Rickey Henderson - Legends

like the way you look I guarantee it Rickey Henderson is truly a one-of-a-kind person Rickey Henderson was a once-in-a-generation performer and Ricky Henderson's impact on the game of baseball over 20 is immeasurable he's fighting the greatest ball player that I've seen him in modern day baseball time got out of doubt I mean a guy that literally could change you know the outcome of a game almost solely almost by himself I never saw anybody really come close in the totality of a Ricky could do as a runner as a power hitter and also as a guy as just a presence in the batter's box I think in Ricky's case you can look at he was the best during that period of time that he played there's nobody better I don't think that there is any one player in my period of time that could totally dominate a game by himself like Ricky fit in so many different lives dr. Ricky Owen is gonna start to play baseball and to show us a way to play this game that was very exciting there were just so many things that he could do that it just completely scared the living daylights out of the opposing team I think he just changed the game by being unique in the sense that for a little guy he probably will had the greatest combination of speed and power he probably needed less help than anybody else to do his job you have a one-run lead it's the ninth inning who was the guy she would least like to face tricky in all kind of ways his four run not gonna run whatever so and he did a year after year longevity everything just the total package the dimension he had have been a 5 to a player he could do it all and there's no question with his speed that he could get on base and everything changed he is the most dominant player I've ever seen play they gave a baseball so when you say what is it like to see him play it's the same way every day I mean really if I'm not pitching it makes it fun to be a spectator on the bench his quarter-century career led to a laundry list of achievements and milestones the unquestioned greatest leadoff hitter of all time is also the game stolen base King Henderson is the record holder for both runs scored and home runs to lead off a game his skillset made him nearly impossible to stop on the diamond he had the speed he had the power the epic patience when Rickey walked into the batter's box it's like the opposing team was already on its heels you know if he could win a game like leading off the game of the home run or you know hitting one late getting on base via the walk steal second steal third and score on a ground ball I think Ricky his level of intensity the will to win and will to be the best was what he brought to the ballpark every day and it was contagious but when it comes to talk about leadoff hitters Ricky was the best ever when it comes a guy stealing bases Ricky was the best ever when it comes to left fielders and American League Ricky was the best ever he led baseball in Larson I mean he would get on base without a gift and score a run without a hit how many home runs did the two or three hitter get because the pitcher was focusing on Ricky not stealing second or stealing third that the pitcher didn't concentrate on making our quality pitch and the guy independent out of the ballpark and then he had you know a real burglar type mentality he's out there to abuse you on the bases and when he got on base the action had really got started he was scary because he would dance off that bag and the pitchers could become discombobulated I mean you could just see some of them to self-destruct the idea was don't let him get on base boy when he got on base pit some pictures would just absolutely melt as the old saying goes speed never goes into a swamp and Ricky had the speed Ricky would invent room and I don't know how he had so many different ways of doing it this was a person that could generate a run without even a hit I mean three hitters could go up and no one could hit the ball out of the infield and you could be up one and nothing and whether it was a 10 or 15 year period of time it was the best there's no doubt and I think you go down as the all-time best whether it's a left fielder offense but no doubt the stolen base threat that it was and the success rate that he had and how he could change the game just by getting on base he appreciated what he did and he feared when he did if you're on the pony pokey Ricky Henderson's athletic career started at Oakland Technical High School but his future did not appear to be in baseball he seemed destined to be a star on the football field I thought football I thought that he was very very very superior athlete in football without a doubt prior to coming to high school at coaching the junior college and he was equal to or even better than some Daffy was our coach from Community College so it was you know you saw raw talent he was an open Tech and what I remember about Ricky the football player was that he was a guy who was running for a thousand yards in high school I saw Ricky as a tenth grader and he was on a junior varsity football and when I saw him run I seen him wait a minute and I wanted my varsity I went down I went down to the junior varsity coach they said look I want that you know that running back that you have he said who Ricky I said yeah I thought you know if I graded in football baseball I thought that Ricky probably would have been a good pro running back the one unique thing about Rick is