As would be expected, there have been quite a few articles written on Rickey lately, and I've included links to some of the most interesting ones here. I'm putting this list together as I sit in the Sacramento airport, waiting for my plane to arrive to take me to New York (which is unfortunately almost an hour late).
Rickey Henderson is His Mother's Pride and Joy - Rickey Henderson's mother Bobbie had always wanted a girl, and even though she had Rickey, she couldn't be happier.
Baseball's Haul of Fame - Although Rickey's legacy had already been forged, there are quite a few less famous Hall of Famers (Goose Gossage, Gary Carter, Ryne Sandberg, etc.) who have benefited greatly (ie financially) as a result of their inductions into the Hall.
Rickey to be Rickey at Hall Induction - MLB.com recently interviewed Rickey about his induction speech, which is arguably the most anticipated induction speech ever.
Henderson's '#1 Fan' Hallbound - No, this article isn't about me, but a 25-year-old named Erin who was known to bring different signs to the Oakland Coliseum in the hopes of catching Rickey's attention, which she was very successful at doing.
I'll post more Rickey articles as I run across them. There's plenty of articles chronicling his career and his Hall of Fame induction, but I'll try and link to some of the ones that are more interesting and unique.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
A New Blog Logo and Header
In honor of Rickey's imminent induction into the Hall of Fame, and my leaving for Cooperstown today, I thought it would be the perfect time to unveil the new header and logo that I recently had designed for the blog.
I've been wanting to have a logo designed for awhile now, as I was tiring of the collage that I had previously been using. Plus, more than one person has commented on the prominent placement of Cecil Fielders giant head right in the middle.
Along with the logo, I also wanted to have corresponding business cards designed, which I could use to promote the blog while at the Hall of Fame. I've completed trades from a couple of sites that had cards produced, and I always thought it was a nice touch.
In case anyone is curious, here's the 1992 Upper Deck card which was used for the silhouette in the logo. It was surprisingly hard to find a suitable photo, as most of the cards cropped out large portions of his feet and arms.
On a more general note, I plan on chronicling my entire trip to Cooperstown on the blog, with at least one post every night, and probably more. If anyone has any questions while I'm away, or would like me to take pictures of anything while in Cooperstown, please don't hesitate to send me an e-mail, or even comment on this post.
I hope everyone enjoys the new logo, and keeps checking back daily during the upcoming weekend. Now if only I could manage to give Rickey one of the new business cards personally, that would really be sweet!
I've been wanting to have a logo designed for awhile now, as I was tiring of the collage that I had previously been using. Plus, more than one person has commented on the prominent placement of Cecil Fielders giant head right in the middle.
Along with the logo, I also wanted to have corresponding business cards designed, which I could use to promote the blog while at the Hall of Fame. I've completed trades from a couple of sites that had cards produced, and I always thought it was a nice touch.
In case anyone is curious, here's the 1992 Upper Deck card which was used for the silhouette in the logo. It was surprisingly hard to find a suitable photo, as most of the cards cropped out large portions of his feet and arms.
On a more general note, I plan on chronicling my entire trip to Cooperstown on the blog, with at least one post every night, and probably more. If anyone has any questions while I'm away, or would like me to take pictures of anything while in Cooperstown, please don't hesitate to send me an e-mail, or even comment on this post.
I hope everyone enjoys the new logo, and keeps checking back daily during the upcoming weekend. Now if only I could manage to give Rickey one of the new business cards personally, that would really be sweet!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
HOF Weekend: Player Autographs
When the elite in the baseball community gather annually in Cooperstown, it's common for the local business to set up autographs with Hall of Famers and other baseball stars of past, present and future.
The biggest of these events that I've come across for this year is being run by Jack Berke Sports, and is being held at the CVS pharmacy in Cooperstown of all places. Autographed photos and balls can be had of Hall of Famers such as Robin Yount ($85), Al Kaline ($75), and Gaylord Perry ($30), just to name a few. Non-Hall of Famers such as Ron Darling, Lee Smith, Dave Stewart and even Ellis Burks will also be signing. Full information on all signers and the corresponding prices can be found here.
But, this blogs all about Rickey, and he's going to be there at well. Rickey will be signing on Monday, July 27th from 12:00pm to 1:15pm, with autographs limited to only the first 250 people in line. Here's the complete breakdown of prices:
Flats up to 8X10 / Balls -- $139
Flats up to 8x10 / Balls w/HOF 2009 -- $139
Flats 11x14 / 16x20 / Bobbleheads -- $169
Posters / Caps / Mini's / Figurines -- $229
Equipment / Ltd Ed Lithos / Orig. Art -- $369
Bats / Jerseys / #'s / Clothing -- $425
Personalization's (except HOF) -- $59
HOF 2009 Inscriptions on any item
but Small Flats / Balls -- $85
Cleats / Shoes -- $599
This is definitely a very detailed breakdown on pricing, but I can understand why it's needed. I'm still holding out hope of getting Rickey's autograph at some point in time during the weekend, and I'll keep everyone updated on how the quest is progressing.
