Rickey Henderson Disappoints Nation With Speech

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/rickey_henderson

Rickey Henderson Disappoints Nation With Humble, Heartfelt Hall Of Fame Speech
July 30, 2009 Onion Sports

COOPERSTOWN, NY — Baseball fans across the nation admitted to feeling "cheated" and "let down" by Rickey Henderson Sunday as the all-time stolen-base leader, known for his brash statements and bizarre turns of phrase, gave a humble and coherent Hall of Fame induction speech with overtones of humor and pathos. "He spoke pretty much like a normal human being," Oakland resident Darryl Kleinman said. "That’s not why I traveled across the country. I wanted him to get up there and, I don’t know, scream that he was the greatest athlete to ever grace God’s green earth, or announce that he was going to come back and play for the Nationals, or address the crowd in second person. Nobody wants to hear about how much he loves baseball." Fans across the nation were ultimately pleased when fellow inductee Jim Rice called the sportswriters in attendance "the biggest group of fuckos you will ever encounter."

Henderson humbled by Hall

Robalini's Note: Why Rickey Henderson still rules...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/26/SPG418VCMC.DTL

Henderson humbled by Hall
John Shea, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, July 27, 2009

Cooperstown, N.Y. -- Rickey Henderson, humbled.

The significance of baseball's ultimate honor overwhelmed baseball's ultimate runner Sunday. It doesn't matter if a man led the league in swagger. Put him in the Hall of Fame, have him give a speech in front of 50 legends and he turns into an unassuming rookie.

Henderson's speech - by most accounts, he nailed it - showed a side not seen on the base paths or in the batter's box. He was clear, concise and not at all cocky. He even provided a suspenseful ending to his 13-minute, 50-second delivery, clearly the highlight on a muggy, drizzly day at the Clark Sports Center.

He mentioned Muhammad Ali, his hero, and reminded everyone that Ali called himself "the greatest. That is something I always wanted to be. And now that the (Baseball Writers') Association (of America) has voted me into the baseball Hall of Fame, my journey as a player is complete. I am now in the class of the greatest players of all time, and at this moment ..."

Uh oh.

Was Rickey going to do it again?

Any fan of the steals king knows he called himself "the greatest of all time" after breaking Lou Brock's career record in 1991, and it appeared a repeat performance was coming now that he was being enshrined.

But it was typically unpredictable Rickey.

Finishing his closing line, he said, "... and at this moment, I am ... very ... very ... humbled."

There you have it. The conversion from brash ballplayer to appreciative ambassador was complete as Henderson joined Jim Rice and Joe Gordon (posthumously), whose plaques were added to the walls of the museum, making it 289 Hall of Famers in all.

In an interview after his speech, Henderson was asked about the ending and said his three children helped with it.

"I just wanted to clarify this is what I meant," he said, recalling his '91 speech. "I didn't want to mean greatest player of all time, but the greatest stealer of all time."

It was Rickey's way of expressing humility.

"I'm proud to tears," said good friend and former teammate Dave Stewart, who sat in the front row near Rickey's family. Stewart won 20 games four straight years and was the top starter in a dynamic A's era, but he called Henderson's induction "my proudest moment in the game. I feel like my brother's just gone in."

Of the speech, Stewart said, "His personality came out. That's the person Rickey is. People called him a bad teammate or selfish player. There's no more misunderstood player than Rickey. He is a great individual, great player. Funny. Great to be around. Keeps you laughing. That all came out in his speech. He was absolutely outstanding."

Taking a cue from Earl Robinson, a speech teacher at Oakland's Laney College, Henderson was prepared and deliberate, mixing in history and humor, including a story about Reggie Jackson refusing to give him an autograph as a kid at the Coliseum. Not a single third-person reference, but it still was genuine.

He spoke of two early inspirations who helped guide him to baseball: Hank Thomasson, a youth coach who "tricked" him into playing by offering a glazed doughnut and hot chocolate, and Mrs. Tommie Wilkerson, an Oakland Tech High counselor who "bribed" him with a quarter for each on-field accomplishment.

"After my first 10 games, I had 30 hits, 25 runs and 33 stolen bases," Henderson said. "Not bad money for a kid in high school."

He gave thanks to his mother, Bobbie, and wife, Pamela, but was disappointed he mistakenly skipped the names of his three daughters. He named his boyhood idols (Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Henry Aaron and, yes, Jackson), the scout who signed him (Jim Guinn), a minor-league mentor (Tom Trebelhorn), his first owner (Charlie Finley) and favorite manager (Billy Martin).

So what's next?

Henderson will be at the Coliseum on Saturday to have his number (24) retired and will be honored later in San Diego. He said after his speech he wants to coach in the majors to teach young players his secrets, and Stewart said he'd be a great fit with the A's or Yankees.

