A's Finally Announce Plans to Retire #24

In a follow up to my previous post, the A's finally announced that they would be retiring Rickey's jersey #24 during Rickey Henderson Day at the Oakland Coliseum on August 1.

It's been fairly obvious for awhile that the A's had these plans in place, and I'm guessing that the little blurb that I found in their e-mail last week wasn't supposed to be there. Nevertheless, all is officially set now, and after a return from the Hall of Fame Weekend in Cooperstown, I've got another exciting Rickey Weekend to attend the following week.

Included below is the full text of the press release that the A's put out today:

Athletics Will Retire Jersey No. 24 During Rickey Henderson Day Aug. 1

The Oakland Athletics announced today they will pay tribute to all-time runs scored and stolen base leader Rickey Henderson, arguably the greatest leadoff hitter in major league history, by officially retiring his No. 24 jersey in pre-game ceremonies during Rickey Henderson Day Saturday, Aug. 1.

On-field festivities will honor Henderson prior to the A's game against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Due to the extended program, game time has been moved back from 6:05 to 6:20 p.m. Team officials are scheduled to participate in the jersey retirement ceremony, as well as many of Henderson's former teammates and coaches. Included in that group are Dave Stewart, Dave Henderson, Mike Davis, Mike Moore, Bob Welch, Jesse Barfield, Rene Lachemann, Mike Norris, Bip Roberts, Shooty Babitt and Stan Javier.

Henderson, who will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, N.Y. July 26, becomes only the fifth Oakland player in history to have his number retired. All five are members of the Hall of Fame, the previous four including pitchers Jim "Catfish" Hunter (No. 27), Rollie Fingers (34) and Dennis Eckersley (43), and outfielder Reggie Jackson (9).
"Rickey Henderson was the most exciting player in our franchise history and without question, the greatest leadoff hitter this game has ever known," said Lew Wolff, the A's owner and managing partner. "To honor him in this way is only appropriate. He re-wrote the record books and provided so many thrills for our fans over the years."

"This is a dream come true," said Henderson, a 10-time American League All-Star and 12-time AL stolen base leader. "When I was a kid growing up in Oakland, I could never have imagined this happening. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the Oakland Athletics organization for retiring my number 24. I would like to thank Jackie Robinson for opening the gates and allowing me to be to play the game of baseball. I would like to thank my family, friends and fans for their loyal support over all these years. This honor is for them, as well."

A hometown hero in Oakland, Henderson moved from Chicago at an early age and graduated from Oakland Tech High School. He played 25 major league seasons, including four stints with the A's that spanned 14 years (1979-84, 1989-93, 1994-95, 1998). He also played for the Yankees (1985-89), Blue Jays (1993), Padres (1996-97, 2001), Angels (1997), Mets (1999-2000), Mariners (2000), Red Sox (2002) and Dodgers (2003), and set major league records for runs scored (2,295), stolen bases (1,406) and walks (2,190, later eclipsed by Barry Bonds), and totaled 3,055 hits, 297 home runs and 1,115 RBI, with a .401 career on-base percentage. He also hit 81 home runs leading off a game, still a major league mark.

Some of his most shining moments came in an Oakland uniform. In 1982, he shattered the single-season record (118) by stealing 130 bases. In 1989, he rejoined the A's through a mid-season trade with the Yankees and helped propel Oakland to its last World Championship. In 1990, he was voted the American League MVP after batting .325 with 28 home runs, 119 runs scored and 65 stolen bases for the Athletics' AL title team. And perhaps his crowning achievement came in Oakland in 1991, when he broke Lou Brock's career stolen base record of 938, lofting third base high above his head in exultation as captured in one of baseball's most memorable moments.

The Aug. 1-2 weekend will be devoted to Henderson. The A's give away Rickey Henderson replica jerseys (sponsored by Pepsi) to 10,000 fans on Saturday, Aug. 1, while 10,000 fans receive a Rickey Henderson banner (sponsored by Kingsford Capital Management) on Sunday, Aug. 2. For more information on tickets for this special weekend, go to the A's web site at www.oaklandathletics.com.

