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R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

G-Fafif Apr 03 2011 03:22 PM

R.A. Dickey Postgame Interview Phraseology Countdown: April 3, 2011 5. "collectively" 4. "professional environment" 3. "problem set" 2. "eclipsed" 1. "microcosms"

G-Fafif Apr 07 2011 08:16 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

R.A. Dickey AM Drivetime* Interview Phraseology Countdown: April 7, 2011 3. Arrest -- As in arrest a losing streak. Other would stop at stop, maybe go as far as halt. 2. Chaotic -- That's what the knuckleball is: a "chaotic" pitch. 1. Traverse -- From a story about being stuck in Triple-A and deciding to attempt to swim...no, "traverse" the Missouri River. He didn't so much make it across as survive the adventure, he said. *On WFAN, with Boomer and Carton, to whom I don't normally listen, but I heard "R.A. Dickey coming up" and I stayed tuned. I'd stay tuned through three hours of Adam the Insipid Bull for 15 minutes of R.A. Dickey.

Frayed Knot Apr 07 2011 10:15 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

I assume the hosts needed several of those terms explained to them.

G-Fafif Apr 09 2011 01:51 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

R.A. Dickey postgame after losing Home Opener, April 8, 2011 “The hope is to give the fans and everyone that’s come to the game the gift of a good game. And of course it’s frustrating and it’s hard and it’s sad, but I did the best with what I had."

Ceetar Apr 09 2011 02:05 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Mets new motto? "It's sad, but we did the best with what we had."

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 09 2011 09:18 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Roughly 237% more honest than "The Magic Is Back."

Edgy MD Apr 09 2011 09:22 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

I would follow her up with, "Terry, Ceetar here from the Anglo-Canadian Times. Big chance for Nickeas in the ninth, and you pinch-hit Thole. What was that about?"

G-Fafif Apr 09 2011 11:34 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Thread creep!

Edgy MD Apr 10 2011 05:27 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Oh, that's where that comment went.

TheOldMole Apr 10 2011 10:32 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

In a way, it's kinda sad Jerry is gone. He could have held his own in a conversation with R. A.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 10 2011 12:13 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

In terms of volubility, yes. In terms of information conveyance? Oh, hells no.

G-Fafif Apr 13 2011 09:08 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Forget about Lenny Dykstra. R.A. Dickey is the new Nails, according to the Wall Street Journal. "My feel was definitely tainted. [...] But it's very rudimentary. There's nothing incredibly technical about it. It's just a file, you know?"

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 13 2011 10:30 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Good stuff. Between Costa and Cacciola, the WSJ beat guys-- along with Waldstein-- kick the living cuticle out of the other print dudes' fingerbeds.

G-Fafif Apr 14 2011 01:52 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

R.A. Dickey on tough loss for the team, April 14, 2011 "We've gotta trust the process." Wright's final fly ball didn't contain what looked like "one of his more significant charges". "It can be good, instead of bad." (Which sounded deeper than it reads.)

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 14 2011 01:54 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Hey Dickey, how about you STFU and get your WhiP back in the single digits.

themetfairy Apr 14 2011 01:55 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

No. Listening to Dickey speak is one of the few remaining joys we have left....

G-Fafif Apr 14 2011 01:58 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Hey Dickey, how about you STFU and get your WhiP back in the single digits. R.A. Dickey to reporters "No comment, fellas. I think I'll just STFU and get my WHiP back in the single digits. JCL was pretty adamant about that."

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 20 2011 09:42 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Whoa. "We have to stop telling ourselves we are a better team than this – we might not be."

Vic Sage Apr 20 2011 10:06 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

"We have to stop telling ourselves we are a better team than this – we might not be." I hope Ceetar didn't hear that. It'll drain the rose from his glasses.

Ceetar Apr 21 2011 07:51 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Vic Sage wrote: "We have to stop telling ourselves we are a better team than this – we might not be." I hope Ceetar didn't hear that. It'll drain the rose from his glasses. what rose? edit: i read the entire quote. It looks very out of context when you only look at this part of it. He's just saying they sucked because they played badly, not because of the bad breaks or bad calls. He's saying they have to go out there and figure out what they're doing wrong, and fix it, not that they'll continue to play this bad all year.

TransMonk Apr 21 2011 07:56 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

“It starts with me. We have to find a way to be honest with ourselves about what kind of team we are. We can’t just keep telling ourselves, ‘Oh, we’re a better team than this.’ We may not be. And we’ve got to be honest about that, and identify what we’re doing wrong, and do it better. That’s the only way you have any real growth…If we keep waltzing through the season and saying, ‘Oh, we’re better than this,’ or ‘We’ve had some bad breaks,’ or ‘The umpires are bad,’ we’re going to look back and kick ourselves in the butt because we’ve done nothing about it. We’re walking too many guys, we’re not hitting with runners in scoring position. If you can identify the problem, it doesn’t have to be psychologically so overbearing.”

