R.A. Dickey: From being an ordinary pitcher to a rare knuckleballer in baseball - Part 1
Whenever one enters onto a field, having no distinction is the last thing one will want. A singer who appears on stage and finds the audience least interested in his repertoire and gets booed off can easily entertain thoughts of quitting.
Similarly, a person who loves to be known for speaking excellent jokes cannot find a more plausible reason for experiencing depression than facing a moment where he cracks a joke and no one laughs.
R.A. Dickey appeared on baseball's horizon way back in 1996. While beneath the heart he had those erroneous feelings that he was being looked upon as a great pitcher by scouts, he will find no place to generate solace from. If one can describe him with the
kind of nonchalance he drew from the baseball fans back then.
With fastball as low as 80 mph and breaking ball as juicy as landing right on thicker layer of the stick every time, it was just obvious that no one would be throwing attention on him.
This is being said, it is no wonder every club he joined at the start did not hesitate to expel him as and when a little decline was envisaged. Right from 1996 to 2004, his time has been shaky; seasons he played either saw him becoming a rightful scapegoat
or teams were left with no other option but sending him down to the Minor Leagues. Lurking on the road to extinction, he was like imploring for life; was hoping against hope that any club see something in him and give him a run.
One day realisation dawned upon him and yes he retreated and began a new journey. Perhaps a penchant for stealing attention took him to a level where he worked so hard, he one day becomes a source of inspiration.
He adopted seclusion, initiated an exploration and came up with an idea that handed him monopoly of throwing the knuckleball in the present world of baseball. With this, the spotlight came rushing on him. Same experts who will write him off right away will
not stop praising his way of hoodwinking batters and stealing strike-outs now. Same batters who will not wait witnessing a moment to see him on the mound will leave the plate repenting on being trapped and being struck-out so miraculously.
It was the result of a painstaking transition to the knuckler. How the transition came about? There was no rocket science involved. Only a realisation of what he had with him over the years came upon him and turned him an altogether different pitcher. Forkball
he used to throw had been so unsuccessful, but who knew the very throw he was betrayed by so often was going to turn his fate around in a matter of years.
An idea that hit upon Dickey that he can shape his forkball into a formidable knuckleball proved a breaking-point.
However it took him couple of years before he boasted real command. Even this very little period was not without agony for Dickey. It was as terrible as beginning of his baseball career.
First game in which he threw knuckler was played in the Texas Rangers’ uniform. So discouraging the experience was, he could easily decide on quitting the idea and return to a more conventional game. While entertaining the fantasy of thwarting hitters with
new variety, he employed the knuckler and much to his disbelief, six home runs came off. He did not lose heart though and kept digging in.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Continued in Part 2
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