R.I.P Rickey Henderson | The Boneyard

R.I.P Rickey Henderson

This one hurts. My favorite player as a kid, my dad's favorite player, my brother's favorite player...

He accomplished things on a baseball field nobody will ever again. Amazing player and personality.
 
Rickey knew it was Rickey's time to go.

Still believe he is a top-10 all-time OF and maybe most underrated player of last.50 years.
For 15 years in his prime he just wrecked pitchers when he was on base.
 
So sad, he was so fun to watch had a great personality, remember being in bleachers in Yankee stadium a visiting player annd always would have playful banter with fans in the outfield. So historically underrated. RIP to a legend of the game a guywho made baseball fun.
 
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Chin Diesel said:
Rickey knew it was Rickey's time to go.

Still believe he is a top-10 all-time OF and maybe most underrated player of last.50 years.
For 15 years in his prime he just wrecked pitchers when he was on base.
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There were better ballplayers, but if you pick an all-time team based on batting positions 1-9, you start your team with Rickey. Greatest leadoff hitter of all time.
 
superjohn said:
This one hurts. My favorite player as a kid, my dad's favorite player, my brother's favorite player...

He accomplished things on a baseball field nobody will ever again. Amazing player and personality.
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Superjohn, Rickey was one of my favorite 80's players too, along with Robin Yount and Andre Dawson.

It was great to see him play in person a couple of times in his 1.5 seasons with the Mets.


He always looked to be in great shape too, and his stated cause of death in pneumonia is rather surprising.

His stolen base record (considering the way baseball is played now) is safe for a while.


RIP Man of Steal.
 
Chin Diesel said:
Rickey knew it was Rickey's time to go.

Still believe he is a top-10 all-time OF and maybe most underrated player of last.50 years.
For 15 years in his prime he just wrecked pitchers when he was on base.
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SOOOO underrated.

Can you imagine how many stolen bases and overall anxiety for pitchers and catchers Rickey would cause with the current pitch clock and limits on pickoff throws?
 
Died of pneumonia. Actual cause could be just about anything. I can't remember the actual numbers, but there are many people who enter the hospital for one thing, then die of an unrelated infection.


www.marca.com

Rickey Henderson cause of death: What did the MLB Hall of Fame die of at age 65?

Major League Baseball said goodbye to a legend on Saturday following news that Rickey Henderson has died at the age of 65. The two-time World Series champion, who is widely consi
www.marca.com www.marca.com
 
Boost'ED said:
Superjohn, Rickey was one of my favorite 80's players too, along with Robin Yount and Andre Dawson.

It was great to see him play in person a couple of times in his 1.5 seasons with the Mets.


He always looked to be in great shape too, and his stated cause of death in pneumonia is rather surprising.

His stolen base record (considering the way baseball is played now) is safe for a while.


RIP Man of Steal.
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Yount and Dawson were two of my other favorites.
 
That was unexpected. Figure he'd be around for years given he kept himself in great shape. One of those guys I didn't like personally due to his ego, but could not deny the massive talent. I'm wondering if he's the guy who invented the concept of talking about himself in 3rd person.

It's 4:48, 90 minutes after the OP. And not a single mention on MLB's home page. What gives?
 
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Way too young. I remember going to Yankee Games in the early 80's - we had access to front row on 3rd base line. I loved watching him even in between innings.
Rest in Peace
 
Boost'ED said:
SOOOO underrated.

Can you imagine how many stolen bases and overall anxiety for pitchers and catchers Rickey would cause with the current pitch clock and limits on pickoff throws?
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Can you imagine what he'd be paid today if he was a rookie in the mid 2010's?

Soto fWAR first 7 years = 36.3
Rickey's fWAR first 7 years = 41.8
 
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lonsharkin51 said:
There were better ballplayers, but if you pick an all-time team based on batting positions 1-9, you start your team with Rickey. Greatest leadoff hitter of all time.
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Boost'ED said:
SOOOO underrated.

