Will Rickey Henderson’s induction speech be delivered in the third person?

For all the reasons I sometimes loathe professional sports, I loved Rickey Henderson. If there was any question as to who was the greatest baseball player of all time, ask Rickey Henderson and he’d tell you, “Rickey Henderson.”

The all-time stolen base king, runs scored champion and gifted outfielder was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Monday. And way, way, way before there was Manny being Manny. There was Rickey being Rickey.

It wasn’t that Henderson was a hot dog. He was THE hot dog. He was the Queen Mary of showboats. While Babe Ruth may have developed the play book for self absorbed hot dogging, Henderson perfected it. However, there was a flare, creativity and originality to it and that’s what I loved about him. He was as much of an entertainer as he was an athlete, but I never got the feeling that he was disrespecting the game.

Kids who grew up watching Rickey Henderson mimicked his unorthodox habits. How many little leaguers were yelled at for making a windmill snap catch on a routine fly ball or were chastised for diving head first into second base when there was no good reason to do so? I did – constantly. It took me four years to undo the giant hitch in my swing, ala Rickey Henderson.

He is the first athlete that I can remember who consistently referred to himself in the third person. I pray his induction speech is delivered this way. But my favorite Rickey-ism was his reluctance to go near the plate until the public address announcer announced his name. Only then, when he was given a proper introduction, would Ricky stroll to the plate. Who would even think of doing that? Rickey Henderson would.

For all the glitter and slither, Henderson was voted to the hall because of his numbers and on field magic. He was the preeminent base stealer. Swiping a bag is now a lost art form, but it’s the most exciting play, next to the triple, in baseball.

Henderson played 25 seasons for nine teams, including the Seattle Mariners and most memorably for the Oakland A’s. For his career he batted .279 with 297 homer runs, 1,115 RBIs, 3,055 hits, 2,190 walks and 2,295 runs.

An opponent’s crowd was often quieted in the top of the first inning when Henderson would turn on one for a leadoff homer. He would pop straight up in the air after connecting with the pitch and begin his signature home run trot – a glide around the bases that would make the Godfather of Soul James Brown proud. He owns the career mark with 81 leadoff homers.

Near the end of his career he’d show up to spring training in better shape than any of the young rookies. And if you asked him today, at age 50, I bet he’d be ready to pull on a uniform and jog out to center field. He told the Associated Press that he hoped the Hall of Fame wouldn’t mind if the opportunity presented itself.

“They said I have to be retired to go into the Hall of Fame,” Henderson said. “Maybe they give me that day or two that I come back and wouldn’t mess anything up.”