Rickey!

After a long and illustrious career, Rickey Henderson was elected to the baseball Hall Of Fame with 94.8 percent in his first year of eligibility. After delving into his career it’s mind boggling to think that 5.2 percent of the Hall of Fame voters did not feel that Henderson was worthy of being a first ballot hall of famer. Here are a few things to portray just how impressive Rickey henderson was. In his 25 years in baseball starting with Oakland and concluding in a Los Angeles, Henderson compiled a .279 career average and earned the 1990 AL MVP. Henderson was a 12 time stolen base champion and set the MLB record for most stolen bases in a season with 130. Henderson is the all-time leader in lead-off home runs with 81, and scored 2,295 career runs while stealing 1,406 career stolen bases. In 1989 he won the ALCS MVP in a year the A’s won the World Series over the Giants. The World Series was Henderson first of two championships, the other came in 1993 with the Toronto Blue Jays. Rickey was also a Gold Glove winner in 1981, and a 3 time Silver Slugger Award Winner. Ultimately baseball will be hard pressed to find another leadoff hitter as dominant as Rickey Henderson. While his candidacy was a no-brainer, the mercurial Jim Rice was inducted on his 15th and final try. 

Jim Rice was one of the most feared and dominant hitters of his era and did so without the use of steroids. Had Rice not been so disliked among sports writers he likely would have been in the Hall of Fame years ago. Instead the baseball writers who often use arbitrary criteria for the hollowed halls of Cooperstown. Until former hall of Fame voters or players are allowed to have a say in the process, like Heisman trophy winners do in college football, the process will always be a popularity contest. Maybe one day Andre Dawson and Bert Blyleven will finally receive justice and become members of the Hall of Fame, I just won’t hold my breath. Live Smooth!