(Let's take a moment to recognize one particular appreciation day that a number of ball players -- as well as a few bloggers -- can truly appreciate. January 24th is "Beer Can Appreciation Day." It was established after the day that beer was first sold in cans in 1935. Beer and baseball kind of go hand-in-hand. So it's an easy segue into another edition of Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 13th in a series):
Some people might not consider this an appropriate card of Rickey Henderson on the day of his inevitable election into the Baseball Hall of Fame. They might suggest Rickey raising havoc on the base paths, or at the very least, decked out in an Oakland A's uniform.
But I've always liked this card a lot. Not only is it the last card of Rickey in a Topps base issue (unfortunately, no card of Rickey in a Dodger uniform in 2004), but I love cards that feature players in reflective poses. Contrast that with the smiling Rickey head shot in the lower left corner, and you've got one great artistic card.
I think a reflective Rickey works quite well on this day because plenty of people will be reflecting on his career upon this afternoon's announcement. They already have. They're already telling Rickey stories and laughing about the man who seemed to live in his own world.
But, wow, what a player. There are two players that I've seen in my lifetime that acted like they would do whatever it took to gain an edge on the ballfield. The first was Pete Rose. The second was Rickey Henderson.
When Rickey first showed up in 1979 in that exaggerated batting crouch, we couldn't believe what we were seeing. How on earth could he hit like that? But he did. In 1982, he stole bases at such an alarming rate that it was beyond my comprehension. He finished with 130 in 149 games, nearly one a game. I remember Rickey in the 1993 postseason, driving the White Sox and Phillies pitchers mad every time he reached base. He was great fun to watch.
Yeah, Rickey had an ego, but the great ones almost always do. It makes for good story-telling (like the time when Nolan Ryan registered his 5,000th career strikeout by fanning Rickey. Rickey later wore a T-shirt that said, "I was there for the 5,000th"). I will look forward to his Hall of Fame speech more than almost any other player that I've seen inducted. It should be interesting.
For all the excitement you created in your 25-year, 10-team career, I appreciate you, Rickey. And your 2003 Topps card. Let's hope there's a player or two that goes into the Hall with you.
Some people might not consider this an appropriate card of Rickey Henderson on the day of his inevitable election into the Baseball Hall of Fame. They might suggest Rickey raising havoc on the base paths, or at the very least, decked out in an Oakland A's uniform.But I've always liked this card a lot. Not only is it the last card of Rickey in a Topps base issue (unfortunately, no card of Rickey in a Dodger uniform in 2004), but I love cards that feature players in reflective poses. Contrast that with the smiling Rickey head shot in the lower left corner, and you've got one great artistic card.
I think a reflective Rickey works quite well on this day because plenty of people will be reflecting on his career upon this afternoon's announcement. They already have. They're already telling Rickey stories and laughing about the man who seemed to live in his own world.
But, wow, what a player. There are two players that I've seen in my lifetime that acted like they would do whatever it took to gain an edge on the ballfield. The first was Pete Rose. The second was Rickey Henderson.
When Rickey first showed up in 1979 in that exaggerated batting crouch, we couldn't believe what we were seeing. How on earth could he hit like that? But he did. In 1982, he stole bases at such an alarming rate that it was beyond my comprehension. He finished with 130 in 149 games, nearly one a game. I remember Rickey in the 1993 postseason, driving the White Sox and Phillies pitchers mad every time he reached base. He was great fun to watch.
Yeah, Rickey had an ego, but the great ones almost always do. It makes for good story-telling (like the time when Nolan Ryan registered his 5,000th career strikeout by fanning Rickey. Rickey later wore a T-shirt that said, "I was there for the 5,000th"). I will look forward to his Hall of Fame speech more than almost any other player that I've seen inducted. It should be interesting.
For all the excitement you created in your 25-year, 10-team career, I appreciate you, Rickey. And your 2003 Topps card. Let's hope there's a player or two that goes into the Hall with you.
Comments
Sincerely,
JayBee Anama
bdj610
But I DO need the Rickey '03 Traded card! :)