Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball

( 48 )

Overview

With a new epilogue by author R.A. Dickey, winner of the 2012 Cy Young award

"An astounding memoir—haunting and touching, courageous and wise." - Jeremy Schaap, bestselling author, Emmy award-winning journalist, ESPN

In 1996, R.A. Dickey was the Texas Rangers’ much-heralded No. 1 draft choice. Then, a routine physical revealed that his right elbow was missing its ulnar collateral ligament, and his lifelong dream—along with his $810,000 signing ...

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Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity, and the Perfect Knuckleball

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More About This Book

Overview

With a new epilogue by author R.A. Dickey, winner of the 2012 Cy Young award

"An astounding memoir—haunting and touching, courageous and wise." - Jeremy Schaap, bestselling author, Emmy award-winning journalist, ESPN

In 1996, R.A. Dickey was the Texas Rangers’ much-heralded No. 1 draft choice. Then, a routine physical revealed that his right elbow was missing its ulnar collateral ligament, and his lifelong dream—along with his $810,000 signing bonus—was ripped away. Yet, despite twice being consigned to baseball’s scrap heap, Dickey battled back. Sustained by his Christian faith, the love of his wife and children, and a relentless quest for self-awareness, Dickey is now the starting pitcher for the Toronoto Blue Jays (he was previously a star pitcher for the New York Mets) and one of the National League’s premier players, as well as the winner of the 2012 Cy Young award.

In Wherever I Wind Up, Dickey eloquently shares his quintessentially American tale of overcoming extraordinary odds to achieve a game, a career, and a life unlike any other.

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Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

Things did not come easily for major league knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. In 1996, the Texas Rangers signed this recent college graduate for $810,000, but then discovered that his arm was missing a ligament and reduced the offer by more than ninety percent. Ten years later, the struggling pitcher decided that his best chance for staying in the majors was to reinvent himself as knuckleballer. In his first start, his new experiment failed historically: He gave up six home runs, tying a modern baseball record. His persistence has paid off: Since the hardcover release of this book, he won Cy Young Award honors for his twenty-game winning seasons with the New York Mets.

Publishers Weekly
Starred Review.

Most professional baseball players pen a memoir after they retire. But pitcher R.A. Dickey-who spent four seasons with four different Major League Baseball teams and is MLB's only active knuckleballer-boasts a story compelling enough to be told forthwith. A heralded 1996 first-round draft choice, Dickey's $810,000 signing bonus with the Texas Rangers was yanked after doctors discovered the right-handed pitcher was missing an ligament in his right elbow. Thus began a dramatic up-and-down journey through the professional ranks, sustained by Dickey's determination, as evidenced by the book's proverbial Latin epigraph, "Dum spiro, spero"-"While I breath, I hope." He and co-author Coffey (The Boys of Winter) write with startling candor not only about the game-Dickey's fellow players, steroids in baseball, his disdain for rookie hazing-, but also about his tumultuous upbringing-being a victim of sexual abuse as an 8-year-old at the hands of his babysitter, growing up in Nashville with an alcoholic mother, sleeping in vacant houses as a teenager, and becoming a Christian. Dickey credits his faith with overcoming myriad trials both personal and professional, but it never feels as if he's preaching. Once an English-lit major and now a starting pitcher for the New York Mets, the author emerges as one of baseball's good guys, and someone who can write as well as he pitches. Dickey has set a new standard for athlete autobiographies. Color photos.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780452299016
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
  • Publication date: 3/26/2013
  • Pages: 368
  • Sales rank: 70,470
  • Product dimensions: 5.20 (w) x 7.90 (h) x 0.90 (d)

Meet the Author

R.A. Dickey of the Toronto Blue Jays is one of the premier pitchers in baseball.  In 2012 while playing for the New York Mets, he became the first knuckleballer to win the National League Cy Young Award, major league baseball’s highest honor for a pitcher.  He has also written for the New York Times and is working on a young adult edition of Wherever I Wind Up and two children’s books. When not on the road with his team, Dickey lives in Tennessee with his wife and four children.

Wayne Coffey is an award-winning journalist for the New York Daily News and the author of more than thirty books, including The Boys of Winter, a New York Times bestselling chronicle of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team. A three-time Pulitzer nominee, he has long been regarded as one of best sports feature writers in the nation. 