that I've never seen him compete against any other individual Ricky competed against himself I actually heard about it about his football promise and they told me there was a kid across the bay that was like a walter cake so we went over to see him one night and ran six touchdowns and it was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen I didn't want to play baseball I played basketball because there's chilly baseball wouldn't about us coming out saying I'm flying so why why do you want to play baseball and you can be doing something else the lady that kind of was instrumental is with lady who's now passed away was Tommy Wilkerson and she was someone like a godmother to him she wanted to see their kids to come and play the game the sport that she loved so much so she invents came to me and asked me to play baseball and I told I didn't so she said I make a deal free she said I'll give you a quarter for every hit for every stolen base you get and for every one should come across the play and you can have your lunch money that sound like a good deal to me I allowed to go to work I'm working as a baseball player I didn't know the exactly by heard about it and I heard her didn't cheat advertised yeah you'll get a strong base I'll give the employer to keep it so she got me in into it still in the base because every time I got a hit you are known as a board but I need to do to make the bow fold ollars and 50 cents are taken your lady to for lunch so I had to go get four or five yes still three or four bases ticket adjusted me that's money so each and every day I would make sure that I get on base I still Basin and I try to get as many Thais so that when Ricky showed up for an all-star team that was combined with a berkeley team in North Oakland team and I first laid eyes on him it was like man I've never been in awe of a guy in my life until I saw McKenzie and I always told him to steal as many bases as he could and I said steal third base all the time because in high school pitchers don't have a good pickoff over the second and they may throw it the third base would be left field we got a run and so we used that strategy quite a bit he liked to run those bases at a young age when I first met him obviously his physical attributes were different than everyone else's big legs strong look like a man I may even know he had a boy face we still look like a man that's it just go Ricky and certain times I would say don't steal was an appropriate situation but most the time he could do it on his own he had the green light so to say Jimmy Guinn who I've known since I was we're in college together a long time ago went to scout Ricky Henderson along with other Scouts I think he saw dated dedication at heart where we post da and out any feel that I will to win all the time the first to advance he didn't do anything the other Scouts left his third at-bat Ricky Henderson must hit one 400 feet I mean it was just I pop it until you told me the story so he signed it and it would fall when I wouldn't have been a baseball player because I only think they would even gave me the chance but he felt that I would be a phantom great baseball player and it turned out that he was like Ricky was right for the A's in the fourth round of the 1976 amateur draft being selected by his hometown team was a dream come true for the Oakland native Oh 300 will be home I got a chance to play in front of my mama I got trying to play my family all the people that grew up that saw me play as a little kid and literally only you know that by the time Ricky got to triple-a baseball which we faced each other in triple-a we faced each other in the minor leagues I tell me got the triple a time I knew he was gonna be an impact player in the big leagues Ricky's always been a humble kid and that's what I noticed about at first Ricky Henderson will lead it off for the Oakland A's making his first appearance at the plate in an Oakland uniform you know always receptive to advice and just the joy of playing Major League Baseball that was like none other had you know he really loved playing baseball so it was just a treasure to be around somebody like that and it was kind of it rubbed off on you at that particular point in time we all just wanted to go out watch him play watch and play left field see what he did how he hit you know how he would get his lead how he was still faces some of us even tried to run like Ricky but we couldn't do that just guy who really not only could run and hit but had a flair about it you know and I think that's what fans really the minute he stepped on the field his first year he was a fan favorite and he remained that throughout the course of his career because a he acknowledged fans but B he put on the show Ricky Henderson's indelible imprint of a sport comes from his domination of the basepaths his running style was something he crafted from high school into the minors and finally in Oakland a lot of players don't could only dream to be half as fast as he was but you know you think about the you know the thick strong legs that he has and the thing that was amazing was how fast he could go from 0 to 100 you know zero to full speed is like a stride and a half for him and he's gone think about Ricky's - his first step is full speed a lot of guys may take a couple steps before they get going he got the lead such long ways when he took off and that sprinter speak he was he was full speed when his first