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ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts
Season 1
Episode 34

Unhittable: Sidd Finch and the Tibetan Fastball

April 1, 2015

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ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts - S1 - E34

For Sports Illustrated's April 1, 1985, issue, George Plimpton profiled Sidd Finch, a highly eccentric New York Mets prospect who could throw a fastball at an unheard-of 168 mph... and who was a product of Plimpton's imagination. On the 30th anniversary of the April Fools hoax, the surviving people responsible are profiled, including the Illinois middle-school teacher who posed as Finch for SI.

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ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts: Season 1 - 73 Episode s

1x1 - Here Now
May 15, 2012
Everyday Pete Rose is surrounded by baseball memorabilia. But instead of a dugout, he's seated on a folding chair in a memorabilia store in Vegas.
1x2 - Arnold's Blueprint
September 26, 2012
A look at how a young Arnold Schwarzenegger's compulsory service in the Austrian Army played a critical role in his path to international bodybuilding fame.
1x3 - Jake
October 25, 2012
The career of Alfred Slote, an author of sports-oriented children's books (Jake being his personal favorite) whose interest was not so much the games played but the drama that the characters encountered.
1x4 - The Arnold Palmer
November 28, 2012
An exploration into the history, mystery and industry surrounding "The Arnold Palmer", the lemonade-and-iced tea beverage created by the same-named golfing legend that has become a fixture of nineteenth hole lore and American leisure.
1x5 - Ali The Mission
January 13, 2013
The efforts of Muhammad Ali to negotiate with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein for the release of U.S. civilians taken hostage after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
1x6 - Disdain the Mundane
February 13, 2013
The style evolution of New York Knicks player and broadcaster Walt Frazier, from his cool-as-ice look in the 1970s to his use of vibrant colors and patterns today.
1x7 - Holy Grail: The T206 Honus Wagner
February 27, 2013
The story of the rare and valuable T206 Honus Wagner baseball card—over a century old and valued in the millions of dollars—and the myths and realities that surround it.
1x8 - Silver Reunion
March 27, 2013
The members of the 1972 USA men's Olympic basketball team gather to deliberate 12 Angry Men-style on whether to finally accept or continue to refuse silver medals from the 1972 Summer Olympics, where they controversially lost the gold medal game to the Soviet Union.
1x9 - The Irrelevant Giant
April 17, 2013
Bill Parcells recalls his rookie year as a head coach with the New York Giants in 1983 and the impact of John Tuggle, a running back the Giants selected with the final pick in that year's NFL draft.
1x10 - Cutthroat
May 29, 2013
The struggles of Clint Malarchuk, the "Cowboy Goalie", from a childhood spent riding horses and suffering from OCD to the grueling recovery period after his carotid artery was severed by an opponent's skate blade, one of the most gruesome injuries in sports history.
1x11 - Tommy and Frank
July 24, 2013
An intimate, funny and compelling take on the unique relationship and shared legacy of Tommy John, the chatty Indiana lefty who won nearly 300 Major League games, and Dr. Frank Jobe, the unassuming L.A. orthopedist who conceived and performed a revolutionary elbow operation on John in 1974.
1x12 - Wilt Chamberlain: Borscht Belt Bellhop
August 14, 2013
Rarely seen archival footage and interviews with people who lived and worked with Wilt Chamberlain give a fascinating glimpse into the basketball star's experiences in the Borscht Belt during its heyday.
1x13 - Arthur & Johnnie
August 28, 2013
Johnnie Ashe tells of a personal sacrifice: After finishing a tour of service in the Vietnam War, Johnnie, a U.S. Marine, volunteers to serve another tour in place of his older brother, Army 2nd Lieutenant Arthur Ashe. Johnnie's selfless move allows Arthur to continue his budding tennis career.
1x14 - Collision Course: The Murder of Don Aronow
September 25, 2013
The intriguing life and tragic death of businessman Donald Aronow, a prominent name in the world of powerboat racing.
1x15 - The Schedule Makers
November 6, 2013
Using only a computer, a pencil and paper, and cooperation, the husband-and-wife duo of Henry and Holly Stephenson spent almost a quarter-century creating Major League Baseball's season schedule.
1x16 - The Great Imposter
November 20, 2013
Beginning with stealing a player's warm-up outfit and posing as a player at the 1979 NBA All-Star Game, Barry Bremen begins a playful run fulfilling the average sports fan's ultimate fantasy, sneaking into the fields of play to pose as players, golfers, game officials, and even a cheerleader.
1x17 - Judging Jewell
January 31, 2014
