FanHouse RickyHenderson

It would be wrong to get angry at people of an elderly persuasion for not understanding the internet. We live in a world of backslashed sarcasm, "blogs" and message boards/comment sections that allow for, *gasp*, freedom of speech.

There's no need for them to embrace it unless they want to. But when an elderly man like Corky Simpson decides to all-out attack the interwebs, well, that's a whole different ballgame.

"It doesn't bother me," Simpson told me, "because, one, I'm too old, and my skin is too thick, and I'm a stubborn old mule from Missouri. I think of the literature on the Internet in the same way that I think of the literature on the walls of public bathrooms. With the exception that the literature on the walls of public bathrooms is a little higher class."

[...]"The Internet is like a sewer. It's very necessary, but you wouldn't want to spend a lot of time there."

Sigh. See, the thing is that Corky already "forgot" (read: purposely left off) Ricky Henderson when voting for the Hall of Fame. And his subsequent back-pedaling on the issue kind of tends to devalue the whole "stubborn old mule" persona.

It's no secret that Ricky Henderson wants to continue to play baseball. He's been at this for years, actually, with the latest installment of "I think I can still play" coming just a week ago. God love him, but I always sort of laugh Henderson off when he says these sorts of things. After all, he is really old, and sort of a goofball.

But Ricky is not alone in his quest. The Friends of Ricky at LetRickyPlay.com are collecting signatures on behalf of their beloved Henderson, hoping some team will pick him up and let him run wild again:

Help send a message to Major League Baseball teams that you want to see Rickey Henderson play at least a few more games this year. Let Rickey retire HIS WAY, the Rickey Way - on the field.

In the comments section tell me which team you think should offer Rickey a spot on their roster.

Nobody loves the game of baseball more than Rickey Henderson. Remember how exciting Rickey made the game? Let's see Rickey do what Rickey does best one more time!

So far, they've collected 145 signatures. Fight the power, people! Get Ricky on the field one more time!

Or not. You know; it's up to you.

Previously at the FanHouse:
Ricky Henderson Is Officially Insane

(Via The Sports Frog)

Not in a bad way. We're not talking "Ted Bundy insane" here, or even "Ron Artest insane" -- it's more like the "crazy uncle who always hits on your girlfriend because he's drunk insane." Really, no harm, no foul.

Anyway, Ricky's latest adventure finds him in San Fransisco, where, during yesterday's game between the Mets and the Giants, Henderson snagged a foul ball. What makes that funny is that A) Despite having hit thousands of foul balls himself, Henderson was so excited about catching the thing he wouldn't give the ball to a young fan, and B) It's causing him to think about playing professional baseball again:

"Everybody was asking me for the ball," Henderson said Tuesday, according to the Star-Ledger of Newark. "I said, 'You're not getting this ball. I always wanted to get a foul ball. This one's going on a shelf at home."

The young fan didn't go home empty-handed, though, as Henderson signed another ball the fan already had.

Henderson joked that his catch in the stands shows he's still got the skills to play the game. ...

"Seeing Roger come back, all the seed that it plants is ask me to come back one time," Henderson said Tuesday in the Mets clubhouse before New York played the Giants. ...

"I'm going to look at it at the end of the year. I might come out with some crazy stuff, a press conference telling every club, 'Put me on the field with your best player and see if I come out of it.' If I can't do it, I'll call it quits at the end," he said.

In a way, you sort of feel bad for the guy. He obviously harbors a great love for the game of baseball and wants to keep playing it as long as his physical condition will allow. Perhaps he should consider a rec league, or 16-inch softball like the rest of us, but you can't begrudge him for wanting to play a game he loves. We could use more Ricky Hendersons in baseball ... even if they are a teensy bit crazy.