Knuckleball tells the story of baseball pitchers Tim Wakefield of the Red Sox and R.A. Dickey of the Mets as they go through the travails of the 2011 Major League Baseball season. In the process, viewers gain insight into the mechanics, the lore, and the history of the fluxiest of baseball pitches.
Wakefield in particular comes across as a likable straight-shooter who developed this pitch to salvage his hopes of making it to and staying in the Bigs. Dickey follows in the footsteps of Wake, and seems poised to carry the torch for knucklers into the 21st century. With great interviews and insights from Charlie Hough, Phil Niekro, and Jim Bouton, we learn that knuckleball pitchers are a small, proud fraternity who pass their wisdom down the line to keep the art of the knuckleball alive in an age of flamethrowers and the need for speed.
The art and chaos of the pitch itself lends itself well to the big screen, and for baseball fans and for anyone who loves to root for the underdog, Knuckleball definitely delivers.
