Former fan favorite Mark Fidrych reportedly died today at age 54. He was apparently the victim of an accident while working on a vehicle on his property.
Fidrych was a fan favorite who seemingly came out of nowhere, streaked across the sky like a comet, and then disappeared as quickly as he appeared due to arm injury. He felt his arm go "dead" during one of his starts, the victim of a torn rotator cuff, an injury that was at that time unknown even in medical circles.
He was known for manicuring the mound, talking to the baseball among other antics that purists may have looked at as oddball, but fans just ate up.
He was a dominant pitcher as well, winning 19 games his rookie year. Unfortunately, he only won 10 more the rest of his career.
Ex-Met Rusty Staub said of Fidrych: "There's an electricity that he brings out in everyone, the players and the fans. He's different. He's a 21-year-old kid with a great enthusiasm that everyone loves. He has an inner youth, an exuberance."
"I just throw as hard as I can and as fast as I can," said Fidrych. "I'm kind of surprised at my success in the majors. I didn't have any idea this was going to happen. I'm just trying to take each game one at a time and hope to win as many as I can."
It's hard to describe anyone comparable to Fidrych because there was nothing like him before or since. He was a phenomena much like Fernando Valenzeula in that he captured the fans imagination with his uniqueness and individuality.
From a site that is destined to become one of my favorites is a fitting tribute and description of "The Bird". Mark Fidrych was made for an organization like this. His career should be immortalized and celebrated even though he did not last long enough to make the Baseball Hall of Fame.
I would venture to say that Fidrych's less than two year career made more of an impact on baseball fans nationwide than over half of the current roster of Hall of Famers.
THE BASEBALL RELIQUARY:
http://www.baseballreliquary.org/Default.htm
DESCRIPTION OF THE BASEBALL RELIQUARY:
The highest honor afforded by the Baseball Reliquary is election to the Shrine of the Eternals. Similar to Cooperstown's National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Shrine of the Eternals differs philosophically in that statistical accomplishment is not the principal criterion for election. It is believed that the election of individuals on merits other than statistics and playing ability will offer the opportunity for a deeper understanding and appreciation of baseball than has heretofore been provided by "Halls of Fame" in the more traditional and conservative institutions.
Criteria for election shall be: the distinctiveness of play (good or bad); the uniqueness of character and personality; and the imprint that the individual has made on the baseball landscape. Electees, both on and off the diamond, shall have been responsible for developing baseball in one or more of the following ways: through athletic and/or business achievements; in terms of its larger cultural and sociological impact as a mass entertainment; and as an arena for the human imagination.
Anyone associated with baseball, past or present, is eligible for election, including players, managers and coaches, umpires, executives and administrators, broadcasters and writers, fans, and those who have interpreted the game through artistic and cultural mediums. Fictional characters from the realms of literature, drama, motion pictures, etc., may also be considered.
FROM THE BASEBALL RELIQUARY'S INDUCTION OF FIDRYCH IN 2002:
MARK FIDRYCH
In his introductory comments about Mark Fidrych, Terry Cannon observed that "in this summer of steroids, contraction, cryonics, and gloom-and-doom predictions of a baseball apocalypse, to recall the innocence and exuberance with which Mark Fidrych played the game and the way he galvanized the city of Detroit and the baseball world in the bicentennial summer of 1976 gives us reason to laugh and feel happy again."
Cannon also quoted poet Tom Clark, who described the free-spirited pitcher as "ragged, splendid, wild, sticking out of the expectable heraldry of the national pastime like a gigantic puce-and-mauve sore thumb rampant on a field of snow-white jock straps."
Due to work commitments, Fidrych, who lives on a farm in Northboro, Massachusetts, was unable to attend the ceremony. Cannon noted, however, that "Fidrych is honored to join the Shrine of the Eternals and has asked me to convey his gratitude to the voting membership of the Baseball Reliquary."
Accepting the induction of Fidrych on his behalf was Los Angeles-based comedian, actor, and lifelong Detroit Tigers fan, Thom Sharp. A Michigan native, Sharp is known to television audiences for his appearances on The Tonight Show and Late Night with David Letterman and as Tim Allen’s older brother on Home Improvement. His ad-lib skills and vocal talents have made him a popular pitchman on radio and TV commercials.
Accepting the induction of Fidrych on his behalf was Los Angeles-based comedian, actor, and lifelong Detroit Tigers fan, Thom Sharp. A Michigan native, Sharp is known to television audiences for his appearances on The Tonight Show and Late Night with David Letterman and as Tim Allen’s older brother on Home Improvement. His ad-lib skills and vocal talents have made him a popular pitchman on radio and TV commercials.
Sharp drew an enormous laugh at the outset by announcing to the audience that although Fidrych was unable to attend, he did have his cap, and proceeded to pull out from behind the podium a Detroit Tigers cap with long curly blond locks of hair dangling from all around its bottom edges. "As a lifelong Tigers fan," remarked Sharp, "I don’t think there was a greater season, at least for me, than 1976. Not even the ‘68 or ‘84 World Championship seasons. There was nothing like the summer of ‘76. I saw three games at Tiger Stadium that year with Fidrych pitching. And it was like having the Beatles in your lineup. I mean, the place went crazy everytime he did anything. There would be 55,000 people, standing room only, every single game that he pitched. And then the next night, there were, well, three peanut vendors and about six guys in the bleachers."
Sharp then ran down a list of Fidrych’s accomplishments in that rookie season of 1976. Even though he didn’t make his first major league start until May 15, he went on to win 19 games, lead the American League with 24 complete games and a 2.34 ERA, was the starting pitcher for the junior circuit in the All-Star Game, and garnered Rookie of the Year honors. But, as Sharp noted, Fidrych was also a fascinating character, occasionally bringing to mind Yogi Berra in terms of his unique relationship to the English language: "Bill Veeck once told Ernie Harwell that if someone had tried to stage Fidrych, it would have fallen flat; it would have been artificial and just too contrived. During one of the Bird’s comeback tries, he made it back to the majors and was being interviewed by Harwell, who asked, ‘Hey, Bird, how’s the arm feeling?’"
"’Hey, the arm’s feelin’ pretty good,’ Fidrych replied.
Thom Sharp
"’Well, really, what does Dr. Livengood [the Tigers’ team physician] have to say about your arm?’ Harwell inquired.
"’Well, he don’t know nothin’ about arms,’ Fidrych answered. ‘He’s a skin doctor. He’s one of them gynecologists.’"
Sharp continued: "Boston Red Sox pitcher and Shrine of the Eternals member Bill Lee said of Fidrych that he was like a little boy thrown into a pile of horse manure. He’s bobbin’ up and down, and they say, how can you be so happy. And he says, there’s gotta be a pony in here somewhere."
Bringing things into the present, Sharp sarcastically offered, "Actually the Tigers could probably use Fidrych now. If we lose six more games this season, we’re eliminated from next year’s postseason. So it’s not goin’ well."
"Mark Fidrych had one great, unbelievable, cinderella year," Sharp concluded. "And I don’t think we should feel too sorry for him that it only lasted a year. In my personal opinion, he had the best season anyone has ever had. He’s had a great life, a lot of great memories, a beautiful wife and daughter, and a strong business. And I’d just like to thank Mark Fidrych for giving me the best season I’ve ever had in baseball. Thank you, Mark, and congratulations."
RIP Mark "The Bird" Fidrych.
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