RIP - Mark Fidrych

Mark "The Bird" Fidrych

b. : 14 August 1954

d. : 13 April 2009

. Mark Fidrych was an instant sensation when he earned a spot in the woeful Detroit Tigers pitching rotation at the start of 1976. He went 19-9 that year, was Rookie-of-the-Year, and even started the 1976 All Star game. . Most importantly, he filled the stands whenever he pitched. People came in droves to watch him talk to himself, talk to the baseball, and do extensive landscaping on the pitcher's mound at the start of innings. . Alas, a leg injury, followed by a torn rotator cuff essentially derailed his career the next year. He hung around until 1980, but finished with a 29-19 record. . On Monday, they found him on his farm, under a dump truck that he apparently was working on. In an era where sports stars are pampered prima donnas with insufferable attitudes and/or multiple arrests, Mark Fidrych was a down-to-earth, overgrown kid who loved his brief time in the majors. Sadly, I couldn't find any decent YouTube videos of his on-the-field antics. I have a feeling some will be posted soon. . Oh yeah, they called him "The Bird" because of the uncanny resemblance he had to Sesame Street's "Big Bird". Here's to you, Mark Fidrych, the most famous 29-19 pitcher ever. You can be imitated by others, but never duplicated.