KNUCKLEBALL Highlights Unique Group of Major League Pitchers

What do you get when you cross a pitcher with a manicure?

A KNUCKLEBALLER!

A knuckleballer pitcher’s best friend is the nail file that they keep in the dugout, in their bag, in the locker room, anywhere where they may be when their manicured nails require a touchup.

This pitch is perfected with a skillful fingernail grip on the ball. It is crazy how one damaged fingernail can mess up the throw.

The film KNUCKLEBALL! by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg takes you on a journey through the “fraternity” of knuckleball pitchers in the major leagues, their triumphs, their support of each other, their families, and most importantly their struggles to stay afloat in a  brutally competitive league of ball players who consider the knuckleball pitch to be the least credible pitch. This pitch is much slower then the 96 mph used by 98% of the league, and it is very unpredictable.

KNUCKLEBALL follows Tim Wakefield, 45-year-old knuckleball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, who recently, February 2012, retired from the game, and RA Dickey, knuckleball pitcher for the NY Mets. Dickey currently is the only knuckleballer in the league, carrying the torch as they say, until the next one comes along where they can carry it together.  There has never been more then three or four in the major league at one time.

The support from previous knuckleball pitchers is evident in the amount of times they meet, give advice from watching clips of where things are going wrong, and their encouragement to not give up.

Both Dickey and Wakefield went through incredibly hard times with their ability to prove their knuckleball pitches were worthy of the big league, a dream that both these men had since they were little boys.

“You just got to prove yourself, and reprove and reprove.” Dickey mentioned in the film.

Previous knuckleball pitchers featured in the film are Charlie Hough, Phil Niekro, Jim Bouton, Tom Candiotti, and Wilbur Wood.

Taking many different approaches to show the valued support from fans, previous knuckleballers, family, and coaches (when they were performing well) will capture the attention of any fan. The behind the scenes footage drags the viewer right to the mound, the dugout, their home.

KNUCKLEBALL! premieres 9/20/12 at the IFC Center in NYC. If you are a baseball fan, or sports fan, this is a must see!