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Table of Contents

Prologue The Worst Night I Ever Had 1

Chapter 1 Plastic Spoon 15

Chapter 2 Summer of '83 29

Chapter 3 Faith on Walnut 39

Chapter 4 The Wolf of Green Hills 53

Chapter 5 Volunteering for Duty 73

Chapter 6 Cover Story 87

Chapter 7 The Lone Ranger 105

Chapter 8 Minor Achievement 113

Chapter 9 Showtime 129

Chapter 10 Requiem for My Fastball 147

Chapter 11 Redhawk Redux 157

Chapter 12 The World According to Charlie 165

Chapter 13 Knuckleballer Non Grata 179

Chapter 14 The Bottom 191

Chapter 15 Into the Missouri 203

Chapter 16 Sounds of the Moment 221

Chapter 17 Rule Five Surprise 239

Chapter 18 Getting My Phil 259

Chapter 19 Citi Dweller 279

Chapter 20 Fingernails in Flushing 295

Chapter 21 Unbroken Moments 307

Acknowledgments 329

Index 333

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 48 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(33)

4 Star

(7)

3 Star

(5)

2 Star

(1)

1 Star

(2)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 48 Customer Reviews

  • Posted April 4, 2012

    Today's entry is a review of the new book by Mets pitcher R.A Di

    Today's entry is a review of the new book by Mets pitcher R.A Dickey, titled "Wherever I Wind Up." It is Dickey's autobiography, written with Wayne Coffey of the New York Daily News. I was sent a copy of this book for review, and so I shall.

    This is one of the best baseball books I have read, and I've read a lot. It has a lot to do with Dickey's honesty, and his background as an English lit major at the University of Tennessee. As he says himself, he has a feel for a story, though not so much for grammar: fortunately here he has a co-writer and an editor. The honesty and storytelling make for a compelling read.

    The most compelling part is the contrast. If I told you Dickey was a successful pitcher on a multi-year contract, you might not realize how long he has pitched in the minors and what it has taken to finally become a success at age 37. If I told you he was a knuckleball pitcher, you might not realize he was a hard thrower in college and early in his pro career, and a member of the 1996 Olympic team. If I told you he was a graduate of Montgomery Bell Academy, a prestigious private school in Nashville, you might not realize he was a scholarship student from the wrong side of the tracks, who overcame poverty and abuse in his childhood. If I told you he was a committed Christian, you might expect a book full of platitudes instead of a story of a man with faults and failings who had to be honest with himself after an affair nearly ended his marriage.

    Dickey is honest here, often brutally so, and it becomes clear that he is not some mild-mannered guy, but a risk-taker, with something of a disregard for his own safety: like the time in Council Bluffs, Iowa, when he decides to swim the Missouri River. He doesn't make it across, and might not have made it out of the river if not for teammate and Australian Grant Balfour. Or when, as a teenager, he took to sleeping in empty houses at night. Or a story not fully told in this book, a trip taken while it was going to press: the climb of Mount Kilimanjaro. He's a married man with four kids living a young man's dream.

    Dickey is a fascinating individual, and this is a captivating book. Highly recommended.

    18 out of 18 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 11, 2012

    Well written, brutally honest and emotionally riveting. The onl

    Well written, brutally honest and emotionally riveting. The only people who may find this book "laaaaaammmmeeee" are A-rod fans...if there are any left. I often wondered why this guy never looked satisfied after a great game but after reading his story I get that this is one athlete who feels that he has as much to prove to himself as he does to all those who never believed he was worth giving a chance. In a time where greed and a distorted sense of self-importance rules the sports world, it's refreshing to read about an athlete who is not ashamed to admit he's human. Gotta root for this guy!

    6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 22, 2012

    Let's Go Mets!

    A brutally honest page-turner. This autobiography made me respect Dickey as one of the few knuckleball pitchers in the Major Leagues, but more importantly, as a man. I look foward to seeing him pitch a ton of strikeouts this baseball season. LGM!

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted April 25, 2012

    This is an exceptional book by an exceptional man. I remember re

    This is an exceptional book by an exceptional man. I remember reading about him pitching in Mets triple A, the first batter got a hit, then it was 27 up, 27 down. I started following him then.
    Unlike most sports books which sugarcoat the sport or denigrate other players, Dickey is brutally honest about himself, while providing insights to the business of baseball and other players. I enjoyed his journal entries as well. I think the book was a type of catharsis for him, as he has worked through his demons the past few years.
    I respect him so much as a man, as well as a ball player. Very impressive!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted April 16, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Wherever I Wind Up

    This is a fascinating tale, about a fascinating man. R.A. Dickey is much more than a talented pitcher: He is a former English lit college student; he once [attempted to] swim the Missouri [and was partially successful]; and most recently climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, a height of over 19,000 feet, for charity, in an effort to raise awareness and funds to stop human trafficking and prostitution in Mumbai. He is a devout Christian, and though at times less than perfect as a Christian, husband and father, that is no longer the case, and there can be no doubt as to his love for and devotion to his wife [his childhood sweetheart], his children and his God.