He has a personal-service contract with the A's and will assist in spring training. As for a full-time on-field job? General manager Billy Beane, who was at the induction with owner Lew Wolff and A's President Mike Crowley, called Henderson the "greatest Oakland A and greatest leadoff hitter of all time" and seemed open to a coaching role.

"Whatever he puts his mind to. We talked a little about it," Beane said. "He has a lot to offer. If it's something he's committed to, it's certainly something worth discussing."

During the speech, a fan yelled, "Play, Rickey, play."

But those days are over, aren't they? Henderson's future is working with the next generation.

"Follow your dream. Believe in your dream because dreams do come true," he said. "When you think of me, I'd like you to remember that kid from the inner city who played with all his heart and never took the game for granted. Thanks everyone here for making my dream come true today."

E-mail John Shea at jshea@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Henderson and Rice together forever

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/wires/07/23/2010.ap.bbo.hall.of.fame.adv25.1338/

Thursday July 23, 2009
Henderson and Rice together forever

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) - Rickey Henderson knew what was expected every time he batted. So, too, did Jim Rice.

"Some way, I was going to scratch to get on base to steal that base,'' Henderson said. "I steal that base, my day was good. My pride and joy was coming across the plate.''

Said Rice: "Believe me, I wasn't paid to walk. I was paid to try to do some damage.''

Each player - Henderson, the quintessential leadoff man with an infectious smile, and Rice, the consummate power hitter with an icy glare - inflicted more than his share of damage on opponents, and they will be duly recognized for their considerable career accomplishments Sunday when they are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The pair will be the first inductees to primarily play left field since Boston's Carl Yastrzemski went into the Hall in 1989.

Former Yankees and Indians second baseman Joe Gordon, elected posthumously by the Veterans Committee, also will be inducted, while former Yankees star and longtime broadcaster Tony Kubek and writer Nick Peters will be honored as winners of the Frick and Spink awards, respectively.

"As a kid, you grow up playing the game, and you never really know what you can achieve,'' Henderson said.

A member of nine teams during his 25-year career, the fun-loving Henderson achieved more than most. He holds the all-time records for stolen bases in a season (130) and career (1,406), for runs scored (2,295) and for leading off a game with a home run (81).

"Competing against myself - I think that's what made me the player that I became,'' Henderson said. "I had a lot of desire to be a winner and play the game to the fullest.''

Born in Chicago on Christmas Day 1958, Henderson moved with his family to California when he was 7 and became a three-sport star at Oakland Technical High School. Football was his forte and he received numerous scholarship offers to play college ball, turning them down for a shot at baseball.

Henderson was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the fourth round in 1976. After excelling in the minors for three seasons (at Modesto, in 1977, he led the California League with a then-record 95 steals and became just the fourth professional player to steal seven bases in one game), Henderson made his major league debut with Oakland in late June 1979. He still led the club that season with 33 steals.

When Oakland owner Charlie Finley hired Billy Martin as manager in 1980, Henderson had the perfect partner in crime. "Billyball'' - the aggressive attack Martin relished - helped catapult Henderson to stardom.

The speedy Henderson set the American League season steals record with 100 in only his second year, joining Maury Wills and Lou Brock as the only major league players of the modern era to steal 100 or more bases a season.

"I went out there and put it together, but it wasn't just me,'' said Henderson, who eclipsed the AL record of 96 set by Ty Cobb in 1915. "Billy helped teach me how to win. He had a strategy and we worked together and achieved that. There was no doubt I was gone when you told me to go.''

Henderson quickly evolved into perhaps the most dangerous player in baseball, seemingly always able to make something from nothing. After leading the AL in hits during the strike-shortened 1981 season, the "Man of Steal'' used his trademark headfirst slides to break Brock's single-season steals record with 130 in 1982.

After the 1984 season, Henderson was traded to the New York Yankees and soon was reunited with Martin after Yogi Berra was fired as manager.

Henderson hit 24 homers and batted .314 with a league-leading 80 stolen bases in 1985, and his 146 runs scored were the most since Ted Williams had 150 in 1949.

The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Henderson gained at the plate by shrinking into a tight crouch, dramatically cutting his strike zone and confounding pitchers like no other player.

"Rickey just made it impossible not to be distracted by him,'' said Tony La Russa, who managed Henderson at Oakland and dreaded managing against him.

Just the 44th player elected to the Hall in his first year of eligibility, Henderson retired with 2,190 career walks (128 more than Babe Ruth), and although Barry Bonds has since eclipsed that total, Henderson still holds the record for most unintentional walks with 2,129. What is most amazing is that 796 of those free passes - or 37 percent - came while leading off an inning, something every opposing pitcher and catcher desperately wanted to avoid.

