<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><item href="/westmont-news/knuckleball.family.journey.hits.montecito.html" dsn="news"><pubDate>11/03/2026</pubDate><title>Knuckleball Family Journey Hits Montecito</title><excerpt>It flutters, it darts and it defies the laws of physics. Now, the rarest throw in sports takes center stage as award-winning journalist Brian Gaffney visits Tecolote Book Shop on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 3 to 4 p.m. to discuss his new book, “School of Hard Knucks: My Three Sons and Baseball’s Wildest Pitch.” He will also be signing books at the Westmont Bookstore on Nov. 7 at 10:30 a.m. prior to the first pitch of the Westmont Alumni Baseball Game. </excerpt><author>Scott Craig</author><image><img src="/Gaffney%20Knuckleball.jpg" alt="Ben Gaffney Knuckleballer"/></image><caption>Knuckleballer Ben Gaffney</caption><description>It flutters, it darts and it defies the laws of physics. Now, the rarest throw in sports takes center stage as award-winning journalist Brian Gaffn...</description><tags><tag>Athletics</tag><tag>baseball</tag></tags></item>