It's the truth. And by the time he left, he had the worst reputation you could possibly have, which is a guy who put up big numbers for himself but wasn't a winning ballplayer. [15] He spent the first season of his minor league career with the Boise A's of the Northwest League. Rickey Henderson's wife's name is Rickey Henderson, 61, is married to Pamela Palmer, whom he adores. I also knew it threw the pitcher off. Since the 1970s, the five-year waiting period has been based on major league service only. Rickey wanted to be the next O.J. I love you, Billy. [39] Still, Henderson had his best on-base percentage to that point in his career (.423), with a .291 batting avg., was fifth in the AL in stolen bases (41) and hit 17 home runs despite playing only 95 games. Who is Charles Clay of the Arizona Cardinals? He denied any wrongdoing and was cleared by Nebraska to play in the title game. What activities was Hemingway active in during high school? December 25, 1958 (age 64) Chicago Illinois. Their bond, and Guinns connection with many other players, goes far beyond baseball. Billy Martin was a great manager. It's the manager who comes out and says, sit down, kid. Despite a childhood dream to play for the Oakland Raiders, he turned down the scholarships on the advice of his mother, who argued that football players had shorter careers. Now when someone asks who gave up Rickey Henderson's 3,000 hit, the answer will be 'John Thomson'".24 Boston signed Henderson to a minor league contract in 2002. If you're of a certain generation BRYANT: You remember the speed and electricity of the game and the way that it wasn't sort of slow-pitch softball where you just sit back and wait, unless you're Earl Weaver in Baltimore Orioles, where you wait for the three-run homer. At the end of his July 2009 Hall of Fame induction, Henderson alluded to his earlier speech, saying: In closing, I would like to say my favorite hero was Muhammad Ali. [33] In so doing, the 39-year-old became the oldest player to lead a league in stolen bases, and the oldest player to reach 50 steals. BRYANT: But when you look at him, you know, here's a guy who played, and he had 2.7% body fat. He received national attention when he led the Cornhuskers to the 2010 College Football Playoff National Championship game after the season ended in controversy due to allegations of academic fraud against him. Their support was huge for me.. [49], A year later, Henderson signed as a free agent with the New York Mets. Henderson stole second base in the fourth inning, tying Lou Brock's record. His older brother wanted him to play. Thank you. He was also second in on-base percentage (.414), tied for ninth in triples (7) and fifth in times on base, reaching 257 times. His career total is 1,406 steals, 468 more than second place on the Top 1,000 list, held by Hall of Fame outfielder Lou Brock (938 SB). Completed Orders. ESPN Video ESPN", "Henderson's antics tarnish his brilliant career", "Career Leaders & Records for Stolen Bases", "Year-by-Year League Leaders for Stolen Bases", Glossary of terms; Baseball Statistics.com, "Chris Ballard: More from Rickey Henderson and Jimmy Rollins on the art of the steal", "Progressive Leaders & Records for Power-Speed #", "Kenny Lofton sets postseason record for stolen bases", "Celebrating 40 Years of Oakland Athletics", "Baseball Evolution The 2005 Sporting News Top 100", "Most Times Leading League Batting Statistics", Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award, American League Most Valuable Player Award, American League Outfielder Silver Slugger Award, American League Outfielder Gold Glove Award, American League Championship Series MVP Award, American League season stolen base leaders, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rickey_Henderson&oldid=1166488204, American expatriate baseball players in Canada, American League Most Valuable Player Award winners, Baseball players from Oakland, California, Major League Baseball players with retired numbers, American expatriate baseball players in Mexico, 20th-century African-American sportspeople, Articles with dead external links from December 2021, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from October 2016, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2021, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, September 19,2003,for theLos Angeles Dodgers, Most seasons leading the league in stolen bases, Most stolen bases in a single postseason series, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 21 July 2023, at 22:07. But it just takes one person that really is backing you. Henderson bought the house from Sandberg, who played for the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers during his career. Advertisement. The 39 year-old 'Man of Steal' becomes the oldest player ever to lead the league in purloined bags", "1999 On Base Percentage Leaders: Top 25 in the National League", "Card game: Henderson, Bonilla show up Valentine in Game 6", "Griffey simply breathtaking