Coleman: Mets' R.A. Dickey Opens Up About Startling Revelations

By Ed Coleman
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R.A. Dickey already knows it will be a long day.

He has yet to travel over to the minor league complex to throw 105 pitches and 8 innings as his latest assignment to get ready for Game 2 of the regular season on April 7. But his book, "Wherever I Wind Up," is about to be released and excerpts have been made public, excerpts that deal with sexual abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of a female babysitter and a teenage boy. He knows there will be many questions to be asked and answered.

On Tuesday, the knuckleballer gave up seven hits and two runs while walking one and striking out five during his tuneup. Dickey then met the media at 1:00 p.m. in the Mets clubhouse.

So why did he come forward with these events from his past at this time?

Did he have a purpose in making these revelations now?

The discussion of sexual abuse is so often hidden by shame, and Dickey feels it has to be more out in the open.

And despite feeling good about coming clean, it's still something that has been and always will be with him.

Dickey was asked what the biggest obstacle was that he had to overcome to get to this point.

He admitted that he had kept the information from his wife for many years before finally being able to tell her.

So has it been any easier to bear after confronting it and finally unburdening himself?

And does he have a purpose that revealing this information in the book will achieve?

Back on the field, the injured Scott Hairston joined Dickey in the minor league game and went 1-2 with a walk and was hit by a pitch. Hairston, who has had an oblique injury, should be ready to get into the lineup on Wednesday when the Mets face the Nationals.

The Mets lost to the Braves on Tuesday 7-5 as Freddie Freeman blasted two homers and Michael Bourn added a three-run shot. Lucas Duda went deep again for the Mets, his fourth HR this spring, and continued to draw praise from manager Terry Collins.

David Wright was supposed to have the day off, but played in back-to-back games after debuting on Monday. He had a sacrifice fly in three AB and played five innings in the field -- and came out feeling fine.

Wright will sit out Wednesday's game, then play Thursday night and Friday afternoon to start getting used to playing day games after night games.

Bobby Parnell hurled another scoreless inning, making it now 8 1/3 thus far this spring. Wednesday Parnell will go back-to-back as the Nationals visit Port St. Lucie - Jonathon Niese will match up against Jordan Zimmerman.

C U soon
Eddie C.

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