A's "Announce" Plans to Retire Rickey's Number

A few months ago, when the A's announced their plans to hold a "Rickey Henderson Day" as part of a Rickey Weekend August 1 and 2, the plans included a "ceremony on the field" before the game. Since a ceremony without a purpose didn't make much sense, I made the prediction that they would also be retiring his number at the same time. This was followed with more evidence, with Kurt Suzuki changing number during spring training.



Although I still haven't seen a formal announcement, a received an e-mail today from the A's, promoting tickets and the giveaways to the upcoming Rickey Weekend. Below the box shown above, tucked on the side of the e-mail, was the following text: "Celebrate Rickey Henderson’s induction into the Hall of Fame with terrific promotional giveaways and retirement of #24 on Saturday, Aug. 1."



The A's have also released pictures of the two giveaways for the weekend. The Saturday, July 1 jersey giveaway is shown above. The jersey is sponsored by Pepsi, and limited to the first 10,000 fans. Looking at the picture, it actually looks like it's an Orange Crush, and not Pepsi logo that's included on the sleeve of the jersey.



I've been eagerly awaiting the image of the banner giveaway, and am pleasantly surprised. The image is the same one that they used on their pocket schedules earlier in the year, and is a classic Rickey pose. Although sponsored by Kingsford Capital Management, their logo doesn't seem to actually appear on the design, which I guess is subject to change. Also limited to only 10,000 fans, I expect this to be a popular giveaway, and am planning on getting to the park pretty early that day so I don't miss out.

30 Years of Rickey Henderson

I had actually forgotten about the significance of today, as it relates to the career of Rickey Henderson, until I saw a post by 30-Year Old Cardboard. It was on June 24, 1979, exactly 30 years ago today, that Rickey made his Major League debut with the Oakalnd A's.

While watching the A's game last year, they played footage of this game, and I was able to take some screenshots and include them in a post. They definitely aren't the best quality, but you'll get the general idea.

Not long after seeing the post by 30-Year-Old Cardboard, the Hall of Fame's weekly online newsletter, the Inside Pitch, arrived in my in-box, featuring an article on the anniversary. The article can be found online here, but I've also included the complete text below.

June 24, 1979: Rickey Henderson makes big league debut
By Craig Muder / National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

The signs were there right from the start, though few of the fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum that Sunday afternoon figured they were witnessing history.

Rickey Henderson was penciled into the lineup for his first Major League game that day. And by the end of the third inning, A's fans had seen just a glimpse of the talent and drive that took Henderson all the way to Cooperstown.

In that first game of a doubleheader against the Rangers, A's manager Jim Marshall installed the 20-year-old Henderson as his new leadoff hitter and left fielder. In his first at-bat against Texas left-hander John Henry Johnson, Henderson doubled to right. After advancing to third, Henderson was thrown out at the plate while trying to tag up on a fly ball by Jeff Newman.

But Henderson was far from finished. In the third inning, Henderson singled, then stole second off Rangers catcher Jim Sundberg, who won the fourth of his six straight Gold Gloves at the end of the 1979 season. For Henderson, it was the first of a Major League-record 1,406 stolen bases.

Henderson posted a .274 batting average with 33 steals and 49 runs scored in just 89 games in 1979 for an A's team that went 54-108. The next year, Henderson became just the third player in modern history to steal at least 100 bases in one year, joining Maury Wills and Lou Brock.

In his first 12 full big league seasons, Henderson led the American League in stolen bases 11 times -- falling short only in 1987 when injuries limited him to 95 games with the New York Yankees. He scored at least 100 runs in 10 of those seasons and in the 11th, 1981, he paced the AL in runs scored with 89 during that strike-shortened campaign.

Henderson ended his career in 2003 as the all-time leader in runs (2,295), walks (2,190) and stolen bases (1,406) -- and also leads all players with 2,129 unintentional free passes.

"He was the most dangerous player of our generation," said Tony La Russa, a former manager of Henderson's who now manages the St. Louis Cardinals. "That includes all the great sluggers and Hall of Famers. He was the most dangerous."