    Nominally, and obviously, a sports book, this novel is much more than that. To the author’s credit, he names names, and is generous in his praise while being candid in his assessments when circumstances warrant it. In addition to an insider’s view of the game of baseball, there is the occasional quote from ancient Greek or Chinese philosophers. In 2011 he completed his 15th season of professional baseball, in a remarkable story. Despite some horrific abuse suffered when he was eight years old, detailed in the book, he overcame great odds to be where he is today, also detailed in the book.

    Full disclosure: This reviewer is a passionate fan of the New York Mets, the team where Mr. Dickey is now a trusted part of the five-man pitching rotation, and I have been a Mets full-season ticket holder for 25 years, attending at least 70 [out of 81] home games each of those years. But my admiration for the author goes beyond the obvious – he is a courageous human being as well, as this book makes clear. Called a “phenom” when he started out, he was the Tennessee State player as a senior in 1993, an All-American at the University of Tennessee and a starter for Team USA in the 1996 Olympics. After playing in the minor leagues over a long period of time, he is offered a signing bonus of $810,000 by the Texas Rangers. It is the realization of his dream. Until he undergoes the routine physical examination required before the contract can be signed, and it is found that he was apparently born without an ulnar collateral ligament – the main stabilizing ligament - in his elbow, and the offer is summarily withdrawn. Ultimately, he signs for $75,000.00. How he proved himself, remained in the major leagues, and became one of the premier – and few – knuckleball pitchers pitching today, is quite a tale.

    The book is highly recommended, for readers who are baseball fans certainly, but for those who are not as well. As you can probably tell, I loved it.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 29, 2012

    H

    !

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 25, 2012

    Great

    inspirational story

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted December 6, 2012

    This is a great book about struggle and perseverance. The fact h

    This is a great book about struggle and perseverance. The fact he found his way into the majors when many would have given up their baseball dream speaks volumes of his strength of character. Other reviews have stated this, but I'll repeat: You don't have to be a baseball fan to be absorbed into this book. It's very well written and offers inspiration to anyone. (You don't even have to like the Mets, either.)

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 7, 2012

    An Absolute Must Read!

    First, let me say I am not much of a reader at all!
    I also first read this through my local library, after reading a Yahoo sports article, on R.A. Dickey's trip to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro with two other MLB player's who are friends of his. I figured this book would be about that trip, what it took to climb to it's summit and the trials and tool it took his and his friends bodies. What a figured this book to be about, and what it's actually about, couldn't have been further apart!!

    That said, I was so moved while reading this book, I could NOT and Did NOT want to put it down, once I started to read it!! My story may not be the same as anybody else's, but I actually identify with this book too! I will never be the same after reading this either!

    Anyone should, and everyone should, read this book!!!!!!

    Thank You Mr. Dickey! From a New Fan, in Frankfort, IL

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 6, 2012

    Outstanding!

    One of the most inspirational, as well as entertaining, books I've ever had the pleasure of reading! Thank you R. A. for sharing all of your accomplished, as well as your hardships,both professionally and personally, humbling yourself and glorifying God at every turn. May His love and guidance be ever-present in your life, and may your knuckleball continue to reign over every hitter you face against the NY Mets, for many years to come!!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted July 20, 2012

    Outstanding!

    This is the ultimate underdog saga: A baseball pitcher who had lost his fastball and takes up the knuckler, perfects it over a few years, and ends up starting for the Mets, streaking to a 12-0 start in 2012 and pitching in the All-Star Game.
    It's a long struggle, but to see R.A. triumphant in the end in his mid-thirties is balm to the soul.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted July 2, 2012

    In the midst of the first All-Star season of R.A. Dickey’s

    In the midst of the first All-Star season of R.A. Dickey’s professional baseball career (and as I write this, he stands a very good chance of being named the starting pitcher for the National League in this year’s game), he has published a memoir that chronicles his struggle to achieve excellence—as a professional athlete, as a father, as a husband, as a son, as a Christian, and as a man. His story is compelling, honest, well written, and inspirational.