Security guard Richard Jewell received praise in the aftermath of a bombing during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta when he helped clear the area and found the bag that contained the pipe bomb. Praise turned into loss of honor when Jewell was wrongfully accused of planting the bomb in the ensuing investigation.
1x18 - The Deal
February 12, 2014
The battle between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees to trade for Alex Rodriguez during the 2003–2004 baseball offseason.
1x19 - Untucked
March 12, 2014
Player Bo Ellis designs a rebellious, nonconformist jersey that would exemplify the Al McGuire-era Marquette men's basketball team.
1x20 - From Harlem With Love
April 23, 2014
How the Harlem Globetrotters became unlikely ambassadors during the Cold War when they played a series of games in Moscow in 1959.
1x21 - Posterized
May 21, 2014
A profile of Shawn Bradley, a 7-foot-6 center who spent the majority of his NBA career on the wrong end of epic dunks (the kind usually found on posters), and how he went from a bust on the basketball court to a superstar off of it.
1x22 - MECCA: The Floor That Made Milwaukee Famous
June 11, 2014
The story behind the iconic, multicolored basketball court Robert Indiana designed for the MECCA Arena, home to the Milwaukee Bucks and Marquette Warriors until 1988, and how one Bucks fan used his family's credit card to rescue the floor from the scrap heap.
1x23 - The High Five
July 23, 2014
When L.A. Dodger Dusty Baker hit his 30th home run of the 1977 season, the first man to greet him at home plate was his friend and teammate, rookie Glenn Burke. Overcome with happiness, Burke did the first thing that came to mind—he put his hand straight in the air and had Baker slap it, thus in fact creating the high five gesture.
1x24 - Kid Danny
August 13, 2014
A team from The Bronx makes it to the 2001 Little League World Series, only to be disqualified when pitcher Danny Almonte is revealed to be two years too old to play in Little League.
1x25 - Fields of Fear
September 16, 2014
A profile of the mental side of sports focuses on Mackey Sasser, a talented catcher who suddenly couldn't perform the routine task of throwing the ball back to the pitcher, and how confronting boyhood traumas helped in his mental recovery.
1x26 - The Great Trade Robbery
October 7, 2014
Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson recalls the team's October 1989 trade of Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings, as well as the roster maneuvers involving the players the Cowboys received in return that laid the foundations for the team's success in the 1990s.
1x27 - Our Tough Guy
November 12, 2014
A look inside the mindset of legendary Boston Bruins enforcer John Wensink, who endeared himself to fans when he infamously challenged the entire Minnesota North Stars bench to a fight, and the journey his life took following his playing career.
1x28 - Robbed
October 3, 2014
A look at the 1976 Muhammad Ali/Ken Norton fight at Yankee Stadium. The fight's controversial decision is only part of the story, as gang activity and theft in the wake of a NYPD strike was happening right outside the stadium's gates.
1x29 - Student/Athlete
January 7, 2015
Growing up in Hawaii, Reggie Ho always thought he would follow his father's footsteps into medicine, yet he becomes a crucial contributor to Notre Dame's undefeated 1988 season as a walk-on player.
1x30 - The Sweat Solution
January 21, 2015
Dr. Robert Cade, a renowned kidney specialist at the University of Florida, leads a research team that develops a drink designed to help replenish body fluids lost by the school's football team – a "magic elixir" that would later be called Gatorade.
1x31 - An Immortal Man
January 28, 2015
A look at the issue of the cryogenic preservation of Ted Williams' body.
1x32 - Wrestling the Curse
February 27, 2015
Kevin Von Erich was part of a legendary wrestling family (he and fellow brothers David, Mike, Chris, and Kerry). The only surviving brother (the other four were lost to drug addiction or suicide), Kevin now finds peace living off the grid in a remote part of Hawaii.
1x33 - The Billion Dollar Game
March 18, 2015
A recollection of how the Princeton Tigers, a heavy underdog, nearly defeated top-seeded Georgetown in the first round of the 1989 NCAA Tournament, a game that would forever change March Madness.
1x34 - Unhittable: Sidd Finch and the Tibetan Fastball
April 1, 2015
For Sports Illustrated's April 1, 1985, issue, George Plimpton profiled Sidd Finch, a highly eccentric New York Mets prospect who could throw a fastball at an unheard-of 168 mph... and who was a product of Plimpton's imagination. On the 30th anniversary of the April Fools hoax, the surviving people responsible are profiled, including the Illinois middle-school teacher who posed as Finch for SI.
1x35 - The Anti-Mascot
May 20, 2015
