The cult of Sidd Finch, baseball's fictional phenom

Panic gripped the St. Petersburg Times newsroom. The sports desk, in particular, was abuzz with frantic desperation. It was 28^th March 1985, a warm Thursday, and Florida’s paper of record had been scooped on a seismic story in its own backyard: the surfacing, at New York Mets spring training, of the greatest pitching prospect in baseball history.

That morning, advance copies of Sports Illustrated hit newsstands across America, introducing Hayden ‘Siddhartha’ Finch, a mystical 28-year-old recluse whose fastball had been clocked at 168-mph – despite no documented experience in organised baseball. (1) Little was known about the hermetic enigma, save for the peculiar flotsam unearthed by SI, and a race to discover more ensued.

Behind the curve, a haggled Times sports editor dispatched Dave Scheiber, a versatile reporter, to Huggins-Stengel Field, where the Mets trained, to find Finch and produce a profile. Meanwhile, Tom Zucco, another Times journalist, worked the phones, trying to get hold of someone – anyone – at SI to corroborate the exclusive. (2)

When Scheiber arrived at the Mets’ spring headquarters, he found a gaggle of fellow reporters on the same assignment. In the clubhouse, they discovered a locker bearing a ‘FINCH’ nameplate, wedged between those of perennial All-Stars Darryl Strawberry and George Foster. (1) The actual pitcher was nowhere to be seen, however, bemusing the writers.

Finally, erstwhile pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre took questions. The reporters had already missed Finch, Stottlemyre explained. The phenom came in early, around 05:00, to get in his work. (3) “I can’t tell you anything about it,” Stottlemyre said. “But there is a Sidd Finch.” (4)

Stottlemyre was kinda correct, of course. There was a Sidd Finch, and there still is. That he was fictional, spawned as an elaborate hoax, is only a minor footnote in his remarkable ballad, which still piques cultish fervour decades later. Scheiber, et al, endured a wild goose chase, in essence. But what a wild goose chase. There have been few greater in sports history.

***

Sidd Finch was a figment of George Plimpton’s vivid imagination. A revered writer, Plimpton honed a fine reputation for participatory journalism – from pitching against All-Stars at Yankee Stadium to sparring with Sugar Ray Robinson; from sampling the PGA Tour alongside Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer to quarterbacking the Lions and Colts in training camp; from tending goal for the Bruins in an exhibition to playing with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. But his creation of a bohemian polyglot with a thunderous fastball garnered the most attention. The mystery was irresistible.

The genesis of such an elaborate ruse came in the early weeks of 1985. Planning for the year ahead, SI editor Mark Mulvoy noticed a future issue would be published on 1 April, and he tinkered with ideas for an April Fools feature. “I publish 550 stories a year,” Mulvoy explained. “So much of what we do has to do with things like drugs, salaries and, now, point shaving – things we have to do. But, for once, I wanted to have fun.” (5)

Plimpton was a regular contributor to SI, and Mulvoy knew, instinctively, that such an April Fools assignment would appeal to the serial prankster. Contact was made, and Plimpton soon met with Mulvoy and SI copy editor Myra Gelband to discuss ideas. Plimpton initially explored a piece collating the funniest April Fools pranks in sports history, but his early research yielded little of substance. Concocting a new hoax – centred around a fictional ballplayer to coincide with spring training – was suggested, and Plimpton ran with the project. (6)

The eccentric writer drew inspiration from several sources – Orson Welles’ infamous War of the Worlds spoof; an epic poem by Kenneth Koch; and a London newspaper prank about a Japanese marathon runner who mistakenly believed a race was scheduled for 26 days rather than 26 miles. (7) (8) (9)

Plimpton initially wanted to make Finch an ‘Appalachian-type’ character, but Gelband talked him into making the protagonist a Harvard dropout. (10) Regardless, Mulvoy loved the initial outline and, via subeditor Barbara Hinkle, instructed Lane Stewart, one of the magazine’s most intrepid photographers, to shoot accompanying imagery. (11) 