The biggest of these events that I've come across for this year is being run by Jack Berke Sports, and is being held at the CVS pharmacy in Cooperstown of all places. Autographed photos and balls can be had of Hall of Famers such as Robin Yount ($85), Al Kaline ($75), and Gaylord Perry ($30), just to name a few. Non-Hall of Famers such as Ron Darling, Lee Smith, Dave Stewart and even Ellis Burks will also be signing. Full information on all signers and the corresponding prices can be found here.
But, this blogs all about Rickey, and he's going to be there at well. Rickey will be signing on Monday, July 27th from 12:00pm to 1:15pm, with autographs limited to only the first 250 people in line. Here's the complete breakdown of prices:
Flats up to 8X10 / Balls -- $139
Flats up to 8x10 / Balls w/HOF 2009 -- $139
Flats 11x14 / 16x20 / Bobbleheads -- $169
Posters / Caps / Mini's / Figurines -- $229
Equipment / Ltd Ed Lithos / Orig. Art -- $369
Bats / Jerseys / #'s / Clothing -- $425
Personalization's (except HOF) -- $59
HOF 2009 Inscriptions on any item
but Small Flats / Balls -- $85
Cleats / Shoes -- $599
This is definitely a very detailed breakdown on pricing, but I can understand why it's needed. I'm still holding out hope of getting Rickey's autograph at some point in time during the weekend, and I'll keep everyone updated on how the quest is progressing.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Happy 1st Birthday Henry!
It's hard to believe, but my son is celebrating his first birthday today! It really doesn't seem that long ago that we were taking him home from the hospital, and now he's running around the house.
This picture's from Henry's first baseball game, a River Cats game we attended a few months ago. The last River Cats game we'd gone to was in June of last year, about 2 weeks before Henry was born. It was definitely a different experience this time, and surprisingly enough, Henry was content sitting on our laps for the entire game.
In the picture above he's actually hold the first of TWO foul balls that my wife got during the game (which he then proceeded to drop to the ground, forcing me to chase after it as it rolled down about 15 rows of seats). She'd never gotten a foul ball in her life, and she "caught" two within 10 minutes of each other.
Looks like Henry's a little good luck charm!
This picture's from Henry's first baseball game, a River Cats game we attended a few months ago. The last River Cats game we'd gone to was in June of last year, about 2 weeks before Henry was born. It was definitely a different experience this time, and surprisingly enough, Henry was content sitting on our laps for the entire game.
In the picture above he's actually hold the first of TWO foul balls that my wife got during the game (which he then proceeded to drop to the ground, forcing me to chase after it as it rolled down about 15 rows of seats). She'd never gotten a foul ball in her life, and she "caught" two within 10 minutes of each other.
Looks like Henry's a little good luck charm!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Rickey and "The Batting Stance Guy"
I hadn't heard of "The Batting Stance Guy" until this morning, but he's surprisingly accurate. He was on Letterman last night, and supposedly can imitate any stance in baseball history.
On Letterman, he started out with impressions of Manny, Big Papi, and Cal Ripken, and then moves on to Rickey. The Rickey portion begins at approximately the 5 minute, 30 second mark of the clip. Enjoy!
On Letterman, he started out with impressions of Manny, Big Papi, and Cal Ripken, and then moves on to Rickey. The Rickey portion begins at approximately the 5 minute, 30 second mark of the clip. Enjoy!
Monday, July 13, 2009
HOF Weekend: The Hall of Famers
With the induction ceremony less than two weeks away, more and more details of the weekend are beginning to emerge. This is hopefully the first of many posts that will chronicle my entire Hall of Fame Weekend experience. I'm going to be in New York for 5 days, and will be posting updates often as possible. I started this blog over a year and a half ago with the intention of keeping it going until Rickey was inducted. I've reached that goal, but currently have no intention of stopping here. I can't wait to see what memorable experiences await in the week ahead!
The list of past Hall of Famers planning to attend has been released, which contains 50 of the 65 living Hall of Famers, not counting this years inductees (Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice, and Joe Gordon). The record for most returning members in attendance was set last year, with 54 past inductees attending the ceremony.
