Bruce loves Rickey

By Bruce Martinez

Few things put a bounce in my step quite like the springtime and the advent of the baseball season. With the Ruff Rider WCC Tournament trip done for this year I can focus on the coming baseball season and more so on my favorite player and personal hero Rickey Henderson.

Rickey is expected to make the Boston Red Sox 25-man roster this season, meaning Rickey will be entering Rickey's 23rd major league season. In Rickey's 23 seasons Rickey has had 3000 hits, the career stolen base record, the career walks record and the career runs record. This means Rickey has three of the 10 most important offensive records. In 23 years Rickey has played for eight teams and has consistently and constantly confounded everyone who has tried in any way to understand Rickey.

What Rickey may be most famous for is playing cards in the Mets clubhouse during a 1999 playoff loss. This is unfortunate because that isn't the kind of teammate Rickey is. Rickey has never been all about Rickey and in many ways is the ultimate team player.

What Rickey does is something nobody else can do anymore. Rickey sets the table for everybody else behind Rickey. Even at 43, Rickey is among the best leadoff hitters in the game. Even as baseball passes Rickey by and moves towards a game that resembles homerun derby, Rickey has evolved into a player that both suits the needs of Rickey's team and continues to play to Rickey's high standards.

What isn't to like about this man? Rickey plays hard, Rickey isn't selfish, Rickey has taken care of his body and Rickey continues to do things Rickey's way. Rickey is a standout individual playing a child's game and playing it well. What isn't there to like about Rickey?