I COULD FEEL ITS PRESENCE

LIKE A GIANT BEAST LURKING

IN THE SHADOWS.

ONLY TIME WILL TELL IF THIS

BEAST WILL BE FRIEND OR

FOE.

Reporter: STRETCHING

NEARLY $20,000 FEET INTO THE

SKY, KILIMANJARO WAS THE

HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN AFRICA.

THIS PAST JANUARY, R.A.

DICKIE STOOD AT THE BASE AND

VOWED TO CONQUER THE BEAST.

FOR ME IT WAS TOUGH.

WE TOOK A SEVEN-DAY ROUTE

THAT WOULD HELP US CLIMATE

TIECLIMATE CLIMATEIZE TO

THE CONDITIONS.

Reporter: HE WASN'T

CLIMBING KIL KILIMANJARO TO

CHALLENGE HIMSELF, BUT TO

MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

HE WANTED TO END HUMAN

TRAFFICKING.

I THOUGH FELT LIKE GOD

WAS REALLY CALLING ME TO

STEP OUT AND TRY TO BRING

AWARENESS TO SOMETHING THAT

IS SOMETIMES A WHITE

ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.

Reporter: HE BLOGGED

ABOUT THE CLIMB ON THE "NEW

YORK TIMES" WEBSITE.

BUT THERE WAS ONE DETAIL HE

LEFT OUT OF HIS ARTICLES,

THE ONE SECRET HE KEPT

HIDDEN FROM EVERYONE FOR

MORE THAN 20 YEARS.

WELL, I WAS AN 8-YEAR-OLD

BOY, AND I WAS VICTIMIZED BY

A BABY-SITTER A FEW TIMES

OVER THE COURSE OF A

SUMMER.

AND THEN AGAIN LATER IN THE

SUMMER, AS THE SUMMER TURNED

TO FALL.

BY A 17-YEAR-OLD BOY.

YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TAKEN

PART IN SOMETHING SO WICKED

THAT AT SOME LEVEL IT HAS TO

BE PARTLY YOUR FAULT.

AND I CERTAINLY FELT LIKE I

WAS LESS THAN HUMAN.

AND I DIDN'T WANT TO TELL

ANYBODY ABOUT IT BECAUSE I

FELT LIKE THEY WOULD JUST

THROW THEIR ARMS UP AND RUN

THE OTHER WAY.

THAT WAS SOMETHING I WAS

UNWILLING TO TAKE.

Reporter: AS A KID,

R.A. STARRED ON THE

FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL, AND

BASEBALL GAMES.

HE EVEN WON A POETRY

COMPETITION AT HIS SCHOOL.

BUT IN HIS BOOK, HE WRITES

THESE WEREN'T JUST

ACTIVITIES.

THEY WERE AN ESCAPE.

I WAS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR

THINGS I COULD CONTROL.

AND I FELT LIKE MY LIFE HAD

A LOT IN IT I COULD NOT

CONTROL.

SO I DEVELOPED MECHANISMS

FOR DEALING WITH PAIN AND

TRYING TO ESCAPE IT.

IT DID A LOT OF DAMAGE OVER

THE COURSE OF MY LIFE.

SPORTS OFFERED ME A

SANCTUARY IN THAT REGARD.

IT WAS SOMETHING THAT IF I

PUT IN THE TIME, I COULD BE

REALLY GOOD AT.

AND I ALWAYS FOUND REFUGE

THERE.

Reporter: HIS PARENTS

HAD DIVORCED WHEN HE WAS

JUST FIVE YEARS OLD.

HIS MOTHER WAS AN ALCOHOLIC,

SO WHEN HE WAS A TEENAGER HE

MOVED IN WITH HIS FATHER.

BUT THAT DIDN'T MAKE THINGS

BETTER.

SOME NIGHTS HE STAYED OVER

AT A FRIEND'S HOUSE.

OTHERS, HE BROKE INTO VACANT

HOMES IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD

AND SLEPT THERE.

I WOULD PARK AROUND THE

CORNER AND I WOULD HIDE

OUT.

AND, YOU KNOW, I HAD IT

DOWN.

BUT AT LEAST THAT WAS A

LONELINESS OF MY CHOOSING.

AGAIN, I HAD CONTROL.

THERE WAS A CERTAIN AMOUNT

OF PEACE I FELT IN THAT.

Reporter: AS HE GOT

OLDER, R.A. CONTINUED TO

EXCEL IN SPORTS.

HE WENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF

TENNESSEE AND BECAME AN

ACADEMIC ALL AMERICAN.

IN 1996, HE WON A BRONZE

MEDAL DURING THE OLYMPIC

GAMES AND WAS DRAFTED BY THE

TEXAS RANGERS.

THE RANGERS OFFERED HIM AN

$800,000 CONTRACT UNTIL THEY

NOTICED HIS ARM WAS HANGING

A LITTLE FUNNY.

DOUG MELVIN WAS THE

GENERAL MANAGER OF THE TEXAS

RANGERS AT THE TIME, AND HE

LOOKED ACROSS THE TABLE AND

SAID, WE WANT YOU TO GET A

SECOND OPINION.

Reporter: AFTER RUNNING

TESTS, DOCTORS NOTICED HE

WAS MISSING THE ULNAR

LATERAL LIGAMENT AND SAID HE

SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO TURN A

DOORKNOB WITHOUT PAIN, LET

ALONE A BASEBALL.

I THOUGHT, THIS COULD

MEAN I MAY NEVER GET A

CHANCE TO PLAY PROFESSIONAL

BASEBALL.

IT WAS HARD TO LAY THAT

DOWN.

WHEN I SAT DOWN ACROSS THE

DESK FROM DOUG, AND HE SAID,

I'M SORRY, WE'RE TAKING THAT

AWAY, I STOOD UP AND SHOOK

HIS HAND AND I WALKED OUT.

