1981 Topps Rickey Henderson

 

The front: Once a staple of Topps cards, hatless ballplayers were pretty unusual by this time. No cap means Rickey has to squint in the Yankee Stadium sun.

The back: Henderson had more football scholarship offers than baseball, but his mom advised him against playing the more dangerous sport. When Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders became famous for being two-sport players, Henderson had discussions with Al Davis about joining the Raiders, but the A's wouldn't allow it. Considering what happened to Jackson, that was probably for the best. Rickey's seven steals the day after Star Wars came out in theaters is still the California League record.

The player: Henderson was one of the greatest offensive forces of all time. Best known for stealing bases (130 in a season and 1,406 all time will be very hard records to break), he was an excellent hitter besides, hitting .279 with an OBP of .401, as he hit out of a very pronounced crouch which led to lots of walks. Being on base 40% of the time with lots of steals meant he was in scoring position a lot, which explains why he also holds the MLB record with 2,295 runs scored. He hit 297 HR and drove in 1,115 runs, mostly from the leadoff spot - even without the speed he was a dangerous hitter. While sabermetricians debate the value of the stolen base today, they sometimes overlook the effect of a dangerous runner on the pitcher. A big part of why Joe Carter was able to hit that World Series winning walk off home run was because Mitch Williams was distracted by Rickey being on first base. 

The man: As a Yankee fan growing up in the 1980s Rickey was a favorite for his antics on the field, but his capacity for controversy, and conflicts with George Steinbrenner and Lou Piniella about taking too long to return from injury, made him more under-appreciated than he should have been. The Yankees' trade of Henderson to Oakland in 1989 for three minor contributors remains one of the worst in franchise history. With more time having passed since his playing days, Rickey is seen more today as a colorful character, like Yogi Berra, rather than the clubhouse cancer he was often portrayed during his playing career. Today Henderson works as a roving instructor for the A's.

My collection: I have 246 of his cards, from 1980 to 2003. I would be interested in trading for 1987 Fleer Hottest Stars #20.