To all you kids who never heard of this or missed it too late... the BIRD was a phenomenon. MLB version of Beatlemania in an abbreviation. What a character, what a talent, this guy mowed down the best hitters in the game at the age of 19.
In the second part of Willie Hortons talk about his ankle. I think that's a game I was at I was little. And everybody was always saying we want the burden you'd come out for standing ovation. Well he gave out for his ovation that time and I was screaming we want Willie we want willy willy willy and the whole crowd did it with me. And Willie got a standing ovation that day too!
And wasn't Willie Horton great, too? And Freehan, Rodriguez, Cash, Northrup, Kaline, Lolich and all those guys I watched play. And so wished I could be like them. Will ALWAYS love my Detroit Tigers.
The apartment where he lived called 'lemon tree: where several tigers lived was just down the road from where I worked at a family restaurant.... He came in and I made him a corned beef sandwich
@@fernandomartinez5812 Fidrych had 24 complete games as a 21/22 year old. That's way too much for a young pitcher, or any pitcher for that matter. I agree with Lasorda and Valenzuela, with the heavy innings pitched in his early years,
I was lucky to have watched the "Bird" at Michigan and Trumbull. In fact, he came over the Detroit River for a charity basketball game. The ball went out of bounds and 20 kids came running out on the floor to meet the Bird as he picked up the Ball. They all asked and received autographs. A special moment in time. I was one of those kids. Mark Fidrych was and will always be special in Detroit and Windsor. But please Detroit Tigers managers and owners don't ever overuse a young pitcher like this again. All of those complete games destroyed his arm and filled the Tigers' bank accounts that season. Pitchers' careers are so often shortened by the physical damage to the arm, shoulder, back etc. that throwing a ball at 90 mph demands. Throwing cutters, screwballs, curveballs, sliders, and other pitches put tremendous strain on the arms of pitchers. Today's pitchers have maximum pitch counts, expert preventative medical training and they rarely get past the sixth or seventh innings. They also get expert physiotherapy, conditioning, preventative medical care and more than just a bag of ice at the end of their game while they sit on the bench.They even have strength and conditioning coaches, trainers and physiotherapists on staff who can spot physical problems in all players early on. Like all young men at age 20 Fidrych felt invincible. Nobody thinks the body can ever break down at that age.
what people don't really know is he had a million dollar arm, and a 10 cent head. He hurt his arm in a bar in Bellevue Michigan (Diamondbacks). He was trying to pick up some chick, her boyfriend took exception and grabbed his arm and bent it behind his back, tearing the tendons. First hand knowledge from my sister who was there.
That's Belleville mi.. he lived on the I 94 service Dr. Where diamondbacks is located but I remember it happened downtown but true.lived here 54 years was a cook made him a corned beef sandwich
Wrong. Fidrych's career was ruined because of an undiagnosed tear in his rotator cuff. None of the Tiger's doctors or trainers could diagnose this during his 5 years of rehabilitation and attempts at comebacks. Finally the legendary Sports Orthopedic surgeon repaired his rotator cuff in 1982 after he left baseball. The Tigers brought him to surgeons and doctors all over the US trying to diagnose his condition. Technology like MRI's didn't exist in 1976 that could have easily diagnosed this now common sports injury. He also was extremely overused in the Summer of 1976 when he pitched more complete games than some pitchers pitched in a career. He was a cash cow for the Tigers. He filled Tiger Stadium and stadiums on the road consistently. In fact during a last attempt at a come back with the Red Sox Triple A team in Pawtucket he regularly filled the Minor League stadiums too. All of the claims made that he talked to the ball and acted odd could easily be explained as attempts to deal with anxiety, nervousness etc. to calm himself down. Had he stayed healthy and pitched more years I doubt his nervousness and anxiety would have persisted. How exactly would most young men react when 50,000 people are chanting "We want the bird" until he does a curtain call? He was eccentric, funny but always genuine and generous with his time and talents to fans and his team. I took the time to read an extensive biography on Fidrych a few years ago where the writer travelled to his hometown of Northborough Mass. near Boston. He interviewed anyone and everyone who knew him, which was everyone in town. It is very likely that Fidrych had learning disabilities throughout his life. Early on he repeated a few grades and struggled with classes which did not have hands on learning such as technical shops, automotive. The crack about a ten cent brain was simply crass. Fidrych had an amazing life before and after baseball when he married, became a father and started his own trucking company. by the 1980's teachers and others who worked with children knew much more about learning disabilities. Before that these kids were called "bad students." Sadly he died in an accident involving his truck in 2009. He was 54. Today he would have been 69. At 54 he was a husband, a father a business man and a former professional ball player. Not bad. He is still loved by people who saw him pitch, grew up with him and mourned him. It is said not to speak ill of the dead. He did so much good in his life for so many others. How many men and women of his age do stupid things in bars that they later regret. Even if any part of your story is true, you would be hard pressed to find a young adult who hasn't done regrettable things in a bar.
I was fortunate enough, as a young kid, to sit inside the original Tiger Stadium and watch this man pitch. Will never forget those days...
