josh wiley 27 Posted January 12, 2009 he was my favorite player growing up. one of the most exciting players in all of sports within my lifetime. you always knew he was a walk away from being on third, if he didn't hit it out of the ballpark. he had all the tools as a player. he could hit, yet still had a great eye at the plate. he could hit for power, obviously steal, played good defense. the only thing he lacked was a good arm. he really did most of his damage once he was on the bases. the opposing pitchers could not devote their full attention to the batter and therefore he made the rest of his team's lineup that much better. the fact that he kept playing even when he was past his prime showed that he played for the love of the game and not the money. refreshing in this day in age. was he cocky? absolutely. did he back it up? you damn right he did. entertainment value at its best, as far as sports goes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kilroy69 994 Posted January 12, 2009 Rickey would like to thank Rickey for all that Rickey has done for Rickey. Henderson was picked on 511 of 539 ballots. Really? What focking morons thought it would be OK to not pick the greatest leadoff hitter of all time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Foamfinger 0 Posted January 12, 2009 His induction speech is going to be an instant classic! I for one can not wait for the self indulgent lovefest Rickie is going to bestow upon Rickie. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GettnHuge 1 Posted January 12, 2009 by best leadoff you mean Ty Cobb, right? Unfortunately Cobb didn't always lead off, so... Pete Rose Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kilroy69 994 Posted January 12, 2009 by best leadoff you mean Ty Cobb, right? Unfortunately Cobb didn't always lead off, so...Pete Rose No by best leadoff man he means just what he said. Rickey Henderson is widely regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter. You can consider whoever you want as the best.............you would just be in the minority. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RLLD 3,455 Posted January 12, 2009 Rickey would like to thank Rickey for all that Rickey has done for Rickey. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
josh wiley 27 Posted January 12, 2009 No by best leadoff man he means just what he said. Rickey Henderson is widely regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter. You can consider whoever you want as the best.............you would just be in the minority. thanx for saving me some time kilroy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kilroy69 994 Posted January 12, 2009 thanx for saving me some time kilroy Anytime. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GettnHuge 1 Posted January 12, 2009 thanx for saving me some time kilroy Pete Rose >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Henderson Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mungwater 588 Posted January 12, 2009 For me, top five: 5. Lou Brock 4. Paul Molitor 3. Pete Rose 2. Rickey Henderson 1. Ty Cobb Ty Cobb beats out Ricky because he has a higher On Base Percentage, both his batting average and Slugging % are almost a hundred points higher than Ricky’s. He also has more hits, doubles, triples, and he almost has 2,000 RBI’s. That compared to Ricky’s 1,115 RBI’s seals it for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RLLD 3,455 Posted January 12, 2009 It all depends on the criteria..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kilroy69 994 Posted January 12, 2009 Pete Rose >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Henderson The rest of the world that considers Rickey the best>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>GettnHuge and the rest of the minority that does not. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GettnHuge 1 Posted January 12, 2009 The rest of the world that considers Rickey the best>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>GettnHuge and the rest of the minority that does not. I'd be happy to view some baseball lists which put rickey ahead of Cobb as a player. linklinklinklink? The writers of the time voted Cobb as being better than Ruth. so you also think Rickey >>>>>> Ruth too? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kilroy69 994 Posted January 12, 2009 I'd be happy to view some baseball lists which put rickey ahead of Cobb as a player. Yup Ill give you that link as soon as you give ME a link to where I said Rickey was a better PLAYER than Cobb. What? You can't do that? Oh ok. