Bird is the word

On May 15, 1976, Mark Fidrych made his first start for the Detroit Tigers, tossing a 2-hitter in beating Cleveland, 2-1. It's a shame that such a genuinely nice guy suffered injuries that ended his career all too soon. Oh, the baseball gods are fickle.

But for one season, it was an incredible ride. On June 28, 1976 he shut down the Yankees 5-1 on Monday Night Baseball. Tiger Stadium, packed with 47,855 fans, rocked as the Bird ended NY's 5-game win streak. Fans refused to leave the park after the game until Fidrych returned for a curtain call.

He talked to the baseball. He got down on his hands and knees and manicured the mound. His salary was $16,500 and fans sent him money, which he returned. Eventually, the Tigers gave him a raise. Fidrych finished with a 19-9 record with 24 complete games and a league-leading 2.34 ERA in 29 starts.

Prior to the 1977 season, Fidrych appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated for a second time, this time joined by Sesame Street's Big Bird. During spring training, he tore cartilage in his knee while shagging (and leaping) for fly balls -- despite a warning from teammate Rusty Staub to knock it off.

He returned in May and still went 6-4 with a 2.89 ERA and 7 complete games in 11 starts. But his knee problems led to arm trouble, and his career tumbled from there.

Ironically, the Bird's injury opened the door for Jack Morris to join the Tigers rotation.

Fidrych completed 34 of his 56 career starts and five times pitched into extra innings -- three times winning games that he pitched into the 11th inning.

Even at the height of his popularity he wore blue jeans, drove a beat-up old pickup truck, and claimed he had three dishes: a plate, a knife, and a fork.

This little story from director Peter Farrelly that recently appeared in Sports Illustrated tells you all you need to know about Fidrych, the man:

We offered him a role in Me, Myself and Irene. He drives a truck and lives on a farm in Massachusetts. He said, "Great, I'd love to, when is it?" I said, "It's this Wednesday." He said, "I can't do it. I have a delivery to make." I said, "Mark, is there any way to get somebody else to do the delivery so you can do the movie?" He said, "Pete, I've been making this delivery for the past 18 years every Wednesday. They count on me to be there every Wednesday. I'm not going to miss a day because I'm in a movie." I hung up thinking: That's one cool dude.

Indeed, he still is.