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July 12, 2006 'Spaceman' a friend to sea creatures By AARON GOUVEIA Bill Lee, the former Red Sox pitcher nicknamed for his bizarre antics on and off the field, was in town yesterday to visit recovering sea turtles at the National Marine Life Center.
Lee was auctioned off as a golf date for $1,500 as part of a January fundraiser that garnered $12,000 for the center. But until yesterday he had not had a chance to see the facility, so he spent an hour learning about the center, and the recovering turtles, which will be released into the ocean next month. Along with his wife, Diana, and 12-year-old daughter, Anna, the former lefty hurler spoke to marine life center employees and members of the Cape Cod Stranding Network, which shares a building with the center. Lee, 59, endeared himself to Boston fans by remaining outspoken on almost every topic imaginable, including protecting the environment. Yesterday, he even tried to solve the problem of whales becoming stranded on beaches. ''I know why they get stranded,'' Lee told a room full of marine life center employees. ''Because as they come through Nantucket Sound they get a whiff of the garbage that is New York so they just head to the Cape.'' Lee is revered in Red Sox Nation for his dislike of the Yankees, ever since a brawl between the two teams in 1976. Lee, who was pitching when the fight started, was tackled from behind by Graig Nettles and ended up with a separated shoulder. He never fully recovered from the injury. He was well-known for wearing an astronaut suit to a game in Milwaukee to protest air pollution, and he referred to his manager Don Zimmer as the ''designated gerbil.'' Even after his playing days ended in the early 1980s, Lee remained very visible. He ran for president in 1988 on the Rhinoceros Party ticket with the campaign slogan: ''No guns. No butter. Both can kill.'' Now living in Vermont, he volunteers his time and money to charities all over the country. He said the government is not doing enough to protect the environment, so he has taken it upon himself to do just that. ''My title is Emperor of the Planet Earth because it's only myself and about four other groups who are fit to run things.'' Kathryn A. Zagzebski, marine life center president and executive director, hopes Lee's efforts will spark an increase in donations for the center's $1 million expansion project, which is currently out to bid. The renovations will allow seawater to be piped directly from the canal into tanks where seals and sea turtles are rehabilitated. Seawater for the tanks is currently brought in by truck. Aaron Gouveia can be reached at agouveia@capecodonline.com.
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My title is the Emperor of the Planet Earth because it's only myself and about four other groups who are fit to run things.