I [HEART] 'Sidd Finch'

Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of perhaps the greatest April Fools "prank" of all time -- though calling it a "prank" doesn't do it justice. Read "The Curious Case of Sidd Finch," written by the singular George Plimpton and published in Sports Illustrated on April 1, 1985. Then read this New York Times story, published yesterday, sharing the story of one of the bit players in the scheme. Then, finally, read this description of Plimpton's book about Finch.

Posted on the wall next to my writing desk is a short article Plimpton wrote before his death in 2003. It's called "Dream Up Your Own List," part of a Men's Journal cover story suggesting 100 things you should do before you die. Dubbed #57, his piece is a typically Plimptonesque selection of his offbeat wishes and dreams, from learning to do Tiger-Woods-like tricks with a golf ball to "I'd like to have Britney Spears stop mid-gyration on the stage, notice me in the front row, and cry out, 'It's you!' "

The last line of the piece is worth reprinting in its entirety:

"There are many more, and the splendid thing is that they are all available -- as soon as the hour is late and the fire has gone down and it is time to drift off into sleep. It's only a matter of picking one before the sweet darkness arrives."