Stewart wrangled enough budget to take an assistant on his adventure and subsequently reached out to Joe Berton, a Cubs fan friend who had helped on previous baseball stories. (12) (13) (14) A 31-year-old middle school art teacher from Oak Park, Illinois, Berton was a leading scholar on T.E. Lawrence, and he often travelled to England for research. (15) (16) As such, Stewart thought instantly of Berton upon learning of Finch’s English roots. In turn, Berton was intrigued by the idea of working on a Mets piece, and he agreed to join Stewart in St. Petersburg. (13)

“Bring a French horn and a Tibetan rug,” Stewart told Berton. “You are Sidd Finch.” (13)

A little startled, Berton scrambled to procure the esoteric items. Ed Von Holst, a music teacher at the same Percy Julian Junior High School, loaned a French horn and showed Berton how to hold it properly. (16) Meanwhile, Andrew Boies, a seventh-grade student, provided a tiny baseball mitt in return for a free copy of the SI swimsuit calendar. (6) 

Plimpton was friendly with Mets owner Nelson Doubleday Jr., who also oversaw a publishing house that carried some of the writer’s books. (17) Plimpton sold the Sidd Finch hoax to Doubleday, who gave Stewart and Berton carte blanche to infiltrate spring training, guided by Jay Horwitz, the Mets’ vaunted public relations czar. (5) 

When the SI duo arrived at Huggins-Stengel Field, a Mets’ clubhouse attendant offered Berton a full uniform bearing the number 45. Scanning a typed spring training roster, however, Berton noticed there was already a (real) player in camp issued with the same digits. Showing an early aptitude for guarding the cryptic narrative, Berton requested number 21, which was free. The great Roberto Clemente wore 21, Berton recalled. And if it was good enough for Clemente, it was good enough for Finch. (3) 

Berton and Stewart spent multiple days in Mets camp, the latter snapping candid pictures as the former hauled the horn and rug from one improbable scene to another. Sporting a backwards cap, Berton mingled with the Mets like an everyday player. Some campmates, including the mercurial Dwight Gooden, even fell for the prank initially, and fans asked Berton if he was trying out when he sat in the bullpen during exhibition games. Berton answered in the affirmative, adding to the suspense. (3)

Leaving Florida, Berton returned to Illinois while Stewart journeyed to Boston, where he used the Harvard dorm of Rob Hagebak – stepson of SI deputy art director Richard Warner – to shoot the French horn in a nod to Finch’s supposed alma mater. A few more snaps were taken in Chicago, where seasonal snowbanks approximated the Himalayas, while Berton volunteered a few photos from his personal travels, including a camel ride in Egypt. (6)

Perusing the rich cache of photos submitted by Stewart, Plimpton was ecstatic. The pair had wangled far more access than Plimpton ever imagined, and the volume of fascinating pictures sent him back to the typewriter. A sojourn to Egypt was written into Finch’s backstory, while the damaged mitt of catcher Ronn Reynolds also became a central motif. In turn, Mulvoy was so stoked that he knocked several ads out of the issue, allowing Plimpton to pad his piece. (3)

And it was that piece, printed over more than a dozen pages, that rocked the sporting world on Thursday 28 March 1985. The cover date was 1 April, but shelves were stocked days prior. The Curious Case of Sidd Finch barked a commanding headline, while Stewart’s epic imagery – a vagabond rearing back to uncork a pitch wearing a solitary hiking boot – hooked inquisitive readers. (1)

Plimpton’s piece provided a whistle-stop biography of Finch. Born, like me, in England, Finch was raised in a Leicester orphanage. From there, he attended the prestigious Stowe School in Buckingham, frequented by Richard Branson among decorated alumni, before briefly bothering Harvard. (1)

Finch’s foster father died in a plane crash above the Dhaulagiri mountains of Nepal, and Sidd trekked to the region – via Egypt – searching for answers. Eventually settling in Tibet, Finch became a disciple of famed yogi poet Lama Milarepa and set about becoming a Buddhist monk. Meanwhile, in his spare time, Finch learned ‘the art of the pitch’ by throwing rocks. (1)