Henderson was elected to the Hall of Fame in January 2009 after receiving 94.8 percent of the votes on his first try on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot. He will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame on July 26 in Cooperstown along with fellow Class of 2009 members Joe Gordon and Jim Rice.

Pictures From the A's 20th Anniversary Celebration

Although I was not able to make it to the game last night, my sister and her friends did actually go to the game. Knowing my affinity for everything Rickey, she gratefully provided me with the following pictures to share. Enjoy!

A's 1989 World Series Champions 20-Year Reunion

Although I won't be able to make it (I've got a pesky final exam tomorrow), before the A's-Giants game tonight, the A's are holding a 20-year anniversary celebration of their 1989 World Series win.

They created a pretty nice looking logo for the occasion, but this was the best quality version that I could find online.

Overall, 11 members of the 1989 A's have confirmed that they are going to attend. The list includes, Lance Blankenship, Mike Gallego, Dave Henderson, Mike Moore, Ken Phelps, Tony Phillips, Dave Stewart, Bob Welch, Curt Young, Matt Young, Rickey Henderson, and Walt Weiss.

Not surprisingly, both McGwire and Canseco are not going to be in attendance. The A's did have a McGwire replica jersey giveaway last night, and it was nice to see that he hasn't been totally forgotten.

Here's the lineup from game one of the series, which stayed consistent through, and when they played in San Francisco, Dave Parker (the DH) sat out, and everyone else just slid up one spot in the order:

Rickey Henderson, LF -- Scheduled to Appear

Carney Lansford, 3B -- Not listed as scheduled to appear, but he will definitely be at the game, as he's the Giants hitting coach!

Jose Canseco, RF -- He obviously won't be in attendance

Dave Parker, DH -- I'm not sure what he's doing now

Dave Henderson, CF -- Scheduled to Appear

Mark McGwire, 1B -- I don't think he's made a public appearance since the hearings

Tery Steinbach, C -- Declined due to prior family obligations

Tony Phillips, 2B -- Scheduled to Appear

Walt Weiss, SS -- Scheduled to Appear

Dave Stewart, P -- Scheduled to Appear

Mike Gallego, the A's current third base coach, came in to play 2B late in the game, shifting Tony Phillips over to third. Mike Moore (also scheduled to appear) started and won both games 2 and 4 of the Series. Rick Honeycutt, who came in to relieve Moore in game two, is also absent, but he's the current Dodgers pitching coach, so has a legitimate excuse.

The pitcher who closed out the game two win, Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley is another prominent name missing from the reunion, but is currently an analyst for the Red Sox, and couldn't get out of his prior commitments. There's also A's manager Tony LaRussa, who as the head coach of the Cardinals, also has other more pressing matters at hand. Finally, another unlisted name, is that of as current GM Billy Beans, who played in 37 games for the A's in 1989, and should also probably be at the ballpark.

Looking at the lineup, I was actually surprised to see that McGwire was batting 6th, as I don't remember him usually batting that low. They were definitely a fun team to watch, with Rickey getting on base, and the rest of the guys hitting him home!

Is Rickey Upset With the A's?

I recently came across a story written by Monte Poole of the San Jose Mercury News, that I found both interesting and a little sad. It seems that Rickey hasn't been on very good terms with the Oakland A's over the past few years, and is a little upset over the way that he has been treated. He says that if it weren't for the fans, and the fact that Oakland is his hometown, he'd like to go into the Hall wearing a....Padres hat! Which is just blasphemy if you ask me!

Although he broke both the all-time runs scored and walks records while playing for the Padres, it's definitely not the team with which he's most associated.

The whole story can be found below, as well as at this link.

Six weeks from today, Rickey Henderson will be the toast of baseball, a first-ballot inductee into the Hall of Fame, standing at the podium wearing an A's cap.

And having decidedly mixed emotions about the organization that cap represents.

Henderson's decision to go green and gold in Cooperstown is complicated by the perceived sheet of ice between the club and the greatest — and most popular — player in franchise history.

"I'm doing it for the fans, for the city, because this is home," Henderson says. "If (Oakland) wasn't home, I don't think I would wear it. Because I don't feel the love."

