More than 5,000 boisterous fans attended Shogun Fights, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts event at Baltimore's 1st Mariner Arena on Saturday night.
"This crowd is unbelievable. I would dream to be on a card like this. I wish that I had this sort of crowd for my first fight," said MMA legend Renzo Gracie, who was joined in the crowd by Rickey Henderson, Lenny Moore and others. "This is the best crowd and event I've ever seen."
"My dad was a really good athlete (Kenny Ross, who played safety at New Mexico in the late 1960s)," said Ross, the Marlins' right fielder. "My dad was all right[-handed]. My mom's a lefty, so maybe I got that gene from her."
Ross and St. Louis' Ryan Ludwick are the only two active position players who throw left and bat right. Just 14 such players in baseball history have gotten as many as 1,000 at-bats -- and that list now includes a Hall of Famer, Rickey Henderson.
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- The greatest leadoff hitter/hot dog in baseball history came dressed for the part Sunday. Onto a stage full of blue and gray suits strode Rickey Henderson.
Instead of a large bottle of mustard, he wore a cream-colored coat. That helped explain why so many Hall of Famers sitting behind him wore sunglasses on a cloudy day.
Rickey Henderson's Hall of Fame speech was one of the most anticipated parts of the 2009 induction ceremony. One fan, Pete Wahlstrom, and his nephew even traveled 300 miles from Massachusetts to Cooperstown, excited to hear speeches from Henderson and Jim Rice, both of whom spent time in Boston.
"I want to hear Henderson's speech," Wahlstrom said while waiting out an afternoon shower in the Hall of Fame. "I hope he doesn't let us down."
Rickey did not disappoint.
You can check out video of Henderson's speech below.
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) - Jim Rice's icy glare melted into a wide smile. Brash, flamboyant Rickey Henderson was humbled by it all.
The former left fielders were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday along with the late Joe Gordon, and Henderson, baseball's all-time leading base stealer, was briefly overcome before evoking some hearty laughs.
"My journey as a player is complete," Henderson said. "I am now in the class of the greatest players of all time, and at this moment I am very humbled."
On Sunday, Rickey Henderson will be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. We're happily anticipating the induction speech of one of the most colorful players in the history of baseball, sure. It never seemed, though, that he would ever stay retired long enough for us to drag him into the Hall.
We've caught the thief, but we all know he's good for another thousand stolen bases. Saturday's Dugout is after the jump.
It's a baseball podcast. The math is easy, right? BaseCast. Let's rock.
Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. on Sunday afternoon. In celebration of the festivities two of FanHouse's Hall of Fame voters, Jeff Fletcher and Ed Price, joined me to discuss what made Henderson and Rice great, what goes into the Hall voting process and to share their favorite Rickey stories.
For everything you need to know about this year's Hall of Fame ceremonies, listen in after the jump.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's action, with a quick nod to what's ahead.
You Oughta Know... That instant replay has been in use in the majors for reviewing homers since last August, but there had not been a single home run taken away until Wednesday.
And then it happened twice.
First, Pittsburgh's Adam LaRoche hit a first-inning drive that was initially ruled a three-run homer. After umpires checked the replay, they determined that the ball had not cleared the fence, and LaRoche instead had a two-run double.
A few hours later, in Milwaukee, Marlins pinch-hitter Ross Gload had a would-be solo homer reversed.
I don't know if you know this or not, but since he's commissioner of Major League Baseball, Bud Selig seems to think this gives him special privileges that nobody else in America is entitled to. Why, as commissioner of baseball he's not bound by the ex post facto laws of our society, which means he's allowed to suspendAlex Rodriguez for breaking rules that weren't yet in place.
More than 5,000 boisterous fans attended Shogun Fights, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts event at Baltimore's 1st Mariner Arena on Saturday night.
Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- The greatest leadoff hitter/hot dog in baseball history came dressed for the part Sunday. Onto a stage full of blue and gray suits strode Rickey Henderson.
Rickey Henderson's Hall of Fame speech was one of the most anticipated parts of the 2009 induction ceremony. One fan, Pete Wahlstrom, and his nephew even traveled 300 miles from Massachusetts to Cooperstown, excited to hear speeches from Henderson and Jim Rice, both of whom spent time in Boston.
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) - Jim Rice's icy glare melted into a wide smile. Brash, flamboyant Rickey Henderson was humbled by it all.
On Sunday, Rickey Henderson will be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. We're happily anticipating the induction speech of one of the most colorful players in the history of baseball, sure. It never seemed, though, that he would ever stay retired long enough for us to drag him into the Hall.
It's a baseball podcast. The math is easy, right? BaseCast. Let's rock.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's action, with a quick nod to what's ahead.
I don't know if you know this or not, but since he's commissioner of Major League Baseball, Bud Selig seems to think this gives him special privileges that nobody else in America is entitled to. Why, as commissioner of baseball he's not bound by the ex post facto laws of our society, which means he's allowed to suspend Alex Rodriguez for breaking rules that weren't yet in place.
Left on Base is MLB FanHouse's link dump.
