Sidd Finch was a fictional baseball player, the subject of the notorious article and April Fools’ Day hoax “The Curious Case of Sidd Finch” written by George Plimpton and first published in the April 1, 1985 issue of Sports Illustrated. Plimpton reported that Finch was a rookie baseball pitcher in training with the New York Mets. According to Plimpton, Finch was raised in an English orphanage, learned yoga in Tibet, and could throw a fastball as fast as 168 miles per hour (270 km/h). Finch pitched wearing one work boot and one bare foot. For the article’s photographs, Sidd Finch was played by Joe Berton, a mild-mannered junior high school art teacher from Illinois.
Note: Despite the obvious absurdity of the article, many people believed Finch actually existed. Plimpton eventually broadened his article into a novel, first published in 1987.
Dennis Rodman is a former NBA player, most famously with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls. Nicknamed “The Worm,” he was known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities. He led the NBA in rebounds per game for a record seven consecutive years (1991-98) and won five NBA championships (1989-1990, 1996-1998). In 1993, Rodman reinvented himself as a “bad boy” and became notorious for his brightly colored hair, piercings, tattoos and controversial, disruptive antics. He famously wore a wedding dress to promote his 1996 autobiography Bad As I Wanna Be and pursued a high-profile affair with singer Madonna. He was born on this day in 1961.
Note: On February 26, 2013, Rodman made a trip to North Korea to host basketball exhibitions featuring the Harlem Globetrotters. He met North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un and later called Kim “his friend” and suggested that President Barack Obama “should pick up the phone and call” Kim since the two leaders are basketball fans. On May 7, self-appointed North Korean ambassador Rodman called on Kim Jong-un to release Kenneth Bae, a U.S. citizen imprisoned in North Korea. Almost equally strangely, in March 2013, Rodman arrived at Vatican City during voting in the papal conclave, which elected Pope Francis I.
Spud Webb is a retired American professional basketball player. At only 5′ 7″ tall, he played point guard in the NBA for 12 seasons, primarily for the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings. Webb is notable for winning the 1986 NBA Slam Dunk Contest (over teammate and defending champion Dominique Wilkins) despite being one of the shortest players in NBA history and being unable to palm the ball. Since Webb made his NBA debut in 1985, only two players have been shorter: Earl Boykins (5′ 5″) and Muggsy Bogues (5′ 3″).
As a short kid who loved basketball, I was in awe of Spud Webb’s NBA success and dunking ability. Webb had a 42-inch vertical leap, minimum. I used to pretend to be him (when I wasn’t playing Air Jordan or Wilkins) as I dunked ferociously on our eight-foot basketball hoop in the driveway and made up Slam Dunk scores.
Jacques Dominique Wilkins is a retired American professional basketball player (born in France) who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. Wilkins was a nine-time NBA All-Star, and one of the best dunkers in NBA history, earning the nickname “The Human Highlight Film.” Wilkins participated in five slam dunk contests (1984, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990), winning two. In 1985, he beat rookie Michael Jordan in the finals. In 1986, Wilkins was defeated by his 5′ 7″ teammate, Spud Webb. In 1988, the highly anticipated rematch of Wilkins vs. Jordan resulted in Jordan winning 147 to 145, controversially.
As a kid, I tried to imitate the 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest dunks on the NERF basketball hoop attached above my bedroom door. Or, even better, on the metal basketball hoop mounted in my late grandparents’ basement that my dad built from Erector Set pieces in the late 1950s. These dunks were essentially the practice of accidentally slamming my nine-year-old extremities into the door frame or doorknob as I contorted my body to get a foam ball to pass through an orange plastic hoop. And the crowd goes wild.
V for Vendetta is a 10-issue comic book series written by Alan Moore, set in a dystopian future United Kingdom imagined from the 1980s to about the 1990s. A mysterious anarchist revolutionary who wears a Guy Fawkes mask and calls himself “V” works to destroy the totalitarian government. Warner Bros. released a film adaptation of V for Vendetta in 2006.
Bob Ross was an American painter, art instructor and television host. He is best known as the creator and host of The Joy of Painting, a TV program that ran from 1983 to 1994 on PBS in the U.S. and Canada. With his wet-on-wet oil painting technique, Ross taught the world that mistakes are just “happy accidents.” He painted an an incalculable number of “happy little trees.” Ross was born on this day in 1942 and died from lymphoma in 1995.
Stan Smyl is a Canadian former National Hockey League (NHL) player. He played 13 seasons as a winger for the Vancouver Canucks, from 1978 to 1991. Nicknamed “Steamer” for his relentless and hard-nosed style of play, he served as team captain for a record eight seasons. He led Vancouver to the 1982 Stanley Cup Finals and retired as the Canucks’ all-time leader in games played, goals, assists and points. Smyl’s number 12 was the first retired number in Canucks’ history.
Note: I chose to draw 8-bit Smyl because he was the best player to wear a Vancouver Canucks uniform during their famously ugly “flying V” uniform era (1978-1984). Terrible uniforms and clown costumes must be remembered!
Mario Lemieux is a Canadian former National Hockey League (NHL) player. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins between 1984 and 2006. Lemieux led Pittsburgh to two Stanley Cups (1991 and 1992) and led Canada to an Olympic gold medal in 2002. He was named MVP three times and led the league in scoring six times. Playing only 915 out of a potential 1428 regular season NHL games, Lemieux’s career was plagued by health problems, including Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He is currently the Penguins’ principal owner and is the only person ever to win the Stanley Cup as both a player and an owner. Lemieux is one of the greatest hockey players of all time.
