The Bird Is Dead

[Sludgedaddy]

Bobl, thank you for the clarification. I was almost sure it was Bill Lee who pitched the no hitter on acid.I must have been hangin' out with Jimi and Janis a little to long that night, but I'm almost positive Dr. Timothy Leary was coaching third base while the Fugs sang the National Anthem at that game.

You're also right, The Bird was truely high on that Grand Old Game. Unless Major League Baseball breaks the gender barrier with a female infielder, The Bird will stand unequaled in the annuals of Baseball showmanship and legend. Thanks again, Old Bean.

[Bobl]

S:
You neglected to mention Chas. Bukowski behind the plate, calling balls and strikes:
.
STRIKE!! F.U.
BALL!! A-Hole!
YEROUTT!! Dick

[Sludgedaddy]

...Bobl, and who could forget George Carlin announcing the play by play....."Here comes a High fast One".

[grumpyoldlady]

Did the truck fall on him? "found dead under the truck" leaves the kind of accident open. Whatever...how sad, and possibly preventable. I met him early one morning when he came to the WJBK-TV studios when he came in to tape a segment for a sports show. Looked like he'd just rolled out of bed with his hair going every which way, lol. Still he was very polite and funny to talk to while he waited in the lobby.

[luckycar]

This is really sad news.I was in the USAF based in Northern California in the summer of 76.A bunch of us S.E.Michigan guys went to see him pitch at Oakland on a Sat.The A's had gone from a world series winning great team,to a shell of a team in a few seasons.They couldn't draw flies.It was bat day that game,and combined with The Bird,there weren't many fans there.Very strange.The game may have been the NBC game of the week.I don't remember how he pitched or the score,I'll have to look it up.But it was exciting to watch him do his antics on the mound.
If I'm not mistaken,Jack Morris made the team as a replacement for Mark after one of his comebacks failed.78 or 79 ?

[Bloomfield Pills]

Truly a great loss for those who remember and love Detroit Baseball. Got to see The Bird pitch at the Corner back in the seventies. I remember some of Don Lobsinger's storm troopers handing out anti Coleman Young flyers stating: "A Breathe of Fresh Air has returned to Detroit with Mark Fydritch".

Players like The Bird and George Kell and their like showed much more class and love for the Game, unlike the multi-million dollar crybabies of today with their steroid enhancement. But , of course, let's not forget another drug enhanced performance when Bill "Spaceman" Lee pitched a no hitter while tripping on acid. There was joy in Mudville when the Mighty Casey Tripped Out.

RIP Mr. Fydritch

I agree with everything you said -- but it was Doc Ellis who pitched the no-no on acid, not Spaceman.

Although I'm sure Bill Lee dropped his share of acid himself.

[diver1369]

luckycar, Here's the box score for the only game the Bird pitched in Oakland in '76. The Bird pitched into the 12th inning but lost the game 2-1.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bo...97608290.shtml

[Gistok]

Incredibly sad. He looked fine in that recent interview. Spunky as usual.

As grumpyoldlady alluded to, 99 out of 100 times someone found dead under a stationary car is usually not dead via a medical condition... but usually gravity!

We'll have to wait for details...

[Zimm]

As grumpyoldlady alluded to, 99 out of 100 times someone found dead under a stationary car is usually not dead via a medical condition... but usually gravity!

We'll have to wait for details...

the person who discovered his body said that his death was caused by an accident with the vehicle [[probably being crushed.) FWIW, i believe that the vehicle was not merely a car, but a dump truck, as he owned a small trucking company.

[reddog289]

As a 7yr old kid back in 1976,"THE BIRD" quickly became my favorite and led me to want to watch baseball more then Seseme Street. Got to see most of the Monday Night Baseball game from July 28,1976 that was just shown on the MLB network. Never did catch the end of the game, But it got me thinking and talking about the Bird. In my 40 yrs I have heard the stories of why his arm went south, Yet I prefer to remember him and that season with me wearing my t-shirt with the "Bird is the word" iron on from the Detroit News and thinking "Hey maybe one day I can play for the Tigers." Thanks for the memories Bird may you rest in peace.

[EastsideAl]

What extremely sad and tragic news.

I remember being in a nearly empty Tiger Stadium on a bitterly cold early May day [[hot chocolate being sold in the stands instead of pop) when this tall young guy we'd never heard of was called out of the bullpen. The Tigers were getting blown out, as they did so often in those mid 70s years, and we were freezing, but my sister and I were in hysterics watching this guy get down on his hands and knees and smooth out the dirt on the mound and then stalk around talking to himself.

How strange then to return in the heat of August to a full stadium, alive with excitement, to watch that same gangly kid battle Gaylord Perry down to the last pitch of the game. A walk-off Willie Horton pinch hit home run, with Bird running out to greet him at home plate, got the old stadium as loud as I ever heard it -- even during the World Series 8 years later. The place was literally shaking on its foundations.

