PORT ST. LUCIE – If there’s one thing Rickey Henderson does not lack, it is confidence. He is confident he can get on base, he is confident he can steal a base, and he is confident that even at age 40, he can still be one of the best leadoff hitters in the game.
And, of course, even after 4 tumultuous seasons in New York with the Yankees, Henderson is confident he can make a triumphant return to the city in National League guise.
Henderson feels that while he was a Yankee from 1985 until midway through the 1989 season, he was largely misunderstood in New York. A bad hamstring injury and a prickly relationship with the press resulted in the perception that he was dogging it half the time.
Most of the trouble came from his hamstring injury of 1987, when he had only 358 at-bats. He went on the disabled list three times and missed 33 games. Rickey said the injury was bad, but nothing showed up when the doctors checked it out.
“George [Steinbrenner] was upset because the doctors couldn’t find what was wrong because the injury was so deep, and the press took another route saying I didn’t want to play,” Henderson said. “So I told [Steinbrenner], ‘You find the best doctor in New York and if I’m not hurt, I’ll play for free for two years.'”
After getting nothing but grief from the organization, the media and the fans, Rickey was finally vindicated when it was found he had completely torn the muscle.
“I was going to kill the entire organization,” Henderson laughed. “But George apologized and everything was OK.”
Henderson, who said playing for The Boss was good, said he was a little perplexed, considering the talent on those Yankee teams, that they never made it to the playoffs.
“Yes, it surprised me,” he said. “Hell, we averaged 10 runs a game, but we had no pitching. We used to beg George, ‘Get us some pitching,’ but he used to say, ‘No, I’ll get you another hitter.'”
Of course, it was after he left the Yankees and made his return to Oakland that Henderson solidified his reputation as the greatest leadoff hitter of all time. There was always a little Reggie in Rickey, but many fans never fully appreciated the way he played.
Now Mets fans will get the chance to see an older, more mature, and perhaps healthier Henderson light up the base paths.