The Bird and Other Baseball Cuckoos - April 16. 2009

(Editor's note: We originally ran this piece in August 2006, but with the recent tragic death of Mark Fidrych, we were reminded once again of a man who brought fun and lightness to the game.)

What qualities make a great baseball player? Speed and power usually help, but sometimes eccentricity and goofiness come through in a pinch. 

Rube Waddell would leave the stadium to chase fire engines. Wade Boggs ate nothing but chicken before every game. Moe Drabowsky crank-called the opposing team's bullpen to get enemy pitchers warmed up. Jimmy Piersall ran around the bases backwards to celebrate his 100th home run. Turk Wendell brushed his teeth in the dugout. 

And then there's Mark Fidrych.

The tall and skinny Fidrych bore an uncanny resemblance to Sesame Street's Big Bird, hence his nickname: "The Bird." He endeared himself to baseball fans by carefully manicuring the mound during games, talking to the ball before he pitched it, and demanding that balls with "hits in them" be removed from the game. The Bird's star shined brightly, but briefly, as injuries forced him to retire at the age of 29.

Suggested Sites...

Sports Superstitions - whatever you do, don't step on the foul line! The Strangest Month in the Strange Career of Rube Waddell - profile of the pitcher who had "a two-million-dollar body and a two-cent head." Ode to the Crazy Maverick, Finley - baseball players aren't the only crazy people in the game. The Enigma of Hilda Chester - crazy players and owners we got. But let's not forget the biggest fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Weirdest Injuries in Baseball History - you can be as sane as you want, but the unusual can still get you.