"That's what the game needed, more guys like him"

Just when you thought it couldn't get any tougher, the Baseball Gods intervened. Again.

This season has gotten off to a rough start, not because the Nationals haven't won a game or the newly renovated Yankees trail the Blue Jays AND the Orioles, but because of everything that baseball has lost.

Today, baseball lost two of its most interesting personalities, Harry Kalas and Mark "The Bird" Fidrych.

As someone who grew up outside of the Philadelphia area, I didn't know Kalas as the voice of the Phillies, but rather the voice of NFL Films. Kalas found a way to make every team, regardless of their accomplishments, interesting for their fans [As a Bears fan, let's just say we made life tough for Kalas]. His program was an offseason necessity, right up there with the NFL Draft and a training camp holdout.

Still, it was a seasonal right of passage, a necessity. The Hall of Fame broadcaster endeared himself to millions throughout his career, and as ESPN analyst and former Phillie John Kruk noted, Kalas is to sports fans in Philadelphia what Ben Franklin is to local historians. He left an indescribable mark on their culture, and his prowess behind the mic will be sorely missed.

Fidrych was something else. His on-the-field antics stand out as some of the oddest, even in 2009. Nicknamed The Bird because of his lanky demeanor and throwing style, Fidrych became an instant classic and helped revive baseball in Detroit by vehemently talking to the ball during games and getting down on his knees and playing with the dirt on the mound.

Fidyrch was more than a goof though.

Any teammate will tell you that he was genuine, a terrific personality to have in the clubhouse. He was someone who wasn't afraid to put himself out there, even if it was really, really far out there. Additionally, he had the numbers to back it up. In his 1976 Rookie of the Year campaign, Fidrych went 19-9 with a 2.34 ERA, numbers which helped earn him the start at the All-Star Game. The real jaw-dropper was this nugget though: that season, Fidrych finished with 24 complete games. Finding starters who can START 24 games is impressive.

Injuries derailed his career, and he spent only five years in the majors, going 29-19. However, those numbers didn't derail his popularity. During a comeback bid in the minors years later, he was still selling out games. Immortalized by his animated personality, there isn't a more famous 29-game winner in baseball history.