Dalkowski documentary, 30 years in making, debuts Saturday
On public television on Saturday night, Tom Chiappetta will finally tell Steve Dalkowski’s story, a story that he has carried with him since the early 1990s.
“Far From Home: The Steve Dalkowski Story” debuts Saturday night at 7 on CPTV, telling the story of the left-handed phenom from New Britain who never pitched a big-league inning but became a legend anyway.
“I’m very excited because obviously it’s been a long haul,” Chiappetta said. “I’m very fortunate I found the right people along the way, especially recently, to get all of this in order. It’s been with me every day of those 30 years.”
Chiappetta, who once worked for what is now the Connecticut Post, has been compiling interviews for almost 30 years. There are 20 people interviewed in the half-hour film, and that leaves out several more.
“A lot of people seem very anxious and excited to see it, and I hope we meet their standards,” Chiappetta said.
The film debuts Saturday at 7 p.m. on CPTV and reairs Monday at 9:30 p.m. and Oct. 18 at 6 p.m., and it will begin streaming on CPTV.org on Saturday night. CPTV Spirit will show the film twice later this month.
Dalkowski died April 19 of complications of COVID-19, two months shy of his 81st birthday.
In the film’s trailer, late Hall of Famer Lou Brock describes Dalkowski’s pitching: “Grab your helmets, run behind buildings, because this guy throws unguided missiles, and he doesn’t know where they’re going.”
Over nine minor-league seasons, according to Baseball-Reference.com’s compilation, Dalkowski struck out 1,324 and walked 1,236 in 956 innings.
Battling alcoholism much of his life, he lived in a New Britain continuing-care center for his last 26 years,
tice Wednesday for the first time as the Jets’ starter. That’s pretty remarkable considering he has played in the NFL 13 years and won on the league’s biggest stage — earning Super Bowl MVP honors for Baltimore in 2013.
Despite all that, Flacco’s road over the last several but Chiappetta takes some solace that Dalmonths to get to this point kowski was able to spend those years with has been far from easy. But his sister Pat after a long time apart. with the Jets 0-4 and strug
“I think it is a happy ending. His passing gling mightily, Flacco’s in April, going through a lot of tough stuff resilience might be exactly — there’s also a lot of enjoyment that he was what they need. able to share in, in some way,” Chiappetta “He definitely won the said. respect of his teammates
The stars kind of lined up, Chiappetta because of how hard he said, in the last little while to complete the worked,” offensive coordifilm. He’d received good advice and posinator Dowell Loggains tive reinforcement from documentarian said. “He definitely has a Steve Cohen of Stamford’s Triple Threat Jersey toughness and a TV. Jersey edge to him that can
Chiappetta said he had surgery about a time and his contacts. be an intimidating factor. year ago and was ordered to rest. He recon“It’s not something you think is going to When he gets going on the nected by chance online with a former colhappen, a person of his stature,” Chiappetta practice field, you can see league who taught film in Los Angeles, said. all those competitive juices strong in story development; that colleague Half of the 20 people interviewed in the coming out.” knew someone who had the equipment to film have died, including Dalkowski and The native of Audubon, edit Chiappetta’s copious interviews and Brock this year. Chiappetta said he contactN. J., has certainly been update the trailer. ed their families to get releases and found there and done that as a
Locals like Spencerpro.SaboandNoahFinzsomeofthemexcitedtoseefootageoftheir made key contributions in the late going; loved ones, and to hear some of their stories He was a first-round Finz narrates the film as well, Chiappetta as they tied in with Dalkowski’s. draft pick by the Ravens said. “It made me feel it was worth the time out of Delaware in 2008,
Dalkowski’s story was a bit of legend and effort,” Chiappetta said, “because it’s became the starter as a even while he was still pitching, the real-life more than just me, Steve, even Patty and the rookie and held that job version of the wild fireballers of every basepeople in New Britain, the reason Steve was until 2018 — when a hip ball movie of the past 50 years. The writer/ able to spend those last 26 years. It makes injury cleared the way for directors of two of them, David S. Ward and me more proud of the project and what we Lamar Jackson to take Ron Shelton, appear in this film. were able to accomplish.” over. Flacco was traded to
Chiappetta said he’d worked with ShelDenver the following offton, who was particularly generous with his season, but his run with