A Hall of Fame Wish

Very shortly, Rickey Henderson will give his Hall of Fame speech. Rickey, of course, played many years with Jose Canseco on the Oakland A's. Without turning this into a Raul Ibanez thing, let's just acknowledge there's a probability greater than zero and less than one that he took steroids.

So here's my wish for his speech: Rickey gets announced, walks up to the podium, basks in the applause for a few minutes, coaxes a little more to draw it out, adjusts the mic, flashes a huge grin, and says, "Hey, guess what? I took steroids. You voted me in. Nothing you can do about it now. Suckers!"

Of course, this all rests on the premise that he actually took steroids and would be willing to throw away lots and lots of future monies. That said, he's one of the few people in the history of baseball who'd be crazy enough to pull it off.

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Unsubstantiated Rumor Mill: Rickey Henderson to join Reds in 2009?

With the news that 50 year-old Nancy Lieberman is coming out of retirement to play in the WNBA, the stage is set for retired MLB star Rickey Henderson to do the same when he turns 50 later this year. Henderson has stayed in playing shape since retiring in 2003 and showed a willingness throughout his career to play for any team offering a roster spot.

Henderson, who holds the all-time record for stolen bases in a major league career, would have a natural fit in Cincinnati--one of only twenty-one MLB franchises to have never employed Henderson's services--where he would serve as an adequate replacement for the struggling Corey Patterson and play for a manager, Dusty Baker, with a penchant for starting more seasoned, veteran players.

While Henderson--who is known for his legendary batter's eye--might find his playing time in Cincinnati curtailed by Baker's disdain for drawing walks, the Reds manager is a proponent of team speed who's roster management approach favors name recognition over statistical production.

It is likely that Henderson would play for the league minimum salary upon his return. It is also likely that this will all happen.

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