OAKLAND — The presence of Rickey Henderson at the Oakland Coliseum in recent days has been bittersweet.
Henderson, the greatest player in franchise history, seldom appears on the field that bears his name. When Henderson shows, people take notice. Those who enter his orbit, fans, coaches, players or otherwise, savor his presence. But now, it’s his presence that’s become the latest of many subtle reminders that the A’s time in Oakland is coming to an end.
“I told myself, instead of getting emotional with what’s going on and them not being here, I reflect back on all the great moments that we had here, all the great times that I had here and the joyful times here,” Henderson told Bay Area News Group. “I did a lot of things in Oakland. The memories, probably more than the emotion, is going to take over.
“The emotion might come later, but when they leave, I want to reflect and look back on all the great memories.”
Henderson was the curator of so many of those great memories.
Whenever The Man of Steal, the all-time leader in stolen bases (1,406) and runs scored (2295), stepped onto the field, there was always the possibility that he would do something great. To Henderson, a graduate of Oakland Tech High School, his hometown played no small role in his success.
“I think it gave me the boost to do well,” Henderson said of playing in his hometown. “The people kept me going. When things were going bad, they always cheered for me. They gave me the lift. Those are the things I cherish so much.”
Henderson’s memories of the Oakland Coliseum precede his Hall-of-Fame career. Before being drafted by the A’s in the 1976 MLB Draft, Henderson remembered sneaking into the Coliseum — taking advantage of a more primitive security setup — to watch the likes of Reggie Jackson.
“I didn’t have enough money to get into the ballpark, but they didn’t have the big, green monster (Mt. Davis) back there,” Henderson said. “They used to just have a fence and we used to sometimes sneak into the games just to see the players and be around the team.”
Like those days of his childhood, Henderson is finding a way to be around the team before the franchise’s time in Oakland officially ends. He’s been at every game of the A’s final homestand, and he’s not just making quick cameos. Before games, Henderson has chopped it up with the position players during batting practice and signed autographs for fans before heading off the field.
And, if anyone had any doubts, his charisma and confidence are still there, too.
Designated hitter Brent Rooker recalled watching a video where a sportswriter called Henderson the greatest player he’d ever covered. When Rooker had lunch with Henderson the following day, he relayed the sportswriters’ comments. Henderson’s response was Rickey-esque:
Well, yeah, who else would it have been?
“He’s keeping things light,” Rooker said. “He’s joking around, he’s having fun. You can tell he pays attention to us even when he’s not here because he comments on games and talks about how you’re doing and how the team’s doing. To have him around his own field during the last days is really cool.”
“A lot of this organization is represented by Rickey,” A’s outfielder Lawrence Butler said. “He’s unbelievable. To be able to pick his brain, talk about the history of Oakland and the game of baseball has been amazing.”
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Come Thursday, Henderson will be among the thousands in attendance who will have the opportunity to say one, final farewell to the Oakland Coliseum. No one can say, with certainty, what will unfold throughout the afternoon.
Henderson, though, has his preference.
“If it was up to me, I’d tell all the people to get the DJ out and let everybody get on the field and have a party,” Henderson said. “We could enjoy the last time we have together and have one last party.”
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