Fidrych, (Born August 14, 1954 in Worcester, Massachusetts) was a Major League Baseball player for the Detroit Tigers. Fidrych’s nickname was hung on him by a teammate in Bristol of the Appalachian League when the teammates noticed his resemblance to Big Bird on Sesame Street. The 21-year old rookie, who came out of nowhere, ended up winning 19 games, losing only 9, he led the league with a 2.34 ERA while creating a sensation around the league. He threw a two-hitter in his first major league start, started the All-Star game for the American League and was named “The Sporting News Rookie of the Year”. During spring training in 1977, he tore cartilage in his knee and went on the disabled list until May 24. Then in July he tore something in his shoulder because he had altered his pitching motion. Before you really got to know The Bird, his career was over.
Fidrych lives with his wife Ann, whom he married in 1986, and their teenage daughter Jessica on a 107-acre farm in Northboro, MA. A licensed commercial trucker, he works as a contractor hauling gravel and asphalt in a ten-wheeler.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Fidrych
http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/Fidrych_Mark.html
