The Stratosphere

In my mind, the only way R.A. Dickey doesn’t start the All-Star game for the N.L. after his second straight one-hitter (first time since Dave Stieb in ’88), is if Tony La Russa all of a sudden decides he wants to manage to win the game and save Dickey for that tie game situation where he can enter the game in the 12th and go a million innings. La Russa would be dickish (no pun intended) enough to do that. Dickey said that all he wanted to do was change people’s minds about the knuckleball. If he indeed changed enough minds about it, he’ll start the game. And he deserves to start the game and go three innings.

Also, I can’t remember the last time a New York Met had this much of a connection to the fans. With Dickey being a social media darling and acclaimed author, he’s had an advantage over past favorites like Piazza, Hernandez, and Seaver. I don’t even put guys like David Wright and Jose Reyes in that conversation because there’s been enough sentiment against those guys in isolated pockets over the past couple of years. R.A. Dickey has reached that area where he can do no wrong. And if he does go wrong, then even your most heartless keyboard warriors would give the man a pass. Dare I say he approached that area before his recent run of dominance. Now that he’s had it, he’s in the stratosphere. He’s on an even higher level than Santana, and Santana pitched the franchise’s first ever no-hitter. Dickey is the perfect storm of dominating pitcher, baseball ambassador, and humble personality. If he ran against Mike Bloomberg tonight we’d have a new mayor (as long as he promised to allow 32 oz. sodas.)

I’d settle for N.L. All-Star starter. Mayor Dickey can wait.