I'm wondering.

[AZ402]

How 5% of the Baseball Hall of Fame voters, didn't vote Ricky Henderson in on the 1st ballot? They should have their voting credentials revoked.

 

[TheTone]

IMO, and lots of the radio guys I listen to, there will never be a unanimous selection to the baseball hall of fame because many older players like Babe Ruth, etc were not unanimous choices thus they don't think anyone should be. Its a bunch of crap and I agree with your thoughts on their voting credentials.

 

[AZ402]

IMO, and lots of the radio guys I listen to, there will never be a unanimous selection to the baseball hall of fame because many older players like Babe Ruth, etc were not unanimous choices thus they don't think anyone should be.

I've heard that as well.

I'd like to find the voter list and see who didn't give him the nod first time around.

 

[JoseCuervo]

I've heard that as well.

I'd like to find the voter list and see who didn't give him the nod first time around.

I heard Rickey was asking if he could introduce himself at his ceremony...


Some of these are likely legends or myths, but they are entertaining if you ever followed his career.

Here now, in no particular order, are my top 25 Rickey Henderson quotes/stories:

(For those who might not know, Henderson is still playing professional baseball for the independent San Diego Surf Dawgs. In 73 games, he’s batting .270 with an on-base percentage of .456 and 16 stolen bases in 18 attempts. He’ll turn 47 years old this Christmas.)

1) Rickey… on referring to himself in the third person:

“Listen, people are always saying, ‘Rickey says Rickey.’ But it’s been blown way out of proportion. People might catch me, when they know I’m ticked off, saying, ‘Rickey, what the heck are you doing, Rickey?’ They say, ‘Darn, Rickey, what are you saying Rickey for? Why don’t you just say, ‘I?’ But I never did. I always said, ‘Rickey,’ and it became something for people to joke about.”

2) In the early 1980s, the Oakland A’s accounting department was freaking out. The books were off $1 million. After an investigation, it was determined Rickey was the reason why. The GM asked him about a $1 million bonus he had received and Rickey said instead of cashing it, he framed it and hung it on a wall at his house.

3) In 1996, Henderson’s first season with San Diego, he boarded the team bus and was looking for a seat. Steve Finley said, “You have tenure, sit wherever you want.” Henderson looked at Finley and said, “Ten years? Ricky’s been playing at least 16, 17 years.”

4) This one might be my second favorite. This wasn’t too long ago, I think it was the year he ended up playing with the Red Sox. Anyway, he called San Diego GM Kevin Towers and left the following message: “This is Rickey calling on behalf of Rickey. Rickey wants to play baseball.”

5) This one happened in Seattle. Rickey struck out and as the next batter was walking past him, he heard Henderson say, “Don’t worry, Rickey, you’re still the best.”

6) Rickey once asked a teammate how long it would take him to drive to the Dominican Republic.

7) Moments after breaking Lou Brock’s stolen base record, Henderson told the crowd – with Brock mere feet next to him – “Lou Brock was a great base stealer, but today, I am the greatest of all-time.”

8) Henderson once fell asleep on an ice pack and got frostbite – which forced him to miss three games — in mid-August.

9) A reporter asked Henderson if Ken Caminiti’s estimate that 50 percent of Major League players were taking steroids was accurate. His response was, “Well, Rickey’s not one of them, so that’s 49 percent right there.”

10) Henderson broke Ty Cobb’s career record for runs scored with a home run. After taking his usual 45 seconds or so around the bases, Rickey slid into home plate.

11) On being Nolan Ryan’s 5,000th career strikeout: “It gave me no chance. He (Ryan) just blew it by me. But it’s an honor. I’ll have another paragraph in all the baseball books. I’m already in the books three or four times.”

12) San Diego GM Kevin Towers was trying to contact Rickey at a nearby hotel. He knew Henderson always used fake names to avoid the press, fans, etc. He was trying to think like Rickey and after several attempts; he was able to get Henderson on the phone.

Rickey had checked in under Richard Pryor.

13) I didn’t believe this one at first. However, I emailed a few contacts within the Sox organization and they claim it actually happened. This is priceless, it really is.

The morning after the Sox finished off the sweep against St. Louis last October, Henderson called someone in the organization looking for tickets to Game 6 at Fenway Park.

14) The Mets were staying in a hotel less than a mile from Cinergy Field in Cincinnati. While some players walked, most took the team bus. A few minutes after they arrived — again it was less than a mile – the last players off the bus noticed a stretched limo that had just pulled up.

Of course, Rickey emerged from the back seat.