Reporter: THE RANGERS

SLASHED THEIR OFFER BY OVER

90%.

DICKIE SIGNED ANYWAY.

AND WHILE HE NEVER

EXPERIENCED ARM PROBLEMS,

HIS CAREER WAS

DISAPPOINTING.

HE HAD TO MAKE A MAJOR

CHANGE, SO HER PITCHING

COACH SUGGESTED HE ADOPT THE

KNUCKLE BALL.

NOW, THE KNUCKLE BALL IS ONE

OF THE HARDEST PITCHES TO

HIT, BUT IT IS ALSO ONE OF

THE HARDEST PITCHES TO

THROW.

IN FACT, ONLY A FEW MAJOR

LEAGUERS HAVE EVER DONE IT

EFFECTIVELY.

ON APRIL 6, 2006, R.A.

DICKIE WASN'T ONE OF THEM.

Announcer: A SWING AND

A LOB TO LEFT FIELD.

Reporter: R.A. GAVE UP

A MAJOR LEAGUE RECORD SIX

HOMERUNS IN ONE GAME.

HE WAS PROMPTLY SENT TO THE

MINORS.

PEOPLE PRETEND THAT THEY

DON'T HEAR THE CROWD.

BUT WHEN YOU'RE WALKING OFF

YOU HEAR EVERY BOO.

AND YOU FEEL LIKE IT IS ALL

FOR NOTHING.

Reporter: WITH HIS

CAREER IN SHAMBLES, AND HIS

LIFE STILL HAUNTED BY THE

ABUSE, R.A. WENT TO A

COUNSELLOR AND DECIDED TO

REVEAL EVERYTHING.

I WAS REALLY DEALING WITH

THINGS FROM SUICIDAL

THOUGHTS TO, YOU KNOW, ANY

KIND OF ESCAPE I COULD THINK

OF THAT CROSSED MY MIND.

GOD USED THAT MAN TO REALLY

SAVE MY LIFE.

Reporter: AFTER TRYING

TO DEAL WITH HIS PAIN

HIMSELF, R.A. ASKED GOOD FOR

HELP.

AND HE SAYS GOD ANSWERED.

I FELT HIM SAY TO ME,

YOU'VE BEEN RUNNING AND

HIDING FOR LONG ENOUGH NOW.

I'VE GOT SOMETHING ELSE FOR

YOU.

AND SO I TOOK A STEP OF

FAITH.

AND ONCE I TOOK THE STEP TO

SAY I WAS SEXUALLY ABUSED

AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED,

IT WAS LIKE AN ENORMOUS -- I

FELT LIKE AN ATLAS AND

SOMEBODY HAD JUST TAKEN THE

WORLD OFF MY SHOULDERS.

Reporter: WITH A

RENEWED FOCUS IN LIFE, R.A.

CONTINUED TO PLAY BASEBALL

AND FINALLY TAMED THE

KNUCKLE BALL.

IN 2010 AT THE AGE OF 35, HE

JOINED THE NEW YORK METS AND

POSTED ONE OF THE BEST

E.R.A.s IN THE LEAGUE.

I HAD SPENT A LIFETIME

TRYING TO CONTROL THINGS,

PEOPLE, SPORTS, AND IT

WASN'T WORKING.

IT WAS CRUMBLING DOWN AROUND

ME.

AND GOD BROUGHT ME TO THE

PLACE WHERE HE SAID, ENOUGH,

GIVE IT UP, SURRENDER IT.

AND THE MORE I TRUSTED GOD,

THE BIR BIGGER HE GOT.

Reporter: AS R.A.

DICKIE ASCENDED KILIMANJARO,

HE DEALT WITH HALLUCINATIONS

AND SHORTNESS OF BREATH, BUT

HE WON'T STOP.

AS A FELLOW VICTIM OF SEXUAL

ABUSE, HE KNEW HE HAD TO

HELP.

I THOUGHT ABOUT, YOU

KNOW, AS DARK AND AS COLD AS

I MIGHT BE, HOW DARK AND

COLD ARE THEY IN THOSE

RED-LIGHT DISTRICTS OF

MUMBAI?

THAT PUT IT INTO PERSPECTIVE

AND GAVE ME MORE STRENGTH TO

KEEP PUTTING ONE FOOT IN

FRONT OF THE OTHER.

Reporter: DOWN BELOW

AND MILES AWAY, THE NEW YORK

METS WERE GETTING READY FOR

ANOTHER SEASON.

BACK AT HOME, HIS LIFE WAS

CARING FOR THE NEWEST

ADDITION TO THEIR FAMILY,

THEIR FOURTH CHILD.

ACROSS THE WORLD, BOMBAY

TEAM CHALLENGE RAISED MORE

THAN $400,000 FOR THE

CAUSE.

AND ON A CHILLY MORNING R.A.

DICKIE REACHED THE TOP OF

THE MOUNTAIN AND LOOKED

DOWN.

THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF

THINGS THAT HAVEN'T GONE TO

SCRIPT FOR ME, THAT I WOULD

HAVE WRITTEN OUT A CERTAIN

WAY.

BUT GOD HAS HAD SOMETHING

BETTER, AND ONLY IN

REFLECTION CAN YOU REALLY

SEE IT, YOU KNOW?

BECAUSE HE HAS GIVEN ME NOT

JUST A SECOND CHANCE, BUT A

THIRD CHANCE AND A FOURTH

CHANCE AND A FIFTH CHANCE,

TO INFINITY, AND WHAT A

SAVIOR.

THAT'S WHO HE IS TO ME, HE'S

A SAVIOR.

AND IT'S JUST SUCH A SWEET

RELATIONSHIP.