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Saturday, May 18, 2012
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"Spaceman" Bill Lee pitches
his wine at Lees!
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"Spaceman" Bill Lee
pitches his wine at Lees! Hall of Famer conducts a clinic,
touts the benefits of wooden bats, and shares his side-splitting stories with
adoring fans. Oh, and he also sold a bottle or two of his award-winning Californian
cabernet. EverythingWestport.com Saturday, May 18, 2012 View YouTube video of "Spaceman"
Bill Lee at Lees Market! Click here to view the hi-resolution photo album. Need Adobe
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here!
In the 1970s, Red Sox pitcher Bill
Lee aka,
"Spaceman" became a folk hero to the Fenway faithful. He lived in a
world like no other; where competitive fire, Tibetan Buddhism, slapstick
comedy, social activism, and counter-cultural medication co-existed in
relative harmony. He was inducted
into the Hall of fame in November, 2008. Inset: Lee graciously
signed bats, balls and gloves for fans of all ages at his Saturday morning
clinic. More often than not a story went along with the autograph. Lacking a good fastball,
Lee developed off-speed pitches, including a variation of the Eephus pitch. The Leephus pitch
or Space Ball, the names for Lee's take on the eephus
pitch, follows a high, arcing trajectory and is very slow. This past Saturday the Vermont native
hawked his wine and brand of social awareness at Lees Market to fans young
and old alike. And his fans were lined up to meet
him. Ray Jardin
of Somerset, now confined to a wheelchair, remembers the Spaceman from many
years ago when he went to a Toronto Blues Jays game at Fenway. "I was standing at the curb,"
Jardin said. "I was on crutches back then, and
I had a hard time getting between two parked cars and up the curb. Suddenly
two strong hands lifted me up and over the curb. I turned around and there
was the Spaceman, smiling at me." Clutching the two Red Sox tickets
from that day, autographed by Bill Lee, Jardin was
looking to once again meet the bigger-than-life sportsman who had lent him a
helping hand.
Left: Ray Jardin of Somerset meets
his one-time good Samaritan at the Lees wine tasting and bottle signing. Right:
long time fan, 98-year-old Westporter, Frank Skammels, was unable to come into Lees Market and was met
by the Spaceman at his car window. The two shared some quiet thoughts
together. "I was given the number 37
because Jimmy Piersall (also number 37) was crazy.
So I go out with Jimmy Piersall and he says, you
know Bill, you're crazy. I have papers that say I'm cured!" -
"Spaceman" Bill Lee This
tasting came about because Lees started selling Spaceman Red last fall, and on
a random Tuesday afternoon, Bill Lee came into Lees to thank them for
carrying his wine. In the short time he was at Lees, he made many friends and
chatted with fans that had spotted him walking through the store and were
quite excited to meet him. "Spaceman Red" wine, a California syrah, is a cabernet and
petite sirah blend, produced with winemaker friend
Geoff Whitman, and distributed in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine
& New Hampshire. "His
presence created quite a stir and as we got to talking, we knew that he would
be a great fit for a wine tasting at Lees," store owner Al Lees said.. "You can get two bottles of this
(Spaceman Red) and then three (other) bottles at Lees Market to kill the
taste!" - "Spaceman"
Bill Lee.
Above: Lee showed good form in signing autographs
for the kids, throwing and batting, and of course pitching his wine at Lees
market!
Left: Sheri Boyle of Westport gets her autographed bottles
of Spaceman Red. Right: fans were lined up to meet Bill Lee and buy a bottle or
two of his award-winning Californian red.
Bill Lee sold his autographed bats,
made in Fall River with wood harvested from his Vermont farm. The wooden baseball bats,
designed by Mr. Lee, are manufactured by Axis Sports LLC, 390 Airport
Road, Fall River. This clinic was more about fundamentals, plus learning how to use a
wooden bat as opposed to a metal one which is very crucial for kids if they
go anywhere with baseball or even softball, according to the Spaceman. There was no
charge for the baseball clinic and the wine tasting. And all profits
collected by Lees Market and Bill Lee's wine distributer, Horizon Beverage of
Avon, were donated to the Westport boys little league, and the girls softball
league. That's just the
kind of men the Lees are. - - - - - End - - - - - ©
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