Are there any other kind?Lots of unconfirmed rumors…
Agreed. An absolutely phenomenal book.Howard Bryant's book "Rickey" is a must read.
Currently $2.99 on Kindle.Howard Bryant's book "Rickey" is a must read.
There’s a plausible argument for him on the MLB Mount Rushmore.When Willie Mays died, Rickey was among those mentioned as the unofficial "Greatest Living Ballplayer." He was that good and, while the personality quirks get the immediate attention, his ability to get the most out of his talent is what should truly be admired and remembered
"If you split Rickey Henderson in two, you'd have two Hall of Famers." - Bill JamesWhen Willie Mays died, Rickey was among those mentioned as the unofficial "Greatest Living Ballplayer." He was that good and, while the personality quirks get the immediate attention, his ability to get the most out of his talent is what should truly be admired and remembered
Runs and steals, yes. Walks is BondsAll team leader in runs, walks and steals. 300+HR.
My bad, forgot Bonds had cleared him.Runs and steals, yes. Walks is Bonds
Rickey is still the leader in unintentional walks.My bad, forgot Bonds had cleared him.
Thanks for this! I didn’t even know about the book. Just ordered it.Howard Bryant's book "Rickey" is a must read.
He was just an absolute machine on the field, maxxed out completely in everything he could do well on a baseball field. Then, on top of that, he was like a character from a folk tale or something--utterly unique, unforced, replete with story after story and legend after legend of his sayings and doings. Just perfectly what you'd want and expect him to be.Here is a FB post I made in early 2023:
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I came to the conclusion this week that Rickey Henderson gets my vote for best MLB player of my lifetime.
If a player stole 70 bases for 20 straight seasons, they would still be short of Rickey's career record total (1406-1400). No one has stolen 70 in even one season since 2009.
If a player scored 140 runs for 16 straight seasons, they would still be short of Rickey's career record total (2295-2240). No one has scored 140 in even one season since 2007.
Also since you could not walk him as it was essentially giving up a free double or triple and he crouched down so much, often pitchers just said fuck it and grooved one which he proceeded to crush, 297 career HRs, more than Chris Davis or Kent Hrbek (both just behind him).
He was a huge part of the Rickey/Randolph/Mattingly/Winfield top of the Yankee order, fun times. Those four were so fun hitting right in a row that Mattingly was actually my least favorite, and he was of course as good as anyone for a few years. In 1987, all four got voted to start the ASG.
Definitely. Rickey is 19th all time in BWAR. At the time of Mays's death, the only living players ahead of him on the list were Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez, all of who come with asterisks.When Willie Mays died, Rickey was among those mentioned as the unofficial "Greatest Living Ballplayer." He was that good and, while the personality quirks get the immediate attention, his ability to get the most out of his talent is what should truly be admired and remembered
I can’t be the only poster who read this as “Red Sox sign Pablo Sandoval” right?
When Willie Mays died, Rickey was among those mentioned as the unofficial "Greatest Living Ballplayer." He was that good and, while the personality quirks get the immediate attention, his ability to get the most out of his talent is what should truly be admired and remembered
I was arguing with someone about making an "all time" team a few years ago and he was arguing against Ricky. I told him then, and I still believe, that if you are making an all time team and Rickey isn't leading off you are wrong."If you split Rickey Henderson in two, you'd have two Hall of Famers." - Bill James