in his prime", "2000 Stolen Bases Leaders: Top 25 in the American League", "Henderson Breaks Cobb's Record in Style", "October 7, 2001: Rickey Henderson records 3,000th hit in Tony Gwynn's final game Society for American Baseball Research", "A Year-by-Year League Leaders & Records for Oldest Player", "BASEBALL; Mets and Henderson Are Closing In On Deal", "One on one with Rickey Henderson: future Hall of Famer Interview", "Rickey's retirement plans: will he or won't he? But there's an aura about him nobody else has. So she gave him a quarter for every stolen base, and he said, I'm going to make a ton of money doing this. ", "The defensive brilliance shared by A's outfielders 05.10.82 SI Vault", So What's All The Fuss? "[69], Contrary to speculation,[70][71][72] Henderson's refusal to officially retire had not been delaying his eligibility for Hall of Fame induction. Year Team League; 1980: Oakland Athletics: AL: 1982: Oakland Athletics: AL . [33][109], In 1999, before breaking the career records for runs scored and walks, Henderson was ranked number 51 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players,[110] and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Seattle's Harold Reynolds led the league with 60 steals; Reynolds tells the story of getting an impish phone call from Henderson after the season: The phone rings. Henderson broke Brock's record the night Nolan Ryan threw his seventh and last no-hitter. Wild Bill Hickok. The data is based on the last 50 completed orders. He later sold the mansion for $2,300,000 in 2014. [16] Henderson spent the following season with the Modesto A's. Jarvis loves helping others succeed with their sports goals and he enjoys working with kids and adults of all ages. Rickey Henderson has a net worth of $20 million dollars. Former Oakland Athletic and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Rickey Henderson waves to fans after a ceremony dedicating Rickey Henderson Field prior to the baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Monday, April 3, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (Ben Margot/AP) By Chris Landers December 25, 2017 In July 2007, New York Sun sportswriter Tim Marchman wrote about Henderson's accomplishments: He stole all those bases and scored all those runs and played all those years not because of his body, but because of his brain. [87], On May 1, 1991, Henderson stole his 939th base to pass Lou Brock and became the sport's all-time stolen base leader. I was hitting the dirt so smooth, so fast, when I hit the dirt, there wasn't no hesitation. [81] Similarly, Henderson refused to spend his per diem money that all players receive on road trips: instead, he would put the envelopes containing the cash in a box, and when one of his children performed well in school he would invite them to choose an envelope out of the box and keep its contents. SIMON: So, Howard, how is it that somebody who stole all those bases and appeared in more games than all but three other players in history, including Henry Aaron and Pete Rose, was still accused of sitting out sometimes when he had an injury? And more than anyone else in the history of the game, he understood that baseball is entirely a game of discipline the discipline to work endless 11 counts your way, the discipline to understand that your job is to get on base, and the discipline to understand that the season is more important than the game, and a career more important than the season. [30], Regarding Henderson's 1982 season, the mid-'80s book The Hidden Game of Baseball looked at such statistics as .78 expected runs with a runner on first and no outs, 1.07 expected runs with runner on second and no outs, and only .25 expected runs no one on and one out. And Rickey came to New York in the 1980s, and that team did not win. I realize you can play the rage game all day and all night; you can just point to so many of the. In January 1998, Henderson signed as a free agent with the Athletics, the fourth time he played for the franchise. [40] It was the only season from 1980 to 1991 in which Henderson did not lead the AL in steals. And that's the thing. It was a learning process, but Henderson emerged more confident as a public speaker, and felt the work paid off on induction day. The decision went against the views of many of the people who had watched Henderson. He also ran track, but did not stay with the team as the schedule conflicted with baseball. Most people think these kids on the street are dumb, but theyre not, Guinn said. [100], Padres closer Trevor Hoffman said, "I don't know how to put into words how fortunate I was to spend time around one of the icons of the game. [24], Henderson was an MVP candidate a year later, in a season shortened by a players' strike. They overshadow what I've accomplished in this game.[62]. The former National Hero entered the MLB hall of fame in 2012. Davy Crockett. 