Ceetar Apr 21 2011 08:09 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

TransMonk wrote: “It starts with me. We have to find a way to be honest with ourselves about what kind of team we are. We can’t just keep telling ourselves, ‘Oh, we’re a better team than this.’ We may not be. And we’ve got to be honest about that, and identify what we’re doing wrong, and do it better. That’s the only way you have any real growth…If we keep waltzing through the season and saying, ‘Oh, we’re better than this,’ or ‘We’ve had some bad breaks,’ or ‘The umpires are bad,’ we’re going to look back and kick ourselves in the butt because we’ve done nothing about it. We’re walking too many guys, we’re not hitting with runners in scoring position. If you can identify the problem, it doesn’t have to be psychologically so overbearing.” Of course, it sounds like he has identified the problem, and it IS still psychologically overbearing. Unless he means _why_ they're walking too many guys and finding obsurd ways to 'ground' into double plays?

Edgy MD Apr 21 2011 08:13 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

TransMonk wrote: “... We’re walking too many guys, we’re not hitting with runners in scoring position. If you can identify the problem, it doesn’t have to be psychologically so overbearing.” Well, let's identify it. The team was a perfectly cromulent four-for-ten with runners in scoring position. The probolem on offense was giving away outs, at-bats, baserunners, blood, and treasure.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 25 2011 11:40 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

"It's just so hilarious to hear [him] say something like, 'I would like a turkey sandwich,'" said Dickey, a friendly overlord. "When you got one of your starters before a game, bringing the Dark Side into your locker room, that's just plain inexcusable," Bob Ojeda snarled in response, before returning to a nasty letter he was writing to the local paper about jet noise and skateboarding teens.

G-Fafif Apr 25 2011 12:07 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Bob Raissman asked Ojeda about his Kilimanjaro eruption: When the media looks for a go-to guy in the Mets clubhouse R.A. Dickey is front and center. The boss scribes, for good reason, are enamored with him. That didn't stop Bob Ojeda, SportsNet New York's Mets studio analyst, from advising the knuckleballing philosopher to watch what exits his mouth. Ojeda arrived at this conclusion - very loud and in no uncertain terms - after the Mets dropped the first game of a Saturday (April 16) doubleheader to the Braves, 4-2. The game aired nationally on Fox. During the tilt, with the Mets trailing by two runs, Dickey did a live interview from the dugout with Tim McCarver and Matt Vasgersian. Their questions were not about baseball. Instead, they asked Dickey about his plans to hike up Mount Kilimanjaro in January with two pals. Dickey will be doing this for charity. Dickey, as usual, came off genuine and likeable. On SNY's postgame show, after the Mets loss, Ojeda said Dickey's interview "drove me up a wall." "When you got one of your pitchers talking during the game about what he's going to do next winter, that's inexcusable," Ojeda ranted. "That's a mental error as far as I'm concerned. We're in April and you're worried about next January?" More than insinuating Dickey was showing a lack of focus, Ojeda said he couldn't remember a player talking about his "upcoming" offseason so early in the regular season. "I honest to God don't think I've ever heard that in my 50 years in baseball," Ojeda said. Okay, but there's a good chance Dickey had no advance notice about what the Fox voices would ask him. A few days after his postgame commentary, someone brought that to Ojeda's attention. "If R.A. didn't know what they were going to ask him that's fine. You answer the question. It's a great cause, it's a great thing he's going to do, but then you got to spin it back to baseball," Ojeda said. "He's not schooled enough in media. It's all new to him. He came out of nowhere. He had a fantastic year, now people are interested in what he's doing. "But I believe there's a time and a place for those conversations," Ojeda said. "And I didn't think in the dugout, down two (runs), (in a) five-game losing streak in April, is the time to be talking about hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro in January. By the way, I don't expect the player to agree with me on that." Ojeda said as he was listening to Dickey's interview "the coach in me came out." He said he thought about Terry Collins "struggling" to get his team's attention. "You have to be savvy enough to understand the fans are watching. Fans want to hear: 'We're struggling right now, but my main focus is on this ballclub. I want to turn this thing around.' It can't be fake. You've go to feel it." Ojeda understands his analysis of this Dickey thing might be considered too rigid. He doesn't really care. "If that's old school, fine. I'm fine with being old school," Ojeda said. "But there are constants about this game. Some things I believe in over the years never really change."

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 25 2011 12:11 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Fans want to hear: 'We're struggling right now, but my main focus is on this ballclub. I want to turn this thing around.' Ah, I see. Ojeda's an old-school telepath. (He's good-- hell, I didn't even know I was thinking that!)

G-Fafif Apr 25 2011 12:14 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

It may not be exactly analogous (as Ojeda is no longer playing), but a News commenter makes an interesting point (which itself is a rarity): And there was Ojeda a few days later, on-air, during game one of the Houston series, having no problem whatsoever, chit-chatting with Gary, Keith and Ron about 1986, when the game being played was in April 2011, the 4 of them chatting as if the game on the field wasn't happening.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 25 2011 12:19 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Well, the fans want to hear about which '86er's locker smelled the worst, and what the drink specials were that night at Cooter's. Sorry. Stuff like that just brings out the guy-who-has-increasingly-fond-memories-of-Lee-Mazzili in me.

