Rickey Henderson

Did You Know?

• Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson was born in the back seat of an Oldsmobile on the way to the hospital.
• He was named after singer-actor Ricky Nelson.
• The New York Mets hired him as a special instructor in 2006, and he was promoted to first base coach on July 13, 2007.

Professional career

Henderson was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the fourth round of the 1976 Major League Baseball draft. In his first minor league season with the Boise A's of the Northwest League, he batted .336 with three home runs and two triples in 46 games. The following year with the Modesto A's, he batted .345 in 134 games and stole 95 bases, breaking the league single-season record and earning the Sundial Trophy as the team's Most Valuable Player. In 1978, he played for the Jersey City A's of the Eastern League, then spent the winter with the Navojoa Mayos of the Mexican Pacific League, appearing in six games for the championship-winning team.

He began 1979 with the Ogden A's of the Pacific Coast League, batting .309 with 44 stolen bases in 71 games. Henderson made his major league debut with Oakland on June 24, 1979, recording two hits and a stolen base. In 1980, he became the third modern-era player to steal 100 bases in a season, setting a new American League record with 100 stolen bases. That winter, he played in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League and broke that league's stolen base record with 42.

Career statistics

In 60 postseason games, including three World Series (1989, 1990, and 1993), Henderson batted .284 with 47 runs, 12 doubles, 4 triples, 5 home runs, 20 RBI, 33 stolen bases, 37 walks, a .389 on-base percentage, a .441 slugging percentage, and an .831 on-base plus slugging percentage. He played his last major league game on September 19, 2003, being hit by a pitch in his only plate appearance and scoring his 2,295th run. After leaving the Dodgers, he joined the Newark Bears in May 2004, posting a .462 OBP with 96 walks and 37 stolen bases in 91 games.

On May 9, 2005, he signed with the San Diego Surf Dawgs of the Golden Baseball League, helping the team win the league championship; in 73 games he had a .456 OBP with 73 walks and 16 steals. That was his final professional season. Henderson would not accept the end of his major league career, insisting in May 2005 that he was capable of playing in the majors. Reports on December 6, 2005, that he had officially retired were denied by his agent the next day.

In July 2006, he discussed an offer to rejoin the Surf Dawgs but suggested he had had enough, though on August 11 he said he was taking a year off and could not say he would retire.

Image and personality

Sports Illustrated writer Tom Verducci wrote in 2003 that Henderson existed on the narrow margin between fact and fiction, comparing him to figures like Johnny Appleseed and Davy Crockett. Henderson referred to himself in the third person. According to Verducci, Henderson once left a message for Padres general manager Kevin Towers saying, "Kevin, this is Rickey. Calling on behalf of Rickey.

Rickey wants to play baseball," though Henderson denied this in a 2009 interview. In 2003, Henderson explained that he used the third person to scold himself. He was so proud of a $1 million signing bonus that he framed it instead of cashing it, losing months of interest. He also saved his per diem envelopes and let his children choose one as a reward for good school performance.

After a 2002 argument with pitcher Orlando Hernández, Henderson said, "He needs to grow up a little bit. I ain't a kid. When I broke into the game, he was crawling on his hands and knees." Henderson had a reputation for forgetting or not learning people's names, including those of his teammates.

Legacy

On May 1, 1991, Rickey Henderson swiped his 939th base, surpassing Lou Brock to become the all-time stolen base leader. During his speech, he thanked God and his mother, then borrowed from his idol Muhammad Ali by calling himself the "greatest of all time." This line later fueled perceptions of arrogance, but Henderson later explained he had reviewed his remarks with Brock beforehand, and the former record holder helped craft them. Brock told reporters that day, "He spoke from his heart."

The two had been friendly since 1981, when Brock predicted Henderson would break his record. Henderson later felt the statement overshadowed his achievements. At his 2009 Hall of Fame induction, he again referenced Ali, saying he was now in the class of the greatest players and, after a pause, added he was "very, very humble." When asked if time would soften his reputation, Henderson said he was simply stating the truth about his accomplishments, not being cocky.