Remembering the Bird

Mark Fidrych, the eccentric yet deeply loved former Detroit Tigers pitcher, died yesterday at the age of 54. He apparently was the victim of an accident which occurred while he was working on his truck on his farm in Massachusetts.

His life was tragically cut short, not unlike his major league baseball career. But what a career he had: one great season as American League Rookie of the Year in 1976 as he filled baseball stadiums throughout the land. He will always be remembered for grooming the mound and talking to the ball when he pitched. His nickname, the Bird, came from a minor league player who thought his then teammate resembled Big Bird from Sesame Street.

He made his mark on national television when he appeared on a Monday Night Baseball game on ABC. He mowed down the Yankees 5-1 and that night began getting his customary curtain calls as the crowds could not get enough of him. I was in many of those crowds, and I remember that game in particular clearly. I had the sound off the TV so I could listen to Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey do the play by play on radio, and Carey, returning from a commercial break at game's end, was astounded at the cheers for Fidrych coming from the stands, demanding he reappear on the field.

He was a magical personality at a magical time in my life. Rest in Peace, Bird.