G-Fafif Apr 25 2011 12:21 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Oh, I got no problem with three innings of every desultory loss spent ruminating on past Met triumphs. But Ojeda, who experienced mixed results pitching at the Astrodome, can certainly fling it in a glass house.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 25 2011 12:23 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

(Trying so very hard not to bring up yardwork-related in-season distractions)

G-Fafif Apr 25 2011 12:26 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: (Trying so very hard not to bring up yardwork-related in-season distractions) One of the News commenters brought that up (albeit with the details all awry). Yeah, Bobby Ojeda's the perfect arbiter of ballplayer behavior now that he enjoys the benefit of not being a ballplayer.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 25 2011 12:32 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

G-Fafif wrote: LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: (Trying so very hard not to bring up yardwork-related in-season distractions) One of the News commenters brought that up (albeit with the details all awry). Well, it is the News comments section. All joking aside, I get virtually nothing out of Ojeda that I don't get elsewhere. Darling's more articulate, and Keith is amusing, at least. I'd take someone like Leiter-- YES taint and all-- every night in a heartbeat.

metirish Apr 25 2011 12:35 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Bob Raissman asked Ojeda about his Kilimanjaro eruption: When the media looks for a go-to guy in the Mets clubhouse R.A. Dickey is front and center. The boss scribes, for good reason, are enamored with him. That didn't stop Bob Ojeda, SportsNet New York's Mets studio analyst, from advising the knuckleballing philosopher to watch what exits his mouth. Ojeda arrived at this conclusion - very loud and in no uncertain terms - after the Mets dropped the first game of a Saturday (April 16) doubleheader to the Braves, 4-2. The game aired nationally on Fox. During the tilt, with the Mets trailing by two runs, Dickey did a live interview from the dugout with Tim McCarver and Matt Vasgersian. Their questions were not about baseball. Instead, they asked Dickey about his plans to hike up Mount Kilimanjaro in January with two pals. Dickey will be doing this for charity. Dickey, as usual, came off genuine and likeable. On SNY's postgame show, after the Mets loss, Ojeda said Dickey's interview "drove me up a wall." "When you got one of your pitchers talking during the game about what he's going to do next winter, that's inexcusable," Ojeda ranted. "That's a mental error as far as I'm concerned. We're in April and you're worried about next January?" More than insinuating Dickey was showing a lack of focus, Ojeda said he couldn't remember a player talking about his "upcoming" offseason so early in the regular season. "I honest to God don't think I've ever heard that in my 50 years in baseball," Ojeda said. Okay, but there's a good chance Dickey had no advance notice about what the Fox voices would ask him. A few days after his postgame commentary, someone brought that to Ojeda's attention. "If R.A. didn't know what they were going to ask him that's fine. You answer the question. It's a great cause, it's a great thing he's going to do, but then you got to spin it back to baseball," Ojeda said. "He's not schooled enough in media. It's all new to him. He came out of nowhere. He had a fantastic year, now people are interested in what he's doing. "But I believe there's a time and a place for those conversations," Ojeda said. "And I didn't think in the dugout, down two (runs), (in a) five-game losing streak in April, is the time to be talking about hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro in January. By the way, I don't expect the player to agree with me on that." Ojeda said as he was listening to Dickey's interview "the coach in me came out." He said he thought about Terry Collins "struggling" to get his team's attention. "You have to be savvy enough to understand the fans are watching. Fans want to hear: 'We're struggling right now, but my main focus is on this ballclub. I want to turn this thing around.' It can't be fake. You've go to feel it." Ojeda understands his analysis of this Dickey thing might be considered too rigid. He doesn't really care. "If that's old school, fine. I'm fine with being old school," Ojeda said. "But there are constants about this game. Some things I believe in over the years never really change." Ojeda is having a fantastic year......the guy is becoming must see TV...... seriously though , he has gotten to be quite good.

G-Fafif Apr 25 2011 12:39 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

This is the danger of bringing old heroes (understanding real heroes are those who risk their lives for us -- always feel compelled to make that distinction) back into the fold. They'll develop feet of clay. Or mouths of nonsense. Or become indifferent hitting coaches. Leiter has already committed his sin of going back from whence he came, so he could come here and work his way back up into our affections since he has nowhere to go but up from an "UNCLEAN!" perspective. He's pretty good in his MLBN role and really, was there ever a more naturally talkative Met?

Ashie62 Apr 25 2011 12:56 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

I saw that Ojeda piece he was so pissed at Dickey it reminded me, in intensity of Jim Mora's "PLAYOFFS!" rant.

G-Fafif Apr 28 2011 11:55 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

From Rubin's roundup: R.A. Dickey, asked after Wednesday's game if his commentary after his previous start about everyone being accountable for improving his own performance was taken to heart, said: “I think guys are doing what they do best. You can see that manifested on the field in the way they’re playing. When I spoke about that, I was speaking from my point of view, which is to try to take ownership of what I can bring -- to try not to walk many guys and keep us in ballgames late and things like that. I feel like I’ve been able to step it up too. Yeah, I don’t know if anybody read into it. But I do feel like it might be a little more than coincidence that everybody in here kind of kicked it up a notch.” Six-game winning streak: articulate ballplayers welcome.

metirish Apr 28 2011 12:03 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

I heard it on the post game, in addition to that he was saying how there is a feeling around the club that he only felt maybe four times last season.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 28 2011 12:09 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

And while that's great, it's also an indicator of how transitory these feelings can be.

metirish Apr 28 2011 12:12 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Benjamin Grimm wrote: And while that's great, it's also an indicator of how transitory these feelings can be. exactly transitory? , BG using big words too

G-Fafif Apr 28 2011 12:14 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Mets had a 10-1 stretch and a 12-1 stretch in 2010. Feelings were pretty good around the club then, too.

metirish Apr 28 2011 12:15 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

G-Fafif wrote: Mets had a 10-1 stretch and a 12-1 stretch in 2010. Feelings were pretty good around the club then, too. not after he was called up though right?

