Knuckleball, the GIF

So you want to be a major-league catcher? It’s all fun and games until you have to catch a knuckleball pitcher. Or get plowed over by a runner. Or have to block a pitch that bounces off the plate and into your neck. Or take several foul tips off the head. Or take a bat to the head on some jerk’s backswing. Or crouch for a decade or two. Okay, it’s all awful. But let’s focus on the knuckleball part.

Ryan Lavarnway is catching Steven Wright on Tuesday. Through the first inning, he has four passed balls. A sample:

Also of note: Wright has a microwave fireplace in his house. The other night he laid down in front of the fire for the evening in two minutes.