Today is the last day that Heidi and I will be in Switzerland. The next stop on our train journey across Europe is Venice, Italy. Goodbye, Alps.
Wayne Gretzky is a Canadian former National Hockey League (NHL) player. He played 20 seasons for four teams (1979-1999), winning four Stanley Cup championships with the Edmonton Oilers and reaching the 1993 Finals with the Los Angeles Kings. Nicknamed “The Great One,” Gretzky is the greatest hockey player of all time. He is the leading point-scorer in NHL history, with more assists than any other player has points, and is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season. At the time of his retirement in 1999, Gretzky held 40 regular-season records, 15 playoff records and six All-Star records.
Note: The NHL’s 2012-13 regular season started on Thursday, October 11. Or, rather, it would have, if there hadn’t been another NHL lockout.
Jim Henson was an American puppeteer, best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various TV programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, and numerous Muppet films. He created advanced puppets for projects like Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. He was also an Oscar-nominated film director, Emmy Award-winning television producer and the founder of The Jim Henson Company. He was born on this day in 1936.
John Elway is a retired National Football League (NFL) player. He played his 16-season career for the Denver Broncos (1983-1998). At the time of his retirement, Elway had the most victories by a starting quarterback and was the second most prolific passer in NFL history. He led the Broncos to five Super Bowls, winning his last two (1997 and 1998).
Note: Elway is famous for “The Drive,” which was a 98-yard, game-tying touchdown drive in the 1987 AFC Championship Game against the Cleveland Browns. Watch a recap of his clutch performance. Don’t forget that Elway is also Eric Cartman’s father.
Dan Marino is a retired National Football League (NFL) player. He played his 17-season career for the Miami Dolphins (1983-1999). He was one of the most prolific quarterbacks in history, holding or having held almost every major NFL passing record. With his quick release and powerful arm, Marino led the Dolphins to the playoffs 10 times. Despite never winning the Super Bowl, he is recognized as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. He was born tomorrow in 1961.
Note: You may also remember Marino for his role in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) with Jim Carrey. “The laces were out!”
Lawrence Taylor is a retired National Football League (NFL) player. He played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants. In his 13 seasons, he won a record three Defensive Player of the Year awards and the 1986 MVP award. As a key member of the Giants’ defense, nicknamed “The Big Blue Wrecking Crew,” he led New York to victories in two Super Bowls (1986 and 1990). Taylor is considered the top defensive player in league history.
Note: During a Monday Night Football game in 1985, Taylor inadvertently ended Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann’s NFL career with a brutal sack that snapped the bones in Theismann’s right leg. For those who can’t look away from horrible things, feel free to (re)watch Theismann’s compound fracture in slow motion. Legs don’t bend like that!
Walter Payton was a National Football League (NFL) player known as “Sweetness.” He played running back for the Chicago Bears for 13 seasons. Payton won two MVP awards as well as Super Bowl XX (1985). He once held the league’s record for most career rushing yards, touchdowns, carries, yards from scrimmage, all-purpose yards and many other categories. He died in 1999 at age 45 from a rare liver disease.
Joe Montana is a retired National Football League (NFL) player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played for 14 seasons. Traded before the 1993 season, he spent his final two years in the league with the Kansas City Chiefs. While a member of the 49ers, Montana started in four Super Bowl games (1981, 1984, 1988 and 1989) and won all of them.
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario is a Spanish former tennis player. She won four Grand Slam singles titles, six Grand Slam women’s doubles titles and four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. Sánchez Vicario participated in a record five Olympics and won four Olympic medals (two silver and two bronze). I mainly remember her tenacity and determination, and how I would root against her when she played Steffi Graf.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #2 of 8 in celebration of the U.S. Open.
Steffi Graf is a German former tennis player. She won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, the most of any tennis player in the Open Era. In 1988, she became the only player to achieve a Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year. Graf was ranked world No. 1 for a record 377 total weeks. Many consider her the greatest women’s tennis player of all time. Graf retired in 1999 and married Andre Agassi in 2001.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #1 of 8 in celebration of the U.S. Open.
Diana, Princess of Wales, was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, and member of the British Royal Family. She was also known for her fundraising work for international charities. Lady Di remained the object of worldwide media scrutiny during and after her marriage, which ended in divorce in 1996. Media attention and public mourning were considerable after her death in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997.
Note: Diana’s 8-bit outfit is her iconic “Elvis” dress, made by Catherine Walker for her 1989 trip to Hong Kong. The silk dress had a standup collar and was embellished with pearls and sequins.
Spud Webb – No. 568
Spud Webb is a retired American professional basketball player. At only 5′ 7″ tall, he played point guard in the NBA for 12 seasons, primarily for the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings. Webb is notable for winning the 1986 NBA Slam Dunk Contest (over teammate and defending champion Dominique Wilkins) despite being one of the shortest players in NBA history and being unable to palm the ball. Since Webb made his NBA debut in 1985, only two players have been shorter: Earl Boykins (5′ 5″) and Muggsy Bogues (5′ 3″).
As a short kid who loved basketball, I was in awe of Spud Webb’s NBA success and dunking ability. Webb had a 42-inch vertical leap, minimum. I used to pretend to be him (when I wasn’t playing Air Jordan or Wilkins) as I dunked ferociously on our eight-foot basketball hoop in the driveway and made up Slam Dunk scores.