Aiming to satirize the loveable team mascot craze of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the 1984 San Francisco Giants introduce an "anti-mascot" named "Crazy Crab". With fans encouraged to take the "anti-" literally, Crazy Crab and the actor playing him, Wayne Doba, endure verbal and physical abuse over the course of the Giants' last-place season.
1x36 - Ted Turner's Greatest Race
June 3, 2015
Already a proven broadcasting and sports executive, as well as an America's Cup-winning yachtsman, Ted Turner enters and skippers Tenacious in the 1979 Fastnet yachting race. Here, Turner and Tenacious's crew recall the harrowing race, an event marred by a deadly storm in the Celtic Sea.
1x37 - Spyball
July 8, 2015
The story of Moe Berg, a 15-year veteran of Major League Baseball who went on to become a World War II spy for the United States.
1x38 - Brave in the Attempt
July 28, 2015
How seeing the treatment of her intellectually disabled sister propelled Eunice Kennedy Shriver to create the Special Olympics.
1x39 - Delaney
August 19, 2015
A profile of Kansas City Chiefs star Joe Delaney, whose reputation for helping others lasted until his drowning death in 1983, when he attempted to save the lives of three boys in a Louisiana pond (though he himself could not swim).
1x40 - First Pitch
September 11, 2015
A look at President George W. Bush's ceremonial first pitch at New York's Yankee Stadium prior to Game 3 of the 2001 World Series, just seven weeks after the September 11 attacks in the city.
1x41 - The Pittsburgh Drug Trials
September 28, 2015
Though the 1979 Pirates thrilled Pittsburgh with a World Series win, many of their stars succumbed to the lure of cocaine, leading to baseball's first major drug scandal.
1x42 - #BringBackSungWoo
October 7, 2015
A mid-season visit to Kansas City by South Korean native and avid Royals fan Lee Sung-woo is followed by a Royals' surge to the 2014 playoffs. With the team in the World Series, an attempt is made by two Royals fans to bring their "good-luck charm" from Seoul back to KC.
1x43 - Every Day
October 28, 2015
The story of Joy Johnson, who took up running at age 59 after raising four children and went on to run 25 New York City Marathons.
1x44 - Chattanooga Strong
November 9, 2015
The story behind the Chattanooga Heroes Fund, started by University of Tennessee alum Peyton Manning to benefit the families of the service members and police officers who were killed or wounded in a July 2015 shooting incident in Chattanooga.
1x45 - Tose: The Movie
November 11, 2015
A look at the life and legacy of late Philadelphia Eagles owner Leonard Tose.
1x46 - Thicker the Water
December 1, 2015
How diver Greg Louganis dealt with two different pressures surrounding him at the 1988 Olympics—his attempt to defend his double gold medal performance from 1984 and the discovery of his HIV-positive status prior to the Games.
1x47 - Friedman's Shoes
February 9, 2016
The story of Friedman's, an Atlanta shoe store that specialized in really big (think size 22), really expensive shoes for the six-foot-something athlete.
1x48 - Slick, Nancy, and the Telethon
February 17, 2016
The story of how the Indiana Pacers avoided financial ruin by holding a telethon in the summer of 1977.
1x49 - The Bad Boy of Bowling
February 24, 2016
A look at the life of Pete Weber, the self-declared "bad boy of bowling" and the sport's first rock star.
1x50 - I Am Yup'ik
March 2, 2016
A 16-year-old Yup'ik Eskimo leaves his tiny village and travels across the frozen tundra to compete in an all-Yup'ik basketball tournament and bring pride to his village.
1x51 - No Kin to Me
March 9, 2016
The last consolation game in the NCAA Tournament, held in 1981 between LSU and Virginia, was overshadowed by the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan earlier that day, and also by a postgame comment about Reagan by LSU star Rudy Macklin that haunted him for years.
1x52 - Tiger Hood
April 12, 2016
When Patrick Q. F. Barr found a discarded golf club in the trash, he decided to save it and play street golf in New York City using paper milk cartons stuffed with newspaper, earning him the nickname, "Tiger Hood".
1x53 - When The King Held Court
April 19, 2016
How Elvis Presley became a racquetball enthusiast in the final years of his life, going so far as to build a court at his mansion and proposing a chain of racquetball centers.
1x54 - Gonzo @ The Derby
May 3, 2016
The lasting legacy of the 1970 Kentucky Derby has nothing to do with the winner, Dust Commander. Its true impact came from the assignment that Scanlan's Monthly gave to a 32-year-old writer from Louisville named Hunter S. Thompson.
1x55 - A.C. Green: Iron Virgin
May 10, 2016
While A. C. Green is well-known for his basketball talents (winning 3 NBA titles with the "Showtime"-era Lakers and playing in a league-record 1,192 consecutive games), he is also known for abiding by his Christian beliefs and remaining celibate throughout his entire NBA career
1x56 - The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere
May 17, 2016
