Work : New Career 1976 (began major league baseball career)
Health : Job related injury 1977 (hurt arm while pitching)
Work : Retired 1980 (from major league baseball)
Health : Medical diagnosis 1985 (torn rotator cuff discovered)
Death:Death by Accident 13 April 2009 (Age 54 while working on a truck) chart Placidus Equal_H.
American athlete; he played for the Detroit Tigers baseball team from 1976 until 1980. His first year earned him kudos but in his second year he sustained an injury to his arm while trying to pitch with an injured knee. He never again played as well as he did the first year when he was named American League Rookie of the Year and starting in the All-Star Game of the 76 season. In 1985, it was discovered that he had torn his rotator cuff nearly all the way through. The 63" player with golden curls was known for his antics on the field, talking to the ball, enthusiastically shaking hands after good plays, and dancing wildly. He was nicknamed "Big Bird" for his resemblance to the Sesame Street star. On April 13, 2009 at 2:30 PM at his Northborough, MA farm, he was found dead, apparently suffocated after his clothing became entangled in a spinning part of a truck he was working on.. He was 54. Link to Wikipedia biography Read less