NEW YORK – R.A. Dickey has been known to place books around the New York Mets’ clubhouse, selected from the little library lining the top shelf of his locker. When the mood suits him, he might reach into the stall and pull out his “Star Wars” stormtrooper helmet. He says he would love a small role on the HBO fantasy saga “Game of Thrones.”

A nerd with a knuckleball.

“Nerdy? I would say more eccentric would be the right word. I wouldn’t say he fits the mold of the stereotypical athlete,” teammate David Wright said. “He’s extremely intelligent. He’s cultured probably well beyond any of us. I think it fits in great with the knuckleball. It goes hand and hand.”