G-Fafif Apr 28 2011 12:33 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

metirish wrote: G-Fafif wrote: Mets had a 10-1 stretch and a 12-1 stretch in 2010. Feelings were pretty good around the club then, too. not after he was called up though right? He was here for the second one, which encompassed the march through Baltimore and Cleveland.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 28 2011 02:20 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

I also liked this one, from the Rubin game article last night: Starting pitcher R.A. Dickey, asked about Reyes’ reaction, offered one word: "Justified." Yee. Haw.

metirish Apr 28 2011 02:21 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

I also liked this one, from the Rubin game article last night: Starting pitcher R.A. Dickey, asked about Reyes’ reaction, offered one word: "Justified." Yee. Haw. ah , heard him say the word but couldn't hear the question. I should add that it drew big laughs from the assembled press and Dickey did look rather chuffed with himself.

G-Fafif Apr 30 2011 05:51 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

The Most Interesting Man in the World is at it again. In the Mets’ bat rack at Citi Field, almost every bat includes a sticker with the player’s number on the knob. Not Dickey’s. His bats have no stickers. He writes his number, 43, in black ink in the middle, with a name curled around it. One bat is called Orcrist the Goblin Cleaver and the other is Hrunting. Dickey, an avid reader, said that Orcrist came from “The Hobbit”; it is the blade Bilbo Baggins uses in the Misty Mountains. Hrunting — the H is silent, Dickey said — came from the epic poem “Beowulf”; it is the sword Beowulf uses to slay Grendel’s mother. “Just having fun,” said Dickey, whose mystical weapons must be working. His career average entering the weekend was .246, sixth best among active pitchers with at least 60 at-bats. I rarely say this, but wow...just wow.

Ceetar May 02 2011 11:45 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011 Edited 1 time(s), most recently on May 02 2011 11:51 AM

I don't know how I missed that. I'm blaming the cold again.

Edgy MD May 02 2011 11:46 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Read, guys.

Edgy MD May 09 2011 06:57 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Nerdiest correction in Times history.

metirish May 09 2011 07:01 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Edgy DC wrote: Nerdiest correction in Times history. I'm sure they got a barrage of complaints about it right?

G-Fafif May 09 2011 07:03 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Wow, even his quirks aren't quite right this year. Dickey's warmup music changed from "Panama" by Van Halen to "Darth Vader's Imperial March" or something like it from Star Wars. And his at-bat music was similarly kooky. Unfortunately, his pitching didn't stay in the sun.

Ceetar May 09 2011 07:19 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Nerdiest correction in Times history. here: educate ourselves so we don't make this mistake again. although, what are the odds Dickey just said Bilbo because people might actually know who that is versus remembering who Thorin is even if you read the books? [url]http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Orcrist

bmfc1 May 09 2011 07:35 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Love the use of "big words" (yesterday: "capricious") but I really don't care while he's pitching so badly. Instead of saying (I'm paraphrasing), sometimes the knuckleball works and sometimes it doesn't, I'd rather he said "I'm pitching abhorrently and will endeavor to live up to the contract that I signed as well as the expectations that the fans have for me and that I have for myself."

John Cougar Lunchbucket May 09 2011 08:17 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Here are some words for him to use. I am despondent with having capitulated so often for my team. I have deserved to have won but one fixture this year; in all other starts my control has been dreadful and my usually elusive knuckler has been unproblematic for my adversaries to demolish. As the nominal ace in a team that badly requires one, I must endeavor to elevate my effort so as to overcome the opponent’s best effort, as when the Mets opposed Clayton Kershaw on Sunday and bestowed me with yet another lead. As diminutive an advantage as it was, it was a benefit I could ill afford to surrender. I think maybe pretending to be an erudite college professor instead of a destitute athlete, and impressing sportswriters by having read more books than they have, exhibits considerable foolhardiness on my part and requires a re-examination of my priorities and maybe, more exertion and less loquaciousness.

dgwphotography Jul 03 2011 06:48 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

"I guess the no-hitter is next. I'll sign up for it -- tell me where." R.A. Dickey , Tuesday night, after the Mets ended a nearly two-year grand slam drought by hitting two in a 14-3 victory over the Tigers Here's to hoping that it comes today.

G-Fafif Jul 03 2011 05:54 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Glute and all, R.A. must be coming around. Used "enlighten"; "community"; and "rejoice" in the postgame.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 03 2011 11:40 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

dgwphotography wrote: "I guess the no-hitter is next. I'll sign up for it -- tell me where." R.A. Dickey , Tuesday night, after the Mets ended a nearly two-year grand slam drought by hitting two in a 14-3 victory over the Tigers Here's to hoping that it comes today. I was 15 outs from joining the ministry of the Church of Robert Allan.

