just call me the obituary writer of the blogosphere
What the hell is going on? This is my third obituary in less than 12 hours.*
One of the most colorful figures in all of literature, George Plimpton, has died.
Aside from founding Paris Review and writing a plethora of books, essays and magazine articles, Plimpton was known for the level to which he took participating in the subjects of his words.
He boxed with Archie Moore, pitched to Willie Mays and performed as a trapeze artist for the Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers Circus. He acted in numerous films, including "Reds" and "Good Will Hunting." He even appeared in an episode of "The Simpsons," playing a professor who runs a spelling bee.
Plimpton was resonsible for the greatest April Fool's joke ever - the creation of one Sidd Finch, the one-shoe-on-one-shoe-off New York Mets prospect who could throw a baseball at a blazing 168 mph.
Millions of Sports Illustrated readers believed Plimpton's creatively written story on the amazing Finch. Alas, it was too good to be true.
George Plimpton actually left an obscure hint that the story was a hoax within the article itself (the non-obscure hint being that the story was absurd). The sub-heading of the article read: "He's a pitcher, part yogi and part recluse. Impressively liberated from our opulent life-style, Sidd's deciding about yoga —and his future in baseball." The first letter of each of these words, taken together, spells "H-a-p-p-y A-p-r-i-l F-o-o-l-s D-a-y."
George Plimpton: Author, actor, speaker; a true Renaissance Man.
i would prefer not to write another obituary today
*four, if you count my little tribute to edward said
Comments
And a hot plate.
Posted by: Ryan | September 26, 2003 12:07 PM
I'll do my best not to let anyone else die today. Just for you.
Posted by: Jules | September 26, 2003 12:39 PM
Well, we both came up with the same link at Google. Even funnier than the SI article were the letters Mets fans wrote after it appeared.
Posted by: Linkmeister | September 26, 2003 08:15 PM