- In June 1999, when Henderson was playing with the Mets, he saw reporters running around the clubhouse before a game. He asked a teammate what was going on and he was told that Tom Robson, the team’s hitting coach, had just been fired. Henderson said, “Who’s he?”
- Rickey… on referring to himself in the third person:
“Listen, people are always saying, “Rickey says Rickey.” But it’s been blown way out of proportion. People might catch me, when they know I’m ticked off, saying, “Rickey, what the heck are you doing, Rickey?” They say, “Darn, Rickey, what are you saying Rickey for? Why don’t you just say, “But I never did. I always said, “Rickey,” and it became something for people to joke about.”
Rickey had checked in under Richard Pryor.
The morning after the Sox finished off their 2004 World Series sweep against St. Louis, Henderson called someone in the organization looking for tickets to Game 6 at Fenway Park.
Of course, Rickey emerged from the back seat.
The story went that a few weeks into Henderson’s stint with the Mariners, he walked up to Olerud at the batting cage and asked him why he wore a batting helmet in the field. Olerud explained that he had an aneurysm at nine years old and he wore the helmet for protection. Legend goes that Henderson said, “Yeah, I used to play with a guy that had the same thing.” Legend also goes that Olerud said, “That was me, Rickey.”
Henderson played with Olerud on the Blue Jays and the Mets.
I can’t wait to see Rickey’s speech on Sunday!