Frayed Knot Jul 08 2011 08:12 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Tonight's pre-game interview and the words you don't normally hear from jocks included; "maladies", "resolute" and "acute".

TransMonk Dec 05 2011 01:39 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Benjamin Grimm Dec 05 2011 01:40 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

All right, let me be the first to say it: R.A. Dickey is an idiot.

metirish Dec 05 2011 01:42 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Benjamin Grimm wrote: All right, let me be the first to say it: R.A. Dickey is an idiot. let me share that with you and collectively we will call him an idiot.Join us brothers.

Vic Sage Dec 05 2011 01:57 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

well, he's trying to take a glass-is-half-full kind of view. As an athlete in the midst of the situation, would you think he'd call out his bosses as assholes, and proclaim next season as an utter waste of time? No. He's making the "we'll rise to the challenge" statement. And that's fine. That's what i think athletes do, publicly. i'm more concerned with his typos. and his tweeting in general.

metsmarathon Dec 05 2011 01:59 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

well, i didn't expect him to come out and say "fuck the mets" his is an appropriate respone for a member of hte team. he's saying not that it isn't a big burden to replace reyes, but that the burden is shared by the whole team. i got no issue.

Benjamin Grimm Dec 05 2011 02:02 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

I don't disagree with what Dickey is saying; I'm just tired of his "pretending to be an intellectual" schtick. He may have a good vocabulary for a ballplayer, but that doesn't mean we have to be impressed with how smart he is. I'd be more impressed with him if he'd speak in plain English without trying to talk like Hank McCoy.

Edgy MD Dec 05 2011 02:03 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

I'm more concerned about his collectivism. CAIN IN 2012!

seawolf17 Dec 05 2011 02:17 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Edgy DC wrote: CAIN IN 2012! Making $15M in 2012. Doubt it. Although Cain-for-Wright would be intriguing. I wish there was a baseball Trade Machine on ESPN the way there's a basketball one.

Frayed Knot Dec 05 2011 02:44 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I don't disagree with what Dickey is saying; I'm just tired of his "pretending to be an intellectual" schtick. He may have a good vocabulary for a ballplayer, but that doesn't mean we have to be impressed with how smart he is. I'd be more impressed with him if he'd speak in plain English without trying to talk like Hank McCoy. But you have to admit that you're impressed with his heightened since of vocabulary.

Benjamin Grimm Dec 05 2011 02:47 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

His vocabulation is verifiedly unsurmounted.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Dec 05 2011 03:54 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Here are some words for him to use. I am despondent with having capitulated so often for my team. I have deserved to have won but one fixture this year; in all other starts my control has been dreadful and my usually elusive knuckler has been unproblematic for my adversaries to demolish. As the nominal ace in a team that badly requires one, I must endeavor to elevate my effort so as to overcome the opponent’s best effort, as when the Mets opposed Clayton Kershaw on Sunday and bestowed me with yet another lead. As diminutive an advantage as it was, it was a benefit I could ill afford to surrender. I think maybe pretending to be an erudite college professor instead of a destitute athlete, and impressing sportswriters by having read more books than they have, exhibits considerable foolhardiness on my part and requires a re-examination of my priorities and maybe, more exertion and less loquaciousness. Post of the year?

batmagadanleadoff Dec 05 2011 04:35 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

I don't know who Hank McCoy is, but I like that post.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Dec 05 2011 10:08 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

You all are annoyed because he reads a lot, employs a prodigious vocabulary publicly, and thinks enough of the fan-athlete relationship that he takes a second to try and make sense of a traumatic team event in a visible forum? Perhaps we should all retire to more cloistered environs and attempt to clammily create the beast-with-two-backs with ourselves.

Fman99 Dec 06 2011 12:35 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

I like him. His name is Dickey.

Ashie62 Dec 06 2011 04:54 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Benjamin Grimm wrote: His vocabulation is verifiedly unsurmounted. Supposively

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Dec 27 2011 11:00 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

RAD, on his dogs' reaction to his jogging in an oxygen-deprivation mask wrote: "They get freaked out. They either want to bite my neck off or they run as fast as they can in the other direction." The mask was a gift from Carrasco; naturally, it only works right for short spurts, and even then, only 2 out of every 3 times you use it. RAD, on the risks involved in the whole Tanzania-altitude-adjustment thing wrote: "I don't think there's really any lethal risk to doing it. It's not like it's Everest." Okay. Maybe he's a LITTLE bit stupid. Unsurprisingly, the Mets are less than enthused about the whole business.

batmagadanleadoff Dec 27 2011 11:19 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

A few months ago, the Mets sent a letter to Dickey's agent warning him that they reserve the right to void the remaining year on his contract if he is injured on the mountain. They can't stop him from going, but they clearly would prefer he did not. It's gotta be at least 50/50 that this year's Mets are rooting for a contract voiding injury.

metsmarathon Dec 27 2011 11:42 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

"If I were by myself, I would probably try to push through headache and push through nausea and maybe get some kind of altitude pulmonary enema and croak," Dickey said. "But I've got guys that I can count on that are going to keep me grounded." honestly, i would've expected a more expressive word there than croak. its like he forgot to embellish his vocabulary for a moment.