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GettnHuge 1 Posted January 12, 2009 Yup Ill give you that link as soon as you give ME a link to where I said Rickey was a better PLAYER than Cobb. What? You can't do that? Oh ok. saying 'rickey greatest leadoff hitter' doesn't make your point clear enough? So do you think Cobb is the greatestER? obviously not Cobb>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rickey Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kilroy69 994 Posted January 12, 2009 saying 'rickey greatest leadoff hitter' doesn't make your point clear enough? So do you think Cobb is the greatestER? obviously notCobb>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rickey HUGE difference between the best LEADOFF hitter and the BEST PLAYER. HTH. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mungwater 588 Posted January 12, 2009 HUGE difference between the best LEADOFF hitter and the BEST PLAYER. HTH. Did you guys not look at the stats I put up? Jeebus.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SUXBNME 1,335 Posted January 12, 2009 Rickey don't like it when Rickey can't find Rickeys cleats Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SUXBNME 1,335 Posted January 12, 2009 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.” 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.” 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. 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.” 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.” Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kilroy69 994 Posted January 12, 2009 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.” My favorite right there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IAMWood 6 Posted January 12, 2009 The day rickey broke the all time stolen base record, Nolan Ryan threw a no hitter extending his record number of no hitters. Nolan, "I had good stuff, hitting the right spots... I am glad it worked out." Rickey, "Today, I am the greatest of all - time." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GettnHuge 1 Posted January 12, 2009 HUGE difference between the best LEADOFF hitter and the BEST PLAYER. HTH. That's like saying Jerry Rice is the greatest football player ever but he's not the greatest wideout ever. can't have it both ways. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kilroy69 994 Posted January 12, 2009 That's like saying Jerry Rice is the greatest football player ever but he's not the greatest wideout ever. can't have it both ways. No actually its like saying Rice is the west wideout ever but not the best player ever. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kilroy69 994 Posted January 12, 2009 From espn Tim Kurkjian " He was too good. He was one of the greatest players of all time, THE greatest leadoff man ever, one of the best left fielders, and a physical freak whose combination of speed and power was basically unmatched in major league history." Jayson Stark ESPN.com If only all candidates were as easy to evaluate as Rickey. The greatest leadoff hitter of all time. The greatest base stealer of all time. One of the two greatest power/speed combo packages of all time (behind that Barry Bonds dude). And, of course, the fastest talker of all time. The sporting news Gerry Fraley "Henderson is the all-time leader in runs with 2,295 in 3,081 games. He did that with a mixture of speed and cunning, with a dash of power - a record 81 of his 297 homes came in his team's first at bat -- NEVER before or since seen from a leadoff hitter." SI.com The undisputed standard for leadoff hitters, Henderson became the 44th player elected in his first year of eligibility. Rice was only the third elected by the BBWAA in his final year, joining Red Ruffing (1967) and Ralph Kiner (1975). They are all wrong. YOU are obviously much better at this than people who cover this type of thing for a living. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GettnHuge 1 Posted January 12, 2009 "Henderson is the all-time leader in runs with 2,295 in 3,081 games. He did that with a mixture of speed and cunning, with a dash of power - a record 81 of his 297 homes came in his team's first at bat -- NEVER before or since seen from a leadoff hitter." and Ty Cobb hit .366, 12 batting titles, stole home 54 times and set 90 records in his career NEVER before and many still never since seen from a leadoff hitter. Rickey stole home 4 times by the way. Cobb stole 2nd 3rd and home in the same inning 4 times. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kilroy69 994 Posted January 12, 2009 and Ty Cobb hit .366, 12 batting titles, stole home fitty times and set 90 records in his career NEVER before and many still neversince seen from a leadoff hitter. Rickey stole home 4 times by the way. Cobb stole 2nd 3rd and home in the same inning 4 times. Just saying. You ARE in the minority on this issue. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rallo 132 Posted January 13, 2009 thread hijack... when is andre dawson getting into the hall??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kilroy69 994 Posted January 13, 2009 thread hijack... when is andre dawson getting into the hall??? about the time dale murphy does. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rallo 132 Posted January 13, 2009 about the time dale murphy does. not even close... i'm pretty sure dawson leads him in every category minus SOs... DEFINATELY in HRs and SBs Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
