mercredi 20 juin 2012

Giants’ Manning wants at-bat against Dickey

Eli wants an AB vs. R.A.

No one at the moment can get a sniff of a hit against the remarkable R.A. Dickey but Eli Manning, who lately can do no wrong himself, wants to step into the batters’ box to see that amazing knuckleball up close.

“I asked him if I could get up there and he could throw me a few knuckleballs,’’ Manning said Tuesday after a quick shift at the drive-thru window at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Secaucus, N.J., recounting his Father’s Day conversation with Dickey at Citi Field. “I just want to see what it looked like but we didn’t quite have enough time.’’

Probably better for Eli that he never picked up a bat and took some swings against Dickey, who is coming off back-to-back complete-game one-hitters.

Manning paid a visit to the Mets this past Sunday to throw out the first pitch, a Father’s Day honor he shared with his toddler daughter, Ava. “I was hoping she’d be able to throw it out there but I didn’t want her to get booed if she didn’t make it to the plate,’’ Eli said. “I thought I made a wise decision.’’

As a two-time Super Bowl MVP, Manning knows all about being a sensation. He’s got more than a few connections with Dickey, who attended the University of Tennessee the same time Eli’s older brother Peyton. Dickey, like Eli’s wife, Abby, is from Nashville, so there were several conversation starters when they chatted over the weekend.

“I talked to him a few years ago, he was having some issues with plantar fasciitis, I’ve become an expert on that, having dealt with it,’’ said Manning after the announcement that he’s partnered with Dunkin’ Donuts for a three-year promotional deal that will have him appearing in advertisements in the New York area. “It’s been fun watching him this season, got to watch a little bit of the game last night when he was on the mound.’’

As for his day job, Manning said he made sure to get a workout in earlier in the morning before heading over to the Dunkin’ Donuts appearance just a long completion away from MetLife Stadium and the Giants’ practice facility.

“Try to manage my time well,’’ Manning said. “The off-season is a time to get some things done , do some things like you want to do, like “Saturday Night Live,’’ those type of opportunities, as long as they don’t affect my preparation for football and my commitment to the Giants. I didn’t miss a single workout this year, was at every team activity, working hard to make sure I’m getting better but also trying to do some things outside of football.’’

paul.schwartz@nypost.com

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