Ahh the knuckleball pitcher. New Yorker staff writer Ben McGrath takes us into the lives of those who pursue that quirky baseball pitch. The knuckleball has no spin or rotation and is prone to sudden, nonsensical motion. Pitchers who excel at the knuckleball can outlive their fastball-dependent peers in their pro ball careers as the pitch doesn’t require arm stamina, just the right control. Not only the batter, but the catcher as well suffers from the erratic nature of the knuckleball; tracking it for the catch is as difficult as hitting it. Back when I was followed baseball, knuckleball meant Niekro, either Phil or Joe. Nowadays, it’s the hallmark of Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield. Hitters have flattering quotes on their attempts to hit the pitch (and probably more words for it you won’t see in print): “like eating soup with a fork”, “It giggles as it goes by”, “like trying to catch a butterfly with a pair of tweezers.” Catchers are equally eloquent: “Wait’ll it stops rolling, then go pick it up.”