    As a lifelong NY Mets fan, I knew I would read this book, and although the book is rather short on his time as a Met (he is, after all, in just his third season with New York), Dickey tells his story with such brutal sincerity that you can’t help rooting for the guy, a professional athlete who—at the age of 37—is finally realizing his full potential. At a mere 332 pages, this is a very quick read, but don’t let the brevity fool you. Dickey has packed a lot of wisdom into these pages—you learn a lot about his family, his college career, the crushing news that he lacks an ulnar collateral ligament, the way his faith supports and enriches his life—and the vicissitudes of life as a knuckleballer.

    R.A. Dickey has earned the respect and admiration of any true sports fan. He has persevered over odds that repeatedly seemed bound and determined to destroy his career as a professional athlete. It’s a joy to watch him pitch, and it’s a joy to share his story. He redefines the concepts of sportsmanship and honor.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted July 2, 2012

    Certainly NOT a quest for truth. This is not a philosophical b

    Certainly NOT a quest for truth. This is not a philosophical book, it is fiilled with christian dogma (God's will, His plan, etc stuff). Having said that, I read it in two sittings - so he can write. Also, some interesting history of the knuckleball.

    1 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted May 31, 2012

    Must Read for the Mets Fan

    After reading this book you can truly appreciate the effort that R.A. is putting forward this year. The path he has taken from loosing a signing bonus to most likely being a 2012 All Star is incredibly impressive. Let go Mets!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted May 9, 2012

    Great story about personal life, baseball and overcoming struggles.

    Great story about a man who tells his personal story of overcoming abuses from his younger years and coping in a disfunctional family. He used sports as a daily motivator to continue on with life. He became religious, married a high school sweetheart, but kept hidden earlier traumas suffered in his life. Obstacles emerged in his baseball career where he went from a highly touted college star to a pitcher with supposed medical issues. The story in summation, advises why you don't give up when the tide has turned. Developing a new pitch, making amends with his wife, and raising his family, have turned his life around and he pitches for another day.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 18, 2012

    Wherever I Wind Up is awesome. But don't to listen to me: (Where

    Wherever I Wind Up is awesome. But don't to listen to me:
    (Wherever I Wind Up) "might be the finest piece of nonfiction baseball writing since 'Ball Four." Jon Wertheim, award-winning writer, best-selling author, Sports Illustrated

    "R.A. Dickey's Wherever I Wind Up is an astounding memoir--haunting and touching, courageous and wise." - Jeremy Schapp, best-selling author, six-time Emmy award-winning journalist, ESPN

    "Nobody in baseball has overcome more obstacles than R.A. Dickey, and nobody writes about them with more honesty and insight. R.A. doesn't want to be called a hero, but he is exactly that, and when you read about his life's journey and his courage, you will agree with me. This is an awesome book by an awesome man." - Orel Hershiser, ESPN Sunday Night Baseball analyst, former MLB All-Star

    "R.A. Dickey is one of the coolest athletes I've ever met - a great mixture of soul and intellect ... This is an athlete worth knowing better." - George Vecsey, best-selling author, award-winning columnist, The New York Times

    "(a) wonderful and powerful new memoir." - Jim Caple, Senior writer, Columnist, ESPN

    "I can't recommend Wherever I Wind Up enough." - Gary Cohen, Mets' play-by-play announcer, SportsNet NY (SNY)

    "Dickey has set a new standard for athlete autobiographies." - Publishers Weekly (Starred review)

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 10, 2013

    must read

    great story

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  • Posted April 26, 2013

    Baseball fan..Definitely read this!

    One of the most honest and interesting baseball books out there. The ups and downs of Mr. Dickey's baseball career are incidental to the obstacles he had to overcome in his life....Enjoy this book.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 16, 2013

    R.A Dickey sucks!

    R.A Dickey sucks for going to the Blue Jays?( even more suck involved) . Maby the Mets? were smart because when he pitched the first Blue Jay? game, they lost , so good ridence to R.A Dickey the Mets? killer. When I saw him pitch, he looked great. He was my favorite pitcher on the Mets?. But now he is the second most hated pitcher. Hope your happy R.A Dickey!

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 20, 2012

    Great

    R.A. Dickey was just awarded (11/15/12) the Cy Young award. He was voted the best pitcher in the National League for the year 2012, by the Baseball Writers of America Association. This has been a story so amazin', that if a screenplay had been presented to a Hollywood studio, the producer/script reader would rightfully laugh you out of his/her office. Now R.A is facing contract negotiations that will regardless of the final sum make him and his family wealthier than anyone dare imagine this time last year. If anyone is deserving of being paid this astonishing (though it will still pale compared to scores of other players) amount of money it is this brave, classy man.

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