Catching Up with a Knuckleballer
March 19, 2008 by Geoff Young
Filed under Personalities
You know we love our knuckleballers here at Knuckle Curve. So does ESPN’s Jim Caple, who actually got into gear and caught Seattle Mariners right-hander R.A. Dickey:
I knew I was in trouble when Dickey and I were playing catch to warm up and one of his throws tipped off my glove and whizzed past my ear. “Oh, god,” Dickey said. “You might want to put the mask on now.”
Sometimes Dickey’s knuckleball danced like a drunk hummingbird. Other times it dove into the dirt like a nasty splitter. Other times it appeared to rise (I know, I know — that’s impossible, but it looks like it rises). Often it broke late and dramatically and tipped off my glove and skipped to the backstop. Every once in awhile it moved so much and so haphazardly that I couldn’t even get my glove on it. Catching Dickey, I was reminded of Bob Uecker’s famous line about the secret to handling the knuckleball: “Just wait until it stops rolling and pick it up.”
I guess now we know why Doug Mirabelli’s career lasted so long despite the whole sucking at baseball thing…
I highly suggest, if you can find a copy of “The Catcher in the Rye” Bob Uecker’s book to do so. One of the funniest reads. I think I read it back in Highschool.
He said his goal was to be a career .200 hitter, and he did just that. Great, great book.
Another one is the one I’m reading right now “The 33 Year Old Rookie” by Chris Coste. I remember reading his first book (it’s been out of print though at the time I found it online – a book dealer that had nothing but out of print stuff) “Hey I’m Just The Catcher”.
Thanks for the tips! Always love some good baseball reading. Love Uecker, too. “Just a bit outside…”
Now wait a minute Geoff, Mirabelli, at one time, was one of the best 2nd catchers in the game. But now that you mention it, that was a few years ago! Matter of fact, it was probably more than 4 years ago. His first few years with the Red Sox were pretty good though, that is, until pitchers saw enough of him and started to figure him out. I honestly thought that Wakefield would retire before the Red Sox would part ways with Mirabelli. Or is it that the Sox just wanted to save a little “Cash”?
Mirabelli was marginally useful in ‘00-’03 and ‘05, good in ‘04, and lousy in ‘06-’07. Except for the ability to catch a knuckleball, his skill set is nothing special.
Not sure why the Sox chose now to release him, but better late than never.
Maybe the Red Sox will coax Gus Triandos out of retirement.
Just finish third season of The Wire. There is a mention of him, the only reason I even remember who he was.