I'll be honest, my only memory of RA Dickey before 2010 was when I used to play EA Sports' MVP Baseball 2005 on my PlayStation 2. I would scroll through the rosters and see this mediocre reliever on the Texas Rangers with a funny last name. A few years later, his name resurfaced after he published a book. I just loved reading biographies of athletes, so I decided to go to the library to check it out. The hold list was over 4 months, the librarian told me. Luckily, I just shrugged it off and thought "It's RA Dickey, whatever".
A friend of mine is a huge Mets fan, and would always tweet #DICKEYTHEBEST, or have something to say about this knuckleballer. As far as I knew, he had a decent knuckleball, but Tim Wakefield was still the front runner when it came to making batters feel silly. RA must have heard me, as he went on to win the Cy Young at the end of the 2012 season and eventually traded to Toronto in the winter.
Fast forward to April, 2013. I've seen all the short articles about his amazing career through the minors, and the hurdles in his life. I was on the train home from work when the same friend texted me about going downtown Toronto to meet Dickey and get a signed copy of his book. I thought to myself, why not, we can talk baseball all day and watch the Jays game. It wasn't until the next day when I realized I wish I had read the book before I met him.
Dickey's quest for a stronger meaning towards life should be an inspiration to not only athletes, but anyone who questions the hand in life they were dealt. As a baseball prodigy who could hit 95 miles-per-hour, baseball was his only escape. Dickey explains that he comes from a family of alcoholism, and how it ruined relationships and hampered his ability to trust other people. Dickey tried to reach out to anyone who may have driven down a similar path to his own.
Past the athletics and alcoholism was a much darker demon. Dickey doesn't fail to go in-depth about his sexual assault experiences as a child. The trauma he experienced sounds like he desperately needed someone to come out to about,
“If you aren't willing to face your demons-if you can't find the courage to take on your fear and hurt and anger-you might as well wrap them up with a bow and give them to your children. Because they will be carrying the same thing...unless you are willing to do the work”.
In a way, this book was his "out pitch", pardon the bad joke. This wasn't written by some ego-headed juice head like Jose Conseco's Juiced, which by the way is a TERRIBLE read. His emotions take over his writing and Dickey instantly draws you into his fantasy world of breaking into houses and swimming up rivers.
Something I really enjoyed about his book was his in-depth recollection of his past experiences. Listening to him try and explain his thoughts from years past is a real treat because he ignores hindsight for the time being and doesn't try and filter his thought process.
Despite his 2013 season with Toronto being seen as a disappointment, his work ethic is exemplified throughout the book and interviews with teammates. After hearing him speak in public and how well he presents himself, I've become obsessed with the guy. I went from being a casual fan, at best, to a die-hard. His story and success is unmatched in baseball today. As humans, we're programmed to go with the underdog, and this is the Chihuahua of underdogs. Overall, this book is for more than just baseball fans. It will make you rethink your life and almost guilt you into becoming a better person. It did for me, at least.
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| Myself meeting RA Dickey, and yes I asked him to write #DICKEYTHEBEST in my book, but he forgot to write "the" |