Upon returning to the US, Finch happened upon a Triple-A baseball game in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, involving the Tidewater Tides, a Mets affiliate. After the game, Sidd approached the Tides’ manager, Bob Schaefer, in the parking lot, and told the crusty baseball lifer about his pitching exploits. Wearied and unimpressed, Schaefer paid Finch little heed, only for Sidd to explode a soda bottle with a scuffed baseball from across the parking lot. Schaefer asked Finch to repeat the trick, which he did, making Nolan Ryan’s fastball look like a change-up. (1)

Schaefer inquired about Finch’s baseball background and was astonished that he had never played the game at any level. Schaefer filed a scouting report to the Mets’ front office and waxed lyrical about the ‘weird’ enigma he had discovered. “Gawky string bean type,” wrote Schaefer. “No visible injuries. Unbelievable(!) fastball and control. You got to see this. Never played (no joke). Could be the phenom of all-time. Very hard to figure. Call me.” (1) (18)

Mets executives did just that, and invited Finch to spring training. Ever indecipherable, Finch said he would report to camp only if there were no contractual commitments; he was allowed to keep to himself, on and off the field; and the entire experiment be kept secret. Despite his immortal skill, Finch was undecided on a future career in baseball versus competing options in Buddhism and with the French horn, so he did not want to create a furore, lest his decision disappoint fans. (1) 

“The biggest problem Finch has with baseball is that nirvana, which is the state all Buddhists wish to reach, means literally ‘the blowing out’ – specifically the purifying of oneself of greed, hatred and delusion,” wrote Plimpton. “Baseball is symbolised to a remarkable degree by those very three aspects: greed (huge money contracts, stealing second base, robbing a guy of a base hit, charging for a seat behind an iron pillar, etc), hatred (players despising management, pitchers hating hitters, the Cubs detesting the Mets, etc), and delusion (the slider, the pitchout, the hidden-ball trick and so forth.) So, you can see why it is not easy for Finch to give himself up to a way of life so opposite to what he has been led to cherish.” (1)

Nevertheless, the Mets agreed to those stringent conditions early in February 1985, and Finch duly arrived in St. Petersburg. Stottlemyre was tabbed as his minder, while the Mets also tabbed a specialist in Eastern religion to see if they could decode Finch and cajole him into signing a contract. Those attempts were turbocharged when Finch blew his 168-mph heater past bamboozled Mets – including John Christensen, Dave Cochrane and Lenny Dykstra – in practice. Still, Finch declined to commit, with Plimpton mentioning a 1 April deadline for the pitcher’s decision. (1)

***

Alas, it was against such a looming deadline that Dave Scheiber and the throng of bewildered reporters flocked to Huggins-Stengel Field in pursuit of Sidd Finch. Stottlemyre’s playing along added to their confusion, while the contemporaneous sanctity of SI gaslit the congregation. SI didn’t do hoaxes. Not really. It was a paragon of fact-based journalism, and that reputation stirred the pot.

Understandably, the SI switchboard was inundated with calls from newsrooms across the country – not just from Zucco at the St. Petersburg Times. No less than the New York Times rang to check the details. Only a few SI staffers were briefed on the prank, though, so when senator Daniel Moynihan called to verify the report, unsuspecting letters manager Ann Scott parroted the usual company line: “We stand by our story.” Hence bafflement spread by word of mouth. (6)

Horwitz was also bombarded with queries, mainly from regular baseball beat writers at New York newspapers who were furious that SI, a national outlet, got the exclusive. (3) The Mets’ spin doctor continued to have fun with the charade, as well, telling one Chicago radio station fact-checker that Finch had a 120-mph slider and a 118-mph curveball to complement his ferocious fastball. (5) (19)

Later, while photographing MLB commissioner Peter Ueberroth for another project, Stewart discussed the whole Finch phenomenon with the most powerful man in baseball. In those early scrambled hours after the magazine hit newsstands, per Ueberroth, general managers of two different MLB teams rang the commissioner to query – and complain about – Finch. One asked why other teams were not made aware of such a talent, while the other questioned whether it was even safe to let batters face such velocity. (3) Ueberroth, for his part, let the mystery play out.

