Fans named Sidd had their tickets discounted to $1.68, and any fans wearing a Harvard T-shirt were given priority for the postgame run around the bases in honor of Finch's attendance at the university.Ĭyclones players wore jerseys modeled after the Mets' 1985 spring training uniforms with patches on the right sleeve signifying the occasion. Bobblehead dolls of Finch throwing with his cap backwards and his bare front foot up in the air, as he appeared in the article, were given to the first 2,500 fans in attendance, the national anthem was played by a group of French horns and Berton signed autographs for fans throughout the game. Prior to the game, the Cyclones paid homage to Finch's zen-like tendencies by inviting fans on the field for yoga. ![]() The national anthem was played by French horns Wednesday night in Brooklyn. "But it's also a very daunting task of 'What do we do next?' This night is something we're all incredibly proud of." "When you're given the credit of being the best of the best by your peers, it's a great honor," Harner said. Given Finch's connection to the Mets organization and the story's anniversary, the promotion was a natural fit. In the past, the team has honored popular TV shows like " Saved by the Bell" or " Seinfeld", the latter of which was named Best Overall Promotion at the 2014 Minor League Baseball Promotional Seminar. If you've read Promo Preview or Ben's Biz Blog through the years, you know that Minor League Baseball has a long history of offbeat promotional nights, and the Cyclones have hosted more than their share. "This was one of those things, where if you're a true fan, you know the story behind it, but it's something everybody should kind of know, especially if you're a fan of the Mets."Īccording to Harner, the idea for a Sidd Finch night came together in April, after an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary short on the subject revived interest in the famous hoax. But there are other parts of that people don't necessarily know," said Billy Harner, the Cyclones' director of communications. Plimpton's story on Finch first appeared in the April 1, 1985, issue of Sports Illustrated and has since etched its place in Mets lore. Though he may not have brought Finch's mythical 168-mile-per-hour fastball with him, Berton was on hand Wednesday as the Cyclones, a Mets affiliate, held their Sidd Finch 30th anniversary celebration. Finch was part spiritual yogi, part French horn virtuoso and part flamethrower. ![]() ![]() I guess the Sidd story was a pretty big deal even up in Canada."īaseball fans know Berton, a 62-year-old retired art teacher, as Sidd Finch, the New York Mets pitching prospect created by author George Plimpton. "I thought it was going to be the first year no one called, and then some Rogers Sports Network guy up in Canada called. "There was one April 1st a few years ago, we hadn't heard from anybody until about four in the afternoon," Berton said Wednesday at the Brooklyn Cyclones' MCU Park. Every April Fools' Day, Joe Berton knows, without fail, the phone will ring.
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