11 MankuyRLaffy 1 yr. ago He was in an arb meeting and his team said he couldn't hit home runs so he started doing that. Think about this again. Rickey Henley Henderson Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson. People don't want me to say anything about what I've done. ' Rickey's just scolding himself. A lot of youth baseball is paying for this, paying for that. Henderson was a stocky teenager with little interest in baseball. [58], In February 2002, Henderson signed as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox, where at age 43 he became the oldest player to play center field in major league history when he replaced Johnny Damon for three games in April and another in July. He needed someone to play catch with. We talk about this BRYANT: Quite often about the eras in baseball. I could see the ball better. And in Rickey's time, if you took a break, you were lazy, and he took the brunt of that. I can't comprehend that yet. He broke Babe Ruth's record of 2,062 career walks,[48] Ty Cobb's record of 2,245 career runs,[54] and Zack Wheat's record of 2,328 career games in left field, and on the final day of the season (October 7) collected his 3,000th career hit, a leadoff double off Rockies pitcher John Thomson in San Diego. The little things, I probably mastered." )[97], On July 29, 1989, Henderson stole five bases against the Mariners' left-handed Randy Johnson, his career high, and one shy of the single-game major league record. Everybody thought it was the worst thing you could ever say. [33] He performed disappointingly for the Jays, hitting only .215 in 44 games, which was probably due to the fact that he fractured a bone on his hand early on with the team, after being hit by a pitch, although he still contributed 22 stolen bases and 37 runs scored. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. After retiring from the police department in 1991, Guinn spent time scouting with Atlanta before finally becoming a full-time special assistant scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates. His guidance counselor in the seventh, eighth grade had to bribe him because they didn't have enough players. Rickey Henderson blazed. "[74], The New York Mets hired Henderson as a special instructor in 2006, primarily to work with hitters and to teach base stealing. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. He stole 84 bases by the All-Star break; no player has stolen as many as 84 bases in an entire season since 1988, when Henderson himself stole 93. Rickey stole more than 100 bases after age 40. "He was the greatest leadoff hitter of all time.". The words transported both men back to Bushrod Park in North Oakland, on a warm April afternoon, two months before that years draft. 24 LF Rickey Henderson Overall. And he says, well, I still think I could help a team. You have the immigrant era, the integration era, and Rickey is part of the economic era where the players now have agency. And he's shaking his head, and he's completely serious. Manage Settings "[7], In 1988, Henderson led the AL in steals (93), was third in runs scored (118), fifth in OBP (.394) and seventh in walks (82), while hitting .305. In 90 games with Oakland, he was batting .327 (second in AL) with 17 home runs and 47 RBIs. Henderson won the AL's MVP award and helped Oakland to another pennant. He won his first World Series Championship in 1989 with the Oakland Athletics; star pitcher Dave Stewart was named World Series MVP. Henderson is the all-time stolen base leader for the Oakland Athletics[3] and previously held the New York Yankees' franchise record from 1988 to 2011. I said, you never retired. I just want to see if I deserve to be out there. [18] While Woodard tied the single-season player record with 90 stolen bases,[17] Henderson beat the record by stealing 95 bases, and was awarded the Sundial Trophy, given to the Modesto A's Most Valuable Player. He also had scored 77 runs, stolen 31 bases, drew 85 walks, had a .469 on-base percentage and was slugging .553. I want to play again, man. Rickey and his wife, Pamela, have known one other since high school. Almost eight years after his final game, Henderson also reiterated his desire to return: "Sometimes when I sit around and look at the game and things ain't going right, I just think, 'Just let me put on the uniform and go out there and take a chance'. Patrick Peterson played high school football in Houston before moving to Nebraska. He hit .319, fourth in the AL, and led the league in hits (135), runs (89) and in steals (56). Rickey Henderson Is Stealing Everything He Can Get His Hands And Feet On", "Former Yankees, Mets outfielder Rickey Henderson, Red Sox great Jim Rice lead Hall of Fame class", "Rickey Henderson Minor League Statistics & History", "A Resolution Authorizing the Renaming of Lucky A's Baseball Field in Arroyo Viejo Park Located at 7701 Krause Avenue, Oakland to the Rickey Henderson Baseball Field", "Year-by-Year League Leaders & Records for Stolen Bases", "What Is Rickey Henderson Doing In Newark? He looked after us.. That was what made the close plays