40 years ago - The Bird was the Word

Six days before Americans gathered to celebrate the nation’s bicentennial, attention was drawn to Detroit where 18 million viewers watching ABC’s “Monday Night Baseball” were first introduced to Tigers rookie pitcher Mark (The Bird) Fidrych when he faced the first-place New York Yankees.

Though the game — Tuesday marks 40 years ago to the day — was blacked out in Detroit, 48,000 fans who packed into Tiger Stadium were treated to an experience they would never forget.

For just that one remarkable season in the summer of 1976, the lanky 21-year-old Fidrych, nicknamed for television’s Big Bird of “Sesame Street” because of his flowing curly blond locks, quickly became one of the most endearing figures in baseball and Detroit. He also created renewed interest in a sport that had suffered through labor pains and lower attendance.

Fans were enthralled by his schoolboy enthusiasm and field antics that included manicuring the mound on one knee before every inning, talking to himself out loud, aiming the ball like a dart, nervously strutting between outs, and thanking teammates, umpires and whoever was around after every victory that typically included a curtain call in Detroit.

The latest edition of MLB Network Presents dives deep into one of baseball’s most colorful characters from the past 40 years: Mark “The Bird” Fidrych. Fidrych burst onto the scene with the Detroit Tigers in 1976, starting the All-Star Game for the American League, winning the AL Rookie of the Year award, and finishing as the runner-up in the AL Cy Young voting to Hall of Famer Jim Palmer. He made his final major league appearance in 1980. So, what the hell happened?