step left the ground you can see the explosives in acceleration and you can see it the dirt would come up about to the 3 feet in the air everybody in the ballpark knows what he's what he's about to do and they still couldn't stop himself that was incredible but he got on this you always felt that he was gonna steal what it was first second second and third when you get to the pro level I mean baseball you have that kind of speed the ability Ricky had the ability to do a lot of things that are pretty special for Ricky it was how do I go about it how how can we stop him we can't stop them what do we do you know the scouting report was very simple with Ricky keep him off the base but I mean it was a lot easier said than done top of the start important had to have Ricky's name because once he got on base the entire off into the deeper the better he changed he literally made pitches and pitches nervous ripped well immediately you think you don't want and as soon as you think don't walk him you walk as soon as you walk them how you throwing over the first base six seven eight times I can't see I gotta remind the pitcher be quick try to slide stuff your bench is trying to pick Ricky up there's a get is he gonna steal is he not I mean he just causes havoc you know on the base pass he he creates distractions before the pitcher and how do you defend that pitchers gotta get closer to the plate he's gotta look back you just can't do anything routine and your infielder has to take that bag away which he's a big hole so he made you so vulnerable was scary the whole game changed too whereas when he got on first base they called it a Ricky run when he scored and it was very easily done he was still second he could still third and Dwayne Murphy was our second hitter so he could either sacrifice money for a sacrifice fly and within to bad as we would have a run sometimes now when he got the first base he understood that all I need to understand is when the guy is born home anything else he's probably coming at first so once he understood that and the guy went home he's still a base with anybody it's not uncommon to see him still two bases in one in one at-bat or in one one sequence of being on the base still second still third the Man of Steel patented the headfirst slide during his career the slide was violent yet beautiful and allowed him to increase his success rate double AI saw him trying that first time he tried he cut his stomach open glued his belt buckle on his uniform to slit his stomach belly-up button open so you know he came right back after you got well and try it again sliding headfirst takes on a lot of pounding on the body it gives you a lot of injuries that are unforeseen such as jam fingers jam wrist jam elbows jam shoulders you look at the way he slid at first try sliding is being successful 130 times and ahead of chess piece when you're diving and you're landing on your chest the way he did with the stolen bases but the thing about Ricky is that he was so gifted physically you know solid just solid rock Russell and he had great chests I don't know if I ever saw anybody with more bumps and lumps and bruises on their body so I look at it to say this guy abused his body on the baseball field it's a guy he needs to be a little tougher he wants to sit out every now and then well I think he knew this and I've ever done because he put so much into it if Ricky didn't feel like he could play up to his ability and his legs his Jets would he call them if he couldn't turn on the Jets he wasn't gonna go out there and give you a 70% effort on the field and that's just how tricky was he didn't know how to back down so if freaky said his legs was bobbing I would be one to believe that Ricky legs bump because I know what he want to do he won't display every day you know the great hitters you worry about you feel those guys but when Rick you lose the other dimension because you'd get on base and Beach with his legs he could get on base a lot because of this Greg's over his ability to beat you and you not to be able to stop him speed is something that's so hard to defend because if you have it you have it it can't be taught he's just a distraction in itself he is a distraction he's a guy that you really just you know on the hottest day and Arkansas with the humidity at its best he's a nest of mosquitoes is what he is most of Ricky Henderson's success spawned from his natural ability but he connected with a major influence in the big leagues in just his second season in the form of legendary manager Billy Martin I was mostly scared the way he why people the way he go about it I was mainly a little afraid so I just wanted to play I didn't want him to make no mistake I just want to play Ron do whatever he say do our world to follow his way woman Billy pate had a thing for local guys if you grew up around the around here because he did I mean he could he could sort of identify with some of the things you faced as a kid growing up he invited me to go on invited me go fishing invited you know anytime we going on a long trip here in first class he might he always catered so he might be up dictator we got the airplane food he'll call back said rig it up here and Ashley willing to like and have my team and Maddie because he knows about man isn't that huh my second he I he something but I can't definitely do so he was like that to me what was the rebirth of baseball in Oakland Billy Martin came here