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The man is the first 20-game winner for the New York Mets since Frank Viola in. R.A. Dickey could be the Mets first Cy Young Award winner since Doc Gooden in, but his name has now been thrown out on the trading block. Dickey is seeking a long-term deal from the Mets while general manager Sandy Alderson is trying to find the best way to lock up his ace from last season. Alderson is also toying with the idea of selling high on Dickey and rebuilding the Mets through a trade.
What does the Mets’ knuckleballer think about the trade rumors surrounding his name? Find out in the following interview. R.A. Dickey joined 102.3 The Ticket in Denver with Les and Tom to discuss receiving the Branch Rickey Award, coming out about his sexual abuse in his new book and the trade rumors swirling around his name in the offseason.
Congrats on the Branch Rickey Award. Why are you in town to receive the award?
“Well the Branch Rickey Award is an award that is given out for not only baseball reasons, but more importantly, in my mind, for humanitarian reasons. It’s just a great award that raises the awareness, in my mind, for some causes that transcend baseball. I’m happy to be a part of it.”
In your recent book you talk about the sexual abuse you faced. Is there a direct connection between finally coming out about the sexual abuse and your performance on the field exceeding expectations?
“You’re right on the money. That’s a great insight. I would echo that. I think part of becoming the pitcher I have become is getting more of myself and who I’m authentically called to be. I think part of that process was becoming free. Part of that freedom was writing a book and not being ashamed of things that were broken in my past. That journey for me has been a long and arduous one, but at the same time it’s been very fruitful, and at the end of this season I am able to enjoy not only being in a place I want to be as a human being, but I haven’t arrived at anything yet. Don’t get me wrong, but I’m at a place now where I can look in the mirror and be happy about where I am and that does fair well for my career as well. That’s a very good insight.”
Are you going to end up signing a long-term deal with the Mets? Is that where you want to be?
“I’ve certainly enjoyed being a Met. I think there’s something to staying with a team and being loyal to a team that gave you a real shot at reinventing yourself, which is what the Mets have done for me. I feel a real connection with the New York fan base. For all those reasons I would love to continue to be a New York Met and I have made that known publicly. That’s no secret. A lot of baseball and a lot of professional sports, in general, is outside your realm of control. I can’t control what the Mets want to do. There’s been some trade talks recently. Hopefully those are just rumors and I’ll end up signing an extension with the Mets, and I’d like to finish my career as a Met. I’m 38 years old and knuckleballers can throw into their mid 40′s, but you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think there’s something kind of cool to finish my career with the Mets. I hope I can do that.”
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