***

In reality, the curious case of Sidd Finch was unveiled as a hoax by the time Stottlemyre and the exasperated press pack went to dinner on 28 March 1985. Besieged by messages, calls and queries about the veracity of his story, Plimpton eventually directed people to an easter egg buried in the subheading of his prose: “He’s a pitcher, part yogi and part recluse. Impressively liberated from our opulent lifestyle. Sidd’s deciding about yoga – and his future in baseball.” Take the first letter of each word, and the motive was clear: “HAPPY APRIL FOOLS’ DAY. AH FIB.” (6)

Once alerted to the ploy, reporters were quick to track down Berton. Percy Julian Junior High received calls from NBC and the New York Times, while perplexed students asked Berton if a new teacher would replace him while he played for the Mets. (16) (20) Today asked for more information, and Nightline ran a three-minute segment on Finch. (11) (16) Meanwhile, SI received more than 2,500 letters about the prank – some praising it; others detailing mythical sightings of Finch in the wild; and a few cancelling their subscriptions. (21)

Despite the swift deciphering, Mets executives decided to ring every drop of publicity from the hoax by arranging an actual press conference at Al Lang Stadium – where the team played spring exhibition games – on 1 April, at which Finch would ‘announce’ the decision presaged by Plimpton. (22) Horwitz rang Berton to invite him back to camp, and Berton agreed to the rendezvous on one condition: that he get to keep Finch’s uniform this time. The Mets agreed, and the media was duly summoned – for real, this time. (13)

Three local television stations sent cameras to the mock summit, in addition to hordes of newspaper scribes. Bedecked in his prized #21 uniform, cap atilt, with a hiking boot on his right foot and a shepherd’s staff in his right hand, Berton stood near home plate while his ‘spokesman’ read a statement drafted by Plimpton:

“On March 28, I threw a baseball which went wide of Mr Reynolds’ glove and tore a hole through the backstop. It scared the bejabbers out of Mr Reynolds, not to mention myself and also out of Doubleday, who was approaching to watch me throw. Mr Doubleday’s face was ashen. He thought that perhaps before going through the backstop, the baseball had gone through Mr Reynolds. He was very happy to see that this was not so. As we would say in my home in the Himalayas, the horsehide had developed hooves, long fingernails, and the ferocious teeth of an evil deity. Therefore, I will not pitch this summer in the Big Apple.” (22)

The press-shy Finch declined to take questions, and Horwitz subsequently announced the Mets would retire his number 21. (22) That outfielder Terry Blocker had since been assigned those digits in real life barely seemed to matter, and the fact that several future Mets – Kevin Elster, Carlos Delgado, Lucas Duda, Todd Frazier, Max Scherzer, Jonah Tong – wore 21 punctured the mythology somewhat. (23)

Regardless, Finch’s press conference was staged before an actual spring exhibition between the Mets and Pirates, creating a niche ‘I was there’ moment for a few thousand fans. (22) Taking its defeat in good taste, the St. Petersburg Times printed t-shirts declaring ‘The Sidd Finch Decision,’ which were gifted to fans. (5) Meanwhile, Berton enjoyed a taste of ballplayer fame as kids clamoured for his autograph along the first baseline. (22)

In its 8 April 1985 edition, SI included a brief follow-up, saying Finch had decided to retire from baseball, prompting the Mets to hold Sidd Finch Retirement Day. (24) “The perfect pitch, once a thing of harmony, is now an instrument of chaos and cruelty,” Berton told reporters on that occasion. (25) Then, in the 15 April edition, SI included a letter from its publisher, Robert L Miller, who confirmed the hoax once and for all:

“When the editors first read George Plimpton's April Fools' story, The Curious Case of Sidd Finch (April 1), they felt it would be widely enjoyed as a delightfully told, if not entirely plausible, tale. What they didn't anticipate was that many readers would want to believe in the existence of Sidd so strongly, despite the 168-mph fastball and other improbabilities, that they would rationalise their doubts for a good while before being brought back to earth by more sceptical acquaintances. Partly for that reason, the Plimpton spoof has become one of the most talked-about pieces in SI's history, and has generated one of the largest outpourings of reader mail and phone calls.” (26)

One such animated reader was no less than George M. Steinbrenner III, the Yankees’ tempestuous emperor. “Bad for baseball, bad for the Mets, bad for Sports Illustrated,” quacked The Boss when asked to comment. (6) Pinstripes would never befit the hermetic Finch.

