Tiger nation is in mourning today.  The Detroit News is reporting that former Tiger and Detroit icon Mark Fidrych died today.  Fidrych burst onto the Detroit sports scene in 1976 as a 21 year old right handed pitcher going 19-9 winning the 1976 rookie of the year. 

His pitching skill as a rookie was extraordinary, but it was his curly hair and non-stop antics that made him a national baseball darling. Along with talking to the baseball, Fidrych endeared fans at the start of each inning as, sprawled on his hands and knees, he smoothed the mound to his satisfaction.

According to early reports Fidrych was reportedly found dead beneath his pick-up truck at 2:30 p.m. The cause of death was not immediately announced.