go my way, I think. I told them they needed to name all the other players I had signed, because I live in a community where these kids know who you are. [52] Despite the late start, Henderson finished fourth in the AL in stolen bases (31). Rickey's 109 steals after age 40 would rank 40th on the active players career list -- only 39 players in the game today have more career steals than Henderson's total from ages 40-44. I was thinking about head-first versus feet-first, and wondering which would save my body. Rickey Henderson grew up in Brooklyn, New York and attended Abraham Lincoln High School. It had been 45 years since, at Guinns urging, the Oakland Athletics drafted Henderson in the fourth round of Major League Baseballs draft. All this, despite being swept by Cincinnati in the 1990 World Series. The Modesto A's finished the season with 357 stolen bases,[17] just shy of the league record of 370. Yeah. It's on the life and career of one of baseball's greats, outfielder Rickey Henderson. On July 16, 1993, Henderson broke the world stolen base record by stealing his 1,066th base, thus going past the record which was previously held by Yutaka Fukumoto. [62] This was the 13th highest percentage in major league history. 12/05/2022 at 12:00 AM 12/05/2022 at 12:00 AM Reliever was traded for same HOFer -- twice. With head-first I worried about pounding my shoulders and my hands, and with feet-first I would worry about my knees and my legs. [53], A free agent in March 2001, Henderson returned to the Padres. Henderson became the first player in major league history to reach 80 stolen bases and 20 home runs in the 1985 season. During his career, he hit over 20 home runs in four different seasons, with a high of 28 in 1986 and again in 1990. "[29], Tony La Russa, Henderson's manager in the late 1980s in Oakland, said, "He rises to the occasionthe big momentbetter than anybody I've ever seen. I was a single-parent kid. Henderson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009. Henderson holds the single-season record for stolen bases (130 in 1982) and is the only player in AL history to steal 100 bases in a season, having done so three times. Washington and Henderson, both of whom made multiple All-Star teams, were teammates on the Yankees from 1986 to 1988. Cap Anson is second, with 90. Calling on behalf of Rickey. Simpson. "[7] He was named Rickey Nelson Henley, after singer-actor Ricky Nelson,[8] and is the son of John L. Henley and Bobbie Henley. Sometimes, walking so much even gets me mad. When he gets on base he's more trouble still." In 1982, Henderson broke Lou Brock's modern major league single season record by stealing 130 bases, a total which has not been approached since. Rickey Henderson was the highest-paid baseball player along with Kirby Puckett for three years with his first contract signed in 1989. No matter if the ball beat me, I was by you. How on earth can you steal 1,400 bases if you don't want to be out there? Position: Leftfielder Bats: Right Throws: Left 5-10, 180lb (178cm, 81kg) . His father died in an automobile accident 10 years after leaving home. [33] His .300 average in 1995 marked his sixth and final season in the AL with a .300 or better average. On his draft day back in 1976, Henderson, who was just 17 at the time, sensed he would stay connected to Guinn. Rickey Henderson blazed. Henderson scored 101 runs, had a .376 on-base percentage, hit 14 home runs and drove in 57 runs in his fourth stint with the Athletics. He also led the AL in walks (116), was fourth in runs (119) and third in on-base percentage (.398). "[67] The Athletics retired Henderson's #24 on August 1, 2009. At Henderson's insistence, the giveaway plastic dolls had one atypical modification: "I told them, put a little dirt on mine, make sure that [it looks] like I'm playing the game." If he's with you, that's great. [23] His 100 steals broke Eddie Collins' franchise record of 81 in 1910 with what were then the Philadelphia Athletics and set a new American League (AL) record, surpassing Ty Cobb's 96 set in 1915. We called him Papa Guinn, Semien, who is an All-Star second baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays this season after several productive years for the Athletics, said of J.J. Guinn. Rickey paid $1,650,000 for a Tuscan-style house in Arizona in 1996. Guinn was with the organization from 1972 to 1991, and the most he ever made, annually, was $3,500. The former University of Nebraska football player purchased a home for $750,000 on June 1. Before the 2003 season, his last in the majors, Henderson discussed his reputation for hanging onto his lengthy baseball career: Each and every day I set a record, but we never talk about it. