Bird Is The Word

Among the too soon obits we've gotten lately, nothing has shocked me like the death of Mark Fidrych. Only 54, he was found dead on his farm, buried beneath a dump truck in what was, apparently, an accident.

He's hardly an all-time baseball great, but for one summer in Detroit, he made baseball exciting again. The Bird was Rookie Of The Year in 1976, with a 19-9 record (he had a bunch of shots at 20 wins, but kept losing at the end of the season--an early sign of arm trouble?) and a 2.34 era. But that's just the numbrs. He was a funny, flaky presence who would talk to the ball and pat down the mound. He became a celebrity, making the covers of magazines--and not just sports magazines. Some thought his antics were bush league, but Fidrych was just being himself, amd most fans loved it.


After that storybook season, he had injuries and never regained his magic, but while he was a star, he burned brightly.