The Right Coast

April 01, 2005
 
April Fool's Day Memory
By Tom Smith

This is curious. I went to the aforelinked blog to see who was linking to us, and found a recollection of the famous 1985 April Fool's Day joke issue, featuring the yoga- Zen-inspired fastball pitcher named Sidd Finch. That year I was a law clerk for the late George MacKinnon on the D.C. Circuit. That issue of SI made the rounds, taken from office to office by Judge Ken Starr's secretary. I fell for it utterly. I was entranced by the idea that a guy who only meditated and played the tuba on the beach could throw a 120 MPH fastball. I know it sounds stupid, but the article was so well done, it just convinced me. No one else in the courthouse was convinced, however, except, and this is the funny part, Judge Starr.