Rickey Henderson

[Booche]

First off, congrats to the man for a helluva career. If LaRussa thinks he was the most dangerous man he ever saw play the game, then I aint gonna argue.

Now let's let the fun stuff begin because I am sure some of you (Guigs, get on it) have read some funny stories about him lately.

Here goes:

An internal in-season audit by the New York Yankees one year revealed that Rickey had not cashed a six-figure bonus cheque. When a then low-level club official named Brian Cashman asked Henderson whether there was a problem with the bank, Rickey responded, "No problem, I'm just waiting for the money-market rates to go up."

[Booche]

When he was with the Padres, Rickey walked by the rest of the team's veterans to sit in the back of the bus. Told by Tony Gwynn that he could sit at the front because he had tenure, Rickey replied:

"Ten? Rickey got 20 years in the big leagues!"

[badams]

Henderson often referred to himself in the third person. He once called the general manager of a baseball team, looking for a job, and said, "Rickey wants to play another year and he thinks he wants to play for you."

Below is an excerpt from a phone call Rickey placed to Harold Reynolds after Reynolds beat out an injured Henderson to become the AL's Stolen Base Champ in the early 90's.

"Hello?"

"Reynolds! This is Rickey."

"Oh, hey Rick."

"60 steals, huh?"

"Yeah, I can't believe it. It was amazing."

"60?! Rickey had 60 at the All-Star Break!"

**CLICK**

[Hal Johnson]

Haha, awesome! Congrats Ricky, you were one of a kind!

[Booche]

Oh man, this is gold and is from a few days ago.

When asked if he was finally retired, he said he was, but with a caveat:

"...but if a club came out and said they needed a left fielder, they needed a guy to get on base and steal a few bases, they can always ring my phone and I'll come on down and help their ballclub, that's how much I love the game."

Just a few bases? Where is the Rickey we know and love? Wait, here he is:

"I believe today, and people say I'm crazy, but if you gave me as many at-bats that you would give the runners out there today, I would out-steal every last one of them, I can go out and steal as many bases as [Jose] Reyes steals."

[Hal Johnson]

"I used to like to look at the face of the pitcher when you'd steal a base. I used to walk up to the catcher and tell them, 'If you don't give me a pitch to hit, I'm going to be on third base.'"

[Hal Johnson]

Apparently he was still playing in independant leagues as late as last season...I remember hearing it once on the radio, I think. It's probably true!

[Booche]

"If they're going to pay me like [Mike] Gallego, I'm going to play like Gallego."

"All I'm asking for is what I want."

[Booche]

Henderson signed a minor league deal one year with the Boston Red Sox that included an invitation to spring training and a $350,000 salary if he made the team. After he played his way onto the Boston roster with an impressive spring, Henderson groused that the Red Sox were underpaying him.

Interim general manager Mike Port reminded Henderson of the conditions he had agreed to.

"Oh, that?" Henderson replied. "I canceled that contract."

[Booche]

In June 1999, when Henderson was playing for the Mets, the club fired hitting coach Tom Robson. Henderson saw reporters scurrying around the clubhouse and asked a teammate, "What happened?"

"They fired Robson," was the reply.

"Robson?" Henderson said. "Who's he?"

[Booche]

"Sometimes he'd come back to the dugout after an umpire called him out, and I'd go, 'Rickey, was that a strike?' And he'd go, 'Maybe, but not to Rickey.' "

[Booche]

Boston gave Rickey an Appreciation Day one year.

One of the team's owners, Tom Werner, asked Rickey what might be a good idea for a gift from the team.

"I always wanted a mobile home," Rickey said.

Werner, staggered, said, "A mobile phone?"

"No," Rickey said, "a mobile homer"

Werner asked Rickey for another suggestion. He asked for " John Henry's Mercedes" referring to the vehicle of another of the team's owners. Werner explained the club might have difficulty finding and taking delivery of the same make and model on short notice.

"No, I mean John Henry's Mercedes," Rickey said.

Henry wasn't about to hand over his car. On Rickey's Day, a new car was being delivered to Fenway Park just as Henderson arrived. It was a shiny red Thunderbird.

"Whose ugly car is that?" Henderson said.

That was the car the Red Sox purchased for him as a gift. "It's an old man's car, and I'm not an old man."

[Booche]

Rickey once bragged that his Manhattan apartment had such a great view he could see "the Entire State Building."

[Booche]

He once settled a feud with Yankees manager Lou Piniella, saying, "Let bye-byes be bye-byes."

[Booche]

Someone asked him what he thought about speculation that as many as 50% of big leaguers used steroids. "Well, I'm not," he said. "So that's 49 [percent] right there."

[badams]

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.â€

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?â€

[badams]

In 1989, he was with the Yankees. That March, the team came down to Grambling, LA for an exhibition game with the Grambling State team. It was a great day. Players like Don Mattingly, Tommy John, Joe Girardi, Dave Winfield... everybody, even Steinbrenner, signed autographs and met fans. Rickey remained curiously unavailable that day. He didn't play, and he stood on the field the whole time, talking with the Grambling players rather than the fans.

What makes this a Rickey story? It was March in Louisiana, and Rickey stood on that field all day in a full length fur coat.

[Kanada Kev]

[Schwa.]

In 2000, when Rickey Henderson was picked up by the Seattle Mariners after being released by the Mets, was talking to John Olerud at the batting cage at Safeco Field. Rickey asked John, "Hey John, how come you wear a batting helmet in the field?"

Olerud said, "Because in 1988 I had brain surgery and I need to protect my head from line drives"

Rickey said "Oh, that's funny, because last year with the Mets I had a teammate who also wore his helmet in the field."

John Olerud said "Yeah Rickey, that was me."

[Whitey]

I love the Olerud story!

[badams]

I love Olerud story!

Sadly it is not a true story but I wish it was.

[c-towns]

Awesome thread, c-towns' all-time favorite ball player.

[Hal Johnson]

Rickey Henderson Says He'll Only Join Hall Of Fame If He Can Start

Added bonus: Check out the Barkley story while your there, too.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

Rickey's gonna be Rickey. Period. No matter what I'm going to do or play or come here early, I'm gonna be Rickey. Rickey is not going to change and not be himself. I've been in this world too long to try to change Rickey and what he does . . . My mother don't even try to change me. She raised me, but she ain't gonna change me.