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

AND THE TALLEST

FREE-STANDING MOUNTAIN IN

THE WORLD.

THIS PAST JANUARY, R.E.

DICKIE STOOD AT THIS SPACE

AND VOWED TO CONQUER THE

BEAST.

FOR ME, IT WAS TOUGH.

AND WE TOOK A SEVEN-DAY

ROUTE WHICH WOULD HELP US

CLIMATE TIE CLIMATIZE TO

THE CONDITIONS.

Reporter: R.A. DICKIE

WASN'T CLIMBING KILIMANJARO

BECAUSE HE WANTED

ADVENTURE.

HE CLIMBED BECAUSE HE WANTED

TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

HE JOINED TEEN CHALLENGE, A

GROUP DEDICATED TO END HUMAN

TRAFFICKING.

I FEEL LIKE GOD WAS

CALLING ME TO STEP OUT AND

TRY TO BRING AWARENESS TO

SOMETHING THAT SOMETIMES IS

LIKE A WHITE ELEPHANT IN THE

ROOM.

Reporter: R.A. DICKIE

BLOGGED ABOUT THE CLIMB ON

THE NEW YORK WEB SIGHT.

WEBSITE.

BUT THERE WAS ONE THING HE

LEFT OUT OF HIS ARTICLES,

THE ONE SECRET HE KEPT

HIDDEN FOR 20 YEARS.

WELL, I WAS AN 8-YEAR-OLD

BOY, AND IT WAS VICTIMIZED

BY A BABY-SITTER A FEW TIMES

OVER THE COURSE OF THE

SUMMER.

AND THEN AGAIN LATER IN THE

SUMMER, AS THE SUMMER TURNED

TO FALL, BY A 17-YEAR-OLD

BOY.

Reporter YOU FEEL LIKE

YOU'VE TAKEN PART IN

SOMETHING SO WICKED, THAT AT

SOME LEVEL IT HAS TO BE

PARTLY YOUR FAULT.

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 WANT TO RUN THE

OTHER WAY.

THAT WAS A RISK I JUST WAS

UNWILLING TO TAKE.

Reporter: AS A KID,

R.A. DICKIE STARRED IN THE

FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL, AND

BASEBALL TEAMS.

HE EVEN WON A POETRY

COMPETITION AT HIS SCHOOL.

BUT R.A. RIGHTS THAT THESE

WEREN'T JUST ACTIVITIES.

THEY WERE AN ESCAPE.

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.

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.

I JUST HAD IT DOWN.

BUT AT LEAST THAT WAS A

LONELINESS OF MY CHOOSING.

AT LEAST, AGAIN, I HAD

CONTROL.

THERE WAS A CERTAIN AMOUNT

OF PEACE I FELT THEN.

Reporter: AS HE GOD

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.

BUT RIGHT NOW WE DON'T KNOW

IF WE WANT TO DRAFT YOU.

Reporter: AFTER THE

TEST, THEY SAID HE SHOULDN'T

BE ABLE TO TURN A DOORKNOB

WITHOUT PAIN, LET ALONE

THROW A BASEBALL.

I THOUGHT THIS COULD

MEAN I WILL NEVER GET A

CHANCE TO PLAY PROFESSIONAL

BASEBALL.

WHEN I SAT DOWN ACROSS THE

DESK FROM DOUG AND HE SAID,

I'M SORRY, WE'RE TAKING IT

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 HIS 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.

ON APRIL 6, 2006, R.A.DICKIE

WASN'T ONE OF THEM.

A SWING AND A LONG BLAST

TO LEFT FIELD.

THIS IS ANOTHER TIGER

HOMERUN.

Reporter: IN HIS FIRST

AND ONLY START FOR THE

RANGERS, R.A. GAVE UP A

MAJOR SIX HOMERUNS IN ONE

GAME.

HE WAS PROMPTLY SENT TO THE

MINORS.

PEOPLE PRETEND THEY DON'T

HEAR THE CROWD, BUT WHEN

YOU'RE WALKING OFF AFTER AN

INNING LIKE THAT, 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 DEALING WITH THINGS

FROM SUICIDAL THOUGHTS TO,

YOU KNOW, ANY KIND OF ESCAPE

THAT 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 GOD FOR

HELP AND GOD ANSWERED.

I FELT GOD SAY TO ME,

YOU'VE BEE BEEN RUNNING AND

HIDING LONG ENOUGH.

I HAVE GOT SOMETHING ELSE

FOR YOU.

AND SO I TOOK THE STEP OF

FAITH.

AND ONCE I TOOK THE STEP OF

SAYING I WAS ABUSED, AND

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED, I

FELT LIKE SOMEBODY HAD TAKEN

THE WORLD OFF MY SHOULDERS.

Reporter: WITH A

RENEWED FOCUS IN LIFE, R.A.

CONTINUED TO PLAY

BASEBALL

AND FINALLY CONTAINED THE

KNUCKLE BALL.

HE JOINED THE NEW YORK METS

AND POSTED SOME OF THE BEST

IN THE LEAGUE.

I FELT LIKE I WAS TRYING

TO CONTROL THINGS, PEOPLE

AND SPORTS, AND IT WASN'T

WORKING.

GOD BROUGHT ME TO THE PLACE

WHERE HE SAID, ENOUGH.

GIVE IT UP.

SURRENDER IT.

AND THE MORE I TRUSTED GOD,

THE BIGGER HE GOT.

Reporter: AS R.A.

DICKIE ASCENDED KILIMANJARO,

HE DEALT WITH HALLUCINATIONS

AND SHORTNESS OF BREATH, BUT

HE WOULDN'T STOP.

AS A FELLOW VICTIM OF SEXUAL

ABUSE, HE KNEW HE HAD TO

HELP.

I THOUGHT ABOUT AS DARK

AND COLD AS I MAY BE, HOW

DARK ARE THEY IN THE RED

LIGHT DISTRICTS OF MUMBAI.

THAT GAVE ME MORE STRENGTH.

Reporter: DONE BELOW

AND MILES AWAY, THE NEW YORK

METS WERE GETTING READY FOR

ANOTHER SEASON.

BACK AT HOME, HIS WIFE WAS

CARRYIN CARING FOR THE

NEWEST EDITION TO HIS?

FAMILY, THEIR FOURTH CHILD.

ACROSS THE WORLD, MUMBAI

TEAM CHALLENGE RAISED MORE

THAN $200,000 BECAUSE OF THE

CLIMB.

AND R.A. DICKIE REACHED THE

TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN AND

LOOKED DOWN.

THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS

THAT HADN'T GONE TO SCRIPT

FOR ME, BUT GOD HAS HAD

SOMETHING BETTER.

AND ONLY IN REFLECTION CAN

YOU REALLY SEE IT.

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, YOU

KNOW.

AND THAT IS WHO HE IS TO ME:

HE IS A SAVIOR.

IT IS SUCH A SWEET

RELATIONSHIP.