Chad Ochoseis Dec 27 2011 12:19 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

If I were by myself, I would probably try to push through headache and push through nausea and maybe get some kind of altitude pulmonary enema and croak As unpleasant as a pulmonary enema would be, it's the edema that kills you. I've got friends who've hiked Kilimanjaro who are fifteen years older than R.A. and who aren't professional athletes (OK, knuckleball pitchers aren't exactly athletes, either). According to them, it's really no big deal.

Gwreck Dec 27 2011 01:17 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: RAD, on the risks involved in the whole Tanzania-altitude-adjustment thing wrote: "I don't think there's really any lethal risk to doing it. It's not like it's Everest." Okay. Maybe he's a LITTLE bit stupid.. My mother had a friend who went to hike Kilimanjaro and got killed in a freak rockslide (the rest of her party survived, fortunately). There is indeed a lethal risk, although, in fairness, it's not necessarily an unreasonable risk.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Dec 27 2011 04:36 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Point is, from edema to rockslides to any one of dozens of acute mundane-to-extramundane issues that can turn funky without standard first aid... there are a great many small-but-not-insignificant risks to the climb. It's a little doofy-- and a gigantic, hubristic finger to fate-- to publicly dismiss 'em. Or maybe, as a man of letters, he doesn't understand odds.

metirish Dec 27 2011 04:52 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Chad Ochoseis wrote: If I were by myself, I would probably try to push through headache and push through nausea and maybe get some kind of altitude pulmonary enema and croak As unpleasant as a pulmonary enema would be, it's the edema that kills you. I've got friends who've hiked Kilimanjaro who are fifteen years older than R.A. and who aren't professional athletes (OK, knuckleball pitchers aren't exactly athletes, either). According to them, it's really no big deal. A group from Ireland climbed it recently, a group that included several youngsters one from my village, aged ten.

Nymr83 Dec 27 2011 05:37 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

I know it makes Wilpon look like a scrooge, but I think the Mets did the right thing here in warning their employee that they believe his proposed course of action may violate his contract. Let him make an informed decision about going. And, if something does happen and the Mets attempt to void it (good luck with that), I feel better that he was warned.

Ashie62 Dec 27 2011 05:50 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

R.A Nitwit

Edgy MD Dec 27 2011 07:58 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Chad Ochoseis wrote: If I were by myself, I would probably try to push through headache and push through nausea and maybe get some kind of altitude pulmonary enema and croak As unpleasant as a pulmonary enema would be, it's the edema that kills you. I've got friends who've hiked Kilimanjaro who are fifteen years older than R.A. and who aren't professional athletes (OK, knuckleball pitchers aren't exactly athletes, either). According to them, it's really no big deal. I have friends who are smokers who have done it. It's a harsh wakeup call, but they made it and they came back in one piece. Sudden snowstorms can happen, but I'm pretty confident he'll make it back, also.

Edgy MD Dec 27 2011 08:36 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

batmagadanleadoff wrote: A few months ago, the Mets sent a letter to Dickey's agent warning him that they reserve the right to void the remaining year on his contract if he is injured on the mountain. They can't stop him from going, but they clearly would prefer he did not. It's gotta be at least 50/50 that this year's Mets are rooting for a contract voiding injury. Andrew Marchand made more or less the same crack in what was ostensibly a news story.

Ceetar Dec 27 2011 09:27 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Gwreck wrote: LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: RAD, on the risks involved in the whole Tanzania-altitude-adjustment thing wrote: "I don't think there's really any lethal risk to doing it. It's not like it's Everest." Okay. Maybe he's a LITTLE bit stupid.. My mother had a friend who went to hike Kilimanjaro and got killed in a freak rockslide (the rest of her party survived, fortunately). There is indeed a lethal risk, although, in fairness, it's not necessarily an unreasonable risk. The odds are probably better he gets killed by a car if he spent the same amount of time in NYC than a rockslide on Kilimanjaro. I've got $10 that says if he's not the best pitcher on the team in April, someone will blame it on Kilimanjaro fatigue though.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Dec 27 2011 11:16 PM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Well, if he misses time with a gangrenous knee, that's where my head's going.

batmagadanleadoff Dec 28 2011 05:52 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

