THE GREATEST QUOTES EVER FROM YANKEE GREAT RICKEY HENDERSON

Rickey Henderson speaks in 3rd person and truth be told, he pulls it off with ease because he struts his stuff and did amazing things on the diamond. He accomplished greatness... and so why not speak the way his does.  To quite columnist Jim Caple...

"He has referred to himself in the third person ever since informing his mother that "Rickey Henderson would like his bottle and a fresh diaper."

So, we here at Bleeding Yankee Blue thought it would be fun to remind you of some of the funniest and most competitive quotes from Rickey Henderson throughout his career! Enjoy this one:

“Rickey don’t like it when Rickey can’t find Rickey’s limo.”

This quote is often attributed to Henderson, but the exact source is somewhat apocryphal. It has been mentioned in various articles and books about Henderson, including "Confessions of a Baseball Purist" by Jon Miller.

“If my uniform doesn't get dirty, I haven't done anything in the baseball game.”

This quote is attributed to Henderson in many articles and books about his career, including "Rickey Henderson: The Man of Steal" by William Macnow.

“You have to keep running. I always believed I was going to be safe.”

This quote is from Henderson's reflection on his approach to base stealing, found in "Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original" by Howard Bryant.

“Lou Brock was a great base stealer, but today, I am the greatest of all time.”

Henderson said this during his speech after breaking Lou Brock’s stolen base record. It’s documented in various reports, including the New York Times article covering the event on May 1, 1991.

“You guys got a Cadillac. Now you just have to go buy a driver.”

This quote was reported in Sports Illustrated after Henderson was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993. It’s a reflection of his self-confidence and sense of humor.

"This is Rickey calling on behalf of Rickey. Rickey wants to play baseball."

When Rickey Henderson was still eager to play baseball after his prime, he reportedly left this voicemail for a team's front office, demonstrating his persistence and unique way of referring to himself in the third person. From "The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America's Pastime" by Jason Turbow, Michael Duca, 2010.

                                “I’m Rickey Henderson, and you’re not.”

Henderson is known for saying this often, particularly when meeting people. It has been quoted in interviews and profiles, including one in ESPN.

“Rickey is so fast, he could turn off the light and be in bed before it gets dark.”

This humorous quote about Henderson’s speed is widely cited in baseball lore and is often attributed to Henderson himself. It’s mentioned in "Baseball's Funniest Quotes" by Glenn Liebman.

“When I played, I didn’t set out to break records, I set out to dominate the game. And it wasn’t about being a jerk, it was about doing whatever I could to win.”

Henderson made this comment in an interview with Sports Illustrated where he discussed his competitive nature and approach to the game.

"I don’t want to hear you say I don’t hustle. Nobody hustles more than Rickey Henderson. They’d have to make two hustles to be better than me."

Rickey Henderson famously spoke about himself in the third person, and this quote showcases his characteristic swagger and sense of humor, asserting his unparalleled effort on the field. From Bruce Nash, Allan Zullo, "The Baseball Hall of Shame 4," 1989.

"It took me 20 years to get 3,000 hits. I should have done it in three."

Rickey Henderson humorously commented on reaching the milestone of 3,000 hits, joking about how he could have achieved it much faster, reflecting his confident and playful nature.

You gotta love Rickey... and It's clear that Rickey loves Rickey!

--Alvin Izzo

BYB Yankee History Contributor

ICHIRO GOES BIG & THAT MAKES ME QUITE HAPPY

I love Pete Rose. I also love Ichiro Suzuki.  Yesterday, history in baseball was made once again.

Now look, Pete Rose has 4,256 hits in his Major League career.  In Ichiro's professional baseball career, combining Japan and US play, Ichiro has tied him. No question in his next game, Ichiro will pass Rose.

But not only that, if you don't feel like counting Japan hits, Hardball Talk writes: "As far as his MLB-only hit total goes, today’s was number 2,978 in his career, leaving him 22 shy of joining the 3,000 hit club. He’ll soon be the 30th member of the 3,000-hit club and he could realistically pass Lou Brock (3,023) for 25th all-time. Alex Rodriguez is the current active leader with 3,098."