and there was a whole bunch of new players that came to the A's in the earth early 80s late 70s and Ricky Ricky was one of them and Billy knew how to use him you know basically turn on the green light and let him go and Ricky had kind of a free rein to go when he wanted to go well I think what Billy did is Billy gave him the green light let him run and anybody anytime you have speed like that there's nobody no manager is going to shut him down and say this is not our type of club one thing about Billy he was a smart man and not to try to change anything that Ricky was doing see Billy ball was manufacturing the element of surprise there was no surprise or any secrets about what Ricky was going to do Ricky was very inventive I mean that's the whole nature of his being and so he just kind of turned him loose and gosh how they got to the playoffs that season I don't even know but I still think besides the pitching of Ricky Ricky was the main reason we faced him in the playoffs in 81 for the pennant and we knew what he could do then and you know Billy had him really confident loose and very aggressive players on that ballclub and they were running everywhere and Ricky was the the epitome of all that the other part of it is that Ricky's in I think he saw Billy if a guy who appreciated what he did and you know if there was one thing that Ricky wanted to present our career appreciation Ricky was one of the ones that could go Billy you trippin you know no one else could say that but Ricky could do that because Billy knew wouldn't Ricky meant to the team and he respected Ricky for that and because Ricky wasn't scared because Ricky didn't think anybody should stop bringing that's personality as though they both could be a little pretty you know they but but at the same time they understood each other if they respected each other and they were able to get along the 1982 season was a magical year for Ricky and the Billy ball style and it was a season that pleased Henderson and the record books for the first time with an amazing 130 steals in one year I didn't know what the number would be but I knew he could set the all the all-time record it was there before you could you could see that he would he was unstoppable I wasn't running and we was having a great time and then he open was always Lal Billy ball bit of also leaves that same thing so in range to camera we went to spring training he came over to me I thought we were just gonna say something just talking and we got to talk a little bit is to guess what this is what we gonna do this year what we gonna do this year he said we're gonna break their all-time that's not on 18 that's a lot of man that's a lot of stone how are we gonna do this and I'm thinking oh I can't do that he said we gotta break through it what me reading a pitcher and you getting a great job they can't beat us okay each day you just couldn't wait to get to the ballpark to see what he was gonna do how many was gonna get this name it's gonna get to today he's gonna get through that what are you gonna try to do the stop on the day you know what kind of plays are they gonna try it seemed like Ricky was trying to steal a base every time he got on I mean you know in the past ever times when he would get on base he didn't but that year it seemed like he was going for the record he was gonna run every chance he got 102 spring training week I'm practicing on me getting still in a hundred basin he came and during summer intern Hickel when you get on first place look at me and I'ma tell you when I still saying y'all need to do tell me wanna steal I don't know when this Bill's law i'ma tell you when it's still because I know any picture so you can get a better jump on that and he and then bring them on they can't though yeah oh good cuz I'm reading an emotional what he's doing I in the Woody go though what I recall most from that year was that he would he kind of taunted teams I mean teams knew that he was gonna try and steal they knew it everybody knew it and he was able to do it anyway and I gonna be on the first page on with the first baseman and here picking something no I got him some boy left hit okay if I get a bad job you know I was probably like 85% say phones so that record a we broke not were just me it was me and them because if I might have wouldn't never done it without him Edison takes another step and there we go it's a good job the four by sevens you know that everybody in the ballpark is known but knows what you're trying to do and the other team who knows exactly what you want to do and they can't stop you I mean that's as good as it gets for any athlete whether you're baseball bat any sports you're playing if you know you can't be stopped that's it as it gets and that's what I'm different from 82 it seemed like keep hitting these stuff as a base speed the 1984 season ended with the A's and fourth place in an attempt to improve the club open did the unthinkable and traded Ricci to the Yankees the trade from New York's end was driven by none other than Billy Martin he went back to it he were to jaw to toe George trade for Ricky so he called me he said you belong that game you are great ball player and they Nick is on a greatest team ever and you deserve to be a Yankee I couldn't believe it and I was very critical the A's in a column that I wrote it at the time because I knew he was special I think it was pretty devastating to her but at the same time that team