Athletes - Bill Lee

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	Athletes - Bill Lee

Bill "The Spaceman" Lee (born December 28, 1946 in Burbank, California) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Boston Red Sox 1969-1979, and the Montreal Expos 1980-82. Lee is the author of three books: the autobiographical The Wrong Stuff and Have Glove, Will Travel, and The Little Red (Sox) Book: A Revisionist Red Sox History.

Bill Lee is best known for his expertise as a left handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in the 1970s and his view of the world.

Baseball Career

Born in Burbank, Lee was raised in Canoga Park and later in San Rafael, graduating from Terra Linda High School. He was a star pitcher at USC in the 1960s, and made the major leagues less than 18 months after he was drafted.

Though he was the first person in his family to play in the major leagues, several members had played professionally: his grandfather William Lee had been an infielder with the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League and his aunt Annabelle Lee was a pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

His repertoire included a heavy sinking fastball that ran down and away to right handed batters, a curveball which he threw at different speeds (including the famous "Leephus", a very slow blooper curve), and a hard screwball. Lee was never described as a hard thrower, and relied on changing speeds and location during his time as a major leaguer.

He was used in relief in the early part of his career, blossoming in 1973 with what was his best season, winning 17 games with a 2.95 ERA and making the All-Star team. He followed that with two more 17-win seasons in 1974 and 1975. Lee faded badly after an injury in late 1975, and Red Sox third-base coach Don Zimmer had to convince manager Darrell Johnson to use Lee in the series, ironic considering their later feud.

Lee pitched in two games in the 1975 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, producing quality starts in each game. Game 2 saw him master the Reds until a half-hour rain delay. NBC broadcaster Tony Kubek interviewed Reds superstar Johnny Bench in the clubhouse, and Bench commented that he would be looking for stuff low and away when he came up against Lee and driving it to the opposite field. That's exactly what happened, and the normally pull-happy Bench hit a double down the right field line, forcing Lee to leave the game. The Reds teed off on Boston closer Dick Drago, and the Reds won 3-2.

Lee was scheduled to pitch the legendary sixth game, but Johnson chose to go to ace Luis Tiant after the game was postponed due to rain. Instead, Lee started the 7th game.

Lee was dominant for five innings as the Red Sox ran up a 3-0 lead. In the sixth, with two outs and a man on, Lee attempted to throw the "Leephus" past Tony Perez. It had worked earlier in the game, but baseball's best curveball hitter saw it coming, and Perez hit a long home run over Fenway Park's left field wall to make a 3-2 game. (According to one spectator, Perez hit the ball so hard that the Boston outfielders didn't even bother to turn around and watch it fly into the stands.) Lee left with a blister soon after, and the Red Sox lost the game and the series 4-3.

Lee's career floundered after 1975. He was injured in a brawl with the Yankees in 1976, separating his shoulder after fighting with Graig Nettles. Whatever was left of Lee's once-good fastball disappeared after the injury, and he was forced to rely even more on breaking balls, only using his fastball judiciously when he needed strikes.

In 1978, Lee was at loggerheads with Red Sox manager Don Zimmer. Lee and Zimmer engaged in a public feud (going so far as to call Zimmer the "designated gerbil") over Zimmer's handling of the pitching staff. It was believed by Lee as well as the media, many other pitchers on the team, and the fans that Zimmer could not handle the staff, frequently demoting pitchers to the bullpen after one or two bad starts and often taking pitchers out too late, replacing them with sub-optimal relief pitchers. As well, Lee's countercultural beliefs (detailed below) and free spirit had clashed with Zimmer's old-school, conservative style. "The Buffalo Heads", a group of Red Sox players with similar lifestyles, had formed as a response to Zimmer, and Zimmer had convinced management to trade away "The Buffalo Heads", giving up talented players such as Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins and Bernie Carbo for little return. Lee was the last remaining member, and he knew it.

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Athletes - Bill Lee

Baseball Career

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