'You couldn't stop' Rickey Henderson -- but Tony La Russa remembers the Hall of Fame leadoff man more for his intangibles

LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune on Dec 23, 2024

Published in Baseball

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CHICAGO — Rickey Henderson’s numbers are astounding.

The Hall of Fame outfielder stole more bases than anyone in major-league history. He also scored the most runs and hit the most leadoff home runs while collecting more than 3,000 hits on the way to enshrinement in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa will remember Henderson for more than the stats.

“Rickey Henderson, as great a player, just as great of a teammate,” La Russa said during a conference call with Chicago reporters Sunday afternoon. “He was always in the midst of everything happening in the clubhouse, dugout and on the plane.

“Great sense of humor. Personally, my interchanges with him was just honored to have him on the team.”

Henderson died Friday at age 65. He and La Russa were together for parts of seven seasons (1989-93 and 1994-95) with the Oakland Athletics.

It was a very successful period.

The A’s won the 1989 World Series, with Henderson earning MVP honors in the American League Championship Series. Henderson was named AL MVP in 1990 as the A’s captured their third consecutive pennant.

“The thing about Rickey was the old saying, ‘When your best player or one of your best players sets the best example on and off the field, it’s a huge plus for your team,'” La Russa said. “He made other teammates want to be part of a team that was like glue.

“Rickey was the ideal great player, great teammate and made everybody better.”

La Russa recalled having to prepare to face Henderson while he was managing the Chicago White Sox from 1979-86. And also what it was like getting to write Henderson’s name at the top of his lineup with the A’s.

“One of the things, one of the realities of Rickey’s career — and we knew it (going) against him — was that he was so dangerous that teams focused on stopping him,” La Russa said. “And look at the career he had. He was a marked man whether he was hitting or baserunning. People went through all the extremes to stop him and you couldn’t stop him.

“I was just in awe. Our teammates were in awe of how hard he played. There were a lot of attempts to intimidate him, which never made us happy. You couldn’t scare him and you couldn’t stop him.”

Henderson was born in Chicago and grew up in Oakland, where he later would become a superstar. His 1,406 stolen bases, 2,295 runs and 81 leadoff homers are the most in MLB history. He also holds the modern-era record for stolen bases in a season, swiping 130 in 1982.

He finished his 25-year career with a .279/.401/.419 slash line, 3,055 hits, 510 doubles, 66 triples, 297 home runs and 1,115 RBIs while playing for nine teams, including four stints with the A’s. He won a second World Series ring with the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays.

“I don’t think anybody would disagree, in our generation, he was the most dangerous player on the other side in a tie game or you are one run ahead,” La Russa said. “The all-timers, he’s on the team.”

La Russa also praised the 10-time All-Star’s baseball IQ.

“As smart as any position player I’ve ever been around,” La Russa said. “(He had) that stance with the small strike zone, but he was ready to strike if you threw a strike. All the leadoff homers. He was smart. And he learned to be a great base stealer, learned to be a better hitter.

“He told me a couple years ago, there was one statistic in his career that he never expected — he didn’t say he ‘appreciates more than the others’ because he had to work hard to hit those home runs and steal all those bases — but it was that he never had a thought that he could be a 3,000-hit guy.

“He explained because he drew so many walks, (he) never thought he’d have enough at-bats. When you think about all the at-bats that didn’t count, the fact that he got 3,000 hits — remarkable, makes him even greater. One of a kind. As good as any player who has ever played the game.”

La Russa and Henderson remained in contact through the years. La Russa estimated he saw Henderson about “three or four times” in the last three months.

“If you looked at him like we looked at him, we commented, ‘Look how great he looks,'” La Russa said. “He could still play. Very, very difficult to accept.

“Great person, great player, great teammate. … Great friend.”

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