June 28, 1976 A STAR IS BORNDetroit Tigers rookie sensation Mark "The Bird" Fidrych kneels on the mound, talks to the ball, and mows down Billy Martin's New York Yankees, 5-1, on Monday Night Baseball. The gangly, tongue-tied 21-year-old pitcher goes the distance, electrifying a packed Tiger Stadium and captivating a national TV audience with his childlike exuberance, his wacky antics, and a 93-mile-an-hour slider.After the game, with 48,000 fans chanting "We want The Bird!" the mop-topped folk hero reluctantly emerges from the dugout, covering his head with his arms, and grinning from ear to ear to a standing ovation ... just for him.Teenage girls shriek, old ladies shout for joy, and police officers scramble to shake his hand. All summer long, The Bird revealed himself to be a truly genuine, one-of-a-kind character. He brought innocence, spontaneity, and unadulterated joy back to baseball -- and never more so than on this night."He's givin' me duck bumps!" shouts ABC broadcaster Bob Prince. "And I've watched over 8,000 ballgames. I have never in my life ever seen anything to equal this. HE IS SOME KIND OF UNBELIEVABLE!"Fidrych goes on to start the All-Star Game for the American League, and wins the Rookie of the Year. Despite a career cut much too short by injuries, he remains perhaps the most beloved Detroit Tiger of all time.And there's no doubt that in Motown and all across America, 1976 was indeed THE YEAR OF THE BIRD.