A few months ago, the Mets sent a letter to Dickey's agent warning him that they reserve the right to void the remaining year on his contract if he is injured on the mountain. They can't stop him from going, but they clearly would prefer he did not. It's gotta be at least 50/50 that this year's Mets are rooting for a contract voiding injury. Andrew Marchand made more or less the same crack in what was ostensibly a news story. Jinx! _______________ December 28, 2011 The BP First Take Wednesday, December 28 by Daniel Rathman The Mets are struggling financially and on thin ice with their fans, so you’d think that when one of their players spends his offseason preparing to do something generous and cool, the front office would praise him and consider opportunities to market it. There are few major leaguers whose careers and stories are more intriguing than those of R.A. Dickey. He was born without an ulnar collateral ligament, couldn’t cut it as a regular pitcher, transformed himself into a knuckleballer, and spent more than a decade as a journeyman searching for a multi-year contract. The Mets finally gave Dickey a stable home with a two-year, $7.8 million deal last offseason, and he has since become a fan favorite. Now, Dickey is trying to use his newfound fame to give something back. His attempt to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro is meant to benefit Bombay Teen Challenge, a charity that aims to help victims of human trafficking. He has devoted hours to conditioning himself for the challenge, and to minimizing the already low risk involved. That’s the glass-half-full view; the Mets have chosen the glass-half-empty one. They aren’t happy with Dickey’s plans, sent him a letter requesting that he abandon them, and told the Wall Street Journal about it. Given all that has gone wrong in recent years, the team’s concerns are understandable. But, if anything, these matters should have been handled internally, in a way that would have left the door open for the Mets to piggyback on a potentially great story. By publicly chiding Dickey for what they deem an unnecessary risk, the Mets have thrown away the chance to generate positive attention from it. With the Wilpons’ fiasco still unfolding, the fans reeling from the departure of Jose Reyes to a division rival, and a full-scale rebuilding process underway, the Mets need all the feel-good stories they can get. Yet, they’ve managed to spin Dickey’s climb as something both the pitcher and the fans should feel bad about. The open threat to void Dickey’s contract if he suffers an injury that prevents him from pitching is both pointless and wrongheaded. There is far more on the line for Dickey—who had few guarantees during his first 14 years in professional baseball—than for the Mets, and his runs with an oxygen-limiting mask are proof that he understands both the challenge of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and how much he risks by doing it. His desire to do it anyway is selfless. The Mets’ attempt to stop him is just another example of the selfishness that got them into their current hole. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/artic ... leid=15739

Edgy MD Dec 28 2011 06:00 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

I agree with much of that. But I don't think it's selfishness that got them into the current hole. Though it can certainly be argued that it's selfish of the Wilpons to not sell at this point.

metirish Dec 28 2011 06:27 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

I agree with much of that too, Dickey is a good guy trying to do a good thing,I'm OK with that. Really discouraging to to even entertain the idea that the Mets might be rooting for a void on a $4 million plus contract, and on one of the better players.

Ceetar Dec 28 2011 06:39 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

metirish wrote: I agree with much of that too, Dickey is a good guy trying to do a good thing,I'm OK with that. Really discouraging to to even entertain the idea that the Mets might be rooting for a void on a $4 million plus contract, and on one of the better players. The Mets didn't need to notify Dickey in order to void his contract if he gets hurt. (why they leaked it to the WSJ..who knows..) That they did so suggests more that they realize how desperately they need him to pitch. It's clearly not a win-win situation of "We get Dickey, or we get to save $4 million!" or they wouldn't have raised the issue. It's very much just a business move. Just like Reyes. they're pieces to a puzzle, not people. The Mets would like nothing more than for all their on-field employees be cryogentically frozen between the end of the season and the start of Spring Training.

Edgy MD Dec 28 2011 06:57 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Of course, they absorbed something like the exact opposite criticism, letting (having?) Thole play in Venezuela.

TransMonk Dec 28 2011 07:48 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Ownership should let Dickey climb the mountain and shut their traps. And if they can't do that, handle this shit behind closed doors and not in the papers. This organization is beginning to embarass me on a daily basis...and it's only fucking DECEMBER!

Ceetar Dec 28 2011 08:14 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

TransMonk wrote: Ownership should let Dickey climb the mountain and shut their traps. And if they can't do that, handle this shit behind closed doors and not in the papers. This organization is beginning to embarass me on a daily basis...and it's only fucking DECEMBER! That's pretty much what they're doing no? "Dickey, we'd rather you didn't do this. It's more risk than we like our players to put themselves in and you're risking your contract if you do so. " "I'm going." "Okay then." The letter was sent months ago and we've known Dickey was going to do this for a year. I don't understand why the WSJ/Costa felt the need to inject the barb about the team's injuries into what was a story about Dickey's charity work and climb. If you asked any professional sports organization if they'd rather one of their players not climb a mountain, every single one of them would say the same thing.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Dec 28 2011 10:55 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Did they actually PUBLICLY express their disapproval before someone let the press know about a letter?

Edgy MD Dec 28 2011 10:56 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Not to my understanding, no.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Dec 28 2011 11:04 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

And also, to be COMPLETELY fair... Dickey is a guy doing a selfish thing for an ostensibly selfless reason. There are an almost innumerable amount of ways he could bring attention to this issue-- and do more to stem the tide of human trafficking-- that don't involve him going all Hemingway Man on a Tanzanian mountain.

Ceetar Dec 28 2011 11:55 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: And also, to be COMPLETELY fair... Dickey is a guy doing a selfish thing for an ostensibly selfless reason. There are an almost innumerable amount of ways he could bring attention to this issue-- and do more to stem the tide of human trafficking-- that don't involve him going all Hemingway Man on a Tanzanian mountain. Oh, it's definitely selfish, but despite what professional sports franchises like to think, they don't actually _own_ the player.

