Mark "The Bird" Fidrych explains

I remember, in 1976, the mania that surrounded Mark Fidrych, who as a rookie hurler for the 5th-place Detroit Tigers went 19-9. He also started the All-Star game, led the AL with a 2.34 ERA, and also led the junior circuit with 24 complete games. As you probably know, his pitching career was all but over when he injured his arm early in the 1977 season. He attempted minor league comebacks for years, but was never the same.

In the 1985 video, below, Fidrych talks about the many misconceptions about him. For example, he didn't talk to the ball -- he talked to himself, to calm himself down and stay focused. The many times he got down on one knee to dig a hole in the mound, or to fix another: "What am I supposed to do, call out the grounds crew? I just wanted to be comfortable." There's a lot of other good stuff in this video, but I'll give away just one more. It's a segment shown on a sports talk show, and after the segment, the talking heads put in their $0.02.

They're talking about the possibility of Fidrych, then 31, making a comeback after having had arthroscopic shoulder surgery that fixed the problem that dogged him all those years. They mostly agree it won't happen. John Mengelt, a journeyman guard who played in the NBA from 1972-81, including a few years with the Pistons, says he thinks that Fidrych's partying probably took a toll -- too many late nights. Then he adds, "I don't think players do that any more." Right. Baseball players at that time made sure that they took their cocaine responsibly and got a good night's sleep. Seriously, had he no clue about the baseball drug trials that did (or would soon) get underway, implicating more than 20 players directly in taking the powder?

Guess not. What a strange thing to say.

Comments

[Pete V.]

Its been over 30years and I OFTEN wonder
about "The BIRD". Of course I am a Detroit'er sports fan, but I was only 5 years old when Mark started for the tigers.
What an empression on the major leauge after
a short career. Mark Im a huge fan and always will remember you. You rank up with the detroit greats like Barry Sanders and Steve Yserman that left the leauge with CLASS. thank you