That phrase was made famous by comedian Rodney Dangerfield. These days, it could be used in reference to R.A. Dickey, and knuckleballers in general. It couldn’t have been more evident in what we saw take place during this week’s All-Star game.
Dickey was one of the few feel good stories we’ve seen in baseball this year. Major League Baseball had the chance to do the right thing and start Dickey. Tony Larussa could have given Dickey the respect he deserved. They blew it.
It’s clear that baseball still has no respect for the knuckleballer.
The knuckleballer considers what they do an art form…baseball traditionalists consider it a gimmick pitch.
There’s just no respect in the game for a guy whose fastball touches 85mph with a strong wind behind him. After all, the knuckleball is a pitch that pitchers learn to throw to try and hang on to their careers for a few more years after they are washed up.
Who knows, maybe Dickey would be doing your taxes in 2013 if he hadn’t developed his knuckleball. But he did develop a knuckleball – and boy oh boy it is a filthy one.
So what else does Dickey have to do to win everyone’s respect out there?
Nobody thinks a knuckleballer can sustain this kind of success over a long period of time. Mets fans put Dickey on a pedestal, but the rest of baseball sees him on a tight rope, waiting for him to fall. If he keeps up this level of success, will he be a Cy Young candidate, or will he be passed up by someone who throws a 95mph fastball?
A lot of questions surround Dickey, and the New York Mets during the second half of 2012. Hopefully with the help of Dickey’s “Dancing Destroyer,” he, and the New York Mets, can finally get some respect when it’s all said and done. Rodney Dangerfield, and fellow Mets fans, will be smiling when they do.
