Knuckleball!

source: Knuckleball!

Widely considered to be some kind of freak gimmick pitch due to its general slowness and unpredictability, the much dissed knuckleball gets treated with refreshing reverence and general seriousness in this engaging and illuminating documentary. The bulk of this doc focusses on Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox and R. A. Dickey of the New York Mets, who were the only two knuckleball pitchers playing at the pro major league level during the 2011 season. Wakefield's story proves to be especially moving since he's a man in his mid-40's out to make a 200 win record. Moreover, the special camaraderie that exists amongst this select group of daringly different baseball pitchers adds extra depth, humor, and even poignancy to this always enjoyable and occasionally affecting documentary.

*Spoiler/plot- Knuckelball, 2012. Follows the odd throwing pattern of Major League pitchers. *Special Stars- Tim Wakefield. *Theme- Practice makes perfect. *Trivia/location/goofs- Documentary. *Emotion- An interesting and well developed film covering this interesting subject for baseball fans. Enjoyable and tells the human costs and pain of using this pitching style in the leagues. Shows an unvarnished and truthful account of the tricks, gimmicks, strategy, and problems to players if they wish to use this very special and deadly pitching asset against major league hitters.

If you are a fan of baseball, you should absolutely love this documentary on Knuckleball pitchers. Outstanding production. Loved every minute of it.

When this documentary Knuckleball was made only Tim Wakefield and RA Dickey were making their primary pitch the knuckleball. This domentary focuses on them with some reference to others of the past. Both Charlie Hough and Jim Bouton make appearances as well. When I was a kid when you talked knuckleball you talke of Hoyt Wilhelm who was the number one relief pitcher pitcher of the New York Giants and was playing for the Baltimore Orioles when I started following the sport. The knuckler which is thrown off the tips of your fingers floats rather than spins toward the plate. I behaves unpredictably for hitters and just as bad for catchers. I well remember that the Orioles first string catcher Gus Triandos couldn't deal with it. Oriole manager Paul Richards used their number 2 catcher Joe Ginsberg when Wilhelm as on the mound. They also developed an oversized catcher's mitt later banned. With less strain on the arm knuckleball pitchers have lengthy careers for the most part. The downside is that they are used primarily in relief and can't run up Hall of Fame stats. In this story the climax focused on Tim Wakefield in 2011 going for his 200 career win. At the ge of 45 and the oldest player in Major League basebll it was a struggle, Wakefield retired after that leaving RA Dickey of the Mets the only knuckleball pitcher in the Majors. Both Wakefield and Dickey come off as fine athletes and a credit to the game. Recommended for baseball fans everywhere.

If you like baseball, you'll like this movie. If you like small films, you'll like this movie. If you like likable people, you'll like this movie. Knuckleball is a wonderful little film. The drama of Wakefield's triumph in game 5 of the 2004 American League Championship Series is the only thing I'd wish were more prominently treated here. (Enduring through THREE passed balls in the 13th inning, with no runs allowed? Epic!) But what stands is a warmly entertaining homage to the best of baseball, the best of baseball players, and the best benefit of simple human faith. Most rewarding are the extended conversations with Phil Niekro and Charlie Hough throughout, and the additional conversations with Jim Bouton, Wilbur Wood, and other past practitioners of baseball's "freak pitch". Interspersing the intimate and heartfelt conversations with R. A. Dickey and Tim Wakefield with game highlights and historical footage puts things in even better emotional perspective. If only the filmmakers had opportunity to highlight Dickey's transcendent 2012 season, and not just Wakefield's retirement press conference from this year. The torch hasn't just been passed, it's shining brighter than anyone could have predicted. Wake's 1992 Rookie of the Year pitching performance was great--but Dickey's most recent has been phenomenal. All because this tight-knit and loyal fraternity of pitchers has selflessly shared everything they know so that someone else might continue on ahead and do the same for those who come after. The movie does a wonderful job of capturing the joy of it, and the wonder. A thoroughly enjoyable film.

