Still shocked that Rickey Henderson passed away at the age of 65, just a few days before his Christmas birthday.
I always feel an extra pang of regret when someone younger than me dies.
Henderson, was what many might call a colorful character. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009, accumulating 3,055 hits, 297 home runs, and 1,115 RBI over a 25-year career, spent with nine teams, including the Yankees and Mets. His 2,295 career runs and 1,406 stolen bases remain Major League records.
Here’s his obituary from The New York Times. In fact, the Times published several articles about him, which I found surprising when compared to Tom Seaver, who was an icon in New York sports. In this one, Henderson is “credited” with giving permission to athletes to ditch the humble facade and declare their own greatness.
Howard Bryant published Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original in 2022. Henderson wrote his memoir, Off Base: Confessions of a Thief, with John Shea in 1992. Here’s the Bookshelf Conversation I had with Shea following the publication of 24: Life Stories and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid, written with Willie Mays in 2020.
is available on Amazon.com,
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