![]() ![]() Still one of my baseball heroes along with Mark “the Bird” Fydrich, Coot Veal and Virgil Trucks. And if I recall correctly, he was wearing a full space suit and sporting a beanie ‘copter. The cover of my edition had Bill on the mound in a wind-up. (There were no “winners.) Not exactly baseball history, but Bill had his own irreverent style. His comments about Dennis Eckersley’s strange, half-muttered expressions (“Beans in the kitchen” being a “hot pitch”) are a hoot as is the tale of a locker room ritual of seeing who’s could down a gallon of milk and not throw up. Lee’s “style“ in this book is fairly breezy, but there are some serious moments and biting observations. Those of us who remember Bill Lee’s “moon ball” (that was his signature pitch) performance in the 1975 World Series, know that Lee was a great left-hander who was treated like crap by Don Zimmer and the Red Sox management before they “airlocked” him to the Montreal Expos. “The Wrong Stuff” by Bill “Spaceman” Lee is a great baseball tell-all by a truly “different” duck. I had completely forgotten this book until I saw somebody had read “the right stuff“ about the astronauts. Profane, profound, and quixotic, every word of this memoir breathes a deep reverence for the Game, as well as a good natured bemusement at the follies of those who run it. To me, Lee is the anti-Curt Schilling where Schilling is always eager to trumpet his support of God and George Bush, Lee is always there to stand up for the underdog. After staging a one man protest when the Expos released Rodney Scott, Lee found himself out of professional Baseball. This despite the fact that their archnemesis New York Yankees have always boasted lineups heavily weighted towards lefties, and that three of their own best four hitters (Ted Williams, Manny Ramirez, Yaz, and Wade Boggs: this list doesn't take Babe Ruth into account, although he was a pretty fair left-handed starter in his own right) batted from the left side.įrom 1973-1975, Lee posted consecutive 17 win seasons after staging a one man protest when Sox brass sold Bernie Carbo, Lee was sold to Montreal. Since opening Fenway in 1912, the Boston Red Sox have displayed a remarkably cavalier attitude towards developing and holding onto left-handed starters, frittering away such talents as John Tudor, Bruce Hurst, and the inimitable Bill Lee. I always play to win, when it comes to skin and bone.Īnd sometimes I say things I shouldn't, like." When I'm standing in the middle of the diamond all alone: "You're supposed to sit on your ass and nod at stupid things He spares no detail while recalling his infamous falling-out with Red Sox management that led to his trade to Montreal.įull of irreverent wit, and an inherent love of the game, The Wrong Stuff is a sports classic for a new generation. ![]() Lee also describes his minor league days, joining the Reserves during the Vietnam War, his time with the Red Sox, and the 1975 World Series. In this wildly funny memoir that became a massive bestseller in the United States and Canada when it was first published, Lee recounts the colorful story of his life-from the drugged-out antics of his college days at USC (where he learned that “marijuana never hammered me like a good Camel”) to his post–World Series travels with a group of liberal long-distance runners through Red China (where he discovered that conservatives don’t like marathons because “it’s much easier to climb into a Rolls-Royce”). Add to the mix his affinity for Eastern religions and controversial causes, and you can see why Lee infuriated the establishment while entertaining his legion of fans. Whether walking out on the Montreal Expos to protest the release of a valued teammate or telling sportswriters eager for candid and offbeat comments more about the game than his bosses wanted anyone to know, pitcher Bill “Spaceman” Lee became celebrated as much for his rebellious personality as for his remarkable talent. The return of a sports classic with a new foreword by the authorįinally back in print after many years, here is Bill Lee’s classic tale of his renegade life on and off the mound. ![]()
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