Rickey Henderson still crazy with drive after all these years

Rickey Henderson still crazy with drive after all these years

OAKLAND (Jul 16, 1998 - 9:45 EDT) -- Rickey Henderson has been seen muttering to himself. He also hits himself.

In polite society, this behavior might prompt someone to call a doctor. But the Oakland A's are not concerned. They're

impressed.

"A lot of my friends say to me, 'Why does Rickey talk to himself, man?"' teammate Kevin Mitchell said. "I said, 'The man's

upset. He wants to succeed for these kids."'

During his at-bat in the second inning of Oakland's 6-2 victory over Anaheim Tuesday afternoon, Henderson stepped out of the

box between pitches and had a little chat with himself, attempting to thrash out just what he wanted to do. This is not unusual.

And if the A's left fielder is particularly perturbed, he's been known to rap on his batting helmet, a primitive but apparently

effective wakeup call to get his act together.

"That shows you that the man still has a lot of intensity for the game," Mitchell said. "Chili Davis told me something one day. You

know how Chili used to break the bat over his leg. He said he done lost the feeling for the game. Usually, when he made an out,

he'd get upset. He told me, 'Man, I don't even have that fire anymore.' But you can still see it in Rickey."

Henderson had another productive afternoon against the Angels, singling and walking in four at bats. The hit came in the first,

after which he stole second and eventually scored the first of three runs in the inning, more than enough as it turned out for

Kenny Rogers (9-3)and the bullpen.

The stolen base was Henderson's 38th of the season. No one in either league has as many. He's now nine ahead of his closest

competitor in the American League, Toronto's Shannon Stewart. Should he retain his lead through the regular season, he would

become the oldest stolen base champ in the history of the game, eclipsing Eddie Collins, who at age 37 stole 42 for the Chicago

White Sox in 1924. It would be an appropriate flourish for the man who has more thefts than any player ever.

"It's never really crossed my mind," said Henderson, who'll turn 40 in December. "I already had so much success stealing bases.

It would just be another milestone. I'm running more because we don't have the big power hitters. So I want to get in scoring

position. That's the important thing."

That doesn't mean Henderson wouldn't love to lead the AL in steals again, something he hasn't done since 1991.

"It's an achievement that lets you know deep inside you still got it," he said. "That you can go out there and make something

happen."

Even though Henderson is batting only .215 since June 1, and his average has dropped to .236, he still is making things happen

for the A's. Despite the slump, he has accumulated 31 runs, 23 RBI, 33 walks and 19 steals in his last 38 games.

"Sometimes, if you're hitting for a high average, it doesn't mean you're doing the job you're supposed to do," Henderson said.

"I'm trying to help the ballclub any way I can. Even if I don't get a hit, but I got a walk, stole a base or scored a run, that satisfies

me."

Henderson's value to the A's can't be defined exclusively by his numbers. He also has become one of the unquestioned leaders,

an inspiration to his young teammates.

"To see someone who's been where he's been for 20 years, playing with such enthusiasm, it can only rub off on you," rookie

catcher A.J. Hinch said. "The way he competes on the field. The way he competes in the clubhouse in cards. He loves the

game."

And he has shown his inexperienced teammates this is a job that should be fun, too.

"That's the thing most of us young guys don't have," Hinch said. "We're still kinda nervous. We strike out, it's panic attack. We

make an error, and things can get seriously down for us. And then you see Rickey. He comes onto the field every day with a

happy smile on his face. He has a genuine love for the game that rubs off on all the young guys."