This year’s baseball Hall of Fame class had only three inductees—Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice, and Joe Gordon. Henderson and Rice bring back some very special memories.
The A’s of the early ‘90s featured the big bats of Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, the pitching and closing duo of Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley, and of course, the swift legs of Rickey Henderson.
I had most of the team’s baseball cards for the 1990, ‘91 and ‘92 seasons. During those hot Texas summers the neighborhood kids and I would play “Rangers versus Athletics” games until we ran out of daylight.
As I began to learn the game, I did what every kid did and tried to mimic the pros. Being quick, I tried to make moves to second like Rickey, but my big feet always seemed to slow me down. I would watch him take second with ease, and wonder, “How’d he do that?”
As last Sunday’s baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony kicked off, I couldn’t help but smile as I saw one of baseball’s fastest men get his ticket punched to Cooperstown.
Rickey Henderson, “The Man of Steal,” was a sure first ballot choice. He leads the majors in career steals with 1,406, an unfathomable 468 more than second place Lou Brock. It was no surprise that he received almost 95 percent of the vote in his first year of eligibility.
He also leads the majors in runs scored with 2,295. Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez is the next active player on the list, but is 649 runs behind.
The one record Henderson might not be as proud of is leading the majors in number of time caught stealing (335). But you can’t fault a man for trying to help his team win and giving it his all.
As I grew into my feet, I still couldn’t reach second safely every time. It is comforting to know that even the best get thrown out occasionally.
I won’t forget watching Rickey hoist up second base when he stole his 939th base in May 1991 to break Lou Brock’s record.
Jim Rice enjoyed 16 seasons in the game of baseball, all with the Boston Red Sox. When he retired in 1989, he wasn’t an automatic first ballot Hall of Famer. After 15 tries, he finally got the call.
While baseball can be a stats game, to not take into account the person behind the numbers would be a slap in the face. Besides, if we go just on stats alone, Pete Rose would have gone into the Hall years ago. But that’s the subject of another discussion.
Jim Rice will be remembered for his mighty bat but also for his compassion on the field.
On a hot July day in 1979, he Red Sox battled the rival Yankees. Rice’s teammate Jerry Remy attempted to tag from third on a fly ball but collided with Yankee catcher Jerry Narron, injuring his knee. Rice came from the dugout and carried his teammate off the field to the club house.
Just three years later, Rice would again show his benevolence during a game when he would save a young child’s life.
After a sharp foul ball was hit into the stands, Rice, realizing someone was injured, jumped into the stands to help a four-year-old boy who had been struck in the head. The boy was bleeding heavily and Rice didn’t hesitate to carry the boy to the clubhouse to receive medical attention.
Team doctor Arthur Pappas later said that Rice’s actions may have saved the boy’s life.
“In times like that, you really see the quality of the character of the people involved,” Tom Keane, the boy’s father, said.
To hear Rice himself recount these tales really makes you appreciate that a good guy finally got to live his dream and reach the pinnacle of baseball.
Rickey Henderson put it best during his speech when he said, “Now that the association has voted me into the Baseball Hall of Fame, my journey as a player is complete.”
Congratulations gentlemen on your well deserved accomplishment.
Additional reporting by Drew Carlucci, Epoch Times Staff
The A’s of the early ‘90s featured the big bats of Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, the pitching and closing duo of Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley, and of course, the swift legs of Rickey Henderson.
I had most of the team’s baseball cards for the 1990, ‘91 and ‘92 seasons. During those hot Texas summers the neighborhood kids and I would play “Rangers versus Athletics” games until we ran out of daylight.
As I began to learn the game, I did what every kid did and tried to mimic the pros. Being quick, I tried to make moves to second like Rickey, but my big feet always seemed to slow me down. I would watch him take second with ease, and wonder, “How’d he do that?”
As last Sunday’s baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony kicked off, I couldn’t help but smile as I saw one of baseball’s fastest men get his ticket punched to Cooperstown.
Rickey Henderson, “The Man of Steal,” was a sure first ballot choice. He leads the majors in career steals with 1,406, an unfathomable 468 more than second place Lou Brock. It was no surprise that he received almost 95 percent of the vote in his first year of eligibility.
He also leads the majors in runs scored with 2,295. Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez is the next active player on the list, but is 649 runs behind.
The one record Henderson might not be as proud of is leading the majors in number of time caught stealing (335). But you can’t fault a man for trying to help his team win and giving it his all.
As I grew into my feet, I still couldn’t reach second safely every time. It is comforting to know that even the best get thrown out occasionally.
I won’t forget watching Rickey hoist up second base when he stole his 939th base in May 1991 to break Lou Brock’s record.
Jim Rice
Jim Rice enjoyed 16 seasons in the game of baseball, all with the Boston Red Sox. When he retired in 1989, he wasn’t an automatic first ballot Hall of Famer. After 15 tries, he finally got the call.
While baseball can be a stats game, to not take into account the person behind the numbers would be a slap in the face. Besides, if we go just on stats alone, Pete Rose would have gone into the Hall years ago. But that’s the subject of another discussion.
Jim Rice will be remembered for his mighty bat but also for his compassion on the field.
On a hot July day in 1979, he Red Sox battled the rival Yankees. Rice’s teammate Jerry Remy attempted to tag from third on a fly ball but collided with Yankee catcher Jerry Narron, injuring his knee. Rice came from the dugout and carried his teammate off the field to the club house.
Just three years later, Rice would again show his benevolence during a game when he would save a young child’s life.
After a sharp foul ball was hit into the stands, Rice, realizing someone was injured, jumped into the stands to help a four-year-old boy who had been struck in the head. The boy was bleeding heavily and Rice didn’t hesitate to carry the boy to the clubhouse to receive medical attention.
Team doctor Arthur Pappas later said that Rice’s actions may have saved the boy’s life.
“In times like that, you really see the quality of the character of the people involved,” Tom Keane, the boy’s father, said.
To hear Rice himself recount these tales really makes you appreciate that a good guy finally got to live his dream and reach the pinnacle of baseball.
Rickey Henderson put it best during his speech when he said, “Now that the association has voted me into the Baseball Hall of Fame, my journey as a player is complete.”
Congratulations gentlemen on your well deserved accomplishment.
Additional reporting by Drew Carlucci, Epoch Times Staff
