New York writer claims R.A. Dickey could be “a handful” during his time with Mets

As we continue to await official word on a trade that would send R.A. Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays for multiple prospects, the relationship between the soon to be separating National League Cy Young winner and the New York Mets has taken another uncomfortable turn.

The latest development comes from a column published by the New York Post's Ken Davidoff on Saturday morning. In it, Davidoff writes less than favorably about Dickey's attitude, and also claims that while his contributions to the team were appreciated, he was far from beloved by his teammates and the organization due to what is perceived to be an inflated ego.

Here's an excerpt from that column that goes into further detail:

And, in an underappreciated part of this saga that soared into visibility this week, Dickey can be a handful. He clearly has enjoyed his rise from the ashes into a Flushing folk hero, and while he deserves praise and riches, there's also the matter of him having to coexist peacefully in a workplace. His gift for self-promotion and his love of attention don't endear himself to most teammates. Instead, his durability and outstanding results led him to be appreciated but far from beloved.

I said jabs at the top. A couple of those were actually overhand rights aimed for the jaw. Ouch.

Oh, but wait, there's actually more.

If Dickey can't control his verbiage at a holiday party — "Folks, not today, not with the kids here" was all he had to say to reporters — then how would a full season of uncertainty feel? How many times would Dickey spout off publicly? Or work behind the scenes to make the Mets look bad and boost his own brand?

Let me just take a step back here before going further. I've never covered R.A. Dickey in any setting, so it would be impossible and irresponsible for me to weigh in with an opinion about what he's been like to deal with in the past, and what he's been like during his rise to fame. But all of the accounts I've heard and read about Dickey in the past fly in the face of what Davidoff wrote here. None of this matches up on any level.

Now, with that said, I think we could all agree Dickey would have been better served to decline discussing his contract while attending a charity event for Hurricane Sandy victims on Monday night. It's understandable that the Mets weren't thrilled about that. But, then again, how does the media portray him if he ignores their questions and goes on about his business?

In many ways, it was a no-win situation for Dickey when it should have been an all-win situation with him donating more of his time to charities. But really, beyond that, this is just a bunch of silly, sad and completely unnecessary drama that warrants being mentioned, but honestly doesn't deserve anymore attention that I've already given it.

Let the man leave in piece. Let's all move on.

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