Following is a list of those who will be attending:
Sparky Anderson
Johnny Bench
Yogi Berra
Wade Boggs
George Brett
Lou Brock
Jim Bunning
Rod Carew
Steve Carlton
Gary Carter
Orlando Cepeda
Dennis Eckersley
Bob Feller
Rollie Fingers
Carlton Fisk
Whitey Ford
Bob Gibson
Goose Gossage
Tony Gwynn
Monte Irvin
Reggie Jackson
Fergie Jenkins
Al Kaline
Harmon Killebrew
Ralph Kiner
Juan Marichal
Willie Mays
Bill Mazeroski
Willie McCovey
Paul Molitor
Joe Morgan
Eddie Murray
Phil Niekro
Tony Pérez
Gaylord Perry
Robin Roberts
Brooks Robinson
Frank Robinson
Ryne Sandberg
Mike Schmidt
Tom Seaver
Ozzie Smith
Bruce Sutter
Don Sutton
Earl Weaver
Billy Williams
Dick Williams
Dave Winfield
Carl Yastrzemski
Robin Yount
There are a few notable names missing from the list, which has actually changed slightly from the one that I received a few days ago. Lee MacPhail, an executive and the oldest living Hall of Famer, had been scheduled to attend, but his name has now been removed. Also added to the list was Johnny Bench and Lou Brock, the latter of which I was particularly shocked at his omission. Considering it was Brock who Rickey passed for the all-time stolen base crown, I was really hoping that he'd be in attendance, and am glad to see that his name has now been added.
Recent inductees still absent from the list include Cal Ripken Jr. and Nolan Ryan. Ryan's currently the President of the Texas Rangers, but he should have been able to get away for the day. Ryan and Rickey have quite a surprisingly large number of connections to each other, and it would have been nice to see him there. Ripken was just inducted in 2007, but he is very active in the community, and it's possible that he had another commitment.
Other than Jim Palmer, whose 63-years-old, all of the other Hall of Famers not attending are over age 70. This includes Bobby Doerr (91), Stan Musial (90), Red Schoendienst (86), Duke Snider (82), Tommy Lasorda (81), Ernie Banks (78), Hank Aaron (75), Luis Aparicio (75), and Sandy Koufax (73). While I would have loved to have caught a glimpse of such greats as Aaron, Musial, and Koufax, there's still plenty of "big" names to go around.
The day before the induction, all of the attending Hall of Famers are arriving via the red carpet, and I know I'll be there. Although this blog is focused on Rickey Henderson, I'm obviously a huge baseball fan as well. If I end up encountering any of the other greats of the game, I'll definitely post all about it here.
The list of past Hall of Famers planning to attend has been released, which contains 50 of the 65 living Hall of Famers, not counting this years inductees (Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice, and Joe Gordon). The record for most returning members in attendance was set last year, with 54 past inductees attending the ceremony.
Following is a list of those who will be attending:
Sparky Anderson
Johnny Bench
Yogi Berra
Wade Boggs
George Brett
Lou Brock
Jim Bunning
Rod Carew
Steve Carlton
Gary Carter
Orlando Cepeda
Dennis Eckersley
Bob Feller
Rollie Fingers
Carlton Fisk
Whitey Ford
Bob Gibson
Goose Gossage
Tony Gwynn
Monte Irvin
Reggie Jackson
Fergie Jenkins
Al Kaline
Harmon Killebrew
Ralph Kiner
Juan Marichal
Willie Mays
Bill Mazeroski
Willie McCovey
Paul Molitor
Joe Morgan
Eddie Murray
Phil Niekro
Tony Pérez
Gaylord Perry
Robin Roberts
Brooks Robinson
Frank Robinson
Ryne Sandberg
Mike Schmidt
Tom Seaver
Ozzie Smith
Bruce Sutter
Don Sutton
Earl Weaver
Billy Williams
Dick Williams
Dave Winfield
Carl Yastrzemski
Robin Yount
There are a few notable names missing from the list, which has actually changed slightly from the one that I received a few days ago. Lee MacPhail, an executive and the oldest living Hall of Famer, had been scheduled to attend, but his name has now been removed. Also added to the list was Johnny Bench and Lou Brock, the latter of which I was particularly shocked at his omission. Considering it was Brock who Rickey passed for the all-time stolen base crown, I was really hoping that he'd be in attendance, and am glad to see that his name has now been added.
Recent inductees still absent from the list include Cal Ripken Jr. and Nolan Ryan. Ryan's currently the President of the Texas Rangers, but he should have been able to get away for the day. Ryan and Rickey have quite a surprisingly large number of connections to each other, and it would have been nice to see him there. Ripken was just inducted in 2007, but he is very active in the community, and it's possible that he had another commitment.
Other than Jim Palmer, whose 63-years-old, all of the other Hall of Famers not attending are over age 70. This includes Bobby Doerr (91), Stan Musial (90), Red Schoendienst (86), Duke Snider (82), Tommy Lasorda (81), Ernie Banks (78), Hank Aaron (75), Luis Aparicio (75), and Sandy Koufax (73). While I would have loved to have caught a glimpse of such greats as Aaron, Musial, and Koufax, there's still plenty of "big" names to go around.
The day before the induction, all of the attending Hall of Famers are arriving via the red carpet, and I know I'll be there. Although this blog is focused on Rickey Henderson, I'm obviously a huge baseball fan as well. If I end up encountering any of the other greats of the game, I'll definitely post all about it here.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
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.
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.
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