15) A reporter once asked Rickey if he talked to himself, “Do I talk to myself? No, I just remind myself of what I’m trying to do. You know, I never answer myself so how can I be talking to myself?”

16) OK, I know everyone has been waiting for it. Alas, according to both parties involved, it’s not true. I wish it were. Heck, both Rickey Henderson and John Olerud have said they wish it were true. But it just didn’t happen.

The story went that a few weeks into Henderson’s stint with the Mariners, he walked up to Olerud at the batting cage and asked him why he wore a batting helmet in the field. Olerud explained that he had an aneurysm at nine years old and he wore the helmet for protection. Legend goes that Henderson said, “Yeah, I used to play with a guy that had the same thing.”

Legend also goes that Olerud said, “That was me, Rickey.”

Henderson played with Olerud on the Blue Jays and the Mets.

17) Rickey was asked if he had the Garth Brooks album with Friends in Low Places and Henderson said, “Rickey doesn’t have albums. Rickey has CDs.”

18) During a contract holdout with Oakland in the early 1990s, Henderson said, “If they want to pay me like Mike Gallego, I’ll play like Gallego.”

19) In the late 1980s, the Yankees sent Henderson a six-figure bonus check. After a few months passed, an internal audit revealed the check had not been cashed. Current Yankees GM Brian Cashman – then a low-level nobody with the organization – called Rickey and asked if there was a problem with the check. Henderson said, “I’m just waiting for the money market rates to go up.”

20) In June 1999, when Henderson was playing with the Mets, he saw reporters running around the clubhouse before a game. He asked a teammate what was going on and he was told that Tom Robson, the team’s hitting coach, had just been fired. Henderson said, “Who’s he?”

21) This is my all-time favorite. Rickey was pulled over by a San Diego police officer for speeding. As the officer was approaching Rickey’s car, the window went down a few inches and a folded $100 bill emerged. The officer let Rickey and his money head home without a ticket.

22) When he was on the Yankees in the mid-1980s, Henderson told teammates that his condo had such a great view that he could see, “The Entire State Building.”

23) During one of his stays with Oakland, Henderson’s locker was next to Billy Beane’s. After making the team out of spring training, Beane was sent to the minors after a few months. Upon his return, about six weeks later, Henderson looked at Beane and said, “Hey, man, where have you been? Haven’t seen you in awhile.”

24) To this day and dating back 25 years, before every game he plays, Henderson stands completely naked in front of a full length locker room mirror and says, “Ricky’s the best,” for several minutes.

25) In the last week of his lone season with the Red Sox, Chairman Tom Werner asked Henderson what he would like for his ‘going-away’ gift. Henderson said he wasn’t going anywhere, but he would like owner John Henry’s Mercedes. Werner said it would be tough to get the same make and model in less than a week and Henderson said, “No, I want his car.” Turns out the Sox got Henderson a Red Thunderbird and when he saw it on the field before the last game of the season, Rickey said, “Whose ugly car is on the field?”

 

[noharleyyet]

20) In June 1999, when Henderson was playing with the Mets, he saw reporters running around the clubhouse before a game. He asked a teammate what was going on and he was told that Tom Robson, the team’s hitting coach, had just been fired. Henderson said, “Who’s he?”

...now that's funny!

 

[cjcj]

How 5% of the Baseball Hall of Fame voters, didn't vote Ricky Henderson in on the 1st ballot? They should have their voting credentials revoked.

That dude was a "thief"....

 

[AZ402]

That dude was a "thief"....

130 in a single season, most won't steal that in a career.

 

[JoseCuervo]

130 in a single season, most won't steal that in a career.

There is some bizarre stat that he stole THIRD base enough times to be like 4th or 5th All-time just on his swipes of third.

 

[AZ402]

"He walked more times just leading off in an inning than Lou Brock, Roberto Clemente, Luis Aparicio, Ernie Banks, Kirby Puckett, Ryne Sandberg and more than 50 other Hall of Famers walked in their entire careers"

I hate pretty much every team he played for but he's one of my alltime favorite players.

 

[smalls]

AZ, I completely agree.

There are writers who refuse to vote for first timer's on the ballot, there are writers who have vowed to turn in blank ballots until EVERY steroid era player is no longer eligible, there are writers who admit they'd never seen certain players play... all stupid reasoning to vote or not vote for a guy and a black eye on the reputation of the HOF.

