Thanks for the post Bruce. The "Spaceman" will always have a special place in my heart. What a character and I did watch his documentary in Cuba.
A quick story from my youth. I was at a Red Sox game in late 1972 with my younger Sister and some other kids from the nieghborhood. I was 12 at the time and my Sister was 9. We were sitting behind the Sox pen about 8-10 rows up in the bleachers. Bill was out in the pen and it must have been a boring day because he was holding shop with all the fans. Trading barbs, playing catch with the fans, he was a riot.
He was thinking up new ways to interact with the fans as the innings passed and he started making bubble gum balls from a stash of gum in the pen and drop kicking them into the stands. He was getting pretty good at it and then one of his kicks zinged my Sister right on the side of her head. Remember she was 9 but she was okay and amused. Bill made sure she was okay and then gave her an autographed ball with all the bullpen guys. Me and my Sister still recount that game to this day and she still has the ball from Bill.
And Bill will always be remembered fondly by me for forming the "Loyal Order of Buffalo Heads" in 1977 with teammates Fergie Jenkins, Rick Wise, Jim Willoughby and Bernie Carbo. The group was formed in defiance of Manager Don Zimmer and his perceived handling of the picthing staff that year. A Buffalo is generally considered to be the dumbest animal in creation. Good stuff!
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