Seemingly unperturbed by such criticism, SI invited Berton to its annual Sportsman of the Year dinner to close out 1985. The unassuming teacher rode to the Rockefeller Centre in a limousine with Earl Weaver and Brooks Robinson; shared a table with Enos Slaughter and Tug McGraw; and applauded as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar claimed the headline prize. Others in attendance included Tom Seaver, Billy Jean King and Sugar Ray Leonard. (3) (17) 

“All of us here know there would have been one guy who probably would have won the award hands-down, if he decided to play,” said the host, Pro Football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen, before a Sidd Finch montage echoed through the auditorium. Berton then received a round of applause before the ceremony commenced. (27)

In much the same vein, Berton continued to enjoy the fruits of his serendipitous labour. Sidd Finch baseball cards and bobbleheads became hot commodities. (5) Appearances at trade shows and memorabilia conventions were arranged. Berton even appeared at a homecoming dinner in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, Finch’s supposed hometown. (28)

“There’s no single sport that has the hold on our dreams and fantasies the way baseball does,” said Gelband, the SI copy editor, summarising the phenomenon. “Sidd has become a symbol, like the cornfield in Iowa.” (29)

***

Although Plimpton’s prank was quickly uncovered and swiftly overplayed, at least three publishers came forward with six-figure offers to pen a Sidd Finch book. MacMillan made the highest bid, while Lorimar secured first refusal on a movie option. (30) (31) Plimpton then revisited his most famous sporting creation, enriching the pitcher’s backstory and filling in the gaps from his supposed retirement.

To that end, published in May 1987, The Curious Case of Sidd Finch worked as both a prequel and sequel to the SI saga. Narrated by Robert Temple, a washed-up freelance journalist battling writer’s block after a traumatic stint in Vietnam, the book provides additional colour to Finch’s upbringing before recounting his spring training expedition and subsequent exploits. (32)

We learned that Finch was named after Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. We learned that Finch grew up in a grand house in London, on Denbigh Close, which is a real street betwixt Kensington Palace and Portobello Road Market. And we learned that Finch had a ‘kind of sing-songy English accent’ – to my eternal delight. (32)

Plimpton gave Finch a love interest in the novel – Debbie Sue, a windsurfer he met in Florida. Finch knew very little about baseball, Plimpton reminded us, though he did once see Pride of the Yankees on television in Kathmandu and attended a Red Sox game at Fenway Park while studying at Harvard. (32)

According to Temple, Finch was a terrible cricketer at Stowe, and his inadvertent pitching prowess was attributed to the mystical incantations of ‘lung-gom,’ loosely derived from Buddhist practices. (32)

After leaving spring training, Finch supposedly ran away to a monastery in Boulder, Colorado, from which Debbie Sue helped him escape. Finch followed the Mets scores after Debbie Sue taught him to read boxscores, and he often contemplated a baseball comeback. (32)

To wit, in late-July 1985, Finch returned to the Mets, parachuting into a tight pennant race with the Cardinals. Finch made his major league debut on 5 August 1985, per Plimpton’s fantasy, and recorded a perfect game with 27 strikeouts – somewhat incredibly. Newspapers and talk radio were aglow with consternation, as fans accused Finch of ruining the game, while baseball rule-makers considered outlawing his unhittable pitch. (32)

At that point, Plimpton introduced a dramatic plot twist, in the form of Al ‘Big Cakes’ Caporetto, a mafia mobster and Cardinals fan who, convinced the SI piece was a hoax, bet big against Finch pitching two shutouts in a row. A gunfight ensued when Big Cakes tried to tamper with Finch before his second start, although the phenom escaped unscathed to take the mound. (32)

Facing St Louis once again, Finch struck out the first 26 batters, then left the baseball on the pitching rubber, walked off the mound, exited the stadium, and – still in full uniform – ran away to the airport with Debbie Sue, from whence the couple flew to England. (32) 

And that was all she wrote for Sidd Finch, Baseball Player – at least through 1987, when the book was published. Plimpton left many unanswered questions, though, inviting readers to engage their own imagination regarding Finch’s fate. Did the mob get into his head? Did Debbie Sue get into his heart? Did he ever pitch again? Nobody really knows.

