Changes

[[File:Fidrychautographs.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fidrych, here signing autographs in Anaheim, had legions of fans everywhere he went. ''"There's an electricity he brings out in everybody. Everyone can see the enthusiasm in Mark. He brings out the exuberance and youth in everybody,"'' said fellow Tiger Rusty Staub [http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/players/170315.html]]]

[[File:Fidrychautographs.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fidrych, here signing autographs in Anaheim, had legions of fans everywhere he went. ''"There's an electricity he brings out in everybody. Everyone can see the enthusiasm in Mark. He brings out the exuberance and youth in everybody,"'' said fellow Tiger Rusty Staub [http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/players/170315.html]]]

[[File:FidrychAllStar.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fidrych and Randy Jones of the San Diego Padres, the starting pitchers for the 1976 All Star Game; Fidrych's wide grin reflects the fun he had all season long.]]

[[File:FidrychAllStar.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fidrych and Randy Jones of the San Diego Padres, the starting pitchers for the 1976 All Star Game; Fidrych's wide grin reflects the fun he had all season long.]]

On national television, June 28, 1976 the Yankees were at Tiger Stadium before a crowd of 47,855, and the Bird didn't disappoint.  "That's not a member of the Detroit ground crew," shouted Warner Wolf of ABC's ''Monday Night Baseball'' as the country saw for the first time the gangly mop-topped kid arranging the mound. [http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=5] The Tigers won 5-1 in a game barely lasting two hours as the country watched the antics of the Bird, with fans in the stadium refusing to leave after the game was over unless and until the Bird popped out and tipped his cap, doing so after his teammates ''pushed'' him out.  Teammate 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." [http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/sports/year_in_sports/06.28.html]

On national television, June 28, 1976 the Yankees were at Tiger Stadium before a crowd of 47,855, and the Bird didn't disappoint.  "That's not a member of the Detroit ground crew," shouted Warner Wolf of ABC's ''Monday Night Baseball'' as the country saw for the first time the gangly mop-topped kid arranging the mound. [http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=5] The Tigers won 5-1 in a game barely lasting two hours as the country watched the antics of the Bird, with fans in the stadium refusing to leave after the game was over unless and until the Bird popped out and tipped his cap, doing so after his teammates ''pushed'' him out.  Teammate 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." [https://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/sports/year_in_sports/06.28.html]

The day before the nation's Bicentennial, the Bird shut out the [[Baltimore Orioles]] 4-0, giving up just four hits in front of over 51,000 fans at a sold-out Tiger Stadium, which was also sold out in a 1-0 loss to the Royals on July 9, Fidrych going for nine innings while giving up one run.  On July 13, he was selected as the first rookie in major league history to start the All Star Game, despite losing to the National League stars 7-1. [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/asgbox/yr1976as.shtml]

The day before the nation's Bicentennial, the Bird shut out the [[Baltimore Orioles]] 4-0, giving up just four hits in front of over 51,000 fans at a sold-out Tiger Stadium, which was also sold out in a 1-0 loss to the Royals on July 9, Fidrych going for nine innings while giving up one run.  On July 13, he was selected as the first rookie in major league history to start the All Star Game, despite losing to the National League stars 7-1. [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/asgbox/yr1976as.shtml]

==After '76==

==After '76==

Detoit fans expected another season with the Bird, and Fidrych seemingly wasn't going to disappoint them, but acting like his usual self during spring training in 1977 resulted in torn cartilage in one knee [http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/fidryma01.php].  After his injury had healed some weeks later, he felt something more ominous in a game against the Orioles: a shoulder injury which curtailed his pitching and limiting him to ten games during the season, and managing to win six.  His shoulder injury kept him from playing at all during the remainder of his time with the Tigers, and he was released as a free agent in 1981.  He attempted a comeback of sorts while on a minor-league team for the Boston Red Sox, but the injury - diagnosed only in 1985 as a torn rotator cuff [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/columnist/bodley/2006-08-10-fidrych_x.htm] - forced his retirement for good in 1983.