. . . as KNUCKLEBALL! gives them extremely short shrift, relegating several backstops to a one-minute, sound-bite montage, with no helpful hints on how to catch these 58 to 78 m.p.h. freakish "whiffle balls." Even less time is devoted to the fact that Sabermetics have made the knuckleball obsolete. As this documentary confesses, the knuckleball's place is for the fill-in, "throwaway" innings, when a game already sports an unreachable run differential. During the 2014 season, for instance, the crowning knuckleballer achievement came at Detroit's Comerica Park, when rookie Tigers manager Brad Ausmus sent in a random Malibu utility infielder--Danny Worth--to pitch in a game for the first time since he was a seven-year-old against a Texas Rangers team which was ahead by 10 or 15 runs TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW! (MLB has no "mercy rule"). Sure, Worth got six outs, posting a 4.50 Earned Run Average in the process (which was BETTER than the Tigers regular bull pen's cumulative ERA year-to-date). But former Yankees manager Joe Torre (featured in KNUCKLEBALL!) never would have pulled a stunt like Ausmus', and apparently used his high office to rake the Tigers over the coals for using this "trick pitch" against such a respectable team as the Rangers. The Tigers were forced to send Worth packing back to Malibu the following week. The knuckleball is now DEAD, as far as MLB is concerned (and only R.A. Dickey doesn't know this).

Knuckleball! is a sports documentary that follows the lives of Tim Wakefield and RA Dickey, two knuckleball pitchers, during the 2011 baseball season. More than this, however, it is a story about the strange life of being a knuckleball pitcher, and goes into some depth, about the history and interesting personalities of knuckleballers over the years. Knuckleball! is a movie that seems like it should be boring, but it is actually a wonderful human story of following a dream and finding improbable success. Knuckleballers, as the movie explains, are people borne of desperation--they see the end of their careers before them and conclude that, rather than quitting, they have to do something. They find their solution through a practice that at once gains them acceptance but also turns them into something of an outcast. We root for them because we appreciate people who can carve an unconventional path, and in watching them we feel like maybe we imperfect people have a chance also to make it in this world. As a result, this movie is weirdly profound. For all of you who find the alternate path, this movie is for you. Watch it and cheer on the everyman, as he floats it up to the plate at 60 miles per hour and watches the world's most intimidating sluggers go up in smoke.

The knuckleball is an enigma in the sport of baseball. Only a handful of pitchers in the 100+ year history of the game have thrown it well enough to make a career out of it. This documentary focuses on two knuckleballers in particular (Tim Wakefield & R.A. Dickey) in trying to shed some light on both the physical and mental side of being a baseball oddity. There are basically two distinct themes running through this doc: 1. A history of the pitch, so to speak, in which former knucklers like Charlie Hough, Wilbur Wood, Tom Candiotti, and Phil Niekro are interview regarding their thoughts on their bread-and-butter pitch. 2. A narrower focus on Wakefield & Dickey, delving into more the psychological toughness needed to soldier on despite being label a baseball "freak", of sorts. This is a great little documentary for all baseball fans (especially those who vividly remember Wakefield's long career or Dickey's magical run with the Mets) and is about as unique as the fluttering pitch itself (I can't remember any other documentary covering similar material). It is lighthearted, emotional, informative, and serious all at the same time. The only reason I can't give it the full five stars? I wish it would have focused on the personal stories of Wakefield/Dickey even a bit more. Their interactions with the "old gang" of knuckleballers is great, don't get me wrong, but there are WAY too many slo-mo shoots of fluttering knucklers used simply to fill time/space. The personal stories would have been compelling enough to explore even more fully. Overall, though, this is a fun little baseball documentary that is very professionally produced and doesn't try to "ruffle feathers" by making outrageous statements for publicity's sake. It is clear that the filmmakers were truly interested in and inspired by their creation and that fact shows in the final product.

This is an interesting documentary for baseball fans. Much of the iconic attributions to baseball's knuckle-ballers has been made before by sportscasters during games, but this is fun to watch nonetheless. The movie focuses on two pitchers in 2011, Tim Wakefield, and R.A. Dickey. I believe Dickey is still pitching in 2013 for the Blue Jays. There is a tendency in documentary filmmaking to include too much footage, and "Knuckleball" is no different. The documentary jumps back and forth in time rather than follow a chronological order. The same crowd shots are used multiple times. There is footage of the pitchers driving around in cars. There is a lot of game footage of the two pitchers which becomes tiresome after an hour. Just when you think there is going to be some breakthrough or change of pace in the film, it lapses back into footage from the mid 2000's. There is excessive coverage of the Red Sox-Yankees series. This movie would be good for people who aren't familiar with pitching styles or the history of the famous knuckle-ballers in baseball. There are entertaining interviews with Niekro, Hough, and Wilbur Wood. In short, this documentary is about 15 minutes too long. It is a good bet for serious baseball fans.