We do know that Finch gave mantras to Davey Johnson and Mookie Wilson before departing for England, and that he predicted a Mets championship in 1986. We also know, of course, that the real-life Mets indeed won it all in ‘86, with Wilson profiting from Bill Buckner’s infamous error in Game 6 of the World Series. Plimpton knew all that in advance, remember, but still, the symmetry is pleasingly poetic. Perhaps the Buddha smiled on those lucky Mets after all.

***

From there, comparatively little was heard of Finch for more than a decade, until SI reprised the character in a ‘Where are they now?’ edition, published 31 July 2000. (7) Finch still lived in England, we were led to believe, and SI chronicled his ill-fated attempts at transitioning to cricket. Finch also randomly participated in a cow chip throwing contest in Tulsa, Oklahoma, while photos showed him dabbling with a javelin near the white cliffs of Dover. (17)

Berton appeared in those photos, which coincided with one of his research trips to London. Remarkably, on one such trip, Berton was recognised as Finch by a stranger in London’s Randolph Hotel, and free beers were duly supplied. (25) Similarly, back home, the humble teacher was often recognised by baseball fans. Whenever the Mets came into Wrigley Field, for instance, Horwitz left Berton tickets – in the name of ‘Sidd Finch’ – and Cubs fans embraced their fellow sufferer. (3)

On that note, Berton attended the infamous Steve Bartman Game, in which the poor Cubs fan interfered with a foul ball late in a potential NLCS clincher, only for the home team to subsequently collapse. (13) That Sidd Finch had a tangential link to baseball’s two gravest calamities – Buckner and Bartman – is rarely remembered, but some kind of karmic energy must have been at play there. Maybe Bill and Steve forgot their ‘lung-gom’ mantras when they mattered most.

In that regard, it is perhaps paradoxical that much of Sidd Finch’s legacy resides in Illinois rather than New York, Florida, London or Tibet. A watering hole and eatery – Sidd Finch’s Bar & Grill – once sprang up in Oak Brook, for instance, complete with eponymous memorabilia. (33) Berton is a minor celebrity among locals, and friends regularly tease him into testing the actual velocity of his fastball for comparative purposes. (25)

Plimpton passed away in 2003, but his fabled hoax is recounted every April Fools’ Day. Indeed, while seemingly unfit for the discerning sleuths of our cynical internet age, the prank’s legacy is sustained – and celebrated – by recurring digital attention. A major resurgence came in 2015, for instance, as ESPN produced a 30 for 30 short on Sidd Finch, while the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) held a panel discussion in his honour. (11) (34)

The most compelling honour came in Brooklyn, though, where the Cyclones, a Mets minor league affiliate, held Sidd Finch Day, with the national anthem played by French horn; fans named Sidd admitted for $1.68; anyone wearing Harvard garb running the bases; yoga classes offered on the field; bobbleheads immortalising #21; and Berton signing autographs on behalf of his alter ego. (35) 

Once a seat of baseball power in its own right, Brooklyn is now merely a stepping stone to Queens – in the Mets’ farm system, at least. Berton finally followed that path, tread by so many prospects, in 2025, when the Mets came calling again for real. Four decades after his introduction, Berton – well, Finch – was welcomed to Citi Field for a small ceremony. Horwitz facilitated the celebration, at which Berton received an up-to-date Mets jersey. (36)

The home team beat Miami, 10-5, that afternoon, before a crowd of 28,861. Aged 72 and still a native of Oak Park, Illinois, Berton spoke to reporters before the game and reminisced about his 40-year journey in another man’s hiking boot. A few local New York papers wrote-up the reunion, but the Tampa Bay Times – descendent of the St. Petersburg Times – did not send a correspondent. Dave Scheiber was busy, one presumes. Or the paper finally learned its lesson.

