—Geno Petralli, former catcher, after a particularly tough night with knuckleballer Charlie Hough LIKE MOST PEOPLE on the receiving end of the knuckleball, Tim Wakefield initially treated the pitch with skepticism, frustration, and distrust. Neither Wakefield nor his father, Steve, remembers exactly how old Wakefield was when Steve started throwing knuckleballs to Tim and his sister, Kelly, while playing catch in the yard of their home in Melbourne, Florida, but both generally agree that Tim was probably seven or eight, maybe on the verge of starting Little League. What they also agree upon, with absolute certainty, is the way Tim reacted to the pitch that would serve as the foundation for a long and productive major league career. He despised it. Wakefield would come home from school or his father would return from playing softball, and the son wanted to play catch with his father. Wakefield enjoyed those times until the Norman Rockwell moment fell apart when his father began throwing the knuckleball, a pitch Wakefield found impossible to catch—which, of course, was all part of Steve Wakefield's plan.
