We’re just going to say it: we’re kind of over April Fools’ Day jokes.
In a world where it’s already difficult enough to differentiate what’s fact and what’s fiction, Tiger Woods claiming he recovered from a ruptured Achilles in a mere matter of weeks barely registers (good one, Tiger!).
But while society’s sense of humor may have (or at least should have) matured past fake Dr. Pepper-flavored Tic-Tacs and Tabasco brand peppermilk ads, that’s only made the good April Fools’ Day pranks stand out all the more. And in addition to Pardon The Interruption‘s take on the turbo bat and Around The Horn‘s Halloween special, we got another sports-related example this year from Columbus, Ohio’s 97.1 The Fan.
Regular listeners of Common Man & T-Bone may have noticed some similarities between Monday’s show and Tuesday’s episode, the latter of which happened to fall on April 1. In fact, the afternoon drivetime show proceeded to address the exact same topics on Tuesday that it already had on Monday, even going so far as to interview The Athletic’s Jayson Stark in back to back days.
The show’s hosts even happened to be wearing the exact same clothes for Monday and Tuesday’s episodes. See for yourself:
Hosts Mike Ricordati and Jonathan “T-Bone” Smith’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed, as the live YouTube feed of Tuesday’s show filled with listeners wondering whether they had accidentally re-aired Monday’s episode. It also helped that both shows began with a rather memorable topic, as the Columbus duo discussed the differences in the anatomy of animals they’ve seen at the zoo.
Give Ricordati and Smith credit: they committed to the bit for the entire episode, never letting on that they were playing a prank, even as Tuesday’s episode came to an end. Ultimately, this was just as much performance art as it was a prank — let alone the kind that has left us numb to the entire notion of April Fools’ Day.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.