Sources

1. Plimpton, George. Sports Illustrated. [Online] March 28, 1985. https://www.si.com/mlb/2014/10/15/curious-case-sidd-finch.

2. Associated Press. [Online] March 29, 1985. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_BhXAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA31&dq=%22sports+illustrated+pulls+off+April+Fools%27+hoax%22&article_id=7041,8312552&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjr3ILOq6mTAxWeU0EAHZHpGKEQ6AF6BAgHEAM#v=onepage&q=%22sports%20illustrated%20pulls%20off%20Apri.

3. Amazin' Conversations with Jay Horwitz podcast. [Online] April 9, 2025. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-true-story-behind-sidd-finch-baseballs-biggest-hoax/id1442285684?i=1000702848654.

4. Miller, Glenn. The Evening Standard. [Online] March 29, 1985. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wmlQAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA22&dq=%22sidd+finch%22+%2B+%22mets%22&article_id=2905,3273076&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj33dPnzJWTAxU3QEEAHeVQFm84ChDoAXoECA0QAw#v=onepage&q=%22sidd%20finch%22%20%2B%20%22mets%22&f=false.

5. Rovell, Darren. Cllct. [Online] April 1, 2025. https://www.cllct.com/sports-collectibles/memorabilia/legend-of-sidd-finch-lives-on-40-years-later.

6. Sports Illustrated. [Online] October 21, 2014. https://www.si.com/mlb/2014/10/21/si-60-curious-case-sidd-finch-mark-mulvoy-myra-gelband.

7. Professor, The Baseball. Sidd Finch: Baseball's greatest hoax and a literary masterpiece. YouTube. [Online] March 26, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl6D7Jil1R0.

8. Davis, Jordan. Vice. [Online] April 1, 2015. https://www.vice.com/en/article/was-the-greatest-april-fools-joke-in-sports-history-borrowed-from-a-poem/.

9. Cohen, Russ, Raider, Adam and Johnson, Howard. Numbers Don't Lie: Behind the Biggest Numbers in Mets History. 2015.

10. MacCambridge, Michael. The Franchise: A History of Sports Illustrated Magazine. 1997.

11. ESPN, 30 For 30 Shorts. Unhittable: Sidd Finch and the Tibetan Fastball. [Online] 2015. https://www.facebook.com/espnoriginals/videos/25-years-ago-sidd-finch-of-the-new-york-mets-captured-the-attention-of-baseball-/1061117360568358/.

12. Cerrone, Matthew. The New York Mets Fans' Bucket List. 2017.

13. The Twin Bill Baseball Book Podcast. [Online] April 1, 2024. https://music.amazon.com/es-co/podcasts/7e182da6-72fa-4088-a015-5b1964a71cf6/episodes/47d2629f-dda4-491a-a773-0d2b4765b270/the-twin-bill-baseball-book-podcast-1-sidd-finch-a-k-a-joe-berton.

14. Haley, Dan. Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest. [Online] April 15, 2025. https://www.oakpark.com/2025/04/15/another-oak-park-baseball-icon-resurfaces/.

15. Wesley, Tim. Beaver County Times. [Online] April 2, 1985. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Kh0vAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA8&dq=%22sidd+finch%22+%2B+%22mets%22&article_id=6265,215246&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj33dPnzJWTAxU3QEEAHeVQFm84ChDoAXoECA8QAw#v=onepage&q=%22sidd%20finch%22%20%2B%20%22mets%22&f=false.

16. Trainor, Ken. Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest. [Online] April 1, 2015. https://www.oakpark.com/2015/04/01/the-curious-case-of-joe-berton/.

17. Eephus and The Southpaw podcast. [Online] April 1, 2023. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-curious-case-of-sidd-finch/id1617489608?i=1000606882729.

18. Steemit. [Online] April 1, 2018. https://steemit.com/hoaxes/@communitycoin/the-story-of-sidd-finch-turns-33-contributed-by-donkeypong.

