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Way back in February of 1992, your humble
Editor-In-Chief was privileged to take part in a Red Sox fantasy camp—in fact, it was (charitably) the
last one to take place at Winter Haven, Florida. The legendary
Jerry Remy was my team manager—and
Jose Santiago was the equivalent of what would now be called the 'bench coach'. One day, a fellow camper and I were shagging fly balls in the general vicinity of
Bill 'Spaceman' Lee. I made a bet with my buddy that Lee was supporting California Governor
Jerry Brown for President that year (by the way, the very
same Mr. Brown is Governor of California
today). We sidled up to Lee and popped the question.
"Jerry Brown, of course" shouted Lee. My five bucks were in the bank. I tell this story to refer to Lee's
current opinion about pitching on Patriots' Day in Boston. Said Lee of the traditional 11AM start,
"It was just a pain in the ass. It’s Boston multi-tasking. Pitching that damn morning game is the toughest thing you can do in your life. We used to draw straws, and if I got it, it was like getting the black spot in Treasure Island — it means you were the next pirate to die." If he
wasn't pitching, legend has it that Lee would sneak out of Fenway and run to the nearby Eliot Lounge for a beer to catch the end of the Marathon. Then he'd head back to the park. Spaceman—you gotta love him.
