Yesterday Mark "The Bird" Fidrych died in an accident on his Massachusetts farm at the age of 54. I read a lot of words about Fidrych, who had one magical season in 1976 at the very height of my own love of baseball. I think the best were written by Michael Rosenberg who also wrote this excellent feature on Fidrych in 2006 and said:
Mark Fidrych reminded you of your childhood, no matter how old you were when he pitched. This was his charm, his curse, his legacy. He personified athletic innocence.
His childlike love of the game is what's remembered by many, but for the 1976 season he was also a devastating pitcher who went 19-9, finished as runner up for the Cy Young, led the majors in ERA and won the AL Rookie of the Year award. From Sports Illustrated:
...he did not pitch like any 21-year-old anyone had ever seen. He had impeccable, almost freakish, control. He hardly ever walked anyone. He walked one batter in an 11-inning victory at Texas on the fifth of June, and followed it up by walking nobody his next time out against the California Angels. He won nine of his 10 first decisions. He allowed just one run against the New York Yankees on Monday Night Baseball. He threw an 11-inning shutout against Oakland on July 16.
The second best words I read were penned by Samara Pearlstein at Roar of the Tigers who also took the photo to the left and suggests:
I suggest a memorial to one of the best things about him-- his ability to bring fun to a sometimes deeply (some would say 'overly') serious sport. Baseball is, after all, a game, and it's SUPPOSED to be fun; Fidrych understood that.
So, tomorrow, go out and do a little something 'willfully eccentric' (thanks for the phrase, commenter Matt). Talk to your car. Groom the seat of your office chair with your hands. Change pens because the old one doesn't have enough great ideas in it. Smile at yourself a little, and think of the Bird.
Much more about this weird and wonderful character can be found in the Detroit Tigers statement on Fidrych, Wikipedia's Mark Fidrych entry and at BaseballReference.com's page for Mark Steven Fidrych. Please share your comments, memories and links in the comments below.
Definitely watch this interview with Mark "The Bird" Fydrich.
One Comment
My first memory of Fidrych, of course, was his debut performance against the Cleveland Indians. As I recall, it was a hot, muggy day in Toledo... I was attending Toledo's International Festival at the Sports Arena with friends and upon leaving there, I tuned in the game on my Super Beetle's radio, not knowing anything about who was pitching or anything... the Tigers were on and it's just what I did.
Several innings had already been played, it was a tight game and Fidrych was working on a no-hitter. Ernie Harwell (and probably Ray Lane at the time) were quite excited by what was going on and my friends and I rushed to get to a television to — we hoped — witness history.
Alas, the no-hitter was spoiled in the 7th, I think, but he no doubt was the brightest spot of an otherwise dismal season. I was fortunate to have seen him pitch one time at Tiger Stadium. He beat the White Sox.
His ABC Monday Night Baseball appearance against the vaunted Yankees remains one of my most enjoyable sports memories. At long last, the talk of the nation was a player on my team! And he came through big time that night.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Post a Comment