Happy April Fools’ Day!
Those susceptible to practical jokes, pranks, hoaxes, or general trickery must be vigilant today, for this is not a day for the gullible.
History has blessed the world with plenty of memorable April Fools’ Day jokes over the centuries. For sports fans, perhaps none is more memorable than Sports Ilustrated’s “Curious Case of Sidd Finch.”
Forty years ago today, the magazine published its notorious April Fools’ Day article about a fictitious New York Mets rookie named Hayden “Sidd” Finch, an eccentric, French horn-playing, superpitcher who occasionally wore a hiking boot on his right foot and threw a 168-mph fastball.
For reference, the fastest pitch radar ever recorded up to that point had been 103 mph, a distinction shared by future Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan and Goose Gossage.
The article’s opening paragraph 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 letters of each word secretly spelled out Happy April Fools’ Day.)
Like many others, I fell for that joke.
Nobody really knows the true origins of April Fools’ Day. Although there is a contingency of historians who believe the holiday dates back to the late sixteenth century when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.
In the Julian calendar, the new year began on the spring equinox, around April 1. Those who continued to celebrate the spring date, unaware that the start of the new year had been moved to January 1, became the butt of jokes and thought of as fools.
The word fool is polyfunctional in that it can be used as a noun, verb, or adjective. Its meaning and application have evolved over time. Several modern expressions containing the word fool have relevance to the art of being a good teammate.
For instance, good teammates are nobody’s fool. Good teammates don’t act a fool. Good teammates don’t fool around. And my personal favorite, good teammates suffer no fools.
The expression “suffer no fools” conveys an unwillingness to tolerate individuals who demonstrate foolish, ignorant, or incompetent behavior. It’s a blunt way of saying you have no patience for nonsense, silliness, or a lack of focus.
While silliness and nonsensical laughter can bond teams, good teammates understand there’s an appropriate time and place for them. When deadlines need to be met, safety is at stake, or the team’s success is on the line, behaving like a fool will cause your team to suffer.
If you plan to pull an April Fools’ prank on one of your teammates today, make sure your timing is appropriate. And if one of your teammates happens to pull an April Fools’ prank on you, don’t be too proud to laugh at yourself.
Arrogance is practically synonymous with foolishness.
As always…Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.