Rickey being Rickey? Maybe. But Rickey has a point.

He has not felt the love from his original team for a long time. Drafted by the A's out of Oakland Tech in 1976, Henderson spent 14 of his 25 major league seasons with the A's. He served four stints, under three ownerships, for six managers, the last being Art Howe in 1998.

In the decade-plus since, Rickey and the A's have shared one thing.

Distance.

It's as if there is a door to the organization through which Rickey can look but not enter.

Though Henderson is always welcome at the ballpark, there has been no sincere invitation to lure him back as a player, coach or as a highly visible community ambassador. Not until this month did the A's reach agreement on a personal services contact with Rickey, allowing him to make appearances on behalf of the team in 2009.

The A's say there are plans to do more in the future.

"I'm sure there will be further discussion to determine a role for Rickey beyond this year," Ken Pries, the team vice president in charge of several areas, including community relations. "We realize how much Rickey means to our heritage."

The roots of Rickey's bittersweet emotions likely lie in the failure to finish his playing career with the A's. His final seasons as an active player were spent with the New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers — in addition to the Newark Bears and San Diego Surf Dawgs of separate independent leagues.

All the while, even as late as 2006, Henderson sought to leave baseball wearing Oakland's green and gold. His very public pleas for one last chance to enter the batter's box in an A's uniform, heard 'round the baseball world, gained no traction within the organization.

It became an annual issue, local A's fans approaching general manager Billy Beane in coffee shops and parking lots, asking if Rickey might return for a grand finale. Most had heard that Henderson was willing sign any contract — even a minor-league deal— for the opportunity to prove his worth.

Nothing budged.

Though Beane consistently said he understood the desires of the fans, he also was consistent in saying he was trying to build a team with youth and a few selected veterans who could fill specific needs. Rickey, he always said, was not the right veteran to address those needs.

In his last overture, Henderson offered to donate his entire salary to charity. He yearned only for the chance to make the team, insisting he would pack up and go home if it were determined that he was unworthy. Practically begging, Rickey even took his plight to HBO's Bryant Gumbel.

Still nothing.

And not much in the last couple years, either, as it became apparent Henderson's playing days were over. He accepted invitations from the Mets to come to spring training to teach his considerable baserunning skills. He even spent time as a first-base coach.

The A's clearly have moved on.

"I would have been happy to work with Ron Washington when he was here," Henderson says, "or maybe come to spring training for a week or two and work with the younger players."

Having played for seven other teams, Henderson has seen the treatment other stars get from the organizations with which they are most identified. He knows of Tony Gwynn's iconic status in San Diego, knows what Minnesota thinks of the late Kirby Puckett.

Which makes it all the more painful to Rickey that he can't seem to reconcile with his hometown team. The team with a hold on his heart.

"I'm right here," he says. "I spend most of my time around here, right under their nose. I got my arms open to 'em."

Part of Rickey wishes he were courageous enough to take a hard stand. If he could, he would wear a Padres cap, he says, because he feels a mutual respect and appreciation.

But there's no chance of that. Rickey is committed to wearing an A's cap. It's in his blood. Even if there are times when he wishes it weren't.

1980 Topps Rookie Card Photo Negative

The most recognizable Rickey Henderson card is no doubt his 1980 Topps rookie #492. It's also probably one of the most iconic card of the 1980's.



Although they're all probably done digitally today, photographers did have to use actual film in the 1980's, with the photo used on the cards printed from the negatives. The Topps Company has recently started selling off some of these older card negatives through their "Topps Vault" on eBay. There has been a couple of Rickey card negatives from the mid-1980's, as well as a couple of Topps Sticker negatives. But, nothing has been of much significance, until now.



This is the negative that was used in the production of his now famous rookie card. It's pretty cool to get to see the entire photo, without being cropped and covered with the design of the card. I also like that the the card number is included in the upper left corner.

I knew it would sell for a pretty outrageous sum, but was not expecting the $821 that it actually sold for! I just hope it went to a good home, to a Rickey collector that will appreciate it for what it is.