More tragedy from the baseball world-Mark Fidrych

[from the Boston Globe; 4/14/09]

Mark Fidrych, whose aw-shucks charm and colorful on-the-mound antics helped make him a national phenomenon with the Detroit Tigers in 1976, was killed in an accident while working on his dump truck at his Northborough farm yesterday. He was 54.

Fidrych, who won 19 games as a rookie in '76 but had his pitching career abbreviated by injuries, was found dead by his friend Joseph Amorello beneath his 10-wheel truck at about 2:30 p.m. State Police detectives are investigating the circumstances of the accident, said Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.

You can read the rest of the article, here.

Here's a link back to my own story about Fidrych, when he was a member of the Bill Lee-led barnstorming team that came to the Ballpark, in Old Orchard.

Speaking of The Ballpark in OOB, here's a heartwarming story about a group of volunteers, and their labor of love, as they attempt to restore the former home park for the Maine Guides.