Mark Fidrych and the Ivory Snow girl
Weird, isn't it, that Mark Fidrych and Marilyn Chambers wind up in the obituaries on the same day? He was 54; she was 56. They were briefly sensations, the objects of mass adoration and attention, while in their early 20s.
She was a porn star, whose "Behind the Green Door" drew crowds in 1972, for reasons that are now difficult to recall. He was "The Bird," a gawky and compelling pitcher, who threw one great season for the Tigers, in a quirky, unforgettable style, and was sidelined by injuries.
What did they have in common besides deaths that came too soon? She was the "Ivory Snow" girl gone bad; his offbeat mannerisms were viewed as fresh and sweet. Both of them achieved fame with hints of innocence and vulnerability, in professions that aren't supposed to be about either.
Here's Fidrych in a 1985 interview.