wasn't what it was either and it was time for Ricky to move on and I think the Yankees at that time had that place where he needed to be it's unfortunate that if you have a team that's struggling to win games what do you do you look for the player who can get the most for you from another team I think the A's were trying to maybe you know create a little bit a little bit of a different persona at that time and also he was a guy he was a high maintenance guy and I think they were looking for something that's a little lower maintenance and the third component of that is he had great value you know and so when you trade a guy who has great value you look at you're looking to get something in return from his standpoint going on the big stage the biggest stage in baseball in New York and do what he did it was perfect for him and I'm sure he adapted very well to be able to go to New York and continue to do what are you doing open and getting a lot more attention you could trade Rickey Henderson for 10 players and not get one Rickey Henderson combined you couldn't pick those 10 players and get the impact of one Rickey Henderson so I mean villach collective the game any side no usable over the ATU I naturally get and then that's how we carry on to be any and that's the nanny it made it a lot easy for me to do that transfer from being up you know Rickey Henderson was already cemented as a great player before the trade to the Yankees New York was the platform that gave him the recognition as an icon the Yankees Joel Seidler was always in the paper always identify wherever you go everybody knows Yankees so it boost you up you know they know you now you become bigger you know I was having some fantastic year man done man you know he was a big year so was the Bronco bomber force name why people recognize the area's ago I think that's what looks to be a good does for you I think going to New York is great for Ricky because it really kind of opened up avenues that may he'd never have that may have never been open for him here as a Yankee I mean you guess you had everything before you you're on the deer at the Big Apple you know Yankee Stadium the world is watching you so I think that kind of stage really set Ricky up for the rest of his career because a from that point on he wasn't just Ricky Henderson he was Ricky you know - stuff with Ricky's his water off his back he just keeps going you know he's the Energizer Bunny he just keeps taking along and no matter what happens to him he never seems to change once he settled in in New York and started playing ball it was you know every time you got on Bay the fans just went nuts as you can imagine and put a lot of pressure on the opposing team and managers he was tough to deal with and you know I've heard him say man he's the best player he's ever play with I bet Donny says Rick he's the best player he's ever played with and for those two guys a complement each other like that after four fruitless years in New York Henderson was traded back to Oakland during the 1989 season the reunion with the defending American League champions solidified their World Series aspirations it was a job for day-to-day and I was getting treated and I was going back to over Jill was going I think he was going a year for somewhere he told see when I get back into town you have me some pictures because that's what we needed to win all the fire you just like that Joe to be home in three days Rickey I got a deal play I mean I got a really got a no-trade I'm coming what's the deal there's got to be good for me what's the deal you gonna go to San Francisco John play right field and bad field you lost your mind I'm not gonna wear so I don't stay in Yankee they go by next day ding-ding-ding-ding Rick I got another deal what's the deal I got five players trading and you've gone back over do you want to make the deal don't worry about I'm hugg he was 89 and we were looking for a true leadoff hitter I can remember the buzz amongst the players when it was talked about hey if we get a chance to get Ricky what do you guys think one thing for sure so it was better to have more team than to be playing against him that's for Darsh or the time that he joined our ballclub the the point of the season was just a huge huge shot in the arm I've never won the lottery but I'm sure it was like that you take a team that is a good team to a great team - we gotta automatically be favors to the guy who made that thing complete was Ricky because you had that dynamite leadoff guy and then the rest of the line it was so deep and could do it all but Ricky set the tempo a lot of big games when Ricky Henderson feedback creates clubhouse I wasn't there but probably the rest of the team just down on the knees and kiss to the clubhouse floor I mean how do you get rich how do you lose Ricky Henderson and then get him back that the 1989 postseason was the gateway to glory for Ricky Henderson his outstanding playoff performance in both the American League Championship Series and the World Series catapulted his league wide standing as a player your gold and your jaw always getting to the postseason that's what we go out there and work one to six two days to get to the posters let me us that matter I don't know if I ever saw a postseason where one guy just to help just kind of captivated me just I mean I'm riveted to this one guy doing what he does there's always one guy when you get ready for the playoffs