Who Was Fooled By Sidd Finch?

The curious case of Sidd Finch is now a 23 year old hoax. Venerable and respected sports mag Sports Illustrated let a great writer in George Plimpton take us on a fantasy tale of a pitching phenom with one boot living in a Tibetan monestary, who was property of the NY Mets.

Oh yeah, he could also throw 168 miles per hour.

Why on earth this story “fooled” anybody, is now fuzzy to me. I know the media universe in 1985 was damn near pre-historic compared to now. No internet. No cell phones. No all sports radio.

Who could be fooled by 168 freaking mph? An idiot?

Yet some swear they were fooled. Perhaps Mets fans so desperate, they were willing to buy it all, lock stock and far fetched barrel.

So I got to thinking about 168 mph from a mere 60-feet, 6-inches.

What on earth might that even LOOK like? Could any major league catcher even handle it? Would you need a steel plate in the palm of the catcher’s mitt?

When would you need to START your swing? As soon as the pitcher’s front leg hit the ground?

Has anybody ever cooked up a “pitching machine” capable of super-human speeds above 100 mph?

Somebody, call Mythbusters, now!

Plus, if you are bringing your heater at 168, what do you need to throw to effectively “change speeds?” A 140 mph “change up?”

I have visions of Bugs Bunny striking out a batter with three swings on one excruciatingly slow pitch.

Its too bad that S.I. used up it’s ONE April Fool’s story per century capable of fooling anybody on the Finch saga. If they hadn’t painted such an insanely, easily scoffed at story, they could have really had people buzzing.

Instead of a Tibetan monastery, it could have just been a trailer park in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Instead of pitching with one bare foot, it could have just been a shoe with a heel cutout for ventilation. Instead of 168 you might have just claimed 112.

But nooooooo. Oh well.

Today with the internet and all, and the ever useful “Snopes.com” you can pretty much undress an elaborate hoax in no time. Plus, with the wild-ass rumors which pass for discussion topics these days on ESPN’s late afternoon yell-fests, how could you even distinguish a well crafted April Fool’s story from just another Woody Paige “opinion?”

Here’s to you, Sidd Finch. May you someday find peace of mind, and control of that 168 mile per hour heater.

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