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. From his first contract five years earlier, Rickey's salary had risen more than 5,300%. Due to incomplete historical recordkeeping for that statistic, though, it is unknown whether he is the actual career leader. When the decision was made for Henderson to pursue a career in baseball, the man who would one day hold major league records with 2,295 runs, and 1,406 stolen bases, went to his room and cried. He broke into the American League when Carl Yastrzemski was still active in the league, and finished up in the National League when Miguel Cabrera was a rookie, but he still was not finished with playing baseball: he helped lead the 2005 San Diego Surf Dawgs of the Golden Baseball League to . Yet in the past quarter-century Henderson and Barry Bonds have come closest to dominating a baseball game the way Michael Jordan could a basketball game."[79]. All rights reserved. He later became known for his showboat "snatch catches", in which he would flick his glove out at incoming fly balls, then whip his arm behind his back after making the catch.[26]. 25 . We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. ", "Mets name Henderson new first-base coach; HoJo replaces Down as hitting coach", "Henderson signs contract to play in San Diego MLB", "Rickey to play for Surf Dawgs|The San Diego Union-Tribune", "Rickey to Big League GMS: Don't Lose My Number", "Henderson would like one more chance to make a big league team", "Henderson to lead base stealing seminar", "The greatest leadoff hitter of all time is beating the 06.23.03 SI Vault", "True Or False, Rickey? How does that happen? Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star and Sports Illustrated wrote: I'm about to give you one of my all-time favorite statistics: Rickey Henderson walked 796 times in his career LEADING OFF AN INNING. Henderson supposedly replied, "Ten years? He was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 25, 1958. And if you leave them out, they think youre a front-runner.. Rickey Henderson's wife's name is Rickey Henderson, 61, is married to Pamela Palmer, whom he adores. Football coaches praised Hendersons physique and lauded his speed. That my teams didn't win a lot of games? Though it became increasingly unlikely that he would return, he continued to publicly debate his own official retirement. What are you talking about? Guinn said he never tells people he signed Henderson, because the only one who needs to know that is Rickey. Throughout their relationship, the scout made a conscious effort not to come across as a sycophant. When did Rickey Henderson start his major league career? Guinn said he doesnt tell people he was the scout who signed Hendersonbecause the only one who needs to know that is Rickey.. Thanks so much for being with us, and talk to you soon. 2001: Mr. 3,000. BRYANT: Yeah - in his first full season. In fact, in 2009, he entered the Baseball Hall of Fame to . For the basketball player with this nickname, see, Second stint with the Oakland Athletics (19891993), Third stint with the Oakland Athletics (19941995), Fourth stint with the Oakland Athletics (1998), Second stint with the San Diego Padres (2001), Rickey Henderson: Leadoff Legend, 2009, MLB Network, Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League, List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders, List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders, List of Major League Baseball players who played in four decades, List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders, List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders, List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders, List of Major League Baseball stolen base records, "Jeter passes Rickey as Yankees' steals leader", "New York Yankees All-Time steals leaders", "Stop, Thief! I found it was impossible to throw some other guys out also. He said Guinn told him hed been signed because of the way he took off after a fly ball on a windy day. And I just love, when I asked him that, he said very colorfully, in a way that I will have to bleep out - I'll just say it this way. [42], Following a mid-season trade back to Oakland in 1989, Henderson reasserted himself as one of the game's greatest players, with a memorable half-season in which his 52 steals and 72 runs scored led the A's into the postseason;[33] his 126 walks for the year were the most for any AL hitter since 1970. [63] After leaving the Dodgers, Henderson started his second consecutive season with the Newark Bears in the spring of 2004. "[62] Henderson did use the first person pronoun on occasion, such as when he defended his position during a contract dispute: "All I'm asking for is what I want. View More Videos. Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson (born December 25, 1958) is an American retired professional baseball left fielder who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate tenures with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. He thanked God and his mother, as well as the people that helped him in baseball. [92] In his prime, Henderson had a virtual monopoly on the stolen base title in the American League. BRYANT: No, my pleasure, Scott. That's it. [111] In 2005, The Sporting News updated their 100 Greatest Players list, and Henderson had inched up to number 50. Rickey says it when Rickey doesn't do what Rickey needs to be doing. Take note, Arizona baseball fans: Rickey Henderson, the renowned Major League Baseball outfielder, has placed his Arizona house, which was formerly owned by Ryne Sandberg, for sale at $2.4 million. [38] Yankees owner George Steinbrenner issued a press release claiming that manager Lou Piniella wanted to trade Henderson for "jaking it" (playing lackadaisically). Henderson got his professional start in 1989 with the Oakland Athletics organization. He played baseball because everyone begged him to play. Henderson has mixed feelings about his comments: As soon as I said it, it ruined everything. He is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. However, his hitting woes continued in the post-season, batting .120 in the American League Championship Series and .227 in the World Series. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom house is located at 730 North Redridge Way and was built in 2005. And now people love Rickey. You continue playing, you accomplish a lot, and you'd think people would look at it as a fantastic career. And this is sort of the story of how time creates that arc. He would go to As games to see his prized signee, and sometimes Henderson wouldnt even know he was there. At $1.2m, the percentage . Owner Charlie Finley offered Guinn a salary of $500 a year, which he eventually raised to $1,000, after some haggling. Rickey Henderson was born on the 25th of December, 1958. Henderson was a star for Oakland four years later. At their reunion last month, the two men stayed in Hendersons suite for about five innings, but didnt pay much attention to the game. Awards And Honors. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. His advice: Sign Rickey Henderson right away.. [33] In his first season with the Yankees, he led the league in runs scored (146) and stolen bases (80), was fourth in batting average (.314), walks (99) and on-base percentage (.419), seventh in slugging (.516), third in OPS (.934) and hit 24 home runs. SIMON: Yeah. Rickey Henderson was born in the back seat of an Oldsmobile on the way to the hospital; he and his mother moved to Oakland from Chicago after his father abandoned them when he was two years old. But you don't want to be too careful because he's got a small strike zone and you can't afford to walk him. Henderson had a remarkably consistent season, with his batting average falling below .320 for only one game, the third of the year. It's called "Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original." And I spoke . One was a generational ballplayer. )[82], There are many unconfirmed stories about Henderson. October 7, 2001. [13] Henderson received over a dozen scholarship offers to play football. The pair married in 1983, and their marriage has been continuing strong for nearly three decades. [91] In 1993, Henderson stole his 1,066th base, surpassing the world record established ten years earlier by Yutaka Fukumoto for the Hankyu Braves in Japan's Pacific League. In 1987, he had a below-average season by his standards, fueling criticism from the New York media, which had never covered Henderson or his eccentricities kindly. [33], As his muscular frame developed, Henderson continued to improve as a hitter. View the profile of Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Rickey Henderson on ESPN. On the final day of the regular season, Henderson, then 42 and playing for the Padres, notched his 3,000th career hit to become the 25th player in AL/NL history to reach the milestone. "[65], On May 18, 2007, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Oakland general manager Billy Beane was considering adding Henderson to the roster for one game in September, provided it did not "infringe on the integrity of the roster or of the season", so that Henderson could retire as an Oakland A's player. In terms of his personal life, Rickey Henderson married his high school sweetheart, Pamela, in 1983, and the couple has three children. Henderson briefly considered quitting during his first season of pro baseball, but encouragement from Guinn helped him stay on track for a career that lasted 25 seasons in which he set numerous records. His 146 runs scored were the most since Ted Williams had 150 in 1950,[35] and he became the first player since Jimmie Foxx in 1939 to amass more runs scored than games played. When you go back and look at the day by days or go back into your recollections, if you remember Rickey, people hated Rickey. 9 Worthyness Strikeout 1 yr. ago Rickey learned to steal because some high school admin bribed him with a quarter for every base he stole in a game. J.J. Guinn was born in 1937 in Jefferson, Texas, but spent his childhood in South Berkeley. By being caught stealing 42 times, he cost his team 20.6 runs, and therefore, the authors concluded, the net effect of his running activity was merely 1.6 extra runs for the season.