that they say don't let that guy beat you and Ricky was that guy with the a because he just went crazy it was a there are no words that we got to run off who dis is a great club you know I play real well this thing we come home let's steal basic crazy I'll go to Toronto they don't knock me on the artificial turf how the first occurs to me ISM is the easy way to steal basically you know you can get all your traction we will slip and done in that grass and dirt so I knew I had both five six facing them no matter what so it was in my hand attendants are coming and everything Kate I'm running tick running still in school I love the playoffs you know against Toronto was I think his all these to my mind maybe one of his greatest moments that I got to witness when we played the Blue Jays we just destroyed him and that was definitely the Rickey show there was a period of time when might be two years might be two weeks where someone is so dominant it just takes your breath away bricky and Toronto I mean that was like a one-man show I mean he was very much a clutch guy and I think the reason he carried over was his whole career he was a mark guy so he had to deal with the attention the pressure of performing and he had to be able to do it with everybody trying to stop him and then he get into the World Series in you're watching pretty much the Ricky show again we you'd have to meet it it's the best way to put it in then you really have to be there this is Ricky showing everybody all he can do this is really if you want if you just take that postseason and say okay I want you to lead this team to a championship he did it Ricky has a lot of fried so that meant an awful lot to him you know Oakland cos always gonna be home with Ricky and his roots are here his family's here and he's got an awful lot of friends here and on top of that there's an awful lot of Ricky Henderson fans here so he took a lot of a lot of care and a lot of fun and then having that World Series right we in a win today and it was just a thriller it was a dream come true if I ever was playing any other sport or if I world is something that happen in baseball it happened after achieving the greatest team honor in 1989 Henderson followed up by earning the highest individual honor in 1990 by winning the American League Most Valuable Player Award but also I got through the World Series and this and everything had taken to me has brought a new life to me now my goal was to get better I think I might have won on a train history that I wanted to be better than I was beautiful I'm just coming back to Oakland this is back at home I'm at home I thought what was like in a glory of the world citizen what my dream was to deny system we got had to go out and play the game that I love something so I worked at it I ran a train real hard I think I all it was for him was taking one year won a World Championship and next year just continuing and as it turned out he had a phenomenal year again I felt that he was trying to prove something that he thought he had already proved he thought he had already proved that he was probably the best ball player in the game and I think in ninety he set out to do exactly that I think that was his goal I only think a ball player can express the time the Terra abou that nothing can go wrong what the filler is all about it was like incredible and like I said it's Carol and so much I was dominating and in him hidden ruining MVP but I had almost a better slugging percentage didn't big the homerun hitters a I think I'm gonna have one better me was cessful feeling here picking over you know and I almost hit thirty but I had a ball slugging percentage was unreal and it carried on into the plan it just was one of them season to start from the beginning in anything and with nothing over and you can appreciate when you go a series against them and are you happy that it's over good to see them every day you see everything the guy does nine again three games of series two serves a week you're trying to win you make an impression all year long Ricky is just laying it out there he's just in that type of groove the whole year he waiting from the slow up he was in that type of groove all you I just think it's silent some of the debts on the daughters I think some of the people who previously had wondered how you know whether this guy was really a dedicated ballplayer and I know he's a little soft and but I think that after he did that I I'd like the things that people said okay he's okay he's not a bad ballplayer there's a consistency about Ricky that year very consistent and he found a lot ways a lot more ways to beat you more often and that's usually what makes an MVP how many big games do you have in the course of a season and that was you know that was Ricky's golden year as the 1991 season dawned the Man of Steel was on the edge of setting the career stolen base record on May 1st 1991 he would overtake Lou Brock in the record boat with some controversy along the way nothing was surprising nothing at all was surprising to what he could do and so the the just just his whole career and then to break the record that was just a number what it was gonna happen as it turned out he's gonna make sure it happened okay it was inevitable as the Sun rising in these you know it was going to happen it belonged to Ricky nobody does Rick took more just let him do it he's gone blue bra was December a great base stealing but today the