I have no idea what i'm doing 0 Posted January 13, 2009 one strike against cobb is that he played in a watered down league, talent-wise. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
I have no idea what i'm doing 0 Posted January 13, 2009 Teammates reported seeing him standing naked in front of a mirror before a game, practicing his swing, and declaring, "Rickey's the best! Rickey's the best!" During one off-season, Henderson called Padres general manager Kevin Towers and left this message: "Kevin, this is Rickey. Calling on behalf of Rickey. Rickey wants to play baseball." Best leadoff hitter or not, guy was a riot. Also, this: I’m about give you one of my all-time favorite statistics: Rickey Henderson walked 796 times in his career LEADING OFF AN INNING. Think about this again. There would be nothing, absolutely nothing, a pitcher would want to avoid more than walking Rickey Henderson to lead off an inning. And yet he walked SEVEN HUNDRED NINETY SIX times to lead off an inning.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 simply cannot imagine a baseball statistic more staggering." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kilroy69 994 Posted January 13, 2009 not even close... i'm pretty sure dawson leads him in every category minus SOs... DEFINATELY in HRs and SBs Im just saying there are a few players that deserve it that are not getting in because of the jacked up numbers of the roid rage era. Some of murphys stats 398 Home Runs (45th All-time) 1266 RBI (110th All-time) 1197 Runs (160th All-time) 2111 Hits (197th All-time) 7 All-Star games 2 MVPs (Back-to-back) Lou Gehrig Memorial Award Roberto Clemente Award 5 straight Gold Gloves 1 30-30 season 4 Silver Sluggers Led the league in Slugging % in ‘83 & ‘84 Led the league in Runs in ‘85 Led the league in Total Bases in ‘84 Led the league in Home Runs in ‘84 & ‘85 Led the league in RBIs in ‘82 & ‘83 Led the league in Walks in ‘85 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
e-factor 13 Posted January 13, 2009 Henderson was picked on 511 of 539 ballots. Really? What focking morons thought it would be OK to not pick the greatest leadoff hitter of all time. Gotta love how the current sportswriters uphold the tradition that nobody gets in with 100 percent of the vote. Dimaggio, Williams, Mays, Aaron. Not worthy by the standards of some. Amazing........... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 4,560 Posted January 13, 2009 I always envision those guys I never got to see play but heard stories about as a kid as larger than life legends. I held them in awe. Modern players were always mere mortals in comparison. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Hood 9 Posted January 13, 2009 thread hijack... when is andre dawson getting into the hall??? From Verducci - SI Bert Blyleven and Andre Dawson: Don't worry. The magic number for enshrinement is not 75 percent. It is 60 percent. Every candidate who has hit that mark was eventually enshrined -- with one cruel exception: Gil Hodges. The next three ballots might not have a single first-ballot Hall of Famer. The best of the bunch are Roberto Alomar, Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez and Fred McGriff (2010), Jeff Bagwell (2011) and Bernie Williams (2012). Dawson (67 percent this year) and Blyleven (62.7) are likely to sneak in during that three-year window. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
josh wiley 27 Posted January 13, 2009 From Verducci - SI bernie williams for the hall of fame? seriously? alright, that's when u know they are scraping the bottom of the barrel. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GettnHuge 1 Posted January 13, 2009 one strike against cobb is that he played in a watered down league, talent-wise. True, in his era the pitchers like Christy Matthewson, Cy Young, Babe Ruth, Mordecai Brown, Walter Johnson, Addie Joss, Pete Alexander, Eddie Walsh,Rube Waddell, Ed Cicotte, Joe McGinity, Ernie Shore, Eddie Plank, Stan Coveleski...you know, hall of fame pitchers who were constantly putting up sub 2 eras. Then you had those hack batters at the time like Babe Ruth, Rogers Hornsby, Lou Gehrig, Joe jackson, George Sisler, Harry Heilmann, Al Simmons, Tris Speaker, Chuck Klein, Jimmie Foxx, Charlie Gehringer, Hack Wilson, Mel Ott, Sam Crawford, Willie Keeler and some bum named Honus Wagner. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Hood 9 Posted January 13, 2009 bernie williams for the hall of fame? seriously? alright, that's when u know they are scraping the bottom of the barrel. Clutch postseason player and a very good career compared to most but agreed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
