This is the story of the English-born Buddhist monk who nearly ruined the game of baseball. Sidd (two d's for Siddhartha) Finch developed his unthinkable pitching skills by throwing rocks at snow leopards stalking the yak pens of his Himalayan monastery. Not a usual training for a New York Mets rookie - but one that results in unerring accuracy. Sidd's pitch - so fast that it can barely be seen (much less hit) at 168 miles an hour - is in danger of upsetting the inherent structures of the game - not to mention the emotional balance of other team managers. This is the first novel by George Plimpton, editor of the Paris Review.