#706 - Rickey Henderson All-Star

What a card: Rickey Henderson led the American League in stolen bases in 1984 with a mere 66, after going over 100 the previous two years.

My observation on the front: Henderson is trying to do his dardnest to look bad-ass, but I know it's a spring training shot and there is going to be a smile on that face soon.

More opinion from me: Topps was the only one of the three major card companies at the time to go without a photo of Henderson on the bases in 1985. Granted, Topps satisfied its quota in 1982, 1983 and 1984, but that just ain't right.

All-Star performance: Henderson entered the '84 All-Star game as a defensive replacement in the fourth inning for Reggie Jackson. Henderson played in left and Dave Winfield moved from left to right field, taking Jackson's place. Henderson went 0-for-2 at the plate, striking out against Goose Gossage to end the game.

Legitimate All-Star card or fake All-Star card: Fake! The AL outfield starters were Winfield, Chet Lemon and Reggie Jackson. Chet Lemon did not get an all-star card! This would have really irked me a few years earlier as I paid careful attention to this stuff around 1980 or so and Lemon was a personal favorite.

 My observation on the back: Kudos to Topps for not going straight to stolen base leaders.

The blog wants to speak now: The TV category is updated.

#115 - Rickey Henderson

What a card: For the second card in a row, we have someone who was with a different team by the time his card arrived in stores. Henderson was dealt to the Yankees on Dec. 5, 1984 in a deal that brought, among other players, Jay Howell and Jose Rijo to the A's.

My observation on the front: I like almost every card of Rickey Henderson, but this one is just OK. I prefer the cards where he's on the bases.

More opinion from me: I think Henderson is the single most fascinating ballplayer of my lifetime. And probably the best player I've ever seen.

Something you might know: Rickey refers to Rickey in the third person a lot. But he claims that this is blown out of proportion. He says he calls himself "Rickey" mostly when he's scolding himself.

Something you might not know: It's difficult to find something unknown about someone so well-documented. So, I'll just go with this: Henderson's best friend in baseball was Dave Stewart. That's quite a pair right there.

My observation on the back: The word "swimming" is set off from the rest of the sentence, like it was used to replace some other word.

The blog wants to speak now: The Ballgames, Music and News categories are updated. Hey, hey, hey, HEY!