Now it is my feeling that you can't discount this man's career and all he's done in baseball.  There is no question that while he is a Golden God in Japan, he's an icon in baseball here.  My oldest son idolizes the man.

I find him truly an unbelievable player and while the Yankees didn't know they would be sucking the life out of Yankee fans this season.... if Ichiro was in pinstripes, for me at least... this would have been a pleasant distraction to the lousy Yankee season, not to mention, a money maker for the club.

Whatever the case, I'm thrilled Ichiro found new life in Miami and I'm glad he's still hitting.  Yes, Pete Rose is one of my favorite hitters and players of all time, this is true, but I really do love Ichiro.

He's a constant in this game, be it Japan and the USA, and I tip my cap on a job well done.

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WHO'S THE BEST YANKEE LEAD-OFF GUY?

Undeniably, the leadoff guy of any ball club is key.  And it doesn't truly matter how he gets on base as long as he does, often.  Sure, we would like a hit or even an extra base hit every now and again, absolutely, but that's not essential.  "Plenty of evidence suggests that a talented everyday leadoff hitter can improve a lineup. Veteran outfielder Marlon Byrd said that finding a consistent everyday on-base threat at the top of the order "is the best thing for a lineup," according to an article in The Wall Street Journal last week (HERE).  Teams that have leadoff woes lose more ball games because their heavy hitters later in the lineup can't jack up the RBIs for which they are bred.  By way of illustration, since Jose Reyes departure from the Mets, the organization has .441 winning percentage.  With Reyes, "third baseman David Wright averaged 112 RBIs per season over that span-and only 82 in the four full seasons since (though injuries limited him to 102 games in 2011)," stated the same article. 

So I ask you Yankee fans, who are the best leadoff guys historically for the Yankees?  I have a few favorites who have lead us to winning seasons.  Let's check them out! 

Now, I know that in the early days, before my time, we had some good ones.  I will not overlook them but they did not necessarily play for the Yankees, at least not right away.  According to the ESPN article (HERE) "We're in a golden age for leadoff hitters" the first golden age for this very specific, patient, skillful hitter, was 1965 when we saw the likes of Joe Morgan, Pete Rose and Lou Brock.  A notable Yankee favorite around that time and into the seventies was Roy White, a very calm, collected hitter who set up some greats holding a career OBP of .360.  By the way, in mid-seventies we saw our very own Kenny Singleton take on the role of leadoff hitter for our rival team Baltimore Orioles.  I prefer his role now, much better since he hurt us too much as a great hitter for the Birds. 

I personally loved Mick "the Quick" Rivers who set up the likes of Willie Randolph, Graig Nettles and our very own Mr. October Reggie Jackson.  His average OBP during the 1976-1978 post season was .331 (he hit his best in 1978 post season).  I loved the way he stepped up to the plate and spun the bat in between pitches.  Very entertaining for a 9-year-old to watch. 

According to the same ESPN article,  "If there was a golden era before 2013, it looks like that 1990-1992 period, which featured leadoff hitters such as (Rickey) Henderson, (Paul) Molitor, Lenny Dykstra, Wade Boggs, Tony Phillips, Bip Roberts, Butler, Delino DeShields, Raines, Biggio, Brady Anderson and Devon White."

Probably the most under appreciated leadoff hitter was Rickey Henderson, whose speed and skill upped even his very respectable career OBP, which was one of the best at .401. "I don't think I ever got proper credit about being smart about the game," stated Henderson. During his four year stint with the Yankees in the late eighties, Rickey "Man of Steal" Henderson set a franchise record for steals (326) and he had his career best OBP in 1987 (.423).  He was fast and furious down the line, giving any team he played for an additional advantage in the late innings. I loved to watch him play and set up our Hit Man Donnie Baseball. 