To all you kids who never heard of this or missed it too late... the BIRD was a phenomenon. MLB version of Beatlemania in an abbreviation. What a character, what a talent, this guy mowed down the best hitters in the game at the age of 19.
such a bittersweet story
In the second part of Willie Hortons talk about his ankle. I think that's a game I was at I was little. And everybody was always saying we want the burden you'd come out for standing ovation. Well he gave out for his ovation that time and I was screaming we want Willie we want willy willy willy and the whole crowd did it with me. And Willie got a standing ovation that day too!
And wasn't Willie Horton great, too?
And Freehan, Rodriguez, Cash, Northrup, Kaline, Lolich and all those guys I watched play. And so wished I could be like them. Will ALWAYS love my Detroit Tigers.
I was getting around on my skateboard , Ernie was everywhere i went!!!!!!!!
Everybody heard about the bird.
The apartment where he lived called 'lemon tree: where several tigers lived was just down the road from where I worked at a family restaurant.... He came in and I made him a corned beef sandwich
And Clam Chowdah
He threw far too many innings that year. Then again, pitchers weren’t protected then like now.
They worked him just like Lasorda overworked Fernando Valenzuela. Faurrk!
@@fernandomartinez5812 Fidrych had 24 complete games as a 21/22 year old. That's way too much for a young pitcher, or any pitcher for that matter. I agree with Lasorda and Valenzuela, with the heavy innings pitched in his early years,
Can you imagine what Mark the Bird would do today with a time clock!
Every game would be an hour long
I was lucky to have watched the "Bird" at Michigan and Trumbull. In fact, he came over the Detroit River for a charity basketball game. The ball went out of bounds and 20 kids came running out on the floor to meet the Bird as he picked up the Ball. They all asked and received autographs. A special moment in time. I was one of those kids.
Mark Fidrych was and will always be special in Detroit and Windsor. But please Detroit Tigers managers and owners don't ever overuse a young pitcher like this again. All of those complete games destroyed his arm and filled the Tigers' bank accounts that season. Pitchers' careers are so often shortened by the physical damage to the arm, shoulder, back etc. that throwing a ball at 90 mph demands. Throwing cutters, screwballs, curveballs, sliders, and other pitches put tremendous strain on the arms of pitchers.
Today's pitchers have maximum pitch counts, expert preventative medical training and they rarely get past the sixth or seventh innings. They also get expert physiotherapy, conditioning, preventative medical care and more than just a bag of ice at the end of their game while they sit on the bench.They even have strength and conditioning coaches, trainers and physiotherapists on staff who can spot physical problems in all players early on. Like all young men at age 20 Fidrych felt invincible. Nobody thinks the body can ever break down at that age.
what people don't really know is he had a million dollar arm, and a 10 cent head. He hurt his arm in a bar in Bellevue Michigan (Diamondbacks). He was trying to pick up some chick, her boyfriend took exception and grabbed his arm and bent it behind his back, tearing the tendons. First hand knowledge from my sister who was there.
That's true?
According to my sister
That's Belleville mi.. he lived on the I 94 service Dr. Where diamondbacks is located but I remember it happened downtown but true.lived here 54 years was a cook made him a corned beef sandwich
to be honest i assumed it was Diamondbacks... but it could have been downtown... i will have to ask my sister...
Wrong. Fidrych's career was ruined because of an undiagnosed tear in his rotator cuff. None of the Tiger's doctors or trainers could diagnose this during his 5 years of rehabilitation and attempts at comebacks. Finally the legendary Sports Orthopedic surgeon repaired his rotator cuff in 1982 after he left baseball.
The Tigers brought him to surgeons and doctors all over the US trying to diagnose his condition. Technology like MRI's didn't exist in 1976 that could have easily diagnosed this now common sports injury.
He also was extremely overused in the Summer of 1976 when he pitched more complete games than some pitchers pitched in a career. He was a cash cow for the Tigers. He filled Tiger Stadium and stadiums on the road consistently. In fact during a last attempt at a come back with the Red Sox Triple A team in Pawtucket he regularly filled the Minor League stadiums too.
All of the claims made that he talked to the ball and acted odd could easily be explained as attempts to deal with anxiety, nervousness etc. to calm himself down. Had he stayed healthy and pitched more years I doubt his nervousness and anxiety would have persisted. How exactly would most young men react when 50,000 people are chanting "We want the bird" until he does a curtain call? He was eccentric, funny but always genuine and generous with his time and talents to fans and his team.
I took the time to read an extensive biography on Fidrych a few years ago where the writer travelled to his hometown of Northborough Mass. near Boston. He interviewed anyone and everyone who knew him, which was everyone in town.
It is very likely that Fidrych had learning disabilities throughout his life. Early on he repeated a few grades and struggled with classes which did not have hands on learning such as technical shops, automotive. The crack about a ten cent brain was simply crass. Fidrych had an amazing life before and after baseball when he married, became a father and started his own trucking company. by the 1980's teachers and others who worked with children knew much more about learning disabilities. Before that these kids were called "bad students."
Sadly he died in an accident involving his truck in 2009. He was 54. Today he would have been 69. At 54 he was a husband, a father a business man and a former professional ball player. Not bad.
He is still loved by people who saw him pitch, grew up with him and mourned him. It is said not to speak ill of the dead. He did so much good in his life for so many others. How many men and women of his age do stupid things in bars that they later regret. Even if any part of your story is true, you would be hard pressed to find a young adult who hasn't done regrettable things in a bar.