New York Times — During the baseball season, R. A. Dickey’s job with the Mets requires ascending a hill only 10 ½ inches high, a modest summit from which he surveys the field and throws his knuckleball to batters. But Dickey’s ambition before next spring training is to climb a far more majestic mound, one that rises 19,336 feet above sea level, a snowy summit from which he will be able to gaze at the African continent below.
In a quest to satisfy a curiosity that dates to high school, and to raise awareness and money for a charitable cause, Dickey plans to lead a small group up the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, Mount Kilimanjaro. Since December, Dickey has been researching and planning his trip — which will take place in January — including arranging flights, hiring porters and guides to lead the expedition, and scouring his Mets contract to make sure he is allowed to pursue this endeavor.
Dickey will be joined by a group of athletes, including Kevin Slowey, his former teammate with the Minnesota Twins; Dave Racaniello, the Mets’ bullpen catcher; and John Zajac, the Mets’ physical therapist.
Although scaling Kilimanjaro is a demanding physical challenge — according to Dickey’s research, 30,000 people set out for the summit each year but only 18,000 make it — it does not require any technical climbing. It is just an exhausting eight-day trek upward, where altitude sickness can thwart the attempts of even some of the hardiest climbers.
R.A. Dickey is probably one of the weirder players in baseball, at least that I know of. The guy is certainly a character. Just pay attention to the way he talks with somebody like Kevin Burkhardt after a game. He just has a bit of a wacko personality and that's why I'm not surprised at all that R.A. has wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for almost 20 years now.
Also, here's another little tidbit in the New York Times article about bullpen catcher Dave Racaniello:
Racaniello demonstrated his mental and physical resolve when, on a dare, he rode a bicycle to spring training from Stamford, Conn., to Port St. Lucie, Fla.