greatest of all time thank you I probably got a lot more negative more grief about it because I said that I was the greatest I think people took it out of context I base a lot I was agreeing maybe I didn't phrase it that I was a greatest mixture right in his little wait a minute he to me the greatest player didn't come as what you take that back no I'm the greater base to the Luke was alright as phony was great city was similar he's a great ball I broke a joke it's nobody in front of me and my idol was my Miley and it came back two or three times one and he's on the green I'm gonna say that he spoke of Lou Brock and you know a lot of people could have misunderstood what was really meant by that particular speech but if you know Ricky there was nothing that was meant badly about that said their greed is almost worst thing that could happen in baseball because people guess thing like it was really just mad about and they never let me let live the down and I'm thinking more that they should be focused on what our compass instead of being sent egregious or maybe I didn't phrase it right but the great is the better nobody else to read it into it is to this day if you ask me that question again I will ask you who was the greatest and he didn't mean it in a way that I'm Ricky he knows I'm the greatest stolen base leader all-time today I accomplished what I've been doing all my life Ricky been running it was something that somebody gave me I'll give the saying that I would be able to do it in somebody that I stay with me for the time that he came to over to the time I broke the record and my mom and my fit fitting in me that and you think I ain't very food Bravo Restless that was somebody that I looked up to there's somebody that didn't touch in me and you feel and I asked him was that bad dude what'd I say it wasn't easy no I don't think it showed disrespect to Lou Brock I think it was justified he had done something great among a lot of great things that he did the records that he said the home runs that he hit you know the basis that he stole I mean if he says I'm the greatest maybe it's justified how can you argue it I thought it was awful arrogant and cocky but it was what he meant means the way you felt and I keep trying to tell you that's the way that man comes to the ballpark every day and that's why he beats you my immediate thought after we stopped laughing because we knew Ricky I remember Willie Wilson and I stand in the dugout when he make his fiction he made that speech where you start laughing and we knew that you know it didn't come out like he wanted it to the bottom line is that this guy's played baseball for this many years I mean when he broke that record he was still in his early 30s and that was a career record you just don't see career break records broken when the guys in his early 30s and I'm thinking you can't take that away from that moment crystallized Rickey Henderson through his whole career Alfa misunderstood Ricky was known for his unique style of speech that style took on a life of its own in the Ricky isn't well yeah we caught the Ricky do whatever's going on out there you know he say does the Ricky do if Ricky did it and you said why are you surprised that's just Ricky be Ricky that's part of you know his humor to be honest and I'm not too sure there's like like Yogi Bear I mean Yogi Berra says a lot of funny things things that end up in books when Ricky Ricky could be similar we used to tease Ricky are you want everyone Somali guys would say to each other hey don't don't let him talk to the media don't give a microphone Raqqah you know he'd make little mistakes like that but he used to say and do things man it just would crack us up you know right up top of my head it's hard to remember some of the things but what I think about Ricky all we did was slap Ricky heads don't speak it when anything it was unique and funny in his way you know it was neat it's just a personality thing he was in his own world and you knew as a player as an athlete you talk to yourself maybe not like Ricky did but Ricky didn't have any problem nothing's right what do you mean cuz Ricky don't fight back like that you know no I'm not gonna tell you directly but you figure it out huh you know and he talked to himself a little bit in the locker every once in a while before the game and I never knew could understand what he was saying they wasn't talking real loud but you know he would talk to himself a little bit and you know again you know after playing with him for a number of years yes understand that's where he's personality and that's Ricky and I love him forward Ricky's Ricky and I know there's Ricky isms and he says some things whatever buddy to me he was street smart and he was baseball smart here's the genius of baseball you know what they say about genius it's hard to understand you yes but there's always and they're just two genius somebody walk away thinking ah you know he's just a great athlete but he's not really as smart as Bologna Ricky Ricky abuser is with it smarts you know saying these things and people thinking Oh Ricky you know might not be the brightest bulb around here and and he might be doing that too thinking that the other team you know potentially gonna take advantage of them you know pitching to him or something like that and I'll send Ricky goes deep and I mean you can just see that smile as he's round on the bases like hey who's laughing now Rickey