Lovely day for a baseball diary!
So a former Red Sox All-Star pitcher has activated from the fringes in 2016. But instead of bilking the tax payer's of Rhode Island, the guy I’m talking about settled in Vermont to farm. Bill Lee pitched for the Red Sox and Montreal Expos in the 70s and 80s, and decided to land, as he has put it, halfway between his two favorite bars. Aside from baseball and farming, Lee is also an author and subject of both documentary and dramatic films. As a player, he gained union experience as a player rep, explaining
I’m responsible for more millionaires than anybody in the state of Vermont, by taking the money from the billionaires and dividing it up amongst all the players. Because they’re all making a million now.
I must say after interviewing him, it is a rare politician, let alone ballplayer, who can discuss leukocyte levels, Alan Chadwick’s hexagonal double-digging farming technique, harnessing the Bay of Fundy tidal power, and the environmental disaster at Lake Megantic .
Not only does his knowledge of ecology and energy inform his politics, but also his 6 year Army reserve career.
I was the last Red Sock that was almost drafted.. And I was cursed by having to process all the dead bodies from New England...
and I had to say “you can come get whatever’s left of your son”
And as Chemical Radiation Biological Officer for the 1173rd, he helped make a change.
I’m actually responsible for annual training. I changed it from summer camp, Which the Army used to do, and we called it annual training, because I made my living in the summer, so I did all my military work in the winter.
Lee’s pride is evident as he explains that he was Soldier of the Cycle at Fort Polk Louisiana.
His discussion of the future of farming in Vermont takes into account the reality of a warming planet.
We do not get that 15 days in 88 we got where it was 40 below. I haven’t seen that since I’ve been here. That could have been the last gasp of real winter
And look how he uses a fairly typical “protect our brand” argument:
The Vermont brand is golden. When you put Vermont on something you can slap 10% more on it just because it’s ‘they say it’s from Vermont.’ They know it’s good, they know it’s clean. So we’ve got to do that and maintain that market by cleaning up our waterways, cleaning up our streams, getting rid of the big cow farms
“Getting rid of the big cow farms” is not a proposal you tend to hear from VT politicians. Let’s just say he doesn’t poll test his responses.
His advice for retirees?
Don’t go to Florida— it’s a trap. Especially if you’re a hard working farmer, because there really is nothing to do down there.
His opinion of his Boomer Generation?
We were the Worst Generation. We were worst because they fed us on time, they put us on the potty on time, and we were all regular, and was all bubbly fat… Every time I look in the mirror I see what a squanderer I am. I was bought into this thing.
And then he kicks into an epic rant on 20th century history that ends with
What would the planet be like if we were a peaceful race?… Maybe we’d all be like Canadians, the nicest people on Earth.
At which point, Lee shares his experience with the Canadian health care system:
I get all my implants at half price. I get my shoulder surgery, I got the big zipper here for my rotator cuff. For $5000. It would have been 50-75 thousand down here.
What are they doing right?
They actually tax their people properly and they get it back and they have all these sin taxes on food and everything and all that goes to their medical and stuff and people are healthy, people are happy… Our workforce isnt happy because of a bunch of Republicans with a bunch of short arms and deep pockets... And they go like this all day “We’re not gonna do it, we’re not gonna pay for it.” You gotta pay for it or eventually there’s going to be a revolution.
With widespread dissatisfaction with Gov. Shumlin’s (D) inability to enact single-payer health care as promised, and an affable stock car racing Republican candidate in Phil Scott, this race initially looked like an uphill slog for Sue Minter (D), former Secretary of Transportation. So Lee’s 3rd party foray into the race did not look like it would have an upsetting effect. But a VPR poll in mid-October found a dead heat, Scott 38%, Minter 37%, with Lee at 2%. Two weeks later, local TV station WCAX showed a race more in keeping with original expectations, 47% Scott, 40% Minter, 4% Lee.
Lee made clear he does not want to be a spoiler in this race, so stay tuned to see if he thinks the race is close enough to throw his support to Minter in the late innings here.