How Japanese thoroughbred Haru Urara, who never won a race in her career, became a symbol of hope to her country and saved the racetrack where she was based.
1x57 - We Are
May 24, 2016
A look back at the aftermath of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal, focusing specifically on the removal of Joe Paterno's statue from the campus and the design of its replacement.
1x58 - Eternal Princess
May 25, 2016
It's a long way from Bucharest, Romania to Norman, Oklahoma, and it's been a long time since the 1976 Olympics, where Nadia Comăneci scored seven perfect 10s on her way to three gold medals.
1x59 - The Guerrilla Fighter
July 27, 2016
The story of Alexis Argüello, legendary in Nicaragua as both one of the greatest boxers of the 20th century and a political figure.
1x60 - What the Hell Happened to Jai Alai
August 2, 2016
How jai alai went from drawing crowds of thousands in Miami in the 1970s and 1980s to being fortunate to draw 100 a match today.
1x61 - The Throwback
December 3, 2016
A look back at the college career of Gordie Lockbaum, who became a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist in the 1980s at Division I-AA Holy Cross as a figurative throwback to an earlier era of football, sometimes participating in more than 80% of his team's plays (offense and defense) in a given game.
1x62 - The Counterfeiter
May 17, 2017
The story of Greg Marino, master forger and target of a 1990s FBI investigation known as Operation Bullpen.
1x63 - Strike Team
September 12, 2017
The U.S. Marshal Service set up sting operation to lure area criminals to the Washington Convention Center to pick up free tickets to a Redskins game. The film retells the story of the operation, from the planning stages through its suspenseful execution.
1x64 - 24 Strong
September 28, 2017
Examining the heroics of high school football player Zaevion Dobson that lead to his death.
1x65 - The Amazing Adventures of Wally and The Worm
December 15, 2017
In 1997, Phil Jackson assigned a young assistant trainer Wally Blasé to oversee the rehab of Dennis Rodman's sprained knee. What was supposed to be a 10-day trip to California turned into fancy dinners, VIP access, chartered choppers, brushes with celebrity and a lifelong friendship.
1x66 - Locked In
August 3, 2018
As a young girl Victoria Arlen truly had the world ahead of her. But at the age of 11, she began to suffer from an illness that baffled her doctors and kept Victoria locked in her own body.
1x67 - Sonic Break
September 23, 2018
Somebody would need to be crazy to become the first human to break the sound barrier in a freefall. That somebody was Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner.
1x68 - Mack Wrestles
March 9, 2019
Mack Wrestles tells the story of Mack Beggs, a transgender high school wrestler from Euless, Texas, who much compete under the gender he was assigned at birth rather than how he identifies. His resolute journey is artfully told as we watch him struggle against the outside forces that stigmatize these athletes. The film is a deeply personal look at the debate around sports and who gets to play.
1x69 - Subject to Review
December 22, 2019
In tennis, measurement - specifically, judging whether a ball is in or out - is particularly crucial. And in the new ESPN Films 30 for 30 short "Subject to Review" comes a close look at not just the technology that's been developed to determine the right calls with better accuracy, but the meaning and significance of that pursuit. Tracing the history of photographic review back more than a hundred years, and chronicling controversial moments before and after the age of review in tennis, the film explores the mechanisms of the cameras and computerized simulations that now serve as the final word on close calls - but also the limits of the veracity of those calls. Ultimately, it's a story about technology in sports - but also a study of what we want from our machines, and our minds, well beyond any court of play.
1x70 - Revolution in the Ring
April 2, 2021
The story of Cuban boxer Teofilo Stevenson, who in 1962 chose to stay in his home country rather than defect, this film examines through the lens of Cuban-American politics how his life and the life of the Cuban people were dramatically altered by the embargo.
1x71 - Make Him Known
August 25, 2021
This ESPN 30 for 30 documentary tells their story of Maya Moore, who skipped two seasons in the WNBA to seek justice for an innocent man, Jonathan Irons. Her efforts to seek justice led to Irons' release, and their relationship became a romance that culminated in marriage.
1x72 - Deerfoot of the Diamond
September 27, 2022
The tragic story of Louis Sockalexis, the first Native American to play Major League Baseball and how his mythic, controversial legacy still raises questions about prejudice and tradition in the game today.
1x73 - Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games
November 12, 2022
An illuminating look at the influence that hand games played by Black girls has had on the American creative landscape.

ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts: All seasons

S1: Season 1
73 Episode s

1x1 - Here Now

1x2 - Arnold's Blueprint

1x3 - Jake

1x4 - The Arnold Palmer

1x5 - Ali The Mission

1x6 - Disdain the Mundane

1x7 - Holy Grail: The T206 Honus Wagner

1x8 - Silver Reunion

1x9 - The Irrelevant Giant

1x10 - Cutthroat

1x11 - Tommy and Frank

1x12 - Wilt Chamberlain: Borscht Belt Bellhop

1x13 - Arthur & Johnnie

1x14 - Collision Course: The Murder of Don Aronow

1x15 - The Schedule Makers

1x16 - The Great Imposter

1x17 - Judging Jewell

1x18 - The Deal

1x19 - Untucked

1x20 - From Harlem With Love

1x21 - Posterized

1x22 - MECCA: The Floor That Made Milwaukee Famous

1x23 - The High Five

1x24 - Kid Danny

1x25 - Fields of Fear

1x26 - The Great Trade Robbery

1x27 - Our Tough Guy

1x28 - Robbed

1x29 - Student/Athlete

1x30 - The Sweat Solution

1x31 - An Immortal Man

1x32 - Wrestling the Curse

1x33 - The Billion Dollar Game

1x34 - Unhittable: Sidd Finch and the Tibetan Fastball

1x35 - The Anti-Mascot

1x36 - Ted Turner's Greatest Race

1x37 - Spyball

1x38 - Brave in the Attempt

1x39 - Delaney

1x40 - First Pitch

1x41 - The Pittsburgh Drug Trials

1x42 - #BringBackSungWoo

1x43 - Every Day

1x44 - Chattanooga Strong

1x45 - Tose: The Movie

1x46 - Thicker the Water

1x47 - Friedman's Shoes

1x48 - Slick, Nancy, and the Telethon

1x49 - The Bad Boy of Bowling

1x50 - I Am Yup'ik

1x51 - No Kin to Me

1x52 - Tiger Hood

1x53 - When The King Held Court

1x54 - Gonzo @ The Derby

1x55 - A.C. Green: Iron Virgin

1x56 - The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere

1x57 - We Are

1x58 - Eternal Princess

1x59 - The Guerrilla Fighter

1x60 - What the Hell Happened to Jai Alai

1x61 - The Throwback

1x62 - The Counterfeiter

1x63 - Strike Team

1x64 - 24 Strong

1x65 - The Amazing Adventures of Wally and The Worm

1x66 - Locked In

1x67 - Sonic Break

1x68 - Mack Wrestles

1x69 - Subject to Review

1x70 - Revolution in the Ring

1x71 - Make Him Known

1x72 - Deerfoot of the Diamond

1x73 - Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games

S1: Season 1