His time with us was far too short, and ended sadly, but Detroit and Detroiters spread all over the world never forgot him. He will always be loved by us and we will forever remember him in that tangle of youthful curls, standing in the middle of the whirlwind of our hope, talking calming words we could not hear...

[stnfrnt]

I'm a die hard Cubs fan, but I think anybody who loves baseball secretly rooted for 'The Bird" every time he pitched. I know I did. My condolences to his family and friends, and baseball and the great city of Detroit have lost a special kind of guy.

[firstandten]

Two things come to me about Bird, first was that great SI cover with Bird and Big Bird a truly remarkable cover. I remember watching him on TV making my day on a hot Saturday afternoon just freaking out about how goofy he was but man was he getting the job done and now he and Kell are gone. RIP

[phactreerat]

I can think of only one other pro athlete, that the fans of the opponents cheered for.
Barry Sanders.

[luckycar]

See how the mind slips after 33 years.It was a Sun. not a Sat.I couldn't remember who won,just that the Bird was pitching.Thanks for the memories Mark Fidrych.And thanks for the link diver1369,now my spare time will be spent looking up ballgames 30-40 years ago that I was at.RIP Mark The Bird .

luckycar, Here's the box score for the only game the Bird pitched in Oakland in '76. The Bird pitched into the 12th inning but lost the game 2-1.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bo...97608290.shtml

[jfree]

I was 10 in 1976, and watching Mark Fidrych pitch is one of my most distinct memories from that year. I was a huge baseball fan as a kid and I remember all of the attention on him. Does anyone remember the cutouts from the newspaper with the cartoon picture of him that you could iron on to your t-shirt?

[rjk]

Looking at that box score, it's amazing that a 12 inning game got done in 2:42.
In today's game it's surprising if a 9 inning game gets done in less than 3:00.
When The Bird got the ball he was ready to fling it.

[jackie5275]

I was 11 yrs old in 1976 and just becoming a Tigers fan. Mark Fidrych cemented my love for the Tigers. I remember during the brieft period in the 1977 season where he was healthy enough to pitch. My family was on vacation at Gettysburg doing the Civil War battlefield thing. My brothers & I heard on that Sunday during our trip that The Bird was going to pitch the next day on Monday Night Baseball against the Yankess. We made our dad drive home the next morning, stop at Tiger Stadium for tickets to that night's game, & went to the game later that night. It was the first Tiger game we had ever attended and to be in a crowd of 50K, watching The Bird beat the Yankees on Monday Night Baseball, was a thrilling event that I will remember my whole life.
As a kid back then, I never realized how much the Tigers were burning out his arm. It's too bad, but I guess it was greed to get the seats filled & to get some wins that were more important. He could've had a long awesome career.

[SMRJim]

But , of course, let's not forget another drug enhanced performance when Bill "Spaceman" Lee pitched a no hitter while tripping on acid. There was joy in Mudville when the Mighty Casey Tripped Out.

RIP Mr. Fydritch

Actually it was Doc Ellis who pitched a no hitter for the Pirates while on acid, I think in 1971. Bill Lee wasn't called spaceman because of drugs, just his overall goofball personality [[as far as I know anyway).

[SMRJim]

There are very few who are truly one of a kind like he was. I'll never forget that 76 season - 2.34 ERA for a rookie? Incredible. And from everything said about him, he was truly a great guy, not just a great ballplayer. He did many appearances for charity over the years and never took any money for them. Can you think of one athlete these days who does that? It was great to see him at the closing ceremony after the last game at Tiger stadium [[where Ron Leflore made an appearance and was arrested immediately after!). I recorded that ceremony on video and lent it to my brother years ago - hope he still has it. We'll miss ya, Bird. Thanks for the memories.

[14509glenfield]

Special guy now in a special place.

[waz]

I remember watching a Saturday afternoon game wi the Bird broadcast on national TV. He had a bad outing that day and was pulled. When Joe Garagiola asked him afterward about, he said "I dunno. Guess I just f%$#ed up." What an original.

Thanks for memories, Mark.

[Zimm]

Actually it was Doc Ellis who pitched a no hitter for the Pirates while on acid, I think in 1971. Bill Lee wasn't called spaceman because of drugs, just his overall goofball personality [[as far as I know anyway).

you're correct on the oddball personality being the cause of his nickname. but Bill Lee was and is a major pothead.

[Hornist9]

RIP, Mark. Thanks for all of the great times you so lovingly gave us while pitching for the Tigers. You'll be missed.

[SMRJim]

FYI, FSN is showing a Bird special tonight [[Tues) at 7:00.