"Rickey Henderson crushed souls with unprecedented efficiency."

May 22, 2018 12:30 PM

In the latest episode of Dorktown, SB Nation editor and national treasure Jon Bois, along with compatriot Alex Rubenstein, discuss the career of the Arsene Lupin of the baseball diamond, Rickey Henderson, and how his shattering the stolen bases record is a feat you just don't see anymore. (SLYT)

Dorktown previously.

posted by NoxAeternum (16 comments total)

You knew just what I needed today.
posted by zerolives at 12:37 PM on May 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

“Rickey knew what zerolives needed today.”
posted by Huffy Puffy at 12:47 PM on May 22, 2018 [4 favorites]

“If you could split him in two, you’d have two Hall of Famers.”
posted by Etrigan at 12:58 PM on May 22, 2018 [7 favorites]

One of my best memories as an A's fan was that day in 1991 when my husband and I were both off work on a Wednesday and the kid had just turned one year old a few days before and I said we should go down to the game, he could do it today. We got walk up tickets on the third base side and he ran right at us into history. Rickey 4ever!
posted by rekrap at 1:13 PM on May 22, 2018 [10 favorites]

I played roulette with Rickey Henderson in Lake Tahoe one time without knowing who he was. People keep coming up to him and high-fiving him, shaking his hand, etc. I finally asked him what the deal was. He shrugged and said "I used to play baseball." "Cool," I said, and we kept on playing.

We played together for an hour or so and had a really good time whooping for the other's occasional wins. When he left the table, his wife, who had been standing behind us (although I didn't know it while we were playing), gave me a big hug. "Thank you for treating him like a normal person," she told me. "That doesn't happen very often."

The end.
posted by mudpuppie at 1:41 PM on May 22, 2018 [38 favorites]

Added to the list of alien athletes among us, just ahead of Usain Bolt.
posted by Brocktoon at 1:48 PM on May 22, 2018

He was a total blast to watch the season or two he played for the Mariners. That, and his propensity to speak of himself in the third person. He was so canny...
posted by dbmcd at 2:08 PM on May 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

One day, I'd love to have Bois do a defense of Bill Buckner. As a lifelong Red Sox fan, I think poor Buckner got jobbed by Bostonians until the 2004 WS.
posted by drewbage1847 at 2:53 PM on May 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

Buckner is what Bartman was to the Cubs, a convenient scapegoat. Each team had plenty of chances after the incidents to win.
posted by Chrysostom at 3:24 PM on May 22, 2018 [3 favorites]

Buckner's tragedy was his own reaction, and fuck Boston for doing that. 3k hits
posted by sfts2 at 7:01 PM on May 22, 2018 [3 favorites]

Yes, the best thing about Ricky Henderson was that he always referred to Ricky Henderson in the third person. Especially when he was talking about Ricky Henderson.

It was kind of endearing in a goofy way.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 7:58 PM on May 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

In spring training 1999, Rickey Henderson of the Mets was reunited with first baseman John Olerud, who had been his teammate with the Blue Jays six years earlier. As most people know, Olerud had an aneurysm in college, which required brain surgery. So to protect his head, he was allowed to wear a helmet in the field. As the story goes, Henderson was talking to Olerud one day, noticed the helmet and said “You know, when I played in Toronto, we had a guy who wore a helmet.”

“Rickey,” said Olerud, “that was me.”

the original tale, as told by ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian
posted by edverb at 7:02 AM on May 23, 2018 [3 favorites]

Someone's gotta mention the epic speech Rickey gave, when he was recognized for the all time record in stolen bases. This is peak Rickey Henderson.
posted by edverb at 7:12 AM on May 23, 2018 [1 favorite]

“Rickey,” said Olerud, “that was me.”

Rickey being Rickey.
posted by e1c at 9:09 AM on May 23, 2018

And likewise someone needs to mention that Nolan Ryan said "hold my beer" and recorded his seventh no-hitter against the Blue Jays later that evening. At age 44.

(I was always a Tim Raines partisan, so I rooted against Rickey the first half of his career)
posted by Quindar Beep at 11:26 AM on May 23, 2018

Rickey is so dedicated to baseball that he kept playing in independent leagues for a couple years after his 24-year MLB career.

(he said he'd go to bat for the As and steal a base in his fifties if they'd let him)
posted by atoxyl at 1:38 AM on May 24, 2018 [1 favorite]