April Fool's Day: Remembering Sidd Finch

Today is Friday, April 1.

In case it hasn't hit you yet, it's April Fool's Day.

You know, the day known for pranks.

And what is the best sports prank of all-time?

Well, that's easy. The answer is "The Curious Case of Sidd Finch", an article written by George Plimpton, for Sports Illustrated, that was first published on April 1, 1985.

In the article, Plimpton wrote that Hayden "Sidd" Finch was raised in an English orphanage, learned yoga in Tibet, and could throw a fastball 168 miles per hour.

As the story went, Finch, who was undecided between a music career or a baseball career, was in training with the Mets, who played along, even issuing a uniform number (21) to Finch, as well as a locker.

If you really read the article, you probably thought, after awhile, that something wasn't quite right.

It got to be a little absurd, almost as if Finch were some professional wrestling characters.

But Mets fans, and a lot of baseball fans who wanted another hero, actually believed that Finch was real.

The magazine printed a much smaller article in the following April 8 issue announcing Finch's retirement.

Just one week later, on April 15, Sports Illustrated announced it was all a hoax.

It's April Fool's Day...don't believe anything!