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Sidd Finch
Sep 23, 2013
Published in
The Athletes
Our lone literary nominee is a doozy. On April 1, 1985, Sports Illustrated ran a story about a New York Mets pitching prospect who could throw at 168 mph; well over 60 miles per hour of the fastest known pitch. That man was Sidd Finch, who was a large footed hermit who was debating whether to play Baseball or the French Horn…..and thousands of Mets fans bought it.
The piece was written by literary legend, George Plimpton, and so expertly that readers who chose not to look at the calendar (it was April Fool’s Day after all), bought it despite the Buddhist background, the lone shoe and the fact that we never saw his face. If anyone were to make a case for Sidd Finch being the greatest Fictitious Athlete of all time, we will listen.
The Bullet Points:
Written in:
Sports Illustrated (1985)
Author:
George Plimpton
Position Portrayed:
Pitcher
Played for:
New York Mets
Why you should vote for him:
It was so well written…and my God, did Mets fans want to believe it.
Why you should not vote for him:
We don’t even have a face for him.
Scotty Smalls
Sep 23, 2013
Published in
The Athletes
There is a part of a lot of people that can identify with Scotty Smalls, the shy kid whose lack of athletic ability made him an easy target, but overall was a good kid who would become a loyal friend. We liked that he would grow up to be a Dodgers announcer (and thus call games of his childhood friend, Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez), but can we forgive him for not knowing who Babe Ruth was? We have to think about that one.
The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
The Sandlot (1993)
Actor:
Tom Guiry
Position Portrayed:
N/A
Played for:
The Sandlot
Why you should vote for him:
He was a sympathetic character who made good.
Why you should not vote for him:
Come on, everybody knows who Babe Ruth is!
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Scott McKnight
Sep 23, 2013
Published in
The Athletes
We only have one real point here. With all due respect to Queen Latifah, there is no NBA player (star or benchwarmer) who is picking the Queen over Paula Patton. It does not matter how many NBA players you put in this film to make it look authentic that is the bottom line. Based on the box office receipts for this movie, nobody else bought that either.
The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
Just Wright (2010)
Actor:
Common
Position Portrayed:
Point Guard
Played for:
New Jersey Nets
Why you should vote for him:
Common did not suck in this movie.
Why you should not vote for him:
We might have been the only ones who actually watched this movie.
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Scott Howard "The Wolf"
Sep 23, 2013
Published in
The Athletes
We really like Michael J. Fox, and chances are there are many of you out there who do to. Now, his lone sports related role as wallflower high school kid turned basketball star werewolf was not exactly Oscar worthy, but it was fun and still gets a lot of play on cable reruns. Fox may not have been the man who played as the “Wolf” (That was done by Loyola Marymount Freshman, Jeff Glosser) but did that really matter? What does matter is that for our purposes is that there is a significant amount of basketball in the film (some of which is plot related) and both Scott Howard and his alter ego as the “Wolf” had moments where they shined on the court and won the big game. Isn’t that what you expect from a sports themed movie?The Bullet Points:
Movie(s) Appeared:
Teen Wolf (1985)
Actor:
Michael J. Fox
Position Portrayed:
Point Guard
Played for:
Deacon Beavers H.S.
Why you should vote for him:
Michael J. Fox remained so likeable in what was a mediocre movie. Also, this is your only chance to vote for Fox, as he never did another sports related film.
Why you should not vote for him:
This was the least plausible role in sports cinema.
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