Henderson's bad rep may be just a bad rap

by Larry Stone Seattle Times staff reporter

Paul Molitor had heard the stories about Rickey the bad actor, Rickey the malingerer. He had seen with his own eyes Rickey the hot dog and Rickey the style-master. Then Pat Gillick, at that time general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, acquired Rickey Henderson for the team's 1993 stretch drive, and Molitor had to construct a new image of the future Hall of Famer - Rickey the teammate. And it is that stereotype-shattering image that has persevered. "It was a very positive experience," said Molitor, now a Minnesota Twins coach. "He's the type of guy you really don't like to play against, because he has a certain style about him. He slows the game down, and he likes the spotlight. "But when you play with him, and you get to know what he's about, you see that he's really got a purpose for everything he does when he comes on a baseball field. He fit into that club, which was a very business-like team, very well. He minded his business, did his job, couldn't have been better. I'm very thankful I played with him, because otherwise I wouldn't have had a fair impression of him." The Mariners, who acquired Henderson on Wednesday, are willing to gamble on a fair impression of Henderson, knowing full well that his latest controversy with the New York Mets has been repeated in various forms throughout his 21-year career. Henderson's debut with Seattle is likely to come tomorrow at Safeco Field against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Gillick said yesterday that Henderson is stopping in Phoenix to attend the graduation of one of his children and won't report until this weekend. Undeniably, Henderson has had his detractors, such as former manager Tony La Russa, who in 1995 said Rickey was not a great player because "to be a great player, you have to be as interested in the team as yourself." But La Russa has since mended fences and recently spoke glowingly of Henderson as "a first-ballot Hall of Famer" who "has been a marked man all these years, and he's not only withstood all that, he's excelled. You have to be physically and mentally so tough to do that. I give him all the credit in the world." Many Met players reportedly were incensed that Henderson was playing cards as the decisive Game 6 of the National League Championship Series with the Atlanta Braves ended last October. But none came forward publicly to express that sentiment, and Mike Piazza told New York reporters after Henderson's release, "I loved playing with Rickey." Omar Minaya, Met assistant general manager, said yesterday, "I have a lot of respect for Rickey. He was one of the main reasons we won last year. In reality, all the players in the clubhouse liked Rickey. He didn't have any problem with his teammates." Mariner first baseman John Olerud, Henderson's Met teammate last year and also with Toronto in '93, was one of several Seattle players the team consulted before pursuing Henderson. "When he came over in '93, he was just another guy in the clubhouse," Olerud said. "He got along real well with everyone. Last year with the Mets, same thing. I don't think he was a problem. I always thought he was a good guy to have around." Molitor said of Henderson's controversies over the years, "It seems when those things happen, he was either trying to renegotiate or be moved. I'm not saying that's right or wrong, but if he gets in the right environment and plays with a purpose, he'll be fine." Those sentiments were echoed by another former teammate, Stan Javier, who said, "I didn't have a problem with Rickey, and I don't think anyone has a problem with Rickey." Mariner coach Larry Bowa, who was with the Angels when they acquired Henderson in 1997, agreed. "He did everything - he helped the young kids out, his work ethic was very good," Bowa said. "I had read stuff about him, but I try to wait and make my own opinion. I thought he was a classy guy." Henderson and Piniella were in the center of a highly publicized incident in 1987 when George Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees, issued a statement saying that Piniella, then managing the Yankees, had accused Henderson of "jaking it" and wanted him traded. But both seem to have put the incident far behind them. Piniella led the Mariner push to acquire Henderson, and a friend who talked to Henderson yesterday said that he was particularly excited to be reunited with Piniella, who was Yankee manager in 1986 when Henderson scored 130 runs and stole 87 bases. "Lou and Rickey had discussions before he signed yesterday, so they're on the same page," said Dan Horwits, one of Henderson's agents. "Just because a guy has problems with one manager doesn't mean he'll have them with another. Look at Bobby Bonilla. He had a problem with Bobby (Valentine), and he's doing wonderfully in Atlanta. . . . I anticipate the same thing with Rickey in Seattle." The Mariners' financial investment is minimal - the prorated portion of the minimum salary of $200,000, plus a $250,000 buyout of the club's option on a $3 million contract for 2001. "We're looking for him to work the pitcher, get on base, create havoc, do his thing, that's all," Gillick said. "If he gets on base, the rest of the guys, three through six, are pretty good." "I don't think there's any problem with his character," Gillick added. "I tell you, I never had a problem with him. I don't know where that stuff came from. He's never been picked up on a DWI that I know of, never had a drug problem, never had any fights off the field." Tom Trebelhorn, who was Henderson's first manager in rookie ball in Boise, Idaho, in 1976, believes the trade will rejuvenate the 41-year-old Henderson. "If he gets interested again and turns it up a notch and tunes in, he still has a chance to take over games," said Trebelhorn, now the Baltimore Oriole director of organizational instruction. "He had fallen out of favor with the Mets. They weren't happy with him, and I'm sure he wasn't really happy. But I believe he'll get interested again now. He can still be an important part of a team, and occasionally an impact player." Added Minaya, "There's potential for a great upside with Rickey. He still wants to play, no doubt about that. He has the ability to motivate others around him to play better. He gives the hitters behind him the opportunity to see a lot of pitches, and to hit with a gap between first and second. A guy like Alex (Rodriguez) is really going to be helped." Bill Kearns, Northeast scout for the Mariners, notes that Henderson remains in outstanding physical condition. He hit .315 for the Mets last year with 37 stolen bases but was hitting .219 with five stolen bases when he was released. "You don't just die over the winter," Kearns said. "His body is great. He's an amazing person physically. And Rickey has a history of doing very well when he changes clubs." Henderson has changed teams three previous times in midseason, with decreasing success. In 1989, Oakland got him back from the Yankees on June 20, and he hit .294 with 52 stolen bases and 72 runs scored in 85 games, then was Most Valuable Player of the League Championship Series and hit .474 in the World Series as the Athletics swept San Francisco. But in 1993, when Toronto traded Steve Karsay to get him at the trade deadline, he hit just .215 in 44 games, and dropped to .120 in the ALCS and .227 in the World Series (though he did score ahead of Joe Carter on the Series-ending homer in Game 6). In 1997, when Anaheim picked up Henderson on Aug. 13 to boost its chances of catching the Mariners in the stretch drive, he hit just .183 in 32 games. "He's going to make it interesting for the folks in Seattle," Trebelhorn said. "Throughout his career, he's been a marvelous guy to hoot if you're on the other side, and a marvelous guy to root for if he's on your side. To me, that's the benchmark of a star."

Copyright 2000 The Seattle Times Company