The last time I saw Rickey Henderson was late September in the Athletics’ clubhouse as the last, sad homestand at the Oakland Coliseum wound down to its final game. I’d known him since 1979 when he was brought up to the big leagues in his first run with the A’s. He was 20 at the … Read more
Upon hearing of the death of all-time great Rickey Henderson, I first got a little pedantic with myself. The overuse of the word “unique” has become a bit of a pet peeve here. Every single person, by definition of the word, is unique. There are no copies of us and we’re all one of a … Read more
Bradford Doolittle, ESPN Staff WriterDec 21, 2024, 06:05 PM ET Close MLB writer and analyst for ESPN.com Former NBA writer and analyst for ESPN.com Been with ESPN since 2013 If you could name one player in the history of baseball who was the Platonic ideal of a leadoff hitter, who would you name? Rickey. Even … Read more
Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, the greatest leadoff man and basestealer in history, has died, the league announced Saturday. He was 65. Historian Bill James once wrote that “if you could split Rickey Henderson in two, you’d have two Hall of Famers.” Henderson is in the inner circle of the inner circle of the Hall … Read more
Howard Bryant Close Howard Bryant Columnist, ESPN.com Senior writer, ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine Author of “The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron” Author of “Juicing the Game” Author of “Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston” Jeff Passan Close Jeff Passan Senior MLB Insider ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: … Read more