Henderson will always be intertwined with the city of Oakland everything about his life speaks to his roots in the Bay Area and the tie that binds will never be cut I was full of there I had a lot more fans than most athlete of players in this city because I was from Oakland so the people from hi Snoopy from all over lovely whether they come out to see me play three of what anyway like I said it advances kept pushing me pushing me and backing me in this and then and things go wrong they was always behind me so I chipped my head out too early and I couldn't get it without no I couldn't did it without the fans that here I couldn't do it without my my family that bagged me back here I couldn't did about my son so I gave no credit any time he recants his name he ready to go out to the ballpark ready to go out to Oakland Alameda Coliseum watch him steal some basis he's from one of our underdeveloped areas in Oakland and gee I'd say he's just uh he's an American dream come true basically he's a star in a ghetto and wherever he goes in Oakland he's recognized immensely and people love you when you come from where we come from it's easy to forget the things that make you the individual that you are and give you the background to where the stress that was needed to become successful in this sport Ricky's never forgotten one minute what he learned for you know his background from his youth from his mom growing up in this world this seemed to be his home and he seemed to flourish here he did well elsewhere but this is where he fleurs Ricky Anderson belongs Dhokla and Auckland belongs to Ruthie Anderson he would do anything and everything he can or could to help other young players develop especially in the city of vote from the way he did well that's how it was in our community you know we look for one guy to make it so that we could really piggyback on what he was doing you know his success was key to us if we saw success in him then we knew we could do it you know he's been to the pentacle of the sport but he still remains humble you know you make remains humble because you know he keeps the morals that they keep the game pure a local kid grew up here played here never really moved away from here in most ways and represent this any city well as a ballplayer and what a ring here so I think when people look at him around here they see him as the greatest bass player probably ever it means everything that Rickey Henderson is a greatest otha Oakland athletic that is from Oakland it's like tying a ribbon around the hole Ricky Henderson story the City of Oakland loves Ricky Henderson and Ricky Anderson is the City of Oakland his place in the annals of baseball is solidified with his induction into Cooperstown his greatness and his legacy is unquestioned his lasting imprint would be a singular this that he was one of a kind you know Frank Robinson told me one time that a player like Willie Mays comes along once in a century I think we could say the same thing about Rickey Henderson who else has ever been like Rickey Henderson there is no comparison I mean who do you compare him to you know there's no comparison Rickey was probably the greatest player to play this game I feel so fortunate to have watch Ricky Henderson play because people always talk about him in the same terms they talk to Willie Mays Hank Aaron because he was able to accomplish things in this game that no one else will ever accomplish when you put the uniform on to make sure that the performance that you put on brings people back to the ballpark the next day Ricky isn't that kind of player baseball's been around since the Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1869 and all that time here's 150 years he's the greatest leadoff hitter of all time well he'll be the all-time greatest leadoff hitter in baseball history along with the stolen bases and the power there's really nobody like it I think when people look back at how many games and how he was able to affect games so much again I don't I don't see anybody out there that was able to do that like Ricky was by the thing to be able to say are to be have said about you to say that you were the best during a period of time and nobody was better can ask more when you start talking about his greatness yeah he was great young he was great in the middle he was great with older Ricky was born to do this and when you're born to do this this is no way to you know the average guy can beat you the guy who's working extra hard with less talent ricky was born with talent Ricky was born with desire Ricky was born with the ability to play his game his name is amongst the league leaders all-time in a major sport I mean who would have thought it when we were kids the legacy of that I want to or what a lady game I want them to think of Rick Anderson as a player no model warning he was a die-hard to the game he loved the game he probably do anything for the game I want to know that and them to know that when I took the field I gave a hundred hundred ten percent out there I hope most of them know that I had in my heart to always be a word little Martin said what to me though only you get to go out of this game become a woman and in my heart always felt that I was awarded and I took the field you

Channel: Keith

Views: 139,347

Keywords: Rickey Henderson, Oakland, Oakland A's

Id: cI8EN9iMnzg

Length: 49min 50sec (2990 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 15 2016