It’s April Fool’s Day as I write this, and for the first time in memory I didn’t find any celebrations of this day of pranks until 10 pm tonight (although the main reason is quarantine). This is more proof that the coronavirus is having a profound impact on our society. We shouldn’t let an opportunity like this go to waste!
I’ve never been good at pranks myself. The worst I’ve ever done was to turn the hot water off upon stepping out of a communal shower when in Air Force basic training. My Disney collectors’ club (the Disneyana Fan Club) used to have conventions in Southern California the week of July 15 (Disneyland’s birthday). One year I tried to start a rumor that we would hold the convention in Death Valley and the thank-you gift would be a sweatshirt, but that somehow never caught on.
So for what it’s worth, this is the (only) April Fool’s reference I’ve found today —
In the April issue of Sports Illustrated in 1985, George Plimpton reported that the New York Mets had recruited a phenomenal young pitcher who had learned his craft in a Tibetan monastery. The pitcher’s name was Sidd Finch, and he could throw a 168-mile-per-hour fastball. Plimpton buried a clue in the article’s subtitle: “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 word spelled out “Happy April Fools’ Day — ah fib.”
From the April 1, 2020 edition of The Writer’s Almanac (https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-writers-almanac?goal=0_c98caf23a9-8fe97be34f-75154049&mc_cid=8fe97be34f&mc_eid=8b21cf04ed)