JIM ED RICE AND RICKEY HENLEY HENDERSON: Jim Rice was elected today to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his 15th and final try. Rickey Henderson was elected in his first year of eligibility with 94.8% of the vote.
Rice was a boyhood hero of mine (I wore the number 14 all the way through high school sports) so I am delighted by the news. I do understand that Rice was a borderline choice. A balanced analysis of his achievements is here. Rice was the 1978 AL MVP. He was an All-Star 8 times. He hit 382 home runs in 16 seasons with the Boston Red Sox. From 1977-79 he averaged .320 with 41 homers and 128 RBIs.
I also have great affection for Rickey Henderson, who was the 1990 AL MVP. Henderson was a 10-time All-Star who stole 1,406 bases, far surpassing the 938 stolen by Lou Brock, who is in second place. He owns the modern-day, single-season record with 130 steals in 1982, and the career mark with 81 leadoff homers. He played 25 seasons for Oakland, the Yankees, Toronto, San Diego, Anaheim, the Mets, Seattle, Boston and the Dodgers. He also inspired many good stories (look under "illeism, malapropism and anecdotes").
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