According to ESPN New York, R.A. Dickey plans to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro for charity this January. The 37-year old knuckleballer plans to make the trek despite the uneasy reaction from the Mets, who would have grounds to void his contract should he get injured on the 19,000 mile journey to Uhuru Peak.
“Yeah. I’m a grown man, and I can do what I want to do,” Dickey said in an interview with New York Magazine. “But at the same time, let’s say I slip, fall, break my leg, and can’t pitch for two months. Legally, they have the authority to void my contract.
“They’re not saying that they would exercise that right, but they wanted me to be informed. Although, on paper, the climb seems like a fantastic thing to get behind, it’s been tough. They view it as a dangerous thing. Of course, it’s a risk I’m willing to take. I know what I’m doing well enough to know it’s nothing more than a glorified hike. There are no technical climbing skills involved — it’s not like Everest or K-2 or Fuji. So I’m not real worried about it.”
Dickey will make the climb for The Red Light District Outreach Mumbai, an organization that helps to prevent human trafficking in the Indian region. Accompanying Dickey will be Minnesota Twins hurler Kevin Slowey and Mets bullpen catcher Dave Racaniello.
On one side note, no, Dickey will unfortunately not be attempting to throw a pitch to his bullpen catcher at the summit.
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