Detoit fans expected another season with the Bird, and Fidrych seemingly wasn't going to disappoint them, but acting like his usual self during spring training in 1977 resulted in torn cartilage in one knee [http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/fidryma01.php].  After his injury had healed some weeks later, he felt something more ominous in a game against the Orioles: a shoulder injury which curtailed his pitching and limiting him to ten games during the season, and managing to win six.  His shoulder injury kept him from playing at all during the remainder of his time with the Tigers, and he was released as a free agent in 1981.  He attempted a comeback of sorts while on a minor-league team for the Boston Red Sox, but the injury - diagnosed only in 1985 as a torn rotator cuff [https://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/columnist/bodley/2006-08-10-fidrych_x.htm] - forced his retirement for good in 1983.

Despite this, Fidrych was a cheerful as ever.  Jim Palmer, a pitcher for the Orioles who was selected in 1976 for the [[Cy Young Award]] over the Bird, remarked later on a small event they had together on a golf course. “He did embrace life. I remember him trying to play golf when he couldn’t play golf and enjoying every minute of it.” [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-obit-fidrych&prov=ap&type=lgns]

Despite this, Fidrych was a cheerful as ever.  Jim Palmer, a pitcher for the Orioles who was selected in 1976 for the [[Cy Young Award]] over the Bird, remarked later on a small event they had together on a golf course. “He did embrace life. I remember him trying to play golf when he couldn’t play golf and enjoying every minute of it.” [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-obit-fidrych&prov=ap&type=lgns]

==Retirement and death==

==Retirement and death==

The Bird retired to his hometown of Foxboro, Massachusetts, working on a farm and business he owned, happily married to his wife Ann, and raising his daughter Jessica.  In a 1985 interview [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm_jU0b5Hgw] he explained what he did on the ballfield and why: his adjusting the mound had more to do with maintaining his own stance and position while pitching; he didn't like stepping in some other pitcher's hole, he explained.  His "talking to the ball" was, in reality, a verbal set of instructions to himself, helping him maintain focus just before he sent fastballs across the plate.

The Bird retired to his hometown of Foxboro, Massachusetts, working on a farm and business he owned, happily married to his wife Ann, and raising his daughter Jessica.  In a 1985 interview [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm_jU0b5Hgw] he explained what he did on the ballfield and why: his adjusting the mound had more to do with maintaining his own stance and position while pitching; he didn't like stepping in some other pitcher's hole, he explained.  His "talking to the ball" was, in reality, a verbal set of instructions to himself, helping him maintain focus just before he sent fastballs across the plate.

Mark Fidrych died April 13, 2009, apparently the victim of an accident while working under a dump truck on his farm.

Mark Fidrych died April 13, 2009, apparently the victim of an accident while working under a dump truck on his farm.

==References==

==References==

*[http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fidryma01.shtml?redir Mark Fidrych' statistics, from Baseball Reference.com]

*[http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fidryma01.shtml?redir Mark Fidrych' statistics, from Baseball Reference.com]

*[http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/sports/year_in_sports/06.28.html "Everybody's Favorite," by Thomas Rogers; article in ''The New York Times'', June 28, 1976]

*[https://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/sports/year_in_sports/06.28.html "Everybody's Favorite," by Thomas Rogers; article in ''The New York Times'', June 28, 1976]

*[http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/players/170315.html "One Strange Bird," by Jim Hawkins, ''The Sporting News'', August 14, 1976]

*[http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/players/170315.html "One Strange Bird," by Jim Hawkins, ''The Sporting News'', August 14, 1976]

====Video====

====Video====

*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMSDo3BX5Ds&NR=1 Clip of the June 28, 1976 game between the Tigers and Yankees]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMSDo3BX5Ds&NR=1 Clip of the June 28, 1976 game between the Tigers and Yankees]

*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbCdwCRqBGI&feature=related Post-game interview, June 28, 1976]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbCdwCRqBGI&feature=related Post-game interview, June 28, 1976]

*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm_jU0b5Hgw Interview with Fidrych, from 1985]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm_jU0b5Hgw Interview with Fidrych, from 1985]

*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYTl0dLNzhI Fidrych on the mound in the minors]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYTl0dLNzhI Fidrych on the mound in the minors]

*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6spUPSxhBqc Detroit's WDIV report on the Bird's death]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6spUPSxhBqc Detroit's WDIV report on the Bird's death]

[[Category:Sports]][[Category:Baseball]]

[[Category:Sports]][[Category:Baseball]]