Can you imagine how many stolen bases and overall anxiety for pitchers and catchers Rickey would cause with the current pitch clock and limits on pickoff throws?
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Right. That's the crazy thing. You make a list of greatest OF all-time and you have Ruth, Mays, Aaron and Williams as probably the top four.

But if you ask for most impactful player for each batting position, Rickey is greatest leadoff hitter by a mile.
 
GOUConn has a great Rickey story. I don’t think he’s active here so I’ll try to tell it.

When he was in college in Boston, the Yankees with Rickey, were playing a weekend series at Fenway. After the Friday night game Go and his buddies were super wasted and called the Yankee hotel at like 2 o’clock in the morning. They asked for Rickey’s room and got patched through. Rickey ended up talking to them and was really cool. Asked them if they were going to the game the next day, they said, yes, he said he was gonna get on leading off, steal second base on the first pitch and point to where they were sitting. They told him they were sitting in centerfield, and don’t you know he got onto lead off the game, stole the base on the first pitch, turned to centerfield and pointed.
 
They are saying pneumonia. There was a special “senior” pneumonia vaccine out several years ago. Did he get that? Few do. Jim Henson another victim of pneumonia.
 
In my Top 5 players of all time. He was an amazing set up man for another Top 5 guy, Don Mattingly.
 
He and that bash brothers Oakland As team was my favorite team growing up, and he was a big part of that. Most fun and dynamic team of my lifetime. Always felt they should have won another WS to cement themselves. RIP Ricky, will miss you and your third person.

As for athletes dying young, often wonder about this. I played with Dave Roberts in the minors, was really fit then and throughout his playing days. Now he looks 10 years older than his age. Often makes me wonder once they stop playing if they just give up on fitness.
 
The vaccine for pneumonia lasts for a number of years , up to ten. At 65 you get one and may never need another. Having COPD I have kept up with it. Pneumonia has always been serious killer. Remember your Mom's yelling "if you don't put your coat on you'll catch the death of pneumonia". Ricky's passing is way too young. He would have been a great running back.
 
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HCCForever loved watching Rickey play. What a great base stealer and all-around hitter and player especially for the A's. I was fortunate to see him play for Boston later in his career watching him chat with the fans on the third base line. Amazing talent who died far too young. RIP Rickey.
 
HCCForever said:
HCCForever loved watching Rickey play. What a great base stealer and all-around hitter and player especially for the A's. I was fortunate to see him play for Boston later in his career watching him chat with the fans on the third base line. Amazing talent who died far too young. RIP Rickey.
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I was going to give you a like for starting that post in 3rd person. But then you caved in 2nd sentence.
 
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I heard a Rickey story recently and there was a third baseman who said Rickey was on first, looked over at him and held up two fingers. The third baseman didn't know what Rickey was trying to tell him. On the next two pitches Rickey stole second and then third. Then he explained that the message was in two pitches I'll be there on third. LOL.

One of the greatest athletes to play baseball. Could literally steal third at will. Hit the ball over 450 feet. Crouched stance was tiny but like a coiled spring. It made the strike zone so small that he usually got at least 100 walks a year. I think he had a tailback scholarship offer to So Cal (?).

RIP Rickey. Those who saw you will never forget you.
 


1 thing I noticed about this play. Rickey stole 3rd and Rickey immediately picked up the bag. I don't think Rickey called timeout. In today's world everyone is all about the rules and trying to get some type of edge with the rule book. Today some biotch 3rd baseman would have tagged Rickey and screamed to the ump that Rickey was out or that he lifted the bag while ini play and they'd go to replay and then call him out and just ruin the game and the moment. Or maybe it was an automatic time out, I don't know. Just play the game the way it was supposed to be played. It's more fun going by the spirit of the law. Yeah I know, pine tar incident. There were some sideshows, no doubt.
 
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