Breaking News: Jim Rice elected to HOF!!!!!

[ultimate7]

More Rickey quotes:

He once called San Diego Padres general manager Kevin Towers and said, "This is Rickey calling on behalf of Rickey. Rickey wants to play baseball."

When searching for a seat on the Padres' team bus, teammate Steve Finley told him: "You have tenure. Sit wherever you want." To which Henderson replied: "Ten years? Rickey's been playing for 16, 17 years."

Someone once asked Henderson if Ken Caminiti's estimate that 50 percent of major league players being on steroids was accurate. Henderson said: "Well, Rickey's not one of them, so that's 49 percent right there."

Then there was the time he told a Yankees teammate that his condo in New York had such a great view he could see "the Entire State Building."

[MR R.B.I.]

I found this top 25 of Ricky Henderson. OMG freaking hilarious.


1) Rickey... on referring to himself in the third person:

"Listen, people are always saying, 'Rickey says Rickey.' But it's been blown way out of proportion. People might catch me, when they know I'm ticked off, saying, 'Rickey, what the heck are you doing, Rickey?' They say, 'Darn, Rickey, what are you saying Rickey for? Why don't you just say, 'I?' But I never did. I always said, 'Rickey,' and it became something for people to joke about."

2) In the early 1980s, the Oakland A's accounting department was freaking out. The books were off $1 million. After an investigation, it was determined Rickey was the reason why. The GM asked him about a $1 million bonus he had received and Rickey said instead of cashing it, he framed it and hung it on a wall at his house.

3) In 1996, Henderson's first season with San Diego, he boarded the team bus and was looking for a seat. Steve Finley said, "You have tenure, sit wherever you want." Henderson looked at Finley and said, "Ten years? Ricky's been playing at least 16, 17 years."

4) This one might be my second favorite. This wasn't too long ago, I think it was the year he ended up playing with the Red Sox. Anyway, he called San Diego GM Kevin Towers and left the following message: "This is Rickey calling on behalf of Rickey. Rickey wants to play baseball."

5) This one happened in Seattle. Rickey struck out and as the next batter was walking past him, he heard Henderson say, "Don't worry, Rickey, you're still the best."

6) Rickey once asked a teammate how long it would take him to drive to the Dominican Republic.

7) Moments after breaking Lou Brock's stolen base record, Henderson told the crowd – with Brock mere feet next to him – "Lou Brock was a great base stealer, but today, I am the greatest of all-time."

Henderson once fell asleep on an ice pack and got frostbite – which forced him to miss three games — in mid-August.

9) A reporter asked Henderson if Ken Caminiti's estimate that 50 percent of Major League players were taking steroids was accurate. His response was, "Well, Rickey's not one of them, so that's 49 percent right there."

10) Henderson broke Ty Cobb's career record for runs scored with a home run. After taking his usual 45 seconds or so around the bases, Rickey slid into home plate.

11) On being Nolan Ryan's 5,000th career strikeout: "It gave me no chance. He (Ryan) just blew it by me. But it's an honor. I'll have another paragraph in all the baseball books. I'm already in the books three or four times."

12) San Diego GM Kevin Towers was trying to contact Rickey at a nearby hotel. He knew Henderson always used fake names to avoid the press, fans, etc. He was trying to think like Rickey and after several attempts; he was able to get Henderson on the phone.

Rickey had checked in under Richard Pryor.

13) I didn't believe this one at first. However, I emailed a few contacts within the Sox organization and they claim it actually happened. This is priceless, it really is.

The morning after the Sox finished off the sweep against St. Louis last October, Henderson called someone in the organization looking for tickets to Game 6 at Fenway Park.

14) The Mets were staying in a hotel less than a mile from Cinergy Field in Cincinnati. While some players walked, most took the team bus. A few minutes after they arrived — again it was less than a mile – the last players off the bus noticed a stretched limo that had just pulled up.

Of course, Rickey emerged from the back seat.

15) A reporter once asked Rickey if he talked to himself, "Do I talk to myself? No, I just remind myself of what I'm trying to do. You know, I never answer myself so how can I be talking to myself?"

16) OK, I know everyone has been waiting for it. Alas, according to both parties involved, it's not true. I wish it were. Heck, both Rickey Henderson and John Olerud have said they wish it were true. But it just didn't happen.

The story went that a few weeks into Henderson's stint with the Mariners, he walked up to Olerud at the batting cage and asked him why he wore a batting helmet in the field. Olerud explained that he had an aneurysm at nine years old and he wore the helmet for protection. Legend goes that Henderson said, "Yeah, I used to play with a guy that had the same thing."

