19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

Sir:
I called 10 friends to tell them about Sidd Finch. And they called 10 friends. And so on. And so on. Then I read a newspaper article revealing the joke. The next morning, my 10 friends called, as did their 10 friends. Masterful job. The quotes. The photographs. The detail. One helluva hoax.

Don't ever do that again!
TIMOTHY MAYER
Birmingham, Mich.

Sir:
I was about to compliment you on discovering Sidd Finch when I looked at the subhead. After taking the first letter of each word and putting them together, I caught on. Thank you for the clever joke.
MATTHEW SIEGEL
Chicago

Sir:
Here's a dose of your own medicine. Use your formula to decipher the following:

That had a nauseating kinda smell. Some people over reacted tremendously, so I looked, listened, understood—subtracted the reality and took extreme delight.
BOB PLATT
JIM RENIERS
RAY DUBE
Houston

Sir:
We enjoyed wholeheartedly, in some hilarity, your odd, unusual athlete. However, a pitching phenomenon yielding a perfect release in languid fashion, offhand, offers little satisfaction, despite a yearning thirst of ongoing sports information.
JOHN MOODY
WOODY WILLIAMS
Jackson, Tenn.

?Thanks.—ED.

Sir:
After reading the enlightening piece about Sidd Finch, I sold—no, gave away—all of my possessions and walked around with a bland look of contentment. Then I reread the article. I became suspicious. One junky boot? Dropped out of school? Difficulty getting along with others? The truth became obvious: Sidd is a Yalie.
KEN McCORMACK
Harvard, '76
Madison, Wis.

Sir:
I am a die-hard Cubs fan, and this is one time I'll be happy to wipe the egg off my face.
PAUL SCHWARTZ
Sycamore, Ill.

Sir:
Never have I wanted to believe a story more—even with the date (April 1) of Finch's decision staring me in the face! I'm crushed!
ELLEN DONNELLY
Rocky River, Ohio