Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, baseball's stolen base king, has died at 65
Deccan ChronicleOakland, Calif.: Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, the brash speedster who shattered stolen base records and redefined baseball's leadoff position, has died. Known as baseball's “Man of Steal,” Henderson had a lengthy list of accolades and accomplishments over his nomadic 25-year career — an MVP, 10 All-Star selections, two World Series titles and a Gold Glove award. Henderson surpassed Brock's career record when he stole his 939th base on May 1, 1991, for Oakland, and famously pulled third base out of the ground and showed it off to the adoring crowd before giving a speech that he capped by saying: “Lou Brock was a great base stealer, but today I am the greatest of all time.” Henderson finished his career with 1,406 steals. Give him two bases and send him to third.’ That would be me.” He even predicted how he could still be stealing more bases than the big leaguers more than 20 years post-retirement: "If they’re stealing 40-50 bases right now I’d lead the league.” Henderson’s accomplishment that record-breaking day in 1991 was slightly overshadowed that night when Nolan Ryan threw his record seventh career no-hitter. “When you’re old and grey, sitting around with your buds talking about your career in baseball, you are going to talk about Rickey," said Ron Guidry, another of Henderson's former Yankees teammates.