Dickey Says Goodbye

In a guest post in the New York Daily News, R.A. Dickey said farewell to the fan base and city that he has been a part of for the past three years.

Here are a few excerpts...

On the trade to Toronto and his connection to the Mets fans:

I am not going to lie to you, though. The trade was hard for me at first. This is where my heart was, where I wanted to be, where I lived out a story of redemption and felt that every one of you shared it with me in some form or fashion. I loved pitching for you. I loved your passion, the way you embraced me from the start, and the way you seemed to appreciate the effort I was putting forth. Every time I’d walk off the mound after an outing, I’d look in your faces, the people behind the dugout, and felt as if all your energy and support was pouring right into me — even when I was lousy. It gives me chill bumps thinking about it even now. 

On joining the Blue Jays:

As I move beyond the sadness over leaving here, I know I have a tremendous amount to look forward to. The Blue Jays may need name tags on the first day of spring training, but once we get acquainted, well, this team could be something. I appreciate the welcome I’ve already gotten from them, and what they’re trying to build. We’ll see how it all unfolds.

Who would have thought back in December of 2009 that this is how it would end.

His signing was laughed at by just about everyone, myself included. But then something changed.

Dickey turned out to be good. Not good, that's an understatement. He was great. Not just on the field, but off.

He was the first player in a long time that I actually liked. He was (and still is) a good human being.

Because of that, he will get a loud cheer from me the next time I see him play, whenever or wherever that may be.

Best of luck in Toronto, R.A. You may not be a Met anymore, but we're all still rooting for you.