The Curious Case of Sidd Finch: A Novel [Paperback]

George Plimpton (Author), Jonathan Ames (Preface)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2004

In April 1985, Sports Illustrated published an article that stunned the sports community. George Plimpton's 13-page profile of Sidd Finch, a mysterious pitcher who had been signed by the New York Mets and reportedly threw 168 mph, came complete with photos from spring training, scouting reports, and interviews with Mets players and management. A week later, SI apologized to readers around the world for their role in what is generally regarded as the greatest hoax in the history of sports journalism. The magazine had teamed up with the legendary author and Paris Review bon vivant for an April Fool's Day prank of unprecedented proportions. After the success of the article, Plimpton decided to turn the story into a novel — a rousing baseball fairy tale that is considered one of the most memorable sports novels of the last half-century.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The ubiquitous Plimpton strikes again, with a first novel; and it's tempting, and not really unfair, to say that he's almost as much out of his depth in full-length fiction as in those memorable moments in the ring or on the football field. He goes back to a jokey Sports Illustrated article he once did about the world's fastest pitcher, an English-born Buddhist monk called Sidd Finch, who learned his speed and accuracy hurling rocks at marauding snow leopards in the Himalayas. Plimpton fits him out with an eccentric British past, a gorgeous but kookie Southern girl friend and a tentative contract with the Mets. But despite a relaxedsometimes much too relaxednarrative style, and a lot of pleasant rambling about horn-playing, wrist musculature and the future of baseball, the book just doesn't go anywhere. It's as if Plimpton threw in everything he could think of to pad it out to novel length, and some of the paddingincluding a totally inept episode about a Mafia gamblershould have been cut early on. Baseball fans will enjoy parts of this, but even they will feel cheated that there's no real climax. The book, like Finch, just ambles off the field. Literary Guild Alternate.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA Sports fans who liked reading about Plimpton's adventures as an am ateur participant in professional base ball, football, hockey, and boxing will enjoy his first venture into the world of fiction. Sidd(hartha) Finch pitches a baseball 50 mph faster than anyone really can. Like Plimpton, Sidd is not a professional athlete, but unlike his cre ator, he is a British-born Buddhist monk whose ability to throw the ball derives from his religious training in Ti bet. He is a quiet, contemplative fel low, and when he is recruited by the Mets, he does not even know the rules of the game. The reaction of the world of profesional baseball is hilarious, as incredulity and amazement give way to serious suggestions about radical alter ation in the rules of the game. Gentle Sidd couldn't care less about fame and fortune, but high adventure and even romance, in the person of the gorgeous Debbie Sue, seem to pursue him. This imaginative and humorous story will entertain all knowledgeable baseball fans. Rita G. Keeler, St. John's School, Houston
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156858296X
• ISBN-13: 978-1568582962
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #504,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not your usual Plimpton Plays with the Pros book, July 14, 2002

By 

R. Tiedemann "Sunnye" (Bellevue, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The CURIOUS CASE OF SIDD FINCH (Hardcover)

If you didn't know George Plimpton and you read the book jacket blurbs, you might wonder just who this Sidd Finch really was. You might even remember that Sports Illustrated featured Finch in 1985, and you may not have noticed that it was their April (Fool) issue.

Plimpton weaves a whimsical tale of a young man who, by happenstance, spent enough time in a Himalayan monastery to learn how to throw a baseball 168 miles an hour (didn't know monasteries taught such things, did you?) He's unerringly accurate, to boot!

Starting with a seemingly innocent invitation to a burned-out journalist (Plimpton?) to enjoy a Goodyear blimp ride in Florida, the tale unfolds as baseball moguls try to inveigle Finch into signing on with the Mets. Finch, of course, is anything but your average kid from the Babe Ruth league. Finch finally signs, and with 81 strikes puts away the St. Louis Cardinals. Sensation reigns in the baseball world.

Does he go on to finish the season without giving up so much as a foul tip? Finch has many a surprise in store for friend and foe alike.

Sprinkled with Plimptonesque asides on a wide variety of subjects like Vietnam, the Mafia, sports management, and writers (he even describes himself at one point), this is a pleasant literary/sports romp. It's short enough to read in one evening and enjoyable enough to remain with you a lot longer.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fastest Ball, December 30, 2011

By 

ellison (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Curious Case of Sidd Finch: A Novel (Paperback)

Funny tale that is an extrapalation of an article that appeared in Sports Illistrated on April 1 about a pitcher for the New York Mets that supposedly could throw a baseball well over 100 miles per hour.

This is his story and what could have happened.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Extended Fiction, February 23, 2010

By 

JMack (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Curious Case of Sidd Finch: A Novel (Paperback)

The character Sidd Finch is rather naive, but charming. These are qualities that the novel lacks. Readers that are in on the joke, will find this extension to the original Sports Illustrated article stretches the concept too thin. The plot at times becomes silly and the dialogue at times rambles toward nothingness.

The book involves baseball, though baseball is hardly the center of the book. Instead, the over-the-top attempts at humor make the book seem as though it were written for young adults. Sidd Finch is an eccentric Buddhist monk pitcher who was rescued from obscurity to pitch for the Mets. Naive to the ways of America and baseball, Finch finds himself in awkward positions so often, it becomes rather annoying. As the story develops, new characters are added with conflicts that are designed to make a novel from a magazine article. These new characters add little to the story. It is more amusing to read about the Mets of the 1980's in this story in fictional circumstances than reading about the fictional characters.

As other readers have noted, the book lacks a real sense of closure. This may have been the best way to end the Finch character, but it will still irritate some readers. The only real reason for continued interest in this book is the original scandal caused by the Sidd Finch story. Interested readers should seek those back issues of Sports Illustrated rather than reading this book.