A’s to name playing field at Coliseum after Rickey Henderson
The A’s announced Monday afternoon that they plan to celebrate Rickey Henderson over the summer of 2017.
The Oakland Athletics will name the playing field at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, “Rickey Henderson Field.”
A special ceremony has been scheduled before the A’s home opener on April 3, 2017 against the Los Angeles Angels.
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While Henderson is already part of the player development staff, he will now also be honored by becoming a special assistant to new team president Dave Kaval, who had this to say about Rickey and his contributions to the team over the years,
"“Rickey Henderson is the greatest Athletic of all time. It is fitting we honor and recognize his impact on our franchise by naming our playing field after him … I am also excited he will be joining us in the front office to serve as a representative of Green and Gold baseball.”"
Henderson is, of course, the greatest base-stealer of all-time but he is also, by and large, considered the greatest Oakland Athletic of all-time.
He leads Oakland in many major statistical categories from runs scored to stolen bases to walks. He broke the single season stolen-base record in 1982, stealing a whopping 130 bases that year.
Henderson broke the all-time stolen base record, a record he still holds by leaps and bounds today, in 1991. He was also named MVP of the 1989 American League Championship Series and the 1990 American League MVP.
He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.
He played for eight different teams over his 25-year career but he spent the most time with the Oakland Athletics. He spent all or at least part of 14 seasons in Oakland, the place he was raised.
Henderson was and will always be a hometown hero to the people of the East Bay Area and an Athletics’ icon to A’s fans all over the country.
Finally, the A’s will host an official “Rickey Henderson Day” on Saturday, July 15. They will be giving out white Henderson Jerseys to fans that will have the Rickey Henderson Field logo on the sleeve and Henderson on the back. It is both a tribute to Rickey and the city in which he was raised.
"“This is an incredible honor and I am humbled that the field I have so many incredible memories on is now named after me,” said Henderson. “I love this organization and our fans and look forward to contributing to our success for many years to come.”"
There is not a player that so embodied the spirit of the City of Oakland than Rickey Henderson.
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Who do you think is the best Oakland Athletic of all-time? Is Rickey Henderson your choice?