Today, we have two of the finest leadoff batters on our club in Derek Jeter and Brett Gardner (career .382 and .354 respectively).  Incidentally, Jeter's OBP in 2009 was .406. We are fortunate to have both of them playing for us.  Gardner, right now, is one of the best in the league along with Mike Trout, Nate McCloud, Shin-Soo Choo (who started the year for ailing Jose Reyes), Austin Jackson, Alex Gordon, Ian Kinsler, and Carl Crawford.

We can agree, that the leadoff batter who needs to have an OBP of at least .300 to even be considered to hold the helm at the top of the order, gives any team an advantage. And we have looked at some good ones.  But, as always, we are interested in yours as well, so following this article, we will open a poll on this site and ask you to vote for your favorites.  Tell us who you think is the best leadoff hitter for the Yankees since 1965!  We want to know!

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof




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HALL OF FAME BLAH: NO ONE ELECTED IN

The frame grab above is from the film History of the World Part I.  It's a Mel Brooks flick that was way ahead of it's time in the world of comedy.  But I sit here today starring at the "Nothing" sign in the guy's cart and I think about the writers, the voting and the Baseball Hall of Fame and how this is the first time since 1996 that no player was voted in.  Shocking? Not really. If you really think about it, the PEDs situation has really mucked things up.  It's clear these writers are struggling with how to vote for these guys. It's become an issue.  Don't believe me? You should have seen Bob Costas and the gang on the MLB Network today.  Alot of head scratching.  Very interesting.

(In Photo: Jacob Ruppert)
Now, that being said, the Hall of Fame will induct 3 new members in this summer, Umpire Hank O'Day, catch Deacon White and owner Jacob Ruppert.  As the New York Times (HERE) puts it, "All three died in the 1930s and were voted in by the veterans committee in December. As a result, baseball will hold its annual Hall of Fame ceremony next July in an awkward context — without a single living honoree on stage."

Craig Biggio received 388 votes today and he was on top, but it wasn't enough. When it came to guys like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, Bonds was on 36.2% of the ballots and Clemens has 37.6%.

It's a weird day.  I always get psyched watching the guys who we watched as kids get voted in.  I, of course have been preaching about how much I'd love to see Pete Rose get inducted. 

It's time. He's paid his dues, he's taken his lumps and when he played the game, he played harder than anyone I ever saw.  Read ENOUGH'S ENOUGH. TIME FOR PETE ROSE TO GO TO COOPERSTOWN for my opinion on that.

(In Photo: Lou Brock 1985)
Last year I loved seeing Barry Larkin standing up there and years ago as a kid, I was lucky enough to be at the Hall of Fame when Lou Brock was inducted. I honestly thought Craig Biggio would have been voted in.  He wasn't. I was surprised. Again... seeing these players get voted in is always a thrill.  But not today.  Today, the Hall of Fame elected Nothing, no one and it's an odd day.

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WHY BRETT GARDNER'S SORELY MISSED

People dismiss Brett Gardner all the time, the little guy that only slaps at the ball and just offers speed.  I hate the dismissal of this guy.  He’s valuable.  It was so evident to me first when we lost him in the outfield and the Yankees scrambled to fill the hole with guys like Andruw Jones and Raul Ibanez, then converted infielder Jayson Nix into a left fielder. They even called up and stuck Dewayne Wise out there…great defensively, but can’t hit a lick.

To me, it’s simple.  You lose Gardy, you lose energy on the ball club. I don’t just mean in the field, I mean with the bat as well.  Gardner has speed out of the box, he has the ability to slap the ball to the left side, he can bunt, he “sparks” a rally.  It makes no difference that he’s batting 9^th, he’s considered the second lead off guy at the back end of the lineup.  People don’t appreciate that, or should I say, they didn’t…until now.

The Yankee bats are flat and having Gardy on base only provides Derek Jeter to knock him home.  That’s a runner in score position that with his legs, we can get him home.  People don’t think about speed as a valuable trait…I do and I always did, since Rickey Henderson and before that with guys like Lou Brock or even someone like Tim Raines, with the Expos and even later with the Yankees. 

(In Photo: Tim Raines)

Speed gets the runs home. Think about what the Yankees have accomplished without it… not too much…

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