The first biography of the eccentric pitcher, rookie All-Star starter, 70s pop icon, and first athlete on the cover of Rolling Stone For those who remember him, Mark Fidrych is still that player who brings a smile to your face, the irresistibly likable pitcher whose sudden rise brightened the star-spangled season of 1976 and reminded us of the pure joy of the game. Lanky, mop-topped, and nicknamed for his resemblance to Big Bird on Sesame Street , Fidrych exploded onto the national stage during the ...
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The first biography of the eccentric pitcher, rookie All-Star starter, 70s pop icon, and first athlete on the cover of Rolling Stone For those who remember him, Mark Fidrych is still that player who brings a smile to your face, the irresistibly likable pitcher whose sudden rise brightened the star-spangled season of 1976 and reminded us of the pure joy of the game. Lanky, mop-topped, and nicknamed for his resemblance to Big Bird on Sesame Street , Fidrych exploded onto the national stage during the Bicentennial summer as a rookie with the Detroit Tigers. He won over fans nationwide with his wildly endearing antics such as talking to the ball---and throwing back the ones that "had hits in them"; getting down on his knees to "manicure" the mound of any cleat marks; and shaking hands with just about everyone from teammates to groundskeepers to cops during and after games. Female fans tried to obtain locks of his hair from his barber and even named babies after him. But The Bird was no mere sideshow. The non-roster invitee to spring training that year quickly emerged as one of the best pitchers in the game. Meanwhile, his boyish enthusiasm, his famously modest lifestyle, and his refusal to sign with an agent during the days of labor disputes and free agency made him such a breath of fresh air for fans that not only did attendance in Detroit increase---by tens of thousands---for games he pitched, opposing teams would specifically ask the Tigers to shuffle their rotation so Fidrych would pitch in their cities, too. A rare player who transcended pop culture, Fidrych was named starting pitcher in the All-Star Game as a rookie (the first of his two All-Star nods) and became the first athlete to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Baseball researcher Doug Wilson delivers the first biography of this once-in-a-lifetime player. Through extensive interviews and meticulous research, the author recounts Fidrych's meteoric rise from Northborough, Massachusetts, to the big leagues, his heartbreaking fall after a torn knee ligament and then rotator cuff, his comeback attempts with the Tigers and in the Red Sox system, and one unforgettable night when The Bird pitched a swan song for the Pawtucket Red Sox against future star Dave Righetti in a game that remains part of local folklore. Finally, Wilson captures Fidrych's post-baseball life and his roles in the community, tragically culminating with his death in a freak accident in 2009. The Bird gives readers a long-overdue look into the life of a player whom baseball had never seen before---and has never seen since.
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Add this copy of The Bird: the Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych to cart. $7.00, very good condition, Sold by Chatt PublicLibraryFoundation rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Chattanooga, TN, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Thomas Dunne Books.
Add this copy of The Bird: the Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych to cart. $7.88, fair condition, Sold by KuleliBooks rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Phoenix, AZ, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Thomas Dunne Books.
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Seller's Description:
The item is fairly worn but still readable. The book may have some cosmetic wear (i.e. creased spine/cover, scratches, curled corners, folded pages, sunburn, stains, water damage, bent, torn, damaged binding, dent). -The dust jacket if present, may be marked, and have considerable heavy wear. -The book might be ex-library copy, and may have the markings and stickers associated from the library-The book may have considerable highlights/notes/underlined pages but the text is legible-Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included-Safe and Secure Mailer-No Hassle Return.
Add this copy of The Bird: the Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych to cart. $8.22, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Thomas Dunne Books.
Add this copy of The Bird: the Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych to cart. $8.22, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Thomas Dunne Books.
Add this copy of The Bird: the Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych to cart. $8.24, good condition, Sold by Blue Vase Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Interlochen, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Thomas Dunne Books.
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The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Add this copy of The Bird: the Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych to cart. $9.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Emerald rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Thomas Dunne Books.
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Add this copy of The Bird; the Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych to cart. $30.00, good condition, Sold by Ground Zero Books, Ltd. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Silver Spring, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin's Press.
Edition:
First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]
Publisher:
Thomas Dunne Books
Published:
2013
Language:
English
Alibris ID:
14830443762
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Good in Very good jacket. 306, [4] pages. Notes. Bibliography. Index. DJ has slight wear and soiling. Some corners creased. Some pencil erasures noted (a few associated with typographical or grammatical issues in the text). Doug Wilson grew up memorizing the backs of baseball cards and dreaming of the big leagues. A member of the Society for American Baseball Research, he has written several baseball books. "I want to write about the good guys of the game of baseball--there is enough out there on the scandals, steroids and boorish behavior by players. I want to bring the good characters back to the forefront. I enjoy researching details and numbers to make sure everything is accurate, but my books are more than numbers. I like to write about the personalities of the players and what drives them. The best part of writing the books is interviewing the ex-players and listening to their stories." Wilson is the author of The Bird: The Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych and Brooks: The Biography of Brooks Robinson. Derived from a Kirkus Review: A reminder of the time when America fell in love with a tall, lanky, curly-haired pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. For a time in the 1970s, the country was in thrall to Mark Fidrych, who came to be known as "The Bird" for his resemblance to Big Bird. Fidrych emerged in the summer of 1976 and became an unlikely but legitimate phenomenon. Wilson tells the Bird's story in this biography of the Massachusetts native whose antics included tending to his own pitching mound during games and allegedly talking to the baseball. He paints Fidrych as a product of his time and argues that only in the 1970s could someone like Fidrych become such an icon. The beloved pitcher's every move drew national attention, and his appearances sold out stadiums, whether for away games or for the home games. Unfortunately, knee and throwing-shoulder injuries curtailed the career of the Bird. Wilson has clear affection for the star-crossed Fidrych. Fidrych, whose post-baseball career showed a man truly contented with life and with a deep passion for giving back to the world, died in 2009. Fidrych transfixed the country, albeit too briefly. This book serves as a reminder of why.
Add this copy of The Bird: the Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych to cart. $40.34, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Thomas Dunne Books.
Add this copy of The Bird: the Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych to cart. $81.17, new condition, Sold by GridFreed rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Las Vegas, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Thomas Dunne Books.
Add this copy of The Bird: the Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych to cart. $90.86, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by Thomas Dunne Books.