The Bird Is Dead

**ggores** · April-14-09, 07:01 PM

He come from nowhere and became a local, and then a worldwide, superstar. He had a mean-ass slider with fastball appearnaces, confounding most Major League batters. His injury problems were, and are still today, perplexing. Fidrych represented the last of a generation of complete-game pitchers, and is probably a significant reason why we now have to contend with the dull and boring "pitch count".

That brief time in Tiger Baseball history has been well documented here, and to me, those summer days still remain unchanged - thanks to his nutty antics on and off the mound, and the way in which the fans reacted to him. Mark Fidrych made baseball FUN to watch. He must have went straight to Heaven.

**kathinozarks** · April-14-09, 07:27 PM

What a loss for his family and friends. He should have been around for another 40 years.

My bedroom walls were plastered with newspaper pictures of Mark in 1976. I lurved him! An original. God Bless you Mark.

**Hamtragedy** · April-14-09, 09:53 PM

Aside from blowing his arm out, I read somewhere, years ago, that he was goofing around w/ a teammate in early 77 shagging flies [[playing 500, where fly balls are worth 100 pts, grounders 50 or less, often involves pushing someone out of the way to catch fly balls) out in right center, and tripped over the 4" cast iron stack, [[an inverted P-trap, of sorts) that used to stick out of the warning track. It wrenched his knee, which threw off his motion, and along with 250 innings, blew his shoulder. He didn't want to tell the manager [[was it Ralph Houk?) cuz he thought he would get in trouble for horsing around.

I'll never forget him swatting at bees with his mitt and running away from them while on the mound.

**Whaler** · April-14-09, 10:07 PM

I was sitting at a cafe in Puerto Rico..1976. [[Navy)..Monday Night Baseball was on..I watched that whole game..The Bird really was Detroit..RIP...Peace

**SMRJim** · April-15-09, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by Hamtragedy

Aside from blowing his arm out, I read somewhere, years ago, that he was goofing around w/ a teammate in early 77 shagging flies [[playing 500, where fly balls are worth 100 pts, grounders 50 or less, ... It wrenched his knee, which threw off his motion...

I remember him saying in an interview that he didn't think his problems came from all the innings in 76, but from the knee injury. He missed a lot of 77 because of knee suregery. He came back too soon afterward and it affected his delivery, which in turn screwed up his shoulder.

500 - used to play it all the time up at Cook Park. If we couldn't get enough guys for a game, some of us would often end up playing 500. Our scoring system was 100 for catching a flyball, 75 for one bounce, 50 for 2 bounces, 25 for anything else. Whoever got to 500 was the next batter. Many an argument in those games!

**BigSistertoJohnR** · April-15-09, 10:02 AM

Originally Posted by cheddar bob

Former Tigers Pitcher Mark Fidrych found dead under his truck.
RIP

How sad. I remember the good old days of Mark Fidrych. What fun he brought to the Tigers!

**smogboy** · April-15-09, 11:41 AM

He truly was a breath of fresh air to the old game back then.

Maybe I had gotten jaded by the mechanical workmanship of guys like Mickey Lolich growing up, but Mark Fidrych brought some youthful enthusiasm back in that one season. He transcended the game by reminding us how it was still a game to be played by people young at heart.

He will be missed.