Sad news yesterday that the remarkable Tiger pitcher Mark Fidrych had died in an accident at his farm.
Beyond the upset of seeing anyone go at his age, and in this manner, are the memories for me of how his antics (and real talent) entertained my grandfather and me during those unbelievable outings he had back in the summer of 1976. Not only was he a lone bright spot during one of the most dismal of Tiger seasons, he was like nothing baseball had ever seen, or ever will see. The bottom line was, he was just having fun in his VERY unique style. And so he made it fun for everyone, including opposing teams and fans. He was special.
It was our bicenntenial, I was graduating from high school, I had my first car and first job and "The Bird" was on the mound, taking to the ball and mowing down the enemy; grandpa cracking up watching it during the last season that he was healthy enough to really enjoy his Tigers. All was right with the world as they say.
R.I.P. Bird....and thank you.
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