the learning curve

so i learned last night that Wakefield is the *only* knuckleballer in all of present-day baseball. i knew it was uncommon but sheesh! i understand now that there's no other way for Bard to get better at catching him than to just get out there & do it. trial & error, emphasis on the errors. and i feel bad for him. i really do. he looks so aggravated out there. but i feel for Wake as well. how frustrating has this got to be for HIM? i guess, being that no one else is really a true knuckleballer, i am still befuddled over the fact that the Red Sox dumped Mirabelli--who was not only comfortable catching Wakefield, but GOOD at it! i know that maybe he was asking for a longer term contract & that Wakefield may not have as many years left in him as Mirabelli might have wanted but...you have a catcher who can catch a one-of-a-kind difficult pitcher with ease...and who was a great back-up for Tek...wouldn't it have been worth it instead of taking the end of a man's career to train a catcher in a technique he may conceivably never use again??