I Don’t Always Pitch, But When I Do...
by Qusai Thanawala
Dubbed the most-interesting man in sports, National League Cy Young award winner, R.A Dickey, has taken the world of sports by storm. By accomplishing daring feats, such as his well-documented ascent to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and by perfecting baseball’s most imperfect pitch, the knuckle ball, Dickey has established himself as a fan favorite and a role model for fans all around the country.
His story started when he was chosen as the Texas Ranger’s first selection in the 1996 Major League Baseball draft. After doctors realized that he was missing an ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the Rangers decreased the signing bonus down to $75,000 from the $810,000 that was initially offered. Dickey was quoted saying “Doctors look at me and say I shouldn’t be able to turn a doorknob without feeling pain,” making his ability to pitch somewhat remarkable. Dickey tried to establish himself as a conventional pitcher but it produced very little success. In 2005 Dickey completely reinvented himself into a knuckle ball pitcher in order to salvage his career.
Dickey consulted the help of the “Knuckle ball Jedi-Council”, which consisted of successful knuckle ballers that came before him, such as Tim Wakefield, Phil Niekro, and Charlie Hough. Always being a fan of Star Wars and science-fiction, (another one of the reasons for the fans to endear him) Dickey was called the “Jedi-Apprentice” of the knuckleball and a lot of his success could be attributed to advice and help he has received from the Knuckle ball Jedi-Council.
R.A Dickey was bounced around the league after the Rangers decided to cut ties with him. He had short stints with the Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners and the Minnesota Twins before destiny united him with the New York Mets. His signing was very low key and was viewed as the Mets just adding depth for the minor leagues. After being cut from spring training Dickey had a successful run with the minor league affiliate of the team and he finally got his shot in the big leagues with the Mets.
After being a consistently reliable pitcher for the season, the Mets decided to extend his contract, and everything after that is history. This past season Dickey rose to the upper echelon of ace pitchers, asserting his dominance around the league. He broke the Mets record of consecutive scoreless innings pitched with 32 and 2/3. Winning 20 games, leading in strikeouts and making the All Star team has made Dickey into a folk hero of sorts because of how improbable his results were.
Dickey himself jokes by saying that he “found the secret pitching potion when [he] climbed to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.” However, despite his success, the Mets as a team were very unsuccessful, stumbling to a record below .500. The team has several holes to fill so there is a possibility that when the 2013 season arrives, R.A may no longer be the anchor for the team as a result of a potential trade that addresses their needs.
A hero in the sport, Dickey is also a surprisingly a fan of literature as he names all his bats after literary swords such as, Orcrist the Goblin Cleaver (from The Hobbit) and Hrunting (from Beowulf). From having a wide breath of knowledge in every field to raising awareness about human trafficking to writing a best-selling autobiography, R.A Dickey has proved that he is more than just a dominant pitcher; he is the most interesting man in sports.
Dubbed the most-interesting man in sports, National League Cy Young award winner, R.A Dickey, has taken the world of sports by storm. By accomplishing daring feats, such as his well-documented ascent to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and by perfecting baseball’s most imperfect pitch, the knuckle ball, Dickey has established himself as a fan favorite and a role model for fans all around the country.
His story started when he was chosen as the Texas Ranger’s first selection in the 1996 Major League Baseball draft. After doctors realized that he was missing an ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the Rangers decreased the signing bonus down to $75,000 from the $810,000 that was initially offered. Dickey was quoted saying “Doctors look at me and say I shouldn’t be able to turn a doorknob without feeling pain,” making his ability to pitch somewhat remarkable. Dickey tried to establish himself as a conventional pitcher but it produced very little success. In 2005 Dickey completely reinvented himself into a knuckle ball pitcher in order to salvage his career.
Dickey consulted the help of the “Knuckle ball Jedi-Council”, which consisted of successful knuckle ballers that came before him, such as Tim Wakefield, Phil Niekro, and Charlie Hough. Always being a fan of Star Wars and science-fiction, (another one of the reasons for the fans to endear him) Dickey was called the “Jedi-Apprentice” of the knuckleball and a lot of his success could be attributed to advice and help he has received from the Knuckle ball Jedi-Council.
R.A Dickey was bounced around the league after the Rangers decided to cut ties with him. He had short stints with the Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners and the Minnesota Twins before destiny united him with the New York Mets. His signing was very low key and was viewed as the Mets just adding depth for the minor leagues. After being cut from spring training Dickey had a successful run with the minor league affiliate of the team and he finally got his shot in the big leagues with the Mets.
After being a consistently reliable pitcher for the season, the Mets decided to extend his contract, and everything after that is history. This past season Dickey rose to the upper echelon of ace pitchers, asserting his dominance around the league. He broke the Mets record of consecutive scoreless innings pitched with 32 and 2/3. Winning 20 games, leading in strikeouts and making the All Star team has made Dickey into a folk hero of sorts because of how improbable his results were.
Dickey himself jokes by saying that he “found the secret pitching potion when [he] climbed to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.” However, despite his success, the Mets as a team were very unsuccessful, stumbling to a record below .500. The team has several holes to fill so there is a possibility that when the 2013 season arrives, R.A may no longer be the anchor for the team as a result of a potential trade that addresses their needs.
A hero in the sport, Dickey is also a surprisingly a fan of literature as he names all his bats after literary swords such as, Orcrist the Goblin Cleaver (from The Hobbit) and Hrunting (from Beowulf). From having a wide breath of knowledge in every field to raising awareness about human trafficking to writing a best-selling autobiography, R.A Dickey has proved that he is more than just a dominant pitcher; he is the most interesting man in sports.
