At Least I Saw "Knuckleball!" Yesterday

I did a very smart thing on Saturday. I was invited to the "Knuckleball!" premiere at the Tribeca Drive-In last night, and even before it started, something told me not to watch the Red Sox-Yankees, and just follow it on my iPhone.

I'm so glad I did.

I saw the film at the Tribeca Drive-In, which is in the shadow of the World Trade Center site on the Hudson River, just off Vesey Street. I was thinking of a special friend while looking up at the under-construction 1 World Trade Center. A nice crowd turned out for the 8:30 PM start, just after the sun had gone down. (It was my first movie I've taken it at a "drive-in" in some time.)

"Knuckleball!" is a terrific documentary about the famous pitchers who've thrown that crazy pitch, and the film was centered on the careers of the last two pitchers who've thrown it: Tim Wakefield and R.A. Dickey.

Both men were at the premiere, introducing the film to the audience. I had the pleasure of watching the film with Lisa and Jon from Subway Squawkers in one of the VIP sections.

If you get the chance, catch the film when it becomes available. It's a great tribute to a small fraternity of pitchers who've mastered the pitch (Phil Niekro, Charlie Hough, Wilbur Wood and Jim Bouton are also featured as well), and how R.A. Dickey is now the final keeper of the flame.

BTW, before the film, they brought 9 people up to answer "knuckleball" trivia questions for free tickets to a Mets game at Citi Field, and I was one of them. Most of the questions were rather easy, but the one I drew was "Who was the first knuckleball pitcher to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated?" It was multiple choice, and I guessed "Tim Wakefield." I was apparently wrong, and the answer was Wilbur Wood. Then the guy next to me was asked who the catcher was who was rushed to Fenway Park in 2006 in a police car to catch Tim Wakefield. He guessed Jason Varitek.

Dougie would not be pleased with that response.