When he goes out for his daily run, Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey straps on a black mask covering his eyes, nose and mouth. The guise has two distinct effects. The first is to limit his oxygen intake, simulating the conditions at a high altitude. The second is to make him the scourge of dogs in his Nashville neighborhood.

"They get freaked out," Dickey said. "They either want to bite my neck off or they run as fast as they can in the other direction."

The...