You could say that Rickey Henderson was destined to be a gift. Oakland Technical High School Show More Show Less

Rickey Henderson (second left) and Oakland Tech teammates in a yearbook team photo from Henderson’s junior year. Stewart / National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Show More Show Less 3 of3 Brad Mangin Show More Show Less 2 of3įearing the public’s expectation that his 2009 Hall of Fame induction speech would be self-absorbed, Rickey took a college course to perfect it - and finally won over the public. He led off games with a home run a record 81 times. But the truth is that any fan of the game will find much to like.No player instilled more fear in a pitcher starting a game than Rickey, who tortured pitchers with not only a keen eye but astounding power. As someone whose own baseball fandom coincided with much of Henderson’s stardom, I was always going to love this book. It’s not romanticizing, or at least, not exactly, but rather, an affectionate look back at an imperfect time in which a force of nature fundamentally altered what it meant to be on first base. Bryant’s affinity for both the game in general and his subject specifically results in a book that, while even-handed, is also something of a love letter to what baseball was once upon a time. It’s all woven together into an engaging package, a fascinating read for anyone who loves baseball. The roots of so many criticisms of Rickey were born of racism, both inherent and explicit Bryant doesn’t shy away from that reality, acknowledging that many in baseball at that time viewed Rickey’s behaviors and style of play as somehow less than simply because of the color of his skin. Thanks to a stunning number of interviews – including some with the man himself – Bryant is able to assemble a complex and comprehensive look at a complicated legacy.

The triumphs of Rickey are here, but so too are the tribulations, as we’re given insight into the struggles that marked Rickey’s life both on the field and off it. Bryant – a gifted writer who spent a good chunk of time covering baseball in the Bay Area during Rickey’s myriad stints there – gives us a soup-to-nuts rendering of the man, from his humble beginnings in Oakland to his rapid ascent into stardom to his arrival the apex of the baseball world to his slow evolution into a hardball folk hero.

a deep and definitive look at one of the greatest to ever play the game of baseball.

Rickey howard bryant