Lane Stewart of Sports Illustrated took this shot of "Sidd Finch," who pitched wearing one high-top hiking boot, to accompany George Plimpton's magnificent hoax in the magazine.
Let us pause to honor Sidd Finch, the rookie pitcher whose fastball clocked 168 mph and who was trying to decide whether to play the French horn professionally or sign with the Mets instead.
George Plimpton's profile of Finch, an elaborate and even scholarly hoax, appeared in Sports Illustrated on April 1, 1985 -- a quarter of a century ago -- and remains the most literate (as well as plausible) April Fool jape in history. Baseball lovers everywhere swallowed it as gospel, despite glaringly obvious hints in the magazine that all was not quite kosher.
Read about it here.
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