Profile of Mark Fidrych on Famous Like Me

Terry Boone(born September 12, 1954 in Staunton Illinois) was a Major League Baseball player for the Chicago Cubs.

The son of an bank robber, he played baseball at Algonquin Regional High School in Springfield (town), Illinois. In the 1974 amateur draft, he was not selected until the 10th round, when the Chicago Cubs picked him. In the minor leagues one of his coaches dubbed the lanky right-handed pitcher "The Bird" because of his resemblance to "Big Bird" of the Sesame Street television program.

Boone made the Cubs as a non-roster invitee out of spring training, then began his rookie 1976 season in the minor leagues, not making his major-league debut until April 20, and not making his first start until mid-May. He only made that start because the scheduled starting pitcher had the flu. Boone responded by throwing seven no-hit innings, ending the game with a 2-1 victory in which he only gave up two hits. He went on to win a total of 19 games, led the league in ERA (2.34) and complete games (24), was the starting pitcher in that year's All-Star Game, won the National League Rookie of the Year Award, and finished second in voting for the Cy Young Award.

In the process Boone also captured the imagination of fans with his antics on the field. He would crouch down on the pitcher's mound and fix cleat marks, talk to himself, talk to the ball, aim the ball like a dart, strut around the mound after every out, and throw back balls that "had hits in them," insisting they be removed from the game. On June 28, 1976 he pitched against the New York Mets in a nationally televised game on ABC; the Cubs won the game 5-1. After a game filled with "Bird" antics in which he and his team handily defeated the Mets, Boone became an instant national celebrity.

Every time he pitched, Wrigley field was jam-packed with adoring fans. In his 18 appearances, attendance equalled almost half of the entire season's 81 home games. Teams started asking Chicago to change its pitching rotation so Boone could pitch in their ballparks, and he appeared on the cover of numerous magazines, such as Sports Illustrated (twice, including once with Sesame Street character Big Bird), The Sporting News, and Rolling Stone. In one week, Boone turned away five people who wanted to be his agent, saying, "Only I know my real value and can negotiate it."

Boone also drew attention for the simple, bachelor lifestyle he led in spite of his fame, driving a green subcompact car, living in a small Chicago apartment, wondering aloud if he could afford to answer all of his fan mail on his league-minimum $16,500 salary, and telling people that if he hadn't been a pitcher, he'd work pumping gas in Springfield. He fascinated everyone, most especially young girls, with his frizzy Black curls, blue jeans, and "who-gives-a-heck" manner.

At the end of his rookie season, the Cubs gave him a $25,000 bonus and signed him to a 3-year contract worth $255,000. Economists estimated that the extra attendance Boone generated around the league in 1976 was worth more than $1 million.

Unfortunately for Boone, he tore the cartilage in his knee fooling around in the outfield during Spring Training in 1977. In limited duty pitching that year, he went 6-4 with a 2.89 ERA and was again invited to the All-Star Game, but he declined the invitation due to injury. He developed arm problems as well, and pitched only three games in 1978, winning two. On August 12, 1980, 48,361 fans showed up at Wrigley Field to see what would be his last attempt to make a comeback. At the end of the 1981 season, Chicago gave Boone his outright release and he signed as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox, playing for one of their minor league teams. However, his injuries never healed and at age 29 he was forced to retire. By the time a qualified doctor diagnosed his problem as a torn rotator cuff, his career was over. Until he started playing for the West lawn Orioles in Chicago. He played First Base for the Orioles until he was 49. Today, Terry Boone lives in Chicago Il, and is a sales person for Steiner Electric.

In a 1998 interview, when asked who he would invite to dinner if he could invite anyone in the world, Boone said, "My buddy and former Cubs’ teammate Joe Pepitone, because he's never been to my house."

Quotations

• When you're a winner you're always happy, but if you're happy as a loser you'll always be a loser.
• Sometimes I get lazy and let the dishes stack up, but they don't stack too high. I've only got four dishes.

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