the Burlington Cardinals in Mad River. “Guys half my age. I see these kids and I say, ‘don’t worry, grab a bat, I got your grandpa out, your Dad out, and now I’m going to get you out.’ ”

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https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/07/24/traveling-through-time-with-spaceman/jAxtkskOi313LarAv5gENL/story.html

[maveric]

16. He called his manager, Don Zimmer, a gerbil.

When traded to Montreal he complained that the ballpark in Montreal looked like a toilet bowl and he felt like the "Tidy Bowl" man. He's a treasure and hope that he wins.

[cali]

17. See post 12.

[Jim Lane]

18. No, Lee has more baseball knowledge than that.

He called Zimmer a designated gerbil.

[maveric]

19. I stand corrected.

[joeybee12]

20. "If things don't go our way, if we get Trump as president, I'm out of here and I'll take Vermont

with us."

Hard to argue with that.

[cali]

21. I don't know your age. I lived in Boston in the 70's and have

great memories of watching Lee pitch. Now he lives in the next town over.

[joeybee12]

25. I remember him very well...

He's out there but was always enjoyable to watch.

[redwitch]

22. Really looking forward to the film!

A most unusual man.

[cali]

23. I've had a mad crush on Lee for decades

[redwitch]

24. Yup, he's a hottie!

[cali]

26. This now getting a ton of very funny coverage

<snip>
Lee ran for president in 1988 under the banner of the Rhinoceros Party of Canada. He was unsuccessful. The country, he said, has finally caught up to his disdain for the establishment. Plus, he was recently inspired by Socrates.

“Socrates,” he repeated sagely. “In Republic, he was interviewed by Plato and the boys before he took hemlock. And he said, ‘The greatest disservice you can do your people is to not run for governor when required.’ So that’s basically why I’m doing it. These people want me.”

Lee is running under the banner of the obscure Liberty Union Party, best known as the party Bernie Sanders helped run in the early 1970s. Lee, like Sanders, describes himself as a socialist.

He also describes himself as a “liberal with a gun.” He also describes himself as a “pragmatic Rastafarian ex-Catholic.” He also describes himself as Sanders’s policy twin.


More
https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2016/05/25/bill-spaceman-lee-launches-run-for-vermont-governor.htm

Republicans are pterodactyls': Ex-Red Sox pitcher Bill ‘Spaceman’ Lee runs for governor of Vermont
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/05/25/republicans-are-pterodactyls-ex-red-sox-pitcher-bill-spaceman-lee-runs-for-governor-of-vermont/