19. Walker, Ben. Associated Press. [Online] March 29, 1985. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=nqoyAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA7&dq=%22sidd+finch%22+%2B+%22mets%22&article_id=5561,3025739&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwio0NDNzJWTAxXnTUEAHQLDOcgQ6AF6BAgMEAM#v=onepage&q=%22sidd%20finch%22%20%2B%20%22mets%22&f=false.

20. Lisanti, Jamie. Sports Illustrated. [Online] April 1, 2020. https://www.si.com/sports-illustrated/2020/04/01/sidd-finch-april-fools-article-george-plimpton-lane-stewart-joe-berton.

21. Nuwer, Hank. Rendezvousing With Contemporary Writers. 1988.

22. Miller, Glenn. The Evening Independent. [Online] April 2, 1985. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=n_ILAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA19&dq=%22sidd+finch%22+%2B+%22mets%22&article_id=4357,533034&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwio0NDNzJWTAxXnTUEAHQLDOcgQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=%22sidd%20finch%22%20%2B%20%22mets%22&f=false.

23. New York Mets Uniform Numbers. Baseball Almanac. [Online] https://www.baseball-almanac.com/teams/baseball_uniform_numbers.php?t=NYN.

24. Snyder, John. Mets Journal: Year by Year and Day by Day with the New York Mets. 2011.

25. Schwarz, Alan. New York Times. [Online] April 2, 2005. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_JEkAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA8&dq=%22sidd+finch%22+%2B+%22mets%22&article_id=1333,166660&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwio0NDNzJWTAxXnTUEAHQLDOcgQ6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q=%22sidd%20finch%22%20%2B%20%22mets%22&f=false.

26. Miller, Robert L. Sports Illustrated. [Online] April 15, 1985. https://web.archive.org/web/20201126161104/https:/vault.si.com/vault/1985/04/15/letter-from-the-publisher.

27. Empresas, RSS. Special - 1985 - Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Show - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Winner. YouTube. [Online] October 12, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98iOPG3SA1o.

28. Associated Press. [Online] April 10, 1985. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=5BA9AAAAIBAJ&pg=PA20&dq=%22sidd+finch%22+%2B+%22mets%22&article_id=3370,4155694&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwio0NDNzJWTAxXnTUEAHQLDOcgQ6AF6BAgIEAM#v=onepage&q=%22sidd%20finch%22%20%2B%20%22mets%22&f=false.

29. Mets Rewind. [Online] March 28, 2025. https://metsrewind.substack.com/p/sidd-finch-the-backstory.

30. Associated Press. [Online] June 6, 1985. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2poyAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA12&dq=%22sidd+finch%22+%2B+%22mets%22&article_id=2411,2297396&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi59Lr9zJWTAxVKWkEAHfi9M2Y4FBDoAXoECA4QAw#v=onepage&q=%22sidd%20finch%22%20%2B%20%22mets%22&f=false.

31. The Victoria Advocate. [Online] June 18, 1987. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DfcnAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA22&dq=%22sidd+finch%22+%2B+%22mets%22&article_id=3301,4162372&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjp08224pWTAxX5VEEAHS0fL_k4UBDoAXoECAgQAw#v=onepage&q=%22sidd%20finch%22%20%2B%20%22mets%22&f=false.

32. Plimpton, George. The Curious Case of Sidd Finch. 1987.

33. Chicago Tribune. [Online] May 31, 2011. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2011/03/31/the-greatest-pitcher-who-never-was/.

34. Bloom, Barry. MLB.com. [Online] June 26, 2015. https://www.mlb.com/news/sidd-finch-hoax-recalled-at-sabr-convention/c-133074166.

35. Kalan, David. MILB.com. [Online] August 27, 2015. https://www.milb.com/news/legend-of-sidd-finch-lives-on-in-brooklyn-145695984.

36. Martin, Dan. New York Post. [Online] April 8, 2025. https://nypost.com/2025/04/08/sports/legendary-sidd-finch-finally-makes-it-to-mets-home-game-40-years-later/.