The New York Mets and general manager Sandy Alderson were troubled by the news of one of their relievers having the audacity to go mountain climbing in the offseason. Although they failed to advise against it in Dickey's contract, apparently they assumed he would just know better. Obviously they were mistaken. Although Alderson sent Dickey a letter in an attempt to dissuade him from the ascent, it seems the right-hander doesn't much give a crap.
Dickey, along with Colorado Rockies pitcher Kevin Slowey, has chosen this intense activity for a charitable cause, benefiting the Bombay Teen Challenge, which fights sex trafficking in India. Here's a snippet from his blog post in the New York Times:
The time for second-guessing is over. The research has been done, the miles have been hiked, the lungs have been taxed and the equipment has been gathered. In five days, I will travel via Detroit to Amsterdam, finally arriving at Kilimanjaro’s airport after a journey of 18 hours 25 minutes, and 8,674 miles. Needless to say, if you have a hard time with planes, you might want to scoot this one down your list of things to do a bit...A writer and an athlete! Also, a giver.
...More important, we have raised $50,000 and are halfway to our fund-raising goal for Bombay Teen Challenge, an outreach organization dedicated to putting an end to human trafficking in Mumbai, India. With $100,000, Bombay Teen Challenge will be able to purchase a health clinic right in the heart of the red-light district. This will allow hundreds of young women who have been trafficked into the brothels to become introduced to Bombay Teen Challenge and, ultimately, have a chance at freedom.
While we are all about charity, is it possible Dickey could have chosen an event that would have made the Mets a bit less nervous? They're already high strung. But the truth is, Dickey isn't injury prone and he was really the only starter to pitch consistently well for the Mets in 2011... which is why they're concerned in the first place.
Dickey went on to say in his article that since a 7-year-old boy and an 82-year-old man have climbed the Tanzanian peak, a 37-year-old knuckleballer should have no problem with it. Good luck buddy!
4 comments:
Well I for one and impressed with Dickey. Most players just give their money to charity, he's actually doing something!
If he makes it without being injured, it will be great. If he does get injured, there will be a lot of "I told you so's" in that organization.
I have loved this effort since I first read about it (mostly read about it due to Slowey's involvement).
Healthwise, I can't think of many better ways to get your legs in shape than all that hiking.
My niece just spent a semester in India. Her stories about the treatment of women and even the fears of just going out for a jog are appalling.
More power to you, Mr. Dickey, Mr. Slowey and everyone else involved in this effort. Thank you for your efforts on behalf of Indians girls and women and for making all of us more aware.
As for the Mets' fears, my guess is that there are a lot of ballplayers who are doing things that are a lot more hazardous to their health -- they just aren't doing it on behalf of a good cause.
A great way for Slowey to get his lungs in shape for mile high.
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