TransMonk Dec 29 2011 07:30 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

The story made NPR's Morning Edition this morning. Copmplete with Dickey's quote: "It's not like it's Everest."

metirish Dec 29 2011 07:42 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

TransMonk wrote: The story made NPR's Morning Edition this morning. Copmplete with Dickey's quote: "It's not like it's Everest." All things considered it's not Everest. and you just know Dickey listens to NPR. Slow news day eh?

G-Fafif Dec 29 2011 08:19 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

metirish wrote: and you just know Dickey listens to NPR. You kidding? NPR listens to R.A. Dickey. And when R.A. Dickey talks... [youtube]SX7ZEotoFh0[/youtube]

G-Fafif Dec 30 2011 02:52 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

The climb: Not even as dangerous as a "loopty loop," according to the climber, who blogs it for the Paper of Record. R. A. Dickey, the Mets pitcher, will climb Mount Kilimanjaro in January. He’s doing it in part to raise awareness for the Bombay Teen Challenge, an organization that rescues and cares for women and girls in Mumbai who are at risk of being abused and exploited. His posts will appear occasionally in Bats. It was Alexander Graham Bell who once said, “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” Presently, I am in the final hours of my own preparation to ascend the largest free-standing mountain that this Earth has to offer, Mount Kilimanjaro. The time for second-guessing is over. The research has been done, the miles have been hiked, the lungs have been taxed and the equipment has been gathered. In five days, I will travel via Detroit to Amsterdam, finally arriving at Kilimanjaro’s airport after a journey of 18 hours 25 minutes, and 8,674 miles. Needless to say, if you have a hard time with planes, you might want to scoot this one down your list of things to do a bit. As for success, that will, I hope, come in the form of a sunrise summit at 19,300 feet on Jan. 14, 2012. I try sometimes to wrap my mind around what it will be like to see the sun come up from the highest point in Africa, how small I will feel looking out over such an incredibly glorious expanse with the sky about to catch fire. Although the excitement is growing as the departure date draws near, the anxiety is there as well. It’s as if I’m 6 years old all over again and in line for my first “big boy” roller coaster, the one that has the steep drop and a couple of gigantic loops. I know it’s going to be a fun experience, but as the waves of people board and the screams erupt, it brings me one step closer to the unknown, a setting where fear meets anticipation. It is an exhilarating place to be, and I am grateful for the opportunity to do something I have longed to do for some time. More important, we have raised $50,000 and are halfway to our fund-raising goal for Bombay Teen Challenge, an outreach organization dedicated to putting an end to human trafficking in Mumbai, India. With $100,000, Bombay Teen Challenge will be able to purchase a health clinic right in the heart of the red-light district. This will allow hundreds of young women who have been trafficked into the brothels to become introduced to Bombay Teen Challenge and, ultimately, have a chance at freedom. I continue to believe that the risks of climbing Kilimanjaro are minimal. In fact, it may prove to be less dangerous than the roller coaster and all those loopty loops. I am encouraged to learn that a 7-year-old named Keats Boyd and an 82-year-old man named George Solt both have summited. I feel confident that a 37-year-old knuckleballer stands a fair chance to do the same. Nonetheless, I am still taking the necessary precautions to ensure my safety. The African Walking Company is our guide outfit, and it has an outstanding reputation and high summit percentage. I feel like we will be in good hands. Again, the only real danger is acute mountain sickness, or altitude sickness, and there is a medication called Diamox that you can take to mollify the symptoms. However, I am contemplating just carrying the medicine with me and trying to summit without taking any. Either way, getting to the top is the goal, and one I intend to enjoy immensely. Whatever the adversities may be, I intend to continue to document in real time from the actual mountain. With the help of a company called Inmarst I am using a service — B.G.A.N. or Broadband Global Area Network — that will allow me to connect to the Internet using a terminal that is about the size of a small laptop and weighs about 4 pounds. Panasonic has been gracious enough to provide me with a rugged camera and its Toughbook series notebook computer. These items, along with portable solar panels that will supply power, should enable me to communicate from any altitude on the mountain. I look forward to sharing this experience with all who are interested and continuing to raise awareness for a charity that can help change the world.

Edgy MD Dec 30 2011 04:35 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

I continue to believe that the risks of climbing Kilimanjaro are minimal. In fact, it may prove to be less dangerous than the roller coaster and all those loopty loops. I am encouraged to learn that a 7-year-old named Keats Boyd and an 82-year-old man named George Solt both have summited. I bet they both had ulnar collatoral ligaments, though.

Ceetar Dec 30 2011 06:46 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

Edgy DC wrote: I continue to believe that the risks of climbing Kilimanjaro are minimal. In fact, it may prove to be less dangerous than the roller coaster and all those loopty loops. I am encouraged to learn that a 7-year-old named Keats Boyd and an 82-year-old man named George Solt both have summited. I bet they both had ulnar collatoral ligaments, though. I bet the Mets would prefer he not go on roller coasters as well.

metirish Dec 30 2011 06:54 AM Re: R.A. Dickey Says -- 2011

I know when the mother and daughter from my village climbed it over the summer with a big group it took 5 or 6 days to summit, breathtaking views to say the least.