Bill James famously said: "If you could split him in two, you'd have two Hall of Famers." If you saw him play, he's the greatest player you'll ever see, unless you saw Willie Mays or Sandy Koufax (no one that old reads this blog). Perhaps the only player who would inspire me to link to a Yankees blog, Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson was inducted into the Hall of Fame today.
Yahoo has a decent photo essay commemorating his career. Most pictures find Rickey still; at bat, calling time-out, celebrating after a successful stolen base, still portraits. A fountain of quotes throughout his career (real and imagined), perhaps he moved too fast to be captured by the cameras of yesteryear.
Before baseball was entertainment, players were gladiators, not celebrities, and Rickey was one of the few men in the sport savvy about public relations. Sportswriters wondered if the induction ceremony would be a circus, but consistent as always, Rickey ended Rickey's day in style:
My journey as a player is complete. I am now in the class of the greatest players of all time. And at this moment, I am very, very humbled.
Rickey Henderson was my favorite baseball player growing up. I was devastated when he was traded to the Yankees in 1984, and his return to the As in 1989 seemed like the righting of a great wrong. I was just reviewing his career stats and they are insane. There was an interesting article today in the Chronicle about how hard he prepared for his speech, actually taking a class and for the first time in his life, learning to write. I don't think he was always the easiest guy to manage, or to be a team-mate of, but deep down he was a good guy--just a true egotist, as well he might be, given his unique talents.
Posted by: Xris Ernest Hall | July 27, 2009 at 01:06 AM
No one who reads this blog? Dad and I saw Willie Mays the summer after we were married in S.F.: 1969. Not everyone who reads blogs is young!
Posted by: Teachertalk | July 27, 2009 at 01:38 PM
I was actually wondering about you guys. I guess the 1969 Willie Mays you saw is similar to the 2001 Rickey Mets fans "enjoyed."
Posted by: David Jacobs | July 27, 2009 at 02:01 PM
Wrong again. My memory is that he was still hitting homers in 1969 and that he made a couple of great plays in that game. It would have been in July sometime, I guess. It was an exciting game (playing the Mets, of course.) I think the Giants won, but I could be wrong.
Posted by: Teachertalk | July 27, 2009 at 02:09 PM
I actually got to use the Ken Burns line ("If you split him in half...") the other day when an acquaintance questioned whether he should be in the hall of fame. The response was just as I had hoped for and expected, total incredulity. I then laid out the argument and my associate received it well and felt grateful for having listened. I did eventually attribute it to Ken. Anyway, I too love Rickey Henderson. I like the story about his career-long exercise routine: push-ups and sit-ups only. Rickey Henderson is the Prince of baseball if you know what I mean. See you in a few days!
.ben (not e. clovis heatherington)
Posted by: e. clovis heatherington | August 04, 2009 at 01:32 AM