Henderson inspired a generation to 'run like Rickey'

December 21st, 2024

The tributes to the great are pouring in after we learned of the Hall of Famer¡¯s sad, sudden passing, just days before his 66th birthday. Baseball¡¯s ¡°Man of Steal¡± has been rightly celebrated here, there and everywhere for his place in history as the all-time stolen bases and runs scored leader, a member of the 3,000 hit club and, above all else, an endearing and endlessly entertaining figure in the sport.

But the greatest tribute to Henderson came in deed, not word. And it came prior to his passing, in the measures taken by MLB to reverse engineer a game that looks a lot more like the one Rickey played -- a game in which speed and athleticism are incentivized and charisma is accentuated and celebrated.

¡°When we considered new rules for the game in recent years,¡± Commissioner Rob Manfred said in his statement, ¡°we had the era of Rickey Henderson in mind.¡±

Now, before we go any further, let¡¯s be clear: There¡¯s no replicating Rickey. He was one of one.

Start with a biographical basic: Rickey batted right and threw left. Who does that? In MLB history -- including the old-timey 1800s -- only 70 position players have done that. Of those 70, only nine played 1,000 games. And of those nine, only one played well enough to make it to Cooperstown.

Rickey broke records and darn near broke the game. He didn¡¯t just usurp Lou Brock¡¯s steals mark; he did it in his age-32 season. His 1,406 steals are 49.9% more than the second-place Brock¡¯s 938! This sort of thing just doesn¡¯t happen in a major statistical category ... unless somebody¡¯s going to come along and hit more than 1,100 career homers to blow right past Barry Bonds¡¯ 762.

No one would ever tell you Rickey Henderson was the greatest player who ever lived. We tend to reserve that discussion for the likes of Babe Ruth and Willie Mays. But with his special blend of power, speed and on-base ability, Rickey was the greatest run scorer who ever lived, in a game in which the object is to score runs. And he did it with a flair all his own.

So, no, you can¡¯t recreate Rickey. But you can summon his spirit.

And that¡¯s ultimately what the league at large recently tried to do.

When MLB unveiled its pitch clock and accompanying pitcher pickoff limits, as well as bigger bases, prior to the 2023 season, Rickey expressed his distaste for the new rules as only he could.

¡°I wish the game would be just left alone,¡± he told The Athletic¡¯s Brittany Ghiroli, ¡°but if they¡¯re going to [make these changes] they got to add 50 or 60 [steals] on mine. That¡¯s the new rule.¡±

Obviously, that¡¯s not how it works. Ty Cobb didn¡¯t retroactively gain any hits when MLB adopted a lighter, livelier ball, sans spit.

But Rickey¡¯s aversion was understandable. After all, he didn¡¯t need the extra assistance of pickoff limits and bigger bags on his road to those 1,406 steals. And should that sacrosanct number ever be challenged in the era of easier thievery (doubtful though that may be), there wouldn¡¯t be any official asterisk attached, because that¡¯s not how MLB operates. Rickey would undeservedly be sent to second ... this time, against his will.

Still, it was telling that MLB unveiled the new rules along with a Bryan Cranston-narrated ad that encouraged current players to ¡°Run like Rickey!¡± It¡¯s harder than ever to hit (in the single season of 2024, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto were the only players to eclipse the .401 on-base percentage that Henderson achieved over his entire career), so creating the base-stealing opportunities that Rickey made for himself is difficult/impossible enough. But when you do reach, ¡°running like Rickey¡± is now incentivized in ways it simply hadn¡¯t been in a generation of risk-averse, analytics-driven stagnancy.

Henderson played his last big league game in 2003 (he continued on in independent ball in 2004 and 2005), right around the time the game at large was re-orienting its approach to the stolen base. Because front offices had gained a greater mathematical appreciation for the value of an out, they increased the threshold for what is acceptable from a stolen base success rate standpoint. In short, they ran less, and, ultimately, invested less time and money in developing base stealers.

In 2022, the last season before the changes, the Rangers led all MLB teams with 128 steals -- or two fewer than Henderson had all by himself in his record-setting season of 1982.

The new rules have only been in place for two seasons, and yet we¡¯ve already seen a seismic change. In 2024, the average number of steals per team was all the way up to 121. So we¡¯ve come -- actually, run -- a long way in a short time. And that¡¯s before we even start to see the results of the drafting and developmental changes taking root in the new environment.

Run like Rickey, please. It¡¯s what the people want.

But there was so much more to Rickey¡¯s game than steals alone. It was that violent way he¡¯d uncork his bat ¡­ and then flip it. It was that way he¡¯d pop his non-existent collar, post-homer, then ¡°run¡± the bases with a deliberately, deliriously slow, wide, hot-dogging trot. It was the way he¡¯d snatch a fly ball with that semi-circular wielding of his glove that, when replicated on Little League fields across the continent, would always seem to end with the ball slipping away and rolling away from the fielder. Only Rickey could pull off that kind of cool.

So, again, one of one.

But it¡¯s been rewarding in recent years to see the game get over itself, to see players gradually reduce the self-policing of personality and let people be themselves. When Elly De La Cruz declares himself ¡°the fastest man in the world¡± or Soto stops to pound his chest in front of his dugout after hitting a go-ahead homer in the ALCS, that¡¯s real Rickey energy.

We¡¯re also seeing a sport that, thanks to the new rules, is trending younger and more athletic. The return to a 1980s pace -- the pace Rickey played in -- and the elimination of extreme defensive shifts in the infield rewards those who keep themselves in the kind of physical condition that Henderson somehow maintained for 25 seasons (he last led the Majors in steals at age 39).

Rickey Henderson knew what this baseball business was all about.

¡°I am a performer,¡± he once said. ¡°I give entertainment.¡±

It's hard to believe we now have to refer to him in the past tense, because everything about Rickey was so present, so alive, so in-your-face. Ripping all those leadoff homers, successfully swiping the base that everyone in the building (you, the catcher, the pitcher, the pitcher¡¯s mother, etc.) knew he was intent on swiping and playing the game with such energy and enthusiasm, he made baseball the most vibrant version of itself. And it says a lot that, as MLB sought to increase its appeal and inspire new generations of fans, it turned back the clock to a different style of game:

Rickey¡¯s game.

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com