Last week, I received Wayne Coffey’s book about R.A. Dickey, titled Wherever I Wind Up (My Quest For Truth, Authenticity, and the Perfect Knuckleball).

When he was called up to the New York Mets not even two years ago, Dickey was a journeyman knuckleballer who had spent fourteen years knocking around the minor leagues and had already started looking into his next line of work–as a high school English teacher. Today, the 37-year-old Dickey has emerged not only as the most improbable success story in the major leagues, but as arguably one of the most fascinating athletes in America.

Dickey spent this off-season climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise awareness about human tracking in Mumbai. The book chronicles Dickey’s journey from the abuse he suffered as a child to the No.1 draft choice of the Texas Rangers in 1996. Dickey also talks about his unique relationship his fellow big league knuckle ballers. The book is fascinating and must read for any baseball fan.

For New York residents, Dickey will have three book signings in the next month.

• On April 6th, Dickey will appear at Bookends in Ridgewood, NJ;
• On April 10th, Dickey will appear at Barnes and Noble CitiCorp in Manhattan; and
• On May 10th, Dicey will appear at the Yogi Berra Museum in Little Falls, NJ

The New York Mets took both games of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. R.A. Dickey pitched Game One and had a no-hitter heading into the seventh inning. David Wright hit a tie-breaking double in the eighth inning to lead the Mets to a 2-1 victory. Dillon Gee took the mound in Game Two and pitched six strong innings allowing three runs (two earned) on nine hits and two walks while striking out two. The Mets put up five runs in the third inning, paving the way to a 6-3 win in the night cap. They have now won three in a row as they look to finish the season strong. 

Valentino Pascucci admires his first major league home run in seven years.

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The Mets/Phillies game has been rained out tonight.  The makeup will be played as part of a day/night doubleheader on Saturday. Game one is scheduled for 1:10 PM on WPIX. Game two will be broadcasted on SNY at 7:10 PM. 

Game One: NYM R.A. Dickey (8-13) 3.35 ERA vs. PHI Cole Hamels (14-9) 2.80 ERA 

Game Two: NYM Dillon Gee (12-6) 4.48 ERA vs. PHI Joe Blanton (1-2) 5.30 ERA 

Larry Jones did what he always does against the Mets — kill them late in a game.  In this one, the hit came with 2 outs in the 8th to drive in Jason Heyward for the winning score.  The Mets drop to 72-80 with the loss.

This one was a great pitcher’s duel between Tim Hudson and R. A. Dickey.  It also showed the difference between good teams and mediocre teams.  The Braves, likely headed for extra games in October, did what they needed to grab the close W.  In the late stages of a scoreless game, Heyward led off the 8th by working a walk, got bunted over to second, and then got driven in by Larry.  That would be enough to sink the Mets’ overwhelmed lineup, which was dominated by Hudson and Craig Kimbrel (a combined 13 K’s).

At least the defense was sharp (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)

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The New York Mets defeated the Atlanta Braves 12-2 on Friday night at Turner Field. They immediately put up four runs in the first inning against pitcher Derek Lowe. Chris Capuano gave back two of those runs in his first two frames, but settled down to pitch five solid innings. The Mets had twenty hits in the ballgame, as five batters came through with at least three hits. With the victory, they snap a six-game losing streak.

Wright turns his frustration into homeruns.

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The New York Mets were defeated by the Washington Nationals 3-2 on Monday night at CitiField. R.A. Dickey pitched seven strong innings allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits and no walks while striking out seven. The bullpen went two scoreless innings in relief to give the Mets offense a chance to win it. Down 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth, both Jason Bay and Nick Evans stranded David Wright on second base to end the game. The Mets drop their third straight game as they fall to 71-76 on the season. 

Pagan celebrates his game-tying double in the sixth inning.

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The New York Mets were defeated by the Chicago Cubs in a 10-6 loss in eleven innings. The Mets were down early but rallied in the later inning, eventually tying it up 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth. They had a chance to walk-off in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded and one out, but failed to do so. David Wright came to the plate with the bases full and two outs in the tenth inning only to fly out. Then it all crumbled as the Mets pitching surrendered six runs in the top of the eleventh. They fall to 71-75 on the season with 16 games left to play.

Picture perfect moment between John Franco and Mike Piazza during the 9/11 anniversary ceremony.

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3 batters into the game, Lucas Duda sliced a double just inside the left field line to drive in Jose Reyes for a 1-0 lead.  That was enough to win the game behind R.A. Dickey, Josh Stinson, and Manny Acosta’s combined shutout.  How dominant were they today?  The Marlins mustered only 5 hits, 4 of them singles.  With the win (their 10th in their last 13 games), the Mets creep back towards .500, at 70-71.  With a homestand coming up that features 7 combined games against the Cubs and Nats, the Mets could once again make their way over that hump.

Game over. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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The New York Mets defeated the Florida Marlins 7-4 in a 12-inning marathon Tuesday night. Nick Evans broke a tie on three separate occasions, including the deciding run in the top of the 12th on a single to put the Mets on top 5-4. Miguel Batista started the night with six innings allowing only one run on five hits and four walks while striking out three. The bullpen was strong, except for Bobby Parnell who blew a 4-2 lead yielding two runs on a Mike Cameron double in the bottom of the 9th. Josh Stinson came on in the bottom of the 12th to pitch a 1-2-3 inning for his first career save. 

Nick Evans turned into Mr. Clutch tonight.

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The New York Mets defeated the Washington Nationals 7-3 on Friday night in D.C. The Mets offense tacked on early on a David Wright three-run homer and they never looked back. R.A. Dickey pitched six innings allowing three runs on nine hits and no walks while striking out one batter for his seventh win. The Mets have now won six of their last seven games and are only two games under .500. 

Which of these outfielders will be around in 2012?

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