"The Bird" Is Laid To Rest

A funeral for Mark "The Bird" Fidrych took place this morning in his hometown of Northborough, Massachusetts.

The church was at overflow capacity with over a thousand people paying their respects.

One of the eulogizers was Willie Horton, a Detroit Tigers legend in his own right. Horton said there should be a place in the Hall of Fame for good guys like Mark Fidrych.

Yesterday, the Medical Examiner with the Worcester County DA's office ruled Fidrych's death an accident. While repairing his truck his clothes got caught in the power take off shaft. He died by asphyxiation.

Check out an interview Fidrych did with the MLB Network scarcely a month before his death. There is also a video link to the game he pitched on June 28, 1976 against the New York Yankees on ABC's Monday Night Baseball.

You can read my thoughts on Fidrych here.