"I had a strategy of my strike zone and how can I beat a pitcher, and I think I was more patient,'' said Henderson, who broke Cobb's record of 2,246 career runs and Zack Wheat's record of 2,328 career games in left field. "I loved battling against a pitcher.''

The flamboyant Henderson, who during his career frequently referred to himself in the third person and often was accused of showboating on the field with his trash talk and snatch catch - he said it was simply "Rickey being Rickey'' - also liked being paid well for his services. That led him to develop another of his fortes - leading off games with a home run.

"I'm killing myself. I was stealing all the bases, and when you had to go to arbitration they said, 'You know, only the big boys make the money,''' Henderson said. "So I got to try and figure out how to hit a home run, too.''

He learned. In 1990, Henderson matched his career high with 28 homers. He also stole 65 bases and led the majors with a .439 on-base percentage, winning AL MVP honors.

Hitting homers was second nature to Rice, who played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox. Playing at a time when offensive numbers paled in comparison to the past two decades, the so-called steroid era, Rice batted .298 with 382 home runs and 1,451 RBIs from 1974-89. He was voted to eight All-Star teams and finished in the top five in AL MVP voting six times, winning the award in 1978 when he batted .315 with 213 hits, 46 home runs, 139 RBIs and a .600 slugging percentage.

The numbers get even more impressive.

Rice drove in 100 or more runs eight times, batted over .300 seven times, and topped 200 hits four times. And he's the only player in major league history with at least 35 homers and 200 hits in three consecutive seasons (1977-79).

That it took until his final year of eligibility probably rankled every time a new class was announced. If there ever was any bitterness, though, it has long since vanished.

"You let bygones be bygones,'' the 56-year-old Rice said. "Yeah, I wish I could have gone in on the first ballot or the second, not the last. But I'm in and some guys are still out. You cherish what you have. You cherish that you're in an elite category of guys that played the game one way - hard.

"There are a lot of guys that I started with my first year in rookie ball - about 60 guys - and only one made it to the big leagues.''

Henderson says he has one regret - that he didn't retire sooner.

"You got to wait five years to go into the Hall of Fame,'' he said. "If I would have thought about it, and just went on and got them five years up early, then I'd been a little younger. Then I could have came back after I went into the Hall of Fame, but I waited too long.''

Rice joins Henderson as baseball Hall of Famers

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/hallfame/2009-01-12-henderson-rice-elected_N.htm

Rice joins Henderson as newest baseball Hall of Famers
By Mel Antonen, USA TODAY

Rickey Henderson, baseball's all-time steals leader, was elected in overwhelming fashion to baseball's Hall of Fame on his first year of eligibility, while Boston Red Sox slugger Jim Rice also earned election to Cooperstown in his last year on the ballot.

In balloting released Monday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, Henderson was named on 511 ballots (94.8%), a sweeping endorsement of the player considered by many to be the finest leadoff hitter of all time.

Rice's ticket to Cooperstown was stamped in a far more tenuous fashion.

Having failed election on 14 previous appearances on the ballot, Rice was named on 412 ballots, the 76.4% barely edging him over the 75% required for induction.

Henderson, who turned 50 on Christmas Day, is the all-time king of stolen bases with 1,406 and considered one of the most dangerous leadoff batters of all-time.

"When Rickey Henderson got on base, he could change the course of the game like no other player," Tony La Russa, Henderson's former manager with the Oakland Athletics, said last spring.

The induction ceremony is July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Henderson played for the Athletics from 1979-84, then rejoined them in 1989 in a trade with the New York Yankees. He batted leadoff on their 1989 World Series champion team and a year later won the AL MVP as the A's won a third consecutive pennant.

Henderson, who led the league in runs scored five times and steals a dozen times, was a 10-time All-Star. In addition to his steals, he holds the career record for runs (2,295) and his 2,190 walks ranks second. Henderson had 3,055 career hits.

He played for nine teams and hit .284 with 33 steals in 60 postseason games. His trademark postseason series was the 1989 American League Championship Series, when he batted .400 with a .609 on-base percentage, going 8-for-8 in steals when the Athletics beat the Toronto Blue Jays.

Rice, who missed enshrinement by 16 votes last year with 72.2%, averaged .298 with 382 home runs and 1,451 RBI during his 16-year career, all with the Boston Red Sox.

Andre Dawson (361 votes, 67%) and Bert Blyleven (338 votes, 62.7%) were the only other players listed on more than half of the ballots. Mark McGwire received 118 votes and 21.9%, down from 23.6% last year and 23.5% in his first year of eligibility.

Tommy John, who won 288 games in 26 seasons, received 31.6% of the votes in his final year on the ballot.