Rickey was THE best defensive left fielder...ever, period. I believe he is one of the only left fielders in history to lead the league in putouts. He was the best base stealer, ever...with other base thieves stats (guys like Maury Wills and Joe Morgan) paling in comparison. His knowledge of the strike zone was incredible, probably better than other hitting greats of his era like Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs and Kirby Puckett (the only guy I'd give an edge too in this category is Bonds). He is an elite, inner circle type of guy with NO evidence he ever had to "enhance" his performance (his stats going all the way back to high school are incredible). Rickey was a freak of nature whose unique set of talents we may never see in our lifetime again.

Oh...and Bert Blyleven was robbed!

 

[AZ402]

Oh...and Bert Blyleven was robbed!

And what about the Hawk! I despise the Cubs with all my heart. I loved to watch Dawson crack one that was shoulder high out of the yard though.

The baseball HOF has some crappy politics for sure.

 

[TLC]

smalls, think Carew had a better eye. but didn't Henderson also lead the league in career lead off home runs?

AZ, this hurts....."I despise the Cubs with all my heart." how can you not like the lovable losers? hell, their mascot is a goat for petes sake.

 

[AZ402]

smalls, think Carew had a better eye. but didn't Henderson also lead the league in career lead off home runs?81

AZ, this hurts....."I despise the Cubs with all my heart." how can you not like the lovable losers? hell, their mascot is a goat for petes sake.

Let me say why I can't stand the Cubs.

Being born and raised in AZ and not having a baseball team until 1998, you had to pick a team from another state.

The Cubs have a huge following in AZ, longtime Spring training ties. Most of my friends growing up thought that they'd someday played for the Cubbies. It got annoying, so I chose to not like the Cubs at a young age.

 

[smalls]

TLC, I was trying to keep the comparisons to players that were contemporary with Hendo's career. Carew was great though.

AZ, I'm not going to disagree with you on Dawson but I always hated the nickname "The Hawk". Color me crazy but it's bugged me since I was an infant.

The cubs suck. I dislike them with great fervor. Their fans rank up there with Sawx fans and Yankee's fans as the most annoying. They do have one of the best radio broadcast teams on the air however (Ron Santos is very good behind the mic).

 

[Oak]

Let me say why I can't stand the Cubs.

Being born and raised in AZ and not having a baseball team until 1998, you had to pick a team from another state.

Yep, and the teams you were most likely exposed to (in states that do not have spring training) were the Cubs and the Braves, because of their national broadcasts on the superstations. For some reason, I couldn't stand Harry Caray when I was growing up, so I watched the Braves. Skip Caray wasn't much better, but tolerable. So I became a Braves fan, which was mostly painful during the Dale Murphy days. Now if you tell someone that you're a Braves fan, they think you jumped on the bandwagon in the early 90's.

smalls, I'll have to disagree with you on Santos. I listen to a lot of baseball on XM in the summer while I'm working. I guess if you're a Cubs fan he would be great, but he seems to think that the Cubs players are ALWAYS right. I get tired of hearing him complain about bad ump calls, etc.

 

[Randy11]

The writers association is an absolute joke. Pedro Gomez (ESPN writer) voted for Jay Bell... JAY FUGGIN BELL!!! Mo Vaughn got a vote, and so did Jesse Orosco. It's like they're completely oblivious to any stats available. It's a complete popularity contest. Henderson and Blyleven (and possibly McGwire if they ever figure out their stance on that subject) were the only two on the ballot this year that deserve in.
Jim Rice has worse numbers than Edgar Martinez, and I all but guarantee you Edgar doesn't get in.
Don't even get me started on Gold Gloves...

 

[JoseCuervo]

And what about the Hawk! I despise the Cubs with all my heart. I loved to watch Dawson crack one that was shoulder high out of the yard though.

The baseball HOF has some crappy politics for sure.

Dawson was amazing. I don't think I ever saw him play a game in person that he didn't hit for extra bases. Him and Gary Carter almost made me a Montreal fan.....


Smalls,

Rickey was the Master of the "snatch catch" in left field. He could look so bored DURING the flight of the ball to him, and then at the last second snatch it....

And yes, the Cubs suck. Even with a minor league team here in town, they suck.

 

[smalls]

So I became a Braves fan, which was mostly painful during the Dale Murphy days.

How's this for Braves pain, Oak?

 

[Oak]

Dude, why you gotta be like that?

I will say that by Puckett doing what he did in Game 6, we got to see one of the best game 7's of all time, despite the outcome. Just the first of many painful postseasons in the 90's.

How's this for Braves pain, Oak?

 

[TLC]

Oak, not all cub fans like Santo. tired of his whining about the calls. also, his constant complaining about not making the hall of fame. and then there's the constant talk about his diabetes.