It never ceses to amaze me how many skeptics he has when the facts of his success is so clearly understood. Knuckleballs are a unique movement pitch they historically have remained truly the least easiest pitch to catch or hit, even bad ones. the last regular SP to feature one in the NL was Tom Candiotti who last pitched in the Sr circuit in 1999 long before any of the most feared hitters on this circuit made their debuts. Pujols, Fielder, Uthley, Howard, Ramirez, Uggla are ALL NL ONLY in experience whereby they’ve not faced the sole other active “butterfly” pitcher or “snowflake” pitcher(each is unique) Wakefield. Whenever a current MLB hitter is preparing to face a ‘new’ experience as a SP yet faced, they’re primary accomodation/aclimation tool is VIDEO(to learn the movement of the oponent’s primary weapons/pitches) as knucklebaslls by definition rarely follow a specific flight path with each establishing it’s own trajectory of impromptu movements)the overall value of video prep is most likely negligable making each AB a unique experience and the entire ab as uncomfortable as possible for these behemouths of the current game.

While 36 is certainly approaching Old Timers’ day assignments for contemporary regular SP it’s barely adolescence for a true knuckler as most of the Greats(whom RA tutored under) pitched well into their late 40s. I’m unabashedly & unashamedly Dickey’s #1 fan since the day he signed on to all the catcalls of WHY?/WHO?.

it will, however, give the batters one more thing to worry about and keep them off balance. Which is a good thing!

a few more pitchers on the Mets (like Pelf and parnell) could stand to learn a nasty change like this!