Rickey Would Like To Thank Everyone Who Made This Possible (Especially Rickey)

Rickey Henderson was swept into the Baseball Hall of Fame today with a landslide majority of 511 votes, while others received a few less.

Henderson, baseball's all-time stolen base leader, got 94.8 percent of the vote, missing being elected to Cooperstown unanimously by 28 votes (we call that the Corky Simpson factor). Meanwhile, scrappy roustabout Jay Bell barely missed the cut, sparking much earnest debate among our commenters. One sample:

• The two writers who gave Jay Bell a HOF vote should be stomped, tattooed, hanged, and then killed. — MikeSmrek

But this is Rickey's post. I've encountered Rickey on several occasions, but have no delicious stories involving his time with the San Diego Surf Dawgs. So let this excellent David Grann piece in the New Yorker serve as your Rickey background material. Key quote:

Earlier, Henderson had confessed to me, “Last night, I dropped down on my knees and I asked God, ‘Why are you doing this to Rickey? Why did you put me here?’ ”

Referring to yourself in the third person when talking to God ... you get my Hall of Fame vote for that alone.

The complete list. Hey, who voted for Jesse Orosco?

Henderson Elected To Hall: Rice Too [San Francisco Chronicle] Stealing Time [The New Yorker]