Legend also goes that Olerud said, "That was me, Rickey."

Henderson played with Olerud on the Blue Jays and the Mets.

17) Rickey was asked if he had the Garth Brooks album with Friends in Low Places and Henderson said, "Rickey doesn't have albums. Rickey has CDs."

18) During a contract holdout with Oakland in the early 1990s, Henderson said, "If they want to pay me like Mike Gallego, I'll play like Gallego."

19) In the late 1980s, the Yankees sent Henderson a six-figure bonus check. After a few months passed, an internal audit revealed the check had not been cashed. Current Yankees GM Brian Cashman – then a low-level nobody with the organization – called Rickey and asked if there was a problem with the check. Henderson said, "I'm just waiting for the money market rates to go up."

20) In June 1999, when Henderson was playing with the Mets, he saw reporters running around the clubhouse before a game. He asked a teammate what was going on and he was told that Tom Robson, the team's hitting coach, had just been fired. Henderson said, "Who's he?"

21) This is my all-time favorite. Rickey was pulled over by a San Diego police officer for speeding. As the officer was approaching Rickey's car, the window went down a few inches and a folded $100 bill emerged. The officer let Rickey and his money head home without a ticket.

22) When he was on the Yankees in the mid-1980s, Henderson told teammates that his condo had such a great view that he could see, "The Entire State Building."

23) During one of his stays with Oakland, Henderson's locker was next to Billy Beane's. After making the team out of spring training, Beane was sent to the minors after a few months. Upon his return, about six weeks later, Henderson looked at Beane and said, "Hey, man, where have you been? Haven't seen you in awhile."

24) To this day and dating back 25 years, before every game he plays, Henderson stands completely naked in front of a full length locker room mirror and says, "Ricky's the best," for several minutes.

25) In the last week of his lone season with the Red Sox, Chairman Tom Werner asked Henderson what he would like for his 'going-away' gift. Henderson said he wasn't going anywhere, but he would like owner John Henry's Mercedes. Werner said it would be tough to get the same make and model in less than a week and Henderson said, "No, I want his car." Turns out the Sox got Henderson a Red Thunderbird and when he saw it on the field before the last game of the season, Rickey said, "Whose ugly car is on the field?"

[TempoGL]

we've seen these (mostly fake) stories like 100 times already.  but if anyone was going to post it again, it'd be MR RBI.

[BDawk]

OMG

[broiler]

thats the first time ive read those.  pretty sweet

[MR R.B.I.]

we've seen these (mostly fake) stories like 100 times already.  but if anyone was going to post it again, it'd be MR RBI.

LOL..Sorry! I thought it would be fun to read anyway, but you're right.

[Stock]

So which is it; 2 or 19?

[Metal King]

Rickey Henderson the 1st (and probably only) MLB'er to be inducted into the Hall of Fame who was born on Christmas Day. Born December 25, 1958, EXACTLY 20 years before ME.

I think Billy Martin died on Christmas Day, 1989, I dunno if he's in the HOF.....

Jim Rice also had his greatest season in '78, AL MVP and all that.

Who were the MVP's in you guys' birthyears? And do you share any birthdays with HOF'ers.

[nomaaa]

bumpst

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090723&content_id=6012788&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos

he almost lost his chance last weekend after he hit a would-be walk off homerun for the rbi championship foul and then struck out to end the game.

[Gantry]

That was such a bad pitch, pulled that game out of my ass

[bonny]

Who were the MVP's in you guys' birthyears? And do you share any birthdays with HOF'ers.

Birth year MVP's
1973
Pete Rose
Reggie Jackson

Birthday
Ted fkn Williams

[OctoFranco]

Who were the MVP's in you guys' birthyears? And do you share any birthdays with HOF'ers.

When I was growing up, the first favorite player I ever had was Dave Winfield.  I remember, maybe at the age of 7 or 8, looking through some of the baseball cards I had of him and glancing on the back to see that he and I had the same birthday.  I was so ecstatic I went screaming through the house eagerly showing my parents/brothers.

I think Eck was also born on Oct. 3.  Incidentally two players should have been in RBI but weren't...

[Nacho]

1982 MVPs:
Dale Murphy
Robin Yount

[rbichamp]

Going to the induction ceremony today for Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson in Cooperstown.

[BDawk]

Looking forward to Rickeys speech

[Flood]

Looking forward to Rickeys speech

HOLY FKN SHIT

[Barton]

Is there a list of HOF RBI'ers?

[Re-Peat]

Is there a list of HOF RBI'ers?

Your need for lists is unparalleled.