COMMENTARY
OH! THE MEMORIES
After my years of broadcasting
sports, I have a treasure trove
of memories, including an April
Fools’ tale. Back when the Mets
were training in St. Petersburg, I got to
cover the rather unique story of Sidd
Finch. It seems the managing editor of
Sports Illustrated realized that the magazine
would be published about April 1st. He
went to sports writer George Plimpton
with a request that he write about the
April Fools’ jokes that had been played
in baseball. Plimpton came up with
limited material, and when he went to
the managing editor with his problem, he
was given permission to create his own
material, and did he ever.
His creation was a pitcher who had
been an orphan, adopted by an
archaeologist who later died in a plane
crash. The young man spent a short time
at Harvard and then went to Tibet to learn
the mastery of mind and body. It was that
knowledge that enabled the fictional Sidd
to throw a fastball at 168 mph with
pinpoint accuracy. The belief factor was
enhanced when a SI photographer hired
a friend, Joe Berton, to appear at the Mets
camp as Sidd Finch. There were photos
of him talking with some players and
pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre. The Mets
were in on the joke and went along with
the story. The story of Sidd Finch probably
ranks as one of the most memorable April
Fools’ jokes in baseball and the world of
sports. It surely caused a stir among
baseball fans at the time.
Another memory of mine is the 1986
World Series. It involved Wade Boggs,
Dwight Gooden, Dave Magadan and
Howard Johnson, all products of the
Tampa Bay area. We had set up the camera
on the field at Fenway Park to interview
Dwight Gooden live, but he was running
late for the interview, so Bill Buckner came
over, saying he would be glad to do the
interview, which we did. Little did I know
that after a hit in the game, a ball would
go between Buckner’s legs for one of the
most remembered bloopers in baseball. I
often wondered if he believed doing the
interview had been a curse, causing him
to make the error.
After the game, I went into the Mets
locker room for interviews. While I was
standing near the entrance just inside the
door, I felt this bear hug around me. The
hugger proceeded to lift me up and carry
me across the room to Dwight Gooden’s
134 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JULY/AUGUST 2021
locker. Once deposited, I turned around
to see pitcher Ron Darling standing there
with a huge “gotcha grin,” as he made
that memory for me.
Another thing I will not forget is the
time I interviewed the very tall 6’6” boxer
Ernie Terrell on live TV. Fortunately, the
box I was standing on was out of the shot.
Perhaps my most memorable moment
was while I was covering the Bucs during
the early years, when they held a 1981
team retreat at Saddlebrook Resort in
Wesley Chapel. I planned on doing my
show poolside, when Theo Bell and
several of his cohorts sneaked up behind
me while I was live on the air. Before I
knew it, I was airborne and made a sizable
splash in the pool. Since I was still live on
the air, I climbed out of the pool with
microphone in hand and laughed all the
way to the end.
The world of sports is full of memories
for me after covering it for better than 50
years, plus an added 21 years in baseball.
I was fortunate to have such a blessed
career and the fans in Tampa Bay made it
possible. This is indeed a great area for
sports, as was proven last year. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Dick Crippen, a staple in
Tampa Bay broadcasting for more than 40 years,
has retired from being a senior adviser for the
Tampa Bay Rays, where he worked extensively
with the military. He is active in the world of
charity fundraising and sits on numerous
boards for nonprofit organizations.
By Dick Crippen
Dick Crippen